Q. I hear the term "legalism" being thrown around all the time..how does it appy to a believer?
A. Legalism is basically a system of man-made rules that relate to your salvation. In other words, man-made laws that you have to do to be saved. It does not apply to G-ds commandments because they were never to be obeyed for salvation or righteousness with G-d. The commandments were given to define sin and to show us how to live before G-d. Many today have said that if someone teaches you to keep the Sabbath for instance, that is legalism.
Or, if someone teaches you to keep the biblical festivals or to avoid unbiblical things to eat, that is legalism. So, let's look at this for a moment. When you tell your children not to lie, is that legalism or is that the best way to live? When you tell your friend that he shouldn't steal, is that legalism? When you tell someone that adultery is wrong, is that legalism? If you tell somone to love their neighbor, is that legalism? Of course not, so why is telling someone to keep the Sabbath legalism? They are all in the commandments. The reason is one appears to be a"Jewish" rule that some teach doesn't apply anymore. Says who? The laws are not Jewish, they are G-ds.
There is no such thing as "The Jewish Festivals", the scriptures say that they are G-ds appointed times. He gave them to Isreal to be a light to the nations, to teach the world how to live before HIm and to relate to one another. Why is that you can teach some of the commandments, and that isn't legalism, but if you teach all the commandments, that is considered legalism? It doesn't make sense, unless you read Church history and follow the progression of unbelief that characterized the writings and rulings of the Church Fathers down throught the ages.
Then you begin to see that there was a concerted effort to root out the biblical roots of the faith and have them replaced by man-made traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.There are many so-called Bible teachers that actually teach their people that it is a virtue to not obey G-d, and they call this "freedom". The Scriptures call it lawlessness, "anomos" in Greek ,which means without the Torah. Why is it you can teach certain commandments and that is permissible, but if you teach other commandments that are right next to the permissible ones it is called legalism? I know of homosexual groups exposing this hypocrisy to Christian ministers.
They say to the ministers "If you are free from the Law and don't have to keep the Sabbath, festivals and food laws, why aren't we free from it too?" You see, legalism will cause these arguments because they are man-made rules that don't make sense. When you obey G-ds commandments it sets you free because it is truth, legalism is error and it binds people. Now, you can take G-ds commandments and make it a legalistic system, but again it is man's rules about them that get in the. way. If you teach the Sabbath festivals, Temple, kosher you are no more teaching legalism than the guy teaching you not to lie, steal commit adultery or anything else. Aren't both found in the Torah? I hope this helps, now go and study.
The La Quinta meeting room in Alvarado, 1165 Hwy 67W Alvarado, TX. 76009. (Behind Sonic)
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upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB95)
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
FAQ: Seventh Day Sabbath
Q It has been preached that folks observe the 10 Commandments, but if they are attending church on Sunday, does this mean G-d will condemn them to hell?
A. Thsdat is a common question so let's look at this. It is inconsistent to tell people to follow the 10 Commandments, and then say the 7th day Sabbath has been "done away". How did this happen. If you go back into history, you will see that the 1st century believers in Yeshua were Jewish, and followed the Torah. They would have never considered not observing the Sabbath. Yeshua did, Paul did and when Gentiles came into the faith, they went to the synagogues to learn the Torah, wherever they were (Acts 15.21). These Gentiles came to faith in Yeshua and kept the commandments. As time went on, more and more Gentiles came into the faith out of paganism, and kept some of the pagan practices they had. In the roman Empire, Jews were not very well liked, and to participate in what was deemed "Judaism" came to be seen as unpatriotic toward Rome. The Gentile voice outnumbered the Jewish voice the further you got away from Israel, called the "diaspora" or dispersion. As time went on, these people began to totally seperate form the Messianic Jews and formed what was to become "Christianity".
Doctrines were created, using pagan backrounds, to formulate creeds and doctrines. One of these was changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. The purpose was to root out the last vestiges of Judaism from this new faith (Constantine, Council of Nicea) because of the mistaken belief that G-d had discarded the Jewish peole and their" religion" and was forming something else. This is what is called Replacement Theology, that G-d replaced Israel with "the church". Several hundred years after Yeshua, it became official that Sunday was the Christian Sabbath and L-rd's Day and if one celebrated the 7th day Sabbath, you did so against the will of the state and could be put to death. Eventually, it just came to be done and nobody questioned it.
