That’s right. You’re not here to judge? Aren’t you, @Bahri?
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I am free to judge anyone, however am not a judge and cannot issue a judgement.
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Really? But this only applies to the Law of the land, not the Laws of others realities right @Bahri?
Well no, I can consider all Europeans in America to be trespassers because they did not ask permission from anyone before landing their ships and making a claim of this territory being their god-given property.
However most people would think that is nonsense, if they pay rent or a mortgage to the bank, then this land is their land, given by God and Paul the Apostle!
Maybe they didn’t ask that in that manner in those time. Although I don’t believe it was exactly like that. In other words, there are other ways of asking, with shiny things, like mirrors, white sheets, and other shiny precious things that sweep clean the human mind.Like and such as bribery for example?
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When you are bribed, then in fact you are also bought. Then you become someone’s property. Regardless of who is the intermediary or the direct buyer. Being bribed and bought are one and the same.
Right, well supposedly they were looking for India but just got lost at sea.
In part it contains an ounce of truth. The ocean or space is vast.
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For the Mauro Biglino fans.
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Sure. Address your beliefs. I had expressed mine more or less in the first two posts of the topic. If you have counterarguments I would be glad to hear it
The primary topic in this thread is about the validity of Paul as an apostle. That said, for benefit of other readers, I wish to challenge a few of your previous comments from Post #61.
Jesus never explained the terms of a new covenant …
Yes, He did. Jesus Christ explained one term, that most significant and magnificent new covenant term—that His blood would be shed for the remission of sins.
Luke 22:14-20
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Pretty skimpy evidence for some perhaps, but Christ had His Father’s work to accomplish in the immediate hours ahead (prayer, capture, trial, torture, and crucifixion). Further explanation would come from inspiration of the Holy Spirit who would soon indwell each of them (Acts 2) and other disciples.
… as he did not want to create a new law.
If I understand properly, you are saying that Jesus did not specify terms for the new covenant (terms for man to follow) BECAUSE he did not want to create a new law. How do you know the mind of Christ?
The Israelites were never given a new law nor a new deal with God, as their agreement with God has already ended.
This was not a mere “agreement”. Covenants were sworn oaths; some were conditional between God and Israel and others were unconditional promises of God. The bulk of the Holy Bible, from Genesis 12 through the Gospels is the exclusive story of… Israel. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel the man), twelve sons into twelve tribes, slavery, exodus and desert wandering under Moses, conquest of the land under Joshua (Israel the land), a period of rule by judges, a period of kings (Israel the nation, one united kingdom) and then kings in divided kingdoms (house of Israel and house of Judah).
Israel repeatedly broke promises to God throughout their 1,500 year existence. Starting with the golden calf incident in the desert (Exodus 19, 32) they failed to keep their promise to follow God before Moses even came down the mountain with… the Law! Because of their wickedness, God eventually directed the destruction of the house of Israel (by the Assyrians) and later, the house of Judah (by the Babylonians). Descendants of the ten tribes of Israel assimilated into the gentile nations of the world while the remnant of captive Judah returned to Israel under the protectorate of other nations, namely Rome.
Yes, the cycle of obedience and disobedience culminated in their failure not only to recognize the Messiah (despite so many writings of the prophets) but also in their crucifixion of Him, as ordered by the Pharisees and accomplished by the Romans. It was all part of God’s plan of redemption.
Until Jesus Christ, the Hebrews had a consistent line of prophets.
Agreed. John the Baptist was the last of the old testament prophets and he announced the presence of the Messiah (John 1:29). At Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit of God indwelt the believers in Jesus Christ as promised and explained by Christ himself (John 14:16-31). No more need for prophets to receive and promulgate new messages from God.
Then, for almost 2,000 years, they were never given a new law.
Agreed. God set the house of Judah and house of Israel aside and God used apostles of Christ to record the New Testament books and spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
Because they attempted to kill Jesus…
Uh, they DID kill Jesus.
Just as Joseph brothers were culpable for their wicked acts towards him, yes, so were the Jews involved in the death of Christ. But God has repeatedly used the wicked acts of Satan and man to bring about His grand plan of redemption.
