The Stolen Glory

              (Micah and the Levite)

Letter of Rabbi  S.V.Artman to the

Gentiles Congregations

MPLS MN USA 1996

            Peace to you all, dear brothers and sisters. Today we have a vast subject therefore let’s save time because it is last. Time is short and we need to manage to examine many things, stop in our ways and understand where each one of us came to, what we achieved and where we are wrong. There is still an opportunity to enter the city through the gates. The Master is still calling, perhaps for the last time before the fearsome night arrives. He is calling to work in His Vineyard. Today we will talk on the subject: The Stolen Glory. Brother Perez Reehead, who passed away not long ago, in 1992, preached about that. I will quote a lot from his sermon, because it touched my heart very much. He preached that in the 60's, here, in America. Try to understand me right, so that later you wouldn’t have misconceptions, because people that listen and are not watchful have problems. All that you will hear check according to the Word of God by the revelation from above.

            This subject greatly disturbed my mind and soul, because I saw myself wrong before God in many things. My goal is to glorify God through this conversation and I desire to bear forth good fruit for the glory of His Name. Today we will read a lot, so if you have a Bible, open it to Judges 17. We will read the whole chapter because it is the basis of our discussion.

            “And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son. And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee, yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-Judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehem-Judah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem-Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.”

            Also some of chapter 18:1-6, 14-31:

“In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? And what makest thou in this place? And what hast thou here? And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go... Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? Now therefore consider what ye have to do. And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? And what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire. And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Beth-Rehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first. And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.”

            An interesting story, isn’t it? But what beneficial and specific things can we see in it for ourselves? Let’s talk deeper about this piece of the Holy Scripture.

            That time was troublesome for Israel: the Philistines constantly pressed and caused much grief. Besides that, there were social problems and cares about the division of the land among the tribes. Each did what he thought was right. There was no king in Israel in that time. In that period the tribe of Dan sought a place for them to dwell in. Everything was in the beginning stage of development and settlement in the Promised Land. And many acted as they wanted in that time without thinking about consequences.

            Well, a certain Levite from the tribe of Levi, traveling came upon Micah, and became his priest and established an agreement with him. Let’s talk about the Levites.

            The tribe of Levi was chosen by God to serve at the Sanctuary. They couldn’t be priests because they weren’t of the seed of Aaron. Not all Levites could be priests, only those, who were descendants of Aaron. That’s how the Lord determined. Levites could only be servants at the Sanctuary. They had to teach the whole Israel under the supervision of the priests, and they lived in various places serving as links between all tribes. They had to introduce godliness and fear of God into all the tribes of Israel.

            So, a Levite came to Micah and became a priest, which was contradictory to God, against the Will of God. He acted self-willingly, because then everybody did what seemed right in their eyes. And to this Levite it also seemed right and just to become a priest, although Levites were supposed to help the priests. But this young Levite went on a quest for his own happiness, not what God has determined for his tribe. And in the end he found the position of a priest.

            The young Levite apparently didn’t desire to move things around in the Tabernacle, to wipe dust and to serve. He desired freedom to rule, but not to serve. He didn’t have a clean conscience. He was going in the way of seeking profit using the Name of God. Maybe he thought: “Oh, I will have to do the same things my father did: to watch at the doors, to check the clothes of those who come in, to take care of the lamps and vessels, to carry wood and water...” This Levite didn’t desire such a duty. He was thirsty for freedom and to serve God in his own way, not how God determined for his tribe. You think that young Levite didn’t remember what his father taught him? He remembered that it was forbidden to worship the idols, yet his self-willed decision brought him to abomination. A Levite was supposed to study the Law, but he probably decided that for him was enough of what he already learned. He was supposed to grow humbly under the supervision of the priests and come before the people only when he had permission, when he grows in age and knowledge to the level of a teacher and judge. But the young Levite didn’t want to be under the control of the priests, and became his own owner, going on his dangerous journey.

            Another interesting fact is that the Levites got their salary from what was in stock and also had a part of the daily sacrifices. The voluntarily serving Levites also had a part in that. They were those who, burned with zealousness and constantly remained at the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary. But, as we see, the young Levite didn’t burn with zealousness toward the Sanctuary, didn’t desire to be there always. He got carried away by the romanticism of travels, seeking his own happiness on earth, without thinking of the Heavenly reward for submitting himself and his nature to the Word of God. He would have had reward before God and a blessing for this but he didn’t desire that. Friends, when I talk of the past I mean the present. Please watch that and you will clearly see the condition of yourselves and the people.

            Let’s go on. During his traveling, this Levite came upon the house of Micah, and the latter offered him a position of a priest. The Levite started to worship at the graven image and the molten image. You know why? Because it wasn’t bad for him there. It was comfortable, he had a salary, no one made him to work. Wonderful life! Exactly like our Levites have today! By the Law, if this Levite was at the Tabernacle he would also get bread, fruits and cattle, being on his rightful place. But he remembered that out of all he would receive he had to give a tithe to the priests. Oh, how hard that is when you have an opportunity to become a priest yourself! According to the Law that Levite should have denied the offered position, because he is not of the seed of Aaron, and to destroy the house of Micah because of the graven image and to destroy that image too, because the real Tabernacle was in Shiloh. Knowing all that the Levite still was tempted by the good salary, free clothes and the forbidden position of a priest. If he would remain a Levite he would receive voluntary offerings, but since he had a contract, an agreement and a stable salary - he didn’t need to wait for the sacrifices and offerings from people. He decided the question of his welfare by himself, according to his will, not how God determined for Levites. That young Levite didn’t serve God. He served the religion and looked at how his wages grew. The vision of his heart was turned upon how much he would make, not how he is in the sight of God. His relationship to God was this: he believed that whatever he would do God will still be on his side, for his is a Levite! That is, earning money and worshiping the idol, his name as a Levite could have brought him fortune and God wouldn’t be angry for that. Wasn’t it God Who determined for him to be born in the tribe of Levi?

            Of course, that Levite was glad when the opportunity appeared for him to earn more money by selling himself to the tribe of Dan and to become more popular. His fall was within himself from the moment when he decided in his heart, to set off in search of earthly welfare.

            The tribe of Dan went to Laish. There was peace and abundance in everything. This, naturally, got the attention of the Levite and he gladly agreed and sold himself once again. Thus, from the little house of Micah the graven image moved into the city of Dan, together with the priest, and instead of worshiping in Shiloh where all Israel worshiped, the tribe of Dan went their way. And the young, sharp Levite played the central role in the fall of that tribe. So it seems that Satan also needs Levites for worship. It is not only then.  It is the same today. The result of that greedy Levite was: he destroyed - do you hear? - he destroyed the whole tribe of Dan! In the end, the son of sin will come from it. You know, that the Antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan. The Levite sowed evil and the tribe of Dan shall bear the son of sin. That is the result of greed, self-interest, self-will, quest for self-gain, and egoism.

            What do we have today? Who destroyed God’s people today? Let’s study those Levites closer. If that young Levite would have decided to come back, to forsake his priesthood at Micah’s house  (the illegal priesthood), repent and return under the control of priests - maybe till old age he would’ve had to carry water, but he would’ve received salvation. Otherwise, he was headed toward death. He did not repent. He did not come back. He didn’t do that and therefore became the leader of the most evil of all tribes of Israel -- the tribe of Dan.

            Levites of today, do you see yourselves? Do you understand what we are talking about? Be attentive, I beg you. It is your chance to understand the Truth. It could be the last chance...

            It is symbolic that the Levite came from Bethlehem-Judah where Jesus Christ was born. But the fact that the Levite was born there didn’t save him because he was walking in his own way. The fact that he was born into the tribe of Levi also didn’t help him. The Law of God didn’t help him... He didn’t see anything before him besides gain, self-interest and comforts. If you would’ve asked him: “Levite, why did you leave what was determined by God for you?” The answer would’ve been exactly as they answer today: “It is not your business! I do what I want to do. It is my life, don’t get involved!” We hear those answers very often today. In the world that is called “egoism”-- “I do what I want.”

