About Our Cover ...
The bride and groom pictured on our cover are entering into
a marriage "covenant". When a husband and wife perform their
marriage "vows", the wife PROMISES to love and obey her husband;
and the husband AGREES to provide for, protect and love his
obedient wife. These are the terms or conditions of a marriage
covenant. And that's exactly what the Old Covenant was -- a
MARRIAGE AGREEMENT! This study reveals who the "marriage"
partners were, the terms or conditions agreed upon, and the VITAL
LESSONS the Old Covenant teaches us today.
THE OLD COVENANT -- CHRIST'S FIRST MARRIAGE
NEARLY everyone has been taught that the Old Covenant was
the ten commandment law, and that the New Covenant contains only
grace and promises -- but certainly no law!
Hence, runs the argument, since the Old Covenant has been
abolished, God's law has also been abolished.
This teaching would lead you to believe that the law of God
was harsh, cruel, and enslaving -- that the FAULT of the Old
Covenant was with the law. And since GOD gave the law, the FAULT
must have been His!
Later, according to this common teaching, Jesus came with a
new covenant which had no law -- only promises and LIBERTY TO DO
WHATEVER YOU PLEASE.
Certainly there is something terribly WRONG with this
concept!
Why Misunderstood
"OLD TESTAMENT," "NEW TESTAMENT" -- DO these words MEAN
anything to you?
You have probably heard these two terms often during your
lifetime. But as far as YOUR life is concerned, they haven't
meant very much to you, have they?
Yet the Bible, the very revelation of God to man, is
composed of two great parts -- which uninspired editors have
labeled the "Old Testament" and the "New Testament." And under
these two headings ALL the books of the Bible are contained.
Almost everyone knows that.
But few understand that these two divisions have great
significance! God has permitted them to be the two GREAT
DIVISIONS of His book, the Bible! The very Book which reveals His
will to man.
The ministers of this world do not understand the REAL
meaning God intends these two parts to convey. This is the reason
you probably have not understood them. These "ministers" cannot
tell you what they themselves do not know!
But God's Book, the Bible, DOES reveal the true meaning and
importance of these two divisions to YOU. They are not difficult
to understand. And there is NOTHING more important in your life
than that you do understand them FULLY. Your salvation is closely
linked with how well you understand them.
THE "OLD TESTAMENT" and THE "NEW TESTAMENT" represent the
very essence of the plan whereby God is fashioning in man His
supreme creation -- very Sons of God to be BORN into His own
Family!
Man Created Incomplete
God created man in the clay image of Himself, from the DUST
of the ground.
But God DID NOT, at the time of Adam, FINISH HIS CREATION of
man! God only created Adam PHYSICALLY COMPLETE at that time. He
did NOT, at that time, carry out the second step in His creation
of man.
God did NOT complete man SPIRITUALLY!
Man will be God's supreme SPIRITUAL creation only AFTER He
has FINISHED creating him spiritually into the very CHARACTER
"IMAGE" of God.
Exactly what was lacking in Adam? What is needed to COMPLETE
man spiritually?
Let's understand!
God did NOT place within man the loving SPIRITUAL attitude
that He has -- the ATTITUDE characteristic of His HOLY SPIRIT.
God's Holy Spirit imparts the SPIRITUAL love and power man needs
to develop God's character and fulfill His royal, SPIRITUAL law
of love -- the Ten Commandments.
But our loving and gracious God has promised that He will
begin to SHARE His very own divine nature with us. He has
PROMISED to do this by BEGETTING US with His Holy Spirit --
PROVIDED that we will TRULY REPENT of disobeying His laws,
completely SURRENDER OUR OWN WILLS to the will of God, have FAITH
in the cleansing blood of Christ and are baptized. Then God will
place His Holy Spirit of LOVE and POWER within us, thus making it
possible for us to BEGIN living by the eternal, royal law of love
and BEGIN DEVELOPING the very CHARACTER of God!
