Ephesian 2:15

Question from the congregation..

What does Paul mean in Ephesians 2:15 when he says…

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; Ephesians 2:15

Answer

This is addressed to the Church that was in Ephesus. Which was mostly made up of Gentiles. We must remember that we are reading someone else’s mail, and we may never completely understand the rationale for what is written.

Verse 11 starts with a “therefore” so we must consider what came before, which goes through the idea that we are one, both Jews and Gentiles, “by grace through faith.”

Although Paul is speaking of the Law, he only mentions one (in particular) circumcision. Circumcision is the one law given to be a sign of the covenant, and forever separated Jews and Gentiles. [Gen. 17]

Human hands make circumcision, and the dividing wall or the partition was also made by man’s hands. Only one who was physically circumcised could move beyond the Court of the Gentiles and into the temple precincts and participate in the ceremonies. The uncircumcised were not allowed. 

FYI: This partition was a creation of the rabbis and was not original to the Torah.

Messiah’s sacrifice took away the need for the ceremonial law: that is the laws pertaining to the priestly and sacrificial rites. Which Paul calls “the law and the commandments and the ordinances.” Peter states this quite clearly in that, “Christ died once for all.” [1Pet. 3:18 ]

Paul, in making this statement, stresses that God made one congregation. That it is only through the work of Messiah that the one congregation can meet the commission to leave “the passions of our flesh.”[v3] Just as the Father and Son are one we should be one.

. . . that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21 

The rest of Ephesians is on how this will Work

Throughout the Old Testament, the terms stranger and sojourners are put for those who are not part of the Commonwealth of Israel. But now that is no longer valid. All are built on the Foundation.

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, Eph. 2:19-20

Which Bible Translation?

We are asked all the time “which translation is best?” Frankly all of them have problems. There is just no way to translate something as large as the Bible without letting ones preconceived notions sneak in, or outright prejudices get put in.

Aside from learning Greek and Hebrew, the best one can do, is know who did the translation that they are using, and what were their preconceived notion and prejudices. For instance the King James Version was translated by men who were making the point that James the King of Scotland was rightfully the king of England as well. Once you know it you will see the doctrine of the “Divine Right of Kings” stressed over and over.

FYI: Biblical Hebrew has about 1000 words. It is a simple language to learn.

We alway use the Revised Standard Version of the Bible in all three of our blogs. Many people have asked us over the years why we use the RSV of the Bible. Many feel that it is inferior to the King James Version, or the American Standard Version. Honestly, all of them are inferior to looking at the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Because of this we do try to put in a many references to the original languages as we feel can be inserted.

The RSV was translated by liberal scholars, the same scholars that wrote the International Critical Commentary on the Bible. For this one reason alone, students can look up the rationale for any deviant translation. It should be noted that none of these scholarly men believed in the authenticity, or for that matter the authority of the Bible. They were proponents of the “Documentary Hypothesis” a rather dubious belief that the Pentateuch or Torah was not written by Moses, but rather several men over an extended period of time. Yes, the RSV, was translated by these Liberal scholars, giving it the rather humorous altered meaning to its abbreviation, RSV, as the Reviled Stamped on Version! However because of the International Critical Commentary, the RSV is quite simply the only English translation that gives us the reason why a particular translation was made from the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. This allows the reader to study their justification. There is no other English translation that has such a reference. We can only guess at why there are Unicorns in the King James Version.

The International Critical Commentary on the Bible is out of copy-write and anyone can now use it as the title of their book.  The real International Critical Commentary on the Bible is a multi volume encyclopedia size collection, only some of which are available free on the internet.

FYI: We don’t actually recommend that anyone use these commentaries without prior reading of the first 13 chapters in Gleason Archer Jr’s. A Survey of the Old Testament Introduction. Archer carefully explains how invalid their preconceived notions are. The use of these books is a little like studying evolution in order to study biology. It is the same with theology, you must understand what these men have done in order to understand much of what has been written in the last century or so. So, although these books are absolutely wrong in their preconceived notions, they are linguistically valuable.

Recommended reading

Archer Jr., GLEASON  A Survey of the Old Testament Introduction. The best place to start is the first 13 chapters where he provides a complete overview to this late dating nonsense.

Oswald, T.  Allis – The Old Testament Its Claims and Its Critics

In The Mystery Religions

Some details may get lost due to the way translators translate. One of those things is the Babylonian god Mene.

