I was baptized at a small church in Pendleton, Indiana on the same day I graduated from high school in May 1983.
I spent over thirty years in the mainstream church, learning the same mainstream doctrine that countless millions of others have learned over many generations.
Am I now saying this general doctrine, taught in 40,000 plus denominations, is not correct?
I’ll answer that question by saying that my opinion means absolutely nothing in this world.
So instead, let’s take a look at some scripture and see what we find out…
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes his mind!
Malachi 3:6
“For I am Elohim. I do not change…”
Wow, these two verses together contain only 24 words.
In just a few words, we are able to throw an enormous wrench into the gears of the mainstream message…
“How so?”
I’m glad you asked.
Consider these scriptures, most of them the very words of our Creator:
Exodus 12:14
“This day is to be a memorial for you. You are to keep it as a feast to Elohim. Throughout your generations you are to keep it as an eternal ordinance.
Exodus 12:17
So you are to observe the Feast of Matzot, for on this very same day have I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you are to observe this day throughout your generations as an eternal ordinance.
Exodus 31:13/16/17
“Speak now to Bnei-Yisrael saying, ‘Surely you must keep My Shabbatot, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so you may know that I am Elohim who sanctifies you. /// So Bnei-Yisrael is to keep the Shabbat, to observe the Shabbat throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. /// It is a sign between Me and Bnei-Yisrael forever, for in six days Elohim made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.’”
Leviticus 16:29/31
“It is to be a statute to you forever, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you are to afflict your souls, and do no kind of work—both the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you. /// It is a Shabbat of solemn rest to you, and you are to afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
Leviticus 23:14
It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Leviticus 23:21
This is a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Leviticus 23:31
You should do no kind of work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Leviticus 23:41
You are to celebrate it as a festival to Elohim for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations—you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.
Deuteronomy 5:26
If only there were such a heart in them to fear Me and keep all My commands always, so that it might go well with them and with their children forever!
Deuteronomy 12:28
Take care and listen to all these words that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Elohim your God.
Deuteronomy 29:28
“The secret things belong to Elohim our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever—in order to do all the words of this Torah.
Psalm 33:11
The plan of Elohim stands forever, the purposes of His heart from generation to generation.
This is just a very small sampling of the things Yahuah said are forever, perpetual, throughout your generations, never-ending. You can refer to those sections of scripture to understand the full context.
Referring back to Numbers and Malachi, we know that Yahuah (God) does not lie, and He does not change His mind.
So… If He said things were to be observed and done forever, throughout all generations, as a perpetual covenant, never-ending…
Then He meant it.
He did not mean for these things to be temporary.
He did not mean for these things to end one day, and be replaced by another idea.
If we believe scripture, then we have to believe these instructions and commands are forever and are applicable to all generations.
Mainstream doctrine teaches that these instructions and commands were not forever. Mainstream doctrine teaches that these instructions and commands are no longer applicable.
Mainstream doctrine is calling our Creator a liar.
This is not a good thing…
“Well, these things that God said are forever are specifically for the people of Israel, and do not pertain to Gentile believers, right?”
This is another common misconception that we need to clear up.
“If mainstream doctrine agrees with these ideas being forever, but only for the Jews and not Gentiles, is this correct?”
First of all, look at the following verses. The Torah instructions, commonly referred to as the law, were not JUST given to the people of Israel. It was given to anyone and everyone who wants to be part of the Kingdom of God.
Exodus 12:49
The same Torah applies to the native as well as the outsider who dwells among you.”
Leviticus 16:29
“It is to be a statute to you forever, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you are to afflict your souls, and do no kind of work—both the native-born and the outsider dwelling among you.
Leviticus 18:26
You, however, are to keep My statutes and My ordinances, and do none of these abominations, neither the native-born, nor the outsider dwelling among you.
Leviticus 19:24
The outsider dwelling among you shall be to you as the native-born among you. You should love him as yourself—for you dwelled as outsiders in the land of Egypt. I am Elohim your God.
Leviticus 24:16
Whoever blasphemes the Name of Elohim must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must stone him. The outsider as well as the native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, is to be put to death.
Leviticus 24:22
You are to have one standard of justice for the outsider as well as the native-born, for I am Elohim your God.”
Numbers 15:29
Whether a native-born of Bnei-Yisrael or an outsider living among them, one Torah applies to you for the one sinning unintentionally.
Numbers 15:30
“But the person who sins defiantly, whether native or outsider, reviles Elohim and that person is to be cut off from his people.
Ezekiel 47:22
So you are to divide it by lot for an inheritance for you and for the outsiders who dwell among you, whoever bears children among you. They will be to you like the native-born of Bnei-Yisrael; they will be allotted an inheritance along with you among the tribes of Israel.
We see over and over and over again in the Torah instructions, that they are given for both the native-born Israel, as well as for any foreigners/strangers who dwell with them.
There is one standard, and it is for all.
“Yes, but still, those words were given to an ancient people, no matter their nation of origin. This does not apply to me today.”