            Let’s study the other personality so that the picture would be clearer. That personality is Micah. He took and made in his house something like a temple, because everyone did what he thought was right. He considered his land to be his own property and though he had a right to do whatever he wanted on it. His mother made the molten image, the teraphim, etc. He mixed everything into one system: the paganism, the worship to idols and the worship to God. “And he had a house of God”... He never had a house of God. He called that a house of God, but the House of God, the Lord’s Tabernacle was in Shiloh. Apparently Micah really thought that he was serving God, because when the young Levite came unto him (and he knew about Levites), he offered him the position of a priest taking it away from his son. Micah made an agreement about salary with the Levite. Interesting... the salary went before the priesthood. Exactly like today! Micah said: “be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver... and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals (food).” All this Micah was doing with the goal of self-gain. Do you hear? - the goal was: self-gain, to receive a blessing from God. Micah promised to supply the young Levite with all that he will need. And it was not necessary to persuade him because he sought that. Wow, ten shekels of silver, food, clothes! And all that is only for offering the drink offerings before the idol and pretending to be a knowledgeable, respectable priest before the neighbors! It is exactly what the Levite was looking for and the agreement was sealed. Micah was satisfied and the Levite too.  Everyone was satisfied. But precisely that is the abomination in the sight of God when we do something for our own gain using the Name of God.

            Naturally, Micah knew about God, and decided to use the promises on his own accord to have a blessing at home, without going to Shiloh for it was too far and unprofitable. He thought and sincerely believed that piety serves for profit, and that brought him into terrible sins. What right at all did Micah have to consecrate his son for priesthood and then take it away from him? Micah wanted to have the house of God on his property. Yes, that is prestigious, that is flattering. It is very prestigious before the neighbors! Only God doesn’t live in the houses specially built for Him without His Will. We plainly see that today in the example of the huge, luxurious Prayer Houses here, in America, in Russia, and in Ukraine. God doesn’t live in our projects! God doesn’t live in the huge buildings that we build for Him out of marble with beautiful fresco and sculpture inside! God lives in simplicity: in the broken heart and humble spirit! All that we do is for ourselves, for our vainglory. We like that. God has His own concepts of what He likes. And we can’t understand what God likes if we didn’t humble ourselves, if we didn’t understand God, if we are searching for profit for our own ambitions in the work of God.

            When the Levite came, Micah apparently told his son: “Well sonny, you are not a priest anymore!” What a game of serving God! Yet in the real life Micah served himself, and even wanted God to serve his desires. Interesting that Micah had problems since childhood. He had a very peculiar family, interesting family: theft, condemnation and blessings right away, later images, house of gods, self-gain, and quest for welfare by any means, even using God. When I imagine that family I see us, today’s Christians, who have the appearance of righteousness, who think that thus they will gain God’s respect. But it is a lie! We will never get to Heaven this way, if we will lie to God so! Repent! Deny evil! Love God as God and glorify Him not because you need something from Him, but because you Love Him! Glorify Him not somehow, but as God!

            Now I want to proceed to the main thought of our conversation, and you will understand why I talked about Micah and the Levite so long. We will speak of our time and about what we call “Christian philosophy” or “humanism”. You must understand that.

            We all know very well that people consider “normal” and a “blessing from God” all that works for their good. All that they do brings them either profit or moral pleasure. Today Christians seek self-gain worshiping God. They worship for joy, for Power, for something, and not because they Love. I ask you to read carefully, so that you wouldn’t later twist what was said. Look at the Israelites’ worship to God and at the worship of prophet Jeremiah. The Israelites needed something from God and Jeremiah needed God Himself. Do you see the difference?

            Here is another example: Jesus Christ. He didn’t seek anything else on earth besides glorifying the Father. He didn’t create organizations.  He didn’t make denominations. He didn’t establish the Sunday school. He was simply a preacher and, at the same time, the Son of God. He didn’t do missionary conventions, meetings, conferences. He didn’t have the printing press, neither did He need His ministry to be accompanied by music. He preached to thousands of people returning them to the Way of Life. He served the Father for the Father’s glory.

            Here is one more example: Cain and Abel. They both offered sacrifices. One - because he loved, the other - because it was necessary, in order to be blessed. Do you see the difference in worshiping God? The worship out of love, and the worship out of self-gain. Who are we today?

            Now, in our century we have various philosophers-humanists. They tried to create their own bright future on earth, exterminating people like Cain. Look, it is the same handwriting, the same spirit as Cain’s. Lenin, Stalin, Hitler had it, the pastors, who excommunicate all those, who don’t seek for their happiness here, on earth; who excommunicate those, who serve God, not out of self-gain, but because they love. But the bright future is only in Christ Jesus, our Lord, only in crucifixion of ourselves and our desires and ambitions: total submission of ourselves to Christ, not out of fear or self-gain, but out of Love! That is the way of reaching the Kingdom of God!

            Look at Saul, at his beginning and his end; at his disobedience. How he didn’t wait for Samuel and offered the sacrifice himself. He did what to him seemed right before God. Who am I today? Am I listening to the voice of God, or am I doing what I think is right and correct before God? God doesn’t need the service of our hands.  He needs our obedience for His glory. Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees and other teachers of Israel had the appearance, but not life. That is why they are called “pretty tombs”. They served to themselves, to their own names, to their own appearance - to vainglory. And they couldn’t see, that is why Christ called them “blind leaders.” Think, why God repented that He made the man? Because everyone started to serve himself, doing whatever he wants. Why was Israel trampled by enemies? Because they did what seemed right in their eyes, but not what God wanted from them. Question: why do we serve God today? For what? Because we like that? Because we don’t want to go to hell, but to Heaven? Because we want to have a mind and some wisdom, to be good people: not to smoke, not to drink, to have a family? You know, if you or I came to God to serve Him with such reasoning, then we are not serving Him! We are serving ourselves. We come to God not how He desires it. You must serve Him because you love Him. Salvation, mind, wisdom, orderliness - are all a natural result of your love to God. Do you see the difference in worshiping God! Please, try to understand what we are talking about!

            Jesus says: “...but I know you. Ye have no love to God within you.” How is that? Weren’t they believing people? Oh yes, they were believers, but they served themselves, and that is why they crucified the One Who told them about that. They served religion because it gave them the opportunity to be at the head of people. They served themselves exactly like that young Levite in the Book of Judges of Israel. We must understand that the same thing is happening in our 20th century.

            Let’s recall what was about 150 years ago. How the Gospel came to America with great Power at the time of Charles Finney. How God opened a war against all the powers of darkness through this man. People repented consciously sincerely. At the same time criticism arouse in Europe against what was happening in America, because Satanism flourished in Europe under the mask of Darwinian teaching of evolution. Approximately after the year 1850, a war against the Word of God was opened. Enemies of the Truth wanted to make the church buildings into mere museums for visitors. They wanted to destroy Christianity through criticism and philosophy. And they achieved a lot. Same thing is happening today. The destruction of churches is conducted basing on introduction of philosophy of humanism.

