Tag: prophecy

Messages explaining prophecy from a first century Christianity perspective.

Lawlessness

Those who teach that the law ended at the cross have no standing to complain about where society is today.

Audio only below

Those who teach that the law ended at the cross have no standing to complain about where society is today.

In Joshua 9 we have a very unique situation. The Israelites have entered the land and have had some success demolishing the inhabitants. A group of people called the Gibeonites who inhabit the land appear to know that Israel is going to destroy everything in Canaan. So they set Israel up to let them continue living in the land. They make a huge ordeal of pretending to be from very far away, their emissaries shower Israel with praise, and ask for a covenant. Israel failed to consult with Yahweh and made the covenant. Three days later they discover the deception.

Slide 2 Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by YHVH the Elohim of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by YHVH, the Elohim of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.” (Jos 9:17-19)

Even though they were commanded to destroy the inhabitants of the land and even though the covenant was clearly fraudulent, they had to honor it. Why? Because they swore an oath to their Elohim. That cuts two ways: they have to honor their oath to Yahweh because He’s Yahweh and if they swear falsely to Him, then their goose is cooked. They also have to honor it or the word of the nation means nothing. If they didn’t honor that covenant then they would not be able to make any agreements because they would be seen as untrustworthy and also to not even take their own God seriously.

Did you know this is a two way street?

Slide 3 “For I, YHVH, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Mal 3:6)

Do you know what this means? I mean REALLY know what this means? It means He’s made a covenant with Israel and He will not go back on it. He can’t. Because if He did, then we would not know what to believe.

Slide 4 On that day YHVH made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: (Gen 15:18)

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHVH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Elohim Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell on his face, and Elohim talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and to your descendants after you. (Gen 17:1-7)

“Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'” (Exo 32:12-13)

The foundation of order is honor. To have order it starts with honor. If two people come to an agreement and seal that agreement, however that’s accomplished, then both have to honor the agreement. Today, if someone makes a fraudulent agreement you can get out of it. Why? Because that’s the order of our society. We have clauses that if either side withholds meaningful information, called concealing, then the contract is void.

Yahweh promised to make Israel a great nation and to make Abraham the father of many nations. This is why He brought them out of Egypt. Moses appears to be talking back to Yahweh here but it’s a lesson for us all. The Israelites were told 40-ish days prior not to make idols or worship false gods and they sinned. Yahweh is infuriated. All the plagues, all the plundering, all the fleeing, the miracle of the Red Sea, all brought to nothing in a manner of days. But Moses says “remember your promise”. You said it, so it has to become true. Moses also says if you destroy them you will damage your reputation with the world. To put plainly, if He destroyed them after all that work in Egypt, who would follow Him?

The pagan gods were fickle, selfish, greedy, and, well, human. They were depicted as being effectively super-human beings with powers, not like Yahweh who is not human at all. He’s something else that we don’t understand. He speaks to us in human terms to relate to us and let us understand Him as much as possible, but we can’t comprehend an omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal being because we are none of those things. Their followers didn’t know what they wanted because they were myths, or worse, demons. So they had to guess. Our Elohim, Yahweh, the true Elohim, is different. He says and He does. His words are true. He is referred to as a rock because rocks don’t change. Because if He changed, then we would not know what to believe.

Slide 5 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2Th 2:7-12)

Today we are together on LDUB because we’re following the Torah. We’re doing the best we can to obey here in the 21st century because we believe the Bible is God’s Word and His appointed times matter, as does all of his Torah. But mainstream Christianity teaches that the law was nailed to the cross. They particularly teach that these appointed times are null and void, which makes no sense as we see the first century church having adopted the days. Paul specifically told the church at Corinth to keep this very feast.

What happens when lawlessness and dishonor rule the day? The idea of “the law being nailed to the cross”. Mainstream Christianity has taught lawlessness for hundreds of years. How is society going to be able to identify lawlessness if it’s citizens are taught that lawlessness is biblical? The pagan gods were fickle, but at least they were gods. Today, western society is making it up. Each day is another abomination. It’s pure chaos. And it has been a slippery slope. Decades ago it was “why do you care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home?” Today, we have drag queen story hour at the public library. It’s disgusting. Decades ago it was that girls had to be allowed in the boy scouts. Today, boys can claim to be girls and be admitted to the girls locker room and are actually participating in female athletics! Those Christians who taught the law was nailed to the cross have absolutely nothing to complain about. Because this is the natural result of their ridiculous doctrines.

