Overcoming the Saints, #5

Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (Romans 9:24)

When Daniel speaks of "the holy people" he is referring to the olive tree, to God's elect, to those who are of Christ; not to the physical nation of Israel.

For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. (Galatians 4:25)

The saints (holy ones) of the last days, the days of Antichrist, are those who are in Christ whether they are physical Jews or Gentiles. Redemption is by promise, not by natural birth.

That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (Romans 9:8)

We Gentile believers are an integral part of true, elect Israel. We need to learn how the Lord God will deal with those who belong to Him whether they are Jewish or Gentile by physical birth.

We have mentioned that the issue is one of judgment. God's saints must be obedient to Him until He is satisfied they no longer will be condemned along with Satan.

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

We have said also that Antichrist's strategy for the last days is to cause the saints to feel so secure they do not seek the Lord as they should. One tactic that is part of his strategy is the doctrine of the pre-tribulation "rapture" of the saints.

The pre-tribulation-rapture error has spread amazingly, given its lack of scriptural foundation, and has succeeded in persuading the Christians in the wealthy nations they will not suffer-this in spite of the record of suffering of the Christian Era and the vicious persecution of the saints that continues to the present hour in some countries of the world.

Let us proceed to examine some further comments by Daniel concerning the second half of the seventieth week. The latter part of the seventieth week is, as we have stated, the time of the great tribulation, the hour of temptation, and the overcoming of the saints.

And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (Daniel 11:32)

Antichrist will deceive people by flattery. This work of deception is taking place today as pastors and teachers are flattering and coddling the believers. Any individual who speaks of the role of suffering in the Christian redemption is not received by many Christian churches.

Here and there one may find strong saints who are warning the Christians that much suffering is ahead-suffering that will purify the Bride of the Lamb and separate her from the babylonish (manmade, man-centered, man-directed) confusion of the ecclesiastical organizations. But the majority of believers are flocking to hear smooth words, positive statements concerning how much God loves them and will never allow them to suffer. The current "positive" thinking and preaching is of Antichrist and the False Prophet.

The true Christian Gospel contains much that is positive and much that is negative. The teacher who presents only what is positive is seeking his own glory. The teacher who presents only what is negative is emotionally ill.

The believers are being corrupted by the flattery of preachers who are seeking their own profit. However, in the time of darkness those who truly know the Lord will increase in strength and perform works of faith.

To be continued.


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Overcoming the Saints, #4

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: . . . . (Revelation 13:7)

God will give Antichrist authority and power to overcome the saints who have borne the Kingdom testimony of the last days.

Let us turn now to the Book of Daniel.

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21,22)

The issue is one of judgment. Because we saints often do the works of Satan, because we are lawless and love the world, sin, and our own will, God is not free to judge Satan. The saints must be chastised severely until the sin and rebellion have been driven from them. Only then will God be justified in casting down Satan from the heavens. The saints must overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, by the testimony wrought in them by the Spirit, and by their obedience to the point of death.

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (II Corinthians 10:6)

In the last days a remnant, a Gideon's army, will be drawn from the churches. These will obey God to the point of death. Through them Satan will be thrown down, and the remainder of God's Israel (all the elect of God) will be enabled to join in the defeat and spoiling of the enemy.

The following passage reveals that the Antichrist's master plan for the end-time is to destroy the saints by making them feel secure. The Christian witness already, in our day, has been ruined in the wealthy democracies because the saints are involved in the materialistic culture and the world seems to be their friend.

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace [ease; security] shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:24,25)

Bible scholars have not always recognized that the "holy people" being addressed in Daniel are God's elect, whether Jewish or Gentile by natural birth.

At one time the Jewish people, or a remnant of them, were the only members of the holy olive tree. Since the resurrection of the Lord some Gentiles have been added to the olive tree. In the last days a multitude of Jews will be grafted on their own olive tree.

Paul consistently addressed the believers as saints -holy ones.

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)

The nation of Israel as such is not holy today. Only those who are part of Christ are holy to the Lord, are saints.

To be continued.


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Overcoming the Saints, #3

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29,30)

The Lord Jesus will descend from Heaven and the light of God will shine from the saints as the lightning that comes out of the east and shines to the west.

The first half of the week will be a period of unprecedented revival-the latter rain spoken of by Joel, Hosea, Zechariah, and James.

The second half of the week will be the time of Antichrist, of the hour of temptation, and of the great tribulation. The Lord will return "immediately" after the great tribulation.

Now we come to the subject of this booklet-the overcoming of the saints.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Revelation 13:7)

It is difficult for us to grasp how the saints can be overcome when the Lord Jesus has all power, or why God would permit the Antichrist to overcome the saints.

As we study this topic we will notice that God redeems His people by blessing and also by much tribulation.

God marches by day. During the day we follow the cloud of blessing. "Day unto day uttereth speech." We hear and speak many words during the "day" of blessing.

God marches also by night. During the night we follow the pillar of fire. We trust in the judgments written in the Scriptures when we cannot see the Lord or understand what God is doing. "Night unto night sheweth knowledge." We gain the knowledge of the Lord during our nighttime experiences.

Both the march by day and the march by night bring us closer to the land of promise, which is the rest of God. The rest of God is a position we attain after much labor and struggle. It is the position in which all worldliness, lust, and self-will have been driven from us and we are abiding in untroubled rest in the very center of God's Presence and will.

Because we will be given so much power during the latter-rain revival it will be difficult for us, during the second half of the week, to accept the fact that God has withdrawn the power and we no longer are walking in victorious faith. Rather, we are being forced to flee for our lives.

The reader may have had just such an experience. He or she has been wonderfully used by the Lord and now has seemingly been set aside. God doesn't seem to hear anymore. There is much affliction at the hands of the enemy.

Perhaps our booklet will bring an explanation so that hope and trust in God may be restored.

It requires both blessing and suffering to make us in God's image, and perfectly obedient to Him. A field of wheat must receive the latter (harvest) rain, and then the burning sun of tribulation, if a good harvest is to be reaped.

To be continued.


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Overcoming the Saints, #2

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)

From our point of view, the following sequence of events will take place:

Now, today, we are being prepared for the most powerful of all revivals-the promised latter rain.

The latter rain of the Holy Spirit will fall on the whole world during the first half of the "week."

In the middle of the week, after the witness has been borne, God will withdraw the Divine authority, thus permitting the witness to be overcome. This will enable Antichrist to attain rulership over the nations. There will be a time of temptation and of great tribulation during the second half of the week.

