This is a very long topic, but for now, I’ll introduce it briefly. For those who are interested, I will provide much more detail after this introduction.

Who is the Messiah ?

In the Tanach (OT), it is believed to be are over 300 prophesies about a character whose main role is to restore Yahweh’s original kingdom. There, He is referred to by various metaphors including  “the seed of the woman” (Gen 3:15), a “promised lamb of Yahweh (God)” (Gen 22:8), “a branch” (Isaiah 11:1), “a Prophet from the midst of Israel like me (Moses)” (Deut 18:15), & many others, but probably, He is best known as “the Messiah”, the anointed one, the Mashiyach in Hebrew, & Christos in Greek.

Who was Messiah Yahushua ?

According to the Renewed Covenant Scriptures (RC) or New Testament, Messiah Yahushua was born into a Jewish family, & so first of all, He was a Jew. He was raised to be Torah-observant,  (law obedient), as most of His fellow Jews were - Torah is the Hebrew word, poorly translated as "law", which means “instructions”. The following verses are evidence to support this :

Luke 1:59 tells us He was circumcised on the eighth day.

Luke 2:41 & John 2:23 say that He & His parents went to the feast of Passover.

Luke 8:44 explains that He wore "fringes" on His garments in accordance with the Torah command of Num 15:38.

What did Messiah Yahushua believe ?

Yahushua believed in His heavenly Father, & prayed to Him often (Matt 14:23, Mark 6:46 & Luke 9:28).

He believed in upholding, keeping, & teaching the Torah (law) of Yahweh (God) (Matt 5:17-19). 

As a Torah-observant Jew, Yahushua would have been taught as a child, & knew that He had to follow Yahweh’s plan, and that meant giving Himself up for others. This is why He replied to His parents in Luke 2:49, "did you not know that I must be my father’s business". 

What did Messiah Yahushua do ?

Because He was a Torah-observant Jew, He was therefore, an Israelite. We note that all Jews are Israelites, but not all Israelites are Jews - there are 12 tribes of Israel. Messiah Yahushua kept all the Torah commands that He could - no one can keep all the Torah, because some commands are for the high priest, some are for priests, some are for Levites, some are for women, some are for farmers, while some are for all.

He did the will of His Father in heaven (Matt 26:39)

Yahushua, as a Torah-observant Jew, in summary, He was circumcised on the eighth day (Lev 12:3), kept the seventh day Sabbath (Exod 20:8-11), celebrated Yahweh's moedim, appointed times, according to Lev 23, followed Yahweh's food commands of Lev 11, & observed the Covenant requirements of Exod 20-24.

If you would like to read more details about who the Messiah is, what He believed, & what He did, I have provided details of them in the following section.

Above, I’ve already introduced the Messiah of the Tanach, but if you are not convinced about whether that character came to Earth, as Yahushua (Jesus), I strongly encourage you to view Chuck Missler’s video, Chuck Missler What is Truth (Session 2) @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI77pIarER4

Chuck’s two sessions are very interesting, but if you forward the above video to about the 30^th minute mark, I believe that you will find Chuck’s explanation of the Messiah of the Tanach fascinating.

If you are unfamiliar with the more than 300 Tanach prophesies related to the Messiah, they can be found @ http://therefinersfire.org/prophecies.htm

Most people know what they understand about “the Messiah” from the Renewed Covenant (RC) Scriptures (NT). I will be quoting from the King James Bible translation of the RC, in this section, unless otherwise noted. I will be using the Hebrew name for the heavenly Father, Yahweh, & the Hebrew name for His Son, Yahushua, whom you may know as Jesus. Any added emphasis is mine ! 

As an introduction to my comments about “the Messiah” of the RC, I’d like to begin with a quote from Michael Rood, who wrote about the genealogy of the Messiah. Michael writes :

“The genealogy of Yeshua through his only earthly parent, Miriam, is detailed in Matthew’s account of the origin of the “king from heaven”. The Messiah must be from the lineage of King David (Jeremiah 23:5). Though translations derived from the Greek text of Matthew confuse the genealogy, the Ancient Hebrew text of Matthew’s Gospel, from which the Aramaic and, later, the Greek were translated, clearly details Miriam’s lineage through her father Yoseph ben Yaakov through the kingly line of David through Solomon. Luke’s Gospel, on the other hand, details the lineage of Miriam’s husband Yoseph ben Eli through David’s son Nathan. Luke’s lineage is inserted directly after Matthew’s genealogy for comparison. It is clear that the Yoseph ben Yaakov mentioned in Matthew 1:16 and the Yoseph ben Eli cited in Luke 3:23 (which is the Yoseph who is Miriam’s husband in Matthew 1:19) are two different men with two distinct genealogical lines back to David – yet they both bear a very common Israelite name. A woman marrying a man with the same first name as her father is very common in every culture – this led a careless translator into profound error”.

From : https://restorationdownunder.com/genealogy-and-birth-of-messiah/

I hope this insight is helpful.

Matt 1:1 begins with a statement about the book of the genealogy of Messiah Yahushua. The character called “Messiah”, is first mentioned in Matt 1:16, as part of the genealogy of His only earthly parent, Miriam (Mary).

Mat 1:1 The Book of the genealogy of Yahushua Messiah the Son of David, the son of Abraham. (HRB)

 Mat 1:16 and Jacob fathered Joseph, the father of Mariam, out of whom Yahshua was born, the One called Messiah. (HRB)

The next mention of the Messiah, occurs in Matt 2:4, where we are told that king Herod “asked the chief priests & scribes where the Messiah was to be born” ? They answered in verses 4-5, “in Bethlehem of Judea”, quoting the prophesy of Micah 5:2.

Mat 2:4 And having gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked of them where the Messiah was to be born.

Mat 2:5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,

Mat 2:6 "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, in no way are you least among the governors of Judah, for out of you shall come out One ruling, who shall shepherd My people Israel." (Mic. 5:2)

Matt 11:2 tells us that John the Baptist heard from his prison cell, about “the works of Messiah”, & that he, John, sent two disciples to ask whether Yahushua was the one coming, to fulfil the prophesy of Isaiah 60:1

Mat 11:2 But hearing in the prison of the works of Messiah, sending two of his disciples,

Then we have in Matt 16:13-16, the scene in which Yahushua asks His disciples of Himself, ”whom do men say the Son of Man to be?” They respond by answering, “some say John the Baptist, & others Elijah, & others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets”. Yahushua then asks Simon Peter the personal question, “whom do you say Me to be?” In Matt 16:16, Simon Peter answers saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim”.  

I’m not really sure why, but Yahushua then tells them in Matt 16:20, that they were not to tell anyone that He is the Messiah.

 Mat 16:16 And answering, Simon Peter said, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.

 Mat 16:20 Then He warned His disciples that they should tell no one that He is Yahshua the Messiah.

There are 75 verses in the RC that specifically mentions, “the Messiah”. By now, I hope that it is obvious that Yahushua is the Messiah, so :

What did Yahushua the Messiah, believe ?

It is a bit difficult to identify every belief that Messiah Yahushua had, but, based on the RC, here are some of His important beliefs, that we, as Followers of the Messiah, have discovered, & attempt to emulate. I have provided some of the scriptural evidence as support, sometimes just quoting the verse, while at other times, copying the whole or partial verse. They are not written in any specific order.

Because Yahushua was raised in a Jewish family, & lived in a Jewish community, He & His family  were Torah-observant – they obviously believed in the heavenly Father, Yahweh, & they believed in, & kept the “Torah (law) of Yahweh (God)”. There are several verses that support this, including :

Luke 2:39 “they performed all things according to the law of Yahweh”

Luke 2:40 Yahushua grew – He waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom – the favor of Yahweh was upon Him.

Luke 2:41-52 In v41 – He & His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover.

Luke 4:15-16 – He went to Synagogue on the Sabbath, & taught there.

Yahushua believed in praying to His heavenly Father – in Matt 11:25, He praised His heavenly Father. Yahushua taught His disciples to pray in      Matt 6:8-13. He often went off to pray alone (Matt 14:23, Mark 6:46 & Luke 6:12)

In Matt 4:1-11, we are told that He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days & 40 nights.  When He was tempted by the tempter, Yahushua quoted Deut 8:3, 6:13, Ps 91:11-12, & Deut 6:16, to defend Himself from this spiritual attack. He obviously believed in, & used, the powerful words of Torah.

Yahushua believed that being baptized was important – He was baptized by John the Baptist (Matt 3:13).

There are many times we read of Yahushua healing people who were sick with disease, or who were possessed by demons (Mark 2:1-12,                Luke 5:17-26, John 9:1-7, Matt 8:28-34). He obviously believed in the power of being spiritually & physically, healthy.

Yahushua believed in learning as much as possible about Yahweh & His Word - see Luke 2:49 – Yahushua, as a 12 year old, sat with the doctors of the law, hearing them, & asking them questions (presumably, about His Israelite faith) [Luke 2:46], & in v49.

He believed in giving credit to His heavenly Father. In John 4:19, He says – “the Son does nothing of Himself, but what He see the Father do”; in John 7:16, He tells the Jews & us – “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me”;  in John 12:49, He explains – “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment”.

Clearly, Yahushua believed in sharing what He knew, & understood about Yahweh, His Word, His Kingdom, & His Torah, by teaching & preaching these to others (sermon on the mount (Matt 5) & the many parables in Matthew, Mark & Luke).

He believed in making disciples – He called the 12 apostles (Luke 6:12-16),

Yahushua believed that the lost tribes of Israel were among the gentiles, & needed to be taught, & gathered. Matt 10:6 & 15:24).

He believed in educating His followers

~   As an adult, Yahushua certainly understood & believed that the Torah (law) & the Prophets still applied, & needed to be kept (Matt 5:17-19)

~   He also believed in empowering them. In Luke 9:1 & Matt 10:1 & Mark 6:7, Yahushua gave the 12 disciples power, and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases

~ He gave His disciples strategies for evangelism  - in Luke 10:1, Yahushua sends out 70 in pairs, & in v2-12, He gives them specific instructions

Yahushua believed in encouraging His disciples. In Matt 5:14, He tells them, "they are the light of the world", in Luke 12:22, He says to them, “don’t be anxious”, while in Matt 11:30, Yahushua says “come to Me, for rest – My burden is light”.

He believed in warning His disciples & others not to be deceived (Matt 24 & Luke 21:9-19).

Yahushua believed in correcting the “theological” errors of the Pharisees, Sadducees, & scribes.

Examples include : Luke 11:37-44 & 11:45-53 (the Pharisaic washing of hands); in Luke 13:14 & 14:1 (criticism for healing on the Sabbath day); in Matt 12:1-8 (for plucking corn on the Sabbath); in Luke 20:2 & Matt 21:23 & Mark 11:27, when they challenged "His authority", & in Matt 15:2-9, & Mark 7:1-13, when they elevated the “tradition of the elders”.

He clearly believed in, & understood the concept of the two Houses of Israel. Yahushua tells His disciples in Matt 15:24, that He "came only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel (the ten northern tribes), while in Matt 10:6, He told His disciples not to go the the cities of the Samaritans, but to go the the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

What did Yahushua the Messiah, do ?

Messiah Yahushua put into action His most important beliefs – they were the things He did. Again, these are based on the RC, & are not meant to be a complete list of His activities.

In Luke 4:1-13, Matt 4:1-11 & Mark 1:12-13, we see that Yahushua was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days – there He fasted, & was tempted of the devil. Yahushua, believing in, & then used the powerful, words of Torah, (Deut 8:3, 6:13, Ps 91:11-12, & Deut 6:16), to fend off the devil’s spiritual attack.

Yahushua, as was His custom, went to synagogue on the Sabbath (Matt 4:23 & Luke 4:16). There He sometimes read. In Luke 4:16-17, we hear that He read from Isaiah 61:1-2, & in v21, He prophesied saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears”.  

In Luke 4:33, we read that “the people were astonished at His message” because it was delivered with authority. Matt 7:20 supports this.

According to Luke 5:8-11 & Luke 6:12-16, Yahushua calls those men, especially selected to be His apostles.

Again, as an adult, Yahushua understood, believed, & carefully taught that the Torah & the Prophets still applied, & needed to be kept, explained, & filled with meaning (Matt 5:17-19). Sometimes, He did this by expanding on the written command, as in Matt 5:27-30, where He says , “when a man looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery with her”. At other times, Yahushua simply reminds His audience not to judge another, as we are told about the woman was caught in adultery (John 8:3-11, specifically v7). Still at other times, He simply explained something, such as His last Passover meal, by doing it with His apostles (Matt 26:17-29).

Yahushua ate with “publicans & sinners”, explaining to the critical scribes & Pharisees in Luke 6:31-32, that the “sick need a physician, & that He called sinners, not the righteous”.

In Luke 6:1-5 & 6-11 respectively, Yahushua was criticized by some Pharisees & scribes, for breaking the “traditions of the elders”, their “oral law”, by plucking corn & eating it on the Sabbath, & then healing a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath. Yahushua corrected them, here & in Matt 15:9 & Mark 7:8, for elevating their “traditions” above Yahweh’s Word.

Yahushua, at different times, heals people with unclean spirits (Luke 6:18-19 & Mark 5:13), & gives His apostles authority & power over devils         (Matt 10:1, Mark 6:7 & Luke 9:1). At the same time, this power & authority was extended to the apostles to cure diseases.

There were numerous times when Yahushua healed individuals. Those who were healed included people who were “lunatic” (Matt 4:24), those with the “palsey” (Matt 4:24), those who were either "blind or dumb" (Matt 12:22), those who were lame (Matt 21:14), many with “divers diseases”       (Mark 1:34), & a woman who had blood issues for 12 years (Mark 5:29).

Yahushua taught in synagogues (Mark 1:21), on a mountain (Matt 5:1), in the Temple (Mark 12:35), from a ship (Luke 5:3), & by the seaside       (Mark 2:3).

He often taught the ordinary people with many parables, including, the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-9), the parable of the good Samaritan       (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the lost sheep (Matt 18:10-14), the parable of the ten talents (Luke 19:11-27), & the parable of the ten virgins       (Matt 25:1-13). He also taught several times about the kingdom of Yahweh (Matt 6:33, 19:24, Mark 4;26, 9:47, Luke 6:20, 8:10).

Yahushua taught His disciples on several specific subjects including, serious warnings such as, “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees” (Mark 8:15), “take heed that no man deceive you” (Matt 24:4), beware of false prophets” (Matt 7:15). He taught them that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven”, (expanding it in Matt 7:21-23). From Him they learned “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), & “I am the way, the Truth, & the Life” (John 14:6)

Several times, Yahushua explains His connection with His heavenly Father including, “the Son does nothing of Himself, but what He see the Father do” (John 4:19), “search the scriptures – they are they that testify of me” (John 4:39), “Had you believed Moses, you would have believed me” (John 4:46), “no man can come to Me unless the Father draw him” (John 6:65), & “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent Me” (John 7:17).

Yahushua kept those parts of the Torah that applied to Himself. Clearly, He could not keep it all, because some of it was for the high priest, some for the Levitical priests, some for women, some for farmers, & some for everyone.

Examples include :

His family performed all things according to the Torah of Yahweh (Lev 2:39)

His family went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover (Luke 2:40). He went to Jerusalem for Passover (John 2:23)

His family kept Yahweh’s moedim (feasts) as indicated in Lev 23  (Luke 2:41-52)

Yahushua went to synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16 & 5:6-11)

He went to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-6, 10)

He was circumcised on the 8th day (Luke 2:21-24).

He wore fringes on his garments (Luke 8:44), in accordance with Num 15:38 & Deut 22:12.

In Luke 17:14, He told the ten lepers who were cleansed to show themselves to the priests, as was required by Lev 13:2.

In John 5:46-47, He taught about the teachings of Moses.

It is important to note that most of the above are not, part of the Ten Commandments of Exod 20.

Following the Messiah

In the RC, there are 18 verses where Messiah Yahushua said to His apostles & disciples, “follow Me”. When He said this, He meant that they, & us, are to believe what He believed, & do what He did (as much as possible). We, at Followers of the Messiah, attempt to do both these things, to the best of our ability. Again, I have provided a list of Messiah Yahushua’s beliefs & actions above.

In following Messiah Yahushua, He told His apostles & disciples, & us, the following :

“I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19)

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross” (Matt 16:24)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27)

 “If any man serve me, let him follow Me” (John 12:26)

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: 

 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt 28:19-20)

Followers of the Messiah - Introduction to my Bible Study Principles

Although I’ve been around this walk since 2003 - I have been a devout, diligent Follower of the Messiah since 2006.

During that time, I’ve made several serious mistakes about what I had believed, & learned.

Over time, I realised that I had done this because :

1:   I did not know the Scriptures - I did not know how to study them well enough, &

2:   I did not know the power of Yahweh   (Mark 12:24)

From these mistakes, I learned that if I haven't studied Yahweh's Word, His Scriptures, for myself, then I had no opinion !

As well, I came to understand that even if I have studied a matter carefully before, if someone presents information that contradicts or challenges what I currently believe is true, re-examining it, will either strengthen that belief, or expose an error I may have made.

I choose not to take offence when someone disagrees with what I have discovered.

Over the years, I became aware of some beliefs about which I had been deceived, but, when I was being deceived, I was totally unaware of the deception.

Once I realised that I had been deceived, the deception was obvious, & I decided that :

1: I do not want to disbelieve the Truth.

2: I certainly do not want to believe a lie.

3: I must know precisely what I believe, and more importantly, why I believe it,

4: I must be very careful what I really believe, because, it will totally control the way I think, and what I do.

5: I must be careful not to be deceived because I have found that it is easy to produce a very convincing study, that is partially or totally wrong – I must be very aware of the unsubstantiated statements that people make !

I also came to appreciate that the only real drawback to finding Yahweh’s Truth, is to believe that I already have it !

Q: That led me to the question – how do I really, really know, that what I have believed, have been taught, have viewed, have read, or have heard, is accurate, true & correct ?

A: I have discovered that there is only one answer, namely,  consider ALL the EVIDENCE !

May I explain the strategy that I usually follow when analyzing Scriptures, videos, studies or teachings ?

I like to pray to Yahweh, & ask that He guides me in finding only HIS TRUTH, & to reject anything that is not of Him. 

My goal is to always do Yahweh’s will, His way !

I decide to have an open, teachable mind. In doing this, I choose to put my previous ideas aside,  & start with a blank page. This allows me to receive, & examine what a teacher or author is presenting and/or offering.  After all, what if I am wrong about what I currently understand & believe !

Followers of the Messiah - Strategy 2

I love, & really enjoy studying Yahweh’s Word because :

A: Yahweh’s Word is alive – it’s powerful. It is filled with wisdom, & instruction, & stories about how amazing Yahweh is.

B: Yahweh’s Word explains in great detail that Yahweh is awesome, powerful, loving & merciful. It tells us amazing details about what He did (Noah’s flood, the plaques of Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, the giving of Torah at Mt Sinai, to name but a few).

Suppose someone came to you, & claimed that the Third Commandment has been mistranslated. What TEST could you apply in order to check this claim ? I’ll use this example to show Strategy 2 of studying Yahweh’s Word.

Many people use the King James version of the Bible (KJV), so let’s begin by quoting the verse that tells us about the Third Commandment,                    Exodus 20:7 using the KJV.

Exod 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (KJV)

How can we know whether this translation of Exodus 20:7 is accurate, true and/or correct ?

One simple way is to use Strategy 2 by comparing it with how others have translated it. Let’s do that, & see if this basic method sheds any more light on the person’s claim.

We will use the Hebrew Roots Bible (HRB), the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), the Scripture Bible (SB), & the Lexham English Bible (LEB) here, but you could use any other versions if you wish.

I’ll begin with the KJV as we can compare all five translations.

(KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

(HRB) You shall not take the name of YAHWEH your Elohim in vain; for YAHWEH will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.

(CJB) "You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

(The Scriptures 1998+) “You do not bring the Name of Yahweh your Elohim to naught, for Yahweh does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.

(LEB)  “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, [Literally “take up/bear/carry the name of Yahweh your God for what is worthless/false/empty”] because Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name. [Literally “bears his name for what is false”]

I have colour-coded each phrase so that they can be more easily compared.

(KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

(HRB) You shall not take the name of YAHWEH your Elohim in vain; for YAHWEH will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.

(CJB) "You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

(The Scriptures 1998+) “You do not bring the Name of Yahweh your Elohim to naught, for Yahweh does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.

(LEB)  “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, [Literally “take up/bear/carry the name of Yahweh your God for what is worthless/false/empty”] because Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name. [Literally “bears his name for what is false”]

I am sure that you noticed that each phrase is either quite different, or slightly different.

Q: As a side issue, why are there variations in the translation of some of the words and phrases, in different English versions ?

A: I believe that there could be two main reasons for this. Firstly, it can be based on the denominational mind-set of those who translated their version, and/or secondly, in some cases, the translators MAY NOT really know what the meaning of the original word or phrase was.

Back to Strategy 2 - If we compare each phrase, & use the collective “wisdom” of these comparisons, perhaps we can determine what this verse is really telling us.

The first phrase in each version seems to carry the same idea of “you shall not”, so it would be reasonable to assume that the translation of this phrase is accurate.

The other phrases in each version however, seems to vary slightly, so perhaps we can incorporate the different ideas to help our understanding of this verse.

Exod 20:7 might be read as follows : 

You shall not take the name of Yahweh (Adonai, Lord), your Elohim (God) in vain, misuse it, or use it lightly, or bring it to naught. Yahweh (Lord), your Elohim (God) will not hold him guiltless, nor leave unpunished, anyone who takes the name of Yahweh (Adonia, Lord), your Elohim (God) in vain, nor misuses it, nor uses it lightly, nor brings it to naught.

While this gives us a good idea of how people translate this verse, isn’t it true that it doesn’t really tell us what each different phrase means ?

One strategy to help us figure out what a phrase may mean is to find other places in Scripture where that term is translated. We can do this by checking the Subject Concordance that most Study Bibles have.

Let’s use this strategy to locate some verses where the phrase translated as “in vain” occurs. I located Lev 26:16, 1 Sam 25;21, Job 9:29 &              Psalm 127:1, & have copied them below.

Lev 26:16 I will also do this to you, and I shall appoint terror over you, the wasting, and the burning fever, destroying the eyes, and consuming the soul; and you shall sow your seed in vain, and your enemies will eat it.

1Sa 25:21 And David had said, Surely, in vain I have guarded all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that not anything was missed of all that was his. And he has returned to me evil for good.

Job 9:29 I have been condemned; why should I labor in vain?

Psa 127:1 [A Song of Ascents, for Solomon.] If YAHWEH does not build the house, they who build it labor in vain; if YAHWEH does not keep the city, the one keeping it stays awake in vain.

If we read each of the above verses carefully, the term "in vain" seems to mean “without success”, or “without purpose”, or “to no vail”

To test whether any of these meanings may be appropriate, we can insert them into our original text, & see if it adds any clarity. Let’s do this with the KJV of Exod 20:7

(KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain (without success or purpose, or to no avail); for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (without success or purpose, or to no avail).

Would you agree that each probably adds some clarity ?

Let’s check some other verses where the idea of bringing something “to naught” is used.

Neh 4:15 And it came to be, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that Elohim had brought their counsel to naught, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.

Psa 1:6 For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wrong comes to naught.

Isa 8:10 “Take counsel, and it comes to naught; speak a word, and it does not stand, for Ěl is with us.”

2Cor 10:10 Because they say, “His letters are truly weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech amounts to naught.”

The plain reading of each of these verses seems to indicate a meaning of, “to nothing”.

Again, if we insert this meaning, “to nothing”, back into the original text, we get :

Thou shalt not bring the name of the LORD thy God in vain (to nothing); for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (to nothing).

 It probably adds some clarity but I'm not sure it adds a significant understanding to the previous meanings.

If we compare the terms LORD our God, Yahweh or Yahweh our Elohim, & Adonai your God, we can see that they are similar, & so in terms of clarity, any of them could be used.

The next phrase in Exod 20:7 has been translated as “for  the LORD our God, Yahweh or Yahweh our Elohim, & Adonai your God will not leave you unpunished or guiltless”. This phrase seems to be accurate.

If we examine the LEB version of Exod 20:7, we notice that it has added a couple of phrases to explain its translation.

(LEB)  “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, [Literally “take up/bear/carry the name of Yahweh your God for what is worthless/false/empty”] because Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name. [Literally “bears his name for what is false”]

While this is helpful, again, how can we know that the LEB translation is correct & accurate ?

So putting all this together, we can come up with the following understanding of Exod 20:7 :

You shall not take the name of Yahweh (Adonai, LORD), your Elohim (God) in vain, by misusing it, or using it lightly, or bringing it to naught. Yahweh (Adonai, LORD), your Elohim (God) will not hold him guiltless, nor leave unpunished, anyone who takes the name of Yahweh (Adonia, LORD), your Elohim (God) in vain, by misusing it, nor using it lightly, nor bringing it to naught.

Even though this expands our understanding a little, is it a correct & accurate translation of Exod 20:7 ?

Exercise

Use Strategy 2, comparing how different versions translate a verse, to find out how to better understand Matt 5:17.

Followers of the Messiah - Bible Study Tools

There are several very good tools that can be used to study Yahweh’s Word. Each has a purpose that may be different from other tools. You will need a PC computer to best use these Bible Study Tools.

The following information on several Bible Study Tools is just an introduction, & is not meant to be a detailed presentation.

The first part of this lesson is meant to be an overview to each Bible tool - more details will be provided in a later lesson

A:  Free Download of E-Sword bible software. You can download this great free bible software version at :

    http://www.e-sword.net/

Unfortunately, the graphics shown may not be very clear - please refer to your "downloaded" version for specific details.

Once you have downloaded E-Sword to your computer, & opened it, you will find the following main screen :

B:  Biblehub.com      Please use the website if possible, as the screen-shots may be too small to read

    http://www.biblehub.com/

As an example, I have provided one window showing some information on Exod 20:7.

BibleHub.com is an excellent online Bible software with many very helpful features.

In the next slide, I have included Biblehub’s Hebrew-English Interlinear page for Exod 20:7.

I will now demonstrate how to study just one Hebrew word from this verse. Here is an enlarged view of the Hebrew word, translated as “in vain” in this translation. Please note that, Hebrew reads right to left.

