THE ETERNAL GOSPEL OF
TRUTH
The Unchanging Way of Salvation
Pilate then said to Him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered,
You say it that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this
cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the
truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. Pilate said
to Him, What is truth? (John 18: 37-38)
Author’s Note .......................................................................................................................... 1
About the Name ..................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction - Not Under Law ............................................................................................ 3
Before Moses - A Lawless Faith? ......................................................................................... 9
The Time of Moses - Bondage or Freedom?
Exodus............................................................................................................................ 20
Leviticus .......................................................................................................................... 28
Numbers ........................................................................................................................ 35
Deuteronomy ................................................................................................................. 39
After Moses, Before Messiah - An Everlasting Covenant? ......................................... 46
David and Solomon ........................................................................................................ 49
The Divided Kingdom .................................................................................................... 64
The Captivity .................................................................................................................. 74
The Return...................................................................................................................... 84
The Time of Messiah - New Doctrine?
John’s Gospel ................................................................................................................. 89
Matthew's Gospel ......................................................................................................... 109
Mark’s Gospel ............................................................................................................... 127
Luke’s Gospel ............................................................................................................... 128
After Messiah - Revolution or Restoration?
Acts .............................................................................................................................. 135
James ........................................................................................................................... 149
Peter ............................................................................................................................. 152
Jude ............................................................................................................................. 157
John ............................................................................................................................. 157
Romans ........................................................................................................................ 162
Corinthians ................................................................................................................... 177
Galatians ...................................................................................................................... 190
Ephesians ..................................................................................................................... 199
Philippians .................................................................................................................... 205
Colossians ..................................................................................................................... 206
Thessalonians ............................................................................................................... 210
Timothy ........................................................................................................................ 214
Titus .............................................................................................................................. 221
Hebrews ....................................................................................................................... 226
Revelation..................................................................................................................... 242
Conclusion - Obedience not legalism ........................................................................... 252
1
Some years ago I was perusing a Christian bookstand at a Protestant Free Church, when
I noticed a booklet entitled, “The 7 Feasts of God”. This small volume grabbed my
attention in a manner that I have become accustomed to believing is the Holy Spirit
when He wants to highlight something of significance. Though only about twenty pages
long, it was a fascinating read as it revealed how these feasts foretold the Messiah and
what He would achieve. As I researched the Feasts online to learn more about them, I
came across various Christian sects that still keep these feasts today. Though I had been
taught that Colossians 2:16-17 explained that these feasts no longer needed to be kept
because Messiah had fulfilled them, it was made apparent to me that these verses clearly
state that the Feasts are a shadow of things to come, and that the apostle Paul was
actually encouraging the saints not to be disheartened by those who would judge them
for keeping the feasts, as the prophetic festivals still await a future dual fulfilment. The
more I proceeded to read from the Old Testament Prophets and from Paul in the New
Testament, the more I came to discover that what the Bible calls the “Feasts of Yahweh”
(or the “Feasts of the LORD” in some translations) were always intended to be kept
both before and after our Saviour died on the cross.
The reason I recount this occasion in my life, is because it was a turning point for me
in coming to realise that our Saviour never came to do away with anything that the
Father had commanded and that the same Law which the prophets always called His
people back to is eternal and unchanging. There are elements of the Law that we cannot
keep without being in the land of Israel or by having a dedicated temple, but there are
many commandments that are still applicable to us in gentile lands today. It took me
six years after reading the booklet on the seven feasts of Yahweh to fully realise that
nothing in the Law has been abolished and that Yahshua (Jesus) and the apostles only
spoke against the traditions and manmade laws that the Jews had invented as part of
their oral law. It was thus in the seventh year that I finally accepted this ancient truth.
Hence the reason for this book that I have written; to help bring other Christians to the
same realisation and to hopefully make the journey easier than it was for myself. To
assist in this task, I proceed in this book to not only show through scripture that the Law
was always intended to stand forever, but to also explain the many difficult passages in
the New Testament that would seem to contradict this fact. I have also endeavoured to
highlight passages found in both Testaments which clearly describe the law of God as
a blessing and not a curse (unless we try to be justified by it), as well as attempting to
correctly orientate our minds in scripture to see that the Law is virtuous and good in
every aspect. I am sure to have some of the finer points wrong (we are all still learning),
but I believe that I have adequately presented in this book the overall message that the
Law still stands as a set of commandments to be kept by believers today.
Finally, let me assure you that nowhere in this book do I say that if you have not been
following the Law then you are not saved. If you have expressed godly sorrow for your
sinful state of heart and asked God for forgiveness, then you are saved, justified by His
blood. But the Law is necessary to sanctify us in association with His Spirit, and this is
why He gives it to us - as will hopefully be made clear by the end.
2
ISAIAH 56: 6
Also the sons of the stranger, who join themselves to YHVH to serve Him, and to love the
name of YHVH, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and takes
hold of My covenant…
Later in this volume it will be shown what it truly means to love the name of God. But
to also call Him by His proper name is to show that we know Him, that we communicate
with Him on a personal level just as He desires. Many modern translations of the Bible
simply use the word “LORD”, which is not a name but a title. “LORD” is a substitute
for the name of God, which in some Bibles is transliterated as “Jehovah”. Because the
Hebrew alphabet does not include vowels, the most accurate rendering of His name in
the English alphabet is YHVH; this is thus the name that I have included in scriptural
quotes within this volume. But outside of the scriptural text I have utilised the name of
“Yahweh”, which some believe is the closest approximation of how the name is to be
pronounced.
I have also chosen to refer to our Saviour by His original Hebrew name of Yahshua.
This is simply a preference to recognise the name that He was given, which in Hebrew
means, “Yahweh saves”. This name was transliterated to Iesous in the Greek language
and then to Jesus in the English. However, I have retained the name “Jesus” within the
Biblical text simply because it is a name that many relate to on a personal level. This is
also true with the Greek term “Christ”, but within my own words I have chosen to use
the Hebrew term “Messiah” (which likewise means “anointed one”) as a reminder of
our Hebrew heritage and identification with the saints of the past. Yet our Saviour has
many titles and we are told that He will also be given a new name (Revelation 3:12), so
the only issue of real concern is that we understand that which does not change, which
is the character of our God as revealed in His Word.
I have refrained from making these more exact changes in the Introduction, simply to
make the delivery of what may be new concepts to the reader easier to handle. As we
progress through the entirety of scripture I hope the reader will come to appreciate these
Hebrew acknowledgements of our faith.
Finally, whilst the majority of scriptural quotes in this book are taken from the MKJV,
I usually don’t make a note of which version I have used simply because we should not
be elevating any one translation above the word of God itself. At times I have included
multiple translations, but the reader is strongly encouraged to do their own Bible study
on the selected passages found in this volume and not to trust in any one translational
work. Indeed, this volume has been designed as an accompaniment for your own Bible
study and will not be fully understood if read in isolation; as particular verses are noted
and explained, you will need to be reading along in your own Bible and comparing with
other translations where needed.
All images in this volume are freely sourced from CreationSwap.com unless otherwise stated
3
That we are not under Law is clear from the following verse.
ROMANS 6: 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.
The majority of Christians interpret this verse to mean that the Law was either done
away after Christ died on the cross for our sins, or that it is simply not applicable to the
new believer. But the verse doesn’t actually say either of these things. It simply says
that we are not under the Law, which is an abstract statement that requires context to
have any meaning. Many have been told that this phrase means that the Law is no longer
something that we should adhere to. But could it mean something else? Let’s keep
reading.
ROMANS 6: 15
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
And what is sin?
1 JOHN 3: 4
Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. *
So John tells us that sin is breaking God’s law. And Paul says that God forbid that we
should keep sinning. So Paul is saying, God forbid that we should keep breaking His
law!
4
ROMANS 3: 31
Do we then make the Law void through faith? Let it not be! But we establish the Law.
That being the case, what then does it mean to be under the Law? Clearly it cannot
mean that we are no longer to follow it, because then we would be sinning.
Let’s back up a little bit. The preceding verses in Romans chapter six are speaking of
our new life in Christ, by which we now yield our physical bodies to service in
righteousness and no longer to sin, for we are now sealed and indwelt by the Spirit of
God. Hence in verse 6:14, Paul says that sin shall not have dominion over us. The
context thus shows us that the transition from being under Law to being under grace is
something that has occurred in the life of a believer, not the result of an event on a
historical timeline. This transition occurs when a person repents and accepts God’s
forgiveness (enabled through the Cross for believers past and future). It is not a change
in the way that God deals with the world or with His people. In other words, this is not
a dispensational change, but a change that occurs within a person whenever they turn
their lives over to God.
What then does it mean to be under the Law? Only that we are under it’s authority.
The authority of the Law demands that we be perfect, but nobody but Jesus has been
faithful to God's law from cradle to grave and so no one finds justification through the
Law. That’s why Jesus had to become the righteousness for everyone who believes
(Romans 10:4). It wasn’t the Law that was taken away on the cross, but the legal right
that it had to condemn us judiciously.
COLOSSIANS 2: 12-15
...buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the
working of God, raising Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary
to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. Having stripped rulers and
authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.
The “handwriting of ordinances that was against us” was the charge laid against us for
not keeping the Law perfectly, not the actual Law itself. Various translations make this
clear, a few of which are reproduced below.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God
made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of
debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
ESV
You were once dead because of your failures and your uncircumcised corrupt nature. But
God made you alive with Christ when he forgave all our failures. He did this by erasing the
charges that were brought against us by the written laws God had established. He took the
charges away by nailing them to the cross.
God’s Word
5
And [although you were dead] in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he
made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having destroyed the
certificate of indebtedness in ordinances against us, which was hostile to us, and removed it
out of the way by nailing it to the cross.
LEB
Admittedly there are also translations of this verse which say that the Law was done
away in addition to its legal demands, which just goes to show how much room there
is for interpretation according to a translator's theology. So one must compare what is
being said in the rest of scripture. When we do this, we see quite clearly that the Law
is not the problem, but only our failure to keep it.
HEBREWS 8: 7-11
For if that first covenant had been without fault, then no place would have been sought
for the second. For finding fault with them, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the
Lord, and I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant
shall be, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took hold of
their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt," because they did not continue in My
covenant, and I did not regard them, says the Lord. "For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and
write them in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall
not each man teach his neighbour, and each man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all
shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.
Note that the writer to the Hebrews says that God found fault with them (His people)
not with the Law itself. God then goes on to say that He will put His laws in the hearts
and minds of His people under the new covenant. Not just in the heart but in the mind
as well. Many Christians today will say that God’s laws have been implanted in their
hearts so that they follow His ways intrinsically, in the Spirit, without having to follow
specific laws. But God says that He will write His laws in the minds of His people as
well as their hearts. His people will intellectually acknowledge these laws; they will be
mindful of them. God’s people will acknowledge His laws and have a desire for them.
Both mind and heart. This is hardly doing away with the Law.
This passage in the book of Hebrews is very important, because it points back to a
prophecy that God made regarding the future role of His law (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and
there are others too (Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:26-27, Isaiah 2:2-4, Micah 4:1-3). The role of the
Holy Spirit in applying the Law to our lives is why Colossians 2:13 says that we have
been “quickened” as a result of the Cross; a process which is to conform us into His
image as a perfect manifestation of the law of love. Nowhere is there a single prophecy
that God would do away with His law, which is important when we consider Amos 3:7.
AMOS 3: 7
For the Lord GOD will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
Jesus did not come to do away with the Father’s law, but to re-establish it.
6
PROVERBS 4: 1-2
Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I
give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law.
JOHN 7: 16-19
Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone
desires to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself.
He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him
is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of
you keeps the Law! Why do you seek to kill Me?
MARK 7: 6-9
But He answered and said to them, Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is
written, "This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. However, they
worship Me in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." For laying aside the
commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the dippings of pots and cups. And many
other such things you do. And He said to them, Do you do well to set aside the commandment
of God, so that you may keep your own tradition?
Jesus never criticised anyone for following the Law but rather for following their own
ways which ran contrary to it. He saved us for the very purpose of keeping His law so
that we might be found to walk in the fullness of His love.
1 JOHN 2: 5-6
But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know
that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.
Jesus walked according to the Law, as the Word of God. That’s the Son of God that we
are to follow. But because the law of God has either been cast aside or selectively picked
apart, we now have a whole host of denominations and movements with varying creeds
and doctrines as to what commandments we are to follow (if any). This leads away
from the simplicity of understanding that we are to seek to keep all of the laws just as
Jesus did.
2 CORINTHIANS 11: 3-4
But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, so your thoughts
should be corrupted from the simplicity due to Christ. For if, indeed, the one coming proclaims
another Jesus, whom we have not proclaimed, or if you receive another spirit, which you did
not receive, or another gospel, which you never accepted, you might well endure these.
This volume aims to show that this other Jesus, this other Spirit, this other gospel, is
that which preaches and leads into lawlessness. Just as the serpent craftily beguiled Eve
into disobeying God, so over the centuries he has caused many to unwittingly depart
from the Word of God in order to give heed to his own words:
7
You don't need to believe all of the words that God originally gave... being disobedient to His
original instructions will not lead you into darkness... you can choose your own rules, or do
away with them altogether, as you worship God how you want.
Before we begin our journey through the whole Bible to show that the Law was never
done away, let me appeal to one key scripture to help encourage you to reconsider what
you may think you know about the law of God.
PSALM 119: 29-30
Remove from me the way of lying; and grant me Your Law graciously. I have chosen the
way of truth; I have laid Your judgments before me.
You may never have seen the words “law” and “grace” go together like this before. The
giving of the Law by God is a gracious thing. The Law points out sin and its dangers,
tells us how to walk in step with God, and thereby how to be blessed with His presence.
JOHN 15: 10
If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love.
The Law exists in order to bless, not curse.
PSALM 1: 1-3
Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in
the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law
of YHVH; and in His Law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all
which he does shall be blessed.
We simply need God’s Spirit to enable us to do His will (His law) because of the
temptation of the flesh.
ROMANS 8: 6-7
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, neither indeed
can it be.
PHILIPPIANS 4: 13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
It’s really that simple. We do not need to spend years in seminary learning a convoluted
array of systematic theologies to tell us what to follow and what not to follow in God’s
word. Yahweh is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). He does not change His
ways (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17). His instructions remain the same (Psalm 119:160). The
way of life, to become like God through His grace, has been simple and non-changing
since the very beginning. So let us keep it that way.
8
1 JOHN 2: 7
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had
from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
* Some translations say "lawlessness" rather than "transgression of the law," which
some Biblical teachers then try to apply to disobeying man's laws and not God's. But
don't just take the KJV's word for the fact that we are talking about God's law here:
Everyone who is a sinner goes against the law, for sin is going against the law.
BBE
Everyone who sins breaks God's law, because sin is the same as breaking God's law.
CEV
Anyone who sins breaks God's law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God's law.
ERV
Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the law.
GNB
9
The law of God was not just for the time of Moses. It pre-existed Moses and was even
kept by Abraham, to whom the promise was given by faith. This wasn't the lawless faith
that is preached by many today, but one that was kept in step to the ways of God.
GENESIS 26: 4-5
And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your seed
all these lands. And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because Abraham
obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My Laws.
Job (who is believed to have lived around the same time as the Patriarchs) certainly was
aware of the Law when Eliphaz the Temanite falsely admonished him for not keeping
it.
JOB 22:22
Please receive the Law from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.
[Whoever divided our Bibles into chapters and verses provided an unwitting pointer to
the fact that Job and his associates are a second witness with Abraham (22:22) in
showing us that God's law was kept during the patriarchal period.]
So when did the Law make its first appearance?
Let me posit that Moses records it as being right at the beginning (as 1 John 2:7 seems
to suggest).
10
GENESIS 1: 1-5
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form
and empty. And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face
of the waters. And God said, Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light that
it was good. And God divided between the light and the darkness. And God called the light,
Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The very beginning of the Bible has been a point of contention for a long time; how
could there be light and day before God had even created the sun, moon and stars? The
heavenly lights were not created to give light upon the earth until the fourth day.
GENESIS 1: 14-19
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day
and the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. And let them
be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so. And God
made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night,
and the stars also. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
and to rule over the day and over the night; and to divide between the light and the darkness.
And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Even those who do not believe in the divine inspiration of scripture must recognise that
even the most primitive of men could not fail to recognise that the sun, moon and stars
give us the light that we need to avoid finding ourselves in utter darkness. In fact this
is even attested to in the second passage above where it says God provided the heavenly
bodies "to give light upon the earth." It is also noted that these lights were created in
order to “divide between the light and the darkness”. So if this happened on day four,
then what was the light that was manifested on day one, and what was the darkness that
God divided it from on that same day (v4)?
Let me raise the possibility that the light mentioned on day one was not the light by
which we see physically, but the light of divine truth and holiness by which we see
spiritually (the law – Psalm 19:8, Romans 7:7). Note that this light was not created, it was
simply called into the new existence which God was creating as He declared: Let there
be light!
To elucidate this theory, let us examine the Hebrew roots of the words used in Genesis
1 according to Strong's concordance.
Light - H216 - ‫'אור‬- ôr - ore
From H215; illumination or (concretely) luminary (in every sense, including lightning,
happiness, etc.): - bright, clear, + day, light (-ning), morning, sun.
The word translated as "light" in Genesis 1:3 refers to illumination and can mean other
than physical light, such as happiness. The same is true for its opposite, darkness.
11
Darkness - H2822 - ‫ חׁשך‬- chôshek - kho-shek'
From H2821; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively misery, destruction, death,
ignorance, sorrow, wickedness: - dark (-ness), night, obscurity.
So the word translated as “light” can mean illumination and happiness, whilst the word
translated as “darkness” can mean obscurity, sorrow and wickedness. Does the Bible
ever use the figurative form of light in association with spiritual light; the word of God?
PSALM 119: 105
Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.
PSALM 119: 130
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
PROVERBS 6: 23
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the
way of life;
JOHN 1: 1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not
even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the
light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
Yes. The light is clearly equated with God's Word (His law, of which Yahshua is the
human manifestation) and John ties this light directly into the account of creation. John
also notes the darkness as being in opposition to the light, and this contrast between
spiritual light and darkness is noted throughout scripture.
ISAIAH 5: 20-21
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for
darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes,
and bright in their own sight!
MATTHEW 6: 23
But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that
is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
JOHN 3: 19-21
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates
the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who
practices truth comes to the Light so that his works may be revealed, that they exist, having
been worked in God.
12
So the light of Genesis 1:3 would appear to be the truth, the Word of God as found in
the Law and in Yahshua, which brings spiritual illumination - true life to our lives. And
the darkness is evil, which attempts to obscure the truth and lead people into captivity,
death and sorrow. So the first thing God did after creating the earth was to cast out
anything that was contrary to His will and would affect His creation, hence dividing the
spiritual light from the spiritual darkness. We can only assume what this spiritual
darkness may have been, but it was likely the rebellious angels who joined Satan in his
fall from heaven. The enemy has always been present at key points in history, even in
the Garden in order to tempt Eve from following the way of God, so it makes sense that
he and his minions may have tried to corrupt the creation from day one.
GENESIS 1: 2-4
And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the
waters. And God said, Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light that it was
good. And God divided between the light and the darkness.
To paraphrase: And the enemy was present on the face of the world, and the Spirit of
God moved to displace the enemy through the manifestation of the Word [Yahshua],
hence dividing between the light and the darkness.
JOHN 1: 5
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
Of further import, there appears to be a difference between the light that God calls
“Day” and the first “day” of creation.
GENESIS 1: 5
And God called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And the evening and the
morning were the first day.
God says that He called the light "Day" and the darkness "Night", distinct terms from
the evening and the morning which together form a usual “day”. Can these two words
‘Day’ and ‘Night’ also be referring to the spiritual?
Day - H3117 - ‫ יום‬- yôm - yome
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literally (from
sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by
an associated term), (often used adverbially): - age, + always, + chronicles, continually (-ance),
daily, ([birth-], each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever
(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (. . . live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,
presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other
times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full)
year (-ly), + younger.
13
The word translated as Day can be used figuratively to describe a period of time that is
defined by some particular quality. Our Saviour used the word in this way when
speaking of the time He had in which to do the works of God.
JOHN 9: 4-5
I must work the works of Him who sent Me, while it is day. Night comes when no man can
work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.
These works that Yahshua worked during a period of time termed “day” were the works
that brought light to where there was previously darkness.
1 JOHN 3: 8
He who practices sin is of the Devil, for the Devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose
the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the Devil.
Day is therefore a period of time in which spiritual light has the upper hand. This was
the case during creation and in the Garden before Adam and Eve sinned. It was the case
again when Yahshua walked on the earth. And it will be again when He returns to reign
in the Millennium; a period of time that is therefore not surprisingly called the “Day of
the Lord”. And if when Night comes no man can do the works of God, then what is
Night but a period of time in which darkness has the upper hand, working in opposition
to the works of God…
Night - H3915 - ‫ לילה ליל ליל‬- layil lêyl layelâh - lah'-yil, lale, lah'-yel-aw
From the same as H3883; properly a twist (away of the light), that is, night; figuratively
adversity: - ([mid-]) night (season).
It is most revealing that the Strong's definition for the word translated as Night is not
the absence of light, but the twisting away of light; this is therefore the twisting of the
truth of the Word, whereby people are led away from the eternal word of God.
2 PETER 3: 15-18
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote
to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them
of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the
ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You
therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the
error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in grace and in knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
God separated the Day from the Night on the first day of creation when the Light
manifested Himself and the darkness was not able to overcome Him. From this platform
He was able to move forward by bringing order and life to a creation that had been
empty and without form in the presence of Night. Hence God called the light good but
not the darkness.
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Now when we consider that the Word of God created mankind in His own image, He
must therefore have created us to be in accordance with His own spiritual nature; to be
in tune with His word. Were Adam and Eve completely in tune with His word? No,
otherwise they would not have rebelled when tempted (1 John 3:9). Which means that
they, like us, were still in the process of learning and implementing God’s word into
their lives. This can be inferred from the presence of the tree of life, when we consider
that this tree must by definition be the tree of the ways of God - for the ways of God
are life (Psalm 16:11, Proverbs 3:1-18, 12:28, Matthew 7:14). Eating from the fruit of this
tree would impart the spiritual wisdom of God’s ways, making one spiritually alive, for
‘like begets like’ (Matthew 7:17-18). Indeed, eating from the tree of knowledge of good
and evil imparted knowledge (Genesis 3:7) so eating from the tree of life must have also
imparted knowledge, but specifically the knowledge of God’s law.
But when Adam and Eve sinned from eating from the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, it appears that God would no longer allow mankind to eat from the tree of life due
to this disobedience. It will be seen later in scripture that God denies us His word when
we do not make the best use of what we have, requiring us to repent before He restores
even what we had (Isaiah 6:9-10, Amos 8:11-12, Matthew 25:14-30).
GENESIS 3: 22-23
And YHVH God said, Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And
now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever,
therefore YHVH God sent him out from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he
had been taken.
So it was only when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
that they began to follow another path and it is extremely important to note that the tree
of knowledge of good and evil was both good and evil. In other words, it contained not
only evil but good as well.
Why both? Why not just evil? Probably because mixing good with evil is deceptive; it
leads people away from the true path without realising it. Pure evil does not appeal to
people, but the compromise does. The Bible is full of warnings and condemnations for
those who blend good with evil, who twist the truth, for that is the surest way to
deceiving people and leading them off the straight and narrow path. And that, sadly, is
what modern Christianity does today; it takes some of God's word, some of His laws
and commandments, and then substitutes them with the ways of the world, saying that
you can now do your own thing where once those other commandments applied. And
the more one follows the ways of the world, the more one wanders away from God's
commandments until they have nearly all been done away with in a lawless church and
faith.
Once Adam and Eve fell into sin, it is likely that God revealed to them the part of His
law that applied to the act of redemption, clothing them in the skin of animals (3:21) in
what was probably a permanent reminder of the required blood sacrifice. Certainly this
practice was instituted for their children (Genesis 4:3-5). It is also to be expected that
Yahweh would have given them the judgments from His law that relate to civil matters.
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PSALM 119: 160
Your Word is true from the beginning; and every one of Your righteous judgments endures
forever.
Adam and Eve would have taught the law of God to all subsequent generations for the
many centuries in which they lived. Indeed by the time we get to Noah we find that he
is a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), and this book will later show in more detail
that righteousness is the law (Psalm 119:142, Isaiah 42:21, 51:7). And if we are to put any
stock in the extra-Biblical texts that the Bible itself sometimes alludes to for witness,
(for example Joshua 10:13, 1 Kings 11:41, 1 Chronicles 29:29, 2 Chronicles 9:29) then we
see that Noah received what he knew from his fathers, who received the commandments
of God from Enoch, who taught them after Adam died.
JUBILEES 7: 20, 38
And in the twenty-eighth jubilee Noah began to enjoin upon his sons' sons the ordinances
and commandments, and all the judgments that he knew, and he exhorted his sons to observe
righteousness, and to cover the shame of their flesh, and to bless their Creator, and honour
father and mother, and love their neighbour, and guard their souls from fornication and
uncleanness and all iniquity… “For thus did Enoch, the father of your father command
Methuselah, his son, and Methuselah his son Lamech, and Lamech commanded me all the things
which his fathers commanded him. And I also will give you commandment, my sons, as Enoch
commanded his son in the first jubilees: whilst still living, the seventh in his generation, he
commanded and testified to his son and to his sons' sons until the day of his death.”
JASHER 3: 17-20, 26
And it was in the year of Adam's death which was the two hundred and forty-third year of
the reign of Enoch, in that time Enoch resolved to separate himself from the sons of men and
to secret himself as at first in order to serve the Lord. And Enoch did so, but did not entirely
secret himself from them, but kept away from the sons of men three days and then went to
them for one day. And during the three days that he was in his chamber, he prayed to, and
praised the Lord his God, and the day on which he went and appeared to his subjects he taught
them the ways of the Lord, and all they asked him about the Lord he told them. And he did in
this manner for many years, and he afterward concealed himself for six days, and appeared to
his people one day in seven; and after that once in a month, and then once in a year, until all
the kings, princes and sons of men sought for him, and desired again to see the face of Enoch,
and to hear his word; but they could not, as all the sons of men were greatly afraid of Enoch,
and they feared to approach him on account of the Godlike awe that was seated upon his
countenance... He taught them wisdom and knowledge, and gave them instruction, and he
rebuked them, and he placed before them statutes and judgements to do on earth, and he
made peace among them, and taught them everlasting life, and lived with them some time
teaching them all these things.
It is said in the passage above that Enoch taught the "ways of the Lord", which is an
expression synonymous with the ways of YHVH (the LORD) in the Old Testament.
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2 SAMUEL 22: 22-23
For I have kept the ways of YHVH, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all
his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
(And virtually repeated by David in Psalm 18:20-21)
PSALM 138: 4-5
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O YHVH, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of YHVH: for great is the glory of YHVH.
HOSEA 14: 9
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for
the ways of YHVH are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall
therein.
It is worth pointing out that this same phrase is also used once in the New Testament.
ACTS 13: 9-10
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And
said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Paul, possibly the greatest scholar of scripture in his time and filled with the Holy Spirit,
would appear to be employing scriptural consistency in using a well-known term for
the laws of God. We will return to this scripture in the New Testament analysis. For
now we will simply concentrate on God's commandments being taught and practised
before Moses, to prove that they were not unique to the Mosaic Law.
Indeed in Genesis 7 we note that God differentiates between clean and unclean animals
when instructing Noah in loading the ark (a full list of which is given in the book of
Leviticus, with the instruction that only clean animals are to be eaten). God commands
Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals but just a single pair of unclean animals. Then
the distinction between these animals is made again in Genesis 8 when Noah offers
sacrifices to God from every clean animal.
Though in Genesis 9:3 God says that “every moving thing” is now for mankind to eat,
it should be noted that some translations say, “every reptile”, and some say, “every
creeping thing”, neither of which makes much sense. In fact the Hebrew word often
translated as “moving thing” has caused much debate amongst scholars and is generally
recognised as simply denoting an unspecified category. In fact a different Hebrew word
is used in Genesis 8:17 when God instructs Noah to bring forth from the Ark every
“living thing”, which was clearly all of the creatures. This word is not used in Genesis
9:3. As the exact meaning of the Hebrew word often translated as “moving thing” has
evidently been lost from this ancient language, we cannot be dogmatic with this single
verse. However we can and should note that there was clearly a reason why God
instructed Noah to differentiate between the number of clean and unclean animals that
were to be saved. And when we consider that only one pair of unclean animals was to
be saved, it is obvious that Noah was not to eat them (otherwise it would have been an
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end to the said species). That God provided seven pairs of clean animals indicates that
these were the ones to eat and to sacrifice from once the Ark had landed, whilst keeping
the species alive to repopulate the earth.
In addition to Abel and Noah, Abraham also offered animal sacrifices to God, as did
Jacob in Genesis 31 and as Israel in Genesis 46 (the importance of these two accounts
will be highlighted in a later section). So the practice of sacrifices was nothing new
when the commandment for burnt offerings was given through Moses. From the
moment that God provided animal skins as clothing for Adam and Eve, a sacrificial
system was inaugurated to point towards the necessity of an eternal blood sacrifice to
cover our sins.
Genesis 17 introduces the commandment of circumcision, a sign of the covenant that
God makes with Abraham. Though there has been no mention of this commandment
until now, this is true for every commandment except murder - which wasn't even
mentioned as a commandment until after the Flood in Genesis 9. This doesn't mean that
murder was not a sin in the beginning, and likewise this doesn't mean that circumcision
was necessarily absent as a commandment before Abraham. Because Moses was
writing Genesis at the same time that he was giving the children of Israel the Law as
recorded in Exodus through to Deuteronomy, it seems likely that he did not need to
reiterate all of God’s laws in the historical account of Genesis. For what it’s worth,
rabbinic legend claims that circumcision existed before Abraham, but Yahshua Himself
points to the fact that circumcision did not originate from Moses but that it came from
the fathers/ancestors.
JOHN 7: 22
Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you
circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
Moses was simply instructed by God to reinstitute a law that had either been forgotten
or neglected during the Israelites time in Egypt. Whether the commandment to be
circumcised was given before Abraham or not, it is still to be noted that it is another
“Mosaic law” given before Moses.
In Genesis 18:19 we come across the singular phrase, “the way of Yahweh", rather than
the plural, "ways of Yahweh". This is essentially the same thing, as the ways of Yahweh
combine to make up the Way of Yahweh, just as the laws of God make up the Law of
God. And later in the Bible we shall see that the "way of Yahweh" simply becomes
known as, "the Way".
Returning to the book of Job, we see that Job also speaks of God’s ways.
JOB 21: 14
And they say to God, Depart from us; for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways…
That these ways are synonymous with God’s law is evident when Job is accused in the
next chapter of being one of these wicked who despise God’s ways and is then
reprimanded to keep God’s law.
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JOB 22: 22
Please receive the Law from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.
Job then responds to the accusation that he has not kept the Law by saying that he has
kept God’s way, thus identifying the two as the same.
JOB 23: 11-12
My foot has held fast in His steps; I have kept His way, and have not fallen away; nor have
I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I treasured the words of His mouth more than
my portion.
Job doesn’t need to specifically mention the Law in his defence, because it is the same
as “the way of Yahweh”, also called “the commandment” throughout scripture. And
then Job says that those who have not known God’s ways are those who rebel against
the light; which figuratively speaking is the Word of God.
JOB 24: 13
They are of those who rebel against the light; they know not His ways, nor stay in His paths.
In Genesis 26:5 we have the declaration that Abraham, "obeyed my voice, and kept my
charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws". Here then we clearly have
confirmation that there was an established set of instructions that God had at some point
introduced to the world. If we turn again to the book of Jasher, it tells us that Abram
was raised in the household of Noah and Shem between the ages of ten and forty-nine,
and that they taught him “the instruction of the Lord and his ways”.
Abram then most likely taught his nephew Lot the ways of the Lord as well, for Lot is
referred to as righteous in the midst of a lawless society in Peter’s second epistle.
2 PETER 2: 7-8
And He delivered righteous Lot, oppressed with the lustful behaviour of the lawless. For
that righteous one living among them, in seeing and hearing, his righteous soul was tormented
from day to day with their unlawful deeds.
It is worth pointing out that the Hebrew word translated as "Law" in both Genesis 26:5
and Job 22:22 is the word “Torah”, which simply means "instructions". It has been used
for thousands of years to refer to all five books of Moses (the Pentateuch) because of
the compiled set of instructions that are given within them. The common terminologies
used to refer to these instructions as the Law, the Way, the Light and the
Commandment, would strongly suggest that they are the same instructions that
Abraham kept, that Enoch taught, that Noah preached, and that Job also referred to as
“the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10). And Yahshua all but implies that Abraham’s
works are consistent with the Law.
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JOHN 8: 39
They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus answered them, If you were
Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
That God’s laws are a blessing is noted in Genesis 49, when Jacob blesses the tribe of
Judah with the continuous presence of lawgivers.
GENESIS 49: 10
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh
come. And the obedience of the peoples to him.
Shiloh is the Messiah, Yahshua. Jacob blesses Judah by saying that there will always
be a king and a lawgiver in Judah until the Messiah comes, at which point Yahshua will
appear to take up the role of both as "obedience of the peoples" is made to Him. Though
Yahshua was rejected by His own people at His first coming, He is still king to those
who accept Him and a lawgiver to those who recognise Him in that role. This is
witnessed in both the Old and New Testament.
ISAIAH 33: 22
For YHVH is our judge, YHVH is our lawgiver, YHVH is our king; he will save us.
JAMES 4: 12
There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you who judges another?
Note that Yahshua is spoken of as saving us in the context of a lawgiver! This will be
explained as we continue to work through scripture and come to understand the full
purpose of the Law.
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It should be immediately noted that one of the reasons why Christians feel that the Law
is a bad thing is because in many places it does not agree with modern liberal values.
In today’s world a new Christian begins a study of the Bible by reading the New
Testament first, filtering its words through a western mindset and then trying to fit an
understanding of the Old Testament commandments into this new paradigm. Instead,
what we need to do is renew our minds in the word of God (the foundation of which is
God’s instructions for life in the Law), and not just make slight adjustments here and
there dependant on what seems ‘good in our own eyes’.
ROMANS 12: 2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
In Exodus 4:24-26 we have what seems at first glance an unusual event where we are
told that God intended to kill Moses, at least until his wife circumcised their son, at
which point God relents. This small passage seems even more unusual in that it does
not run with the flow of the narrative. This may have been intentional so that we would
pay special attention to it, but in order to do so we need to examine the two different
translations of these verses.
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EXODUS 4: 24-26
And it happened by the way, in the inn, that YHVH met him and sought to kill him. And
Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and threw it at his feet, and
said, Surely a bloody husband you are to me. So He let him go. Then she said, You are a bloody
husband, because of the circumcision.
EXODUS 4: 24-26
One night while Moses was in camp, YHVH was about to kill him. But Zipporah circumcised
her son with a flint knife. She touched his legs with the skin she had cut off and said, "My dear
son, this blood will protect you." So YHVH did not harm Moses. Then Zipporah said, "Yes, my
dear, you are safe because of this circumcision.
The second translation offers a lot more sense, because what we see is the covenant of
God serving to protect Moses’ son as his family embarks to Egypt in order to confront
Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land. What this passage
appears to be saying is that in order to wage spiritual warfare and bring people to
salvation, we need the protection of God’s covenant before heading out into the world
to do battle (Acts 19:13-16 gives an example of this).
Now physical circumcision does not enter one into salvation, as the example in Acts 19
shows (physically circumcised Jews were attacked by evil spirits because they were not
born of God). Just as animal sacrifices did not wash away sins but only covered over
sins, it would seem that the physical circumcision of Moses’ son simply extended
Moses’ covenant protection over him (1 Corinthians 7:14). Though this is speculation,
what we do see here is the continuing importance of blood sacrifice when entering into
covenant with God.
The question of whether the practice of circumcision was to continue after the sacrifice
of Christ is synonymous with the practice of animal sacrifice, for both point to the
eternal blood sacrifice of Messiah. These subjects will be returned to more than once
before the end of this volume, with the New Testament providing the final word on this
matter. For now we simply need to note the importance of blood sacrifice in the law of
God (Hebrews 9:22).
In Exodus 5:1 we see the first mention of the feasts of God, which play a major part in
the law as given by God to Moses. The feast spoken of here is the feast of Unleavened
Bread, which directly follows Passover. Note the importance of keeping this feast, as
Moses and Aaron were afraid that the justice of God would slay them if they failed to
keep it.
EXODUS 5: 3
And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we pray you, three days'
journey into the desert and sacrifice to YHVH our God, lest He fall upon us with plague or with
the sword.
Notice the same importance that the apostle Paul gave to this same feast in the New
Testament period.
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ACTS 18: 21
…but he took leave of them, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that is coming in
Jerusalem, but I will return again to you, God willing. And he sailed from Ephesus.
If you can’t find this mention of the feast in your Bible, that’s because most modern
translations have deleted it. But you can find it in the King James’ versions.
In Exodus, Pharaoh makes things even worse for the children of Israel in response to
Moses and Aaron’s demands, so much so that Moses cries to God at the end of Exodus
5 and says, “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to
this people. Neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
We should note that Moses speaks about deliverance for the children of Israel. Yet if
today’s mainstream theologians are correct in their claim that the law of Moses is
bondage, then is Yahweh bringing His people out of bondage in Egypt only to put them
into another kind of bondage in the Promised Land?
In Exodus 12, God begins to instruct Moses in His feasts, providing the calendar upon
which they are built. Was this calendar known before Moses? There is reason to believe
that it was, because we are told that the sun, moon and stars were made to declare the
times in which God’s feasts were to be kept as well as in their function of giving light
upon the earth.
GENESIS 1: 14
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day
and the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.
PSALM 104: 19
He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knows its going down.
The word translated as “seasons” is more accurately declared as “appointed times”.
Seasons - H4150 - ‫ מועדה מעד מועד‬- mô‛êd mô‛êd mô‛âdâh - mo-ade', mo-ade', mo-aw-daw'
From H3259; properly an appointment, that is, a fixed time or season; specifically a festival;
conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose);
technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed
beforehand): - appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn)
feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).
The seven feasts of Yahweh are signals that point to Yahshua and the work of salvation
that He accomplishes. He was sacrificed for us on Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7-8), was
buried during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to symbolise our need to be buried with
Him by dying to ourselves (Romans 6:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:15), rose from the dead on First
Fruits so that we could rise unto life in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23), and
poured out His Spirit anew on Pentecost to help us walk in the righteousness of His law
(Romans 8:1-7). The final three feasts occur in the Autumn and most likely foreshadow
His return for His people on the Day of Trumpets (1 Thessalonians 4:16), the judgment
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of the nations on the Day of Atonement (Revelation 20:4, Matthew 25:31-34), and His
establishment of the Kingdom during the Feast of Tabernacles (Revelation 21:1-3).
Yahweh’s calendar, which tells us when these feast days fall, is determined by the
position of the sun, moon and stars relative to the Earth:
Days on the calendar are measured from evening to evening (Leviticus 23:32, Genesis
1:5+8+13+19+23+31).
Months begin at the new moon, for “month” and “new moon” in Hebrew are
synonymous, which means that Exodus 12:2 is best translated:
This new moon shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the
year to you.
The new moon is determined by the first observation of the moon in the sky at the
beginning of its new cycle.
DEUTERONOMY 16: 1
Observe the month [new moon of] Abib, and keep the Passover to YHVH your God. For in
the month of Abib, YHVH your God brought you forth out of Egypt by night.
The Hebrew word translated as “observe” is different to the Hebrew word translated as
“keep” later in the verse, which would suggest that the meaning of the first word is
intended to be different (‘to sight’ rather than ‘to keep’). It is thus generally believed
that the literal interpretation of this word is to be used in the above context.
Observe - H8104 – ‫ ׁשמר‬- shâmar - shaw-mar'
A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect,
attend to, etc.: - beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look
narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (man).
The new year is determined by the position of the stars, for it begins with the first new
moon after the vernal equinox. This is so because the feast of First Fruits is in the first
month of the year and ripe barley needs to be offered in this feast (Leviticus 23:5-11)
which will not be the case if the first month begins before the equinox – it will be too
early in the agricultural year.
It should be noted that there are cases built upon other scriptural passages to support
alternative beliefs that the month begins on a full moon, or a dark moon, and for the
day beginning at sunrise. But those put forward above are the most widely accepted
ones. As with other areas of doctrine there is always debate amongst believers as we
come to better know the Word of our God. The fact that these details for calculating the
calendar are not presented in the Bible in a clear format but instead require some
investigative work is compelling evidence that Israel already knew the calendar when
they left Egypt and that Moses did not need to spell it out to them. This is no reason to
believe that the Law no longer applies to us, only that we are still suffering from the
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consequences of our ancestors’ sin in dispensing with the Law (Amos 8, Jeremiah 4:22,
Ezekiel 22:26, Lamentations 2:5-6). We should remember that there are very debatable
areas of doctrine in the New Testament that have not been clearly spelled out for us but
this does not mean that the New Testament teachings no longer apply.
Now can God’s calendar, if correctly determined and observed, be considered bondage?
Are we not better off with the modern system that is far more precise? Though the latter
system has its uses, the former reminds us that Yahweh is in control, as well as
communicating to us important events both in our past and future (the latter of which
will be elucidated in the final section of this volume).
So returning to Exodus 12, Moses is simply instructed by Yahweh that the new year has
begun and that the children of Israel are to keep Passover on the 14th day of the month,
four days after the unblemished lamb has been found and chosen (which parallels the
time that Yahshua was tested by the elders, chief priests and scribes for anything which
they could accuse Him – Luke 20:20, Mark 14:55 – but He was declared spotless by the
Roman authorities – Luke 23:14-15).
In verse 14 Yahweh declares that Passover will be a memorial forever. Could this mean
that Passover is ever done away? Well the word translated as “forever” can also mean
“perpetuity”, which means ‘continuously without interruption’, not necessarily forever.
However, the importance of this feast is accentuated when Yahweh repeats that this
ordinance be observed forever in verses 17 and 24. Further reading through the Bible is
required to elucidate the full import of the commandment to keep Passover.
The end of Exodus 12 is very important because it shows that there is no difference
between what Yahweh expects from native born Israelites and the gentiles who join
with them.
EXODUS 12: 48-49
And when a stranger shall stay with you, and desires to keep the Passover to YHVH, let all
his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. And he shall be as one that
is born in the land. And no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law to the
native, and to the visitor that stays among you.
In case we miss it, Yahweh re-emphasises this in the book of Numbers – three extra
times.
NUMBERS 9: 14
And if a stranger shall live among you, and prepares the Passover to YHVH, he shall do
according to the ordinance of the Passover, and according to its ordinance. You shall have one
ordinance, both for the stranger and for him that was born in the land.
NUMBERS 15: 15-16
One ordinance for you of the congregation and also for the stranger that resides with you,
an ordinance forever in your generations. As you are, so the stranger shall be before YHVH.
One law and one way shall be for you and for the stranger that lives with you.
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NUMBER 15: 29-30
And you shall have one law for him who acts through ignorance; for him that is native
among the sons of Israel and for the alien that resides among them. But the soul who acts with
a high hand, whether of the native or of the alien, the same blasphemes YHVH. And that soul
shall be cut off from among his people.
There was never one law for the Israelite and a different law for the gentile, as many
believe and teach today. Seeing how there was one law and one way for everybody
before the Cross, then why shouldn’t that still be the case today? Indeed we are all
meant to be one in Messiah (Romans 10:12, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11), so wouldn’t
it be doctrinally regressive to make a difference between us now when there wasn’t one
previously? If Yahweh truly made the Law anathema after the Cross, then the Jews
should not be keeping it either (but as will be seen in the New Testament analysis the
Jews who were saved were still zealous for the Law). But if Yahweh has not done away
with the Law, then the gentiles should be keeping it too. That the Law was and is
universally applicable to all of humankind will become increasingly apparent as we
progress through God’s word.
In Exodus 13:3 we once again see Moses speaking of bringing the children of Israel “out
of the house of bondage”. If we are to believe that Yahweh brought His people out of
physical bondage only to put them into spiritual bondage, isn’t that far worse?
One must also consider what Moses tells the Israelites at the end of Exodus 15 after
Yahweh has rescued them from Egypt.
EXODUS 15: 26
And he said, If you will carefully listen to the voice of YHVH your God, and will do that which
is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His Laws, I will put
none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am YHVH who
heals you.
Yahweh’s instructions are “right in His sight”. He is a God who heals His people. And
yet some would have us believe that Yahweh was secretly putting them into bondage
and under a curse?
Quite the opposite, because at the end of Exodus 23 when Yahweh has given His
commandments and judgements, He warns the Israelites not to serve the gods of the
heathen for otherwise the heathen will surely be a snare to them. But if the Israelites
have already been caught in a snare by subjecting themselves to Yahweh’s laws, which
unbeknownst to them are bondage… You see the contradiction of logic?
As one reads through the Ten Commandments, and then the judgements that Yahweh
has given on how to deal with the breaking of these commandments (sometimes
severely for the good of the community and sometimes lightly for the good of the
individual), one struggles to see how they could be considered bondage to anyone other
than the wicked, or how they could be in opposition to the commandment to love God
and to love your neighbour; they are simply basic instructions on how to do so. Though
some of the judgements in Exodus 21 seem harsh by today’s standards (such as death
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for cursing one’s parents) we should note that there is a difference between spontaneous
and pre-meditated sin, as in the case with murder.
EXODUS 21: 12-14
He that strikes a man, so that he dies, shall be surely put to death. And if a man does not
lie in wait, but God delivers him into his hand, then I will appoint you a place where he shall
flee. But if a man comes presumptuously upon his neighbour to slay him with guile, you shall
take him from My altar, so that he may die.
If mercy is shown for someone who kills in an ‘act of passion’, then one would expect
such mercy to be shown for any other sin that was also committed in the heat of the
moment. So cursing one’s parents in the midst of an argument is hardly likely to be the
kind of instance where this judgement applies, but only when someone has cursed their
parents in a considered and significant way. And it should also be added that when the
judgement is pronounced as “surely”…
EXODUS 21: 17
And he that curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
…this is likely to be understood as meaning that no other punishment is sufficient, not
that there is no room for mercy in the face of repentance (which will be seen in the
Book of Numbers).
The law and commandments are then written down in a book that Moses refers to as
the Book of the Covenant in Exodus 24:7, thus revealing that the instructions Moses has
received for Israel are tied into the covenant that Yahweh has made with them; a
covenant that is frequently referred to as an everlasting covenant. The next section in
this volume will explore the import of this.
From Exodus 25 to 30 we see Yahweh giving Moses the instructions for constructing
the tabernacle and setting forth the statutes that determine how He is to be worshipped
by means of sacrifice and priesthood. Then in Exodus 31 Yahweh singles out for
particular emphasis the keeping of His Sabbaths, tying the weekly Sabbath to the
Creation and thus hinting that this is to be an eternal observance (which will become
clearer later in the Bible).
EXODUS 31: 13-18
Speak also to the sons of Israel, saying, Truly you shall keep My sabbaths. For it is a sign
between Me and you throughout your generations, to know that I am YHVH who sanctifies you.
You shall keep the Sabbath therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone that defiles it shall surely
be put to death. For whoever does any work in it, that soul shall be cut off from among his
people. Six days may work be done, but on the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to YHVH.
Whoever does any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the sons
of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for an
everlasting covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever. For in six days YHVH
made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed. And
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He gave to Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, two
tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
So the Sabbaths are a sign between Yahweh and His people Israel, throughout their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, forever, and inscribed within stone by the very
finger of God. It is seeming less and less likely that this instruction is only intended for
a fixed period of time.
In Exodus 32 we have the rebellion of Israel when Moses goes up Mount Sinai for forty
days and nights. When Moses comes back down with the Law written on two tablets of
stone, about 3000 Israelites are killed in judgement for this rebellion. Many Bible
teachers have used this event in contrast with Acts 2:41 (where about 3000 souls are
saved on Pentecost) to show that the Law kills whilst the Spirit saves. But is this the
inference that we are to take? The answer is no, because the 3000 or so Israelites were
killed because they rejected Yahweh’s law, not because they kept it. As will become
increasingly clear, the problem was never with Yahweh’s law but with the people who
didn’t keep it. Thus Yahweh will later make the following promise through Jeremiah
(31:31-33), which is recounted by the author of the book of Hebrews:
HEBREWS 8: 8-10
For finding fault with them, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and
I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took hold of their hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt," because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did
not regard them, says the Lord. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts,
and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Laws written in stone do not have the ability to bring people into obedience. Thus
Yahweh says that He will write them instead onto the hearts of His people and He does
so through His Spirit. Thus it is that the letter kills but the spirit gives life.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 2-6
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men, it having been made
plain that you are the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, not having been written with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone, but in fleshly tablets of the heart. And
we have such trust through Christ toward God, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think
anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God; who also has made us able ministers of
the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes
alive.
In later sections it will be shown that the new covenant is actually a renewed covenant
established on a better foundation but with the same expectations (the Hebrew word for
“new” can equally be translated as “renewed”, just as the new moon is really a renewed
moon and not an entirely different moon).
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In Exodus 34, Moses receives a new copy of the Ten Commandments and Yahweh
reiterates the command to keep His feast days and the Sabbaths associated with them.
When Moses returns to the people to give them these commands anew, his face is
shining so brightly that he has to put a veil over his face. This happens every time he
enters in and out of the Tabernacle to speak with Yahweh and receive additional
commands. The reason for this is not explained until the New Testament writings,
specifically in the rest of the above passage from 2 Corinthians 3. This will be looked at
in detail in the New Testament analysis. But essentially, the Israelites of Moses’ time
had no heart for Yahweh’s commandments; they only followed out of fear and not out
of love, and hence they could not endure the glory of God for it condemned them.
From Exodus 35-39, Moses gives the instructions that he received in Exodus 25-30
regarding the construction of the Tabernacle to the Israelites, and the preparation
begins. In Exodus 40, Moses receives the final instructions on consecrating the
Tabernacle. It is then erected and ready for service exactly one year to the day that the
instructions for Passover were given, when the Israelites were preparing for the final
judgment against Egypt and their flight to the Promised Land; that is on the first day of
the second year since Yahweh affirmed His calendar. And then they resume their
journey towards the land of Canaan.
In the book of Leviticus we get a more in-depth set of commandments, judgements,
laws and statutes. The first ten chapters deal with the manner of sacrifice and priesthood
service, and five times these are reiterated as being for the children of Israel forever
(3:17, 6:22, 7:36, 10:9+15). But in the seventeenth chapter we learn that this is only
applicable when there is a tabernacle or temple, because this is the only place that we
are allowed to take sacrifices.
LEVITICUS 17: 9-10
And you shall say to them, Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who are
staying among you, offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, and does not bring it to the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation to offer it to YHVH, even that man shall be cut off from among
his people.
And it is the only place where the Passover lamb is to be sacrificed.
DEUTERONOMY 16: 5-6
You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates, which YHVH your God gives
you, but at the place which YHVH your God shall choose to place His name in, there you shall
sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going of the sun, at the time that you came out of
Egypt.
This means that chapters 12-15 which deal with the matter of uncleanness cannot be
followed at this time, for they require the Levitical priesthood system and were given
so that people did not die from being unclean when they entered the presence of God
in the tabernacle (Leviticus 15:31). However, some elements of these laws can still be
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followed to prevent the spread of contagion in the absence of modern medical practice
and technology.
Chapter 11 lists animals which can and can’t be eaten. The reason for this law is that
Yahweh says we are not to defile (contaminate, pollute) ourselves physically (the bodily
aspect is made more clear in Leviticus 20:25). Modern science has proven that the
unclean animals are very bad for our health and often lead to the development of various
cancers, mainly because these creatures are scavengers that incorporate toxins into their
bodies and thus transfer them into ours when we eat them (no matter how they are
prepared and cooked). These animals were designed to cope with these toxins as a
means of cleaning up the environment, but we were not. Hence God does not call all
animals “food”; which will be an important point to remember in the New Testament
analysis.
It should be noted that the law of clean and unclean animals can still be followed (unlike
the laws in chapters 12-15) because it exists apart from the temple system and because
it prevents us from becoming unclean in the first place, whilst the situations in chapters
12-15 that make people unclean are as a result of normal sinless activity.
Chapters 16 and 17 deal in more detail with sacrifices, as well as one of the feasts of
Yahweh. But in chapter 18 the focus turns to sexual immorality. Once again we have
laws that are surely not bondage, unless one desperately wants to have sex with a family
member or with an animal. In fact in 18:5 Yahweh tells us that if we follow His statutes
and judgements then we shall live in them – in other words they are for our own good.
One might point out that Leviticus 18:9 states that it is against Yahweh’s law to have sex
with one’s sister or half-sister but that Abram married his half-sister (Genesis 20:12).
Does this mean that God’s laws change? After all, Yahweh said that Abram kept His
commandments, statutes and laws.
But scripture does not say that Abram was faultless. There is a difference between
keeping the law perfectly (which only Yahshua was able to do) and committing oneself
to keeping God’s ways but stumbling along the way (thus requiring a saviour).
Thus there is no contradiction when the apostle Paul said:
GALATIANS 3: 11
But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, "The just shall live by
faith."
ROMANS 2: 13
For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will
be justified.
That is, the doers of the Law who live in faith will be justified; those who try to keep it
to the best of their ability but who look to Yahshua in faith that He has forgiven them
where they stumble. Not those who try to justify themselves by the Law, nor those who
hear the Law but make no attempt to follow it.
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So why did Abram not at some point in his marriage leave his wife in repentance?
Probably because God’s word has a lot to say about the importance of making vows
and keeping them, even when a bad vow has been made (Numbers 30, Ecclesiastes 5:4-6,
Judges 11:30-40). And it would appear that Yahweh in His grace did a special work for
Abraham and Sarai; by keeping them childless into their nineties they were spared the
possibility of deformed children (whilst still suffering the consequence of their sin by
remaining childless for so long) and then because of faith Yahweh worked a miracle by
blessing Sarai with a son when it should have been physically impossible in her late
years. It would seem that God tampered with the natural conception and gestation
process of Isaac to create something special in His people Israel (we know that God
certainly plays a part in such matters and does not always, if ever, leave our
development to chance – Isaiah 44:1-2, 49:5, Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16).
At the very least, the long barren years of Sarai would indicate that she and Abram were
guilty of breaking God’s law long before it was given to Moses (Psalm 128:1-3). The
same also appears to be the case with Jacob and Rachel, though as cousins the law that
was broken was the marrying of two sisters (Leviticus 18:18), and Rachel the second
wife was barren until Yahweh showed her mercy. Rebekah the wife of Isaac was also
barren until Isaac prayed for her, but there is no indication that a law was broken in
their case. It is possible however that the barrenness was the result of Abraham’s sin,
which lasted for three generations including his own (Exodus 34:7).
It is important to note in these cases of barrenness that mercy played a part when the
individuals concerned had faith and prayed to God. It is only the wicked who come
under the condemnation of the law.
EXODUS 20: 5-6
…For I YHVH your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons
to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of
those that love Me and keep My commandments.
Clearly Yahweh showed mercy to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by eventually giving them
children from the women they loved, and this because they endeavoured to keep His
commandments until the end.
This deals with the issue of Abraham marrying his half-sister, but what about the
children of Adam and Eve? Some would say that the reason for the law against incest
is to prevent genetic abnormality (which is certainly an aspect of it) and that there was
so much genetic drift between the originators of mankind that this was therefore not an
issue. But incest is surely not just about genetics, but also about familial bonds. It may
not be wise to reduce the commandments of God to mere practicality for they are given
along the lines of morality as well as for material well-being. And if the Law is eternal
and unchanging, then we must apply it to Adam and Eve’s children along with the rest
of mankind for there are no exemptions given in the Law on this issue (as sometimes
becomes the case on other matters, such as in Numbers 27:1-11).
The only reasonable answer to this contradiction is that Yahweh must have made other
men and women on the Earth, and not only can this be supported from Genesis but it
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can also be reconciled with New Testament scriptures on the matter as long as we
appeal purely to scripture and are ready to challenge the theologies of man.
The first thing of which we should take note is that the first two chapters of Genesis
contain a great deal of differences despite appearing to tell the same creation story. I
would submit that the first chapter is the actual creation as it reads from day one to day
six, but that the second chapter is a subsequent account of the creation of Adam in a
land separate from the rest of the world (Eden). The following table reveals the
differences in these two chapters.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Impersonal name - God
Personal name – YHVH God
Man is “created”
Man is “formed”
Man can eat from ALL trees
Man must avoid Tree of Good and Evil
Creation order – plants, animals, man
Creation order – man, plants, animals
It should be noted that the Hebrew word translated as “earth” can mean either “world”
or “land” depending on the context. In the first chapter it is the world that is created in
six days, but then the second chapter deals with a specific land (Eden) which until that
point was barren.
GENESIS 2: 1-5
And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh
day God ended His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His
work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He
had rested from all His work which God created to make. These are the generations of the
heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that YHVH God made the earth
and the heavens. And every shrub of the field was not yet on the earth [land], and every plant
of the field had not yet sprung up, for YHVH God had not caused it to rain upon the earth [land],
and there was no man to till the ground.
The chapter break between chapters one and two should really have been placed after
verse 3 of chapter two, when the seventh day finishes, for what follows is the
“generations” of the heavens and the earth; that is the period of time in which the
generations of man begin to be recorded.
Generations - H8435 - ‫ ּתלדה ּתולדה‬- tôledâh tôledâh - to-led-aw', to-led-aw'
From H3205; (plural only) descent, that is, family; (figuratively) history: - birth, generations.
As chapter two proceeds, we have man being formed before the plants and animals
(contrary to chapter one) because Moses is now focusing purely on the land of Eden,
and specifically on the Garden within it. And no longer is God distant from His creation,
but is now referred to by name (YHVH), as He forms (a different Hebrew word to
creates as in chapter one) Adam in a way that is personal and interactive by moulding
him from the earth and breathing His Spirit into him. Yahweh also provides the Tree of
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Life (the ways of God) to eat from and Adam is given special authority to name all of
the animals. All of this signifies that Adam was created especially to have a blessed
relationship with God separate from the rest of mankind.
As Biblical history is cyclical, we should take note of the similarities here with the
people of Israel; they too were set-apart from the nations in their own land, were alone
given God’s commandments, had special authority given to them via the priesthood,
and were personally attended to, all in order to show the world what a relationship with
God should be like. It is therefore to be believed that Yahweh created Adam and
favoured him above all the rest of mankind (most especially with the Tree of Life) so
that he could learn to embody God’s character. Had he not rebelled, we can assume that
Adam would then have taken what he had learnt to the rest of mankind.
But if there were other men and women before Adam, how can the following statement
be explained?
GENESIS 3: 20
And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
There are two ways this verse can be explained in light of this theory.
