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- Yahshua told his disciples and everyone who came to hear him, that the law and the prophets, or
the old contract, was designed to last until the time of John the Baptist. Then the old contract would
pass away. But how did the old contract pass away? When did this happen?
probably all of his life. In fact, it was while he was doing his duties at the temple that the Angel Gabriel came to him to
inform him that he would have a son in his old age, and he would call his name, John. John was also a priest by virtue of
birth, but there is no record of him ever participating in the priesthood, or offering a sacrifice on behalf of the people for the
forgiveness of their sins. John was a Prophet, and Yahshua said he would be the last of the Prophets.
Joseph and Mary, the mother of Yahshua, both religiously performed the rituals of the old contract, and they taught
Yahshua to do the same while he was a child subject to them. But there is no record that Yahshua ever did so after he
became an adult. We don’t know what the disciples of Yahshua did before they met him, but after he began teaching them,
the Bible shows that they never did the temple rituals again, including animal sacrifices. But, what about the rest of the
people around Judea? When did the old contract end for them?
Believe it or not, the old contract was based on a foundation of spiritual, or Universal Law. It was the same spiritual
foundation that Yahshua began to teach in his ministry. Let me show you what I mean.
Moses tells the people in Deuteronomy 4:5-9, “I have taught you statutes and judgments even as The Eternal has
commanded me, and that you should keep them in the land that you are about to possess. Keep and do them, for this is
your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who shall hear of all of these statutes and say, ‘surely this
great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what other nation is so great, whose God is so close to them that we
can call on him for all our needs? And what nation is so great that has statutes and judgments so righteous as all of these
laws that I set before you today?”
The spiritual contract that The Eternal made with the Children of Israel was to build a nation based on the rule of law. This
was an innovative departure from all of the nations of the past, which were ruled by the Divine Right of kings. In other
words, all of the other nations were ruled by dictatorships where the Pharaoh, Emperor, or king made the rules to suit his
personal desires and whims. But the new nation of Israel would be ruled by statutes based on Universal laws.
By learning and understanding the foundational Universal laws, individuals would attain a level of wisdom and
understanding never before granted to the average population. That is what the old contract originally offered to the people
of Israel. King Solomon later demonstrated the levels of wisdom and understanding that were possible to attain by
learning the principles of the old contract.
The main foundational principle of the old contract was revealed two chapters later in Deuteronomy 6:4-7, “Hear, O Israel,
The Eternal, our Elohim is One! You shall love The Eternal, your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
might. And these words that I constitute with you today, shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your
children…”
Are you beginning to see the foundation of the old contract? The Eternal Creator and Sustainer of the Universe is One. One
Divine Consciousness, One Universal Soul, One Divine Mind, One Eternal source of Love. So when you become able to
love The Eternal with all of your heart, soul, and might, you become One with that Universal source of wisdom and
understanding. Can you imagine what it would be like to come in contact with a nation of people like that?
A second part of the foundation of the old contract can be found in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not avenge, nor bear any
grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor (associate) as yourself. I am The Eternal.”
Can you imagine a nation that is ruled by laws that are based on Universal Laws that respect the environment and
promote positive relationships with all people? All other nations would marvel at that prospect. The nation of Israel, under
the old contract had the opportunity to become that model nation for the rest of the world. People of other nations would
come to seek the wisdom and understanding that they could see in this model nation. People of other nations would not
have to gain an audience with the king to find the Wisdom of Solomon. No, they would be able to find that same wisdom
with any of the citizens of this model nation.
The Eternal Divine Mind told Moses how it could be, in Exodus 19:5-6, “If you will obey my voice and keep my contract, then
you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for the earth is mine. And you shall be unto me a kingdom of
priests and a sacred (holy) nation. These are the words that you shall speak unto the children of Israel.”
If the people could make these two simple Universal Principles a part of their lives, it would make them One with the
Eternal Divine Mind. And with that Cosmic connection, each individual could become an intercessor, or priest for the
benefit of others. This is what The Eternal YAHWEH had in mind when he made the old contract with the people of Israel.
People, with this Divine connection to the Eternal YAHWEH, would become a kingdom directly connected to YAHWEH.
Yahshua explained this in Mark 12:28-34, “One of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together,
perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, which is the first commandment of all? And Yahshua answered
him, the first of all the commandments is ‘Hear O Israel, the Eternal our Elohim is One. You shall love the Eternal your
Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater
than these.
And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, you have said the truth, for there is one Eternal, and there is none other but he.
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love
his neighbor as himself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Yahshua saw that he answered
wisely, he told him, you are not far from the kingdom of YAHWEH!”
Let’s read between the lines and see what happened here. Some scribes wanted to trap Yahshua in his words, but
Yahshua gave them totally unexpected answers. A more spiritually oriented scribe standing by heard the others
discussing what had happened and he concluded that Yahshua had put the others in their place. So he asked his
question and received Yahshua’s answer. And what’s more, this spiritually oriented scribe agreed with Yahshua! Who
else would dare to say that burnt offerings and sacrifices are virtually meaningless to anyone who loves YAHWEH, and
loves his neighbor as himself? That is why Yahshua told him that he was not far from the kingdom of YAHWEH.
Now let us answer the questions posed at the beginning of this article: How did the old contract pass away, and when did
it happen?
The old contract was all of the commandments, laws, statutes, ordinances and judgments that were based on these
Universal Laws. It also included all of the judgments and prophesies of all of the Prophets in the Old Testament. These all
passed away with the realization, and internalization of the two commandments that Yahshua described. And it all
happened on a one to one basis. The old contract became meaningless to each individual who listened to John’s
message, accepted it, and became baptized. Even the scribe had the opportunity to make that change after his encounter
with Yahshua.
What about you? Do you still live under the influence of the old contract? Are there even rituals and legalistic or judgmental
ways of thinking that still guide your life? Do you possibly live in fear of the unknown? Maybe the old contract yet has a
stronger influence on your thinking than you realize.
Yahshua told the scribe that he was not far from the kingdom of YAHWEH.
Do you know how far you are from the kingdom of YAHWEH?
Yahshua revealed the hidden kingdom In Luke. 17:20-21 “When he was asked of the Pharisees when the kingdom of
YAHWEH would come, he answered saying, the kingdom of YAHWEH comes not with observation. Neither shall they say,
lo here! Or lo there! For behold, the kingdom of YAHWEH is within you.”
You see, the kingdom of YAHWEH was even within the Pharisees! It is also within you. Yahshua said, the key to finding it is
simply to love YAHWEH with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. You must also love your neighbor and associates as
yourself. Learning and practicing this will put you very close to the kingdom of YAHWEH.
| BEYOND QUANTUM THEOLOGY: THE OLD CONTRACT : Part 2 By Dr. Gary Hanson Ph.D. |