If you click on the number, 7723, called a Strong’s Number, the following window opens :

Please examine the information in the above slide – while there is a lot to consider, I encourage you to begin by reading the details below “Strong’s Concordance”, & the “NAS Exhaustive Concordance”. As you learn more, the other details will become more understandable & useful.

More details of this word, H7723, can be found at Brown-Driver-Briggs, by clicking BDB - details are shown below :

C:  Blue Letter Bible      This Bible software can be accessed at :

                                 http://www.blueletterbible.org/

If you type in Exod 20:7 in the SEARCH THE BIBLE box, the following window opens :

If you click the TOOLS tab on the LHS, the following window opens :

If you click the INTERLINEAR Tab, the following window opens :

If you click on Strong’s Number, H7723, the following window opens, & as you can see, it provides a great deal of information that can be used to study this Hebrew word - please examine it carefully. Because it is a large window, I have copied it in two sections.

D:  Scripture4all.org             can be accessed at        

  http://www.scripture4all.org/

If you Click Hebrew Interlinear (towards the bottom on the LHS), it takes you to a PDF document of the verse you want to look at. The web address is :

http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Hebrew_Index.htm

The following window opens :

If you click Exod 20, and it will take you to a PDF document – scroll down to verse 7, where the following window opens. In this document it is a little difficult to read, but online, it is much more clear.

I hope this Introduction to the above very useful Bible software programs was helpful.

Before we continue our lesson, I’d like to show you how to get much more from your basic e-Sword package. When you first download e-Sword, I believe you get the KJV & the KJV+ versions of the Bible. The KJV version is the plain King James translation, while the KJV+ is the King James version with Strong Numbers included. I will show you the difference below :

If you click on Strong’s Number H7723, the following screen-shot shows what happens :

Please notice that we are given several pieces of information :

  A:     Strong's Number is   H7723

  B:     The Hebrew letters that form the ROOT      שָוְא

  C:   The Hebrew word formed by those letters can be pronounced as  shav

  D:  שָוְא transliterated into English, can be pronounced  shav

  E:  Strong's explanation of what he believes this “root” Hebrew word means, AND a list of the words that are TRANSLATED from this Hebrew word. Let's examine this more closely.

STRONG’S

From the same as H7722 in the sense of desolating; evil (as in destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjectively), uselessness (as deceptive, objectively; also adverbially in vain): - false (-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.

My understanding is that ONLY the words in italics indicate the possible literal meanings of the ROOT of this word. All the other information has been added by Strong to help clarify its meaning.

The words provided AFTER the colon [:-] are the different ways that the King James Bible translates this Hebrew word (they are not necessarily the correct meaning in every case).

While the KJV+ translation of the Bible, with its Strong Numbers is useful, it should be noted that, it is very limited in its accuracy, because it only provides possible meanings for the ROOT words, which do not always appear in the original Hebrew language of the various manuscripts. The following information gives an idea - sorry it isn't clearer.

Important

To study Yahweh’s Word at a deeper level by examining the actual Hebrew words written in the original manuscripts, it is important to download the Hebrew-English Interlinear into their e-Sword program. You can access this module and many others at :       http://www.biblesupport.com

To access hundreds of free downloads, you will need to create an account (for free), & sign in.

Once you have signed in, click the Downloads tab at the top on the LHS, and scroll down to Top 500 e-Sword Downloads. The following window will open.

Click e-Sword Module Installer 0.5 Updated. This file will be needed to download for use in e-Sword, every module in this section. Click the green Download button, & follow the instructions provided.

If you return to the Top 500 e-Sword Downloads window, you will find the following :

Click Hebrew Study Bible (Interlinear Hebrew Old Testament with Strong’s numbers and Transliteration). Click the green Download button, & install this module.

You can also download many modules WITHIN e-Sword. Click the Download Tab as shown.

Click the Download Tab at the top – the following window will open.

Let’s say you want to download the JUB Bible. Click it and the file will be added at the File section at the very bottom of the slide.

Click the jub.bblx row at the very bottom in the File section. Go up the top to the Download Tab, & click Start. The download will begin. The next time you open e-Sword, any new downloaded versions will be included.

You can use this procedure to download any commentaries, dictionaries, etc, into your own personal version of e-Sword.

Here is the website of a tutorial –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzcamKCJNqg

                                       If you need assistance with this, please email me – I would be happy to help.

                                                                          askseekknockandtest@gmail.com

Followers of the Messiah - How to do a Hebrew search

Suppose you wanted to know the places where a particular Hebrew word was written in a specific book of the Bible. How could you do this ? Let’s use as an  example, the Hebrew word translated as “Sabbath”.

Step 1:  Open e-Sword

Step 2:   Click the binoculars symbol just below the Bibles Tool bar as shown :

When you do, the following window opens :

Step 3: Type in the word “sabbath” as shown below :

Step 4: Click the binoculars icon on the far right hand side, & the following window opens :

This window tells us two main things :

1: The first verse where “Sabbath” is found in the HRB is Exod 16:23, & 

2: There are 113 verses where the word “Sabbath” is found.

If you click Exod 16:23, e-Sword takes you to that verse in the HRB. It is highlighted in "brown" as shown :

If you click the Hebrew-English Interlinear tab, you will be transferred to that version of Exod 16:23, again, highlighted in "brown", as shown below :

Copy this word by "highlighting" it as shown :

If you click the Bible Search binoculars again, the following window will open :

You will need to change the “search criteria” by clicking the arrow next to the word “Regular”. Select “Search for all of the words”. I apologise for not being able to show this in more detail, but you can do this by clicking the small "arrow" next to "Search fo"

Click the binocular icon on the far right hand side. The following window will open :

Exercises

A:  Find the verses that contain the Hebrew word translated as “light”.

B:  Find the verses that contain the Hebrew for a word that you choose.

Analysing the GREEK

Suppose someone said that they believed your understanding of the word translated as “fulfil” in Matt 5:17, was incorrect ? What could you do, to TEST this claim ?

While I have demonstrated how to use software to analyse Hebrew words, we also need to be able to use software to analyse Greek words.

In order to do this, we can download into e-Sword, a Greek-English Interlinear.

We can do this by once again going to biblesupport.com, & downloading the Interlinear Greek New Testament Keyed to Strong’s, as is shown :

Once we have done this, I can demonstrate how to analyse a Greek word, & even a whole verse, in the Renewed Covenant Scriptures (New Testament).

I’ll begin by examining the Greek word that is translated as “fulfil” in the KJV of Matt 5:17.

Below I have copied the KJV, & the Interlinear Greek New Testament Keyed with Strong’s translations of Matt 5:17.    

Note : Greek is read left to right.

Many Christians believe, based on Col 2:14, that the Torah, the law of Moses, was “nailed to the cross”, & therefore was “done away with”, or “completed”, & thus was “ended”. 

Col 2:14  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; 

Let's use this strategy to TEST whether this understanding is valid, & therefore correct !

There are only four verses that contain this precise Greek word, whose root is G4137. To demonstrate this, I've copied the Greek word translated as "fulfil", & carried out a search in the Renewed Covenant Scriptures. The results & verses are shown below :

I have copied these four verses below, & inserted the possible meaning “do away with” next to the KJV translation of our Greek word. Let's read each of them carefully, & TEST whether the possible meaning, “do away with”, fits the context of each verse.

Is this possible meaning valid in each case ?

How could we TEST that idea ?

Perhaps, the first thing that we could do is to look at the surrounding verses, & see if that assists our understanding.

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Mat 5:18 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 (a different Greek word, G1096, γενηται to verse 17).

Reading verse 17 with verse 18, aren’t we told that :

A:  Yahushua (Jesus) said, “do not think that He came to destroy (annul or demolish) the law or the prophets”

B:  He came to fulfil (to teach fully, cram full) the law 

C:  He then said “Until heaven & earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the Torah (law), till all be fulfilled (come to pass).

Q:  Has heaven & earth passed ?

A:  No - then doesn’t that mean that, not one jot or one tittle has passed from the Torah, & so, it all is applicable !

If this isn’t convincing enough, we can apply the strategy we demonstrated in lesson 2, namely, compare other places where this exact same Greek word is used.

You may remember that when using this strategy, we replace our “target” word with the possible meaning.

Let’s see what this looks like.

Isn't it true that, based on the above "strategy" the more correct meaning of "pleroai" in Matt 5:17 is "to make replete or full, or "to cram full". "Do away with, complete or end" are inappropraite meanings for this verse.

Exercises

In Matt 24:4, Yahushua warns us not to be “deceived”, because He says, “MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many”. KJV

Do a search of the KJV Bible for the phrase “Jesus Christ”. What did you find ? Now do a search for the single word, “Christ”. What did you find ?

Q: Is the term “Christ” a personal name, & therefore, worthy of being “transliterated” ?

Q: If not, why has it been “transliterated”, & not “translated” ?

Q: Again, if you carefully examine Matt 24:5, we have the warning of Yahushua about being deceived. Copy the KJV of Matt 24:5 & compare it with the New Testament Interlinear.

Q: What is the Greek word, “transliterated” as “CHRIST” ? What does it mean ? How should it be translated ?

Q: Why do you think many translators have “transliterated” it instead ?

Isn’t this an example of “doctrinal BIAS”  ?

Now that we are aware of this BIAS, how will we now respond when we read this word ?

Followers of the Messiah - a guide to your spiritual journey

INTRODUCTION

In the teaching, "Have you stopped going to Church", I introduced the idea that, those who's shalom had been disturbed, are starting on a journey.

My goal is that this teaching will be to be a learning, growing & positive experience, & perhaps be a guide and/or mentor for some of our readers.

Mentor/Guide

My goals as a potential Mentor/Guide, includes :

1: to assist you in learning the things that Yahweh wants you to learn

2: to teach you the absolutely vital skill of how to study Yahweh’s Word at deeper & deeper levels

3: teach you the skill of answering the vital question, “How do I really know, that what I have believed, what I have been taught, & what others are saying, & teaching, what I've read, viewed & heard, is accurate, correct & true ?”. This always involves checking & TESTING ALL the available evidence !

4: teach you how to defend your beliefs & actions

5: AFTER you have learned the above aspects, you would then be able to teach others to learn & TEST, to do or apply the learned skills & knowledge, to defend their faith.

The SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Let's begin !

Have you ever been on a guided tour ? Can I use a tour we did to Ephesus as an example ? The following is a map of the guided tour area of Ephesus.

Information about a Guided Tour

If you are going on a Guided Tour, to get the most out of it, you will need to first of all :

1: Research it

2: Book it

3: Pay for it

The next step is to prepare for your guided tour by :

4: Doing more detailed research

5: Travelling to the location

What you may discover is that you don't know :

6: The actual location

7: The main highlights

8: The interesting side-trails

What you do know is :

9: Details from your personal research

10: Information from other sources

Your Tour Guide 

11: Will explain the RULES for being in her/his group

The Guided Tour     What we can learn & apply

A: The Tour Begins

B: Remember to keep up (with the Tour Guide)

C: Listen carefully

Be Aware - others are also on the Tour

D: Be Aware of distractions

If you'd like me to assist you, please email me, Pete, with your request, & may I strongly suggest that you :

1: make a commitment to carefully read, listen to, study, & analyse the materials that I will provide you with

2: provide feedback, preferably in writing to those materials

3: respond in writing to some questions that I might ask

4: keep a journal, detailing your spiritual journey

5: create a list of written email questions you may have, as they come up

6: keep a file indicating the various resources, & subjects that you encounter during your studies

7: create a file that gives details of the various “gems of wisdom” that Yahweh reveals to you as you ask, seek, knock & test during your spiritual journey

My email address is :        askseekknockandtest@gmail.com

Followers of the Messiah - the question, the story, the TEST

I have been studying the above question, & have found it to be a very serious, thought-provoking & significant question, who’s consequences are so far-reaching, that I believe it is really a “salvation” matter.

I therefore, cannot encourage you the reader, more strongly, to carefully examine & consider everything that I am about to present.

As usual, please do not believe anything I have written, UNTIL, you check it with Yahweh’s (God’s) Word.

I'd like to acknowledge the work of Steve Martin of the Assembly of Yahweh in North Alabama, for his videos on this subject. You can access these videos, & many others at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9rM83kBQ6DBdn66mFz8D6A/videos 

While I agree with many of Steve Martin's ideas, I do not agree with them all, & as usual, I strongly encourage the reader, who wishes to view his, or any other person's videos, to TEST what is being said, before, taking any information into their belief system.

Isn’t it true that, if your faith is a Bible-based faith, then the very first thing that you know, that you know, that you know, is that the Bible (in the original languages & in the original context), is the "inspired" Word of Yahweh ?

Two significant verses that give us very important information about what Yahweh’s Word is, are Heb 4:12 & 1 Tim 3:16

So based on Heb 4:12, aren’t we told that Yahweh’s Word, the Bible is living, & working powerfully, & that it is sharper than any two-edged sword ? Doesn’t this verse also tell us that Yahweh’s Word is able to discern the thoughts & intentions of the heart ?

Based on 2 Tim 3:16, doesn’t Paul tell us that “Scripture”, Yahweh’s Word, was given by the inspiration of Yahweh, & that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, & for instruction in righteousness ?

