Kingdom Come

“Now they [Jewish believers] which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen [in Jerusalem] travelled as far as Phenice [Lebanon], and Cyprus, and Antioch,

• preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only….
• when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians…

a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (Acts 11)

Supercessionist theologians consider this to be the flashing red sign that God replaced the Jews with the Gentiles.

But the Jewish believers were “preaching the word”. And what would that be? At this time, only the Old Testament – describing its way of salvation.

1. Christ-ian is simply the English translation
2. for the Greek word Χριστιανός  which is a combination of ιαν / one and Χριστός which is simply the Greek translation
3. for the Hebrew word Messiah / Anointed One.

So the Acts 11 text announcing the new identification label of “Christian” is not a doctrinal signal. A right hermeneutical, unbiased, unprejudiced analysis of this passage alerts us to the expanding population of Greek-only speakers within the ranks of Hebrew-literate believers.

In history as well as in the Bible, the label is only applied to Greek speaking Gentile believers in Jesus Christ, never to Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah.

Peter only uses the term once, and that in a questionable context.

“If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

• But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
• Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (I Peter 4:14-16)

It may be assumed that being reproached for the name of Christ and suffering as a Christian are equivalent experiences. However, a proper grammatical  reading is to treat “reproached for the name of Christ” as a contrary experience from “suffer as a Christian”. Look at the separation of the two terms by the phrasing following “But” and “yet”.

A straightforward parsing of this paragraph indicates that Christians, like Jewish Zealots, were murdering, thieving, doing evil things, and busybodying into social activism against Jesus Christ’s instructions. And this impression, and Peter’s recommended response to it, is supported by Paul.

“Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife…contention, not sincerely…What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)

Paul never using the term “Christian” in any of his voluminous writings.

We must therefore conclude that Paul did not construct a new Gentile religion called Christianity on the rubble of Judaism.

It takes time for new converts to mature in the faith. It also takes time, attention, and interest by the new converts. Until that could happen, Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles gathered leaders of his mission churches from the scripturally literate Jews at the synagogues.

So it wasn’t until much later in Paul’s ministry that there were Gentile proselytes who Paul could begin to coach into leadership positions within the entire body of believers in Jesus as the Christ.

“Paul…came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila…with his wife Priscilla…he abode with them…And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks…and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles [in this city, to teach them to teach others]. And he departed [from the synagogue] and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized…And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” (Acts 18:1-11)

Paul’s curse on the blasphemous Jews applied only to those in Corinth. At his next pit stop he again followed his standard procedure of starting a new work with the Jews.

“Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus...And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus…by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:1-10)

Yes, but Paul did say he received special revelation from Jesus about his gospel to the Gentiles, didn’t he? Let’s examine that passage in Galatians 1 hermeneutically.

• “the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it”
  • This accords with Paul receiving the gospel message from the Old Testament, as “the holy scriptures…are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ…Preach the word;” (II Timothy 3:15-17, 4:
• “but by the revelation of Jesus Christ…that I might preach him among the heathen; 
  • Three times Paul gives a detailed account of Jesus revealing himself to him. He consistently reports that Jesus’ message was not doctrinal, what we call the gospel of salvation, but strictly marching orders.
    • In Acts 9 “he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? I am Jesus…And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?…bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel…
      • Paul’s vision is confirmed, as required, by a second witness. “said the Lord in a vision [to] Ananias…enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for…he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake…”
    • In Acts 22 “I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?…I am Jesus…And I said, What shall I do, Lord?…
      • The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will,
      • and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
      • For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard…I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.”

In this second account, it is impossible that Saul’s only experience with seeing and hearing Jesus would be in future special visions. The qualifications for being an apostle were clearly laid out as being one who “companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22) This would be accounted for by Saul being one of the Pharisees hounding Jesus during his ministry, therefore he did both “see that Just One…and hear the voice of his mouth.” How else could Paul verify his vision on the road to Damascus as being truly the Lord Jesus? And the third account supports this logical deduction.

