Everything Changed at Calvary!

 

By Dr. Ken Matto

 

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5)

 

One of the gravest errors that Christians make on a consistent basis is that they believe that the New Testament is just a continuation of the Old Testament.  The truth is that it is not.  Once Christ went to the cross everything changed and that meant the law was now fulfilled in Christ and the salvation of all the Elect of God were now sealed.  No longer does anyone have to bring a specific sacrifice to a physical temple for a specific sin.  No longer are Christians to keep any of the feasts.  The Mosaic law has been done away with and salvation is by grace alone without any additions by people.  Unfortunately, there are many Christians who desire to continue the ungodly practice of Judaizing the Christian church and Christians in general and it is all based upon prophecy books which are lies from cover to cover.  When God destroyed Jerusalem and Judah in 70 A.D. by the Romans, it spelled the end of the Mosaic era.  No longer was the law and its tenets a means for atonement of sins.

 

When Jesus died on the cross, in John 19:30, he said “it is Finished.” What was finished?  All the Elect which were named before the foundation of the world were now sealed and the Mosaic law was finished as a means of intercession for sins.  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5)  Now the only sacrifice God sees is the sacrifice of his Son.  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)  Animal sacrifices are now null and void and have absolutely no meaning whatsoever and no atoning qualities.  There is a great difference between the Old and New Testaments and everything for the believer changed at the cross therefore no Christian should ever go back and attempt to keep any aspects of the law, whether it be feasts or sacrifices because that would be an abomination unto God and an affront to the sacrifice of Christ.  It is a vital part of understanding Scripture to know that the cross changed everything.

 

The Cross Changed the Temple

Before the cross, in the Old Testament beginning with the time of Solomon, the physical temple was the central point in the life of Israel.  It was the place where they performed sacrifices and taught the word of God.  There were three physical temples in the Old Testament: The First one was Solomon’s Temple, the second one was the temple of Zerubbabel built after Judah came back from Babylonian captivity, and the third was Herod’s Temple which construction began about 19 B.C. and was not completed until 63 A.D.  Herod’s temple was a reconstruction of Zerubbabel’s temple which was much smaller so Herod wanted his temple to be as big as Solomon’s.  Some historians claim that Herod’s temple cannot be classified as a new temple because it was built over Zerubbabel’s smaller temple.  Whether it is classified as a new temple or not is academic.

 

After the cross, when Christ went to the cross and died for his Elect.  The term “temple” took on a new meaning.  Since Christ was the final sacrifice for sin, a physical temple is no longer needed because any animal sacrifice would be of no value plus it would be an insult to the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is a move today that Israel wants to build a third temple and many Christians have even donated to help them.  They are basically slapping the Lord Jesus Christ in the face just like the Sanhedrin did to him.

And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? (Luke 22:64)

 

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

 

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:17)

 

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)

 

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

 

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (Ephesians 2:19-21)

 

Here are seven verses which state that the temple of the Lord, after the cross, is the true body of believers and not a physical building.   Oh but you say, the temple has to be built so the Antichrist can rule from there.  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)  The temple that Satan is sitting is the body of believers as he continues to bring false gospels into the church and making them sound like it is of God such as social justice, environmentalism, etc. 

 

The World not Just Israel

Before the cross, Israel was the only privileged nation to have the true word of God spoken to them through Moses, the prophets, and the written word.  God primarily dealt with Israel for about 1440 years.  1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1-2)  Then after the cross the Gospel was to be preached to the whole world, no longer limited to only one nation.  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)  Pentecost was not the beginning of the church but it signaled the beginning of the evangelization of the world and the beginning of the end of days.

 

Salvation – Grace versus Law

Before the cross, when a man committed a sin he was to take a bullock, which was a young bull, and it was to be brought to the priests and sacrificed to make atonement for the man’s sin.  And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. (Leviticus 4:20)  The word “atonement” has the primary meaning of “to cover.”  So the Old Testament sacrifices just covered sins.

 

After the cross, there was a complete change.  The sacrifice of Christ was so powerful against sin, that it did not cover sin but removed it.  Grace is now the way that a person becomes saved.  If a person was named before the foundation of the world to be saved, they will have grace poured upon them which means their sins are removed and their soul is cleansed and ready for heaven at that moment.  Under the Old Covenant, the soul was still sin-filled even after a sacrifice of the bullock but in the new Covenant it was clean.