            What is humanism? I want to explain to you. Humanism is a philosophy that turns all arrows towards the fact that man is the supreme being on earth, and life must be joyful and happy. Mankind should direct all their efforts to achieve happiness and joy in this life by all means. Walking in the way of achieving joy people had dictators - worldwide murderers because the crowd that turned away from the Lord sets up its own laws, its own rules to live by, because it is more profitable, it is better and easier for the flesh. And they call those rules “salvation”. Those people say that joy must be the center of our lives, no matter at what cost we achieve it. They set up their own laws that originate from philosophers, thinkers, many of whom were homosexuals and Satanists. Those philosophers teach that salvation is what you achieved in your life in the direction of your joy. How much of that filthiness is in our churches today! Here, in America, which accumulated many sayings and teachings of philosophers, it is very easy to be deceived and deceive others by studying the great sayings of secular and Christian philosophers, who thought by inspiration of the sly art of deception. The center of humanism is this thought: “do everything that seems right in your eyes, as long as all that you do is directed to satisfy your needs.” Recall the young Levite! He also walked in the same way! “You are your own lawgiver” - says humanism. That is why people say today: “I don’t understand it that way! I don’t want it so! I think this way is right!”-- although the Bible says the opposite. That is humanism. In other words it is one of the forms of Satanism. Secular humanists don’t believe that there is a Throne of God. They don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They regard Him as a teacher and philosopher. They say that every one of us can reach the same condition by himself if he will be successful in the direction of humanism, achieving the heights of joy basing on his own strength and mind. That is why approximately after the year 1860 began great arguments in the churches. The poison seeped into the churches. Ones fell for humanism.  Others pushed away into fundamentalism. Ones were liberal and held onto humanism saying: “We don’t know what will happen afterwards! One thing we know: we must be happy and joyful today.” And this is all life long. Whatever happens next, let it be! In other words: “Let us eat and drink, for we shall die tomorrow.” For them it was important to reach joy today. The pastors of such churches said: “Your duty is to come to church every Sunday. We will give you some information, not too much for the sake of not overloading and grieving you. We will teach you how to live, and how to direct your efforts to achieve well-being on earth. We will not tell you that you will die and what awaits you after death. We will teach you how to live happily now.” Do you see the direction that the Church chose today? She is walking in the same way. That is what the liberal preachers preached. They were saying: “We’ll be like a spring in your life which pushes you toward joy. We will fill up everything that you lack in life. Everything will be comfortable and good. We don’t guarantee nothing at all of what awaits you after death, but we will ensure your good life on earth.” Thus spoke the leaders of liberal churches of all countries, being members of secret Satanic lodges. The base of liberalism is pleasing yourself, your own vainglory and ambitions. In other words: the foundation of liberalism is humanism - that is, Satanism. I don’t know if you understand what I am telling you or not. Or the words “liberalism” and “humanism” cut your ear? But regardless of that I will still continue to speak of this because millions of Christians today, ignorant of this danger, head to hell. Thinking that they serve God, as the young Levite thought, but they worship themselves, their own Belly. If they worship their Belly, then it is a worship to the creature, not the Creator. They worship Satan because the teaching of humanism is his, Satanic. Today Christians sweeten their life like tea, artificially achieving joy and carnal well being by their own strength, going around their cross.

            Around 1850, even a little later, the Fundamental Church appeared. Those people believed that the Bible is from God that Jesus is the Son of God. They believed that there are hell and Paradise. They believe in Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. That Church was on the right foundation, as today many have “church rules.” It is right, it is wonderful, it is great! But there is a danger. Soon that church came to this: if you answered three or four questions affirmatively then you are a Christian. Everything was made so that you would agree. But the most important thing was neglected, what leads us to God, that is: Love to God, full spiritual personal life. The Church that was on the right foundation also came to humanism only from another side: the side of regulations and Law. Humanism like an infection with various colors, like an epidemy began to seep into all levels of the Christian society. The Fundamental Church was falling: everything was brought down to formalism and laws. As I already said, answering three or four questions in the affirmative you automatically became a Christian. They would slap you on the shoulder, congratulate, only because you agreed with them. You didn’t feel any joy of being forgiven, of becoming a new creature! However everybody around congratulates you and you really think: “Well, maybe I am a Christian already.” Everything came to frightful negligence. Humanists (they are also masons, Satanists) ruled in the Fundamental Church as well as in the Liberal Church. Today, the same people control many of our churches destroying souls, corrupting the sound understanding about faith in God and about the TRUE worship to Him, exchanging God’s Truth with falsehood, lies and forgery.

            One hundred years ago Fundamental and liberal Christians greatly differed from each other. Today those borders are erased and the crowd walks hand in hand toward the Bottomless Pit on the road of humanism strewn with successes and carnal joy. Religious leaders teach that religion must make you happy to the end of your days. That teaching pushes people into hell. There appears a desire in them to please the flesh more and more and to achieve Heavenly blessing on earth by your own strength, mind and by worshiping God for this gain, but not out of love. That is why people go to hell. The false teachers say: “We will make you so happy that you won’t even know what “wrong” is.” And they did. They achieved such happiness through Revolution, through the I and II World Wars, but those liberals couldn’t make happiness. They shed blood for the sake of their own good, for the sake of their own Belly.

            I want to stop on the Fundamental Church. They taught: “You need to go to Heaven, you don’t need hell. It’s bad there.” They were saying: “Come to Christ and you will be in Heaven.” Such teachers also prepared people for hell. They led them not to life in God, but to the doctrine. Do you understand what I am saying or no, friends? When we lead people to the Laws, but not to Life in God, or to lawlessness, while calling ourselves Christians - that totally contradicts the teaching of Jesus Christ. We can establish any laws, but people will not keep them, and even if they would - they won’t be able to be saved, because a person is saved only because of Love to God. Look, Micah had a room, a priest. He prayed there and said: “I know that God will sojourn with me, because I have a Levite and a molten image.” That is egoism! That is pleasing yourself! You do what you want, rather than what the Lord wants from you. It is a great sin to do what you want and think that thus you serve God.

            The young Levite came into the house of Micah, into his life because he needed a job and a place to live, he needed ten shekels of silver and free clothes. He needed all that because he considered himself higher than others, for wasn’t he a Levite? And the Levite got what he was seeking, and Micah also got what he desired. They were pleased with what they had. But that is not it! That is completely not what the Lord wanted from them! They both wanted to have God the way they imagined Him, according to their covetous ambitions. They denied the True God and what they had was a mere idol and a false faith that they are serving the Living God.

            Another thing they had was: that they hid their true intentions from each other. Under the appearance of righteousness and godliness they hid their greediness for gain. Today we have the same: betrayal for silver, for clothes, for decay! And God doesn’t save those people because they are not Christians in their heart. How can He save them if they are pleasing themselves and not Him? Although they claim that they’re serving God. First it is necessary to return to Christ, to the real Christianity of the Apostolic times to be saved and not be busy with worshiping ourselves and selfish services. God’s Road is completely different. The road to Heaven is not at all like the road where we walk serving ourselves, thinking that we serve God with all our splendid customs in church services. We need all that, you understand? We need that but not God. Isn’t that so, friends? Our vainglory needs it, but not God. Same as Micah needs the idol and the Levite needed the position of a priest. They needed that, but not God. That deep religious humanism penetrated today almost all of our churches. It is a worshiping to yourself, it is an evil stench before God, it is a crime before Him and His people, it is a secret betrayal of the True Teaching.

            Philosophy of happiness on earth is from the devil. It is a perversion of the Christian Truths. The teaching that Christ rose from the dead so that we would be happy that He came so that we would always be joyful and to give us more pleasure -- THAT IS A LIE! That is a very subtle and clever forgery of the Lord’s Teaching, which can be detected only by the work of the Holy Spirit. Humanism is a teaching that says that God created the angels and everything around us for our happiness, that everything is for humans. The True Teaching says completely the opposite! It says: “Everything is for God!” Do you see the difference? Joy is only a part of what God does in a person. Joy is an accompaniment of what the person has with God. Joy is a part and it is not a foundation to be served along with the pleasures. Not Christ lives for us, but we live for Him -- that’s how we must think. But here, in America and in other countries in the course of 100 years the completely opposite things are being preached. They preach that everything -- Christ, the Father, the angels are for you, human, for your joy. But that is not so! That is a heresy. Look at yourselves, at your relationship to God. Why do you serve Him? We live for His glory -- that is the Truth! But if we do otherwise, then we walk in the way of the lie, egoism and humanism.

            People believe that in Heaven they will have more than what they have on earth today, like we here, in America. Christians think after this glorious and abundant life they will have even more in Heaven. They say: “Christ is good. You will die and He will take you to Heaven anyway!” Not at all! He is good, yes, but not for such people! You will go to hell if here you were in luxuries, had feasts, made yourself happy and went to church on Sundays. You will not come to Heaven. You didn’t serve God.  You served yourself, your own Belly, your egoism. That is why many worldly people don’t come to God today. They see humanism instead of Christianity. They see how we establish ourselves under the mask of reverence and godliness. Oh, liars, how much blood is upon your hands, you, who walk in the way of Balaam, in the way of Micah and in the way of the young Levite-egoist. You served as a stumbling for many souls, instead of Christianity showing them your greediness in gain. Woe to you, wicked ones! What shall you do when the Lord will visit? Because looking at you the world draws conclusions about Christianity although it never saw real Christianity in us. Today the world sees in us worship to ourselves, to our own Belly, but not to the Lord God Sabaoth. That is why people say: “I don’t want to go to those churches of yours! I don’t want to go there! I want something real.” Yes, but those people don’t know what “real” means, because we did not show that to them. We don’t have the True Light within us. True Churches are very rare today. Humanism and worship of the Belly and of self-gain is everywhere. They go to church for their own good, not because they love God -- that is the true face of today’s Christianity.