So I wonder if you can agree that :

1:  Yahweh's Word, the Bible (the Tanach & the Renewed Covenant) is the inspired (influenced), inerrant, unchanging, revealed and written word of Elohim (God).

2:  Some of it is the actual spoken & written word of Yahweh and Yahushua (Jesus), and that much of it is written by men who were guided, motivated, influenced and stimulated by Elohim to write what they wrote.

3:  The Bible was NOT originally written TO me – for example, Genesis to Deuteronomy was originally written TO and FOR the Hebrews (mainly by Moses), who were freed from their bondage in Egypt, by Yahweh. The Bible was written FOR me and you.

      The Bible therefore, is only "inspired" in its original languages, & in its original context, and that there is no such thing, as 

       an “inspired translation".

4:  In those original languages, Yahweh’s Word says what it says; not what I think it says, not what I believe it says, not what I’d like it to say, not what others say it says, and not necessarily what I’ve been taught that it says. This is usually true, although at times, Yahweh uses metaphors and Hebrew idioms or metaphors.

Dear readers, it is at this point that I am going to stop & ask, do you agree with all the above information ? If you do, please read on. If you don’t, then it is clear that we aren’t on the same page when it comes to the Bible. I strongly encourage you to re-examine those beliefs, & to check out what I have written in this presentation.

In this teaching, my goal is to uncover only Yahweh’s Truth.

The following quotes are about “Truth”.

The great auto pioneer, Henry Ford I, wrote: “The truth frequently seems unreasonable; the truth frequently is depressing; the truth sometimes seems to be evil; but it has the eternal advantage, it is the TRUTH, and what is built thereon, neither brings nor yields to confusion.”

Well-known TV and radio commentator Garner Ted Armstrong puts it another way: “To believe that we could be wrong about something--almost anything--is unfortunately a very ego-shattering experience for some (if not most) human beings. The exposure of.. .myths and biases can be so psychologically disruptive that it is tantamount to complete ego destruction.”

 Armstrong continues, “When the....security blanket is gone, so is the particular niche of comfort into which we can conveniently creep when some challenging new thought comes along to disturb our mental processes. We do have our first line of defenses against truth, and they are far more effective than any radar set, or military advance-early-warning missile system. They unfailingly tell us that we are not wrong, but right after all !

Most people stubbornly resist any new truth with a whole series of first-line defenses, and several back-up systems to boot! But when truth finally exhausts all their defenses, they are forced to resort to that one-and-only tired old excuse: ‘Just who do you think you are? Where did you get your authority from ?’ If all else fails, people tend to fall back on this ‘put-down” (Good News Magazine, October 1975).

I wonder what you think of those quotes.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I like to study a subject as thoroughly as I can, by considering all sides of any debate. In the last few years, I have been regularly asking myself, “how do I know, that I know, that I know, that what I have believed, what I have been taught, what I have viewed, what I have read, or what I have heard, is absolutely accurate, true & correct ? After considerable thought, I came up with the only answer that I believe fits, namely, I must examine, consider & TEST, ALL the EVIDENCE that I can find !

With that in mind, I frequently apply the following principles to my studies, particularly, when I study Yahweh’s Word. I wonder if you can agree with them, & perhaps even apply them to your own studies.

Even if I have studied an issue carefully before, if someone presents information that contradicts, or challenges what I currently believe is true, re-examining it, will either strengthen that belief, or expose an error I may have made. 1 Pet 3:15 tells us that we must be willing to give an answer to anyone asking for our reasons concerning the hope of our faith.

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

If we honestly seek God 's truth, and we are shown that we are in error, we will either cease being honest, or we will change our belief to repair the error.

During the several years I have been carefully studying God’s Word, I came to a deep awareness that when I was being deceived, I was totally unaware of the deception ! Once I realised that I had been deceived, the deception was obvious, and I decided that :

1:   I do not want to disbelieve the truth,

2:   I certainly do not want to believe a lie,

3:   I must know precisely what I believe, and more importantly, why I believe it,

4:   I must be very careful what I really believe, because, it will totally control the way I think, and what I do.

5:   I must be very careful not to be deceived because I have found that it is easy to produce a very convincing study, that is

      totally wrong !

6:   I must be aware of those who make statements without giving any scriptural support or evidence.

With all this in mind, may I present my response to find the Truth of the very important question, “is your faith, a Bible-based faith” ?

While the answer to the question, “is your faith, a Bible-based faith ?”, may seem obvious, I believe it is not as apparent as it may seem at first, & that it is of the upmost importance, & at least one aspect of it, is a “Salvation” matter. 

What I am about to write, will examine this subject in quite a bit of detail.

Again, in Heb 4:12, aren’t we told that Yahweh’s words are living, & are therefore, alive ? Doesn’t 2 Tim 3:15 explain that “all scripture is written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” ?

If Yahweh’s Word, the Bible, is alive, doesn’t that mean that no part of it ever died ?

If, as Paul tells us in 2 Tim 3:15, Yahweh’s Word was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, don’t we know that it was therefore a collection of “what Yahweh said”, & that it was written by holy men who were led, & motivated by that Holy Spirit of Yahweh ?

Don’t we know that Yahweh breathed His words, & that from Exod 31:18, that He actually wrote them on two tablets of stone ? Don’t Exod 33:11a & Deut 5:4 tell us that Yahweh spoke to Moses, “face to face”, thereby communicating to Moses His accurate & precise instructions ?

So, if your faith is a Bible-based faith, shouldn’t every believer be willing to examine, & TEST their faith, to determine whether it really is Bible-based ?

Have you ever wondered why Messiah Yahushua gave us at least three important warnings in Matt 24:4-5, Matt 7:21-23 & Matt 7:13 ? Shouldn’t the three warnings that Yahushua spoke about in these verses, “alarm us” ? If we paid careful attention to what He said, wouldn’t it alert us all, that we really need to do a self-examination of the things that we believe ?

Let’s check them out.

In Matt 24:4-5, we read :

Perhaps the first thing we should notice, is that Yahushua is speaking to His disciples – He is not making a general statement to the Jewish community.

Q: In verse 4, Yahushua says, “take heed” - what does “take heed” mean ?

A:  I believe that He is telling His apostles, “I, Yahushua, am about to present to you a real danger”, meaning each of the  

     apostles needs to be on “full alert” as to what He is about to tell them. Surely, Yahushua would not tell them to be on “full

     alert”, unless there was a real & immediate danger ?

Well, before we get to the specific danger, let’s examine some important points in these verses.

The first thing to be aware of is, that the warning begins with “take heed that no man deceive you”, so the concept of “deception” is front & centre in this warning. I’ll have more to write about that later.

Q: What is the danger Yahushua is seriously alerting His apostles to ?

A:  I believe that verse 5 reveals the answer – “For many shall come in my name” saying,  I am Christ, & shall deceive many."

Notice it says “many” shall come in my name, & shall deceive “many”.

Q: How many people have you heard stand up & say that they were “Jesus” or “Christ” ?

A:  Google says 24 in the 20^th century, & 5 in the 21^st century

Clearly, these numbers are not “many”, so Matt 24:4 & 5 can’t be referring to these people, who actually stand up & say, “I am Jesus”, or “I am Christ”!

So perhaps we have misinterpreted part of verse 5. When Yahushua tells the apostles that “many shall come in My name”, it can’t be a reference to His actual name, Yahushua or Jesus, or His title as Messiah or Christ.

Q: So what did it mean to the original audience ?

A:  If it didn’t mean to “come in His personal name or title”, then it mostly likely means, they would “represent Him” or come in

      “His authority”.

How can we test to see if “representing Him” or “coming in His authority”, could be a correct understanding of the phrase, “for many shall come in My name” ?

If we look at the Book of Romans, specifically Rom 15:16, doesn’t Paul tell us that he was a “minister of Jesus Christ”, & that he “ministered the Gospel of Yahweh” ?

In today’s understanding, isn’t it fair to say, that Christian ministers, pastors & evangelists, are “ministers of Jesus Christ”, & wouldn’t they claim to “represent Him”, and/or, are “working in His authority” ?

Let’s leave it at that for now.

When examining these two verses more carefully, I noticed that the word “Christ”, which comes from the Greek word, “Christos”, is not a proper or personal name, & therefore should have been translated, & not transliterated, as if it were a proper or personal name. Could this be an example of translator “bias” ?

Q: So what is the meaning of the Greek word, “Christos” ?

A:  Strong’s Concordance & Thayer’s Lexicon tell us it means “anointed”

So if we re-write the verse by inserting the correct meaning of Christos, don’t we get :

So it seems that Yahushua is warning His disciples about those who claim to be represent Him, & claim to be “anointed”, not that they are actually “Christ” ?

I haven’t been able to find a statistic, but during my lifetime, numerous Internet & denominational pastors, teachers & evangelists have claimed to be “anointed”. Would you agree ?

Could this be what Yahushua is warning His disciples about in Matt 24:4-5 ?

So, based on my investigation, could the following be a more accurate translation of Matt 24:4-5 ?

If we read down to Matt 24:11-12, we read of “false prophets” rising up, & deceiving many.

Q: What is a false prophet ?

A:  Isn’t a false prophet an “imposter” who “speaks” ?

Wouldn’t Matt 24:11 read, “many false (an imposter) prophets (one who speaks) shall rise up & shall deceive many” ? Isn’t this a re-statement of    Matt 24:5 ?

Q: From Matt 24:12, what is going to cause the “love of many to wax cold” ?

A:  Doesn’t verse 12 tell us that it is lawlessness, which according to 1 John 3:4 is “the violation of the instruction (the Torah)", given in the Bible ?

Q: Why then are people violating the instruction (the Torah) given in the Bible ?

A:  Based on Yahushua’s warning, isn’t it because they got deceived by a false teacher (a false prophet or imposter), who said he represented Yahushua, & saying they was “anointed” – in doing this, the false prophet taught the people that they didn’t have to keep the Torah (law), & were therefore, “lawless” ?

So to summarise - in the last days, we need to be alarmed & alerted by carefully noticing what Yahushua said in Matt 24:4-5, namely, many imposters are going to stand up, claiming to represent Him, & claiming to be “anointed” - they will deceive many, into believing that they no longer need to keep Yahweh’s Torah that is written in the Bible.

What is the second warning that Yahushua alerted His disciples & us to ?

In Matt 7:21-23, we read :

If we are taking notice of the warnings that Yahushua gave, shouldn’t we be willing to TEST them, to see if they are Bible-based or not ?

Q: What is a prevalent doctrine being taught by denominations today ?

A:  Isn’t it that, “all you have to do is call Jesus, your Lord, & you’ll go to heaven” ?

Notice that Yahushua says something very different to Matt 7:21 !

Q: Who does Yahushua say will enter into the kingdom of heaven ?

A:  Yahushua says, “he that does the will of my Father” !

Q: How do we know what the Father’s will is ?

A:  He expresses it in His Word, specifically, His instructions – His Torah.

Q: Don’t we notice Matt 7:22, uses the word “many”, as we did in Matt 24:4-5 ?

Q: Won’t these “many” think that the faith that they have embraced all of their lives, was a  Bible-based faith, but doesn’t Yahushua say in Matt 7:23, that “many of them”, will be wrong, & He will say, “depart from Me, I never knew you – you who worked iniquity (lawlessness)” ?

Q: Based on Matt 7:22, won’t these “many” think that they are representing Yahushua in everything they do – won’t they think that just because they see miracles & signs, & just because they cast out demons, & do mighty works, they will think, based on those things (what they’ve experienced, & what they have been a part of), it assures them that their faith is Bible-based faith ?

Q: Based on what we have witnessed in the world today, won’t the "many" defend it with everything that they have ? But, based on what Yahushua says in Matt 7:22, on the day of judgment, the "many" will find out that they listened to an imposter, who told them that he was “anointed”, & convinced them, based on that “anointing”, to ignore what was written in the Bible, & therefore, they have strayed away from, & established a belief system, that isn’t based on what the Bible says ?

Isn’t Yahushua really saying – “many” will be deceived - that they are going to live deceived - that they will defend their deception during their lives, & will die deceived, & even at judgment, they are going to defend their deception ?

Aren’t they going to say to Yahushua, “we did all this in Your name, as Your representative, & in Your authority” ?

Q: Based on Matt 7:22-23, what will Yahushua then say to them after this ?

A:  He will say, “I will profess to them that I never knew you – depart from Me that work iniquity" (lawlessness).

Q: What law is Yahushua talking about ?

A:  Surely it can only be, the biblical Torah – Yahweh’s instructions for living a healthy, happy & successful life.

In Matt 7:21-23, isn’t Yahushua warning His apostles, & us, not to be deceived into embracing a faith that is not Bible-based, even though it will seem spiritual, & “many” will think that they are right – surely, the fact that it rejects the written Torah in the Bible is evidence that is not a Bible-based faith ?

There is third warning from Yahushua in Matt 7:13-14 – please read it carefully.

Can we please take a few minutes to analyse these verse ?

If there is a wide gate, doesn’t that mean that “many” go through it, & doesn’t v13 say that they are going on their way to destruction ?

Q: What does the Greek word, translated as “wide” mean ?

A:  Doesn’t it have the sense of “being fabricated, & pushed out”, in order to allow “many” to go through it ?

Q: Isn’t it true that because “the gate” is wide, the intention is, let’s not be so strict on who we let in – that everyone is welcome as they are – let’s not have any restrictions on who can be part of the fellowship ?

