Do the ACOGs really obey God's Law?
Among the followers of Herbert Armstrong's teachings, the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus is critical. According to them, not only does their observance of the commandments outlined in this chapter distinguish them from traditional Christians, it also distinguishes them from other Sabbatarian Christians (like Seventh Day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists, and the Church(es) of God Seventh Day). For them, these festivals not only provide the perfect contrast to the "pagan" holidays of Easter, Halloween and Christmas; they also stand or fall with Sabbath observance!
For the sake of argument, let's assume for a moment that Christians are obligated to observe these festivals - that the ACOG's theology is sound on this point. Are their observances and arguments consistent with what is revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures? Let's take a closer look.
In the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, NINE festivals are outlined: the weekly Sabbath, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Booths, and the Eighth Day. In connection with the annual festivals, it should be noted that there were specific rituals, sacrifices, and offerings associated with each one of them. Again, for the sake of argument, for the moment, we will ignore the instructions about sacrifices and offerings (even the ACOGs acknowledge that Christ's sacrifice makes those no longer necessary).
We are, nevertheless, left with a number of undeniable discrepancies between ACOG observances and what is outlined in this passage. For example, in all of the years that I was associated with them, I don't remember ANY specific observances related to Firstfruits. To be fair, an occasional sermon would mention the fact that Christ was our wave sheaf offering, but there was no specific observance associated with that festival. They would even read aloud the passage: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." (Leviticus 23:9;14, ESV) Now, I suppose we could say that Firstfruits/wave sheaf was symbolic and pointed to Christ - a shadow of the reality found in him; but isn't that the very argument which other Christians use to "do away with" all of these festivals?
In similar fashion, the Feast of Trumpets was to be "proclaimed with blast of trumpets" (verse 24). Now, I do remember a couple of occasions when a trumpet was employed in the singing of "God Speaks to Us" on this feast day, but I don't recall this as having been a formal or regular part of the worship service. And, as far as this festival being celebrated as a "memorial" (same verse), most of the sermons and literature which I remember being associated with this day focused on the second coming of Jesus Christ. If my memory is faulty on this point, I'm confident that someone will correct me!
In terms of the Feast of Booths, we read: "And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." (Verses 40-43) I don't remember any of this being associated with the "Feast of Tabernacles" celebrated by the ACOGs (at least, not the ones with which I was associated). Indeed, instead of temporary shelters constructed by the celebrants, most of us had reservations in very permanent hotels and campgrounds - a temporary stay!
We could, of course, talk in some detail about the ACOG's flawed understanding of the symbolism associated with these festivals. After all, the ACOGs claimed that the meaning of these days was an important part of observing them! We could talk about how the Day of Atonement pointed to Jesus, NOT Satan the Devil. We could also talk about Jesus Christ and humankind tabernacling in the flesh, and Christ's sermon on the "Last Great Day," but we will focus instead on the physical observance of these days by the ACOGs.
In this connection, another favorite passage of the ACOGs comes immediately to mind - the sixteenth chapter of Deuteronomy. Of course, within that culture, the principal role of this passage was to enjoin the membership to cough up generous offerings on each of the Holy Days! Even so, this passage conveys a number of other imperatives which those folks conveniently ignored.
For example, although ACOG folks were scrupulous about removing all leavening from their dwellings, they completely ignored the passages related to the ONLY acceptable place for the observance of these days. In that chapter in Deuteronomy, we read: "You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt." (Verses 5-6) Likewise, in connection with the Feast of Weeks, we read: "And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there." (Verse 11) In similar fashion, with regard to the Feast of Booths, we read: " For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful." (Verse 15)
Notice that ALL three of these festivals were to be observed "at the place the Lord your God will choose." Moreover, so that there wouldn't be any room for misunderstanding of God's intent in this regard, the passage concludes with: "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you." (Verses 16-17) In other words, Torah mandated THREE pilgrimage festivals - where the Israelites were required to come to JERUSALEM to properly observe these festivals! After all, any serious student of the Hebrew Bible understands that JERUSALEM is the ONLY place which God ever chose for His name to permanently rest. Moreover, students of the New Testament understand that Christ and his apostles ALWAYS celebrated the festivals at Jerusalem! Also, doesn't Zechariah suggest that JERUSALEM is where the Feast of Booths will be observed in the Millenium? (Zechariah 14:16-19)
What has been the practice of the ACOGs in this regard? The Worldwide Church of God and most of its successors have designated various "feast sites" around the world where their members gathered to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. On the other hand, Passover and the Feast of Weeks were usually observed locally - within the various congregations of the Church. Now, having personally been to many of these sites, I can attest to the fact that places like Wisconsin Dells, Jekyll Island, Saratoga Springs, Biloxi, Pensacola, Johnson City, Myrtle Beach, etc. are very nice vacation spots. They are, however, NOT JERUSALEM! Also, are the ACOGs suggesting that the choices of a "Festival Coordinator" (or church administrator) reflect God's choice? And, what about the Scriptural designation of the other two festivals (Passover and Weeks) as pilgrimage festivals? Finally, if the "offerings" on these occasions were binding on members, why weren't the other offerings designated for those days still binding on them?
What about ACOG justifications for their divergence from these plain Torah instructions? A favorite of theirs is found in Christ's instructions to his disciples recorded in the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. We read there: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." (Verses 18-20) Let's ignore the fact that these remarks were delivered within the context of dealing with disagreements among Christ's disciples within the Church (verses 15-17). If this passage justifies ACOG practices regarding the festivals, why can't it be employed by traditional Christians to justify their observances of Sunday, Christmas, and Easter? Let's not forget, too, that this passage was used to justify their observance of Pentecost on Monday for many years! What's that old saying? "What's good for the goose is good for the gander!"
Now, while this post does not disprove that Christians are obligated to observe the festivals (that's a subject for another post), it does demonstrate that ACOG observance of those festivals is NOT in line with Torah instructions regarding them! Hence, the answer to our original question: "Do the ACOGs really obey God's Law?" has to be answered with a resounding NO!
Lonnie Hendrix
The people of Jerusalem did not wave hotels at Jesus when He entered the city. They waved at Him the same kinds of branches they used to build their temporary dwellings.
ReplyDeleteThe ACOGs have entirely lost a vital aspect of the FOT's symbolism for Christians.
Well, this was the truly the greatest example in the field of theology of misdirection, or sleight of hand, wasn't it. Perpetuating the myth that the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong were the law of God! And if you didn't obey this picked and chosen array, you actually hated God! How many times have we read the comments to that effect by the remaining HWA stalwarts. If The World Tomorrow Program had had Mouseketeers, or a Peanut Gallery, these stalwarts would be it! Or maybe a better description would be "dittoheads"!
ReplyDeleteThere are certainly better examples of lawkeepers. Hassidic Jews are certainly one example. The problem is that Armstrongism's amalgam included Jesus Christ in an oddly diminished way. HWA filtered the New, better Covenant through the Old. Like putting fine new wine in ancient wineskins. And they burst asunder, spilling, dirtying, and wasting all of that good new wine!
Compare Ex 23:14-16 listing 3 chags (Hebrew for "feast"), with Lev 23, listing moeds (Hebrew) and you have: 7 days of unleavened bread including the Passover the 14th on the first day as a sabbath, and the day of firstfruits, and the 7th day as a sabbath: is the first feast; the second feast Pentecost; the third feast the 7 days of the feast of tabernacles including the first day as a sabbath; and the other moeds which are the weekly sabbath, and the annual sabbaths, not feasts, which are "Trumpets" but trumpets are not specified; and "Atonement"; and the eighth day which is not the last great day of John 7:37 b/c a sabbath never occurs after the 8th day on the 9th but a sabbath did occur after the 7th day of the feast of John 7:37 which was the 8th day! - John 7:37 to 9:14.
