Table Of Contents...

Is Circumcision still Binding?

And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you.
And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
(Genesis 17:12-13)
 

Circumcision. Does Our CREATOR Require It?
Is it still binding on us, and if so, why?

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him...

(Genesis 17:9-14)[1] (KJV) ⁹And the ETERNAL[2] said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. ¹²And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. ¹³He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

This is a very clear statement showing how the ETERNAL views circumcision. Were the ancient Israelites the only people required to be circumcised? Alternatively, is the command still binding today? Is it required for only the Jewish people? Why would a loving CREATOR require this of males in the first place? What should a male do today if he is uncircumcised? The answer to all of these questions lies within The Holy Scriptures, and the truth may surprise you.

To answer these questions on circumcision, we must begin with the first mention of circumcision in The Holy Scriptures [OT]. To get the story flow we begin in Genesis with the ETERNAL speaking to father Abraham:

(Genesis 12:1-3) (KJV) ¹Now the ETERNAL had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: ²And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ³And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This must have been a difficult situation for Abram. He was told to uproot himself and his wife from their home and from all that they knew and loved. He was not told how far away the area was or whether danger and uncertainty waited. To compound this situation, he was told that his descendants would become a great and prosperous nation. At this time, Abram and Sarai were childless and advanced in years, not a time to move to a new location and plan a large family. What happened next is critical to the story. Did Abram argue or make excuses to the CREATOR? Did he try to alter the plan or instructions? Notice:

(Genesis 12:4) (KJV) So Abram departed, as the ETERNAL had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Abram simply obeyed the voice of the ETERNAL and went forth to the new land as he was instructed. The ETERNAL reminded Abram many times that he would be a father of many people and nations.[3] A full twenty-four years later, the ETERNAL appeared to Abram again and reiterated His earlier promise and enlarged it, telling Abram:

(Genesis 17:4-5) (KJV) ⁴As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

The ETERNAL changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means, "father of a multitude"[4] Remember, at this time, Sara was still barren, yet from this point forward when any one called Abraham by name, they literally said, "'Father of many nations'." The name Abraham was a sign of the ETERNAL's promise to Abraham and his descendants. In addition, the ETERNAL stated:

(Genesis 17:6-11) (KJV) ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. ⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a SOVEREIGN unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their SOVEREIGN. ⁹And the ETERNAL said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

The ETERNAL now added a physical sign that Abraham and all his male descendants would carry throughout their generations. In addition, the man and his wife upon seeing the circumcision of the male would be reminded that they, as children of Abraham, are the people of the ETERNAL CREATOR and He is their SOVEREIGN.

(Genesis 17:12-14) (KJV) ¹²And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. ¹³He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Circumcision became a physical mark to show that one had entered the Covenant with our CREATOR. You may ask, "How long was this physical sign of the Covenant binding"? The ETERNAL told Abraham, "throughout the ages." In other words, circumcision is FOREVER. It was not only required of Abraham's offspring, but also of all those who lived among Abraham and his descendants in this promised land, including slaves born in the area and those brought there from foreign lands. Anyone who was uncircumcised was "cut off from his kin" or banished as an outcast. Therefore, we see the seriousness of failing to follow this instruction from our CREATOR. Again, the faith[5] of Abraham was tested. What did Abraham do when given these instructions from his CREATOR? Notice:

(Genesis 17:23-27) (KJV) ²³And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as the ETERNAL had said unto him. ²⁴And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁵And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. ²⁶In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. ²⁷And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.

The faith expressed by Abraham and his total belief that our CREATOR would fulfill His promises to him is what set Abraham apart from everyone else on earth, then and now. Abraham believed what our CREATOR said and he obeyed His voice. As we are told in Genesis:

(Genesis 15:6) (KJV) And he believed in the ETERNAL; and he [the ETERNAL] counted it to him [Abraham] for righteousness.

