

# The Importance of the Jew in God's Overall Plan

Jack A. Albert

# .

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Jack A. Albert

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KJV

King James Version

Scripture quotations marked "KJV" are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.

NIV

New International Version

Scripture quotations marked "NIV" are taken from HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

NASB

New American Standard Bible

Scripture quotations marked "NASB" are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

NKJV

New King James Version

Scripture quotations marked "NKJV" are taken from The New King James Version / Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers., Copyright 1982. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

NRSV

New Revised Standard Version

Scripture quotations marked "NRSV" are taken from The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version / Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

TLB

The Living Bible

Scripture quotations marked "TLB" or "The Living Bible" are taken from The Living Bible [computer file] / Kenneth N. Taylor. electronic ed. Wheaton : Tyndale House, 1997, c1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Hebrew and Greek Dictionary is extracted from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible Copyright 1980, 1986, and assigned to World Bible Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved

# Table of Contents

Preface

Ch. 1. What Is The Gospel?

Ch. 2. In Christ All Shall Be Made Alive

Ch. 3. What Is Our Real Destiny?

Ch. 4. Blessed Hope

Ch. 5. What Is The Church

Ch. 6. Most From Israel

Ch. 7. Proclaiming The Whole Gospel

Ch. 8. Is Jesus God

Ch. 9. Baptism

Ch. 10. The True Jew and God's Overall Plan

Ch. 11. A Short Message To Believing Gentiles

Ch. 12. To Sum Up

# Preface

(2 Tim 2:15 KJV) Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

As far as Biblical academia is concerned, I haven't any Bible school background. What I'm presenting here is from my own personal study of the Holy Scriptures through many years, along with, in the far past, studying the Scriptures with a few of my brethren in Christ, and also much prayer. The reader should always check the Scriptures to see if what I've written here is in accordance with God's Holy Word.

At one time it was very helpful to know Hebrew and Greek, but today there are so many translations that one can use them to get the true sense of what is being said. Along with, more importantly, God's Son, through God's Holy Spirit, is always there for one who truly looks to God for understanding:

(James 1:5-8 NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. {6} But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. {7} That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; {8} he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Bible schools are good if they are teaching only truth, but if they are teaching something that is in error, it will be perpetuated. It is very difficult for a student to go against what is taught - the student must answer the test questions according to what the Bible school teaches. I have had no such restrictions, only a constant looking to God, through His Son, in prayer asking Him to correct me where I'm in error.

Why have I written this book? Isn't there enough books written about Christianity? The majority of my Gentile brethren in Christ don't know the importance of God's chosen people in His overall plan. Which makes me ask: Is Christianity a separate belief from true Judaism? It has become that, but should it be?

The answer should be no. Why? One of true Judaism's main prophecies is that of the coming Messiah. The Greek to English word for Messiah is Christ, and that's where the word "Christian" came from. So a belief in Christ is a belief in the Jewish Messiah.

(It is very possible that the neighbors of the first Gentile believers in Antioch heard them proclaiming and talking about the Jewish Christ and called them Christians, meaning, followers of the Jewish Christ/Messiah. Strong:5546. Christianos, khris-tee-an-os'; from G5547; a Christian, i.e. follower of Christ:—Christian).

The gospel to the Gentiles is the same gospel that was sent to the Jews. Do I have any Scriptures to back that up? Consider what the Apostle Paul said:

(Gal 2:7-8 NIV) On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. {8} For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.

How then did it become separate from true Judaism? I believe the answer is in how the gospel was changed.

Some of the things I've written here you may not find elsewhere. I hope there are others that believe as I do in most or all of them. In all the 80 years God has blessed me with, I haven't come across them.

Since I'm writing this mainly for the enlightenment of my Gentile brethren in Christ, many times I'll use "Jesus," which is taken from the Greek "Iesous," and also "Christ," which is taken from the Greek "Christos." I'll also use Yeshua and Messiah or both, such as, Jesus/Yeshua and Christ/Messiah or such like

Some chapters will be short. I could have added them as subtitles in larger chapters, but I decided not to do that. I did it mainly for emphasis and ease of reading.

I believe that a false doctrine can cause other false doctrines, and also effect doctrines that are not false. It is, and always has been, my prayer to God that He would protect me from presenting false doctrines. It is for that reason that I emphasize the verse quoted above. I pray that I will not be ashamed when I stand before God for having written this book. One such doctrine, if presented falsely, is the doctrine of death. I have written much about it because it has caused other false doctrines, and has had an effect on doctrines that are not false.

You will find some redundancy of my writing in different chapters, because some things are worth repeating for emphasis. These beliefs are, as stated above, from my own personal study of the Holy Scriptures. They are not from any church, or congregation, or any denomination. Some churches or denominations may contain some of them (or be similar to some of them), but that is not where I got them.

The reader is exhorted to look to God in prayer, and study the Scriptures to see if these things are true. I pray that God will correct me wherever I am in error, and protect others who read this book from any such errors. It is my desire, and only my desire, that God's truth is proclaimed in all its fullness. And may it be to the glory of God through His Son Jesus/Yeshua.

2012

# Chapter One

### What Is The Gospel?

(Mat 24:14 NIV) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

A while back in my reading of different posts on the newsgroup alt.messianic, I came across a post where Josh Moss said: "IMO what is in competition here is, 'what is the gospel.'" An interesting observation! Just what is the Gospel?

The word gospel comes from the Old English god-spell meaning "good tidings" or "goodnews". The Greek word used in the "NT" is "euaggelion" which means "good message" or "good tidings."

The Gospel that Jesus proclaimed (and had His disciples proclaim) wasn't what most believers say the gospel is today, because He hadn't died to pay for our sins yet. What He and His disciples proclaimed was the good news about the Kingdom of God. He was the anointed King of that Kingdom - anointed not with oil, but with God's Holy Spirit (of which oil only typified). He is the promised Messiah or Christ.

It is the Kingdom that was promised to Israel, the Kingdom that would bring peace and blessing to Israel. Israel will someday be the top nation of the world, and their Messiah will be King, not only over them, but over all nations. (Daniel 7:14) He will be "King of kings and Lord of lords." That surely is good news! Also good news because Israel will be a righteous nation with God's laws written in their hearts and minds, and their Messiah will be a just and holy King that will be incapable of doing wrong.

Was Paul's gospel (good news) completely different? No. It is a very important part of the same gospel. How so? Paul's gospel not only includes the good news about the Kingdom of God, but also a clear message of how one can be alive and worthy to enter that Kingdom. The future Kingdom where God will rule through His Son would mean nothing to one who isn't there to enjoy it. So Paul's main message was about the righteousness that is required to save one (by resurrection if needed) unto that Kingdom. And that righteousness is obtainable only through repentance and faith in Jesus.

To Paul was revealed things about the Messiah that had never been revealed before. He called it the mystery, the mystery of Christ. In this knowledge is revealed God's method of saving us from what we all justly deserve - death. Also, in it is revealed how any of us can be accepted as worthy to live in the promised Kingdom and remain righteous. Not only was Jesus the promised Christ/King, but also He became the very means of getting into the Kingdom and of obtaining that righteous standard that God requires.

What has happened is that the entire gospel has become the good news of salvation from death through faith in Jesus, and the "kingdom of God" is no longer seen as the kingdom promised to Israel, but as Heaven. In doing so, the Jewishness of the gospel has been lost. Granted, salvation from death through faith in God's Messiah is the most important part of the gospel*, but in order to understand God's overall plan one must recognize both as being of great importance. In reality they are different aspects of the gospel that should be proclaimed today.

*Without salvation from death, it wouldn't make any difference whether the destiny of the saved was the Kingdom here on earth or Heaven.

Why didn't Paul put more of an emphasis on the kingdom promised to Israel if it is an important part of the gospel? He didn't have to. During his lifetime it was understood that one was saved unto the future kingdom of the Messiah/Christ. It is because the word "Christ" came to lose its primary meaning that the kingdom part of the gospel was lost. It should never have been possible to separate the word "Christ" from the kingdom promised to Israel, because He is the Christ or Messiah or King of that Kingdom. But that is what happened. Paul used the term "Christ" over and over again in his letters (in the KJV, 391 times; 404 with Hebrews - I believe Paul wrote Hebrews).

Since Paul was sent by God to be the Apostle to the Gentiles he used the most common language of the Gentiles to write his letters. So he used the Greek "Christos," which in our English translations is "Christ."

Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Mat 6:10 KJV) It should be clear from this that the Kingdom Jesus referred to will be here on earth, not in Heaven. In reality it will be Heaven on earth since God will be ruling here on earth through His Son - which guarantees that His will is being done here on earth.

I said in the Preface: "I believe that a false doctrine can cause other false doctrines, and also effect doctrines that are not false." This is one of those cases:

A big factor that played a part in changing the gospel to salvation unto Heaven is the doctrine that one doesn't really die when they die, only there body dies. Why be concerned about a kingdom on earth if you go to Heaven when you die, right? Why would Paul put so much emphasis on the resurrection if that were so? Paul said:

"...If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" (1 Cor 15:32b NKJV)

He wouldn't make such a statement if a believer didn't really die (and was in the wonderful realm of Heaven). The resurrection is of utmost importance! Jesus was the first to be resurrected to eternal life. He is the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

(1 Cor 15:20 NIV) But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

That in itself says it all - all believers who have died are still "asleep" in their graves in death. The passage in 1 Cor 15 where the "firstfruits" statement came from brings out the fact that believers who have died will be "made alive" again when Jesus returns. In other words they aren't alive now. In the next chapter I will go into much more detail about death using the "Old Testament," and the "New Testament."

Because the Kingdom of God of which Jesus is the king (Christ/Messiah) was changed to mean Heaven, the importance of the Jew in God's overall plan was diminished. And that opened the door for the Jew being treated as scum. Instead of, through love, provoking them to jealousy and saving some of them - as God and Paul desired (Rom. 11: 11, 13,14 NASB) - they have been provoked to hating any mention of Jesus. Only of recent times have many Jews come to believe that Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah. But the majority still doesn't believe.

In conclusion, the gospel is the very great good news of the coming Kingdom and being saved unto it by faith in Jesus/Yeshua, God's Christ/Messiah. Death will not stop one from being in that Kingdom because Jesus will raise the faithful dead by the authority given to Him by God His Father (Acts 17:31) when He returns to save national Israel and establish His Kingdom (the Kingdom that was promised to Israel). There are other aspects of the gospel, but the Kingdom and salvation through the Christ/Messiah are the main ones.

### An Added Note.

It is expected that all Jews who do not believe that Yeshua is the Messiah will totally disagree with what I've written here, but, unfortunately, most of my brethren in Christ will also disagree with much of what I've written. It would be helpful if Gentile believers would mentally replace the word "Christ" (whenever they come across it) with the word "Messiah" and think about what that really means.

You would think that Jews who believe that Yeshua is the Messiah (most are called Messianic Jews) would readily see these things, but most have been taken in by their Gentile brethren on many of these things. Most look at death the same way, and also put a lot of emphasis on going to Heaven.

It would also be helpful to them if they realize how important resurrection becomes if one is dead (truly dead) until Jesus/Yeshua resurrects them when He returns. This will also put all the focus on Him and His return - WHERE IT BELONGS.

# Chapter Two

### In Christ All Shall Be Made Alive

(1 Cor 15:22 NIV) For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

In Chapter One I mentioned a little about death, I will go into more detail here. I will try to let God's Word speak for itself wherever possible. When it comes to the Word of God, the older references on a subject should bear a lot of weight. After all, God would not say something in the past and then overturn or contradict it in the future, for even though it was written thousands of years ago, it is but a very short time to God. I ascribe to the belief that the Holy Spirit will not inspire men to write something in the past and then contradict it in the future. Also, several Scriptures should be used to demonstrate a point. With this in mind, let's look at some Scriptures that seem very clear to me, so clear in fact, I am amazed that true believers can somehow disregard them.

"Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. {5} For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psa 6:4-5 KJV) (David)

Is that true or false? Would the Holy Spirit inspire David to write something that wasn't true? Of course not!

"Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;" (Psa 13:3 KJV) (David)

The first death is referred to as sleep because of the resurrection of all who die, which means it's only temporary. Why do I say "first death"? In a few verses in the book of Revelation it mentions a "second death" (Rev 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8), so there has to be a first death. The second death wouldn't qualify to be called sleep because it isn't temporary - it's eternal.

O LORD, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (Psa 30:3 NASB)

"What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise Thee? Will it declare Thy faithfulness? (Psa 30:9 NASB)

Again: True or false?

"Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence." (Psa 94:17 KJV)

The dead praise not the lord, neither any that go down into silence." (Psa 115:17 KJV)

I believe, to go into silence, means to die.

"While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. {3} Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. {4} His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psa 146:2-4 KJV)

Could this be true if one went to Heaven or "hell" when one dies?

"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. {18} for the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. {19} The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth." (Isa 38:17-19 KJV)

According to Hezekiah, only the living can praise God.

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezek 18:20a KJV)

If that is true - and I believe it is - the soul isn't immortal.

There are more verses that could be quoted, but these should be enough. One must decide whether those verses are true or not. If they aren't, how then can one believe anything that's written in the "Old Testament"?

The phrase "progressive revelation" is often used in an attempt to explain away the seeming contradictions, but progressive revelation can only apply to something that has never been revealed before, such as the mystery of Christ. There came a time in history when God chose to reveal that mystery through the Apostle Paul, and the Apostle Paul was quick to point out that it had never been revealed before (Rom 16:25). Also, if something has never been made known clearly in the "OT". These scriptures (most of them from the Psalms) are too clear to refute with verses in the "New Testament" that seem to contradict them. So let's look at some of those verses in the "NT":

A few questions to keep in mind as we do that: Are we really dead when we die, or do we go on living in some other way? Is resurrection the only answer to death? Did Jesus link resurrection with eternal life?

Since all of us who have put our faith in Jesus/Yeshua as Savior want to know and proclaim only truth, these are very important questions.

Let's look at a verse that is used, probably more than any other, in an attempt to prove that when one dies he/she doesn't really die but goes to be with the Lord immediately (which would contradict what David said about death):

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Cor 5:8 KJV)

This verse seems to indicate that when believers die they go directly to be with our Lord in Heaven, but let's look at another verse in this passage:

"For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." (2 Cor 5:4 KJV)

Notice: "that mortality might be swallowed up of life." When will that take place? To help us answer that, let's look at the very next verse:

"Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the spirit." (2 Cor 5:5 KJV)

From other Scriptures, what does the "earnest of the Spirit" have to do with? Look at these verses:

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; {22} Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2 Cor 1:21-22 KJV)

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, {14} Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." (Eph 1:13-14 KJV)

"And grieve not the holy spirit of god, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Eph 4:30 KJV)

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. {23} And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. {24} For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? {25} But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Rom 8:22-25 KJV) (In chapter Four I go into more detail on hope).

Do you see what these Scriptures are saying? When we believed, not just heard about the good news, but believed the good news of our salvation in Christ (and God knows whether one truly believes or not), we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest (or down payment - the full payment is yet to come*) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession or until the day of redemption (that is, the redemption of our body), which will take place when our Lord returns. It is then "that mortality might be swallowed up of life."

*The full payment is when we not only have the Holy Spirit within us, but we are also alive by the Holy Spirit. Today we are alive by the blood within our bodies, but then, we will be alive by God's Holy Spirit. And since God's Spirit is eternal, we will be eternally alive - that is, immortal.

The word "mortality" in verse 4 of I Cor 5 according to Strong's Concordance is as follows:

2349. thnetos, thnay-tos'; from G2348; liable to die:-mortal (-ity).

It is very interesting to look at some other verses in the KJV New Testament where this same Greek word is used:

"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Cor 15:53 KJV)

"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor 15:54 KJV)

The phrase, "that mortality might be swallowed up of life" is very similar to the phrase, "Death is swallowed up in victory." We know that this great event will take place when our Lord returns. Now consider the following:

"For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. {12} So then death worketh in us, but life in you. {13} We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; {14} Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you." (2 Cor 4:11-14 KJV)

This passage of Scripture is taken from basically the same passage that we know as 2 Cor 5:1-8. There weren't any verse and chapter divisions in the Apostle Paul's letter that we call Second Corinthians, so 2 Cor 4:11-14 led into 2 Cor 5:1-8. As you can see the Apostle Paul's focus was on resurrection - his desire was not to be unclothed but clothed. His focus was not on the temporal (our present state of being), but on the eternal. The eternal comes at the resurrection (when our Lord returns):

(John 6:40 NIV) For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." [The last day of this present age]

In Heaven we have the example of the eternal house we will someday have - our Lord. Who is "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor 15:20b NIV). He has already experienced the change - in His case by resurrection. Where the perishable has clothe itself with the imperishable.(1Cor 15:53a NIV), and where "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor 15:53b NIV). There are others that have been raised from the dead, but He is the first one to be raised to immortality. The others were still capable of dying again, but He is alive from the dead forever. It is what God planned for all who He accepts. And it is made possible only through His Son.

Near the beginning of this letter (2 Cor) the Apostle Paul said this:

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; {9} indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;" (2 Cor 1:8-9 NASB)

To Paul, resurrection was God's answer to death. If the Apostle Paul believed that when a believer died they went immediately to be with the Lord, wouldn't you expect him to use such phrases as, "He/She has gone to be with the Lord," or "He/She is now in Heaven?" Just how does he refer to them? Consider:

"After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep." (1 Cor 15:6 KJV)

"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. {18} Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." (1 Cor 15:17-18 KJV)

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." (1 Th 4:13 KJV)

Why were they to "sorrow not, even as others which have no hope"? Did he go on to tell them that they are now in Heaven? If that were true then this was an excellent time to tell them that their loved ones who had died are now in Heaven with their Lord. What did he tell them?

If you read the following verses in that chapter you'll see that the Apostle Paul goes on to tell them about the return of our Lord and the resurrection of the "dead in Christ." The Apostle Paul said: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep." (1 Th 4:15 NASB) I used the NASB because the word "precede" is more to the point than the word "prevent" used in the KJV.

Those believers living when our Lord returns will not have any advantage over those who are dead because the "dead in Christ" will be raised first, and then the living believers will be (after their change - I Cor 15;51) taken (together with them) to meet the Lord in the air. It is then that we will be "present with the Lord." Do you see that using God's Word is much better than using man's words? By using man's words the importance of the resurrection is severely diminished, and in effect, the importance of our Lord Jesus is also diminished. For it is Jesus that has been given charge of raising believers from the dead:

(John 6:40 KJV) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Let's consider the following verse of Scripture, which is also used in an attempt to prove that you really don't die when you die:

"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:26 KJV)

The majority of believers who read this verse say: "See, if you believe in Jesus you will never die." And thus, they believe that when a believer dies they don't really die, but go on living in some other way. Can this be because they are looking only at verse 26? Somehow they seem to over look verse 25.

