Evangelical Christians, Orthodox, Catholics, and the whole Christian
world believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the
commandments of Jesus Christ given to them. The question arises: “When?
On what day, month, and year was the New Testament given to Christians
and given these commandments? Maybe is it said in the ceremonial Law?”
Feasts of ceremonial Law point us to all significant events in the past
and in the future, and such a day would not remain a secret. But only
none of them indicate a similar event. There are two sections in the
books of the Old Testament yet, these are Prophets and Psalms. Maybe we
will find the commandments given by Jesus Christ to the former Gentiles
there?
And so, studying the verses relating to the rapture of the Church of the
firstborn, I was particularly interested in 35 chapter of the book of
Jeremiah.
“Then I tooke Iaazaniah the sonne of Ieremiah the sonne of Habazimah and
his brethren, and all his sonnes, and the whole house of the Rechabites”
(Jer.35:3).
“And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the
sonnes of Hanan, the sonne of Igdaliah a man of God, which was by the
chamber of the Princes, which was aboue the chamber of Maaseiah, the
sonne of Shallum, the keeper of the doore”
(Jer.35:4).
The phrase, “I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the
chamber“, speaks prophetically of the rapture of the Church of the
firstborn, and the beginning of the service in the first “chamber” of
the heavenly Tabernacle. There are many similar expressions which shows
this event in Scripture, for example:
“And when they were come in, they went vp into an vpper roome”
(Acts.1:13).
“And there were many lights in the vpper chamber where they were
gathered together”
(Acts.20:8).
“And Iosephs master tooke him, and put him into the prison, a place,
where þe kings prisoners were bound: and he was there in the
prison”
(Gen.39:20).
Rechabites lived according to their customs and traditions in the
society of Israel. The Scripture prophetically calls a such manner of
people called by Jesus Christ and living among community of the
Christian, with its many denominations. Scripture shows us two groups of
people who are faithful and unfaithful to their Father. People faithful
to their Father fulfill His Word:
”the sonnes of Ionadab, the sonne of Rechab, haue performed the
commaundement of their father”
(Jer.35:16).
Unbelievers hearkened not unto Him, ignore.
“I haue spoken vnto you, rising early, and speaking, but ye hearkened
not vnto me”
(Jer.35:14).
Scripture, contrasting the obedience of the Rechabites to the
stubbornness of the society of Israel, compares the people called by
Jesus Christ with the Community of Christians of our time. The loyalty
of the Rechabites to their father was tested in certain circumstances
that prophetically point out to us a well-known rite in the Christian
world.
“And I set before the sonnes of the house of the Rechabites, pottes,
full of wine, and cups, and I said vnto them, Drinke ye wine”
(Jer.35:5).
The room, in which full cups and cups of wine are placed in front of
people who know their Father, and the words “drink ...” sound, serves to
hold the Eucharist, Communion, or Protestant supper today.
“But they said, We will drinke no wine: for Ionadab the sonne of Rechab
our father, commanded vs”
(Jer.35:6).
“We will drink no wine: for ...” -
prophetically means: “We do not participate in the Lord’s supper,
because we listen to the Word of Our Father and trust Him.” Our heavenly
Father, gave us a “commandment” saying:
“Ye shall drinke no wine, neither ye, nor your sonnes for euer”
(Jer.35:6).
The order of the Lord’s Supper is not established by the Lord, because
the people of Israel have not yet been taught this through the
revelation of Jesus Christ. Israel is not healed, has not entered into
the rest, has not received revelations from the Lord, has not been sent
to serve the Gentiles. Therefore, disputes and discussions around the
Lord's Supper have been going on for centuries. Some denominations claim
that you need to observe washing your feet before the sacrament. Other
denominations argue about how bread should be, leavened or unleavened?
What wine you can to consume wine? Dilute wine with water or use grape
juice? Catholics and Orthodox claim that bread and wine are turned into
the Body and Blood of Christ through the prayer of a Priest. In the
concept of other denominations, no transformations take place, but they
still perceive it as a mystery. To which there is one answer: “Trust the
Word of God and similar questions will not arise!”
So, this “mystery” unites the entire Christian world, therefore the
person’s attitude to him, his participation or not participation,
determines which group of believers he belongs to, the Rechabite’s house
or these who “himselfe separated from the congregation of those that
had beene caried away” (Ezra.10:8).
“Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant Uineyard, nor
haue any: but all your dayes ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may liue
many dayes in the land where ye be strangers”
(Jer.35:7).
People, called by Jesus Christ and living among the society of
“Christians”, have always been persecuted for centuries; they have been
delivered “to the sword, to captiuitie, and to a spoile, and to
confusion of face” (Ezra.9:7).
“Thus haue we obeyed the voice of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our
father, in all that he hath charged vs, to drinke no wine all our dayes,
we, our wiues, our sonnes, nor our daughters:
Nor to build houses for vs to dwel in, neither haue we Uineyard, nor
field, nor seed.
