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THE GOSPEL
Spreading the Gospel ("good news") is unarguably the task Yahshua the Messiah left for his followers to complete. But is the Gospel as He saw it the same Gospel that the church is spreading today?
If an airplane gets even half a degree off course and does not make the necessary correction, it will not arrive at the right destination. So we need to look closely to see if we're still on track.
Almost every time He mentioned the Gospel, He associated it with the Kingdom. Some say the Kingdom simply means "Yahweh's rule in the hearts and minds of men." While it is certainly that, there is much more to it than that.
Other have gone to the opposite extreme and said that since the New Testament calls it "the Kingdom of Heaven", it must relate chiefly to the afterlife. But Yahshua gives us another clue:
"Pray like this: ...'Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.'" (Matt. 6:9-10)
The Father's will is already being carried out in Heaven. The Kingdom already exists there; our job is to bring it into our realm, for "the heavens are Yahweh's, but the earth He has given to the sons of men." (Psalm 115:16)
So mankind's assigned dwelling-place is earth. How does this square with the way the Gospel is presented today as "how to go to Heaven when you die"? Though Scripture says our incorruptible inheritance is stored up for us in Heaven (1 Peter 1:4), that need not mean we have to go there to get it; it is just kept in a place where no earthly ills can affect it, like a bank account in a politically neutral country. Nothing in Scripture says any human being will be in Heaven forever--only that we can be with Yahweh forever.
In Revelation we see holy people from every tribe and tongue present around Yahweh's throne. But then they come back with Yahshua to conquer the rebellious nations when He returns to set up His Kingdom--on earth. At the end of the age we see the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven to earth, and Yahweh making His dwelling place here with men. (Rev. 21)
Just before Yahshua came, proclaiming, "The Kingdom is at hand!" John the Immerser was to "prepare the wayâ€Â--make a suitable place for Him who is Holy to walk on an earth that is now defiled. (Compare Deut. 23:14)
Heaven is Yahweh's "habitation" (Deut. 26:15). When we try to make a "habitat" for animals, we try to imitate as closely as possible the environment they came from. When Yahweh told Moses to build the Tabernacle, which means, "place of dwelling", He told him to make sure he built everything exactly like like the pattern He had been shown on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 25:9, 40) They had to be just right, for they were replicas of
Yahweh's dwelling place in Heaven. (Heb. 8:5; 9:23)
Later He said He would choose one place in the Land of Israel to establish such a "habitation". (Deut. 12:5) When King Solomon built the Temple, which was a glorified version of the same pattern as the Tabernacle, He recognized that this is what Yahweh had promised. (2 Chron. 6:2) Solomon's reign was a foretaste of the Kingdom!
But Solomon allowed his foreign wives to bring idolatry into Israel. Yahweh split Israel into two kingdoms. David's throne remained with Judah, but the name "Israel" stayed with the ten tribes given to Jeroboam, who had tried to persuade Solomon's son Rehoboam to lighten their burdens. He would not, so Judah was really the one who broke the unity. (1 Kings 12:13) Jeroboam was from the tribe of Ephraim, so "Ephraim" became a nickname for the whole Northern Kingdom.
Ephraim's namesake was Joseph's son, but Jacob adopted him and gave him the right of being in the position of his own firstborn. (Genesis 48) So while Judah prevailed in that the stayed with his lineage, the birthright belonged to Joseph. (1 Chron. 5:1-2) Jacob specifically said, "Let my name be upon [Ephrayim and his brother Menashe]." (48:16) So the name Israel (as in v. 15) would first and foremost refer to these two tribes. Ephraim is even called Yahweh's firstborn, not just Jacob's! (Jeremiah 31:9) So the Kingdom that was still called Israel was now synonymous with Ephraim.
But Jeroboam took the liberty of setting up alternatives to the dwelling place Yahweh had selected. The Northern Kingdom also kept mixing religions, even dedicating altars "to Yahweh and His Ashtoreth"! Israel walked more and more "in the laws of the Gentiles" (2 Kings 17:8). "Ephraim mixed himself among the nations" (Hosea 7:8; 8:8). They wanted to be just like the others, so they were taken from the Land and BECAME Gentiles! Only Judah was left. (17:18) They, too, disobeyed and were punished, but repented and returned to the Land, and in general they preserved for us most of the original ways--the Torah, the festivals, and the Sabbath.
Yahweh said He would not call Ephraim (a.k.a. the House of Israel) His people anymore. (Hosea 1:9) He scattered them and they ceased to be a nation, even forgetting they had once been Israelites.
This turn of events, though far from ideal, was from Yahweh (12:15). "All things work together for good to those ...called according to His purposes." (Romans 8:28; Gen. 50:20) Despite a long estrangement, Israel's calling was still irrevocable. (Rom. 11:29) Yahweh had an amazing plan that affects you and me, and gives a whole new perspective on what the Gospel really is.
Jacob had said Ephraim's seed would become "the fullness of the Gentiles". (Gen. 48:19) Paul took up this theme, saying a partial insensibility would remain over Israel "until the fullness of the Gentiles [Ephraim] comes in". (Rom. 11:25) THEN all Israel would be saved--not until the firstborn returns! The "King of the Jews" (Judah) has no kingdom in this age. (John 18:36) He is a King without a kingdom until both Ephraim and Judah are back together.
The patriarchs had gone or sent emissaries to another land to find their brides. But still they were from the same family. Unlike Solomon, Yahshua's "foreign" bride turns out to be from the seed of Ephraim, and thus not totally foreign after all! Many, probably most, of those responsive to the Gospel are "Gentiles" only in this secondary sense.
