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Songs and Teachings of the Bible
Songs and Teachings of the Bible
Doctrine Six Continued
The Bible is the Foundation of the Church
Part Seven
THE PROPHETS UPHELD THE LAW OF GOD
Part Seven
THE PROPHETS UPHELD THE LAW OF GOD
WHY GOD REJECTED ANCIENT ISRAEL --
A LESSON FOR OUR TIME TODAY
A LESSON FOR OUR TIME TODAY
" . . . the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, 'Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.' Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them. . . .
"Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from his sight. . . ."
(II Kings 17:13-15, 18)
" . . . they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts."
(Zechariah 7:11-12)
The prophet Daniel understood that the punishments which had come upon his people Israel were curses which had been written in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; 30:19-20). In prayer to God Daniel said,
" . . . O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the Land. . . .
"Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth."
(Daniel 9:4-6, 11-13)
God answered Daniel's prayer by sending the angel Gabriel with the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy -- a Message about God's plan to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness through the Messiah who would come at the appointed time (Daniel 9:20-27). God's Plan of Salvation for Mankind
PRIESTS HELD RESPONSIBLE
God held the priesthood responsible for the corruption of Israel because they failed to teach the knowledge of God and His Laws to the people (Leviticus 10:10-11; Ezekiel 44:23).
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children."
(Hosea 4:6)
"'For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
But you have departed from the way;
You have caused many to stumble at the law.
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,'
Says the Lord of hosts.
'Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown partiality in the law.' "
(Malachi 2:7-9; see also Ezekiel 34, Matthew 15 and Mark 7)
In the World Tomorrow Jesus Christ will be 1) King of Kings and 2) High Priest (Revelation 19:16; Zechariah 6:12-13; Psalm 110:1, 4; Hebrews 5:5-6; 10:12-13). Under Christ's supervision the resurrected Saints will be a holy priesthood, educating all nations in the proper observance of God's Laws and Ways (I Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). That is why "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).
GOD'S LAW IS GOOD
"Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever."
(Deuteronomy 5:29)
" . . . showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
(Exodus 20:6)
" . . . the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."
(Romans 7:12)
Related Scriptures: Deuteronomy 4:40; 5:16, 33; 6:3, 18, 24; 30:16; Joshua 1:8; 22:5; 23:6; I Samuel 12:14-15; I Kings 2:3; 3:14; 6:12-13; 8:58, 61; 9:4; 11:38; 14:8; II Kings 17:13-21; 21:8; 23:3; I Chronicles 22:12-13; 28:7-8; 29:19; Ezra 7:10; Nehemiah 1:5-9; 10:29; Psalms 1:1-3; 19:7-10; 94:12; 103:18; 105:45; 111:7-10; 112:1; 119:39 (entire Psalm); 147:15, 19-20; Proverbs 6:23; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Isaiah 2:3; 26:9; 30:9; 42:4, 21; 48:18; 51:4, 7; Jeremiah 7:23; 11:4; 31:33; 32:39; 44:10, 23; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 20:11, 18-20; 22:26; 36:26-27; 37:24; Daniel 9:10-11; Hosea 8:1, 12; 14:9; Amos 2:4; Malachi 4:4-6
It should be noted that by the time of the Middle Ages -- after the death of the original apostles -- mainstream Christianity had turned into a Gentile religion which spurned the Law of God and regarded it with contempt as Jewish. The writings of the Apostle Paul were "twisted" (distorted, misrepresented) in order to accomplish this (II Peter 3:15-16). The Apostles Upheld the Law of God -- A World in Confusion
CHRIST WILL RESTORE GOD'S GOVERNMENT ON EARTH
"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. . . ."
(Zechariah 14:9)
"For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
(Isaiah 2:3)
"And the government will be upon his shoulder. . . .
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
(Isaiah 9:6-7)
"He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
(Luke 1:32-33)
"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!' "
(Revelation 11:15)
"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
(Daniel 2:44)
"Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed."
(Daniel 7:14)
" 'Behold, the days are coming' says the Lord,
'That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
"THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
" 'Therefore, behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that they shall no longer say, "As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt," but, "As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them." And they shall dwell in their own land.' "
(Jeremiah 23:3-8)
WHERE ARE ISRAEL AND JUDAH TODAY?
