We could not call the crossing of the Red Sea, the forty years of manna, the Glory on Mount Sinai, an organized program of beliefs and rituals. Neither could we refer to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from Heaven, or the signs and wonders that accompanied the Apostles of the Lamb, as an organized program of beliefs and rituals.

In the case of both Judaism and the Kingdom of Heaven, a religion has been developed, not only from the directions and expressions of the Spirit of God but also (and sometimes primarily) from the mind and needs of human beings. We must always keep in mind that the Judaic and new-covenant religions are not always pure truth itself but often are human adaptations to truth.

The heart of biblical Judaism is the revelation of God through Moses and the Prophets, including God's Presence from the time of the garden in Eden. The heart of the Kingdom of God is the cross on which the Divine Lamb made an atonement for our sins, His triumphant resurrection from the dead, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit from Heaven, and the conception and growth of the Divine Seed in people.

Biblical Judaism possesses the Law and the ordinances, the sacrifices, the Tabernacle, the priesthood, the Prophets, and the feasts beginning with Passover. Over the centuries the Talmud, the interpretation of the Law, has been added. But the Glory of Israel is not the Law and the Talmud as much as it is the Presence of the majestic Lord who has called the Jews to be His own people.

The new covenant possesses the blood atonement, the resurrection, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Gospels and the Epistles of the Apostles, the Communion service, water baptism, and the gifts and ministries given by the Holy Spirit. The Glory of the new covenant includes the creating and dwelling of Christ in the members of His Body, His Bride. The greatest fact of the new covenant is that Christ is in and not merely with His elect. This is the mystery that has been hidden from ancient times.

All of the Divine objectives, such as the unblemished Bride of the Lamb, the eternal Temple of God, the royal priesthood, the judges of men and angels, the protection against future rebellion, the availability of God to every saved person on earth, can be accomplished only as chosen people respond to the program of change into the image of Christ and to the cry of God that we come into total union with Himself.

The elements of both Judaism and the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven (which actually are part of the same Divine gift) are means to the attainment of a goal. They are necessary observances and experiences whose goal is to provide a temple for God.

Until we enter an intense, all-consuming interaction with the Lord Himself, a travail to bring forth Christ in us, we are merely practicing our religion. We may be expert in the vocabulary, experiences, and observances that are part of our religion. But it is a religion we are in—no more than that. We are not participating in God's intention, only in the scaffolding.

To be continued.