ReplyDeleteThe New Testament mentions Pentecost and unleavened bread as existing feasts after Christ's death, and Zech 14 is a prophecy of observing "Tabernacles" in the future, so these 3 feasts will be observed but it is doubtful "Trumpets" and "Atonement" will be observed b/c they appear to be added laws until Christ - Gal 3:17-19, are not included in Ex 20-23; it's no longer necessary to make noise so that God will remember Israel, or Israel remembering God, b/c of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and Jesus is now our atonement - Romans 5:11.
Yeah but Herbert's version of 7 holy day offerings, not 3, made big money!
"All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, it does seem odd that the OT clearly states the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles, as you cite, yet Armstrongists associate it with the Millennium. If the clear meaning is not enough, God puts his imprimatur on the passage by signing, "I am the Lord your God." To my knowledge there is no Biblical foundation for associating the FoT with the Millennium. That is a specialty interpretation that comes out of WCG's booklet theology.
Here's the conumdrum for followers of HWA. in regard to the FoT:
1. They don't keep it at the right place (Jerusalem).
2. They don't ascribe to it the correct meaning (flight from Egypt).
3. They don't follow the revealed practices (including living in booths).
4. Yet, they claim that every jot and tittle of the Laws of Moses are still in force.
5. And the Laws of Moses are written on their hearts.
6. And God gave them the Holy Spirit expressly so they could keep the unkeepable Laws.
7. And they deride people who don't keep the Law like they do.
Sorry if I sound too much like the Apostle Paul - but he is my hero at the disciple level.
What's wrong with this picture that Christians can see it and Armstrongists cannot? Where is the disconnect.
Good, substantive essay. Too bad that the people who really need to read it won't. But they also don't read the Bible. So don't feel bad.
Well said Lonnie. Why can it not be said that the cogs refuse to follow these specific instructions in the Law due to a rebellious heart? This is what the wcg said about traditional Christians.
ReplyDeleteEarl
John 4:19-26, NKJV
ReplyDeleteThe woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 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 will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
Anonymous Thursday, July 6, 2023 at 9:54:00 PM PDT,
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing us with the opening salvo in explaining why Christians are NOT obligated to observe these festivals! The New Covenant is not bound to a specific people, place, and time - it is universal! It is also based on the spirit, NOT the letter, of the Law. Finally, Jesus is the focus of that New Covenant worship!
Aaaaaaannnnnnnndddddd, once again Lonnie reveals the shallowness of his understanding. But that is typical of those in the world.
ReplyDeleteYou don't care to deepen our understanding? It's much easier just to accuse someone of being shallow than provide a structured reasoned response. Instead of demonstrating that the accused is shallow, it demonstrates that your understanding is shallow.
DeleteLonnie writer has the spirit of Tkach era and hasn't a clue on what Cgi was about.
DeleteLonnie:
ReplyDeleteI think 9:54 may be saying that the worship of God has been detached from Jerusalem. And, hence, worship at Wisconsin Dells, Tucson, Big Sandy, etc. is not proscribed. It depends on if the commenter is taking the Armstrongist view or the Christian view. The commenter would have to further explain.
It does raise an interesting issue. Armstrongists follow the idea that the Old Covenant is still in effect. So, the commandment to worship only where God places his name is still in effect. It is just that now they feel that law is being obeyed by having someone in the Armstrongist leadership chain make a decision about where God is going to place his name. Hence, you have that place being The Poconos, for instance. It is a way of doing an end-run around the Law of Moses yet appearing to have been compliant. I don't know of them having ever hearkened to the statement in John 4.
This is how the early FoT building was placed based on an account in the 1957 Good News Magazine article by Herman Hoeh concerning the new Feast site in "Gladewater":
“God has not left us free to choose for ourselves where we want to meet. God is the One who chooses the place: "Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God IN THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD SHALL CHOOSE"(Deuteronomy 16: 15) ... In verse 6 of this same chapter God further tells us that it must be "the place which the Lord thy God shall choose TO PLACE His NAME IN."... Then something happened! It became evident to Mr. Armstrong, together with many of the members, that the only place available where we could meet was the very place GOD HAD PLACED HIS NAME-on the property near Glade water, Texas!”
"It became evident..." Even though Hoeh cites the Old Covenant principle of God placing his name, he skips over the fact that God had already done this and the place was Jerusalem. Instead, he cites the idea that people had to worship at some place on the Holy Days so God revealed through circumstance that it was the donated location at Gladewater (Big Sandy). In other words, instead of starting with the Old Covenant, Gladewater is chosen by circumstance and then Hoeh backed into the Old Covenant mandate. This is an extremely liberal interpretation of the Old Covenant prescription and is not the jot and tittle methodology that Armstrongists like to espouse.
Do the ACOG's observe God's law? Well, they observe it 1000 times better than most "Christian" churches who seem to teach or behave as if it were done away! At least they try.
ReplyDeleteIn the NT, you are obligated to the spirit AND the letter of the law!
ReplyDeleteOne of the knocks against Bill Watson is he deviates from preaching about Jesus Christ and salvation through Him. Yet, when God ordained opportunities to celebrate these redemptive accomplishments and saving acts of Christ come, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 5:8, some say, not interested! We are under no obligation to do that!
ReplyDeleteEveryone has "days" they celebrate. Some mainstream orthodox Christians even celebrate Pentecost, so they see some value. Yet, excuses abound why we shouldn't celebrate these holydays.
Jerusalem/ place/ sex/ sacrifices, rituals, the international date line, old covenant, new covenant, etc. But,instead of excuses, why not ask, do the biblical holydays have anything to offer the new covenant Christian?
The NT is saturated with holyday symbolism and terminology, such as, lamb of God, leaven, firstfruits, harvest, trump of God, to name a few. I would assume this is no accident but God is trying to tell us something here! Aren't they a part of the "holy scriptures, which are able to make one wise and are profitable for instruction"?
My interpretation of the spirit of the law concerning the holydays is not to discard them, but to embrace and celebrate the reality of their meaning. These are the "feasts of the Lord (Jesus Christ)", not the feasts of HWA!
I would strongly recommend reading Samuele Bacchiocchi's two part book "God's Festivals in Scripture and History."
ReplyDeleteBP8,
ReplyDeleteI believe that the festivals of Leviticus point to Jesus Christ and salvation through him. Hence, I continue to believe that they have value for Christians. I also believe that there is NOTHING wrong with trying to celebrate them or observe them - as long as we all understand that we are NOT under any obligation to do so as New Covenant people, and that our attempts to do so will NOT conform to the instructions outlined in Torah! Yes, "these are the appointed feasts of the Lord" which were addressed to the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL! The problem arises when Christians who observe them claim that they are obeying God, and that Christians who choose not to observe them are being disobedient. In other words, our salvation depends on the one to whom they (the festivals) point, NOT on whether or not we choose to observe them!
Anonymous Friday, July 7, 2023 at 7:41:00 AM PDT,
Yes, my point was that 9:54 was embracing a Scripture which renders ALL practices tied to a specific people, time and place unnecessary.
Leonnie writes:
ReplyDelete“as long as we all understand that we are NOT under any obligation to do so as New Covenant people”.
Zec 14:19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
I disagree; one is obligated to keep them as a response to salvation.
Leonnie also writes:
“The problem arises when Christians who observe them claim that they are obeying God, and that Christians who choose not to observe them are being disobedient.”
If you are keeping the Sabbath on the first day of the week you are being disobedient. (Yes, Christ, the firstfruit, rose from the dead on Sunday; but that is no justification for keeping Sunday as the fourth commandment).
