DAY OF ATONEMENT - 2003

Fred R. Coulter - October 6, 2003

And greetings, brethren. Welcome to the Day of Atonement, 2003. And the Day of Atonement, as you know, is a very, very profound and important day. And it is a day, as we will see, that has great meaning for us, and for the world, more particularly for the world. Great meaning for us, and it is true that the Passover and Atonement overlap in their meanings. And here is the reason why: for the church, we start out with the Passover, don’t we? And then the days of Unleavened Bread, and then Pentecost. And that’s for us between the time of Christ and the time when He returns. Now when Christ returns, we have that pictured by the Feast of Trumpets, as we have seen. And then the first thing that God has to do, He has to do something for the world in order to bring in the righteousness of God for the millennium.

So just like we start out with the Passover, and then go through the things we need to go through, the Day of Atonement is going to be the time when God then applies the sacrifice of Christ to all of Israel, and to the whole world. So it’s quite a momentous day, and there’s great meaning and understanding for it. So as we always do, let’s go to Leviticus 23. And I’m always amazed – while we’re turning there – that Jesus said we are to live by every Word of God. And yet how many people come along and say, “You don’t live by this Word of God; you don’t need this Word of God; you don’t need that Word of God”? Anything – the key is this – anything that was changed from Old Testament to New Testament, Christ Himself changed. No man can change it. And when He changed it, what He did, He: number one, either fulfilled the animal ritual, or the priesthood ritual, and gave it a higher standard, because He is our High Priest, and He is our sacrifice. And it’s the same way with circumcision. Circumcision of the flesh was superceded by circumcision of the heart, which is a greater circumcision. So don’t let anyone fool you or trap you into saying that none of these holy days ought to be kept. Because, you see, what it amounts to is satanic opinion, and it amounts to the very reason why this Day of Atonement is the Day of Atonement, and what it pictures.

So let’s begin in Leviticus 23:26. Now you see, all the way through beginning with Passover, all the way through the holy day season, down through the Last Great Day, we go step by step by step through Leviticus 23. And verse 26, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.” And we’re going to see there was going to be also a special offering that was given. “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God” (vs. 26-28). Now the reason we afflict ourselves is because God says that we are to afflict our souls. And the “souls” mean our physical body.

“For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people” (vs. 29). And I’ve seen that over and over again. When people stop keeping the holy days, and in particularly the Passover, and the Day of Atonement, they are cut off from God, and they lose knowledge. To be “cut off from His people” means you are cut off from the blessings of God. That’s what it means. Now we always take up an offering on the holy days. And it says that we are to offer an offering here. Since we do not do animal sacrifices today, then we do monetary offerings. And you know all the things that God has said about it, in giving from the heart, and being cheerful, and all of those things all apply. So we’ll at this time pause and take up an offering for the Day of Atonement.

(Pause)

Now back to Leviticus 23. Let’s understand a little bit about the particulars of the day; and this defines for us very clearly, and gives us what the Bible means about a “day,” and “sunset,” and so forth. Now verse 30, let’s continue where we left off. “And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work…” Now notice, He says no work. Now in this case, any work, “…in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work:…” So there it is a third time. No work, not any work, and any manner of work. “…Will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls:…” (vs. 30-32). Now we’ll see what that means in just a little bit. It means to fast. And in the one day fast, with no water, and no food. It’s called afflicting your soul.

Now notice the next phrase carefully: “…In the ninth day of the month at even,…” “Even” is ba erev, which means “sunset.” So this means the tenth day begins when the ninth day ends at sunset. “…From even unto even [that is, from sunset to sunset], shall ye celebrate [or that is, observe] your sabbath.” (vs. 32). Now this applies…and it’s very interesting, because in the Hebrew it is plural: “your sabbaths.” So this is not only specifically for the Day of Atonement, but it is also generally applicable to all of the holy days of God, including the Sabbath; that the day begins at sunset. Now if you want a full discussion of that, just go through and read the sections in The Christian Passover book, which explains thoroughly about what it means, sunset, and night, and morning, and sunrise, and all of those things are explained in great detail.

