Dd-53. JESUS is the END of the LAW for RIGHTEOUSNESS! DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. Dd-53. JESUS is the END of the LAW for RIGHTEOUSNESS! In other words, Jesus is the END of keeping the Law of Moses CONTAINED in ORDINANCES, according to Ephesians 2:8-15. A dear brother in our Lord Jesus Christ wrote to me seeming very concerned that I am TWISTING the Scriptures to my own destruction. And he quoted 2 Peter 3:16 along with two verses from the book of Romans and a couple verses from the Old Testament. He did this in order to try and prove that Christians must keep the Law of Moses in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. I will first take you through his argument to explain his “interpretation, and then I will show you WHY his INTERPRETATION of the Scriptures is in ERROR. Please read 2 Peter 3:16. “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things HARD to be UNDERSTOOD, (Or hard to be RECEIVED) which they that are unlearned and unstable wrestle, (Or TWIST around) as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their OWN DESTRUCTION.” Now, when you read the CONTEXT of verse 16 you will find that the Apostle Peter is speaking of the coming of the DAY of Judgment of God. Then Peter quickly makes sure that we UNDERSTAND that the DAY of Judgment is 1000 years long. And when we study the Scriptures further we understand that this means that there will be TWO judgments. The first judgment will occur at the return or at the coming of Jesus before the Millennium begins. This first judgment is known to most Christians as the rapture of the church. It is also known as the first resurrection of the saints. And at this first judgment, ONLY those of us who are found RIGHTEOUS in Jesus Christ will be given eternal life to rule and reign with Jesus for 1000 years OVER the mortal humans who are judged as being UNJUST or UNRIGHTEOUS AT his coming. In other words, if one has not died while being a faithful Christian or one is not found to be a faithful Christians at the return of Jesus then they will be judged UNWORTHY to receive eternal life. And by UNFAITHFUL Christian, I mean a Christian who is living in a lifestyle of sin and has DEPARTED away from God resisting the Holy Spirit to repent and confess their sins. Please read the study F-1. CAN A CHRISTIAN LOSE THEIR SALVATION? But for now, please understand that almost all Christians sin SOMETIMES, but they all repent and confess their sins. All Christians will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ, according to Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. I will just quote the later. 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. “Wherefore, we labor so that, whether present or absent, we may be ACCEPTED of him. 10. For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has DONE, whether it be good or bad.” And right before Jesus comes he will declare a decree, saying, let the righteous REMAIN righteous and let the unrighteous REMAIN unrighteous, which to ME, is basically the Judgment Seat of Christ. You will either be found WORTHY to receive eternal life or you will be found UNWORTHY to receive eternal life. If you are found worthy to receive eternal life then you will rule and reign with Jesus for 1000 years and the second death will have no more power over you. And if you are ALIVE at the coming of Jesus and you are found UNWORTHY to receive eternal life, then you will NOT be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. You will be left on the surface of the earth to suffer the first half of God’s WRATH. And those unfaithful Christians, the DISOBEDIENT children, who repent and call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved ALIVE in their MORTAL bodies to be taught the true gospel of salvation. Please know and understand that the Millennial reign of Jesus is NOT a so-called SECOND CHANCE to be saved for EVERY single person who has ever lived. But rather, for many people who are ALIVE at the coming of Jesus have never heard the gospel, then it will be their FIRST chance to be saved. And yes, their will be some UNFAITHFUL Christians living in sin when Jesus returns. And if they repent and call upon the name of the Lord, then they will be saved ALIVE in their MORTAL bodies to be taught the true gospel of salvation. So for THEM it could be called a “second chance”. I say this because some Christians have been DECEIVED by the false teaching of “Universalism”, which wrongly teaches that every person will eventually be saved. So I implore you to read all of the studies under the heading >>>Bb-0. Will Everyone be Saved?<<< But for now, please keep in mind that the first half of God’s WRATH follows immediately after this first judgment, also called the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is basically the RAPTURE of the CHURCH. So if you are NOT raptured then you were JUDGED to be UNWORTHY to receive eternal life at the coming of Jesus. And thus, you will suffer the WRATH of God. And during the wrath of God almost all of the unjust who do NOT REPENT will be slain. However, there will be a REMNANT of Israel that repents and calls upon the name of the Lord to be saved. And there will also be many Gentiles of the nations who will as well repent by calling upon God to be saved alive in their mortal bodies to go into the Millennium to be taught of the Lord. Now, it will be TOO LATE for those who wait to SEE Jesus coming in clouds of glory for them to receive eternal life at his