Q: Doesn’t the Greek word translated as “broad” mean spacious, & so that there is a lot of room for every belief, every ritual & every lifestyle – we welcome, & love everyone, regardless of their lifestyle ? Isn’t this happening today ?

Q: Doesn’t Yahushua say that “the way to life is through the straight gate”, & “that way is narrow” ? Doesn’t that indicate that the way through this gate is quite small, & that it controls who can pass through, & how they are to pass through ? Clearly, you can’t enter just anywhere ?

Q: Isn’t the word translated as “narrow” indicating a “rut” or a “well-trodden path” ?

Q: In the “broad” way, aren’t people always coming up with new ways to express your faith, but in the way that leads to life, “the straight & narrow” way, there is a well-worn rut-like path that was put there before us, a path that we are to find – it leads to life ?

Q: Don’t we have to go through the straight & narrow gate to find the well-worn, rut-like path, & then walk in that narrow path ?

So based on Matt 7:13-14, shouldn’t our faith be a faith that is based on the old paths that are revealed to us through Yahweh’s Torah ?

I know that we really, really want to be right, to be correct, & it is one thing to think you are right, but shouldn’t we be willing to put our beliefs to a serious TEST ?

Surely it is true that, when we are deceived, we don’t know that we are deceived ? So if you might have been deceived by a person who said that they represented Yahushua, & that they were “anointed”, wouldn’t it be prudent & wise to TEST those beliefs ? If you are afraid to TEST your faith, then surely your faith isn’t worth having ?

Do we have any biblical evidence to support these ideas ?

Yes there is ! I have a story, which is a paraphrase of what is written in the Bible, 1Kings chapters, 12 & 13. I am asking you to read this story very carefully, & see if you can identify the lesson that it teaches. I believe that if you do this, you will know for a certainty, whether you have been deceived or not ?

The Story & its Lessons

Saul was the first king of Israel, of all twelve tribes - he died, and David became King. David died, and his son Solomon became King. Solomon died, and his son Rehoboam became king, but Rehoboam did not become king of all twelve tribes.

There was a rift, & the ten northern tribes weren't sure if they wanted Rehoboam to be king - they met with him, & they talked with him, but they didn't like the things he said, and so they revolted. They said, "now we’ll have no part with the house of David, Rehoboam is not our King", & so they anointed Jeroboam to be their king. 

With Jeroboam being the king, the ten northern tribes had a dilemma, and the dilemma was that the temple was in Jerusalem, which is in the southern kingdom, & all of the feasts of Yahweh were held in Jerusalem. Jeroboam feared that during the commanded feasts of Yahweh, the people would return to Jerusalem, & they would get so caught up in the beauty of these holy convocations, and the celebrations, that they would repent that they had rejected Rehoboam, and they'd want to return and unite the twelve tribes all back together again – Jeroboam feared that they'd kick him out from being king, or even kill him, so what he decided to do, was to create his own holy day (1 Kings 12:32).

Let’s take a careful note that :

Jeroboam created a holy day, that was different from the commanded, seven biblical feasts of Yahweh.

The next thing that Jeroboam did was, he created two golden calves - now listen carefully to what he said when he set up these two golden calves “whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and he said unto them, it's too much for you to go up to Jerusalem - behold your Elohim, O Israel which brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (1Kings 12:28).

Let’s make our second careful note that :

Jeroboam told his people that they no longer had to keep the seven feasts established by Yahweh. 

What logic did Jeroboam use to convince the people that they no longer needed to keep Yahweh’s feasts ? Well, as we saw in 1 Kings 12:28, Jeroboam said “it is too much”, implying that Yahweh would never expect them to go back to Jerusalem keep all those feasts ! Jeroboam deceived the people, & convinced them that, they didn't have to keep Yahweh’s feasts anymore.

Notice in the same verse, what we see Jeroboam doing ! He's not telling them, “let's start worshipping a different elohim than they worship in Judah - he's telling them that they can worship Yahweh in their own way, not the way that Yahweh commanded."

Now for our careful note number three :

Jeroboam re-assigned new meaning to pagan images and rituals.

Shouldn’t we note that at no time do Jeroboam’s golden calves represent Yahweh ? These golden calves represented pagan deities, but Jeroboam re-assigns new meaning to this pagan image, and all the rituals involved with that pagan image.

Jeroboam reassigned new meaning to those golden calves, and told the people these calves now represent Yahweh, even though those castes had nothing to do with Yahweh - Jeroboam just said that they did. Somehow, the people seem to have forgotten about the “golden calf” rebellion at Mt Sinai, & its consequences !

So when the people came to worship those calves, & you really need to understand what was in their hearts ! They were not worshiping a pagan god - those calves represented in their hearts, Yahweh, because of what Jeroboam had taught them they were. They sincerely thought in their hearts, that they were worshiping Yahweh.

Well, it's important to note that Yahweh wasn't pleased with this - He wasn't impressed by this new direction that Jeroboam was leading the people, so Yahweh sent a prophet from Judah to confront Jeroboam. It was on a day that Jeroboam was at the altar that he had built, & he was burning incense when the prophet, a young man came into the city. We're not even told what the prophet’s name is, but the prophet came just as Jeroboam was standing there burning incense, & acting “all spiritual”, in front of the people (1 Kings 13:1).

When, this prophet confronts Jeroboam – he, the prophet, cried against the altar in the words of Yahweh (1 Kings 13:2), and said “o altar thus saith Yahweh; behold a child shall be born into the house of David; Josiah by name and upon you shall he offer the priest of the high places that burn incense upon you and men's bones shall he burn upon you”.

The prophet continued, “and he gave a sign the same day saying, this is the sign which Yahweh hath spoken; behold the altar shall be rent and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured”.

Please check our fourth careful note :

This prophet represents those whose faith, is a Bible-based faith.

Again, what is written in the Bible, is the Word of Yahweh. This prophet’s faith is based on what Yahweh says, & he is doing what Yahweh had said. Don’t we want to know what Yahweh said, & don’t we want to do what He said we should do, no matter how difficult life is going to be - don’t we want a life, based on Yahweh's words ?

This prophet was not there to go along with the teachings of Jeroboam - he was not there to find out the newest instructions of the priest that Jeroboam had appointed - he wasn't there to participate with Jeroboam in his new feast, or to learn from Jeroboam how this golden calf could represent Yahweh. The prophet’s life and his actions are based on what Yahweh had said.

It is extremely important that we see the picture exactly as it is presented to us. Jeroboam had deceived his people into thinking that they can worship Yahweh, their way. Jeroboam had established his & his people’s own holy day - he had brought in pagan symbols, & he has reassigned new meaning to them, so that the people now think that it's okay to use those images as they seek to worship Yahweh.

When you confront someone for not keeping a commandment, or something about their belief, don’t they say “Yahweh knows my heart” ? Let me explain - these people are not seeking to worship a pagan deity - they have been told that this pagan thing now represents Yahweh, so in their heart, they would have said to the young Prophet, “we're here to worship Yahweh”.  

The point is you cannot participate in pagan activities, and say, & believe that is worship of Yahweh.

See the picture here - the “many” are following Jeroboam, while the young prophet stands by himself. What did Yahushua tell us ? Didn’t He say that “many” will be deceived ? Again, aren’t the “many” following Jeroboam ?

May I stress again, Yahweh sends a prophet to warn the people that they are being deceived by Jeroboam, and by the priests that he's hired - the prophet did not come in and participate, because his life is governed by what Yahweh has said - he cannot join in, and participate in the false holy day - he cannot join in, and seek to praise Yahweh through that golden calf, and he cannot burn incense at that altar !

Why - because his faith is a Bible-based faith - his faith is based on what Yahweh says, and he know that Yahweh forbad every bit of what Jeroboam & his people are doing. The prophet does what Yahweh says do - he represents “the few”.

Again, the prophet walks up to the altar where Jeroboam is burning incense, and speaks to the altar.

From his lofty position Jeroboam points at the prophet and says, “seize him”. At this point then, three things happened. One, men moved immediately to do what the king said, namely, to seize that Prophet – second, the altar rent in two, and the ashes that were on it, poured out, & three, Jeroboam’s hand seized up - it locked in place as he tried to draw it back.

Jeroboam is trying to get his hand and arm to work normally, but they won't come. His intention was to have that prophet seized, & at the very least run out of town, possibly imprisoned, more than likely killed, but Jeroboam has got a problem – he can’t control his hand & arm. When the men bring the young prophet in front of him, Jeroboam said to the prophet – do you think you could pray for me, & ask Yahweh to fix my hand & arm. The young prophet prayed to Yahweh, and Yahweh released his arm & his hand.

Now, Jeroboam said thank you, and asks the young prophet to come home with him today. Jeroboam says, “I invite you to come & refresh yourself, and I want to give you a reward”. The prophet says, “I will not go to your home even if you promise me half of your house - I will not eat bread nor will I drink water in this place, and I will not return home the same way that I came” (1 Kings 13:7-8).

Please note - there were many people there, supposedly worshiping Yahweh. Jeroboam is the king - everybody there who heard what this young prophet just said to the King, thinks the young Prophet is  certifiably crazy. Who in the right mind would tell a king, no - who would refuse to go to the king’s house - who would refuse to be refreshed at the king’s house - who would refuse the king’s food - who would refuse to sit down and have dinner with the king, and why would you go home a different way ? The young prophet sounded crazy to everybody that heard him. The “many” thought they had to think that he must be part of some strange cult, to act in such a weird way, because there's not a one of them standing there, that would have said no, to what was the king was saying.

But the young Prophet wasn't crazy - instead his life & his faith were all based on the Word of Yahweh.

It's worth pausing here to note that sometimes when you are around the “many” who have been deceived, that you are going to be the strange one – the “many” are going to think you are really odd or weird. Why ? Because they are the “many” who are deceived, and you are part of the “few”, who are living your life & faith, based on Yahweh’s Word !

Back to our story.

The prophet boldly walks away, & heads back towards Judah on a different route just like he said he would, & as he had been instructed by Yahweh.

Now there is an old prophet in the northern kingdom who was not at the altar that day, but his sons were, and they came running home after witnessing this incident. They say to their father, the old prophet, “dad, you're not going believe what happened at church today – today this prophet from Judah came up & spoke a curse on the altar that king Jeroboam had built, and he, the prophet, did it while Jeroboam was burning incense - the prophet prophesied that the altar would split & the ashes would spill, & it happened just like he said it would. The king was angry & commanded that the prophet be seized, but then the King's hand went all crazy, & then the prophet prayed, and the king's hand was restored, and dad, this is the crazy part, the king invited this prophet to his house for a meal, and a reward, and the prophet said no”.

The old prophet asked his sons which way did the prophet go, and they told him, and the old prophet said "saddle me a donkey," and they did. The old prophet got on his donkey, & he took off in the direction they said, and soon he came upon that young prophet sitting under an oak tree. The old prophet asked him, “are you the man of Yahweh that came up from Judah”, and the young prophet said, “I am”.

The old prophet said "come home with me and eat bread". It was evident that this young man was tired and weary, & he was famished. He is sitting under an oak tree, & he's thirsty - he's hungry - he's fatigued. The old prophet says, "come home with me and eat bread", but this young man's life is governed by the Word of Yahweh, not by his needs or his circumstances - he doesn't live by bread alone, he lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh. So he says to the old prophet that “I may not return with you, nor go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the Word of Yahweh, ‘you shall eat no bread nor drink water there nor turn again to go by the way that you came’".

So again, the young prophet’s life, his actions, & his decisions are based on what Yahweh said, and that is the way of life that is the path of life - that's what keeps you safe ! The young man understands that he cannot be influenced by kings - he understands he cannot be influenced by the majority, the “many”, and he understands that he cannot be influenced by other prophets.

Then it happened that old prophet said to the young man, I'm a prophet too, just like you - I am “anointed” - I'm here because I had an angel appear to me - the angel said “I’ve got a word for you from Yahweh. That angel said, I'm to bring you back to my house, and give you something to eat".

Now put yourself again in the young prophet’s position - he's hungry - he's thirsty - he's got a long way to go to get back home, & he's not so arrogant to believe that he's the only prophet that follows Yahweh. This old prophet said an angel appeared - that's a sign & a wonder - this prophet said that Yahweh said so.

No doubt the young prophet had start thinking, well this is awesome ! It makes sense. The young prophet could very well be thinking that “Yahweh was just testing me to see if I'd obey Him or not, and now that He knows I'll obey Him, surely He doesn't want me to walk all the way back home without something to eat, and something to drink, & surely He sent this prophet so that I could go to his house, not the wicked Jeroboam”. So he said, no, I'm going to go to the old prophet, the anointed one’s house, and I'll eat with him.

The young prophet shouted halleluyah, & went to the old prophet’s home. They sat down and talked about all the great things that Yahweh had done that day - they ate a meal, and while they're eating their meal, the Word of Yahweh came to the old prophet, and he cried unto the man of Yahweh that came up from Judah, and he said to him – “thus saith Yahweh, for as much as you have disobeyed the mouth of Yahweh, and have not kept the commandment which your Elohim commanded you, but came back, and you've eaten bread, and drunk water in this place, of which Yahweh did say unto you, eat no bread, and drink no water, your carcass shall not come into the burial place of your father - you'll never make it back home”.