 

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

 

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. (Isaiah 43:25)

 

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

 

13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (Colossians 2:13-14)

 

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12)

 

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)

 

Here are seven verses which teach plainly that the sins of the true believer in Christ have been removed, forgotten, blotted out as they were nailed to the cross.  Under the Mosaic law, animal sacrifices had to be continual because sinning was perpetual.  Under the covenant of grace, the moment that you become saved, all your sins were removed from your soul past, present, and future. 

 

Great Day of Atonement was Calvary

Before the cross as written in Leviticus 16, the High Priest was required to make a yearly atonement for the whole nation of Israel called the Great Day of Atonement.  It was done on the 10th day of the seventh month which would be Tishri.  After the cross there was no more sacrifice for sin since a person becomes saved only through the blood of Christ which was done only once and not yearly.   So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28) 

 

The Israel of God

Before the Cross, God had dealt with the land of Israel and the name Israel means “prince with God.” It was the name of the physical land which God promised to Abraham and was fulfilled in the time of Joshua.  Because of their disobedience and rebellion against God, they lost the land as the northern kingdom went into Assyrian captivity in 721 B.C. and Judah was destroyed in 70 A.D.  After the cross, the designation of “Israel” changed.  No longer was it the physical nation of Israel but refers to the body of believers.

 

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Romans 2:28-29)

 

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (Romans 9:6)

 

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. (Deuteronomy 10:16)

 

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

 

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)

 

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

 

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:16)

 

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (Romans 11:25-26)

 

These nine verses show that fact that the body of believers is now called Israel.  The body of believers extends to the entire world which means that Spiritual Israel extends to the entire world.

 

Modern Israel is a False Israel

Ever since 1948 the church has been worshipping the modern nation if Israel believing that it was the re-birth of the ancient nation of Israel.  Nowhere in the Old Testament do we read that God was going to bring forth another physical nation named Israel.  We already saw what the New Testament Israel is.  The reason this is believed is because prophecy preachers take all the promises of Judah returning to the land in 517 B.C., the prophets speaking about the Messiah and then taking those promises and neglecting what they are pointing to, namely the first coming of Christ, and pointing them to the second coming of Christ.  What they are partaking of is very bad exegesis and much biblical illiteracy.  Just because the modern nation carries the same name as the ancient nation does not mean that is a bridge to the original, ancient nation.  If that was the case then the following must be true, those living in the following cities:

 

Babylon, NY – Are all descendants of the Babylonians

Nineveh, NY – Are all descendants of the Assyrians

Damascus, VA – Are all descendants of Syria

Ekron, NY – Are all descendants of the Philistines

 

I think you get my point.  A name does not necessarily imply connection. The Jews in modern Israel are made up of four political groups but all are followers of the false religion of Judaism which totally rejects Christ and continues to vilify him.

 

Mizrachi

The Mizrachi is the name of the religious Zionist organization founded in 1902 in Vilnius at a world conference of religious Zionists called by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. Bnei Akiva, which was founded in 1929, is the youth movement associated with Mizrachi. Both Mizrachi and the Bnei Akiva youth movement are still international movements. Mizrachi believes that the Torah should be at the center of Zionism and also sees Jewish nationalism as a means of achieving religious objectives. The Mizrachi Party was the first official religious Zionist party and founded the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Israel and pushed for laws enforcing kashrut and the observance of the Sabbath in the workplace. It also played a role prior to the creation of the state of Israel, building a network of religious schools that exist to this day, and took part in the 1951 elections.

 

Ashkenazi

These were Jews of German and Eastern European origin along with their traditions, customs, and rituals.

 

Sephardic

A Jew who is of Spanish or Portuguese or North African descent.

 

Khazar

The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people with a confederation of Turkic-speaking tribes that in the late 6th century A.D. established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia.  They had many different religions among them such as Tengrism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Paganism, Religious syncretism.

 

The modern Jews are not the Jews of the Old Testament and the undeniable evidence of this has become clear with the advent of DNA research. In 2001, Dr. Ariella Oppenheim and her team at Tel Aviv University released their study which found that the “Jews” were mainly Khazars, from Khazaria, a Caucasus country which is now called Kazakhstan, Georgia, and other names. The Khazarians converted from pagan religions to Talmudic Judaism after the 8th century, but of course, racially they remain Khazars.  Once again religious affiliation does not affect nationality, they remained Khazars.

 

The modern city of Jerusalem is not the same city it was before 70 A.D.  It was totally destroyed by Titus and the Romans along with the genealogical records.  Then many Jews were killed and the rest taken to Rome as slaves and dispersed throughout the Roman empire. Then in 130 A.D. Hadrian rebuilt the city of Jerusalem as a Roman outpost.  The city we see today is a Roman city.

 

Priesthood of Believers

Before the cross, in Israel there was a special class of men chosen to be priests who were to work in the tabernacle and temple of the LORD.  And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. (Exodus 40:13)  Then there was also the Levites who ministered in the tabernacle and temple.  But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. (Numbers 1:50)  The High Priest was to offer the sacrifice on the Great Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16.  The other priests were to offer the sacrifices that the people brought into the temple.

 

After the cross, there was no more special class of priests.  All the true believers were now priests of the Most High God.  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)  The priesthood of believers offer sacrifices in the New Testament temple which is the body of believers.  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)  The office of High Priest was also dissolved from among men and transferred to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)  The High priest makes intercession for the believers.  Just as the High Priest in Israel interceded for the people, our High Priest intercedes for us.  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)

 

No more Prophets like Moses or Joel

Before the cross, God used specifically called men to be prophets to Israel from the time of Moses to the time of Malachi which was about 1,000 years.  God had chosen specific men in specific times during the days of ancient Israel to bring a specific message.  Haggai encouraged the building of the temple.  Hosea taught that Israel had gone a whoring after false gods.  Habakkuk prophesied the coming Babylonian invasion.  Moses gave the law and was the intercessor between the people and God.

 

After the cross, every believer is a prophet.  These were the ones in the church who had received divine revelations such as Agabus (Acts 11:28 & 21:10). They also prophesied things to come plus they were able to explain the Scriptures through the Spirit. This gift ceased at the end of the first century when the Bible was completed.  The English word “prophecy” comes from the Greek word “propheteia” which carries with it the meaning of “foretelling.” It was for the purpose of foretelling events which were important to the body of Christ. This gift was one which also received messages from God and relayed them to the people akin to the prophets of old. These messages were verbal in nature. Before the Bible was completed, different people had made prophecies through which God communicated His truth to them. For example, the book of Revelation was considered a prophecy because it laid out what was going to happen to the church from the first coming of Christ until the second coming.  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.  (Revelation 1:3) Prophecies were bits and pieces but not total pictures.  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.  (1 Corinthians 13:9) 

 

These prophecies offered only partial revelation and not entire messages as the books of the Bible are. Once the book of Revelation was completed, there would be no more prophecies because all God had wanted us to know was now written down in the Word of God. God would include the prophecies from time past which He chose to make part of His written revelation. So once the Bible was completed, prophecies also ceased to exist because the canon of Scripture was now complete. So anyone who makes a prophecy and insists it is of God, are giving a false prophecy and it will not come to pass. Remember every prophet who prophesied in the Bible was 100% correct. Anything less than this means a false prophet has spoken.  Today the modern day prophet declares God’s word to the congregation and the world.  They speak exhortations, declarations and warnings.  They also foretell future events according to the Scriptures such as: the coming judgment, everlasting damnation, the end of the world, etc.  These subjects are all found in the word of God and the modern prophet uses the word of God as a cudgel on his hearers bellowing forth warnings.

 

God set his name in Jerusalem now the New Jerusalem

Before the cross God had a special relationship with Israel because it was through them that the Messiah would eventually come and because of this God had set his name in Jerusalem because the temple was there and that was the center of worship.  Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. (2 Chronicles 33:4)  God makes a statement in 2 Chronicles 33:4 that he is going to put his name in Jerusalem forever.  The word for “forever” is the Hebrew word “ʻôwlâm” which means “eternity.”  However, we have a dilemma because in 70 A.D. Jerusalem along with the temple was destroyed.  How then could God place his name there forever?

 

After the cross, the name Jerusalem took on another meaning.  The name “Jerusalem” means “City of Peace.” So how then could the meaning of that name be fulfilled?  We find the answer to that in Romans 5:1.  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)  The City of Peace are those who are at peace with God through salvation.  Before salvation a person is an enemy of God by means of their rebellious nature but when a person becomes saved, the war between them and God is over.  The only way God can place his name in Jerusalem forever is by placing it in the New Jerusalem which will be everlasting.

 

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22)

 

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

 

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:10)

 

If you notice in all three verses above, the New Jerusalem is referred to as a city while it is the body of believers.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)  The bride being the body of believers.  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. (Revelation 21:9)  The place where God has chosen to place his name is in the new everlasting Jerusalem.  The earthly Jerusalem is now run by Jews who completely reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures teach that if you reject the Son, you do not have the Father so therefore the Jerusalem of today is not where God has placed his name.

