Q. What does the term “born again” mean in John 3.3?

A. This is an old concept in Jewish/biblical thought. It was understood in the first century and Yeshua is referring to it in John 3. One of the reasons Nicodemus didn’t quite catch on at first in our passage was because he was being immersed in rabbinical thought with all the differing views. Yeshua’s teaching on it was not new, however. He narrowed the definition of what it means. So, let’s look at this with some insight from the Torah. Paul said in Col 2.16-17 that the festivals, Sabbath, food laws and the new moon all were pictures of the Messiah. We were not to let anyone judge us for keeping them, as many do today. The new moon festival teaches us about the concept of being born again. You will notice in John 3.1 Nicodemus came to Yeshua at night and was quite possibly a new moon. The new moon is not really “new” but “renewed” in the heavens. In the same way a person is “renewed” in the heavens. The term “born again” is really “born from above” in Greek which goes long with the idea of the new moon. The moon in Scripture is symbolic of the believers who reflect the glory of the sun (Messiah). As the moon turns more toward the sun, the more you can see the moon which does not have a glory of its own. A full moon is symbolic of the believer who has reached his full glory and brightness, glorified body and so on. That’s why certain biblical festivals occur on full moons like the feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Sukkot. The idea of being born from above means a “change of status” and there is a relationship between heaven and water. The Hebrew word for heaven is “shamayim” and it means “there is water” referring back to the original creation in Genesis 1. There you have the creation “coming out” of the water with the Spirit of God hovering over it. This is alluded to in Yeshua’s baptism. where he comes up out of the water and the Spirit of God hovers over him as he is bringing the ”new creation” which is related to the “new moon” which is related to the “new covenant which is the same thing as being “born from above” in our passage. Now it gets even deeper. Genesis 1 is seen as the “womb of creation”. When one gets immersed/baptized it is to show that there has been a change of status in that person’s life. The “mikvah” is where the immersion takes place and it can be a river, lake, ocean or a cistern in the ground that holds “living water.” Just as the earth came out of the water, the womb of creation in Genesis, we also come out of the water at an immersion, the womb of the new creation. We read in Genesis 2.10 that a river came out of Eden. Now, according to the water cycle created by God, theoretically, the waters of Eden still exist in living water today. When we immerse in living water we are, in some way, getting in touch with the original creation in the Garden of Eden which is also a synonym for heaven So, now we are back to the concepts of heaven (shamayim=there is water) being born from above, new creation and the term “born again” from above with water, which is the Spirit in John 5.5. The term for womb is “kever” in Hebrew and can also be translated ”tomb”. So womb and tomb are related concepts spiritually. Yeshua was conceived in a new womb (his virgin mother-Isa. 7.14) and buried in a new tomb. He comes out of the new tomb with a glorified body which is the substance of all the things we have been talking about. When a person submits to a biblical immersion he is going into the water (womb) and if he stays there too long it will be his tomb. But, we immerge and take a deep breath (symbolic of the Spirit entering into us) and we are a ‘new creation.” The old life has been cut off by the water. This illustrates the spiritual fact that the Spirit of God has entered us and we who were dead (in a tomb) can now come out of the tomb (which is now seen as a womb) alive forevermore, and born from above by the Spirit of God. This is basically what Yeshua was alluding to in the term “born again.” There is so much more to this than what is brought forth here but hopefully you get the idea.

By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com

Q. In Acts 28.17 it says that Paul had done nothing against the Jewish people or the “customs of our fathers.” What exactly does that mean?

A. This question illustrates the basic flaw in the premise of those teaching and being taught the Scriptures in many places today. Many today are told that Paul taught that the “new covenant” has come and believers are set free from the Law and that the Law was “done away” with by grace and so on. This could not be further from the truth. The Law is the result of God’s grace. Paul must be understood as a Torah observant first century Jewish man who would have never taught that. There are verses that seem to say that but is that what it means?