Freedom requires boundaries. In order to have peace, we have to have order. We have to have a set of expectations and limitations that society agrees upon. This doesn’t even need to be a set of Christian of biblical tenets. Egypt had order and had peace. So did Greece. So did Rome. Within their borders, they had a set of laws and punishments for breaking those laws. They had rewards for obeying the laws. Societies need boundaries in order for there to be any sort of peace. Now, it becomes very un-peaceful in dictatorial societies when you stray from the path, so I am not endorsing these lifestyles. Not at all. The way Yahweh set it up was for the people to agree and follow, not for there to be a dictatorial society. Yahweh set up a simple set of commandments, the people cried, then He finished with Moses on the mountain. While the people obeyed. Then He added the laws about the priesthood, to keep them on the straight and narrow. Then Israel fell away over and over. But they never descended to the depravity we have today. And they knew the path back because righteousness was defined and had not changed. As far as individuals go, we are in the process of surpassing Sodom and Gomorrah. We are on the fast track to Genesis 6, where the thoughts of men were evil continually. All because we have discarded the basic principles of God and nature.

But remember, I set this up with national sins. With the Israelites having to honor their covenant even though it was made in deceit. Well, we’ve broken those rules as well. To the point that our oldest ally, France, is moving away from us. The French president, who was one of our best friends just four years ago, has openly indicated he can’t trust us. Because our government is ran by dishonorable people. When we abandoned our allies in Afghanistan, we told the world they can’t trust us anymore. That abrupt withdrawal, where we abandoned the airport before we even got our own citizens out, and left all of our military hardware behind, showed the world that our word means nothing. Other allies who depend on us for their existence have betrayed us this week with intelligence. Our inability to keep secret classified information makes it impossible for other nations to share their intel with us. And within this dump of classified information was evidence of us spying on our own allies. Our nation’s leaders are more concerned with men being able to shower with girls than they are of our common defense and standing in the world. We have become a nation of complete lawlessness from the top down. For more than two centuries this nation was the bedrock, and that was because we were a force for good. In two short years that has completely collapsed. No boundaries, nothing to cling to.

Slide 6 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Mat 24:11-14)

Our movement has focused on the Sabbath as the mark of the beast for over 150 years. That was because it was the commandment that set us apart from the rest of Christianity. Those who preached lawlessness still clung to the other 9 commandments, even though that was a ridiculous position. But they continued to preach their lawlessness and adopted worse and worse practices that I won’t even speak of. Instead of being the anchor for truth, Christianity gave into society’s increasing depravity until we have arrived at the place where we are now. Brothers and sisters, it was an error to focus on one commandment when the scriptures were talking about total lawlessness all the time.

The New World Order

The demise of society (as seen on TV).

Audio only below.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Resurrection of the Dead

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.

Let Us Reason Together

Society is losing the ability to think critically and determine good information from bad. This ability was given to us by Yahweh when He made mankind in His image. In this message, I address logical fallacies, which are errors in thinking that lead people to false conclusions. These concepts are biblical and we are even commanded to think properly in order to make sound judgments. 

Audio only below.

Slide 2 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says YHVH, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of YHVH has spoken. (Isa 1:18-20)

Isaiah 1:18 famously reads “Come, let us reason together, says Yahweh. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be whiter than snow.”

This line is in the midst of a rather blunt rebuke of Israel for falling away while still obeying the festivals and, effectively, pretending to be righteous. This is rife in our society today. Putting on airs is how we coin it, or blatant hypocrisy. In the context of Isaiah 1, Yahweh is telling the leadership of Judah to stop doing this. He’s telling them to repent of their evil deeds, knock them off, and return to obeying both observing the festivals and all of the Torah. He’s telling them to use their ability to reason and come to the logical conclusion that He is the only true Elohim (God) and their only mechanism for salvation is through Him.

Today I want to talk about reason. Our ability to think critically and come to good conclusions. Because our society is almost completely been destroyed through the dismantling of this fundamental to human thought. Our ability to reason, to think, to weigh choices, to analyze data and experiences, in order to improve ourselves and our society, is what separates us from the animal kingdom. Adam was given the task of naming the animals because he was given the ability to do so. Humankind was made in the image of Elohim. Part of that was the ability to think and deduce.

One of my favorite topics in college, and even in High School AP English, which my daughters are learning now, are logical fallacies. When learning to write one task is learning how to author an argumentative essay. To do that, we get educated on logical fallacies, which are errors in reasoning that lead people to make erroneous decisions. Learning that this is still part of the curriculum in college, which is where my daughters are learning this, is a good thing. But it makes me concerned for society because if people are still learning about these things, why does our public discourse look like the population is completely ignorant of these things?

