The Discipline of Jesus: Vengeance of the Covenant

There is a lot of interesting content in Jesus's sermon as seen in Luke 12.  There are several topics worthy of discussion, but the one I'd like to share my thoughts on today is the relationship between a Master and his servants:

43 That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded... 

47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. 48 But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.

Wow!  Did Jesus really say that a slave might be severely beaten?  Yes, he did.  For what reason?  Not doing his Master's will.  Notice that the ignorant slave was beaten only lightly while the one who knew better was beaten severely.  In some ways that makes it better to be ignorant, but the kicker is that once you become aware then ignorance is no longer an excuse.  The grace one had enjoyed is no longer available.  Of course, as per verse 43 the obedient slave is rewarded.

Jesus also speaks in a similar nature in Revelation 3:

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent.

The disobedient that Jesus loves are disciplined.  He desires their repentance.

Jesus seems to be echoing what the Almighty promised during the exodus regarding His covenant.  He explains this in quite some detail in Leviticus 26.  While many teach that this covenant is irrelevant Father disagrees as I shared here: COVENANT LOYALTY:  One Thousand Generations.

As we read through the Almighty's promises in Leviticus 26, we see that He offers examples of good things that would happen to those who obey:

3 “If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands, 4 I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land.6 I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten you. I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.

Later He explains how bad things will befall those that disobey:

14 “But if you do not obey Me and observe all these commands— 15 if you reject My statutes and despise My ordinances, and do not observe all My commands—and break My covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring terror on you—wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you.

Seems pretty clear....Blessings to those who obey His will, discipline to those who don't obey Him.  Notice how this is essentially the same thing that Jesus promised.  Rewards to the obedient and discipline to the disobedient. 

Remember how Jesus said the ignorant are disciplined lightly while those who know better are disciplined severely?  Well, hold on to your hat, here we go in the next verse of Leviticus:

18 “But if after these things you will not obey Me, I will proceed to discipline you seven times for your sins. 19 I will break down your strong pride.

So those that are disciplined initially that don't repent will now be disciplined much more severely!  Seven times as much!  It is to break down their strong pride.

Father offers examples of His discipline in the greater context of this chapter and then He says it again:

21 “If you act with hostility toward Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven times for your sins. 

Again, we see his discipline will increase 7 times over!  Read in context to see the examples.  

Then again He says:

23 “If in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but act with hostility toward Me, 24 then I will act with hostility toward you; I also will strike you seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword against you to execute the vengeance of the covenant.

Again, if the discipline doesn't bring repentance then it is increased 7 fold.  Father refers to it as the VENGEANCE OF THE COVENANT.   Again, read the full chapter to see the examples.

But, He's not done.  Again He says:

27 “And if in spite of this you do not obey Me but act with hostility toward Me, 28 I will act with furious hostility toward you; I will also discipline you seven times for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons; you will eat the flesh of your daughters.

Once again we see the warning that discipline will be increased 7 fold for those who don't repent.  This time I included His example.  The unrepentant will eat the flesh of their children!  I include this because most will find it repugnant and extreme.  Please don't think it is a bluff or an exaggeration for it has happened at least once:  2 Kings 6:24-31.

(For those that claim that keeping Father's Law is impossible, wouldn't this be an extreme punishment for failing to do the impossible?)

In summary, both Father and Jesus promise reward for obedience, discipline for disobedience, and severe discipline for willful disobedience.  Claiming that this covenant doesn't pertain to you will only bring about greater discipline.  My reason in sharing this is so that when you see bad things happen in the world or in your own life you will remember His covenant.  After all, who is Master of your life:  Lady Luck or those spoken of above?

COVENANT LOYALTY: One Thousand Generations

We all know the amazing biblical story of the Almighty saving the Hebrews from their Egyptian slavery.  Sources indicate that this occurred about 1200-1500 B.C., that is approximately 3500 years ago.

Most of us have also heard of the covenant that the Almighty made with exodus multitude at that time.  You will usually hear it referred to in Christianity as the "Old Covenant".   But is 3500 years really that old?  Let's have a look:

9 Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.  (Deuteronomy 7)

Notice that Father promises to be loyal to this covenant for 1000 generations.  A biblical generation is usually considered to be somewhere between 20 - 70 years.  Doing simple math we see that Father will be loyal to this covenant for a minimum of 20,000 years.  It's only been 3500 years!  This covenant isn't anywhere near its expiration.   (This is also briefly discussed a previous post: Law vs. Covenant.)

If Father promises to be loyal to His covenant for at least 20,000 - 70,000 years yet we believe that He abandoned it 2000 years ago at only 1500 years of age, what does that say about our belief in His promise and/or the accuracy of the Bible?

Does Father break promises?  Is He a liar?  Or is the Bible at fault here?