After the great tribulation, there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. The heavens will be shaken. There will be distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring. This is the budding of "the fig tree, and all the trees" (Luke 21:29,30).

Finally, the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God. He will gather His saints to Himself from one end of the heavens to the other.

The preparation for the revival is beginning today. We have much to learn. We are being brought through the Divine fire. All worldliness, all sin, and all self-will are being burned out of us.

It is a period of the most strenuous testing. A Gideon's army is being formed that is sternly obedient to the Lord. God will not allow the glory of the latter-rain outpouring to be dissipated by self-seeking believers who do not know the Lord.

The latter-rain revival itself, described in the eleventh chapter of Revelation as the testimony borne by the two witnesses, will be worldwide. It will be so powerful that current economic and political forces will be brought to a standstill.

The Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to every nation for a witness and each nation will be compelled to listen. The authority given to the end-time witness will be a foretaste of the thousand-year Kingdom Age in which the nations of the saved will be forced, by the rod of iron of the Holy Spirit, to obey the laws coming from Zion.

The saints of the Lord will bring plagues on the whole earth. They will direct every nation to be baptized and to obey the Lord's commandments, in obedience to the Great Commission of the last chapter of the Book of Matthew.

We think the majority of people on the earth will become Christians, even if only nominally.

Then, in the middle of the "week," God will withdraw the authority of the last revival. The saints will be overcome by Antichrist. There will be sin on the earth until the love of most of the believers grows cold. The Jews and the true saints will suffer persecution. It will be the time of Jacob's trouble.

After the great tribulation has created a remnant without spot or wrinkle (a firstfruits of the whole Church), the end of the age will be here. The Divine signs will be seen in the heavens. The generation living at that time will not pass away until all events have been concluded. The saints then are to look up for their redemption draws near. The Kingdom of God will be at hand.

To be continued.


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Overcoming the Saints

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

It requires both blessing and suffering to make a Christian disciple in God's image and perfectly obedient to Him. The fiery trials that come upon the saints result in their perfection as the firstfruits of the Bride of the Lamb.

The Scriptures teach that many of God's people will be overcome in the last days. They will fall by deception-the result of maintaining their sin and self-will.

It is the writer's point of view that there is coming a Divine intervention in the affairs of men and that this intervention will take place before the return of the Lord in the clouds of glory.

The period of which we speak is Daniel's seventieth week.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Christ the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks : the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Christ be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week : and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24-27)

Seventy "weeks" are required in order to make an end of sins and to bring in "everlasting righteousness," to bring to the earth the Kingdom of God.

Notice in the passage above that there are seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and then a seventieth week. A "week" represents seven years, although a week, particularly the seventieth week, may not refer to a literal seven-year period.

It is the opinion of some Bible scholars that the sixty-nine weeks (seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks) brought us to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. Then, it is felt, the Kingdom clock stopped ticking while God created the Church. The seventieth week will take place in the last days-the clock will start ticking again.

From the above passage we see that the seventieth week will be divided into two parts: the first part will be a confirming of the covenant; during the second part the sacrifice and offering will cease and there will be abominations.

We think the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation describes Daniel's seventieth week. During the first half of the week there will take place the latter-rain revival, symbolized by the two witnesses. During the second half of the week, the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom will be driven from the cities of the earth. The Christian witness will be overcome.

To be continued.


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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #12

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

The one position considers that our sins are covered no matter how we behave; we ought to try to do good because we love Jesus, but our eligibility for eternal life in Heaven is not based on our behavior but on the grace and mercy of God. We are not under the Law but under an amnesty. Christ is the end of the Law, the abolishing of the Law, and freely assigns righteousness to those who have faith in Him.

The other position views salvation as the means of deliverance from sin and of bringing forth a new righteous creation. When we sin we are to confess our sin, repent, and avail ourselves of the grace of God to enable us to overcome the sin. Because we are not under the Law but under grace we are legally free to enter complete union with the Lord Jesus without having to worry about feast days and the washing of pots and pans. Our union with Christ brings forth the fruit of righteousness each day. The new creation is being revealed in our personality. We are growing continually in the ability to distinguish between good and evil, being able to select the good and resist the evil. Christ is the aim and purpose of the Law and the Law has brought us to Him.

The two positions are not the same. One is the true Gospel of salvation. The other is another gospel. Make no mistake-they are not the same! One of them is accurate and the other is a grievous error.

"I do not live any longer," Paul maintains. "The life I am now living in my body I am living by faith in the Son of God. Every aspect of my thinking, speech, and actions, every moment of every day, reveals that my old nature has been crucified and Christ is living in me.

"I am overcoming sin each day because the life of Christ does not sin. The part of my personality that is yet unredeemed is kept from condemnation by the blood of Jesus. I am living by total faith and trust in the Lord Jesus.

"To keep on walking in the sins of my flesh would mean I was building again the body of sin that Christ seeks to destroy, and in that case I indeed would be a lawbreaker. Were I to continue to live in my flesh I would be barred from the Kingdom of God, I would not inherit it. There is no practice of sin in the Kingdom of God.

"If it is true that I am not practicing righteous behavior by observing the ordinances of the Law of Moses but by living in the life of Christ, of what use is circumcision to me?"

For in Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (Galatians 6:15)

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #11

For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. (Galatians 2:18)

Paul has been grievously misunderstood. This misunderstanding has wrecked the churches of our day.

Paul's argument against the Law of Moses has been interpreted by Gentiles as an argument against righteous and holy behavior. It is as though we are saved apart from righteous and holy behavior, when in fact righteous and holy behavior are salvation and proof of the Kingdom of God in our life.

It is an enormous, deadly misunderstanding!

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. (Galatians 2:19)

What does this mean, "I through the law am dead to the law"? It means that the judgments of the Law brought Paul down to the death of the cross. The Law slew Paul. Because Paul is dead the Law no longer governs him. He now is free to be married to Jesus and to live unto God.

The expression "dead to the law" has been interpreted to mean we no longer are bound by the Law of Moses. This is only partially true. The point is, we have died because of the Law. Therefore it is not appropriate for us to sin, that is, to continue to act as though we were still alive.

We have not died to the Law of Moses so we can be free but so we can "live unto God." This is where the breakdown of understanding is. No Christian is free from the Law of Moses in the sense the expression is used currently. Rather, he is dead to the Law of Moses, having died with Christ on the cross of Calvary. Now the believer has been raised with Christ ; not merely raised, but raised with Christ. We have died to Moses, not that we may be free but that we may be married to Christ.

