Literature...
Concerning the Faith of the Christian Israelite Church
GENTILES and the LAW of GOD given through MOSES
The WHOLE of the SCRIPTURES are OUR GUIDE
Some INSTRUCTIONS given to ISRAEL for their BENEFIT
MAN’S NEED for SPIRITUAL REINFORCEMENT
The DEVIL, Malignant Spirit, the ENEMY of ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS
The TREE of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL
NON-RESURRECTION of the PHYSICAL BODY
EXEMPTION from PHYSICAL DEATH for 144,000 of ISRAEL
There is such a multitude of churches, are you trying to add another church to the hundreds which already exist?
No, our Church was founded in 1822, with an entirely separate and distinct message, which message is as a call to the lost children of the House of Israel, to come out from the world, and endeavour to keep God’s Laws and Commands.
Are you a Jewish Church?
No, although we have much in common with the Jews. We reverence the Guidance given by God to Israel through Moses and the Prophets, and seek strength from God to enable us to obey His Word.
Then, if not Jews, do you consider yourselves members of a Gentile Church?
No, and yet with believers in Christ amongst the Gentiles, we sincerely accept the teaching of His Gospel.
If not Jews or Gentiles, how would you describe yourselves?
Our Church is called, ‘The Christian Israelite Church’, ‘Christian’ because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘Israel’ because we believe in the Laws as given to the Prophets in the Old Testament. We also believe our Church is referred to in Isaiah 44:5 as the people who will surname themselves by the name of Israel.
Are not the Jews, Israelites?
Yes, they are the descendants of Jacob, who was surnamed Israel, but all Israelites are not Jews. There are twelve tribes of Israel. After the death of Solomon, the Twelve Tribes of Israel became divided into two groups - the House of Israel and the House of Judah.
Who were the House of Israel?
Ten tribes who revolted and chose Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, to be their king. A part of the history connected with this revolt is given in 1st Kings chapter 12 and 2nd Chronicles chapter 10. These ten tribes later became scattered by God (Ezekiel 39:23) and in their wanderings, all trace of their identity was lost, but God promises to revive their hope, and to ingather and restore a remnant of them in the latter days (Isaiah 11:11,12; Ezekiel 11:17-20; 37:22,23; Romans 11:1,2,25; Jeremiah 31:10).
Then who are the Jews?
The descendants of the other two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, with a few Levites among them; as they were divided among all the tribes, possibly a sprinkling of the other tribes also may have remained with them.
But we know the Jews as a people, is it not strange that one cannot as readily single out the other ten tribes?
It may appear remarkable to many, but it is in agreement with Jeremiah 5:6, "My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace". Micah 5:8, "The remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people". Romans 11:25, "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in".
How do you know you are of Israel?
We do not know, but we trust that by obedience to God’s Will, we shall be found true Israelites (Exodus 12:48).
Why are you not content to accept the ritual of the Jews, and associate with them in worship?
Judaism, today, seems to base its doctrines largely upon Rabbinical lore and the interpretations of the Elders. Judaism also does not yet accept fulfillment of prophecy concerning the Mission of Jesus Christ. Their eyes are blinded to the great hopes which the Almighty held out to Israel, expressed in Psalm 102:18-20; Joel 3:21; Job 33:23-25; Isaiah 25:7,8.
But surely among all the professors of Christianity you could find a body with whom you could work in harmony?
Doubtless there are many devout men in various denominations who earnestly desire truth, and strive to live up to the light they possess. They long for a better order of things, but have not known where to find it, for Churches in Christendom are content to make a covenant with death, for the saving of the soul after the death of the physical body. We earnestly desire and pray, that the covenant with death shall be disannulled (Isaiah 28:18) hence, whilst we respect members of the various denominations, we cannot subscribe to their creeds.
How can that be? For many profess to take Him as their Lord and Saviour?
Gentile believers are not expected to adopt in full the teachings He proclaimed during His three year ministry among the descendants of Jacob. He said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel"
Matthew 15:24; read also Matthew 10:5,6.But did not the Apostle Paul declare that Jesus had sent him unto the Gentiles, "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 26:18)?
True, and Gentile believers do well to build upon that foundation. Christ Jesus is the Saviour of all, "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2. It is through belief in His Sacrifice that the souls of all are saved (John 3:16,17).
And does not St. Paul, who was the apostle to the Gentiles, say, "There is a difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him" (Romans 10:12)?
Yes, and we trust to make it clear why we believe both Jew and Gentile are incomplete in their relationship with God. Generally speaking, the Gentiles, whose confidence is in the teaching of St. Paul, dissociate themselves from God’s revelation to Israel, referred to as the Law, though some do teach the Ten Commandments, which were given by God through Moses to Israel. The Jew has faith in the Law of God, and looks for the Messiah to come to free his soul from the bondage of Satan, but rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gentile trusts in the sacrifice of Jesus, and His Righteousness. Both believe in only a part of God’s revealed Word, and receive the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls (1 Peter 1:9) after the death of their physical bodies.
