he scriptures records
in the book of Genesis that animals were created after their own kind, the
cattle after the cattle kind, the sheep after the sheep kind, and so on. All
the creation was created after the mammal, fish, or foul kind, but what kind
was man created after? It may surprise some but God created mankind in a very
special way, He created us after the God kind and gave us rule over
the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock and in fact
over all the earth. God's plan of salvation has to do with this very fact.
Many think of the word "God" as meaning a single being but when
we take a closer look at the Hebrew word that was used we find it has a very
interesting meaning. The Hebrew word used for God is 'elohiym
(el-o-heem'); and it is specifically used in the
plural form. Notice in Gen 1:26-27 "Then God said, "Let Us make
man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all
the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So
God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male
and female He created them."
Notice the statement…"let US make man in OUR image" The terms "us" and "our" denote more than one. Why would “elohiym” make us in their image and why would they make a covenant with mankind? The bible reveals that there are only two members of the God family now however we find an astounding fact when we examine the scriptures throughout the bible. We find that when God created mankind in His own image He revealed that He is in the process of creating His children, God Sons and Daughters. Yes the answer is more profound than anything some might have ever considered. The answer is that we can become, as God is, but not over God our Father or Jesus our elder brother; but AS they are in spirit and with much of the power they possess. That's why Jesus would refer to those that accept Him as the Children of God the Father and what is a Father but one who has children? What greater act can God do than to create His own children?
The fact is that children of God cannot come about in an instant so there are two things that MUST be part of this creation process in order for us to become like the Holy Father. We MUST through the course of our lives develop the character to choose what is right over the down pull of our flesh and in addition to this we must have free will choice. Without these two components we would not be any different than the cattle, birds, and fish that perform whatever they're programmed to do. All the other created beings are just as they were when God created them just as the eagle makes an eagle's nest today just like its counterpart did 5,000 years ago because it is programmed by God to do so. Mankind however is not the same at all because we are designed to not only grow in knowledge but we are expected to develop the desire to do what is right as well.
Ever wonder why God placed a tree in the garden that was forbidden? Ever wonder why God took Adam and Eve to the forbidden tree and showed them the fruit stating, they could not eat of it? Ever wonder why God allowed Satan to remain in the garden after he fell? Ever wonder why the forbidden tree was with-in walking distance for Adam and Eve? Adam and Eve were created grown adults, however, they were not mature nor did they understand what one would learn in life's experience; they were in reality children. For God to place something before them that was forbidden and allow the tempter to speak to them, invited sure failure on their part, and we might ask, why would God do such a thing knowing they like any child would fail? The answer again is very simple, but yet very complex. The answer is "free will choice."
Free choice is the freedom to choose without external forces whether physical or divine and is the real God given right all humans should have. So we see that we must be able to choose without even God preventing us from that choice. It may shock you but, even if God was watching Eve reach for the forbidden fruit, He could not intervene if He intended for us to have free will choice! One might ask what would be the point of intentionally giving us free will choice, so let's start answering this question by first defining what God had placed in the garden "And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Gen 2:9. Notice that there was a tree called the tree of LIFE and the second tree was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We could also say the tree of life and the tree of death, because by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God stated they shall surly DIE. On this tree was fruit and within this fruit was something that was forbidden for mankind and was as if God had programmed something in this fruit that if never touched would set there as harmless as a butterfly, but if violated, as deadly as a serpent. We find recorded in Gen 2:9 that it was the knowledge of Good and Evil, but what else entered into our first parents when they ate? What else was added that would place the curse on anyone that followed in their steps? It was the conscience that was added and the reason each person is liable for their own sins is that the conscience tells us what sin is! Remember the very important telling sign was they did not know they were naked until they ate of the forbidden fruit.
Eve must have thought about the tree after God had showed it to them because she went back and then saw that it's fruit was pleasant to the eyes and good for food. She became tempted by her own desires and when the deceiver came to her it was not hard to get her to sin although she resisted his first attempts by stating that she was commanded not to eat of it, and if she did she would die. I can almost hear Satan's thoughts at this point, ("Then why are you here?") Satan (The great deceiver) told her that she would not die but she would become as God, knowing both good and evil. This was just as any believable lie that is told because it’s mixed with some truth and it’s what we want to believe. That convinced her she needed to take of it because of two reasons. 1) Because she had already played with the thought in her mind seeing that it was good and would make her wise and 2) Satan made it sound like God was in the wrong for not allowing her to have it and told her what she wanted to hear…That she would not die. But why would God intentionally place the knowledge of evil there for the taking?
