Month: March 2023 - Grace Panorama

Israel Was Not Just ‘Sat Aside’ as

Result of Her Fall in Acts 28:

She Was Entirely Destroyed!

JAN LILLEBY

It has become a ‘household’ expression in Acts 28 circles to speak of Israel as a nation which was ‘sat aside’ by God, after Paul confronted the Sanhedrin at Rome in Acts 28:25-28, 60 AD.

To my mind – after so many years of study and repetitive indulging and ‘digging’ in the Word of God, I find it not entirely correct.

It is unfortunately much grimmer than that.

There must be no doubt that Israel as a nation was more than just ‘sat aside’.

Should I express myself totally direct and blunt, I should rather say that Israel was blotted out, annulled, even returned back to where they came from…as if they never ever had been in existence at all!

When the day arrives with Jesus’ return from heaven, to establish the promised millennial kingdom (Dan. 2:44; Rev. 19-20) – He shall not establish the Israel which once existed. He will have to rise up and elect an entirely new national people for Himself. He does not bring back that which was, but arranges and establishes a fully new people to Himself. Why? Because there exists no Israel (in the eyes of God) today and eventually has been called by God to come forth as His nation on earth.

When Israel was destroyed in 70 AD, it resulted in the total disappearance of her. She ceased to exist. The later incident with the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132-136 CE (when Emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus struck it down) has to be considered a ‘death-cramp’ and not uproar by some nation in existence. Afterwards, it was forbidden for any Jews to enter the city! The prisoners of war taken to Rome by Titus in 71-72 AD died under hard slavery and misery, and many thousands of prisoners taken captive in Israel were sent by sea vessels down to Alexandria, Egypt, to be sold as slaves, according to the prophecy of Moses in Deu. 28:68,

Ampl. Bible, “And the Lord shall bring you into Egypt again with ships by the way about which I said to you, YOU SHALL NEVER SEE IT AGAIN. And there you shall be sold to your enemies as bondmen and bondwomen, but no man shall buy you.”

Flavius Josephus wrote in his book works “The Jewish War” (also called ‘The War of the Jews’) of how the Romans in 71-72 AD sent thousands of prisoners away by ships to Egypt…from the age of 17, both Jewish soldiers and their spouses.

But no one would buy, for the market was inflated – and so they were let loose on their own. Thus Deu. 28:68 was fulfilled.

We cannot just go on saying that ‘Israel was set aside’ – when we learn from Scripture plus history that she was actually annulled and returned back to where she once belonged – as slaves in Egypt! IMAGE: Front page of Josephus’ book, showing a relief-work of prisoners carrying the Menora away from the temple.

This had never happened to the nation in earlier history. They were not annulled as the Assyrian king had great numbers of Jews from the ten northern tribes removed; neither did it happen when God had Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, take them captive in 586 BC – for which Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be held there in 70 years, but be allowed to come back to Israel’s land. They came back by three ‘Alayah’ starting in king Cyrus the Great’s first year of reign, which was 456 BC according to historic documents. History shows that only ten percent of the Jews went back to build Jerusalem.

But when Israel was taken by Rome, then we get a totally different story. They were scattered out in the whole civilized world for their sin against the Lord, the denial and rejection of Jesus Messiah. WE CANNOT FIND ANY WORD SAYING THAT ISRAEL SHALL BE TAKEN BACK HOME, AS SUCH. But we find that God will form an entirely NEW ISRAEL, which has not existed in history.

Thus we can, for instance, read of the establishing of a new tribal system in Rev. 7. They are mentioned by names: Judah, Ruben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin – so making up a total of 144 000 sealed tribal Jews – 12 000 of each tribe, called a firstfruit. Comparing this list with the sons of Jacob, we find that Dan is not there. But instead we find inserted in the list Manasseh. For what reason, I cannot say with any measure of certainty. But at least these are the ones who will be found when the Great Tribulation in Israel takes place. I suspect that Elijah and Moses (the two witnesses in Rev. 11) will be engaged to master this election and establishing of the new tribal system in Israel. Moses will for sure have revelation-power of who is who in regard to the tribes.

After Rome destroyed them in 70 AD and burned their temple, there have not been found any files of the population and the existing tribe-relations from before they were taken. They were burnt when the city went down. The temple was even laid flat to the grown, leaving not a stone-upon-another as Jesus foretold in Mat. 24:2; this because most of the silver and gold had melted in the fire and the soldiers therefore removed each stone to be able to loot the place of these costly metals. We speak of tons, not kilos.

No Jew today can with certainty tell whether he actually is a Jew, much less which eventual tribe he comes from!

This election and sealing of these 144 000 Jews in Rev. 7 (see also Rev. 14) is actually the move of God to create a NEW ISRAEL. And like the ancient Israel, there have to be a tribal system there. Without tribes, there shall be no genuine Israel of God. Plus, they will have to believe on Jesus Christ. It is not enough just to be a Jew or Israelite. One must believe on Jesus as the Messiah of God.

Thus they are actually being ‘sealed’ with the name of Jesus and of God on their foreheads, Rev. 14:1,

“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him 144, 000 (men) who had His name and His Father’s name inscribed on their foreheads.”

In Hebrew this inscription will look like the one seen here. Saying - Jesus Jehovah if English. They visibly tell onlookers that they are servants of Jesus and God Jehovah.

It is an offence against the anti-Christ (the beast) and those who – at that time – have taken the mark (logo) of the beast upon their foreheads or their hand (Rev. 13:16-18). And the logo, or mark of the beast, has been hidden in plain sight, for you can see that logo below here – the hexagram (an ancient occult sign of Satan) as used in the flag of Israel. This is also the ‘Star of Rephan’ mentioned by Stephen in Acts 7:43 – it is not the ‘Star of David’ for such a symbol has never existed! Let me also add to this, that it is not the name of anti-Christ (un-coding it) which has the occult value of 666 referred in Rev. 13:18 – but it is the occult numeric value of the hexagram (mark of the beast) which gives that 666 figuration. Six tags/shapes making three sixes in sum. All those speculating ‘prophets’ out there trying to figure out who anti-Christ really is, are wasting their time by trying to figure out names giving a value of 666. That is impossible. It is the mark itself which has that hidden (occult) value of 666.

Originally the Jewish leaders at the time of UN-Declaration of Israel as a state in 1948, - had actually wanted to have a flag with the Menorah on, the seven-branched candelabrum used in the temple, and also way back when they had the Tabernacle. But certain Jews among these voted for that hexagram – and we find in history that this hexagram was the symbol used by the Rothschild dynasty. The very finance house behind the establishing of the Zionist-State Israel. They ‘washed’ the symbol by calling it “The Star of David” – knowing that it is the symbol of the satanic god idol Rephan.

There is not a chance that God has stood behind this establishment! The Israel we have in our time is entirely made and concocted by human powers (probably ignited by occult powers) such ones we can safely say does not believe on Jesus Christ. They will rather receive the anti-Christ when he comes forth!

Not only was Israel obliterated and annulled, returned back to Egypt by the Roman army forces in 71-72 AD – all because of their persecution and murder of the apostles (see Mat. 22:7), but the Zionist-Israel of 1948 will meet another round of damnation and doom and destruction, as God cast the Great Tribulation upon them. But out of that horrible seven year period, will emerge a NEW ISRAEL, a nation devoted to Jesus Christ, and they will be lawfully established in their land by God (not UN!) and shall be the Lord’s Royal Priesthood as told in Scripture. Rev. 20:4.

I am among those who really believe that we are not far away in time – it shall soon come to pass, and this present dispensation of the Church, the Body of Christ, shall soon be concluded according to Col. 3:1-4; Eph. 4:30. I think it all will be sooner than later. (Check out my article here on the site of this topic)

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Moses in Ex. 19:6 Saying to Israel

‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests,

a holy nation’ - Has Become a ‘stolen’

Bible Passage in Christian times!

JAN LILLEBY

The quotation from Exodus 19 of …kingdom of priests, a holy nation…Moses telling the Israelites on the plain below Mt. Horeb – has become one of the most misunderstood, or perhaps even stolen Bible passage in Christian times.

Sects and cults have been built upon that passage.

One of these is the infamous Latter Day Saints/Mormons with headquarters in Salt Lake City. Founded by Joseph Smith in his time, as he used a fabricated false tale - ‘Book of Moroni’ – a mystical book he said was found by the help of an angel. The book was made with gold pages. It was never ever presented physically by Smith, he just told the gullible believers that the angel had taken this book away! And the Mormons still believe such a fantasy – just as much as they believe that they actually are the kingdom of priests told in Ex. 19:5, 6. They deliberately overlook the stern facts, that those words were spoken exclusively to Israel in the wilderness below Mt. Horeb.

Recently I came across a YouTube video published by some believers of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) in which the heading quotes from that Bible passage of Ex. 19:5, 6 which the producers of that video propagate as some promises God have given to the Mormon Church!

Actually the video says that Ex. 19:5, 6 is teaching of the Latter Day Saints/Mormons – and thus saying: We are the people mentioned in Ex. 19:5, 6 – we are that kingdom of priests, a holy nation. This, of course, excludes every other denomination from that promise. The Mormons also in the same interpretation excludes Israel – for it clearly says that Moses spoke to the Israelites present there below Mt. Horeb, three months after their exodus from Egypt. It was the early Israel in the wilderness which had these words/promises of God told them by Moses, and nobody else in the entire world.

Peter the apostle, confirms the words in Ex. 19:5, 6 as promises given only to Israel, 1 Pet. 2:9,

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation. God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Moses pointed to Christ in Ex. 18 – you know…which Peter referred to in Acts 3:22, 23 – so that we understand Ex. 19:5, 6 is a passage directly connected to the promised Messiah (Christ) Who should one day arrive in Israel. Thus the words of Moses, repeated 1450 years later by Peter, - kingdom of priests, a holy nation – pointed to Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God Who would be that King in that nation (after Israel first had received their King, Jesus!).

Peter linked the two together: That you (the believing Israel) may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him (Jesus) Who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

The apostles used the entire time told in Acts to offer to Israel that promised kingdom (Dan. 2:44), since God charged Israel to repent and believe on Jesus so He could send Jesus back down to Israel to establish that kingdom. But Israel refused (as a nation) and only a minority received Jesus. Israel’s final downfall is told in Acts 28:25-28 as we find Christ’s special messenger Paul, confronting the Sanhedrin at Rome in 60-62 AD. They were the final resort, the point of no return regarding Israel to either be saved from doom and destruction, or be given over to destruction. We know from history that it was the latter. Rome obliterated Israel and shipped thousands of war prisoners down to Alexandria to be sold as slaves (Deut. 28:68) – as also told by Flavius Josephus the historian.

The Latter Day Saints/Mormons are lying – for only Israel had these words of becoming a kingdom for God told them. And Moses told them that such a glory came with conditions: IF THEY OBEYED THE VOICE OF THEIR GOD (Ex. 19:5).

Their rejection of Christ – which was ultimately happening in 60-62 AD with Paul meeting the Sanhedrin at Rome – was the very same as NOT taking heed to God’s voice, His Messiah Jesus. Thus the doom took them in the years 66-70 AD as the Jews made a revolt.

I could add to this, that also the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization (Watchtower Society) does much of the same sort of theft of promises made by God to Israel. They have that special false teaching, about the 144 000 witnesses in Rev. 7 and 14 made up to be an elite of believers among Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have taken this prophecy in Rev. 7 and 14 of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Great Tribulation, to be a prophecy of themselves. Disregarding the fact that Rev. 7 and 14 speaks of 12 000 Jews (!) out of each tribe, making up a total of 144 000 chosen witnesses. Revelation even mention them by specific names, from every tribe of the sons of Israel….this leaves no room for misunderstanding! This is about the future physical ‘real world’ Israel as the prophesied Great Tribulation is going on. Their tribal names are:

Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin.

Try to call one of their leaders in New York State, where their world headquarters is, asking him of which one of the twelve tribes he belongs to!!

Not even Israelites of our time have the slightest clue as to which tribe they really come from. All the files and protocols disappeared during the destruction in 70 AD.

Like the Mormons have stolen to themselves the promises of becoming a kingdom of priests, like in Ex. 19:5, 6, - so the Jehovah’s Witnesses has stolen another part of Biblical passages, that with the 144 000 Jews (Tribes of Israel, rather).

How can anyone ever take these cults seriously? How can anyone believe on such rubbish?

They appear to me as confused spiritual stand-ups, and not at all people of the Christian faith. Christianity has rejected these, among several, as non-Christian cults/sects.

So, be aware now that words spoken once upon a time, like those in Ex. 19 and Rev. 7 – were spoken ONLY to Israel in the narrative as a nation for God. In our time Israel is NOT a nation of God. They fell from that status as they rejected Jesus, like seen in Acts 28:25-28.

After their rejection, the gospel of salvation was sent out to us Gentiles by the ministry of Paul. The epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians are containing the Grace Gospel to us while Israel as a nation still must be regarded as fallen away from God.

But soon comes the time when God shall call Israel back to Himself, via the prophesied Great Tribulation. Jesus will come from heaven when that seven-year tribulation is ended, and establishes His Kingdom in Israel. Then Ex. 19 and the promise of a kingdom will be fulfilled!

This kingdom will be neither the Latter Day Saints/Mormons, nor the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but a new established Israel ruled by the presence of Jesus Christ among them. Gabriel’s words to Mary will come true, Luke 1:33,

“And He (Jesus) will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end.”

Even classic Christian denominations have taken that Bible passage out of context, applying it on themselves to some extent.

I heard a pastor in a ‘Word of Faith’ church here in Norway a few years back, who held a whole seminar on that topic. Using Ex. 19:5, 6 as if this is a word to the Church in our time! He took basis in 1 Pet. 2:9 – which says the same as Ex. 19:5, 6 – telling his congregation that this was for the Church. How totally out of line can a pastor get….?

It is also well known that the Law of Moses and the ordinances are practiced much in the Adventist assemblies. Sabbath and several other ordinances.

The Baptists are promoting water baptism, yet the Bible says there are but ‘One baptism’ – which is a baptism not in water, but in the faith: We are baptized the very moment we come to faith in Christ, - baptized into His death, and thus also raised with Him. Paul likens this move of God with getting a spiritual circumcision, not done by (human) hands – Col. 2:11, 12. This is the same as that ‘one baptism’ in Eph. 4, 5. The water-rite was used by Moses to clean Aaron ceremonially before he could enter the Tabernacle to come as a priest before God. You find this kind of baptism in Lev. 16 and 17. It was a cleansing ritual for the priesthood. When John stood forth, he baptized the Jews, in the context of the entire nation Israel which was to become a Royal priesthood with Jesus as their king. Using this ritual to point to Him, Jesus, Who shortly would stand forth and start His ministry to the nation. But using this water-rite in the Church dispensation? No, thanks. We follow our apostle Paul, and not Moses. According to Eph. 2:14, 15 we find that the entire Law and its commandments are abolished. It is gone forever. As is all holy feast days, Sabbaths, food ordinances, New Moons…and all of that.

Pentecostal movements in our time are keeping up their persistent faith in the Sign Gifts as gifts which believers of our time can use and minister with. Healings, exorcism, tongues, prophecy, etcetera. But such things were only for Israel, to be signs and proof of the apostles having been sent them by God. These signs were never meant for us Gentiles. Check out the article here in my site on Azusa-Revival….which was a false ‘Pentecost’ with false signs and false tongues. There exists no Christian believer in our time who possesses such genuine God given power gifts as those given the apostles in their day. There are no apostles or prophets in the world today. It’s the truth. These ministries were given Israel under the Law and added also to it the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15).

Christianity must quit using the Law of Moses and many of the ordinances (baptism is one of them) as words given to the Church dispensation, for it was given exclusively to Israel only.

If Paul tells us that the Law and its commandments were abolished – then ALL OF THE OLD TESTAMENT is also made out of effect. But it remains as a historical document of course. We cannot come dragging the O.T. into our Grace Gospel sermons. These have nothing in common regarding faith doctrine.

We stick to Paul’s free Grace Gospel as taught in Ephesians and Colossians.

Neither can we use the four historic Gospels as if they are faith doctrine to the Church. Only Paul was chosen by Christ to come to us Gentiles with a message of salvation. Peter and the twelve were sent to Israel only (Gal. 2:5-8).

Actually, Paul had already been out with his free Grace Gospel in 62-67 AD – which means that our apostle had filled the Asia Minor and its cities with his salvation message 18-20 years BEFORE one could buy and read Matthew’s gospel, Mark’s and John’s. Matthew came between 80-85 AD! Mark 83 AD, and John around 92-93 AD. Luke is disputed, as 62 at the earliest…but most probably it came after the war, 73 AD. That is why we cannot find one single quote from any of these four in Ephesians and Colossians.