First of all the premise for most believers is wrong. The writers of the new testament were not telling people to eat pork, break the Sabbath, and teach what passes as biblical theology today. Remember, the 1^st century believers were a sect of Judaism. Yeshua himself said he didn’t come to do away with the Law. Peter said that the words of Paul are sometimes misunderstood and twisted by the unlearned and unstable, and that is what has been going on. In Acts 21 Paul was being accused of not obeying the Torah, and he offered animal sacrifices for 5 people to show he was Torah observant. If Paul taught that you didn’t have to observe the commandments and you were "free from the Law" why was he offering animal sacrifices in the Temple after coming out of a Nazarite vow 30 years after the resurrection of Yeshua?

I will not debate these things with anyone because they have no witnesses. The writers of the new testament are my sources and one taking the opposite can’t quote them because they agree with me, they are my witnesses. You can try to discredit them to keep me from using them, but you can’t quote Paul to show we don’t have to keep the commandments because Paul did keep the commandments and taught others to do so. And, if you quote him to try and prove your point you will be twisting his words. So, in essence you can’t quote the new testament at all to prove that doctrine. The only thing you can do is keep me from quoting them by discrediting Paul and the other writers.

Any creditable historian will tell you the believers of the first century, including all the writers of the new testament kept the commandments. There are false accusations by the enemies of Yeshua, Paul, Stephen and others that they didn’t keep them but those were unfounded. They found no fault in Yeshua which means he kept the Law. Paul says he followed Yeshua so Paul kept the Law and Paul says we should follow him so we should keep the Law and so on. The Law was never meant to impart righteousness to anyone, but it was how to live, it revealed our faith and who we believed in, it was seen as a betrothal contract and the list goes on and on. Unless one changes his premise to begin with and sees the Torah as God intended, verses like the above will confuse you.

The Significance of the Fig Tree

By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com

Q. What is the significance of the fig tree?

A. The fig tree was always used as a picture of Israel, as were many other types of plants (vine) and trees (olive). Jeremiah uses the fig tree as a picture of the people of Israel and the coming exile at the hands of the Babylonians. In Jer. 8.13 he says that the Lord was going to snatch the people away and there will be no grapes on the vine and no figs on the tree. The leaf will wither and what the Lord has given them will pass away. Micah 7.1-2 says that the Lord came looking for grapes and figs and found none, the righteous people have disappeared from the land. So, the fig tree was a picture of Israel and what the Lord was trying to communicate depended on the context. In Jeremiah and Micah it wasn’t a good message. In Hosea 14 the Lord says Israel will blossom and be fruitful once again.

In Mark 11.12-14 Yeshua comes upon a fig tree that had leaves and so figs would be expected, but found none. If you compare the passage from Jeremiah and Micah with this passage the message is clear. The fig tree had an out ward appearance of fruit but a closer inspection revealed none. Levitcus 19.23 says that the in the fourth year of the growth of trees, the fruit are holy to the Lord and belong to Him. It was the fourth year of Yeshua’s ministry and he expected the fruit of Israel to be holy, but found man-made traditions and all sorts of corruption. So he curses the fig tree and says no fruit will be found on that tree again. This means that generation was going into exile and it would not produce anymore. No figs means no people and when the people are not in the land of Israel the land will not produce, as history has recorded over the past 2000 years. It was only when Israel was brought back into the land did it start to produce again.

There are some who say that the people who are back in the land are not Jews, but that land itself testifies against that notion because it is being blessed with vegetation, fruits, gardens and trees. When the Gentile controlled the land did not produce. The people there tried to get something to grow and it didn’t because that land will only prosper while the Jewish people are there. The fig tree is a symbol of peace in the Scriptures. 1 Kings 4.25 and John 1.50 speak about sitting under the fig tree. This means the land is at peace and you have no fear. You aren’t defending yourself but can sit under a fig tree and rest.