Lk 2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
Eze 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month [of the captivity], as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
“The law obligated all male Jews “of mature age” to go thrice a year to attend the three great feasts: Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles... The dispersion of the Jews made it impossible for them to comply literally with this commandant. And even after the return of a remnant to the land of the fathers, it was very difficult for many who lived a long way away from Jerusalem to go there three times a year. In the case of Joseph and Mary, as well as of many others, the feast selected was the Passover... (William Hendriksen, Luke, NTC, p.182).
Leonnie you would make a good letter of the law Pharisee.
Act 15:19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
The ideal is presented in the torah but judgments, based on the ‘spirit’ of the Law, have to be made on how to keep the instructions of the Lord when it is difficult or impossible to comply to the letter; also:
"... in Exodus 18 knowing God's will was for the express purpose of behaving correctly...
"Unlike the Israelites of Exodus, the law, in Christ, is truly written on our hearts. But like the Israelites, we still need to discern daily what God wants us to do. It is not always easy to know what God requires of us, especially since the Bible does not tell us what to do in each and every situation. It is not a morality manual with an index we flip through to find the answers for all of life's problems... And even when the Bible seems to speak directly to our situation, we must still patiently discern whether that biblical precept or example is truly relevant...
"What it means for the law to be written on our hearts is not that we automatically know what to do in every situation. Sometimes we do, but sometimes we must be patient in our judgments by seeking the Lord's guidance. Other times we must seek the advice of respected Christian friends. It is only those who do not have the law written on their hearts who think that God's will is easily discernable. That God has put the law on our hearts means, if anything, that our wills are being conformed to his own because, as we live day by day and struggle in our decisions, we are getting to know him more and more. We learn to lean towards him, as a flower leans towards the light. It is in the process of this desire to do right that we seek God with our whole hearts. We seek him because we, like the Israelites, want to do his will. And because of the spirit of Christ dwelling in us, that quest is never in vain" (Peter Enns, Exodus, NIVAC, pp.382-83).
The masterstroke of modern religion is to sell the consumer the empty promise of easy salvation. Jesus did it all for you!
ReplyDelete7.52 if you look carefully, the OT also demands keeping the spirit AND letter of the law. Herb's claim that God only demanded the physical obedience of the law for ancient israel is untrue. In the book of Deuteronomy, God instructs over and over to carefully keep all His laws. This is impossible without keeping the spirit of the law, since it's thoughts that lead to actions. There cannot be a dichotomy between the two.
ReplyDeleteMiller Jones having two names? What confusion is this? Does this means that I can have three names?
And finally, after the Final Judgement, these are the true elect—all have the common traits of keeping God’s Commandments—that shall be saved:
ReplyDelete“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and he went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” Revelation 12:17
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” Revelation 14:12
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” Revelation 22:14
Either God is confused and keeps changing the rules, favoring people in one period of history over another, or people are following religious fads.
ReplyDeleteI continue to observe the Sabbath for a number of reasons which I have enumerated on my own blog. Even so, I am NOT operating under the delusion that I am required to do so, or that doing so entitles me to anything. Just as it was in the last 30 years of the First Century, most Christians gather for worship on Sunday (in commemoration of Christ's resurrection). For most of those folks, it is NOT a substitute for the Sabbath. For most of us, Christ IS our Sabbath rest - we rest from our own works in him.
ReplyDeleteArmstrongites are quick to point out that God said: "EVERYTHING that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it." (Deuteronomy 12:32) Likewise, they like to quote Jesus remarks to the scribes and Pharisees: "why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3), and him quoting Isaiah: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:8-9) They draw these Scriptures on Catholics and Protestants like a gunslinger draws his weapon on the person he has targeted. What makes Herbie's changes and traditions superior to theirs? As I said in the post, what's good for the goose is good for the gander!
Finally, I disagree with the characterization of Christians as being in the same boat as the Israelites in terms of trying "to discern daily what God wants us to do." Unlike the Israelites, Christ summarized/condensed the Law into two universal principles which could be applied to any situation/circumstance which might confront us in this life (Loving God with our whole hearts and loving each other as we love ourselves). The Christian must, of course, discern how to apply these two principles, but that is very different from suggesting that we have to formulate our own traditions and standards. That is what it means to have God's law written in our hearts. The Christian doesn't need a command against stealing, murder, or adultery; because he/she knows that any of those things would be a violation of those principles which Christ gave to his disciples!
By the way, there are two names listed on my comments because I wanted to remain anonymous when I began blogging many years ago. You know - kinda like the anonymous person who made this observation! Miller Jones was a pen name I used for many years to differentiate me from other anonymous folks. Using both names now lets everyone know it's the same guy who wrote all that stuff back in the day.
I continue to observe the Sabbath for a number of reasons waxes the writer....Well of course financial, social and power reasons....but what God the Father and Jesus Christ thinks of the REAL LIFE you lead whilst plodding on with this blog is what really matters.
DeleteIn the long run you can write whatever you want but deceit will shine through in your REAL LIFE.
Fooling no one in the long run.
No evidence whatsoever on gender. Why push the 'same guy' agenda ????? Deceivers practice to deceive.
DeleteWrote it before and shall never stop Fake name NEVER been in CGI.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteDelegation
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Ac 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Acts is also a theological narrative that offers its own witness to God’s gospel. While the contrast between the Jewish cast of Luke’s Paul and the essentially Gentile cast of Paul’s letters has long been recognized as a critical problem; in combination the two writings envisage the prophetic protocol that Acts sponsors. In particular, the founding of different congregations according to Acts is at its roots a Jewish enterprise: It begins in the synagogue with Jewish and Gentile converts who are attached to the synagogue. Even when Paul is forced to leave the confines of the synagogue to maintain the Christian character of his urban mission, he does not leave behind the congregation's Jewish practices or constituency (e.g., see 18:5-8)” (Robert W. Wall, The Acts of the Apostles, NIB, Vol.10, p.215).
Ac 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
“Paul and Barnabas were clear that ‘it was necessary’ (RSV, NEB) that the word of God should be declared to you (i.e. you Jews) first. For that was God’s will (3.26, ‘first to you’). And this order was to remain, as Paul wrote latter: ‘first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles.’ The same priority continued in Paul’s missionary expeditions described in the Acts, EVEN AFTER he had begun to evangelize Gentiles also.
Isa 49:6 And he said to me, It is a great thing for thee to be called my servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel: behold, I have given thee for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the end of the earth. (Brenton, LXX).
“Yet it was Jewish opposition to the gospel which led him to turn to the Gentiles and to find scriptural warrant for this epoch-making decision in Isaiah 49:6 (‘a light for the Gentiles’), which he quoted freely from the LXX.
Lk 2:28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lk 2:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Lk 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Act 26:15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Act 26:16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a SERVANT and WITNESS to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
Act 26:17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you
Act 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
“Luke has already recorded how this verse was applied to Jesus by Simon and will soon record Jesus applying it to Paul (Acts 26:17-18). This is not a contradiction, however, for the Lord’s suffering servant is the Messiah, who gathers round him a Messianic Community to share in his ministry to the nations” John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts, BST, p.227).