The first way seems the least likely, but still deserves looking at. “Eve” in Hebrew
means "Lifegiver", not the "Mother of all Living". Hence Adam himself may only have
had in mind the fact that Eve could give birth to new life, not that she would be the
mother of everyone who ever lived. It could be that Moses (who wrote Genesis) added
in his own point that all who were living now in his own time were descended from Eve
due to the fact that everyone after the Flood was descended from Noah, who was a
descendant of Adam. Add to this hypothesis the fact that the Hebrew word translated
as "because" has a wide array of meanings, and Genesis 3:20 can be translated quite
reasonably to say: And Adam called his wife's name Lifegiver, and rightly so because
she was the mother of all now living.
The second and more likely way of looking at this verse is to suppose that Adam may
have actually regarded Eve as the mother of all living with respect to the prophecy that
her Seed would offer life to all (that is the Messiah reversing the curse). This seems
most likely, as Adam only names his wife “Eve” after Yahweh has given the prophecy
that her Seed will bruise the head of the serpent’s seed, and right before Yahweh creates
coats of skins to symbolize the life provided by Yahshua’s sacrifice.
This leads onto Paul's words:
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 22, 45
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive... And so it is written, "The
first man, Adam, became a living soul," the last Adam was a life-giving Spirit.
Many interpret Paul's words here and elsewhere to mean that we have inherited a sin
nature from Adam, but this is actually man's theology. Scripture does not say that
Adam’s body changed or that we inherited a sinful nature from him. What it does say
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is that due to Adam sin and hence spiritual death entered the world. By eating from the
tree of good and evil, Adam learnt a way that departed from God's way (the tree of life)
and this new way would then have been imitated by the rest of mankind who had been
in innocence knowing neither good nor evil, bringing spiritual death to all.
But what of Paul’s words that Adam was the first man? Well Paul also says that
Yahshua was the last man (or Adam), and we know for a fact that Yahshua wasn’t the
last of all men to be born. A couple of verses on, Paul also then refers to Yahshua as
the second man.
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 47
The first man was out of earth, earthy; the second Man was the Lord from Heaven.
So which is it? As is often the case when contradictions in the Word seem to occur, it
is a matter of faulty translation. The Hebrew word for “first” can also be translated as
“foremost”, the word for “last” can be translated as “uttermost”, and the word for
“second” can apply to place and rank as well as time. When we consider the context of
Paul’s words (verse 46 speaks of the earthly coming first and then the heavenly), it
becomes evident that Adam was the foremost of all the earthly men (the one given the
most esteem by our Creator and entrusted with the word of life) but Messiah was the
complete man (the uttermost in spirit) who succeeded Adam in rank by reversing the
condemnation of spiritual death that he had brought into the world.
So if Adam was not the first man created, what other support is there for the idea that
there were other unrelated people on the earth during his time? Well one only has to
look to the episode of the exile of Adam’s firstborn Cain.
GENESIS 4: 14-15
Behold! You have driven me out from the face of the earth today, and I shall be hidden
from Your face. And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall be that anyone
who finds me shall kill me. And YHVH said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain shall be avenged
seven times. And YHVH set a mark upon Cain so that anyone who found him should not kill him.
The question is, who were these people of whom Cain was afraid? At this point it seems
that Adam had only sired Cain and Abel, for it is not mentioned that Adam had other
sons and daughters until after Seth (Genesis 5:4) who was not born until after Cain had
killed Abel (Genesis 4:25). And Eve mentions how Seth is a replacement for Abel, which
would make little sense if she had already given birth to other sons. So we can be fairly
certain that the people of whom Cain was afraid when he became a vagabond and a
fugitive in the land of Nod were other men and women whom Yahweh had created.
Moving on to Leviticus 19, we have a command that is often only associated with the
“new” doctrine of Christ.
LEVITICUS 19: 18+34
You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall
love your neighbour as yourself. I am YHVH… The stranger that dwells with you shall be to you
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as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself. For you were strangers in the land
of Egypt. I am YHVH your God.
Both times Yahweh adds that the Israelites should love their neighbour as themselves
because Yahweh is their God; in other words this command is synonymous with the
character of God and so His people are to have this quality in their character as well.
As God repeatedly tells us: be holy as I am holy.
All of the other commandments in this chapter continue to revolve around treating both
people and God with respect, seeking atonement for one’s sins, and not turning to the
ways of the wicked. Again, nothing that could be discerned as bondage.
Chapter 20 reveals a whole host of severe judgements from ex-communication to death
for the most serious crimes that, if left unchecked, would tear the moral fabric of society
apart. Such severe judgements are not unique to the Old Covenant, as will be seen in
the New Testament analysis from Acts to Revelation. However we should not miss the
fact that mercy plays a part in overturning these judgements, as will be seen in the Book
of Numbers.
Chapters 21-22 reveal the more stringent rules in order for the sons of Aaron to serve as
Aaronic priests and for sacrifices to be accepted on the altar. As we have no tabernacle
or temple on the Earth today, these laws cannot currently be applied. However, it is
important to note that there is a difference between entering into the presence of
Yahweh physically and entering into the presence of Yahweh spiritually, the latter of
which is discussed in the New Testament writings of Paul and will be covered in the
New Testament analysis.
In Leviticus 23, Moses outlines all the feasts of Yahweh together. These are the
appointed feasts (the timings set by the moon, sun and stars). They are the feasts of
Yahweh, not the feasts of the Jews or the Israelites.
LEVITICUS 23: 4
These are the appointed feasts of YHVH, holy convocations which you shall proclaim in
their appointed seasons.
With one exception (the Day of Atonement) these are designed to be joyous times
celebrating Yahweh’s deliverance of His people both from Egypt and from sin
(Leviticus 23:39-44, 2 Chronicles 30:21-27). Is the keeping of these festivals to be
considered bondage?
Leviticus 24 contains the infamous “eye for an eye” judgments that Yahshua is said to
have superseded with more merciful ones. This will be examined at the appropriate
point in the New Testament analysis. For now it is important to note that these
judgments are not about vengeance but about deterrence. A society without laws of
deterrence falls apart.
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Chapter 25 details the land Sabbath and the year of Jubilee, which are jointly about
caring for the poor and releasing people from debt. Again, are these laws to be
considered bondage?
In the next chapter Yahweh details all the blessings for the land if His people keep His
law and all the judgments including their eventual expulsion if they do not. As was
noted earlier the problem here is not the Law but the people themselves. Bondage is the
sin nature that keeps people from following the Law, not the Law itself. This is
explained by the apostle Paul and will be covered in the New Testament analysis.
Finally in Leviticus 27, Yahweh unveils a system for making vows by offering a sacrifice
to Him in exchange for whatever is being asked or pledged. If a person changes their
mind in the future they can redeem their offering by paying its monetary worth plus an
additional 20%. Once again, allowing someone to extricate themselves from a voluntary
vow is a gracious opportunity that hardly seems like bondage.
The first half of the book of Numbers continues to provide more laws, with a few more
towards the end, and we should note at this point that Yahweh gives His commandments
to His people in manageable doses so as not to overwhelm them with too many things
to learn and adopt at once. This same gracious pattern is adopted for new believers in
the New Testament era as well; at first they are given instructions to keep them from
the heathen practices around them before learning the Law in its fullness on a week by
week basis.
ACTS 15: 19-21
Therefore my judgment is that we do not trouble those who have turned to God from
among the nations, but that we write to them that they should abstain from pollutions of idols,
and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses from ages past has
those in every city proclaiming him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
This will be fully elucidated in its context during the New Testament analysis.
In Numbers 5 we learn that Yahweh mercifully allows judgement to be spared if the
person who has sinned repents.
NUMBERS 5: 6-8
Speak to the sons of Israel: When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit,
to commit a trespass against YHVH, and that person is guilty, then they shall confess their sin
which they have done. And he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add to it one fifth
of it, and give it to him against whom he has sinned. But if the man has no kinsman to whom
he may make restitution for the guilt, the guilt which is restored shall be given to YHVH, to the
priest, besides the ram of the atonement by which an atonement shall be made for him.
Along with the sacrificial atonement that points to Yahshua’s effectual atonement, the
man or woman who has sinned is to make restitution (a simple verbal apology is not a
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sign of true repentance). Not only does this point to the need for Yahshua’s sacrifice to
pay for our sins, it also shows that we need to be actively repenting and changing.
That Yahweh grants us time to repent is clear throughout scripture, and so we should
not miss this element of His character in His law. We see this in the beginning with the
way in which He dealt with Cain whom He exiled rather than demanding his blood, and
at the end with Jezebel in Revelation (2:20-21). We also see it in the gospels with the
adulterous woman before Yahshua, not to mention with King David more than a
thousand years earlier when God pronounces His merciful judgment through the
prophet Nathan. And then there is the forgiveness that Hosea is to show to his
adulterous wife in order to present a picture of God forgiving Israel when she repents.
Yahweh gives us time to repent so that judgment may not fall upon us, but if we don’t
confess then judgement comes, even to the house of God (Acts 5:1-10). In the presence
of human witnesses a person’s time to repent is much shorter, because we cannot
indulge sin without being corrupted by it ourselves. But at least in the rule of law a
person has opportunity to repent, as opposed to judgment without trial; this is one of
the liberties of law.
Later in the chapter we have the law of jealousy, where the priests are able to test a
woman to see if she has committed adultery. Some might wonder why the husband
cannot be tested and the answer is two-fold. Firstly, the reason for the test appears to
be to ensure that the woman does not bring another man’s child into the family.
NUMBERS 5: 20, 27-28
But if you have gone aside, being under your husband, and if you are defiled and some
man besides your husband has given his semen to you… And when he has made her drink the
water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that
brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her
thigh [loins] shall fall away [fail], and the woman shall become a curse among her people. But
if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive
children.
Secondly, the woman is under her husband’s authority and answerable to him, whilst
the husband is answerable only to Christ.
NUMBERS 5: 29-30
"This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her husband's authority,
goes astray and defiles herself, or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous
of his wife…
1 CORINTHIANS 11: 3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her
husband, and the head of Christ is God.
There is no advantage either way in a marriage when one considers that the woman is
in a greater position of trust. What this law does is provide a means for the sanctity of
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the family to be maintained and to build a platform to re-establish any trust that has
been lost. It would be a blessing to have this priesthood service today.
The law of jealousy was also wonderfully fulfilled (though not abolished) by Yahshua,
and this will be explained in the section, The Time of Messiah.
At the end of chapter 6 we have what has become known as the Aaronic Blessing:
NUMBERS 6: 22-27
YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless
the people of Israel: you shall say to them, YHVH bless you and keep you; YHVH make his face
to shine upon you and be gracious to you; YHVH lift up his countenance upon you and give you
peace. "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."
It would be insincere of Yahweh to phrase such a blessing if the Law He had given His
people was but a bondage and a curse to them.
In Numbers 9 it is revealed that if someone is unclean or on a journey and therefore
cannot attend Passover, they are allowed to keep it on the very same day the next month
instead. Thus the Law is shown to be gracious to the Israelites in their day-to-day issues.
Numbers 18 reiterates that the Levitical priesthood system and all of its statutes are just
as much a part of the Law as all of the other laws, statutes and judgements, for they also
are to be observed forever.
NUMBERS 18: 7-8, 11, 19, 23
Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priests' office for everything of the
altar and inside the veil. And you shall serve. I have given your priest's office as a service of gift.
And the stranger that comes near shall be put to death. And YHVH spoke to Aaron, Behold, I
have also given you the charge of My heave offerings of all the holy things of the sons of Israel.
I have given them to you for the anointing, and to your sons, by an ordinance forever… And this
is yours, the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel. I have
given them to you and to your sons and to your daughters with you, by a statute forever.
Everyone that is clean in your house shall eat it… All the heave offerings of the holy things,
which the sons of Israel offer to YHVH, I have given you and your sons and your daughters with
you, by a law forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before YHVH to you and to your seed with
you… But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall
bear their iniquity, a statute forever throughout your generations, that among the sons of Israel
they have no inheritance.
Of all the parts of the Law, this is the hardest element in which to believe that it could
still be true for today (if we had proven descendants of Aaron and a temple authorised
by Yahweh in which for them to serve) because it has been religiously taught that
Yahshua’s sacrifice abolished the need for animal sacrifices. But this is largely due to
a misunderstanding, for animal sacrifices never took away sins (Hebrews 10:4, 11). As
we will see in the writings of the prophets, the Levitical system will be reinstituted
during the millennial reign of Yahshua and the New Testament analysis will attempt to
dispel any apparent contradictions on this matter.
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Numbers 19 details the law of when a man dies. It cannot be fulfilled today because we
need the Levitical priesthood to prepare the water of separation. This is a shame because
of what this law teaches us.
NUMBERS 19: 11-12
He who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify
himself with it [the water of separation] on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be
clean. But if he does not purify himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
The water of separation is prepared with the ashes of a spotless heifer (which
symbolises Yahshua) and on the third day (when Yahshua was raised from the dead
during the Feast of Unleavened Bread) it is applied to the one who has been
contaminated by death, but not until the seventh day (symbolic of the resurrection and
the millennial reign of Messiah) is the contaminated one made clean. Thus we have a
picture of how Yahshua cleanses us from the power of sin and death, adding further
insight into the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
In Numbers 28-29, Yahweh reiterates in more detail the sacrifices and feasts that He
expects the Israelites to make. Such repetition clearly enforces the importance of these
statutes, more so than any other commandments. This is likely because they point to
Messiah and the plan of salvation that He works for us, which we are to set our minds
upon in order to be more fully focused on observing all of His commandments in
humility and sobriety.
2 PETER 3: 13-14
But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking for these things, be diligent, spotless, and
without blemish, to be found by Him in peace.
LUKE 21: 34-36
And take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts are weighed down with headaches and
drinking and anxieties of this life; and that day should suddenly come on you; for it shall come
as a snare on all those sitting on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, praying in every
season that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which shall occur, and to
stand before the Son of Man.
Numbers 30 addresses the importance of vows, and also further establishes the authority
of husbands and fathers over their wives and daughters. In today’s world this can often
be looked upon as bondage for the women, but in the New Testament analysis we will
see that Paul explains it as a means of protection.
Numbers 35 details the provision for the Levites, that they may have forty-eight cities
with surrounding suburbs in which to live. Of particular interest however are the six
cities in that number which are designated as cities of refuge, where those who have
committed manslaughter can find safe haven (for the stranger as well as the Israelite –
Joshua 20:9). Committed murderers are convicted and sentenced to death, but those who
have killed unintentionally are protected from the revenger of blood in these six cities
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as long as they do not leave their grounds. They are only completely free when the high
priest dies, for then the revenger of blood has no claim upon them. This system speaks
of grace whilst also recognising the severity of the accident that has occurred. Moreover
it points to Yahshua our high priest in heaven Who provided refuge from the evil one
who would slay us for our sins until He died to release us from all the charges laid
against us (Hebrews 6:17-20). If we don’t see the grace in the Law here, then we do not
see the grace in our Saviour.
At the beginning of Deuteronomy, Israel are about to enter into the Promised Land and
so Moses warns them that they will only get to keep this land if they keep the Law that
he has given them. If they commit the same perversions as the current residents of
Canaan then Yahweh will expel them just as He is about to do to the Canaanites. The
requirement for being in the Land is to keep His commandments.
DEUTERONOMY 4: 1
And now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the judgments which I teach you, in order to
do them, so that you may live and go in and possess the land which YHVH, the God of your
fathers gives you.
As we shall see later in the prophets, the Promised Land is where Yahweh plans for His
people to be during the Millennium after Yahshua has returned for His bride. Could it
be that Yahshua has not yet returned to give His people their promised land because
they still refuse to keep His commandments?
DEUTERONOMY 4: 30-31
When you are in trouble and when all these things have found you in the latter days, then
you shall return to YHVH your God and shall be obedient to His voice. For YHVH your God is a
merciful God; He will not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers
which He swore to them.
This will be explored later in this volume. But for now we should keep in mind the
parallels that exist in scripture and the cyclical nature of events.
Israel were to be a light to the nations so that the gentiles would seek after God and
adopt His ways for their own as well.
DEUTERONOMY 4: 5-8
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as YHVH my God commanded me,
so that you should do so in the land where you go to possess it. And you shall keep and do
them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall
hear all these statutes and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For
who is a great nation whose God is coming near to them, as YHVH our God is, in all our calling
on Him? And who is a great nation whose statutes and judgments are so righteous as all this
Law which I set before you today?
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The nations would recognise that the Law is a wonderful thing to have, not a burden.
For a while this was true under King Solomon, until he ignored one of the two warnings
in this passage and turned to foreign gods, leading Israel in a downward spiral despite
his own eventual repentance. Though there were periods of national repentance over
the centuries, eventually Israel was ejected from the Promised Land. They were forced
to serve foreign gods to the point that it sickened them. When Judah was allowed to
return, they instead fell to the second of the two warnings that Moses gives in this
passage.
DEUTERONOMY 4: 2
You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it,
so that you may keep the commands of YHVH your God which I command you.
The Jews began to add to the Word of God in order to “safeguard” it, constructing
bylaws that were meant to assist Yahweh’s people in keeping them but which
eventually became more important than Yahweh’s laws themselves. This also led to
establishing laws that took away from the Law by circumventing it to fulfil their own
sinful desires. As will be seen, this is the climate into which Yahshua came and the
reason why there was so much conflict between Himself and the religious leaders of
that day; He didn’t come to do away with God’s law, but their law. But because the
people equated the two laws as the same law, it was thought that He had come to do
away with God’s law. This was the same problem that Paul and all the other apostles
faced and the reason for large segments of many of the former’s epistles, all of which
will be examined in the New Testament analysis.
When the Ten Commandments are reiterated again in Deuteronomy 5, Moses points the
new generation of Israelites back to the covenant that was made with their fathers, and
records the fact that even then Yahweh knew that His people would not keep all of His
commandments because they lacked the required heart.
DEUTERONOMY 5: 28-29
And YHVH heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me. And YHVH said to me, I
have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They have
well said all that they have spoken. Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would
fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with
their sons forever!
Thus the need for a new heart!
Yahweh tried to teach this to His people in the wilderness.
DEUTERONOMY 8: 3
And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger, and then He fed you with manna, which
you did not know, neither did your fathers know it, so that He might make you know that man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of YHVH man shall
live.
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We need a heart that seeks after righteousness more than physical comforts. And we
are to live by every word that comes forth from the mouth of Yahweh. Not just some of
them. Both Yahshua and Paul confirmed this.
MATTHEW 4: 3-4
And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
2 TIMOTHY 3: 16
All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness…
More will be said on these verses in the New Testament analysis.
More will also be said on the New Testament passages where Yahshua quotes from the
following passage:
DEUTERONOMY 10: 12-13
And now, Israel, what does YHVH your God ask of you, but to fear YHVH your God, to walk
in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve YHVH your God with all your heart and with all
your soul, to keep the commandments of YHVH, and His statutes, which I command you today
for your good?
Moses states here that to love God with all our heart and soul (which Yahshua confirms
is the greatest of all the commandments – Matthew 22:37-38, Mark 12:30) incorporates
following all of His commandments. The apostle John also says the same thing (John
14:15+21, 15:10, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John 1:6).
For this reason, Yahweh tells the Israelites to metaphorically circumcise their hearts
(not just their manhood which serves as a physical representation of the spiritual).
DEUTERONOMY 10: 16
Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiff-necked.
In Deuteronomy 11 we have the well-known “blessing and a curse” statement.
DEUTERONOMY 11: 26-28
Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: A blessing if you obey the
commandments of YHVH your God which I command you today, and a curse if you will not obey
the commandments of YHVH your God, but will turn aside out of the way which I command
you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
This has been misunderstood by many, for it does not say that God will curse the
Israelites if they are not perfect, but only if they turn away from His Law to follow after
the ways of other gods. Other translations say “hearken” rather than “obey”, which
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gives a better sense of what is being said here. What Yahweh is looking for is that the
Israelites strive to keep His commandments rather than ignoring them.
In Deuteronomy 12, Yahweh reiterates that once He has given them rest in the land, He
will choose a place where they are to bring their sacrifices to Him and that they cannot
present them to Him anywhere else. Hence Shiloh was used temporarily before the land
of Israel was given rest from her enemies, at which point the place of sacrifice became
Jerusalem. And again He gives the commandment not to add nor take away from the
things that He has commanded them. This would strongly indicate (as has been noted
elsewhere) that the law of sacrifices was not to be observed outside of Jerusalem once
the temple was established.
Now Deuteronomy 13 is one of the reasons why Jews today have such a hard time
accepting Yahshua as the Messiah, because modern Christianity teaches that Yahshua
did away with the Law.
DEUTERONOMY 13: 1-4
If a prophet rises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,
and the sign or the wonder which he foretold to you occurs, saying, Let us go after other gods
which you have not known, and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that
prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For YHVH your God is testing you to know whether you
love YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after YHVH your
God and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him
and hold fast to Him.
Though Christians may tell Jews that Jesus is the same God as Yahweh (the same God
Who walked in the Garden of Eden and Who appears as the Angel of the Lord), the
Jews see Him as a different god because they’ve been told that He came to do away
with the Law. It therefore makes no difference that He produced signs and wonders and
fulfilled prophecies, for they see the Jesus whom they have been taught as a test to their
faith.
DEUTERONOMY 13: 5
And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken
to turn you away from YHVH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed
you out of the house of slaves, to thrust you out of the way in which YHVH your God
commanded you to walk. So you shall put the evil away from the midst of you.
As we saw earlier, the acts of loving God and keeping His commandments are
intrinsically connected. To preach a God that teaches the abolition of the Law is to
preach another god (just as Paul warned the New Testament believers to beware of
another Jesus, another gospel, and another spirit – 2 Corinthians 11:4)
Many of the Jews of Yahshua’s day also misunderstood Him because they equated their
own set of bylaws (the Talmud) with God’s law, and Yahshua certainly spoke against
the Jews’ own manmade law. They therefore believed that they were doing the right
thing when they sent Him to His death, and this would explain why Yahshua asked the
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Father to forgive them for they, “know not what they do”. It also explains why Yahshua
gave the following prophecy:
JOHN 16: 2
They shall put you out of the synagogue. But an hour is coming that everyone who kills you
will think that he bears God service.
Some of Yahweh’s laws are repeated in the next chapter of Deuteronomy and then it is
really worth reading chapter 15 for oneself because it goes right to the heart of the law
with regards to how we are to treat our neighbour. What Yahweh expected from His
people is beyond anything we have witnessed in our Christian history, and makes a
mockery of the claim that the Law was contrary to grace, and bondage to the people.
Chapter 16 repeats some more laws before chapter 17 speaks on the matter of authority.
This repetition of laws from chapter to chapter may be to stress their particular
importance, or to refresh the memory before new information is given; it should be kept
in mind that the people did not have their own individual copies of the scriptures. They
were read aloud in the synagogues each Sabbath, so one had to pay attention and
remember all that had been said.
Chapter 17 reveals that the priesthood and specially appointed judges are required
before capital punishment can be approved, so this is not a law that can be kept today.
We cannot take it upon ourselves to conduct capital punishment against people for
breaking God’s most serious laws. For most of history this has not been a problem
because nations have adopted very similar laws and punishments. But modern thought
has headed in the direction that capital punishment is uncivilised, and abolishing it has
only led to more innocent victims as deterrence decreases and values slide. One only
has to look at the treatment of adultery, which began as a capital offence, then became
simply illegal, then almost common-place and is now even beginning to be promoted
as a means to a healthier marriage. Laws are meant to protect values and to ensure the
happiness that they give us. Yahweh’s law is no different.
Again some laws are repeated in chapters 18 and 19, but then Deuteronomy 20 and 21
include instructions for war, showing grace in who should be called up for service and
how captives are to be treated. Some of these laws conflict with modern day
sensibilities, but we need to realise that the nations Israel would be going to war against
were completely corrupt and Israel was simply acting in the role of Yahweh’s agent of
judgment. Israel will not be acting in this role again until Yahshua returns with His
resurrected bride (Malachi 4:1-3), once the whole earth is corrupt beyond the point of
redemption.
The next chapter begins with laws on how to love our neighbour, followed by some
practical farming laws, then laws on how to protect the sexual purity and reputation of
women in society. Though some of these latter laws might seem humiliating within
modern ways of thinking, this is because we no longer value holiness above personal
rights. If we were all perfect then a lot of these laws would never have to be enacted.
But they are judgments to lessen the damage to personal holiness and to society when
the flesh overcomes the spirit.
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Deuteronomy 23 again covers the need for physical purity and wholesomeness in the
presence of Yahweh when gathering at the temple for the yearly feasts (likely to be a
teaching of the need for spiritual purity), whilst also giving instructions for preventing
disease and illness in a war camp, and giving people sanctuary. Yahweh also forbids
His people from adding interest to loans made to one another, and commands them to
allow each other to eat from their farmlands if they are simply passing through. Again
we have some laws here which are more gracious than the laws of Christian nations in
their heyday.
Chapter 24 begins by saying that a woman cannot return to her former husband after
she remarries, for this is hateful before Yahweh. But if the Law has been done away,
then that would mean that this situation is no longer hateful to Him. That would mean
that the things which please and anger Yahweh change, which would mean that He has
changed, which we know is not the case. The Law defines the character of God, which
is why He calls Himself the Word. If we dismiss the Law then we dismiss Him also.
The rest of the chapter provides commands that once again show more love to our
neighbours than what we are used to seeing in Christian nations at any point in time,
and which could not be considered bondage in any way or form.
Chapter 25 contains a law that expects a man to marry the wife of his dead brother if
she has not borne her late husband any children. Whilst the brother can refuse, it would
be considered a great shame to him. And whilst the widow does not seem to have a say
in the matter, it is noteworthy that she is the one to make the complaint to the elders if
her brother-in-law refuses to marry her. What this should teach us is that our modern
sensibilities regarding marriage and family are very out of kilter with what Yahweh
expects. This law is a matter of service and responsibility, which is only considered
bondage in the kind of licentious and liberal society that we have today.
It might be worth considering that even though many of us like to hanker back to how
godly our nations were in the middle of the last century, the truth is that as far back as
two centuries ago Christians were lamenting the drop in standards of their time. So
when for example we see people today selfishly complaining about their right to
abortion, we must consider that Christians a couple of centuries ago would likely see
us in a similar light if we were to complain about having to marry our brother’s widow
or our brother-in-law. And when we consider that even in the case of rape it is still
wrong to abort the innocent unborn child that God is fashioning within the womb, it is
still right when Yahweh says that a woman who has been raped is to marry the one who
raped her (Deuteronomy 22:28-29). It is certainly not fair in either case, but it prevents
further sin from being committed; a woman’s chastity should be more important to her
than her rights or situation (which appears to have been recognised by Tamar the
daughter of David - 2 Samuel 13:14-16) and a man must realise that he bears the
responsibility of a woman he would humble. Today we are far removed from enduring
the necessary hardship to keep ourselves free from any kind of sin, but thank Yahweh
that we have a Saviour who is merciful to us when we cannot step up to the mark.
The rest of the chapter then deals with laws for preventing people from taking
advantage of one another in unfair ways. No more on that needs to be said.
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Deuteronomy 26 and 27 contain commandments that relate to living in the land of Israel,
except for a repetition of certain laws given towards the end of the latter chapter. These
culminate in the people agreeing that the one who does not pledge to keep the Law will
be cursed; not the one who fails to keep it fully, but the one who does not even try
(Yahshua takes care of the curse for those who have faith in Him and who do their best
to keep the commandments – the majority of which are not all that hard). And
Deuteronomy 28 and 29 describe on a national scale the blessings that Yahweh will bring
if His people pledge to keep the Law that He has given them and the curses if they do
not.
Chapter 30 is important to note because it speaks of the blessings that Israel will once
again receive after they have repented and returned to His Law; there is no hint here
that the Israelites should have learnt from their failure and recognised that His Law is
best done away. On the contrary, Yahweh tells them that He will circumcise their hearts
so that they are able to keep it. He then proceeds to say that the Law is quite plain to
them and that they should have no difficulty in understanding and learning to implement
it (unlike today where we have to deal with a mass of mistranslations due to centuries
of false doctrinal mindsets that can blind us to the obvious truth).
In Deuteronomy 31, Moses gives the final command of the Law, namely that it is to be
read before all of Israel every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles – appropriately
in the year of release.
The more we read the commandments that Yahweh has given, the more it becomes
clear that keeping them and loving God are synonymous, because they replicate the
character of Yahweh. He has not given Israel a bunch of abstract rules simply to keep
them separate from the nations around them, but to imbibe in them the character that
He has in Himself; holiness, sacrificial love and moral purity. This is why all the Law
can be summed up as loving God and loving one’s neighbour.
DEUTERONOMY 32: 46-47
And he said to them, Set your hearts to all the words which I testify among you today,
which you shall command your sons to observe and to do, all the words of this Law. For it is not
a vain thing for you, because it is your life. And by this Word you shall prolong your days in the
land where you go over Jordan, there to possess it.
By keeping the law of Yahweh, families and societies will be stronger and happier, and
will thus prolong their days. So why would Yahweh ever do away with His law?
DEUTERONOMY 33: 1-3
And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the sons of Israel before
his death. And he said: YHVH came from Sinai and rose up from Seir to them. He shone forth
from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints. From His right went a fiery law
for them. Yea, He loved the people. All His saints are in Your hand, and they sat down at Your
feet. Everyone shall receive of Your words.
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JOSHUA 1: 7-8
Only be strong and very courageous so that you may be careful to do according to all the
Law which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
so that you may act wisely wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart out of your
mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do
according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you
shall act wisely.
No sooner had Moses passed away, than His successor Joshua was commanded to
adhere firmly to the book of the Law so that he might be wise and prosperous. This
sounds like a blessing rather than a curse. The psalmist later agrees.
PSALMS 1: 1-3
Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in
the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law
of YHVH; and in His Law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all
which he does shall be blessed.
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And once all of the Promised Land had been conquered, Joshua also commanded the
people to take heed to the Law.
JOSHUA 22: 5
Only, diligently take heed to do the commands and the Law which Moses the servant of
YHVH commanded you, to love YHVH your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His
commandments, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your
soul.
Seven times in Deuteronomy the keeping of Yahweh’s commandments has been
equated with walking in His ways (Deuteronomy 8:6, 10:12-13, 11:22, 19:9, 26:17, 28:9,
30:16). Joshua now makes this same connection. So if the Law were ever to be done
away, then it would mean that we would no longer be walking in God’s ways.
In the last two chapters of Joshua, Israel’s commander in chief gives his final words
before passing into death. It is important to note that Joshua reiterates the fact that
everything Yahweh had promised to them had come to pass, that not one thing had
failed (21:45, 23:14); the fact that all of Yahweh’s promises come to pass is what makes
Him trustworthy (Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 46:9-13, 55:3+8-11). This needs to be kept in
mind regarding all of His prophecies regarding the Law as we go through the writings,
psalms and prophets.
Joshua finally asks the people to commit to following Yahweh.
JOSHUA 24: 14-17
Now, then, fear YHVH, and serve Him in sincerity and truth. And put away the gods which
your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt, and serve YHVH. And if it seems
evil to you to serve YHVH, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your
fathers served Beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But as for
me and my house, we will serve YHVH. And the people answered and said, Far be it from us to
forsake YHVH to serve other gods. For YHVH our God is He who brought us and our fathers up
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And He did those great wonders in our
sight, and kept us in all our way in which we went and among all the people through whom we
passed.
Joshua appears to be making a rhetorical point when he says that the people should
choose who else to serve “if it is seems evil to you to serve Yahweh”, because the other
gods he mentions are most certainly evil. And yet some people today would indeed
have us believe that following the Law is evil; it sure doesn’t agree with many of our
modern liberal precepts. But Joshua says, “if it seems evil to you” then serve the evil
gods. Good will seem evil, and evil will seem good, when a person’s heart is not in tune
with Yahweh’s.
ISAIAH 5: 20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for
darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
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The people of Israel then respond in the positive, recognising that Yahweh brought
them out of bondage. Joshua then challenges them, reminding them that if they turn
away from Yahweh later on then He will not forgive their transgressions and sins; it
would be better for them as a people if they did not enter into covenant with Yahweh
than to enter into covenant and then break it by going after other gods. For Moses told
them that if they broke the covenant then Yahweh would put them back into bondage
under other nations. There are thus three choices and outcomes:
1. Serve other gods now and the Israelites will be just the same as the other nations,
at the whim of good and bad fortune.
2. Serve Yahweh and become a great nation that is blessed and envied by all the
other nations.
3. Serve Yahweh at the outset, and then go after other gods later, which will result
in their destruction as a nation.
This can be put another way:



Ignore the Law and enjoy whatever pleasures you can find, but you’re on your
own!
Keep the Law and be more blessed than anyone else, under Yahweh’s
protection.
Start keeping the Law but then turn away from it, thus suffering Yahweh’s
judgement.
Yahshua put forth the same scenario when declaring the need for total commitment in
following Him.
LUKE 14: 28-32
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost,
whether he may have enough to finish it; lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is
not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was
not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not first sit down
and consult whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with
twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and
asks conditions of peace.
Once beginning down the road of covenant, we find ourselves at the mercy of others if
we then turn away from that covenant. Where then is bondage to be found? In rejecting
the Law of the covenant, not in keeping it.
As one reads through the historical books from Judges to Esther, it can be seen that
Israel’s judgement came about not because the Law was too difficult for them to keep,
but because they spent most of their history turning to other gods; they didn’t even try
to keep the Law, because their heart just wasn’t in it. They were rebellious and
disobedient. Do we really think that we can do the same and not suffer the same fate?
The New Testament writings draw from the Old Testament to show us that we can’t,
as will be seen in the New Testament analysis.
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In the book of Samuel there is a well-known verse that is alluded to by the scribe who
asked Yahshua what the greatest commandment is.
1 SAMUEL 15: 22
And Samuel said, Does YHVH delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the
voice of YHVH? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To listen is better than the fat of rams!
To obey is better than sacrifice! Samuel was castigating Saul in this passage because
the king thought that he could disobey Yahweh and then offer a sacrifice to make
everything right. But atonement does not work in this manner. Atonement is made for
the repentant who strive to obey. It is not a licence to sin. If a believer says that they do
not need to obey God because of Yahshua’s sacrifice, then they are making the same
fatal excuse as Saul. If one continuously thinks in their heart, “I know I shouldn’t do
this, but Jesus’ blood has me covered so I will,” then that person does not have a
repentant spirit and the blood of Yahshua will do them no good.
HEBREWS 10: 26
For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no
more sacrifice for sins…
There is always the opportunity for repentance (the above verse does not mean that one
has to be perfect to retain their salvation) but it makes the theological point that
atonement is only effective for those who are trying not to sin; for those who obey.
MARK 12: 32-24
And the scribe said to Him, Right, Teacher, according to truth You have spoken, that God
is one, and there is no other besides Him. And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the
understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love the neighbour as
himself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. And seeing that he had answered
intelligently, Jesus said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no one dared to
question Him any more.
Yahshua knew that this scribe was on His way to the kingdom of God because the man
knew that obedience to God was the key. As will be seen time and time again in both
testaments, without repentance on our part Yahshua’s sacrifice counts for nothing.
After Saul came David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). And towards the end
of King David’s life we see that He rejoices in the ways of His God and claims that he
has been rewarded according to his righteousness (in a positive sense).
2 SAMUEL 22: 21-25
YHVH rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my
hands He has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of YHVH, and have not wickedly departed
from my God. For all His judgments were before me. And as for His statutes, I did not depart
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from them. I was also upright before Him, and have kept myself from my iniquity. And YHVH
rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes.
Was David therefore not in need of a Saviour? Of course he was. Did David keep the
Law perfectly? Not by a long shot! But he kept it. He followed it, he strove to keep it
and repented when he stumbled. And this is what Yahweh recognised and accounted it
to David as righteousness, just as He did for Abraham (Galatians 3:6). This is the faith
that saves us, not the works themselves, but the effort that we make. David continues.
2 SAMUEL 22: 31
As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of YHVH is tried. He is a shield to all those who
seek refuge in Him.
Note that David can say that the Word of Yahweh has been tried and found to be perfect.
This is not a man who considered himself to be in bondage to a way of life that he could
never measure up to, despite his many failures. From firsthand experience he could say
that the Way is perfect, the Word is proven, and that the God whom embodies this Law
is a shield to the faithful even when they stumble. Thus David was not setting up
Solomon his son to fail when he gave his dying words as follows.
1 KINGS 2: 1-3
And the days of David drew near for him to die. And he charged Solomon his son, saying, I
go the way of all the earth. And you be strong and show yourself a man. And keep the charge
of YHVH your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His
judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper
in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself…
Just like his father, Solomon recognised that keeping the Law was dependant on having
the right heart.
1 KINGS 8: 57-58, 61
May YHVH our God be with us as He was with our fathers. Let Him not leave us nor forsake
us, to incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and
His statutes and His judgments which He commanded our fathers… And let your heart be
perfect with YHVH our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this
day.
But he allowed his heart to be turned from Yahweh.
1 KINGS 11: 4, 9-10
For it happened when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods.
And his heart was not perfect with YHVH his God, as was the heart of David his father… And
YHVH was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from YHVH, the God of Israel, who
had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not
go after other gods; and he did not keep that which YHVH commanded.
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The heart of man is wicked, not the law of God. Yahweh consistently equates His law
with doing what is right in His sight. And so if we turn away from His law then we turn
away from doing what is right in the eyes of God to doing what is right in our own eyes.
DEUTERONOMY 13: 17-18
And let nothing of the cursed thing cling to your hand, so that YHVH may turn from the
heat of His anger and show you mercy, and give mercies to you, and multiply you as He has
sworn to your fathers, when you listen to the voice of YHVH your God, to keep all His
commandments which I command you today, to do the right in the eyes of YHVH your God.
DEUTERONOMY 12: 8
You shall not do according to all that we do here today, each doing whatever is right in his
own eyes.
JUDGES 17: 6
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own
eyes.
1 KINGS 11: 31-33
And he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for yourself. For so says YHVH, the God of Israel,
Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you, but
he shall have one tribe for My servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I
have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the
goddess of the sons of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do what is right in My eyes,
and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as David his father did.
This was the reason for the division of the Kingdom, and the houses of Israel and Judah
will not be brought back together until Yahweh has given all of His people new hearts,
as will be seen in the writings of the prophets and the apostles.
Now Solomon did later repent, and what was the conclusion of the wisest of all the
kings of Israel? Was it that one should not try to keep the Law because it’s just too hard
to keep? Or did he arrive at a different conclusion…
ECCLESIASTES 12: 13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments.
For this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it is good, or whether evil.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is the personal account of Solomon’s waywardness and the
ultimate misery that it brought him when he followed after his own heart. Though sin
has its momentary pleasures, from an eternal perspective the only thing that counts is
keeping true to God. And adhering to His law is the way to achieving true blessings.
Now the one book in the Bible which has probably brought the most comfort to the
Saints over the centuries is the book of Psalms, and yet it is this book which glorifies
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God’s law more than any other. In fact it mentions God’s law 198 times, more than any
other subject. It is also the longest book in the Bible. In many ways it is the heart of the
Bible. Just as the five books of Moses instruct our mind in the ways of Yahweh, the
Psalms complement them by lifting up our heart in His ways.
Psalm 1 tells us that those who follow the Law are the
righteous, and those who reject it are ungodly sinners. This
sets the premise for the whole book.
In Psalm 12, David tells us how incredibly pure the Words
of Yahweh are. What words are these? Though some of
the historical books of the Bible were written in David’s
time, it is almost certain that David is referring to the
Books of Moses, the Book of the Covenant, the law of
God, which was given directly to Moses out of the mouth
of Yahweh. At the very least, the Words of Yahweh that
David refers to include the Law.
PSALM 12: 6
The Words of YHVH are pure Words, like silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times.
In Psalm 17 it is the ‘words of Yahweh’s lips’ that David
refers to, hence speaking of the law of God, and he says
that these words have kept him from falling permanently
into the ways of sin.
PSALM 17: 4
Concerning the works of men, by the Words of Your lips, I am kept from the paths of the
destroyer.
Psalm 19 confirms that the Law can change the path that a man is on.
PSALM 19: 7-11
The Law of YHVH is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of YHVH is sure, making the
simple wise. The Precepts of YHVH are right, rejoicing the heart; the Commandments of YHVH
are pure, giving light to the eyes. The fear of YHVH is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of
YHVH are true and righteous altogether, more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. And Your servant is warned by them; in keeping
them there is great reward.
It can be seen in these verses that the Law is foundational to the sanctification of man.
And no wonder, as it is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true and righteous altogether.
There are no laws that need to be removed because they are outdated or cruel, but the
whole Law is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true and righteous.
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We should also note here that the “fear of Yahweh” is just another term used to describe
the Law.
The Law of Yahweh is perfect, converting the soul
The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making the simple wise
The Precepts of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart
The Commandments of Yahweh are pure, giving light to the eyes
The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever
The judgments of Yahweh are true and righteous altogether
So when we read in the book of Proverbs that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of
wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), we can be sure that Solomon is referring to the law of God as
the beginning of wisdom.
When one reads David speaking of the Law as something to be desired more than gold,
sweeter than honey and capable of providing great reward in its keeping, one must truly
begin to reconsider their previous understanding of the Law and their interpretation of
New Testament writings on the subject.
Psalm 23 is one of the most famous Psalms of comfort, and yet many have perhaps
missed that when David says that Yahweh will restore his soul, it is because he walks
in the paths of righteousness that Yahweh has shown him. And what are the paths of
righteousness of which David speaks, other than the law of his God!
PSALM 23
A Psalm of David. YHVH is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of
righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You
prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup
runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in
the house of YHVH forever.
Note also that David says that surely goodness and mercy will follow him all of his life.
Though he suffered the consequences of his sins in life, yet goodness and mercy God
did grant him because of his repentant love for the ways of Yahweh. This is clear from
Psalm 25, in which we see that Yahweh has always been good and merciful - not just in
the New Testament.
PSALM 25: 4-10
Make me know Your ways, O YHVH; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth, and teach
me; for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day long. Remember, O YHVH,
Your tender mercies and Your loving-kindnesses; for they are from eternity. Do not remember
the sins of my youth, or my rebellings; according to Your mercy remember me for Your
goodness' sake, O YHVH. Good and upright is YHVH; therefore He will teach sinners in the way.
The meek He will guide in judgment; and the meek He will teach His way. All the paths of YHVH
are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
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Again it is worth reiterating that keeping covenant with Yahweh is not the same as
being perfect in obedience, simply in walking the path, not ignoring it. Yahweh is there
to order our steps and help us along.
PSALM 37: 23-24, 30-31
The steps of a good man are ordered by YHVH; and He delights in his way. Though he fall,
he shall not be cast down; for YHVH upholds his hand… The mouth of the righteous speaks
wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgment. The Law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps
shall slide.
Yahweh will thus ensure that we are not found guilty when He judges us because His
grace is effective to lift up those who keep His way.
PSALM 37: 34
Wait on YHVH, and keep His way, and He shall lift you up to inherit the earth; when the
wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
Have things changed in the New Testament era? Did the saints have to keep the Way
in the Old Testament in order to inherit the earth but now we don't have to? Is there one
rule for them and one rule for us?
In Psalm 40 we are told that Yahweh never desired sacrifices and offerings, which at
first seems like a contradiction because Yahweh commanded such things and is even
noted as being pleased by their aromas on various occasions. But Hebrews 10 explains
the context, which is that these sacrifices could never take away sin. Yahweh has always
desired obedience over sacrifice, because without disobedience there would be no need
for sacrifice. But He is still pleased by the humble and repentant heart that recognises
the need for an eternal sacrifice that is represented by these transient offerings. So when
Yahshua arrived on the scene, He committed to the will of God.
PSALM 40: 6-8
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin
offering You have not asked. Then I said, Lo, I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of
Me; I delight to do Your will, O My God; and Your Law is within My heart.
In Psalm 50, Yahweh makes the point that only the obedient qualify for the saving
benefits of this sacrifice, because those who profess only by mouth and have no love
for His words (His Law) as evident by their disobedience to them, are counted among
the wicked (Yahshua makes this point frequently in the New Testament).
PSALM 50: 16-22
But to the wicked, God says, What is it to you, to declare My Precepts, and to take up My
covenant in your mouth? Yea, you hate to be taught, and you toss My Words behind you. When
you saw a thief, then you were pleased to be with him, and you have taken part with adulterers.
You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit; you speak against your
brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I have kept
silence; you thought that I was like yourself, but I will rebuke you, and set in order before your
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eyes. Now think of this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to
deliver.
LUKE 12: 45-47
But if that servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the
male servants and women servants, and to eat and drink and to be drunk, the lord of that
servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and at an hour when he does not know.
And he will cut him apart, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that
servant who knew his lord's will and did not prepare, nor did according to His will, shall be
beaten with many stripes.
MATTHEW 7: 20-23
…by their fruits you shall know them. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter
the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me
in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out
demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works? And then I will say to them I never
knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!
It should be noted that covenants are made by cutting up flesh (thus the term “cutting a
covenant”) and the scriptures reveal that either we accept Yahweh’s covenant or we
ourselves will be cut up.
Psalm 51 helps in better understanding the seemingly contradictory subject of sacrifices
in the Bible; the last four verses of this Psalm have David firstly saying that he will not
offer animal sacrifices to Yahweh because He does not delight in them (that He rather
delights in the sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit) before he finally says that
Yahweh will delight in animal sacrifice in the future.
PSALM 51: 16-19
For You do not desire sacrifice; or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not
despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then shall You be
pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then
they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
To understand this we must understand both the context and the prophetic statement.
The notes at the top of the Psalm tell us that this Psalm was written when David was
repenting for his adultery with Bathsheba and praying for the life of his newborn son.
David is recognising that he can’t just make sacrifices like waving a magic wand to
make his sin disappear, but that he must sufficiently humble himself in spirit first. Then
Yahweh will accept his sacrifice after. This appears to be what happened when we read
the account in 2 Samuel. Though David’s son still died, David still went into the temple
to complete the repentance process for his sin.
2 SAMUEL 12: 16, 19-20
And David prayed to God for the child. And David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon
the earth… But David saw that his servants whispered. And David understood that the child was
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dead. And David said to his servants, Is the boy dead? And they said, He is dead. And David
arose from the earth and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothing, and came
into the house of YHVH and worshiped. And he came to his house, and commanded, and they
brought bread before him and he ate.
The prophetic statement in the Psalm is regarding the walls of Jerusalem being built,
and may refer to the return from captivity of the Jews when they came back from their
exile in Babylon. Before they left, God did not accept their sacrifices.
ISAIAH 1: 10-15
Hear the Word of YHVH, rulers of Sodom; give ear to the Law of our God, people of
Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says YHVH; I am full of
the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of he-goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at
your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more vain sacrifice; incense is an abomination to
Me; the new moon and sabbath, the going to meeting; I cannot endure evil and the assembly!
Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary
to bear them. And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when
you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.
It is clear that Yahweh does not have a problem with all these things if done in the right
spirit, because He commanded them. It is the lack of repentance that makes these
sacrifices and feasts a slap in the face of our God.
PROVERBS 15: 8
The sacrifice of the wicked is a hateful thing to YHVH, but the prayer of the upright is His
delight.
Only when they returned from Babylon and returned to God’s law was it done in the
right spirit.
NEHEMIAH 12: 27, 43, 45
And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites out of all their places
to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, and with thanksgiving, and
with singing, with cymbals, harps and with lyres… And that day they offered great sacrifices,
and rejoiced. For God had made them rejoice with great joy. And the wives and the sons
rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off… And both the singers and the
gatekeepers kept the charge of their God, and the charge of the cleansing, according to the
command of David and of Solomon his son.
Thus appearing to fulfil David’s prophecy:
PSALM 51: 18-19
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then shall You be
pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then
they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
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Many of the following Psalms contain David’s call for severe judgement on the enemies
of Yahweh and many Christians consider this evidence that the Old Covenant was not
big on grace whilst the New Covenant is. But there is a difference between calling for
judgement on those who have clearly rebelled against Yahweh, and with loving our
personal enemies who simply do not know Him. And David certainly shows that he
does have a desire to reach out to convert others, as in the Psalm just studied:
PSALM 51: 12-13
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will
teach transgressors Your ways; and sinners shall be converted to You.
In Psalm 67 we see that Israel was called to be a light to the nations so that everyone
would come to know the Way of Yahweh. This Psalm also prophetically states that this
will be the case in the future, and the prophets will later confirm this.
PSALM 67: 1-4
May God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine on us. Selah. So that
Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You,
O God; let all the peoples thank You. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You shall
judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations on earth. Selah.
In Psalm 89 we read that it is wickedness and sin to rebel against Yahweh’s law.
PSALM 89: 30-32
If his children forsake My Law, and do not walk in My judgments; if they profane My
Precepts, and do not keep My Commandments; then I will visit their wickedness with the rod,
and their sin with stripes.
So one must ask if the definition of wickedness and sin has changed in the New
Testament era? If this were so, then wickedness and sin would be changeable, which
would mean that what was once wicked would no longer be wicked, and what was once
sin would no longer be sin. But if this were so, then how could it be that a person’s
conscience would know right from wrong according to the Law, when they have never
even heard the Law?
ROMANS 2: 14-15
For when the nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these,
not having the Law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the Law written in their
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing
or even excusing one another…
Yahweh chastens His people to bring them in accordance to the Law so that they might
be blessed with great peace.
PSALM 94: 12-13
Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O YHVH, to teach him out of Your Law; that You
may give him rest from the days of trouble, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
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PSALM 119: 165
Great peace is to those who love Your Law, and there is no stumbling block for them.
This leads us into Psalm 119, which is the longest chapter in the longest book in the
Bible, and it is all about the law of Yahweh! It’s as though it has been made to stand
out due to the measure of its importance. It is essential to read through this entire chapter
to see how much the law of God was loved by His people, but some select verses will
be noted here for particular emphasis.
PSALM 119: 29
Remove from me the way of lying; and grant me Your Law graciously.
The granting of God’s law was a gracious act, not an act of spiritual bondage.
PSALM 119: 44
And I shall keep Your Law continually forever and ever.
There are three different but similar Hebrew words used in this verse that have been
translated as “continually”, “forever”, and “ever”. Used in isolation it could be argued
that the meaning is simply that the Law is to be followed without interruption until
some future point in time (perpetual). But using all three words together seems to stretch
the bounds of acceptance in this matter. Rather, the meaning is plain that the Law is
truly to be followed forever. As all scripture is inspired of God, this is not the psalmist’s
own limited view being given here, but Yahweh’s affirmation that His law is to be
followed eternally. When the psalmist is resurrected with the rest of the just for the
Millennial reign of Messiah, he knows that he will continue to keep the Law.
It is also made known to us that the Law is not an affliction, it is in fact the opposite; it
gives us comfort in afflictions. It also gives us true life.
PSALM 119: 50
This is my comfort in my affliction; for Your Word has given me life.
PSALM 119: 92-93
Unless Your Law had been my delight, I should then have perished in my affliction. I will
never forget Your Commandments; for with them You have given me life.
PSALM 119: 98-100
Through Your Commandments You make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever
with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers; for Your testimonies are my prayer.
I understand more than the old men, because I keep Your Commandments.
If the Law makes us wise, then surely only a fool would ignore it? See also Proverbs 4.
PSALM 119: 105
NUN: Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.
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If the Law is a spiritual light to guide us, why would you put it out?
PSALM 119:142
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is the truth.
The Law is the truth. Once we receive this Biblical definition for the truth many
scriptures are opened to our understanding.
PSALM 25: 4-5
Make me know Your ways, O YHVH; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth, and teach
me; for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day long.
PSALM 26: 2-3
Examine me, O YHVH, and prove me; purify my heart and my mind. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes; and I have walked in Your truth.
PSALM 30: 9
What profit is in my blood, in going down to the pit? Shall the dust praise You? Shall it tell
of Your truth?
PSALM 40: 7-10
Then I said, Lo, I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of Me; I delight to do Your
will, O My God; and Your Law is within My heart. I have preached righteousness in the great
congregation; lo, I have not kept back My lips, O YHVH, You know. I have not hidden Your
righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not
hidden Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
JOHN 18: 37
Pilate then said to Him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered, You say it that I am a king.
To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to
the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.
PSALM 43: 2-3
For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning under
the affliction of the enemy? Oh send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them
bring me to Your holy hill, and to Your tabernacles.
JOHN 17: 17
Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.
God’s law is the truth. His truth, His Law, guides us and sanctifies us (teaches us and
makes us holy). It is a light in spiritual darkness. It opens our eyes to the ways of God.
And it works in association with His mercy for we all fall short of His perfection. Thus
our salvation is both His mercy and His truth.
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GENESIS 24: 27
And he said, Blessed be YHVH, the God of my master Abraham, who has not left my master
destitute of His mercy and His truth. YHVH led me, I being in the way to the house of my
master's brothers.
PSALM 57: 2-3
I will cry to God most high, to God who does all things for me. He shall send from Heaven,
and save me from the scorn of him who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His
mercy and His truth.
PSALM 98: 3
He has remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the
earth have seen the salvation of YHVH.
PROVERBS 16: 6
By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of YHVH men turn away from evil.
PSALM 100: 5
For YHVH is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.
We are beginning to see more and more that Yahweh’s law is for all periods of time.
Indeed, when He comes to judge the world He will do so according to His law.
PSALM 96: 10-13
Say among the nations, YHVH reigns; and the world shall be established; it shall not be
moved; He shall judge the peoples in uprightness. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be
glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness of it. Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; then shall
all the trees of the forest rejoice before YHVH; for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth;
He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.
We should also note from verse 142 that Yahweh’s righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness; His righteousness does not change. Hence what was once wicked is still
wicked, and what was righteous is still righteous.
PSALM 119: 142, 150-152, 160
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is the truth… They draw
near, those who follow after wickedness; they are far from Your Law. You are near, O YHVH,
and all Your Commandments are truth. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that
You have founded them forever… Your Word is true from the beginning; and every one of Your
righteous judgments endures forever.
Finally in this great Psalm we are reminded that we still have a tendency to go astray,
and that as long as we do not forget His commandments Yahweh will seek after us, to
keep us.
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PSALM 119: 176
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant; for I do not forget Your
Commandments.
The Old Testament saints certainly knew that they needed Yahweh’s mercy and so it is
no surprise that in Psalm 136 we have twenty-six verses that end every time with the
words, “for His mercy endures forever”.
The way in which we are to walk also endures forever.
PSALM 139: 23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts, and see if any
wicked way is in me; and lead me in the way everlasting.
The Book of Proverbs also has some things to say regarding the law of God, which
should be no surprise when we read the purpose of the proverbs.
PROVERBS 1: 1-4
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction;
to recognize the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and
judgment, and uprightness; to give sense to the simple, knowledge and judgment to the young
man…
PROVERBS 1: 7-8
The fear of YHVH is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother…
As a reminder, it is the Law which instructs us in all holiness and wisdom.
Indeed, it seems likely that Solomon is referring to the law of God when we consider
that the proverbs are written in a way that has Yahweh speaking to us indirectly as His
sons through the words of Solomon to his own son. This becomes clearer as the book
progresses.
PROVERBS 3: 1-4
My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments; for they shall add
length of days, and long life, and peace to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; tie them
around your neck; write them upon the tablet of your heart; and you shall find favour and good
understanding in the sight of God and man.
PROVERBS 4: 1-2
Sons, hear the instruction of a father, and listen in order to know understanding. For I give
you good teaching; do not forsake my law.
We should also keep in mind that when someone has taken a belief to themselves they
have adopted it and made it their own (without changing it), and so Solomon is likely
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speaking of “my law” and “my commandments” because he has taken on board the
laws and commandments of Yahweh. We see Paul doing the same thing when he speaks
of “my gospel” (Romans 2:16, 16:25, 2 Timothy 2:8).
We should also have no problem accepting Yahweh in the role of a mother as well as a
father, for He portrays Himself as a mother as well as a father in scripture, just not as
frequently (Isaiah 66:13, Matthew 23:37). And in Proverbs 6 there is little doubt that this
is God’s law of which is being spoken.
PROVERBS 6: 20-23
My son, keep your father's commandments, and do not forsake the law of your mother;
bind them upon your heart forever, tie them around your neck. When you go, it shall lead you;
when you sleep, it shall keep you; and when you awake, it shall talk with you. For the
commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life…
By the time we get to Proverbs 7 it is becoming clear to see that the Book of Proverbs is
based upon a foundation of the Law and is speaking of the wisdom of following it.
PROVERBS 7: 1-3
My son, keep my words and store up my commandments within you. Keep my
commandments and live; and keep my law as the pupil of your eye. Bind them upon your
fingers; write them upon the tablet of your heart.
Clearly Solomon learnt a lot from his time rebelling against the Law, and many if not
all of his proverbs that we have in the Bible are an expansion upon the conclusion he
came to in the Book of Ecclesiastes. As a way of reminder:
ECCLESIASTES 12: 13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments.
For this is the whole duty of man.
And the reason that Solomon often gives for his wisdom (which is to keep his son away
from the seductive and adulterous woman) is clearly a representation of Yahweh’s
desire to keep His people from heeding those who would draw them away after other
gods.
In Proverbs 8 we have confirmation that the Way was present even before the world was
made, and that it was established on wisdom.
PROVERBS 8: 22-23
YHVH possessed me from the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was anointed
from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth ever was.
Proverbs 9 tells us that knowledge of the holy is understanding, which is knowledge of
the Law, for it is the Law which teaches us what is holy.
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PROVERBS 9: 10
The fear of YHVH is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is
understanding.
ROMANS 7: 7+12
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except
through the law. For also I did not know lust except the law said, You shall not lust… So indeed
the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.
It is the pursuit of holiness and righteousness that leads to life.
PROVERBS 12: 28
In the way of righteousness is life, and in that pathway there is no death.
PROVERBS 13: 13-14
Whoever despises the Word shall be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment shall
be rewarded. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
PROVERBS 14: 12
There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death.
Many would say that if a Christian follows the Way (the Law) today then they are
accursed and heading for destruction. But are we to believe that the Law is life for the
Old Testament saints but death for the New Testament saints? Only if we ignore the
multitude of scripture. The way that seems right to man is the way that looks good in
his own eyes, not in the eyes of Yahweh.
Later on in the book of Proverbs we have a verse that once again proves that there is no
great difference (if any) between the teachings in the Law and the teachings that
Yahshua gave.
PROVERBS 25: 21
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink…
The Old Testament not only speaks of loving one’s neighbour as oneself but also loving
one’s enemies. We are to do good to all and let Yahweh be the judge of the heart of
man. Once again we see that the modern paradigm of the Law and the Gospel being
two different religions or philosophies is rooted primarily in an ignorance of what the
Old Testament actually teaches.
PROVERBS 28: 9
He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is a hateful thing.
If one were to turn away from God’s ways, then their prayers are not going to be in line
with His will, so there will be no answer. This may explain why the popular verse below
has yielded no fruitful response as of yet.
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2 CHRONICLES 7: 14
…if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek
My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.
Again we come across another popular verse in modern-day Christianity, though the
second part is never uttered along with the first.
PROVERBS 29: 18
Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law, he is blessed.
Studying various translations of this verse reveals even more than the general reading.
