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"GODFEARERS" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: THE PATTERN FOR GENTILE PARTICIPATION IN THE ISRAEL OF GOD #8
We addressed in our last article the possibility that this often spoke of "New Covenant" in the Christian Church might not possibly even begun yet as Christianity teaches. Such a thought usually is met when spoken aloud with ridicule and dismay by the hearers but I call you to attention to what will be presented in this an later articles in another series dealing in-depth with this critical issue. At state is the sad fact that one either stands outside of relationship with God in a "make-believe" Covenant of their own making due to their lack of proper understanding of the Hebrew texts, contexts of the Scriptures they read and a lack of historical information or else one stands secure in the Covenant given them by God; a Covenant that I have often brought to your attention as a "non-Jewish" believer in God; the Covenant of Noah which you will come to see as "New" or more correctly, "Re-newed".
Answer for yourself: Is the "New Covenant" really "New" at all? We would be foolish to answer in the affirmative until we examine what comes next in this and further articles.
Before we go in depth in this matter a little background information is necessary. Shavuot (Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks) is the festival of the giving of the Torah, the Laws and Commandments of God. The Torah, which is commonly known an the Pentateuch, consists of the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This may surprise you, but the Torah, the Law and Commandments of God which are given to both "Jews" and "non-Jews" is an integral part of this "New" or "RENEWED" Covenant mentioned in our New Testaments. You may find this likewise shocking, but the "New Covenant" you heard spoken of continually will NOT become effective until a Shavuot Festival, some time in the future. Many Christians talk about the "New" Covenant, or Testament constantly without knowing of what they really speak. You may find it surprising, but the Greek word for "testament" is "diatheke" meaning "mutual undertaking between two parties or more, each binding himself to fulfill obligations." In the New Testament, the use of "diatheke" means:
Answer for yourself: Does the actual words in the Greek Scriptures teach us that a "testament" is made between God and Israel and not the antisemitic Gentile Church? It sure does.
Often in Bible study "little" word have "gigantic" meanings. Let us look at one.
Heb 8:10 10 For this is the (SAME) covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (KJV)
Strong's Concordance: the Greek word of "this": #3778 houtos (hoo'-tos); including nominative masculine plural houtoi (hoo'-toy); nominative feminine singular haute (how'-tay); and nominative feminine plural hautai (how'-tahee); from the article 3588 and 846; the he (she or it), i.e. this or that (often with article repeated): KJV-- he (it was that), hereof, it, she, such as, the same, these, they, this (man, same, woman), which, who.
Answer for yourself: Is the writer of the Book of Hebrew referring to "the same" Covenant (quoting Jer. 31:31) which the writer of Jeremiah speaks? He sure does.
Notice if you will two verse above, in Hebrew 8:7, we find concretely that this "same" Covenant mentioned by this Hebrews writer and Jeremiah is called "New" and is the one that the New Testament speaks about throughout its texts from beginning to end when addressing this "New" Covenant.
Heb 8:8 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: (KJV)
In other words, "this---same" covenant, as was spoken by Jeremiah (that was originally instituted with an earthly Priesthood) has now been called "New" in the New Testament but the meaning behind this word "New" escapes us at present until we look it up.
Answer for yourself: Is it just possible, when looking up in a Hebrew Lexicon, this word used by the original writer Jeremiah when he penned in Jer. 31:31 this "New" Covenant that its real and true meaning does not mean "new, as in replaced" but "RENEWED, RESTORED, REAFFIRMED" and "NOT REPLACED"!
Answer for yourself: In referencing "New Covenant" in the Greek New Testament, is the reference ALWAYS to the covenant spoken of by Jeremiah the Prophet which was made with Judah and Ephraim? It sure is and we know this for a fact since the Hebrew writer says it is the "same" Covenant of the quote he uses and we know that this quote comes from Jer. 31:31 where Jeremiah mentions that one day God will establish this "New Covenant" with Judah and Israel.
Answer for yourself: How do Gentiles, who "once were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, who had no hope, and were without God in the world", according to Eph. 2:12, become part of this "New Covenant" of Jeremiah spoken about in the New Testament?
Well lets look at this Hebrew word for "New" that is the key to what Jeremiah said and what the writer of the Book of Hebrew quotes and what is the backbone of Christian theology today.