I choose none of the above.  I believe it is man that is in error.

Please read the above passage in its context:  Deuteronomy 7:7-16.  Be sure to pay attention to verse 15 where the promise is made that the keepers of the covenant will have all sickness removed from them.

Other passages that speak of the thousand generation covenant loyalty: HERE.

I'm sure you want to ask about the New Covenant and all the words attributed to Paul that appear to disagree with what the Almighty promised above.   Please stay tuned as I'm working toward the topic of the New Covenant.  As for Paul, your questions should be answered HERE.

Now let's have a look at what Father said would happen in "the later days":

29 But from there, you will search for the Lord your God, and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, you will return to the Lord your God in later days and obey Him. 31 He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them by oath, because the Lord your God is a compassionate God.  (Deuteronomy 4)

Notice that in the later days the people will return to the Almighty and obey Him.  He will not forget the covenant.

“When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth, He will gather you and bring you back from there. 5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today.  (Deuteronomy 30)

We see the prophecy that when multiple generations return to the Almighty with all their heart and soul, obeying Him and following all of His commands given at that time, that He will regather them all to their land and circumcise their hearts.

This hasn't yet happened yet to any large degree.  There are many other promises of this last day return.  Hopefully that will be the subject of a later post.

As for now, my hope is that you will see that it is wrong to consider this covenant old or obsolete for to do so makes Father out to be a liar.

Keeping an eye on Israel

The purpose of this post is to congregate my thoughts on why I keep a cautious eye on modern Israel.

For starters:

7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies will lie in the public square of the great city, which prophetically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 And representatives from the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb.   Revelation 11

Notice that this great city where Jesus was crucified (Jerusalem) is referred to as Sodom and Egypt.  Also, their bodies are not allowed to be buried for over 3 days.

Is there anything going on in modern Israel today that would cause her to be labeled as "Sodom"?  You be the judge:

LGBT rights in Israel

Jerusalem to host Israel’s main gay pride parade — report

Now let's have a look at some possibilities of why modern Israel might be equated with Egypt.

Here are a couple of pictures of parts of the Israeli Supreme Court building:

Search the web for information on this building and you'll find no shortage of its creepy illuminati/freemasonry connections.  Search also for information regarding the Egyptian Mystery religions and the connection to freemasonry.  Notice also who paid for this building....the Rothschilds.

The Rotchchilds have played a key role in the formation of this Israel.  Ever heard of the Balfour Declaration?  Notice to whom it is addressed:

Balfour Declaration

The above are just a smattering of the things I've seen that cause me to be concerned that modern Israel is indeed this "Sodom and Egypt".   

Now let's address the concern about the witnesses not being allowed burial.  According to Deuteronomy 21:23 a corpse is to be buried the same day.   Here are some of their modern thoughts on the matter:  Jewish Funeral Guide.  Jerusalem clearly doesn't obey Father's commands or even their own traditions on the matter.  Notice also in verse 23 that to do so defiles the land.  It is a curse upon the land.  

So far we've seen how modern Israel can fit the bill for being Sodom and Egypt.  Click on the video below for more on the Balfour Declaration.

Israel is also a world leader in abortion:  Israel’s abortion law now among world’s most liberal

Don't get me wrong.  According to the Bible there will indeed be a regathering of Israel that ushers in the Last Days.  I long for it:

14 “However, take note! The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ 15 but rather, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of the north and from all the other lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their ancestors.  (Jeremiah 16)

Many in Jewry view this Israel as their salvation, of sorts.  Some go so far as to claim that Israel is the Messiah.   They refer to the many miracles that brought her about.  My Master says this about messianic claims and miracles:

23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it! 24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance.  (Matthew 24)

In summary, modern Israel does not bear the fruit worthy of repentance.  Israel was kicked out of the Land due to her lawlessness and she will certainly not have Father's endorsement to return if she's still behaving in a similar fashion.   Revelation equates her with Sodom and Egypt as she is host to the death of the two witnesses.  (I suspect these witnesses will also be pointing out her rotten fruit.)  The whole deal stinks of freemasonry/Illuminati and the Rothschilds. 

I would very much like this to be the true fulfillment of Israel, but for now I encourage all to proceed with caution.  This could be an elaborate end-times deception....an anti-messiah, or anti-christ if you will.

WORKING EDIT:
(Added points not yet organized)

I close with Father's words regarding what is required for the regathering.  See for yourself:

30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.  Deuteronomy 30:1-3

5 “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—
“when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David.
He will reign wisely as king
and administer justice and righteousness in the land.
6 In His days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely.
This is what He will be named:
Yahweh Our Righteousness.
7 “The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I[a] had banished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.”  (Jeremiah 23)

Notice that only after the man of David is King will Judah be saved and Israel dwell securely.  At that time the Egyptian exodus story will have been replaced with a much greater exodus story.  Remember that this Passover!