Genesis 50
15 And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
God ended his partnership with Israel.
God made a covenant (not a partnership) with Israel, first through his (Jacob) Israel’s grandfather, Abraham in Genesis 12, 13, 15 and 17. Of particular note it the scene in Genesis 15 where God (the greater) passes as smoke through the split carcass of the sacrificial animal rather than Abraham (the lesser), signifying that He will keep His promises (regardless of what Abraham’s descendants do is implied).
God is not done with Israel. Hosea and Ezekiel plainly speak of the future restoration of both houses (Judah and Israel) to be ruled by Christ (David my servant).
Ezekiel 37:15-28
15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
The old testament is replete with examples of God working through wicked actions of evil men and even foreign kings. The return of Jews to Palestine in the late 1800’s and establishment of modern Israel in 1948 seem part of God’s plan. The hijacked Zionist movement, treachery of the British (against the Jews after WWI), treachery of the Arab nations (against the Arabs in Palestine), Yassir Arafat, Begin, current Deep State actors, Hamas, Bibi, and of course, technology, have collectively led us right up to beginning of end times, as prophesied.
Palestine was a wasteland in the 1800’s and had been since the destructive events of 70 and 135 AD. Biblical prophecies regarding nations surrounding Jerusalem could not come to pass unless the promised land was actually occupied by Jews once again. Arguably, worldwide rage against Jews is at an all-time high. We are not far from nations surrounding Israel once again.
Saulus bleibt Saulus, ob als Christenverfolger oder Christ.
The question first is what is for sale, how is ownership established for something more powerful than anyone such as the ocean or an entire continent?
Governments claim authority over land that can be bought and sold, which is a belief system people buy into when paying money for land that was never for sale to begin with.
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There is something to remember when it comes to New Testament. Torah was written in Hebrew and Quran was written in Arabic, which was the native tongue of the Prophet Muhammad sawa in his day and age. The Bible that exists today that most people read is a translation of a translation of a original text and is not in the original language that Jesus spoke which was Aramaic, and also his companions spoke Aramaic, and the most of the New testament was written in Greek. So that was a very big problem for Jews and Muslims. After the event of crucifixion the disciples were shaken, they were terrified and in doubt, and from there we have a story of doubting Thomas. Until the time when they encounter Jesus, so after that they were spreading and preserving his Word in his original language, which was Aramaic. And the later version was written in Greek, because the target audience were the gentiles for that manuscript. It was written in Greek, because it was appealing to the Greek speaking audience. Then we have Paul who wanted to destroy Christianity, he’s dedicating his life to destroying the christians and killing them. Then all of a sudden he becomes a christian and starts to receving this visions which nobody can confirm. Paul focuses on non-Jewish audience, because he doesn’t want to talk to the Jews, because the original disciples are already dealing with the Jews and establishing the Church, and at that time there already were tensions between Paul and Simon Peter.
In addition to the writings of Paul you have the Acts of the apostles that were written by Luke, who also didn’t met Jesus. He takes everything from Paul, and it’s also very widely believed that Paul has written the gospel of Luke, or at least they wrote it together, since they were very good friends.
And no, I’m not saying that Jesus Christ didn’t make the new covenant, I’m saying that he didn’t come to abolish the old covenant, but he came to fullfil it, as it says in Matthew 5:17
Thank you for extensive reply, I will God willing address your Covenant questions later, as they’re pretty extensive. Have a blessed day.
In the scriptures, there is a foundation which God bases his relationship with mankind on, with all those who seek Him sincerely. It is known as a ‘covenant’.
Throughout history, God entered into such a contract with men six times, each had its own adapted laws, and all of them have been leading up to this very moment in history. The age of the ultimate covenant which has the power to unite the righteous people, from all walks of life and all different faiths. The prophesied “Seventh Covenant”.
THE COVENANTS OUTLINE THE TRUE HISTORY OF MANKIND
It is easy to follow the sequence from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus, to Muhammad… the founders of the Abrahamic faith. But Ahmad Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) has revealed that many others, like Buddha, Zoroaster, Lao Tse, Alexander the Great and Socrates, have been prophets of God to their people too. So how do they fit into the bigger picture?
Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace), the second Mahdi, has explained that these prophets and their people were included under the Noahic Covenant – because Noah’s Covenant included all mankind – just like Adam’s. On the contrary, Abraham’s Covenant was directed at him and his offspring, and Moses‘ Covenant was with a chosen nation only – the ‘Children of Israel’ – meaning the offspring of Prophet Jacob. However, Jesus’ and Muhammad’s Covenants were again open to anyone who recognized and accepted their prophethood.
It is also interesting to realise that Krishna, Buddha, and the fathers of Western philosophy like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and the great philosophers of the East like Lao Tse and Confucius, brought very few rules to their people. This is because these prophets were still under the Noahic Covenant and this seems to have suited the nature of their nations best.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COVENANTS WITH GOD?
The First Covenant with Adam
God always had a plan for mankind, a plan for eternal goodness. That’s why God created the paradise of Eden and extended the blessing of his covenant to the very first man, Adam. He made Adam his partner, promising eternal paradise. However, there was only one condition. God told Adam:
“…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 2:17
A covenant with God is like a contract. It doesn’t come for free. Any time two parties make a deal, they must first lay out the terms of their agreement. If one of the parties fails to fulfil those terms, it results in breach of contract–or, in other words, breaking the covenant.
When Adam ate from the tree, he committed the original sin, but what does it mean to sin? The dictionary defines sin as “transgression of the law of God.” In other words, the sin is not the action itself but rather, the rebellion against God’s command. Adam broke the covenant with God.
Whenever a covenant is broken, it results in punishment for those who broke it. When Adam and Eve made their exit, the gates of Paradise were sealed shut behind them. Until the day when God forgave the repentant Adam and restored the covenant with him.
Again, this is not what the Almighty wanted for us. That is why, throughout time, God has been guiding us and calling us to return to Eden, and mercifully, he gave us a way back. To earn a ticket of entry past those pearly gates, we simply have to keep the covenant, which means upholding God’s commands. That is the secret to a friendship with God.
When you hear the phrase “friend of God” you automatically think of Abraham. And he, like Adam, was a covenant prophet, to whom God reached out his hand and extended his partnership. Knowledge of the covenants is the key to unlocking a secret connection between the Torah, the Bible and the Holy Quran. The Hebrew scriptures name each prophet with whom God made a covenant, and we find these same names listed in order in the Holy Quran:
“And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant.”
– Holy Quran, Al-Ahzab verse 7
These 5 prophets are known as the Ulu’l Azm prophets, meaning foremost in will-power or determination. They were the most determined to uphold God’s covenant. Adam was meant to be one of them. But, as the Quran states,
“And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm will-power.”
– Holy Quran, Taha verse 115
In other words, he failed to uphold God’s commands and broke the covenant.
When God forgave Adam and re-established a partnership with him on earth, he commanded Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply.” Their offspring would be under the guardianship of the Adamic Covenant. But the book of Genesis also made it clear that, far away from the light of Eden, Adam and Eve’s offspring would be engulfed in an everlasting battle between good and evil. And it didn’t take long for God’s warning to come to life.
As the story goes, Adam and Eve’s sons–Cain and Abel–made offerings before the Lord. Abel offered up his very best but Cain withheld the best for himself and offered God his leftovers. After that, God was pleased with Abel and displeased with Cain. In a fit of envy, Cain attacked his brother, resulting in the first murder of human history. Cain’s murderous actions became the societal norm. The generations passed until the earth was drenched in blood, filled with wickedness, and the time had come to hit the reset button on humanity.
The Second Covenant with Noah
If you think the earth today is filled with violence and lawlessness, the state of affairs during the lifetime of prophet Noah was even worse. Genesis states that:
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 6:5
“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 6:8
“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 6:11-13
The people broke the terms of God’s covenant with Adam and a punishment was inevitable however, Noah found favor in God’s eyes, and he was chosen to be the bearer of a brand new covenant. In Genesis, God tells Noah to build an Ark, a raft of salvation, to shelter him from the impending punishment of the flood and said:
“Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 6:17-18
God extended his mercy to Noah and his family. But not all of them chose to uphold God’s commands. According to the Holy Quran, one of Noah’s sons refused to board the Ark — choosing, instead, to seek refuge from the flood on top of a mountain.
