Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: GAB
Program Code: GAB000004
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01:11 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:14 Our Father in heaven, 01:15 what a joy it is to be in Your presence 01:18 and we ask that as we open 01:21 the awesome pages of Your holy word 01:24 that Your spirit will hover over this place. 01:28 Give us clarity of thought and give us tender hearts 01:33 to receive Your message 01:35 and we thank you Father for hearing our prayer 01:37 for we asked in Jesus name, amen. 01:42 We like to begin our study today 01:44 by turning to the Book of Genesis 2:15-17. 01:50 Genesis 2:15-17. 01:54 It reads like this, "Then the Lord God took the man 01:59 and put him in the Garden of Eden 02:02 to tend and keep it. 02:04 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 02:08 'Of every tree of the garden you made freely eat, 02:12 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 02:16 you shall not eat, for in the day 02:19 that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" 02:25 There's a very important principle in this passage 02:28 and that is that God made a distinction 02:32 between the trees of the garden 02:35 and a special tree that He set aside. 02:39 We could say that the trees of the garden 02:42 were like for the common everyday use of Adam and Eve, 02:47 but they were to respect God's tree 02:50 because God had set it apart. 02:53 In other words there was a difference 02:55 between the common trees and the set apart tree. 03:00 Now the Book of Genesis does not use the words holy and common 03:05 but it's very clear from the passage 03:07 that this tree was separated by God 03:11 and reserved for Himself, 03:14 it was not for the common everyday use of Adam and Eve. 03:19 And of course God told them in this explicit command 03:23 that if they disobey Him and they partook of the tree 03:27 which had been set apart and they ate from that tree 03:32 they would surely die. 03:36 In a very real sense that sin of Adam and Eve 03:39 was to take that which was Holy 03:43 and treat it as if it were common. 03:47 They took God's tree, 03:49 the tree that have been separated 03:51 and they treated it like the everyday trees 03:54 which God gave them permission to eat from. 03:58 The same principle of the distinction 04:01 between the holy and the common 04:03 can be seen in the story of the Conquest of Jericho. 04:07 You see, Jericho was the first city 04:10 that Israel conquered 04:12 when they enter the Promised Land 04:14 and therefore God said 04:16 when you overcome this city the gold and the silver 04:21 will be consecrated to Me, 04:24 it will be set apart for the use in the sanctuary. 04:28 It is not for your common use, 04:31 it is sacred, so to speak. 04:34 You may take the other things in the city 04:37 but the gold and the silver is sacred 04:39 it is set apart for me; it is consecrated 04:43 that's the word that is used in Joshua 6:19. 04:49 But there was a man called Achan, 04:51 and what Achan did was take God's holy gold and silver 04:57 and take it for himself. 04:59 In other words, he took that which God had set apart 05:02 as sacred as holy as consecrated 05:06 and he took it for his own personal use. 05:10 In other words Achan disrespected the holy. 05:16 He treated the holy as if it were common. 05:20 We might say that he desecrated the gold and the silver. 05:26 Now in ancient Israel it was the role 05:29 of the religious leaders to teach the people 05:33 the distinction between the holy and the common, 05:38 between that which was consecrated 05:40 and that which was for everyday use 05:43 that which was secular. 05:46 Especially the high priest was to teach the people 05:50 this distinction as the spiritual leader, 05:53 the difference between the holy and the common. 05:56 The high priest was to teach the people 05:59 to respect that, which was holy. 06:02 And this can be seen by the miter 06:05 that he had on his head. 06:08 We're told in Exodus 28:36 about this miter 06:14 that the high priest had on his forehead. 06:18 It says there, "You show also make a plate of pure gold 06:24 and engraver on it, like the engraving up a signet, 06:29 holiness to the Lord." 06:33 Everything connected with the sanctuary 06:35 and the priesthood was Holy 06:38 and God commanded the high priest 06:40 to teach the people the distinction 06:43 or the difference between the holy and the common 06:47 between that which was sacred and that which was secular. 06:52 The priests were to meticulously 06:55 teach the people this distinction. 06:58 In fact were told this 07:00 in the Book of Ezekiel 44:23, 24. 07:06 Speaking about the priest's not only the high priest 07:09 but the priests we find these words, 07:13 "And they shall teach My people 07:17 the difference between the holy and the unholy," 07:21 by the way unholy in our English language 07:25 means something negative 07:27 but in the Bible unholy in this sense means 07:32 something that is common or secular for everyday use. 07:36 In other words, it's not consecrated to the Lord. 07:39 It's what says, "And they shall teach my people 07:41 the difference between the holy and the unholy," 07:44 that is a holy and the common 07:45 "and cause them to discern 07:49 between the unclean and the clean." 