Zion is the dwelling of God, which means God is in Zion. Therefore, to meet God we must come to Zion.
Pslam 132:13 For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, 14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
Since God is in Zion, we can find God in Zion, who can forgive our sins. We can be set free from sins and death in Zion. And we can receive salvation of God in Zion.
Isaiah 33:20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals…..21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One…….22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us….. 24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
As true and righteous judge, God in Zion gives us forgiveness and salvation. Just like a judge in the world makes a judgment on the basis of a law, God as judge in Zion makes a judgment based on the law of God. Then what is the law in Zion that gives us forgiveness and salvation. What is the law that justifies us that we are not a sinner any more. We must be under that law to receive salvation.
According to the bible, there are two different laws of God. The first law or the old covenant was the law God gave to the Israelites when he led them out of Egypt, the land of slavery. With the old covenant (the Law of Moses) God gave them freedom for the slavery and led them to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Law of Moses or the old covenant was declared to the Israelites on Mountain Sinai among thunders and lightnings. The Jews kept the old covenant for the blessings of forgiveness.
However, in the time of the new covenant, the law of the new covenant or the Law of Christ is coming from Mt. Zion to the holy people of God to give them forgiveness and salvation. Christ established the new covenant for us, all the people of God. (Luke 22:19) Through the new covenant, we can be set free from the slavery of sins and death. And the Christ is leading us to the spiritual Canaan, that is, heaven.
Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah……..“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people……“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
God declared that he would establish the new covenant. Unlike the old covenant which was written in the tablets of stone and could be broken when Moses threw them down the mountain, the new covenant would be written in the tablets of our heart and can never be broken or taken away. Through this new covenant, we can be the people of God and God gives us forgiveness of sins.
Therefore, as people of God, we must keep the new covenant. 2000 years ago, Jesus established the law of the new covenant through his sacrifice on the cross. He established the Sabbath of the new covenant and the Passover of the new covenant. When we keep the laws of the new covenant in Zion, we can be under the love and grace of God and receive abundant blessings from God.
The definition of the word “covenant” is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified. A covenant is a kind of promise made between people. In this sense, the covenant is also a promise made between God and His people.
In the time of Moses, God made a covenant with the Israelites, which is called the old covenant. It was given specifically to the physical Jews.
Deuteronomy 5:1 Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.)
As a sign of the covenant, God gave them the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Israelites could receive blessings from God when they kept the covenant. In reality, however, they disobeyed and violated the covenant, and as a result they were cursed and received a lot of calamities.
In the time of Prophet Jeremiah, God foretold the Israelites about the coming disasters and taught them the reason for those disasters coming to them. It was because they violated the covenant they made with God.
Jeremiah 11:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.” I answered, “Amen, Lord.” 6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’”
The bible teaches that whatever was written in the past were written to teach us a lesson. Through the blessings and curses of the Jews, God is teaching us about the importance of keep the covenant God established for us. 2000 years ago, Jesus came down and established the new covenant for all the people of God, not only the Jews. This covenant was given to the peoples of the world who would like to receive the blessings from God.
Through his flesh and blood, Jesus made a covenant and he gave the promise of eternal life and forgiveness of sins to those who keep the covenant. He named the covenant “a new covenant” in contrast to “the old covenant” given to the Jews.
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Through his blood of the Passover, Jesus established the new covenant and commanded to his people to keep the Passover in remembrance of him. Obeying the command of Jesus disciples of the early churches kept the new covenant, telling us that we have to keep the new covenant until the Christ comes again.
1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
However, due to the work of Satan, during the Dark Age, the new covenant was broken and since then people did not keep the covenant. Because of this, people got cursed under the slavery of sin and death.
The bible teaches us again and again that we have to keep the covenant God established for our salvation. We should come back to God and keep the new covenant Passover. Then we can be under the blessings of God. If we follow our stubbornness like the Israel people in the past, however, we will be under curses and cannot receive salvation.
Moses receving the Ten Commandments, the Covenant of God for His People
Deuteronomy 30:11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. …..19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Let us choose life by keeping the covenant God gave for our salvation. The command of God is not burdensome.
Today there are so many people who claim to be the people of God. However, Jesus says that not all of them are the true people of God. Then how can we distinguish who the people that belongs to God are and those who are not?