            I address the preachers: recall the young Levite. Look, preachers, the Levite went to travel upon the earth without the Will of God. He went to do his own work.  He looked for his own place where he could live better. And he got a job for ten shekels of silver, clothes and food. He probably forgot about Ahan and what his greediness to the forbidden gold, silver and clothes cost him. Ahan was stoned to death. Apparently the Levite forgot that. Perhaps he also forgot why God chose his tribe, the tribe of Levi. He sought for a place where he would be accepted, where he would be in the authority and in abundance, so that he would have good protection and food. He sought for a place where he could realize his own Levitian opportunities, not those of God. And he found what he was looking for.

            Therefore, preacher, if the Lord sends you to do His work, then it is not to save people, but to bring glory to Him. And there surely will be saved people, as a natural result, as an answer to your love to God. If you go to save people, then you are going for yourself.

            One brother said, when he was going to Africa, he prayed and God told him: “I didn’t send you to Africa for the purpose of sending you into this place of evil and sin. I didn’t send you to the sinners. I sent you here for Myself. Those people chose hell, but I love them anyway. I accepted terrible sufferings for those people.” When God thus spoke to Him, he could not work for ten shekels of silver and free missionary clothes in the house of Micah anymore. He had to work for God, for His glory. And that brother said: “I wasn’t in Africa for the sake of sinners anymore. I was there for Jesus! Because not I chose them but Jesus chose them and He died for them.”

            True Christianity is when everything is done to glorify God. It is not religious humanism where everything is directed to achieve joy on earth. Humanism is born in the depths of hell as a lure for people, who are inclined toward self-will and greediness to gain. However, the True Teaching is born in Heaven, in the Council of God. It averts a person from his evil way and makes him obedient to God for the glory of God, to seek to bring glory to God. That Teaching is called: “LOVE TO GOD”.

            But today, the preacher-egoist chooses where and to whom to preach. He seeks suitable people, but that is not because he seeks to bring glory to God. He looks for comforts or hardships, serving his own interests, his Christian romanticism, instead of serving the glory of God.

            Jesus spoke the Truth that He heard from God. What fills our sermons, preachers? Are they born in prayerful battles? Are they a result of our personal fellowship with God, or are those only words, words without life, words of the mind and not of the Spirit? If that is so then those words are vain. The preachers will have to answer for them -- you, brothers, and I! Often the preachers take care that the sermon would be accepted. But that is not your business! Your business is to be in the Spirit and sow, not to grow. The Lord causes to grow and He opens or closes to whomever He desires. We have so many problems and worries when our sermon is not accepted by the people because we are trying to open what is closed by God.

            Today missionaries and preachers worry very much about financing, about making sure that there would be musical equipment to accompany the sermon. Modern preachers became too careful, and that is humanism, that is self-worship: “I think how to bring the Word of God to the people in a better way.” You just speak the Truth, and have God personally in you! The musical equipment won’t fill you up with the Holy Spirit! The musical equipment won’t give you the Power of God to penetrate the hearts of people! If you will build through financing, through musical equipment and through your huge activities -- you will build your own Building, not that of God and very soon the fire shall reveal what you have built and you will see how deeply you sowed the Word of God in people or just brought them to false teaching, not giving them the knowledge of love to God, but giving them the knowledge of humanism, of serving God for the sake of profit. We worry because we became unbelievers, yes, unbelievers. We don’t believe that we will have all we need by laying all the cares upon Him. Only love and believe and you will see that He is faithful in His words.

            The mercy of God was manifested in my life many times. I am saying that not to show myself but to glorify Him once more. Here is one example. One morning I had no more money for bread. I was preaching and did not work.  Therefore, I had no money. All my days were filled with preaching the Gospel. I stood to pray, because my wife said that we don’t have any more money for food. I prayed, saying: “Father, You know I have no money to buy bread.” That was happening in Russia. Well, I prayed and in the cares of the day I forgot what I asked from the Father. Sometime in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door. I open it and there stood a person from a completely different denomination. He said: “Listen Sergey, you don’t work, you preach -- how do you live then?” He said that God told him to bring me money and he brought 300 rubles (you know that then that was big money) and a jar of honey. I will never forget that in my life! Not the 300 rubles or the jar of honey, but I won’t forget the fact that my Father hears me! How wonderful it is that He doesn’t leave us! Preacher, if you are going to preach, don’t take the second shirt with you. If you are going to preach don’t think to make sure that you have money in your pocket or purse, because then you will be building your own instead of God’s, you will not be a partaker in the miracles of God, which He will do for those, who need Him, not the money. You will always have money -- it is an addition. I know from my own life -- you will always have everything if you will have God. But if your focus will be turned to financing you will never have the action of God to establish what you are establishing.

            Let’s go on. Let’s go back to the young Levite and look some more. His being was the religious service and affiliation with customs, but not life by faith. He got the job of a religious worker and he was very happy when he found the job at Micah the idolater. The Levite wasn’t interested in the cleanness of worship. He didn’t care where and whom to worship. He just wanted to worship. Do you understand what I am talking about or no? Pastors, I am addressing you, please listen carefully! Probably somewhere deep in his soul that young Levite understood that working at Micah’s he is selling his soul, he is selling his Levitian heritage to Satan by using it for idol-worship in the house of Micah for ten shekels of silver and free clothes. That Levite could be unfaithful to Micah at any moment if a neighbor would offer a salary of twenty shekels of silver. I think that the pastors understand very well what I am talking about. They remember some moments in their biography that are very similar to the situation of the young Levite. The venal Levite... How frightful that sounds. Perhaps in the beginning he was a little uneasy seeing the idols in the house of Micah, recalling the Tabernacle in Shiloh... but... glancing at the silver and the clothes he probably sighed, waved his hand and perhaps said: “Come what may! I have to live somehow.  I have a family.”

            Recall your own past and look back, Levites of today. Do you remember how you made your conscience to be quiet and agree with the State official, with the false brothers, with the Caesar’s ruling in the church? Recall how later the conscience didn’t judge you anymore and you explained to yourselves: “Well, I have to live somehow, I have children.” The conscience stopped judging you... You even began to have pleasure in selling your soul. Ah, Levites! The biggest miracle that I can imagine is your repentance, your return to the Tabernacle in Shiloh! It is hard to believe that you will repent. The shimmer of your silver is too tempting for you, your easy chair is too soft, the briefcase and cars are too splendid, first place in the church and in the world is too flattering and the tribe of Dan is offering too much. The publicans and harlots go into the Kingdom of God ahead of you, because your downfall is deep and peculiar. Those, who are in it don’t see the necessity of immediate repentance. The adulterers have a corrupt flesh and mind, while you have a corrupt soul and conscience. That is why there are so few pastors among the saved children of God in Heaven.