FYI: The mystery religions always teaches the same thing where ever they are found, it is always the same, everyone is worshiping the same pagan gods under different names.

The Last Judgment (detail) by Rogier van der Weyden

The weighing of ones soul by the moon is goes back in ancient Babylon. The god of weights and measure as well as of the moon is named Mini/Mene. Mini would weigh the soul of the deceased to decide the fate of the soul. This story is retold in many mythologies around the world, In Egypt it is Anubis who performs this task, in Greek mythology the Scales of justice are erected near Cerberus, in Romanism it is the Archangel Michael who has been given the balances of God’s justice.

The “weighing of the heart,” from the book of the dead of Hunefer. Anubis is portrayed as both guiding the deceased forward and manipulating the scales, under the scrutiny of the ibis-headed Thoth.

All these false conceptions has landed in the Congregation and must be swept out.

This is what the hand writing on the wall was about. It was God stating that not Mini but God Himself who decided the fates of men.

24   “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed.  25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.  26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;  27 TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;  28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and

Statue of the god Anubis. 1.55m tall. White Marble. Gregorian Egyptian Museum; Room IV. Vatican Museums. http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/x-Schede/MEZs/MEZs_Sala04_07_014.html

given to the Medes and Persians.” Dan. 5:24-28

As well as in Isaiah where Mini is translated as Destiny

But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny;  Is. 65:11

FYI: There is a language connection between ancient Babylonian dialect that is called by scholars “Chaldee” with the ancient language of the Britons from which English is partly derived. “Fortune” in this Isaiah passage in the Hebrew is “Gad” or “God” from which we get our English word God. We didn’t have a word for Deity so the early translators used one of the ancient Druid god’s personal name to translated the Hebrew ELOHIM. In doing so they forever changed the English language.

Babylonian concepts are every where we look. This is why we are commanded to come out of Babylon.

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; Rev. 18:4 

Psa. 1

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  

2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.  

4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.  

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;  

6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Babylonian Church

There is the inherited church which has been contaminated by the Babylonian Mystery Religion, and then there is the Congregation of the Lord. A people struggling to remove all of Babylonian thought that has for centuries plagued the Church.

The Lord told us this was to happen in the symbolic book of The Revelation. The information is presented in a way that only those that studied the language of the prophets would ever figure out. It was meant to be hidden, it was meant to be a secret.

The great mystery of The Revelation is the woman. Everyone who reads the prophets knows that the woman comes in two-forms, the faithful wife and the unfaithful whore.

The faithful woman was given a little help to flee from Satan and escapes into the wilderness.

14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.  15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. Rev. 12:14-15

However the next time we see her she is a fully corrupted whore.

3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.  4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication;  5 and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.”  6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Rev. 17:3-6

The study of how this happened will be our long term search. We know from the epistles of the New Testament that the corruption had already begun in that first century. But from history we know that this whole scale corruption came into being at the time of Constantine. When he made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, He put an end to the persecution of Christians. Which at first glance seemed a good thing. But the repercussions were anything but good. As everybody who wanted to be somebody in Constantine’s government, chose conversion to Christianity.  Constantine even bribed people to convert. This brought all kinds of un-repented pagans into the church. Many of their practices and beliefs were renamed with Christian names to make them acceptable to the Christians.

Over the centuries it only got worse. After the fall of Rome the light of learning was taken from the Western World, which left people with superstition and unfounded beliefs. Just as The Revelation predicted we entered the Dark Ages.

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, Rev. 6:12 

No light of learning was even available, except in small isolated persecuted congregations. Then the light began to return with the Reformation. But the cleaning out of our temple was incomplete and the process started by them must be re-instituted with every generation. Our problem is that for every pagan idea or influenced we remove, there is always someone dragging another one in the back door.

Our struggle continues. For we are to present ourselves as a pure white bride for our king. Whatever comes from Babylon must go. To find what is of Babylon we must study Babylon in all her forms and in all her mysteries.

We will seek what is Babylon so we may put her back in her ephod and send her back to where she came from. [Zechariah 5:5-1]

Bastards In The Assembly

The first time I heard this distasteful word was when I was five years old and about to go to kindergarten. My mother sat me down and made me promise not to tell anyone that I was adopted. I was very confused by this request. But she went on to explain that there were people in the world who might be mean to me because my parents were not married when I was born and call me a bastard. I was still more confused because my dad and mom were married. She smiled and explained that yes they were married and that I was their daughter and no one else’s, and therefore not a real bastard.

