Biblical Grace, Not A License To NOT Keep The Law!!!!!!!! PART 2

Hebrews 12




We are walking in today: Biblical Grace, Not A License To NOT Keep The Law!!!!!!!! PART 2





Today we look to the word RIGHTEOUSNESS--H6663 tsadaq -- Justify, Righteous, Just, Justice, Cleansed, Clear Ourselves, Righteousness



The Torah testifies.........……

Deuteronomy 6:25
And it shall be our righteousness H6663, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.



The prophets proclaim..................

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness H6663 is of me, saith the Lord.


The writings bear witness............

Proverbs 11:5


The righteousness H6663 of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.




Today The Most High is speaking to His people regarding their preparation to come into the presence of the King. Even as Esther underwent many months of preparation before she was brought into the presence of the king, so we today are being prepared for our King.

An important aspect of our preparation is that we must be established in The Most High’s Grace. To understand Biblical grace, we must first unlearn some of what the theologians are saying. There is no “age of grace,” or at least Noah was not aware of this notion. The Bible says Noah found grace in the eyes of The Most High! (See Genesis 6:8.) But let us begin with what most of us understand as ‘Grace.’


The Scriptures reveal that there are not one, but two aspects of His Grace — one of which has gone largely unnoticed, but which is a vital part of our preparation. Let us Notice the following verse:


Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (Zechariah 4:7)

As we see in the above passage in Zechariah, The Most High requires two aspects of His grace to be brought to bear in order to bring forth the headstone thereof. Without both aspects of The Most High’s Grace, the His habitation can not be built! Thus The Most High is bringing His people to see and understand the two-fold nature of His grace, revealed much in the New Testament, and clearly seen in the above passage in Zechariah as ‘Grace-Grace.’

We might say that just as there are two sides to the same coin, so there are two aspects of The Most High’s Grace toward His people. This two-fold aspect of Grace can be seen in the encounter with the religious leaders of Yahushua’s day, when the man with a palsy was brought to Him to be healed. Notice Yahushua’s reply:

Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. (Luke 5:23-24)

Notice in the above passage, that Yahushua speaks of both aspects of The Most High’s Grace.


These are:

Two Aspects of The Most High’s Grace


“Thy sins be forgiven thee” [The grace of Mercy and Forgiveness]; and


“Rise up and walk” [The grace given to Rise up, and Walk with Yahushua].

Notice that the words ‘rise up’ and ‘arise’ are both translated from the Greek word ‘egeiro,’ which is the same Greek word used to describe Yahushua’s Resurrection! Here Yahushua is speaking prophetically of our resurrection life — of our “rising up and walking” in daily, resurrection life with Him. Thus we see in the above passage both aspects of The Most High’s Grace — the grace of His mercy and forgiveness, and the grace He gives us to walk with Him, in His Way. Let us now look at these two aspects of grace, and see how they fit into The Most High’s plan for the preparation of His People.
By Grace Alone


Many of us have learned that it is by grace that we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8), and not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us (Titus 3:5). Indeed, works of righteousness are important, but they are the result, and not the cause, of The Most High’s Grace.


Martin Luther, spearhead of the great Reformation, went through a series of wrong conclusions, seeking The Most High with great anguish of soul, before the Holy Spirit illumined his understanding concerning true Righteousness and the Grace of The Most High. It was only after he fervently and diligently sought The Most High over the matter, that He revealed to him the true nature of justification by faith, the cornerstone of the Reformation. Until the Believers today do likewise, fervently seeking The Most High, they will, as did Luther in his earlier years, continue to hold fast to a wrong conclusion [only half the truth] of The Most High’s Grace.

Thus we must first understand that there is no justification apart from the shed Blood of the Lamb of The Most High, which takes away the sin of the world. Anything good that we would do can not add one whit to our justification. In fact, the Word of The Most High tells us that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6); that is, all our own good works of righteousness, that spring up from our own initiative, as a means of justification, are as filthy rags in the sight of The Most High!


We must thoroughly learn that our means of justification is not from ourselves — and that Yahushua alone is our righteousness. Without this basic understanding of Yahushua as our righteousness, we can not go on to fully grasp the meaning of the mysteries of which the Apostle Paul speaks.

There is one passage of Scripture in which Paul speaks of a mystery hidden from ages and from generations — including most of the evangelical Believers of this present generation. Paul tells us that this hidden mystery is “Messiah in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). It is this understanding of the mystery of “Messiah in you” that we must fully grasp, so that we might be presented to Messiah fully prepared. It is the understanding of “Messiah in you” that will enable us to have an understanding of both aspects of The Most High’s true Grace.


It was this mystery of “Messiah in you” that the Apostle Paul preached, warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom (Colossians 1:27-29). Indeed it is Paul who tells us (Romans 5:9-10) that, after first having been justified by Yahushua’s Blood – that is, having been reconciled by His death, and Born Again – much more to be considered is that we are to be saved by His life — the life of Messiah in you.


It is the revelation of the mystery of Messiah in you that unlocks a vault full of treasure more precious than rubies. However, it is in understanding the two-fold nature of The Most High’s Grace that we will find a Scriptural understanding of Messiah in You. So we see that the two ideas of Grace-Grace and Messiah in You are intertwined.


There are many Scriptures that picture the two-fold nature of The Most High’s Grace, but perhaps the one idea that is revealed more than any other is the parallel connection between grace and righteousness. We see this close connection in the description of The Most High’s character, as well as in describing how Messiah is to reign within us:

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our The Most High is merciful. (Psalms 116:5)

That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21)


We see from Scripture that grace and righteousness are closely connected. Thus we will begin by observing The Most High’s Grace revealed and demonstrated in a two-fold nature of righteousness.
The Seed of Righteousness


The Lord has illustrated many Truths of the Kingdom of The Most High by use of word pictures, or parables, by which many complicated Truths may be seen and understood. Many of the parables Yahushua spoke reveal the two-fold nature of Grace, and of Righteousness. We recall that many of Yahushua’s parables describe seeds, which sprout into plants. Some of these plants do not survive the various levels of growth, and others do; some then go on to mature, and some finally produce fruit. This is a profound Truth Yahushua reveals to us.


Let us recognise that Yahushua — His Word, and His Righteousness — are pictured as seeds, which He plants in the soil of our heart. We are told that The Most High is the Gardener, and we are the garden (See 1Cor 3:9; John 15:1). Yahushua plants the seed — the soil does nothing but to receive the seed. In this action of The Most High’s planting we may clearly see the first aspect of Grace with which we are familiar — the Grace of Forgiveness.

Having forgiven us, Yahushua, by His Grace, plants the seed of His Word, even the Seed of Himself — and thus His righteousness — in our heart. There is nothing the soil must do, except to receive the seed. Notice how Yahushua pictures this planting and sprouting of the Seed of His

Righteousness:


Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. (Isaiah 45:8)


In the above passage we see Righteousness revealed in two separate aspects. First, we see Righteousness ‘poured down from the skies’ (figurative of the heavens), and sown in the earth (in the heart of man); which corresponds to the truth of imputed righteousness, whose heavenly source is Yahushua Himself.


This pouring down from the skies pictures the The Most High planting the seed of His Righteousness — Messiah-in-us — by His Grace. He has imputed His Righteousness to us, by Grace through Faith; and He has placed the Seed of Himself within our heart, that He might dwell within, and mature into a Tree of Righteousness within us.


The second thing we see in the above passage is Righteousness that springs up from the earth, even as a plant springs forth from the seed that has been planted in the earth, and eventually bears fruit. This springing up speaks of the life of Yahushua, as the Tree of Life within us, living by His Grace. Notice in the above passage that both the acts of pouring down, and of springing up, are claimed by The Most High to be His own work; and are thus both by His grace — “I the LORD have created it.”


This same principle of sowing and reaping can be seen in a passage in Exodus, where Moses asks for more grace:

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight (Exodus 33:13)

Notice in the above passage that the first mention speaks of grace sown [imputed] by The Most High; but the second mention is a reaping of grace — it is dependent upon being in The Most High’s Way, and upon knowing Him. Moses is saying, “if I have found grace in your sight, do this, in order that I may find [more] grace in your sight.” Moses knew that The Most High’s grace, like His righteousness, and like all other aspects of The Most High’s character, must be both sown and harvested in Moses’ own life. And it is the same for us!


To gain further understanding that Scripture portrays grace, and righteousness, as seeds and plants, we will take note of the following passages, with regard to sowing and reaping. A key to understanding the following verses is that the word light in Scripture speaks of Righteousness:

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (Psalms 37:6)


Light (“Righteousness”) is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. (Psalms 97:11)

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so The Most High will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11)


The above passages reveal that the seed is sown for the fruit, and that it is the The Most High who causes righteousness to spring forth and produce the harvest. Thus we see again, that both the sowing of the seed, and the springing forth of the plant, are by The Most High’s Grace alone! For a new Testament picture notice the following verse:

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (John 1:16)


In the above passage we can clearly see the same principle of seed (grace) sown for, and because of the harvest (grace).

At this point we might ask, “What is The Most High’s purpose, that He would plant the Seed of

Righteousness within us?” As we will see, The Most High has a goal, or purpose in mind. We all understand in the natural sense, that if we plant seeds, it is because we have a purpose in mind. One purpose is that the plant, or tree, might grow and mature. A further goal is that there be a harvest of fruit from the tree. Thus we will examine the tree, and its fruit.

