Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Question 39 -New Covenant For Israel or For the Church?
If the Reader is a Pre-Trib Pastor, you'll find that this Question deals with a huge Pre-Trib pillar Doctrine. According to Pre-Trib history, it was when John Nelson Darby decided that the Church and Israel were completely separate that he began developing the whole system of Dispensationalism. The best way to establish this one way or the other is to establish the purpose of the New Covenant.

People of the New Covenant
Jesus, at His Last Supper, said that when He comes back to take His people to the "place He prepared for them" (see Jn.14:1-3),  the ONLY people He takes back to Heaven will be New Covenant participants. Will Christians that choose not to be New Covenant participants be choosing to be "Left Behind" when Jesus comes to take His people to Heaven? 


We'll show from Scripture that the Church is Israel. A simple look at the Lord's Supper proves it. Thus, if the Christian Church refuses to accept this, will she be the Bride of Christ? Let's look at what Jesus said:

The Lord's Supper  - Marriage Supper - For New Covenant Participants Only!
"And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to the Disciples (the Founders of His Church), and said, Drink ye all of it; For this is My Blood of the New Covenant (New Testament - KJV), which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will NOT drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day (the Day of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb) when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom" (Matt.26:27-29). The Disciples are the Founders of Christ's Church, thus the New Covenant is for the Church, not Jews converted after Jesus takes the Church to Heaven!  When Jesus said,  “That day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s Kingdom,” Was He referring to his Marriage Supper of the Lamb (See Rev.19:7-9)?
 
Engagement Ceremony
The Lord’s Supper is the engagement celebration. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is the actual marriage ceremony and celebration. Every time the New Covenant is mentioned in Scripture, it is between the Lord and the Children of Israel, thus the Bride of Christ is the Children of Israel. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah (Heb.8:8; Jer.31:31).

What Must We Conclude?
If the Church wants to be the Bride of Christ, is it necessary for the Church to also be the Children of Israel? If the Church excludes itself from being Israel, would it not exclude itself from being in a New Covenant relationship with Christ and thus, exclude itself from being the Bride of Christ? This being so, would it not seem that every saved person from planet earth since creation will be the Bride of Christ? The status of the Jew is no different than that of a Greek, a Roman, an Egyptian, or any other nation. The Church became God’s Nation. The Church is the “Elect”, the “Chosen”, the “Remnant”, the “heirs according to the promise” (Gal.3:29). Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for we are all one in Christ Jesus. If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal.3:28-29


Very High Standard
Scripture says that just before Jesus returns, God’s people; His Elect; His Church will live by a very high standard. There'll not be any, "Grace Frees us to Disobey God's Law!" All of the Nations of the world will witness the Elect as they Keep the Commandments of God and display to the world the Testimony and Faith of Jesus (see Matt.24:14; Rev.12:17; Rev.14:12)! 
Israel's New Covenant
Text #1— Jer.31:35-37 “Thus saith the Lord, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who divideth the sea when the waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name: If those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever. Thus saith the Lord, If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth be searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord."

This Prophecy is part God's promise to establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel. Let's ever keep in mind that when Jesus celebrated His Last Supper with His Disciples, this Supper became the establishment of the New Covenant. The Disciples represent the Church. Again the Church, the New Covenant, and Israel cannot be separated. So, whatever emphatic, absolutes this Bible Verse establishes, it5 establishes with Israel and the Church!

What Does Paul REALLY Say?
Text #2— Rom.11:25-27 “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 fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My Covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."
Underscore, all Israel shall be saved,” specifically "ALL." This is the key to what Paul, Jeremiah, and the Lord are saying. They are saying that when Jesus is done putting together His last day people, "ALL" of His people that have truly given themselves completely to Him will be saved; EVERY ONE without the lose of one! However, this text is used by Pre-Trib as proof that the Jews are the only people in the New Covenant. Before we conclude that the Church, or Christians are excluded from this Covenant, let's look closer:

Church - Children of Abraham
Text #3— Gal.3:7 “Know ye, therefore, that they who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”

Text #4— Gal.3:26-29 “For we are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  
Paul says, baptized into Christ - Abraham’s seed. When we're baptized, we are one with Jesus and He is a direct, blood descendant of Abraham, Israel, and Judah. Through baptism, we are blood descendants of Abraham.
Baptized - Blood Related to Jesus
Text #5— Gal.3:16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of One, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Paul says the promises made to Abraham were made to Abraham and his Seed, Jesus. When we're in Christ, we are heirs to those promises.
Now let’s look again at the Romans 11:26 about all Israel being saved.” Is Paul saying every descendant of Jacob will be saved simply because of his or her bloodline? Acceptance of and belief in Jesus is the only method of salvation. Combining the messages of these Scriptures should clear up many questions. When we become Christ’s, we become true Israelites. Thus when Paul said, all Israel shall be saved”, he means all who belong to Christ—all who are His Bride—all who are covered by the “Blood of the New Covenant”, from Adam to the Second Coming of Jesus.

