First and Second Statements of the Covenant of God (No. 96B)

Introduction

What really happened at Sinai with Israel in the wilderness? We are told by the NT that it was Christ that was with them in the wilderness and that he gave them the law of God. Many people try and avoid this issue and Radical Unitarians deny that Christ had any pre-existence just to avoid the logical consequences that follow on such a fact (see also the paper The Pre-existence of Jesus Christ (No. 243)).

1Corinthians10:1-4

[1] I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, [2] and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, [3] and all ate the same supernatural food [4] and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (RSV used throughout)

As Christ is the same yesterday today and tomorrow it runs contrary to logic that he would change the instructions he gave to Moses and that he himself was to follow and that the church he established would follow because a group of Antinomian Gnostic Sun Cultists would enter the church and corrupt it.

Christ as the Messenger of the Presence, and the Messenger of the Covenant gave Moses two statements of the Covenant of God. One statement was at Horeb and the other was in Moab. These were in addition to the Commandments and the Laws at Sinai. Moses is explicit that they were the words commanded to him by the Yahovah of Israel both at Horeb and in Moab before they were to enter the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 29:1-29

[1] These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he had made with them at Horeb. [2] And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, [3] the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders; [4] but to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear. [5] I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out upon you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet; [6] you have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink; that you may know that I am the LORD your God. [7] And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them; [8] we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manas'sites. [9] Therefore be careful to do the words of this covenant, that you may prosper in all that you do. [10] "You stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, [11] your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, both he who hews your wood and he who draws your water, [12] that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God makes with you this day; [13] that he may establish you this day as his people, and that he may be your God, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. [14] Nor is it with you only that I make this sworn covenant, [15] but with him who is not here with us this day as well as with him who stands here with us this day before the LORD our God. [16] "You know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; [17] and you have seen their detestable things, their idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, which were among them. [18] Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations; lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, [19] one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, `I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.' This would lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. [20] The LORD would not pardon him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy would smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book would settle upon him, and the LORD would blot out his name from under heaven. [21] And the LORD would single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law. [22] And the generation to come, your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, would say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick -- [23] the whole land brimstone and salt, and a burnt-out waste, unsown, and growing nothing, where no grass can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomor'rah, Admah and Zeboi'im, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath -- [24] yea, all the nations would say, `Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What means the heat of this great anger?' [25] Then men would say, `It is because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, [26] and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them; [27] therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book; [28] and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as at this day.' [29] "The secret things belong to the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Note that it is this covenant that was made by God with Israel whom He had allotted, as we will see in Deuteronomy 32:8, to the son of God who was the Elohim of Israel and Yahovah of Israel to whom David refers in Psalm 45:6-7 and who is identified as Christ in Hebrews 1:8-9. They were explicitly told, both the sons of Israel and the foreigners who came from other lands to dwell among them, that they would be punished for breaking this covenant and for worshipping the other elohim that they had not been allotted. They were told, both the sons of Israel and the others sons of Adam who were brought to dwell among them, that it would stand as a witness against them for adopting false customs and gods that had not been given to them.

It was for this reason that the Sopherim changed the text in Deuteronomy 32:8 to read “sons of Israel” instead of “sons of God” even though there were always known to have been seventy nations and not twelve nations, being numbered according to the sons of God of the heavenly Host and which is the reason for the number of the Sanhedrin in Judgment.

The importance of this text was to show us the covenant that was made with the sons of Israel so that on the incarnation of Messiah these other nations would be brought into the Spiritual Body of Christ. This punishment hangs over Israel to this day and over all those people brought into the body of Israel which is the inheritance of Christ. Anyone who claims allegiance to Christ is subject to this Covenant. We will see as we develop this Covenant that it is confirmed throughout the Bible from the Torah through all the law and the prophets into the NT and is found as the seal of the covenant of the elect in the book of Revelation in two specific witnesses and on into the City of God.

These people, both Israelite and sojourner that come in among them to live as part of them, are all subject to the blessings and the curses of this Covenant. Thus, if Israel allows these Antinomian Apostates in among it to live and partake of the blessings of the Covenant they will also partake of the curses that the idolaters and Antinomians bring upon it in disobedience, and the penalty is to be sent into captivity under the curses of the laws of God.

