Answer to Brian Remarks 1/26/16

 

Brian

It appears a few years has passed since you wrote your remarks. I had not checked on this site in quite a while and the notifier of new remarks was broken so I did not see your remarks until just recently. I still felt it appropriate to respond though, even though so much time has passed. 

Many of your remarks show the issues with the ABC. I understand your viewpoint of just sticking with it, regardless of the clear troubles. I once felt the same way. Despite being pushed out twice, and being disowned by the man who started this new denomination; my father, I stayed as long as I was able. 

Paul referred to this mindset as being “bewitched”, when he wrote to the Galatians. The Galatians had returned to following the law as their salvation, rather than living by faith, hope and love. They lost site of true community and what was once simple they made complex and rigid again.

The ABC has set themselves as a point of mediation between man and God, supplanting again the true message of faith, hope and love. In the letter written to the Thessalonians, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy wrote “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul also wrote “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” These things are missing in the ABC. 

Repentance is the first principle of any solid foundation, yet the ABC leadership has lost site completely of the ability to repent. As a result, this has caused a major deviation from the message of faith, hope and love and has plagued the whole with pride, arrogance and untruth causing great decay. A little leaven, etc. But, this spot of leaven was actually there from the beginning and just became ever more evident as years have passed.

I remember Home, not well, but I remember going regularly for meetings. For you, this was just one meeting, occasionally; although from my recall you were usually out on your property mostly and not in the meeting. For me, we traveled frequently to many meetings weekly and this meeting in Home was just one of many. We traveled frequently to Home, Grants Pass and many other places so my father could teach.

You mention “everyone in the body is truly spirit filled”. In the letter to Timothy (2:9) it states “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His…” It is not up to me, or anyone else, to judge who belongs to God, and who doesn’t. I make no inference of such in my writings. Quite the opposite actually. The ABC has set itself as the "holder of truth" to the exclusion of others who may also hold truth. None of us holds the whole truth. It is why the true body of Christ is described as many members. None of these members relate well to the other because of their diverse roles and understanding we each have. Can the eye say to the foot....

Bruce set himself in the position as one who determines another person's capability of salvation the day he “eternally judged” me with his notepad full of “charges”. His accusation I was a “blasphemer” was a false charge intended to make me subservient to him. There is much much more to that story I have not told on my site. It involves things that could have potentially been a felony had I chosen to press charges. My site contains only a very tiny part of the whole story. The intent is not to point the finger at any one person, but to destroy the myth that the entry into God’s kingdom can only be found through subservience to the ABC. I am writing a book disclosing some other facts, but there are some facts that should never be told and I will not.

If you reread my site, you will find I have made no accusation or recommendation I am one to judge a man’s soul. That's way above my pay grade. I judge no man’s soul but I do, however, judge the outward constructs of man and, most pointedly, the actions of the entity that calls itself the “Assembly of the Body of Christ”; despite their allegation of not having a name. The ABC is a newly formed denomination born out of the Pentecostal and Assembly of God churches and the Latter Rain Revival movement as well. Anyone who desires to trace the origins, as I have, can prove that easily. There is plenty of evidence on the web alone and, if one were to pursue them, some written archives.

One must examine the fruit born from any tree to see if it is fresh and edible or decayed and inedible? We must judge every entity constructed by man by examining its fruit since that is the only way to tell how well it is rooted in truth. “Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance”. These are things that it is impossible to create a law against since they benefit and not tear down. Using this template, I compared the actions of the ABC to this fruit and find it quite lacking. That is not judging anyone's soul, that is judging the structure built by the men who helped construct this new denomination. I played a small role in the construction, and had to examine my own perspectives. It was a determination to see if the motive was to build up and edify, or tear down and dominate. Jesus had this same issue with the Pharisees of his day. There are men in power at the ABC who are no less viperous than the Pharisees.