God can create anything He desires, right? Yes He can, but can He create all things "the way" He wants? The truth is, No! Although people have been taught that God can do anything He wants does not make it true. Let's think this through so we can understand. The answer is that God cannot go against Himself when He has stated, or commanded something to be a certain way. Mankind was created to learn by experience just like our own children do. Like the experience of climbing a mountain can only be gained by climbing a mountain. This kind of education can't come about by order or command alone, just like gaining wisdom comes from age and experience. Yes God is creating the greatest creation He could ever achieve which is His own children. This is why God would make a covenant with the house of Israel of old and the new covenant with those that would believe and agree to follow His Son Jesus.
What is a Covenant?
The definition of a covenant is an agreement, between two or more persons
to do or not do something specified. The conditional promises made to Israel
by God, as revealed in Scripture was a covenant, and God promised to protect
and bless them if they kept His law and was also faithful to Him. With that
covenant came laws, ordinance, lands, and the priesthood to enforce the laws,
as well as teach, and perform worship services for the people on the Sabbath
and later the seven annual holy days. God desired for Israel to grow into
a great Nation by using His laws and wisdom to show all mankind what life
could be like if all mankind would follow and obey Him.
The new covenant God has made with mankind is the same as the marriage covenant
we make with our mates in that the husband turns his life over to the wife,
and the wife turns her life over to her husband. When we repent of our sins,
accepting Jesus' shed blood, and are baptized, and then receive God's Holy
Spirit by the laying on of hands, we are in fact entering into a marriage
relationship with God, stating that we are willing to turn our lives over
to Him. Some Christians believe they are still under the old covenant to some
extent without truly understanding the statement by Jesus Himself in Mark
1:14-15 14. "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Just what did Jesus mean by this statement that ministers love to quote? Well
my friend it could just as well have been written as...Repent of the old covenant
and believe the new teaching of the new covenant. We find in the book of Hebrews
that this is just what Jesus and His apostles taught. We will get into this
in great detail later in this chapter.
With any covenant there must be rules to abide by and many people have greatly misunderstood what type of rules should be in the church today after the new covenant was established by Christ. The question many ask is should it be structured in the same way as the old priesthood, and is it a hierarchical government from the top down with a type of Pope or priest in charge? Many ask if God works exclusively through one man at a time giving him the keys to the Kingdom and allowing him only to know what God is doing? (Remember what we covered in chapter one about the Keys to the Kingdom?) Should we look to this one and only leader such as the Pope, making sure we stay with his one and only true Church paying our tithes to him in order to please God? If we give our tithes and offerings to anyone else but him, are we ROBBING God as many preachers proclaim? If this is true then who is this man? How do we know who God has chosen when so many claim to be the one? We need to understand this, and the only source of true knowledge comes from God by way of His inspired word. (Request our study "Truth about tithing."
To understand we need to realize that there are only two main covenants God
established with mankind; and the key is to understand that one was physical,
and the other is spiritual. The physical covenant had to be structured much
differently than the new covenant because, before Jesus came, mankind was
cut off from the Most Holy Father. Everything had to be on physical terms
and the priesthood was set up to be the mediator between God and mankind.
When the old physical covenant was done away and the new spiritual covenant
was brought in, then the new government had to be established. Many misguided
preachers have erroneously assumed that the government of God today is hierarchical
because of the structure of the priesthood. You will notice they pick and
choose from the old covenant as it fits the needs of their church. This
type of government structure is rule from the top down and they must appoint
men as Deacons, Elders, Preaching elders, Ministers, Evangelist, and the one
at the top usually refers to himself as the “Apostle” or the Leading Evangelist.
In the Catholic Church we find them as Priests, Cardinals, Bishops, and of
course the man at the top is the Pope. Although the names are different it
is exactly the same thing, a hierarchical type government! Remember what we
covered in Chapter four under the sub-title "The Hierarchical type Government?"
The hierarchical government
has failed in every way, and the proof is written in history by the bad fruits
produced by this type of government. All one needs to do is talk to hundreds
of brethren that have been greatly abused by this type of system no matter
which Church they belonged to. History shows how these men have abused the
money that was in-trusted to them. How they, even today, live far richer then
those that send in their tithes. If a minister is receiving his living and
driving a car, wearing clothes, or living in a home that far exceeds the way
the brethren live, he my friend is a hireling. Many
start out wanting to just serve and do God's will, however this type of system
breeds the desire to politic and the system itself can not exist unless
a man places himself as the head of the church which is placing himself between
Christ and the brethren. This type of system also locks the brethren into
a framed way of bible study to the point that many scriptures are overlooked
in order to continue the "Church's Doctrines" as understood and
taught by headquarters, and even the minister has to work within the framework
of headquarters or run the risk of being removed. Looking at the past priesthood
structure from the Old Testament we can see the many Church organization of
this world because they in most cases mimicked their
(1) There was only one living high priest at a time.