The High Priest with the Urim and Thummim
In the old covenant, among the people who came back from the Babylonian captivity in the time of Ezra, there were many who could not prove their own genealogy. And the God teaches that only the high priest with Urim and Thummim can decide whether they belong to the people of God or not.
It is the same with us today. As believers of God we must have the high priest with Urim and Thummim who can declare that we are the true people of God. Then who is the high priest with Urim and Thummim?
First, let us think about the meaning of Urim and Thummim? In the Law of Moses, the high priest should wear a breastpiece with two gem stones, which represent Urim and Thummim, in the time of making decisions.
Exodus 28:30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.
And the meaning of Urim is “light” and Thummim “perfection,” which means the perfect light or truth since light means “truth.” Therefore, the high priest with perfect light signifies that the high priest who comes with the perfect truth.
The Order of Aaron and the Order of Melchizedek
Then what is the perfect truth? In the old covenant or the Law of Moses, the priesthood was following the Order of Aaron, and the bible teaches that this priesthood was imperfect. And later it was changed into the perfect one.
Hebrews 7:11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.
The Levitical priesthood or the Order of Aaron in the old covenant was not the perfect light or truth. And the bible teaches that the Levitical priesthood has changed into the priesthood in the Order of Mechizedek. This means the imperfect priesthood (the Order of Aaron in the old covenant) changed into the perfect priesthood (the Order of Melchizedek in the new covenant).
Hebrews 7:18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
The former regulation (the Order of Aaron and the Law of Moses following the priesthood of the Order of Aaron) was not perfect for the salvation. And for this reason, a better hope (the priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek and the Law of Christ) was introduced to give us salvation.
God’s People Through the Passover
The Law of Moses which was the imperfect light or truth changed into the Law of Christ, which is the perfect truth. Therefore, the high priest in the Urim and Thummim means the high priest following the Order of Melchizedek. Then who is the high priest in the Order of Melchizedek? And what was the perfect truth that he brought for the salvation?
Hebrews 5:8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Son, that is Jesus Christ, was the high priest in the Order of Melchizedek. And the perfect truth that he brought for salvation was the new covenant Passover, which is the symbol of Mechizedek. As Mechizedek the high priest of God blessed Abraham with bread and wine, Jesus as the reality of the high priest in the Order of Melchizedek blessed us with the bread and wine of the Passover.
Even though we were not God’s people once, through the Passover new covenant we became the people of God.
John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
Through the Passover we can remain in God, which means we can belongs to God and be God’s people.
Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Christ Ahnsahnghong, the High Priest with the Urim and Thummim
Truly Jesus is Our God who came as high priest in the Order of Melchizedek and through the Passover we can be the people of God. Also for the same reason, Christ Ahnsahnghong who restored the new covenant Passover, the perfect truth is the high priest with the Urim and Thummim and he is the one who can give us salvation through the perfect light of the new covenant. We must accept Christ Ahnsahnghong and keep the new covenant Passover to the end.
In this post I would like to show some verses about Melchizedek in the Old Testament which was given as shadow for the spiritual Melchizedek, which was to be fulfilled in the New Testament. To understand the reality of Melchizedek in the New Testament, first we have to look at Melchizedek of the Old Testament. By looking at the life and work of Melchizedek of the old covenant, we can know the one who would come as the reality of the Melchizedek by fulfilling the work in the spiritual way.
Melchizedek in Genesis
Genesis 14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.
This is the almost only description of Mechizedek in the Old Testament. But here we can see all the important characteristics of Melchizedek we must know to understand the spiritual Melchizedek. The very first thing we should look at about Melchizedek is that he was a priest of God. A priest of God is the one who present offering to God.
Hebrews 8:3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.
A priest is a person chosen by God to give offerings to God so that he could mediate between God and God’s people when God’s people committed sins against God. According to this regulation the priesthood was given to Aaron and his descendants and they were to give offerings of animal sacrifice by shedding blood of animals so that people’s sins would be forgiven.
Who is Melchizedek?
But the offerering Melchizedek was presenting is completely different. He is offering to God bread and wine which is mentioned nowhere else in the Old Testament and through this we can see his priesthood was not conventional to the laws of old covenant.
Blessing Abraham?