“[But] he said, “I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the water.” [Noah] said, “There is no protector today from the decree of Allah, except for whom He gives mercy.” And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned ” .
– Holy Quran, Hud verse 43
And just like that, the earth and all of its inhabitants were washed away. The flood cleansed the earth of all remnants of the old covenant, in order to start anew.
God never leaves humanity without a divinely appointed guide. As the generations passed from Adam to Noah, so did the torch of successorship–from one generation to the next. But, throughout that time, no laws were changed because the people were still on the Adamic Covenant. That all changed with Noah, the bearer of the second covenant.
Each partnership with God comes with new laws and limitations, based on the actions of the people. In Genesis 9, God lays down some new rules, since the people of the previous covenant had succumbed to their violent impulses. As we know, Cain killed Abel but he wasn’t put to death. So this time, God placed a penalty for murder and said:
“…I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 9:5-6
Other new laws of the Noahic Covenant centered around what man could and couldn’t eat. Adam was allowed to eat all plants, however God added meat to the menu for Noah, saying:
“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 9:3
God blessed Noah, saying: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you…”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 9:9-10
And he sealed the deal with a symbol, written in the sky–the rainbow.
God said: “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth…Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 9:12-13,15-16
The rainbow symbolises God’s promise, but that’s not all. Encoded in this symbol is an important message about God’s covenants.
Just count the number of colors in the rainbow and you will find that it is the same as the number of God’s covenants with man throughout time. And that number is seven. The Noahic Covenant was only the second. And it remained in place for about 400 years…until a man called Abram was born.
The Third Covenant with Abraham
The eternal battle between good and evil reared up during the lifetime of Abram. Abram was a descendant of Noah through the line of his son Shem. But he had a rival. A distant cousin, you might say, from the descendants of Noah’s other son, Ham. A tyrannical ruler by the name of Nimrod.
The Bible refers to Nimrod as “a mighty hunter before the Lord,” who hunted and killed both animals and men. At this point in time, the world was united by one language. Nimrod also united much of the world under one ruler–himself. Although the Bible makes no mention of Abram and Nimrod’s rivalry, Jewish and Islamic sources record that the two men came face to face in an epic showdown. And it was all about the covenant.
A covenant is a partnership between God and man, which requires allegiance to the one true God. That’s the number one rule. However Nimrod, like many others at the time, rejected God, and worshipped idols instead. According to the Midrash, Nimrod once tried to force Abram to worship fire but when Abram refused to praise anything but God, Nimrod threw him into the fire with a challenge: “Let your God to whom you bow come and save you from it!” (Midrash B’reishit Rabbah 38:13)
And He did. Abram miraculously emerged from the flames alive.
This whole exchange demonstrates Nimrod’s rebellion against God. His arrogance is affirmed by the Holy Quran, when Abraham said:
“My Lord is He who gives life and causes death.” (Nimrod) said: ‘I give life and cause death.’”
– Holy Quran, Al-Baqara verse 258
Nimrod saw himself as a rival to God. According to Hebrew scripture, it was he who built the infamous Tower of Babel, with the intention of killing God and taking over his kingdom of Paradise. The people joined Nimrod, thus pledging their allegiance to someone other than God, breaking the cardinal rule of the covenant.
According to the Book of Genesis, the people wanted to build “…a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4). However, instead of strengthening their power, the Tower of Babel had the opposite effect.
With the covenant being broken,
“…the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 11:8-9
Today, the aftermath of the broken Noahic Covenant is still apparent. Nations are divided by the invisible wall of language, unable to communicate with one another. Today, world religions also appear different-with different prophets and different religious laws. All of this traces back to the transition from the Noahic Covenant. Prophets and messengers who ended up scattered around the world–like Buddha, Krishna, Socrates, etc-are still upon the Noahic Covenant. They never moved on to the new laws, put in place by the next partnership between God and mankind.