07:53 Once again the distinction 07:54 between that which has been separated for God 07:58 and that which is for their common everyday secular use. 08:04 The priests were to be very careful 08:06 in teaching the people this distinction. 08:10 You see, in Israel there was common money 08:14 and there was holy money. 08:16 Common money was the money that the people could use 08:19 for their own necessities, 08:21 the holy money were the tithes and the offerings. 08:25 There was a distinction between holy and common money. 08:29 There was a distinction between holy and common dress. 08:33 When people came to worship the Lord in the sanctuary 08:36 there was special dress that was required. 08:39 They could not come in common garb 08:41 particularly the priesthood. 08:44 You see, there were holy days and common days 08:48 there were also holy places and common places, 08:53 there was holy music and common everyday music, 08:57 there were holy occasions and common occasions 09:01 and there were holy vocations and they were common vocations. 09:06 Now by vocations I mean that God established 09:10 that only certain individuals 09:13 could be ordained to the priesthood. 09:16 Not just any old person any common everyday person 09:20 could be ordained to the priesthood. 09:22 God established that there were individuals 09:25 that were qualified to serve 09:28 in the vocation of the priesthood 09:31 and there were those who were disqualified 09:33 from serving in the priesthood. 09:36 Not that they were bad 09:37 but they could not serve in this sacred endeavor. 09:42 Now we're gonna study today a very interesting story, 09:45 it's a sobering story. 09:48 It's found in the Leviticus Chapter 10. 09:51 It's the story of the two sons of Aaron 09:53 that died in the presence of the Lord. 09:57 In order to understand chapter 10 09:59 that we need to return to chapter 9 verses 23 and 24 10:05 where we have the context for this story. 10:08 You see, we're told in Leviticus 9:23, 24 10:15 that sacrifices were placed up on the altar 10:20 and then when the sacrifices were on the altar 10:23 we're told that God reigned fire from heaven up on the sacrifices 10:28 and the fire consumed those sacrifices. 10:32 Let's read about it Leviticus 9:23, 24 10:37 it says, "And Moses and Aaron 10:39 went into the tabernacle of meeting, 10:43 and came out and blessed the people. 10:46 Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people 10:51 and fire came out from before the Lord 10:55 and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. 11:01 When all the people saw it, 11:03 they shouted and fell on their faces." 11:07 So, God reigned up on the sacrifices holy fire. 11:12 It was not common, ordinary, everyday fire it was holy fire 11:17 because God had reigned it up on the altar. 11:21 In fact God clearly instructed the priests 11:25 He said, whenever you bring incense into the sanctuary 11:29 you make sure that the fire that you use 11:33 is the fire from the altar that I reigned from heaven 11:36 because that is holy fire. 11:39 He said don't you bring in common fire 11:42 only the fire that I reign from heaven is holy fire 11:46 and God also told them 11:47 that they had to bring in a special type of incense. 11:52 Holy fire and holy incense, 11:54 you see there was common fire and there was common incense 11:58 but they could not offer these. 12:00 Let's read about the incense in Exodus 30:7-9. 12:06 Exodus 30:7-9. 12:10 It says there "Aaron shall burn on it" 12:13 that is on the altar, the golden altar, 12:16 "sweet incense every morning, 12:19 when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 12:25 And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, 12:29 he shall burn incense on it, 12:32 a perpetual incense before the Lord 12:35 throughout your generations." 12:37 And then verse 9 the first part is critically important. 12:41 "You shall not offer strange incense on it." 12:47 By strange it means common incense. 12:52 The type of incense that you would burn in your home 12:55 it's not bad incense, its good incense 12:58 but it is incense to be used for secular purposes 13:02 not for sacred purposes. 13:04 They could not use any old fire 13:06 they could not use any old incense. 13:10 It had to be holy fire blended or mixed with the holy incense. 13:17 Now we need to understand what the incense represented. 13:21 You see, the incense was a symbol 13:24 it represented something beyond the literal. 13:28 This will help us understand a little bit better 13:31 the reason why God was so offended 13:34 when Nadab and Abihu offered strange incense 13:38 or common incense before the Lord. 13:41 You see in scripture incense represents prayer. 13:48 Notice Psalm 141:2. 13:51 Psalm 141:2. 13:55 It says there listen to this, 13:59 "Let my prayer be set before You" as what? 14:05 "As incense, the lifting up of my hands 14:10 as the evening sacrifice." 14:13 So we're clearly told in this text 14:16 that the prayer is represented by what? 14:20 Is represented by incense, by the way 14:24 by holy incense the incense which God has prescribed. 14:30 Notice also Revelation 8:3 on the incense. 14:35 Revelation 8:3. 