Old and New Treasure

After describing the Kingdom of God in many parables in Matthew 13, Jesus concluded His lesson with this interesting observation:

Jesus said to them [the disciples], “Have you understood all these things?”

They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

A scribe would be familiar with the Old Testament, but if he had learned from Jesus the true nature of the Kingdom, now he had both old and new treasures!

The Jews had been awaiting the kingdom of God, as it was described in Old Testament prophecy. But when Jesus came, He explained the Kingdom as it truly was, rather than as they thought it would be.

As their spiritual leaders were mostly carnal men interpreting the Scriptures carnally, their ideas of an earthly kingdom ruling militarily trickled down to the people, and would have to be uprooted by Jesus’ careful teaching and example.

The Old Testament prophets saw the truths of God’s coming kingdom from afar, and what they wrote was the Truth, but veiled. That Truth became fully known in Jesus Christ; and in Him, the veil is removed so that the Kingdom and the gospel are seen much more clearly.

Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 3:14-16:

For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.  But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.  Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Tragically, for many western Christians the veil remains to some degree, as they have been schooled in the same ideas that were prevalent in Jesus’ day. They believe the Old Testament prophets spoke of a carnal earthly kingdom rather than the spiritual kingdom Christ would come to build.  Because this idea conflicts with what they know of the New Covenant gospel, they have created a dichotomy between the Old and New Testaments that ought not to be there. The end result of this is confusion about God’s kingdom at best, and a perversion of the gospel at worst.

The New Testament is full of quotes from, and allusions to, the Old Testament. Indeed it was from the Old Testament that the earliest preachers of the gospel preached! The New Testament writers bring out the spiritual application to what was written, but the seed of that Truth was already there in the Old Testament for anyone who had ears to hear (and thankfully some did!)

Though the Old Covenant has become obsolete in light of the New, and we shall never in practice return to the shadows it contained, it is obsolete the same way a caterpillar is obsolete once the butterfly has emerged. The caterpillar contained and hinted at wondrous things to come. The beauty of God’s one plan of redemption has been gradually and graciously revealed to men.

With God’s help, I hope to write more on this– showing how God’s glorious gospel and Kingdom of God, as taught by Jesus and the apostles, were accurately predicted by the Old Testament prophets.

Much love to those who love the Lord Jesus!

Old Testament Faith vs. Modern Judaism

I have written extensively about how the Old and New Covenants are one continual revelation of Jesus Christ–the salvation of mankind; and how the New Covenant Church is the continuation and fulfillment of the Old Testament faith, by virtue of its being an Olive tree that joins together Jew and Gentile people of authentic faith into one Body for eternity.

Confusion is introduced when Bible teachers claim that New Testament faith has its “roots in Judaism.” The truth is that New Testament faith has its roots in the Old Testament faith, for they are both pure faith in Yahweh and His Messiah Jesus.

However modern Judaism is a religion which actually contradicts both Old and New Testament faith. While modern Judaism does still borrow from Old Testament faith practices when convenient (such as circumcision, meeting in temples, etc.), it has added to them myriad traditions and laws God never spoke, many of which completely obscure the purpose of God’s law and/or create loopholes around God’s law.

Michael Hoffman gives us an example of such a confusion-bringing teaching by Presbyterian theologian Douglas Jones–

“…consider the case of Abraham, that ancient father of Judaism and Christianity…One of the best ways of beginning to think about the nature of Christianity is to think of it in the light of Judaism. Today, we so often think of Judaism and Christianity as two distinct religions, almost like Buddhism and Islam. But early Christianity never saw itself in that way. The earliest Christians saw themselves as faithful Jews simply following Jewish teachings. In fact, the first main dispute in the Christian church was whether non-Jews, the Gentiles, could even be a part of Christianity! Christianity self-consciously saw itself as the continuing outgrowth, the fulfillment, of true Judaism. As such, Christianity didn’t start in the first century but long before with King David, Moses, Abraham, and ultimately the first man, Adam. Everything in older Judaism was building up and pointing to the work of Jesus Christ. Over and over, the early disciples explained that Christ was the fulfillment of the ancient promises of Judaism…So when we start thinking about Christianity, we have to understand its very Jewish roots. We should assume that Christianity ought to look and sound like Judaism except when it explicitly claims to change something. We should expect that the Scriptures, institutions, basic principles, laws, meditations, family life, etc. of Judaism would carry over into Christianity, unless Christ, the final prophet, authoritatively changed a practice….Christianity’s Jewishness is pervasive indeed.”(1)

 While Douglas Jones properly tied the New Testament church to Old Testament saints like David, Moses and Abraham, his improper use of the term “Judaism” to describe their faith is a dangerous misstep. Christians have fellowship with all the righteous–that would certainly include David, Moses and Abraham. But we do not have fellowship with the unrighteous–those who follow another spirit and another gospel–such as is found in modern Judaism.  Mr. Hoffman explains–

By improper application of the words “Jew” and “Judaism,” the preceding statement of a leading modern conservative Presbyterian’s view of Judaism, extols a palimpsest of confusion. First and foremost, by terming the Old Testament religion of Yahweh  as “Judaism,” an inexorable connection is inevitable and established between the religion of those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and the Old Testament religion of His Father, Yahweh. The reader is given the distinct impression that modern Judaism bears within it the seeds of the religion of the Old Testament, that it is the Old Testament religion without Christ. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing could be a greater source of delusion. To ascribe to the ancient Israelite religion the term “Judaism” is a grave lexical and hermeneutic error. It gives to the creed of the entire Twelve Tribes of Israel and their Covenant Elohim, the title of a perverse man-made tradition that flourished among one segment of the offspring of the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob (the tribe of Judah). The word “Jew” is a corrupted form of the word Judah. It refers to two of the twelve tribes of Israel, Judah and Benjamin, and does not even appear in the Bible until II Kings 16:6, and then again in 25:25 and II Chronicles 32:18.

Paul’s allusion to the “Jews’ religion” in this context is instructive. Paul’s reference in this regard is negative: “And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:14). The hallmarks of the “Jews’ religion” according to Paul, are two-fold: persecution of God’s Church (I Thessalonians 2:14-16), and allegiance to the “traditions” of men. 

The Pharisees asked Jesus why His followers disobeyed the Talmud (at that time known as the “tradition of the elders” and not yet in written form), by refusing to engage in ritual hand-washing: “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” “But Jesus said unto them, ‘Why do ye transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” (Matthew 15: 2-3). How can it be said that “Judaism” (the “Jews’ religion”) is the root of Christianity, when according to Paul, it is a religion of man-made traditions and according to Jesus Christ, Judaism’s traditions of men made the Law of Yahweh of “none effect”? (Matthew 15:9). How can it be said that “Judaism” is the root of Christianity, when in the Old Testament there was no “Judaism”? One searches in vain for the term, yet modernist Christians today use it almost exclusively to describe the religion of the Old Testament, of Yahweh and His people.

After some Jews rejected their Messiah they formalized the tradition of the elders condemned by Christ as the very nullification of the Law of God, and that new religion is accurately and properly termed Judaism: “This new system, treated at first as simply provisional because of the surviving hope of restoring the Jewish commonwealth, had soon to be accepted as definitive…Then it was that Rabbinical or Talmudical Judaism fully asserted its authority…the Mishna ‘Oral Teaching’ completed by Rabbi Juda I, committed ultimately to writing in the form of the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds and expounded by generations of teachers in the schools of Palestine and Babylonia, held undisputed sway over the minds and consciences of the Jews. In fact, this long acceptation of the Talmud by the Jewish race, before its center shifted from the East to the West, so impressed this…Law (Mishnah) upon the hearts of the Jews that down to the present day Judaism has remained essentially Talmudical both in its theory and in its practice…Orthodox Judaism…distinctly admits the absolutely binding force of the oral Law…” (2)

  Hopefully, you can see that neither Jesus nor Paul accepted Judaism as authentic faith, but instead a corruption born out of rebellion against God. Remember that Jesus told the Pharisees God would require of their generation all the righteous blood from Abel to Zechariah, whom their fathers had killed.  Not only did they refuse to enter life, they hindered others from doing so by “taking away the key to knowledge.” (Lk. 11:45-52) Their spiritual children continue to do this to this very day, obscuring and perverting the Word of God with their legions of laws and traditions.

Thankfully their physical children can repent and be converted, and become the children of God!  Paul is a prime example, and we also have the example of Nicodemus going to learn from Jesus in John 3. It appears that Nicodemus did become a follower of Jesus, forsaking the traditions of his fathers for the living Truth. He later publicly identified with Jesus by helping to give Him a proper burial (John 19:39-40), an act which surely burned the bridge between himself and the Pharisees.

God bless you as you continue to seek clarity on these issues!

(1) Hoffman, Michael. Judaism Discovered: A Study of the Anti-Biblical Religion of Racism, Self-Worship, Superstition and Deceit (Kindle Locations 2473-2483). Independent History and Research. Kindle Edition.

(2)Hoffman, Michael. Judaism Discovered: A Study of the Anti-Biblical Religion of Racism, Self-Worship, Superstition and Deceit (Kindle Locations 2484-2513). Independent History and Research. Kindle Edition.