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The answer Jesus gave will probably surprise you.  He replied,

“What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

That's right.  When asked about the path to eternal life, Jesus referred the questioner to Father's Law.  He didn't say anything about a sinner's prayer or going to church, etc.  Jesus clearly refers the man to God's Law.  Let's have a look in the context of Luke 10:

25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.[a]

28 “You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.”

Notice the [a] footnote at the end of the man's answer.  If you click on it you'll see that he is quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

Jesus clearly acknowledges that these two passages are the correct answer.  If one practices these two commandments they will have eternal life.

The man asks for clarification on who he should consider his neighbor.  This is important to him because the religious Jews of the day believed they shouldn't associate with foreigners.  (This is discussed briefly in a previous blog post here.)   Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan:

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (Notice that the Priest and the Levite avoid the man completely.) 33 But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.34 He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’
36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

So here you have it from the Master himself.  To inherit eternal life, practice Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18 and show mercy to those in need!  Don't listen to those who would tell you otherwise!

It should also be discussed that it is not up to man to decide what it looks like to love God with all of our heart and our neighbors as ourselves.  To learn this we need to study the two verses above in their contexts.  We cannot decide for ourselves. 

"No, Lord!"

This was Peter's response when he thought the vision he received in Acts 10 was about eating unclean animals.

13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”

14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common and ritually unclean!” (Acts 10)

Let that sink in for a moment.  This disciple who walked with Jesus hearing all of his teachings first-hand is appalled at the notion of eating unclean animals.   Surely if Jesus was planning for his followers to disregard Father's commandments Peter would have known about it. 

Instead, Peter was clear that he has never eaten unclean animals and was so adamant that he refused the instruction given from Jesus in the vision.

Then the voice says:
15 Again, a second time, a voice said to him, “What God has made clean, you must not call common.”

Afterwards, Peter was still perplexed at what the vision could mean:

17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate.

The men sent by Cornelius were now at the gate.  They were sent because an angel of God had so instructed Cornelius in Acts 10:1-8.

The Spirit told Peter to go with these men:

19 While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”

In the following verses, Acts 10:21-27, the three men explain why they are there.  Peter invites them in and returns with them the next day. 

Cornelius was expecting Peter and had many relatives and friends there awaiting his arrival.  When Peter arrived he said to them:

28 Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner. But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean.

This is where we get to the meat of the matter.  Peter shares the meaning of his vision which is that he must not call any person common or unclean.  Who forbade Jewish men from associating with foreigners?  It wasn't God.  It was a Jewish man-made tradition related to the one I discussed here: Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.

Peter goes on to explain that this is why he came as requested:

29 That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”

Cornelius answers by explaining how he was visited by the angel and told to request Peter.  Peter responds with all of the good news:  Acts 10:30-47.

In the next chapter of Acts, Peter summarizes the whole ordeal.  It's clear the meaning of the vision is about going with the 'unclean' men and not about eating unclean animals:

11 The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God’s message also. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him,3 saying, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!”4 Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying: 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 Then I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’8 “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.’10 “Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14 He will speak a message to you that you and all your household will be saved by.’15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”18 When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, “So God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles!”

Notice that at no time does Peter change his disgust at the notion of eating unclean animals, but he does change his mind about the man-made tradition about associating with Gentiles. 

Many have taken some of these verses out of context in an effort to justify their sin of eating unclean.  The reality, however, is that the context disproves their claim and actually proves quite the opposite. 

Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.

Do you know who said this and to whom it was said?  The answer may surprise you!

Folks have been led to believe that Jesus opposed the Pharisees for promoting obedience to Father's commandments.  The gospel accounts reveal quite the opposite!

Mark 7 proves this point easily:

7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Him. 2 They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they have washed. And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.[a]) 5 Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ritually unclean[b]hands?”

Notice that the Pharisees asked Jesus why the disciples didn't live according to "the tradition of the elders".  Someone who is unfamiliar with God's commands might assume that this hand-washing ritual is something Father commanded, but it is not.  It is a man-made tradition. 

Continuing in Mark 7:

6 He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites,as it is written:
These people honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
7 They worship Me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commands of men.[c]
8 Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.”[d]9 He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain[e] your tradition!

Jesus is clearly faulting the Pharisees for disregarding the commands of God while instead keeping the traditions of men.

Jesus goes on to give them another example of them disregarding God's Law:

10 For Moses said:
Honor your father and your mother;[f] and
Whoever speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.[g]
11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift committed to the temple), 12 “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 You revoke God’s word by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things.”

Jesus clearly promotes God's commandment.  He rebukes them for revoking God's word with their man-made traditions.