"God IS Love" -- that is, His very NATURE IS LOVING! (I John
4:8.)
We are actually to PARTAKE FULLY of His divine NATURE at the
resurrection -- "whereby are given unto us exceeding GREAT and
PRECIOUS promises: that by these ye might BE PARTAKERS OF THE
DIVINE NATURE" (II Peter 1:4). THINK OF THAT!!
How marvellous!
We may now be begotten of the Spirit of the Father. And when
we are later "BORN AGAIN," then we will be COMPLETELY composed of
spirit -- the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. We will then be Gods -- members
of the God Kingdom -- COMPOSED of God's SPIRITUAL substance and
nature by a new (our second) birth.
Yes, "GOD IS LOVE" (I John 4:8). At the resurrection WE ALSO
WILL BE LOVE. We will then be the very PERSONIFICATION of love.
We will then LIVE love -- live by the royal law of love perfectly
forever! (I John 3:9.) Then all our heartaches, sorrows and tears
will be over.
God is now fashioning His spirit-begotten children unto
"good works" in preparation for that glorious event (Eph. 2:10).
But fashioning us unto good works is NOT EASY!
Our Nature Must Be Changed
Two thousand years after the time of Adam, God made this
statement concerning His people Israel, and all mankind: "O that
there were such an heart [such a NATURE] in them, that they would
fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be
well with them" (Deut. 5:29).
Notice that God says carnal man, of himself, does not have
the ability -- the character -- to obey Him. WHY?
"The carnal mind [the mind with which we are born] is ENMITY
against God [it HATES God's law] for it is not subject to the law
of God ... " (Rom. 8:7).
The carnal mind with which we are born REFUSES to keep God's
LAW. This is the REASON why man does not keep the royal law of
love. His HUMAN nature REBELS against it. But the Scripture goes
even further!! Notice the words "NEITHER INDEED CAN BE" at the
end of this same verse.
It is utterly IMPOSSIBLE for the CARNAL mind of man, of
itself, to be subject to God's Supreme SPIRITUAL law of love!
Do you understand?
It is only by the MIRACLE OF SPIRITUAL BEGETTAL that one can
BEGIN to keep God's law! But even then we still have to FIGHT
against the evil pulls of our carnal natures.
The apostle Paul, who was begotten by God's Holy Spirit,
recognized the continual evil pulls of his carnal nature. He
said, "We know that the law is SPIRITUAL: but I am CARNAL ... for
that which I DO I allow not: for what I would, THAT DO I NOT; but
WHAT I HATE, that DO I" (Rom. 7:14, 15)
Finally, Paul cried out, "O WRETCHED man that I am! who
shall DELIVER me from the body of this death?" (Verse 24.) Paul
knew that it would take a MIRACLE -- direct FROM GOD HIMSELF --
to COMPLETELY CHANGE his human NATURE so he could keep the law of
God PERFECTLY! Paul knew that he was "WRETCHED" in his present
carnal state. And then Paul, in exultation, ANSWERED his OWN
question, "Who shall DELIVER ME?" with the words, "I thank God
THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord" (verse 25).
Paul knew that the MIRACLE of COMPLETELY CHANGING his carnal
human nature so he could keep the spiritual law perfectly would
be accomplished BY the Father's Spirit THROUGH CHRIST, our
Savior, at the resurrection.
But many argue that God did away with His law, so that man
could NATURALLY -- by his PRESENT CARNAL NATURE -- do "good." But
God did no such thing!
We know from our previous lesson that God gave man His
supreme spiritual law from the beginning. It has existed from
Adam. God personally instructed the first man and woman in His
law. And it was His desire that man live in accordance with it
from the beginning.
But it takes God's Holy Spirit to obey His spiritual law!
Paul knew that. And PAUL KNEW IT TOOK THE POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT
TO COMPLETELY CHANGE MAN'S NATURE!
God's Holy Spirit Needed
Man must LONG for this complete change WITH ALL HIS HEART.
