A separate people

EDITOR: “Therefore, come out from among them, and be separate, says Yahweh, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a Father, And you shall be to me sons and daughters, says Almighty Yahweh.” 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.

When a person begins to study the Bible, they are faced with the questions, “Where is the true ‘ch-rch’?” Is it here on this earth? What are the characteristics of the Body of the Messiah?

A quick look at some popular historical accounts in the Bible, such as the accounts of Noah, Israel in the wilderness, Esther, Daniel and his friends, Yahshua the Messiah, the apostles, and so much more, show us thatYahweh’s people have always been different from the people around them. In today’s world, what characteristics would the true worshippers have?

It is a common misconception thatYahweh’s people will be actively working for social reform, taking part in government, and generally, at the forefront of the secular activities of this world’s society. The truth, however, is that true worshippers are ambassadors of the Kingdom ofYahweh. The apostle Paul speaks to the Corinthian assembly on this matter in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of the Messiah, as though Yahweh were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of the Messiah, be reconciled toYahweh.” Now, who is an ambassador? An ambassador is a person who is sent from one country to live in another, to represent their home government to that of the country to which they are sent. An ambassador does not take part in the government of the nation to which they are sent as a representative. While carrying out their duties, they are expected to comply with the laws of the country to which they are assigned, yet must avoid participation in its governmental operations. As representatives of their home nation, ambassadors do not participate in voting, jury duty, or military service in the country where they are stationed.

Therefore, members of the Assemblies of Yahweh try to exclude themselves from all involvement in political activities, as they wait for their King, Yahshua the Messiah, to return to this earth to establish his kingdom.

The apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 6, that our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places. We must put on the whole armour of Yahweh and watch at every season. Are today’s governments in subjection to Almighty

Yahweh? If our governments were already in subjection to Him, there would be no need for the seventh angel to sound and declare at the end of the age: “The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Yahweh, and of his Messiah: and he shall reign forever and ever,” (Revelation 11:15).

When a person tries to live “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh” (Matthew 4:4), they would eventually find themselves walking along a narrow and straightened way that leads to life. This path is referred to as “narrow” in Matthew 7:13–14, as it describes the seldom chosen and less favoured route. Several scriptures mention the separation of the people ofYahweh from the people of the world. Two examples can be found in Leviticus 20:24,26. “I am Yahweh your Elohim, who has separated you from the peoples.”

“And you shall be holy to me: for I Yahweh am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

The meaning of the Greek word ecclesia, from which is translated the word ch-rch, is to ‘call out an assembly of worshippers’. This is the same meaning of the Hebrew word kahal. Just as was ancient Israel called out of Egypt, so we, today, are called out of sin and into separation from society and the darkness of this world. The members of the body of the Messiah would be trying their best to be obedient to Yahweh’s commandments, putting their faith and trust in the salvation that comes from Yahshua’s shed blood (Revelation 14:12).

The term “Babylon the Great” is a term that is frequently used in the Bible to represent a worldly system of confusion, controlled by Satan, the devil. Will you hear the voice ofYahshua, our Saviour, in Revelation 18:4, urging us to come out of this system? “Come forth, my people, out of her; that you have no fellowship with her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.”

Ulrika Sutherland. Assemblies of Yahweh