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

Posted on by
4

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

Posted on by
7

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?

Posted on by
5

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!

Posted on by
8

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

Aside

Reply

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.

 

What can YOU do about the child sex trafficking problem?

Posted on by
12

Yesterday I posted a disturbing news article about the horrific problem of child sex trafficking in the U.S. (and around the world). So far no comments have come in to this blog on disturbing story. Either it’s because people don’t care (which I doubt), or people don’t know what to say (I get that), or because people feel helpless to do anything about it (I get that too).

Well, there are some things that YOU can do. Here are my thoughts on this issue. (If you have any more suggestions, please post them in the comments section of this article, and I’ll add them to the list below.)

So what can YOU do about the rampant epidemic for child sex trafficking? Perhaps you don’t think you can do much. But really you can by tending to your own garden. You can begin by sharing the info on this blog (including the previously posted article on child sex trafficking) with those around you.

Chez vous (French for “at your own place”), there’s a lot you can do. As the saying goes, when the world is a mess and you can do much about it, you can sweep your own front porch or tend our own garden. This means strengthen your own family. Keep your marriages strong. Train your children, grandchildren and the other young people in your life in the ways of YHVH. (This is why I wrote and published Torah Explorers—https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/parshiot.html, so that parents would have a free tool to raise up their children in the ways of YHVH).

Here are some more things that YOU can do:

  • Love your children unconditionally—even the prodigals. Be there for them. Stay close to them. 
  • Those of you who are retired, don’t selfishly move far away from your children and grandchildren, so that you can have your “fun in the sun” our whatever. Stay near them, so that you can exercise a godly influence on them and help to raise them.
  • Parents, limit and monitor your kids’ internet time.
  • Throw the television out the window!
  • Don’t give your kids smart phones until they’re older and can handle it.
  • On the settings mode of your children’s computers, set the controls so that porn can’t be viewed.
  • Help your kids to choose righteous friend and know who their friends are.
  • Homeschool your children. This means that one parent may have to stay home and forgo outside employment. You may have to reduce your income and lifestyle a bit by learning to live on one income. This investment in your family will pay off, though! (Try starting a home-based business with your kids and teach them some entrepreneurial skills.)
  • Spend time as a family doing activities together, especially in the out-of-doors.
  • Have regular prayer and Bible reading times with our children or grandchildren.
  • “Adopt” a young person into your family who is troubled or comes from a broken family.
  • The National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) is a 24/7 phone number for victims and survivors of human trafficking. One can call this number with questions or tips, or for help in connecting with law enforcement or with people trained in helping victims. The phone number is 1-888-3737-888. The NHTH website is https://humantraffickinghotline.org.This hotline works in conjunction with and is supported by the US government’s Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS). For more info including victim assistance, training, and other resources go to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/national-human-trafficking-hotline.

    Here are some additional ways you can help stop human sex trafficking: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/about/ways-endtrafficking

 

Addressing the Modern “Gay” Agenda From a Biblical Perspective

Posted on by
6

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 →