Tag Archives: Yeshua

A Virgin Will Conceive…

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Isaiah 7:11, A sign … either in the depth, or in the height above. Sign is the Hebrew word owth (Strong’s H226) meaning “sign, token, signal, a beacon, a monument, evidence, prodigy or omen.”

Traditionally, Christians have viewed this passage along with the following verses as a prophecy concerning the Messiah would be born of a virgin.

Some who are opposed to the virgin birth interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 will say that owth is never used in Scripture in reference to a miraculous sign. To the contrary, there are numerous examples in the Scriptures where owth is indeed used in reference to a miraculous sign (e.g., Exod 4:8, 9, 17, 28, 30; 7:3; 8:23; 10:1, 2; Num 14:22; Deut 4:34; 6:22; 7:19; 11:3; 2 Kgs. 20:8–11; Neh 9:10; Isa 20:3; Jer 32:20, 21). For example, owt describes such supernatural occurrences as rods becoming serpents, the Nile turning to blood, the death of the Egypt’s first born, the splitting of the Red Sea or time moving backward ten degrees on Hezekiah’s sundial. So when Isa 7:11–14 uses the word owth to describe a virgin miraculously giving birth to a child, such an interpretation is not a biblical hermeneutical twist on this scripture.

The word depth is the Hebrew masculine noun aymek (Strong’s H6009 from H6010) meaning “valley or depression.” This same Hebrew word in its adjective form (same spelling, different vowel points) refers to the depths of sheol or hell (Prov 9:18; Job 11:8). In Psalm 139:15, David in reference to his formation in his mother’s womb (verse 13) says, “I … was curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth (Heb. aretz). Aretz (Strong’s H776) is the commonly used word for earth or land in Scripture. A valley or depression is the lowest part of the earth. Here David figuratively likens his mother’s womb to a low place or depression in the earth. Though the Hebrew words for depth in Isaiah 7:11 and lowest parts in Psalm 139:15 are different, the Hebraic concepts seem connected and analogous.

Height is the Hebrew word gabahh (Strong’s H1361) and means “to soar, to be lofty, to exalt.” This root word in its adjective form is also gabahh (Strong’s H1362) with the only difference between the two words being a slight vowel pronunciation difference in the second syllable. This word means “lofty or high.” We see this adjective used in Job 35:5 as a poetic reference to heaven (Heb. shamayim) as well as in Isaiah 55:9; Psalm 103:11 (“For as the heaven/shamayim is high above the earth …” or “according to the heights of heaven” (alternate Hebrew rendering, KJV marginal notes).

Above, which is opposite the word height in the passage under analysis, is the word ma’al (Strong’s H4605) meaning “upward, above, overhead, from the top, exceedingly.” Thus, the phrase in this verse could be rendered as highest heaven (where YHVH abides). The word ma’al can be used as an adjective to refer to heaven above where YHVH dwells (Deut 4:39; Josh 2:11).

What is the point we are trying to make here? YHVH prophesies, through Isaiah, that he will give a supernatural, miraculous sign to the house of Judah from both the depths (or womb of a woman) and the highest heavens. In verse 14 Isaiah speaks of the (the Hebrew uses the definite article the) virgin or the young maiden (depending on your Bible translation) giving birth to a son named Immanuel meaning “El With Us.”

Now great controversy has raged as to the meaning of the word virgin (Heb. almah). Does it refer simply to a young maiden or to an actual virgin? Much has been written by scholars on both sides of this hotly debated issue and it is outside the scope of this work to deal with this particular subject. Both sides (the pro-virgin birth side and the anti-virgin birth of Messiah side) have valid points to their credit. This author maintains that if Isaiah 7:14 were to stand alone, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove the virgin birth of the Messiah either way. However, with the context of verse 11 considered (not to mention the other references in the Tanakh referring to the virgin birth of the Messiah (e.g., Gen 3:15; Isa 9:6–7; Pss 2:7; 110:1–7), it seems that Isaiah had one thing in mind in penning verse 14: the Messiah would be born of a virgin. He would be formed in the womb of a woman (without the seed of a man (see Gen 3:15) and at the same time would originate from the highest heaven. This seems to be a clear reference to the incarnation, that YHVH would miraculously fuse (by the Spirit of Elohim [Matt 1:20]) with the physical egg of a woman to form the Yah-Man (God-Man) referred to in Christian theology as the incarnation or the hypostatic union.