Jesus saw to it that Paul was kept in jail, hence Paul’s own saying: I am the prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentiles (Eph. 3:1).

In these two Grace Gospel revelations of Paul you cannot find anything regarding Jewry, holidays to keep, ordinances to keep, nor can you find Paul or any of his nine fellow helpers going to the Synagogues anymore. No water baptism is practiced; no sign gifts are operating, no exorcisms, or tongues, or interpretation of tongues. No laying on of hands for healing, no nothing! It is just not there. But if you turn to Acts – it is all over the place! Or in the epistles written during the Acts period.

The very last and final sign gift in operation can be seen in Acts 28, as Paul healed the sick at Malta, and he had the gift of protection from snake bites. But after he arrived at Rome, none of these miracle gifts are found in operation anymore.

You cannot find the Church in O.T. Scriptures, or in N.T. Scriptures - with the exception of Ephesians and Colossians what concerns faith doctrine. The Church was a secret kept in God, a Mystery, until God revealed this to Paul after that Israel had fallen away from God as His nation. Eph. 3:1-9.

At Pentecost In Acts 2 Israel

Was Still Under the Law,

But the Birth of the Church

Came as Christ Abolished it!

JAN LILLEBY

The important point shown us in this historical fact, is that the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement are entirely in error as they have said that the Church was born at Pentecost in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the assembled apostles at Jerusalem.

It is rather impossible that the Church can have been ‘born’ at Pentecost: Pentecost was one of the important feast days which God through the Law of Moses had charged Israel to keep each year. The fiftieth day from 14th of Nisan (Passover) – plus one day, makes fifty…thus from Greek we get ‘Pentecost’. IMAGE: Peter at Pentecost.

Actually, the assembly there in the Upper Room, was keeping the Law of Moses and thus celebrated Pentecost. This tells us that the Law was in full effect.

As Paul in 58 AD arrived at Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost, it is very evident that the Law was STILL IN EFFECT. It had by no means been cancelled.

Just before he left Ephesus to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost, he had written the epistle to the Romans. And there he confirms to his readers that the Law of Moses was not only in effect – but the believers were together establishing and upholding the Law! Rom. 3:31-

“Do we then by (this) faith make the Law of no effect, overthrow it or make it a dead letter? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the Law.”

Same situation with the importance of the Law, as it was at Pentecost in Acts 2.

And when Paul arrived at Jerusalem, greeted by James and the elders, we read in Acts 21:20 – James’ and the elders’ response to Paul’s story of his ministry outside of Israel, in the Empire,

“...and they said to Paul, You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are enthusiastic upholders of the (Mosaic) Law.” (Ampl. Bible).

The Law was in effect in 28 AD as we have the Bible history of Acts 2 and Pentecost. And this was still so in 58 AD, 30 years later. Jews and proselytes had been turning to the faith by the thousands, inside Israel’s land. And they ALL kept the Law as well.

PENTECOSTAL/CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT ARE IN TOTAL ERROR,

FOR THE CHURCH CAME ON AS THE LAW WAS ABOLISHED.

THIS ALSO CRUSHES THE HERESIES OF ADVENTIST MOVEMENT

When Paul explain to us in Eph. 2:14, 15 that the establishing of the Church, ‘The One New Man’ – the Body of Christ, he explicitly wrote that the Church emerged from Christ first abolishing the Law with its commandments and ordinances – so making peace and have the two, Jews and Gentiles, made into that ‘One New Man’. The wall of partition which before stood separating these two, was torn down as Jesus ‘killed’ the Law sacrificing Himself for the believers.

“For He is (Himself) our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both (Jew and Gentile) one (body), and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us. – By abolishing in His own (crucified) flesh the enmity (caused by) the Law with its decrees and ordinances (which He annulled); that He from the two might create in Himself one new man (one new quality of humanity out of the two), so making peace.” Ampl. Bible.

This Bible truth was kept hidden, a secret – a mystery – in God before creation of the world, but He revealed this to Paul, as he explain this in Eph. 3:1-9. In other words, this was not a valid Bible truth before God revealed it to Paul. Yes, Christ died on the cross in Passover 28 AD, fifty days before the Pentecost reported in Acts 2. But even so, His death had not been made valid for us Gentiles freely at that time. God kept this a secret. It still was ‘Jews first, then Gentiles’ (Rom. 1:16). But Eph. 2:14, 15 let us look back 35 years (Paul wrote this in 63 AD) and told us that Christ had abolished the Law.

Had only the initiators of the infamous ‘Azusa-Revival’ in 1906 understood this clear Biblical fact, there would have been no ‘Pentecost Has Come’ – which was the used slogan of this early movement. See my article on this here at my site.

Pentecost was thus NOT the birthday of the Church, the One New Man, but it certainly was the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel of His Messiah Jesus Christ, the millennial King for God’s Kingdom on earth; which was rejected by Israel as seen in Acts 28:25-28.

Ending with Israel’s full destruction in 70 AD, since they ultimately had persecuted and killed the ‘King’s Servants’ as told by Jesus in Mat. 22:7.

THUS WE CAN HOLD AS A MATTER OF FACT

THAT THE TONGUES, MIRACLES AND HEALINGS

IN ACTS PERIOD, WERE FOR ISRAEL ONLY

These super-natural divine Holy Spirit power gifts (see 1 Cor. 12-14) were given ONLY TO THE BELIEVERS OF ISRAEL, represented by the apostles.

They were under the ‘Old Covenant’ which was the Mosaic Law, and they had been offered the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus. To secure forgiveness of sins and transgressions which had been committed when they had been under the Law….ref. Heb. 9:15. And Acts 13:39.

