Providing we're able to convince one there is a God by his creation,
Psalms 19:1.
Romans 1:19-20.
Perhaps here's a few of many verses that shows the God of the Bible is that God.
Genesis 13:14-15. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed (FOR EVER.)
As we know they went into captivity, And Ezekiel wrote from Babylon when the was desolate. They later returned and the land was left desolate again for over 1900 years.
May14, 1948. We see the "start" of
Ezekiel 37:1-27.
Ezekiel 20:42.
Jeremiah 30:2-3.
Jeremiah 31:17.
Isaiah 43:5-6.
Micah 4:6-7.
Amos 9:14-15.
Ezekiel 36:23. AND I WILL SANCTIFY MY GREAT NAME, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I SHALL BE SANCTIFIED IN YOU BEFORE THEIR EYES.
Jeremiah 16:14-15. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Jeremiah 23:6-8. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
Hi Rick; by your response you have led me to believe you think as Christians we should practice the Ten Commandments in stone, this of course would be bondage, as Christians are now commanded to obey the Ten Commandments in the heart according to Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:6-13 This old law of God had an expiry date according to the Lord Jesus who taught it would expire as soon as he fulfilled it. Matthew 5:18 The question should be asked, when did he fulfill it? The answer is then given in Luke 16:16 by the time of John the Baptist, as it would expire at that time. Today the Ten Commandments in stone is dead. Romans 7:4 and 7:6-7 We are now commanded to keep the new covenant which is the Ten Commandments written in the heart where there is no Sabbath or generational curses.
This might explain why in Matthew 4 Christ was not tempted any day earlier than the 40 days and 40 nights because God is in control of all things. If Christ had been tempted earlier it would not clearly point to The Day of Atonement as a likely Day for the Return of Jesus Christ with Him defeating all of the evil of this world by obeying God's Words.
Joel 2 describes the blowing of Trumpets on the Day that Christ returns on His Second Coming.
Another ancient tradition is that Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights ( Exodus 34:28) before receiving God's Commandments at Mount Sinai. The tradition states Moses received the Commandments on the Day of Atonement. The blowing of trumpets in Exodus 19 and 20 is associated with at Mount Sinai at that time.
So Christ was fasting during the same period as Moses, and Christ also stood with the Statutes, Laws, and Commandments of God on The Day of Atonement.
Here are some possible ways the 7 Feasts might point to the Life of Christ:
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled by Christ):
1.Passover, Exodus 12:1-14 (Death of Christ)
2.Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6 (Christ was without any sin)
3.Feast of FirstFruits, 23:10; Leviticus 23:9-14 (Resurrection of Christ)
Fall Feasts (To Be Fulfilled by Christ in the future):
4.Feast of Weeks / Pentecost, Leviticus 23: 16-21 (Holy Spirit indwelling in believers of Christ)
5.Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:23-25 [Rapture of believers of Christ; Second Exodus of 12 Tribes of Israel ( Jeremiah 31:7-11)]
6.Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23: 26-32 (The Second Coming of Christ)
7.Feast of Tabernacles, Leviticus 23:39-43 (Christ ruling in His New Kingdom for 1,000 years)
Jeremiah 31:31. As it reads God is going to make a new covenant with the house of Israel.
Jeremiah 31:32 The Lord says this new covenant won't be like the old covenant that he gave their fathers, ( On Mount Sinai by Moses. )
Note: "A Mount that could not be touched"
Jeremiah 31:33-34. Tell us what the New covenant shall be. And how it will function!!
"I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
" Not on tables of Stone "
You see an example of this in
2 Corinthians 3:3.
This new covenant is NOT where they were bond to a law in which they could not keep because of the weakness of the flesh.
See Romans 8:3-4.
That Covenant and tabernacle was a shadow of the (TRUE) tabernacle.
( Hebrews 8:2. A minister of the sanctuary, and of the TRUE tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.)
See Hebrews 8:1-13.
See Hebrews 9:1-28.
See Hebrews 10:8-17.
THE ENERGY BEHIND THE DESIRE TO KEEPING THE LAW BEHIND THIS COVENANT WASN'T COMMANDMENT,
This covenant is set in motion and Moved by the Holyspirit. This is an inward action not an outward one.
This New Covenant is what the Old covenant/Law pointed to.
Note with both Covenants in view.
Galatians 4:23-28. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Jeremiah 31:31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33But 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 in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Explain what God covenant means the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
Hi Rick. I was citing the following Scriptures: Isaiah 66:5 and Jeremiah 5:22. In both verses, the narrative around them was to warn His people that God is a God Who cannot be taken lightly, ignored or despised. Israel & Judah were in every sense, God's chosen & beloved ( Jeremiah 31:1-3) - no matter whatever they did to displease Him, they remained his precious possession ( Ezekiel 44:28), but they would suffer under His Hand if they disobeyed. Yet, they continued to do so even to despising the Messiah of God & crucifying Him.
While the natural branches of the olive tree were cut off so that those who call upon the Name of Jesus, might be engrafted in ( Romans 11:16-20), the engrafted ones (the adopted children of God), are in no more favourable position than what Israel enjoyed as being the 'natural branches of the tree'. We can indeed call Him 'Abba', come to Him anywhere, anytime, anyhow, & enjoy His Gracious Presence through His Spirit, but if we hold Him in awe & wonder, we also demonstrate that through our treatment of His Glory & Holiness & with the Word which He has given us.
My reference to all this was to how we ought to read, understand & share God's Word. This is not a history book or novel that we can gloss over & give our impressions based on personal beliefs & sentiments, but the Word of God that requires careful, prayerful, & spiritual handling, both for our own exercises & for others. Given we have such a Book & such an Holy God, can we give them any less reverence & fear than those to whom God gave a sampling of His Glory ( Exodus 3:4-6; Isaiah 6:1-5; Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 15:4-8). Israel could only approach God through the ministry of God's High priest & they enjoyed His blessings. We approach the same God through our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, providing us such an access. Yet, the God of Israel has never changed - His love is the same - our stance before Him & His Word must be the same: one of great seriousness & carefulness.
Hello Tony. Thank you for your further clarification; previously I wasn't clear as to how you were viewing these passages. If I may explain my understanding:
a. Jeremiah 31:34 & Micah 7:18-20. I believe we see these passages differently. In both passages, I see a new Covenant God made & now brings in for Israel. This is not the New Covenant in Christ's Blood which avails for all men, but another Covenant that is different from the Mosaic ( Jeremiah 31:31,32) (& by inference, the Davidic) - a Covenant which will be unconditional (v32); it will include a change in their hearts, fellowship with God, knowledge of God, & forgiveness of sins (vv33-34). In Truth, all this avails for them through the Messiah of God, Whom they rejected & crucified; & so they go the same way as the Gentiles who reject God's Offer of Salvation. Yet, there will be a day in the Millennium, when they will finally acknowledge the One "Whom they pierced" & God will confirm this Covenant made to them & their sins will be forgiven. And also with Micah 7:11-20: God will fulfil His Promises to Israel, to Abraham, & to the fathers of old (v20). These verses also speak of that special time of forgiveness & blessing to the House of Israel.
b. Revelation 20:10. This verse aligns with Revelation 19:19,20; that the beast & his false prophet were first cast into the Lake of Fire. And Revelation 20:10 shows that Satan also joins them there & their torment will be eternal. So, I don't understand, "Since the wicked are raised from their fiery grave, why do they need a second judgement?" Which 'raising' are you referring to? And which 'wicked'? But if you're referring to vv 11-15 (Great White Throne Judgement), the Books were opened & their names were not found therein - & those dead were raised to judgement, including the finality of death & hell, were all likewise consigned to that eternal flame.
So I sense that our interpretation of these passages may differ, which I'm happy to pursue.
Hi Chris, Hi, the "torment" being used for 'testing', in your understanding, does this 'testing' continue eternally without any finality to their judgement?" On Jeremiah 31:34, I am referring to Micah 7:18-20 refers to the remnant of God, "Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." The wicked have no part nor have another opportunity for redemption. The "testing" is given by God for the redeemed sake. God's judgment is final. It is not a testing time for unbelievers, but for the saints to know why our loved ones are not with us.
The "stone" referred to in Mathew 21 was used for joining two walls together, you are correct. Also, I see Matthew 21:24 emphasizing the result of rejecting the stone that crushes them. This is the way I view the Greek Lithos, Strong NT 928 and NT 939 in both Matthew and Revelation 20:10. Since the wicked are raised from their fiery grave, why do they need a second judgement? Have they not been previously suffering under the flames of eternity, some for thousands of years?
This is not a testing time to see if the lost get another chance at salvation. When the Books are opened, there will be no doubt why the lost are lost. We will be able to read the facts for ourselves. I cannot understand Revelation 20:10 and the raising of the wicked for any other reason.
I enjoy our study together. "Iron sharpens iron." Please continue to share your thoughts on the subject. Or any other topic of interests you may have. Blessings!
Thank you Tony. In reference to Revelation 20:10, the "torment" being used for 'testing', in your understanding, does this 'testing' continue eternally without any finality to their judgement? Or does the verse more fully speak of that eternal torment received is the result of them being found guilty & deserving of their punishment. I became confused when you also referred to Jeremiah 31:34: are you speaking of the saved whose sins are already forgiven by virtue of Christ's death, or for some type of redemption for the unsaved?
And then to the "touchstone" & the connection to the "cornerstone". Though the same Greek word for Stone is used, I see a different application, where Christ is seen not as the 'testing' stone but as the very stone that forms the joint for connecting the two walls together, & is being rejected as useless (as was the rejection of the lord of vineyard's son). And the chief priests & scribes correctly perceived "that he had spoken this parable against them".
And then when we come to Revelation 20:10, where the "devil is was cast into the Lake of Fire, where the beast & the false prophet already are", I don't understand this to be a testing time for unbelievers. Their judgement is seen in Revelation 20:11-13, when the Books are opened & according to their works, were deemed guilty & not found in the Book of Life. Their judgement & punishment are now eternal. Those who belong to Him, through His Son, have been eternally secured, & their only judgement is in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, where rewards are given to those who have built their Christian lives well on that One Foundation & sadly with shamefacedness & loss to those who have dishonoured Him in their lives.
There's more to share, but I feel that I may not have fully comprehended your understanding, so will leave it for now.
CONTINUED ON REVELATION 20:10 . The righteous will witness false believers rejecting the testing of the Stone. The fire will witness that He has not made a mistake in judging the lost. If He could make a mistake about someone's salvation among the lost, the fire could have no effect on them, the fire cannot destroy the gold of redemption which is in Christ. I can understand the horror and grief as the redeem see that there is no possibility for loved ones to be saved. As terrible as this testing is, God has made clear that He judged correctly. Then He wipes away all tears from our eyes, and we leave behind all that we experienced in this world of sin, For God also wipes away our sins. Jeremiah 31:34
"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD : for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD ; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
When God chooses not to remember something, it cannot exist anywhere. What a God!
Islands or Isles of the Sea - In Reply - 3 years ago
Islands of the Sea
Wesley's Notes for Isaiah 41:1
41:1 Keep silence - Attend diligently to my plea. Islands - By islands he means countries remote from Judea, inhabited by the idolatrous Gentiles. Renew - Strengthen themselves to maintain their cause against me; let them unite all their strength together. Near - Unto me that we may stand together, and plead our cause, and I will give them free liberty to say what they can on their own behalf.
[you can use the search (box) engine to read all of the "islands of the sea" or "isles" scriptures]
This is what I was taught: that these islands are actually other continents bordered by water (seas or oceans). Presumably Gentile. No where near the Mideast regions.
The Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea are mentioned a number of times in both the Old and New Testaments. Each the the three bodies of water serves as geographical boundary markers in Numbers 34:1-12.
Ezekiel 26:15-18 (sounds like NYC)
Jeremiah 2:10-11,
Jeremiah 31:10, Isaiah 60:9,
Isaiah 42:10, 11:11, 24:25, 66:19, Daniel 11:18
The USA is bordered on 3 sides by water and would be considered an island.
Hi Roger. The prophet Jeremiah was also known as the 'weeping prophet' ( Jeremiah 9:1,10; Jeremiah 31:16,17) as he had an exceptionally tender heart towards his people. When we read Jeremiah chapter 9, we need to also look at chapter 8, as they are connected. The volume of their sins; sins of adultery, deceit, & idolatry which God would certainly punish & not overlook, fully gripped the prophet. His weeping ought to have alerted the people to the certainty of judgement for their follies, but they disregarded the warnings.
So his exclamation in Jeremiah 9:1: "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!", is a picture of how he felt & the tears that would flow because of the impending slaying of his people by the Babylonian sword & then into captivity, away from their God-given land.
The Law was given only to Israel & coupled with sacrifices, were to point them to God's Mercy upon them. At Jesus' crucifixion, the Law which only brought condemnation & death was annulled, as Christ ushered in the New Covenant in His Blood. Hebrews 7:7-13, where the old has gone & the new has come in, where the Law is now written in their hearts & minds ( Jeremiah 31:31-34). And Paul takes this up in Romans 8:1-4: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." The Decalogue could never give this ability & freedom to fully obey God in all respects.
Therefore, I don't believe that the apostles or the Church were instructed to obey the Ten Commandments, that which was given under the Old Covenant & only brought death. Under the New Covenant, the indwelling Spirit instructs us to all of God's requirements for us & enables us to be alert to them & keep them.
And finally to your other point, those who say they have faith & continue to "live in worldly sin" are fooling themselves with spurious faith - none with the Holy Spirit can live that way, bringing shame to our Lord. Blessings.
