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Continuing our discussion from part one, sadly, and contrary to what is plainly taught in the Scriptures, there are some people -- such as those who blindly follow the deceptive and misguided teachings of the demon-inspired Urantia Book, which I like to refer to as the Unbelief Book -- who claim that the Lord did not have to die on the Cross. They erroneously state that Jesus could have lived out a normal human life span, and that our Salvation can be achieved through our forgiving each other alone.

As I said, this idea is in total contradiction to the verses I have presented thus far in this series. Jesus knew that He had to go all the way. He had to complete His mission. Even when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, and facing a moment of weakness, Jesus still committed Himself to do His Father's Will. Everything would have been in vain if He had not done so. However, once the Lord knew that all had been completed, consider what His final words were as He hung dying on the Cross:

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, IT IS FINISHED: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."


It was finished. It was over. He had done what He had come to do. It was not until that very moment when His life poured out of Him, that Jesus completely fulfilled the requirements of the Law. Until His innocent Blood was shed on the Cross, just like the sacrificial animals of the Old Testament era, His mission was not quite fulfilled. There was no chance of Salvation for us. There was no remission of sins until that point was reached. As we learned in part one, Jesus said:

". . . Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished."


"For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end."


As the Lord had said on a number of occasions, He had come to fulfill -- that is, to complete to the end, or to accomplish, from the Koine Greek word "pleroo" -- all of the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Jesus had come to put an end to the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament period, by offering Himself as the final Blood Sacrifice on the Cross. I believe that it is for this very reason that at the time of Jesus' Death on the Cross, the veil in Herod's Temple was ripped in half. God was giving a clear sign to the Law-bound Jews, that the day of depending on the Law -- that is, on the Torah -- for one's righteousness was over. The period of the Old Covenant or Old Testament was now over, and the era of the New Covenant had begun. Now they had no choice but to accept the Sacrifice of His beloved Son as the only valid Atonement for their sins, just as we do today thousands of years later.

As I explain in articles such as "Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?", in comparing Jesus' final Blood Sacrifice to the original tabernacle of Moses, and the yearly sacrifices which were performed by Aaron the High Priest and the priests who followed him in succession, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews likewise explains how these Old Testament rituals were merely a foreshadow of much better things to come. That is to say, they were a pointer to what Jesus would ultimately fulfill when He offered up His life as the Final Sacrifice for sin, once and for all. Consider the following verses:

"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in ONCE into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us . . . Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now ONCE in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself . . . So Christ was ONCE offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation . . . By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE for all."


Notice the Apostle Paul's repetitive use of the word "once". He wants to make certain that his readers really understand this important point. He wants them to realize that Christ's Sacrifice is all it took. Therefore, there is no longer any need whatsoever for any blood sacrifice of any kind by anyone else, whether they are Jew or otherwise. Paul then continues by explaining how the shedding of Christ's Blood was in fact the Ultimate Sacrifice. It was -- and is -- much greater than any animal sacrifice which could possibly ever be performed by the high priests of the Old Testament period, or by any other party. That is why in the previous set of verses, Paul also says "by a greater and more perfect tabernacle". He is referring to Christ's body, just as the Lord referred to His body as a temple in the Gospels. So, let me offer a warning to you. If someday in the near future the Jews in Israel begin animal sacrifices once again, watch out! Why? Because it will be a deception and strong delusion. Don't you dare fall for it! Paul wrote as follows:

"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"


The Apostle Paul then goes on to explain that in order for God's New Testament, or New Covenant, to be valid, Jesus had to die on the Cross first. There was no other way to activate or bring into force the New Agreement that God the Father was making with the world, except through the shedding of Jesus' Blood on the Cross. Just as occurs today with a legal will, the testator -- meaning Jesus in this particular case -- had to shed His Blood and die first, before the testament could be executed. Thus Paul writes again:

"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."


Please note that for the sake of emphasis, I have chosen the key verses in the previous Bible quotes. I really encourage you to read the ninth and tenth chapters of Hebrews in their entirety in order to obtain a fuller understanding of what Paul is saying. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to read chapters eleven through thirteen as well, because they also contain a number of verses where the Apostle Paul continues to discuss Moses, the sprinkling of blood, Jesus' Blood Sacrifice, the New Covenant and Jesus becoming our final High Priest. It is very educational, and will help you to even better grasp the amazing links between Old Testament rituals, and what Jesus accomplished for us in the New Testament.

As I explain in a number of other articles, despite Jesus' own testimony and dire warnings, not to mention the words of the writers of the Epistles, due to the hardness of their own stubborn, rebellious hearts, many of the Jews still did not get the point. They continued to resist the Gospel, and even fought against those brave Disciples who faithfully preached it. As one example, consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians regarding the ungodly Jews who continually tried to hamper the preaching of the Words of Life:

"For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost."


That is why about forty years later, in fulfillment of Jesus' own words in the Gospels regarding the approaching Wrath of God, and the desolation which would follow, God allowed the legions of Roman, led by General Vespasian under the orders of Emperor Nero -- and later led by Vespasian's son, General Titus -- to swoop down from the north, and totally conquer the land of Israel. As some of my readers will know, during a major campaign referred to as the seven-year First Jewish Roman War, Herod's Temple and Jerusalem were left in ruins. As I said, I discuss these historic events in much greater detail in some of the other articles which you will find on the Bill's Bible Basics website.

But the main point to consider here is that the Lord brought a very forceful and complete end to the false religion of the Jews, which centered around keeping the Law -- which no one could really do anyway -- and animal sacrifices. As I explain in other articles, the Jewish religious leaders used the Laws of Moses as an extremely heavy yoke and burden to keep the common people under their thumb. That is why they -- meaning the scribes and Pharisees -- hated Jesus when He taught such things as the following. They didn't want the people to be free of their legalistic yoke, because that is what kept them in power:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."