Jer 31:31 31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: (KJV)
Strong's Concordance: The Hebrew word for "new": #2319 chadash (khaw-dawsh'); from 2318; new: KJV-- fresh, new thing.
This does not tell us much so we have to keep looking for if we stopped here then we will miss completely what Jeremiah is really telling and what the historical witness of Judaism teaches.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon: The Hebrew word for "new": #2318 chadash (khaw-dash'); a primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild: KJV-- renew, repair. 2318 chadash- to be new, to renew, to repair a) (Piel) 1) to renew, to make anew 2) to repair b) (Hithpael) to renew oneself
Answer for yourself: What should we learn from this Hebrew word?
As you can see we are "not replacing" anything; rather we are taking "the same" and "rebuilding it, renewing it, repairing it"; actually we are "repairing ourselves" which is the simple fruit of repentance to these Laws and Commandments that we allow God to write onto our hearts and which we live throughout our lives. Simply said when we realize that we are grafted into Israel and into the faith of Israel then we come to see how these Laws and Commandments in the Covenant of Moses, laws which I have shown you are part of the Covenant and Laws of Noah for the "non-Jew", then it should dawn upon us that we repair ourselves by submitting to the observance of these Laws and Commandments give us as "non-Jews". It is these Laws and Commandments which make up our Covenant with God. These "same" Laws are the ones which the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council called "necessary" and on top of that as I have shown you we get the opportunity to "choose those things pleasing to God" which helps unite both Jew and "non-Jew" together. In such Laws and Commandments are opportunities for the "non-Jew" to become more Torah obedient in voluntarily submitting to and observing the Sabbaths and Biblical Festivals along with other mitzvoth that we come to adopt in our lives "because it pleases God". As we also have shown repeatedly is that the Bible, when correctly interpreted, show that these "non-Jews" kept and observed these "Holy Days" right along with the Jews as "Godfearers" which demonstrates for us that they understood the principle of Isaiah 56. Surely you see by becoming members of various denominations and non-denominations which reject God's Biblical Feasts, Festivals, and Sabbaths that this "unification" of these two peoples of God who are supposed to make us this Israel of God can never happen; especially when Christianity considers the Jews "lost" and tries to evangelize them when the reverse is the "pattern" of the whole Hebrew Scriptures as well as the Great Commission.
Jude 1:3 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (KJV)
Hopefully this makes you think if you are really in "the faith" given only "once" to the saints by God or just have "a" faith about something" which God never gave you or desired you have. Hopefully it will dawn upon you that you have received not this "one faith" given mankind by God but the one which Constantine did and took exceptional efforts to make sure you never found the truth.
Writing long before the rise of the Roman empire and the Roman Church Paul speaks of this "one faith" which he was teaching his "Gentile Churches" in Asia, Minor:
Eph 4:5 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (KJV)
Since it can easily be shown that Paul taught these Holy Days to these "non-Jews" then it is a "no-brainer" as to what Paul was teaching these "non-Jews"; he was teaching them the "Jewish faith as practiced by non-converted Gentile believers". Let me give you two examples; one where Paul taught the "non-Jews" to observe the Sabbath and one where Paul taught the "non-Jews" to observe the Biblical Festivals long after the time for this New Testament Jesus. This was the "Pattern" of worship dear one which was intended to be taught to every "non-Jew" in the wake of Acts 15 "as Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath" and one that Rome destroyed over 500 years and which needs restoring today to the Christian Church.
In other words, the "New" covenant of the "New Testament" is in reality this "same covenant" so often spoke of in the Hebrew Scriptures [Mosaic which contains within it the Covenant of Noah and the Laws of Noah for the "non-Jew"] which is to be renewed in your life; not replaced with one of Rome's making. This Covenant mentioned in Hebrew and referenced in Jer. 31 is"the same covenant" with its Laws and Commandments which are to be written on our hearts which are our Covenant stipulations and responsibilities before God. It is "this same Covenant" which Rome, through their "Romanized Paul" will teach the whole Gentile world does not any longer apply to them by forging their "Second New Testament" (little do we know that the First New Testament is not the one we have today). Little do we know or understand that every one of God's Covenant are Eternal!
Now pay attention please.
Answer for yourself: Jeremiah 31 states that the day will come when this "RENEWED" Covenant will be made with "whom"? Does he say Israel and Judah? Or with Judah and the Christian Church; a Christian Church which by the way rejects the faith of Judah and these same Laws and Commandments and has done so now for some 1,700 years presently?
The answer to that question is "Israel and Judah", Israel being understood as Ephraim who today are dispersed Gentiles worldwide; many of which qualify as truly "'Ephraim/Israel" because they are turning to the Jewish Roots of Christianity and finding these "Jewish Roots" best represented in Judaism and not the imposter called "Messianic Christianity" which often has these same "anti-Jewish" dogmas as traditional Gentile Christianity but only masqueraded in "Jewish dress" and "Jewish music". It is these "blinded" Gentiles who have lost their father's faith who today are awakening to the truth of Judaism and their place within it through adoption of the Covenant of Noah along with the observance of Isa. 56 in their lives. Ironic it is when you see it that Ephraim was punished by God for straying away from this "faith once given to the saints" and departing from "Jewish" or "Biblical" ways but yet it is Gentile Christianity which has adopted the same and practice this replacement religion each Sunday. This I remind you is the same practice from what the LORD commanded with brought the judgment of God down upon their nation and which happens to be the same reason why Ephraim was taken captive in the first place.
Answer for yourself: Where is Israel to be found today?
Answer for yourself: Is Israel to be found in the Tribe and descendants of Judah; many of which are in the land of Israel since 1948, but also scattered about the globe? There are large factions of Judah in Africa today and few know this. Where are the ten tribes of Israel today? I have already shared a little on this but more on this will come shortly so keep reading.
Secondarily this "New" testament is often used to refer to
a collection of books supposedly written by the Apostles. While we all
talk "about" this New Covenant, most folks do not know the terms
that make up this "New" Covenant. Since most folks consider the "New"
covenant as an important part of their religion and relationship with God
, it becomes clear that we "ought" to know the terms of this "New"
(Renewed) covenant. Since this is a legal document and has an impact on
our lives, we certainly should be intimately familiar what the terms of
this Covenant. First let me tell you what the "New" covenant is
not. It
is not the collection of books commonly known as the New Testament which
has unfortunately replaced the Bible of the Jews, the Hebrew Tanakh.
Little know by most Christians is the fact that it will take Rome almost
400 years before the Roman Catholic Church created a document to establish
their validity of their antisemitic theologies and dogmas which they
created in their reaction to Biblical Judaism; doctrines by the way which
are often contradicted by the Torah and Tanakh (the Law, Prophets and
Writings found in the Hebrew Tanakh). I have already shown you
that is was this "message" of the Torah, a message of personal
responsibility to obey these very Laws and Commandments of God, which was
taken into all the world to the Gentiles in the Great Commission).
Answer for yourself: How do we know this?
We know this because a Covenant, or testament, is a contract between two parties. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary defines "testament" this way: "In law, a writing, under seal, containing the terms of agreement or contract between parties..." Since the collection of books merely quotes the terms, and since most of the writings of the New Testament do not contain the terms of this covenant, it would be poor scholarship to refer to this collection of Apostolic Writings as the "New Testament."
The ceremony commonly known as "communion," which is mistakenly practiced by most Christian churches as a substitute for the Festival of Passover, is not the New Covenant because this ceremony does not mention the words that make up this agreement. While this ceremony mentions the seal of the New Covenant (the cup of wine of the Passover), it does not mention the actual words that make up this agreement.
Answer for yourself: What exactly are the words, or terms, of this "New" covenant?
The words, curiously enough, are found in the collection of books sometimes referred to as the "Old" covenant. The prophet Jeremiah wrote down the words of this agreement in Jeremiah 31:31-34: "The time is coming," declares the LORD (Yahweh), "when I will make a new (renewed) covenant with the house of Israel".
Answer for yourself: What are we missing here ?
We must never forget that Israel had been dispersed, assimilated, and intermarried into Gentile nations for over 200 years when Jeremiah spoke this prophecy) and with the house of Judah. This means that this "renewed Covenant" will be make basically with "non-Jews" and it is to them that God said that He will:
Jer 31:33 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Since the "Jews" have since Sinai been "God's people" then who is the subject of Jer. 31 who appear to "not be God's people"? It is the "non-Jew"!
Speaking of the "non-Jews" we find:
Eph 2:12
12 That at that time ye 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: (KJV)
In other words, you cannot find the Tribes or descendants of Israel when Jeremiah spoke this prophecy, as these ten tribes were literally becoming "Gentiles-heathen" since their captivity and were no longer "God's people." Israel as a Torah practicing people was no more! No longer were they living by God's Laws and Commandments in their lives. Rather, the descendants of Abraham, once monotheists, were now polytheists like their captives, and began to adopt a new religious belief system of man's invention instead of God's revelation. They were losing their Biblical Roots, they were losing their Hebrew and Jewish Roots just like Gentile Christianity of today has and has for the last 1,700 years due to the efforts or antisemitic Rome and their forged Bibles that teach a "replacement religion" instead of the true faith of God.;
Answer for yourself: Has this same sickness infected the Body of Christ in the Gentile Churches of today? You better believe it has (just request our articles on Sabbath and Festivals to understand the depth of darkness that exists today in Gentile Christianity).
Let me explain. Since Ephraim's captivity, the people of Israel were
becoming intermarried with pagans, being influenced and yielding to
paganism, accepting and replacing,
or at least mixing pagan religious beliefs with those given to them by God
at Sinai, thus no longer following the "faith once given to the
saints".
Please read slowly and carefully:
This "same covenant," seen in Hebrew 8, "will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law (Torah) in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Answer for yourself: Could these "Laws" and "Commandments" that are to be written on the hearts of these "non-Jews" be referring to the Laws of Noah later called "necessary" in Acts 15 by James and the Jerusalem Church? You bet they are.
Answer for yourself: Why is so important and why do I stress this so much?
Without study of these 66 Laws of Noah then it is impossible for you to grasp at present what a major correction they are for present day Christianity and Christian teaching and dogmas. At the very core of these Laws of Noah is a major rebuke of normative Christian doctrine and christologies that render all "non-Jews" who accept these "beliefs" about this Christian Jesus both idolators and blasphemers before God! This dear one is the "unpardonable sin" we read about in our New Testament and the horrible irony of it all is that we are tainted by this horrible sin until we die because we were taught typical Christian dogmas about this Jesus and accepted them without serious study on our parts. We carry the shame of this sin till our last breath and a blessing to us is that our deaths are the final atonement for such a horrible sin. It may be too late for us but not too late for children because with proper teaching then it is possible that they can live before God in their lives without this horrible sin that will follow them all the days of their lives.
Answer for yourself: As stated before, how does God intend His laws to be written on our hearts (let alone a Christian's heart) and how can this be done when a Christian denies the Law and believes it has passed away?
Let us never forget that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Understand that those former Israelites were now inter-married and assimilated into Gentile nations where they were forgetting the faith of their fathers and were no longer knowledgeable of nor observing the Laws and Commandments of God along with His Sabbaths and Festivals like Christianity has done today. Through this Great Commission the Jew was to be a "light to the world" whereby once again these "non-Jews" could beonce again instructed concerning the Covenants and Laws of God by the Jewish witness to them of these truths. Then the product of their hearing and learning of these Laws of God given and intended for them would stamp these truths in their "minds" thus when accepted would enable them to become engrafted once again into the Israel of God. One only has to look at Nehemiah, chapter 8, for a perfect example of former Jews, who when returned from captivity where they did not hear the Word of God and were influenced by pagan cultures, had forgotten the Word of God. Yet when taught by Ezra for the first time of God and His Laws intended for them, cried, repented, and returned to God with broken hearts as this "renewed" Word was "written on their hearts" as they heard with their ears and understood with their minds.
Answer for yourself: Is it any wonder why you do not at this time have the same religious belief system as taught by the Old Covenant which is held by the Jews today and which can be shown to be shared by both "Jews" and "non-Jews" in the Hebrew texts considering what Rome has done to this revelation over the last 1,700 years? It is any wonder why we have a completely different religious belief system than the once that can be discerned upon some serious study in the New Testament?
It is so simple. We as Christians and followers of the Christ have not had good teachers to teach us the truths which have for so long remained hidden until these last days. And those we have are blinded by prejudices and anti-Semitic doctrines inherited from both the Catholic and Reformation churches and when shown the facts and evidence from such hard-nosed study of the texts and history refuse to acknowledge these facts as if they don't exist before their eyes.