The only authority for changing it to Sunday came from the Catholic Church and Protestants still follow the Catholics on this one, and other doctrines. There is much information on this. There have been articles in the past dealing with the exact quotes from Catholic and Protestant leaders stating that the Sabbath is the 7th day, and Sunday is a tradition not based in Scripture. Log on to the web site Yashanet.com and click on the article "Why the Protestant Reformation failed" and you will see it centered on Luthers "scripture only" belief, but he still kept Sunday and the Catholic Church leaders pointed this out and that the only authority to do came from the Catholic Church, so Luthers premise was shown to be invalid, and the Reformation died right there. Now, it is clear that the 10 Commandments refer to the 7th day Sabbath.
Secondly, man does not have the authority to invalidate a command of G-d by his tradition. One does not get condemned to hell for breaking a commandment, but because of unbelief. Breaking a commandment is called "sin" (1Jn 3.4).Your unbelief is evidenced by what you do.
One who does not believe will not keep the commandments, and he does not keep the commandments because he does not know G-d (1Jn 2.1-4). If one does believe, he will keep the will of G-d, which is His word, the Torah, but Torah does not mean Law, it means "teaching and instruction. The Torah was put into Greek and they used the Greek word "nomos" for Torah and that is how it was translated into Englis. The Torah is the intstruction of G-d on how to live, on how to know Him and so on. This gives new meaning to the phrase "not under Law" What G-d hears is "not under My instruction" which is not a good position to take with Him.
Thirdly, people are at different levels of their understanding. If one believes that the Law has been "done away with", then he does not understand. By "Law "I mean the Torah. There is not one Christian who really believes that, but they teach it anyway because they get to pick and choose what they want to obey. The "law" they are taught that has been done away are the "Jewish ones" like Sabbath, festivals,food laws (ever noticed that?)and they have replaced it with man-made traditions. It is this unbelief in the whole counsel of G-d that is the problem.
They will say they believe in the Word of G-d, but then teach against it using traditions that go back centuries to prove it. It is this unbelief that is a problem before the L-rd, demonstrated by their lack of fruit in obedience to the L-rd. Faith without works (Hebrew word for commandments is "mitzvot" or works) is dead. One has faith in G-d, is deemed righteous by faith, then follows the Word to show G-d that he believes. There are other questions along this line we will deal with next week, so make sure you don't miss next week's column. Now, go and study!
A. Thsdat is a common question so let's look at this. It is inconsistent to tell people to follow the 10 Commandments, and then say the 7th day Sabbath has been "done away". How did this happen. If you go back into history, you will see that the 1st century believers in Yeshua were Jewish, and followed the Torah. They would have never considered not observing the Sabbath. Yeshua did, Paul did and when Gentiles came into the faith, they went to the synagogues to learn the Torah, wherever they were (Acts 15.21). These Gentiles came to faith in Yeshua and kept the commandments. As time went on, more and more Gentiles came into the faith out of paganism, and kept some of the pagan practices they had. In the roman Empire, Jews were not very well liked, and to participate in what was deemed "Judaism" came to be seen as unpatriotic toward Rome. The Gentile voice outnumbered the Jewish voice the further you got away from Israel, called the "diaspora" or dispersion. As time went on, these people began to totally seperate form the Messianic Jews and formed what was to become "Christianity".
Doctrines were created, using pagan backrounds, to formulate creeds and doctrines. One of these was changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. The purpose was to root out the last vestiges of Judaism from this new faith (Constantine, Council of Nicea) because of the mistaken belief that G-d had discarded the Jewish peole and their" religion" and was forming something else. This is what is called Replacement Theology, that G-d replaced Israel with "the church". Several hundred years after Yeshua, it became official that Sunday was the Christian Sabbath and L-rd's Day and if one celebrated the 7th day Sabbath, you did so against the will of the state and could be put to death. Eventually, it just came to be done and nobody questioned it.
The only authority for changing it to Sunday came from the Catholic Church and Protestants still follow the Catholics on this one, and other doctrines. There is much information on this. There have been articles in the past dealing with the exact quotes from Catholic and Protestant leaders stating that the Sabbath is the 7th day, and Sunday is a tradition not based in Scripture. Log on to the web site Yashanet.com and click on the article "Why the Protestant Reformation failed" and you will see it centered on Luthers "scripture only" belief, but he still kept Sunday and the Catholic Church leaders pointed this out and that the only authority to do came from the Catholic Church, so Luthers premise was shown to be invalid, and the Reformation died right there. Now, it is clear that the 10 Commandments refer to the 7th day Sabbath.