Israel
According to the book of Genesis and throughout the Bible descendants of Abraham were destined to become the greatest nations on earth, carrying the responsibility of setting a good example for all other nations to follow (Genesis 12:1-3; 18:17-19; 22:15-18; 26:3-5; 27:28-29; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 28:1; I Kings 9:4-9; Ezekiel 5:5-9; Amos 3:1-2). God revealed His Holy Laws to Israel, giving them an education which no other nation possessed (Deuteronomy 4:5-8, 32-40; 30:15-20; Romans 3:1-2; 7:7, 12, 14, 22). The Third Millennial Day
In his book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong identified America and Britain as modern descendants of the ancient House of Israel. Mr. Armstrong stated at Ambassador College, "The proof that we" [the United States and British Commonwealth of Nations] "are Israel is that we possess the national blessings which were promised to Israel." According to biblical prophecy the lost ten tribes would continue to exist and be restored to greatness (Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 37:15-28; 48:1-35; Hosea 6:2; Amos 9:9-15; Psalms 102:18-28; 105:6-11; Matthew 19:28; Acts 1:6-7; 26:6-7; James 1:1; Revelation 7:4-8; 21:12-14).
In his book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong identified America and Britain as modern descendants of the ancient House of Israel. Mr. Armstrong stated at Ambassador College, "The proof that we" [the United States and British Commonwealth of Nations] "are Israel is that we possess the national blessings which were promised to Israel." According to biblical prophecy the lost ten tribes would continue to exist and be restored to greatness (Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 37:15-28; 48:1-35; Hosea 6:2; Amos 9:9-15; Psalms 102:18-28; 105:6-11; Matthew 19:28; Acts 1:6-7; 26:6-7; James 1:1; Revelation 7:4-8; 21:12-14).
"But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend."
(Isaiah 41:8)
"I am the Lord, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your King."
(Isaiah 43:15)
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the fathers of Israel (Exodus 3:6, 15; Matthew 22:32; Luke 1:55, 72-73; Romans 9:5). Jacob had twelve sons and learned after long and painful experience that one of his sons -- Joseph -- had been chosen by God to be exalted above his brothers (Genesis 37-47). The promises of future national greatness bestowed upon Abraham, Isaac and Jacob devolved upon the two sons of Joseph named Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48-49; Hebrews 11:21). Their descendants have carried God's promises with them throughout history (Amos 9:8-15; Romans 11:29). As recipients of these birthright promises, the British and American people have been phenomenally blessed (Genesis 12:2; 13:16; 17:6; 22:17; 27:28-29; 35:11; 48:14-20; 49:22-26; Deuteronomy 7:6, 14; 14:2; 26:19; 28:1; Micah 5:7-9).
Many early Americans believed they were descended from Abraham and that the New World which God had started in their lifetime would lead to the New Heaven and Earth prophesied to come in the pages of the Bible.
Many early Americans believed they were descended from Abraham and that the New World which God had started in their lifetime would lead to the New Heaven and Earth prophesied to come in the pages of the Bible.
"European peoples had always lived with the hope -- sometimes faint but never absent -- that the Lord's promise in Isaiah and Revelation to 'make all things new' would some day be fulfilled. And the very term 'New World,' which was used to describe the setting in which they were making their new beginning, was calculated to remind them of the Lord's promise.
"Since every Englishman had been taught from childhood to view the course of history as predetermined by God's overruling providence, no one could regard the colonizing activity in America as an ordinary venture. As early as 1613, William Starchy was insisting that God had kept America hidden for a purpose. . . . This purpose of necessity was related to God's final act of redemption, for this was the end toward which all history was directed. . . .
" , , , new England . . . 'is the place where the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth' " [Edward Johnson (1598-1672)] . . . . "William Penn was . . . convinced that God intended his 'holy experiment' be an example to the nations'. . . . Roger Williams . . . lived in daily expectation of a new dispensation. . . . Jonathan Edwards . . . was convinced that 'this work of God's spirit . . . is the dawning of or at least a prelude of that glorious work of God so often foretold in Scripture, which . . . shall renew the world of mankind.'
"Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and other members of the Constitutional Convention were as vigorous as any clergyman in asserting that the United States had come into being as a grand design of Providence. . . . This faith of the new republic was neither sectarian nor parochial. Its roots were Hebraic. Its explication was cast in Hebraic metaphors -- chosen people, covenanted nation, Egyptian bondage, promised land. Its eager millennial expectation was expressed in the vivid imagery of the Hebrew prophets."
-- Winthrop S. Hudson, Religion in America
Judah
The Jewish people today are descended from the ancient House of Judah. They are reckoned as one of the twelve tribes, separate and distinct from the ten-tribed House of Israel (I Kings 11:29-39). After Christ's Second Coming all twelve tribes will be reunited under one single Government (Hosea 1:10-11; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Luke 1:31-33; 22:28-30; Matthew 19:27-28; Revelation 21:12-14).