(2) God worked through the high priest only.
(3) If tithes were paid to anyone other than the high priest the sinner was
robbing God.
(4) The high priest interpreted the law as a judge.
(5) The high priest had the authority to appoint or disfellowship
as he deemed necessary.
(6) If you separated from the priesthood you lost contact with God.
(7) The Priest was the only ones to serve God in the temple.
In order to come to the truth about the new covenent we must start out asking if Jesus did away with the old priesthood when He made the new covenant with mankind. Also what would be the reason for changing the order of government when the covenant changed? As stated above, because the old covenant was physical and the new covenant is spiritual. In the new and better covenant Christ is governing His Church not by law, but by love. (This does not mean the Ten Commandments were done away.) As Jesus stated "If we love Him we will keep His commandments," so Jesus the Messiah governs in love by His Holy Spirit that is the power of God. It is by the Spirit of God that we can receive the love of God and it is by the Spirit of God we can know and do His will.
Rom 8:5-9 tells us that if a person does not have the Spirit of God they are not a Christian. Let's read it. "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." So we see here that if a person has the Spirit of God they will love the Father and the truth He sent by His Son Jesus. It should be the Spirit of God that teaches and motivates us to do His will, not a Church Government set up by men.
We can also read that Jesus brought in the new covenant at the Passover in
Mark 14:22-24 "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and
broke it, and gave it to them and said," "Take, eat; this is My
body. "Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks
He gave it to them, and they all drank from it and He said to them,"
This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many." (The old
covenant with physical
Now at Passover we eat the broken unleavened bread resembling the broken body of Christ so we can receive healing in our bodies. Isa. 53:5 The drinking of wine resembles the shed blood of Christ for our sanctification. So we see with baptism and the taking of the broken body and blood of Christ we enter into a new spiritual covenant with God. We also keep at Passover the example Jesus set for us to wash the feet of those with us. This shows a humble spirit and true willingness to serve and Jesus stated that if He being our Lord would wash the feet of those around Him then we should do the same to one another. John 13:3-14. We MUST always come before God at the Passover deeply realizing the great sacrifice of the Son of God for humankind. Although we can never become worthy of Christ's sacrifice by works or law, we are in great need of it.
Also the translators of the Geneva bible of 1560 had an interesting comment concerning the book of Hebrews you might want to read before continuing the study. (The Argument)
The New Covenant:
In this section we will cover the Superiority of Christ's Person, His Superiority
over the Prophets, His Superiority over the Angels, the Superiority of Christ's
Priesthood, & Jesus' Superiority
over Moses and the old covenant. Because so many scriptures will be used
below my comments will be (in parentheses.)
It is very important to understand the following study if we are to understand
the Gospel.
(Before we proceed let's go back to see when God made the promise to Abraham and look at some scriptures in the Old Testament concerning Melchizedek.) "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." 'Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:' "As for Me behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you and I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 'And God said to Abraham:' "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations." Gen 17:1-9.
(We see that the author of Hebrews also explained this old covenant God made with Abraham before he began explaining the new covenant and how the old covenant had been changed from the priesthood to Jesus as the high priest.) Heb 6:13-20 "For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
Jesus' superiority over the priesthood:
Heb 7:1-8:13. "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most
High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed
him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated
King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, meaning King of peace,
without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning
of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually."
(This can only be speaking of a person of the Godhead if He was without father,
without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end
of life. Some ministers are teaching that Jesus was not Melchizedek, King
of Salem. Gen. 14:18. Some are even stating that Melchizedek was Shem, the
great, great, great grandfather of Abraham. Some may ask…Why does it matter
if Jesus was, or was not Melchizedek, and why does it matter who Melchizedek
was back in the Old Testament anyway?)
(Let’s answer the last question first. Why does it matter who Melchizedek was back in the Old Testament anyway? The reason it matters who Melchizedek was is because it shows that God had established His priesthood even before the Levitical priesthood was born. This shows that the priesthood was, is, and always has been God’s priesthood. The term priesthood means the “office of the priest” and always designates the one that is in charge of the church. God set up the Levitical priesthood or, office of the priest, for man to be a part of it serving the people of God, but God was always the head of the priesthood. When God took the priesthood from the children of Levi by the establishment of the “new covenant” through Jesus the Messiah whom was not a Levite, but a Jew, He did not destroy the priesthood as some suppose. God simply re-established the priesthood of Melchizedek through the One Who has always been the High Priest; the One that became Jesus the Messiah. So we see again stated from scripture that Jesus is our High Priest and is the Word of God as is also recorded in John. 1:1;15. And we find in scripture that He was re-established as the King of Salem and after the order of Melchizedek. We can also see from scripture that the office of the priesthood must continue throughout eternity, as is recorded in Heb 5:6.)