Secondly, man does not have the authority to invalidate a command of G-d by his tradition. One does not get condemned to hell for breaking a commandment, but because of unbelief. Breaking a commandment is called "sin" (1Jn 3.4).Your unbelief is evidenced by what you do.
One who does not believe will not keep the commandments, and he does not keep the commandments because he does not know G-d (1Jn 2.1-4). If one does believe, he will keep the will of G-d, which is His word, the Torah, but Torah does not mean Law, it means "teaching and instruction. The Torah was put into Greek and they used the Greek word "nomos" for Torah and that is how it was translated into Englis. The Torah is the intstruction of G-d on how to live, on how to know Him and so on. This gives new meaning to the phrase "not under Law" What G-d hears is "not under My instruction" which is not a good position to take with Him.
Thirdly, people are at different levels of their understanding. If one believes that the Law has been "done away with", then he does not understand. By "Law "I mean the Torah. There is not one Christian who really believes that, but they teach it anyway because they get to pick and choose what they want to obey. The "law" they are taught that has been done away are the "Jewish ones" like Sabbath, festivals,food laws (ever noticed that?)and they have replaced it with man-made traditions. It is this unbelief in the whole counsel of G-d that is the problem.
They will say they believe in the Word of G-d, but then teach against it using traditions that go back centuries to prove it. It is this unbelief that is a problem before the L-rd, demonstrated by their lack of fruit in obedience to the L-rd. Faith without works (Hebrew word for commandments is "mitzvot" or works) is dead. One has faith in G-d, is deemed righteous by faith, then follows the Word to show G-d that he believes. There are other questions along this line we will deal with next week, so make sure you don't miss next week's column. Now, go and study!
Myth: The Law has been 'done away with'
Q. You hear that the Law has been "done away with" all the time. What "Law" are those people talking about? I get confused when some say "only Rabbi laws" were done away with or when some say "God never changes." What does this mean?
A.You have several questions here so let's try to take each one and try to clarify it. When people say the Law has been done away with, they mean the Torah or the "old" testament laws. They don't really believe that but that is what they say. There is not one person who says they believe in the L-rd that really believes that the Law has been done away with. What they are really saying is the laws that they don't like, or don't want to obey are done away with.So, their basic premise is inaccurate and it gets worse from there.
When people say that to me I say, "Then I can lie, cheat my neighbor, commit adultery, be a homosexual, have idols if I want?" They will say "No, we aren't to do those things." Then I say, "then you don't really believe the Law has been done away with, just some of them." They will have to say yes, then ask them which ones. You will get all sorts of answers because they just make it up. What they really mean is the Jewish sounding laws like Sabbath, festivals, not eating pork and so on. If the Law has been done away with for Christians, how do they know what sin is? They don't, then they have to define it for themselves. One denomination says dancing is sin, another doesn't. One denomination thinks make-up or jewelry is sin, another doesn't. One denomination thinks not going to church is sin, and so on. If people are "set free from the Law" then why were preachers so mad at Clinton? If they hold him accountable for adultery, then why aren't they accountable for breaking the Sabbath? They both are in the same set of commandments. If people are set free from the Law, why do those same preachers teach tithing? No wonder you are confused. The answer is this. The Law, or Torah, means instruction. G-d has never changed about this. These laws apply as much today as ever. The 1st century believers kept the Torah, and taught it to all believers, Jew and Gentile (1Cor 11.1-2, 2 Thes 2.15, 3.6, ...look up the word "paradosis") It was G-d's standard for living. The part of the law we are set free from as a believer is the part that condemns us . By faith, we have passed into life, but we still have to obey. People who teach that the law has been done away do not know the L-rd or the scriptures and should do something else for living.
You are right, G-d never changes and His Word never changes. We are not to add to...or take away from it, and that is exactly what Christian "Theology" (if you want to call it that) teaches. It cannot be defended nor should one listen to anyone that tells you that the law has been done away with. That is a mark of a false prophet according to Deut. 13. When one becomes a believer, you obey the L-rd. To find out how to obey Him, you study the Scriptures, all of it. When Paul said that the scriptures were inspired and profitable for teaching(Hebrew word Torah), for reproof, for correction and for training, he was talking about the Torah.