I would again like to call your attention to the
names of the parties that "WILL" make this covenant in the
future. The first party is called "the house of
Israel" (currently
the House of Israel as the dispersed and assimilated Gentiles when this
prophecy was spoken by Jeremiah) and "Judah"
(Judah was still in the land of Israel when Jeremiah prophesied, but would
shortly be taken into Babylonian captivity). The other party to this "RENEWED"
covenant is God. God is referring to Himself as Yahweh.
So,
if you (typical believing Christians) are not of the house of Israel or
Judah, then this "new" or RENEWED covenant has no effect on you!
In
other words, the Christian Church finds her validity as she is grafted
into Israel, not the converse, where Israel is being grafted into the
Gentile church.
Answer for yourself: Take a minute and ponder which I just said, then ask yourself this question: am I grafted into Israel, or is Israel grafted in my corner church?
On
the other hand, if you are convinced that the "New" covenant
applies to you, then somehow you must be a part of the House of Israel in
order for its benefits to be applied to you. This covenant,
between the house of Israel and God, is quoted, verbatim, in Hebrews
8:8-12. This is the only other place where the words, or terms, of the new
covenant are spelled out so expressly in the New Testament. If you
carefully read this contract, or if you were to take this contract to your
lawyer, you will learn that this
contract of the New Covenant has not yet taken effect!
This contract cannot take effect until the Gentile Christian understands, believes, and practices the faith of the Jewish Christ. This contract cannot take effect until the Gentile Christian comes to the understanding of the truths presented in these articles and truly believes that he is grafted into Israel, thereby rightfully entering into the "renewed covenant" of Jer. 31.
Ye who have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit says to the church! Also, this contract-covenant can only become effective when everyone knows the Lord (that's what it said). "Until everyone knows the Lord" means knowing and understanding His ways which are revealed in the covenant contract, the Torah (the first five books of the Bible which have not passed away in lieu of grace). The tragedy is that most Christian churches teach that the LAW (our covenant contract) has passed away and does not apply today since we are under "grace" and "not the Law". Not only do we have to be content with looking forward to the time when this contract is put into effect, but we must unlearn lies taught as truth by well intentioned spiritual leaders who are sincere, but sincerely wrong.
We must understand that the Law is still in effect, only the Priesthood and the sacrifices which accompany the Priesthood have changed. We must understand and cherish our "marriage certificate with God," His Torah, His Law, and take our rightful place as Gentile believers as "part" of Israel, and no longer allow ourselves to be tossed by every wind of doctrine by ascribing to replacement theology whereby we falsely believe the Christian Church has a covenant of its own to the exclusion of the Biblical Covenants as found in the Hebrew Scriptures and which are confirmed by a proper reading and understanding of the New Testament.
The actual terms of this
renewed covenant, to which the Christian Church finds its identity, appear
to be the same terms of the covenant that God made with the house of
Israel at Sinai! We can deduce this by noticing that the "Torah"
will be written on our hearts instead of stone. This refers to God's
command when He gave the Torah. Deuteronomy 32:46 records for us:
Take
to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that
you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law
(Torah). We should also notice what is being written on the hearts. It is
God's Law, His Torah. It is God's instructions or laws.
The implications of this are staggering!
This means, that when this is done, we will no longer disobey God. We will desire to obey the Law that most Christians are taught today to hate because they have been told that it brings bondage.
This erroneous teaching is due to errors in manuscript transmissions as well as cleverly placed words and additions to our forged Christian Bibles (built off the forged Greek Old Testament along with these forged texts quoted in our New Testament) that are meant to lead you to the pre-formed theological opinions of those who printed your Bible (these redactors are influence by anti-Semitic and anti-Judaic sentiments inherited from prior erroneous education). It just so happens that this "anti-Law" belief, which has been cleverly written into the pages of our Bibles and the corners of copies of Greek manuscripts which were later incorporated into the very text itself which were not there in the earlier Greek manuscripts from which the English translation is derived, is in total conflict with the words of the Jewish Christ and the real Paul in the Bible (see articles on misunderstanding Paul and the Law and misunderstanding Galatians).
Now you know the real history and the facts behind these "texts" we inherited from Rome along with their "false tradition" that has robbed us of the rich truths and experiences we could have had in the proper worship of our Creator; a "Pattern" which yet still today exists in Biblical Judaism and which we can turn to. All we need it a little truth and someone to show us the way. Now you have been shown.
Blessings
Craig Lyons M.Div.