“As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"; (and also in Heb 6:20.) ” where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Vs. 4-10 "Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. (Now notice the point here is that Melchizedek had to be God in order for Abraham to pay tithes to Him, and the Levitical priesthood had not yet been born, and notice in vs. 11 what the function of the priesthood was.) 11 "Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood; for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?" (The point being made here is that the Levitical priesthood was not the beginning of the priesthood and to abolish it is not the end of the priesthood because Melchizedek is the priest and Jesus is Melchizedek. The Jews failed to understand that God is the center of all He does. It seems that we humans always forget that what God establishes or what He might create He also can change or abolish.)
(Now let's move on for more understanding. In vs. 12 we see that the priesthood was changed.) 12 "For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness," (Notice the term "there is an annulling? To annul is to make void or abolish; cancel; invalidate; to annul or cancel a marriage. Now continuing in vs.19 we see a better hope, and a better covenant.)
19 "for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: "The Lord has sworn and will not relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek' , 22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. 23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, (Jesus) because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Under the old covenant with Israel the people could not go directly to God but had to go through the priesthood. Under the new covenant we can individually go directly to God the Father and therefore the governmental structure has to be on an individual bases and our relationship is a personal one to God the Father through Jesus His Son. Let's continue now in Heb. vs. 26) "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever."
(So we see biblical proof here that Melchizedek was the Son of God vs. 5
and established a priesthood before the Levitical priesthood, and came as
Jesus the Messiah vs. 13 & 14 to bring the new covenant to mankind as
God promised so long ago recorded in Jer 31:31-33.
We see that Jesus became the new high priest and we are to look to Him only.
There can't ever be another high priest or priesthood on earth until Jesus
returns. If any man states that we will be lost if we don't belong to their
Church, than they are false teachers bringing another gospel of which God
will destroy because the true gospel points us to Jesus as our savior alone.
Continuing in Heb. 8:1-2) "Now this is the main point of the things
we are saying: We have such a High priest, who is seated at the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle which
the Lord erected, and not man."
The Superiority of Jesus' Covenant:
(Jesus is the author of the new covenant. Let's read Heb 9:1-10:31.) "Then
indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly
sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the
lamp stand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and
behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest
of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on
all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's
rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim
of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak
in detail. Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always
went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into
the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood,
which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;
the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was
not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.
It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience--concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.
Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-- He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."
(So we find here that the office of priest was fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah by the Son of God becoming a man so that He might offer Himself as sacrifice "once to bear the sins of many"; so as we see here in scripture there's no longer a need for priests to offer a sacrifice to atone for man's sins. A permanent sacrifice has been made by Jesus the Messiah through His death on the stake. By the New Testament period, the position of priests in the nation of Israel had greatly changed. The Temple functions were taken over by the "chief priests" called the Scribes and Pharisees. These are two special groups that arose to present the Law and interpret its meaning for the people and it was the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court that was instrumental in the death of Jesus and the apostles. They knew what Jesus preached was of God, and was the new covenant, but they did not want to give up their seat of authority over the people and they knew that the new covenant places Jesus as High Priest, thus giving the people direct access to the Father in heaven. The priest was out of a job! The Sanhedrin still exists today trying to destroy the new covenant Jesus the Messiah came to give mankind in order to release us from the old covenant, and the old Authoritarian hierarchical type of government and to free us to worship God the Father and Christ in true love. Not by force, but by choice! Christ instructed us to never have a hierarchical government over the Church, as recorded in Matt 20:25-27 but many misguided men continue to set up this type of system. Why do they want to put God's people back in bondage? God will judge!)
(We have learned that the new covenant Jesus brought was prophesied thousands of years ago, and is the plan of salvation God the Father has determined to fulfill. Jesus and the apostles were murdered because of the teaching of this new covenant, and those who teach, and keep it alive in the future will have to face the same opposition because those who run these hierarchical Churches will not want to lose their positions of authority as well. The reason we must never turn from this truth to those hierarchical Churches is because they teach another gospel as well as worship other gods. They will lead people away from their true savior, and to themselves thus leading people into the end time great false Church. The Church will be deceived and will go into the false Church in the very near future, and the reason I can say this dogmatically is because of the prophesy in Rev. 18:4 "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues." The term "Come out of her, MY PEOPLE" reveals that God is referring to His Church, and the fact that this prophesy is yet future, the term "come out " denotes that the Church has to "go into her" in order to have to be called out of her. Please remember we are warned that in the end times many would be deceived and fall away from the truth. The scriptures even state that the truth would offend many. The truth offends because it shines a light on their evil deeds, exposing their false gospel and false doctrines for what they are. We can be sure of this fact brethren; God will destroy those false Churches that lead His people into idolatry and if the ministry does not repent He will destroy them along with their false Churches.)