Now let’s look at this thing concerning fasting. Let’s first of all come to Psalm 35, and let’s see what David did. And he fasted in time of trouble. And he fasted because he needed to get close to God. And you know, the Day of Atonement, it is not the only day of the year that you should fast. You should fast whenever you need to get close to God, whenever there is some gigantic problem facing you, or something that is greater than you, that you need to ask God to help you in. You go to God and ask for His help, you beseech His intervention, you ask for His guidance, you ask for His blessing, you ask Him to give you the wisdom to see what you need to do.

Now here, David was saying, Psalm 35:11, here was a time of trouble for David. “False witnesses did rise up;…” Now this is also a prophecy of Christ. “…They laid to my charge things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.” Now you see, that is a way to receive answers to prayers. So let’s look at that. Let’s come to the book of Daniel, and let’s see what Daniel did. Just before Gabriel came and gave him the revelation as to when the Messiah would come.

Now let’s begin here in Daniel 9:3. And he’s explaining that he was seeking understanding from God concerning the seventy years that came from the word of the Lord from Jeremiah, and he was seeking understanding of that. So he says here, he records in verse 3, “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications,…” And supplications are continual beseechings of God. Not just a request that you answer once and you go on. Supplication – you keep asking. “…And sackcloth,…” Now he did this because he was in the king’s court and he wanted to humble himself with sackcloth and ashes.

“And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession,…” And this is what needs to be done when you are fasting. And also on the Day of Atonement, to confess your sins to God. Just like we need to do every day, but the Day of Atonement is a special day. And so he said, “…made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments;…” (vs. 4). Now notice what Daniel was doing. He was looking at the whole situation concerning the Jews and the children of Israel…and remember that God destroyed the temple under the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. and now it was getting time for the seventy years to end and to begin to go back to Jerusalem.

So notice his confession: “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day;…” (vs. 5-7). And boy, that is certainly true with what is happening in the world today – total confusion. They want to get God out of every vestige of everything that is in America. Only problem is, they are finding it is harder to do than they had figured. See, because God is never going to allow them to do it wholly, or that is, completely. He may let them get away with things like they have with the Ten Commandment monument that we saw earlier this summer with Judge Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of Alabama, and the Ten Commandment monument. And it’s amazing how many people want it gone, and it’s amazing how many people want it to stay. So there’s a confrontation that God is not yet done in judging this nation concerning acknowledging Him. And so just like Daniel did here, what this nation needs to do is like Daniel, and admit the confusion of face; admit to the sins; admit that all of these things are.

Now notice, he says, “…as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee” (vs. 7). That includes all the twelve tribes of Israel, of which we are the modern day descendents of it, you see. And so this is really quite a thing.

Now notice, and he also fasted for three full weeks at a later time over here in chapter 10. Now at this point he didn’t eat any meat, didn’t drink any wine, and it’s apparent that maybe he did drink some water, because it was for three full weeks. Daniel 10:2, “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole [full] weeks were [accomplished] fulfilled” (Dan. 10:2-3). And so, this is a good example of what needs to be when there is a tremendous trial or confrontation that you are going to face. Now you may not have to fast for three weeks like Daniel did. You’re not a prophet of God, so that may not be necessary. But you may take several days of fasting and drawing close to God, and asking Him to help you and to intervene in your life, and to help your circumstances.

Now let’s come to Matthew 4, and let’s see what Jesus Christ did in His confrontation with Satan. Because as we’re going to see when we’re done here with this section here in Matthew 4, we are going to see that the whole purpose of the Day of Atonement is to show which is the true God. We’re going to see that. And this is a tremendous thing, brethren. And we need to understand it, and we need to realize that Satan the devil is out there, active and busy. But when Jesus confronted him…and He had to go out and be tempted of the devil. Because as God of the Old Testament, He was the one Who allowed Satan to come into the garden; He was the one Who, then, gave the punishment and sentence to Adam and Eve for their sins; He is the one Who has to redeem them; He is the one Who has to overcome Satan the devil, and the triumph over him, which He alone can do. Men cannot do that.

Now here in Matthew 4:1, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt. 4:1-3), which He certainly could. But you see, if He did that He would have obeyed Satan the devil, misusing the power of God, and then Satan would have become His god instead of God, just like Satan became the god of this world, as we’ll see in just a little bit, because of what Adam and Eve did. So this is a mighty confrontation that Jesus had to complete before He began preaching the gospel to its fullest extent.

