Bible Study Seattle

“See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and adversity, in that I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, so that you may live and become numerous, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to take possession of it.” Deuteronomy 30:15-16

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding close to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, so that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

“When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand.  However if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself.  Again, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand.  However, if you have warned the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.” Ezekiel 3:18-21

“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. “But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, if he does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— and if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, and if he does not lend money at interest or take interest, if he keeps his hand from injustice and executes true justice between one person and another, if he walks in My statutes and keeps My ordinances so as to deal faithfully—he is righteous and will certainly live,” declares the Lord God.” Ezekiel 18:4-9

“But if the wicked person turns from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall certainly live; he shall not die.  All his offenses which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.  Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he would turn from his ways and live?” Ezekiel 18:21-23

“Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’  And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous one will not save him on the day of his offense, and as for the wickedness of a wicked one, he will not stumble because of it on the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous one will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’  When I say to the righteous that he will certainly live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but for that same injustice of his which he has committed he will die.  But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, if a wicked person returns a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing injustice, he shall certainly live; he shall not die.  None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.” Ezekiel 33:11-16

“And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27

At current none of us can choose life. We can choose faith, but we are guaranteed to die.

“For as in Adam all die,” 1 Corinthians 15:22

First death is guaranteed. Second death is a choice.

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:22

Once we come back after first death, we will be able to choose if we live forever. The instructions will be simple.

“O ye simple, understand prudence;
And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.
Hear, for I will speak excellent things;
And the opening of my lips shall be right things.” Proverbs 8:5-6

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4

All people may come to a knowledge of the truth, but not all people will choose life.

“So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war in Israel, all the numbered men were 603,550.” Numbers 1:45-46

“So Moses counted all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded him; and all the firstborn males, by the number of names from a month old and upward for their numbered men, were 22,273.” Numbers 3:42

How could there be only one first born male for every 27 males in Israel? One Jewish commentary suggests a translation error leading to much smaller numbers exiting from Egypt. Some Jewish commentaries even cast doubt on the Exodus happening at all!

The answer probably has to do with the ongoing genocide since the time of Moses’ birth.

“Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah; and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.  So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?”  The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.”  So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.  And because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.  Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born, you are to throw into the Nile, but every daughter, you are to keep alive.” Exodus 1:15-22

The fact that Pharaoh kept the Israelites as slaves means he would not have killed all the boys or he would have had no work force. He probably meant to thin the herd. He reasoned thus:

“Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.  Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” Exodus 1:8-10

He may have specifically instructed the Hebrews to kill the first born boys. We don’t know but we can reason, assuming the numbers given in the Torah are accurate. One clue is the tenth and final plague on Egypt:

“Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.  And Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.  Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the Lord, as you have said.  Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.” Exodus 12:29-32

God repaid Pharaoh and his people for what they had done to the Israelites. Conundrums such as this apparent impossibility of 22,273 firstborn among 603,550 are the invitation by God to ask questions. Those that are looking for quick reasons to mock God and the bible will do so without serious inquiry. But those whose heart is in the right place will follow Jesus’ injunction to “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Evidently God the Father choose to let his Son join him in creating the universe:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;” Genesis 1:26

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with [the] God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with [the] God;  all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3

“The Lord created me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
From eternity I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
When there were no ocean depths, I was born,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was born;
While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
When He established the heavens, I was there;
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,
When He set a boundary for the sea
So that the water would not violate His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was His delight daily,
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of mankind.” Proverbs 8:22-31

“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:15-20

Might God expand his list of co-creators in the new creation?

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” Galatians 6:15

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”  Revelation 21:1-5

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very valuable stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.” Revelation 21:10-11

Of course it may not be necessary or proper for the saints to be involved in the new creation, but who knows?

“So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  And as I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.’  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, says the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:7-14

Is modern Israel the start of this? Or is there a more literal fulfillment coming? Ezekiel continues:

“The word of the Lord came to me:  “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the children of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write upon it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of E′phraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him’; and join them together into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’ say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand of E′phraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him; and I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

“My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall dwell in the land where your fathers dwelt that I gave to my servant Jacob; they and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there for ever; and David my servant shall be their prince for ever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is in the midst of them for evermore.” Ezekiel 37:15-28

Has David come back to life? When might this happen? Is current modern Israel a fake fulfillment? Can God use Satan’s counterfeits? How does Solomon exemplify Christ and Satan? Does Satan feel in control?

“And you shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you. As has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.  At the door of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the Lord has charged, lest you die; for so I am commanded.”  And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord commanded by Moses.” Leviticus 8:33-36

Aaron and his sons the priests were consecrated for seven days, day and night. Is this showing us that God will use the full 7,000 years to consecrate his priests, both the Jewish and Christian varieties?

“On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; and he said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.  And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a cereal offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.” Leviticus 9:1-4

The Lord will appear on the eighth day. Is that this? – “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward.” Zechariah 14:4

Some may be of the thought that the priests will be consecrated before the end of the seventh day. We can’t rush God.

