Capítulo 3. Descripción del Proyecto
3.3. Procesos del Tratamiento
3.3.6. Descarga y Almacenamiento Temporal
a leading professor at the Catholic University of Wit ten berg, Germany. On October 31, 1517, he
tacked on the Castle Church door a paper containing ninety-five points, or principles, of protest which he had written against what he believed to be unholy practices of the Catholic Church.
Luther’s bold act was a world-shaking event.
Because small printing presses had by that time been invented, his paper was quickly copied, print- ed, and circulated throughout Europe. It led men and women everywhere to want to return to the Bible as the basis of Christianity, rather than the
dogmas and rituals of the official church.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Roman soldiers nailed, not a holy protest to a church door, but a holy Man to a tree. These men did not realize
who the Man was or what they were really doing. And the Man prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a uni- verse-shaking event, opening a new era of world
history and making certain a future time when sin and sinners will be no more and all the intelligent creation will worship the true God and obey the precepts of His holy law.
SOMETHING NAILED TO THE CROSS
The dying Son of God Himself is said to have nailed something to that cross. The Apostle Paul
speaks of it in these words:
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us . . and took it out of the way, nail- ing it to His cross.”—Colossians 2:14.
This does not mean that Jesus actually took a hammer and nailed a roll of ordinances to His cross.
But it does signify that some law or set of laws ended at His death. What could this be?
Later, in another passage, Paul speaks of this again:
“Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinanc- es.”—Ephesians 2:15.
It is quite obvious that there must be more than one type, or kind, of law in the Bible. We know that the moral law of God—the Ten Com- mandments—did not end at Calvary. Hundreds of
passages in the Bible tell us that. It is just as wrong
today for one to steal, kill, commit adultery, or break any other of the Ten Commandments as it ever was.
Christ did not come to destroy the moral law, but He came to fulfill it; that is, give us a perfect
example of how to live in accordance with it. In addition, He gave us the enabling strength, as we remain by His side, to fully obey it.
Indeed, if God had wanted to abolish the law which is the standard of all morality, Christ would not have died to meet its holy demands. God’s moral law is as enduring as His own character!
THREE TYPES OF BIBLE LAWS
There are several types of laws in the Bible. First, there is the great moral law of Ten Com- mandments. This law was written by the finger of
God Himself on solid rock (Exodus 31:18). This is the law, of which Christ Himself said:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law.”—Matthew 5:17-18.
Second, there are the ceremonial, sacrificial sanctuary laws, which governed the animal sacri-
fices which foreshadowed the death of Christ.
Third, there are the civil laws of the Jewish nation, which regulated a multitude of matters per-
taining to crime, court procedures, disease control, and so forth.
When the Jewish nation, as God’s chosen in- strument, came to an end, the civil laws naturally lapsed. For example, by the law of Exodus 22:1, if
someone stole an ox, when caught he had to repay the owner five oxen. Although this law was a good one, it would not necessarily be followed in a nation today. However, the underlying principles are still applicable. For instance, it is just as obligatory upon
a Christian to abide by the principles of healthful living, which the Hebrews were to obey.
WHEN THEY WERE ABOLISHED
So what was it that was nailed to the cross? It was the ceremonial laws, the rules and regula- tions governing animal sacrifices—all of which foreshadowed the death of Christ. Those rules had
been given to remind the people, down through the centuries, that their sins could only be forgiven by the Messiah who would someday come.
It was the ceremonial laws which were nailed to the cross, “the law of commandments contained in ordinances” (Ephesians 2:15), “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us” (Colossians 2:14).
The Ten Commandments were not “ordi- nances,” and they were not “handwriting” produced
finger on rock.
So it was that at the moment that Christ died on the cross,—gone were the blood offerings, the meat and drink offerings, the special yearly holy days, such as Passover, Pentecost, etc.
All these typical services and yearly holy days pointed forward to Christ and His death on Mount Calvary.
It is of the highest significance that, at the exact moment of Christ’s death, the great inner veil of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem—the veil divid- ing the first apartment from the second apart- ment—was torn from top to bottom—ripped into
two pieces! (Matthew 27:51). This clearly signified that the ceremonial system of laws and regulations— had come to an end, as far as God was concerned.
In order to express this in a dramatic way, Paul said that Christ nailed those ordinances to the cross.
THE YEARLY SABBATHS
Included in these ordinances which were abolished at Calvary—were the shadow sabbaths.
These were yearly (not weekly) gatherings. All of them came to an end, as far as God was con- cerned, at the death of Christ.
For example, an important one was the Pass- over service, which was also held in the spring of
the year. It is explained in detail in Exodus 12:21-49. On that night, as He had warned Pharaoh, the angel of God was about to slay all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. But all who gathered in the homes of the Israelites would be safe. This was because
God’s people were instructed to place blood from a slain lamb on the door posts (sides) and lintels (top) of the entrance door to each of their homes.
“Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.”—Exodus 12:21.
“Ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Pass- over, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.”—Exodus 12:27.
This symbol obviously pointed to Christ’s death on the cross to redeem all those who would
accept Him as their Saviour.
TWO KINDS OF SABBATHS
Now it is very important that we clearly recognize that there are two kinds of sabbaths!
First, there is the weekly Sabbath. This is
always written in the singular, “Sabbath” (never “sab baths”). God’s people are commanded to rest on the seventh day of every week, week after week.
This weekly Sabbath is commanded in the Fourth Commandment:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.
