Abraham: Patriarchy as Theocracy

New Covenant Christians are to be sons of Abraham, and heirs of the promise God made to Abraham.^[1]

The Prophets said that New Covenant sons of Abraham would have the Torah written on their hearts.^[3]

Therefore the true Christian, son of Abraham, observes the Torah and teaches others to observe it.

Abraham knew -- and sons of Abraham know -- that The Law and the Prophets consistently proclaim that "blessings" are the result of obedience to God's Law.^[5]

If we are no longer obligated to obey the Torah as Abraham was, how can it be said that we are the beneficiaries of the promises made to Abraham -- including justification by faith (Romans 4)? Did God's promise of Justification also "pass away" in AD 70?

If God's Law has expired, haven't blessings expired, and therefore hasn't the Gospel also expired?

So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Galatians 3:9

. . . that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:14

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. {29} And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:28-29

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:16

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Romans 4:13

That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
Romans 9:8

. . . having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
1 Peter 1:23

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Galatians 6:16

^[5] Whole chapters of the Bible are dedicated to describing promises of extravagant blessings to the faithful. Here's one from Leviticus:

Deuteronomy 28 is a long chapter. It is also an unfamiliar chapter to most "christians," because they are infected with "neo-platonism," a pagan philosophy which holds that the material world is inferior to the world of thought and ideas. But the Bible says that the material world was created by God. Therefore whole-Bible Christians work to have a healthy respect for the creation and its bounty.

And of course, verses 15-68 give the opposite, and we may deduce that "none of these" curses will come upon the saved (Exodus 15:26).

What We Need in a "Well-Governed Society"

Few tasks are more difficult than trying to set down the proper role of the State. The main reason is the rubbery use of the word "government."

Everyone engaged in sociology, political science, economics, and similar studies, is interested in answering the question, "How are Law, Order, Property, Peace, Welfare, and Prosperity maintained in a society or given geographical area?" How this question is answered determines one's definition of "government." All will agree that in order to provide for law and order, peace and prosperity, the following must be maintained by someone:

1. The Education of Children This includes, indeed, has primary reference to, moral education and the development of productive and responsible character. A society dominated by nomads and criminals cannot long survive. An outwardly "prosperous," "conservative" society without moral leaders ("Patriarchs") populated by amoral technicians and worker-drones will merely die a slower death. A society needs many Christians (Proverbs 14:28).

4. Care of the Fatherless. In tragic manifestations of sin in our world, children are sometimes left without their parents. These unfortunate kids must be cared for, just as Godly parents would have cared for them.

5. Care of the Ill and Handicapped. Some people are born or acquire handicaps such as mental defects, physical deformities, or loss of limb. Others acquire terminal, extended, and sometimes painful diseases. These people must be cared for, whether a toddler or a man in the prime of his life. We must not substitute pharisaical liturgy for holistic real-world sacramental foot-washing.

6. Freedom of Conscience. The freedom to Worship and serve the LORD Jesus Christ in every calling and every area of life free from coercion or threats of force is necessary for the health of any society (Proverbs 28:2,16,28, etc.).

If a society is characterized by these attributes, then you have a well-governed society! That society may be small (the Swiss Family Robinson on a desert island), large (the 5,000 members of the Family of Abraham, uncontrolled by any of the nations of Genesis 14), or incomprehensible ("The United States of America"). A well-governed society: that is our goal.

But there is a warped use of the word "Government" different from that above. It defines the government of a society not as the continuous and successful provision of social necessities, but as a name for those who merely promise to do so.

Thus, when we speak of "the government" of the United States, we do not mean the provision of moral education, health, welfare, and freedom by the moral leaders of America, because these things are not being provided for. We mean a group of people who promise to provide government (in the first sense of the word) or claim to be doing so, and extract from the public exorbitant, above-market sums of money for doing so. "Government" in this sense is usually preceded by the article "the", as in the phrase, "Let the government take care of it."

The problem with the second definition of government is that Abraham's society was very well governed (sense 1), but there was no need for "the government" (sense 2). Society under Abraham was "patriarchal," not "political."

Patriarchy: A Well-Governed Society Without "the Government."

As we show in other essays, Abraham exercised hospitality by picking up refugees from the pagan empires around him. He had well over 1,000 people in his "household," only a very few of whom were related by blood. Just as Christ our Captain (Heb. 2:10) and Prince (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb. 12:2) is also the model for believers (Eph. 4:13), so we are to become captains and kings (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6; 1 Peter 2:5,9). We should strive first to lead 10, then 50, then 100, then 1000 (Exodus 18:21).

Who lives on your "block?" A block is about 10 families, 5 houses on each side of the street. If every block had a Godly captain, a patriarch like Abraham, we would have a well-governed society, especially if there were no secular "State" to corrupt the neighbors. Notice how a neighborhood patriarch could begin bringing good government to each neighborhood

Education, in Biblical perspective, is not the memorization of atomistic facts and the ability to regurgitate them on demand. Education is primarily moral; a Biblically educated person has the ability to judge the facts of the world in terms of Biblical Law and to persevere in the wise and faithful application of Biblical Principles to every area of his life, even under sometimes frustrating circumstances. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 commands that children be educated in life, not in institutions, and in the Bible, not the wisdom of man. And this means knowledge of how to apply the Bible and obey its commands, not just learning about the Bible (Jeremiah 4:22; James 1:22; Hebrews 5:14).