Mysteries of God:
(King David records in Ps 25:14 that "God will show this secret [mystery]
to those who fear Him, and can be stated to those who obey Him." These
mysteries are hidden from those who do not obey God or those that worship
idols such as the cross, Madonna, Easter, or any god other than the true God
in heaven. The mystery is also about the covenant God makes with His People.
The real term mystery is a divine truth that one can know only by revelation
from God. Denounce these false gods and you very well may see more than
you ever dreamed of in this life, and in the one to come. There's a very
profound mystery revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by God through
Daniel recorded here in Dan. 2:18-47 and this has to do with God's plan of
salvation. Notice verses 34 & 44-45. 34 "You watched while a stone
was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and
clay, and broke them in pieces." Vs. 44-45 "And in the days of these
kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed;
and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. "Inasmuch
as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that
it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--
the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this.
The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
This is clearly speaking of the time when the Messiah will rule all nations. We can tie this in with Rev. 11:15 when "the Kingdoms of this world will have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" Jesus is coming to set up a Kingdom & Government thus proving that the Church is not the Government on earth today. We read in Isa. 9:6 that the government is on the shoulders of the Messiah not some Church organization. Notice what is recorded in Acts 3:21. The heavens have received Jesus "until" the time of restitution. Restitution is the act of restoring to the rightful owner, a return to, or restoration of a previous state or position. Jesus is the King, and rightful ruler of all the earth and universe. This is what the seven annual holy days picture, and is the mystery that is revealed in the gospels. Jesus explained the mystery of God's kingdom to His disciples, but to others He declared, "All things shall be spoken in parables"; so they could not understand.
Most of the occurrences of the word mystery are in the Apostle Paul's epistles. These mysteries refer to the revelation of God's plan of salvation as that plan focuses on the new covenant Jesus made and is making with those God the Father is calling if they respond to this calling. We read in Rom. 16:25 the gospel has been a mystery from the foundation of the world. This mystery from the foundation of the world was revealed by God through the prophetic Scriptures to the prophets of old and to Paul and the Church as recorded in 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 6:19; and Col. 4:3. We read in 1Cor. 15:51 how the mystery points to the future resurrection of Christians, and the summing up of all things in Christ Eph. 1:9; the adding of Gentiles in the Church Eph. 3:3-9; and the future salvation of Israel as recorded in Rom. 11:25. We also find this mystery explained in great detail to the Jews in the book of Hebrews. It is unclear as to who wrote the book of Hebrews, however the author most likely wrote the book in Hebrew or Aramaic.
God's Seven Point Plan of Salvation:
The Old Testament Scriptures teach there are seven annual feasts and holy
days that were ordained by God to be observed as special convocations as we
mentioned above under the title "What is a Covenant?" It is very interesting
that these feasts and holy days portray God's plan of salvation for mankind.
We find in the New Testament that Jesus the Messiah's entire ministry was
centered around the spiritual meaning of these holy days. Although it is not
a matter of salvation, it seems that the New Testament apostolic Church continued
to faithfully observe these annual feasts and holy days and some Old Testament
scriptures do reveal that they will be observed by all mankind after the return
of Jesus the Messiah during His thousand years of rule as we will see later
in this chapter.
As the holy days are annual Sabbath days, they may fall on any day of the
week (except Pentecost, which always falls on a Sunday). When a holy day falls
on a weekly Sabbath, the special observance of the annual holy day takes precedence.
God's feasts and holy days are to be observed from sunset to sunset in accordance
with scripture. The seven annual feasts and holy days are as follows:
Feast or Holy Day:
Commanded scriptural date of observance
1) Passover, 14th day of the first month. Ex. 12:1-14;
2)Unleavened Bread, (7 days) 15th through 21st days of the first month. (The
15th & 21st are holy days.) Ex. 12:15-20;
3) Pentecost, fifty days are counted, beginning with the first sabbath during
the Days of Unleavened Bread, The feast is observed on the fiftieth day, which
always falls on the first day of the week. Lev. 23:15-17;
4) Trumpets, 1st day of the seventh month. Lev. 23:23-25;
5) Atonement, 10th day of the seventh month. Lev. 23:26-32;
6) Tabernacles, 15th - 21st days of the 7th. month. (The 15th is a holy day.)
Lev. 23:33-44;
7) Last Great Day, 22nd day of the seventh month. (A holy day) Lev. 23:36;
How the holy days picture God's plan of Salvation:
1) Passover
The first Passover occurred while the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt.