The Apostles understood this. After He had taught them for 40 days after His resurrection, the logical question they had for Yahshua when He led them up the Mount of Olives (where Zechariah says the Kingdom will begin) was, "Is this the time when You will restore the Kingdom to Israel (i.e., Ephraim)?" (Acts 1:6)
This is what they saw as their mission. They knew the Messiah had to accomplish this, and their expectation must have been heightening as His feet were already ascending that very mountain. The "Great Commission" was a direct response to this query. He did not deny that this was what he came to do, but only said the timing was not their concern, but the Father's. Their job was again to prepare the way--to make sure the Kingdom would have citizens when it came: to make disciples and teach people from all nations. (Matt.
24:14; 28:18-20) Teach them what? "To observe all that I have commanded you".
His commands were none other than those Yahweh had given centuries beforehand through Moses. "If you love me, keep my commandments" ; He had not come to abolish the Torah, but to give it its fullest meaning. (Mat. 5:17)
So the apostles did just that. Their concern, when many had begun "returning to Yahweh from among the Gentiles", was how observant newcomers had to be before they could be accepted into fellowship. not whether they would be observant. They did not want to repeat Rehoboam's error---laying too heavy a burden on the other tribes--so they laid down only the minimum essentials so both Judah and Ephraim could share the same table. But they said the rest of Moses' writings should be learned week by week in the synagogues. (Acts 15)
Both Isaiah (52:7) and Nahum (1:15) tell us, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news ("the Gospel"), announcing peace, proclaiming news of salvation."
What is that "peace"? In Hebrew it is not just peace with Yahweh. It also includes the idea of national unity--again, the reunification of the two houses of Israel. Nahum adds, "O Judah, preserve the feasts!" Only thus could the Gospel retain its proper focus. So it is tied closely to Yahweh's appointed times (Lev. 23), for they teach us a multitude of details about what Yahshua came--and will come--to accomplish.
Yes, it was "too small a thing" for Yahshua to "resurrect the tribes of Jacob and restore the preserved ones of Israel" (Isaiah 49:6), but that makes it clear that this was His primary mission. He would also be given the nations as an inheritance, but this "afterthought" or exception to the rule somehow ousted the main focus, and our "airplane" got off track. We ended up in the "way of the Gentiles"--the very place Yahshua told us not to go! He said, "go only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel". (Matt. 10:5-6) Gentile lands would seem to be the only place Ephraim could be found, so
"ways of the Gentiles" must mean, "Gentile methods" or customs. (Jeremiah 10:2 had already said they were useless.)
Why did Paul, who was sent to the Gentiles, always begin his search for responsive Gentiles in the local synagogue? Because the "seed of Jacob" in them was now germinating and drawing them back to their roots! They had taken the first step to return and also to reunite with their brother, Judah. Yahweh said not one kernel of Ephraim's seed would be missed, so if a certain part of the world has been unresponsive after being read their rights, we don't have to wait for them to change. Shake the dust off our feet and move on. They probably have very few Ephraimites among them.
It was not a haphazard, shotgun approach aiming at all Gentiles anywhere. Ephraim was in higher concentrations in certain areas than in others. At one point some of the Northern tribes, escaping Assyria, had settled in Bithynia, so Paul expected to find them still there. (Acts 16) But by this time they had moved across the Bosporus Strait--right where Macedonia is. So that's where he was called.
Some of those "Gentiles" were waiting for His Torah." (Isaiah 42:4) So Yahweh said to declare to these "far-off coastlands" that He who scattered Israel would regather it like a shepherd. (Jer. 31:10) They would eventually be the ones to bring Israel's sons back home. (Isa. 60:9)
Unlike Rehoboam, this King from Judah would NOT to lay too heavy a burden on the other tribes. (Matt. 11:30). He would instead serve His people--so this time Ephraim (still in exile) would accept him as King, and the heir to David's throne would be reunited with His Kingdom! THAT is good news!
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What the Bible
Really Says ABout
THE SABBATH
In recent years we have seen a trend away from the tradition of keeping all stores closed on Sunday. But though it is a sign that commerce is taking precedence over every other aspect of our culture, this a good trend, because it sets the stage for an important transition. Yahweh, our Creator, said He would once more shake everything that can be
shaken." (Hebrews 12:26-27) And though many have the highest motives in wishing to honor the Messiah's resurrection, Sunday worship is something that can—and must—be shaken, because it was never Yahweh's idea.
This may come as a surprise to you, so let's look at what Scripture itself actually says.
Which day of the week is the Sabbath?
At Mt. Sinai, Yahweh commanded via Moses:
"Remember the Sabbath day, in order to keep it set apart. Six days shall you labor and accomplish all your work, but the seventh day is a day of ceasing for Yahweh your Elohim; on it you shall do no work." (Exodus 20:8-10)
So there should be no question about which day of the week He considers holy. In fact, this command is repeated more often and in more detail than any other of the Ten Commandments, perhaps because Yahweh knew it would be the one that would most often be neglected. He tells us to "remember" it. So the Sabbath was not something new
with Moses; it was already holy. Ever since creation, the seventh day had been established as the day of rest:
"Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy, because on it He had rested from all His workmanship..." (Genesis 2:3)
How important is the Sabbath?
Even before He made the covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, Yahweh used the Sabbath as a "litmus test" to see whether they would obey His commands. If anyone did not gather enough manna on the day before the Sabbath, they did not have food that day. (Exodus 16:23ff) So you can see how important the Sabbath is in screening out who can move to a higher level in their drawing near to Him.
