Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of Yahweh and their faith in Yeshua. (Revelation 14:12)
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Messianic Torah Portion Noach: Congregational discussion on the Torah portion called Noach November 2, 2024. Verses discussed:
Genesis 6:9-11:32
Isaiah 54:1-55:5
Luke 1: 5-11, 2Peter 3:9-13
The Messianic Torah Portion list is posted at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/torah-portions/ along with instructions on how to join us!
Worshiping Satan for Free
Yes, Halloween is Satan’s holiday
I don’t talk about this one much because, well, anybody who has ever read a bible should know this day is evil. The entire observation is opposed to the faith of the Bible regardless of if you emphasize the entire book or even just the New Testament. Threatening to prank people if they don’t give you candy while dressing up like demons is not something that should require a pastor to tell a believer not to do. When this holiday is observed by the children of Christian parents, it’s telling those kids the parents’ faith is just a hobby – it doesn’t even mean anything and can be set aside, even for wicked practices, at a whim. Let’s take a look at the seriousness.
And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Yeshua replied to him, “It is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” (Luk 4:5-8)
Halloween’s history is in an ancient Celtic religious practice called Samhain (not pronounced anything like it is spelled). It’s not some secular day that accidentally got melded with spirits, its origin is in the worship of the earth and evil spirits, which is almost always traced back to worshiping Satan and his demons. It was melded into Christianity over hundreds of years. Once Rome conquered the Celtic lands, two pagan Roman holidays were mixed with Samhain. Once Rome became “Christian” in air quotes, the Catholics actually did try to get rid of this one. They made up a holiday called All Saints Day to be in the beginning of November to try and blend this one in/replace it, too. They failed and ended up just having another made up observance right after this pagan one. An easy history of this day is available at History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
Yeshua replied to him, “It is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” (Luk 4:8)
“You shall fear only YHVH your Elohim; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.” (Deu 6:13)
Yeshua’s response to Satan when He was being tempted is that worship is restricted Yahweh only. This is done in the manner and at the time he decides, not us. Societies have cultures that are rooted in what society holds holy. To be fair, some activities we do today have no religious significance whatsoever while looking like religious observances. The 4th of July is one of those. It’s a day when we all do similar activities to celebrate our independence from the British. Some sporting events are also similar to this. Halloween is not one of these exceptions. Halloween’s observances trace straight to pagan religious practices and nowhere else. This means this day and its observances are to be anathema to those who worship the God of Abraham. Our God is a jealous God who doesn’t tolerate blending. He has shown His disdain for that numerous times in history.
The quotation Yeshua used from Torah is just after the Shema, the most important commandment. Hear oh Israel, Yahweh is our Elohim, Yahweh is one. And you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, soul, and strength. If you are doing this, just as the Son of God Himself did, then you will not find Halloween anything to be associated with.
When Satan tempted the Messiah, He promised wealth and kingdoms for that worship. Today, believers aren’t just worshiping Satan once a year, they’re doing it for free. Knock it off and take a stand for your faith.
Yom Kippur 2024: Explaining the Last Adam. The history of the Day of Atonement and its importance to the end of days.
The history of the Day of Atonement is almost as old as earth itself. This day is applicable to Christians today and incredibly important for understanding the end of days.
Here's the text of Amendment 3 and what it will actually do to the state of Missouri. #abortion #abortionrights pic.twitter.com/Hnj3ElGs0i
— Chris (@Messianic73) October 10, 2024
Missouri Amendment 3 is Not About Women’s Health Care.
Amendment 3 in Missouri would legalize abortion based solely on “fetal viability”. The amendment defines this solely on the abortion doctor’s discretion, which would technically and literally legalize abortion up to and perhaps even after birth. This video explores the text of the law and explains why this law needs to be opposed even by people who may not be pro-life.
Christians Prepare for the Fast!
Be aware. Last year, October 7 was both the Sabbath and a high day. Israel was attacked. This year, October 12 is the Sabbath and the fast. This is a dangerous time.
The ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, aka the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, are referred to as the Days of Awe. In Judaism, it is a time of repentance and soul searching ahead of the fast, which they consider to be the holiest day of the year. These are traditions so we take this info with a grain of salt understanding we can learn from traditions.