You speak of continuing in the apostle’s doctrine. This is in Acts 2:42. These words were written to a group of Jews who remained devoted to the temple and continued to worship at the temple. This was not an improper thing to do as that is where the scrolls were maintained for all to read and learn. They also sold all their goods, and created a communal living situation, where all were equal, and they had favor with all the people because they exhibited joy and gladness in their community. They did not inflict things that were too hard to bear on one another, or create any institution or hierarchy. They did no actions which were untoward or illegal. They were Jews first, but also accepted the message about the salvation taught by the apostles. There were no printed bibles, there were no study books, there were no commentaries in those days. They went to the temple where there would be a weekly reading out of the scrolls and that was the whole source of their knowledge of God. There were perhaps some who were skilled at reading and would also go to the temple and read at other times during the week but the forty-hour work week did not exist so this was a time privilege few could afford. It was an oral tradition mostly, not one of voluminous, categorized, written proof like we have today. The ABC prides itself on much study that is wearying to the flesh but this has only brought about much arguing over words and with it a great loss of love and true community. Although I don’t recommend all construct a commune, as they did, the central focus of equity, equality and edification should be a goal, even though our lives are much less entwined. Undoubtedly they formed a commune for protection from persecution and not as a mandate from God or the apostles.

The fruit of the ABC is inedible and falls into the category of the “Works of the Flesh”. Among them, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling. There is a very large etcetera attached to that part of the text. You have even described such a situation in your remark’s narrative. “He tried to perform oral sex on my best friend…when he, the elder, was drunk offa his fat ass.”

You mention in your comments “So we all get in a beef with someone. All of the people have to go thru their,” LOLK AT ME, I KNOW ALL ANSWERS N , DAMMIT, IM RIGHT” B.S., ya know???”(sic) I am unclear if you were referring to me, or the people in the ABC, as being “look at me”. Doesn’t really matter though because we each usually get much less than ten decades to figure this all out anyhow. There is not a single person who knows all the answers; including me. I must cite a quotation from a wise person I grew up reading. ​“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” Dr. Seuss. 

If that is not biblical enough, Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” The methods of the ABC, in seeking a most perfect interpretation of every word, does not lend itself to simplicity and leads to continual arguing over words. I have witnessed that for decades and voluntarily took part. There is a satisfaction in thinking one's interpretation is superior to all others, even if it is lacking in the simplicity of the true message. 

I would encourage you to read another source of wisdom. Solomon in Ecclesiastes. To sum up Ecclesiastes, he searches the entire world for wisdom and finds the wisdom from God is simple, easily understood and not really found in multitudes of books. God is highly complex but we need not know theoretical physics or theology to understand God. God is everywhere, and in every thing, God is a God of peace. End of story. If you look in the letter written by James he stated “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” I dare say from your comments you have not really found an abundance of peace in the message and practices of the ABC.

Finally, you state; “BUT REALLY, BRO, YOU NEED TO TAKE THAT GARBAGE DWN. IT SERVES NOONE AND I DON’T LIKE SEEING GILLS NAME GET DRUG THRU THE MUD”. (SIC) This indicates the ABC’s wrong viewpoint. When I was slandered by Bruce, et. al., and told that my one truthful sentence, when taken out of context, was “blasphemy”, “unforgivable” and I was having an “eternal judgment” passed on me, there was a room full of men who just nodded in agreement. No one said anything about the “garbage” coming my way; then or after, because they just follow without questioning. This is why the people of this area were called “Brucetians” at times. I would not commit to be a “Brucetian” and I know this is the motivation Bruce had to give me the boot. There were a few that came to my defense, but they were told by Bruce, and I assume by Gilbert, they must decide if they were “in the body, or “out of the body”. That was a direct threat since most feel their salvation is contingent upon the ABC. That is an untruth. 

I went through my site and looked for a place I drug Gil through the mud. I could not find any place like that, but if you would like to be specific, I will review my words. I mentioned the time spent on his survey crew in the Shasta-Trinity Alps slope staking a logging road, and also mentioned the fact Bruce and Gil made plans to declare me a blasphemer and eternally judge me. That is not my impression, it was directly stated to me by Bruce that he had talked to Gilbert and I was to be "eternally judged" at my inquisition. I will note that, before I ever put my site online, I sent the information to Gil, along with many additional facts, but received no response. The message was clear. I was a person of no value. People were called and told not to associate with me unless a trusted elder was present. Then they were told not to associate with me at all. Twice I passed by individuals from the ABC at the store and, on both occasions, the discomfort was palpable. Yet, this is not recognized as being "drug through the mud" when someone is treated so badly. That is a double standard and God is not duplicitous. When I was disowned and ex-communicated, in San Diego, by my father, a teenage girl was then sent to my door to tell me never to contact him again. Was this not being drug through the mud? When Yvonne wrote letters to the elder you referred to earlier as being inebriated he, on several occasions, showed up at my door to scream at me; and on one occasion tried to strike me; telling me I better stay away from anyone in the ABC, at Yvonne’s direction or else. Was this not being drug through the mud? I could list numerous similar incidents where I have been drug through the mud, going back to age fourteen. Yet, there is no one seeing this as being "drug through the mud". That is not the mind of Christ.