A case in point is that we bought a new truck back in 2017. Our old Suburban was crumbling and we needed a vehicle to take its place. A Suburban was out of the question because at that time, they cost about half as much as a house. Today, they are up to the price of a full duplex. So we need a truck that did a few specific things and at a certain price point. I contacted dealers who said they could meet our needs. However, they kept asking what color we wanted. We did not care about the color of the vehicle unless it was atrocious. It’s not like a manufacturer is going to put something out that people don’t want to look at, so our focus was on cost and capability. This is what should take precedence when making a large purchase of anything. We got to the dealership and they had two trucks waiting for us to test drive. They were stunning, one black and one royal blue. We drove them and liked them but realized they had us drive the nicest trucks on the lot. There was no way we could afford these things. When we got done driving them, the salesman asked “do you want the black one or the green one”? I asked how much they cost. He would not answer. I had to get blunt and ask if they were near our price point, where he told me that our price point couldn’t be met, we needed to come up. But he still wouldn’t tell us how much they cost. We ultimately had to leave, kids in tow, while the guy literally chased us in the parking lot.

This sales technique is successful because of logical fallacies. Marketing is almost completely base on these, which is why we need to be concerned for the fate of our society. We have all bought things that we just “wanted” based on attraction. I’ve made this mistake with purchases large and small alike. I once bought a lever action hunting rifle because it was simple beautiful. I had no idea how to hunt and had no need for this rifle whatsoever, but like a fool, I let it catch my eye and then I held it. Big mistake. $600 out the window and I was the proud owner of something I simply wanted. I ultimately learned how to hunt deer, got one, and then sold that rifle for quite a profit. That’s because it had the initials JM on it and turned out to be among the last lever action Marlin’s produced with John Marlin’s initials on it. Yes, I bought it on emotion and made money because someone else had a stronger emotional attachment to it. I should probably be ashamed of that transaction now that I think of it.

So let’s look at a couple logical fallacies. A great place to learn about this is the website for Purdue University here Fallacies – Purdue OWL® – Purdue University. Which is the site I’m using to define these things. Keep in mind that these concepts are in Latin, but are also in Torah. These things are ancient errors in logic that Yahweh has warned us about and that mankind has also learned to label and avoid the hard way.

Post hoc or false cause logical fallacy is when conclusions are drawn based on coincidences. This is also similar to the phrase “non-sequitur” meaning “does not follow” or, in southern US language “you can’t get there from here”. False causes and non-sequiturs are when things happen at the same time that might look related but really aren’t. A way to think about this are these commercials for vitamins and health products that show people doing athletic or active things and try to make you think that the product they are advertising caused them to be able to do those things but they really didn’t. It could be the person adopted a lifestyle change, changed their diet, and consciously decided to get out more at the same time they started taking the healthcare product. In this case, the product may have helped but it’s not clear causation for the change. Another way to think of this is if someone said they played the lottery for years and never won. But after they started taking these health products, whamo, they hit the jackpot! That’s an extreme example to make the case.

This one shows up in scripture when Yeshua talks about the people who died when a tower fell on them in Luke 13:1-5. He makes the case that all are sinners so the manner of death is rather irrelevant if one doesn’t repent, that their horrific death was not the result of some special level of sinfulness they had attained.

Ad hominem logical fallacy means “to the person”. This is when people are smeared to get folks turned against the person rather than deal with the person’s argument. This happens so much in politics I don’t think we will ever return to debating issues. Each campaign smears the other candidate to the point of making that person seem like a demon when they really aren’t. This can work in reverse as well where people will follow someone’s advice because they like them, irrespective of whether the person is putting forth sound advice. This is why actors, who are popular because of acting, are often used in advocacy campaigns. The people are comfortable with a certain person telling them things so they are more receptive to other information from that person. But we really should be looking at topics and arguments objectively, without regard to the person making the argument. In scripture, the spiritual leaders of Yeshua’s day tried to smear Him at every turn to get the people to dismiss Him and His teachings because they could not refute His words. This was an attempt to use the ad hominem logical fallacy.

Ad Populum logical fallacy is when people go along with the crowd just because the crowd is doing it. We can see this today with social media trying to make immorality popular so more people agree with it and legalize/normalize it. We see it very often when the media gets us all mad about an issue in order to change our behavior, such as to favor one candidate or another in an election. What does the Torah say about this?