GENTILES and the LAW of GOD given through MOSES
But would you have the Gentiles to come under the Law?
No. Their salvation, pertaining to the soul, is a free gift of grace, and there is no obligation upon them to render works associated with the Law which was given to Israel. In Acts 15:19,20, the Apostle James explained their position, "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God; but that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood".
When you say that the Gentiles are not required to adopt, in full, the teaching of Jesus, do you mean that they are not called upon to observe the Law of Moses, as He observed it (Matthew 5:17-20; 23:2,3)?
Exactly. It must be understood that Jesus Christ came with a two-fold mission. Firstly, to shed His precious blood upon the Cross of Calvary for the sin of the world, and thereby save all souls that they perish not, but live in the world to come (Mark 10:30; John 1:29; 3:17). His way of life and teachings were to be a light to the Gentiles. Secondly, He will be the glory of His people, Israel, when He sits upon the Throne of His Father, David, and is King over the whole twelve tribes of Israel (Ezekiel 37:19,28; Luke 1:32,33; 2:32).
Did Jesus instruct that His hearers should obey His teachings?
Yes. In His mission to Israel He told them of the hope of physical immortality through perfect obedience to the Will of His Father. This was the glorious Gospel of the Kingdom of God of which He spoke so frequently. As the Spirit of the Father did the work in Jesus (John1 4:10) so did He tell of those who likewise would attain to perfection (Matthew 5:48; Luke 6:40) and be conformed to His image, who would sing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Revelation 15:30), keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12). To Christian Israel shall be given the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to enable them to overcome the influence of Satan and to obey the revealed will of God (Jeremiah 7:23; 31:31-33; Ezekiel 36:24-28).
Can you show elsewhere that He taught obedience to the Law of God?
Yes, in Matthew 19:17, He said to one who enquired about eternal life, "…if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments". Again, in Matthew 5:17-19, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled,…but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven".
"For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" John 5:46,47.
St. Paul shows this in Romans 2:13, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified’. "We know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully" 1 Timothy 1:8. Israel’s eyes were blinded at that time (Romans 11:25) and so they did not come to Christ for the more abundant life, of which He told them (John 10:10) they could not receive His promise, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" John 8:51. "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" John 11:26.
"This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that man may eat thereof and not die" John 6:50.
When the Spirit of God thoroughly subdues the evil of the flesh, the physical body will be redeemed from the destiny of physical death.
"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" John 14:12. He is the pattern and waymark to the remnant of Israel in the fullest sense of the word, and they will receive Divine spiritual help which will enable them to live in harmony with God’s Law, as He did.
How did Jesus Christ instruct His Disciples when sending them forth?
He told them, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" Matthew 10:5,6.
It was not till after His Resurrection that the disciples were commanded to go into all nations (Matthew 28:19,20). The Gentiles were called into a covenant of repentance (Acts 11:18) to receive a free gift of grace, by faith (Ephesians 2:8).
For their sakes, the Law was nailed to the Cross (Colossians 2:14), a way was then opened, admitting Gentiles to the hope of the salvation of the soul, a celestial reward in the first resurrection, this salvation having been purchased by the ransom paid by Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary to purchase all souls (1st Timothy 4:10).
Do you believe in the Ascension, also the Return of Jesus to this earth again, with a physical body of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39)?
Yes. After having revealed God’s Will to the people as to how God would have them live, and then shedding His precious blood on the Cross, His body was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. On the third day He arose, and appeared first to Mary Magdalene (John 30:17), then, after ascending to His Father, He appeared that evening to His Apostles (Luke 24:36-39). Forty days later He ascended to Heaven (Acts 1:4 -11) on which occasion a message was given to those standing by, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven".
This will be at the time of the restitution of all things (Acts 3:21). He yet is to be the Glory of His people Israel (Luke 2:32); the One Lord and King over all the earth (Zechariah 14:9), all dominions shall serve and obey him (Daniel 7:27) and He shall reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15).
Do you believe that Gentile Christians are entitled to the promises made to the former Israel?
No. It is written in the Holy Bible, God chose Jacob, whose name He changed to Israel, and his descendants, to be a special people.
He severed them from others, and revealed His Will for them through Moses and the prophets, as well as His Son, Jesus Christ, that they should obey His voice; then, He would be their God, and they would be His people (Exodus 19:5,6; Leviticus 20:26; Hebrews 1:2). His Will was made known to Israel by commandments, statutes and judgments (Deuteronomy 6:1) and confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 5:17,18; 23:1-3; John 5:46, 47; Psalm 78:5.
