John 20:22

LITV ²² And saying this, He [the firstborn Jew of the new covenant] breathed on them [His old covenant Jews] and said to them [Jews], Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was the first new covenant Jew to serve the church in old covenant Jerusalem. He breathed on His chosen Jews as His Father had done into the typical creation nose of firstborn Adam. There is no old covenant Jerusalem to send the Holy Spirit to today. Jerusalem from above brings us the new covenant air of the Holy Spirit regardless of location or ethnicity. The Holy Spirit rebirth is the spirit-enabled life we share with every new covenant breath we breath. There is one covenant and one covenant essential: if you don’t have the Holy Spirit He sent to His chosen old covenant people in Jerusalem, you are not His.

James 1:1

 ¹ Jacob, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the diaspora, greeting:

Unlike Jesus, His half-brother Jacob ( half brother in the flesh) addressed the whole body of Israel, with the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did speak to more than one tribe in the land during His 3 1/2 year old covenant Holy-Spirit-enabled ministry, especially when Jesus spoke during festival seasons, but they were generically referred to as Jews in the land. Jacob (wrongly called James) is reminiscent of his typical namesake, as this Jacob too addressed the 12. He too would leave his old covenant body in death.

Upon his deathbed, Israel (Jacob the son of Isaac) addressed his 12 sons who would become the nation of Israel in the flesh. The 12 born again apostles of Jesus addressed all Israel too, in transition from their old covenant of death to their new covenant of life. Meanwhile, Paul was addressing all the Holy Spirit enabled Jewish shepherds (born again Jews) with threats and murder, for daring to receive the Holy Spirit and speak new covenant truth to the children of God. By the way, there is no new covenant diaspora because covenant location and ethnicity became irrelevant after AD 70. All God’s chosen people are in the new covenant.

Stephen wasn’t one of the 12 apostles, but Paul assented to his death, because Stephen was a born again Jew and Paul was not (not yet). Stephen became a Holy Spirit enabled Jewish teacher of their promised new covenant before Paul did. Paul was still trying to keep his old covenant with God, in the flesh. All Paul’s work in the world wouldn’t pay off his sin debt. His old covenant efforts only doomed him more. Paul’s old covenant mission was doomed to millennial failure from the start. Paul’s old covenant indebtedness could only be paid by his only old covenant relative who was rich enough to do it: Jesus. The deadline for the debt was the final jubilee that was being fulfilled in AD 70.

Jesus redeemed His people while He was still in their old covenant. His old covenant exodus was also His old covenant redemption payment. He gave up all His inheritance in the old covenant land. Jesus didn’t redeem any Jew from their new covenant debts. The new covenant Jews arrived to the their 20th jubilee alive and debt free in the new firstborn: Jesus. No further redemption was needed for those Jews who moved into the new covenant, because the new covenant firstborn never falls into sin debt. All the new covenant Jews inherited the life of their firstborn as His gift to them. The 1000-year death of Adam and Israel (old covenant firstborns) ended the old covenant, in the same Day of the Lord that consummated the new covenant. New covenant life or old covenant death were the only two options for the Jews, including Benjamite Saul, aka Paul.

Acts 9:1-6

LITV ¹ But still breathing threats and murder toward the disciples of the Lord, coming to the high priest, ² Saul asked from him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, so that if he found any being of the Way, both men and women, having bound them he might bring them to Jerusalem. [Paul wanted to kidnap all born again Jews and drag them back to Jerusalem to stand trial.] ³ But in the going it happened! He drew near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the heaven shone around him. ⁴ And falling on the earth he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute Me? ⁵ And he said, Sir, who are you? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you persecute; [Jesus took it personally that Paul was persecuting the faithful Jews.] it is hard for you to kick against the prods. ⁶ Both trembling and being astonished he said, Lord, what do you desire me to do? And the Lord said to him, Rise up and go into the city, and it will be told you what you must do.

The Gentiles weren’t being persecuted by Paul. The target of unfaithful Paul was the faithful Jews. That is why the true Jews in Jerusalem didn’t trust him at first. They saw Paul as a political sellout. Traitor Paul became a true to the Word Jew only after meeting the first new covenant Jew. Jesus was the authentic national Jew looking out for His own when He confronted Paul. In that confrontation Jesus didn’t just stop Paul from persecuting the faithful Jews. He chose a Jew who would evangelize His chosen people from all nations, not just Israel.

