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Scripture Studies

Who is the bride of Yeshua? (Part Two)

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John the apostle in the Book of Revelation (Rev 19:7) says that the wife of Yeshua has made herself ready for him. Who will be the bride or wife of Yeshua?

In a general sense, all redeemed believers are the bride of Yeshua—or more correctly, have the potential to be the bride of Yeshua. Paul assumed this (2 Cor 11:2–3). All redeemed believers are presently betrothed to Yeshua. Yet not all believers will become the wife of Yeshua (Matt 25, the Parable of the 10 Virgins). Some will remain pure and undefiled by being faithful to YHVH’s Torah Word, and others will fornicate with the world by being faithful to some of YHVH’s Torah, but by also following foreign or pagan gods and lovers. Only virgins who have not defiled themselves with “men” (a biblical metaphor for spiritual fornication with the world) will be eligible to be the bride of Yeshua. These are the 144,000 mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Rev 14:4). These are the true saints—the set-apart or holy ones, who adhere to the Torah and to Yeshua the Messiah (Rev 14:12). The church of Yeshua is currently being tested or refined and the wheat and tares are being separated. Yeshua wants a pure bride. Judgment begins first at the “house” of Elohim (1 Pet 4:17).

In conjunction with the end times wrath of Elohim that will come upon this world due to Toralessness are the Elohim’s seven thunders judgments (Rev 10:3–4), which are possibly YHVH’s wrath upon a Torahless bride and world. Leviticus speaks of four sets of seven judgments that would come upon YHVH’s people who turned away from Torah (Lev 26:14ff). Similarly, the book of Revelation reveals that in the end days four series of judgments that will come upon the world. They are the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven thunders, and the seven bowl judgments.

Like the law of the jealous husband who suspects his wife of adultery discussed in the Torah (Num 5:11–31), the faithfulness of all believers will be tested. In the end times, all the saints will go through tribulation and the great tribulation, but only the betrothed bride who is guilty of adultery will go through the wrath of Elohim. Those saints who refuse to walk in Torah and who are guilty of Torahlessness will be rejected of Yeshua because they didn’t know him intimately (Matt 7:21–23). We know YHVH intimately by keeping his Torah-commands (1 John 2:6–7). The wrath of Elohim are the bitter waters that the adulterous bride of YHVH will have to swallow (cp. Num 5:11–31). Like the wife suspected of adultery, all who will follow Yeshua must eat the words of Torah. For those who have been faithful to Torah, which is their marriage vows, Torah is sweet like honey. To those who have not been faithful, the judgments Torah spells out for those not being faithful to the curses for Torah-disobedience will be like bitter waters in their belly. In Revelation 10 (cp. Ezek 2:8–10; 3:1–3), John eats a little book. Is this Torah, which specifies curses that come upon all those who sin by violating it (1 John 3:4)? When we love Yeshua by obeying YHVH’s (John 14:15), they will be sweet like honey to us (Ps 119:103), since we don’t come under the curses they specify for disobedience. Torah-obedience brings blessings in this life and the next life; Torah is life (Deut 30:19), and Yeshua is the Living Torah incarnate (1 John 1:1, 14) and he is life (John 14:6).

At the same time in the last days, there will be a remnant on earth who have heeded the call of Elohim to remember the good ancient paths of Torah (Jer 6:16), and whose hearts have turned back to the fathers of their faith in the end days before the day of YHVH’s wrath and who are remembering Torah (Mal 4:3–6).

Those people who are heeding the call of Elohim through his Spirit to return to the ancient paths are those who have turned back to the biblical Hebraic faith and have reconnected to spiritual root of Israel—to the spiritual fathers of their faith. They’ve rediscovered their tribal and spiritual identity as grafted in (Rom 11:11–32), as redeemed, one new man and non-Gentile Israelites (Eph 2:11–19)—as the Israel of Elohim (Gal 6:16). These saints have chosen to begin living like Israelites. They understand the Jewishness of Yeshua and want to be Jewish like him and pleasing to him (John 14:15). They want to know YHVH more deeply by keeping his commandments (1 John 2:3–6), and they are putting on robes of righteousness, which is Torah-obedience (Rev 19:6–7)

These end time saints are part of the John the Baptist, Elijah forerunner generation of royal Melchizedek priests under Yeshua (1 Pet 2:9; Heb 7), and kings in training who are helping to prepare the way for Yeshua.