The word translated as “vision” can also be translated as “oracle”, as in the oracles of
God (Romans 3:2, Hebrews 5:12) which are the commandments of God. Indeed some
translations say, “Without God’s guidance, the people perish”. Then there is the fact
that some translations replace “the people perish” with “cast off restraint”, “lose selfcontrol”, “run wild”, etc. When one keeps the context provided by the second half of
this proverb with regards to the Law, one can see that the gist of this proverb is thus:
Where Yahweh’s law is absent, the people become ungodly; but those who keep it will
be spiritually blessed.
As the Church continues to dismantle Yahweh’s law one line and one precept at a time,
we see the truth of this interpretation in an increasingly ungodly Church and world.
After the time of Solomon, in 1 Kings 12-13, we see the kingdom of Israel divided into
two, with the northern ten tribes coming under the leadership of Jeroboam. Because this
king is concerned that his people might return to the house of Judah if they continue to
go up to Jerusalem for the feasts of Yahweh, he creates a substitute religion that mirrors
the ordinances of God. He creates a new place of worship, ordains priests who are not
Levites, creates a substitute festival a month after the feast of Tabernacles, and creates
idols to worship. Via a prophet, Yahweh expresses His displeasure of this great sin and
lays a curse. We should note that Catholicism did exactly the same thing; idols, new
festivals, new priesthoods, new seat of power. Protestantism has yet to shake off some
of these things that remain.
However, Yahweh shows that His mercy is just as great under the Old Covenant as it
is under the new, particularly in His response to one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s
history when this king humbles himself.
1 KINGS 21: 25-29
But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of YHVH,
whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to
all that the Amorites did, whom YHVH cast out before the sons of Israel. And it happened when
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Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay
in sackcloth and walked softly. And the Word of YHVH came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Do
you see how Ahab humbles himself before Me? Because he humbles himself before Me, I will
not bring the evil in his days. But in his son's days I will bring the evil on his house.
In 2 Kings 17 we have it confirmed that Yahweh turned His back on the house of Israel
(the northern tribes) and allowed them to be taken into captivity by Assyria because
they had turned away from all His commandments and served other gods instead. This
was not punishment for keeping the Law imperfectly, but for not keeping it at all.
In 2 Kings 22 the same judgement is foretold for the house of Judah for the same reason,
though it would not happen in that current generation because of the humility shown
by the righteous King Josiah once the Book of the Law was rediscovered during the
temple renovations.
But before these nations were taken into captivity, Yahweh raised up prophets to remind
them of the consequences of breaking His law, pointing them back to the warnings
which He had given them when He gave the Law through Moses. At the same time,
these prophets also speak of the eternal nature of Yahweh’s law, perhaps to emphasise
its universal standard so that none would think that there may come a time when their
disobedience to it would be acceptable.
MICAH 4: 1-2
But it shall be in the last days the mountain of the house of YHVH shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.
And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of YHVH, and to
the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths;
for the Law shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of YHVH from Jerusalem.
ISAIAH 2: 2-5
And it shall be, in the last days the mountain of YHVH's house shall be established in the
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And
many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go to the mountain of YHVH, to the house of
the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion
shall go out the Law, and the Word of YHVH from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning-hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of YHVH.
When Yahshua returns, He will judge the nations according to His law, and then teach
us how to walk in it most fully. Thus the Law and the Prophets agree on the eternal
upholding of the Law. Scripture says that anyone who says anything contrary to these
words has no understanding of the truth.
ISAIAH 8: 20
To the Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because
no light is in them.
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When Yahshua judges the world according to His law, it will be because the people
have broken it.
ISAIAH 24: 4-6
The earth mourns and languishes; the world droops and languishes; the proud people of
the earth droop. And the land is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the
laws, changed the ordinance, and have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse
has devoured the earth, and they who dwell in it are deserted; therefore the people of the
earth are burned, and few men left.
The context of this entire chapter in Isaiah is the day of the Lord’s return and speaks of
more than just the land of Israel. But why would Yahshua be judging the world
according to His laws if those laws have been done away? If Yahshua’s sacrifice on the
Cross meant that the Levitical system (the ordinance incorporating Yahweh’s feasts)
no longer needed to be kept, then why are people judged for changing it (with
unauthorised ordinations of priests, and festivals such as Christmas, Easter and Lent)?
And if the Old Covenant has been replaced by an entirely new covenant, then how can
people be guilty of breaking the everlasting covenant?
Clearly the Law is still active and applicable on the day of the Lord’s return. The
Levitical ordinances are still required (not to take away sin but to point towards
Yahshua’s eternal sacrifice) and the everlasting covenant has been renewed and therefore made new (not replaced with something different). These points will be established
through further reading of the prophets and in the New Testament analysis.
ISAIAH 40: 8
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand forever.
The Word of God spoken of by Isaiah is clearly the Law, the Psalms, and the other
writings, all of which magnify the Law. The apostle Peter will later draw on this verse
to explain that the gospel being preached is this very same Word.
1 PETER 1: 24-25
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flower of the grass. The grass withers,
and its flower falls out, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word
preached as gospel to you.
And Isaiah later proceeds to tell us that Messiah will never be dissuaded from setting
up the Law, and that the people of the earth will actually wait for it.
ISAIAH 42: 1-4
Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; My Elect, in whom My soul delights. I have put My
Spirit on Him; He shall bring out judgment to the nations. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause
His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He shall not break, and a smoking wick He
shall not quench; He shall bring out judgment to truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged until
He has set judgment in the earth; and the coasts shall wait for His Law.
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Rather than the Law being abolished, it will be magnified.
ISAIAH 41: 21
YHVH is well pleased for His righteousness sake; He will magnify the Law and make it
honourable.
Yahweh gave His people that which was good, not something designed to create a
barrier between Himself and His people.
ISAIAH 45: 19
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
Seek me in vain. I YHVH speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
ISAIAH 48: 17-18
So says YHVH, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am YHVH your God who teaches
you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to
My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like
the waves of the sea.
When Yahshua returns, the righteousness that He finds in the hearts of His people is
His law.
ISAIAH 51: 6-8
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath; for the heavens shall
vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall become old like a garment; and its inhabitants shall
die in the same way. But My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be
broken. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My Law; do
not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up
like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; but My righteousness shall be forever,
and My salvation from generation to generation.
Is the consistency of scripture becoming plain yet? Keeping the Law before the Cross
was righteousness, keeping the Law after Yahshua returns is righteousness, and keeping
the Law in the time between is also righteousness.
Therefore those who do not keep His law will be cut off, as evidenced for example by
those who continue to eat unclean animals.
ISAIAH 66: 15-18
For, behold, YHVH will come with fire, and with His chariots like a tempest, to refresh His
anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword YHVH will
execute judgment with all flesh; and the slain of YHVH will be many. Those who sanctify
themselves, and purify themselves to go into the gardens, behind one tree in the middle, eating
swine's flesh, and the hateful thing, and the mouse, will be cut off together, says YHVH. For I
know their works and their thoughts; it comes to gather all the nations and the tongues; and
they will come and see My glory.
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The Levitical priesthood system will be reinstituted with the temple, and people will
come to worship Yahshua on His appointed days.
ISAIAH 66: 20-23
And they will bring all your brothers for an offering to YHVH out of all nations on horses,
and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,
says YHVH, as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of YHVH. And
I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites, says YHVH. For as the new heavens and
the new earth, which I will make stand before Me, says YHVH, so will your seed and your name
stand. And it will be, from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, all
flesh will come to worship before Me, says YHVH.
In the writings of Jeremiah it is implied that the Law which Yahweh gave His people,
the way in which to walk, was for their profit.
JEREMIAH 2: 8, 11
The priests did not say, Where is YHVH? And they who handle the Law did not know Me;
the shepherds also rebelled against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after
things not profitable… Has a nation changed their gods who are yet no gods? But My people
have changed their Glory for that which does not profit.
Yahweh makes one final appeal to Judah before they too are led away captive like their
sister Israel, but they too reject the good way of Yahweh’s law.
JEREMIAH 6: 16-19
So says YHVH, Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths where the good way is,
and walk in it, and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it. Also I
set watchmen over you, saying, Listen to the sound of the ram's horn. But they said, We will
not listen. Therefore hear, nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O
earth; behold, I will bring evil on this people, the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not
listened to My Words, nor to My Law, but have rejected it.
It is stubborn refusal to walk in the ways of God for which they were punished, not a
failed but sincere attempt to keep it.
In Jeremiah 7 we again have Yahweh saying that He did not institute the sacrificial
system so that His people could be guiltless in doing whatever they want, for without
obedience to His Word it will be no profit to them. So if they won’t obey, then they
might as well eat their animals rather than sacrificing them to Him.
JEREMIAH 7: 21-23
So says YHVH of Hosts, the God of Israel: Put your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and
eat flesh. For I did not speak to your fathers, nor command them in the day that I brought them
out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But I commanded them this
thing, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people; and walk in
all the ways that I have commanded you, so that it may be well with you.
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When Yahweh brought His people out of Egypt, He gave them His instructions for
living correctly first, then He gave the sacrificial system to atone for the sins of the
people (vicariously through Messiah) because He knew that they would not be able to
keep His instructions perfectly. But if they turn from His Word, then sacrifices and
burnt offerings do nothing for them.
Because the people of Judah rejected Yahweh’s law, He says that He will feed them
with wormwood and make them drink poisonous water. Could it be that the same
judgement occurs in the end times because His people will be consciously rejecting His
law once again?
JEREMIAH 9: 13-15
And YHVH says, Because they have forsaken My Law which I set before them, and have not
obeyed My voice, and have not walked in it, but they have walked after the stubbornness of
their own heart, and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them. Therefore so says YHVH
of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and
make them drink poisonous water.
REVELATION 8: 10-11
And the third angel sounded, and a great star burning like a lamp fell from the heaven, and
it fell on the third part of the rivers and on the fountains of waters. And the name of the star is
called Wormwood, and a third part of the waters became wormwood. And many men died
from the waters, because they were made bitter.
In Jeremiah 18 we see an example of when it is right to not pray on behalf of sinners,
just as King David sometimes refused to do. At first Jeremiah did intercede for them,
but there comes a point when people have gone too far from Yahweh and will never
repent.
JEREMIAH 18: 19-23
Pay attention to me; O YHVH, and attend to the voice of my foes. Should evil be repaid for
good? For they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before You to do good for
them, and to turn away Your wrath from them. Therefore deliver up their sons to the famine,
and give them over to the hand of the sword. And let their wives be bereaved, and widows,
and their men be slain of death; let their young men be struck by the sword in battle. Let a cry
be heard from their houses, when You suddenly bring a raiding party on them. For they have
dug a pit to take me, and have hidden snares for my feet. Yet, YHVH, You know all their counsel
against me to kill me. Do not forgive their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight, but let
them be overthrown before You; deal with them in the time of Your anger.
This is in agreement with what Yahweh told Jeremiah earlier.
JEREMIAH 7: 16
Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up cry nor prayer for them, nor make
intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.
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JEREMIAH 11: 14
And you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them. For I will not hear
them in the time they cry to Me for their trouble.
JEREMIAH 14: 11
Then YHVH said to me, Do not pray for this people for good.
JEREMIAH 15: 1
Then YHVH said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My soul could not be
toward this people. Send them out of My sight, and let them go out.
Yahweh listened to Moses when the prophet interceded for His people in the Exodus,
but the people in Jeremiah’s time are no longer good for anything (Matthew 5:13).
Yahweh will always forgive when a person truly repents, as will be seen in Ezekiel 18,
but in this case the people are beyond saving.
In Jeremiah 31 we have the first declaration of the new covenant that Yahweh will cut
with His people in the future.
JEREMIAH 31: 31-34
Behold, the days come, says YHVH, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the
day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine
they broke, although I was a husband to them, says YHVH; but this shall be the covenant that I
will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says YHVH, I will put My Law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they
shall no more teach each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying, Know YHVH; for
they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says YHVH. For I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
Is this new covenant different to the old? The Hebrew word translated as “new” carries
the meaning of “fresh”, which essentially means that this is not a new covenant in the
sense of a different kind of covenant but a new covenant as in a renewed covenant. And
it is already clear that having Yahweh’s law in our inward parts and in our hearts is not
something unique to the “New Covenant”.
PROVERBS 3: 1-3
My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments; for they shall add
length of days, and long life, and peace to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; tie them
around your neck; write them upon the tablet of your heart…
PROVERBS 7: 1-3
My son, keep my words and store up my commandments within you. Keep my
commandments and live; and keep my law as the pupil of your eye. Bind them upon your
fingers; write them upon the tablet of your heart.
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JOB 22: 22
Please receive the Law from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart.
PSALM 31: 30-31
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgment. The Law of
his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Even those who have never heard the Law can have the basics of it written on their
hearts.
ROMANS 2: 14-15
For when the nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these,
not having the Law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the Law written in their
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing
or even excusing one another…
One either makes their heart soft and penitent for Yahweh to write upon, or they make
it hard so that only their sin remains.
JEREMIAH 17: 1
The sin of Judah is engraved with an iron stylus; it is carved on the tablet of the heart and
on the horns of Your altar with the point of a diamond…
The main difference between the old and renewed covenant is that the covenant initially
included all of the people of Israel (whether the law was written on their hearts or not)
whereas the renewed covenant is only made with those who submit to Yahweh. The
details of this will be explored in the New Testament analysis. But it is important to
note that it is the same everlasting covenant with the same Law.
We should not forget that Abraham was also in covenant with Yahweh according to all
of His laws, statutes and commandments, and we see in the writings of Hosea that Adam
was also party to the everlasting covenant.
HOSEA 6: 7
But, like Adam, they [Israel and Judah] have broken the covenant. They have acted like
traitors against Me there.
The Law and the covenant are intertwined.
HOSEA 8: 1
Put a trumpet to your mouth. He comes like an eagle against the house of YHVH, because
they have broken My covenant and have sinned against My Law.
This is because our covenant with Yahweh is about obedience to His ways, and those
ways never change.
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Speaking of when Yahshua will sit on the throne of David and rule over the kingdom
of Israel from Jerusalem, Jeremiah informs us that the sacrificial system will continue
as part of the covenant.
JEREMIAH 33: 15-22
In those days, and at that time, I will cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up to
David. And He shall do judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah shall be
saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this is the name with which she shall be called,
YHVH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. For so says YHVH, David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne
of the house of Israel, nor shall the priests the Levites lack a man before Me to offer burnt
offerings, and to kindle grain offerings, and to do sacrifice forever. And the Word of YHVH came
to Jeremiah, saying, So says YHVH: If you can break My covenant of the day and My covenant
of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season, then also may My
covenant with David My servant be broken, that he should not have a son to reign on his throne,
and My covenant with the Levites the priests, My ministers. As the host of the heavens cannot
be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so I will multiply the seed of David My servant
and the Levites who minister to Me.
The book of Hebrews confirms that Yahshua never replaced the Levitical system of
sacrifice. The Melchizedek and Levitical priesthoods are concurrent, the latter an
earthly portrait of the heavenly.
HEBREWS 8: 1-5
Now the sum of the things which we have spoken is this: We have such a High Priest, who
has sat down on the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven, a Minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is
appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One have something
to offer also. For if indeed He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests
who offer gifts according to the Law, who serve the example and shadow of heavenly things…
As a reminder, it is only when obedience to the Law is missing that Yahweh considers
sacrifices an evil thing.
HOSEA 8: 11-13
Because Ephraim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be to him to sin. I have written
to him the great things of My Law, but they were counted as a strange thing. They sacrifice
flesh for the sacrifices of My offerings, and eat it; but YHVH does not receive them. Now He will
remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt.
ISAIAH 66: 3
He who kills an ox is is as if he killed a man; he who sacrifices a lamb is as if he broke a
dog's neck; he who offers an offering is as if he offered swine's blood; he who burns incense is
as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their
abominations.
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AMOS 5: 21-24
I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not delight in your solemn assemblies. Though
you offer Me burnt offerings and your food offerings, I will not be pleased. Nor will I regard the
peace offerings of your fat animals. Take the noise of your songs away from Me; for I will not
hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let judgment roll down like waters, and
righteousness like a mighty stream.
MICAH 6: 6-8
With what shall I come before YHVH, to bow myself before God the Most High? Shall I
come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will YHVH be pleased with
thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my
transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is
good. And what does YHVH require of you but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with your God?
In Jeremiah 36 we see that Yahweh still offers hope to the people of Judah. We must
realise that there is no difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God
of the New Testament (Malachi 3:6-7); the same desire to show mercy still exists until
the very last opportunity for repentance has passed. In this particular scenario the final
warning is more of a formality, because Yahweh already knows that this people will
not repent (as He has expressed to Jeremiah in the past). But the opportunity is still
given, and the expected response received.
JEREMIAH 36: 1-3, 37: 2
And it happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, this Word
came to Jeremiah from YHVH, saying, Take for yourself a roll of a book, and write in it all the
Words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations,
from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. It may be that the house
of Judah will hear all the evil which I plan to do to them, that they may each man turn from his
evil way, so that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin… But neither he [the king], nor his
servants, nor the people of the land, listened to the Words of YHVH which He spoke by the
prophet Jeremiah.
The prophets did not view Yahweh as the cruel and unforgiving despot that many have
portrayed Him as in the Old Testament. When people repented, no matter what their
crime, Yahweh also relented. We see this none more so than when He relents from
destroying the city of Nineveh – much to Jonah’s anger.
JONAH 3: 10 – 4: 2
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. And God was
compassionate over the evil that He had said to do to them, and He did not do it. But it was a
great calamity in Jonah's sight, and it kindled anger in him. And he prayed to YHVH and said,
Please, O YHVH, was this not my saying when I was still in my land? On account of this I fled
before to Tarshish. For I knew that You are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and One who repents over calamity.
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But Judah had become so bad that she was even worse than the nations around her, and
time for her judgment finally came.
EZEKIEL 5: 5-8
So says the Lord YHVH: This is Jerusalem. I have set it in the middle of the nations, and all
around her are the lands. And she has changed My judgments into wickedness more than the
nations, and defiled My Laws more than the countries that are all around her; for they have
rejected My judgments and My Laws; they have not walked in them. Therefore so says the Lord
YHVH: Because you multiplied more than the nations that are all around you, and have not
walked in My Laws, neither have kept My judgments, nor have done according to the
judgments of the nations all around you; therefore so says the Lord YHVH; Behold, I, even I, am
against you, and will carry out judgments in your midst before the nations.
This passage reveals at least one of two things. Either the nations around Israel had
taken on board some of Yahweh’s commandments during the time of Solomon because
they saw how blessed Israel had been when they kept them (1 Kings 10:7-9), or this
supports Paul’s words in Romans 2:14-15 that Yahweh’s commandments are in
accordance with man’s conscience. In both cases this clearly shows that Yahweh’s
commandments are not arbitrary but truly beneficial.
In Ezekiel’s writings we once again see that the role of the Spirit is to help us keep the
commandments.
EZEKIEL 11: 19-20
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, so that they may walk in My
statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their
God.
Yahweh is not willing that anyone should perish, and so He forgives whenever anyone
turns to righteousness (His ways).
EZEKIEL 18: 21-23
But if the wicked will turn from all his sins which he has committed, and keep all My
statutes, and do justice and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions that
he has done, they shall not be mentioned to him; in his righteousness that he has done he shall
live. Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked? says the Lord YHVH. Is it not that he should
turn from his ways and live?
To turn from our ways to His ways; this is what Yahweh requires, and this is how we
will live. Not that our righteousness justifies us, but we are justified by turning to
righteousness, for only then do we receive grace. If we turn away from righteousness,
then we lose that grace as Ezekiel continues to reveal.
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EZEKIEL 18: 24
But when the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and does
according to all the abominations that the wicked do, shall he live? All his righteousness that
he has done shall not be remembered; in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that
he has sinned, in them he shall die.
Some might argue that this is no longer the case in the “new” covenant, that once saved
we are always saved. Whether this is so or not will be examined in the New Testament
analysis. But if we are to believe in a covenant that is simply renewed and not changed,
then there cannot be one rule for the saints before the Cross and another rule for the
saints after it. One must consider whether it would reflect Yahweh’s just and merciful
character to let some of His saints be damned whilst others are kept back from it simply
based on what time period they were born into? Of course we cannot achieve truth by
rationale alone, so we will let scripture speak at the appropriate times.
In Ezekiel 20 we once again see the purpose of Yahweh taking out the Israelites from
Egypt, which is that through them He can display His ways to all the nations; that is the
way of life.
EZEKIEL 20: 9-11, 13-14, 21-22
But I worked for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the nations among
whom they were, for I made Myself known to them in their eyes, by bringing them out of the
land of Egypt. And I caused them to go out from the land of Egypt, and brought them into the
wilderness. And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, which if a man do, he
shall even live in them… But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did
not walk in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man does, he shall even
live in them. And they greatly profaned My sabbaths. And I said, I will pour out My fury on them
in the wilderness to destroy them. But I worked for My name's sake, so that it should not be
profaned before the nations in whose sight I brought them out… But the sons rebelled against
Me. They did not walk in My statutes, nor kept My judgments to do them; the judgments which,
if a man do, he shall even live in them; they profaned My sabbaths and I said I would pour out
My fury on them, to fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. But I withdrew My hand
and worked for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, from
whom I brought them out in their eyes.
ACTS 15: 13-17
And after they were silent, James answered, saying, Men, brothers, listen to me. Even as
Simon has declared how God at the first visited the nations to take out of them a people for
His name. And the words of the Prophets agree to this; as it is written, "After this I will return
and will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen down; and I will build again its
ruins, and I will set it up, so those men who are left might seek after the Lord, and all the nations
on whom My name has been called, says the Lord, who does all these things."
PSALM 67: 1-2
May God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine on us. Selah. So that
Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
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Why would people seek after the Lord if His ways only led to bondage and curses? On
the contrary, they lead to salvation from sin.
But because of their rebellion, Yahweh eventually delivered His people over to the evil
ways of the nations; ways which lead to death.
EZEKIEL 20: 25-26
Also I gave them statutes not good, and judgments by which they should not live. And I
defiled them in their own gifts, in that they caused all that open the womb to pass through the
fire, that I might waste them, to the end that they might know that I am YHVH.
In Ezekiel 33 we have a passage that more succinctly explains the Way than in Ezekiel
18, and which the New Testament writers spend much time explaining. It is salvation
by faith.
EZEKIEL 33: 11-13
Say to them: As I live, says the Lord YHVH, I have no delight in the death of the wicked,
except in the turning of the wicked from his way, and so to live. Turn, turn from your evil ways;
for why will you die, O house of Israel? Therefore, son of man, say to the sons of your people:
The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression. As for
the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it in the day he turns from his wickedness.
Nor shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sins. When I shall
say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trusts in his own righteousness and commits
iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he has
committed, he shall die for it.
We see here that a man should not trust in his own righteousness, because he only has
to make one mistake and none of his righteous acts is remembered. But this does not
negate the pursuit of righteousness, because man must turn from wickedness in order
to have his sins forgiven.
EZEKIEL 33: 14-16
Again, when I say to the wicked, You shall surely die; if he turns from his sin and does justice
and right; if the wicked gives back the pledge, gives again what he had robbed, walks in the
statutes of life without committing iniquity, then he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of
his sins that he has committed shall be called to his memory. He has done justice and right; he
shall surely live.
Man must turn to righteousness, but not trust in his own righteousness. Every time he
sins, he must turn back to righteousness, and his sin will be cleared from his account.
In Ezekiel 36 we have the recurring prophecy that God will put His Spirit in us and
replace our rebellious stony hearts with soft compliant ones so that we can keep His
Law.
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EZEKIEL 36: 25-27, 37: 24
And I will sprinkle clean waters on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all
your filthiness and from your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit
within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of
flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall
keep My judgments and do them… And David My servant shall be King over them. And there
shall be one Shepherd to all of them. And they shall walk in My judgments, and obey My Laws,
and do them.
We should note that Yahweh specifically mentions His statutes and judgements; we are
to continue to follow His set ways, not just the principles of the Law that they rest upon.
And if there is any doubt that the context of this prophecy is not the last days, the
following chapter (37) reveals that the timeframe is after the resurrection of the dead,
when the regathering of Israel and Judah into the land of Israel takes place at the start
of the millennial reign of Messiah.
From Ezekiel 40-48 we have specifications for a new temple and new divisions of land
for the tribes of Israel. There is scholarly disagreement as to whether this relates to the
time before Messiah or after His return in the Millennium. From the following points it
would appear to relate to the latter:
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Only the tribe of Judah returned to the land after the Babylonian captivity ended,
so this passage must relate to when all tribes have returned in the Millennium.
The sacrifices differ from those originally laid out in the Pentateuch and seem
to reflect the fact that Yahshua now reigns (as explained in the companion book,
Prophecies of the New Creation).
Ezekiel 47 speaks of healing waters flowing out of the temple, and healing trees
lining the banks of the river, both of which are Millennial prophecies spoken of
elsewhere (Zechariah 14:8-9, Revelation 22:1-2).
The very end of this section indicates that Yahshua will be reigning from the
city of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 48:35).
When the Jews returned from captivity it was Cyrus king of Persia who Yahweh
commanded to build the temple (Ezra 1:1-2) and it was done so according to
Moses and not Ezekiel (Ezra 3:2-3). This is especially clear in Ezra 3:3 because
both morning and evening sacrifices are made, whereas in Ezekiel’s instructions
there is to be no evening sacrifice.
The temple in Ezekiel is 100 cubits wide, but the second temple was only 60
cubits wide (Ezra 6:3).
With this in mind, we have yet more evidence that the Law is still active in the
Millennial period.
It is necessary to point out at this point that it appears that the revealed law of God can
be added to if it is done with the authority of Yahweh, for we have in Ezekiel’s prophecy
a modified mode of worship. It should be noted that even the first temple in Solomon’s
day was an addition to the Law as it had so far been revealed, because the Pentateuch
only specified a tabernacle.
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1 CHRONICLES 17: 4-6
Go and tell David My servant, So says YHVH, You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. For
I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel until today, but have gone
from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. Wherever I have walked with all Israel,
did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying,
Why have you not built Me a house of cedars?
2 CHRONICLES 6: 4-6
And he said, Blessed be YHVH, the God of Israel, who has with His hands fulfilled that which
He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, From the day that I brought My people
out of the land of Egypt I have not chosen any city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house
in, so that My name might be there. Nor have I chosen any man to be a ruler over My people
Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem, so that My name might be there, and now I have
chosen David to be over My people Israel.
1 CHRONICLES 28: 11-19
And David gave to his son Solomon the pattern of the porch, and of its houses, and of its
treasuries, and of its upper rooms, and of its innermost rooms, and of the place of the mercyseat, and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of YHVH, and of
all the rooms all around the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the holy
things; And for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of
the house of YHVH, and for all the vessels of service in the house of YHVH; even gold by weight
for things of gold, for all instruments of every kind of service; silver for all the vessels of silver
by weight, for all vessels every kind of service; and by weight for the lampstands of gold, and
for their lamps of gold, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps. And he gave for the
lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and for its lamps, according to the use of
each lampstand; and by weight gold for the tables of the showbread, for every table; silver for
the tables of silver; and pure gold for the flesh-hooks, and the bowls, and the cups; and for the
golden basins by weight for each basin, and by weight for each basin of silver; and the altar of
incense refined gold by weight, and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubs, who
spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of YHVH. All was in writing from
the hand of YHVH. He made me understand all the work of this pattern.
It wasn’t just David alone who received these instructions.
2 CHRONICLES 29: 25
And he set the Levites in the house of YHVH with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres,
according to the command of David, and of Gad the king's seer and Nathan the prophet. For
the commandment was by the hand of YHVH by His prophets.
Similarly, Ezekiel was given instructions by Yahweh to build a new temple with
ordinances that differed slightly to those given in the Pentateuch. So when we read the
original instruction given to the Israelites not to add or remove from the Law, it would
appear that this only relates to us taking it upon ourselves to do so.
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DEUTERONOMY 12: 32
All the things I command you, be careful to do it. You shall not add to it, nor take away
from it.
However, we must also keep in mind that the Law is eternal.
PSALM 119: 142, 150-152, 160
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is the truth… They draw
near, those who follow after wickedness; they are far from Your Law. You are near, O YHVH,
and all Your Commandments are truth. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that
You have founded them forever… Your Word is true from the beginning; and every one of Your
righteous judgments endures forever.
So it would seem that the Law, the Word, was not fully revealed in the Pentateuch, and
that Yahweh releases more of His laws at the time of His own choosing, such as the
laws involving Ezekiel’s temple.
EZEKIEL 44: 5
And YHVH said to me, Son of man, note carefully: see with your eyes, and hear with your
ears all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of YHVH, and all its laws.
And set your heart to the entrance of the house, with all the exits of the sanctuary.
However, this doesn’t mean that the Law has changed. Temple commandments are not
taken away, but a different set of temple instructions are given for a different situation.
The instructions for the Tabernacle were for when the Israelites had not been given rest
in the Land, whilst the instructions for the temple were for when Israel was established
in the Land. Likewise, one set of instructions for temple worship are given for when
Yahshua is not present in the flesh and another set applies to when He is.
Though fasting is not a law, Yahshua’s response to it in the following passage is a good
example of how things are different when He is present to when He is not.
MATTHEW 9: 14-15
Then the disciples of John came to Him saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,
but Your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be
taken away from them, and then they shall fast.
As a side point, it is also worth noting that before the Flood, animals were not eaten
(Genesis 1:29-30). But this does not do damage to the Law, because the Law has never
said that we must eat animals (with the exception of the Passover lamb), only that if we
do then we should eat the clean ones.
Now one might argue why the laws for Ezekiel’s temple were given at the time they
were, because this temple still hasn’t been built two and a half thousand years later. It
may be because the instructions for the temple are tied in with Millennial prophecies,
and the instructions themselves have much to offer us in understanding them.
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There is no way of knowing if Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Job, who all kept
Yahweh’s law, were privy to the whole Law or not. They may not have been able to
keep the laws specific to the land of Israel, so one could argue that there was no point
to them receiving such laws. But Yahweh may still have revealed some or all of those
laws for the purpose of prophecy, just as He has done through Ezekiel’s temple.
We find ourselves in the same position today, in that we cannot keep the laws that apply
to the land of Israel because God’s people do not have control over it. But this does not
mean that such laws have been done away, only that we cannot keep them at this time.
The same is likely true for the different sacrifices in Ezekiel’s temple; it’s not that some
of the sacrifices in the Pentateuch have been done away, only that they are not to be
kept when Yahshua Himself is present in the temple.
That the Law is not restricted to the five books of Moses is clear from some of the New
Testament references to it in other sections of the Bible.
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your Law, "I said, You are gods?"John 10: 34
I have said, You are gods; and all of you sons of the Most High.
Psalm 82: 6
1 Corinthians 14: 21
In the Law it is written, "By other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people, and even so
they will not hear Me, says the Lord."
Isaiah 28: 11-12
…for with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people. To whom He said,
This is the rest; cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing. Yet they were not willing to
hear.
Though the Old Testament can generally be divided into three groups (the Law, the
Writings and the Prophets) yet all three can be referred to as the Law because additional
commandments can be found within them (instructions for the house of Yahweh were
given in all three, for example). Hence the whole body of Old Testament scripture is
sometimes referred to as the Law, though “the Word” is the usual term used.
Now if we are not to add laws to what Yahweh has given us, then what does this mean
for the civil laws of other nations? Israel was a theocracy, and so God’s laws and the
civil laws were one and the same. But what do we do in the nations in which we find
ourselves in today, where there are additional laws? Do we ignore them so that we do
not add to God’s laws? For direction, we can look at what the Jews did when they were
in exile.
We should note that the Jews still attempted to keep Yahweh’s laws.
DANIEL 1: 8
But Daniel laid on his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's food, nor with
the wine which he drank. So he asked permission of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not
defile himself.
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Daniel appears to be doing all that he can to avoid eating unclean animals and he is
successful in doing so, also proving that this law results in better health (1:15).
Later we see that Daniel’s friends are willing to give their lives in horrific fashion in
order to remain true to their worship of Yahweh when they are thrown into a furnace,
and Daniel himself is willing to lay down his life in a den of lions to also remain faithful
to God. It is the second instance concerning Daniel that is most revealing however,
because it shows that he remained faithful to the laws of the Medes and Persians as well
as to the law of God.
DANIEL 6: 4-5
Then the presidents and rulers sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the
kingdom. But they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. Neither was there
any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, We shall not find any occasion against
this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the Law of his God.
What then are we to make of the following situation in Esther?
ESTHER 3: 8
And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and
dispersed among the people, in all the provinces of your kingdom. And their laws are different
from all people, neither do they keep the king's laws. And it is not for the king's gain to allow
them to live.
It should be noted that the Hebrew word translated as “laws” in this verse is not the
same Hebrew word for God’s laws.
Laws - H1881 – ‫ ּדת‬- dâth - dawth
Of uncertain (perhaps foreign) derivation; a royal edict or statute: - commandment,
commission, decree, law, manner.
This is not the word “Torah”, which means instructions, but a word that speaks of a
royal decree. It only appears once in the Pentateuch, in Deuteronomy 33:2, referring to
the Law in the context of covenant. It would therefore appear to be a word that speaks
of primary allegiance. In Esther 3:8 it is probably used to speak of worship; the Jews
worshipped Yahweh according to His festivals but did not keep the pagan worship rites
of the Medes and Persians. When we consider that this was the same kingdom in which
Daniel was found to be lawful, until the rulers made a decree to outlaw worship of any
other god, then this seems to be the logical conclusion. In fact it all fits harmoniously
together.
So we see that we can indeed follow laws other than God’s laws, as long as the two do
not conflict. But isn’t this still adding to God’s laws? Whether we make the laws
ourselves or we submit to those laws, are we not breaking Yahweh’s commandment to
not add to His laws?
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As is frequently the case, the issue comes down to a misunderstanding of God’s word
when it comes to the matter of translation from the Hebrew. When we look at the
original language we see that a different but similar translation based on the context
makes all the difference.
Below is the translation found in the King James Bible.
DEUTERONOMY 12: 32
All the things I command you, be careful to do it. You shall not add to it, nor take away
from it.
This translation makes the Law as a whole the subject, which cannot be added to nor
taken away from. But if the subject is not the Law as a whole but rather the individual
commandments, then we get a different rendering as some translations show.
DEUTERONOMY 12: 32
All the things I command you, be careful to do them. You shall not augment them, nor
diminish them.
In other words, you shall not alter the commandments that have been given, either by
making amendments to them or by detracting from them; and this is exactly what the
Jews had done in the time of Yahshua’s mortal ministry and for which he castigated
them - as will be seen in the New Testament analysis.
This understanding of the commandment not to embellish or detract from individual
laws (and not the Law as a whole) is backed up by Deuteronomy 4:2.
DEUTERONOMY 4: 2
You shall not add to [amend] the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away
from [diminish] it, so that you may keep the commands of YHVH your God which I command
you.
Adding new separate laws does not affect our ability to keep the commands of God, but
amending or diminishing them certainly does and makes them into a great burden. This
interpretation makes far more sense, because we have to add laws to cover new
situations and developments in the world; for example, we have driving laws which are
not part of God’s law because cars did not exist back then, but it would be absurd to
say that we should not have laws to govern our roads because such laws are not in the
Law. As long as the laws do not conflict with the Law, nor seek to modify them, then
there is no problem.
It was therefore not a sin when the Jews instituted the festival of Purim, because they
were not altering any of the commandments that Yahweh had given them, but were
instituting a civil law for themselves and their people.
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ESTHER 9: 20-22, 26-32
And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of the
King Ahasuerus, near and far, to establish among them that they should keep the fourteenth
day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, as the days in which the Jews
rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and
from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of
sending portions to one another, and gifts to the poor… Therefore, they called these days Purim
after the name of Pur. Therefore, for all the words of this letter, and which they had seen
concerning this matter, and which had come to them, the Jews ordained, and took on them
and on their seed, and on all such as joined themselves to them, so as it should not fail, that
they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their time every
year, and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every
family, every province, and every city, and these days of Purim should not fail from among the
Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. And Esther the queen, the daughter of
Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim.
And he sent the letters to all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the
kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, in order to confirm these days of Purim
in their set times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had ordered them, and
as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed the matters of the fastings and of their
cry. And the order of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim. And it was written in the book.
It should be noted that when it says above that Purim was confirmed in their set times,
this is not the same Hebrew word for appointed times (the feasts of Yahweh). The Jews
were not adding to the feasts of Yahweh (which would be an augmentation that goes
against the commandment) but adding their own civil feast to remember how God saved
them from an antichrist figure. Believers are under no obligation to observe this feast
as it is not part of God’s law (there is nothing in the passage above to indicate that this
was a feast given by Yahweh’s prophets and to the contrary it stresses that the authority
is purely civil) and whatever civil authority Mordecai and Esther had in those days has
passed, which means that even Jews are no longer obligated to observe it as a civil law.
But they do so anyway as a custom, and as a custom we may observe it voluntary as
well if we so wish.
This does however raise the question as to whether Israel was guilty in one particular
instance when they extended the feast of Unleavened Bread, for this was not a civil
festival but one of the feasts of Yahweh and He has specifically said that we are not to
amend His laws.
2 CHRONICLES 30: 21-23
And the sons of Israel found at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days
with great gladness. And the Levites and the priests praised YHVH day by day with loud
instruments to YHVH. And Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the Levites who taught the good
knowledge of YHVH. And they ate the appointed things seven days, offering peace offerings
and making confession to YHVH, the God of their fathers. And the whole gathering agreed to
keep another seven days. And they kept another seven days with gladness.
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There is nothing in the text to suggest that this was wrong, and this is likely because
this was a voluntary one-off situation. The Law was not being amended for future
occasions, nor was this extension of the feast mandatory; the people were simply so
overjoyed that they wished to carry on, and one can imagine that Yahweh was pleased
with the heart that they showed in this instance. For context, this was the first time in
generations that Yahweh’s feasts had been kept, and the people seemed to realise the
good things that they had been missing out on!
The heart of the aforementioned people was sadly lacking in the generation that came
back to their homeland after the Babylonian captivity, and Yahweh had to remonstrate
with them through the prophet Haggai to rebuild the temple. And in the book of
Zechariah, Yahweh tells His people that their fasts to Him during their captivity were
not in true repentance, but that these fasts which they instituted will now become times
of joy and gladness if Judah will love truth and peace (Zechariah 7 – 8:19). So here we
have another instance where it is acceptable to Yahweh for us to add new customs as
long as they are voluntary and not in conflict with His commandments.
That being saved does not mean that we no longer keep God’s law is evident in the
third chapter of Zechariah, where Joshua the high priest stands before Yahshua as a
saved individual whom Satan is reprimanded for accusing, but even in his justified
status the high priest is still tasked with keeping God’s ways if he wishes to continue in
his office. This has not changed, and in the letters to Timothy we will see that Paul
declares obedience to God’s word mandatory for positions of responsibility in the
Church.
Towards the end of Zechariah (13:3) we see that even at the beginning of the millennial
reign of Messiah believers are still required to kill their children if they become false
prophets, just as the Law states. Those who believe that this is an evil and outdated law
must come to terms with the fact that Yahweh requires His people to love Him first and
foremost, and that capital punishment must be their responsibility when great evil is in
their midst, even within their own family.
Finally in the last chapter of Zechariah we are told that in the Millennium everyone will
be required to attend the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, so clearly this law has not
been done away. In fact it is so important that those nations who do not attend will be
cursed with a plague and with no rain.
We should note that when the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the captivity, their new
governor Nehemiah reminded them that loving God is equated with keeping His
commandments.
NEHEMIAH 1: 5
And I said, I pray You, O YHVH, the God of Heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps
covenant and mercy for those who love Him and keep His commandments…
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This is the consistent message throughout the entire Bible.
DEUTERONOMY 7: 9
Therefore, know that YHVH your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and
mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.
DEUTERONOMY 11: 1
Therefore you shall love YHVH your God, and keep His charge and His statutes and His
judgments and His commandments always.
DANIEL 9: 4
And I prayed to YHVH my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and
awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those who love Him, and to those who keep
His commandments…
JOHN 15: 10
If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love.
1 JOHN 5: 2-3
By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His
commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His
commandments are not burdensome.
If the keeping of the Law was bondage and always led to cursing, then why would God
lead His people out of captivity a second time and still task them with following the
Law, as we see in Nehemiah 8? If the Law was given only to show people that they
cannot be justified by the Law, surely this would have been the time for God to tell His
people that they did not need to keep it? But Nehemiah does not see it that way.
NEHEMIAH 9: 13
And You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from Heaven, and gave them
right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments.
Right, true and good. That’s how Nehemiah describes Yahweh’s commandments,
whether they are judgements, laws or statutes. The whole Law is wonderful, just as the
Psalmist stated. And let us look particularly at the full meaning behind the Hebrew word
described as “good”, because this word barely does it justice.
Good - H2896 – ‫ טוב‬- ṭôb – tobe
From H2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the
masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good
man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb
(well): - beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favour, fine,
glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best),
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loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet,
wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favoured]).
This is consistent with all the Old Testament passages that describe the law of God.
And yet the Jews of Nehemiah’s time were barely back in the Land five minutes and
they were already transgressing the laws as Nehemiah relates in the final chapter. In
particular they were transgressing the Sabbath, and the way in which Nehemiah dealt
with this issue (by adding bylaws) may have sown the seeds for the development of the
Jew’s oral law that consisted of unlawful amendments to God’s law.
NEHEMIAH 13: 17-22
And I contended with the nobles of Judah and said to them, What evil thing is this that you
do, and defile the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers do this, and did not our God bring all this
evil upon us and upon this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by defiling the Sabbath.
And it happened when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I
commanded that the gates should be shut, and commanded that they should not be opened
until after the Sabbath. And I set some of my servants at the gates, so that there should be no
burden brought in on the Sabbath day. And the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods
stayed the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. And I testified against them, and said to them,
Why do you stay around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time on
they did not come on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse
themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.
Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of
Your mercy.
As can be seen in the passage above, the fear was that the Jews would once again be
expelled from their land if they did not keep Yahweh’s law. But creating additional
laws to force God’s people to keep the commandments missed the point; Yahweh did
not want His people following Him legalistically, but rather from the heart, otherwise
the laws they kept meant nothing (as we have already seen). He wanted His people to
keep His commandments through faith (in humble loving obedience and trust), not in
outward appearances by which there is no true conversion of the soul. Those who
trusted in Him to save them when they fell short of His law (such as King David) lived
in faith, but those who tried to justify themselves by pure outward obedience to the Law
(whilst inside they nurtured evil desires) were condemned by the Law. Thus the prophet
Habakkuk (later quoted by the apostle Paul) could say:
HABAKKUK 2: 4
Behold, the soul of him is lifted up, and is not upright; but the just shall live by his faith.
Law and faith are not mutually exclusive (in fact the apostle James will tell us that they
are mutually inclusive). The Old Testament saints lived in faith but they still kept the
Law. Was this ever to change? The prophet Amos tells us:
AMOS 3: 7
For the Lord YHVH will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
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Where have we seen any of the prophets speak of the Law being done away? On the
contrary, we have only seen them speak of Yahweh establishing the Law in the hearts
and minds of His people in the renewed covenant and the millennial reign of Messiah.
If the Lord was going to do away with His law before He came in person, then the last
opportunity to reveal this intention would have been through the prophet Malachi, as
he is the last prophet in the Old Testament. However, Malachi begins by declaring that
Yahweh’s intention is to be worshipped according to the Law everywhere among the
nations, when these sacrifices are done with a willing and cheerful heart.
MALACHI 1: 7-11
You offer defiled bread upon My altar; and you say, In what way have we defiled You? In
your saying, The table of YHVH, it is a thing to be despised. And if you offer the blind for
sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Bring it now to your
governor. Will he accept you, or lift up your face, says YHVH of Hosts? And now entreat the
face of God, that He favour us. This has been by your hands, will He lift up your faces, says YHVH
of Hosts? Who is even among you who will shut the doors, and you not kindle fire on My altar
in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says YHVH of Hosts. I will not be pleased with an offering
from you. For from the rising of the sun even to its going in, My name shall be great among the
nations; and everywhere incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure food offering. For
My name shall be great among the nations, says YHVH of Hosts.
Then in the second chapter Yahweh reiterates the goodness of the Law and expresses
His displeasure with how the people have corrupted it.
MALACHI 2: 4-8
And you shall know that I have sent this command to you, to be My covenant with Levi,
says YHVH of Hosts. My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him for fear;
and he feared Me, and he is awed before My name. The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and
iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned
away many from iniquity. For the priest's lips should guard knowledge, and they should seek
the Law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of YHVH of Hosts. But you have turned out of the
way; you have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,
says YHVH of Hosts.
So Yahweh says that He will send a messenger, in fact Himself, to set things in order.
MALACHI 3: 1-7
Behold, I will send My messenger, and He will clear the way before Me. And YHVH, whom
you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Angel of the Covenant, in whom you
delight. Behold, He comes, says YHVH of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And
He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that they may be offerers of a food offering in righteousness to YHVH.
Then the food offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to YHVH, as in the days of old
and as in former years. And I will come near you to judgment. And I will be a swift witness
against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those
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who extort from the hired labourer's wages, and turning away the widow, and the orphan, the
alien, and not fearing Me, says YHVH of Hosts. For I am YHVH, I change not. Because of this you
sons of Jacob are not destroyed. From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from My
statutes, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, says YHVH of Hosts…
It is clear that when Yahweh says that He changes not, that He is also saying that His
ways do not change. The problem was never with the Law, but with His people who
never stuck with it for very long. So did He decide to do away with His Law? What are
the final words that Yahweh gives us through His final prophet, before sending Yahshua
as His ultimate messenger?
MALACHI 4: 4-6
Remember the Law of Moses My servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel,
the statutes and judgments. Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of
the great and dreadful day of YHVH. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons, and
the heart of the sons to their fathers, that I not come and strike the earth with utter destruction.
Though these are the final words before the coming of Messiah, they fully relate to His
second coming on the great and dreadful day of Yahweh, and so they will be looked at
in more detail in the New Testament analysis. For now at least, this much is clear;
remember the Law given through Moses, for God’s ways do not change.
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Having discovered the eternal nature of the Law in the Old Testament writings and how
this contrasts with and contradicts modern teachings of the New Testament, one may
feel their faith shaken to some degree. But these final two sections invite you to
reconsider just what the New Testament is really teaching. If you do, then you will be
rewarded with a stronger faith in our Saviour, as the marvellous consistency of the two
testaments is revealed before your eyes.
Now, as the Pentateuch could be considered the mind of Yahweh, and the Psalms His
heart, the gospels reveal His soul in the person of Yahshua.
JOHN 1: 1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him not
even one thing came into being that has come into being.
The Word of God is eternal and divine. This is what John sets forth at the beginning of
his gospel. The Word created all things, and the Word was God. The Word of God is
indivisible from God, but was particular in its function during creation. The Word was
with God in the beginning when through the Word, God created the heavens and the
earth. The Word can therefore be identified from the book of Proverbs as Wisdom, Who
was anointed and brought forth to create the world.
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PROVERBS 8: 22-32
YHVH possessed me from the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was anointed
from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth ever was. When there were no depths,
I was brought forth; when there were no springs heavy with water. Before the mountains were
settled, before the hills, I was brought forth. Before He had made the earth, or the fields or the
highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there; when He
set a circle upon the face of the deep; when He set the clouds above; when He made the strong
fountains of the deep; when He gave to the sea its limit that the waters should not pass His
command; when He appointed the foundations of the earth; even I was a workman at His side;
and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the world, His earth; and
my delight was with the sons of men. And now listen to me, O sons; for blessed are those who
keep my ways.
Wisdom was always “there” when Yahweh created the world because Wisdom was the
“workman” through whom Yahweh created it. Before anything was done Wisdom was
“brought forth”, and whenever anything was done Wisdom was “there”. Wisdom was
therefore the Word through whom God created all things.
COLOSSIANS 1: 16
For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth,
the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things
were created through Him and for Him.
We see that both the Word and Wisdom are identified as the source of spiritual life.
JOHN 1: 4
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
PROVERBS 3: 13-19
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding. For the profit
from it is better than the gain from silver, and its produce more than fine gold; she is more
precious than rubies; and all the things you can desire are not to be compared with her. Length
of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand, riches and honour. Her ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold upon her;
and happy is everyone who keeps her. YHVH has founded the earth by wisdom; by
understanding He has founded the heavens.
When we remember from the Old Testament analysis that Wisdom is synonymous with
the law of God, identifying the Word of God (Yahshua) as Wisdom therefore ascertains
that He is the embodiment of God’s word as found in the Law; the same Law that
Yahweh gave to help us love Him and to love our neighbour. Yahweh said that we will
live if we keep it (Proverbs 7:2) because the Law is life. It is also light, showing us the
way to live in harmony with Yahweh.
John then expands on the Word being the light of men.
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JOHN 1: 5-9
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. There was a man
sent from God; his name was John. This one came as a witness, to bear witness concerning the
Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness
of that Light. He was the true Light; He enlightens every man coming into the world.
John says that the Light enlightens every man coming into the world. Where have seen
such a similar statement?
PSALM 19: 7-8
The Law of YHVH is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of YHVH is sure, making the
simple wise. The Precepts of YHVH are right, rejoicing the heart; the Commandments of YHVH
are pure, giving light to the eyes.
As well as being the embodiment of the Law, the Word also encapsulates all of the
other scriptures that speak of Him (John 1:45). It is therefore fitting that the Greek word
used for the Word is “Logos”, rather than the word for law which is “Nomos”. Yahshua
fulfils all of the Law and the Prophets, and so identifies Himself as the whole Word.
JOHN 1: 14
And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.
John uses a play-on-words when he says that the Word “tabernacled” with us when He
became flesh, because it is highly likely that Yahshua was born during the Feast of
Tabernacles in the Autumn (this can be determined by certain scriptural clues in the
gospels, and they will be highlighted in the analysis of Luke’s gospel). We should also
note that the Word is said by John to be full of grace and truth, with truth having already
been identified as the Law according to its definition in the Psalms (119:142).
It is therefore necessary to explain what John goes on to say:
JOHN 1: 16-17
And out of His fullness we all have received, and grace for grace. For the Law came through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Now we know that John cannot mean that the Law did not contain grace and truth,
because the Old Testament clearly states that the Law was given graciously and that the
Law is the truth (Psalm 119:29,142). The New Testament cannot contradict the Old
Testament if both testaments are God’s word.
It is important to note the first verse, which says that we have received grace for grace
(that is, grace on top of grace). And that the word “but” in italics in the second verse is
the translator’s own addition to make sense of the scripture according to his own
theology. Take out this additional word which was not in the original Greek text, and
the statement makes full sense as follows.
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
We have received grace on top of grace, because first we received the Law from
Moses, and now we have the same grace and truth personified in Jesus Christ.
What John is saying is thus: the Law was given through Moses as a grace to us, but our
understanding of it was limited by our own interpretation. Yet in Yahshua we can see
it lived out before our very eyes exactly how it was always intended.
In John 3 we have Yahshua’s discussion with Nicodemus about the need to be spiritually
born again of the Spirit. That this was not new doctrine is clear in Yahshua’s response
to Nicodemus’ ignorance on the matter.
JOHN 3: 9-10
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said
to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these things?
We have seen that the prophets spoke of the need to have God’s spirit write the Law on
our hearts in order to be obedient to His word. We should also note that David begged
Yahweh not to take this very thing from him whilst repenting for his sin with Bathsheba.
PSALM 51: 6-12
Behold, You desire truth [the Law] in the inward parts; and in the hidden part You shall
make me to know wisdom [the Law]. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and
I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which You have
broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence,
and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me
with a willing spirit.
Yahshua then proceeds to equate coming to the Light (being born of His Spirit) with
the desire to know and keep the truth (the Law).
JOHN 3: 19-21
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates
the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who
practices truth comes to the Light so that his works may be revealed, that they exist, having
been worked in God.
That Yahshua is the Light, being the physical manifestation of the Law, is why not
believing in Him leads to condemnation just as surely as one rejecting the Law in its
written form.
Now baptism has been regarded as a new doctrine relating only to Christianity, but the
Biblical baptism is synonymous with the purification rite in the Law for making a
person clean. This is realised in the following passage:
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JOHN 3: 22-26
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea. And He stayed there
with them and baptized. And John was also baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was
much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been cast into
prison. Then a question from John's disciples arose with the Jews about purification. And they
came to John and said to him, Rabbi, He who was with you beyond Jordan, to whom you bore
witness, behold, He baptizes, and all come to Him!
We should note that the Jews in this passage were not making an issue of baptism but
of the fact that Yahshua was stealing away John’s crowd. He wasn’t questioned on what
he was doing, only on how he felt about his “competition”.
Though John was earlier asked why he was baptising if he was not the Christ nor Elijah
nor the Prophet (1:25), this was not to say that only those individuals could baptise; the
surrounding context (1:19-27) reveals it to have been a question regarding the specific
event (the coming of the Lord) for which he was baptising people in preparation
(Nazarenes and several other Jewish groups observed ritual immersion every day to
assure readiness for the coming of the Messiah). Just as many nominal Christians only
take their faith seriously when some great event is approaching, there were probably
many Jews who suddenly recognised the need to repent as John began to preach about
the coming of Messiah.
Baptism has been reduced to a singular event, but it was originally a purification rite
that was repeated whenever a person had become unclean (Leviticus 15, 17:15, 22:6,
Numbers 19:7-8+19). Jews today call it a Mikvah. Converts to the faith would always
need to be baptised at first, just as we do today. The following is taken from the Jews
for Jesus website:
In rabbinic and earlier forms of Judaism, baptism (along with male circumcision and sacrificial
offerings) was a requirement for full conversion. The dating of this practice is somewhat obscure, but
it postdates the Old Testament and predates the Mishnah. The Soncino Talmud states: "As your
forefathers entered into the Covenant only by circumcision, immersion and the sprinkling of the blood,
so shall they [the proselytes] enter the Covenant only by circumcision, immersion and the sprinkling
of the blood" (Keritot 9a).
But thereafter, according to the Law, believers would still need to be purified from
whatever new uncleanness they picked up. After the temple was destroyed in 70AD,
ceremonial uncleanness was no longer an issue, but the initial baptism rite for new
believers was retained as a symbolism of being buried and raised with Messiah; it shows
that through repentance we have gained remission of our sins by His blood. The practice
is not new, but the deeper meaning of it was only revealed after Yahshua’s death and
resurrection.
Yahshua knew that the temple was going to be destroyed, but He still said that the
Father required people to worship Him in spirit and truth (allowing the Spirit of God to
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apply the truth – the Law – to our lives). Though we cannot fulfil those elements of the
Law that require a temple, we are still to keep those aspects that we can.
JOHN 4: 20-23
Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you
shall neither worship the Father in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem. You worship what you
do not know, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming,
and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father
seeks such to worship Him.
We should note that Yahshua says “salvation is of the Jews”. We find forgiveness and
mercy in Yahshua, but salvation (being conformed into the likeness of God) comes
from Spirit-empowered obedience to the Law (Psalm 19:7), the words of which the Jews
were entrusted to guard (Romans 3:1-2).
The gist of the conversation with the Samaritan woman after Yahshua reveals her sinful
life is that she is trying to justify herself by falling back on her false religion (the one
which Jeroboam instituted in Israel when the kingdom was divided after Solomon’s
reign). But by taking the element of religion out of the equation, our Messiah pulled the
conversation back to her need to keep a holy life. Yahshua was not saying that the whole
temple system was going to be done away forever (and the Law with it), but He was
simply making the same point as given by the prophets of the past; the whole sacrificial
system (whether done mistakenly in Samaria or correctly in Jerusalem) was irrelevant
if people were not also keeping a pure and holy life. In verse 25 she essentially dismisses
the truth as she again tries to ignore her sins by saying that she would only believe such
words if the Messiah were to tell them, at which point Yahshua tells her that He is that
very Messiah.
In John 5 we have an account that appears to be saying that Yahshua broke the Sabbath.
JOHN 5: 18
Then, because of this, the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had
broken the sabbath, but also said that God was His father, making Himself equal with God.
It appears that the apostle John is making this bold statement as the gospel writer, which
if true would mean that Yahshua certainly did break the Sabbath. But three different
Bible translations have John telling us what Yahshua was doing from the Jewish
leaders’ perspective; that He was not actually breaking the Sabbath, but that the Jewish
leaders only thought that He was.
This made ·them [the Jewish leaders; Lthe Jews] try still harder to kill him. They said, “First
Jesus was breaking the law about the Sabbath day. Now he says that God is his own Father,
making himself equal with God!”
EXB
This made them try still harder to kill him. They said, “First Jesus was breaking the law
about the Sabbath day. Now he says that God is his own Father, making himself equal with
God!”
NCV
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Then the Jewish leaders were all the more eager to kill him because in addition to
disobeying their Sabbath laws, he had spoken of God as his Father, thereby making himself
equal with God.
TLB
This last translation is the most revealing, because it shows that Yahshua was breaking
the Jewish leaders’ own Sabbath laws; the ones that they had added onto the Sabbath
commandment in rebellion to the command not to add nor take away from any of God’s
laws.
So which translations are we to believe? This is where it is important to be learned in
the Old Testament scriptures (2 Peter 3:16) so that we do not twist them to our own
destruction. In this instance, Yahshua was healing on the Sabbath, which the Law does
not condemn. In the gospel of Matthew, Yahshua is recorded as defending Himself in
this matter.
MATTHEW 12: 10-12
And behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal
on the sabbaths? This so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, What man among
you will be, who will have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the sabbaths, will he not lay
hold on it and lift it out? How much better is a man then than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to
do well on the sabbath days.
Yahshua was not breaking the Sabbath, He was doing only what was lawful to do on
this day. We should also note that either side of the allegation that the Jewish leaders
made against Yahshua, He defends His work by noting that He does what the Father
does.
JOHN 5: 17+19-20
But Jesus answered them, My Father works until now, and I work… Then Jesus answered
and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees
the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise. For the Father
loves the Son and shows Him all the things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater
works than these, so that you may marvel.
In the Law we are told that God set apart the Sabbath day because in it He rested from
all His work (Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:11). So if Yahshua says that the Father never stops
working, then the work which God rested from on the seventh day was clearly not every
type of action but only that work which is considered to be labour. The Sabbath
command was never intended to mean that one simply falls into a vegetative state for
the duration of the day, not even moving a leg to get out of bed, but rather to avoid
doing work that leads to personal gain or exertion; it is a day for giving to God and to
others.
ISAIAH 58: 13-14
If you turn your foot because of the Sabbath, from doing what you please on My holy days,
and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of YHVH, honourable; and shall honour Him, not doing
your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall
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delight yourself in YHVH; and I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth, and feed
yourself with the inheritance of Jacob your father. For the mouth of YHVH has spoken.
We should also note that a man whom Yahshua heals is told to sin no more lest anything
worse happen to him. It would be extremely hypocritical for Yahshua to say this to the
man if He was sinning Himself by healing him on the Sabbath day.