The Law with its decrees and ordinances had been the main doctrine of faith, together with the New Covenant, in the entire timeline of Acts history 28-62 AD.

This ultimately leads us to conclude that NO HOLY SPIRIT SIGN GIFTS WERE GIVEN TO ANYONE except he was a Jew, eventually a proselyte in the Messianic assembly. Paul explains this in 1 Cor. 14:21, 22 that the sign gifts (he used the tongues to tell of all these gifts as signs for Israel) – so that the unbelieving Jews could see and hear these signs and take to the faith in Christ.

That is also why Mark 16:17, 18 clearly refers to multiple signs, not only the sign of tongues,

“And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.” Ampl. Bible.

When coming to Paul and Ephesians and Colossians, we cannot find any clues of these gifts in operation whatsoever. It is entirely changed due to the fall of Israel in Acts 28:25-28.

God no longer had a nation (Israel) on earth to which He had given the Law. And Rom. 2:14 says clearly that Gentiles HAD NOT THE LAW.

That is why we cannot find anything concerning the Law in Ephesians/Colossians. We have been given the free Grace Gospel of Christ, and the Law is abolished, it has been ‘littered’ and cast into the litter grinder…for good. It is never coming back.

But Christ, at His Second Advent, shall establish an entirely NEW LAW as He shall reign in the millennial Kingdom (Isa. 2:1-5).

If the Law of Moses has been abolished, then there are NO PACT OR COVENANT between the Church and God. Christianity has been in total error also in this matter. They have propagated that the Church has a covenant with God. But that is a lie. We are free and we are saved by faith alone, without any ceremonial works, it is a gift of God.

Eph. 2:8, 9 is Paul’s non-negotiable doctrine of faith for the Church,

“For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved, through faith. And this is not of yourselves, but it is the gift of God. – Not because of works (not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands), lest any man should boast.”

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WHAT OF CHRISTIANS IN ISRAEL

70 AD AS THE NATION

LAY IN RUINS?

JAN LILLEBY

The last we learn when reading Acts history, ending with Chapter 28, verse 31, is what was going on with Paul the apostle to the Gentiles as he stayed in Rome! Acts did not end by giving us Jerusalem, did it?

We cannot find a word of what was going on in Israel, for not to mention Jerusalem. To learn of that, we have to read the books of Flavius Josephus.

When jumping to Ephesians and Colossians, which are the writings that follow Acts in the timeline…we find not Israel, nor Jerusalem at all. Not in any topic or issue which is taken up by Paul.

You cannot find Paul having written: ‘Please remember and pray for Israel and for Jerusalem.’ Or ‘pray for the poor persecuted assembly at Jerusalem’. He simply mentions all believers – wherever they might be – as saints, and that we as believers should pray for all the saints (Col. 4:1-4). Paul also told the Colossians to pray for him and an open door for the Gospel, the preaching of the Mystery….

As Luke concluded his Acts history, it says that Paul lived there (Rome) for two years as he still kept on with preaching the Kingdom Gospel of the millennial promised reign with Jesus as their Messiah King at Jerusalem. The dispensation of the Church as we know it, was not yet revealed…it should not come until about 63 AD, for which cause Paul wrote the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians.

Ampl. Bible says,

“After this Paul lived there for two entire years (at his own expense) in his own rented lodging, and he welcomed all who came to him. Preaching to them the kingdom of God and teaching them about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and quite openly, and without being molested or hindered.” Acts 28:30, 31.

We know how it had been for Paul as he left Jerusalem behind for good: He actually fled the city to save his life! By the assistance of the Roman soldiers as we can read in Acts 23:30-35.

I have written an article-series (two parts) on Paul’s departure from Jerusalem and his arrival at Rome, “Paul’s Journey To Rome Was Entirely Piloted by the Lord”. You can learn of much better details if you read it.

THE MESSIANIC ASSEMBLY AT JERUSALEM

It is difficult to obtain absolute correct information/history of what happened to this important congregation in Bible history.

It kind of vanishes ‘without a trace’…into the fog of war history as the rebellion against Rome started in 66 AD. However there exists variable tales on what is called the ‘Pella Tradition’ – namely, that the majority of the Jerusalem assembly managed to escape up to Pella in the Decapolis Province around 64-65 AD, thus escaping the looming rebellion to come against Rome. It is much disputed, and it seems to be more of a loose tale or human tradition, than plain truth and history. But it is evident that the killing of James and the elders in 62 AD must have caused the assembly to split up in fractions – some fled in that direction, others fled to the opposite direction and so forth and so on. Fear and confusion does that to people. It was hard times.

But we know (Flavius Josephus’ books The Antiquities of the Jews, and The Jewish War) – that after Paul left the city in 58 AD in custody of Rome’s justice system, the assembly was persecuted by the Pharisees and Sadducees for their persistent preaching of Jesus as the Messiah of God. The chaotic circumstances which took place when Paul was tried murdered by the Asian Jews at the temple site, had stirred up the opponents to the church.

Paul had arrived Rome in the spring of 60 AD, surviving that shipwrecking at Malta (Acts 27), it so happened that about two years (18 months) later, Governor Porcius Festus got very sick, as to the extremes of him going to Rome for cure if possible. But he never recovered, and died in Rome, says historians.

But the absence of Porcius Festus from Jerusalem, in 62 AD, made High Priest Ananias II and his flock to attack the Messianic assembly (Festus would not have permitted this if he had been present) and they had James and the elders stoned to death. It happened as we read of Paul first having a dispute with Sanhedrin at Rome, Acts 28:25-28, but still kept on trying for about two years more, to convince these Jewish leaders – see verses 30 and 31, as I already quoted above. IMAGE: Porcius Festus, a wise Roman official, one of a very few!

