mvguy2000 wrote:

Quote:
Deuteronomy 13:2,3,4--"If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream, and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes about, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us follow g-ds of others that you did not know and we shall worship them!"-do not hearken to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of a dream, for HASHEM, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love HASHEM, yourG-d, with all your heart and with all your soul."


Hebrews 2:1-4--Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, 4 while G-d also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.

One thing about the GT is that it attempt to give an answer to Deuteronomy by giving the credit to G-d that the signs, wonders and miracles actually came from Him. In other words G-d can make Deuteronomy 13:2-4 invalid since He Himself performed the signs, wonders and miracles. According to Paul the Hebrew contract G-d made with the Jews was nailed to the cross. This is also pointed out in Hebrews 7:11-12,18-19 11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levit'ical priesthood (for under it the people received the Law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchiz'edek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the Law as well...18 On the one hand, a former Commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 8:6-8--6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than the Old as the Covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that First Covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a Second.

So the explanation in Hebrews attempts to justify the ending of the eternal Law and eternal Levitical Priesthood because Jsus brought that about as a human sacrifice to present his blood to G-d in the heavenly temple and a becoming a Priest after the order of Melchiz'edek thus sitting down at G-d's right hand.

I see the idea of "suffering" is a criteria in the Xian scheme of things. Jsus suffered therefore each Xian has to suffer as their L-rd did. Sometimes I ran across this idea from some people (not on this board) that G-d must take some perverse pleasure in beating the crap out of His servants. I know life can bring sufferings on its own but what about this above the norm sufferings?

John T.