When one covenant is broken, another one is not far behind. When people broke the Noahic Covenant, God chose Abram to carry the torch of the third covenant. When Abram was 99 years old, God appeared to him and said:
“I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 17:1-2
The deal which God extended to Abram was special. Unlike the Adamic and Noahic Covenants, which extended to all of mankind, God chose Abram to be the father of a chosen nation–the people of the third covenant. God said:
“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 17:5-7
Although Abraham’s eldest son was Ishmael, God made it very clear that this covenant would be with the descendants of Abraham’s younger son, Isaac. He said:
“…your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 17:19
Then, God sealed the deal with a brand new obligation.
“…God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 17:9-14
In exchange for upholding the covenant, Abraham and his descendants were gifted the promised land, “…from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River” (Genesis 15:18).
As God said, this was meant to be an everlasting covenant, but there was a catch. In the Quran, God tells Abraham that if his descendants were to break the covenant, they would no longer be under God’s wing.
“[ Allah ] said, “Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.” [Abraham] said, “And of my descendants?” [ Allah ] said, “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.”
– Holy Quran, Al-Baqara verse 124
Abrahams’s core teaching could be described as: Trust in God who is merciful. And this is reflected in Abraham’s intense pleading with God to save the righteous people in Sodom, even if they were only 10.
In Jewish tradition, Abraham is called ‘our father Abraham’, signifying that he is both the biological progenitor of the Jews, and the father of Judaism.
The Abrahamic Covenant lasted until some wicked ones from his offspring committed too many crimes against God’s messengers. Eventually the Jews endured 400 years of slavery until the arrival of the next covenant prophet.
The Fourth Covenant with Moses
By the time of Moses, the chosen people had clearly fallen out of favour with God. Remember, God promised Abraham, “The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:8). In other words, “if you uphold the covenant, and take me as your Lord, I will give you this land.” But the children of Isaac had drifted far away from that Promised Land and experienced 400 years of enslavement in the land of Egypt.
The Israelites begged for forgiveness:
“God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.”
- Holy Bible, Exodus 2:24
God chose Moses to liberate the Israelites from captivity. But the punishment for breaking the third covenant wasn’t over just yet. Moses commanded Pharaoh: “let my people go.” But Pharaoh said no. So one by one, 10 plagues appeared. Blood rivers, frogs, lice, flies, livestock struck dead, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. Until, finally, the angel of death, himself, came knocking to claim the life of every firstborn son. God extended his protection to the Israelites in the form of a deal. He spared their children, on one condition. They had to uphold his command to slaughter a lamb, and “…take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses.” (Exodus 12:7)
After a long dark night for Israel’s soul, dawn finally breaks. With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, God liberates his people from bondage. They cross the Red Sea on dry ground. They receive food from the sky and water from the rock. And in three months they arrive at Mount Sinai. Here God initiates a new covenant, the fourth covenant, with Moses and his people, giving the Children of Israel a second chance to be God’s chosen nation.
Like all of the covenants throughout time, this one had its own divine promises and human conditions. The Israelites had to obey. He made that very clear when he said:
“…if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
– Holy Bible, Exodus 19:5-6.
The people vowed: “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
– Holy Bible, Exodus 24:7
Moses ascended the mountain where he stayed for 40 days and 40 nights, as God sent down the heart of the new law, the 10 commandments, inscribed upon 2 stone tablets. The very first commandment was a call to monotheism.
“I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me.”
– Holy Bible, Exodus 20:2-3
The new covenant took shape with new religious laws. An additional 613 laws are listed in the Pentateuch. Some rules carried over from the Abrahamic Covenant. For example:
“On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised.”
– Holy Bible, Leviticus 12:3
But many aspects of the Mosaic law were new. Whereas Abraham married Sarah, his half sister, the Book of Leviticus says that a man should not marry his father’s daughter “…whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.” (Leviticus 18:9). For the first time, the scriptures record a command to honour the 7th day of the week: *“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 5:12)*.
