Proverbs chapter 27
Today we are walking in: Entering His Rest: Biblical Requirements and Hindrances
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Whom Do You Say That I Am?
Entering His Rest: Biblical Requirements and Hindrances
As we look at this subject of entering His rest, we must first give warning to the Citizen, that this is not an easy subject. What is to be said may not seem to be politically correct, but in order to maintain Biblical Truth, it must be said.
In this teaching I have not attempted to sugar-coat the presentation, but have tried only to deal with the objective Truths of what the Scriptures actually say. Scripture tells us that open rebuke [what is given to help someone] is better than secret love [what is not given to help someone, and is thus not really love] (Proverbs 27:5).
We will now look at some of the items laid out in Scripture that tell us clearly what is required for us to ‘enter in to His Rest,’ which is a euphemism for entering in to the Promised Land, into the City of the King. Participation in these things will further identify to Yah those who are allowed to enter, and who are not.
If Ye Be Willing and Obedient
Many Scripture passages tell us, and show us by vivid example, the Yah’s children are defined and identified by their obedience. Indeed, even the blessings of the Inheritance are to those who are obedient.
Let’s begin, as we notice the following passage:
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Most High: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Most High hath spoken it. (Isaiah 1:18-20)
Most today understand that verse 18 in the above passage does apply to New Covenant Citizens. But let’s look at the rest of the story seen in verses 19 and 20. Yah is telling us that if we are [present] obedient, we shall [future] eat the good of the Land. Yah is telling us that our future welfare in the Promised Land, depends on our current obedience; and that our obedience is determined now, before we enter the Land! This can be confirmed in Rev 22:14-15, where the right to enter in to the City of the King is given, as determined by obedience to Yahusha’s commandments.
Few today are being taught the importance of walking in obedience to Yah. Even fewer still are being taught the importance of doing what Yah ‘delights’ in, and what ‘pleases’ Him. One of the hallmarks of the Biblical Marriage Covenant is the mark of obedience.
As we advance in our walk with Yah, there will be many occasions in which He presents opportunities for us to choose whether we will obey Him, or not. Each day Yah reveals something new to us, with the hope and desire that we will choose to go beyond our comfort zone, and walk in the new thing He has revealed, according to the Scriptures. We must make a choice — a fresh choice each day — whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15).
Let us proceed now to new ground.
It is obvious to the sincere seeker, which of the Old Testament [Torah] commandments and sayings of Yah have already found their fulfillment in Messiah Yahusha. What has been obscured by the religionists is the necessity for all Yah’s children to likewise fulfill the Torah, with only a few exceptions as seen in the Book of Hebrews.
Our present difficulty lies in the fact that the Body of Messiah has for centuries been given traditions and decrees of Rome, instead of the Truth of scripture. The result is that most Citizens today are in a state of famine, of what constitutes ‘Truth’ for New Testament Saints. Yahusha is now restoring all [true] things, prior to His return, just as He promised!
Our greatest discomfort comes when we try to make the Scriptures fit the ‘Doctrines and Commandments of Men’ we have been taught. Perhaps by now our inner conflicts have become evident, regarding what we have learned about Law and Grace, Grace and works, Grace and Legalism, Old and New, Then and Now, Jew and Gentile, Liberty or Bondage, Life or Death. In order to avoid the discomfort, many will simply not dig in to the Scriptures, to seek for the Truth.
Yahusha, in His mercy, has painstakingly revealed each one of these subjects to us in His Word, yes, even in the New Testament! He wants us to know and thoroughly understand the Word of Righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). Father desires that His children would learn His Ways, and walk in them!
Yah has revealed all these subjects in His Word, and desires that we would see how they all fit marvelously, as pieces of a great puzzle, to portray the beautiful and majestic picture that He desires to reveal to His people.
He also wants us be aware of the abundant hindrances that can prevent us from walking in ‘The Way.’
Yahusha’s Word vs. What You Have Been Taught
As an illustration of the conflict between Truth and Error, let us observe several passages regarding Eternal Life. As we look at these, let us note of the contrast between what we have been taught, and what Yahusha actually says.
Yahusha had just been asked by a man what good thing must he do, that he may have eternal life. First notice the question, and then look carefully at Yahusha’s reply:
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 Yahusha said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, Yah. 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. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Yahusha beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22)
In the above passage, two things are to be noted. First, this verse indicates that eternal life is conditioned upon obedience to the Ten Commandments. This verse is for all New Testament Citizens, contrary to what many Pastors would say today (2 Tim 3:16).
Many Pastors and spiritual Leaders, for example, have been trained in Bible Schools and Seminaries, and have chopped up, rationalised, compartmentalised, dispensationalised, and discarded much of Scripture. In their formal training, they learned what other men said, rather than what Scripture says. They were taught that, for one reason or another, a particular verse, or chapter, or Book of the Bible, is not for Gentile Citizens today, but for some ‘other’ people, or some ‘other’ dispensation [This is a man-made meaning that was given to a good Bible word, and as a result of this man-made doctrine, has become a great source of error in the Body of Messiah].
Some of the results of the man-made dispensation error teach, “That’s for the Jews;” “That’s not for us — it’s for the early church;” “That’s for another age;” “That’s Old Testament;” “That’s bondage;” and on and on, until nothing is left of the Scriptures but an empty carcass. The Scriptures tell us that all Scripture is eternal, and is for all of Yah’s children, and is part of their heritage — their inheritance!
Most formally-trained Pastors and Leaders of today would explain the above passage, by saying that this and several similar passages do not apply to New Testament Citizens. Perhaps these statements are made, because this passage does not seem to fit man’s modern, twisted notion of what Biblical ‘Grace’ is!
Most would summarize the ‘eternal life’ requirements spoken by Messiah, by stating that all we must do is believe — that is, we must give only mental agreement to a set of facts. This is the modern-day definition of the word ‘Believe,’ and is a devilish definition, void of Biblical Truth. Using this definition of ‘Believe,’ there is no need for such Biblical practices as repentance, sanctification, holy living, dying to self, obedience, or enduring unto the end.
Most spiritual Leaders today put forth an un-Scriptural, blanket idea of ‘Grace,’ but then deny the Biblical ‘Grace’ that teaches one to be obedient (Romans 1:5), to live a life glorifying Yah. Thus the religious world has been taught that the main issue is pure mercy and an unscriptural notion of ‘forgiveness,’ beyond which one may do as he pleases, even if what he does displeases the Mighty Yah and the Prince of Peace. This idea is summarized for us in Jude 1:4, describing those who have substituted the decrees and traditions of Rome in place of the Truth of Scripture.
Most spiritual teachers today say that Yahusha, in the passage above, was telling the inquirer something that applied to another time period they call a ‘dispensation,’ and not applicable to the present day, which they call the ‘Church Age’ or an imaginary ‘Age of Grace.’ [This concept is not in Scripture!].
In summary, there are many variations of error seen in the religious world, all trying to explain away the true meaning of the above passage, and to obscure the Truth of to whom this passage applies.
Note however, that in the above passage the questioner was talking about ‘New Testament Eternal Life.’ The Greek word is ‘zoe,’ Strong’s number <2222>. We know this because this is the same word that Yahusha used:
Yahusha said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life <2222>: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25)
As we remember another familiar verse, we will look at it, and the second point becomes obvious:
For Yah so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life <2222>. (John 3:16)
Most of us are familiar with this verse, aren’t we? From the day we first came to Yahusha for His Grace of Forgiveness, we have heard this verse. In John 3:16 above, we see that Eternal Life is conditioned upon ‘believing in Yahusha.’ In the previous passage, (Mark 10:17-22), Yahusha tells us that Eternal Life is conditioned upon keeping the commandments, and also upon selling all, and coming after, and following Yahusha.
Fiveamprayer, is this verse of John 3:16 in contradiction to the one shown above in Mark 10:17-22? No, it is not. Yahusha merely reveals in each separate verse, one separate condition for each of two stages, of entering in to the Promised Land, also called eternal life.
It is evident in the New Testament that there are many descriptions of Eternal Life, and how one may inherit, or obtain, or ‘enter in’ to this eternal life. In fact, there are 134 uses of the Greek word ‘zoe’ in the New Testament. If we were to look at all the instances where this word zoe is used in the New Testament, we would see that receiving Eternal Life is dependent upon at least twenty-five separate and distinct actions on the part of man!
These twenty-five different conditions are not mutually exclusive, and they are not in contradiction to one another. Taken as a whole, they all complement one another, and are like the links of a chain, all contributing to the strength of the entire concept of Eternal Life!
Taken as a whole, all the different conditions upon which one may receive Eternal Life merely reveal the wonderful truth and richness of what it means to truly ‘believe’ in the Name of Yahusha, as Abraham found out. We may conclude from these observations that Yah’s plan of redemption of mankind is a many-faceted means of revealing His identity to mankind.
True Identities Are Being Revealed
Fiveamprayer, Yahusha is restoring the Truths that the Body of Messiah was robbed of centuries ago. He is restoring the Truths that for many years the cankerworm has eaten, and the palmerworm, and the locust has devoured. He is revealing the Truths of His Word, as a ‘Great Spoil,’ as treasures recovered in a battle.