The Jew could get the salvation of the soul as a free gift of grace under the Gospel without the Law, as a Gentile believer does. The Jew believes in the Messiah, but does not believe that He has already come. Israel of old, "…drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" 1st Corinthians 10:4).
The Gentile believer also has faith in the Messiah, and looks to Him as the Saviour of his soul. Whilst the believing Jew fails to keep the Gospel, even though he keeps the Law, he will not be entitled to more than the Gentile, whose soul is saved by grace and does nothing regarding the Law.
This hope, applicable to both, is referred to by Jude verse 1 and 3 as ‘The Common Salvation’. But there is a higher glory, and a brighter future in store for the Remnant of Israel, who will not only be the seed of Abraham after the flesh, but in verity, the true "children of Abraham" (John 8:37-3). The glory of the latter House of Israel shall far exceed that of the former (Haggai 2:9).
Then you believe that of Israel some will have a much higher place in the Divine Plan that either Jew or Gentile will receive?
Certainly, the promises concerning the restoration of the remnant of Israel are most definite. In Isaiah 44:5 three classes of people are spoken of which we believe to be a prophetic utterance concerning:
1. Christendom,
2. Judaism, and
3. a Remnant of the 12 tribes of Jacob’s lineal descendants.
"One shall say, I am the Lord’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel".
The last named will comprise a Divine selection from the two tribes known as Jews, and a remnant of the other ten tribes of Israel who are scattered among the Gentiles.
What do you understand by the expression, "Common Salvation"?
It is a glory promised to all mankind in common, who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that His Sacrifice by the shedding of His Blood upon the Cross, on behalf of all sinners, ensured for them the salvation of their souls, that they perish not at the death of the physical body, but enjoy eternal life in the world to come (Mark 10:30).
It is a free gift of Grace, and refers to a spiritual (celestial) reward, which applies to the soul and spirit, but does not apply to the physical body. It is commonly believed that all must die and go to Heaven to receive this reward.
Do you believe in baptism for Christian believers?
Yes. We are in full accord with the practice of baptism by total immersion in an open river or sea, for the remission of sin. It is recognised that all of us sin because of the presence of evil within us (Romans 7:15-25) and so one enters the water in the name of Jesus Christ (who is the Mediator between God and man) asking that Almighty God may wash away their sins which the evil has caused them to do.
Do you believe in the Sacrament?
Yes. The actual eating of bread and drinking of wine in remembrance of our Lord’s death, accompanied by repentance of sins committed, is required by those seeking the life of the soul in the Resurrection. It comprises a part of the first principles as set out in Hebrews 6:1, but will be left behind by those who are seeking to obtain perfection, and the higher glory of physical immortality.
Do you consider that human beings are composed of three component parts?
Yes. This is shown in 1st Thessalonians 5:23, "…I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ".
You refer to soul and spirit as being two separate parts of our being. Is it not generally taught that they are synonymous?
Many do imagine that they are one and the same, but what saith the Scripture? We must not follow tradition, but believe according to the Law and Testimony. It is written in Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow…". Mary, the mother of Jesus, said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour" Luke 1:46-47.
What do you quote to show a distinction between soul and body?
In Matthew 10:27 it is written, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul". Peter says of Jesus in Acts 2:31 that, "…his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption".
How do you define the Spirit?
It is not a material, earthly substance, yet a distinct created being, celestial, with understanding derived from the Creator of all things. "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27; Ecclesiastes 12:7; James 2:26). It is the life of the material body, causing the blood to circulate. By way of illustration, consider the manner in which fire outside a boiler converts water into steam, which sets machinery in motion.
Do you differentiate between the soul and the body, as though one can be destroyed and the other not?
Yes. The body is our physical being, and, until it is cleansed form inherited effects of the Fall, resulting from the transgression of our first parents, it is destined to die (Hebrews 9:27). The soul comes into the world with the new born physical body, and at death it goes to the grave with that body. Man can destroy the body, but he cannot destroy the soul. The soul may be compared to the germ in a grain of wheat, and although the hull and the major part of that grain may be damaged, or even destroyed, yet the germ may live.
We understand the soul has life independent of either body or spirit, and when a body dies, it sleeps in the dust of the body till the resurrection, when it will be awakened out of that sleep (Daniel 12:2).
David realised that the soul of man is laid in the tomb with the body, for he wrote in Psalm 49:15, "God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave".
But it is written, "…the soul that sinneth it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4)? "…fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" Matthew 10:28. How then can it be said that all souls will be saved?
The Scriptures refer to death as a separation. The first death separates the spirit from the soul and body. The result is that the body goes to corruption, and is lost irretrievably, the soul enters upon a dormant state, but still has an existence.
