Yahuweh has promised a great inheritance to those who overcome, and to those who hold fast in their obedience to Him.  Two of these items promised to Yahuweh's people are a wedding veil, and a crown.  The veil is the promise of Betrothal of the Bride to the Heavenly Bridegroom; the crown is the right to rule and reign for eternity with the King's Son, who is also the Bridegroom.  

However, our Father knew that in this last generation there would be those who would try to take away both our wedding veil, and also our crown.  We are given this information as part of a stern warning in Revelation.  But who would do such a thing?  Let's look at the following passages:

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.   (Revelation 3:11)

The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.   (Song of Songs 5:7)

First, we see in the verse in Revelation that Yahushua warns His Bride to hold fast what we have (of that which is truly of Him) because there will be those men who would take away — or "steal" — our crown from us.   But who would do this?  Notice we are told in song of Solomon the answer to this question.

Beloved, it is the "watchmen," the "keepers of the walls" — the Pastors, and spiritual Leaders of this generation — that are removing the veil, and the crown, of multitudes of Believing ones.  If this sounds preposterous, let's look further at Scripture, and see what Yahuweh's Word says.  To see whether this is true or not, we must ask two important questions:
  
  1) How can our veil, and our crown be removed?
  2) How do we prevent someone from removing our veil, and our crown?  

To answer these questions with Scripture, let us first read a very important story in (1 Kings 12:28-33), which describes how King Jeroboam decided to make two golden calves, and to implement a "substitute" Feast Day for Israel, in Beth-El, just like the one ordained by Yahuweh, except for the day of the Feast, and its location.  We are told that he devised a day "of his own heart," and called for the Feast to be celebrated on the eighth month instead of the Yahuweh-ordained seventh month, as described in Leviticus 23:34 and Numbers 29:12.  Under King Jeroboam's leadership, the entire nation was deceived, and the people walked in disobedience to Yahuweh.

We are in much the same state today.  The Kings of the religious world have devised the "eighth day" of the week in the imagination of their own hearts, as a substitute for the Yahuweh-ordained "seventh day" Sabbath Feast Day.  These modern-day Kings have even concocted a "Doctrine of Men" — a "teaching" about this substitute sabbath day, and have thus caused the people to walk in disobedience to the will of Yahuweh! 

Let's look at another item regarding our crown.  Notice the following passages:

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.   (Daniel 7:27)

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.   (Revelation 14:12)

In the above passage in Daniel, we see that the "dominion" or rule will be given to the saints.  But in the Revelation passage, we see who those "saints" are — they are those who have the Faith of Yahushua, and who allow Messiah-in-them to keep the Commandments of Yahuweh.  Again, in these verses we see that the "rule" or "crown" goes to those who are obedient.  The crown is removed by those who, by trickery and deceit, teach Yahuweh's people to be disobedient, without the people being aware of their own disobedience.

It is our disobedience — caused by the "Traditions and Commandments of Men," the teachings given by the Keepers of the Walls — that removes our veil!  
It is our disobedience — caused by a man that has taught us — that removes our crown!  Thus we are told, "... hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

Today there are many Biblical Doctrines that have been wrested, or "twisted" by giving the Scripture passages a different "spin" or paradigm, causing men to think these passages mean something different from what Scripture intends.  Just as important as the keeping of Yahuweh's Sabbaths, the teaching of the Second Commandment has likewise been obscured from the people.

The Second Commandment deals with removal of idols and idolatry from the lives of Yahuweh's children.  Today, most of the Believers have been taught by the Pastors and Leaders a "twisted" version of Scripture, to say that idols are "nothing," so that in the thinking of the majority of Believers today, the Second Commandment has no relevance.  If the Second Commandment has no relevance, what is the purpose of the following passages?  Notice the following:

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.   (1 Corinthians 10:14)

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.   (1 John 5:21)

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.   (Revelation 2:14)

Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.   (Revelation 2:20)

Beloved, if the Second commandment were not very important for us today, the above passages would not be there.  In fact, most today have their lives filled with idolatry, and they think they are simply Believers in good standing with Yahuweh, because of what their Pastors and leaders have told them.  They think that idols are not relevant, and idolatry is not relevant, because of the non-Biblical notion of 'Grace' that most evangelical Believers have embraced.

Most Pastors today are not teaching their people about the importance of avoiding idolatry.  "If we commit idolatry," as they go on to explain, "We are forgiven!"  Then they go on to say, "When Yahuweh looks at us, He does not see our sin, He sees the Blood of Yahushua."  What does Yahuweh say about such ideas?  We must warn every child of Yahuweh that has heard such teaching, to repent, and obey the Gospel of Yahushua, which was preached unto both the New Testament Disciples, and also to the Israelites in the Wilderness. 