Yah is doing, as it were, a new thing. Yet it is not new, for there is nothing new under the sun. It just seems new to us, but it is simply the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, and the building of the True Temple, and is the ascending of Mount Zion by His children.
We certainly do live our years as a tale that is told; That is, everything that has happened before, and seen in the Bible, is our example of how it is going to happen in this last generation! Yah is preparing a People, and is purifying a Company of people that will become His Bride. He is preparing them through their learning obedience, the goal of which instruction is to be completed, and made perfect in love for Yahusha, and for the brethren.
The identity of the ‘Saints’ [the set-apart-ones] of Yah, — the redeemed, the undefiled, — is being made clear. The identity of those that are redeemed, but who continue to be ‘wicked’ in their actions, is also coming into view.
As the fruit [their doings, or works] of the righteous begin to be seen, in the same way the tares are being revealed, all in bundles [bound socially into denominations and congregations], ready to be burned.
Let’s notice the following passages, and note how Yah identifies the ones that are His people, His saints:
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yah, and the faith of Yahusha. (Revelation 14:12)
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life <2222>, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)
The above verses describe who the saints really are, and how one gains right to the Tree of Life — Yahusha Himself — and how one gains entry into the City of the King.
Note carefully that in the above verses, there is no believing mentioned, as we have understood the word believe; in these verses there is simply ‘doing’ — that is, allowing Messiah-in-you to bring about the doing of obedience to His Word — which is the Biblical definition of ‘believing.’
Notice that obedience to the commandments of Yah is really a summary definition of the word believe. The Citizen is encouraged to do a brief study of Abraham, and what Yah said about him, and why Yah credited him with righteousness!
The greatest tragedy of this generation is the teaching of the Traditions, Doctrines, and Commandments of men, in place of the Scriptures. One result of this replacement is that one beautiful truth of Yah’s word is taken to the exclusion of another, causing many to try to force the pieces of the puzzle together — even when some pieces do not quite fit the way that men’s doctrines say they are supposed to fit!
Hence we have multitudes of splintered beliefs and divisions created among men, divided into congregations that are open only to what lies within the comfort zone of their own understanding, yet closed-minded to any Light from the Spirit of Truth that does not fit what they already understand.
It is in this way, that the Commandments of Men turn men away from being “DO-ers” of the Truth (Titus 1:14). This sounds as if it were a description of the religious leaders of Yahusha’s day, but sadly it portrays our day.
My Commandments
Fiveamprayer, when Yahusha said, If ye love me, keep ‘MY’ Commandments (John 14:15), what was He telling us? Today, almost all the Bible schools and Theological Seminaries, and their Pastor-graduates, are teaching that the ‘Commandments of Yahusha’ are found only in the New Testament, from Matthew through Revelation. Those who know who Yahusha truly is, however, understand that ‘MY’ commandments appear from the Beginning — from the Book of Genesis!
Those who say that Yahusha’s commandments are only in the ‘New’ Testament are testifying that they do not know who Yahusha truly is. When Yahusha returns, He will say to many Pastors and Leaders who did not truly know Him, and to their followers, “I never knew you…you that work iniquity.” It is thus to our advantage to test everything against the Scriptures alone!
Fiveamprayer, notice the following verse:
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not Yah, and that obey not the gospel of our Most High Yahusha Hamachiach: (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
We have long thought that this passage is talking about the heathen, the pagans, the wicked — those that have never come to Yahusha. Unfortunately, there are vast multitudes, great multitudes of New Testament Citizens today that are in this category! They have come to Yahusha, have received of His wonderful mercy and Grace of Redemption and forgiveness by His precious Blood, but are still in the Valley of Decision, between two mountains, ‘halt between two opinions.’ As babes however, Yah offers us great mercy, as He gently leads those who desire to follow Him, and learn from Him.
As more mature Citizens, Yah is urging us to ‘get off the fence.’ As Citizens, their Yoke of Bondage has been initially broken. The Spirit of Life has set them free from the Law of Sin and Death, but they have not entered into a new Yoke of Bondage of Love, as a voluntary bondslave to a new Master, in obedience to His Word and His will!
Thus many shall not be brought up into the heights of Zion, the City of the King, and will not be allowed to know Him, unless they show by their obedience they know who Yahusha really is, and they begin to walk in obedience to all His sayings. This process of coming to know Him, by our obedience to His Word, as seen in the above passage in (2Thess 1:8), is what constitutes ‘believing’ in Yahusha.
We have seen that the sayings of Yahusha are made up of both the New Testament sayings of Yahusha, and the Old Testament sayings of Yah, which are also Yahusha’s sayings. The great significance can now come into view. We recall that Yah wrote the Ten Commandments with the Finger of Yah, onto the stone tablets. These are Yah’s sayings, and His words.
Notice also that Yahusha wielded the Finger of Yah, when He cast out devils. There is a vast amount of New Testament Scripture that reveals the connection between loving Yahusha and keeping the Commandments of Yahusha, and also remarkably, keeping the Commandments of Yah. Many today have not made the connection, or have not realised, that keeping the Commandments of Yah constitutes knowing who Yahusha is, and loving Yahusha, and also defines how we show love for the Brethren (1John 5:2-3).
Stealing Your Inheritance
Some Citizens today say they keep the Ten Commandments; others say they are only for the Jews, not Gentiles. Still others say they are not for New Testament Saints, but are legalism and bondage. A few today keep and observe the Feasts of Yah. Many today would say they love Yah, and desire to keep His Word. However, they have been taught that the Second and Fourth Commandments are not for us. The meanings of these commandments, as much of Scripture, have been ‘spiritualised’ by well-meaning Pastors and Teachers, to mean ‘something different,’ so as not to apply to New Testament Saints.
Many Pastors and Teachers think that we are not able to search the Scriptures for ourselves, to see what it really says. And the spiritualised version of a Truth, which is a particular ‘spin’ put on the Truth, sounds very close to what Scripture actually says. The result is that some of the Pastors and spiritual Leaders are stealing the inheritance of their many followers! We must read the Scriptures for ourselves, and find the Truth!
How are we to know the Truth? Just what does it mean to spiritualise Scripture?
Let us find out, as we make up an example of what it means to ‘spiritualise’ Scripture.
Let us say that we read the following verse:
Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
We may immediately say, Well, this must be for New Testament Saints, because Yahusha told us that we are not to hate our brother; and murder is the same as hating our brother. That explanation now becomes my definition of what the above passage says.
I could then conclude that under the spiritualised meaning of this verse, it is alright to literally kill someone, but not hate him, which is the spiritualised equivalent. By this example, we can see that in spiritualising the meaning, the plain, common- sense meaning is discarded, in favour of a spiritualised meaning or explanation.
The next example is a little less of a stretch of truth, and is actually believable to many Citizens of this generation:
Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
Reading this verse one might think, For New Testament Citizens, adultery in Yah’s eyes is the equivalent of worshipping an idol or another Yah. If one were to spiritualise the above Exodus verse, one may conclude that it must be OK to commit literal adultery, but it is not OK to commit idolatry, which is a spiritualised adultery.
How utterly absurd this would be! Yet the same example of this reasoning occurs as a codified standard in the vast realm of the religious world today. Let us see why.
We will now look at a classic example of spiritualising Scripture, resulting in a doctrine that most Pastors and spiritual Leaders today have bought into, bringing great loss to the Body of Messiah, as a lack of fullness of the life of Messiah-in-us.
Notice the following passage:
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy [set-apart as special]. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Most High thy Yah: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Most High made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Most High blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11)
The precious Believing ones today have been taught by their Leaders a spiritualised understanding of Yah’s Sabbath days. Citizens worldwide have been taught the decrees of Rome regarding this passage, stating that for New Testament Citizens, the Sabbaths of Yah speak only of two spiritualised meanings, and are not to be kept literally.
Two separate, spiritualised explanations of this passage are generally given. First, it is spiritualised by some, who see this as merely a explanation for a ‘future’ event. This man-made explanation describes the future, millennial kingdom, which is actually a true, prophetic picture of what the seventh- day Sabbath Day portrays, but only in a prophetic sense of fulfillment. Along with this explanation, Citizens are told they are not to keep this commandment in a literal sense, but to keep instead the ‘New Testament Sabbath’ [which is a man-made Sabbath decreed by Rome].
Second, the teaching of the Sabbath Day is taught by many as a ‘spiritualised’ explanation for the present. Many Citizens today have been taught of a ‘spiritualised’ Sabbath rest, but not of the ‘literal’ keeping of the Sabbath Day. One man-made explanation goes on to say that to keep the Sabbath is to “enter a state of rest,” which one supposedly enters into when one “rests, moment by moment, in Father’s Grace, in the finished work of Yahusha.” Along with this explanation, Citizens are told they are not to keep Father’s Sabbath Days in a literal sense, but are to keep only the ‘New Testament Sabbath’ [the man-made Sabbath decreed by Rome].
The Pastors and Leaders that say such things are not seeking Yah, and are not studying the Scriptures. Perhaps they are assuming their followers are not reading their Bibles for themselves!
The result is that the above passage (Exodus 20:8-11) has been spiritualised to a point that its ‘literal’ meaning has been made of no effect in the lives of many precious Citizens, ones who truly love Yah! The Body of Messiah in this generation has been taught that a man-made notion of the ‘Most High’s Day’ has replaced the ‘Sabbath Day’ of the Ten Commandments.
Using the same line of reasoning, the Citizens today have been taught also that idolatry is not so important in the lives of Blood-bought and forgiven Citizens! See (1Corinthians 10:14; 1John 5:21; Rev 2:14, 20). We shall examine these ideas a little later, against the light of Scripture.
Scrambling to plug the holes in their theology, many Theologians have spun further webs of deception, to describe the closely-related teaching of ‘entering into His rest.’ As we saw above, some have taught that the Sabbath Day is only symbolic of the seventh millennium, the true Sabbath of Yah; and the weekly sabbath was only a shadow of that Sabbath to come [this is half-truth, and half-lie].
Fiveamprayer, many Bible teachers today are teaching that the weekly sabbath is only a ‘spiritual’ Sabbath, in that the New Testament Saint rests in the finished work of Yahusha; and that the New Testament Citizen no longer has to ‘work’ in ones own effort to be obedient, to be found righteous [another half-truth, half-lie]. Scripture tells us, however, that we must labour [work; expend great effort] to enter into the same rest Father entered (Hebrews 4:10-11). Perhaps the great effort is required, in order to defeat the great many man-made doctrines that would lead us astray!
It is important for the Bride-Company to note that both of these popular teachings are not 100% error, but express a mixture of truth and error. The truth aspect is in regard to both a future, and a present, spiritual aspect of the seventh day Sabbath of Yah; the error comes by ignoring the literal aspect, just as our above examples of murder and adultery.
Moreover, in expressing the exclusiveness of the spiritual aspect of the seventh day Sabbath of Yah, the popular teachings ignore the fact that there are seven additional Feasts of Yah that He calls ‘My Sabbaths,’ for a total of 8 of Yah’s Sabbaths!
Let us now see why this issue of Yah’s Sabbaths is an important issue for the Bride.
Labouring to Enter His Rest
We will now note the great importance of the Sabbaths of Yah, which have been hidden from the Body of Messiah, who have been robbed and stolen from, as spoil from a battle, by an enemy that does not want to see Yahusha’s people ‘enter in’ to their inheritance.
Let’s notice the following passages:
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err [go astray] in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (Psalms 95:10-11)
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:11)
Scripture tells us that although Israel was redeemed from Egypt by the Blood of the Lamb, the original generation were refused entry into the Promised Land, all except Joshua and Caleb. In the above passage in Psalms 95: 10-11, we see Yah tells us that they were not allowed to enter His rest, showing us that entering His rest is a picture of ‘entering in’ to the Promised Land.
The next passage above (Hebrews 4:11) warns us that we, too, must labour to enter His rest, lest we too be refused entry into the Promised Land, in the same example as the Israelites, as the context indicates. Since this is such an important example for us, taking up two chapters in the Book of Hebrews, we would do well to find out exactly what it means to enter His rest, and what could prevent us from entering His rest.
For a clue to what this means, let’s look at the above passage again, this time along with its companion, the previous passage:
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as Yah did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:10-11)
In the above passage, Yahusha tells us we must enter into His rest by ceasing from our own works, just as Yah ceased from His works. What is the simple and plain meaning of this passage? Let’s look at some possibilities of what it might mean.
First, let’s ask, How did Yah rest from His works? If we can find how Yah rested from His works, perhaps we too could do the same, as we are told to do! Let’s look into this.
So, how did Yah rest from His works?
Did Yah decide to postpone His rest until the future millennial Sabbath, the great Day of Jubilee? NO! But this is one explanation given by the Theologians, of what we are to do!
Did Yah trust in the precious Blood of Yahusha, [that was shed for remission of Sins,] in order to allow Yah to ‘rest in Yahusha,’ thus allowing Yah to ‘rest in the Grace of forgiveness of Yah’s own sins,’ so that Yah might be made righteous, so that Yah would no longer struggle under a consciousness of Sin?
That explanation is one of several given to us by the Theological Seminaries and their blind graduates — most of the Pastors and Leaders of this generation — as an explanation of how they say we are to enter in to His rest!
How utterly absurd can the Doctrines of Men become, when held against the Blinding Light and Strong Meat of Yah’s precious Word!
Did Yah rest in either of the two ways given in the above examples? How did Yah rest from His works?
Let’s see what Scripture tells us:
And on the seventh day Yah ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And Yah blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Yah created and made. (Genesis 2:2-3)
We see the answer very clearly in the above passage: Yah simply ceased his work, and rested on the literal seventh day!
We must stop spiritualising Scripture, and return to the clear and simple meaning of Scripture, and return to the simplicity and rest that is found only in obedience to Messiah Yahusha!
According to the Scriptures, it is plain to see that we enter His rest in our literal obedience to the Fourth commandment — of resting from our literal works on the literal seventh day, just as Yah rested from His works.
What we do is simply a matter of whether we are yoked to Yahusha, or not. If we are yoked to Him, we work when He works, and we rest when He rests. If Yahusha rests on the seventh day, then we do the same.
The pattern for us is in the Gospels, as well as the epistles, as testimony to what Yahusha [and the Disciples] did on the Sabbath day, as well as on the other Feast Day Sabbaths. If we can say, as the apostle Paul did, “Messiah liveth in me,” then let us ask ourselves these questions:
Questions to Ask Ourselves
Are we allowing Messiah to live in us in all His fullness, as revealed in the pages of the New Testament?
Are we preventing Messiah [who lives within our bodies] from observing the Feasts of His Father, in obedience to Scripture?
Do we say that Messiah lives within us, within our bodies — yet continue to refuse to allow Him-in-us to walk in obedience to the Scriptures, simply because of the teachings we have received?
Fiveamprayer, the New Testament is full of warnings, exhortations, and teachings, of simple, literal obedience to Yah’s Commandments, and to all His judgments, ordinances, and precepts. The Scriptures tell us of the consequences of doing so, and of not doing so — even though under the New Covenant, we are given a choice (Matthew 11:29), and they are voluntary!
There are many, man-made ideas commonly taught today, saying that the ‘Old Testament’ commandments are not for New Covenant Citizens. These ideas are not true, they have no foundation in Scripture whatsoever, and they contradict both ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Testament Scriptures!
So, why don’t we hear teaching today about the importance of ‘Labouring’ to enter His rest? It is because there are many weapons the enemy has arrayed against the Believing ones, the main one of which is the ‘Doctrines and Commandments of Men,’ which turn men from the Truth (Titus 1:14). We will look at some of these in the next teaching.
The Divine destiny connection, the chain that links us together.
Friday, April 21, 2023
Thursday, April 20, 2023
MESSIAH IN YOUExodus 3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land The Torah testifies....................................... Genesis 16:7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur. Exodus 4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. Numbers 14:33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057 Deuteronomy 1:31 And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. The prophets proclaim.................. Isaiah 42:11 Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert. Jeremiah 9:12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through? Ezekiel 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them. The Writings bear witness............. Joshua 1:4 From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 2Chronicles 1:3 So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057 Nehemiah 9:19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Psalm 65:12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side. Psalm 78:15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Exodus chapter 20
Today we are walking in: Messiah In You
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Messiah In You
As we saw in Messiah In The Wilderness, it is our Traditions and Commandments of Men that can actually prevent Messiah-in-us from being manifest. This is an important issue — for it is only Messiah-in-us who will bring us into the Promised Land. In this writing we will look at several items that will help us to discern His will, so that we might allow Messiah who lives within us, to bring us in.
Discerning His Will
Let us now look at several Scripture passages that reveal the importance of the whole matter. From these verses we may see the absolute necessity of determining what the sayings of Yahusha are, and what Yahusha’s commandments are.
Let’s take particular note of the consistency and urgency of the following statements, as we try to listen for, and discern His will for us. And as you read along, remember this is the Word of Yah, who is Yahusha Messiah, speaking to us in all of these passages:
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:6)
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:10)
Know therefore that the Most High thy Yah, he is Yah, the faithful Yah, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Therefore thou shalt love the Most High thy Yah, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. (Deuteronomy 11:1)
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Most High your Yah, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; (Deuteronomy 11:22)
If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Most High thy Yah, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: (Deuteronomy 19:9)
In that I command thee this day to love the Most High thy Yah, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Most High thy Yah shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (Deuteronomy 30:16)
But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Most High charged you, to love the Most High your Yah, 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. (Joshua 22:5)
And said, I beseech thee, O Most High Yah of heaven, the great and terrible Yah, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: (Nehemiah 1:5)
And I prayed unto the Most High my Yah, and made my confession, and said, O Most High, the great and dreadful Yah, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (Daniel 9:4)
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide [remain] in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)
By this we know that we love the children of Yah, when we love Yah, and keep his commandments. (1John 5:2)
For this is the love of Yah, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:3)
Fiveamprayer, the above passages show the close connection of Love with keeping Yah’s commandments. We note from the above passages that the ultimate test of our love is based on whether or not we keep Yahusha’s commandments. We must be absolutely sure what those commandments of Yahusha are if we desire to “keep ourselves [remain] in the love of Messiah,” and desire to be found “loving Him, and loving the brethren” upon His return.