Deuteronomy 30:1-20

[1] "And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, [2] and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you this day, with all your heart and with all your soul; [3] then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes, and have compassion upon you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. [4] If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will fetch you; [5] and the LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, that you may possess it; and he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. [6] And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. [7] And the LORD your God will put all these curses upon your foes and enemies who persecuted you. [8] And you shall again obey the voice of the LORD, and keep all his commandments which I command you this day. [9] The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground; for the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, [10] if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. [11] "For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. [12] It is not in heaven, that you should say, `Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' [13] Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, `Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' [14] But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. [15] "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. [16] If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. [17] But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, [18] I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. [19] I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, [20] loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

The remedy for these curses is readily available to Israel and the people that have joined themselves to Israel. The remedy is repentance. The Lord has said that he would circumcise their hearts, not their foreskins. He would then put all these curses on the foes and enemies that persecuted you. The Lord God will make the nations formed from the tribes abundantly prosperous in everything you do, whether it be work in body, or in mind, or in agriculture and husbandry or in the number of your people. God will bless you and bless the fruit of your labour and of your lands.

However, Israel and the nations grafted into it are wilfully disobedient. We have all listened to these fallen nations that have come in among us and we have not obeyed the lord our God; and we have to be sent into captivity. However, this time we will be brought out of it by Christ and he will take captivity captive and we will be forced once again, and this time for all time, to obey the laws of God.

The Everlasting Covenant

God has told us through Moses what this Covenant was to be and He has told us through Christ and the prophets what we are to do. It was told us before we entered the Promised Land what our blessings and curses would be and God is now about to smash us for disobeying Him. Had we obeyed and done as God instructed Moses to read the law of God every seven years as we had been instructed we would never have been deceived by these apostates and we would have shut our ears against them and we would have been preserved. However, we did not do so and our people have been sent into captivity and war again and again over the centuries. We have been invaded and subjugated until the numbers of our people were brought in, and the blessings of Abraham had been given to us by God as he promised Abraham. Now we are about to be dealt with and brought to repentance.

We will then be brought into the millennial system under Christ according to the laws of God as He sent Christ to deal with us and our enemies on the death of Moses, as we see from the next chapter. The text of Malachi chapter 5 is about to be fulfilled as we were told by the law and the prophets.

Deuteronomy 31:1-30

[1] So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. [2] And he said to them, "I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, `You shall not go over this Jordan.' [3] The LORD your God himself will go over before you; he will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them; and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken. [4] And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. [5] And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you. [6] Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." [7] Then Moses summoned Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall put them in possession of it. [8] It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed." [9] And Moses wrote this law, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. [10] And Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of booths, [11] when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. [12] Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, [13] and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess." [14] And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him." And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. [15] And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood by the door of the tent. [16] And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to sleep with your fathers; then this people will rise and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. [17] Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured; and many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, `Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' [18] And I will surely hide my face in that day on account of all the evil which they have done, because they have turned to other gods. [19] Now therefore write this song, and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. [20] For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. [21] And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their descendants); for I know the purposes which they are already forming, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give." [22] So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the people of Israel. [23] And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, "Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to give them: I will be with you." [24] When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, to the very end, [25] Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, [26] "Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. [27] For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are; behold, while I am yet alive with you, today you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more after my death! [28] Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. [29] For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands." [30] Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:

So this song is a witness against Israel and all its sojourners and those who aligned with it. It was given to Moses by Christ and is the song of the Lamb.

In this text we see the original version translated into English and the serious implications for us all in this song.

Is the Lord our God not the Father who created us all? Are we a foolish and perverse people?