They saints are the wise virgins who have awakened with oil in their lamps. Oil represents Torah and the anointing of YHVH’s Spirit. Without the Torah and the anointing of YHVH’s Spirit in our lives, there will be no Torah-light.

These called out ones have left off their lukewarm, deaf, naked and blind ways of a Torahless and Laodicean lukewarm church and have opened the door to the real Jewish Yeshua to come into their lives; they have exchanged a paganized, Greco-Roman Jesus for their the real Hebraic Yeshua. To be the bride of Yeshua, you must truly know him, not merely know about him through the eyes of a cultural Christianity, Christo-pagan paradigm.

The bride of Yeshua will fit the definition of the end time saints: They will be Torah observant and have the faith of Yeshua (Rev 12:17; 14:12).

Scripture likens redeemed believers to a virgin (2 Cor 11:2). Some believers are wise virgins, and some are foolish virgins (Matt 25:1–13). There will be different levels of rewards in the kingdom of Elohim; some of the virgins will be least in the kingdom and some will be the greatest in the kingdom depending on their Torah-obedience level (Matt 5:19). Which one are you? 

 

Who is the bride of Yeshua? (The answer many surprise you!)—Part One

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What does the Bible say about the spiritual bride of Yeshua the Messiah? Many biblically informed The Messiahians believe that all who are “saved” will automatically become the bride of the Messiah. Is this what the Bible really teaches? In Matthew 5:19, Yeshua reveals that there are levels of rewards in his eternal kingdom based on one’s good works relating to Torah-obedience. Some saints will be the least in his kingdom and some will the be the greatest in his kingdom. How does this relate to who will be the bride of Yeshua and who will not be the bride? In this article, we will discuss these issues and attempt to answer these questions.

Yeshua Will Marry Someone When He Returns

In his Parable of the Wedding Feasts, Yeshua makes clear prophetic allusions to his upcoming marriage to his spiritual bride. 

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son… (Matt 22:2)

The Saints Are the Bride of Yeshua

Who is the spiritual bride of Yeshua? Both the Tankah (Old Testament) and the Testimony of Yeshua (the New Testament) speak of people of Elohim marrying YHVH.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of The Messiah; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto Elohim. (Rom 7:4)

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to The Messiah. (2 Cor 11:2)

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of Elohim. (Rev 19:7–9)

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know YHVH. (Hos 2:19–20, see verses 14–23 for context)

Here Hosea is speaking about a future event where YHVH will regather lost and scattered Israel into the land of Israel make a marriage covenant with them where they will be his people and he Continue reading →

 

From Messy Antics to the Dance of Lovers—The Eight Phases of Coming Out of Spiritual Babylon—the Church

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Alone in a Dark, Strange House

Have you ever found yourself groping and stumbling around in a totally dark, strange house without a light? Many people who have left the mainstream church system with some vague notion of returning to the Hebrew roots of their faith find themselves in such a house. Welcome to the house of Messianic or the Hebrew Roots Movement!

Many of us have been in this spiritual house asking ourselves questions like: Where are we? Where are we going? What’s next? Who’s out there? Am I alone? 

Shifting from a traditional church-system paradigm and lifestyle to that of that of a more first century or Hebraic one as modelled by the early believers in the Book of Acts and Apostolic Epistles isn’t an easy to do. Perhaps knowing the transition zones or spiritual growth stages most of us will go through might be like someone handing you a flashlight in that dark house. Even a little light on the subject might save your toe from getting stubbed and keep you from doing a nose plant on the floor! Not only that, knowing the stages most people inevitably go through when making the transition from a traditional Sunday Christian orientation to a Torah-pursuant one just might…

  • help us to stay on course spiritually, so that we won’t get stuck in one stage of spiritual development and fail to move to the next stage.
  • help leaders to see where people are at in their path to spiritual maturity, and help them to move to the next level.
  • help those who have advanced through these stages to be gracious and helpful to those who have not yet done so.

Here are the stages, as I see them. Each one’s personal experiences may vary a little, and the order of the steps may be slightly different for each person, but I think that most of us can relate Continue reading →

 

What Paul’s view on circumcision?

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Acts 16:3, Circumcised him. Evidently circumcision or uncircumcision wasn’t an issue for Paul. He had Timothy, who was half Jewish, circumcised, but not Titus who was non-Jewish (Gal 2:3). Both men were elders and teachers in the assembly of believers. Both men as Torah-obedient individuals would have kept the biblical feasts including the Passover, which according to the law of Moses required all men to be circumcised. 