JOHN 5: 14-16
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, Behold, you are made whole. Sin
no more lest a worse thing come to you. The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus
who had made him whole. And therefore the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him,
because He had done these things on the sabbath day.
That Yahshua did not come to replace or dismiss the Law is clear from the following
verses, where He equates His own Word with the Word of the Father.
JOHN 5: 24
Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has
everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.
JOHN 5: 30
I can do nothing of My own self. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do
not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who has sent Me.
JOHN 5: 38
And you do not have His Word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He has sent.
The Father’s Word, the Law, is still expected to be found in the believer. Yahshua
equates receiving His own Word as the same thing as believing in the Father, and
having the Father’s Word as the same thing as believing in Himself. And this is the will
of the Father.
Because Yahshua is the living fulfilment of the Father’s Word, eternal life is therefore
to be found in Himself.
JOHN 5: 39-40
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. And they are the
ones witnessing of Me, and you will not come to Me that you might have life.
Yahshua is not saying that they are wrong to look to the scriptures for eternal life, but
that they err by not realising that the perfect interpretation of those scriptures is found
in Him. Without Him they will stumble at the Word, and vice versa.
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JOHN 5: 45-47
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you, Moses, in
whom you trust. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of
Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My Words?
The one who believes Moses and keeps the Law in the right spirit will recognise in it
the person of Yahshua and hence believe in Him. Those who do not have the Father’s
Word (the Law) abiding in their hearts will not believe in Yahshua. Note that Yahshua
says that these Jews who do not believe in Him place their trust in Moses and yet at the
same time do not even believe Moses. Many people today think that this means that the
Jews were trusting in the law of Moses to save them and would not come to Yahshua
for the mercy that they needed, but the context is that these Jews do not have the law of
Moses abiding in them and this is why they do not accept Yahshua. These particular
Jews are trusting in their own interpretation of the law of Moses, which they have
abused and modified to serve their own ends, rather than coming to Yahshua to see how
it is to be properly lived out in selfless love. This is made quite clear in the other gospels,
as will be seen later in this analysis.
In John 6 we have Yahshua’s declaration that He is the Bread of life. This is because
He is the Word of life, the Law incarnate. Thus Yahshua could say that whoever comes
to Him would never hunger nor thirst, speaking not of the body but of the spirit, for He
satisfies those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). When we
remember that the Law tells us that man shall not live on bread alone but by every word
that comes out of the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3), then for Yahshua to say that
whoever comes to Him will never hunger nor thirst means that His role as the Bread of
life must be as the incarnate law of God. So when He was asked what one must do to
work the works of God and He replied saying that they must believe on Him, this means
that they must do the works of the Law that He Himself does (true belief is in following,
imitating through discipleship, and not just intellectual assent). Thus Yahshua said that
everyone who hears and learns from the Father (that is everyone who learns from His
law) comes to the Son.
JOHN 6: 45
It is written in the Prophets, "And they shall all be taught of God." Therefore everyone who
hears and learns from the Father comes to Me.
As Yahshua is the Word of God (the Father’s Word) He is able to place Himself in the
same context as the Law.
LEVITICUS 18: 5
And you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in
them. I am YHVH.
JOHN 6: 57
As the living Father has sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he who partakes of Me,
even he shall live by Me.
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To partake of Yahshua is to become like Him, for we are what we eat. We are to ingest
His words and make them a part of ourselves, imbibing within ourselves His character
and walking as He walked (1 John 2:6). That we do not literally eat and drink Yahshua
as the Catholics teach is clear from His own words as follows.
JOHN 6: 63
It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are
spirit and are life.
And note that He says the words that He speaks are life to us. As shall be seen in the
other gospels, Yahshua taught the Law. We live by Him because we take His words
and His actions and make them our own, and in Yahshua we see how to correctly and
most fully walk according to the Law.
JOHN 6: 68
Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of
eternal life.
In John 7, Yahshua goes up to the Feast of Tabernacles to teach.
JOHN 7: 16-19
Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone
desires to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or I speak from Myself.
He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him
is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of
you keeps the Law! Why do you seek to kill Me?
Yahshua teaches the doctrine of the Father, which is the Law (Proverbs 4:2). This is how
people will know if Yahshua’s doctrine is of God or something new from Himself;
whether what He teaches correlates with the Law. He then rhetorically asks why they
seek to kill Him if He is simply teaching what Moses gave them in the Law? The answer
is that they do not truly keep the Law themselves but rather the doctrines and traditions
of men according to their own oral law (Mark 7:7-8). And so they desire to kill Him
because the truth that He preaches from Moses condemns them.
On the last day of the feast of Tabernacles, He reveals what it means to drink from Him,
which is that the Holy Spirit comes forth from Himself.
JOHN 7: 37-39
And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink. He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water." (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who
believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.)
Therefore those who thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6) will be satisfied with the
Holy Spirit, for it will enable them to keep the Law and thus be righteous. Yahshua is
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the heavenly bread that we eat as we ingest the Word of God, and He is also the source
of living waters from which we drink as we imbibe the Holy Spirit.
There is then a dispute amongst the Jews as to whether Yahshua is truly the Messiah,
but they were unable to recognise Him as such because they did not truly know the Law
of which He is the personal manifestation. John thus notes that they were cursed.
JOHN 7: 49
But this crowd, not knowing the Law, is cursed.
Though today one can come to know the Father by learning of the Son first, many of
the Jews were not willing to know either of them. Which is no surprise because the two
are one.
JOHN 8: 19
Then they said to Him, Where is your father? Jesus said to them, You neither know Me nor
My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.
It’s because of their unrighteousness that they were eventually unwilling to condemn
the woman caught in adultery, earlier in this chapter…
JOHN 8: 3-11
And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. And standing
her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such should be stoned. You, then, what do you say?
They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down,
Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear. But as they continued to ask
Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the
first stone at her. And again bending down, He wrote on the ground. And hearing, and being
convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. And bending back up, and seeing
no one but the woman, Jesus said to her, Woman, where are the ones who accused you? Did
not one give judgment against you? And she said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither
do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more.
The issue here was never about determining whether the Law still stood or whether
Yahshua had come to change the Law. The people of Israel had lost the autonomy to
hand out capital punishment a few decades earlier under Roman occupation (an event
which meant that the prophesised Messiah had to be already with them – Genesis 49:10).
This meant that the Law could not be enforced under the appointed judges of the Law.
The Scribes and the Pharisees knew it, Yahshua knew it, and the Scribes and the
Pharisees knew that Yahshua knew it. This was a trap to either incriminate Yahshua by
forcing Him to make a judgement that went against Roman law, or to invalidate Him
as the promised Messiah by forcing Him to dismiss the judgement of the Law in favour
of Roman law. This all centred round the belief that the Messiah would come to free
Israel from their oppressors by establishing the physical Kingdom of God at His first
coming. Because the scribes and the Pharisees did not believe Him to be the Messiah,
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they believed that they had caught Him in the perfect trap that would either lead to His
execution by the Romans if He tried to establish Kingdom rule or lead to His exposure
as a false Messiah if He did not.
Because Yahshua had not come to establish the Kingdom at this time but instead to
offer Himself as a sacrifice for sins, He very cleverly met the challenge by turning the
focus back on the Scribes and the Pharisees. This is how He did it…
People have wondered for some time why the scriptures do not tell us what Yahshua
wrote on the ground with His finger. But just as Yahshua hid the truth in parables (Mark
4:11), so the Father also hides truth in His Word so that we might seek out a matter to
get true spiritual understanding (Proverbs 25:2). And as the answers to mysteries in the
New Testament are often found in the Old Testament (probably to make sure that we
read it), we should ask where in the Old Testament we see God writing with his finger?
The answer is when He wrote the Ten Commandments, and not once but also a second
time, after Moses had broken the first pair of tablets upon which they were written after
beholding the Israelites committing idolatry when he came down from Mount Sinai.
So it is quite likely that Yahshua was writing the Ten Commandments in the ground.
In this action He would have firstly been proclaiming Himself as the prophesied Judge,
Lawgiver and King (Isaiah 33:22), and secondly He would have been stirring up the
memory of the Israelites’ former rebellion (Exodus 32) which mandated death for their
sin (Deuteronomy 6:14-15). This action of writing the Ten Commandments in the ground,
combined with His challenge for “the first one without sin to cast the first stone”, would
have convicted the conscience of the Scribes and Pharisees. They would have realised
that they too were rebellious children who deserved God’s judgement, for three times
Yahshua notes that He is in the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation (Matthew
12:39, 16:4, Mark 8:38). In like manner to the prophet Nathan before David (in the issue
of Bathsheba), Yahshua is able to reveal to the Scribes and the Pharisees how they are
the true adulterers before God. That they did not care for righteousness and only desired
to accuse Yahshua, was clear from the fact that they did not also bring the man who
had committed adultery with the woman as the Law demanded (Leviticus 20:10).
So Yahshua was not declaring that the punishments demanded by the Law had ceased.
This was never the issue. He was not teaching new doctrine that only the sinless could
judge, for this would invalidate other New Testament teachings (such as 1 Corinthians
5:12-13) based on Old Testament commands. Instead He did the following three things:
He neatly extricated Himself from the theological and political trap that the Scribes and
Pharisees were crafting for Him, declared Himself to be the promised Messiah, and
revealed the sin problem within the hearts of His detractors. As for the woman caught
in adultery, the witnesses to her crime (whom the Law said were to carry out her
punishment - Deuteronomy 17:7) then departed, so Yahshua could not legally condemn
her as a judge of the Law. By His manipulation of events, He interceded for her, but He
still upheld the Law against her for she was told to “sin no more”. He thus gave her
time to repent but with an unspoken warning that judgement catches up to us eventually
if we do not; as the event in Exodus 32 reveals (vs31-35).
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Yahshua proceeds later in this chapter to reveal that if we continue in His Word, then
we shall know the truth (the Law) and it will make us free from the bondage of sin.
Thus He associates His word with the Law.
JOHN 8: 29-34
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those
things which please Him. As He spoke these words, many believed upon Him. Then Jesus said
to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, We are
Abraham's seed and were never in bondage to anyone. How do you say, You will be made free?
Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever practices sin is the slave of sin.
This is because the Law is instruction in righteousness and is therefore liberty from sin,
which the apostle Paul confirms in His epistle to the Romans.
ROMANS 8: 6-9
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, neither indeed
can it be. So then they who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of His.
The Spirit of God enables us to be subject to the law of God just as the Old Testament
prophets proclaimed, and this is that which pleases God.
Yahshua then equates His Word with the works of Abraham, which in Genesis 26:5 was
defined as keeping God’s charge, commandments, statutes and laws.
JOHN 8: 37-40
I know that you are Abraham's seed, but you seek to kill Me because My Word has no place
in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you, then, do what you have seen with
your father. They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus answered them, If
you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill
Me, a man who has told you the truth which I have heard beside God; this Abraham did not do.
If we do not abide in the truth (the Law) then we will not do the works of Abraham,
which is the same truth as found in Yahshua’s Word, which pleases the Father. We will
therefore do the lusts of the devil and make him our father instead.
JOHN 8: 44-47
You are of the Devil as father, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer
from the beginning, and did not abide in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he
speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. And because I tell you the
truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do
you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's Words. Therefore you do not hear them
because you are not of God.
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1 JOHN 2: 4
He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him.
Yahshua taught the Law and yet many of the Jews did not believe Him because they
had no love for the Law. Because of this they could not understand His words and made
the fatal mistake of saying that He was of the devil. But Yahshua concludes this passage
by declaring that He is the one who keeps His Father’s Word, thus equating
unequivocally His own Word with the Law of God.
JOHN 8: 52-55
Then the Jews said to Him, Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham and the
prophets are dead, and you say, If a man keeps my Word, he shall never taste of death. Are you
greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets are dead; whom do you make
yourself? Jesus answered, If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies
Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if
I should say I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I know Him and I keep His Word.
This should have been enough to bear witness of Yahshua as a prophet of Yahweh, for
the test for a true prophet is that he leads people in the way of God’s commandments
regardless of whatever signs or miracles he might perform (Deuteronomy 13). Yahshua
did both, and yet because people were not willing to hear and be obedient to the laws
of God, they were blind to Yahshua as the Messiah. This is contrasted with the blind
man in John 9 who was made to see both spiritually and physically, whilst others could
see physically but were blind spiritually. This came to a head in John 10.
JOHN 10: 24-27
Then the Jews encircled Him and said to Him, How long do you make us doubt? If you are
the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you did not believe. The works
that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you did not believe because you
are not of My sheep. As I said to you, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me.
1 JOHN 2: 5-6
But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know
that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.
JOHN 10: 37-38
If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works so that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and
I in Him.
The works of Yahshua, the works of Abraham, the works of the Father; they are all the
same. This is how we identify who is of God; whether they follow the commandments
that the Father gave us.
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In John 13, Yahshua gives his disciples a “new” commandment to love one another as
He has loved them.
JOHN 13: 34
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should
also love one another.
But is this really a new commandment? In the Law, the Israelites were commanded to
love Yahweh with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength. And we know that loving
God is the same as keeping His commandments, which include loving our neighbour.
So if we are already commanded to love our neighbour with all of our heart, mind, soul
and strength, then how can Yahshua be giving a new commandment to do exactly that?
Again it seems that we have a poor translation; the Greek word “kainos” which is
translated as “new” is better translated as “fresh”; in other words Yahshua is refreshing
the command for them to love one another.
New - G2537 – καινός – kainos - kahee-nos'
Of uncertain affinity; new (especially in freshness; while G3501 is properly so with respect to
age): - new.
When we compare this verse with some of John’s epistles in which he speaks of this
“new” commandment, we can see that the alternative translation of “freshness” must
be correct.
1 JOHN 2: 5-8
But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know
that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.
Brothers, I do not write a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had
from the beginning. The old commandment is the Word which you have heard from the
beginning. Again, I write a new commandment to you, which thing is true in Him and in you,
because the darkness is passing away, and the true Light now shines.
Is John contradicting himself here? Or is he saying that he does not write a new
commandment but that he writes to refresh the commandment; to remind them of it!
The same word kainos is translated in this passage as “new” on both occasions, which
creates a contradiction unless one considers the context and translates appropriately.
In his second epistle, John makes the point that this commandment to love one another
is not a new commandment but that which they have had from the beginning.
2 JOHN 1: 5-6
And now I beseech you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that
which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk
according to His commandments. This is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning,
that you should walk in it.
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This should be sufficient evidence to prove that Yahshua was not introducing some new
doctrine or concept to His disciples at the last supper, but was simply reiterating the
command for them to love one another in light of the way in which He has loved them
according to the fullness of the Law.
Next He says that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; revealing that He is the Law
incarnate.
JOHN 14: 6
Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but
by Me.
PSALM 119: 1
ALEPH: Blessed are the upright in the way, who walk in the Law of YHVH.
PSALM 119: 142
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is the truth.
PROVERBS 6: 23
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the
way of life…
No one comes to the Father except by Yahshua for two reasons. Firstly, He is our
righteousness in a judicial sense, forgiving us our sins and negating the legal demands
of the Law. Secondly, we will only be able to dwell with the Father when we are
walking in step with His commandments.
1 JOHN 2: 24
Therefore what you heard from the beginning, let it abide in you. If what you heard from
the beginning remains in you, you will abide in both the Son and in the Father.
We don’t keep the commandments in order to be forgiven, but we do need to keep them
in order to be sanctified and to remove any barriers in our relationship with the Father
and the Son. Besides, if we love Yahshua then we will keep His commandments
because they mirror the attributes that we love in Him; they are one and the same.
1 JOHN 2: 3
And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments.
JOHN 14: 15
If you love Me, keep My commandments.
As Yahshua has already revealed, His commandments are the Father’s commandments,
which is no surprise given that the Father and the Son are one.
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JOHN 14: 6-10
Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but
by Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you
know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for
us. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me,
Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father? Do
you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I
do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works.
And to help us keep the commandments, to give us a new heart that loves Him, He
gives us the Spirit of Truth – the Spirit that allows us to apply His commandments, His
law (the truth), to our lives.
JOHN 14: 16-17
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with
you forever, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him
nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.
Once again Yahshua says that those who keep His commandments are those who love
Him.
JOHN 14: 21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves
Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.
Yahshua then makes it as clear as can be that His commandments, His Words, are the
same as the Father’s Words, the Father’s commandments.
JOHN 14: 23-24
Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father
will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love
Me does not keep My Words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who
sent Me.
Yahshua has just stated that He and the Father are one, so He is not making a distinction
here but an affiliation.
In chapter 15 Yahshua speaks of Himself as the Vine, in which we must abide if we are
to bear fruit. This is because He is the Word, and the Word makes us fruitful. But those
who reject the Law become withered branches to be burned.
PSALM 1: 2-4
But his delight is only in the Law of YHVH; and in His Law he meditates day and night. And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons,
and its leaf shall not wither, and all which he does shall be blessed. The wicked are not so, but
are like chaff which the wind drives away.
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JOHN 15: 5-6
I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings
forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast
out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned.
Again Yahshua equates keeping the commandments with abiding in His love. And He
tells us that doing so will fill us with joy.
JOHN 15: 10-11
If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's
commandments and abide in His love. I have spoken these things to you so that My joy might
remain in you and your joy might be full.
This makes sense when we consider that the Old Testament frequently speaks of the
Law as a set of commandments that bring peace, liberty, happiness etc… It’s not as if
reality changed and those things which once brought such joy no longer do so. And it’s
because of these blessings that come from keeping the commandments of God that
makes knowing Him eternal life.
JOHN 17: 3
And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
You have sent.
Knowing the Word is knowing God. The Law reflects His attributes, and it is these
attributes which provide us with all good things. Sin, the breaking of the Law, brings
death. But the Law brings life, because it is a series of instructions that lead to all the
joys of life and in which all things are built up in love.
Because the Words of Yahshua are those of the Father, the disciples came to know that
the Son came from Him. And those Words define Him. This is why Yahshua goes on
to say that He has made the Father’s name known to the disciples, because the name of
God is His attributes as reflected in the Law.
EXODUS 34: 5-7
And YHVH came down in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name
of YHVH. And YHVH passed by before him and proclaimed, YHVH! YHVH God, merciful and
gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting
the iniquity of fathers on the sons, and on the sons of sons, to the third and to the fourth
generation.
JOHN 17: 6-8
I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave to Me out of the world. They were
Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all
things, whatever You have given Me, are from You. For I have given to them the Words which
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You gave Me, and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from You.
And they have believed that You sent Me.
Yahweh’s name and the Word and the Law are all synonymous. Thus Yahshua was
able to say that He kept the disciples in Yahweh’s name, for this means that He kept
them in His Word; they were obedient to it.
JOHN 17: 12
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those that You have given
Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be
fulfilled.
But the son of perdition is the one who was not kept in the name of God, which means
that he did not keep the Word. Therefore it is clear to see why the future son of perdition
(the antichrist) is referred to as the Lawless One.
2 THESSALONIANS 2: 3+7-8
Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first
comes a falling away, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition… For the
mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the
midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath
of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming…
If there is any doubt that the Word which Yahshua gave us is the Law, then John 17:17
removes it when we keep in mind Psalm 119:142.
JOHN 17: 17, 19-21
Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth… And I sanctify Myself for their sakes,
so that they also might be sanctified in truth. And I do not pray for these alone, but for those
also who shall believe on Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are
in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You
have sent Me.
We are to believe on Yahshua due to the Word that He brought us, because it testifies
of God’s law. And when we live the Law in our lives to become one with God, others
will believe on us too. Even in today’s world where the Father’s word is not well known,
living the Law in our lives will be a portrayal of holiness and love that will testify to
man’s conscience that we are of God.
This Word, the Law, is His glory.
JOHN 17: 22
And I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as
We are one…
And this is why Yahweh revealed His name according to the attributes of the Law when
Moses asked to see His glory.
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EXODUS 33: 18-19
And he said, I beseech You, let me see Your glory. And He said, I will make all My goodness
pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of YHVH before you…
Hence if we disregard God’s law then we also disregard His glory.
As the name of God is the same as His law, making known the Father’s name is a
continual process, not a one-off event.
JOHN 17: 26
And I made known to them Your name, and will make it known, so that the love with which
You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
That Yahshua came to bear witness of the Law and not to introduce new doctrine is
evident from His words to Pilate.
JOHN 18: 37
Pilate then said to Him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered, You say it that I am a king.
To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to
the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.
Pilate’s response was typical of so many today. What is truth? Not a sincere question,
but a rhetorical one; you have your truth and I have mine. This appears to be the reason
why Yahshua did not answer him, just as He remained dumb before Herod.
And so Yahshua not only bore witness to the Law by teaching and practising it, but He
also sacrificed Himself to release us from the authority that the Law had to condemn
us. This He did on Passover, fulfilling the role of the sacrificial lamb. And contrary to
modern belief, this was not on a Friday, for the day that followed was a “high Sabbath”
and not the usual weekly Sabbath; Passover is immediately followed by the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the first day of which is an annual Sabbath.
JOHN 19: 31
Then the Jews, because it was Preparation, begged Pilate that their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken away, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the
sabbath. For that sabbath was a high day.
It is important to note that Yahshua fulfilled the feasts of Yahweh, being born during
the Feast of Tabernacles, dying and rising again during the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
and providing the gifts of the Spirit on Pentecost. He did not fulfil Christmas or Easter,
which are pagan celebrations that were later adapted and adopted into the corrupt
Church of Rome in the process of eliminating all the Hebrew roots of the faith. Instead
He came to bear witness of the truth and to fulfil it, not only to remove our sins but also
so that we might know that all of the words which the Father taught us are true.
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MATTHEW 1: 21
And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people
from their sins.
When the Angel of the Lord told Mary to name her son, He did not say, “Jesus”, because
this name did not yet exist. The letter “J” would not develop until more than a millennia
later. The English name “Jesus” has no intrinsic meaning within our language, unlike
the Hebrew name “Yahshua” which means, “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”.
Clearly this identifies Yahshua as the Father, because the Angel of the Lord said that
Yahshua would save His people. Though there may be no harm in calling upon Him by
the name of “Jesus”, yet His Hebrew name truly identifies Him as the Father in this
verse and therefore has more veracity.
Note that He will save us from our sins, not in our sins. His sacrifice is only effectual
for the repentant, for unless we follow after Him in the power of the Holy Spirit we will
not become holy and His blood will mean nothing.
MATTHEW 3: 7-8, 11-12
But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his [John’s] baptism, he said to
them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth
therefore fruits worthy of repentance… I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. But He
who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He shall baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and
gather His wheat into the storehouse; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Yahshua then comes to John for baptism. Yahshua was sinless, but in His mortal frame
He was still exposed to the many things that can make us unclean, so He therefore
submits to this purification rite in order to remain in compliance to the Law.
MATTHEW 3: 14-15
But John restrained Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to
me? And answering Jesus said to him, Allow it now, for it is becoming to us to fulfill all
righteousness. Then he allowed Him.
Yahshua did not need the baptism of repentance, but He did need to be physically clean
before beginning His ministry.
Yahshua then completes a forty day and night fast just as Moses did, empowered by the
Holy Spirit, without which the mortal frame would surely have perished. When the
Devil comes to tempt Yahshua, it is important to note that Yahshua resists him by
quoting each time from the Law; the Devil flees when we draw near to God (James 4:78) and as we saw in the gospel of John, keeping God’s word is the same thing as drawing
close to Him.
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In Matthew 5 we have the beatitudes, two of which are worthy of particular attention
with regards to the Law. The first has already been alluded to twice in this book.
MATTHEW 5: 6
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled.
Righteousness is the keeping of the Law.
PSALM 119: 140-142
Your Word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it. I am small and despised; yet I do
not forget Your Commandments. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your
Law is the truth.
ISAIAH 42: 21
YHVH is well pleased for His righteousness sake; He will magnify the Law and make it
honourable.
ISAIAH 51: 7
Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My Law; do not
fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their revilings.
Yahshua does not say that righteousness has changed, so when He says that we are
blessed for being persecuted as were the prophets of old, then we know it’s because we
are preaching repentance and adherence to the Law just as the prophets did.
MATTHEW 5: 11-12
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil
against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is
great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Because God’s people are following the Law, this is why Yahshua refers to them in the
following verses as the “light of the world” and a “lamp”. Yahshua is not the only one
who is the light of the world; essentially it is anyone who follows the Law.
And so Yahshua proceeds to tell us that we should not think that He has come to destroy
the law or the prophets (who preach repentance and the keeping of the Law), but to
fulfil them. If by ‘fulfil’ He meant that He came to keep and then destroy them, this
would still be a contradiction. It will be shown most clearly in the next section of this
volume that Yahshua did not mean that the Law was only meant to be kept until after
He had died on the cross. It will also be shown that Yahshua did not mean for the Law
to only stand in the capacity of condemning those who do not turn to Him (though it
should already be clear by now that turning to Yahshua is equivalent to turning to the
Law, so the Law stands forever in both capacities).
For now we should note that the Greek word for “fulfil” is “plēroō”, which can also
mean to “verify” and “fully preach”, as well as “finish” and “end”. As always the
context must dictate the translation.
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Fulfil - G4137- πληρόω - plēroō - play-ro'-o
From G4134; to make replete, that is, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or
(figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a
period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.: - accomplish, X after, (be) complete,
end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.
If Yahshua is saying in these verses that He came to verify and fully preach the Law,
then this is in accordance with the other scriptures that tell us how He came to bear
witness to the truth and to provide us with a clear picture of how the Law was to be
kept. If He is saying that He didn’t come to destroy the Law but to end it, then He
contradicts Himself. Thus common sense gives us the true meaning of this verse.
But is the Law truly forever? It seems at first as though Yahshua says that the Law will
not pass away until two conditions have been met: that heaven and earth have passed
away and that all has been fulfilled.
MATTHEW 5: 18
For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall
in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.
However, He later says:
LUKE 21: 33
The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.
The verse from Matthew would appear to be an expression rather than a literal
statement; Yahshua is simply making sure that we do not dismiss His law before He
returns to enforce it in the Millennium (see Prophecies of the New Creation for a more
detailed analysis of these verses regarding the heaven and earth passing away). Whether
the Law has an end or not, it is certainly not before He returns, nor in the years after He
returns. Indeed, those who teach and practice the Law will be great in the kingdom of
heaven.
MATTHEW 5: 19
Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men
so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them,
the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.
It doesn’t appear that Yahshua is getting us ready for the Law to be done away, instead
quite the contrary. It should also be noted that Yahshua is drawing on the Millennial
prophecy of Jeremiah when he speaks of the least and the greatest in the Kingdom.
JEREMIAH 31: 34
And they shall no more teach each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying,
Know YHVH; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says
YHVH. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
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Eventually everyone in the Kingdom will know Yahshua through the Word that defines
Him. But the opportunity to be least or great during that period starts now. So it is not
recommended that one simply waits for Yahshua to return in order for Him to confirm
that the Law is still to be kept. His words are best heeded now. And though we may be
happy simply to serve as a doorkeeper in the house of our God (Psalm 84:10), yet isn’t
the greatest motivation that we seek to better reflect His glory?
Yahshua then makes the point that we will not even enter into the kingdom of heaven
unless the Law is written on our hearts. He makes this point by pointing out that our
righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees who purposefully distort
the Law in order to avoid keeping it. Though we may stumble but still be least in the
kingdom of Heaven, if we do not even have a love for the key principles upon which it
is built (love for God and neighbour) then we will not even be allowed to enter the
Kingdom.
So Yahshua then goes on to explain how the Law is intended to be kept upon a
foundation of love and holiness and not just as a mere following of the letter. He also
dispels some misinterpretations of the Law that were held at that time; this is most
evident when we note that every time Yahshua makes His own comment after quoting
from the Law, the Greek word translated as “but” can also be translated as “moreover”,
which fits the context of Yahshua commentating upon (rather than correcting) the Law.
But - G1161 – δέ – de - deh
A primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.: - also, and, but, moreover, now
[often unexpressed in English].
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


Murder - We should not only keep ourselves from murder, but from having
unrighteous anger in our hearts, which is the source of murder.
Adultery - Not only should we avoid committing adultery, but we must not
even lust after another woman in our hearts, which is the source of adultery.
Divorce – Yahshua clarifies that remarriage for any reason other than the
committing of fornication by the other spouse is also adultery. This was always
meant to be understood based on the command in Genesis 2:24. A fuller
explanation of this will be covered in Matthew 19.
Oaths - The next statement is very misleading on the surface, and we should
keep in mind that Yahshua is following a pattern of revealing the heart of God’s
law and is not doing away with any of the commandments. So what He would
appear to be truly saying is that in addition to keeping our oaths to the Lord and
not swearing falsely, we should treat the matter of oaths so seriously that we do
not even make flippant conversational oaths, especially in reference to heavenly
things. For example if I said, “As God is my witness I would swear that I just
saw Margaret in the Baker’s shop”, I am detracting from the sanctity of oaths
and not giving due reverence to God. It is the making of flippant oaths that is an
evil thing, not the making of true ones as Yahweh intended. Yahshua’s words
are not a new teaching but can be found in the old testament scriptures
(Ecclesiastes 5:2). We should therefore moderate our language to reflect this
(Matthew 12:36).
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Restitution - Again, Yahshua cannot be doing away with a commandment
after only just stating that none of them will be done away, so we must look to
the context of this teaching; the Jews no longer had the authority to deal with
criminal matters, so they could not fulfil the law of restitution. Appealing to the
Roman courts for redress would effectively be an acceptance of the Romans’
authority over Yahweh’s. Therefore it would seem that Yahshua’s teaching on
this matter is for when we have no true theocracy. Instead of taking the law into
our own hands, we should not resist evil but allow God to have His vengeance
directly (Deuteronomy 32:35-36, Romans 12:17-19). But there is more to this
teaching, as Yahshua even tells us to give our persecutors more than what they
try to take by force. This leads into His following words.
Enemies – Nowhere in the Old Testament is there a command to hate our
enemies (some translations of Matthew 5:43 recognise this by only highlighting
Yahshua’s words regarding loving our neighbour, when showing that He is
quoting from the scriptures). In fact the Old Testament teaches us to love our
enemies (Proverbs 25:21-22), just as Yahshua is now teaching. Paul later quotes
from the book of Proverbs in agreement with Yahshua (Romans 12:20-21). It
must be understood that ‘heaping coals of fire upon the heads of our enemies’
is an allegory to explain that we torment their conscience by returning good for
their evil, and that this may in fact lead some to repentance, whereby we are
mimicking God (Romans 2:4). Why then does Yahshua say that we have heard
that we should hate our enemies? Likely this was what was being taught by the
religious leaders of that day, perhaps due to many of the calls for judgement
upon the enemies of Israel from prophets such as David; but there is a difference
between personal enemies and God’s enemies. We are not to hate our own
personal enemies but to love them in the mercy and grace of God.
That Yahshua is not changing the word of God nor delivering any new doctrine is clear
from His closing words on these teachings, where He says that we are to be perfect just
as our Father in heaven is perfect (v48). This was no new command, for the same
command existed in the Old Testament (Genesis 17:1, Deuteronomy 18:13, Psalm 101:6,
Leviticus 11:45, 19:2). This means that the Old Testament saints must have had the same
perfect law of love, for Yahweh would not have given them the command to be perfect
without giving them the necessary instructions and ability to do so. Indeed the way of
God was spoken of as perfect.
2 SAMUEL 22: 31-33
As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of YHVH is tried. He is a shield to all those who
seek refuge in Him. For who is God, except YHVH? And who is a rock except our God? God is
my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.
1 KINGS 8: 61
And let your heart be perfect with YHVH our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His
commandments, as at this day.
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PSALM 19: 7
The Law of YHVH is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of YHVH is sure, making the
simple wise.
In Matthew 6, Yahshua then addresses motivation and reward. Our motivation should
be set on pursuing the Law in love (being righteous) not on the things of this world such
as riches and the respect of men. Yahshua concludes this teaching with the following:
MATTHEW 6: 33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added
to you.
In Matthew 7, Yahshua makes the comment that loving our neighbours as ourselves is
the intent of the Law.
MATTHEW 7: 12
Therefore all things, whatever you desire that men should do to you, do even so to them;
for this is the Law and the Prophets.
On the surface this is a curious comment, because people often desire to be treated in
ways that are not right; many people are happy to be wrongfully treated as along as it
means that they are free from judgement to do the same thing to others, whether we are
talking about sexual perversions or something as small as wanting to be flattered instead
of being told the truth. So taking this statement out of context leads to the liberal society
in which we live today. But within the context of the chapter, this is about treating
people fairly with a righteous fear of God. Yahshua’s teaching is that we should treat
others righteously just as we also wish to be treated righteously.
Yahshua then goes on to say that those who enter the kingdom of heaven are those who
do the will of His Father, not their own will. The will of the Father is of course the
commandments found in the Law.
MATTHEW 7: 21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who
does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not
prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name
do many wonderful works? And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me,
those working lawlessness!
In Matthew 8 we see that Yahshua commands adherence to the Law after performing
one of His miracles.
MATTHEW 8: 3-4
And Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, I will; be clean! And immediately his
leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to
the priest. And offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
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He then performs a miracle that would at first seem to be insensitive and for which He
is expelled from the city:
MATTHEW 8: 31-34
And the demons begged Him, saying, If You cast us out, allow us to go away into the herd
of swine. And He said to them, Go! And when they had come out, they went into the herd of
swine. And behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea and
perished in the waters. And those who fed them fled. And going into the city, they told
everything, and what had happened to the ones who had been possessed of demons. And
behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged that He
would depart out of their borders.
That the pigs were being fed is indicative that they were being cultivated for food. As
this goes against God’s law (a pig is an unclean animal) Yahshua evidently had no issue
with destroying the peoples’ livestock (just as He had no issue with chasing the
moneychangers out of the temple grounds). And the people were not happy with this,
because they evidently cared more about their bellies than living righteously (Philippians
3:18-19) so they begged Him to leave; it didn’t matter that He had cured their neighbours
of demon possession, these people were more concerned about their pigs! Sadly this
heartless attitude is true for so many people; they reject the Lord and His words because
they want to live life according to their own unrighteous pleasures, sometimes even at
the expense of others.
In Matthew 10, Yahshua makes the following statement.
MATTHEW 10: 32-33
Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who
is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in
Heaven.
This must be considered in the light of Matthew 7:21-23. Mere lip service is not enough,
as the rest of scripture makes clear. If we deny the Word of God then we are denying
Yahshua Himself. As we saw in the gospel of John, confessing and denying Yahshua
is not about what we say but about what we do.
When John the Baptist sent his disciples to enquire as to whether Yahshua was the
Messiah, Yahshua responded by saying that He performs miracles of healing in tandem
with preaching the gospel, just as the prophet Isaiah said (Isaiah 61:1).
LUKE 4: 17-19
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And unrolling the book, He found
the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed
Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been
crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
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MATTHEW 11: 4-5
Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John again those things which you hear and
see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear;
the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them.
It should be noted that the gospel is not something new...
HEBREWS 3: 17-4: 2
But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with those who had sinned, whose
carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they should not enter into His
rest, but to those who did not believe? So we see that they could not enter in because of
unbelief. Therefore, a promise being left to enter into His rest, let us fear lest any of you should
seem to come short of it. For also we have had the gospel preached, as well as them. But the
Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
The gospel is simply repentance and the remission of sins by keeping the Law in faith;
walking in step with the Word and trusting Him to forgive us when we stumble.
Yahshua’s response to John therefore identifies Him as the prophet like unto Moses.
DEUTERONOMY 18: 15-18
YHVH your God will raise up to you a Prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, One
like me. To Him you shall listen, according to all that you desired of YHVH your God in Horeb in
the day of the assembly, saying: Let me not hear again the voice of YHVH my God, neither let
me see this great fire any more, so that I do not die. And YHVH said to me, They have spoken
well what they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brothers, one like
you, and will put My words in His mouth. And He shall speak to them all that I shall command
Him.
ACTS 3: 20-26
And He shall send Jesus Christ, who before was proclaimed to you, whom Heaven truly
needs to receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth
of His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, "The Lord your
God shall raise up a Prophet to you from your brothers, One like me. You shall hear Him in all
things, whatever He may say to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that
Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people." And also all the prophets from Samuel
and those following after, as many as spoke, have likewise foretold of these days. You are the
sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham,
"And in your Seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." Having raised up His son Jesus,
God sent Him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you away from his iniquities.
We see here that it is the same gospel, the same covenant that Yahshua preaches and
validates. Yahshua blesses us through the covenant by turning us away from our natural
rebellion to the Law; He gives us the fullest picture of how to keep the Law with the
hope that His Word will be fulfilled in us through the empowerment of His Spirit.
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We should note that following the Law in Yahshua is still a burden of sorts, it is simply
light.
MATTHEW 11: 28-30
Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke
on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.
For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
What this tells us is that following Yahshua is not a lawless walk in which we can do
anything we want in order to make things easier for ourselves; there is still a burden, a
collection of commandments that we are to follow. They are simply not burdensome in
the way that the traditions of the elders had made them with all of their additional rules.
1 JOHN 5: 3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are
not burdensome.
In Matthew 12 we have Yahshua’s disciples being accused of breaking the Sabbath. To
understand what is being said it is helpful to break this passage into three segments.
MATTHEW 12: 1-8
At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the sabbath day. And His disciples were
hungry, and began to pluck the heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw, they
said to Him, Behold, your disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day.
But He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those
who were with him, how he entered into the house of God and ate the showbread, which was
not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have
you not read in the Law that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath
and are blameless?
But I say to you that One greater than the temple is in this place. But if you had known
what this is, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," you would not have condemned those who are
not guilty. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath.
It is noteworthy that Yahshua does not correct the Pharisees, but that He does defend
His disciples’ actions from scripture. He does this by inserting the temple into His
answer. First He speaks of David and his men eating from the holy bread in the temple
after being pursued by Saul’s men, and then He speaks of the priests who profane the
Sabbath in the temple (Yahshua cannot be defending that which was condemned in
Zephaniah 3:4, so it is likely that He is speaking of the labour that goes into offering the
sacrifices in the temple on the Sabbath day). Finally He refers to Himself as being
greater than the temple. But what point is He making?
The answer is found in His quote from Hosea 6:6 regarding mercy and sacrifice; the
Law is properly upheld in the spirit by which it was given - which is life according to
righteousness - not according to legalistic interpretation. The Law is not meant to be a
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burden that interferes with our wellbeing, but a system of life-giving instructions for
body and spirit. Due to the frailty of the human experience, mercy is a large element of
the Law in order to prevent it from becoming self-defeating. God desires that we show
others mercy just as He does, not that we uphold the Law in a way that burdens them.
The Pharisees didn’t understand the spirit of the Law, as evidenced from their legalistic
oral law, and so they were well practised in condemning the needy. They would rather
enforce the letter of the law than show mercy according to the spirit of it and were
therefore like their forefathers, whom the prophets rebuked for upholding the sacrificial
system without making it effective by softening their hearts towards those in need.
So to extrapolate… In the case of David and his men, they were in great distress and
needed to eat to regain their strength, so they broke the letter of the Law by eating from
the holy showbread. The priests in the temple work by sacrificing animals in the temple
on the Sabbath day, but they do so because even on the Sabbath day people need their
sins covered over. In both cases the spirit of the Law is being kept through mercy.
Without it, the letter of the Law would have condemned David and his men, whilst
sacrifices on the Sabbath would never have been allowed. This is why Yahshua uses
examples relating to the temple, because it is in the temple that we find mercy.
Yahshua then defends His disciples, not for breaking the Sabbath, nor by invalidating
the Sabbath, but by revealing that He is able to show them mercy for doing that which
is not lawful on the Sabbath. Yahshua is greater than the temple, for He is the One who
actually provides the mercy that is found in the temple. In the case of His disciples, we
can only assume that they were forced to glean from the grain fields because they were
too poor to have provided food for themselves the previous day, or because they had
been too preoccupied with their evangelistic work to remember to buy any; there are
many instances in the gospels where we see that for these reasons Yahshua and His
disciples were dependant on others for their physical well-being (Matthew 8:20, 16:5,
Mark 3:20, 6:7-8, Luke 14:1). It was therefore acceptable for them to glean from the grain
fields in order to sustain themselves as they went about doing the work of the Kingdom.
In Matthew 15 we have one of the clearest examples of how the religious society in the
days of Yahshua’s mortal ministry was based more on the religious leaders’ own oral
law than the actual law of God. One should note that there is nothing in the Law which
speaks of washing hands before meals, and this is why Yahshua responds the way that
He does.
MATTHEW 15: 2-9
Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their
hands when they eat bread. But He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress
the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, "Honor your father
and mother"; and, "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him die by death." For God
commanded, saying, "Honour your father and mother"; and, "He who speaks evil of father or
mother, let him die by death." But you say, Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever
you would gain from me, It is a gift to God; and in no way he honours his father or his mother.
And you voided the commandment of God by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah
prophesy of you, saying, "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honours Me with
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their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men."
Yahshua defends His disciples by referring to the law of God both directly and from
the prophets, making a clear distinction between God’s commandments and the elders’
tradition. As in the gospel of John, a connection is made with those who draw near to
God and those who keep His commandments, for those who follow their own rules but
praise Him with their lips are hypocrites.
We should also note the key difference from Yahshua’s Sermon on the Mount. In this
current passage Yahshua clearly says, “For God commanded… But you say…” hence
declaring that we have opposing teachings. Whereas in Yahshua’s sermon He would
say, “You have heard it written/said… [Moreover] I say…” hence declaring that He is
offering clarification to God’s commandments because the people have been taught
incorrectly. Yahshua magnifies the Law with the correct interpretation, but the religious
leaders void it with their own traditions.
Therefore in verse 11 we cannot just assume that Yahshua is nullifying the law of clean
and unclean animals when He goes on to say:
MATTHEW 15: 11
Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth,
this defiles a man.
Yahshua is only speaking in the context of the Scribes’ and Pharisees’ tradition of
washing hands and utensils before eating (Mark 7:3-4).
MATTHEW 15: 18-20
But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does
not defile a man.
Dirty hands and utensils do not lead to a dirty heart. However, eating unclean animals
is against God’s law and therefore defiles the heart where God’s law should be. There
is nothing here about the law of clean and unclean animals. If Yahshua was teaching
against this commandment (after just calling the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for
voiding God’s law) then why would His disciple Peter utter the following words many
years later?
ACTS 10: 13-14
And a voice came to him, saying, Rise, Peter! Kill and eat! But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for
I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.
This passage will be examined in the next section. But whether or not Yahshua was
nullifying the law of clean and unclean animals in Acts 10, if He had done so during His
mortal ministry then why would Peter have reacted aghast to the idea many years later?
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Context is always important, as will be seen in Romans 14 where verses treated in
isolation make it appear that Paul is voiding this law as well.
Mark's account of this episode provides more support that the law is not being voided.
MARK 7: 18-19
And He said to them, Are you also without understanding? Do you not perceive that
whatever enters into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter into
his heart, but into the belly, and goes out into the waste-bowl, purifying all food?
Yahshua specifically states that all food is purified, not all animals. Only clean animals
are designated as food. It is unfortunate that some Bible translations say, “all meats”
because the Greek word is ‘brōma’ which means “food”. There are other Greek words
for “flesh” or “animals”, and these would more likely have been used if Yahshua was
inadvertently making the point that all animals are now for food.
In Matthew 16 we see Yahshua rebuking the Pharisees and Sadducees for asking for a
sign from Him. This is true of many people today who say that if they see a miracle
then they will believe. But why does Yahshua see this as an evil thing? The answer is
because it voids the commandment given in the Law for determining a true prophet of
God.
DEUTERONOMY 13: 1-3
If a prophet rises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,
and the sign or the wonder which he foretold to you occurs, saying, Let us go after other gods
which you have not known, and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that
prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For YHVH your God is testing you to know whether you
love YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Signs only speak of power, not of character. True prophets preach the unchangeable
Word of God, and this should be sufficient for those who desire righteousness. A sign
is sometimes given to increase a person’s faith, to validate a prophecy, or answer a
person’s prayer for guidance, but the Scribes and Pharisees were seeking a sign for
Yahshua to prove who He was, just as the Devil had tempted Him during His testing in
the wilderness. Yahshua had already told the disciples of John the Baptist that He was
preaching the gospel and healing the sick, and this should have been sufficient for all
to believe. But evil was constantly tempting Yahshua to prove Himself by power and
not by character, which is an appeal to the flesh and not the spirit. Those who seek after
such things will be vulnerable to deception.
2 THESSALONIANS 2: 9-10
[The lawless one] whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because
they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.
Those who do not know the test for a true prophet are open to being deceived by
miracles, and those who do not love the law of righteousness will not be troubled with
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the lawless character of the deceiver; rather they will welcome the carnal display of
power and desire to have their part in it.
Yahshua also rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees for not recognising the signs of the
times, which is a referral to the prophecies of His first coming. If they had recognised
how He had already fulfilled the timing of many prophecies then they would not need
a grandiose sign from Him. The same is true regarding His second coming, as will be
covered in the next section of this book.
Yahshua then leaves them with the sign of the prophet Jonah… He will be buried for
three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40) before resurfacing in glory, just as Jonah
was in the great fish for three days and three nights (not two nights as in the Easter tale).
Then there will be forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in
70AD, just as Jonah gave the citizens of Nineveh forty days until destruction.
Because the majority of the Jews still did not receive Yahshua in the forty years after
His death and resurrection, the destruction of Jerusalem was a surety for a “wicked and
adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:41, Luke 11:32). This may explain why Jonah did
not preach to Nineveh that they had forty days to repent but rather forty days to
destruction, because He was unwittingly giving a dual prophecy relating to 70AD. The
Ninevites actually repented to a man, but most of the Jews of the first century did not,
because they took no heed to Yahshua’s warning to beware of the false doctrine of the
Pharisees and Sadducees (v12).
It is Yahweh’s law that we are to be building our lives upon, and therefore Yahshua as the epitome of the Law - refers to the revelation of Himself as the Rock.
MATTHEW 16: 15-18
He said to them, But who do you say I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon,
son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven. And I also
say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it.
The Catholics use this verse to say that Peter is the rock upon which Messiah will build
His church, and the Mormons use it to say that the rock is the modern revelation that
their church is built upon. But it is the specific revelation of Yahshua as the Son of God
which is the rock that Messiah will build His church upon, because as the eternal Word
of God His ways are the rock upon which we stand.
1 CORINTHIANS 10: 4
…and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed
them, and that Rock was Christ.
DEUTERONOMY 32: 4
He is the Rock; His work is perfect. For all His ways are just, a God of faithfulness, and
without evil; just and upright is He.
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2 SAMUEL 22: 2-3
And he said, YHVH is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer. The God who is my Rock,
in Him will I trust. He is my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge,
my Saviour. You save me from violence.
PSALM 18: 30-31
As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of YHVH is tried; He is a shield to all those who
trust in Him. For who is God besides YHVH? Or, who is a Rock except our God?
1 PETER 2: 7-8
Therefore to you who believe is the honour. But to those who are disobedient, He is the
Stone which the builders rejected; this One came to be the Head of the corner, and a Stone-ofstumbling and a Rock-of-offense to those disobeying, who stumble at the Word, to which they
also were appointed.
MATTHEW 7: 24-25
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise
man who built his house on a rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the
winds blew and beat on that house. And it did not fall, for it was founded on a rock.
The Rock upon which Yahshua builds His church is Himself, as the personification of
the Law, which is the instructions of life.
In Matthew 19, Yahshua speaks regarding the matter of divorce in greater detail than
what is recorded in His Sermon on the Mount. He does so after being challenged by the
Pharisees, who misrepresent what the Law says.
MATTHEW 19: 3
And the Pharisees came to Him, tempting Him and saying to Him, Is it lawful for a man to
put away his wife for every cause?
What the Law actually says is:
DEUTERONOMY 24: 1
When a man has taken a wife and married her, and it happens that she finds no favour in
his eyes, because he has found some uncleanness in her, then let him write her a bill of divorce
and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
The Pharisees had developed their own oral law around this verse to create the
interpretation that any indiscretion was a basis for divorce (there is even one account
from non-Biblical sources of a man who divorced his wife for simply burning his
dinner). But Yahshua correctly interprets this verse to mean that divorce is only allowed
on the basis of fornication (presumably when there is not more than one witness,
otherwise the punishment would be death for the unrepentant fornicator – the context
of Deuteronomy 24:1 thus appears to be that of an individual discovery rather than a
matter of public knowledge). However, Yahshua doesn’t state the correct interpretation
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immediately, because as is noted in verse 3 the Pharisees came to tempt Him; they
wanted Him to contradict their popular view of this law with His own interpretation
(which they would have previously heard) so that they might have something of which
to accuse Him. So instead, He points at first to a clear command that cannot be
contended.
GENESIS 2: 24
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they
shall be one flesh.
This is the first command given to man. We are to cleave to our wives; there is to be no
separation (Matthew 19:16). They shall be one flesh. But when a man or woman commits
adultery they are no longer one flesh; the adulterous partner has become one flesh with
someone (or even something) else (1 Corinthians 6:16). This is why a man can divorce
his wife in this instance without breaking the very first commandment; it has already
been broken by the other party. Hence the Law does not contradict itself.
The word often translated as "fornication" is better expressed as “harlotry”, because it
also encompasses idolatry.
Fornication - G4202 – πορνεία – porneia - por-ni'-ah
From G4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively idolatry: - fornication.
Idolatry is the sin of disobedience, of departing from the ways of Yahweh (1 Samuel
15:23), and is thus spiritual adultery. Hence we are not to be one flesh with those who
do not follow Yahweh, because they are spiritual harlots (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). So
according to Yahshua, a person may put away their spouse for following after other
gods (spiritual fornication) as well as for physical fornication. This is consistent with
the Law (Deuteronomy 13:6-9). It is then clear why the men of Judah were encouraged
to put away their wives when they returned from the Babylonian captivity rather than
honouring their marriage vows (Ezra 10:1-3); the women that they had married are
referred to in Ezra as “strange” women, which means that they had not taken upon
themselves the ways of Yahweh but followed after their own gods. In Yahshua’s time
and also today, capital punishment cannot be carried out as mandated in the Law, so
divorce is the next available option in this situation. And though the man and wife are
still one flesh when spiritual adultery has been committed, it would seem that because
under Yahweh’s jurisdiction the punishment for this would be death, the offended party
can still remarry because the offending party is for all intents and purposes dead to the
other.
However, Yahshua also states that the allowance to divorce one’s wife because of
fornication is a mercy due to the hardness of our hearts. In other words, it is better to
forgive the offending spouse and remain married if physical fornication has been
committed. And because we now find ourselves outside of God’s theocracy, we are to
remain faithful to the spiritual fornicator in the hope that they may come to the truth (1
Corinthians 7:12-16). In Paul’s words to the Corinthians, he says that the unbelieving
spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse, which likely means that the believer can
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temporarily intercede on behalf of the non-believer whilst there is no existing nation of
Israel that needs to be kept pure from the godless.
One can now understand why the disciples then say that it is better not to marry
(considering the wicked and adulterous generation in which they lived) and why
Yahshua said that some choose not to marry.
MATTHEW 19: 10-12
His disciples said to Him, If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not good to marry.
But He said to them, Not all receive this word, except those to whom it is given. For there are
some eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were
made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
kingdom of Heaven's sake. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Though it is not a sin to divorce one’s wife for fornication, if the husband did so he
would still fall short of the holiness of God that we are to emulate through forgiveness
and it would severely limit his witness of the gospel. Some actually do find it within
themselves to forgive adultery, and they are the ones whom Yahshua says receive this
word.
This may all be rather complicated to understand, so in summary:
Fornication (physical or spiritual) is to be punished by death in God’s theocracy if there
is no repentance, as long as there are two or more witnesses to the crime. But if these
crimes are discovered by a spouse without any other witnesses, then the spouse is free
to write a bill of divorce and both spouses can remarry. However, Yahweh would prefer
that we forgave the physical adulterer, but not everyone can accept this. Outside of His
theocracy, no one can be put to death, and non-believing spouses are accepted in the
home as potential converts to the faith.
So by this teaching, Yahshua does not dismiss the Law but clarifies the Law, whilst
Paul later provides additional instructions for how we are to deal with such matters
outside of Yahweh’s theocracy.
Later in the chapter we have the account of the young rich man who asks Yahshua what
he needs to do to have eternal life (repeated from slightly different perspectives in Luke
10 and Mark 10). Yahshua responds that he is to keep the commandments, and not just
in a minimalist way according to the letter of the Law but to give up all that he has to
follow Yahshua in the fullness of the Law. Though the young man was not willing to
do so (at least at this time) we see that the disciples already had (v27), and Yahshua
confirms that with the help of God’s spirit anyone can be saved (v26). Is this therefore
a prescription to salvation? Not in the sense of justifying ourselves, for we all need
mercy where we fall short, but Yahshua is confirming the way to becoming perfect so
that we may be fit for the kingdom of God. This is not an account to show that the Law
is too hard to keep and so we might as well not bother, but a picture of the Way that
leads to fullness of life in the image of our God.
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Towards the end of Yahshua’s ministry it was becoming obvious even to His detractors
that He was teaching the law of God and not His own doctrine.
MATTHEW 22: 6
And [the Pharisees] sent their disciples out to Him along with the Herodians, saying,
Master, we know that you are true, and that you teach the way of God in truth. Nor do you
care for anyone, for you do not regard the person of men.
The scribes and Pharisees recognised the way of God because they taught it when they
read from the books of Moses. But they did not keep it, a fact which Yahshua has
already openly declared on more than occasion.
MATTHEW 23: 1-3
Then Jesus spoke to the crowd and to His disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do. But do not do
according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
The recently discovered Hebrew manuscript of Matthew makes it clear that Yahshua is
saying that we are to observe what the scribes and Pharisees say only when they speak
the words of Moses, for the Hebrew manuscript says, “Whatever he tells you to observe,
observe and do.”
Whichever manuscript we look at, we have more evidence in this passage that Yahshua
did not come to teach against the law of God. Rather, He taught against the manmade
laws and traditions of the elders, which took away the liberty found in the Law by
burdening the people with additional laws.
MATTHEW 23: 4
For they bind heavy and hard-to-carry burdens and lay them on men's shoulders. But they
will not move them with one of their fingers.
The oral laws were no longer designed to actually help the people in keeping the law
of God but only to satisfy the religious leaders’ pride by adding to their authority.
Yahshua proceeds to rebuke them for this by providing many examples, before noting
that where they do actually keep the Law they invalidate it because they fail to keep the
main aspects of the Law (just as the prophets of old condemned their people for going
through the rituals of the temple without obedience to the commandments).
MATTHEW 23: 23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithes of mint and dill and
cummin, and you have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment, mercy, and
faith. You ought to have done these and not to leave the other undone.
Some today would teach that the main aspects of the Law such as judgement, mercy
and faith, are all that we need to practice, without the detailed commandments of the
Law. But Yahshua notes that both are necessary. We must follow the spirit of the Law
as well as the individual commandments. Yet without having a heart for the principles
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of the Law, the keeping of the letter is meaningless. Yahshua makes this point by using
one of the elders’ traditions as an allegory.
MATTHEW 23: 26
Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of
them may be clean also.
Inwardly we must have the spirit of the Law in our hearts, so that the outer works that
we do in keeping the Father’s commandments are genuine and fruitful. This is what is
likely being portrayed in Matthew 25 with the parable of the ten virgins; from the Old
Testament we know that the lamp is the word of God and the oil is the Spirit, so those
who kept the letter of the Law without the Spirit of God transforming them from the
inside were not conformed into the image of God. So Yahshua said that He did not
know them. These foolish virgins were thus like the Pharisees - whitewashed tombs
that have the appearance of good works but are full of dead bones on the inside (in
contrast to the vision of dry bones that came alive with the Spirit of God in Ezekiel 37).
The same portrayal appears to be present in the next parable regarding the talents; the
talents are the word of God, a greater understanding of which is given to different
people, but it then has to be put to good use by receiving the Spirit which completely
furnishes the man of God in all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If we don’t use the
wisdom that we gain then we lose even that which we have.
MATTHEW 13: 10-12
And the disciples said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and
said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but it
is not given to them. For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.
But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that which he has.
LUKE 8: 18
Therefore be careful how you hear. For whoever has, to him shall be given; and whoever
has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have.
He who sits on the Word and does not make it fruitful is good for nothing.
MATTHEW 25: 29-30
For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will abound. But from him who has
not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. And throw the unprofitable servant
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So Yahshua taught His disciples to observe the Law throughout His mortal ministry.
He confirmed this towards the end when He told them to do and observe all that the
Scribes and Pharisees taught them when speaking the words of Moses. It is therefore
important to note that after His resurrection He continues to tell them to observe all this
Law.
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MATTHEW 28: 19-20
Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you.
And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen.
We see that nothing has changed. Yahshua taught the Law before His death and He
exhorts that this continue. He even charges the disciples to teach all that He taught them
to the all the nations, so the Law is clearly not just for the Jews. What’s more, He tells
them that He will be with them in this task until the end of the world. Certainly the law
of God is not being done away with any time soon.
The gospel of Mark focuses mainly on the great works that Yahshua did with less
emphasis on the written Law. And because much of what is recounted in this gospel
has already been covered in the gospels of Matthew and John, there is little more to add
with regards to the subject of the Law. However, there are still a few points worth
mentioning.
MARK 3: 28-29
Truly I say to you, All sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies with which
they shall blaspheme. But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never shall have
forgiveness, but is liable to eternal condemnation.
Because the Holy Spirit is essential to implementing the Law in our hearts and minds,
we can therefore see why blaspheming/rejecting the Holy Spirit results in eternal
condemnation. If one desires to remain in their sinful state, then there is no repentance
in them and thus no forgiveness can be offered.
In Mark 4 we have the parable of the sower, in which the seed is identified as the Word
(v14). Mark has already mentioned that Yahshua taught the Word (Mark 2:2) and at no
point has he indicated that this is some word other than the Word of the Old Testament.
The Word, the Law, is described as a ‘lamp’ in the Psalms, and Yahshua uses this same
symbology at the conclusion of His parable of the sower (vs21-23). Therefore it is quite
clear that the Law has a vital part to play in our salvation, especially when we read what
Luke says in his recounting of the parable of the sower.
LUKE 8: 11-12
And the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. Those by the roadside are the ones
who hear; then the Devil comes and takes the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe
and be saved.
The Law which the Holy Spirit writes upon our hearts so that we might become perfect
is stolen away by the Devil if one has no love for the truth, thus denying the unbeliever
salvation from sin.
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Yahshua also speaks in the conclusion to these parables of how all our works will one
day be revealed, finishing with the words, “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Yahshua expects us to connect the dots between His words and the Word of God:
ECCLESIASTES 12: 13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments.
For this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it is good, or whether evil.
In Mark 12 one of the scribes asks Yahshua what is the greatest commandment of all?
His answer does not invalidate the Law as some would have it, but simply points out
that loving God and loving our neighbour is the grand summation of the Law. It is
pointed out in the gospel of Matthew that all of the commandments come under these
two grand categories.
MATTHEW 22: 36-40
Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first
and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
When the scribe continues to say that keeping these two great commandments is more
than all burnt offerings and sacrifices, he is not invalidating the Law but agreeing with
the prophets of old, who rebuked the people for thinking that they could live in a wicked
way as long as they made sacrifices to cover themselves.
In Mark 14 we see the keeping of Passover in the last supper, and it is at this time that
Yahshua speaks of the New Covenant. As was mentioned in the previous sections, the
word “new” is better translated as “renewed”. Though this subject will be examined in
the next section, it is worth taking note of what is said in the first chapter of Luke’s
gospel, when Zacharias prophesies that Yahshua will come to remember the covenant
made with Abraham (Luke 1:72-73), not to make an entirely new one.
As in all the gospels, Luke refers to the Word, for the gospel is all about the Word of
God; it is eternal life, both in our own application and in the personification of the Son
of God who died to deliver us from our sins.
Luke begins by speaking of Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were the parents of John the
Baptist.
LUKE 1: 6
And they were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord.
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Here is our first evidence that it is possible to live perfectly in obedience to the letter of
the Law. This doesn’t mean that the parents of John the Baptist were sinless, because
they had surely broken the Law in the past and the next verse says that they were both
“advanced in their days”, so they had spent a lifetime of learning to submit to the Word.
It also doesn’t mean that they were perfect, because the spirit of the Law is far more
demanding than the letter of the Law, as Yahshua made clear in His sermon on the
mount. But they were clearly a good choice to raise the one who came in the spirit and
power of Elijah.
Now Zacharias was an Aaronic priest who served in the course of Abijah, which is one
of the twenty-four orders of priests in the temple. Some knowledgeable scholars have
used this information to determine the time of year that Zacharias served and by
extension the time of year that Elizabeth conceived. From this information it can also
be determined the time of year that Yahshua was conceived (some five to six months
later according to vs24-27) and therefore the time of year that He was born. This period
of time turns out to be around the Feast of Tabernacles in the early Autumn, which
means that it is quite conceivable that Yahshua came to ‘tabernacle among men’ during
this time. Other clues in the gospels suggest that Yahshua could not have been born in
the winter, such as the shepherds living in the fields at night to watch over their flocks
(which wouldn’t have been the case during the winter months), whilst the tax that
required all Judeans to travel to the cities of their house and lineage is unlikely to have
been observed in winter because travel in those days would have been difficult. The
Feast of Tabernacles is hence believed to be the first of the three main feasts that
Yahshua fulfilled during His mortal ministry.
It is important to note that John also fulfilled a prophecy, regarding the return of Elijah
- which is explained both here and later on by Yahshua (Matthew 11:11-14) to mean that
the spirit and power of Elijah would return in him to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children as Malachi prophesised. The importance of this with regards to the Law starts
to become clear when we compare the prophecy with its quotation in the gospel of
Luke.
MALACHI 4: 4-6
Remember the Law of Moses My servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel,
the statutes and judgments. Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet before the coming of
the great and dreadful day of Jehovah. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the sons,
and the heart of the sons to their fathers, that I not come and strike the earth with utter
destruction.
LUKE 1: 16-17
And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before
Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
We should note that Gabriel provides a slightly different rendition of this prophecy.
After he quotes from Malachi regarding the heart of the fathers being turned to the sons,
he then says, “and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just” instead of, “and the heart
of the sons to their fathers”. This only makes sense when we realise that the “fathers”
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does not refer to the living parents of the sons but the fathers of Israel who received the
Law in their hearts. When we study the original Hebrew in the prophecy of Malachi,
we discover that the prophecy can quite easily be translated to mean that the heart of
the fathers (the Law, which they had in their hearts) shall be delivered to the present
day sons, and the heart of the sons will embrace the Law of their fathers. Thus Gabriel
renders this prophecy as turning “the disobedient to the wisdom of the just”.
Further along in the chapter we see that Gabriel speaks to Mary and declares that she
will give birth to the Son of the Highest. Again Gabriel quotes from prophecy (Isaiah
9:7) when he says that Yahshua will receive the throne of David and reign over the
house of Jacob (Israel) forever, as a Kingdom with no end. So here we have
confirmation that the gentiles need to be grafted into Israel if they are to be part of the
kingdom of God, for the holy covenant is only between Yahweh and Israel.
When the time comes for John the Baptist to be named and circumcised, Zacharias
prophesies that his son will go before the Messiah who will fulfil the promise given to
Abraham. There is no mention of a new covenant here, but that the “holy covenant”
that Yahweh made with Abraham will be remembered so that we may be able to live in
“holiness and righteousness” without fear of our enemies, as spoken by “the mouth of
His holy prophets from eternity”. Of course all these prophecies regarding the coming
of Elijah and the Messiah being completely fulfilled were dependant on the people as a
whole receiving them, which they did not. Therefore many of these prophecies will not
be fulfilled until the return of Messiah. This will not come about until the Jews are ready
to receive Him and until the lost tribes of Israel (who have become gentiles) are ready
to receive the Law, after the preaching of the true gospel throughout the world. Those
days are close, if not already upon us.
Zacharias also prophesises that John will prepare the way for the Lord by giving the
people knowledge of salvation for the remission of their sins. This is the preaching of
the gospel; calling people to repentance by inviting them to receive the mercy of God
for remission of their sins and instructing them in the Law so that they might sin no
more.
LUKE 1: 76-79
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest, for you shall go before the face of
the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of
their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; by which the Dayspring from on high has visited
us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into
the way of peace.
As Luke is a physician, it’s no surprise that his gospel contains many accounts of people
coming to Yahshua for healing. It should be noted that in the examples that Luke gives,
Yahshua often tells His supplicants that their faith has saved them. Does this mean that
the law of God plays no part in their salvation? No, for while Yahshua saves us from
condemnation (which the Law could never do) yet faith is belief and delight in the word
of God (the Law) of which Yahshua is the physical manifestation. Below is the
definition of the word faith according to Strong’s concordance:
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Faith - G4102 – πίστις – pistis - pis'-tis
From G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the
truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation;
abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth
itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
The faith that people had in Yahshua to save them was derived from their conviction
that the truth which He preached was of God, a moral conviction that they could only
arrive at if they had a love for the truth. Though it was plain to all that Yahshua was no
charlatan and that His miracles were effective, those who did not love the truth would
rather slink away rather than be healed and have the truth confirmed in their healing.
MATTHEW 13: 14-15
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which said, "By hearing you shall hear and
shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive; for this people's heart
has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, lest at
any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with
their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."
Thus it was that the religious leaders planned to kill Yahshua when they witnessed Him
healing the sick, using their lawless interpretation of the Sabbath day as a pretence to
do so (Matthew 12:10-14). And there was no shortage of people coming forward to
provide false witness (though only two could actually find something of which to
accuse Him, and even then it was due to a misunderstanding).
MATTHEW 26: 59-61
And the chief priests and the elders and all the sanhedrin sought false witness against
Jesus, in order to put Him to death. But they found none; yea, though many false witnesses
came, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came up and said, This one said, I am
able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.
When Yahshua sent the apostles out to preach the gospel and heal the sick in Luke 9,
they would have witnessed the same reaction as did Yahshua, that only those who had
a love for the Word would receive them. You can’t separate the Word from Yahshua.
LUKE 9: 26
For whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words, the Son of Man shall be ashamed
of him when He shall come in His own and in His Father's glory, and that of the holy angels.
LUKE 13: 26-27
...then you shall begin to say, We ate and drank in Your presence, and You have taught in
our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I do not know you; from where you are. Depart from
Me, all workers of unrighteousness!
Just knowing the identity of Yahshua is not enough to be blessed. As the psalmist said,
blessed are those who keep the Word of God (Psalm 1:1-3).
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LUKE 11: 27-28
And it happened as He spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her
voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which You have
sucked. But He said, No; rather, blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it.
So when we read the following words of Yahshua, we can be sure that He is not teaching
against the law to honour our parents.
LUKE 14: 26
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Yahshua is saying that we cannot let anyone prevent us from following His ways, that
we must hate anything that keeps us from following the ways of God, even the things
that are most dear to us. This is consistent with the Law (Deuteronomy 13:6-11). That
Yahshua loved and honoured His own mother is clear from some of His final words.
JOHN 19: 26-27
Then when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to
His mother, Woman, behold your son! Then He said to the disciple, Behold your mother! And
from that hour that disciple took her into his own home.
In Luke 16 there is a verse that has been terribly taken out of context to mean that the
Law has been done away (v16), but this couldn't be further from the truth as to what is
being said.
LUKE 16: 15-18
And He said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows
your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed,
and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for the heaven and earth to pass than for one
tittle of the Law to fail. Everyone putting away his wife and marrying another commits adultery;
and everyone marrying her who is put away from her husband commits adultery.
Firstly, it should be noted that right after v16, Yahshua says that it is easier for heaven
and earth to pass than it is for the Law to fail, then He proceeds to preach from the Law
regarding adultery. Secondly, note that the word “were” in v16 is in italics, which means
that it has been added by the translators to provide clarity for their own theology. In
fairness, it is a difficult verse to translate and there are many different translations of it
in our Bibles. But if Yahshua really was saying here that the Law had passed with John,
then He would also be saying that the prophets had passed with John too, and we know
that this cannot be the case (whether it means that John the Baptist was the last prophet
or that the prophecies had all been fulfilled, neither of which is true).
In essence, Yahshua would appear to be saying: the Law and the Prophets were
preached until John, and since then the kingdom of God continues to be proclaimed and
it also continues to grow.
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In the wider context, Yahshua appears to be saying: just because you killed John, do
not think that you are off the hook; he was the forerunner, but the kingdom of God
which is built upon the Law and the Prophets (and summed up in Me) does not end with
him, in fact it is growing stronger.
Because Yahshua is the manifestation of the Law and the Prophets (validating them,
not dismissing them) He therefore makes the point that if one does not have a love for
them then one will not accept the truth in Him either, even if a great miracle appears
before one’s eyes. As was shown earlier, the eyes and ears are dulled to the evident
truth when a person refuses to come into the light.
LUKE 16: 29-31
Abraham said to him [the rich man in hell], They have Moses and the Prophets, let them
[his brothers] hear them. And he said, No, father Abraham, but if one should go to them from
the dead, they would repent. And he said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets,
they will not be persuaded, even though one rose from the dead.
We are therefore obligated to inform our brother when he sins.
LUKE 17: 3-4
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother trespasses against you, rebuke him. And if he
repents, forgive him. And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in
a day turns again to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.
Again this is no new doctrine.
LEVITICUS 19: 17-18
You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall always rebuke your neighbour, and
not allow sin on him. You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people;
but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am YHVH.
In His death and resurrection, Yahshua fulfilled the feast of Unleavened Bread, which
also includes Passover and First Fruits. He became the Passover lamb for us, was found
sinless as unleavened bread symbolises, and rose again as the first fruits of those who
believe (who keep the Word of God). But He also fulfilled other types that are found in
the Old Testament scriptures, which are many.
LUKE 24: 44
And He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and
in the Psalms about Me.
For example, He fulfilled the role of the adulterous woman who is tested for her
infidelity as described in Numbers 5; after submitting to drink from the bitter cup in the
Garden of Gethsemane, Yahshua became the adulterous woman for us, who has
rebelled against her husband Yahweh and been unfaithful to His word. Then in Numbers
19 there is the law of when a man dies - anyone who touches him will be unclean seven
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days and will need to be purified on the third day; likewise, Yahshua rose on the third
day to purify us, and humanity will become clean again at the end of the seventh day
(symbolic of the Millennium of Messiah).
LUKE 24: 46-47
And He said to them, So it is written, and so it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the
dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be proclaimed in His name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
It was noted earlier that all things which Yahshua taught His disciples are to be
disseminated to the nations, and here is the same charge. This includes all the
commands which also served as types and shadow pictures of His role as Saviour.
Though many today teach that the temple ordinances and laws were annulled when
Yahshua fulfilled His role as our eternal sacrifice, the very last thing that Luke mentions
in his gospel is that the disciples spent a lot of time in the temple after Yahshua had
ascended.
LUKE 24: 53
And they were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
If one is tempted to believe that this simply means that the disciples were singing to
God in the temple, one should keep in mind that the Jewish religious leaders were
unlikely to just let the disciples do whatever they wished within its walls; temple
worship was organised and supervised. We will see in the next section of this volume,
particularly within the book of Hebrews, that the temple service carried on exactly as
before and that there is no criticism of this fact by the author.
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Having fulfilled the Feast of Tabernacles by His birth and the Feast of Unleavened
Bread by His death and resurrection, Yahshua would fulfil the Feast of Pentecost by
sending anew His Spirit.
Luke carries on from his gospel with the book of Acts, and we see that after three
thousand new converts join the disciples they all continue with the temple service.
ACTS 2: 46, 3: 1-3
And continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house,
they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart… And on the same day Peter and John
went up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a certain man, who was
lame from his mother's womb, was being carried. And they laid him daily at that temple gate
which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered into the temple. Seeing Peter and
John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
And this is after they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). The temple has
not become meaningless. Neither Yahshua nor the Holy Spirit came to revolutionise
the world in the sense of instituting some new religion or movement, but to restore the
way of life as found in God’s word. Judaism had corrupted the truth given to Moses, so
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Yahshua came to magnify God’s law as prophesised, by providing us with its correct
interpretation. But His job was not yet done, for the truth had to go out to the lost tribes
of Israel as well as to Judah. To help in this task, Yahshua provides us with the gifts of
the Holy Spirit. We see one such instance in Acts 2 with the gift of tongues bestowed
upon the disciples so that they could preach the gospel in the languages of the visiting
gentiles (of Hebrew descent) who had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. In
the past the Holy Spirit had always been given to believers in order to imprint the Law
upon their hearts and minds. But now the Holy Spirit was giving the kind of gifts to
believers that had only previously been given to the prophets, in order to facilitate a
restoration of all Israel back to the ways of God.
ACTS 3: 19-21
Therefore repent and convert so that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And He shall send Jesus Christ, who before
was proclaimed to you, whom Heaven truly needs to receive until the times of restoration of
all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the world began.
As we are to be part of this restoration, we do not receive an entirely new covenant but
rather we enter into the same covenant made with Abraham, only this time renewed
upon better promises (as will be explained in the book of Hebrews) so that all who are
willing to believe in the ways of God can be gathered and perfected.
ACTS 3: 25-26
You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers,
saying to Abraham, "And in your Seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." Having
raised up His son Jesus, God sent Him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you away
from his iniquities.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, every believer can go out into the world to preach the
Word with accompanying miracles and wonders.
ACTS 4: 29-31
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness
they may speak Your Word, by stretching forth of Your hand for healing, and miracles, and
wonders may be done by the name of Your holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the
place where they were assembled was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and
they spoke the Word of God with boldness.
This Word we must remember is the Law and its fulfilment in Yahshua.
ACTS 5: 19-21, 42
But the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night and brought them out, and
said, Go! Stand and speak all the words of this Life to the people in the temple. And hearing,
they went into the temple about dawn, and taught… And every day in the temple, and from
house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching the gospel: Jesus Christ.
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Yahshua is the gospel because He is both the Word of Life and the mercy that we need.
He teaches us the Law that He embodies so that we can repent, and in His blood we
have remission of our sins.
ACTS 5: 31-32
This One God has exalted to be a Ruler and Saviour to His right hand in order to give
repentance and remission of sins to Israel. And we are His witnesses of these things. And so
also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
Note that the Holy Spirit is only given to those who obey Him. Therefore it follows that
the gifts of the Spirit are not given for the promotion of licentiousness and lawlessness.
Any miracles that accompany such doctrine are of the devil and not of our Messiah.
We should also note in Acts 5 from the case of Ananias and Sapphira that there is still
the matter of God’s judgement upon believers who transgress and try to hide their sin
(Proverbs 28:13). There is no age of law and age of grace; Yahweh is no respecter of
persons and He deals with all of His people in the same way according to the same
expectations of obedience.
In Acts 6 we must recognise the centrality of the Word of God in the ministry of the
twelve apostles, because the religious leaders of that time began to produce false
witnesses to say that the disciples were speaking against God’s law.
ACTS 6: 2, 4, 7
And the Twelve called near the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not pleasing to us,
leaving the Word of God, to serve tables… But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and
to the ministry of the Word… And the Word of God was increasing. And the number of the
disciples in Jerusalem was multiplying exceedingly; even a great crowd of the priests obeyed
the faith.
ACTS 6: 11, 13-14
And they induced men to be saying, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against
Moses and God… And they set up false witnesses, who said, This man does not cease speaking
blasphemous words against this holy place and the Law. For we have heard him say that this
Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered
to us.
Why did the religious leaders do this? Because they considered their own additional
laws and customs to not only be a part of the Law but to carry even more weight. Thus
when the Law was correctly preached and interpreted, it invalidated their own laws,
just as their own laws invalidated the true meaning of God’s law. So they accused the
disciples of speaking against the Law and the customs of Moses, when in fact it was
their own laws and their own customs which the disciples indirectly spoke against.
So Stephen (whom they put on trial) responds by saying that from the days of Moses
the Hebrews were rarely obedient to God, and now - as then - they reject the divine
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ministrations of Yahweh; His prophets, His Spirit and His Law. In the process of his
defence, Stephen validates the Law, and condemns them for not keeping it.
ACTS 7: 37-39
This is that Moses who said to the sons of Israel, "The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet
to you from your brothers, One like me; you shall hear Him." This is he who was in the
congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him in Mount Sinai, and with our
fathers, who received the living words to give to us, to whom our fathers would not be
obedient…
(Stephen refers to the Law as the living words, for they are words of life).
ACTS 7: 51-53
O stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit. As
your fathers did, so you do. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they
killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you have now been the
betrayers and murderers; who received the Law through disposition of angels, and did not keep
it.
It’s especially important to note that the Hebrews in the time of Moses resisted the Holy
Spirit; the availability of God’s spirit for sanctification is not unique to the renewed
covenant, for it has always been the method by which Yahweh imprints the Law onto
our hearts if we will but receive it.
Once again it is confirmed that the whole Word of God is the gospel.
ACTS 8: 4
Then, indeed, the ones who had been scattered passed through, preaching the gospel, the
Word.
…and that those who follow it are the ones who follow the Way.
ACTS 9: 1-2
And Saul, still breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked letters from him to Damascus to the synagogues; so that if
he found any of the Way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to
Jerusalem.
In Acts 10 we have Peter’s vision of the unclean animals. It is important to emphasise
that this is not an abrogation of the law of clean and unclean animals. The reason for
the vision is given later in the text, which is that the gentiles who have converted to the
Way are not to be considered unclean anymore. If the vision meant that Peter could
now eat unclean animals, there would have been no need for him to ponder what the
vision meant after it was repeated three times.
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ACTS 10: 17, 19
And while Peter doubted within himself what the vision which he had seen might be, even
behold, the men who were sent from Cornelius had asked for Simon's house and stood on the
porch… And while Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are
looking for you.
The Spirit directs Peter to the three gentiles whilst he thinks upon the vision, thus
leading him in the direction of the vision’s meaning.
ACTS 10: 28, 34-35
And he said to them, You know that it is an unlawful thing for a man, a Jew to keep
company with or to come near to one of another nation. But God has shown me not to call any
man common or unclean… Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I see that God is no
respecter of persons; but in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted
with Him.
We should note that Peter at first says that it is unlawful for a Jew to keep company
with a gentile (Acts 10:28), but this statement does not relate to God’s law, which says
quite the opposite (Leviticus 19:33-34, 35:15). This is yet another instance of Yahweh
restoring the truth of His Law and helping His people to dispense with the oral law.
Thus Peter is able to draw on the true Law to teach what God has shown him.
DEUTERONOMY 10: 16-19
Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiff-necked. For YHVH
your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, the mighty, and a terrible God, who
does not respect persons nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and widow,
and loves the stranger in giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt.
NUMBERS 15: 15-16
One ordinance for you of the congregation and also for the stranger that resides with you,
an ordinance forever in your generations. As you are, so the stranger shall be before YHVH.
One law and one way shall be for you and for the stranger that lives with you.
As we shall soon see in Acts 15, the Jewish oral law had been developed with its own
theology which stated that one could justify themselves through keeping the Law. It is
therefore no surprise that Paul announces to the unbelieving Jews that they need the
Messiah to forgive them for where they fall short.
ACTS 13: 38-39
Therefore be it known to you, men, brothers, that through this One the forgiveness of sins
is announced to you. And by Him all who believe are justified from all things, from which you
could not be justified by the Law of Moses.
But there is nothing in this passage which claims that God’s law is no longer to be
followed for the purpose of perfecting ourselves. Many people today believe that the
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debate in Acts 15 results in the conclusion that we are not to keep the Law, but this is
simply not the case.
ACTS 15: 19-21
Therefore my judgment is that we do not trouble those who have turned to God from
among the nations, but that we write to them that they should abstain from pollutions of idols,
and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses from ages past has
those in every city proclaiming him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
The conclusion given by James is that the new converts from the nations should
immediately abstain from those things which are intrinsic to the pagan religions from
which they have just come out from (lest they be pulled back in), and that from then on
they will hear the words of Moses every Sabbath day in the synagogues that have spread
throughout the nations around Israel.
The reason that James gives for this conclusion is that it has always been Yahweh’s
purpose to make a nation for Himself centred in Jerusalem (the tabernacle of David) as
the prophets declare so that all nations will flow to Jerusalem to learn of His ways (Isaiah
2:3, Micah 4:2), which is what it means to seek Him and call on His name.
ACTS 15: 16-18
"After this I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David which has fallen down;
and I will build again its ruins, and I will set it up, so those men who are left might seek after
the Lord, and all the nations on whom My name has been called, says the Lord, who does all
these things." All His works are known to God from eternity.
What then is the yoke that Peter mentions?
ACTS 15: 10
Now therefore why do you tempt God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, a
yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
It cannot be God’s law, which is life and liberty, the adoption of which into our lives is
the eternal purpose that God has decreed. Rather it is the oral law of the Jews, as will
now be shown.
We should note that there are two different arguments being presented to the council in
Jerusalem.
ACTS 15: 1, 5
And certain ones who came down from Judea taught the brothers, saying, Unless you are
circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved… But some of those from
the sect of the Pharisees, having believed, rose up, saying, It was necessary to circumcise them
and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.
The custom of Moses (as opposed to the Law of Moses) is the oral law of the Jews.
Unbelieving Jews from Judea (Judaizers) were claiming that the gentile converts had
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to keep their laws and customs in order to be saved. But the believing Pharisees claimed
that it was only necessary to follow the Law of Moses as found in scripture.
Peter, who has already been corrected on at least one aspect of the oral law (that
believing gentiles were unclean) recounts his learning experience (vs7-9); those among
the gentiles who heard the Word of the gospel (the Law) received the Holy Spirit just
as the Jews did, for their hearts were purified by faith (which is confession of sin and
turning to the Law) and so through the grace of Yahshua they would be saved (in the
way of Yahweh) not by trusting in the oral law (vs10-11).
Hence the Jerusalem council wrote to the new believers telling them that they need not
listen to the Judaizers who were telling them to keep the oral law:
ACTS 15: 23-24, 28-29
And they wrote these things by their hand: The apostles and elders and brothers send
greeting to the brothers, from the nations in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Because we have
heard that certain ones who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your
souls, saying, Be circumcised and keep the law! (to whom we gave no such command)… For it
seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary
things: that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled,
and from fornication; from which, if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Be prospered.
If for arguments sake the new believers were only ever expected to keep these four
commandments and nothing more, then this would have meant they were free to lie,
steal, dishonour their parents, etc… The Law was not being done away, nor was it being
modified for gentile converts in disobedience to Numbers 15:16. New believers who had
not grown up keeping the Law were simply being given grace to take their time in
learning and adopting all the aspects of the Law as they heard it preached from the
books of Moses in the synagogues. Then as the Holy Spirit wrote it upon their hearts,
they would find it led them into greater peace and freedom from sin.
If the Law truly had been annulled for the gentile converts, then the following verses
would not make any sense.
ACTS 15: 35-36
Also Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the gospel, the Word
of the Lord, with many others also. And some days afterward, Paul said to Barnabas, Let us go
again and visit our brothers in every city where we have announced the Word of the Lord, to
see how they are holding to it.
Paul and Barnabas wanted to see how readily the converts were taking up the Law as
the Holy Spirit wrote the love of it upon their hearts.
None of this is any different to how the Law applied to the Israelites in the wilderness.
As was noted in the Old Testament analysis, the Law was revealed one part at a time.
And the Israelites suffered God’s wrath not because they failed to be perfect but because
they rejected the Law by not seeking after it. When Judah was restored to the land in
the time of Nehemiah, the Jews then made the mistake of becoming legalistic rather
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than obedient, seeking to find themselves perfect in the Law by adding new laws and
customs rather than by having faith in God’s Spirit to perfect them from the inside out.
Instead of being freed from the power of sin, they found themselves under a heavy yoke
of increasingly complex laws and restrictions that eventually led to a theological system
that counteracted God’s law. Understanding this cultural and historical background will
be crucial to understanding Paul’s writings; to know when he is speaking about God’s
law and when he is speaking about the oral law of the Jews.
In the next chapter we see that Paul circumcises Timothy, which would be an act of evil
hypocrisy if - as some people say today - Paul preached that circumcision was now a
swift means to be cut off from Christ (his words on circumcision will be explored later
in this volume). It appears that Paul circumcised Timothy so that the Jews would realise
that even those of gentile descent still followed the Law.
ACTS 16: 3
Paul wanted him to go with him, and taking him he circumcised him, because of the Jews
who were in those places; for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
We then see that the four commandments which the council decided on enforcing are
used to create a firm foundation upon which new converts are established in the faith.
ACTS 16: 4-5
And as they passed through the cities, they delivered to them the commandments to keep,
the ones that were ordained by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. Then indeed the churches
were established in the faith and increased in number daily.
That this was only a stepping stone to the rest of the Law becomes increasingly clear
later on in the chapter and throughout the rest of the book of Acts.
ACTS 16: 17
The same followed Paul and us and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most
High God, who are announcing to us the way of salvation.
A “way” is a path, a journey, a process. The Way of God is more than just four basic
commandments. And so the whole Word, as revealed most fully in Yahshua, continued
to be preached.
ACTS 16: 31-32
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, and your household.
And they spoke the Word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his household.
ACTS 17: 10-13
And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. They, when they
arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more noble than those of
Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the
Scriptures daily to see if those things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and quite a
few of honourable Greek women and men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica knew that
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the Word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the
people.
If we back up a little, we note in Acts 17:3 that Paul connected Yahshua with the Messiah
by preaching how He must suffer, die and rise from the dead. But is this all that Paul
and Silas preached, or did they also teach about how He lived? We should note that the
Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians; it is likely that the Bereans went one
step further and checked out all of the teachings in the Law and compared them with
the life and teachings of Yahshua. As the account of the Thessalonians already proves
to us that one could believe in Yahshua simply by Paul’s preaching from the prophetic
scriptures, the Bereans must have delved into the Law to further establish Yahshua as
the Messiah. Thus some of the Thessalonians believed, but many of the Bereans
believed. To clarify the point being made here, it is necessary to recall that the disciples
came to believe in Yahshua because His words and actions matched the Father’s words.
Knowledge of the Law gives us a greater conviction of Yahshua as the Messiah as the
Spirit opens our eyes to the whole truth.
That Paul was teaching the whole Word of God and not just the death and resurrection
of Messiah is clear from the fact that he spent eighteen months teaching the Word of
God to the Corinthians.
ACTS 18: 11
And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them.
From the letters to the Corinthians, it is clear that Paul discussed more than just the four
basic commandments that the Jerusalem council had determined. And as shall be
demonstrated during the analysis of these letters, Paul’s teachings covered a great many
topics that validated the Law in all respects. Therefore the fact that Paul was accused
of preaching against the Law in Corinth can only mean that he was preaching against
the oral law that the Jews recognised as the Law.
ACTS 18: 12-13
But Gallio being pro-consul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rushed against Paul and
brought him to the judgment seat, saying, This one persuades men to worship God contrary to
the Law.
Later in the book of Acts it will be seen that Paul gets the opportunity to defend himself
from such allegations. In the meantime we see that he continues to observe the Law,
firstly by taking a vow (which supports the fact that Yahshua did not teach against
making oaths), and secondly by declaring that he must by all means be present for one
of Yahweh’s feasts (the Feast of Tabernacles, based on the time of year).
ACTS 18: 18, 20-21
And Paul having remained many days more, taking leave of the brothers, he sailed from
there into Syria. And Priscilla and Aquila were with him. And Paul had shorn his head in
Cenchrea, for he had a vow… And they asking him to stay a longer time with them, he did not
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consent but took leave of them, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that is coming in
Jerusalem, but I will return again to you, God willing. And he sailed from Ephesus.
It is noteworthy that this reference to the feast in v21 and Paul’s clear and adamant
declaration that he must keep it, is missing from many modern Bible translations. This
is because most modern translations use different source manuscripts than that used to
translate the King James. Scholars debate which manuscripts are closer to the original
writings, but as the earliest manuscripts that we have date back only to the fourth
century (which was the time when the established church was incorporating pagan
practices and theologies and dispensing with anything relating to the Hebrews) we
cannot know which are most accurate. However, if we are clear in our minds that neither
Yahshua nor the apostles were dispensing with the law of God, then we can safely
assume that in this instance the King James is accurate.
In the verses that soon follow we again see the Law referred to as the Way, both as the
‘way of the Lord’ and as the ‘way of God’.
ACTS 18: 24-26
And a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man mighty in the
Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent
in the spirit, he spoke and taught the things of the Lord diligently, knowing only the baptism of
John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. And Aquila and Priscilla heard him, and
they took him and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly.
There are several things worth noting from this passage. Apollos was mighty in the
scriptures, which in those times was only the Old Testament. From these scriptures he
was instructed in the way of the Lord. This is clearly the Law because he only knew the
word of God as preached up to John the Baptist. Then Aquila and Priscilla taught him
the way of God more perfectly; they didn’t introduce a new gospel or renounce the
commandments in the Law, but taught the way of God in more depth, clearly passing
on the teachings that Yahshua provided to better understand the keeping of the Law,
the way of God.
In Acts 19 we again have the Way mentioned and this time it is identified as the “things
concerning the kingdom of God” and the “Word of the Lord Jesus”.
ACTS 19: 8-10, 23
And going into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading
the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when some were hardened and did not believe,
speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the
disciples, reasoning daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this happened over two years, so
that all those living in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks… And about
that time there was not a little a stir about the Way.
It should therefore be clear that when Paul rails against Elymas the conjurer in Acts 13
he is speaking of the law of God.
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ACTS 13: 9-10
Then Saul (who is also Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, set his eyes on him and said, O son
of the Devil, full of all deceit and all craftiness, enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop
perverting the right ways of the Lord?
The right ways of the Lord are righteousness, and righteousness is the Law. It is via
deceit and craftiness that people influenced by the Devil pervert the Law. This is what
has happened over the centuries and we must repent from our ignorance.
It is also worth pointing out from Acts 19 that Paul reasoned and persuaded from the
synagogues for three months, and daily reasoned from the school of Tyrannus; nowhere
in Acts do we see disciples specifically gathering on a Sunday. In fact the book of Acts
always mentions Paul preaching on the Sabbaths. Though it is obvious that Paul would
need to preach in the synagogues to the Jews on the Sabbaths because that’s where they
would be, often he is preaching to gentile converts on these days as well, which is most
clear in Acts 13:42 (though not in most modern translations, due once again to the issue
of manuscript selection). No commandment has reached them that they should now be
gathering on a Sunday. And as was seen in Acts 15, James expects the new converts to
be listening to Moses being preached in the synagogues. There was never expected to
be any separation between Jews and Greeks and the manner in which they worshipped.
Yahweh’s promises involve a restoration of the faith as given to the Hebrews, with
gentiles continuing to be grafted into Israel (as Paul will later confirm), not a revolution
breaking away from the eternal commandments of God.
It is therefore necessary to point out that many Bible translations make a hash of the
following passage from Acts 20.
ACTS 20: 6-7
And after the days of Unleavened Bread, we sailed away from Philippi and came to them
at Troas in five days, where we stayed seven days. And on the first of the sabbaths, the disciples
having been assembled to break bread, being about to depart on the morrow, Paul reasoned
to them. And he continued his speech until midnight.
Many Bibles translate the “first of the Sabbaths” as the “first day of the week”; Sunday.
But the Greek word used is “sabbaton” for Sabbath, not “hebdomad” for week. The
context reveals that this is the first Sabbath after the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven
Sabbaths were to be counted from this feast in the lead up to the Feast of Pentecost.
Nothing in scripture tells us that the eternal commandment of the Sabbath day was
changed to Sunday; this was a Catholic invention to merge paganism with the faith once
delivered to the saints (a change that the Catholic Church readily admits that it made
within its own authority and not based upon any scripture).
We then see that Paul hastens to be at Jerusalem for the approaching day of Pentecost,
and this time Paul’s commitment to keeping a feast of Yahweh in Jerusalem (as the
word of God commands) can be found in all the translations.
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ACTS 20: 16
For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not lose time in Asia; for, if
it were possible for him, he hastened to be at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
If Pentecost was fulfilled according to modern Christianity’s interpretation of the word
(fulfilled and then abolished) when the gift of the Holy Spirit was endowed upon the
apostles, then why is Paul still making every effort to observe this feast just as he did
for the Feast of Tabernacles? The answer is clearly because the Law has not changed.
Paul knew by prophetic insight that the Law would be perverted and he therefore warns
the elders of the church, instructing them to keep themselves edified by it.
ACTS 20: 28-32
Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers, to feed the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood. For I
know this, that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the
flock. Also men shall arise from your own selves, speaking perverse things in order to draw
disciples away after them. Therefore watch and remember that for the time of three years I did
not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. And now, brothers, I commend you to
God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance
among all those who are sanctified.
We must remember that we are to feed on every word of God and that the giving of His
law is an act of grace. The word that is used for “perverse” in the passage above is the
same word used in Acts 13 against Elymas the conjurer, who perverts the right ways of
the Lord.
Perverse - G1294 - Διαστρέφω - diastrephō - dee-as-tref'-o
From G1223 and G4762; to distort, that is, (figuratively) misinterpret, or (morally) corrupt: perverse (-rt), turn away.
In Acts 21 we have a very clear example that believing Jews were keeping the Law, as
was Paul.
ACTS 21: 20-24
And hearing, they glorified the Lord, and said to him, You see, brother, how many
thousands of Jews there are who believe, and they are all zealous of the Law. And they are
informed concerning you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the nations to forsake
Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, nor to walk after the customs.
What is it therefore? At all events a multitude will come together, for they will hear that you
have come. Therefore do this, what we say to you: We have four men who have a vow on
themselves; taking them, be purified with them, and be at expense for them, so that they may
shave their heads. And all may know that what they have been told about you is nothing, but
you yourself also walk orderly and keep the Law.
Again we have an example of where false reports have been spread regarding Paul and
his teachings, and some of the believing Jews encourage Paul to take a vow to show
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that he still keeps the Law. If Paul didn’t keep the Law, and in any way taught against
it, then taking this vow would have been a false witness of his own. Certainly Paul was
not involved in deception as part of the way of truth.
The next verse in this passage is an addendum, adding that the gentile converts have
also begun along the path of the Law, with the four basic commands delivered to them
from the council of Jerusalem.
ACTS 21: 25
But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that
they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has
been strangled, and from sexual immorality."
It is extremely important to note that this verse has two different compositions
depending on whether it is translated from the Western text-type or the Alexandrian
text-type. Most Bibles use the Alexandrian, which gives the interpretation provided
above. But some, including the King James translations, use the Western text-type,
which includes some additional words which completely change the meaning.
ACTS 21: 25
And as to the nations who believe, we joined in writing, judging them to observe no such
things, except only that they keep themselves from both idol sacrifice, and blood, and a thing
strangled, and from fornication.
If the manuscript this translation is taken from is correct, then we have a contradiction
with Numbers 15:16, for we have Paul and the other believing Jews observing the Law
whilst the gentile converts are being told not to observe it at all. We then have an odd
theological dilemma. For if the Law is a blessing, then the gentile converts are losing
out on this blessing, but if the Law has become a curse to all those who follow it, then
all the Jews including Paul are now condemning themselves. There cannot be one law
for the Jews and another for the gentile converts. Not only is it illogical, but it goes
against all of scripture that speaks of one faith, one body, and one truth. The only valid
conclusion is that the Western text-type has added a corruption to this verse. Fortunately
modern translators recognise the contradiction of the Western text-type in this verse
and utilise the Alexandrian manuscript instead. It is not often that the King James leads
into error, but this example shows the need to study all translations when endeavouring
to correctly interpret the word of God, and to most especially have a clear understanding
of what is taught in the Law and the Prophets.
After taking his vow Paul speaks to a multitude in Acts 22, claiming that he was taught
the law of their fathers as a disciple of the rabbi Gamaliel and was zealous for God, but
that he persecuted those who kept the Way. This doesn’t mean that the Way is different
to the Law, only that Paul didn’t recognise that the Way was the correct interpretation
of the Law. He had been deceived along with all the other Jews by the traditions and
laws of their fathers.
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ACTS 22: 3-4
I am truly a man, a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of
Gamaliel, taught according to the exactness of the Law of the fathers, being a zealous one of
God, as you all are today. I persecuted this Way as far as death…
He then recounts how Ananais was sent to him after Yahshua had appeared to him on
the road to Damascus, and how that Ananais was a devout man of the Law, respected
by all the Jews (v12). So clearly Ananais had not given up on following the Law after
coming to the Messiah either.
In Acts 23, Paul is on trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin and when he realises that he has
just insulted the high priest, he admits wrong doing by quoting from the Law that he
has just broken, rather than claim that the Law is no longer applicable.
ACTS 23: 5
Then Paul said, I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest; for it is written, "You
shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people."
As an aside, it’s important to note here that the “ruler of your people” is the high priest
and not the secular authority of the Romans, which helps bring clarity to Paul’s words
in Romans 13.
Paul then defends himself before the Roman governor of the land, and clearly equates
the Way with being in compliance to the Law and the Prophets.
ACTS 24: 14
But I confess this to you, that after the Way which they call heresy, so I worship the God
of my fathers, believing all things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
As has already been made clear, believing the Law and the Prophets means being in
obedience to them, which is also what it means to worship God in this context. Paul
says that worshipping God and believing all things written in the Law and the Prophets
is the Way. It is called heresy by the Jewish leaders because it discounts their oral law
and traditions, as well as proving Yahshua to be the Messiah.
Two years later Paul defends himself again, to the governor’s successor, claiming that
he has not offended against the Law (which means that he has kept it).
ACTS 25: 8
Defending himself, Paul said, Neither against the Law of the Jews, nor against the temple,
nor against Caesar have I offended in anything.
Thus Paul defends against the earlier false accusations that he taught against the Law
and the temple. Paul discarded the false oral law of his fathers and returned to the Way
as kept by the true fathers of the faith.
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So Paul’s position on the Law, according to how he lived his life, is clear. But before
moving onto his letters, which are far from clear, it is better to first examine the writings
of the other apostolic writers and their position on the Law. If they support the keeping
of God’s law in the New Testament era, then we can be more confident in approaching
Paul’s letters from this perspective.
It should also be noted that the Bible was originally ordered with the epistles of James,
Peter, John and Jude appearing before Paul’s books; an order that was designed to
increase in theological complexity. And as Peter himself says, in Paul’s letters there
“are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as
also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction”. We are best advised to
start in the shallow end before wading into turbulent waters.
James begins his letter addressing the twelve tribes in the Dispersion (as does Peter in
his first letter), which does not discount the gentile converts but simply recognises that
they have been grafted into Israel. This opening to James’ letter also reveals that the
Jews are not treated in theological isolation but are included within the whole of Israel;
there is not one law just for the Jews. The same Word is being sent out to all of Israel.
The fact that all twelve tribes are mentioned shows that the house of Israel is being
regathered with the house of Judah as the prophecies declared.
The ‘Word’ that James will be speaking about throughout his epistle is identified in the
first chapter as the Law.
JAMES 1: 18, 25
Of His own will He brought us forth with the Word of truth, for us to be a certain firstfruit
of His creatures… But whoever looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, he is
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one shall be blessed in his doing.
As a reminder:
PSALM 119: 142
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law is the truth.
MALACHI 2: 6
The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with
Me in peace and uprightness, and turned away many from iniquity.
PSALM 119: 45
And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.
PSALM 18: 30
As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of YHVH is tried; He is a shield to all those who
trust in Him.
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PSALM 19: 7
The Law of YHVH is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of YHVH is sure, making the
simple wise.
Note that James says that the one who is a doer of the perfect Law of liberty is blessed
in his doing (v25), just as the Psalmist says:
PSALM 1: 1-3
Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in
the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law
of YHVH; and in His Law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all
which he does shall be blessed.
James also agrees with the psalmist when he says that the perfect law of Yahweh
converts the soul.
JAMES 1: 21
Therefore putting aside all filthiness and overflowing of evil, receive in meekness the
implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.
Remember that this is salvation through sanctification, not justification. This can be
noted in the second chapter of James’ epistle where he tells us that we are convicted as
transgressors if we offend in only one point.
JAMES 2: 8-11
If you fulfil the royal Law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbour as
yourself," you do well. But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convicted by
the Law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." But if
you do not commit adultery, yet if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law.
But this does not mean that we are not to keep the Law, as James proceeds to tell us in
accordance with the Torah.
JAMES 2: 12
So speak and do as those who shall be judged by the Law of liberty.
DEUTERONOMY 29:29
The secret things belong to YHVH our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our
sons forever, so that we may do all the words of this Law.
Even though we are supposed to try and reach the required standard of perfection
(Deuteronomy 18:13, Matthew 5:48) we are reminded that mercy trumps judgment.
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JAMES 2: 13
For he who has shown no mercy shall have judgment without mercy, and mercy exults
over judgment.
This is where our justification lies; in the mercy that God affords us through Yahshua’s
sacrifice, when we keep the faith.
But without works our faith will not perfect us, as James proceeds to explain by giving
Abraham as an example.
JAMES 2: 20-22
But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Do you see how
faith worked with his works, and from the works faith was made complete?
Here we see that simply receiving God’s Spirit is not enough to perfect us. We must do
the works of faith, empowered by His Spirit, in order to better perform those works in
the future.
PHILIPPIANS 2: 12-13
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence
but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is
God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
In Paul’s writings we will see much more evidence of him speaking of the effort that
we need to apply in order to develop our own righteousness, that we may be fit for the
kingdom of God. This does not negate the need for Yahshua’s righteousness in starting
us down this path and removing our sins from our account, nor should it cause us any
anxiety that we might not achieve it. But we must accept the warnings, found in both
testaments, that if we stop living in faith by striving to keep His commandments then
we will be spurning the blood of Yahshua and making it of none effect.
James then proceeds to tell us, indirectly, that it is wrong to speak against the Law and
that we should be doers of the Law and not judges of the Law.
JAMES 4: 11
Do not speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against his brother, and who
judges his brother, speaks against the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you
are not a doer of the Law, but a judge.
He then proceeds to tell us that there is one Lawgiver who is able to save or destroy;
we should note that we have a Lawgiver and not a Law-retractor.
JAMES 4: 12
There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you who judges
another?
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Keeping this in mind, we should note that in chapter 5 of his epistle, James is not
abolishing the making of oaths as prescribed in the Law, but in a similar vein to
Yahshua’s words he is telling us not to lightly make oaths in personal communication
with one another. This context is picked up in the ERV version amongst a few others.
JAMES 5: 12
My brothers and sisters, it is very important that you not use an oath when you make a
promise. Don't use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When
you mean yes, say only "yes." When you mean no, say only "no." Do this so that you will not be
judged guilty.
James concludes his letter by telling us that if we turn a brother back from erring against
the truth (the Law) then we will have saved a sinner from death.
JAMES 5: 19-20
Brothers, if anyone among you err from the truth, and if anyone turns him back, know that
he who turns back the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall
hide a multitude of sins.
Sin is the breaking of the Law, so it is no surprise that turning a brother back to the Law
will hide a multitude of sins (by the blood of Messiah as it is extended over them). Our
job therefore is to lead our brothers into salvation through the truth, the Law, not to
condemn them with it.
We should never forget that in our imperfect keeping of the Law, it is the mercy of our
Saviour through the blood which He shed that redeems us from our sins. Repenting
from them as we turn to the Law is what makes that blood effectual, but without the
blood of Messiah our keeping of the Law would mean nothing. It is therefore fitting
that Peter begins his first letter by drawing attention to this fact in marvellous detail.
Yet he still calls us to obedience, reminding us from the Law that we are to be holy as
God is holy (Leviticus 11:44).
1 PETER 1: 15-16
…but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct,
because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Peter validates the Law with the words: because it is written. Not because Yahshua said
it and not because the Holy Spirit just revealed it to him (either of which would still be
valid) but because it is written. Peter sees no need to give any other reason, which tells
us that the apostles did not feel that they had to validate a particular commandment as
part of the new covenant; if it is written, then it is applicable. Peter is not demonstrating
an understanding that parts of the Law have been done away, but that what is written is
eternal and complete.
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We should also note that Peter is quoting a verse that is found right in the midst of the
laws regarding clean and unclean animals. Yet he adds no addendum to say that this
call to holiness excludes such laws. Indeed we should remember that Yahshua said that
not one “jot” nor “tittle” would pass from the Law until all has been fulfilled. That the
Holy Spirit did not lead Peter away from such an understanding is clear. If it did, then
it would not be the holy spirit but another spirit.
Though we have been redeemed by the blood of Messiah (vs18-19), Peter still tells us
that we need to purify our souls in obedience to the truth through the Spirit. The truth,
as has been well established, is the Law, also identified here as the living Word of God
(v23). Though many might think that the living Word is Yahshua Himself, in the context
it is more likely that this Word is His written Law, because this living Word of God is
referred to as “seed”, and in the parable of the sower Yahshua identifies the actual words
of God as the seed (Luke 8:11).
1 PETER 1: 22-23
Purifying your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of
the brothers, love one another fervently out of a pure heart, having been born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and abiding forever.
We should remember that the Law was referred to as living words by Stephen:
ACTS 7: 38
This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him
in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living words to give to us…
As a reminder, the words of the Law are ‘living’ because they give us life.
The first chapter finishes with Peter telling us that the Word of the Lord endures forever,
which is what the Old Testament says of the Law.
PSALM 119: 159-160
See how I love Your Commandments; O YHVH, according to Your loving-kindness give me
life. Your Word is true from the beginning; and every one of Your righteous judgments endures
forever.
ISAIAH 40: 8
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand forever.
1 PETER 1: 24-25
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flower of the grass. The grass withers,
and its flower falls out, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word
preached as gospel to you.
It is this Word, the Law, which is preached as the gospel.
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Peter then tells us to desire the milk of the Word that we may grow by it, if we have
tasted that the Lord is gracious. If we have discovered that the Word of the Lord is good
and effectual in releasing us from sin, then we are to keep learning from and applying
the Word to our lives.
1 PETER 2: 2-3
…desire the sincere milk of the Word, as newborn babes, so that you may grow by it; if
truly you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Paul identifies the “milk” as the first principles of the oracles of God, the foundation of
the Word of Righteousness.
HEBREWS 5: 12-13
For indeed because of the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach
you again what are the first principles of the oracles of God. And you have become in need of
milk, and not of solid food. For everyone partaking of milk is unskilful in the Word of
Righteousness, for he is an infant.
And the oracles of God (utterances of God) are the Law.
ROMANS 3: 1-2
Then what is the superiority of the Jew? Or what is the profit of circumcision? Much, by
every way! Chiefly, indeed, because they were entrusted with the oracles of God.
So the milk of the word is for new converts, the newborn babes. This is likely the Ten
Commandments, upon which all other laws are based.
To have “tasted that the Lord is gracious” does certainly not mean that He allows us to
continue in our sins without repentance. He died for us so that we might live unto
righteousness, which is His law.
1 PETER 2: 24
He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that dying to sins, we might live to
righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
That the gospel is more than the death, burial and resurrection of Messiah is also clear
from Peter’s words in chapter 4, for how can one be disobedient to what somebody else
has already done?
1 PETER 4: 17
For the time has come for the judgment to begin from the house of God. And if it first
begins from us, what will be the end of those disobeying the gospel of God?
In Peter’s second epistle we have what appears to be a warning of the antinomian heresy
that would infiltrate the early church, for how else can Yahshua be denied by those still
claiming to be Christian unless the Word that He embodies is denied?
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2 PETER 2: 1-2
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers
among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who
bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their pernicious
ways, and because of them the way of truth will be evil spoken of.
Though the Christian faith retained the label “the way of truth”, sadly this was no longer
the case as the Law was dispensed with. And where there is no obedience to the Law
by faith, there is no indwelling of the Spirit and the flesh rules. With this corruption,
what became known as the way of truth was no longer the actual Way. Though there
was great reformation four hundred years ago, a full restoration back to the whole word
of God did not occur.
Peter goes on to explain that those who would later fill the church will have forsaken
the “right way”.
2 PETER 2: 14-16
…They are cursed children who have forsaken the right way and have gone astray,
following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but had
reproof of his lawbreaking, a dumb ass speaking in a man's voice, held back the madness of the
prophet.
Note that they are cursed children; by not obeying the Law they come under its curse.
They have not followed the Way of the Lord but have followed the way of Balaam,
who caused the children of Israel to forsake God’s law (Numbers 31:16, Revelation 2:14).
Peter is providing a parallel with history here so that we cannot escape the evident
eternal truth.
Those who preach the way of Balaam (lawlessness) promise liberty, just as the false
gospel preachers do today. But it is the Law which brings liberty and without it we
become slaves of sin.
2 PETER 2: 19
…promising them liberty, they themselves are the slaves of corruption. For by whom
anyone has been overcome, even to this one he has been enslaved.
To have known the Law fully, both in letter and in the person of Messiah, and then to
turn away from it and lose the Holy Spirit (which would otherwise write the Law on
our hearts) leaves one worse off than before.
2 PETER 2: 20-21
For if they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the full knowledge of the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, and are again entangled, they have been overcome by these, their last
things are worse than the first. For it would have been better for them not to have fully known
the way of righteousness, than fully knowing it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered
to them.
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MATTHEW 12: 43-45
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walks through dry places seeking rest,
and finds none. Then he said, I will return into my house from where I came out. And when he
has come, he finds it empty, swept, and decorated. Then he goes and takes with him seven
other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and live there. And the last state of that
man is worse than the first. Even so it also shall be to this evil generation.
Peter is not speaking of believers who lose faith and fall away for a time, but of those
who retain a full knowledge of the truth without reservation and yet wilfully rebel from
it with complete lucidity of thought.
Peter notes this shameful outcome by comparing these individuals to unclean animals,
which is surely not lost on those who know the relevancy of the Law.
2 PETER 2: 22
But the word of the true proverb has happened to them: The dog turning to his own vomit;
and, The washed sow to wallowing in the mire.
Peter is quoting from and building upon the following Proverb.
PROVERBS 26: 11
As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to his folly.
Who is the fool but the one who rejects wisdom, which is the law of God. The fool has
discharged as vomit all that was wrong in the eyes of God, but now turns back to feed
upon it. And Peter speaks of the sow that was washed (redeemed) but makes itself dirty
all over again by going back to its lawless way of life.
Peter therefore concludes his second letter with both hope and warning, but not before
reminding us to remember the words of the Law as spoken by the prophets, Yahshua
and the apostles themselves.
2 PETER 3: 1-2
Beloved, I now write this second letter to you, in which I stir up your pure mind by reminder
to remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the
commandment of the Lord and Saviour by us, the apostles.
The hope (vs9-14) is that the Lord is not slow in His promise to return and usher in new
heavens and a new earth in which righteousness (the Law) dwells, but that He wants all
to come to repentance (to turn to the Law). If we want Him to come back soon, this is
what we must be doing. The warning is that we should not be led away with the error
of the lawless.
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2 PETER 3: 17-18
Therefore, beloved, knowing beforehand, beware lest being led away with the error of the
lawless, you fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
To reiterate, knowledge of Yahshua is knowledge of the Law, because He fully
embodies it. And so we can be led away with the error of the lawless if we do not have
a firm grounding in the Law and then fail to apply our Saviour’s teachings to it. If we
do not know the Word of God, then we will misunderstand the writings of Paul.
2 PETER 3: 16
…as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard
to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also they do the rest of the
Scriptures, to their own destruction).
Before we analyse the writings of Paul we will find that the apostle John still has much
to add on the subject of the Law. But first we find that Jude confirms much of what
Peter has just warned us about.
Jude speaks of the common salvation (v3) for we are all saved in the same way through
the blood of our Messiah and in conformity to the Law. But already there were those
who had come secretly into the faith to pervert the grace of God ( v4), turning it into
licentiousness rather than Spirit-empowered obedience. Hence Jude calls on the saints
to contend earnestly for the true faith. Like Peter, Jude compares these false believers
with followers of Balaam (v11). Being lawless, they do not have the Spirit but are led
by the flesh (vs16-19). But Jude encourages the saints to build themselves up in the
“most holy faith” and to keep themselves in the love of God (vs20-21). John will now
proceed to tell us exactly how we do that.
John begins by witnessing that he and the other disciples have handled the Messiah,
whom John calls both the Word of Life and the Everlasting Life, for truly Yahshua is
the summation of the way of life – the Life revealed. Yahshua is the very image of what
humanity can be when they follow all the words of life. John also witnesses that God is
light, which is clearly the spiritual light of the Law. It is only if we walk in the light,
just as He is in the light, that Yahshua’s blood cleanses us from all sin. John also refers
to this as practising the truth, which is the Law (one cannot practice a mere theology).
1 JOHN 1: 6-7
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice
the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
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We see how John makes ‘practising the truth’ and ‘walking in the light’ synonymous
with one another, just as the Old Testament does in relation to the law of God. The
apostles are always quoting and borrowing phrases from the word of God to validate it,
not dismiss or override it.
Because one of the purposes of the Law is to reveal the sin in us, John says that if we
claim that we have no sin then the truth (the Law) is not in us. But if we confess our sin
then we are cleansed from all unrighteousness. Again John says that if we say that we
have never sinned, then His Word is not in us.
1 JOHN 1: 8-10
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.
Thus by the end of this first chapter, John has equated the Law with light, the truth and
the Word, whilst equating unrighteousness with sin. And towards the end of his first
epistle he makes it clear that all unrighteousness is sin.
1 JOHN 5: 17
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not to death.
So if all unrighteousness is sin, and sin is breaking the Law, then all unrighteousness
comes from breaking the Law, which means that all righteousness must be of the Law.
The Law therefore encompasses all that is righteous, which is in agreement with what
the Old Testament teaches us with regards to the Law being perfect and complete. The
Law contains all of the instructions necessary to lead us into all righteousness. This
means that wherever we see righteousness being spoken of in the scriptures, we can be
sure that it is in reference to the law of God.
In the second chapter, John proceeds to equate the Law with the commandments.
1 JOHN 2: 4-6
He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected.
By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk
even as He walked.
Yahshua walked in the light, which is practising the truth, which is keeping the Law.
This is the same as keeping His commandments, which is keeping His Word, which
results in the love of God being perfected in us. What John is showing (intentionally or
not) is that the Word of God has never changed, and that all these different references
to it are synonymous with the Law. Yahshua did not bring new doctrine, but witnessed
the truth and effectualness of the doctrine of His father.
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1 JOHN 2: 7
Brothers, I do not write a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you
had from the beginning. The old commandment is the Word which you have heard from the
beginning.
As was noted in an earlier analysis, John then seems to contradict himself, but only if
we don’t translate the word “new” in context as meaning ‘refreshed’, or ‘reminder’.
1 JOHN 2: 8
Again, I write a new commandment to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because
the darkness is passing away, and the true Light now shines.
The “true Light” is Yahshua, who perfectly reveals how to live the Law, removing any
murkiness that might remain from the written words of Moses and clearing away the
blinding smoke of the oral law of the Jews. In this true Light one cannot use the Law in
a self-serving manner, but only to love others as intended.
John reveals that he is writing this letter to prevent God’s obedient people from being
led astray into sin.
1 JOHN 2: 1, 21, 26
My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins,
we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous… I have not written to you
because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and know that no lie is of the
truth… These things I have written to you concerning those leading you astray.
John is simply reminding God’s people that even though they know the Law, yet they
still might be led astray from keeping it by listening to the deceptive words of antichrists
(vs18,22) who by their denial of Yahshua as the Messiah will blind people to the true
revelation of how to keep the Law, resulting in them committing sin. John therefore
adds that they do not need anyone to teach them (v27), because they already know how
to correctly interpret the Law through the teachings of the Messiah and that they should
only pay attention to those who likewise act righteously (v29, 3:7,10, Matthew 7:17-18).
Everyone who has the hope of being like Yahshua in the resurrection should purify
himself; there is an active participation in observing the Law to become like Yahshua.
The only other alternative is to practice sin.
1 JOHN 3: 3-5
And everyone who has this hope on him purifies himself, even as that One is pure.
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. And you know that
He was revealed that He might take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.
Yahshua not only died to redeem us from our sins, but He also lived in order to take
them away, by showing us to avoid them. So when we abide in Him (that is when we
are obedient to Him and His law) we do not sin, but those who continuously sin are
those who have no identification with His law because they have not known Him.
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1 JOHN 3: 6
Everyone who abides in Him does not sin. Everyone who sins has not seen Him nor known
Him.
We may think that John is contradicting himself in his following words; having
previously told us that if we deny that we sin then the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8) he
then tells us that those who are born of God do not commit sin.
1 JOHN 3: 9-10
Everyone who has been born of God does not commit sin, because His seed remains in
him, and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God are
revealed, and the children of the Devil: everyone not practicing righteousness is not of God,
also he who does not love his brother.
Paul will clarify in his writings that being born of God (being born again) is a process
that culminates in the resurrection, not an event that happens in an instant the moment
we begin a life of faith. Being born again is synonymous with being given a new heart,
and it takes a lifetime to complete. Thus John is speaking of how we should be acting,
and how we will be continuously acting when we have been revealed in glory. When
the seed (the Law) remains in us then we cannot sin because sin is disobedience to the
Law.
By loving each other and being righteous before God, we can be assured that the truth
(the Law) is in us. This is what it means to believe on the name (the character) of
Yahshua. And because it requires the Spirit to enable us to keep this commandment, we
can be assured that He abides in us when we do.
1 JOHN 3: 23-24
And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ,
and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he who keeps His commandment
dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He
gave to us.
This singular commandment to believe on the name of Yahshua encapsulates all of the
commandments of Yahweh.
1 JOHN 5: 2-3
By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His
commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His
commandments are not burdensome.
The Spirit enables us to keep the commandments of God because the Spirit (being God)
is just as much a full manifestation of the Law as is Yahshua. So just as Yahshua could
accurately call Himself the truth, so the Spirit can also be called the truth.
