PreparingYou - User contributions [en]

Metaphor

2022-06-14T01:14:03Z

Jeremy:

[[File:Altar.jpg|right|250px|thumb|When there is an unmooring of the meaning of a symbol the objects of that [[metaphor]] within an [[allegory]] becomes an [[idol]] of our imagination. The truth in instruction of the authors is lost in the [[sophistry]] of the [[adversary]] of the [[light]].]]

There are many [[metaphor]]s within the accepted terminology of the Bible which was a part of the language itself. When people talk about the [[Bible]] it is only common sense to have some knowledge of the use of the metaphors built into the Hebrew language and used by people during the different eras in which the Bible was written.

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Unlike a ''simile'' that states that something is "like" another... the use of metaphor may state or treat things as the same.

A metaphor may be a figure of speech that refers, for rhetorical effect, to one thing by mentioning another thing.

An entire story may be a metaphor or what is called an [[allegory]] where the events are actually representing complex relationships and instructions in a dramatic narrative, parable or poem rather than a technical explanation.

A metaphor is a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

The [[Hebrew]] [[Bible]] abounds in metaphors and other figurative speech. So there is an importance to the accurate study of scripture to recognize the metaphor and distinguish the [[allegory]] by the translator and reader alike for the interpretation of biblical texts. But there is a reason for them and no amount of study will guarantee your understanding if you are not willing to see the truth.

* [[2 Timothy 3]]:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

But if you unmoor the symbol from the meaning of the author or focus on the object rather than the concept it is meant to represent then instead of clarifying you will confuse, instead of being enlightened you may be mislead and deceived and [[Strong delusion|deluded]].
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;" width="35%"
| '''List of Bible metaphors'''
|-
|: Father Dt 32:6; Isa 64:8; Mal 2:10; Eph 4:6
: Rock Dt 32:4 See also 1Sa 2:2; 2Sa 22:2; Ps 62:2; Ps 78:35
: Shepherd Ps 23:1 See also Ps 28:9; Ps 80:1; Eze 34:11-16
: Examples of metaphors for Jesus Christ
: Bread
: Bread of life Jn 6:35-51
: Good shepherd Jn 10:11,14
: Light of the world Jn 8:12; Jn 9:5
: light
: lamb
: vineyard
: hedges
: Fortress
: fountain
: potter
: [[Altars]]
:: clay Isaiah 64:8
:: Stone
: Chain
: Barn
: Arrows
: Armor
: Water
: mountains and the hills
: paths
: Alpha and Omega
: lion's welp
: grass Isa. 40:6
: wolves Psalm 23:1
: vine and branches John 15:5
: seed
: field
: stars
: meats
:
:
:
:
:
:
: Examples of metaphors for the Holy Spirit
: Counsellor Jn 14:16,26; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:7
: Breath Ge 2:7; Job 32:8; Job 33:4; Job 34:14
: Wind Jn 3:8
: Examples of metaphors for the church
: Bride Rev 19:7; Rev 21:2-9; Rev 22:17
: Household of God Eph 2:19; 1Ti 3:15
: Body of Christ Ro 12:4; 1Co 12:12-27; Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:24
:
|-
| *
|}

* "Most mistakes in philosophy and logic occur because the human mind is apt to mistake the symbol for the reality." Albert Einstein

* "When a symbol unmoors itself from what it symbolizes, it loses meaning. It becomes ineffective” Albert Einstein

Instead the objects and metaphor within an allegory becomes an idol and the instruction is lost to the [[sophistry]] of the [[Satan]]s of the [[world]]. The purpose of biblical parables was to actually keep people from understanding the kingdom who would reject the instruction yet pass the message on from generation to generation. There are several reasons for this but first we must understand that the [[Kingdom of God]] is revealed not by [[flesh and blood]] but by the Spirit of God writing in your hearts and minds.

One of the ways you know people are not getting inspiration from God is that they seem to confuse the metaphor and the parables so that they misinterpret the symbols. One of the ways you know they may be getting inspired is they are able see the pieces and how they fit together within the whole text, meaning and message of the [[Bible]].

The reason they are not getting it is because to know and understand you must go into the dark chambers of your heart and allow the light to be turned on.

There are many things we do not want to see about ourselves but we must. When we try to be doers of the word we will by our nature come into the presence of our sins. They will bubble up in our face. To see and understand and hear God in our hearts we must learn to be quiet in our minds.

* 1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

When we are still we can allow ourselves to hear God in our hearts and in our minds.

The [[Bible]] uses the words left and right in reference to seats of government and duties of people.

The right hand is the hand that holds a sword, carries the power to wield authority and administer justice while the left hand or the sets on the left side is often for alms or charity and of course mercy. The right and left hand of the law is justice and mercy.

So when the apostles desired the right and left hand seats in the kingdom they were asking for control over these two jobs in [[government]], justice and mercy.

While a government may have both law enforcement and charitable [[welfare]] duties in truth every judge or jury has both the duty of ministering or administering justice and mercy.

If a couple walks down the street arm in arm the women might be on the left by custom and in some cultures they did that so that his right hand would be free. But to make things like that rule would unmoor the symbol especially for left handed men.

We must always remember that these thing are representative or ''symbolic'' only. The people have their own left and right hand. They have them to use to fulfill all the duties of society imposed by God.

The people have their own duty to God and must use their own left and right hand to perform that duty if they are to remain free in a state of nature.

Every man and woman should attend to justice and mercy in all that they do.

Every family as the first body politic must attend to the ''weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith''. Law includes justice and mercy and faith includes the probity that spurs us into action.

Most governments are instituted by men although God instituted the power of man to create governments. But Church was instituted or established by Christ.

The Church is the Bride of Christ.

Christ is the king and one with God the Father.

So what is the role of the Church in the governing of man?

The [[Church]] is [[Church legally defined|one form of government]] but it cannot exercise authority one over the other but it is to be a [[Benefactors|Benefactor]] of the people and provide a [[Daily ministration]].

I have actually heard people suggest that the church, meaning the ministers, are the servants of the people. While the Church should serve the needs of the people in a way that strengthens the people. An “[[Elder]]” or head of the family is not the “representative husband” of the ''Bride of Christ''.

The people are the Children of God not the husband of the Church.

The Church has been trusted with a job of [[Pure Religion]] in the [[world]].

The Church is not a Sovereign entity but a [[Sacred]] entity. It does not make law but it is not of the [[world]].

'''Are there any questions?'''

{{Some Questions}}

{{Allegory}}

{{questions}}

{{Template:Network}}

== Footnotes ==

<references />

Template:Levites

2018-07-06T03:11:04Z

Jeremy: /* Levites */

[[File:Levites.jpg|300px|right|thumb|When the people return to the pagan ways of the [[Golden calf]] [[Moses]] "[[called out]]" the [[faithful]]. The [[Levites]] were [[appoint]]ed the [[Church in the wilderness]].]]

== Levites ==

The [[Kingdom of God]] has always been from ''generation to generation''. In the Kingdom called Israel, God through [[Moses]] ''[[called out]]'' and set aside a certain group of people who were called ''[[Levites]]''.<Ref>[[Numbers 3:12]]-13 “And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; Because all the firstborn [are] mine; [for] on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I [am] the LORD.” </Ref> They were the ''first born'' of the nations<Ref>Numbers 3:45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I [am] the LORD.” </Ref> and they mostly came from the tribe of Levi.

This took place when the people were ''[[called out]]'' of the [[Walled camp| walled-in camp]] of the [[Golden calf]] by [[Moses]], and most of those who came out were from one tribe. These people who came out first were separated<Ref>[[Numbers 8]]:14 “Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.”</Ref> from the main body of the nation in several ways, and for particular purposes.<Ref>[[Numbers 18]]:23 “But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.” </Ref>

By Jewish tradition, a Levite was a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi, which became a unique part of a ''political structure'' with some limited ''"corporate elements"''<Ref>A [[Corporation]] is "a company or group of people authorized to act as a single entity (legally a person) and recognized as such in law."</Ref> not seen in the rest of the government of Israel but used in the formation of a national community and society.

[[File:jesusmounts.jpg|right|thumb|300px|When Jesus told his disciples "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." the word hath meant their ''property''.<Ref> 5224 ~ὑπάρχοντα~ huparchonta \@hoop-ar’-khon-tah\@ neuter plural of present participle active of 5225 as noun; ; v participle AV-goods 7, that (one) has 4, things which (one) possesses 2, substance 1; 14 1) possessions, goods, wealth, property</Ref> [[Luke 14]]:33
: '''Both the early [[Church]] and the [[Levites]]''' owned property but they held it in common<Ref>Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.</Ref> as join heirs<Ref>Romans 8:17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together."</Ref> because the ordained ministers of the Church or "[[Ekklesia|called out]]" and the "[[Ekklesia|called out]]" of Moses were to belong to God and serve the people who depended on charity rather than force to provide the [[Welfare|welfare]] or [[Pure Religion]] of God.
: The [[Church legally defined|Legal definition of the Church]] was also a group of people called out to serve with ''"corporate elements"''. They were the corpus of Christ, appointed by Him, for His purposes and in one accord. That body of ministers ''holding all things in common'' were called out and gathered to serve the society in [[Free Assemblies]].]]
As a society<Ref>"[[Society]]. An association or company of persons (generally unincorporated) united together by mutual consent, in order to deliberate, determine, and act jointly for some common purpose. In a wider sense, the community or public; the people in general...</Ref> the [[Levites]] were separate from the people of the nation of Israel. Because they were ''called out'' to serve the people in congregations of [[Tens]] together they formed a whole nation.

[[File:deacon.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"[[Bishop]]s, presbyters([[Elder]]) and [[deacon]]s occupy in the [[church]] the same positions as those which were occupied by Aaron, his sons, and the [[Levites]] in the temple." Jerome, Ep. 146]]

These Levites who had been "[[Ekklesia|called out]]" could receive the [[Freewill offerings]] of the people but could not own any ''property''<Ref> 05159 ^הלחנ^ nachalah \@nakh-al-aw’\@ from 05157 (in its usual sense); n f; AV-inheritance 192, heritage 27, inherit 2, possession 1; 222
: 1) possession, property, inheritance, heritage
:: 1a) property
:: 1b) portion, share
:: 1c) inheritance, portion</Ref> in their own name as a personal estate.<Ref>[[Numbers 18]]:24 "But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance."</Ref> They did own property but held that [[Vow of poverty|property in common]] because they belonged to God<Ref>Numbers 3:12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
: [[Numbers 3]]:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
: [[Numbers 8]]:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites <03881> from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
: [[Deuteronomy 26]]:13 Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite , and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:</Ref> rather than themselves. They like the "[[Ekklesia|called out]]" of Christ owned all things in common<Ref>[[Acts 2]]:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
[[Acts 4]]:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.</Ref> but could not own property<Ref>Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
[[Luke 14]]:27 "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
[[Luke 14]]:33 "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."</Ref> as a personal estate.

* "What a man cannot transfer, he cannot bind by articles." [[Maxims]] of law

When Joshua led the Israelite people into the land of Canaan ([[Joshua 13]]:33), the Sons of Levi were the only Israelite tribe that received ''cities'' but were not allowed to be landowners in the same way that the rest of Israel was to own land "because the Lord the God of Israel Himself is their inheritance" <Ref>[[Deuteronomy 18]]: 2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them. </Ref>.

Most of Israel owned land with a true and actual title to the land itself. They enjoyed the milk and honey of the ownership of land which had to do with the [[Beneficial interest]] or use of the land itself. They were not taxed upon the land by the government. Israel at first was a [[Republic|republic]] which formed a government of the people, for the people, by the people.

But the Levite title to land was more like a [[Legal Title‎|legal title]] today, but without an authoritarian central government. <ref>Leviticus 25:32 Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, [and] the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time.</Ref>

They had a central government formed by a network of congregations. The congregations were formed by the election of the families in congregations of [[Tens|tens]] or what became known as a [http://www.preparingyou.com/wiki/Tithing#The_Peoples_Unit Tithing].

== Servants of a Nation ==

The Tribe of Levi served the whole of Israelite society in several ways. They had been separated out to bless the whole nation in accordance with the [[name]] or character of God.<Ref>[[Deuteronomy 10]]:8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.</Ref>They were responsible for the national ''religious service'' or duties which included service to the individual families in congregation. [[Religion]] meant how you performed your duty to God and your fellow man. A national [[Religion|religion]] was about a national [[Welfare|welfare]] system and the sacrifices upon the [[Altars]] of the [[Priests|priest]]s of society were to provide for that social service through the [[Perfect law of liberty]].<Ref>[[Deuteronomy 14]]:29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which [are] within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
: [[Deuteronomy 26]]:12 ¶ When thou hast made an end of [[Tithing|tithing]] all the tithes of thine increase the third year, [which is] the year of [[Tithing|tithing]], and hast given [it] unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
: [[Deuteronomy 14]]:27 And the Levite that [is] within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
: [[Deuteronomy 16]]:14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that [are] within thy gates.</Ref>

They also had political and judicial responsibilities to the people of the nation of Israel because they maintained the [[cities of refuge]]. They did not [[Exercises authority|exercise authority]] over the people like other nations but were the [[Titular|titular]] leaders of the nation. The people held the power of kings and rulers because there were [[no king]]s in Israel.

This was a way to base a system of self [[government]], not upon force but upon love, <Ref>[[Leviticus 19]]:18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.”
[[Leviticus 19]]:34 “[But] the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.”</Ref> just like Christ and [[Baptism|John the Baptist]].

Because they had [[Vow of poverty|no personal estate]] in land, the landed members of the tribes (I.E. the ones owning land with a true title) were expected to give tithe to the Kohanim<Ref>Kohen or cohen (or kohain; Hebrew: כֹּהֵן, "[[Priests|priest]]", pl. כֹּהֲנִים kohanim) is the Hebrew word for [[Priests|priest]]</Ref>, particularly the tithe known as the ''Maaser Rishon'' (מעשר ראשון) or First [[Tithe]] ([[Numbers 18]]:21-26).

To be counted a [[Priests|priest]] of society and receive this [[tithe]], they had to be elected first by the people as a minister to a congregation of ten or [http://www.preparingyou.com/wiki/Tithing#The_Peoples_Unit Tithing].

The body of [[Priests|priest]]s to the nation grew as those primary [[Priests|priest]]s elected their own [[Priests|priest]]s in congregations or orders of ten [[Priests|priest]]s. This gathering in [[tens]] formed a living [[Network]] through which a flow of [[charity]], information and ideas flowed, which Moses would eventually depend upon for the people's courts.

As [[Priests|priest]]s, they performed the duties to the tabernacles in war and peace which include service to the Tabernacle and the ''tabernacles or tents of the people in congregation''. Because the congregations of [[Tens|ten]] through a system of [[voir dire]] could form natural [[Jury|juries]] for the adjudication of legal matters, there was a need for higher courts of appeal to prevent injustice. This network also formed a series of appeals courts where the [[Levites]] were chosen as judges.<Ref>[[1 Chronicles 23]]:4 Of which, twenty and four thousand [were] to set forward the work of the house of the LORD; and six thousand [were] officers and judges:</Ref>

These courts again were not top down system of lawmakers and kings but voluntary systems of mutual cooperation requiring a people rich in [[Social virtues]].

They also provided a central depository to direct funds anywhere in the nation if local contributions could not provide the needs of the people. This was not a trickle down central treasury. Most of the aid was handled by local ministers in the communities where they were generated.

This temple treasury was collected by the porters of the temple and flowed back through the network of [[tens]] as needed.<Ref>[[1 Chronicles 23]]:5 Moreover four thousand [were] porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, [said David], to praise [therewith].</Ref>

Understanding the 48 "cities" of the [[Levites]] and their purpose may help us understand the expanded role of the [[Levites]] in their mission to keep Israel free.

{{breeches}}

== Kohen ==

Israel was a nation chosen to serve all people as [[Priests|priest]]s setting an example of a different form of [[government]].

What kind of [[Priests|priest]]s?

The [[Hebrew]] word ''kohen'' is translated as “[[Priests|priest]]” 744 times. It is also translated “own” twice, “chief ruler” twice, “officer” and “princes” once each. It is defined as “[[Priests|priest]], principal officer or chief ruler” and could mean a pagan, or Levitical [[Priests|priest]], or even a [[Priests|priest]]-king. Jesus was such a [[Priests|priest]] after the order of Melchisedec, but he ruled, not with the rod of iron like [[Rome]], but with love, service and humility. He was the Prince of Peace.

The original role of the [[Priests|priest]] came from the first-born son of the family, who managed the common funds of the family for the benefit of all its members. The [[Priests|priest]]s of a nation were very much the same. Israel was a kingdom, not a religion. It was a system of faith, but all governments are systems of faith or fidelity or allegiance, established for the welfare of the people, accepting, in exchange, a portion of their loyalty or allegiance. A Godly government is based upon the precepts of a brotherhood of love and charity and not upon demands and force.

For almost 400 hundred years, Israel had been a powerful nation with no central government, no compulsory tax, and no police force or standing army, other than an organized brotherhood of free citizens. The dominion and civil power was in the hands of the individual families. Patriarchs ruled their own families. With the law in their hands, they came together in a union of community consensus and national brotherhood.

The first-born of those families were the [[Priests|priest]]s within the large family units. But the [[Priests|priest]]s and ministers of the nation were chosen from amongst the first-born of a nation, which, as a people, were called the [[Levites]]. God said that they were to open the matrix of the nation. They belonged to God the Father<Ref>[[Numbers 8]]:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. [[Numbers 3]]:12</Ref> with separate civil communities or cities.

The people ruled themselves. But the people voluntarily came together in a series of small groups or congregations.<Ref>''edah'' from ed meaning witness. It is translated congregation 124 times, company 13, assembly 9 times and multitude, people and swarm once each. It means a congregation, gathering</Ref> Ten elders of families would gather together to choose a representative who would stand in service to those families and the whole nation. Ten of these representative ministers, in turn, would choose their own minister, who were the elders or princes of the tribe and, eventually, the nation through the pattern of [[tens]]. The same pattern was played out in the charitable network of the Levites. The flow of their charitable ministration to the ''tents of the congregation'' provided both the life blood and and binding glue of a nation of liberty.

: "… the Levites… they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:" [[Numbers 8]]:24

Both the ministering elders of this nation and the men who followed their lead were the right hand of government. Those elder Levites, chosen by the congregation and then by other Levites, had no ''inheritance in the land'', no personal estate.<Ref>Numbers 18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
: Numbers 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
: Numbers 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
: Numbers 26:62 And those that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, all males from a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of Israel.
: Deuteronomy 18:2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.</Ref>

They could not own real property in their own name. They were a separate civil jurisdiction unto themselves holding all things in common. This was the left hand of the governing system of the [[Kingdom of God]], Israel. Neither had authority over the people. They were men respected in their service. They were titular in their offices.<Ref>Webster’s. “REPUBLIC 3. A state or nation with a president as its titular head.” [A person who holds title, especially without any obligations of office]. See [[Republic]] vs [[Democracy]], [[Cog|The Covenants of the gods]].</Ref>

: "Take [it] of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service." [[Number 7]]:5

This was an amazing concept in government, where no employed minister would get paid unless his constituents thought he was doing a service and those ministers were directly answerable to, at least, 10 constituents, yet autonomous.

It was a system of responsibility, [[charity]], [[faith]], and [[hope]]. It was not a government of self-indulgence, sloth, pride, and arrogance. Why would the people ask for a central government, knowing that guaranteed entitlements granted a reciprocating entitlement to the ruler of that system; knowing that your ministers would be appointed from the top down; and knowing that your goods and the firstfruits of your labor would be taken for its purposes; knowing that your sons and daughters would become human resources serving that government?<Ref>[[1 Samuel 8]]:</Ref>

Giving power to a central authority, and having that same authority appoint the servants of government, relinquishes a responsibility required of the people in a truly free society. Such granted power corrupts the leaders with that same power and the people with apathy. Despite God’s warnings, men continue in pride to imagine that they can control such constituted governments. From Saul to Rehoboam, all of the rulers of God’s kingdom violated the constitution of Israel and its remnant, Judea.<Ref>[[Deuteronomy 17]]:14…</Ref>

They had forgotten the despotism of Egypt and had grown weary of the individual responsibility of a free state. After only a few kings, Israel divided as a kingdom under Rehoboam. Most of the people forsook the kingly line of David and abandoned the centralized civil powers. The people desired “Those days when there was [[no king]] or central government in Israel, and every man did what he believed was right in his own eyes.”<Ref>[[Judges 17]]:6 </Ref>

The people called for a return to the free dominion of their own tents or household.

: "So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither [have we] inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents." [[1 Kings 12]]:16

The people were divided by their own sin. There were a series of corrupt kings and vanquishing captivities with short periods of repentance. Finally, God took away the promise of the seed of David ever prospering again upon the throne of God’s kingdom.

: "… for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah." [[Jeremiah 22]]:30

== Not all Priests ==

The [[Levites]] were not all priests in service to the national network or "camp" or "company" of the people. They played roles as heralds or ''singers'' in service to the nation to harmonize the people in a single national unit in time of distress or attack. They even served as guards for the whole of society.

They were not only [[Health|health]], [[Education|education]], and [[Welfare|welfare]], but also the [[FEMA]] of society, as well as the actual homeland security and central intelligence service of a free society. Because of the sacrifice of the [[Red Heifer]], they were also the International Red Cross, Salvation Army and Peace Corp, all rolled into one. The difference between them and other governments of the [[World|world]] is that they were supported by [[Freewill offerings]] only.

They formed a national network of charity, but also the national information service and library of congress. Like a public news service, they shared information and knowledge about solutions to local problems that appear in manufacturing, agricultural production and health control. This led them to becoming research and development and product safety information service.

This is laid out in Moses' extensive work in describing the legal responsibility associated with building codes and occupational health and safety concepts within what we often call the statutes of Moses. Clearly, his dietary and horticultural ban on swine and water foul was to improve the health of society by eliminating a source of parasite infestation that had decimated the former population of Canaan.

When there were problems that arose in the health of the people or their farm produce or livestock, they played an essential role as extension agents. Societies often rose and fell because someone discovered something as simple as the stirrup for riding horses. As keepers of the national knowledge database, the survival of Israel was often dependent upon the service-oriented nature of the Levites.

There are many threats to the life of the nation, and the need for foreign intelligence can be vital to any nation to protect them from outside threats. But unlike

They wanted Israel strong and secure. They had a mission and a purpose, and they had a good grasp of the idea and need for people being in a communion of love and service.

Their job was the entire [[Welfare|welfare]] and [[Corban]] of the people. This was a lot of work serving the tents of the congregations aof the people.<Ref>Numbers 8:24 This [is it] that [belongeth] unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:</Ref> They were to retire from physical labor at 55.<Ref>Numbers 8:25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service [thereof], and shall serve no more:
26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.
</Ref>

== Joint Heirs ==

They needed to be a wealthy tribe to make that work. But the Levites only had legal title to their land and flocks as long as they remained Levites. They could not make treaties nor could they sell their land outside the body of the Levites. Any Levite could redeem the land they sold at anytime because a Levite did not own the ''beneficial interest''. That was held in common.

This meant they could never lose all the land of Israel to debt. There were several safeguards built into the system to keep excessive wealth from corrupting people. Dressing and keeping, real property, it should be used to produce the substance to fulfill the needs of life for the protection of the life of the people. The use of the property may be sold for the benefit of the people, but traditionally this is not done for more than 49 years. The use of property may be redeemed at any time.

: [[Leviticus 25]]:32 "Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, [and] the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time."

They were joint heirs.

It takes some imagination to see how all this fits together but it is easy to say that is not perfect. Perfect systems require perfect people. The system requires virtuous people to make it work and working at it leads people to virtue.

: [[Joshua 14]]:4 "For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell [in], with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance."

We know the Levites had land for their flocks and cattle from the Bible. If they were in the sheep business they were in competition with others. Certainly their first concern was their family and their brother ministers but the nature of the call brought men of service. It is clear in the Bible that all Levites were not unselfish. The generosity of the people kept the diligent Levite in the forefront of government. Foolish people do not choose wise leaders.

We know that at least some of the Levites were rich and wealthy in possession according to the [[Bible]].

What they did not have was an inheritance in the land ... As I said they were joint heirs owning things in common.

: [[Numbers 18]]:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
<Ref>05159 ^הלחנ^ nachalah \ from 05157 (in its usual sense); n f; AV-inheritance 192, heritage 27, inherit 2, possession 1; 222 1) possession, property, inheritance, heritage 1a) property</Ref>

Land is one of the major depositories of wealth. They did not have that because they never "owned land". God owned the Levite so he owned the Levite land. This is one of the things that the Hasmonians tried to allow, and because they did, many people rented land from the rich Levites of that time. That rent had become a form of property tax. Men like Joses repented of the sinful exceptions of the Levites in Cyprus.

: [[Acts 4]]:36 "And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, [and] of the country of Cyprus,"

The Levites did have inheritance, just not in the land. They inherited the right to the contributions of the people. <Ref>[[Deuteronomy 18]]: 3 And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 4 The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5 For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.</Ref> The people were to give their [[Freewill offerings]] to the Levite of their choice. If he did a good job the generous people would attract the best ministers who would work to make them even more successful.<Ref>[[Deuteronomy 18]]:6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose;</Ref>

The land they lived on belonged to all Levites in common. In the governments of the [[World|world]] the leaders are not titular. They make laws and force contributions of the people and often accumulate vast wealth. Every leader from Nixon to Yasser Arafat -- from the queen of England to Hosni Mubarak -- got rich in office.

Levites had a limit. Still they could be corrupted without other governing factors built into the system.

The hard times of their wandering had tested the metal of their virtue.

We also know from historians of the time that Levite ministers did have money and did produce commodities that they sold amongst themselves. They could also sell their surplus to the people or give it away. You cannot make it a rule that they could not sell what they owned, like sheep or wares out of the community of the people or even to strangers. That would be hewing the [[Stones|stones]].<Ref>[[Exodus 20]]:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.</Ref>

But again there was a natural governor that was built into the system. Election of ministers was based on service and generosity. Was he industrious, did his work bear fruit, did he raise a family well, did he remain faithful to his wife .... ?

Forgiveness and giving were virtues to be honored. Sloth, selfishness and greed were shunned.

They were a nation in a nation. They could eat of the shew bread, but if they used it to enhance their own wealth and self indulgence, the offerings would soon dry up.

== So were the Levites Mendicant? ==

If they were entirely dependent upon the people, the people, if not the rich, could quickly influence the ministry. The threat of withholding funds would constantly be hanging over their heads. But on the other hand if the Levites were a [[mendicant]] order who could only depend upon charity then much if not all their energy would be spent begging like the [[mendicant]] monks of the world.

Their purpose was to serve the nation; if they were slothful, the nation would become weak and soon the whole nation would fall. They needed to serve the people in a way that strengthened and enriched the people, and they too would be rich and secure.

You give to them according to their service.

: Numbers 7:5 "Take [it] of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service."

Some historians and theologians have used the word [[Mendicant]] to describe the Levites. But a [[Mendicant]] refers to begging or relying on charitable donations, and is most widely used for religious followers or ascetics who rely exclusively on charity to survive. It is true that Levites did depend upon the charity to do the work of government in tending to [[Pure Religion]] and social [[Welfare]] of the people. But it is also clear that they were not like the Sadhus of India or the [[Mendicant]] monks of the thirteenth century.

The [[Levites]] clearly had both flocks and cattle, cities and Suburbs<Ref>[[Leviticus 25]]:33 And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in [the year of] jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites [are] their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
: Numbers 35:2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.
: Numbers 35:3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.
: Numbers 35:4 And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
: Numbers 35:5 And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
: Numbers 35:7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
: Joshua 14:4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.
: Joshua 21:2 And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle.
: Joshua 21:3 And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their suburbs.
: Joshua 21:8 And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.</Ref> so they could not be mendicant in any way. That would be a Jewish fable which began among [[Pharisees]] and [[Sadducees]] who became dependant upon the [[Corban]] of the Hasmonians, Herod and [[Rome]].

The Levites and the Early Church were literally separate nations and governments. They were not a part of the [[World|world]]. They were also not a part of the people they served. They were separate.

Like the [[Essenes]] they could sell what they had to get what they needed to do their job including, fish extra livestock and tents or their service but they were already employed by God so they could not be [[Employ|employed]] by other [[Gods|gods]] of the [[World|world]].

Their main job was to teach and help people learn [[The Way]].

The Roman Emperor Claudius in the year 49 as written by Suetonius expelled the Jews from Rome. Among those expelled were Priscilla and Aquila who were [[Tentmaker|tentmakers]] as was Paul.<Ref> [[Acts 18]]:1-3; [[Acts 20]]:33-35; [[Philippians 4]]:14-16</Ref>

Paul lived with Priscilla and Aquila for approximately 18 months in Corinthuntil he went to Syria. They stopped at Ephesus. In [[Acts 18]]:24-28, Luke describes the couple explaining Jesus' baptism to Apollos who became an important Christian evangelist in Ephesus.

Apollos was an "eloquent speaker" who had a "thorough knowledge of the Scriptures". Paul indicates Apollos is an apostle instructed by Priscilla and Aquila. Apollos only knew the [[Baptism|baptism]] of John the Baptist and it was Priscilla and Aquila who took him aside and explained [[The Way]] of God to him "more accurately" that would make them major teachers.

Both the [[Levites]] and the early Church cared for the people in that [[Pure Religion]] of [[Freewill offerings]] we call [[Charity]]. This meant they not only had a place to keep stuff but sold what they received to get the things they might need more.

The funds they received and the service they provided was the government service such as a welfare that strengthened the poor. Rather than tax the people like other governments they depended a great deal on [[Freewill offerings]].<Ref>Deuteronomy 12:19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
</Ref>

That is the difference. But for that system to work, all members of society needed to attend to the {{Template:Weightier matters}}.

== Church in the Wilderness ==

{{Template:Wilderness}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; color: green;"
|Attribute
|Church in the Wilderness:
|The early Church:
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Called'''
|colspan="2"|Ministers of God have always been called by God to be His "called out".
|-
|The Levites were the people who answered the call to come out and follow the ways of God.<Ref>Exodus 32:26 Then Moses stood in the [[Walled_camp|gate of the camp]], and said, Who [is] on the LORD’S side? [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.</Ref>
|The [[Apostles]] and [[Disciple|disciples]] were called out and serve God by teaching the people the [[The Way|ways]] of God.<Ref>Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
: Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
: Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
: Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
: Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
: Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
</Ref> The way of Christ is God's way of righteousness. To come in His name is to come in His way according to His character.
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Belonged'''
|colspan="2"|Those Ministers of God only have God as their [[Master|master]].
|-
|The Levites belonged to God; they were ''separate'' from the people, so they were limited in their power to make [[CCC|contracts, constitutions and covenants]] while still a part of the whole body of the Levites.<Ref>:Numbers 3:12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
:Numbers 3:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
: Numbers 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.</Ref>
|The Ministers of the early Church belonged to God, and though they lived in the [[World|world]] and preached the gospel of the kingdom at hand, they themselves were not of the [[World|world]].<Ref>Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two [[Master|masters]: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two [[Master|masters]]: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and [[Mammon|mammon]].</Ref> It has always been essential that God's ministers actually belong to God only.<Ref>John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the [[World|world]], but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
: Mark 9:41 ¶ For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.</Ref> They were ''separate''.<Ref>2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,
: Matthew 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever <873> the wicked from among the just,
Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate <873> them one from another, as a shepherd divideth <873> his sheep from the goats:
Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate <873> you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate <873> me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
Acts 19:9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated <873> the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

== Churches Chart ==

</Ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Common'''
|colspan="2"|Because they are bond-servants of one master, what they have they hold for Him.
|-
|The Levites owned land in ''common'' rather than as individuals maintaining a mere [[Legal Title‎|legal title]] with no personal [[Beneficial interest]] which was held by God.<Ref>Joshua 14:4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell [in], with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.</Ref>
|The Ministers of His Church held ''all things in common''.<Ref>Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
: Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
: Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people [unto him] with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.</Ref>They did not own land as individuals but as the Church was a body appointed by Jesus Christ. <Ref>Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: [[Vow of poverty|sell all that thou hast]], and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.</Ref> This ministerial status was different than the people who were to hold a personal dominion from generation to generation.<Ref>Leviticus 25:28 But if he be not able to restore [it] to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.</Ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Appointed'''
|colspan="2"|They do not act by their authority but by His appointed authority.
|-
|The Levites were given the position of the government of the people, but they had no power to [[Exercises authority|exercise authority]] over the people to force support.<Ref>Numbers 1:50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that [belong] to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.</Ref>
|Christ appointed a [[Kingdom of God|Kingdom]] to His [[Disciple]]s to serve after taking the kingdom from the Pharisees, because they did not know the ways of God, and their [[Corban]] was making the word of God to none effect.<Ref>Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
: Luke 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;</Ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Free will offerings'''
|colspan="2"|The God of Heaven has always depended upon free will offerings or charity.
|-
|The power to fund the [[Governments|government]] and the grass roots election of ministers to receive that funding was in the hands of the people.<Ref>Leviticus 22:18 Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever [he be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his [[Freewill offerings|freewill offerings]], which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;</Ref>
|We were always supposed to live by ''[[Charity]]''. While that word ''charity'' never appears in the Old Testament, the idea is seen in the terms [[Freewill offerings]] seen over and over again. And the word ''grace'' is also from the Greek word ''charis'' from which we get the word ''charity'' in English. And the word we see Paul saying translated ''charity'' is always translated ''love'' when Christ says it.<Ref>2 Corinthians 8:7 ¶ Therefore, as ye abound in every [thing, in] faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and [in] all diligence, and [in] your love (charity) to us, [see] that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love(charity).
</Ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Supported'''
|colspan="2"|Minsters of God doing His service were always able to eat of the altars.
|-
|They could eat or be supported by what was freely given to them for the support of the [[Governments|government]] and the provision of the national welfare.<Ref>in progress</Ref>
|The [[Apostles]] and the other ministers of Christ gave up all to serve according to Christ's criteria for His ministers. They often depended on the [[Freewill offerings]] of the people for the funds to do the work of the Church and their own sustenance.<Ref>: Mark 9:41 ¶ For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.: Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
: Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
: Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread
: John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
: 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.</Ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|'''Joint Heirs'''
|colspan="2"|Inheritors of what ever was granted them by God through Abraham or Moses or Jesus Christ.
|-
|The Levites had no inheritance in the land, but they did inherit their office of administers of the daily ministration to the people.<Ref>
: Numbers 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.</Ref>
|The Church too, as a body, the corpus of Christ, acting in one accord through the appointment of Jesus the Christ, attends to daily ministration. As joint heirs, the administration is passed through a chain of service,<Ref>Romans 8:17 ¶ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.</Ref> in love-driven ministries among those who are recognized (elected) by those seeking the kingdom from generation to generation.
|-
|a
|l
|c
|}

Merchandise

2018-06-28T02:36:32Z

Jeremy:

[[File:resources.jpg|right|thumb|275px|The people in Egypt belonged to the Pharaoh. They were [[Employ]]ed in a State [[bondage]] system called [[Corvee]].]]
* "And through [[Covet]]ousness shall they with feigned words make [[Merchandise|merchandise]] of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." [[2 Peter 2]]:3 <Ref>2 Pe 2:1 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in [[Damnable heresies|damnable heresies]], even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through [[covet]]ousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;"</Ref>

Why does this [[covet]]ousness make us merchandise?

We also know that in [[2 Peter 2]]:14 we are told "Having eyes full of [[adultery]], and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with [[Covetous Practices|covetous practices]]; cursed children:"

How do we [[Curse children|curse our children]] with [[covet]]ous practices?

While we find the word ''Merchandise'' in the [[Bible]] numerous times, the Greek work translated ''merchandise'' in Peter's second epistle only appears in one other verse of the Bible, but that Greek word is translated only once as ''merchandise''.

It is from ~ἐμπορεύομαι~ emporeuomai <nowiki>[1710]</nowiki> from two words ''en'' meaning "in, by, with" and ''poreuomai'' meaning "to lead over, carry over, transfer"; v

* 1) to go a trading, to travel for business, to traffic, trade
* 2) of a thing, to import for sale
* 3) to deal in
* 4) to use a person or a thing for gain

The word Canaan in the Bible is from the [[Hebrew]] word Kanaan<Ref>03667 ^ןענכ^ Kᵉna‘an from 03665, Greek 5477 ~Ξανααν~; which is translated Canaan 89 times, but also merchant, traffick, traffickers.</Ref> It could mean merchants, but also [http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-2MerchantsofMen.php merchant of men].

In James chapter 4, we find the same word ''emporeuomai'' is translated '''buy and sell''' in relationship to gain. <Ref>James 4:11 "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and '''buy and sell'''<nowiki>[emporeuomai]</nowiki>, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
</Ref>

In [[Proverbs 1]] we are told to [[Consent not|consent not]] in relationship to making gain at the expense of others. That [[consent]] makes the people have [[One purse|one purse]]. What they are really talking about is a system of [[Welfare]] where everyone pools their wealth under someone who can exercise authority, e.g. force their contributions. These systems, like the [[Corban]] of the Pharisees, are a snare and they make the word of God to none effect.

In Ezekiel it talks about building a civil structure where the people become the '''flesh''' in the '''caldron''' of that legal institution.<Ref>Ezekiel 11:3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.
: [[Ezekiel 11]]:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
: Ezekiel 11:11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:
</Ref>

And as we see in Micah, the people eat the flesh of one another by such civil structures we see mentioned in Ezekiel.<Ref>Micah 3:3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.</Ref>

The same idea is mentioned in Galatians 5:15 as a warning that we do not do that in any way.<Ref>Galatians 5:15 But if ye [[Biting one another|bite]] and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.</Ref>

[[Image:Zombie2.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Is the [[World]] inhabited by [[Zombies]] that take a [[Biting one another|bite]] out of one another through [[Socialism|socialist]] schemes and [[Welfare]]?]]

[[Matthew 22]]:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

People of the [[World|world]] have become very selfish. They believe that they can covet their neighbor's goods and go about and take from others so that they will have what they want.

* [[Luke 12]]:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
* [[Deuteronomy 24]]:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.
* [[Proverbs 1]]:19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

This [[welfare]] is a [[snare]] in our thinking; this way of thinking does not give life, but it deadens our hearts to the compassion needed in a free society. To set up systems that [[Benefactors|give men the power to take]] from our neighbors for our benefit is dead works and the work of the dead.

* [[Hebrews 9]]:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Every man has a right to their labor for just compensation, and no one should take that away without his or her [[consent]]. We should not take from others, but we should let them choose freewill giving. As we take what is not rightfully ours, we will be taken from by others until we [[cry out]], and no one hears us if we do not [[repent]].

Some will say they have not consented, but they have assented.

* '''It is immaterial whether a man gives his [[assent]] by words or by acts and deeds.''' 10 Co. 52.
: Non refert an quis assensum suum praefert verbis, an rebus ipsis et factis.
* '''He who does not forbid what he can forbid, seems to assent.''' 2 Inst. 305.
: Qui non prohibit quod prohibere potest assentire videtur.
* '''No one is obliged to accept a benefit against his consent.''' Dig. 50, 17, 69. '''But if he does not dissent he will be considered as assenting.''' Vide Assent.
: Invito beneficium non datur

* [[Ecclesiastes 5]]:18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

We should take care of the real needs of our neighbors, but we should do so in a way that gives life through a liberty of individual choice, and in a way which does not weaken the poor nor strengthen the beast in us all. The beast in us kills the soul, but the unselfish feeds the soul to help it live.

* [[Luke 20]]:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

This was the message of all the prophets unto Jesus and the early Church. The message of sharing our life with others through a network of living souls caring for one another is a system grandfathered in by the blood of Jesus Christ.

[[File:cogs-in-a-machine.jpg|left|280px]]Is becoming a human resource the same as becoming merchandise?

Are we being told that we would become a mere commodity or property to be bought and sold through our own covetousness?

How does covetousness make us merchandise?

* [[Psalms 69]]:22 Let their table become a [[snare]] before them: and that which should have been for their [[welfare]], let it become a trap.

* [[Romans 11]]:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a [[snare]], and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence

: “The real destroyers of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.” Plutarch

Or how about [[Polybius]] who said 200 years before Christ:

"The masses continue with an appetite for [[benefits]] and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others... institute the rule of violence;
<Ref>[[Matthew 11]]:12 And from the days of [[John the Baptist]] until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. </Ref>
and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder,<Ref>[[Luke 16]]:16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.</Ref> until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch." <Ref>"But when a new generation arises and the
[[democracy]] falls into the hands of the grandchildren of its founders, they have become so accustomed to freedom and equality that they no longer value them, and begin to aim at pre-eminence; and it is chiefly those of ample fortune who fall into this error. 6
So when they begin to lust for power and cannot attain it through themselves or their own good qualities, they ruin their estates, tempting and corrupting the people in every possible way. 7 And hence when by their foolish thirst for reputation they have created among the masses an appetite for gifts and the habit of receiving them, [[democracy]] in its turn is abolished and changes into a rule of force and violence. 8 For the people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others, as soon as they find a leader who is enterprising but is excluded from the houses of office by his penury, institute the rule of violence; 9 and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder, until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch" [[Polybius]]: The Histories (composed at Rome around 130 BC)[https://factystaff.richmond.edu/~wstevens/FYStexts/Polybius6.pdf Fragments of Book VI], p289 </Ref>

Is [[Proverbs 23]]:1 <Ref>[[Proverbs 23]]:1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.</Ref>telling us not to take benefits from men who can exercise authority one over the other?

If it is, then that explains why Jesus said "And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called [[benefactors]]. But ye shall not be so:" [[Luke 22]]:25

What it does not explain is why Churches say that is okay now.

Could they be teaching us a [[Damnable heresies|damnable heresy]]?

When [[Proverbs 1]] talks about "[[One purse|one purse]]"<Ref>Pr 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.</Ref> were they talking about [[socialism]] where everyone puts their hand in everyone else's purse through the exercising authority of men who call themselves benefactors but are just taking from your neighbor to satisfy your own desires, [[wantonness]].

Isn't desiring those benefits a form of [[covet]]ousness?

Is the right to collect those benefits the result of a [[contract]] where you are also a surety for the debt of the provider?

: [[Proverbs 22]]:26 “Be not thou [one] of them that strike hands, [or] of them that are [[Surety|sureties for debts]].”

: [[Romans 13]]:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”

If we go back to 2 Peter Chapter 2, it sounds like people can lose their liberty and become [[surety|collateral]] for debt simply by applying for benefits from a system of forced contributions.

Have the people been conquered through covetous means?

Is that not the error of [[Balaam]] and the [[Nicolaitan]] God hates?

The [[Corban]] of the [[Pharisees]] did this in the time of Christ, making the word of God to none effect and the Modern [[Corban]] of the [[World]] has done it today.

We need to answer a few questions:

{{Some Questions}}

{{Template:Religion}}

{{Template:Consent}}

Read '''The Nicolaitan who God hates?''' 
Because they covet their neighbor's goods 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/nicolaity.php

'''Doom, Gloom, and Democracy''' 
The real destroyer is our own covetousness 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/doomdemocracy.php 
Appeared first on NewsWithViews 4-30-09

The Covetous Prayers 
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 42 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/thecovetous.php

'''To Heal Our Land''' 
The Hateful Connection, The Unrighteous Corban, The Indictment 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/healland.php

'''To Enslave a Nation''' 
How do you enslave a whole nation, even the whole world? 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/enslave.php

1Sa 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint [them] for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen; and [some] shall run before his chariots.....1Sa 8:13 And he will take your daughters [to be] confectionaries, and [to be] cooks, and [to be] bakers.

==Footnotes==

<references />

Merchandise

2018-06-28T02:35:25Z

Jeremy:

[[File:resources.jpg|right|thumb|275px|The people in Egypt belonged to the Pharaoh. They were [[Employ]]ed in a State [[bondage]] system called [[Corvee]].]]
* "And through [[Covet]]ousness shall they with feigned words make [[Merchandise|merchandise]] of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." [[2 Peter 2]]:3 <Ref>2 Pe 2:1 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in [[Damnable heresies|damnable heresies]], even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through [[covet]]ousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an exsample unto those that after should live ungodly;"</Ref>

Why does this [[covet]]ousness make us merchandise?

We also know that in [[2 Peter 2]]:14 we are told "Having eyes full of [[adultery]], and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with [[Covetous Practices|covetous practices]]; cursed children:"

How do we [[Curse children|curse our children]] with [[covet]]ous practices?

While we find the word ''Merchandise'' in the [[Bible]] numerous times, the Greek work translated ''merchandise'' in Peter's second epistle only appears in one other verse of the Bible, but that Greek word is translated only once as ''merchandise''.

It is from ~ἐμπορεύομαι~ emporeuomai <nowiki>[1710]</nowiki> from two words ''en'' meaning "in, by, with" and ''poreuomai'' meaning "to lead over, carry over, transfer"; v

* 1) to go a trading, to travel for business, to traffic, trade
* 2) of a thing, to import for sale
* 3) to deal in
* 4) to use a person or a thing for gain

The word Canaan in the Bible is from the [[Hebrew]] word Kanaan<Ref>03667 ^ןענכ^ Kᵉna‘an from 03665, Greek 5477 ~Ξανααν~; which is translated Canaan 89 times, but also merchant, traffick, traffickers.</Ref> It could mean merchants, but also [http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/TKC/TKCb2-2MerchantsofMen.php merchant of men].

In James chapter 4, we find the same word ''emporeuomai'' is translated '''buy and sell''' in relationship to gain. <Ref>James 4:11 "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and '''buy and sell'''<nowiki>[emporeuomai]</nowiki>, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
</Ref>

In [[Proverbs 1]] we are told to [[Consent not|consent not]] in relationship to making gain at the expense of others. That [[consent]] makes the people have [[One purse|one purse]]. What they are really talking about is a system of [[Welfare]] where everyone pools their wealth under someone who can exercise authority, e.g. force their contributions. These systems, like the [[Corban]] of the Pharisees, are a snare and they make the word of God to none effect.

In Ezekiel it talks about building a civil structure where the people become the '''flesh''' in the '''caldron''' of that legal institution.<Ref>Ezekiel 11:3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.
: [[Ezekiel 11]]:7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.
: Ezekiel 11:11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:
</Ref>

And as we see in Micah, the people eat the flesh of one another by such civil structures we see mentioned in Ezekiel.<Ref>Micah 3:3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.</Ref>

The same idea is mentioned in Galatians 5:15 as a warning that we do not do that in any way.<Ref>Galatians 5:15 But if ye [[Biting one another|bite]] and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.</Ref>

[[Image:Zombie2.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Is the [[World]] inhabited by [[Zombies]] that take a [[Biting one another|bite]] out of one another through [[Socialism|socialist]] schemes and [[Welfare]]?]]

[[Matthew 22]]:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

People of the [[World|world]] have become very selfish. They believe that they can covet their neighbor's goods and go about and take from others so that they will have what they want.

* [[Luke 12]]:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
* [[Deuteronomy 24]]:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.
* [[Proverbs 1]]:19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

This [[welfare]] is a [[snare]] in our thinking; this way of thinking does not give life, but it deadens our hearts to the compassion needed in a free society. To set up systems that [[Benefactors|give men the power to take]] from our neighbors for our benefit is dead works and the work of the dead.

* [[Hebrews 9]]:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Every man has a right to their labor for just compensation, and no one should take that away without his or her [[consent]]. We should not take from others, but we should let them choose freewill giving. As we take what is not rightfully ours, we will be taken from by others until we [[cry out]], and no one hears us if we do not [[repent]].

Some will say they have not consented, but they have assented.

* '''It is immaterial whether a man gives his [[assent]] by words or by acts and deeds.''' 10 Co. 52.
: Non refert an quis assensum suum praefert verbis, an rebus ipsis et factis.
* '''He who does not forbid what he can forbid, seems to assent.''' 2 Inst. 305.
: Qui non prohibit quod prohibere potest assentire videtur.
* '''No one is obliged to accept a benefit against his consent.''' Dig. 50, 17, 69. '''But if he does not dissent he will be considered as assenting.''' Vide Assent.
: Invito beneficium non datur

* [[Ecclesiastes 5]]:18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

We should take care of the real needs of our neighbors, but we should do so in a way that gives life through a liberty of individual choice, and in a way which does not weaken the poor nor strengthen the beast in us all. The beast in us kills the soul, but the unselfish feeds the soul to help it live.

* [[Luke 20]]:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

This was the message of all the prophets unto Jesus and the early Church. The message of sharing our life with others through a network of living souls caring for one another is a system grandfathered in by the blood of Jesus Christ.

[[File:cogs-in-a-machine.jpg|left|280px]]Is becoming a human resource the same as becoming merchandise?

Are we being told that we would become a mere commodity or property to be bought and sold through our own covetousness?

How does covetousness make us merchandise?

* [[Psalms 69]]:22 Let their table become a [[snare]] before them: and that which should have been for their [[welfare]], let it become a trap.

* [[Romans 11]]:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a [[snare]], and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence

: “The real destroyers of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits.” Plutarch

Or how about [[Polybius]] who said 200 years before Christ:

"The masses continue with an appetite for [[benefits]] and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others... institute the rule of violence;
<Ref>[[Matthew 11]]:12 And from the days of [[John the Baptist]] until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. </Ref>
and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder,<Ref>[[Luke 16]]:16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.</Ref> until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch." <Ref>"But when a new generation arises and the
[[democracy]] falls into the hands of the grandchildren of its founders, they have become so accustomed to freedom and equality that they no longer value them, and begin to aim at pre-eminence; and it is chiefly those of ample fortune who fall into this error. 6
So when they begin to lust for power and cannot attain it through themselves or their own good qualities, they ruin their estates, tempting and corrupting the people in every possible way. 7 And hence when by their foolish thirst for reputation they have created among the masses an appetite for gifts and the habit of receiving them, [[democracy]] in its turn is abolished and changes into a rule of force and violence. 8 For the people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others, as soon as they find a leader who is enterprising but is excluded from the houses of office by his penury, institute the rule of violence; 9 and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder, until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch" [[Polybius]]: The Histories (composed at Rome around 130 BC)[https://factystaff.richmond.edu/~wstevens/FYStexts/Polybius6.pdf Fragments of Book VI], p289 </Ref>

Is [[Proverbs 23]]:1 <Ref>[[Proverbs 23]]:1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.</Ref>telling us not to take benefits from men who can exercise authority one over the other?

If it is, then that explains why Jesus said "And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called [[benefactors]]. But ye shall not be so:" [[Luke 22]]:25

What it does not explain is why Churches say that is okay now.

Could they be teaching us a [[Damnable heresies|damnable heresy]]?

When [[Proverbs 1]] talks about "[[One purse|one purse]]"<Ref>Pr 1:10 "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.</Ref> were they talking about [[socialism]] where everyone puts their hand in everyone else's purse through the exercising authority of men who call themselves benefactors but are just taking from your neighbor to satisfy your own desires, [[wantonness]].

Isn't desiring those benefits a form of [[covet]]ousness?

Is the right to collect those benefits the result of a [[contract]] where you are also a surety for the debt of the provider?

: [[Proverbs 22]]:26 “Be not thou [one] of them that strike hands, [or] of them that are [[Surety|sureties for debts]].”

: [[Romans 13]]:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”

If we go back to 2 Peter Chapter 2, it sounds like people can lose their liberty and become [[surety|collateral]] for debt simply by applying for benefits from a system of forced contributions.

Have the people been conquered through covetous means?

Is that not the error of [[Balaam]] and the [[Nicolaitan]] God hates?

The [[Corban]] of the [[Pharisees]] did this in the time of Christ, making the word of God to none effect and the Modern [[Corban]] of the [[World]] has done it today.

We need to answer a few questions:

{{Some Questions}}

{{Template:Religion}}

{{Template:Consent}}

Read '''The Nicolaitan who God hates?''' 
Because they covet their neighbor's goods 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/nicolaity.php

'''Doom, Gloom, and Democracy''' 
The real destroyer is our own covetousness 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/doomdemocracy.php 
Appeared first on NewsWithViews 4-30-09

The Covetous Prayers 
From the book The Higher Liberty, Sec. 42 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/thecovetous.php

'''To Heal Our Land''' 
The Hateful Connection, The Unrighteous Corban, The Indictment 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/healland.php

'''To Enslave a Nation''' 
How do you enslave a whole nation, even the whole world? 
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/enslave.php

1Sa 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint [them] for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen; and [some] shall run before his chariots.....1Sa 8:13 And he will take your daughters [to be] confectionaries, and [to be] cooks, and [to be] bakers.

==Footnotes==

<references />

Romans

2018-03-25T03:39:00Z

Jeremy: /* More Audio Files */

== Epistle to the Romans ==

The Epistle of [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the longest of the Pauline epistles and is considered his "most important theological legacy".

This Epistle of [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to the Romans was probably written while [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] was in Roman Corinth, and probably while he was staying in the house of Gaius and transcribed by Tertius his amanuensis.1

It was obviously written when the “collection for Jerusalem had been assembled” and Paul was about to "go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints", that is, at the close of his second visit to Greece, during the winter preceding his last visit to that city.2

Jews were expelled from Rome because of Christian disturbances around AD 49 by the ''Edict of Claudius''.<Ref>"Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [the Emperor Claudius, AD 41-54] expelled them from Rome." The expulsion event Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus refers to is necessarily later than AD 41, and earlier than AD 54. Suetonius was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire including a set of twelve biographies of successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian.</Ref>([[Acts 18]]:2)

Jews had been expelled in 139 BC due to "aggressive missionary efforts" but also in AD 19 by Tiberius for much the same reason. The problem was that missionary work meant recruiting for the social welfare systems run though [[temples]]. There was big money in [[Religion]].

While the Roman church was presumably founded by Jewish Christians, the exile of Jews from Rome in AD 49 by Claudius resulted in Gentile Christians taking leadership positions.

[[Paul the Apostle]] was born Saul the son of Prassede, his mother, and a wealthy Benjaminite of the republic of Tarsus, whose father had purchased the status of Rhomaios for himself and his descendants. [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] used his status as both a [http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/paulroman.php Rhomaios] Jew from Celicia and Tarsus, his wealth but his relationship with his Roman official step father Pudentinus, his half brother Rufus and his imperially favored royal in-laws Claudia and Linus and Rufus Pudens and Claudia had his devout and courageous nieces Prassede and Pudenziana to his advantage in his ministry.

See http://www.preparingyou.com/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

== Gentiles vs Jews ==

: John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the [[World|world]] to condemn the world; but that the [[World|world]] through him might be saved.

1484 ~eynov~ ethnos \@eth'-nos\@ probably from 1486; n n AV-Gentiles 93, nation 64, heathen 5, people 2; 164 1) a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together 2) a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus 3) a tribe, nation, people group

: Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the [[World|world]] for a witness unto all '''nations'''; and then shall the end come.

: Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all '''nations''': and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
: Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all '''nations''', baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
: Mark 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all '''nations''' the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
: Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all '''nations'''.
: Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all '''nations''': and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the '''Gentiles''', until the times of the '''Gentiles''' be fulfilled.
: Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all '''nations''', beginning at Jerusalem.

== The Epistle of Paul to the Romans ==
1. Romans, An Introduction 2/15/2013 4:46 PM 26317116 13-2-10Romans-1.mp3 http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-1.mp3 

2. Romans, An Introduction, [[Romans 1]], Part 1 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-2.mp3</mp3player>

== Romans Chapters ==

{{Template:Romans}}

== More Audio Files ==

3. [[Romans 1]], Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-3.mp3</mp3player>

4. [[Romans 1]] and [[Romans 2]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-4.mp3</mp3player>

5. [[Romans 2]], Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-5.mp3</mp3player>

6. [[Romans 3]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-6.mp3</mp3player>

7. [[Romans 4]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-7.mp3</mp3player>

8. [[Romans 5]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-8-patience.mp3</mp3player>

9. [[Romans 6]] and [[Romans 7]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-9.mp3</mp3player>

10. [[Romans 8]] and [[Romans 9]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-3-40Romans-10.mp3</mp3player>

11. [[Romans 9]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/6thbatch/13-3-11Romans-X1.mp3</mp3player>

12. [[Romans 9]] and [[Romans 10]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/6thbatch/13-2-10Romans-x2.mp3</mp3player>

13. [[Romans 10]] to [[Romans 13]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-07Romans-x3.mp3</mp3player>

14. [[Romans 13]] to [[Romans 14]] verse 12 <mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-07Romans-x4.mp3</mp3player>

15. [[Romans 14]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-07Romans-x5.mp3</mp3player>

16. [[Romans 14]] to end of [[Romans 15]] verse 27 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-13Romans-x6.mp3</mp3player>

17. End of [[Romans 15]] verse 27 to [[Romans 16]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-13Romans-x7.mp3</mp3player>

18. [[Romans 13]], 
Chapter reviews Paul Love, working, no evil and the Ten Commandments 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-13Romans-x8.mp3</mp3player>

19. Romans, 
Which laws, division of faith and fallacies... gods many and prayer 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-14Romans-x9.mp3</mp3player>

20. Romans, natural brute beasts, protecting the delusion... The welfare state and liberty in righteousness 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-14Romans-xx.mp3</mp3player>

21. Was Paul a Roman Citizen Part 1 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/8thbatch/13-05-16-Paulroman-1.mp3</mp3player>

22. Was Paul a Roman Citizen Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/8thbatch/13-05-16-Paulroman-2.mp3</mp3player>

Additional audio on '''The Higher Liberty'''
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/Romans13.php 
[http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/tableofcontents.php Table of Contents ]

* Romans 13, Part 1 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/02-1Romans13-56.mp3</mp3player> 
* Romans 13, Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/02-2Romans13-56.mp3</mp3player> 

{{Template:Bible}}

==Footnotes==
<references />

Early Israel

2018-03-12T04:25:25Z

Jeremy:

[[File:Levites.jpg|300px|right|thumb|When the people return to the pagan ways of the [[Golden calf]] [[Moses]] "[[called out]]" the [[faithful]] of Israel. The [[Levites]] were [[appoint]]ed to be the [[Church in the wilderness]] who would serve the tens of the congregations of the people in patterns of [[Tens]].]]

