Colossians
2:16b
"…or
of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:"
See
where Paul puts Sabbath days? It’s frivolous, it has no use for us
whatsoever, and don’t let anybody try to tell you "that you’re
going to hell because you don’t keep the Saturday Sabbath or any other such religious holiday." We
hear that all the time from the people who live in our area of the
country because of the town and college it contains located just a
few miles down the road. "Oh the preacher said today, 'That if
we don’t keep the Saturday Sabbath we’re going to go to hell.'"
How awful when you have verses like this that contradicts that
completely. Don’t you let anybody tell you what day you have to
worship God. Now those things were valid, they did have a purpose in
the Old Testament economy because they were a shadow of that which
was to come, “the better thing,” which Jeremiah 31:27, 31-34 and Ezekiel 37:26 speaks of. What was their purpose, they
were to show in shadowy form something that was coming. Now even
Israel didn’t understand what they were, but God knew. It was He
Who was showing it dimly, keeping it veiled. Let me show you
another verse in Hebrews that says basically the same thing. Oh I can
hardly wait till we get into the Epistle of Hebrews even though it
was written to Jewish believers and not necessarily the Body of
Christ, nevertheless there is so much wealth in it that we can learn
from this Epistle, and here is one of them. Paul is reviewing all of
the aspects of the Temple worship, or the Tabernacle out in the
wilderness or whatever. Footnote I have already posted the Epistle of
Hebrews in this blog by now, it started in Feburary of 2012.
The
Cross Abolished all Legalism of ceremonies, rites, rituals, customs
and ordinances including the long hold traditions of Israel's
forefather.
Hebrews
9:6-7
"Now
when these things were thus ordained, (that is the ark of the
covenant, the mercy seat, and all those other utensils used in
worship) the priests went always into the first tabernacle (the
first room what we normally call the sanctuary),
accomplishing the service of God. But into the
second went the high priest alone once every year, (on the
day of atonement and remember our at-one-ment has already come)
not without blood(then he
would have to go back out and kill the second animal and offer it’s
blood), which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:"
Hebrews
9:8
"The
Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all
(the very throne room the chamber separated by a vail from the second, was the heavenliest place) was
not yet made manifest (no man dared to go into the presence
of God except the high priest once a year), while
as the first tabernacle was yet standing."
Here
is the reason we came here in verses 9 and 10. All those practices of
Israel’s Temple worship were just a picture of things to come, the
Better thing, in the personage of Christ.
Hebrews
9:9-10
"Which
was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both
gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service
perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats
and drinks, (in other words their various offerings of
ordinances became rituals) and divers washings,
(baptisms) and
carnal ordinances (external,
rules and regulations, also known as traditions),
imposed on them until the time of reformation (Messianic
restoration of Christ, see notes on Genesis 3:15 in this writing)."
They
were forced to worship this way. All these things were forced on the
children of Israel as part of their obedience to a Holy God who was
not operating in Grace, but rather God was operating under the
severity of the whole Law. When I say the Law was severe, what
do I mean? If someone was caught in the act of adultery, what was the
sentence? Death! There were no ifs ands or buts, no matter what the
excuses. It was death, and on top of that it wasn’t instant death,
but death by stoning, it was awful. The Law was severe, but it was
also a picture of that which was to come. It all spoke of Christ and
His ultimate judgment. When I say that the Law was severe and
hurtful as putting to death by stoning is, but remember this was a
picture of the work of the cross. As was the snake hung from a pole
in the wilderness of sin. And what happened at the cross? Christ
suffered beyond human comprehension, and for what purpose?
Because He loved the human race (His ultimate creation created in His
image and likeness), and it comes down to that same concept that the
work of the cross was precipitated by the Love and Mercy and Grace of
a Holy and Righteous God!
Lets look at a word for a moment and the word is “reformation”
what does it mean? Strong's Greek Word Dictionary G1357:
to straighten
thoroughly;
rectification,
restoration.
And
for us as believers its the restoration of all things lost our being
put in right relationship as a God-child just as Adam was before he
ate in disobedience and fell. Casting all of humanity from that moment on into darkness of sin and separation from God by a death to God. How was restoration [reformation] brought about through the
second Adam, Jesus the Messiah, Prophet-king of Israel, their Immanuel. Though
they deny Him to this very day, they will one day acknowledge Who He was and
for us Is.
Coming
back to Colossians chapter 2, and verse 17. I would be willing to bet
that 9 out 10 Church going Christians do not see the last few words
of this verse. Look at it. All of these things in the Hebrew
religion, everything, the holy of holiest, the ark of the covenant, the golden candlestick [menorah,
on each stem is a basin representing a seed, the basin or bowl where
oil is placed with the head of a man on its top, this being where the
wick is placed for light],
the mercy seat, the day of atonement, the brazen alter, the table of
show-bread, and all the things that pertain to the Temple and
Tabernacle were just a preview of things to come for what group of
people? The Body of Christ. Did you ever see that before? Look at it.
Colossians
2:17
"Which
are a shadow of things to come; but (the flip
side) the body is of Christ."
The
head of the menorah located on each branch and the center, has a bowl (seed) and
the stem with its wick which gives light, is a figure of Christ, the whole is the
body, the center the Head or wheel hub. From this we can see that is what they were all pointing
toward. The day when God would call Jesus His Son and Christ. Thereby
making Christ His finished work. Finished I say at the cross, He then
is the One Who would call out sinners from every point on the globe,
the four corners of the earth. Hebrew or Gentile, black or white,
rich or poor, and He could save them by Grace and bring them into the
Body of Christ and then through or into His Salvation. Had a
gentlemen the other night that that we had a nice friendly discussion
with and I made mention of the fact that there are people in almost
every group where there are true believers. Depending of course on
how much Gospel of 1Corinthians 15:1-4 they have preached at them. I
said it doesn’t matter whether they’re Lutheran, Methodist,
Catholic, Baptist or whatever, if they’re a true believer then
they’re in the Body of Christ. His eyes got that big, and said you
mean that you think that people can be saved even though they’re
not in my …... Church? I won’t say which one he said, you
probably know already.
But
listen, that’s not according to the Bible. The Body of Christ is
that composite of believers from whatever back ground that have been
saved by the Grace of God when they simply believed this Gospel for
their Salvation. And that in its simplest form is this Gospel. Which
is that Christ died for their sins, was buried and rose from the dead
and ascended back to His seat at the Fathers right hand, the position
of strength and power. That comprises then the Body of Christ,
which is the fulfillment of everything that had taken place for over
the past 2000 years or so. Let’s move on to verse 18, where "Paul
Warns The Church."
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