I did not come to destroy the Law And the Prophet but to fulfil (Yahshua, Mt.5:17).
Today’s Bible teachers often tell us that law observance in the New Covenant (New Testament, NT) has been cancelled or destroyed. But Matthew 5:17 says the opposite (see Bible passage above). Law in Hebrew is called Torah (i.e. instruction). Yahweh’s Law is His WORD made perfect. YAHSHUA ‘fulfilled’ or perfected or magnified the Law. The word “fulfilled” in Matt. 5:17 is understood from the context of ‘magnified’ or to make perfect as revealed by prophet Isaiah. It does not mean destroy, cancel or remove as erroneously taught today. The Law was corrected and perfected for us to obey all the truths therein because the Jewish leaders added and subtracted from it. Yahshua was destined to come and perfect it, and to make it honourable for us to keep and obey it (see Matthew Chapters 5, 6, and 7). Isaiah foretold how Yahshua would come to magnify or perfect the Law: “…He will magnify the law, and make it honourable” (Isaiah 42:21). Yahweh’s perfect Law of Liberty (i.e. Book of Covenant) was always placed inside the ARK of COVENANT and Israel carried the ARK and the LAW wherever they went because the LAW contains the SPIRIT and LIFE of YAHSHUA the ROCK that followed them (see John 6:63; 1 Corinthians 10:4; Exodus 23:20-23). Yahweh instructed Moses to place the Book of Covenant (2 Tablets of Stones) and the Book of the Law inside the Ark. The Book of Covenant was placed at the middle of the Ark. It contains the Ten Commandments – Law of Spirit, Law of Liberty or Royal Law: “And I will write on the tablets (stones) the Words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you are to place them in the Ark” (Deuteronomy 10:2). But the Book of the Law was placed by the side of the Ark: “Take this Book of the Law, and put it in the side of the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh your Elohim, that it may be there for a WITNESS against thee” (Deuteronomy 31:26). The Book of the Law contains statutes, judgements, laws, ordinances, and priesthood sacrificial laws. Both are called COVENANT LAWS, and none of them was removed, except the priesthood law of sacrifice. This law dealt with animal blood sacrifices. The Ark was built to shelter both Laws until Yahshua comes because the WORDS of the LAW were to be made FLESH in His Person. In Yahshua the Covenant Law (Word) became FLESH and lived amongst us (John 1:1-2, 14). The LAW was made perfect in Yahshua and the Ark ceased to exist on Earth. The next place the Ark was revealed was in heaven. John reported: “Then Yahweh’s temple in heaven was opened, and within His Temple was seen the Ark of His Covenant…” (Revelation 19:11).
BOOK OF COVENANT & SPIRIT OF YAHWEH
Indeed, when Yahshua took over, the BOOK of Covenant LAW was given to Him. He read it before the Jewish people. As He opened the book to read, the first thing He declared was that: “The SPIRIT OF YAHWEH IS UPON ME”. Thus the Covenant LAW from then rested upon Him. It no longer reside inside the Ark of Covenant, but upon Yahshua. He became the carrier and the end of the LAW, i.e. the end-result or the goal of the Law. He now carries the Law inside Him.
To let us know how important the Covenant Law is, Yahshua gave the Law a new name, “Bread of Life”, and thus proclaimed that He is that ‘Bread of Life’ that must be eating if one must possess eternal life. Naturally, Bread is food that sustains the body. Thus, Yahshua assumes the Bread of Life, making the Covenant Law – ‘Bread’ – a primary source of food to eat to live. This tells us the extent Yahshua tried to drive home the point that the Covenant Law of OT is not cancelled or removed. Rather, He becomes the substance of the Law that we must eat and drink for us to have eternal life. Yahshua declared: “I AM that Bread of Life…I AM the Living Bread which came down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever (everlasting); and the Bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world…Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you…” (see John 6:48-56). Earlier in Luke 4:16-22, Yahshua made it clear that He had come to fulfil and magnify the Law, which gives everlasting life to those who receives it (see John 12:50). Excerpts below shows that Yahshua is the awaited Messiah destined to liberate Israel from their captivity, and to preach the Good News (Gospel) of the Kingdom to them and the rest of the world, and to restore them to their own LAND (Kingdom).
And He (Yahshua) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and, as His custom was, He went into the Synagogue (Temple) on the SABBATH DAY, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: The Spirit of Yahweh is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the Minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the Temple were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare Him WITNESS, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:16-22).