Part 2
ReplyDeleteEx 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Ex 19:6a And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
"From the beginning the missionaries had seen their task as including the Gentiles since the Old Testament clearly stated the task of God's Servant was to act as a light to the nations and to be a means of salvation throughout the world. This citation from Isaiah 49:6 comes from one of those passages describing the work of God's Servant who in Isaiah 44:1 is clearly identified as Israel. In Isaiah 49:5f., however, the Servant has a mission to Israel, and must therefore be identified as a person or group of persons within Israel. The early Christians saw the fulfilment of the prophecy in Jesus... but the present passage asserts that the mission of the Servant is also the task of the followers of Jesus. Thus the task of Israel, which she failed to carry out, has passed to Jesus and then to the people as the new Israel; it is the task of bringing the light of revelation and salvation to all the peoples of the world (cf. the clear allusion to Isa 49:6 in Luke 2:29-32)" (I. Howard Marshall, Acts, TNTC, pp.244-45).
Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
It is suggested that Israel 49:6 is to be seen as a response to Israel’s ‘failure’ under the OC. Isaiah looks forward to when Christ’s Messianic missionaries - the house of Israel and Judah - takes the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Isa 49:6a And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel:
Mt 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
(There are two house of Israel (see Isa 8:14), hence Christ was sent to the ‘southern' house of Israel).
Lk 6:13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
Lk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
But this is also a ‘type-antitype’ fulfillment.
(Christ’s prophetic week: https://members.optusnet.com.au/futurewatch/375ecc60.png).
The ‘type’ of raising up the tribes of Israel/the Preserved of Israel was fulfilled by Christ with His rasing up the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) during the first half of His prophetic week.
Lk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Lk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Ac 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
At the end of His first half-week Jesus commissioned His ‘church’ to proclaim the gospel, even “unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Israel 49:6a looks forward to the return of Christ to fulfill the second half of his prophetic week. Christ will raise up Israel the kingdom, after the end of Jacob’s trouble.
Part 3
ReplyDeleteIsa 49:6b I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
At the end of the second half of his prophetic week Christ will commission His kingdom to proclaim the gospel, even “unto the end of the earth”.
Ro 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of BENJAMIN.
Ac 4:36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a LEVITE, and of the country of Cyprus,
Paul, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Barnabas, of the tribe of Levi, going to the Gentiles in the Church Age provides the type for the tribes of Israel - the antitype - going to the Gentiles in the Kingdom Age.
Jesus and the church ‘saints’ will replace Satan and the demons “in the heavenlies” during the Messianic Age and will not therefore be in the terrestrial realm of the earth during this time. But God through Christ will have a dwelling presence in the Millennial Temple as He did in Solomonic Temple.
Zec 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
Zec 2:11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee...
"Zechariah affirms two things here that are always held in a delicate balance in Scripture. The first is the special place of Israel in God's purposes... the second his intention, finally to include people of many nations, and to own them as my people just as surely as he owned Israel (11). Again we are in touch with a theme that arcs right across the biblical revelation. It is a programme announced in the promises to Abraham, who was called to 'leave' (be separated from) others, to live in a special, covenantal relationship with God, so that through him, all peoples on earth might be blessed. The programme is realized in the person of Jesus Christ, the true seed of Abraham, in whom all the promises of God are fulfilled. It is vital that we realize, however, that the fulfilment in Christ does not obliterate the special place of Israel in God purposes, it brings it to perfect realization. Only by bowing the knee to the true seed of Abraham, the one perfect Israelite, can one be saved. There is no Saviour but Israel's Messiah, and no God but Israel's God... Zechariah expresses that same truth in terms of pilgrimage to Zion. There is only one place to which all must come in order to be saved. Only there will God dwell with his people..." (Barry Webb, The Message of Zechariah, BST, p.82-83).
I would say they partially obey, but what they are really good at; is adding to, and subtracting from God's law.
ReplyDeleteI believe the conundrum of Church of God’s not keeping certain aspects of the law can explained with Hebrews 7:12:
ReplyDelete“For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.”
The law has changed under the high priesthood of Jesus. This is why we don’t sacrifice animals. It is also why we have to view the law under this new administration. Listen to what our High Priest says.
John 4:21-24
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Keeping the Holy Days is done in spirit and truth. Not in the letter of the law. We are saved by grace alone. Keeping the Holy Days are our response to the power of Jesus in our lives. They are all about Him after all.
"The Christian doesn't need a command against . . ."?
ReplyDeleteActually I think we do!
Again, " the holy scriptures (the entire OT inc. Torah) are able to make thee wise, and are profitable for instruction . . .", 2 Tim 3:15-16. See also Romans 7:7
The Gentiles at Corinth possessed God's spirit and knew about the summation of the 2 great commandments, yet "love" was not feeding the apostle Paul! He had to be more specific (chapter 9) in their instruction in righteousness, specifically using the "law of Moses"!
Having God's law written on the heart is not a fait accompli, but an ongoing process. We are creatures of repetition! We need continual reminders and instruction on what we are, what we can be, what we should be doing and where we are going! The sabbath and holydays are special repetitive opportunities to be instructed in "the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" thus aiding in our growth in grace (2 PE 3:18).
I don't know about you, but I need that!
3:54 cites, “Zec 14:19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”
ReplyDeleteThis is frequently cited by Armstrongists as if it were a massive clobber scripture that demonstrates that the holy days, and by extension the Sabbath, are to be kept now. It is typically cited pre-emptively with no accompanying exegesis as if it were the unassailable “nuclear option”. And what is left unsaid is hugely significant. So, let me give it some due consideration.
First, it does not say in Zechariah that the Feast of Tabernacles at this future date is being kept in the same way that Armstrongists keep it today. Physically, The Armstrongist version of the Feast is a nice hotel by the beach, lots of food, lots of booze as a dress rehearsal of the putative inordinate indulgence of the Millennium. (This does not remotely resemble the ancient FoT.) Zechariah is talking about a serious international geopolitical recognition on the part of the nations of Jesus as Lord of Lords.
Second, the scripture does not imply, as Armstrongists presume, that because the FoT is kept in the future, that it must be kept now. This remains an un-exegeted principle. In fact, sacrifices were at one time kept and they are not now required. In the Sermon on the Mount, the statement Jesus made about the jot and tittle of the Law included the sacrifices and the ministration of death – it was the whole works. But after his death, both the sacrifices and the ministration of death were dropped (along with the rest of the Torah, but that is another topic. Armstrongists at least recognize that the sacrifices and the ministration of death are no longer requirements.) There are scriptures, if they are not allegorical, that seem to imply sacrifices will return. Sacrifices were kept, then went away, and may come back. What happens during one Age may not happen during another Age. The fact that the FoT may be required in the future does not mean that it should be observed now.
Third, Armstrongists make the FoT a requirement for salvation in contravention to the scriptures that say it is only a shadow of Christ. There is no reason to assume that the FoT of Zechariah supports this mistaken idea. There is not problem with observing the FoT if you are a New Covenant Christian. There is a big problem if you proclaim it to be required for salvation. This issue is not addressed in Zechariah 14.
Fourth, the FoT of Zechariah is being held in Jerusalem, the only place where God has placed his name for the observance of the three principle holy observances. If Armstrongists wish to be compliant with scripture, both Leviticus and Zechariah, they would be keeping the FoT in Jerusalem as well.
Zechariah 14:16-19 is not a pre-emptive clobber scripture in opposition to Christianity. It is a scripture that is open to midrash. And Armstrongists have never exhaustively considered it anywhere in their booklet theology.
Scout
Truth 12:17 wrote, "I would say they partially obey..."
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. But we can put a finer point on it. Armstrongists do not follow the Torah. They do not seek out direction in the pages of the Old Testament. They instead follow an interpretation of the Torah created by the Worldwide Church of God Church Administration Department. As a result, Armstrongists observe a FoT that ancient Israelites would not remotely recognize. They claim the FoT depicts the Millennium when the OT clearly points out its connection to the Exodus from Egypt. They keep it in places like Branson, Missouri instead of the ordained location of Jerusalem. They follow a radically liberal hemeneutic and come up with an observance that is one hermeneutical step away from being what it is supposed to be.