EDITED FOR MORE DETAILED HISTORICAL FACT ON THE KILLINGS, - date 24th March 2023:

Festus died at Rome in 62 AD, eventually late in 61 AD. The mentioned Procurator below, Gessius Florus, did not actually follow Festus’ death from the office. He followed the appointed Procurator (by Nero) who was Lucceius Albinus. He was sent by Nero as he was at Alexandria, Egypt. Because of a relative short time of travel up from Egypt, Nero managed to have a new Procurator filling the vacant office after Festus. Time was of essence! But as Albinus was on his travel up to Caesarea he got the news (a delegation came to him while he still was on his way) of the illegal actions taken by Ananias II killing James and the elders, and was infuriated. This is all told by Josephus in his book work “The Antiquities of the Jews” in Book XX, chapt. 9. The priesthood in Jerusalem had to have the consent of the Procurator before eventually punishing anyone. Just as we learn from the case of Jesus, arrested by Caiaphas – he had to bring Jesus in before Pontius Pilate for his consent to put Jesus to death. King Agrippa II punished Ananias II by firing him from his position of High Priest, and placed a follower in his place, Jesus – son of Damneus.

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These two incidents of serious character regarding Israel as a nation for God and the stern sad situation of their unbelief and persecution of the Jews who believed on Jesus as Messiah, - made God cut all contact with His nation and He looked upon them as reprobate, fallen away from Him entirely.

Israel had thus come to the ‘point-of-no-return’ – and soon there would inevitably come doom and destruction, just as Jesus warned of in His prophetic parable of the ‘King’s Servants’ in Mat. 22:7. God would send His soldiers against them and kill those murderers and burn down their city! This happened in 70 AD, after almost 4 years of siege, as Titus’ army crushed them and destroyed Jerusalem and much of Judea. Historians hold that about 1, 1 million people were killed during this catastrophic misfortune due to Israel’s uproar and rebellion against Rome. Yet: Jesus clearly warned of this disaster coming, because of the persecution of His believers! Thus we learn that the destruction of Israel was a result of their rebellion, but it came as a punishment for having killed the Lord’s innocent servants, the apostles and many of their followers. This is serious stuff folks.

In 64 AD it is noted that the officer who took the vacant seat which had been occupied by Albinus, was Gessius Florus, a governor who was very brutal and not a peace-maker like Festus had been. Albinus had been sent to become Governor of Mauretania Tingitana. Albinus held office there until 69 AD.

Florus governed Judea and Jerusalem from 64 to 66 AD. As always, that office operated from the sea port of Caesarea and the Roman garrison there. Only 44 kilometer west of Jerusalem.

Gessius Florus had the same indifference to the Jewish populace as Pilate but did not have the political intellect to calm the tense Jewish society when things turned sour. In other words, as Josephus states, Florus was incompetent. So it seems that it was this bad governor who contributed to stir up the anger of the Jews. He became probably the ‘match stick’ to light the fuse!

The artificial class divide, the corruption of both the local and senate governments in the area, and the unbridled disdain for the Jewish people brought about a riot in Caesarea in 66 CE. There, the Zealots, a band of un-Hellenized anti-elite Jews, wiped out the Roman-backed elite Greeks that had inhabited the area.

The incompetence of that new governor came to its peak. He went plundering! He took out his anger and revenge by occupying the temple site. What lunacy!

Gessius Florus, in a rage of scorned hubris, plundered the Holy Temple to fund the cult of Caesar and erected statues of Emperor Nero and himself with the money he took. This obviously enraged the Jewish people. The temple was not only the center of religious and social life for the Jewish people, but it was a sign of God’s presence in the Holy City. When Florus raided the temple and ordered the residents nearby to follow his form of polytheism around it, it was the biggest insult to the Jewish religion. The Jewish people rebelled. Random attacks on Roman citizens followed throughout Judaea, particularly in the northern towns. There, in areas such as Narbata, the Jewish people overthrew the Roman Government.

Compare these dramatic events with the chaos caused by Paul’s visit in 58 AD near the same temple: They wanted to ‘keep the temple clean from Gentile dogs’ and jumped Paul trying to kill him. They accused him of having brought a Gentile into the temple, the Greek Trophimus, but they lied. But in 66 AD – 8 years later, the temple-fanatics got God’s ‘pay-back’ – Gentiles plundered their ‘Holy Temple’. I don’t know, but maybe Paul somehow got word of this, since he stayed in Rome the last years of his life. What must he have thought of hearing this?

But as Jerusalem was entirely taken out and burnt on the 10th of September 70 AD (which was a Sunday) – the very same calendar day as when the Babylonian king had burnt the city in 586 BC and taken Jews captive to Babylon!

There cannot be much chance of escaping such a violent destruction of Jerusalem and Judea. When the Roman Army finally managed to crack the city wall open, they took full control of it, and every opponent was killed, even men who did not put up resistance were killed. It was total rage, total war. IMAGE: Temple is looted and set to burn; painting by Francesco Hayez, 1867.

Sorry to say, I am afraid that those among the Christian believers present there when it happened, were killed as well. War kills both those guilty and those who may be innocent. War is merciless…anything can happen, to anyone.

There is not one clue – regarding Paul and his preaching of the free Grace Gospel – that this Gospel ever found its way into Israel. Not before the destruction, and absolutely not after the destruction. I am not even certain if Paul’s Grace Gospel have found its way into Israel in our time either. Maybe, maybe not….?