A fresh start for God's people. Now that the wicked have been removed, Judah will be rebuilt along with a new covenant. God in their hearts. They will learn to fear God again per their past fathers evil ways.
Hello Giannis. I understand that the NT authors & Septuagint translators found that 'diatheke' was the best word that could be used when translating or referring from the Hebrew 'berith' (covenant). Diatheke was preferred over 'syntheke', since this word (syntheke) conveyed more of an agreement between equal partners, whereas 'diatheke' meant a covenant between a superior & a subordinate. And also to note, even as you mentioned, that a testament cannot be changed after the death of the testator, however, it can be changed while the testator is alive, for various reasons. Whereas a covenant cannot be changed at all while it is in force: when God makes a covenant with His people, He can punish them for breaking the covenant, but He never cancels the covenant promises He has made. However, Hebrews 8:6-13, speaks of Jesus being the "mediator of a better covenant" (as declared in Jeremiah 31:31-34), where the old was abrogated (i.e. it served its purpose & its time limit), ushering the new covenant through "the blood of the everlasting covenant" ( Hebrews 13:20).
So, the way I see it, even though the Greek rendering is correct as "testament", it would allow, in biblical terms, for its use as 'Covenant' when translated & referred from the Hebrew word & meaning, as any another Greek word (even symfono?) would be unsuitable. As the New Testament came into force with the death of the testator ( Hebrews 9:16,17), it was still based on the first Covenant that God made with His people which is now made new through His Son.
I'm doing research on Historical Bible mistakes and contradictions. The work is as expansive as hidden crimes come to life. For those who make up excuses for the current Bible errors, shame on you. These errors have already been corrected, and no thanks to the people who pleaded against the changes, saying God makes no mistakes. God is perfect, people are not.
in 1860, William Henry Burr produced a list of 144 self-contradictions in the Bible.
A 1716 edition of the 17th-century King James version (known as the Party Bible) replaces "Sin no more" from Jeremiah 31:34 with "Sin on more". There were 8,000 copies printed before anyone noticed.
"Let the children first be killed" is Mark 7:27 and it's supposed to be: "Let the children first be filled." A 1795 edition of the King James version.
"If the latter husband ate her" Known as the Cannibal's Bible, a 1682 printing alters this passage from Deuteronomy 24:3, which is meant to read: "If the latter husband hate her."
" I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:30
"No man hath seen God at any time" John 1:18
"The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" Ezekiel 18:20
"I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation" Exodus 20:5
Thank you for taking the time to answer my 2 questions.
1) You mention that the commandment at Leviticus 12:3 was a "suggestion". When the Law was give to Israel, they made a covenant between themselves and God. Please read Exodus 34:3-8. Notice specifically
Exodus 24:3 "And Moses came and told the people ALL THE WORDS of the LORD, and ALL THE JUDGMENTS: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, ALL THE WORDS which the LORD hath said will we do."
That does not sound like a "suggestion" but a command - an order. Jewish people have thus very meticulously made certain to circumcise their children. Moses was almost killed by the LORD because he had not circumcised his son. Please read Exodus 4:24-26. That seems to me that the LORD takes circumcision very, very seriously. In fact, in the first century, even believing Jews believed that a believer in the Messiah must be circumcised to be saved.
Acts 15:1 "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, EXCEPT YE BE CIRCUMCISED after the manner of Moses, YE CANNOT BE SAVED."
2) You mention that the first century Church followed the 10 commandments.
I do agree that they did follow 9 of those commandments. They are re-iterated in the New Testament or Covenant set up by Jesus through his blood mentioned at Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Luke 22:20. However, nowhere do the Apostles every tell the Church, in clear words, "remember to keep the sabbath". Could you provide me 1 verse where an apostle clearly says to keep the sabbath - that actual word "sabbath" being used? In fact, Paul says the opposite at Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:10.
3) Now to answer your question. The apostles did not ever say that they obeyed the "10" commandments. They said that they obeyed the commandments. Those would be the commandments of the New Testament given by Jesus Christ through his Apostles via the letters of Romans to Revelation.
I'm not here to get in between this discussion. Just wondering who are "these people" who teach and keep people from reading the Old Testament you have stated twice now? Obviously no one here, I know of, as the Old Testament is regularly spoken of and promoted.
There is a New Testament(Covenant). Here's God speaking of it in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 31:31-34. Yes the Old Testament is quoted several hundred times in the New Testament. Though there are many things in the New Testament not in the Old Testament.
Just to be clear to maybe help others you are conversing with. What are God's Laws or God's Commandments you are stating we should follow? All of the 613 Mitzvot laws or just the Ten Commandments?
Jesus Christ is the way.
1 John 3:22-24 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.
Romans 13:8 & 10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
I was wanting to answer your question, "If God, Himself, told us that there is no New Thing under the Sun, why do we have a New Testament?"
Good question.
I would suggest you ask God that question since he himself prophesied through his prophet Jeremiah that he would set up a New Covenant (or Testament).
Jeremiah 31:31-32 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant (testament) with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant (testament) that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant (testament) THEY BRAKE, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Notice why God sets up the New Covenant. It says they brake (in modern English, broke) the Mosaic law covenant or testament. Thus, when a contract is broken, you have to set up a new one.
Hebrews 8:7 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."
Hebrews 8:13 "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
God is God. He does what he wants. We can be sure that whatever he does is just and perfect.
Thank you for your comments. I was wanting to respond specifically to your comment, "I guess they think Christ died on the cross so we can be Lawless."
No, I do not believe that Jesus died for me so that I could be lawless. I do want to obey God's Laws. However, what has God commanded me to do? Would you suggest that I be circumcised so as to keep God's Law recorded at Leviticus 12:3? Why would I do that when the Apostles decided in Acts 15 that I need not be circumcised in order to serve God.
So, what do I obey. As a Christian, I obey the instructions that the Apostles gave to the first-century Church in the epistles from Romans to Revelation. They never tell me to keep the Sabbath or be circumcised or keep the festivals of Israel. In fact, they tell me the opposite:
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
Galatians 4:10 "Ye observe days (sabbaths), and months (lunar month), and times (festivals), and years (sabbatical). I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain."
I obey the New Testament made between God and the Church of God via the mediator Jesus Christ since I am a Christian. I do not obey the Old Testament made between God and ancient Israel via the mediator Moses. I am not an Israelite.
Please see Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:7-13.
Notice that the Bible is separated into 2 portions - the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus inaugurated the New Testament with his shed blood. See Luke 22:20. These are the laws that I obey - God's laws for Christians in the New Testament.
The 10 commandments were the first of over 600 commandments given to the nation of Israel. It was inaugurated by a ceremony where the law was read, blood sacrifices were offered, and the people of Israel agreed to obey the whole law. See Exodus 24:3-8. This clearly was a covenant or contract between Israel and God via the mediator Moses.
