Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of Yahweh and their faith in Yeshua. (Revelation 14:12)
Christian Rituals: We must examine ourselves before taking the bread and wine. Take a step back and examine what just happened with Easter Sunday. Look at the rituals and match them against what the Bible really says to do. Did your Easter services mention anything about examining yourselves? Did you take the bread and wine?
Yeshua aka Jesus was saying things the audience already knew in Matthew 24. For instance, the abomination of desolation and the great tribulation were things that had already happened once! Click here for a deeper understanding of events to come!
Yeshua aka Jesus was saying a lot of things the audience already knew about in Matthew 24. The abomination of desolation had already happened once, for instance. Click here for a deeper understanding! pic.twitter.com/mi9ERBAIIa
— Chris (@Messianic73) December 4, 2023
Are you following a different Gospel? Are you sure?
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:8)
Are you following a different Gospel? Are you sure? pic.twitter.com/w7ztVTb94e
— Chris (@Messianic73) November 13, 2023
The continuity of scripture: Genesis to Revelation. The big draw.
Slide 1 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:8)
I spoke about predestination and free will on Shabbat. This existential topic is so intertwined into our lives. How we receive information is based both on how we were made by Yahweh and how we’ve been raised. We make decisions in life with both of these invisible forces directing traffic. We’re going to go where God wants. He knows how we will choose based on how we’re wired and He knows how to present information so that it is received they way He wants, when He wants.
When I started looking into religion, challenging the doctrines I had been taught growing up, and exposed to through our culture, I had some hard decisions to make. It was clear as a bell that Sunday, Christmas, Easter, and the Trinity were not to be found in scripture. It was also very easy to find out when these things became mandatory. The switch to Sunday starts in about 110AD with the Epistle of Barnabas. Christmas first shows up as a Christian holiday about 355 AD. Prior to that, it was part of Saturnalia. Easter is and ancient holiday to a pagan fertility goddess. We know that the first Christians continued to keep Passover from Paul’s letters and from Polycarp in the second century, who was a disciple of John. The Trinity became a mandate in the late 300s or early 400s as the first Nicene Creed circa 325AD was effectively a Binitarian document at best.
The reason I bring up these four specific doctrines is because they effectively define mainstream Christianity. And they are new. Not new to the New Testament, they came after the New Testament, which means they weren’t part of the faith once delivered to the saints. This means they are contrary to the verse on the screen. By accepting these doctrines as truth, we are accepting that the Messiah can change, which is a different gospel.
Nearly 25 years ago, when I started this walk, I started by reading the New Testament and looking specifically for a change from the Sabbath to Sunday. Because I knew that the Sabbath was on Saturday (Friday sunset to Sunday sunset). Somewhere in my youth I was taught that, or perhaps I just knew it from society. But I was certain the change was in the New Testament. And if it were there, then I’d keep Sunday and continue on with my life. Somehow, though, I knew that either the NT had to record the change or there was no change. I was not looking for the other three doctrines at all. But I knew the faith had to be continuous. Either the worship continued the way it was articulated in the Old Testament (based on my very rudimentary understanding of the OT at the time) or there was no change. Was this belief because God made me that way, because I was raised in America where changes in law have to be documented, because of the Holy Spirit, or form some combination of these things? I do not know. But what I did know then is that the faith has to be continuous or else we don’t know what to believe.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say the Sabbath was either annulled or moved to another day. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to observe Easter or Christmas. Nowhere in the Bible does it mandate we believe in a 3 in one god that nobody can even explain. Those things were added after the close of scripture. If we accept that the four biggest things a person has to believe come from men, and can change, then how do we know when to believe some other mandatory change? And what about the people in the New Testament? None of them believed in any of these doctrines of men. Are they lost because they didn’t accept them?
Obviously, we are much better off if we simply stop kicking against the goads and accept that, from Genesis to Revelation, Yeshua is the same. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
The true outline of prophetical events from the first century until today is profound and very easy to learn. The resurrection of the dead is a key to these truths which were held dear by the first century Christians.
Yeshua told us exactly what we are supposed to do to remember Him. We know it, so let’s get together and do it. His command to remember Him by washing each other’s feet and sharing the bread and wine the night before Passover is also tied into today’s message. This is a big apologetic on why we do what we do.