 

Are you a spiritual “cannibal?”

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John 6:54, Flesh…blood. This is a Hebrew idiom for “the whole person” (see Matt 16:17; 1 Cor 15:50; Gal 1:6; Eph 6:12; Heb 2:14). This relates to Moses’ instructions that “man shall not live by bread alone…but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH” (Deut 8:3).

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This applies to Yeshua who was that Word of Elohim who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1 and 14). When one puts their faith in Yeshua (John 6:29 and 5:24), then one must also believe him—that is, not only accept him as the Son of Elohim and one’s Savior, but also follow and obey (or “eat”) him who is the Living Manna-Word of Elohim from heaven.

This involves believing his words by loving him and keeping his Torah-commands (John 14:15, 23 cp. Exod 20:6), which are his literal words. This is why YHVH instructed the Israelites to eat the whole Passover lamb, and to leave nothing left over (Exod 12:10).

This teaches us that we are to “eat” all of Yeshua—his whole Person as represented by the bread and the wine at communion on Passover. We are to accept the totality of his Word, not just the parts that suit us, or fit with our conventional religious viewpoints as per the traditions of men.

Many claim to eat all of his flesh and drink all of his blood, yet through their anti-Torah theologies they rip pages out of their Bibles and toss them into the spiritual trash can claiming it is for the Jews and not for them.

This is exactly what Adam and Eve did when they listened to the serpent’s lies at the tree of knowledge and rebelled against YHVH’s clear commands. The Bible defines sin as violating the words, commands or Torah of Elohim (1 John 3:4). It is also a sin not to believe in Yeshua (John 16:9; 3:18–19) who is the Living Torah-Word of Elohim incarnate. It is also sin to act in unrighteousness (1 John 5:17). The Bible defines unrighteousness as violating YHVH’s Torah commands (Ps 119:172), which are the words of Yeshua. In summary, when we accept all of Yeshua by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, (i.e., partaking of the bread and wine at communion) we are confessing that we accept the totality of who he was and is.

If we fail to believe and obey all of his words, then to the degree that we do so we are walking in sin, don’t love him and don’t even know him (1 John 2:3–4).

 

Three Doors, Five Bars and Four Pillars and How They Point to Yeshua

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Exodus 36:32, Five bars. To what might these prophetically point? Possibly two things. There are five books in the Torah, which contain the light of Elohim’s truth, and which point man to Yeshua the Messiah who is the Living Torah-Word of Elohim and the spiritual light of the world.

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Furthermore, upon his ascension, Yeshua gave the fivefold ministry (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher) to bring the saints into “the measure of the stature of the fullness” of himself (Eph 4:10–13). It is the duty of those who hold these ministry offices to reveal to the world the light of Yeshua the Messiah and to show people the way to him.

Even as these five bars helped to hold up the tabernacle sanctuary containing the furnishings that pointed the way to a more intimate spiritual relationship with Yeshua, the Torah is the vessel that contains the truth that points the way to the Messiah, and he has commissioned his ministers to be anointed vessels who contain the message of Yeshua and are to proclaim him as the Savior of the world.

Exodus 36:35, He made a veil. There were three doors to the tabernacle or mishkan. In the previous chapter, two are mentioned (Exod 36:35–37; see also Exod 26:31–37). The three doors are the veil or parochet between the set-apart place and the most set-apart place, the outer door to the tabernacle and the door or screen to the tabernacle courtyard.

tabernacle veil

Yeshua likened himself to a spiritual door that one must enter in order to saved  and to experience an abundant life (John 10:7–10). As we have learned in our other studies on the Tabernacle of Moses, everything about it prophetically points to Yeshua the Messiah. The door to the set-apart place of the tabernacle was held up by four gold-covered acacia wood pillars. These represent the four Gospels, which proclaim the good news salvation through Messiah. Moreover, these four books of the Bible are the entry point through which most people come when first hearing the message of Yeshua.

Each of the three doors was blue, scarlet, purple and white. All three colors point to different aspects of Yeshua, his origin and mission (blue is for heaven, scarlet is for blood, white is for spiritual purity or righteousness, purple is for royalty or kingship). The four colors point to the four Gospels each of which highlights a different aspect of Yeshua’s life and ministry, and each of which are the doors through which one enters into a spiritual relationship with him.

