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WHAT IS GOD'S SYSTEM?


God's system is a way of life.  The early Christians called it "the way."  It is outlined in His laws, statutes and judgments. 

1.  The law is the Ten Commandments. It contains broad principles. 

2.  The statutes contain applications to everyday life.

3.  The judgments are based on individualized situations that must be dealt with.

These 3 principles make up God's system of justice and judgment.  The Hebrew word “mishpat” means judgment and justice.  The first place this word is used in the Bible refers to Abraham.  God said of him,

"For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; (mishpat) that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."

Mishpat is used over 400 times in the Bible.  God told Israel to "keep my statutes and judgments, (mishpat) which if a man do, he shall live in them."  Keeping all the things God instructed is how we "live in them."  This is the "way of the Lord" that God instructed Abraham and his children to follow and live by.  This is the law by which God rules the universe.  It is not done away with, because Christ will establish this very system on earth when He returns.  The basic meaning of this word is "to establish the heavenly norm or pattern on earth."   At the return of Christ, God's system certainly will replace the evil system that is in place now.  In revelation, speaking of Satan, it says he has "deceived the whole world."  All of the world's religious systems are based on Satan's deception. Even in the Garden of Eden, humans chose the wrong way, they chose the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in other words, they went with the devil and his system of "you get to pick what you like the best."  They rejected God and His system in the Garden and ever since, the whole world has been duped by Satan.  And what a mess it is!  But, in God's system we don't decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, we only decide if we are willing to trust God and His system to teach us the right way.

Isaiah 42:1-4
42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

One might say, well there is no proof that Christ will establish God's law at His return.  But, the book of Zechariah speaks of His return to the earth.  He is called a King.  He will rule from Jerusalem.  He will punish the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23)  

"And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, (Jesus Christ) the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles."  Zechariah 14:17-19

NILE DRIES UP...until Egypt complies with God's system?!  It is prophesied in Isaiah 19!

A Prophecy Against Egypt

Isaiah 19 A prophecy against Egypt:

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.

,,,,,vs 5, The waters of the river will dry up,
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry. The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.
The reeds and rushes will wither...

Christ will dry up the Nile, it is prophesied in Isaiah 19, read the whole chapter sometime. It predicts civil war in Egypt, and they eventually chose to go with God.  We know that Christ will not rest after His return, until He establishes God's system on earth.  God knows what is good for men and how we should live.  For example, in ancient times, they didn't know about germs and how they cause disease.  But God told the Israelites to wash their clothes and to be clean.  This is one proof of God.  He also had a system of quarantine for people with various diseases.  Who else but God would have known to tell them to wash up and to quarantine.  Even the religious ceremonies involved washing of clothes, bodies and animal parts.  God was trying to raise them to a higher level.  And in fact, God's influence on ancient Israel, brought forth what we call "civilization," including all laws against murder, theft, and perjury, (bearing false witness.)

When we get rid of evil deeds, this is how we really live right and clean ourselves up in God's sight.  Isaiah 1:16-18 says, "Wash and make yourselves clean.  Take your evil deeds out of my sight!  Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, (mishpat) encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."  Doing what is right makes us clean. 

God's system is not only about keeping the Ten Commandments, but about loving and helping other people.  It restores life and health, justice, fairness, and blessings.  God's way is more fair than any system we have now.  For example, in ancient Israel, if someone committed a crime such as theft, the punishment reformed them. The punishment was “to go to work and pay back the debt.”  They didn't go to debtors prison, which is pointless.  The perpetrator in Israel would pay their victim back double or even more.  By the time they got through working off the debt, they probably didn't want to steal anymore, and they learned a valuable lesson in learning to work for what you have. 

The "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" principle is laughed at today, but it was more fair than what we do today.  In Bible times, if a person knocked someone's tooth out on purpose, they got the same thing back as their punishment, no more and no less.  They didn't go to jail, they just got back what they dished out...and believe it or not, that can actually reform a person.  Most people (there are exceptions, I'm sure) wouldn't do the cruel things they do, if they knew they were going to get back a taste of their own medicine.  God's system is about reformation.

But God's system receives no respect. Most think Christ came to do away with these "old laws." But, what does the Bible say? 

“The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify 01431 the law, and make [it] honorable.” Isaiah 42:21

MAGNIFICATION OF THE LAW

Christ magnified the law in Matthew 5:29,  “But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, (figuratively, of course) and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” 

In the letter of the law, you actually had to commit physical adultery before you were considered  guilty, but under Christ's magnification, if you lust in your heart after a woman, you are already guilty of adultery.  This is the "Spirit of the Law."  God wants us to worship Him this way.  John 4:24 says, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 

The translators probably weren't too crazy about Matthew 5:29 and they no doubt clouded the meaning with the phrase “if your right eye offend you," which literally means “if your right eye causes you to sin.” 

People think nothing about sin, nor do they consider God's system of laws to be honorable. God's law is not held in high regard by anyone. And it won't be until Christ returns.  At that time, there will be a great reformation.  Until then, there is no real solutions to the problems of this world.  No political party will be able to solve all the problems.  The only hope is the future establishment of the Kingdom of God and the future reign of Jesus Christ over the nations. (Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15) Only at that point, will there be hope because only God's system and observance of His laws, statutes and judgments will bring blessing and permanent peace to this world...and the coming Utopia of God's Kingdom!


 


 

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