WHY IMPORTANT
Some say that the prophetic identity of the United States and British Commonwealth of Nations is not important. They ask, "What does that have to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" The answer is as follows:
God always deals with Israel first, then with the rest of the world (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 13:46-47; Jeremiah 25:15-29; Romans 2:6-12; Revelation 7). He commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30; II Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 14:6). He applies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to human beings after they have become willing to turn away from their sins and to receive a new heart and spirit (Ezekiel 18:30-32; Matthew 4:17; 7:13-14; 18:1-4; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-23; 8:5-9; Hebrews 10:16-17). Repentance involves a complete change of mind, attitude and direction (Romans 8:5-9; Ephesians 2:1-5).
Christ died for the sins of the world almost 2,000 years ago (I John 2:2; John 3:16-17). The apostles preached His Message first to Israel, then to the Gentiles (Isaiah 65:1-2; Romans 10:14-21; Mark 16:15, 20; Matthew 10:5-6; Galatians 2:7-9; Acts 10). The world as a whole, however, has continued in sin (I John 2:15-17; John 3:18-21), refusing to obey God (Ezekiel 2-3; Romans 1-2; Revelation 10). God requires human beings to walk in His light instead of Satan’s darkness by keeping His commandments (Acts 26:18; John 3:16-21; I John 1:5-2:6; Ephesians 5:8-14). He plans, therefore, to administer correction to the whole world -- in order to help humanity come to repentance -- prior to the Second Coming of Christ (II Peter 3:9-10; I Thessalonians 5:1-3). He will apply this correction first to Israel, then to the rest of of the world. The Days of Trumpets and Atonement
God always deals with Israel first, then with the rest of the world (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 13:46-47; Jeremiah 25:15-29; Romans 2:6-12; Revelation 7). He commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30; II Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 14:6). He applies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to human beings after they have become willing to turn away from their sins and to receive a new heart and spirit (Ezekiel 18:30-32; Matthew 4:17; 7:13-14; 18:1-4; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-23; 8:5-9; Hebrews 10:16-17). Repentance involves a complete change of mind, attitude and direction (Romans 8:5-9; Ephesians 2:1-5).
Christ died for the sins of the world almost 2,000 years ago (I John 2:2; John 3:16-17). The apostles preached His Message first to Israel, then to the Gentiles (Isaiah 65:1-2; Romans 10:14-21; Mark 16:15, 20; Matthew 10:5-6; Galatians 2:7-9; Acts 10). The world as a whole, however, has continued in sin (I John 2:15-17; John 3:18-21), refusing to obey God (Ezekiel 2-3; Romans 1-2; Revelation 10). God requires human beings to walk in His light instead of Satan’s darkness by keeping His commandments (Acts 26:18; John 3:16-21; I John 1:5-2:6; Ephesians 5:8-14). He plans, therefore, to administer correction to the whole world -- in order to help humanity come to repentance -- prior to the Second Coming of Christ (II Peter 3:9-10; I Thessalonians 5:1-3). He will apply this correction first to Israel, then to the rest of of the world. The Days of Trumpets and Atonement
The following footnotes from the New English Translation of Zechariah 13:7-9 demonstrate clearly that the message of Ezekiel was intended for our time today:
Ezekiel
The Bible prophesies that Israel and Judah will come out of a state of captivity at the time of their ultimate restoration (Leviticus 26:40-45; Deuteronomy 4:29-30; 30:1-10; Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:3-8; Ezekiel 20:33-44). They will be plunged into a state of captivity before that time (Jeremiah 30:7, 11; Ezekiel 5:1-12; Daniel 8:24; 12:1, 7; Zechariah 13:8-9). The Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21) will refine their present moral character and make them fit to become the leading nations of the World Tomorrow (Isaiah 60:21; Ezekiel 14:22-23; Zephaniah 3:11-13; Revelation 7:4-8, 13-17). No spirit of rebellion will enter into God's New World (Isaiah 2:1-5; Ezekiel 2:3-5; 20:40; 43:12; Zechariah 14:9, 12, 16-19; Romans 1:28-32; 8:7; Revelation 20:1-6). The Seventh Millennial Day will be holy time (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:11), a New Heaven and Earth (Isaiah 65:17-25). The Seventh Millennial Day
"Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. . . .
"And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
(Deuteronomy 30:1-3, 8-10)
The Song of Moses