Danger! Danger!
Understanding "seemingly" contradictory Scriptures.
If someone says you have wronged them, as they quote the eye for eye and tooth for tooth "Bible law," do you have to accept they are justified before God in doing to you what they consider compensatory harm? They would justify themselves using these or similar scriptures:
Exodus 21:12 GW . . ."Whoever strikes someone and kills him must be put to death."
Leviticus 24:19-20 LITV . . .If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, (20) fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.
or... would you
educate them with Jesus's words:
Matthew 5:38-39 CEV . . .You know that you have been taught, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." [
Exod 21:24 ;
Lev 24:20 ;
Deut 19:21] (39) But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek.
How can you reconcile the above seemingly opposing scriptures? They are certainly not contradictory, and, if you can't fit them all into your understanding, it probably means you don't know Jesus Christ at all! (
Luke 13:23-28) The Bible is absolute Truth beginning to end! But, you do need to understand who was being spoken to and when. The Law Code including "eye for eye" (
Exo 21:22-25) was given through Moses to the Jewish Nation
[which Law included the Ten Commandments (Exo 20:1-17)] about 3500 years ago. The Jews, as a nation, were then being used by God to produce the long before promised Messiah: Who would prove to be
Jesus Christ. (
Gen 3:15;
Gen 22:15-18) The Law was a tutor leading the Jews
[and then the rest of us] to Christ, (
Gal 3:24-29 of 19-29) who was sent to us with the ability and training to teach us what his Father wanted us to know. (
John 18:37;
John 5:19-24;
John 8:26-30;
Mark 9:7) Now that Jesus has arrived, we listen to The Christ
[or Messiah; both meaning "The Anointed One"] rather than the ancient Law Code; which Law's purpose was fulfilled in helping produce Messiah. Jesus's new law of love didn't negate the value of the old Law Code in the purpose it had served. Jesus's Law did mean you should no longer try to live by following the Mosaic Law.
The old Law had protected the ancient Jewish nation so they could be clean enough in God's eyes to provide the woman who would give birth to God's son!
The point: To understand what God wanted us to know when he recorded any Bible verse, we need to know who He was addressing and how those scriptures fit into the overall view of God's 6000 year long creation and revelation of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. That Kingdom has been in production since the Garden! The revelation of the Kingdom is what the Bible is for! (
Rev 21:1-4)
So...
Why is this knowledge of history important with regard to Hebrews chapter 10 verses 24 and 25? God there told the early Hebrew Christians not to forsake gathering together to strengthen and encourage each other. That leaves us with considering how that command applies to us in our day! And here is a danger: Understanding Hebrews 10:24-25 is made important because those words of God are used as a trap by most every single vile church or religious sect; in their works to enslave minds and hearts. (John 8:31-32) Religionists each and all want to convince you they are God's chosen people. To help accomplish that, most show you Heb 10:24-25 as they warn you should not forsake gathering with "them" to be pleasing to God. That actually does demonstrate a huge and important failing and difference between real Christians and all apostate Religionists; and provides a simple way to identify them: All true Christians are identified by directing you to read the four short Gospel recordings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, where Jesus words and actions are recorded in parallel accounts. The rest of the Bible is also important, of course, as it exists in support of the Christ!
(Gal 3:19-29) Reading the Gospels is how we, in modern times, sit at Jesus's feet and gain the joy of becoming his friends and part of his family... (Mark 3:31-35; Gal 3:23-29) Very important for YOU to understand if you want to live: It is not possible to join some sect of men to gain friendship with Christ. (John 15:11-16) They may be sincere in trying to direct you to their sect, but they and their exalted human leaders are not the Christ sent by God! Jesus must be your only teacher and every real Christian knows and understands that... (Mat 23:1-15)
Potential Trap: I do know from personal experience, any church you have even the least bit of faith in, or hope or respect for, can and will use those verses from Hebrews [10:24-25] to help enslave you, and then, to deceive you in their work to keep you enslaved! To avoid being duped, we all just need to realize who Paul was talking to when he wrote the Book of Hebrews, and when he wrote them and why. That is the only way to know God's meaning in the letter He inspired Paul to write to the Hebrews, and more importantly for us living during these troublesome last days, how it applies to us 2000 years later. (2 Tim 3:14-17) The evolution or growth or development of Truth! Everyone today, Jew or Gentile, must have abandoned the ten commandments and the rest of the old Law Code in favor of obedience to Jesus Christ. (Gal 5:4; Mat 17:5) We have to understand the different parts of the one same perfect message of Truth God recorded in the Bible, has different applications and meanings at different times, based on where we live in the stream of time the Bible records and reveals. God's ancient servants [the Jews] were instructed and required to obey their ancient Jewish Law Code; including its "eye for eye"... They could be killed [and sometimes were] for disobeying the Law!