Now, here is the thing :

1:  the old prophet lied about the angel,

2:  the old prophet lied about the message, and

3:  the old prophet looked that young prophet in the eye, and said “Yahweh said”, when Yahweh did not say.

The young prophet made one fatal mistake - many people get deceived because they make the very same mistake, this young man made.

Do you know what mistake that is ? I want you think on it, & let me finish the story.

The young man got up, & he left the old prophet’s house. He started home, but he didn't get very far - what happened - a lion killed him.

Let’s look carefully at the fifth note :

The old prophet represents those that Yahushua warned us about - those who would claim to represent him, & be “anointed”, and deceive “many”.

So what mistake did that young prophet make, that moved his faith, from being a bible-based faith, to being a faith that led him to destruction ? What error, & what mistake did he make ?

The error that he made that leads “many” into the broad way that leads to destruction is this :

He was deceived into believing that Yahweh can say something, and then, alter what He said.

Let me write it again, he was deceived into believing that Yahweh can say something, and then, alter what He said - that is the deception, that leads to every other deception.

A person has to first be deceived there, before he can be deceived into believing the lies of Satan -they have to believe that Yahweh said something, and then can alter what He said !

Read what Yahweh wrote in Psalm 89:34 - “my covenant will I not break - nor alter the thing that's gone out of my lips”.

Read what Malachi wrote in Mal 3:6 “for I am Yahweh - I change not”.

The word translated as “change” in Mal 3:6, is the same word that was translated “alter” in Psalm 89:34, so Yahweh says that He will not change, & what comes out of his lips can’t be altered - He says I do not change, and what I say does not change !

How much more clear can Yahweh be ?

Contrast this young prophet that we've been talking about in 1 Kings chapters 12 & 13, with Peter in Acts 10. Peter, who was also hungry (Acts 10:10), saw a vision of unclean animals, and he heard a voice that said to him, “rise Peter, kill, & eat”. What did Peter do ? He refused to do it. Why did Peter refuse to “rise, kill and eat” when he has had a vision - he's seen the unclean things descending - he hears a voice that says “rise Peter, kill, and eat”. Why did Peter refuse to do that ?

Peter understood what this young prophet failed to understand  ! When Yahweh says something, He will never alter the thing that He said. Peter understood that Yahweh had said in Leviticus 11, “do not eat unclean animals because it is not food”, and so he understood in the vision that he was having that, he's hearing a voice, but he knew that that voice was not Yahweh's voice, or anybody that represented Yahweh, because of what he understood about Lev 11. Peter knew that the voice he heard in the vision, was not a voice that represented Yahweh in any way, & so he rejected it three times, saying “not so, I will not - nothing unclean has ever touched my lips”, & I am not starting today.

Why would Peter be so adamant about not responding to the voice in his vision ? Because he knew that when Yahweh says something, Yahweh will never alter what he said – Yahweh will never change it ! That belief kept Peter grounded in his faith.

How can we all find the answers that we all need, when examining our own faith to see if it's a faith that is a Bible-based faith ?

Well, let's begin by simply applying a TEST to see if Yahweh does not change His word.

In Deut 4:2 & Deut 12:32, Yahweh said through Moses that we are not to add to, or take away from Yahweh’s Word. Apart from this meaning that Yahweh doesn’t change what He says, doesn’t adding to, and/or taking away from Yahweh’s Word, weaken it & therefore, change what Yahweh has said ?

What if our denomination creates a different holy day to the seven feasts of Yahweh, & we are told that in our hearts, we are thinking about Messiah Yahushua when we celebrate it ?

Let’s apply a TEST - does Yahweh alter the thing that comes out of his mouth ? Never !

Aaron tried to create a holy day in Exod 32:4-5, separate to the seven feasts of Yahweh – he told the people, it was “a feast to Yahweh” – Yahweh was extremely angry, & wanted to wipe out all of Israel for their disobedience, & start again just with Moses (Exod 32:10).

As we know, Jeroboam tried to create a holy day that was separate from the seven feasts that Yahweh had established - it caused the destruction of the ten tribes in the northern kingdom.

Aren’t men still doing it too – didn’t it take decades to instil Christmas into being an acceptable holy day in the Church ? 

It wasn't that long ago, a church wouldn't dare let you bring a seder into the sanctuary of a Church. Didn’t it take decades to instil this into the Christian faith, and the only way it got instilled into the Christian faith, was that people got deceived into believing that Yahweh has changed his mind about it ?

It actually took centuries to instil Easter into the Christian faith – aren’t several denominations now working on adding Halloween and Valentine's day as well ?

It is relatively simple to TEST whether your faith is a Bible-based faith, by going to Yahweh’s Word, & comparing, what you are doing or not doing, with what Yahweh tells you to do or not do in His Word.

Today, many Christian denominations claim that they don't have to keep the seven feasts of Yahweh.

Let’s TEST this.

Q: Does Yahweh ever change what He says in Lev 23 ?

A:  If we really believe that Yahweh’s Word is the inspired (influenced), inerrant, unchanging, revealed and written word of Elohim, then based on Ps 89:34 & Mal 3:6, No !

Yahweh says in Lev 23, “these are my feasts”. So if you're going to worship Yahweh, guess what, they are “His” perpetual feasts ! Yahweh clearly said that we're to observe them, so if our faith is a Bible-based faith, that is, based on what Yahweh said, then isn’t it obvious, that we cannot claim that He changed his mind.

Suppose your denomination claims that you do not have to keep the Sabbath anymore, by making largely unsubstantiated statements, & the denomination’s representatives use the following reasoning. I have attempted to be fair by copying, and/or quoting two people who write that keeping the Sabbath is no longer required. My question - is this a Bible-based logic ?

Justin Taylor, from  https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/schreiner-qa-is-the-sabbath-still-required-for-christians/ writes in part :  

"The Sabbath was given to Israel as a covenant sign, and Israel was commanded to rest on the seventh day. We see elsewhere in the Old Testament that covenants have signs, so that the sign of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow (Gen. 9:8–17) and the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision (Gen. 17). The paradigm for the Sabbath was God’s rest on the seventh day of creation (Gen. 2:1–3)". 

"I do not believe the Sabbath is required for believers now that the new covenant has arrived in the person of Jesus Christ". 

I believe this quote from Justin Taylor is from Heb 12:24, which is one of only three verses in the Renewed Covenant (NT), where this phrase is used. The other two are in Heb 8:8-13, which is a direct quote from Jer 31:31-33. My understanding of what Mr Taylor writes, is that (a) he in making a statement (underlined), with no evidence or explanation, & (b) he doesn’t seem to know what  the “new covenant” is ? If you simply read Heb 8:8-13, anyone can clearly see that it has absolutely nothing to do with Sabbath.

Another argument put forward to claim that you do not have to keep the Sabbath comes from the following website :

https://www.equip.org/article/should-we-keep-the-sabbath/

In it James Borland (JB) writes :

Can one say for sure that God has abrogated (done away with) the command to keep the Sabbath? Yes. In many respects God has changed His commands and laws. 

Borland claims that “one clear illustration of God’s changing laws regards the eating of meat.” He uses Gen 2:16-17 to claim that people before the flood ate a vegetarian diet, but that after the flood, God changed His mind, & said in Gen 9:3, that people could now eat meat”.

JB further claimed that at Mt Sinai, God further restricted the diet of the “Jews”. JB actually writes, “In Lev 11, God restricted the eating habits of the Jews, only of the Jews”. (Again, a statement made with absolutely no evidence).

Borland goes on to claim that “those Jewish dietary regulations were abolished (after the cross) – This is clearly taught in Peter’s vision (Acts 10:9-16 & 11:5-10), & in Paul’s epistles (Rom 14:2-3, Col 2:16 & 1 Tim 4:3-5)”. JB continues, “in a similar manner, the Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians, (Col 2:16). Christ has freed us from the law”.

JB writes further, & makes the statement, “Christ released us from the Sabbath. His finished work on the cross abolished the entire Mosaic law of ordinances, which includes the Sabbath commandment”.

(Once again, JB writes an unsubstantiated statement). JB writes much more, but I believe what he has written is enough to expose his mistakes & errors.

May I begin by writing that making statements without any evidence to support a faith, is NOT a Bible-based faith ! Wouldn’t you agree ?

In terms of Yahweh changing His laws from a vegetarian diet to one that included meat, I’m not sure that is so, but let’s assume it is. I don’t know about JB’s Elohim, but my Elohim is both logical & loving.

There are several possible reasons for this “supposed” change, but the one that is most obvious to me is that, after the flood, the earth would have been mostly barren & desolate. There may have been some vegetation, but probably not enough for the eight people to survive on for long. While Noah probably had some “potted” plants on the ark as well, they probably weren’t enough to sustain these people, & the clean & unclean animals for very long. Yahweh, my Elohim lovingly took care of both the people & the animals, by making the necessary eating of meat, permissible.

Now to the first of several “biblical” errors that JB made.

JB claimed that at Mt Sinai, Yahweh further restricted the diet of the “Jews”. This clearly is a serious error because Yahweh’s Word, in Exodus 12 & several other places, clearly tells us that “the Israelites, all twelve tribes”, were at Mt Sinai to be offered, & for them to accept, Yahweh’s covenant (Exod 19:5-6). The tribe of Judah, later called “Jews” in 2 Kings 16:6, was just one of these twelve tribes of Israel.

JB wrote that “In Lev 11, God restricted the eating habits of the Jews, only of the Jews”. Again, JB has made a serious biblical error. Lev 11:2 tells us, “Speak to the children of Israel”, again, all twelve tribes.

So based on these two biblical errors, JB’s faith can’t be a Bible-based faith !

James Borland later claims that “those Jewish dietary regulations were abolished (after the cross) – This is clearly taught in Peter’s vision (Acts 10:9-16 & 11:5-10), & in Paul’s epistles (Rom 14:2-3, Col 2:16 & 1 Tim 4:3-5)”. JB continues, “in a similar manner, the Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians (Col 2:16). Christ has freed us from the law”. (More statements made without specific evidence).

If we carefully examine Acts 10:9-16, it is obvious, as I pointed out earlier in this study, that Peter knew that Yahweh never changes what comes out of His lips (Ps 89:36), & so he wasn’t influenced by what was spoken to him in his vision. It seems obvious that JB has not carefully read Acts 10:9-16 & Acts 11:5-10).

JB also quotes Rom 14:2-3, verses that seem to deal with “not judging what someone eats”, BUT, in the correct CONTEXT, isn’t it referring to the level of someone’s faith ?

JB also quotes Col 2:16, this time referring to “judging others about “meat or drink, a holyday, a new moon or sabbath days”, But again, isn’t the CONTEXT that the only ones who are qualified to “judge”, are only those who really understand what Yahushua believed, & taught (the body of Messiah), not everyone else ?

Again, JB quotes a verse totally out of CONTEXT, selecting one aspect out of the several things mentioned (seducing spirits, doctrines of devils, lies of hypocrisy, a seared conscience) – doesn’t this strategy almost always results in error ?

Later in his article, JB writes, ”Paul clearly stated that Christ took this “handwriting of requirements” and “nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14)” adding, “the result could not be clearer”.

Sadly, JB “misquoted” & “misunderstood” Col 2:14 – I’ll explain below. Col 2:14 actually reads :

Q: What is the meaning of the Greek word, G5498, χειρογραφον translated as “handwriting of requirements” that JB quoted 

(legal contract of our sins in the HRB) ?

A:  Strong's Concordance says it means – hand written, a manuscript, document or bond. Thayer says it means – a

     handwriting, what one has written by his own hand.

     It seems fairly clear that, in this context, it is referring to a handwritten document, as the JB tells us.

Q: What hand written document was in opposition to us, (was against us) ?

A:  To shed some more light on this phrase, “handwriting of requirements”, may I direct us to Matt 27:37 or Mark 15:26 ?    

If our faith is a Bible-based faith, shouldn’t we always attempt to understand Yahweh’s Word by examining the cultural aspects & the meaning of words, at the time they were written. Shouldn’t we also allow Scripture to interpret Scripture ?

Q: Historically, what was the written charge (crime) against Yahushua (Jesus) in Matt 27:37 & Mark 15:26 ?

A:  In those days, when a criminal was executed, in this case by crucifixion, the charge against him was written down, & was placed above his head on the torture stake. It was an example of the “handwriting of requirement” against him (in opposition to him).

Q: So how does this information assist us in finding out what the “handwriting of requirements” that was in opposition to us (against us) in Col 2:14 is ?

A:  Rom 3:23 tells us that “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (KJV), &  Rom 6:23 tells us that “for the wages sin pays is death” (KJV). 

     Doesn’t that mean that, as a result of each person’s sin, each person’s sin/offense deserves death (eternal death) ?

     If this is so, then based on the culture & thinking of the people at the time Col 2:14 was penned, their “offenses” were “written” in a sense - there would be a “written charge” against them for “their crime, their sin” – a description of the debt that each person owes, because they have sinned ?

     Doesn’t it make much more sense, that the “handwriting of requirements” of Col 2:14, was the written description of the crime we have committed against Yahweh, by our sinning ?

     Surely, it was this “handwriting of requirements”, the one that accused us of the sins we have committed, that “He took it out of the way, nailing it (the written charge for our sins),to his cross (KJV).