(John 11:25 KJV) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Notice that our Lord says, one, "I am the resurrection" and two, "the life." There is a relationship here between a couple of words and a couple of phrases that should be taken into consideration. Look at those verses again and use some imaginary lines connecting the word "resurrection" to the phrase "yet shall he live", and the word "life" in verse 25 to the phrase "never die" in verse 26.

Do you see the relationship here? One who believes in our Lord and then dies will someday be brought back to life by resurrection ("though he were dead, yet shall he live"), but it is also possible to believe in Jesus and never die ("whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die"). We have another passage of scripture that tells us this much more clearly - we'll get to that shortly.

Before we look at that passage let's consider this first: If everyone who believed in Jesus would never die, then we have a contradiction here. Why? Because it says in verse 25, "he that believeth in me, though he were dead..." how can one who believes in Jesus be dead if one who believes in him will never die?

Can we hear someone saying, "Jesus was talking about someone who was spiritually dead"? Was Adam alive spiritually before he sinned? What does the Word of God say?

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. {46} Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." (1 Cor 15:45-46 KJV)

That's why we must be born again - born of the Spirit. When our Lord walked this earth before the cross, He was alive naturally (that is, he depended upon the blood in His body to keep Him alive - the same as the first Adam); when the Holy Spirit quickened Him (that is, made Him alive again) when He was resurrected, He became alive spiritually.

Before, He had a natural body, now He has a spiritual body - mind you, the Scripture is not saying that he became a spirit; our Lord told His disciples, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:39 KJV) A body of flesh and bones alive by the Holy Spirit (not the blood) is a spiritual body, which in turn is an immortal body! Someday we also will have a spiritual body; at the present we only have the earnest of the Spirit in our natural bodies. The ernest of the Spirit is God's down payment until the redemption of the purchased possession (Eph 1:14). It is then that our natural bodies will be turned into spiritual bodies.

We have been purchased by the blood of Christ. That is, by Christ's natural life, (since the life of the flesh is in the blood - Leviticus 17:11) this was given in payment for our sins. Jesus could never take up that life again; God raised Him from the dead a new creation - alive by the Holy Spirit (not just filled with the Holy Spirit). Praise God forever and ever! What a marvelous, marvelous plan!!

We actually become partakers of the divine nature!:

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Pet 1:4 KJV)

"Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Cor 6:3 KJV)

In other words, we are even going to be higher in authority than the angels!

What about Mary's and Martha's brother Lazarus, was he dead, or was he still alive in some other way? Let's look at what was written earlier in John 11:

(John 11:11-14 KJV) "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. {12} Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. {13} Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. {14} Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead"

So, you see, our Lord also used the word sleep when referring to death.

If we are to take our Lord literally at His word, it is pretty clear that Lazarus was not alive but dead. Why didn't our Lord tell Martha that her brother Lazarus was alive in a better place - perhaps, Abraham's bosom? Or would our Lord go along with David who wrote: "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Psa 6:5 (KJV) And again: "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?" Psa 30:9 (KJV)

Without resurrection there isn't any hope (nor can one praise God): "for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: {17} And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. {18} Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." (1 Cor 15:16-18 KJV)

That's why it is so important to know Jesus our Lord, who is the "resurrection and the life." Our Lord raised Lazarus as proof of this. We will now look at the other passage that clearly indicates we can believe in Jesus and truly never die. It was written by the Apostle Paul and is as follows:

"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, {52} In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. {54} So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor 15:51-54 KJV)

It is then that "Death will be swallowed up in victory" or "that mortality might be swallowed up of life," not before!

From this passage we can clearly see that there will be some believers who are still living (...shall not all sleep...) when our Lord returns that shall truly never die! Thus our Lord said to Martha: "...whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Do you see that? Those believers that are still living when our Lord returns will "never die." They won't have to be resurrected, only changed from mortal to immortal without ever having to die. It will be, as quoted from Paul above; "this mortal shall have put on immortality."

It is not my intention to refute every verse or passage of Scripture that others have used in an attempt to prove that the dead are not really dead, but let's look at three more (since, as mentioned previously, I ascribe to the belief that the Holy Spirit will not inspire men to write something in the past and then contradict it in the future):

"Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. {38} For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him." (Luke 20:37-38 KJV)

It amazes me that this passage of Scripture is used to try and prove that the dead are sill living when, in fact, our Lord is telling the Sadducees that there must be a resurrection of the dead, otherwise God isn't the God of the living, but of the dead, since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are dead. The fact that God is the God of the living, guarantees that they shall be alive again in the future through resurrection!

To say it a little differently:

Proposition one: Moses calls God the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Proposition two: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Proposition three: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are dead.

Ergo, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be raised up from the dead someday!

If Jesus wanted to prove to the Sadducees that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob weren't really dead He wouldn't have begun His comment to them with, "Now that the dead are raised." He was talking about resurrection, not the state of the dead.

Another passage, probably one that most of you who are reading this chapter, was thinking about: Perhaps, also, one of the most used passages of the "New Testament" to try and prove that the dead are not really dead is Luke 16:19-31.

My first reaction to that claim is that this passage of Scripture is a parable. On what basis do I say that? Jesus wasn't telling this story to His disciples, but to the Pharisees. He had been talking to His disciples and the Pharisees overheard Him and derided Him for what He said. So He started to address them, and as we know from Luke 8:10 He spoke to others in parables.

(Luke 8:10 KJV) And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

There are more reasons why I believe this was a parable: If it isn't a parable we would have to believe that those like Lazarus are saved, and all those like the rich man who don't help those like Lazarus are lost. Yes, it's a very good thing if you can help the poor and needy like Lazarus, but good deeds, no matter how good they are, don't save a person. From Paul's writings we know that the righteousness that is required to be justified before God is through faith in His Son, not by our own works of righteousness, lest we should boast. (Romans 3:24-27; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5-7)

The main purpose of this parable is to bring out the great importance of believing in what was said by Moses and the prophets (The Law and the Prophets). For if they didn't, neither would they believe what someone who was raised from the dead said - which is a direct reference to Jesus/Yeshua Himself, and His resurrection.

(Luke 16:31 KJV) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Now, the last passage that I'll touch on:

Apart from the Luke 16 passage, this also is usually mentioned: That's right, Jesus and the criminal on the cross:

(Luke 23:42-43 NIV) Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." {43} Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

From the way the punctuation is it appears that after death they both will be in paradise. A number of things have to be considered here: Did Jesus really die, or did He change to another form of life? And if it is true that He changed to another form of life, did He really die to pay for our sins? Do you see how the meaning of death comes into the picture here?

I don't see any indication that Jesus looked forward to death. He would have if He knew that upon death He'd go to paradise. I believe the punctuation is wrong. Jesus isn't saying that they will be in paradise today, but I'm telling you today. The criminal was asking Jesus to remember him when a future event takes place. So it had to do with an event in time: "when you come into your kingdom." So, in effect, Jesus was saying, I don't have to remember you in that future time, I'm telling you this today.

Suffering doesn't pay for sins, according to the Scriptures, death pays for sins. And the remedy for death is resurrection. A very important reason for believing and trusting in Jesus/Yeshua the one who has been given charge of the resurrection of the dead!

Probably the main reason for most people believing that you really don't die when you die is the belief in the immortality of the soul.

### Is the Soul Immortal?

The belief of the immortality of the soul did not come from the Word of God, but from Greek philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle. Thomas Aquinas was greatly influenced by Greek thought. Consider the following paragraph taken from Microsoft's Encarta'95 - the article was entitled "Soul" and the paragraph title was "Judaism and Christianity."

"Early Judaism considered the human personality as a whole, without making a sharp distinction between body and soul. By the middle ages, however, the soul was defined in Judaism as the principle of life and was considered capable of surviving bodily decay. the Christian doctrine of the soul has been strongly influenced by the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle (see CHRISTIANITY). Most Christians believe that each individual has an immortal soul and that the human personality as a whole, composed of soul and resurrected body, may, through faith, be granted God's presence in the afterlife (see RESURRECTION). The Neoplatonic theory of the soul as prisoner in a material body (see NEOPLATONISM) prevailed in Christian thought until the advent of the 13th-century theologian Thomas Aquinas, who accepted Aristotle's analysis of the soul and body as two conceptually distinguishable elements of a single substance."

"Soul," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.

The belief that believers go to Heaven when they die owes much to the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. What is wrong with the belief of dying and going to Heaven? One, the Scriptures do not teach it, Two, the importance of the return of our Lord is diminished, and Three, the focus is taken off of our real destiny (see the next chapter).

Where in the Word of God do you find it said that the soul is immortal? On the contrary, God's Word says: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezek 18:20a KJV) What is even more amazing is that even animals are called living souls, but you would never know it because the translators, in reference to animals, used a different English word to translate the Hebrew word nephesh.

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." (Gen 2:19 KJV)

The word "creature" is the same Hebrew word that is translated "soul" in those verses referring to mankind. This is just one of those verses that use "creature" instead of "soul" in reference to animals.

According to the Word of God, we are living souls:

(Gen 2:7 KJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

And, according to the Word of God, the soul can die because of sin:

(Ezek 18:20a KJV) The soul that sinneh, it shall die.

The condemnation that was placed on Adam was death, which would result in his returning to dust:

(Gen 3:19 NASB) By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

(Psa 103:14 NASB) For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

When we die we return to dust, and the only hope one has to live again is resurrection.

(1 Cor 15:32b NIV) "...If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

### Something more to think about concerning death.

As you can see my beliefs about death are based on what I believe the Scriptures teach. But here is something else to think about and I want to emphasize; what I'm about to say is not the reason why I believe as I do. As just stated, what I believe about death is what I believe the Scriptures teach - NOT what I'm about to say, though it is definitely something to think about!

For all of you believers, who believe that the lost will suffer in torment forever, think about this: All believers should strive to be merciful, loving, and kind as our Heavenly Father is, and yet you can believe that our Holy God would have billions of people suffer in torment forever! I can understand that when you think of those who were truly wicked, such as Adolf Hitler; it isn't hard to believe that. But what about those who were not wicked, but, in this present age, refused to believe God's one way of salvation: Yeshua His Son? I have some relatives that I love and care about that so far have refused to believe even in God.

I don't believe that when I am immortal in God's Kingdom that I will somehow be less loving. So much so, that I will be able to forget that those loved ones are suffering forever in torment. But, on the other hand, if I know that they are dead (truly dead) and gone forever, I will be able to forget them. The biggest tragedy of all is that they will have missed out on what the most wonderful being that there is - the God of Israel - has prepared for those who have been, by faith, made one with His Son, and therefore, to someday be alive as He is - in immortality. From the Scriptures we know that God takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked:"

(Ezek 33:11 NRSV) Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

And also that God does not want anyone to perish:

(2 Pet 3:9 NRSV) The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

So why would God have billions of people suffering in torment forever and ever without any hope? If you continue to read what I have written in the other chapters, you will see why I believe that being made one with God's Son, Jesus, is the only way one can be saved to live forever in God's Kingdom here on earth.

I'm not saying that the wicked will not suffer. They will stand in judgment and suffer great mental torment. The greater their wickedness, the greater their torment. They will have to endure their whole life being reviewed, even to the point of their every word being accounted for. Jesus said:

(Mat 12:36 KJV) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Those who have not led wicked lives, but who have not been accepted by God because of their false beliefs, will have a shorter judgment with less grief before they are thrown into the lake of fire - where they will be gone forever.

So then, for those who are reading this, and have not accepted God's offer of salvation in His Son, don't think that just because you will not suffer torment forever, but will be dead and gone, it will be easy for you.

In reality though, it's not what you receive for your unbelief, but what you will miss out on: A perfect earth where everything is in harmony, where there isn't any hate, or harm, or suffering, or death. Where there is love and continual joy beyond what we can imagine! With God there aren't any limits to the joy He will provide for those who love Him and His Son!!

May God and His Son be praised forever and ever!!!

# Chapter Three

### WHAT IS OUR REAL DESTINY?

(Acts 1:6 NIV) So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

Perhaps the best way to determine what our real destiny is, is to consider what the Apostles of our Lord were longing for. After spending forty days with our Lord after His resurrection, what question was foremost in their mind?

"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6 KJV)

Wasn't the kingdom the main topic that our Lord spoke about during the forty days He was with them?

"To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:" (Acts 1:3 KJV)

Now are we to believe that the apostles were thinking of a different kingdom, than the one that our Lord spoke to them about during the forty days He was with them, when they asked that question about restoring the kingdom to Israel? Is the kingdom of God that He spoke to them about different from the kingdom promised to Israel?

Are we also to believe that the Messiah (Christ) of Israel, or should we say, the king of Israel, spoke to them about a different kingdom than that promised to Israel? Most of you who are reading this probably believe that, but why? Is it because you believe that the kingdom of God is Heaven?

What kingdom did our Lord proclaim in his ministry before the cross?

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." (Mat 4:23 KJV)

The Kingdom of God, of which, Yeshua/Jesus is the King is going to be established on the power of God's Holy Spirit (the healing and miracles were proof of that). That is why it is also called the Kingdom of Heaven - its authority and power is from God Who is in Heaven.

See Mat 9:35 and Mark 1:14, 15. Jesus also said "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent." (Luke 4:43 KJV)

Remember now, this is the One of whom it was said: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: {33} And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32-33 KJV)

So I ask again, what kingdom do you think He was proclaiming?

He sent His disciples out to proclaim the kingdom also:

"And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:2 KJV)

And how could they heal the sick? It was through the power of God's Holy Spirit.

What kingdom did he send them out to proclaim? Well, what did he tell them to pray about?

"And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." (Luke 11:2 KJV)

This goes hand in hand with what the Holy Spirit said centuries before:

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men." (Psa 115:16 KJV)

Remember also that our Lord told His apostles, "... Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Mat 19:28 KJV)

Is the throne of His glory in Heaven or on earth?

Many passages in Matthew use the phrase "kingdom of heaven", but certainly, it cannot mean something different from the kingdom of God, can it? In Matthew 19:23-24 it says this:

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. {24} And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God"

Almost within the same breath the two phrases are mentioned.

The authority and source of this Kingdom is from Heaven. That is why our Lord could say, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36 KJV) He will not be voted into office, or appointed by anyone on this earth - His authority comes from God:

"For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. {28} And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (1 Cor 15:27-28 KJV)

It is for the same reason that we can say, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the lord Jesus Christ; {21} who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." (Phil 3:20-21 NASB)

When He returns our citizenship will visually be seen here on earth! Notice: It says that He "will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory." When? When He returns, not before. He is the only man, at the present that has immortality - someday, we will be like Him!

What did the apostle Paul proclaim?

"And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more." (Acts 20:25 KJV)

"And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, {31} preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." (Acts 28:30-31 KJV)

Notice, "things which concern the Lord Jesus CHRIST" (Caps mine). Many people don't even know what the word Christ even means; many might even think it is the last name of Jesus. Others treat it as a proper name (or proper noun; a name given to a unique individual), but it is a descriptive title mainly used in the Bible to denote the anointed King of Israel - the Messiah.

Strong's Concordance says the following:

5547. Christos, khris-tos'; from G5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:-Christ.

To say that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel is the same as saying He is the king of Israel, and that is the way it is mainly used in the Bible. He is also Prophet and Priest, which were also anointed, but Israel was looking for a promised King that would deliver them from their enemies, and establish the Kingdom of Israel as a prominent kingdom in the earth.

Just think how many times the Apostle Paul used the title "Christ" - we cannot separate the title Christ from the throne of David, which in turn cannot be separated from the kingdom promised to Israel. Every time the Apostle Paul used the title Christ, the kingdom promised to Israel was inferred - throughout Scripture that is its main meaning. From Romans to Philemon in the KJV, the word Christ is used 391 times in 367 verses, and if you add Hebrews, it is 404 times in 380 verses! In the whole KJV New Testament it is used 555 times in 522 verses.

It cannot be emphasized enough; the kingdom promised to Israel is inferred whenever the title, Christ, is used with reference to Jesus. Jesus is the king (Christ/Messiah) of the Kingdom that will be restored to Israel. Because national Israel rejected their Messiah (Christ), God, through his infinite mercy has allowed Gentiles to share Israel's heritage through their messiah:*

"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy." (Rom 11:11 KJV)

*See chapter Five, "WHAT IS THE CHURCH?"

When Jesus the Messiah (Christ) returns, national Israel will be saved:

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

When the Deliverer comes out of Sion national Israel will be saved and He will restore the Kingdom to Israel, so if one wants to proclaim the whole gospel one should also proclaim the Kingdom of the messiah (Christ) of Israel. We who believe in Him are not just saved from death, but unto the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah. Did He not say,

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come?" (Mat 24:14 KJV)

Now if one only thinks about going to Heaven, why even be concerned about a kingdom on earth? That's why the doctrine of an immortal soul and dying and going to heaven is such a detriment to the true gospel of the kingdom of our Lord, the Messiah of Israel. After all, our Lord is going to be ruling on this earth, and where He is, we shall be also. And with Him here, it will be heaven on earth!

I know I'm being redundant, but it so important for you to really consider the following verses again.

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. {23} but each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at his coming." (1 Cor 15:22-23 NASB)

Do you now see what Paul is saying? The order is given ("...each in his own order..."). Christ is the first fruits. The American heritage dictionary says this about first fruits:

First fruits also firstÑfruits (f₧rst"fr▌ts") pl.n. 1. The first gathered fruits of a harvest, offered to God in gratitude. 2. The first results of an undertaking.

In other words Christ is "The first results of an undertaking," an undertaking that will not be completed until all of the saints are resurrected! It also says "shall be made alive." What does that imply? It very plainly implies that those who are now asleep in Christ are not alive at the present. But it doesn't stop there; as mentioned previously, the order is given: "Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at his coming." Do you get that? The rest of the faithful dead will be made alive when Christ returns!

One very important thing should be noted here: it is infinitely important to be "in Christ"! Because we were all in Adam when he sinned, we are under the condemnation of death. The only way to be saved is to be "in Christ," which is to be in the Body of Christ - the Church. The Body of Christ is God's answer to the body of Adam (the first Adam).