So, when Yeshua comes along in the fourth year of his ministry he illustrates a spiritual reality in the physical. He came to find fruits of righteousness and didn’t. So, he says that the people are going into exile and will be out of the land, which will cause the fruits of the land to wither. This became a reality 40 years later and the land was desolate. But the good news is that the people will return to the land and the Lord will reconcile Israel again and set up his kingdom there and rule the nations from Jerusalem. The land will again blossom and produce again, not only physically but spiritually as well.

Explanation of the Prohibition Against Tattoos

By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com

Q. Where does the Bible say you shouldn’t get a tattoo?

A. In Lev. 19.28 it says that you should not get a “written mark” (or tattoo) upon you.” This command is part of a larger command which we will go into right now and by context will answer your question. In Lev. 19.27-28 we are forbidden to make four types of “cuttings” on ourselves. They are the cutting of the head or hair; the cutting of the face or beard; the cutting of the flesh; and the writing on the flesh (tattoos). What exactly is being forbidden here? We will briefly look at what each of these mean.

The first one deals with the cutting of the hair on the sides of the head. This command is repeated in Deut. 14.21 and it puts this command in context by saying we are not to do this “for the dead”. Anciently people were so taken in by the death of their loved one that they cut their skin until they bled and shaved bald spots on their head. This may sound strange today but back then it was quite common. Deut. 21.12-14 talks about a Gentile woman who was taken as a slave was allowed to shave her head and mourn over the loss of her parents who were recently killed in the battle that resulted in her being taken captive. The practice of shaving was also mentioned by the prophets in Amos 8.10 and Micah 1.16.

The second practice was the shaving of the beard and is mentioned in Lev 19 and Lev 21 and is part of the mourning rites. Shaving was part of a leper’s cleansing and the consecration of the priests in Num. 8.7. But it was a common rite of mourning anciently. In 2 Sam 10.1-4 we read about the king of Ammon who died. David sent representatives to the funeral but the king’s son suspected they were there to spy on them because they did not shave their beards in mourning (because God said not to) and he took them and shaved half their beards off and sent them back to David. David told them to stay in Jericho till their beard grew back to save them the humiliation. To be clean shaven was seen as humiliating.

Now concerning your question about tattoos, it seems they were forbidden as an act of mourning. This practice is still seen today and I have seen it many times. Some people get a tattoo for a dead relative or friend, some get a tear drop by their eye to signify the death of a friend and they “weep” for them. Many policemen and firemen after 911 had tattoos done in memory of a fallen co-worker so these commands of God are still relevant today. So, in short we are not allowed to get tattoos as an act of mourning according to the scriptures (Lev.19.27-28; Lev. 21.4-5; Deut.14.1-2).

Use of Saliva to Heal

By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com

Q. Why did Yeshua use spit in several healings?

A. There are several places in the “new testament” where Yeshua uses spittle during a healing. What we will use for your question will be in Mark 7.33 and 8.23. I have heard fanciful explanations for this over the years from the “creation of new eyeballs” to “God’s DNA” and many other such things.

I don’t believe it’s all that complicated. First of all, Yeshua didn’t need to do any of these things to perform a miracle. He could speak the Word and heal anyone, so why does he do the things he does in the Scriptures? Everything he did had a meaning to those who were witnessing these things, or would hear about them and in our case read about them. They are types of what he does spiritually for us.

So in Mark 7.33 there was a man who was deaf and spoke with difficulty. This describes us before conversion also. All of us are deaf and what we said wasn’t very spiritual. He then takes the man aside, which speaks of our being chosen in him (election) and separated (Rom 8.29-30). Notice this happens before he is healed. God chose us in him before the world was even created (Eph 1.4). Yeshua then puts his fingers in his ears to give him physical hearing but it symbolizes what he does to us spiritually also because we can’t hear spiritual things unless he opens our spiritual eyes and ears. He then spits and touches his tongue with his saliva. One interpretation of the Greek actually says he spits into his mouth. He then looks up to heaven because we must be “born from above through the Spirit of God” which is symbolized by water (John 3.3-8). So, Yeshua is “pointing the way” so to speak.