Sprinkled throughout the books of Moses, are new dietary laws-what we know today as kosher eating. God allowed “any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.” (Leviticus 11:3). In other words, no pig, camel, or rabbit. A goat could not be cooked in its mother’s milk (Exodus 23:19). Only fish with scales were fit to eat (Leviticus 11:9-12). And certain fowl were forbidden including birds of prey (Leviticus 11:13-19).
Another obligation, first recorded under the Mosaic Covenant was the command to offer God a tithe, meaning 10% of “…everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord…No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution.” (Leviticus 27:30-33).
The mark of the Mosaic Covenant was observation of the Sabbath.
You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. … Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
– Holy Bible, Exodus 31: 14-15
Moses core teaching could be described as: Love the Lord your God with all your heart , and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
After Moses, the last Hebrew Prophet the Jews accepted was Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. Soon after with the appearance of Jesus when the Jews seemingly crucified him the Mosaic Covenant was broken.
The Fifth Covenant with Jesus
“You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. ”
– Holy Bible, Acts 7:51-52
Despite the killing of his prophets, God sent Jesus to the Jewish people intending to offer a 5th covenant through him.
Jesus’ arrival offered the Israelites a final chance to hold on to their deal with God and their status as God’s chosen people. Jesus was a covenant prophet, destined to place a new partnership between God and mankind. It could have been with the Israelites. But they were already skating on thin ice. And Jesus warned them, on more than one occasion, that they had better shape up or they stood to lose out. He said:
“Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”
– Holy Bible, Matthew 21:42-43
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the Israelites were still under the laws of the Mosaic Covenant. Christians, today, claim to be under a new law and a new covenant put in place by Jesus. There is just one problem with their claim. Jesus never changed the Mosaic laws. Quite the opposite. He said:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
– Holy Bible, Matthew 5:17
And he also said: “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.”
– Holy Bible, Luke 16:17
His core teaching could be described as: Love one another. And it is reflected in Jesus’ blood being the symbol for his covenant with God – a symbol of selfless love and self-sacrifice.
He announced the new covenant during the Last Supper.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
– Holy Bible, Matthew 26:26-29
After this event, Jesus was immediately arrested, and then the crucifixion happened.
Jesus never lays out the terms of a new covenant for good reason. The Israelites were never given a new law or a new deal with God. When they tried to kill the Messiah, their special deal dissolved and the telltale signs of a broken covenant followed. Not a generation passed before the temple, symbolic of God’s preference for their nation, was destroyed by the Romans during the siege of Jerusalem. Then, the Israelites were scattered once again. For centuries–from Abraham until Christ–the Hebrews had a constant line of prophets. Then, all of the sudden, it all came to a screeching halt. For nearly 2,000 years, the Jews have languished in misguidance. No prophets. No Messiah. And no covenant. God’s partnership with Israel came to an end. But his covenant carried on with a new nation.
Remember — the soul of Jesus was destined to establish a new covenant between God and mankind. And that’s exactly what he did. He carried the new covenant to a new nation. But where, exactly, did he go?
In order to answer that, we must jump back to the story of Abraham. When God told Abraham that Isaac’s children would be under the guardianship of the covenant, Abraham pleaded with God:
”If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 17:18
And God responded: “as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.”
– Holy Bible, Genesis 17:20
In this context, the word ‘blessing’ can only mean one thing – Ishmael’s children would be given a covenant in the future.
The 5th covenant, which Jesus established, went to the Ishmaelites. They became God’s chosen people. From there on God sent more and more prophets to the Arabs – ending with Muhammad.
But the Arabs followed the footsteps of the Christians and the Jews, and broke the Jesuit Covenant.
Their punishment came along with Abraha, the Christian Governor of the Abyssinian King, who marched upon Mecca with a huge army of elephants, in the birth year of Muhammad. But God sent a flock of birds dropping fiery stones wiping out everyone present there.
Continuation of a reply to sharick
The Sixth Covenant with Muhammad
When God forgave the Arabs, he offered mankind a 6th covenant through Muhammad.