Trees of Righteousness

We must turn our attention to the mature plant — the tree. Now if the seed is called Righteousness, what is the fruit called? And what is the tree called? We know from practical experience that if we want to harvest corn, we must plant corn seeds. Likewise, if we want a harvest of peaches, we must plant peach seeds. The Lord has illustrated this principle to us, and tells us what fruit we can expect from His planting of the Seed of Righteousness:

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of The Most High. (Php 1:11)

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. (James 3:18)

Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness… (2Co 9:10)

We see that from both natural and Scriptural principles, that the fruit is according to the seed. Thus we see that the Seed of Righteousness that is sown in our heart is to eventually produce the fruit of Righteousness. We will deal with the fruit in detail in the next section. Our focus now is the tree. Since we know that the Fruit of Righteousness comes from the Seed of Righteousness, what is the tree called? Yahushua tells us:

For every tree is known by his own fruit. (Luke 6:44a)

The fruit the tree will bear is the Fruit of Righteousness — for the tree is known [named] by its fruit. In our simple way of thinking, we have concluded that the Seed of Righteousness is planted by The Most High in order to produce a Tree of Righteousness. Let’s look at the following passage:

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isa 61:3)

Beloved, The Most High is talking about people that are called trees of Righteousness. He also tells us that these trees are those that He has planted, and established, unlike the tares that have been planted by an enemy (See Matthew 13:24-30). This tree can bee seen in another sense, in the following passage:

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Proverbs 11:30a)

Our understanding of Scripture up to now has been that Yahushua is the Tree of Life. However, in the above passage we see the clear revelation that Messiah-in-us is the Tree of Life living within us, and He is also the producer of the fruit — the result — of the seed that has been planted and cultivated within a man. We will see this Tree of Life in greater detail, as we further examine the fruit.
The Fruit of Righteousness

As in any planting operation, our Heavenly Planter has a purpose in mind for planting the seed of Righteousness within His people. Just as we would plant peach seeds in order to obtain the fruit of the peaches; so The Most High has a purpose in mind for the seed He plants in our heart. The Most High plants the seed of righteousness — Yahushua Himself — in our heart, in order to obtain the fruit of righteousness that He, living within us, wants to produce within us.

Now if we understand that Messiah within us is the Seed; and Messiah within us is the Tree — then what is the nature of the fruit that Messiah would produce in us? Let’s notice the following verses:

He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. (Psalms 104:13)

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:31)

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of The Most High; (Colossians 1:10)

The more we study The Most High’s Word, the more it becomes clear that the fruit The Most High desires to produce within us are works of righteousness. This fruit, however, is not produced by man — it is produced by Yahushua Messiah, living within us:

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of The Most High. (Philippians 1:11)

The fruit of righteousness does not consist of dead works initiated by ourselves. True works of righteousness can be produced only by Yahushua, the result of Himself being planted within as the Seed, at the moment we becomes ‘Born-Again.’ Since the Seed is the Word of The Most High (See Luke 8:11), the fruit of that Word of The Most High must be works of obedience to His Word.

Again, we must state that the true fruit of righteousness is not the result of man’s own effort to obey The Most High’s Word — but it is simply Messiah, living within, providing His grace and ability to obey His own Word. From what we have seen, we may safely conclude that the fruit of righteousness is that which Messiah Yahushua produces within us, by His grace, and with our cooperation, as He lives within us.

https://youtu.be/4HsFf55SBSU

Biblical Grace, Not A License To NOT Keep The Law!!!!!!!

Romans 6




We are walking in today: Biblical Grace, Not a License to NOT Keep The Law!!




Today we look to the word GRACE--H2580 chen -- Grace, Favor, Gracious, Pleasant, Precious, Wellfavored



The Torah testifies.........……

Exodus 33:13
Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace H2580 in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace H2580 in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.


The prophets proclaim..................

Jeremiah 31:2
Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace H2580 in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.




The writings bear witness............

Psalms 84:11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace H2580 and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.






Grace is chen in Hebrew and charis in Greek. In both languages it may be translated as favor. However, in relation to The Most High, grace is not passive favor, such as “to receive favor,” rather it is active favor, such as “to be favored with a gift.”

This active form is the way grace is to be understood in Scripture. In fact, charis is translated as gift many times in the New Covenant writings in connection with the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 12:4). In this context it clearly means an endowment or enablement.


The Most High’s grace is His willingness to provide us with His enablement. When “Noah found grace in the eyes of The Most High” (Genesis 6:8), it says in the Hebrew “Noach matsa chen b’ayini The Most High.” This may also be translated, “By the vision of The Most High Noah came forth enabled,” or even “Noah was gifted through the insight of The Most High.” It is very important to understand that Grace does not mean that The Most High accepts us regardless of our actions, but that The Most High makes us acceptable. That is, He provides the means whereby we can be accepted by Him.


The belief that grace and mercy are near synonyms, almost interchangeable concepts, is a gross misunderstanding by many. So much of Christianity thinks of grace as a kind of ‘blanket mercy’ which is constantly forgiving all sin, and at the same time cancels out the Law of The Most High. Thus many have believed the error that grace allows them to disobey The Most High’s Law; and that since grace abounds, sin may abound without penalty.


This is especially taught by those who wish to ignore the eternal Law of The Most High, or certain parts of it. Such doctrine is a nearly fatal error, because it waters down The Most High’s righteousness and calls into question His eternal faithfulness. It also misconstrues His kindness; and there are MANY who have gone astray and departed from the truth because of this misinformation! The Scripture is clear: Disdain for The Most High’s Law puts one in mortal danger. Hopefully, this danger can be reduced through a fuller understanding of The Most High’s Word.
What is Mercy?


Mercy is the forgiveness of The Most High that comes as a result of sincere repentance (changing directions in thought and in action). When we sin, and then sincerely repent of that sin by changing our actions and relying on His righteousness, The Most High will forgive our sin. “Sin is transgression of the Law [the Torah],” (1John 3:4).

Therefore, when we know we have transgressed the Law of The Most High we are required to repent of our way and return to walking after His Law, which is His light for us. His mercy allows us to return to Him.


“For the commandment is a lamp, and the Torah [Law] is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;” (Proverbs 6:23)


“Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your Torah, even by departing, that they might not obey Your voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Torah of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him,” (Daniel 9:11)

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:8,9).


“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not perform the truth. But if we walk in the light, just as He is in the light, we have fellowship together, and the blood of Yahashua Messiah His Son cleanses us from all sin,” (1John 1:6,7)


This clearly shows that The Most High’s mercy abounds to forgive sin because of the blood sacrifice of Yahashua. However, walking in the light of The Most High, His Torah, is also necessary for fellowship to continue with Him. The Most High’s light is “all the instruction that He has ever spoken.”


The Most High’s grace, on the other hand, is the very thing we need in order to perform that which is pleasing to Him, namely to obey His Law. This is why the apostle Sha’ul (Paul) said, “Where sin abounds grace does much more abound,” (Romans 5:20). Sha’ul did not mean that sin no longer mattered, or that grace would overlook sin. Rather, it is grace that is needed to bring righteousness into action in our lives, which is why he states,


“That as sin has ruled in death, even so might grace rule through righteousness leading unto eternal life by Yahashua Messiah our Master,” (Romans 5:21).


In the above passage we see that Grace rules through righteousness (Righteous actions)! So grace is the enablement to act out righteousness. Grace does not forgive sin, nor does it cancel the Law!


“Shall we continue sinning that grace may abound? May it never be! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1,2).


Grace, then, is the power not to sin! It is the power not to transgress the Law! The goal is to become like Messiah Yahashua, who was perfect in all points of the Law, “full of grace and truth.”
So What’s the Difference?


So the difference is this: mercy forgives us of sin, but it is grace that enables us not to sin.

When Paul said we are no longer under the Law, but under grace (Romans 6:14, 15), he was not negating the Law. He was instead emphasizing our power toward the Law because of grace. The Law is no longer something pressing on us to showcase how unlawful we are, and how we are in bondage to sin. Rather, grace is now pressing on us to fill us with the righteous nature of The Most High Himself. In such a case the Law is no longer a burden, but rather the usual result of being filled with the divine nature.


“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome” (1John 5:3).

It is the grace of The Most High toward us that provides us with the New Covenant in Messiah Yahashua. The prophet noted that this “new covenant” was to be marked by a new relationship with the Law [Torah]; not by negating the Law, but by putting it within us, and by writing it upon our heart:


“Behold, the days come, say The Most High, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers…But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says The Most High, I will put my Torah [Law] in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:31-33)


We may say then, that the true grace of The Most High concerning the New Covenant is “the ability to perform the Law with power from the inner person.” So the purpose of Sha’ul, in all his teaching about the Law, must not have been to put it away. But rather, he is showing off the grace of The Most High in turning us from viewing the Law as a stumbling block, to it being placed in our very being. He argues that the Law is not something we must do — but something we cannot help but do.


Read Paul’s letters in this context and see if it does not become clear. Only in this context is Paul not in direct conflict with the words of Yahashua and the prophets, in saying that The Most High’s Torah shall never pass away.

Oh the goodness, mercy and grace of The Most High!

https://youtu.be/Jb5BxVba9nk

Salvation According To Scripture, NOT What Your Pastor Told You!!!!! PART 2!

Romans 5



We are walking in today: Salvation According To Scripture, NOT What Your Pastor Told You!!!!! PART 2!