"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." (1 Cor 15:21 KJV)

The first man mentioned in this verse is the first Adam, the second man mentioned is the last Adam (Vs 45 of the same chapter), who is Christ our Lord (the Messiah of Israel). How can we be, in Christ? When we repent of our sins and believe in and accept his sacrificial death as payment for our sins the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ:

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Cor 12:13 KJV)

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Eph 1:13 KJV)

It is that same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead that will raise us up from the dead, or change our mortal bodies into immortal bodies (those of us who are still living when Christ returns).

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." (Rom 8:11 KJV)

Since the Apostle Paul is writing to living believers, who, as far as he knew, could still be living when Christ returns, he said, "quicken your mortal bodies." That is, change their mortal bodies to immortal bodies. A change that makes one truly alive, alive forever more!

There might be some of you who are reading this, and are thinking to yourself: "What's the difference one way or the other whether we believe that we go immediately to Heaven or are dead until resurrection? Does it really matter that much? After all, we'll all find out someday in the future." There are a number of reasons, but probably the main one is that if it is true that the dead can only have life again through resurrection, then all attention is directed to our Lord (where it should be) and his return; He who is the resurrection and the life, and the Messiah of Israel.

Many feel that it is very comforting to a child when they are told the dead family member is really not dead but alive in a much better place. Wouldn't it be better to tell them that Jesus will someday return and raise them up to life again? Maybe they would want to know more about Him? Consider the following:

"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the son quickeneth whom he will. {22} For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the son:" (John 5:21-22 KJV)

"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. {40} And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:39-40 KJV)

When will they have everlasting life? Jesus tells us very plainly: When He raises them up at the last day!

You can't go wrong when you use the Word of God when you speak. If the Apostle Paul, when referring to dead believers, said they are asleep in Christ, so will I. If our Lord said that everlasting life will be given, to those that believe in him, when he raises them up at the last day, I will quote what He said and not add to it.

"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Pet 4:11 KJV)

You start treading on shaky ground when you use the words of others that don't use God's Word rightly divided.

For any of you who have read this far and still do not believe in Jesus, the Son of God and Messiah (Christ) of Israel, consider the following:

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: {31} Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31 KJV)

(Acts 10:42 KJV) And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he, which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

My advice to you is that you had better get to know the judge before it is too late! The Word of God also says: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: {10} That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; {11} And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:9-11 KJV)

Better to do so now than later!

Most believers believe that their destiny is Heaven. In fact, they believe that when they die they go immediately to Heaven. Do you think David is now in Heaven? You would surely think so, wouldn't you? Well, again, we'll let God's Word tell us:

(Acts 2:29-35 NIV) "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. {30} But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. {31} Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. {32} God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. {33} Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. {34} For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand {35} until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'(said by Peter)

Notice: the "patriarch David died and was buried," and "For David did not ascend to heaven."

Do you need more proof?

(Acts 13:36-37 KJV) "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: {37} But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption." (Said by Paul)

Once again, we see that resurrection must come first; it is Jesus, whom God raised up from the dead that has ascended into Heaven. That is why we can pray to God through Him - He is a living Savior! And that is why the Scripture says: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Tim 2:5 KJV)

To say that it is only talking about David's body is no different than saying that it was our Lord's body that rose from the grave. That brings up a question: did our Lord die for our sins, or did His body die for our sins?? Do you see where that is leading? Our Lord really didn't die on the cross, only His body died?? That is bordering on the absurd! But, there are those that believe just that. There are those that say, "It was His body that was given for our sins, and therefore, He could not be raised bodily, but had to come back as a spirit." The Scriptures are very clear that He gave his life for our sins.

The Scriptures say:

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Lev 17:11 KJV)

That is, the life given atones for sins. When His blood was shed, He gave His life.

The old creation (of which we are a part of at the present) depends on the blood to be kept alive, so when His blood was shed, He gave his life. He could not come back to life again by the blood, but by a new way - a "new creation" - by the eternal Spirit of the living God!! That's immortality!

In John 11 our Lord said that Lazarus died - not his body. When our Lord brought Lazarus back from the dead, it wasn't his body that was brought back from the dead - Lazarus was brought back from the dead. If he were alive in some other way, why even bring him back? When Lazarus was raised to life he was alive again the same as he was before. He was still depending on his blood to keep him alive, and he no doubt eventually died again. Not so with Jesus, He is alive a new way - alive by God's Holy Spirit which is never subject to decay as blood is. All members of the Body of Christ will someday be alive that way. There is a difference between having God's Holy Spirit within you and being alive by God's Holy Spirit. All believers of this age have God's Holy Spirit within them, but are still dependent on blood to keep them alive and therefore still able to die.

Many, if not most, unbelievers, believe in an afterlife apart from resurrection. They try to communicate with the dead, and many pray to the dead whom most believe to be in Heaven. All of this wouldn't have any basis at all if the truth were really known. Sometimes they really do seem to be communicating with the dead, but in reality they are communicating with demons! Demons can mimic the dead because they are able to observe us during our lifetimes.

If it is possible to live in heavenly bliss apart from resurrection, what is the need for a resurrection? In fact, why was it so important for our Lord to be resurrected bodily? He could have come back as a spirit - as mentioned previously; there are those who believe just that. Why is it that some cannot accept the Word of God for what it plainly says?

"And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? {39} Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:38-39 KJV)

"He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption." (Acts 2:31 KJV)

Another thing to consider: The Apostle Paul wrote:

"If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die." (1 Cor 15:32 KJV)

Do you see how important the resurrection is? That is a profound statement. Consider what in effect he's saying:

Why should I risk my life in proclaiming the good news, if after I die there isn't any resurrection? Rather, let me indulge the flesh and have a worldly good time before I die.

If we can live in heavenly bliss apart from resurrection, there isn't any way that he'd make a statement like that. I wonder how many believers read that statement (1 Cor 15:32) and realize what he's saying?

According to those verses quoted near the beginning of Chapter Two, there isn't any consciousness in death:

"For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psa 6:5 KJV)

"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." (Psa 146:4 KJV)

Another verse of Scripture that wasn't quoted previously says this: "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing...," (Eccl 9:5a KJV)

Since there isn't any consciousness in death, there isn't any reckoning of time, and therefore it wouldn't make any difference whether we believers were in the grave a day or a thousand years, our experience would be the same - it would seem as if we just died and we're already being awakened in resurrection to be taken to meet the Lord in the air. It is we the living, who experience time, that must wait to be reunited with our fellow believers who have fallen asleep in Christ.

We could easily say along with the Apostle Paul that to be absent from the body (this present state of life) is to be present with our Lord (in our future state of life in our immortal body after resurrection). It will seem to happen immediately. That is the same reason why the Apostle Paul could say: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. {22} But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. {23} For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:" (Phil 1:21-23 KJV)

If we were to only look at this one passage (Phil 1:21-23 KJV), we could easily come to a wrong conclusion, but we must take into account other things that the Apostle Paul wrote before we could come to the right conclusion. The Apostle Paul also wrote (in the same letter): (Phil 3:10-12 KJV) "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; {11} if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. {12} Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

And again (in another letter):

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: {8} Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim 4:7-8 KJV)

So you can see that the Apostle Paul was looking forward to the appearing of our Lord and the resurrection. One should never come to a conclusion without taking into account other scriptures; better yet, all of God's Word!

Let's look at the whole passage of 2 Cor. 4:18 to 5:8 with bracketed statements by me:

(2 Cor 4:18 KJV) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal [he's leading up to what is eternal].

(2 Cor 5:1-8 KJV) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens [our Lord Jesus/Yeshua in Heaven at our Father's right hand is already in His eternal house - His immortal body]. {2} For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: [a body like Jesus' immortal body] {3} If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. {4} For we that are in this tabernacle [in our present house which is still subject to decay] do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed [being out of this present house and being asleep in death], but clothed upon [clothed with our immortal body, our eternal house], that mortality might be swallowed up of life [which will take place at the time of the first resurrection]. {5} Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit [it is the earnest of the Spirit that seals us for the redemption of our bodies]. {6} Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body [in this present house], we are absent from the Lord [when our Lord returns at the time of the first resurrection we will no longer be absent from Him, and will be in our eternal house]: {7} (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) [as the apostle Paul stated: "we look not at the things which are seen {our present house}, but at the things which are not seen {our eternal house}"] {8} We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body [this present house], and to be present with the Lord [in our eternal immortal house when He returns].

What an amazing passage! Our present bodies are capable of being dissolved - "...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen 3:19c KJV), - but our future bodies will be eternal! As mentioned previously we will be flesh and bone alive by the Spirit, but it will be quite different from what we now know as flesh and bone alive by the blood. To be alive by the Spirit means our flesh and bones will be incorruptible, that is, immortal! It truly is a new creation!

Our Lord is already that way - He is the "firstborn from the dead" (Col 1:18), "the first fruits of those who are asleep" (1 Cor 15:20 NASB). To say that we receive this body after death before resurrection makes the resurrection needless. Yet, that is what you are forced to conclude if you follow the logic of the Apostle Paul's argument in 2 Cor 4:18 to 5:8 and believe that he is saying that it is in Heaven (after death and before resurrection) that we will be present with the Lord. No, it is at the time of the first resurrection that we will receive our eternal home, and will then be taken to be present with the Lord! I say again, this will seem to happen immediately upon dying since there isn't any consciousness of time in death.

A Bible bookmark from the Moody Bible Institute has printed on it a quote from D. L. Moody, which says the following:

" Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now, I shall have gone up higher, that is all; out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal - a body that death cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever"

I praise God for D. L. Moody; he started a work that is still going strong today, but as you can see from what he said, there wouldn't be any need for a resurrection (if what he said is true). For some reason he didn't see that, and apparently, Moody Bible Institute still doesn't see it.

The lost will have a similar experience to what we believers will have when we die, that is, it will seem as if they just died and they are already being raised to life again, except it will be for judgment before the great white throne a thousand years later than the resurrection of the saved (Rev. 20:5)

Most believers believe that the lost are cast into "hell" when they die. If one were to go along with that belief, what would be the purpose of their being cast into "hell" and then, at some later time, resurrected to be judged and then cast back into "hell?"

Our lord said: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {29} And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:28-29 KJV)

From what was written later on in the Word of God, as mentioned above, we learn that there is a period of time between the resurrection of those that have done good and the resurrection of those that have done evil. It is also written in the book of Daniel:

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan 12:2 KJV)

Here again, there is period of time between the awaking (resurrection) of those who awake to everlasting life and those who will awake to everlasting contempt."

(Rev 20:4-6 NASB) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. {5} The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. {6} Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

After the great white throne judgment the lost will be cast into the lake of fire, which is called the second death.

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. {12} And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {14} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev 20:11-15 KJV)

There is a judgment that we believers will go through, but not for our sins (the wages of which is death, since Jesus already paid for them with His death on the cross):

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor 5:10 KJV)

The Greek word for judgment (bema) here is different from the word judged (krino) used in Rev 20:11-15 (KJV). The former (bema), is for praise, reprimand, reward or no reward; the latter (krino), is for condemnation and punishment.

All thanks and praise be to God who has provided his Son to take our judgment upon Himself - we, in this present age, who have accepted God's gift of his Son do not have to stand before the great white throne and be judged!

In conclusion: This chapter was written to emphasize the incalculable importance of the return of the Messiah of Israel - He who is the resurrection and the life - and what our real destiny is.

It is at His return that dead believers and living believers will be given eternal life - "the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and [the living] shall be changed". It is at His return that National Israel will be saved. It is at His return that He will restore the Kingdom promised to Israel. That Kingdom is the destiny of all the saved - according to the Word of God, that Kingdom will never end! (Luke 1:33)

It is then that true peace and justice will be established here on earth, and the will of the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be done on earth as it is in Heaven. All praise and all glory be unto the God and Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus/Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel!!

The whole gospel can be summed up in one small phrase used by our Lord:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." (Mat 6:33a KJV)

The Kingdom of our Lord (the King of the Kingdom promised to Israel), is our real destiny; God's righteousness - the Messiah Himself - is our salvation. Praise God forever and ever! Amen. Maranatha!!

### An Added Note.

As you can see I strongly believe that our true destiny is here on earth in our Lord's Kingdom, but I also believe that there will be occasions when we will visit Heaven. There are passages in the book of Revelation that seems to indicate this. And why not! In our eternal state we will be able to visit God our Father with no fear of being destroyed by His presence.

But I still believe that the Kingdom of our Lord here on earth is our main home. The doctrine of dying and going to Heaven, or even the doctrine that "the Church's destiny is Heaven," has caused most to not see the importance of the Jew in God's overall plan. In spite of much redundancy, I will try and prove in the following chapters how greatly God loves His chosen people Israel - the Jews. I, a Gentile, continually praise Him through His Son - the Messiah of Israel - for allowing me to share His chosen people's heritage!!!

# Chapter Four

### Blessed Hope

(Titus 2:13 NASB) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

The Apostle Paul many times links the word hope with resurrection. There are a few verses in the latter part of Acts that brings this out:

"But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." (Acts 23:6 KJV)

"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: {15} And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:14-15 KJV)

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: {7} Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. {8} Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? (Acts 26:6-8 KJV)

For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. (Acts 28:20 KJV)

Look at Acts 23 and find where the apostle Paul first uses the word hope in that passage, and see what the result was; then compare it with what he says in Acts 26:6-8. I believe it can safely be said that the "hope of Israel," the apostle Paul is referring to in Acts 28:20, is the resurrection of the dead. The promise of resurrection is what the twelve tribes (Israel) hoped to come.(Acts 26:7-8)

In case you didn't follow me on that, this is what I meant: When Paul cried out in Acts 23:6, "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question," he caused such a stir between the Pharisees and Sadducees that he eventually ended up in chains. So when you read Acts 26:6-8 in which Paul says, "Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come" referring to the resurrection as that hope, and then come to Acts 28:20 where Paul says, "for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain," one should be able to conclude that the "hope of Israel" is the resurrection.

Now since Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, is the resurrection (John 11:25) and that hope already fulfilled (I Pet 1:3), and therefore, anyone's hope of eternal life, it can also be rightly said that Jesus the Messiah is the "hope of Israel"!

Let's look at some other verses that link hope with resurrection:

"Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: {27} because Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption." (Acts 2:26-27 KJV)

It doesn't use the word resurrection, but it is definitely implied; the whole context bears that out. "My flesh shall rest in hope" is in effect saying, my flesh shall rest in hope of resurrection.

"Blessed be the God and father of our lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Pet 1:3 NASB)

Yes, we have a Savior that is a living hope - hope already fulfilled!

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." (1 Th 4:13 KJV)

The whole passage, where the above verse is taken from, talks about the resurrection:

(1 Th 4:14-18 NKJV) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. {15} For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. {16} For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. {17} Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. {18} Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Apostle Paul doesn't tell them to comfort one another with the belief that their loved ones that have died are now in Heaven, but with the hope that when Jesus returns He will have their brethren who have died raised to life. And all believers who are still living will be taken with them to meet Him in the air while He is still returning to this earth. From other passages of Scripture we learn that He will save national Israel and restore the throne of David and reign over Israel and the earth after He returns.

Some other verses of Scripture that have to do with hope are the following (one has to do with Jesus' return):

(1 Tim 1:1 NIV) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

As already mentioned, Jesus is the hope of resurrection already fulfilled.

(Titus 1:2 NIV) a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

As we know from other Scriptures, eternal life will come at the resurrection when God's Son, Jesus/Yeshua the Christ/Messiah, returns.

(John 6:40 NIV) For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

And the one that is quoted at the beginning of this chapter:

(Titus 2:13 NASB) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;

The above verse is used by many believers for a pretribulation rapture of the Church. Because of what the Church really is, there can't be any pre-tribulation rapture of the Church. See Chapter Five.

I believe "the blessed hope" has to do with Jesus' return and the resurrection of all the faithful dead, which surely is a blessed hope.

When God's Son returns He will raise all believers who have fallen asleep in death, change to immortality those who have never died, save national Israel, and establish His Kingdom here on earth. In effect God will be ruling here on earth through His Son. Can there be a greater blessed hope than that?

# Chapter Five

### What Is The Church?

(Eph 1:22-23 KJV) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, {23} Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

"Church (true), Summary: The Church, composed of the whole number of regenerate persons from Pentecost to the first resurrection (1 Cor 15:52), united together and to Christ by the baptism with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:12 - 13), is the body of Christ of which He is the Head (Eph 1:22 - 23). As such the Church is a holy temple for the dwelling of God through the Spirit (Eph 2:21 - 22); is "one flesh" with Christ (Eph 5:30 - 31); is espoused to Him as a pure virgin to one husband (2 Cor 11:2 - 4); and will be translated to heaven at the return of the Lord in the air (1 Th 4:13 - 17). <Church> (the true): v. 23. (Mat 16:18; Heb 12:23)"

The above paragraph is a note copied from a Scofield Reference Bible in reference to the word "church" used in Heb 12:23.

"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect." (Heb 12:23 KJV)

Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, who lived from 1843 to 1921, was one of the most noted leaders among dispensationalists. In writing an introduction to his 1909 version of the Scofield Reference Bible, he said this:

"The Editor disclaims originality. Other men have laboured, he has but entered into their labours. The results of the study of God's Word by learned and spiritual men, in every division of the church and in every land, during the last fifty years, under the advantage of a perfected text, already form a vast literature, inaccessible to most Christian workers. The Editor has proposed to himself the modest if laborious task of summarizing, arranging, and condensing this mass of material."

From the above statement you can see that he "disclaims originality," but his "summarizing, arranging, and condensing [the] mass of material" from "spiritual men, in every division of the church and in every land" have probably influenced the majority of present day fundamentalist believers. It also influenced me for many years.

Were Scofield and all of those men that he refers to right in their understanding of the Church? The following paragraph is taken from a Scofield Reference Bible that I purchased on July 14, 1962; Copyright 1945. It is under a heading called "A PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE BIBLE." It is as follows:

"The book of Acts records the descent of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of a new thing in human history, the Church. The division of the race now becomes threefold - the Jew, the Gentile and the Church of God (1 Cor 10:32). Just as Israel is in the foreground from the call of Abram to the resurrection of Christ, so now the church fills the scene from the second chapter of Acts to the fourth chapter of Revelation. The remaining chapters of that book complete the story of humanity and the final triumph of Christ."

In a more recent version it says "new entity" instead of "new thing." Since the Church "the Body of Christ" couldn't have been started till after the Christ/Messiah appeared on the scene, I'd agree that it was a new entity, but did the "The division of the race now [become] threefold - the Jew, the Gentile and the Church of God?" In particular, are "the Jew" (Israel) and the "Church of God" separate from each other? Is God's plan for Israel different than His plan for the Church? And, is the Church a group composed only of "regenerate persons from Pentecost to the first resurrection?" In another of Scofield's writings, "The Biggest Failure of the Church Age," he says, "Did you ever put side by side the promises given to the Church, and to Israel, and see how absolutely in contrast they are? It is impossible to mingle them."

For many years I believed pretty much the same as he/they did, but after much study and prayer I have come to a different understanding of the Church's relationship to Israel. I now believe that Scofield was, to a very large degree, wrong in his understanding of what the Church is in relation to Israel.

It has been, and still is, my desire and prayer that God would correct me if I was/am in error in any of my beliefs. I believe God answered my prayers during those years, so I gradually started to come to a different understanding of what the Church, in relation to Israel, is. Also, right around the time I purchased my Scofield Reference Bible, God started to put a love in my heart for the Jewish people; I didn't understand why till many years later.

First, let us look at a couple of Scriptures that state very plainly what the Church is:

"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, {23} which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Eph 1:22-23 KJV)

"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." (Col 1:24 KJV)

It is clear from the above verses that the church is the Body of Christ. Scofield's notes definitely agree with that, but is it composed only of "regenerate persons from Pentecost to the first resurrection?" And I ask, is it a "new entity" separate from God's plan for "the Jew" (Israel)? If I were living back at the time of the Apostle Paul, and were to ask such a question as that, he would probably think I was some kind of dunce or something. After all, just whom are we talking about? Aren't we talking about the Christ? In other words, aren't we talking about the Messiah? And not just any messiah, but the Messiah promised to Israel. How can we possibly make the body of Israel's Messiah a separate plan from God's plan for Israel??

By examining what the Body of Christ (which is The Church) means, one can better answer that question. The answer to this question is also my main point of difference with Scofield and those who believe as he did - probably the majority of Fundamentalist.

The Apostle Paul is the one to whom the revelation of the Body of Christ was revealed. Paul wrote about the "mystery of Christ." His reason for calling it that was because in "other ages [it] was not made known unto the sons of men." (Eph 3:5 KJV) In other words you won't find it in what has come to be called by "Christians," the Old Testament - the TaNaKh or Tanakh by Orthodox Jews. A part of the "mystery of Christ" was the revelation of the Body of Christ.

After many years of studying God's Word (and much prayer) I came to believe that the Body of Christ - which is The Church - is an essential part of God's salvation plan. It is basically the method that God makes His salvation real to the individual. In order to be saved it is necessary for anyone of any era or age to be a member of the Body of Christ (this is one of the reasons why I came to believe The Church isn't a separate entity from Israel). On what bases could I say that in order to be saved one must be a member of the Body of Christ? Paul said the following:

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor 15:22 KJV)

Two things are of note here: 1) The phrase "in Christ" is a term that indicates being in the Body of Christ. 2) Paul going all the way back to Adam makes it all-inclusive for anyone to be saved.

I believe the phrase: "in Christ" is one of the most important phrases in all of Scripture. Out of all the 77 times it is used in the KJV only 3 are used in other than the letters of the Apostle Paul - once in Acts and twice by the Apostle Peter. The "mystery of Christ" was revealed to and through the Apostle Paul:

"How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, {4} Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.)" (Eph 3:3-4 KJV)

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; {9} And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: " (Eph 3:8-9 KJV)

"Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I [Paul] am also in bonds." (Col 4:3 KJV)

Why was the Apostle Paul in bonds for the "mystery of Christ?" I'll get to that later.

If you can understand what is meant by "in Adam," then you should be able to understand how important it is to be "in Christ!"

The writer of Hebrews (whom I believe to be the Apostle Paul) in Heb. 7:9,10 states:

"And so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him." (NASB)

Likewise, we were in the loins of our father Adam when he sinned and that is the reason why we are capable of dying. Because we were there in the loins of our father Adam when he sinned, we sinned also (just as Levi paid tithes because he was in Abraham's loins when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek), and the condemnation of death that was pronounced on Adam was pronounced on us:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: {13} (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.14} Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.)" (Rom 5:12-14 KJV)

Basically, Paul is saying that during the period of time between Adam and Moses men were not dying for their own sins, but because of Adam's sin. This is borne out by the fact that before any law was given that would have made mankind accountable for their own sins (enter the Law of Moses) people were nevertheless dying. This would indicate that they weren't dying for their own sins, since there wasn't any sin defined ("sin is not imputed when there is no law"); but were dying because of Adam's transgression. This is further backed up by verse 15, which says:

"...For if through the offence of one many be dead..." (Rom 5:15b KJV)

It should also be noted that we too do not die for our own sins, but for the sin or transgression of Adam. This would also explain why babies could and do die while yet in effect having no sin of their own. Once God gave any new laws defining sin, we became accountable for our own sins. But we still die because of Adam's sin. The judgment for one's own sins is yet future - unless they are paid for by the death of a substitute (an important lesson that was supposed to have been learned from the Law of Moses). Of course, that substitute for all of us who are destined for eternal life, is Jesus/Yeshua.

Another thing to consider is that because of Adam's transgression, they (Adam and Eve) and all of mankind were blocked from access to the tree of life. Because they were blocked from access to the tree of life, they eventually died - and so it is with all of us - except for believers in Yeshua who are still living when Jesus/Yeshua returns (such will never have to die).

Adam and Eve didn't die immediately after their transgression because God provided substitutes for them. In providing coats of skins for them, animals had to be slain (this is probably where Abel obtained the practice of offering up an animal sacrifice to God).

Because of these things, I say nobody, be they Jew or Gentile can be saved if they are not "in Christ," that is, in The Body of Christ, the Church! If you are not in Christ, you are still in Adam and you have no real hope. You see, God didn't just impute righteousness to us (who have put our faith in His Son); He didn't just write our names in the Book of Life; He actually joined us to His Son by the Holy Spirit (I Cor 12:13). We therefore have become a part of everything the Messiah has accomplished. And yes, we are talking about the Messiah that was promised to Israel. The hidden things about the Messiah are a part of that promise.

So then, the Church, the Body of the Messiah \- which is the primary means of God's salvation - was, in effect, a part of that promise. I see the Church as an essential part of God's plan for Israel ("the Jew"). When our Lord first spoke about the Church, He was speaking only to Jews (primarily His twelve Apostles). We Gentiles were not permitted to be a part of the Church until after the time that transpired between Pentecost and the saving of Cornelius and those Gentiles with him (years perhaps?).

How then have we Gentiles come into these things? And what further proof do I have that Israel not only more than fits into this, but is the focus of God's plan? (It is we Gentiles, not them, which have been allowed to fit into these things).

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Gentile believers in Ephesus reminded them that they were at one time without Christ (the Messiah) and "separate from the commonwealth of Israel" (Eph 2:12), (which in itself tells us that Israel was not left out of the picture in any way). And he goes on to say "ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." (Eph 2:19-20) The "prophets, more than likely, are the past prophets of Israel (confer Acts 28:23). It is clear (if one reads the whole passage) that the Gentiles, who weren't even in the picture at one time, have in Christ (in the Body of Christ, the Church) been able to share in Israel's heritage. This is backed up by Eph 3:6.

(Eph 3:6 KJV) That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel

"Partakers" with whom? Yes, "the commonwealth of Israel."

"Fellowheirs," "same body," "partakers;" all indicators that the Gentiles are not partaking in a new plan, but partaking in what was originally planned for God's chosen people Israel. And it is by being "in Christ."

Paul is also clear on how this came about: In Paul's letter to the believers in Rome (predominantly Gentile) he tells them that because national Israel "stumbled" "salvation is come unto the Gentiles." "Stumbled?" Yes, stumbled, an indication that it is not forever - it's only temporary, as Paul goes on to say. Paul also brings out another fact: Even in God reaching out to the Gentiles, He had Israel in mind. Consider:

"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy." (Rom 11:11 KJV) (Looking at the word "provoke," Strong's Concordance says: "3863. parazeloo, par-ad-zay-lo'-o; from G3844 and G2206; to stimulate alongside, i.e. excite to rivalry:-provoke to emulation (jealousy)").

Paul isn't talking about the type of provoking to jealousy that means resentful or bitter in rivalry, but that type that would hopefully provoke them to emulate the Gentile believers. That is, to also believe in the Messiah (their Messiah) and be saved by God's salvation (which was originally planned for them). How do I know this? Paul says,

"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: {14} If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them." (Rom 11:13-14 KJV)

So Paul is saying that he is doing essentially the same thing that God is doing: His desire was for many more of his own people (Israelites) to emulate believing Gentiles and be saved the same way as many Gentiles were being saved. That is, by faith in their own Messiah.

Paul is very emphatic that God has not forsaken His people Israel. The majority hasn't accepted their Messiah, but a remnant has. (There has always been a remnant of God's chosen people who have been obedient to Him) Paul points out that he himself is a part of that remnant.

(Rom 11:1 KJV) 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.

(Rom 11:5 KJV) Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Israel not knowing all there was to know about the Messiah that was promised to them (and still doesn't), didn't really change anything - God's salvation was planned for His chosen people Israel. (Mat 1:21; 15:24)

Therefore, the Body of Christ, the Church, which is at the core of God's salvation, was planned for them. Again, I emphasize the fact that what was revealed to Paul had never been revealed before:

"Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) {5} Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." (Eph 3:4-5 KJV) "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints." (Col 1:26 KJV)

Revealed to them "by the Spirit" through Paul. No other writer mentions the "mystery of Christ."

This is one of the reasons why Paul was - and still is - vigorously hated by unbelieving Jews (by "unbelieving" I mean not believing that Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah). For many of the things he proclaimed Paul was able to go to the Law and the Prophets to back it up. But those things that had to do with the "mystery of Christ," which included the "Body of Christ," he couldn't go to the Law and the Prophets to back it up for it had never been revealed before. One can easily see what a big problem this caused him among his own people - even among many Jewish believers in Yeshua.

The house of Israel was looking for the promised Messiah, the righteous King to sit on the throne of David; and who would also deliver them from their enemies. What they didn't know was that He was not only to be their King and their deliverer from their enemies, but also to pay for their sins and thus be their deliverer out of death, our greatest enemy (their savior where it counts the most). What good is an everlasting kingdom if you die before it is established, or if you are going to live in it for a relatively short period of time and then die? Death had to be conquered first; the conquering of their enemies will come about at His return.

"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (Dan 7:27 KJV)

An everlasting kingdom means very little if one will only live in it for a short time and where evil is still possible. The Messiah will deliver Israel from their enemies and establish a kingdom of peace and righteousness. But it was fully necessary to first establish salvation from death - which would make it possible for one to live everlastingly in an everlasting kingdom. Plus to be made righteous and to be made to live righteously by having God's Laws written in one's heart and mind (Jer 31:31-34 KJV). We Gentile believer in the Messiah shares these things through Israel's Messiah. That is, through the Body of the Messiah, The Church.

Above I asked the question: "Why was the Apostle Paul in bonds for the 'mystery of Christ?'" From what we read about the Apostle Peter and his apprehension in going to the Gentiles (Acts 10), we could easily surmise that when Our Lord told them "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations" (Matthew 28:19), Peter, and the other Apostles, were probably thinking of Jews scattered in the nations and the Gentiles becoming proselytes. They didn't have a problem with Gentiles that were proselytes; one of the seven deacons (Nicolas) was a proselyte. Even national Israel accepted proselytes. There wasn't any problem with a Jew associating with a proselyte, but there was a problem in associating with Gentiles (until God changed things), as is brought out in the following verse:

"And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." (Acts 10:28 KJV)

The Apostle Peter said that a few years after our Lord's instruction to them (Mat. 28:19, 20). So Peter and the others couldn't have understood our Lord telling them to go the Gentiles at that time other than making them proselytes to Judaism. This would mean water baptism was a prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit (that was changed when Peter went to Cornelius), and that they would have to practice the Law of Moses, and follow the dietary laws. It was the dietary laws that kept Jews from eating with Gentiles (probably the main reason why Gentiles were considered unclean). Because of that, it becomes understandable why God used the four corner sheet vision with Peter. Peter was now allowed to eat unclean animals because God made them clean and, in effect, made Gentiles that ate them clean; so they were no longer to be called common or unclean.

(Acts 10:14-15 NIV) "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." {15} The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

And I repeat:

(Acts 10:28 NIV) He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

God was now making a change away from the Law of Moses. Beginning with His Son and His sacrifice God was moving away from the shadows and types to the real. The animal sacrifices were a shadow or type, the sacrifice of His Son was the real; circumcision of the flesh is a type, spiritual circumcision is the real. In spiritual circumcision the body of flesh - the old nature \- is cut away or done away with by death, the death of God's Son, which is spiritually made real to the believer by being joined to God's Son through God's Holy Spirit. In Christ - in the Body of Christ, the Church - these things and much more are made real to the believer.

It was necessary for God to show the Apostle Peter that he "should not call any man common or unclean" because He was about to let Gentiles share Israel's promises. And He was also about to reveal the "mystery of Christ" to the Apostle Paul which would explain how Gentiles, could not only enter into His promises, but to enter in as Gentiles, not as proselytes.

In order for God to send the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles (of all people, "an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee!" (Phil 3:5 KJV)), it became very necessary to reveal the mystery of the Messiah to him, and through him to Peter and the rest of the Apostles! It was for this reason that unbelieving Jews hated him with a vengeance - his associating with Gentiles, his eating with them, and even worshipping God with them (but not in the Temple as they claimed). This (which was made possible through what is involved in the mystery of the Messiah) resulted in him eventually being put in prison. When the Romans in the Jerusalem uproar apprehended Paul it is noticeable that none of his fellow Jewish believers came to his defense. So then, even believing Jews had a hard time with his associating with Gentiles (this is the main reason why I believe Paul wrote Hebrews - he felt they were slipping back into the Law of Moses). The following also brings out how difficult it was for believing Jews to associate and eat with Gentiles:

"But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. {12} For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. {13} And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. {14} But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel... " (Gal 2:11-14a KJV)

Notice, he used to eat with the Gentiles, but when "certain came from James" he stopped doing that.

Also please note: Gentiles were still called "Gentiles." Nowhere in any of Paul's letters are they called Jews. Romans 2:28-29 has been misunderstood. A true Jew is a Jew who is not only circumcised in the flesh, but also circumcised in the heart. If it were true that a believing Gentile becomes a Jew, why would Peter do what he did?

And why would Paul say the following? "Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:" (Rom 3:29 KJV) It would have to be logically concluded that God is the God of the Jews only, if believing Gentiles become Jews (spiritual or otherwise). No, Gentiles are still Gentiles. Howbeit, Gentiles who are after God's own heart, and who are sharing everything that belongs to His chosen people Israel through the Body of Israel's Messiah. That is, through the Church.

We believing Gentiles are really sharing Israel's heritage - the Scriptures tell us this over and over, but somehow most believing Gentiles haven't seen it. I know I'm being redundant, but this is important to get across. Consider:

"And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree." (Rom 11:17 KJV)

"They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings." (Rom 15:27 NIV)

"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, {18} To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." (Acts 26:17-18 KJV) [At the time that was said it could only be referring to sanctified Jewish believers].

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, {2} If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: {3}

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, {4} Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) {5} Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; {6} That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." (Eph 3:1-6 KJV)

The Body of Christ (The Church) was in existence long before any Gentile became a part of it - even before the Apostle Paul:

"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." (Rom 16:7 KJV)).

The actual building of the Temple (see Eph 2:21), which is the Body of Christ - The Church - didn't or couldn't start until the Corner Stone was ready. Also, the Messiah had to establish righteousness, through His death, burial, and resurrection, before anyone could be made worthy to be a part of this Temple.Our own bodies are called a temple (1 Cor 6:19). How much more the Body of Christ?

So then, it probably did start at Pentecost, but it includes all of the faithful going back to the time of Adam. Consider the time when Solomon built the temple and when David his father prepared much of the material for it:

"And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. {3} And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; {4} Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. {5} And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death. {6} Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel." (1 Chr 22:2-6 KJV)

So, likewise, all those faithful saints of the past who lived before the Body of Christ became a reality were prepared beforehand to be a part of this Holy Temple, the Body of the Messiah of Israel, which is The Church:

(Heb 9:15 NKJV) And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

"The promise of eternal inheritance" is possible only through being a part of the Holy Temple, the Body of Christ - the Messiah of Israel, which is the Church.

The "Israel of God" and believing Gentiles (since we are partakers with them of their Messiah) are one in the Messiah since...

"...he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; {15} Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; {16} And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body [which is the Church] by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." (Eph 2:14 - 16 KJV) . [Brackets are mine.]

The "law of commandments contained in ordinances" - the Law of Moses - was a "middle wall of partition" between uncircumcised Gentiles and "the commonwealth of Israel." When our Lord died, in His flesh He fulfilled that essential part of the Law that had to do with life and death, and thus, broke down that "middle wall of partition" between Jews and Gentiles.

Our salvation, our reconciliation, and our approach to God are the same whether we are Jew or Gentile - there is only one way, and that is through the Body of the Messiah (the Church), the last Adam (I Cor 15:45). And ever since God has allowed us Gentiles to share in the "Jews' spiritual blessings," our acceptance by God is the same: "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." (Rom 10:12 KJV) That is, as concerns our salvation.

But there are differences otherwise (apart from the Body of Christ/Messiah): A grafted in branch does not become a natural branch, and there are still differences between Jews and Gentiles, males and females, etc. (Confer Rom 11:18 and I Tim 2:12).

I have heard it said by well meaning Gentile brethren in the Messiah/Christ that they are "spiritual Jews." If they love the Jews, I can understand it could be a desirable wish, but unfortunately it has been used by others to replace the Jew - to claim all of their prophesied blessings as if the real Jews are no longer God's chosen people.

A "spiritual Jew" is a son of Jacob (Israel) that walks in the faith of his father Abraham:

"And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." (Rom 4:12 KJV)

And who is not only circumcised in the flesh, but also circumcised in the heart.

Likewise, a believing Gentile is a spiritual Gentile who walks in the faith of his father Abraham (Abraham is our father through Christ/Messiah, Gal 3:29):

"And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also." (Rom 4:11 KJV)

And, though not circumcised in the flesh, is circumcised in the heart.

May we Gentiles who believe, continually praise God for His infinite mercy toward us in allowing us to share these things in His Son, the Messiah of Israel.

Because we believing Gentiles, at this present period of time are in the majority, it appears that when the Body of Christ is completed, believers will have come mostly from the Gentiles - on the contrary, most will have come from Israel.