A Godly patriarch can not only teach his own children, but those of his block. There are plenty of decent curricula available which make this possible. Training takes only a few months. The parents of each block can be trained. Older, responsible youth can work as teacher's aides. Order How to Become a Millionaire in Christian Education by Ellsworth McIntyre, $10.00 (+ $2.00 S&H) to Nicene Press, 4405 Outer Dr., Naples, FL 34112 (941) 793-4022.

The "Bar-Mitzvah" (lit., "son of command") has long marked the time when a boy becomes a man; when he has mastered the Law of God and has developed the ability to obey. Armed with Godly character, he is ready for vocational training. While Christians are not required to observe any ceremony, and while they also think in terms of both young men and young women (Galatians 3:28), we must still recognize the need to move from the education of children to the training of young men and women for their roles as husbands and wives and as fathers and mothers; as partners in Dominion. Fathers must be skilled in providing for their Families; mothers skilled in preparing and distributing the provisions God gives the Family. Young women must therefore be taught how to reign as virtuous women and queens of the home (Proverbs 31:10-31; I Timothy 5:14; Titus 2:4-5; Psalm 113:9); young men must be trained to work in some capacity that provides for his Family without compromising his integrity. (Genesis 1:26-28, I Timothy 5:8, and Proverbs 31:15 show that the division of labor is not tight here.)

Specialized training in vocations is best accomplished in household apprenticeships, as we shall show in future essays.

The very old often become physically unable to work to provide for their own needs. Often elderly women will outlive their husbands. It is not desirable that the elderly live alone, especially if they haven't enough saved income to survive alone. Grandparents and the elderly in general need personal care and attention. The Family is God's answer to this problem. Crotchety old folks build the character of Christ in us.

We need good government. The answer offered by the State is to give the elderly a small check, and for families to ignore their personal needs and ship them off to an institution. This is not a Biblical alternative. Those who criticize those who would abolish Social Security as "irresponsible" are themselves worse than irresponsible. They are undermining good government.

The slogan of assembly-line abortuaries, "Every child a wanted child," is tantamount to saying "Death to all unpopular kids!" Because God has a special affection and guardianship over the fatherless, we are to as well (Psalm 68:5; 1 Peter 1:15-16). The Westminster Confession of Faith notes the centrality of "Adoption" as an aspect of our salvation. A well-governed society encourages adoption; "the State" makes it more difficult.

The handicapped need more than a government check. They are not benefited by the State forcing small businesses to spend thousands of dollars on ramps for places the handicapped never frequent. One of the most vital needs of the handicapped is to accept "unchangeable defects." Bitterness against God frequently arises among those who do not see themselves as beautiful as air-brushed Hollywood celebrities. God presents us with physical needs because while we write a check we can minister to these deeper spiritual needs.

When these social needs are met by that institution called "the State" instead of by Christian patriarchs, that same State uses its coercive powers to trample on true religion, because as James noted (1:27), true religion threatens the monopoly claimed by the State over "government."

Make Your Home a Community Center

This is the advice of the famous "Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts" Seminars, led by Bill Gothard. Now called the Institute in Basic Life Principles, the Seminar gives concrete, practical advice on how you can make your home a community center, including "Five Basic Aspects of a Dynamic Home." A Godly Patriarchy ministers to a neighborhood by being:

1. A Worship Center

2. A Learning Center

The Godly patriarch knows the answers to these questions, and guides his neighbors to the answers:

3. A Hospitality Center

Hospitality helps cure the addictions of modern society. The Godly patriarch practices hospitality, and helps his neighbors understand:

4. A Health Center

The State would like us to think that we would all be sick or dead without its management of our health care. God promises that if we obey His Commandments, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee" (Exodus 15:26). A Godly patriarch teaches his neighbors about good health:

5. A Craft Center

A well governed society correctly answers these questions, and a Godly patriarch helps his neighbors understand:

All of these aspects of a a dynamic home characterized the Patriarchy Abraham, and are necessary for a well-governed society.

see: NAGocracy.com

All the Promises of God are Promises to All Nations, Not Just Israel

What are the Promises of God?

There are zillions of individual promises. Look at Deuteronomy 28:1-14 for a list of some. See also Leviticus 26:3-13 for more promises. All these promises can be summed up by looking at the Old Testament as a whole:

Israel was constantly tempted by the abominable practices of the nations around her. God warned Israel that if she sinned by following these pagan practices, God would punish Israel by raising up one of these Gentile nations to invade and conquer Israel. This happened repeatedly, and when Israel repented, God would send a savior-judge to deliver Israel from military conquest. Here's how Nehemiah sums up Israel's history of rebelling against God's Law and then being "saved" from the consequences of their disobedience:

God sent Israel many "saviors" to deliver Israel from the Gentiles.
As we'll see below, the "paradigm" for "nations" in the Bible is non-Israelites, and the paradigm for "salvation" is deliverance from non-Israelite tyrants and their armies.

