Where do you get that I said the people in the OT were a shadow of Jesus?
I wanted to show that God created instructions for the People, and HE also created instructions for the Levites who HE had separated unto Himself to administer before HIM in the Priest's Office. The People were forbidden to partake in the Duties of the Priesthood. They were "Separate Laws, for a Separated people. It was this Priesthood and it's duties who was to be the Shadow of Christ, not the people or the Law that God gave to them. Two Separate Laws. One, given to all of God's People from the very beginning, to Abraham and to Abraham's Children as promised, and another Law "ADDED" 430 years after Abraham, "Because of Transgression" till the Seed, (Jesus) should come, as Prophesied.
Duet. 10:
8 At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him.
It was this "LAW" that the Jews were "bewitching" the New Converts with, as Paul tells us in
Gal. 3. The Priesthood Law was to lead us to our True High Priest, the Lord's Christ. Not the ten commandments or Love your Neighbor as thyself. Following those Laws is what Righteousness is in the first place. It's when we find we have broken them, that leads us to a Priest for reconciliation. As Jesus said;
Luke 5:
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And where did the "sinner" take his repentance to before Jesus came? Was it not the Levite Priest, "After the Order of Aaron"? And who do we take our repentance to now? A High Priest, Yes? But not a Levite, rather, the High Priest of God "After the Order of Melchizedek".
In the Spirit of brotherly love, I posted several scriptures for your consideration and examination. I was hoping for an honest examination and discussion surrounding them. I still have this hope.
The Jews had to get circumcised in the flesh,
No, they were to be circumcised in the heart, which was the true meaning of this Spiritual Commandment. As God Himself tells us through Moses.
Duet. 10:
16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
As Paul says;
1 Cor. 9:
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
This is more than 14 years after the death and resurrection of the Christ and Paul is still promoting God's instructions, but not the duties and "Works" of the Levitical Priesthood.
Ask yourself here, "Does God care about foreskins", is that why HE gave the command? Or saith HE it altogether for our Sake's. For our sake's, that is, New Priesthood believers, no doubt this is written.
they had to do various external washings, they had to adhere to dietary law, they had to observe special days, and they had to bring offerings, and animals to the priests.
You are combining the 2 Laws together as one GT. I don't know if you are capable of accepting anything other than what you now believe, but I hope so. God's creation of Clean and unclean was given to the People, from the beginning. It was not a LAW of the Levitical Priesthood.
Gen. 7:
1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Lev. 11:
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
Lev. 11:
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
I'm not going to argue with you about keeping or not keeping this commandment of God. I just want to point out the Biblical Fact that the "dietary" Law was not a Priesthood duty, or a Law given specifically for the Levite Priest. To believe it was, is to reject the Scriptures which clearly teach it was not. Jesus said "The Truth shall set you free". So from every translation, every available transcript of the Holy scriptures, the "law of beasts" was not a provision of the Levitical Priesthood "ADDED" 430 years after Abraham. I truly hope you will consider the scriptures here.
In the same manner, God gave His People
HIS Feasts, and Sabbaths long before HE made a Covenant with Levi and Separated him for the Priesthood. The Holy Days are not part of the Levitical Priesthood "works of the law". At least according to the God of the Bible.
Lev. 23:
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. 4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Again, these are not Laws, or instructions specifically for the Levite Priest. The Holy Days, just like "Thou shall Love thy neighbor as thyself", were written for the People. Even Abraham understood Passover.
Gen. 22:
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
But Levi was not even born yet, therefore Abraham was Justified "apart from the Law" of justification "ADDED" 430 years after him.
It's right there in your own Bible my friend. It's a great study, but a Truth not accepted by the religions of this world.
Of course, and, Aaron's sons were killed because they made unauthorized fire to the LORD.. God's commands have to be kept exactly.
You are missing the point GT. King Saul, if you would look into it, was supposed to bring the offing, but wait for the Priest to perform the Priesthood duties. This is because a man can not "purify himself" in the Old Priesthood, and he can not "purify himself" in the New Priesthood. A Priest of God is required before atonement can be granted. This is simply Biblical Truth.
I posted the Scriptures in which God showed the Separation, Again, between obeying His Commandments, Statutes, and Laws, and the Sacrificial "works of the Law" required in the Levitical Priesthood for forgiveness.
It would be great if you would actually address the Scriptures i post, as i address yours, in this way it isn't you telling me what to believe, or me, telling you what to believe, but both allowing the Scriptures to influence our mind.
Abel gave an animal sacrifice to God, as did Noah, even on the ark, and Abraham gave animal sacrifices to God. We even have a glimpse of the way to salvation through Jesus, not yet known, though, when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son.
The scriptures also show us too that God had certain requirements and commands and decrees for Abraham to follow, even before Moses
Genesis 26:4-5 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.
Absolutely. But Levi wasn't born yet, And Paul said the Law that Abraham didn't have, was the one ADDED 430 year later "Because of Transgressions". Where was the Levite Priest on the Passover in Egypt? Where was the Covenant of Levi on that Passover, and Feast of Unleavened bread? Where was the Levitical Priesthood Covenant with Levi when God gave Israel HIS Sabbath?
There was no Levitical Priesthood yet GT. The Covenant God made with Levi to provide for the forgiveness of their sins had not yet even been given.
This Truth is not taught in the mainstream religions of this world, but it is right there for your consideration. All you have to do is believe what is written.
Again, you misunderstood me, for the people had to go through the priests; however, they also had to do works themselves, too, for purification.
So do we, Right? Are you not teaching to the world that we need to Obey God for Salvation? Can we do this Apart from the High Priest of God? Do we not bring Him the best of our possessions, a contrite heart, repentance, humility, submission, Trust? Are these not the Offerings worthy of our New High Priest? And Yet, we can not be purified on our own. We are required, just as those Israelite's who sinned, to bring our repentance, (sin offering) or as Paul calls it "Works worthy of Repentance" to the Lord's Christ?
Biblical Truth is important GT. It is wrong to say God created a Priesthood in which a man can "Purify himself". It isn't true, God never did any such thing, according to scriptures. Even Abraham brought his offerings to the High Priest of God.
Gen. 14:
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
GA will not engage in any form of actual discussion or examination of Scriptures which can not be used to promote his religious franchise, or religious philosophy he has been taught by the religions of this world. It is very frustrating to say the least.
I am hoping that we can engage in an open, honest conversation about the popular doctrines promoted by the religions of this world we were born into. One such doctrine is what the "Works of the Law" for justification were, that Paul speaks to.
Thanks for the discussion.