First Fruits
Text #6— Rom.11:16-17
“For if the first fruits be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree.”

Notice God didn't start a new root or a new tree. He grafted in the Gentiles and they then became part of the same original tree. If the Jews wanted to be part of God’s people, they must choose to be grafted back into God’s people—His nation. The Jews rejected Jesus, so Jesus made a different group His Israel. He has always had His Church since Adam and Eve. Even though at times it was small—only eight in Noah’s day—there have always been believers, and Satan has always tried to eradicate them! If we continue to read on in Romans 11, Paul warned the Gentiles not to be conceited and boast about their new positions as graftees into God’s special people, His original tree, because it would be easy to cut them out and graft in some of the former branches. By using the phrase, “their own olive tree” (Vs.24), Paul reminded the Gentiles that God had not started a new tree, but was grooming His original tree—a tree that actually started with Adam and Eve.
What can we conclude from these Scriptures? From the Jew’s point of view, they were rejected as His nation. From God’s point of view, He cut back the branches of His Olive Tree and grafted in wild olive branches; Gentiles—non Jews. Any Jews wanting to be grafted into God’s Olive Tree needs only to accept Jesus as his or her Savior and they become part of God’s fruit bearing Tree. God said that just as surely as the sun, moon, and stars continue in their order, with that same surety, He will not cast off the Seed of Israel (See Jer.31:31-37). That Seed is Jesus. So, through Jesus, the Olive Tree lives and before the end, His Tree will bear fruit! 
Paul said 5 times in the above Scriptures that there' no difference between Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) Should we believe him, or declare, "NAY PAUL !! Thow Art WRONG?"   

God says He will have Israel carry His message to the ends of the earth; whether it be the direct descendants of Jacob, or those who became descendants by joining themselves to Jesus. Following are a few passages explaining what would happen if literal Israel rejected Jesus.

Stones Cry Out
John the Baptist said: “And think not to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children of Abraham (Matt.3:9).

John says God will continue the promises and prophecies concerning Israel, even if He must use stones. He was saying, God will get this job done, whatever, or whoever, it takes. If God could turn stones into children of Abraham, could He not use real people? Israel did exactly as John the Baptist warned. Thinking they had some absolute guarantee of being God's people, no matter what, the Jews (Israel/Judah) rejected and lost their opportunity.

Are We Repeating Israel's Error?
Today's Christians face the same as Israel of old! Some are saying, "No matter what, I'm Saved!" They claim they could openly defy God—blatantly disobey Him, and denounce everything in the Bible!! Is this another of Satan's lies he injected into the Church? So it was that, when the Jewish leaders chose to reject the Gospel, Jesus raised up other children to be descendants of Abraham. He didn’t need stones—He had us! Jews and Gentiles! But, what if we are ALL Israelites; BLOOD Israelites!!  

All Christians COULD be Blood Israelites
Paul said that all who join themselves to Jesus become descendants of Abraham (Gal.3:29). However, there is yet another way God could make certain that ALL of His people are literal, blood descendants of Abraham.It is possible that every human on earth is a blood descendant of Abraham. It is mathematically possible that every person on earth could even be a descendant of Jacob; a descendant of one of the 12 sons of Jacob!! Ten of the tribes of Israel were dispersed into the rest of earth’s population about 2700 years ago. Where'd they go? James said they are, “scattered abroad” (Js.1:1).

Trace your family tree back to when Columbus discovered America and you’ll have over 600 grandparents. Go back just one more generation and you'll have 1200. A few more generations back, and you have over a million grandparents. If your ancestors come from the general populace of earth, it's pretty much mathematically impossible for there not to be a descendant of Israel among them somewhere. Even if your parents come from some hidden group completely isolated from civilization, it still could be true. If God wanted every human on earth to be a descendant of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, He could've arranged thousands of years ago for one of Israel’s descendants to find his way to such a group and marry into it, thus fulfilling the promise to Abraham that his descendants would become like the stars in the sky and the sands of the sea! And if this is true, God could completely reject the Jewish Nation, and still have 100% Descendants of Jacob as His Remnant, Elect people!

