“But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, AND TO JESUS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT……” (See Hebrews 12:22-24).
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation (the New Covenant), WHICH AT THE FIRST BEGAN TO BE SPOKEN BY THE LORD, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him” (Hebrews 2:3).
“Behold, I (the Lord) will send my messenger (John the Baptist), and he shall prepare the way before me (the Lord), and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, EVEN THE MESSENGER OF THE (NEW) COVENANT, whom ye delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:1)
After His resurrection, “Jesus Christ came and spake unto them (His disciples), saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (by His Father), Go, ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU, and, lo, I am with you unto the end of the world. Amen.'” (Matthew 28:19-20). And, thus, the Lord is with whomever is teaching all things He commanded even now in this 21st Century – even to the end of the world (or age)!
You might say that which is commonly called “the sermon on the mount” was Jesus’ inaugural address as the Messenger of the New Covenant. Every word He speaks in Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, is pure New Covenant doctrine. Take away any of the words He speaks in that sermon and you risk having Him take away your part out of the Book of Life! For two thousand years Satan has worked feverishly to cloud and confuse the meaning of many of the plain and clear statements Jesus utters in His inaugural address as the Messenger of the New Covenant.
“Think not that I have come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (Greek, pleroo, “magnify, expand, fully preach”).” (Matthew 5:17. And in the next few verses that is exactly what He begins to do. “For verily (truthfully) I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle (not the tiniest bit) shall IN NO WISE (not through an apostle’s teaching or revelation- IN NO WISE) pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Greek, ginomai, “be kept, be performed”). WHOSOEVER SHALL BREAK ONE OF THESE LEAST COMMANDMENTS, AND SHALL TEACH MEN SO, HE SHALL BE CALLED THE LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT WHOSOEVER SHALL DO AND TEACH THEM, THE SAME SHALL BE CALLED GREAT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” (Matthew 5:18-19).
And just so there would be no mistake WHICH commandments Jesus was speaking of, He quotes two of them word for word: “Thou shalt not kill” – the sixth commandment, and “Thou shalt not commit adultery” – the seventh commandment. (See Matthew 5:21 and 27). Now remember Jesus had already said not one jot or tittle could be changed in these commandments. Yet Satan moves quickly in the early church to convince spiritually gullible and deceived men that one entire commandment was changed, and the only commandment at that which begins with the word “REMEMBER!” (See Exodus 20:8)). “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy!” And you don’t think Satan has the power and intelligence to deceive you and ten thousand preachers and theologians???!! You are probably already deceived, friend. To be continued…..
Christ’s Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley