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Created Relations
Fred Coulter
Let’s ask the question: What does God really desire? Well, we’ll answer the
question first and show you. The answer is: God desires an eternal spiritual
relationship based upon love and the family structure.
Now let’s go to the beginning and let’s look at the creation of man. Let’s
look at Adam and Eve for just a minute. We’ll look at it from a little bit
different perspective. And let’s understand some very important things that
God did to have a relationship with mankind. Mankind is the one who chose
not to have the relationship. Let’s come here to Genesis 1:26. Now after God
made all the animals, created everything and made the environment,
everything necessary for human habitation, then God said “…Let Us make man
in Our image, after Our likeness…” Now that’s quite a blessing to be created
in this particular way and this particular fashion as compared to all the
animals and the rest of the creation.
Now we’ll just interject here the rest of the story, being the rest of the
Bible from the beginning of God’s plan to the end is that, we will be after
the God kind. And if we’re going to be after the God kind, then we have to
have a relationship. Too many things have gotten totally out of hand with
human relationships, and church relationships, and relationships with God
because people want to do it their way rather than God’s way.
Now let’s continue here. Now notice what God gave all of mankind. Now you
think about this in type, what it’s going to be in God giving the eternal
inheritance to us who enter into the Kingdom of God. Here is what He gave
mankind. “…And let them have dominion [that is let them be structured over
and to rule over] the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth…” So God gave the whole earth as a
wonderful present and blessing to mankind. And we need to really understand
what God did and how He desires this relationship. And that’s what God
created. So we are created to have a relationship with God. Let’s keep that
in mind.
“So God created man in His own
image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.
And God blessed them…” And God wanted us to be blessed so that we would
develop in this relationship. “…And God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…” And so God revealed in
this, part of His plan, what He had in store for mankind. “…And have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28).
“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which
is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is
the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for [food] meat. And
to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every
thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have
given every green herb for [food] meat: and it was so.” Now that’s true
today. Even today in eating meat, when we eat meat we eat what the animal
has eaten, which is grass or the herbs or whatever it is. So you see it is
true today. Now notice, “And God saw every thing that He had made, and,
behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the
sixth day” (vs. 29-31).
Now then, in order to have this relationship with mankind, God created from
the beginning the Sabbath day. This was a day for a special relationship
day, if you could mark it that way, or phrase it that way, where God would
put His presence in the day. And it was literally so at the beginning. God
put His presence in the day. He blessed the day. He sanctified the day, that
is to set it aside because in the sixth day, as it should read, not the
seventh day, God ended His work which He had made, that is coming right up
toward the beginning of the seventh day, every thing was done, “…and He
rested the seventh day from all His work which He made. God blessed the
seventh day…” And the Sabbath is part of the grace of God. The Sabbath is
part of the created structure which God has given for this relationship
based upon grace, which He created from the beginning. “…Because that in it
He had rested from all His work which God created and made” (Gen. 2:2-3).
Now then, “…God formed man of the dust of the ground [earth], and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”
(vs. 7). God also put the trees in the Garden of Eden, the tree of life and
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And God placed the man in the
Garden of Eden. A perfect wonderful place to live for a relationship with
God. Now God, after creating Adam wanted him to know and understand that
being created, he was to obey. But this was not a hierarchical thing that
God did. It was a created relationship, and all created relationships from
God require obedience. And in this created relationship there are
responsibilities. So God said he was to dress and keep the garden. And He
also told him he could have the freedom of eating of all the trees in the
garden except the one. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die” (vs. 17). Because this tree in eating of this would destroy that
relationship that God wanted to have, that God created us to be.
Now let’s also go on from here and understand this is part of the covenant
that God had with Adam. There were laws, there were commandments, there was
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God said, “You shall not
eat thereof.” And also we understand with it, with this thing here, that he
didn’t die instantly but we know from the book of Romans 5 that when they
ate of it the law of sin and death was imputed to them as part of the
judgment because of eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And
we’re going to understand why. Because you see what happened with Lucifer
when he fell, he broke that created relationship with God. He wanted to
become something that he was not, and should not, and could not be. And so
likewise, man is given the choice whether he will follow in that
relationship with God or not. Now in the beginning Adam and Eve were neither
mortal nor immortal. They were in-between. They were not subject unto death
until they ate of the tree.
Now let’s come back and read the rest of the story here. “And the LORD God
said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an
help meet for him.” Which means a helpmate compatible for him. Now in order
to bring this point home God did this. “And out of the ground the LORD God
formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought
them unto Adam to see what he would call them…” So in this relationship,
in order to have the relationship, God not only created the man, but gave
him a language, gave him a mind, gave him intelligence, gave him
understanding. So when He brought the animals by for Adam to name He was
teaching two things. 1) to name them; 2) that there was nothing in all the
creation for him that was compatible and suitable for him. So before God
made Eve He brought home this important lesson to Adam so that Adam would
understand that in order to be complete he had to have a woman, a wife, to
have that relationship.
Now let’s read on here and see that. “And Adam gave names to all cattle and
to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there
was not found an help meet for him.” Out of all that. “And the LORD God
caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took on of his
ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD
God had taken from man, made He a woman [this means actually is built, in
the Hebrew], and brought her unto the man” (vs. 20-22). Now then, God was
teaching another lesson in relationships. And this lesson is, and this is
true, it is a created relationship. It is not a hierarchy. It’s not
superiority/inferiority. It is a created relationship that God intended from
the very beginning.
Now let’s notice it. “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out
of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother [and father
and mother is one relationship], and shall cleave unto his wife [and that’s
another personal relationship]: and they shall be one flesh” (vs. 23-24).
Now that’s what God wants it to be for us. And we’re going to see that the
ultimate that God wants is for it to be one spirit. So this is a created
relationship and God made the woman the weaker vessel. That is also a
created reality of life. We need to understand that. God did not make women
inferior. He made them so in the created relationship to be subject to their
husbands. That’s the way God has designed it. You can argue all you want but
that’s exactly what God has done and that’s what God expects.
Now out of the husband and wife relationship, or the man and wife
relationship then there were to be children born. That likewise is a created
relationship. It is not a hierarchy. It is a created relationship which is
supposed to be based on love. And the children are born as a result of that
love. There is to be care. There is to be concern. And so this is important
to really understand and grasp in the whole understanding of the
relationship that God wants with us today and wants with us through all
eternity and what we are going to teach the people when we are kings and
priests in the Millennium. We are going to have that kind of relationship
with them in a very open way like God intended to have with Adam and Eve at
the beginning. Because in the beginning God was in the Garden of Eden with
Adam and Eve. When they sinned, we saw, they had to be put out. And we saw
what that sin did. And so then we have also a removal from God, which then
severs that relationship or distances that relationship, if we could put it
that way.
Then when Cain and Abel were born there was another created relationship.
And each of them had a responsibility to God as well as to mother and
father. That is also a created relationship which God intended. Then we saw
a breaking and severing of that created relationship because Cain did not
want to obey God and follow Him and do what God wanted. He wanted to do his
own way and his own thing. And Abel, on the other hand, wanted to love God
and serve Him and he did what God wanted. So Cain killed Abel, and that
again severed another relationship - the brotherly relationship. And we’re
going to understand that that’s part of the problem that we have in the
world today. And yes, that’s the deep problem we also have in the Church of
God today, brethren. And we’re going to see that God is laying upon us a
great and tremendous responsibility here because of the relationship that He
wants with us.
So God created man and woman. He created the Sabbath day. He told them, “Be
fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” He had to remove them one
step because of sin. Then because of further sin Cain had to be removed yet
another step and put into the land of wandering. Yet God was still on the
earth. And those who had the relationship with Him were the Patriarchs
listed here in Genesis 5. And then, because man broke that relationship
totally, corrupted God’s way, became evil and gave themselves over to Satan
the devil, and Satan the devil was the one who broke that relationship with
God by going against the created structure that God made. And this is
something that we need to understand. So the whole world followed Satan the
devil and destroyed all relationships with all human beings and the whole
world was wicked and evil and corrupt and the earth was filled with violence
and God destroyed it. Except it where that Noah found grace in the sight of
God we wouldn’t be here today.
Well, when we come to the other side of the flood there is another further
removal of God. God no longer is on the earth in a permanent place in the
Garden of Eden. God is now part of the time in heaven, and part of the time
on earth, and reveals Himself only to whom He wills. So we come to Genesis
12 and God calls Abraham. And Abraham went through all the things to
understand the personal relationship with God. And God loved Abraham, and
Abraham loved God, and Abraham was called a friend of God, as we will see.
And the ultimate test of that relationship was a type of what God the Father
was going to do with Jesus Christ that He did with Abraham and Isaac to
where there would be the love, and there would be the obedience, and there
would be the worship of God to the point of death, because that’s what Jesus
Christ was going to do. So you know the story. God told Abraham, “You take
your son, your only son, your beloved son whom you love, and you take him to
one of the mountains of Moriah that I tell you, and you offer him there for
an offering.” Well, Abraham did. And Isaac did. And they went and the
offering took place and God supernaturally provided the ram caught in the
thicket for the alternate sacrifice. But the whole lesson in the whole story
was because the relationship between Abraham and God was so great, and was
so strong that Abraham believed God. It was counted to him for righteousness
and he obeyed God, so therefore the plan of God then, was sealed in that
relationship between Abraham, Isaac, and later Jacob and on down to our
time.
Now let’s go to James 2 and let’s understand something. This is what we
need to realize, not only in the lives of the Patriarchs, but also in our
lives, and also in the relationship with one another that God has brought us
into because God has brought us into a created relationship within the
Church. It is not a relationship which we have done, but a relationship
which God has done. And I want you to understand how serious and how
desperate the condition of the Church is today because of breaking that
relationship in so many different ways, by superimposing upon the Church a
hierarchical system, by superimposing upon the family a hierarchical system
and calling it a hierarchy, which it is not. It is a created relationship
based upon love and based upon obedience to God and to each other. That’s
why there’s the love of God and there is the love of neighbor and the love
of family.
Let’s come here to James 2:23. It says, “And the scripture was fulfilled
which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was [counted] imputed unto him for
righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” And we’re going to see
a little later that Jesus calls us His friends. No longer servants. Servant
is a structured relationship which is not by creation. Being a friend of
Christ, called to God the Father and having the Holy Spirit is a created
relationship which God has created. Now this is profound for us to grasp and
understand. We need to change our whole entire way of thinking in this
understanding of God’s relationship and our relationship with one another.
And this will help us solve many, many problems once we really grasp and
understand it. He was called a friend of God.
Verse 24 now continuing, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only.” When we have this relationship with God we must have
the works of love and obedience to conform to that relationship. Now that’s
a whole different view of understanding things than, “Here is a law and you
must do it.” It’s the other way around, “Here is God and here is your
calling. Here is what God expects you to do in love to Him, and love to your
neighbor, and love to the brethren.” Now you see how profoundly different
that God’s way really is.
Now verse 25. It says, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by
works, when she had receive the messengers, and had sent them out
another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead also” (vs. 25-26). And so is a relationship. A relationship
without the works of love and service is also dead. And we’re going to see
that.
Now let’s come back here to Hebrews 11 because this is important concerning
the Feast of Tabernacles and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and the offering
of Isaac, and so forth. It is very important that we understand this and
realize why God gave the promises to Abraham, then subsequently to Isaac and
to Jacob. It was because of the relationship that they had.
Now let’s come over here to Hebrews 11:8. “By faith Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, [he believed] obeyed; and he went out, not knowing [where]
whither he went.” And that’s the way it is with the relationship with God.
We trust Him in faith for everything, regardless of the circumstances
around. God is always going to work it out. No question about it.
“By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of
the same promise.” So this has to do with the Feast of Tabernacles and our
sojourn here now and what we are going to be doing in the Millennium in the
Kingdom of God. “For he looked for a city…Whose [foundation] builder and
maker is God.” So that there would now then be a place for that
permanent relationship. And that’s what it’s all about with New Jerusalem.
“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful
Who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as
dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand
which is by the sea shore innumerable” (vs. 9-12). Now that’s all projecting
forward to the plan of God.
Let’s come down here to verse 16. “But now they desire a better country,
that is, an heavenly [one]…” And in that heavenly Jerusalem there is going
to be a profound close relationship of love and understanding and obedience
and cooperation and service and humility and all of those things coupled
with glory and honor and riches and promise and wealth and everything,
brethren. You need to understand that comes through a relationship with God.
That does not come through just a structured hierarchical thing, because God
wants a spiritual relationship based on love and the family structure.
That’s what God is producing. And when we, as the Bride of Christ, we’ll see
a little later, when we deal with the people in the Millennium, that’s
exactly the kind of relationship that we are going to have with them. A
family relationship based upon love, based upon the Spirit of God. “But now
they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly [one] wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a
city.” And Christ is preparing it right now.
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had
receive the promises offered up his only begotten son [a type of
Christ], of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
accounting that God was able to raise him
up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure” (vs.
17-18). Because his body was dead, reproductively speaking. Sara’s body was
dead, reproductively speaking. So God performed a supernatural miracle. So
Abraham counted God, because his relationship as a friend of God was so
close with God that he knew that if Isaac died He would raise him from the
dead, and it would be as though he had never died. So we need to understand
that. And this is the kind of relationship that God wants us to have with
Him - to be a very friend of God.
Now let’s come back to Exodus 19 and let’s look at the relationship that
God wanted to have with Israel. And God did have a relationship with Israel,
not as close as it was with Abraham, but nevertheless we need to look at
this whole thing that God did with Israel and what is called the Old
Covenant that God desired a relationship with Israel. And let’s see it right
here. Exodus 19 all the way through.
Now let’s pick it up here in verse 4. So Moses went up on the mountain, and
this is the message that God gave him. “Ye have seen what I did unto the
Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings…” Now just stop and
think for just a minute brethren, how absolutely carnal the response of the
Israelites were not believing God after seeing all of these miracles. After
seeing the plagues brought upon Egypt. After crossing the Red Sea. After
drinking water out of a rock. After having manna given from heaven, quail
given from heaven, and they still rebelled against God. So you see it was
really something. Now that’s why it’s very important for us to understand
the Israelites never grasped the fact that God wanted a relationship with
them.
Now let’s see what God said He would do. Verse 5, “Now therefore, if ye
will obey My voice…” Since God is the Creator, the creation is always to
obey God. Don’t you believe that is true? Yet even though He gives us free
moral agency, He wants us to obey Him. And what is the first commandment of
all? Hear O Israel, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
and all your mind, and all your soul, and all your strength. That is a
relationship commandment. And we are going to see, that in fact all the Ten
Commandments are relationship commandments. How to keep and hold a
relationship. “Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My
covenant [now that’s all aspects of it], then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto Me [that is in a special relationship] above all people: for
all the earth is Mine.” God is saying, “Look, I have all the earth to
give you.” So you see this is very similar to what then He told Adam and
Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” So He’s saying the
same thing here to Israel.
“And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests [that is in a special
relationship], and an holy nation.” Above all the others by a created
relationship beginning with calling Abraham. And of course God created
Abraham then supernaturally created Isaac, then we have Jacob and all the
descendants. That’s all by creation, isn’t it? Didn’t God create all of
them? Yes, He did. “These are the words which thou shalt speak unto
the children of Israel” (vs. 6). So Moses came down, gave them the message.
The people said, “All that the LORD has said we will do.” Well, you know
they had second thoughts of it a little later.
But here, you examine the Ten Commandments from this light. Not only are we
to obey them, but these are all designed to keep a pure and special
relationship between God and His people. First one, no other God. Second
one, no idols and don’t worship them. Third one, don’t take God’s name in
vain. And the fourth one, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, because
that is the covenant day in which God is going to fellowship with His
people. A special day from creation.
So then he went on and said, “Ok, now I want you to be in a special
relationship with your neighbor.” And here’s how to keep that relationship,
beginning with what? The family. Honor your father and your mother that your
days may be long on the land which the LORD your God gives you. And that is
one of the relationships that Satan likes to destroy. He likes to destroy
the relationships any way he can. Relationship between God and the
individual. Relationship between husband and wife. Relationships between
children and mother and father. But this is why God gave these to preserve
the created relationship. And it is a created relationship. It is not a
hierarchical structure. Then He gives all the rest of the commandments.
Don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness,
don’t covet, and so forth. So then God also gave the judgments and statutes.
