Still More on "Is the Law Really for Us?"
Q: The part I question is where you say that the temple sacrifices were made obsolete in Christ. If this were true, then why would Jesus have not taught this to people? The truth is in history, isn't it?
Don't you think he would have preached to everyone- "hey! Forget three sacrifices! They aren't needed anymore!" But that's not what happened!! His closest disciples, lead by his own brother James continued sacrificing and keeping all the Laws!
So you say it's because of habit, or tradition they did so? Of course not! Logic tells us that Jesus would have taught them differently. But that's not what happened. Now instead, we have a watered down Church that says there is no need to keep any Laws. Jesus would have told people they did not need to keep the Laws but he said "I did not come to abolish the Law but fulfill it."
I am really seeking God on this. I was born Jewish. I have had a Bat Mitzvah, I learned Hebrew and spent a great deal of my childhood at a temple. As a child, Judaism was empty without Jesus - so I rejected it and at 20 I became heavily involved with Hinduism and learning about other religions- (which led to my downfall).
The point is, JESUS WAS JEWISH. He was a rabbi- he was perfect- and he was PERFECT BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED THE OLD LAWS! God is showing me that the earliest and most full someone can be is to be following what the earliest church was doing just after Jesus's death - of course, this movement only lasted 100 years before it was overtaken by the other more Pagan ones. Think about it-- yes?
A: I praise God that you finally came to know JESUS as your Lord and Savior. I understand that you know much about Jewish Traditions and that you are born one. I welcome it.
See the first few decades as the Church was born in Judaistic background among the Jews, they thought that this new faith that Jesus introduced was only for the Israelites as usual (Eph 2:12; Rom 11:24). Even Jesus said and confirmed this pattern of thinking as right initially by saying to the Samaritan Gentile woman, " You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." (John 4:22). But He did not stop there, He continued saying prophetically about a time that is coming after His death and resurrection in which the Father God was desiring to accept worship of humans from their spirit-man through Jesus the Truth, apart from all temple traditions and laws (John 4:23-24). The worship of the True God has transcended at this point of time, beyond time, space, knowledge, creed and traditions.
Jesus knew that the Church initially will be born as a Jewish one and this is the reason Apostle Peter was told, "18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”" (Matt 16:18-19). Jesus revealed Himself through Peter on the day of Pentecost to the whole world, to this day we look back to the day of Pentecost in which the Lord Jesus has laid the foundation of the Church through Peter. But Jesus knew that the Gospel need to spread from being Jewish to be adaptable to all the ends of the earth as a spiritual force and not as a tradition of any religion. This is the reason Jesus did not teach tradition to His disciples, instead instructed them to receive the Spiritual Dynamite power of the Holy Spirit and then spread it to the whole wide world (Acts 1:8). They all received the power of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but began to show prejudice towards all those people who were not Jews because of the Jewish tradition in which they were bound.
But God had to break their wrong mindset, this started with Peter who was the leader of the whole pack of Christians. God showed a vision of unclean animals and told him to eat it. This was totally considered as unclean and was prohibited in Jewish religion. But the message of God was conveyed that Peter's Jewish tradition should not keep him bound from sharing the gospel with the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-23). Then through Divine connection people were sent from the house of Cornelius the Gentile who was a Centurion of Italian Regiment, to call Peter and hear from him the gospel of their Salvation. This man was one who was a devout man, feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to people and prayed always to God (Acts 10:1-8). When Peter with all his Jewish apostolic elders of the Jerusalem Church reached the place, the Gentiles were gathered in the house of Cornelius. Then as Apostle Peter began to speak about the good new of Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit along with the external evidence of speaking in tongues was given to all the Gentiles (Acts 10:44-48). This made all the Jewish apostolic company of elders, along with Apostle Peter to agree that God has put the stamp of approval over the Gentiles also as a part of the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12). This transformed the Jewish Church to become a universal one. Then Peter defended God's grace about the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit given to Gentiles too like themselves at Pentecost (Acts 11:1-3, 14-18).