Cults; or Totalist Aberrant Christian Organizations (TACO's), such as the ABC, take on an “Animal Farm” perspective. (All pigs are equal, but some are more equal than others.) Gilbert Larson is not royalty. If his name appears as one who is instituting policies of hate and discord it is not dragging him through the mud to point out these policies are wrong, and one should not follow him down this same path. He is just as prone to error as anyone else.

There is very much more to this story than you know Brian. When I put my site online, I told no one connected with the ABC, now or previously, and only did some search engine optimization tactics to get good placement on Google and other search engines. I didn’t even tell anyone in my family. Within two days, I had individuals contacting me with thanks for bringing some clarity to the history of the ABC. I was in it from before the very beginning and know the whole story; some of it that should not be told. I can only assume you feel I dragged Gilbert through the mud because he is now the leader of the denomination. To throw mud at the denomination is perceived as throwing mud at Gilbert Larson personally. I do not mean my words to diminish any specific individual, including Bruce Leonard, David North, Gilbert Larson, etc. but my words on this site are an indictment of the whole built by them and other persons. It was years prior to these men being in power the ABC set off in the wrong direction. The path deviation at the beginning seemed small, but years of deviation have brought the ABC to a point far from the tenets Jesus taught. I can declare when Andy Atwell asked to meet me at the IHOP, it was under false pretenses. He couched the invitation to the meeting as one to discuss another matter and that was deceptive, untrue and a deliberate lie. The true plan was to lie in wait for me secretly, intending to ambush and destroy. Is this really the mind of Christ to live in such untruth? I don't believe so.

I include here a link for information on TACO’s as this scenario plays out every day, in many places, all around the world. It is not just an ABC problem. It is what it refers to in Paul’s letter to Timothy as deceptive teachings, doctrines of demons, lies and hypocrisy and I want no part of that.

I wish you well. 

               

                                 

Answers to the two "anonymous" comments.

 I write this post in answer to the two comments left by “anonymous” on “The Definition of a Cult” and “Welcome” postings since the reply box is quite limited in length.

Anonymous: When I refer to the ABC, I refer to the denominational entity and structure itself...not the people within, per se. While I am in stark disagreement with the abusive practices of some of the leaders, my words are directed primarily at the doctrinal structure that allows this abuse of souls. The ABC boasts of having no buildings, but they have replaced these physical structures with much less visible doctrinal walls. Walls, virtual or brick are walls. From within these virtual “walls” they call out to souls passing by, entice them in with false love, then bind them with heavy burdens fraught with much wearying Greek word study. Being a book hound myself, and one who has read and studied voraciously and incessantly since I was in first grade, I am not opposed to reading, studying and learning. At the same time truth tells me I need not know the precise biological structure of a flower to understand its beauty; I must simply observe it and enjoy. So it is with God. To study and attempt to know the intricacies of God may be an acceptable practice but only if one remains non-adamant. There is nothing we can ever really know for certain. God is complex and we will never fully understand that complexity. To be adamant and say we understand Him cannot be true. No man truly understands God, no man ever will and there is no requirement we spend our life, nose in a book, trying to figure out God. Historically there have been huge segments of the population who were born and died illiterate. If salvation came from a book these people had no chance.



On the last night I taught, just before I was “eternally judged” as a “blasphemer” by Bruce Leonard and “elders” in Vancouver Washington, there were many arguments over the exact Greek definition of words. At one point it got so intense I stopped what I was teaching and pleaded with those in attendance to put away the continuous search for a better definition; Greek or English. I suggested we instead focus and admire the simple beauty and joy of God. My statements fell on deaf ears, the bantering back and forth continued. My request fell flat because it ran counter to the base doctrine of the ABC which states we must struggle to find the perfect definition of every Greek word in order to know and understand God. It is a falsehood. We do not need to infinitely define an infinite God. No matter how far you dig into infinity you will never reach the end. Any attempt to do so will be fruitless.

