TITHING – THE WRITTEN TRUTH.
Hello Audience! Welcome to RTGF TV program. We are delighted to present Episode10; the last of the ROOT Series – “know the truth….” What is truth? Though Jesus is the truth, it was clarified in Episode 9 for ref. Without knowing what truth is, it is impossible to worship God in the spirit and truth (John 4:24). Today’s title is: Tithing; the written truth. Tithing has been a controversial subject for long. This is because truth has eluded the people. But scripture has not made room for discordant voices. It is man who overrides word of God with his opinion. This title is an extract from our new book title: “The Riddle.” – Revealed 2020AD!
My Name is: Dr. Danson Ubebe; Teacher and Author.
Topic. Willful transgressions.
Objective: To learn to please God, and not man.
Origin of tithing. Abram began tithing with a tenth of war plunder. He willingly gave ten percent of his booty of war once to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:14-20), king of Salem (Peace) and prince of the Most-High God who have no father, no mother and no genealogy (Heb. 7:1-2). This suggests him to be the shadow of the substance; who is Christ Jesus (Col. 2:17); the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6) and custodian of all authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28”18). Melchizedek first gave bread and blessed him. Abram tithe was in response and closed forever. So, his son Isaac, born of blood and flesh, did not continue it.
Emphasis: Tithe by Abram was an expression of faith in God for the seed of promise to him. It was a response to the blessing he first received from Melchizedek. It signified his thanks to God. It was not by compulsion but out of his free will to demonstrate his faith in God. It is similar to what scripture described as pure and undefiled religion under grace (James 1:27) – voluntary service, giving, care, etc. God stated it similarly in another scripture (Mt. 25:33-40).
The origin of the law. After Isaac, was his son Jacob. He had a wrestling dwell with God but did not prevail. Then Jacob made a vow to give a tenth to God of the blessing he would receive from Him (Gen 28:20-22). It made tithing a demand culture. However, he did not fulfill his vow personally. So, when God set Israel, Jacob’s children free from bondage in Egypt, He gave them the law through Moses (John 1:17). Amongst the children, Levi received the priesthood. God commanded that he receives tithes according to the law from his brethren (Heb. 7:5). The tithe was one-tenth of farm produce. God gave it to the tribe of Levi as an inheritance in lieu of land allotment in the land flowing with milk and honey (Lev. 27:30-32). They too paid a tenth of it to God but He gave it back to them (Num. 18:21). At a time, Israel neglected payment of tithe to the priests. So, the Levites abandoned their priesthood duty to fend for themselves. As a result, Israel robbed God (Mal. 3:8). Then He declared: “You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My storehouse, And try Me now in this.” And etcetera.
Emphasis: It was the payment of Jacob’s vow that was imposed on his children by law, so to speak. So, tithing according to the law was a practice of circumstance and not a standing commandment. But they were unable to fulfill it, for to fail in one aspect meant failure in all requirements of the law (James 2:10). So, when Jesus came to save man, He first fulfilled the law (Mt. 5:17). Therefore, those who do the work of the law to this day are under curse of the law by choice (Gal. 3:10).
God used tithing to show life continues after death. Attention of many believers is on tithing to receive increase. Can tithing offer anything else? One mystery made known by the process of tithing is disclosure of evidence of life after death. In apparent reference to tithing generally, scripture declared that mortal men receive tithe, but there he who blessed Abraham receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receive tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak (Heb. 7:7-11).
Emphasis: That he “receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lives” is a hard statement. To many preachers it means Melchizedek receives tithe paid by mortal men to this day. So, it is used to justify payment of tithe under the gospel of grace. But they forget that tithe is of the work of the hands of man. And that God does not require anything produced by hands of man to serve Him under grace (Acts 17:25). Rather it is for serving fellow men (1John 4:20-21). So, what is scripture saying? It requires visual text package to explain as follows: According to scripture, God prepared a country for those who confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on earth and desire a better place (Heb. 11:13-16). So, the phrase; “he receives them,” means those of faith of Abraham who paid tithe and are asleep are received there by Melchizedek (Heb. 7:8). In the country is Paradise for those of faith of Abraham till made perfect (Heb. 11:39-40). It is the testimony by Melchizedek that Abraham lives and there is life after death. Those not of faith of Abraham camp in the section known as Hell, separated from Paradise with impregnable gulf (Lk. 16:26).
From paradise, they will rise first (1Thes. 4:15-17) for Judgment and reward respectively by either Christ (2Cor. 5:10) or the White Throne (Rev. 20: 12-15). Those whose names are in the book of life will be made perfect and enter everlasting life. Those whose names are not found in the book of life will be condemned to the Lake of fire (Dan. 12:1-3).
COUNTRY GOD PREPARED FOR
THOSE OF FAITH OF ABRAHAM
Abram’s tithe was for children of promise (Gal. 3:29), but Levi’s tithe was for Israel that now is (Lev. 26:46). The Levi was in the loins of Jacob who came from the loins of Isaac who in turn came from the loins of Abraham when he paid tithe to Melchizedek (Heb. 7:9-10).
But those not given Law and of faith of Abraham were in the loins of the Seed of promise, who is Christ, by whom man is born again. Though Isaac was in the loins of Abraham, he did not pay tithe himself. But Jacob made a vow to pay tithe. So, tithing according to the law is based on demand by children of flesh and blood. It is therefore different from Abram’s tithe which was with regards to the children of promise.