THe preachers who teach that would never have been listened to in the 1st century, and shouldn't be today. When they brought charges against Stephen in Acts 6.13-14, they brought false charges saying that Stephen was not keeping the Torah, exactly what is taught today. This tells you he was Torah observant. This has completely turned around in Christian theology. What was deemed a false testimony in Acts is now what is taught as true today. The Law has not been done away with and Yeshua said so in Mt. 5.17-19 and that should be enough for anyone.
A.You have several questions here so let's try to take each one and try to clarify it. When people say the Law has been done away with, they mean the Torah or the "old" testament laws. They don't really believe that but that is what they say. There is not one person who says they believe in the L-rd that really believes that the Law has been done away with. What they are really saying is the laws that they don't like, or don't want to obey are done away with.So, their basic premise is inaccurate and it gets worse from there.
When people say that to me I say, "Then I can lie, cheat my neighbor, commit adultery, be a homosexual, have idols if I want?" They will say "No, we aren't to do those things." Then I say, "then you don't really believe the Law has been done away with, just some of them." They will have to say yes, then ask them which ones. You will get all sorts of answers because they just make it up. What they really mean is the Jewish sounding laws like Sabbath, festivals, not eating pork and so on. If the Law has been done away with for Christians, how do they know what sin is? They don't, then they have to define it for themselves. One denomination says dancing is sin, another doesn't. One denomination thinks make-up or jewelry is sin, another doesn't. One denomination thinks not going to church is sin, and so on. If people are "set free from the Law" then why were preachers so mad at Clinton? If they hold him accountable for adultery, then why aren't they accountable for breaking the Sabbath? They both are in the same set of commandments. If people are set free from the Law, why do those same preachers teach tithing? No wonder you are confused. The answer is this. The Law, or Torah, means instruction. G-d has never changed about this. These laws apply as much today as ever. The 1st century believers kept the Torah, and taught it to all believers, Jew and Gentile (1Cor 11.1-2, 2 Thes 2.15, 3.6, ...look up the word "paradosis") It was G-d's standard for living. The part of the law we are set free from as a believer is the part that condemns us . By faith, we have passed into life, but we still have to obey. People who teach that the law has been done away do not know the L-rd or the scriptures and should do something else for living.
You are right, G-d never changes and His Word never changes. We are not to add to...or take away from it, and that is exactly what Christian "Theology" (if you want to call it that) teaches. It cannot be defended nor should one listen to anyone that tells you that the law has been done away with. That is a mark of a false prophet according to Deut. 13. When one becomes a believer, you obey the L-rd. To find out how to obey Him, you study the Scriptures, all of it. When Paul said that the scriptures were inspired and profitable for teaching(Hebrew word Torah), for reproof, for correction and for training, he was talking about the Torah.
THe preachers who teach that would never have been listened to in the 1st century, and shouldn't be today. When they brought charges against Stephen in Acts 6.13-14, they brought false charges saying that Stephen was not keeping the Torah, exactly what is taught today. This tells you he was Torah observant. This has completely turned around in Christian theology. What was deemed a false testimony in Acts is now what is taught as true today. The Law has not been done away with and Yeshua said so in Mt. 5.17-19 and that should be enough for anyone.
FAQ: Olive Tree Congregation
Q. What would be the accurate word or phrase to describe your building and/or congregation?
A. The scriptural term for a congrgation is the Hebrew word "kahal" and that would describe the people in general who belong to the L-rd. That is also a universal word for His people. The word "synagogue" is Greek and means "assembly" and the Hebrew term is" Beit Knesset", or house of assembly. Another term is "Beit Midrash", or house of study. These two terms describe some of the functions of an assembly, that is, a place to assemble and study the scriptures. The term "messianic" and has several meanings.
In the 1st century it carried the idea of a nationalistic, messianic expectation , in that the Messiah would come and deliver Israel from the Romans. Today, it is used to describe the fact there is a belief that Yeshua is the Messiah and the Torah is taught. However, the 1st century believers were referred to as "nazarenes" and that would probably be more accurate. These terms are used today to make a distinction from "the church" and rightfully so. There is no similarity between the two. What is taught is different, the concept of the Messiah is different, holidays and theology is different. The two groups may use the same terms, but the meanings are far different.
Q. What is this talk of three' heavens"? I've heard this before, but i'm unsure of what is the "good" heaven where G-d id, and what the "bad" heaven is. Is the "bad" heaven hell?
A. I don't know what you have been looking at, so it will be hard to get to the heart of your question, but I'll try to simplify it. There is a scriptural concept of 4 heavens, and the third heaven is referred to specifically by Paul in 2 Cor 12.2.
The first heaven is the sky and clouds. The second is where the stars, moon and sun are and the third is where Paul went. It is where the throne of G-d is and where Ezekiel saw his vision. This heaven is also called "paradise" and it is where believers go at death. But, there is a fourth heaven, where everything originated from. That is why Ezekiel would say he saw "something resembling a throne" and "on that a figure with the appearance of a man" (1.26). To help understand this, these heavens were given names corresponding to the four -lettered name of G-d. YHVH. Y="Azilut" meaning "emanation" because everything"emanates" from there.It is where G-d began creation from, where the other three "heavens " or worlds came from.
That would be referred to as the "fourth" heaven. The H= "beriah" meaning "creation" and that would be where Paul went, heaven proper, or third heaven or where the throne is. The V= "yezirah" meaning "formation" or the second heaven, the realm of angels. The last letter of G-ds name, the H= "asiyah" meaning "making" or the 1st heaven. That is the physical realm. The concept of unifying G-ds name (YHVH) carries with it the idea of the unification of these four realms (Zech 14.9). G-ds creation is vast and far beyond our mortal minds to comprehend, and many have tried to make easier to understand, but it just opens up more questions. But, keep studying and one day we will know for sure.
A. The scriptural term for a congrgation is the Hebrew word "kahal" and that would describe the people in general who belong to the L-rd. That is also a universal word for His people. The word "synagogue" is Greek and means "assembly" and the Hebrew term is" Beit Knesset", or house of assembly. Another term is "Beit Midrash", or house of study. These two terms describe some of the functions of an assembly, that is, a place to assemble and study the scriptures. The term "messianic" and has several meanings.
In the 1st century it carried the idea of a nationalistic, messianic expectation , in that the Messiah would come and deliver Israel from the Romans. Today, it is used to describe the fact there is a belief that Yeshua is the Messiah and the Torah is taught. However, the 1st century believers were referred to as "nazarenes" and that would probably be more accurate. These terms are used today to make a distinction from "the church" and rightfully so. There is no similarity between the two. What is taught is different, the concept of the Messiah is different, holidays and theology is different. The two groups may use the same terms, but the meanings are far different.
Q. What is this talk of three' heavens"? I've heard this before, but i'm unsure of what is the "good" heaven where G-d id, and what the "bad" heaven is. Is the "bad" heaven hell?
A. I don't know what you have been looking at, so it will be hard to get to the heart of your question, but I'll try to simplify it. There is a scriptural concept of 4 heavens, and the third heaven is referred to specifically by Paul in 2 Cor 12.2.
The first heaven is the sky and clouds. The second is where the stars, moon and sun are and the third is where Paul went. It is where the throne of G-d is and where Ezekiel saw his vision. This heaven is also called "paradise" and it is where believers go at death. But, there is a fourth heaven, where everything originated from. That is why Ezekiel would say he saw "something resembling a throne" and "on that a figure with the appearance of a man" (1.26). To help understand this, these heavens were given names corresponding to the four -lettered name of G-d. YHVH. Y="Azilut" meaning "emanation" because everything"emanates" from there.It is where G-d began creation from, where the other three "heavens " or worlds came from.
That would be referred to as the "fourth" heaven. The H= "beriah" meaning "creation" and that would be where Paul went, heaven proper, or third heaven or where the throne is. The V= "yezirah" meaning "formation" or the second heaven, the realm of angels. The last letter of G-ds name, the H= "asiyah" meaning "making" or the 1st heaven. That is the physical realm. The concept of unifying G-ds name (YHVH) carries with it the idea of the unification of these four realms (Zech 14.9). G-ds creation is vast and far beyond our mortal minds to comprehend, and many have tried to make easier to understand, but it just opens up more questions. But, keep studying and one day we will know for sure.