The New Covenant was inaugurated by the mediator Jesus Christ by his shed blood and is between God and the Church.
See Luke 22:20.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 tells us that God would make a New Covenant. You suggest that the expression "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts" is referring to the Mosaic laws given to the nation of Israel. However, that can't be correct, since verse 32 clearly says that the New Covenant would not be "according to the covenant I made with their fathers".
If you sign a new lease with your landlord, the old lease becomes obsolete. You can't have 2 leases in force at the same time. They would contradict each other. You can't also have 2 Covenants in force since they too would contradict one another. One says circumcise your children (Mosaic Law) and one says it is not necessary to circumcise your children (New Covenant - see Acts 15.) See Hebrews 8:13.
The Bible differentiates between the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ. The Law of Moses is the Old Covenant and the Law of Christ is the New Covenant - the Laws found in Romans to Revelation.
1 Corinthians 9:21 speaks about the law to Christ (the New Covenant laws of Romans to Revelation).
Galatians 6:2 also refers to the law of Christ. The law of Christ is different from the law of Moses.
God himself gave these new laws of the New Covenant to the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles to transmit to the Church in the epistles. These are the commandments that the Apostle John is referring to in 1 John 5:2, 3.
The Apostles never commanded the Church to obey the sabbath in all the epistles.
A person cannot judge another man for not keeping the Sabbath in the Christian Church under the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, a person was required to judge such a person and stone them to death.
However, in the New Covenant given to the Christian Church, the Elders of a Church are indeed required to judge a man who is sinning such as by committing fornication.
At 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, there is a case of a man who is living in a state of sexual immorality. The Apostle Paul tells the Elders of that Church to judge and disfellowship that individual. Notice:
1 Corinthians 5: 12, 13 "For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."
That unrepentant, sinful person had to be judged and be thrown out of the Church. Yes, those who break the serious laws of the New Covenant, such as fornication - a serious sin - were judged and expelled.
However, no Christian could be judged for not keeping the Sabbath since the Sabbath was only given to Israel in the Old Covenant. The Apostle Paul and the other Apostles never commanded the Church to keep the Sabbath. If the Sabbath was that important, why would he not do so? Colossians 2:14-16 explains why. I invite you to read it.
As for Matthew 5:18, I would suggest you also read the other portion of that statement recorded at Luke 16:16:
Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets were UNTIL John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
The Old Covenant was until John. Then, Jesus at his death with his blood, instituted the New Covenant or New Testament - laws found in the books of Romans to Revelation to the Christian Church - the so-called New Testament.
I would also invite you to read Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Luke 22:20.
I would suggest that the "commandments" referred to in 1 John 5:2, 3 are not the 10 commandments nor the Mosaic Law commandments. If that were so, then Christians would be obligated to circumcise their children as per God's commandment at Leviticus 12:3. The New Testament said that circumcision is not required at Acts 15. Yet, that was a commandment of God. If we are to obey all God's commandments, then why do we not go up to Jerusalem three times a year as was commanded by God's commandment at Deuteronomy 16:16. Why do we not stone adulterers and adulteresses as commanded by God at Leviticus 20:10. That was his commandment.
I would suggest that the "commandments" of God referred to at 1 John 5:2, 3 are the New Covenant commandments that were given to the Church through the Apostles via revelations such as to the Apostle Paul and inspiration as others wrote the New Testament - Romans to Revelation. In those instructions, we are never commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy nor to keep the kosher laws. In fact, we are commanded the opposite:
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
Therefore, Christians do not obey the Old Covenant Mosaic Law given to ancient Israel but only to the New Covenant Laws given to the Church via the Apostles through the epistles of Romans to Revelation. Jeremiah had prophesied such at:
Jeremiah 31:31, 32 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Christians are no longer under the Old Covenant Laws (the 10 commandments followed by approximately another 600 laws). Jeremiah prophesied:
Jeremiah 31:31, 32 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
You will notice that the New Covenant would NOT be like the Old Covenant. The New Covenant was inaugurated by the shed blood of Christ as per:
Luke 22:20 "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Under this New Covenant, the Laws being stipulated namely in Romans to Revelation, we are never commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy. In fact, we are commanded the opposite.
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
Before the Mosaic Law was given at the time of the exodus from Egypt, the Bible never says that the faithful kept the Sabbath Day - whether that be Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Notice when the Sabbath was given and to whom:
Nehemiah 9:13, 14 "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
Ezekiel 20:10-12 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them...
Hi Johnny How about I paste a reply from Michael on a similar topic. I think you will find your answer here.
Jesus himself was born under the Mosaic Law and, therefore, was required to keep the Mosaic Law. That is why he was circumcised on the eight day as per the Mosaic Law. Notice that in the following verse. Jesus was made (or born) under the law - the Mosaic Law.
Galatians 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"
As long as that Mosaic Law was in force, the Mosaic Law (the so-called Old Testament) was in force. Jesus therefore kept his Father's commandments of that Mosaic Law. But, the Holy Scriptures has said that God would set up a New Covenant that would not be like the Old Covenant. Notice...
Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:" "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:"
It was not the Apostle Paul who changed God's Law to his people - it was God himself as per Jeremiah 31:31. However, the Apostle Paul, writing under inspiration of God, gave the first-century Church the new directives or laws governing that New Covenant. He never instructed the Christian Churches of the first-century to keep the Mosaic Law such as circumcision or the sabbaths. In fact, he instructed them the complete opposite. Notice again...
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
You cannot judge a Christian for not keeping the sabbath days - as per the New Covenant that has been set up between God and his present-day people - the Church of God.
Jesus himself was born under the Mosaic Law and, therefore, was required to keep the Mosaic Law. That is why he was circumcised on the eight day as per the Mosaic Law. Notice that in the following verse. Jesus was made (or born) under the law - the Mosaic Law.
Galatians 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"
As long as that Mosaic Law was in force, the Mosaic Law (the so-called Old Testament) was in force. Jesus therefore kept his Father's commandments of that Mosaic Law. But, the Holy Scriptures has said that God would set up a New Covenant that would not be like the Old Covenant. Notice...
Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:" "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:"
It was not the Apostle Paul who changed God's Law to his people - it was God himself as per Jeremiah 31:31. However, the Apostle Paul, writing under inspiration of God, gave the first-century Church the new directives or laws governing that New Covenant. He never instructed the Christian Churches of the first-century to keep the Mosaic Law such as circumcision or the sabbaths. In fact, he instructed them the complete opposite. Notice again...
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
You cannot judge a Christian for not keeping the sabbath days - as per the New Covenant that has been set up between God and his present-day people - the Church of God.
There were Christian believers from times past that left this confession of faith in 1632.
"We also believe and confess that before His ascension, He instituted His New Testament, and, since it was to be and remain an eternal Testament, that, He confirmed and sealed the same with His precious blood, and gave and left it to His disciples, yea, charged them so highly with it, that neither angel nor man may alter it, nor add to it, nor take away from it; and that He has caused the same, as containing the whole counsel and will of His heavenly Father, as necessary for salvation, to be proclaimed in His name by His beloved apostles, messengers, and ministers- whom He called, chose, and sent into all the world for that purpose- among all peoples, nations, and tongues, and repentance and remission of sins to be preached and testified of; and that he accordingly has therein declared all men without distinction, who through faith, as obedient children, heed, follow, and practice what the same contains, to be His children, and lawful heirs; this excluding no one from the precious inheritance of eternal salvation, except for the un-believing, and disobedient, the stiff-necked and obdurate, who despise it, and incur this through their own sins, thus making themselves unworthy of eternal life." Jeremiah 31:31Hebrews 9:15-17Matthew 26:28Galatians 1:81 Timothy 6:3
The New covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31:30 and Hebrews 8. Everthing in the old covenant and tabernacle was pointing to Christ. This new covenant was spoken of in Genisis Link and Link
Romans 11:8. (According as it is written, GOD HATH GIVEN THEM THE SPIRIT OF SLUMBER, EYES THAT THE SHOULD NOT SEE, AND EARS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HEAR;)UNTO THIS DAY.
Romans 11:26-27. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
( For this is my COVENANT unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
2nd Cor. 3:6-16. Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, (THE VAIL IS UPON THEIR HEART.)
Nevertheless when it (their hearts) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Comment:
These are 2 of my favorite prayers to pray for people that are running from Gods Love. I ask that the Holy Spirit to draw them to God so they may find all of the Love they ever dreamed about; truly belonging, and to never fear again of losing that love. A love steadfast and true. Jesus loved the children in His arms and lap. To which the Pharisees admonished him not to.
The essence of is love is worship. Only unrepentant sin can threaten. If I sense a distancing, I turn back immediately, repent and I'm restored. We don't have to beg. God loves His children.
Providing we're able to convince one there is a God by his creation,
Psalms 19:1.
Romans 1:19-20.
Perhaps here's a few of many verses that shows the God of the Bible is that God.
Genesis 13:14-15. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed (FOR EVER.)
As we know they went into captivity, And Ezekiel wrote from Babylon when the was desolate. They later returned and the land was left desolate again for over 1900 years.
May14, 1948. We see the "start" of
Ezekiel 37:1-27.
Ezekiel 20:42.
Jeremiah 30:2-3.
Jeremiah 31:17.
Isaiah 43:5-6.
Micah 4:6-7.
Amos 9:14-15.
Ezekiel 36:23. AND I WILL SANCTIFY MY GREAT NAME, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I SHALL BE SANCTIFIED IN YOU BEFORE THEIR EYES.
Jeremiah 16:14-15. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Jeremiah 23:6-8. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
Correct listing of The 7 Feasts
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled by Christ):
1.Passover, Exodus 12:1-14 (Death of Christ)
2.Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6 (Christ was without any sin)
3.Feast of Firstfruits, 23:10; Leviticus 23:9-14 (Resurrection of Christ)
Summer Feast (Fulfilled by Christ):
4.Feast of Weeks / Pentecost, Leviticus 23: 16-21 (Holy Spirit indwelling in believers of Christ)
Fall Feasts (To Be Fulfilled by Christ in the future):
5.Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:23-25 [Rapture of believers of Christ; Second Exodus of 12 Tribes of Israel ( Jeremiah 31:7-11)]
6.Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23: 26-32 (The Second Coming of Christ)
7.Feast of Tabernacles, Leviticus 23:39-43 (Christ ruling in His New Kingdom for 1,000 years)
Joel 2 describes the blowing of Trumpets on the Day that Christ returns on His Second Coming.
Another ancient tradition is that Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights ( Exodus 34:28) before receiving God's Commandments at Mount Sinai. The tradition states Moses received the Commandments on the Day of Atonement. The blowing of trumpets in Exodus 19 and 20 is associated with at Mount Sinai at that time.
So Christ was fasting during the same period as Moses, and Christ also stood with the Statutes, Laws, and Commandments of God on The Day of Atonement.
Here are some possible ways the 7 Feasts might point to the Life of Christ:
Spring Feasts (Fulfilled by Christ):
1.Passover, Exodus 12:1-14 (Death of Christ)
2.Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:6 (Christ was without any sin)
3.Feast of FirstFruits, 23:10; Leviticus 23:9-14 (Resurrection of Christ)
Fall Feasts (To Be Fulfilled by Christ in the future):
4.Feast of Weeks / Pentecost, Leviticus 23: 16-21 (Holy Spirit indwelling in believers of Christ)
5.Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:23-25 [Rapture of believers of Christ; Second Exodus of 12 Tribes of Israel ( Jeremiah 31:7-11)]
6.Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23: 26-32 (The Second Coming of Christ)
7.Feast of Tabernacles, Leviticus 23:39-43 (Christ ruling in His New Kingdom for 1,000 years)
HE'S GOING TO WRITE HIS LAWS ON THEIR HEARTS.
Jeremiah 31:31. As it reads God is going to make a new covenant with the house of Israel.
Jeremiah 31:32 The Lord says this new covenant won't be like the old covenant that he gave their fathers, ( On Mount Sinai by Moses. )
Note: "A Mount that could not be touched"
Jeremiah 31:33-34. Tell us what the New covenant shall be. And how it will function!!
"I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
" Not on tables of Stone "
You see an example of this in
2 Corinthians 3:3.
This new covenant is NOT where they were bond to a law in which they could not keep because of the weakness of the flesh.
See Romans 8:3-4.
That Covenant and tabernacle was a shadow of the (TRUE) tabernacle.
( Hebrews 8:2. A minister of the sanctuary, and of the TRUE tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.)
See Hebrews 8:1-13.
See Hebrews 9:1-28.
See Hebrews 10:8-17.
THE ENERGY BEHIND THE DESIRE TO KEEPING THE LAW BEHIND THIS COVENANT WASN'T COMMANDMENT,
This covenant is set in motion and Moved by the Holyspirit. This is an inward action not an outward one.
This New Covenant is what the Old covenant/Law pointed to.
Note with both Covenants in view.
Galatians 4:23-28. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
God bless.
Explain what God covenant means the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
While the natural branches of the olive tree were cut off so that those who call upon the Name of Jesus, might be engrafted in ( Romans 11:16-20), the engrafted ones (the adopted children of God), are in no more favourable position than what Israel enjoyed as being the 'natural branches of the tree'. We can indeed call Him 'Abba', come to Him anywhere, anytime, anyhow, & enjoy His Gracious Presence through His Spirit, but if we hold Him in awe & wonder, we also demonstrate that through our treatment of His Glory & Holiness & with the Word which He has given us.