The first three commandments deal with our relationship with Yahweh Himself; the latter six with how we relate to our fellow man. The Sabbath is a "hinge" tying both of these together, for it allows both us and those who would other-wise have to work for us to have no other responsibility but to focus on Him for that day.
Yahweh says to stop working on the Sabbath even in times of harvest, when it seems the work cannot wait. (Ex. 34:21) This means His commands take precedence over everything else. But He promises to provide for those who honor Him. (1 Sam. 2:30; Ex. 34:24; Lev. 26:3-13)
The gates through which the entrance to the Temple sanctuary could be seen were only open on the Sabbath and the other festivals Yahweh prescribed. This symbolizes how important these days are to accurately understanding Him.
And if we say we are followers of the Messiah, we need to "walk as He walked":
"As was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day..." (Luke 4:16)
But wasn't the Sabbath day changed?
In practice it has indeed changed, but it was not instigated by either the Creator or Yahshua the Messiah. The Bible does, however, tell us of someone else who "will think to change the times and seasons..." (Daniel 7:25) He is identified as "the fourth beast"--the fourth dynasty of kings in a series of world powers that oppressed Israel, starting with
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. History shows us clearly that the fourth was Rome.
After Messiah's "Called-Out Community" had been persecuted by the Roman government for three centuries, Emperor Constantine suddenly reversed this trend and decided that everyone under Roman rule would now become "Christian" so that the empire would be unified. However, he made many changes to the historic faith.
The Romans already worshipped the sun on the first day of the week, and, as with many other pagan festivals, Constantine continued to let the public have the day off, and just declared that it had a new significance. It later became mandatory for everyone to stop working on "Sun-day". After all, the public could not stop working for two days per
week!
But doesn't Sunday commemorate the Messiah's resurrection?
Yahshua arose sometime before the sun rose on the first day of the week. (John 20:1) In honor of this, in the Russian language, the first day is even known as "Resurrection Day".
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with adding a holiday to commemorate a special act of Yahweh in history; Hanukkah and Purim are examples of such festivals that He did not command but did accept, as evidenced by Yahshua's coming to the Temple during Hanukkah (the "Feast of Dedication", John 10). But He forbids us to worship Him in pagan format. (Lev. 20:23; Deut. 12:2-4) The Roman "day of the sun" was just
that.
Some believers may have been remembering the Messiah's resurrection on the first day of each week, but they did not see it as replacing the Sabbath. Nor was it ever commanded in Scripture. Indeed, the popes arrogantly claimed to have made this change in order to prove their authority. But Yahweh clearly says we may not add any universal command to those He has already given. (Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18)
Aren't all days meant to be holy?
"One [man] indeed judges one day to be more important than another day, while another esteems every day..." (Rom. 14:5)
Some take this to mean that all days are equally holy. No Scripture may be interpreted to make it contradict other Scriptures, especially the Torah. (Isaiah 8:20) So this verse must be taken within that framework laid out previously.
The definition of "holy" itself means "set apart", "in a class of its own", or "separate". If every day is "set apart", then in practicality none is, because we cannot stop working every day. We are to be holy every day. But Yahweh has set apart one day of the week to serve as a picture of the thousand-year-long Messianic Kingdom after six "profaned"
millennia. It is one day overtly dedicated to nothing else but Him.
Didn't the Apostles meet on the first day of the week?
"And continuing daily with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their meals with gladness and singleness of heart." (Acts 2:46)
"And daily in the Temple and in every house, they did not cease to teach and proclaim Y'shua the Messiah." (Acts 5:42)
Thus their meetings were not limited to the Sabbath, and they did include the first day, but did not single it out as anything special.
"On the first of the week, when the disciples had gathered together to break bread, being about to depart the next morning, Paul conversed with them... until midnight." (Acts 20:7)
Biblically, a day begins at sundown (Gen. 1:5), so a new week begins at sunset on Saturday. Acts 20:8 says there were many lamps in the place, again meaning it could not be a Sabbath, a day when no fire may be kindled. (Ex. 35:3) However, there is a ceremony just after a Sabbath ends, called Havdallah ("making a distinction"), in which lighting lamps does play a prominent part. So this was really in the wee hours of Sunday
morning.
The only other command regarding the first day of the week was that everyone set aside some money on the first day of the week to prepare for particular collection Paul would take up when he visited. (1 Cor. 16:2) He never says anything about meeting on that day. He probably meant to set it aside as soon as they were paid, in which case it could not have been seen as a Sabbath, since on Sabbath there are to be no financial
dealings.
"...My sabbath... is a sign between Me and the descendants of Israel throughout your generations, so that you might know that I am Yahweh who puts you in a separate category." (Exodus 31:13)
"A sign" here means a token or constant reaffirmation of the relationship, as a wedding ring is used today. Elsewhere when Scripture says, "throughout your generations", it means "forever".
There is a significance in Y'shua's rising from the dead on the first day of the week, but it lies in which week it was. The first day of the week following Passover also bears a special significance that no other "Sunday" during the year does.
The day after the Sabbath following Passover is known as "Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest", when the best of the grain was brought as a tribute to its Provider at the Temple before any of the crop could be eaten. (Lev. 23:9ff) That day was already on Yahweh's calendar for every year, and Yahshua gave it a fuller meaning. But just as the bread and
wine He told us to remember Him by were part of one particular meal (Passover), and not meant to become a separate ritual, that Sunday's meaning does not necessarily carry over to every Sunday!