Then as an adult I saw this verse.

“No bastard shall enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD. Deut. 23:2 

This brings to mind two questions. What is a bastard? What does it mean to enter the assembly?

Bastard

The English translation seems pretty straightforward. However mamzer is one of the rarest words in the Hebrew. The standard way of ascertaining what a word means is to look at all its uses. That’s hard to do when it is used only one other time in the whole of the Old Testament were it is translated mongrel not bastard.

. . . . a mongrel people shall dwell in Ashdod; and I will make an end of the pride of Philistia. Zech. 9:6

So what is a mamzer? That’s a little hard to tell. It should be noted that none of the children born in the Bible to unmarried or incestuous relationships are called mamzer. [Gen. 38:26-29; Judg. 11:1-2; 2Sam. 12; Hos. 1:2]

The mongrel people dwelling in Ashdod were most likely a group of people who moved into the empty cities of the Gaza. These new people are not the Philistines, the warrior giants of the famed Goliath and his brothers. These are people that have moved into the area after the Philistines had long disappeared from the historic record. The last mention of Philistines in the Bible was king Ussiah breaking down their walls. After this, the Egyptians and the Assyrians stop recording dealings with them.

And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 2Chr. 26:6

All this leaves us with only one conclusion. They are children of a mixed religion marriage, e.g. a Israelite married to a pagan worshiper.

Enter the Assembly

If you look back at Deut. 23 passage you will see that there are others that are restricted from entering into the congregation for ten generations, the eunuch, the Ammonites,  and the Moabites. Edomites are only restricted for three generations.

“He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the LORD. Deut. 23:1 

“No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none belonging to them shall enter the assembly of the LORD for ever; Deut. 23:3 

The children of the third generation that are born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD. Deut. 23:8

Some think that these people were excluded from communication with the   people of God in their religious services. This is because the eunuch, the Ammonites, and the Moabites were servants or slaves and would have been present during services.

However eunuchs and foreigners are encouraged to stay in the congregation.

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” Is. 56:3

Then there is a theory that it only means that they are excluded from having an office in the congregation, meaning they could not be judges or elders. The reasoning behind this is because those of the priestly class were not allowed to served as priests if they had a blemish, such as crushed testicles than these excluded people were to be treated the same. [Lev. 21:16-24]

The only other place were there is an explanation of this is the putting away of the foreign wives and children in Nehemiah.

On that day they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God; Neh. 13:1 

It was permitted to marry people from these nations as long as they proselytized. Ruth is the prime example of this. She merely states “Your God is my God.” [Ruth 1:16] However after their time in Babylon they had acquired wives and therefore children that were unconverted.

So based on the Nehemiah passage those that were excluded from entering the assembly were those that were attached to the Israelite in some manner but never changed their religion. These are the mamzers.

The enemy has stretched out his hands over all her precious things; yea, she has seen the nations invade her sanctuary, those whom thou didst forbid to enter thy congregation. Lam. 1:10

This is why Paul must clarify the position of individual faith, over corporate faith.

For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy. 1Cor. 7:14 

Messiah gave us the Kingdom Age. We are no longer instructed to maintain a physical nation, but rather a worldwide spiritual kingdom.

God Remembers

God does not forget, nor does He need to be reminded. The Hebrew zakhar  doesn’t always mean remember the way English does. It can also mean; protecting, deliver, to do a favor for, or keep a promise, intervene on behalf of, or grant a request,

Noah’s Ark by Edward Hicks – 1846

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; Gen. 8:1 

Then God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. Gen. 30:22 

Joseph used ‘remember in the same way when he asked Pharaoh’s butler to give a favorable report to Pharaoh about Joseph’s talents.

But remember me, when it is well with you, and do me the kindness, I pray you, to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. Gen. 40:14 

Broken Covenant

. . . then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.  Lev. 26:42 

And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. Num. 10:9 

The children of Israel may not keep their end of the bargain, however God will keep His promise.

Samson

Samson’s Fight with the Lion by Lucas Cranach the Elder – 1525

Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged upon the Philistines for one of my two eyes.” Judg. 16:28 ¶

When Samson asked to be remembered, it is not that he thought God had forgotten him, but rather that somehow the prophecy of his life would come to fulfillment.

. . . for lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Judg. 13:5

Samuel

And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy maidservant, and remember me, and not forget thy maidservant, but wilt give to thy maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 1Sam. 1:11

Hannah asked for the blessing of a son and when the blessing was granted the Hebrew uses this phrase that she was remembered.

