Paul told the believers in Rome, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime (by the prophets of the “Old Testament” era) were written for OUR learning” (Romans 15:4). Yes, the writings of these prophets were to comprise “the Bible” of these “New Covenant” Christians! They had no New Testament. The New Testament was just then coming into being piecemeal, here a little, there a little. They had no way of knowing that this very letter written to them by Paul would be preserved along with other letters he and other apostles would write and would eventually, CENTURIES LATER, be called “the New Testament!” Now perhaps it makes more sense why Peter, in writing New Covenant believers and speaking of the prophets of Old Testament times, told them that it was “the Spirit of Christ which was in them” prompting them to write the things they wrote, “unto whom it was revealed that NOT unto themselves (their own era, their own fleshly Israelite nation), BUT UNTO US THEY DID MINISTER the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost send down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into” (See I Peter 1:10-12).
Notice, Peter says it was the Spirit of Christ in these prophets of old that prompted them to write what they did. Therefore, when reading these prophets and reading where they say over and over again, “Thus saith the Lord” what they are actually saying is “Thus saith THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!” And when these prophets say, “Thus saith the Lord to Israel,” they are actually saying, “Thus saith the Lord Jesus Christ TO SPIRITUAL ISRAEL – TO THE CHURCH” in many, but not all instances. Bear this in mind when reading Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, as well as the rest of the prophets. Those believers who neglect to read and study these Hebrew prophets cut themselves off from vast oceans of truth and can have no real understanding of even the Greek scriptures – what men call the New Testament!
No wonder there are dozens and dozens of differing, dissenting, opposing denominations in the “Christian” religion! All who call themselves “New Testament” believers and neglect to consult what Christ is saying through these prophets are guaranteed to embrace tremendous error in their beliefs and teachings. Paul would say to them what he said to the assembly at Corinth: “Now in this that I declare unto you, I praise you not, that you come together not for the better, but for the worse” (See I Corinthians 11:17). Some of my neighbors think I am wrong, even ungodly, because I do not attend “worship” services with them in these erring assemblies. But when I do attend such assemblies I hear gross, far-reaching error being proclaimed from the pulpits of these “churches” as God’s truth. I realize that they are coming together not for the better, but for the worse. In speaking of how God dramatically punished the fleshly Israelites of Moses’ time, Paul says, “Now all these things happened unto them for examples, AND THEY ARE WRITTEN FOR OUR ADMONITION upon whom the ends of the world are come” (See I Corinthians 10:1-11). Yes, they were written for our learning, for our admonition, for our warning, to instruct us – spiritual Israel, God’s true church! God help you to understand is my prayer.
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley