The Beginning
God has been revealing His plan for the redemption of mankind through our holy scriptures, in the form of types and shadows of that which was to come and for thousands of years His "Chosen People" either do not see it or refused to receive it.
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39)
From Abraham to the giving of the law, to animal sacrifice, to the tabernacle of Moses, to the Temple of Solomon, scriptures have been revealing Jesus in the shadows until the time came when the mysteries of the old testament scriptures would be brought into the light.
Climbing Out of the Theological Box
From the beginning of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ the clarion call to mankind has been one of repentance. That is the act of willingly changing the way one thinks about something.
In the case of John we see the baptist challenging the Pharisees in attendance of his baptism service to prove (bring forth fruit meet) of their repentance.
That is that he wanted them to repent of their belief that the Jewish people have the righteousness of Abraham to cover their sins and that they do not need John's baptism or Jesus' sacrifice for the remission of their sins.
Our Lord Jesus on the other hand preached repentance about the way the Jews thought about the kingdom of heaven and corrected them on their understanding of scriptures.
Question:
For whom did Jesus come?
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Mat 15:24)
Albeit true that Jesus was sent into the world to pay the price of the sins of mankind so that they might escape the wrath of God which is to come, His earthen ministry (preaching, teaching & healing) was geared toward the Jews. He personally preached and taught ONLY Jewish people in Jewish temples or within Jewish lands. (Mat 10:6)
Why did Jesus come "only" for the Jews?
for the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. (Mat 18:11)
Now one can only be lost if they were first found by someone and we know that God made the Hebrews His chosen people. We also know that God gave the Jews the law as a standard of conduct for dwelling in the promised land. A standard of conduct that would glorify God among all the peoples and nations of the world.
God did not give the law to anyone but the Jewish people
and held no one not under the law accountable to the law, as such.
Notice what Jesus says here:
And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
But Jesus said, Forbid him not for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name that can lightly speak evil of me for he that is not against us is on our part for whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name because ye belong to Christ verily I say unto you he shall not lose his reward. (Mar 9:38-41)
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp and Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them, and Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them and Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. (Num 11:27-30)
The point here is that in Jesus time there were those not given the law, nor under the law, who were doing the instructions of God (the law) by their "nature". They were showing the work of the law written in their hearts, (Rom 2:15) and were closer to being on the right path than the Jews who were actually given and were actually under the law were.
Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works?, and then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity. (Mat 7:21-23)
Who were those who work "iniquity" (anomia - lawlessness)?
Those who were given and were under the law!
Who were given the law and were required to live under the law?
The Jews!
Who are the ones who shall not lose their reward?
Those who's "nature" has been changed because the spirit of the law has been written in their hearts!
Why will these not loose their reward?
Because The Letter Kills But The Spirit Gives Life! (2Cor 3:6)
Over 2,000 years ago God brought into the light the types and shadows of the old testament scriptures and just like their fathers before them the Jews of Jesus' time rejected the knowledge of God and persecuted His holy messenger.
John the Baptist came onto the Jews to make their paths straight. Jesus came to show them the errors of their ways concerning the statutes and ordinances of God, to usher in the new covenant (or new wine if you will), to announce the arrival of the kingdom of God on earth, and to make new wine-skins that would spread the new wine to every creature throughout the world.
Over 2,000 years ago 15 men and two women changed the world forever. Today there are some 1.5 billion professing Christians and evil is running rampant in the world.
For over 2,000 years the kingdom of heaven has been on the earth, for over 2,000 years mankind has possessed the keys to the kingdom, for over 2,000 years mankind has possessed the knowledge, wisdom and power of God, for over 2,000 years the enemy has been under our feet, and still Christianity seems powerless to stop the fall into anarchy.
And for good reason!
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (2Pe 2:22)
