When you see some new machine with its gears spinning, shafts turning, motors humming, you won’t understand what it is or what it does, until somebody shows you a plan of it. Similarly, you can’t understand history and its climax, modern civilization, until you see a plan of it. The only such plan of history is in the Bible and it is amazingly complete. However, you can’t understand this plan in the Bible, until you know who you are. You must learn the Bible was lived and written by your ances...
When you see some new machine with its gears spinning, shafts turning, motors humming, you won’t understand what it is or what it does, until somebody shows you a plan of it. Similarly, you can’t understand history and its climax, modern civilization, until you see a plan of it. The only such plan of history is in the Bible and it is amazingly complete. However, you can’t understand this plan in the Bible, until you know who you are. You must learn the Bible was lived and written by your ancestors, written about you and written to you. The identity of the Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and Teutonic people as the Israel of the Bible, is the only key to the whole book.
If somebody wrote a very exact history of the United States, but never used the name United States therein, always calling the nation in this history China, you couldn’t make much sense out of it. As a history of China, it would be demonstrably false, it could never make good sense until you put the name of the right nation into it, however all the major churches have falsified the Bible. They have taken our history, the various prophecies about us and told us that all this was just about the people we know as Jews (Jer. 24). This conception is an easily demonstrated falsehood. That is why in any debate an intelligent and well-educated atheist has always made a monkey out of any clergyman maintaining this misconception. The traditional church doctrines on the Bible make no sense and have no continuity.
The churches have taught us another falsehood. That is this. They have taught the Old Testament is a record of a different religion, the Jewish religion, which Yahweh tried out and found that He couldn’t make it work. So, He had to abandon it and start a brand-new religion Christianity, in the New Testament. In this, they have greatly slandered Yahweh.
In these lessons we have proven the Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and Teutonic people are the Israel of the Bible. We have proven this by showing you that these people and no others, especially not the Jews, fulfill the Bible prophecies about Israel. We have traced their migration through the writings of most of the recognized historians of those centuries.
You have heard us prove the New Testament is just as much an Israel book as is the Old Testament. We have reviewed the New Testament and showed that it was clearly speaking about and speaking to Israel. You have often heard us say that the Old Testament is just as much a Christian book as is the New Testament. Today, we shall begin the proof of the Christian content and character of the Old Testament. Yahweh our God, was not mistaken when He inspired the prophets to write the Old Testament. It was not a failure which He had to abandon and start all over again with a new, different religion. Yahweh was right the first time and His religion and His plan of the ages has always been the same, from the very beginning until this moment.
So that we can recognize Christianity when we find it in the Old Testament, we must clarify our ideas about it. What is the essence of Christianity, expressed in a few words? Isn’t it this, that man is responsible for his own actions? If he disobeys Yahweh, this disobedience is sin and the penalty of sin is death. Man must personally pay this penalty by his own death, unless someone pays it for him. But no other ordinary person could do this for you, because the other person is already under the death sentence for his own sins, and therefore could not die in your place. Therefore, Yahweh provided the only possible sacrifice which could pay the penalty of you sins, Yahshua the Son of Yahweh [being both the Father and the Son], being perfect and wiyou t sin, had no penalty of his own to pay. Therefore, when He gave His own life for us when He died on the cross, He paid all the penalty of our sins, so that we will not have to meet this penalty. If we accept this basis of our relationship to our God, openly confessing that Yahshua is our only Savior, then we have become acceptable to Yahweh, because sin no longer stands between Him and us. Instead of bearing the responsibility for our sins, we now have attributed to us the righteousness of Yahshua. This is Christianity, this is what we must now look for in the Old Testament.
The first promise of the coming of Yahshua our Redeemer, is found in Genesis 3:15. Yahweh has called Adam, Eve and Satan before Him, to give account of their misdeeds. Yahweh says to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: He shall crush your head and you shall bruise his heel.” One who is of the seed, or descendant of Eve, shall crush the power of Satan, but in doing so, He shall suffer from Satan’s malice. However, the wound to Satan is far greater than the wound received by the Redeemer. We have seen this fulfilled in the crucifixion of Yahshua, a most terrible thing for Him to endure. By this and His resurrection, Yahshua totally and permanently broke the power of Satan to hold all men in his power through fear of death. The prophecy in Genesis 3:15 unmistakably applies to Yahshua, and is the first instance of Christianity in the Old Testament.
Note, this records Satan was to have as literal children as Eve. The same Hebrew word for seed, zerah, is used in the case of both Satan and Eve. One of Eve’s descendants, which we know to be Yahshua, was to defeat Satan alyou gh suffering terribly in the process. Carefully note another thing, it is Yahweh who puts enmity between Satan’s children and Eve’s children. You know how Satan’s children love to parrot the official Democratic party line and call us “haters”. The Bible itself tells us that Yahweh commanded and created that enmity or hatred. As a matter of fact, it only appears as hatred among Satan’s children. We don’t hate them, we just detest the evil character shown by the wicked things they are constantly doing. Satan’s children are today known as Jews, formerly they were known as Canaanites, Hittites, etc.