     Doesn’t this also mean that, if the “moral standards” was not taken out of the way by nailing them to the torture stake, then “moral standards”, including the Sabbath, must still exist, & therefore need to be kept.

James Borland, based on what he has written, has certainly believed lies ! Because he has believed lies, isn’t it true that he must have been “deceived” by someone, at some time ?

I am always amazed that Christians like James Borland can’t seem to read what is clearly written in Yahweh’s Word. This being the case, how can they claim that their faith is a Bible-based faith - are they so “married” to their man-imposed doctrine, that they don’t have “eyes to see”, or a “heart to want to do Yahweh’s will ?

If we examine Matt 5:17-19, aren’t we told very specifically, that :

1:  Yahushua said “do not think He has come to destroy the law (Torah) or the Prophets”

2:  He came to “fulfil” (them). Here is the really, really clear statement from the mouth of Messiah Yahushua.

3:  Yahushua continues saying, “for verily I say unto you. Till heaven & earth pass, not one jot or tittle

     shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”

If we simply read what Yahushua says in these verses, how can this be any clearer ?

Those who rise up, and tell you that they are “anointed”, and that “they represent the Messiah”, and then tell us that Yahweh changed what He said, are seriously deceived and/or, are lying to you because Yahweh never changes what he says.

How can you know that somebody's deceived and/or is lying to you, when they tell you that you don't have to keep the Sabbath anymore - how can you know that somebody's deceived and/or lying to you, when they say, “well those feasts listed back there in Old Testament are for the Jews”, & because we aren’t Jews, we don't have to keep those anymore ? Again, how do you know that they're deceived and/or lying to you when they make these claims about any such subject ? Well, clearly, Ps 89:34 tells us that Yahweh will not alter any things that has gone out from His lips, & Mal 3:6, tells us that Yahweh doesn’t change.

So let me state it once again, if you believe that Yahweh alters what He says, & that He actually can change, then that's the deception, that leads to all deception. Wasn’t that what the serpent said to Eve in Genesis chapter 3 ?

From our story above, we know that Jeroboam reassigned meaning to pagan images & pagan rituals.

Let's apply the TEST to see if that is biblical-based & therefore, acceptable to Yahweh by checking  Deut 12:29-30 & Jer 10:2.

Deu 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 

Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 

Jer 10:2 So says YAHWEH, Do not learn the way of the nations; 

So, based on Yahweh’s Word just quoted, anytime somebody says “yes, this was pagan, but I do it now in my heart for Yahweh", they have been deceived and/or, they've been lied to - they've been convinced into believing that they can reassign it another meaning, and worship Yahweh with it ! If your faith is a bible-based faith, then you cannot do it, because Yahweh never alters His Word, and in Jer 10:2,  He said, “do not learn the ways of the nations”.

There is nothing that any pagan has ever used to worship their elohim, (god), that Yahweh wants to be used to worship Him - you cannot reassign the meaning of Sunday worship - you cannot reassign the meaning of a decorated, evergreen tree - you cannot reassign the meaning of December 25th - you cannot reassign the meaning of the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the vernal equinox, which was dedicated to Ishtar the Babylonian fertility deity (Easter), and say that it now represents the resurrection – if your faith is a Bible-based faith, you cannot do it !

If your faith is a Bible based faith then you do what Yahweh says, not what men say. I told you Jeroboam represents “religion” - he represents denominations - he represents those who have established their own Commandments, holy days and traditions.

People should examine their faith and see if their faith is based on “religion” - if their faith is based on a denomination’s traditions - if their faith is based on the commandments of men – do they keep the holy days established by men, or the holy days established by Yahweh - do they keep the commandments of men,  & tell their congregation, “you don't have to keep the law”, do they obey man, or do they obey Yahweh. Do you believe the Bible is the Word of Yahweh, and if you do believe it's the Word of Yahweh, why are you ignoring,it,  & if you are, is it because some man told you that you could ?

The young prophet from Judah represents a faith that is a Bible based faith. What we see in him until he falls, is that when your faith is a Bible based faith, you're going look different, sound different, & act different - you're not going to fit in with the “many” - you're not going to fit in with a crowd - you will even sometimes look weird. People will think you are rude when you decline to participate in Christmas, when you turn down their bacon-wrapped filet mignon, but you're not trying to be rude, you're not trying to be weird, you're merely living your faith based on what Yahweh is said in the Word. You believe that it's really His Word, and it never changes, and that you should keep it.

Lastly, the old prophet represents those that Yahushua warned us about in Matt 24:4-5. They will claim to be “anointed”, but they will deceive “many”. They will be very convincing when they tell people to do what Yahweh said not to do, and to not do what Yahweh said to do !

Yahushua warned His disciples & us - He said “they're going to come say they’re 'anointed', & 'many' are going to be deceived, even as the young prophet was. Yahushua also warned us four times in Matt chapter 24 (verses 4,5 11 & 24), & again in Mark 12:5-6, & in Luke 21:8.

Paul warned us about “not being deceived”, at least seven times (Rom 7:11 & 16:18, 1 Cor 3:18 & 6:9, Eph 5:6, Gal 6:7, 2 Thes 2:3). John also warns us once in 1 John 3:7.

The spirit of deception is the strongest reason why Yahushua, Paul & John gave us those warnings !

If our faith is based on what Yahweh said, then we go by what is written, because all Scripture is breathed out by Yahweh. Is your faith really a Bible based faith - is it really based on what Yahweh said, or have you been deceived ?

If you have been deceived, then fix it while you can, because the path of deception is a broad way that leads to destruction - if you've ever been taught to ignore any part of the Bible - to believe what you believe, you have been, and you are being deceived,  & if you have to alter any part of the Bible, to believe what you believe, your faith can't be a Bible-based faith ! .

Can it be any plainer than this – again, if you have been, and you are being deceived, “repent”, & fix it now, while there is still time, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

What I am attempting to do is, to alert and alarm us all, about that strong delusion, that strong spirit of deception. I know this  because people can get fighting mad at you, and tell you "I worship Yahweh", and "I believe the Bible"  When you ask, do you keep the Sabbath - no; do you pig - yes; do you  eat shrimp - yes; do you keep the feasts -  no; & they say, but the Bible says I don't have to do that anymore, that is a deception that has been put on people, that began with a man claiming to represent the Messiah -  a man who said he was anointed, and who convinced people saying, "it's too much for you to have to do all of that". We're in a new dispensation, & you don't have to keep all that stuff anymore". I've been deceived, & so I TEST everything anyone says, to see if it is "Bible-based". I was no pleased at the time, but I am so glad that someone confronted me about some of the things that I had believed, & so thankful that Yahweh, in His mercy, pointed me to very carefully, read & study, His written Word.

I strongly encourage each person reading this, to very carefully TEST what they currently believe, so that they won't wind up on judgment day, with Yahushua saying, "depart from Me, I never knew you". I want to be confident that my faith is a Bible-based faith !

Followers of the Messiah - the Lessons

Introduction - The journey begins

I may have covered some of this in previous teachings, so I hope the revision will help.

Isn’t it true that we are all on a spiritual journey ? The following points are commonly experienced as we journey towards Yahweh’s Truth – please consider them in this lesson.

At some point on that journey, Yahweh disturbs our shalom, our peace ! You probably don’t know why, & most likely, you may sense that something is wrong, or that something is missing in your life, or both.

Once you are aware of this “uncomfortability”, you may begin to ask questions, & to seek answers. You do this in an attempt to restore your shalom.

To assist you with this attempt to restore your shalom, I have prepared a series of activities, (some with questions for you to answer, & others for you to read & digest), that hopefully, will guide you. I encourage you to either create a computer file for your responses, or write them in an exercise book. Writing a date can also be helpful when you examine your progress at some future time.

1:  Make a list of as many of your questions as you can – leave a space between them for any answers you may have found. Please focus on your own questions before you refer to the possible questions I have provided below.

Possible questions might include :

Q: What was it that caused me to be unsettled in Church, or why did I leave Church ?

Q: How well do I understand what I read in the Bible ?

Q: Why haven’t we been taught in my Church how to really study the Bible, instead of being told what verses mean by my pastor or minister ?

2:  Once we realised that our shalom (peace), has been seriously disturbed, we begin to Ask, Seek, Knock in an effort to restore our shalom. Verses like Matt 7:1-14, & Isa 55:1-11 may come to mind. 

~ Mat 7:1-14 “Ask and it shall be given you… knock & it will be opened to you

~ Isa 55:1-11 “Seek Yahweh while He is to be found…”

We might ask questions like :

Q: Who is “God” ?

Q: What is the Bible, & what does it tell us about God & His Messiah ?

Q: Why did God create the universe & us ?

Q: What does God want us to do & be ?

Q: How do I know, that what I’ve been taught & have believed is true ?

Q: What is the Creator’s name ? Are names important ?

Q: Who is the Messiah (Christ) ? Is the Messiah’s name Jesus ?

Q: Have we been taught what the Messiah believed & did ?

Q: When did the Church begin ?

Q: Who are God’s chosen people ?

Q: Where can I find a group to learn from, & fellowship with ?

Q: How can I know which group I should join ?

Depending on how much asking, seeking & knocking you have done so far, you may have considered several of these, or most likely, many questions of your own.

Write a list of any questions you may have considered so far on your journey, with any responses you may have found. It is perfectly OK, if you haven’t started this step yet.

3:  In this process of asking, seeking & knocking, it is important to realise that we have to discern what to let go of, & what to embrace.

We also need to understand that this is an expedition into Yahweh’s truth, one out of confusion into clarity. It can be very difficult without a guide, because we are going somewhere we haven’t been before. Hopefully, this series of lessons can lead you, with Yahweh’s Ruach, to where He wants you to be.

Please be aware of not falling for the lie, “the Ruach will teach me”, without remembering that He disturbed your peace in the first place, & it doesn’t mean that the Ruach will give you an instant download, with all the answers. There will be a lot of personal work to be done.

We need to realise that this procedure produces a lot of change, & that any kind of change is stressful.

We also come to realise that we were made to go through a process of knocking, & asking, seeking, & journeying, because it allows us to find others, who are also knocking, asking, seeking & journeying.

One very important question you may ask is, “who am I”, & this usually results into a search for your real identity (see later)

4:  It is about this point on our journey, that we personally come to understand, that the biblical names of the Creator, & His Messiah are very important.

Q: If you haven’t come to this understanding yet, I encourage you to ask, are names important, & why are the personal names of the Creator, & His Messiah, especially important ?

We may begin using Their Hebrew names – Yahweh is the heavenly Father’s name, yod-hey-vav-hey in Hebrew, translated as LORD, & Yahushua, is His Messiah’s Hebrew name. You may know Him as Jesus.

If you have arrived at this point on your journey, I encourage you to write down some personal comments on your attempts to use these very important Sacred names.

We realized that “God” was not a name, but a description, or a title. 

We may also start to appreciate, & understand more about our Saviour, Yahushua.     

Isn’t it true that Yahweh only made His covenant with one group of people ? Doesn’t Exod 19:3-6 tell us that this covenant was with Israel  ?

5: In this process of searching for Yahweh's truth, we usually start to evaluate a lot of things that you we need to add to our walk.

Isn’t it true that Father Yahweh is developing a “forever community”, where He wants us to be able to live with each other, & to support each other now, so that in the “forever community”, we will also be able to live with, & support each other.

Q: Is everyone you know going to be in that “forever kingdom” ?

Q: Would you like to live in the “forever kingdom”, with everyone you know ? Why or why not ?

6: At some stage, we come to appreciate that we are looking for, and desiring, “the TRUTH”. When we do this, our understanding of what TRUTH is, may be vague, & so we go searching Yahweh’s Word for answers.

A quick search using free software such as e-Sword, reveals that the Hebrew word translated as “truth” is emet, which can mean stability, certainty, truth or trustworthiness.

7:  As we are continue asking, seeking & knocking, we are beginning to recognize that we don’t know,  what we don’t know (stage 1 of learning anything) !

At this point, it is very important to realise that some of those people who are teaching, don’t understand that there are lots of things that they really don’t know – they really don’t know what needs to be re-learned.

~   We are making a “conscious” choice or decision to accept Yah as He is, over our own version of Him, which has been shaped by our personal preferences (self-sovereignty, cultural influences, “Babylon” influences, etc.)

~   We realize that this is not easy because of the battle that is taking place in our minds and hearts .

~   We accept that we must “LET” the mind of Yahushua be in us, (Phil 2:5), so that we can be transformed, and conformed to His image.

9:  So, how do we find YHWH’s Truth ?

1 John 2:4 explains :

“The one who says “I know Him”, and does not guard His commandments, is a liar, and the TRUTH is not in him”. 

Q: If we are to “know Him” (Messiah Yahushua), shouldn’t we, as 1 John 2:6 tells us, “WALK as He WALKED” ?

Q: Shouldn’t we live our lives, by doing what He, & the first century believers believe & did ?

Q: So what did Messiah Yahushua believe, & do ?

In order to find the answers to these questions, shouldn’t we search the Renewed Covenant Scriptures (NT), rather than simply rely on, & accept, what we have been taught in the Church ?

Did our denomination teach us how to really study YHWH’s Word, or did they teach us to come to their pastors, ministers or priests, their experts, for the answers to our questions ? Wasn’t this one of the reasons we stopped going to Church ?