Moses was sent by God to free and present the covenant with them as was
promised to Abraham. Ex. 12:1-14.
The blood on the doorpost represented the sacrifice of the Lamb of God that
would be in the future by Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. We see
here in 1 Cor 5:7 that Jesus became our Passover
lamb. "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump,
since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us." This is very important to note because it is the first step in
God's master plan for mankind.
Before God could give us the gift of repentance, (Pictured by the Days of
Unleavened Bread) He first had to make atonement for us. We could not come into
the presence of God the Father without Jesus' sacrifice first. God the Father
is pure, and He must never come in contact with impurity. When impurity comes
close to Him it is destroyed at once by God's great holiness and brightness,
and this is why no man has ever seen the Father at any time. John 6: 46. Just
as the old covenant was made at the first Passover the new covenant began at
the Passover supper right before Jesus was taken and put to death. We can read
of these New Testament symbols Jesus established in Mark 14:22-24. "And as
they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them
and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and
when He had given thanks He blessed it and He gave it to them, and they all
drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My
blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many." Most Christians don't
realize Jesus was put to death on that very Passover day of the old Passover,
thus fulfilling the promise from God, and depicting what the Passover portrayed
all the years
Passover on the 14th, Not 15th.
Notice what is recorded in Exod 12:6. 'Now you shall
keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of
the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. This scripture plainly
states "on the fourteenth." Remember that all the days began at
sunset, so night comes first. Now notice in vs. 22. And none of you shall go
out of the door of his house until morning. No one was to go out till the
morning of the 14th. and the Israelites spent most all the daytime portion of
the 14th. taking spoils from the Egyptians as recorded in vs. 36. They did not
go out from the
2) Days of Unleavened Bread:
The next event we see unfolding in Exod 13:3 is the command to keep the seven
days of unleavened bread. Leaven pictures sin, and as leaven puffs up the
dough, sin will puff up the person. Jesus used the term leaven to describe
the teachings of false doctrine in Matt 16:6-12 "Then Jesus said to them,
"Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken
no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of
little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought
no bread? "Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of
the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? "Nor the seven loaves
of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? "How is
it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? --
but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they
understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but
of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
How was the days of unleavened bread pictured in Deut 16:3?
Notice the wording, "the bread of affliction" (for you came out
of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you
came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life. So the days of unleavened
bread can picture coming out of Egypt (a type of sin) therefore we see we
must work to keep sin out after we accept the Passover lambs blood. This step
in God's plan has to be the second step because after repentance and accepting
the blood of the Passover we must put sin out of our lives. The days of unleavened
bread also picture what Jesus is doing in heaven until He returns. He is right
now working to keep sin out of our lives and bringing those with His Holy
Spirit to a greater understanding of how harmful sin is in our lives. He is
actively working to deliver us from the power of sin not only as our high
priest, but also as our eternal Passover lamb. To observe the Passover without
the seven days of unleavened bread would be the same thing as repenting of
sin and then forgetting about working on keeping sin out of our lives.
3) Pentecost:
What is the next step in God's great plan after we repent, accept the sacrifice
of the Lamb, and put sin out of our lives? Notice in Acts 2:1 it was the day
of Pentecost when the apostles received the power of God on them (the Holy
Spirit). What is the day of Pentecost? The word Pentecost means to count fifty.
As we learned early on, fifty days are counted, beginning with the next first
day of the week during the days of unleavened bread. The feast is observed
on the fiftieth day, which always falls on the first day of the week. Lev.
23:15-17. Notice at the bottom of vs. 17 "They are the first fruits to
the LORD." So this holy day pictures us as the first fruits to God the
Father.
The Israelites were not allowed to harvest any of the early grain crops until
this day. [Vs. 14] Then on the day following the weekly Sabbath, in a solemn
ceremony of the Levitical priesthood (The rituals were substitutes and should
not be practiced in the new covenant) the first sheaf of grain was cut and
brought to the priest. The priest then would wave it before the Lord to be
accepted. This pictured the resurrected Christ ascending to heaven to be accepted
by the Father as the first and at this time the only one actually born of
God. Jesus became the first fruit of the great future harvest of souls into
the coming Kingdom of God. On the fiftieth day "wave loaves" were
brought out of the congregation as the first fruits to God.
