Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
1 Corinthians 15:27 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. God the Father put all things under His uniquely begotten Son Jehoshua. Lets go back to 1 Chronicles 29, verse 25: "And Jehovah magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel." "Magnified exceedingly" Jehovah made Solomon very great. Solomon was bestowed upon himself more royal majesty than any previous king including his father David. 2 Chronicles 1:1 (ASV) 1And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. Jehovah made Solomon very great. Solomon means "peace" fitting the character of his reign. Jehoshua is called the prince of peace Isaiah 9:6 (ASV) 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. As great as Jehovah made Solomon "Magnified exceedingly", Jehoshua was anointed with the Holy Spirit above and beyond Him (Hebrews 1:9). Solomon was bestowed upon himself more royal majesty than any previous king yet Jehoshua's Kingly majesty far exceeds that of Solomon: Colossians 2:9 (ASV) 9for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, Jehoshua has the fulness (Majesty) of Jehovah God's character and mind. He had (earthly ministry) and has (risen Messiah) the Spirit of Jehovah God without measure (Isaiah 11:1-4; John 3:33-36). The kingly majesty (God's character and mind) given to Solomon allowed him to reign over Israel with justice. John 3:35 (ASV) 35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. Jehoshua has been given all things into His hand which exceeds that which was given to Solomon. Hebrews 2:5 (ASV) 5For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak. Jehoshua has been apointed as ruler of the future age i.e. the Messianic Kingdom whereas Solomon's kingdom although great, was limited in it's scope. The Messianic Kingdom of Jehoshua will extend to the ends of the earth: Psalm 2:6-8 (ASV) 6Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.7I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee.8Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Every Davidic king of Israel fufilled this passage in Psalm 2 partially most notably David and Solomon, however this passage finds it's ultimate fufillment in the Son of God Jehoshua. For no king of Israel has ever possessed the ends of the earth nor completely dashed the enemies of Jehovah in pieces. Jehoshua will do that very thing! Revelation 19:15-16 (ASV) 15And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.16And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Jehoshua is the ultimate King and the fufillment of the promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7. He is the King over all kings that have ever lived. As stated in Revelation 19, Jehoshua will come to smite the existing nations at His second advent. He will execute Jehovah God's wrath on the wicked. The end result will be that He will rule the nation's with a rod of iron. Jehoshua will be a Military-Political King over the world and rule by the law of His Father Jehovah. 2 Peter 1:10-11 10Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble:11for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jehoshua Messiah. One of the reasons that Jehoshua is called the King of kings is that unlike any king of this earth, Jehoshua's Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom. His Kingdom will never end. His Kingdom has already been inaugurated since the day of Pentecost after His ascension into heaven. Jehoshua's Kingdom will be consummated upon His second advent. Daniel 2:44 (ASV) 44And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. In context this verse is speaking of the day of Jehovah when His Son comes to dash the nations like a potter's vessel. This passage in Daniel 2:44 where it says "but it shall break in pieces" mirrors Psalms 2:9 "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter`s vessel." Daniel 7:13-14 (ASV) 13I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.14And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. In verse 13 there is a reference to the Son of man which we know to be Jehoshua as He was a Man, a true human being. This verse is likely talking about the ascension of Jehoshua as He left the mount olives on a cloud after spending 40 days with the disciples subsequent to His resurrection. It was at Jehoshua's ascension and exaltation into heaven in which He was crowned as King of Israel (see Hebrews 1). Also, Psalms 2:7 was qouted in Hebrews 1, which in context is the Messianic psalm that sets Jehovah's anointed King on Mt. Zion. The quotation of Psalms 2 in Hebrews 1, which is a chapter about the ascension and exaltation of Jehoshua, proves that it was at the ascension of Jehoshua in which He was crowned as King and given the nations for an inheritance and the utter most parts of the earth as His possession. Let's look at Psalms 2:8 for further evidence that it was at the ascension of Jehoshua where He was given the inheritance of the earth. Psalms 2:8 (ASV) 8Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Remember Psalms 2 ties in with Hebrews 1 which is an exaltation chapter. Since it was the ascension in which Jehoshua came to heaven on a cloud we can also tie in Psalms 2 and Hebrews 1 with Daniel 7:13-14. In Daniel 7:13, we see that the Son of Man Jehoshua is brought before the Ancient of Days which is the Father Jehovah. The title Ancient of Days is a reference to Jehovah being the everlasting God and the one who is, whi was and who is to come (Revelation 1:4, 8). Daniel 7:13 is a vision of the Messiah's ascension into the most holy place before the throne of Jehovah God. Peter in Acts 2:29-36 confirms that this is when Jehoshua was enthroned as King of Israel fufilling the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7). Psalms 2 says that in conjunction with Jehoshua being set as King on Jehovah's Holy hill of Zion (New Jerusalem), that Jehoshua will recieve the inheritance of the nation's and the uttermost parts of the earth. Since Hebrews 1 and Acts 2 proves that Jehoshua was enthroned as King of Israel at His ascension then we can rightly conclude that He also received dominion over the nation's at His ascension as stated in Daniel 7:14. This inheritance of the nation's and uttermost parts of the earth is a two phase process. The first phase takes place during the new covenant Church age as Jehoshua builds His Father's temple i.e. the Church (Zechariah 6:13-14). During the Church age, the gospel of Jehoshua Messiah has spread across the earth and people of every nation, tribe and tongue have been added to the Church. In this sense, Jehoshua has received the inheritance of the nation's and uttermost parts of the earth as His possession. The Kingdom of Jehoshua Messiah is in it's spiritual phase having already been inaugurated on the day of Pentecost. Colossians 1:12-13 shows us that the Kingdom of Jehoshua Messiah is a present tense reality not just a future hope. Colossians 1:12-13 (KJV) 12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Many today scoff at the idea of Jehoshua already being entrhoned as King of Israel on David's throne and His Kingdom as already have been initiated but scripture proves just that! Jehoshua is the King of Israel i.e. the new covenant Church hence His Kingdom has already begun. There are over 2 billion professed Christian's/Messianic's in the world today that give credence to the idea that Jehoshua has already recieved the inheritance of the nation's and uttermost parts of the earth. However, this does not negate the fact that there is a very real literal application of the Psalms 2 and Daniel 7:14 texts. Scripture clearly shows that Jehoshua will literally rule over all the nations with a rod of iron after His second advent and have real poltical-military dominion over the uttermost parts of the earth. Zechariah 14:9 (ASV) 9And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall Jehovah be one, and his name one. As Jehovah's vice regent and anointed King, Jehoshua will rule over the earth as the Father has given the Son the inheritance thereof. Lets look at another passage showing this joint rulership of Father and Son, of course with the Father having the ultimate rulership. Jeremiah 30:8-9 (ASV) 8And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds; and strangers shall no more make him their bondman;9but they shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. In context, this is speaking of the time of Jacob's trouble, Jacob being Israel which is the Church. Once Israel gets delivered from the persecution of Babylon the Great, Jehovah God will reign over us as our God and His Son David, i.e. Jehoshua is the root and offspring of David, will be our King. In 1 Corinthians 15 it says that once the Messiah subdues as His enemies that He will then turn over the Kingdom to God the Father. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (KJV) .24Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Even though God the Father will be the ultimate ruler in the new heavens and new earth, His Son will nevertheless still be King as His vice-regent. The scriptures show that Jehoshua never stops being King even though He turns over the Kingdom to God the Father once all His (Jehoshua's) enemies are under His feet. Verse 14 of Daniel 7 says that the Son of man's dominion is an everlasting dominion: "his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Isaiah 11 is a beautiful depiction of the coming earthly Kingdom of the Son of God, verse 9 of that passage is below: "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea." The Son of God Jehoshua will again come to earth to reveal and teach the character of the Almighty Jehovah. With the saints assisting Jehoshua in the administration of the Kingdom, the earth will be full of the knowledge of Jehovah and the law (character) of Jehovah will go forth out of Zion (New Jerusalem). Micah 4:1-3 (ASV) 1But in the latter days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of