The main promise of God, repeatedly stated, toward which all Old Testament history pointed, is that God would convert these pagan Gentile nations to the true religion (and Israel too) so that Israel could live in peace. And when any nation obeys God's Commandments, God promises peace and prosperity (see Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 for prominent examples). This is "good news" for Israel, but also good news for every nation on earth. These non-Israelite nations would be adopted into the family of Abraham and treated as native-born Israelites. The word "Gospel" means "good news," and the Gospel is the promise of God's blessings upon all the converted Gentile nations, who have repented of paganism, ceased their war against God and His people, and embraced the Law and civilization of Christ:

The promise to Israel that the non-Israelite gentile nations would worship YHWH and stop their military invasions of Israel was certainly "good news" for Israel, but it is also "good news" for those non-Israelite nations, when viewed through the lens of Biblical faith. Most of the Bible was written from Israel's perspective. We need to look at it now from the perspective of non-Israelite gentile nations. The promise to Abraham is global conversion and blessing of the gentile nations.

Let's look at this gospel promise in the pages of the Old Testament. Notice that the Bible's perspective, while addressed to Israel, is international in focus, not limited to "Israel Only" [IO]. The Canaanite woman yearned for crumbs from the table (Mark 7:28), but these "crumbs" are nothing less than global salvation for all (non-Israelite) nations.

The “Vine & Fig Tree” Vision

This is a picture of non-Israelite nations converting to the God of Abraham, and desiring to obtain His blessings by obeying His Law, which was revealed to Israel most notably through Moses, but was known to all mankind from Adam and then Noah.

The word "Gentiles" (Hebrew, goyim) sometimes refers to the tribes of Israel, but the paradigm is non-Israelite nations.

The International Perspective of the Psalms

Psalm 2:7-8, 10-11
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. {8} Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. {10} Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. {11} Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psalm 22:27-31
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. {28} For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations. {29} All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. {30} A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. {31} They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 47:3-4, 7-8 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. {4} He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. {8} God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

Psalm 66:4
All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

Psalm 67:2,7
2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalm 68:31
Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

Psalm 72:8-11,17
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. {9} They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. {10} The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. {11} Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Psalm 86:9
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

Psalm 87
2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God! Selah
4 “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know Me; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: â€˜This man was born there.â€™”
5 And of Zion it shall be said, â€˜This and that man were born in her; and the Highest Himself shall establish her.â€™
6 The Lord shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah

Psalm 102:15-22 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. {16} When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. {17} He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. {18} This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD. {19} For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; {20} To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; {21} To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; {22} When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

Psalm 138:4-5 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. {5} Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.

The International Perspective of Isaiah

Isaiah 2:2-4
This is the same prophecy as Micah gave, although Micah gives a little more detail. See above.

Isaiah 9:1-2,6-7
Isaiah 9:1-2 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. {2} The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. {7} Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 11:1-2,4,9-12
Isaiah 11:1-2 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: {2} And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Isaiah 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isaiah 11:9-12 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. {10} And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. {11} And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. {12} And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 19:18-25
In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. {19} In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. {20} And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. {21} And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. {22} And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them. {23} In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. {24} In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: {25} Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Isaiah 25:6-9
And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. {7} And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. {8} He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. {9} And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Isaiah 27:6,13
6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.

Isaiah 40:3-5
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. {4} Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: {5} And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah 42:1-13
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; 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. {5} Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: {6} I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; {7} To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. {8} I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. {9} Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. {10} Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. {11} Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. {12} Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. {13} The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

Isaiah 45:6,22-24
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. {23} I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. {24} Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

Isaiah 49:1-2,6-12,22-23
1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. {2} And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. {7} Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. {8} Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; {9} That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. {10} They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. {11} And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. {12} Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. {23} And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Isaiah 51:3-5
For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. {4} Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. {5} My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

Isaiah 52:7,10,15
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Isaiah 54:1,5
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

Isaiah 55:4-5
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. {5} Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Isaiah 56:3-8
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. {4} For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; {5} Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. {6} Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; {7} Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. {8} The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

Isaiah 57:19
I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

Isaiah 61:1-2,6-11
1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; {2} To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. {7} For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. {8} For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. {9} And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. {10} I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. {11} For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Isaiah 62:2,10-11
2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.
10-11 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. {11} Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Isaiah 65:1
I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

Isaiah 66:12,18-23
12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. {19} And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. {20} And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. {21} And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD. {22} For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. {23} And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

The International Perspective of Other Prophets

Jeremiah 3:17
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

Jeremiah 4:2
And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

Jeremiah 16:19-21
19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. {20} Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? {21} Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.

Jeremiah 31:34
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Daniel 2:35,44-45
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. {45} Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel 7:13-14,18,22,27
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. {14} And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Habakkuk 2:14
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Zephaniah 2:11
The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

Zephaniah 3:9-10
9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent. {10} From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

Haggai 2:6-7,9
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; {7} And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 2:10-13
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. {11} And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. {12} And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. {13} Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Zechariah 6:15
And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Zechariah 8:20-23
20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: {21} And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. {22} Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. {23} Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Zechariah 9

Zechariah 14

Malachi 1:11
For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Promise to Abraham - The Context

In Genesis 10 we have the "Table of Nations" -- all the nations in the human race (70 in number) that descended from Noah. In Genesis 11 we have the scattering of nations at Babel and the genealogy of Terah, Abraham's father, who lived in the southern end of modern-day Iraq. To get to Canaan, Abraham had to navigate many nations, including the Sumerians and others mentioned in Genesis 10. So when we get to Genesis 12, and God promises that Abraham will be a great nation -- greater, I think, than all the nations he knew in Ur of the Chaldees and between there and Canaan -- and also promises that "all the families [Strong's #4940 - מִשְׁפָּחָה- mishpachah] of the earth will be blessed" in Abraham, Abe is not thinking of "the 10 lost tribes," nor is his thinking limited to "the Promised Land." He's thinking about the 70 nations of Genesis 10 wherever they may be found on earth.