• • In Acts 26 “fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me…Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?…I am Jesus…I have appeared unto thee for this purpose,
    • to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen [in the past], AND of those things in the which I will appear unto thee [in the future,]
    • Delivering thee from the people / the Jews, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

In this last account Paul’s report includes deliverance from the endless threat to his life by both Jews and Gentiles, which began immediately after his conversion.

1. Acts 9 in Damascus: And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues…And the Jews took counsel to kill him:
2. Act 9: in Jerusalem: And when Saul was come…he disputed against the Grecian-acculturated philosophy adulterated sect of liberal Jews: but they went about to slay him. Note, these are not the fundamentalist Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah based on Old Testament scripture.
3. Acts 14: in Iconium…there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use  despitefully, and to stone them.
4. Acts 14 they fled unto Lystra and Derbe…And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Paul was magnified many years later as the “the founder of Christianity” – which supposedly began on the Day of Pentecost long before he was involved. But in his lifetime he was virtually excluded by the Messianic Jewish leaders at Jerusalem.

“when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in / through me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately

• I conferred not with…them which were apostles before me…
• after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter [clearly lobbying for the Gentiles against the Judaizer faction]…
• other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother…
• these who seemed to be somewhat…in conference added nothing to me…must be referring to the Acts 15 conference, as we saw his testimony was brushed aside.]

James, Cephas / Hebrew translation for Peter, and John, who seemed to be pillars…gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship;

1. that we should go unto the heathen,
2. and they unto the circumcision.” (Galatians 1:15-20, 2:9)

Do you see the apartheid being established? The body of believers in Jesus Christ in its formative years was a Jewish sect desiring to maintain a distinctly Jewish identity, with Gentile converts being pressured to become Jews.

Paul’s letter to his first mission churches, established in Galatia during his first mission journey, relentlessly projects Paul’s ostracism from the main body of believers because he promoted Gentile spiritual equality with Jewish believers, without conversion to Judaism by circumcision and keeping the law of Moses. It is easy to interpret Galatians as Christian doctrine versus Judaism which passed away at the cross, but note – the same passages clearly show that all the Jewish believers in Jesus, the apostles included – DID continue to require circumcision and keeping the law of Moses FOR JEWISH BELIEVERS.

“I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also...and communicated unto them [the Jewish leaders of the church at Jerusalem] that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain [be over-ruled by the majority rule].

because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our [Gentile] liberty [from this practice] which we [associating himself with his Gentile converts] have in Christ Jesus, that they [Jewish believers] might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you…

“when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself…And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him [pretended they never ate with Gentiles].

But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all [not only embarrassing him but disrespecting his high status in the group], If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:1-16

^“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ [by the Jews insisting on Jewish purity in that sect]…

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:12-16)

Paul’s ostracism PROVES no “Gentile” church existed in the Acts of the Apostles.

There was only a Jewish sect that, reluctantly and hesitantly, associated somewhat with Gentile believers in the Jewish Savior.

It is highly significant that, while encouraging Gentiles to identify with God’s people without full conversion to Judaism, Paul himself never relinquished his Israelite identity.

“I also am [present tense] an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” (Romans 11:1)

“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;” (Philippians 3:4-5)

“among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come.” (Acts 26)

Paul himself never claimed to found a new religion. He states multiple times that he was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth because Jesus was the fulfillment of Judaism’s Old Testament prophecy. 

“Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul…we have found this man a pestilent fellow…a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes…

Then Paul…answered, after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing [present tense!] all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust…I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings...certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple…” (Acts 24:1-18)

Paul clearly articulates that the law of Moses, which did not institute but rather affirmed the earlier practice of the identifying mark of circumcision, was never an element of salvation for the Jews but a code of righteous conduct for a select leadership who are already in a faith-based relationship with the LORD God.

