The Law From Zion

Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

Our goal as saints is not to die and go to Heaven to do nothing. Rather, our goal is to bring about obedience to Christ and the Father on the part of everyone who chooses to obey Him when He is proclaimed.

Such is our task now, as the Lord leads, and especially after we die and return with Him.

The Sermon on the Mount does not consist of the mysteries of the Christian faith as does the remaining text of the New Testament. Rather the Sermon on the Mount tells us what righteous behavior is.

Parts of the mysteries of the faith will be explained as needed to the saved from the nations, but the emphasis will be on righteous behavior.

The first and foremost proclamation to the nations will be the supreme Divinity and Lordship of Jesus Christ. To remain in the Kingdom from Heaven it is absolutely necessary that every desire of Christ be obeyed diligently and completely.

The remaining aspects of the mysteries of the faith are as follows:
Receiving by faith the forgiveness of sins, made possible by the shedding of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Water baptism, with the idea the believer is entering the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and, coming up out of the water, is entering the resurrection Life of the Lord.
Receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit, whom we are to obey from henceforth, since the Spirit of God is the Law of the new covenant. The Spirit of God is the Counterpart in the new covenant of the Law of Moses in the old covenant.
Living by the body and blood of the Lamb of God, continually receiving into ourselves the body and blood of Christ. The body and blood of Christ give us the power to overcome sin; and when we stumble in our discipleship, forgive and strengthen us so we can pick up our cross and follow the Master again.
Growing in the ability to embrace righteous behavior and renounce and turn away from all unrighteous behavior. We meditate in the Scriptures continually so the Spirit of God can help us gain victory over sin.
We perform this action constantly as the Day Star, Christ. rises in our heart and we behave righteously according to our inner convictions.
Seeking and exercising the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God.
The roles and tasks of the Kingdom of God.

The above "mysteries of the faith," as we pursue them today, make us part of the Body of Christ, the Royal Priesthood, God's elect Church. They enable us in the present dark hour, to reveal in ourselves, as well as teach, the Sermon on the Mount.

People reap Christ thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. It seems to me that the saved people from the nations, who are not of God's elect, will reap Christ to a thirtyfold extent. Every person included in Christ's Kingdom must have in himself or herself a portion of Christ.

Perhaps the meaning of the Trees of Life on the new earth represent the body and blood of Christ by which people are to live and be healed. Also, the River of Life coming from the Throne of God resident in the members of the Royal Priesthood enable all the saved from the nations to partake of the Life of God.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)

I see no scriptural evidence that those who are saved from the nations, but who are not members of the Body of Christ, will ever have the Throne of God formed in them so that they are sources of the River of Eternal Life.

But every member of the Body of Christ, of the Royal Priesthood, of the Bride of the Lamb, will have the Throne of God in him or her and will be a source of the River of Eternal Life.

How much of the mysteries of the faith will be granted to the saved people of the nations I do not know. Whether they will be baptized in water and the Spirit, or grow in Christ to a certain extent, is not clear to me.

I do believe they will be able to confess their sins and receive forgiveness and deliverance in fulfillment of the Jewish Day of Atonement. Otherwise they could not enter through the gates of the new Jerusalem and partake of the Spirit of God and the body and blood of Christ.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:14,15)

But to be a part of the Royal Priesthood, the eternal Temple of God, the Church, the Body of Christ, is by election. No individual who is not of the elect will receive the desire or the means of changing from the ranks of the saved to the priesthood.

The elect are the elect, and to whom much is given shall much be required! This is why we of today are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Looking at the entire New Testament in this manner, it appears that the Sermon on the Mount is the promised Law from Zion, and the remainder of the New Testament tells us about the Lord Jesus Christ and explains how the commands of the Sermon on the Mount can be obeyed.

Such, then, is a goal of our redemption. It is to behave according to the model put forth in the Sermon on the Mount, which is the moral image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It would appear that the current explanation of Paul's doctrine of "grace" renders the Divine plan useless, in that it places "grace" as an acceptable alternative to the edicts of the Sermon on the Mount.

There are billions of people on the earth, plus an untold number in the spirit world. God wants every person, except those in Hell or the Lake of Fire of course, to always practice the righteous behavior outlined in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is our task, as members of the Body of Christ, of the Servant of the Lord, to bring about such righteous behavior throughout God's creation. There are to be no exceptions, no compromise. It is an iron law and shall be brought into being, beginning with the victorious saints who will be changed into immortality and caught up to meet the Lord when He appears.

