How to “Go ye therefore…”

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Matthew 28:19–20, Go therefore. What were Yeshua’s final instructions to his disciples before his return to heaven? This portion of Scripture is commonly called, the Great Commission and is found in Matthew 28:19-20. Do we find here any clues to Yeshua’s view toward the Torah as to what his expectations were of his disciples? Here Yeshua instructs his disciples (that includes you and me) to:

Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Set-Apart Spirit: teaching them to observe [keep, preserve, hold fast] all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amein.

It is clear from this text that Yeshua, a Jewish rabbi (Matt 26:25, 49; Mark. 9:5; 10:51; 11:21; 14:45; John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26, 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8), expected his disciples to follow, teach accurately and spread his teachings (the good news of the kingdom of Elohim) to the world. In the religious culture of first century, Judaism disciples (talmudim) were expected to teach exactly what their Torah teachers had taught them. This is no different in our day when students enroll in a denominational Bible college or seminary, receive ordination and are then sent out into the mission field in the name of that denomination. The students are expected to carry forth the unique teachings and doctrines of that denomination. If they do not, they will either be reprimanded and expected to realign their teachings with the denomination’s official position. If they refuse to do so, that denomination will discharge them from their duties and defrock them.

Likewise, Yeshua expected his disciples to teach the nations to “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” In fact, in Acts 1:8 Yeshua said to his disciples that, “You shall be witnesses unto me” to the whole world. This was their mission and assignment. Yeshua, as did all Jews of his era, spoke Hebrew, and maybe even Aramaic. The word for “commanded” (Matt 28:20) as in “whatsoever I have commanded you …” in the Hebrew would be the word tsavah from which the word mitzvah or commandment (as in Torah commandments) derives. If Yeshua were speaking Hebrew, mitzvah or mitzvot (plural)would have been the same word used in Matthew 5:19 where Yeshua says, “whosoever breaks one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven …” (emphasis added). The word mitzvah in Hebraic religious thought is a clear reference to the Torah commandments of YHVH in the books of the Law of Moses. David uses the term mitzvah (in its plural form mitzvot) numerous times in Psalm 119 equating it with the Torah-law of Elohim as given to Moses and the children of Israel. It was these same commandments (mitzvot) that Yeshua stated in the Sermon on the Mount that he told his disciples to “think not” that he had come to destroy,, that he taught would never pass away as long as heaven and earth stood, that he said whoever would break one of the least of them and teach men so would be called least in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever would keep them and teach men so would be called the greatest in the kingdom. It was these same commandments that Yeshua commissioned his disciples to teach and observe, to keep, hold fast and preserve.

Even in his final word to his disciples before his death, Yeshua commanded his disciples to adhere to the Torah and to convey to those who would follow them the same message.

Can there be any doubt as to what Yeshua’s view of the Torah was, and what his expectations were for his disciples in this regard? How is it that the church has diverged so greatly from the fundamental teachings of Yeshua and his disciples when so many teach that he and his disciples came to “do away with the law?” It has been admitted, by even some in the church, that Christianity is not the religion of Jesus or Yeshua, but rather the religion about the Person of Jesus or Yeshua. For Christianity to be fully the religion of Yeshua and his early disciples, it would have to uphold that obedience to the Torah’s standards of righteous living is a requirement of Christians today.

The Great Commission: The ABC’s of Gospel Evangelism

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No man can redeem his brother from sin except Yeshua!

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Psalm 49:7, None…can…redeem his brother. In that all men are of equal value before Elohim, a man can’t redeem his brother from the penalty of sin, which is death. One can only atone for his own sins by dying, and once dead, there is no more possibility of living, since the wages of sin is death. So there is no possibility of a man atoning for his own sins, much less those of another; this verse makes this truth clear. 

Even if a man could live a sinless life, he could at best save only one other individual—that is, give his life in exchange for only one other sinner. Only Yeshua who was the Creator of all humans life (Col 1:16; Heb 11:3) could exchange his sinless life for all humanity, since common logic tells us the one who creates something is of more value than the sum total of all that he creates. This is why verse eight states that the redemption of men’s souls is costly, since it cost the life of the Son of Elohim, the Creator of all things. Only this costly sin sacrifice could redeem men from the pit of the grave and give men the gift of eternal life (verse nine).