Another thing important in this description of Melchizedek is his blessing of Abraham with bread and wine and Abraham’s presenting “a tenth of everything” to Melchizedek. What is the meaning of all this? First, to understand this scene we have to understand who Abraham represents. Abraham is called a ancestor of Israelites as we can see the genealogy of Israelites. The genealogy starts with Abraham since he was the progenitor of this ancestry.
Matthew 1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Jacob the grandson of Abraham had 12 sons and those 12 sons of Jacob came to be called the 12 tribes of Israel. (Actually the name Israel was given to Jacob later and therefore 12 tribes of Israel means 12 tribes of Jacob.) In this sense Abraham represents the Israelites itself who was still in the body of Israelites. Therefore, Abraham’s presenting a tenth can represent Israelites’ presenting a tenth (or tithe) to Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:9 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth (or tithe), paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
So in this scene Abraham represents Jews and then who does Melchizedek represent? To answer this question we need to know about “a tenth” mentioned above. A tenth means “tithes” God commanded His people to present to him.
Leviticus 27:30 “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31 Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. 33 No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’”
A tithe or a tenth belongs to God. Then who is Melchizedek who received a tenth or tithes from the Israelites through Abraham? He must be representing God himself. So the spiritual meaning of this scene is actually a illustration of God’s blessing God’s peoples with bread and wine. But in this priesthood a man is not set up as a meiator as in the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants, but God himself is acting as mediator to bless his people.
Why Bread and Wine?
And also as I have mentioned before, the offerings or gift used for the minstry is also different. In the Order of Aaron, priests sacrificed animals such as cows, bulls, sheeps, and goats by shedding the blood for the forgiveness of sins. But in this Order of Melchizedek, “bread and wine” are presented as offerings instead of animals.
Spiritual Melchizedek Who Was To Come
Then why was this story of Melchizedek was recorded in the bible? Seemingly, this story is very short and mentioned in a passing way, so we might think that this is not that important. All the prophecies of the bible seem to be the same. They seem to be unimportant and neglected by people. But when the time of fulfillment for those prophecies comes, the words of God suddenly stand up alive and do everything as it is recorded in the bible.
The prophecy of Melchizedek is the same. This story was given as copy and shadow to teach us the one who was to come as spiritual Melchizedek to bless God’s people. Through the Melchizedek in Genesis, we can find out some characteristics of Melchizedek so that we can know the spiritual Melchizedek who would come and bless God’s people. The first one is that he is the priest of God and working as mediator to bless God’s people with the forgiveness of sins. Second, he is coming with bread and wine to bless us unlike the priests of the Old Testament who practiced animal sacrifices according to the Law of Moses. And third, most importantly he represents God himself since he received tithes from Abraham, which belongs only to God.
To fulfill the prophecies of Melchizedek, the bible teaches “another priest like Melchizedek” would appear to bless God’s people.
Prophecy of the Appearance of Spiritual Melchizedek
Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” 3 Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7 He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his head high.
This verses were written by King David who lived around 1000 BC and he is speaking about a one who would appear as a priest in the order of Melchizedek. He cannot be talking about Melchizedek in the time of Abraham because the time frame of Abraham was about 1800 BC which happened about 800 years before the Book of Psalm was written. So the Melchizedek who would appear is not the Melchizedek of old, but a spiritual or prophetical Melchizedek who would appear later.
This prophecy was about Christ who would appear as Savior to God’s people. In the time of Jesus, there was an argument about who the Christ is and Jesus quoted from this verse of Psalm to teach us that Psalm 110 was concerned about the Christ who was to come. (Matthew 22:41)
Conclusion
Here we come to know about physical Melchizedek in the Old Testament. And this Mechizedek was given as type or pattern to teach us the one who would come as spiritual Melchizedek to fulfill the prophecies. According to this prophecies, he would come as priest of God to mediate, he would mediate by offering bread and wine as gift to God, and he would be God himself.
Christ Appearing as Spiritual Melchizedek
In the next post, I would like to show the fulfillment of this prophecy of the bible. Who is the spiritual Melchizedek? What would he do? How can we recognize him? All these things through the prophecies of the bible. This prophecy of Melchizedek was finally fulfilled by Christ Ahnsahnghong who came with bread and wine of Passover to mediate for our sins so that we can receive the forgiveness of sins.
