My Analysis/Response of Stephen Bohr’s Comments on Tithing
Comments made by Stephen [Bohr] in his audio are indented. My analysis and response is not indented.
Numbers 18:26: “Even the priests tithed”.
This text says that Levites tithed. Notice, the purpose in verse 26 is stated, “for your inheritance”. This text does not say, for your “spiritual service” to the people. The truth is, priests never tithed. Landowners (and no one else) gave tithe (food) to the Levites (and no one else). Levites then gave a tithe of that tithe to the priests, as indicated in Nu 18:26. Therefore, priests received 10% of 10% (or 1%). If Stephen [Bohr] is correct, that priests tithed, this verse doesn’t support it, as he claims it does. And, the most natural question would soon follow, to whom did the priests pay tithe? Notice Stephen [Bohr] didn’t name to whom priests tithed. There is no answer because priests never tithed, nor were they required to tithe. Since Stephen [Bohr] s’ statement is not true, he has broken the law in my opinion.
Matt 23:23: “Jesus taught the tithe in the New Testament”.
Notice in this verse, than even in Jesus’ time, the tithe was food, not money. The New Covenant begins where Jesus says it does, at Luke 22:19-20. Here Jesus says, “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me… This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”. The NT starts at Christ’s sacrifice. Today, we do not observe the Jewish Passover like Jesus did. Instead, we correctly observe Communion. Why? Because the NT starts at the exact moment Jesus cried, “it is finished”. At that moment every priest lost their job and any right they had to the tithe. (And, no one has any right to re-establish a law Christ died to abolish). Also, any perceptive student of the bible will notice, Jesus never tithed. He couldn’t. He wasn’t qualified. He was a carpenter, not a landowner. Since Stephen [Bohr] teaches the NT starts with Matt 1:1, he is teaching error.
1Co 9:13-14: “There’s a tithing principle here”. “Paul was saying he had a right to receive tithes”.
This verse does not say tithe. It reinforces the principle of giving. Notice that Stephen [Bohr] did not read down to verse 18 “What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not make full use of my right in the gospel”. It says Paul didn’t charge. It doesn’t say that Paul didn’t collect the food tithe he was entitled. (Paul wouldn’t be qualified anyway). Ministers avoid verse 18 because unlike Paul, they do charge. Also, this text clearly states Paul preached the gospel (vs. 14), not the law (which would include tithing). The gospel is one of faith giving in love, not mandatory tithing under fear.
In regard to the Levites, after having read the scripture that it was food, Stephen [Bohr] stated, “they lived on this money”.
The contradiction and adding to God’s word is clear and obvious here. Stephen [Bohr] clearly reads that the tithe is food, and then states the Levites lived on this “money”. Again, the tithe was food (not money) coming from the Promised Land (not wages) of Israel. There is no scripture that tells us a worker is or should be tithing money of their wages.
Remember, 1Chron 24 indicates Levites only worked around the temple two weeks per year (in shifts), It’s common knowledge that the rest of the time Levites held other money making jobs. Remember, they were forbidden from owning land but not forbidden to have a money making enterprise. You can imagine there were a lot more Levites than there were temple jobs available. King David had them serving in the government.
Since Stephen [Bohr] changed the law of tithing to say “money”, he has broken the law by making statements God did not make.
Stephen [Bohr] said the tree of knowledge of good and evil was forbidden for Adam and Eve’s consumption and is equivalent to and is indicative of the tithe. Therefore, taking tithe is like taking the forbidden fruit. (My wording of what I heard him say, not an exact quote).
I was surprised to hear Stephen [Bohr] preach allegorically, since the Catholic Church uses allegory to supplant the literal bible text on some occasions. Since it’s hypocritical to fault someone when you yourself practice it, Stephen [Bohr] has broken the law.
The problem with allegorical teaching is that the bible text becomes putty in the hands of the teacher. The text could really be saying anything the teacher wants it to say. And, you then need the gifted teacher to “unlock” the “hidden” and “significant” meaning of the text, which is really in “code”. Would you like for me to do it? It’s actually kind of fun. Here’s my allegorical teaching of this text (and I’m making this up as I go along). The tree of knowledge of good and evil is the bible. The bible, like the tree, contains knowledge of good (which is the law) and evil (which is sin). Therefore, what’s really being taught here (and I understand it because I’ve unlocked its secret) is that no one should take away from God’s word. And I believe that Stephen [Bohr] has both added to and taken away from God’s word. The tree of life is like Christ. Christ hung on a tree (Gal 3:12). Just like Adam got separated from the tree of life and died, so we will die spiritually if we get separated from the crucifixion of Christ. Tithing under the law as a sacrifice, in effect, replaces the sacrifice of Christ on the cross/tree and thus separates from life. And, since Stephen [Bohr] correctly stated in another video that there was only ONE sacrifice, we better get that one sacrifice right.
Do you see how allegorical teaching is dangerous? Why is Stephen [Bohr] ’s allegory better than mine? The answer of who is right resides in what the bible really teaches and when it comes to doctrine, I think we all should be very careful not to build it on allegory.
The tithe originated in Gen 14:18-20.
The tithe didn’t originate with Abraham. Like circumcision, the practice of giving 10% can be found in other races. Besides, the bible states very clearly what is owed on spoils of war (Num 31:27-28) and it’s not 10%. Abraham did a lot of things, like giving away his wife. We don’t establish eternal laws simply because Abraham did it. There really are rules and guidelines for interpreting scripture and when they are ignored bad ideas happen. Most people and many “ministers” have no idea what they are. In this case, Stephen [Bohr] has broken them. Also, there is more than one tithe in the bible and Stephen [Bohr] only selects one of them, while curiously leaving out the others.
"Christians like to say tithing is for the Jews".
Christians parrot what their pastors teach them and pastors teach tithing is for everyone. Both SDA and Evangelicals are wrong on this point. One can only assume why they would both come to the same incorrect conclusion…possibly the love of money that Stephen [Bohr] talked about? If so, Stephen [Bohr] has broken the law. The truth is, Gentiles were strictly forbidden from tithing and you won’t find a single example in the bible of it happening. In order to tithe you had to own Promised Land and Gentiles were forbidden. It would have been a heinous and shirt-ripping thought! Just the opposite is true. The foreigner was allowed to participate in eating the tithe. Why? Because, like the widow and orphan, they didn’t have any land. When Stephen [Bohr] advocates everyone tithe according to the law, he is actually breaking the law.
In 1Kings 17 the widow tithed to Elijah the prophet.
Widows were tithe receivers, not tithe givers. This teaching invites the conclusion that widows should tithe and that is in direct opposition to scripture. Nowhere does this text indicate tithe. Elijah, if he received tithe as a prophet, would have his prophet title stripped and replaced with thief. Prophets didn’t receive tithe. Levites received tithe. What the widow gave was a gift in faith and it was a beautiful thing for her to do. However, it was not tithe. Technically speaking, Stephen [Bohr] is advocating breaking the law here and since he loves the law so much he’ll have it measured back to him in full weight.
Who would not want to be sponsored by Bill Gates if he said he’d let you keep 90% of the profits?
If God is like Bill Gates, then it would sound more like this: Bill found out you owed more money than you could ever pay back. So, he paid it off for you. Not only did he wipe out your debt, he stuffed your wallet with assets. Isn’t Bill nice? Bill is so rich, he doesn’t need your financial aid and isn’t asking for it. I hear he paved his driveway in gold. If you believe what he has done for you is true, go and do the same for others. This deal is so incredible it sells itself. Remember, no bully or fear tactics allowed. That’s not the way Bill does business. If you do business this way, no matter how profitable you become, Bill’s going to come back and demand you pay him back (which you can’t do). Love Bill and love his family. If you need math to help you do this, you don’t love Bill or his family.