In the passages above, note that the New Testament references are to both Yahusha’s commandments and Yah’s commandments — for even the disciples of Yahusha’s day knew who Yahusha was — that He is the Messiah, the Word of Yah seen throughout the Old Testament writings, and is the embodiment of Yah Himself.
Just as the Disciples of Yahusha’s day followed Yahusha, in the same way Yahusha gives us His example for us to follow today. Notice Yahusha tells us in John 15:10, “…even as I have kept my Father’s commandments.”
In this statement, Yahusha gives Himself as our example to follow; and then the apostle John reminds us in 1John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth [is remaining] in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Yahusha kept Father’s commandments, so we who desire to abide [remain] in Him, ought do the same.
Entering His Rest: The Fulfillment
There are 15 verses listed above. The number ’15’ speaks of “Rest.” We are then reminded that the phrase ‘My Sabbaths’ occurs fifteen times in Scripture. This phrase reveals both the importance, and the means, of entering Father’s rest. The Theologians, and most of their followers today, have dreamed up elaborate schemes to deceive their followers, listing reasons why the “Sabbaths” of Yah are not for New Testament citizens. These Doctrines and Commandments of Men are not based on Scripture, and they actually turn men from the Truth (Titus 1:14), by causing men not to practice the Truths of Yah, but to practice substitutes of those Truths — which is idolatry!
We are exhorted to enter into His rest, and we are warned that some will not do so. We have been told that the Israelites in the wilderness did not enter in, and we are told why they did not enter in. Then we are warned not to fail to enter into His rest, and not to fall after the same example or pattern of unbelief (disobedience) as they did. What was their example, and the reason they failed to enter His rest? The reason they were not allowed to enter in to Yah’s rest is related to do the above passages.
We shall not go into great detail here, but you are encouraged to look up the referenced article, outlining the Scripture passages that tell us exactly why Israel did not enter in, and how we are warned in the New Testament that if we choose to walk in disobedience to the Sabbaths and Commandments of Yah, as the Israelites did in the Wilderness, we too will be refused entry!
Fiveamprayer, the implications are enormous. If we desire to be a “DO-er” of Yahusha’s sayings, His commandments, then we must be talking about being a doer of not only the obvious ones in the New Testament, but a do-er of Yah’s ‘Old Testament’ commandments spoken by Yahusha, including the Ten commandments, His ordinances, and His Feasts, and all those things Yahusha has spoken, and in which He has prepared for His people to walk.
If there is any question about the matter we are discussing, let us remember that Yahusha is faithful to give us the proper meat in due season. He has hidden various New Testament Scripture passages for His sincere seeking ones for such a time as this. Let us look at a few more passages, recalling the little prophetic phrase, “from the beginning:”
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. (1John 2:7)
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. (2John 1:5)
These passages, tell us plainly that John is talking about the Old commandment, or the commandments in the ‘Old’ Testament. Notice the following passage:
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Most High. (Leviticus 19:18)
Fiveamprayer, whose commandment is the one shown above? Indeed, even Yahusha confirms to us that the above command in Leviticus is His commandment, although we were not taught that truth:
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
“Well, what about the New Commandment of Yahusha, that we love one another. Isn’t that the only commandment we must obey?” Let us look at the following verse:
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34)
Notice that of the two verses shown above, they are shown in reverse order. In their normal order, one can easily skip over the truth that Yahusha wants us to see, namely two things. First, that the verse in Leviticus is His commandment; Secondly, that He is giving us a New commandment, having to do with how we love one another (as He has loved us – to the point of death).
This New commandment is much more demanding than the Old Testament command to love. This new commandment does not replace everything else He spoke, but is in addition to everything else He has said. Foolish teachers have taught, however, that this new commandment supersedes or replaces all the Old Testament commandments, thus they say we need not “obey” them. What rubbish! To the contrary, Yahusha merely summed up the commandments into two general summary categories, however, and did not say that the Law [Torah] or the commandments were superseded, replaced, or in any way done away with.
Let us notice the following words Yahusha spoke to those who sought to enter His Kingdom. First, in showing how the two greatest laws summarize all the rest, Yahusha said:
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:40)
Showing how the Law and the commandments have not been done away with, Yahusha said:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)
Moreover, we have further testimony that true love for Yahusha (Yah) is shown by our obedience to His commandments, as John points out:
By this we know that we love the children of Yah, when we love Yah, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of Yah, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:2-3)
Now come to the discomforting part, where we go beyond what we have been taught, into seemingly uncharted waters. We could simply deny that this is all true, and go back to our familiar and comfortable understanding. We could take our chances that those Pastors and Leaders are correct, whom we have been hearing, and upon whose doctrines we have staked our entire eternity. Fiveamprayer, search the Scriptures for yourself, and discard the Doctrines and Commandments of Men, and lay hold of the Truth of the Scriptures!
We could simply continue to accept what we have been taught, thus denying Yahusha Himself, by not loving the Truth — for His Word is the Truth, and His Torah is the Truth (Psa 119:142; Mal 2:6). Or, we could ask Yahusha to reveal Truth of the Scriptures to us, no matter what it is, or where it takes us, or no matter how unfamiliar it is, no matter how uncomfortable it seems at first.
Those who are Yahusha’s Disciples will follow Yahusha “whithersoever He goeth!” Only those who fully allow Messiah-in-them will be allowed to proceed to enter His Rest. For it is Messiah Himself who will enter in, along with those in whom He lives, just as Joshua and Caleb were the only ones of their generation to enter into the Land.
A Warning
Dear Fiveamprayer, you are encouraged not to believe anything without first seeking Yah in the Scriptures diligently as to the truth of a matter, including anything in this writing! We must be led by His Spirit, and as we approach maturity, or ‘marriageable’ age as a Bride. The Ruach HaQadesh will lead us in places that we would not desire or want to go. However, as we put ‘self’ to death, we will allow Him to gird us, and we will then go where He leads. Only then do we begin to truly follow Him (John 21:18-19).
We must, however, find our point of departure into uncharted waters. We must confirm what we understand, and what we do not yet understand. Most find their current understanding is mostly ‘Commandments of Men’ based on twisted Scripture. We will now review a few basics of Scripture that Yahusha’s Disciples should come to understand, by diligent seeking in the Scriptures, just as did the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures to see whether these things Paul was saying were true.
In our seeking, we must do two things. First, we must come to an unshakeable understanding of Biblical ‘Grace,’ in order that we may walk in the ‘mystery’ of ‘Messiah-in-you’ (Col 1:27); and second, we must discard any Traditions of Men that do not agree with Scripture, the Doctrines and Traditions we have accumulated in our understanding and practice. All our focus then begins to be upon the issues of Messiah-in-you.
Messiah-In-You
Most of the children of Yah understand that by the Blood of the spotless Lamb of Yah, who is Yahusha the son of Yah, we have been redeemed from slavery to another master, called “Sin,” and also by this shed Blood of Yahusha we have forgiveness of all Sins — our Transgressions of the Law [Torah] (1John 3:4). This forgiveness of our Sins places us in right standing with Yah, without any works on our part whatsoever. It is by His Grace alone that we are forgiven, and are Born-again by the Spirit of Yah. His Blood has cleansed us, and He has given us the ‘Blessing of Abraham’ — which is Righteousness by Faith.
As citizens, we have been set free, and forgiven, and cleansed for a purpose, just as a vessel must be cleansed before it is filled (Gal 3:14). Let us now look at the purpose for our cleansing. Notice the following passage:
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom Yah would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Hamachiach in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Hamachiach Yahusha: (Colossians 1:26-28)
Notice the issue of ‘Messiah-in-you’ is listed as a mystery. Not many will understand it. Second, we see that ‘Messiah-in-you’ is the hope of glory. The use of the word ‘the’ shows exclusiveness, and tells us that this is the only hope of glory, of being counted among those called “My Glory,” and of being among those who will be allowed to enter in to the City of the King. The word ‘perfect’ shows that the goal of informing others about ‘Messiah-in-you’ is that they would become ‘perfect’ or complete, a term referring to the preparation of the Company of citizens, just as a Bride prepares for her Husband.
Notice also that this description of perfection is not what man would call perfection, but is simply a Biblical term meaning complete, a term that describes the state of those in whom Messiah-in-them has been allowed to come to fullness, so that Messiah-in-them can bring them in to the Land.
As we look further, we can see in several passages the purpose of our cleansing. We are cleansed, so that we might be filled with the fullness of Yahusha, by His promised Spirit (Gal 3:14). This is done so that we might be directed into the Way of Truth, so that we may have right relationship and fellowship with Yahusha, and with His children; and so that we might bear the resulting fruit unto Yah.
Just as a baby in the natural sense is the result of an intimate fellowship, so it is in the spiritual realm. It is in this way that we become Born-Again, in that Messiah becomes birthed within us, and “Messiah-in-us” is formed within us. This is how He comes forth in us, and how we grow up in Him, as we mature, and become increasingly obedient to all of Scripture (Gal 4:19; Eph 4:15).