Slide 3 “You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice;” (Exo 23:2)

Today, this is probably the most dangerous logical fallacy in existence. Because our entire foundation for understanding the world comes from a flawed cultural experience. In the days of Moses, when this mitzvot was given, Yahweh had established His culture and all the children would be raised in a proper culture, knowing right from wrong from when they could learn. So their population was intended to be inherently sound. Our culture is, let’s face it, crazy. There is no right or wrong anymore at all! So we start our life experiences without being surrounded by a population with and foundational morality that is sloshing around in a living cultural experiment. At any given moment, we do not know what will become popular and a new norm and what virtue that has been held dear for hundreds of years will become unpopular to the point of being exterminated. When we are at the will of the a volatile populous, we are in a state of pure chaos, never knowing how to think or react to any situation. This situation happens often in history. People get ginned up on a large scale to make decisions they would never normally make and almost instantly regret. The Bolshevik Revolution when Russia became communist is one. The NAZIs coming to power is another. Our own country is at great risk of this today, as we have had incredibly emotionally driven protests and riots in the last few years where people were clearly being manipulated through media to perform certain behaviors.

You probably already know where this is going, but there’s a big place in scripture where this logical fallacy was employed by none other than Satan himself.

Slide 4 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Yeshua to death. But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Yeshua who is called Messiah?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!” (Mat 27:19-23)

The people had been ginned up to despise the Messiah and Pilate allowed himself to be swayed because he didn’t want a riot or civil war, thus yielding to the ad populum logical fallacy. Don’t let the irony that it’s in Latin to be lost. The nation that was told to not follow the masses into evil persuaded the nation that knew better than to follow a logical fallacy to murder an innocent man, the very Son of Yahweh. The lesson today is to not be a part of this.

By the way, this one works in reverse, too. Just because the masses do or believe something doesn’t make it right or wrong. We also need to be careful not to discard information because it is popular, but do our best to judge each situation on its merits, which is what will happen at the end of days when the books are opened and all mankind are judged based on the context of their lives.

The Gospel According to Moses

Highlights from the last two Torah portions, which comprise establishing Moses and Aaron as leaders through the 10 plagues. This provides a remarkable outline for the plan of salvation established at the foundation of the world. We can see today that this plan, often referred to as the Gospel, is laid out by Moses in the Torah, but not in a verse by verse manner. It’s established by patterns, analogies, and allusions. Today, let’s learn about the Gospel according to Moses.  

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From Hell to Salvation

Highlights from the last two Torah portions, which comprise establishing Moses and Aaron as leaders through the 10 plagues. This provides a remarkable outline for the plan of salvation established at the foundation of the world. We can see today that this plan, often referred to as the Gospel, is laid out by Moses in the Torah, but not in a verse by verse manner. It’s established by patterns, analogies, and allusions. Today, let’s learn about the Gospel according to Moses.  

Slide 2 Then YHVH said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exo 7:1-3)

It begins with establishing the relationship between Yahweh and Yeshua. Yahweh uses their model for Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron operate as one, just as Yeshua and Yahweh do, with Yeshua being always subordinate just like Aaron. Clearly two different people, but working in concert so well that you cannot tell the difference between the two of them.

Slide 3 “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)

Moses did Yahweh’s will, Aaron did Moses’ will. The ultimate in faithfulness is illustrated in obedience. Can we say that what Aaron did, after being commanded by Moses who was commanded by Yahweh, was actually done by Yahweh? Of course. Can we can that Aaron is Yahweh? Of course not. But this is one of the key themes established in the Torah – that Yahweh desires pure obedience and subordination from His prophets. Yeshua, being His Son, perfectly achieved this and if we believe that, then we may be granted eternal life. And this pattern was established at the Exodus as a foreshadowing of the first coming of the Messiah.

Slide 4 YHVH gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. (Exo 11:3)

The goal of the plagues was not random destruction. They were to break the people’s will. Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart while He worked through Moses and Aaron to bring about the complete destruction of Egypt. He did this slowly, meticulously, and through His servants. One big reason was to show that Pharaoh was not a god, and Pharaoh’s gods were not as powerful as Yahweh. The plagues broke the people’s will and destroyed their connection to their gods while offering the true alternative – real men of God in the persons of Moses and Aaron, leading them to the true Elohim. Yahweh. This is the same at the end of days. The plagues and end time disasters that are coming aren’t just for the purpose of destruction, they are designed to humiliate the false gods and the imaginations of men, and to show people that Yahweh is indeed our Elohim and Yeshua is His Messiah. Moses was esteemed at plague 9. What happened after plague 10?