The objective of the new covenant is that people love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and their neighbors as themselves; not that we would recline on a sofa in the spirit world doing nothing of significance for eternity.

There is no greater law than these two behaviors. These are intended to be the end product of all ecclesiastical observances and liturgical practices. They are reflected in the Sermon on the Mount.

The law already has gone forth from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. But we have not perceived it because of our perverting of the Apostle Paul's doctrine of grace.

It is the Sermon on the Mount. This is the law the nations shall be taught. When they have learned it, they will not go to war any longer.

As I have stated, the Sermon on the Mount does not deal with the mysteries of the Christian faith, as do the remaining passages of the New Testament. Rather it is a series of behaviors that can be taught to people.

The Sermon on the Mount has to do with relationships, because the Kingdom of Christ and peace are destined to increase forever; and this is possible only as people love God and their neighbor.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:7)

Divine grace is not an alternative to the edicts of the Sermon on the Mount. There are, always have been, and always shall be, penalties for disobeying them.

When we understand that change into the image of Christ and rest in God's will, as well as the bringing about of Christ's Kingdom on the earth, are our goal, and not eternal residence in Heaven, the relevance of the Sermon on the Mount becomes evident.

The Bible informs us that the Law shall go forth from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The Words the nations shall hear are those of the Sermon on the Mount.

As I mentioned previously, the nations perhaps will be taught some aspects of the mysteries of the Christian faith. But the emphasis will be on righteous behavior, as described in the Sermon on the Mount.

The Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Law from Zion, is the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew, Chapter Five through Seven.

We do not practice the admonitions of the Sermon on the Mount in order to earn salvation. We practice the admonitions of the Sermon on the Mount in order to obey God.

The Jewish Sabbath day is not mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount, because the entire sermon tells us of the eternal Sabbath of God.

These are the Words of the Lord Jesus that shall endure when the heavens and earth pass away.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

It is not the Law of Moses that will go forth from Zion and Jerusalem because, according to the Book of Galatians, that law has been superseded by the new covenant. In the new covenant the Law of the Spirit of God is not written on stone tablets but on the fleshly tables of our heart.

Throughout the thousand-year Kingdom age the people of the nations (the "sheep") will be taught the Sermon on the Mount. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. (Matthew 25:33,34)

Please note that inheriting the Kingdom of God is not reserved for the members of the Church, the Royal Priesthood, but also for those of the nations who were kind and supportive to the members of the Church, that is, to Christ's brothers and sisters, during their trials on the earth.

The enforcement of these laws will be without compromise. The precepts of Christ's Word will not be regarded as suggestions, as they are today in so many instances.

We might think, if it is so difficult for Christians today to observe the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount, no amount of force will suffice to compel the saved of the nations, who may or may not have been born again, to keep these laws.

Remember, however, that after the conflict of Armageddon, Satan will be confined in the Bottomless Pit. Antichrist and the False Prophet will be in the Lake of Fire.

And, as recorded in the second chapter of the Book of Joel, Christ and His saints shall have gone through the earth destroying all the works of Antichrist.

Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste—nothing escapes them. (Joel 2:3)

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:41)

Since Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet, and all wicked people have been removed from the earth, and the Holy Spirit is filling the land as the waters cover the sea, we can see that it will be possible for the preserved people of the nations to learn and obey the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)

It is a wonderful thought, isn't it?

We surely do not believe that Christ gave us the Sermon on the Mount so we could regard this set of behaviors as an idealistic statement that no one can obey! Rather, they compose the image of God, in whose image we are to be formed.

In fact, not only the saved from the nations will be taught the Sermon on the Mount, but all the inhabitants of the spirit world from the time of Adam and Eve. Also the saints in the heavenly Zion.

Thus all of God's children, on the earth and in the spirit world, with the exception of those in Hell or the Lake of Fire, will be reconciled to God in their behavior. Here is the complete, eternal spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish Day of Atonement, of Reconciliation. This is the full definition of "saved."

To be "lost" is to not be permitted to experience this modification of behavior.

Picture our Lord sitting on the side of a mountain, surrounded by eager faces hanging on every word. Little did they understand that they were seeing and hearing the fulfillment of the two verses in the Old Testament declaring that the Law shall proceed from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. (John 18:20)

Jesus taught out in the open lest He should be construed as building an organization of some kind. This also is how He and His apostles teach today in the spirit world. There are no special groups of people, no "churches," in the spirit world, to the best of my knowledge.