The Sabbath is a day to assemble for just one of these many "appointments" that Yahweh has made with Israel. (Lev. 23:3) The church originally followed this same calendar, but when the Jews revolted against Rome, many Gentile believers distanced themselves from "Jewish" practices (though they are commanded by Yahweh). The divergence only became more pronounced as many tried to make Christianity distinct from Judaism. But this was not Yahweh's intent. He wanted all who follow Him
to be one community, having the same rules:
"Do not let the son of the foreigner who joins himself to Yahweh say, 'I'm sure Yahweh makes a distinction between me and His people... Everyone who keeps from defiling My Sabbath, and takes hold [and confirms] My covenant, I will even bring him to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer." (Isaiah 56:3, 6-7)
Clearly, Sunday worship has no foot left to stand on, and we have veered from Yahweh's original intent. But He is restoring all things, and keeping the Sabbath is a big part of returning to Him:
"You will rebuild the ancient ruins, raise up the foundations of many generations, and be called 'the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in', IF you turn away... from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy [day] of Yahweh, honorable; and honor him, not paying attention to your own interests..."
(Isaiah 58:12, 13)
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What the Bible
Really Says ABout
GRACE AND THE LAW
What would you think of a baseball team that threw away all the rules? They might be fun to watch, but they certainly wouldn't be playing baseball. Yet this is exactly what some people think Paul meant when He said we were "no longer under the Law". But all his references to the judgment awaiting the "lawless", as well as his own record of continuing to endeavor to attend the festivals and even offering sacrifices (Acts 18:18-21; 21:21-26, etc.) makes it clear that this is not at all what he was talking about.
Paul did nothing against the Law (Torah, Acts 25:8). He remained a Pharisee all his life. (23:6) He told even Gentiles to celebrate the Passover. (1 Cor. 5:8) Yahshua the Messiah Himself said he would again celebrate that feast with us in the Kingdom as well. So anything that either of them said which appears to say the Torah was done away with was only meant to be a fine-tuning of where the heaviest emphasis should be placed. Every Scripture must be interpreted within the parameters set up by the Torah.
(Isaiah 8:20) Otherwise, we make our Creator,Yahweh, appear to contradict Himself.
We are often reminded that "by grace you were saved...not by works, lest anyone should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9) But the very next verse says that Yahweh has prepared particular good works for each of us to walk in! (2:10) Each of us is designed to show never-before-seen facets of who our Creator is. But we must "color inside the lines". The way to prove we love Yahshua is to keep His commandments! (John 14:15)
The Torah's procedural details are the "milk"--the most basic principles we must understand first before we can get to any of the deeper meanings of Scripture. (Heb. 5:12) But many people want to skip right to the meat and forget the milk! Any baby knows that would be disastrous!
It wasn't the Law of Moses as a whole that was nailed to the cross--only the curses it carried. Our success at obeying doesn't get us onto--or even keep us on--the team (the theme of Galatians). Our "Coach" realizes we'll make mistakes in the process. But it's the only way the team can function as a unit. And how hard we try will determine the lineup in the "game" that really matters--Messiah's coming Kingdom--and who gets to spend most of his time on the bench. (Matt. 5:19; 25:28; Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:19)
If anything, Yahshua raised the standard ("But I say unto you...", Matt. 5). With His Spirit in us, we can't be content just to do good deeds outwardly; they must come from the heart. The specifics of Torah are only a few concrete examples of what it means to love Yahweh and one's neighbor as ourselves--attitudes meant to pervade our every action and thought, i.e., the "spirit" (underlying intent) behind the "letter". But the spirit can never be in opposition to the letter. That is the objective standard by which to
"test the spirits".
It's Who We Are
We avoid lawlessness because we are now dead to sin; are we to go back to disobeying Torah just to prove its condemnation has been lifted? (Rom. 6:2) Just as physical laws explain how things work, there are also spiritual laws that teach us how to line up with the only way the spiritual world can operate properly. The New Covenant allows Yahweh's Law to be written on our hearts. What was once outside us, accusing us because we couldn't obey it, can now be inside us--part of us.
But there is another reason the Torah is not just for the Jews. Yahweh promised that Jacob's descendants would become a "congregation of Gentiles". Jacob passed this blessing on to his grandson Ephraim, whose tribe later led the Northern Kingdom's secession from Judah, and became involved in much idolatry, considering the Torah "a strange thing". (Hosea 8:12) These tribes, known as the "House of Israel", departed from the covenant, and became indistinguishably mingled with other nations. But over and over the prophets reiterated that one day Yahweh would nonetheless restore them to the
Covenant.
Over 700 years later the Messiah said He had come "only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel". (Mat. 15:24) So He considers anyone who has responded to His message to be a part of Israel. His "congregation of Gentiles" is identified as the ekklesia, or "called-out ones". Those who left the Covenant are being called out of any paganism into which they were assimilated, and back into the commonwealth of Israel. That means responsibility to the Covenant our ancestors agreed to at Mount Sinai. The
"New Testament" is really a renewal of this Covenant.
