James, Peter and Hebrews were all addressed to the Jews during their covenant transition. The Jews were being called to follow the Holy Spirit, and stop following their own flesh and blood. Paul was one of the Jews who was definitely living in his flesh and blood error before meeting the Messiah – Galatians 1:15-17. The English Standard Version of the Bible translates the phrase “flesh and blood” as “anyone”. After meeting Jesus, Paul didn’t consult with the Jewish flesh and blood body he knew so well. It wasn’t just anyone Paul would have consulted with about scripture translation. It was the Jews Paul would have consulted with. Paul already knew the scripture. He now had the Holy Spirit to interpret it properly. The old covenant body of Jews had mislead Paul into the error of not believing their new covenant rebirth, even as it was happening. Paul was misled by the false interpretations of his own flesh and blood, before he met Jesus. Paul wasn’t mislead by the Gentiles.

New covenant Jesus personally introduced Himself to old covenant Paul. Old covenant Paul was personally evangelized by new covenant Jesus. Then Paul rejected the majority teachings of his own flesh and blood and became a new covenant believer. He spent the next three years in Arabia correcting his own misunderstanding in light of the Holy Spirit. Then after three years he spent fifteen days with Peter and saw James (Jacob) the Lord’s brother. – Galatians 1:18-19.

The live appearance of Jesus declared the gospel truth to Paul – Galatians 1:12. Jesus didn’t have to declare His death, burial and resurrection with words. Paul was living in denial of the new covenant resurrection only. He already believed Jesus died and was buried. Paul had undoubtably been told that belief in the resurrection was some kind of a hoax. Paul was part of an old covenant conspiracy to censor the new covenant truth, until he saw the resurrected Lord with his own eyes. In Paul’s transition from the old to the new covenant, he symbolically and involuntarily entered the realm of the unseen for three days, as he joined the new covenant resurrection of Jesus – John 20:29.

2 Peter 2:18

LITV ¹⁸ For speaking great swelling words of vanity, by the lusts of the flesh, by unbridled lusts, they allure those indeed escaping the ones living in error, [who are they?]

Who tried to seduce the new covenant Jews if not the old covenant Jews? It wasn’t the Mormons or the Muslims who were deceiving their own flesh and blood in the first century. It wasn’t the promise of many wives or the promise of your own personal planet that tempted the Hebrews during their covenant transition. It was their own flesh and blood who tempted them to turn back. What great appeal to the flesh was tempting to the Hebrews to return to the old covenant? It was the false promise of keeping their old covenant in the flesh. What false teachers would the Hebrews be tempted to listen to if not the old covenant hold-outs. The unfaithful scoffers were saying the resurrection has already passed and nothing has changed? What did they claim had already passed? The old covenant unbelievers were saying, look for yourselves; nothing is happening. They had already counted to their 1000 year Jubilee and everything was apparently continuing as usual. The 1000 year Jubilee was supposed to be the resurrection of flesh and blood in the land; when everyone returns to the original promised land allotments. Yet the diaspora continued as usual. No super millennial renewal was happening in the typical land. The tribes in the land were not being joined by the tribes in diaspora. The rebirth wasn’t happening. Paul for one knew better.

The Jews in the flesh who were not born again were tempting the reformed and reforming Jews to join them in their old covenant insurrection rather than transition into their new covenant obedience. They were going to try to rule the kingdom in the flesh after all. Why keep suffering for nothing? Why keep waiting for promises broken? The Jews in the flesh appealed to the flesh. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit. Some born again Jews even tried to require circumcision in the flesh of Gentiles. Those Hebrews who had the Holy Spirit were warned to keep standing in the Spirit rather than fall for the flesh. The Spirit of creation was leading the faithful Hebrews into their final sabbatism in fulfillment of all their typical Jubilees – Hebrews 4:9. Any delay in covenant transition was counted as grace time not broken promises. God was not being slow, rather patient – 2 Peter 3:9. Old covenant forgiveness was about to end for good. Old covenant grace time was about to end. God’s forgiveness is forever in the new covenant now.

Hebrews 10:1-10

LITV ¹ For the Law had a shadow of the coming good things, not the image itself of those things. Appearing year by year with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually, they never are able to perfect the ones drawing near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because those serving did not still have conscience of sins, having once for all been cleansed? ³ But in these there is a remembrance of sins year by year, ⁴ for it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵ For this reason, coming into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You prepared a body for Me. ⁶ You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices concerning sins.” ⁷ “Then I said, Lo, I come, in the heading of the Book, it was written concerning Me, to do Your will, O God.” LXX-Psa. 39:7 -9; MT-Psa. 40:6 -8 ⁸ Above, saying, “You did not desire nor were pleased with sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices concerning sins,” (which are offered according to the Law), ⁹ then He said, “Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first in order that He may set up the second; [not He takes away the second in order to keep to the first] ¹⁰ by which will we [Hebrews] are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Jacob wrote to the 12 tribes who were divided over the old and the new covenant. Jesus already told the Jews He came to divide them. He also told them they would become united as one. How could it be both division and unification? It definitely wasn’t by adding typical law keeping to the new covenant believers. The old covenant body of unbelievers rejected the new covenant body, until AD 70 when their was no old covenant body anymore.

James 3:14-18 – Jacob warns the 12 tribes not to become deranged in their covenant transition

KJV ¹⁴ But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ¹⁶ For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

The eschatological confusion came from the Jews who wanted to remain forever in the flesh. They wanted to glory in their own flesh and blood. They wanted their old covenant body of Moses exalted rather than exalt in the Holy-Spirit-enabled body of Christ. They were definitely anti-Christ and pro-Moses. If they were really pro-Moses they would be pro-Christ – John 5:45-47. They claimed to keep the laws of Moses. They especially didn’t want the nations to join their body as God’s new covenant people.

After God’s chosen people from the Jews were granted Holy Spirit life, the born again Jews took their salvation to the nations. That really disturbed the old covenant Jews still in the flesh. They saw Gentiles as a contamination of their body under law. Be that as it may, the born again and sanctified Jews became the true light of the nations. The true light of the world is the same Jewish Lord that appeared to Benjamite Paul. “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Jesus similarly told His other chosen apostles from the Jews to wait in Jerusalem until they were commissioned by the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:4-5.

Acts 13:46-47

YLT ⁴⁶ And speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, `To you it was necessary that first the word of God be spoken, and seeing ye do thrust it away, and do not judge yourselves worthy of the life age-during, lo, we do turn to the nations; ⁴⁷ for so hath the Lord commanded us: I have set thee for a light of nations—for thy being for salvation unto the end of the earth.’

The new covenant body of faithful Jews eventually separated themselves from the old covenant hold-outs. They went on in their new covenant commission as the true light of the world. The unbelieving Jews stirred up confusion till the end of the old covenant. People who stir up confusion today are not in the old covenant anymore. Church confusion still comes from false religions, but nobody is in the old covenant anymore. The appeal to return to the old covenant is no longer real because the old covenant ended in a fiery destruction over two millennia ago.