 

22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. (1 John 2:22-23)

 

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (2 John 9)

 

That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. (John 5:23)

 

He that hateth me hateth my Father also. (John 15:23)

 

The Passover Transitions into The Lord’s Supper

Before the cross Israel was to keep the Passover which commemorated the exodus from Egypt.  And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. (Numbers 9:5)  It was to be kept yearly on the fourteenth day of Nisan.

 

After the cross, no longer is the Passover to be celebrated as a memorial but the Lord’s Supper.  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: (Luke 22:15)  The Lord had celebrated the Passover with his disciples the night before his crucifixion but right on the heels of the Passover meal which is also called the Seder Supper the Lord institutes the Lord’s Supper.

 

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:19-20)

 

23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

 

No longer is the Passover Seder to be celebrated but now the true Christian celebrates the Lord’s supper and instead of remembering the exodus from Egypt, the Christian now celebrates the Lord’s Supper which is a remembrance of Jesus in that he gave his body and blood for the true Christians plus the Lord’s Supper commemorates his sacrifice until the Lord returns on the last day.  So the Lord’s Supper looks back to his sacrifice and forward to his return. 

 

Circumcision

Before the cross, God had commanded Israel to circumcise all the males which was a token of the covenant which God made with Abraham.  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. (Genesis 17:11)  It required the shedding of blood which was a  foreshadow of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.

 

After the cross, physical circumcision was no longer required because those who become saved will have their hearts circumcised.  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)  The sign of the new covenant is that the LORD himself would circumcise the heart which required no blood because Christ already shed blood for the New Covenant.  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:25)  Then we read in Ezekiel 36:26 that the LORD is going to give those who become saved a new heart.  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26) If Christians circumcise their male offspring, it means they are placing them under the Old Covenant which cannot save.

 

Baby baptism is not the replacement for circumcision.  Paedo-baptism as it is called is a false ritual.  This ritual was copied from the Roman Catholic church and is practiced in many denominations.  Baby baptism does not impute anything to the baby except a wet head.  I was baptized as a baby but when I became saved, I was re-baptized as a testimony. The biblical form of baptism is that when a person becomes saved, no matter at what age, they are then baptized to show outwardly what has happened to them inwardly.  Baby baptism does not show anything and is not a witness. 

 

36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (Acts 8:36-38)

 

The Law Fulfilled in Christ

Before the cross, God had given Israel many laws through Moses and they were required to keep the law and its many tenets.  They were to keep the feasts, they were to make solemn assemblies, the males were to appear before the LORD three times each year in Jerusalem, Leprosy laws, there were offerings for sin, harvest, tithing, etc.  All these things Israel had to keep to remain in covenant with God.  If they had broken any aspect of the law, they were guilty of breaking the whole law.  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) 

 

After the cross, a person became saved through grace and grace required absolutely no work in the procuring of salvation.  When Christ went to the cross, he totally fulfilled the demands of God’s holy law.  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (Matthew 5:17)  All the feasts and sacrifices in the law of Moses were now null and void because they could no longer atone for sins.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)  True salvation never could come through the law and one of the biggest debates in the early church was should the law of Moses be added to grace for salvation?  Well the Apostle Paul answered that question plainly in Galatians 5:1.  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)  Christ made us free from keeping the obligations of the law.  The liberty we have is the fact that Christ fulfilled the law and that fulfillment is imputed to every true believer as if they themselves kept every tenet of the law.  Then at the end of that verse, Paul warns not be entangled in the yoke of bondage again which means we are not to keep any aspects of the law whether it be feasts or sacrifices since it would have no effect at all.  It would only dilute the true teachings of pure grace making salvation a hybrid of grace and law.  The entanglement would be how much law do you keep and what laws do you keep for salvation.  It would eventually send someone back to the law fully meaning they are under the curse.  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)  Beware of anyone who wants to bring you back under the law because it sounds good. Christian Zionism is a curse because it attempts to amalgamate law and grace.  You can always tell the Judaizers in the churches because they use terms like “Yeshua” which is not found one time in the entire New Testament or they use the term “Yahweh” for God the Father which is a blasphemous term because Yahweh is another name for the false god Jupiter.  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. (Exodus 6:3)  God revealed his name to Moses and to us because he placed it in the Bible.  Therefore any other names for Jesus and God the Father is blasphemous and false.

