BIBLE CLASS2013

To the Household of Israel Temple of Jesus Christ

In these dark times many people stumble and fall and are unable to find the truth. They cannot see the light and they cannot find that path that will lead them to salvation. We are not in the darkness. We know where the light is. The light is in us. People wonder and despair because they see evils multiplying. They lose hope. They become desperate. They search for answers and are lost. Our hope is in God. Where is God? He is in the volume of a book. He is with us and he is in us.

The purpose of the bible class is to add structure to our

studies, and to allow us to learn together as a church. When we study together we edify each other. We learn from each other. We learn to see God not only in his word, but as we mature spiritually we know that God is also within our hearts. And then as we continue to grow we begin to see God in the faces of our brothers and sisters. This is perfect love. If God is in us, then who can stop us? Who can overcome us? We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

The word of God is a light within each of us. Imagine every one of us holding a candle. One candle can give light to a room. But with all of us together the light is so much brighter that we cast out all darkness. We become the city on a hill. We become a beacon in the night. We become a standard and a pillar of the truth.

I loved writing about the full throne of God for the 2012 bible class. This year we are going to do some in depth studies on the law. It is important that we always return to

our foundation because that is our salvation. I hope you enjoy the bible classes. My intention is to dig a little deeper. The law of God is both plain and easy to understand. It can also be a very deep

and heavy topic. We must not be afraid to tackle these

weightier matters. We need to become more than apt students, but learned scholars and also teachers of the law, showing this example first to others by our obedience to God’s word. As always this book is just a guide. It is something to add to the studying that you are already doing. Please read each class in advance and be prepared to participate fully.

May God bless and keep each and every one of us through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sister Evelyn

Table of Contents

Subject Date Page

The Royal Law 01.05.13 7Divine Law 01.19.13 12The 2nd Great Commandment 02.02.13 18Purim 02.16.13 26The Heart, Mind & Soul pt I 03.02.13 35The Passover to Come 03.16.13 43The Heart, Mind & Soul pt II 03.30.13 49The Heart, Mind &Soul pt III 04.13.13 56The Components of the Law 04.27.13 63The Two Wave Loaves 05.11.13 70The Components of the Law II 05.25.13 77The Testimony of Jesus I 06.08.13 85The Testimony of Jesus II 06.22.13 92The Testimony of Jesus III 07.06.13 100The Testimony of Jesus IV 07.20.13 106Virtues of Wisdom 08.03.13 113The Trumpet of the Lord 08.31.13 121The Atonement & the sin offering 09.14.13 127The Congregation of the Lord 09.28.13 133The Testimony of Jesus V 10.12.13 139Children of the Winter 10.26.13 144

Table of Contents

Subject Date Page

The Altar of Truth 11.09.13 152The Law of Man and the Law of God 12.07.13 157How God protects his remnant 12.21.13 165Feast days 170New Moons 171

The Royal Law

Matthew 22:36-40, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”What is the royal law? It is the first and great commandment. James spoke of it as the royal law, James 2:8, “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:”

The Royal Law

The word “royal” means: that

which rules like a king, something you are subject to. Royal also means first: which

is highest and most prominent, preceding all others, and great: which is

large, predominant, eminent, main, principal and superior.

When Christ defined the love of God and the love of your neighbor as the first and great commandment in the law, he was defining it also as the royal law. It is first, principal and

KEY POINTS

• Royal means to rule like a king

• Christ defined the love of God as the first of the two royal laws

• Christ did not do away with the law but fulfilled it and show us how to obey it in our daily lives

• Brotherly love is the second of the two loves

• Divine love teaches us how to love our neighbors, friends, family members, our spouses and even ourselves

• Love is not just an emotion it is also an action

predominant. It is the source of all law. Love is the beginning and the founding principal of all law. It is where all law originates and it determines all law.

Christ said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets were the Holy Scripture then written at the time of Christ. Love is therefore the source of all the teachings in the bible. The law and the prophets continued until John the Baptist. Luke 16: 16, “The law and the prophets were until John:

since that time the kingdom of God is preached,…” John the forerunner of Christ began to preach the kingdom of heaven, or the gospel of salvation. This does not mean that Christ did away with the law. The gospel of the kingdom defined the law and demonstrated how to keep it in our daily lives, through the heart and the spirit and not just going through the motions, or the physical acts such as the sacrifice of animals, which is the way many of the people thought they would be saved.

Christ clearly said in Matthew 5:17-18, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not

come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass form the law, till all be fulfilled.”

The first and great commandment is the love of God, or divine love. The second commandment is the love of your neighbor or brotherly love. As the second commandment brotherly love is defined as the love of any and all who is not God, including brothers, parents, spouses, children, friends and even enemies, and yourself. Brotherly love is second to divine love. Divine love determines how to love your brother within the law of God. The second commandment is subject to the first. It supports the first. Christ taught us how the love of God is superior to the love of our neighbor. Brotherly love cannot supplant or replace divine love. It cannot be used as an alternate to worshipping and obeying God. There are many people who show great compassion and affection, kindness and love to others that care nothing about God. Some do not even believe in God.

The dictionary describes love as an emotion. We cannot serve God through emotion. Satan works through

emotions all the time. We serve God through the heart. What is in our heart? His word is in our heart. The law of God is written there. The Holy Spirit resides within us. Love is therefore the fulfilling of the law. It is expressed or demonstrated through obedience to the law of God, and walking in the testimony of Jesus Christ. We will further define divine love and brotherly love in our next two classes.

Please read: I John chapter 4:1-21, I Corinthians chapter

13:1-13, another word for love is charity. The end, or the fulfilling of the commandment is charity which is perfection.

Divine Law

“And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” II John vs. 6.

Divine Law

Divine love is the first great commandment. It is the first part of the royal law. All of the law and all of the prophets are founded upon the love of God. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Christ said, “If ye love me keep my commandments.” John 14:15. He also said, “He that hath

my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” John

14:21.

We must love God with all of our heart, mind and soul. In this way we are sure to obey the law. The law of God was from the beginning. At first it was an oral