Another point to consider in this discussion is that since Yeshua was born of a virgin and not of the seed of man, his nature wasn’t polluted or defiled by Adam’s sin nature. If he had not been born of a virgin, this would have disqualified him from being the perfect and blemish-free Passover lamb sin offering for the remission of men’s sins before the judgment seat of Elohim. Since the life of man is in his blood (Lev 17:11), and man’s blood was defiled by Adam’s sin nature, and since Yeshua’s blood didn’t derive from man, but from his Father in heaven, Yeshua’s blood was acceptable to a holy Elohim as the required atonement for the redemption men’s souls (Lev 17:11 cp. Isa 53:10). No man except Yeshua has ever met these criteria, thus no man other than Yeshua is qualified to atone for another man’s sin. 

Because Yeshua was the blameless and sin-free Passover lamb, those who spiritually identify and unite with his atoning death through faith and the ritual of baptism for the remission of sins can now be presented as blameless as well before Elohim in heaven (Col 1:21–23).

 

Jacob’s Ladder: Prophetic Pictures and Symbols Relating to the Torah-Gospel

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Jacobs dream of a ladder to heaven is full and overflowing with a grand message relating to the gospel message including the relevance of Torah, Yeshua the Living Torah-Word of Elohim, what the believer’s spiritual walk should look like, the way to the Father in heaven and the regathering of the tribes of Israel in the last days and much more.

I have posted articles and videos on this amazing dream many times in the past. Here are some links to those past teachings. Even if you’ve studied my teachings before, it’s worth reading them again, since they’re so full of faith-inspiring truths and spiritual nuggets that makes the Bible come alive. Enjoy!

Video: Understanding the Prophetic Mystery of Jacob’s Ladder and the Gospel
Jacob’s Ladder Explained—YHVH’s Plan of Salvation from Genesis to Revelation
 

More Spiritual Bon Bons: Carol’s Biblical Quips, Puns, Aphorisms and Worplays (Part 2)

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Those of you who follow the comments section of this blog are already very familiar with Carol, who comments under the email sobriquet of JesusAntibodies. She is one of our most prolific commenters, for which we are grateful. She adds life and passion to our blog.

For a long time, many of us have been greatly amused and edified by her biblical witticisms and wordplays. At first I didn’t think too much about it. But the more I read them, the more I realized that many of them are downright brilliant! I believe that her ability to come up with truths and put them into aphorisms is a gift from Elohim. Thank you Carol, and all praise be to our Father in heaven for your giftedness.

It’s time for Carol’s sayings to be shared far and wide for the glory of Elohim and the edification of the body of Yeshua!

Recently I asked her to make a list of her terse sayings. She informed me that she had 40 pages of them! Overwhelmed, I asked her to send me some of her favorite ones to share with the multiple thousands of people who read this blog every week. Below is the first installment.

  • When I was smart, it was Him, not me. When I was stupid, it was me, not Him.
  • What’s that you said? He’s not coming? No, you’re not going!
  • Your heartbeat: that’s Him knocking. Will you let Him in?
  • When He closes a door, not even water can get in (think Noah’s ark).
  • There’s a reason He didn’t put our eyes on the back of our heads. How would we see over that hump?
  • Pray the answer; He already knows your question.
  • Well done good and faithful (bond) servant? I’m “AUL” in!
  • Genesis 1:1-3/ E=MC2.
  • First comes the netzering, then the engagement ring, then the wedding ring.
  • Kingredients
  • The Word of God changes? EVERYTHING!
  • Some people just want the inheritance and not the responsibility that comes with it.
  • Adam and Eve’s last name was Gardener. If Yeshua Messiah had a last name it would be Davidson!
  • You’re one in a minyan!
  • His moedim are His appointed times. Don’t disappoint Him!
  • Evening and morning equal one day. He takes us out of the darkness and into the light every day.
  • How will we know what love is, if we don’t know Who Love is?
  • Solomon said that there’s nothing new under the sun, but O, above the sun is the Son and He makes all things new!
  • If you take the “t” (the cross) out of the word “immortal” it becomes immoral.
  • It’s not enough to believe in Elohim. You must believe Elohim.
 