When they say "The Feast" or "The Law", one must automatically adjust the semantics to recognize that they are speaking not of an Old Testament institution but a modern, liberal interpretation created by WCG Church Administration Department.
I thank Scout for that excellent analysis of the passage from Zechariah 14 regarding the Feast of Booths.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to thank CGI's Jeff Reed for stopping by and commenting. There certainly was a change in the Law when Jesus assumed the job of High Priest of the New Covenant (Hebrews 7:12). Instead of all of those dos and don'ts outlined in Torah, Christ summarized those commandments into two great commandments/principles which his followers were to apply to ALL of the circumstances/situations they might face in this life. In the case of Christ's remarks to the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman had mentioned Torah's law of the central sanctuary which is referenced in this post - that folks were required to go to Jerusalem. Christ's response was that he would soon inaugurate a time when ALL people would be able to worship God. In other words, unlike the OLD Covenant, the New Covenant would NOT be tied to a people (children of Israel), place (the Promised Land), and time (before the destruction of the Temple). That's what it means to worship God in Spirit and in truth.
BP8, the Israelites needed repetition because they didn't have Christ's sacrifice or God's Holy Spirit. Christians have both - so, that repetition is no longer necessary. However, as everything in Torah (including the Sabbath and the festivals) points to Christ, I wish that ALL Christians were more familiar with these elements. The ACOGs try to imperfectly observe them, but they do NOT focus on what they point to - Jesus of Nazareth.
Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrix (Google Account) – Sign Out
Scout
ReplyDeleteThe millennial examples of feast (Zech.14), sabbath (Isaiah 66), and sacrifices (Ezk.40-46) demonstrate the fact that the Bible is indeed uniform (past, present, and future) and from the beginning to the end, the law is shown to be God's will (Romans 2:18, Psalms 40:8). However, how the law is presented and observed is clearly a matter of WHO is being dealt with at the time! This is one of the fundamental differences in the 2 covenants!
Those having God's spirit (the Church) have far greater liberty than those that do not (OT Israel and millennial Egypt).
We all know that children, who know little, are treated differently than mature adults. Maturity affords greater privileges and responsibilities. Like Israel of old, the law will once again serve as a schoolmaster to Egypt and the world, even as we impose disciplines on our children, such as curfews, bedtimes, school night restrictions etc., things responsible adults are not bound by.
The law may not be required for salvation, but for Egypt, obedience will be a requirement for rain! Also, children's rules, like God's law, are not problematic! They are merely instruments of training and conversion (Psalms 19:7, 119:9).
It's not necessary for a spirit filled individual to go to Jerusalem, or observe a ritual, for we are true worshippers who know God and worship in spirit and truth. But children need structure!
What I've always found curious is that HWA and his lieutenants always cited the Pharisaical dos and don'ts as what Jesus was defying, and in some cases, they were actually right. The Pharisees are presented in the gospels as fully developed, with no explanation as to their origins. They are also not mentioned in the Old Testament. We always referred to the Deuterocanonical books as the Apocrypha and as such ignored them. And, so we were not aware of Judas Maccabeus, who led a revolt, recaptured and purged the second temple of all the Greek idols from the Hellenist period, and reestablished the laws from Torah. The Pharisees were birthed during the Hasmonean priestly dynasty which Judas Maccabeus established, and were the law-keeping party from circa 154 BC to 70 AD, roughly the time of the second temple. They were common people, as opposed to the Sadducees who were upper class and elite. The Pharisees were popular with the Jews, and it is estimated that there were 6,000 of them during the physical lifetime of Jesus. Their extreme interpretation of the law was stimulated by the forced Hellenization which had been imposed upon the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes and the Seleucid Empire.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Saturday, July 8, 2023 at 12:03:00 PM PDT,
ReplyDeleteYes, great context!
12:03 writes:
ReplyDelete"We always referred to the Deuterocanonical books as the Apocrypha and as such ignored them. And, so WE were not aware of Judas Maccabeus, who led a revolt, recaptured and purged the second temple of all the Greek idols from the Hellenist period, and reestablished the laws from Torah."
Jn 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
"Feast of Dedication. The commemoration of the dedication (see NIV text note) of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in December, 165 B.C., after it had been profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes. This was the last great deliverance the Jews had experienced. It was winter. A description for those unfamiliar with the Jewish calendar" (NIV Study Bible).
It is surprising that you were "unaware of Judas Maccabeus" during your time in ACOGs.
As an aside:
Da 9:27a And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:
"Shall make a firm covenant: Literally, "shall cause a covenant to be strong" (root, gabar, used here in the hiphal). A covenant is made strong by being made firm, sure... The meaning is that he, as king of the restored Roman confederacy ... will "make a firm covenant" with the Jewish people at the beginning of the seventieth week, setting it up, apparently for a seven-year period. Since the word for covenant (berit) does not carry the article (contrary to the KJV translation), this covenant likely is made at this time (not a reaffirmation of an old one, then) and probably will concern some type of nonaggression treaty, recognizing mutual rights... With many: Though no identification is made of these "many," the reference is clear; because Gabriel at the beginning indicated that the "seventy weeks" concerned Daniel's people and holy city. The "many" are the people of Israel... The verse implies also that the first half of the week will be comparatively pleasant time for the Jews, in view of the covenant made with them, but that a radical change will ensue at the middle of the week" (Leon J. Wood, A Commentary on Daniel, pp.259 & 261).
1 Macc 1:11In those days certain renegades came out from Israel and misled many, saying, "Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon us."
1 Macc 1:13 and some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles.
1 Macc 1:14 So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom
1 Macc 1:15b They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.(NRSV).
The negative type from 1 Maccabees, provides a positive type for the end-time.
At the beginning of the seventieth week, the Antichrist's week, the Jews enter into covenant with the king Antichrist to implement the ordinances of God's sacrificial system and to build a temple. (It may also include the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem).
Half was through the week, the Great Tribulation begins.
1 Macc 1:62-64 But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath came upon Israel.
Jer 30:5 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
Jer 30:7a Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble;...
And just as Antiochus turned his wrath on the Sabbth-keeping Jews so the Antichrist will turn his wrath on all professing Sunday-keeping and Sabbath-keeping peoples who will not go along with "his religion."
* BP8 writes:
ReplyDelete“Those having God's spirit (the Church) have far greater liberty than those that do not (OT Israel and millennial Egypt)... Like Israel of old, the law will once again serve as a schoolmaster to Egypt and the world.”
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
The law as “schoolmaster” ended with Christ. The Messianic Age will be full of the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. The Messianic Age is a theocracy and operates differently to the Church.
“In a theocracy (where the government law is God's law - such as Israel had under the Mosaic law), the breaking of the theocratic law brings temporal judgement (Zechariah 14:16-19) - no rain, famine, illness, or disease. In order to escape the temporal judgement, an animal sacrifice is offered to atone for the breaking of the theocratic law. This will be the case during the millennium where the whole world will be under a theocracy" Joe Jordan, "The Marvelous Millennium", Joe Jordan and Tom Davis, Gen. Eds., Countdown to Armageddon: The Final Battle and Beyond [Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1999], p. 233).
Jdg 13:22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
One possible disadvantage of Christ coming in the flesh, where he could be heard, touched and even killed, is that it may lean to an under appreciation of His holiness.
Eze 43:7a And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever...
Zec 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
Zec 2:11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee
Eze 43:7a is indirect Messianic prophecy; hence God will have a dwelling presence in the Millennial Temple through Jesus Christ. While this is a blessing for Israel and the nations it is also potentially very dangerous situation for human beings.