The answer to the question of the relation of Moses to Christ, and the understanding of the manner in which God views sin (which is defined in Galatians as the "works of the flesh"), is found in the following passage:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

We believers are not free from the laws of righteousness; rather, we are crucified with Christ.

It is not I who am living but Christ who is living in me. This is the same as having the Torah written in our mind and heart, for Christ is the Word, the Torah of God.

One doctrinal position is that by accepting Christ, the Law of Moses has no more authority over us. Our sins are forgiven, and when we sin God does not see our sin but only the righteousness of Christ. When we die we will go to the spirit Paradise to live forever.

The other position is that the Law has condemned us to death because of our sin. Therefore we have identified ourselves through water baptism with the crucified Christ. By faith we have risen together with Him to the right hand of God. Christ is now our life and when He appears we will appear with Him in glory, ready to restore Paradise to the earth.

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #10

But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. (Galatians 2:17)

The following is Paul's reasoning concerning the Christian and sin. It must be thought through carefully for it does not lend itself to a superficial examination.

If we are seeking righteousness through Christ . . . ! Here is the problem. Paul was approaching the Gospel as one who desired above all else to be righteous. However, the Gospel is presented to the Gentiles, not as a means of gaining righteousness but as a ticket to Heaven. The idea is that if we will receive Jesus as our Savior our sins will be forgiven and we will be admitted to Heaven when we die.

We Gentiles do not understand the Gospel because we are not oriented properly to righteousness. Righteousness is an end in itself, not a means of getting to Heaven.

The devout Jew seeks righteousness because God requires righteousness. It is our opinion that the Gospel belongs to the Jews first, and after that to the Gentiles. In fact, the individual most likely to fully appreciate the redemption that is in Christ is the Orthodox Jew, as we see it. And this is what Paul was!

What do Gentiles understand of the coming of a kingdom of righteousness? What does it mean to Gentiles that Christ will sit on the Throne of David?

We have received a Jewish Gospel and have totally confused it with spending eternity in Heaven, mansions, and golden slippers. The new covenant was presented in the Book of Jeremiah, but most of what is taught today is unrelated to what Jeremiah stated, to the rest of the Hebrew Prophets, and to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (Hebrews 8:8)

Hopefully the Jews will claim their own bread and teach the Gentile believers of righteousness and the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that is coming to the earth in the near future.

If we are seeking righteousness through Christ, and continue to sin, does this mean Christ endorses sin? Paul responds to his own question (Galatians 2:17), "Absolutely not!"

For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. (Galatians 2:18)

First of all, what is sin? Sin under the new covenant is much the same as under the old, having to do with righteousness and holiness of conduct. Paul gives us some examples of sin:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness [immorality], Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Let us paraphrase Paul: "If I have come to Jesus for righteousness and I continue to practice adultery, fornication, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, murder, drunkenness, does this mean Christ endorses sin?"

Do you see what we mean when we state it is not an adequate response to dismiss the relationship between Moses and Christ by saying we are not under the Law but under grace? We leave the problem of sin unanswered. We do not know how to define sin, under the new covenant and we do not understand how God regards it.

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #9

And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. (Acts 11:2,3)

The Jewish Christians could not conceive of God working with uncircumcised people. This presented a problem in the early churches.

Paul wrote a letter to the churches of Galatia in which he discussed circumcision, referring also to the entire Law of Moses.

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:2)

The relationship between the Law of Moses and the grace of God in Christ is seldom, it appears, presented clearly. The Christian position often is stated as, we are not under the Law but under grace; or, Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

These comments are scriptural but they do not solve the problem of the Christian and sin. The result is that today there are literally millions of Christians who have little understanding of how God regards their behavior. There is utter confusion on this point and the believers remain spiritual babies as a result.

Spiritual growth is growth in the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and to receive the good and resist the evil. One cannot distinguish between good and evil, or receive the good and resist the evil, unless it is understood how God regards our behavior under the new covenant.

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13,14)

Paul's answer to the relation between Moses and Christ, and what the Christian's attitude toward sin should be, is found in the Book of Galatians.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Galatians 2:16)

Paul is not stating that no one in time past ever pleased God under the Law, for the Scripture states that righteousness was expected at that time under those regulations.

And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. (Deuteronomy 1:16)

And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us. (Deuteronomy 6:25)

Paul himself walked blamelessly under the Law.

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:6)

However, those whom God declared to be righteous, such as Noah, Job, Abraham, and Daniel, were not distinguished by adherence to the ordinances of the Law of Moses but by their whole behavior as a person. They behaved righteously, loved mercy, and walked humbly with God. The heroes of faith of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews give us some idea of what God regards as faith and righteousness.

What Paul is declaring is that now that God has presented us with a superior covenant, validated by the blood of God's own son, we are not to seek righteousness by observing any of the elements of the Law of Moses-not even circumcision!

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #8

And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23-25)

Various ordinances regarding sorcery, thievery, paying of wages, pledges, surety, personal injury. There were numerous injunctions covering these several areas. Perhaps the best known is the "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth."

And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23-25)

Jesus commented on this ordinance:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. (Matthew 5:38-41)

Again, the Lord Jesus seemed to distance Himself from the Law that originally came from Him. It is evident that we have here a change in the Law. Therefore, we can state that the personal injury section of the Torah was fulfilled in Christ and does not carry over into the new covenant.

The preceding elements of the Law of Moses have been replaced by the new covenant. They have been fulfilled in Christ who kept them all perfectly and then died on behalf of others, the guiltless on behalf of the guilty. Because He kept His own law He is able to redeem the guilty by dying in their place.

Therefore we are not under these statutes any longer. In Christ they have been fulfilled and terminated, having accomplished their purpose, which was to govern and guard Israel and finally bring Israel to the Deliverer, the Seed promised to Abraham.

The remaining aspects of the Law cannot be dismissed as readily. Their relationship to the new covenant requires more explanation:

Circumcision.

The Sabbath day.

Moral purity.

Righteous behavior.

Worship and holiness.

Elements of the Law That Are Covenants With the Elect and Have Been Expanded

Circumcision. Circumcision dates back to the covenant made with Abraham. It is a symbol of the special relationship God has with His elect, His Israel, His Church.

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. (Genesis 17:10)

From the beginning, God made it known that the circumcision He desires is the circumcision of the heart. This concept is found in the Torah.

And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: (Leviticus 26:41)

"Their uncircumcised hearts."