            Today the Levites matured and grew. Now they are priests. They got used to the thought and the position of being pastors. But before God many of you were never considered pastors. You sold yourselves for ten shekels of gold or rubles or dollars -- it doesn’t matter what, the fact is: you sold yourselves... You sold yourselves for free clothes, for peaceful life in abundance and freedom, for the huge buildings of Caesar’s churches, for the theft of the tithes. Here you sit with all your titles, but who chose you and put you as pastors? God or Caesar Micah? Whose workers are you? Who is Micah to determine someone to priesthood? It says about him as a certain man on the mount of Ephraim. It doesn’t even show what tribe he is of. And he ordains to priesthood? Interesting... But that’s how it is in this godless life. The godless freely assign priests and partake in priesthood themselves, while the true children of God serve at the Tabernacle in fear and trembling and they don’t strive to rule the church. But the godless only see the prestige for themselves, striving to gain authority and today we see many pastors with a very scary second secret life. They strive to achieve authority in the church to realize their own covetous goals. We have very mysterious Levites today. They worship any idol, any idea or philosophy, as long as they are paid well and not persecuted, as long as they can have authority in KGB and FBR. Look today: when those from the tribe of Dan came to the Levite later and promised more than Micah -- the Levite couldn’t resist and went after them because his fall gained speed and strength. Satan knew how to lure the hungry for gain soul of the covetous minister. He gave the Levite to taste of the forbidden fruit so that the latter would perceive the flavor of violating God’s Law in the house of Micah. And later he offered him a crime, which was big, but very convenient and  it brought popularity. The Levite couldn’t resist the temptation because prior to that he didn’t stand steadfast in God’s Law for Levites.

            The same is with many of our brothers. At first “Micah” offered them only the registration, that is -- a peaceful life without persecutions. Then the “tribe of Dan” offered huge buildings and control over masses of people in America and Russia. Today ministers come from Russia (you know whom I am talking about) and say: “Now forget that you were registered there or unregistered! Worship together!” What a scary betrayal of the people of God! I call to repentance him, who said that. You know whom I am talking about. If that person wants to be saved, he must repent for betraying the people and saying that now it doesn’t matter whether you were registered there or not, that here everything is equal. No! The same is in America: either you are walking in steps of Micah, or you go to worship in Shiloh. Either you register, or you serve God according to the instructions of God.

            Now Satan offers those venal Levites to rule under the highest leadership of the world. Yet hell is closer and closer... If you thus strive for corruption and reach for authority, for all that decays, then you will harvest decay. Fulfill the measure of your lawlessness then. The end is inevitable. Halleluyah! Everyone will receive his own reward.

            Wishing to build churches upon humanism, upon achievement of joy and abundance on earth today you destroy all those, who say the opposite, who talks about sufferings, about sorrows, about the blessings in sorrows, about the sacrifice, about the True Teaching. How can you believe when you receive praise from each other, yet you don’t seek the glory that comes from the Only God? It is important that God would raise your career in church, not man and not Micah. A person will come before the face of God anyway and perhaps you will say: “I am a pastor! Lord, I was Your minister!” But the Lord will answer: “I never ordained you to be one. That was self-conquer. You served yourself...” Any work in the Kingdom of God on earth is distributed by the King -- God. If you sing in the choir, then who gave you that ministry -- God or you sing because you like that? You preach because you like, you prophesy because you like or because not you live, but the Lord lives in you and through you and in you He glorifies His Name?

            Even this fact says that many serve themselves today. In one of the cities, here on the Pacific Coast, the fallen Levites announced: “We need to know what is going on in every little group that gather in homes, and what they are doing there.” Interesting, who gave them the authority to do that with all their abominations and self-worship? Was it not Caesar Micah? Many became vain in their imaginations. I want to ask you pastors this question. Answer to yourselves, not to me: If you are pastors, then why are you pastors? Oh people, recognize yourselves and your ministers -- who are you and who are they? Humanists or Christians? Look at the direction of their desires and it won’t be hard to see the answer. Many follow God only because they know that they will die anyway. They don’t want to go to hell and they have a chance to be in Heaven, and only that is why they follow God. If you were reading carefully then that is humanism. That is not Christianity! We choose Heaven because hell is not convenient. We choose what is better for us, but not because we seek to bring glory to God! That is humanism: I do and wish what I want. We don’t serve God as God.  We don’t glorify God as God. We serve ourselves and we wish to be in Heaven because it is awful in hell. How despicable and selfish that is! Salvation and coming to Heaven are only a consequence of your seeking to bring glory to God here, on earth in your life. Heaven is not the center of worship to God, neither is the fear of hell. The center of worship to God is our love to Him! And Heaven is a reward for this love. Do you understand? Do you see the difference or not? Can you receive what we are talking about?

            Many, many became humanists instead of Christians today, although in the beginning they perceived God correctly, but soon started to worship themselves, their pleasures, their vain ideas. And what did they reap? Many exchanged the Truth of God with lies, and they bow and worship the creation -- themselves -- instead of the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen! That is why God gave our congregations over to the shameful lusts. We didn’t care to have God in our minds, that is why God gave us over to the reprobate mind to do things, which are not convenient. Let’s open the Epistle to Romans 1:29-32. Here is what it says about our churches: “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

            Look at Christ. When He was on this earth was He a humanist? Did He worship Himself? Oh no! He didn’t worship Himself! He didn’t seek for an easy life, yet the humanists do. He didn’t seek for money, yet the Levites of today do. He drank the cup that He didn’t want to drink. He drank for the sake of glorifying the Father. Yet we drink our cups by choice, what seems convenient and easier for us, not those that are determined by God to each one of us personally. In other words, we don’t seek to bring glory to God. Yet Christ in contrast to us became a sacrifice in Israel! He was fulfilling the Will of the Father. He knew that glory and praise await Him in Heaven afterwards, but that was not His primary goal. He sought to bring glory to the Father, fulfilling His Will. He came to this earth not for His glory, but for the glory of the Father. He came to show not Himself to the people, but the Father. Do you understand that Love and what I want to explain to you today?

            Today’s preachers-philosophers travel all over the world and entertain themselves. In Africa they shoot crocodiles for pleasure and between their other things they preach something. Or they go to Russia and between the preaching they take pictures of historical places, study the daily life of people and, so to speak, combine the necessary with the useful to satisfy their desires. That is not sacrifice! Do you hear?! That is not sacrifice! That is self-worship! All that is so despicable and similar to the condition of Micah and the Levite! You may say: “What’s wrong with hunting the crocodiles or strolling around the city in free time?” But I want to ask you: How can a Christian, who seeks to bring glory to God, suddenly have free time? It appears only when you stop seeking to bring glory to God. You began to seek your own things and for yourself, that is why you have free time. Those who understand the importance of what I am speaking about today, may they understand. But to whom it is closed by God I am of course unable to open. Those, who have ears to hear, may they hear!

            Humanism is like a monster that devours Christianity so cleverly that those, who perish don’t even notice that. I know about hell and Heaven, about the Father and the Son, and about the Holy Spirit and I go to serve God because I am afraid of my future. That is humanism! We must follow God not because we are afraid, but because we infinitely love Him!

            Missionary humanism today is when the people try to go somewhere far away into the jungle or the tundra and have some kinds of sufferings in order to feel like a missionary. They seek beatings and hardships. We don’t understand that this is precisely the worship to your own desire, to your own belly, to your own being, to your own romanticism. That is humanism. We must be there, where the Lord sends us. And it does not matter whether we like that or not. We go or drive because we were told to do so by the Lord, Whom we love more than anything because He is worthy of it! That is the True ministry of a missionary-preacher! That is the worship to God in the Spirit and seeking to bring glory to God. Not what we have today: traveling around the world after the so-called Christian romanticism, the same as the young Levite had thousands of years ago. He also sought, but he sought his own, and he found his own, but not God’s. Preachers and missionaries, do you understand what I am talking about or not? May God grant you the understanding so that you wouldn’t multiply the children of heyenna doubly worse than you are. Examine your travels and ministries: why do you go and whom do you worship? Your own ideas or the Lord God, seeking to bring glory to Him and not to yourselves?

            People choose hell today because a lot of space in their lives they lost to pleasures and to combining the Light and darkness. Before God such people already determined their place in eternity by themselves, although hell is not created for people. Hell is not created for people! And yet they choose it... They choose it through humanism, through self-worship, although they think that they worship God.

            Often Preachers - missionaries fall into despair and depression when they arrive somewhere and find out that people already know about God, about Paradise and hell. They get disappointed and angrily say to God: “Why did You send me here?” They don’t understand that God did not send. And even if He did they don’t understand that not knowledge about hell or Paradise saves a person, but Love to God. Such missionaries go back without destroying humanism, without eliminating in people the foundation of this great heresy and self-worship. They go on searching for more, while the churches suffocate from humanism. But the missionaries don’t care about that because they are serving themselves and not God. And if they do convert someone they make him the son of heyenna twice as bad as they are. They make him a humanist twice as strong as they are.

