WHO ARE WE - PART 2

WBS.257

WHO ARE WE? – PART 2

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

We have begun a study on who we are expected to be as the children of IAUE. The first characteristic we examined, and the most important characteristic (because all other attributes flow from it) is that we are to be the lovers of IAUE.  This is the first and great commandment.  Why do you suppose this was so important in the mind of IAUE that He made it singularly the most important instruction to His people?

When you have read the Scriptures, have you just made an academic noting of the multitude of the “other” gods that were a constant temptation to the Hebrews to worship; and just gave them little consideration because, after all, we all know that IAUE alone is Elohim?  Did the nations of the world serve made-up gods; and that is why we never bothered to give much thought to them?  Well, let me tell you, they weren’t made up gods.  Here is a list of some of them found in the Scripture:

Addramelech, Amon, Annamelech, Asherah, Ashima, Ashtoreth, Baal, Baal-Berith, Ball-Peor, Baal-Zebub, Bel, Castor & Pollux, Chiun, Chemosh, Dagon, Diana/Artemis, Gad, Golden Calf, Hermes/Mercury, Jupiter, Kalwan, Meni, Merodach/Marduk, Milchom/Malcham/Malcam, Molech/Moloch, Nebo, Nergal, Nibhaz, Nisroch, Remphan/Rephan/Rompha, Rimmon, Satan, Sikkuth, Succoth-Benoth, Tammuz, Tartak, Zeus.

All of these “false” gods were names ascribed to the fallen angels and the original generations of Nephilim who became renowned as the mighty men of old (Genesis 6:4).  They developed fearful reputations as warriors, hunters, masters of the field, masters of the sea, masters of the weather and they were fiercely sexual and perverse. They demonstrated incredible knowledge, technology, and supernatural ability. They were kings of great power and their legends crossed the flood waters to the post-diluvian age.

Deuteronomy 32:16   They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger.

17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.  (ESV)

They were the “new gods,” who represented themselves to man that they were gods.  Given their giant size and power and “alien” appearance, mere mortals clearly saw themselves as inferior to them.  (Consider, IAUE was not visible to man; so these who became visible among them captured their minds to receive worship from them.) Remember what ten of the twelve spies reported to Moses when they returned from spying out the promised land?  They said “we are as grasshoppers in their eyes.”  They were in total fear of them, just based on their size alone; and these were just the descendants of the Nephilim many generations removed.

In our study of The Seed War, we saw that the Serpent immediately began to work toward the destruction of the seed of Adam.  When he nearly succeeded, IAUE brought the flood and secured the bloodline of Adam through Noah (who was perfect in his generations…his bloodline had not been corrupted).  Post-flood, if he could not corrupt their bloodline, the Serpent would do his best to corrupt their worship of IAUE by offering them strange gods to worship.

Have you ever reflected on how it seems everyone in the recorded history in the Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, worshipped a god or multiple gods?  There were no atheists in the Scripture.  Everyone had a deity or deities that they revered and feared.  If you research the histories of ancient cultures, you will find they all had similar records of the creation of the world and the creation and the fall of man; however, they all tended to change the identities of who was good and who was evil.  The god of the Hebrews, IAUE, was frequently depicted as the corrupter of man.  The Serpent and the fallen Watchers were the heroes of their history. It is little wonder that mankind descending from these cultures went after these “new gods” and hated the “one” god of the Hebrews. (The Nephilim bloodlines that still exist today fervently and passionately believe that IAUE is evil and that their god, Lucifer, is the true “bearer of light,” the “illuminator” who will bring peace and prosperity and good will to the earth.)

Now that we have a better context for this first and greatest of commandments to love IAUE with all our heart and soul and mind and might; we need to reflect on the fact this is not an appeal to us to come and see who IAUE is, learn what He is like, and respond to Him with all our love.  No, we are COMMANDED to love Him.  It is an order not a suggestion.  Our obedience is to our love much the same as it is with faith and works.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

In other words, love without obedience is dead.  It isn’t love.

Think of all the churches that have a seemingly wonderful time of praise and worship before the Sunday morning sermon.  Everyone enters in, they raise their hands in the air, they sway from side to side, they kneel, they bow, etc.; then two hours later they are pursuing their own selfish, and often sinful activities with total disregard for the will of IAUE.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of IAUE, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1 John 2:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Yahushua Messiah, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto IAUE, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto IAUE.

¹⁶ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

We have referred several times in recent posts that the whole world lies in the wicked one. (1 John 5:19)  Every aspect of this world’s system has an underlying “god” that draws men into his/her worship by wooing their affection to their area of jurisdiction.  The disciples of Messiah are of a kingdom that is not of this world.  We are strangers here, pilgrims in an alien environment.  We are not to merge with our environment.  We are to function within it as ambassadors of the Kingdom of IAUE.  We are not to cultivate an affection for this world; thus we remain free of the unseen influence of the “new gods.”  When we allow our lusts to be drawn away to what this world offers, we are in essence worshipping a fallen angel or a Nephilim spirit. It isn’t innocent on our part.  We cannot claim ignorance even if we are; because we are not ignorant of the call of IAUE to love Him with all our heart and soul and mind and might.  What, after that, is left to love the world?

WHO ARE WE?  WE ARE THE OBEDIENT OF IAUE.

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Notice how Paul contrasts us in this verse with “the children of disobedience.”  In Messiah, we have been separated from that which connected us to the “new gods.”  We are now to be known as the children of obedience. Doing the will of IAUE is our heart’s desire and the focus of our life. In our obedience to His will, we do show to all others that we love IAUE.  This is HOW we demonstrate (give evidence) that we love Him…by keeping His commandments to believe upon His Son, our Master, Yahushua Messiah, and to love our brothers and sisters in Messiah.

This isn’t something to learn academically so we can teach others the information. That puts us in no better a place than the hypocrites in the Scriptures that loved IAUE with their lips but not with their hearts.

Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore IAUE said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

This is a very interesting verse because it clearly shows that we can “believe” in the fear of IAUE; we can be taught about the fear of IAUE; we may even be able to pass a test about the fear of IAUE and still not actually fear IAUE?  How much of our relationship with IAUE is just something we have learned by precept?  We lack the reality of those things we have been taught to understand and believe.  Well, belief/faith without corresponding actions is dead because it abides alone.  When we are tempted to sin; when we are wooed to do that which we know is unrighteous, to do that which we know is not the will of IAUE, are we more conscious of our love for IAUE and our heart’s desire to please Him; or of our mind’s awareness of the perceived “reward” of pleasure?  I would venture to say that in any area where the love of IAUE is not the easy Victor, our knowledge of IAUE is learned by precept and is not the reality of our heart.

Our love of IAUE is both activated and enhanced by our obedience to Him.  As the people of IAUE, we should be so permeated by a desire to serve His will that it rarely leaves our conscious thought.