We are commemorating the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the Messiah, the Son of God. While it’s easy to think this is the end of the road, it’s not. It is the single most important event in history, everything before looking to it and everything after looking from it. Imagine in your head an hourglass on it’s side. Yeshua’s death on the cross is the middle point. Everything from Creation flows to that point in time and everything since flows out of it. Sometimes we have to give credit where credit is due and this is the case with the numbering of years on our Gregorian calendar. Today is March 19, in the year of our Lord 2023. It’s been roughly 2023 years since Yeshua was born. Granted, this distinction doesn’t really exist in the faith once delivered, where it is actually the year 5783, and if they were to begin counting, they should have counted from His death, not His birth, but even with all those caveats, I still like the idea of realizing a starting point/finishing point with the coming of the Messiah. Because that’s literally true. And it’s not CE, the “common era”. That’s just a cop out to try and divorce our calendar from Christianity. If one was to consider a “common era”, it would have to be from the printing press or from some much more modern time. There’s nothing common about the Messiah. In fact, He’s very specific and very holy, the opposite of common. But I digress.
The reason I’m on this tangent is because accepting Yeshua as the Messiah, the Son of God, who died so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life, is the most important piece of information available since His death. We really did enter a new era when He was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of God. In the first century, one of the biggest doctrinal disputes, if not the biggest doctrinal dispute, was the resurrection of the dead.
Slide 2 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.” (Act 23:6-11)
Understand that the Jews were more upset about the resurrection being a thing than they were about Paul preaching Yeshua. It’s astonishing to think of, but once Paul made it about the resurrection of the dead, the Pharisees took his side. Paul was a Pharisee himself when he had papers to persecute the Church of Yahweh. But Yeshua being the Messiah, the Son of God, took a backseat to there being a resurrection of the dead. Next month, when we observe the night Yeshua was betrayed and the Spring Holy Days, we will be commemorating just that – that Yeshua was resurrected from the dead. And that’s a key for what is to come later.
Slide 3 Now if Messiah is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Messiah has been raised; and if Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Messiah, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Messiah has been raised; and if Messiah has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. (1Co 15:12-17)
1st Corinthians 15 is the resurrection chapter. Most of what I am talking about today is summed up in that chapter, which is a remarkably concise and clear outline of what is next to happen in prophecy. This is all founded on the resurrection of the dead, which means that dead people are literally dead, without life, unconscious, and awaiting one of two resurrections. Those two resurrections are separated by 1000 years referred to as “the millennium”.
Slide 4 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” (Dan 12:1-2)
But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. (1Co 15:20-24)
“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (Joh 5:28-29)
I started this with Daniel to show that the resurrection, and the outline of what’s to come, is not all that new to the New Testament. Yeshua is effectively citing Daniel in John 5: 28-29 and Paul is providing more detail. Ezekiel gives the most graphic information about the resurrection, too. This outline was common knowledge to the Pharisees and because central to first century Christianity. Of course we believe in the resurrection of the dead because our Messiah was resurrected from the dead! At some point, though, mainstream Christianity deviated from this and has a very confused look at what is to come. The pagan belief that dead people are alive somewhere else has overtaken a core doctrine of the early church. Instead of looking forward to a resurrection, Christians of almost all denominations talk about dead people as if they are in heaven, hell, or in some sort of third option yet still conscious. But if we just read 1 Cor 15, and other places, we know the truth. And next month we will commemorate the truth.
Slide 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Messiah and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:5-6)
Revelation 20 is the place to look for the timing. This is where we learn about the millennium. Today I’m encouraging you to listen and then go read these chapters for yourselves. 1 Corinthians 15, Revelation 20 and the one I’m going to talk about next, Ezekiel 37 and 38. Putting these together shows us the time frame and the details about what’s next in the history of mankind. In fact, this shows us what is next all the way until the end of this era and the beginning of eternity. Which is the first resurrection when Yeshua returns, a 1000 year period of time where mankind gets a break from Satan, who is locked up for the 1000 years, and then the second resurrection, which is called the resurrection of judgment. The second resurrection is where all of mankind who did not get resurrected in the first resurrection are judged, which means decided upon. Some are found written in the book of life, others are not. And at the end of that is when we enter into eternity.