If you believe this idea, that the words of old [which God said were forever and for all generations, to both the native born Israelite and for the strangers among them] do not apply to Christians today, let’s evaluate this idea using scripture.
Galatians 3:26-29
For you are all sons of God through trusting in Messiah Yeshua. 27 For all of you who were immersed in Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. 29 And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s seed—heirs according to the promise.
Verse 29 is especially important here…
Do you belong to Messiah?
If you do, then:
You are Abraham’s seed.
You are an heir according to the promise made to Abraham.
“Whoa… Wow, really?”
Yes, really.
And if you belong to Messiah, and if you are the seed of Abraham, then all the things that Yahuah (God) said “to Israel” [and the foreigners among them] pertains to you, because those things are forever, and for all generations!!!
If you belong to Messiah, then you are one of those future generations. Do you understand? If not, please read Romans 11. It tells us that if we choose to “be a Christian” then we are grafted into Israel. There is no such thing as a Gentile-Believer.
Either you are not part of the Kingdom (a Gentile) or you are part of the Kingdom (Israel).
“That can’t be true…”
Well, who did Yeshua Messiah come to save? Gentiles?
Nope.
Check out this direct quote of Messiah:
Matthew 15:24
But He responded, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
“Well, I don’t know about all of that… All I know is that I am a believer in the New Covenant.”
Well, that’s fine. Let’s see who the New Covenant is with:
Hebrews 8:8-10
He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 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 in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
“Ummmm, what the heck? This is causing me to think a bit…”
As you see, the New Covenant is only with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It is not with Gentiles. Do you need something else from scripture to confirm this? Check out Revelation 21:12
Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
The city of New Jerusalem, heaven on earth after all is restored, only has entry gates for the twelve [restored] tribes of Israel. There is no gate for Gentiles. Still think you can get in?? Did you notice that each gate is guarded by an angel? Something tells me impostors will not make it past these angelic guards…
Not only is the New Covenant only with Israel and Judah, but check out verse 10.
“I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts”
Did you catch that?
The New Covenant does not do away with the law. Instead, it brings it even closer to us. Instead of being in a book for us to study and learn, it will be written in our mind and on our hearts. It will be a part of who we are. That does not sound like “abolished, or fulfilled, or done away with.”
What is the result of the New Covenant?
“and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
“Ummm, so if I want to be God’s people, I have to have the law written on my heart? But I don’t like the law. I’ve been taught my whole life that the law is old, obsolete, and no longer applicable. Jesus did away with it.”
Did Messiah say He did away with the law, or did your pastor tell you that Messiah did away with the law?
Well, did scripture record Messiah speaking about this at all?
Yes.
Yes, He did. Here is a direct quote of Messiah Yeshua:
Matthew 5:17-19
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
What do we learn from this?
1. Messiah did not come to abolish or destroy the Law, or the words of the Prophets [who all say to turn back to the Torah, the law].
2. Messiah says He came to fulfill the law. [we’ll do some word study on this in a minute]
3. Not a single pen stroke of the law will change until heaven and earth pass away, which is at the end of the ages, when all is fulfilled.
4. We are to keep and teach to keep the commandments, and we are not to break or teach men to break the commandments.
“Well, ok, that is what it says, but that is not what my pastor says it means…”
Let’s look closer then…
The word destroy/abolish in verse 17 is as follows:
G2647 katalyō
to dissolve, disunite; to destroy, demolish; to overthrow i.e. render vain, deprive of success, bring to naught; to subvert, overthrow; of institutions, forms of government, laws, etc., to deprive of force, annul, abrogate, discard
Messiah said He did not come to abolish/destroy/dissolve/overthrow/bring to naught/annul/abrogate/discard the law.
That means is still stands, right?
Messiah said he came to fulfill the law in verse 17.
G4137 plēroō
What does this Greek word mean?
to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full; to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally; to render full, to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim; [AND HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART] to fulfill, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfillment
Going back to the original text, we find that in verse 17, Messiah says He came to fully teach, fully preach the law.
“My pastor has never told me that. My pastor says Jesus fulfilled the law so that I don’t have to…”
Are you going to believe scripture, or are you going to believe your pastor? The Greek is the Greek, no matter what your pastor has told you. He is just teaching what he has been taught. Just because he learned this in college doesn’t make it right.
Just to further confirm, let’s look at the word fulfill in verse 18.
G1096 ginomai
to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being; to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage; to be made, finished; of miracles, to be performed, wrought; to become, be made
Messiah says that not a single penstroke of the law will pass away until heaven and earth pass away, until all is finished.
This concept is spoken of throughout scripture. At the very end, this heaven and earth will be destroyed, and a new heaven and earth will be restored. Until that day, the law does not change.
This is a good start to this “discussion”.
I’m going to call it a day, but I’ll continue with Part 2 soon…
Stay tuned.
If you know these things to be true, then pray for our friends and family who do not.
If you do not know these things to be true, please study these scriptures and pray about them.
Ask for Yahuah’s (God’s) understanding, as we are instructed to do in James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.