My reference to all this was to how we ought to read, understand & share God's Word. This is not a history book or novel that we can gloss over & give our impressions based on personal beliefs & sentiments, but the Word of God that requires careful, prayerful, & spiritual handling, both for our own exercises & for others. Given we have such a Book & such an Holy God, can we give them any less reverence & fear than those to whom God gave a sampling of His Glory ( Exodus 3:4-6; Isaiah 6:1-5; Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 15:4-8). Israel could only approach God through the ministry of God's High priest & they enjoyed His blessings. We approach the same God through our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, providing us such an access. Yet, the God of Israel has never changed - His love is the same - our stance before Him & His Word must be the same: one of great seriousness & carefulness.
a. Jeremiah 31:34 & Micah 7:18-20. I believe we see these passages differently. In both passages, I see a new Covenant God made & now brings in for Israel. This is not the New Covenant in Christ's Blood which avails for all men, but another Covenant that is different from the Mosaic ( Jeremiah 31:31,32) (& by inference, the Davidic) - a Covenant which will be unconditional (v32); it will include a change in their hearts, fellowship with God, knowledge of God, & forgiveness of sins (vv33-34). In Truth, all this avails for them through the Messiah of God, Whom they rejected & crucified; & so they go the same way as the Gentiles who reject God's Offer of Salvation. Yet, there will be a day in the Millennium, when they will finally acknowledge the One "Whom they pierced" & God will confirm this Covenant made to them & their sins will be forgiven. And also with Micah 7:11-20: God will fulfil His Promises to Israel, to Abraham, & to the fathers of old (v20). These verses also speak of that special time of forgiveness & blessing to the House of Israel.
b. Revelation 20:10. This verse aligns with Revelation 19:19,20; that the beast & his false prophet were first cast into the Lake of Fire. And Revelation 20:10 shows that Satan also joins them there & their torment will be eternal. So, I don't understand, "Since the wicked are raised from their fiery grave, why do they need a second judgement?" Which 'raising' are you referring to? And which 'wicked'? But if you're referring to vv 11-15 (Great White Throne Judgement), the Books were opened & their names were not found therein - & those dead were raised to judgement, including the finality of death & hell, were all likewise consigned to that eternal flame.
So I sense that our interpretation of these passages may differ, which I'm happy to pursue.
The "stone" referred to in Mathew 21 was used for joining two walls together, you are correct. Also, I see Matthew 21:24 emphasizing the result of rejecting the stone that crushes them. This is the way I view the Greek Lithos, Strong NT 928 and NT 939 in both Matthew and Revelation 20:10. Since the wicked are raised from their fiery grave, why do they need a second judgement? Have they not been previously suffering under the flames of eternity, some for thousands of years?
This is not a testing time to see if the lost get another chance at salvation. When the Books are opened, there will be no doubt why the lost are lost. We will be able to read the facts for ourselves. I cannot understand Revelation 20:10 and the raising of the wicked for any other reason.
I enjoy our study together. "Iron sharpens iron." Please continue to share your thoughts on the subject. Or any other topic of interests you may have. Blessings!
And then to the "touchstone" & the connection to the "cornerstone". Though the same Greek word for Stone is used, I see a different application, where Christ is seen not as the 'testing' stone but as the very stone that forms the joint for connecting the two walls together, & is being rejected as useless (as was the rejection of the lord of vineyard's son). And the chief priests & scribes correctly perceived "that he had spoken this parable against them".
And then when we come to Revelation 20:10, where the "devil is was cast into the Lake of Fire, where the beast & the false prophet already are", I don't understand this to be a testing time for unbelievers. Their judgement is seen in Revelation 20:11-13, when the Books are opened & according to their works, were deemed guilty & not found in the Book of Life. Their judgement & punishment are now eternal. Those who belong to Him, through His Son, have been eternally secured, & their only judgement is in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, where rewards are given to those who have built their Christian lives well on that One Foundation & sadly with shamefacedness & loss to those who have dishonoured Him in their lives.
There's more to share, but I feel that I may not have fully comprehended your understanding, so will leave it for now.
"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD : for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD ; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
When God chooses not to remember something, it cannot exist anywhere. What a God!
Wesley's Notes for Isaiah 41:1
41:1 Keep silence - Attend diligently to my plea. Islands - By islands he means countries remote from Judea, inhabited by the idolatrous Gentiles. Renew - Strengthen themselves to maintain their cause against me; let them unite all their strength together. Near - Unto me that we may stand together, and plead our cause, and I will give them free liberty to say what they can on their own behalf.
[you can use the search (box) engine to read all of the "islands of the sea" or "isles" scriptures]
This is what I was taught: that these islands are actually other continents bordered by water (seas or oceans). Presumably Gentile. No where near the Mideast regions.
The Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea are mentioned a number of times in both the Old and New Testaments. Each the the three bodies of water serves as geographical boundary markers in Numbers 34:1-12.
Ezekiel 26:15-18 (sounds like NYC)
Jeremiah 2:10-11,
Jeremiah 31:10, Isaiah 60:9,
Isaiah 42:10, 11:11, 24:25, 66:19, Daniel 11:18
The USA is bordered on 3 sides by water and would be considered an island.
Mishael
So his exclamation in Jeremiah 9:1: "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!", is a picture of how he felt & the tears that would flow because of the impending slaying of his people by the Babylonian sword & then into captivity, away from their God-given land.
The Law was given only to Israel & coupled with sacrifices, were to point them to God's Mercy upon them. At Jesus' crucifixion, the Law which only brought condemnation & death was annulled, as Christ ushered in the New Covenant in His Blood. Hebrews 7:7-13, where the old has gone & the new has come in, where the Law is now written in their hearts & minds ( Jeremiah 31:31-34). And Paul takes this up in Romans 8:1-4: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." The Decalogue could never give this ability & freedom to fully obey God in all respects.
Therefore, I don't believe that the apostles or the Church were instructed to obey the Ten Commandments, that which was given under the Old Covenant & only brought death. Under the New Covenant, the indwelling Spirit instructs us to all of God's requirements for us & enables us to be alert to them & keep them.
And finally to your other point, those who say they have faith & continue to "live in worldly sin" are fooling themselves with spurious faith - none with the Holy Spirit can live that way, bringing shame to our Lord. Blessings.
So, the way I see it, even though the Greek rendering is correct as "testament", it would allow, in biblical terms, for its use as 'Covenant' when translated & referred from the Hebrew word & meaning, as any another Greek word (even symfono?) would be unsuitable. As the New Testament came into force with the death of the testator ( Hebrews 9:16,17), it was still based on the first Covenant that God made with His people which is now made new through His Son.
in 1860, William Henry Burr produced a list of 144 self-contradictions in the Bible.
A 1716 edition of the 17th-century King James version (known as the Party Bible) replaces "Sin no more" from Jeremiah 31:34 with "Sin on more". There were 8,000 copies printed before anyone noticed.
"Let the children first be killed" is Mark 7:27 and it's supposed to be: "Let the children first be filled." A 1795 edition of the King James version.