Even though there was a very disobedient son, he would listen to the last words of his dying parents and try to accomplish them. Also, even though there was a person who was seldom listened to while he was living, people would pay attention to his last words. The last words left by a person are considered as something important or even sacred that we should listen to even though the person who are giving those words might be a complete stranger to us. And the bible says that we also might have been a very disobedient son to our spiritual parents, but we must listen to the will or the last words of our spiritual parents to fulfill them.
Then what is the will of God that we must listen to?
Hebrews 9:16 In the case of a will (or a covenant), it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
The Old Covenant and the New Covenant
Old Covenant Made with the Blood of a Lamb
Here Paul explains about the meaning of a will and shows that it takes effect after the death of the testator. Another word for “will” is a testament and thus the bible itself can be considered as a will since it is called a testament, an Old Testament and New Testament whose testator is God himself. Just as Paul explains, a will or testament can take effect only when the testator died. In the same way, God gave his will with his blood or death to enforce the terms of his will.
Hebrews 9:18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.
God proclaimed his will or the covenant for his people to bless them and give them the Promised Land as inheritance. And to make his will set in force the one who made the will or the covenant, that is, God himself must die and to symbolize his death he ordered his people to shed the blood of animals, especially a lamb calling the blood as his own blood to represent his own sacrifice and death.
Even today the Jews keep the Passover with the sacrifice of a lamb to keep the covenant God gave them through Moses.
Exodus 34:25 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning.
To the blood of the Passover lamb, God said that it is not just the blood of a lamb, but his own blood he shed to put into effect his will or the covenant he made with his people so that they could receive the full blessings promised in the covenant. Therefore, we can say that the bible is a promissory note God wrote with his own blood and everything in it would take effect according to the terms recorded in it to his people who receives this promise. The Old Testament was the will given to the physical Israelites with the blood of animals to make it effective. But this will was not the reality, but a shadow to teach the reality, that is, the New Testament or the new covenant which would be established with his own blood, not through the blood of animals.
New Covenant Made with the Blood of Christ, the Lamb of God
Relation Between the New Covenant and Old Covenant
Hebrews 10:1 The law (or the old covenant) is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.
And also it is written:
Colossians 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The old covenant which was made with the blood of animals was only a shadow given to us to teach us the reality, that is, the new covenant which would be put into full effect through the death of Christ by shedding his own blood. The blood of the lamb in the past was given until the time when the Christ who is the reality of the lamb would appear and make a covenant with his people through his own blood. Therefore, the Old Testament was given as shadow to lead us to Christ who would come and give us a New Testament or the new will to give us the true blessings of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Since the bible itself is the will of God, how much more we should listen to the words of God in the bible. Even when a man makes a will, people listens to it. Then how about the will of God? We must listen to his will and make every effort to make his will come true. That is the way we can also remain in the terms of the covenant to receive the blessings contained in the terms.
What is the New Covenant by Jesus?
Then what is the will of God that we should listen to and keep? As we have already seen above, another word which can represent “the will” is the covenant. The covenant and the will means the same in this context. The original Greek word for “will” in Hebrews 9:16 is “διαθήκη diathēkē,” which means covenant or will (or testament). Therefore, by looking at the covenant Jesus made we can know the will of God, his last wish that we must listen to and obey. Then what was the covenant he made with his own blood?
On the night of the Passover he made a covenant with his disciples and gave his words of promise so that they could receive blessings of the eternal inheritance in heaven. And to make his covenant or will come true, he sacrificed himself by his death on the cross.
Luke 22:15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
And also he says about the Passover they were eating on the night:
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Jesus came as Lamb of God and sacrificed himself by shedding his own blood and gave us the new covenant or will that we have to keep.
Passover, the Will of God
Therefore, the covenant or the will Jesus made with his people was the new covenant of the Passover. After making his will, he died on the cross to put his will in force so that his people who kept the terms of the will would receive blessings promised in the terms. That is why Paul says that Christ was sacrificed as the Passover lamb to fulfill the covenant promised in the Passover.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Through all these things we can confirm that the will Jesus made with his people 2000 years ago is the words he promised in the Passover. The Passover was the last will of God he wanted us to keep so that we can be blessed by him. Let us confirm that the new covenant of the Passover was the will of God and through the Passover God’s people can receive the eternal inheritance of the heaven as heir of God.