YAHSHUA THE WORD OF COVENANT & ‘ANOTHER MESSIAH’
Here, the Law placed inside the Ark began to rest inside Yahshua Messiah, and no longer inside the Ark. Yahshua is the appointed and anointed Messiah (the promised ‘Seed of Abraham’) declared long time ago that He would come and receive the LAND for Israel (read Genesis chapters 12; 15; and 17). Unknown to the Jewish leaders, the very Lamb of Yahweh whom they have been expecting suddenly emerged in the Temple and began to declare the gospel message of the Kingdom. He told them that He is YAHSHUA, the TORAH HIMSELF, and the very WORD of YAHWEH whom they were searching for eternal life (John 5:39). He told them that the Torah (Scriptures) they search for eternal life is now revealed to them in FLESH (see John 1:1-2, 14; 5:39). He invited them to receive and believe in Him so that they might have eternal life – because He came in His Father’s name (John 5:39,40-43). But His people did not receive Him. They rejected His invitation to enter the Promised Land. The same invitation Yahshua extends to I and you today to receive Him so that we can have life and enter into His Kingdom when returns. Israel and many Church goers of today seek “another” messiah who was foretold shall come in his own name (John 5:43; 7:25-28). Is another messiah not being proclaimed today? Moses predicted that in this last days, Yahweh’s people will worship a new god, even the god that come recently. About 17th century, another messiah was found and received by Emperor Constantine and Bishops of Rome. According to Yahshua, he is that “another” messiah that shall come in his own name (John 5:43). Yes, the Greek Gentile “IE Zeus” code named ‘Jesus’ by Constantine and Bishops of Rome was sought and today many bow before him. The Christians are named after him and they wanders after him (Revelation 13:2-4). Notice significant points raised in Luke 4. Yahshua’s custom was to worship on SABBATH DAY (verse 16) but the “another” messiah’s custom is to worship on SUNDAY. Open your eyes! Two Messiahs are revealed to this age as referenced in John 5:39 and Luke 4:16. But only ONE is true. Messiah is not two but one (Joel 2:32; Acts 4:12); and it’s that ONE Messiah that will SAVE mankind during oncoming great tribulation and wrath of Yahweh. One is called Yahshua Who came in the Father’s name, and made Sabbath day His day of worship. The “another” messiah [‘Jesus’) came on his own, and he worship and teach men to worship on Sunday. Sabbath and Sunday which one is commanded all men to observe in the Scriptures? It’s Sabbath ofcourse! Sunday is commanded nowhere in the Bible as a day of worship. The Law is the Word that contains Yahshua’s Spirit and Life for our salvation. We are commanded about the Law: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh” (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4).
COMMANDMENT IS LIFE EVERLASTING
Notice that the OT contains the Good News of the KINGDOM and there is no other better Preacher to declare it to our generation than Yahshua to whom the FATHER anointed for that purpose. The Good News of the Kingdom commenced with Abraham when he was chosen by Yahweh to leave his father’s land in Mesopotamia, Babylon, to go to the land He showed him. While in that land (Canaan), Yahweh promised to give it to Abraham and his SEED. The Bible reveals that that SEED is YAHSHUA. It’s no surprising therefore that in fullness of time, Yahshua the Seed came and declare to His people, Israel, that this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears. The fathers to whom the Good News of the Kingdom was declared to bear witness that Yahshua is HE. Speaking in the same standpoint, Yahshua declared:
"I AM COME A LIGHT INTO THE WORLD, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH ON ME SHOULD NOT ABIDE IN DARKNESS. And if any man HEAR MY WORDS, AND BELIEVE NOT, I JUDGE HIM NOT: FOR I CAME NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD. HE THAT REJECTS ME, AND RECEIVES NOT MY WORDS, HAS ONE THAT JUDGES HIM: THE WORD THAT I HAVE SPOKEN, THE SAME SHALL JUDGE HIM IN THE LAST DAY. FOR I HAVE NOT SPOKEN OF MYSELF: BUT THE FATHER WHICH SENT ME, HE GAVE ME A COMMANDMENT, WHAT I SHOULD SAY, AND WHAT I SHOULD SPEAK. AND I KNOW THAT HIS COMMANDMENT IS LIFE EVERLASTING: WHATSOEVER I SPEAK THEREFORE, EVEN AS THE FATHER SAID UNTO ME, SO I SPEAK. (John 12:47-50)."