Jehovah`s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it.2And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem;3and he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. This passage offers a description of the millennium, the 1,000 year reign of Jehoshua Messiah. At this time, Jehovah's mountain, representing His Kingdom will be above every kingdom and His law will go forth to the entire world. Jehoshua will administer Jehovah's Kingdom as it's King. Shortly following this passage of the future Kingdom, Micah prophesies about the Kingdom's future ruler: Micah 5:1-5 (ASV) 1Now shalt thou gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.2But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.3Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.4And he shall stand, and shall feed [his flock] in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.5And this man shall be our peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. Verse 2 gives us the only prophecy about the Messiah's birthplace. Being born in Bethlehem uniquely linked the Messiah directly to David. Of all the Kings of the Davidic dynasty, only David, the first, Jehoshua, the last, were born in this humble village. The Messiah is prophesied to be the future ruler (King) in Israel. The future King's, "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" as stated at the end of verse 2. This statement is wrongly used to prove that the Messiah was a pre existent entity. Let's break this down to find out what Micah is really saying here. In the first part of verse 2 Micah is describing a future King that was to come. At the end of verse 2 it appears that He is attaching a pre existent state of being to this future ruler. The phrase "goings forth" comes from the Hebrew word "mowtsa" (Strongs 4163) and means "a family descent, draught house, going forth". Obviously in the context of Micah 5, goings forth refers to the Messiah's family descent. The word "old" comes from the Hebrew word "qedem" (Strongs 6924) and means " the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East), or time (antiquity); often used adverbally (before, anciently, eastward): z aforetime, ancient, (time), before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, ever (-lasting), old, past." The word "old" basically means something that goes back to ancient times, past times, old times or it can also mean eternal. Breaking down the meaning of "goings forth" and "from of old" in the Hebrew we know that Micah is stating that the future ruler of Israel has His family descent (heritage) from ancient times. This is how someone would be deemed a fufillment of the Messianic prophecies is if their family heritage went back to ancient times and specifically be in the family tree (heritage) of David. Micah is saying the future ruler of Israel would have His family pedigree go back to the ancient times and be of the Davidic line. This passage in verse 2 has nothing to do with the future Messiah existing as a preexistent divine being. For nowhere in the old testament propheciee concerning the future Messiah is it neccessary or even hinted at that He would be a preexistent spirit being of some sort. Even the new testament emphasizes that the root and origin of Jehoshua is the family descent of David. Revelation 5:5 5and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof. This verse in Revelation chapter 5 fits in nicely with Micah 5:2 which shows that the root and origin of Jehoshua is the family descent of David i.e. "goings forth" . Obviously the family tree of David goes back to "from of old" ancient times. Revelation 22:16 (ASV) 16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star. The words "root" and "offspring" denote the same thing which is that Jehoshua Messiah is the descendant of David. The word "root" has the same idea as "shoot" and in the Hebraic mind mean the same thing in that "root" denotes something that springs up out of something that already exists. It does not denote something that preexists something else. Let's look at Isaiah 53 for the biblical meaning of the concept of a "root": 1Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?2For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
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Seventh Day Anabaptists in a Biblical Unitarian world, what's their place and how do they fit in?5/16/2018 Biblical Unitarianism is a growing faith within the world of Christianity and a few prominent groups have helped lead the way in this modern reformation. So where do Seventh Day Anabaptists fit in the scheme of this 21st century reformation? The prominent groups who are out in front of this revival have their share of capable scholars and theologians who are excellent at breaking down the finer points of the Greek and Hebrew languages. They are paving the way for the rest of us Biblical Unitarians to carry the message to professed traditional mainstream Christians and unbelievers alike. The work of these scholars must be applauded and honored.