It is possible there are people who, when they die, expect to build their own kingdoms, their own "churches." But this shall not be permitted!

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:1-3)

What Satan fears more than anything else is a Christian who is poor in spirit and wholly dependent on Christ. Satan then is faced with Christ.

To be poor in spirit means to not be filled with our own ways but to have room in our personality for the Fullness of God.

I think it is noteworthy that Jesus did not begin by reminding His listeners of their sins. Instead He brought to their attention the importance of depending on God for all we need and desire.

Formerly I had not thought much about being poor in spirit. But as I looked to the Lord about it, since it is the first of the exhortations, I am coming to the conclusion that the remainder of this Law from Zion, the Sermon on the Mount, is based on our being poor in spirit.

Being poor in spirit is somewhat different from just being meek. Being meek and teachable is how we are to behave. We will speak of this in a minute. But being poor in spirit is what we are in personality, hopefully.

The members of the church in Laodicea were the opposite of being poor in spirit:

You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)

"I do not need a thing." That individual has no place in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Ark of the Covenant portrays Christ, Head and Body. Inside the Ark was the Memorial Jar of Manna, among other things. The Jar of Manna tells us that the believer who would remain as a member of the Body of Messiah must learn to depend on God for every need of spirit, soul, and body.

"O Lord, how I need You. I cannot live without You. You are the very breath of my life. Please come to me today and help me with all I think, say, and do."

That individual is poor in spirit. He or she does not trust in himself or herself or anyone or anything else.

That person is looking constantly to the Lord Jesus, praying continually.

Pray continually. (I Thessalonians 5:17)

It takes us a while to come to maturity such that we depend on Christ for all we think, say, and do, and pray continually. But this is how Jesus lives with the Father, and He is our Example.

Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19)

The Apostle Paul had so many problems he prayed without ceasing. Perhaps when we pass through enough fires we will find ourselves praying continually.

Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (II Corinthians 1:9)

We cannot possibly respond correctly to the remainder of the edicts of the Sermon on the Mount until we have the sentence of death in ourselves and trust in the resurrection Life of the Lord Jesus to get us through the day.

When I speak of having the sentence of death in ourselves, this applies to the members of the Royal Priesthood, the Body of Christ, especially in the present hour when there is so much satanic opposition. I do not believe it would apply to the saved people from the nations. Theirs is a different calling.

The sentence of death is necessary for all those whose destiny is to have the Throne of God formed in them.

What will be true of you if you are not poor in spirit?

You will have no part in the Kingdom of Heaven.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? It is the rule that comes to us from Heaven, the rule of God.

The Kingdom of God is the rule of God in Christ in the mature victorious saints.

The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. (Daniel 4:26)

In my opinion the greatest problem in the universe is the self-will of people and nations. Just being a Christian does not take care of this problem.

The chaos we of today see around us in the world is due to the self-will of human beings, in the world as well as in the Christian churches. How often we are filled with our own ways, plans, and desires.

I believe the chaos is going to become much, much worse until the hearts of people are failing them for fear.

We have to carry our cross of self-denial, spending years doing that which we do not enjoy and having that which we do enjoy taken from us, before we begin to gain victory over our self-will.

Many fires are required before we find rest in God's Person and will.

What must we do if we want to be poor in spirit?

We must ask Christ to make us poor in spirit.

This is true of every one of the edicts in the Sermon on the Mount. These injunctions describe behavior that is not true of our fallen adamic nature. They are the fruit of the Spirit of God as we obey Christ in all that we think, speak, and do.

Some people are naturally poor in spirit. But even they will lose that quality if enough pressure is put on them. It is only as we gain from the Spirit of God a continuing desire for the fullness of God that we have the eternal virtue God is seeking.

The admonitions of the Sermon on the Mount are of the Nature of God. We have to diligently seek the Lord for the change in our personality that is required. Also, we have to have the wisdom of Christ in the application of the exhortations of the Sermon on the Mount. It is not always the will of God that we turn the other cheek.

Attempting to fulfill the laws of the Sermon on the Mount in our own zeal may create self-righteousness, and possibly cause harm if we seek to obey them in our own wisdom and strength.

In our day it is difficult to overcome the enemy. Those who do will be rulers in the Day to come, according to the Word of the Lord.