14:37 It says there, "Then another angel, 14:41 having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar." 14:46 This is the same altar that Aaron offered incense on. 14:50 "And it says there and he was given much incense, 14:54 that he should offer it 14:55 with the prayers of all the saints." 14:57 See here now, we can catch an interesting nuance. 15:00 The prayers of the saints is represented by the incense 15:03 but there's something else, it says here 15:06 that the incense is offered with the prayers of the saints. 15:09 In a moment we're gonna see what this represents. 15:11 And so it says, "And he was given much incense, 15:14 that he should offer it 15:16 with for prayers of all the saints 15:18 upon the golden altar which was before the throne." 15:22 One more passage on the incense 15:24 so that we clearly understand 15:26 that the incense is related to prayer, 15:29 this holy incense is related to the prayers 15:32 that we rise up into the presence of God. 15:35 Luke 1:8-10. 15:38 It's speaking here about Zechariah's 15:41 the father of John the Baptist. 15:43 He was serving in the temple 15:45 and in fact he was offering incense 15:47 and let's notice what the people were doing outside 15:50 while he was offering the incense. 15:52 It says in verse 8, 15:54 "So it was that while he was serving 15:58 as priest before God in the order of his division, 16:02 according to the custom of the priesthood, 16:05 his lot fell to burn incense 16:09 when he went into the temple of the Lord." 16:12 So notice Zechariah is going to burn incense. 16:15 Verse 10, "And the whole multitude of the people 16:20 was praying outside at the hour of incense." 16:25 So as the incense is being placed upon the altar, 16:29 the golden altar the people are outside praying 16:32 because the incense is symbolic of their prayers. 16:37 Now if their prayers but blended with something 16:41 as we already noticed mixed with something. 16:45 Selected Messages volume one page 329 16:48 we find this very significant statement from Ellen White. 16:54 She says this, "With the confession 16:59 of the repenting believing sinner," 17:04 did you notice that? 17:06 With the confession of the what type of sinner? 17:09 Of the repenting believing sinner, 17:12 not any sinner, not any old sinner 17:15 but a sinner who confesses repents and believes. 17:19 She continues saying, 17:20 "Christ mingles His own righteousness, 17:25 that the prayer of fallen man may go up 17:29 as fragrant incense before the Father, 17:33 and the grace of God be imparted to every believing soul." 17:38 So our prayers are mixed 17:40 with the righteousness of Christ according to this 17:43 or else our prayers would not be acceptable. 17:46 But notice that the prayers, this is very important, 17:49 the prayers had to go up there from a sinner 17:53 who was confessing, repenting and believing in Jesus. 17:59 In other words, there were conditions 18:01 for God receiving the prayer 18:03 or receiving the incense which was offered. 18:09 You see, one of the big problems with Nadab and Abihu 18:15 is that they offered common fire to God 18:20 as if it were holy. 18:23 And we're gonna find that they knew very well 18:26 that they were not supposed to do that. 18:29 God have instructed them very clearly 18:32 that they needed not only to offer holy incense 18:35 but with the incense it needed to be consumed by holy fire, 18:41 holy fire burning the Holy incense 18:44 which represented the prayers 18:47 that go into the presence of God. 18:50 And so we're told in the story of Nadab and Abihu 18:54 in Leviticus 10:1, the following. 19:00 "Then Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron, 19:05 each took his censer and put fire in it, 19:10 put incense on it, 19:13 and offered profane fire before the Lord." 19:17 Profane doesn't mean the same word 19:19 as the same as profane for us today. 19:22 Profane means bad. 19:23 Profane simply means ordinary, common everyday fire. 19:31 And so it says "and offered profane fire before the Lord 19:34 which He had not commanded them." 19:38 Let me ask you did they know very clearly 19:40 that there was a certain kind of incense 19:42 that God expected them to offer? 19:44 Did they know very clearly 19:45 that there was a certain kind of fire 19:47 that they should offer? 19:48 Yes, because it said here that they offered strange fire 19:52 which is a fire that God commanded them not, 19:54 which means that God had commanded them 19:56 which fire and which incense to offer. 19:59 So they are doing this what? Knowingly. 20:03 They are not ignorant. 20:05 This is not a sin of ignorance, 20:07 this is a sin with a high hand 20:09 it is willful disobedience to God. 20:12 It is taking that which is common 20:15 and offering it to God as if it were holy. 20:20 That is a very important point taking the common 20:24 and offering it to God as if it were holy. 20:29 And something terrible happened. 20:31 Notice Leviticus 10:2. 20:35 "So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, 20:41 and they'd tied before the Lord." 20:46 You know this is a side of God that people don't like to hear. 20:50 They like to hear about God, 20:52 you know, being Santa Claus, 20:55 like Santa Claus giving gifts to people 20:58 who are naughty or nice. 20:59 You know, that God doesn't really care 21:02 you know, the way that we dress 21:03 or the way that we use our money 21:05 or the way in which we come into His presence. 