"The concern for and protection of the holy. In ancient Israel, as elsewhere in the ancient Near East, a sanctuary was not a place to be entered lightly and unthinkingly. Rather, the sanctuary was seen as a danger zone, somewhat comparable to a nuclear power plant. In a nuclear power station, strict precautions have to be taken because of the special dangers of radioactivity, which can cause catastrophic effects if it is handled carelessly. Access to some areas of the site is strictly limited, and special clothing has to be worn for some processes to prevent lethal contact between those operating the plant and the radioactive material, and to prevent radioactivity being transmitted by them to the outside world. In an analogous way, the priests had to take special care in their dress and their conduct to avoid danger to themselves and to prevent dangerous levels of holiness being brought into contact with the general public...
Eze 44:27 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord GOD.
"Ezekiel is all too aware of something distant from our contemporary thinking: that it is a fearful thing for sinners to fall into the hands of the all-holy God" (Iain M. Duguid, Ezekiel, NIVAC, pp.503-05).
A Millennial Levitical priest, if he wants to preserve his life, will need to purify himself from ritual impurity, before he serves in the Temple.
* Jeffrey Reedy writes:
ReplyDelete“I believe the conundrum of Church of God’s not keeping certain aspects of the law can explained with Hebrews 7:12:
“For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.”
The law has changed under the high priesthood of Jesus. “
"THE WRITER IS HERE ARGUING HYPOTHETICALLY, FOR THE LAW ITSELF CANNOT BE CHANGED. He has primarily in mind the law affecting the Aaronic priesthood" (Donald Guthrie, Hebrews, TNTC, p.161).
Heb 8:4 If he [Christ] were on earth, he would not be a priest, FOR THERE ARE ALREADY MEN WHO OFFER THE GIFTS PRESCRIBED BY THE LAW.
Heb 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.
"It occurs to the writer that some confusion might arise in his readers' minds over the co-existence of two orders of priesthood. He proceeds, therefore, to show that the priesthood of Jesus was not established on earth. The main point he is making is the impossibility of Jesus fulfilling the conditions either in the matter of genealogy, or in the precise nature of the gifts, which are stipulated in the Mosaic Law. This leads into his thesis that the superior priesthood is that which operates in heaven, not on earth..." (Guthrie, ibid. p.172).
When the two pillars of the OT theocracy - Davidic kings and Levitical priests - were about to topple over God made this promise of comfort to Israel:
Jer 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:
Jer 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
The formula "days are coming" is a messianic formula; Jeremiah uses it to direct special attention to what is stated. The phrase is used fifteen times in the book. In contrast to the troublous times of Jeremiah's day, there will be a time of blessing ahead..." (Charles L. Feinberg, Jeremiah, EBC, Vol.6, p.518).
Jer 33:17 For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want [karat] a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
Jer 33:18a And for the priests, the Levites, there will not be cut off [karat] an individual before me making whole offering rise...
[Note BI this verse is not to be used/taken out of context to support the throne of David continued from the time of Zedekiah to day - this is a scripture for the Millennium - the implication being that David has wanted for a descendant sitting on his throne].
"Yahweh goes on to affirm a matching undertaking about the Levites that takes up the formulation of the Davidic promise. Once again, there will not be cut off... Jerusalem will know the rule of David and the ministry of the Levites. So Jeremiah ... is also providing the Levites with a matching promise... While a collocation of Davidic leadership/covenant and Levitical leadership/covenant come to feature in Second Temple times, that collocation does not correspond to the one that features here... the responsibility of the Levites relates purely to worship; it is the descendant of David who will exercise political leadership..." (John Goldingay, The Book of Jeremiah, NICOT, pp.698).
Jer 33:20Thus saith the LORD; if ye 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;
Jer 33:21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant ...; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
"The ... paragraph associates these perpetual promises to David and to Levi by associating these perpetual promises ... [with God's ] ...covenant with day and my covenant with the night (v. 20). This appears to be a reference back to Genesis 9 where God promises Noah that he will maintain the rhythm of creation. It is only if this covenant is broken, which it cannot, that he will break the covenants with David and Levi" (Tremper Longman III, Jeremiah, Lamentations, NIBC, pp.222-23).
6:25
ReplyDeleteHow about giving us an Intro, SPS, Body and Conclusion. Once in a while, I would like to understand what you are trying to say.
Aha!! "The law itself cannot be changed" - Heb 7:12! But HWA ranted, and some of his splits believe today, the tithing law reverted to the original law. How does a law revert? Was it rewritten? And what original law? There is no record of a tithing law before Moses! Jacob and Abraham tithed as in giving, not paying a tax by law.
ReplyDeleteSo what happened to the law? It was removed! Because it was associated with the Levitical Priesthood which ceased to exist. The word "removing" in KJV Heb 12:27 and the word "change" in latter part of Heb 7:12 are translated from the same Greek word and there is no doubt that removing means removing from the context of Heb 12:27.
Yes, 4:43, I've pointed out several times that we should have been keeping Hannukah, the Feast of Dedication, since Jesus did set that example for us, but the ACOGs keep on having their "Winter Weekend" instead. It's shocking that you missed that! Actually you didn't. Why'd you deliberately stop after John 10:22 and go to the footnote? It's right there in vs 23, and it's not as if John 10:23 was thundered at us from the pulpit, although verse 23 is there for a reason. But, HWA didn't want us keeping Hannukah.
ReplyDeleteTypical WCG eisegesis!
8:05
ReplyDeleteI for one love 6:25's contributions! I hope he never stops! I don't need him to give "an Intro, SPS, Body and Conclusion" to understand what he's stating. I've learned heaps already from what he's so generously shared with us over the years! So God bless him and many thanks again to him!!!
8:06
The law never changed re tithing. Tithing was never on money period. But, HWA and others like him have extorted money from the sheeple so they could get rich from fleecing His flock by twisting Scripture, lying and deceiving sincere Xians to falsely believe God commanded them to tithe their money and give it all to him and his WCG.
Just a thought on the Law changing:
ReplyDeleteThen bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Exodus 28:1, ESV
And you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons. Exodus 29:9
I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. Exodus 29:44
You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Exodus 30:30
Doesn't Jesus as High Priest constitute a change in the Law?
11:43
ReplyDeleteI disagree. He seriously needs an Intro, SPS, Body and Conclusion. I cringe when I see those
inchoate waves of text. Organizing the text yourself, which I discontinued doing long ago, is like finding an figure in the clouds. It tends to be the figure that you want to see. Some people like that kind of libertarian interpretation. I don't. I think he probably has something to say, it just seems like there is no "there" there.
BP8, 10:27, wrote, "However, how the law is presented and observed is clearly a matter of WHO is being dealt with at the time!"
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you have written but would like to add a nuance. There are motifs that run through scripture. I believe these motifs cascade from the fact that God is himself the eternal moral law that leads to legislation (OC,NC) for humans. And he is working towards an ultimate purpose - an Apokatastasis of a certain nature.
This consistency across time can lead, however, to some erroneous conclusions. For example, sacrifices existed before Moses, existed during Moses' time but prior to the OC, were implemented in detail in the OC, were set aside in the NC and may yet be revived in some form in the future. This does not mean that the identically same thing was required for different groups of people at different times. The nature of sacrificing itself is variable. Asserting that a requirement is always the same is a hermeneutic that must itself be supported by exegesis.
For example, circumcision still exists but it is of the heart. The Sabbath still exists but it is rest in Jesus. Sacrifices were a liturgical condition for atonement once but now they are subsumed in the sacrifice of Jesus. If these elements are re-instituted in the eschaton, no doubt these Torahic implementations will have a very different meaning in the context of the Age of Salvation in Christ. Zechariah's FoT is not the Torahic FoT of the ancient Jews or the modern-day ersatz of the Armstrongists. It cannot be.