coming. For you see, the FIRST judgment will just have ended at the RAPTURE of the CHURCH which takes place at the SECOND coming of Jesus. That is why that I am seeing the rapture of the SAINTS as being the Judgment Seat of Christ, you will either be judged WORTHY to be raptured or you will be judged UNWORTHY to be raptured. You see, just before Jesus splits the eastern sky in clouds of glory he will proclaim that ALL who are UNJUST to REMAIN unjust or UNRIGHTEOUS. And he will also proclaim that ALL who are RIGHTEOUS to REMAIN RIGHTEOUS at the moment of a twinkling of an eye while the FIRST judgment takes place called the FIRST resurrection and the RAPTURE of the CHURCH. Please read Revelation 22:11-15. “He that is UNJUST (Or UNRIGHTEOUS), let him be unjust STILL: and he which is FILTHY (Or UNRIGHTEOUS and UNWORTHY), let him be filthy STILL: and he that is RIGHTEOUS, let him be righteous STILL: and he that is HOLY, let him be holy STILL. 12. And, behold, I come quickly; (Or swiftly, as in, the first judgment will take place in a TWINKLING of an eye and there will be no time to repent in order to receive eternal life at the COMING of Jesus) and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his WORK shall be. 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments, (Now here is where the seventh day of the week Sabbath keeping Christians are in ERROR. They INTERPRET the commandments here as being the LAW of MOSES and NOT as the NEW commandments taught in the New Testament under the NEW COVENANT. So then, ONLY those of us who are obeying the teachings of Jesus under the New Covenant written in the New Testament shall be BLESSED) that they (Speaking of ONLY those of us who are found faithful in Jesus Christ to be the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God by our FAITH and obedience to the NEW COVENANT) may have RIGHT to (Or may be found with the LICENSE OF) the tree of life, and may ENTER IN through the gates INTO the CITY. (The reason that I say LICENSE OF as opposed to the right TO the tree of life is because the LITERAL translation says the WOOD of THE LIFE. And that opened my eyes to see the truth. And that truth is that if we are not IN Jesus Christ BY our faith in the CROSS, then we do not have a LICENSE to enter into the city of God. So the commandments are the two NEW commandments that Jesus gives to his followers in the New Testament under the New Covenant. Please read the study called Dd-25. What does REVELATION 22:14 TRULY Mean?) 15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whore mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.” So then, in order to know the end of a book you read the last chapter of the book to see how it ENDS. And the last book of the Bible teaches us that the first judgment is the dividing between the UNRIGHTEOUS and the RIGHTEOUS. In other words, there are only TWO types of people at the first judgment that will be separated. And ONLY ONE of those groups of people will be rewarded with ETERNAL LIFE and allowed to ENTER into the CITY of God, the New Jerusalem, at the time of the first judgment. And again, for all those of you who still believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church this first judgment will take place at the second coming of Jesus. In other words, the RAPTURE of the CHURCH will take place AFTER the 3 1/2 years of great tribulation at the SECOND coming of Jesus and right BEFORE Jesus executes the WRATH of Almighty God upon the UNRIGHTEOUS. And the UNRIGHTEOUS will include the REMNANT of Israel even if they are keeping the Law of Moses perfectly or as much as is possible without having a Temple. Now, let us go back to the words of Paul that are HARD to be understood and focus on the word “RIGHTEOUSNESS”. But before we do this, let me explain this brother’s argument as to why he believes that Christians must keep the Law of Moses to have the right to eat of the tree of life in the world to come. This brother in the Lord quotes two verses from the book of Romans that SEEM to contradict each other. Romans 2:13. “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the DOERS of the LAW shall be justified.” Romans 3:20. “Therefore BY the DEEDS of the LAW there shall NO flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Then, instead of resolving what SEEMS like a contradiction by correctly interpreting what Paul is teaching on the immediate CONTEXT, this brother in the Lord goes to the Old Testament to try and show that there were two laws in the Law of Moses pertaining to being JUSTIFIED. And one of those laws was indeed able to justify a sinner under the Law of Moses. BUT, according to his INTERPRETATION of those Scriptures he quoted, the other law was NOT able to JUSTIFY the sinner under the Law of Moses. He then, quoted Numbers 15:28-30 where there is one Law of Moses that if for a person who sins IGNORANTLY or UNINTENTIONALLY. And then he interprets these verses to mean that there is no law in the Law of Moses that is ABLE to justify the person that sins PRESUMPTUOUSLY or WILLINGLY. He used the word WILLINGLY. In other words, according to his interpretation, the Law of Moses was indeed ABLE to justify those who sinned in IGNORANCE. BUT the Law of Moses was NOT able to justify those who sinned WILLINGLY. And thus to him, that is the only reason that Jesus had to die. To say this another way, he believes that the only reason why Jesus had to die was to save those who sinned WILLINGLY. And to HIM that resolved what seemed