            Today we all -- old and young, the minister and the common member -- need to revise our walk before God. There is a chance to understand where you are: in Truth or in heresy, worshiping yourself. We are inspired by worshiping our own vainglory! We gather conventions and conferences because we want to see that there are many of us and we are strong. But we don’t think: who gathers us? What spirit brings us to those huge meetings? Naturally not God! Naturally not God is standing behind all this! Just look at the desires, deeds and life of those, who are gathered. God never did that, but Vainglory and Self-pleasure gathered crowds into very big synods for splendid, loud proclamation about themselves, their activities, their structure and after this the blood of our brothers flowed. After such conventions the fires blazed, after such conventions the True servants of God are excommunicated, after such conventions they don’t allow the Truth and preachers of the Truth into the churches. That is the fruit of our worship to ourselves. Why did we lose the joy of humiliation? Why instead of love to God we became considerate? Instead of seeking the Kingdom of God and the glory thereof we became so engrossed in the cares that we think about the earthly welfare. Who stopped us? There is one answer: egoism, the worship to yourself, to your own plans. Were you ever foolish for Christ’s sake? Did anyone teach this to you or no? Yet that is the everyday life of a healthy Christian.

            We became like this world. We even surpassed it, fulfilling our own desires, needs and ambitions. Oh people, people! Stop! Examine yourselves carefully. How are we different from the world, from the righteousness of Pharisees and scribes? Why did we follow the Lord? For what sake, in the name of what, for what reason? Because we are scared of hell or because we love God? Young and old, answer this question for yourselves before it is too late.

            Today the ministers try to establish their lives so that first they can live well on earth and then everybody else. Yet where is the Love that leads to sacrifice? Where is the great meaning of the Gospel Teaching? Why did we accept the religious philosophy, but not life in self-denial for the glory of God?

            There are only two Kingdoms on earth: God’s and Satans. You cannot be a citizen of both of them in the same time. I address the leaders of the Christian congregations, to those, who play in political games today, staying in Christianity for their own profit. These are Pentecostals, Baptists, Adventists and others. You play in this game.  You try to be with God and to outplay the other kingdom -- the kingdom of Satan. You flirt with it. Leading people into registration, by which you think to protect yourselves and still remain as the ministers of God. May you know that in such case you are Levites, but not ministers of God’s Kingdom. God does not acknowledge such games when you want to save your life, and to have something in the pocket, and to serve God. That is the loss of salvation and may you know this now, on earth. I say this to you with all the responsibility before God. Therefore, repent in your senseless actions, in your game, in your carnal selfish consideration to survive. May you know that the Kingdom of God will be victorious anyway. Therefore, it is foolish to serve and flirt with the one of whom you know in advance that he is conquered. Those, who have ears to hear, may they hear. Those, who don’t -- no one can open them except God.

            It is fearful when the leaders worship themselves. They excommunicate all those, who in any way try to touch the subject of humanism and about what is happening in the churches. Those people do the same things as the world dictators, who built the bright future flooding with blood the way to that future. I, personally, don’t see a difference between Stalin and a pastor, who drives the true children of God out of the church. Those two rulers have the same handwriting and spirit, the spirit of humanism -- self-worship.

Christ said to the covetous pastors and that applies to our pastors today: “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts” -- do you hear? He knoweth your hearts! -- “for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”(Luke 16:15) It’s hard to hear that? I understand. But it is far better to hear that right now and to repent, rather than hearing the same thing in your sentence at the Fearful Judgment.

            I want to address those, who are tired, who became weak seeing all the abominations happening in Christianity: may you know that you belong to the Kingdom of God. Remember that your final victory will be in the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, those who love the Lord, cry, weep, don’t sleep, worry for the work of God. That is your lot on earth and the Seal of the Living God will be upon your foreheads. You belong to the number of the conquerors.  You belong to the victorious Kingdom of God. You are the image of God on earth and don’t be despondent that the Lord allowed all this to grow. Rejoice to see the season of Harvest. You will never, never be forgotten by Him, Who promised not to forget. Be steadfast and valiant in this time for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Fire will reveal your faith because only in fire we find out who we are in the sigh of the Lord. Therefore, be valiant.

            There are very few of those who followed God out of love. The majority went out of covetousness and profit. Today we fall for humanism because we never served God yet. We are busy with philosophy because we did not meet the real work for the Lord and He didn’t send us to do His work. We weren’t faithful in little, we worshiped ourselves, that is why God never trusted us with more. And He won’t trust us with more.  He needs dependable people, not idolaters.

            To those who were not faithful to the Lord in little, Satan gave his own big work because they were dependable for Satan, who caught them into his own will and into his service. A person goes to hell not because he didn’t hear of the Gospel, not because he wasn’t worthy of salvation, but because he didn’t have love to God within himself. Hell is only the result, the consequence of us loving ourselves more than God, of loving this age more than the Kingdom of God. The person loved darkness... For him it was especially pleasant because the darkness loves with a special love those Christians, who worship themselves. Such Christians have a mutual love with the darkness.

            We know that the commandment of washing the feet is holy. I am not saying that it should not be done, but who do we approach it? Are we fulfilling it by tradition or because we love the Lord and that is why we fulfill His commandments? When we fast, what is the reason for doing that? So that our voice would be heard on high or for strifes and arguments and so that God would help us in our ideas? He will never be one with you if in the time of fasting you are fulfilling your own will, that is, you worship to yourself.

            Sisters wear the head coverings. And I am not saying that they shouldn’t be worn. I say it is essential to have them to be saved -- the woman must have a veil upon her head. But the question is this: you wear the head covering because it is becoming, because they make you do that or because it pleases and glorifies God, Whom you love? Why do you wear the head covering? Do you see the difference in worshiping God and worshiping yourself?

            Why do we confess our sins? Are we afraid of hell or is it because love to God doesn’t let us commit sins anymore? We, from the former Soviet, have customs. And even if they are good, but come from us because we like it that way, then that is self-worship, you understand? That is humanism. But if they are a result of love to God, then that is salvation! Do you see the difference?

            A person chooses hell by himself, by his own life, worshiping his own name rather than the Name of Christ. The person builds his own authority, preaches so that people would know about him, want to proclaim himself in this life, but not to bring Christ to people. That is why in his conversations and in his life Paul knew only Christ and Him crucified. He did not preach Paul.  He preached the crucified Christ. The mystery of the crucified Christ, the mystery, which must be revealed in your life so that you would crucify yourself with Christ, so that not you would live, but He.

            Personally in my life there were very many things that I did only because I wanted and I often thought of my own will as of the Will of God. In other words I believed in myself, in my own ideas, sanctifying them to the level of the Will of God, as Micah sanctified his idol. Friends, examine yourselves. It is time for us to get up friends.  The time is short...

            However, when the Lord began sending me, after destroying my “self”upon my request, He sent me into situations completely inconvenient for my flesh. Sometimes they were terrible circumstances, where I would never go or drive by myself. But He sent me -- and that is the most important thing to bring His Name to the people and to seek to bring Him the glory. Oh foolishness for Christ’s sake! How wonderful it is when nothing depends from you, when you are NOTHING, when everything depends from God and you simply flow in the stream of His Will and rejoice to see His Hand at work! You rejoice that you bring glory to God forgetting yourself! Halleluyah! Undoubtedly the children of God understand what I am talking about. And I advise the enemies to repent in order to understand that. I don’t want to promise you happiness on earth.  I don’t want to teach out of my own experience. I want to bring the Teaching of the Lord, the Teaching about Love to God, about worship to Him, but not to yourself. I want to open my mouth only when the Lord fills it up for His glory. Oh save me, Lord, from worship to myself, save me God from bringing myself to people and not You. Oh Lord put, self-worship so far away from me as You, Almighty, are far from sin.

            I want to tell you of one example. Once my father found a coin. It looked very old and similar to a gold one. He carried it in his pocket for a long time and he valued it until he met a coin expert and asked how much would this coin cost if he would decide to sell it. The old coin expert took the coin in his hands and stated right away that it costs only $3 and it is not a valuable thing. It is not a coin at all, but simply a medal. And it is not antique. You know, after that I saw this coin left lying on the ground and no one needed it. What I saw in this and took for myself: we need to check our foundation, no matter how it looks. We need to bring everything before the face of God and perhaps He will say: “The way you lived has no value for Me. You worshiped yourself and you will be cast out.” Therefore, today check yourselves, your faith and your worship. How do you believe? As God instructs or as the young Levite and Micah believed? Do you worship like Micah worshiped -- the idol? He built a house of God, but all that was for his own good. If that’s how you worship, then run from such faith and such worship. Otherwise, you will be thrown into the outer darkness for worshiping God out of selfish consideration.

            The lot Micah received was emptiness, the Levite got the tribe of Dan and the son of sin, who proceeded from that tribe. What will you receive, you who follow in the footsteps of those, who wanted to earn a peaceful life allegedly working for God? You know the mighty men came and took the idol and the priest out of the house of Micah. What for? Why did they need that fallen Levite? The tribe of Dan needed him for the same reason Micah needed him. As long as it’s a Levite. The same is today: as long as it’s a minister, but who he is and who ordained him as a minister -- it does not matter. It matters that he would carry on a relative ministry, somehow teach and perform the traditions. As long as everything is complete in the church so that they could say: “We have a Levite, we have a minister -- we are a church. God is with us and for us and we know that He blesses us.” The same as Micah thought and spoke. But he was mistaken. And the Levite perished too, although in his eyes he ascended the stairs of the ministry very fast.

            There are the works of Antichrist in the churches. They do what was not commanded by Christ and no one asks the Levite: “Who ordained you? Who brought you here and why are you here? Who determined you to this ministry for salary, for clothes, for worship to the perishable idol of covetousness? No one asks anyone about the purity of the work of God. Someone builds somehow and what does it matter to us as long as it’s peaceful? Those who think so will go to hell because he worships himself, his own comfort and builds the church for his good, not for the glory of God.

            Soon the son of sin will come and those Levites of today will stop worshiping in the religious system and talk of Christ as of the Son of God. Antichrist will offer them a much bigger salary and more splendid clothes than before. And those false pastors will immediately become the priests of Antichrist in the tribe of Dan and you, people, will see that with your own eyes very soon. But don’t be amazed at that because everyone chooses what he will. We went very far, very far... And those people can be purified and saved only by persecution. Do you hear? ONLY PERSECUTION. Because they worship themselves and they have more thoughts and cares about the checkbook than about the Book of Life. Today several times a day people recall about the amount they have in their account and the checkbook is before their eyes. Yet about the Book of Life they think perhaps once a month.

            Our mind must be freed from vanity to be able to accept God. We were born too late to play in Christianity and somehow arrange our personal life. We have only a moment to reconcile with God. The time ran out like water out of a glass. Only a few drops remain and even they are last. Hasten to work in His Vineyard for it is getting dark. The night is coming when no one will be able to do anything. Bring glory to the One Who earned it and Who is worthy or it!

            Dear friend, why did you repent? There is a difference between those who serve God out of love and a person who is afraid of being cast into the fire of hell. Such a person does not know how great his sin is before God. He doesn’t have the feeling of awareness of his wickedness and his sin. He only has a fear before what awaits him in hell forever, a fear before punishment. Yes, it is not bad. It is good for the beginners. But such a person is not a Christian if he carries that fear within himself throughout his whole life. What kind of a Christian is he? The Scripture says there is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casts out all fear. He who fears is not perfect in Love. A true Christian doesn’t think about hell. He has not time to think of it.  He is too busy to remember about hell. He is busy seeking to bring glory to God in every moment of his life. It is the work of God if a person saw his own sin. The Spirit of God exposed it in him. But there is a difference in repentance: when you were caught “red-handed” and you repent, or when you recognized your offence, came and repented on your own. That’s precisely how God gains His people through the work of the Holy Spirit: exposes the person within himself, within his conscience and places him in the condition of a choice. The best correction of a criminal is not that he sits in jail for fifteen years, but that he realizes his guilt. The person may be separated from the society, but who will separate sin from him? Who will change him? Only God, by showing him his being. There is a difference when a sinner doesn’t sin because he was told not to, and when he doesn’t sin because the Spirit of God condemned that sin within him and he saw himself and doesn’t do because he loves the Lord. The right repentance brings the following healthy spiritual life. A person must repent only, ONLY from the influence of the Spirit of God and understand that God is choosing him for His glory, saving him from serving his lust, his ideas, saving him from humanism. Repentance is not a quest for joy and comforts. Repentance is a result of recognition of personal wickedness, not because you need Heaven and not because you don’t want to be in hell, but because you choose Christ and you choose love to Him forever! False repentance and the road to hell is when we make God supposedly dependant of us, as though offering Him a deal: “God, I will do this, and for this You give me salvation.” Same as Micah did it: “I will build a house to God and it will be good to me.” Don’t lie to yourself, friend, don’t lie! Come to God only out of love to Him. There are very few people who come to God today and say: “God, even if I have to go to hell, nevertheless I choose to worship You because You are worthy of it, because in me You choose worship unto yourself! And it doesn’t matter what waits for me ahead! I am chosen for Your glory!” Like Job! He said: “May the Name of God be glorified.” Do you see the difference?

            Maybe you think that by building a Prayer House out of the best brick, and painting it with the best paint you will be blessed and have a closer fellowship with God? Don’t lie... Don’t lie! Your labor was in vain! Don’t deceive yourself. When you will finish building, you will have a closer fellowship with Caesar, with the government and his servants, but not with God. God is found in a totally different direction. God is found when He is sought for with the whole heart. He is found in worship to Him, not to yourself. Why does a person go to the fire and to the cross, why does he not spare his life? Surely not to glorify himself, but for the purpose of glorifying God because God chose only this way of glorifying Himself in mankind. Do you hear?

            If God chose you to glorify His Mightiness, then you must unite with Him in the spirit and all that is yours is not yours anymore. You unite with Christ by the likeness of His death to have resurrection and life. May you totally forget that you exist! You are created for the glory of God, not to accept the Gospel Teaching to please yourself.

            Today many have conflicts in the families. The wife says: “The husband doesn’t bring money! He is a very bad Christian.  I cannot live with him!” The families fall apart. She says: “It is not easy to live with him!” All her words are that it is hard for her. That woman lives for herself. She lives for her lust, for her whim! The husband says: “She is bad, she is disobedient! How should I live with her? She absolutely doesn’t want to listen to me!” Person, I tell you, in the Name of Jesus, may you understand that our blessing is in suffering, our blessing is in humiliation, and joy in disgrace! If you can receive that, then you have something of God. The wife of a missionary says: “It is very hard to be the wife of a preacher. Not one woman can bear that! No car, no house, nothing! The life is terrible and uncertain!” We want to be settled on earth. Well, get settled! This earth will burn, this earth is determined for fire and worship to yourself and to your own needs will come to the flames of fire. You will inherit fire if you were a part of this earth. But if you are not of here, then the fire shall do no harm to you.

            What does it mean to die? What does it mean? It means that all your personal qualities: mind, strength, energy do not belong to you anymore. They belong to God, for His glory, for the glory of His Name, not for the building of false Christian happy life on earth! If you didn’t give yourself wholly to Jesus for His glory, then you did not die, and do nothing for the glory of God. All that you are trying to do for Him you do it for yourself, for your own glory, because you didn’t die and give yourself entirely for His glory. We don’t go to the cross or to the fire for the sake of victory. Victory will come by itself. You don’t go to the cross in order to achieve joy. It will come by itself. You go to die because of an entirely different reason: to glorify God for He is worthy of that. This is the goal, not your victory and achievement of joy. Can you comprehend that or not?