"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free . . . If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."


But God won in the end. Thus, for two thousand years now, the Jews have been without their beloved temple; even though they were given several opportunities to build a new one over the years. From what I recall reading a number of years ago, each time the Jews endeavored to build a new temple, God simply confounded their efforts. In fact, contrary to what many of my Christian brethren believe, as I explain elsewhere, I am not convinced at this current time that God is ever going to allow those stubborn Jews to build another temple. As I have fully explained many times now, the true Temple of God is a Temple of the Spirit. Furthermore, Jesus Christ -- who is the the slain Lamb of God -- is likewise the Chief Cornerstone of this spiritual Temple. Not only that, but we are also lively stones in it as well, because God's Spirit dwells within us when we accept Christ. This truth is made evident by verses such as the following:

"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."


"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."


"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT and in truth."


"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELL IN YOU. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."


"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ . . . Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that THE SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLETH IN YOU? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."


"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of THE HOLY GHOST WHICH IS IN YOU, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."


"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."


"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved [meaning our body of flesh], we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."


"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for YE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."


"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."


"And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; WHOSE HOUSE ARE WE, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."


"Ye also, as LIVELY STONES, are built up A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"


"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."


"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."


In stark contrast to the previous set of verses which clearly describe the True Temple and Church of God, now consider the following verses which reveal God's displeasure with -- and lack of desire for -- physical temples and church buildings. The message is very clear, in my view:

"Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?"


"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?"


"Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these."


"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."


"Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?"


"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;"


"And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?"


"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?"


As we briefly discussed in previous paragraphs, not only did Jesus' final Sacrifice do away with and replace all former blood sacrifices of the Old Testament period, but in similar fashion, He instituted a new priesthood in which He Himself is the High Priest over this spiritual temple. Again, this fact is confirmed by Scriptures such as the following:

"For verily he [Jesus] took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."


"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;"


"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."


"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."


"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;"


"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;"


So if we Bible-believing Christians form God's new spiritual temple as the previous verses clearly state, and if Jesus is the High Priest within this new spiritual temple, then as I mentioned earlier, if despite my expectations, the Orthodox Jews ever do manage to rebuild their temple, appoint a high priest and a Levitical priesthood, and again initiate blood sacrifices, I am convinced that it will be a complete farce. It will be a complete and utter abomination to God. It will be a terrible lie and a deception. It will be a continuation of their blasphemy against God and the Sacrifice of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. It will be just like the scribes and the Pharisees of old who in vain endeavored to establish their own righteousness by the Law, without Christ. However, as the Apostle Paul wisely wrote:

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and GOING ABOUT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."


Based on my understanding of the previous verses regarding the true nature of God's Temple, and His chosen High Priest, I do not believe that God wants or requires any more blood sacrifices from the Jews; because as we have clearly seen by way of this series, Jesus has already paid the ransom price in full for our Salvation, plain and simple. Furthermore, God does not require another temple, or even another high priest, because He already has both. Whatever you do, please do not simply brush aside my warning; because as some of you already know, right now there are in fact many deceived, pro-Israel Christians who would believe in this lie, if it were to come to pass sometime in the near future.

To reiterate one of our key points, Jesus came to fulfill -- or to meet the requirements of -- the Mosaic Law. Through His Perfect Sacrifice as the unblemished, spotless Lamb of God, He accomplished what we can never do ourselves. He opened the way for us to receive forgiveness, redemption and Salvation, and to inherit Eternal Life. As the Apostle Peter writes in his first Epistle:

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"


Please note that in the previous verse, and as also occurs in other verses which are found in the Scriptures, the word "conversation" is derived from a Koine Greek word which actually means manner of life, conduct or behavior. It is not referring to holding a verbal conversation. In short, Jesus put an end to the requirements of the old Mosaic Law for Salvation, and introduced the Law of the Spirit. Jesus brought us under the umbrella of God's Grace, so that we no longer have to try to earn our Salvation by the works of the Mosaic Law and its harsh mandates. For example, recall that in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says the following:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."


As we have already learned from earlier paragraphs, that is exactly what Jesus did. He accomplished what He set out to do. That is precisely why after He had risen from the dead, and had accomplished all things according to His Father's Perfect Will, Jesus said the following when He appeared unto His Disciples:

". . . These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."


So, because Jesus already did it for us, we don't have to do it ourselves; not that we could do it anyway. After all, as the Apostle James writes in his Epistle, it is impossible for any of us to observe and keep the entirety of the Mosaic Law. We simply can't do it; and that makes us guilty as charged:

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."


You see, that was in fact the purpose of the Law. As Paul so clearly explains to us, it was our schoolmaster. Not only to show us what sin is, but also to show us that we are guilty as charged, as we see by the following verses:

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."


"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I HAD NOT KNOWN SIN, BUT BY THE LAW: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."


"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"


Do you understand what Paul means by that last sentence? He is talking about Jesus; just like what we read a minute ago in Luke 24:44. How do we know this? Because Jesus is the revealed -- or manifested -- "righteousness of God" which was concealed in the Mosaic Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament era. Scroll back and read that verse again if you have to. In that same Epistle to the Romans, Paul confirms that through our faith in Jesus' death on the Cross, we are now dead -- that is, freed, liberated -- from the bondage of trying to keep the Laws of Moses in order to obtain our own Salvation. As he wrote in Galatians, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. That is, we are no longer under the Law, because we have come to faith in Christ:

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."


Please go to part three for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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