What is a Judaizer?
Q. A reader named "Paul" asks: " What is a "Judaizer" and what is it not? How does this square with Apostate Christian thought which says one demonstrates their faith by NOT keeping His commandments?""
A. There are two questions here, so let's take the first one, which will lead to the second. A "Judaizer" is someone who says that one has to become Jewish to be saved, it has nothing to do with teaching the Torah, everyone who believes is to do that. A Judaizer is one who says you have to be Jewish (Judah=judaiazer) and that involves ritual circumcision. This is, of course wrong, and it was dealt with in the Book of Acts and the Book of Galatians.
There were people coming in to Gentiles saying that they had to convert to Judaism to be saved (Acts 15 1-3) and this involved getting circumcised and Galatians is clear that a Gentile does not have to do that to have a place in the Faith. The type of circumcision being discussed in Galatians is Ritual Circumcision, not the commandment to be circumcised as part of the Abrahamic Covenant. The commandments apply to both Jew and Gentile, and each have a place in the Olive Tree of G-d and one does not have to become Jewish. (1Cor 7.19-21).
We are commanded, however, to teach the Torah and this is not Judaizing, it is telling people to obey G-d. Does a person "judaize" if you tell your children to love their neighbor, or to tell the truth? Are you "judaizing" when you tell someone not to steal? Of course not, and neither are you "judaizing" when you tell someone they should keep the other commandments.
As far as the second part of your question, the doctrine that says if you keep the commandments you have fallen from grace is ridiculous. I have heard this before and was taught it in Bible College, so I know it is around. People actually think they show G-d their faith by disobeying Him, that is how deceived they are. In truth, you obey G-d because you love Him and want to please your Father, and that demonstrates to Him you believe. Faith is action, and that action has to be consistant with His Word, not what we think we should do. We are to obey the commandments that apply to you, and this goes for every man (Ecc 12.13). Any teaching that tells you that you don't have to keep the commandments should be rejected and you need to find another teacher. Now, go and study!
A. There are two questions here, so let's take the first one, which will lead to the second. A "Judaizer" is someone who says that one has to become Jewish to be saved, it has nothing to do with teaching the Torah, everyone who believes is to do that. A Judaizer is one who says you have to be Jewish (Judah=judaiazer) and that involves ritual circumcision. This is, of course wrong, and it was dealt with in the Book of Acts and the Book of Galatians.
There were people coming in to Gentiles saying that they had to convert to Judaism to be saved (Acts 15 1-3) and this involved getting circumcised and Galatians is clear that a Gentile does not have to do that to have a place in the Faith. The type of circumcision being discussed in Galatians is Ritual Circumcision, not the commandment to be circumcised as part of the Abrahamic Covenant. The commandments apply to both Jew and Gentile, and each have a place in the Olive Tree of G-d and one does not have to become Jewish. (1Cor 7.19-21).
We are commanded, however, to teach the Torah and this is not Judaizing, it is telling people to obey G-d. Does a person "judaize" if you tell your children to love their neighbor, or to tell the truth? Are you "judaizing" when you tell someone not to steal? Of course not, and neither are you "judaizing" when you tell someone they should keep the other commandments.
As far as the second part of your question, the doctrine that says if you keep the commandments you have fallen from grace is ridiculous. I have heard this before and was taught it in Bible College, so I know it is around. People actually think they show G-d their faith by disobeying Him, that is how deceived they are. In truth, you obey G-d because you love Him and want to please your Father, and that demonstrates to Him you believe. Faith is action, and that action has to be consistant with His Word, not what we think we should do. We are to obey the commandments that apply to you, and this goes for every man (Ecc 12.13). Any teaching that tells you that you don't have to keep the commandments should be rejected and you need to find another teacher. Now, go and study!
Renewal of the Abrahamic Covenant
Q.Can you give the "good interpretation" and explain the ultimate significance of Gen. 35.9-12?
