Why the discord? Why the misunderstandings? Why the false teaching?

Transcription

1 Why the discord? Why the misunderstandings? Why the false teaching? The Prologue This is my answer Jeremiah s Prophecy Let us reconsider the teaching on the Law of Moses What are we teaching? What should we understand from the Book of Malachi? Let us look at the word NEW Looking back to the First and Second Temples and their lessons Yeshua the Full, Final and Perfect Sacrifice for the Sin of Mankind Our task when we have been born again What is the Shema recited within Judaism? Of course we need to crucify our flesh! The Prologue Today there is, and for some years there have been, an increasing number of teachers and preachers researching and sharing the fact that Christianity has grown out of Judaism. The Apostle Paul, in his day, when describing his new understanding of God s Will for His people said, The Way was being referred to as a sect of Judaism (Acts 24:14). In Paul s day the Faith in Yeshua (Jesus) was called The Way not Christianity. It was in Antioch (Acts 11:26) when these believers in their Saviour Yeshua were being mocked and ridiculed that they were perjuriously called Christians. This research into Faith in Yeshua the Son of YHVH God and the Messiah of Israel has given more and more understanding of its Foundations from the recovery of historical evidence including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the semantics of the Hebrew language. Although the New Testament has a long history of being written in Greek, following the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek Pentateuch version, 1

2 the academic conclusions have been that behind much of the Greek is a Hebraic mindset. This has brought greater and greater understanding to the Scriptures regarding Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) and the writings of Paul the Apostle. Of course the Hebrew Scriptures were the only Bible in use in the first centuries of the Faith in Yeshua until the Church of Rome took authority in the 3 rd /4 th century and began rewriting its order and function. This was due to their hatred of the Jews as expressed by King Constantine at the Council of Nicea in 345AD. Since this time the Church of Rome has desired their religion to be based on different days, dates, structures and rituals. Consequently hatred between both parties Christianity and Judaism has been allowed to fester. Judaism too has undergone its own changes due to generations of rabbinical interpretations of their own Scriptures. Although we have seen generations of discord and separation between these two religions we are today seeing a greater preparedness for Jews and Christians to enter into dialogue in order to confront the breach between the two Faiths which are, after all, from the same Foundation of Truth. I have had the keen desire to look into this question myself since 1995 when I was drawn to question why what I heard taught in church did not respond to what I was reading in the Scriptures. As I began a journey of exploration uncovering the history of the Faith and reading and listening to much of the research and archaeology being done in this field my enthusiasm and zeal for my subject just grew and grew. And as the Spirit of the Lord has been my prime Teacher, Instructor and Guide as I studied, the Truths revealed to me have become more and more clear and redolent with the peaceful discernment that I was receiving truth. Over these intervening years I have written Papers outlining my findings, more to coalesce my grasp of these revelations than for the use of others. However, in 2005 I was asked to make my Papers available for others through the Groups I was attending. Now they are also on the Internet and they are being accepted and read more widely. 2

3 Recently it has come to my notice that there are even more teachers on the world s circuits who are teaching on this subject and even a number of Messianic Groups who are gathering together because this gap in their own wisdom, understanding and knowledge is finding food that needs to be tasted and used to fill up their Faith in Yeshua the Messiah of Israel. There are also a number of Christian organisations forming liaisons with Jewish organisations to continue the dialogue already at work. This is The Prologue to my title Why? Why? Why? This is my answer I have not written any Papers for some time but suddenly I was feeling what Jeremiah describes when he had kept silent for a while, His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not (Jeremiah 20:9). Poor Jeremiah was being mocked and persecuted and called The Prophet of Doom because he was forever being given messages from God for the people because of their continual disobedience, rejection and rebellion against God as they refused to hear and obey all that was being said to them. And today I believe the LORD YHVH God Almighty is using these Teachers of the Hebraic Foundations of this Faith in Yeshua to fill up the generations of ignorance and false teaching that have been the life of these assemblies both main-line churches and fellowships for so long. Jeremiah s prophecy Jeremiah gave a prophecy which I pray may not be the testimony of too many folk at that Last Day that is fast approaching when Yeshua is to Return and all people will be judged for what they have done and for what they have failed to do. This judgement will have two destinations Eternal Salvation or Eternal Hell Fire. Jeremiah said, O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the Day of Affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthless and unprofitable things, will a man make gods for himself which are not gods? (16:19-20 c.f. Galatians 4:8-10; Revelation 22:12-15). It should be noted that any subject in the Scriptures mentioned more than once should have us stand still and ask, Why is this being repeated? I must investigate. The LORD was very 3