There’s also something to consider…. Christianity started as a sect of Judaism. The two were indistinguishable for decades after the ascension of the Messiah. Acts 15 was addressing what to do with Gentiles who accepted Yeshua, Jesus, as the Messiah and then showed up at synagogue. It’s more than reasonable to consider that our Messianic forefathers influenced Judaism before Messianics, aka Christians, were forced out of the synagogue. Jews associated the Day of Trumpets with having people be inscribed in the book of life and then, on the Day of Atonement, sealed in the book of life. These concepts have a New Testament eschatology flavor to them, don’t they?
We don’t know what the ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur signify. The bible doesn’t tell us. But they mirror the ten days between the first day of the first month of the year and the selection of the lamb for Passover. We know that Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets, signifies the return of Yeshua. We also know the Day of Atonement is associated with Yeshua’s sacrifice. Sometimes this is hidden, like in the special linen garment He was buried in and the one piece tunic He was crucified in. Those are reminiscent of the special clothes the High Priest wore on the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest came into the presence of Yahweh. We can see an easy parallel here. Sometimes the hints are not so subtle. In the book of Hebrews, it is written that Yom Kippur is a day for the forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance and the Messiah asked God to forgive His executioners because they did not know what they were doing. This would be a direct correlation. The Holy Days of Leviticus 23 are not just relevant to a New Covenant believer, they contain a lot of information about past and future events.
As you prepare for the fast, which starts at sunset October 11 through sunset October 12 this year, meditate on what the Messiah’s sacrifice has done for mankind. He has made a way for the forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance, to include His own executioners. This means He has made a way for the billions of people who have never known Him and His Father like we do. And praise Yahweh for sending His Son into the world for this purpose.
The Day of Trumpets, also called Yom Teruah, is an ancient Holy Day that prophecies the return of the Messiah. This knowledge has been lost since the first century.
The notes are posted below but please watch the video for much more detail and discussion.
Yom Teruah 2024
Chag Sameach everybody! Welcome to the Day of Trumpets, Yom Teruah. Lots of folks ponder prophecy and don’t realize we have been given a road map. This road map was established at creation and the lined out through the Holy Days of Leviticus 23. Most of Christianity doesn’t pay much attention to the Old Testament at all, to their peril. Once people realize the whole bible is applicable to us today and learn about the relationship of the Holy Days to prophecy, the bible makes a lot more sense. Let’s start with a scripture most people know.
Slide 2 (1Th 4:13-18)
The next step in prophecy is the return of Yeshua, the Messiah. Most believe this will happen at some random time in the future. That may very well be true, but there are big hints here for those of us who value the Torah as to what time of year He will return.
Slide 3 (Lev 23:1-2) then (Lev 23:23-25)
Leviticus 23 outlines YHVH’s appointed times. The KJV wrongly calls these feasts. Most are that, but the larger umbrella is the word moedim, or appointed times. Yom Kippur, for example, is not a feast so it does not fall into that category. It does, however, fall into the category of an appointed time. These days are Yahweh’s Outlook calendar. It’s when He expects His people to stop their lives and meet with Him. The Sabbath is weekly, the rest are annual.
When the Messiah was crucified on Passover and the Ruach, the Spirit, given on Shavuot/Pentecost, which are both appointed times, we realized that all these days have a prophetic significance.
When we look at the Day of Trumpets, we see similar language to Paul’s description of the return of the Messiah. There’s only one word for blowing here, trumpets is implied. The word for blowing is teruah, which is the real name of this Holy Day. It’s not Rosh Hashanah, it’s actually Yom Teruah. Teruah can mean “clamor, battle cry, shouting, blowing of trumpets, and general noise.” Connecting this day to the return of the Messiah is not a stretch at all. The first time the Messiah came, He came as a lamb. When He returns, it will be as a lion with legions of angels. It will be loud, visible, and overwhelming.
Slide 4 (Jos 6:1-5 NAS95)
Peter writes that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day to God. From this, we extrapolate that this earth, this era, has 6K years to effectively run its course. In Revelation 20, it is written there will be a future 1000 year period that’s a Messianic kingdom. It begins with the return of the Messiah and we believe the Day of Trumpets to signify that. These verses allude to it pretty directly. Jericho was a pagan city that YHVH wanted destroyed. It also symbolizes Egypt, Babylon, and all of men’s works. The people of God are to follow His instructions, no matter how silly, for the 6K years so when He topples this system, we will be found faithful. There was even a family who repented late in life on the wall of Jericho. Rahab, who hid the spies, was saved when the calamity befell Jericho. She and her whole family were grafted into the family of God, and she was even in the lineage of Yeshua. The lessons here are plentiful. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan, the people of Canaan knew it was the end of them. They knew it was for war. When the Messiah comes back, same thing. Most of the world will tremble. But some will repent and be saved, even in disaster. And the work that is coming is noisy and obvious. It’s not a secret. So if someone tells you the Messiah has already returned, well, you know not to listen to them. When He comes back, every knee will bow and every tongue confess. It’s going to be big, obvious, and the change to this planet will be a permanent change. When the ultimate kingdom comes, that Messianic kingdom, nobody will be able to say “I didn’t know about it, tell me more.”
Slide 5 Mark 13 – AD 70 and then the end. False Christs. We know Isaiah spoke about two different things at once so let’s not assume that can’t happen again. The temple is destroyed then the elect are gathered. The abomination of desolation twice, AD 70 and Maccabees.
End up at Mark 13:32 – nobody knows the day or hour. Idiom about the day of Trumpets. We use a calculated calendar today. This year and last it was correct. The days of the tetrad red moons, it was correct. But even if we know it to be quite accurate, we are never completely sure. Yom Teruah is the only Holy Day that falls on the first day of the month. It begins on the first day of the 7th month. In ancient times, they had to watch and be ready for this holy day. Once it was sighted, the silver trumpets from the trumpet would be sounded at the command of the Kohen Gadol, then the sound would be repeated throughout the land. A sabbath day that springs upon us… to a degree. People can surely count to 28 from the last month and start looking. As we have been looking more and more in recent years, haven’t we?
Slide 6 I Cor 15: 1-28 The resurrection tied to Trumpets. The order of things to come. We need to comfort one another with these words. There is an order. We know it. And even thought things get bad, and then worse, we know that once He returns, it will set in motion things prophesied for ages.
20 ties first fruits to the resurrection, the day He was resurrected.
Vote no on Three in Missouri Amendment 3 in Missouri will make abortion more legal in Missouri than it is in France or Germany. This constitutional amendment needs to be opposed even if you are not opposed to abortion due to its macabre and dark nature. Text of the law is the second entry at https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Elections/2024GeneralElectionBallotMeasures.pdf Register to vote at https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/register
Lazarus and the New Mixed Multitude: The New Covenant was inaugurated with a mixed multitude just like the Old… but you have to know Torah to see it!
The benefits of studying the whole bible and living the way Yahweh intended for us to live are plentiful. We understand it’s the same story, with the same expectations for mankind, from Genesis to Revelation. Today’s message is an excerpt from our congregational study on the Gospel according to John. You may watch those studies at firstcenturychristianity.net. These studies show things you Sunday preacher likely never contemplated. They show the remarkable harmony of scripture and many levels of value for keeping the commandments, just as the Bible authors did.
Slide 2 Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. (Exo 12:37-38 NAS95)
The congregation at the base of Mount Sinai was a mixed multitude. It included Israelites and non-Israelites. When YHVH spoke the Ten Commandments, it was for all mankind. There is a stark parallel with the Exodus and the end of days. When God executed the 10 plagues on Egypt, He wasn’t just calling out the Israelites. He was calling anybody inside that country who would listen. He was showing the known world that He is the Elohim of elohim, the most powerful being in existence, and if you knew what was good for you, you would hitch your existence to Him and leave the false gods in the dust.
The net result was a mixed multitude being on the other side of the Red Sea and hearing YHVH when He spoke the commandments. These people were grafted into Israel and began the history of the children of God.
This is very similar to those of us who accept Yeshua as the Messiah, also coined Jesus as the Christ. We are adopted children of Abraham and heirs according to the promise. We join the family of God when we accept that His Son died for the sins of those who would accept Him.
Yeshua started to allude to this when He began His ministry. In Luke 4, He provoked those in the synagogue to expel Him by pointing out God worked miracles with the gentiles in days of old. The Jews did not care for that at all. They wanted to be exclusive and He was reminding them that was never the intent. Yahweh is the God of all the universe, not one just for the Jewish people. While they are special, we can see they started as a mixed multitude and the Gospel was intended for all mankind.