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1 JOHN 5: 6
This is He who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by the
water and blood. And the Spirit is He who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
The Father, Son and Spirit can all bear witness of the truth because they are the truth;
they all have the perfect character that we are to have as instructed in the Law. In
Yahshua we have revealed to us the most perfect representation of the Law, by which
we are able to know what is of truth and what is not. And by knowing the truth in God
we can know all that pertains to life.
1 JOHN 5: 20
And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us an understanding so that
we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him that is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God, and the everlasting life.
Now that we know that both the Law and the Spirit are the truth, we can understand
how the Spirit writes the Law on our hearts; the Spirit dwelling in us influences our
heart to desire those things that are in accordance with His law, thus giving us a new
heart rooted in love and righteousness. This brings the fullness of life and joy to all.
And because Yahshua is also the truth, when we have the Spirit dwelling in us we also
have both Yahshua and indeed the Father dwelling in us too. We become one with both
the Father and the Son, just as our Saviour prayed for on our behalf. God’s character is
reproduced within our hearts by His Spirit. And as we take on the nature of the truth,
we become predisposed to love those who have this same character, which is why
loving God and loving our brother are synonymous.
Hence John’s openings in his second and third letters.
2 JOHN 1: 1-2, 4
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth and not only I, but
also all those who have known the truth, for the sake of the truth dwelling in us, and which
shall be with us forever… I rejoiced greatly that I found your children walking in truth, as we
have received command from the Father.
3 JOHN 1: 1, 3-4
The elder to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in the truth… For I rejoiced greatly when the
brothers came and testified of the truth that is in you, even as you walk in the truth. I have no
greater joy than these things, to hear that my children walk in the truth.
As God is truth and His instructions are truth, it is therefore no surprise that because
God is love, so His instructions are also love.
2 JOHN 1: 6
And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment,
as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
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It should now be clear why the doctrine of Messiah cannot be something new and
different to the commands of the Father. They are One in truth.
2 JOHN 1: 9
Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He
who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.
Thus we continuously see the same theology being repeated with interchangeable terms
and expressions throughout the gospels and the epistles. Whether it is the light, the
truth, the Way, the Word, the holy commandment, the Father’s commandments, the
doctrine of Messiah or any other expression that refers to the way of life as found in the
Father and the Son, all are synonymous with the Law.
So throughout the Old Testament and through the gospels and writings of the apostles
who walked with Yahshua, we have seen that the law of God is eternal and applicable
to the Christian as well as the Jew. Therefore, keeping in mind the warning given by
Peter of misunderstanding Paul’s writings, we should make every effort to understand
the context in which Paul speaks and not just take his words at face value. At times that
is difficult to do, and it should be made clear that even amongst law-abiding Christians
there exist some differences in the interpretation of context. But Paul’s admonition and
encouragement to keep the Law is recognised by all.
Paul speaks of the gospel of Messiah as something God had promised through the
prophets (1:1-3), but this does not mean that it is something new, simply that the gospel
was worked out in Messiah at the appropriate time. The gospel has always been about
the keeping of God’s law through repentance and faith in His capacity to forgive and
redeem, but the actualization of the eternal sacrifice that makes this possible did not
occur until Messiah was born into this world to save us from our sins.
Paul says that the gospel of Messiah is the power of God unto salvation, and that the
righteousness of God is revealed in it; two claims that are exactly true of God’s law.
Those who suppress the Law are unrighteous and will experience God’s wrath rather
than His salvation.
ROMANS 1: 16-18
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God
is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." For the wrath of God
is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness…
Paul also says that the righteousness of God is revealed from “faith to faith”, which
means that the righteousness of God is developed in a works-based faith just as James
explained with regards to Abraham.
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JAMES 2: 22-23
Do you see how faith worked with his works, and from the works faith was made
complete? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was
imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
Paul also quotes Habakkuk by saying that “the just shall live by faith”. This is the same
faith, the same gospel, upon which the saints of old laid claim.
The apostle then goes on to explain how degenerate we become when we do not
conform to the Law.
ROMANS 1: 24-25
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to
dishonour their own bodies between themselves. For they changed the truth of God into a lie,
and they worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed
forever. Amen.
This degeneracy is the ultimate result of when the Law is altogether dismissed by
turning a deaf ear to the creator and corrupting His creation to satisfy our selfish lusts.
Those who disobey the Law will be condemned by it, whilst those who keep it will be
justified.
ROMANS 2: 2, 5-9, 12-13
But know that the judgment of God is according to truth on those who practice such
things… But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath
for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render
to each according to his works; indeed to those who with patience in good work are seeking
for glory, and honour, and incorruptibility, everlasting life. But to those who indeed disobeying
the truth out of self-seeking, and obeying unrighteousness, will be anger and wrath, tribulation
and anguish upon every soul of man who has worked out evil; of the Jew first, and also of the
Greek… For as many as sinned without Law will also perish without Law. And as many as have
sinned within Law shall be judged through Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just
before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
The entire context of the book of Romans so far is that those who preach the Law must
keep the Law lest they be condemned with those living lawlessly. This becomes more
evident in the rest of the second chapter, when Paul castigates these particular Jews for
trusting in the Law to save them when they do not keep it (vs17-25), whilst pointing out
that the spirit of the Law is kept by some of the gentiles who do not know the letter of
the Law but are still justified (vs14-16, 26-29). Paul’s overall point is that we are all
judged according to our works based on the amount of truth that we have received. This
does not deny the role of grace, because we all fall short in keeping perfectly what we
know to be true (James 4:16-17), but it does distinguish between those who seek the truth
in order to keep it and those who do not make use of the truth that they have. We are
saved by grace when we repent according to what we know, but the Law is still a
blessing when we keep it, which includes the practice of physical circumcision.
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ROMANS 2: 25, 3: 1-2
For circumcision truly profits if you keep the Law, but if you are a transgressor of the Law,
circumcision becomes uncircumcision… Then what is the superiority of the Jew? Or what is the
profit of circumcision? Much, by every way! Chiefly, indeed, because they were entrusted with
the oracles of God.
Paul then proceeds to make a series of points that show that it is only by God’s mercy
that we are saved and that by our unrighteousness we make plain the righteousness of
God, but that this is not an excuse to live unrighteously, for how then would He be able
to judge the world?
Paul then says something which on the surface makes it sound as though he is saying
that the Law is only applicable to those who are under the Law.
ROMANS 3: 19
But we know that whatever things the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law;
so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be under judgment before God…
But the surrounding context explains that Paul is simply saying that the Law reveals to
us that we cannot justify ourselves; that it shuts the mouth of anyone trying to say that
they can stand righteously before God without sin. The Greek word translated above as
“whatever things” can also be translated as “wheresoever”, which provides a little more
clarity to the context:
But we know that wheresoever the Law speaks, it speaks to those who under the Law, so that
every mouth may be stopped and all the world be under judgment before God…
Choosing the word “wheresoever” as opposed to “whatever things” also fits in with the
subject of Paul’s words, which is the whole world. No one can meet the legal demands
of the Law except for Yahshua, Who thereby provides us with a righteousness that
keeps us from being under the obligation to keep the Law perfectly. It is therefore not
by our works that we are ultimately saved but by faith.
ROMANS 3: 28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the Law.
But does this statement not contradict James (and the rest of the scriptures)?
JAMES 2: 24
You see then how a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
Not if one is paying attention to the context! Paul is not saying that works are not
important in our salvation, but that we receive a righteousness to justify us that is not
dependant on them. He then quickly makes clear that we are still to keep the Law.
ROMANS 3: 31
Do we then make the Law void through faith? Let it not be! But we establish the Law.
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It can be explained like this. We need to develop our own righteousness, which we do
by keeping the Law, otherwise we will not be fit for the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians
6:9-10). This is the justification by works of which James speaks. But this will never
justify us from all of our sins, so we need the righteousness of Yahshua to give us
admittance. This is the justification by faith of which Paul speaks. Hence Yahshua is
the narrow gate, and the Law is the narrow path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). So
no matter how well we walk the path, we cannot boast, because without Yahshua we
would not even have possessed the right to walk it (or even the ability; but the need for
the Spirit is discussed later).
These two types of justification are portrayed throughout the scriptures by metaphors
of garments, and will be explored in the analysis on the book of Revelation.
Paul continues to explain in chapter 4 that we cannot be justified by the works of the
Law (only by striving to keep them in the Spirit). But nowhere does he say that we are
no longer to keep them. It is by the faith of Abraham that we are saved, and yet Abraham
still kept the Law (Genesis 26:4-5). And though Paul says that Abraham was saved in
uncircumcision (vs9-10), yet he still proceeded to be circumcised.
ROMANS 4: 11-12
And he received a sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith while still
uncircumcised; so that he might be the father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for
righteousness to be imputed to them also; and a father of circumcision to those not of the
circumcision only, but also to those walking by the steps of the faith of our father Abraham
during uncircumcision.
If we have the same faith as Abraham, then shouldn’t we receive the same, “seal of the
righteousness of the faith” to reflect our circumcised hearts? If nothing from the Law
has passed, then neither has circumcision. Though one may believe that the sealing of
the Holy Spirit has replaced the sign of circumcision, it is necessary to remember that
the Spirit was available to the saints of old just as it is today for the writing of the Law
on our hearts. And we should also note that physical circumcision has always been a
physical sign of a spiritual reality, not a foreshadow of some new doctrine to come.
DEUTERONOMY 10: 9-13, 15-16
And now, Israel, what does YHVH your God ask of you, but to fear YHVH your God, to walk
in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve YHVH your God with all your heart and with all
your soul, to keep the commandments of YHVH, and His statutes, which I command you today
for your good? …Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiffnecked.
DEUTERONOMY 30: 6, 8
And YHVH your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love YHVH
your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live… And you shall return
and obey the voice of YHVH, and do all His commandments which I command you today.
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JEREMIAH 4: 4
Circumcise yourselves to YHVH, and take away the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah
and people of Jerusalem; lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that none can put it out;
because of the evil of your doings.
We can be saved without physical circumcision by faith, but if we are living in faith by
keeping the Law then circumcision is just as applicable to our spiritual walk as all other
parts of the Law. It is a bigger step of faith than baptism due to the physical, personal
and irreversible nature of it, and so this may be why new converts were not rushed into
it. But it is a part of the Law, a physical seal of the righteousness of the faith which Paul
earlier said, “truly profits us”.
Paul’s comments on the matter of circumcision in his other letters will therefore need
to be studied very carefully, to see if he is truly dispensing with this commandment;
which would go against the command to not take away from the Law.
Paul then makes a comment about the Law working out wrath.
ROMANS 4: 15
…because the Law works out wrath, for where no law is, there is no transgression.
This does not mean that the Law is an evil thing. The Old Testament is clear that the
Law is a wonderful set of instructions that spiritually blesses us, as Paul will later agree
in this letter. The context of this verse is simply that the Law works out wrath to those
who are under the Law (trying to meet its demands on their own) and are not saved by
grace through the righteousness of Yahshua, which Paul explains in chapter 5. Then at
the end of this chapter is a verse that is explained in more detail in chapter 7.
ROMANS 5: 20
But the Law entered so that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound…
This does not mean that the Law produces sin, rather that it highlights sin by defining
it and making it obvious. The CEV translation makes this point:
The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen…
CEV
Thankfully God’s grace is sufficient for our sin, but this does not mean that we should
sin in order to make grace abound. The Law was revealed to make sin more evident so
that we would repent, not to make us sin more.
ROMANS 6: 1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Let it not be!
How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Paul earlier defended the accusation that believers were sinning in order to make grace
abound.
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ROMANS 3: 8
And not rather, (as we are wrongly accused, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do bad
things that good may come? Their condemnation is just.
So if Paul is saying that we should no longer sin, and sin is the breaking of the Law,
then clearly Paul is saying that we should still be keeping the Law. And he affirms this.
ROMANS 6: 13
Do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves
to God, as one alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
When we recall that all righteousness is of the Law because all unrighteousness is sin
(1 John 5:17), yielding our members to righteousness is hence synonymous with keeping
the Law. To do otherwise once we have had our debt to the Law cleared would be a
disgrace.
ROMANS 6: 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.
Verse 14 is better translated in some Bibles as, “For sin is not to have dominion over
you,” which is an injunction as in verse 13, not a statement of fact as in the translation
above. Paul is repeating the point that we are to live unto righteousness because that is
what God has saved us for, and that just because we are no longer under the authority
of the Law but under His grace this is no excuse to stay in rebellion. It would be a grand
insult to our Saviour to take the pardon that He died to obtain for us and then keep on
sinning as before.
ROMANS 6: 15
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be!
To re-emphasise, being under the Law means to be under its authority to condemn. But
we are still to be in obedience to it. To claim that being under the Law means that we
are not to follow it anymore would make verse 15 a contradiction as follows:
What then? Shall we break the Law because we are no longer to follow it? Let it not be!
We avoid sin by keeping to God’s law, not dispensing with it.
ROMANS 6: 17-18
But thanks be to our God that you were the slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. Then being made free from sin, you
became the slaves of righteousness.
In verse 19, Paul clearly distinguishes righteousness and holiness from lawless acts and
uncleanness.
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ROMANS 6: 19
I speak in the manner of men because of the weakness of your flesh; for as you have
yielded your members as slaves to uncleanness, and to lawless act unto lawless act, even so
now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness.
Lawlessness and uncleanness are still opposed to righteousness and holiness. Nothing
has changed.
Now the seventh chapter of Romans is a minefield of misinterpretation, but the final
verse reveals that Paul is not speaking against the Law, but against sin.
ROMANS 7: 25
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of
God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
With this declaration we are better prepared to start from the beginning of the chapter.
Paul begins by using the analogy of marriage to illustrate a point. The husband has
authority over the wife, and if the wife is to marry any other man then she commits
adultery whilst her husband is still alive (as Yahshua also stated in the gospels). But
when the husband dies, she is free from his authority and can remarry. Likewise with
the death of Messiah, we are no longer under the authority of His law and have become
for all intents and purposes dead to it. So through faith we can then marry the risen
Messiah whose authority we now come under instead. But unlike the Law, Yahshua
justifies us by clearing our account of debt where we fall short in keeping it. Thus we
are no longer under the authority of law but under the authority of grace, but this grace
is for the purpose that we should bring forth fruit to God; Yahshua was the first fruits,
and through the grace of God we are rescued from condemnation and will come forth
as additional fruit of God in the resurrection. This cannot happen before our conversion
though, because the Law condemns our sinfulness in the flesh. But through grace we
are set free from the authority of the Law, and in the Spirit we can eventually come into
conformity with it, which is the holy nature of God.
The “letter” spoken of in verse 6 is not the Law itself but the record of debt that the Law
held against us. This is picked up in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
COLOSSIANS 2: 13-14
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God
made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of
debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
When we repent and receive God’s Spirit, we no longer serve in the bondage of sin that
indebted us to the Law, but we serve in the freedom of our newness of spirit.
ROMANS 7: 6
But now we having been set free from the Law, having died to that in which we were held,
so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
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Because the Law was enmity to us in the flesh, Paul rhetorically asks in verse 7 if the
Law is offensive. As with all his rhetorical questions in this letter, he replies with an
emphatic, “Let it not be said!” He then goes on to explain that the Law is a good thing
because it points out sin to us and hence instructs us in the way of righteousness. But
the other side of the coin is that with knowledge of the Law comes accountability and
the temptation to rebel, which condemns us when we allow ourselves to be led astray.
Therefore the Law becomes death to us because of its legal demand for perfection,
though the keeping of the Law is life for us when kept (vs8-12). So Paul once again asks
rhetorically if the Law is a bad thing (v13), and once again affirms, “Let it not be!”
It should not be missed from verses 8 and 11 that it is sin which kills us, not the Law.
Sin takes advantage of the Law’s ability to condemn, but it is still sin that remains the
problem. Paul spends the rest of the chapter detailing how sin is the problem within him
and how it stops him from keeping the Law as he delights to do. It is freedom from the
carnal nature that Paul desires, a deliverance that we find in Yahshua (v25), whether
that be in the sinless body that we will inherit in the Resurrection or through His Spirit
in this current life.
What is clear from the book of Romans so far is that the carnal nature and the sin that
it produces are the issue, not the law of God! Paul repeatedly and emphatically states
this.
ROMANS 3: 31
Do we then make the Law void through faith? Let it not be!
ROMANS 6: 1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Let it not be!
ROMANS 6: 15
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be!
ROMANS 7: 7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said!
ROMANS 7: 13
Then has that which is good become death to me? Let it not be!
ROMANS 7: 22-25
For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man; but I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
being in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then with the mind I myself serve the Law
of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Through Yahshua we have access to His Spirit which allows us to be spiritual and hence
conform to the Law. This is what Paul then says in chapter 8.
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ROMANS 8: 1-4
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh; so that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
The Law by itself could not make us righteous because of the sinful nature of our own
desires, so Yahshua died for our sins so that through faith we might have His Spirit to
live in us and enable us to walk in His law. Yahshua fulfilled the Law, not so that we
don’t have to, but in order to pardon our transgressions and provide us with His Spirit
so that we might also fulfil the righteousness of the Law.
Paul then confirms for us that to be spiritually minded is to be subject to the law of God
(not the same thing as being under its authority), for it gives us life and peace as the
Old Testament tells us.
ROMANS 8: 6-7
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, neither indeed
can it be.
It is the Spirit which enables us to keep it.
ROMANS 8: 9-10
But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone
has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ is in you, indeed the body is dead
because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Paul does not mention the Law again until the end of chapter 9, when he begins to speak
of physical/national Israel, who have not all come to faith. He notes that many of the
Israelites of the past stumbled because they tried to justify themselves by the works of
the Law and did not keep it in faith. The doers of the Law are only justified when they
accept and confess their incapacity to keep it fully, asking for the mercy and grace of
God to cover their sins and help them fulfil it. Pride blinds those who reject the Rock
their Saviour.
ROMANS 9: 30-33
What shall we say then? That the nations, who did not follow after righteousness have
taken on righteousness, but a righteousness of faith. But Israel, who followed after a law of
righteousness did not arrive at a law of righteousness. Why? Because it was not of faith, but as
it were by the works of the Law. For they stumbled at that Stumbling-stone; as it is written,
"Behold, I lay in Zion a Stumbling-stone and a Rock-of-offense, and everyone believing on Him
shall not be put to shame."
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Not recognising the difference between ‘keeping the Law in faith’ and ‘keeping the
Law through works’ is what also trips up many people when reading chapter 10, in
which Paul is speaking about justification and not sanctification. Those who have not
submitted to the righteousness of God (v3) are those who have not accepted Yahshua’s
sacrifice for their sins, for Yahshua is the righteousness of the Law.
Now in verse 4 it is necessary to understand that Yahshua did not “end” the Law when
He fulfilled it, but He became the “finishing point” of the Law; the level of perfection
that justifies us through our faith and which we still pursue ourselves (Hebrews 12:1-2).
This “finishing point” is a better meaning for the word translated as “end”, which is
often interpreted to mean abolition.
ROMANS 10: 4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes.
End - G5056 – τέλος – telos - tel'-os
From a primary word τέλλω tellō (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly the point
aimed at as a limit, that is, (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination
[literally, figuratively or indefinitely], result [immediate, ultimate or prophetic], purpose);
specifically an impost or levy (as paid): - + continual, custom, end (-ing), finally, uttermost.
Compare G5411.
Though this Greek word “telos” can be used to provide the meaning of abolition, this
cannot be true in the context of Paul’s letter to the Romans. The same meaning must be
employed that is used in James 5:11 when speaking of the “end” of the Lord.
JAMES 5: 11
Behold, we count blessed those who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and
you have seen the end [telos] of the Lord, that the Lord is full of pity and of tender mercy.
Perhaps the best word for “telos” is “mark”, as in ‘fall short of the mark’. Though we
fall short, Yahshua is both the mark who justifies us and the mark for which we aim.
This understanding also helps us to identify the mark of the beast, and this will be
revealed in the analysis of Revelation.
So Yahshua is the righteousness of the Law, of which the rest of us fall short. We cannot
perfectly keep the Law, and therefore we will ultimately die if we try to do it alone.
EZEKIEL 33: 13
When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trusts in his own
righteousness and commits iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for
his iniquity that he has committed, he shall die for it.
Therefore our righteousness is to be by faith. To demonstrate this, Paul builds upon
another passage in the Law; in Deuteronomy we are told that the Law is something that
we did not have to obtain for ourselves but that it was given to us by grace.
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DEUTERONOMY 30: 11-14
For this commandment which I command you today is not hidden from you, neither is it
far off. It is not in Heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to Heaven, and bring it
to us, so that we may hear it and do it? Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall
go over the sea for us to the region beyond the sea, and bring it to us, so that we may hear it
and do it? But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do
it.
Paul then reveals that this passage is also speaking of the Messiah, the Word.
ROMANS 10: 6-7
But the righteousness of faith says this: "Do not say in your heart, Who shall ascend into
Heaven?" that is, to bring Christ down; or "Who shall descend into the deep?"; that is, to bring
up Christ again from the dead.
We do not need to go into heaven to bring down Messiah or by our own efforts raise
Him up from the dead; He does this Himself to obtain our salvation for us. Yahshua did
all this and then puts His Spirit in us so that we can keep the Law. So it is not just the
giving of the Law that is a grace, but also the provision of the capacity to keep it. Thus
we find the implanted Word within us.
ROMANS 10: 8
But what does it say? "The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart"; that
is, the Word of Faith which we proclaim…
Just to reiterate, this Word of Faith is the Law, and Paul could not make this any clearer
than by having just quoted the command to keep the Law from Deuteronomy and then
declaring that this is the Word of Faith that he and the other apostles proclaim.
Paul then explains this faith; confessing the need to have Messiah die for our sins
(witnessed by God raising Him from the dead) so that we can obtain righteousness by
following (believing) in His ways.
ROMANS 10: 9-11
Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him
from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
the mouth one confesses unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Everyone believing on Him
shall not be put to shame."
These are the two aspects of the faith: admitting that we are sinners who need God’s
forgiveness, and repenting by turning to the Law. Yahshua is central to both.
Paul then says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (v13). This is
not salvation by mere lip service, as should be clear by now…
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MATTHEW 7: 21
Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who
does the will of My Father in Heaven.
Instead we should recall that the name of God is His character, reflected in His ways.
Paul is saying that whoever seeks the Lord’s ways will be saved. This is clear from his
following words in which he says that unless they have the gospel (His ways) preached
to them, then how will they believe (obey)? And how can one practice faith unless they
hear the Word of God?
ROMANS 10: 14-16
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching? And
how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those
who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!" But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" So then faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Salvation is not a magic spell achieved with mere words. It is conformity to the ways
of God allied with the forgiveness from sins that we need. Thus one does not need to
know the actual name, whether it be Jesus, Yahshua, Yahweh etc. But rather the way
of righteousness; that is His name (Exodus 34:5-7).
ISAIAH 58: 2
Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness,
and one who did not forget the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of
justice; they take delight in drawing near to God.
In Romans 11, Paul confirms that gentile converts are grafted into Israel, and that
blindness in part has happened to natural Israel until the fullness of the gentiles have
“come in”. This is because Israel is the vessel through which Yahweh saves us.
ROMANS 9: 3-5
For I myself was wishing to be accursed from Christ for my brothers, my kinsmen according
to the flesh, who are Israelites; to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and
of whom is the Christ according to flesh, He being God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Just as the Law was not done away, neither has Israel been replaced by the church. The
true church consists of all those who believe and who will one day be regathered to the
land of Israel in agreement with the prophecies (see the companion book, “Prophecies
of the New Creation”).
Romans 12 contains encouragement by Paul for us to be transformed by the renewing of
our minds according to the perfect will of God, which means to conform ourselves to
His Law.
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ROMANS 12: 1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Paul then goes on to list many of the attributes of walking in the Law of love, affirming
in chapter 13 what Yahshua stated in the gospels, which is that all of the commandments
are predicated on love.
In Romans 14 we simply need to appeal to common sense to realise that Paul cannot be
speaking against the Law, after having made so many affirmations of it throughout his
letter. There are also clues within the text to suggest that he is speaking of matters other
than those commonly accepted by traditional thinking.
The FIRST of these matters is found in verse 2, which many believe confirms an abolition
of the dietary instructions.
ROMANS 14: 2
For indeed one believes to eat all things; but being weak, another eats vegetables.
If Paul were addressing the matter of clean and unclean animals here, then why does he
mention vegetables? If this particular law had been abolished and those who still kept
it were considered weak in the faith, then Paul would say something like, “but being
weak, another eats only clean animals”. The fact that he mentions vegetables suggests
that the weak believer does not eat any meat at all. Now why would this be the case?
We can answer this by turning to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, where he also
speaks of weak believers and food (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). It seems likely that Paul is
once again addressing the issue of meat sacrificed to idols.
The SECOND of these matters is found in verse 5, which many believe refers to an
abolition of the Sabbath.
ROMANS 14: 5
One indeed esteems a day above another day; and another esteems every day alike. Let
each one be fully assured in his own mind.
Note that Paul speaks generically of “a day” and not of any specific day. The Sabbath
is not mentioned here. Instead, the Greek word for “day” is used and not the word for
“Sabbath”. Paul is likely speaking of cultural days, perhaps even some Jewish days
such as Hanukkah and Purim that are not commanded as holy days in the Law, or even
the fast days from Zechariah’s time (Zechariah 8:19).
So we should not judge believers for eating only vegetables or for esteeming cultural
holidays, because these matters do not break the Law, but are the result of believers
doing their best to honour Yahweh (v6). Hence Paul quotes from Isaiah (v11), making
the point that we will all be judged by God one day (and to those who know their
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scripture, the inference is that Yahweh will judge according to His law) so we should
not criticise the sincere believer from being overzealous in his effort to please Yahweh.
ROMANS 14: 11
For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue
shall confess to God."
ISAIAH 45: 23
I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall
not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
The THIRD and probably most contentious verse in chapter 14 is the following:
ROMANS 14: 14
I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing by itself is common; except to
him who esteems anything to be common, it is common.
Is Paul teaching that nothing is to be considered unclean or common anymore? If so,
he would be in direct violation of the Law, just like the priests of the past.
EZEKIEL 22: 26
Her priests have broken My Law and have defiled My holy things. They have put no
difference between the holy and the common, and have not taught between the unclean and
the clean, and have hidden their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am defiled among them.
We should realise that not only are there many Greek and Hebrew words that can be
translated as “common” or “unclean”, but even the individual words themselves bear
different meanings according to the context. So we can’t take such verses as found in
Romans 14 at face value. In the particular case of verse 14, we should note that the Greek
word used is “koinos” and this has three different meanings depending on the context.
One of these meanings is ‘common’ as in unclean animals and practices:
ACTS 10: 14
But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common [koinos] or
unclean.
REVELATION 21: 27
And there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles [koinos], or any making an
abomination or a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Another meaning is ‘common’ as in shared.
TITUS 1: 4
…to Titus, a true child according to our common [koinos] faith. Grace mercy and peace
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
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JUDE 1: 3
Having made all haste to write to you about the common [koinos] salvation, beloved, I had
need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the
saints.
And the last meaning is ‘common’ as in dirty or tarnished.
MARK 7: 2
And when they saw some of His disciples eating loaves with unclean [koinos] hands, that
is with unwashed hands, they found fault.
Because in Romans 14:14 Paul says that he is “persuaded by the Lord Jesus”, this would
seem to indicate that Paul is referring to the teachings of Yahshua regarding the laws
created by the Scribes and Pharisees regarding meal preparation. In the context of his
letter to the Romans, Paul can only be saying that all things are intrinsically clean
(“nothing by itself is common”) unless it is contaminated or used inappropriately. Thus
a human body is clean unless it touches a dead body, and a pig is clean to handle but
becomes unclean if eaten. Applied to the immediate context of Paul’s letter to the
Romans, we learn that food sacrificed to idols is clean to eat, but to be avoided if our
brother does not realise this and considers avoiding it a matter of conscience (v15).
ROMANS 14: 16-17
Then do not let your good be spoken evil of, for the kingdom of God is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
And what is righteousness, but God’s law, which includes commandments respecting
clean and unclean distinctions. Therefore the “eating and drinking” that Paul says is not
part of God’s kingdom, does not relate to the law of clean and unclean animals, but to
matters such as unwashed hands and food sacrificed to idols.
ROMANS 14: 20
Do not undo the work of God for food. Truly, all things indeed are clean, but it is bad to
the man eating because of a stumbling-block.
The context of this verse is “food”. The Greek word used here is “brōma” meaning
food, not “krēnos” which means animal. We must remember that unclean animals are
not considered by Yahweh to be food. Where it says “all things indeed are clean”, we
need to note the surrounding context is “food” and “eating”, whilst the Greek word
“pas” translated here as “all things” is technically “all”; by adding the word “things”
the translator has added bias by not understanding the context of the entire chapter. Paul
is essentially saying, ‘all foods are clean’. The word “all” does not apply to anything
more than the foods Paul is speaking about.
So if our brother believes that it is wrong to eat food sacrificed to idols because he is
weak in the knowledge of the word of God, we should not do anything that might make
him act against his conscience; for though he would not be breaking a specific law of
God by eating food sacrificed to idols, to do so whilst believing that he shouldn’t would
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be a violation of the law to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. We do
not want to make our brother stumble by acting against his conscience. And of course
this doesn’t just apply to this one example, but to all situations in which we might
encourage someone to go against their conscience and sin in the process.
ROMANS 14: 21-23
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother
stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God.
Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But, the one doubting, if he
eats, he has been condemned, because it is not of faith; and all that is not of faith is sin.
Sin is the breaking of the Law, and if we do that which we think is sin (even if it isn’t)
then we are sinning by not loving God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength;
which is faith. Hence all that is not of faith (loving obedience) is sin. And this was the
major problem in the church of Corinth.
Paul refers to the gospel in his letter to the Corinthians as the “preaching of the cross”
(v18); on the cross we have not only forgiveness from sin but also the call to daily
repentance (Luke 9:23). Though the world sees the death of Messiah as a defeat, yet the
wisdom of the spiritual man knows that Yahshua’s death was a spiritual victory for all
those who believe. The same is true when we invite hardship in order to remain faithful
to the One who can reward us a hundredfold (Matthew 19:29).
Though Paul does not explicitly mention the Law until chapter 7, it is clear that he is
speaking of the Law when he speaks of the “things of God”.
1 CORINTHIANS 2: 11-13
For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of man within him? So
also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. But we have not received the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely
given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but
which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
How do we know Paul is speaking of the Law? Because the Law is spiritual (Romans
7:14) and the Spirit teaches us from within His word, increasing our understanding as
the scriptures come together as a unified whole. We therefore have the “mind of Christ”
(v16) because we are conforming our lives to the Law.
But the Corinthians, Paul says, are carnal (3:1-3), and so he can only give them the milk
(the basic precepts of the Law).
ROMANS 8: 7
…because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God,
neither indeed can it be.
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Once we understand the Word, we must put it into practice. So Paul then instructs them
to be imitators of him because he walks in the ways of Messiah, which is the ways of
God.
1 CORINTHIANS 4: 16-17, 20
Therefore I beseech you, be imitators of me. For this cause I have sent Timothy to you,
who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who shall remind you of my ways which are in
Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church… For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in
power.
In the next chapter Paul tells the Corinthians to excommunicate the one who commits
fornication. Though Paul could actually be instructing the Corinthians to put this man
to death according to the Law when he speaks about the destruction of the flesh (v5),
because there is no theocracy in place anymore Paul is likely speaking of the hardship
this man will experience without the physical support of the Body of Messiah. Either
way, it is encouraging to note that Paul still speaks of this man’s spirit being saved, but
this does not void the instruction of punishment for unrepentant sin; God’s grace does
not mean indulgence of sin but empowerment from sin. Those living carnally apart from
God’s law will not receive that empowerment. Of such we are instructed to remove
ourselves from fellowship.
1 CORINTHIANS 5: 11-13
But now I have written to you not to associate intimately, if any man called a brother and
is either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner;
with such a one not to eat. For what is it to me to also judge those who are outside? Do you
not judge those who are inside? But God judges those who are outside. Therefore put out from
you the evil one.
Again we see that God’s grace does not mean indulgence. It does not mean that we can
excuse ourselves to our brothers and sisters for living sinfully. Yes we all sin, but it is
those who sin without repentance and use grace as an excuse not to be judged, that we
are to put away from our midst. We are supposed to judge, as long as we do so according
to righteousness (God’s law), witnessed in both testaments.
LEVITICUS 19: 15
You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. You shall not respect the person of the poor,
nor honour the person of the mighty; but you shall judge your neighbour in righteousness.
JOHN 7: 24
Do not judge according to sight, but judge righteous judgment.
In this same chapter in Corinthians, Paul also states that we are to keep the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, both as the feast itself and in the type of conduct it points towards.
We are to avoid eating leavened bread according to the commandment during this time,
but also avoid that which it symbolises, which is wickedness.
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1 CORINTHIANS 5: 7-8
Therefore purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened.
For also Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast; not with old
leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth.
We see here the blessing of still keeping such feasts, because if nothing else they are
reminders of how we are supposed to be living.
In the next chapter Paul continues to speak of the need for judgement within the church,
and makes the point that the kingdom of God is not to be filled with sinners carrying
on their sinful lifestyles under the guise of grace, but as redeemed saints living lives in
compliance with the Law.
1 CORINTHIANS 6: 9-10
Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
These Corinthian believers are already saved (v11) but they should still be living holy
lives. This provides the context for the following words in which Paul says that all
things are lawful for him:
1 CORINTHIANS 6: 12
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me,
but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Paul is clearly not contradicting himself. He is not saying that the Law is no longer
relevant, he is simply stating that we will not come under eternal condemnation for
breaking the Law, but that by doing so we remain in spiritual bondage: “but all things
are not expedient… but I will not be brought under the power of any”.
JOHN 8: 34
Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever practices sin is the slave of sin.
ROMANS 6: 14-17
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace. What
then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be! Do you not
know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to him whom
you obey; whether it is of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness. But thanks be to our
God that you were the slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
to which you were delivered.
Paul then highlights the sin of fornication because it is different to all other sins, for
every other sin is outside the body, but fornication is a sin against the body (v18). One
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might use this verse to say that the eating of unclean animals is therefore not a sin, if
fornication is the only way in which we can sin against the body. But such a line of
reasoning would also mean that drunkenness is not a sin, which has deleterious effects
on the body as well as the mind. What Paul appears to be saying in the context of the
surrounding verses is that fornication is a sin that causes harm to the body in a way that
causes a spiritual issue. You may poison your body with unclean animals or do damage
to it with alcohol, but fornication forms a connection with the person being joined to
that distracts from the union we are meant to have with the Lord. As Paul then goes on
to mention in chapter 7, this physical union puts the impulses of our body under the
authority of the one we have joined with (v4). We can be freed from the bondage of
other sins through healing and repentance, but once we become one flesh with someone
else, a bond has been created that will exist for life (indeed modern science is proving
that sexual intercourse creates lifelong emotional and psychological connections with
the people involved). In marriage, that bodily need can be satiated and so does not
detract from our impulses towards the Spirit (v5), but becoming one flesh with someone
to whom we will not be committed to for life will create an unfulfilled connection that
will continue to tempt us and will thus compete with the pull of the Spirit.
The rest of chapter 7 continues the subject of keeping ourselves free from anything that
might prevent us from giving everything to the Lord for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven, for this world will pass away and hence has no lasting value (v31). We are not
to be overly concerned with our physical freedoms (v21), our marital state (v27), our
emotional state or possessions (v30). This appears to be doubly so because of the
increase in persecution of believers at the time of Paul’s writing (v26, 28-29). Paul
therefore believes it is best if people remain single during this time (v32, 35, 38-40).
With this understanding of the context, we may have a better understanding of Paul’s
words regarding circumcision.
1 CORINTHIANS 7: 18-19
Was any called having been circumcised? Do not be uncircumcised. Was anyone called in
uncircumcision? Do not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing,
but the keeping of the commandments of God.
On the surface it would seem that Paul is saying that circumcision is no longer an issue,
but this would violate the Law and make him a false teacher. In the context, it would
appear that Paul is saying not to undergo these physical operations because it would
leave them temporarily vulnerable to any sudden persecution, and that in this instance
it is therefore advisable that they focus on keeping the more important spiritual element
of the law of circumcision (a circumcised heart that seeks after God’s commandments)
rather than its physical representation. Because the commandments of God include
circumcision, this interpretation of the passage makes sense without Paul contradict
himself.
Admittedly it is hard to not simply accept the plain meaning of the text in this instance.
If the Bible was not replete with the declaration of God’s law being eternal and
applicable to all believers, then we would most likely accept the plain meaning of the
text without any issue. It’s at this point that we should remember Peter’s warning that
Paul is hard to understand in some things (2 Peter 3:16). If this was the case when
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believers read his words in their own language and culture, then how much truer is it
today? Especially when we note in 7:1 that Paul is now speaking in the context of what
the Corinthians first wrote to him about; a letter of which we know nothing. The
contents of that letter could be as simple as the Corinthians asking Paul if they needed
to be circumcised in order to be saved (as the unbelieving Jews taught when converting
people to Judaism) and that Paul was simply telling them that as long as they generally
seek after the commandments then that is evidence enough that they are saved, without
any one commandment in particular having a saving effect. And when we look at this
entire passage and not just the couple of verses of concern, we see in places a cryptic
style of language that is indicative of figures of speech or other literary devices that
may have had their true meaning lost in translation (vs29-30 for example). We do our
best to understand what is being said, but with a dose of humility in light of the
limitations of the modern text. Certainly we will need to examine Paul’s other letters in
which he speaks of circumcision in order to witness of the truth.
Chapter 8 simply clarifies what has already been stated in the book of Romans regarding
food sacrificed to idols; that the text is so similar in word and argument to the relevant
portions in Romans 14 is confirmation of the context for that chapter.
In chapter 9 Paul is defending his right to be supported with his material needs in the
ministry, even though he did not make use of this right. Of particular interest he defends
the right that he and the other apostles have to be supported in their ministry by
appealing to the Law (vs9,13-14) and not to some new revelation; he still considers the
Law to be valid.
Then we have a passage which is often used to support the claim that in Acts 21 Paul
was only keeping the Law in order to win over the unbelieving Jews.
1 CORINTHIANS 9: 20-22
And to the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might gain the Jews. To those who are under
the Law, I became as under the Law, so that I might gain those who are under the Law. To those
who are outside Law, I became as outside Law (not being outside law to God, but under the
Law to Christ), so that I might gain those who are outside Law. To the weak I became as the
weak, so that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, so that I might by all means
save some.
It has already been stated that if Paul was only keeping the Law in order to win over
the Jews, then he would be acting deceitfully and as a false witness to the truth. So what
is he actually saying here?
It would seem that this passage isn’t about any actions that Paul took for himself, but
about how Yahweh had predestined the path of his life in order to reach out to as many
people as possible. Consider the first line: Paul says that he became as a Jew. But wasn’t
Paul already a Jew? At least of race and not tribe (Acts 21:39, Philippians 3:5). The second
line: Paul says that he became as under the Law. But wasn’t Paul already under the Law
before he came to Messiah? Then when he did come to Messiah, he became as outside
the Law. It is then important to note his clarifying words in brackets: not outside law to
God, but under the Law to Christ. In other words, because Paul was saved, he was no
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longer under the jurisdiction of the Law to condemn but under the authority of Messiah
to save. He still subjects himself to the Law – not being outside law to God, but under
the Law to Christ - but with Messiah as his saviour he is now outside the jurisdiction of
the Law. And finally Paul says that he became as the weak. This happens to us all when
God humbles and breaks us, so that He may remake us.
So born as a Jew and raised under the Law at the feet of Gamaliel, Paul was positioned
and educated to the extent so that after he was saved he could reach out to the Jews with
a complete knowledge of the Law, to prove to them the identity and teachings of the
Messiah. He was then also able to preach to the gentiles (those who are outside the Law
by not having heard it) about the freedom found in the true interpretation of the Law in
Messiah. And as a complete witness to both Jews and Greeks, he was able to reveal the
power of God in him through his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). Hence the steps of his
life were determined by God so that he could reach out to all with the truth (Acts 9:15).
In the next chapter Paul points out something he finds particularly important.
1 CORINTHIANS 10: 1-4
And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant that all our fathers were under the cloud,
and all passed through the sea. And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and
all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the
spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
Why does Paul not want us to be ignorant of this fact? Because the word that was
preached in the time of Moses is the same word preached in Messiah. Paul does not
want us to think that there is any difference between them and us. We are not under
grace in order to disobey, but to obey.
1 CORINTHIANS 10: 5-6
But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were scattered in the
wilderness. And these things were our examples, that we should not be lusters after evil, as
they also lusted.
Once again Paul says that just because we are saved by grace it does not mean that we
should keep following after sin.
1 CORINTHIANS 10: 23
All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful to me, but not all
things build up.
Instead he again tells us to imitate him, as he imitates Messiah.
1 CORINTHIANS 11: 1
Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.
And as we know, Messiah walked according to the Law, which is the doctrine that Paul
brings.
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1 CORINTHIANS 11: 2
But I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and you keep the doctrines
as I delivered them to you.
Paul then reminds them of the relationship between men and women in the Messiah;
the Messiah has authority over the man, and the man (husband or father) has authority
over the woman. Paul is drawing on the Law when he says this and he will say more
about this in chapter 14, for which reason this topic will be deferred for a moment. But
of note in this passage, Paul makes the point that some things are not commanded by
God in the Law but are nevertheless worthy of consideration, because Yahweh speaks
to us through His natural creation as well as through His word (vs13-16).
In chapter 12 Paul discusses the gifts of the Spirit, and though we do not all have the
same gifts, yet Paul says that we all have the same Spirit baptising us into one Body
whether Jew or Greek (v13) and from which we all drink. Again we have scriptural
consistency here that there is only one people of God and that we are all meant to serve
together. The gifts help us to do that, but only for the purpose of bringing us into
conformity with the ways of God, as Paul explains in chapters 13 and 14. If we use the
gifts of God to establish our own agendas rather than in serving others, then we miss
the whole point of both the Spirit and the Law.
As part of building up the church and not letting it fall into confusion, Paul states that
women should be in subjection to the men, as the Law says.
1 CORINTHIANS 14: 34-35
Let your women be silent in the churches; for it is not permitted to them to speak, but to
be in subjection, as the Law also says. And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their
husbands at home; for it is a shame for a woman to speak in a church.
Note that Paul is still drawing on the Law for authority; it has not been done away in
this matter, just as it has not been done away in others.
The “subjection” that Paul speaks of here deals with the topic of women being
subordinate to the men, as he stated in chapter 11 when speaking of the order of
authority (vs3-7). The full meaning of this word is provided in the Greek.
Subordinate - G5293 - ὑποτάσσω - hupotassō - hoop-ot-as'-so
From G5259 and G5021; to subordinate; reflexively to obey: - be under obedience (obedient),
put under, subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under),
submit self unto.
This subordination is evident throughout the Law, such as in the matters of vows
(Numbers 30) and adultery (Numbers 5). But it originates from the beginning as seen in
the Garden of Eden, for even though the transgression was instigated by the woman (1
Timothy 2:14) it is attributed to Adam (Romans 5:12-14, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). This is
because Adam had the authority due to his pre-eminence (1 Corinthians 11:9). Yahweh
confirmed this when He excluded the couple from the Garden of Eden.
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GENESIS 3: 16
To the woman He said, I will greatly increase your sorrow and your conception. In pain you
shall bear sons, and your desire shall be toward your husband, and he shall rule over you.
This authority that the man has over the woman is not a result of the transgression, it is
simply being reiterated as a reminder to Eve when her curse is bestowed; the authority
always existed, because Eve was made for Adam as a helpmeet.
GENESIS 2: 20-22
And Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of
the field. But there was not found a suitable helper for Adam. And YHVH God caused a deep
sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
underneath. And YHVH God made the rib (which He had taken from the man) into a woman.
And He brought her to the man.
1 CORINTHIANS 11: 9-10
Nor was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man. For this reason the
woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels.
Now there is nothing in the Law which specifically states that women cannot speak in
the congregation of Yahweh, but Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is very
emphatic due to the number of different ways in which he says that this is the case:



Women are to be silent
Women are not permitted to speak
It is a shame for women to speak in a church
In addition, Paul even says that if a woman desires to learn, then she is to ask her
husband at home. At this point we should note that the scriptures, whether old or new,
are nearly always addressed to the men. In the New Testament the writers address their
“brothers”, whilst in the Old Testament the word goes forth to the “sons” of Israel. All
the apostles were men, whilst the women who accompanied Messiah are never recorded
as being part of their discussions. The Jerusalem council only had men speaking in the
recorded discussions that we have. And it appears that all the writers of scripture were
men. Teaching would therefore follow Yahweh’s established order of authority where
Messiah speaks to the men and the men pass on His words to the women. The prophet
Isaiah lamented when this order of authority was reversed.
ISAIAH 3: 12
As for my people, children are their taskmasters, and women rule over them. Oh my
people, your rulers cause you to go astray and destroy the way of your paths.
Some have tried to argue that Paul’s words to the Corinthians on this matter of women
being silent in the church was in response to a particular occasion only, but this ignores
Paul’s appeal to the Law to give authority to his words (which is why this subject is
being covered in this book).
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So when taking into account the context of authority between men and women and
Paul’s appeal to the Law, it would seem that Paul is not saying that women are to be
mute in church, but that they are not to usurp the man’s authority which extends to
teaching the word of God.
1 TIMOTHY 2: 11-12
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I do not allow a woman to teach, or
to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence.
Some translations have “debate” in place of “teach”, which is almost synonymous in
intent and meaning. As already stated, Yahshua had female disciples accompanying
Him with the apostles yet we never see the women taking part in His discussions with
them, which is something we would expect Him to have rectified if this was a result of
cultural conditioning. And again, in the Jerusalem council we only see the men
debating. There are times when we see husbands and wives teaching together (Acts
18:26), but not in a public gathering and never the woman by herself. This is all far
removed from modern church practices, home group studies and online debates, and is
something that needs to be rectified. The revolution that we have seen in the Western
feminist movement is not agreeable with the Law of our Messiah.
Though there is certainly more that can be debated on this issue, the purpose of this
book is to show the Law has not been done away, and we can see here that Paul certainly
upholds the Law. It is only by having a knowledge of the Law that we can properly
understand the context of Paul’s words on this matter and prevent them from being
abused.
In the next chapter Paul states that the power of sin is the Law, but this does not mean
that the Law is evil, only that the Law holds sin against us. Therefore we are thankful
to our Saviour for enduring the penalty of sin on our behalf.
1 CORINTHIANS 15: 56-57
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the final chapter Paul once again mentions the first of the Sabbaths (not the first day
of the week) in the run up to Pentecost (v8). Thus we see why Paul specifically
encouraged the Corinthians to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in chapter 5, for this
was the time period in which he was writing to them. Paul and the Corinthians were
keeping to the schedule of the Biblical calendar, just as the Law commands.
In the first couple of chapters in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he displays the
love that comes from being filled with the Spirit in our hearts, and recounts the selfless
way in which he and the other disciples have served the Corinthians. Then in the third
chapter he speaks of the difference that the Spirit makes in imprinting the Law on our
hearts.
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2 CORINTHIANS 3: 2-3
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men, it having been made
plain that you are the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, not having been written with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone, but in fleshly tablets of the heart.
The epistle of Christ is the word of Christ, the Law, as lived out in the life of Christ.
Paul speaks of how it is written on the hearts of the apostles and the Corinthians (just
as the prophecies said it would when the covenant was renewed in the last days) and
clearly the Corinthians have now received this renewing effect since Paul first wrote to
them with many words of castigation. It would therefore be a contradiction if one were
to believe that the rest of this chapter speaks of the Law being done away. What Paul
is doing in this chapter is comparing the ministry of faith with the ministry of
disobedience, as will be seen.
The letter (the Law) by itself kills, because it condemns those who do not keep the Law
perfectly and it does not grant any ability to help us keep it. Whereas the Spirit writes
the Law on our hearts in order to allow us to walk in the ways of life.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 6
…who also has made us able ministers of the new [renewed] covenant; not of the letter,
but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.
Paul then speaks of the ministry of death as glory, which ministry is the judgement of
sin that God brings upon the wicked. It is a part of Yahweh’s glory that sin is judged
according to the Law, none more so than on the cross. But when the legal requirement
of the Law is met in Messiah, the Law becomes a part of the ministry of righteousness
to all who believe, an even greater glory because of the grace and mercy that is shown
in our redemption from sin as well as in our salvation from sin.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 7-9
But if the ministry of death, having been engraved in letters in stone was with glory (so
that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of
his face), which was being done away; shall not the ministry of the Spirit be with more glory?
For if the ministry of condemnation is glorious, much more does the ministry of righteousness
exceed in glory.
We should remember that righteousness is a definition for the Law, so the ministry of
righteousness is not something separate to the Law but rather it includes the Law in a
way that makes it beneficial to repentant sinners. But what does Paul mean when he
says in this passage that the ministry of death was being done away?
It needs to be pointed out that the Greek word “katargeō” translated as, “which was
being done away” is a word that scholars admit to finding difficult to translate. It is
apparently best rendered as, “to be made obsolete in a legal sense”; meaning that a legal
obligation is being removed. In this context it is speaking of the Law no longer having
a legal demand upon us once the ministry of the Spirit becomes active in our life. The
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Law is not done away, but the legal obligation it had to condemn us is taken away once
we repent and receive forgiveness from Messiah, thereafter receiving His Spirit of life.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 11
For if that which has been done away was glorious, much more that which remains is
glorious.
So to paraphrase the above verse: ‘For if the Law with its legal obligation to be holy
was glorious, much more that which remains [the Law without the legal obligation] is
glorious.’
If the Law truly had been done away and not just its obligation for us to be perfect, then
what would Paul be speaking of that remains? But the Law remains, which is glorious,
even more so because it no longer condemns for those who believe.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 12
Then since we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech.
Plainness of speech in the original language! Not so much two thousand years later. But
our hope in Messiah remains the same.
Now why couldn’t the Israelites steadfastly behold the face of Moses when his face
shone with glory? The answer is because the Israelites did not keep the Law in faith, as
is mentioned in the book of Hebrews (4:2). To them it was the ministry of death and
condemnation, because they did not receive His Spirit to keep the Law that He gave
them (Acts 7:51). In their rebellious hearts, the glory of God was perceived as a threat
to them (John 3:19-20), not a wonder to behold (John 3:21, Matthew 17:1-4).
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 13-14
And we are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not
steadfastly look to the end of the thing being done away. (But their thoughts were blinded; for
until the present the same veil remains on the reading of the old covenant, not taken away.)…
The “end of the thing being done away” is perfection in the Law. This might sound a
bit odd until one realises that the Greek word translated as “end” is “telos”, the same
word that was examined in the analysis of the book of James. “Telos” is the finishing
point, the target, the aim of the Law. The rebellious Israelites could not aim towards the
full glory of the Law without its legal obligation (the thing being done away), because
they were rebellious and had no love for the Law. But the righteous (those who love
Yahweh’s law) see the glory of the Law in Messiah and keep it.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 14-18
…But this veil has been done away in Christ. But until this day, when Moses is read, the veil
is on their heart. But whenever it turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. And the Lord
is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with our face having
been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit.
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The Spirit of the Lord is liberty because it allows us to walk in the Law, which is liberty
from sin. Therefore we are being changed into the same image of the Lord as His Spirit
writes His law on our hearts, gradually taking His glory upon ourselves as we learn to
be like Him, just as Moses did every time he received more of the Law (Exodus 34:2934).
2 CORINTHIANS 4: 6
For it is God who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine;" who shone in our hearts to give
the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The spiritual light of creation, the Law, is what shines in both the faces of Moses and
Yahshua, and shines in our hearts when we accept its teachings into our lives. As we
aim for perfection we approach the “end of the thing being done away”, that is we
approach the fulfilment of the Law in ourselves where there can be no condemnation
(Romans 8:1 KJV). So we commend ourselves to God when we live by the Law (2
Corinthians 6:4+7) and separate ourselves from the evils of the world.
2 CORINTHIANS 6: 14, 17-18
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship does
righteousness have with lawlessness? And what partnership does light have with darkness?...
Therefore come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord, and do not touch the
unclean thing. And I will receive you and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and
daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
Having just mentioned that we should not touch the unclean thing, Paul reveals in his
following words that the matter of clean and unclean still applies to the flesh as well as
the spirit.
2 CORINTHIANS 7: 1
Then having these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilements
of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Those who say that the “moral law” still applies after the Cross but not the so-called
“ceremonial laws”, should pay attention to Paul’s words that we not touch the unclean
thing, and that we cleanse ourselves from all defilements of flesh and spirit. We are to
be perfect in holiness just as Yahweh instructed the Old Testament saints to be holy as
He is holy. The book of Leviticus could not have a greater witness than Paul in these
verses.
Paul later speaks of being in obedience to Messiah, which cannot be the case if He has
given us free reign to live however we’d like against the knowledge of God’s ways.
2 CORINTHIANS 10: 4-6
For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strongholds, pulling down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ;
and having readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
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Those who promote Christ as someone who does not require obedience to the ways that
He taught are promoting a false Christ who does not testify of the Father’s law. Like
the serpent, they cast doubt (intentionally or not) on the integrity of God’s word.
2 CORINTHIANS 11: 2-4
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one Man, to
present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve
in his craftiness, so your thoughts should be corrupted from the simplicity due to Christ. For if,
indeed, the one coming proclaims another Jesus, whom we have not proclaimed, or if you
receive another spirit, which you did not receive, or another gospel, which you never accepted,
you might well endure these.
Paul says in this passage that we should remain a pure virgin in Messiah, and as we saw
in the parable of the ten virgins, the wise virgins are those who cultivate the Law in
their lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul then says that our thoughts should not
be corrupted, because the renewing of our mind comes from feeding it with the words
of God’s law; indeed the word “simplicity” that follows could more accurately translate
as “pure” and “sincere”, just as the Law is pure (Psalm 19:8), and obedience is a sincere
mark of the faith.
Though Paul will speak in his letter to the Thessalonians about those who preach a
lawless faith, we also need to be aware of those ministers who preach a false gospel
based on their own laws of “righteousness”.
2 CORINTHIANS 11: 13-15
For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ. Did not even Satan marvellously transform himself into an angel of light?
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of
righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
This applies to the Jews with their oral law, but can also be extended to the many false
movements that are alive today, which similarly claim divine authority to make void
many of God’s laws with their own laws (such as Mormons and Catholics). As always,
a test of a true apostle of Messiah is that He preaches in accordance with the law of
Yahweh, preaching the one true God (Deuteronomy 13:1-5); only then are his signs and
miracles proof that he has a special anointing (2 Corinthians 12:12).
And so we should examine ourselves, to see if our lives reflect the true faith. Do we
seek to understand the ways of God, to be purified in truth? Or do we simply seek a
cloak for our sins? Is Yahshua the Word of God in us? Is His Spirit consistently leading
us into all truth (instructions in righteousness)? Or do we have another spirit, another
gospel that leads us into behaviour contrary to God’s law?
2 CORINTHIANS 13: 5
…examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith, prove your own selves. Do you not
know your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are reprobates?
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In Paul’s next letter he will warn of those who pervert the gospel of Messiah and lead
others astray from it.
The book of Galatians is the most often cited letter when it comes to “proving” that the
law of God has been done away. And with good reason, as on the surface it does appear
to be speaking against the keeping of the Law. But this would be in contradiction with
the rest of scripture, so we need to carefully divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) as
we proceed.
Firstly we need to note that there is a continuing theme throughout the epistle, which is
the contrast between the works of the Jewish oral law and faith (keeping God’s law in
Messiah). Secondly, circumcision is very much a pivot in the arguments Paul makes.
Thirdly, we need to identify the ‘other’ gospel “which is not another” gospel, that would
pervert the gospel of Messiah.
GALATIANS 1: 6-7
I marvel that you so soon are being moved away from Him who called you into the grace
of Christ, to another gospel, which is not another, but some are troubling you, and desiring to
pervert the gospel of Christ.
Based on Paul’s words here, the other gospel does not include the grace of Messiah, for
those who have turned to the other gospel have moved away from Him who calls them
into grace. And for this gospel to be another gospel which is not another gospel, it must
be the same gospel (which means that the same things are preached) but with a different
outcome. Within the context of the whole epistle it seems clear that the same gospel
(the Law) is preached but without the grace of Messiah. This is the Jewish oral law,
which forces one to keep additional man-made laws as a means to keeping the Law in
the flesh (through self-effort) without the grace of Yahweh’s empowering Spirit. It is a
gospel that demands self-justification through the Law without the blood of Messiah,
and in actual fact even nullifies some of God’s laws rather than supporting them. Such
a gospel would of course lead to damnation.
GALATIANS 1: 8-9
But even if we or an angel from Heaven preach a gospel to you beside what we preached
to you, let him be accursed. As we said before, and now I say again, If anyone preaches a gospel
to you beside what you have received, let him be accursed.
By his own words, Paul cannot be preaching against what he has preached before in his
letters to the other churches, or what the other apostles or Yahshua Himself have taught.
He cannot be dispensing with the Law which is supported everywhere else, so we must
carefully interpret the rest of his words lest we make him out to be schizophrenic.
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GALATIANS 2: 4-5
But because of those false brothers stealing in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which
we have in Christ Jesus; they desiring to enslave us; to whom not even for an hour did we yield
in subjection, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Were these false brothers trying to enslave true believers with the Law? We know that
this can’t be the case, because the Law has been firmly established as liberty from sin,
the same liberty found in Yahshua and in His Spirit because of their empowerment for
us to keep the Law in truth. So to what then were they trying to enslave true believers?
It can only be their own laws and traditions, the oral law, which they believed one must
follow in order to keep the Law of Moses. Rather than accept the Spirit of God to help
them keep the Law, they had resisted the Holy Spirit and devised their own rules and
regulations around it (Luke 11:46). This is the law that the Jerusalem council dismissed
as a burden.
So why then did Paul one verse earlier (v3) say that Titus was not compelled by them
to be circumcised? The answer is because it would have been an acknowledgement of
what these false brothers preached, which the King James seems to suggest.
But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And
that because of false brethren unawares brought in…
KJV
However, this begs the question as to why Titus was not already circumcised? It may
come as a surprise that it’s actually quite possible that he already was; during the first
century there was a debate in Jewish circles as to what should be done with converts to
Judaism who were already circumcised (the Jews were not the only people who carried
out the practice at this time and historians claim that it predates recorded history, which
makes sense when we accept that the Law was given in the beginning). The Jews
decided that in these cases a small pinprick of blood would be required from the
convert’s phallus and this would count as re-circumcision. Just as Mormons insist that
Christian converts to their faith are re-baptised because it has to be done with their own
authority, so the Jews believed that a convert to Judaism had to be re-circumcised under
their own authority. Thus not only Titus but also Paul were being pressured by these
false brethren to be circumcised, which is clearer in the following translations:
(But not even Titus, the one with me, a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.)