And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

Even in the Torah, true circumcision was to love God with all of one's heart.

Circumcision was used in general application to mean righteous holy, and acceptable to the Lord and suitable for use by His people.

And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. (Leviticus 19:23)

For the first three years the fruit of the trees was regarded as "uncircumcised," that is, not suitable for the use of God's people.

Circumcision is a basic aspect of Judaism.

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #7

When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: (Leviticus 13:2)

Laws regarding leprosy. There were strict rules governing the person who contracted leprosy.

The rules governing the leper are not mentioned in the writings of the Apostles of the new covenant. We do know that our Lord Jesus healed many lepers and that He always touched them.

Laws governing slavery. Under the Law of Moses slaves were considered to be the property of the person who purchased them or who gained them as booty in war. While the ownership of a slave was considered valid, there were limits placed on the degree of harshness the owner could apply.

And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. (Exodus 21:20)

A distinction was made between a Hebrew servant and a Gentile servant.

And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. (Deuteronomy 15:12) And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: (Deuteronomy 15:13) Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. (Deuteronomy 15:14)

How did the Apostle Paul view slavery?

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it [do not be concerned about it]: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. (I Corinthians 7:20-23)

Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. (I Timothy 6:1,2)

The preceding passage is not the same as the Old Testament passages that discuss slavery. We conclude that the laws of slavery are not to be carried into the new covenant.

Cities of refuge, murder. Whoever killed someone intentionally was to be put to death.

Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. (Numbers 35:31)

Because of the possibility of accidental death, God provided a number of cities of refuge where the man that caused the death could be protected against the avenger of blood-a relative seeking vengeance for the murder.

And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. (Numbers 35:6)

The cities of refuge were an important aspect of the Law of Moses. It does not seem likely they are to be part of the new covenant. The Lord Jesus Christ is our City of Refuge.

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #6

He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalms 15:5)

Lending money on interest is an important aspect of capitalism. Our personal opinion is that the practice does more harm than good. It appears that because money is used to make more money by lending on interest, the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.

Whether or not lending on interest is always a wicked practice we are not certain. It is not condemned in the New Testament. Peter tells us of a righteous new world that is coming. If the present author has any control over the economy there will be no lending of money on interest in the ages to come.

As in all other matters, the individual believer must seek the will of Christ concerning his ownership and management of money and property. But we think the letter of the Old Testament ordinances no longer are binding on him whether he is Jewish or Gentile.

Marriage and divorce. Jesus commented on this aspect of the Law of Moses.

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. (Matthew 5:31,32)

It is interesting that the Lord would separate Himself from the authorship of this commandment: "It hath been said . . . but I say unto you."

"It hath been said"! It was the Lord Jesus Himself, the Lord of Israel, who said it. If it was Jesus who said it in the first place, then Jesus has all authority over all laws and principles.

When the woman caught in adultery was brought before Him, the Lord wrote on the ground with His finger. It was the Lord Jesus who wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger on slabs of granite.

This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (John 8:6)

But then He wrote again.

And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. (John 8:8)

The new covenant also is the writing of the finger of God-this time on the heart of man. The Lord wrote once on Sinai. The Lord has written again.

It seems likely that the specific statutes governing marriage and divorce were done away in Christ.

Special dress, mixtures, appearance. The Jews were forbidden to wear garments made of two different materials, such as linen and woolen. Also, they were to sew a fringe of blue on their garments.

Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: (Numbers 15:38)

The manner in which they cut their hair and beard was prescribed.

Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. (Leviticus 19:27)

We may say with confidence that these ordinances were not carried over into the new covenant.

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #5

And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. (Deuteronomy 14:23)

Property and money ownership and management, tithing, usury and interest, the redemption of land. Although tithing dates back to Abraham, it definitely is part of the Law of Moses.

Although tithing is not expressly enjoined in the Epistles, the giving of a tenth of our money or produce to the work of the Kingdom may be a minimum offering. However, as in the case of keeping all days holy and not just the Sabbath day, we are not to be thinking in terms of fractions of our possessions. Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. Whatever surplus of money we have is to be used to assist the poorer disciples, as the Lord directs.

We are to work so we may be able to give to the needy Christians.

. . . but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Ephesians 4:28)

It is necessary also that we support the Lord's work, as the Lord guides us to do so.

The Sabbath of the land may be beneficial in terms of agriculture but the commandment is not repeated in the writings of the Apostles.

The laws governing lending, usury, and interest reveal that God frowned on the taking of interest. Christian capitalists may make a great distinction between usury (excessive interest) and interest, but we do not think the Scripture does.

Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. (Leviticus 25:36,37)

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalms 15:5)

"Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase."

It appears to us, from the use of the term "usury" in the Scripture, that usury is just another name for interest. It was the Lord's will, under the Law of Moses, that the rich be generous with the poor, and give and lend money without charging interest.

Since the laws governing property and money ownership and management, tithing, usury and interest, and the regulations governing the redemption of land, are not repeated in the New Testament writings, we probably can assume they are not binding on the believer in Christ. These have been fulfilled in Christ.

However, the concept of generosity is repeated in the New Testament.

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (II Corinthians 9:6,7)

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #4

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. (Leviticus 23:2)

The feast days. There is no greater type in the Scriptures than the feasts of the Lord listed in Leviticus, Chapter 23 and commanded in other passages also. The Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Tabernacles, and the other celebrations reveal the Lord Jesus, the growth of the believer to maturity, the development of the Church, and the building and installation of the Kingdom of God.

Many Christians in our day, both Jewish and Gentile, celebrate the Passover and the feast of Tabernacles. We see no harm in celebrating the Old Testament convocations provided it is realized that all of these are completely fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. It is somewhat anticlimactic to observe Passover after the Lord Jesus has instituted the Communion [fellowship] service-the body and blood of the Son of God.

There always is a temptation to go back to that which humans can practice, because the redemption we are awaiting is still invisible and invisible things are difficult to work with.

Be it clearly understood, however, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the complete fulfillment of all the feast days of the Torah. Observance no longer is required. The feasts of the Lord were shadows of the infinitely greater Christ toward which they pointed.

But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. (Galatians 4:9-11)

Dietary regulations, washing of dishes and pots. The Lord explained in detail what the Jews could and could not eat. Also, there were rules for the cleansing of dishes and pots.

It appears that the vision given to Peter changes the injunctions concerning clean and unclean foods.

And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. (Acts 10:11-15)

"All manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air"! There probably was a swine or two in the sheet. This is enough to shock an Orthodox Jew.