We have to think of this "New Covenant" in context of the way the ancient ones worked. If the situation changed for one party, a covenant could be amended. But only what no longer fit would be revised; everything else remained in effect just as before. We do have a different situation since we are in exile. It's not completely possible to live out every aspect of the Torah without a Temple, or even simply outside the Land of Israel. So we have a stopgap; Yahshua more than makes up for the difference. The Apostles also knew it would take time to make the transition back from living like
Gentiles. They decided not to burden us with too much too soon. So they gave only four rules to start with: "Abstain from pollutions of idols, from illicit sexual intercourse, from
things strangled, and from blood..." (Acts 15:20)
But they implicitly expected all returnees to keep learning the rest of the Torah:
"...because from ancient times Moses has those who proclaim him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." (15:21)
In other words, they could learn the Torah lifestyle at a reasonable pace, a little each week, but with a view toward getting to where we no longer need special interim measures.
James, who addresses his epistle to "the twelve dispersed tribes", says the Torah is like a mirror that shows us our "natural face". Though our ancestors forgot their identity, when we look back into the Torah, we can again recognize who we really are--Israel! Paul says that when we look at that mirror, we'll see Messiah's face and begin to look more and more like Him. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Just What is Grace?
So this "age of grace" is like the amnesty granted to an offender. He is allowed to come back home a free man, debts all cleared, but he has to start obeying the laws of his nation again!
Everyday experience tells us that having a few "days of grace" doesn't mean we don't have to eventually pay the rent if you want to live there! That Yahweh overlooks past ignorance and our mis-steps while we learn to walk again is a far cry from permission to totally disregard many of His commands!
"Grace", as used in the Renewed Covenant, is not exemption from Yahweh's requirements, but rather the supernatural provision of power to rise above our natural inability to obey, letting us fulfill the requirements we once found unattainable, just as the law of aerodynamics does not invalidate, but can overcome, the law of gravity.
So the Torah now becomes not our executioner, but our friend. Paul describes it as our tutor. (Gal. 3) When a child grows up, he's no longer punished if he touches the hot stove, but he certainly appreciates the information from a mentor about what will happen to his hand if he does! A truly mature son has learned and internalized the reasons his father's rules are good for him. (Ex. 15:26)
Until All is Fulfilled
The Sabbath and the Festivals mandated in the Torah were given as a "statute forever". If they were annulled, then Yahweh's word was broken. But Yahshua said nothing in the Torah would be abolished until everything was fulfilled. (Mat. 5)
The Festivals are also called "appointments" in Hebrew, and indeed Yahshua kept the first set of appointments that fall during the spring on their very days. He died at the precise moment the Passover lambs were being slain in the Temple. Three days later, He fulfilled the meaning of the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest, becoming the "firstfruits of those who rise from the dead" (1 Cor. 15).
But not all has been fulfilled. There is a second group of festivals that come in the later part of the year, which prefigure the resurrection of the dead, the day of judgment, and the Messianic Kingdom respectively. When we all reach the point of no longer needing any teachers, then and only then will the Renewed Covenant (Jer. 31) be here in its fullness and the old revised.
Some translators have altered the text of Colossians 2:17 to say the Sabbaths, New Moons, and Feasts "were a shadow of things which were to come, while what cast the shadow is the Messiah." But it is actually in the present tense: they "are a shadow of things to come." A shadow still does accurately show the shape of what cast it! It's just not the main point. The commandments are not an end in themselves, but through them Yahweh gives us a fast track, a hands-on way to learn what He wants us to know about Himself.
That's Grace, Not Legalism!
How did "the perfect law of liberty" (James 2:12), which only made David rejoice (Psalm 119), come to be thought of as legalism? "The law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good." The only alternative is slavery again--to our sins. (Romans 7)
Because of the Messiah's blood, Yahweh can mercifully waive the penalty for our once having abandoned His Covenant. So there are no negative aspects of the Law left. In Hebrew, torah means not so much "law" as "teaching" or "instruction"--the way to navigate in an unfriendly world.
It brings "refreshment to our bones" (Prov.3:8). In medieval Europe, those who followed the Torah's purity rituals were not affected by the Black Plague; Jewish soldiers in the trenches did not get the same diseases that uncircumcised men contracted when they could not bathe for weeks on end. Yahweh said the obedient would receive none of the diseases the Egyptians had. (Ex. 15:26)
"His commandments are not burdensome!" (1 Jn. 5:3) They really never have been, though certainly they are a nuisance our more unruly side. "The law" only bears a "police" sense if we respond according to our evil inclination, which opposes it. (Acts 9:5) But we don't need to. We have a good inclination now too. We're free to walk as children of light, since "now we are light". (Ephesians 5:8)
There's nothing legalistic about acting like who you really are!
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What the Bible
Really Says About
HEAVEN
It is a popular belief that those who belong to the Messiah will go to Heaven when they die, and remain there forever. But we need to check every doctrine against Scripture to make sure it is really true. (Acts 17:11)
The first principle of Bible interpretation is to let the Bible interpret itself. The only "Bible" in Yahshua the Messiah's day were the Hebrew Scriptures. What do these foundational writings tell us about Heaven?
"The heaven, even the heavens, are Yahweh's, but the earth He has given to the sons of men." (Psalm 115:16)
So mankind's assigned dwelling-place is earth. In fact, in both Hebrew and Greek, the term for "Heaven" is no different from "sky", although there is mention of a "third heaven" and a "seventh heaven" which do have more of a spiritual or mystical significance.
Yahshua told the repentant thief who was dying beside Him that he would be with Him that same day in Paradise. But He had also said that during the next three days and nights He would be "in the heart of the earth". (Mat. 12:40) He did not ascend to the heavenly altar with His blood of atonement until after the resurrection (John 20:17), so we may surmise that this Paradise where they both went is not in Heaven as such. In Hebrew, what Paradise (pardes) means is an orchard or garden, and in a special sense refers to the
restoration of the Garden of Eden in the Messianic Kingdom. Apparently at death, this man simply "awoke" to find himself in that Kingdom, without having sensed the time lapse in between.