Slide 6 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. (Rev 20:7-9)
And the word of YHVH came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. (Eze 38:1-3)
This is showing is the timing of the second resurrection. This goes against the grain of most of Christianity as well, but Ezekiel 37, the chapter prior, talks about the first resurrection then Ezekiel 38 talks about the second, where this great final war, Gog and Magog, are to take place. It’s the end of the 1000 years, at least 1000 years and 1 day from now, when this battle takes place. After Satan is released from being imprisoned for 1000 years, he will go out to deceive the nations again. Unfortunately, many will follow that deceiver and pay the ultimate penalty.
Slide 7 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (1Jn 5:10-12)
Brothers and sisters, this knowledge I am talking about today is the knowledge that leads to life – eternal life. That we know the Son, and have accepted Him as the Son of Yahweh, so we have the opportunity to enter into life, a resurrection of life. And for a special few, some will not even need to be resurrected but will rise to meet Him in the air when He returns. As you listen to these messages, and read them, and they hopefully inspire you to search the scriptures to see if they are true, understand this is not knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It’s the knowledge of the plan of salvation laid out at the foundation of the world. That plan relies heavily in the resurrection of the dead, something we will commemorate again this year, as we do each year. And you’re invited to join us.
Explaining how the first century Christians commemorated Yeshua’s sacrifice and how you can do the same today!
Audio only below.
For those who desire proof Jesus is the Messiah, the destruction of the second temple provides ample. The leaders in Judea at the time of Christ were looking for someone to free them from the Roman occupation. They were looking for a messiah like Judas Maccabeus, who led the successful revolt against the Greeks. The Maccabees were successful in repelling the pagans and restoring Judea. The leaders in the time of Yeshua, aka Jesus, were looking for the same thing. This is why the disciples were constantly ready to fight for Him, because they could not comprehend a different outcome.
The prophecy of the ultimate Messiah, Jesus aka Yeshua, given by Daniel, included the phrase “desolations are determined”. This mean that the true Messiah was quoting Daniel when He foretold the destruction of the temple at Matthew 24 and other places. In fact, this phrase is why they ultimately killed Him, defying even the prophecy they sought to be fulfilled.
Fully understanding the fall of the Temple and the events that led to it helps us to understand our faith better. This message identifies the four key factions in the first century working to remove Rome and their idiosyncracies. This knowledge helps us to build confidence in who Jesus aka Yeshua really was. This detailed message about the fall of the second Temple ties in relevant scriptures to Daniel 9 and provides proof Jesus is the Messiah. I recommend watching this one because the notes below are pretty rough.
The most important information in the history of mankind is that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Son of God and the Mediator between us and God.
Video with slides below courtesy of Rumble.
Audio only below courtesy of Spotify.
Today is the Sabbath before we break for Sukkot. By now I hope all the calendars are done observing Yom Kippur, but you never know. Yom Kippur is incredibly important to Christianity. It’s a shame that only a small percentage of those of us who accept Yeshua as the Messiah observe. The New Testament has an entire book devoted to Yeshua being our Mediator, which is the Book of Hebrews. The most important piece of information any human can know and believe is that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God, and died for the sins of anyone who accepts this. This is the only information that is the gateway to eternal life through either the resurrection of the dead or through being caught up in the air when Yeshua returns. Everything we do in our walk with Yahweh and His Son is based on this truth. Today, before we break, let’s refresh on this truth.
Slide 2 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Messiah Yeshua, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1Ti 2:5-7)
Still slide 2 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Heb 9:15)
Paul didn’t write the book of Hebrews so here are our two witnesses. This concept of a mediator. However, Paul writes that he was appointed a preacher and an apostle to teach the gentiles this specific truth. That’s very significant because we are the beneficiaries of his teachings. Through Paul, Yahweh evangelized the western Roman empire of the truth of the Messiah. Paul was a very unique individual, born and trained for such a time as that. He was a gifted Rabbi, trained by Gamaliel himself, but was also a full Roman citizen so he could travel freely and operate anywhere within the Roman Empire. He knew several languages fluently, specifically Greek, so he could teach the Messiah to the world. This starts with the Torah.
Slide 3 Then YHVH Elohim said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock, and more than any animal of the field; On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life; and I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Gen 3:14-15)
In our way of thinking, we accept the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, as scripture and applicable to our lives and faith. The Torah, also called the Law or the Pentateuch, is the foundation of all scripture and truth. This right here is a prophecy of Yeshua. It was a mystery how a descendant of the woman could damage the serpent until Yeshua came born of Mary. Mary, a virgin, impregnated miraculously to give birth to the Son of God.