4 particular that all testimony should have at least two or three witnesses and then it should be taken seriously. Let us reconsider the teaching on the Law of Moses For those who have read my work over the years they will be very much aware of the subject that has been the focus of all my writing and that is the Teaching, Instruction, Direction and Guidance of the LORD God Almighty, known in Judaism as The Torah and in the Christian scriptures as The Law of Moses. Unfortunately the teaching in the church has been centred on a poor translation of the Greek language and for generations we have been told we are not and we should never consider ourselves to be under The Law (Torah) because that has been abandoned and we are now under Grace. For some reason some of the clearly explicit teaching and words of Yeshua that The Law or Torah would never be abandoned, not even by one yod or tittle (Matthew 5:17-19) has either been overlooked or turned on its head and in the words of Isaiah we are calling black white and white black a dangerous state of affairs. What are we teaching? It has even been said that the most important issue for the church to preach is the essence of faith not what Yeshua may or may not have said; appearing to imply that Yeshua s Words are insignificant! Can such an implication be true? If so this is yet another very dangerous state of affairs. Hence my question Why all this false teaching? Of course it is also a misunderstanding that utters quite discordant messages. Yeshua was saying that rather than destroy, annul or abrogate any of the Scripture teaching He had come to place these sacred writings on a firmer footing with a more precise interpretation that is the meaning of the Greek Pleroo and the Hebrew Kiyem being used in this passage (Matthew 5:17-19). What should we understand from the Book of Malachi? Malachi was the last of the Prophets in the section of the Christian Bible called the Old Testament as well as the last Prophet listed in the Hebrew Scriptures although the three sections of the Hebrew Scriptures are in a different order but all Books are included in both. For the disciples of Messiah Yeshua there had been a prophetic silence for four hundred 4

5 years before John the Baptiser and Yeshua were born. Malachi appears to have been used in the Christian Bible to sound a warning to those who would see, hear and listen to Yeshua and flock to join the congregations of the Lord Yeshua as set up in the towns and villages around them. Malachi was given to explain at his time only to Israel the many different ways they had rebelled and disobeyed the Instructions and Commandments of YHVH God. Of course these Scriptures are now able to warn us of the weaknesses exhibited by the chosen people of God in order for us to endeavour not to fall down over these same issues. Malachi foretells the coming of John Baptiser as the messenger (Malachi 4:5; c.f. Luke 1:13-17 and 3:2-6; Isaiah 40:1-5) who would announce the arrival of Yeshua and whom Yeshua said had come in the spirit of Elijah (Matthew 11:7-15). Malachi s closing statement is that we are to Remember God s Torah/ The Law of Moses. Let us look at the word NEW In response to this instruction Yeshua taught that new wine should always be put in new wineskins (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22) but in Luke s record of this teaching he adds a further remark from Yeshua, The old wine is better (Luke 5:36-39). What could He be implying here? Elsewhere Yeshua, when teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven says, Have you understood all these things? Every Scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new (kainos) and old (Matthew 13:51-52). What are our treasures? The complete Word of God both Testaments. Never ever refer to yourself or even consider being just a New Testament Christian you only have half the Truth. When Yeshua speaks of new wine or anything completely new it is described in the Greek as Neos. But the New Covenant is described as Kainos something that preexisted but has been renewed, modified, certain adjustments having been made. So God s Torah is still a part of the Renewed Covenant. We call the teachings of this New Testament the Gospel. Isaiah described the Word of God as the Gospel or Good News so it is not a new word for the church. We are told the Gospel was given by God at 5

6 Mount Sinai to His people in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt (Acts 7:38; Hebrews 4:2). We are told that the Exodus was not just the redemption of His people the Israelites but a mixed multitude came with them, also wanting to follow the God of Israel (Exodus 12:37-38; Numbers 11:4). Paul recorded in his Letter to the Galatians that the Gospel was also given to Abraham (3:8-9). Many of us may well be the descendants of just such as these one day we may discover the truth of all I am sharing. Looking back to The First and Second Temples and their lessons Looking further back into the Scriptures when King David wanted to build the LORD a Temple in Jerusalem he acquired many of the materials that would be needed. However, as he had been a mighty warrior there was too much blood on his hands and God said that his son Solomon was to undertake the building. All the stone was prepared at the quarry so no hammer or chisel or iron tool was heard in the Temple during construction to save any discordant noises (1 Kings 6:7). The Temple was to be the place YHVH God was to put His Name (1 Kings 8:17). The Temple was also the place for the pilgrimage of the people to worship God and bring their sacrifices to honour God s Covenant as they kept and celebrated His Sabbath, the seventh day, the New Moon Festivals and the Three Feasts of the LORD. These Feasts of the LORD are Passover (Pesach), Weeks also called Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles (Succot). As well as asking the LORD to incline their hearts toward Him so that they might walk in all His Ways and keep His Commandments, Statutes and Judgements which He had commanded their fathers (Exodus 20:1-18; Deuteronomy 5: 1-27; 1 Kings 8; 58-61; Micah 4:2). When this Temple was destroyed the Second Temple was eventually rebuilt by Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah and the first item built was an Altar for the sacrifices God required to celebrate His Sabbaths, New Moons and His Three Festivals in obedience to His Covenant, before any brick of the Temple was laid. King Herod later enlarged and embellished this Second Temple and the surrounding area. This Temple was later destroyed in 70AD as Yeshua had foretold it would be. The foundation 6