Scout
“Does the Church of God Really Obey God's law?”
ReplyDeleteThe true Church of God tries to obey God's law. So do true Christians.
Satan's false churches like the PCG do not obey God's law. It is full of old sex maniacs, sex perverts, and predators who go there for their own selfish and immoral reasons.
There are several people here who only quote scripture and commentaries and they never infuse their posts with their own personality and style of writing. Consequently, it is impossible to make a statement such as "I've learned so much from him through the years" . And, of course, it's not below certain ones to write anonymous comments praising themselves. You may just be one of them.
ReplyDeleteSo, I agree! Intro, SPS, body, and conclusion. I scan comments in which scriptures are machine-gvnned at us, but don't actually read them. Someone is usually proof-texting, and although I don't hate to say it, it's generally Armstrongites copying their apostle's methodology.
9:48 wrote: "There are several people here who only quote scripture and commentaries and they never infuse their posts with their own personality and style of writing. Consequently, it is impossible to make a statement such as "I've learned so much from him through the years" "
ReplyDeleteExactly! When I see those posts I ignore them. Some COG members have always been well-versed in scripture and can make a living quoting it, but inwardly they don't understand what they regurgitate and in many cases don't even practice what they post. For a while in the church these kinds of people were impressive in their biblical "knowledge" but most quickly learned they had no idea what they were regurgitating. Just look at the ministry that went off and started their own churches. Men who did not practice what they preached.
Once again, I think that the derogatory comments regarding my name and pen name are rich coming from ANONYMOUS commentators! As for my previous affiliation with CGI, and as I have related many times before, one only has to look at past issues of "The International News" to find articles written by me (Lonnie Hendrix). Also, with a minimum amount of investigation, one could find the obituary of my father (Wayne Hendrix) both there and elsewhere online (ever heard of Google?). Even so, talk about deception, I'm sure that the anonymous gentleman from West Virginia already knows that. He probably thinks he's just having some good-natured fun by trolling and "owning" a Lib! Try refuting and/or responding to what I've written or is that too difficult for you?
ReplyDeleteYes, Lonnie, I refer to that gentleman you referenced from W.VA by code name "Potassium Permanganate" (KMn04). He's a real piece of work!
ReplyDeleteYes, Lonnie, I refer to that gentleman you referenced from W.VA by code name "Potassium Permanganate" (KMn04). He's a real piece of work!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:38 wrote, "The true Church of God tries to obey God's law. So do true Christians."
ReplyDeleteThere is a watershed difference between the obedience of the "true Church of God" and the obedience of Christians. At first reading, the statement above seems to ally Law abiding Armstrongists with Law abiding Christians. This is not the case in reality.
Armstrongist obey the Law as a pre-condition to salvation. This vew is documented in their booklet theology. This fits nicely in with the salvation by works they have that is subsumed under the heading of "Qualification." And salvation is something that happens off in the future. It is a soteriology condemned by the Apostle Paul in Galatians.
Christians keep the law as an effect of already-received salvation. Obedience is not a pre-condition to salvation but, rather, a correlated outcome of salvation.
And, of course, there is the difference between the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ.
Scout
I'm 11:43. I'm using an alias now. But, to 6:51, 9:48 and 10:49 I respectfully disagree. So to each their own. You can skip his comments just like I actually scan the comments for his contributions as I enjoy reading them. One reason I enjoy reading them is because I know various people from the WCG and its offshoots who always would boast about not reading anything other Christians not in "the Church" have written or published like commentaries, dictionaries, lexicons, etc. which only demonstrated to me a cultish mentality and closed mind. So anyway reading his comments that include quotes from various commentaries etc I have found of value personally and if I want to follow it up by checking out the resources he's quoted from I can do that or see what other commentaries, lexicons etc might show. So it's helped me in growing and understanding His Word as I've been a fan of his contributions for some years now and even mentioned it elsewhere in another post. Anyway like I said to each their own. Skip it or reed it, as Roseanne would say, "I don't give a $%#" it's up to each individual to decide what to read or not. But, to that person whose comments I've enjoyed reading you've got a fan in me and again God bless you! Ignore the haters who are more than likely jealous.
ReplyDeleteAnd Lonnie I think most of us who've been regular fans of BBHWA for a decade at least know all about Kevin McMillan (sp?) of WV from pre-pandemic times. Yes he can be intense, but we all know what went down after he posted various comments under his name and so many seemed to gang up on him and want to silence him that he--and others by extension watching from the sidelines--learned an extremely valuable lesson about why it's a good thing to post anonymously online. Of course he wasn't helping his case by usually coming across as abrupt and an arrogant #$%* but hey no one's perfect and like I said to each their own.
Kevin McMillan? Isn't that attack guy? Attack, attack, attack.
ReplyDeleteNo, posters did not gang up on him. Rather he ganged up on everyone else with his verbal attacks.
What part of God hates violence didn't he understand?
Scout writes:
ReplyDelete“And, of course, there is the difference between the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ.”
Ne 10:29 all these now join their brothers the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God... (NIV).
Jn 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Following on from 10:29, Scout could have worded his observation:
"And, of course, there is the difference between the Law of God and the Law of Christ."
Would Scout like to elaborate on the differences between God’s law and Christ’s law?
Under the OC the problem was not the law but the people (Heb 8:8a) - law without the spirit
So to correct the problem under the NC it is law with the spirit:
"It was a new heart-righteousness which the prophets foresaw as one of the blessings of the Messianic age, ‘I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts,' God promised Jeremiah (31:33). How would he do it? He told Ezekiel: ‘I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes' (36:27). Thus God's two promises to put his law within us and to put his Spirit within us coincide. We must not image (as some do today) that when we have the Spirit we can dispense with the law, for what the Spirit does in our hearts, is precisely, to write God's law there. So ‘Spirit', ‘law', ‘righteousness' and ‘heart' all belong together” (John R.W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, BST, p.75).
My own position agrees with Charles Cousar:
“Paul in reading the torah as a narrative has come to see Jesus as the decisive chapter in an otherwise unfinished story. He is the one to whom the torah is directed. But that does not mean a negation of the legislative dimensions of the torah, only a fresh perspective on it.
1 Cor 9:21 .... (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) ... (NIV).
"He can call it "the law of Christ" (cf. 1 Cor 9:20-21). By that he does not mean a different code or document; it is the Mosaic law, but summed up in the command to love and interpreted in the light of Christ.
Gal 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
"... love radicalizes the law. It deepens demands and makes them more thorough-going and pervasive. At the same time, the command to love does not replace the law, as if the law being summarized were no longer necessary. Love does not always tell one exactly how to respond or what to say in the many ambiguous situations people face daily. Neither does the law; but in numerous cases passages like the ten commandment when read in the light of Christ gives positive definition to the loving will of God. They help to prevent love from becoming soft sentimentality or merely abstract principle. The church still needs the law to throw light on the human situation and love to keep that law from being rigidly interpreted" (Charles B. Cousar, Galatians, Interpretation, pp.82-83).
Charles Cousar’s commentary on Galatians is my go-to commentary for this letter. He observes in this context:
“The law is thus important to the church because it witnesses to the salvation which comes in Christ...
“The church still need this witness because without it the New Testament makes little sense. Christ is the climax of the story that includes Sinai, with the giving of the Decalogue and the establishment of the cult. To neglect this story is to rob Christ of his particular roots, “one who was “born of a woman, born under the law” (4:4)... Undoubtedly the dawn of the new age brings a discontinuity with the past, with the result that God’s people find their identity now in Christ and not in the law. But the discontinuity must be kept in proper balance with the continuity, which lays the foundation, provides the context, and gives meaning to the Christian gospel” (pp.81-82).