21:08 God doesn't really mind 21:09 you know, He just accepts any old thing. 21:12 Well, the fact is that this story teaches us 21:16 that God when He reveals His will 21:18 as to how He supposed to be worshipped 21:21 He expects people to worship Him 21:23 in the way in which He has established. 21:27 These young men were explicitly disobedient to the will of God. 21:32 In fact, what they did was commit abomination against God. 21:37 They were actually practicing false worship 21:41 because they were offering God 21:43 that which was common as if it were holy. 21:48 Now let's go back to the idea of the incense 21:51 which is mingled with the fire and goes to the presence of God. 21:55 We've already noticed that this represents prayer 22:00 but we notice that Nadab and Abihu 22:02 offered God strange fire. 22:06 What happens when people offer up their prayers to God 22:11 and they are willfully disobedient to the will of God? 22:16 I want you to notice that the Bible tells us 22:18 very clearly what happens. 22:21 Notice Proverbs 28: 9. 22:25 Proverbs 28:9. 22:29 It says here, "One who turns away his ear 22:33 from hearing the law, 22:36 even his prayer is an abomination." 22:41 What happens when we don't obey clearly 22:44 the prescriptions of the law of God? 22:47 Our prayer is what? 22:49 An abomination because it is a strange prayer, 22:53 it is a strange incense 22:55 because we are offering it in disobedience to God. 22:58 Let me ask you were Nadab and Abihu 23:01 offering incense burnt with fire 23:04 contrary to what God had told them to offer? 23:07 Yes, and so this symbolize the fact 23:10 that the prayers were ascending to God 23:14 but in disobedience to the explicit will of God. 23:18 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 23:19 Now let's notice also Psalm 66:18- 20. 23:25 Psalm 66:18-20. 23:29 Here the Psalmist says this, 23:31 "If I regard iniquity in my heart 23:36 the Lord will not," what? 23:39 "The Lord will not hear. 23:42 But certainly God has heard me, 23:45 He has attended to the voice of my prayer 23:48 because blessed be God 23:51 who has not turned away my prayer 23:54 nor His mercy from me." 23:56 What happens when we regard iniquity in our hearts 24:00 and we raise a prayer to God? 24:03 We're told very clearly here that the prayer is what? 24:06 Rejected. 24:07 And so Nadab and Abihu take this common fire, 24:11 they mingle it with incense 24:13 in disobedience to the direct will of God. 24:16 They take the common and they offer as if it's holy. 24:21 Could God accept that offering of incense 24:25 mingled with common fire? 24:27 Absolutely not. 24:30 Now I want you to notice Leviticus 10:3. 24:34 Leviticus 10:3. 24:37 After Nadab and Abihu are consumed 24:41 God has some very interesting words 24:44 to speak to Moses and to Aaron. 24:49 It says there in verse 3, "And Moses said to Aaron," 24:54 by the way this is what the Lord spoke, notice, 24:56 "This is what the Lord spoke, saying, 25:00 'By those who come near Me 25:03 I must be regarded as holy 25:09 and before all the people I must be glorified.' 25:13 So Aaron held his peace." 25:17 Did Nadab and Abihu recognize God as holy? 25:23 No, they did not because they took common fire 25:26 and they offered this profane everyday common fire 25:30 to God as if it were holy. 25:32 And God says I cannot accept that, 25:34 I cannot accept this incense 25:36 which is burnt with strange fire, 25:38 with common fire because this is something 25:41 which is done in disobedience. 25:44 And then God says I must be regarded as what? 25:48 I must be regarded by the people as holy. 25:53 In other words Nadab and Abuhu 25:56 had disregarded the holiness of God. 25:59 They had trampled on the holiness of God 26:02 by offering the common as if it were holy. 26:06 They did not even regard God as holy. 26:10 You see, God cannot be played with, 26:13 God cannot be trifled with, 26:16 we must not think that we can approach Him in any old way. 26:21 We cannot approach God on our terms. 26:25 We're not to think of God as our good old buddy 26:27 or as the man upstairs. 26:30 He's the high and lofty one whose name is holy 26:35 but who also inhabits with Him 26:38 who is his humble and contrary of heart 26:42 which Nadab and Abihu were not. 26:46 They brought common fire 26:48 and they offered it ask if it were holy. 26:52 Now you would think that the people of Israel 26:55 would mourn the death of these two young men 26:57 that Aaron would mourn the death of his own children. 27:01 But I want you to notice the God says 27:04 don't you dare mourn them. 27:07 That's drastic council on the part of God. 27:10 In other words, don't sympathize with the transgressors 27:14 is what God is saying. 27:15 With those who trample on My holiness 27:17 don't sympathize with them 27:19 and say, oh, look what God has done. 27:21 How could God do something like this? 27:23 Because if you blame God for that 27:26 your further disrespecting the holiness of God. 27:30 Notice Leviticus 10:4-7. 27:34 "And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, 27:39 the sons of Uzzziel the uncle of Aaron, 27:42 and said to them, 'Come near, 27:45 carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.'" 