Template:Levites

When the people began to return to the paganism and the ways of the Golden calf Moses "called out" the faithful. The Levites answered that call. They would belonged to God, and were appointed to be the Church in the wilderness. They would be given the "kidneys" of the sacrifices which means they were freely given control of the burnt offerings of the people. They were the Lively Stones of a Living Altar which composed a system of altars of the unhewn stones in a social safety net of fervent charity and hope by faith in the way and righteousness of God which kept the people free.

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. They were the first born of the nations and they mostly came from the tribe of Levi.

This took place when the people were called out of the 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 from the main body of the nation in several ways, and for particular purposes.

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" not seen in the rest of the government of Israel but used in the formation of a national community and society.

Separate

When Jesus told his disciples "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33 the word hath meant their property. : Both the early Church and the Levites owned property but they held it in common as join heirs because the ordained ministers of the Church or "called out" and the "called out" of Moses were to belong to God and serve the people who depended on charity rather than force to provide the welfare or Pure Religion of God. : The 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 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.

"Bishops, presbyters(Elder) and deacons 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. Both the Levites and the early Church appointed by Christ were "called out" to be a peculiar people who were to serve those who would repent and seek the ways of God.

These Levites, who had been "called out", could receive only the Freewill offerings of the people in the form of tithes because there was no power to tax the people at that time.

There was no chief executive officer nor men appointed by a king to exercise authority one over the other.

If those called out minister of the government could accumulate personal wealth they could soon become corrupt and the elders of families would lose their power to regulate the these servants in this unique form of government of the people and by the people.

These government servants could not own any property in their own name as a personal estate. They did own property but held that property in common because they belonged to God rather than themselves.

They like the "called out" of Christ owned all things in common but could not own property 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" .

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 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 today, but without an authoritarian central government.

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 or what became known as a 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.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 was about a national welfare system and the sacrifices upon the Altars of the priests of society were to provide for that social service through the Perfect law of liberty.

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 exercise authority over the people like other nations but were the titular leaders of the nation. The people held the power of kings and rulers because there were no kings in Israel.

This was a way to base a system of self government, not upon force but upon love, just like Christ and John the Baptist.

Because they had 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, particularly the tithe known as the Maaser Rishon (מעשר ראשון) or First Tithe (Numbers 18:21-26).

To be counted a 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 Tithing.

The body of priests to the nation grew as those primary priests elected their own priests in congregations or orders of ten priests. 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, 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 ten through a system of voir dire could form natural 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.

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.

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.

Do you think God is really concerned with people making breeches or underwear for their ministers so we do not see their nakedness when they go up by steps or is the Torah speaking through allegory and metaphor about something simple and profound?
And what are altars of clay and stone and why not leaven?

Making Linen Breeches

• “And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:” Exodus 28:42

Do you really think that this command in Exodus 28:42 has anything to do with making underwear for your local priest or government official?

The clothing of the nakedness of the Levites with linen breeches was in regards to a covering, not actual underwear.

The word "breeches" is from the Hebrew word miknac (סנכמ) or (dual) (םיסנכמ) Strong's number 04370. It is from the word kamac kaw-mas’ סמכ a primitive root translated laid up in store, meaning to store up, save. What does to store have to do with breeches?

The word miknac is consistently translated breeches five times.

How Naked

Were the Levites really naked?

In the camp of the Golden calf the people had taken their gold and melded into a central city state bank to bind the loyalty of the people together by binding the estate of each individual together as One purse. Gold represented portable land. In truth gold is nothing more than highly refined dirt which you can carry with you.

The way to buy the true title of land is to exchange substance like Gold. Gold represented the estate of the people and when it was in the hands of the people they were free as families to own their own land and be kings of their own castles.

If the Israelite tribes continued in this path of a national purse when they got to the promised land it would have been this city state government who bought the land and owned the milk and honey, the beneficial interest of the land, and the people would have only held the legal title of the land. They would have been back in the bondage of Egypt.

It was illegal for people to own gold in many of the Greek city states. The Spartan made some of their money out of lead and others used clay coins issued by the government. This helped central power because the people could not accumulate real wealth that would make them independent. What they used as money did not belong to the people individually but to the State. By limiting the private estate of the people power was centralized.

We see the same process in Public religion verses private religion When the people are dependent upon the right hand of government to provide their welfare they become virtuously weak and unable to sustain a free society. This conflict with the two welfare types was a major part of the Christian conflict with Rome and other governments.

