Longhenry/Billingsley Debate on the Sermon on the Mount

Proposition: The Scriptures teach that the "Sermon on the Mount," Matthew chapters 5 through 7, is exclusively Old 
Testament doctrine.

Affirm: Dan Billingsly
Deny: Ethan R. Longhenry

First, Ethan asks, 
"Does Dan have us believe that this quotation of Matthew 7:12 proves that the whole Sermon On The Mount is the 
"law and the prophets"? 

Then he answers his own question. 
"I disagree completely with this idea."
Then Ethan states, 
"Certainly the idea that "all things" (in Matthew 7:12, like Matthew 22:34-40) represents the whole law and the 
prophets."

Thank you, Ethan, that is my argument on Matthew 7:12 exactly! 

Ethan then asks where Jesus' six statements about "the law and the prophets" in Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, are 
found in the Old Testament law of Moses.

Answer: The six statements are the response, explanation and commentary on the meaning of the law of Moses by 
the Son of God, the Messiah, the teacher of the law in Israel during MMLJBC. Jesus was the "last" divinely inspired 
Old Testament "prophet" that God sent to Israel, I will not question his teaching of the law to that "last generation" of 
Jews.

Tell us Ethan, if as you claim these six statements are New Testament doctrine, where are they found in Acts 2 
through Revelation 22?

Ethan, don't go down the "Gentile" road or your ignorance of the Old Testament will eat you alive. Ethan needs a copy 
of my book "What About The Gentiles?"  Readers, what does Ethan mean by Jesus "assisted" Gentiles and that he 
"spoke to" a Samaritan? Does Ethan mean that Jesus offered covenant and spiritual blessings to the Gentiles in 
MMLJBC?

It was prophesied that the Messiah would show "light" to the Gentiles by teaching that their day of salvation would 
soon come (Isa. 49:6), and it did in Acts 10.  However, Jesus offered no covenant blessing or spiritual salvation to any 
Gentile in MMLJBC. 

The teaching of the law of Moses concerning Jews and Gentiles was as follows. 
"2And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou 
shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them: 3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy 
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4For they will turn away thy 
son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and 
destroy thee suddenly. 5But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, 
and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 6For thou art an holy people unto  the LORD thy 
God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto  himself, above all people that are upon the 
face of the earth"(Deut. 7:2-6; See also Ex. 33:16;  Lev. 20:26)".

However, regardless of what God says in the law of Moses, Ethan thinks that the Jews and now the Messiah, the Son 
of God, would and could thumb their nose at God's law and get by with impunity.  The Gentile condition at the time of 
MMLJBC, while the Old Testament law of Moses was in force, is described by Paul in Ephesians 2:12. "That at that 
time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of 
promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

Ethan has a mountain to climb that he cannot climb, and that is to prove that "some" of the teaching of Christ in 
MMLJBC is New Testament doctrine. Tell us Ethan, where is one verse of scripture from MMLJBC found restated or 
quoted in Acts 2 through Revelation 22? If Matthew, chapters 5 through 7 are New Testament doctrine, where are 
they quoted in the New Testament? Ethan "strikes out" again!

Argument 6: The Old Testament Books Of Matthew, Mark, Luke And John

If we now understand that the four books of MMLJBC were erroneously put into the New Testament by the Roman 
Catholic church in 1486 AD -- rather than in the Old Testament where Christ, the Holy Spirit and the New Testament 
apostles placed these four books in the 1st century, we are now ready to examine the scriptural evidence as to why 
MMLJBC -- including "the sermon on the mount" -- belong to the Old Testament Mosaical covenant -- the law of 
Moses -- rather than to the New Testament.
 
1. MMLJBC describe the last thirty-three years of the Old Testament age -- not the beginning of the New Testament 
age. Therefore, Malachi is not the last book of the Old Testament age and Matthew is not the first book of the New 
Testament age.
 
2. In MMLJBC, Jesus declares more that 100 times that he is teaching  the Old Testament law of Moses; not once did 
he ever state that he was teaching New  Testament doctrine. In MMLJBC, several hundred times the Scriptures 
describe him teaching the Old Testament law of Moses; not once do they ever describe him teaching New Testament 
doctrine.
 