One of the traditional accusations against Biblical Unitarians is an over reliance on the intellectual and not enough emphasis on the spiritual. The nature of the Trinitarian/Unitarian debate often lends itself to very deep theological discussions which can easily come across as mind numbing to those who don't have a big interest in the subject. Jesus said that true worshippers worship in spirit and in truth, this statement made by the Son of God shows us the importance of having a balance in terms of our Christian walk. God doesn't want us to check our brains at the door when we enter into study of His word, have fellowship with the saints or worship in song. He expects us to use our reason when we read, pray and walk out our Christian experience. On the flipside, God also wants us to have heartfelt communion with Him, His Son and the saints. Jehovah God wants us to experience the supernatural in our lives. The Church is warned in the book of Revelation to return to its first love as they have become dry lacking the abundance of Jehovah's Holy Spirit. Often times an over intellectualization of the faith leads to an emotionally dry Christian experience. Let's read what Paul says in regards to relying on excellency of speech and enticing words of man's wisdom: 1 Corinthians 2:1-6 (KJV) 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Here 2nd Corinthians 2, Paul is declaring that the gospel is to be preached with Spirit and power and not with excellency of speech or enticing words of man's wisdom. This reference to excellency of speech and man's wisdom also applies to an over intellectualization of the faith. Paul is definitely emphasizing the spiritual aspect of the preaching of the faith that is demonstrated by the power of God and not reliant on our intellect. The context here in 2 Corinthians is showing us that head knowledge is not enough and in fact relying on it to preach the gospel is actually detrimental. Why is Paul emphasizing preaching by the power of the Holy Spirit over excellency of speech and man's wisdom? Let's go to 1 Corinthians for that answer: 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (KJV) 1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him. Paul is not denigrating having knowledge or wisdom but rather is making the point that relying on these things in our walk with Christ and relationship with others leads to pride. He says that love edifies and it is only by relying on the Spirit of God that we can demonstrate this love. Paul says that even when we think we know things we only know them in part. By looking at the example of the apostles and how they preached the gospel, there was no formulaic recipe or obsessing over the finer points of the meaning of words in their original languages but rather a straight forward account of Jesus fulfilling the Messianic prophecies and His death, resurrection and exaltation to God's right hand and second advent to establish the Kingdom on earth. Their preaching was always accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we rely too heavily on our intellect we risk becoming dry wells and then the gospel becomes salvation by Theology. Let's go to the words of Paul once again: Romans 1 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Salvation only comes by the power of God which doesn't exclude our intellect, our mind and wisdom but those things have to submit to divine revelation and the Spirit of God. The flesh wants to prove to everyone how smart we are by preaching the gospel with excellency of words appealing to the wisdom of man but the Holy Spirit convicts believers and unbelievers alike by the plain straight forward testimony of scripture. The Son of God told His disciples not to rely on their intellect as well when witnessing before rulers: Luke 12:11 King James Version (KJV) 11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. Again, we are not expected to check our brains at the door when we speak of the faith but everything in us including our head knowledge and intellect must submit to the active and living Spirit of the Father and it is the Spirit of God which is His mind that guides are preaching and teaching of the gospel. Notice how Jesus didn't want the apostles to plan out their discourse when brought before rulers and magistrates but wanted them to fully rely on the Holy Spirit. This should be the example that we follow and we see it lived out in the preaching of the apostles. This is why they were able to Gain thousands of converts in a day and turn the world upside down. This is precisely the method and modus operandi of the Seventh Day Anabaptists which is trust more in the Spirit than in our intellect and wisdom. Anabaptists have historically been a people that rely heavily on the leading of the Spirit even being accused by their enemies at times of being fanatics. As Unitarian Anabaptists we see no reason why this needs to change just because we hold to a Christology that is different than much of our ancestors of the faith. Indeed many Anabaptists in the radical reformation days became Unitarians and we want to carry that torch in the 21st century however we also want to preach the full counsel of God and be a Spirit led people not have just an sophisticated intellectual faith. As Seventh Day Anabaptists we want to be known not just for our Christology but also by our love and as well our ability emphasize other aspects of the faith. Unlike some of our Unitarian brethren, Seventh Day Anabaptists believe that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ began on the day of Pentecost and that now we are deemed kings and priests of Jehovah God and His Christ. Colossians 1:12_13 (KJV) 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Clearly the Kingdom of Jesus Christ has already begun. Revelation 1:5-6 (KJV) 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Clearly we are already kings and priests unto God the Father. Revelation 1:9 9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John certainly thought the Kingdom of Jesus Christ had already begun. Acts 2:29-36 (KJV) 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Peter connected the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus as being the fulfillment of the prophecy made to David by Jehovah God in 2 Samuel 7 that a man of David's seed would sit upon David's throne and establish it forever. Hebrews 1 verifiers that Jesus was enthroned as King of Israel upon His ascension. This in no way does away with