We now go to Moses as he is given instructions from The Holy One of Israel on how to observe the Passover. As we pick up the story flow in Exodus 12, the ETERNAL CREATOR is about to unleash the most devastating plague yet to strike Egypt. The first born of all Egypt will die because of the refusal of Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go free. Realize that this was before the law was given to Moses at Sinai by at least fifty days. Notice the warning given to Moses and Aaron concerning uncircumcised males being restricted from eating the Passover offering. Clearly, those males who are uncircumcised are not allowed to observe the Passover by eating of the Passover offering:

(Exodus 12:43-44) (KJV) ⁴³And YHWH said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: ⁴⁴But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

(Exodus 12:48) And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to YHWH, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

Some fifty days later, as the CREATOR gave the law to Moses at Mount Sinai, making this physical sign of the Covenant official law. At this point, circumcision ceased to be simply a physical sign or token that a person had entered the covenant with The Mighty One. It was now an ordained law given by the Almighty CREATOR of Israel. It became just as binding as the Ten Commandments or any other law given. Notice the instructions given to Moses by our CREATOR:

(Leviticus 12:2-3) (KJV) ²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. ³And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

After the death of Moses, the ETERNAL dried up the Jordan River to prepare a place for the Israelites to cross over into the Promised Land. While encamped at Gilgal, Joshua was instructed to circumcise the whole nation of Israel. The name Gilgal literally means "hill of foreskins". The males of military age, who come out of Egypt, had all died during the forty years wandering in the desert, and had been circumcised. However, none of the males born during the last forty years had been circumcised. It was these sons born during the desert wanderings, which were circumcised. Realize that our CREATOR Himself, gave these instructions himself to Joshua:

(Joshua 5:2-3) (KJV) ²At that time YHWH said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. ³And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Remember, the second part of the promise accompanying circumcision was that they were to be the ETERNAL's people and that He would be their Deity. How would that be done? Our CREATOR planned a different kind of circumcision in The Holy Scriptures, but also extremely more important:

(Jeremiah 4:4) (KJV) Circumcise yourselves to YHWH, and take away the foreskins[6] of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

So now, we are also told to circumcise our hearts. What does this mean? The Scriptures interpret themselves without our aid:

(Deuteronomy 10:16) (VOICE) Cut away that hard covering around your heart, and do not harden your neck against me.

(Deuteronomy 30:6) (KJV) And Yahweh thy CREATOR will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love Yahweh
thy CREATOR with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

The phrase, "harden your neck against me", refers to being rebellious and refusing to obey the laws of the ETERNAL. Therefore, we see that physical circumcision shows that we have agreed to enter the Covenant with The Mighty One, but circumcision of the heart is actually turning from our rebellious ways and focusing our whole lives on loving and honoring the ETERNAL. Abraham was circumcised of the flesh as well as the heart. He completely trusted The Mighty One and obeyed Him without question. Can you see the difference in the attitudes of Abraham and those of Adam and Eve, who disobeyed and decided for themselves what direction their lives should take?

What About the Present Time?

Thus far, we have examined scriptures that deal with a time and place far in the past. However, we shall see that the instructions of the ETERNAL apply forever. Most students of The Holy Scriptures will tell you the majority of these prophesies are for the end time and extend into the millennial reign of the Moshiach (Messiah). Do The Holy Scriptures have anything to say about circumcision that applies for our time today or the future? You bet! Notice:

(Isaiah 52:1) (KJV) Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

(Ezekiel 44: 6-7) (KJV) ⁶And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith YHWH the CREATOR; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, ⁷In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

(Zechariah 14:16-19) (KJV) ¹⁶And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the SOVEREIGN of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁷And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the SOVEREIGN of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. ¹⁸And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith YHWH will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. ¹⁹This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

What do these Scriptures tell us? In the future Davidic Kingdom,[7] those who are uncircumcised will not be allowed to enter the Temple of Jerusalem, or even into the city of Jerusalem. Zechariah tells us that all the nations and communities of the earth (including the Gentiles)[8] will be required to come into the city of Jerusalem once per year to keep the Feast of Booths. For those nations who choose not to come to Jerusalem year by year to bow low to the King of Hosts, rain will be withheld. In the case of Egypt who does not depend on rain, some other type of curse will be given. We begin to see a principle here. All nations will be required to visit Jerusalem once per year, and those who do not will be punished. You must, however, be circumcised to visit Jerusalem. This makes it plain that circumcision will be required of the Gentiles in the worldwide Davidic Kingdom as well as the descendants of Abraham.

Conclusion.