to be a contradiction in Paul’s teachings. Numbers 15:28-30. “And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sins IGNORANTLY, when he sins by IGNORANCE before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29. You shall have one law for him that sins through IGNORANCE, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourns among them. 30. But the soul that does ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproaches the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” And then this brother INTERPRETS these verses OUT of their context to say that the Law of Moses was only able to JUSTIFY the sinner that sins IGNORANTLY. And that is why we need a Messiah to justify those who do NOT sin IGNORANTLY or intentionally, but rather, they willfully sin. The “willful” sin is rejecting Jesus and the NEW Covenant. But that is NOT what these verses in the book of Numbers mean. These verses are referring to the ignorance of the whole camp of Israel and NOT the ignorance of the one individual Israelite who actually did the sinning. You see my dear brothers and sisters on our Lord Jesus Christ, under the Old Covenant, the whole nation of Israel was judged by ONE man’s sin. Do you remember the account in Joshua chapter 7 where there was an accursed thing that was taken and hid by the ONE man named Achan in a tent within the camp of Israel? And because of that ONE man's INTENTIONAL sin all twelve tribes of Israel suffered the consequences of that sin of the ONE man? And they were IGNORANT of that ONE man's sin UNTIL bad things started to happen to them. So you see, it was the NATION of Israel that was IGNORANT of Achan’s sin. It was NOT that Achan was IGNORANT of his OWN sin. And that is what the CONTEXT of Numbers 15:28-30 is referring to and NOT that a person sins UNINTENTIONALLY. Please read Numbers 15:24-28. “Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25. And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is IGNORANCE: (Or the sin was done WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE of the one doing the sin) and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for THEIR ignorance: 26. And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourns among them; seeing all the PEOPLE were in ignorance. (Of the person among them that was sinning) 27. And if any soul sin through ignorance, (Speaking of a person sinning in SECRET without the knowledge of the camp of Israel knowing of this person’s sin) then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. (This is speaking of the person obeying the conviction of the Lord to VOLUNTARILY confess their sin and bring a sin offering according to the Law of Moses) 28. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sins ignorantly, (Or secretly without the knowledge of the rest of the camp of Israel knowing about his or her sin) when he sins by ignorance (Without the knowledge of the congregation) before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.” Then the context continues to say that the one who sins PRESUMPTUOUSLY or who sins HIGH-MINDEDLY shall be cut off from God’s people. The simplest meaning of those who sin presumptuously means that they are insolent and disobedient to the point that they willfully commit sin and THEN they hardened their heart to HIDE their sin. So in their mind and heart they do not think they will get caught. And when their conscience convicts them then they EXCUSE their sin as not being sin. In other words, WHEN God does convict them of their sin they are too proud to REPENT of their sin. So they continue to hide their sin by making excuses. They are PRESUMPTUOUS and HIGH MINDED. They resist God to REPENT of their sin. And for that reason they are cut off from God. You see, Achan had many opportunities to CONFESS his sin of taking the gold and silver and hiding it in his tent while the rest of Israel was IGNORANT to what he had done. He stood silently as he watched everyone else being eliminated as the sinner that brought judgment to the whole camp of Israel. Then after all the evidence pointed to him he finally confessed and told them where he hid the gold and silver that he had stole. And that is NOT REPENTANCE. That is being CAUGHT. And that is why he was cut off by being stoned to death for his sin. The Law of Moses could not justify anyone who refused to REPENT. And the same is true under the New Covenant. Now, we did not even need for these verses in the book of Numbers to be correctly explained according to their context in order to know that Paul did NOT contradict himself. All we really need to do is to FINISH reading the CONTEXT of what else Paul wrote instead of placing one’s OWN personal interpretation into the Scriptures. Remember that the judgment at the coming of Jesus will be whether a person is found RIGHTEOUS or UNRIGHTEOUS when Jesus returns to set up his kingdom. And Paul is speaking about HOW we become RIGHTEOUS all through his teachings. So then, Romans 2:13 is just the START of what Paul is teaching. And that is why Romans 3:30 only SEEMS to be a contradiction. For you see, IF one is focused ONLY on those two verses, then they miss the true meaning of those two verses by not truly considering the REST of the CONTEXT of what Paul teaches us concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS. Let us read those two verses again to refresh our memory and then we will read what else Paul teaches on HOW we are made RIGHTEOUS. Romans 2:13. “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the DOERS of the law shall be justified.” Romans 3:20. “Therefore, by the DEEDS of the law there shall NO flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Now please read Romans 9:30-33. “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed NOT after righteousness (Of the MORAL Law of Moses or the Law of God written on their conscience), have ATTAINED to RIGHTEOUSNESS, even the righteousness which IS OF FAITH. 