John 3:13 tells us, "No one has ascended into heaven". At least at the time John wrote this, Yahshua was the only man who had ever been in Heaven. No one who had died had gone there.
Yahshua's words at His final Passover (John 14:2) are commonly thought to refer to Heaven:
"In my Father's house are many chambers... I am going to prepare a place for you..." (John 14:2)
(King James says "mansions", but in his day that simply meant rooms, not luxurious homes.)
"The Master Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout... The dead in Messiah shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air, and thus we shall be with the Master forever." (I Thess. 4:16-17).
The main point of "meeting the Master in the air" is that we be "forever with Him". If this is not our motivation, there is no point discussing the finer details. If it is, then wherever He is, whether in Heaven or on earth when He brings we can be with Him forever. And that, not a "mansion" in Heaven, is what really matters.
In Revelation we see holy people from every tribe and tongue and nation being present around Yahweh's throne. But these "clouds" of holy ones also come back with Yahshua to conquer the rebellious nations when He returns to set up His kingdom. So they all end up back on earth, for Yahshua tells us to pray that His Kingdom may come "on earth as it is in Heaven". (Matt. 6:10).
The final state of redeemed mankind is this:
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... And I... saw the holy city--New Jerusalem --coming down from Yahweh out of heaven, like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven say, 'Behold, the dwelling place of Yahweh is with men, and He will live with them, and they will be His people, and Yahweh Himself will be with them, and be their Elohim." (Rev. 21:1-3)
Thus mankind's final dwelling place is on earth. However, there may be a short time when human beings are permitted into Heaven.
An important principle of ancient Hebraic interpretation of prophecy is "That which has been is that which will be." (Ecclesiastes 1:9) In other words, history (especially Israel's) has a direct correlation with what will occur in the end times. One prophecy about Israel in the latter days is that "David My servant will be prince among them." (Ezekiel 34:24; Jeremiah 30:9) Yahshua, being David's descendant, is thus sometimes referred to as "David". So David's reign is a foreshadowing of Messiah's. The first seven years of
David's reign were in Hebron until he was able to move his capital to Jerusalem. This hints that the Messiah will be crowned and begin His reign somewhere other than in Jerusalem.
Immediately after Yahshua said, "In My Father's house are many chambers", He said:
"I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go..., I will come again and receive you to myself." (Jn. 14:3)
These words are taken from the ancient Hebrew betrothal ceremony, the first stage of a marriage. After this, the groom would go away for an undefined period of time (though the approximate time was known) to build a house or otherwise make all the preparations, then return for His bride, usually at midnight and with an element of surprise ("like a thief"), and they would go to the groom's father's house for the actual wedding and enter a special wedding chamber called a kheder, where they would stay for seven days. After that, they would come out and celebrate a feast with the invited guests, then move to the groom's own residence.
A bridegroom was also seen as a king, so the wedding is Yahshua's coronation day as well. Seven days in the kheder suggest that, as with David, the first seven years of His reign will be in "His Father's House", which may mean Heaven. But Yahshua often called Himself the "son of man", so His residence must be on earth.
Where else do we see a seven-year period in prophecy? In the latter part of Daniel chapter 9:
"Seventy weeks [literally "sevens"] are decreed upon your people and your Holy City to restrain the rebellion, to bring an end to sins, ...and to anoint the Holy of Holies. From the issuing of the enactment to return and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 weeks... After the 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off...The people of the Prince to Come will destroy the City and the Sanctuary... Then [the Prince to Come] will confirm the covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will bring a pause in the sacrifice and offering until the consummation..."
After sixty-nine "weeks" (sets of seven years, thus 483 years), the Messiah did indeed do much to accomplish the "end of sin". But the 70th "week" comes after a long pause on the time-clock--just before the consummation of the age. During this final "week" the earth will finally be cleansed of wickedness. As with Noah's ark, Yahweh has set aside a special place of safety for His beloved ones during that time:
"Come, my people, enter your CHAMBERS. Close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until the indignation is past." (Isaiah 26:20)
"Chambers" here is "kheder", telling us that this is the time of a wedding. "Closing the doors" is a major theme in the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement, a "rehearsal" of the final judgment day. The same theme is in Yahshua's parable of the ten virgins. (Matt. 25) "The indignation" is a common synonym for the "birth pangs of the Messiah", this period when men are being pushed to repent before the gates close. But some will not need to
experience the pressure or persecution that others will encounter during that time:
"Because you have carefully guarded My order to remain loyal [without swerving amid great temptations], I will also be careful to keep you away from the hour of testing that is to come upon the whole civilized world to prove the quality of those who dwell upon the earth." (Rev. 3:10)
Just before this, many special blessings are promised to "those who overcome". They are permitted to be forerunners--"the choicest "building materials" for His Temple made of "living stones". (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Cor. 3:10-17)
When it is suspected that someone has leprosy, he is to present himself to the priest. (Leviticus 13, 14) Some are cleared immediately, because it is plain from the start that the symptoms are not those of true leprosy (just as selfishness usually leads to sin, but not always).