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised…being fully persuaded that, what he [God] had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus / YHVH’s Savior our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:1-25)

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.” (Romans 3:19-29)

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning [quoted in his writings], that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures [accepted and internalized by the reader] might have hope / confidence…of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” (Romans 15:4, Titus 1:1-2)

It is precisely BECAUSE the Jewish national heritage has NOTHING to do with the MEANS of salvation by faith that the reverse is likewise true.

Accepting salvation by faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t change Jewish national heritage.

They are two separate gifts of God.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Galatians 6:15)

“Timotheus, the son of a…Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek…Paul…took and circumcised.” (Acts 16:1-3)

“But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:” (Galatians 2:3)

“And when we were come to Jerusalem…Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present…and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs…

Do therefore this that we say to thee. We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them…that all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also…keepest the law.”

And Paul agreed. He absolutely believed that Jewish believers should continue to practice the ritual law of Moses.

Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.” (Acts 21:17-26)

Paul was never made welcome at the home New Testament Church, led by James, in Jerusalem. His base was in Gentile Asia.

“all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks…So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed…And the same time there arose no small stir about that way [one of the designations of the Jewish sect of the Nazarenes]…almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:” (Acts 19)

And even Paul’s Gentile churches reject him.

“all they which are in Asia be turned away from me;” (II Timothy 1:8-15)

Why? When at the end of his ministry he pushed too hard for the Gentiles to identify themselves with with law-abiding Jews. Consider what Paul was asking them to do at this point in history! To share not only the Jewish religious identity but their political status as hated enemies and enslaved losers of the 70 AD war. It is the equivalent of establishing a mosque in your neighborhood right after 9-11.

With this in mind, re-read Paul’s exhortation to Ephesian Gentile believers.

“For this cause I The Jew Paul, the prisoner of the Jewish rival to Caesar YHVH’s Messiah for you Gentiles… the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:1-6)

Fellowheirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise is NOT for salvation. Paul had before established in his earlier letters that Jews and non-Jews alike are saved by faith, not works of the law. See the post The Hebrew Nation for more details. As detailed in the post The Law of Moses, an heir is granted power and authority in order to govern the citizens in the kingdom.  This is the mystery that Paul is revealing, and why he is praying that they would be strengthened with might to pick up and carry this heavy burden, and have the self-sacrificing love to receive it.

Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 

• That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
• That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
• May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know / merge with the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
• that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3)

“remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands. That at that time ye were

• without Christ
• aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
• strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

But now in Christ Jesus ye…are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath

• made both one
• broken down the middle wall of partition between us
• abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances…

The law of commandments contained in ordinances is not the entire set of Mosaic law. The laws applicable to this context are the laws segregating uncircumcised from circumcised believers in God from Ezekiel 44:

“Thus saith the LORD God; O ye house of Israel…let it suffice you of all your abominations…ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.”  

This is most obviously the condition of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem in Jesus’ day, as documented by Josephus.

with God’s assistance, I have advanced the nation of the Jews to a degree of happiness which they never had before…“Our fathers, indeed, when they were returned from Babylon, built this temple to God Almighty…but since I am now, by God’s will, your governor...and, what is the principal thing of all, I am at amity with and well regarded by the Romans, who, if I may so say, are the rulers of the whole world, I will do my endeavor to correct that imperfection…by rendering his temple as complete as I am able.”

[When] the temple itself was built…all the people…returned thanks, in the first place, to God; and in the next
place for…the king. They feasted and celebrated this rebuilding of the temple: and for the king, he sacrificed three hundred oxen to God…at the same time…fell also the day of the king’s inauguration, which he kept of an old custom as a festival, and it now coincided with the other; which coincidence of them both made the festival most illustrious.

As detailed in the posts Melchizedek Moses and Son of David, in the times of theocratic kingdoms the king was the high priest. Get it? Romanized Herod the Great certainly took on the position of Melchizedek Priest-King heir to Moses and David, higher than the Levitical High Priest.

