Category Archives: Scripture

Scripture Studies

The Torah: the Letter Vs. the Spirit & Blessings Vs. Curses

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Deuteronomy 28:1–68, Blessings and curses for Torah obedience.

Are the curses for Torah disobedience and the blessings for obedience still applicable in the life of the redeemed believer today, or because “we’re now under grace” are these blessings and curses irrelevant to us? Or, as some preachers teach, Christians now only receive the blessings, and not the curses regardless of whether they violate the Torah or not, since Yeshua took away the curse of the law. What is the answer to this question? The short answer is this: Is the law of gravity still in effect if you jump off a cliff? For a further explanation, see my notes at 2 Cor 3:7.

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2 Corinthians 3:7, Ministry of death. Is this a reference to the Torah? If so, which aspects? Just previously in verse six, Paul is speaking about the new covenant and the letter bringing death and the spirit bringing life. What is he referring to here? Is the spirit of the Torah-law all that is applicable to the believer today, and not the letter? If so then why did Yeshua in his Sermon on the Mount excoriate the Jews for keeping the letter and not the spirit of the Torah? In fact, he strongly affirmed that his disciples must keep both the letter and the spirit. To keep only the spirit would be tantamount to saying it’s all right to murder as long as you don’t hate the person, commit adultery as you don’t lust in the process, and so on. It is plain to see that his notion is absurd. Yet this is what many Christians believe. We must keep the spirit, but don’t have to keep the letter of the law, and they will use this passage of Scripture to justify their belief. If this is not what Paul Continue reading →

 

Does the Epistle to the Hebrews  Belong in the New Testament Canon?

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I had to write this article a few years ago because a notable Hebrew roots teacher suddenly began promoting the idea that the Book of Hebrews was an invention of the Catholic Church and didn’t belong in the NT canon of Scripture. So far as I know, this teacher hasn’t recanted of his errant and heretical position to this day. Since then, other Hebrew roots teachers have come out advocating the additions of books to the canon of Scripture (the books of Enoch and Jahser).

This ministry dogmatically holds to the view that the books contained in the Bible as we currently have it is the inspired word of Elohim with no additions or subtractions.

I hope this article helps someone and will strengthen their faith in the Word of Elohim.

[The following is excerpted from a larger work by the same author entitled, “Can You Trust the New Testament Canon as YHVH’s Divine Word?” at http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/nt_canon_full.pdf.]

The Uniqueness of the Bible

The Bible. There has never been any book like it. Its authors included kings and peasants and it was written over a span of 1500 years and 40 generations by 40 authors writing from palaces to jail cells. It was first translated into a foreign language circa 250 B.C. and has since, in whole or in part, been translated into several thousand languages or dialects. It has survived time. Though printed on perishable materials and recopied countless times over the past 2000 years by hand and by press, the main style and message of this book has never changed. The Bible has withstood vicious attacks of its enemies as no other book. Since Roman times, governmental and religious authorities have tried to ban it, burn it and outlaw it, but to no avail. It is still the most widely published and read book of all time (McDowell, pp. 13–24). Why?

Many have willingly given their lives to translate it, smuggle it, distribute it, preach its message or even simply possess a copy of it. Why? More than two billion people on earth today, about one-third of earth’s population claim to be followers of the Bible. Why? Nearly 50,000 people are currently martyred each year for refusing to budge from their faith in the Bible’s message. Why?

The answer is simple. Regardless of the language into which the Bible has been translated, regardless of the liberal or conservative biases of the translators, one thing is certain: The redemptive and salvation message of the Bible always comes through. It is a life-changing message of hope. Why? Because its pages contain words that have the power to change lives dramatically for good, for eternity. Why? Because these words are not the words of men, but of the Creator of men—of YHVH Elohim, the God of the Bible. As such, they carry the full force, power and anointing of divine origination. If not, how else can one explain the biblical phenomena? There is no human explanation for it other than the divine hand of YHVH Elohim has been on the Bible from its beginning until this very moment!

Can We Trust the Bible?