            Why do we not have the Power of God and the fullness of Christ in us? Because you could know whether God was in you only by the fullness of the Power of God in you. And when did you have the Power of God in you? Recall! It was when you were empty of all that is worldly and free of yourself, when you were in self-denial. You must forsake this life while living in it, and in self-denial following Jesus find glory for Jesus. Our service to God is to glorify Him. And everything is in that! Not like the Levite chose that as a job for salary, not like the Charismatics do that for their pleasure and at the same time each does whatever he wants in daily life. They chose Christ as a worker, who lifts up their mood. That is humanism. Charismatics, I tell you in the Name of Jesus Christ, repent! You are going to hell, because you’re walking in the way of humanism. It is necessary to serve God, not yourself and your own joy, not what tickles your nerves. The true worship is the worship of sacrifice and a total agreement with the Scripture. It is a worship where you do absolutely nothing of what you want. For the true worship, you are required to be DEAD! Not with your emotions, needs and a thirst for acute feelings! You for God, not God for you -- that is the Truth about sacrifice for the glory of God. A result of our faith is that we cannot do anything by ourselves. We cannot glorify God as He is worthy of it. Therefore, we come to Him with our vessels and say: “You fill them! We will not say anything.  You fill our mouth. We will not go anywhere if You don’t send!” We always must be empty and dead for our own selfish actions, but live only, ONLY for the glory of God. I know many people who conduct themselves and place themselves in such a way so that God would fulfill their desires. They  are trying to make God their servant, their worker. When one brother from China returned home after a visit to the USA, he said to those who came to hear him: “More than anything I was surprised at the fact that the Christians of America do a lot for God, but without God...” Yes, it is the same thing as to sit behind the wheel of your plans and ask God for strength to fulfill your own desires, but not God’s. You say: “If You will not give me strength I shall achieve my goal anyway on my Christian road, and I will take all control into my hands.” But friend, you need to leave the place behind the wheel and go sit in the backseat, so that the Lord would be first in your life and control you according to His discretion for His glory. Very often people entrust Christ with control in the beginning, but later they start correcting from the backseat. It always seems to them that Christ isn’t driving the right way and in the right direction. They think: “Maybe I would control my life better myself.” Oh, people, give the control into the hands of God! Close your eyes at circumstances and don’t get involved in something that’s not your business. Don’t do God’s work with your profit, with your understanding! Perhaps when the Levite served at Micah’s he thought: “If I will have more power from God, I will be able to serve for the whole tribe of Israel.” But God needs not the service of the Levite, but the Levite himself. The Holy Spirit does not work as we want Him to. He will not help a person to make money, and achieve pleasures by the Name of God. Only Satan works this way, luring people into covetousness. We either bring glory to God, or bring glory and profit to ourselves, going toward hell. There is only one thing that God needs it is to bring you to repentance for His glory. In victory, He led you to your death so that you would die, but He would live in you for His glory. You don’t have a personal opinion anymore and no time to live for yourself. Your actions are not yours anymore, your words are not yours anymore, you don’t have your own plans. You are not your own.  You are God’s! Now you don’t live, but He lives! The only essence of my life is the glorifying of God in soul, mind and body! That is what your answer to yourself should be.

            Christians, come to Christ! Unite with Him by the likeness of His death, if you desire to live for Him. When you die He shall be glorified. Bring your life as a sacrifice to God so that He would be glorified. To die - it is not just words.  It is life! Life without yourself, life in Him, with Him! Our life is not what God does for us, it is what we do for Him, and do it so that He accepts it. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2-Cor. 4:5,7,10) That’s what we are talking about all this time! “For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2-Cor. 4:11,17,18) Christians, stop proclaiming God as your slave, as a tool to accomplish your own desires, your pleasures and joys. You, you bring glory to Him! Tell Micah: “That is it, Micah! I am leaving. I am not working for you anymore.  I am returning to Shiloh to the Tabernacle, perhaps to the lowest, unnoticeable job! Micah, I don’t need your ten shekels of silver, and free clothes and food anymore. I am returning to the tribe of Levi and don’t want to serve Dan. I don’t want to serve the Antichrist! Micah, tell the tribe of Dan that I don’t work for myself any longer. I am going back to Jesus Christ, to His Blood that He shed, to His wounds! I am not selling myself for my needs anymore.” We will return to Jesus from Micah and from the tribe of Dan and say: “Jesus, Your hands and your feet were pierced for us, and we come to You for the rest of our life, because we love You. And we don’t need anything from You.  We simply love You. And all this is because You, Jesus, are worthy!”

            Once two young brothers from Moravia heard that there is an island in West India, in the British colony, where the owner was a slave owner who possessed up to 3,000 slaves from Africa. There was not one preacher on that island who could bring the Gospel Truth. If the visitors would come, they had a special place to stay and they could not communicate with the slaves. No one spoke about God on that island because the owner didn’t want to hear about Him. Slaves died without knowing about God and His salvation. So those two brothers from Moravia, about twenty years of age, heard about that and voluntarily sold themselves into slavery. When they sailed to the island in the ship of their brothers and stepped on the shore they knew that they would never, never come back home. They were selling themselves into slavery for the rest of their life, voluntarily, for the glory of God. The families of those two brothers were very distressed because they knew that they will never see them. The ship was departing. Friends cried bidding farewell to those two young missionaries forever. The last words that the people on the ship heard were these. The two brothers exclaimed from the shore: “We go to pay the slaughtered Lamb what He is worthy to receive!” After that, the missionaries of Moravia, brothers full of the Holy Spirit made these words their motto. Yes, one reason in life is to give the slaughtered Lamb what He earned, to give up our lives for His glory. Many ask: “What should we do? Everything is so tangled up and sleek!” Here’s your answer: immediately leave your comfortable buildings where you conduct your services, if you desire to be outside of Caesar Micah’s control. But if you want to worship the beast and accept his mark then you may remain in those buildings. But if not then go underground, meet in houses, go away from those big buildings. The Lord revealed that they are the reason of wickedness. Go away! Don’t get used to the microphones and the carpeted aisles, the pulpit and the rich decor of those buildings. It is what you like.  It is for your pleasure. It is not worship to God.  It is worship to yourselves, to your own vainglory, to your comfort and pleasures. It is humanism! Receive this, if you can! When you will stand before the Throne, what then? What will be then? We will all come and stand before it, we will not bypass. Therefore choose life and don’t spare your name. Repent! Reconcile with God because everything is in this for me and for you. Let’s pray, friends.

            “Lord Jesus, I know that You will come back very soon. I know that You will take us to You, that we will glorify You forever in Heaven. But help me, Lord, help me to glorify You with the same power here, on earth as in Heaven. Change me, for Your glory, Lord. I know that I cannot see You because my eyes are turned toward myself. I cannot hear You because I listen to people. Forgive me for stealing Your glory, for picking to whom I should preach, for worshiping myself. God, You see everything. You see all my misdeeds.  They are before You Lord. Can my unrighteousness reveal Your righteousness? Never! Therefore, possess my mouth so that it would be unto Your worthy glory. God, bless Your Levites! Those who work in Your Tabernacle. Those who work meekly and humbly. Reward them for not forsaking the work in Your House, while many other Levites left to work for Micah for clothes and silver. God, strengthen Your ministers, encourage them and may the Power of Your Holy Spirit fill them for Your glory! May You be glorified Christ whether by our life or death, because You are worthy of that! God, let me not live, but You live in me, for Your glory. Do with me what will seem right to You. Be involved in my life, I call You, I beseech You! Remove from me anything that is in me against Your Will, even if I like it, if it is precious to me, but against You - remove it from me. Help me to dissolve in Your Love. I don’t need my mind.  I give it to You for Your glory! I don’t need the free will of choice that You gave me.  I return it to You. I want to serve for Your glory. Lord, help me to accept what I cannot change; give me courage to change what I must change, Lord, and send me wisdom to discern one from another. Multiply faith in me. Multiply faith in me, Lord! Destroy me if that will bring me Life. May the Father be glorified in me through You, my dear Jesus! I don’t need anything from You! I need You! Halleluyah! Amen!

Rabbi S.V.Artman

“Am Yisrael”

Messianic Tabernacle

Wasilla, Alaska USA

rabbiartman@yahoo.com

www.artmanrabbi.tripod.com