The American Wisdom Series

PresentsPamphlet 1810 Malachi kc 3-4

Unless a person who is converted
becomes as a little child on a spiritual level,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mal. 2:7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Now you know the problem and the reason for the great famine in our land in these end times (Amos 8:11-13). The priests (many of our ministers) do not study His Word and they are not knowledgeable of His laws and so they do not speak for Him as His messengers! HOWEVER, you should now know from the introductory to pamphlet 1807 that that is not the worst of it! The WORST OF IT is that because they have departed out of the way, and iniquity is found in them, they therefore LEAD OUR PEOPLE ASTRAY!
Mal. 2:8
But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
Not enough can be said about this verse which contains the whole cause of the deception of the majority of our people that Christ said WOULD HAPPEN in Mat. 24, Mark 13, & Luke 21! Matthew 24:5 "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." You see, they use the name of Christ, i.e. they claim His authority as one who represents Him, and they abuse the authority of the ROCK of our salvation to teach their non-Biblical traditions and cause our people to stumble at His Word! That is how Christ becomes a "stumbling stone and a rock of offence" as IT IS WRITTEN!
1 Peter 2:6
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.
The word "confounded" in Greek means to be "shamed" or "disgraced"! If you know and believe in Christ, in the Word of God, then you shall never be ashamed. But if you allow preachers to use Christ's name and they pull you away from the ROCK, His Word, then you shall be ashamed at His coming! (See Mat. 7 where they cry Lord, Lord.)
[7] Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

[8] And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The English is much too kind in translating the word "offence". In Greek it is "skandalon" from which we get the word "skandal" which is exactly what it is, a scandal, when one uses the name of Christ but does not speak His Words!
Mal. 2:9
Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
If you claim to represent Jesus Christ and you are "partial in the law", soothing things over, talking ever so sweet about little baby Jesus so as not to offend big donors, then you are contemptible in His sight and you will be brought down low before His people! NOT MAYBE! He said so! Therefore you can count on it!

Let's conclude today's lesson with an example given by Christ Himself of the seriousness of using His name to offend ("skandalize") His children.

Matthew 18:1
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
The disciples of Christ, yes those major NT disciples, came to Him and asked Him who was the greatest, meaning who is the most important in the kingdom of heaven, i.e. in the family of God. As always, when His disciples (are you one?) come to Him, seeking Him, asking of Him in order to hear His voice and learn the truth from His lips (His Word) and to receive their answers from Him, from the very Word of God, He never disappoints them. Open the book and try it! In this case, He simplifies His answer by use of an analogy.

Here is what He did:

[2]And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them,
Got the picture? Jesus called and then set a little child in the midst of the family of God, i.e. in the midst of these elders shall we say!
[3] And said,Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Now, the subject Christ brought to their attention was "conversion"! He said that unless a person who is converted becomes as a little child on a spiritual level, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. In other words, when a person is truly converted, perhaps "hitting bottom" in his or her life, and comes to Christ humbling himself before Him and accepting Him as His Lord and Savior, he becomes as vulnerable as a little child. In other words, he or she becomes a spiritual dependent who must now trust and rely on his or her family elders for "spiritual protection" and for "spiritual food" and for "spiritual clothing", etc., just as a little child is dependant for its physical needs.
[4] Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
So who is the most important in the family of God? The new babes in Christ! The newly converted and humbled little spiritual children... they are the greatest in the kingdom of God, the most important ones! That's the simple analogy and it makes perfect sense, like all of God's Word. To wit, let me ask you a question: "Who is most important in your family... you or your children?" If someone comes into your house to do harm to your family, who is foremost on your mind and whom do you seek to protect first, yourself or your children? If you only have enough food for one, or one coat when it is cold... who would get it, you or your child? The answers are obvious and this analogy is not difficult to understand at all, especially in light of what Christ says next:
[5] And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
If you receive (take under your care) a newly converted and humbled babe in Christ, who is now the most important one in the family of God, and you receive that one in His name, i.e. giving glory to Him after the manner of the covenant of Levi (surely you understand by now), then you receive them, take them, to Christ. BUT...
[6]But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
These are Christ's own words, not mine! The point is, if you "offend" one of these little ones and cause him to go astray after the traditions of men, you are in Big trouble. That is a fact! You would be better off dead, pal, because you are nothing more than a spiritual child molester! You should have the impression by now that Father doesn't like it! Here is the Greek definition of "offend"!
offend = óêáíäáëßæùskandalizoôskan-dal-id'-zo  Strong's #4624
To “scandalize”; from G4625; to entrap, that is, trip up (figuratively stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure):—(make to) offend.
[7] Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
God shook this earth once before because of Satan's "skandals" in the first earth age! And there is nothing new under the sun in this present earth age, if you have the wisdom to know and understand... which wisdom comes from studying His Word. Again, Christ said many would come in His name and deceive many. Call it the great "skandal" by the churches of Christianity who shall "offend" MANY, even have already, and shall be the cause of them stumbling and falling in the great apostasy when the false messiah appears! Did you know Christ spoke of the great "skandal" of many as a sign in this generation which would come just before the great betrayal of each other to the spurious messiah.
Matthew 24:10
And then shall many be offended [skandalizo], and shall betray* one another, and shall hate one another.
*Betray, to give or hand over to another (as a torch in a torch race, one’s son to a tutor, a purchase to a buyer, etc.) then to deliver up, surrender; to give a city or person, etc. into another’s hand. (Dr. Bullinger’s Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament.)
Mal. 2:1
And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
Have you heard what the Word of the Lord has commanded you, O ye priests (ministers)? Come out of Babylon now and get busy being His messenger by speaking His Words unto His people and turn their hearts back to Him, else you perish!

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.


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