But wee haue dwelt in tents, and haue obeyed, and done according to all
that Ionadab our father commanded vs.”
(Jer.35:8-10).
“These all died in faith, not hauing receiued the promises, but hauing
seene them a farre off, and were perswaded of them, and embraced them,
and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”
(Heb.11:13).
Here is the “commandment”: “Do not have attachment to the things of this
world, to houses, to fields, to cars”, “that ye may liue many dayes
in the land where ye be strangers.” And yet, “for a litle space
grace”, a departure from the “commandment” occurred, the
Rechabites “left the tent, and went to live in the city.”
“But it came to passe when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came vp into
the land, that we said, Come, and let vs goe to Ierusalem for feare of
the armie of the Caldeans, and for feare of the armie of the Syrians: so
we dwell at Ierusalem”
(Jer.35:11).
What does it mean? On the eve of the rapture of the Church of the
firstborn, the Lord God “lighten our eyes” and “giue vs a
litle reuiuing in our bondage”, to people who trust the Word of God.
The desire to use the benefits of civilization is understandable, but
many have revived beyond measure, so much so that they have need of
nothing (Rev. 3:17). In past centuries, people called by Jesus Christ
did not have the opportunity to thoroughly research and study the Word
of God. There was a persecution of the Church, and they stood the test.
For example, there was a threaten of death for such a sermon in the
Middle Ages. Even in the 60s in the USSR, for preaching the Word of God
one could easily get up to 10 years in prison. Ignorance of the
prophetic significance of books and the Bible verses was justified. For
example, in the USSR from March 1, 1931, the sale and import of the
Bible was prohibited. And only after the defeat in the forty-year war
with the USA, the Word of God in our country became available to
everyone. It would seem that now is the most favorable time, but the
Scripture says that people who trust the Word of God in our time are
like a drop in the sea: “a remnant to escape”. It is like a few ripe
ears of corn among sown fields (Luke 6:1). People faithful to Christ are
now undergoing a test of a different kind, this test of prosperity. This
is the last, most difficult test of faithful people, and is popularly
called the test of copper pipes. Chapters 9, 10 of the book of Ezra,
prophetically, speak of our days.
“And now for a litle space grace hath bene shewed from the Lord our God,
to leaue vs a remnant to escape, and to giue vs a naile in his holy
place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and giue vs a litle reuiuing
in our bondage”
(Ezra.9:8).
Just as the people of Israel worshiped other gods, the current Christian
society has taken for itself “strange wives of the people of the land”
And this is the payment for the fact that the Rechabites, in due time,
“left the tent and went to live in the city”, where most of them, having
rejected faith and a good conscience, became rich. To get them out of
this state can only be a strong shock associated, for example, with a
radical change in their lives. Critical thinking will not turn on in
people, and hearing and vision will not appear without this.
“I haue sent also vnto you all my seruants the Prophets, rising vp early
and sending them, saying, Returne ye now euery man from his euil way,
and amend your doings, and goe not after other gods to serue them, and
ye shall dwell in the land, which I haue giuen to you, and to your
fathers: but yee haue not enclined your eare, nor hearkned vnto me” (Jer.35:15).
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hostes, the God of Israel, Behold,
I will bring vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, all
the euill that I haue pronounced against them: because I haue spoken
vnto them, but they haue not heard, and I haue called vnto them, but
they haue not answered”
(Jer.35:17).
The people made to themselves a golden god, and now, when the call of
Christ sounds: “Who is on the Lords side? let him come vnto mee”
(Ex.32:26), only “the sons of Levi” will respond unto Him. In the last
verse, the Author of the Scripture shows us the near future of the
Rechabites. The Man who will soon enter the Holy place to intercede in
the presence of God the Father, is “one of our next kinsemen”
(Ruth.2:20), from the “house of the Rechabites”.
“Ionadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for
euer”
(Jer.35:19).
Indeed, one can understand the indignation of Jesus Christ against
current Christians. The whole Christian world are criminals before God,
their guilt has risen to heaven. Therefore, no local church will be
taken to serve in the Tabernacle of heaven. Absolutely all of them will
be excommunicated “from the congregation of those that had beene
caried away” (Ezra.10:8), and all their “substance should be
forfeited”.
However, the spirit of the each of them will be “saued in the day of
the Lord Iesus Christ.” The golden Altar, under which there will be
“the soules of them that were slaine for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held” (Rev.6:9), will be before the veil in
the heavenly Tabernacle. All of them, who “hauing put away,
concerning faith, haue made shipwracke” (1Tim.1:19), will be saved
“to land” (Acts.27:44), because Christ will be heard in that he
feared (Heb.5:7). Only they will never be the firstborn. They form one
large group of the saved who are chosen. In the book “To Hebrews”, on
the eve of His Second Coming “in the day of the Lord Iesus Christ,”
they are called the general assembly (Heb.12:22-24). Where Christ is and
they will be with Him (John.17:24).