Genesis 10 -- The "Table of Nations"

I believe (as a not-yet IOer) that Genesis 10 is the paradigm or archetype of the "Gentiles." I haven't finished working through all the occurrences of the words translated "gentiles" or "nations," but so far it seems to me that I should assume they refer to the nations in Genesis 10.

The IO advocate would say that these words refer to the ten northern tribes in exile. I would like to know which verse drives that assumption and elevates it above Genesis 10. Why is that verse more of a paradigm than Genesis 10?

I think it is certain that "nations" in these verses are the Genesis 10 nations. In other verses, the "goyim" might be the tribes of Israel. I assume that "nations" in most of the verses refers to the Genesis 10 nations. Why should I assume that the words refer to the exiled northern tribes?

And when the promises in Genesis 12 are repeated in Genesis 15, 17, and thereafter, Abraham is probably thinking of "nations" in terms of the "nations" that kidnapped his nephew Lot (Genesis 14). Nothing in the first 20 chapters of the Bible would suggest that God's promises to Abraham regarding "nations" is limited to Israel's 12 "tribes."

And centuries later, after the 10 northern tribes rebelled against the House of David, the distinction between the two nations, Israel and Judah, and thereafter the 12 tribes, was all but lost. There was only one nation, Israel, of any consequence. Nobody in Israel thought of the descendants of Abraham constituting many "nations." Just one nation: Israel.

Israel never really obeyed God's commands to avoid the abominable sins of the nations in the Promised Land and all around them. They put their faith not in a loving God, but in their own DNA

Israel served as a kind of "incubator" to bring about "the Seed," which Paul tells the Galatians is Christ.

As I read the Bible, I think the real plan of God was to offer forgiveness of sins to every clan of human beings, not just Abraham's. Faithless Israel constantly missed this long-range vision. . But the prophets continually articulated it.

Isa 19:24 In that day Israel shall be the third [referring to (1) Egypt and (2) Assyria]

Calvin comments:

Psalm 87
2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God! Selah
4 “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know Me; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This man was born there.’”
5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This and that man were born in her; and the Highest Himself shall establish her.”
6 The Lord shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah

1 Kings 8:43
43 hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

Yes, Malachi 1 is about the non-Israelite nations to which Israel was scattered, but it promises their conversion to the true religion.

Matthew Poole:

How do we worship God in the New Covenant? Do we need an institutional priesthood? Must we journey to a certain centralized location? Must we "attend church"?

These are non-Israelite nations, who are Israel's enemy in the immediate future, but in "the latter days" (Micah 4:1, cf. Acts 2:17) these same non-Israelite nations will come to true faith.

Non-Israelites Join the Covenant

“If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.”
Exodus 12:48 ESV

““When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 19:33-34

“And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he shall do as you do. For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the Lord.”
Numbers 15:14-15

“And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.””
Deuteronomy 31:10-13

“Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 12:14-17

“Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:3-8

Zechariah 2:10-13
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. {11} And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. {12} And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. {13} Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Isaiah 14
1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.

A non-Israelite could convert to the "tribal religion" by getting circumcised. But that's just the beginning. Circumcised biological descendants of Abraham had to have faith. This is why Jesus told the Jewish leader Nicodemus that his first birth (with Israelite DNA) was worthless, and he needed to be "born again" in order to be adopted into the Household of Faith.
Not "Israel Only," but "Israel NEVER" -- unless they become a new race of spiritual descendants of Abraham.

International Perspective

Archeologists have discovered evidence of traders from Solomon's era in North America.

"earth" means the whole planet in most texts, not just the "land" (erets) of Israel:

God's Law and the Gentiles

The nations outside of Israel not only knew of God's Law from the testimony of their conscience, but they had direct contact with God's Revelation to Israel. The true history of mankind was known to all mankind. God's supernatural activity in Israel was known to the nations outside of Israel. For example, when the Israeli spies entered the Promised Land, a Canaanite prostitute said to them:

Rahab used the name "YHWH" or "Jehovah," the specific name of the God of Abraham and Israel, not just a generic god. There is abundant evidence in the pages of the Bible that the nations outside of Israel had heard (or read) the specifics of the Law God revealed to Israel. "Special Revelation," not just "General Revelation."
http://KevinCraig.us/theonomy-gentiles.htm

Every human being on earth today is a descendant of Noah, according to Genesis 10. All "nations" derive from Noah, who was in covenant with God, and knew God's Law just as Abraham did:

This means every human being on earth has a covenantal and moral responsibility to obey God's "torah" and command his children to follow. Failure to do so requires us to be "reconciled" with God.

"The Ends of the Earth"

Psalm 22:27-31
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.

Psalm 67:2
2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

It is the New Covenant (according to the book of Hebrews) that cast off the "ceremonial services" Poole mentions.

