The True Church of God

Must you not obey God?! (The True Church of God) The Covenants
The purpose behind part two of 'The Law' is to find out if the new covenant (NC) did indeed take effect when the death of Jesus Christ was established, as Paul claims in the book of Hebrews 9:15-17; for if he is right, then with the exception of his epistles, the entire Bible would be fallacious.
Welcom back to the True Church of God. As usual, have your Bible and/or your concordance ready, and pray Yahweh, the Almighty of Israel, to open your mind to perceive.
The moment Christianity rendered the Old Testament null and void, the 'light' with which Almighty God illuminated the desolate earth disappeared, "leaving them to walk about in darkness without knowledge or understanding, for they shook the earth from its very foundations" (Psalms 82:5).
In the Old Testament, "the Everlasting God " (Psalms 90:2) established five 'everlasting' covenants with His people: The Noahic, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, the Levitical, and the Davidic. Yet, despite the fact that in every language on earth, the word everlasting is defined as forever, endless, and interminable, Paul's disciples who were called Christians for the first time in Antioch (Acts 11:26) insist that Jesus Christ did away with them at his death, to establish the NC.
Where did they get such an absurd idea from? Please open your Bible to Hebrews 9:15-17:
(15) "Therefore he [Jesus Christ] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheretance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. (16) For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. (17) For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive."

Right off the bat:
THE FIRST COVENANT IS NOT THE MOSAIC. IT IS THE NOAHIC. But if what Paul means by the first covenant is all five old ones combined, we are about to find out if Jesus did away with it.
A COVENANT IS NOT A WILL. A covenant is a written contract signed by two or more parties to guarantee fulfillment at an appointed time, while a will is a legal declaration of how a person wished to dispose of his estate after his death.
THE NEW COVENANT CANNOT POSSIBLY BE IN EFFECT. Jesus Christ is "the living God who is and who was and who is to come" (Daniel 6:20, 26; Revelation 1:8), and according to Paul, "a will is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive."

What is the new covenant, and when would it take effect?
Before delving into that subject, let us first review the five old covenant (OCs) in sequence, to determine which one - if any - was abolished at the death of Jesus Christ.
l. THE NOAHIC COVENANT (Genesis 9:8-17)
(8) "Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, (9) 'Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, (10) and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. (11) I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.' (12) And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: (13) I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (14) When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, (15) I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. (16) When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.' (17) God said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.' "

Even though the sign of this presumably annulled covenant could still be seen in the clouds years after the ascension of Jesus Christ, instead of questioning the veracity of Paul's teachings, his disciples devaluated the significance of the rainbow to exalt his mendacity.
THE RAINBOW IS NOT JUST AN ARC OF PRISMATIC COLORS CAUSED BY THE REFLECTION OF THE SUN ON A RAINY DAY. When the glory of the Lord appeared to Ezekiel the prophet in a vision, "there was brightness round about Him like the appearance of the rainbow that is in the clouds on a day of rain" (1:27-28). And, when Jesus Christ unveiled the Holy City, New Jerusalem, to John, "it was illuminated by the glory of the Lord" (Revelation 21:22). The rainbow is the very essence of God's throne.
NOR IS IT A FRIVOLOUS NATURAL PHENOMENON. The Lord set that specific arc of prismatic colors in the clouds to assure every living creature, including Paul's contemptuous disciples, "that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood" (Genesis 9:11). The rainbow is the symbol of God's promise. And,
THE LIVING GOD SAYS WHAT HE MEANS AND MEANS WHAT HE SAYS. When with the exception of Noah, the Lord "determined to make an end of all flesh, for the wickedness of man was great on the earth" (Genesis 6:113, 5), that is exactly what He did. And, when He promised that He would remember the covenant every time He sees the rainbow in the clouds (vv 14-15), that is precisely what He has been doing eversince, although this generation is as corrupt as it was in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:5, 11; Matthew 24:37-38; Luke 17:26-27).
Even in His wrath, the Lord will not renege on His promise. How can we tell? Informs us John that after the sixth trumpet blew, and those who were not killed by the plagues refused to worship God or repent of their wickedness (Revelation 9:20-21), he saw "another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head" (Revelation 10:1). Had the Lord not seen the rainbow, no flesh would have been left alive "so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance." How dare Paul and his disciples accuse the living God of abolishing such a magna- nimous covenant?

ll. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT (Genesis 17:7-14).
(1) "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless. (2) And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceed- ingly. (7) And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. (8) And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.'
(9) "And God said to Abraham, 'As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. (10) This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (11) You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. (12) He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised; every male throughout your gene- rations, whether born in your house, or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, (13) both he that is born in your house and that is bought with your money, shall be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. (14) Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.' "

Here, the True Church of God would like to draw your attention to an ordinance written in the book of Exodus. You will soon find out why.
THE ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER (Exodus 12:43-45, 48-49)
(43-45) "And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'This is the ordinance of the passover: no foreigner, sojourner or hired servant may eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. (48) And when a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. (49) There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.' "

Now, read what Paul wrote to the Ephesians to convince them that circumcision is insignificant to attaining the promise.
"Remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision, were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise" (2:12).
In order to break down the dividing wall of hostility between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, "Jesus Christ abolished in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances" (2:15). And,
"I, by the grace of God, was given a revelation which was not known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (3:5-6).