the future consummation of the Kingdom after the second advent upon a renewed earth but it does clearly prove that we are in the spiritual phase of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ which is no less real that when it comes to its consummation at the second advent. With the realization that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a present tense reality then we can live out Isaiah 61 which is a summary of the glad tidings of the Kingdom in action: Isaiah 61:1-7 (ASV) 1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the [a]meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and [b]the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers. 6 But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and [c]in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them. The gospel of the Kingdom as quoted by Jesus in Luke 4 goes beyond head knowledge and requires that we have heart knowledge of our God and His Son so that we can minister to the hurting not with excellency of speech or the wisdom of man but in demonstration of the Spirit of the living God. Remember it's not how much you know but rather how much you intimately know the Father and His Son. People want to know that you care about them and until that is established how much you know is irrelevant to them. Realizing that the Kingdom is already here in its power compels us to advance it by living out the principles of the Kingdom which ae founded in God's love which surpasses knowledge. Ephesians 3:19 (KJV) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Seventh Day Anabaptists may be absent from much of the theological debates and discussions regarding Christology, it's our safeguard to make sure we keep the Anabaptist spirit of evangelism and emphasis on daily Kingdom living which is rooted and grounded in love. Knowledge puffs up but love builds up and as Anabaptists we want fall on the ledger of charity. We seek to glorify the sovereign grace of God which is His divine free gift of love to us, the wisdom of man and his intellect can hardly grasp the depth of God's deep love for His children. 1 John 4:1-7 (KJV) 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 Herein was the love of God manifested [b]in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: There are at least several hundred Sabbath keeping groups out there in the world of Christianity so in this article we will focus on only a few denominations/groups/movements. Seventh Day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists, Churches of God 7th day, Hebrews Roots and Messianic’s will be our subject matter in terms of comparing their beliefs with Seventh Day Anabaptists. Not all Sabbath keeping groups are the same and not all Sabbath keeping groups tend towards legalism so it is good to understand the various differences between them. So let’s begin as we will first look at the Seventh Day Adventists:
Seventh day Adventists Things that Anabaptists and Adventists agree on: State of the dead – Soul sleep Eternality of 10 commandments Papacy is the anti-Christ of bible prophecy Protestantism is the false prophet of bible prophecy Importance of Christ’s heavenly intercession Things that Anabaptists and Adventists disagree on: Adventists believe that God is a trinity and that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co eternal and co equal. Many of the independent ministries hold a semi-arian view which teaches that God the Father begat Jesus in eternity at some point. Anabaptists (Seventh Day) believe that God is one person which is the Father Almighty and that Jesus is His only begotten Son due to the virgin birth. This would be termed “Biblical Unitarianism” which denies the literal preexistence of Christ. Adventists believe in the investigative judgment doctrine which teaches that Christ only went into the holy place at his ascension and didn’t go to the most holy until 1844 beginning the antitypical day of atonement. Anabaptists (Seventh Day) believe that Jesus fulfilled the day of atonement at the cross and in his subsequent resurrection and ascension to the Father on the day of first fruits (resurrection day). We believe Jesus went directly to the most holy place. Adventists believe that the Leviticus 11 unclean/meat laws still apply to the new covenant Christian Anabaptists (Seventh Day) believe that the unclean/clean meat laws are not part of the new covenant, being done away with as witnessed by Jesus, Peter and Paul. Anabaptists believe that the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 are specific to the ceremonial worship system of the old covenant. Adventists believe Ellen White to be a legitimate prophet whose writings are a continual source of inspiration for the Church. Anabaptists (Seventh Day) believe that Jesus Christ was the final authoritative prophet who perfectly revealed the will of the Father. Anabaptists believe that prophesy is still a gift active and available to the Church, however we reject anyone who claims to have new revelation from God especially that adds, takes away or contradicts the word of God. Anabaptists reject Ellen White as a legitimate prophet of Jehovah God. Adventists believe in vegetarianism as a commandment Anabaptists believe that teaching vegetarianism as a commandment is a doctrine of devils (1 Timothy 4). Adventists believe in a heavenly millennium Anabaptists believe in an earthly millennium Seventh Day Adventists believe that they are the remnant Church Anabaptists believe that the remnant is made up of any believer who keeps God's commandments (decalogue) and has the testimony of Jesus Christ Adventists believe that Jesus is Michael the Archangel Anabaptists believe that Jesus is a human being who is now glorified in His resurrected state and was never an angel (spirit being) based off Hebrews 1 and 2 Adventists consider themselves Protestants Anabaptists reject Protestantism as false and consider themselves Restorationists As you can see there are more differences between the two groups than there similarities. The radical reformation war cry of the Anabaptists circa 15-1600's has unfortunately given way to the whimpering compromise of ecumenism. No longer are the Anabaptists the scourge of Christendom who saw it their duty to expose the abominations of Catholicism and Protestantism. The modern day Anabaptist movement has largely been content to eat at the table of the ever comprising mainstream Orthodox (Protestant, Greek and Catholic) Church system.