The Bible only records a very limited account of this conversation between Yahweh and Adam and Eve. However, it very clearly implies that at this time Yahweh explained to them the entire plan of redemption, including the fact that He, Yahweh, would be the Redeemer coming in the form of a descendant of Eve.
Naturally Adam and Eve didn’t like being under the curse, which came as a consequence of their disobedience of Yahweh, and they hoped that the curse would soon be ended. Since Yahweh had not explained to them how many generations it would be until He came as the promised Redeemer, Eve hoped that her first child Cain, would be the Redeemer. This is concealed from you by the mistranslation in the King James Bible which says this in Genesis 4:1. “She conceived and bore Cain and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.” In the Hebrew it reads, “She conceived and bore Cain and said, I have gotten a man even Yahweh.” Eve you thought that this, her first child, was Yahweh, God Himself come in the flesh as one of her descendants, to be the Redeemer of His children. This also is Christianity in the Old Testament. You will remember that in the lesson on “Who Is Your Savior?”, I gave the Biblical proof that Yahshua is Yahweh, come in the flesh to be our Savior and Redeemer.
We find further confirmation of this in Genesis 4:3-7 which tells us, “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Yahweh. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Yahweh had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art you wroth? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; you are its object of desire, but you must master it.” Yes, I know the King James Bible says that sin lies at the door, but the same Hebrew word means both the sin itself and the sin offering, the blood sacrifice. The two ideas were closely identified, the sin and the offering, which cleansed the sinner of his guilt.
Alyou gh Cain had herds and flocks of his own, he brought no blood sacrifice, just fruits and vegetables. He made no confession of sin, no prayer for pardon. He merely told Yahweh, “Landlord, here’s your crop-rent” and then he wondered why Yahweh was not pleased by this! Abel knew sin would separate any man from Yahweh, and he could not become acceptable to Yahweh until cleansed of his sins. This was only by making the blood offering, to proclaim his faith in Yahweh’s revelation that someday the Savior would die to pay the penalty of Abel’s sins and he could become free from sin. Abel showed an understanding of the basic principles of Christianity nearly 4,000 years before the birth of Yahshua.
Hebrews 11:4 reminds us that Abel understood the need of the blood sacrifice, symbolic of his faith that the Savior would give His life to pay for Abel’s sins. These incidents in the third and fourth chapters of Genesis occurred close to 4000 B.C. The book of Genesis which tells of this, was written by Moses about 1446 B.C., and it is not the earliest book in the Bible. Alyou gh the book of Job was later assigned its place as the 18th book in the Bible, it was written about nine centuries before Moses lived. Its great age appears from the fact that it never mentions the law which Yahweh gave to Moses, and nothing as important as the law would be omitted if the Book of Job had been written later. Job complains of his undeserved suffering and his friends assure him that suffering comes only as a just punishment, so Job must have done something very wicked to deserve such punishment. But they never mention any law which they think Job has broken. Also, Job, who wrote the book, is mentioned in Genesis 10:29 as Jobab, Father Job, a great, great grandson of Shem and a grandson of Eber, from whom the people got the name Hebrews.
In all his suffering, Job never loses sight of the promise of the coming Redeemer. Even while he is wishing for death to put him out of his misery, in Job 19: 25-27, he says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and you gh after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see Yahweh: Whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.”
Abraham also knew and expressed some of the basic ideas of Christianity. In Genesis 22:1-14 we read that Yahweh put Abraham to a severe test, He told Abraham to offer his beloved son Isaac, on the altar, as a burnt offering. Remember how much Isaac meant to Abraham. In addition to all the ordinary love of a father for his son, Yahweh had promised Abraham that the many great prophecies given to him would be fulfilled through Isaac. Then, when Isaac was still only a child, and none of the promises had yet been fulfilled, Yahweh suddenly commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering! Did it mean that Yahweh had changed His mind and would not make good on His many promises? No, Abraham knew that Yahweh’s word was always reliable. Therefore, Yahweh would find a way to fulfill His promises that through Isaac would be born a number of nations, destined to demonstrate to the world the goodness of Yahweh.
Abraham started out with Isaac for the place where he was to offer up the sacrifice, going cheerfully, not in the awful grief of a father about to not only witness, but even to cause, the death of his beloved son. He went in the serene confidence of one who knew that his God was always faithful. It records. “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, father, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, Yahweh will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
Possibly his confidence might have been based in part upon the conviction that, if Yahweh did permit the death of Isaac, He would resurrect him, so that the promises would be fulfilled through Isaac. Remember that resurrection is a basic part of Christianity. By his own statement, Abraham also was calmly certain that Yahweh would intervene, providing a lamb for the sacrifice to be offered in place of Isaac, so that by the death of lamb, in his place, Isaac could be spared. This again, is the very essence of Christianity. In John 1:29 Yahshua is called the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. In Revelation 13:8 Yahshua is called, “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Genesis 22 tells how Abraham’s faith was justified. Yahweh stopped him before any harm could come to Isaac and provided a ram, caught in a nearby thicket, for the sacrifice.