The Torah of Judaism

Introduction

There is a book by Michael Hoffman which every Christian should read in order to understand the religion of Judaism and how it relates to authentic Christianity. The book is Judaism Discovered: A Study of the Anti-Biblical Religion of Racism, Self-worship, Superstition and Deceit. It can be downloaded (here) to kindle for about $10.

Now some will be put off by the title alone because they imagine that Judaism is the adherence to the first 5 books of the Bible, commonly called the Torah by Christians. Such is not the case, and Michael Hoffman brilliantly unmasks this deception.

When we understand today’s Judaism, we will also understand the strong rebukes that Jesus leveled against the Pharisees of His day, for in those days, Judaism was in its infant stage. The teachings of the Pharisees had not yet been put into writing, although they were orally laid upon the shoulders of the common Jews as heavy burdens they could not bear, often nullifying the Word of God (Matt. 15:6; 23:4). These oral laws were later committed to writing; then many more were added over the centuries.  Very few know the true satanic nature of these writings, or how much they contradict the Old Testament, as well as the New.

I will be sharing bits and pieces of this book in future posts in order that we may better understand what modern Judaism is, so we can ascertain biblically what our relationship to it should be, and call others out of deception.

Today, I will begin with a few quotes showing that the “Torah” observed by Judaism today is not Old Testament Scripture, but rather the imaginative and sinful words of men which oppose the Scriptures.

All quotes are taken from this source: Hoffman, Michael. Judaism Discovered: A Study of the Anti-Biblical Religion of Racism, Self-Worship, Superstition and Deceit. Independent History and Research. Kindle Edition. Kindle locations will be noted below, with the abbreviation KL. I have added a few notations in red for clarity.

How does modern Judaism define Torah?

Torah. This word is wielded like a weapon. It is Judaism’s badge of authority. The rabbis boast that they have the Torah, they have mastered the Torah, they base their laws on the Torah and that they are Torah-true. Actually, these claims of theirs are a play on words, for the “Torah” they study, base their laws upon and truly uphold is the formerly Oral Traditions and Laws of the Pharisees which is known among them as the Torah SheBeal Peh. Consequently when the rabbis are telling the gentiles all about their relationship with the “Torah,” the gentiles imagine that the rabbis are referring to the Hebrew Covenant or Old Testament, known as the Torah SheBichtav.

Judaism is not true to the Torah SheBichtav, but rather to the Torah SheBeal Peh. If Christians and gentiles could keep this hester (concealed) distinction uppermost in their minds when dealing with rabbinic claims, demands and boasts of authority and knowledge, it would go a long way toward clearing up the spiritual and epistemological smog that is at the very heart of Judaism — its posturing as a Biblical, i.e. “Torah” faith. When faced with this claim on the Torah, one should always ask the claimant, which “Torah” is it to which you are loyal? According to Jesus Christ, one cannot be loyal to both (Mark 7:9). (KL 1714-1723)

Judaism’s Torah is NOT the Pentateuch–

Judaism did not exist before Christ. Before Him, there was the faith of the Israelites as it gradually decayed and was subverted by corrupt teachings such as were transmitted by the Pharisees and Sadducees….

This corruption was greatly escalated when a portion of the Israelites rejected the Messiah, Yashua (Joshua, i.e. Jesus), after which their leaders eventually made their way to Babylon, where the corrupt and reprobate, oral occult tradition of the elders was committed to writing and compiled as the Mishnah, comprising the first portion of the Talmud…

It is the pagan Talmud — consisting of abominable wickedness, prodigious filthiness and superlative vileness forged in the melting pot of rabbinic Babylon — which is the hermeneutic system of Orthodox Judaism. According to Robert Goldenberg, Professor of Judaic Studies at the State University of New York: “The Talmud was Torah. In a paradox that determined the history of Judaism, the Talmud was Oral Torah in written form, and as such it became the clearest statement the Jew could hear of God’s very word. (KL 1842-1871).

>Mishneh Torah [the Pharisaic additions to Scripture] and Shulchan Aruch [A compilation of the old Pharisaic laws and laws that were invented in later centuries] are binding on all Orthodox Judaics. (KL 2093-2094).

Judaism is not just Talmud, it is Talmud and Kabbalah [a collection of occult writings], as well as a mountain of successive texts. (KL 2102).

In Judaism, the Pentateuch is considered the least of the Hebrew writings, and in some cases has been banned.

The three levels of study in Judaism–The Bible is the lowest form. The next best is the Mishnah [the oral traditions of the Pharisees]. The highest is the Talmud (the Gemara). (KL 1737-1738).

Moses Mendelssohn published his German translation of the Bible. Rabbi Hirsch Jacob Janow imposed, in 1779, a ban on it: “The Chief Rabbi of this city has pronounced a ban on every Jew who will read the translation of the Pentateuch whose author is M. Mendelssohn of Berlin…” (KL 2125-2127).

The Mishnah, Talmud and Kabbaleh are considered the interpreters of the Pentateuch, and therefore are given greater authority even when the Pentateuch is given lipservice. Truly Jesus said that if the Jewish leaders had listened to Moses, they would have become Jesus’ followers. Instead, by their rebellion to and suppression of the Word of God, they made themselves children of the devil who would die in their sins.

The Torah-observant Leaders despise those Jews who reject the authority of the Talmud, and some have even praised Hitler for destroying some of these!

The rabbis want to murder and destroy the am ha’aretz, the Judaics who reject the Oral law/ Traditions of the Elders. We see this in their praise for their agent, Hitler, who they hail as an “avenging angel” who executed the Judaic “sinners” who had rejected the authority of the Talmud (the majority of the Judaics of Germany were “sinners” along these lines).

Another rabbi who has praised Hitler for cleansing the earth of Talmud doubting Judaics is the distinguished Israeli, Ovadia Yosef: “An eminent rabbi who heads Israel’s third biggest political party sparked an uproar in Israel for saying that 6 million Jews perished in the Holocaust because they were reincarnations of sinners.” (KL 629-653).

Modern Judaism has no relation to Old Testament faith or Christianity, except that it stands in opposition to both.

Judaism is not the religion of the Old Testament or of the God of Israel, but rather that Judaism’s gods consist of the Talmud, the Kabbalah and racial self-worship. We further assert that Christianity is the only religion that represents the Old Testament creed of Yahweh, being the continuation and prophetic fulfillment of the Old Testament in the Gospel of the Messiah of Israel. (KL 1832-1834).

The early Church recognized Christianity as having been founded by Israelites and representing the only true religion of the Bible. It is Christians who are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” (I Peter 2:9). Judaism was not viewed as the repository of the spiritual truths or knowledge of the Old Testament, but as a post-Biblical, Babylonian cult totally at variance with Biblical Christianity. True Israelites could only be Christians, not followers of Judaism. The followers of Judaism are antiBiblical; they had to violate the Old Testament in order to reject Jesus, for the “Scriptures testify of me.” (KL 1922-1926).

A Judeo-Christian Amalgamation is Impossible

We hear the term “Judeo-Christian heritage” all the time, but such a thing is not possible and must be rejected. Judaism is opposed to both Old Testament faith and Christianity (which are one and the same faith, the latter being the fulfillment of the first). As all other false religions, it can appear as a lamb, while speaking as a dragon (with lies) in order to deceive. Satan’s purpose is to get Christians walking in the counsel of the ungodly and standing in the path of sinners, that he might ensnare them and destroy their gospel witness. Has God really said we mustn’t have fellowship with the works of darkness, or yoke with unbelievers? (Eph. 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 2 Jn. 10-11) Yes, He has, and He means what He says.

Michael Hoffman offers us the reason why apostate Christian leaders call upon us to blend Christianity with the leaven of modern Judaism–

That Christ and His Gospel are betrayed by those who declare an alleged “JudeoChristian” tradition, is of no discernible concern to the ministers, popes and pundits thus engaged. They are Jewish Pharisees in all but name, engaged in the standard modern apologetic misinterpretation of Judaism [claiming it is benign or Biblical], out of “fear of the Jews” and a need to ingratiate themselves with the “god of this world.”(KL 1933-1936).

Summary:

Judaism is not the faith of the Old Testament, nor does it hold the first five books of the Bible as authoritative, except and unless they are interpreted through the lens of Pharisaic traditions/changes/deletions/nullifications, etc.

The Oral traditions of the Pharisees–which were additions to God’s Word, and therefore cursed–were written down as the Mishna, which became the first part of the Talmud. To the Talmud, followers of Judaism have added volume upon volume of writings, including the deeply occultic Kabbalah. These evil books, written in defiance against Yahweh and His Messiah Jesus, have come to be known as Torah to Judaics.  Most Gentiles equate the Torah with the Pentateuch, but this is not what is meant by Torah in Judaism.

First Century Christians, many of whom were Jews according to the flesh, taught that Christianity was a continuation and fulfillment of the Old Testament pure faith of Abraham. Those who rejected Jesus–in favor of the false religion of Judaism–were cut off from that one-and-only true faith and its promises.