Who are they? Those who prior to this time of testing both "have faith and are zealous for the Torah" (Acts 21:20 )--"those who keep the commandments and have the testimony of Yahshua." (Rev. 12:17) In James' words, those who have both faith AND works, not just one or the other. Yahshua said those who really love Him prove it by keeping His commandments. (Jn. 14:15) Those who keep the Torah (instruction given through Moses) and direct others to do so will be called "greatest" in His Kingdom. Those who do not will be called "least". (Matt. 5:19)
If the priest cannot determine if the man in question has leprosy, he assigns him a seven-day, quarantined waiting period. Then a final verdict of "clean" or "unclean" is made. David spoke of teaching "sinners" the ways of Yahweh. (Psalm 25:8; 51:13) These are the fence-sitters whom Yahweh has not yet placed in the category of wicked ones (to be destroyed) or righteous ones (to be salvaged). They are given one last grace period. During these seven years, everyone is prodded to make a final decision to be either "hot or cold". By the end, they must be one or the other:
"Do not [yet] seal up the contents of this prophecy, because the time is at hand: whoever is unrighteous, let him go on being unrighteous; whoever is defiled, let him go on being defiled; whoever is righteous, let him go one being righteous; whoever is holy, let him go on being holy." (Rev. 22:10-11)
For seven years the "five virgins" who were not ready for the bridegroom may be allowed to prove, through much suffering, where their true loyalty really lies. The King will return to Jerusalem and rescue these who prove not to have leprosy after all. Though they missed the wedding, they may at least become servants in His Kingdom--on earth.
So we must conclude that nowhere in Scripture does it say that we will be in Heaven forever. If we go there at all, it is for seven years at most. There are even strong reasons to suspect that the special hiding place for His chosen (the wedding chamber) is an earthly place outside of, but not far from, the Land of Israel. (Daniel 11:41; Rev. 12:13-17; Mark 13:14; Isaiah 35) If so, His Dwelling Place will still be there among them, as in the Tabernacle of old. Indeed, before Yahshua establishes His throne in Jerusalem, the reunited Houses of Israel and Judah will together crown "David" as their common King
in this set-aside place. (Ezek. 37:24; Isaiah 16:1-5)
Then they will not just be in the "Father's house", but will be His Dwelling Place made of "living stones". And THAT is what He desires most.
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What the Bible
Really Says ABout
THE NEW COVENANT
A verse taken out of the context of the whole of Scripture can put the wrong "spin" on what the passage actually means, even making it seem to contradict the rest. Here is a prime example:
"In that he says 'A new covenant', he has rendered the first old. Now what is wearing out and growing old is ready to be destroyed." (Heb. 8:13)
Many misconstrue this to be saying that the "New Testament" conflicts with the "Old". While there are some important differences, this is quite the wrong approach to take. In the original Greek, the word here for "new" means "fresh", in contrast to what is now "lack-luster" in comparison. (2 Cor. 3:7-11.)
But the phrase quoted is from Jeremiah 31 (written in Hebrew), so it is much more fruitful to study the meaning in Hebrew than in Greek. The Hebrew word for "new" is chadashah. Let's look at how this term is used most often:
The "new moon" is called Rosh Chodesh ("head of the month"). Chodesh is related to chadashah, and actually means "renewing one". There is not actually a different moon there each month, but a "renewal" of the same one.
An often-repeated Hebrew prayer found in Lamentations 5:21 says, "Chadesh yamenu k'qedem". Again, the first word shares the same root as chadashah; here it is a verb. The rest of the phrase reads "our days, as of old" or "like the ancient time". If you want something to be "new" in the sense of "never seen before", you hardly want it to be just like something ancient! But "renew our days [to be] like those of old" makes sense. It is another occurrence of the same kind, which fills the same role or position. So B'rith Chadashah can just as properly be translated "Renewed Covenant" as "New Covenant".
Does this hold true in the way ancient covenants actually worked? Yes. In ancient suzerainty treaties, if the situation changed for one party, a covenant could be amended (or renewed) to adapt to the new circumstance. But only what no longer fit would be revised; everything else remained in effect exactly as before.
If a covenant is to be renewed, there must be a prior relationship between the two parties. With whom does our theme verse say the New Covenant is to be made?
"'Behold, the days are coming', declares Yahweh, 'when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah." (Jeremiah 31:31)
It is specifically to be made with both segments or "houses" of Israel! So to even be a participant in the New Covenant, we have to fit one of these categories, Israel or Judah. If we are not, why even bother to argue about covenants that have nothing to do with us? The sins the New Covenant addresses had to have been committed by someone who had been included in the first Covenant.
Once a covenant is violated, it is considered nullified. That's why a replacement was needed: because they had no covenant anymore! The covenant itself was not faulty, but because one of the participating parties, Israel, had broken it, and it could no longer remain in effect and thus had to be renewed. Yahweh had promised certain curses would
come upon Israel if they violated the agreement they'd made with Him.
Two curses in particular were put on the House of Israel (not the Jews, who are Judah, but the Northern Kingdom) in Hosea 1 for having considered Yahweh's Torah (the substance of the Covenant as set down in writing) a "strange thing". (8:12). The first was “no mercy”; the second was no longer being “a people”—an identifiably distinct, unified ethnic group. But...
"The days are coming ...when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of Egypt', but rather, '...who brought the descendants of Israel up...out of all the lands to which He had driven them... I will send for many fishers, and they will fish them out...because My eyes are on all their journeyings; they are not hidden from My presence. But neither is their guilt hidden from My eyes, so first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, for they have defiled my land [with idols].” (Jer. 16:14-18)
The key to this "doubling" is in Ezekiel 4: the prophet lay on his side for 390 days to symbolize the 390 years of punishment the House of Israel had earned. Doubled, it is 780 years. From the final defeat of the Northern Kingdom (722 B.C.), this comes to A.D. 58—just when Paul was setting his sights on the Gentiles. Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) had mixed with the Gentiles (Hos. 7:8). So the focus in Yahshua's sending
"fishers of men" to all nations was for the sake of the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" hidden among them. Others could respond, which is one reason He scattered them. Outsiders have always been able to join in if they keep the Covenant. But then they are no longer Gentiles, but Israel as well.