31. But Israel, which (Has indeed) followed after the law of righteousness, (By keeping the Law of Moses) has NOT attained to the law of righteousness. (Speaking of God’s now accepted RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH in his Son Jesus which is the ONLY righteousness that he accepts) 32. Wherefore? (Or WHY has Israel NOT attained the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God?) Because they sought it NOT BY FAITH, but as it were by the works of the law. (Or rather they sought to establish their OWN righteousness by being DOERS of the Law of Moses) For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; 33. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever BELIEVES on him shall not be ashamed.” So the law of faith to obtain righteousness was OFFENSIVE to the children of Israel. They had been taught all their life to obey the Law of Moses. And they stumbled at the teaching of the New Covenant. Now let us continue right on into the next chapter of the book of Romans to read the CONCLUSION of what Paul is teaching on about HOW to become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Almighty God by our FAITH IN Jesus Christ our savior. And remember that Paul is explaining the FULFILLMENT of PROPHECY written in the Old Testament. Romans 10:1-11. “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. (So in Paul’s understanding of the teachings of Jesus, Israel was NOT saved. Paul understood that God CONCLUDED every last Israelite to be under sin so that God could be their workmanship to save them. Paul understood perfectly that no one could be saved by the Law of Moses no matter how perfectly they kept the Law of Moses) 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but NOT according to knowledge. (Speaking of the knowledge of the TRUTH, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. For you see, the Gospel of our salvation teaches us HOW to RECEIVE the free GIFT of the RIGHTEOUSNESS from God to be forgiven of all our past sins. Not only are we cleansed of all our unrighteous but we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You see, God needed to cleanse us first so that the Holy Spirit could come and dwell in us. And the anointing of the Holy Spirit is given to us in order to empower us to keep all the moral law of God that the Almighty writes upon our hearts when we are truly born-again. God removes our hardened conscience and creates in us a new heart that loves righteousness. But the unsaved Israelites who do indeed have a zeal for God have NOT obtained God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS) 3. For (Or BECAUSE) they being ignorant OF God's RIGHTEOUSNESS, and going about to establish their OWN righteousness, (By keeping the Law of Moses contained in ordinances that have been nailed to the cross) have NOT submitted themselves unto the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF God. (Meaning that they have not RESTED in Jesus as their RIGHTEOUSNESS to obey the TWO commandments of Jesus under the New Covenant) 4. For (Or for you see) Christ is the END of the law FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS to every one that BELIEVES. 5. For Moses DESCRIBES the righteousness which is of the law, (Speaking of the MORAL law of God and also Moses TEACHES about the Messiah in the law contained in ORDINANCES who MUST be RECEIVED) That the man which does those things shall live by them. (There is only ONE thing that we must do to be saved. And that one thing is to BELIEVE in Jesus as the atonement for our sins. As soon as we believe God’s GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS becomes our righteousness. Now, please understand that being saved does not end there. For you see, in order to receive eternal life in the world to come we must REMAIN IN Jesus Christ by OBEYING his teachings that are written down for us in the New Testament. But God also writes his MORAL law on our hearts. So even if we never had a Bible or we never heard another sermon preached to us after we have BELIEVED, we can still receive eternal life by obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Righteousness cannot be earned by obeying the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. I mean how is it “righteous” or PLEASING to God to keep what Jesus ABOLISHED of the cross? If you do not know what Ephesians 2:15 truly means, then please read the study called Dd-4. What does EPHESIANS 2:8-15 TRULY MEAN? and the study called Dd-5. What Does Contained in ORDINANCES Mean? For you see, if you are keeping the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES to PLEASE God, then you are actually DISPLEASING God) 6. BUT the righteousness which is OF FAITH (The RIGHTEOUSNESS OF God) speaks on this wise, Say not in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8. But what does it say? (Speaking of the PROPHECY written in the Scriptures found in) The word is nigh you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, (Speaking of the FULFILLED word of the PROPHECY in Deuteronomy 30:11-14 as being the prophesied word that was to come,) the word of FAITH, which we preach; (The word that became flesh, the MESSIAH) 9. That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him (The word made flesh that was prophesied in the Law of Moses to be the Messiah) from the dead, you shall be saved. 