Slide 4 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Ruach haKodesh will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God.” (Luk 1:30-35)
The Name of the Messiah is Yeshua, which means salvation. This is from, among other places, Isaiah 52. In verse 7 it says how delightful the feet are of those who announce Salvation, which is a prophecy of John the Baptist who came as an Elijah ahead of Yeshua to announce His arrival. And then at the end of Isaiah 52 and into chapter 53, it prophecies Yeshua’s crucifixion and death, calling Him Yahweh’s Servant in 52:13.
Yeshua is Yahweh’s Servant. Let this sink in. Here in the middle of the message is probably the most important topic:
Slide 5 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of everything that He has given Me I will lose nothing, but will raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (Joh 6:38-40)
Yeshua’s will could have been different than Yahweh’s. But the way, Yeshua is the Name of the Son of God, Yahweh is God’s Name. Yeshua was and is an independent being. The message of the Gospel is that the Son of God came down and fully, 100%, submitted to Yahweh. That He died sinless, murdered by both the Gentiles and the Jews, brutally, and was resurrected by Yahweh three days and three nights later. By us accepting that God sent His only begotten Son, we have the chance at eternal life. By accepting that Yahweh made a way for mankind to be reconciled to Him, a way that is foolishness to most, understanding this truth, and deciding to obey, we have the chance to enter into eternity with Yahweh and Yeshua. And how was this accomplished?
Slide 6 “The God of our fathers raised up Yeshua, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Ruach ha Kodesh, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” But when they heard this, they became infuriated and nearly decided to execute them. (Act 5:30-33)
Do you see how this is the most important information in all of humanity? Peter and the apostles were granted the Holy Spirit to be able to stand in front of those with the power to kill them and testify that Yeshua died innocently, on a cross even, the execution method of the pagans and a curse to hang an Israelite on a tree. That it was the God of their fathers, who are now our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Yeshua who did this. And that through Yeshua’s death and resurrection repentance is possible as is the forgiveness of sins. They were standing before the very people who had killed Yeshua two months prior and were telling them the very information they killed Yeshua to stop. And how do they start?
Slide 7 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”(Act 5:29)
This is the verse prior to their testimony and they told the High Priest Himself that they had to obey God rather than men, meaning them. This is incredible because up until this point. The Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was the mediator between God and men and these brothers were telling him that was no more.
Slide 8 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things BY THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN TO YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (Heb 8:1-6)
We have a new High Priest with a new covenant established in the heavenly tabernacle. This is a better covenant. But we don’t get to get carried away with this. Because we can’t understand the New Covenant without understanding the Old Covenant.
Slide 9 For in finding fault with the people, He says, “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL BRING ABOUT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO BRING THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE ABOUT THEM, SAYS THE LORD. “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. (Heb 8:8-10)
This is a quote from Jeremiah 31 but it’s prefaced with finding fault with the people. Boy did Yahweh find fault with them when they decided to crucify His Son. The Torah establishes and defines sin. It defines proper behavior for the children of God. The Old Covenant did work, by the way. The sins were atoned for with the blood of bulls and goats, but it was in a cyclical fashion. It was repeated annually. Yeshua’s death atoned for sin for all time, looking back and forward, which is why the curtain was torn at his death. It signified that all the sins heaped upon that curtain were finally atoned for AND there is a new way to Yahweh, a new High Priest. The people who obeyed and the priests who served honorably did well. We can’t read this to come to the notion that Yahweh gave the Israelites something bad, or strung them along. That’s a reprehensible thought. And we know that sin remains today, which is the transgression of the law. And we know at the end, all will be measured against the law. But this was part of the story. This is the plan of salvation. And those who came before will be judged based on the information of their day.
Slide 10 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah—this Yeshua whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha Kodesh. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Act 2:36-39)
Brothers and sisters, Yahweh’s plan was laid out from the beginning. From Genesis 3 where Eve’s descendant was declared to bruise the serpent on the head until the crucifixion of our Lord, until His ascension, until the Gospel going forth from Zion, until His return, and until the end, when we enter the olam ha ba, it all has to come to pass. So let’s enjoy ourselves at Sukkot, fellowshipping with our believing and obedient brethren. Let’s enjoy meeting in larger groups, good teachings, music, dancing, food, and festival. But do so in the Name of our Mediator, Yeshua the Messiah.