27:50 That's important they're consumed 27:52 by the glory of the Lord 27:53 and they are taken outside the camp. 27:55 It says "So they went near and carried them 27:59 by their tunics out of the camp," 28:01 because they could touch a dead carcass. 28:04 "As Moses had said. 28:05 And Moses said to Aaron, 28:08 and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, 28:12 'Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes," 28:16 by the way these are signs of affliction and mourning, 28:19 "lest you die and wrath come upon all the people." 28:24 What would have happened 28:25 if they'd mourn these transgressors 28:27 who trampled on holiness of God? 28:30 They would be saying 28:31 that these individuals were right and God was what? 28:35 And God was wrong. 28:37 It continue saying, "But let your brethren, 28:40 the whole house of Israel, 28:41 bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. 28:44 You shall not go out 28:46 from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die," 28:49 in otherwise you can't even go to the funeral. 28:51 "For the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. 28:54 And they did according to the word of Moses." 28:59 Folks, this is the same God of the New Testament. 29:07 God does not change. 29:11 You know some people say in the Old Testament 29:13 God was strict but now God is lacks. 29:16 God doesn't change. 29:18 There is no shadow of turning. 29:20 There's no variableness in God according to scripture. 29:24 God still expects people to respect the holy 29:29 and never to treat the common as if it were holy. 29:33 He never asked us to sympathize with people 29:39 who trample on that which is holy. 29:43 Now we must ask a question, 29:45 why did Nadab and Abihu offered common fire in the first place? 29:51 The Bible has an explicit answer to this question. 29:55 Notice Leviticus 10:8, 9, this is after they died, 30:01 do you know that they were actually drunk 30:06 and they couldn't think straight 30:09 and that's why they use common fire 30:11 and presented it as if it was holy? 30:14 Notice Leviticus 10:8, 9. 30:16 "Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, 30:20 'Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, 30:25 you, nor your sons with you, 30:27 when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. 30:32 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.'" 30:35 Why couldn't they distinguish 30:37 between the holy and the common 30:39 because they were what? 30:41 Because they were drunk with wine 30:44 according to the scripture. 30:45 The wine did not allow them 30:47 to distinguish between the holy and the common 30:49 but there's more the wine did not allow them 30:52 to teach the people the distinction 30:55 between the holy and the common. 30:57 Notice what we find In Leviticus 10:10, 11 31:02 after saying that you're not supposed to drink 31:05 any wine or intoxicating drink, 31:09 it says there, "that you may 31:12 distinguish between holy and unholy, 31:15 and between clean and unclean," 31:17 and notice "and that you make teach 31:20 that children of Israel all the statutes 31:23 which the Lord has spoken to them 31:25 by the hand of Moses." 31:29 Did you notice that God says, 31:32 that the reason why Nadab and Abihu did what they did 31:36 is because they were intoxicated with wine 31:40 which did not allow them to teach the people 31:43 the distinction between the holy and the common. 31:48 And we're told that Nadab and Abihu were destroyed, 31:52 were consumed by the glory of God 31:55 and they were taken outside the camp of the saints. 31:59 In other words, they were no longer 32:00 members of the encampment. 32:02 By the way a little later on will come 32:04 to the fulfillment of this story in the end time, 32:07 and we're gonna find it in the Book of Revelation 32:09 were told that the wicked those drink the wine of Babylon 32:15 will also be consumed 32:17 by the fire that comes from the Lord. 32:19 Those who drink the wine of the end time harlot 32:22 representing the apostate church 32:25 and we're told in Revelation Chapter 20 32:27 that these individuals are outside the camp of the saints. 32:32 In other words, they are consumed 32:33 and they're outside the camp of the saints. 32:37 The great sin of Nadab and Abihu was the sin 32:42 of taking that which was common 32:45 and presenting it as if it was holy. 32:50 Now let's digress for a moment and go to another story. 32:55 We'll look at the other side of the coin. 32:57 We'll look at how God considers people 33:00 who take something holy 33:03 and they treat it as if it was common. 33:06 You see, the sin of Nadab and Abihu was what, 33:08 was that they took that which was common 33:11 and they presented it as holy. 33:13 But God looks just as negatively up on those 33:16 who take something holy and treat it as if it is common. 33:21 You're saying what story illustrates that? 33:24 Well, it's the story of the banquet 33:28 that was planned and implemented by a king called Belshazzar. 33:35 It was the last night of Babylon 33:39 and this led to the fall of Babylon. 33:42 It was the straw which broke the camel's back, if you please. 33:48 You see the big sin of Belshazzar 33:51 is that he took the holy and he treated it 33:55 as if it were common. 