Blog Scripture Readings for 12-1 Through 12-7-19

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Parashat Vayetzei — Genesis 28:10 – 32:3 (2)*
Haftarah — Hosea 12:13 (12) – 14:10 (9)*
Prophets — Judges 18:1 – 21:25; 1 Samuel 1:1 – 3:21
Writings — Psalms 48:1 – 55:23
Testimony — Matthew 28; Mark 1:1 – 4:19

Our new annual Scripture Reading Schedule for 2019-2020 with daily readings is available to download and print. If you are still working through 2018-2019’s Scripture Reading Schedule, the link will still be available on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links”. If you are using a mobile device or tablet, the link may be below, meaning you’ll need to scroll down instead.

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 or the “share your thoughts” box 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 English Bibles when they differ from Hebrew Bibles or the Tanakh.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 12/1/19 through 12/7/19.

 

Was Yeshua crucified on a cross, a stake or something else?

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Whenever I post this article, it engenders a lot of heated, passionate debate. Often there is more heat than light in the responses. Hopefully, the following article will add light to the discussion as to whether Yeshua was crucified on a cross or not.

Whether you agree with me or not really doesn’t matter in the final analysis, for this is not a salvational issue. What is a salvational issue, though, is whether you have believing faith that Yeshua died for YOUR sins, and have YOU repented of those sins and accepted Yeshua as YOUR Master and Savior and are willing to stop sinning and live YOUR life in accordance with his Word? Make no mistake, this the most important thing in this discussion!

Matthew 27:40, The cross.For a discussion of the meaning of the Greek word stauros and the pagan connotations of the cross, see The Companion Bible (appendix 162).

A t-Shaped Cross Vs. an I-Shaped Cross Discussed

Stauros, the Koine Greek word for cross, like most words in all languages, has several meanings. To arrive at the true meaning of a word, we can’t just look at the first meaning in a list of dictionary definitions or choose the meaning that best suits our personal biases or theologies.

Too determine which dictionary definition of a word best applies to a particular word in a literary situation, we must consider all the meanings of a word and then look at the context of the literature in which the word is found, and then choose the meaning that best fits.

Even then, well meaning people will have differences of opinions on this (e.g. The Companion Bible, by E.W. Bullinger, appendix 162). This is the dilemma that scholars who translate literary documents from one language to another face. This is the case with the Koine Greek word, cross, which is found in the NT some 32 times.

Stauros literally refers to “an upright, pointed stake used for fencing or in the construction of a stockade.” It can also refer to a torture instrument, or a cross on which the Roman’s executed criminals. A stauros came in several basic forms: a vertical upright, pointed stake, or an upright stake with a crossbeam resembling our capital letter “T” or our small letter “t”, or it consisted of two intersecting beams of equal length like our letter “X”. Due to the sign that was attached to the top of Yeshua’s torture stake, it seems that his cross was shaped like a “t”; that is, the upright stake projected above the cross beam thus giving the Romans a place to attach the sign (The TDNT, vol 7, p. 572; International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol 1, pp. 826-827).

The reasons that I lean toward the idea that Yeshua was crucified on a t-shaped cross are several. As noted above, such a cross gave a place for the Romans to attach their sign (Mattt 27:37, Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38, John 19:19).

Additionally, more than one nail was used in Yeshua’s hands to attach him to the cross (John 20:25). The use of two nails would have been more necessary had the cross been t-shaped as opposed to an upright stake.

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“Be still and know that I am Elohim…”

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Psalm 46:10, Be still and know. The word still means “to sink down, relax, withdraw, be quiet, let go.” This concept of how to hear the voice of Elohim reminds us of Elijah’s cave experience (1 Kgs 19:12). The voice of Elohim was still and small (1 Kgs 19:11–12). It was not in the rushing wind or the earthquake. The prophet heard Elohim only when things got quiet, so that he could he hear the voice of Elohim. 

There is a great lesson in this when we’re trying to hear from YHVH. Namely this. Turn off the phone, television and computer when you want to hear from Elohim. In other words, get a way and alone from it all. This is because the cares of this life are like weeds that choke out the Word of Elohim as Yeshua taught in the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:22). Get alone (away from other people) when you want to connect with Elohim (Luke 18:13–14). Vacate to some quiet and secluded place outdoors as Yeshua did numerous times (Matt 4:1; 14:23; 26:36; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12; John 6:15), where you’ll shielded from outside distractions. 

How many times have we heard of people receiving divine revelation while in the shower, early in the morning hours or at some other time when they’re relaxed, alone and quiet? Perhaps this has happened to you. This is because our Father in heaven says, “Be still and know that I am Elohim.”