The will is given to an heir in this world and the heir can inherit the estate in accordance with the terms of the will of the testator. It is the same with the will given by Jesus and confirmed through his death on the cross. His people were cast out from heaven to this earth because of their sins and were destined to die because of the wages of the sins. Their inheritance in heaven was taken away including all the positions given to them as heirs of God and the eternal life they could enjoy in heaven. On this earth, they were living a life of pain and sufferings and they were under the agony of death until the sentence would be carried out. And in this miserable life they had no hope for the eternal life.
The Last Wish of God, Keeping the New Covenant
To this gloomy and dark world, Christ came and he took up all our sins. And through his death on the cross he cancelled all our sins and gave us the forgiveness of sins and freedom from the slavery of death granting us eternal life through the new covenant of the Passover. And he opened the way for the heavenly kingdom again so that we could go back to our eternal inheritance as heir of God. All these blessings are promised in the new covenant of the Passover. Therefore, we can conclude that the new covenant of the Passover is the true will of God that we must keep. We must listen to his earnest voice for our salvation.
1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Again and again he is teaching us to keep the new covenant of the Passover and after giving us these words of covenant, he died on the cross right the day after the Passover to put the words of promise in effect. Therefore, the most precious truth that we must keep is the new covenant of the Passover.
Jesus and His Disciples Keeping Passover
Restoration of the New Covenant
Even though Jesus gave his will through his death, the will of God was forgotten by his people by the deceptive works of Satan. Instead of keeping the Passover, Satan deceived people to follow the Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and all other man-made festivals which contain no promise of God for the blessings. What blessings can we find in Christmas? Is there any promise of the forgiveness of sins or eternal life? No. But people’s eyes and minds are covered up and they do not realize that they are nothing but useless things made by man.
Now God is teaching us again to open our spiritual eyes and know the truth of the new covenant. To this dark and gloomy world, Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother came to us and now they are teaching us to listen to the terms of the covenant of God so that we can be blessed by God. Even at this moment they are shedding their own blood again to give us the forgiveness of sins and calling us to come back to God leaving the way of sins behind. Now we must gather again on Mount Zion and renew our covenant with God by keeping the new covenant of the Passover which God made with his own blood.
Psalm 50:1 1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. 4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
Keep the New Covenant
Those who want to be under the terms of covenant of God must gather together in Zion, the city of God’s festivals and must keep the festivals of God. This is the time of harvest when all the good seeds are gathered together into the heavenly barn. Only those who made covenant with God through the blood of Christ in the Passover can be considered as sons of heaven and they can go back to heaven. Come to Zion, to World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), to the Heavenly Jerusalem, to the City of Living God, to the firstborns of the heaven, to the place where God Elohim grants eternal life to their children.
Even though we are sinners, God gave the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life through the blood of God by establishing the new covenant. Let us find out the true value of this new covenant.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All the people on this earth lives life of pain and suffering and the end that is waiting for them is the death. Nobody can escape the death penalty and it is because everyone on this earth committed sin in heaven and because of the sin all of them are given death penalty.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.
For this reason, all the people on this earth is under the slavery of sin and death. While all the people have been mourning and groaning under the slavery, God remembered them and planned his work for the salvation.
Exodus 2:23 23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
When God’s people were under the slavery and going through sufferings, God remembered them and took pity upon them. And he made a covenant with them to set them free from the slavery. So God’s people who kept the covenant with God could be set free and receive the land of Canaan for their inheritance. Then what was the covenant God made with them? How did God make the covenant? It was called “the old covenant” which God established with his own blood. He commanded his people to keep the Passover by shedding the blood of a lamb and putting the blood on the door frames. When Israelites kept the Passover, they could receive freedom from the slavery. And the blood that gave them freedom was not just the blood of a lamb, but God let them know that it is actually his own blood he shed for his people to give them freedom.
Exodus 34:25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. (KJV)
The sacrifice of the Lamb on the day of the Passover was in reality the sacrifice of God himself. God shed his own blood and made a covenant with his people to give them freedom. And this law of the Passover in the old covenant was given to us as copy and shadow to let us know the reality to be fulfilled by Christ who is the reality of the Lamb.