“But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (vs. 4). Now that’s how we are to live. And that’s why on the Day of Atonement in fasting, not eating food and drinking water, we acknowledge that all life, all health, everything comes from God; and that we are physical, we are temporal, and that we have to live by every Word of God in order to fulfill the destiny that God has called us to. Now it doesn’t stop there. Just like after you’re baptized and receive the Holy Spirit of God and have been in the Church of God a while, Satan doesn’t leave you alone. He offers other temptations. Now notice what he offered Christ.

 “Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,…” which from the floor of the valley of Kidron up to the top of the pinnacle was six hundred feet. So this was like sitting on the edge of a skyscraper. “…And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” Now even though he quotes the scripture, as we have seen, it’s not quoted exactly. Of course, even when Satan speaks the truth he really can’t speak all the truth, wholly, totally. “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (vs. 5-7).

Now what He was doing was this…He’s not saying, “Satan, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.” What Jesus was doing was quoting these scriptures and applying them to Himself, that if He did any of those things He would be tempting God the Father. And all men need to learn the lesson: you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Don’t tempt God by doing foolish and stupid things.

Now then, here’s the next temptation, the temptation of power. Because you see, Satan well knew that Jesus was born to rule the world. You can read of that in Isaiah 9, “For unto us a Son is given, unto us a Son is born; and on His shoulders shall be the government. And His name shall be Holy, and Wonderful, Mighty Counselor, the Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6-7, paraphrased). So, he tempted Him. You see, this is profound. Because if Satan could have moved Christ to do one thing, then Christ would have to die for His own sins. And there would not be a Savior. And that is the whole risk that God took when He became a man and took upon Him human nature, and to live in the flesh and dwell among men.

So here’s the temptation. “Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me” (vs. 8-9). Because you see, as it says in the account there in Luke 4, Satan said, “For all these things have been delivered unto me…” Now Who delivered them unto him? Mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve. And all of those who rule the world today worship Satan the devil; are rewarded for doing his bidding. They are the ones who have the power. And Christ has to come and destroy this power, and destroy the power of Satan the devil. And that’s what this day is all about.

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,…” Now this is written for all of us. So, being the Son of man, He was applying the scripture to Himself. “…Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (vs. 10). And that’s what’s so dramatic, and profound, and important concerning what we’re doing, brethren. We live in a world today that is set on compromise. We live in a world today that wants to get along and go along. We live in a world that’s rich and increased with goods; and we live in a world that even the Church of God is of the Laodiceans, has to be corrected by God because they think that they have everything, and when it really, the whole truth is, they are being subverted by Satan the devil. And so God has to correct them.

And you read the account concerning the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and you will see and know and understand that Satan the devil is right there to try and infiltrate and get into the churches of God, and to take away the truth that God has given us; to take away the love and understanding that God has blessed us with; to destroy the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to pervert it. Now you know. I want you to understand something: Protestants still have the chains of Rome around their neck, and Rome is going to pull them home. And if you don’t have the article, “Rome’s Challenge to the Protestants,” you get that article and you read it. And read it two or three times so that you know and understand that if you keep Sunday, if you keep Easter, if you keep Christmas, if you keep New Years’, if you keep Halloween, if you keep all of the pagan days of this world, you belong to Satan the devil, and you have believed a counterfeit, and Satan has blinded your eyes.

Now we know. And Revelation 12:9, it says that Satan is deceiving the whole world. Actively, progressively deceiving the whole world. And what he wants to get to is the church. Not only does he want to destroy the knowledge of God in the world, not only does he want to get rid of the Ten Commandments in public places, and so forth, he wants to get right into the Church of God to destroy it, and to destroy every one of us. That’s his intent. Now let’s come to 2 Corinthians 4, and let’s understand something here. Let’s realize that of all of the spirit beings that God has created, Satan the devil is unique. And we’ll see how unique he is here in just a minute.

