The Dirty Toilet
Hi Everyone,
I hope all is well. Today I am writing about a topic that we all know. However if the Lord is giving me a vision to share, then it is something that carries importance. The topic is sin. We come to the Lord, just as we are, but he does not want us to remain that way. He is the potter and we are the clay. He wants to mold and shape us into his image. I received several visions but this is the one he would have me share:
The Vision
The Dirty Toilet
The vision was simple. I saw a white porcelain toilet with streaks on the inside of the bowl and filthy water standing in it. I knew immediately that this vision was about sin and all the various forms of it. There were two short phrases that came to mind as I saw the vision:
“I detest the offal of your sacrifices,” (Malachi 2:3)
“the filth of your adulteries.” (Revelation 17:4)
In the Bible the word offal refers to the internal organs of an animal, and all the body parts that were not acceptable: the skin, the head, the dung etc.) The following reference comes from Biblegateway:
5172 OFFAL
The internal organs of an animal, traditionally regarded as being inferior to meat, and used as a symbol of disgrace.
Offal is symbolic of disgrace Mal 2:3 See also Na 3:6
In animal sacrifices the offal was removed and burnt outside the camp Ex 29:14 See also Lev 4:11-12; Lev 8:17; Lev 16:27; Nu 19:3-5,5
Jesus Christ bears the believer’s disgrace Heb 13:11-13
“I detest the offal of your sacrifices”
This phrase that uses the word “offal,” was found in Malachi 2:3. The Lord was angry with the priests for their sins against him, and against his temple. The priests were to be set apart as holy to the Lord, and for ministering to the Lord in his holy temple. No one other than the priests was allowed to come before God in the tabernacle.
Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”
Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, for all the firstborn are Mine.” Numbers 3:9-11
However the priests greatly disappointed and angered the Lord for their lack of reverence due his name.
“And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. Malachi 2:1-3
What a powerful statement he made against the priests. Certainly, the fear of God should have come upon them. “Dung” was detestable and was to be burned outside the camp along with the offal. But the blood of the animal was for the atonement for sin.
But the bull, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp; as Yahweh commanded Moses. Leviticus 8:17
The dirty toilet in the vision is also detestable, like the dung and the offal that was to be burned outside the camp. The Lord declared that as they dishonored him with their sacrifices that did not bring him honor, he cursed them and their offspring and told them that they would be removed.
Just as the priests were unfaithful to God, I believe that the church can also be unfaithful to him. I believe that the Lord is grieved over the sin in the church. For the dirty toilet represents sin.
“The filth of your adulteries”
When I looked up the second phrase that had come to mind, it was found in the Book of Revelation regarding the harlot that sat upon the beast:
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
Babylon the Great the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. Revelation 17:4-6
Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes refers to Israel, and in particular the Parisees and teachers of the Law, for it was Jesus’ message to John in the bood of Revelation that held her (Israel, the Mother of Prostitutes) to be responsible for the blood of God’s holy people, those who declared Jesus to be the Messiah. Persecution came at the direction of the leaders in Jerusalem who beheaded John the Baptist, crucified the Lord and then killed his half brother James the Just, who was the leader of the Church in Jerusalem. Jesus said of Jerusalem:
“But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Luke 13:32-34
“The filth of her adulteries” refers to all the unfaithful acts, motives and profiting that came as a result of the thousands who gave their tithes, and offerings to the temple. Jerusalem was probably one of the most wealthy of cities in the Roman empire, (“the whole world”), at the time.
Jesus took issue with the temple “money changers,” for he considered them thieves, robbing the Gentiles of their court to worship God, and making money selling animals to those who have traveled a great distance. Everyone in the town prospered from the visitors who came to the many yearly feasts. Jerusalem’s Temple was truly a wealth producing enterprise. Even the position of High Priest was given to the highest bidder.
Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet, prophesied of the judgment that was coming against the leaders and priests of Israel when the Lord would visit them on “the Day of the Lord.” All that he prophesied came to pass in AD 70 when he came in the clouds, bringing judgment and destruction to the temple, ending the sacrificial system of worship, once and for all. Can you hear the Lord’s heart in this next passage?
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.” Malachi 1:10
Jesus spoke of this same judgment coming upon the leaders and people of Israel when they failed to recognize his Lordship. One entire chapter of the Bible was devoted to Jesus pronouncing seven “Woes,” against “this generation,” of Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees.
What did the Lord have against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law? What were they doing? What were their motives? Their attitudes towards him? Let’s see what he had to say, that brought him to the point where he declared that “all the blood shed from Abel to Zechariah would be held against that generation! Read carefully – do we do the same things today?
Jesus’ Introduction to Pronouncement of Woes
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to help them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:1-12
Woes of Judgment (Chapter 23 of Matthew)
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and self-indulgence.
”Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Matthew 23:13-36
Jesus’ Declaration of the Desolation of the Temple
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Matthew 23:37-38
The Lord’s wrath burn against the priests Pharisees and scribes. He expected them to fear his name, and since they did not, he judged them, promising their imminent destruction, along with those of their generation who were in agreement. Malachi’s prophecy, and the Lord’s judgment were fulfilled in AD 70, when he came in the clouds with power and his righteous indignation!
Now let us consider the dirty toilet. This was not the first vision the Lord gave me concerning sin in the church.