And I say unto you that many shall come from the East and West, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven; But the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt.8:11-12). “Behold your house is left unto you desolate(Matt.23:38).

Isaiah ended his book with a conditional prophecy for Israel. He warned that if they continued in their rebellious ways, they'd be rejected and another nation would be God's people. Following are verses from his prophecy representing these warnings:

“I am sought by those who asked not for Me; I am found by those who sought not for Me, unto a nation [the Church, see1Pt.2:9] that was not called by My name. I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people [Israel], that walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people [Israel] that provoketh Me to anger continually to My face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon alters of brick; That remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments; that eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of abominable things in their vessels; That say, Stand by thyself, come not near me, for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in My nose, a fire that burneth all the day” (Isa.65:1-5). “But ye [Israel] are they that forsake the Lord, that forget My Holy Mountain” (Vs.11). “Therefore, saith the Lord God: Behold, My servants [the Church] shall eat, but ye [Israel] shall be hungry; behold My servants shall drink, but ye [Israel] shall be thirsty; behold My servants shall rejoice, but ye [Israel] shall be ashamed. Behold My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye [Israel] shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. And ye [Israel] shall leave your name for a curse unto My Chosen [Elect, see1Pt.1:2;2:9][the Church]; the Lord God shall slay thee and call His servants by another name” (Vss.13-16).

Israel's Responsibility - Now Our Responsibility
Why does God need a nation anyway? “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take hold of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt [garment] of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23). “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa.2:3). The Israelites had a very special  purpose. God planned for all nations to seek what Israel had; to desire the blessings they saw Israel had; to learn God's Law from Israel. But Israel refused that responsibility, choosing rather to copy the other Nations of the World.  

God always has a plan. At creation, He had a perfect plan. After sin, He had to change some details, but He had a plan. He continually puts a plan into motion to make opportunities for all to know Him to teach others of the good life He has given them.  He has never failed, but we've failed miserably, time and time again. The above texts tell us God’s ideal for Israel. He would've blessed them in ways that would cause other nations to seek to know their success. Ten people would gather around a Jewish traveler and plead with him or her to teach them of their God and His Law. These foreigners would go to Jerusalem and learn how to worship God. Israel would have be the evangelists to the whole world. This was their only purpose.

God always has a plan. He now has a plan. We, the Church, are His warriors in His last battle. We are to witness unto all nations (Matt.24:14) so He can end this planet of sin and bring in His “New Heaven and New Earth” (2Pet.3:13). Can God use us in this mighty way, or are too busy seeking our own way?  

 
Did Ancient Israel Fail? Are We Failing?
Israel failed because they continually cast away God's Law. Is Christianity doing the same through the popular doctrine, "Grace Frees Us to Disobey God's Law?" After reading the history of Israel, we know how setting aside God’s Law is disastrous. But Satan's silver-tongued Popular Preachers preach “smooth things”, because we ask them to. They “prophesy deceits”, because we, will not hear the Law of the Lord (See Isa.30:9-10; it is an end-time prophecy).

Satan is creative, but when it comes to God's Law, he has a one-track mind. But god has sent His Spirit to every prophet that He chose to write His Bible! Following are just a few inspired messages:

(1) “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land. But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it” (Isa.1:18-20).

(2) “Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, neither were they obedient unto His Law(Isa.42:24).
(3) “The priests said not, Where is the Lord? And they that handle the Law knew Me not. The pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and walked after things that do not profit” (Jer.2:8).

(4) “Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not harkened unto My words, nor to My Law, but rejected it (Jer.6:19).

Pastor, is the above verse an exact description of many Popular Preachers. Let's continue:

(5) “How do ye say, We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is within us? Lo, certainly in VAIN made He it; the pen of the scribes is in vain”(Jer. 8:8).
Our Popular Preachers say, "God only gave us the Law to show us how weak we are!" "The Law was never made to be kept!" But God says:
(6) “Who is the wise man, that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it? For what is the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through? And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken My Law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, neither walked in it” (Jer.9:12-14).
(7) “Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken Me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other god’s and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken Me, and have not kept My Law (Jer.16:11).
(8) “And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, If ye will not harken unto Me, to walk in My Law, which I have set before you,... Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth” (Jer.26:4,6).