33:57 Let's read about it in Daniel 5:1. 34:01 Daniel 5:1, it says 34:04 "Belshazzar the king made a great feast 34:06 for a thousand of his lords, 34:08 and drank wine in the presence of the thousand." 34:11 See he's drinking wine and we're going to notice 34:15 that this does not allow him to think straight, 34:17 it does not allow him to make a distinction 34:20 between that which God has declared to be holy 34:22 and that which God has declared to be common. 34:24 So he's gonna take what's holy 34:26 and he's gonna treat it as if it's common. 34:28 Verse 2, "While he tasted the wine 34:32 Belshazzar gave the command 34:33 to bring the gold and silver vessels 34:36 which his father Nebuchadnezzar 34:38 had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, 34:42 that the king and his lords, his wives 34:44 and his concubines might drink from them." 34:48 Do you know what these vessels were? 34:51 They were the holy vessels 34:52 which were used when in the Hebrew sanctuary. 34:56 He commanded to bring holy vessels 34:58 to use them for common use. 35:01 The Bible tells us that when he did this he was drunk. 35:03 He was drinking wine that's why he could not think straight, 35:06 he could not distinguish 35:08 the holy vessels from the common vessels. 35:11 In other words he desecrated the vessels of the sanctuary. 35:16 I don't know if you're aware 35:17 what the word desecrated means de-secrate, 35:21 secrate comes from sacred, 35:23 desecrate simply means to remove sacredness. 35:27 To make something unholy. 35:30 In other words, He desecrated these vessels 35:33 from the sanctuary by treating them 35:35 in a common way although they were holy. 35:39 And if you read this story you'll find that 35:42 Belshazzar knew very well the story of these vessels. 35:47 Where they came from? 35:48 That they were from the Hebrew sanctuary 35:50 because later on Daniel comes and he says, 35:53 you did this even though you knew all of his story. 35:56 In other words this is willful, knowledgeable, 36:00 disobedience against the will of God. 36:05 It says in verse 3 36:07 "Then they brought the gold vessels 36:09 that have been taken from the temple 36:11 of the house of God 36:13 which had been in Jerusalem and the king and his lords, 36:17 his wives and his concubines drank from them." 36:22 Verse 4, "They drank wine," and notice what happens 36:26 as a result of desecrating the holy, 36:29 because he's drunk now the end result is idolatry. 36:35 It says "They drank wine, 36:37 and praised the god's of gold and silver, 36:41 bronze and iron, wood and stone." 36:46 Drinking wine did not allow 36:50 Belshazzar to distinguish between the holy and the common. 36:55 In fact this, this incapacity to distinguish 37:00 between the holy and the common 37:02 let him to break God's commandments 37:05 and to practice false worship. 37:10 So we have two stories from the Old Testament. 37:12 One of individuals who knowingly take the common 37:18 and presented as if it was holy. 37:21 And on the other hand you have those who-- 37:23 those in the banquet of Belshazzar 37:27 who take those things which are holy 37:29 and they treat them as if they were common. 37:32 And in both cases the reason why 37:34 is because wine has intoxicated the mind 37:38 and does not make it possible to distinguish 37:41 between the holy and the common. 37:44 Now you probably know where I'm going with this. 37:47 In Revelation Chapter 17, 37:50 I'm not gonna read the verses, 37:51 I'm sure that you read them many times. 37:54 You have a harlot woman, 37:57 a harlot in Bible prophecy represents an apostate church. 38:03 A pure woman represents a pure church. 38:05 A harlot woman represents a harlot church. 38:09 She's called the mother. 38:11 So this harlot church must have daughters. 38:14 We're told in verse 5 that she has a cup in her hand 38:18 and in that cup she has wine 38:21 and this wine she gives to the kings of the earth 38:25 and to the multitudes of the earth 38:28 and interestingly enough because they drink this wine 38:33 they are not able to distinguish 38:35 between the holy and the common 38:38 and the result is that they worship the beast 38:42 instead of worshipping God. 38:44 And they trample upon the Commandments of God 38:46 because they're not able to distinguish 38:48 between the holy and the common for the simple reason 38:51 that they have drunk the wine of this end time system. 38:57 I'd like to read a statement in Great Controversy page 389, 39:03 where Ellen White comments on this, 39:07 on this wine that is given by this harlot of Revelation 17. 39:11 Says here Great Controversy 389, 39:15 "When faithful teachers expound the word of God, 39:19 there arise men of learning," 39:22 listen to this, "men of learning, 39:24 ministers professing to understand the Scriptures, 39:29 who denounce sound doctrine as heresy, 39:33 and thus turn away inquirers after the truth." 39:37 Who was responsible to teach people the difference 39:40 between the holy and the common 39:41 and teach the people the statues of the Lord? 39:43 It was the religious leaders, it was the ministers. 39:46 Here Ellen White is saying 39:48 that the "ministers who profess to understand the Scriptures, 39:51 who denounce sound doctrine as heresy, 39:56 and thus they will turn away inquirers after the truth." 