Being from the tribe of Judah, Yahshua was still in covenant, and was therefore qualified to restore His relatives to the inheritance they had forfeited, according to the laws of the Kinsman Redeemer (Numbers 27:8-11) as illustrated in the Book of Ruth.
"He is the mediator of the new covenant, so that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called might re-ceive the promise of an eternal inheritance." (Heb. 9:15)
So the New Covenant does specifically address those who were party to the first. "Those who are called" refers to those whose "gifts and calling are irrevocable", that is, Israel. (Rom. 11:29)
Yahshua initiated the renewal of the Covenant at His last Passover, and set it on a firmer foundation—the heavenly Altar instead of the earthly copy (Jn. 20:17; Heb. 7-9), and His untainted blood:
"This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matt. 26:28)
So the sentence of "no mercy" was now up. Individuals, descendants of the very tribes who had once been in covenant, but left it, could now be brought back into covenant with Yahweh. This began to happen. The term usually translated "church" really means, "called-out ones".
James addressed his epistle to "the twelve tribes in exile". Some differences in the renewed version of the covenant are there because we are still in exile and cannot do everything quite correctly. But many took advantage of this grace period. Leviticus 26:18 also says that if they would still not obey, Yahweh would not only increase the sentence
seven times. And indeed, the Church eventually forsook the Torah again and created a new religion. Of course, some degree of righteousness has been preserved. But seven times 390 years comes out to 2,520 years, which brings us right up to the present. It's time for the second sentence to be up and for Israel to become a "people"--His unified
group—once again. Only when the House of Israel house is fully regathered from among the Gentiles can He fully ratify that covenant with us as a whole “house”.
A "house" in Hebrew has the sense of being a "household"--a family. Israel broke the covenant "though I was a husband to them.'" (Jer. 31:32) The word for "husband" here is Ba'al—which has the connotation of a taskmaster, an overlord. But "in that day", says Yahweh, "you will no longer call Me 'My Ba'al', but rather 'my Ish'--another way of saying "husband", but a much more affectionate way. (Hosea 2:16) It's the same legal relationship, but the change in perspective makes a world of difference!
Yahweh is again calling out for Israel to not just be "saved", but to become all she is meant to be:
"Listen to me, you who ardently pursue righteousness [what is right], who seek after YHWH! Look back to the rock from which you were quarried... Pay attention to Avraham your father." (Isaiah 51:1-2)
Those who want to take the next step into further righteousness need to recognize that they are Israel. The gateway to each of the Temple's courts, as one went inward toward greater holiness, had the same level of sanctity as the court into which it led. We are on the threshold of the Kingdom, so we need to live according to its higher level of holiness.
The New Jerusalem is entered only through gates bearing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. So to really fulfill our whole calling, we must become Hebrews—“those who cross over” out of “Babylon” (Rev. 18), the "world system" that the Church has so deeply bought into as well. If we belong to Messiah, we have to see ourselves as Abraham's children, not Gentiles. (Gal. 3:29; Eph. 2:11) Yahweh scattered us into all the world,
but has reclaimed us, and will snatch us back out:
"After all these things... you will bring [My commandments] back to mind among all the nations into which Yahweh your Elohim has cast you out, and ...return to Yahweh ...and obey His voice ...with all your heart and all your soul. At that time Yahweh will recover those who were taken away ...and withdraw and assemble you from all the nations into which Yahweh your Elohim has dispersed you... Yahweh your Elohim will
circumcise your heart... so that you will love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and all your soul... You will turn back and listen to Yahweh's voice, and carry out all His commands." (Deut. 30:1-8)
The Torah (the Law of Moses) is the written substance of the covenant that the people of Israel took on as a never-ending agreement with Yahweh:
"This is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel: ...I will put My Law on their innermost parts, and write it on their hearts. No longer will everyone teach his fellow..., saying, 'Know Yahweh', because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Jer. 31:33-34a)
Yahshua said, "Not one stroke of the Torah will pass away until all is fulfilled" (Mat. 5:18), so this new covenant must be another of the same kind. Unless we have gotten to the point yet of needing no one to teach us, the Torah is still in effect. All Scripture must be interpreted to agree with it. (Isaiah 8:20) Yahweh does not change His mind. The
confusion lies in seeing the Torah as a means of justification. But "it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin." (Heb. 10:4) That was never its purpose. Galatians tells us it is meant to be our trainer until we see that Yahweh Himself is really all we need; after that it is to bring us to full maturity:
"Our sufficiency is from Yahweh, Who has also made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit..." (2 Cor. 3:5-6)
The "spirit" behind the letter is what is meant by the Torah being written on our hearts. But we don't therefore forsake the vehicle that got us to that point! When we say something is "on our heart", we mean it preoccupies us. It is all but an obsession! So if the Torah is on our hearts, it hardly can mean it is something we no longer practice! It
means we obey not because we have to, but because we long to.
"I will make a new covenant... not like the covenant that I had made with their ancestors on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--which covenant they broke. (Jeremiah 31:32)
This time the Covenant will not be broken! Let's not leave that privilege only to a later generation.
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