Today we look to the word ENTER--H935 bow' -- Come, Bring, In, Enter, Go, Carry, Down, Pass, Out


The Torah testifies.........……

Deuteronomy 23:2
A bastard shall not enter H935 into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.



The prophets proclaim..................

Jeremiah 17:25
Then shall there enter H935 into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.


The writings bear witness............

Psalms 45:15
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter H935 into the king's palace.




What Did Yahushua Say?

As mentioned earlier, the concepts of Salvation and Eternal Life are used interchangeably throughout Scripture. Let’s notice some questions asked of Yahushua, and the answers he gives:

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, The Most High: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:16-17)


And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Yahashua said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, The Most High. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. (Mark 10:17-19)


And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy The Most High with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (Luke 10:25-28)


And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Yahashua said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, The Most High. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. (Luke 18:18-20)


Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. (Luke 13:23-24)


Notice in each of the above passages, Yahushua is asked the same question, in broad, general terms. In each case, Yahushua gives the answer in broad, general terms, but does not give the specifics on how this salvation, this entering in, is to be accomplished.


In His answers, Yahushua is telling us exactly how we must ‘enter in,’ and in the answer given in Matt 19:17, He tells us the clue that this refers to the ‘enter-in’ side of the salvation coin, rather than the ‘come-out’ side. Note in the last passage above, Yahushua equates being saved to ‘entering in.’


What Yahushua has NOT told us in His answers seen above, is that the ONLY way someone may enter in to eternal Life, is that they must meet two requirements:


They must first ‘come out‘ by His Grace, only by the Blood of the ‘Lamb.’


They must ‘enter in‘ by His Grace, only by ‘Messiah-in-you,’ who provides the Grace — the enablement given by the Ruach Hakodesh, while He lives within. He gives us His enablement, so that we can keep His Commandments.


So we see that the Israelites lacked the obedience that would have allowed them in. Likewise, everyone today lacks this same obedience — unless they allow ‘Messiah-in-you’ to provide the Grace to accomplish this necessary obedience! The apostle Paul tells us plainly that Grace is for obedience to ‘The Faith’ (Romans 1:5).


The basic Torah requirements have not changed. They are the same for us, as they were for the Israelites, and for Yahushua, except for a few changes. The New Covenant changes, mentioned in the book of Hebrews, are the New and Better Things listed in Hebrews, and summarised in Jeremiah Chapter 31 and Ezekiel Chapter 36.


As part of these changes, The Most High will execute a new covenant with us, by writing His Torah [His ‘instructions’] internally on the tablets of our hearts, instead of externally on tablets of stone (Jeremiah Chapter 31). The Most High will also give us a new heart and a new spirit, and He will place His Spirit within us, so that He [by His Spirit] will cause us to walk in obedience to His statutes, ordinances, and commandments (Ezekiel Chapter 36).


Further changes include a change in the Priesthood, in which Yahushua is the High Priest, after an eternal order, and in which Believers carry out the priestly duties; and a change in the sacrifice system, in which the Blood of Yahushua is the True sacrifice. His Blood, spilled once for all time, replaces the Blood of bulls and goats that were mere figures of the True. As a part of the change of sacrifice, we are told (Hebrews 10:8-10) that the ‘not my will’ is established as the new sacrifice, as spoken in Psalms 40:7, which has taken away the old sacrifice.


The New Covenant changes also provide for the replacement of the obligation to obey the Law [Torah], with the opportunity to choose voluntarily to obey the Law [Torah]. This last change occurred through the Torah provision allowing that anyone who has been set free from bondage [sin], may [through the death of the ‘old’ man and resurrection of the ‘new’ man, by personally identifying with Yahushua’s death, burial and resurrection], voluntarily take upon himself the yoke of a new Master (Lev 26:13; Matt 11:29-30).


This last provision was made in order for the Father to find a Bride suitable for His son. Father is looking for those who love His Son — who keep His commandments (John 14:15); and for those who know His Son — who know that Messiah is the one who gave the Commandments to Moses. Thus Father is looking for those who are Born-Again [who have Messiah ‘birthed’ within them], and who, out of love for Messiah, voluntarily obey Messiah’s commandments written in the Law [Torah].


A wrested [twisted] version of the apostle Paul’s doctrine claims that under the New Covenant, the Torah has been “done away,” is not part of our salvation, and is not to be obeyed. This false notion is perhaps the cornerstone of today’s spiritual error among Believers, and it is called the Doctrine of Balaam in Revelation 2:14.


If indeed the Law [the Torah, which is eternal] had been “done away,” we would not be forgiven by the Blood of Yahushua — because it is the Torah that prescribes forgiveness by Blood. And so it is only because the eternal Torah is still active and in force today, that we can be redeemed by Yahushua’s Blood, and forgiven, and saved (Heb 9:22).


Instead of being external, the Commandments are now internal. Instead of trying to obey the Commandments by our own strength, our own ability, it is now ‘Messiah-in-us’ who gives us the ‘Grace’ — the delight, and the ability, to keep His Commandments! Like the apostle Paul, we too will delight in the Law in the inward man (Romans 7:22), when we, as Paul, begin to walk in obedience to Messiah’s eternal Law.
What Did the Apostle Paul Say?


The apostle Paul described both the coming out and entering in sides of the Salvation ‘coin.’ Let’s look at the following passage:

“Much more then, being now justified by his blood…” (Romans 5:9a)

In the above verse, we see the ‘come-out‘ stage of Salvation — of being justified by the Blood of the Lamb. Now notice:

“…we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:9b)


Above we see the ‘enter-in‘ stage of Salvation — of being ‘saved’ through Him — through ‘Messiah-in-us’ living His Life. This passage is one of many that reveals that it is HIS life that will cause us to walk in obedience. Now notice again:

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to The Most High by the death of his Son…” (Romans 5:10a)


Again, we see above a reminder of the ‘come-out‘ stage — of being ‘reconciled’ by the Death, the Blood of the Lamb. Now notice again:

“…much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10b)

Above, we see again the ‘enter-in‘ stage — of being ‘saved’ through His Life — again, the Life of ‘Messiah-in-us,’ as He walks in obedience, in us.


Again Paul is reminding us that it is Yahushua’s life within us, and it is by His Grace, His enablement, that we will be saved — that we will enter into eternal Life.

Paul understood the mystery of Messiah-in-you (see Colossians 1:27), and he reminds us that He-in-us is our only hope of Glory — of entering into the Glory of The Most High. Notice next what Paul tells us:


For I delight in the law of The Most High after the inward man: (Romans 7:22)

Paul understood the importance of the Law (the Torah) being written in the inward man, thereby allowing Messiah-in-us to carry out, and to obey, the Father’s commandments through us, even though seeming to be unfamiliar to us as gentiles.
Our Salvation


We have seen that Biblical Salvation is really a two-sided issue, one of ‘coming out’ by the Blood of Yahushua, the Lamb, and then of ‘entering in’ by the obedience of Messiah-in-us, as we allow Him to do so. Both aspects of this Salvation are by His Grace — His enablement He gives us from living within us.


We have seen that in Scripture, the term Salvation refers to the coming out stage, as well as to the entering stage. We have seen likewise that the term Salvation is applied in Scripture to the overall process.


We have seen that the ministry of the Blood of the Lamb is for our Redemption, and also for our Justification, by His Grace, to bring man ‘out’ — out of Egypt, out of bondage to sin.

We have seen that the ministry of obedience, also by His Grace, by the life of Messiah-in-you, is to bring man ‘in’ — into the Promised Land — into the Kingdom of Heaven — the City of the Great King.


As we reflect on what we have seen, let us heed these words of the apostle Paul:

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:

for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

(Romans 13:11)

Salvation According To Scripture, NOT What Your Pastor Told You!!!!!!! Part 1

Titus 1

We are walking in today: Salvation According To Scripture, NOT What Your Pastor Told You!!




Today we look to the word (Salvation) H3444 yĕshuw`ah--salvation, deliverance; welfare, prosperity; salvation (by the Most High)


The Torah testifies.........……






Exo 14:13

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation H3444 of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.






The prophets proclaim..................






Isa 12:2


Behold, God is my salvation; H3444 I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. H3444






The writings bear witness............






1 Ch 16:23


Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. H3444






Salvation: According to Scripture






This is an overview of what the Bible says about Salvation.





Many today have heard about Salvation from their Pastors and Preachers. Most churches will be quick to tell anyone how to be saved — yet every church seems to have a slightly different description of what Salvation is. Why is this? Perhaps it is because many do not hold to the Truth of Scripture, but to various paradigms or ‘spin’ of what the Scriptures say. This mixture of Truth and error is called Tradition and Doctrines of Men, and according to Scripture, this is what turns men away from the Truth.





Any idea or notion must be tested against Scripture, just as the Bereans did. They searched the Scriptures daily, to see whether those things that the Apostle Paul said were true, or not (Acts 17:10-11). How much more should we do the same, for things we hear from our leaders?


Over the years, many groups have codified and written down various views of Bible subjects as they have understood them. Man has seen and understood only a partial view, however, and has had only a flicker of Light on various subjects. May The Most High open our eyes, and illuminate His Word for us today!
What is Salvation?