Paul could theoretically have sent epistles to believers inside Israel, but we cannot find any such writings whatsoever. It seems to me that Christ had given up on Israel in a manner of total anger, total wrath – a righteous wrath. They had killed His servants, whom He loved, and they had persecuted His believers for decades in a most vicious manner. The destruction in 70 AD was an expression of the fierce wrath of God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ. No doubt.

Paul never got the opportunity to preach that Grace Gospel there, but he managed to spread that Gospel all over the southern and west Turkey, called Asia-Minor back then; where we in Paul’s time find the cities of Ephesus, Hierapolis, Laodicea, Philadelphia, Sardis, Colossae and others. He had his Gospel out almost twenty years before anyone could buy and read Matthew’s Gospel story (it came out in 80-85 AD). Johns Gospel came even later.

Inside the land of Israel, the only Gospel which has been preached was the one of the Kingdom of God on earth, the millennial kingdom which shall be ruled by Jesus after His Second Advent. Peter and the eleven had this mission, not Paul. (Gal. 2:7, 8). That Kingdom-message ended entirely at Rome, Acts 28:25-28. They had fallen from God as a nation. The point of no return had been reached.

The free international Grace Gospel according to Paul’s revelation of the Mystery (Eph. 3:1-9) never was preached in Israel. Not by any of the apostles, nor any of their followers. I am quite sure.

PAUL’S JOURNEY TO ROME

WAS ENTIRELY PILOTED

BY THE LORD!

PART II

JAN LILLEBY

The first part of this article-series gives us a scenario which explains to us how it was when Jesus sent Paul to Rome, to have the Jewish leadership converted – for if they did, then Israel would have been spared of the destruction which came in 70 AD.

I explained how God and Christ guided/piloted Paul immensely and accurately to have him meet that Sanhedrin Counsel (11 Jewish leaders) at Rome. He was also told by Jesus that he should be standing before the Emperor. And we are maybe a bit puzzled that He did not send Paul to Rome to visit the existing assembly of Messianic believers there – the very addressees in his epistle to the Romans!

Absolutely everything we read of Paul in this narrative were planned and put into action by God and Christ! There were no co-incidents happening.

The result was that these eleven council members – as they in this situation represented the nation Israel, refused to repent and believe on Jesus Christ as their Messiah (Acts 28:27). This disastrous attitude of unbelief brought upon the entire nation of Israel a full destruction, like we have learned from Biblical Roman history.

It so happened, that as Paul was in Rome, the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem – with High Priest Ananias II as their leader – took advantage of the absence of Governor Festus (he went to Rome for cure of sickness, but he died still), and had James and all the elders in the Messianic assembly stoned to death, and the assembly thus fled up to Pella. This evil deed made the cup of wrath run over in the mind of God, and Israel was given up to judgement and doom. The violent killings at Jerusalem combined with the denial of Christ by the Sanhedrin at Rome, made the Lord fully reject Israel and cut all contact with them abruptly. This happened in spring 60 AD, and Luke tells us that Paul still kept preaching/teaching ministry to the Jews until 62 AD. Acts 28:31.

THE ABOLISHMENT OF THE LAW OF MOSES

Such an action by the Lord was unheard of at that time.

We learn from Eph. 2:14, 15 that at the time of Paul writing that epistle (62-63 AD) the Law of Moses was abolished, it was ‘littered’ and cast into the waist bin.

It seem to me an obvious matter of fact that as long as the Law was in effect and standing, so was also Israel as a nation for God, in spite of all their troublesome attitudes and much unbelief…whether we think O.T. times or N.T. Many times over, God had punished them for disobedience and unbelief, sending His prophets to chastise them for it. It was often followed by foreign hostile armies attacking them for their evil uproar against the Lord.

To me it seem that the Law of Moses was not just taken off the roster, and then in due time to have it re-introduced to the nation in the future millennial kingdom. I think it was abolished for good. Finite, over and out!

For in the millennial reign of Christ, it will be His Law (Law of Christ) which will be preached and the new Israel of God will follow that Law (Read: Covenant) – and not the old Law of Moses which was weak and fainting towards total disappearance (see Heb. 8:7-13).

Isaiah 2:1-5 is lending us a hand to understand this, Ampl. Bible,

“The word which Isaiah son of Amoz (revealed) concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2: It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be (firmly) established as the highest of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. 3: And many people shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways, and that we may walk in His paths. FOR OUT OF ZION SHALL GO FORTH THE LAW AND INSTRUCTION, AND THE WORD OF THE LORD FROM JERUSALEM. 4: And He shall judge between the nations and shall decide (disputes) for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more. 5: O house of Jacob (Israel), come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

We easily understand this known Bible passage, as The very passage speaking of the establishing of the millennial Kingdom of God on earth, when Jesus shall be the ruler and the ‘Supreme Court’ in one and the same. He shall be the Lawmaker – not common men. The Law of Moses of old is not mentioned, but the new law of the Lord (Jesus Christ) is.

We find in Mat. 15:24 that Jesus straight forward told those present, that He was only sent to the house of Israel (and thus not to any Gentiles).

Paul agreed to this as he wrote Rom. 15:8…I tell you that Christ became a servant and a minister to the circumcised (the Jews) in order to show God’s truthfulness and honesty by confirming (verifying) the promises (given) to our fathers. Ampl. Bible.

The Law of Moses was at that time in perfect order and was followed.

Jesus even referred to the Law, saying of Himself, that it was written of him there, as well as in the Prophets and Psalms. Had they only believed on Moses, they would have believed on Me, He said to the Pharisees.

And the same Law was up and followed in the entire time of Acts – and the offer to Israel of the new covenant in the blood of Jesus, came between them and God – if they sinned, so that the new covenant freed them of guilt and they would not be judged by God. Paul sums it nicely up,

Acts 13:39: “And that through Him (Jesus) everyone who believes (acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him) is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified by the Law of Moses and given right standing with God.”