MKJV
But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a
Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom
that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—to them we did not yield
in submission even for a moment…
ESV
Both Titus and Paul were being asked to be circumcised, re-circumcised that is, as a
means of submitting to the authority of the Jewish religious leaders and their graceless
gospel. But Paul realised that these men had no standing before God (v6) and even Titus
was not deceived. In God’s eyes it is irrelevant as to who carries out the circumcision,
only that the commandment has been followed. But to the unbelieving Jews it was all
about establishing their own authority, even over God’s authority (the Talmud reveals
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that they consider their authority as greater than God’s written word, as the Catholics
also do today) and so one can imagine how they sought to challenge Paul’s gospel and
his anointing to preach it by having him resubmit to their authority.
Having approached the Jewish leadership who rejected the true gospel, Paul then
recounts how he travelled to Antioch for the Jerusalem council (Acts 15) and rebuked
Peter and the other apostles with him for their hypocrisy in withdrawing from the
gentiles because they were fearful of the Jewish leadership. This account goes to show
just how much stature the unbelieving Jewish leadership still held.
GALATIANS 2: 12
For before some came from James, he ate with the nations. But when they came, he
withdrew and separated himself, fearing those of the circumcision.
We should note that Peter, a circumcised Jew, is differentiated from those of the
circumcision. In this context, repeated elsewhere, Paul is referring to those Jews who
hold to the oral law and the need to be circumcised under their own authority.
When Paul goes on to tell Peter that he lives like the gentiles and should therefore not
Judaize them, he is speaking simply about the oral law, not the Law of God. For Peter
to live like the gentiles does not mean that he has abandoned God’s law, but that he has
abandoned the man-made traditions of the unbelieving Jews that created an unscriptural
barrier between themselves and the gentiles. But fearing the unbelieving Jews, Peter
then withdrew from the gentile believers after seemingly trying to force them to adopt
the Jewish customs from the oral law. Paul then proceeds in verse 16 to tell Peter that
if we follow the oral law whilst seeking (present tense) to be justified in Messiah (by
following God’s law) then we make Messiah out to be a minister of sin (for the oral law
transgresses God’s law). And Paul then says that if he were to return to keeping the oral
law in an attempt to justify himself through works, then he would become a transgressor
again.
GALATIANS 2: 18
For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I confirm myself as a transgressor.
If Paul were talking about God’s law here, then he would be contradicting everything
else that he wrote, as well as going against the words of all the prophets and Yahshua
Himself. If Paul had destroyed the Law, then he would most certainly be a false teacher.
But in reality he had destroyed the oral law in order to keep the Law as it was always
intended.
(Content in the brackets below are my additions to add clarity)
GALATIANS 2: 19
For through the Law [God’s law] I died to the law [oral law], that I might live to God.
Only through the forgiveness that we have in Messiah to be cleansed by His blood and
through the empowerment of His spirit of grace to keep His law, can we be saved. Not
through the oral law of self-justification by substitutionary man-made works.
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GALATIANS 2: 20-21
I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that
life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself
on my behalf. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness is through law, then Christ
died without cause.
Paul then criticises the Galatians for this very thing, turning from the truth (the Law) to
the oral law, as though they could perfect themselves through their own works in the
flesh rather than through the empowerment of the Spirit.
GALATIANS 3: 1-5
O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you not to obey the truth, to whom before your eyes
Jesus Christ was written among you crucified? This only I would learn from you: Did you receive
the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the
Spirit, do you now perfect yourself in the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed
it is even in vain? Then He supplying the Spirit to you and working powerful works in you, is it
by works of the law, or by hearing of faith?
In other words, do they hearken to what the oral law says or do they hearken to what
the Word of God says? Remember that faith is not just belief but action mixed with it.
The Galatians are not being asked to simply listen to God’s word as though merely
listening will transform them, but to listen to the message of faith which is obedience
to God’s law through His Spirit (not to a manmade system of works that is entirely selfdependant). The whole gospel of James explains this message of faith, as already seen.
That Galatians 3:2 is referring to the oral law is clear, because elsewhere we are told that
we do indeed receive the Spirit when we are obedient to the Law.
ACTS 5: 31-32
This One God has exalted to be a Ruler and Saviour to His right hand in order to give
repentance and remission of sins to Israel. And we are His witnesses of these things. And so
also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
1 JOHN 3: 24
And he who keeps His commandment dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know
that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He gave to us.
When we intend to keep the word of Yahweh, He gives us His Spirit to enable us to do
so and this is the faith that perfects us, not the following of a man-made legalistic system
that is designed to replace the Spirit and perfect us through our own self-effort alone.
When we try to keep the Law in the flesh, we come under the curse of the Law because
we are unable to keep it. The curse of the law is simply reaping the consequences of sin
when we depart from the ways of life (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). But in the Spirit we can
do all things (Philippians 4:13).
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GALATIANS 3: 12
But the Law is not of faith; but, "The man who does these things shall live in them."
This verse is not saying that the Law has nothing to do with faith (as some translations
would have it) but that the Law by itself is not rooted in faith, because it demands
complete obedience; the Greek word translated as “of” in “the Law is not of faith”
denotes origin and completeness. The Law does not stem from faith (which is trust in
Yahweh to make whole that which we can only do in part) and is therefore a curse to
all those who try and justify themselves in it (v11).
By becoming a curse for us, Yahshua opened the way for us to receive His Spirit and
thereby be able to keep His law. Note that Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the
Law, not the Law itself.
GALATIANS 3: 13-14
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us (for it is written,
"Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree"); so that the blessing of Abraham might be
to the nations in Jesus Christ, and that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Paul then proceeds to explain that the Law was not given to replace the covenant of
faith made with Abraham, but was given as an instructor to show us the path of
righteousness which was then most clearly portrayed in Messiah.
GALATIANS 3: 19, 24
Why then the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to
those to whom it had been promised, being ordained through angels in the Mediator's hand…
So that the Law has become a trainer of us until Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The word “until” in verse 19 above, is not added to give the meaning that the Law was
to be done away when Messiah came but that it simply served as a foundation of understanding until Messiah could flesh it out in person with greater meaning and clarity.
None of the verses in this chapter are saying that the Law was only for a limited time.
Paul is explaining that the Law and the Covenant are concurrent; that one instructs and
perfects whilst the other justifies. Both are eternal. But some of the verses in this chapter
need to be carefully examined for the consistency of the truth to be evident. Another
such verse is the following:
GALATIANS 3: 17
And I say this, A covenant having been ratified by God in Christ, the Law (coming into being
four hundred and thirty years after) does not annul the promise, so as to abolish it.
Whilst some translations such as the one above say that the Law came into being at the
time of Moses, others simply state that it was given at this time. It had existed before
and it was being given again (as the first part of this volume demonstrated).
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As well as teaching us in the ways of righteousness, the Law also reveals sin to us,
pointing out our need for a redeemer. It was never intended to save us by itself, because
we cannot meet its expectations in the flesh (vs21-22). But it does keep us from sin when
we follow it in the Spirit, and thus it protects us.
GALATIANS 3: 23
But before faith came, we were kept under Law, having been shut up to the faith about to
be revealed.
Some translations such as the one above present an interpretation that makes us out to
be prisoners under the Law. But the word translated as “kept” is better understood in
the context as “protected”.
Kept - G5432 – φρουρέω - phroureō - froo-reh'-o
From a compound of G4253 and G3708; to be a watcher in advance, that is, to mount guard
as a sentinel (post spies at gates); figuratively to hem in, protect: - keep (with a garrison).
Compare G5083.
Whilst the word translated as “shut up” carries the sense of familiarity.
Shut up - G4788 – συγκλείω - sugkleiō - soong-kli'-o
From G4862 and G2808; to shut together, that is, include or (figuratively) embrace in a
common subjection to: - conclude, inclose, shut up.
We should also note that faith always existed, so when Paul says “before faith came”
he means the consummation of the faith; that is Yahshua.
Therefore a better rendition of this verse would be: But before Yahshua came, we were
protected from sin under the instructions of the Law, having been embraced by the same
faith about to be more clearly revealed in Yahshua.
Later verses clearly reveal that the Law was a trainer rather than a prison keeper.
GALATIANS 3: 25-26
But faith coming, we are no longer under a trainer. For you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus.
But now that we are no longer under a trainer, does this mean that we ignore all that we
were previously taught? If a school teacher brings in the foremost expert in the field of
study that they teach, the student doesn’t then ignore all that the teacher has already
taught on the matter. The student may need to unlearn one or two things that weren’t
clear to them before, but what was taught is still valid and applicable. The only reason
we are no longer under a trainer is because we can now learn better from the master.
But we still need to regularly check our old textbooks so that we don’t lose the correct
frame of reference for the Master’s teachings.
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In chapter 4, Paul uses a lot of allegory, so it’s important to note the people that he is
addressing in this letter as in all the epistles, which is the lost tribes of Israel; those
former Israelites who were absorbed into the nations around them after the northern
kingdom was taken into captivity. As a result of this captivity, the Israelites began to
worship the gods of the nations into which they were taken, but they still retained an
understanding of their Hebraic history and heritage. As a result, some of them have
been turning away to the Jewish oral law (as dealt with in the previous chapters) and
some have been turning back to their pagan worship, which Paul now addresses.
He begins by saying that before the Father sent the Son, the Hebrew people were under
guardians and housemasters (the terms vary depending on the translation, but what’s
important to note here is that there are two distinct groups, both of which are represented
by different Greek words to the “tutor” of chapter 3 – Paul is not speaking of the Law
here). It seems likely that Paul is speaking of the prophets and the kings, both of whom
were responsible for ensuring that Israel kept to the Law. But they could not prevent
the Israelites from departing from it and coming into bondage of the elements of the
world (which is sinful practice – the Law was never of the world, but of God). Because
they had rejected the Law, the Israelites became slaves to sin, even though they had
been given the kingdom. As such they are referred to as infants (Hebrews 5:12-14).
GALATIANS 4: 1-3
But I say, Over so long a time the heir is an infant, he does not differ from a slave, though
being lord of all; but he is under guardians and housemasters until the term appointed before
by the father. Even so we, when we were infants, were in bondage under the elements of the
world.
It should be noted that Paul speaks on behalf of Israel as a singular collective, not as a
collective of individuals. In other words, when he says “we” he is not saying that every
Israelite was in bondage to the elements of the world, but the nation as a single entity;
he is associating himself with the rebellion of Israel just as Daniel did when he prayed
for the Jews to be released from captivity in Babylon (Daniel 9, specifically vs5,10-11).
This distinction helps to make it clear that the elements of the world are not the
commandments of Yahweh, but the sinful practices of the rebellious Israelites. As such
they were therefore under the authority of the Law to condemn, rather than being kept
from sin under its guidance.
So rather than have a nation filled almost to the brim with rebellious sinners, the Father
sent the Son to establish a spiritual kingdom on earth, the only citizens of which would
be those whom He freed from the slavery of sin as they became followers of His law
(vs4-7). For a couple of thousand years, the kingdom would no longer be a physical
kingdom but a spiritual kingdom.
JOHN 18: 36
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then
My servants would fight so that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But now My kingdom is
not from here.
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Now because the rebellious Israelites had rejected God’s law and prophets, they did not
know Him, and so they were easily seduced by the foreign gods of the lands into which
they went. It is to these practices that Paul remonstrates with them for turning back to.
GALATIANS 4: 8-12
But then, indeed, not knowing God, you served as slaves to those not by nature being gods.
But now, knowing God, but rather are known by God, how do you turn again to the weak and
beggarly elements to which you again desire to slave anew? You observe days and months and
times and years. I fear for you, lest somehow I have laboured among you in vain. Brothers, I
beseech you, be as I am; for I am as you. You have not injured me at all.
Note Paul’s words that he beseeches them to be like him; Paul kept the feasts, so the
“days and months and times and years” that he refers to are not the Biblical feasts but
the pagan festivals, superstitions and astrological fortune-telling that they engaged in.
Then Paul once again addresses those who have taken up the oral law along with the
unbelieving Jews in order to try and justify themselves in the Law by the flesh (v21).
But he reminds them that when Abraham also tried to fulfil the promises of God in the
flesh (by taking his wife’s handmaid) it resulted in persecution by the son of the flesh
(Ishmael). And the covenant made at Mount Sinai led the Jews into captivity because
the majority of them rejected the Spirit for the flesh, just as the unbelieving Jews of
Jerusalem were doing in Paul’s day. But the renewed covenant only includes those who
accept the freedom found in the Spirit from above; all those of spiritual Israel. Paul
quotes Isaiah 54:1 to substantiate this connection.
GALATIANS 4: 27
For it is written, "Rejoice, barren one not bearing; break forth and shout, you not travailing;
for more are the children of the desolate than she having the husband."
The old covenant made at Mount Sinai failed and led to slavery, because it included
those of the flesh (the desolate). But the new covenant is better, because it is only made
with those who accept the Spirit (and are married to Yahshua). It is the same covenant,
requiring obedience to the Law, but it was renewed only with those who humbly repent
and receive the grace to keep it. Thus we become the children of promise, who receive
the Spirit through the grace of God in order to keep the Law, in which we find freedom
from sin and an inheritance in the New Jerusalem.
Paul therefore tells the Galatians to stand in the freedom found in God’s Spirit and not
to be brought back under the bondage of sin by trying to keep the Law in the flesh as a
follower of the oral law.
GALATIANS 5: 1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be
held with the yoke of bondage.
At this point we must keep in mind the context when Paul says that circumcision will
not profit us; that is when we try to keep the Law without the Spirit.
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GALATIANS 5: 2-6
Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you are circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I
testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do all the Law, you who are
justified by Law are deprived of all effect from Christ; you fell from grace. For we through the
Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness out of faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision has any strength, but faith working through love.
We know that circumcision does profit, as long as one is not undergoing it as a means
of adopting the authority of the unbelieving Jews and their self-justification gospel.
ROMANS 3: 1-2
Then what is the superiority of the Jew? Or what is the profit of circumcision? Much, by
every way!...
Only if one ignores Messiah’s sacrifice for their sins will they be a debtor to do all the
Law, for the debt that He paid will not be applied to them. Instead we are to be creditors
who do all the Law, not earning our salvation but working it out (Philippians 2:12).
Paul then equates this falling from grace as turning from the truth (the Law).
GALATIANS 5: 7
You were running well. Who hindered you that you do not obey the truth?
One cannot obey the truth in the flesh because of the natural inclination to sin. And the
oral law makes things even worse by adding the unrighteous rules and traditions of men
that twist and void the Law. The only way to obey the truth is to accept God’s Spirit
through repentance and avoid any commandments or traditions of men that are designed
to replace the grace of God’s spirit.
Thus the circumcision that Paul denies preaching is the need to be circumcised as a sign
of obedience to the self-justifying oral law, for then what need would one have of the
Cross?
GALATIANS 5: 11
And I, brothers, if I yet proclaim circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the offense
of the Cross has ceased.
The Cross is an offense to those who in their pride believe that they can be justified in
the Law by their own effort and in their own ways, not by humbly accepting the need
for the Spirit to lead them into obedience of God’s ways. Only by Spirit-led obedience
to the word of God can we fulfil the law of love.
GALATIANS 5: 13-17
For, brothers, you were called to liberty. Only do not use the liberty for an opening to the
flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, "You
shall love your neighbour as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that
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you are not consumed by one another. I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the
lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these
are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do.
This is in accordance with Paul’s words to the Romans, in which he tells them that the
flesh is enmity to the Law because it cannot be subject to the Law (Romans 8:5-9). But
when we are led by the Spirit, we do not come under the curse/authority of the Law.
GALATIANS 5: 18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Paul then lists some of the works of the flesh, which are clearly contrary to the Law,
not of the Law. It should even be noted that Paul mentions “uncleanness” as a work of
the flesh, which just goes to show that none of the Law has been done away with. The
fruits of the Spirit are then listed, which are the fruits of the Law, because Paul says
that there is no law against such things (v23).
Paul then has one final word, as he says that we should not be circumcised under the
authority of the unbelieving Jews; that Paul is referring to those who keep the oral law
and not the true Law of God is evident when he says that they do not even keep the
Law. They boast in their own efforts and not in the grace of God, seeking only to subject
others to their own authority.
GALATIANS 6: 12-15
As many as desire to look well in the flesh, these compel you to be circumcised; only lest
they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For they themselves, having been
circumcised, do not even keep the Law, but they desire you to be circumcised so that they may
boast in your flesh. But may it never be for me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision has any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
Circumcision does not have the power (strength) to save us, only Yahshua the Messiah
can achieve that for us, through His renewing Spirit.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul speaks of God’s plan to bring the fullness of Christ
(the fullness of His law) into all things, to make all things holy and blessed. And once
again Paul associates the word of truth with the gospel of salvation.
EPHESIANS 1: 13
…in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also
believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise…
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Paul then states that we were previously children of disobedience, but that this has now
changed since we have come into the faith. Clearly then there still has to be a law to be
obedient to.
EPHESIANS 2: 1-3
And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also had our way
of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
As was established in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we are not saved by works.
EPHESIANS 2: 8-9
For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
But this does not mean that we stop doing those works.
EPHESIANS 2: 10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before
ordained that we should walk in them.
If God has before ordained that we should walk in these good works, what else can Paul
be referring to except the Law which Yahweh had already given to us? Though one
might say that God had preordained a different set of good works, this book has already
shown that no replacement works have been introduced; only clarification and a deeper
understanding of those already given.
As in most of the other epistles, Paul is writing to the lost tribes of Israel; those who
were once part of the covenant but whom Yahweh divorced when He led them into the
captivity of the nations around them. Judah refers to these nations as the Uncircumcised,
and Paul refers to Judah as the “Circumcision in the flesh made by hands” because they
are not also circumcised in the heart. It needs to be kept in mind that these are national
generalisations; some of Judah believed and were thus circumcised in the heart as well
as in the flesh, and the newly saved individuals from the nations would eventually be
circumcised in the flesh if they were not already. When we realise that Paul is speaking
of the long prophesised redemption of the lost tribes (those who had forsaken the ways
of God), it becomes clear that he is not saying that the gentiles could not be saved before
the Cross (they could always join themselves to Israel) but that the northern tribes had
been estranged from Israel due to their disobedience of living in the flesh.
EPHESIANS 2: 11-12
Therefore remember that you, the nations [tribes], in time past were in the flesh, who are
called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; and
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.
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Yahweh had divorced the northern tribes and sent them away into the captivity of the
nations (Jeremiah 3:8) and because of their spiritual adultery with other ‘gods’ He could
not take them back according to His own law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). But as Paul pointed
out in his letter to the Romans (7:2-3), when God died in the personage of Yahshua, the
northern tribes became free to come back into covenant with Yahweh by receiving His
Spirit once again.
EPHESIANS 2: 13-19
But now in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off are made near by the blood of Christ.
For He is our peace, He making us both one, and He has broken down the middle wall of
partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity (the Law of commandments
contained in decrees) so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, making
peace between them; and so that He might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity in Himself. 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 of the household of God…
Verse 15 needs particular attention paid to it, because of the disservice that many
translations provide. Many of them say that Yahweh abolished His law so that the Jews
and Gentiles could be united as one, but we know that the Law always allowed gentiles
to enter into the covenant made with Israel; it was never a barrier to them. What this
verse is actually stating is that the enmity created by the decree found in Yahweh’s Law
of commandments regarding divorce and remarriage, has now been removed due to the
death of the Son of God, so that the northern tribes can remarry back into the holy
covenant.
This doesn’t mean that the individuals in these tribes were damned (Ezekiel 18:14-20),
but that they were deprived of the blessings that come from living in accordance with
God’s ways (Amos 8:11-12). They became like the gentiles who could still be saved
according to conscience (Romans 2:14-16) but could not benefit from being sanctified
in the full knowledge of the Law. They were without God in the “world”, not in eternity.
But now through the death/blood of Messiah, “He came and preached peace” to them
through His apostles; the lost tribes were once again to have the word of God given to
them for their benefit, being welcomed back into the commonwealth of Israel by the
hearing of the Word and entering into a renewed covenant.
Paul’s following words in the next chapter continue to be applicable to this topic; it is
not as though we have entered into an age of grace where none before existed, but that
we have now entered into a dispensation or administration of grace for the northern
tribes and their descendants.
EPHESIANS 3: 1-2
For this cause, I, Paul, am the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you nations, if you have heard of
the dispensation of the grace of God which is given to me toward you…
This is the mystery (v3) that Paul goes on to explain. Not that the scriptures were silent
to the fact that this coming back together of the two kingdoms would happen (there are
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plenty of prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the two houses coming back
together just as there are also many that speak of the gentiles coming into the covenant
through them) but that their eyes had not been opened to the truth of the matter and thus
it remained a mystery to them (just as they did not understand that Messiah must come
first as the suffering servant before returning again to restore the Kingdom).
EPHESIANS 3: 4-6
…by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to His holy
apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the nations should be fellow heirs, and of the same
body, and partaker of His promise in Christ through the gospel.
Even when Yahshua told His apostles outright that He must suffer and die, they did not
understand (Luke 18:31-34), so one can understand how the Jews could also have been
blinded to the truth of the two houses coming back together (in fact many of them still
don’t believe in this today, despite the ancient prophecies). We are blinded to the truths
that don’t agree with our theologies or expectations, whether due to ill pride (Matthew
16:21-23), fear (Matthew 9:31-32, 9:44-45) or some other sinful state of mind and heart.
Thus it was not revealed to the Jews (the sons of men who held the scriptures) that the
divorced northern tribes (the nations) would be made fellow heirs with them in Messiah,
a veil that most likely stemmed from their national pride (if we understand their culture
and theology in the centuries leading up to the birth of Messiah).
Now just as there is one law and one way, so Paul says that there is one Lord, one faith,
and one baptism. There is no difference between the two. God is one, and so His ways
are one.
EPHESIANS 4: 4-6
There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in
you all.
Paul then says that we have been given gifts to help the church work as a unit in
developing each other into the fullness of Messiah. Once again Paul uses the word
“infant” to describe those who do not know the Law. But when we understand the Law
in Messiah, we will no longer be led astray by deceivers or by unbelievers but we will
be free to walk in the truth.
EPHESIANS 4: 13-14, 19-21
And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we no
longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the
dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit… For they [the nations], being
past feeling, have given themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you
have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and were taught by Him, as the truth
is in Jesus.
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We are to walk in truth whereby we will be just as righteous and holy as He.
EPHESIANS 4: 22-24
For you ought to put off the old man (according to your way of living before) who is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And you should put
on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness.
True holiness. To be holy means to be set-apart, yet there are many people in this world
who are set-apart because of the religion that they follow, whether Muslims, Catholics,
Hindus, etc. But true holiness is to be set-apart according to Yahweh’s instructions.
Once again Paul mentions that we are not to be unclean, and the context is physical
uncleanness and not spiritual uncleanness, thus confirming that none of the Law has
been done away (even if we can’t keep all of it without a temple).
EPHESIANS 5: 3-6
For let fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness not be once named among you, as
becomes saints, neither baseness, foolish talking, jesting, which are not becoming, but rather
giving of thanks. For you know this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous one (who
is an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you
with vain words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of
disobedience.
Paul then makes a very clear analogy between the Law and light, agreeing not only with
Moses in Genesis, but also David in the Psalms and with John in his gospel.
EPHESIANS 5: 8-13
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for
the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), proving what is acceptable
to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all
things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
The Law is light because it reveals both sin and holiness to us. Take away the Law and
we walk in darkness. Therefore when we are resurrected we will continue to walk in
the Law.
EPHESIANS 5: 14
Therefore he says, "Awake, sleeping ones! And arise from the dead, and Christ shall give
you light."
And prior to the resurrection, it is through the Word of God that Yahshua makes the
church clean.
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EPHESIANS 5: 25-27
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might
present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that
it should be holy and without blemish.
In the next chapter Paul begins by specifically noting one of the Ten Commandments
which was given for our benefit.
EPHESIANS 6: 2-3
Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that
it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.
It’s not as if the preceding commandments (have no other gods, make no idols, take not
the name of God in vain, and keep the Sabbath holy) were not for our benefit, but this
is the first one where Yahweh tells us why. In fact it is the only one of the Ten
Commandments where He tells us why: “that you may live long on the earth”. When
we look at the Greek, we see that Paul’s words can just as validly be interpreted as, “the
foremost commandment of promise”. All the commandments have promises, because
they are all for our good, and our heavenly Father usually expects us to be obedient
without question. But He perhaps gives the reason for this particular commandment to
ensure that we keep it above all others; as the family is the bedrock of society, ensuring
that we honour our parents will maintain some semblance of order even when people
disregard Yahweh in every other way.
Paul finally describes the armour of God (vs13-17), quoting from the Prophet Isaiah.
ISAIAH 59: 17
For He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head. And
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was covered with zeal like a cloak.
ISAIAH 52: 7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace
heard; who brings good news, making salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns!
ISAIAH 11: 5
And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His heart.
Righteousness, salvation and peace are all interchangeable with each other. Isaiah spoke
of these things with regards to the eternal word of God, so should it be any surprise that
Paul is borrowing from this Old Testament prophet? Not if they are both preaching the
same Word!
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That salvation is more than justification is clear from Paul’s words to the Philippians.
PHILIPPIANS 2: 12
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, cultivate your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Yahshua clears our past and future debt, thus saving us by grace and not works. So the
salvation being spoken of in the above verse is sanctification, which the Law achieves
by bringing us into compliance with Yahweh’s holy character. In this way we become
lights to the world.
PHILIPPIANS 2: 15-16
…so that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the
midst of a crooked and perverse nation. Among these you shine as lights in the world, holding
forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice with you in the day of Christ, that I have not run in
vain nor labored in vain.
The Word (the Law) is life, as all the scriptures attest.
Paul then returns to the subject of circumcision again, and the context reveals that he is
contrasting those who are circumcised only in the flesh with those who also follow the
Law in the Spirit and are thus circumcised in the heart as well.
PHILIPPIANS 3: 2-3
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision party. For we are the
circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence
in the flesh…
Paul clearly equates the concision party with those who trust in the flesh. As we are
seeing in most of the New Testament writings, the conflict is not between God’s Law
and God’s grace, but between the flesh and the spirit. Judaism had departed from God’s
law by creating the oral law, which appeals to man’s pride and confidence in the flesh
and thus rejects God’s spirit of grace. This is the law in which Paul said that he was
blameless; not God’s law as found in Messiah. It was the law according to the Pharisees
in which Paul was blameless.
PHILIPPIANS 3: 4-6
…though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other thinks that he has reason
to trust in the flesh, I more. I was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe
of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. As regards the Law, I was a Pharisee; concerning zeal,
persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness in the Law, blameless.
Paul was not saying that he was sinless. He was perfect with regards to the Pharisee's
oral law (which was impressive, as very few could make such a claim – Acts 15:10). In
fact Paul may be distinguishing himself here as possibly the only one who was able to
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keep it all (v4). It is therefore no wonder that Yahshua chose him to become the most
prominent minister of the gospel, putting Paul in a unique position to proclaim that the
true righteousness of the Law as found in Messiah was the genuine righteousness. You
could say that it was the perfect PR coup; the concision party’s best student switched
sides and became an advocate of the competition!
PHILIPPIANS 3: 8-9
But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them to be dung,
so that I may win Christ and be found in Him; not having my own righteousness, which is of the
Law, but through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith.
It would of course have been a great help to us if Paul had made the distinction between
the oral law and God’s law more apparent in his writings, and it may well be that he
originally wrote in Hebrew before a translation into Greek lost the specifics (especially
if translated by those holding an antinomian theology). Thankfully the context reveals
which law Paul is speaking about - if one reads thoughtfully.
In verse 12, Paul says that he has not yet attained to perfection but that he presses on in
that which they have already received; which is surely God’s law.
PHILIPPIANS 3: 16-17
Yet, as to what we have already attained, let us walk in the same rule, let us mind the same
thing. Brothers, be imitators together of me, and mark those who walk this way, for you have
us for a pattern.
Any time Paul encourages others to imitate him it is because he imitates Messiah, Who
walked according to the law of God.
In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he speaks of the Law in many of the terms to which
we have become accustomed.
COLOSSIANS 1: 5-12
…for the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven, of which you heard before in the Word
of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you as it has also in all the world, and it is bearing
fruit, even also among you, since the day you heard and fully knew the grace of God in truth,
even as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of
Christ for you, he also having shown your love in the Spirit to us. For this cause we also, since
the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the
knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of
the Lord to all pleasing, being fruitful in every work and increasing in the knowledge of God,
being empowered with all power, according to the might of His glory, to all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, giving thanks to the Father, who has made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light.
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Towards the end of the first chapter, Paul speaks again of the mystery of Messiah being
revealed with regards to the remarriage of the northern tribes. But this time Paul
expands upon the subject, referring to a further mystery of how this enables Yahweh to
take the covenant to all the gentile nations like never before…
Yahweh scattered the tribes throughout the nations around them, so that when they
came back into covenant with God in Messiah, they were able to bring the gentiles
around them into the covenant as well. Though gentiles could always enter into the
covenant, the truth was that very few did, because Israel was mainly self-contained in
the Land and the example by which they were meant to attract the gentiles to Yahweh
was only ever lived out briefly during the reign of Solomon. So God used the curse He
laid upon them for their disobedience to bring about a greater blessing; once His people
began to return to Him in repentance through the grace of Messiah, some of the true
gentiles amongst whom they had come to live were exposed to the gospel through them,
and were hence reeled into Israel like fish scooped up in a net. So although prophecies
already existed that spoke of both the gentiles coming into the covenant and of Israel
being reunited with Judah, this further mystery is how the reunification of the kingdom
would be used to accomplish the ingathering of the gentiles.
COLOSSIANS 1: 26-28
…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been
revealed to His saints. For to them God would make known what are the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you [the lost tribes], the hope of glory, whom
we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
When the repentant from the northern tribes came back into the covenant through the
declaration of the good news in Messiah, they were then perfectly positioned to take
the gospel to the gentiles around them, warning every man of the need to accept the
forgiveness of sins found only in Yahshua and teaching them the Law that is designed
to make us perfect just like Him.
We should note that the truth is the same in both the Father and the Son, which as was
explained in the analysis of John’s writings means that Their teachings must agree.
COLOSSIANS 2: 2-4
…that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and to all riches of the
full assurance of the understanding, to the full knowledge of the mystery of God, and of the
Father, and of Christ; in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And I say
this that not anyone should beguile you with enticing words.
Paul then warns us again to be wary of being deceived by the traditions of men and the
elements of the world, not the law of God. Vain deceit will lead one into believing that
they can be justified by their own works, rather than by the grace and law of Messiah.
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COLOSSIANS 2: 8
Beware lest anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition
of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.
It is Messiah who circumcises our hearts by His Spirit, so that we can follow His law,
as well as clearing our debt by nailing it to the cross.
COLOSSIANS 2: 11-14
…in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism,
in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the
dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way,
nailing it to the cross.
As was explained in the Introduction, it is the record of debt that was blotted out, not
the Law itself. We were once dead in our sins and the uncircumcision of our flesh, but
now we are saved through grace and made alive through the Spirit. Thus we are saved
before physical circumcision and not after it, nor due to it. The circumcision of the heart
(that is the circumcision of Messiah) is the effectual circumcision.
When we understand that the Law was never done away, we can understand that Paul
is telling us not to heed anyone who criticises us for keeping God’s feasts, for they
speak of the victory that Messiah has won over all other authorities.
COLOSSIANS 2: 15-17
Having stripped rulers and authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over
them in it. Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a feast, or of the
new moon, or of the sabbaths. For these are a shadow of things to come, but [and] the body is
of Christ.
We must realise that Paul is writing to the descendants of the northern tribes in gentile
lands, so these new saints will be judged by the gentiles around them who worship their
own ‘gods’. We should also note that the mistranslation of one small word can affect
the whole context (but/and). We should note that Paul says the feasts, new moons and
Sabbaths are a shadow of things to come (future tense) which means that they still have
a role to play in foreshadowing future prophetic fulfilments, as well as those already
past. The feasts also distinguish Yahweh’s people (the body of Christ) from the heathen
and their festivals.
COLOSSIANS 2: 18-19
Let no one defraud you, delighting in humility and worship of the angels, intruding into
things which he has not seen, without a cause being vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and
not holding the Head, from whom all the body, having been supplied through the joints and
bands, and having been joined together, will grow with the growth of God.
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The worship of angels that Paul speaks of in verse 18, is likely the worship of the host
of heaven, that Israel turned to before Yahweh scattered them through the nations for
this sin (2 Kings 17:16-18) and which was still prevalent in those nations to which they
had been led into captivity. Yahweh was angered by His people turning from His law
to follow after the host of heaven, and Paul’s words reveal that He still is today.
In addition to the non-believing gentiles and their pagan religions, Paul also warns the
Colossians not to be deceived by the non-believing Jews and their oral law.
COLOSSIANS 2: 20-22
If then you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the
world, are you subject to its ordinances: touch not, taste not, handle not; which things are all
for corruption in the using, according to the commands and doctrines of men?
In the next chapter it is then clear that when Paul encourages us to seek those things
from above, he is not speaking of the host of heaven, but the Law that came down from
heaven and the spiritual gifts that accompany it.
COLOSSIANS 3: 1-2
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is
sitting at the right hand of God. Be mindful of things above, not on things on the earth.
The things on the earth are the traditions and commandments of men.
Paul then speaks again of putting off the works of the flesh and being renewed by the
“knowledge according to the image of Him”, which is clearly the Law that Messiah
personifies (vs9-10). And when we walk in the way of Messiah, there is no difference
between any of us (one law and one way in one body).
COLOSSIANS 3: 11
…where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, foreigner,
Scythian, slave or freeman, but Christ is all things in all.
That the Uncircumcised are in the body of Messiah, is not to insinuate that we are no
longer to be circumcised; Paul is most likely referring to nationality when he speaks of
the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision, as he does elsewhere (Galatians 2:7, Ephesians
2:11). He also refers to the foreigner in this verse as the “Greek” and “Scythian”, so it
is clear that he is not preventing himself from referring to the foreigner in more ways
than one, nor from referring to the Jew again as the Circumcised.
By including “slave” and “freeman”, Paul is revealing that our worldly circumstances
do not prevent us from being in the body of Messiah. Neither national descent nor social
standings are barriers, just as gender is not a barrier (Galatians 3:28). The only barrier is
rejecting God’s commandments and thus the Messiah Himself, for as the apostle John
said most specifically in his first letter (1 John 2:3) those in the body of Messiah are
those who seek to keep His commandments (and this of course includes circumcision).
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Therefore the Word of Christ is to dwell in us, and everything we do is to be done
according to that word.
COLOSSIANS 3: 16-17
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And everything, whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by Him.
It should be remembered that the true name of God is His character, which is found in
His Word. Paul is certainly not encouraging us to do anything we want in the name of
God!
Again Paul speaks of new converts being imitators of him and the other apostles in
accordance with the Word.
1 THESSALONIANS 1: 6
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, welcoming the Word in much affliction,
with joy of the Holy Spirit…
The joy of the Holy Spirit is both the joy that comes from being freed from the power
of sin in our lives and the comfort that He brings in our affliction.
In this letter there is also another indication that the gospel consists of much more than
the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Yahshua, for Paul says that he
laboured day and night to preach the gospel to the Thessalonians, and then proceeds to
detail that this was so that they could walk worthy of God in the Word.
1 THESSALONIANS 2: 9-13
For, brothers, you remember our labour and toil. For labouring night and day in order not
to put a burden on any one of you, we preached the gospel of God to you. You and God are
witnesses how holily and justly and blamelessly we were to you who believe, even as you know
how we exhorted and comforted and testified to each one of you, as a father to his children,
that you should walk worthy of God, who has called you to His kingdom and glory. And for this
cause we thank God without ceasing, that when you received the Word of hearing, of God, you
welcomed it as the Word of God, not as a word of men, but as it is, truly the Word of God,
which also effectually works in you who believe.
The Word works towards the goal of making us holy as God is holy. Again it is worth
being reminded that God’s holiness does not change, so the Law that He gave to make
us holy as He is holy is the same today as it has always been.
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1 THESSALONIANS 3: 12- 4: 8
And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and
toward all, even as we also toward you, in order to establish your hearts blameless in holiness
before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. For the
rest, then, my brothers, we beseech you and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you have
received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and
more. For we know what commands we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God,
your sanctification, for you to abstain from fornication, each one of you to know how to possess
his vessel in sanctification and honour (not in the passion of lust, even as the nations who do
not know God), not to go beyond and defraud his brother in this matter (because the Lord is
the avenger concerning all these, as we also have forewarned you and testified). For God has
not called us to uncleanness, but in sanctification. Therefore he who despises does not despise
man, but God, who also has given us His Holy Spirit.
Though Paul focuses on fornication as an element of uncleanness, it is clear from the
context that we are called to depart from all uncleanness as we walk in holiness (which
the Law defines for us and which Yahshua fully magnified). We are not called to partial
holiness, but to magnify our walk before God “more and more”. We are to be blameless
in holiness for when our Messiah returns for us, which immediately proceeds the first
resurrection.
1 THESSALONIANS 4: 16-17
For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord.
In the final chapter of his first letter, Paul reveals that those who walk in the light will
not be taken by surprise when the Day of the Lord comes. Having just spoken of what
many call the Rapture, at the end of the fourth chapter, Paul begins the fifth chapter by
saying that the timing of key end-times events will be known by us.
1 THESSALONIANS 5: 1-6
But of the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that I write to you. For you
yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when
they shall say, Peace and safety! Then sudden destruction comes on them, as travail upon a
woman with child. And they shall not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the
Day should overtake you like a thief. You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We
are not of the night, or of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch
and be calm.
The “times and seasons” are the appointed times, the feast days which Yahweh uses to
teach us both about Himself and His appearances to His people. Yahshua fulfilled them
in His first coming and so there is no doubt that He will fail to do so with His second.
Paul tells us that because of our knowledge of the feasts, the day of the Lord (or the
Rapture, as many call it) will not take us by surprise like a thief. In the previous chapter,
Paul has just mentioned that a trumpet will sound at this time, which also agrees with
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his words in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; therefore many believe that the first resurrection
will occur on the Day of Trumpets. This makes sense because the Day of Trumpets is
the only appointed time which cannot be known in advance, due to the fact that it is the
only one which falls on the first day of the month (as the start of the month is determined
by the first sighting of the visible new moon, which cannot be forecast, we cannot know
the exact day or hour that it will appear).
MATTHEW 25: 13
Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man
comes.
But we will know to within a few days once the countdown of the Tribulation has begun.
And John notes it as just prior to the bowls of God’s wrath being poured out (Revelation
14:14 – 16:21). Indeed, as Paul goes on to say in this letter:
1 THESSALONIANS 5: 8-10
But let us, who are of the day, be calm, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and
the hope of salvation for a helmet. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we watch or sleep we should
live together with Him.
Many have said that the wrath which Yahweh spares us from is the Tribulation as a
whole, but it is His own wrath that He spares us from, which is meted out in the bowl
judgements at the end of the Tribulation. The context of Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians
5 is of salvation, revealing that the wrath of which he speaks is of an eternal nature, not
a temporal one. We are not appointed to God’s wrath, for He will make us holy before
His return (either by hook or by crook of the Shepherd’s staff).
Therefore, Paul goes on to say that we should not quench God’s spirit (which happens
when we wilfully disobey His law – Acts 5:32, 1 John 3:24), that we should keep in mind
the prophecies of His return, that we should prove (practice) His commandments, and
that we should abstain from all evil. Whilst on His part He is faithful to preserve us in
body, as well as in spirit and soul.
1 THESSALONIANS 5: 19-24
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophesying. Prove all things, hold fast to the
good. Abstain from every appearance of evil. And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blamelessly at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who called you, who also will do it.
In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul informs us that Messiah will not return
until after the antichrist (the lawless one) has been revealed. This proves that there
cannot be a secret rapture which could occur at any moment. Paul writes to assure the
saints that this Day is not at hand (that it is not soon to happen), for the Thessalonians
were evidently worried that they were not ready.
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2 THESSALONIANS 2: 1-3
Now we beseech you, my brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our gathering together to Him, that you should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither
by spirit, nor by word or letter, as through us, as if the Day of Christ is at hand. Let not anyone
deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes a falling away,
and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition…
Paul assures us that the necessary prerequisite for the Rapture has not yet been met and
will not easily be missed, for that prerequisite is the coming of the lawless one; the final
antichrist.
It is understood that this antichrist will be a great leader, so for him to be spoken of as
the “lawless one” in the following passage, must mean that the law spoken of is not that
of secular law. Rather, he is lawless because he dispenses with the law of God. This is
the mystery of lawlessness, which was already at work in the time of the apostles.
2 THESSALONIANS 2: 7-12
For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it
comes out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the breath of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming,
whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth, so that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie, so that all those who do not believe the truth, but
delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned.
So we see how the lawless one and those who follow him will be opposed to God’s law.
They will not recognise that they are opposed to God, for deceit and delusion will have
blinded them to the righteousness found in the truth of God’s word. This mystery has
currently been at work for almost two thousand years, but will be magnified when the
lawless one comes.
Currently most churches disregard God’s law only in part, as Christians still keep many
elements of it as found in the Ten Commandments and in some of Yahshua’s teachings.
But eventually even these will be dispensed with. In fact there are already some people
today who take Messiah’s name upon them whilst calling grace a licence to sin. But at
some point in the near future a watershed moment will be breached and unrighteousness
will pour forth across the Christian world to delude many. We therefore need to hold
fast to the Law.
2 THESSALONIANS 2: 13-15
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord,
because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my brothers, stand fast and hold the teachings which you have
been taught, whether by word or by our letter.
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At the beginning of his first letter to Timothy, Paul warns of certain teachers of the
Law. They are categorised as having turned aside from keeping it in love with good
conscience and integrity (vs5-6), not understanding it correctly (v7), and not using it
legitimately (v8). There is no criticism of the Law here, only in how it is being used.
And Paul does go on to say that the Law is good if used properly according to the gospel
of God.
1 TIMOTHY 1: 8-11
But we know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not
made for a righteous one, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners,
for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
for fornicators, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and anything else that
is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was
committed to my trust.
When Paul says that the “law is not made for a righteous one”, he is not saying that it
no longer applies to the saved, but that it is used to correct ourselves and not to justify
ourselves. As we are all lawless and disobedient to some degree, the Law applies to all
of us, for it is for “anything else that is contrary to sound doctrine”. But it would seem
that these particular teachers of the Law are using it to vaunt themselves above others
(Luke 18:10-14).
These same teachers also speak fables and pay heed to endless genealogies which
provide doubts rather than nurture faith (v4). In his letter to Titus, Paul also speaks of
fables, but in the context of Judaism.
TITUS 1: 14
…not giving heed to Jewish myths and commandments of men, turning away from the
truth.
The word translated as “fables” in the letter to Timothy and “myths” in the letter to
Titus is the same Greek word “muthos”. As the letters to Timothy and Titus are very
similar in content, and because it is clear that Paul is speaking of Judaism with its oral
law in his letter to Titus, it seems reasonable to assume that the fables and endless
genealogies spoken of in Paul’s letter to Timothy also relate to the false religion of
Judaism. As the Scribes and Pharisees believed that they could justify themselves in the
Law (by keeping their oral law) and were fixed on imposing their authority over other
Jews through pride and self-seeking, it seems as though it is once again this concision
party that Paul is warning of in his letters to Timothy and Titus.
Indeed, having given his warning, Paul then goes on to speak of when he acted in the
same way before turning to Messiah (as though speaking of the Pharisees reminds him
of his past). Having been the most observant Pharisee (Philippians 3:4-5) this is clearly
what Paul is referring to when he says that he was chief of sinners (v15) and the reason
why he was called to be a chief example of repentance (v16).
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In the second chapter, Paul speaks of matters of authority, finishing with another word
on the subjection of women to men (as he has also mentioned in his letters to the
Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians and Titus). In the latter three, Paul simply speaks
of the wife being subject to her husband. But in his first letter to the Corinthians (14:35)
and to Timothy, Paul speaks of a general subjection of women to men in the churches.
Paul gave one reason in his first letter to the Corinthians, that the woman was made for
man (11:9) as also repeated here in his letter to Timothy (2:13), but he also now gives a
second reason.
1 TIMOTHY 2: 11-15
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I do not allow a woman to teach, or
to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And
Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. But she will
be kept safe through childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness with
sensibleness.
Adam was not deceived, but the woman. This is the second reason Paul gives for the
woman learning in silence with all subjection and for not being allowed to teach or have
authority over a man. It does not appear to be a punishment, for Paul says that the
woman will be kept safe through her own duties in childbearing. So this is a matter of
protection, not punishment. Could it therefore be that Paul is saying that women are
more liable to spiritual deception?
We should note the distinction as Paul mentions Adam and Eve in the order of creation
but Adam and the woman in the matter of deception. Paul is highlighting the gender as
an issue, not the individual.
1 TIMOTHY 2: 13-14
For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression.
If this is the case, then it explains why the Law does not allow a woman to make a vow
without her father or husband confirming it (for her own protection). It would also
explain why most false spiritualists such as palm readers, psychics and mediums are
women (as they are more likely to be deceived into such practices).
This doesn’t mean that women can’t receive revelation from Yahweh as prophetesses
(Exodus 15:20, 2 Kings 22:14, Joel 2:28, Luke 2:36). They can still sing, praise, and read
from scripture in gatherings of God’s people. But they can’t teach with authority to the
men. Only in light of the Law can we understand these New Testament passages so that
we do not dismiss or abuse them. As Peter said, those who do not know the Law will
twist Paul’s words; either to claim that these passages simply address a cultural issue
and can therefore be ignored in today’s feminist culture, or to prevent women from
speaking out at all (by which we end up with the other extreme by subjugating women
as in Sharia law). It is simply not the place for a woman to teach or have authority over
a man when God’s people come together; these roles are reserved for the men as they
always have been.
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Now not just any man can hold a position of authority in the church. In chapter 3, Paul
provides qualifications for a man to become an overseer or a deacon. Unlike an elder,
these are specific positions, as evidenced by the distinct Greek words used for each.
Elder - G4245 – πρεσβύτερος – presbuteros - pres-boo'-ter-os
Comparative of πρέσβυς presbus (elderly); older; as noun, a senior; specifically an Israelite
Sanhedrist (also figuratively, member of the celestial council) or Christian “presbyter”: - elder
(-est), old.
Bishop / Overseer - G1984 - ἐπισκοπή - episkopē - ep-is-kop-ay'
From G1980; inspection (for relief); by implication superintendence; specifically the Christian
“episcopate”: - the office of a “bishop”, bishoprick, visitation.
Deacon - G1249 – διάκονος – diakonos - dee-ak'-on-os
Probably from διάκω diakō (obsolete, to run on errands; compare G1377); an attendant, that
is, (generally) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specifically a Christian teacher and
pastor (technically a deacon or deaconess): - deacon, minister, servant.
It should be noted that a deacon can also be referred to as a waiter, and it is this same
Greek word which is used in Acts 6:2 when the apostles said that they did not have time
to “serve tables” and appointed Stephen in this role. Clearly the apostles were not
dishing up food in restaurants, but attending to the day-to-day needs of individuals in
the church (as the Greek definition reveals). This was initially keeping the apostles from
their commission as overseers, the word that is used in Acts 1:20 with reference to
Judas. The apostles were overseers, visiting many churches to ensure that the word of
God was being kept faithfully. Deacons had a responsibility to one church but overseers
to many.
This is important to note, because it shows that Paul was not presenting a new structure
of authority to the church in his letters to Timothy and Titus (as will be seen) and that
he was listing the same qualifications required for an existing framework. This can be
seen when we look to Exodus 18 and see that Moses (in the pre-emptive position of
Yahshua) set up a structure where there were heads and rulers over the people.
EXODUS 18: 20-22
And you [Moses] shall teach them ordinances and laws, and shall make them know the
way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do. And you shall look out of all the
people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain. And place such over them
to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let
them judge the people at all times. And it shall be, every great matter they shall bring to you,
but every small matter they shall judge. And make it easier for yourself, and they shall bear
with you.
There are several things to note here. Firstly, in verse 21 we see that these rulers must
be able (virtuous) men, fearing God, men of truth, and hating unjust gain. This is very
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similar to what Paul says about overseers and deacons. The apostle simply goes into
more detail as to what it means to be able (virtuous).
Secondly, the Hebrew word for “ruler” in this verse includes aspects of both overseers
and deacons.
Ruler - H8269 – ‫ – ׂשר‬śar - sar
From H8323; a head person (of any rank or class): - captain (that had rule), chief (captain),
general, governor, keeper, lord, ([-task-]) master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward.
The overseer and the deacon can be seen in the terms governor and steward. It would
seem that the two categories are simply bundled together under the term ruler. It may
have been that those who fulfilled the overseer role dealt with the great matters and
brought them to Moses, whilst those who fulfilled the deacon role handled the small
matters on their own. This is reflected in the New Testament setup where the overseers
handle the great matters that affect the entire church (by taking their concerns to
Yahshua in the Spirit, instead of to Moses) and the deacons handle the small matters
that apply to just one church. Only when the deacons are not doing a good job does an
overseer have to intervene, as in the case with Paul and the Corinthian church.
As for the term elder which is present in both the Old and New Testaments, this would
appear to be a generic term that incorporates both overseers and deacons, as is also the
case with “ruler”.
Thirdly, whilst there is no evidence of a hierarchal structure of thousands, hundreds,
fifties and tens in the New Testament church, some believe that this wasn’t actually a
hierarchal structure under Moses but rather a division of families that differed in size
within the tribes. As the renewed covenant only includes spiritual Israel, the churches
are the New Testament equivalent of the families under the old covenant. Thus it would
seem that the Law has not been modified but simply adapted for a different situation,
just as the temple differed from the tabernacle with the main elements remaining the
same.
And fourthly, just as the original setup had a head of the church in Moses, in the New
Testament organisation there is a spiritual head who organises the church just as he did
(Acts 20:28 - the Spirit clearly inspired the overseers of the church in Acts 15 when they
came together to enquire as to what should be expected of the new gentile converts).
Thus we see a restoration of the congregational structure of Israel under Moses in the
New Testament church (dispensing with the false authority and constituency of the
Jewish Sanhedrin in the first century), not a revolution from what the Law says.
In the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to Timothy, he speaks of teachings of demons, and
includes the abstaining from foods as one of these false latter-day doctrines. To attribute
these teachings to Yahweh’s commandment not to eat unclean animals, is to overlook
many contextual points.
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Firstly, even if the Law had been done away with, could Yahweh’s commandments as
given in the Law really be attributed to demons? God still gave these commandments,
even if they were no longer to be relevant. They came from Him, and were defined by
Him as righteous and holy. Avoiding unclean animals for food is not a teaching of
demons.
Secondly, just as in Romans 14, the Greek word “broma” is used for food in this verse,
not the word “krēnos” for animal.
1 TIMOTHY 4: 3
…forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which God has created to be received
with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
Thirdly, Paul goes on to say that it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer (v5),
revealing that the context is once again foods sacrificed to idols. The demons would
have us believe that they can make bad what God has made good, but as long as we
dedicate to God that which He has already made good, it is to be received gratefully
without affecting our conscience in any way.
Finally, Paul says that we are to be nourished in the words of Faith and in the good
doctrine which we have followed (v6). We should remember that Yahweh calls His
Law “good doctrine”, not the doctrine of demons.
PROVERBS 4: 2
For I give you good doctrine; do not forsake my law.
1 Timothy 4 is concluded with Paul once again affirming that the Law is for our salvation
from sin.
1 TIMOTHY 4: 16
Hold on to yourself and to the doctrine; continue in them, for doing this you shall both
save yourself and those who hear you.
In the final chapter of this first letter to Timothy, Paul warns of those who believe that
financial gain is godliness. The Law promised that those who followed it would be
richly blessed in material goods (Deuteronomy 7:11-15, 28:1-14, Psalm 1:1-3) but this was
limited to the essentials, not to vain riches. The true blessing that we receive from
following the Law is gaining the character of Yahweh.
PROVERBS 11: 14
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
During our mortal journey we are therefore to be content with the working out of our
own godliness and being blessed in our basic provisions.
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1 TIMOTHY 6: 6-8
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and
it is clear that we can carry nothing out. But having food and clothing, we will be content.
We need to take hold of eternal life, which is the way of righteousness; the Law.
1 TIMOTHY 6: 11-14
…follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Fight the good
fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are also called and have professed a good
profession before many witnesses. I charge you before God (who makes all things alive) and in
the sight of Christ Jesus (who witnessed the good confession to Pontius Pilate), that you keep
the commandment without spot and without blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Once one accepts that the faith has always been, and still is, about keeping the law of
God in humble acceptance of a redeeming Messiah, it is clear that Paul is speaking
about this eternal faith in the first chapter of his second letter to Timothy.
2 TIMOTHY 1: 3
I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing
I remember you in my prayers night and day…
2 TIMOTHY 1: 5
…taking recollection of the unfeigned faith that is in you, which first dwelt in your
grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice. And I am persuaded that it is in you also.
2 TIMOTHY 1: 9-10
[God] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the eternal
times. But it is now having been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who
has made death of no effect, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel…
The faith has always existed, but it was manifested and made effectual in Yahshua. That
we are still to keep the Law is made even more evident in the second chapter.
2 TIMOTHY 2: 1, 5
Therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus… And also if anyone
competes, he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully.
We are saved by grace, both in the sense of Yahshua’s sacrifice for our sins and in the
sense of the Law being a grace to save us from our sinful nature. Therefore we continue
in the faith according to the Law. Many translations actually replace the word
“lawfully” with “according to the rules”, which indicates that we still have a set of
instructions to follow according to righteousness (as Paul will soon make as clear as
daylight).
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Now before we can follow the truth, we must first understand it.
2 TIMOTHY 2: 15
Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
Unfortunately there are some today who do not rightly divide the Word of Truth, and
only delve into the Old Testament in order to promote a lawless gospel, drawing on
stories and acts of faith to support a gospel almost completely divorced from the law of
God. Therefore it is no surprise that those who are taught in this way do not mature
unto holiness, for they never come to a full knowledge of the truth (the Law).
2 TIMOTHY 3: 1-7
Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be selflovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage,
despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these. For of these
are those who creep into houses and lead captive silly women loaded with sins, led away with
different kinds of lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.
It is fitting that Paul then associates these people with those who withstood Moses (who
gave the Law).
2 TIMOTHY 3: 8
But as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these also resist the truth, men of corrupt
mind, reprobate concerning the faith.
These people in the last days of whom Paul speaks are the extreme. As has already been
mentioned, most Christians today have not completely forsaken the Law (though some
are heading that way). But Paul is showing that if we ignore the full knowledge of the
Law, then we will still be captive to the ways of the flesh. There are many good sincere
Christians who feel as though they are missing something in their faith and that they
are not being delivered from certain sins that beset them. This may well be because they
have been deceived into thinking that the Law has been done away. Instead, we must
follow that same doctrine once delivered to the saints.
2 TIMOTHY 3: 14-17
But continue in the things that you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from
whom you have learned them, and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which
are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is Godbreathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good
work.
Note that Paul does not say that all scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness
except for those chapters in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Exodus etc. No, all scripture is
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relevant to today as far as we are in a position to keep it, just as it has always been. And
if we don’t, then we need be reproved and corrected. Grace does not mean that we are
no longer to be held accountable to one another in the Law. And it is for our own good,
to make us wise to salvation.
But Paul knew that there would one day come a time when people would turn away
from hearing the words of the Law, because they were rebellious in their hearts. He
therefore exhorts Timothy in the final chapter to preach the Word in every season,
reproving and rebuking, for we will one day all face the judgement seat of Messiah.
2 TIMOTHY 4: 1-4
Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge
the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom, preach the Word, be
instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and
doctrine. For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up
teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear. And they will turn away
their ears from the truth and will be turned to myths.
This is what happened in the days that preceded the formation of the Catholic Church.
All the pagan myths and legends that this abominable church incorporated into the faith
denied the very gospel itself. Matters are not so bad today in Protestant circles, but still
many turn their ears from the full truth, from obeying the words of the Father and the
Son. Once again the church is heading into ecumenical failure, and those who love the
Father and the Son must turn back to the true faith of old, lest they be swept up in the
deceptions of the last days.
Paul’s letter to Titus is very similar in content to his letters to Timothy. He begins by
speaking of the “truth which is according to godliness on hope of eternal life”, which
is clearly the Law. Then depending on the translation, Paul says that the Word was
revealed either at the “right time”, “in its times”, or “in every era” (v3). The gist of verse
3 is that the Law was revealed whenever it needed to be restored. Then the introduction
is finalised with Paul speaking to Titus of their “common faith” (v4), thus affirming that
Jews and gentile converts are one body in the truth.
Paul then instructs Titus that overseers must be blameless (vs7-8), and that they must
also maintain the Word according to the doctrine (the Law) in verse 9. At this point it
is informative to note that Yahweh also entrusted the Levites with teaching and judging
from the Law.
2 CHRONICLES 19: 11
And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of YHVH. And Zebadiah the
son of Ishmael is the ruler of the house of Judah for all the king's matters. Also the Levites shall
be officers [overseers] before you. Take courage and act, and YHVH shall be with the good.
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DEUTERONOMY 17: 8-12, 18
If a matter is too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and
plea, and between stroke and stroke, matters of strife within your gates, then you shall arise
and go up to the place which YHVH your God shall choose. And you shall come to the priests of
the Levites, and to the judge that shall be in those days, and ask. And they shall declare to you
the sentence of judgment. And you shall do according to the sentence which they declare to
you from that place which YHVH shall choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all
that they tell you. According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach you and
according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from
the sentence which they shall show you, to the right hand or the left. And the man that acts
proudly and will not listen to the priest who stands to minister there before YHVH your God, or
to the judge, even that man shall die. And you shall put away the evil from Israel... And it shall
be, when he [the king] sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write a copy of this Law in a
book from before the priests, the Levites.
DEUTERONOMY 21: 5
And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near. For YHVH your God has chosen them to
minister to him, and to bless in the name of YHVH, and by their word shall every controversy
and every stroke be tried.
DEUTERONOMY 24: 8
Be careful in the plague of leprosy, that you watch carefully and do according to all that
the priests the Levites shall teach you. As I commanded them, you shall be careful to do.
DEUTERONOMY 27: 9-10
And Moses and the priests the Levites spoke to all Israel, saying: Take heed and listen, O
Israel. Today you have become the people of YHVH your God. You shall therefore obey the
voice of YHVH your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you
today.
From listening to the Levites, the Israelites were then to teach their own households.
DEUTERONOMY 6: 6-7
And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. And you shall
carefully teach them to your sons, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when
you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
As in the New Testament (James 3:1), we see that teachers of the Law have a greater
accountability in their role as overseers.
DEUTERONOMY 31: 9-11, 24-26
And Moses wrote this Law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the
ark of the covenant of YHVH, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them,
saying: At the end of seven years, at the set time of the year of release, in the Feast of
Tabernacles, when all Israel has come to appear before YHVH your God in the place which He
shall choose, you shall read this Law before all Israel in their hearing... And it happened when
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Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a book, until they were finished,
Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of YHVH, saying, Take this
book of the Law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of YHVH your God, so that it
may be there for a witness against you.