If idols are nothing, then why are we warned to flee idolatry?  Yahushua has also warned us that two of the seven churches in Revelation had one fault: they taught the people to eat things sacrificed to idols.  Now, if idols are nothing, why did Yahushua mention it?  It is evident that Yahushua thinks as highly of the liars that teach such teachings to His people, as He does of idolaters, as they will both be excluded from the City of Yahuweh!  Beloved, Yahushua tells us who the modern-day Pastors and Teachers are, and their followers.  Observe the following warning:

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.   (1 John 2:4)

The Bible tells us they are "Liars" who "say" they know Him, but do not keep Yahuweh's Commandments!  This should be a strong enough warning to send every sincere little one to the prayer closet, to cry out for mercy and understanding, that the Light of Yahuweh’s precious Word be revealed.

Beloved Saints, we also see from Yahushua's message to the Seven Churches that some of them held the Doctrine, or teaching, of Balaam.  Let us remember what Balaam did.  Yahuweh had told him once not to go with Balak, but with a new "offer" he decided to ask Yahuweh once again, just to "confirm" things in His own mind.  After all, this is a lot of money, and even great honor that Balak is offering.   "Perhaps Yahuweh has a New Thing, whereby old things are passed away, and all things are become new," he might have mused.  Upon seeking Yahuweh for new confirmation, Yahuweh told him, "Go ahead, but say only what I tell you."  As he was going, Yahuweh almost killed him, if it had not been for Balaam’s ass, who saw the Angel of Yahuweh in the way, ready to kill Balaam with the Sword of Yahuweh. 

Beloved, most of us today have not understood the Doctrine of Balaam.  We have been told that it is greed, or avarice, and a spirit of covetousness.  Yes, those are certainly some of the "fruits" of the Doctrine of Balaam, but they are not the Doctrine itself.  The Doctrine of Balaam is actually simple, and can be observed in the actions of Balaam.  

The Doctrine of Balaam is simply the notion that, even though Yahuweh has said something once, we must hear it "again" to confirm what He has said.  Yes, Yahuweh spoke His Commandments to us once in the "Old" Testament, but we have been "taught" that we must see them once again in the "New" Testament, before we obey them.  For example, look at the following verse:

Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.   (Leviticus 19:3)

We see that the above passage is in the "Old" Testament.  We are told by Paul that we are not under the Law, but under Grace – so that when we hear teachers "wrest," or twist Paul’s words regarding the subject, we have not noticed.  After all, the Scriptures tell us that we do not want to go back under the 'bondage of the Law,' as did the Galatian Church (this idea is simply another wresting of what the Scripture means). 

With that in mind, let us notice the following truth.  Yahuweh has told us once, and again elsewhere, that we are to fear, and honor, our mother and father.  But we have been taught to look in the New Testament to see whether it is repeated by Yahushua, before we obey.  "Well, Yahushua repeated it, it must be for us."  Thus we have been "trained" to split Leviticus 19:3 apart, — to keep the first half of the verse, and discard the second half.  Never mind that there are fifteen occurrences of the phrase "My Sabbaths" in the Old Testament, and only three references to honoring of father and mother! 

Most would agree that one must use caution to discern what is part of the shadow, and what is part of the fulfillment, of the Old Covenant.  However, this requirement that we must hear a commandment repeated in the New Testament, in order for us to obey it, is a Classic example of the "Doctrine of Balaam" mentioned in the warning in the Book of Revelation! The Doctrine of Balaam is in operation in this generation, in our own congregations! 

Thus we have forgotten that the New Covenant is not one of Commandment, but of love!  We could say the same about the subject of idolatry, and of many others.  However, in this writing we will simply restate Yahuweh’s overall intention for the New Covenant.

We must remember, under the Old Covenant we are commanded to love Yahuweh, with the penalty of death as our motive for doing so.  However, under the New Covenant, or Everlasting Covenant, we are not compelled to obey.  We do so because of a new motive – one of love.  Thus we see that love is stronger than death, as a motive for obedience.  We obey Him, and do what we know pleases our Lord, because we love Him, and we do so because He has given us the understanding, desire, and ability – by His Grace – to do so.  Under the New Covenant, we simply choose whom we will serve, whom we will be married (betrothed ) to, and then set out to find out, to learn, and then to do, by His Grace and virtue, what is His will, and do what pleases Him. 

We have the entire "Old" Covenant from which to learn exactly what pleases our Master, and also what He hates.  Father's delight, and His pleasure, are all tied in with the "mystery" of His will.

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