Yah desires that we walk together with Him, day by day. As we choose daily to allow ourselves to be conformed to the image of Messiah, we begin to notice that some of the dealings of Yah are not as we expected. We go through many experiences of what we think is death to self, and it really is, but resurrection life is brought forth as a result! The Master deals with us about yokes of bondage, and how we are not to be yoked again, but then expects us to take on His yoke of bondage (Matt 11:29-30), the yoke of bondage in betrothal to Him, in the marriage Covenant with Him (Ezekiel 20:37).
This last step is very difficult for most citizens to do, since they have been trained by their teachers and false prophets to avoid all forms of bondage, including the ‘Bond(age)’ of Love between the Lamb and His Bride! It may be noted here that the main feature of the Mountain of Yah’s presence — His habitation, called Mount Zion in Scripture — is ‘Bondage.’ Everything of Truth in Yah’s kingdom appears as Bondage, and for that reason only the few, the very elect of Yah, will attempt to come near, and touch the Mountain.
In our next item in this series, we will look at several vivid examples of what Scripture says, in contrast to what many have been taught today. We will see how this false teaching can change our behaviour, and can thus actually disqualify us from entering His Rest, and from being among the Bride-Company.
Today we are walking in: Messiah In You
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Messiah In You
As we saw in Messiah In The Wilderness, it is our Traditions and Commandments of Men that can actually prevent Messiah-in-us from being manifest. This is an important issue — for it is only Messiah-in-us who will bring us into the Promised Land. In this writing we will look at several items that will help us to discern His will, so that we might allow Messiah who lives within us, to bring us in.
Discerning His Will
Let us now look at several Scripture passages that reveal the importance of the whole matter. From these verses we may see the absolute necessity of determining what the sayings of Yahusha are, and what Yahusha’s commandments are.
Let’s take particular note of the consistency and urgency of the following statements, as we try to listen for, and discern His will for us. And as you read along, remember this is the Word of Yah, who is Yahusha Messiah, speaking to us in all of these passages:
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:6)
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 5:10)
Know therefore that the Most High thy Yah, he is Yah, the faithful Yah, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Therefore thou shalt love the Most High thy Yah, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. (Deuteronomy 11:1)
For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Most High your Yah, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; (Deuteronomy 11:22)
If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Most High thy Yah, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: (Deuteronomy 19:9)
In that I command thee this day to love the Most High thy Yah, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Most High thy Yah shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (Deuteronomy 30:16)
But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Most High charged you, to love the Most High your Yah, 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. (Joshua 22:5)
And said, I beseech thee, O Most High Yah of heaven, the great and terrible Yah, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: (Nehemiah 1:5)
And I prayed unto the Most High my Yah, and made my confession, and said, O Most High, the great and dreadful Yah, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (Daniel 9:4)
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide [remain] in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)
By this we know that we love the children of Yah, when we love Yah, and keep his commandments. (1John 5:2)
For this is the love of Yah, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:3)
Fiveamprayer, the above passages show the close connection of Love with keeping Yah’s commandments. We note from the above passages that the ultimate test of our love is based on whether or not we keep Yahusha’s commandments. We must be absolutely sure what those commandments of Yahusha are if we desire to “keep ourselves [remain] in the love of Messiah,” and desire to be found “loving Him, and loving the brethren” upon His return.
In the passages above, note that the New Testament references are to both Yahusha’s commandments and Yah’s commandments — for even the disciples of Yahusha’s day knew who Yahusha was — that He is the Messiah, the Word of Yah seen throughout the Old Testament writings, and is the embodiment of Yah Himself.
Just as the Disciples of Yahusha’s day followed Yahusha, in the same way Yahusha gives us His example for us to follow today. Notice Yahusha tells us in John 15:10, “…even as I have kept my Father’s commandments.”
In this statement, Yahusha gives Himself as our example to follow; and then the apostle John reminds us in 1John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth [is remaining] in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Yahusha kept Father’s commandments, so we who desire to abide [remain] in Him, ought do the same.
Entering His Rest: The Fulfillment
There are 15 verses listed above. The number ’15’ speaks of “Rest.” We are then reminded that the phrase ‘My Sabbaths’ occurs fifteen times in Scripture. This phrase reveals both the importance, and the means, of entering Father’s rest. The Theologians, and most of their followers today, have dreamed up elaborate schemes to deceive their followers, listing reasons why the “Sabbaths” of Yah are not for New Testament citizens. These Doctrines and Commandments of Men are not based on Scripture, and they actually turn men from the Truth (Titus 1:14), by causing men not to practice the Truths of Yah, but to practice substitutes of those Truths — which is idolatry!
We are exhorted to enter into His rest, and we are warned that some will not do so. We have been told that the Israelites in the wilderness did not enter in, and we are told why they did not enter in. Then we are warned not to fail to enter into His rest, and not to fall after the same example or pattern of unbelief (disobedience) as they did. What was their example, and the reason they failed to enter His rest? The reason they were not allowed to enter in to Yah’s rest is related to do the above passages.
We shall not go into great detail here, but you are encouraged to look up the referenced article, outlining the Scripture passages that tell us exactly why Israel did not enter in, and how we are warned in the New Testament that if we choose to walk in disobedience to the Sabbaths and Commandments of Yah, as the Israelites did in the Wilderness, we too will be refused entry!
Fiveamprayer, the implications are enormous. If we desire to be a “DO-er” of Yahusha’s sayings, His commandments, then we must be talking about being a doer of not only the obvious ones in the New Testament, but a do-er of Yah’s ‘Old Testament’ commandments spoken by Yahusha, including the Ten commandments, His ordinances, and His Feasts, and all those things Yahusha has spoken, and in which He has prepared for His people to walk.
If there is any question about the matter we are discussing, let us remember that Yahusha is faithful to give us the proper meat in due season. He has hidden various New Testament Scripture passages for His sincere seeking ones for such a time as this. Let us look at a few more passages, recalling the little prophetic phrase, “from the beginning:”
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. (1John 2:7)
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. (2John 1:5)
These passages, tell us plainly that John is talking about the Old commandment, or the commandments in the ‘Old’ Testament. Notice the following passage:
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Most High. (Leviticus 19:18)
Fiveamprayer, whose commandment is the one shown above? Indeed, even Yahusha confirms to us that the above command in Leviticus is His commandment, although we were not taught that truth:
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
“Well, what about the New Commandment of Yahusha, that we love one another. Isn’t that the only commandment we must obey?” Let us look at the following verse:
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34)
Notice that of the two verses shown above, they are shown in reverse order. In their normal order, one can easily skip over the truth that Yahusha wants us to see, namely two things. First, that the verse in Leviticus is His commandment; Secondly, that He is giving us a New commandment, having to do with how we love one another (as He has loved us – to the point of death).
This New commandment is much more demanding than the Old Testament command to love. This new commandment does not replace everything else He spoke, but is in addition to everything else He has said. Foolish teachers have taught, however, that this new commandment supersedes or replaces all the Old Testament commandments, thus they say we need not “obey” them. What rubbish! To the contrary, Yahusha merely summed up the commandments into two general summary categories, however, and did not say that the Law [Torah] or the commandments were superseded, replaced, or in any way done away with.
Let us notice the following words Yahusha spoke to those who sought to enter His Kingdom. First, in showing how the two greatest laws summarize all the rest, Yahusha said:
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:40)
Showing how the Law and the commandments have not been done away with, Yahusha said:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)
Moreover, we have further testimony that true love for Yahusha (Yah) is shown by our obedience to His commandments, as John points out:
By this we know that we love the children of Yah, when we love Yah, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of Yah, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1John 5:2-3)
Now come to the discomforting part, where we go beyond what we have been taught, into seemingly uncharted waters. We could simply deny that this is all true, and go back to our familiar and comfortable understanding. We could take our chances that those Pastors and Leaders are correct, whom we have been hearing, and upon whose doctrines we have staked our entire eternity. Fiveamprayer, search the Scriptures for yourself, and discard the Doctrines and Commandments of Men, and lay hold of the Truth of the Scriptures!
We could simply continue to accept what we have been taught, thus denying Yahusha Himself, by not loving the Truth — for His Word is the Truth, and His Torah is the Truth (Psa 119:142; Mal 2:6). Or, we could ask Yahusha to reveal Truth of the Scriptures to us, no matter what it is, or where it takes us, or no matter how unfamiliar it is, no matter how uncomfortable it seems at first.
Those who are Yahusha’s Disciples will follow Yahusha “whithersoever He goeth!” Only those who fully allow Messiah-in-them will be allowed to proceed to enter His Rest. For it is Messiah Himself who will enter in, along with those in whom He lives, just as Joshua and Caleb were the only ones of their generation to enter into the Land.
A Warning
Dear Fiveamprayer, you are encouraged not to believe anything without first seeking Yah in the Scriptures diligently as to the truth of a matter, including anything in this writing! We must be led by His Spirit, and as we approach maturity, or ‘marriageable’ age as a Bride. The Ruach HaQadesh will lead us in places that we would not desire or want to go. However, as we put ‘self’ to death, we will allow Him to gird us, and we will then go where He leads. Only then do we begin to truly follow Him (John 21:18-19).