     Very Important 

     Isn’t it true, that if we haven’t studied Yahweh’s Word for ourselves (in the original languages), then we have NO opinion ! This statement is saying that if we have not studied His Word, then we can’t have an opinion about that Word, because we really don’t know what it actually says. All we really know, is someone else’s opinion - in other words, our opinion is based on “hearsay” !

     Very Important Question – am I willing to accept the opinions of others, for my eternal salvation, & walk of faith ?

There is much, much more to learn, & I invite you to examine the next lesson in this series.

Followers of the Messiah - How to TEST what has been said or written

 Please read the following list of important Scriptural principles carefully - these should be applied when studying YHWH’s Word.

Do you agree with the following questions ? Comment on them.

Q1:              Isn’t the purpose of any biblical study, to Know YHWH’s Truth ?

Q2:              Isn’t it true that the more Scripture we understand, the more the Ruach can help us apply it, & the more we apply it,

                    the closer we become to Yahweh ?

Q3:              What will you do, if you find out that discovered Truth comes into direct conflict with something that you currently

                    believe ?

Q4:              Do you agree with the following statement ? If we honestly seek Yahweh 's truth, and we are shown that we are in

                    error, we will either cease being honest, or we will change our belief to  repair the error.

                  Doesn’t James 4:17 explain it this way “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is

                  sin” ?

Q5:              Do you agree with the following statement ? If the truth does not offend you, then, you either don’t see it, or you

                     already agree with it ! If the Truth is doing its job, it will hurt temporarily, but  remember, the Truth heals what is

                      corrupt !

I am sure that you have heard or read teachings that seem to be very convincing ! In these teachings, the speaker or author usually makes statements that appear to be so persuasive, that you want to agree with what is being said or written.

Q6: How do you know that what is being spoken or written is in actual fact, accurate, true and/or correct ?

Q7: If you analyse the many teachings or sermons you have been exposed to, isn’t it true that it is reasonably easy, to present a

       very convincing sermon or teaching, that is either partially or completely inaccurate and/or incorrect ?

Very Important Question – How can we really KNOW whether a statement, a scripture verse interpretation, or even a version of a scripture verse itself, is accurate, true and/or correct ?

Answer – the only way we can really KNOW this is to TEST it in some way ! This testing process is the focus of this lesson.

If anyone quotes a verse, or asks you for your opinion about a verse, I strongly encourage you to TEST it, by checking to see if, what is said or written is scripturally accurate, using if possible, the strategies explained in previous teachings . 

As well, I encourage you to use the following information & questions to establish the correct context of a scripture verse or chapter.

As well as reading verses before and after the verse we are studying, we can further define the CONTEXT of a word or verse, by answering the following questions as they relate to the verse or chapter

Who wrote this book ? When was it written ?

Who was the original audience ? Who was it originally written to ?

Why was it written ?

What was their culture ?  What was their legal system ?

What was their religious background ?

What Hebrew idioms did they use ?

What did they already know about the subject ?

What future group does it affect, & how will they be affected ?

What is the context for Exod 20:7 ?

The original audience were the now free Israelite slaves from Egypt. It was written TO them, to remind them that they had been offered a Covenant with Yahweh, the one true Elohim, & that they had accepted Yahweh’s offer.

In this chapter & the next 3 chapters of Exodus, they are being reminded of what Yahweh requires of them.

After being in Egypt for about 215 years, probably between 150 & 180 years as “slaves” to Egypt’s Pharaohs, they had lost their identity, their land, their language, their independence, & their rituals. Yahweh wanted to build a kingdom - one based on a totally different foundation to the one, these now free Israelites, were used to.

As a result of being assimilated into Egypt, these now free Israelites, understood what being in covenant with a greater being meant – they had lived this way all of their lives. To some extent, they understood the legal aspect associated with it, namely, they were expected to do their part in this covenant with Yahweh.

In terms of their religious background, they were “Egyptian”. The Israelites knew all about the Egyptian culture, history, mythology, religion & cosmology. They understood & believed the same as the Egyptians did – they had an Egyptian world-view.

They probably knew something about Yahweh, based on stories & legends told to them by their forefathers, but, in practical terms, they knew almost nothing. It seems very unlikely that they trusted Moses at this point of their history.

In terms of future generations, we are told in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4 & verse 5:3, that Moses explained to the next generation, that Yahweh had cut a covenant not only with their forefathers, but with them (& us) also.

How to test a Renewed Covenant (RC) scripture (NT) verse ?

When we are studying a RC scripture verse, problems can arise because sometimes, there can be contextual confusion. To assist us with this difficulty, it is important that we ask ourselves four questions.

1:  Who are the groups involved in a conversation ?

2:  What is any debate over ?

3:  What is the correct definition of the words being used, according to the original authors & audience ?

4:  Does the interpretation, contradict any scriptures that are clearly understood in the first five books of the Bible ?

The Main Groups referred to in the RC

The Circumcision Party :

claimed that to be saved a person must be circumcised, keep the Torah of Moses, & keep all the traditions of the Elders

Cornelius, a believing gentile (Acts 10), took these steps to become a saved “Jew”

Jewish Gnostics :

1:  believed in a higher secret knowledge (kabala)

2:  believed that the human flesh was evil, & thus, the only way to be released from it was to indulge it & punish it through 

     self-mutilation

3:  some sects worshipped angels

4:  remained Jewish, but practised Judaism through their Gnostic adaptations & philosophy

Gentiles

1:  those that were not considered Jews or from the “House of Judah”

2:  comes from the Hebrew word, goyim, which means, “the nations”

3:  can also mean the 10 northern tribes or “the House of Israel”, that were disbursed into all the nations because of their disobedience to Yahweh’s Covenant

The Way – mentioned in Acts 24:14

1:  They believed in keeping the Torah of Yahweh

2:  They do not believe in keeping the “oral law” or “the Traditions” of the Jewish Elders, that were added to the law of Yahweh

3:  They believed that the Messiah that they were waiting for, was Yahushua of Nazareth, & that He paid the price that the Torah

      required for all those who broke it

4:  They strongly believed in being led by the Ruach & not allowing the other sects of Judaism to tell them how to do things.

The Constant DEBATE was      What does it take to be SAVED ?

Through much of Paul’s letters, this was the constant argument he was battling.

These other groups did not believe that Paul’s converts were “saved” because they were not converting in the “established Jewish” way, nor were they keeping the commandments, & traditions in the way that these other groups were.

How do we know that our current understanding of a scriptural word is accurate ?

There are quite a few Hebrew and Greek words that, when translated into English, are rather abstract in their meaning. This means that their meaning is not precise, not crystal clear, & usually depends on an individual’s interpretation. A list of such English words can include words like love, faith, truth, mercy, salvation, grace and worship, to name but a very small few. For this explanation, I will use the word, “worship”.

Many people use the phrase, “praise & worship” to describe the joyful singing, dancing, & raised arms gestures in reverence to Yahweh & Yahushua, that often proceeds a religious Christian service. A question we could test might be, is this joyful singing, dancing & raising of arms in reverence, what is meant by the Hebrew or Greek words that are translated from Yahweh’s Word as “worship” ?

Step 1          Begin by locating the first place that this translated word, “worship” is found in Yahweh’s Word.

                      In the KJV, it is first used in Gen 22:5

Gen 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

Step 2          Locate a few verses where your test word, “worship” is used. In the KJV Bible, there are 102 verses that use this

                      word. For this example, I’ll choose Deut 8:19, Josh 5:14, Ps 5:7, Ps 66:4, Matt 2:2, Matt 4:10 &  John 4:23.

Step 3          Copy each verse, & insert the possible meaning before the test word, “worship”, & read it out loud.

                     Does your possible meaning, “sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence” make sense in each verse ? If it does,

                     your opinion has been supported, if not, then you need to search for a more appropriate meaning.

Deu 8:19 And it shall be, if you shall forget YAHWEH your Elohim, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and (sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence to) worship them, I testify against you today that you shall utterly perish

Jos 5:14 And He said, No, for I now come as the Captain (Sar) of the army of YAHWEH. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and (sang joyfully, danced & raised arms in reverence) worshiped. And he said to Him, What does my Master speak to His slave ?

Psa 5:7 But I, in the plenty of Your grace, I will come into Your house. I will (sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence) worship in Your fear toward Your holy sanctuary, O YAHWEH

Psa 66:4 All the earth shall (sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence) worship You; and they sing to You; they shall praise Your name. Selah.

Mat 2:2 saying, where is He born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to (sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence) worship Him

Mat 4:10 Then Yahshua said to him, Go, Satan! For it has been written "You shall (sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence) worship YAHWEH your Elohim, and Him only shall you serve."

Joh 4:23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will (sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence) worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such, the ones (singing joyfully, dancing & raising arms in reverence) worshiping Him.

Let’s try “bow down & pay homage” as another possible meaning.

Deu 8:19 And it shall be, if you shall forget YAHWEH your Elohim, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and (bow down & pay homage to) worship them, I testify against you today that you shall utterly perish

Jos 5:14 And He said, No, for I now come as the Captain (Sar) of the army of YAHWEH. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and (bowed down & payed homage) worshiped. And he said to Him, What does my Master speak to His slave ?

Psa 5:7 But I, in the plenty of Your grace, I will come into Your house. I will (bow down & pay homage) worship in Your fear toward Your holy sanctuary, O YAHWEH

Psa 66:4 All the earth shall (bow down & pay homage) worship You; and they sing to You; they shall praise Your name. Selah.

Mat 2:2 saying, where is He born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to (bow down & pay homage) worship Him

Mat 4:10 Then Yahshua said to him, Go, Satan! For it has been written "You shall (bow down & pay homage) worship YAHWEH your Elohim, and Him only shall you serve."

Joh 4:23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will (bow down & pay homage) worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such, the ones (bowing down & paying homage) worshiping Him.

After reading each verse, ask yourself, which of the two possible meanings, “sing joyfully, dance & raise arms in reverence”, or “bow down & pay homage”, seems more appropriate ?

If you want to be very thorough, locate all the verses where this word, “worship” is used.

Other possible questions that could be examined in order to TEST what has been said and/or written

Test this by comparing several different translations, and if able, use a Hebrew-English or Greek-English translation, to examine each word for accuracy of meaning

1:  Are there any Hebrew or Greek idioms being used, & do I understand their meaning ?

     An idiom is an expression in a language which has a unique meaning which cannot be understood from the meanings of its

     parts. Examples in the English language are :

         to feel under the weather

         to have egg on your face

         to read between the lines

         to rain cats and dogs

     The Bible is no different, & it contains many idioms. Examples in Hebrew & Greek are :

2:  Does what I am understanding Scripture to say, contract something else in Scripture ?

3:  Does what I am understanding Scripture to say, add to or take away from what is written in the first five books of Scripture ?

4:  What am I understanding Scripture to say ? What influences am I holding on to ?

5:  What reliable resources have I used to verify my understanding (I should use at least two) ?

6:  Am I looking at the verse with Western (Greek) mindset, or should I be using the Cultural Hebraic mindset ?

7: Does my current understanding of this Scripture take into account all the circumstances surrounding the situation described ?

8:  If I am able, have I used a Hebrew-English or Greek-English Interlinear translation, to examine each word for accuracy of

     meaning ?

9:  After considering all the above questions, what is my informed understanding of the verse in question ?

Exercises

A:  Apply the method described on page 4 above to the following ideas or terms

                   love, faith, truth, mercy, salvation, grace, covenant

B:  What do you think the following Hebrew & Greek idioms mean ?

     Gen 49:4                    unstable as water

     Exod 33:3                  a stiff-necked people

     Lev 13:45                   covering of lips

     Matt 16:6                   leaven of the Pharisees

     Mark 16:18                 take up a serpent

     Luke 22:31                  sift you as wheat

     John 11:32                 fell down at His feet

     Acts 2:42                    breaking bread

     1 Cor 3:2                     feed with milk

Additional Tools for Testing Everything 

(not an endorsement for nor an exhaustive list of resources available) 

Online Resources:

 http://biblegateway.com

 http://blueletterbible.org

 http://biblehub.com/

 http://www.biblestudytools.com/

 http://haktuvim.co.il

Excellent free Bible software    e-Sword.net

Followers of the Messiah - Introduction

The Biblical Calendar is probably one of the most contentious topics encountered by people who want to obey Yahweh's Torah.

The biblical calendar is specifically referred to only a few times in the Bible. I'll get to these verses in a later post. The purpose of the Biblical Calendar, I believe, is described in great detail, in Leviticus, chapter 23. There, we are told of Yahweh's moedim, HIS appointed times. These are the specific times, or appointments, that Yahweh wants to meet with His chosen people as a group. 

The Hebrew word, translated as "feasts" in most Bible versions, is this Hebrew word, moedim. In these posts, I will be using moed (singular) or moedim (plural), as there is another Hebrew word that specifically means "feast", namely, chag, & I want to avoid any confusion.

I believe that the reason for such contention is that, in our Messianic community, there are at least four main ways that groups understand, & keep the Biblical Calendar. I won't go into the details here, because I will be dealing with them in detail, in another post.

The biggest problem that I see with these different biblical calendars is that, because Yahweh has declared that He wants to meet with His people on certain, specific days, if we have different calendars, that means that, some, or all of us, will "miss" our appointment with Yahweh !