This doctrine of Greek research in order to “find a more perfect way” and to find acceptance with God was first established by James A Watt of Broadway Tabernacle in Seattle. This doctrine was then adopted by my dad, Ramon A Haas, and enhanced over the years to make it even more binding. The true ways of God are simple, peaceable, easily understood and the infinite, endless pursuit of a better truth through books upon books is sheer folly. This folly only leads to more contentious arguments, backstabbing and even hatred. Knowledge puffs up but it can never give life. To be led by the Spirit gives life and, like the statement by Timothy about those who were ever learning, they never really found any truth. Real truth brings peace not strife. There is a lot of strife in the ABC and little true love.



One of the principle premises behind the exclusion of all who are not baptized directly by someone in the ABC is that there must be a proven “Spirit-filled genealogy” of the baptizer for the baptism to be valid or for God to accept it. It is taught that to receive the Holy Spirit one must be baptized by a male filled with the Spirit and that baptism must be witnessed by at least one other Spirit-filled person to be official. Short of that, God will not honor the baptism despite any faith that may have been involved in the process. There are other rules imposed on this baptism as well but I will address just this primary principle here.



It is presumed that if one were baptized by a person in the ABC who was believed to be filled with the Spirit then that person would also have been baptized by a person believed to be filled with the Spirit and that person would have been baptized by a person believed to be filled…and on and so on back through countless generations. All the way back to the day of Pentecost when it all began. Since there are no records of this genealogy of baptismal “births” one must then take it on great faith this man who is doing the baptizing has a pure baptismal genealogy. They are trusting implicitly this man has a spotlessly “pure” baptismal genealogy all the way back two-thousand years with no break in the Spirit-filled chain. After all, going back all those two-thousand years, if even one single person in the succession of “baptizees” was baptized by one “baptizer” who was not truly Spirit-filled all that followed after that man would also not be Spirit-filled; according to ABC doctrine. Notice this belief of salvation puts all the faith in the man baptizing and completely leaves out faith in God if one uses the reasoning espoused by the ABC. Using the reasoning of the ABC, in order to be sound in our hope of salvation, we really must have proof of the baptismal lineage of all baptizers in the baptism “genealogical chain” back through two-thousand plus years of time, or we are doomed. If there was one single break in that chain... That is, again, if we count the ABC teaching as totally valid. When properly reasoned one can see there are some major flaws in this theory.



Let’s take a real example of a person baptized into the ABC. We’ll say that Jason Brown (not his real name) is baptized by Gilbert Larson, the apostle of the ABC. To assure that Gilbert is properly Spirit-filled, and is a valid baptizer, we must first examine Gilbert’s baptism. If Gilbert was not baptized correctly by an individual who was baptized correctly then he is not a valid baptizer by ABC standards. Gilbert was baptized by my father, Ramon A Haas, according to the principles of baptism regarded as legitimate within the ABC at the time. The rules have become more restrictive, so the rules are slightly different now. I was present at the Wilcrest apartments the day Gilbert first came and know firsthand who baptized Gilbert. My father, Ramon A Haas baptized him. To make sure Gilbert’s spiritual baptismal lineage is sound, according to the principles of the ABC, then or now, one must now look closely at the baptism of my father, Ramon Haas. We must be sure his baptism was legitimate using the ABC principles in place at that time. I know firsthand about my father’s baptism because I had this discussion with him several times over the years after the ABC was formed.



My dad was baptized in the late 1940’s just after returning from the war. He was never exact with me in his explanation about the person baptizing him but what was clear was that, at the time of this first baptism, he regarded baptism as an “outward sign of an inward cleansing”, not as a “key” or “door” one must enter to access salvation. He did not change this doctrine until late into his days with James A Watt at Broadway Tabernacle. It was James A Watt, Derek Prince and a few others who formulated this current doctrinal viewpoint using intense Greek word studies. Prior to this change of personal doctrine my father considered his actual salvation to have come from “the sinner’s prayer” he spoke when he “accepted Christ” and not from being immersed in water at baptism. I have his original Bible with his handwritten notes from this time period proving that. All the way up through most of our time at Broadway Tabernacle my dad issued altar calls and administered the “sinner’s prayer” as the way to salvation. He was head of many planning committees that brought Billy Graham, David Wilkerson, Nicky Cruz and others to Seattle in the 1960's and was a firm believer in salvation by “sinner’s prayer”. The most information I could ever get from him about who first baptized him was that it was either a minister of a church he attended right after the war, Bro. Branham or someone else. This story was somewhat fluid over the years so who it was exactly I could not really say. On one occasion he talked of questioning this original baptism but this was only AFTER beginning the ABC at the Wilcrest Apartments. To remedy this he decided to be baptized again. Not knowing who to ask he was then baptized by Yvonne, his new spouse and previous adulteress. Yvonne was baptized again, that same day, by my dad since the premise and validity of her baptism was also tenuous. Both baptisms were accomplished in a late night private baptism in the pool at the Wilcrest Apartments with no witnesses present. Presuming all was well with either of those baptisms one must also question who originally baptized the minister that originally baptized my dad because if one or both of them had discrepancies in their baptism, and did not meet the ABC rules exactly, then the chain would be broken and all that followed after in this baptismal genealogy would not be Spirit-filled…again according to the ABC doctrine. The ABC’s understanding of baptism leads to an impossible scenario. One need know the status of all the past baptizer’s. That removes any power of God to grant salvation to whom he wills. It puts control into the hands of man, greatly removing faith from the picture as well. It puts the power of life or death in the hands of man where it does not belong. Jesus never commanded we keep a record of the baptismal genealogical chain and to believe this is sheer folly. Only God can see a man’s soul…not we. We only see the outward appearance and cannot observe who is Spirit-filled except as evidenced by fruits. And, just like a tree, fruit is not always visible even though there is life within. More than half the year the trees in my front yard show no signs of life yet deep within is life that, in it's season, brings forth fruit. So, even if we use fruit as the deciding factor we must also realize that life can exist within but there may still not be evident fruit. In short....only God knows who are his. We can’t determine salvation by the endless questioning of who baptized whom and, if we do, I assure you that if you follow the chain of men (or women) that flow backward from my dad’s baptism it could never pass the ABC test. I find no need to inquire who baptized the person that baptized me and who baptized that person, etc. God is much larger than all that. I trust God can grant salvation to whomever he chooses, despite any rule I or any other man tries to lay down.



I was baptized by James A Watt at approximately age eleven or twelve at Broadway Tabernacle and then baptized again at age 14 by my dad, after he began the ABC. The James A Watt baptism was no longer sound by the new rules…even though James Watt and Derek Prince were the ones who developed the basic teachings about Foundational Greek Word Studies. After John Stegenga wrote his concordance they both began teaching “the Foundation Truths” just as is taught in the ABC. This can be evidenced by surfing over to Amazon and acquiring Derek Prince’s book called “The Foundation Truths”.



If one leaves the ABC, they are considered to be “in the wilderness” or to have “left the body” and their fate; at least as far as the ABC is concerned; is uncertain. That can only be described as servitude and bondage to a corporate body and not service to God. If one does not step within, or stay within, the “walls” the ABC has doctrinally constructed they are not considered to be among the righteous. Many are even pushed out then “turned over to Satan” if they disagree or question too much. The foundation Christ laid down, as prescribed by the ABC, can only be laid through tortuous works of Bible study and the study of page after page of Greek tenses, moods, voices and the like. This mandatory study is really an effort to make everyone think, talk and sound exactly alike. Nature itself shows us that God hates cookie cutter images and loves a fractal diversity. Are all an eye, a hand… Read the Psalms of David as he describes God's creation.



The Bible, as the ABC perceives it, is only properly aligned when viewed through Ivan Panin’s lens. Ivan Panin was born one-thousand-eight-hundred and fifty five years; roughly; after Jesus time. I pity those who came before this version of the Bible was produced since; having a non-aligned scriptural text; this may cause one to suffer a spiritual loss as a result. I, of course, jest. Truth is from above and not from a translation; mathematical or not.



Pure faith in God does not come with a written test. Knowledge has the ability to puff one up with pride and make one feel better than another. Knowledge will never bring about righteousness; only pure faith and trust in God can do that. We should seek increased wisdom that leads to peace rather than increased knowledge that can lead to quarrels. Much study to gain ever more knowledge was not one of the commandments of Jesus, nor is it one of the weightier matters of the law. Much study is a trap that can draw one into the pride of knowledge. I prescribe to the wisdom of Solomon when he said in Ecclesiastes “And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Solomon fell into the trap of thinking he could find God through an increase of knowledge. Read the book of Ecclesiastes closely. He wisely discovered God can never be acquired through then increase of knowledge. We can only know God when we accept His peaceable wisdom. Perhaps that all sounds too simplistic but, while God is complex, his wisdom is quite simple.