In the next chapter I will explain why I believe this. As shown above we believing Gentiles are sharing the "Jews' spiritual blessings." (Rom 15:27) So, what are those "spiritual blessings?" The Apostle Paul wrote:

"...who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, {5} whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." (Rom 9:4-5 NASB)

Doesn't that cover about everything? "...the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants...and the promises..." Are we forgetting that the new covenant is one of those covenants? In fact, if you look at the first mention of the new covenant, it concerns national Israel:

(Jer 31:31 KJV) 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:

Without question, it is referring to national Israel. If you don't believe it, read the rest of the passage.

The blood of the new covenant has already been shed (by their Messiah):

(Mat 26:28 NIV) This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

But the new covenant itself has not been completely fulfilled - and it won't be until all Israel is saved (that is, national Israel is saved):

(Rom 11:26-27 KJV) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: {27} For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

What "covenant" is He talking about? Compare "when I shall take away their sins" to "for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more..." (Jer 31:34b KJV)

We believers of this present age have already received an essential part of the new covenant: We have received the forgiveness of our sins and the Holy Spirit, but we have only the earnest of the Spirit. We do not have the fullness of the Spirit - we do not have God's laws fully written in our hearts and minds (the full payment of the Spirit is yet to come).

If it were so that the new covenant was completely fulfilled in us, we would have no problem with sin in our lives at all - we would never be able to backslide. We also wouldn't have to learn or be taught anything about God's Word, for it would be fully written in our hearts and minds.

When our blessed Lord walked this earth, as a flesh and blood man (Heb. 2:14) the potential of sinning was there, but because He had the Law written in His heart and mind through having God's Spirit within Him without measure, He walked in the Spirit, and did not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Therefore He did not sin.

And so it will be with us someday (and "all Israel"). It is then that the new covenant will be completely fulfilled in us - as well as in National Israel.

All the many divisions that exist among believers are also proof that we do not have the new covenant completely fulfilled in us. In the coming Kingdom, there won't be any such divisions among us. Praise the one and only God, the God of Israel, and His Son Jesus/Yeshua for ever and ever!!!

# Chapter Six

### Most From Israel

(Isa 60:22 NIV) The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly."

Now as to why I believe that most members of the Body of Christ will have come from Israel? Consider:

There will be one purposeful difference between believers and saved national Israel when Jesus/Yeshua the Christ/Messiah of Israel returns. Because they will not become believers until after our Lord returns, they will not, as yet, receive immortal bodies - they will still be in flesh and blood bodies, and therefore capable of reproduction (how marvelous is God's wisdom). And since they will then have God's laws written in their hearts and minds they will walk perfectly before Him and He will be able to bless them like He always wanted to.

They will then have God's laws written in their hearts and minds because the new covenant will have been completely fulfilled. As mentioned in Chapter Five the new covenant will not be completely fulfilled until all Israel is saved (that is, national Israel). After all, it is with them that God says He is making the new covenant with:

(Jer 31:31 NKJV) "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

We Gentile believers have come under the new covenant through their Messiah.

One of those blessings will be children - can you just imagine them being hundreds of years old and still being able to have children? I believe that one of the main reasons for the thousand-year period after our Lord returns (called by Christians, the Millennial Reign of Christ) is for this very purpose - that they may multiply. We, who at that time, will not be in flesh and blood bodies, but in immortal bodies, will not be able to have children; but we shall be there with them in our Lord's kingdom - enjoying all the other blessings with them. Why won't we be able to have children? Our Lord said:

"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." (Mat 22:30 KJV)

So then (after our Lord's return), all believers, from the time of the first Adam to the time of our Lord's return, will not be able to have children anymore. I also believe that after the thousand year period, the Church, the Body of Christ/Messiah, will be complete, and all will be immortal - no longer a need to have children. The Jewish members of the Body of Christ/Messiah will be a number that is hard to imagine:

(Isa 60:22 NIV) The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly."

This has not as yet been fulfilled. The last part of this verse is the proof of that: "... I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly." It's pretty obvious that has not been fulfilled. Previous verses say the following:

(Isa 60:20-21 NIV) Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. {21} Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

The only way they can all be righteous is by the fulfillment of the new covenant in their hearts and minds, which will take place when their Messiah Yeshua returns and they put their faith in Him. God's splendor will be displayed when Israel as a nation will be saved through His Son.

It is very possible, knowing the Living God, that when all is completed, there will be more of mankind saved than ever were lost - THE MAJORITY HAVING COME FROM ISRAEL. Oh, how I praise the Living God through His Son, the Messiah of Israel, for allowing we former Gentile dogs to share in the heritage of His chosen people Israel through faith in His Son!

It never ceases to amaze me that many, if not most, believing Gentiles will gladly attribute to Israel all of the bad things said, but take all of the good things said and apply it to themselves (through their concept of the Church). They do not, for the most part, do this viciously, but ignorantly. Until I, by the grace of God, came to see what the Church really is, I was among them.

And why does God love Israel so much? The Scriptures are very clear on that:

"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. {7} The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: {8} But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." (Deu 7:6-8 KJV)

"As concerning the gospel, they [National Israel] are enemies for your sakes [you Gentiles]: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes." (Rom 11:28 KJV)

You see, God (because of His love for Israel) has, by His own Word, made Himself obligated to bless Israel - He cannot and will not go back on His word:

"For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Rom 11:29 NASB)

The "gifts and the calling of God" concerning His chosen people Israel cannot be changed for God cannot lie. They will be fulfilled in the future, and we believers will see it with our own eyes. His love for them is irrevocable also.

That is probably why I obtained a love for the Jewish people in my heart - God's Spirit through His Son, Yeshua, within me, expressing His love for them.

As to us Gentiles, God owes us nothing - our forefathers choose to worship false gods. We are recipients totally of His mercy! The statement that God made to Abraham: "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen 12:3 KJV), was a statement of fact based on foreknowledge, not of promise:

"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." (Gal 3:8 KJV)

But we Gentiles do come into the promises through the promised Seed, that is, the Messiah of Israel (Gal 3:16 \- 29). One added proof that we Gentile believers are recipients of His mercy, but they are recipients of His promises:

"Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: {9} and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." (Rom 15:8-9 KJV)

What God has done and will yet do for the Jew ("circumcision") is to fulfill His promises to them, but for us Gentile believers we will glorify Him mainly for His mercy.

# Chapter Seven

### Proclaiming The Whole Gospel

(Mat 6:33 KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In Chapter One I wrote about what I believe the gospel is. Now that you (if you have read all that I've written thus far) know what I believe about death and what I believe the Church really is; I'm emphasizing, at the cost of being redundant, the gospel and the importance of proclaiming the whole gospel.

Should anyone talk about the Messiah of Israel or should I say the King of Israel without talking about His Kingdom? Wasn't that one of the things that the angel Gabriel announced to Mary?

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: {33} And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32-33 KJV)

(Please note: it has to do mainly with the "house of Jacob" - national Israel.)

Isn't the gospel of the Kingdom what our Lord proclaimed?

"And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent." (Luke 4:43 KJV)

Didn't He also say?

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come?" (Mat 24:14 KJV)

Don't you think that we should be proclaiming it too? Aren't we always looking for an honest and just and wise ruler?

Well, that ruler is none other than the Messiah of Israel who is not only honest and just and wise, but perfect in all His ways, and also has the power to carry out all His will in a righteous and just way to the glory of God - His and our Father.

God has given all power and authority to Him \- just as Pharaoh gave all power and authority to Joseph (Gen 41:40-44). The only One that He does not have power and authority over is God Himself (I Cor 15:27). It was the same way with Joseph and Pharaoh - Joseph didn't have authority over Pharaoh (Gen 41:40).

Just think, someday a Jew is going to reign over the whole earth! Ever since the fall of Adam, Satan has entered into human government through sinful men. Pharaoh, Haman, Hitler, to name but a few, were used by Satan to try and destroy the Jews.

Why? Because Satan knows that all of God's promises are centered in Israel, destroy Israel (and that means all Jews of course) and God is proven to be a liar. "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar..." (Rom 3:4a KJV)

The gospel isn't just to be saved from death; it is also to be saved unto the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, the Messiah of Israel. I believe that one of the main reasons that Gentile believers came to believe that the Church and Israel have no relationship is the belief that the Church's destiny is Heaven, and that of Israel, the earth. Consider: Why even be concerned about the Messiah's Kingdom here on earth if one's destiny is Heaven? This in turn fosters the idea that the Church and Israel have no relationship. C. I. Scofield said the following:

"The Jew was promised an earthly inheritance, earthly wealth, earthly honor, earthly power. The Church is promised no such thing, but is pointed always to heaven as the place where she is to receive her rest and her reward." ("The Biggest Failure of the Church Age" by C.I. Scofield)

How could that be since we Gentiles (at the present, the majority members of the Church) are sharing "the Jews' spiritual blessings?" Paul goes on to say that because we Gentiles are sharing the Jew's spiritual blessings, we owe it to the Jews to share with them our material blessings. Oh, how we Gentiles have failed in that! I praise You oh God for your mercy towards us Gentiles! It is You oh God that we have failed. (see Chapter 11)

If Gentile believers had realized that they were sharing their Lord's and Israel's future Kingdom, they would have been more concerned about the Jews, the rightful heirs of the Kingdom. They would have tried harder to tell unbelieving Jews of their own Kingdom, and their own Messiah - Yeshua/Jesus, the Messiah/Christ. And also, how we Gentiles have been allowed to share their Kingdom through faith in their Messiah.

Because the gospel of the Kingdom of which Yeshua is the king (Messiah) was completely forgotten or changed to mean Heaven, the importance of the Jew in God's overall plan was lost. And that opened the door for the Jews being treated as scum. Instead of, through love, provoking them to jealousy/emulation and saving some of them (as God and Paul desired) they have been provoked to hating any mention of Jesus/Yeshua. Only of recent times have many Jews come to believe that Yeshua is the promised Messiah, but the majority still does not. That will be changed in the future! Praise God!

Didn't our Lord say: "...seek first His kingdom and His righteousness...?" (Mat 6:33a NASB) The Kingdom is our glorious destiny, and the Messiah Himself is our righteousness (that righteousness that allows us to be in His Kingdom). Because of this I believe we are not saved to dwell in Heaven, but saved to dwell in God's Kingdom here on earth. Remember: "Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Mat 6:10 KJV) It will be heaven on earth!!

And in time, this earth will be completely renewed:

(Rev 21:1-3 KJV) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. {2} And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. {3} And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

(Psa 115:16 KJV) The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

Why didn't Paul put more of an emphasis on the Kingdom promised to Israel if it is our destiny? He didn't have to! During his lifetime it was understood that one was saved unto the future Kingdom of the Christ/Messiah.

It is possible that because the word "Christ" came to lose its primary meaning that being saved unto our Lord's Kingdom here on earth was lost. It should never have been possible to separate the word "Christ" from the Kingdom promised to Israel, but I believe that is what happened. Paul used the word "Christ" over and over again in his letters (in the KJV, 391 times - 404 with Hebrews). So he must have had in mind the Kingdom of which Jesus/Yeshua was the anointed King (the Christ). The last mention of Paul in the book of Acts tells a lot:

"And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, {31} Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." (Acts 28:30-31 KJV)

Paul wasn't preaching going to Heaven, if that were so his writings would have been filled with saying that. As you can see, he was preaching "the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ." Those things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ had to be about Him being the King of the Kingdom promised to Israel, and how to get into it.

What could more concern "the Lord Jesus Christ" than God's will being done on earth? When the Kingdom of God comes to this earth, God's Son - the Christ, the King - will see to it that God's will is done on earth.

So if you want to proclaim the whole gospel, you should be sure to also proclaim the Kingdom of the King.

# Chapter Eight

### Is Jesus God?

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

(Col 2:9 NIV)

Most of my brethren in Christ believe that Jesus is God - God the Son, but nevertheless God. I, on the other hand, believe that Jesus is not God, but fully indwelt by God. The Apostle Paul called Him, "the last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45). He also said that Adam was a type or figure of Him who was to come; meaning Jesus (Romans 5:14). Jesus was born of a virgin through the power of God* and indwelt by God without measure or limit (John 3:34). I emphasize without measure because God's Spirit dwelt within other men (such as Moses, Samuel, David, etc., and all believers of this present age), but not without measure or limit.

*If Jesus was born a natural descendant of the first Adam as we are, He'd share the sin of Adam, and God's Holy Spirit couldn't indwell Him without measure or limit. Jesus is truly the Son of God, born of the seed of a Jewish woman, which makes Him totally human and a Jew. But unlike us, He wasn't born of man's seed, but by God's power through His Holy Spirit. (Gen. 3:15 KJV; Deu. 18:15; Heb. 2:17a; John 4:22c; Mat. 1:21; Luke 1:35)

Since the name "Jesus" is most commonly known among Gentile believers, I'll mostly use it instead of "Yeshua" in this chapter. Jesus is the Greek to English derivation, and Yeshua is the Hebrew to English derivation. The doctrine of the "Trinity" started with Gentile believers so this chapter is addressed mainly to them.

Why don't I, a Gentile believer in the Christ/Messiah of Israel, believe that Jesus is God? To put it very simply, if Jesus is God, He couldn't have died to pay for our sins, for God cannot die.

[Is it possible that one of the reasons for the definition of death being changed from what was written in the "Old Testament," was so that Trinitarians could believe that God could die, but not really die?]

God is able, without leaving His glorious throne in Heaven, to be present throughout His creation by His marvelous and wonderful Holy Spirit. Through His Spirit He is omnipresent. He created everything through His Spirit. At the very beginning of His creation He was there through His Spirit:

And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (Gen 1:2 NASB)

Now here's an amazing thing: God can have His Spirit dwell within humans. Here's an interesting episode recorded in His Word:

And the LORD said to Moses, "Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not." {24} So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent. {25} Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And it came about that when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again. {26} But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. {27} So a young man ran and told Moses and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." {28} Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, answered and said, "Moses, my lord, restrain them." {29} But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" (Num 11:23-29 NASB)

So then, can we fully understand God? I don't think so. It would appear that God and His Spirit are two separate beings, but that isn't so. There is but one God, and there are many so-called gods, but only one true God - the God of Israel. Through His Spirit He has the unique ability to appear everywhere, to appear within humans, and to appear as a spirit being in the form of a man. Concerning such a spirit being, we have the encounter that Abraham had shortly before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed:

And the LORD said, "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. {21} "I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know." {22} Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD. (Gen 18:20-22 NASB)

Amazing, isn't it? The LORD standing there as an individual (a spirit being in the appearance of a man) before Abraham.

And then we have the episode where Jacob's name was changed to Israel:

(Gen 32:28 NASB) And he said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed."

(Gen 32:30 NASB) So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved."

So you see then that you cannot limit God. Shall we then be so surprised or unbelieving when we encounter Jesus, Who is God's Son and Christ (Messiah)? Should we be surprised or unbelieving when we read that God gave His Spirit to Jesus without measure?

(John 3:34 KJV) For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

When Jesus walked this earth, God was here walking this earth, but it was by His Holy Spirit within the Man, Jesus, His beloved Son. Much different than Moses and others who only had a portion of God's Spirit within them. I repeat:

For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. (John 3:34 KJV)

And then there are other verses:

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Tim 3:16 KJV)

God was manifest in the flesh through His Son by His Spirit indwelling Jesus without limit or measure.

(Col 1:19 NIV) For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

(Col 2:9 NIV) For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

So you see, we have Scriptures that indicate that God dwelt in Jesus fully, and it was, of course, through God's Holy Spirit being within Him without measure.

So it isn't surprising that Gentile believers came up with the doctrine of the "Trinity" claiming that Jesus was God. They believe that there is one true God made up of three distinct co-equal co-eternal persons - one Triune God. They are right in pointing out that in Deuteronomy 6:4 the word "one" is "echad" which allows for more than one being one. But they are wrong in claiming it means "three in one." Two in one is more like it, such as in marriage, a man and woman become "one flesh:"

(Gen 2:24 NASB) For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one [echad] flesh. [Brackets mine]

Or in Gen 1:5:

(Gen 1:5 NASB) And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one [echad] day. [Brackets mine]

So I believe it is the same in Deuteronomy 6:4:

(Deu 6:4 KJV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one [echad] LORD: (Brackets mine)

God and His Spirit are definitely one, but they can appear to be two distinct beings as explained above.

But again I go back to what I said earlier: If Jesus is God; He couldn't have died to pay for our sins - because God can't die. Jesus Himself said that the Father dwelt within Him. And He always gave credit to God and tried to direct others to God His Father:

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. (John 14:10 NRSV)

We have examples in the "New Testament" where an evil spirit or even many evil spirits possessed men, and those evil spirits spoke in the first person through those men:

And there was a man in the synagogue possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, {34} "Ha! What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are- the Holy One of God!" {35} And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him without doing him any harm. (Luke 4:33-35 NASB)

So why isn't it possible for the most wonderful Spirit that there is (God's Holy Spirit), to speak in the first person through a man in Whom He dwells without measure, in particular, the Man, Jesus? I believe that's what we had when Jesus walked this earth. At times it was God's Spirit speaking, and at other times it was Jesus the Man speaking. So when we read the following:

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 6:38 NASB)

We know that it was God's Holy Spirit speaking through Jesus, for we know that Jesus was born of a woman here on earth. When we read:

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." (John 8:58 NASB)

Once again, we know that it was God's Holy Spirit speaking through Jesus for God's Spirit is from everlasting.

And again:

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19 NRSV)

This also had to be God's Holy Spirit speaking through Jesus, for a dead person wouldn't be able to do such a thing. God raised Jesus from the dead as was attested to by the Apostles many times.

Here are three:

Peter said:

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. (Acts 2:32 NRSV)

Paul said:

When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. {30} But God raised him from the dead; (Acts 13:29-30 NRSV)

Paul again:

(Acts 17:31 NASB) because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

It is clear from these Scriptures that God raised Him from the dead.

But when we read:

And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, {42} saying, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done." (Luke 22:41-42 NASB)

We know that it's Jesus the Man speaking. The writer of Hebrews writes about this incident also:

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. {8} Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.... (Heb 5:7-8 NIV)

(That is, God did not save Him from having to suffer death; God saved Him from death by resurrection.)

And again we know that it was Jesus the Man speaking when (speaking about the end times and His return) He said:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Mark 13:32 NIV)

And again:

At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34 NRSV)

Later on I'll have more to say about Mark 15:34.