PAUL IS THE EPITOME OF DECEPTION. Read the Abrahamic covenant and the ordinance of the passover again very carefully, you will realize that only the uncircumcised, be them Hebrews [Israelites, Jews] or foreigners [strangers, sojourners, gentiles] were cut off from the promises, and prohibited from coming near the passover lamb who is Jesus Christ. Gentiles who willingly circumcised the flesh of their foreskin to partake of the passover lamb were integrated into the commonwealth of Israel by law.
What about women; what were they supposed to do to be integrated into the commonwealth of Israel? Well, Rahab the prostitute (Joshua 2:1-21), and her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabite (Ruth 1:14-19), who willingly circumcised the flesh of their heart and converted to the people of Israel and to their religion became two of Jesus Christ's great grandmothers (Matthew 1:5; Luke 3:32).
JESUS CHRIST IS NOT A LIAR. Says Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:17: "Think not that I have come to abolish the law of Moses or the warnings of the prophets." Circumcision is a law of Moses (Leviticus 12:3), and you will soon read the warnings of the prophets.
THE SONS OF MEN IN OTHER GENERATIONS KNEW. What they knew is that no one will ever partake of the promise except through circumcision. Long before Paul was born, the Lord made that clear to Abraham, Moses, and Aaron, then years later, He made it absolute. Not only through three of His holy prophets, but through John, in the Spirit, twenty-nine years after Paul's death.

Here is what the living God told the sons of men in other generations, and after the ascension of Christ:
Isaiah 52:1: "Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean."
Jeremiah 9:23, 25-26: "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Behold, the days are coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised but yet uncircumcised - Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert that cut the corners of their hair; for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.' "
Ezekiel 44:9: "No foreigner [gentile], uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary." And to
John, in Revelation 22:15: "Nothing unclean shall enter the city."

So much for Paul's disciples who believe that they are "the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3).
lll. THE MOSAIC COVENANT
Fused together in this covenant are four elements: A condition, the Ten Commandments, consequences, and a settlement. Should one be disbanded, the entire covenant will collapse.
A. The Condition (Exodus 19:1-6). What the people of God would become, if they obey the covenant.
(1) "On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. (3) And the Lord called to Moses out of the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: (4) You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. (5) Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, (6) and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' "

B. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-7; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). The covenant which the people of God must obey, to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
"Thou shalt have no other God before me.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
"Honor thy father and mother.
"Thou shalt not murder.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery.
"Thou shalt not steal.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
"Thou shalt not covet."

C. The Consequences (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Calamaties the Lord would bring upon His people, should they disobey the covenant.
Due to the length of these chapters, here is a summary from Deuteronomy 28:
(15) "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. (21) The Lord will make the pestilence cleave to you until he has consumed you. (22) The Lord will smite you with consumption, and with fever, inflamation, and fiery heat, and with drought; and with blasting, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. (27) The Lord will smite you with the boils of Eygpt, and with the ulcers and the scurvy and the itch, of which you cannot be healed. (28) The Lord will smite you with madness and blindness and confusion of the mind. (58) If you are not careful to do all the words of this law which are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awful name, the Lord your God, (59) then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. (60) And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they shall cleave to you. (61) Every sickness also, and every affliction which is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. "

D. The Settlement (Leviticus 26:40-42). What the Lord would do, if His people repent.
"If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery which they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me; if then their uncircuncised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, that I might be their God, and I will remember the land."