3. In MMLJBC, Christ addresses Old Testament Jews of Israel; only on rare occasions an alien Gentile. In MMLJBC, 
he never addresses or speaks to New Testament Christians. In fact, in MMLJBC, Jesus never used the word 
Christian." 
 
 4. In MMLJBC, Jesus was an Old Testament "Israelite" -- not a New Testament "Christian." Jesus was a member of 
the Old Testament "kingdom" of Israel -- not a member of the New Testament "kingdom."
 
5. In MMLJBC, Jesus was an Old Testament "prophet," not a New Testament "evangelist."  In MMLJBC, Jesus 
"restored" unfaithful" Jews back to  God under the Old Testament law of Moses, he did not "save" alien sinners by the 
New  Testament "gospel." 
 
6. In MMLJBC, Jesus preached only the Old Testament Mosaical "gospel" (Lk. 4:16-21), he never preached the New 
Testament "gospel" of his death, burial and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
 
7. In MMLJBC, Jesus preached the Old Testament plan of salvation in the law of Moses for Jews only (Matt. 19:16-
22), he did not preach the New Testament plan of salvation for alien sinners from "all nations” (Matt. 28:19-20).
 
8. In MMLJBC, in the closing three years of the Old Testament Mosaical age, the angels proclaimed that Jesus was 
sent as the Messiah to be the  "Savior"  of  only the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 1:21; 2:6). Jesus also 
confirmed his Old Testament mission to only the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24).
 
9. In MMLJBC, every time Jesus used the word "disciple" or "brethren," he was referring to the Old Testament Jewish 
children of God in Israel -- not to New Testament Christians.
 
10. In MMLJBC, when Jesus commanded his "chosen" Jewish disciples to "follow" him, these commands applied only 
to Old Testament disciples in Israel, they do not apply to New Testament Christians today.
 
New Testament Christians cannot "follow" the Old Testament "religion” that Christ observed in MMLJBC. They 
cannot, as Christ did, worship God in the temple at Jerusalem (Jn. 2:12-25) or the synagogues in Israel (Matt. 4:23).

New Testament Christians cannot teach the Old Testament law of Moses that Christ taught in MMLJBC (Matt. 5:17-
18; 7:12).
 
New Testament Christians cannot offer animal blood sacrifices  in service to God as Christ commanded the Jews of 
Israel under the law of Moses in  MMLJBC (Matt. 8:1-4; Lev. 14:1-14).
 
New Testament Christians cannot just go to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" as Christ commanded his Jewish 
disciples in MMLJBC (Matt. 10:1-6, 23).
 
New Testament Christians cannot observe and keep the Sabbath as Christ and his Jewish disciples did under the law 
of Moses in MMLJBC (Mk. 3:1-6).
 
New Testament Christians cannot offer "tithes" as Christ and his Jewish disciples did under the law of Moses in 
MMLJBC (Lk. 18:9-14).
 
New Testament Christians cannot teach the Old Testament law  of Moses on divorce and marriage as Christ taught 
the Jews of Israel (Matt. 19:3- 12).
 
New Testament Christians cannot "follow" Christ's example of eating the Passover feast in Israel under the law of 
Moses (Matt. 26:17-18).
 
This study will continue show why we should be more concerned  about what the apostles taught about the Old 
Testament age and doctrine of MMLJBC in  the 1st century, rather than what the Roman Catholic "heresy" taught in 
the 15th  century. It will prove why every word of MMLJBC is Christ's teaching of the Old Testament  law of Moses to 
the last generation of Jews in Old Testament Israel -- not Christ's  revelation of  New Testament doctrine for the 
church.
 
Argument 7: How To Interpret The Bible By Whole Or Complete Covenants
 
Because the Bible consists of a series of covenants that God  has made with mankind, and because each book, 
chapter and verse belongs to one  specific covenant and covenant age, to scripturally understand and interpret the 
Bible all  books, chapters and verses must be "rightly divided" into their proper Old and New  Covenants,  then each 
whole covenant must be interpreted by what it teaches, (not by what  another covenant teaches), and that teaching 
applied only to the people who were in  that  specific covenant.
 
1. The different covenants of the Patriarchal age (Genesis 1 through Exodus 19) must be interpreted by those specific 
covenants and applied only to the people within those covenants. 
 