In spite of the impact the Bible has had on the lives of billions of souls over the past 2000 years, a question remains: Can you put your trust in every word contained therein? This is an important question, for if the Bible is correct, then whether you live again or not after your physical death will depend on how you orient your life with respect to the biblical message. So can we trust our lives with the words of Scripture—specifically, the message of Yeshua the Messiah as recorded in the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament)? Are the 27 books which comprise the Apostolic Scriptures in our Bible the true and accurate accounts of the words of Yeshua and his directly commissioned apostles?

In this work we shall see that the 27 books of the Apostolic Scriptures would not have a been acknowledged as being “Canon” if they had not first been recognized by the apostles of Yeshua and the Body of Believers in the first and second centuries A.D. as having the same authority as the earlier Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). And the latter Christian church would not have accepted these books as canon, and subsequently affirmed their canonicity if they had not felt that these books carried the weight of apostolic authority. Period! Yet despite this profound and simple truth, many are beginning to question the authority of the New Testament Canon of Scripture.

A Problem: Some Are Questioning the Bible

The Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) are under fire. Some Messianic/Hebrew roots teachers are currently questioning if the 27 books of the New Testament are all divinely inspired or not. Some are even taking it upon themselves to begin tossing out certain books, such as the Epistle to the Hebrews, from the New Testament canon claiming that it was not divinely inspired and was added later to the canon of Scripture by the proto-Catholic Church. Others claim that the early church fathers “messed” with the original Continue reading →

 

Epistle to the Hebrews: Background, Themes and Outline

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Background of the Epistle to the Hebrews

A debate exists among scholars as to when the Epistle to the Hebrews was written. Some believe it was written just before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, while others maintain that it was written just after 70 AD. This author favors the former position since the author of Hebrews speaks of the sacrificial system in the present tense as if was still functioning (Heb 10:11; 13:10, 11).

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At the same time, the author of Hebrews seems to be addressing the concerns of early believers that without the temple standing and the sacrificial system functioning, there is no longer remission for sins. He assiduously points out how the patterns and prophecies of the Tanakh are pointing to the greater priesthood of Messiah Yeshua in the heavenly tabernacle. As such, the author seems to have in view the destruction of the temple, yet while the temple is still standing.

Perhaps, the author was writing Hebrews in the four-year time period (between 67 AD to 70 AD) when the Romans besieged Jerusalem, then pulled away for one year, then rebesieged and destroyed the city in 70 AD. Or, he may have had in mind the prophecies Yeshua’s gave in his Olivette Continue reading →

 

The Inter-Connectedness of YHVH’s Torah Commandments

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Deuteronomy 27:15–18, The commandments are all inter-conected. To the casual reader, the admonitions contained in these verses may seem to be arranged in a random order, but this is not the case. Consider the following: The prohibition against idolatry (verse 15) is juxtaposed with that of degrading one’s parents (i.e., not honoring one’s parents, or as S. R. Hirsch states in his commentary, “who outwardly is respectful to his parents but inwardly considers himself vastly superior to them”) along with trespassing against one’s neighbor’s property by removing his neighbor’s boundary markers or landmarks.

YHVH's Torah commandments are all inter-related and one is connected to another. You break one, your break them all.

YHVH’s Torah commandments are all inter-related and one is connected to another. You break one, your break them all.

Now consider this: One who does not honor and fear YHVH but turns to idolatry (the second commandments) will not honor one’s parents (the fifth commandment) (and vice versa) will likewise not honor the property of one’s neighbor (including his neighbor’s wife). Juxtaposed next to these commands is the prohibition against misleading a blind person (verse 18). This means that we should not take advantage of his blindness by advising him in a way beneficial to us and to his disadvantage. Juxtaposed to that is one who steals justice from another by perverting judgment against one who is weaker socially or financially or who is less informed at law than another thereby giving the advantage to the stronger (The ArtScroll Davis Edition Baal HaTurim Chumash/Devarim, pp. 2126–2127).

Can you see how each command is interrelated with all the others? Does this give one insight into the curious statement found in James 2:10? We can see that in one way or the other, all of YHVH’s commandments are inter-related, all depend on each other, and they all stand or fall together. Now relate James 2:10 back to verse eight where the entire Torah-law can be summarized as the “royal law of love.”