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—that one "will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery"—just as I have received authority from my Father. (Revelation 2:26,27)

Eventually everyone in the Kingdom of God will be poor in spirit, for this law makes it possible for us to be properly reconciled to God.

The Law of the Sermon on the Mount is an iron law, the rule of an iron scepter. It corresponds to the face of the lion in the four cherubim. It shall tear down and conquer every behavior that would resist it. God shall not be defeated.

"The Kingdom of Heaven." I have not heard this term used very often. Have you? It is the possession of the poor in spirit, according to Jesus.

Unless I am mistaken in this, numerous Christian people do not understand that the rule of God, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, is coming to the earth.

There is a great deal said in the Prophets about the coming of the rule of God to the earth.

The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death. So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord. (Psalms 102:19-22)

The majority of Christian believers view the Christian salvation as preparing us to find our eternal home in Heaven, perhaps in a mythologic mansion.

Well, since the Law has come from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem, we are able to understand that the Gospel of the Kingdom is not about our going to Heaven but is concerned with the coming of the rule of God into the peoples of the earth.

It really is a much better gospel, isn't it?

God wants us to learn to live by every Word that comes from His mouth, and not depend on our own strength and resources.

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

The Apostle Paul told us how he lived by depending completely on the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul had concluded, as we must also, that there was nothing of worth in Him, only in our Lord Jesus.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

To claim "I no longer live, and it is Jesus Christ who is to do my thinking, speaking, and acting," is the confession of the believer who is related to Christ correctly.

From now on, God's will is the most precious thing in life to us. We rejoice exceedingly each moment of each day and night as we realize we are abiding in the Person and will of our Father in Heaven.

Such is the rest of God. Such is what it means to be "poor in spirit." All of the admonitions of the Sermon on the Mount are founded on the death of our fallen adamic nature and our possession of the new resurrection life of the Lord Jesus.

Such is true in the present hour. After the defeat of the principalities of wickedness, and the Spirit of God fills the earth, it is possible it will be far easier to keep the laws of the Kingdom.

I am of the impression that everyone who is saved to the new world of righteousness will have at least a portion of Christ in him or her. However, the members of the Royal Priesthood will enjoy a fullness of Christ not known to others of mankind.

But in the present valley of the shadow of death in which we are endeavoring to survive and serve the Lord, we absolutely must seek to die in the Lord until it is Christ who is living in our flesh.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

I do not know about the rest of the world, but the Christians in America are saddened by the abandoning of the moral standards we have been accustomed to.

America is under the judgment of God at this time. God is not at all pleased with abortion, or homosexual behavior, or gender confusion, or the worship of money, or the parade of naked performers on the entertainment stages, or the murders and other forms of violence.

We are having one tornado after another. Various other disasters of weather, mudslides, abnormal hail are occurring. Fires create havoc. It seems that every day we awaken to a new disaster.

In spite of this, I have not heard one instance of people on television suggest that we need to pray and change our behavior. I believe, however, that in their heart people must realize that God is displeased with us.

There are many Christians who mourn the slide down into the moral cesspool. Jesus has promised that we will be comforted one day. We indeed shall be comforted when the Lord returns and sets up His Kingdom on the earth. Then we will have all the desirable features of the earth without the presence of moral filth and violence.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Acts 6:8)

Today, in America at least, we may admire the individual who goes about proudly, pushing other people out of the way, harming his enemies if he can, giving little thought to what is just and righteous. He is determined to get ahead, to amass money and make his mark in the world. Such may be our idea of a successful person; but it is not God's view of success.

The meek inherit the earth. There will be no pushy, selfishly ambitious people in the new world of righteousness that the Lord is beginning to create, and the Lord Jesus Christ will be King over all.

One lawyer was heard to say, "The meek may inherit the earth but we will win in court."

This sort of defiant bravado is true of many of us Americans, more so than of some less affluent cultures. In fact, I think we sometimes look down on other cultures, regarding them as being less intelligent, and somehow not as important as we Americans are.

When Jesus comes, this spirit of boldness and brashness will be driven from the earth. The earth belongs to the meek, according to the Law that is proceeding from Zion. This is important to remember, because the prevailing incorrect theology has us inheriting the place termed Heaven; not the rule of Heaven, but the place called Heaven.

In actuality, our inheritance is in the earth, not in Heaven.

At some point in our life we are going to have to become meek and teachable if we are to participate in the Kingdom of God on the earth. Our social experiences will be much improved if all of us are meek and not arrogant and proud.

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