We Christians, in spite of the good that may derive from governing one's diet, are no longer under the dietary and culinary ordinances of the Law of Moses. These all are done away in Christ.

For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. (Romans 14:2,3)

For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. (Romans 14:20)

"All things indeed are pure." Remarkable words from a former Pharisee of the Pharisees. Paul would agree that saints no longer are under the stipulations concerning clean and unclean food and the washing of dishes and pots. These have been done away in Christ.

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #3

For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: (I Thessalonians 4:2,3)

To blithely state we are not under the Law but under grace, or that Christ is the end of the Law, may not be a satisfying response.

It is clear we no longer are required to offer a bull as a fellowship offering. Instead, we are to offer our body as a living sacrifice to the Father.

What about adultery and incest. Is a Christian free to commit adultery and incest? If not, why not? Under what law is the Christian required to refrain from adultery and incest?

One may say, a true Christian will not practice adultery or incest. The fact is, in our day numerous Christian people practice adultery and many molest their own children.

We know how God commanded us to treat adultery and incest under the Law. How does God command us to deal with adultery and incest under the new covenant?

Perhaps if we examine some of the facets of the Law we can speak with more understanding when we state we are not under the Law but under grace, or that Christ is the end of the Law.

Elements of the Law That Have Been Replaced by the New Covenant

The animal sacrifices. The opening chapters of the Book of Leviticus describe the fellowship, peace, sin, trespass, and other offerings. Now that the one perfect sacrifice has been made it would be almost blasphemous to continue with the offering of animals and birds.

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. (Hebrews 7:27)

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

When we say we are not under the Law but under grace, and Christ is the fulfillment of the Law, we may speak with confidence regarding the sacrifice of animals and birds. The blood offered on the cross by the Lord Jesus Christ has made an eternal atonement for the sins of the whole world.

And he is the propitiation [appeasement] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)

The ordinances of the priesthood and of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. A great part of the Book of Exodus is devoted to the Aaronic priesthood and the ordinances concerning the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Now that our High Priest, Christ, has come we no longer are bound by the rules of the Aaronic priesthood. He-Christ-is the fulfillment of all tabernacles and temples. He is the aim, the purpose, the end, the fulfillment of the Altar, the Lampstand, the Showbread, and the Ark of the Covenant. All is filled up and revealed in Him; and also in His Church, which is His Body.

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (Hebrews 8:1,2)

To be continued.

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Not Under the Law but Under Grace, #2

For Christ is the end [completion; purpose] of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:4)

What about the passage above-Christ is the end of the Law? Does this mean that the Law of Moses has been abolished?

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (Hebrews 8:10)

We see that the Torah, rather than being done away, is moved from stone and parchment to the mind and heart of the worshiper. It is not the statutes of the Law of Moses that are moved to the mind and heart of the worshiper but the eternal law of God, of which the Law of Moses is an abridged, negative form.

It is not enough to claim we are not under the Law but under grace unless we are ready to explain precisely what we mean.

It is not enough to state that Christ is the end of the Law, in the sense of abolishing the Law, unless we are able to show how our position fits Hebrews 8:10. The Greek term translated "end," in Romans 10:4, sometimes means termination, and on other occasions gives the idea of end result, as in the following:

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (I Peter 1:9)

Then we would have, "Christ is the end result, or fulfillment, of the Law of Moses." All was fulfilled in Him, not necessarily abolished in the sense that God has changed His mind concerning man's moral obligations.

The Elements of the Law

One reason for the lack of clarity in our insistence that we are not under the Law but under grace is that the Law has many different components. Some of the components, such as the animal sacrifices and the priesthood, have been done away. Other statutes, particularly those concerning moral behavior, are not to be transgressed at any time.

The Ten Commandments are the best known part of the Law of Moses. They are a summary of the Law and often seem to be what Paul means primarily when he refers to the Law.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Romans 13:8,9)

While the following is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of the elements of the Torah, it may give us an idea of the diverse aspects of which the Law is composed.

The animal sacrifices.

The ordinances of the priesthood and of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

The feast days.

Dietary regulations, washing of dishes and pots.

Property and money ownership and management, tithing, usury and interest, the redemption of land.

Marriage and divorce.

Special dress, mixtures, appearance.

Laws regarding leprosy.

Laws governing slavery.

Cities of refuge, murder.

Various ordinances regarding sorcery, thievery, paying of wages, pledges, surety, personal injury.

Circumcision.

The Sabbath day.

Moral purity.

Righteous behavior.

Worship and holiness.

All of these plus injunctions we may have not mentioned constitute the Law, the Torah.

To be continued.
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Not Under the Law but Under Grace

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

For Christ is the end [completion; purpose] of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:4)

What is the relationship of the Law of Moses to the redemption that is in Christ? The answer to this question is important to the dedicated Christian.

Whenever a question arises concerning a commandment of the Old Testament, our rejoinder as believers often is, "We are not under the Law but under grace." One wonders if we really understand what we are saying.

What do we mean when we say we are not under the Law but under grace?

What do we mean when we state that Christ is the end of the Law of Moses?

We cannot mean that the Torah, the Law, has been abolished, for the new covenant is the writing of the spiritual intent of the Torah on our mind and heart. This hardly is an abolishing of the Torah in the sense of doing away with the moral laws of God!

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law [Torah ] in their inner parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

The idea that we are not under the Law but under grace is understood to mean that righteous behavior, while it is desirable or shows that we love Jesus, is not a determining factor of our salvation. We are saved by grace alone, it is maintained, and not by righteous behavior. If this is true, then the context of Romans 6:14 should support this concept.

Roman 6:14 states:

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

Let us look at the context of Romans 6:14:

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:2)

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:12,13)

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:22,23)

The context of Romans 6:14 could hardly be interpreted to mean that righteous behavior, while it is desirable or shows that we love Jesus, is not a determining factor of our salvation. According to the above passages, godly behavior is an integral part of the Divine redemption. There is widespread deception on this point.

To be continued.
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Dr. Thompson has recently finished a book titled Heaven—God's Wonderful World. It was written to comfort terminally ill children and their parents, and anyone who may be afraid of death.

It is available in paperback, or as an audio book on CD. To learn more about Heaven—God's Wonderful World, or to order a copy, please visit our web site.

One New Man, #11

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. (Psalms 2:9)

There will be smashings and upheavals from now until the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age (Psalms 2:9). Such catastrophes and tragedies are necessary because of the ingrained lustful, rebellious, self-centeredness of mankind.