How are people coming back to life in the Millennium? This must happen as others are dying their first time. Nicodemus asked this question:

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode′mus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicode′mus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” John 3:1-4

And what about Ezekiel 37?

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley it was full of bones.  And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and lo, they were very dry.  And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, thou knowest.”  Again he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:1-6

This is probably metaphorical. God is telling us that Israel will be regathered. This was true after the Exile with Nebuchadnezzar and the Diaspora after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD. David says something interesting:

“For thou didst form my inward parts,
    thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful.
    Wonderful are thy works!
Thou knowest me right well;
    my frame was not hidden from thee,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.” Psalm 139:13-15

Depths of the earth? Will people reemerge directly out of the earth? In any case, sometime in the next several centuries people will come back from the dead probably starting with Israel. Then we will have people on their first life and people on their second. The second will prove superior and the first will become jealous. This will lead to a situation similar to Egypt, where the Israelites multiplied miraculously and Pharaoh became nervous. The world will scheme to attack peaceful Israel. This will be at the Day of Atonement.

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army.  And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.  And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” Revelation 19:13-17

The churning of generations is probably also indicated during the Wandering in the desert.

“For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation, the men of war that came forth out of Egypt, perished, because they did not hearken to the voice of the Lord; to them the Lord swore that he would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Joshua 5:6

Coming into the desert after the Red Sea miracle were:

“for every one who was numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty men.” Exodus 38:26

Coming into the Promised land after the first generation died off in the Wilderness were:

“This was the number of the people of Israel, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.” Numbers 26:51

The future Promised Land will be Christ’s Millennial Jubilee where every tear is wiped from their eyes. It’s possible most of the remaining first life people will die in the battle at Armageddon.

Those who persevere in faith will not suffer the Second Death but will live eternally. Is there a clue when these second deaths will happen? Revelation tells us:

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14-15

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8

The dead sea used to have spontaneous fires on it. Will this resume in the future? It seems so. But notice what happens after the Day of Atonement battle of Armageddon:

“Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.  Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

Going on eastward with a line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep.  Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the loins.  Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.  And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back along the bank of the river.  As I went back, I saw upon the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.  And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh.  And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.  Fishermen will stand beside the sea; from En-ge′di to En-eg′laim it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt.  And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:1-12

If the dead sea turns fresh, wouldn’t it stop burning?

“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomor′rah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.  But Lot’s wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomor′rah and toward all the land of the valley, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.” Genesis 19:24:28

Will this be how the second death looks? Will it occur at the dead sea? Will there also be second death not associated with the dead sea (the lake of fire)? Isaiah seems to hint thus:

“No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.” Isaiah 65:20

What does Satan see? He’s had access to heaven for a long time:

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.  The Lord said to Satan, “Whence have you come?” Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” Job 1:6-7

Eventually Satan will be kicked out of heaven:

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.  And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:7-9

First, Satan’s expulsion will be temporary:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain.  And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3

Finally, Satan will have a last battle that he will lose:

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.  And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:7-10

One of the first things Jesus needs to do at his second coming will be binding Satan:

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” Matthew 12:28-29

This will probably take 500+ years. Satan will meet his first (temporary) end at the Day of Atonement. But what about now? Can we discern anything from our time (circa 2023) that shows what Satan is up to?

One thrust is the desire by many powerful people to reduce population, particularly since the French Revolution. Why the mad dash to promote abortion, confuse gender, promote immorality, and weaken the family? Could it be that Satan sees the harvest? Could he be seeing the promotion of saints to heaven? Might he have a clue that this is something that will lead to his demise?

One of the first things that happens at Christ’s return is a bumper crop of believers. This coincides with a massive rise in world population. Since 1800, world population has exploded from 1 billion to 8 billion and climbing. In the story of Joseph we read of a period of great wheat harvests:

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream is one. The seven lean and gaunt cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh, God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt,” Genesis 41:25-28

Satan is currently seeing this bumper crop of faithful people and he’s desperate to stop it.

We three kings of orient are…

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,  “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

Where were the magi from? Dwight Longenecker believes they were envoys from Aretas IV, who ruled the Nabateans from 9BC to 40AD. https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/12/why-gold-frankincense-myrrh-mystery-of-the-magi-dwight-longenecker.html

The famous mausoleum at Petra is thought to be Aretas IV’s tomb.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,” Ephesians 2:14-15

Many Christians teach that Christ nailed the Law to the Cross, abolishing the ceremonial laws of Moses, but that the Ten Commandments are still in play. However:

“For as the new heavens and the new earth
    that I make
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
    so shall your offspring and your name remain.
From new moon to new moon,
    and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22-23

“All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel.  It shall be the prince’s duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary.” Ezekiel 45:16-18

Ezekiel 40-48 is clearly a future prophecy.

“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.  And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.  And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.  This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths. And on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar.  And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.” Zechariah 14:16-21

Clearly the Law will be kept in the future! The Temple will be rebuilt and many nations will stream to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s council. Eventually, in the distant future thousands of years from now, the Law may become obsolete, but only after Death itself has been destroyed.