Answering the Charge of “Replacement Theology”

Introduction

In this post, I will endeavor to answer the false charge of “replacement theology.” Those who charge thus do not understand the following truths in Scripture:

1.  God made a distinction between faithful and unfaithful Israel. Only the remnant (faithful Israel) would be saved.
2.  Faithful Israel has always included Gentiles
3.  The Old Covenant (with Israel) has been replaced with the New Covenant (with Israel).
4.  Faithful Israel was not replaced, but carried into the New Covenant, where it remains to this day:
   a. The Olive Tree into which both Jews and Gentiles can be grafted by faith
   b. The foundation of the New Covenant Temple, which is the Lord’s Body
5.  Unfaithful Israel has been “cut off” from faithful Israel, just as the Lord promised in the Old Testament. The kingdom was given to faithful Israel, which includes all Gentiles who join themselves to the God of Israel.

We will look at each of these points in more detail.

God Made a Distinction Between Faithful and Unfaithful Israel

God’s distinctions between faithful and unfaithful Israel can be seen in the following verses. Please do look them up!

Faithful Israel is beloved of God–Ex. 15:13; Deut. 33:3; Ezra 3:11
Unfaithful Israel is not beloved of God–Lev. 3:16; Jer. 12:8; Jer. 16:5; Hos. 9:15

Faithful Israel is the children of God–Exo. 4:22; Deut. 14:1; Isa. 1:2,4; Isa. 63:8; Hos. 11:1
Unfaithful Israel is not the children of God–Deut. 32:5; John 8:39-44

Faithful Israel is the kingdom of God–Exo. 19:6; 1 Chr. 17:14; 1 Chr. 28:5
Unfaithful Israel is not the kingdom of God–Matt. 8:11-12; Matt. 21:43

Faithful Israel is the people of God–Exo. 6:7; Deut. 27:9; 2 Sam. 7:23; Jer. 11:4
Unfaithful Israel is not the people of God–Hos. 1:9;  Jer. 5:10

Faithful Israel was the priests of God–Exo. 19:6
Unfaithful Israel was not the priests of God–1 Sam. 2:28-30; Lam. 4:13-16; Eze. 44:10-13; Hos. 4:6; Mal. 2:2-9

Faithful Israel was the vineyard/vine of God–Isa. 5:3-7; Jer. 12:10
Unfaithful Israel was not the vine of God (it was a degenerate, alien vine)–Jer. 2:21

Faithful Israel was an Olive Tree–Psa. 52:8; Jer. 11:16; Hos. 14:6
Unfaithful Israel was not the Olive Tree (but branches to be consumed)–Jer. 11:16

Faithful Israel was the Bride of God–Isa. 54:5-6; Jer. 2:2; Eze. 16:32; Hos. 1:2
Unfaithful Israel was not the Bride of God–Jer. 3:8; Hos. 2:2

Faithful Israel was counted as the children of Abraham–2 Chr. 20:7; Psa. 105:6; Isa. 41:8
Unfaithful Israel was not counted as the children of Abraham–John 8:39; Rom. 9:6-7; Gal. 4:25-30

Faithful Israel was chosen–Deut. 7:7, 10:15, 14:2; Isa. 43:20,21
Unfaithful Israel was not chosen–Deut. 31:17; 2 Ki. 17:20; 2 Chr. 25:7; Psa. 78:59; Jer. 6:30; Jer. 7:29, 14:10

Faithful Israel was circumcised in heart–Gen. 17:10; Deut. 30:6
Unfaithful Israel was not circumcised in heart–Jer. 4:4, 9:25-26; Rom. 2:25-29

As you can see, God has always made a distinction between faithful and unfaithful Israel. Another term designating “faithful Israel” is “the remnant.” Isaiah wrote:

For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. (Isa. 10:22)

Paul, in quoting Isaiah, equated Israel’s “returning” with “being saved.”

Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. (Rom. 9:27)

Faithful Israel has always included Gentiles

Israel was never a “pure race,” as some teach, but a people who were called to worship God from a pure heart. Please read Gentiles Included in Old Testament Israel  in order to understand this.

The Old Covenant (with Israel) has been replaced by the New Covenant (with Israel).

Yes, in this case, there has been a replacement!

Dispensationalism attempts to have the old and new Covenants operating at the same time. This is false doctrine at its finest, for the writer of Hebrews states that the old Covenant has been rendered obsolete (Heb. 8:13). Now that the Lamb of God has been slain, He is forever the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:11-15). As a sign that the New Covenant was now in operation, the temple veil ripped from top to bottom at His death, opening the new and living way….through the veil, that is His flesh (Matt. 27:51; Heb. 10:19-20). There is no other way to the Father but through Jesus Christ.

Many people do not realize the New Covenant was made with Israel and Judah! (Jer. 3:31-34) That is, it was made with the faithful of Israel and Judah, for the unfaithful were blinded and stumbled because of their disobedience (I Pet. 2:6-8). Therefore any Gentile who enters the New Covenant, is now a citizen of the Commonwealth of [faithful] Israel (Eph. 2:12-18).

When Jacob blessed his sons just before dying, he prophesied that the scepter would not depart from Judah UNTIL Shiloh (Jesus) came. At that point, the gathering of the people (God’s faithful Israel) would be to Jesus.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Gen. 49:10)

Jesus is King of kings. He has claimed David’s throne, and rules faithful Israel from Mount Zion forever (Isa. 9:6-7). The obedience of God’s people is to Him (not to Judah). Those who have not gathered to Him are not in covenant with God.

Faithful Israel was NOT replaced, but carried into the New Covenant, where it remains to this day.

a. Faithful Israel remains the Olive Tree into which both Jews and Gentiles can be grafted by faith

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? (Rom. 11:16-24)

The root of the olive tree is holy because the root is faithful/obedient Israel! Unfaithful Israel was cut off, just as God promised. God does not graft us (believing Gentiles) into an unholy people, for we can have no fellowship with darkness. If the unholy repent of their unbelief, they can be grafted in.

I beg you to see that no “replacement” is being taught here. Faithful Israel has never been replaced. The throne of David is occupied by an eternal King. The faithful Israel of God has increased by the influx of people from all nations, just as God had always planned.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote about how Gentiles could be established “in the midst” of Israel–

And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. (Jer. 12:16)

And so they have!

b. Faithful Israel remains the foundation of the New Covenant Temple, which is the Lord’s Body.

Upon faithful Israel, the new temple was raised, which is the Lord’s Body (the continuation of His Church).

Isaiah testified that foreigners would be gathered to Israel, and must not consider themselves “separate” from God’s people:

Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”…Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.” (Isa. 56:3-8)

A foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord is not separate from God’s faithful people, nor has he replaced them. Listen to Paul:

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Eph. 2:11-22)

Faithful Israel, far from being replaced,  is the very foundation of the New Covenant temple (the Church), holding up the entire building. The Church has not replaced faithful Israel, but has been made a partaker in her promises.

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (Gal. 3:16)
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:29)

Unfaithful Israel has been cut off from faithful Israel, just as God promised.

Unfaithful Israel will not inherit the promises. Ishmael became a symbol of this spiritual truth, according to Paul in Galatians 4. He wrote that the unbelieving Jews/unfaithful Israel shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman (Gal. 4:28-31).

The charge of “replacement theology” largely comes from children of the flesh (Ishmael) persecuting the sons of promise (Isaac) out of jealousy. They despise the idea that Gentiles can be grafted into God’s Israel, while they themselves are cut off due to unbelief. They see things through carnal eyes, trusting in race or nationality, just as many Jews did in Jesus’ day. Nevertheless, God’s Word is true–they are cut off from Israel until they repent and believe. The kingdom has been taken from them and given to a nation bearing the fruits of righteousness (Matt. 21:43). Unfaithful Israel will not be heir with faithful Israel.

How tragic that so many western Christians take up and repeat the delusions of those who have been cut off, twisting the Word of God. They “stand with” the spiritual Ishmael (unfaithful Israel) instead of Isaac (faithful Israel). May God open their eyes.

The doctrine that Unfaithful Israel is in any way accepted by God is antichrist. Jesus struck down this lie in John 8:37-47; Matt. 8:10-12; Matt. 21:33-45. John the Baptist struck it down in Matthew 3:7-12. The apostle John struck it down in 1 John 2:22. Peter struck it down in 1 Pet. 2:4-9. Paul struck it down in too many places to list. Only through repentance and faith in Jesus can a member of unfaithful Israel be translated into faithful Israel (the kingdom of God).

Let us agree with the Word of God, even if others refuse. (See Cut Off for more information.)

Conclusion

I think this quote by Sam Storms perfectly concludes this paper:

Jesus saw the realization of Israel’s true destiny in the circle of his disciples. They are not to be thought of, however, as a “new” Israel, but as the “true” Israel, the “true people of God.” With Jesus’ offer of the kingdom came the fact that acceptance means the realization and fulfillment of the promise. This offer was accepted by the disciples and thus was realized and fulfilled in them. They constituted neither a new Israel nor a separate body of believers: rather, they were the believing remnant within the unbelieving nation.