God had to break this traditional mind set of Peter more and more so that He could be used to spread the Gospel around the world. Then God raised a zealous apostle out of the staunch religious Jewish Pharisees of that time who persecuted the Jewish Church in Jerusalem and its surrounding places (Gal 1:13-14), and began to use him powerfully among the Gentiles to spread the Gospel (Gal 2:8). Nearly one third of the whole New Testament revelation came to this man who had been revealed with a terrific understanding about the Church Universal (Gal 1:11-12). When Apostle Peter tried to act hypocritically before the Jewish brethren according to their traditional prejudice towards Gentiles, Apostle Paul withstood Peter to his face in this matter. The question that Apostle Paul asked says much about their hypocritical mindset of these Jewish Christian Leaders, "14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Gal 2:14-16). This proves that the religion of works is no more valid to practice after the truth of the Gospel is plainly told that a man can only be justified [i.e. made righteous and be declared by God as some one with no sin at all in his account] though faith in Jesus Christ. Now as a Christian we work and discipline ourselves to win the prize of eternal rewards (1 Cor 9:24-27). We keep the Law to discipline ourselves and it is for our own good we keep now and it does not affect our relationship with God anymore (Eph 1:6; Col 2:13-14).
Christianity is a relationship with God that is not based on a "DO, DO..." kind of religious demand, but a clear message of "DONE, DONE...." shout of victory that should move us to believe more and more in the promises of God (John 19:30; 2 Cor 2:14). All the demand for pleasing God has been "PAID IN FULL- IT'S FINISHED" forever. This is the reason Apostle Paul clearly told, "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." (2 Cor 1:20). Praise the Lord!
The third Jewish Temple will be built up in the coming years according to the prophecies of God and sacrifices will be done until the day of abomination of desolation (Rev 11:1-2; 2 Thes 2:3-4; Matt 24:15), in which illegally the Anti-christ will stop the temple Sacrifices and will declare himself to be the messiah of the whole world (Daniel 9:27). When Jesus comes to rule the earth during the Millennium, he will again rebuild the tabernacle of David which will be in ruins at that time and will set up a universal temple in which Jesus Himself will be the Ark of the Testimony (John 2:21), Jesus will make the rest of the mankind to seek the Lord from the whole wide world (Acts 15:16-17).
Festivals of the Feast of Tabernacles will be compulsory for all the nations to partake every year and the blessing of God over their nations will depend on whether they partake in this or not (Zech 14:16-17). Whoever fails to come voluntarily will have no rain and also plagues will follow the famine, this shall be the punishment for all the nations that fails to partake and keep this feast (Zech 14:18-19).
In the Book of Ezekiel, God has already established the new Laws that will be implemented during the Millennium reign of Jesus on this planet earth (Ezekiel 40-48). When I say, "the temple sacrifices were made obsolete in Christ", it speaks about a privileged and separate entity named as "the Church of the Living God" which lives above the traditions of all religions because of being bought by the blood of the Son of God (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Col 2:16-23). The Millennium saints will not be under the same New Covenant privileges, but they will pay homage to the work of Christ which has redeemed them and have given them the blessing which they will enjoy through out the Millennium rule of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:10-11; John 5:23). A New Millennium Covenant will be established by Jesus based on the New Covenant work of Christ (Zech 12:10-14; Rom 11:25-26). This New Millennium Covenant will be a spiritual one that will make all the people of Israel to become born-again in their spirit-man (Jer 31:31-36). All of the remnant of Israelites left at the end of the Great Tribulation will all be saved in a day (Matt 24:13).
Jesus was perfect not just because He followed the Law and fulfilled it, but He had no sin nature inside Him and was made to be sin by God for us (John 1:29, 36; Phil 2:8; 2 Cor 5:21). By coming in the likeness of the sinful flesh, Jesus condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:4). By this one offering God has perfected us forever who are being sanctified (Heb 10:10, 14). Now that we have been shown the Love of God through Jesus the Son of God while we were yet sinners, now we replicate and reflect that love towards God and others. This is the Royal Law in the New Testament that makes us fulfill all other laws of God (Rom 5:8; 13:8-9; James 2:8). So while peopl around us are still imperfect in their outlook towards us and others, we learn to LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD which the Holy Spirit gives and fills our heart when we sincerely desire it (Rom 5:5). In other words, "Love is the fullfillment of the law." for the New Covenant Church (Rom 13:11).