(9) “They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared nor walked in My Law, nor in My Statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers” (Jer.44:10).
(10) “Because ye have burned incense, and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in His Law, nor in His Statutes, nor in His Testimonies, therefore, this evil is happened unto you, as at this day” (Jer.44:23).
(11) “Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the gentiles; the Law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord(Lam.2:9).
(12) “Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; then shall they seek a vision from the prophet, but the Law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients” (Ez.7:26).
(13) “Her priests have violated My Law, and have profaned mine holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths and I am profaned among them.” (Ez.22:26).

The above Scripture has triple impact! "Violate His Law," "show no difference between the unclean and the clean," and "Hid their eyes from His Sabbaths." Could this be more clear?!?
(14) “Neither have they obeyed the voice of the Lord, our God, to walk in His Laws, which He set before us by His servants, the prophets. Yea all Israel has transgressed Thy Law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice; therefore, the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him” (Dan.9:10-11).
(15) “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me; seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hos.4:6).
(16) “Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed My Covenant, and trespassed against My Law(Hos.8:1).
(17) “Thus saith the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have despised the Law of the Lord, and have NOT kept His Commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after which their fathers have walked” (Amos 2:4).
(18) “Therefore the Law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth” (Hab.1:4).
(19) “Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the Law(Zeph.3:4).

(20) “Yea, they made their hearts as adamant stone, lest they should hear the Law, and the words of the Lord of hosts hath sent in His Spirit by the former prophets; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts” (Zec.7:12).
(21) “But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the Law; ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts” (Mal.2:8).
(22) “Woe unto them who call evil, good, and good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isa.5:20)! Pastor, are most Christians doing exactly this today?
(23) “Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust, because they have cast away the Law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel” (Isa.5:24).
(24) “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste” (Isa.24:1).

(25) “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they transgressed the Laws, CHANGED the Ordinance, broken the Everlasting Covenant. Therefore [because of this] hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left” (Isa.24:5). Pastor, underscore "Broken the Everlasting Covenant! We'll look closer at this in a moment.
(26) "This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the Law of the Lord: Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophecy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa.30:9-10). 
(27) “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; but My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished. Harken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is MY LAW; fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings” (Isa.51:6-7)
The above 27 texts are a small sample of Scriptures speaking directly to Israel’s problem from the time of Moses till the time of Jesus. Satan’s agenda is always clear—attack God’s Law and God's People. He's creative. He comes up with new angles, but his goal is always the same; deceive us into casting aside God's Law. Are we playing right into his trap? "Grace frees us to disobey God's Law." Change it! Reject it! Do whatever, just don't obey it!

"Broken Everlasting Covenant"
Point to Ponder - Pastor, is it possible that the Lord revealed to Isaiah that in these last days, the most popular Religious Movement among God's People would be an attempt to cast aside the New Covenant, saying it was not for the Lord's Church, but for some future generation of believers? Would doing such be "Breaking the Everlasting Covenant?" Is it also possible that the Lord revealed to Isaiah how almost all of God's people would embrace "Changing God's Sabbath Ordinance" Is it also possible the Lord showed Isaiah that in these last days almost all of God's People would be claiming, "Grace frees us to Transgress God's Law?" As we Ponder this Question, let's look once again at Isaiah's End-Time prophecy:

 “The earth (in the Last Days) also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they transgressed the Laws, Changed the Ordinance, broken the Everlasting Covenant. Therefore [because of this] hath the curse (Tribulation) devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore [because of this], the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left” (Isa.24:5).
Pastor, can we read this prophecy from Isaiah and not see a vivid portrait of modern Christianity? 

Conclusion
New Covenant - Everlasting Covenant
The Pondered Point in this chapter is the Question, "Is the New Covenant for the Church or for Israel?" As we have seen in the previous chapter, Jesus made it absolutely clear at His Last Supper that 4 things CANNOT separated. The New Covenant, the Church, Israel, the Bride of Christ. Pre-Trib insists that the New Covenant and Israel are connected, but the Church and the Bride of Christ have no connection Israel. The following from Jesus ties all four together such that we cannot separate them:

"And He took the cup, and gave it to them saying, 'Drink ye all of it; For this is the blood of the New Covenant (New Testament - KJV) which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom'" (Matt.26:28-29). Now, to show the absolute connection, let's look at each:
- Separate New Covenant from Israel? "Behold I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (Jer.31:31 and Heb.8:8)!
- Separate New Covenant from the Church? Jesus said to the Founders of His Church, His Disciples, "Drink ye all of it, For this is the blood of the New Covenant" (Matt.26:28)!
- Separate New Covenant people from the Bride of Christ? Jesus made it clear that His New Covenant people will be attending the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom" (Vs.29)! It is clear that Jesus is addressing His New Covenant people. If we contend that there will be a "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" in Heaven, involving the Church that has been Raptured into Heaven, and we contend that, at that same time, the New Covenant people will be Jews still on earth, and still not believers in Jesus, when this Marriage Supper occurs, are we not totally denying the words of Jesus?  
- Separating the Church from Israel?  It is clear that everything Jesus said at His Last Supper was totally directed to His New Covenant People, and He was speaking to the Founders of His Church. Thus the Church and Israel, from God's point of view, are one and the same.