This was not Paul talking of the free Grace Gospel, like the gospel we have in our dispensation. It was the Gospel of “what God had promised to our forefathers” – Acts 13:32. In other words, the New Covenant Gospel, that of Jesus crucified for their sins, raised from the dead, and now living in glory at His Father’s right hand (verses 26-34).

But it is clear to us now, due to Paul’s writings – the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians – that the Law of Moses are gone forever, and in this dispensation of the free Grace Gospel (see Eph. 3:1-9) it is the one and only preaching/teaching of a salvation message to the entire world. We don’t read from the Law or the Prophets or the Psalms in regard to the free Grace of God in Christ. No, we stick to the two only writings of faith-doctrine for this dispensation, namely Ephesians and Colossians. That free Grace Gospel cannot be found in any of the historic gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Neither is it found in Acts or in any of the epistles written during Acts period.

When the Law was ‘up and alive’ – so was also Israel as a nation for God. It was “Jews first, then Gentile” Rom. 1:16. And the salvation message was to Jews and proselytes, under the Law of Moses but assisted in the Grace of God seen in that New Covenant with Jesus Christ for Israel.

The Law was still valid during the time of Acts (28-62 AD) - Rom. 3:31,

“Do we then by (this) faith make the Law of no effect, overthrow it or make it a dead letter? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the Law.”

Romans was written during Paul’s stay at Ephesus in 56-57 AD, just before he went on his travel to reach the Pentecost in time, as we read in Acts 20-21 (see Acts 20:22) – and so it was at least 5 years before Jesus revealed to His apostle the Mystery, mentioned in Eph. 3:1-9 and Col. 1:25, 26. The dispensation of the Church and the free Grace Gospel, internationally addressed.

Jesus had said of Himself that He was sent only to Israel’s house (thus NOT to us Gentiles!)… like I quoted from Mat. 15:24.

But as we get to Acts 22:21, we find a change in that saying,

“And the Lord said to me (Paul), Go, for I will send you far away unto the Gentiles!”

Paul as he defended himself before the Jewish mob at the temple site at Jerusalem in the feast of Pentecost 58 AD.

It pleased Jesus Christ that Paul should be the one to go to us Gentiles – and not Himself as such. When Jesus came in ministry around 25 AD, He was sent only to the house of Israel, and He called them “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.

Paul saying this to the mob, made them go ‘bananas’…infuriated they tore up their clothes and threw dust and sand up in the air ….and Captain Claudius Lysias had to bring Paul into a secure place in the Antonia Fortress.

The Law of Moses was still in operation when these things took place…the fierce attitude of the mob was based on the fact the Gentiles were not permitted at the temple site. Shortly before this, Paul had taken upon him the Nazirite wow shaving off his hair and bringing offerings to the temple, so that the Jews would know that he KEPT THE LAW OF MOSES. This was not a show piece for the gallery; it was a genuine rite which Jews could perform as a Jew and in sincerity before the Lord. Paul was a Jew, and he lived as a Jew all through Acts period.

The Law of Moses, when it was in effect and valid, meant that so was Israel.

Israel was God’s chosen nation on earth as long as the Law of Moses was valid. The Law is called in Heb. 8-9 for “The Old Covenant” – so it was not just a book with a Law, but it was a Covenant between God and Israel.

Jer. 31:31-34 is clear, - especially verse 32, when the old covenant is compared to the new one, saying,

“Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, MY COVENANT WHICH THEY BROKE, although I was their Husband, says the Lord.”

As long as we find that the Law of Moses is the reference for the faith doctrine in Acts when the apostles preached the Kingdom-Gospel and the New Covenant, we find that Israel is still God’s chosen nation on earth. And the time of the Church dispensation was not yet come. God cannot have two separate callings going on in parallel.

The calling to Israel contained the Kingdom in Israel with Jesus as King as their hope of salvation. An earthly type of salvation, however it would last for one thousand years (Rev. 20:4).

But reading Paul’s Grace Gospel to the entire world, no longer especially for Israel, we find that the Law of Moses is done with, and the calling and hope of salvation is in the heavens up above where Christ is sitting by His Father’s right hand in glory. In other words, Israel is gone, and is no longer God’s chosen nation on earth (as long as the dispensation of the Church is lasting).

The logic in this is also clear: When Israel was His nation, they had to abide by His Law, but as they fell from their status as God’s chosen nation because of their ultimate Christ-denial at Rome Acts 28:25-28 in the presence of God’s apostle Paul, there was no need any more of the Law of Moses: The recipients of this Law were out and gone, they had no more contact with God since their ultimate Christ-denial was a fact. No Israel, thus NO LAW.

But we find that God will receive any Jew who takes to faith in Christ as an individual person, are saved according to the new free Grace Gospel of Paul.

God made the two, Jews and Gentiles, into ‘One new man’ when entering faith in Jesus Christ, and so the previous wall of partition (the enmity between the two, caused by the Law) was torn down. Jew and Gentile are now on same standing before God in faith in Christ. Eph. 2:14, 15.

Col. 3:11 is very clear,

“There is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarians or Scythians, nor slave or free man: but Christ is all and in all.”

This because 1: Israel is now fallen from God 2: Thus the Law of Moses is entirely irrelevant and no longer valid, it has been cast into the litter box, for all times.

When Jesus has come back to Israel after the end of the Great Tribulation, His word and settling doctrine and rule, shall bring forth a NEW LAW, which entirely will be taught to the new Israel in the coming millennial kingdom. Isa.2:1-5 will come to fulfillment indeed.