Scout at 7/9 756 says,
ReplyDelete"Zechariah's FoT is not the Torahic FoT of the ancient Jews".
Anon 7/8 550 says,
"The Messianic age is a theocracy and operates differently to the church".
You are both correct and I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I was attempting to contrast the difference between God's dealing with carnal nations and the church.
Galatians 3:24-25 says, "the law was our schoolmaster (paidagogos), instructor (see 1 Cor 4:5), to bring us unto Christ (faith). But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster".
Weymouth translates, "so the law has proved a tutor to discipline us for Christ".
The Phillips translation reads, "the law was like a strict governess in charge of us UNTIL we went to the school of Christ and LEARNED to be justified by faith".
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, article, " Custodian" (Schoolmaster), says, "The law's role is to keep one under control by regulating ones conduct. It was a temporary measure, in force until the 'age of maturity', the placing of one's faith in Christ".
The church doesn't need this kind of supervision, but nations do! Even in the Millennium when the truth covers the earth (Isaiah 2), Egypt has no understanding of God and His ways. Israel knew about God but never would surrender their will to His righteousness. Their situations are different but alike in the fact that both, like rebellious children, often require a stern disciplining (see Rev.2:26-27) until they reach maturity and come to the decision to accept God's wisdom (repentance).
As Scout says, " he (God) is working towards an ultimate purpose ".
TARES
ReplyDeleteThe really shocking thing is how very badly many of the people in the splinter groups actually behave. Whether they are in a satanic imposter cult like Gerald Flurry's PCG or in a godless group like the UCG, they behave so badly that it looks like they are weeds planted by Satan rather than any sort of decent people. The fake “ministers” support all the evil behavior and show no signs of having the Holy Spirit.
You're a fake troll pretending.
DeleteThe writers of the New Testament know what they are saying with their inspired words. They intentionally do not say Sinai law or the law of moses PLUS the Spirit or Christ. The writers know they are saying and teaching something different.
ReplyDeleteTo preempt claims of antinomianism and grace as license, Paul asserts the law of Christ” or “the law of faith” etc.
The Law of Moses existed for around 1500 years, but Christ’s coming removed the need for the tutor (the law”.
Christians in the epistles are directed back to Abraham and faith not moses and law.
The Sinai Law is simply not in effect. A greater and different covenant with greater terms and promises is in effect. Galatians 4:21-31 spells this out and tells us to “put away the handmaid Hagar (sinai law)” so we can receive the covenant represented by Sarah (new covenant).
These are entirely different and represented by completely distinct types:
Sarah vs Hagar,
Son of promise vs son of the flesh,
Freedom vs slavery,
Jerusalem Above vs Mt. Sinai
Spirit vs Flesh
Inherit with the son of the Free woman vs Cast out the slave woman and her son
These are stark and distinct dichotomies. People can try to explain it away with word games, but that won’t answer WHY Paul addressed it in this manner making the differences so severe. WHY did Paul even say the law was a pedagog except to show it served a limited temporary purpose. WHY did Paul bring the whole issue up time and again? To muddy the waters? No, to show that a new covenant with better terms and promises was present rather than the sinai law.
WHY does Paul say there is no further need of the pedagog (the law)?
WHY does he say we should cast out the handmaid and her son (the Law)?
This is not just unfortunate wording. He meant what he was saying.
And yes, the law can be holy just and good while at the same time being obsolete. Thankfully, Something greater than the Law is now here (Our Lord Jesus Christ).
To my knowledge there is no Biblical foundation for associating the FoT with the Millennium.
ReplyDeleteTrue; there is scant evidence. However, many of the Hebrew Roots groups (most of whom know nothing about any church of God) also associate FOT with the Millennium. I think this is due to the sequence of God's plan, which culminates in the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment, symbolized by FOT and Eighth Day. (This, of course, is what Col 2:16-17 is talking about, how Jesus Christ is central to the great things yet to come, symbolized by the holy days.) The best reference I can see tying the FOT to the Millennium is Numbers 29:12-32, where during the FOT there is a decreasing number of bulls sacrificed. I think this is because, during the millennium, there will be an increasing number of people accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and therefore fewer people needing animal sacrifices.
They keep it in places like Branson, Missouri instead of the ordained location of Jerusalem.
ReplyDeleteWhere is it commanded that the Feast of Tabernacles be kept in Jerusalem? I see "in the place where God commands".
11:28 you appear to be a letter of the law antinomian :)
ReplyDelete“Debating the Bible, especially Torah, and coming up with creative readings to address changing times was a mark of faithful Judaism. Jews were not "legalistic" about handling the Law, which is still a common Christian caricature. Even though scripture was God's word and binding, they understood that the Bible - including Torah - was not a rulebook to be followed to the letter at every point” (Peter Enns, The Bible tells me so, p.174).
Nu 9:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in A JOURNEY AFAR OFF, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.
Nu 9:11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
The ideal is to keep the Passover in the first month; but the torah was flexible enough to allow for the life’s reality.
Governor Kathy Hochul
@GovKathyHochul
Tonight Jewish New Yorkers are gathering with friends and family inside a Sukkah in honor of the first night of #Sukkot. The harvest festival is a joyous celebration of the bounties we have received and can share with our neighbors. Chag Sameach!
4:32 am · 10 Oct 2022
Would you say that Jews in NY - living far off - do not really keep the FOT because they are not in Jerusalem.
Ac 19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
Ac 19:9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Ac 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
Ac 19:20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Ac 19:21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also."
Did Paul keep the torah - appearing three times a year in Jerusalem - during his stay in Ephesus? I would suggest that he would have kept the FOT similar to Jews in New York today.
5:40 writes:
ReplyDelete“where during the FOT there is a decreasing number of bulls sacrificed. I think this is because, during the millennium, there will be an increasing number of people accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and therefore fewer people needing animal sacrifices.”
William McDonald, in the “Believer's Bible Commentary” commented:
“The two Sabbaths MAY picture the Millennium and the Eternal Rest”.
Typology suggest that the two Sabbathons may picture the Millennium and the Eternal Rest.
I have supplied Shabbathons instead of Sabbaths in my comment as non-Atonement holy days are not Sabbaths. The “on” suffix is the diminutive; cp. book/booklet. Food preparation is allowed on Shabbatons but not on Sabbaths.
Lev 26:11a And I will set my tabernacle [mishkan] among you:
Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
Lev 23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths [sukkah] seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
Lev 23:43a That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths...
2Co 6:16b 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.
On the eighth day there is no requirement for dwelling in temporary dwellings. God has tabernacled in temporary dwellings with his people - Mosaic Tabernacle, Solomonic Temple, the Church and in the future the Ezekielian Temple. There is no need for temporary dwelling for the Shekinah, when God and Jesus Christ come to dwell on the earth. Hence not dwelling in booths on the eighth day may point forward to the reality of the Eternal Rest where God and Jesus Christ literally dwell with Their people.
Eze 45:23 And seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bullocks and seven rams without blemish daily the seven days; and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering.
Eze 45:25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days, according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil.
During the FOT in the Messianic Age/NC, there will be 49 bull burnt offerings - seven per day - opposed to 70 under the OC.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 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?
In the NT theocracy, where Jesus Christ will have a dwelling presence in the Millennial Temple, animal sacrifices will be required to purify the flesh; as in the OC theocracy.
“Sacrifice is the appointed means whereby peaceful coexistence between a holy God and sinful man becomes a possibility" (Gordon J. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus, NICOT, p.56).