Isaiah 49:6
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Here we see the total Israel (Jacob + Israel) distinguished from non-Israelites, and salvation going to the non-Israelites through Christ and the New Covenant:

Luke 2:32
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Acts 13:47
47 For so the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Revelation 7 = 144k from the nation of Israel, and a vastly greater number from all other nations.

Isaiah 49:23
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Non-Israelite kings shall be thy (Israel's) ...
"their" (non-Israelite) queens shall be thy (Israel's) ...

Job 28:24 For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens,

All those verses I posted above seem like promises that God would elect some to faith out of non-Israelites

And not just a few individual non-Israelites, but a global conversion.

Worship and Obedience

Does an adherent of "Israel Only" believe he is morally/ethically obligated to worship God and obey His Commandments, even though he is not a genetic Israelite?

Philippians 3:3
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

Acts 24:14
But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

John 4:21
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Romans 1:25
who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

1 John 2:3
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

Ephesians 6:1-3
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” [quoting Deuteronomy 5:16]

1 Corinthians 7:19
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

Romans 7:12
Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Romans 13:9-10
9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Luke 18:20
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

Mark 7:8
For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men....” 9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Matthew 5:19
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 22:37
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 7:7
And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

Isaiah 27; 23:5; 30:3; 33:14-16; Amos 9:13; 32:40; Ezekiel 37:26; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:15; 10:16,17; 12:24; 13:20; Isaiah 50:4,5; Galatians 6:16; Philippians 3:3

Psalms 50:1; 113:3; Isaiah 45:6; 59:19; Zechariah 8:7
my name
14; Psalms 22:27-31; 67:2; 72:11-17; 98:1-3; Isaiah 11:9,10; 45:22,23; Isaiah 49:6,7,22,23; 54:1-3,5; 60:1-11,16-22; 66:19,20; Amos 9:12; Micah 5:4; Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah 8:20-23; Matthew 6:9,10; 28:19; Acts 15:17,18; Revelation 11:15; 15:4
and in
Isaiah 24:14-16; 42:10-12; Zephaniah 2:11; John 4:21-23; Acts 10:30-35; Romans 15:9-11,16; 1 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 8:3
incense
Psalms 141:2; Isaiah 60:6; Luke 1:10; Romans 12:1; Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:15,16; Revelation 5:8; 8:3,4
for
Isaiah 66:19,20

Christians are God's People

⁹But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.”

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

Self-Government Means More Government

Those who support increased power for the State and resist calls for anarcho-capitalism usually do so because they are concerned about the cultural effects of increasing numbers of people who do not understand the principles of liberty upon which America was founded, and who are easily manipulated by left-leaning demagogues.

Actually I believe in MORE government than those who support "the government." I believe in self-government.

Here's how self-government works to protect American values better than the federal government. Let’s consider the question of immigration:

Rather than being met at the border by jack-booted gun-wielding federal immigration authorities, immigrants should be met at the borders by voluntary associations of friendly Americans who will offer American hospitality, job training, values education and other works of mercy which will help the immigrants carry on great American libertarian traditions.

Once settled in America, there are continuing opportunities for self-governing Americans to help new arrivals become great citizens:

Families: Children who are not victims of government schooling and who have been trained to appreciate America's libertarian values can pass these values on to their neighborhood playmates who come from foreign lands. American parents have always been careful to know who their children play with, and always make an effort to meet the parents of their children's playmates and invite them to learn more about our culture.

Employers should actively seek out new arrivals to America and hire them, showing them how American employers appreciate the loyalty, hard-work, creativity and dedication which characterize most immigrants, and how generous American employers are in the wages they pay and benefits they offer. Lunchtime Bible studies and employee training sessions can pass on America's cultural values.

Landlords should rent to immigrants and help them become self-governing tenants, thus passing on American respect for property. Weekend classes in property management, concern for the environment, and household budgeting can be required of tenants in rental agreements.

Merchants should seek out immigrants and deal fairly with them, explaining to them how American capitalism rewards both buyer and seller in a voluntary exchange, and how capitalism has made America a more prosperous nation than the nation from which the customer has emigrated.

Teachers should pass on American values to their students, even in classes that do not directly teach social and cultural subjects. Like the Apostles (Acts 5:29), teachers should defy court orders prohibiting a discussion of American values before and after school, and at lunch.

Media sources which propagate anti-American values should be boycotted. Americans should invite immigrants to join them in viewing movies, television, plays, concerts, and other events which transmit American values. Americans should invite immigrants to neighborhood reading circles in which great American books are read and discussed. Americans should host ESL classes (English as a Second Language) in their homes. Parents are qualified to teach their children English; immigrants often bring a child-like love of learning.

Immigrants who commit crimes should be responded to in the same way we respond to natural-born Americans who commit crimes.

It is only because Americans are no longer self-governing that they appeal to "the government" to use armed force against immigrants. This desire for increased government power is lazy, unAmerican, and anti-Christian.

Let’s run through this list again in consideration of other more serious forms of crime. These considerations apply to all forms of crime such as theft, or any form of property damage, as well as to other crimes which “Christian Reconstructionists” are quick to demand criminal (State) sanctions: homosexuality, adultery, or even idolatry. “Punishment” is their by-word.