Acts 11:19

LITV ¹⁹ Then, indeed, they who were scattered by the oppression taking place over Stephen passed through to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the Word to no one except only to Jews. [For years after the resurrection of Jesus, the popular belief was that only the chosen people of the Jewish faith could properly follow Jesus.]

Following Jesus’ example, the Jews gave the Gospel to the Jews only. Who else would they think it was for? Jesus said He came to save them. He also said He would lose none of the Jews that were His. The one and only way to be His is by way of the Holy Spirit rebirth, as Jesus explained to the Jewish teacher. This is the one essential that Jesus taught to the teacher of Israel. Jesus ascended to heaven from Jerusalem and sent the Holy Spirit rebirth to … guess who?: His chosen Jews in Jerusalem.

Hebrews 1:1-2

LITV ¹ In many parts and in many ways of old, God spoke to the fathers in the prophets; ² in these last days He spoke to us [12 tribes] in the Son, whom He appointed heir of all; through whom He indeed made the ages;

The last old covenant days of the Hebrews were redeemed by Jesus’ death on the cross. He was the old covenant heir of all. He sacrificed it all so all old covenant debts could be paid off before the final Jubilee. Jesus, as old covenant heir of all, was the only rich relative able to redeem His people from their debts under law. Freedom from the old husbandman’s debts was only part of their salvation. Remarriage to the new firstborn heir of all was their full salvation. It wasn’t enough to be out of debt and free to remarry. Their new marriage was the completion of their new covenant salvation. Jewish marriages had two parts. The new Jewish betrothal was by way of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Only widows could remarry according to Jewish law. The old Jewish husbandman was therefore put to death on the cross before Pentecost. The old covenant law released the old covenant bride from His side while he was in a deep sleep on the cross.

Physical death was called “sleep” as long as the dead still went to Hades to await their judgement. Nobody who physically dies today goes to Hades to “sleep”, because nobody in the new covenant firstborn dies like Adam and Israel in the flesh did. Nobody is in the old covenant of that old creation death. All God’s chosen people have already inherited eternal life in the new firstborn.

Salvation wasn’t yet complete while the Bible was being spoken into existence. While Paul was speaking someone else was writing. At least in his letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, it is clear that Jewish Paul had employed a Greek-speaking scribe to write the body of both letters. In the last verse of Colossians, Paul writes Greek words with his own Hebrew hand: “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.” Heaven was already opening for the believing Jewish witnesses such as in the case of Stephen. Paul and John saw also saw heaven opening before their old covenant officially ended. The faithful Jewish witnesses who were martyred during their covenant transition apparently waited in heaven under the alter rather than “sleep” in Hades with Abraham. But those who didn’t die during the covenant transition waited for the “sleepers” to go first, as explained by Paul, before he was martyred as a faithful Jewish witness. Paul was still included in the “we, the living” when he wrote to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

CLV ¹⁵ For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who are surviving to the presence of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose, ¹⁶ for the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead [“sleepers”] in Christ shall be rising first, ¹⁷ Thereupon we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord.”

Luke 8:52-54

LITV ⁵² And all were weeping and bewailing her. But He said, Stop weeping. She has not died, but is sleeping. ⁵³ And they scoffed at Him, knowing that she died. ⁵⁴ But putting all outside, and taking hold of her hand, He called out, saying, Child, rise up!

Hebrews 4:14-16

YLT ¹⁴ Having, then, a great chief priest passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—may we [the Hebrews] hold fast the [new covenant] profession, ¹⁵ for we have not a chief priest unable to sympathize with our infirmities, but one tempted in all things in like manner—apart from sin; ¹⁶ we may come near, then, with freedom, to the throne of the grace, that we may receive kindness, and find grace—for seasonable help.

Galatians 1:1

CLV ¹ Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through a man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, Who rouses Him from among the dead),

From Paul’s experience, his fellow humanity in the flesh mislead him into a most serious error. Paul was on a false mission to try to stop the new covenant transition, until the True new covenant Jew stopped him in his tracks. Murdering the bride of Christ was second only to murdering Christ Himself. Jesus counted the church as His own body. Jesus stopped Paul and showed him the proper way to interpret scripture. Paul stopped serving typical Jerusalem in the flesh after he saw the light of the Day of the Lord. He stopped with his old covenant death threats. Paul’s mission was condemned and saved that day. Paul took the next three years to re-contemplate scripture and get his head right. He started serving the new Jerusalem, i.e., the bride of Christ, rather than serving the old Jerusalem.