As abominable as Catholicism, and to a lesser extent Protestantism, was during the reformation period, today's Church system exceeds their ancestors in terms of apostasy. With all of Protestantism's warts during the reformation, they at least viewed the Pope as anti-Christ and Catholicism as the great whore spoken of in the book of Revelation. The problem with Protestantism was their failure to keep reforming which would have rightfully continued to put an even thicker wall of separation between them and Catholicism. For all of the good that came from Protestantism in those days, the Anabaptists still refused to compromise with them and even refused to attend their church services calling their services "the abomination". Fast forward 500 years and instead of continuing reformation, Protestantism has actually reached across denominational lines to clasp hands with Catholicism and Popery. You would think that Anabaptists more than ever would stay away from the abomination known as "Protestantism" which has devolved since its glory days of the 15-1700's. Yet instead of shouting from the roof tops against the apostate Protestant Churches, Anabaptism today has joined hands with them in unity. Modern Anabaptism largely falls into two camps, either very liberal with a social justice agenda or ultra conservative with ascetic lifestyle practices that alienate them from the surrounding communities they should be witnessing the gospel to. This is one of the primary reasons why I started the Seventh Day Anabaptist movement, so that the much needed battle cry of the Anabaptists would make its return to a time in history that needs a battle cry like no other time has needed it. Some of the same issues that the Anabaptists cried out against during the reformation period are prevalent today in modern Christendom such as the Church's constant lust to pick up the sword against it's enemies and mingle itself in the politics of the State. Present day America and the coalition of President Trump with Conservative Evangelical Christendom is an example of this. The Christian Right's support of war especially against Islamic nations is a modern version of the Holy Roman empires wars against its enemies. While infant baptism isn't nearly the issue in Protestantism that it was during the reformation period, other issues prevalent in American Christendom far exceed the problems found in 15-1600's Protestantism. Also, as more Christians have had access to bibles and other study materials long held traditional doctrines have proven to false such as the immortal soul, the trinity doctrine and the Sabbath being done away with. Many Anabaptists during the reformation period came to the truth regarding the above traditional doctrines mentioned. The spirit of Anabaptism during those early years gave Christian's the freedom to challenge long held beliefs and reform their views. However, like the Protestants the Anabaptists eventually stopped reforming, at least the mainstream Anabaptists did. The Anabaptists who did reform their beliefs concerning the above three traditional doctrines were persecuted even more severely than their other Anabaptist brethren. Most Anabaptists rejected the immortal soul doctrine and even today many still do. Some Anabaptists became what we call "Biblical Unitarians" and fewer became Sabbath keepers. Not only should Anabaptists speak out against the same issues of yesteryear but they also need to speak out against the new theological issues that have come to the forefront during the last several decades. The spirit of the 15-1600 Anabaptists is much needed in today's world of ecumenical religion and increasing one world government. While no one knows the day of the Son of God's return, there seems to be a convergence of events going on in today's world that seem to indicate that we could possibly see the Son of man paying a visit to us in the near future. With that in mind, the evangelical spirit of 15-1600's Anabaptism needs to wake up from its centuries long slumber. Modern day Anabaptists love to wax poetic about their ancestors and speak of them like you would about your grumpy but loveable old grandpa, almost apologizing for their zealous non compromising behavior as "well those were the times they were living in". What these modern day ancestors of Anabaptism fail to grasp is that times haven't really changed, only the technology has, and that the gospel and the need to preach and defend it never changes. Jude 3 (KJV) 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. |
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