Greetings,
The Bible clearly makes the claim to be the Word of God and assures us that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Moreover, the Bible itself instructs us that man is not to add to or take away from scripture. Some feel that this admonition in Deuteronomy only refers to the law (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32), and that this instruction in the book of Revelation at the end of the Bible only refers to the prophecies in that particular book (Revelation 22:18-19). However, in Proverbs 30:5-6 we find, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” While we realize that not every word included in the Bible is a direct quote from the Eternal, we do believe that every word has been inspired to be written down both for us and for future generations.
Clearly, the Bible is the inspired Word of God and man is warned not to add or take away from these words. Let us consider one way that we can avoid being guilty of this.
Through Abraham, God chose the nation of Israel to be a living example of His plan of salvation. In His covenant with Israel, God promised blessings for obedience and also curses for disobedience. Both blessings and curses were open to the other nations to share in. Isaiah also told them, they were redeemed to be witnesses (Isaiah 43, 44). Israel did not remain true to the covenant, so God sent prophets to warn them of the consequences. Some of those prophecies were fulfilled at that time while others had only a “latter days“ application. Some prophecies had a limited fulfillment at a specific point in time but await a more complete fulfillment. We refer to these as being dual in nature.
Most of these prophecies are quite directly applicable to Israel. Ezekiel’s powerful prophetic warnings of impending punishment and captivity were issued to the nation of Israel after they had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians. The tribes of the House of Israel had been “scattered among the nations” already, so logically the message has to be for Israel at a different time. The message was for the people of Israel during a latter day captivity and restoration. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and he passed that name on to the sons of Joseph – Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:16). Therefore, we conclude that Ezekiel’s warning message has special intent for the modern day descendents of those two sons.
If we adopt the position that the modern day descendents are unknowable, lost without a trace, or that the physical nations of Israel have been made irrelevant by Christ’s sacrifice opening the way of salvation to Jew and gentile alike, then there is a large section of scripture we will be ignoring. Much of God’s word then becomes of no effect in the sense that many of God’s words delivered through His prophets would have no application. In effect, we would be taking away from scripture.
Let us be very mindful of the words of Psalm 119, verse 160. “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of your judgments endures forever.” We must be diligent not to add to or take away from God’s words of truth.
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Feast of Tabernacles Registration:
This year we will be asking you to use “TheFathersCall” website for your Feast of Tabernacles registration. This will make it easier for us to project attendance for the U.S. Feast sites and to make the necessary preparations for meals and activities.
Please go to the website and access “Feast Registration” located under the Info > Feast > menu selection. The website can also be accessed directly from: https://thefatherscall.org/feast-registration/. Follow the instructions to register. If you have any difficulties registering, please use the online Support form.
At this time we will only be gathering total numbers for each U.S. Feast site. The activity registration will be coming soon. All payments for activities will be handled at the Feast site.
If you need assistance registering or if you do not have a computer, please see the Technical Coordinator or Festival Advisor in your local congregation. Please assist us in our planning by completing your registration soon.
Gillian and I will be visiting the Phoenix congregation this Sabbath, however the service which will be streamed will originate from Tulsa, OK.
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