Christ came as sacrificial lamb and shed his own blood and established the new covenant. Then why did he shed blood on the cross? It is because of our sin. Just as God’s people are under the slavery in the time of Moses, now God’s people are under the spiritual slavery of sin and death. After this momentary and meaningless life on this earth is over, everyone must be put to death. But God remembered their pain and suffering, and took pity upon them.
Just as he made a covenant with his people in the old days to set them free, now he made another covenant which is called a new covenant with his people to set them free from the slavery of sin and death.
Hebrews 8:7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
8 But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenantwith the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
Then how did he make the new covenant and why?
Matthew 26:26 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.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the (new) covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Look also at Luke 22:20)
On the night of the Passover Christ Jesus made a covenant with his flesh and blood and called it as “the new covenant” in the Book of Luke Chapter 22. God fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah by coming down to this earth to the land of sin and death and by establishing the new covenant with his own blood to give the forgiveness of sins, that is the freedom from the slavery of sins and death. He cancelled our sins through his blood and saved his people from the pain of eternal death so that they can have eternal life. Then why was it necessary for God to shed his own blood? The sins of people could be nullified only through the blood or the death of the person who committed sins.
Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
For the sinner to be forgiven of his own sin there is only one way, that is, the shedding of his own blood or his death. But how can a sinner live if he was already put to death according to the penalty? That is why a sinner cannot cancel his sins by his own blood. Therefore, a sinner need a someone who could be given as ransom for his sins and who would die on behalf of him so that his sins could be forgiven. For that purpose God himself came down to this earth and shed his blood to give forgiveness for the sins of his people.
1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
Christ gave his own body as ransom so that our sins could be forgiven. Therefore, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the covenant God made with his people by shedding his own blood is the Passover. God’s people in the Old Testament kept the Passover with the blood of lamb as the sign of the covenant with God. In the same way, in the New Testament We also as God’s people must keep the Passover of the new covenant with bread and wine which represents Christ’s flesh and blood which he shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sins of his people so that they could be set free from the slavery of sins and death. Therefore, only those whose sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ can be considered as his people and they can receive the eternal inheritance of the spiritual Canaan, the Kingdom of Heaven.
The bible says God is gather his people who made the covenant with blood of sacrifice. What is the blood of sacrifice we must receive to remain in the covenant of God? It is the Passover.
Psalm 50:1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.
God’s people are those who made a covenant with God by sacrifice or the blood of the lamb of the Passover. Once this precious truth of the Passover which Christ established with his blood to give us the forgiveness of sins was abolished by the work of Satan in 325 AD. But God heard the groaning of his people and took a pity upon them. He shed his own blood by coming down to this earth for the second time to give us the forgiveness of sins so that we can be set free.
Psalm 102:19 “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth, 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”21 So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship the Lord.
Christ Ahnsahnghong came down to this earth for the second time and established Zion, the city of God’s festivals and he restored the new covenant of the Passover so that we can receive the forgiveness of sins by the blood of covenant given by God. In the World Mission Society Church of God, we are keeping the Passover and receive the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. We must remember that nobody on this earth can cancel his own sins with his own blood and can have eternal life; for this reason, we had to wait for the Christ to appear so that our sins could be forgiven through the blood of Christ who was to give himself as ransom for the sins of his people. Now Christ has appeared to the sinners to give them salvation. Come to Zion and keep the Passover. Then your sins can be forgiven through the blood of the new covenant Christ made with his people and you would be God’s people who can receive salvation. Give thanks to Heavenly Father Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother New Jerusalem!
According to the bible the laws of God comes from two different places. First, there is Mt. Sinai where the law of Moses came from for the physical Israelites.
Nehemiah 9:13 “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.
God proclaimed the Old Covenant from Mt. Sinai. Then what is the law which would be given from Mt. Zion? Is it a physical mountain in Jerusalem? Or does it have some spiritual meaning?
This was the law given to the Israel people from Mt. Sinai when they were coming out of Egypt after freed from 430 years of slavery. But according to the bible there is another law that is coming out of Mt. Zion. What is this law from Zion? What is Zion? Does it represent the city of Jerusalem where the city of David was built by King David? Or Does it have some figurative representation? All these questions are very important because all the law coming from Mt. Zion is a prophecy concerning the last days and the people who are living in our time must know the law from Zion for the salvation.