We must, however, find our point of departure into uncharted waters. We must confirm what we understand, and what we do not yet understand. Most find their current understanding is mostly ‘Commandments of Men’ based on twisted Scripture. We will now review a few basics of Scripture that Yahusha’s Disciples should come to understand, by diligent seeking in the Scriptures, just as did the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures to see whether these things Paul was saying were true.
In our seeking, we must do two things. First, we must come to an unshakeable understanding of Biblical ‘Grace,’ in order that we may walk in the ‘mystery’ of ‘Messiah-in-you’ (Col 1:27); and second, we must discard any Traditions of Men that do not agree with Scripture, the Doctrines and Traditions we have accumulated in our understanding and practice. All our focus then begins to be upon the issues of Messiah-in-you.
Messiah-In-You
Most of the children of Yah understand that by the Blood of the spotless Lamb of Yah, who is Yahusha the son of Yah, we have been redeemed from slavery to another master, called “Sin,” and also by this shed Blood of Yahusha we have forgiveness of all Sins — our Transgressions of the Law [Torah] (1John 3:4). This forgiveness of our Sins places us in right standing with Yah, without any works on our part whatsoever. It is by His Grace alone that we are forgiven, and are Born-again by the Spirit of Yah. His Blood has cleansed us, and He has given us the ‘Blessing of Abraham’ — which is Righteousness by Faith.
As citizens, we have been set free, and forgiven, and cleansed for a purpose, just as a vessel must be cleansed before it is filled (Gal 3:14). Let us now look at the purpose for our cleansing. Notice the following passage:
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom Yah would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Hamachiach in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Hamachiach Yahusha: (Colossians 1:26-28)
Notice the issue of ‘Messiah-in-you’ is listed as a mystery. Not many will understand it. Second, we see that ‘Messiah-in-you’ is the hope of glory. The use of the word ‘the’ shows exclusiveness, and tells us that this is the only hope of glory, of being counted among those called “My Glory,” and of being among those who will be allowed to enter in to the City of the King. The word ‘perfect’ shows that the goal of informing others about ‘Messiah-in-you’ is that they would become ‘perfect’ or complete, a term referring to the preparation of the Company of citizens, just as a Bride prepares for her Husband.
Notice also that this description of perfection is not what man would call perfection, but is simply a Biblical term meaning complete, a term that describes the state of those in whom Messiah-in-them has been allowed to come to fullness, so that Messiah-in-them can bring them in to the Land.
As we look further, we can see in several passages the purpose of our cleansing. We are cleansed, so that we might be filled with the fullness of Yahusha, by His promised Spirit (Gal 3:14). This is done so that we might be directed into the Way of Truth, so that we may have right relationship and fellowship with Yahusha, and with His children; and so that we might bear the resulting fruit unto Yah.
Just as a baby in the natural sense is the result of an intimate fellowship, so it is in the spiritual realm. It is in this way that we become Born-Again, in that Messiah becomes birthed within us, and “Messiah-in-us” is formed within us. This is how He comes forth in us, and how we grow up in Him, as we mature, and become increasingly obedient to all of Scripture (Gal 4:19; Eph 4:15).
Yah desires that we walk together with Him, day by day. As we choose daily to allow ourselves to be conformed to the image of Messiah, we begin to notice that some of the dealings of Yah are not as we expected. We go through many experiences of what we think is death to self, and it really is, but resurrection life is brought forth as a result! The Master deals with us about yokes of bondage, and how we are not to be yoked again, but then expects us to take on His yoke of bondage (Matt 11:29-30), the yoke of bondage in betrothal to Him, in the marriage Covenant with Him (Ezekiel 20:37).
This last step is very difficult for most citizens to do, since they have been trained by their teachers and false prophets to avoid all forms of bondage, including the ‘Bond(age)’ of Love between the Lamb and His Bride! It may be noted here that the main feature of the Mountain of Yah’s presence — His habitation, called Mount Zion in Scripture — is ‘Bondage.’ Everything of Truth in Yah’s kingdom appears as Bondage, and for that reason only the few, the very elect of Yah, will attempt to come near, and touch the Mountain.
In our next item in this series, we will look at several vivid examples of what Scripture says, in contrast to what many have been taught today. We will see how this false teaching can change our behaviour, and can thus actually disqualify us from entering His Rest, and from being among the Bride-Company.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
MESSIAH IN THE WILDERNESS
1 Corinthians chapter 10
Today we are walking in: Messiah In The Wilderness
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Whom Do You Say That I Am?
Messiah In The Wilderness
Thus far we have seen that in order to truly know Yah, we must search for Yahusha! We have seen that we must search out His will for us, not only in the New Testament — but also in the Old Testament writings! We may see Yahusha hidden in every book of the Bible, disguised here and there in various personages, prophetically revealing Himself in the activities and sayings of various characters.
In this series, we are looking at the various Truths of Messiah, and how He will cause His people to enter His Rest, another euphemism for entering in to the City of the King. To see this more clearly, we will look at Messiah In the Wilderness, and His dealings with the Israelites in the Wilderness, as our example.
Messiah In the Wilderness
We shall now look for further clues to the true identity of Yahusha. Notice the following passage:
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; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Hamachiach. 5 But with many of them Yah was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Hamachiach, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 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. (1Corinthians 10:1-11)
We see in the above passage that it was Messiah that accompanied the Israelites in the Wilderness (verse 4), and that it was Messiah whom they tempted (verse 9). Now let us notice the following passage:
And the Most High said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Most High. 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: (Numbers 14:20-23)
In the above Numbers passage, we see the title ‘Most High’ shown with all Capital letters [in most of the English Scriptures]. We know from the underlying Hebrew that this is the Hebrew word Yah, which is the name of the Creator, the Heavenly Father Yah. And so in this passage, we are told that it was Yah that they tempted!
Fiveamprayer, we just saw above (1Corinthians 10:9) that it was Messiah they tempted; but in the Numbers passage, we are told it was Yah they tempted ten times (Num 14:22).
Dear Fiveamprayer, is this a contradiction?
First, we do know that there are no contradictions in Yah’s Word. There are riddles, however, appearing as contradictions to the unlearned. This is a ‘riddle’ for the Bride! The revealing of the true identity of Messiah is the goal of the riddle, and the answer to the riddle can be found be seeking out Messiah’s identity, seen throughout the Scriptures.
The answer to this riddle is the essence of the apostle John’s words in (John 1:1, 14). John tells us that Yahusha Messiah is the Word of Yah, the One who is mentioned in many places throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. For example, wherever we see the phrase, “the word of the Most High,” we know this is referring to Messiah.
Let us look at further Scripture. In the following passage, observe what Yah said:
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (Psalms 95:9)
We read of the same event, even the same passage above, quoted in Hebrews — in the context that it is talking about Messiah Yahusha. Note the following:
Wherefore (as the Ruach HaQadesh saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Yah.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Hamachiach, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (Hebrews 3:7-15)
So we see from Scripture that it was Yah, and it was Messiah, and it was the Holy Spirit, each spoken of as the One who was tempted in the wilderness. Are they one and the same? In order to answer this, we must diligently seek Him out, and look for further clues in Scripture.
I Will Give You Rest: The Promise
Let us look closely at the following passage:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Who is it, Fiveamprayer, that spoke the promise, “I will give you rest,” in the above verse? We know from the context, that it was Yahusha that spoke these words. Now look at the following verse:
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (Exodus 33:14)
Now again, who said, “I will give you rest,” in this verse? We see from the context of the above passage, that it was Yah that spoke these words. Is there a contradiction? No, there is no contradiction, when we realize that the Spirit of Messiah is none other than Yah’s promised presence. Messiah is also the Word of Yah, the speaker of Yah’s Words, as seen throughout the Old Testament. This is not only a revealing of who He is, but as we shall see in this series, a prophetic promise of how “Messiah-in-us” will be our hope of glory, and how He will allow us to enter in!
We could continue indefinitely. We shall show a few more passages, each revealing the true identity of Yahusha as Messiah — as the Son of Yah, as the Word of Yah, and as the presence of Yah, as seen throughout the Old Testament:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty Yah, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Yahusha said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Most High, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Yahusha saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:7-9)
“Yes, yes,” we say. “We have long known of the above passages,” we insist. “We all know and believe that Yahusha is Yah, that He is Yah of the Old Testament,” we continue. “We believe in the deity of Messiah in our congregation — isn’t that one of the fundamentals of the Faith?” we ask.
What is the great irony here? We have now arrived at a fork in the road — and a great Divide! But first let us pause for a moment, to summarize what we have seen thus far.
We started out in seeing that those that do not do the will of the Father will not know Yahusha, and will not know His true identity; these will also not know the Father. We have seen that to lay a good foundation, one must be a “DO-er” of the sayings of Yahusha. We then started out on a search to determine what constitutes Yahusha’s sayings, so that we may be DO-ers of those sayings, and not hearers only.
We then found that we must search both the Old and New Testaments for those precious things that Yahusha has laid up for His people. We then saw that Scripture reveals the identity of Yahusha as none other than the Word of Yah, and the presence of Yah, and as the One who is Yah of the Old Testament. Let us now proceed to find the great and vast significance to these Truths.