Keep in mind that Biblical Law has no place for prisons, but demands restitution. The victim is to be made whole by the offender. How can the offender be pressured to make restitution if there is no “government” threatening him with prison or fines? (Not that this helps the victim in any way; indeed, victims are taxed to warehouse criminals.)

Families: The Founding Fathers agreed that religion and morality were chiefly responsible for creating a population that respected God’s Law. Schools continued this tradition. It is a grave error to believe that the State can keep crime rates low by outlawing the teaching of religion and morality in schools while appropriating billions of dollars to a growing “prison industry.”

Peer pressure is more potent an educator than teachers, at least in modern public schools. Children who are not victims of government schooling and who have been trained to appreciate America's libertarian values can pass these values on to their neighborhood playmates who come from foreign lands. American parents have always been careful to know who their children play with, and always make an effort to meet the parents of their children's playmates and invite them to learn more about God’s Law. Sometimes children have been known to have a dramatic impact on their parents. Christian families can teach Godly values to neighborhood children, who may have an effect on their parents.

If a parent finds out that a child has committed theft or property damage, that parent should require the child to make restitution. This applies to children of any age (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Adult children should be evicted, and ultimately disinherited. In too many cases, older children who commit crimes have parents who subsidize their criminal lives.

Employers should penalize employees who have committed crimes. Paychecks should be garnished to pay restitution to victims. Unrepentant employees should be fired. Recidivist criminals tend not to seek gainful employment, but before they become recidivists, the threat of unemployment is a strong incentive to avoid crime or undo the damage done by criminal acts. Lunchtime Bible studies and employee training sessions can pass on the values of Biblical Law.

Landlords should evict unrepentant criminals. Weekend classes in property management, concern for the environment, and household budgeting can be required of tenants in rental agreements. Such actions maximize respect for property and minimize crime.

Merchants should not sell to those who have committed crimes and have not made restitution. Criminals should find it very hard to live in a Christian society.

Teachers should pass on Biblical values to their students, even in classes that do not directly teach social and cultural subjects. Like the Apostles (Acts 5:29), teachers should defy court orders prohibiting a discussion of American values before and after school, and at lunch. Schools should evict students who do not make restitution.

Non-profit associations should pick up the hard cases from schools and other institutions. Intensive “brainwashing” may be necessary to reverse years of bad habits and unbiblical thinking.

Media sources which propagate anti-American values should be boycotted. Americans should invite the lost to join them in viewing movies, television, plays, concerts, and other events which transmit Biblical values. Americans should invite at-risk children and adults to neighborhood reading circles in which great American books are read and discussed. Media sources should adversely publicize those who do not respect life, liberty or property. The internet should have plenty of sites which catalog those who have been disinherited, evicted, boycotted, excommunicated, etc. Public shame is a strong source of social order. [1]

The strongest criticism of this proposal is likely to come not from Christians who oppose anarchism, but homosexuals who oppose Christian culture. When these “private,” non-political institutions are vigilant and Biblical, there is far less “liberty” for criminals than when the State is functioning “properly” but family, church, school, business, and voluntary associations are dormant. The forces of unrighteousness are far more likely to complain that people are trying to “impose their religion” on them than when these institutions are silent and hope a strong centralized State will speak out against evil. In short, a society is well-governed when “the government” no longer exists. This is not “utopian,” this is an ethical imperative.

Actually, as Bruce Benson has shown, private response to crime has historically been the norm:

The historical reality of crime policy is that public [state] provision of criminal justice is a recent social experiment that has not worked as predicted. The increasing role of private security that we see today is actually a return to historical practices rather than something new, although private sector institutions and technologies have changed dramatically as entrepreneurs have discovered new ways to deliver the desired protection. . . . One survey indicates that nearly half of all business security managers investigate and resolve employee thefts within the business organization without ever reporting the crime.
To Serve and Protect: Privatization and Community in Criminal Justice, New York University Press, 1998

When all these social institutions are functioning properly, there is no need for the IRS, the INS, the DEA, or other fascist agencies.

Prisons

A prison is also called a "penitentiary." The word comes from the Latin paenitentia, meaning ‘repentance.’ The goal was to make the prisoner "penitent." We all know that today this is a joke. A prison is a horrible, evil place.

In his work Institutes of Biblical Law, R.J. Rushdoony notes that there are no prisons in the Law of God. "Emphatically, in Biblical law the goal is not punishment but restoration, not the infliction of certain penalties on criminals but the restoration of godly order." A thief is not to be sentenced to prison (paid for by the victim), but to make restitution to his victim.

"Capital Punishment"

What we call "capital punishment" was not a "civil" punishment in the Bible, but a priestly ritual. Read these verses. That page links to this explanantion.

If you still want prisons and executions, then consider this: the cost of having prisons and executions maintained by a socialist state like the United States (all "governments" are necessarily "socialist" as opposed to "capitalist") is always greater than the social cost of the crimes themselves. We would be better off as a society by simply following the Biblical blueprint outlined above than by creating "the State" to "protect" us. The State is a godly society's greatest threat and most costly criminal enterprise.

Ultimately, Biblical salvation turns back the Curse, brings back Edenic conditions, repairs personal and social relationships, and blesses the earth in every area. The whole earth will be saved, and remade into the Garden of God. "For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9).