Blessings.......
Don't you think he would have preached to everyone- "hey! Forget three sacrifices! They aren't needed anymore!" But that's not what happened!! His closest disciples, lead by his own brother James continued sacrificing and keeping all the Laws!
So you say it's because of habit, or tradition they did so? Of course not! Logic tells us that Jesus would have taught them differently. But that's not what happened. Now instead, we have a watered down Church that says there is no need to keep any Laws. Jesus would have told people they did not need to keep the Laws but he said "I did not come to abolish the Law but fulfill it."
I am really seeking God on this. I was born Jewish. I have had a Bat Mitzvah, I learned Hebrew and spent a great deal of my childhood at a temple. As a child, Judaism was empty without Jesus - so I rejected it and at 20 I became heavily involved with Hinduism and learning about other religions- (which led to my downfall).
The point is, JESUS WAS JEWISH. He was a rabbi- he was perfect- and he was PERFECT BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED THE OLD LAWS! God is showing me that the earliest and most full someone can be is to be following what the earliest church was doing just after Jesus's death - of course, this movement only lasted 100 years before it was overtaken by the other more Pagan ones. Think about it-- yes?
A: I praise God that you finally came to know JESUS as your Lord and Savior. I understand that you know much about Jewish Traditions and that you are born one. I welcome it.
See the first few decades as the Church was born in Judaistic background among the Jews, they thought that this new faith that Jesus introduced was only for the Israelites as usual (Eph 2:12; Rom 11:24). Even Jesus said and confirmed this pattern of thinking as right initially by saying to the Samaritan Gentile woman, " You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." (John 4:22). But He did not stop there, He continued saying prophetically about a time that is coming after His death and resurrection in which the Father God was desiring to accept worship of humans from their spirit-man through Jesus the Truth, apart from all temple traditions and laws (John 4:23-24). The worship of the True God has transcended at this point of time, beyond time, space, knowledge, creed and traditions.
Jesus knew that the Church initially will be born as a Jewish one and this is the reason Apostle Peter was told, "18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”" (Matt 16:18-19). Jesus revealed Himself through Peter on the day of Pentecost to the whole world, to this day we look back to the day of Pentecost in which the Lord Jesus has laid the foundation of the Church through Peter. But Jesus knew that the Gospel need to spread from being Jewish to be adaptable to all the ends of the earth as a spiritual force and not as a tradition of any religion. This is the reason Jesus did not teach tradition to His disciples, instead instructed them to receive the Spiritual Dynamite power of the Holy Spirit and then spread it to the whole wide world (Acts 1:8). They all received the power of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but began to show prejudice towards all those people who were not Jews because of the Jewish tradition in which they were bound.
But God had to break their wrong mindset, this started with Peter who was the leader of the whole pack of Christians. God showed a vision of unclean animals and told him to eat it. This was totally considered as unclean and was prohibited in Jewish religion. But the message of God was conveyed that Peter's Jewish tradition should not keep him bound from sharing the gospel with the Gentiles (Acts 10:9-23). Then through Divine connection people were sent from the house of Cornelius the Gentile who was a Centurion of Italian Regiment, to call Peter and hear from him the gospel of their Salvation. This man was one who was a devout man, feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to people and prayed always to God (Acts 10:1-8). When Peter with all his Jewish apostolic elders of the Jerusalem Church reached the place, the Gentiles were gathered in the house of Cornelius. Then as Apostle Peter began to speak about the good new of Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit along with the external evidence of speaking in tongues was given to all the Gentiles (Acts 10:44-48). This made all the Jewish apostolic company of elders, along with Apostle Peter to agree that God has put the stamp of approval over the Gentiles also as a part of the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12). This transformed the Jewish Church to become a universal one. Then Peter defended God's grace about the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit given to Gentiles too like themselves at Pentecost (Acts 11:1-3, 14-18).