Major Point to Ponder 
- Pastor, is it a bad idea to try to separate the Church from the New Covenant, since ONLY New Covenant People will be invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?
- Is it a bad idea to attempt to separate the Church from Israel, since God will establish the New Covenant with ONLY Israel?
- Is it a bad idea to separate the Church from God's Law, since there are hundreds of Bible prophecies showing that God's Last Day People will be "Keeping the Commandments of God" (Rev.12:17; 14:12)? In other words, is it a bad idea to claim, "Grace Frees Us from God's Law?"
- Is it a bad idea to claim that God want's us to "change one of His Commandments" when it is Antichrist who "Thinks to change times and Laws" (Dan.7:25)?

If these are bad ideas, what should we do? Let's pray for God's Spirit to guide us as we prepare for Jesus to come SOON!! By God's Grace, let’s be HIS PEOPLE and BE READY!!
Thank you SO much, Dear Reader, for your time and interest! Sorry this chapter is so long, but we must know the truth about the Church and Israel!
Your Brother in Christ
Walter C. Martin Jr.

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Check Our Other Websites:

Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Post-Tribulation Second Coming of Jesus
Will We Eat Pigs During the Millennium?

Planet Earth WILL be Destroyed After the 1000 Years!
New Jerusalem - How BIG is It?
Great White Throne Judgment Seat - When and Where
Christ's Kingdom - Millennial or EVERLASTING?

Hell Fire
Is God Torturing People Now
Did Jesus Suffer ALL of Your Hell?
The Rich Man and Lazarus?
Death
The Dead - Dead or Alive - What is Death?
Did Jesus Die YOUR Death for You?
Will Satan Ever Die - Bible Says "YES!"
Testing Our Doctrine About Death
The Dead Stand Before Great White Throne Judgment Seat

The Gnostics Attack the Sabbath
Were Gnostics Really Christian?
Were Gnostics Satan's Implants into the Church?
Is Gnosticism Alive and Well in Today's Churches
Church is Israel - Israel is Church
Is the Church Israel and Israel the Church?
Is the Bride of Jesus the 144 Thousand?
Did Jesus Offer the Jews a Millennial Kingdom in His Ministry?
Will New Jerusalem Sit in Israel? How Big is It?
Christ's REAL EVERLASTING Kingdom is for ALL Believers!

The Sabbath
Is it a Sin to Observe the Sabbath?
Is There a Connection Between the Rapture and the Sabbath?
Will the Sabbath Be Observed By God's People During the Tribulation?
Who REALLY Changed the Sabbath in Early Christianity?
Un-Answered and Un-Answerable Sabbath Questions For Popular Preachers
How to Test Your Doctrine Concerning the Sabbath

Heaven
Marriage in Heaven - Millennial Kingdom?
Strange Animal/Demons the Millennium?
Why Jesus Hasn't Come to Take Us To Heaven?
Teachers of Anomia (Law Annulling)
Good Ministers Teaching Against God's 10 Commandments?
Teaching of Anomia - The Reason Jesus Hasn't Come Yet?
Pre-Trib Rapture and Sabbath
Pre-Trib Rapture and the Sabbath?

Walter C. Martin Jr.
Everlasting Gospel Ministries

These are just a few of the questions we examine in our Websites.
Thank you, Dear Reader,  for checking them. Please feel free to give us your comments and feedback if you look at our Sites.  If you send us your questions or comments, we will try to answer and add your question to these Websites. We will Not give your name or E-Mail address to ANY ONE or ANY Church Group or Denomination! Nor will we send you ANY annoying E-Mails!! It is NOT our purpose to get you to withdraw from your present Church, but to invite you to present things you learn here to your Pastor and Friends.
Let's pray that God will continue sending His Holy Spirit to guide as we prepare for Jesus to come. Thank You!
Your Brother in Christ!
Walter C. Martin Jr