Israel's Messiah is a very very unique Being. I, for one, would surely expect Him to be. For He is going to deliver Israel from their darkest hour by the power of God. He is God and a Man united as one through God's Holy Spirit. It is the same way with us, Jesus, and God our Father: for Jesus prayed that all believers be made one with each other and with Him and the Father, which of course, is through God's Holy Spirit (see John 17:20-23). The Messiah appeared on this earth the first time to "save his people from their sins." (Mat 1:21) And He did it through the "eternal Spirit:"

(Heb 9:14 NRSV) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

This salvation was entirely necessary because if one is delivered from the penalty of their sins - which is death \- they are guaranteed eternal life. And it will be in the Kingdom of God. God's way of doing things is not only delivering Israel from their enemies, but to ensure that they will forever be in the Messiah's Kingdom. And since we Gentile believers are sharing Israel's heritage (in and through their Messiah), we too, through faith in their Messiah will also be in that Kingdom.

When Jesus said "The Father and I are one." Right away, they accused Him of blasphemy, for they said that He was a mere human being claiming to be God. But Jesus ended up saying to them "can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'"?

Let's look at the whole passage:

"The Father and I are one." {31} The Jews took up stones again to stone him. {32} Jesus replied, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?" {33} The Jews answered, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God." {34} Jesus answered, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? {35} If those to whom the word of God came were called 'gods'-and the scripture cannot be annulled- {36} can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, 'I am God's Son'? (John 10:30-36 NRSV)

So Jesus the Man didn't claim to be God, but the Son of God. The Messiah is, as already mentioned, God and a Man united as one through God's Holy Spirit. How else could we have such Scripture as the following?

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. {4} On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem.... (Zec 14:3-4 NIV)

How will God's ("the LORD") feet stand on the Mount of Olives?? Why of course, it's the Messiah - Jesus fully indwelt by God (the Man, Jesus, and God united as One through God's Holy Spirit)!! He is going to return to the same place from which He was taken up.

Some might say, "This is one of those times that God appears as a spirit being in the form of a man." Well, in a following verse it says:

And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one. (Zec 14:9 NRSV)

That's just what the Messiah is, King, and notice "the LORD will be one and his name one." Are not Jesus and God one through God's Spirit?

Again, someone might still make the same claim as above. So let's look at another Scripture:

And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zec 12:10 NRSV)

Now who was it that was "pierced?" Jesus, of course! And why would they mourn? Because this is the One that they had rejected for so long a time. So then, it is talking about Jesus the Messiah/Christ.

Jesus who said, "I and the Father are one," also when He was praying to God His Father** asked that His disciples, and those who would believe in Him through their word, may be one as They are one. And how is that possible? As touched on above, the same way He and His Father are one - by God His Father being in Him and He being in His Father through God's Holy Spirit. So this can show that the oneness is through the Holy Spirit dwelling within one. But with Jesus, I repeat, the Holy Spirit is in Him without measure.

"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, {21} that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21 NRSV)

Praise God! That in the future - from the time when this was said - God allowed us who are Gentiles to also share in this oneness through the witness of His Apostles.

** Some might object to my saying "God His Father" instead of "God the Father (which could imply the Doctrine of the Trinity)." I'm really using basically the same language that Paul and Peter used:

(Rom 15:6 NASB) that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Cor 1:3 NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;

(Eph 1:3 NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ...

(1 Pet 1:3 NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Oh, I know that "God the Father" is used many times also, but I just wanted to bring out the fact that God is not only the Father of Jesus, but His God too.

Don't forget that Jesus Himself said:

(John 20:17 NIV) Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

We therefore, who by faith are in Christ, are members of His Body - and therefore one with each other and Him and God. It is through this oneness that we partake of God's salvation. We actually become sharers or partakers of the divine nature.

(2 Pet 1:4 NASB) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

One of my main purposes for writing this chapter is because I believe that if Jesus were God He couldn't die which was completely necessary in order for Him to pay for our sins.

So since Jesus isn't God, but indwelt by God without limit we can better understand how Jesus could say the following:

At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34 NRSV)

Could you comprehend having perfect communion with God all your life and then having that perfect communion cut off? We, even as believers who have God dwelling within us through His Holy Spirit, can notice the difference when we are walking in the Spirit and when we are not. And we don't even have perfect communion with God. If we did, we'd never sin. But Jesus, being indwelt by God 100%, did have perfect communion with God.

So then, when "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21), God had to withdraw Himself from His most beloved Son!! (For God could not have any part with sin.) In effect, He had to turn His back on His "only begotten Son." We cannot comprehend the pain and anguish that caused Jesus to experience - I have to believe it was worse than all the physical pain He'd already experienced!! And not only that; God, His Father, experienced the same pain and anguish. It is beyond our comprehension what God and His Son suffered on our behalf!!

No doubt, Abraham suffered much for three days when he was on his way to sacrifice his son Isaac, but God didn't allow it. Abraham prophesied that God Himself would provide a lamb. And that's just what God did for the sake of all of us who will partake of His salvation through His Son. I cannot imagine what God suffered for three days and three nights when His Son was in the tomb. All praises be to the living God for endless ages!!

So now do you see how great God's wisdom is, and how merciful He is toward us? It wouldn't be possible for Jesus to die to pay for our sins if He was God, but because God indwelt Him, it was possible for God to withdraw Himself from Him so that He could die.

The following may not have been able to happen if Jesus was God:

But we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Heb 2:9 NRSV)

Continuing:

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. {11} For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, {12} saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." {13} And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God has given me." {14} Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, {15} and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. {16} For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. (Heb 2:10-16 NRSV)

God created mankind as unique beings - mankind is redeemable, whereas, angels are not! Man can die, angels cannot. Because of that, no one can take their place in death as Jesus did for us. How marvelous is God's wisdom in His creation of mankind!

There is a passage of Scripture that, to me, indicates that Jesus is not God; He is the most wonderful Son of God:

For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection," it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him. {28} When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:27-28 NRSV)

Yes, there is only one God, and Jesus is His Son and the Messiah of Israel.

But remember this:

"...God was IN Christ reconciling the world to Himself..." (2 Cor 5:19a NASB) [caps mine]

The passage of Scripture that is used most to try and prove that Jesus is God is John 1:1-14. Admittedly it definitely does appear to prove that. Why then don't I believe that Jesus is God? This is where the fantastic wisdom of God is displayed. Since it was by a man that death came into the creation of mankind, it was necessary for death to be conquered by a man:

(1 Cor 15:21 NASB) For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

Jesus had to be a man in order to pay for our sins. Okay then, how come John says what he says? John heard Jesus answering Philip who asked:

(John 14:8-9 NASB) Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." {9} Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, 'Show us the Father'?

So that's what I believe John was focusing in on when he wrote John 1:1-14 - he was emphasizing what Jesus told Philip. But John didn't stop there; he wrote other things about Jesus that has a bearing on this matter. I have to emphasize John 3:34-35: over and over again.

(John 3:34-35 NASB) "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. {35} "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

The NIV translates it this way:

(John 3:34-35 NIV) For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. {35} The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.

But I believe the KJV translates it even clearer:

(John 3:34-35 KJV) For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. {35} The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

From this, one can see that God dwelt within Jesus 100% through His Holy Spirit. But again, I have to also emphasize, if Jesus Himself was God, He could not die to pay for our sins, for God cannot die.

Only Jesus was capable of having God's Holy Spirit within Him without measure or limit, for because of the virgin birth, unlike us, He didn't come under the condemnation of death that was pronounced on the first Adam. Only Jesus could say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." Doesn't this bring out the fantastic wisdom of God? God was there present with them THROUGH HIS SON! Jesus also said to Philip:

(John 14:10 NASB) "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

Later on in the same passage of Scripture Jesus said:

(John 14:28 NASB) "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.

If, as the Trinitarians say, God is made up of three distinct co-equal co-eternal persons - one Triune God, Jesus could never say that.

In order for Jesus to qualify to be our substitute in death, He had to be just like us. He had to be alive just like us (He had to be alive like the first Adam). His life, like us, was dependent on His blood. Remember: "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11) Here again we see how great God's wisdom is: When Jesus died, He wasn't gone forever, that is, since He gave His life for us, if He became alive again, It'd be like undoing His sacrifice. No, the life He gave was the same as the life we now have (the life that the first Adam forfeited by disobedience), but the life He now has is a "new creation" (Galatians 6:15) where He's alive, not by blood, but by the very source of life - God's Holy Spirit. And that equals immortality or eternal life! And we, by faith, through God's Son will someday be alive the same way!

So then, John knowing that God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, was there present with them through His Son, wanted to bring that out at the beginning of what he wrote. Though I don't believe that Jesus/Yeshua is God, I can without hesitation call Him Immanuel: God with us!

And also, I can fully understand and believe Isaiah 9:6:

(Isa 9:6 NRSV) For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Since God gave His Son full authority (except over Himself), and because wherever Jesus/Yeshua is, God is there also, He can be named the same as His Father. And this is because the living God fully indwells His Son. Someday we will call Jesus/Yeshua "Immanuel," and "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." God will be dwelling among us through His Son. Oh, how great is God's wisdom, how perfect are His plans and everything He does!!!!

In the past I communicated with a sister in Christ on a newsgroup called alt.messianic. In my answer to her I quoted what I said to a Jewish non-believer on the same newsgroup. Much of what I said is the same as what I've already said here, but it might help one to understand my belief better by eavesdropping on a conversation I had long ago over the internet:

Hi Jack,

I've read your posts in the past, and you seem to me to be one of a very few who have a clue! This was an interesting post, but I'm confused as to who is who. Is it you who doesn't believe that Yeshua is God? Or the person you were posting to?

Jan

I answered her as follows:

Hi Jan,

This is something that I've had to do a lot of praying and meditating on. I continually ask God to correct me if I'm in error on this - and on whatever else I believe.

A while back I commented to Aaron (JewishCo) about whether Yeshua is God or not. My answer to him is as follows:

You're right again Aaron, the REAL God, the God of Israel, is the one and only God, but He won't be pleased with the way you are talking about His Son - and your Messiah. One of your problems, Aaron, is that you think all "Christians" believe the same about everything.

Do I believe that Yeshua is God? It is quite obvious that God cannot die, therefore Yeshua couldn't be God. But, there is something else involved in the case of Yeshua: We know from the Tanach that God's Spirit can dwell within people. Moses had God's Spirit within him; David had God's Spirit within him, and there are others. With Yeshua we have a man who has the Spirit of God within Him without limit. In order for that to be possible He must be without sin. Hence, one of the reasons for the virgin birth.

Another reason for the virgin birth, perhaps the primary reason, is that were He descended from Adam, He'd be under the same condemnation of death as we are, and therefore wouldn't qualify as a substitute for us. Because He was without sin, He did qualify to be our substitute, and God's Spirit was able to dwell in Him without limit. Because God's Spirit dwelt in Him without limit it was the next best thing to having God Himself present with us.

Is there any documentation to back that up? Consider the following:

(Num 11:24-25 NIV) "So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. {25} Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again."

(Num 11:29 NIV) "But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!""

(1 Sam 16:13 NIV) "So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah."

(Psa 51:11 NIV) "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me."

(Mark 1:10-11 NIV) "As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. {11} And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.""

(John 3:34-35 KJV) "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. {35} The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."

"God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." Do you understand what that means, Aaron? Let us continue:

(2 Cor 5:19 NASB) "namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation."

(Col 2:9 NASB) "For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form,"

(Heb 1:3 NRSV) "He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

Aaron, could you expect the Messiah to be anything less? How do you explain the following?:

(Zec 14:3-4 KJV) "Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. {4} And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."

"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives"?? How is that possible? If you have read any of my other posts, I have never referred to Yeshua as God, but as the Son of God - those who wrote the "New Testament" referred to Him that way also. Paul says this:

(1 Cor 15:24-28 NIV) "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. {25} For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. {26} The last enemy to be destroyed is death. {27} For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. {28} When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all."

As to there being but one God, Paul says the following:

(1 Cor 8:6 NIV) "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."

(Eph 1:3 NASB) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,"

So you see, Aaron, it is possible to believe in one - and only one God - and to believe in Yeshua as the Messiah, and the Son of God. Many (in particular, "Christians") don't realize that Paul continued to refer to the resurrected Yeshua as a man - a glorified man, yes, but a man:

(1 Tim 2:5-6 NASB) "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, {6} who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time."

(Acts 17:30-31 NASB) ""Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, {31} because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.""

Hopefully you haven't lightly passed over the quotes above; consider what God said to Moses:

(Deu 18:17-19 KJV) "And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. {18} I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. {19} And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."

In conclusion, Aaron, it is possible to believe in Yeshua and not have to believe in a "Trinity," and someday Aaron, if you continue to reject Yeshua as Messiah, God will require it of you - I pray that you will reconsider.

With Yeshua's love,

Jack A. Albert

Jan, if anyone should have commented on whether there is such a thing as a "Trinity," it should have been the apostle Paul. I know that what I now believe is a departure from mainline Christianity, but I try to go strictly by what God's Word says. I believe that one must take the whole Bible into consideration before coming to any understanding (and of course, always looking to God through His Son Yeshua). For that reason, one should read through the whole Bible again and again. If one is familiar with the whole Bible, the Holy Spirit can more easily direct one's thoughts when one meditates on God's Word.

I hope that if you are a strong believer in a "Trinity," this will not upset you in any way. Like I said, I'm always in much prayer about this. I would also appreciate it if you would pray for me. One of our main goals is to honor our most wonderful God through His Son Yeshua (Who is - according to God our Father's will - the Messiah, our Lord, our Savior, and our righteousness).

May God guide us into all truth and protect us from error.

With Yeshua's love,

Jack

When I told Aaron that because God's Spirit dwelt in His Son without limit it was the next best thing to having God present with us, in reality (according to God's wisdom), it's probably the best way God could be present with us, for in our present state we could not survive being in His presence. This again proves that God's wisdom is without limit!!

In understanding God and His Son there are extremes: On the one extreme we have the doctrine of the Trinity, on the other we have those that claim that Jesus was Michael the Archangel or that He was just an ordinary man that could have eventually died like any other man. If you have comprehended what I have written, you should be able to see that it isn't any of the above.

To me, and I pray that God will correct me if I'm in error, Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin (a main reason being that He would not be under the condemnation placed on the first Adam, thus disqualifying Him to die for others), and being indwelt by God without limit or measure. Being indwelt by God without limit or measure would mean that God would be present wherever Jesus is present.

As you can see that sounds very much like Trinitarian doctrine, but it isn't. Trinitarians say that Jesus is fully man and fully God. My belief is that Jesus is fully man and fully indwelt by God. The main difference being that Jesus being fully man can die, but if He were fully God He couldn't die, and therefore, couldn't pay for our sins. Not only that, but if He were God He couldn't really represent us. He had to be just like us (Hebrews 2:14, 17), but without sin. For it was by man that death came, and it had to by man that death was conquered (1 Corinthians 15:21). Everything that God plans and does is perfect!

There is something else to mention before I close this chapter: Paul speaks about a man he calls "the man of lawlessness" or "the lawless one," or "the man of sin," depending on which translation one is reading. Well, here we have someone similar to Jesus except this person, I believe, will be fully indwelt by Satan. Whereas, Jesus never claimed to be God (but the Son of God); this person will someday claim to be God.

This man will deceive many for he will display power and signs and false wonders. Probably, many will believe he is the Messiah. He will come to his end when the true Messiah, Jesus/Yeshua will return from Heaven to save His people Israel. The reason why Satan fell from his position as the highest of angels was because he wanted to take God's place; it is easy to believe then that he will try to do it here on earth through this "man of sin."

I have written this mainly for my brethren in Christ to consider, but I hope that it might help others to know that Jesus/Yeshua is the Christ/Messiah and believe in Him.

I would also pray that if any of God's chosen people, who do not believe that Yeshua is their Messiah, read this; they could see that one isn't an idolator if they worship Yeshua, because they are really worshiping the living God who fully indwells Him by His Spirit. All praises be to the one and only God, the God of Israel - and His Son, the Messiah of Israel: Yeshua!!!!

# Chapter Nine

### Baptism

(Eph 4:5 KJV) One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

The first thing that most people think of when they hear or see the word baptism is water. Yet John the Baptist made it a point to contrast his water baptizing with someone who would come after him that would baptize with the Holy Spirit:

(Mark 1:7-8 NASB) "And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. {8} "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.""

(John 1:33 NIV) "I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'"

It's quite obvious whom John was talking about: Jesus/Yeshua, and Jesus even made the same contrast:

(Acts 1:4-5 NASB) "And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said," you heard of from Me; {5} for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.""

Let me interject a question for the reader to think about: Which one is the greatest or more important?

It was necessary for our Lord to ascend to the Father before He (Jesus) could baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

(John 16:7 KJV) "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."

So then, everyone should agree that there is more than one type of baptism. The question becomes: Are both necessary for salvation?

I believe the answer to that is yes and no. Yes, at first, no, later on. Too many times Scripture is read without taking the time frame into account. For instance: One passage of Scripture that is often quoted is Isaiah 53.

Most Gentile believers probably don't realize that Isaiah 53 couldn't have applied to them when it was said or written.

Isaiah was a Jewish prophet and he said:

(Isa 53:8 NASB) "By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?"

Notice: "my people.."

We Gentiles didn't come into the picture until a few years after Pentecost. A Gentile couldn't be saved as a Gentile until after the Apostle Peter was sent to Cornelius (except in very special cases - as in the "Old Testament"). Before that time Gentiles had to become proselytes, which meant that they had to follow the Law of Moses. Not that God didn't foreknow that He would someday reach out to the Gentiles, but Jesus/Yeshua was sent only to the Jews at first. Jesus, Himself said:

(Mat 15:24 KJV) But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

So then, the time frame when something is written or said should be taken into account in order to properly understand the Word of God. By taking these things into account it puts things in the proper perspective. And, as concerns us Gentiles, it should make us aware all the more how thankful we should be to God for allowing us to share in His chosen people's blessings. It is in His Son ("in Christ"), Yeshua the Messiah of Israel; we too (we Gentiles) share in Isaiah 53. It is a fact that we Gentiles are sharing the Jews spiritual blessings:

(Rom 15:27 NIV) They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

Jesus said:

(Mat 23:2-3a NASB) "... "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; {3} therefore all that they tell you, do and observe..."

It is easy to see that a change took place concerning Mat 23:2-3a, for we are not under the law, and the judgment of the scribes and the Pharisees. But not so easy to see the change that took place with baptism.