"If the latter husband ate her" Known as the Cannibal's Bible, a 1682 printing alters this passage from Deuteronomy 24:3, which is meant to read: "If the latter husband hate her."
" I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:30
"No man hath seen God at any time" John 1:18
"The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" Ezekiel 18:20
"I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation" Exodus 20:5
Continued...
Thank you for taking the time to answer my 2 questions.
1) You mention that the commandment at Leviticus 12:3 was a "suggestion". When the Law was give to Israel, they made a covenant between themselves and God. Please read Exodus 34:3-8. Notice specifically
Exodus 24:3 "And Moses came and told the people ALL THE WORDS of the LORD, and ALL THE JUDGMENTS: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, ALL THE WORDS which the LORD hath said will we do."
That does not sound like a "suggestion" but a command - an order. Jewish people have thus very meticulously made certain to circumcise their children. Moses was almost killed by the LORD because he had not circumcised his son. Please read Exodus 4:24-26. That seems to me that the LORD takes circumcision very, very seriously. In fact, in the first century, even believing Jews believed that a believer in the Messiah must be circumcised to be saved.
Acts 15:1 "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, EXCEPT YE BE CIRCUMCISED after the manner of Moses, YE CANNOT BE SAVED."
2) You mention that the first century Church followed the 10 commandments.
I do agree that they did follow 9 of those commandments. They are re-iterated in the New Testament or Covenant set up by Jesus through his blood mentioned at Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Luke 22:20. However, nowhere do the Apostles every tell the Church, in clear words, "remember to keep the sabbath". Could you provide me 1 verse where an apostle clearly says to keep the sabbath - that actual word "sabbath" being used? In fact, Paul says the opposite at Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:10.
3) Now to answer your question. The apostles did not ever say that they obeyed the "10" commandments. They said that they obeyed the commandments. Those would be the commandments of the New Testament given by Jesus Christ through his Apostles via the letters of Romans to Revelation.
I welcome your thoughts again.
Good day to you, Dan.
I'm not here to get in between this discussion. Just wondering who are "these people" who teach and keep people from reading the Old Testament you have stated twice now? Obviously no one here, I know of, as the Old Testament is regularly spoken of and promoted.
There is a New Testament(Covenant). Here's God speaking of it in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 31:31-34. Yes the Old Testament is quoted several hundred times in the New Testament. Though there are many things in the New Testament not in the Old Testament.
Just to be clear to maybe help others you are conversing with. What are God's Laws or God's Commandments you are stating we should follow? All of the 613 Mitzvot laws or just the Ten Commandments?
Jesus Christ is the way.
1 John 3:22-24 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.
Romans 13:8 & 10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
God Bless.
I was wanting to answer your question, "If God, Himself, told us that there is no New Thing under the Sun, why do we have a New Testament?"
Good question.
I would suggest you ask God that question since he himself prophesied through his prophet Jeremiah that he would set up a New Covenant (or Testament).
Jeremiah 31:31-32 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant (testament) with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant (testament) that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant (testament) THEY BRAKE, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Notice why God sets up the New Covenant. It says they brake (in modern English, broke) the Mosaic law covenant or testament. Thus, when a contract is broken, you have to set up a new one.
Hebrews 8:7 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."
Hebrews 8:13 "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
God is God. He does what he wants. We can be sure that whatever he does is just and perfect.
I welcome your comments.
Good day.
Thank you for your comments. I was wanting to respond specifically to your comment, "I guess they think Christ died on the cross so we can be Lawless."
No, I do not believe that Jesus died for me so that I could be lawless. I do want to obey God's Laws. However, what has God commanded me to do? Would you suggest that I be circumcised so as to keep God's Law recorded at Leviticus 12:3? Why would I do that when the Apostles decided in Acts 15 that I need not be circumcised in order to serve God.
So, what do I obey. As a Christian, I obey the instructions that the Apostles gave to the first-century Church in the epistles from Romans to Revelation. They never tell me to keep the Sabbath or be circumcised or keep the festivals of Israel. In fact, they tell me the opposite:
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
Galatians 4:10 "Ye observe days (sabbaths), and months (lunar month), and times (festivals), and years (sabbatical). I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain."
I obey the New Testament made between God and the Church of God via the mediator Jesus Christ since I am a Christian. I do not obey the Old Testament made between God and ancient Israel via the mediator Moses. I am not an Israelite.
Please see Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 8:7-13.
Notice that the Bible is separated into 2 portions - the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus inaugurated the New Testament with his shed blood. See Luke 22:20. These are the laws that I obey - God's laws for Christians in the New Testament.
I kindly invite your comments.
Good day.
Thanks for your comments.
The 10 commandments were the first of over 600 commandments given to the nation of Israel. It was inaugurated by a ceremony where the law was read, blood sacrifices were offered, and the people of Israel agreed to obey the whole law. See Exodus 24:3-8. This clearly was a covenant or contract between Israel and God via the mediator Moses.
The New Covenant was inaugurated by the mediator Jesus Christ by his shed blood and is between God and the Church.
See Luke 22:20.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 tells us that God would make a New Covenant. You suggest that the expression "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts" is referring to the Mosaic laws given to the nation of Israel. However, that can't be correct, since verse 32 clearly says that the New Covenant would not be "according to the covenant I made with their fathers".
If you sign a new lease with your landlord, the old lease becomes obsolete. You can't have 2 leases in force at the same time. They would contradict each other. You can't also have 2 Covenants in force since they too would contradict one another. One says circumcise your children (Mosaic Law) and one says it is not necessary to circumcise your children (New Covenant - see Acts 15.) See Hebrews 8:13.
The Bible differentiates between the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ. The Law of Moses is the Old Covenant and the Law of Christ is the New Covenant - the Laws found in Romans to Revelation.
1 Corinthians 9:21 speaks about the law to Christ (the New Covenant laws of Romans to Revelation).
Galatians 6:2 also refers to the law of Christ. The law of Christ is different from the law of Moses.
God himself gave these new laws of the New Covenant to the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles to transmit to the Church in the epistles. These are the commandments that the Apostle John is referring to in 1 John 5:2, 3.
The Apostles never commanded the Church to obey the sabbath in all the epistles.
A person cannot judge another man for not keeping the Sabbath in the Christian Church under the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, a person was required to judge such a person and stone them to death.
However, in the New Covenant given to the Christian Church, the Elders of a Church are indeed required to judge a man who is sinning such as by committing fornication.
At 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, there is a case of a man who is living in a state of sexual immorality. The Apostle Paul tells the Elders of that Church to judge and disfellowship that individual. Notice:
1 Corinthians 5: 12, 13 "For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."
That unrepentant, sinful person had to be judged and be thrown out of the Church. Yes, those who break the serious laws of the New Covenant, such as fornication - a serious sin - were judged and expelled.