39:59 She continues saying, 40:01 "Were it not that the world is hopelessly intoxicated 40:05 with the wine of Babylon, multitudes would be convicted 40:10 and converted by the plain, 40:13 cutting truths of the word of God. 40:16 But religious faith appears so confused 40:19 and discordant that the people know not 40:23 what to believe as truth. 40:25 The sin of the world's impenitence 40:28 lies at the door of the church." 40:32 So in the end time ministers represented by this harlot woman 40:36 will teach people to desecrate 40:39 that which is holy to treat as common 40:41 that which is holy and to treat as holy 40:43 that which is common interestingly enough. 40:47 Notice Revelation 18:1-5, 40:51 it speaks about the fall of this end time Babylonian system 40:54 and it calls God's faithful people out of this system. 40:58 It says, "After these things 41:00 I saw another angel coming down from heaven, 41:03 having great authority and the earth 41:06 was illuminated with his glory. 41:09 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 41:12 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen," 41:16 now we're gonna notice why she has fallen. 41:19 "And has become a dwelling place of demons, 41:22 a prison for every foul spirit, 41:24 and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!" 41:28 Now did she fall? Notice verse 3, 41:31 "For all nations have drunk of the wine 41:35 of the wrath of her fornication, 41:37 the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her 41:41 and the merchants of the earth 41:43 have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.'" 41:47 Do you see what's happening here? 41:49 This harlot, this end time system 41:53 primarily through its religious leaders 41:56 is actually giving wine 41:59 to the multitudes and to the kings 42:01 and what this does it does not allow people 42:05 to distinguish between the holy and the common. 42:09 And they treat that which is common as holy 42:11 and that which is holy as common. 42:16 And now notice verse 4, 42:18 "And I heard another voice from Heaven saying, 42:21 'Come out of her, my people.'" 42:23 Does God have people in this system 42:25 who are intoxicated that need to get sober? Yes. 42:28 And we have to help them get sober. 42:31 It says, "Lest you share in her sins, 42:33 and lest you receive of her plagues. 42:36 For her sins have reached to heaven, 42:38 and God has remembered her iniquities." 42:41 Now you're probably saying Pastor Bohr, 42:43 how does the religious world confused all in the common? 42:47 How is it that they present the holy before God 42:50 as if it was common and they take the common 42:52 and presented it as if it were holy? 42:55 There is a huge example 42:57 and that is that the Christian world 43:00 has taken a common day of work 43:05 which is the first day of the week 43:06 and the present to God as if it were holy. 43:11 And they take God's holy Sabbath day 43:15 and they use it for their own secular purposes 43:19 as a work day and the day of recreation. 43:22 Now you tell me in what sense 43:24 is this different than the story of Nadab and Ahibu 43:27 and the story of Belshazzar. 43:29 There's no difference whatsoever. 43:31 And we read in the Book of Revelation 43:34 but it has to do with the fact that people have drunk wine 43:37 and this has affected their thinking processes. 43:42 Why are people not able to distinguish 43:46 between the holy and the common? 43:48 By the way Revelation says, 43:49 that in the end time the religious world 43:51 is gonna trample on the Commandments of God. 43:54 We're also told that they're gonna practice idolatry, 43:57 they are gonna practice false worship. 43:59 What is the reason for this? 44:00 Very simple, for the same reason that Belshazzar did. 44:03 Because they're intoxicated with a false teachings 44:07 and the false doctrines of Babylon 44:10 which does not allow them to see the importance 44:13 of distinguishing between the holy and the common. 44:17 You see the Bible is explicit 44:20 that God made the first day a common workday. 44:24 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 44:29 The Bible is equally explicit 44:31 when it says the seventh day is the Sabbath 44:34 which God sanctified. 44:35 I mean the Bible is explicitly clear on this point. 44:38 The seventh day is holy 44:40 and the other six days are work days. 44:42 You know, it's very similar 44:44 to what we found at the beginning, 44:47 God had one tree He said you can eat a lot of trees 44:50 but this tree you can't eat. 44:52 He says, you can use all days for your work 44:55 but not this day, this day is reserved for Myself. 45:01 What has the Christian world done with the Sabbath? 45:03 It has desecrated the Sabbath. 45:06 It has removed from the Sabbath its holiness. 45:10 And that's what the word desecrate means incidentally 45:13 and by the way this is the worst kind of idolatry 45:18 because it is a direct violation of the fourth commandment 45:21 with has, which has to do with worship. 45:24 It says in the First Angels message, 45:26 "Worship him who created the heavens, 45:28 the earth, the seas and the fountains of waters." 45:30 You can't talk about worship without keeping the Sabbath 45:33 because the Sabbath tells us we're supposed to worship God 45:36 because He is the Creator and we are His creatures. 