At Pentecost Peter said:

(Acts 2:38 NASB) "And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Do you believe for one moment, anyone who refused to be water baptized at that time could have been saved? Water baptism was a prerequisite to Holy Spirit baptism, which was necessary for salvation. For without Holy Spirit baptism into the Body of Christ no one can be saved. Consider the case of Simon the sorcerer:

(Acts 8:12-13 NASB) "But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. {13} and even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip; and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed."

Was Simon saved? He believed and was water baptized, right? But consider:

(Acts 8:14-16 NASB) "Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, {15} who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. {16} For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

Do you see that Holy Spirit baptism was of primary importance? Let us continue on:

(Acts 8:17-21 NASB) "Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. {18} Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, {19} saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." {20} But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! {21} "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God."

There isn't any mention of Simon himself receiving the Holy Spirit, so we can assume that he hadn't, but was only observing what was happening. Even though it says that he believed and was water baptized, it is apparent from what Peter said - "May your silver perish with you..." and "You have no part or portion in this matter..." - Simon wasn't saved.

When one properly studies Acts, it is seen that a change eventually takes place concerning water baptism. A change was taking place with the episode of Philip; prayer and the laying on hands were necessary. There isn't any question in my mind that up until Cornelius, water baptism was necessary for salvation because it was a prerequisite to Holy Spirit baptism. It is Holy Spirit baptism that joins us to Christ Who is our salvation. Being in Christ (that is, being a member of the Body of the Messiah of Israel) means that we share in all that has happened in His death, burial, and resurrection: We were crucified with Him, we were buried with Him, we were raised with Him, and we even are seated with Him in Heavenly places:

(Eph 2:6 NASB) "and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,"

As mentioned above, most people think of water baptism when they see the word baptism, and so it is in Romans 6. But is Paul really writing about water baptism? Water baptism doesn't put one into Christ; only God's Holy Spirit can do that (1 Cor 12:13): And water baptism doesn't typify burial, it typifies washing. What Paul is really saying is that when the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ we actually share in His death, burial, and resurrection - not in a typified way, but, as far as God is concerned, in actually. That's why Paul can say:

(Gal 2:19-20 NRSV) For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; {20} and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

By being in Christ we are seen by God as no longer being in Adam. For being in Adam means death, but being in Christ means life:

(1 Cor 15:22 NASB) "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."

Getting back to Cornelius, it is there that we observe a change as regards water baptism. Please note:

(Acts 10:42-45 NASB) ""And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. {43} "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." {44} While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. {45} And all the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles also."

This happened to them before they were water baptized! And also, please note at what point this happened to them: "While Peter was still speaking these words..." What words? "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins..." believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins now became the criteria for receiving the Holy Spirit - which is necessary for being saved. Not, "be [water] baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." No, by believing in Jesus you receive the forgiveness of your sins.

And from Peter's own testimony, he had just begun to speak:

(Acts 11:15 NASB) ""And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He did upon us at the beginning."

Was this Holy Spirit baptism? Listen to Peter:

(Acts 11:16 NIV) "Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'"

So God instituted a change, and Peter and those that were with him were totally surprised. Peter knew the order: water baptism for the forgiveness of sins; and then the gift of the Holy Spirit. So all Peter could say was:

(Acts 10:47 NIV) ""Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.""

Remember that Peter was preaching water baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), but speaking by the Holy Spirit he said, everyone who believes in [Jesus] receives forgiveness of sins. God, knowing the hearts of the hearers of what Peter was saying gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit without their first being water baptized. I cannot help but emphasize the fact that the Holy Spirit baptized them before they were water baptized! They were already a member of the Body of Christ, and therefore saved, before they were water baptized.

God has always moved from the shadow or type to the real. This is easily seen with the Law:

(Heb 10:1 NIV) "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship."

Also from the type to the real:

(Rom 5:14 NASB) "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come."

And from the physical to the Spiritual:

(Col 2:11 NASB) "and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;"

(Phil 3:3 NIV) "For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-"

Likewise with water baptism, it has gone from a physical act performed by man to the real - an act performed by Christ with the Holy Spirit (Mat 3:11). It has gone from the type: the washing away of one's sins with water, to the real: the washing away of one's sins through the blood of Christ. That is, the death of Christ (Christ died by His blood being shed).

It has gone from water baptism for the forgiveness of sins to believing in Jesus/Yeshua and His shed blood for the forgiveness of sins. God looks at the heart. It is possible to be water baptized and not be a true believer, but it isn't possible to be Holy Spirit baptized without being a true believer. You can fool man, but you can't fool God. God does look on the heart: In referring to Cornelius and those that were with him, Peter said:

(Acts 15:8 NIV) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.

Water baptism is a righteous act performed by man, but it is not possible to be saved by righteous acts. Your righteous acts are good, but they can't bring about your salvation. Death pays for sins, and it was Jesus/Yeshua Who suffered the death that we deserved to pay for our sins.

That water baptism is an act of righteousness is seen from the following:

(Mat 3:14-15 NIV) "But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" {15} Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented."

It isn't by water baptism that our sins are washed away, but by the shed blood (death) of Jesus the Christ, as the many following verses of Scripture attest to:

(1 Pet 1:2 NIV) "who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance."

(1 Pet 1:18-19 NIV) "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, {19} but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

(Eph 1:7 NIV) "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace"

(Col 1:19-20 NIV) "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, {20} and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

(Heb 10:19-20 NIV) "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, {20} by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,"

(Heb 12:24 NIV) "to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."

(Heb 13:20-21 NIV) "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, {21} equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

(1 John 1:7 NIV) "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

So you can see that there are many verses of Scripture that bring out the fact that our sins are paid for through the "blood of Jesus," God's Son. We are purified not by water, but by the blood of Jesus.

Water baptism only typified the washing away of sins, but it is very clear from these Scriptures just quoted that it is by the blood of Jesus/Yeshua, the Christ/Messiah, that our sins are really washed away. I believe that's what Paul was referring to when he said, "the washing of rebirth" in Titus 3:5.

(Titus 3:5-6 NIV) he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, {6} whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,

That water baptism typified the washing away of sins is seen from the following spoken by Ananias to Saul (Paul):

(Acts 22:16 NIV) "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'"

Water never typified burial. That mistaken idea is from a misinterpretation of Romans 6 and Colossians 2:12. Paul isn't talking about water baptism, but the real baptism that puts one into Christ and therefore we literally partake in His death, burial, and resurrection. And that can only be done by the Holy Spirit baptism:

(1 Cor 12:13 NIV) "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

When we are baptized by God's Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ we are complete - nothing else is needed - we are even circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. So why should water baptism, which is brought about through the assistance of human hands, be read into the following passage from Colossians two?:

(Col 2:10-14 NASB) and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; {11} and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; {12} having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. {13} And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, {14} having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Water baptism was primarily used to demonstrate repentance, and is still a good way to demonstrate repentance before others. But God doesn't need an outward show for He looks at the heart. Anyone who submits to water baptism (if it is done in sincerity) is in effect admitting to being unclean and in need of being washed.

I don't object to one being water baptized today, because it is still an excellent way of outwardly showing repentance and belief in Jesus. And also, there isn't any place in Scripture where we are instructed to not practice it.

What really bothers me is that the majority of my brethren in Christ is still stuck in the types and shadows, and therefore are missing out on seeing the truly fantastic plan of the living God. That is, the real and most important baptism - the Holy Spirit baptism that baptizes us into the Body of Christ, which is the essence of our salvation; for unless you are in Christ, you are still in Adam and have no hope (1 Cor 15:22).

Another passage where a type is involved is 1 Pet 3:20-22.

(1 Pet 3:20-22 NASB) who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. {21} And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, {22} who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

They weren't immersed in water; they were safe inside the Ark which typified being safe in Christ - in the Body of the Messiah. Water does remove dirt from the flesh, but you can only obtain a good conscience by being in Christ and share in His resurrection, and by His interceding for us at the right hand of God.

(Heb 9:14 NASB) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

One other thing: Many believers - especially those called Pentecostals - associate the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a separate event that a believer should experience and is evidenced mainly with speaking in tongues. At the beginning of the Church it was necessary for an outward sign because they didn't have the Bible as we have it today, so an outward show of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was necessary. Consider the following:

. (1 Cor 13:8 NIV) Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

That was written almost two thousand years ago. That is not to say that God, under very special circumstances, could not perform such signs today, but it has to be very special circumstances because faith in what is written in God's Word is sufficient today:

(Rom 10:17 NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If you truly believe in Jesus/Yeshua for salvation, the Holy Spirit seals you in Him:

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, (Eph 1:13 NASB) The Apostle Paul also said the following:

(Eph 4:4-6 NASB) There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; {5} one Lord, one faith, one baptism, {6} one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Is the "one baptism" water baptism? Water baptism is temporal Holy Spirit baptism is eternal. All that are mentioned in those verses are eternal: "one body," "one Spirit," "one hope," one Lord," "one faith," one God and Father," so how can the "one baptism" be temporal? Water baptism is a type; Holy Spirit baptism is the real baptism that saves.

If water baptism is the "one baptism," the Apostle Paul would not have said the following:

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. (1 Cor 1:17 NASB)

Someone might say, "He had someone else doing the water baptizing." Before Paul said that, he said the following:

(1 Cor 1:14-16 NASB) I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, {15} that no man should say you were baptized in my name. {16} Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

So you see that any act that man can perform can be misconstrued. But that's not possible with God performing the action. This means that the "one baptism" has to be Holy Spirit baptism.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit isn't a separate event that can take place after salvation. No, it is the very means of salvation. If the Holy Spirit does not baptize you into the "Body of Christ," you cannot be saved. You will have to pay for your own sins.

My reason for adding this chapter is to emphasize the importance of Holy Spirit baptism, without which there wouldn't be any salvation for anyone. Which also emphasizes the importance of God's Holy Spirit - the **Ruach HaKodesh**.

# Chapter Ten

### The True Jew and God's Overall Plan

(Rom 2:28-29 NASB) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. {29} But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Replacement theology teaches that the Church is the replacement for Israel and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian Church. In an earlier chapter I wrote about what I believe the Church really is, and that should clearly, according to my belief, debunk replacement theology. But there is a teaching that can result in replacement theology, but isn't looked at that way. It is a possibility that it was the seed that brought about replacement theology.

It bothers me that many of my Jewish brethren have bought into this teaching. Well, what is that teaching? It is that a Gentile who becomes a believer in Jesus/Yeshua becomes a "spiritual Jew."

Since there are more Gentile believers in this present age, they'd always be in the majority. That's probably how replacement theology got started. It's a very short step to go from Gentiles being "spiritual Jews" to replacement theology.

I can understand why Gentiles who become believers might say that they are "spiritual Jews." After all, the Jews are the apple of God's eye (Deu 32:9,10; Zec 2:8). We Gentile believers are sharing their heritage thru their Messiah, must we also supplant them? And on top of that, in Christ (Messiah) God doesn't recognize Jew nor Gentile, even male and female. You might think that I wouldn't want to be a Jew. Not so! God has put a great love in my heart for His chosen people, the Jews; it's just that it diminishes the importance of the real Jew in God's overall plan.

In spite of all the ways Israel has grieved God, they are still His chosen people - the majority of Scripture is about them, and Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah was sent specially to them, for Yeshua Himself said:

(Mat 15:24 NASB) But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

And when the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream he told Joseph to name the son born to Mary, Jesus "for he shall save his people from their sins." (Mat 1:21) Note: "his people," the Jews. It doesn't say He would save us Gentiles from our sins, though it also would eventually turn out that way.

It wasn't until national Israel rejected their Messiah that God reached out to the Gentiles. In doing so He revealed the mystery of the Messiah - as the Apostle Paul said: "the mystery of Christ" (because Paul's main ministry was to the Gentiles, he wrote his letters in the Greek language. So instead of using "Mashiach," he used "Christos," and since I'm writing in English, it's the mystery of "Christ"). One of the main things the mystery of Christ had to do with was the Church, the Body of Christ, in which the Gentiles become fellow heirs with the Jewish believers. They don't replace them, and they don't supplant them, they become as follows:

(Eph 3:6 NASB) to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

Do you see that? We Gentile believers become fellow members of their Messiah. And since God sees all who are in His Son as neither Jew nor Gentile, how can Gentile believers be "spiritual Jews"?

The belief that believing Gentiles become spiritual Jews comes mainly from two passages of Scripture - both from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans.

In Rom 2:28,29 Paul says:

(Rom 2:28-29 NASB) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. {29} But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

I believe that in order to be a Jew inwardly, you have to be a Jew to begin with. And in order to be a true Jew you have to be a son of Jacob that is not only circumcised in the flesh, but also in the heart. That's what I believe the Apostle Paul was saying. Later on the Apostle Paul asks:

(Rom 3:29 NIV) Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

If believing Gentiles become Jews, then God would be the God of the Jews only. The Apostle Paul always addresses Gentiles as Gentiles. The following passage should bring this out:

(Gal 2:11-14 NIV) When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. {12} Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. {13} The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. {14} When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

If believing Gentiles became spiritual Jews, that passage wouldn't make any sense. Why would Peter withdraw himself from "spiritual Jews"? Keep in mind that Paul is talking about believing Gentiles, not just ordinary Gentiles. And take note, Paul says to Peter, "How is it then that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?" Would he say that if they were "spiritual Jews"? Going back to Romans, Paul says:

(Rom 4:8 NIV) Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

Then he asks:

(Rom 4:9 NIV) Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Paul uses the word "circumcised" to refer to the Jews, and the word "uncircumcised" to refer to the Gentiles.

This whole passage is very enlightening. Keeping in mind that circumcised means Jew, and uncircumcised means Gentile, let's continue on with the remainder of the passage:

(Rom 4:10-12 NIV) Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! {11} And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised [Gentile believers], in order that righteousness might be credited to them. {12} And he is also the father of the circumcised [Jews] who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

So therein are the true Jewish believer and the true Gentile believer - those who walk in the footsteps of the faith that Abraham had.

The other passage that is used to make believing Gentiles Jews is in Romans 11. It has to do with the olive tree. It goes like this: The olive tree is Israel, and therefore Gentiles who are grafted into the olive tree become a part of Israel. Hence, they are now Jews. In Rom. 9:4,5 Paul says:

(Rom 9:4 NIV) "...the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises."

That is just about everything; therefore, I believe the olive tree is all of the above things that belong to Israel, with Abraham Isaac, and Jacob being the roots.

I repeat: I believe the olive tree is what is mentioned in Rom. 9:4 - the promises and blessings meant for the people of Israel starting with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Jews (Israel) are the natural branches, the natural recipients of the promises and blessings. Gentiles that are grafted in the olive tree share in those promises and blessing, but they don't become natural branches. This is seen by their being told to be careful about boasting against the natural branches. (Rom. 11:18).

We Gentile believers should be very thankful to God for allowing us to share in all these blessings. By being grafted into the olive tree we share those blessings. And, of course, that is by our faith in their Messiah.

Let me go over them once again: "the adoption as sons," "the divine glory," "the promises." and when it comes to "the covenants," we share in the most important covenant - the new covenant. To me, that fits much better than Israel being the olive tree. After all, doesn't Paul say Israel had fallen? When Paul says:

(Rom 11:11 NIV) Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.

Who are the "they"? Isn't it Israel? Because of that, I don't see how Israel could be the olive tree. From Rom. 10:19-21 you can see that national Israel is being talked about:

(Rom 10:19-21 NIV) Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." {20} And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." {21} But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."

And then Paul goes on to say in Rom. 11 that only a remnant out of national Israel was being chosen by grace at that time:

(Rom 11:5 NIV) So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

It is clear from the following verse that it is national Israel that is being talked about:

(Rom 11:7 NIV) What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,

So then, Israel, or should I say national Israel, cannot be the olive tree. Which makes me repeat again: The olive tree is the promises and blessings meant for the people of Israel. We Gentile believers have been allowed to share those promises and blessings by being grafted into their olive tree by faith in their Messiah. And that, because national Israel has temporally stumbled or fallen by not believing in the Messiah. Praise God, in the future, national Israel will believe (when they see Him with their own eyes when He returns) and be saved:

(Rom 11:25-27 NIV) I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. {26} And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. {27} And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

What does Paul mean by "all Israel"? At the beginning of this passage of Scripture Paul says a remnant out of Israel was being saved at that time; but in the future it won't be only a remnant out of Israel, but all of Israel. This will be National Israel.

Please also note: "Israel has experienced a hardening...until..." It's not forever, it is only temporary. And, as Paul says, it was to the benefit of us who are Gentile believers:

(Rom 11:12a NIV) But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles...

How great is God's mercy toward us Gentiles! This has lasted almost two thousand years! This is not to say that individual Jews couldn't be saved. Praise God, many have and are being saved - especially at this present time.

The following just about says it all:

(Rom 11:30-32 NIV) Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, {31} so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. {32} For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

In effect, God has us all on the same level. In this present age, both Gentiles and Jews are open to God's mercy.

After saying that, Paul goes on to say:

(Rom 11:33-36 NIV) Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! {34} "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" {35}

"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" {36} For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

We Gentile believers are very blessed to be sharing Israel's heritage, especially when you consider that the majority of our ancestors chose to worship false gods. When we look at God's overall plan we see that Israel has and is playing a major roll.

### God's Overall Plan

What do I believe God's overall plan is? From my study of the Scriptures I've concluded that God's overall plan or His "eternal purpose" (Eph. 3:11) was to have a family that would be like Him.

And He planned all of this to come about through His Son.

God is love and He wants to share what He has with others that are like Him. Not just for a short time, but forever. In order to do that, they'd have to be immortal just as He is, and also share His attributes such as righteousness and holiness.

To live forever and not be righteous and holy would eventually result in chaos. If it weren't for death, tyrants would live on and increase in evil. In this present life God has used death as a kind of safety valve. Of course, all people are subject to death whether good or bad, but that's where God's plan takes this into account and remedies that situation.

Mankind is a unique creation. Angels are a creation of God too, but not like mankind. Angels are spirit beings like God. Human beings have a spirit, but are not spirit beings. I believe that one of the ways we are made in God's image is that we, like Him, have a spirit. Our spirit is limited to ourselves, but God's Spirit has no bounds.

Human beings are able to actually share God's divine nature through God's Spirit, but Angels cannot. The greatest example of sharing God's divine nature through God's Spirit is His Son Jesus/Yeshua. So much so that the majority of my brethren in Christ/Messiah believe He is God. I explained why I don't believe that in chapter Eight.