“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”—The Fourth Com- mandment, Exodus 20:8-11.
This is not a “shadow law” to be done away at the death of Christ! This is part of the moral
law of Ten Commandments.
Indeed, not only will it be kept all the way down to just before Christ returns for His peo- ple,—but also after that in the earth made new!
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”—Revelation 12:17.
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”—Revelation 14:12.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that . . from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”—Isaiah 66:22-23.
Notice that while the ceremonial sabbaths (plural) prefigured (looked forward to) the death
of Christ, when they would end, the Bible Sabbath (singular) was kept as a memorial (looking back)
to the great facts of the seven-day Creation of our world.
This is because God specifically set the seventh day aside as a special weekly rest day,—and He did this on the seventh day of Creation Week (Genesis 2:1-3).
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
“And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.
“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanc- tified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”—Genesis
2:1-3.
So that there should be no uncertainty about whether mankind was to keep this weekly Sab- bath, God wrote it with His own finger into the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). He placed
it in the very heart of the moral law.
In contrast, the ceremonial laws ended at the cross, and are referred to as “shadow sabbaths,”
called “feast days.”
Here is one passage in the New Testament, where Paul mentioned these yearly, ceremonial sabbaths:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”—Co- lossians 2:16-17.
COMPARING THE TWO LAWS
Let us now compare the two laws: the moral law (the Ten Commandments), and the ceremonial laws (commandments contained in ordinances):
1 - The moral law is a perfect law.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”—Psalm 19:7.
“All Thy commandments are righteousness.”—
Psalm 119:172.
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteous- ness, and Thy law is the truth.”—Psalm 119:142.
The ceremonial law is an imperfect law. “For there is verily a disannulling of the com- mandment going before for the weakness and un- profitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”—Hebrews
7:18-19.
“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers there- unto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered?”—Hebrews 10:1-2.
2 - The moral law is in itself spiritual. “We know that the law is spiritual.”—Romans
7:14.
The ceremonial law is not in itself spiritual. “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.”—Hebrews 9:9-10.
3 - The moral law gives a knowledge of sin. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”—Romans
3:20.
“What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”—Romans 7:7.
The ceremonial law was instituted in conse- quence of sin (see Leviticus 3 to 7).
4 - The moral law was spoken by God Himself.
“And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments.”—Deu- tero nomy 4:12-13 (Exodus 20:1-17).
“And He added no more.”—Deuteronomy 5:22. The ceremonial law was spoken by Moses.
“And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.”—Leviticus 1:1-2.
“[Moses said:] This is the law of the burnt offer- ing, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecra- tions, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings.”—
Leviticus 7:37. (Also see Leviticus 8:13-17.)
5 - The moral law was written by the Lord, with His own finger, upon two tables of stone.
“These words the Lord spake unto all your as- sembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and He added no more. And He wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.”—Deuteronomy 5:22 (Exodus 31:18; 24:12).
The ceremonial law were written by Moses in a book.
“Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven . . And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words.”—Exodus 34:25, 27.
“And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel.”—Deuteronomy 31:9 (Nehemiah 8:1; 2
Kings 22:8-16).
6 - The moral law was placed in the ark of the covenant.
“And he [Moses] took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark.”—Exodus 40:20
(1 Kings 8:9; Hebrews 9:4).
The ceremonial law was placed outside the ark, by its side.
“And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.”—Deuteronomy 31:24-26.
7 - The moral law is eternal, and therefore requires obedience from all.
“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”—Romans 3:31.
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”—Matthew 5:17.
“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.”—Luke 16:17.
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the command- ments.”—Matthew 19:17.
“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.”—1 Corinthians 7:19.
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”—Rev- elation 22:14.
The ceremonial law has been abolished, and obedience to it is no longer required.
“Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in or- dinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace.”—Ephesians 2:15.
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”—Co- lossians 2:14-17.
“Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment.”—Acts 15:24.
OTHERS AGREE
“Although the law given from God by Moses as touching ceremonies and rites, doth not bind Christians; yet, notwithstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free from the obedience of the com- mandments which are called moral.”—Methodist Episcopal Church Doctrines and Discipline, p. 23.
“Ques.—Are we under obligation to keep the ceremonial law?
“Ans.—No, the ordinances which it enjoined were only types and shadows of Christ; and when they were fulfilled by His death, and the distinc- tion between Jew and Gentile was removed, the ceremonial law was abolished, because it was no longer necessary.
“Ques.—Are we under obligation to keep the moral law?
“Ans.—Yes, because that is founded on the na- ture of God and cannot be changed; it is of univer- sal application, which was impossible with respect to the ceremonial and civil laws. Christ demands obedience to His law.”—The Lutheran Catechism.
The ceremonial laws are like the scaffolding of a building, to be removed when the building is finished. The moral law is like the foundation of the building.
Throwing away the Ten Commandments, when the ceremonial law is discarded, is like tearing down the building when removing the scaffolding!
BUILT ON A ROCK
Many years ago, a bridge was to be built across the Conemaugh River in Pennsylvania. It would in time come to be known as the “Stone Bridge.”
The contract for the job was assigned to a contrac- tor, who then set to work.
On each side of the river he dug down, farther and still farther, until he reached bedrock. Oth-
ers told him it was too expensive to do this, but he was determined to build solidly. Finally, his arched, stone bridge was finished, and the extra cost was forgotten.
In the late spring of 1889 melting snows in the mountains, plus heavy rains, brought more