Deuteronomy 32:1-52

[1] "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. [2] May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distil as the dew, as the gentle rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. [3] For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God! [4] "The Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he. [5] They have dealt corruptly with him, they are no longer his children because of their blemish; they are a perverse and crooked generation. [6] Do you thus requite the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you? [7] Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you. [8] When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. [9] For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. [10] "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. [11] Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, [12] the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no foreign god with him. [13] He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate the produce of the field; and he made him suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. [14] Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs and rams, herds of Bashan and goats, with the finest of the wheat -- and of the blood of the grape you drank wine. [15] "But Jesh'urun waxed fat, and kicked; you waxed fat, you grew thick, you became sleek; then he forsook God who made him, and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. [16] They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominable practices they provoked him to anger. [17] They sacrificed to demons which were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come in of late, whom your fathers had never dreaded. [18] You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth. [19] "The LORD saw it, and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. [20] And he said, `I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. [21] They have stirred me to jealousy with what is no god; they have provoked me with their idols. So I will stir them to jealousy with those who are no people; I will provoke them with a foolish nation. [22] For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. [23] "`And I will heap evils upon them; I will spend my arrows upon them; [24] they shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and poisonous pestilence; and I will send the teeth of beasts against them, with venom of crawling things of the dust. [25] In the open the sword shall bereave, and in the chambers shall be terror, destroying both young man and virgin, the sucking child with the man of gray hairs. [26] I would have said, "I will scatter them afar, I will make the remembrance of them cease from among men," [27] had I not feared provocation by the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge amiss, lest they should say, "Our hand is triumphant, the LORD has not wrought all this."' [28] "For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them. [29] If they were wise, they would understand this, they would discern their latter end! [30] How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? [31] For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. [32] For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomor'rah; their grapes are grapes of poison, their clusters are bitter; [33] their wine is the poison of serpents, and the cruel venom of asps. [34] "Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries?[35] Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. [36] For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone, and there is none remaining, bond or free. [37] Then he will say, `Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, [38] who ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you, let them be your protection! [39] "`See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. [40] For I lift up my hand to heaven, and swear, As I live for ever, [41] if I whet my glittering sword, and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries, and will requite those who hate me. [42] I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh -- with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.' [43] "Praise his people, O you nations; for he avenges the blood of his servants, and takes vengeance on his adversaries, and makes expiation for the land of his people." [44] Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua the son of Nun. [45] And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, [46] he said to them, "Lay to heart all the words which I enjoin upon you this day, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. [47] For it is no trifle for you, but it is your life, and thereby you shall live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess." [48] And the LORD said to Moses that very day, [49] "Ascend this mountain of the Ab'arim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho; and view the land of Canaan, which I give to the people of Israel for a possession; [50] and die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people; [51] because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Mer'i-bath-ka'desh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you did not revere me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. [52] For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there, into the land which I give to the people of Israel."

In this way Moses gave the instructions of Christ given to him by God to the people of Israel, and the multitude with them, before they took up the key of their inheritance.

The Covenant was given to them and they were to be bound by it and its sacrificial system until the sacrifice of the Messiah and the fulfilment of the Ceremonial Law. In that sense the division of the law into Moral and Sacrificial was completed and in the Sacrifice of Christ we see the completion into the one stream of the circumcision of the heart referred to by Christ when he gave these instructions to Moses at the foot of Mt. Nebo in Moab.

Christ was again to give these instructions to Jeremiah at the time Judah was to be sent into captivity, and the nations of Israel were to be established again with the sons of Gomer and Magog in the West. However, it was to look forward to a time ahead yet another seven times or 2520 years from this time to the Last Days. It also refers to Ephraim as God’s firstborn and not to Judah. However, they will both dwell together in Israel and the Promised Land.

This text was written after 587 BCE after God had depopulated and depleted Judah. Seven times after the battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE was the beginning of the demarcation of the 2520 days or seven times. WWI occurred and with the major battles in 1916. It saw the nations of Israel and their added nations literally tear each other to ribbons under the influence of Satan. This period of the restoration of Israel began in 1917 when the Balfour Declaration was made declaring Israel as the homeland. The British invaded Israel and the Australians took the Well of the Oath at Beersheba and then took Jerusalem. The Prophecy of Pharaoh’s Broken Arms (No. 036) ended in 1996 and so did the Time of the Gentiles. The Last Days began in 1997 and will continue to the Jubilee of 2027 (see the paper The Last Thirty Years: the Final Struggle (No. 219)).

This text in Jeremiah was written after 587 BCE and the fall of the Temple. Seven Times from this text began the Jewish persecution under the Nazis and God was telling Judah to repent and they did not listen. They endured ten years of persecution and then the war to establish Israel was undertaken and God began to deal with Judah in Israel.

These oracles pertain to the Last Days and show a reversal of the natural order (e.g. 31: 23ff.). God depleted and depopulated Judah (1:10). Ezekiel tells us He is to restore it (Ezek. 36:8-11). In verses 2-14 we see that God will reunite it with Israel (cf. Isa. 11:11-16). That is yet to be fully accomplished but will be done over the next few years.