What if I told you the New Covenant was also inaugurated with a mixed multitude? What if I told you that the death and resurrection of Lazarus was intended to bring that mixed multitude together? Well, that’s what happened!
Slide 3 But when Yeshua heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”(Joh 11:4 NAS95)
So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.” Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Yeshua.” Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Yeshua. And Yeshua answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (Joh 12:17-23 NAS95)
“Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Yeshua answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. (Joh 12:28-30 NAS95)
One of the things we emphasize in our ministry is that the chapters and verse numbers in the bible are not really there. They were inserted over 1000 years after scripture. Those chapters and verse breaks tend to make us think episodes and stories end where the breaks are. But that is not the case at all. In John 11, when Yeshua says the Son of God will be glorified by Lazarus’ death, we read to the end of 11 and think that the story ends with Lazarus’ resurrection and everybody marveling. But the story continues to John 12 and shows many, many people were drawn to curiosity because of this specific miracle including some Greeks. The bible uses the terms for Greeks not just to mean people of Greece, but to refer to the nations – people who are just “not Israel”.
The net result here is that the death and resurrection of Lazarus was a miracle used to create another mixed multitude who were blessed to hear the voice of Yahweh answering His Son on earth. Those people, both Jew and Greek, would become aware that something big was happening. This time it wasn’t ten plagues to destroy a pagan nation, it was miracle performed through the Messiah to give the glory to God. These Greeks who came to hear a Rabbi that had raised a dead man would later have the opportunity to become grafted into Israel by accepted that Rabbi’s own death and resurrection. This is incredibly similar to those of the nations in Egypt who realized what was good for them when Israel was led across the Red Sea. A big different is that we today have the opportunity to join Israel and obtain the same salvation as those Greeks in Yeshua’s day, who were curious about the Son of God. Today, we all have the opportunity to leave Egypt and join the family of God. Are you curious enough to listen as well?
Thanks for listening. Again, this is an example of our teachings at firstcenturychristianity.net. You can join us each Sabbath at 1pm central time either in person, on Zoom, or through YouTube. I’ll put a link to our website wherever this gets posted. See you then!
Stop Rejecting the Messiah: Calling Yeshua, aka Jesus, “God” or “Yahweh” rejects Him as the Messiah and is playing with fire.
There’s a fear that if people reject Yeshua as God, or see God and Jesus as two beings not one being, that they are likely to reject the New Testament. This is the opposite of my experience. People that I’ve seen reject Jesus have been the ones who think Yeshua and Yahweh are the same being. These often also call it the “renewed” covenant. This slippery slope often results in trying to recreate the wilderness experience and live like it’s the days of Moses. We do not live in the days of Moses, we live in the days of Yeshua and the New Covenant inaugurated in His blood.
The people who see Yeshua as just a man who was born of Mary but is still the Son of God call themselves Biblical Unitarians. These folks see a complete distinction between God and Jesus with Jesus have a starting point about 2K years ago. I’ve NEVER seen one of these folks reject the New Testament. In fact, they seem more attached to the New Testament than most.
To explain why believing Yeshua and Yahweh are the same being leads to rejection of the Messiah, we just have to look at John 3:16
Slide 2 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Joh 3:16 NAS95)
If you believe that Jesus is God, then this sentence makes no sense at all. It would be a different gospel entirely, that God came down here and pretended to be His own Son or something. Even Trinitarians, who we are the hardest on, understand there’s a separation. When you cross the divide to them not being “them” but just one being, then hundreds of verses no longer make any sense.
Slide 3 Jesus (Yeshua) said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'” (Joh 20:17 NAS95)
This is just one of the starkest examples out of innumerable verses that is incomprehensible if Yahweh and Yeshua are the same being. Beyond this, there’s a handy proof text in the OT for us to know exactly who the Father is:
Slide 4 But now, O LORD (YHVH), You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isa 64:8 NAS95)
My preferred bible puts YHVH as LORD in all caps. This clearly states who the Father is and it’s Yahweh.