Continuing please keep in mind that the original topic of conversation was about eating with 'dirty' hands.  They were not discussing which animals are clean.

Continuing Mark 7:

14 Summoning the crowd again, He told them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand:15 Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. [16 If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!]”[h]
17 When He went into the house away from the crowd, the disciples asked Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a man from the outside can defile him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated.”[i] (As a result, He made all foods clean.[j]) 20 Then He said, “What comes out of a person—that defiles him. 21 For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, promiscuity, stinginess,[k] blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

Someone who doesn't want to obey God's commandments will take verse 19 and run with it declaring that any animal is good to eat.  However, that isn't the context.  Furthermore, to Jesus and his audience unclean animals such as pigs, catfish, squirrel, vultures, etc were not considered food.  In this blog post it is proven that Peter was appalled at the notion of eating unclean.

Jesus just got out of his mouth that the Pharisees were ignoring the commandments of God in favor of their traditions.  So he most certainly isn't going to then tell them to ignore Father's commandment 5 seconds later.  Additionally, if Jesus were to violate this commandment he would be a sinner and he died for his own sins.

Again, the context of the encounter is regarding the ritual washing of hands.  This process is still practiced in Judaism today.  I've seen it with my own eyes and even by some that claimed to follow Jesus.  More info on the hand washing rituals here.  Again, this is not a commandment of God.

What many don't understand is that the Pharisees had TWO laws.  One was the law given from the Almighty through Moses.   Jesus referred to this as the "Commands of God" in this passage and in Matthew 5:17-19 he simply calls it the "law".   The other law that the Pharisees practiced is called the Talmud.  It is often referred to as the "oral law".  This is what they were referring to when they speak of the "tradition of the elders".   See more here.

In an earlier blog entry here, we saw how Paul was careful to observe the biblical law himself.  It's hypocritical to believe he was teaching his followers to do the opposite.  Many believe that much of the confusion over Paul's meaning results around the two different laws.  Perhaps we'll address that later.

In conclusion, Jesus faulted the Pharisees for disregarding the commands of God while keeping man-made traditions instead.  This is my witness to you as well.  Stop disregarding Father's commandments in favor of the traditions you've been handed down.

Until Heaven and Earth Pass Away......

The title above is an excerpt from my Master's teaching regarding the Almighty's commandments.

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

Obviously heaven and earth haven't passed away so we know that nothing Jesus did or will do changes this.

To someone that studies only the last 1/4 of the Bible the significance probably stops there.  However, those familiar with Father's promise about the Law will find a much greater meaning.

What most miss is that Father called heaven and earth as witnesses when He made a promise:

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, (Deut 30)

Notice that Father has called heaven and earth as witnesses that He has given a choice of life and death, blessing and curse.

Let's have a look at this verse in context starting 8 verses before:

11 “This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.

Father gave a command that is not too difficult or out of reach.   It is very near to us and we should not make excuses.

15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.

A choice is given.

16 For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

He gives the command to obey all His instructions so that one will receive His blessings.

17 But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

One that turns away and doesn't obey His Law will be disciplined severely.

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 love the Lord your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Here again we see that Father calls heaven and earth as witnesses that He has given a choice of life and death, blessing and curse.

Surely this is what Jesus was referring to in the opening statement above.  Let's look at it again:

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5

 Since the context of Jesus's teaching is about the status of Father's Law, he is clearly referring to the promise Father made in Deuteronomy 30 when He calls heaven and earth as witnesses.  Jesus reminds us that heaven and earth hasn't passed away.  He goes on to say that whoever teaches against the Law would be considered least while those that practice and teach would be called great.

This notion of obeying Father's Law will seem foreign to most.   Father did know that His Law would be abandoned.  The good news, however, is that He also foresaw a return in the later years. 

From the first half of the same chapter (Deut 30):

30 “When all these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,

Once the scattered lost have experienced the blessings and curses and come to their senses.....

2 and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today, 3 then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 Even if your exiles are at the ends of the earth, He will gather you and bring you back from there.

And the families return to Father will all of their heart and soul OBEYING everything He had instructed them to do, He will restore their fortunes and bring them back......

5 The Lord your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than He did your fathers.

The lost tribes of Israel will be brought back to the Land.  More on this in a later blog.  For now see Jeremiah 16:14-15 in context and Jeremiah 30 & 31.

6 The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. 7 The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands with children, the offspring of your livestock, and your land’s produce. Indeed, the Lord will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers, 10 when you obey the Lord your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.

It's a love affair between Father and the people.  Once again the people will show their love to the Almighty by obeying all His commandments and He will prosper them.

After all, heaven and earth are still here.  They testify to the promise the Almighty made:  Life and Blessings, or Death and Curses.  It's your choice.  I'm sure Jesus hopes you will choose wisely.