When all has been brought into subjection to Christ, then Jesus Himself will be subject to the Father so that God may be All in all of His creation. Then there will be rest and blessing throughout the universe. The eternal age of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit will have arrived.

By portraying the dwelling of God with the believer in the believer's tabernacle, his body, the feast of Tabernacles points toward the inner realm of the Kingdom-the rule of God's love in Christ from within His subjects.

When the inner rule has been established in the priesthood to God's satisfaction, then Emmanuel (God with us) will have come to the earth. The tabernacle of God, having been perfected in the priesthood, will now be with men (Revelation 21:3).

8. Precisely what is the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles? The feast of Tabernacles is one of the types and shadows of the Old Testament. What is the substance of this symbol?

The spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles is set forth in John 14:23:

. . . If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

The Apostle John witnessed the one new Man coming down from the new heaven and being established forever on the new earth.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:2,3)

God is building a house for Himself. That house is constructed from Christ and from all who are one with Christ.

First came the Cornerstone. After that the living stones created from the Cornerstone.

Finally, every saved creature will partake of the Life of God who has settled down to rest forever in His eternal home.

Now the house, the Tabernacle of God, is on the earth, and from within His Tabernacle God can rule, guide, bless, comfort, and strengthen the nations of people whom God has created. God Himself in His house will dwell with mankind, and all nations will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God.

One day many years ago, Abraham, the patriarch of the Hebrews and of all who believe, looked up to God, having been obedient and faithful. The greatest burden of his life had just been lifted from his shoulders.

The faithful Abraham heard these words:

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:17,18)

As Abraham looks down from Heaven today he lifts up his hands in worship to his faithful God, who is about to bring forth blessing to the nations of the earth through the one new Man, the eternal Seed of Abraham. (from One New Man)

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One New Man, #10

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:20,21)

7. What does the feast of Tabernacles have to do with establishing Christ on the Throne of David in Jerusalem?

The establishing of Christ on the Throne of David in Jerusalem is the outer aspect of the Kingdom of God. This will take place when the Lord returns in the clouds of glory.

Of greater importance by far is the inner kingdom, the establishing of Christ on the throne of the hearts of men, especially on the throne of the hearts of the Israel of God.

Establishing Christ on the throne of the hearts of men is the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. It is God in Christ dwelling eternally in His tabernacle. God's tabernacle is the new born-again creation in the personalities of the saints, and ultimately in the new born-again creation in the personalities of all the saved of mankind.

It is important for us to understand that the Father dwells only in Christ. Christ (with the Father) never dwells in our adamic nature but only in the new born-again creation in our personality. The new creation is of the Substance and virtue of Christ, having been born of God (John 1:13; I John 3:9).

If the inner aspect of the Kingdom of God were not of supreme importance, Christ would have established the outer aspect of His Kingdom in the first century. The reason for the tribulation-filled two thousand years of the Christian Era is that the inner aspect of the Kingdom may be developed in God's royal priesthood.

When the inner aspect has been perfected in the priesthood, Christ and His priesthood will appear and establish the outer aspect of the Kingdom on the Throne of David in Jerusalem. Then the Law will go forth from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Dwelling in booths for seven days (during the feast of Tabernacles) portrays the Kingdom of God, which is God in Christ in the saints entering the earth and bringing eternal Life to all who are saved until there is one new Man.

The Kingdom of God has both an inner realm and an outer realm. As we have said, the inner realm is of supreme importance.

The Lord God of Heaven could, if He so desired, set up His throne on the earth and rule people by His power, using the army of angels to put down all resistance to His will.

Instead, God has chosen to place the Life of His Son in each member of the Kingdom so that the rule of God will come from within the personalities of those who are of the nobility of the Kingdom, and ultimately from within every member of the nations of saved peoples of the earth.

It is obvious that only those people who themselves have come under total obedience to the Life of God in them are fit to rule in the Divine Kingdom, a Kingdom that in its ultimate form operates by the power of love.

To be continued.

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One New Man, #9

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (Hebrews 8:8)

4. In what way are the Christians to become members of Israel?

The Christians are to become members of Israel by recognizing that the new covenant is made only with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not with the Gentile nations (Jeremiah 31:31).

In order to partake of Christ we must become part of Israel, part of the one Seed of Abraham. There only is the one Olive Tree, Christ. The two olive trees of Revelation, Chapter 11, do not represent a Jewish Church and a Gentile Church but rather a double portion of the Spirit of God poured on Christ and His Body, His Church.

There is no such thing as a "Gentile Church." The Gentile Church is the creation of Gentile religionists.

In Christ there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. There is only the one new Man. This is so obviously scriptural that it appears to be a waste of time to discuss it further.

5. At what point and in what manner will the Christian Church and the land and people of Israel converge?

It is our point of view that the pressures of the future will result in the convergence of a devout remnant of Christians and a devout remnant of Jews, in fulfillment of the type of Jacob being reconciled to his son and Gentile daughter-in-law during the worldwide famine of those days.

The greatest convergence will occur when Christ and His warrior-saints (Jewish and Gentile) appear, descend to the Mount of Olives, and bring the spiritual Life of God to the people and land of Israel.

The nation of Israel will behold Him whom they pierced and will mourn for Him as a man mourns over the mistreatment or loss of his firstborn son (Zechariah 12:10).

6. In what way will the nations of the earth come up to Jerusalem and keep the feast of Tabernacles? Will the Egyptians, the English, and the Chinese come up to Jerusalem each year and dwell in booths for a week, meditating on the God of Israel?

No, the nations will not dwell in booths; for the dwelling in booths is a shadow of the spiritual reality in Christ. Rather the nations of the saved will receive of the Life of Christ that then will be abiding eternally in the saints so the nations also may have a portion of the Father and the Son in themselves.

Many nations will be saved from destruction and will have the opportunity to enter the worship of God through Christ.

And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. (Zechariah 2:11)

The nations of the saved will keep the feast of Tabernacles by coming up to Jerusalem and receiving in themselves the Presence of God. God in Christ will make the nations of the saved part of His Tabernacle, although not to the same extent as is true of the elect, the firstborn, the Israel of God. The Israel of God, consisting of the elect Jews and Gentiles, is God's firstborn-the firstfruits to God of the nations of the earth.

James, a Jew, the brother of the Lord, exclaims:

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)

"A kind of firstfruits of his creatures"!

To be continued.