This “Church” (Matt. 16:18-19), therefore, is not a wholly distinct and completely new creation or purpose of God, separated from his people of the Old Testament, Israel, and in some sense “replacing” them. Rather, the Church of the present age is simply the continuation and maturation of the believing remnant of Israel, namely, the disciples and all others who received Jesus as Messiah. Thus, the fellowship or Church established by Jesus stands not in opposition to but in direct continuity with the Old Testament Israel. This body is “true” Old Testament Israel: the remnant! (Kingdom Come, Sam Storms, p. 343)

Gentiles Included in Old Testament Israel

Introduction

This paper will show biblically that Old Testament Israel was a body of believers in the true God, a called out “congregation,” who were not all of one race. To remain in the Body of Israel required obedience to the covenant, and any “stranger” (Gentile) who did so, was considered as “native born” and granted full privileges, including marrying into Israelite families and receiving an inheritance.

 

The Promise to Abraham–All the Families of the Earth Shall Be Blessed

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3)

Specific Gentiles in the Old Testament shown to be true worshipers of God and/or included in Israel:

Melchizedek was called “Priest of God Most High,” although he was the king of Salem, a Canaanite. (Gen. 14:18)

Abimelech, the king of Gerar, called God “Lord” and pleaded for his “righteous nation,” vouching for his own integrity in having taken Sarah, not knowing she was already married. God confirmed the man’s integrity and kept him from sinning. God gave further instructions to Abimelech, which he carried out obediently. (Gen. 20)

When Moses led the people out of Egypt, a mixed multitude went with them also (Exo. 12:38). Who was this mixed multitude?–Egyptians, and perhaps other nationalities who had been dwelling in Egypt, who now feared the Lord and joined themselves to Israel! As God-fearing people, they were included from that point on. They married into the family of Israel and their descendants were eventually given a portion of the Promised Land with everyone else.

Moses married Zipporah, the daughter of the priest of Midian, Jethro. Zipporah and her father were both Gentiles. Zipporah was resistant to the ordinance of circumcision at first, and for this reason, God almost killed Moses! But she did obey God, and He let Moses go (Exo. 4:24-26). Later her father Jethro confessed that Yahweh was greater than all other gods, and offered sacrifices to Him. He ate with the leaders of Israel “before God” in full fellowship with God’s people. (Exo. 18:7-12)

The Canaanite Rahab confessed the God of Israel was the Lord and gave aid to the spies (Josh. 2). She married into the family of Israel and was in the direct line of Jesus Himself (Matt. 1:5). (With such Gentile inclusion, the idea of a “pure race” of Israel after the flesh must be ruled out.)

Ruth the Moabite married an Israelite, and after his death, she joined herself to Israel and the Lord by declaring, “Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” (Ruth 1:16) She then married another Israelite Boaz, and became the grandmother of Israel’s renowned king David, from whose line Jesus came. Were David and Jesus “pure” in race?

There were whole Gentile nations who were submitted to David while his own son Absalom was in full rebellion against him, including the Cherethites, Pelethites, and Gittites (2 Sam. 15:18). The Cherethites were Cretans who lived among the Philistines, and the Pelethites were most likely related to the Philistines. The Gittites–“men of Gath”–were Philistines. These are a picture of the Gentiles who in the future would submit to King Jesus (who now sits on David’s throne), while some of His own family would remain in rebellion.

Of David’s close band of mighty men, some were Gentiles. Ittai the Gittite was David’s commander of the Gittites, and called a “foreigner,” yet he determined to be with his king wherever he would go (Read 2 Sam. 15:19-21. Recall Rev. 14:4–“These…follow the Lamb wherever He goes.“) Uriah (the husband of Bathsheba) was a Hittite faithful to David, as was Ahimelech (I Sam. 26:6). Ithmah was a Moabite, and Zelek was an Ammonite (I Chron. 11:46, 49).

After Esther was used to save her people from the evil plot of Haman, Scripture records that “many of the people of the land became Jews.” (Esther 8:17)  Became Jews?!  But we are told Jewishness is a racial thing?  Not according to Scripture, and Paul later confirmed that anyone with a circumcised heart to the Lord is a Jew in God’s eyes (Rom. 2:28-29).

Peoples God Was Dealing with in the Old Testament:

When God prepared to take Israel out of Egypt, He told Pharoah that His purposes were these:

1. That Egypt might know there is no one like Him in all the earth (Exo. 9:14)
2. That God’s name might be declared in ALL the earth (Exo. 9:16)

God’s heart was to save not only Egypt, but all the earth! I could end this section here, since “all the earth” includes every nation. The prophets gave warnings to surrounding nations of Israel, not just Israel. God wanted to save them all!  This perfectly coincides with the promise given to Abraham in order that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” As stated previously, a mixed multitude followed Israel out of Egypt. Gentiles have been “going up to Zion” to worship the true God since the beginning (Isa. 2:3).

The book of Jonah tells the story of God’s love for Nineveh, a Gentile nation. Israel was “chosen” for the good of all the world, just as any Christian today is “chosen” for the good of the world, not for the good of himself only. Therefore God sent the Israelite prophet to warn a Gentile city to repent. Thus Jonah is sometimes called “the first apostle to the Gentiles.” The city was spared from judgment for a time because its king and people repented. I think it safe to assume, or at least hope, that some people in Nineveh remained true to the Lord after that, although the city was destroyed in a future generation for returning to its wickedness.

The book of Daniel records the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who, after being thoroughly humbled by God, magnified the Lord and His eternal Kingdom in Daniel 4:34-37. God was still trying to reach the Babylonians in Daniel 5, when He wrote a warning on the wall and slew Belshazzar for not turning to God although he knew better because of God’s previous dealings with Nebuchadnezzar.

Isaiah prophesied of a time when a portion of Egypt would “speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts,” and have an altar to the Lord in its midst. Assyria also would join with Egyptians in worshiping the Lord, and the Lord would say, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isa. 19:16-26)

There are many more portions of Scripture in the Old Testament that declare God’s heart for all people, and intent to gather people from all nations into His congregation (Israel), but these will suffice.

Laws and directives for “strangers” (Gentiles) who were part of Old Testament Israel:

Directly after the Exodus from Egypt, God gave laws to Israel concerning the Passover feast. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and HE SHALL BE AS A NATIVE OF THE LAND. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. (Exodus 12:48) Notice that the stranger was to be counted as a native of the land, so long as he participated in the true worship of God. (See also Num. 9:14)

And if a stranger dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so shall he do. One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you,an ordinance forever throughout your generations; AS YOU ARE, SO SHALL THE STRANGER BE before the Lord. (Num. 15:14-15) Do you see that?–No difference between the stranger and the native born. (Paul later asked, “Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” Rom. 3:29)

And whatever man of the house of Israel, OR OF THE STRANGERS WHO DWELL AMONG YOU, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. (Lev. 17:10) If a stranger dwelling among the Israelites ate blood, he would be cut off from “his people”–Israel. The stranger (Gentile) was considered an Israelite with full rights and responsibilities unless he broke covenant with God.

In giving rules for the Feast of Weeks, the Lord commanded, “You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the STRANGER and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide.” (Deut. 16:11)

And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when ALL ISRAEL comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, AND THE STRANGER WHO IS WITHIN YOUR GATES, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess. (Deut. 31:10-13)   Notice that the stranger living within Israel’s gates is considered part of the ALL ISRAEL, and was to continue obeying the Law when he later possessed the land.

The next passage makes it clear that Gentiles were given land among the tribes of Israel, and were considered as “native-born.”–Thus you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.  It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, AND FOR THE STRANGERS WHO DWELL AMONG YOU AND BEAR CHILDREN AMONG YOU. THEY SHALL BE TO YOU AS NATIVE-BORN AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL; THEY SHALL HAVE AN INHERITANCE WITH YOU AMONG THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL. And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God. (Ezek. 47:21-23)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote about how Gentiles could be established “in the midst” of God’s people Israel–And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. (Jer. 12:16)

Isaiah was equally clear–
Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; nor let the eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord, “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house, and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.” (Isa. 56:3-8)

Let’s unpack this powerful passage:

1. Any foreigner could join himself to the Lord, and was not to say he was separate from God’s people. So long as the foreigner served God and obeyed the covenant, he would be brought to God’s holy mountain (Heb. 12:22).

2. The man that loved God, but could not conceive children (eunuch), would be given an everlasting name that would never be cut off. This is significant because it shows that possession of the Promise was not based on producing heirs who could then claim land.

3. The house of prayer was for “all nations,” and God explicitly says He will gather people from other nations “to him”–to Israel. Israel would not be a “pure race,” but a people who served God from a pure heart.

 

Remain in Israel, or Be Cut Off

Any person living in Israel, whether native born or a stranger, could be cut off for disobedience. To be cut off was to be no longer an Israelite. This concept is all through the Old Testament and completely obliterates any notion that being in a certain bloodline was a guarantee of benefits (just look up “cut off” in any Bible search tool, and study how may ways an Israelite could be cut off). I have written previously about this here. Israel was always a congregation of people that worshiped the true God. To depart from true worship resulted in being cut off from Israel, from God’s perspective.