Slide 5 A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. (Exo 12:38)

After the 10th plague, the killing of all the firstborn, many Egyptians and other foreigners left with the Hebrews. Israel began as a mixed multitude and in the end, Israel will end as a mixed multitude. And the Torah was for everyone present at Mt. Sinai. YHVH did not dismiss those who were not from the tribes at Mt. Sinai. They became a part of Israel. Because of the death of the firstborn. Remember that.

Slide 6 For you are all sons of God through faith in Messiah Yeshua. For all of you who were baptized into Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (Gal 3:26-29)

Do you see the parallel? Those who went through the plagues who realized that YHVH is the real God obtained salvation. They were delivered from Egypt and blessed with manna from heaven. Those now who accept Yeshua as the Messiah, as the Son of God, obtain a better blessing. We become adopted children of Yahweh and heirs according to the promise. The promise that Abraham’s descendants would be more numerous than can be counted. This is clear: those who accept Yeshua as the Messiah become sons of God, which is synonymous with being Abraham’s descendants. We who accept the voluntary death of Yahweh’s firstborn Son as propitiation for our sins allow us to join the family of God. Abraham was blessed because of his obedience, thus we need to be obedient just as Abraham was, just as Yeshua was, once we become grafted into the vine and offered a chance to enter eternal life!

Slide 7 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)

This is an incredible sentence for those who are blessed to follow in the footsteps of the first century Christians. The plan of salvation I’m speaking on briefly today is based on the holy days of Leviticus 23, which span a journey from Egypt (Ramses) to Sukkot, the 8 day festival in the fall. This sentence is alluding to that outline and it is no accident that those who were saved, the mixed multitude, left Egypt and landed at a place called Sukkot, which is the same word as the Feast of Tabernacles. The people were delivered from Egypt through Passover by the blood of the lambs, they made their escape from Pharaoh, and then got to Sukkot where they would finally be delivered. Their hell would be to have died in the wilderness, slaughtered by Pharaoh’s army. From Sukkot they crossed the red sea and there was no going back, which is an allusion to the 8th day where we transition from this sinful world, the olam haze, to eternity, the olam haba or world to come. We can choose to die here or live there, just like the mixed multitude. They didn’t know what was waiting for them after Sukkot, but they knew Yahweh was the true God, Moses and Aaron His servants, and theyirchoice was to go forward in faith or die at the hands of Pharaoh’s army.

This is the outline for our faith, brothers and sisters. We know that the festivals outline the plan of salvation. The Exodus is the first part, where Yeshua died for us on Passover. The fall festivals, culminating in Sukkot, are yet to be fulfilled. We know what’s coming is infinitely better than this world but we don’t really know what’s coming or how we’re going to get there. We know that accepting Yeshua as Messiah, as the Son of God, allows us to enter the world to come. The blood of the Lamb allows us to be saved, just like the blood of the lambs saved the firstborn of the Hebrews. And now you know the Gospel according to Moses.

The Knowledge that Brings Peace

Understanding the scriptures from a first century Christian perspective gives one an understanding of the plan of salvation that results in a deep psychological shalom that we want all to experience!

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The Temple and the Messiah

Daniel 9 Proves Jesus is Messiah

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.

Proving-Yeshua-is-the-Messiah-from-the-Destruction-of-the-TempleDownload

Prophecy Outline for Messianics

Do you want to know when the Gog and Magog war is? When is the final battle of this age? Please give this a watch and learn some simple truths that have escaped Christianity for a really long time!

Video with slides below (recommended for this one!)

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Prophecy Outline for Messianics

I don’t spend a lot of time on prophecy studies outside of the outline of the Holy Days. My philosophy here is that if we keep Torah while believing in Yeshua, then the details of prophecy will work themselves out. Perhaps it’s an oversimplification, but if we are doing the Master’s will, does it really matter when He returns? Isn’t that the point of the parable?

However, prophecy is what brings a lot of people to the faith once delivered. Let’s face it, when we read what’s going to happen to the disobedient and pagans, it’s a big motivator to get ourselves on the right side of history. Moses reminded the people of what was going to happen to them when (not if) they disobeyed. Yahweh used other nations to smite Israel repeatedly. Yahweh also destroyed the entire earth once before because of sin. So understanding the stakes, the eternal stakes, is a really good motivator for getting right with Yahweh and Yeshua.

Prophecy is another of our beliefs that needs to be adjusted once we come out of Babylon. One of the key topics we break with most everyone else is on the state of the dead, for example. Most of Christianity, Judaism, and even the world today think that there is no such thing as death. Their when our bodies cease to contain us, we translate into some other type of non-corporeal or semi-corporeal life. We accept that death is the opposite of life. We did not exist prior to our births, we live a mortal life, and then we sleep in the grave awaiting resurrection. It’s rather bizarre that most of Christianity has shed belief in the resurrection when it is such a core belief of Yeshua, who died and was resurrected to prove it (among other things), and then the rest of the apostles.