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One New Man, #8

Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. (Isaiah 32:15)

The coming of Christ in His Kingdom includes bringing the Spirit of God into the people and land of Israel so that what Israel is and does is directed into truth. Israel is destined to be glorified, eternal, and incorruptible. The nation of Israel shall become the leading Christian nation of the world, not "Christian" as we would think of today, like the Catholic Church, but Christian in the sense that the power and glory of Christ will be enthroned there.

Because men have turned the Presence of Christ into a religion, the receiving of Jesus by the Jew is perceived as a change from one religion (Judaism) to another (Christianity). But the truth is that which we have presented above. The receiving of Jesus is the receiving of the Hope of Israel so that the worshiper enters incorruptible eternal life.

Would you like to see a picture of the enthroned Jesus so that you do not misunderstand our meaning when we say Jerusalem will become the Throne of the Lord?

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. (Ezekiel 1:26-28)

We understand that to present Jesus of Nazareth as God is offensive to our Jewish brothers and sisters. Nevertheless He is God. He is Christ, the Lord, the Glory of Israel. Let the seraphim cover their face and feet! Let all the creation cry Holy! Holy! Holy!

This is the carpenter's Son who died on the cross to make an atonement for our sins. This Personage is the One who will be crowned King on the throne of David in Jerusalem.

It is not a case of man becoming God but of God becoming Man.

To receive the Lord Jesus is not a change of religion. It is the receiving of eternal life and was presented as such by the Lord Jesus from the beginning. But men have constructed the "booths" of religion, thereby obscuring the eternal life the Lord came to give, and setting the rulers of Judaism against the rulers of Christianity.

The Kingdom of God always is to the Jew first. It is the "children's bread."

Judaism and Christianity will remain as competing religions until the end of the present age. But in the sincere worshiper, both Jew and Gentile, the Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill all that religion attempts to provide but cannot possibly provide.

The goal of every human being, whether known or unknown to him, is rest in the bosom of the Father. The way to the Father is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

To be continued.

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One New Man, #7

Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner. (Nehemiah 8:18)

The eighth chapter of Nehemiah tells how the Israelites wept when they heard the Law read. The reading of the Law occurred on the first day of the seventh month (the Blowing of Trumpets-Rosh Hashanah) and was followed by the observance of the feast of Tabernacles.

The spiritual substance of Nehemiah, Chapter Eight is occurring today; except that now the Lawgiver Himself, Christ, has come, not only to remind us of the moral Law of God but also (and especially) to cast out of us the presence of sin and to fill us with His Life and Presence so we keep God's laws by nature. It is time to put the laws of God into our mind and write them on our heart (Hebrews 8:10).

Also, we have rejoiced and praised the Lord in the Spirit. We have begun to enter the spiritual substance of which dwelling in booths and other ceremonies are shadows.

2. Will the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles replace the Jewish traditions?

Yes. The reality of the indwelling of God in Christ ultimately will replace the traditions of the Jews-and of the Christians as well.

All our religious forms and structures are scaffolding. In the case of Judaism, a major part of the forms had their origin in Divine edict and direction, as is true of the lampstand with its seven lamps.

In the case of Christianity, however, the forms and structures did not originate by Divine direction. They are an attempt of the human mind to make a religion out of what is intended to be a fellowship with a Person, with the living Lord Jesus Christ. We are to worship the Father in spirit and truth.

The coming of Jesus in His Kingdom will result in the spiritual interpretation of the forms of Judaism and in the abolishing of the manmade forms and implements of Christianity.

3. Why can we say that Christianity is not a religion separate from Judaism but that in the Lord Jesus, eternal life and substance are given to the forms and hopes of Israel?

The Lord Jesus is the living Reality, the Divine Life and Substance who is addressed by the forms and hopes of Israel. He is the Tabernacle of the Congregation, the Ten Commandments, the Lampstand, the Passover Lamb, Christ who is to come.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:32,33)

Jesus was born in a Jewish household and ministered to the people of His nation. The Holy Spirit fell first on Jews. The Apostles of the Lamb were Jews. The original Body of Christ consisted of Jewish saints.

The Law was given through the Jew, Moses. The explanation of the new covenant was given through the Jew, Paul.

To claim that Christianity is a "Gentile religion" is to ignore the facts. Both the Jews and the Gentiles refer to Christianity as a "Gentile religion." Both are incorrect

To be continued.

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One New Man, #6

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:2`1-23)

The depth of the above passage is not readily grasped. The only manner in which we will come to any understanding of it is to experience what it declares.

Of note are the following concepts:

The oneness of the Father, the Son, and the saints.

The redemption that comes to the world as a result of the oneness of the Father, the Son, and the saints.

The giving of the Glory of Christ to the saints.

The fact that the Father loves the elect as He loves Christ.

Because of the oneness of the saints with the Father and the Son, the world will come to believe and know that the Father has sent Jesus, and has loved the members of Jesus' Body as He loves Jesus.

Here is the one new Man, the Kingdom of God, the glorified Church, the new Jerusalem. The world will be redeemed through the Glory of God in Christ in the saints. The nations will keep the feast of Tabernacles by coming up to Jerusalem and partaking of the spiritual Life that flows from God through Christ through the saints.

The nations willing to come up to Jerusalem and receive of the Life of Christ in the saints will enter eternal life. But the nations that are unwilling to come and receive of Christ in His saints, to keep the feast of Tabernacles, on them will be no rain of the Spirit of God-and perhaps no physical rain as well.

And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. (Zechariah 14:17)

In the light of what we have just discussed concerning the one new Man, let us return to our eight questions.

1. In what manner did we Christians keep the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem during the 1985 celebration?

We kept the feast of Tabernacles, not by dwelling in booths for seven days, nor by offering an offering made by fire, nor by bringing the four species to the synagogue, but by coming up to Jerusalem and learning of the coming of the King to cleanse our temples and to make us the eternal dwelling place of the Father and Himself-the one new Man who Himself is the Kingdom of God and the Tabernacle of God.

We have "read in the book in the law of God distinctly."

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. (Nehemiah 8:8)

To be continued.

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One New Man, #5

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:18,19)

As our natural life is replaced by His eternal Life we become increasingly aware of the Presence of His Person.

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)

"That day" is the Day of the Lord. It is the day in which every knee in us has bowed to Jesus and every tongue in us has confessed that Jesus is Lord. The Lord has knocked at every door of our personality, and we have opened every door so the King may establish His throne in every room of our being.