At the first resurrection, all souls will appear before the judgment seat of God: the souls of the unrepentant then suffer what is termed ‘the second death’ for they are returned to the grave till the final resurrection. This second death is not connected with the natural body, but acts upon the soul, causing its second separation from the spirit, until the end of the Millennium, hence it is written, "The soul that sinneth it shall die", or, in other words, suffer this further separation.
If its existence were completely extinguished, if the second death meant annihilation of the soul, it could not suffer after that sentence was passed upon it; but it is written, "The Lord knoweth how to …reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" 2nd Peter 2:9. Certainly, God is able to destroy the soul, but it is not His will or intention to do so.
All that do not hearken to His commandments cannot have part or lot among the inheritors of physical immortality, but their souls will finally have an inheritance among the celestial beings, for eventually, all will acknowledge Christ, in accordance with Romans 14:11 and Isaiah 45:23, "That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear".
Did the soul of man come into being at the same time as the spirit?
No. The spirit had an existence far back in eternity as a disembodied spirit. If the spirit returns to God at the death of the physical body (Ecclesiastes 12:7) it must, of necessity, have been with Him previously. Job 38:4-7 gives us to understand this, at the time when the sons of God shouted for joy.
Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" John 8:58. "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" John 17:5. The Lord said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee" Jeremiah 1:5.
Can you understand why man did not remain a disembodied spirit?
By light on the Scriptures which God has now given, we understand that man, being a spirit without a body, was not a finished work according to the Plan of God. The Creator had determined that man should possess something higher than a happiness in innocence. The spirits around the Throne of God were tempted by Satan (who formerly was an archangel in heaven) in whom pride had arisen, so that he sought to usurp the place of the Creator. Many of the spirits listened to his allurements and fell from their former good and faithful condition.
Even so, God did not abandon them, or cast them off altogether, but determined to use Satan, the agency which tried to thwart God’s power and authority, as a means of establishing the sovereignty of the Creator in a physical creation, and promised to provide a Saviour for those who had been deceived and led astray by Satan.
Is this view clearly revealed in the Scripture?
We believe it is. Jude 6 tells of the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, they rebelled against God and joined with Satan. In Isaiah 14:12-15, it is written, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:…I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit".
At the judgment day, the Lord will have "…laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil…and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season" Revelation 20:2,3, it having been provided in God’s plan that Jesus, the Lamb of God would destroy death, and him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil (Hebrews 2:14).
Has the rebellion of the spirits in heaven, just referred to, any bearing upon the condition of human beings on this planet?
We believe that it has. The reason why there is such a diversity of dispositions among mankind is intimately connected with this; disposition is not solely the result of environment.
"Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of" Luke 9:55. God is no respecter of persons, therefore, there must be a distinct cause, previous to birth, why some persons are equipped with finer bodily, mental and spiritual faculties, than others.
Doubtless, the ways in which God deals with each creature here below, the various avenues through which we are permitted to pass, work out for the ultimate good of all, but "every man in his own order". If some stood loyal to God in heaven (in the spirit rebellion), and some were beguiled when off their guard, and others fell a willing prey to Satan’s deceptions, there will be, reasonably, various orders here on earth.
The Spirit of Jesus is called the bright and morning star; it was sent to minister to a pure body, uncontaminated with evil.
Jude refers to the wicked as wandering stars. Jesus said of Himself, when questioned by Pilate, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice" John 18:37.
Do you believe in election?
Yes, but not in the sense that a certain number were elected to receive eternal glory, and the remainder to be hopelessly lost.
The matter of election applies more particularly to those spirits who remained loyal to God in heaven, and were destined to be sent to minister to physical bodies in which they would overcome all evil, and finally be sanctified wholly; their whole spirit and soul and body being preserved blameless without death.
Our hope on this point is based on such passages as the following, "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew…" Romans 11:2. "Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" Romans 8:29. "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" Ephesians 1:4,11. "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory" 1st Corinthians 2:7. Jesus said to the Jews, "I know that ye are Abraham’s seed:…if ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham" John 8:37,39. The children of Ham were destined to be servants unto others (read Genesis 9:25-27).
Their spirits, undoubtedly, are of a different order, and though all bodies are descended from one stock, in the descent, tares have become mixed with the wheat; in some cases, much more than others. Then it is decreed that the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman (Genesis 21:9-12).
There must be some reason before birth in each individual case why one has a different birthright to another.
The Lord said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" Jeremiah 1:5. There are those who are, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit…" 1st Peter 1:2. In Jesus was fulfilled the reference, "…a body has Thou prepared Me" Hebrews 10:5 (ie., a body prepared for the Spirit, Christ). "Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God" Hebrews 10:7.
If the Elect are a comparatively small number, what share of God’s Promises do you consider apply to the balance of mankind?