The resurrection of the dead is an enormously important part of prophecy.

Slide 2 “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)

“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. Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” (Dan 12:1-4)

Yeshua is actually referencing the prophet Daniel in John 5:29. In fact, I use John 5:29 as kind of a benchmark for Bible translations. You’ll notice this says “resurrection of judgment” rather than the KJV “resurrection of damnation”. This is a key distinction because those in this category are not even automatically condemned, let alone damned. The resurrection of judgment is just that, a decision time. I’ll get into that a little later. I’m starting with these verses because this is the broadest outline for Messianic prophecy: that the resurrection of the dead is real. All mankind will live again, but in the future. And then we get some more information about the resurrection in Revelation. We learn there are two.

Slide Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years. 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 20:4-6)

It’s Revelation 20 where we learn there is a gap of 1000 years between the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment. This 1000 years is also something that Christianity has discarded along the way and I don’t believe Judaism has ever adopted. This 1000 year period is called “the millennium” and we who believe it and take it literally are in the minority, despite it being a very crucial point in history: 1000 years for mankind to have a shot without Satan’s interference.

At this point in this message, I’d like you to stop listening, watching, or reading and read Ezekiel 37 and 38, then Revelation 20, in that order and all at once. If you don’t do it first, you’ll likely end up stopping and doing it anyhow. This is because the timing laid out in plain scripture is contrary to almost everything those who put out eschatological messages ever put out and I want you to see these things for yourselves, not because some guy with a mic told you.

Now we’re back. The book of Revelation is the most Jewish of the NT books. John assumes that the reader is fluid with the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, or what we call the Old Testament. Roughly 70% of the verses in Revelation either cite or make allusion to some verse in the Tanakh. And if you did the exercise, you’ll see what I’m talking about. The Book of Revelation is akin to a PhD. paper. I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but it builds upon the elementary school level understanding of scripture, all the way through high school, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. In the same way that an Algebra book assumes the student understands basic math and number lines, the Book of Revelation assumes the readers know their bibles. So when folks start in Revelation with only an understanding of the New Testament, it can take one in wild directions.

Let’s run down Revelation 20 with Ezekiel 37 and 38 in mind.

It’s hard to see but Revelation 20 is on top and Ezekiel 37 on the bottom. When John, Paul, Yeshua, and anyone else in the first century talked about the resurrection of the dead, they were referencing Ezekiel 37. Now that we know there are two resurrections that bookend the millennium, we know Ezekiel 37 to be the first. John is assuming we know Ezekiel 37 when he references the first resurrection in Revelation 20:1-6. In what’s called “the resurrection chapter” 1st Corinthians 15, we get an order of resurrections that also compliments the order put forth here. In verses 42-49 of 1 Cor 15, Paul explains that the resurrected saints get a spiritual body that will never die. This is exactly what’s depicted in detail in Ezekiel 37’s resurrection.

The Two Sticks

Much ado is made in our circles about one-house versus two-house. What is known is that after the return from Exile, the term Jew applied to any of the tribes that kept the Torah and maintained their identity as children of Yahweh. I know, I know, Jew is derived from Judah, but language is not static nor is it precise. In the New Testament, Paul called himself a Jew, a Benjamite, and an Israelite. Then, as well as know, it’s just common parlance to call those with the bloodline, whether Messianic or non-Messianic, “Jews”. What we have in Ezekiel 37: 15-28 coupled with Revelation 20: 1-6  is proof that both houses have not been reunited yet, they will be, AND we have a time when that will happen, which is after the first resurrection. The first resurrection is when Yahweh gathers all His people from the corners of the earth, reunite the tribes, and set Yeshua as King over all of us.

When is the Gog and Magog War?

Many, many calories have been spent trying to figure out who Gog and Magog are in Christian circles. This is because Christianity desperately wants this war to happen before the return of the Messiah. But when does this war actually happen?

Yes, brothers and sisters, we are at least 1000 years and a day from this war. Ezekiel 37 references the first resurrection where all the saints who have ever lived and those whom Yahweh wills are resurrected, perfected, and glorified. Then at the end of the 1000 years, Satan goes out to deceive the nations one last times and brings an enormous army to Jerusalem where Yahweh has finally had enough.

Then what?