Notice in Stephen [Bohr] s hypothetical, the natural conclusion is that he and his organization are Bill’s collection agents. He’s not saying you’ll be cursed if you don’t pay up. But, accidents happen… right? God doesn’t use thugs or veiled threats to collect protection money.
It’s my conclusion that Stephen [Bohr] is a law breaker. He breaks the law of tithing, and by collecting tithe on Sabbatical years, is breaking the Sabbath as well. He not only breaks the law, but cheers others on to do the same. Stephen [Bohr] , as a staunch advocate of the law who desires and invites others to be under the law, presumably will be happy to receive everything the law mandates for breaking it.
Christ isn’t like training wheels, for us to use until we can learn to ride the law without Him. As for me, I’ll stick with the simplicity of Christ and place faith in His atoning work on the cross. 2 Corinthians 11:3 ( NASB ) 3But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
PLEASE NOTE: This audio can be found at the Stephen
Bohr audio site - 'Select
'Cracking the Genesis Code' then select #30.
Additional Comments on June 22, 2008
Have you heard of Dr. Russell Earl Kelly? He can be Googled. He really changed my understanding on tithing. Honestly, most of my thoughts on tithing were grounded a couple of years ago using his material. Ironically, he is blind too. I just can't say enough good things about him. He helped me more than any other 10 preachers put together and didn't ask for a dime.
Justin is my friend's name at work. I'm 46 and he's probably 32 yrs old, or something like that. He's only been SDA for the last 2-3 years. His wife brought him into it. What I've discovered through him is that SDAs are very thoughtful and analytical. Justin is one of the brightest young men I've met. In a way, they remind me of some of my Methodist family (on my father's side). They are so "methodical" they sort of out smart themselves. I remind Justin all the time, yes... it's good to do all this analysis, but if you don't get the basics right, it's of no value. Remember, at the end of the day, you "must become like children"...so it can't be that complicated! lol.
The other day I was visiting with Justin...and he's very much into prophecy (no surprise, right?). I asked him where he thought the root and basis for prophecy was located. He speculated Daniel. I asked him if he was acquainted with the 4 covenants God mentioned in the bible, which are all unilateral and unconditional promises God made. He had no idea. That really helped me understand his situation. He knows a lot of details but has no idea how to ground them.
Thank you for the Stephen Bohr contact information and rest easy...nothing ever scares me....
Stacey
Hello,
I wish I knew who had written this message. It was EXCELLENT and one that I
fully endorse and advocate.
When I read the first line of your message, my mind was unclear about the video
that you were speaking of. So, I went to my video section to look for it, then
when I heard the name Stephan Bohr, I knew immediately that it must have been
in one of his audio sermons...which I still have to find and remove it from
my collection.
Stephen is only teaching what the Church teaches and rthis is NOT the only
area in which he is great;y mistaken in.
Back to Titining. Most preachers today point to Malachi 3:10 as the cardinal
text by which we should live. When in fact a closer look at this chapter and
verse read in it's full context will see that this is a warning to the PRIESTS
who were taking the best offerrings from the people, for themselves and enriching
themselves by this theft. In their place they were sacrificing spotted or even
lame lambs, which the Lord had strickly forbidden. I have a very good article
on this at this link: http://www.a4t.org/Sermons/Misc/hevener-tithing.html
I went to lunch and have just come back and while I had a chance, I looked
for that Bohr audio that you brought to me attention. And yes, I'll admit that
it was there after all! I have now place a little note next to the Title: 'Warning
- NOT Doctrinally Sound'. I may even include a link to your letter which I
hope to post in the Letters Section...
I can only wonder and assume that you are also wise to the falsity of Ellen
White not being am Inspired person. Frankly, I am only recently waking up to
many Truths which I too have ignorantly allowed to slide right past me. I recently
came upon a very fascinating Bible verse - Deut. 18:20, which has totally changed
my perspective and has also strengthened my faith in God. It didn't take me
long to easily conclude that acording to the standards given to Moses by God
Himself, Ellen White would have been stoned to death had she had the misfortune
of living in those days. This is clearly brought out in Deut Chapter 13.
I consequently wrote an article called Inspired or NOT inspired? which I hope
will wake some dear folks up.
Probably the biggest facet to my new understandings came from my studies into
the death and resurrection of Christ and that there was no possible way that
it could have occured as were taught and told in the Desire of Ages. This became
very evident as I compared what Scripture had to say with what Ellen White
THOUGHT that Scripture said.
Today, I have been studying about the changes in our caledar which providea
for the Roman Catholic Church to easily potray the resurrection of Christ on
a Sunday and thus proof of an Easter Sunday. If you are interested in this
fascinating study, read here: The Sabbath: When Is It? 12 Criteria of the TRUE
Crucifixion & Resurrection Dates. In fact if you go to the section where
this article came from WWW.a4t.org/Brown/ you will find a host of artilcles
that will show conclusively that Friday was NOT the Crucifixion day and neither
was Sunday the resurrection day.
In fact was is scarier yet is the realization that if we are really concerned
about God's TRUE day of rest, Today, is NOT it !!! I can't say any more because
that is where I was at when I started responding to your email. All I need
to do now is to look at a calendar that shows the phases of the Moon and I
will be set.
I am sure that my response may have surprised you, just know that there are
still people that believe in God as He wants us to...not as a Church directs
us to.
Thank you so much for your most kind letter of rebuke, it's a pattern by which
I can judge my own future letters which in the past have been far more reproachful.
Your Brother in Christ,
Bob De La Torre
fURTHER rESPONSE - June 22, 2008
Greetings Stacey,
I am certainly glad that you cleared up who I was writing to! That could have been rather embarrassing!
There was much more that I later wish I had added. In a sense, you could say I am an Adventist. I was brought up and attended their schools. I turned in my membership a few years ago when I was awakened to the Truth as it is in Jesus alone. But yes, my family remains Adventist and sometimes I think this will be their final choice. The reason my site is called Adventist4Truth is because that is how it began in the mid to late 1990s. In a way you can understand that as an Adventist, I am still trying to stand up to all the errors that have crept in. I am certain that ever since I took the stand to show how Ellen White was NOT an Inspired person that I have lost many site viewers, because I do not hesitate to tell them if they ever write, as you discovered.
I have to wonder if the friend that you were originally dealing with wasn't DL? She wrote to me not too long ago about a missing or mislinked sermon on Stephen Borh's audio sermons. I wrote to her and gave her Bohr’s information. I think it was yesterday or possible the day before that I received a reply to my response to her. It was rather curt and rude, obviously she was shaken by some of the things that I wrote. I can say this with no regret, that Adventist are among the most easily deceived people in this world. I think there is one key word for this malady. Ellen White. If a position is taken that does not acknowledge her inspiration, one might as well be talking to a stone object...that is why I call her the Golden Calf of Adventism!
Stacey, I could probably write more, but my eyes are getting tired and the day is yet young. I am a legally blind (juat a nicer way of saying i cannot see) man and I know that in a few minutes my wife will be calling me to start my daily dialysis treatment, so that is partly why I am hurrying and forgetting things that I wanted to say to you. I was overjoyed to see a response from you this morning and I sure hope that nothing that I have said has or will scare you from writing back. My website is about TRUTH, much of it that is missing from Adventist pulpits, like teaching a Trinity...
Here is Stephen Bohr's demographic info:
Secrets Unsealed –– Stephen
P. Bohr
PO Box 6545
Fresno CA 93703-6545
(559) 264-2300
(559) 233-4266 fax
info@secretsunsealed.org
http://www.secretsunsealed.com
I corresponded with him several years ago about the True day of Christ's crucifixion and he doesn't or will not get the importance of it. His email address then was: pastorbohr@secretsunsealed.org
Your Brother in Christ,
Bob De La Torre