 

Conclusion

There were always “strangers” sojourning with Israel, and they were accepted as native born provided they worshiped the true God with obedient faith. Israel was not a “pure race” of people according to the flesh, even in the Old Testament. Some of the included Gentiles were purposely mentioned in the genealogies of King David and King Jesus, demonstrating God’s masterful sidestepping of man’s desire to mix racial supremacy with religion. God did choose one faithful man (Abraham) through whom to bless the world with the fulfillment of all promises–Jesus Christ. That family, which Gentiles could and did join, was the Old Testament family of God.

With the ratifying of the New Testament in Jesus’ blood, and the cancelling of the Old, that Old Testament family of God remained the foundation for the New Testament temple which is still being built. In Jesus, all the promises are yes and amen. All who are obedient to the terms of the New Covenant are grafted into the Israel of God. All people–whether Jew or Gentile–who disobey the terms of the New Covenant, are cut off from the Israel of God until such a time as they stop continuing in unbelief (Rom. 11:23).

God bless you as you seek the Truth!

Please see also:

The True Vine–Israel was a vine, Jesus claimed to be the true Vine (Israel that is true to God)

Out of Egypt I Called My Son–Jesus is the absolute fulfillment of Israel

Born in Zion–How can one be born in Zion?

Jesus, Door to the Promises— The promises are fulfilled in Christ

Named Israel, Named Sodom and Gomorrah–the significance of the name, and how God names us according to our works.

Who the Jews Are–How does God define a true Jew?

The Works of Abraham–Who are the children of Abraham, according to God?

The Unfolding Revelation of Salvation–There has only ever been 1 people of God

Put Up Thy Sword

The following is Chapter 18 from Samuel Logan Brengle’s book, When the Holy Ghost is Come.

The Sheathed Sword: A Law of the Spirit
by Samuel Logan Brengle

‘ Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.’

Just as the moss and the oak are higher in the order of creation than the clod of clay and the rock, the bird and beast than the moss and the oak, the man than the bird and the beast, so the spiritual man is a higher being than the natural man. The sons of God are a new order of being. The Christian is a ‘ new creation ‘. just as there are laws governing the life of the plant, and other and higher laws that of the bird and beast, so there art higher laws for man, and still higher for the Christian. It was with regard to one of these higher laws that govern the heavenly life of the Christian that Jesus said to Peter,’ Put up thy sword.’

Jesus said to Pilate, ‘ My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight’ (John xviii. 36). The natural man is a fighter. It is the law of his carnal nature. He fights with fist and sword, tongue and wit. His kingdom is of this world and he fights for it with such weapons as this world furnishes. The Christian is a citizen of Heaven and is subject to its law, which is universal, wholehearted love. In his Kingdom he conquers not by fighting, but by submitting. When an enemy takes his coat, he overcomes him, not by going to law, but by generously giving him his cloak also. When his enemy compels him to go a mile with him, he vanquishes the enemy by cheerfully going two miles with him. When he is smitten on one check, he wins his foe by meekly turning the other cheek. This is the law of the new life from Heaven, and only by recognizing and obeying it can that new life be sustained and passed on to others. This is the narrow way which leads to life eternal, ‘ and few there be that find it’ or, finding it, are willing to walk in it.

A Russian peasant, Sutajeff. could get no help from the religious teachers of his village, so he learned to read; and while studying the Bible he found this narrow way and walked gladly in it. One night neighbours stole some of his grain, but in their haste or carelessness they left a bag. He found it, and ran after them to restore it ‘for ‘, said he, ‘fellows who have to steal must be hard up.’ And by this Christlike spirit he saved both himself and them, for he kept the spirit of love in his own heart and they were converted and became his most ardent disciples.

A beggar woman to whom he gave lodging stole the bedding and ran away with it. She was pursued by the neighbours, and was just about to be put in prison when Sutajeff appeared, became her advocate, secured her acquittal, and gave her food and money for her journey.

He recognized the law of his new life and gladly obeyed it, and so was not overcome of evil, but persistently and triumphantly overcame evil with good (Rom. xii. 2 1). This is the spirit and method of Jesus; and by men filled with this spirit and following this method He will yet win the world.

He came ‘ not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many’ (Mark x. 45) His spirit is not one of selfseeking, but of self-sacrifice. Some mysterious majesty of His presence or voice so awed and overcame His foes that they went back and fell to the ground before Him in the Garden of His agony, but He meekly submitted Himself to them; and when Peter laid to with his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus said to him, ‘ Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? ‘ (John xviii. 11). This was the spirit of Isaac. When he digged a well the Philistines strove with his servants for it; so he digged another; and when they strove for that, he removed and digged yet another, ‘ and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth (room); and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. . . . And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed’ (Gen. xxvi.22, 24).

This was the spirit of David when Saul was hunting for his life; twice David could have slain him, and when urged to do so, he said, ‘As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed’ (I Sam. xxvi. I 0 I I).

This was the spirit of Paul. He says, ‘Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat’ (I Cor. iv. 12, 13). ‘The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men ‘ (2 Tim. ii. 24). This is the spirit of our King, this is the law of His kingdom.

Is this your spirit? When you are reviled, bemeaned and slandered, and are tempted to retort, He says to you, ‘ Put up thy sword into the sheath.’ When you are wronged and ill-treated, and men ride rough-shod over you, and you feel it but just to smite back, He says, ‘ Put up thy sword into the sheath.’ ‘ Live peaceably with all men’ (Rom. xii. 18). Your weapons are not carnal, but spiritual, now that you belong to Him and have your citizenship in Heaven. If you fight with the sword; if you retort and smite back when you are wronged, you quench the Spirit; you get out of the narrow way, and your new life from Heaven will perish.

An officer went to a hard corps, and after a while found that his predecessor was sending back to friends for money which his own corps much needed. He felt it to be an injustice and, losing sight of the spirit of Jesus, he made a complaint about it, and the money was returned. But he got lean in his soul. He had quenched the Spirit. He had broken the law of the Kingdom. He had not only refused to give his cloak, but had fought for and secured the return of the coat. He had lost the smile of Jesus, and his poor heart was sad and heavy within him. He came to me with anxious inquiry as to what I thought of his action. I had to admit that the other man had transgressed and that the money ought to be returned, but that he should have been more grieved over the unchristlike spirit of his brother than over the loss of the five dollars, and that like Sutajeff he should have said, ‘ Poor fellow! He must be hard up; I will send him five dollars myself. He has taken my coat, he shall have my cloak too.’ When I told him that story, he came to himself very quickly and was soon back in the narrow way and rejoicing in the smile of Jesus once again.

‘But will not people walk over us, if we do not stand up for our rights?’ you ask. I do not argue that you are not to stand up for your rights; but that you are to stand up for your higher rather than your lower rights, the rights of your heavenly life rather than your earthly life, and that you are to stand up for your rights in the way and spirit of Jesus rather than in the way and spirit of the world.

If men wrong you intentionally, they wrong themselves far worse than they wrong you; and if you have the spirit of Jesus in your heart you will pity them more than you pity yourself. They nailed Jesus to the Cross and hung Him up to die; they gave Him gall and vinegar to drink; they cast votes for His seamless robe, and divided His garments between them, while the crowd wagged their heads at Him and mocked Him. Great was the injustice and wrong they were inflicting upon Him, but He was not filled with anger, only pity. He thought not of the wrong done Him, but of the wrong they did themselves, and their sin against His heavenly Father, and He prayed not for judgment upon them, but that they might be forgiven, and He won them, and is winning and will win the world. Bless God!

‘By mercy and truth iniquity is purged,’ wrote Solomon (Prov. xvi. 6). ‘ Put up thy sword into the sheath ‘, and take mercy and truth for your weapons, and God will be with you and for you, and great shall be your victory and joy. Hallelujah!

‘HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED? ‘

Freedom, Slavery, and Peace

America, Land of the Free

It is well known all over the world that American culture exalts personal freedom. There is value in personal freedom if that freedom is used to do good. We are never to use liberty to indulge the flesh, but rather to serve one another (Gal. 5:13). If we are free in the flesh, our freedom is never to be a cloak for wickedness; we are to be servants of God (I Pet. 2:16). A people ruled by God are expected to use–and not abuse–freedom properly.

Unfortunately in America, “freedom” has indeed become a means to indulge the flesh, and a cloak for wickedness. Certainly I do not indict every person in America, but the nation in general. God causes every individual to reap what he has sown, and God also repays nations according to what they’ve sown collectively–the Old Testament prophets were very clear on this.

Contrary to what many whitewashed history books claim, a trail of wickedness can be followed back to the beginning of this nation.  All is open and naked before the eyes of God, even if patriots wearing rose-colored glasses refuse to see. Rebellion against the king, genocide and oppression of native Americans, and oppression/exploitation of Africans all laid the faulty foundation for a nation which would grow proud of its freedoms and wealth. While the sins of its youth were swept under the proverbial carpet for generations to come, America has never recovered, but has only gotten sicker and sicker as its rotten harvest materialized. Like all other earthly nations–and especially empires, it will be cast down from its lofty position in the delusional notions of man. The works of carnal man are all destined for the fire.