A. This passage has to do with a renewal of the Abrahamic Covenant, this time through Jacob. Part of a covenant involves name changes and we see G-d identifying Himself as G-d Almighty and then changes Jacob's name to Israel, confirming what had already taken place back in 32.27. He then promises the same things that were promised to Abraham and Isaac. It will be through these patriarchs that the Messiah would come and their descendants would become a great nation and kings shall come through his lineage. The nation He is talking about is of course Israel and the kings will be David, Solomon and the Kings of Judah and son to the Messiah Himself. There are those who try to make these verses fit some lost 10 tribes scenario, or British Israelite theories but that can easily be disproved. These verses are not talking about some replecement Israel concept or that England and the United States are where the "lost tribes" are. These teachings are false and should be avoided.
Q. The winter festival where Jesus went to Jerusalem (Jn. 10.22) looks to be a legitimate festival. Why isn't that festival celebrated? How is it celebrated and how does it fit into the prophetical scenario?
A.It is a legitimate festival and it is celebrated today, it is called Chanukah. You will see it is called the Feast of Dedication, which in Hebrew means Chanukah. It is an 8 day festival remembering the Maccabean revolt over the Greeks and the rededication of the Temple back to G-d on the 25th of Kislev.
They missed Sukkot, so they had a "second" Sukkot. Solomon dedicated the 1st Temple during Sukkot, so it was another feast of Dedication, called Chanukah, meaning dedication. It is celebrated by lighting an 9- branched Menorah, discussing the history of the festival and what we can learn. It is a minor festival and it does have prophetical significance. It is talked about in Dan 11.29-35. Antiochus is a picture of the False Messiah, this festival is related to the Shroud of Turin and in Dan 12.11-12 it is the day that Ezekiel's Temple will be dedicated, 1335 days after the mid-point of the Tribulation. In addition, knowing the approximate date of Yeshua's birth as being around September, this places Mary's conception to the time of Chanukah. So, Chanukah can be celebrated by talking about the history, it relates to Yeshua's conception, it is related to the False Messiah and the Tribulation and the dedication of the Messianic Temple. Now, go and study!
A. This passage has to do with a renewal of the Abrahamic Covenant, this time through Jacob. Part of a covenant involves name changes and we see G-d identifying Himself as G-d Almighty and then changes Jacob's name to Israel, confirming what had already taken place back in 32.27. He then promises the same things that were promised to Abraham and Isaac. It will be through these patriarchs that the Messiah would come and their descendants would become a great nation and kings shall come through his lineage. The nation He is talking about is of course Israel and the kings will be David, Solomon and the Kings of Judah and son to the Messiah Himself. There are those who try to make these verses fit some lost 10 tribes scenario, or British Israelite theories but that can easily be disproved. These verses are not talking about some replecement Israel concept or that England and the United States are where the "lost tribes" are. These teachings are false and should be avoided.
Q. The winter festival where Jesus went to Jerusalem (Jn. 10.22) looks to be a legitimate festival. Why isn't that festival celebrated? How is it celebrated and how does it fit into the prophetical scenario?
A.It is a legitimate festival and it is celebrated today, it is called Chanukah. You will see it is called the Feast of Dedication, which in Hebrew means Chanukah. It is an 8 day festival remembering the Maccabean revolt over the Greeks and the rededication of the Temple back to G-d on the 25th of Kislev.
They missed Sukkot, so they had a "second" Sukkot. Solomon dedicated the 1st Temple during Sukkot, so it was another feast of Dedication, called Chanukah, meaning dedication. It is celebrated by lighting an 9- branched Menorah, discussing the history of the festival and what we can learn. It is a minor festival and it does have prophetical significance. It is talked about in Dan 11.29-35. Antiochus is a picture of the False Messiah, this festival is related to the Shroud of Turin and in Dan 12.11-12 it is the day that Ezekiel's Temple will be dedicated, 1335 days after the mid-point of the Tribulation. In addition, knowing the approximate date of Yeshua's birth as being around September, this places Mary's conception to the time of Chanukah. So, Chanukah can be celebrated by talking about the history, it relates to Yeshua's conception, it is related to the False Messiah and the Tribulation and the dedication of the Messianic Temple. Now, go and study!
Did the New replace the Old?
Q.Hasn't the New Testament replaced the Old Testament and the Law has no authority over a believer today except for history?
A. This is a common misconception, but a misconception nevertheless. The covenants of G-d don not "replace" other covenants and cause the previous ones to "disappear", as some would believe. The covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David are still valid. Christianity only tries to make the one with Moses go away because they don't keep it. The Tanach (OT) reveals these covenants. It is the one with Moses that Christian teachers want to dispute. The New Testament writers got in on this argument when it comes to written Scripture.