Slide Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:11-15)

Then, after all this, we have the second resurrection. This is when all who have ever lived that were not part of the first resurrection are brought back to life and judged based on their previous lives. The word here for judged G2919 krino which does not mean condemned or executed. It means “decision time”. Judgments can go either way and we can see that there will be names found written in the book of life at this event. Let us pray most of them, if possible.

Choose Wisely

Choose to be found doing Yahweh’s will when Yeshua returns!

Video with slide below.

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Choose Wisely

Great and terrible day of YHVH.

“The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of YHVH comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of YHVH will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as YHVH has said, even among the survivors whom YHVH calls.” (Joe 2:31-32)

Explaining the Hebrew Calendar

Holy Day dates – this Sunday at sunset is Yom Teruah, Feat of Trumpets. Lots of meaning. Sounds can be joyful or terrifying. When the Israelites marched around Jericho on the 7th day, then made all the noise with trumpets, that sound was wonderful to the Israelites’ ears. Not so much for those of Jericho.

Holy Day Dates – First Century Christianity

Yeshua says blessed be the one who’s doing His master’s will upon return. Are you looking for the sound of the trumpet? Are you going to be happy when it blows or terrified? Perhaps a little of both? Well, this Sunday begins Yom Teruah, the day of Trumpets, and is widely accepted by both Messianics and Jews alike to be a very significant day in prophecy – the day or hour no man knows. Paul tells us this is the day Yeshua will return and I don’t see a reason to disagree.

Then we have ten days and then Yom Kippur. From the book of Hebrews we know this to be a day for forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance. From the Torah and the Gospels we know Yeshua’s sacrifice is tied to this day as well.

The ten days in the middle are called the days of awe. Many do intense repentance during this time. We don’t have a hint of what happens during these days but it surely is significant because Yahweh does nothing on accident.

Yom Teruah ten days Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is though of to be a day of judgment. We are commanded to do nothing on this day, no eating, no drinking, no work whatsoever. Nothing. So the High Priest could make atonement for the people. Now, in memorial of Yeshua, our new High Priest, making atonement for all who accept Him as Messiah.

Then 5 days later Sukkot, Tabernacle, starts. An absolute party for the children of Yahweh. A time for us to get out of the world for 8 days and fellowship in peace. A memorial of the wilderness time for the Israelites but also for Yeshua, who tabernacled with us.

Then on the 8th day of Sukkot – the day that’s both connected to Sukkot and not – the gateway day, we have a gathering. This is what we consider to be the gateway between this era, the olam haze, and the enternity, the olam ha ba. And we gather each year to have one last hoorah with the assembly before going back to our lives. But on the last Shemini atzaret we won’t go back to our lives. We will enter a new life for eternity, where no evil or sorrow will be found.

The days we keep have rich meaning. I could go on and on with doctrinal meaning and proofs of these days being kept in the New Testament. But instead I’d like to offer an invitation. Please join us. This world is getting tired and starting to come apart. Rahab of Jericho knew what was good for her. She knew Israel was going to take the land and win. So in the late time before the invasion, she chose wisely. She chose Yahweh and her clan was saved, even in the tumult of supernatural war. The good thief on the cross did the same. He knew Yeshua was dying innocently so he chose to acknowledge that, and he will be in the kingdom because of it. As the world hurtles toward the inevitable return of the Messiah, choose wisely. Choose to be found doing His will when He returns. Even if you don’t fully understand it. Make sure you are on the right side now, so you can be on the right side on that final 8th day. Shalom.

The Remnant

What are the traits of God’s remnant in these troubling times?

The image below here is a video hosted by Rumble with slides. Just hit the white play triangle in the green box and it will play right here. You can also watch and follow our channel on Rumble if you like by clicking the word Rumble.

The image below here is audio only hosted by Spotify. If podcasts are your thing, you can like and follow this channel on Spotify by clicking the word Spotify here. Depending on how you listen to Spotify, you may be able to see the slides there, too.

This begins the written transcript for those who like to read, or use ctl-f to search for things.

Slide 2 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of YHVH and hold to the testimony of Yeshua. (Rev 12:13-17)

Specific group. Doing both things. Context to show the difficulty. The last sentence is the focus. Often referred to as the remnant message because of how it is worded in KJV and because, well, it is the remnant message.

When I first came to this walk I was taught that keeping the commandments was really just about the 4th commandment. That since the rest of Christianity kept the wrong day, the sign of the remnant was keeping the Sabbath. So to achieve this part of the formula, one had to keep the 10 commandments, including the Saturday Sabbath. And then the testimony of Yeshua was very narrowly defined as the spirit of prophecy. This is because in one verse, Rev 19:10, the testimony of Yeshua is defined as that. But in other verses, it’s clearly talking about the entirety of Yeshua’s testimony, so it’s not just prophecy. And one needs to understand prophecy from the Tanakh, it’s not just being able to tell the future, but something much more special.