Why was there a veil between the set-apart place and the most set-apart place? Who does this represent? (See Heb 10:19–20.) Why could no one except the high priest once a year enter through that veil into the most set-apart place without dying? (Rom 3:23; Rom 6:23; Ezek 18:4). How do we now have access to the Father through the veil? (Heb 10:19–22) Why was the veil in the temple rent at the time of Yeshua’s death on the cross (Matt 27:51)?

 

The Words of Yeshua and Moses Go Hand-In-Hand

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John 5:46–47, Believed Moses. These two verses at the end of chapter five can easily be overlooked, but their implications are huge. Quite simply, Yeshua is saying that those who don’t believe the writings of Moses (i.e., the Torah) won’t believe the words of Yeshua who himself upheld the Torah and taught its validity in the lives of his disciples.

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This then begs the following question: Where does this leave all those who claim to be followers of Yeshua, but who believe that the law of Moses was abrogated? It’s hard to be absolutely black and white on this matter, since only YHVH can judge the heart condition of each individual, for undoubtedly many who claim the law was “done away with” still adhere to many of the law’s tenets (e.g., you shall not steal, murder, lie, commit adultery, worship idols and you shall honor your parents, etc.) and are thus obedient to the law to one degree or another.

However, we can safely say that it’s a matter of degrees. To the degree that we don’t believe the words of Moses, we don’t believe the words of Yeshua who was a proponent (and, in reality, as the Word of Elohim, the Originator) of the Torah-law of Moses. John makes a similar statement in his first epistle from which we can deduce the following: To the degree we don’t keep the (Torah) commandments of Elohim, we won’t know him; that is to say, conversely, if we keep his commandments which are a reflection of his character, will and heart, we will be able to know what pleases him, which in turn will determine the depth of our spiritual relationship with him (1 John 2:4).

In reality, these should be simple concepts to grasp and put into practice in one’s spiritual walk, yet, sadly, most religious leaders have misled Christians to believe anything and everything but the simple truth through their convoluted doctrines and traditions of men by which they have made the word of Elohim of no effect (Mark 7:13). It’s time for Elohim’s people to come out of the Babylonian church system with its webbed mixture of truth along with half-truths and outright lies (Rev 18:4).

Moreover, Yeshua is saying here that Moses’ prophecies about the coming Messiah formed the foundation for all the subsequent biblical messianic prophecies and the eventual coming of Yeshua the Messiah. If one couldn’t believe these prophecies of Moses, how would they recognize, much less believe in, Yeshua when he did come?

 

How are you saved?

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John 3:16–18,

For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For Elohim did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of Elohim.

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So How Then Are We Saved?

The Christian church has come up with various formulas to “get a person saved” such as altar calls and saying the sinners prayer. There are no examples these kinds of things in the Bible. Instead, the Scriptures give us general guidelines and examples to follow. There are no formulas. What follows is a list of examples from the apostolic writers of how people were saved in early church era.

For example, in Acts 2:14–37 we read that Peter preached the gospel and that the hearers were pricked in their hearts (verse 37). This resulted in a spontaneous, Holy Spirit-led response on the part of the hearers of the gospel or good news message of salvation. After this, the people were baptized for the remission of sins in the name of Yeshua and subsequently received the Holy Spirit (verse 38). All this happened on the same day (verse 41). When directed by the Holy Spirit, spiritual transformations can happen quickly!

A little later in Acts chapter three (verses 11 to 26), Peter preached another short sermon and then invited the people to “repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out.” This resulted in about 5000 people coming to faith in Yeshua (Acts 4:4).

Next in Acts 8:4–17, we find that the gospel was preached (in Samaria) and people believed it and were baptized. There were no altar calls; only a spontaneous reaction to the preaching of the good news of the message of salvation through Continue reading →

 

What happens when you die?

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John 3:13, No one has ascended to heaven. Most Christians believe that when they die, they immediately go to heaven in spite of Yeshua’s clear statement in this verse. Many believers see this verse as referring to saints who died before his resurrection, but not true of those who died afterwards, even though Yeshua doesn’t say this. Therefore, they reason, this is why, according to Peter, David, who was born before Yeshua, is still resting in his grave awaiting the last days resurrection (Acts 2:29).

