FAILURE OF THE PRIESTHOOD
By W. G. Guy
When reading the Book of Judges in the Bible it is reported that the people of Israel failed to obey God’s commands. What is troubling is that they had the same failure over and over, even after God restored them after dealing with them by allowing them to be oppressed by their enemies.
What was the cause of the Israelites turning away from God, disobeying His commands in defiance, and worshipping idols and the gods of their neighbors and enemies? That cause was because of the failure of the priesthood to properly do their job.
The Levites, the descendants of Aaron, were designated by God to perform the role of priests, as well as the care of the Tabernacle, referred to as the House of God. The priesthood failed to do their job of keeping the peoples focus on God and worshipping Him. Thus the people strayed into idol worshipping which made God angry with them and having to deal with their rebellion. The failure was with the priesthood as God told the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.
Isaiah 56:10-11 – His watchman (priests, prophets, elders or pastors and ministers) are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (give warning); sleeping, lying down, down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his quarter.
God’s Word to Isaiah says the spiritual leadership was self-indulgent and failed to lookout for the spiritual wellbeing and development of their people.
Ezekiel 22:26 – Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
Could a similar thing be said about many of the ministers in the churches of today as it seems to be so divided, lukewarm , and has come to embrace all manner of false doctrines and forms of worship. The Church of Laodicea is representative of much of what is seen in churches today that has left Jesus standing on the outside knocking to get in, waiting for people to open up to Him.
Revelation 3:14-20 – And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Why would there be such a failure in the roles of the clergy today? Most likely because too many in the ministry are man trained and not God trained in how to build His church.
Matthew 7:21-27 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
So many church leaders are more concerned about adding numbers or membership to their congregations than they are about building up their members in their holy faith and forming Christ in them. They do not preach and teach what the people need to hear; instead they preach and teach what the people want to hear in order to pacify them, tickle their ears, and give them “feel good” messages. I have even heard several of them say they refuse to preach anything negative, but will only speak what is positive and uplifting to satisfy their flesh. This means they never preach on sin, repentance, hell, the evil that is in this world that surrounds us, or what kinds of negative influences we are subjected to.
Why do they do this? They want to draw people into their church to add to their membership and then they can build a bigger church to hold even more people. They are actually building their own kingdom and enhancing their own identity. Their message is compromising with the world rather than separating them as the children of God.
These become churches where Jesus is left outside, wanting to get in to reveal Himself to the people in pure and intimate fellowship and worship, allowing Him to move on them for their spiritual enhancement; and conforming them to His image. It is those preachers and teachers who are doing their own thing, called iniquity, that are failing the church and causing it to lose the true Christian character.
Consider the proper work of the ministry as described by the apostle Paul using the Gifts that Christ gave for the perfecting of the saints after He ascended back to the Father.
Ephesians 4:8-14 – Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
It appears that the wicked, the false preachers and prophets, the wolves in sheep’s clothing that are the ones that are in positions of power, influence and control in such churches and denominations. Jesus told us this would happen, especially in the last day when there would be great deception.
Matthew 24:4-5, 11 & 24 – And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. …. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. …..For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Note: the word Christ is from the Hebrew Messiah, which means “anointed one”. Thus the deceivers with be false anointed ones, or claiming to anointed; but they are not anointed by God but by Satan.
The apostle Peter specifically identified the problem in his first epistle:
1 Peter 4:17 – For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
That time has come, and it is those in leadership in the churches that will be held accountable. Look for the true servants and ministers of the Lord; they are being used of Him to build His church, not the failure that is man’s church. As Jesus said, “It is by their fruit you shall know them”, not by their talents or gifts. We are to judge those who bring forth false doctrines (false teaching and false prophets) who lead people away from God and Jesus Christ, as God declared in Deuteronomy 13.
By W. G. Guy
When reading the Book of Judges in the Bible it is reported that the people of Israel failed to obey God’s commands. What is troubling is that they had the same failure over and over, even after God restored them after dealing with them by allowing them to be oppressed by their enemies.
What was the cause of the Israelites turning away from God, disobeying His commands in defiance, and worshipping idols and the gods of their neighbors and enemies? That cause was because of the failure of the priesthood to properly do their job.
The Levites, the descendants of Aaron, were designated by God to perform the role of priests, as well as the care of the Tabernacle, referred to as the House of God. The priesthood failed to do their job of keeping the peoples focus on God and worshipping Him. Thus the people strayed into idol worshipping which made God angry with them and having to deal with their rebellion. The failure was with the priesthood as God told the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.
Isaiah 56:10-11 – His watchman (priests, prophets, elders or pastors and ministers) are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (give warning); sleeping, lying down, down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his quarter.
God’s Word to Isaiah says the spiritual leadership was self-indulgent and failed to lookout for the spiritual wellbeing and development of their people.
Ezekiel 22:26 – Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
Could a similar thing be said about many of the ministers in the churches of today as it seems to be so divided, lukewarm , and has come to embrace all manner of false doctrines and forms of worship. The Church of Laodicea is representative of much of what is seen in churches today that has left Jesus standing on the outside knocking to get in, waiting for people to open up to Him.
Revelation 3:14-20 – And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Why would there be such a failure in the roles of the clergy today? Most likely because too many in the ministry are man trained and not God trained in how to build His church.
Matthew 7:21-27 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
So many church leaders are more concerned about adding numbers or membership to their congregations than they are about building up their members in their holy faith and forming Christ in them. They do not preach and teach what the people need to hear; instead they preach and teach what the people want to hear in order to pacify them, tickle their ears, and give them “feel good” messages. I have even heard several of them say they refuse to preach anything negative, but will only speak what is positive and uplifting to satisfy their flesh. This means they never preach on sin, repentance, hell, the evil that is in this world that surrounds us, or what kinds of negative influences we are subjected to.
Why do they do this? They want to draw people into their church to add to their membership and then they can build a bigger church to hold even more people. They are actually building their own kingdom and enhancing their own identity. Their message is compromising with the world rather than separating them as the children of God.
These become churches where Jesus is left outside, wanting to get in to reveal Himself to the people in pure and intimate fellowship and worship, allowing Him to move on them for their spiritual enhancement; and conforming them to His image. It is those preachers and teachers who are doing their own thing, called iniquity, that are failing the church and causing it to lose the true Christian character.
Consider the proper work of the ministry as described by the apostle Paul using the Gifts that Christ gave for the perfecting of the saints after He ascended back to the Father.
Ephesians 4:8-14 – Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
It appears that the wicked, the false preachers and prophets, the wolves in sheep’s clothing that are the ones that are in positions of power, influence and control in such churches and denominations. Jesus told us this would happen, especially in the last day when there would be great deception.
Matthew 24:4-5, 11 & 24 – And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. …. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. …..For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Note: the word Christ is from the Hebrew Messiah, which means “anointed one”. Thus the deceivers with be false anointed ones, or claiming to anointed; but they are not anointed by God but by Satan.
The apostle Peter specifically identified the problem in his first epistle:
1 Peter 4:17 – For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
That time has come, and it is those in leadership in the churches that will be held accountable. Look for the true servants and ministers of the Lord; they are being used of Him to build His church, not the failure that is man’s church. As Jesus said, “It is by their fruit you shall know them”, not by their talents or gifts. We are to judge those who bring forth false doctrines (false teaching and false prophets) who lead people away from God and Jesus Christ, as God declared in Deuteronomy 13.