As shown before, all who die will receive the salvation of the soul (1st Corinthians 15:23; Revelation 22:12). They lose the physical body, but the soul and spirit will come together in the resurrection, and in a celestial, spiritual body, they will enter into eternal happiness; the believer at the first resurrection; the impenitent, after suffering for their sins, at the second resurrection. "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust" Acts 24:15.
The WHOLE of the SCRIPTURES are OUR GUIDE
Then you believe that the Scriptures reveal a plan of redemption, that they are not merely a code of morals respecting this present lifetime?
They certainly make the claim that "…godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" 1st Timothy 4:8.
They reveal the plan of God, whereby man, who was first a disembodied spirit, may now, whilst in a physical body, reach to a higher state than was possible whilst he was spiritual only.
In the spirit creation Jesus Himself was Spirit only (in the name of Michael ), later He took a physical body of flesh and blood, the Son of Man; but when He was anointed and the power of God dwelt within Him, then He was the Son of God, Jesus being the firstborn among many brethren.
The method whereby the Divine Spirit will overshadow the creature and will conquer sin in man and woman, is by published decrees showing that as by man came death, so by man (ie., the pure seed of the woman, Jesus) came life; a ransom was secured for the creature who had fallen under the power of Satan.
Disobedience brought death in the first Adam and his descendants, but obedience in the woman’s seed, Jesus, secured a reprieve.
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" 1st Corinthians 15:22. The soul of every man is to be redeemed, in his own order (see 1st Corinthians 15:23).
Some persons accept physical death as inevitable, and anticipate it with the hope of a spiritual life at the resurrection (Luke 20:36; 1st Corinthians 15:44), but others desire and pray to have the following prophecy fulfilled in them, ‘without death’, "If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness; then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth" Job 3:23-25.
"…we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" Romans 8:23.
Some INSTRUCTIONS given to ISRAEL for their BENEFIT - Deuteronomy 5:29
St. Paul in 1st Corinthians 12:14-26, and the Psalmist, in Psalm 139, tell of the wonderful structure of the physical body of man. God desires us to appreciate this, and through His law, He tells how we can best take care of this gift, our priceless possession.
May we, briefly, refer to some aspects, and firstly, with regard to an important item of food. He instructed Israel in Leviticus 20:25, "…ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean". Who but God would know and be able to guide man regarding which foods would so detrimentally affect his soul? It has been said that, "We are what we eat’.
"It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood" Leviticus 3:17 (read also Leviticus 11:9-47 and 17:13).
These instructions came from God to people with human, physical bodies such as we possess today, then would not the same adverse effect come upon us now, as then?
Truly, as Jesus said, "…the life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment" Luke 12:23. Our bodies are a mixture of good and evil as a result of the original sin, and to cooperate in fulfilling God’s system to diminish the taint of evil within us, we must follow His guidance, and thereby show our willingness to assist towards this end.
Hence, it is written, that certain ‘mixtures’ should be avoided as mentioned in Leviticus 19:19, and this includes the wearing of garments made of a ‘mixed’ material, such as cotton and wool, or linen and wool, cotton and polyester, etc., the purpose being that our hearts and minds should always be mindful of the mixture of good and evil within us (Romans 7:18-23).
Another instruction God gave was against making "…unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" Exodus 20:4 (the 2nd commandment).
This is elaborated upon in Deuteronomy 4:16-18, where it explains, that this embraces "the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, … lest ye corrupt yourselves". In addition to the likeness of human beings, this instruction also covers the likeness of all things that God has created or caused to grow, such as flowers, etc. Why is this? Because, as is written in His word, "I am the Lord: that is My name: and my glory will I not give to another…" Isaiah 42:8. "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name" Psalm 29:2. It is not for man to imitate the works of God, nor to glory in the works of man which may in some way minimise the glory that is due to God.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters…Ye cannot serve God and mammon". Solomon, reputed to be the wisest of men, made a most positive statement in Ecclesiastes 12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man".
Concerning relationship between mankind, Jesus said, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" Luke 6:31. This precludes selfishness (see Leviticus 19:18). Also, that we should judge not, and condemn not. "…and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" Matthew 7:2. Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Pride hardens the mind, (see Daniel 5:20) and defiles a man (see Mark 7:20-22). Another sin that we must take heed and beware of is covetousness (see Luke 12:15).
MAN’S NEED for SPIRITUAL REINFORCEMENT
God has revealed so many things for our benefit, that we should not under-estimate the importance of passing over His guidance which is given for our good.
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" Matthew 4:4 (see also Luke 4:4 and Deuteronomy 8:3).
In our existing condition, it may seem that there are a multitude of instructions, but when man is born again, of God, and this evil nature in us has gone, and we have a new heart, and a new spirit (see Ezekiel 36:26), then man cannot sin, but he will, automatically, do God’s will.