“And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves…And the Levites that are gone away far from me…they shall even bear their iniquity.” (Ezekiel 44:6-10)

Now on the north side [of the temple] was built a citadel, whose walls were square, and strong, and of extraordinary firmness. This citadel was built by the kings of the Asamonean race, who were also high priests before Herod [usurped from Aaron’s and King David’s descendants], and they called it the Tower, in which were reposited the vestments of the high priest, which the high priest only put on at the time when he was to offer sacrifice. “These vestments…were under the power of the Romans…the day before a festival, [the Jewish ministers] went up to the Roman captain of the temple guards…and received the vestments; and again when the festival was over, they brought it to the same place, and…reposited them there….but for the tower itself, when Herod the king of the Jews had fortified it more firmly than before, in order to secure and guard the temple, he gratified [Marc Antony] Antonius, who was his friend, and the Roman ruler, and then gave it the name of the Tower of Antonia.

Josephus, who was an eyewitnesses to the Temple’s destruction in AD 70,… also mentioned the “dividing wall” which barred Gentiles & un-clean Jews from approaching the shrine building. “There was a wall of partition…this encompassed the holy house, and the altar, and kept the people that were on the outside off from the priests.” On it was a notice – “No Gentile may enter beyond the dividing wall into the court around the holy place. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his subsequent death.” Paul used this barrier wall as a metaphor in explaining to Gentiles how God, through Christ’s death, brought them to Himself, past the barrier of their sins (Ephesians 2:11-22).

“For through him we BOTH have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

• Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
• And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, [like Herod’s temple incorporated and expanded on the temple built by Zerubabel]
• Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building [metaphor for the church] fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded [incorporated] together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Hold up! the astute reader shouts. You left out “for to make in himself of twain one new man so making peace…

There you have it. Christians are the “new man”. No more Judaism!

Not so fast. What does the text mean by “one new man”? Clearly it equates the new condition of with Christ as

• no longer being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel which must therefore logically still be in existence
• but instead fellowcitizens with the saints, i.e. those humans who have achieved sanctification in the past prior to not only Jesus’ death but even before the establishment of Judaism.

“The LORD came from Sinai…he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 33:2-4)

“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have

• put off the old man with his deeds; And have
• put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge / unity after the image of him that created him:
• Where there is neither
  • Greek nor Jew,
  • circumcision nor uncircumcision,
  • Barbarian, Scythian,
  • bond nor free:

but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3)

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

• There is neither Jew nor Greek,
• there is neither bond nor free,
• there is neither male nor  female:

for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:27-19)

Within the same letter to the Ephesians Paul most definitely continues to recognize the continued difference between male and female identities and roles, and the continued existence of slavery. Multiple texts establish that we are “heirs” to the promise which hasn’t been completely delivered yet. We’re caught between two worlds of the physical and spiritual.

“as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God…And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified [future] together…

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God…ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body”(Romans 8)

^“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a [spiritually] new creature:

• old things [physical drives and exploitive pursuits] are passed away; behold,
• all things [drives, interests and activities] are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:16-17)

And there we have it! The “new man” is the resurrected, immortal human who has been redeemed from sin and death as promised to the Adams – for the express purpose of restoring dominion over the earth to humanity! This is what was understood as the Gentiles read John’s message that whosoever received Jesus as God messenger and savior could become a Son of God / Representative of God / Leader in the kingdom.

“He came unto his own [the priest-rulers], and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (Joh 1:11-12).

But what about that verse that says that “Christ is the end of the law?” Put it in context! This is written to those who ignorantly thought that salvation could come through following the law.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

• For Christ / The Messiah / Anointed Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:25, 29)
• is the end of the law requiring a substitute animal blood sacrifice  
  • “My time is at hand; I will keep the passover
    • And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of ME.
      • Instead of the Passover of Egypt
    • And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26, Luke 22)
• for [establishing God’s] righteousness to every one that believeth…For the scripture saith…there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:1-13)

“our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written…in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (II Peter 3:15-16)