Complete union with Jesus brings us to the perfect knowledge that He indeed is in His Father, and we indeed are in Him and He in us. This is the manner in which the one new Man comes into existence.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)

Much of the early part of our discipleship consists of attempting to do what the Lord has commanded us. This is how we demonstrate our love for Him. As we persevere in our efforts to please Him, studying His Word and seeking to be obedient, the Father looks on us with love. Then the Lord Jesus loves us and reveals Himself to us.

Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? (John 14:22)

The coming of the Lord set forth in the fourteenth chapter of John is not, as we mentioned previously, the Lord's coming in the clouds of glory with the saints and holy angels. Rather it is a personal coming of the Lord, a revealing of Himself to the individual disciple who is seeking to please the Lord by keeping His commandments.

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

John 14:23 describes the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34). John 14:23 is the substance of which the feast of Tabernacles is a shadow, a type.

If the disciple serves the Lord faithfully, walking in the Spirit of God, bearing his cross patiently after the Master, the Father in Heaven will love Him. Then the Father and the Son will come to him through the Spirit and make Their home with him (in his tabernacle, his body). In this manner the disciple becomes an eternal member of the one new Man-the Man who is destined to fill Heaven and earth with the Presence of God in Christ.

It may be noted that the fourteenth and the seventeenth chapters of the Gospel of John contain passages emphasizing the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, the creating of the Kingdom of God, the one new Man. Perhaps the most perfect expression of the one new Man is found in John 17:21-23.

To be continued.

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One New Man, #4

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)

The context of John 14:3 suggests that the coming mentioned here is not the return of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of glory with His saints and holy angels. Rather, this is a personal coming of the Lord to His disciple in fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34). It is the King coming to wage war against His enemies (Psalms 24:8), to cleanse the living stones of Zion from the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self-will (Malachi 3:1-3), and then to dwell with the Father in us for eternity (John 14:23).

In this sense, the Lord is preparing a place for us in ourselves-that we might dwell in peace in our own personality with the Father and the Son. In order to prepare a place for us in the eternal House of God, the Lord Jesus went to the cross, and then into Heaven with His own blood to make an atonement for us. Now, through the Holy Spirit, He is preparing a place for us in ourselves so we may live with God in God's rest in our own person.

The Lord is standing at each door, at the entrance to the personality of each member of the elect. He is knocking. If anyone hears His voice and opens the door, the Lord will enter and dine with that person on the Lord's own body and blood; for it is in sharing the body and blood of God's Passover Lamb that we are married to the Lamb.

The Lord comes to one individual. He is building His Church. He is forming one living stone at a time.

Jesus is receiving us to Himself. He is opening the way into the Most Holy Place in Himself so we may be with Him where He is. The Lord Jesus always has been and always will be in the Bosom of the Father, in the Holiest of all. In order to be with Him where He is we must cooperate with Him as He cleanses us from all worldliness, all sin, and all self-seeking (II Corinthians 6:17).

Jesus Himself is the Way to the Father.

Until we have been cleansed from all sin and self-seeking we are unable to rest with Jesus in the Bosom of the Father. The King, Jesus, has come today to cleanse us from all that is not in harmony with God's Nature. It is the marriage of the Lamb, the Day of Reconciliation, of Atonement that is taking place (Leviticus 23:27).

The judgment of the world has commenced. It has begun in the personalities of those who are close to God and will continue until the conclusion of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. When all the creation has been brought into subjection to Jesus, then will Jesus Himself be subject to God so God may be All in all of the creation (I Corinthians 15:28).

To be continued.

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One New Man, #3

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ [of Messiah]: (Ephesians 4:13)

Perfect members of a perfect Body are being formed. A perfect Man is being created by the ministries imparted by the ascended Jesus. It is the one new Man.

As Adam and Eve were one, so the Lamb and His Wife are to be considered one new Man.

The one new Man is the eternal house, the eternal temple, the habitation, the dwelling place, the resting place, the tabernacle of God.

The eternal Temple of God is constructed from the Cornerstone, Christ, and also from the additional stones being formed and cut to size.

If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (I Peter 2:3-6)

The Zion out of which the Deliverer will come and turn away ungodliness from Jacob, according to the Scriptures, consists of the chief Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus, and also the living stones who are being formed as an integral part of Himself.

The one new Man is the eternal house of God, the place of God's rest forever. It is the holy city, the new Jerusalem. It is the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom coming from Heaven, the kingdom of priests that will rule the nations of saved peoples on the earth forever.

There is no temple in the one new Man, in the new Jerusalem, for God and the Lamb are the Temple of it. The Throne of God and of the Lamb are in it and the nations of the saved will walk in the light of it.

Eventually the entire creation will become part of the one new Man so that every saved creature reveals in himself the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be no more "sea" of people who are not part of the one new Man.

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)

There is a place of rest in the one new Man for every person whom the Lord our God has called.

In my Father's house are many mansions ["abodes," as in verse 23]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)

The house of the Father is the one new Man. Our Lord Jesus went to the cross, and then ascended to Heaven and sprinkled His blood upon and before the Mercy Seat of God so each of us may become an eternal part of the one new Man.

To be continued.

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One New Man, #2

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (Ephesians 2:15)

"To make in himself of two (Jew and Gentile) one new man."

The above statement was written by an Orthodox Jew!

The context of the one new Man includes the description of the eternal house of God:

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-22)

The one new Man is the habitation of God through the Spirit, of which habitation the Lord Jesus is the chief Cornerstone.

Who is the one new Man?

The "twain," of Ephesians 2:15, refers to the saved "Gentiles in the flesh" and "the commonwealth of Israel."

The one new Man is created in the Lord Jesus: "for to make in himself of twain one new man."

The one new Man is made in Christ and remains in Him as part of Him, being created in Him and not being in any sense outside of Him. If something is formed inside of a person and remains eternally in that person, and the person receives the addition as part of himself, then the new creation becomes an integral part of the individual.

The one new Man is Christ and all who are part of Him, whether a Jew or Gentile by natural birth.

The one new Man is Christ-Head and Body-who is to appear and remove ungodliness from Jacob, and also to bring justice to the nations of the earth. The one new Man is the eternal Servant of the Lord.

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:1-4)

For as the [human] body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ [Messiah]. (I Corinthians 12:12)

The Lord Jesus is the supreme Lord and Head of His Church. His Church is His Body, His fullness.

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:22,23)

The Body, the fullness, of Christ is being built through the ministries given to the Church by the ascended Christ.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ [of Messiah]: (Ephesians 4:13)

To be continued.
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