The Commonwealth of Israel

The Spirit of the Holy Ghost that Governed the First Church at Jerusalem as One Family of Faith

The family of Israel are all living in common, as one family of God, no one calling aught his own.  The earth and the fullness thereof are the Lord's, and are we not heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ?  Did he not say, the meek should inherit the earth? --- that He should come the second time without sin unto salvation, (Heb. 9-28), and reign with them on earth, (Rev. 5-10).  It is also written, he that overcometh shall inherit all things (Rev. 21-7), and they shall become priests and kings, being able to judge angels' principalities and powers.  There shall be 144,000 of the Sons of God, Jesus himself being first-born among many brethren, (Rom. 8-29), and they are to be the Capitol City, the transparent city of the new creation of God, redeemed from among men.  And the nations, i.e., the remnant that shall be saved in body, called the aliens, or the Mount of Esau, which shall be glorious, and shall bring their honor and glory into it (Rev. 21-24).

This Elect number are now being gathered, according to the Scriptures, who shall come up out of the land and appoint unto themselves one head, for great shall be the day of Jezreel (Hosea 1-11).  Now, these being one family of God, why should they not live as one family?  But to this, many of the world in their selfishness object; but, is it not according to the Scriptures, foreordained from before the foundation of the world ?  Have we not been given ensembles and object lessons confirmed by His Word, all for us upon whom the end has come? (1Corinth. 10-11).

As the first man, Adam, was a type of Him who was to come, we see even they lived as one family in the garden of Eden, and without selfishness ate of all the trees of the garden freely, a type of what is to come; for the first shall be last, and the last first (Matt. 19-30).  As we trace down the line we see that it was the plan of God that there should be a perfect brotherhood with the children of Israel, even while in the fall, which came through the transgression of the perfect Law of Liberty, from which they fell.  It was after the transgression that they came under the curse, to labor and make their living by the sweat of their face, etc.  It was through Cain, the firstborn in the fall, that selfishness, envy and strife arose, and while laboring in the field Cain rose up in envy of the devil and slew his brother Abel; and from the descendants of Cain, the firstborn of the crime (which caused the fall) came division, selfishness and strife among the children of the disobedient, till wickedness waxed so great, that the flood came over the earth.  But, as righteousness was found in Noah, they were divinely favored, and God protected and provided for them as one family of God.

No selfishness could have entered the Ark of God, therefore they lived as one chosen family, no one calling aught his own.  All shared alike, and God blessed them; and as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24-37).  Therefore Israel as one family of God must be gathered together, and enter the Ark of protection, in order to escape the coming deluge, which shall soon be poured out upon the wicked, according to Scriptures.  And did He not also set a type in Abraham, in whom all nations of the earth should be blessed, but all in their respective order ?  God being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from whom sprang the children of Israel, who became great in number, but all in the main of one family.  After Joseph was sold into Egypt, a sore famine arose, but by Divine Providence, Joseph found favor with the king of Egypt, and corn was saved up against the day of famine, for Israel's sake; and when they came into the land of Egypt, were they not provided for as one chosen family?

Long since, Moses was raised up to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt as one family; who did not leave all they had in Egypt with the Egyptians; no, but to the contrary, they took all they had with them, and on their journey through the wilderness they all lived as one family, all sharing alike, all provided for equally, alike, both small and great.  Even when the Manna was sent, it was gathered in equal proportions; so all shared alike as one family.  And in the dispensations of time, wherever division took place or selfishness arose, it will always be found, that it was when they departed from the Lord.  And when Jesus came upon earth, His teaching and life was upon clear grounds, pertaining to a Kingdom of perfect love, all dwelling in the perfect unity of the Spirit, and all selfishness put to an end.  His teaching was the Fatherhood and Brotherhood in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.  And when the young man came to Jesus to know what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, and though he had great possessions, Jesus loved him, and told him to keep the Commandments, and he said, All these things have I kept from my youth up.  But, Jesus said, One thing lackest thou yet, which was to sell all that he hath and give to the poor and follow Him.

Now Beloveds, let us take all scripture in harmony; two points I wish to consider here, i.e., What poor did Jesus allude to, and how was he to follow Him ?  The Word tells us to follow Him through the regeneration (Matt.19-28), and follow whithersoever the Spirit leadeth (Rev. 14-4).  The poor are the flock of Israel, the worthy poor, the children of the one family of God; poor in this world's goods, but rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom (James 2-5), because the Scriptures tell us of the ungodly who consume it upon their lust, etc.  All that the world has is only entrusted to them to see what they will do with it, or how they will use it.  And it stands a proof that they do not use it to the honor and glory of God, as Scripture shows, and Jesus said, All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers (John 10-8).

The world with the pride of life, and the lust of the eyes, shall pass away; but he that doeth the will of My Father shall abide forever (Matt 7-21), and the meek shall inherit the earth.  We are to enter into the Spirit of the Kingdom of God, which is to come.  Therefore lay up your treasures in Heaven, which means to say, bring it with you for the Lord's use, who is now gathering His people, Israel, that they may be taken back over into the new world, as this earth shall return back to its Eden state, and as THE ELECT ARE TO INHERIT THE EARTH, HE COMES TO REIGN WITH THEM UPON EARTH (Revelation 20-6).

The earth shall bring forth sevenfold, and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit thereof, and instead of the brier shall grow up the myrtle tree,  and the desert shall bloom in roses.

Now in this time of the end, the days are shortened for the elect's sake, or no flesh would be saved, but, for the elect's sake He hath shortened the days of the Old World.  And now in this time of preparation for the return of Christ to earth and His reign of 1000 years, THE SABBATH DAY, He requires that we live in harmony with the Divine plan, even as was shown by the Apostles of Christ upon Pentecost.  ALL sold their possessions and laid it at the Apostle's feet (which signified their understanding of the family circle in Israel), these being chosen of God to sell their possessions, giving it freely unto the Apostles, leaving it to their understanding for to use it to the honor and glory of God, all coming into the unity of Faith as one family, no man calling aught his own, because it was for the common use of the family of Christ.  But, in the event of keeping anything back for selfish purposes it was displeasing to God, as an object lesson was given in Ananias and Sapphira, who kept back part of the price of the land, and lied to the Holy Ghost.  They lost their lives.  It was hidden leaven, and they tried to deceive the Holy Ghost.  The purchased possession of our inheritance is, first, the life of the body, for which we must pay the price, and no single gaze can compass its lovely proportions; no prophecy of the Scripture is of a private interpretation (2 Peter 1-20).

PROVE ALL THINGS, and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thess. 5-21).  We do not ask you to jump at quick conclusions, but follow on through the Word of Truth which is delivered unto you, till you are fully persuaded in your own minds; then, hold fast and let no man take your crown.  Follow on step-by-step, up into the temple of Wisdom.  But as the time is now short, we would advise you to improve the time, and prove all things by the Word of Truth rightly divided between the old world and the new.

Speaking of the unity of faith in the Spirit of Truth, and the love that binds the family of Israel into the singular purpose of the work of Godliness, the eternal nature of Eden's Tree of Life, Jesus said, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee.  Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name, those whom Thou hast given me, that they may be one , as we are one.  I have given them Thy Word; and the world hateth them because they are not of the world.  I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on Me through their word; that they may be one; as Thou Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they may also be one in us (John 17, 11-21).  And the glory Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.

An article written by Brother Benjamin Purnell for the Shiloh Messenger of Wisdom in answer to many inquiries into the Apostolic, communal order of the Seventh Church, The Israelite House of David.  Here it is presented in an abridged form with several minor amendments from the Secretary of the Reorganized Israelite community of the present day, R. James Taylor.