I suppose we may be fortunate to have all these books at our disposal, ready at hand, in this modern age, but I am not fully convinced we have done ourselves a favor. I once had a huge library of Greek and English Bible study books but have rid myself of them all. To understand God’s wisdom they may be a great place to consult but if we turn our eyes to the books alone we run the risk of becoming stiff necked with adamant non-repentant opinions about God and miss the seeking of wisdom with an open heart. Seeking knowledge, without first seeking wisdom, only brings about discord, division, distrust, and sometimes even raw carnage as has been evidenced over and over in the ABC. The end result of continuous knowledge seeking is to become blind to the needs of our neighbor and to become high minded in our own great knowledge. One can then lose sight of the pure simple faith in God that brings total freedom. This is a message I have spoken for a long time….although previously with excess timidity and fear of man. My error, in times past, was to be afraid of man and not properly show respect to the wisdom that is from above. Judge and inspect my words. Seek the truth of God on your own. Look into the history of the ABC independently. Ask lots of questions. To agree or disagree with all or part of my words and to challenge or investigate them is not only right…it is expected. Freedom does not lie within the walls of the ABC; only bondage; and this is the reason one should not enter or stay within its confines.

 

Definition of a Cult

 

By definition, a cult is a group or sect bound together by adoration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

A cult promises you redemption. It tells you that if you do what it says, and as it believes, you will be protected from the evil people that are out to get you and the rest of society.

A cult purges the non-believers. And it actively tries to vilify all those who are not part of the cult, saying that they're doomed and destined to go to hell.

Mate Scriptures

 

The premise behind the method of study employed by the "Assembly of the Body of Christ" is one must find the Greek and Hebrew "mate scriptures" in order to truly understand the will of God and His truth. Here is an excerpt from their website (LINK)

The scripture used as the basis for this belief is Isaiah 34:16-17. The ABC's non-contextual interpretation of this scripture alleges this scripture proves the theory one must find "mate scriptures." I declare this is not true. 

The ABC strictly adheres to a method of Bible study in which one examines an entire context in order to properly understand the text. That is truly not a bad idea. Any thought taken out of context can be twisted and distorted to say something it does not say. Again referring to their website it states you must own:

"A Panin's translation of the New Testament to determine the full context (complete thought) where any N.T. Bible verse is found - so we can see the full puzzle piece."

This Bible, translated numerically by Ivan Panin, works only for the New Testament. However, I  assume this same principle; examining the entire context; would also carry over to the Old Testament as well. It rightfully should if we are to have a good understanding of what is written. 

So, looking at Isaiah 34:16-17, in its entire context, let's examine this "scriptural mate" theory and see if it holds up to scrutiny. Here is the entire text surrounding Isaiah 34:16-17 (the whole chapter). I have bolded verses 16-17.

Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate. Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein. Isaiah 34:1-17

As you read through this context above ask yourself this one question. Is this context referring to proper Bible study or is it referring to the permanent destruction of a set of nations? I have underlined the beginning of the context to show that it is referring to a set of nations. 

One of the biggest bugaboos of our language is the use of pronouns. They make reading more pleasant but, if one does not properly refer the pronoun to its subject, the meaning of a sentence can become grossly distorted. To understand who, or what, verses 16-17 refer to I have replaced all the pronouns below (in parentheses) with the intended subject.

Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of (the world). For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all (the nations) armies: he hath utterly destroyed (the nations), he hath delivered (the nations) to the slaughter. (The nations) slain also shall be cast out, and (the nations) stink shall come up out of (the nations) carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with (the nations) blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all (the nations) host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, (my sword) shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, (the sword) is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with (the lambs, goats and rams), and the bullocks with the bulls; and (the nations) land shall be soaked with blood, and (the nations) dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. (Edom) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through (Edom) for ever and ever. But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess (Edom); the owl also and the raven shall dwell in (Edom): and he shall stretch out upon (Edom) the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be (in the kingdom), and all (Edom's) princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in (Edom's) palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and (Edom) shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to (the satyr's) fellow; the screech owl also shall rest (in Edom), and find for (the screech owl) a place of rest. (In the kingdom) shall the great owl make (the great owl's own) nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under (the great owl's own) shadow: (in the kingdom) shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with (the vulture's own) mate. Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of (the dragons, owls, wild beasts, satyr's screech owls, great owls, etc. ) shall fail, none [of these ](wild creatures ) shall want for a mate: for (God's) mouth (yes God's mouth) hath commanded, and (God's) spirit hath gathered (the wild creatures). And God hath cast the lot for (the  owls, wild beasts, etc. ), and God's hand hath divided (Edom) unto (the wild creatures) by line: (the wild creatures) shall possess (Edom) for ever, from generation to generation shall (the wild creatures) dwell therein. Isaiah 34:1-17

So pulling out verses 16-17 with the pronouns replaced with the subject of the pronoun:

Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of (the dragons, owls, wild beasts, satyr's screech owls, great owls, etc.) shall fail, none [of these ](wild creatures ) shall want for a mate: for (God's) mouth (yes God's mouth) hath commanded, and (God's) spirit hath gathered (the wild creatures). And God hath cast the lot for (the owls, wild beasts, etc.), and God's hand hath divided (Edom) unto (the wild creatures) by line: (the wild creatures) shall possess (Edom) for ever, from generation to generation shall (the wild creatures) dwell therein.

So, you see, this scripture has nothing to do with finding "mate scriptures" when we look at the entire context. It has to do with the complete destruction of a set of nations (Edom, Bozrah, Idumaea) which would become no longer suited for habitation by mankind and would instead be forever a habitation of birds and wild creatures of various sorts. Here is a quotation from "Easton's Bible Dictionary"  regarding the Edom of Isaiah 34.

There are many prophecies concerning Edom (Isa 34:5-6; Jer 49:7-18; Eze 25:13; 35:1-15; Joe 3:19; Am 1:11; Obadiah; Mal 1:3-4) which have been remarkably fulfilled. The present desolate condition of that land is a standing testimony to the inspiration of these prophecies. After an existence as a people for above seventeen hundred years, they have utterly disappeared, and their language even is forgotten for ever. In Petra, "where kings kept their court, and where nobles assembled, there no man dwells; it is given by lot to birds, and beasts, and reptiles."

Or this from the Jamieson-Faussett-Brown Commentary

16. book of the Lord-the volume in which the various prophecies and other parts of Scripture began henceforward to be collected together (Isa 30:8; Da 9:2).
Seek-(so Isa 8:16, 20; Joh 5:39; 7:52).
no one . fail-of these prophecies (Mt 5:18).
none shall want . mate-image from pairing of animals mentioned, Isa 34:15 ("mate"); no prediction shall want a fulfillment as its companion. Or rather, "none of these wild animals (just spoken of) shall be wanting: none shall be without its mate" to pair and breed with, in desolate Idumea.
my . his-Such changes of person are frequent in Hebrew poetry.
them-the wild beasts.

So, you see, this scripture used to prove the "scripture mate" theory has nothing to do with "scripture mates" whatsoever; it has to do with the mates of  birds and other wild animals who reside where Edom once stood. Edom, representative of those nations who were not serving God, was destroyed by God and left desolate forever and became the breeding ground of wild animals only, and not fit for the dwelling of man.   

I wholeheartedly agree we should look at ALL scripture in a contextual way and by applying that principle to this scripture it is proven this does not refer to the seeking of  "mate scriptures" through Greek and Hebrew word studies, as the ABC alleges.

24-The end of the matter

 

After I was ex-communicated, for the second time, it appeared a great flood had gone through my life, washing away everything I thought I knew.  After I surveyed the wreckage I tried to pick up the pieces and reconstruct something that looked like what I had before but knew that would be the wrong path to follow, and would never work. I looked for another person who would help me reconstruct the debris,  but no one was willing to help. Eventually I cleared away the rubble myself, took stock of what I had left, and found there was not much usable material. I ended up discarding almost everything I once found true and started over from scratch.  If you look about my spiritual house now you might find a piece or two of the old dwelling here and there, but very little. When the flood of man swept through my life, there was immense devastation and emotionally  I looked a total loss. The relationship I have with God inwardly remains solid.  That relationship with God is the only hope I have in this world, and one I truly value.

Here is a Psalm that sums up the end of the matter for me.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress-- I will never be greatly shaken. How long will you assault a man, Would all of you throw him down, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

My soul, wait in silence for God alone, For my expectation is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken. With God is my salvation and my honor. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Surely men of low degree are just a breath, And men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath. Don't trust in oppression. Don't become vain in robbery. If riches increase, Don't set your heart on them. God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this, That power belongs to God. Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, For you reward every man according to his work.                                                     

Psalms 62:1-12