45:39 So when the day is trampled 45:41 the immediate result is idolatry. 45:45 You say, how can you say Pastor Bohr, 45:47 that those who are observing the first day of the week 45:51 are practicing idolatry? 45:53 Well, let me ask you a question. 45:55 Who made the Sun? God did. 45:59 Okay, God made the Sun. 46:01 Is that a secular object or is an object of worship? 46:06 It's a common everyday object, right? 46:08 And it's a secular purpose, correct? 46:10 So what happens if you take the Sun 46:14 and you make it an object of worship? 46:17 What is that called? It is called idolatry. 46:21 Now let me ask you, 46:22 who made the first day of the week? 46:25 God made the first day of the week. 46:27 Did He make it for worship? 46:30 No, it's a work day. 46:32 It's not a day of worship. 46:33 So let me ask you, 46:34 what happens if you make it a day of worship 46:37 if it's a common day? 46:38 That's called idolatry. 46:41 You see it doesn't make any difference 46:42 whether you take an object 46:44 that God did not make for worship 46:46 and you worship it or whether you take a day 46:50 which God did not make holy and you keep it holy. 46:54 It's still idolatry because you're making something 46:57 for worship which God did not make for worship. 47:00 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 47:02 In other words, what the Christian world 47:04 does is that they take the first day of the week 47:08 a common working day and they make it holy. 47:11 And they take the Sabbath a holy day 47:14 and they make it a common day to go shopping, 47:16 a day to go out and play golf, 47:19 a day to go to the supermarket, a day to watch television. 47:24 In other words, they desecrated, 47:25 they take away its holiness and one of the main reasons 47:28 is because their preachers tell us, 47:30 tell them that the Sabbath have been changed. 47:33 In other words, the leaders instead of pointing them 47:35 to scripture as they are standard 47:39 they point them to the traditions of men. 47:44 Now can God accept the prayers of individuals 47:48 who openly and willfully disobey the Word of God? 47:53 No, and I know some of you are saying Pastor Bohr, 47:55 are you saying that God doesn't accept the prayers of anyone 47:58 who keep Sunday? 47:59 That's not what I'm saying because most of the people 48:02 who keep Sunday don't know the issues. 48:05 They don't know about the command of God. 48:08 God holds people accountable 48:10 only when there's an explicit command 48:12 which is understood, clearly understood and disobeyed. 48:17 Then the prayer is what? Is an abomination. 48:20 And by the way if and individual knows 48:24 that they are supposed to observe the Sabbath 48:26 as God's holy day of rest 48:28 and they insist on trampling on the Sabbath 48:31 their prayers will not be accepted anymore 48:34 then the prayers of Nadab and Abihu 48:37 because the incense that Nadab and Abihu 48:40 offered with the strange fire was not accepted before God, 48:43 they were destroyed. 48:45 And I know that this is a drastic thing to say 48:48 but the great guilt comes upon the religious leaders 48:52 who have not taught the members 48:54 to make a distinction between the holy and the common. 48:59 I'd like to read one more statement 49:02 where Ellen White caught this point 49:04 that I am sharing with you. 49:06 She says, in Signs of the Times, 49:10 March 31, 1898 the following. 49:13 "Those who ignore the Lord's Sabbath 49:17 to keep holy the first day of the week, 49:20 offer strange fire to God." 49:24 See how she connects it with the story of Nadab and Abihu. 49:26 "Those who ignore the Lord's Sabbath 49:28 to keep holy the first day of the week, 49:29 offer strange fire to God. 49:32 It is a strange Sabbath, which He has commanded them not. 49:37 Will He accept it at their hands? 49:40 Men have sought out many inventions. 49:44 They have taken a common day, 49:46 upon which god has placed no sanctity, 49:49 and have clothed it with sacred prerogatives. 49:53 They have declared it to be a holy day, 49:56 but this does not give it a vestige of sanctity. 50:00 They dishonor God by accepting human institutions 50:05 and presenting to the world as the Christian Sabbath a day 50:09 which has no 'Thus saith the Lord' 50:12 for its authority. 50:14 As did Nadab and Abihu, 50:17 they offer the common in place of the sacred." 50:24 You know, if God accepts Sunday as the day of worship 50:30 when He is not commanded it like He commanded the Sabbath 50:33 and I knowingly trample upon the Sabbath 50:38 and God doesn't care then God is going to do, 50:42 have to do some apologizing to Nadab and Abuihu. 50:45 Because if God would not accept the common 50:48 as if it were holy back then, 50:50 what makes us think that God today will accept a common day 50:55 that the Christian world keeps as holy 50:57 and they offer to God as if it was holy, 51:00 when it really isn't. 51:03 I pray to God that as a people who'll arise the standard, 51:08 that we will respect the holy 51:10 because it is a reflection of a wonderful holy God. 51:16 That we will be a holy people separated unto God 51:20 and that we will respect the holy 51:23 and distinguish it from the common. |
Revised 2014-12-17