In a very real sense, therefore (and progressively as the Gospel conquers the world), God's people have always lived in "the Garden." For example, the land of Egypt is described in Genesis 13:10 as being "like the Garden of the LORD"—and when the covenant people went there to live, they were given the area of Goshen, which was the best in all Egypt (Gen. 45:18; 47:5-6, 11, 27). In this Edenic location they were fruitful and multiplied (Ex. 1: 7)—the same expression as in God's original command to Adam and Eve in the Garden! The Promised Land also, as we would expect, was a land in which much of the Curse had been reversed: it was "like the Garden of Eden" (Joel 2:3), and therefore "flowing with milk and honey" (Ex. 3:8).

As we shall see in the following pages, the restoration of Eden is an essential aspect of the salvation that Christ provides. When the Old Testament foretold the coming of the Christ and the blessings He would bring, they often spoke in the language of Eden-restoration. Isaiah wrote: "Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the Garden of the LORD, joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody" (Isa. 51:3). And Ezekiel, many years later, prophesied:

But there is much more in these prophecies (and others) regarding the restoration of Eden than we might notice at first glance. Indeed, there are many, many passages of Scripture which speak in terms of the Edenic patterns which do not mention Eden by name. The Paradise Theme runs throughout the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation; but in order to recognize it we must first familiarize ourselves with what God's Word says about the original Garden itself. God has gone to the trouble to tell us some very specific information about the Garden, and the rest of Scripture is built on this foundation, referring back to it regularly. Note well: this study is not merely a collection of trivia, of "strange and interesting facts about the Bible" (e.g., the sort of irrelevant data that is often to be found in the "encyclopedia" sections of big family Bibles). It is, I repeat, a major Biblical theme, dramatically illuminating the message of the Book of Revelation—and, by the way, helping us to understand the message of the Bible as a whole.

Edenic symbolism was also in the feasts of Israel, as they celebrated the bounty of God's provision and enjoyed the fullness of life and prosperity under the blessings of the covenant. This is particularly true of the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (also called "Ingathering," in Ex. 23:16). In this feast they were required to leave their homes and live for seven days in little "tabernacles," or booths, made entirely from "the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook" (Lev. 23:40). Israel usually dwelled in walled cities, as a protection against their enemies; yet, at the very time of prosperity (the end of harvest)—when attack would seem most likely—God ordered them to leave the security of their homes and journey to Jerusalem, to live in unprotected booths made of branches, palm fronds, and fruit! God promised, however, that He would keep the heathen from attacking during the festivals (Ex. 34:23-24), and Israel had to trust in His strength.

The feast was, obviously, a reminder of life in Eden, when walled cities were unnecessary; and it looked forward to the day when the world would be turned into Eden, and the nations would beat their swords into plowshares (Mic. 4:3). For this reason they were also commanded to sacrifice 70 bullocks during the feast (Num. 29:12-38). Why 70? Because the number of the original nations of the earth was 70 (they are listed in Gen. 10), and the feast celebrated the ingathering of all nations into God's Kingdom; thus atonement was made for all.

It is important to remember that the Jews did not keep this feast—in fact, they forgot it was even in the Bible—until their return from captivity under Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh. 8:13-18). During this period of renewal and restoration, God enlightened the minds of the prophets to understand the significance of this feast as an acted-out prophecy of the conversion of all nations to the true faith. On the last day of the feast (Hag. 2:1), God spoke through Haggai: "'I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations; and I will fill this House [the Temple] with glory…. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' declares the LORD of hosts" (Hag. 2:7-8). About this same time, Zechariah prophesied about the meaning of the feast in terms of the conversion of all nations and the sanctification of every area of life (Zech. 14:16-21). And hundreds of years later, during the celebration of the same feast, Christ Himself declared its meaning: the outpouring of the Spirit upon the restored believer, so that the Church becomes a means of restoration to the entire world (Jn. 7:37-39; cf. Ezek. 47:1-12).

Israel was to be the means of bringing the blessings of the Garden of Eden to the world: Scripture goes out of its way to portray this symbolically when it tells us (twice: Ex. 15:27; Num. 33:9) of Israel camping at Elim, where there were 12 wells of water (the 12 tribes of Israel) and 70 palm trees (the 70 nations of the world). God thus organized Israel as a small-scale model of the world, giving it 70 elders (Ex. 24:1); and Jesus followed this pattern by sending out 70 disciples (Lk. 10:1). God's people are a nation of priests (Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6), chosen to bring the light of the Gospel into a world darkened by sin and the Curse. Increasingly, the Hope expressed in the Feast of Tabernacles will be realized, as the whole earth becomes a Garden (Isa. 11:9; Dan. 2:35); as the world is filled with blessing and security, and there is no longer any need for walled cities (Lev. 23:3-6; Isa. 65:17-25; Ezek. 34:25-29). The Garden of Eden, the Mountain of the Lord, will be restored in history, before the Second Coming, by the power of the Gospel; and the desert will rejoice, and blossom as the rose (Isa. 35:1).