The Levites had a special place in teaching the Law so that all of Israel might know
how to understand it.
2 CHRONICLES 30: 22
And Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of
YHVH. And they ate the appointed things seven days, offering peace offerings and making
confession to YHVH, the God of their fathers.
2 CHRONICLES 31: 4
And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests
and the Levites so that they might be strong in the Law of YHVH.
2 CHRONICLES 35: 3, 6
And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to YHVH, Put the holy ark
in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall not be a burden on
your shoulders. And serve YHVH your God and His people Israel... And kill the passover lamb,
and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brothers so that they may do according to the Word
of YHVH by the hand of Moses.
NEHEMIAH 8: 7-12
And Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, [who are all Levites] and the [rest of the] Levites, caused the
people to understand the Law. And the people were in their place. And they read in the Book
of the Law of God, clearly. And they gave the sense, and caused them to understand the
reading. And Nehemiah, the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who
taught the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to YHVH your God. Do not mourn or
weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them,
Go eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared.
For this day is holy to our LORD. And do not be sorry, for the joy of YHVH is your strength. And
the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be quiet, for the day is holy. And do not be grieved.
And all the people went to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great rejoicing,
because they had understood the words which were declared to them.
MALACHI 2: 4-7
And you shall know that I have sent this command to you, to be My covenant with Levi,
says YHVH of Hosts. My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him for fear;
and he feared Me, and he is awed before My name. The Law of Truth was in his mouth, and
iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and turned
away many from iniquity. For the priest's lips should guard knowledge, and they should seek
the Law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of YHVH of Hosts.
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Thus the rulers of Israel sent the Levites to enquire as to the identity of John the Baptist.
JOHN 1: 19
And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to
ask him, Who are you?
So why is there no mention of the Levites’ role in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus?
The answer is likely because by Paul’s time, persecution against believers in Yahshua
meant that they were no longer allowed access to the temple, so true believers could
not act in the role of Levites. Because Levites are intrinsically connected to the temple
and because there would be no more temple after the Romans destroyed it in 70AD, it
would seem that the Holy Spirit did not inspire Paul in his letters to detail instructions
for an office that would no longer be able to function until the return of Messiah. So the
church model has been reduced to the one given to Moses by Jethro in the wilderness
(Exodus 18), where only the elders were present to judge according to the Law. As God’s
people were once again to be in the wilderness, this is the model suited for our time.
Yet it is still in Yahweh's eternal plan to have Levites as His ministers.
JEREMIAH 33: 20-22
So says YHVH: If you can break My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night, and
that there should not be day and night in their season, then also may My covenant with David
My servant be broken, that he should not have a son to reign on his throne, and My covenant
with the Levites the priests, My ministers. As the host of the heavens cannot be numbered, nor
the sand of the sea measured, so I will multiply the seed of David My servant and the Levites
who minister to Me.
So this will be the case in the Millennial reign of Yahshua:
ISAIAH 66: 20-21
And they will bring all your brothers for an offering to YHVH out of all nations on horses,
and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,
says YHVH, as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of YHVH. And
I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites, says YHVH.
EZEKIEL 44: 23-24
And they [the Levites] shall teach My people to discern between the holy and common,
and between the unclean and the clean. And in a dispute they shall stand in judgment; and they
shall judge it according to My judgments. And they shall keep My Laws and My statutes in all
My assemblies, and they shall keep My sabbaths holy.
In the meantime we find ourselves in a position where the gospel has been corrupted
over the millennia and we are required to search through the scriptures in order to regain
the knowledge and understanding of what has been lost. The Spirit is guiding us, but it
is still a laborious (though rewarding) process that takes time to elucidate the full truth.
Therefore as we seek to understand and teach the Law to one another, we must do so in
complete humility, ensuring that we keep the unity of the Body in the love of God.
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1 CORINTHIANS 8: 1-3
…Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if any man thinks that he knows anything, he
knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any one loves God, he has been known of him.
However, the love that unifies us is not a false ecumenical love, but is characterised by
the sincere seeking after the commandments of Yahweh. Returning to Paul’s letter to
Titus, this was not the case with those who were of the circumcision (1:10). From the
proceeding context it is clear that Paul is warning of the circumcision party who teach
their own oral law for the sake of personal gain (v11), giving heed to Jewish myths and
commandments of men and not to the Law (v14). It is therefore also evident according
to the context, that Paul’s words in verse 15 are once again to do with the oral law’s
commandments regarding impurity and not the law of God.
TITUS 1: 15-16
To the pure all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is
pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God, but in
their works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient and reprobate to every good
work.
It is to every good work that Yahweh would have us be zealous.
TITUS 2: 11-14
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that having
denied ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live discreetly, righteously and godly, in this
present world, looking for the blessed hope, and the appearance of the glory of our great God
and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and
purify to Himself a special people, zealous of good works.
ACTS 21: 19-20
And having greeted them, he related one by one what things God had done among the
nations by his ministry. And hearing, they glorified the Lord, and said to him, You see, brother,
how many thousands of Jews there are who believe, and they are all zealous of the Law.
There is one faith, one Lord, one baptism. There is no difference between Jew and
gentile when both are circumcised of heart. We are all to be zealous for the Law, for
that it is our instruction for good works. Though we should not lose sight of the most
wonderful work of our salvation in Yahshua, yet still we are to pursue these good works
of the Law for they are right and profitable for us.
TITUS 3: 4-8
But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the
washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by His grace, we should become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life. Faithful is the Word, and as to these things, I desire that
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you strongly affirm that those believing God might be careful to maintain good works. These
things are good and profitable to men.
What is not profitable to men is the oral law, identified in Paul’s following words by
their context.
TITUS 3: 9-11
But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions, and strivings about the Law,
for they are unprofitable and vain. After the first and second warning, reject a man of heresy,
knowing that he who is such has been perverted, and sins, being self-condemned.
Sin is transgression of the Law, so Paul cannot be speaking about the law of God in this
passage, but rather the Jews’ oral law. Their unprofitable and vain system was designed
to justify people without the grace of God, which only led them to self-condemnation.
The book of Hebrews begins by declaring that Yahweh has spoken to the fathers of
Israel in the past by the prophets, but has now spoken to us by His Son. We should ask
the question as to whether it would really make much sense, for all of the prophets to
have been calling God’s people back to His law, only for the Son to arrive on the scene
and give the opposite message? This volume has hopefully shown that this is not what
our Messiah did. Yahweh did not cease from calling His people back to the Law when
He sent Yahshua, but instead sent the ultimate witness to it. Indeed, it has become clear
throughout this study that the Son is the manifestation of the Law, which the scriptures
declare as righteousness, and the author of the book of Hebrews goes on to tell us that
the Son loves righteousness.
HEBREWS 1: 8-9
But to the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A sceptre of righteousness
is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore
God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows."
Because the Son loves righteousness, He is anointed with the oil of gladness; keeping
the Law brings joy. Because the Son has entirely loved righteousness and fully hated
sin, He has therefore been anointed with more gladness than anyone else before Him.
And because He loves the Law, He will reign with a sceptre of righteousness, which is
the enforcement of the Law (just as the prophets declared). There is no change to the
message of the prophets, because the Son does not change.
HEBREWS 1: 11-12
They [the heavens and earth] shall perish, but You will remain. And they shall all become
old as a garment, and as a covering You shall fold them up, and they shall be changed. But You
are the same, and Your years shall not fail."
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The Son is the Word made flesh, the Law personified, and He never changes. The author
to the Hebrews makes this statement at the beginning of His letter and at the end, thus
bookending his words with this eternal truth.
HEBREWS 13: 7-8
Remember those leading you, who have spoken to you the Word of God, whose faith
follow, considering the end of their conduct: Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and
forever.
Therefore we are to be fashioned in the same mould as Yahshua, obedient to the Law.
To do otherwise results in death.
HEBREWS 2: 1-3
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest
at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels [the Law – Acts 7:53] was
steadfast, and if every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward,
how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by
the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by those who heard Him…
Remember, if we neglect the Law, then that is the same thing as neglecting Yahshua.
Salvation is both in His blood (forgiveness) and in His flesh (the Word). Forgiveness is
received first as salvation through grace, but then we need to hold onto the Word that
sanctifies us.
HEBREWS 2: 9-11
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honour, that He by the grace of God should taste death for all. For it
became Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons into
glory, to perfect the Captain of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies
and they who are sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them
brothers…
Moses and Messiah both testified of the same Word.
HEBREWS 3: 5-6
And Moses truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things
which were to be spoken afterward. But [And] Christ was faithful as a Son over his own house;
whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the
end.
We are therefore not to harden our hearts to His voice.
HEBREWS 3: 7-10
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers
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tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was grieved with that
generation and said, They always err in their heart, and they have not known My ways.
As was mentioned earlier in this book, to have not known the ways of Yahweh was to
have not followed them, for the Israelites of Moses’ day were certainly aware of them.
We should therefore not depart from the living God, which is departing from His ways.
HEBREWS 3: 12
Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from
the living God.
The ways of Yahweh in the time of Moses were the same as those preached by Yahshua
and His disciples. It is the same Word, the same gospel that we are to faithfully adhere
to.
HEBREWS 4: 2
For also we have had the gospel preached, as well as them. But the Word preached did not
profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
We are therefore to continue labouring in the Word.
HEBREWS 4: 10-11
For he who has entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did
from His. Therefore let us labour to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example
of unbelief.
The fact that we still have to “labour” to enter into this “rest” shows that we still need
to keep the Law. We are still struggling to bring peace out of our internal chaos, just as
God spent six days bringing the universe that He made into order.
In order to obtain the mercy and grace that we need to bring our own lives into harmony
with Yahweh, we are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace (in the heavens).
HEBREWS 4: 14-16
Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our profession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched
with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.
Though only the Aaronic high priest can enter into the Holy of Holies in the physical
temple, every one of us has open access to the heavenly temple. This is because our
forgiveness from sins means that we are guiltless in the courts of heaven. But until we
have worked out our own salvation and become free from sin, we would not be able to
enter into the physical temple where our current sinfulness would still be noted. Only
careful preparation once a year by the high priest allowed one to enter into the Holy of
Holies (Leviticus 16).
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Hence the earthly high priest serves as an example of our heavenly high priest, Who
operates within the Melchizedek priesthood; about which the author to the Hebrews
says that he would like to say more, but that his listeners are too uneducated for him to
do so (5:11). To remedy this, he says that they need to learn again the first principles of
the oracles of God (which have previously been associated with the law of God). Indeed
these oracles of God are referred to in verse 13 as the “Word of Righteousness”, which
can only be the Law.
In the next chapter (6:1), the phrase “repentance from dead works” is mentioned. It must
be noted that these “works” are not the works of the Law, for when has Yahweh ever
asked us to repent from keeping His law? But dead works are sinful works; those that
are in opposition to the Law and which result in death.
Chapters 7 to 10 of Hebrews then reveal how the temple system is an earthly pattern of
a heavenly reality (7:11, 8:2+5, 9:1+11+20+23-24, 10:1+4). Its purpose was never to save
(7:11+19, 10:1+4) but to act as a representation of a heavenly reality regarding our need
for atonement and its fulfillment in Messiah. The author of this letter uses these chapters
to explain this in several ways, showing how our Messiah fulfilled (but not abolished)
this system.
In chapter 7, the author of Hebrews essentially explains that the Aaronic priesthood has
always been in subservience to the Melchizedek priesthood (which Yahshua holds) and
therefore Yahshua is able to act as a high priest of a better covenant, even though He
Himself is not descended from Aaron. The importance of this truth is that the Levitical
priesthood cannot make us perfect (vs11,19); it can only act vicariously to temporarily
cover over our sins (10:1-4). So those who are repenting come out from being under the
authority of the Law to the authority of Yahshua, and it’s this transference of authority
that the author of Hebrews speaks of in verse 12.
HEBREWS 7: 12
For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made in the law also.
The words used for “changed” and “change” in this verse are better translated in the
context as “transferred” and “transfer”.
Changed - G3346 – μετατίθημι - metatithēmi - met-at-ith'-ay-mee
From G3326 and G5087; to transfer, that is, (literally) transport, (by implication) exchange,
(reflexively) change sides, or (figuratively) pervert: - carry over, change, remove, translate,
turn.
Change - G3331 – μετάθεσις – metathesis - met-ath'-es-is
From G3346; transposition, that is, transferral (to heaven), disestablishment (of a law): change, removing, translation.
Note that even when a Bible translation says, “changed”, it does not say, ‘done away’.
The Douay-Rheims Bible comes the closest to the true meaning of the word by using
“translated”.
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Later in the chapter, verse 18 appears to be saying that the temple system has been “put
away”. But again, it is the authority of this system which has been put away, by its
transference to Yahshua, which is made clear in the full meaning of the word used for
“commandment”.
Commandment – 1785 - ἐντολή - entolē - en-tol-ay'
From G1781; injunction, that is, an authoritative prescription: - commandment, precept.
HEBREWS 7: 18
For truly there is a putting away of the commandment [authoritative prescription] which
went before, because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it.
Because Yahshua became a priest under the Melchizedek priesthood on the basis of
having an endless life (due to his perfection) and not because of fleshly descent as with
the Aaronic priests (v16), His mediation on our behalf is eternally available to us and
therefore He brings in a better hope and covenant, as the rest of chapter 7 proceeds to
tell us. And where the Levitical system could only ever cover over our sins temporarily,
never actually taking them away, Yahshua in His as role as a Melchizedek priest
actually takes away our sin completely.
HEBREWS 7: 19+25
For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we
draw near to God… Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto
God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.
This “better hope” is not a completely new covenant, but the revelation of what the
temple system is all about. The Greek word “epeisagōgē” translated as “bringing in”
has the meaning of a “superintroduction” and refers to Messiah. When Yahshua took
up His role as a priest after the order of Melchizedek, He established our salvation as
fore-shadowed in the Law. This is made most clear in the next chapter, but examining
the Greek words for “better” and “hope” indicates as much.
Better - G2909 – κρείττων - kreittōn - krite'-tohn
Comparative of a derivative of G2904; stronger, that is, (figuratively) better, that is, nobler: best, better.
Hope - G1680 - ἐλπίς – elpis - el-pece'
Fromἔλπω elpō which is a primary word (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation
(abstract or concrete) or confidence: - faith, hope.
This will be explained more going forward, but the transfer of authority from the Law
to Yahshua in the matter of priesthood and sacrifice gives us a stronger confidence in
the truth. When the things that have been foreshadowed are actually manifested in
Yahshua, we can take more confidence in the words that Yahweh has spoken. This is
what Peter is saying in his second letter.
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2 PETER 1: 17-19
For He received honour and glory from God the Father, when was borne to Him a voice
from the excellent glory, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard
this voice being borne from Heaven, being with Him in the holy mountain. We also have a more
sure Word of prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark
place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts…
However, there is also an additional element to Yahshua’s role as high priest, which
has to do with the covenant. The covenant deals with the land of Israel which is reserved
for the people of God (Genesis 17, Exodus 6) only when they keep His commandments
(Exodus 19:1-8, Leviticus 26). Now the old covenant relied on men (Aaronic priests). The
kingdoms of Israel and Judah went astray many times and the duties of the priests were
not always fulfilled, so there was no covering of sin for them as a nation during these
times. But the renewed covenant has an eternal and faithful high priest, which means
that when true Israel have been restored to the land in the Millennium, they will never
be exposed to the wrath of the nations as with disobedient Israel in the past. In this way
the covenant is better than it was before, now that the transfer of priestly authority has
been completed.
HEBREWS 7: 20-22
And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for those priests were made
without an oath, but this one was made with an oath by Him who said to Him, "The Lord swore
and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,") by so much was
Jesus made a surety of a better covenant.
This isn’t another covenant that is better, but the same covenant made better. There is
a world of difference. And this is why throughout the scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks
of the everlasting covenant.
The other improvement of the renewed covenant is that it only incorporates those who
accept Yahshua, now that He holds the priestly authority. No longer will those who are
obedient to Yahweh be at the mercy of the disobedient, and the hold that the obedient
will have on the land of Israel will not be lost because of the disobedient.
HEBREWS 8: 6-12
But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much He is also the Mediator of
a better covenant, which was built upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been
without fault, then no place would have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them,
He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make an end on the house
of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be, not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt," because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not regard them, says the
Lord. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not each man teach his neighbour, and each
man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.
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For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember
no more."
So the Levitical priesthood will no longer be the basis upon which the national covenant
will be upheld. But Yahshua did not come to do away with this priesthood, for it still
serves as an example and shadow of heavenly things.
HEBREWS 7: 28 - 8: 5
For the Law appoints men high priests who have infirmity, but the word of the swearing of
an oath, after the Law, has consecrated the Son forever, having been perfected. Now the sum
of the things which we have spoken is this: We have such a High Priest, who has sat down on
the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer
gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One have something to offer also. For if
indeed He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer gifts
according to the Law, who serve the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was
warned of God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For, He says "See that you make all
things according to the pattern shown to you in the mountain."
Now as the renewed covenant has not yet been instituted (we have not returned to the
Land and we will not until the Millennial reign of Messiah begins) we are currently inbetween the two covenants.
HEBREWS 8: 13
In that He says, A new covenant, He has made the first one old. Now that which decays
and becomes old is ready to vanish away.
Note the present tense in this verse. The old covenant has not yet passed, but is ready
to do so the moment Yahshua returns in all of His glory.
With the more excellent ministry that Yahshua has obtained, He is currently in the
process of preparing our home for us (see Prophecies of the New Creation), but the new
covenant will not be realised until He returns to establish us in His Father’s kingdom.
MATTHEW 26: 27-29
And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink all of it. For this is
My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to
you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it new with
you in My Father's kingdom.
Remember, remission of sins existed before the renewed covenant. Yahshua is pointing
specifically here to the remission of sins for the whole house of Israel, so that they may
return to the Land. We keep communion as a reminder that the covenant is still in the
process of being renewed and awaits fulfilment.
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1 CORINTHIANS 11: 24-26
And giving thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body, which is broken for
you; this do in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also, after supping,
saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; as often as you drink it, do this in
remembrance of Me." For "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show" the
Lord's death until He shall come.
The old covenant still keeps the Jews in bondage to their enemies in the land of Israel
until this day, and will result in their expulsion from it one last time when the armies of
the antichrist tread down Jerusalem for forty-two months (Luke 21:24, Revelation 11:2).
Only then will the old covenant pass away and be fully renewed at Yahshua’s return.
Hebrews 9 then provides us with a passage that at first reading makes it seem as though
the Levitical system has been done away.
HEBREWS 9: 6-10
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first
tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone
once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the
people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made
manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then
present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the
service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and
divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
It seems as though the text is saying that the way into heaven was not possible whilst
the temple was still standing. But certain elements need to be looked at more carefully.
To start with, why does the author only mention the first tabernacle as still standing
(that is the outer tabernacle, containing the showbread and lampstand) and not also the
second tabernacle (the inner tabernacle where God’s presence dwelt)? The answer is
because the temple as a whole is not the issue, only the first (outer) tabernacle. And this
is because it prevents access to the Holy of Holies, by requiring us to be perfect; the
entrant is faced with the holy showbread and lamplight in the outer tabernacle, both of
which represent the word of God which we need to be in full accordance with in order
to enter His presence without being consumed by His glory. The high priest can only
enter the inner tabernacle after very meticulous preparation and the shedding of blood
to cover his sins, which pictures the atonement of Messiah.
The next point of consideration is that between 30AD and 70AD the temple still stood,
so does this mean that the way into the holiest of all was not made manifest until 70AD?
When one looks at various translations of verses 8 to 10, one realises that it is not evident
what the Greek is really trying to say. Different tenses are used (some Bibles use past
tense, some present, and some a mixture of both) none of which make much sense if
we hold on to the surface reading of the text, which is that the tabernacle had to be
destroyed in order to open up the way into the heavenly Holy of Holies. If this passage
is saying that the way into the holiest of all was not made manifest while the first
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tabernacle still stood, yet we know that Yahshua entered into the holiest of all (in the
heavens) forty years before the temple ceased to stand, then the translations of this verse
that provide this interpretation must be inaccurate. In light of the context of chapters 7
to 10, which is the transferring of authority from the Levitical to the Melchizedek
priesthood, it would seem that Darby’s translation is probably closest.
…the Holy Spirit shewing this, that the way of the holy of holies has not yet been made
manifest while as yet the first tabernacle has its standing…
Darby
This translation would seem to be saying that the way into the holy of holies is not
manifest whilst the first tabernacle has any legal force (has standing). For as long as our
justification is dependent upon keeping the word of God perfectly, the first tabernacle
prevents us from going in. It is a symbol of the need for wholeness and by extension
the need for Yahshua.
It is also a representation of the fact that ritual and sacrifice cannot make us whole, as
was evident in many of the prophets’ writings when they castigated the people for
thinking that they could sin all they wanted as long as they went through with the temple
rites. The fact that the high priest has to enter the temple every year with additional
sacrifices to atone for the people, is a representation of the fact that these rituals and
sacrifices have no lasting effect; that they do not make a person sinless and are pointless
if the individual is not repenting. This message is just as pertinent to us today as to the
people of the past, so verse 9 is best expressed in the present tense (which is the case in
most Bible translations).
This also has a meaning for today. It shows that we cannot make our consciences clear by
offering gifts and sacrifices.
CEV
(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices
are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper…
ESV
…the which is an image for the present time, according to which both gifts and sacrifices,
unable to perfect as to conscience him that worshipped, are offered…
Darby
Which is a parable of the time present: according to which gifts and sacrifices are offered,
which cannot, as to the conscience, make him perfect that serveth, only in meats and in drinks…
DRB
The instructions for the temple, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were given to
provide a pattern of the heavenly temple and its ordinations (Hebrews 8:4-5, Zechariah
3:8) and thus the earthly temple is a figure (a representation) of the need for Yahshua
to meet the requirements of the Law for our justification. Access to the throne of heaven
through forgiveness has always been open to the repentant (Isaiah 6:1-7), so the temple
did not stand in the way of that. It is simply a physical representation of a spiritual truth
and therefore always has meaning.
This present tense of verse 9 runs into verse 10, revealing that the time of reformation
has not yet happened.
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HEBREWS 9: 9-10
…According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the
conscience of the worshiper but deal only with food and drink and various washings,
regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
ESV
The “time of reformation” is the end of the Millennial period, when all things have been
put under the feet of Messiah (1 Corinthians 15:24-25, Hebrews 10:12-13).
Reformation - G1357 – διόρθωσις - diorthōsis - dee-or'-tho-sis
From a compound of G1223 and a derivative of G3717, meaning to straighten thoroughly;
rectification, that is, (specifically) the Messianic restoration: - reformation.
Translations that put verse 9 into the past tense must also do so with verse 10, which
requires additional words to be added to enforce the theology that the temple system
had been done away and that it only applied to people in the past. The translators of the
King James used italics to show that they were adding the past tense to their Bible.
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances,
imposed on them until the time of reformation.
KJV
The King James gives the impression that the time of reformation was the beginning of
the New Testament, not something in the future. By imposing a past tense translation,
these theologians upheld a belief that Yahshua came to change what had gone before,
rather than to fulfil it. But the present tense translation tells us that the Levitical system
is imposed until sin is no more and everything in creation has either been brought into
agreement with the holiness of God or been destroyed, which is consistent with the Old
Testament prophecies.
So nothing read so far reveals that the temple system has been done away. As noted in
chapter 5 of this letter to the Hebrews, the author speaks of the Levitical priesthood in
the present tense as an order that still has validity, irrespective of whether it can still
operate or not in the current absence of a temple. The destruction of the temple was not
an abolition, but a punishment to the Jewish leadership for perverting the ways of God.
From the moment they crucified His Son, Yahweh mourned (Luke 23:44-45). Though it
is generally taught that the tearing of the veil at the moment of Yahshua’s death was
symbolic of the fact that the way into heaven was now open to all, the truth is that
heaven has always been open to the repentant (as noted in Isaiah 6 and in the account of
the heavenly translation of Enoch and Elijah) and nowhere in scripture is the tearing of
the veil actually explained (which one would expect it to be if it bore deep theological
meaning). It seems more likely that in accordance with the darkening of the sun for
three hours, the tearing of the veil was analogous of Yahweh tearing His robes in grief.
He then gave the Jews forty years to repent, with many signs to do so (as recorded in
Jewish and secular histories), before finally destroying the whole system that they had
abused, just as He did before the Babylonian captivity, which clearly was not evidence
that He was abolishing the system at that time; theology must be consistent.
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The author of this letter then proceeds to tell us how Yahshua fulfils the meaning of the
temple and how He redeems us from sin. The temple sacrifices sanctify the flesh, but
Yahshua’s sacrifice sanctifies the spirit.
HEBREWS 9: 13-14
For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean
sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ (who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God) purge your conscience from dead works
to serve the living God?
Remember that dead works are sinful works, not the following of the Law. And note
that an extra point is made in brackets with reference to the “eternal Spirit”; this points
out that we too are to live in the Spirit, which brings us into conformity with the Law.
The washings that accompanied the sacrifices, represent the Word, in which we are to
be washed in order to become perfect (Ephesians 5:25-27). The blood of Messiah does
us no good without repentance.
We are then told that the blood of Messiah is also effective for those in the past, who
received the blood of animals as a representation of Messiah’s blood. It is the same
covenant that applies to the past as well as to the future, but it is renewed through the
actual blood of Yahshua in fulfilment of the Old Testament types.
HEBREWS 9: 15, 19-20
And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new [renewed] covenant, so that by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, those who
are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance… For when Moses had spoken every
precept to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with
water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, saying,
"This is the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined to you."
It is all one everlasting covenant, but it was renewed upon the fulfilment of the types
that foreshadowed its consummation. The rest of the chapter proceeds to tell us how
this was done by our Messiah.
Chapter 10 then returns to the point made by the prophets, which is that animal sacrifice
in itself was never pleasing to Yahweh, because it achieved nothing on its own.
HEBREWS 10: 5-7
Therefore when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering You did not
desire, but You have prepared a body for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have
had no pleasure. Then I said, Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me) to do
Your will, O God."
One might note that these prophetic words assigned to Yahshua are quoted from Psalm
40:6-8 but yet do not include the appendage, “and Your Law is within my heart”. Is this
because God changed His mind about that part? We know that Yahshua fulfilled the
Law in spirit as well as by letter, so He surely had it in His heart. It is more likely that
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Paul does not quote these additional words because he is focusing solely on the
sacrificial aspect of Yahshua’s ministry at this time, not on the obedience aspect. In
fact, only ten verses later (v16) Paul notes that the covenant involves God writing His
laws on our hearts.
So Yahweh was only pleased when sacrifices were made with repentant hearts, because
animal sacrifice is intended to show the need for Yahshua’s sacrifice, to remind us just
how serious sin is. We still need that reminder, perhaps today more than ever. So we
need to understand a verse (10:9) that makes it seem as though the temple sacrifices
were done away forever.
HEBREWS 10: 8-9
Above, when He said, "Sacrifice and offering, and burnt offerings and offering for sin You
did not desire, neither did You have pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the Law),
then He said, "Lo, I come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first so that He may
establish the second.
This is universally agreed by modern translators to mean that the temple system was
intentionally done away by Messiah. But the Greek word translated as “takes away”
has an altogether different meaning in the context of Yahshua fulfilling (not abolishing)
the sacrifices, just as He fulfilled and did not abolish the rest of the Law.
Takes Away - G337 - ἀναιρέω - anaireō - an-ahee-reh'-o
From G303 and (the active of) G138; to take up, that is, adopt; by implication to take away
(violently), that is, abolish, murder: - put to death, kill, slay, take away, take up.
Yahshua took up, adopted, the law of sacrifices; He fulfilled them, made them His own,
identified with them. This would appear to be the true meaning in accordance with the
rest of scripture, rather than the alternative interpretation of destroying.
Though the latter interpretation of this word is used almost exclusively in the rest of the
New Testament, such as in Matthew 2:16, there is one other place where this Greek word
is used with the adoptive meaning, which is in Acts 7:21, when speaking of the adoption
of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
At this point it may be worth recalling that Jacob is recorded in Genesis as offering
sacrifices to Yahweh on two occasions: the first when he was still called Jacob, and the
second when he was called Israel (Genesis 31:54, 46:1). This may be indicative that we
are still to be making animal sacrifices even when redeemed. It is at least something to
consider.
The author of Hebrews then focuses on the intention of the covenant, that Yahweh’s
laws will be put into the hearts and minds of His followers and that their sins will be
expunged from the record (vs15-17). He then states that there is no more offering for
sin where remission of sin has been granted (v18), but the context is referring to the sins
of a collective and not of an individual; verses 12-13 point to the end of the Millennium,
just as verses 15-17 quote from Jeremiah, who also points to the end of the Millennial
reign of Messiah.
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JEREMIAH 31: 34
And they shall no more teach each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying,
Know YHVH; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says
YHVH. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
Offerings for sin still need to be made until that time in order to highlight the seriousness
of sin and encourage repentance, until everyone knows (is like) Messiah. Only then will
offerings for sin cease, because everyone who desires righteousness will have accepted
Yahshua’s truly effectual offering for sin and been perfected through Him.
In verse 20, the “new and living way” that is mentioned is not some new shortcut into
the presence of God, as though obedience on our part is no longer required, but it is the
“renewed and living way”, the same way that it has always been through purification
in the Blood, in the Spirit and in the Word (1 John 5:7-9). The author notes this in verse
26, where he says that obedience is still required.
HEBREWS 10: 26-27
For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no
more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which
shall devour the adversaries.
This does not speak of a single wilful sin that forever damns us, but a return to a sinful
way of life that we never repent from, as was earlier noted in Ezekiel.
EZEKIEL 18: 24, 26-28
But when the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and does
according to all the abominations that the wicked do, shall he live? All his righteousness that
he has done shall not be remembered; in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that
he has sinned, in them he shall die… When a righteous one turns away from his righteousness
and commits iniquity and dies in them; for his iniquity that he has done, he shall die. Again,
when the wicked turns away from his wickedness that he has committed and does that which
is lawful and righteous, he shall save his soul alive. Because he looks carefully, and turns away
from all his sins that he has committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
This is what the people of Israel did time and again; they were not cast out of the Land
for not being perfect, but for turning away from the Law altogether. If we stop repenting
and go back to our sins, which is the breaking of the Law (the truth), then the sacrifice
of Yahshua is of no use to us. Our confidence lies in the atonement of Yahshua only as
long as we are holding “fast the profession of our faith”. The faith has never changed,
it has only been more firmly established by its fulfilment in Yahshua, which is applied
retrospectively to the saints of the past and gives greater confidence to those of us in
the present.
It should also be noted that this turning away from the faith is different to the falling
away that is mentioned in Hebrews 6:4-6. There are two different Greek words used, one
in Ezekiel 18:24 (from the Septuagint) that means to turn away or retreat, and another in
Hebrews 6 that means to apostatize.
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Turns Away - G654 - ἀποστρέφω - apostrephō - ap-os-tref'-o
From G575 and G4762; to turn away or back (literally or figuratively): - bring again, pervert,
turn away (from).
Fall Away - G3895 – παραπίπτω - parapiptō - par-ap-ip'-to
From G3844 and G4098; to fall aside, that is, (figuratively) to apostatize: - fall away.
The former would appear to apply to those who turn away for a while due to one or
more factors, such as hardship or temptation (like David and Solomon) and who can
still repent afterwards (James 5:19-20). The latter would appear to apply only to those
who have wilfully rejected a sure knowledge of the truth (like Judas), as the context in
Hebrews suggests.
HEBREWS 6: 4-6
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and
the powers of the world to come, and who have fallen away; it is impossible, I say, to renew
them again to repentance, since they crucify the Son of God afresh to themselves and put Him
to an open shame.
This is not a case of someone turning away because of a lack of faith, or being blinded
to the truth of their sinful behaviour due to arrogance or pride, but knowingly perverting
the faith by dispensing with the Law that Yahshua died for us to keep.
Returning to Hebrews 10, there is a similar distinction.
HEBREWS 10: 28-29
He who despised Moses' Law died without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses.
Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy of punishment,
the one who has trampled the Son of God, and who has counted the blood of the covenant
with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
It is one thing to simply disobey the Law, from which there can always be repentance,
and another to knowingly distort it into a gospel that says the Spirit of grace is a licence
to sin (break the Law) as did Balaam, rather than the means to keep it and become holy.
The writer to the Hebrews therefore encourages God’s people not to cast away their
confidence, which has great reward when the Messiah returns (vs 35-39).
In chapter 11 we then have many examples of how believers kept the faith, which was
not just an intellectual assent but a living obedience to what Yahweh instructed them to
do. Like us they had not received the promise (v13, 1 John 2:25) but will receive it at the
same time we do when Yahshua returns.
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HEBREWS 11: 39-40
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, did not receive the promise,
for God had provided some better thing for us, that they should not be made perfect without
us.
In chapter 12, we are therefore exhorted to allow Yahweh to chasten us so that we might
be made into His righteous image. The writer to the Hebrews quotes from the Law when
he makes this exhortation (vs5-6), which is taken from Deuteronomy.
DEUTERONOMY 8: 5-6
And you have known with your heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so YHVH your God
chastens you. And you shall keep the commandments of YHVH your God, to walk in His ways
and to fear Him.
If the chastening from our heavenly father in the time of Moses was for the purpose of
keeping us in His ways and to fearfully keep His commandments, then surely that is the
same purpose now?
HEBREWS 12: 9-11
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them
reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For truly
they chastened us for a few days according to their own pleasure, but He for our profit, that
we might be partakers of His holiness. Now chastening for the present does not seem to be
joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to
those who are exercised by it.
The writer then goes on to compare Mount Sinai with Mount Zion (vs18-26) as did Paul
in Galatians, and once again this is not a comparison between law and grace but between
rebellion and obedience. We are not to be rebellious as the children of Israel were at
Mount Sinai.
HEBREWS 12: 25, 28-29
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape, those who refused
him that spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks
from Heaven... Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have
grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for also, "Our God
is a consuming fire."
We are therefore to pay attention to the Word of God that has been delivered to us,
which will conform us into the image of Yahshua, Who is the same yesterday and today
and forever.
HEBREWS 13: 7-8
Remember those leading you, who have spoken to you the Word of God, whose faith
follow, considering the end of their conduct: Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and
forever.
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Once again we have the word “end”, which is the Greek word “telos”, which means the
finishing point, the target to aim for. No one would interpret the above passage to mean
that the apostles had stopped conducting themselves according to the ways of Messiah,
but rather in accordance with them. And the word of God never changes, and so it will
keep us from being led astray into different and stray doctrines.
HEBREWS 13: 9-10
Do not be carried about with different and strange doctrines, for it is good for the heart to
be established with grace, not with foods, in which those who have walked in them were not
helped. We have an altar of which they have no right to eat, those who serve the tabernacle.
Here the writer to the Hebrews is speaking of the priests of the temple who belong to
the corrupted religion of Judaism and who have not received the Messiah, nor His word,
and who therefore make and eat from sacrifices that cannot help them in their hypocrisy.
This is not a word against the temple system but against those who are running it. They
do not embrace true believers and will not allow them into the temple, so the writer to
the Hebrews encourages believers to identify with Yahshua, Who was also cast out
from His Father’s house.
HEBREWS 13: 11-14
For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the Holy of Holies by the high
priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the
people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him
outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one
to come.
Since true believers were prevented from offering sacrifices according to the Law, they
were encouraged to continue with offering sacrifices of praise from their lips (just as
they would have sung hymns of praise in the temple) as well as the most important acts
of praise; doing good works according to the rest of Yahweh’s commandments. This is
the same boat in which we find ourselves today.
HEBREWS 13: 15-16
By Him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our
lips, confessing His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased…
The author of this letter finally wraps it up by noting that we are all saved through the
same everlasting covenant, the same blood of the great Shepherd of the sheep.
HEBREWS 13: 20-21
Now may the God of peace (who brought again our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great
Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant) make you perfect in
every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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John begins this book by stating that he bears witness of three things: the Word of God,
the testimony of Yahshua, and the things which were shown to him in his vision. It is
to be noted that the witness of the Word of God and the testimony of Yahshua often go
hand in hand throughout this book of prophecy (1:2+9, 3:8, 6:9, 12:17, 14:12, 20:4) for
Yahshua is the Word of God, and the Word of God without Him is therefore
meaningless. That the Word of God means the written word in this context, and is not
being used as a designation of Yahshua, is extrapolated from verses 12:17 and 14:12.
John receives his vision on the Lord’s day (v10). Many teach that this is Sunday, but
Yahshua said that He is lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5), so the
Biblical evidence would suggest the seventh day (Saturday). As was noted in the book
of Acts, the Sabbath never changed.
It is significant that Yahshua first appears to John in His transfigured state with a twoedged sword coming out of His mouth (v16) because this sword is the word of God used
in judgement (Hebrews 4:2, Psalm 149:6). This is particularly important to the church of
Pergamos (v12) who have entertained the teachings of Balaam (v14) which previously
brought a curse upon Yahweh’s people by getting them to break His law (Numbers
31:16). The church of Pergamos is instructed to repent, otherwise Yahshua will judge
the rebellious among them by His law (v16). That the Law still matters is thus evident
from this call to repentance.
Yahshua then makes the first of three mentions in Revelation of the “rod of iron”, which
is drawn from Psalm 2.
REVELATION 2: 26-27
And he who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, to him I will give power over the
nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter they will be broken
to pieces, even as I received from My Father.
When Yahshua says that those who keep His works will be given power over the
nations, it should be clear that the works that He speaks of are the works of the Law
(John 14:12-15). Yahshua kept the Law, and we are to act as He did, keeping the Law
that frees us from sin. Thus those who overcome the ways of the world and keep the
ways of Yahweh will be fit to rule in the Millennium, a period of time when the Law
will go forth from Jerusalem and Messiah’s people will reign with a rod of iron;
enforcing the Law in all the nations, who will be punished if they do not recognise
Yahshua’s sovereignty over them as King of kings (Zechariah 14:16-18).
To the church in Sardis, Yahshua tells them that He has not found their works being
fulfilled before God (3:2), which means that they have not being doing the works of
God. They are therefore told to remember what they received (the Law) and to hold fast
to it, lest He come upon them like a thief (3:3). Through this metaphor, Yahshua is
clearly referring to what He told His disciples in Matthew 25 and what Paul expanded
upon in 1 Thessalonians 5. If we are not paying attention to His law, then we will become
as one of the foolish virgins who misses the marriage supper of the Lamb, and instead
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He will come upon us like a thief, taking from us that which He had already given
(Matthew 25:29-30). But if we do hold fast to His word, then He promises not to blot out
our name from the Book of Life (3:5) which is what Yahweh eventually did to the
rebellious Israelites who would not keep His law (Exodus 32:32-35). Instead, Yahshua
will blot out our sins (Psalm 51:1+9).
The church in Philadelphia is the only church that does not have any criticisms levelled
against it, and this is because they have kept Yahshua’s word and not denied His name
(3:8). He will therefore make those who call themselves Jews “and are not” (Romans
2:28-29, 9:6-9) to bow down before them (3:9), and this because they have kept the Word
of His patience (3:10), which means that they have been faithful to His word unto the
end (Luke 8:15, 21:16-19, Romans 2:5-10, Hebrews 6:10-12, 10:35-36, James 1:2-4, 5:11,
Revelation 13:7-10, 14:12-13). If we are faithful to the Word now, then we will not have
to endure the hour of temptation (3:10) mentioned in Revelation 13 and 14, which likely
means that we will not be subject to its curses (18:4).
Finally Yahshua speaks to the church of Laodicea. The believers of this church think
that they are rich because of their material prosperity, but in fact they are poor in relation
to the spirit and character of Yahweh (3:17). Yahshua therefore exhorts them to three
things:



Buy gold purified by fire from Him
Buy white clothing
Anoint their eyes with eye salve
Gold is symbolic of holiness; the Holy of Holies was covered in gold, and Job said that
He would come forth as gold after life’s trials had refined him (Job 23:10). It would
therefore seem that Yahshua is asking us to buy holiness from Him. As the Law makes
us holy in association with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is given as a gift,
Yahshua can therefore only be speaking of the Law when He asks us to buy holiness
from Him. This makes sense when we acknowledge that keeping the Law is the one
thing that we need to do ourselves in order to become holy. Thus the price that Yahshua
requires from us is obedience. But the Laodicean believers are valuing physical gold
over holiness, which is the reverse of how thing should be.
PSALM 119: 127
…I love Your Commandments above gold; yea, even fine gold.
That the gold which we are to buy from Yahshua is to be purified by fire is yet further
evidence that He is speaking of the Law, because if we consider that gold is being used
here to refer to money in general (which is also represented by silver - Psalm 119:72)
then the Psalms reveal the identity of this metaphor.
PSALM 12: 6
The Words of YHVH are pure Words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven
times.
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The word of God is pure, holy and perfect. It therefore cannot be purified any more.
This is why no one is to modify or change the commandments; any changes will only
introduce impurity. And because the Word is pure, so those who keep it through all
life’s trials will also become pure.
1 PETER 1: 7
…so that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that perishes,
but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honour and glory at the revelation
of Jesus Christ…
This also explains why New Jerusalem will be paved with transparent gold, because it
is symbolic of us walking the Way in purity.
REVELATION 21: 21
…And the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent glass.
The white clothing that we are to buy also speaks of holiness, as revealed later on in the
chapter.
REVELATION 19: 8
And to her [the wife of the Lamb] was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.
This also explains why Yahshua is clothed in white in His transfigured state, as are the
angels (Matthew 17:2, 28:3, Mark 9:3, Luke 9:29, Acts 1:10, Revelation 3:5, 4:4, 15:6, 19:14).
White garments represent spotlessness, which is how we are to be (1 Timothy 6:13-14).
Without the garment of righteousness we are not accepted.
MATTHEW 22: 8-14
Then he said to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they who were invited were not
worthy. Therefore go into the exits of the highways, and as many as you shall find, invite them
to the marriage. So the servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as
they found, both bad and good. And the wedding was filled with reclining guests. And the king
coming in to look over the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
And he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without having a wedding garment? And
he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot and take him
away, and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For
many are called, but few chosen.
The man in the parable thought that it was enough to just attend the wedding. He wanted
to enjoy the good things of the occasion, but he had not put on Messiah (Romans 13:1214). He was speechless, likely because the word of God was not in him, and so he was
cast out.
Eye salve can also be understood to be a metaphor for the Law, as it enables us to see
spiritually (Romans 7:7).
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PSALM 19: 7-13
The Law of YHVH is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of YHVH is sure, making the
simple wise. The Precepts of YHVH are right, rejoicing the heart; the Commandments of YHVH
are pure, giving light to the eyes. The fear of YHVH is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of
YHVH are true and righteous altogether, more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. And Your servant is warned by them; in keeping
them there is great reward. Who can understand his errors? Oh make me pure from secret
faults; and keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins; do not let them rule over me; then
I shall be upright, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.
How many of the believers in Laodicea were praying with this on their heart, instead
of being concerned with material benefits? Earthly riches are by no means bad, but if
we are to receive them, then it is only to be as a bonus.
2 CHRONICLES 1: 11-12
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches,
wealth, nor honour, nor the life of your enemies, nor yet have asked for long life but have asked
wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may judge My people, over whom I have made
you king; wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and
honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before you, nor shall any after you
have the like.
MATTHEW 6: 33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added
to you.
John is then shown what will happen after these things (4:1).
In addition to the many correlations of those who keep God’s commandments and have
the testimony of Yahshua, there are also hints and even clear indications that the Law
is being preached as a witness to the people during these final days before the
Millennium. The most obvious witness of the Word being preached is in Revelation 14.
REVELATION 14: 6
And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to
those dwelling on the earth, even to every nation and kindred and tongue and people…
And in Revelation 10, John is shown an angel that is presenting a little book to the world.
REVELATION 10: 8-11
And the voice which I heard from Heaven spoke to me again, and said, Go, take the little
book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth. And I went
to the angel and said to him, Give me the little book. And he said to me, Take it and eat it up,
and it will make your belly bitter, but it will be sweet as honey in your mouth. And I took the
little book out of the angel's hand and ate it up. And it was sweet as honey in my mouth, and
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as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter. And he said to me, You must prophesy again
before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.
Psalm 19:9-10 states that the judgements of Yahweh are sweet as honey, whilst those
who are guilty of adultery receive the consequence of a bitter belly (Numbers 5:27). The
symbology in Revelation 10 would thus appear to be representative of the Law. It seems
as though Yahweh is telling John that he must keep witnessing of the truth to the world
because the future still shows that it is in rebellion to God’s law. The same command
was given to Isaiah (Isaiah 6:11-12) and likely applies to us as well for the same reason.
That the Law is referred to as a “little” book is likely because Yahweh’s law is not all
that complicated. Many Christians today might think of the Law as being legalistic, but
the six hundred or so instructions within it pale in comparison to the thousands of laws
found in the oral law of Judaism and the literal millions of laws that we have in today’s
western countries. Though some of today’s laws are needed for technological changes
(such as new forms of transport), most are like the oral laws of Judaism that circumvent
and impose additional rules upon the simple-to-follow laws of God. One only has to
look at today’s laws on marriage and divorce, and the huge textbooks that lawyers have
to refer to on this subject alone. The law of God offers far more freedom and simplicity
than the laws of our nations do today, materially as well as spiritually.
One thing that should be noted at this point is that the judgment of God upon the world
is different to the judgment of individuals. Though we are all to be ultimately judged
according to the Law, either for reward or condemnation (Revelation 22:12, Romans 2:59), the judgements of the Tribulation appear to be primarily focused upon those who
have committed adultery against Yahweh (who these are will be explained shortly). The
specificity of this judgment can be deduced from two facts: firstly, that only one third
of the world is affected, and secondly, that the bitter water which was spoken of in the
law of adultery is here evident alongside the occurrence of the word “Wormwood”
(which in a moment will be shown to be linked to the forsaking of the Law).
REVELATION 8: 7-12
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were
cast on the earth. And the third part of trees was burned up, and all green grass was burned
up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast
into the sea. And the third part of the sea became blood. And the third part of the creatures in
the sea, those having souls, died; and the third part of the ships was destroyed. And the third
angel sounded, and a great star burning like a lamp fell from the heaven, and it fell on the third
part of the rivers and on the fountains of waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood,
and a third part of the waters became wormwood. And many men died from the waters,
because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun
was stricken, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third
part of them was darkened, and the day did not appear for a third part of it, and the night also.
When one looks at the occurrences of the word “Wormwood” in the Bible, one sees
that it is closely associated with the bitterness that comes from the spiritual adultery of
forsaking Yahweh’s law.
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DEUTERONOMY 29: 14-20
Nor do I make this covenant and this oath with you only, but with him who stands here
with us today before YHVH our God, and also with him that is not here with us today. (For you
know how we have lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the nations which you
passed. And you have seen their abominations and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold,
which were among them) lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe,
whose heart turns away today from YHVH our God, to go serve the gods of these nations; lest
there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood, and it happens when he
hears the words of this curse, that he shall bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace,
though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to snatch away the drunken with the thirsty.
YHVH will not be willing to forgive him, but then the anger of YHVH and His jealousy shall smoke
against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie on him, and YHVH shall
blot out his name from under heavens.
JEREMIAH 9: 13-15
And YHVH says, Because they have forsaken My Law which I set before them, and have not
obeyed My voice, and have not walked in it, but they have walked after the stubbornness of
their own heart, and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them. Therefore so says YHVH
of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and
make them drink poisonous water.
JEREMIAH 23: 14-15
I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing; they commit adultery and
walk in falsehood. They also strengthen to the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from
his evil; they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah. So YHVH of
Hosts says this concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them
drink poisonous water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all
the land.
AMOS 5: 6-7
Seek YHVH, and you shall live; lest He break out like a fire on the house of Joseph and
devour it, and there be none to put it out in Bethel. You who turn judgment to wormwood and
leave off righteousness in the earth…
The house of Joseph is another term for the house of Israel. And who are the house of
Israel, but the descendants of the original twelve tribes who today are mostly found in
the “Christian” nations of the world (as explained in “Prophecies of the New Creation”).
And how many people is this? About two billion; a third of the world’s population.
When we know who the house of Israel are, we recognise that they perfectly fit the bill
of Mystery Babylon, by having control of the world’s economy and military might with
which they wage wars through proxy and export their iniquities across the globe. This
is increasingly becoming the state of affairs today and will be magnified by the time of
the Tribulation. Yahshua is coming to bring back together the houses of Judah and Israel
in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, and those who are not willing to repent of
their lawless ways will be consumed (Matthew 3:11-12).
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Because Yahshua’s grief is particularly with the descendants of Israel, this explains
why there are many of the wicked left at the end of the Tribulation (as Revelation 22 and
the Old Testament prophecies also state). It is rebellious Israel that Yahshua is coming
for at His return, to clear the way for His righteous Kingdom so that Israel will finally
fulfil its role as a light to the gentiles (which is explained in Prophecies of the New
Creation).
Now of course, when it comes to finding evidence of the preaching of the Law in the
book of Revelation, we cannot ignore the two witnesses.
REVELATION 11: 3-4
And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred
and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands
standing before the God of the earth.
The text says that they will prophesy. This is noteworthy, because the role of a prophet
is to preach both repentance back to God’s law and to herald the coming of the Messiah.
This is likely what the two prophets will be doing during the Tribulation. That they are
identified as the, “two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before God”, would
suggest that they are of the two houses of Israel, for olive oil is the fuel source for the
lamps in the temple (Leviticus 24:2) that shine with a pure light symbolic of Yahweh’s
law. The two prophets are hence being symbolised as upholding the Law. So imagine
a time when a Jew and a Christian (these ancient foes – Romans 11:28-31) are together
preaching repentance by turning back to Yahweh’s law and embracing Yahshua as the
Messiah. One can imagine that the world will certainly take notice irrespective of their
miracles (which will be commonplace in these times anyway, due to the activity of the
evil one – Revelation 13:14, 16:13-14).
So once these prophets have preached for one half of the Tribulation, the “woman” flees
into the wilderness for the second half of this period, in order to be protected from the
serpent/antichrist (Revelation 12:14). But who is the woman? Many think it is the church,
some say that it is believing Israel, but the context would point to Judah. It is the land
of Israel that the antichrist invades at the midpoint of the Tribulation according to Daniel
9:27, and it is only after the Jews have fled into the wilderness that the antichrist turns
to make war with those who “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ”. The majority of the Torah-keeping Jews will not yet have realised
Yahshua as the Messiah before His return, so those Jews whom Yahweh foreknows as
His own will be taken out of the equation for their own good. But believers who have
the full witness of Yahweh (the Law and Yahshua) are empowered to go out into all the
world and provide a sure witness unto death for the sake of the gospel (Revelation 12:11,
13:7). Though the details of this interpretation may be open to debate, the important
point is that those who have the testimony of Yahshua also keep the commandments.
Now many have wondered over the years just how the Mark of the Beast will manifest
itself (as mentioned in Revelation 13 & 14), and the most popular theory is that everyone
who worships the Beast will be required to have some sort of microchip implanted or
barcode imprinted upon their hand or forehead.
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REVELATION 13: 16-17
And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on
their right hand, or in their foreheads, even that not any might buy or sell except those having
the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name.
Anyone familiar with the Law will recognise that this is a perversion of the Mark of
God.
DEUTERONOMY 6: 1, 8
And these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which YHVH our God
commanded to teach you so that you might do them in the land where you go, to possess it…
And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your
eyes.
It is generally believed that Yahweh is speaking metaphorically in Deuteronomy 6:8,
which is substantiated by Proverbs 6:20-21, and that the point which He is making is that
we are to think (between the eyes) and do (with our hands) according to His law.
Thus the wisdom (v18) being imparted in Revelation 13 is that the only ones who will
be able to buy or sell in the Beast’s kingdom are those who will think and act like the
antichrist (lawlessly). There may very well be a physical manifestation to this as well,
but essentially those who do not conform to the twisted ways of society in the Beast’s
kingdom will be ostracised from that society to the extent that they cannot obtain what
they need from it. This may also be because believers actually choose not to work in
increasingly lawless business cultures that require them to act against their conscience
(a part of the call from Yahweh not to be partakers of lawlessness: Revelation 18:4-5).
So not being able to buy and sell in the Beast’s kingdom may not even be due to any
legal requirement but due to the result of personal discrimination against believers in
every walk of life, in addition to their holy desire to keep themselves pure from the sins
of others (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
This same correlation between our standing before Yahweh and the mark on our
foreheads can be seen in our how He deals with us.
REVELATION 14: 9-10
And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone worships the beast
and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand, he also will drink of the wine
of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be
tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
EZEKIEL 9: 4-6
And YHVH said to him, Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and
set a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and are mourning because of all the
abominations that are done in her midst. And He said to those in my hearing, Go over in the
city after him, and strike. Let not your eye spare, nor have pity. Fully destroy old men, young
men and virgins, and little children and women. But do not come near any man on whom is the
mark. And begin at My sanctuary. And they began at the old men who were before the house.
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Though this latter account is from the Old Testament and relates to events prior to the
Babylonian captivity, it would be consistent with Yahweh’s dealings with His people
for the same sealing to take place prior to the judgments of the Tribulation in order to
protect the saints.
REVELATION 7: 2-3
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he
cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
saying, Do not hurt the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads.
Yahweh acts in a consistent manner. Just as He protected His people during the days of
the Babylonian invasion, so He will protect His holy people during the days of His
judgements upon the earth (Psalm 46).
In the final chapter of Revelation, it is stated that only those who keep God’s ways have
access to the Tree of Life. This statement is represented in two ways:
Blessed are they who do His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of
Life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city.
MKJV
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life
and that they may enter the city by the gates.
ESV
This is because there are two different manuscripts that translators choose from when
approaching this verse (the Sinaiticus & the Textus Receptus). Both manuscripts carry
the same message, because we wash our robes by repenting and turning to keep God’s
commandments (represented by baptism – thus the call throughout the gospels to repent
and be baptised). You can’t wash your robes as a sign of repentance and then not do the
things that God has asked you to do, without being a hypocrite. Washing our robes and
keeping the commandments are the same thing. Perhaps the best translation is the
Worldwide English Bible, which incorporates both manuscripts and makes the message
quite clear.
God will bless the people who do what he says and keep themselves pure and clean. They
can eat fruit from the tree that gives life. And they can go through the doors into the city.
That we actually need to do something for the blood of Messiah to be effective in our
lives is a fact represented in the call to keep these washed garments.
REVELATION 16: 5
Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments,
lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
This does not ignore the fact that we still need Yahshua to forgive us our sins.
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REVELATION 7: 13-14
And one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these who are arrayed in white
robes, and from where do they come? And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me,
These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes, and
have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.
Elsewhere in scripture, our need for Yahshua’s righteousness to justify us is represented
with a fresh robe, which is what we are to keep and wash thereafter.
ISAIAH 61: 10
I will greatly rejoice in YHVH, my soul will be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with
the robes of salvation, He covered me with the robe of righteousness like a bridegroom adorns
himself with ornaments, and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
ZECHARIAH 3: 3-4
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy clothes, and stood before the Angel. And He answered
and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy clothes from him. And
to him He said, Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with
ceremonial robes.
When we follow Yahweh’s commandments we are following the truth, so it should be
no surprise that those who are found outside of the city are those who love a lie.
REVELATION 22: 14-15
Blessed are they who do His commandments, that their authority will be over the Tree of
Life, and they may enter in by the gates into the city. But outside are the dogs, and the
sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who loves
and makes a lie.
Those who are allowed to enter into New Jerusalem are those who keep Yahweh’s
commandments, and they will also have access to the Tree of Life, from which it is to
be believed that they will gain greater spiritual insight into the ways of God. But those
who have no right to enter the city are those who have no love for the Law and are
therefore denied the eternal life that Yahshua would otherwise have offered them.
As well as having access to the Tree of Life, believers are also able to drink from the
Water of Life, which is the Spirit of God. The river of the Water of Life feeds the Tree
of Life (22:1-2) which is how salvation works; the Spirit gives us the grace to be able
to follow the commandments of God, that we might be free from sin and hence have
eternal and everlasting life.
REVELATION 22: 17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let the one hearing say, Come! And let the one
who is thirsty come. And he willing, let him take of the Water of Life freely.
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HOSEA 8: 12
I have written to him the great things of My Law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
Modern Christianity has considered God’s law to be a relic, a commandment for a
people in a primitive cultural state who needed to be condescended to with harsh and
repressive instructions in order for the grace of God to later be revealed in Christ. This
volume has hopefully shown this not to be the case. Rather than being condescended
to, the people of Israel and their forefathers before them, were given a set of heavenly
instructions that reflect the character of Yahweh and of which they were to aspire.
PSALM 119: 96
I’ve seen that everything, no matter how perfect, has a limit, but your commandment is
boundless.
Yahshua did not come to reveal a new way, but to witness to the Way already given
and to fulfil it for the purpose of our salvation. The Law by itself condemns, because
we are not perfect, but Yahshua transferred the authority of the Law to Himself so that
all who take up their cross and follow Him would be made complete.
HEBREWS 5: 9
And being perfected, He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him,
being called by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek…
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And by His Spirit, we are given liberty to walk in His perfect law, which frees us from
sin and death.
EZEKIEL 36: 27
And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep
My judgments and do them.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 17
And the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
ROMANS 8: 2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death.
The truth of God’s law has been largely obscured in the New Testament due to a loss
of context and inaccurate translation over almost two millennia. This has diluted the
gospels and made Paul’s letters in particular hard to understand. Many would react with
horror to the idea that God would allow this to happen to His word, but Yahweh has
allowed the enemy to do its pernicious work so that the righteous may be sifted from
the pretenders.
1 CORINTHIANS 11: 19
For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you.
JEREMIAH 29: 13
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
PROVERBS 25: 2
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
The question you need to ask yourself at the end of this volume is: “Do I want to do
things God’s way, or my way?”
If you want to do things God’s way, then you may not have realised that His law is still
applicable today; few of us do at first. We have been brainwashed by false theology
and perhaps even by compromise with the world. But now is the time to come out of
mystery Babylon, to be a part of the revival for which we have been praying. Our
Saviour had to drink from the bitter cup to make this possible for us, so can we really
reject His ways in light of such a great sacrifice? Yahweh knows our hearts, He knows
whether we are seeking after His heart, and He will reveal His commandments to us if
we are. So may the following words be our reality and our prayer:
PSALM 119: 10-19
With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your Commandments. I
have hidden Your Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O
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YHVH; teach me Your Precepts. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will think on Your
Commandments and have respect to Your ways. I will delight myself in Your Precepts; I will not
forget Your Word. GIMEL: Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your
Word. Open my eyes, so that I may behold wonderful things out of Your Law. I am a stranger
in the earth; do not hide Your Commandments from me.
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unchanged and in its entirety, to anyone in the public domain.
© 2014 - 2015
Stuart Wall