For many Muslims, the idea of a covenant between God and mankind may seem like a foreign concept. But the word ‘covenant’ appears many times throughout the Quran and God explains exactly what it means:
“Honour Allah’s covenant when you make a pledge, and do not break your oaths after confirming them, having made Allah your guarantor. Surely Allah knows all you do.”
– Holy Quran, An-Nahl verse 91
Islam appears very different from Judaism or Christianity, in part because of its different religious laws, or the Sharia. That all goes back to the covenant. Not everything changed. The primary law of monotheism remained the same. Just like the first commandment of Moses, the Quran states:
“Did I not make a covenant with you, O children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan? Indeed he is a manifest enemy to you. “And that you should worship Me alone. This is a straight path (for you to follow).”
– Holy Quran, Yaseen verses 60-61
And like the Abrahamic Covenant, the partnership with Muhammad required circumcision as a physical symbol of God’s guardianship. But, of course, some laws had to change.
A fresh covenant always comes with fresh laws, based on the actions of the people. A prime example of this is the Quranic ruling on alcohol. Alcohol was once permissible. According to the Christian gospels, Jesus even transformed water into wine. But in Muhammad’s time, people were drinking to excess. At first, Muhammad simply said:
“…do not approach prayers while you are intoxicated…”
– Holy Quran, An-Nisa verse 43
But later on, Alcohol is banned entirely.
”O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination, – of Satan’s handwork: so avoid it that you may prosper”
– Holy Quran, Al-Ma’ida verse 90
This example just goes to show the power of the covenant. God’s laws aren’t arbitrary. When people start going off track, new laws come down as God tries to guide us back toward goodness.
Another significant change to the new deal was the direction of Prayer. In the early days of Muhammad’s call, prayers were performed towards Jerusalem – a holdover from the days of the Mosaic Covenant, when people prayed in the direction of the holy Ark of the Covenant. But during the time of Muhammad, the direction of prayer shifted to another place. The place, which the Ishmaelites regarded as the house of God – the Kaaba in Mecca.
“…We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer]…”
– Holy Quran, Al-Baqara verse 144
Perhaps, the most important change brought on by Muhammad’s Covenant was its people. When the Ishmaelites broke the Jesuit Covenant, they lost their status as God’s chosen people. God’s covenant with Muhammad returned to being a worldwide covenant, as it was in the time of Adam and Noah. Once again, God extended his blessing to all mankind, that’s why it says in the Holy Quran:
“And We have not sent you, [O Muḥammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.”
– Holy Quran, Al-Anbiya‘a verse 107
Muhammad’s core teaching could be described as: Is religion anything but love? And it is reflected in the unmatched gentleness and humanity towards followers and enemies alike.
But the hypocrites from the Arabs broke the covenant. They killed Muhammad, and members of his Holy Household and every single Imam from his lineage (pbut), until Imam Mahdi, whom they failed to kill as God sent him into occultation. And the Arabs continued transgressing for the past 1200 years until that covenant also broke.
And the occultation of a divinely appointed ruler means darkness on earth, and is a punishment for the people. But the Family of Muhammad left multiple narrations which state that the Mahdi will reappear raising a black banner. One of them stated
Imam Al-Sadiq ( pbuh) said: “ Verily, we Ahlulbayt have a banner, whoever goes ahead of it has renegaded, and whoever is late to it has perished, and whoever follows it has followed [us], it is written on it: ‘Allegiance is to Allah!’ ”
– 250 Signs, Mohammad Ali Tabatabaei, 1st ed., p.19
This is the banner which Imam Ahmad Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) has raised and its message is “Allegiance is to God”. It means that God alone deserves our obedience and not those who are not appointed by Him.
It’s no coincidence that a banner is also a signal for the appearance of the saviour, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible. It is written in the book of Isaiah:
“He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.”
– Holy Bible, Isaiah 11:12
The saviour will raise a banner for all nations, calling upon all people from the four corners of the earth. Only one man, in all of history, has come forth with such a flag and it is not the only thing he carries. He is the carrier of the Seventh Covenant: Imam Ahmad Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
The Seventh Covenant with Ahmad Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace)
While its dark colour may seem alarming to some, it wasn’t always black. In fact, when Ahmad Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) first announced his call, the banner was white. However, like the stone of the Kaaba, the banner was stained by the sins of the people who broke the covenant. It is promised that the banner will return to its original white colour.