Can you see that Yahshua was emphatic that the WORD, particularly the LAW, which men reject today will judge them when He returns? The OT Good News was about the LAND (Kingdom), and the same OT Good News is still being declared to us today in the NT as Yahshua preached, magnified, and perfected it, and made it honourable for us today. This clearly shows that the OT and the NT are inseparable. The NT amplified the OT as was clearly stated in Isaiah 42:21. Apostle Paul says it’s the same WORD that was preached to the fathers of old. The same is preached to us today to obey. It is the same WORD we preach that men should obey to be saved at His return. So where was the OT LAW nailed to the cross? Who nailed it to the cross? After Yahshua concluded the reading of the Covenant LAW book, He also said to them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled (perfected) in your ears. It would sound absurd and heretic for Yahshua to say to Israel, the Law is cancelled in your ears or removed. Yahshua made it abundantly clear to the Jewish Israel that “…I did NOT come to destroy the Law And the Prophet but to fulfil” [it] (Mt.5:17). He maintains that we must DO and TEACH the Law in order to be partakers of the Kingdom. The use of the word fulfilled, magnified or perfected in the Books of the Torah, Prophets and Gospels is clear evidence that we are commanded to follow the standard Yahshua set for us in order to inherit the Kingdom.
Did you hear that the Commandment (the Word) is LIFE EVERLASTING? Yes, Yahshua said it Himself! How can anyone think that Life Everlasting or Eternal Life has been removed? To remove the Word which is Eternal Life is to remove Yahshua Himself. Unfortunately, all those that gave Him, another name, had removed Him from their lives. Yahshua is the Life Everlasting that give men eternal life. Yahshua is clear that the OT LAW or WORD of the Father is what He was sent to preach. He handed the same Word to His Apostles to preach and teach us to rejecting sin and to receive Him. On more serious note, Yahshua sternly warns that the same WORD men reject today will JUDGE them in this last days. How do people listen and belief a lie? How do men prefer to listen to doctrines of men, instead of the Commandments of Yahweh, which Yahshua preached (John 7:16-17)? Be careful because the LAW is there as a witness against you, and will judge you if you refuse to obey it (i.e. OT). Judgement will emanate from the Book of Covenant Yahshua preached. The Bible in many ways prove that Yahshua will perfect the Law for us to obey, and He perfected it and made it honourable; and told us that the same Word will judge us if we continue to disobey and dishonour His Word.
When you say the law is cancelled, ask yourself – ‘which law?’ The law that was done away was the sacrificial law that was dealing with animal blood sacrifices for atonement of sin, not the OT Torah that was summarised into TEN COMMANDMENTS, which is severally described as Spiritual Law, Moral Law, Royal Law of Liberty, Covenant Commandments, Perfect Law, etc. The animal blood sacrifices was replaced by the BLOOD of YAHSHUA for atonement of past sins of believers. The Old Testament (OT), particularly the TORAH is KEY to Scriptural understanding of Yahweh’s call of Israel, who were chosen as ‘first fruits’ to accomplish salvation work on Earth through Yahshua Messiah (‘the Seed’) and Saviour (Matthew 1:21). Faith in Yahshua and keeping the LAW or Commandments is required for perfection and attainment of the Kingdom (Matt. 19:17-22).
TORAH SUMMARISED INTO TEN COMMANDMENTS
Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) are Books of Law
The Scripture says the “Law is holy, and the Commandments holy, just, and good”; “the Law is better than thousands of gold and silver” (Rom. 7:12; Ps. 119:72). Torah or law is the first five books in the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Out of these five books known as Torah, YAHWEH summarised it into “Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20:3-17), and made a COVENANT (Agreement) of it between Himself and ISRAEL. Israel of the fathers promised to obey the Covenant Commandments or Law. “…he (Moses) took the book of the COVENANT, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that YAHWEH has said we will DO, and be OBEDIENT” (Exod. 24:7; Matt. 5:19). ISRAEL in this context also represents all believers of today, who say they DO and OBEY all the Commandments (Law) of Yahweh. Unfortunately, Israel of the fathers did not do, nor obey the law; they abandoned Yahweh and His revered NAME (Yahweh) for the name of Baal (‘the Lord’) as prevalent in today’s Bibles (Jeremiah 2:3,5,11-13; 23:26-27; Hosea 2:16-17; Malachi 2:2). The Scripture says it is a CURSE to abandon His name (Malachi 2:2; Deut. 27:26). It takes two to agree…” can two walk together except they agree?” (Amos 3:3). Israel of old refused to agree and walk with Yahweh. How about us in today’s NT era? Is it true the law is cancelled? Those who prefer to rebel against Yahweh have already taken the paths of the fathers of old, and today they teach lies!