Carnal vs. Spiritual

The Bible teaches us to look beyond the carnal and the natural world, to see the Truth. Its truths, penned by the Holy Spirit of God, cannot be received by carnal man, but only by the spiritual man. It is only the spiritual man who can “judge all things” correctly (I Cor. 2:14-15). God has revealed in Scripture that many of man’s definitions and traditions are not rooted in truth, and this is why we must have our minds renewed (Rom. 12:2), so that we do not judge as the world does. For example, God redefined “family,” teaching that those who do God’s will are His family, not the people biologically related to Jesus (Matt. 12:50). He redefined the word “Jew,” teaching that a person whose heart is circumcised by the Spirit is counted as a Jew (Rom. 2:28-29). And He redefined the traditional perception for “Abraham’s seed,” showing that Jesus and His converted disciples are the true seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16,29).

In the same manner, His definitions for words like “freedom,” “slavery” and “peace” are quite different than the world’s definitions. It is very important that we also define these words Scripturally as we judge the things of this life.

Sin Brings Slavery

Scripture says everyone who sins is a slave to sin (John 8:34; Rom. 6:16). Regardless of what history books and patriotic songs say, and despite our feelings, here is the truth: This nation has become a nation of slaves who desire “freedom” to continue in sin. Even the churches are turning the grace of Jesus Christ into lasciviousness–or a “license to sin.” And so the “free” are enslaved by their sins, but they do not know it. And God has allowed their chosen slavery to bring forth a harvest of misery. Even the rights they once had as citizens are slipping away. They didn’t want a righteous King–Jesus–to rule over them. They wanted no king but Caesar, and God has given them what they desired–tyrannical kings who also reject righteousness for “freedom” to indulge their own lofty desires.

The movement by the “religious right” to “take America back” is blind. What is it people wish to return to? They want less oppression and control over them, less taxes, an easier life–and, generally, freedom to continue living as they please. They want freedom to escape the harvest that’s been sown over decades. There was little uproar while the seeds were being sown–seeds of materialism, hedonism, “free sex,” widespread nudity, baby-murder, etc. But now that the harvest is bringing death and oppression and taxes and laws we don’t agree with, they want change. Unfortunately most don’t seek the change of our hearts to submission to God, but only change in circumstances so that they can continue as before without consequences. Changing leaders and political parties cannot bring about true freedom to a people who’ve been enslaved by their own lust.

The unbelieving Jews of Jesus day were told that God was going to punish their nation because they would not gather to Jesus. Much like America, they loved their rebels (Barabbas) and they plotted to overthrow their oppressors. They played political games and they raised up new Messiahs for the people to believe in (as explained in the works of Josephus). But judgment was not averted by any of these. And our judgment will not be averted either, unless there is wide-scale repentance (which seems unlikely at this time.)

True Freedom

It is true that we are more oppressed here than ever before, and the laws are getting increasingly evil. Justice is being perverted in many ways.  God sees all, and those responsible for furthering wickedness will be judged.

But sinners are slaves, and they must remain slaves until they repent. It is an unalterable truth.

Spiritual truths have a way of showing up in the material world; God has ordained it so. Our sin which brings spiritual death also brings physical death. All creation labors and groans under a kind of slavery with man, waiting for redemption and the “glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:19-22).

This is not a liberty that is bought with violence and treaties and political promises. This is a true liberty that belongs to God’s children by virtue of their adoption in Christ. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36) “Free indeed” is not freedom as the world defines it. It is true freedom, seen and experienced only by the spiritual man. Are you seeking and preaching this true “freedom,” or the carnal freedom that leaves men dying in their sins? Even if a righteous man was elected in this nation, he could not give freedom to its citizens. Freedom is found in the Son of God.

Renew Your Mind

The following precious verses can get the church on the right track if only she will believe God, rather than believing the lies of the world.

For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. (1 Cor. 7:22)

Did you get that? We are not defined by the world. If we have earthly freedom, we are yet slaves to Christ. If we don’t have earthly freedom, we are still free in Christ. Certainly if earthly freedom is possible, we should use it to benefit the kingdom; but not having earthly freedom is no detriment to the gospel. Therefore it shouldn’t be an object of our devotion. Listen to Paul:

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Tim. 2:8-10)

Are we enduring all things for the elect’s sake, knowing the Word of God is not chained? Paul saw with spiritual eyes that earthly freedom was not the issue. Yet I hear Christians today saying our freedom of religion is based on a man-made constitution, and we need to fight for this constitution. No, friends, our freedom to practice our Christianity was given by God’s command, and we are free to practice it until we die. We are to speak the Word of God openly and faithfully. And if we are locked up and denied our “freedom,” we don’t despair in the slightest because God’s Word is not chained. Everywhere it has been sown, a potential harvest can multiply, and all the devils in hell can’t prevail against it, chains or no chains.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

Many “Christian” Americans are focused on earthly freedom, just like the world. Here is why: Christ is not truly their life. Where our treasure is, there our heart is also. Where is your treasure? Is it above or below?

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matt. 10:28-31)

Americans have an insane fascination with guns and self-defense. I am not against guns; they can be used righteously. However the root of America’s fascination is FEAR and PRIDE–fear of death, and the pride of life. If you watch news headlines, you know that guns are not the security people wish them to be. Many accidental deaths occur, ironically, in families that bought guns to keep them safe. Totalitarian rule will also descend upon this people with the help of guns and other weapons. And there is no out-gunning such a government, as some foolishly think to do. True security is being in the Father’s will, and being ready at all times to pass from this life to the next.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (Heb. 11:13-16)

Are you a stranger and pilgrim on this earth, still seeking a homeland? Or is this wretched, spiritually lost wilderness called America your homeland? God will give you “an opportunity to return” to being tied to this earth (earthly minded and dead) if you want that. But if you desire the better country–the heavenly country–then God won’t be ashamed to be called your God.

Peace

The world loosely defines peace as being not at war, and living in relative ease. America is supposedly a peaceful nation, but the truth is that it’s been at war 222 of the 239 years of its existence. Many don’t realize that, because they’ve never had to dive into a bomb shelter.

America has been chosen by the earthly powers-that-be to take control of other countries for the coming New World Order. Please do not be deceived by the “God has blessed us” rhetoric. Many a rich, wicked man counted himself blessed by God right up until the day God slew him. And every nation taking up arms to fight reassures itself that God is on its side. Why do those who rightly condemn the lies of prosperity preachers refuse to condemn the lies of nations which use the same logic–“See how God has blessed us?” We may feel a sense of security because the bombs are all dropping elsewhere, out of sight and out of mind. But knowing God will punish the wicked, we should know this is a false security and a false peace. The so-called war on terror is actually a war OF terror; we are foolish if we think we are the only nation not inundated by propaganda cleverly designed to deceive us into state-worship.

Look even deeper into life in America, and it is impossible not to see that Americans have no peace. Suicide, drug abuse (legal and illegal), lust for entertainment, phone/television/video game addiction, alcohol abuse, gender confusion, sexual perversion, child murder and molestation, porn-addiction…really, where is the peace? People are driven from one vice to another in their endless quest for the elusive peace that never comes.

Nations are just groups of people. They fight for their peace, but lasting peace never comes, because there is always some new wrong that has to be righted with violence, and the violence begets more violence.

There is only one nation at peace, and that is the Body of Christ–that holy nation abiding in the Prince of Peace. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus from all nations, to help people transition from their perishing kingdoms to the everlasting kingdom. This is the best way to make peace.

Apostasy in the Church

The Church is supposed to be a light on a hill, but in many cases the light within churches is dark (Matt. 6:23). This apostate church is still defining words by the world’s dictionary, saying “Peace, peace” when there is no peace. Like Laodicea, she looks at her poor blind self, and declares that she is rich and full of godly insight. She leads other blind men into a ditch. Her pastors are destroyers, working for satan.  They are teaching greed, immorality, and the world’s way of obtaining peace and liberty. They stand the flag beside the pulpit, unwilling to die to the world, and unashamed of their idolatry. They assure others that they can, in fact, serve two masters after all.  They bless and pray for their military members, even as those members disobey the commands of Christ. They regurgitate the tired lie that “these men and women are fighting for our freedom,” and conveniently forget to mention that they are committing suicide in record numbers because they have no peace.

The faithful Church leads people to the peace that only Jesus gives–a peace not at all like the world gives.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Did you notice Jesus paired the absolute certainty of tribulation with the absolute certainty of peace in Him? Are you letting God define your peace, or are you seeking the peace the world gives? There is no peace for the wicked, but there is unlimited peace for the righteous despite their tribulations.

Conclusion

We need our minds renewed by the Word of God, so that we seek after the true freedom and peace that are in Christ, rather than the illusory freedom and peace (slavery) offered by the world. Politicians and party lines cannot not help us.

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psa. 118:8)

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. (Psa. 146:3)

In fact, trusting in man is a departure from the Lord (apostasy)! Please note the contrast in these verses:

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. (Jer. 17:5-8)

We are most certainly in “a year of drought” spiritually speaking, yet we need not fear if we are trusting the Lord. He has appointed us to go and bear fruit, and has enabled us to do so under the worst earthly conditions–even loss of material things, imprisonment or threat of death. If we really trust in Him, He will see that we are well-watered and filled with peace, free indeed, and raised up with Christ over the limitations of the flesh.

God bless you!

Note: This post is written to American Christians, because I have a burden for this specific people, but it can be applied in other nations as well.

Why Would Jesus Help a Muslim?

“Why would Jesus help a Muslim?”  This is the question this devoted Muslim asked after Jesus made a point of helping him. This, he says, was not his conversion, but was the start of his “confusion.”  I pray that we too will walk in the heart of Christ toward all people, causing them a holy confusion about what they once confidently believed.

This is one of the most beautiful conversion stories I’ve ever seen. Please take the time to watch both videos below.

Also, please read this encouraging article, which shows how even the evil of ISIS is being used by God for good.   One Christian leader is quoted as saying his organization “can barely keep up with the desire of refugees to learn about Christ and the Bible.” Jesus was telling the Truth when He told his disciples to look on the fields, which were white already to harvest (Jn. 4:35). He also said this–

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  (Matt. 9:37-38)

Are we trying to learn how to be laborers in His harvest? Or are we seeking to save our own lives in this world?

Love Your Enemies?

Jesus was accused of being too liberal and John the Baptist was accused of being too conservative, but “wisdom is known by her children.” The Way of Truth is not defined by either of those camps. People who prefer an unholy mixture of religion/secular power over authentic Christianity will try to label you, just as they labelled both Jesus and John. I’m learning to shrug off the meaningless talk, and keep my attention to the commands He is giving me. Souls, including my own, depend upon it.

There is a way of holiness for God’s people to walk on in these troubled times. Even THESE troubled times, with terrorist attacks and refugees coming to live among us?–Yes, especially in these times! These are opportunities to walk by faith and serve the Lord Jesus by ministering to both physical and spiritual needs. But what if they are a trojan horse, and what if some evil person hurts us? This is different. We need to get in the flesh and use common sense, right? This is not “different,” brothers and sisters; this is the real thing. Remember that Jesus’ original target audience was under military occupation by a foreign country. And remember that some of the apostate Jews were all too eager to use their influence to harness Roman military power and use it against the followers of the Way (Christians). Remember that those who believed His words went on to die for them in countries all over the world. When Jesus taught us to love both neighbor AND enemy, this is what He was talking about. He never intended for us to apply His words only in inconsequential situations, and then revert back to the ways of the world when real danger arrives.

We could park in the following ten verses, meditate on them, and plead with the Father to increase our faith, so that we can be blameless in difficult times. Or we can try to narrowly apply them only to situations that won’t cost us anything, and at the first hint of danger, run off and join the “common sense” crowd that despises and rejects this Word. We must make a choice between faith/obedience and fear/disobedience.

27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:27-36)

Well, what does this passage really mean? I venture to claim it means exactly what it says. It’s not puzzling in the least unless your heart has already decided to get around it.

Those who walk and teach that holy way will be criticized, even and sometimes especially by the professing Christians who tend to dominate the public conversation (God’s remnant is “few” compared to “many”–Matt. 7:13-14). One pastor I know who is teaching the truth was recently called a “disgusting pacifist” by someone who claimed to be a Christian. She and others like her are encouraging more violence against whole communities of people, and of course, the world hears them and agrees with them because they walk just as the world does (1 Jn. 4:5). But if we obey Jesus’ teachings, and do not attempt to rationalize them away due to fear and unbelief, then we will abide in Him–

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love (John 15:10).

The just man shall live by his faith–not fear, self-love, patriotism, or the growing frenzy of the world around him.

To be a real Christian–to actually keep Jesus’ commands– is to be vulnerable in the presence of the wicked, because agape love is vulnerable. Was Jesus not vulnerable for your sake? Weren’t you wicked? Or have you always been so perfect that you deserved His magnificent sacrifice? (Rom. 5:8)

Either we keep His commands, or we stop abiding in Him. How sad it would be to truly think we are His disciples while living and teaching contrary to His commands. How sad to believe the Prince of Peace is our God, while contributing to the destruction around us. Yet many western Christians are that deceived.

Yes, the love of many is growing cold, now that the pressure is on. They are turning aside from God’s commands that we love everyone including our enemies, and live sacrificial lives with our focus on the eternal kingdom. They are turning back to self-worship or nation-worship and materialism. They are turning aside to vengeance against those who threaten their security. Once their comfort is threatened, they are quick to walk in the flesh via trying to manipulate current events through politics and the bloodshed of war. In doing this, they are no longer “set apart” but merely doing what everyone else on the wide way is doing. Some only follow Jesus while the “free food” manifests, but once a real test of faith comes, they leave Him (Jn. 6:66).

Some pulpits have long ago frozen over, with pastors urging their flock to be heavily armed and to take up the sword against those who don’t know God. This, they claim is “waking up.” I call it apostasy. Not only will they not lay down their own lives for the gospel, they stop others from doing so. Some claim to preach holiness but refuse to preach “seeking peace with all people,” and in fact preach the opposite, thereby undermining any notion of true holiness. Both are non-negotiable if we want to enter into life (Heb. 12:14).

Christians are not here for the unrestrained “pursuit of happiness” (which is only one of the ways Americanism departs from the Truth). If that’s what you’re here for, you may as well stop following Jesus now because the cost is out of your range. (My heart is not that you stop following, but that you repent!) Our “constitutional rights” are nothing compared to the right we have as children of God–the blood-bought right to give up our earthly rights and be obedient even to the point of death (Phil. 2:5-8). America (or another country) is not the promised land–it is the stark wilderness in which we are being humbled and tested, to see if we will keep His commands (Deut. 8:2)–yes, even the commands to love our enemies. It is only those who endure the temptation and continue in faith who will receive the crown of life (James 1:12). Tap your tent stakes in the ground lightly, friends, lest love of this world and its lusts separates you from God (I Jn. 2:15-17). Only those who endure to the end in obedience to Jesus will be saved.

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (I Pet. 2:11-12)

So what will you do with these basic and fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ?–

1. Love your neighbor as yourself
2.  Love/forgive/do good to your enemy

If you are simple enough to believe/obey the Son of God without creating 50 theological loopholes for your flesh to escape through, these commands need no explaining. If you’re simple enough to believe/obey, you won’t have to ask, “Who is my neighbor?” or “What kind of enemy?” If you’re simple enough to believe/obey, you won’t be tempted to follow the obsolete covenant instead of the New one.

If you’re more concerned with what God will say to you on Judgment Day than what the flag-waving, warmongers will say on Sunday, this is simple to understand. You won’t need a 100 page essay on what He really meant and why this doesn’t apply. The simplest disciple of Jesus can receive this. I know the people of the world cannot receive it, and that is why their retribution begets more retribution begets more retribution, ad infinitum. The question is, can YOU (professing Christian) receive it? If you can only believe, the power to walk it out will also be supplied.

Never forget what the inhabitants of God’s kingdom look like:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Cut Off

First, two things to remember:

1. Whatever things were written before (about Israel) were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4).

2. All these things happened to them (Israel) as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come (I Cor. 10:11).

Keeping these two things in mind, we need to consider God’s dealing with Israel when Israel–as a whole–stopped obeying God.

“Cut Off”

Throughout the writings of the Law and the Prophets, it was written that those who disobeyed God in specific ways were to be “cut off” from among their people. That would mean they were no longer considered part of God’s congregation/assembly. Keeping the two aforementioned Scriptures in mind, it should be easy then to understand that the modern teaching of OSAS (“once saved always saved”) is a lie. If an Israelite could be cut off from God’s people for particular sins, and those things were recorded for our learning, then we too can be cut off from God’s people if we do not continue in God’s goodness (Rom. 11:22).

But there is another lesson in this that I’d like to bring out, which is: Being born a Hebrew in the Old Testament in no way kept a person from being “cut off” from God’s people. Blood or family relations didn’t save during the times of Moses, didn’t save during the times of the prophets, and still doesn’t save today. This is important because the false teaching of Talmudic “Zionism” teaches that if people are related to Abraham (or more specifically his son Jacob), they are the chosen people, or “God’s people.” Such is not the case, and both testaments are clear on this.

Let us look at specific examples of sins that were punished in the OT (Old Testament) by the sinner being “cut off.” With each one, I’ve included NT (New Testament) parallel Scriptures, which further demonstrate that the New Covenant completes and fulfills the Old. Notice that responsibility is placed on each person, under either covenant, to keep the covenant or be cut off. To be “cut off” from God’s OT “congregation” was exactly the same as being “cut off” from the NT Body of Christ/the True Vine/the Olive Tree.

“Cut Off” for:

OT: Not being circumcised if male–Gen. 17:14
NT: Circumcision of the heart unto obedience is a non-negotiable for the believer; it is defined spiritually in Rom. 2:28-29 and Phil. 3:3–We are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. I Cor. 7:19 makes it clear that obedience is the principle issue.

OT: Eating leavened bread during Passover–Exo. 12:15
NT: Sinning willfully–“eating leaven” after having knowledge of the Truth (Christ, our Passover slain for us) leads to damnation–Heb. 10:26-27.

OT: Anointing man’s flesh or anointing “an outsider”–Exo. 30:32-33
NT: Laying hands on people who have not been proven righteous leads to partaking in their sins (I Tim. 5:22). No flesh is to glory in God’s presence (I Cor. 1:29).

OT: Profaning the Sabbath–Exo. 31:14
NT: There remains a rest for the people of God, into which we must labor to enter, or we can fall “according to the same example of disobedience”–Heb. 4:9-11.

OT: Partaking of the Lord’s sacrifice while unclean, eating the fat or blood–Lev. 7:20-27; 17:10-14
NT: Partaking of the Lord’s supper while defiled by sin, and without self-examination, a man becomes guilty and brings damnation to himself–I Cor. 11:27-31. Bringing a gift to God’s altar while there is a need for reconciliation with a brother results in our worship not being accepted–Matt. 5:23-24.

OT: Shedding animal blood unlawfully–Lev. 17:3-5
NT: There was a prescribed way to be cleansed by blood–a way that foreshadowed the True Way, and in the New Testament it is revealed that the blood of Christ is that Way. It is the only lawful way to have sins forgiven–I Pet. 1:18-21, Heb. 9:22, etc.

OT: Committing sexual immorality–Lev. 18:29; 20:17-18
NT: Such will still cause one to be cut one off from God’s family/kingdom under the New Covenant–Acts 21:25, I Cor. 6:9-10, I Cor. 10:8; I Thess. 4:3, Jude 7, Rev. 22:15. I Cor. 5 explicitly teaches that the sexually immoral are to be rejected from the fellowship of the Church until they repent; we are not to pretend they are God’s people.

OT: Eating the sacrifice when it was more than 2 days old–Lev. 19:5-8
NT: This seems to teach a general principle that we cannot rely on old victories, but must have a new and fresh relationship with God by offering our bodies a living sacrifice continually–Rom. 12:1. Yesterday’s manna is gone; today we need to partake of Jesus (and His death/resurrection) again to remain alive. Jesus taught the cross must be carried daily–Lk. 9:23. We must take heed when we think we stand lest we fall–I Cor. 10:12. And we must be diligent to continue to grow spiritually lest we stumble–2 Pet. 1:5-11.

OT: Sacrificing children to the devil–Lev. 20:1-3
NT: Abortion/ritual child sacrifice, not parenting righteously; no murderer has eternal life–Eph. 6:4; Mark 9:42; I John 3:15.

OT: Consulting witches or familiar spirits for knowledge–Lev. 20:6
NT: Sorcery disinherits a person from the kingdom of God–Gal. 5:20-21; Rev. 21:8, 22:15.

OT: Attempting to serve the Lord as priest while being unclean–Lev. 22:3
NT: The highest of standards are required for the N.T. priests of the Lord–I Pet. 2:9. Those who attempt to teach others while being unclean will be judged more severely–James 3:1. Bishops and deacons must be blameless and have a good testimony–I Tim. 3:1-13. Every saint who hopes for the final redemption is to purify himself just as He is pure–I John 3:3.

OT: Not being afflicted in soul on the Day of Atonement–Lev. 23:29
NT: Considering the blood of Jesus as “a common thing” and insulting the Spirit of grace by trampling the Son of God underfoot is worthy of even more punishment than rejecting the laws of Moses–Heb. 10:28-31. To take the Lord’s supper unworthily without proper sincerity and self-examination results in judgment/damnation–I Cor. 11:27-32)

OT: Not observing Passover–Num. 9:13
NT: It is clear that any who do not look unto the Lord’s death and resurrection as the source of their redemption cannot be considered God’s people–Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Acts 4:12, etc. Jesus commanded His disciples to eat the Passover meal as a remembrance of His broken body and shed blood–Luke 22:15-20. Paul commanded NT Christians to eat the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him, proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes–23-26.

OT: Presumptuously sinning or despising God’s Word–Num. 15:30-31
NT: Sinning willfully after knowing the truth results in there remaining no sacrifice for your sins–Heb. 10:26-31. We must receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save our souls–James 1:21. It is the Word of God by which we are born again–I Pet. 1:23, and unless we are born again, we cannot see the Kingdom–John 3:3.

OT: Not purifying oneself after being contaminated by the dead–Num. 19:13
NT: Being “contaminated by the dead” could be seen as communing with unbelievers; we are to have no intimate fellowship with them, lest the Lord refuse us as His sons and daughters–2 Cor. 6:14-18.

OT: Not purifying oneself after any uncleanness–Num. 19:20
NT: Everyone who hopes in Jesus “purifies himself just as He is pure”–I Jn. 3:3. The Church is to have “no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish”–Eph. 5:27. The pure in heart shall see God–Matt. 5:8. People who only have a “form of godliness” while being impure are rejected–2 Tim. 3:1-5. For this reason the Lord called the Pharisees “whited sepulchers” (painted tombs) and commanded them to cleanse themselves inwardly–Matt. 23:25-28.

OT: General disobedience and serving other gods (I Kin. 9:6-7)
NT: We are to flee from idolatry–I Cor. 10:14. Idolatry and other forms of disobedience are listed as “works of the flesh” and “they who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” To remain in Christ, we must have our flesh crucified–Gal. 5:19-24.

Hopefully it is clear that while the OT foreshadowing rituals have been superceded by the NT redemptive reality, God has always and will always expect absolute obedience from His covenant people. Hopefully it’s also clear that no Jew or Hebrew was ever exempt from the possibility of being “cut off” if he disobeyed.

More Examples:

Here are examples of specific people who were “cut off” in the OT–

1. Saul was rejected as king because of disobedience and rejecting the Word of the Lord–I Sam. 15:26, and the Spirit departed from him–I Sam. 16:14. His life ended with suicide–I Sam. 31:4.

2. The house of Jeroboam was “cut off” because of his idolatry–I Kin. 14:7-14.

3. The house of Ahab was “cut off” because of his sin, including murder–I Kin. 21:19-22; 2 Kin. 9:8.

4. In the days of Jehu, the Lord “cut off parts of Israel” because of sin–2 Kin. 10:32.

5. Uzziah was “cut off from the house of the Lord” because of pride and burning incense unlawfully–2 Chron. 26:16-21.

6. Evildoers are “cut off” from the earth, Israel, Judah, or the city of the Lord/Jerusalem–Psa. 34:16, 37:9, 37:22, 37:28, 37:34, 37:38, 94:23, 101:18, 109:13, 109:15; Prov. 2:22; Isa. 9:14, 22:25, 29:20; Jer. 7:29, 44:7-11; Lam. 2:3; Ezek. 14:8, 14:21, 17:9, 21:4; Hos. 8:4, 10:15; Mic. 7:15; Zeph. 3:7; Mal. 2:12.

7. After the apostasy of Israel, those Israelites who would not humble themselves under the yoke of Babylon would “perish” and “be consumed,” but those who would serve the Babylonians (acknowledging God’s righteous judgment) would “remain in their own land” and “live”–Jer. 27:8-17.

Hopefully we see that the Old and New Covenants had this similitude: under both covenants a man could be “cut off” because of sinning and/or not keeping the terms of the covenant. This truth undermines the present day lies of both OSAS and Zionism. Yes, we can be cut off after entering the New Covenant by faith. And yes, OT Jews/Hebrews were also cut off for disobedience, and were never guaranteed as “God’s people” unless they kept the covenant. The promises were only theirs by obedient faith.

Paul seems to sum up this whole thing nicely with his picture of the Olive Tree in Romans 11–a Tree which both Jews and Gentiles from the beginning have been part of by faith. He is very clear that both the “natural branches” and the “grafted-in branches” can be cut off and lost.

What does this teach us about Jews/Israelites today? Are they God’s people?

The simple answer is: Only if they have obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.(Jn. 5:23)

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (I Jn. 2:22-23)

Dear reader, if a Jew/citizen of Israel does not honor the Son, he has been “cut off.” He is an antichrist. It’s that simple. Let no one deceive you with empty words.

The only people who are not “cut off” are those who exercise obedient faith in God’s Word.

Abraham, technically a gentile called out of a pagan nation, became the father of both Jews and Gentiles (including some OT Gentiles like Rahab, Ruth, some of David’s fighting men, etc.) who have his faith. These, along with the God-honoring gentiles who preceded Abraham (like Noah) are God’s children. The saints who went before had to obey the light they were given, and we also must obey the light we are given in our own age. Now that the True Light–Messiah Jesus has come, God commands all men everywhere to repent and obey Him personally. Those who refuse will be cut off and burned in the fire, even if they are Jews (Matt, 3:7-12).

And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. (Heb. 4:11-12)

The promise given to Abraham is to His Seed–Christ, and those who are in Christ:

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (Gal. 3:16)

Therefore it is of faith…that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”)… so that he became the father of many nations. (Rom. 4:16-18)

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal. 3:29)

God bless you!