This was done to keep in mind from year to year what was to come and this was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit of God came down on those at this special Pentecost service in 31 A.D. in obedience to Jesus' command recorded in Acts 1:4 as they became the first fruits to God. All who have, and all who will be converted till Jesus returns are of this same body of first fruits. Rom. 8:23 God starts His year in the spring and, notice that these feast days of Passover, Unleavened bread, and Pentecost fall at the beginning of the year, and the events they picture are the beginning of God's great plan of salvation for mankind. This is to bring us into a right standing with the Father so the rest of the plan can be given. This means there are more to come prior to and after Jesus returns. There are the Sons of God as well as the sons of the devil so there are those that will be lost, however, there's not a contest between God and Satan, trying to see how many souls they each can win before time is up. God the Father is in complete control of His plan and will see it through for His glory.
4) Feast of Trumpets
The next step in God's plan of salvation is the feast of Trumpets. Lev 23:23-25
A very important point to understand here is that it is the feast of trumpets,
(plural) not trumpet. First we find in Rev. 8:1-2 the opening of the seventh
seal, and there's to be seven angels standing before God, and to them will
be given seven trumpets. The blowing of these seven trumpets should start
on the very day of the feast of trumpets in the future if God continues the
way He has in the past concerning the spring holy days we just covered. This
does not mean He will end them before the day of Atonement, a week later,
because a great deal of events will take place during the opening of these
seven trumpets. I'm not even going to try to guess when the seventh trumpet
will sound. Jesus stated that no one, not even Himself, but the Father only
knew the day or hour this would occur.
5) Day of Atonement:
Next in God's plan is the Day of Atonement, or better put (At-One-Ment). This means after we repent, receive the blood of the
Passover lamb [Jesus], put sin out of our lives [unleavened bread], then being
of the first fruits to receive the Spirit of God in us to help us into the
Kingdom (Pentecost), next Jesus returns with the sound of a great trumpet
blast taking over the Kingdoms of this world to rule forever, so we now being
at "Atonement" become at-one with Him. The whole creation will become
at one with Jesus at this time. We can read of this in Isa.
11: 6-9 & Isa. 65: 19-25. A great event will
take place when Jesus returns as pictured in the Old Testament when the high
priest cast lots on the day of Atonement for two goats as a sin offering.
Lev. 16:8. The lots were cast so it would be God who chose the one He wanted
- one for the Lord and one for a scapegoat. The one for the Lord was to be
killed and the blood was to be brought into the Holy of Holies for atonement
for the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
The scapegoat had to be presented alive before the Lord. Aaron the priest had to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a strong man. The first goat represented Jesus our Passover and the scapegoat represented Satan as recorded in Lev. 16:10. We find the scapegoat again in Rev 20:1-3. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." Satan is the cause of all the sins in the world down through time, so the scapegoat represents Satan having all the sins of the world placed upon his head by Christ (Aaron the Priest) and then the strong man (the angel) taking the scapegoat (Satan) to be released in the wilderness or as will occur in outer darkness. This day pictures the result of the sacrifice of Jesus taking on the sins of mankind to bring us into a justified standing with God the Father then by Him placing the sins of all mankind on the scapegoat (taking them off Jesus) is the complete deliverance from the power of Satan the devil, thus completing our Atonement to The Most Holy Father in heaven.
6) Feast of Tabernacles:
We read in Deut. 16:13-17. The Feast of Tabernacles, is kept from the 15th
through 21st days of the seventh month. Lev. 23:33-45; This holy day pictures
when the Kingdom of God will be here on earth. This is the millennium (The
1,000 - year rule of Jesus) we read of this time in Rev. 20: 3-6; "and
he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him,
so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were
finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And
I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then
I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus
and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and
had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived
and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did
not live again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." As we have seen, to portray His plan, God took the yearly harvest seasons, the Passover, days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost are in the spring season. The Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day are in the fall harvest season. Just as Pentecost pictures the early spring harvest of the first fruits, the festival of ingathering or Feast of Tabernacles, the fall harvest pictures the harvest of the millennium. During the millennium, Jesus will rule all Nations with those who became spirit in the first resurrection. Those who are born flesh during this time will learn God's ways growing in grace, knowledge, and wisdom. They will only be heirs of the Kingdom at that time. They will inherit the Kingdom after they accept God's laws and Jesus' shed blood and will have received the Holy Spirit and become reborn of the Spirit, or become spirit. Many don't realize that the scriptures reveal that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Now right after the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released for a little season to go out deceiving the nations and to gather Gog, and Magog together for the final battle. Rev. 20:7-10. This is also recorded in Ezk. Chapters 37, and 38.
7) The Last Great Day:
The number seven is God's number of completion. Just as there are seven days in
the week and the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest and designed by God to be the
day we can be at one with Him, there are seven holy days that picture God's
great plan of salvation for mankind. The seventh or last holy day is called the
Last day, or the last great day. As you have seen there are seven days of the
Day's of Unleavened Bread with a holy day in the beginning (Passover) and there
are seven days in the Feast of Tabernacles with a holy day at the end of it
called the Last Day, or the Last "Great" Day. This day falls
the day after the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles and is a holy day
where no work should be done. What does this day picture, and what will happen
on this day? Just as there are seven days in a week, and the eighth day is the
first day of the week, (a day of beginning) so the Last Great Day is the eighth
and the time of beginning eternity. This is the time when the new heavens, new
earth, and New Jerusalem will come down from the Holy Father.