They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her; 1Sam. 1:19 

Forgetting

The only time God forgets, is when He has done it on purpose. God promises a blessing in that He will not remember His children’s sin.

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Heb. 8:12

Remembering a Curse

The corrupted Church of Rome is cursed to drink Babylon’s cup.

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. Rev. 16:19 

What cup you may ask, why the same one ancient Babylon had made.

Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, therefore the nations went mad. Jer. 51:7

The drunkenness of Babylon is the false Religion of the Mysteries started at the Tower, where the main teachings is that a priest will stand between a person and the god. These priest always teach that all roads lead to God, and there is a mother goddess. The great mystery is that all gods are the same god only he is called by different names in different places.

The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; Rev. 17:4

Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. Rev. 18:6 

I have no idea what a double draught of the Crusades and INQUISITION might look like, but I think I will watch from the other side of the globe.

Forgiveness without Repentance

Oh how many times do we hear from sinners that we have to forgive them or not judge them? The “What would Jesus Do?” people seem not to remember that He took a whip to the sinners outside the temple. Like little children who say they are sorry after they intentionally hit their sibling, or the man in the Parable who was forgiven a great debt, yet extracted money from others. Sinners think they should be allowed their sin or mishaps as they are trying to do better.

Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; Luke 17:3

It doesn’t help that the congregation ignores the actual laws of God while producing a whole list of new prohibitions that are not sins at all. All this causes confusion as to what is right and what is wrong. There was a time when the Ten Commandments were part of every liturgy, but this is now viewed as old fashioned and out of date, and if might hurt people feelings, and we can’t have that. People with hurt feeling don’t stay and put money in the plate.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in thy commandments. Psa. 119:66

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Is. 5:20

True forgiveness only comes after repentance. In English repentance means regret and/or remorse, however in Greek metamelomai means to change directions, to change one’s mind, to turn and go the other way. Crimes must be paid for and victims must be restored. I’m sorry, just doesn’t cut it for the truly repentant.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. 2Cor. 7:10

The first step in repentance is a full recognition of the sin. Then and only then can there be forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1John 1:9

The congregation must return to the teaching of our Messiah. We have lost our way. We have forgotten our commission.

. . . and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:47

The Holy Spirit Possesses Power

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Rom. 15:13 

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we have hope. (See Also: Hope)

• Our hope is in a resurrection. [Act. 24:15]
• We hope that we will share the glory of God. [Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:27]
• We hope that we are saved. [Rom. 8:24]
• We hope in a future righteousness [Gal. 5:5]
• We hope on certain riches. [1Tim. 6:17]

Hope in Moses

Your hope can be set on the Holy Spirit or it can be set on Moses.

Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. John 5:45

However if your hope is set on Moses, Moses himself will condemn you for he wrote of Messiah.[John 5:46]

. . . by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, Rom. 15:19

The Power of the Gospel

It is by the Holy Spirit’s power that the Gospel is preached, and one must therefore assume received.

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Is. 11:2

The Spirit has the power to bring you to salvation as well as to keep you in salvation.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26

Messiah’s Power

While Messiah walked the earth the power he had was from the Holy Spirit and not His own.

. . . that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, Eph. 3:16 

Our strength and power to do the work of the Lord comes from the Holy Spirit. We are never left to our own strength.

The Holy Spirit Possesses Will

All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1Cor. 12:11 

The context of this verse is the giving of gifts by the Holy Spirit to God’s servants so that they may accomplish God’s will. If you want to take a full study on these gifts read our post on The Gifts.

Will, is the ability to think, with the purpose of planning or deciding on a course of action — ‘to purpose, to plan, to intend.’ It is our job to find out what those plans and purposes are so that we can use the gifts He willed to us to do His will.

The Holy Spirit has Personality / Intelligence

This gets down to the Holy Spirit’s life’s work or His purpose. The personality of the Holy Spirit is to be that conduit by which the right relationship between man and God is brought about. His sole function is to heal a person perceptions so that they can understand that the great sacrifice of the Son has reestablish our ability to walk with God.

To understand that work a person must be given knowledge and wisdom. The Holy Spirit purposes to reveal God’s plans and purposes to us.

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Is. 11:2

And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; Is. 11:3

Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them, and didst not withhold thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Neh. 9:20 

10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Cor 2:10-11

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 1Cor. 12:8

. . . they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. 1Pet. 1:11

. . . because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2Pet. 1:21