The full title of this paper is "The Cain Theory of Modern Christian Worship."  This paper goes a little more into the idea of worshipping YHWH correctly.  It had never crossed my mind in the past, but many of the things we do in the Christian faith are so grounded in pagan origins that we don't even see it anymore.  Satan does not have to get us to worship him...he just has to get our eyes and our heart off of God to win.  By minimizing God's importance in our everyday life and even making our days of worship seem more about us than Him, Satan wins the battle of getting you to drift away from serious praise and worship of God, and we can not afford that.  The Cain Theory suggests what God may think of our worship habits these days in the modern western gentile church.  Cain did it wrong when he made his offerings, and God did not accept it.  Is He accepting yours?

Within a few years of Eve’s transgression, she and Adam’s children were tainted by YHWH’s pronouncement of death generated by their act.  In Genesis 4:8(b), the Bible presents its second documented case of murder when it records "...and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."  But the question that begs being answered is, "Why did Cain kill Able?"

 Cain and Abel, in Genesis 4:3, brought offerings to the Lord.  Although we aren’t given the specifics in the Bible, we know that YHWH had revealed to them exactly how He wanted these offerings to be given.  YHWH must have instructed them on what to do.  We know from Genesis 3:21 that YHWH made for Adam and Eve coats of skins with which to clothe themselves, and this has long been held as YHWH’s way of saying that, in order for man to cover his sins, it would take the death of an innocent creature.  It is also clear that the deaths were to be a substitutionary atonement.  In other words, YHWH has given us many places in His Word that clearly indicate His intention to typify, or show by example, the atoning death of His Son on the cross to remove our sins.

 In Hebrews 11:4 we read that, "By faith Abel offered unto YHWH a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, YHWH testifying of his gifts:" When Abel came for worship, it was by faith that he brought his offering, "of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" (Genesis 4:4).  The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, and we know that it was accepted by YHWH because of the Hebrews passage above where we are told that YHWH testified of his gifts.  What does it mean for YHWH to testify?  It means YHWH personally accepted the offering by show of fire from Heaven consuming Abel’s offering.  There was no doubt of its correctness, and we see this detailed later in the book of Leviticus, chapter 9 and verse 24 – “And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.”

 On the other hand, Cain’s offering consisted of "the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD" (Genesis 4:3).  This was apparently not what YHWH had demanded and therefore YHWH did not look on his offering with favor…in other words, YHWH did not accept his offering.  YHWH did not send down fire from Heaven to consume and show approval for Cain’s offering.  It was a very obvious and evident rejection and it injured Cain’s ego.  Cain’s offering probably seemed very nice to him.  After all, he had tilled the ground and tended his crops and was quite pleased with the yield and wanted to offer some of it to his YHWH.  However, while it was quite nice in his own opinion, it was not acceptable to the Lord because it was not what YHWH had requested.  The subsequent passages lead us to believe that Cain became very angry (seeing his brother’s offering publicly accepted and his own rejected) and later, in the field, he killed his brother (Genesis 4:8).

 John tells us that Cain killed Abel in what we would call today First Degree Murder.  It was premeditated, calculated, and caused by anger and jealousy because he failed to follow YHWH’s commands.  1 John 3:12 states “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.”  John is here telling us that Cain was acting wickedly by not doing what YHWH had commanded with regard to offerings.  We are given a glimpse into Cain’s evil attitude back in Genesis 4:9 when Cain asks YHWH “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  By his sarcastic answer to the Creator of the universe, Cain assures us that he was full of envy and jealousy and there was no good in him.  Yet, he did make an offering in the first place.  He did go through the motions in some manner, but we aren’t told why.

 YHWH did not kill Cain for his actions, but in other passages in Genesis 4, He did put a curse on Cain, and Cain was forced to leave YHWH’s presence and flee to the land of Nod.  He lived in great fear that someone would kill him and I’m sure his sins haunted him for the rest of his life.  What can we learn from YHWH’s allowing Cain to live?  What can we learn from YHWH sending Cain away from His presence?  What are the possible implications for one appearing before the Judge who may not have obeyed YHWH’s commands?  Matthew 7:21 states “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

 What is the lesson for today’s modern Christian worshipper?  Are we familiar with the offering that YHWH wants from us?  Animal sacrifice has been abolished by the Ultimate Sacrifice on the cross and so we know that YHWH is not expecting us to do this.  But, is our “offering” being accepted?  In Jude’s epistle, verse 11, we read, "They have taken the way of Cain," referring to lawless men.  This seems to be pointing to men who devised their own ways of worship.  They did not come by faith, but rather by ritual or habit, or tradition…neither of which is acceptable to YHWH because He wants men to come to Him through a thorough knowledge and understanding of His Word and to do so out of total obedience to Him, to seek His face and to humble oneself before Him.  The tradition has become to meet on a day man decided rather than when YHWH decided (Sunday).  This day has traditionally been set apart to perform sun worship (just a little study on sun worship and you will see evidence of it in all walks of society, not just in the church).  Of course, men don’t worship YHWH on Sunday today because of the name SUNday, but they do so because their fathers have taught them such because it is the first day of the week (see my paper titled “Did Paul Keep the Sabbath” for a quip from Charles Spurgeon about the church changing to find rest in Jesus first, then working six days).  This is in direct opposition to YHWH’s command that we rest on the Sabbath.  It just so happens today that the Sabbath occurs on SATURday, named for Saturn in yet another pagan tradition.  The smart church actually uses this as a retaliation to those who want to follow YHWH, reminding us of the origin of the name, but they fail to realize that YHWH numbered the days and did not give them names.  Those who uphold YHWH’s commands do so on Saturday because, whether the church likes it or not, that day is YHWH’s Sabbath, and the reverence it deserves comes not from its name but its position in the week.  The point is, YHWH never told us to move the day of rest and worship to the first day of the week, yet it is widely accepted because Pastors teach it from the pulpit, citing such sources and events as:

a)      That is the day Messiah rose from the grave,

b)      That is the day of Pentecost (but how many Pastors understand how the day of Pentecost is derived?  It has to be on the first day of the week because in Leviticus 23:16 we are told “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days [after the wave offering]; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.”  This still has nothing to do with establishing weekly worship on the first day of the week, but is fifty days after a Sabbath for holy convocation),

c)       Acts 20:7 (taken well out of context),

d)      1^st Corinthians 16:2 (taken even farther out of context), and

e)      Long lists of other preachers and teachers…

 Consider the possibility, regardless of how sincere, honest, open, and innocent our works seem to us, that they too may be considered evil simply by our failing to recognize what YHWH has commanded upon us.  It simply does not matter that what we are doing feels good to us or that we are doing it with the best of intentions toward YHWH (some play it off with quotes like “YHWH knows what is in my heart”).  What matters is that we may not be following His commands.  It seems as though YHWH considers acts of commission as well as acts of omission wrong.  Read Second Samuel 6:6-7 for the account of Uzzah when he stretched forth his hand to stabilize the ark of YHWH when the oxen shook it.  I’m sure YHWH knew what was in this man’s heart also and He knew that this man was merely doing what he believed best for YHWH!  But YHWH killed him instantly!  It seems as though YHWH is sovereign in His decisions as to the treatment of those who disobey His commands.

 The point is, because YHWH did not kill Cain it shows us that worshipping YHWH in a manner other than that which He commanded is not necessarily a damning act, but it will not be tolerated.  It is not a choice that man can make, whether man is willing to admit it or not.  Death was not the punishment (Cain was not physically killed, and the believer will not be spiritually killed), but separation from YHWH was mandated.  YHWH is clear in His instructions and although we don’t have a record of His telling Cain and Abel how to offer their sacrifices, we do have a record of His telling us.

 So what is separation from YHWH?  Messiah has informed us that there are different levels of authority or privilege in Heaven.  Consider the following two verses:

 Matthew 11:11 – “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”  Messiah is clearly saying here that those in the kingdom have varying degrees of authority or privilege.  If there is a “least” in the kingdom, then it stands to reason that there is a “greater than least.”

Matthew 5:19 – “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  Going along with the above verse, it is clear that there is a distinction among those in Heaven.  This verse clearly shows a “least” and a “great”, and there are almost certainly innumerable levels between the two.  This is a verse that bothers me on behalf of many of my friends…they are literally teaching, from the pulpit, to break one of the commandments (listen to the audio sermon I have posted entitled “Why Do We, as a New Testament Church, Worship on Sunday”), namely the fourth commandment found in Exodus 20:8 – 11 concerning the Sabbath.  Considering Messiah’s words in this verse, I can’t think of a much straighter path to becoming “least in the kingdom” than to continue to teach/preach such actions, especially once one has been told and knows the difference between pagan worship and true worship of Elohim.

                 Is it possible that someone who is the least in the kingdom of Heaven is separated from YHWH?  When Paul states, in 1st Corinthians 3:15, “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”, is it possible that he could be alluding to doing works (Cain offering the wrong offering) that cause one to become “least in the kingdom”?  It appears that “least” is an earned position, while justification, of course, is not earned (salvation is ONLY through the atoning blood of Messiah and there is nothing that we can do to earn that other than to believe on Him and accept His offer).  The idea of works is not and has never been about attaining salvation, but about simply striving to honor YHWH for WHO HE IS, but we must remember that even with this stringent desire to serve and obey Him, we must do so His way.

 But what difference does it make?  You say, “I go to church on Sunday morning, listen to the Pastor’s sermon and put my offering in the plate” (we even call it an offering).  “I give my tithes on the first day of the week as mandated by 1^st Corinthians 16:2” (which has nothing to do with tithing, by the way).  You probably repeat it all the next Sunday like you’re following the instructions on a fine bottle of shampoo (sit through sermon, rinse, repeat)!  But, is that what YHWH would have you do?  Are you sure?  How are you sure…because your Pastor told you?  Because that’s what everyone else does?  Well, if everyone else jumped off a cliff…

 Each person must come to terms with YHWH, whether that agreement occurs now or later.  The Old Testament is clear that YHWH has chosen His people and that He will call them back to their land again in the latter days (it began on May 14, 1948 and is continuing to happen today), and the Gentiles will eventually flock to the Jew and ask to accompany him because we know that YHWH is with him (Zechariah 8:23).  We even know that we will worship the King together as one body of Messiah, all practicing the worship in the manner deemed by the King (Isaiah 66:23).  Why not learn His ways now and begin to truly understand who He IS?  Your Jewish King died and bled for you – don’t you owe Him at least this much?