10. For with the heart man believes unto RIGHTEOUSNESS; and with the mouth confession is made unto SALVATION. 11. For the Scripture says, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.” Now, Paul is quoting Deuteronomy chapter 30 which again is a prophecy of God promising to write his word upon the hearts of his people Israel. The word spoken of in Deuteronomy 30:11-14 is speaking of the word of prophecy that would be made flesh and dwell in our hearts. It is NOT talking about God writing the Law of Moses on the hearts of the children of Israel in the future.. Deuteronomy 30:11-14. “For THIS COMMANDMENT (In the SINGULAR) which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. (It is hidden from those of us who do not read the Bible in the Hebrew language. But it was never hidden from the children of Israel who read, write, and speak the Hebrew language. I will explain what I mean by this shortly) 12. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13. Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14. But the WORD is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do IT.” Do WHAT? What does the pronoun IT refer to? The pronoun “IT” is referring back to the “THIS COMMANDMENT” in the SINGULAR back in verse 11. Now let us compare Deuteronomy 30:11-14 with the New Testament FULFILLMENT of this prophecy found in Romans 10:1-13. Then we will compare Deuteronomy 30:14 side by side to Romans 10:8 so that you can see that the “THIS COMMANDMENT” in Deuteronomy 30:14 is a SHADOW pointing to Jesus, In other words, “THIS COMMANDMENT” in Deuteronomy 30:14 is a prophecy of Yahweh’s commandment to BELIEVE on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God in order to be saved. And if you do NOT then you shall be cut off and destroyed in the lake of fire. Romans 10:1-13. “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but NOT according to knowledge. (There are many Jews who keep the Law of Moses the best that they can, and possibly, they keep the letter of the Law of Moses better than some Christians that have been subverted to keep the Law of Moses. But even though they sincerely love God and they serve God having a great zeal like many Christians caught up in the Hebrew Roots Movement, they are NOT worshiping Yahweh in Spirit and in TRUTH in the way God is commanding us to do under his New Covenant. They are NOT serving God according to the knowledge of the TRUTH of the GOSPEL written in the New Testament) 3. For they (Speaking of the children of Israel that do NOT believe that Jesus is their Messiah. And ALSO speaking of some Christians who have been subverted to keep the Law of Moses to be saved) being IGNORANT of God's righteousness, (Speaking of God’s GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS that is freely given to all who BELIEVE that Jesus is their Messiah) and going about to establish their OWN righteousness, have NOT SUBMITTED themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4. For (Or for you see) Christ (Or the Messiah, the THIS COMMANDMENT) is the END of the law, FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS to everyone that BELIEVES. 5. FOR (Or BECAUSE the law of) Moses DESCRIBES the righteousness which is OF the law, (Speaking of the law written on our CONSCIENCE that even the Gentiles have WITHOUT the law contained in ordinances giving ONLY to the CHILDREN of Israel after they were delivered from the bondage of Egypt. Selah, pause and think about this TRUTH. The LAW of Moses was ADDED because the children of Israel kept disobeying the LAW. What LAW were they disobeying BEFORE the LAW of Moses was ADDED? It was the law written upon the heart, their CONSCIENCE which they hardened. So the LAW that Moses DESCRIBES is the MORAL law of RIGHTEOUSNESS) That the man which does THOSE things (Speaking of walking in RIGHTEOUSNESS obeying the moral law of righteousness written on our CONSCIENCE) shall live by them. (IF they never ever disobey the law of God written on their CONSCIENCE. And that is why the Law of Moses was ADDED UNTIL the SEED should COME, speaking of the Messiah and the New Covenant) 6. BUT the righteousness which is of FAITH (Or the NEW LAW of FAITH, the THIS COMMANDMENT, that was shut up to those written about in the Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi UNTIL their Messiah came) speaks on this wise, Say not in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (That is, to bring Christ [The Messiah, the TEACHING of God's so great a salvation, or more precisely the GIFT of RIGHTEOUSNESS and the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit to walk in RIGHTEOUSNESS] down from above:) 7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ [The Messiah, the THIS COMMANDMENT] again from the dead.) 8. But what says it? (Speaking of the word of prophecy concerning the Messiah, THIS COMMANDMENT in the SINGULAR) The word is nigh you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of FAITH, which we PREACH; (Speaking of the THIS COMMANDMENT, the gospel of our salvation to BELIEVE that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God who is the END of the law FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS) 9. That IF you (DO IT, as in, IF you OBEY the THIS COMMANDMENT that Yahweh prophesied would come. If you) shall CONFESS with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall BELIEVE in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. 