Micah 4:1 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations 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.
This is a prophecy concerning the last days and God is teaching his people directly on this mountain Zion. Then what is the teaching of God? In another version of the bible it says directly like this, “Then God will teach us his way of living. And we will follow him.” (ERV) The teaching coming from Mt. Zion is the law that gives us “living” or eternal life. That is why people who are living in the last days must go to Mt. Zion and they must learn the way of living directly from God there. Then what is Mt. Zion? Is it Jerusalem in Palestine and should we go to Jerusalem to learn the way of living? The bible says that it is not a physical Zion we should go to, but a spiritual Zion.
Hebrews 12:18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched ……22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
Paul teaches us that Zion is not a physical place, but a spiritual one: assembly of God’s people, or the church of God’s firstborns who will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Then what is the spiritual Zion where God’s people gather together and they can learn the way of living from God?
Isaiah 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals….
The laws of God coming from Zion are the festivals of God such as Sabbath, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, etc… They gather together on Mt. Zion and keep the festivals of God (the seven festivals in three times) according to the new covenant which was established by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Through the festivals God is teaching them the way of living: the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the Passover, eternal rest in heaven through the Sabbath, the gift of the Holy Spirit through the Pentecost…
It is only World Mission Society Church of God (or WMSCOG) where God’s people gather together and keep all the festivals of God according to the direct teaching of God, Christ Ahsahnghong and Heavenly Mother. World Mission Society Church of God is the city of the living God and joyful assembly of angels and God’s firstborn. Come to Zion and learn the way of living and follow the teaching of God!
God said that he would make a new covenant in the book of Jeremiah 31 and Jesus came down to this earth and established the new covenant through the Passover. Then why did God decide to give another covenant over the old covenant. About the reason Paul explains like this:
Hebrews 8:7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
Paul says that the reason God made another covenant or the new covenant was the first covenant or the old covenant was not good enough for the salvation. It had something wrong in it. Its ministry for the forgiveness of sins with animal blood by the Order of Aaron could not bring the perfect salvation, and because of that the ministry was changed into the Order of Melchizedek by Jesus through his own blood, not with the blood of animals. Because of this change in ministry, the law and all the regulation has changed too from the Law of Moses to the Law of Christ.
Hebrews 7:11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.
Therefore, the new covenant is the perfection of the Law of God to bring complete salvation to people. For this reason to receive salvation we must know and follow the new covenant. Then what is the new covenant?
Heavenly Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Would it be a big city like this?
Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise. 24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
Through Abraham’s two wives Paul explains the two covenants of God: the old covenant and the new covenant. Let us take a look at this table.
The slave woman The free woman
Hagar Sarah
The Old Covenant The New Covenant
Mt. Sinai Mt. Zion
The Earthly Jerusalem The Heavenly Jerusalem
After explaining the two covenants, He continues to explain the reality of the new covenant. The reality of the old covenant was the city of Jerusalem and the earthly Temple built in it. But the reality of the new covenant is the heavenly Jerusalem and the Temple. Then what is this heavenly Jerusalem Temple? Jesus teaches us that his body is the true reality of the temple. He said to the Jews, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days.” The temple means his body where the Spirit of God dwells. Through this God is teaching us the reality of the Temple, Christ who came down to this earth to us.
Then what is the reality of the Heavenly Jerusalem? Paul says, “She is our Mother” in heaven. Our Father in heaven came as the reality of the temple 2000 years ago, and in the same way our Mother in heaven will come down as the reality of the temple in the last days. About coming of heavenly Jerusalem our Mother, John describes in his vision in the book of Revelation 21. In his vision he saw the Heavenly Jerusalem our Mother coming down out of heaven from God as the reality of the temple to give us the water of life (Rev 22:17). The true temple is the place where the Spirit of God dwells. Wherever the Spirit of God dwells is the temple. In that sense, John is saying that our Mother would come down as man in the flesh in the last days.
To fulfill the prophecies of the bible the true reality of temple our Mother came down to this earth to give us life. Let us give glory to God the Father and Mother. This is the true teaching of Christ Ahnsahnghong, the true Savior in the Age of the Holy Spirit and the Heavenly Mother.
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