Could the Living God have voided the condition He set before His people so that the faithful who call upon His name may be saved to rule in the kingdom, even if they disobey His voice and His covenant as Paul insinuates in Romans 10:13?
Not a chance!
Points out Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:21, "Not every one who says to me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." According to Revelation 20:4-6, on judgment day, only those who did not forsake Jesus and the word of God shall come to life to "be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years."
The Ten Commandments will be examined thoroughly in part three of 'The Law.' Meanwhile, think!
If Jesus Christ knew that he was about to nail the bond with its legal demands to the cross as Paul claims in Colossians 2:14, why did he ask his disciples to keep his commandments, just a little while before his crucifixion? (John 14:21, 23; 15:10). But, if he did indeed abolish in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances as Paul states in Ephesians 2:15, why did he reveal to John that at the end time, the wrath of God shall flare against those who do not keep the comman- dments? (Revelation 14:10-12). Was Jesus Christ messing with the minds of his disciples?
Humanity is already suffering the consequences of disobedience. After reading Leviticus 26:14-39 and Deuteronomy 28:15-68, not only would you marvel at the accuracy of the scripture; you will fear The Almighty God of Israel like you have never feared Him before. Besides drought, hurricanes, and fiery heat that are getting fiercer every year, Almighty God said He will send diseases and war as well.
The people of God are already suffering from the afflictions of Egypt, exactly as the Lord said they would. The rare African strain which is infecting and consuming people in the United States right now is called, of all things, the West Nile virus. It is an inflammation of the brain that has never been heard of before. In rare cases, it can cause neurological disorders and death.
Recently, the proud power of the people of God was broken. They fled before their attackers, and even ran when no one was chasing them. Their enemies are ruling them. They are at the moment living in terror and panic. "The sound of a leaf driven in the wind will send them fleeing as though chased by a man with a sword; they shall fall when no one is pursuing them. Yes, though none pursue they shall stumble over each other in flight, as though fleeing in battle, with no power to stand before their enemies" (Leviticus 26:17, 36-37).
Coincidence? The True Church of God does not believe so, and would like to remind the disciples of Paul that the hardships that are written in the book of Revelation, are yet to come.
Will Christianity ever wake up from its heavenly dream, to face the nightmares that await it?
In order to remember His covenant with Abraham - to be the God of his descendants - and the land, Yahweh wants His people to confess that they are walking contrary to Him.
How so, you might ask.
Despite Jesus Christ who in Matthew 16:6, 12 and 18:3 admonishes his disciples: "Beware of the teachings of the Pharisees; Unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven," at the advice of Paul the Pharisee (Acts 23:6; Philippians 3:5), Christianity "left the elementary doctrine of Christ, to go on to maturity" (Hebrews 6:1).
Need more be said?
IV. THE LEVITICAL COVENANT
Yahweh established this agreement with both laity and clergy. Within it, there are two laws and two covenants.
A. The Laws:
The manner of offering burnt sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-5; 4:3-4):
(1) "The Lord now spoke to Moses from the Tabernacle, (2) and commanded him to give the following instructions to the people of Israel: 'When you sacrifice to the Lord, use animals from your herds and flocks. (3) Your burnt offering shall be a male with no physical defects. Bring the animal to the entrance of the Tabernacle where the priests will accept your gift to the Lord. (4) The person bringing it is to lay his hand upon its head, and it then becomes his substitute: the death of the animal will be accepted by God instead of the death of the man who brings it, as the penalty for his sins. (5) The man shall then kill the animal there before the Lord, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood before the Lord, sprinkling it upon all sides of the altar at the entrance of the Tabernacle.' "

What to offer with each sacrifice (Leviticus 2:13):
"Every offering must be seasoned with salt, because the salt is a reminder of God's covenant."

B. The Covenants:
The portion and inheritance of the priests (Numbers 18:19-20):
(19) " 'All the holy offerings which the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due; it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.' (20) And the Lord said to Aaron, 'You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.' "

The reward of the priesthood (Numbers 25:10-12):
(10) "And the Lord said to Moses, (11) 'Phin'ehas the son of Elea'zar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. (12) Therefore say, Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace; (13) and it shall be to him, and to his descendants after him, the covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the people of Israel.' "

The whole theme of the book of Hebrews rotates around the Levitical priesthood and how the death of Jesus Christ - who Paul acknowledges as "a priest for ever" in 7:21 - eliminated it, the offering of burnt sacrifices, and hence the covenant.
Before his crucifixion, Jesus Christ gave his disciples this warning: "If you refuse to deny yourselves, take up your own cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine" (Matthew 10:38; 16:24).
When he shed his blood upon the cross to atone for the sins we passed onto him, The Lamb of God did not "abolish the first sacrificial law to establish the second that we may be sanctified through the offering of his body" as Paul claims in Hebrews 10:9; he restored it back to its original form to show those who are willing to take up their own cross how to sanctify themselves through their own blood, not that of substitutes.
"But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," gloats Paul the insubordinate Pharisee in Galatians 6:14. " 'Through him' then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name," he suggests in Hebrews 13:15.
In Hebrews 11:4, does not Paul remind us that Cain's sacrifice which consisted of fruits was not acceptable by God? (Genesis 4:2). And in Matthew 15:7-8, does not Jesus Christ address the Pharisees as hypocrites who honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far away from him?
As to the salt which was to be offered with every sacrifice to remind the people of God of the covenant; "You are the salt of the earth," says Jesus in Matthew 5:13. "Salt is good; Have salt in yourselves" (Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34). We are the reminders of the covenant. The Christ could not have possibly spoiled our saltiness so that we may be thrown out and trodden under foot by men (Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:35), "for every one, and every sacrifice, shall be salted with fire" (Mark 9:49).
In case you do not know, besides revealing command, determination, and inevitability, the tense 'shall' indicates that which is yet to come. Knowing that by law, only the Levites are permitted to offer sacrifices on the altar of God (Numbers 3:10, 38), Jesus Christ "who is and who was and who is to come" (Revelation 1:8) could not have possibly abolished the Levitical priesthood or their covenant, for thus says the Lord in Jeremiah 33:18-22:
Page 2