If You Love Me: The Great Divide
Fiveamprayer, we have seen some clues in Scripture that indicate Yahusha is the Word of Yah, and is Yah of the Old Testament. Thus we must realize that the words described as the “sayings of Yahusha” are not confined to the New Testament. The sayings of Yahusha will be found in the Old Testament also! The sayings of Yahusha are the words that Yah spoke. The sayings of Yahusha include what many call ‘Old Covenant’ words.
It is here, at this understanding, that the great Divide begins — the great divide between those who are later identified as the Wise Virgins and the Foolish Virgins!
Many citizens try to use their natural abilities to try to understanding spiritual things, and advance no further in the knowledge of Messiah. Many likewise ‘say’ they believe that Yahusha is Yah. Yah is now testing everyone’s foundation, to see if it is one built on the sand of hearing, but not doing, or on the Rock of hearing and doing, of ‘My Sayings’ as we saw in the parable of Mat 7:24-27.
We have now seen that ‘My Sayings’ are all the words in both the Old and New Testament.
This great importance of this understanding of who Yahusha really is, can be seen in one statement by Yahusha:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
Notice Yahusha did not say keep the ‘New Testament’ commandments, but keep ‘My’ Commandments. Yahusha is testing us, whether we know Him, and love Him, by looking to see which Commandments we keep.
Let’s now notice carefully the result of trying to keep only what we imagine to be the ‘New’ Testament commandments.
The Result of Trying to Keep Only the ‘New’ Testament Commandments
When we attempt to keep only what we imagine are ‘New’ Testament Commandments, what do we show — and what will be the result? According to Scripture, here is a brief summary:
Summary: Results of Trying to Keep/Obey ‘Only’ the New Testament Commandments:
If we do not know who Messiah really is. . . [He is the pre-incarnate WORD of Yah seen throughout the Old Testament, who gave all the Commandments to Moses].
The result will be, “…I never knew you…” (Matthew 7:23a)
If we do not Love Messiah. . . [He has told us, “If you love me, keep My Commandments” — that is, do not work iniquity] (John 14:15).
Those who know Messiah, understand that ‘My’ Commandments include the Old Testament Commandments Messiah gave to Moses — but many today have been taught not to obey them, which disobedience is defined as working iniquity [Lawlessness].
The result will be, “…Depart from me, you who work iniquity [‘Lawlessness,’ or not keeping the Law]…!” (Matthew 7:23b).
Today many spiritual Leaders have imagined that the New Testament writings are separate from the Old Testament writings. According to Scripture, however, what is popularly called the New Testament is simply the revealing of Messiah, through the living testimony of Messiah, and the testimony of those who follow Messiah — who is Himself a living testimony of complete obedience to all of Scripture. The Scriptures reveal that to truly obey the New Testament, is to obey all of Torah!
Thus we have the great Divide! Many have been told by their Pastors that the ‘Old’ Covenant has been done away with, but in reality the ‘Old’ Covenant is simply the fine print of the ‘New’ Covenant, with a few changes of the Sacrifice, and the Priesthood, all outlined in the Book of Hebrews for our inspection.
Other Scriptures, including the words of Paul, have been wrested or twisted (2Pet 3:16) by the Theological Seminaries and Bible Schools, then passed on to unsuspecting spiritual Leaders, who refuse to search out and read the Scriptures for themselves.
The result is that many of the people following these Leaders have been deceived, and will fail the first test of Knowing Him and of Loving Him. These will hear:
“…I never knew you!…”
“…Depart from Me, you who work ‘iniquity’ [‘Lawlessness,’ or not keeping the Law]!” (Matthew 7:23)
Fiveamprayer, what will you hear?
Conclusion
Many of the sayings of Yahusha have been relegated to today’s ash heap, because many Pastors and Teachers are teaching that the Old Testament writings are not for citizens to obey today. Some say that the Old Testament words and sayings are for information and encouragement only, but are not relevant, as if the words Yah spoke were somehow separated from Yah Himself.
The Scriptures, however, give us a magnificent revealing of Messiah, and who He really is. As we seek Him out in Scripture, He reveals Himself to the seekers as Messiah in the Wilderness, who gave all the Words of the Law [Torah] to Moses. Yahusha [and His Disciples] demonstrated for us how to keep the Torah, and He now looks for those who will emulate Him, and obey Him, because of our love for Him. It is these to whom He will manifest Himself, to make Himself plain and evident.
Because our Traditions and Commandments of Men can actually prevent Messiah-in-us from being made manifest in us, tomorrow we will look at some of the popular, man-made teachings notions in the Light of Scripture. The great Divide today is simply a ‘Great Gulf Fixed,’ a widening separation between those who hold to, and practice the Traditions and Doctrines of Men, and those who hold to, and practice only the Scriptures. This is an important issue — for It is Messiah-in-us who will bring us in.
Today we are walking in: Messiah In The Wilderness
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
Whom Do You Say That I Am?
Messiah In The Wilderness
Thus far we have seen that in order to truly know Yah, we must search for Yahusha! We have seen that we must search out His will for us, not only in the New Testament — but also in the Old Testament writings! We may see Yahusha hidden in every book of the Bible, disguised here and there in various personages, prophetically revealing Himself in the activities and sayings of various characters.
In this series, we are looking at the various Truths of Messiah, and how He will cause His people to enter His Rest, another euphemism for entering in to the City of the King. To see this more clearly, we will look at Messiah In the Wilderness, and His dealings with the Israelites in the Wilderness, as our example.
Messiah In the Wilderness
We shall now look for further clues to the true identity of Yahusha. Notice the following passage:
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; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Hamachiach. 5 But with many of them Yah was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Hamachiach, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 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. (1Corinthians 10:1-11)
We see in the above passage that it was Messiah that accompanied the Israelites in the Wilderness (verse 4), and that it was Messiah whom they tempted (verse 9). Now let us notice the following passage:
And the Most High said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Most High. 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: (Numbers 14:20-23)
In the above Numbers passage, we see the title ‘Most High’ shown with all Capital letters [in most of the English Scriptures]. We know from the underlying Hebrew that this is the Hebrew word Yah, which is the name of the Creator, the Heavenly Father Yah. And so in this passage, we are told that it was Yah that they tempted!
Fiveamprayer, we just saw above (1Corinthians 10:9) that it was Messiah they tempted; but in the Numbers passage, we are told it was Yah they tempted ten times (Num 14:22).
Dear Fiveamprayer, is this a contradiction?
First, we do know that there are no contradictions in Yah’s Word. There are riddles, however, appearing as contradictions to the unlearned. This is a ‘riddle’ for the Bride! The revealing of the true identity of Messiah is the goal of the riddle, and the answer to the riddle can be found be seeking out Messiah’s identity, seen throughout the Scriptures.
The answer to this riddle is the essence of the apostle John’s words in (John 1:1, 14). John tells us that Yahusha Messiah is the Word of Yah, the One who is mentioned in many places throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. For example, wherever we see the phrase, “the word of the Most High,” we know this is referring to Messiah.
Let us look at further Scripture. In the following passage, observe what Yah said:
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (Psalms 95:9)
We read of the same event, even the same passage above, quoted in Hebrews — in the context that it is talking about Messiah Yahusha. Note the following:
Wherefore (as the Ruach HaQadesh saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Yah.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Hamachiach, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (Hebrews 3:7-15)
So we see from Scripture that it was Yah, and it was Messiah, and it was the Holy Spirit, each spoken of as the One who was tempted in the wilderness. Are they one and the same? In order to answer this, we must diligently seek Him out, and look for further clues in Scripture.
I Will Give You Rest: The Promise
Let us look closely at the following passage:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Who is it, Fiveamprayer, that spoke the promise, “I will give you rest,” in the above verse? We know from the context, that it was Yahusha that spoke these words. Now look at the following verse:
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (Exodus 33:14)
Now again, who said, “I will give you rest,” in this verse? We see from the context of the above passage, that it was Yah that spoke these words. Is there a contradiction? No, there is no contradiction, when we realize that the Spirit of Messiah is none other than Yah’s promised presence. Messiah is also the Word of Yah, the speaker of Yah’s Words, as seen throughout the Old Testament. This is not only a revealing of who He is, but as we shall see in this series, a prophetic promise of how “Messiah-in-us” will be our hope of glory, and how He will allow us to enter in!
We could continue indefinitely. We shall show a few more passages, each revealing the true identity of Yahusha as Messiah — as the Son of Yah, as the Word of Yah, and as the presence of Yah, as seen throughout the Old Testament:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty Yah, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Yahusha said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip saith unto him, Most High, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Yahusha saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:7-9)
“Yes, yes,” we say. “We have long known of the above passages,” we insist. “We all know and believe that Yahusha is Yah, that He is Yah of the Old Testament,” we continue. “We believe in the deity of Messiah in our congregation — isn’t that one of the fundamentals of the Faith?” we ask.
What is the great irony here? We have now arrived at a fork in the road — and a great Divide! But first let us pause for a moment, to summarize what we have seen thus far.
