Australian Tour Report

Dear Friends,

Arlie Francis has asked me to briefly report on my teaching time with Dr Fruchtenbaum at the Wyee camp in Australia. Dr. Fruchtenbaum taught on Genesis 1-8, the Books of Jude and Galatians and gave his testimony. It was my pleasure to co-teach during this camp and speak on two subjects, The Eight Covenants of the Bible and a visual representation of The Tabernacle with Messianic Foreshadowing.

Any study on the Bible is worthwhile, but a study on the Eight Covenants in the Bible is most crucial due to the misunderstandings that both Messianic Jews and the Church have at large.

A common misconception is that Covenant Theology is the same as a Theology of the Covenants that are in Scripture. Most churches in Australia have accepted the former; they believe that there are two covenants in scripture. These two are over-arching covenants called the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. While neither is found in scripture Covenant Theology makes the actual Biblical covenants null and void, it is a man made theological construct and it removes Israel and the promises to her. They place the promises made by God to Israel into the hands of the Church.

Most of the Covenants are current and relevant in that they reveal how God relates to us. The relationship we have with Him is based on the promises and the warnings found in the covenants.

The covenants are important in that they help us divide the Bible into smaller understandable units. The dispensations are based upon specific covenants and although dispensations may come to an end, the covenants often continue. With a knowledge of these eight covenants Bible students can “rightly divide the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

Dr Fruchtenbaum taught on Galatians and showed that a proper understanding of the conditional Mosaic Covenant helps us not to fall into the trap of the Judaizers. Instead of teaching the doctrine of justification by faith alone without works, as Paul taught, Judaizers taught and teach that faith plus the works of a believer gave / give him or her acceptance before God.

When you think about it, it is strange that nearly 2000 years later we still have this problem, especially with the Torah Observant Messianic Jews and Gentiles. Galatians 2:16 “yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus the Messiah even we believed on Messiah Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Messiah, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” We as Jews have been freed from the curse of the Law. We are free to observe parts of the Mosaic Law providing it does not go against New Testament teaching. The Gentiles were never under the Mosaic Law and I wonder why they want to be under the 613 commandments. For there is but One Law (Torah is in the singular) with 613 specific commandments. How anybody can believe they can observe all or even some in the hope of justification or sanctification boggles the mind. A proper understanding of the covenants helps us to understand that the Mosaic covenant was temporary and God considered it broken in Jeremiah 31:31-34.

And a New Covenant not like the Mosaic covenant was put in place, Hebrews 8.6 “But now has he obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises.”

The Second subject I taught on was The Tabernacle. We were very blessed to have a model of the Tabernacle, and also a larger model of the furnishings of the Tabernacle on loan from Manna International Ministries.

Most of out Bible teachings comes to us in auditory form (sermons and lectures) and books. This limits the reception of the Word of God for some people who are visual or kinetic learners. It helps us ground ourselves more in Biblical knowledge if there is also a visual (sight), tactile (touch), flavour (taste) and aromatic (smell) aspect to teaching. This brings an added dimension to bible teaching.

During the period from Moses to the destruction of the First Temple and during the days of the Second Temple people could hear, see, touch, taste and smell. Jewish people still experience a multi-sensory teaching during the seder of Passover and the Succah of the Feast of Tabernacles. So too during the days of the tabernacle all senses were involved. May we allow all out senses to participate in our spiritual walk with the Lord.

There is a significant lack of knowledge amongst Messianic Jews and Christians regarding the Messianic / Christological aspects of the Tabernacle (Hebrews 9:11-14).

All Biblical studies are profitable, but these two studies fitted well with what Dr. Fruchtenbaum was teaching (Genesis 1-8 and the books of Jude and Galatians).

Blessings in the Messiah

Paul Cohen

April 12, 2010