The Greek words translated Salvation in the New Testament include the meanings of deliverance, rescue, safety, and preservation of life. Many today, however, use additional Bible words and concepts for the word Salvation, resulting in mixed doctrines, resulting in error and confusion. The solution for this is to get back to Scripture, and to use Bible words to define Bible concepts. Let’s look at a few passages:





Many Scripture passages equate Salvation with Deliverance, rescue, safety, victory, and good health. Here are a few of these:


“…and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel…” (1Samuel 19:5)





“And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” (Joshua 2:13)





“O LORD my The Most High, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.” (Psalms 7:1)





“Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.” (Psalms 59:2)





“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (James 5:15)





“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the unThe Most Highly;” (2Peter 2:5)





Still other passages equate Salvation with rescue of the soul, and Eternal Life. Here are a few passages:


“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalms 27:1)





“With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” (Psalms 91:16)





“Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.” (Ezekiel 18:27)





“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21)





From the above we see many different ideas, but for the purpose of this study, we will focus on perhaps the most important Truths of Salvation. These are the twin Biblical Truths of ‘coming out’ — of Redemption by the Blood of Messiah — and of ‘entering in’ to Eternal Life.





In order to re-adjust our thinking back to Biblical terms, we must “unlearn” some of the previous concepts we might have picked up along the way, most of which are unBiblical Traditions and Doctrines of Men. These errors regarding Salvation are numerous, but rather than enumerate the error, we will focus on the True.
Salvation: Past, present, and Future





A detailed word study of the entire New Testament yields some surprising results. We see the words and terms describing Salvation in a number of ways. The Scriptures are numerous, so we will show highlights, and the required attesting witnesses of Scripture to illustrate these Truths.





First, the New Testament shows Salvation as not only a past action, but as a present, ongoing process, and even as a future event or goal. As if that were not complicated enough, Scripture shows that each of the 3-fold parts of man — spirit, soul, and body — must undergo its own aspect of Salvation, also called Redemption in Scripture.





The simplest way for us to understand the New Testament Truths of Salvation is to look at the examples given to us in Scripture by the Ruach Hakodesh. These examples reveal past, present, and future aspects of Salvation, and are scattered throughout the New Testament for our learning.





The Most High has put these examples in Scripture for us to seek for, and to find, much as we might find treasures on a treasure hunt. These examples help us to clearly understand the meaning of some of the more obscure passages. The Most High wants His People to find these Truths, and to become prepared to enter into the Promised Land.





First we will look at a few example passages that show past, present, and future aspects of salvation:


Past Tense: ‘Saved’ (These include Greek Aorist and Perfect Tenses):





“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)





“And Yahashua said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.” (Luke 18:42)





“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of The Most High:” (Ephesians 2:8)





“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Hamachiach Yahashua before the world began,” (2Timothy 1:9)





“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)





“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.” (Jude 1:5)





Present Tense: ‘Being Saved’ (These include Greek Present Tense, Passive Voice, Participle):





“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?” (Luke 13:23a)





“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of The Most High.” (1Corinthians 1:18)





“For we are unto The Most High a sweet savour of Hamachiach, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:” (2Corinthians 2:15)





“And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it…” (Revelation 21:24a)


Future Tense: ‘Shall Be Saved’ (These include Greek Future Tense, Active and Passive Voice, Indicative Mood):





“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Yahashua: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)





“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)





“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)





“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Mark 13:13)





“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16)





“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Yahashua Hamachiach we shall be saved, even as they.” (Acts 15:11)





“By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” (1Corinthians 15:2)





The above Scriptures are examples of past, present and future aspects of Salvation. However, some of these verses are not easily understood in light of our existing paradigms, the “spin” we have been taught regarding Salvation. Much of what we know and understand has been tainted by centuries of Tradition and Doctrines of Men. We must therefore return to Scripture!





For example, let’s assume the word Salvation refers only to a one-time, historical event. Then the statement, “he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22) does not seem to agree with our assumption.





So in order to help us have a good understanding of Biblical Salvation, we must look at all of Scripture. We must likewise use Bible words and terminology, to discuss Bible truths.
Using Bible Words for Bible Truths





Most today use the word ‘saved’ and ‘salvation’ to refer to many things in Scripture. However, in order to have a good grasp of Scriptural concepts, we must get back to using Bible words. For example, redemption is not the same as salvation. Likewise, justification is not the same as salvation.





Just as important as using Bible words, we also must get back to using the Bible definitions of words. One of the greatest inroads Hasatan has made against the Believers is the re-defining of Bible words by the Theologians, resulting in the Doctrines of Men, which turn men from the Truth (see Titus 1:14).





The most destructive re-defining done yet is the re-defining of Biblical Grace, where the Biblical meaning has been blended into other concepts, such that the Biblical concepts of Grace and Salvation have been all but lost to the Believers. So we see that to avoid deception, we must return to the use of Bible words and Bible definitions.
Israel As Our Example





The New Testament refers many times to Israel as our example. So, let’s look the following passage in Jude:


“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt…” (Jude 1:5a)





In this passage, Jude is simply recounting what is said in the Torah:


Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. (Exodus 14:30)





Notice that the Scriptures refer to the entire event of Israel’s ‘coming out’ of Egypt as being ‘saved’ out of the land of Egypt.
Coming Out Of Egypt





We recall that it was by the ‘Blood of the Lamb’ that Israel was redeemed from Egypt, by The Most High’s power, and His strength — by His Grace.





Notice what happens immediately after Israel left Egypt:


“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea…” (1Corinthians 10:1-2)





Here we are reminded that the nation of Israel, having ‘come out’ by the Blood of the Lamb, were next baptized in the cloud and in the sea. This scenario is a prophetic picture of Believers today, who are first redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, then become baptized in water, and in the Ruach Hakodesh.





It was this Baptism, we are told, that not only saved the Israelites, but drowned the Egyptians. Notice that this event is what is referred to as having “saved Israel” in the above passage in Exodus.





Both Old and New Testaments reveal that the ‘coming out‘ for Israel, and for Believers today, is only by the Blood of the Lamb, and water Baptism. It is clear also that for Israel, and for us today, this ‘coming out‘ is only by the Grace of The Most High.
He Brought them Out — to Bring Them In





Scripture has much to say about the Salvation of Israel from Egypt, and also about Salvation of Believers today. But to understand this, we must ask some questions.





For what purpose did The Most High Save His people? Why did The Most High Bring out His people? Did He bring them out, with the intention of leaving them alone, to die in the Wilderness? Notice that The Most High tells us His purpose for ‘Bringing them Out’ of Egypt:





“And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.” (Deuteronomy 6:23)





Notice The Most High’s purpose for Bringing them out by the Blood, was so that He might Bring them in. But did the generation that was ‘Brought out’ by the Blood, enter in? No! All that generation, except Joshua and Caleb, died in the Wilderness. They failed to ‘enter in.’


If that seems a little harsh, let’s now look at The Most High’s greater purpose, the very reason for bringing His people out of Egypt, and for giving them the Promised Land.
The Purpose for the Promised Land





First, let us recall the purpose for bringing Israel out of Egypt:


“And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.” (Deuteronomy 6:23)





Notice The Most High’s purpose for the Promised Land was “That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws.”


Now this is not just a description of purpose for the Israelites in that day. No, it is likewise The Most High’s statement of purpose for His people today! This is a description of the life of those that enter in– both before and after ‘entering in’ to the Promised Land.





However, that generation of Israel refused to walk in obedience, so they were refused entry to the Promised Land.
Most of That Generation Failed to Enter In





“But how did that happen?” We ask. They had been Saved from Egypt by the Blood of the Lamb, and by water Baptism. What happened? Both Old and new Testament Scriptures have much to tell us about what happened to them, as a ‘Warning’ to us today!





Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1Corinthians 10:11-12)


Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1)





This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: (2Peter 3:1-2)





With such serious warnings, it seems we should be searching diligently to find out exactly what that generation did, and exactly why they were refused entry into the Promised Land. Let’s look.
Why They Failed to Enter In





We are told in two chapters of the Book of Hebrews why that generation of Israelites failed to enter in. We are told also in the passage above in 2Peter, that we should be mindful of what the Prophets have spoken.





So let’s see what the Prophets have said about why Israel failed to enter in:


But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. (Ezekiel 20:13)





Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. Ezekiel 20:21





I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols. (Ezekiel 20:23-24)





These reasons given above by the Prophets are for our wisdom, and our learning. Notice how the Book of Hebrews refers to these actions by the Israelites:


But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? (Hebrews 3:17)





And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief . (Hebrews 3:18-19)


Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief . (Hebrews 4:11)





In the above passages, we see first, that the Israelites had “sinned.” We then see that the reason given in Hebrews 3:19 is ‘unbelief,’ as the meaning for the Greek word, Strong’s number tells us.





Then we see that the reason given in Hebrews 4:11 is given as ‘disobedience’, as the Greek word, Strong’s number indicates. But what is this ‘sin’ and ‘unbelief’ and ‘disobedience’ we are warned of? Let’s look at the New Testament definition of Sin:


Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1John 3:4)





So Israel sinned. They ‘Transgressed the Law’ — the Torah. We are told they despised The Most High’s Statutes, and did not keep His Judgments, and polluted His Sabbaths, and went into the idolatry handed down from their fathers. Does all this apply to us today?





What we see above is confusing to many. We have been taught that we are saved by Grace, and not by obeying the Law. We are saved by the Blood, and not by works. These are true, but are only one side of the two-sided coin called Biblical Salvation.





Like Israel, we come out by the Blood of the Lamb, and we then are baptized in the water and in the Spirit. We come out by the Blood, and by His Grace.


But from what the Scriptures are telling us, coming out is only half the picture. We must then enter in by His Grace, by obedience! Notice that both coming out and entering in is only by His Grace — by His enablement given to us by His Spirit.