So, children of Jacob received the law to pay his vow. The Law could not make anyone perfect under the Levitical priesthood. So, under grace tithing is a nullity. Moreover, the gift of grace which God gave out of His self-counsel aligns with His self-counsel of seed of promise to Abraham. It makes the receiver to give praise and thanks to God, not with material things. Scripture describes this practice as pure and undefiled religion – visit inmates, feed and clothe the needy, and etc. (James 1:27). God stated it similarly in another scripture (Mt. 25:33-40).
Emphasis: Under grace giving is sacrificial. It is from the greater to the lesser. Giving produces circle of flow of blessing from God to both the giver and receiver and thanks and praise from them to God. Whereas, tithing according to the law is subjective and is based on give by the lesser to expect increase from the greater. Example: The widow gave all she had (Mk. 12:41-44). Early century church did not tithe.
Rather they collected on the first day of the week what God laid in the heart of each one as he may prosper, storing up, so to speak, gifts for saints in Jerusalem (1Cor. 16:1-3). We are to give to those who feed us with the word of truth and the deprived. It was the show of love of God and to demonstrate our thanks and praise to Him who has blessed us. It serves more purposes than tithing.
PROMISE – CHRIST JESUS
Jesus is not entitled to collect tithe. Levi tithe is the tribe inheritance. It is forbidden to transfer it to another tribe (Num. 36: 5-10). Now Jesus belonged to another tribe. Therefore, He was not qualified to demand or receive tithe. So are His disciples. Whoever defiles this deny Jesus; the Master who fulfilled the Law (Mt. 5:17-20). To affirm His right as the Savior of man, He washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:5-20).
By it He fulfilled the custom of Israel which gave ROFR to the Next of kin. So, man as Next of kin of Adam surrendered his right of first refusal to Jesus to redeem him (Ruth 4:1-11). Else, nothing God made could redeem his soul or buy his safety (Ps. 49:6-9). So, Jesus shut up everyone under sin (Rom. 8:3-4). It made Christ the end of law for righteousness to everyone who believes (1John 5:3).
This meant the change from old to new way of serving God. It formalized, change of Levitical to Christ priesthood (Heb. 11-16). It annulled tithing totally. Therefore, it is transgression to rebuild tithing which Jesus once destroyed, so to speak (Gal. 2:18). Some may argue He did not condemn tithing (Mt. 23:23). Neither did He approve of it!
Emphasis: Many see washing of the feet of the apostles by Jesus as example of only service. Rather it represents change to new order of service. First was to seek and get man’s approval to surrender his right to Him as his savior, for he could not save himself. It shows He did not impose His will on man. It was freely given as Peter shown (John 13: 8-9). It qualified Him to carry the burden of man to fulfill the law and saved man.
It reversed how Adam(man) surrendered his dominion to Satan in Garden of Eden. Also, Jesus neither condemned nor approved tithing because He lived under the Law and was mindful not to offend it. He made it clear that whoever shall deny Him before men, him He will also deny before His Father which is in heaven (Mt. 10:33).
Tithing re-introduced. In the first five century there was no demand for and payment of tithe. Why was it so? The disciples knew and kept to the truth – Jesus fulfilled the purpose for tithe and it stood abolished. So, they feared God. Disciples sought first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness (Mt. 6:33). Why was tithe re-introduced? By early medieval period (5th – 1500th AD), warfare which had been the chief source of gathering wealth began to dry up.
Focus turned to agricultural revolution. It turned out to be the new form of exploitation by newly introduced parish. The Christian nobility began to squeeze revenues out of the land which they controlled through more productivity and pastoral care. Soon church began to tax the new farming resources by demanding a scriptural tenth of agricultural produce; the tithe resurfaced. (Reference: A History of Christianity. The first three thousand years – by DARMAID Mac CULLOCH).
Emphasis: Tithing was re-introduced in the 6th century. It was stiffly resisted by congregations. Notwithstanding, it was re- enforced in 8th century by instrument of parliamentary law in England. It was of agricultural produce until 1836 when produce was replaced with cash for rent. Though the law was latter abolished, church continued to ask for and collect tithe to this day. Now it is clear that to tithe is not to please God, but man in contrast to scripture (Gal. 1:10).
“After the fact”: To tithe is to rebuff Jesus, as a liar. It is a brazen exploitation of those who lack knowledge of the truth. Christian nobility uses it as weapon of fear to scare people to succumb to it, using all known arsenal to justify it. Scripture predicted this time (2Pet. 2:1-3). One can see why Jesus did not commit Himself to man for He knows everything about him (John 2:24-25).
Emphasis: This is not an attempt to dissuade you from your belief or unbelief. But to make you know the truth. It is only the truth you know that will make you free. The choice to either please God or man is yours.
(All References are from New King James Version (NKJV) of Holy Bible. All rights Reserved).
Finally, our advice is that you make it a habit to test what you hear or read and to ask questions. The CD & DVD of RTGF Episodes are available via www.returntogodforum.com. Would you like to partner with RTGF? Please use our contact below. Thanks, and God bless you for your time. Till next, Episode it’s goodbye from me; Dr. Danson Ubebe; Teacher and Author.
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TO VIDEO TEAM: (i). Show these books plus the links:
- “DOOMED CHRISTIANITY & UNSHAKABLE LIFELINE”. Published
by KDP, August 2019. http://bit.ly/amazon-doomed-christianity-book.
- “WHY ARE WE HERE?” Published by Advantage Books, June 2020.
https://www.advbookstore.com/product-page/why-are-we-here
The books contain thorough knowledge of grace, born-again, where Garden of Eden is, origin of Celestial and Terrestrial bodies, man is spirit because of his origin and not because of his spirit component, tithing, what God means by He created man; male & female (Gen. 1:27), etc.
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