READER QUESTION:
I
was quite impressed whilst browsing your site and some of the interpretations
were closely relevant to my church and I just wanted a few answers.
What
is the difference between the 10 commandments (written by God's finger on two
stone tablets) and the Mosaic Law regarding the feasts and the sacrificial
system.
Why
is there a distinction between the two sets of laws? 10 were written on stone
tablets by God himself and the other 600+ laws were written by Moses who was
guided by God.
What
is your ministry's view on the relevance of the temple curtain being torn in
two from top to bottom at the exact time of Jesus' death at the cross? Matthew
27.
What
does this represent in light of the holy and most holy places of the temple?
Doesn't
it mean that at that precise moment, the sacrificial system of feasts and
keeping of special sabbaths which foreshadowed the messiah was null and void?
This supernatural event had to have some significant meaning concerning the
future of the earthly temple/sanctuary.
RESPONSE FROM THE REFINER'S FIRE:
Thank
you for writing to The Refiner's Fire. Let's get right to your questions:
YOU SAID: What is the difference between the 10
commandments (written by God's finger on two stone tablets) and the Mosaic Law
regarding the feasts and the sacrificial system.
OUR
RESPONSE:
Absolutely nothing. The Ten Commandments were a condensed version of the 613
which are "forever" commandments directed at every believer. The Ten
Commandments - which are a part of Torah - in no way negated the Torah nor did
they abolish the feasts or the sacrificial system. As a matter of fact, the Ten
Commandments came way before Yeshua did, and so the sacrificial system was
still in effect then.
YOU SAID: Why is there a distinction between the two
sets of laws? 10 were written on stone tablets by God himself and the other
600+ laws were written by Moses who was guided by God.
OUR
RESPONSE:
There really is no distinction. Torah - God's original teaching and instruction - has been in effect since Adam
and Eve and is still in effect today. The rules given to Moshe were COMMANDED
(not guided) by God and most of them were for the priests and kings of the day;
some were for men; some for women. Some were FOREVER laws - i.e., the seventh
day Sabbath and feasts, kosher, etc. There was no point in YHWH speaking ALL His rules when he spoke directly to the people (Exodus 20), so what you see recorded is simply YHWH's overview! Only Christianity has interpreted the Ten Commandments as somehow separate from Torah, but all of Torah is contained in this "overview" which was, heard by those present at that time. See the end of Exodus 20, vs 6: "...displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot." That "obey my mitzvot" part is ALL of Torah!
Think of it this way: If you were presenting the rules of baseball to a group of kids, you'd provide a summary of the essential rules to get them started - the essence of the game, if you will. But you would not provide ALL the rules of the game at that time, because it would take lots of time. But what you told the kids would not mean that the rules you spoke, negated the whole list of baseball rules in the "official" rulebook!
Think of it this way: If you were presenting the rules of baseball to a group of kids, you'd provide a summary of the essential rules to get them started - the essence of the game, if you will. But you would not provide ALL the rules of the game at that time, because it would take lots of time. But what you told the kids would not mean that the rules you spoke, negated the whole list of baseball rules in the "official" rulebook!
YOU SAID: What is this ministry's view on the
relevance of the temple curtain being torn in two from top to bottom at the
exact time of Jesus' death at the cross? Matthew 27.
OUR RESPONSE: The renting ("tearing") of clothing or curtains has many meanings. It was done to express strong emotion, such as shame, anger, or mourning. Could we assume that this supernatural event (marked also with earthquakes) was YHWH's anger or emotion released? Note that YHWH gave mankind exactly ONE GENERATION to humanity to accept His gift of salvation before He destroyed the Temple. So perhaps the renting of the temple curtain was YHWH's enormous mourning over most of humanity, most of whom would turn from Him? Yeshua's death on the cross marked the end of the need for SIN SACRIFICES, nothing else. It did NOT render void God's original teaching/instruction (Torah). Yeshua, was the Final Sin Sacrifice who said He came not to abolish but to
fulfill:
Matthew 5: 17 Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that
until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass
from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened. 19 So
whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot (words/commands) and teaches others
to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys
them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I
tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the
Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of
Heaven.
Has
everything happened that must happen? Have heaven and earth passed away yet? If
not, then Torah is still valid. When Yeshua said He came to
"complete"; it did NOT mean "put an end to"....
YOU SAID: What does this represent in light of the
holy and most holy places of the temple? Doesn't it mean that at that precise
moment, the sacrificial system of feasts and keeping of special sabbaths which
foreshadowed the messiah was null and void? This supernatural event had to have
some significant meaning concerning the future of the earthly temple/sanctuary.
OUR
RESPONSE:
In a word: NO! If Yeshua was undoubtedly our FINAL SIN SACRIFICE, how does that
render null and void God's original teachings, without which, the world would
have no blueprint for moral and Godly living? Please read the following
articles which provide in-depth answers to all your questions:
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