Thesis 23: Evangelism In The Old Covenant

Abram expanded his household through hospitality, evangelism and domestic apprenticeship.[1] Evangelism expands the dominion of Patriarchy. Biblical evangelism is Patriarchy (#71, #75). The “Gospel” is the “good news” that Christ is King and is going to turn back the curse and bless all nations. The Scripture preached this good news (“Gospel”) to Abraham,[2] saying that God would build and bless all the Families of the earth[3] through his Seed.[4] The Gospel promise to Abraham is being fulfilled in Christ and His Church.[5]

Notes
1. Genesis 12:5, #20
2. Galatians 3:8
3. Genesis 12:3; 18:18-19.
4. Galatians 3:16; #36
5. Acts 13:32-37; 3:25-26; #69

References
"Patriarchy" is defined on this blog as a family-centered society with no "church and no "state." Our definition would therefore include something that might be called a "matriarchal" society, if that family structure is the sole social structure. Our word is derived from patria, family, not pater, father. It's a separate, historical argument as to whether there is any such thing as a "matriarchal" society. We're not arguing for or against a particular relationship between husband and wife (for the most part); we're arguing against non-familial institutions.

On "blessing":
• The Meaning of "Blessing"
• Christmas: A Celebration of Paradise
• Deuteronomy 28 - God's Blessings upon Obedience

On hospitality, evangelism and domestic apprenticeship:
• James B. Jordan: "God's Hospitality and Holistic Evangelism"
cf.: Sacred spaces and places
• Gary North: "Family Authority vs. Protestant Sacerdotalism"

• Abraham and Government.
• Government without the State
• Public Service
• www.Nagocracy.com

The take-home point here is that "New Testament Christians" should not be less evangelistic and less hospitable than Abraham, and there is more power from the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant to bring order to society through families and the businesses and associations created by families.

Abraham, Law, Works and Obedience

It is argued that Adam had a "covenant of works," then Abraham had a covenant of grace, then Moses brought another covenant of works, then the New Testament brought grace and faith.

The Bible shows that Abraham's covenant was one of "works," and that the law of Moses is written on the hearts of believers in the New Covenant.

Genesis 26:3-5 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

Genesis 12:4
So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Genesis 17:23
So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.

Genesis 18:17-19
And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD , to do righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

Genesis 22:10-20
¹⁰ And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
¹¹ But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
¹⁵ Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, ¹⁶ and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— ¹⁷ blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Psalm 112:1
Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Matthew 5:19
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:24
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

[Couldn't Abraham have said this? (1 Samuel 15:22)]

Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. [faith = obedience]

James 2:21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

Hebrews 8:7
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. ⁸ Because finding fault with them, He says:: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ⁹ not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹¹ None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. ¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
¹³ In that He says, “A new covenant, ” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Ezekiel 36:25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ²⁸ Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

Hebrews 10:15ff
But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” ¹⁷ then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” ¹⁸ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. ²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Genesis 3:8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden as the Spirit of The Day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
⁹ Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

While there are many phenomena associated with the [Glory-]Cloud (most are listed in Ps. 18:6-15), perhaps the most striking characteristic is the peculiar, unmistakable noise or voice: virtually every account mentions it. Depending on the situation, it can sound like wind, thunder, rushing water, a shout, a trumpet (or many trumpets), a marching army, the rumbling of chariot wheels across the heavens, or the fluttering and beating of wings (see the passages already cited; also Ezek. 3:12-13; 10:1-5; 2^nd Sam. 5:24; 2^nd Kings 7:5-7); and Ezekiel tells us that the sound, in fact, has its origin in the beating of the wings of the myriads of angels (Ezek. 1:24; 3:12-13). Consider the following description of the sevenfold Voice from the Cloud:

The Voice of the LORD is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD is over many waters.
The Voice of the LORD is powerful,
The Voice of the LORD is majestic.
The Voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. And He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
The Voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
The Voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh [cf. Num. 16:19-33].
The Voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve,
And strips the forests bare.
And in His Temple everything says, "Glory!" (Ps. 29:3-9)

It was this Voice—an ear-splitting, earth-shattering roar that Adam and Eve heard on their last day in the Garden: "And they heard the Voice of the LORD God traversing the Garden…and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the Garden"

When Adam and Eve sinned, they heard the characteristic sound of the Glory-Cloud blasting its way like an express train through the Garden: the thundering Voice of the Lord caused by the beating of angels' wings. The literal translation of that verse reads:

And they heard the Voice of the LORD God traversing the Garden as the Spirit of the Day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the Garden" (Gen. 3:8).

In other words, Adam and Eve heard the sound the Cloud makes when God comes as "the Spirit of the Day," when He comes as He did at the Beginning, as Judgment. God did not take evening strolls through the Garden, contrary to the sentimental reflections of third-rate evangelical poets. When Judgment came to Adam and Eve, it came in the form of the Glory-Cloud: with blinding light, scorching heat, and deafening noise—the Spirit of the Day.

David Chilton, Paradise Restored, Chapter 7, Chapter 15.

Conclusion

If Adam had a "covenant of works" with God, so did Abraham, so did Israel in Ezekiel's Day, and Ezekiel foretold a gracious new covenant of law and works with a fearful God, more fearful than under the Old Covenant.

For Further Reading:

An expanded version of this post in pdf.

Vine & Fig Tree's

Model of GovernmentAbraham as a model of Community and Government

Abraham

New Covenant Christians are Theonomic Sons of Abraham

Galatians 3:8