Let’s pick it up here in 2 Corinthians 4:1. “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,…” (2 Cor. 4:1-2). Now you see, these things are telling you two very important things. Number one, most of the religions in the world walk in dishonesty and craftiness. That is, they have an agenda. Whether it be Protestant, or Catholic, or Muslim, or Hindu, or Baptist, or Taoist, any religion in the world – and they are all of Satan the devil, they are not of God. Protestantism has about a half a foot left in the Bible, and most of it into the world. And they handle the Word of God deceitfully. That’s what Paul says, that they’ve renounced handling the Word of God deceitfully. In other words, not going into the Scriptures to find…the Scriptures that someone wants to find out what they want to prove.

One minister of a Church of God recently did this to prove that Babylon the Great of Revelation 17 is not the system of religion of this world in Rome, but it’s the United States of America. Now you see, that’s handling the Word of God deceitfully. Granted, Israel goes off as a harlot from God. But it is not the harlot of Revelation 17, because Revelation 18 says to Israel, “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partaker of her sins” (Revelation 18:4, paraphrased). So you see, that is a perfect example of handling the Word of God deceitfully, and to have an agenda aside from the truth.

Notice what Paul said here: “…but by manifestation of the truth…” That’s what this Day of Atonement is, is to have a fast to seek the truth; to seek the Word of God; to seek the righteousness of God. Not our own agenda, not our own ways. And to rightly divide the Word of God, with line upon line, and line upon line, and precept upon precept; and let the Word of God be put together in the right way. And this is what Paul is talking about here, see.

And he continues, “…commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,…” Now then, we can take this one step further: if you do not rightly divide the Word of God and put it together, you don’t believe the Word of God. You believe your version of your agenda of how you are going to put the Word of God together so that you can accomplish what you want to do. And that is all a part of the deception of Satan the devil. That’s not from God. Satan is blinding the minds of those who believe that.

Now it says, “…hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves,…” No, no minister is to preach himself. He is not sent to preach himself. He’s not sent to glorify himself. He’s not sent to make himself a big mucky-muck, or overlord of people. No. “…We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ [Christ’s] sake” (vs. 2-5). Now Satan is clever. He has his apostles. They are after the Church of God in any way that they can be. And it comes in cycles. And those cycles can be manifested in cycles of false doctrine that come through the church. And almost on a regular basis they come.

Now let’s turn to 2 Corinthians 11. Let’s see what Paul said about Satan, and said about his ministers. And of course, Satan wants to use ministers that sound good, that look good, that preach smooth things, that appeal to people. Now Paul says here, verse 2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Cor. 11:2-4).

It means that you go along with it as a good thing. “Oh, well, let’s be broad-minded.” You know. The world today, in America, is run by polls: “What do you believe?” Listen – if you don’t believe the truth of what’s in the Bible, and live by every Word of God, it doesn’t matter one whit what you believe. You understand that? That’s what this day is all about. Do you believe God, or do you believe Satan? Or do you believe some of the lies of Satan, and intermix some of the truth of God, and homogenize it into an unrighteous gospel, which is not the truth, like the Protestants have done?

Now you see, this day has great stakes. And the battle is great. And we’re going to see that the battle down in the future is going to come. And it’s going to be like everything else that has always happened in history: when the day comes there will be no place to hide. And there is going to be no place where you can curl up in a corner and avoid persecution. You’re either going to stand for the truth and stand for God and live and die by that, or you are going to suffer eternal death. One of the two. Those are the stakes. That’s the meaning of this day. Who is your God: God, or Satan? It has to be one or the other. If you mix them, you belong to Satan. And this is what false apostles try and do.

Let’s come down here to verse 13. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (vs. 13-15). And so shall the end of anyone who follows them be according to their works. Now you see, this Day of Atonement is to decide, who is God?

Let’s come back here to 1 Kings 18, and let’s see that there was a confrontation with Elijah, and what that confrontation led to, and what happened. And Elijah had to deal with the children of Israel. And the children of Israel, like they always have done, have gone after other gods. Now let’s pick it up here in 1 Kings 17, and this becomes important. Now Elijah was sent to Ahab. 1 Kings 17:1, “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab [now he was king of the northern tribes of Israel], As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” And it happened – three and a half years.

And so then, “…the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan” (vs. 2-3). And after that he went and stayed with a widow. And he lived there three and a half years with the widow, and God miraculously supplied every day flour and oil. They would take the flour and oil and make their bread. And it would always be there, for three and a half years. Then it was time for him to do more of the work of God.

Now let’s pick it up here in 1 Kings 18. Let’s see what happened. And you know, just like there was a confrontation here between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, you know there’s going to be a like confrontation in the future. And it is going to be rather dramatic. We’ll see what that will be. “And it came to pass after many days [that’s after the three and a half years], that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)” (1 Kings 18:1-4). Now was the time for God to end that situation. So here’s the great confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Jezebel.

Now just like the world does to us today, they did to Elijah then. So when Ahab saw Elijah, he said, verse 17, “…Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” You know – “What are you doing, upsetting everything here? You’re the one who brought the drought upon [us].” “And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim” (vs. 17-18).

Now he says, “You send and get all Israel, you bring them to Mount Carmel, and all the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and we are going to see who is God.” So he got them. After they were all there, “…Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?...” See, the Israelites always do that. They like to have opinions. “What do you believe? Oh, the majority believe this. The majority believe that.” Not what is truth, not what is right, not who is God. Opinions “…If the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (vs. 21). And he said, “Look, I only remain of the prophets of God; but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty. So you have them go ahead and build an altar, and put their offering on it.” You know the rest of the story. They cried and yelled and screamed and danced and beat drums, and no answer until noon-day. And then Elijah mocked them and said, “Now look, you gotta cry louder. Because either he’s on a journey, or he’s sound asleep, and you gotta wake him up; because, after all, if you want him to hear, you really have to make it known.”

So then they really got down in earnest, and they were slashing their bodies and bleeding on the ground, and no answer. Because you see, Baal is not God. See, Catholicism is not of God. Protestantism is not of God. Islam is not of God. Neither are any of the religions of the world. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; and none come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, paraphrased). That’s the same thing that Elijah was bringing out here in the confrontation with the prophets of Baal.

So after they were all done he said, “Repair the altar.” He put the wood on it, put the water over…put the sacrifice on there and put water over it three times. And then it says here…now, it says “at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.” That is not a correct translation. It means at the time that Elijah came for the oblation. That’s what it means. And he had this prayer. Listen to this prayer. It’s not many prayers that get an answer. It’s not long prayers that get answers. It’s not setting, like one man said, “Well, I’m going to praise God twenty-four times a day.” And he didn’t realize that he just made himself a work of law. Because if he does it twenty-four times a day, if it’s not from the heart, then what good is it? God doesn’t hear. Look, the whole example is God does not hear all of the nonsense that people invent for their gods. But He expects you to love God and to believe Him, and to trust in Him. And when you pray, it is the believing prayer, as James said of Elijah, that brings the results. Not the length, not the repetition, but the deep belief and conversion that you have, in humble request to God.

Now notice what Elijah did. “…And [he] said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the LORD God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again [that is, unto You]” (vs. 36-37). Now how long is that prayer? Twelve seconds? Compared to from morning to noon to midday for the prophets of Baal. You know, even Jesus said, “Don’t use vain repetitions as the heathen do, thinking that they will be heard for their much speakings” (Matthew 6:7, paraphrased).

Now it’s the same way here. A twelve-second prayer. What happened? “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (I Kings 18:38). And then Elijah, he got afraid and ran off and went and hid in a cave and thought he was the only one left. You can’t run from persecution. You can’t run when the stakes get high. So God had to tell him, “Look, there are seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Now always remember this…in spite of anything that goes on anywhere, there is always the remnant of God who love Him, who obey Him, who have not bowed the knee to Baal, and who keep His commandments. And brethren, we had better be that remnant, as well as all of those that God is going to call. Now you see, it’s not done yet. It’s not over yet.

Let’s see an example of how it’s impossible to tell when Satan …how shall we say? …creeps in and takes over and twists and turns the laws of God, as happened with Judaism. See, they had the Sabbath. They had the Passover. They had the holy days. They had the temple. They had the offerings. They had the whole thing. So you see, the perfect place for Satan to come and subvert, if he can get in, is the very people of God. Now let’s come to John 8, and let’s see what they did, and who they really were, when all the time they thought they were serving God, and they claimed that they were the children of Abraham. Now remember, Paul says, “If you are Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29, paraphrased).