The spittle is a symbol of the Spirit of God. In Psalm 22.15 it says that Yeshua’s strength is dried up like a potsherd and his tongue cleaves to his palate. This of course is talking about the crucifixion and we know that Yeshua “thirsted.” Body fluids are seen as “strength and power” because it lubricates the organs of the body and these are attributes of the Holy Spirit. The word ”strength” in Psalm 22.15 is the Hebrew for “spittle” so the message is clear. Remember he doesn’t have to heal him this way. It’s not a formula for us to use. He is communicating something here.

We are all deaf and have an evil testimony. But, God has chosen us long ago and he first opens our spiritual ears with the testimony of “his mouth” ( his Word) and then sends the Holy Spirit, the power and strength of God (spittle/water) from heaven/above and we are “born from above” as it literally says in John 3.3. Yeshua “spitting” is the application of his Word into our lives (God-breathed/mouth). So Yeshua is using the physical healing of this man to illustrate or to “act out” symbolically what happens to us spiritually. The passage in Mark 8.23 is basically the same thing and only goes to further illustrate the fact just explained.

When God "Passes By"

By William Riley
Olive Tree Ministries
ot.waxahachie@yahoo.com

Q. What does it mean in Mark 6.48 where it says that Yeshua intended to “pass by” the apostles during a storm on the Sea of Galilee?

A. This story involves several concepts from the Torah. We find that when God reveals his glory he is said to be “passing by” his people. When Moses was on the mountain and he wanted God to reveal his glory to him. The Lord said that he would “pass by” and Moses could see some of it, but not all (Exo 33.18-23). So, in Exo 34.5-6 the Lord reveals himself and proclaims his own name and attributes to Moses. Job 9.10-11 says that God does great things without end and that he “passes by” us and we don’t see him and he “passes on” without any perception on our part. John 1.5 says that the “light” shines in the darkness but the darkness did not comprehend it. In Luke 24.28 Yeshua has appeared to the two on the road to Emmaus and admonishes them for not understanding the Scriptures about the Messiah having to suffer and then enter into his “glory.” As they approached the village he acted as though he was going to “pass by” the village. They ask him to stay and he does. There are many instances of this concept.

So, here’s one of the things going on in Mark. Yeshua has just fed the 5000 with five loaves and two fish, with 12 baskets left over. God’s glory was on display in providing food where there was none. The talmidim or students get into a boat and begin to cross the lake. Yeshua stays behind, on a mountain to pray. A storm erupts and he sees them straining against the wind and having a rough time. He goes down and walks on the water, showing his dominion over the domain of Satan and the world (Isaiah 57.20). It was about 4 am in the morning and they see him walking as if he was going to pass by. They call out to him, he tells them not fear and gets into the boat. The wind stops, they are astonished and then it says in v 52 that they did not have any insight into this whole thing because their hearts were dull, insensitive and hard.

The same thing basically happens in Luke 24, they didn’t understand either. God reveals his glory to us all the time and is said to “pass by.” But we don’t comprehend it. Returning to John 1.5 it says the light (Yeshua, his word, etc) shines in the darkness (4 am in the morning, storms of life) but the darkness does not comprehend it (Job 9.10-11, Mark 6.52, Luke 24.25) But, like Moses, the apostles and the two on the road to Emmaus when they “invited him into the boat” or “to stay with them” he will come and show us his word and give us comprehension.

His glory is seen or he “passes by” us all the time and we need to be spiritually aware of what is going on and ask him into our heart and minds so that we can comprehend his glory and what he wants to reveal to us. True believers are children of the light and the darkness of ignorance will not overtake us because Yeshua is “in our boat” or “in our house” to show us the meaning of all things. At the same time God is revealing himself to us there are others who will not understand or comprehend and they are deceived and will not believe the truth as it “passes by.” So, when you tell others about God’s glory he is said to “pass by” and there will be those who are blind and deaf (Job 9.10-11, Mark 6.52) and will not understand unless the Lord has opened their spiritual eyes to see and their spiritual hearts to comprehend it (Luke 24.31).