Israel failed to enter into the Promised Land on that day, due to disobedience. Likewise, Believers today can also be refused entry into the Promised Land — due to disobedience of the SAME Commandments, Statutes, and Precepts, according to the detailed warnings in Hebrews chapter 4!





Is this true? Can this concept be seen elsewhere in Scripture? Tomorrow we will look carefully at the words of Yahushua to determine this.

https://youtu.be/xjeLt_AVi2g

Exposing The Lie By The Way Of The Wilderness!!

Jude 1                                                                                                             We are walking in today: Weekend Meditation--Exposing The Lie By The Way Of The Wilderness!!                                                                       Witness err throughout the Bible: H7686 shagah--to go astray, stray,                                                                                                                                   Psa 119:21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err H7686 from thy commandments.                                                                The Torah testifies.........……                                                                               Num 15:22 And if ye have erred, H7686 and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses,                         The prophets proclaim..................                                                                     1 Sa 26:21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred H7686 exceedingly. The writings bear witness............                                                                      Job 6:24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. H7686 Pro 19:27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err H7686 from the words of knowledge.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Error of Balaam                                                                                           If we were to look at a freshly cleaned and made-up Hotel room, we might see a very attractive room, squeaky-clean, with clean upholstery, carpet, and fresh linens. However, when the Hotel manager brings in an Ultraviolet light to inspect the room, and check for overall cleanliness, a different picture emerges. The filthiness of the room is revealed under the Ultraviolet light. The room may look clean as seen in ordinary light, but is revealed for what it truly is under the UV light. Thus the room is unacceptable, until it is thoroughly cleaned. The Book of Revelation is like the Ultraviolet light. The prophetic messages in Revelation are intended to reveal those things in the life of the Bride that can not ordinarily be seen, except under a special light. Like the filthy Hotel room, there are many such filthy things in the Bride’s life, that can cause the Bride to be unacceptable, and thus rejected. These filthy items must first be revealed by the prophetic light in the Book of Revelation, and then cleansed by repentance and obedience to the Word of The Most High. One of these filthy items is revealed in Revelation as the ‘Doctrine of Balaam,’ and is seen in Jude as the ‘Error of Balaam.’ We will discover in this writing that the ‘Error of Balaam’ is not what we think it is. We will look first at the warning of the Doctrine of Balaam given in Revelation, and then we will see what Scripture reveals about the Error of Balaam, so that we might remove it from our lives. As we saw in the teaching on yesterday, The Book of Revelation is a message addressed not only to a particular assembly or era, but to all Believers in all ages; and is directed specifically to the Bride, that she might fully prepare herself. As we saw, one of the primary issues in the book of Revelation is that of the Bride’s preparation. The messages in Revelation are for the Bride, so she might identify the many kinds of spots and wrinkles issues that must be removed from her life. The Bride is to become aware of these issues, so that she can then repent of all filthiness. Let’s begin by looking at the warning. The Doctrine of Balaam: A Warning to Us! There is a stern warning, given in one of the messages addressed to the called-out people in the 7 cities in Revelation. Notice the following: But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication… 16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Revelation 2:14,16). Here we see what began as the Error of Balaam, as we shall see below, had become so prevalent and widespread, that it had become a practice, and a Doctrine. We are told in the above passage that if we do not repent from this practice and Doctrine of Balaam, the result will be that Yahushua will fight against those who do not repent, as we shall see near the conclusion of this study. Thus we see this as a very serious matter! If we are to be counted among the Bride of Messiah, we must repent of the practices and Doctrine of Balaam. So let’s find out what it is. The Doctrine of Balaam: What Is It? If we could put one label on the entire 2,000 year period of the New Testament Church, that one label might be called the Doctrine of Balaam. The Doctrine of Balaam is the hallmark of this age, and we have not even realised how dangerous it is to our relationship with Yahushua. We have not even known what it is. Oh, yes, we have heard from Men that the Doctrine of Balaam is greed and covetousness. But what do the Scriptures say? With such serious warnings, should we not check this out for ourselves? There are four Scripture passages that refer to the Counsel, Way, Error, and Doctrine of Balaam, each of which gives us insight into this error we are to repent of. Let’s look at the following passages, to see what Balaam did: What Balaam Did: An Overview We begin our brief look at Balaam, by noting that Balak, the King of Moab, had seen the multitudes of The Most High’s people encamped next to his territory, and became afraid they would attack him. The king assumed his army was not adequate to attack the Israelites, so he sought to destroy them by means of trickery and divination. So he decided to send for Balaam, who was known for his effectiveness in giving prophecies, which were really blessings and cursings given by divination. With that intent, the king then met with the elders of Midian: And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. (Numbers 22:4-6) With the agreement of the Elders of Midian, the King of Moab sends the princes of Moab to call on Balaam. And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. (Numbers 22:7-8) The elders of Moab and Midian carry with them riches to give Balaam, as payment for Balaam’s prophecies and his divination. Note next that Balaam sought the word of The Most High, as to whether or not to go with the princes of Moab. But notice what happens next: And The Most High came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? 10 And Balaam said unto The Most High, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12 And The Most High said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. (Numbers 22:9-13) Notice The Most High told Balaam, “You shall not go with them.” So Balaam refused the princes, and they returned to Moab. And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. (Numbers 22:14-17) Now we see the princes of Moab return, with the same request, but with promise of greater riches and honour. Balaam is still being steadfast at this point, but we see he begins to waver in his steadfast obedience, as seen in his reply to the princes: And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my The Most High, to do less or more. (Numbers 22:18) Here we see Balaam claims The Most High is his The Most High – his Elohim, his ‘Mighty One’ – implying a covenant relationship with The Most High. Balaam now says with his words that he can not go beyond The Most High, but in his actions he is setting up an opportunity to compromise what he had been told previously by The Most High. Notice what he tells the princes of Moab: Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. (Numbers 22:19) Here in verse 19 we see the heart of the matter of Balaam’s iniquity. This is the very essence of the Error of Balaam. Notice Balaam had previously heard the word of The Most High in the matter. Balaam already knew The Most High’s desire, who told him NOT to go with the men. But Balaam sought a further word from The Most High, thinking The Most High might have nullified the word He had spoken previously. Notice what happens next: And The Most High came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. (Numbers 22:20-21) Balaam heard from The Most High, “IF the men come to call you, rise up and go with them.” Notice the men did not call on Balaam, but Balaam went anyway, presumably apart from the princes of Moab. Balaam disobeyed the previous word given him by The Most High; and now he ignored the ‘If’ condition declared by The Most High. Because Balaam had disobeyed twice, we see what The Most High does next: And The Most High’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. (Numbers 22:22) Notice Balaam’s error, and his iniquity, was ‘because he went,’ resulting in The Most High’s anger. Many today are being told that greed is the error of Balaam, but we see that the greed is simply a motivation or enticement, and that Balaam’s disobedience to The Most High’s earlier word to him is actually the error itself. Because of Balaam’s disobedience, we now see that The Most High becomes an adversary against him: And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. (Numbers 22:23-24) When The Most High begins to be an adversary to a man, he begins to hem him in on all sides. Notice also that the weapon to be used against Balaam is his sword. But Balaam did not recognise the dealings of The Most High, so he struck out at what he perceived as the problem: And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. (Numbers 22:25-30) It is amazing that Balaam believed in such supernatural events as an animal that can talk and reason, but he was blind to the fact he was opposing The Most High! Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. (Numbers 22:31) After Balaam’s eyes were opened, he could then see he was opposing The Most High. He then worshipped The Most High, offering to The Most High a sacrifice of bowing down before Him. Notice what The Most High tells Balaam: And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. (Numbers 22:32-33) It is a serious matter to disobey the Word of The Most High. The Most High had come almost to the point of slaying Balaam because of his disobedience. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. (Numbers 22:34-35) So then Balaam confesses his sin, but he is still unsure whether The Most High is displeased at his disobedience to the Word of The Most High. The Most High then proceeds to redirect Balaam, to go with the princes of Balak, King of Moab, ultimately resulting in Balaam’s speaking blessings over Israel. With this background understanding, we will now look at the warnings given to us in Scriptures regarding the Error of Balaam and the Doctrine of Balaam, and see what they really are. The Error of Balaam in Scripture The Error of Balaam is mentioned in Jude 11: Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. (Jude 1:11) In order to understand the issues, we must look at the context, from the beginning of Jude’s epistle: Jude, the servant of Yahusha HaMaschiach, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by The Most High the Father, and preserved in Yahusha HaMaschiach, and called: 2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. (Jude 1:1-2) Greetings are spoken to the Believers, who are set-apart by The Most High, preserved in Yahushua Messiah, and called. Notice these are what we would call New Testament Believers, yet they still need the warnings given in Jude’s epistle. Notice what the Believers are called to do: Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our The Most High into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord The Most High, and our Lord Yahusha HaMaschiach. (Jude 1:3-4) Here we are being called to earnestly and diligently fight or contend for The Faith that was originally given to the Believers. The reason given is that certain men had crept in, the Believers being unaware of their presence. These men were apparently leaders, who used the issues of Grace to bring about a new Doctrine, which teaching resulted in practices considered to be denying the workings of Yahushua in the lives of the Saints. Jude next gives us the remedy for this error of twisted Grace: I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 1:5-7) Here we see Jude giving a stern warning to the Believers. Because of the new Doctrine taught by these men who had crept in unawares, Jude reminds these Believers that they are in grave danger, simply because un-Biblical Doctrines lead to un-Biblical behaviour and practices. It is this un-Biblical practice of which Jude is warning the Believers – for it is un-Biblical practices that jeopardize the ‘entering-in’ portion of the Believer’s Salvation. Thus we see Jude reminding the Believers of the basics of Biblical Salvation, which is not based on ones’ thoughts about Messiah, or on the condition of ones’ heart; but on ones’ Biblical practices of ‘Believing’ in Messiah – includes both ‘coming out’ (redemption by the Blood of the Lamb), and of ‘entering in’ (allowing Messiah-in-you to walk in obedience, by His Grace). It is un-Biblical practices that take the place of Biblical practices, and in this way these practices actually deny