This incident of Abraham and Isaac was written in the Book of Genesis by Moses. Do you think Moses did not know the significance of what he had written? Not at all, the Bible itself tells us Moses was a Christian, does that surprise you? Hebrews 11:24-26 records, “By faith, Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter: choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.” Certainly you can’t have faith in something you have never heard of. It is clear Moses knew the significance of the symbolism in the Old Testament rituals which he told the people of Israel to use.
Christianity is the central theme of the Old Testament, especially in the writings of Moses and Isaiah. The deepest religious truths therein are expressed symbolically in the sacrifices and rituals. Since they are not explained in words of one syllable for the benefit of the lazy, the uninterested and the shallow, they have not been perceived by churchmen whose religion never gets beyond mere emotionalism. These are the men who tell us Yahweh was mistaken in the Old Testament, that His plan would not work, because men in their wickedness were stronger than Yahweh. They would not let Him carry out His plans, so He had to abandon all this and start over again in the New Testament. That is not a religion that gives much inspiration to follow! They call themselves New Testament Christians, but they either won’t read or won’t believe the New Testament in addition to the Old Testament.
In this same New Testament Yahshua, to whom these Jews render lip service, calls their attention to Christianity in the writings of Moses. In John chapter 5 He twice called attention of the Jews to this fact saying, “Search the scriptures: for in them you think you have eternal life: it is these scriptures which testify of Me.” The earliest book of the New Testament, Matthew, was not written until ten years after Christ spoke, so the scriptures He told them to read were necessarily those of the Old Testament. Yahshua told them, “There is one that accuses you, even Moses, in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me.” Can you be a New Testament Christian if you won’t believe Yahshua’s own words?
We find the essence of Christianity clearly symbolized in the origin of the Passover. You remember Moses had repeatedly demanded of the Pharaoh of Egypt that he let the people of Israel go, and the Pharaoh had each time refused, despite the many miracles Moses worked bringing down plagues upon Egypt to show his authority. So Yahweh told Moses that one more plague would be sent upon Egypt, which would surely convince Pharaoh that he should let the children of Israel go. “Thus, says Yahweh, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the first born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sits upon the throne, even unto the first born of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the first born of beasts. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that you may know how Yahweh puts a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.”
Note what this means, because of the stubborn wickedness of the Egyptians, the death penalty was to come upon them. Yet the children of Israel, who were also imperfect and sinful, were to escape this penalty. There was only one way in which they could be spared, by the ritual of the Passover. This Passover certainly symbolizes Christianity as the way of salvation from death.
The instructions for this ritual were given in Exodus chapter 12. “In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and upon the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in the night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs shall they eat it. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial: and you shall keep it for a feast to Yahweh throughout your generations; you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.”
This symbolized Yahshua giving His life to save those who believe in Him. This festival was always kept in the Hebrew month of Nisan. This meal gave the Israelites strength for their forced march, that night and all the next day, leaving Egypt in the exodus. The lamb’s blood had to be placed outside the door on the two door posts and the lintel above the front door of each house. Although they were cruelly mistreated slaves in the land of their enemies, they could not eat the Passover supper in secret. Salvation from death came only to those who publicly proclaimed their faith that the blood of the lamb would save them.
This is clearly New Testament Christianity. First, the necessity for public confession of faith in the blood of the Lamb. In Matthew 10:32-33 Yahshua says, “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My father which is in heaven.” Also read Luke 12:8-9. In Romans 10:9 Paul reminds us, “That if you shall confess, with your mouth, Yahshua the Christ, and shall believe in your heart that Yahweh has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
Eating the flesh of the lamb, to gain strength for the great effort of the exodus from the world and evil into salvation and the kingdom of Yahweh, is again clear Christian symbolism. In John chapter 6 Yahshua says, “I am the bread of life: he that comes to Me shall never hunger; and he that believes on Me shall never thirst. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Perhaps some of you are wondering about the command in Exodus 12:24, “And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your children forever.” Are we violating Yahweh’s law when we do not celebrated Passover as such today? No, you will note that the Passover ritual was an ordinance, all the religious rituals were stated as ordinances. There are four grades of divine law. (1) The commandments, which are the greatest rules governing man’s relation to his God. (2) The statutes, which are the rules for governing the nation, including many of the rules for man’s relation to his fellow man. (3) The judgments, which are the rules telling the judges how to decide cases between man and man. (4) The ordinances, which are the rules for the religious rituals and ceremonies. The commandments, statutes and the judgments are the rules which are forever necessary for a good life in this world and they are still in force. The ordinances governed only the religious ceremonies and rituals, and all of these were symbolic of the coming Savior and Redeemer, Yahshua.
Since He had not come in Old Testament times, all the symbolism of the rituals looked to the future. But after Yahshua had actually come, we cannot go on proclaiming our faith that our Redeemer has not yet come but will come in the future. That would be a rejection of Yahshua who has already come. Therefore, only the form of the ceremony, not its eternal truth, is changed to a new form the last supper or communion, which proclaims our faith in a Redeemer who has already come. It is still the same eternal truth about the same Redeemer. It does not reject any of the truth implied in the Passover, it merely proclaims this as already accomplished.
