The Tithe Deception – Part 2

Friday, August 9, 2019

The collection of the unjust tithe began with apostate early Roman Catholicism, and not the true Church. As a result, Roman Catholicism is the wealthiest religion in the world. The papal throne extracted the tithe by coercion, intimidation and deadly brute force. Yet, despite its historic and present idolatrous apostasy, many deceived evangelical leaders cavort with Roman Catholicism in their bid for false interfaith ecumenical unity and religious sensory stimulation.

In these perverse and highly opportunistic end-times, deceptive progressive religious thought is that people are drawn to faith in Christ through sensational and glamorous religious experience rather than crucifying the flesh, humbled confession and repentance, for which Jesus said “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Today, Rome is ecumenically deceiving the hearts of many evangelicals.

I solemnly warn those claiming true Christianity, remove yourself from any influence of Roman Catholicism or any Protestant and evangelical leaders who attempt finding common ground with that apostate church. For the threat and deception of the papal throne, visit thefridayletter.com dated Friday, April 12, 2019. Sadly, many evangelicals are reuniting with Rome’s apostasy.

New Testament instruction to give acknowledges that some have much while others have little, which is precisely what the O.T. law of the tithe equalized, and should yet today. “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack – that there may be equality. As it is written, ‘He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack’” (2 Cor. 8:12–15).

Last week I shared that in the NKJV Bible the Words tithe and tithes occur forty times, eight of which are in the New Testament. Two of those eight are total rebukes by Jesus of the religious establishment, saying “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matt. 23:23 and ~ Luke 11:42). Jesus saying “These you ought to have done…” means the tithe, indicating that Jesus strongly reinforced the tithe God commanded in the Old Testament.

One of the remaining six uses of the New Testament Word tithes, occurs at Jesus parable of the Pharisee and tax collector, wherein the Pharisee prayed “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:12). The tax collector, knowing that he had unjustly taken from others “beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” And Jesus replied, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (Luke 18:13–14). Again, Jesus did not remove the command to tithe.

The other five uses occur in one passage. “And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, [Deut. 14:22–29] that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak” (Heb. 7:5–9). “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29). Clearly, the Old Testament law of the tithe is reinforced in the New Testament.

Imagine the gladness of heart, the rejoicing in the Lord God, and the spiritual maturity that would develop in people if they were taught to keep two years of tithe for themselves and their families, and bring only the every third year tithe to the church. Imagine the souls that would be saved if pastors and teachers had no other agenda but the salvation and discipleship of souls. No distracting shows! No pandering to the culture! Only the exaltation of Christ, a Spirit-led forum fulfilling the great commission. That was the Church in the Book of Acts!

The outlandish expenditures of church building campaigns, engineering marvels, and costly equipment to produce Hollywood-style shows and performances, is proof-sufficient that the unjust tithe is extracted and squandered in ways that glorifies man but dishonors God. Costly paraphernalia and pretense must be far removed from the Church, because the unjust tithe has produced spiritual casualties in the body of Christ. (More about that next week.)

God said “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). Do not think that those receiving the two-thirds unjust tithe are exempt. In our end-time lukewarm churches the words “trust me” ring increasingly hollow. The religious landscape is strewn with the abuse and theft of tithes as men’s proud but failed experiments and edifices cover the land.

You will not hear the biblical law of the tithe preached in the organized church because that would eliminate two-thirds of it. Leaders could no longer rise up and play with other people’s money. Remember the truth: two-thirds of the God-ordained biblical tithe belongs, not to the Church, but to you and your family “that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always” (Deut. 14:23). And one-third to the Church, the Levitical priesthood equivalent. See Deut. 14:22–29 and know that God has never removed the law of the tithe in the New Testament.

Imagine replacing disquieting light, smoke and sound shows with reverent, holy and humble repentance unto salvation as it was in the first Century, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation…and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:40–41). But how is that done? By obeying God’s Word. Nothing pretentious, no man-praise, no distractions from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. No praise except unto Jesus Christ, His shed blood, and holiness to the Lord, His overcoming power, and His soon second-coming!

If people obeyed the God-ordained tithe there wouldn’t be an excess of tithe to be played with frivolously in this perverse generation. But as it is people are subtly taught to bring all the tithe “that there may be food in My house”, (Mal. 3:10) the context of which is to honor God in the familial two-thirds, and pastoral, stranger, fatherless and widow, one-third, which ancient Israel was NOT doing, and thus were “cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me” (Mal. 3:9).

Were it not for the false tithe and pagan Rome’s example there would be equality in the Church. When did the Church of the Book of Acts foist a building campaign upon people? It didn’t. And when did it consult worldly advisors to enhance effectiveness? Never. Or employ worldly entertainment for worship? It didn’t. So, why does the Church follow the pagan examples of Rome’s building campaigns, business models, and deceptive sensory religious experiences?

Jesus Christ, the “Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:11), reminds us to “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5). We live in a day when many pervert the truth of the tithe and the gospel, to bring under their control the tithe that rightfully belongs to families who truly need it and would otherwise in biblical truth “learn to fear the Lord your God always” (Deut. 14:23). Next week, Part 3.

Marlin J. Yoder