Paul said "ALL Scripture is inspired by G-d and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of G-d may be adequate, equipped for every good work" ( 2 Tim 3.16-17). The only scripture that was available at the time Paul wrote that was the Tanach (OT). The term "new" in New Testament does not mean what Christian teachers say it means.
It means "renewed" "refreshing" and comes from the Hebrew word "chadash". A related word is "chodesh" and is used for the term "new moon". Another way of saying this is "born again", which is a Jewish term relating to the New Moon. Now, anybody knows that there is not a brand new moon created every month, but it is "renewed" so time can be marked. In the same way, the New Covenant (testament) is referred to in Jer 31 and it is a renewal/refreshing/born again of the one previously made with Moses.
An amended covenant is another way to look at it.. Jeremiah says that the covenant was made with Judah and Israel because the first covenant was made with them, and they broke it and their sins were under that covenant. You can't renew a covenant with people who did not have the covenant to begin with (Christianity). You can only renew something with someone who had it at the beginning. It's like refinancing a house. You can refinance, but you can't go to someone else whose name isn't on the contract (covenant) and make them fulfill it. It's the same thing with the I-rd. The covenant with Moses (Torah/Law) wasn't the problem, it was the people. So, G-d says he is going to renew the covenant with Israel and Judah, but it is going to be better.
Jeremiah didn't say that Israel would get different commandments, that's what Christianity teaches and it is in conflict with the L-rd. He did say that the same Law (Torah) would be written in a different place. Son, the difference is not in the commandments, but in the place they are written. That is why the word "new" was used. It is renewed/refreshed/born again by G-d in the heart of His people. They will have a "desire " (heart) to want to keep the commandments.
If you don't have a desire to keep the commandments, it might be because they are not written on your heart and you have no genuine born again experience with the L-rd yet. But, the teaching that the "new' testament replaced the "old" testament is not only a lie, but you can't establish it using Hebrew or English words.
A. This is a common misconception, but a misconception nevertheless. The covenants of G-d don not "replace" other covenants and cause the previous ones to "disappear", as some would believe. The covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David are still valid. Christianity only tries to make the one with Moses go away because they don't keep it. The Tanach (OT) reveals these covenants. It is the one with Moses that Christian teachers want to dispute. The New Testament writers got in on this argument when it comes to written Scripture.
Paul said "ALL Scripture is inspired by G-d and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of G-d may be adequate, equipped for every good work" ( 2 Tim 3.16-17). The only scripture that was available at the time Paul wrote that was the Tanach (OT). The term "new" in New Testament does not mean what Christian teachers say it means.
It means "renewed" "refreshing" and comes from the Hebrew word "chadash". A related word is "chodesh" and is used for the term "new moon". Another way of saying this is "born again", which is a Jewish term relating to the New Moon. Now, anybody knows that there is not a brand new moon created every month, but it is "renewed" so time can be marked. In the same way, the New Covenant (testament) is referred to in Jer 31 and it is a renewal/refreshing/born again of the one previously made with Moses.
An amended covenant is another way to look at it.. Jeremiah says that the covenant was made with Judah and Israel because the first covenant was made with them, and they broke it and their sins were under that covenant. You can't renew a covenant with people who did not have the covenant to begin with (Christianity). You can only renew something with someone who had it at the beginning. It's like refinancing a house. You can refinance, but you can't go to someone else whose name isn't on the contract (covenant) and make them fulfill it. It's the same thing with the I-rd. The covenant with Moses (Torah/Law) wasn't the problem, it was the people. So, G-d says he is going to renew the covenant with Israel and Judah, but it is going to be better.
Jeremiah didn't say that Israel would get different commandments, that's what Christianity teaches and it is in conflict with the L-rd. He did say that the same Law (Torah) would be written in a different place. Son, the difference is not in the commandments, but in the place they are written. That is why the word "new" was used. It is renewed/refreshed/born again by G-d in the heart of His people. They will have a "desire " (heart) to want to keep the commandments.
If you don't have a desire to keep the commandments, it might be because they are not written on your heart and you have no genuine born again experience with the L-rd yet. But, the teaching that the "new' testament replaced the "old" testament is not only a lie, but you can't establish it using Hebrew or English words.
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