Christians, however, are required to obey Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the purpose of the old Jewish Law Code! Our great High Priest Jesus Christ (Heb 5:4-10; Heb 2:14-18) brought and gave us the Law of Love [that new Law written on (Rom 2:14-16) and having the power to change hearts] and it supersedes and/or fulfills the Mosaic Law of commands written on stone. (Rom 2:14-16; 1 Cor 2:6-10) We must all understand יהוה's only latter day command is to listen to his Son! (Mark 9:7; John 6:28-29) If you are still searching for God by obedience to the old Law Code, the Bible says it means you don't know Christ and you will die! (John 13:34-35; Heb 8:6-13; Gal 6:2; Heb 7:12; Heb 12:22-24; Mat 28:18-20; Gal 5:4) Thus, "when" we are alive in the Bible's recorded stream of time matters! The scriptures are never contradictory but the meaning of some of them definitely does change based on when we live.
Purpose of the Book of Hebrews: So then, to help us understand what these verses from Hebrews mean for us in our day, we ask: When and to whom was the letter of Hebrews written? It was written about 2000 years ago; when Judaism was being replaced/fulfilled in Jesus Christ by his then new Christian movement. Jesus told the Jews their former way of worship was done. (Mat 23:37-39; Luke 13:31-35) The Jewish form or worship, which had for 1500 years been the one and only only proper way to worship יהוה, the one true God, was being replace or upgraded to Christianity. (John 4:16-26) The Apostle Paul was a former Jew (Acts 23:6; Philippians 3:4-9) whom Jesus Christ had personally converted to Christianity after Jesus's death. (Acts 9:1-22) His conversion by Christ made Paul the 13th Apostle. (Mark 3:13-14; Rom 1:1) In this Bible Book of Hebrews, Paul was writing to the Christians in that area who had, like him, converted from Judaism. He was writing those Hebrew Christians in about 61 CE, nearly 30 years after Christ was martyred. That was also the time when the Hebrew Christians former holy city of Jerusalem was about to be destroyed by the Roman legions, some 5 years after Paul's letter [Jerusalem's destruction happened in 66 CE]. Even though the Hebrews Paul wrote had abandoned Judaism and become Christians, many of them lived in and around Jerusalem, so her destruction would be shocking as well as something they would have to survive! In addition to facing Jerusalem's destruction, the Hebrew Christian congregations were persecuted by the Jews, just like Jesus had been. So, Paul told them not to forsake gathering together to support and encourage each other. The Hebrews were being persecuted by the zealous Jews [as Paul himself had actually done (Acts 22:1-5; Acts 8:1-4; 1 Tim 1:12-16)] and were facing the destruction of what they had known from birth as the True God's only approved way of life and worship. So, they certainly needed Paul's letter encouraging them to support each other!
What, then, about Paul's encouragement for the ancient Hebrew Christians not to forsake gathering together; what should we take his words to them to mean for us? Since our Lord Jesus could see the bigger picture, shouldn't we begin with noting what The Christ himself said about our gathering together as he spoke about our end of days? Our days do somewhat parallel the destruction of ancient Jerusalem. We are similarly facing the destruction of what we have known as our way of life; this old world system of things... (2 Pet 3:10-13; 1 Thes 5:1-5) Jesus said, with regard to us (Luke 21:7), then:
Matthew 7:15-23 GNB "Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves. (16) You will know them by what they do.
[Good fruit is directing people to listen to Christ for themselves. Bad fruit is directing people to anyone else; (Mat 17:5) or just failing to direct them to listen and take to heart the words of God's Son.]
Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briers do not bear figs. (17) A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit. (18) A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit. (19) And any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire. (20) So then, you will know the false prophets by what they do. (21) "Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.
(22)
When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!' (23) Then I will say to them, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!'"