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If what the majority Christians believe on this subject is true, then the saints of old are second class citizens and YHVH is a respecter persons (which he is not, see Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11) in that they have to wait for resurrection day and for their ultimate reward of eternal life, while saints born since Yeshua receive their glorified bodies immediately upon death.

Laying aside all the church traditions and doctrines of men, what does the Bible in the simplest and clearest terms say about the timing of the saints receiving immortality? Paul states that the resurrection of all the dead saints and their receiving immortality occurs not at the time of their physical death, but at the second coming of Yeshua at the last trumpet (1 Cor 15:51–54; 1 Thess 4:13–18 cp. Rev 11:15, 18).

In reality, men’s eternal inheritance isn’t heaven, but the New Jerusalem, which is coming down from heaven to the new earth (Rev 21:2).

 

The Top Seven Reasons Why Yeshua Couldn’t Have Died for Your Sins REFUTED

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Have you seen this meme making the rounds? Someone sent it  to me and asked how I would answer it. Like most of the lies from the evil one, these arguments seem convincing on the surface, but in reality they are easy to answer. For those who know the Scriptures, it can be done blindfolded with both tied behind the back, while hanging upside-down and eating an ice cream cone!

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  1. Liars and deceivers often will take one scripture verse out of context and try to make a doctrine out of it, while ignoring many other verses on the same subject. Those who are novices in understanding the Scriptures will often fall for this ploy. Don’t be a novice, but study the Word of Elohim daily, and sit under Bible teachers who aren’t themselves novices! To understand what the Bible is really saying, you have to read all the verses on a subject. In this case, the author ignores all the verses that speak of a ram or a bull being offered up as an atonement for sin, which prophetically points to the salvific death of Yeshua (e.g., Gen 15:19; 22:13; Exod 29:15–31; 29:36; Lev 4:3–21; 5:16, 18; Lev 16:11 and  about 50 other verses as well that I could give!)
  2. This argument so ridiculous that it defies common logic. The Torah stipulates that a sin offering had to be free of injury or blemish BEFORE being sacrificed, not while being sacrificed. How do you sacrifice something without injuring it? Give me a break!
  3. Same answer as #2.
  4. Yes, Yeshua was killed outside the city walls of Jerusalem, yet his blood was sprinkled or spilled inside of Jerusalem near the temple when the Romans scourged him and placed the crown of thorns on his head. Not only that, the writer of Hebrews likens Yeshua’s death to the that of the red heifer which was killed OUTSIDE the Tabernacle of Moses and later outside of Jerusalem. As I have stated numerous times before in my studies on the tabernacle, the red heifer speaks of Yeshua’s initial death for sinners on cross, while the sacrifices that occurred inside the tabernacle speak of our need, once initially redeemed, of having to stay under the blood of Yeshua by continually repenting of the sins we commit subsequent to our initial salvation.
  5. Again, the idiocy and deception of the arguments of those who speak against the death of Yeshua! Yeshua’s death wasn’t human sacrifice! He gave his life up willingly by his choice as a ransom or atonement for sin. The Romans weren’t looking at his death as a human sacrifice, but as capital punishment. That’s like saying that every time the government kills a criminal it is human sacrifice, or that when the Torah stipulates capital punishment for certain crimes, it’s human sacrifice. The Bible condemns human sacrifice, since it involves doing so in the worship of pagan deities. Furthermore, to call Yeshua’s death human sacrifice is to accuse Yeshua’s Father—YHVH Elohim—of murder and human sacrifice. This is blasphemy! May it never be so!!
  6. Yes, no man can die for another man—only for himself because a life is only worth a life. But Yeshua was no ordinary man. The Scriptures reveal that he was the Creator—the one who created all men, and that he was Elohim/God in the flesh. This means that his life was worth more than all that of all humans  combined, which is why he could die for everyone. This cannot be said of any ordinary human.
  7. Yes, everyone is accountable for his own sins, but Yeshua was different than any ordinary man. First, he never sinned, so he never came under the death penalty for sin like all normal men have. Second, he willingly chose to lay down his life for sinners (that you and me) as a sin offering in our place to pay for the death penalty we all have incurred for our sins. Because he was sinless, and because, was the Creator, and because his life was worth more than all the humans he had created, he was in a position, by his choice, to pay the price (the death penalty) for all of men’s sins.

It took me about 15 minutes to answer these questions! That’s how easy they are to debunk.

Don’t fall for the lies of the evil one, and don’t let them shake your faith!