This is the time of the second resurrection and the great Judgment and afterward Jesus will turn all things over to the Father forever as we read in Rev 20:11-15. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
This is the great white throne judgment and continuing in Chapter 21 vs.
1-7 we read of the new heavens, new earth, and Holy City. "Now I saw
a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall
be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things
new."
And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful. And
He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him
who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his
God and he shall be My son." (Will these days be kept after the Kingdom
of God is established?) Let's read it for ourselves. "And it shall come
to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem
shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and
to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families
of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of
hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come
up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with
which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of
Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all
the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that
day "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" shall be engraved on the bells of the
horses. The pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts.
Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that
day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.
Zech. 14:16-19.
Yes they will be kept forever as a memorial to God's great love He has for all His children. We will use these days to praise, and worship Him forever after we are in the Kingdom. These holy days are much more rewarding then the holidays of man that came out of paganism. Without the weekly Sabbath, and these God commanded holy days we can't understand God's plan of salvation or come to worship God in the way that leads us to true salvation. We need to understand where these pagan holidays of today came from, and how they were used in the worship of other gods. We need to understand that the true God of heaven Who created this earth, does not want us worshipping these other gods or worshipping Him by using their pagan ceremonies as many christian churches do today. God gave us the way He wants us to worship Him, and if we don't worship Him the way He instructs...we are worshipping who ever we are obeying. Remember, we can even receive the mark of the beast by not following the commands of God and that's why Satan is bringing this new false broad-minded Jesus.
God in His great mercy has not condemned all people at this time, but contrary to the false teaching of misguided ministers, God will give all the same equal opportunity because our Loving Father wants us to live in peace and joy, with great prosperity for all. The laws of God are for that purpose. They are laws of love; first our love for God and then our love for mankind. If we reject Jesus we will be judged and cast into the lake of fire, but if we accept Jesus we will be judged and brought into His glory to live forever. Even the destruction of the incorrigible wicked (those who refuse to change) will be an act of love by God so all who do accept the law of God will be able to live throughout eternity in peace. God does not want us coming to Him because we fear burning in torment forever, but because we want to love Him and be a part of His wonderful Kingdom continuing to learn, grow, and build in this Kingdom as spirit born Children of God having a fantastic love relationship with our heavenly Father, and our elder Brother Jesus the Messiah.
Don't ever let some misguided minister convince you that God has the same evil nature as Satan the devil by teaching the unsaved will burn forever. No! God loves us all with an everlasting love that is far greater than we can fully understand. God the Father, and Jesus our elder Brother wants us to come to them because we have realized that their ways are full of life, joy, health, and prosperity. They want us to repent because we understand how harmful sin is, and how magnificent it will be to live in their Kingdom they are preparing for us now. They want us to love them because of all they are, not for what we think we can get from them. They want our love for them to be just as their love is for us, - unconditional. This kind of love is free love, and when this kind of love is within a family, Church, or nation, no one wants to do anything to harm any of the others, but looks for ways to help, and serve. This is the true gospel and is what God desires to give all mankind after death or the resurrection; question is...are we willing to receive it?
This book is a result of 30 years of study, and research. My hope in writing this is to wake many up to the truth concerning the "Great Apostasy", and provoke you to action toward proving for yourself these things and thus coming to know Jesus the true Messiah. I ask again, if all we need to do is accept Jesus having love and tolerance for all religions in order to please God, and if obeying all of God's commands was not important, then why will God Himself send the Great Tribulations on all the earth to get mankind to wake up! Why did Jesus say, "If you love me you will keep my commands"? Honestly ask yourself, what are the two great witnesses crying for people to repent of? Could it be idolatry as well as adultery? Remember what we studied in chapters four and five? Never forget that religion is based on men's opinions not the Word of God and I strongly urge all to take what I have written here and go to your Bible and prove for yourselves what is true. Check it out to see if the fruit of this book is of the truth of God or a lie, and may God give His Spirit to guide you to salvation through His Son Jesus our only savior. I pray you will seek and be granted the love of the truth so we all can rejoice together in the soon coming Kingdom with our Father and elder Brother Jesus. Brethren…Keep the faith!
For the true lineage of Jesus, Recommended reading, quotes for this book,
Bible research history, and study cut sheets on pagan gods, see the
appendix at the end of this book.