Jeremiah 31:1-40

[1] "At that time, says the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." [2] Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, [3] the LORD appeared to him from afar. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. [4] Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with timbrels, and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. [5] Again you shall plant vineyards upon the mountains of Sama'ria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. [6] For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of E'phraim: `Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.'" [7] For thus says the LORD: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, `The LORD has saved his people, the remnant of Israel.' [8] Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here. [9] With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and E'phraim is my first-born. [10] "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands afar off; say, `He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.' [11] For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. [12] They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. [13] Then shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. [14] I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the LORD." [15] Thus says the LORD: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not." [16] Thus says the LORD: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. [17] There is hope for your future, says the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country. [18] I have heard E'phraim bemoaning, `Thou hast chastened me, and I was chastened, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for thou art the LORD my God. [19] For after I had turned away I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' [20] Is E'phraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD. [21] "Set up waymarks for yourself, make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities. [22] How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing on the earth: a woman protects a man." [23] Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: `The LORD bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!' [24] And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. [25] For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish." [26] Thereupon I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. [27] "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. [28] And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. [29] In those days they shall no longer say: `The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' [30] But every one shall die for his own sin; each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. [31] "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, [32] not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. [33] But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." [35] Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar -- the LORD of hosts is his name: [36] "If this fixed order departs from before me, says the LORD, then shall the descendants of Israel cease from being a nation before me for ever." [37] Thus says the LORD: "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the descendants of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD." [38] "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the tower of Han'anel to the Corner Gate. [39] And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Go'ah. [40] The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown any more for ever."

This time to which Jeremiah refers points towards the time of the Holy Spirit so that each man knows the Law of God in his heart and is no longer required to teach his brother.

Like he did with Moses, Christ instilled this process in the minds of Judah and Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. All the priesthood knew these prophecies and Christ was expected, when he did come, by many prophets and the priesthood in general.

The priesthood knew exactly where he was to be born.

The Magi very nearly had him killed because of their prophetic and astrological knowledge and the transmission of information. The Bible tells us that Herod tried to kill the children to get the Messiah,

All of Jerusalem was troubled by this news of the Magi.

Christ was presented at the Temple and the two aging prophets were spared by God in order that they may see the Messiah before they died. Christ was expected by Israel and Satan also knew all about it. The Christ was sent to Egypt for safety and to fulfil prophecy. There had been a Temple built in Egypt in accordance with prophecy a century and a half beforehand at least (Isa. 19:19).

Matthew 2:1-18

[1] Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, [2] "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." [3] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; [4] and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. [5] They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: [6] `And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'"[7] Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; [8] and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." [9] When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; [11] and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. [12] And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. [13] Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." [14] And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, [15] and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." [16] Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. [17] Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: [18] "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more."

It is recorded historically by Josephus that it was also not just children as the Bible states but many men of the house of David that were killed also.

Luke gives more information. Jesus is the English equivalent of the Greek name for Joshua in the Hebrew.

Luke 2:21-38

[21] And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [22] And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [23] (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") [24] and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." [25] Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. [27] And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, [28] he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, [29] "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; [30] for mine eyes have seen thy salvation [31] which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, [32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." [33] And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; [34] and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against [35] (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." [36] And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, [37] and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. [38] And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

It is thus beyond doubt that the priests and prophets of Levi and Judah and other tribesmen were prepared and knew that Christ was to come and some of them knew to the exact hour when he would come to the Temple. These were righteous people who kept God’s law and the faith of the prophets given to them by Christ as the elohim of Israel and the Angel of the Covenant.

How can it be seriously suggested that Christ as the Angel at Sinai and Horeb and in Moab and at Jericho and with the prophets and patriarchs would seriously do away with the law with which the One True God entrusted him.

He gave his life in obedience to God and the High Priest prophesied that year that he was to fulfil the sacrificial system and die for the people.

John 18:13-14

[13] First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Ca'iaphas, who was high priest that year. [14] It was Ca'iaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

This Antinomianism of the Christian faith is the greatest heresy the Christian faith has endured over time and in these Last Days and it will be stamped out along with its adherents who will depart from it and its apostate priests in horror.

Romans 16:17

[17] I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them.

For this is a call for the patient endurance of the saints. For these are the elect: those who keep the Commandments of God and the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17; 14:12). There is not long to go brethren.