Israel and Perseverance

Every time God has made a covenant with man, he has provided a sign or token of his own choosing to mark evidence of that covenant. In the case of his covenant with the earth that he would never again destroy it with a flood, he chose to place the rainbow in the sky after a rainfall, which we are all familiar with to this day. (Gen. 9:13). When he established his covenant with Abraham and his seed, he chose circumcision, which by the way is NOT something that a man would choose for himself, especially at the age of 100 (Gen. 17:10,11). And at Mt. Sinai, when he made the covenant with Israel through Moses, circumcision remained the sign of the covenant as it was with Abraham, because Israel WAS the seed of Abraham. So in these covenants, none of which were founded on the suffering and cruel death of his only begotten Son, God thought it necessary to not establish these covenants without a sign of his own choosing to mark evidence OF the covenant. So why is that? It's simple really. Man is too small, too insignificant, and too ignorant to declare in and of himself that God Almighty has made a covenant with him. None living have ever been found worthy to proclaim in and of themselves that God had established a covenant with them, regardless of who they were or are. When God establishes something in the earth, he will confirm it himself, because his witness alone is worthy to be fully trusted. None have ever been allowed to confirm a covenant with God unless they were marked with God's evidence, or sign OF that covenant. Jeremiah told it like it is on the matter: "The heart [of man] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jer. 17:9,10). Even Jesus, who did NOT fall into that category, said in regard to himself bearing witness of himself; "It is also written in your law, that the testimony of TWO men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, AND the Father that sent me beareth witness of me" (Jn. 8:17,18). He was speaking of the fact that the father had spoken from heaven concerning him being his Son when he was baptized by John the Baptist (Mt. 3:17). So in light of these scriptural truths, the question becomes, Did God and does God establish this new covenant, which WAS founded on the suffering and death of his beloved Son, WITHOUT a sign of his own choosing? After showing forth the pattern of NEVER establishing a covenant with anyone without providing evidence of his own choosing that the covenant is of him; has he CHANGED his ways in regard to THIS covenant, which exceeds all others, even as light exceeds darkness? (II Cor. 3:7-11) To find the answer to this all important question, we need to first set forth what this covenant actually is, or what it is about. "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament [covenant], which is shed for many for the REMISSION OF SINS. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Mat. 26:27-29). So the new testament, or the new covenant, which is the same thing; IS the remission of sins through the blood of Christ, which in fact must be DRANK in order to have that remission (Jn. 6:53). And let's remember that note about him drinking it new with them [us] in the kingdom of God, because I would like to finish this article on that very note, with the scriptures showing us exactly WHAT the blood of Christ is, and HOW we must drink it IN the kingdom of God for the remission of our sins.

Knowing that the new covenant is all about the true remission of sins through the blood of Christ, let's look at some very telling scriptures regarding the sign that God did in fact choose to mark evidence of this covenant; which sign, like circumcision, is present with everyone who enters into the covenant. It wasn't just Abraham that bore the sign of that covenant, but ALL of his seed after him as well (Gen. 17:12-14). In I Corinthians 14:21,22, the apostle Paul made a statement for the ages that has just been totally overlooked in regard to its true meaning: "In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are FOR A SIGN, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not." So he said that speaking in tongues is a direct sign OF the prophecy that he quoted in part, so let's look at that very prophecy in better detail, and see what it was about: "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, THIS IS the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and THIS IS the refreshing: yet they would not hear" (Isa. 28:11,12). So then what we have is this: Whatever the "rest" and the "refreshing" is, that Isaiah said would be for the weary souls, THAT is what speaking in tongues is a sign of according to the apostle Paul. And like every truth, this is very simplistic with no frills or deep mysteries that just have to be "taken by faith." It is very easy to confirm by the scriptures, and here it is: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you REST" (Mat. 11:28). Does that sound like Jesus was calling the "weary" unto himself? Of course that is what he was doing, and is still doing today. So what are the weary souls "laboring" under, and are "heavy laden" with? You guessed it; SIN, OF COURSE! That is why Jesus came, "to condemn [pass judgment on, or overthrow] sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Anyone who has ever had sin TRULY remitted from their inner being, KNOWS that the experience brings great REST. But let's not stop with that; let's go ahead and finish the job here: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your SINS may be blotted out, WHEN the times of REFRESHING shall come FROM the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). Now this was Peter sometime AFTER Pentecost, and by that time he KNEW what he was talking about, because he had been filled with the holy Spirit of God which indeed "comes from the presence of the Lord." He knew, as anyone and everyone who has TRULY had their "sins blotted out," that the experience brings divine, powerful, inner REFRESHING! So according to the apostle Paul, via Isaiah's prophecy, speaking in tongues IS the sign of someone receiving the remission of their sins. And that clearly means that the baptism of the Spirit is the only new birth experience that God has ever established, and that EVERYONE who is truly born again speaks in tongues or in "stammering lips" WHEN they are born again (Jn. 3:8; Gal. 4:6). And that also means that without that sign marking evidence of the covenant, no covenant has been entered into, and the remission of sins has not been received. Jesus made it clear that the law of "two witnesses" establishing a matter would apply to the new covenant experience, saying that the Spirit itself would "testify" of him, and that those who received it would ALSO "bear witness" of him; which clearly took place at Pentecost when and after they received the Spirit (Jn. 15:26; Acts 2:4,36). And herein is the truth of I Corinthians 12:3, which states that "NO MAN can SAY that Jesus is the Lord, BUT BY the holy Ghost." And that goes hand in hand with the very plain scriptural reality that no one is in the one body of Christ who has NOT received this experience: "For by one SPIRIT are we ALL baptized into one body... and have been all made to DRINK into one SPIRIT" (I Cor. 12:13). And remember that note I mentioned, about what Jesus said concerning drinking of the fruit of the vine with his followers in the kingdom of God? Well, there it is, it is the SPIRITUAL blood of Christ, which indeed IS his Spirit, or his life; which we literally "drink into" when and after we are baptized therein (Jn. 6:62,63; Rom. 8:2). "For the KINGDOM OF GOD is NOT meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy IN THE HOLY GHOST" (Rom. 14:17). Praise God! And amen.