However, no Christian could be judged for not keeping the Sabbath since the Sabbath was only given to Israel in the Old Covenant. The Apostle Paul and the other Apostles never commanded the Church to keep the Sabbath. If the Sabbath was that important, why would he not do so? Colossians 2:14-16 explains why. I invite you to read it.
As for Matthew 5:18, I would suggest you also read the other portion of that statement recorded at Luke 16:16:
Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets were UNTIL John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
The Old Covenant was until John. Then, Jesus at his death with his blood, instituted the New Covenant or New Testament - laws found in the books of Romans to Revelation to the Christian Church - the so-called New Testament.
I would also invite you to read Jeremiah 31:31-33 and Luke 22:20.
I would suggest that the "commandments" referred to in 1 John 5:2, 3 are not the 10 commandments nor the Mosaic Law commandments. If that were so, then Christians would be obligated to circumcise their children as per God's commandment at Leviticus 12:3. The New Testament said that circumcision is not required at Acts 15. Yet, that was a commandment of God. If we are to obey all God's commandments, then why do we not go up to Jerusalem three times a year as was commanded by God's commandment at Deuteronomy 16:16. Why do we not stone adulterers and adulteresses as commanded by God at Leviticus 20:10. That was his commandment.
I would suggest that the "commandments" of God referred to at 1 John 5:2, 3 are the New Covenant commandments that were given to the Church through the Apostles via revelations such as to the Apostle Paul and inspiration as others wrote the New Testament - Romans to Revelation. In those instructions, we are never commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy nor to keep the kosher laws. In fact, we are commanded the opposite:
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
Therefore, Christians do not obey the Old Covenant Mosaic Law given to ancient Israel but only to the New Covenant Laws given to the Church via the Apostles through the epistles of Romans to Revelation. Jeremiah had prophesied such at:
Jeremiah 31:31, 32 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: NOT according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jeremiah 31:31, 32 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
You will notice that the New Covenant would NOT be like the Old Covenant. The New Covenant was inaugurated by the shed blood of Christ as per:
Luke 22:20 "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Under this New Covenant, the Laws being stipulated namely in Romans to Revelation, we are never commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy. In fact, we are commanded the opposite.
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
Before the Mosaic Law was given at the time of the exodus from Egypt, the Bible never says that the faithful kept the Sabbath Day - whether that be Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Notice when the Sabbath was given and to whom:
Nehemiah 9:13, 14 "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
Ezekiel 20:10-12 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them...
The word "them" is referring to ancient Israel.
Jesus himself was born under the Mosaic Law and, therefore, was required to keep the Mosaic Law. That is why he was circumcised on the eight day as per the Mosaic Law. Notice that in the following verse. Jesus was made (or born) under the law - the Mosaic Law.
Galatians 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"
As long as that Mosaic Law was in force, the Mosaic Law (the so-called Old Testament) was in force. Jesus therefore kept his Father's commandments of that Mosaic Law. But, the Holy Scriptures has said that God would set up a New Covenant that would not be like the Old Covenant. Notice...
Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:" "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:"
It was not the Apostle Paul who changed God's Law to his people - it was God himself as per Jeremiah 31:31. However, the Apostle Paul, writing under inspiration of God, gave the first-century Church the new directives or laws governing that New Covenant. He never instructed the Christian Churches of the first-century to keep the Mosaic Law such as circumcision or the sabbaths. In fact, he instructed them the complete opposite. Notice again...
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
You cannot judge a Christian for not keeping the sabbath days - as per the New Covenant that has been set up between God and his present-day people - the Church of God.
I welcome your further thoughts, Dan. Good day.
Jesus himself was born under the Mosaic Law and, therefore, was required to keep the Mosaic Law. That is why he was circumcised on the eight day as per the Mosaic Law. Notice that in the following verse. Jesus was made (or born) under the law - the Mosaic Law.
Galatians 4:4 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,"
As long as that Mosaic Law was in force, the Mosaic Law (the so-called Old Testament) was in force. Jesus therefore kept his Father's commandments of that Mosaic Law. But, the Holy Scriptures has said that God would set up a New Covenant that would not be like the Old Covenant. Notice...
Jeremiah 31:31 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:" "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:"
It was not the Apostle Paul who changed God's Law to his people - it was God himself as per Jeremiah 31:31. However, the Apostle Paul, writing under inspiration of God, gave the first-century Church the new directives or laws governing that New Covenant. He never instructed the Christian Churches of the first-century to keep the Mosaic Law such as circumcision or the sabbaths. In fact, he instructed them the complete opposite. Notice again...
Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"
You cannot judge a Christian for not keeping the sabbath days - as per the New Covenant that has been set up between God and his present-day people - the Church of God.
I welcome your further thoughts, Dan. Good day.
"We also believe and confess that before His ascension, He instituted His New Testament, and, since it was to be and remain an eternal Testament, that, He confirmed and sealed the same with His precious blood, and gave and left it to His disciples, yea, charged them so highly with it, that neither angel nor man may alter it, nor add to it, nor take away from it; and that He has caused the same, as containing the whole counsel and will of His heavenly Father, as necessary for salvation, to be proclaimed in His name by His beloved apostles, messengers, and ministers- whom He called, chose, and sent into all the world for that purpose- among all peoples, nations, and tongues, and repentance and remission of sins to be preached and testified of; and that he accordingly has therein declared all men without distinction, who through faith, as obedient children, heed, follow, and practice what the same contains, to be His children, and lawful heirs; this excluding no one from the precious inheritance of eternal salvation, except for the un-believing, and disobedient, the stiff-necked and obdurate, who despise it, and incur this through their own sins, thus making themselves unworthy of eternal life." Jeremiah 31:31 Hebrews 9:15-17 Matthew 26:28 Galatians 1:8 1 Timothy 6:3
,
PG1
The New covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31:30 and Hebrews 8. Everthing in the old covenant and tabernacle was pointing to Christ. This new covenant was spoken of in Genisis Link and Link
Romans 11:8. (According as it is written, GOD HATH GIVEN THEM THE SPIRIT OF SLUMBER, EYES THAT THE SHOULD NOT SEE, AND EARS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT HEAR;)UNTO THIS DAY.
Romans 11:26-27. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
( For this is my COVENANT unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
2nd Cor. 3:6-16. Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, (THE VAIL IS UPON THEIR HEART.)
Nevertheless when it (their hearts) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Comment:
These are 2 of my favorite prayers to pray for people that are running from Gods Love. I ask that the Holy Spirit to draw them to God so they may find all of the Love they ever dreamed about; truly belonging, and to never fear again of losing that love. A love steadfast and true. Jesus loved the children in His arms and lap. To which the Pharisees admonished him not to.
The essence of is love is worship. Only unrepentant sin can threaten. If I sense a distancing, I turn back immediately, repent and I'm restored. We don't have to beg. God loves His children.
Song of Solomon 6:3
Psalm 45:11