God had to break this traditional mind set of Peter more and more so that He could be used to spread the Gospel around the world. Then God raised a zealous apostle out of the staunch religious Jewish Pharisees of that time who persecuted the Jewish Church in Jerusalem and its surrounding places (Gal 1:13-14), and began to use him powerfully among the Gentiles to spread the Gospel (Gal 2:8). Nearly one third of the whole New Testament revelation came to this man who had been revealed with a terrific understanding about the Church Universal (Gal 1:11-12). When Apostle Peter tried to act hypocritically before the Jewish brethren according to their traditional prejudice towards Gentiles, Apostle Paul withstood Peter to his face in this matter. The question that Apostle Paul asked says much about their hypocritical mindset of these Jewish Christian Leaders, "14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Gal 2:14-16). This proves that the religion of works is no more valid to practice after the truth of the Gospel is plainly told that a man can only be justified [i.e. made righteous and be declared by God as some one with no sin at all in his account] though faith in Jesus Christ. Now as a Christian we work and discipline ourselves to win the prize of eternal rewards (1 Cor 9:24-27). We keep the Law to discipline ourselves and it is for our own good we keep now and it does not affect our relationship with God anymore (Eph 1:6; Col 2:13-14).
Christianity is a relationship with God that is not based on a "DO, DO..." kind of religious demand, but a clear message of "DONE, DONE...." shout of victory that should move us to believe more and more in the promises of God (John 19:30; 2 Cor 2:14). All the demand for pleasing God has been "PAID IN FULL- IT'S FINISHED" forever. This is the reason Apostle Paul clearly told, "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." (2 Cor 1:20). Praise the Lord!
The third Jewish Temple will be built up in the coming years according to the prophecies of God and sacrifices will be done until the day of abomination of desolation (Rev 11:1-2; 2 Thes 2:3-4; Matt 24:15), in which illegally the Anti-christ will stop the temple Sacrifices and will declare himself to be the messiah of the whole world (Daniel 9:27). When Jesus comes to rule the earth during the Millennium, he will again rebuild the tabernacle of David which will be in ruins at that time and will set up a universal temple in which Jesus Himself will be the Ark of the Testimony (John 2:21), Jesus will make the rest of the mankind to seek the Lord from the whole wide world (Acts 15:16-17).
Festivals of the Feast of Tabernacles will be compulsory for all the nations to partake every year and the blessing of God over their nations will depend on whether they partake in this or not (Zech 14:16-17). Whoever fails to come voluntarily will have no rain and also plagues will follow the famine, this shall be the punishment for all the nations that fails to partake and keep this feast (Zech 14:18-19).
In the Book of Ezekiel, God has already established the new Laws that will be implemented during the Millennium reign of Jesus on this planet earth (Ezekiel 40-48). When I say, "the temple sacrifices were made obsolete in Christ", it speaks about a privileged and separate entity named as "the Church of the Living God" which lives above the traditions of all religions because of being bought by the blood of the Son of God (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Col 2:16-23). The Millennium saints will not be under the same New Covenant privileges, but they will pay homage to the work of Christ which has redeemed them and have given them the blessing which they will enjoy through out the Millennium rule of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:10-11; John 5:23). A New Millennium Covenant will be established by Jesus based on the New Covenant work of Christ (Zech 12:10-14; Rom 11:25-26). This New Millennium Covenant will be a spiritual one that will make all the people of Israel to become born-again in their spirit-man (Jer 31:31-36). All of the remnant of Israelites left at the end of the Great Tribulation will all be saved in a day (Matt 24:13).
Jesus was perfect not just because He followed the Law and fulfilled it, but He had no sin nature inside Him and was made to be sin by God for us (John 1:29, 36; Phil 2:8; 2 Cor 5:21). By coming in the likeness of the sinful flesh, Jesus condemned sin in the flesh (Rom 8:4). By this one offering God has perfected us forever who are being sanctified (Heb 10:10, 14). Now that we have been shown the Love of God through Jesus the Son of God while we were yet sinners, now we replicate and reflect that love towards God and others. This is the Royal Law in the New Testament that makes us fulfill all other laws of God (Rom 5:8; 13:8-9; James 2:8). So while peopl around us are still imperfect in their outlook towards us and others, we learn to LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD which the Holy Spirit gives and fills our heart when we sincerely desire it (Rom 5:5). In other words, "Love is the fullfillment of the law." for the New Covenant Church (Rom 13:11).
Blessings.......
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