His core teaching could be described as: Mercy before Religion. Love others more than yourself. Leave no one behind, and never break this oath.
The 7th covenant began as a partnership with the souls, in Eden, to a worldwide covenant with Adam and Noah. God then made a deal with a chosen nation. But in the time of Prophet Muhammad, the 6th covenant opened the doors for the entire world. And now, the 7th covenant brings it full circle, because like the covenant of paradise, it is a partnership purely with the souls.
That is why the prophecies speak about a “banner for all nations,” and an “…eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people.” (Revelation 14:6).
It is the covenant, which unites all of mankind, people from every nation, every language, and every creed. But how exactly will they be gathered?
Well, according to the scriptures, all of these events of the End Times – the tribulations and the emergence of the saviour – coincide with another prophecy. “The Raja’a” or “The Return”.
Throughout time, prophets and messengers left curious clues about a strange event to come. A time when the dead would rise from their graves and return to life.
In the book of Ezekiel, God says:
“My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them…”
– Holy Bible, Ezekiel 37:12
“I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms…I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.”
– Holy Bible, Ezekiel 37:21-22, 26
Nobody has ever been able to explain the true meaning of these verses, which talk about the saints emerging from their graves, or the return of the prophets and messengers with the Mahdi, except for Imam Ahmad Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace).
THE RISER FROM THE FAMILY OF MUHAMMAD WILL EXPLAIN THE GREAT RETURN
It says in the Holy Quran that the soul is a matter about which we have been given very little knowledge. But the Riser from the Family of Muhammad will change that.
Imam Al-Sadiq said: “Verily, 2000 years before Allah swt created the bodies, He made brothers between the souls in the Shadows. So when our – Ahlulbayt – Qaim rises, the brother inherits his brother in the Shadows, and he does not inherit his brother from the physical birth.”
– Mustadrak Al-Wasa’il, Al-Mirza Al-Nouri, 1st ed., v.17, p.186, hadith 1
– Bihar Al-Anwar, Muhammad Baqir Al-Majlisi, 3rd ed., v.58, p.79
Meaning, the Riser from the Family of Muhammad comes forth, and reveals knowledge about the soul world. His covenant is a covenant of the souls. And it is a brand-new covenant. As we witnessed with every other covenant, the laws and commands always change. And according to Islamic narrations, the Riser is the keeper of a new law.
From Abd Al-Aala he said: I said to Aba Abdillah (pbuh): The one who claims this matter, what is his proof? He said: he is asked about the permissible and the impermissible (the halal and the haram)…”
– Al-Kafi, Muhammad ibn Yaqub Al-Kulaini, 5th ed., v.1, p.284, hadith 2
THE SEVENTH COVENANT IS FOR ALL MANKIND
Seven is the number of the covenant, which has the power to unite the world.
Time after time, broken covenants resulted in a broken world. Nations were scattered, faiths were splintered and mankind was separated. Unable to communicate with each other. Following the commands of different covenants. Divided by the illusion of different faiths. But the secret, which has been hidden all along, is that the religion of God is one. And now is the time for us to unite under the banner of one God, one truth, and one covenant.
I am glad I attempted to read this thread on a Sunday. I gaze down at the red velvet padded kneel bench that I am confident I will need soon as I wait for the “Here Endeth the Lesson”.
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Why do people go to Church and pray on Sun-day, not Son-day? This one is quite esoteric.
Are you sure about that? Holy Quran and Gnostic gospels state otherwise.
Thinking of all that’s been dished out now and thousands of years ago to explain earth’s history, all anyone can think of is what one reads or is passed down via stories and “scriptures” of others. Even the
“hard sciences” are subject to the same issues.
This method is wide open for misinterpretations, false prophets, naysayers, demigods, hero worship and much more. Belief is based on choosing an idea and building on it and everyone is capable of that, however the building of a collective consciousness to validate the idea requires a few “tricks”…
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