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THE TRINITY
THE SINS OF JEROBOAM
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2King 17:22 declares, “And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he had committed, — they turned not away therefrom.” What were the sins of the King Jeroboam and how are the majority of Christians committing these same sins today? King Jeroboam, a righteous man who was anointed by Yahweh, added two additional Gods to please the Israelites, thereby having three Gods; One God (Yahweh) in Jerusalem, One God in Bethel and One God in Dan. Sounds familiar? The sons of Adam, have always desired multiple gods as history has shown. Yahweh led Abram and Sarai into the wilderness, away from the gods of their father, becoming their One and Only Elohim. What do we have today? Yahweh has been erased from the scriptures replacing him with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit; the Trinity, three in one.
The phrase, “the sins of Jeroboam,” is used thirteen times in the scriptures. Why did Jeroboam make two additional Gods? 1 Kings 12:26-33 tells the story; “And Jeroboam said in his heart, — Now, shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh, in Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people return unto their lord, unto Rehoboam, king of Judah, — and they will slay me, and return unto Rehoboam, king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, — and said unto them — It is, too much for you, to go up to Jerusalem, Lo! thy gods, O Israel, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt; And he set the one in Bethel, — and, the other, put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin, — and the people went before the one, as far as Dan. And he made a house of high-places, — and made priests from the whole compass of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam made a festival in the eight month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival which was held in Judah, and offered up on the altar, likewise, did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made, — and he kept in attendance in Bethel, the priests of the high-places which he had made. And he offered up on the altar which he had made in Bethel, on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month which he had devised out of his own heart, — thus made he a festival for the sons of Israel, and offered up on the altar, to make a perfume.” Traveling to Jerusalem three times a year, as required by Yahweh, was a time consuming trip for the northern tribes. Nazareth to Jerusalem is a 90 mile trip; a three day journey; Dan was an additional 10 miles. Did the Israelites rebuke King Jeroboam for attempting to break the Laws of Yahweh, whereby the men were required to go to Jerusalem three times a year and the first Commandment was, “I, am Yahweh thy God, — who have brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servants: — Thou shalt not have other gods, besides me. Thou shalt not make to thee an image, or any form, that is in the heavens above, — or that is in the earth beneath, — or that is in the waters, beneath the earth: thou shalt not bow thyself down to them, nor be led to serve them — For, I, Yahweh, thy God, am a jealous GOD…(Ex. 20:2-5)?” No! The Festival of Booths, which was in the seventh month, fifteenth day, was a harvest festival of seven days of Rejoicing. Israelites wanted this festival so Jeroboam gave them one, but changed the date to the eighth month and changed the location from Jerusalem to Bethel and Dan, which pleased the Israelites. The sins of Jeroboam were so ingrained into their culture that when Jehu was anointed King, by Yahweh, that he destroyed the house of Ahab and destroyed the Baal worship but left the gods in Bethel and Dan.
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