To have Timothy, who was half Jewish, circumcised was more expedient for the preaching of gospel to the Jews, so as not to be a stumbling block to the Jews who had a high view of circumcision. This type of circumcision was acceptable, since it was not done as a salvation requirement for Timothy.

Now let’s discuss the Torah requirement that all male children be circumcised on the eighth day (Lev 12:2–3) and males keeping Passover be circumcised (Exod 12:48). Is physical circumcision now irrelevant, or was Paul rejecting the Torah on this issue?

First, in Ezekiel’s descriptions of the presumed millennial temple, all men entering that temple will be circumcised both in flesh and heart (Ezek 44:9). In YHVH’s eyes, those entering it who are uncircumcised are defiling it (v. 7). Obviously, to YHVH, physical circumcision is a holiness issue, though not a salvational issue (as the Jerusalem counsel ruled in Acts chapter 15). So there is still a place in YHVH’s spiritual economy for physical circumcision. Physical circumcision (in addition to heart circumcision) shows a higher level of obedience and holiness, not a lower level of obedience on a person’s part.

Second, the law of Moses stipulates that all men be circumcised in order to keep the Passover (Exod 12:48). 

Though slightly tangential to this brief discussion on circumcision, knowing the following history is essential to understanding the contextual background of the biblical commands on circumcision and how they relate to us today. Suffice it to say, the law of Moses (as opposed to the greater Torah or the eternal principles thereof) was the administrative arm of the greater Torah that pre-existed the written Torah, which the Bible refers to as “the law of Moses.” The latter was like a constitution that governed the physical nation of Israel. The law of Moses or the written Torah contained rules and guidelines needed for a nation to function properly. This included a complete legal code with penalties, a judicial system, an educational system, a religious system, a taxation system, laws regulating health and hygiene, agricultural laws, civil laws and more. All of this was administered by the priests and tribal elders of that nation. 

For the nation of Israel to protect its spiritual and physical integrity, Moses had to protect it from foreign or pagan defilement (like spiritual pathogens), which, if allowed entrance, could potentially lead to Israel’s apostasy and demise. The requirement to be circumcised in order to fulfill the Passover requirement was part of the law of Moses’ legal code for Israel, but was not a requirement of the greater Torah. Thus Paul in not making circumcision a legal requirement was appealing to the greater or higher requirements of the Torah where heart circumcision was the real issue. 

Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. (Deut 10:16)

And YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deut 30:6)

At this point, please recall Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount teaching, where he brings the letter and spirit of the YHVH’s Torah-law together, and teaches that it is necessary to obey both (Matthew chapters five through seven). Paul’s seeming inconsistency with regard to whether men should be circumcised or not may be due to the fact that he was focusing less on the legal requirements of the law of Moses, which was the administrative subdivision of the Torah, and which was enacted to keep the legal, spiritual and cultural integrity of that nation intact, and more on the greater and over-arching eternal principles of the Torah. In other words, the law of Moses (the Torah in a codified form with laws specifically addressing the needs of that physical nation in that time and place) and was Israel’s constitution. Here and by contrast, Paul is focusing more on the greater Torah or the eternal principles of the Torah that pre-existed Moses, than the written law of Moses. Moreover, when Paul came along, Israel was no longer a sovereign, physical nation that ruled itself, but a spiritual nation. It, therefore, was unable to follow all the specific legal requirements of the law of Moses (e.g., the implementation of the death penalty). Timothy being half Jewish and Titus being non-Jewish were both from Greek nations within the Roman Empire, and so some of the strict legal aspects of the law of Moses (e.g., circumcision for Passover and being cut off from Israel for not keeping Passover) could not and did not have be applied as long as the greater and more important principles of Torah (i.e., circumcision of the heart) were being kept.

 

Acts 15 Explained—It’s not what you’ve been taught!