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians:

(Eph 1:3-6 NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, {4} just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love {5} He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, {6} to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Notice what he said, "...before the foundation of the world," which means that God knew before He created Adam, that Adam (and Eve) would sin by disobeying Him. So Satan, the instigator in getting them to sin, instead of hindering God's plan when Adam sinned actually started it in motion, and not only that, Satan ignorantly brought about the capstone of God's plan. I'll tell you what that is later on.

From a study of that portion of Scripture Gentile believers call the "Old Testament" we see how God's overall plan has unfolded. The "OT" is mainly a history of God's chosen people Israel. The Jew's are at the center of God's plan.

From Eph 1:3-6 we see, most importantly, that His eternal plan is established through the Messiah of Israel. It is for that reason that the Jew's are so important in God's overall plan. From and for them the Messiah came. That is why Jesus/Yeshua said, "...salvation is from the Jews." (John 4:22) The wisdom of God's plan is truly fantastic!

One of the important moments in God's plan was His choosing, from a line of men going back to Adam, many if not all of whom believed in Him as the one and only God, a man named Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham, and then through him, Isaac (a miracle child), and through him, Jacob. Jacob's name was later changed to Israel whose twelve sons became the nation of Israel.

Because of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob God loves the nation of Israel, and has used them for many purposes, among which are the giving of His laws, the demonstrating of how mankind falls short of following His laws because we have a sin nature, and bringing forth the remedy to that situation: His Son the Messiah/Christ of Israel.

The following verses say much about how important the Jews are in God's plan:

(Rom 9:4-5 NASB) who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, {5} whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Everything really belongs to them. It is only after God opened the door to the Gentiles, that we believing Gentiles, through faith in Israel's Messiah, share those things.

As mentioned above, I believe the olive tree of Romans 11 is those promises and blessings that belong to Israel. Israel is not the olive tree, but the natural branches of the olive tree. Aren't the branches and the tree the same thing? No, they are not. What reference can I use to bring that out? Look at what Jesus/Yeshua says in John 15:5:

(John 15:5 NIV) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

So the vine and the branches are not the same thing, and so the olive tree and the branches are not the same thing. You can cut a branch off the tree and not destroy the tree. You can graft a branch in the tree so that it can share what the tree has to offer. The grafted in branch doesn't become a natural branch. Nor do Gentiles become Jews: they do, however, share what rightfully belongs to the Jews (Israel).

The most important covenant is the "new covenant" of Jeremiah 31:31 (in the Gentile's Bible). It is through sharing that covenant that Gentiles have the forgiveness of sins, and the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, without which, there wouldn't be any salvation for anyone.

Which leads to another unique thing about mankind or human beings: Because they can die, they are redeemable \- redeemable from death. According to God the penalty for sin is death. And also according to God, another being that is capable of death can suffer death in the place of another being. The main requirement is that the substitute being has to be without sin. This is demonstrated very clearly in Scripture through God's dealing with Adam and Eve, and an essential part of the laws that God gave to Moses (called the Law of Moses) - especially in the book of Leviticus.

With Adam and Eve we have God not immediately having them suffer death for their sin by providing them with a covering of skins and that required the death of an animal or animals - the first death or deaths in the present creation.

In the Law of Moses certain animals can suffer death to pay for the sins of humans. The animal had to be without any blemish or defect, which typified sinlessness.

The Law of Moses has many parts: Two of the main parts are laws that define sins (much of which could be summarized in the Ten Commandments), and the sacrificial laws (most can be found in the Book of Leviticus). The sacrificial laws are no longer possible at this time because the Temple is no longer in existence.

One of the things brought forth in the Law of Moses is the holiness of God. Because God is holy He cannot overlook unrighteousness (sin) - it must be accounted for. Even Moses and Aaron found that out when they weren't allowed to enter the Promised Land:

(Num 20:12 NIV) But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

What happened to Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu is another instance that had to do with the holiness of God.

(Lev 10:1-3 NIV) Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. {2} So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. {3} Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: "'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Aaron remained silent.

For us humans it is difficult to comprehend the holiness of God. We sin and make many mistakes in our lives. One of the best answers to understanding His holiness is the way He saves us. None of us can match His holiness, and therefore, don't qualify in ourselves for His salvation - salvation from death unto the Kingdom of His Son. God has to make us holy.

So how does He do that? That's where His Son comes in. Since His Son is the Messiah (Christ) of Israel, He was sent first to them. Only a remnant out of Israel put their faith in Him - even after He was raised from the dead after dying to pay for their sins - so God reached out to the Gentiles (other nations) with the good news of salvation through faith in Israel's Messiah. God's Son Yeshua (Jesus) is the greatest show of His wisdom and righteousness. His Son is the way we are made holy.

And God does it through a profound yet simple way: We share the holiness and righteousness of God's Son through being made one with Him through God's Holy Spirit.

In Chapter Five I said, we don't die for our own sins, but for the sin or transgression of Adam. I also said in Chapter Two that the first death we die is only temporary, but the second death (Rev 2:11; 20:6; 20:14; 21:8) is eternal. Adam and Eve eventually died, and so did those whom, under the Law of Moses, had their sins paid for through the sacrifices of animals. And we also who have put our faith in Jesus/Yeshua for the forgiveness of our sins, can and do die in this present age.

It wasn't God's plan to have us go on living in this present life in flesh and blood bodies. No! It was His plan to have us live in His Kingdom forever after resurrection or change (I Cor. 15:51) to immortality.

Above I said, "Satan ignorantly brought about the capstone of God's plan." What did I mean by that? Think about this: God couldn't do anything arbitrarily. Because He is holy He must have perfect reasons for what He does. He couldn't, as Paul says, justify the ungodly (Rom. 4:5), and remain holy without a righteous way of doing that.

Satan, who has the power of death (or had Heb 2:14), probably thought he had a great victory in having God's Son, Jesus/Yeshua crucified. Instead of it being a defeat it is one of the greatest of all victories on our behalf! That's why I believe that Satan ignorantly brought about the capstone of God's plan!

(1 Cor 1:23-24 NIV) but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, {24} but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

I see it as the capstone of God's overall plan because without it our sins would not be paid for, and we couldn't be baptized by God's Holy Spirit into the body of God's Son, and therefore share God's holiness. This makes the goal of God's plan come to fruition. That is, to have a holy family that could share all that He has - FOREVER!!

All atheists and those who reject God's Son will miss out on all that God has planned for us. And we, in our own selves, cannot even begin to imagine all that He has planned for us.

(1 Cor 2:9 NIV) However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

Would you like to see how God created the heavens and the earth? If we are still interested in seeing that, and if God so wills, it is a possibility. And there are many other things that God can show us if He so wills.

We will be able to observe God blessing His chosen people Israel when He fulfills all the promises He made to them! And how about, with perfect vision and perfect health being able to experience living on a perfect earth that no longer needs oceans, but is like the Garden of Eden with all its beauty!

(Rev 21:1-5 NASB) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. {2} And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. {3} And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, {4} and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." {5} And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

And the description of the New Jerusalem is breath taking!

(Rev 21:10-23 NASB) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, {11} having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. {12} It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. {13} There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. {14} And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. {15} And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. {16} And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. {17} And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. {18} And the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. {19} The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; {20} the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. {21} And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. {22} And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple. {23} And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

As you can see, the gates of the city have the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel on them, and the city has twelve foundation stones with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb written on them. This proves, without a doubt, that the Jews play a very very important part in God's overall plan!

Amen and Amen! All praise to the one and only God, the God of Israel!!

# Chapter Eleven

### A Short Message To Believing Gentiles

"They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings." (Rom 15:27 NIV)

For all of you believing Gentiles that are reading this, I want you to consider (and this is, to our shame, seldom considered) that we believing Gentiles are sharing the Jews' spiritual things.

Can I back this up with the Word of God? If we take what the Word of God plainly says (and do not try to make it conform to our own ideas), yes, very easily. One verse (Rom. 15:27) pretty well says it all - a verse that has been, for the most part, completely overlooked or misconstrued. For example, let's look at this verse through the way the Living Bible interprets (not translates) it:

"They were very glad to do this, for they feel that they owe a real debt to the Jerusalem Christians. Why? Because the news about Christ came to these Gentiles from the church in Jerusalem. And since they received this wonderful spiritual gift of the Gospel from there, they feel that the least they can do in return is to give some material aid." (Rom 15:27 TLB)

Now let's look at the way it is translated from the Greek in some other versions. First the KJV:

"It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things." (Rom 15:27 KJV)\

Now the NASB:

"Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things." (Rom 15:27 NASB)

And now the NIV:

"They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings." (Rom 15:27 NIV)

Now, wouldn't you say, in this verse, that the Living Bible is an interpretation, surely not a translation. "...feel that they owe a real debt..." "...feel that the least they can do in return is to give some material aid..." Feel? We Gentile believers are indebted to help our Jewish brethren - we owe it to them. That's right, owe! I can just hear most of my Gentile brethren objecting to this, but if we are to accept the plain teaching of the Word of God, they had better reconsider.

The word "debtors" (KJV) found in Strong's Concordance is as follows:

"3781. opheiletes, of-i-let'-ace; from 3784; an ower, i.e. person indebted; fig. a delinquent; mor. a transgressor (against God):-debtor, which owed, sinner."

The word "duty" (KJV) found in Strong's Concordance is as follows:

"3784. opheilo, of-i'-lo; or (in cert. tenses) its prol. form opheileo, of-i-leh-o; prob. from the base of 3786 (through the idea accruing); to owe (pecuniarily); fig. to be under obligation (ought, must, should); mor. to fail in duty:-behove, be bound, (be) debt (-or), (be) due (-ty), be guilty (indebted), (must) need (-s), ought, owe, should. See also 3785."

Now, does that sound like we have the option of "feeling" we should help them? I'm sorry, but I just don't see it that way; and I do not believe that our gracious God and Father has been very pleased with the way we Gentiles have treated the Jew \- believers and non believers!

Of course, Paul is talking about believing Jews, but no mistake about it, even though only a remnant out of Israel, back then, (as well as at the present) were (are) enjoying their spiritual blessings, these spiritual blessings were (by the living God) planned for the nation of Israel. In no way will our blessed Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be satisfied until "all Israel is saved" (Rom 11:26), that is, nationally!

It was because of the fall of national Israel that we Gentiles have been allowed to share their spiritual blessings:

"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy" (Rom 11:11 KJV)

And it won't be until they (national Israel) receive their "fullness" that we believers (Jew or Gentile) will enjoy the fullness of the blessings that we have come into:

"Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?" (Rom 11:12 KJV)

When they (national Israel) receive their "fullness," it will be much greater "riches" for all.

There are more Scriptures that show we believing Gentiles are sharing Israel's heritage: look at Eph. 2:11-22: "...without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,..." (vs 12 KJV) "...now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,..." (vs 19 KJV) (that is, Jewish saints).

Look at this also:

"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, {18} To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." (Acts 26:17-18 KJV)

At the time our Lord said this to Paul, the phrase "...among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me..." could only be referring to Jews.

So my Gentile brethren in Christ - that is, in the Messiah of Israel - if you really want to please our God and Father, you should strive to materially help our Jewish brethren in Christ/Messiah. Hopefully, in doing so, more of God's chosen people will be reached with the good news of the salvation that is found in their Messiah.

### An Added Note.

As you can see, as far as this verse is concerned, I believe the Living Bible interprets it in a way that most Gentile believers would probably accept. I also believe it's not a true translation of this verse. But over-all the Living Bible has been used to reach many people with the salvation that we have in Jesus. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it. All translations have their pros and cons. Most important is that we always look to God for our understanding.

# Chapter Twelve

### To Sum Up

(Psa 119:160 NASB) The sum of Thy word is truth, And every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting.

[Ch. 1] The gospel is not only to be saved, but also what we are saved onto - the Kingdom of which Jesus/Yeshua is the anointed King (Christ/Messiah).

And that Kingdom is going to be here on earth, not in Heaven. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." (Mat 6:10 NASB)

[Ch. 2] All believers who die will be made alive again when Jesus/Yeshua returns. That is, they are dead and will not be alive again until resurrection. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. {23} But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." (1 Cor 15:22-23 NIV)

Why is that so hard to comprehend? Could it be because of false teaching in the past? When you emphasize resurrection as the answer to death, you emphasize the importance of God's Son Jesus/Yeshua. He is the first to have been raised to immortality, and He has been given charge of the living and the dead. Dead believers will be raised to eternal life when He returns; living believers won't even have to die. They will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye" from mortal to immortal.

[Ch. 3] Our real destiny is an essential part of the gospel as mentioned above - the Kingdom of God here on earth.

[Ch. 4] The word "hope" is often associated with resurrection. I believe the "blessed hope" is the return of God's Son and the resurrection of the faithful dead.

[Ch. 5] The Church, the Body of the Messiah, is God's answer to the body of Adam - the old creation. The Church is "...an holy temple in the Lord...an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph 2:21b, 22b KJV).

The Temple, the Body of Christ/Messiah, will not be complete until the last person to be saved is saved. Why do I say that? The Body of Christ is an essential part of God's salvation plan. It is the primary method of God's fantastic wisdom in His making His salvation real to the individual.

(1 Cor 1:30 NASB) But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

In order to be saved it is necessary for anyone of any era to be a member of the Body of Christ. If you are not in Christ you are still in Adam, and your destiny will not be life, but death. The only way God can give anyone eternal life is through the righteousness of His Son. That righteousness is made real to the believer by their being joined to His Son. That is, by being in Christ (in the Body of Christ) through God's Holy Spirit.

For those faithful dead that died before the Body of Christ had begun, they will be like the materials that David prepared for the temple that his son Solomon was going to build. They will be a part of the Temple of the Body of Christ that is being built (it won't be complete until the last person to be saved is saved).

[Ch. 6] The Messiah was promised to Israel. Therefore, one could rightly conclude that the Body of Christ (the Church) - that which was not revealed in other ages - is also a part of what God promised to Israel. I therefore have to conclude that when all of God's promises to Israel are fulfilled most of the saved will have come from Israel. Chapter Six explains how that will come about.

[Ch. 7] It is important not only to know what the gospel is (Chapter One), but also to proclaim the whole gospel.

[Ch. 8] The main difference between what I believe and what Trinitarians believe is that they believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God, I believe that Jesus is fully man and fully INDWELT by God. My simple logic is that if Jesus was fully God He couldn't die to pay for our sins, for it is impossible for God to die.

[Ch. 9] Baptism, to most people, is almost always associated with water, but the most important baptism is being baptized by God's Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. One can be water baptized and still end up lost, but one who is baptized into the Body of Christ would never end up lost. Why? Because God who knows the past and present also knows the future, and would never baptize one into His Son who would in the future reject Him.

[Ch. 10] In order to be a true Jew, you have to be a Jew to begin with. A true Jew is a Jew who is not only circumcised in the flesh, but also circumcised in the heart. If Gentiles who believe in Jesus the Jewish Christ/Messiah become true Jews, it would result in replacement theology because; eventually there were more Gentile believers than Jewish believers - at least, in this present age.

God's chosen people, the Jews (Israel), are at the center of God's overall plan. The olive tree of Romans 11 is not Israel; they are the natural branches of the olive tree. I believe the olive tree of Romans 11 is God's promises and blessings meant for His chosen people Israel, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob being the roots. Gentile believers that are grafted into the olive tree share those promises and blessings.

[Ch. 11] Because we believing Gentiles are sharing the Jews spiritual things, we are indebted to help them with their material things.

### Last comments and some that need to be emphasized

We who are Gentiles have, by God's mercy, been allowed to share God's promises to Israel through being allowed, by faith, to be joint heirs with them in the Body of their Christ/Messiah, The Church. (Eph. 3:6).

The Christ/Messiah or King of Israel will someday sit on the throne of David and reign over Israel and the earth - His Kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33).

National Israel will not be saved until after their Messiah returns (Rom 11:26-27). It is therefore very important that as many Jews as possible be reached with the good news of their Messiah, Yeshua, before He returns - who knows which Jews will survive "the time of Jacob's trouble?" (Jer 30:7) Or which Jews will still be alive until the Messiah returns - anyone, in this present age, who dies while not being a believer in Yeshua, and therefore, not being "in Christ" will be lost forever.

Professing Gentiles (some true believers and some not) have failed, down through the centuries (almost totally), in reaching out to the Jews with love and compassion. Probably because they failed to see that they are sharing the Jew's heritage, and also that God truly loves the Jews as the "apple of His eye (Zec 2:8)."

And probably because they failed to see that they are going to share our Lord's and Israel's Kingdom here on earth. The more one realizes this, the more one understands what the word "Christ" really means. It is Israel's promised Kingdom that He is the King of (the Christ of). The Kingdom is one of Israel's spiritual blessings that we are going to share. Our destiny is our Lord's Kingdom here on earth - not Heaven.

Because National Israel has temporarily rejected their Messiah (Rom 11:25-26), we believing Gentiles (through the infinite mercy of the Living God (Rom 15:9)) have been allowed to share in Israel's heritage through the Body of their Messiah (The Church).

"For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief" (Rom 11:30 KJV)

In the future all Israel (that is, National Israel) will believe and be saved! Praise God!

Someday all the saved will be like our Lord, Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah of Israel - we will no longer be alive by blood, but by the very Spirit of God. Being alive by God's Holy Spirit, instead of blood, is immortality which equals eternal life and the new creation:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17 NIV)

(1 Pet 3:18 NKJV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

"Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Phil 3:21 KJV)

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Pet 1:4 KJV)

E PLURIBUS UNUM is inscribed on some of the currency and the Great Seal of the United States of America. It is Latin for "Out of many, one." That is exactly what we have in the Body of Christ. God's wisdom is fantastic! Out of the one, the first Adam, came the many (all of us), but God's salvation is making the many who by faith have been accepted by Him, into one (His Son) by His Holy Spirit. In this present age by faith in His Son, the Messiah or Christ of Israel. That is the reason why it took only one perfect man (the last Adam: Jesus) to pay for the sins of all the saved. And the reason why Jesus/Yeshua (Israel's Messiah) is the only one through whom anyone can be saved from the second death. It is why nobody, of any age, can be saved without being a member of the Body of Christ, the Church.

For you the reader, if you are a Gentile believer in Jesus, I wrote this so that you might fully realize that we Gentiles are sharing the Jews spiritual things. The Body of Christ/Messiah is one of them. And that you might fully understand how important the Jews are in God's overall plan.

If you are an unbeliever, Gentile or Jew, I'd strongly ask you to reconsider and accept God's salvation by believing in God's Son, Jesus/Yeshua. You'll never regret it!

### May God, the one and only God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the God of Israel - guide us through His Son, the Messiah of Israel, into all truth for His glory and praise, Amen!

