“Cut Off From His People”

“Cut Off From His People”

“But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offering that belongs to the Lord, while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from his people.” Lev. 7:20.

“I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.” Isa. 1:13.

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1 Cor. 10:11.

This is an admonition to the effect that God does not endure iniquity together with the sacred meeting and that the person who eats of the sacrifice of the peace offering while he is unclean, shall be cut off. This is an exhortation to us that we cannot play the hypocrite before God. He follows along carefully.

It sounds good when a person thanks and praises God or Jesus because He died for us and saves us, but He hates and despises the sacred assembly and iniquity. Amos 5:21. If you have not forgiven your neighbor, but bear him a grudge, and have not given up your sinning, but still praise God, then this same word applies to you as it is written: “That person shall be cut off from his people.” Jas. 3:9-10. Peter also exhorts us to conduct ourselves in fear during the time of our sojourn on earth, for we were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ. 1 Pet. 1:17-19. Therefore we need to purify our souls unto sincere love of the brethren and love one another fervently with a pure heart. V. 22.

Everyone who ate the Passover Lamb with leavened bread was to be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he was a stranger or a native of the land. Ex. 12:19.

“This is the ordinance of the Passover: No outsider shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.” Ex. 12:43-44.

“Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Cor. 5:6-8.

“Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed . . . .” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . .” John 1:14. This could not occur unless Jesus had learned obedience by the things He suffered (Heb. 5:8-9), He who said when He came into the world, “Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.” Heb. 10:5-7. He is our Passover Lamb who was sacrificed and has redeemed us with His precious blood. He is the One who says, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:54. However, the person who eats the Passover Lamb with leavened bread, without being circumcised, “that person shall be cut off from his people.”

It is no less severe in our days. Heb. 2:2-4. When we come together and share the Word of God, we come together for a sacred meeting with the Passover Lamb. If someone keeps accounts of the evil, sitting in the meeting with the leaven of malice and wickedness, taking part in the sacred meeting, then he blasphemes God. God hates the sacred meeting and iniquity. Or if you are uncircumcised and admire the great things in this world while sitting and reading God’s Word, believing you will receive revelations in the midst of your greed and vanity, then you are sadly mistaken. The person who eats the Passover Lamb without being circumcised shall be cut off from his people. Such people are to be reckoned among those about whom Paul writes: “Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth . . . men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith . . . .” 2 Tim. 3:7-8.

Israel was to be a new lump. They were not to take anything along from Egypt: neither idols, ideas, customs, nor habits. Everything was to be cleansed out; plus they were to be circumcised. They could not remain in Egypt just because they had blood on their door posts, thus putting their faith in the blood. However, in our days thousands live in this deception, trusting in the blood of Jesus, and yet they are conformed to this world. Rom. 12:2. They are to be cut off! The blood would not have continued to benefit Israel if they had remained in Egypt.

They were to leave Egypt, cleansing out all the old leaven. They received completely new laws and commandments and were to live in a completely new way. They were to be a new lump. We shall not take any of the sins or the politics that are prevalent in our days into the Millennium. There will be a totally new lump of dough when Jesus assumes power and we rule together with Him.

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1-7.

Many people reckon they are a branch on the vine when they go to meetings and take part in religious work. That is absolutely not certain. The fruit that Jesus mentions is the fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22. You are unprofitable and close to being cursed if you relish God’s blessings but bear thorns and thistles—the works of the flesh. Such a person is to be burned up. Heb. 6:7-9; Gal. 5:19-21.

Abiding in Jesus is to abide in His Word. Then we are His disciples indeed. John 8:31. Then we bear much fruit. Many people are branches that have been cut off because they have not cleansed out the old leaven; they have not preserved the circumcision of the heart. They are no longer fervent in Spirit. They do not receive light when they read God’s Word. They do not have a connection with God when they pray; neither are they growing the growth of the body up to Him who is the head. Eph. 4:15-16. In spite of all this, they do not remember that the person who is uncircumcised and yet eats the Passover Lamb shall be cut off from his people.

Therefore we must learn from the things that were written before, “for we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.” Heb. 3:12-14.