However, whilst we still possess our natural, physical bodies, we should realise that it is not possible for us, of ourselves, to serve God as we ought, nor even as we desire. Our progress toward our ideal depends upon the spiritual reinforcement that we receive from the Holy Spirit, for which Jesus has stressed that we ask.
Paul said, "Not as though I had already attained, …but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14) to be of that "…glorious Church not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" Ephesians 5:27.
The Jews are mono-theists, they believe that there is one only, God. Do you differ from them in this point?
No. The Lord our God is ONE god, in the sense of unity, the Hebrews used the words ‘Adonai’ and ‘Elohim’ when speaking of the Most High.
Then you are Trinitarians, how do you define the Trinity?
We believe that God is a Trinity, three in one, and one in three, three distinct entities, yet one God. To quote Matthew 28:19, we worship in the "…the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost".
The Father, God, is a Spirit (see John 4:24). "…Jehovah, the most High over all the earth" Psalm 83:18. "…behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee" 1st Kings 8:27.
He is God Almighty, the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11). "Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?" Malachi 2:10. He is called "…the Father of spirits…" (Hebrews 12:9) and "…who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the father by the prophets" Hebrews 1:1.
From the Immortal Creator emanate the two Immortal Spirits of the Godhead: Christ, the Son, the Immortal Bridegroom, and the Bride, Jerusalem Above, the Holy Ghost (Galatians 4:26).
"For as the Father hath life (eternal) in himself; so hath he given to the Son (Jesus Christ) to have life (eternal) in himself" John 5:26. "For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us" 1st John 1:2.
We believe that in accordance with Luke 1:35, the Holy Ghost came upon the Virgin Mary, and the Power of God overshadowed her, and that the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when, as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost (see Matthew 1:18).
His flesh and bone were of the virgin Mary, and hence He is referred to as the Son of man; but when He was baptised at the river Jordan (see Luke 3:22; Matthew 3:16,17) the Spirit of Christ, which was with God before the foundation of the world (John 17:5) descended upon Him, He then was called "Jesus Christ", the Son of God.
The anointing of the Holy One, made Him the anointed, or Christ the Lord (Acts 2:36; 10:38). By this power, Jesus called sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13), healed the blind, the lame, and the deaf, preached the Kingdom of Heaven, and the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. In 1st John 4:14, it reads, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world".
By the accomplishment of this work, He, the man, Christ Jesus, is the one Mediator between God and man (1st Timothy 2:5), and is now seated on the right hand of God, exalted, and hath received the promise of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:33) to impart unto the remnant of Israel. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" John 14:26.
We understand that this additional strength of the Holy Ghost (the Bride of Christ, the Spirit which is hid with Christ in God - Colossians 3:3) has emanated from the Father in these latter days, and its cooperation is available to all who will sincerely seek it, to enable them to render true and perfect obedience to His Holy Law and Gospel, and thereby overcome the temptation of sin, and destiny of physical death; freed from the bondage of an evil nature, mankind will live in this cleansed physical body, and not die.
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me (the full power of the Trinity) shall never die. Believest thou this?" John 11:26. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the (natural) law of sin and death" Romans 8:2.
Why do you speak of the Holy Ghost as being feminine? In the Scripture, it is generally referred to as masculine?
True, in the sense that that Female Immortal Spirit is ‘accompanied’ in its operations by the masculine power (a dual unit). The Spirit (Christ) and the Bride (the Holy Ghost) say, Come" Revelation 22:17.
God, in the beginning, used the one term which, in itself, appears masculine, to designate the two spirits, male and female, which were sent to minister to a body on this planet. "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called THEIR (emphasis added) name Adam" (Genesis 5:2). "…neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" 1st Corinthians 11:11.
God is a Spirit, then what is the Godhead?
The Godhead is the Spirit of Christ (the Son), combined with the Spirit called the Holy Ghost, which two dwell in the physical body of Jesus, as recorded in Colossians 2:9.
The DEVIL, Malignant Spirit, the ENEMY of ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS - Acts 13:10
A question comes to mind, concerning the power that is opposed to the Creator. You do not look upon the devil merely as the principle of evil; you believe him to be a distinct spiritual being?
Yes, it is not merely the absence of goodness, or simply a principle which is called the devil, but a distinct, thinking, evil personality, an disembodied spirit, who with evil minded spirits like himself, are referred to in Jude 6, "…angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation…".
"…the devil sinneth from the beginning…he that committeth sin, is of the devil" 1st John 3:8. Jesus and the Pharisees declared Beelzebub to be the prince of devils (Matthew 12:24).
"…Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" 2nd Corinthians 11:14,15.
The question of the personality of the devil does not rest upon these passages alone?
No. It is declared that the Lord will lay hold on "…the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bind him a thousand years" Revelation 20:2. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" Ephesians 6:12. The devil put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus (John 13:2).
The devils said to Jesus, "Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8:29. "Again the devil taketh him (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" Matthew 4:8,9.
Jesus speaks of him as the ‘prince of this world’ (John 14:30). Job refers to a time when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came among them.
Further references may be found in 1st John 4:1; Matthew 10:1; James 2:19; 4:7; Jude 9; Revelation 16:14; Isaiah 14:12-15).
The Spirit Christ came to fallen mankind to do the work for the salvation of the souls of all (1st Timothy 4:10).
By passing through death, and proving to Satan that he had no power to corrupt His pure and sinless body, Jesus Christ then made it possible for the Spirit of the Holy Ghost to do the additional work of cleansing and redeeming the physical bodies of Israel, from his (Satan’s) power (John 16:7, and so completely bruising the serpent’s head, as foretold in Genesis 3:14, "…it shall bruise thy head".
Israel’s teaching is, that by His death and resurrection, Jesus broke Satan’s power of eternal death to all souls, and to the living bodies of mankind.
He manifested the spiritual (John 20:17) and also the physical (Luke 24:39), life; and He made possible the life of the soul after the death and corruption of the body, and the more abundant physical life without death, to the bodies of the Elect, when they have been cleansed and redeemed from their evil nature (1st Corinthians 15:54).
The TREE of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL
Do you believe the tree of knowledge, mentioned in Genesis, to be merely a fruit tree of the botanical order?
No, men and women are frequently spoken of in the Scriptures as trees. "…all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" Isaiah 55:12. "…all the trees of Eden…shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth " Ezekiel 31:16. The wicked are "…trees whose fruit withereth" Jude 12. The righteous man will "…be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" Psalm 1:3.
Isaiah speaks of "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord" Isaiah 61:3.
We understand it is woman that is referred to as the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and that Satan persuaded her to disobey God's instruction (Genesis 3:6). As a result of this, our first parents went through a physical change; they were no longer immortal, but henceforth they lived by a life of blood.
The Spirit of God does not dwell in human blood (1st Corinthians 15:50) and their spirit dwelt outside their body - ‘upon them’ but not ‘within them’ as formerly. The evil within their bodies caused their blood to be impure, which produced an evil nature and brought them into captivity to the law of natural sin, and resultant physical death (Romans 8:2).
Although God created the good and evil (Amos 3:6) He has indicated that His people should keep their physical bodies clean and pure (Leviticus chapter 15). When the change takes place from mortal to immortal, God will cleanse the blood of those who have kept His Laws and Commands (Joel 3:21).
NON-RESURRECTION of the PHYSICAL BODY
You have stated that the bodies of the wicked will be destroyed, and their souls preserved. Do not some people teach that the natural bodies of the righteous will be raised in the resurrection?
Some do believe in the resurrection of the physical body, but we do not see that such a hope is in accordance with Scripture. Job tells us in chapter 7, verse 9, "As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away; so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more". We know from other references throughout the Bible that all souls will be raised, therefore this verse refers to the body only.
How do you understand Romans 6:5, "For we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection"?
Jesus showed two distinct and different bodies at the time of His resurrection. The body in which He appeared to Mary at the sepulchre was a spiritual one, which could not be handled.
"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father" John 20:17. We believe that this body is a resemblance of the one that will be given to those who have believed on Jesus at the time of the first resurrection.
Afterwards, He appeared to the disciples as they sat in the room with closed doors, with a natural immortal body, and said to them, "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. Here was shown a wonderful example of a natural body having been made immortal, and this is the type of body that Israel will also have when they are changed and made immortal.
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up (the soul of) Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ (the body here being called Christ as Christ raised it) from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" Romans 8:11. Christ has therefore a twofold mission: to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of His people, Israel.
Yet in Job 19:26, the prophet declares, "…in my flesh shall I see God", and Job is among the dead?
We should look carefully at the subject about which Job was speaking. The spirit of prophecy was upon him when he made that statement, and he definitely was not speaking of the preservation of his own physical body.
Job realised he may be called upon to die as a saint, but said, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God", Job 16:9,10, ie., in his descendants he would see God manifested; a remnant whom he would see with the eyes of his spiritual body in the resurrection, "Whom I shall see for myself, and mine sees shall behold…For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" Job 19:27,25.
David makes use of a very similar statement in Psalm 16:9, 10, "…my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption". In Acts 23:31, Peter shows that David referred to Jesus as ‘my flesh’. Jesus descended from David.
"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up (the body of Jesus) Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. For David is not ascended into the heavens…" Acts 2:29-32, 34.
How do you understand this passage, "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead" (Isaiah 26:29)?