The Covenant YAHWEH made with ISRAEL to obey the Law, established the very everlasting covenant relationship between Him and His people. When Israel stopped obeying Yahweh’s Word, He scattered them all over the world. Today, those that keep the Covenant Law and have faith in YAHSHUA Messiah are the covenant-Israelites, and they are the real Israelites; they are promised to inherit the Kingdom when Yahshua returns. He will keep them safe during great tribulations and wrath of Yahweh because they keep His Covenant Law or ‘Word of His patients’ and NEVER deny His Name (Rev. 3:8-10; 14:12). Visit our website for His NAME and reasons you must know His true Name (www.livingyahweh.com).
OLD COVENANT LAW PERFECTED IN NEW COVENANT
Many think that the NT erased the OT. No, it didn’t. In fact it strengthens the OT Torah or Law. Yahshua and the Apostles taught from the OT Scriptures (Luke 24:27,44-45). OT was the basis of NT references, and it foretold how Yahshua would magnify and make the law honourable in the Renewed Covenant (NT) (Isaiah 42.21). Many have been deceived to think that the Law or Commandments have been canceled. The Bible says, we can only know Him, and love Him by keeping His Commandments. If we refuse to keep His commandments, how will we know Him? Yahshua charges us: “If you love Me keep My Commandments” (John 14:15; 15:10; 14:21). Apostle John wrote: “Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His Commandments. He that says, I know Him, and keeps not His Commandments, is a LIAR, and the TRUTH is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). Refusal to keep His Commandments or Word is a SIN (1 John 3:6). SIN is the transgression or breaking of the LAW (1 John 3:4). Transgressor commits sin, and according to the Bible, no sinner will enter into His Kingdom.
Importance of Torah: Torah or Law as contained in the Bible is the number one “FRUITS” that help believers discern ‘truth’ and ‘falsehood’. “You shall know them by their FRUITS” (Matt. 7:16). Knowledge of the Law sets people of YAHWEH apart from the rest of the world. Torah or Law or Word is YAHSHUA Himself (John 1:1-3, 14; 6:63). Anybody that accepts and receives the Covenant Law, and DO and OBEY the WORD (i.e. YAHSHUA) have life, even eternal life (Jn. 5:24; 6:63). YAHSHUA the WORD and the TORAH have been rejected by today’s religions, especially the Christendom. So, where is the faith if the WORD Himself (Yahshua) is rejected? Who do men believe since they don’t keep the Commandments? What do they profess? I can hear someone say, this is nonsense! ‘I keep all the commandments’. But what about the first, second, third (His Name), and fourth (Sabbaths). These laws have been changed in preference to the commandments of men. No wonder Yahshua says they keep the commandments of men, as a result, they worship Him in vain (Matt. 15:7-9; Mark 7:6-9,13).
You that know YAHSHUA, the very WORD Himself, do not allow anyone to deceive you or tell you that the LAW is cancelled unless you do not believe in the WORD. Remember the Bible says YAHSHUA is the “end of the Law”, which means, He is the “goal” or the substance of the Law Himself. When we read the Bible, it’s YAHSHUA we read. Only those that READ and CALL upon His true NAME (YAHSHUA, not ‘Jesus’) in this latter days shall be saved (see Joel 2:32; Acts 4:12; Rev. 1:3).
Dear reader, in view of all the Scriptural passages above, we are assured that LAW observance in the NT era is not cancelled but perfected, magnified, and made honourable for us to obey. Obey it today, for it will prolong your life and make way for you into the Kingdom of Yahweh. Doing so will mean, putting a break to breaking the LAW of YAHWEH; it will mean to have faith in Yahshua Messiah; it will mean obtaining eternal life in the Kingdom when Yahshua returns. Do not be deceived by anyone. Do not allow anyone to take your crown either. Do not despair. He is returning soon!
May YAHWEH bless you as you OBEY His WORD.
Shalom
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Article Published:
23/01/20
Goodwin Arikibe (Ph.D)
ASSEMBLY OF THE LIVING YAHWEH, UK
THIS BOOK IS NOT TO BE SOLD
The Book has been provided as a free educational service in the public interest: for edification of the body of YAHSHUA’S ASSEMBLY
E-mail: tlcg.livingchurch@gmail.com
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