2. The  one covenant that God made with the house of  Israel  in the Mosaical age  (Exodus 20 through Matthew 27, 
Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19) must be  interpreted by the teaching within that covenant and applied only to the Jews 
of  Israel with whom  God made that Mosaical covenant.
 
3. The six chapters of Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, 21and Acts 1 describe the fifty day period of time 
between the Old and New  Testaments. This was a period when no covenant for justification and salvation from sin 
existed between God and man.
 
4. The New Covenant that Christ has made with the New Testament church (Acts 2 through Revelation 22). This New 
Covenant must be interpreted by the teaching within this same New Covenant and that teaching applied only to the 
people in the New Covenant church. Christ's New Covenant law for the church does not apply to alien sinners outside 
the church. New Covenant law for the church applies only to New Covenant Christians, those within the New Covenant church.
 
NOTE: It must be pointed out that the New Testament provides a “plan of salvation" for alien sinners that provides 
entrance into the New Covenant and church. This "plan of salvation" (Acts 2) applies only to alien sinners, those 
outside the New Testament church. Only when the alien sinner obeys the New Testament "gospel" and becomes a 
Christian does he or she become accountable to Christ's law for the church.
 
Four Simple Rules For Interpreting Any Book, Chapter Or Verse In The Bible
 
1. Which covenant was in force at the time, with who did God or Christ make the covenant described in the book, 
chapter or verse, and to whom does this covenant teaching apply?

2. Who is speaking?

3. What is spoken?

4. To whom were they speaking?

Argument 8: Bible Cannot Be Scripturally Interpreted By Individual "Verses" or "Topics"
 
The most common mistake made in interpreting the Bible is the attempt to make one "verse," for example John 3:16 
represent the whole new   covenant message of Christ about salvation. The truth is that John 3:16 is a verse from 
 the Old Testament law of Moses describing how God "gave" his Son to "save" the old  covenant "world" of Israel 
(Matt. 15:24).  John 3:16 does not even belong to the New Testament -- much less contain God's message of 
salvation for this New Covenant age. To be scripturally interpreted, John 3:16 must be interpreted in harmony with all 
other teaching the book of John, the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as with all other books, chapters and 
"verses" that constitute the Old Testament law of Moses. 
 
Another common mistake made in interpreting the Bible is to combine all Scripture of the Bible on one "topic" and 
then teach that it is God’s willed for man today.  For example,  Old Testament Scripture and teaching on "worship"  is  
not God's will for the New Testament church and her "worship" in this New Testament age -- therefore it  cannot be 
applied to the church.  Only New Testament teaching on "worship" in Acts 2 through Revelation 22   is a part of the 
new covenant, and only new covenant teaching on "worship" can be applied to the New Covenant church. Old 
Testament teaching on "worship” (or any other subject) does not, under any circumstances,  apply to the New 
Testament church.
 
To scripturally interpret the Bible, it must be interpreted and understood by "whole" or "complete" covenants.  These 
different Bible covenants cannot be scripturally interpreted by individual and isolated "verses" or "topics." 
 
Argument 9: Interpreting The Old Testament Age And Doctrine Of Matthew 5-7

Matthew 5:1-12: For centuries sectarian churches have labeled Matthew 5 through 7 "the sermon on the mount," and 
subsequently attached great emotion to this passage. However, this "title" is not found in the Scriptures. The facts are 
that this passage holds no more weight in the teaching of the law of Moses by Christ in MMLJBC than any other 
passage of his teaching.  Everything in this passage relates to Christ the Messiah, the law of Moses and the old 
covenant people of Israel. It contains absolutely no New Testament doctrine. 
       
Matthew 5, verses 1-12, depict Christ's usage of "beatitudes," a common old covenant method of teaching the law of 
Moses.  They fall into the same old covenant category as psalms, proverbs, prophecies, riddles and parables. 
"Beatitudes" never describe nor are they found in New Testament teaching.
 
Argument 10:  The Words "Man, Men, You, We, They, Them, Us, Their, Who, Whosoever" In MMLJBC
 
One of the primary causes of   misunderstanding the   Old Testament age and doctrine of MMLJBC is the 
misinterpretation of the "nouns” and "pronouns" used in these four books.  All the pronouns in the teaching and 
commands of MMLJBC refer to Old Testament people, primarily the old covenant people of Israel.  They never refer 
to New Testament Christians.
       
As we can readily see in Matthew 5:12, when Christ used the word "you" -- he was referring to the people of Israel, 
the old covenant children of God to whom he spoke. He was not speaking to people who would live 2000 years later 
in this New Testament age. 
 
Matthew 5:13-20: This passage clearly indicates that Jesus was speaking only to the Jews of Israel, for in verse 13 he 
states: "You (ye) are the salt of the earth," and in verse 14 he states "You (ye) are the light of the world." Then he 
confirms in verse 17 who the "you" were -- he was speaking to Old Testament Jews, God's old covenant people in 
Israel as he refers to "your Father which is in heaven." We know this is true, for then only the Jews of Israel were the 
covenant children of God and only the Jews could call God their covenant "Father."
 
Notice verses 17 and 18 and the specific reference to the Old Testament law of Moses.
 
Matthew 5:17-18: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all 
be fulfilled."
 
As the Old Testament Messiah in MMLJBC, Christ did not come to destroy the "law" of Moses and the teaching of the 
"prophets" of Israel, he came to "fulfill" all of the "promises" and "prophecies" in that old Mosaical covenant.
 
Christ teaches here that the law of Moses would not pass away until he "fulfilled" every detail in the law. And we 
should remember that the last "prophecy" in the law of Moses to be "fulfilled" was the death of the Messiah. That is 
why Paul wrote that Christ's death on the cross was the "end" of the law of Moses (Rom. 10:4).
 
This passage also confirms that the Old Testament law of Moses was still intact and in force in Israel as Christ states 
that he came to "fulfill" the law. Does this not also prove that Malachi, who lived 430 years before Christ, could not 
possibly have been the "end" of the Old Testament law of Moses?
 
In Matthew 5, verses 19 and 20, Jesus speaks of  the "commandments" in the law of Moses, and that no Jew of his 
day could "enter" or "go" to heaven   unless their "righteousness" under the law exceeded the "hypocrisy" or  false 
"traditional righteousness" of the Scribes and Pharisees under the law of Moses .
 
When Christ uses the phrase "enter into the kingdom of  heaven" in this passage, he is referring to Jews possessing 
eternal life and going to heaven,  not as many have assumed, entering the New Testament church.
 
Matthew 5:21-26: More than 120 times in MMLJBC Jesus contrasts the  false rabbinical "traditions"  and 
"righteousness" of the Jews with his teaching of  the true law of Moses.
 
When Jesus said, "Ye have heard it said of them of old  time..." he was referring to the false "traditional" rabbinical 
doctrines  -- not the law of Moses.
 
When Jesus then said, "But I say unto you..." -- as the  Messiah, he was referring to the true law of Moses which he 
was teaching in Israel.
 
In all 120 times Jesus was contrasting the false "traditions"  of the rabbis with his teaching of the true law of Moses. 
Not once was he ever contrasting  the Old Testament law of Moses with his revelation of New Testament doctrine as 
many  sectarians and misled members of the church of Christ have assumed.
 
When Jesus contrasted the false rabbinical "traditions" with  the true law of Moses, he would often quote just the 
Scripture on which the well- known "tradition" was based, or as in this case he quotes both the Scripture and  the 
"tradition."
 
Matthew 5:23-24 confirm that this passage is referring to the  law of Moses for it speaks of a "brother" in Israel under 
the law, the Sanhedrin council  of elders in Israel, cessation of Jewish worship, gifts (sacrifices) to be offered on the  
altar in the Jerusalem temple. No New Testament doctrine  revealed in this passage.
 
Matthew 5:27-30: The false rabbinical "traditions" in Israel of  Jesus' day taught that Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 
5:18 spoke  only to the overt act of   adultery, but now Jesus shows from Exodus 20:14 that the law condemned the 
"lust" of  the heart which always preceded the overt act of adultery in Old Testament Israel.  (Remember, the Hebrew 
word "covet" and the Greek word "lust" have the same  definition.)
 
Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt  not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his 
manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his  ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
       
For those  among churches of Christ today who maintain that this is New Testament doctrine, why don't they follow 
also the teaching of verses  29 and 30?  Where are those among us who teach that those who are guilty of "lust"  and 
"adultery" must "plucked" out their eyes and "cut off" their hands?
 
Why don't these gospel preachers and churches of Christ  really practice what they preach? If they are going to teach 
this as new covenant doctrine, why  don't they really "pluck out eyes" and "cut off hands"? What a bloody mess they 
would  make the church.
 
Matthew 5:31-32: In the original law of Moses, God commanded the men  in Israel that they could "put away" or 
"divorce" their  wives only for the "cause"  of  "some uncleanness"  or" sexual immorality" (Deut. 24:1-2). At the time of  
Christ,  various rabbis in their false rabbinical "traditions"  were teaching that  Jewish men could   divorce their wives 
for many different trivial reasons or "causes." 
 
Rabbi Hillel was teaching that if a Jewish husband did not  like the way his wife kept the house, cared for the children, 
cooked the meals or baked the  bread, that was "cause" enough to divorce her. At the same time, Rabbi Shammai 
was  teaching that the only "cause" for divorce in Israel was, as Moses taught "some  uncleanness" (sexual 
immorality), a wife's "infidelity."  
 
In Matthew 5:31-32: Jesus now defines and teaches the  same "cause" (sexual immorality) or "fornication" for divorce 
as established by God and  Moses in Deuteronomy 24. He then shows that any Israelite that "unlawfully"  divorced his 
wife for the trivial "causes" taught by some rabbis  would commit adultery --  a sin against one's own marriage 
covenant. This unlawful divorce would then cause his wife -- who was "put away" unlawfully -- if  she married again to 
also commit adultery. 
 
Watch the "nouns" and "pronouns"! The pronoun "whosoever"  here refers to and must be applied only to those Jews 
in Israel who were under the Old  Testament law of Moses at the time of Christ. This word "whosoever," like the Old  
Testament law of Moses that Jesus is teaching in Matthew 5, does not refer to or apply  to anyone in this New 
Testament age.  
 
In Matthew 5:33-42, more contrasts by Jesus of the false  rabbinical "traditions" and the true law of Moses which he 
was teaching.  No New Testament  doctrine revealed in this passage.
 
Matthew 5:43-48: Here Jesus just quotes the false rabbinical tradition, "43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou 
shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine  enemy." The rabbis had taught Israel that Jews could "love" their Jewish 
"neighbors  and "hate" their Jewish "enemies" in Israel. Jesus corrected this error by correctly  interpreting Leviticus 
19:18 where God commanded all Jews in Israel to unconditionally "love" all  their fellow Jewish  "neighbors" in the 
twelve tribes of Israel.
 
To show and prove that this passage is referring only to Old  Testament Jews in Israel, we notice that in verse 45 he 
speaks of the old  covenant "children" of Israel whose old covenant "Father" is Jehovah, and in verse 47 he speaks of 
the  Jews as "brethren" and again of their "Father" which is in heaven.  No New Testament  doctrine revealed in this 
passage.
                                            
Matthew 6:1-34: In this chapter Jesus speaks to the offering of  Jewish "alms (verses 1-4), to the "prayers" of Jews 
under the law of Moses (verses 5-15), to the  practice of "fasting" under the law (verses 16-18), how to "lay up" their 
"treasures" in  heaven (verses 19-21), how to rid the heart of darkness and fill it with light (verses 22- 23), how  no 
Jew could serve two masters (verse 24), how to live the life of a faithful  Israelite and go to heaven (verses 24-34).

Contrary to what some have misunderstood, when Christ speaks  in Matthew 6: 10 "Thy kingdom come," and in verse 
33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of  God," Jesus is not speaking of the New Testament church, he is referring to Jews 
going  to "heaven" or having "eternal life" by faithfulness to the Mosaical covenant in the  Mosaical kingdom. This is 
confirmed by what Jesus taught that Old Testament Jews must  do to have eternal life in Matthew 19:16-22.  Tell us 
Ethan, if Matthew, chapters 5 through 7 is New Testament  doctrine, when is the last time you or the congregation 
where you worship "plucked out  the eyes" and "cut off the hands" of any brother or sister in the Lord?