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One of Christianity's earliest and first sins was their anti-Semitic views on Jews. The fact that the entire Bible was written by Jews, for Jews and Jewish in its very self and nature bypasses many. Jesus himself was a Jew and all of his apostles were fellow Jews. He preached only to Jews, with a few exceptions. The Jews were God's chosen people, his special possession, His representatives on earth. His Spirit rested in the Jewish nation of Israel and communicated to others through Jewish prophets. Many readers of the New Testament are inclined to point out to the accounts of those Jews who were in opposition and persecuted both Jesus and the first century church. Yet the fact of the matter remains, is that the majority of the early church, consisted of converted Jews, including many Pharisees that put faith in Jesus, with the Jewish Apostle Paul being the "chief foremost of sinners," and yet the most widely used Apostle by God. Paul himself and those of the early church were not anti-Semitic towards their "fellow" Jews. What started out in the book of Genesis, turned into a special possession of God, a blessed people and chosen race. God made a promise to Abraham, His friend, a promise that all of his offspring would be blessed by Him. He promised that they would be His chosen people, His special possession and that many nations would be born from them. They would become a special nation where God would reside on earth.
Without going into the details of the Messianic prophecies, the fact of the matter is there
always remained the indisputable truth that God cannot lie, nor does he go back on his promises, or negate on his
oaths. His oath and His promise are "two unchangeable things." His love cannot change. Any decisions
that God had changed were always based on His unchangeable love. "For I am the LORD and I do not change."
(Mal 3:6) Paul confirms this in the book of Hebrews: "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:11-19 New International Version "God made a promise to Abraham. God did not have anyone greater than himself to hear his promise. So he promised to himself when he said, `I will surely bless you and you will have many children.' Abraham kept on believing God. And so he got what God had promised him. When men make a promise, they ask someone to hear it who is greater than they are. When someone great has heard a promise, it stops any quarrel about it. God made a promise to people. He wanted to show them that he would surely do as he said. So he promised to himself to keep the promise. These two things cannot be changed and God cannot lie about them. So we can trust him. We have run to him to get what he has promised us. This promise gives our hearts something to hold on to. It keeps our hearts strong and steady. It will take us into the Holy Place right inside God's house." Hebrews 6:11-19 Worldwide English Version God later instituted the law covenant with Moses, with legal requirements and physical blessings, giving the Hebrews a place as God's special possession, a nation to be separated from the rest of the world, as God's people.
Then the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." Exodus 34:10, 27 As the years passed, God promised both a future messiah, and a new covenant. The former
covenant, the law of Moses would be fulfilled, God bringing a new covenant, the law of Christ, that would replace
the former. The "curse" of the legal requirements of the law of Moses, with various sacrifices, the formal
use of God's name and the priestly function of men would now be "blotted out," man would now be reconciled
with God, the old law covenant, replaced by a spiritual law of love, agape - charity, an invisible nation of Israel, an invisible and internal circumcision of the heart.
As foretold in the book of Jeremiah, This "new covenant" would result in the abandonment of God's house in Jerusalem, the visible and physical place of God's dwelling on earth, the representation of His people and ruler ship, now to be left "desolate, abandoned."
This in no way revoked God's promise to Abraham, nor did it take back His oath and promise that all of Abraham's fleshly descendants, the Jews, to be blessed eternally as God's special possession, His people and chosen race. However what this "new covenant" did do, is take in and include with the Jews, all the Gentiles with this earlier promise, all those who put faith in the name, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who now sits at God's right hand, bringing a new "royal priesthood" of God's sons, those who follow Jesus. God's exclusive promise to the Jews would now become inclusive to all, including the Gentiles. All those who put faith in the new high priest, our king and God, Jesus Christ, would now be considered Jews, spiritual Jews. The circumcision would no longer be the external, physical marking of the flesh but of the internal invisible condition of the heart, with the worship being of an invisible high priest, awaiting the invisible "heavenly Jerusalem," under the invisible God. All of God's people would now "walk by faith and not by sight," as "they fix their eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor 4:18) The question arises as to the faith and the blessing. The Jews received their inheritance as decendants from Abraham, putting faith in YHWH and obeying the physical law, the law of Moses, consequently blessed with a physical nation on earth, separating them from the rest of the world as God's chosen people. Whereas, those that put their faith in Jesus Christ and live according to the spiritual law of agape - charity, receive as their inheritance the blessing of an invisible spiritual priesthood and nation, as God's chosen people. What appears to be the case of both the Mosaic law convenant and the new convenant of Christ, is that the Abrahamic covenant, which is older and behind, the Mosaic law covenant, was not a promise to be replaced, unlike the Mosaic, which would be fulfilled and replaced by the law of Christ. Jesus plainly stated that "no one comes to the Father, except through me," and
that he is the only "way, the truth and the
life." While this being
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"And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you
that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and
every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. "I baptize you with
water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Matthew
3:9-11