He must come to the point of being willing to sacrifice
EVERYTHING if only this change would BEGIN to take place within
him. He must come to the point where, like Christ, he will say to
the Father, "NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS THOU WILT" (Mat. 26:39).
MAN'S WILL MUST SURRENDER TOTALLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY TO
GOD'S WILL!
Man must SURRENDER himself to God so he can receive the
LOVING NATURE of His Holy Spirit.
Man must be brought to the point where he can see he must
VOLUNTARILY SURRENDER HIS OWN WILL SO that God can begin to
COMPLETE man's spiritual creation by placing His Holy Spirit
within him. Then man will have the SPIRITUAL EQUIPMENT to be able
to begin living by the royal law of God -- the royal law of LOVE.
And when man is "born again" at the resurrection, it will be
perfectly NATURAL for him to live by his new SPIRITUAL nature --
just as it is NATURAL for unconverted people today to follow the
dictates of their carnal natures.
THEN the creation of man will be COMPLETE! Man will be God's
FINISHED SPIRITUAL creation. Then he will HAVE all that he has
longed for -- true happiness, contentment, peace -- for he will
be living COMPLETELY within the law of love, and LOVE brings all
these things and MORE!
But the carnal mind, with which we are born, is enmity
towards God. It REBELS at the thought of allowing itself to be
crushed out! Each of us has to have it PROVED that our carnal,
unspiritual mind, with its human nature, cannot bring us the
lasting happiness we seek.
It must be DEMONSTRATED to man that it is IMPOSSIBLE for
him, OF HIMSELF, to keep the royal law of love.
But God already HAS given the people of this world PROOF of
the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY of His MIRACULOUS, divine intervention
within their lives so they can begin to keep His law and receive
His blessings!!
THAT was the very purpose of the "Old COVENANT" God made
with the children of Israel -- which they did NOT keep!
God did NOT promise to give them His Holy Spirit of love and
power at that time so they could keep His laws.
Never has God done away with His great SPIRITUAL law -- the
royal law of love. It is GOOD. The law stands fast FOREVER! It is
the PEOPLE who have been WEAK, and therefore unable to keep God's
Ten Commandments!
We are now about ready for the actual lesson.
But first read the following instructions.
Before You Begin
This lesson is intended to direct you to the BIBLE -- to
help you learn the truth of God's Word. Here is the method of
study.
Is your Bible in front of you? If not, get your Bible -- or
Bibles, if you have more than one translation -- BEFORE YOU
CONTINUE WITH THIS LESSON! Have a good dictionary, a concordance
if you own one, and your notepaper all placed in front of you on
a desk or table.
Remember -- you are to open your Bible to EVERY passage.
Never say to yourself, "Oh, I think I know what the lesson is
referring to" -- and then pass over the scripture. You need to
"KEEP YOUR NOSE IN THE BIBLE," so to speak. You must read and
reread and think out each passage. MEDITATE on the new knowledge
you will learn during your leisure time, especially within the
following twenty-four hours, and in your time of prayer -- so you
WON'T FORGET IT! Make God's Word a PART OF YOU! Don't forget that
this is a BIBLE study course -- not just a study of the lessons
we send you.
Here is how to make effective notes: Write down neatly on
your paper the title of the lesson and underscore it. Next write
down the lesson number. Then as you come to each question
section, write down its heading. Then, underneath, number each
question as you come to it. For each question write down the
answer from your Bible, together with any pertinent ideas that
come to your mind.
Be SURE to WRITE OUT the scripture which answers each
question. Writing down every word of each Bible passage, and any
comments you wish to make as you go along, will help you in
REVIEWING and remembering later on.
This lesson, like all others, is extremely important to you.
Have you PRAYED to God for understanding? If not, go now to a
private place, kneel down, and ask Him for spiritual
UNDERSTANDING and wisdom. Ask God to HELP YOU GRASP and APPLY the
knowledge this lesson will reveal to you in the Bible!
And now for the lesson itself.
LESSON 18
Difference Between a Covenant and a Testament
1. What is a covenant?
Consult your dictionary, noticing in particular whether
there are two (or more) parties involved, and if each agrees to
do (or refrain from) something. Is it an AGREEMENT? Death of one
of the parties is not mentioned as a requirement of a COVENANT,
is it?
COMMENT: A covenant is an AGREEMENT. Death of one or the
other parties does NOT enter into the terms of a covenant.
2. Did God make a COVENANT with Abraham? Gen. 12:1-3, 7.
COMMENT: In verse one we see that God did make an agreement
with Abraham. "Get thee out of thy country" was the requirement
Abraham had to fulfill as his part of the covenant. IF Abraham
would obey, then God, in turn, bound Himself to make of Abraham's
seed -- Abraham's descendants -- a great nation (Gen. 12:2). No
DEATH had to take place to make this COVENANT binding. It was a
COVENANT -- an agreement -- pure and simple: "You do this and I
will do that."
3. Now what is a TESTAMENT? Again consult your dictionary.
COMMENT: We find that a TESTAMENT IS A WILL -- it declares a
person's WILL as to the disposal of his POSSESSIONS after his
DEATH. So, note that a DEATH IS INVOLVED in a WILL, but NOT in a
COVENANT. Christ left, at His death, a will -- a TESTAMENT -- in
which all people may become beneficiaries or heirs of His
possessions. For it was to the ONE seed -- CHRIST -- to whom this
earth was given as an inheritance (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16-19).
Christ was the only One who ever obeyed God's Law perfectly
and could claim the earth as an inheritance. So it was He who
could, and did, leave a TESTAMENT or WILL at His death so that we
may also receive, through Him, eternal inheritance of the earth
(Heb. 9:15-16).
Review in Lesson 13, pages 12 and 13, the sections "How
Christ Made Our Inheritance Possible," and "What We Must Do."
These show how we may become Abraham's heirs through Christ.
God's Covenant with Ancient Israel
1. God promised to make of Abraham's offspring a great
nation (Gen. 12:1,2). God also covenanted with Abraham that if he
and his offspring would be obedient, they would have the land of
Canaan (Palestine) for an EVERLASTING possession (Gen. 17:8-9).
What was the name of one of Abraham's sons? Gen. 21:2-4.
2. Was one of Isaac's sons named JACOB? Gen. 27:22. Was his
name changed to ISRAEL? Gen. 32:28. Did Israel have many sons? I
Chron. 2:1, 2. Were these therefore the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL? Same
verses.
COMMENT: Israel (Jacob) and his twelve sons and their
families journeyed down into Egypt. THERE God multiplied them and
made of them a GREAT NATION, just as He had promised (Gen.
46:1-3; 47:27). They became the "nation of Israel."
The Egyptians, among whom the original family of Israel had
sought refuge from famine, gradually became their captors and the
Israelites became their slaves for several hundred years. By many
miracles of God they were finally set free, and God made them a
pathway through the Red Sea so that they could escape the
Egyptians who suddenly pursued them (Ex. 14:21-31).
3. Did God, after leading the Israelites out of Egypt (the
land typical of sin and evil) and starting them toward the
"Promised Land" of Palestine, bring them to Mount Sinai? Ex.
19:1, 3, 11. Did God there offer to make a COVENANT with them?
Verses 3-6.
4. Did God, THROUGH MOSES, tell the people of Israel what
their part of this AGREEMENT must be? Ex. 19:5. Did He say that
they would have to be OBEDIENT? Same verse. And if they would
thus keep their part of this COVENANT, what did He promise them
they would become? Last part of verse 5 and all of verse 6.
COMMENT: This covenant proposed by God to the Israelites is
the most well-known covenant before the time of Christ. Its terms
and conditions extend from Exodus 19:1 through Exodus 24:8.
The first part of the Bible has, in reality, been misnamed
"The Old TESTAMENT." Notice why this is a misnomer.
We now know that a TESTAMENT or WILL has to do with the
DEATH of one of the parties for fulfillment. But death of the
contracting parties was not called for to make this COVENANT
binding. This covenant or agreement just called on the Israelites
to obey God -- and if and when they did, God would bless them. So
the first part of the Bible should more properly have been called
THE OLD COVENANT. Here is how this error came about.
When the Bible was translated into Latin shortly after
Christ's death, the Latins used the word "testamentum" which, in
LATIN, means either a covenant or a testament. Later, the Bible
was translated into English, and the Latin word "testamentum" was
UNFORTUNATELY continued as the English word TESTAMENT -- which in
ENGLISH can mean only ONE thing -- a WILL. And that is why the
part of the Bible containing the Old Covenant is NOT titled THE
OLD COVENANT as it should properly be called today.
5. Did God make the conditional promise that Israel would be
a "peculiar treasure" to Him, and be "above all people"? Ex.
19:5. And that they would be a "kingdom of priests" and a "holy
nation"? Verse 6. Aren't these very desirable promises?
COMMENT: The ancient Israelites desired to be God's "kingdom
of priests" and "a holy nation." But THEY NEVER RECEIVED THESE
PROMISES because they did not obey God! Instead, we find that
these promises will be fulfilled in the Millennium in the SAINTS
who will have been born of the HOLY SPIRIT into God's Kingdom --
with the POWER and NATURE by which they will keep the law
PERFECTLY. (Review in Lesson 5, page 4, the section titled
"Resurrected Saints Rule With Christ.")
God simply did not make the HOLY SPIRIT of POWER and LOVE
available to the WORLD in Old Covenant times! (John 7:38-39.)
Israel Thought They Could Keep the Covenant
1. WERE THE ISRAELITES so certain of their OWN ABILITY to do
all God required of them, that they immediately promised Moses
that all the Eternal had spoken they would do? Ex. 19:8.
COMMENT: God had just finished informing the Israelites,
through Moses, what He would require of the people, in a broad
sense. And they readily affirmed that they would do THEIR PART of
this covenant.
2. Did God inform Moses that He Himself would come down to
the people on the third day? Ex. 19:11. Did God at this time
inform them that they would have to keep the Ten Commandments in
order to fulfill THEIR PART of His covenant? Note Ex. 20:1
especially. Read also verses 2 through 17. Read of the same event
in Deut. 5:4-22. And did God, with His own finger, write these
commandments on tables of stone for the people? Deut. 5:22 and
Ex. 31:18.
3. After God had spoken the Ten Commandments which they were
to obey as a DISTINCT part of this covenant, did He instruct
Moses to set before the people the various civil statutes and
judgments as another DISTINCT PART of this same "Old Covenant,"
which they also had to follow? Exodus, chapters 21 through 23.
Skim RAPIDLY over these three chapters to get the GENERAL trend.
COMMENT: The eternal, spiritual law -- the royal law of love
WHICH IS COMPOSED OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS -- WAS HERE REPEATED to
the Israelites because God had revealed it from the beginning.
The Ten Commandments comprised a DISTINCT PART of the Old
Covenant which God made with Israel at that time. Then, in
Exodus, chapters 21 through 23, God revealed to Moses the various
APPLICATIONS of the Ten Commandments in the form of civil
statutes and judgments which were to be another distinct part of,
and included in, the Old Covenant which the people had agreed to
obey. God had Moses write these civil statutes and judgments in a
book called the "Book of the Covenant" (Ex. 24:4, 7).
4. Were the people any less certain of being able to
fulfill, BY THEIR OWN POWER, all the laws revealed by God? -- did
they agree to this covenant? Ex. 24:3, 7. Was it ratified, or
sealed -- made binding -- with blood? Verse 8.
COMMENT: The Old-Covenant Israelites had no promise of
receiving the Holy Spirit -- the very POWER and NATURE OF GOD
which would have enabled them to keep the law. They did not
REALIZE THEIR LACK OF THIS POWER when they agreed to the terms of
the Old Covenant. THEY NEEDED HELP, BUT DIDN'T REALIZE IT!