As you review YHVH’s list of prohibitions in Deuteronomy 27 can you see any other relationships between these juxtaposed concepts?

Learning to exegete (draw truth out of) Scripture in this manner will yield a whole new level of spiritual revelation to the reader.

 

Praise YHVH from the earth!

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This weekend, Sandi and I took a quick little camping trip — our first of the summer — to the north Oregon coast to Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria. We escaped Babylon for some physical and spiritual rest and recuperation.

I was feeling very weary from working long hours during an unusually arduous and hot summer. Needed physical and spiritual refreshment. The fall  biblical feasts are just around the corner, and it’s important to reconnect with Eloihim in a special way. He is the source of inspiration for my teachings, and I needed his help and divine revelation, so I can give his people some fresh manna for the upcoming feasts. I give him the praise that he answered my prayers in this regard during our mini-vacation.

Often I take prayer walks into nature where I sense YHVH’s Presence as I seek his face and attempt to reconnect to him in a special way.

Here are some photos I took during my prayer walks this weekend early on Shabbat morning:

Shabbat morning as the sun is shining through a forest of giant, moss-covered sitka spruces.

Shabbat morning as the sun is shining through a forest of giant, moss-covered sitka spruces.

The sun shining through the trees.

The sun shining through the trees.

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A phalanx of alder trees.

A phalanx of alder trees.

A meadow where the elk graze.

A meadow where the elk graze.

The color of the sunlight becomes more orange as the sun gets higher in the sky.

The color of the sunlight becomes more orange as the sun gets higher in the sky.

I snuck up on an elk grazing in the meadow. You can see him in the shadows at the top center of the photo.

I snuck up on an elk grazing in the meadow. You can see him in the shadows at the top center of the photo.

Worship and praise at our campsite.

Worship and praise at our campsite.

 

Mount Ebal: More Prophetic Shadow Pictures of Yeshua

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Deuteronomy 27:2, 4, 8, Set up great stones. On Mount Ebal on whole, un-cut stones, the Israelites were to write the Torah-law and then coat these stones with lime plaster. Elohim also told them to build an altar there where they were to make burnt and peace offerings.

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Why was the Torah written on stones on Mount Ebal—the mountain of the curses? Why not on Mount Gerizim, the mountain of blessing? Certainly this cannot mean that the Torah is a curse, for Paul calls it kadosh (holy), just and good in Romans 7:12.

What could the stones represent? Who is the Chief Cornerstone, the Stone the builders rejected (Ps 118:22; Matt 21:42; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:20), and the stone cut without hands (Dan 2:34)?

What was the purpose of these offerings and to whom do the burnt and peace offerings point?

Could lime plaster represent robes of righteousness? Who is clothed in robes of righteousness once their sins have been atoned for? (Read Rev 19:7–8 cp. 3:5,18; Isa 61:10.)

Who was wounded for our ­transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, had laid on him the iniquities of us all, and was made an offering for sin (Isa 53:5, 6, 10)?

Who was the Living Torah, the Word of Elohim made flesh (John 1:1,14)?

Who redeemed us from the curses of the law (Gal 3:13), which came upon us as a result of our sinning (sin is the violation of YHVH’s law, 1 John 3:4), and thus bringing a death penalty upon us (the wages of sin is death, Rom 6:23)?

Does it now make sense why the Torah and the altar were placed on Mount Ebal? This is another one of the many prophetic shadow pictures in the Torah pointing to the redemptive work of Yeshua at the cross. Does this strengthen your faith that Yeshua is indeed the Messiah, the Lamb of Elohim slain from the foundation of the earth? Who else could have fulfilled these prophecies?

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 8-30 Through 9-5-15

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Ki Tavo — Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8 (9)* 
Haftarah — Isaiah 60:1-22
Prophets — Amos 9:1-15; Obadiah; Jonah 1:1 – 4:11; Micah 1:1 – 2:13
Writings — 2 Chronicles 1:1 – 8:18
Testimony — Hebrews 3:1 – 9:28

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

* Verse numbers in parenthesis refer to the verse number in Christian Bibles when it differs from the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 8/30 through 9/5/15.