Yahushua, by preventing Messiah-in-you from walking in obedience to the Scriptures. It is Yahushua-in-You that will bring us in, by His Grace – His ability in us to perform the necessary obedience. The understanding of Biblical Salvation is the key that unlocks the prophetic meaning of the epistle of Jude. Let us continue: Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. (Jude 1:8-10) One characteristic of these spiritual Leaders is the speaking evil of (spiritual) things (of The Most High) they do not know, and have not experienced, but their awareness of these spiritual matters is known to them only in the natural sense, resulting in their own corruption. These are men who live in the natural according to 1 Cor 2:14. Now notice what is said next of these spiritual Leaders: Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. (Jude 1:11) Woe is pronounced on these men, because in their spiritual blindness, they continued to speak evil of the things of The Most High. These men who had crept in unawares are then described in a three-fold manner, and compared to other Biblical personalities who are well-known for their errors, and for the judgments occasioned upon them. This comparison reveals not only the nature of their sin, but their motivation, and the wages of their sin. These three comparisons are:                                                         1) The Way of Cain                                                                                         2) The Error of Balaam                                                                                   3) The Gainsaying of Korah                                                                          As we look at each of these subjects, we will discover that these three descriptions reveal details of the prophetic meaning of the Error of Balaam, for our warning today. The Way of Cain Since each of these comparisons represent the same iniquity, as seen in three separate scenarios, we will look briefly at each one of these. First, the Way of Cain can be seen in the following passages: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:7) By faith Abel offered unto The Most High a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, The Most High testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4) For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. (1 John 3:11-12) We know that both Cain and Abel had been told previously what an acceptable sacrifice was, because The Most High revealed that Cain’s fallen countenance in Gen 4:5-6 was due to sin, which we are told in 1 John 3:4 is ‘transgression of the Law.’ What Cain did was simply reject the Word of The Most High, which resulted in walking in his own way, which is the way of unrighteousness. We then see in the above passages in Hebrews and 1 John, that Cain’s rejecting the Word of The Most High, to walk in disobedience, reveals the difference between Righteous works and evil works. We also see in The Most High’s question in Gen 4:7, that Cain’s motive may have been desire for acceptance. The Most High then tells us that His means of our acceptance, however, is our doing well – meaning our obedience – rather than disobedience. The Gainsaying of Korah Who was Korah? This is the same Korah seen in the Book of Numbers Chapter 16. As we recall in Numbers 16, Korah was a Kohathite Levite, and well-respected leader among the Israelites, under Moses’ command in the wilderness. He gathered other leaders, and led a rebellion against Moses, and against Aaron: Now Korah … took men: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? (Numbers 16:2-3) Although Korah and the others gathered to oppose Moses and Aaron, notice what The Most High tells us: For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? (Numbers 16:11) And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD: 10 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign. (Numbers 26:9-10) In the above passage, we are told that when Korah and his men rebelled against Moses, and murmured against Aaron, they were actually gathered together against The Most High. We are also told that when these men strove against Moses, they strove against The Most High. We are then told that Korah and his company became a sign. We now see that the strivings of these men against The Most High became a sign (Heb. ‘nace,’ a signal or Banner), for the Bride to notice! But what is this sign or signal we are to notice? Let’s look closely at part of the Jude 11 passage: “…and perished in the gainsaying <485> of Korah <2879>. (Jude 1:11b) The Greek and Hebrew word definitions of the names reveal some of the prophetic meanings for us. Korah, was a great-grandson of Levi, grandson of Kohath, and is the Hebrew word <06955>, occurring 32 times, and means ‘assembly.’ Korah was the son of Izhar <03324>, used 9 times, from the Hebrew word<03323>, used 23 times, and means ‘oil; anointed,’ which in turn is from the Hebrew word <06671> occurring 1 time, and means ‘to glisten,’ to press oil out.’ The Greek name Core <2879> occurs 1 time, and comes from the Hebrew word Korah <07141>, used 37 times, and means ‘bald;’ then <07141> in turn comes from the Hebrew word <07139>, occurring 5 times. Who Is Korah Today? Putting these together, we see the prophetic picture of who “Korah” speaks of today. Korah speaks of the teachers of the Word (“37”) today, who count themselves among the Bride Company (“5”), and who are considered “anointed” among the assembly of the covenant (“32”) people of The Most High. Thus far, from the prophetic identification of Korah, it seems as if these might speak of the Leaders of today’s dynamic congregations. But what is the real issue here, to be seen as a signal or banner for the Bride to notice? Let us now look at Jude’s summary of the problem of Core. The English word ‘Gainsaying’ is made up of two separate words. the prefix Gain tells us the motive; and the suffix saying, or ‘saying against’ tells us the action. The word translated ‘Gainsaying’ in the above Jude 11 passage is the Greek word ‘Anti-logia’ <485>, which occurs 4 times, and comes from the Greek word ‘antilego’ <483>, occurring 10 times. The literal definition of ‘anti-logia’ is “against the words” or “against the sayings,” which is our English word ‘contra-diction.’ This definition tells us that what Korah actually did was to speak against or contradict, or deny the Words of The Most High. Korah’s motive was to gain self-importance, which is pride, which grew as a result of his unwillingness to submit to The Most High’s designated authority. We might say that because of the motive of Gain, Korah spoke against the Word, or the Sayings of The Most High. We will now look at some details of the last item in the Jude passage: the error of Balaam. <485><2879><06955><03324><03323><06671><2879><07141><07141><07139><485><483>The Error of Balaam: The Prophetic Revelation of Jude Let’s look closely at part of the Jude 11 passage:“…and ran greedily after the error <4106> of Balaam for reward <3408>…” (Jude 1:11b) Here the word ‘error’ is the Greek word <4106>, ‘plane’ pronounced plan-ay, and means “wandering, straying [from Truth]; deception; delusion,” and occurs 10 times. It stems from the word ‘planos’ <4108>, meaning “deceiver” or “seducer” and occurs 5 times. The phrase ‘for reward’ is the Greek word ‘misthos’ <3408>, meaning “wages, hire, reward for work done,” and occurs 29 times. This number is not divisible by any number except 1, showing the prophetic meaning might be found in combination with some other number, most probably its companion word in the verse, ‘plane’ <4106>, which is used 10 times, for a total of “39.” This number “39” signifies “love,” so it appears the ‘outward’ motive for Balaam’s work may be ‘love,’ but the inward motive is really “for reward.” Isn’t this true for all of us at times – having an inward motive that really is not pleasing to the Father! How often it occurs that The Most High’s Word truly pierces and is a “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart!” (Heb. 4:12). The word ‘hireling’ <3411> used in John 10:12-13 comes from the word <3409>, which in turn stems from this same word ‘misthos’ <3408>. In the passage in John chapter 10, Yahushua is warning His sheep to beware of shepherd leaders, who are mere hirelings. Thus we have a warning for us of certain spiritual leaders. How easy it is to compromise the Word of The Most High, and not rock the Doctrinal boat, in exchange for one’s position, comfort, security and provision! The price of these Leaders’ compromise will be seen, when their followers will be refused entry into the City of the King. Jude then goes on to describe these dynamic and anointed shepherds and congregational leaders: These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Jude 1:12-13). Each of these descriptions in Jude 12-13 is highly prophetic. We can not look at these details now, but notice that the ultimate end of these leaders does not appear to be good. Let us now notice the specific error of Balaam seen in our day. The Error of Balaam Seen Today We have seen that the Way of Cain, the Gainsaying of Korah, and the Error of Balaam are all prophetic descriptions of spiritual leaders of our day, who are speaking against the Words and sayings of The Most High. We have seen that these contradictions of the Word of The Most High are likened to denying the Word of The Most High by these leaders, whom we would do well not to follow. But we have not yet seen the specific thing that Balaam did, that characterizes this generation. Notice that the first time Balaam sought The Most High, he heard the Word of The Most High, which told Balaam of The Most High’s desire, and of His requirements. These do not change. Yet when the princes came to Balaam the second time with the same request, Balaam thought the Word of The Most High would be changed, that the earlier word from The Most High might have been ‘nullified,’ and that The Most High’s requirements had changed. The Most High tested Balaam by telling Balaam something different the second time, and Balaam failed the test. Balaam had rejected both the earlier Word of The Most High, and the latter Word, twice unfruitful in obedience, and twice dead, so The Most High sought to kill him. How do we see this error today? The Most High has given His people the Scriptures, which in the time of the writing of the New Testament, the Scriptures refers to all of the Bible available in that day – from Genesis through Malachi – today called the ‘Old’ Testament. Today there are multitudes of leaders who, like Balaam, have heard the earlier word from The Most High, written in the Old Testament, but they seek for a later Word from The Most High only in the New Testament, thinking what was spoken earlier has been nullified. Many of today’s spiritual Leaders ignore the New Testament Book of Hebrews, which explains every item considered to be either a change, an addition, or fulfillment to The Most High’s Covenant with His people. These spiritual Leaders are continuing to do today, just as Balaam did in his day, by rejecting the earlier Word of The Most High, in favour of the later Word. These Leaders do not find a repeating of these earlier commandments in the New Testament, even though both the earlier Word and the later Word are the Commandments of Yahushua. As a result, they simply discard the earlier words, saying they are ‘Old’ Testament, and tell their followers these ‘old’ Words do not apply. In this they corrupt themselves, as well as those who follow them. Today the Error of Balaam is manifested in speaking lies against the Torah, or “Law.” As a result of discarding these earlier Words of Torah, these Leaders have created ‘Doctrines of Men,’ and have devised a lie, in saying the Law has been done away with, and has been “nullified” for New Testament Believers. They know most Believers do not read the Scriptures closely, and that many have no knowledge of finding out the Greek and Hebrew words, and what they mean. Thus these spiritual Leaders continue in the compromise of warmth and provision, and are unwilling to go against the flow of their boards, their committees, their denominational leaders, and their retirement. Thus many of Yahushua’s precious lambs are easily led astray by their Leaders’ words, even though the majority of Leaders are well-meaning, and do not intend to knowingly deceive the sheep. The Fourth Commandment, for example, is the only one of the Ten Commandments not repeated in the New Testament. Why is that? The answer is found in the Old Testament. There we find that the keeping of The Most High’s Sabbaths, though not repeated in the New Testament, becomes the ‘Love’ Commandment, in that the keeping of Yahushua’s Sabbaths appears to be the primary test that Yahushua will use for Born-Again Believers, to determine who loves Him, and who does not; who ‘knows’ Him, and who does not (See Ex 31:13; Eze 20:12, 20). Thus it is, that the Fourth Commandment is a sign of the Everlasting Covenant, and likewise becomes one of the litmus tests of the New Covenant. The Error of Balaam, if we do not judge and repent of it, will go on to become the Way of Balaam. When Yahushua returns, He will distinguish between those who embrace all of Scripture, and are in the Way of Truth, from those who deny the earlier word spoken by The Most High [thinking He has nullified the earlier word], thus embrace only the later word – and are thus in the Way of Balaam. Shema Selah we must go back to the original instruction and turn away from the doctrine of Balaam!!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TSDsirv9hs