God cannot be a Trinity because Jesus, the Son, is always subordinate to the Father, who is God.
“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (Joh 14:28)
This is a very clear example of Yeshua (Jesus) being lesser than His Father (Yahweh), and it just makes sense. Most people who say they believe in the Trinity actually believe this, too. When it comes down to it, they don’t actually believe in the Trinity at all, but think they do because the word is rather ambiguous and it’s a requirement for baptism in 99.9% of churches. One must say they are Trinitarian to be members in the club.
There’s a reason the doctrine of the Trinity is ambiguous. It was created to allow a whole lot of people with varying beliefs about the relationship between Yahweh and Yeshua to claim to believe the same doctrine. This is the net result here 1700 years later. Two people sitting in pews in the same church who say they are Trinitarian don’t believe the Trinity the same. The shocking truth is the Trinity doctrine is actually a political dogma built to solve a political problem. Disputes about the nature of Yeshua and His relationship to Yahweh created full blown physical conflicts back in the third and early fourth centuries. Doctrine wars were literally wars. You can’t have a universal church (Catholic really means universal) when people are openly disagreeing to the point of violence. So they came up with a doctrine that satiated almost everyone. And those who refused to believe, well, at a minimum they got disfellowshipped. A minimum.
Tackling the most sensitive topic in all of #Christianity. We're told to test all things. Are you willing to test this one? pic.twitter.com/l9iRd0BGbb
— Chris (@Messianic73) January 5, 2024
Judas’ betrayal of Yeshua is one of the worst things recorded in scripture. Yeshua’s loyalty to Yahweh is perhaps the most important thing recorded in scripture. Did you know both of these things have parallels in scripture?
Slide 2 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. (1Co 11:27-29)
This coming week is the week. The week where we remember the Messiah exactly the way He told us to do that. I’ve covered the details on how we are to observe Pesach and the Night Yeshua Was Betrayed a few times. I’ve talked about how our works display our faith and how salvation and works are dependent upon each other. In this walk, we spend a whole lot of time in study to get the details right. Proper doctrine, teaching, and works are super important. But let’s not neglect the deeper aspects. There’s a foundation to what we do. Our works display our faith. But how do we define faith? How do we define the intangible part of this concept, the ”things unseen” part? Today, we’re going to get at that. Today, we’re going to talk about a core value, perhaps THE core value, from which faithfulness and obedience sprouts.
Up a few verses, Paul talks about divisions among the Church of God in Corinth. That’s in verse 18, Paul meanders in his writings so it’s not a lock that just because he mentioned something a couple sentences ago that it’s really “in context”. But let’s assume it is part of his context for examining ourselves. Think about how special it was to have a believing group in Corinth in the first century. Paul talks about factions but we don’t know what the factions were about. Were they about money, position, doctrine? Who knows. But we do know when we have to be united and that around Yeshua’s sacrifice. When it comes to salvational issues like this week, we need to drop the divisions and unite around the Messiah’s sacrifice. Everything else is second. Everything we do stems from His sacrifice and resurrection. Without that, we are not grafted in. Without that there is no new convenant at all. Without that there is no resurrection from the dead. Without that there is no new High Priest. Without that, we can eat and drink for tomorrow we die. And stay dead. So the first part of examining ourselves is about priorities. Have we really, spiritually, accepted that Yeshua died for our sins? Is that our prime mover in our lives and in our ministries? We all stray to other topics throughout the year, but this time of year, we need to take to heart what really matters and get refocused on the most important thing, Yeshua being the Lamb of God.
Slide 3 While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Yeshua to kiss Him. But Yeshua said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luk 22:47-48)
Betrayal. Is there anything worse than betrayal? When you experience this, it shakes you to the core. If you haven’t experienced it, then bless YHVH. Do you know what? There is no commandment against betrayal. The activities surrounding betrayal are often covered in Torah, bearing false witness being chief among them, but if there’s a literal commandment against betrayal, I can’t think of it. The closest is adultery, and the damage is very similar.
What exactly did Judas do? It doesn’t appear that Judas accused Yeshua of anything. He wasn’t one of the false witnesses, either. He just took money to identify Yeshua. He just provided intelligence, like where to find the Messiah, and then he identified Him through a kiss. He helped Yeshua’s enemies capture Him, that’s it. And what an awful thing to do. The worst. To guide the enemy to find the Messiah.
It’s also written that Satan entered Judas to make this happen. Judas needed a little help to get over that emotional hurdle of betrayal. Where else do we see this in scripture? In the garden, of course. Eve’s betrayal included a literal sin, eating the forbidden fruit. In that, she betrayed both Yahweh and her husband. And then what did she do? She led her husband into the betrayal. How do you think this made Yahweh feel?
Slide 4 Then YHVH Elohim said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen 3:13)
Of course YHVH already knew what they had done. This is a rhetorical question. From someone who had just been betrayed. He was devastated, even though He knew it was coming. We talk about the fall and how it originated in covetousness a lot. But it also originated in something else: disloyalty. Eve decision to listen to the serpent was a betrayal of her husband and of Yahweh. She made a mental decision to put her faith in the created serpent rather than her Creator and her husband, from whom she came.
And what does she do? She immediately implicates somebody else. Betrayal appears to be quite a bit easier the second time around. And the betrayal started with Adam selling out Eve, who then sold out the serpent. And did all that blamestorming do anything? No, it didn’t. Well, except saving the trial. The blaming didn’t replace the bite in the fruit. The damage was done. And it was irreversible. Just like when Judas betrayed the Messiah. There was no taking it back. The damage was done.
Except in Judas’ case, he had nobody else to blame. He had nobody to bring down with him. He tried to go back to the priests and elders when he realized he had betrayed Yeshua to dead and they wouldn’t have anything to do with him. With the help of Satan, Judas had betrayed the Messiah. This is remarkably similar to what happened with Eve. In Judas’ case, though, it would have been better had he not been born.
Is there another place where scripture records such a betrayal? Well, not exactly, but we all know about it. The first betrayal.
Slide 5 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” (Luk 10:17-18)
Satan is in similar position to Judas. At some unrecorded point in history. Satan betrayed YHVH and tried to ascend to the throne. Satan is more like Eve, though, because he took a third of the angels down with him. Satan was the covering angel, he had a very high office, and betrayed the Creator trying to take over an office that nobody could earn. Satan wanted to have all that authority that belongs to someone else and to get it, he betrayed YHVH. And I bet it hurt. Yeshua saw this betrayal.
Slide 6 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (Joh 6:38-40)
Yeshua came to earth to stay loyal. He came to earth to run through anything Satan could throw at Him and stay true to His Father and our Father. This is the core of spirituality, faith. Faith to the point of death. The ability to be betrayed but to not betray. This shows His perfect spirit, His essence, His core.
Slide 7 Then Moses returned to YHVH, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” (Exo 32:31-32)
Moses was willing to die eternal death to intercede for the sinful Israelites. Moses witnessed their sins, their betrayals, and he did not join in. Instead he offered to die in their stead. Moses’ life was not required. But Moses’ faith ran to his core. He would never give up YHVH for anything.
Slide 8 “YHVH your Elohim will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deu 18:15)
This is what is meant that Yeshua was one like Moses. Except it’s really the other way around, since Yeshua is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And Yeshua is our example. Our loyalty to Him and His Father has to be our foundation. Our loyalty how we are able to choose their way of life over the world’s and traditional Christianty’s. This shows our spiritual side. That at our deepest, we trust Yahweh and Yeshua, even before we know them.
Slide 9 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (Heb 11:1-3)
Faith and loyalty are intertwined. Faith is the act of trusting someone or something that is not tangible or known: unseen. Loyalty can be built by things seen or unseen. Yeshua was loyal to Yahweh to the point of trusting Him to resurrect Him. The same holds true for the martyrs, who stayed loyal to Yeshua even while being executed. As we examine ourselves this week, contemplate our loyalty to Yahweh through His Son, Yeshua. To be a Messianic, a Christian, is to emulate Christ. As we prepare to observe the days, we know we are loyal enough to do what He said to do in memory of Him. As we examine ourselves for sins, asking forgiveness, and understanding that Yeshua bore our transgressions, let’s examine our loyalty to Yeshua, and make sure it’s a strong as humanly possible.