This is a case of “when I was a child”. This formula of keeping the ten commandments and the testimony of Yeshua is a very good start, if you don’t get carried away with the prophecy part. Strict adherence to the 10 commandments is and always will be an absolute foundational, unchangeable, truth. If one does that, the rest will surely follow. As long as one accepts Yeshua as the Messiah, that is. When we learn the truth about the commandments, we get really excited about them because we see just how far off the mark society is in general, and Christianity is specifically. I learned the truth more than 20 years ago. As I have learned and grown in the faith, Christianity has fallen even farther off the mark. So today I wand to talk about what the remnant looks like know as one who is mature in the faith.

Slide 3 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2Th 2:7-12)

Does this sound like lawlessness is restricted to the Sabbath? No, I didn’t think so. This is a comprehensive lawlessness. What did Yeshua say it will look like at the end of this age? The days of Noah.

Slide 4 Then YHVH saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. YHVH was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. YHVH said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of YHVH. (Gen 6:5-8)

Yahweh destroyed the earth with a flood because mankind’s thoughts were continually evil. That a comprehensive failure. It’s not just one commandment, it’s everything. And it shows that this breakdown in society was fundamental. But Noah found favor. Why? Because he still believed and behaved appropriately. The next line states that Noah was righteous, blameless in his time. This scenario is playing out for us today. Society is devolving at an incredible pace. Those who are striving for righteousness today are increasingly isolated.

The bible reflects a culture of cycles. With the days of Noah, the cycles applied to the all mankind, the entire earth. With the nation of Israel, the cycles narrowed and we learned the cycles of obedience can be short or long. Once the faith left Israel, 1900 years ago, these cycles shifted back to the larger scale they were under in the days of Noah, leading to the final culmination at the return of Yeshua. As we draw nearer to that end, it’s important to get a clearer understanding of what the remnant looks like. Society today is increasingly godless and lawless, and we who believe are feeling it. As I look around, the falling away is quite comprehensive as society lacks any sort of religion, except the imaginations of men. Our politicians have become our priests and their causes the doctrines. The inability to see anything wrong at all in your favored leader is now comprehensive. We have returned to the systems of old, where the kings could do no wrong whatsoever, even when they did incredibly bad things. Rather than list out the bad, which we will likely do afterwards, let’s look at the behavior of the remnant:

Slide 5 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (Jas 1:27)

Our faith needs to drive us to have compassion on those less fortunate. Orphans and widows were the least fortunate in the first century. They had no means of income or being taken care of at all. A widow depended on her husband for her sustenance. Once he’s gone, so is her income. An orphan is the most helpless, lacking both parents and not being adopted in by their kin or strangers. Our obedience to the commandments and our knowledge of Yeshua’s ministry needs to drive us to caring about those who need help, especially when they are in distress.

Remember, the chapters and verses aren’t there. So what is the next verse?

Slide 6 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Yeshua Messiah with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (Jas 2:1-9)

We cannot assume wealth or high office equates with righteousness. As we look at our society today, the wealthy and powerful are turning out the be the most miserable of creatures, aren’t they? What does it say in Genesis? The men of renown were wicked. Does this sound similar? This is a good thing for us, though, because our behavior is to call balls and strikes right down the middle. We are both compassionate to the less fortunate and not respecters of persons, so these are more remnant boxes to check off.

Slide 7 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mat 25:31-46)

Our doctrines and faith need to drive our compassion. Yeshua is representing the final judgment here. And it’s not based on doctrines but behavior. That doesn’t mean we ignore doctrine at all. We know from later scripture that the recipe is to keep the commandments and follow Yeshua’s testimony. This is the dividing line, though. Are we compassionate? Are we attending to the needy? Our actions in recent weeks say yes, we are. We’ve met an entire family that we didn’t know because we stepped up with Tonya’s passing. In fact, our hearts hurt because we can’t help everyone because the world is affecting our own lives.

I was on a call last night with some of the brethren. It was a wonderful experience to hear them sharing about their lives and ministries openly. And that helped to form my topic today. This year we have had to deal with a lot of people passing away and being sick. It’s the remnant all over the place who are doing the right things. We are the ones who don’t hesitate to visit the sick or step up to help with funeral arrangements. We are the ones who keep attending and scheduling services, even though the groups keep getting smaller. Let’s pray our example gets through to people and we can grow our light in these increasingly dark times.