We can see from The Holy Scriptures that circumcision is clearly required of all of the physical descendants of Abraham. For those of us who understand that Great Britain and America represent a portion of the lost Ten Tribes, these instructions are as timely and important for us today as they were some four thousand years ago. They were given to Abraham, again to Moses, again to Joshua, again to Ezekiel, again to Isaiah, and again to Jeremiah, and now to us.

We have seen that the prophesies of The Holy Scriptures tell us that circumcision will be required of Gentiles during the worldwide reign of the Moshiach. We know that the family of Abraham, or Israel, was the family the CREATOR would deal exclusively with until the time of the Davidic Kingdom.[9] At that time, all of the earth will come to an understanding and knowledge of the ONE True CREATOR of humankind. Therefore, the instructions or laws given to Israel will one day extend to the entire world. There will be unity, understanding, and pure truth in the worship of the ETERNAL. All nations will be required to keep the Sabbath, the Holy Days and obey the dietary laws. As the Gentile nations of the earth learn to worship our CREATOR in truth and pure understanding, they will be required to show an outward physical sign that they have entered into the Covenant with The Mighty One to love and obey Him with all their hearts.

This outward, physical sign has been clearly shown circumcision of the foreskin. Circumcision of the foreskin was commanded in the past. It is binding for us today, and it will be required in the future. If you are a male, the situation is very simple and straightforward. You can do it now, or you can do it later; but you will do it if you want to be a part of the Kingdom of our CREATOR. Let us not forget that what our CREATOR really wants of us all is circumcision of the heart. He desires us to strive with all of our being to turn away from sin, rebellion, and selfishness and seek to obey Him with all of our hearts and souls. He wants us to be truly happy, and true happiness can only come from obedience to His laws. So you see, circumcision is a physical act to show a spiritual relationship with The Holy One of Israel. We are circumcised physically to remind us of the covenant between Abraham and The Mighty One. Physical circumcision also reminds us to strive for spiritual circumcision of the heart.

What Is The Current [New Testament]™ Message On Circumcision?

Here is a plain statement by the 'self-proclaimed apostle' Paul, about circumcision (keep in mind that Paul was a circumcised Jew when he said this):

(Galatians 5:2-6) (KJV) ²Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, 'Christ' shall profit you nothing. ³For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. ⁴'Christ' is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. ⁵For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. ⁶For in 'Jesus Christ' neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

(1 Corinthians 7:19-20) (KJV) ¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the Commandments of 'god'. ²⁰Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

Did Paul change something regarding circumcision? Absolutely. It has always been about obeying our CREATOR. Obeying the ETERNAL's Commandments is what made the uncircumcised Hebrew, Abraham, righteous before he was circumcised, and obeying the ETERNAL's Commandments is what kept Abraham righteous after he was circumcised.

Paul being a Jew, knew absolutely, that the Mighty One Of Israel will not recognize any uncircumcised males, as being a member of any tribe of Israel. Why would a supposed, self-appointed, so-called apostle, teach such falsehoods about circumcision? Maybe he has a hidden agenda, like deceiving as many Israelites as he can into disobeying their CREATOR? Or worse, getting them to worship a false 'son of god' deity? A self-proclaimed 'savior of mankind'? And do it on the 'lords-day', instead of the Seventh-Day Sabbath?

Remember the opening scripture cited again here:

(Genesis 17:9-14) (KJV) (Genesis 17:9-14) (KJV) ⁹And the ETERNAL said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. ¹²And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. ¹³He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an EVERLASTING covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

So how long is the ETERNAL's covenant to perform circumcision, to remain in effect:

(Genesis 17:13) (ALL) He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an EVERLASTING covenant.

And where does this liar Paul claim to get his authority to say these things? We have all heard about "Jesus" the so-called "Christ" being the "firstborn of the ETERNAL". But is that in-fact true? Where does the ETERNAL state this? "Nowhere!" However, what He does state is this:

(Exodus 4:22) (ALL) And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.

(Deuteronomy 4:35) (KJV) Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the CREATOR he is ETERNAL; there is none else beside him.

(Deuteronomy 4:39) (KJV) Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the ETERNAL he is SOVEREIGN in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

(Deuteronomy 6:4) (KJV) Hear, O Israel: The ETERNAL our CREATOR is one SOVEREIGN:

(1 Samuel 2:2) (KJV) There is none holy as the ETERNAL: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our SOVEREIGN.