The dead body of Jesus, His corporeal body, did arise, for death and hell could not hold it; there was no evil in it to cause it to go to corruption. Further, all the dead shall be raised, through the power of Christ, at the resurrection. But Scripture shows that the bodies that have gone to corruption are not raised, it is that part of their being which has been asleep in the dust, ie., the soul, which will come forth on the resurrection morn.
Still, is there not some reasonable ground for the belief, held by so many, that the natural mortal bodies of those who die will be raised again? St. Paul says, "God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him" 1 Corinthians 15:38.
St. Paul’s references to the resurrection appear to us to show most conclusively that the natural, mortal body which dies, will not be resuscitated, for it is only the soul that will rise on the resurrection morn. In the chapter quoted above, he says, "How are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come? That which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or some other grain, but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him. There are celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" 1st Corinthians 15:44.
The word ‘hath’, ‘as it hath pleased him’, denotes that God hath ordained in His plan, which He formulated before the foundation of the world (2nd Esdras 3:1-6) what type of body the dead would have in the resurrection. It is the evil remaining in the blood which causes man to die, and his body to corrupt, and return to dust (Ecclesiastes 12;7) and Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 15:50, that corruption cannot inherit incorruption; in other words, God’s plan does not provide for another body to be formed out of that dust. The soul only shall rise out of the dust of the natural physical body that went down to the grave, and it will form a spiritual body for the spirit to dwell in, and so be as the angels, and as Jesus appeared to Mary (John 20:17).
EXEMPTION from PHYSICAL DEATH for 144,000 of ISRAEL
How can men and women get redemption of the body?
By mankind living in accordance with God’s revealed will, "…if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" John 8:51.
The physical bodies of our first parents became mixed with evil, and impurities, and their destiny for immortal life was forfeited; they became subject to death as we know it today. The impure condition has been transmitted to all successive generations since then, but as the result of complete obedience to the revealed Will of God, observing the requirements of His Law and Gospel, God has also promised to cleanse the blood of the remnant, that they be made like unto Jesus.
The righteous dead shall be raised with incorruptible, spiritual bodies, and the cleansed, living, physical bodies of the remnant shall be changed from a life of cleansed blood, to a life generated by the Spirit of God.
The spirit, soul and body then dwell in the Spirit of God (you in me – John 14:20) which is the Kingdom of Heaven, preparatory to God’s Spirit, with man’s spirit, entering within the body of the individual (I in you – John 14:20).
In 1st Timothy 6:16, it is written that Jesus Christ only hath immortality, the source of His life was spiritual, and when He dwells in His Elect (I in you) their life will be sustained by the same Spirit, and "…because I live, ye shall live also".
Does the Plan of God provide that immortal life shall be attained by any human beings?
Yes. 12.000 out of each of the 12 tribes of Israel, described as God’s Elect; the true children of Jacob, a remnant of Israel, who will be made in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh. (See Micah 5:8; Zechariah 8:12; Zephaniah 3:13; Philippians 3:21; Mathew 24:22; Revelation 7:3,4; 14:1.)
By the assistance of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), their bodies will be cleansed of evil, and their nature purified and redeemed, whilst living. The restitution of all things, including a restoration of all faculties which were impaired by the original disobedience to God’s instruction; having been restored by their obedience, they shall overcome the power and influence of Satan, and through cooperation of the Spirit, shall mortify the deeds of the body and live. (See Romans 8:13; 12:1; Revelation 14:4; John 8:51; Psalm 102:20.)
What do you consider to be some of the most pointed promises concerning the deliverance?
The following words of Jesus were used with reference to this Remnant. "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil" John 17:15. "…if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" John 8:51. His words exactly correspond with other parts of the Holy Writ regarding the redemption of the body.
We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, "…who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…" Philippians 3:21.
"This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever" John 6:58.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that y present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" Romans 12:1.
"These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men (the living), being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb" Revelation 14:4.
Where are the remnant of Israel today?
They are scattered among the nations to the uttermost parts of the earth (Mark 13:27), in the midst of many people, and will be gathered at God’s appointed time (Jeremiah 31:10), when all prophecies relating to their Ingathering shall be fulfilled. (See Ezekiel 39:23-39; 37:1928; 36:24-28; Amos 9:9; Micah 5:8; Isaiah 11:11,12; Jeremiah 31:31-37.)
The message pertaining to their full redemption of spirit, soul, and physical body, is now being proclaimed, and they will hear, recognise, and believe its truth, that the Law of God and His Gospel are now being joined and united, and they will look for their Redeemer to bring Israel together to live and reign with Him in His glorious Kingdom, to be established here upon this earth. (See Luke 1:32,33; Revelation 3:21; 22:5; Daniel 7:27; Jeremiah 7:23; 23:3; 29:14; 31:7-10; Ezekiel 20:34; Joel 2:32; Micah 2:12; Deuteronomy 30:2,3.)