Testing In The Wilderness By A Way Of Revelation!!!!!

Revelation 1

We are walking in today: Testing In The Wilderness By A Way Of Revelation!!!!!

Witness love and keep throughout the Bible: H157 'ahab--to love; human love for or to The Most High
&
H8104 shamar--to keep, guard, observe, give heed

Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love H157 me, and keep my commandments.

The Torah testifies...............
Deu 11:1 Therefore thou shalt love H157 the LORD thy The Most High, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.

The prophets proclaim..................
Dan 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my The Most High, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful The Most High, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love H157 him, and to them that keep his commandments;

The writings bear witness............
Jos 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love H157 the LORD your The Most High, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deu 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy The Most High, he is The Most High, the faithful The Most High, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love H157 him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;



The Second Love Test: Lay Down Your Life


Yahushua reveals the second love test in John 15:13:


Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)


Here we see a common feature of all true Believers down through the centuries, even unto today. However, this laying down of one’s life will occur at unprecedented levels during the Great Tribulation.


Multitudes of Believers, redeemed by the Blood of Yahushua, but who failed the first test, will have the opportunity to be tested again. They will be given the chance to deny Yahushua, and His Word, in exchange for staying alive. Many, however, will lay down their lives, and will not deny their friend Yahushua.


If we could look backwards from the Great Tribulation, back to today, how could we recognise who these multitudes are today? Seeing these, perhaps we might study them, and learn from them, and change our outcome.


So let’s look at the characteristics of these that must take the second test, because they fail the first test.
Fail the First Test: Who Are These Today?


Looking backward in time, we would see who these are today:


Those Who Fail the First Test: Characteristics


These are those who held a sincere love for Yahushua, but were afraid to venture out beyond the confines of their congregation’s token commitment to the Bible.


These are those who believed every word they heard, from various pulpits and from many respected men of The Most High. They did not, however, search the Scriptures for themselves, to see if these things were true (Prov 14:15; Acts 17:11).


These are those who also ignored the Old Testament Prophets. These Prophets pronounced coming judgment against The Most High’s redeemed people, for NOT keeping all The Most High’s Sabbaths, Festivals, ordinances, judgments, and precepts.


These are those who were taught not to believe [to be DO-ers of] all things the Old Testament Prophets had spoken, and thus Yahushua says they were foolish and slow of heart (Luke 24:25).


These are those who were not aware they were simply following the Theologians — practicing a combination of Scripture and Traditions of Men, combined with a few popular pagan festivals and religious practices.


These are those whose pagan practices included the pagan winter and spring festivals, the pagan 40-day fast, and many other pagan holy days. These holy days were decreed by Rome, then adopted by many of the early congregations, having been given Rome’s new religious wrapping and stamp of approval.


These new man-made, religious holy days were then given out as ‘New Testament’ holy days, and later passed down from generation to generation. Anything that appeared ‘Jewish’ was then prohibited; and to this day, most Believers were taught to say of The Most High’s Feasts and Sabbaths: “That’s Jewish — we don’t do that.” These Believers did not diligently study the Scriptures for themselves, to see whether this notion was true, or false.


These are those who believed the devilish, man-made Doctrine of ‘Dispensations’ put forth by their Leaders. These Leaders, and their followers, did not diligently seek The Most High in Scripture, to see whether the notion of ‘Dispensations’ is a false doctrine.


They had not realised that ‘dispensational’ thinking was contradictory to all of Scripture, and is a sinking-sand, man-made, foundational necessity for those who teach the Doctrine of Balaam. Every house [one’s individual life] built upon the ‘dispensational’ foundation will soon come down with a loud crash, and will result in wailing and gnashing of teeth.


These are those who, when the tribulation came to them, began to realize their Pastors and Leaders had [unintentionally] lied to them. Their Pastors and Leaders had been taught in Seminary to obey only the ‘New’ Testament commandments, because of the un-biblical notion that the Law had been nailed to the cross, and done away with. The Pastors and Leaders then taught these man-made ideas to their followers.


As followers of these popular Leaders, these Believers had not studied the Scriptures for themselves, to see whether this notion was true, or false. Had they done so, they would have noticed that Scripture tells them very clearly that the Greek word ‘dogma’ — the decrees and doctrines of men (Strong’s 1378 and 1379) — is what was nailed to the cross, and done away with (Luke 2:1; Acts 16:4; Acts 17:7; Eph 2:15; Col 2:14,20).


These are those who had not read the New Testament closely for themselves. Instead, they had believed the wrested, or twisted words of these Pastors and Leaders, whose error Jude describes as the Error of Balaam, in that they denied and rejected the earlier word of The Most High [the Old Testament] in favour of the later word of The Most High [the New Testament]. As a result, Jude shows these Leaders’ true characteristics, and their expected end in judgment.


Jude warns us (Jude 5) that these Leaders, and their followers, although they had been saved [Born again], they still had to be reminded that they must enter in by belief, which is equated to obedience in the Book of Hebrews.


These are those who, as Believers, had been deceived, for they had not searched the Scriptures diligently on their own, to see if these things taught by their Leaders were true! Had they found their Leaders out of agreement with Scripture, they would not have disagreed with them. Rather they would compromise — for they loved unity more than Truth; they loved acceptance and praise of men more than praise of The Most High.


These are those who, when the Tribulation began, they were suddenly forced to decide between two choices:


First, they could accept the mark in order to stay alive, but this would incur Yahushua’s wrath by disobeying the command in Revelation not to take the mark. This action would prove that Yahushua is not their friend, and they would fail the test.


Second, they could refuse the mark, and deny their own life — in order to obey Yahushua’s command. These would be memorialized in Rev 6:9,11.


Having failed the first Love Test, they decided they would not fail this second test. So they chose Yahushua, and chose not to take the mark. Instead, they chose to lay down their life for their Friend.


In this way they passed Yahushua’s second Love Test, and they proved their love for Him.


Throughout history, many have been given the opportunity to take both tests. Perhaps those who pass both love tests will be assured of a ‘better resurrection’ (Heb 11:35).


Those who choose to walk in the paths of Righteousness, are they who serve The Most High. These will pass the first Love Test.


Those who choose to continue walking in the paths of the wicked, are they who do not serve The Most High. These will fail the first test, but will be eligible to take the second test.


What about you? Which of these Love Tests do you intend to pass?


Now is the time to decide — there is not much time left, for the first test takes place when the Master returns:


Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth The Most High and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3:16-18)



The Book of Revelation: A Prophetic Overview


In all of Scripture, the Book of Revelation is one of the most important, but maybe the least understood by the multitudes of The Most High’s people. The Title in both Greek and English means “the Unveiling” or “the Revealing,” so we get the idea from the title that something hidden will be revealed in the text.


The first three verses of the opening chapter tell us what the message of Revelation is: It is the message The Most High gave to Yahushua Messiah, in order that Yahushua might show to His Servants those things which will shortly come to pass.
The Two-part Message of Revelation


The entire message of Revelation can be seen as a two-part message. The first part consists of detailed warnings given to the Believers, wherein Yahushua reveals various major shortcomings in the doctrines and practices of the New Testament Believers, along with the remedies.