: [[Early Israel]] was not like Judea at the time of Christ.
: [[Early Israel]] had [[no King]].
: [[Early Israel]] depended upon [[freewill offerings]] in the form of [[tithe]]s to support their public servants.
: This changed when the ''[[voice|voice of the people]] rejected God'' and chose to have a leader who could [[exercise authority]] one over the other.
: Despite the [[1 Samuel 8|warnings of Samuel]] the people wanted a ruler rather than a mere leader.
: That Ruler by the name of [[Saul]] was corrupted by the power granted him by the people and he '''[[foolishly]]''' imposed the first real tax upon Israel.
: At that time Israel went from a [[Republic]] to a centrally controlled government.
: It never really was restored until [[Jesus]] the [[Christ]] came taking the kingdom from the [[Pharisees]] and [[appoint]]ing that [[kingdom of God]] to the [[apostles]].

[[Jesus]] and [[Moses]] were in agreement but the [[Pharisees]] did not know Jesus because they did not know Moses. They thought they did but Jesus said they did not.

[[File:Jesusfeeds.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Abraham]], [[Moses]], John the [[Baptism|Baptist]] and [[Jesus]] and the [[early Church]] advocated a [[Daily ministration]] for the needy of the Christian community that was dependent on [[Charity]] only and it was not like the system of [[Corban]] of the [[Pharisees]] nor the [[Bread and circuses|free bread]] of [[Rome]]. It was their [[Pure Religion]] that brought them into a [[Christian conflict]] with [[Public religion]] and the [[Covetous Practices]] of the [[World]].]]

They all read the [[Torah]] but through [[sophistry]] and vanity that had turned the religion of Israel into a false religion and belief system that was actually [[Corban|making the word of God to none effect]].

Understanding the similarities and differences between the [[Church in the wilderness]] and the [[Church]] is essential. They were both [[called out]]. The [[Levites]] and the ''"[[ekklesia]]"'' or Church appointed by Christ had a similar purpose. They both helped form [[altars]] of living [[clay and stone]] appointed by men like [[Abraham]] [[Moses]] and [[Jesus]].

Do [[Modern Christians]] understand [[Jesus]] or does their [[Corban]] make the word of God to none effect again?

Are they practicing [[Pure Religion]]?

Are they indulged in [[Covetous Practices]] that will ''entangle them again in the [[elements]] of the [[world]]'' and a [[yoke]] of [[bondage]], make them [[merchandise]] and [[curse children|curse their children]]?

: Everyone should step back and think about how did the [[early Church]] survive the decline and fall of the [[Imperial Cult of Rome|Roman Empire]]...?
: How did [[early Israel]] bind itself as a nation in a hostile [[world]] as the [[children of God]]?
: The [[Christian conflict]] was not simply because they would not be a part of the [[Corban]] of [[Rome]] but because they had their own [[Daily ministration]].

{{Template:Network}}

== Footnotes ==

<references />

Romans

2018-02-20T04:51:34Z

Jeremy: /* More Audio Files */

== Epistle to the Romans ==

The Epistle of [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the longest of the Pauline epistles and is considered his "most important theological legacy".

This Epistle of [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] to the Romans was probably written while [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] was in Roman Corinth, and probably while he was staying in the house of Gaius and transcribed by Tertius his amanuensis.1

It was obviously written when the “collection for Jerusalem had been assembled” and Paul was about to "go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints", that is, at the close of his second visit to Greece, during the winter preceding his last visit to that city.2

Jews were expelled from Rome because of Christian disturbances around AD 49 by the ''Edict of Claudius''.<Ref>"Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [the Emperor Claudius, AD 41-54] expelled them from Rome." The expulsion event Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus refers to is necessarily later than AD 41, and earlier than AD 54. Suetonius was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire including a set of twelve biographies of successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian.</Ref>([[Acts 18]]:2)

Jews had been expelled in 139 BC due to "aggressive missionary efforts" but also in AD 19 by Tiberius for much the same reason. The problem was that missionary work meant recruiting for the social welfare systems run though [[temples]]. There was big money in [[Religion]].

While the Roman church was presumably founded by Jewish Christians, the exile of Jews from Rome in AD 49 by Claudius resulted in Gentile Christians taking leadership positions.

[[Paul the Apostle]] was born Saul the son of Prassede, his mother, and a wealthy Benjaminite of the republic of Tarsus, whose father had purchased the status of Rhomaios for himself and his descendants. [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] used his status as both a [http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/paulroman.php Rhomaios] Jew from Celicia and Tarsus, his wealth but his relationship with his Roman official step father Pudentinus, his half brother Rufus and his imperially favored royal in-laws Claudia and Linus and Rufus Pudens and Claudia had his devout and courageous nieces Prassede and Pudenziana to his advantage in his ministry.

See http://www.preparingyou.com/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

== Gentiles vs Jews ==

: John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the [[World|world]] to condemn the world; but that the [[World|world]] through him might be saved.

1484 ~eynov~ ethnos \@eth'-nos\@ probably from 1486; n n AV-Gentiles 93, nation 64, heathen 5, people 2; 164 1) a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together 2) a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus 3) a tribe, nation, people group

: Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the [[World|world]] for a witness unto all '''nations'''; and then shall the end come.

: Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all '''nations''': and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
: Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all '''nations''', baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
: Mark 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all '''nations''' the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
: Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all '''nations'''.
: Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all '''nations''': and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the '''Gentiles''', until the times of the '''Gentiles''' be fulfilled.
: Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all '''nations''', beginning at Jerusalem.

== The Epistle of Paul to the Romans ==
1. Romans, An Introduction 2/15/2013 4:46 PM 26317116 13-2-10Romans-1.mp3 http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-1.mp3 

2. Romans, An Introduction, [[Romans 1]], Part 1 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-2.mp3</mp3player>

== Romans Chapters ==

{{Template:Romans}}

== More Audio Files ==

3. [[Romans 1]], Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-3.mp3</mp3player>

4. [[Romans 1]] and [[Romans 2]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-4.mp3</mp3player>

5. [[Romans 2]], Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-5.mp3</mp3player>

6. [[Romans 3]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-6.mp3</mp3player>

7. [[Romans 4]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-7.mp3</mp3player>

8. [[Romans 5]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-8-patience.mp3</mp3player>

9. [[Romans 6]] and [[Romans 7]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-2-10Romans-9.mp3</mp3player>

10. [[Romans 8]] and [[Romans 9]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/5thbatch/13-3-40Romans-10.mp3</mp3player>

11. [[Romans 9]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/6thbatch/13-3-11Romans-X1.mp3</mp3player>

12. [[Romans 9]] and [[Romans 10]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/6thbatch/13-2-10Romans-x2.mp3</mp3player>

13. [[Romans 10]] to [[Romans 13]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-07Romans-x3.mp3</mp3player>

14. [[Romans 13]] to [[Romans 14]] verse 12 <mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-07Romans-x4.mp3</mp3player>

15. [[Romans 14]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-07Romans-x5.mp3</mp3player>

16. [[Romans 14]] to end of [[Romans 15]] verse 27 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-13Romans-x6.mp3</mp3player>

17. End of [[Romans 15]] verse 27 to [[Romans 16]] 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-13Romans-x7.mp3</mp3player>

18. [[Romans 13]], 
Chapter reviews Paul Love, working, no evil and the Ten Commandments 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-13Romans-x8.mp3</mp3player>

19. Romans, 
Which laws, division of faith and fallacies... gods many and prayer 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-14Romans-x9.mp3</mp3player>

20. Romans, natural brute beasts, protecting the delusion... The welfare state and liberty in righteousness 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/7thbatch/13-04-14Romans-xx.mp3</mp3player>

21. Was Paul a Roman Citizen Part 1 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/8thbatch/13-05-16-Paulroman-1.mp3</mp3player>

22. Was Paul a Roman Citizen Part 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/8thbatch/13-05-16-Paulroman-2.mp3</mp3player>

Additional audio on '''The Higher Liberty'''
http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/Romans13.php 
[http://www.hisholychurch.org/media/books/THL/tableofcontents.php Table of Contents ]

* Romans 13, Part 1 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/02-1Romans13-56.mp3</mp3player> 
* Romans 13, Part 2 
<mp3player width="300">http://www.hisholychurch.net/kkvv/02-2Romans13-56.mp3</mp3player> 

{{Template:Bible}}

==Footnotes==
<references />