Galatians 4:26

LITV ²⁶ but the Jerusalem from above is free, who is the mother of us all;

Paul recognized the eternal Jerusalem as the new covenant mother and described the earthy Jerusalem as an old covenant mother now in slavery.

1 John 1:1 – who is “we” if not the chosen Jews?

LITV ¹ We [God’s chosen Jewish servants] announce to you [plural] what was from the beginning, what we [the chosen Jews] have heard, what we [Jews] have seen with our eyes, what we [Jews] beheld, and what our [Jewish] hands touched, as regards the [Jewish] Word of Life.

Revelation 1:1 [God’s covenant transition servants were primarily His chosen Jews]

YLT ¹ A revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave to him, to shew to his servants what things it behoveth to come to pass quickly; and he did signify it, having sent through his messenger to his servant John,

Galatians 1:11-2:10

LITV ¹¹ And, brothers, I make known to you the gospel preached by me, that it is not according to man. ¹² For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you heard my way of life when I was in Judaism, that with surpassing zeal I persecuted the church of God and ravaged it. ¹⁴ And I progressed in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my race, being much more a zealot of the traditions of my ancestors. ¹⁵ But when God was pleased, “He having separated me from my mother’s womb” and having called through His grace, Isa. 49:1 ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the nations, immediately I did not confer with [old covenant Jews] flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the [new covenant Jews] apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia and returned again to Damascus. ¹⁸ Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Peter and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw no other of the apostles except James the brother of the Lord. ²⁰ And what I write to you, behold, before God I do not lie. ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and of Cilicia, ²² but I was not known by face to the churches of Judea in Christ. ²³ But only they were hearing that he who was persecuting us then, now proclaims the faith which he then ravaged; ²⁴ and they glorified God in me. ^2 1 Then through fourteen years, I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, also taking Titus with me . ² And I went up according to revelation. And I put before them the gospel which I proclaim in the nations, but privately to the ones seeming to be pillars, lest I run, or I ran, into vanity. ³ But not even Titus, the one with me, a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ But it was because of those false brothers stealing in, who stole in to spy on our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, they desiring to enslave us, ⁵ to whom not even for an hour we yielded in subjection, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. ⁶ But from those seeming to be something (of what kind they were then does not matter to me; God does not accept the face of man), for those seeming important conferred nothing to me; ⁷ but on the contrary, seeing that I have been entrusted with the gospel of the uncircumcision, even as Peter to the circumcision, ⁸ (for He working in Peter to an apostleship of the circumcision, also worked in me to the nations), ⁹ and knowing the grace given to me, James and Cephas and John, those seeming to be pillars, gave right hands of fellowship to Barnabas and to me, that we go to the nations, but they to the circumcision; ¹⁰ only that we might remember the poor, which same thing I was eager to do.

After 3 years of contemplation, Paul spent 15 days in Jerusalem, then after 14 years Paul went again to Jerusalem, to compare gospel notes with the faithful Jewish evangelists in Jerusalem. The same gospel that first saved the Jews was now saving the Gentiles too. There was no disagreement on the gospel essentials. Proof that Paul had it right was that even Greek Titus who accompanied Jewish Paul was not compelled to be circumcised in old covenant Jerusalem. Salvation was a new creation no longer in the typical removal of Jewish flesh by way of circumcision. The new creation was by way of the Holy Spirit, not the typical Jewish flint knife. That the Holy Spirit would save Gentiles and Jews alike was a new revelation that the faithful Jews embraced. Paul did remember to send an offering to the poor saints in Jerusalem. He sent no money to the unbelievers in Jerusalem. They were the wealthy ones. The unbelievers controlled the temple money.

Acts 10:45-48

LITV ⁴⁵ And the faithful of the circumcision were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the nations also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ Can anyone forbid the water that these not be baptized, who the Holy Spirit received, even as we also? ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to remain some days.

The Jews were amazed to see that their evangelistic work went to the uncircumcised nations. Evidently these faithful Jews were planning to keep their salvation to themselves. The one essential was the Holy Spirit. James asked the Gentile churches to teach four rules, so as not to offend the faithful Jews, because the old covenant law still had standing until 70 AD. Their concern for typical laws was during the transition of covenants. They knew their eschatology. Churches today are not concerned with meat offered as sacrifices. Sacrifices have ceased. Not many creeds include the four rules from James. Martin Luther didn’t even like James. Of course churches should still teach the moral principles of all God’s law. Jesus said the two most important principles from the law are to love God with all … and love your neighbor as yourself.