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Acts 15:1, Custom of Moses. This “custom of Moses” is based on Exodus 12:48, where the law required that all males to be circumcised before being allowed to partake of Passover. In other words, be part of Israel, one had to become circumcised and observe the Passover and all Israel was required to do so (Exod 12:47). Foreigners were forbidden from keeping the Passover (Exod 12:43) until they were circumcised. From this, the Pharisees of the first century got the idea that circumcision is a prerequisite for salvation. In opposition to this false concept, Paul points out in Romans chapter four that Abraham was justified by faith, not by the rite of circumcision. After all, Abraham come into a relationship with YHVH 24 years before being circumcised. Therefore, the custom of circumcision as a prerequisite for inclusion within the nation of Israel was merely a physical requirement to be part of a physical nation. It is, however, not a requirement to be part of the spiritual nation of redeemed Israel or, as Paul calls it, the Israel of God (or Elohim, Gal 6:16), of which the saints are a part. Circumcision wasn’t a requirement for Abraham to be saved, and it isn’t a requirement for us to be saved either, again, as Paul points out in Romans chapter four. The custom of Moses requiring Israelite men to be circumcised was necessary in order to protect the sanctity and integrity of the physical nation of Israel from foreign and pagan influences and was not prior to or subsequent to the physical nation of Israel intended to be a prerequisite for eternal salvation as Paul, again, makes clear in Romans chapter four.

Acts 15:10, Yoke on the neck. Many Christian commentators teach that Peter is making a reference to the Torah when he speaks of a yoke being put around the neck of the people of Israel meaning that Torah-observance was an impossibility. Yet, Moses told the Israelites that Torah-obedience wasn’t impossible (Deut 30:11–14), and that it would be a source of life to them (v. 19), and would be a source of wisdom and Continue reading →

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 4-28 Through 5-4-19

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Achrei Mot — Leviticus 16:1 – 18:30 
Haftarah — Ezekiel 22:1-19
Prophets — Isaiah 62:1 – 66:24; Jeremiah 1:1 – 2:37
Writings — Job 13:1 – 19:29
Testimony — Acts 19:1 – 22:30

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.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 4/28/19 through 5/4/19. This week is the first week of seven complete weeks of the count of the omer.

 

Addressing the Modern “Gay” Agenda From a Biblical Perspective

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Leviticus 18:22, You shall not lie with mankind. (Also Lev 20:13) Some modern proponents of homosexuality claim that this verse, which has traditionally been taken to mean that the Bible prohibits homosexuality actually is speaking of cultic prostitution. The LXX clears up this misinterpretation when it describes the sin in question by saying, literally: as a man having sex with a man as he would a woman (kos an koimethe meta arsenos koithen gnaikos).

What the Bible Has to Say About Being “Gay”

Today I looked at the headlines of a number of major internet news sources (as I do every day). These included both conservative and liberal news outlets as well the major mainstream media outlets along with some smaller, yet respectable news networks. I was amazed at how many headlined stories relating to “gay” issues I found. Some news sites actually had several stories on their front pages on the subject. This phenomenon is no longer a unique occurrence. 

The fact is that even though homosexuals make up a tiny minority of the population, they get a disproportionate amount of news coverage. Whether the “gay” agenda is being pushed on the majority of Americans who are heterosexual or not by a vocal and powerful minority isn’t the issue. Rather, it’s that “gay rights” is a front and center issue in America’s culture war pitting the clash of traditional Christian values with the post-Christian, more morally loose, modern generation. 

It’s obvious to see that government at all levels along with the public educational system, the major media and the entertainment industry are actively forcing homosexuality as a normative and acceptable behavior on the American people. Those trumpeting the homosexual cause have as their weapons punitive so-called antidiscriminatory laws, the threat of lawsuits as well as boycotts and other means of exerting social pressure. In their cross hairs are any who oppose them including organizations, businesses, churches, schools, or individuals who dare oppose them. Already, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have caved in to the pressure. The traditional family is being redefined by homosexual activists, as well as the concepts of “male” and “female.” Restrooms and locker rooms are now the new battlefield for those wanting to erase the lines between the sexes. Regardless of one’s stand on homosexuality, we have to deal with it. Ignoring this issue isn’t an option!

With the current lay of the cultural landscape in mind, I would now like to express my views on the subject of homosexuality from a loving, yet solid biblical position.

What the Bible Says About Homosexuality

It was the opinion of the early apostles at the first Jerusalem council to establish minimal requirements for those being given the right hand of church fellowship. Those who failed to meet those basic standards were excluded from participation in church life. This was the case with those living in all sexual sin including homosexuality (Acts 15:20). 

Exclusion may not be a popular notion in our day where “inclusiveness” as part of the political Continue reading →