7 wall of that Temple area still stands in Jerusalem where many Jews and Christians gather when praying or visiting Israel. Of course today the disciples of Yeshua are the Temple of His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 6:19-20) being built together (Ephesians 2: 19-22) for eternity. So maybe the Altar is still the most important understanding for us who are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) hearing and doing the full Gospel of YHVH God (James 1:22-25) as we consider keeping His Sabbath, His New Moon Festivals and the Appointed Feasts of the LORD in obedience to His Renewed Covenant. Yeshua the Full, Final and Perfect Sacrifice for the Sin of Man Of course Yeshua is symbolic of the new wineskin He is The One, The Door, The One True Way for all to come to Salvation and relationship with the LORD YHVH God, the God of Israel. Yeshua is the Full, Final and Perfect Sacrifice for the Sin of Mankind and in His Perfect Sacrifice it is the animal sacrifices that have been abolished. Therefore the Renewed Covenant is entered into through full acceptance of and trust and faith in His Perfect Sacrifice in order to be saved for eternity. When the believer in Yeshua is saved then they become born again IN His Death and Resurrection and filled with His Holy Spirit who will be their Teacher, Counsellor and Guide for The Way on their journey of Salvation until their own death and resurrection when Yeshua Returns. Our task when we have been born again Once we have been born again and filled with His Spirit we are to take up God s Word, the Holy Scriptures, and begin to read, study and pray for the growth, the revelations and the maturity that is so essential in our walk of Faith. And those Scriptures are the Complete Bible both the new and the old as Yeshua reminds us. Paul himself studied Torah because he believed it gave divine revelation for holy living. He learned it in order to understand the mystery of God and to revere Him by entering into a life of obedience. Paul lived according to the moral and spiritual values expressed in them. Paul taught that The Law was good (Romans 7:12) and that Yeshua did not cancel The Torah and that the preaching of Faith does not destroy its message either (Romans 3:31). 7

8 Of course you cannot go too far on this journey before discovering that you are embarking on a radical discovery. Radical in my context means returning to the Roots but such a lifestyle today can also be a radical lifestyle change that the church is not teaching and your family and friends may not understand. But then Yeshua said that if they had persecuted Him then we are not going to get away with anything scotfree IF we are serious in our mission. Yeshua and Paul were both devoted to Torah, they had similar views and their lives were centred on Torah. Yeshua stayed among the Jews in the Land of Israel while Paul was sent out to the Gentiles in the Diaspora the other nations. Paul was determined that what he taught was placing the Torah on a firmer footing because Yeshua had come to uphold and properly interpret Torah for His Body of disciples until He comes again; a Day that is still awaited. So there is still time to take stock and examine ourselves and ask ourselves these questions and if necessary repent and return to The True Way of the Faith that is still God s Will for His people. Grace is found in the Torah and the Torah is found by God s Grace. What is the Shema recited within Judaism? The Creed for the Jew is The Shema which is said up to three times daily and at other times. The Shema consists of three portions of the Hebrew Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11: and Numbers 15: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is recited as a confirmation that one has taken on the Kingdom of God and Deuteronomy 11:13-22 is an agreement that with The Kingdom one also takes on the yoke of God s commandments. By God s Grace this awesome task is made possible and desirable because Yeshua said, Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30; Exodus 33:14; Isaiah 55:2-3; Jeremiah 6:16; Ezekiel 34). Yeshua s Sermon on the Mount is a comprehensive encouragement to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all other things will follow in His Name and under His blessings (Matthew 5-7). 8

9 Of course we need to crucify our flesh! One thing is absolutely necessary and that is to crucify our flesh. Our flesh our own ideas, our likes and dislikes, our prejudices, our inclination to compromise on so much that must be put down, crucified, put to death. Nothing but God s Will for us this has to be pre-eminent, paramount not our will for ourselves. Works of the flesh exclude one from The Kingdom but the Spirit of God helps us. He enables God s Word to take seed and grow to maturity in our lives body, mind, soul and spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, shalom, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control or patience. And those who are Christ s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit let us walk in the Spirit, let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:22-26). As we walk in the Spirit as our Lord Yeshua also walked His Spirit will encourage, enable and enlarge us so that we can repent of those things that must be turned away from so that we can walk in obedience and righteousness right into His Kingdom. Praise the LORD. Amen. Penny Byrne