AND PEOPLE TODAY DESPERATELY NEED HELP! But they don't
realize this fact EITHER!
The HOLY SPIRIT of POWER IS NOW available! It is time that
the world WAKE UP to this truth!
Notice how God began to impress this fact upon THE WORLD.
The "Ministration of Death"
1. Among the judgments in the Old Covenant, was there a set
that called for an "eye for an eye," and a "tooth for a tooth,"
and a "life for a life"? Ex. 21:23, 24.
COMMENT: The judgment in verse 23 was especially designed to
protect pregnant women (verse 22). A man who had caused the death
of a pregnant woman had to pay for it with his own life. So if
the judge required the killer's LIFE, then the judge was
ADMINISTERING a penalty of DEATH, wasn't he? And isn't this
therefore a MINISTRATION OF DEATH? Of course it is!
2. What was the penalty for a person who had committed a
murder? Ex. 21:12. Again, the judge had ADMINISTERED DEATH. Does
the New Testament call this same set of judgments the
"ministration of death"? II Cor. 3:6-8.
3. Does the Bible say the "ministration of death" was
glorious? II Cor. 3:7. WHY was the "ministration of death"
glorious? I Cor. 10:11.
COMMENT: Because the principles of the TEN COMMANDMENTS
formed the basis of the civil statutes and judgments, a violation
of these PRINCIPLES WAS punished by Old Covenant civil authority.
The administration of death was the civil execution of
punishment for violation of certain laws in the civil law code
which Moses spoke to the people. Such sins as murder, kidnaping
and adultery were punishable by DEATH.
Sinners were thus made to REALIZE FULLY that they had
TRANSGRESSED the law of God. THEY WERE MADE TO REALIZE HOW
WOEFULLY THEY HAD FAILED TO MEASURE UP TO THE KEEPING OF THE LAW.
Thus THEIR OWN WEAKNESS WAS IMPRESSED UPON THEM AND ALL ISRAEL!
Israel sinned constantly, and was constantly reminded of it!
Their history is a LESSON to us, today (I Cor. 10:11), to make us
also REALIZE our weakness and need of DIVINE power in overcoming
our NATURES. THIS IS why the ministration of death was GLORIOUS.
It accomplished a GLORIOUS purpose.
Old Covenant Israel did not have God's Holy Spirit of love
with which to keep the law of God in its SPIRITUAL intent. All
they could possibly do was TRY to keep the law in the LETTER by
their OWN HUMAN power.
Had the Israelites kept the law in the letter, God would
have fulfilled His part of the Old Covenant and given them all
the MATERIAL promises of this MATERIAL covenant. But they would
never have received eternal life by keeping this covenant. One
would still ultimately die eternal death because there was
ABSOLUTELY NO PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE IN THE OLD COVENANT! For it
is only the Spirit -- the HOLY SPIRIT of God -- that will give
"life" -- ETERNAL life! (II Cor. 3:6.)
The "ministration of death" was a TEMPORARY administration
-- it existed only "till the seed [Christ] should come" (Gal.
3:19). At this time God sent Christ to introduce a NEW
ADMINISTRATION of these same laws -- THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE
SPIRIT (II Cor. 3:6-8).
Why? Because the first administration gave only severe
penalties and even DEATH for disobedience. Human judges could not
impart eternal life; they could only administer death. What was
needed was a new administration of the SAME LAWS -- an
administration which could give pardon and eternal life to those
who repented of breaking God's laws and wanted to obey.
The promise of the Holy Spirit -- the only hope of eternal
life -- was given to all believers for the FIRST TIME on the Day
of Pentecost, 31 A.D. (Acts 2:1,38.) Instead of administering the
death penalty for sins, Christ, the apostles, and HIS MINISTERS
TODAY TEACH THE PEOPLE THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE. Thus, Christ's
ministers "ADMINISTER" LIFE to mortal man.