When Moses called the people out of the Walled camp of the Golden calf many people came out. Most of them were of the tribe of Levites and so the Levites, because of their faith, were given the option of becoming the priests of the Israelite nation.

Because they gave up their personal estate, which was still in the Golden calf, God saw that they were the ones who were best suited for the role of priest to the nation.

The Levites were not really entirely naked when they came out. They could come out with their other stuff, like tools and talents, cloths, tents and other personal possessions, but the gold, which represented their personal estate and hope of owning land as a legal or lawful title was given up.

The plan from the beginning was that every son of Adam formed the Altars of Adam within each Family from generation to generation. These families formed a living Network that provided for the welfare of society in Free assemblies. These are what we see called clay altars.

Exodus 20:24 "An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee."

Within each family, the eldest son was usually chosen as the high priest of that family to manage the estate for the family and the benefit of society. They were the priests of each families proverbial altar of clay.

But the Levites were not making up clay altars. They were to be the Altars of stone.

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."

The "unhewn" stones is a reference to the living stones of the institutional altars were unregulated. These living stones are the government and welfare of the appointed ministers of the Church in the wilderness. They were and are to manage the Sacrifices or the Corban of the people so as to make the word of God to effect. By providing these services through faith, hope, and charity motivated by love of neighbor rather than the club or sword of Cain, Nimrod, or Caesar society is strengthened.

Since the Levites were the public servants of a nation that operated as a free society they managed the daily ministration of the nation both for individuals like widows and orphans and whole sections of the nation in the time of catastrophe and calamities.

Because they had no power to exercise authority one over the other they had to provide this public or religious service with freewill offerings alone.

Their civic altars were built of living stone, which were actually men of charity rather than force or a ruling authority. They did have authority over that which was completely given up but not over the people themselves.

They only had authority over what the people chose to freely give or sacrifice to the minister of their choice. This was called Corban. It was the Corban of God that drew us near God and made His word to effect.

The Levite priest, just like the early ministers of the Church, had no personal estate. They owned all things in common. They were only naked in one sense. They still had families. They were not like the mendicant monks which evolved into the religious beggars like the ascetic sadhus of India.

The reason for no personal estate was to build in a natural governor to prevent the accumulation of wealth and privilege or even power. The people have many ways to relinquish personal power and therefor rights which God wants you to have to learn the virtues of His ways of righteousness.

The highest in the Church, as it was with the Church in the wilderness, were to be servants of servants. That lack of authority over the people was supposed to carry over in the living network of stone ministers.

The idea of the people weaving the breeches of the Levites simply meant they went up in this network by the gifts of the people who by their love supported the ministers.

Exodus 20:26 "Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon."

If the ministers continued to supply a covering for each other the power or authority would began to centralize in the hands of Bishops and Archbishops. The Church would become top down and soon be more concerned about its comfort as men sought the power of that office.

There are other dangers such as wealthy lords or kings may choose to support certain ministers giving them more power and control. With that power and control will come the temptation of Saul to exercise influence and therefore power over others.

The warp and weft

The warp and weft of the people weaves a cloth of righteousness if they will come together in love and charity.

Everyday was election day in this form of government which was truly a government of the people, by the people and for the people under God who led the people in their hearts and in their minds. This was the Kingdom of God centered in the hearts and minds of every man and women as they chose to come together in love for one another according to the perfect law of liberty.

As the ministers and benefactors of a nation of free souls under God they are not like the rulers of other nations. They cannot prove they are ministers of the people and servants of God without the testimony of the people they serve. That testimony of the people gives them covering; clothes their nakedness. They cannot prove their liberty in Christ without this chain of testimony.

This began with:

• Exodus 28:40 "And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office."

What was this priest's office?

We must understand that the purpose of sacrifice is to bind society together with honor and love, not contracts and the sword. This is Pure Religion.

Not by Steps

Also the ministers do not go up by steps like a pyramid with some going higher over the others because they have no authority to do so. They go up by service because the Levites and the ministers of Christ were to serve one over the other.

• “Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.” Exodus 20:26

Going up by steps had nothing to do with stairs. It has to do with a hierarchy of authority. In the kingdom of God and the way of Christ there is only a hierarchy of service.

The public offices of the world are offices of power but the public offices of Christ are ones of service. Those who do not want to serve with virtue need to find another line of work. For those who do want to serve they need to work at it, seek it, do it... Of course this is no easy lesson to learn and it may take some time, much patience and much love and forgiveness...

New Underwear

God is the same today and His ways have not changed. Christ did many of the same things as God had done with the Levites.

Unlike the authoritarian benefactors of the Gentile nations, the Church, as the government of God, was to provide their service only by the charity and Freewill offerings of the people. Love, humility and forgiveness are required to make such systems, operating under the perfect law of liberty, a true blessing for both rich and poor alike.

The Levites were also naked of any exercising authority. They could not go up by steps lest they reveal that nakedness and lack of authority. The people were told to make underwear, a covering, for them. Giving them a covering and being naked has nothing to do with the clothes they wear. It is about coverture and the power or authority to act and lead by serving. The Levites had no inheritance, no personal estate, nor any exercising authority.

Their success depended upon the good will of the people who freely gave them their covering by tithing to them according to their service.

Charity is marked by Paul as the greatest of gifts and that personal sacrifice not only saves those who fall on hard times but also frees and matures the grantors of charity in the practice of the virtues, sacrifices and ways of Christ. Those called out ministers of Christ’s were appointed a kingdom at hand. They were restricted by several of Christ’s proclaimed conditions.

They were not to exercise authority in the management and service to the people seeking the kingdom but they were to be benefactors of the people. They were to willingly become new members of His Family, a brotherhood belonging to God.

The ministers of Christ were to give up their personal estate and like the Levites before them they became the Poor Preachers of His Kingdom. Christ was specific in His requirements for the ministry of His Holy Church in Luke 14:33.

Modern ministers often object to the mention of Christ’s clear doctrine. But the word hath in Luke 14:33 is also translated hast in Matthew 19:21.

The word substance is the same in Luke 8:3 and also the word have in Luke 12:33 and goods in Luke 19:8

And Paul has done the same with his goods in 1 Corinthians 13:3

The multitude of the ministers at Pentecost gave up their personal estate and owned all things in common as we see in Acts 4:32.

Taking a position like this today might be called a Vow of poverty. The bonds of the Church is brotherhood under Christ in the service of His appointed kingdom. They cannot rule one over the other but learn to fit together as a functioning body without exercising authority one over the other.

To survive and function in the world but not of the world the people must provide the covering for the Ministers of the Church. That is the purpose of the Sacred Purpose Trust.

Kohen

Israel was a nation chosen to serve all people as priests setting an example of a different form of government.

What kind of priests?

The Hebrew word kohen is translated as “priest” 744 times. It is also translated “own” twice, “chief ruler” twice, “officer” and “princes” once each. It is defined as “priest, principal officer or chief ruler” and could mean a pagan, or Levitical priest, or even a priest-king. Jesus was such a 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 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 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 within the large family units. But the priests 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 with separate civil communities or cities.

The people ruled themselves. But the people voluntarily came together in a series of small groups or congregations. 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.

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.

"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." Numbers 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?

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.

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.”

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, education, and 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 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 and Corban of the people. This was a lot of work serving the tents of the congregations aof the people. They were to retire from physical labor at 55.

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.

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. 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.

The land they lived on belonged to all Levites in common. In the governments of the 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.

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 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. 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 employed by other gods of the 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 tentmakers as was Paul.

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 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.

That is the difference. But for that system to work, all members of society needed to attend to the Weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith which include caring for the needs of our neighbors and the widows and orphans of our society through Pure Religion in matters of health, education, and welfare. We are NOT to provide for the needy of society through the Covetous Practices and the men who call themselves benefactors but who exercise authority one over the other like the socialists do.

The Way of Christ was like neither the way of the world of Rome nor the governments of the gentiles who depend on those fathers of the earth through force, fear and fealty who deliver the people back in bondage again like they were in Egypt. Christ's ministers and true Christians do not depend upon systems of social welfare that force the contributions of the people like the corban of the Pharisees which made the word of God to none effect. Many people have been deceived to go the way of Balaam and the Nicolaitan and out of The Way of Christ and have become workers of iniquity.

The Christian conflict with Rome in the first century Church appointed by Christ was because they would not apply to the fathers of the earth for their free bread but instead relied upon a voluntary network providing a daily ministration to the needy of society through Faith, Hope, and Charity by way of freewill offerings of the people, for the people, and by the people through the perfect law of liberty in Free Assemblies according to the ancient pattern of Tuns or Tens as He commanded.

The modern Christians are in need of repentance.

---

"Follow me!" —Jesus the Christ.

• One of the most important things to do is to become involved in a network of Charitable Practices. Everyone should want to join a Living Network of Love and Charity.

• If you think you have a calling to be a Minister of God or you might want to dedicate your life to Christ as an Ordained Minister of His Holy Church, contact us to start the process of discipleship and become the benefactors who exercise only love, NOT authority.

---

Church in the Wilderness

When the people return to the pagan ways of the Golden calf Moses "called out" the faithful. The Levites were appointed the Church in the wilderness. When the people again left the ways of God under the Pharisees Jesus called out the apostles and appointed the kingdom to them and they were the early Church established by Christ. Both were God's government operating under the perfect law of liberty.

• Acts 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and [with] our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

Acts 7:38 is drawing parallels between the institutions of Moses and even Abraham and what the Church established by Jesus Christ was doing in those early days. The Levites were called the Church in the Wilderness because they were called out of the walled-in camp of the Golden calf by Moses to restore and keep the people as a free nation under God because by depositing the wealth in the Golden calf they were headed back to the bondage of Egypt.

---

The Church in the Wilderness was called out by Moses and became the Levites who served the tents of the people much like the early Church or "called out" by Jesus who was the Christ, anointed king of Judea, and who appointed "a kingdom" to His Little flock. They too provided a daily ministration for the needy of the Christian community through charity. While the rulers of the world offered welfare through free bread offered by men who exercised authority. The Church, e.g. called out or ekklesia, appointed by Christ provided similar benefits to those who would follow "the righteous way" of Jesus by the practice of Pure Religion through charity alone "unspotted" by those systems of the world that used force.

---

The people provided Breeches for these ancient ministers of a nation without rulers, no king. Those breeches of the Levites were symbolic of a covering which made them titular leaders of one of the earliest pure republics in recorded history.

How their government operated in a practical way will give you a better understanding of the Church and the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

As we have said, among the Levites there was a unique political structure with corporate elements to the formation of its society. Early Israel was classified in history as a Republic.

Were there parallels between the Church in the Wilderness and the Church called out and appointed by Christ to serve the people?

• "Bishops, presbyters(Elder) and deacons 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

Jesus called His Church to be one form of government so that His followers would and could be free souls under God.

Edward Gibbons in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire identified the early Church as a "viable Republic" and early American churches were called "embryonic republics" by historians.

The Corban of that early Church was not like the Corban of the Pharisees. Nor is it like the Corban of the Modern Christian who depend far more on the Benefactors who exercise authority one over the other than upon ministers an congregations who live by faith, hope and charity through the perfect law of liberty.

Understanding the Sophistry of the Pharisees and their civil altars under Herod can help those who want to see the truth about Religion and the Covetous Practices of Public religion. The modern False religion of today keeps people from practicing Pure Religion.

If we are willing to admit the truth about our own sloth and covetousness we may be able to view those Levites of the Church in the Wilderness in a new light. Their role as Ministers of a nation kept the people free for generations until they rejected God and sought a king which led to the dividing of the Kingdom of God. They, like the Church, established and appointed by Christ, they were to be Priests to all nations, preaching an teaching The Way of God.

Attribute	Church in the Wilderness:	The early Church:
Called	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.	The Apostles and disciples were called out and serve God by teaching the people the ways of God. 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.
Belonged	Those Ministers of God only have God as their master.
	The Levites belonged to God; they were separate from the people, so they were limited in their power to make contracts, constitutions and covenants while still a part of the whole body of the Levites.	The Ministers of the early Church belonged to God, and though they lived in the world and preached the gospel of the kingdom at hand, they themselves were not of the world. It has always been essential that God's ministers actually belong to God only. They were separate.
Common	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 with no personal Beneficial interest which was held by God.	The Ministers of His Church held all things in common.They did not own land as individuals but as the Church was a body appointed by Jesus Christ. This ministerial status was different than the people who were to hold a personal dominion from generation to generation.
Appointed	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 exercise authority over the people to force support.	Christ appointed a Kingdom to His Disciples 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.
Free will offerings	The God of Heaven has always depended upon free will offerings or charity.
	The power to fund the government and the grass roots election of ministers to receive that funding was in the hands of the people.	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.
Supported	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 government and the provision of the national welfare.	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.
Joint Heirs	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.	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, in love-driven ministries among those who are recognized (elected) by those seeking the kingdom from generation to generation.
a	l	c