Matthew 24:23-28 MWT Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. (24) For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even those being chosen. (25) See, I have told you beforehand. (26) So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. (27) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[Like heat lightening that is not actually seen, but illuminates everything, Christ is present in the Gospels and illuminating everything on earth by his teachings.]
(28) Wherever the body is, (
John 6:53-58) there the eagles will gather.
[The remains or body or corpse of Christ is the body of his teachings, as preserved in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John]
Matthew 24:10-15 CEV
. . .Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. (11) Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. (12) Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. (13) But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. (14)
When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.
So, do Jesus's warnings temper Pauls later command to the ancient Hebrew Christians to "gather together" during the last days of their previously approved Jewish system. It would seem extremely foolish not to be warned by Christ's words. Clearly, Jesus was warning us about a "lot" of people who would be encouraging us to join with them, and not to forsake "their" gathering... Isn't that exactly what a "false prophet" would try and quote and misapply scripture to convince you to do; to convince you to gather with his demon hordes? (2 Pet 3:14-18) Do note some of those false prophets appear sincere enough to try and convince or remind even Jesus Christ himself of their integrity. Sadly, however, they have been followers of men. (Mat 15:7-9; Mark 7:6-9; Col 2:8) Remember: Religionists are Satan's often unknowing tools (Mat 3:7-10) and you are just a human. They only way you can avoid being misled by them is if you are not listening to them; and, YOU "ARE" listening to Christ. All true Christians are defined by knowing and doing their best to share that simple truth about God's Son! (Mal 3:16-4:3)
Gathering Safely in our day: Don't misunderstand, the gathering with other Christians is still important, of course. How, though, in the light of these and the many other warnings by Christ about the need to be constantly on guard against false prophets, (Mat 23:1-15) can we gather with others of like faith? It's simple, really! We just need to be gathered with eagles! We do that by simply and lovingly sharing in talking with others about our faith in the Spirit filled words (John 6:63) of Jesus Christ. (Mal 3:16-4:3) That doesn't require any judgment on our part to assert they are either good or bad!
All who would follow Christ must understand the membership roll of Christians is kept in heaven and never by any sect of humans. (Luke 10:20) No person or group can ever judge who else is or is not on that heavenly scroll. Worrying about our own membership is plenty enough for each of us! We can identify that we are on it. How? By being gathered to feed at the body of Christ. What is Christ's body or his remains; and, how to we gather there? His body is, of course, his teachings. If you are reading the words of Christ over and over every day, to a familiarity and understanding of his teachings, thus making yourself his friend; (John 15:11-16) that is feeding on his remains. You are gathered with Eagles! Who, though, knows who you are? Certainly no man or woman! You are known by Jesus, and then by his Father through your expression of faith in Christ's words, and finally by your own self, if your are wise! So... Those with true faith in Christ await our deliverance from this tribulation into paradise, being delivered by God's war of Armageddon. God's war forever destroying all the wicked... Christians gather with others, hopefully of like faith, when we discuss these Bible truths [Jesus's words] with them. (Mat 18:19-20) "Our sincerity in Christ" in any such assembly is "our part" in gathering with Eagles, and, along with other sincere Christians in the assembly, we have great power. (2 Cor 10:3-6) That frees you from foolishly gathering with some church or sect based on "their group doctrine" of faith; having to hope you're are not gathered in a nest of the false prophets Jesus warned against. You are not their judge, so how could you know who around you in the group is sincere? Speaking with others about "your" faith, if it is in harmony with what Jesus taught, decides and preserves your life! (Mal 3:16-4:3) Are you using your power of prayer to ask, along with me and all other Christians, for God to speed up the destruction of this old wicked system. He did promise He would! (Isa 60:22 of 60:12-61:4)
So, the very important point is: You really can't join any church or religious sect and think that is applying Heb 10:24-25, especially when they assure you it is! True Christians know better! You are a Christian based on your faith in what you personally know Jesus taught! (John 6:28-29) That's all that defines you... (John 3:19 of 16-21) In view of Jesus's words, then, how could you feel safe in giving your support to some huge sect of people, your approved membership and your calling yourself by their named sect giving public witness you attest to their asserted righteousness? (Luke 13:24-28) Best not do that! (Mat 18:18-20; Mal 3:16-4:3)
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