 

Time Methods

Before the cross, almost every event is given a specific date and time:

1) Passover was to be celebrated on the fourteenth day of Nisan (Lev. 23:5)

2) Fifteenth day of Nisan is the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days (Lev. 23:6)

3) Feast of Pentecost - 50 days after Passover (Lev. 23:16)

4) In the seventh month Tishri, on the first day, the Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:24)

5) In the seventh month Tishri, on the tenth day is the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27)

 

As you can see that specific time periods were given right down to the day.  It is these dates that date setters use to try and come up with the date of Christ’s return.  They are always wrong.

 

After the cross, we are no longer dealing with specific dates and times:

1) The Apostle Paul was beheaded - Did God tell him before when it would happen?

 

2) The disciples were told by Christ that they were to stay in Jerusalem until the Promise of the Father, which was the Holy Spirit, would be given to them. - They were given no time frame as to when it would happen.

 

3) In Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. which signaled the end of the Mosaic era. Notice the word "here." No time frame was given at all as to when that would happen. In fact, it is not even mentioned in the book of Revelation written 25 years later. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. {2} And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. (Matthew 24:1-2)

 

4) The return of the Lord is going to happen but there are no specific time frames in the NT as to when it is going to take place. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

 

We are only told that certain events will precede the Lord's return but again, for example, no time frame is given as to how long the Great Apostasy would last till it dovetails into the Lord's return.

 

Now these four instances, and there are others, show us that there is a difference in the way God uses time in both the Old and New Testament. The times in the OT are specific times such as three times a year all males must appear before the Lord, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies yearly, the Feast of Pentecost was seven weeks after Passover, the men of Israel could not go to war until they were 20 years old, etc. In the OT, time was governed by law but in the NT it is governed by grace. What I mean by that is simply found in a verse like Luke 19:13. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:13)  The Christian is told to occupy, till when, the next feast day or new moon? No, until the Lord returns or He takes us in physical death. In the temple service in the Old Testament a person had to retire at 50 years of age. There is no such thing as retirement for a Christian in the New Testament.

 

The New Testament, under which we live right now, is governed by different rules. In the NT, believers do not have a High Priest who goes into the Holy of Holies each year, Christ is our High Priest. In the NT, there are absolutely no feasts for the believer to keep because they were all kept in Christ and done away with under the Mosaic law. This is why when people use these timed events from the OT and try to force them on the NT, they fall into a trap by building upon the length of the feasts which lead to total disappointment because OT law was a different dispensation than NT Grace (even though grace was present in the OT). This is why we are told to be ready because we do not know the day nor hour because the timing of the NT is much different than the OT and readiness is the required key given throughout the NT.

 

The Chosen People are Christians

Before the cross, the LORD chose the nation of Israel to have a special relationship with them because through them would eventually come the Lord Jesus Christ.  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: (Deuteronomy 7:7)  Since the Messiah would come through them, they continually had to fight for their existence against many enemies who were heathen nations.  Even through God chastised them mightily for their transgressions, nevertheless he protected them to make sure that they would exist so the Messiah would be born.  When you study the history of ancient Israel, you will find very few believers among them like Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Naboth, etc.  The nation was not nor was it ever chosen for complete salvation.  They were chosen to bring forth the Messiah and once he came and went back to Heaven, then the Lord dispatched Titus and the Roman army to destroy them which included the temple, the temple records, and the people were either killed or transported back to Rome as slaves denoting the end of the ancient nation of Israel and the Mosaic system of law.

 

After the cross, God had made it plain that the true chosen people are those who are saved in Christ which was also the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant which was called “everlasting.”  And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. (Genesis 17:7) 

 

For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)

 

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1:4)

 

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)

 

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14)

 

Even though people were becoming saved from the beginning of time, it was not till after the cross that God revealed who his true chosen people are.

 

Summary

As we have plainly seen that Calvary changed everything.  It was not a continuation of the Old Testament law but it was a dividing line with new laws and new teachings and new methods.  Too many Christians discount what happened at Calvary and too many ignore what took place and how the cross changed everything.  Any Christian who continues to Judaize churches or other Christians with their Zionist teachings are actually being disrespectful to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Remember it was the Zionists in 33 A.D. who handed the Lord Jesus Christ over to the Romans with immense vitriol to be killed and then attempted to eradicate the early church.  Zionism is no friend of true Christianity and neither is modern Judaism with its Christ rejecting and hating tendencies.  True Christians must not rely on the Old Testament for spiritual understanding of the precepts taught in the New.  Calvary changed everything and that is where the Christian must begin their understanding of the times we live in and the grace of God plus nothing.

 

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