And we come to chapter 24 and again all the people said, “All that the LORD
has said, we will do.” So then there was the offering of the covenant and
the sacrifices were given and Moses sprinkled the book of the covenant,
sprinkled the people, and then Israel was married to God. And so immediately
right after that, chapter 25 as we saw in the very first day of the Feast of
Tabernacles, God said, Exodus 25:8, “And let them make Me a sanctuary; that
I may dwell among them.” That God would have this special relationship with
the children of Israel, all the way down through their generations, that’s
what God desired to have. Well then you know the rest of the story.
Let’s come over here to Isaiah 54:5 and let’s see something very important
that we need to understand. The relationship with Israel was one that God
intended to be based upon a marriage relationship, a created relationship to
show that this relationship was to be one without oppression. He did not
desire them to have a king. It’s very important to understand God gave them
a system of judges, so that God would work through the judges and work with
the people. Therefore there was no great structure above the people between
the people and God. When they sinned, yes they would come to the priest.
They would offer the sacrifice and so forth, but that was also just a
facilitating thing by the priesthood in relationship to the relationship
with God being married to Israel. And that’s what God intended. Well, when
they sinned, when Moses was on the mount, again they had to be further
removed from that relationship. And somehow the children of Israel just
didn’t want that relationship.
Now then, let’s pick it up here in Isaiah 54:5. “For thy Maker is
thine husband…” Just like God created Adam and created Eve, God created
Israel and married Israel. “…Thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts
is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the
whole earth shall He be called.” Now not only does this have to do with
Israel, but this has to do with spiritual Israel being the Church because
God is creating a spiritual relationship now with the Church, which is going
to be profound for all eternity. And in this relationship we need to learn
now today. And now today, during the Feast of Tabernacles, and as we go on
through the rest of time to the return of Jesus Christ, to maintain this
relationship. So do you see how important this is? This is why all of the
things that God has done are profound.
Now men come along and want a religion. They want a non-relationship with
God, but they want their religion and structure it the way that they want
to, and take God’s name and tag onto it and call it of God. It’s not of God
because they are not in a relationship with God, and they are not in a
covenant relationship with God. Israel was in a covenant relationship with
God, and God was their husband. “For the LORD hath called thee as a woman
forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused,
saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee…” (vs. 6-7). Now
that’s how God looks at it when He turns his back on Israel - a small
moment, but let's see what Israel did.
Let’s go to Ezekiel 16, and here’s what breaks the relationship. Just like
in a marriage of physical people, fornication and adultery breaks that
relationship because that relationship, as we saw, that they two shall
become one flesh. Sexual immorality, fornication, homosexuality, and all of
that breaks that relationship of one flesh, the two becoming one. This is
why homosexuality is such an abomination to God because it’s going contrary
to the created relationship between man and woman that God ordained. And He
ordained it to be in love. And He ordained it that the man is the head. And
He ordained it with male and female the way that God has designed it so that
they become one flesh, as we’re going to see which is a great mystery with
the Church. And Paul wrote about that, and that’s all a part of what we’re
going to be doing when we are spirit beings in the Millennium.
Now let’s come here to Ezekiel 16 and let’s see something. And what I want
you to do instead of thinking of it as Israel alone, what I want you to do
is think of it as about yourself, and God calling you. Now it won’t be
exactly the same, but nevertheless God had to reach down and call you and
bring you out of this world and bring you to Him and lead you to repentance
and grant you His Holy Spirit and establish this relationship with you. And
then we need to ask the question: Now what are we doing with this
relationship from here on?
Now here in Ezekiel 16:1, let’s read it. “Again the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and
say, thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity
is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy
mother an Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou was born
thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee;
thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all” (Ezek. 16:1-4). In other
words, just a reject. Now brethren, let’s understand something. God has not
called us because we are the strong of the world. God has not called us
because we are the intelligent, we are the wise, we are the elite, we’re
part of the establishment. No. God has called us because we are weak,
because we’re foolish, because God is going to confound the world by
converting us and changing us. So spiritually speaking, we were in the same
condition.
“None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion
upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy
person, in the day that thou wast born.” So the Israelites were rejected,
weren’t they? Taken into captivity, weren’t they? Into slavery, rather, by
the Egyptians. Yes, and they were born a nation, one day when they came out
in the exodus. “And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine
own blood, I said into thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live” (vs.
5-6). That’s what God is telling us today. Live. Live physical life, and
spiritual life as ahead at the resurrection. “…Yea, I said unto thee when
thou wast in thy blood, Live.” And it’s the same way with us. In blood,
means that you are in your sins, spiritually speaking. And you have to have
that cleansed with the blood of Christ.
“I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast
increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy
breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast
naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy
time was the time of love; and I spread My skirt over thee and
covered thy nakedness…” He married Israel, just like we saw back there is
Isaiah 54, and in Exodus 24 when they said, “Yes, all that the LORD has
said, we will do.” Sounds very much like the covenant of wedding, doesn’t
it? “Do you faithfully promise to love and obey and cleave and cherish?”
“Yes, I do.” “Do you faithfully promise to submit unto your husband as unto
the Lord?” “Yes, I do.” And that’s what Israel said, “Yes, I will.” God
said, “I will.” “…Yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with
thee…” And brethren, we’ve entered into a covenant with God. And we’ve
entered into a covenant that there are only two things going to happen to
us. 1) Enter into the Kingdom of God, or 2) Go into the lake of fire. One of
the two. And if we don’t understand the relationship that we need to have
with God, then we are also going to diminish the reward that God has for us.
And God wants to give us great rewards, and God wants to give us great
blessings, but somehow our carnal nature is there and, “Oh no, we don’t want
to do this. Oh no, God is just interested in dumbing down women.” And women
say, “Well, I gotta control the man.”, and all this sort of thing. Nonsense.
Let’s put all that aside. That’s the carnality of the world. That’s not what
God ever intended at all. That’s not what God intended with Israel. Look at
what God did to Israel. Look how much God put up with Israel. But I’ll tell
you one thing, God is not going to put up with it much longer with the
Churches of God and with the people of God, and the way that they are going
and doing and destroying each other, destroying relationship with God, and
having doctrines and teachings which take them away from God. You see, we’re
into some very difficult things here.
Let’s go on. “…And I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with
thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest Mine. Then washed I thee with
water…” And we’re going to see we are washed with the water of the word.
“…Yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with
oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’
skin…” (vs. 7-10). Now if He did this physically for Israel, brethren, think
what God is going to do spiritually for the Church.
Let’s just stop right here. Hold your place in Ezekiel 16 and let’s go to
Malachi 3 and let’s see what God is going to do. God is preparing right now,
the spiritual things that He’s going to give to us at the resurrection that
we are going to have all through the Millennium, and increase beyond there
throughout all eternity. See, God has called us to the greatest thing that
there is.
Now let’s pick it up here, Malachi 3:13, and let’s see. Let’s start out
with how people view God. “Your words have been stout against Me, saith the
LORD. Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have
said, It is vain to serve God…” Now how do people say it’s vain to
serve the Lord? Well, they do it very simply by saying the commandments of
God are not important. They say it is a religion. They bring in all the ways
of the world. They throw out the Sabbath, throw out the holy days, and we’ve
seen that happen in the Church of God. And brethren, let me tell you
something, I believe that a lot of the things that are happening in the
world today, and the United States today, is a direct result of the
abominable behavior of the Churches of God. And their relationship with God,
they’re destroying it. Where is the Church? Where are the people? Where are
the ministers? Where is truth? Yea, where is the relationship? All angry and
hostile against God. Casting away His commandments behind them. Forsaking
the Sabbath, forsaking the holy days and saying how great and righteous and
good we are. Utterly destroying the relationship just exactly as Israel did.
“Ye have said, It is
vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept His
ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?”
Well, God doesn’t want you to walk that way, you see. “And now we call the
proud happy…” and that is what has happened in the Church. Look to the world
and say, “Oh, well your Sunday religion is fine and why even though you
reject the commandment of God, even though you reject the Sabbath, even
though you reject the holy days, even though you reject clean and unclean
meats, we call you happy. Can we join you?” “…Yea, they that work wickedness
are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered” (vs. 14-15),
by Satan in this world, but not by God for an eternal relationship.
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another and the LORD
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before
Him for them…” So God is writing down. According to your work shall you
receive your reward, you see. “…For them that feared the LORD…” Now this
fear means loving awe and worshipful adoration of the Lord. “…That thought
upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day
when I make up My jewels…” So God is making a crown of jewels for you today.
You’re going to be part of that, you see. This is all talking about the
Millennium, and your reward, and your eternal destiny.
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