“Water, Water Everywhere”
Several years ago, the Lord gave me a dream that I wrote about and posted entitled “Water, Water Everywhere.” It was about sin in the church. In the dream, there was water coming out from the ceiling lights in the Church’s office entry. There was also dirty water found in a bathtub, located in a hall closet, and urine covering the women’s restroom floor. The church secretary wore a chiffon dress with bare feet completely ignoring the urine on the floor. And when I suggested that she should wash her feet, she ignored me. The pastor was not concerned about the dirty water in a bathtub, in the hall closet. And, it was only when he saw water coming from the ceiling light fixtures that he said with a deadpan voice, “Now that’s bad.”
The church is numb, unaware, or does not care that there is sin in the house. There is no fear of God. For them to completely ignore sin, and refuse to deal with it, shows that there must be deception involved. The Holy Spirit should bring conviction of sin so that the believer repents and returns to God. But if sin is given place, then the door remains open to the devil. Demons look for open doors, opportunities for them “to steal, to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10)
Demons use deception to manipulate, and cause confusion. They tempt people to sin and continue to sin rather than repent. Because of the fear of exposure, fear of loss, shame, guilt, and condemnation, some people hide or rationalize their sin.
Sin that remains unconfessed sin, causes sickness, and mental and emotional issues, leading to spiritual and physical death. We know that those who practice sin will find themselves in the lake of fire which is called “the second death.”
What motives do they have that would cause them to sweep the dirt under the carpet? Or not clean the toilet?
When someone comes under the influence of darkness, they cannot think straight, or make sound judgments. The voices they hear, the thoughts they have, may not be not their own. They can be deceived to believe that all is right, between themselves and God. But at somepoint the “god” they serve may be an angel of light rather than the one true God.
Deception is “undetectable,” to the person who is deceived. But if the deceived is a leader in the church, he has the opportunity to deceive many. If we are not born again, and have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, and a knowledge of the Word of Truth, then we can easily be persuaded, by “every wind of doctrine.”
How often do we see in the gospels and the letters to the churches to be wary of false teachers and false prophets who come “as wolves in sheep’s clothing,” (Matthew 7:15) or “as angels of light.”
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
The Leaders of our churches have been commissioned by God to instruct the church.
And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13
I would not be writing this if it were not an issue. But the Lord is concerned for our churches and our leaders. Of course, not every church has this problem. But we need to know the Bible for ourselves so that we can distinguish false teaching from sound doctrine. The word tells us that “everyone will be held accountable, for God has made his will known to all of us. He declares that man has no excuse:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20
Jesus made a way for us to live for him. He offered up his body as a sin offering once for all, so that we can be forgiven of our sins and can live in victory over our sinful nature. But we have to be willing to repent, when we do sin. And we have to be able to put to death our desires to fulfill what our flesh wants in preference to doing the Lord’s will. Yet, we know that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Romans 3:10
But the Lord wants us to be holy and obedient to him, desiring above all things to please him. He gave us this command:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15
Probably the weakness that our leaders and all people for that matter, fall into is hypocrisy. Saying one thing but doing another. Wanting to be honored, loved, or accepted can become a snare. If we give into this weakness, having the fear of man, we then put God in a lesser position of importance. We can put on airs or make sure that people see us in the best light. This dishonors God and deceives people.
“These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.” Matthew 15:8
We dishonor God when we seek to honor ourselves.
Hypocrisy was the Pharisees’ sin that was most evident to Jesus. Isn’t this the same sin that we find in some of the churches today? Are we teaching one thing but doing another?
“Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:17-24
The Lord knows that man is sinful, and what was common in the past is common today. As the Lord clearly spelled out his grievances against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, bringing swift judgment on that generation, we should take note, and learn to please him.
The question may arise in our hearts, “Is it possible that the Lord would “remove the lampstands” of those churches and leaders who depart from true faith, or allow sin to continue in the body of Christ when it is known?
We need not look further than to the letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation, (Chapters 2 & 3). Jesus tells John to write to each of the seven churches a message specifically tailored to each one. Jesus spells out clearly by warning the churches to repent and to “return to their first love.” Jesus wanted the churches to be earnest and to do the things they did at first. He commended them for their patience and their faithfulness in spite of persecution and suffering. He held out rewards for those who would persevere under trial, and he warned others that he would “remove their lampstand,” if they were not faithful to the end. To some, he warned them of their “lukewarm” attitude towards him. He even spoke to one church of his coming to “fight against them with the sword of his mouth.”
Some churches received praise and no rebuke. Others received warnings of their unfaithfulness and what may come of them if they did not repent and do the things they did at first. There will be judgment for all. The Lord will separate the sheep from the goats and the believing from the unbelieving. Whether the Lord comes “in the clouds” bringing judgment against our nation, our churches, or our leaders, like he came to Jerusalem, is for him alone to decide. We should simply know that if we surrender to the Lord’s will, acknowledge his Lordship over our lives, and be obedient to his commands, we will be found faithful.
It is our desire, not just for ourselves but for our churches, our leaders, our families and friends, that we will all hear these important words:
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master!” Matthew 25:23
Please take this message to heart. Pray for our leaders, and all those in the body of Christ. Pray for our churches that they remain true to the word of God, and that false doctrine, and sin is exposed. Pray for yourselves and for all people to know him. Let us all repent for our sins and ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to live for him.
God bless you all! Please share this post with others who need to know, and will appreciate the Lord’s warning to his churches.