4. It is interesting to note that God ordained the
ministration of death principle as a judgment long before He
restated it to the Israelites at Mount Sinai as a part of His
covenant. First, let us see whether it had been in force before
the flood. What did Cain do to his brother Abel? Gen. 4:8. Did
Cain have to give his life for this act of murder, or was he
merely "marked" by God? Gen. 4:15.
5. Since there was NO divinely appointed administration of
punishment before the flood, did violence increase so
tremendously that God had to destroy most of mankind from the
face of the earth? Gen. 6:11-13. Then wasn't it just AFTER the
flood that God ordained the "ministration of death" principle for
the human family? Gen. 9:5-6.
COMMENT: Whoever would shed the lifeblood of another human
being, HIS OWN lifeblood was required in return. God ordained a
"ministration of death" just after the flood for ALL MANKIND for
the same reasons He later made it a part of His covenant with
Israel -- so that their failure to measure up to the keeping of
His law may be impressed upon ALL, and that ALL would FEAR to
BRAZENLY break God's laws (Deut. 19:20-21).
A Marriage Covenant
Many have asked: "Why didn't Jesus Christ ever marry?" The
fact is He did marry! Your Bible says so! It even names His wife.
It tells us when and where and why He married!
Surprising? Yes! But it has been in your Bible all these
years! It has DIRECTLY to do with the two covenants!
Let's understand.
Jesus Christ is the Father's Spokesman -- the "Word" of the
God Family. Remember that Jesus is the "LORD" of the Old
Testament -- the One who did the speaking at creation. God the
Father planned the universe and Jesus -- before His human birth
-- spoke, and the creation was done by the power of the Spirit of
God.
Jesus -- the Word -- therefore created everything (John 1:3;
Col. 1:16). He made the first man and woman. And He established
the MARRIAGE relationship (Gen. 2:21-25).
Many years later this same Jesus Christ -- who ordained
marriage in the beginning -- WAS HIMSELF MARRIED!
Here is what happened!
1. Was it Jesus Christ, the "LORD," who spoke the Ten
Commandments from Mount Sinai? Ex. 20:1-2. It could not have been
the Father who spoke these words, could it? Didn't Jesus say no
man had ever heard the voice of God the Father? John 5:37.
COMMENT: The Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai by
Jesus Christ. And Israel entered into a covenant with Jesus
Christ before His human birth.
2. Did the LORD Jesus Christ consider this covenant between
Himself and Israel a MARRIAGE CONTRACT, OR AGREEMENT? Ezek. 16:8.
Read also Jer. 31:32. Note the word HUSBAND. Notice the "I do"
agreement made by the "wife" -- Israel -- to her "Husband,"
Christ, in Ex. 19:8 and Ex. 24:7.
COMMENT: Now you see that the Old Covenant was TYPICAL of a
marriage contract between a man and woman. It was, SYMBOLICALLY
speaking, a MARRIAGE agreement between the Lord of the Old
Covenant and the nation -- the ancient church -- of Israel. The
people of Israel ACCEPTED the terms that God gave them. They
bound themselves by the Old Covenant to refrain from any
ADULTEROUS or WHORISH RELATIONS with the false "gods" of other
nations -- and to remain chaste and acceptable to their own
"husband" -- Christ (Ex. 34:12-17).
In other words, Israel agreed not to WORSHIP the false gods
of the Gentiles and to be OBEDIENT to the Lord Christ!
3. In the space of at least nine short months after Israel
had agreed to the covenant, the people had failed so badly to
live by the conditions of the covenant that the LORD Christ, her
"husband," found it necessary to CORRECT His "wife." What did He
say? -- did He first remind Israel of the covenant they had
agreed to keep? Lev. 26:1-3.
| LUNG CANCER DEATH RATES AGE RANGE 40-89 | |
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| Number of Cigarettes Smoked a Day | Deaths per 100,000 man years |
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