These shortcomings are not minor in nature, but as we can see by the language used, these are serious issues, and appear to have eternal consequences. The warnings addressed to the called-out people in the 7 cities in Revelation, appear to parallel the warnings given in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Both sets of warnings deal with issues of deciding who will be among the Bride, and who will not; and both address what one’s inheritance will consist of.


These warnings are given in a prophetic perspective, and they apply to the last days of preparation of the Bride, immediately prior to any judgments. Thus the warnings serve as an aid to preparation for the Bride, and can serve as a checklist for the Bride’s assessment of her own readiness.


The second part of the message can be seen as a prophetic panorama of things to come, seen as one great panorama of future events, with various time periods depicted as separate scenes within the panorama.


Many today are in disagreement as to whether the events seen in Revelation are to be taken literally, or taken spiritually or metaphorically. This disagreement and time wasting over this issue is not necessary. In the proper time, Yahushua will reveal which of those things are to be taken literally, and which ones are to be taken spiritually or symbolically. Our primary task today is to prepare ourselves, and to pay close attention to the warnings given.
The Prophetic Purpose of Revelation


Notice in the opening passages the following verse:


“Blessed is … he that readeth … they that hear … and keep those things which are written therein…” (Revelation 1:3a)


Here we see that some are singled out by saying they are Blessed — language used by Yahushua to speak of those closest to His heart. These are the ones to whom the message is addressed, that it might become profitable to them.


Thus we understand that the messages to the 7 churches are to be taken in a prophetic way — by applying the ‘now’ meaning to each and every message, without regard to which of the seven churches a message appears to be addressed.


We also see in the opening passages, further prophetic purposes of the Book of Revelation. For example, notice in the verse above, the phrase, “Blessed [are] they that hear.” We recall from our studies, that the word ‘hear’ in the Greek text corresponds most often to the Hebrew word shama, or ‘hearken,’ meaning “to keep, to guard; to hear and obey.”


Thus when we see in many other passages of Revelation, that the Bride is to develop ‘ears to hear,’ we understand that this tells us that we are to develop our sensitivity to hearing and responding, by obedience, to the words of Scripture — as the Holy spirit reveals them to us.


We also see in the above passage, that the Bride is to keep those things that are written therein. This word ‘keep’ in the Greek text corresponds to several different Hebrew words, most prominent of which are shamar, natasar, and shaqad, all of which have the meaning of “watch; keep; pay heed; perform; guard; hear and obey.”


Thus we may conclude even from the opening passages, that the warnings in Revelation are to be heard very carefully, and obeyed or carried out to the last detail — for it is in this way that those of the Bride Company prepare themselves for the Bridegroom.


Now let’s notice one other passage:


“…If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” (Revelation 3:3b)


In this passage, we see one other part of the prophetic purpose of the messages — to encourage the Bride to ‘watch.’ But what does it mean, to watch?


Again, like the words ‘hear’ and ‘keep’ that we saw above, the word ‘watch’ also corresponds [in most cases] to the same Hebrew words shamar, natasar, and shaqad, all of which have the meaning of “watch; keep; pay heed; perform; guard; hear and obey.” One example of the word ‘natsar’ can be seen in this context, as used in Psalms 25:10:


All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep [‘natasar’] his covenant and his testimonies. (Psalms 25:10)


As the above passage tells us, His mercy and truth come to those who keep — who “watch; keep; pay heed; perform; guard; hear and obey” His covenant and his testimonies. Is it any wonder that the early band of Disciples were ‘keepers’ of Messiah’s Covenant and His testimonies, and were thus called natsarim, or ‘keepers’ of the Way?


And so from the Revelation passage above, we now understand that the Bride is not only to ‘watch’ with her eyes for the Bridegroom to return, but most importantly, she must endeavour to ‘watch’ in the Hebrew sense of the word — to ‘keep’ His New Covenant provisions, and His Testimonies — which as we saw in our other studies, are found throughout the TaNaK, also called the ‘old’ testament writings.


The entire Book of Revelation is presented as a prophetic picture of future events, presented in a panoramic view spanning some time period. This panoramic view is given specifically for the Bride, so that she might understand, and be about the business of ‘watching’ [keep, guard, watch, observe], so as to help her to be aware of the proper timing of the Bridegroom’s appearing.


Revelation is further intended to be a part of the vision the Bridegroom is giving to the Bride, with the intent of drawing her ever closer, and for the purpose of giving her hope in the midst of great despair that will occur just prior to the time of the King’s bringing in of the Kingdom.


Thus we see that the Book of Revelation is to be viewed in a prophetic way, whereby everything written, in all the messages, is for all of The Most High’s people, regardless of location or ‘age’ in which they lived.


We have mentioned the purpose of the Book of Revelation. Now let’s confirm the intended recipients of these messages.
To Whom Is Revelation Written? What Men Say


Many Bible Teachers today have created various views of to whom the message of Revelation is addressed, and various camps have sprung up around these views. Some say the Book of Revelation was written to 7 churches in 7 geographical locations. The plain context agrees with this idea, and without doubt this is the primary understanding. We must not, however, limit ourselves because of geography. Scripture contains within itself many levels of fulfillment.


Others have said these 7 churches represent 7 church epochs or ‘ages’ within the last 2,000 years. Consequently these teachers focus on only the last message to the seven churches, while ignoring the previous six messages. In this view, each era or ‘age’ was to be represented by one of the messages, with the result that the testimonies regarding the other six messages were ignored, or considered irrelevant, at any given time. Now let us see what the Book of Revelation actually says.
What Scripture Says


The clear and easy-to-understand language of Scripture can be seen in the verses of Revelation, revealing exactly those to whom the Book of Revelation is written. Let’s begin by noticing that in each of the messages to the seven churches, there is an identical pair of statements, repeated for each message. For example, notice this pair of statements in the message to Ephesus:


“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write…” (Revelation 2:1a)


“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 2:7a)


Here we see in the first statement above, that the writing is addressed to the angel or messenger of the Ephesus church in Rev 2:1a.


Near the end of the message, in the second statement above, we are told that this same message to Ephesus is the Spirit saying unto the churches — plural! Thus we see the Spirit’s message is not limited to those of Ephesus, but is for the churches, for all of those that are called-out people (all the ‘Born-Again’ Believers) in every place and for all time.


Next, note the message is specifically directed to those that hear [‘hearken; keep; hear and obey] those things which are written therein. As we saw above, this phrase is the equivalent of the Hebrew word ‘Shema’ or hearken, which means to hear and obey. The phrase ‘ears to hear’ is a prophetic hallmark of the Bride, used throughout Scripture, but this implies not all will have ears to ‘hear’ with attendant obedience.


This same pair of statements is repeated, in identical fashion, for the following six churches:


What the Spirit Saith Unto the Churches


Smyrna: “…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 2:8a & 2:11a)


Pergamos: “…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 2:12a & 2:17a)


Thyatira: “…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 2:18a) & 2:29a


Sardis: “…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 3:1a & 3:6a)


Philadelphia: “…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 3:7a & 3:13a)


Laodiceans: “…what the Spirit saith unto the churches…” (Revelation 3:14a & 3:22a)


Each of these messages to the one addressed, is also being said by the Spirit to all 7 churches, and in particular to ‘He that hath an ear.’ Thus it is, that these messages all become part of the Bride’s preparation checklist.


Now let us now note a few more passages that detail the intended recipients of these messages.


The Revelation of Yahusha HaMashiach, which The Most High gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (Revelation 1:1)


Here we see the entire contents of Revelation [hidden things revealed] are to be shown unto His Servants, further identifying the Bride. Now let’s notice another:


I Yahusha have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16)


Here, we see these things are to be testified unto you in the churches. Thus we must conclude that all of The Most High’s Word is for all of His People. The idea that ALL of Scripture is for ALL of Yah’s people is seen throughout Scripture. Note a few of these passages:


Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. (Psalms 119:111)


All scripture is given by inspiration of The Most High, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of The Most High may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)


Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living The Most High; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3)


Notice the above passage reveals part of fulfillment of the New Covenant Promises: that The Most High promised to write the Torah [Law] on the heart of His people, by the Spirit given to them:


Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their The Most High, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31-33)


Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahusha HaMaschiach for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our The Most High shall call. (Acts 2:38-39)


So the promise of ‘all Scripture’ — and of the Holy Spirit, to guide us, and to give us understanding of the Scripture — are ours for a heritage forever. Notice that this Scripture [the Law or Torah] is to be written on our heart, so that we would have the desire to walk in obedience to what is written on our heart!


To whom was Revelation written? It was written to all the Believing ones, and specifically to those who hear … and keep … those things which are written therein… which identifies the Bride!
Conclusion


We have seen that the Book of Revelation is a two-part collection of messages. The first part of Revelation gives detailed warnings of how the Bride is to develop ears to hear, and how she is to prepare herself, by keeping those things written in the messages.


The second part of Revelation is likewise a prophetic picture of future events, but these are presented in a panoramic view spanning some time period, and written for the Bride, that she might be about the business of ‘watching’ at the proper time, so as to know the time of the Bridegroom’s appearing.


Lastly, the Book of Revelation is part of the vision the Bridegroom is giving to the Bride, with the intent of drawing her closer, and of giving her hope in the midst of great despair that will occur just prior to the time of the King’s bringing in of the Kingdom.





Shema Selah the bride must hear, listen and obey the approach of the Bridegroom!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDIgepvDCDo