~ That which waxeth old ~

Mal. 1: 7. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.

The table of the Lord.... The place one is fed spiritual food. The O.T., law people said His table is contemptible. They themselves had been the ones to pollute it. They hated doing the things God told them to do. They loved idols. They hated having to bring their best lambs to sacrifice to God, so they brought the lame, the sick and all sorts of diseased animals as a sacrifice to God. So God was very angry with them.

Eze. 20: 24. Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

25. Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

26. And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.

27. Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

28. For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and poured out there their drink offerings.

( This ‘land�?which he promised and brought them into is really the land of Grace, or the second Covenant; it is only typed by the natural land of Canaan .) They came into Grace and then turned back in their hearts to law, as their fathers had turned back in their hearts to Egypt; they wanted their idols. So they picked up all the idols around them. This is the polluted Church, keeping x-mas, Easter, and all the other idols.)

29. Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

30. Wherefore say unto the house of Israel Thus saith the Lord God; are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? And commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

31. For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32. And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

Now God has told the Israelites that because they polluted their gifts and Sabbaths that he gave them statutes that were not good and by which they should not live. See they could not live in their laws. They ran after all their father’s idols and offered their own children in sacrifice in the high place called Bamah. This is a high place of Baal.

Now in our previous studies we have found that God finally did completely away with that whole Old Testament. He said it had displeased him in every place. That law was the seventh head on the seven-head beast. So seven is the completed thing. Seven completes the week. That was the last head, it had waxed old and decayed. It perished away.

God brought in a New Covenant, sanctified by the blood of Jesus. That old covenant was sanctified by the blood of animals. It never did take away their sins. They never quit loving their idols. God hated them and cast them out of his sight.

Now God spoke to me yesterday and said to me, that which waxeth old and decayeth is ready to vanish away... this is the church.

I had never connected this with the church before. I have always seen that this is that law or the old covenant. I knew it was speaking of this. But I had never seen it as the church, even as much as I have seen that the church went back to law. It just never occurred to me.

Heb. 8: 7. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

9. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

10. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Now as I read this last night, I was wondering how the church could be with this first covenant which waxed old and decayed and was ready to vanish away. For I was still thinking of the first covenant as strictly O.T. stuff. But then God opened my understanding to this: Paul taught very clearly that the churches even in his day had all gone back to the law. We see clearly in the Book of Acts that even Peter said they had gone back to the law, and that we were not to go back to that bondage and keeping the law of Moses.

Galatians 5: 1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

3. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

4. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

5. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

7. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

Now I will conclude this message with this Scripture in Gal. 5. See that Paul told the churches that Christ has made us FREE. Be not entangled AGAIN WITH THE YOKE OF BONDAGE.

This yoke of bondage is the same yoke Peter said in Acts 15 was the bondage their fathers could not bear = the LAW.

That is the people we spoke of in the beginning of this message--- that had polluted God’s table; polluted his Sabbaths, and offered lame, sick sacrificed, and killed their children in sacrifice to devils in Baal’s high places.

Yet now, this New Church has left the freedom Christ brought them into and went back to that bondage of law and idol worship.

So what was the results?

4. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Christ is now of no effect to them, they fell from GRACE, WHICH IS THE NEW OR SECOND COVENANT.

So, see, now they are not a part of the new or second covenant of Grace. They went back to that first, polluted, and rejected, decayed old covenant, which God had done away with.

It had waxed old, decayed and was ready to vanish away. This is how the church became that which has waxed old, decayed and is ready to vanish away. They picked right back up on the law and became a member of that first, old, decayed covenant of law. They are not a member of the new covenant of Grace. So they are a part of the covenant which is to vanish away.

This is why she is said to be twice dead, plucked up by the roots. She was first in that Old Testament of law, which decayed and was rejected by God. Then she started this whorish church and again became polluted, decayed and is now rejected by God. So this is twice she has become dead. This time she will be plucked up by the roots and will never be again.

In the New World, which is soon to begin, and into which some of us have already entered by coming out of her and becoming a separate and peculiar people to our God. We are not serving him under that old, corrupt, polluted table. We are eating clean heavenly food. We are partaking of God’s Holy uncorrupted table. It is not contemptible! It is most glorious.

But whorish Babylon, the twice dead, corrupt church cannot eat at this table, for to her it is contemptible. Why? Because she STILL LOVES THOSE IDOLS. She still sacrifices her children to devils. She teaches them to love Santa Clause, Easter Bunnies, x-mas trees, ungodly television and movies. She teaches them to run around naked or nearly there. Those who love their idols could never see this true table of God, which forbids idols, as something delicious.

Heb. 6: 4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

5. And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

6. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

7. For the earth, which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

8. But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

9. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Now right here is also proof that ‘once saved, always saved�?is a lie. (As they teach saved)

V4-- once enlightened, = came to see and understand the New Covenant = Grace.

. Tasted the heavenly gift, and were partakers of the Holy Ghost... they had actually come into Grace and received the Holy Ghost.

V5--and had tasted, or understood the good word of God, and the POWERS of the world to come (coming into the life beyond church-hood).... It is IMPOSSIBLE to renew these people AGAIN unto repentance, IF THEY FALL AWAY.

Now what is this ‘falling away?�? It is what Paul said in Gal. 5, that if you go back to one tiny part of law, you FALL FROM GRACE, BY WHICH CHRIST IS THEN OF NO EFFECT TO YOU.

If He is of no effect to you, you are not in the New Covenant, sanctified by his blood, and you will be eternally LOST. For see verse 5 here in Heb. 6- it says it is IMPOSSIBLE to renew those people who FALL AWAY... fall away from Grace. For this is crucifying Jesus all over again and doing despite to the Spirit of Grace.

By one Spirit are we Baptized into on body, which is the body of Christ or Grace. This is the only way in. Keeping Law does not get you in. And it will not keep you in; it takes you away eternally.

This is why people under the law cannot understand what the Word teaches. This is why their preachers turn to ‘sermon�?books and commentaries to get sermons, for they cannot ‘hear�?the truth. They do not understand what they read. It is foreign to them. It is an unknown tongue. The law is what bears briars and thorns. If you go back to law, this is rejected. It blinds you so you can never see or hear truth.

Hebrews 9: 1. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Now see that the first covenant (law) has a ‘worldly�?sanctuary made by hands. This is today the physical church buildings; it is also our human bodies, which are still in the flesh and not on the altar of sacrifice to God.

8. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Now this is saying that as long as this first worldly sanctuary is still standing, the way into the second covenant or testament, the holiest of all, is not made manifest. This is profound! It is showing that as long as the ‘church�?which has gone back to law, is caught up in their worldly, outward building or sanctuary, that they will never find the way into the true sanctuary which God pitched and not man.

All these church buildings are made by man, and will blind you to truth. As long as you are thinking you must go to one of them for salvation, you are still under that first covenant of law. You think you must tithe.. You are under law = that first, old, decayed, done away with first testament.

You think you must keep a weekly Sabbath, you are under law, doomed to hell; unless you have never had the Holy Ghost and can still find that place of repentance, and then continue on in the New Covenant, without picking back up the law.

All who now serve under the law (which is almost everyone calling themselves a Christian) are lost and headed to hell. If you already knew the truth and had the Holy Ghost and then turned back to law, you cannot ever get back to God. It is IMPOSSIBLE. For you turned your back on the New Covenant purchased with the Blood and sacrifice of Jesus.

You put him to an open shame. If you think you must ‘go to church�?you are under law and lost. Unless you can turn all this loose and come into pure faith and walk by Grace, not tied to anything but pure faith in the Word of God, you are lost. You are under the old covenant, which is decayed and done away with.

Come out of her my people; come up hither; are both calls from God for His people to come out of Babylon, this whorish Jerusalem which healed that destroyed head of law and brought it back up again and once again made worldly sanctuaries for people to ‘worship�?

She is the ‘twice dead�?plucked up by the roots. She was the old testament ancient Jews or Jerusalem, the whole law bit Then she transformed herself into the whorish church and returned back to her vomit, the polluted tables of law, tithing, worshipping idols, and all that goes with that law way of life. She is twice polluted and now God is going to pluck up her roots so she will never rise up again. Only those of us who obeyed this call to ‘come out of her�?or ‘come up hither�?into his presence and grace, only we will be saved and given our inheritance of a glorified body.

By: Jo Smith

Sunday/ 7/20/2003