Beyond the hundreds of verses in the NT where Jesus and God are different, we also need to have prophecy identifying the Messiah. This is how the bible works. God tells us what’s going to happen, sometimes cryptically sometimes not, then it happens. Most often when the prophecy happens nobody realizes it until after the fact, which was clearly the case with Yeshua. He had to explain who He was to them after His resurrection, hence my citing of John 20:17. The prophecies of Yeshua also have Him as not being YHVH. Psalm 2, Psalm 22, and Isaiah 53 all speak of someone other than YHVH being the Messiah. The one I want to focus on, though, is the one in Micah:
Slide 5 “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD (YHVH), In the majesty of the name of the LORD (YHVH) His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. (Mic 5:1-4 NAS95)
This plainly says One will go forth from YHVH, One who existed from eternity, who will be a ruler in Israel. And He will come in the Name of YHVH, whom we know to be the Father. Brothers and sisters this IS the gospel, that God sent His Son into the world so that whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. We know those who have the Son have life, those who do not have the Son do not have life. Any doctrine that teaches Yeshua is not the Son of Yahweh must be discarded, not even considered, otherwise you will have lost your Messiah, the Mediator between God and man. Stop rejecting the Messiah.
For more teachings on this subject, please visit https://firstcenturychristianity.net/problems-with-the-trinity/
Are the False Gods Real, if so, how do we identify their worship, and how do we make sure we are separated from them in these last days?
I just finished reading Jonathan Cahn’s book Return of the Gods. For those of us who got into the faith once delivered because of the pagan roots of the biggest tenets of mainstream Christianity, this book is very familiar territory. Cahn takes the knowledge we all share about Baal, Molech, and Ishtar and brings it right into modern times. He also provides a great refresher on the reality that these gods were worshiped under different names by different cultures. Diana of the Ephesians is the same goddess as Artemis and Ishtar, for example.
Cahn traces the modern-day debauchery of sexual sin in the western world directly to the return of these gods. He does so in a remarkably convincing fashion. Cahn shows the largest success of Christianity was the removal of idolatry and the institution of biblical morality from most of the known world. Idolatry and these abominable sexual practices we see returning are tied together throughout scriptures. Romans 1 tells us this for the New Testament reference, but we can read the horrific practices of sacrificing children and temple prostitution all over the Old Testament when Israel went astray. Which was a lot more often than not.
For those who may wonder about the overwhelming slaughters Israel was ordered to bring to the Canaanites, well, it was because of these practices. Israel was to purify Canaan of idolatry not just for the sake of idolatry but to remove the behaviors of the people of Canaan from the face of the earth. Child sacrifice and abominable sexual practices had to be completely purged from the land along with the idols.
A disappointment is that Cahn doesn’t also tell his readers that Christmas and Easter are both pagan holidays tied inextricably to these abominations. It’s a shame that he clearly knows this information but doesn’t make the connection so his readers can take the appropriate action to purge the paganism from their lives today. Easter is the worship of a pagan fertility goddess and the resurrection of her lover called Tammuz. It’s not about Messiah at all. Christmas with its worship of evergreen trees and its timing at the winter solstice is also a fertility celebration. The 12 days of Christmas, the yule log, the mistletoe, and all that stuff were also tied to abominable sexual practices and idolatry.
But now to today’s question, one I poised to the assembly on Shabbat. Are these false gods real? The bible seems to say both things.
Then Elohim spoke all these words, saying, “I am YHVH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, YHVH your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exo 20:1-6 NAS95)
“You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all.” (Act 19:26 NAS95)
Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If YHVH is Elohim, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. (1Ki 18:21 NAS95)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Yeshua Messiah has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Yeshua is not from God; this is the spirit of the antimessiah, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1Jn 4:1-6 NAS95)
The prophets of Pharaoh could do some of the stuff that YHVH let Moses and Aaron do. The false prophets in the end times will be able to call down fire from heaven. When the witch of Endor brought up Samuel… it worked. So these beings seem to have powers and seem to be quite real. That also explains why we see the same abominable idolatrous practices all over the world spanning thousands of years. To reconcile the contradiction about gods made with hands not being gods at all, I would equate that to the physical idols. Those trinkets or statues held no power. But it appears whatever they represented did. And we should take care to avoid any practices that might open ourselves up to them. Shalom.