10. For with the heart man believes unto RIGHTEOUSNESS; and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto SALVATION. 11. For the Scripture says, Whosoever BELIEVES on him shall not be ashamed. 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Please understand that the Bible does NOT teach a grace ALONE with no works salvation. Yes, the initial step of being cleansed of all our past sins to be RECONCILED to God is completed by grace without any works of righteousness. But every TRUE born-again Christian knows that they must work, labor, strive, resist, and fight against the temptations to sin. TRUE Christianity is NOT doing whatever your flesh begs you to do. More on this later, but for now let us read Deuteronomy 30:14 alongside of Romans 10:8, which is the beginning of the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Deuteronomy 30:14. “But the word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do IT.” (Speaking of the THIS COMMANDMENT in the SINGULAR) Romans 10:8. “But what says it? (Speaking of the word of PROPHECY concerning the Messiah) The word is nigh you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of FAITH, which we PREACH;” That you may DO IT by BELIEVING the gospel of Jesus Christ and CONFESS HIM as your Messiah, the THIS COMMANDMENT prophesied in Deuteronomy 30:10-14. Now I want you to read the LITERAL translation and pay close attention to the UNTRANSLATED Hebrew letters, the Aleph, and the Tav. The English pronunciation is “ath” or “et”. Someone far more knowledgeable in the Hebrew language taught me about the Aleph and the Tav as being a marker or a Selah or a pause and think about these verses pertaining to the Messiah. So simply replace the untranslated Aleph Tav with the name Jesus, Yeshua, or the Messiah, the word made flesh. Also, notice that the LITERAL translation uses the pronouns he and him as opposed to the pronoun it. Deuteronomy 30:14 from the LITERAL translation. “That near to you the word exceedingly in the mouth of you and in HEART of you to to do OF HIM.” This is a PROPHESY of God creating is us a NEW HEART to OBEY what Yahweh put in the mouth of Jesus to teach to his disciples to OBEY. Now read the fulfillment of this prophecy again in Romans 10:1-13. “...that is, the word of FAITH, which we PREACH;” That you may DO IT by BELIEVING the gospel of Jesus Christ and CONFESS HIM as your Messiah and OBEY HIM who I Yahweh have commanded HIM to SPEAK. Please NOTICE that in the LITERAL translation, the pronoun “IT” is translated as to do OF HIM. In other words, the “THIS COMMANDMENT” shall I write upon your heart IS to OBEY what my MESSIAH teaches you to DO. And if you disobey HIM you shall be destroyed, according to Acts 3:23. In other words, we are not commanded to obey what Jesus DID. But rather, we are commanded to obey what Jesus TAUGHT his disciples to do. The Scriptures testify of Jesus as being the Messiah. And Yahweh gave Jesus the “THIS COMMANDMENT” in Deuteronomy 30:11-13 to tell Israel that if they do not believe who he is, then they would die in their sins. Jesus told them from the very beginning of his ministry that he is the Messiah. Let us read John 12:48-50. “He that rejects me, and RECEIVES NOT MY WORDS, has one that judges him: the WORD that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he (Almighty God Yahweh himself) gave me A COMMANDMENT, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50. And I know that HIS COMMANDMENT is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” And in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 we read where Yahweh PROPHESIED that he would raise up a prophet from among the brethren of the children or Israel. And God would put his words in the mouth of this prophet who we now know to be Jesus, to speak FOR Yahweh. And if any man does NOT hearken or OBEY the words and teachings of Jesus then Yahweh will require it of them. Deuteronomy 18:15-19. “The LORD your God will raise up unto you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brethren, like unto me; unto him you shall hearken; 16. According to all that you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, SAYING, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. (Meaning that the children of Israel did not want to hear the voice of God directly but through a PROPHET of God. And God is saying, Good, that is what I wanted them to say so that I can raise up unto them a Savior who will speak my words unto the them) 18. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto you, and will put MY words in HIS mouth; and he shall speak unto them . 19. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will NOT hearken unto MY words which HE shall speak in MY NAME, I will require it of him.” Now in Acts 3:18-23 we read that the fulfillment of these verses is in Jesus. Acts 3:18-23. “But those things, which God before had shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he has so fulfilled. 19. Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21. Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; HIM shall you hear in all things whatsoever HE shall SAY unto you. 23. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will NOT hear that prophet, shall be DESTROYED from among the people.” Galatians 2:21. “But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the TRUTH of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If you, being a Jew, live after the manner of Gentiles, and NOT as do the Jews, why compel you the Gentiles to live as do the 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 the FAITH of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and NOT by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Again, this is speaking of the commandments CONTAINED in ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross, according to Ephesians 2:8-15 and Colossians 2:14-17. Please read the following three studies Dd-3. What COLOSSIANS 2:14-17 TRULY MEAN?, Dd-4. What does EPHESIANS 2:8-15 TRULY MEAN?, and Dd-5. What Does Contained in ORDINANCES Mean?) 17. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, (By keeping the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES that Jesus Christ ABOLISHED on the cross) is therefore Christ the minister of sin? (Or is what Jesus did for us on the cross cause us to SIN) God forbid. 18. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. (Of the law of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH in Jesus Christ and what Jesus TOOK AWAY and nailed to the cross) 19. For I through the law (Of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH in Jesus Christ) am dead to the law, (Of Moses contained in ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross) that I might live unto God. 20. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law (Of Moses contained in ORDINANCES), then Christ is dead in vain.” Ephesians 4:24. “And that you put on the new man, which after God is CREATED in righteousness and true holiness.” One of the arguments used by some Christians to teach that Christians must keep the Law of Moses is that the only change that was made from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant is that under the New Covenant God now writes his law upon on HEARTS and we do not need to be taught by any man about the Lord. Now, if so be, their argument applies to Christians in this present world, then we do not need anyone to teach us about the Law of Moses. For you see, according to their interpretation of God writing His law upon our hearts, then God would have written everything in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant upon our hearts. So STOP teaching all the Law of Moses contained in ordinances to Christians, because God has NOT written all these ordinances upon our hearts. For you see, without ever hearing from MAN that JESTING is a sin, I KNEW it was a sin to jest or poke fun at people deep down in my heart. God CONVICTED me that jesting is not pleasing to him long before I ever read in the Bible that jesting is a SIN. So stop reading the Old Testament to learn all the Law of Moses if you truly believe that God has written the Law of Moses on your heart. The truth of the matter is that God has written his MORAL laws upon our heart that were in enforce or binding long BEFORE the Law of Moses was ever ADDED until Christ. For you see, the children of Israel were breaking the MORAL Law of God written on their CONSCIENCE. You see, the very day that Adam ate of the tree of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL was the day that mankind received a CONSCIENCE to know the MORAL LAW of God to know right from wrong. Please read Romans 2:13-15. “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. (NOT the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES, but rather, obeying the MORAL Law of God written upon our CONSCIENCE. Can you not see that the context is speaking about the Gentiles who do NOT have the Law of Moses? The Law of Moses was given ONLY to the children of Israel AFTER God delivered then out of the land of Egypt) 14. FOR (Or BECAUSE) when the Gentiles, which have NOT the law, (Speaking of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES of all the feast days, animal sacrifices, the Sabbath day, the dietary laws, and all the rudimentary services to God such as washings) do by nature the things contained in the law (Speaking of the MORAL Laws of God CONTAINED in the Law of Moses), these, having NOT the law (Of Moses contained in ORDINANCES), are a law (Or have the MORAL Law of God) unto themselves: 15. Which show the work of the law (Speaking of the MORAL Law of God to know right from wrong) written in their hearts, their conscience ALSO bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)” In verse 15, we can see that everyone has a CONSCIENCE but ONLY true born-again Christians have a NEW HEART where God leads us by His Holy Spirit. And as soon as you do or say something that displeases God your HEART is convicted of sin. And when we obey the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then our CONSCIENCE also bears witness that we did the right thing to OBEY what God has written upon of hearts. It is ONLY the heart of the wicked that is DECEITFUL! God would never give us a NEW heart that is deceitful! Titus 3:4-11. “But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6. Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; 7. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life. 8. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. (This is NOT speaking about keeping the Law of Moses contained in ordinances. Why would we maintain what Jesus ABOLISHED? But rather, this is speaking of doing good works of righteousness being led by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit would never lead us to keep what Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross. We are saved to do good WORKS or good DEEDS by walking in LOVE) These things are good and profitable unto men. 9. BUT AVOID foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; (Of Moses) for they are unprofitable and VAIN. (In other words, AVOID questions about keeping the weekly Sabbath day, the feast days and the dietary laws, which are SHADOWS, according to the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:13-17) 10. A man that is an heretic (Striving about the Law of Moses) after the first and second admonition reject; 11. Knowing that he that is such (He WHO? Those asking the QUESTIONS about the Law of Moses! It is he who) is SUBVERTED, and SINS, being condemned of himself.” Please notice WHO is being called a HERETIC in this passage of Scripture. The HERETICS are those who are ASKING the QUESTIONS and contending with other Christians concerning keeping the Law of Moses. In other words, it is the seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians who are the HERETICS. And verse 11 says that they are not only SUBVERTED but they are also living in SIN by keeping what Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross. Let me say to those of you who are truly seeking the truth of the whole word of Almighty God, that the Holy Spirit has never convicted me of sinning for not keeping the weekly Sabbath day or any of the feast days, or for eating any manner of meat. BUT the Holy Spirit has INDEED convicted me of an IMMORAL sin that I never knew was a sin before I became a Christian. Please allow me to rephrase that last statement a bit. I did know that it was not the right thing to do, but everyone was doing it and it seemed harmless at that time before I became a true born-again Christian. Let me explain what that sin is so you can better understand what I am saying. Some of you may have done this yourself. Have you ever poked fun at someone by belittling them? Like “roasting” them with humorous sayings such as you are so fat the scale screams when you get on it. And then everyone laughs except the one that everyone is making fun of. But it is not about singling out any one person. For you see, the one who is cut down comes back with his or her own cut down of another person. And eventually, everyone gets made fun of before it is over when someone finally gets their feelings hurt. Now, we all knew that this type of fun was not the right thing to do but we did not really think that it was a SIN. At least I did not think it was UNTIL after I became a Christian and I started to join in that kind of “fun” again and the Holy Spirit rebuked me to my face. The same was true with me in telling jokes. You know, the “adult” type jokes. And the “racial” jokes we never really considered them SIN. But after I was born-again my FLESH BEGGED me to tell those old jokes to get a good laugh, but the Holy Spirit forbade me. And the reason is that these kinds of things HURT others even though we may reason them away. And by hurting others we break the NEW COVENANT LAW of walking in LOVE toward one another. But again, the Holy Spirit has NEVER written on my heart to keep any of the feast days or the weekly Sabbath day. And if eating pork is a SIN, then the Holy Spirit has failed in his job to ever convict me of sinning when I eat pork. I was a Christian for over thirty years before I ever ran into my FIRST Sabbath-keeping Christian. And the first question she asked me was if I believe in keeping the commandments of God. I said, ABSOLUTELY! And she said, then why do you not keep the weekly Sabbath day. She said, it is one of the Ten Commandments and you just said you believe that we should keep the commandments of God. Well, I could not answer her question that day. But I went and asked the Lord and he had me read the New Testament again. And upon reading the New Testament again, the Holy Spirit showed me that we, as Christians, ARE keeping the TRUE Sabbath REST by our FAITH in Jesus. For a deeper understanding of WHY Christians are NOT commanded to keep the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES please read ALL of the Bible studies under the heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to read ALL the studies that I gave links to throughout this study concerning this subject on Sabbath TRUTH. My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
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If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Some Sabbath-keeping Christians CLAIM that the early church kept the Sabbath as the Jews, but I assure you that the early first-century church was accustomed to gathering together BEFORE the light of daybreak on the FIRST day of the week that THEY called the Lord's day. Please read all the studies linked within this study and all the studies linked below. This study was just the TIP of the iceberg of exposing the ERRORS of interpretation made by the Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping churches, and the Sunday first day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians. All of the studies listed under the subject heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< And also read Dd-20. Did The Early Church KEEP the Sabbath day to learn the truth of what the early church believed. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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