As we read in the letter to the Hebrews, chapter three, verses one through six, there are two houses. The house of Moses, which is also the house of Jehovah, was edified by a servant, not by the Son of God: “Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken, but Christ is faithful as a Son over his house; whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the glorying of our hope firm to the end” (Heb. 3:5-6). No doubt there are two builders. We will compare the two houses to determine if they are the same or if they are two different houses:
1. In the house of Jehovah reign pestilences: “Jehovah will strike you in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore boil, of which you can not be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head” (Deut. 28:35). “Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, Jehovah will bring them on you, until you are destroyed” (Deut. 28:61). In the house of Jesus reigns healing, for he bore our diseases “When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases’” (Matt. 8:16-17).
2. In the house of Jehovah there were blind, halting, and crippled priests, and they were therefore eliminated from the temple. Observe that Jehovah had chosen the Levites to ministry in the sanctuary (Num. 1:50). “Say to Aaron, ‘None of your seed throughout their generations who has a blemish, may approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatever man he is that has a blemish, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity, or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand, or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles; no man of the seed of Aaron the priest who has a blemish, shall come near to offer the offerings of Jehovah made by fire. Since he has a blemish’” (Lev. 21:17-21). In the Psalm 103, verse 3, we read: “Who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases”. If Jehovah did not heal the diseases and deformities of the Levites, his predestined, he does not heal anyone. Jesus said: “There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, except Naaman, the Syrian” (Luke 4:27). But in the house of Jesus Christ and of the Father all are healed. Jesus sent word to John the Baptist: “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matt. 11:5).
3. In the house of Jehovah only the Hebrew people are allowed. The other peoples are kept outside: “You are the children of Jehovah your God: you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God, and Jehovah has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 14:1,2). Worse still, Jehovah predestined the other peoples to be slaves of the Hebrews after restoration, in the future “For Jehovah Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. He subdues nations under us, and peoples under our feet” (Ps. 47:2-3). In the house of the Father all nations are equal, and they are equally accepted in his kingdom. Jesus commanded the disciples, saying: “‘Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (Matt. 28:19-20). “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned’” (Mark 16:15-16).
4. In the house of Jehovah whoever did not keep the law in detail was under the terrible curses. The cursed one would plant much and not reap anything. If there were a harvest thieves would take away everything. Grasshoppers, the caterpillar and the aphid devoured the crops. Children were cursed from the womb, and were born very weak, crippled, or dead. The healthy children were taken as laves. There are two whole chapters on the curses (Deut. 27:11-26; 28:15-68). In the book of Proverbs we read: “Jehovah curse is in the house of the wicked, but he blesses the habitation of the righteous” (Prov. 3:33). But Paul said: “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous; no, not one’” (Rom. 3:10). But Paul said: “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 323). We conclude that there are no righteous men, so everyone is under the curse. When a king in Israel became corrupt he led the people to corruption and idolatry; then the curses came upon the entire nation, and the righteous were condemned together with the unrighteous. There was no mercy. Jehovah spoke through Ezekiel: “And tell the land of Israel, Thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked” (Ezek. 21:3).
In the house of Jesus Christ things have been changed. Jesus spoke through Paul, saying: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’” (Gal. 3:13; Deut. 21:22-23). To those who believe in Jesus there are no more curses of Jehovah. Better still, Jehovah lost his strength, for if there are no curses, there is no law either, for the curses are part of the law: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them’” (Gal. 3:10). If Jehovah were the Father, he would have changed, but he declared that he does not change (Mal. 3:6).
5. In the house of Jehovah the children were carnal children, born of the human seed, which is unclean. The very Jehovah declared many times that the Hebrews, or the children of Israel, were his children (Deut. 14:1,2, 32:19,20; Is. 1:2, 30:9, 43:6, 63:8, 64:8; Mal. 1:6). And Jehovah declared that the human semen is unclean (Lev. 15:18). The children born of the human intercourse were unclean (Lev. 12:1-8). They were children of Jehovah, for Jehovah is the god of the whole flesh (Jer. 32:27).
No man born of the carnal intercourse is going to go into the house of Jesus and his Father, but only those born of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into the Kingdom of God! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit’” (John 3:3-6). And the apostle John said: “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
Dear reader: which house do you belong in? Think, consider, and make your choice now. Go out from under the yoke and the curses. Leave darkness and go into life, with Jesus.
By Pastor Olavo Silveira Pereira