(1 Kings 8:60) (KJV) That all the people of the earth may know that the CREATOR is ETERNAL, and that there is none else.

(1 Chronicles 29:11) (KJV) Thine, O SOVEREIGN is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O SOVEREIGN, and thou art exalted as head above all.

(2 Chronicles 18:18) (KJV) Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the ETERNAL; I saw the ETERNAL sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

That should dispel any idea that He means the 'self-proclaimed imaginary Son', who claims to be the 'firstborn of the ETERNAL', mentioned in the so-called [New Testament]™.

Today it's all about building church rolls, collecting tithes for obtaining opulent lifestyles and wealth, glitzy jobs, fancy cars, fancy evangelists preaching their profane [New Testament]™ message of 'YOU ARE ALL SAVED, BECAUSE SOME FALSE GOD DIED FOR YOU SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO, IF YOU JUST BELIEVE', and this zinger, "the penalty for breaking the ETERNAL's commandments and laws were Nailed To The Cross" (See: Colossians 2:14), endlessly proclaimed by the Church of Rome and her proselytising daughters.

We Need To Get Back To The Hebrew Scriptures!

We [present day Israelites] can and must repent of worshiping 'g-ds' which the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, did not know (i.e. a dead man [false idol], hanging on a wooden cross). Moreover, shouldn't you obey the Laws and Commandments the ETERNAL CREATOR, and SOVEREIGN of the universe has given you, the way He wants you to obey them? Willfully, cheerfully, with all your heart, and all your soul? With love and respect for all He has done, and is doing for you?

Or, should you continue to obey the Church of Rome and her proselytising daughters with their so called [New Testament]™ "False Idol" and his lying [apostles, deciples, ministers, priests, deacons, popes, etc.], not to mention the "Self Proclaimed" Apostle Paul, with his 'baal' worshiping, polytheistic 'multi-godhead' trinitarian opinions, telling you that you have been set free from having to pay the penalty for breaking the ETERNAL's Laws, and that all you have to do now is believe? Really? Is that all you have to do? Think about it.

A Reminder From The Eternal Creator:

(Deuteronomy 30:15-19) (NIV) ¹⁵See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶For I command you today to love the ETERNAL your CREATOR, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the ETERNAL your CREATOR will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. ¹⁷But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other 'gods' and worship them, ¹⁸I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

(Jeremiah 9:14) (NIV) Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.

(Deuteronomy 8:19) (NIV) If you ever forget the ETERNAL your SOVEREIGN and follow other 'gods' and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

One final thought for those of you who will say that the [New Testament]™ claims that physical circumcision is no longer required:

(Psalms 119:151-152) (KJV) ¹⁵¹Thou art near, O YHWH; and all thy commandments are truth. ¹⁵²Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them forever.

Footnotes:

[1] [a]All scriptural links point to the Bible Gateway, A Searchable Online Bible In Over 100 Versions And 50 Languages, located at "BibleGateway.Com", a vast biblical resource containing all the major texts and reference materials useful for in-depth bible studies. Most scriptual quotations are from the (KJV) of the Bible, however versions noted in (parentheses) should also be consulted. [b]All Strong's scriptural references point to the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon, located at "BlueLetterBible.Org", another vast biblical resource which has over 4,000,000 links available, pointing to more than 165,000 pages of concordances, lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, images, and several Bible versions.

[2] The word the ETERNAL comes from the Hebrew letters YHWH [#H3068 Strong's Exhaustive Concordance] (the) self-existent or the ETERNAL. (Also rendered as "Yahweh").

[3] Compare (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 14:19; Genesis 15:1-21; Genesis 17:1-4)

[4] Strong's Exhaustive Concordance #H85, Abraham means to be populous; father of a multitude. Abraham, the later name of Abram.

[5] A simple definition of faith is to just obey the ETERNAL, confidant that He will bless that obedience.

[6] Ibid. #H6190.

[7] See the essay: "Quest for the Messiah".

[8] It is not logical to assume that the entire populations of the earth will all relocate to Jerusalem for seven days, but it is likely that representatives from every community will be required to come.

[9] See the essay: "Quest for the Messiah".