We started out in seeing that those that do not do the will of the Father will not know Yahusha, and will not know His true identity; these will also not know the Father. We have seen that to lay a good foundation, one must be a “DO-er” of the sayings of Yahusha. We then started out on a search to determine what constitutes Yahusha’s sayings, so that we may be DO-ers of those sayings, and not hearers only.
We then found that we must search both the Old and New Testaments for those precious things that Yahusha has laid up for His people. We then saw that Scripture reveals the identity of Yahusha as none other than the Word of Yah, and the presence of Yah, and as the One who is Yah of the Old Testament. Let us now proceed to find the great and vast significance to these Truths.
If You Love Me: The Great Divide
Fiveamprayer, we have seen some clues in Scripture that indicate Yahusha is the Word of Yah, and is Yah of the Old Testament. Thus we must realize that the words described as the “sayings of Yahusha” are not confined to the New Testament. The sayings of Yahusha will be found in the Old Testament also! The sayings of Yahusha are the words that Yah spoke. The sayings of Yahusha include what many call ‘Old Covenant’ words.
It is here, at this understanding, that the great Divide begins — the great divide between those who are later identified as the Wise Virgins and the Foolish Virgins!
Many citizens try to use their natural abilities to try to understanding spiritual things, and advance no further in the knowledge of Messiah. Many likewise ‘say’ they believe that Yahusha is Yah. Yah is now testing everyone’s foundation, to see if it is one built on the sand of hearing, but not doing, or on the Rock of hearing and doing, of ‘My Sayings’ as we saw in the parable of Mat 7:24-27.
We have now seen that ‘My Sayings’ are all the words in both the Old and New Testament.
This great importance of this understanding of who Yahusha really is, can be seen in one statement by Yahusha:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
Notice Yahusha did not say keep the ‘New Testament’ commandments, but keep ‘My’ Commandments. Yahusha is testing us, whether we know Him, and love Him, by looking to see which Commandments we keep.
Let’s now notice carefully the result of trying to keep only what we imagine to be the ‘New’ Testament commandments.
The Result of Trying to Keep Only the ‘New’ Testament Commandments
When we attempt to keep only what we imagine are ‘New’ Testament Commandments, what do we show — and what will be the result? According to Scripture, here is a brief summary:
Summary: Results of Trying to Keep/Obey ‘Only’ the New Testament Commandments:
If we do not know who Messiah really is. . . [He is the pre-incarnate WORD of Yah seen throughout the Old Testament, who gave all the Commandments to Moses].
The result will be, “…I never knew you…” (Matthew 7:23a)
If we do not Love Messiah. . . [He has told us, “If you love me, keep My Commandments” — that is, do not work iniquity] (John 14:15).
Those who know Messiah, understand that ‘My’ Commandments include the Old Testament Commandments Messiah gave to Moses — but many today have been taught not to obey them, which disobedience is defined as working iniquity [Lawlessness].
The result will be, “…Depart from me, you who work iniquity [‘Lawlessness,’ or not keeping the Law]…!” (Matthew 7:23b).
Today many spiritual Leaders have imagined that the New Testament writings are separate from the Old Testament writings. According to Scripture, however, what is popularly called the New Testament is simply the revealing of Messiah, through the living testimony of Messiah, and the testimony of those who follow Messiah — who is Himself a living testimony of complete obedience to all of Scripture. The Scriptures reveal that to truly obey the New Testament, is to obey all of Torah!
Thus we have the great Divide! Many have been told by their Pastors that the ‘Old’ Covenant has been done away with, but in reality the ‘Old’ Covenant is simply the fine print of the ‘New’ Covenant, with a few changes of the Sacrifice, and the Priesthood, all outlined in the Book of Hebrews for our inspection.
Other Scriptures, including the words of Paul, have been wrested or twisted (2Pet 3:16) by the Theological Seminaries and Bible Schools, then passed on to unsuspecting spiritual Leaders, who refuse to search out and read the Scriptures for themselves.
The result is that many of the people following these Leaders have been deceived, and will fail the first test of Knowing Him and of Loving Him. These will hear:
“…I never knew you!…”
“…Depart from Me, you who work ‘iniquity’ [‘Lawlessness,’ or not keeping the Law]!” (Matthew 7:23)
Fiveamprayer, what will you hear?
Conclusion
Many of the sayings of Yahusha have been relegated to today’s ash heap, because many Pastors and Teachers are teaching that the Old Testament writings are not for citizens to obey today. Some say that the Old Testament words and sayings are for information and encouragement only, but are not relevant, as if the words Yah spoke were somehow separated from Yah Himself.
The Scriptures, however, give us a magnificent revealing of Messiah, and who He really is. As we seek Him out in Scripture, He reveals Himself to the seekers as Messiah in the Wilderness, who gave all the Words of the Law [Torah] to Moses. Yahusha [and His Disciples] demonstrated for us how to keep the Torah, and He now looks for those who will emulate Him, and obey Him, because of our love for Him. It is these to whom He will manifest Himself, to make Himself plain and evident.
Because our Traditions and Commandments of Men can actually prevent Messiah-in-us from being made manifest in us, tomorrow we will look at some of the popular, man-made teachings notions in the Light of Scripture. The great Divide today is simply a ‘Great Gulf Fixed,’ a widening separation between those who hold to, and practice the Traditions and Doctrines of Men, and those who hold to, and practice only the Scriptures. This is an important issue — for It is Messiah-in-us who will bring us in.
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
THE PROMISED LAND: CHOOSING TO ENTER IN
Hebrews chapter 3
Today we are walking in: The Promised Land: Choosing To Enter In
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
WHEREFORE, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Mashiach Yahusha; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Mosheh was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Mosheh, inasmuch as he who has built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is Elohiym. And Mosheh truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Mashiach as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Ruach Ha'Qodesh says, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Elohiym. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Mashiach), if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Mitsrayim by Mosheh. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom swore 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. IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 3:1-19 את CEPHER
The Promised Land: Choosing to Enter In
A great deal of New Testament is devoted to exhorting and warning Believers in Messiah, regarding Entering In to the Promised Land. But today, most Pastors and Leaders have ceased warning the people. Why is this?
Many of these New Testament warnings have two common elements. First, they remind us that all that happened to the Israelites is for our example.
Second, these warnings state that we, too, could fail to enter in, for the same reasons the Israelites failed to enter in.
Since these warnings are so serious, we will look closely at the Israelites’ example, and then try to learn from their experience, so that we might avoid making the same mistake they did.
Here is a summary of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness, according to Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11:
The Israelites’ Experience in the Wilderness (Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11):
They were redeemed from Bondage in Egypt, and they came out by the Blood of the Lamb.
This event corresponds to our being redeemed by the Blood of Yahusha, the Lamb of Yah, and of our being Born-again.
They were baptized in the Cloud & in the Sea (1Corinthians 10:1-2).
This event corresponds to our baptism in water and in the Ruach HaQadesh.
They were refused entry into the Promised Land, even after being brought out by the Blood of the Lamb, and after being baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea.
This fact is a New Testament warning to us today! Let us take notice, and heed the warning, so that we do not repeat their example!
Warning! Warning!
Here is the New Testament warning for us today! Notice carefully:
The Israelites are Prophetic Figures of Believers Today:
Despite being Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, and
Despite being baptized in water, and baptized in the Ruach HaQadesh,
The Israelites were not allowed to enter in to the Promised Land!
All Believers today are warned in Scripture to take notice, and to heed these New Testament warnings.
According to Messiah’s own words, those who choose not to repeat the Israelites’ example, will be allowed to enter in as a part of the Bride Company!
The above is a summary of the great warning given for us today in Scripture (see Hebrews 3:7 through Hebrews 4:-11)!
This warning for us can be easily understood when we list the reasons given in Scripture, why the Israelites [as prophetic figures of Believers today] were refused entry into the Promised Land.
The reasons given for the Israelites will thus become the same reasons many who say they believe in Yahusha will fail to enter the Promised Land today, under the New Covenant!
Now let’s notice in greater detail, the reasons why the Israelites failed to enter in, as given in Ezekiel 20:
The Reasons the Israelites Failed to Enter In (Ezekiel 20):
They continued to disobey Yah’s Law [His eternal Torah] (Ezekiel 20:13, 16, 19, 21, 24);
They despised Yah’s Sabbaths (Ezekiel 20:13, 16, 20, 21, 24).
This corresponds to the warning given in the New Testament Book of Hebrews, telling us the Israelites refused to enter Yah’s rest, by refusing to rest from their work, just as Yah rested from His work.
For us today, the Book of Hebrews is clear. Like the Israelites, we may have come out by the Blood. Like the Israelites, we may have been baptized in water, and in the Ruach HaQadesh. However, we are sternly warned in numerous New Testament passages, that we today may not be allowed to enter in to the Promised Land!
Much of the New Testament centers around points of Torah that Believers in Messiah are called to keep today, as part of the New Covenant. Whoever ‘Believes in’ Messiah, becomes grafted in to Israel, and becomes a partaker of the Covenant promises given to Israel. Thus we see that the promises applying to Israel, now apply also to those grafted in to Israel. We [and they] are now ‘one new Man’ in Messiah.
This is one of the major points described by the apostle Paul — that the conditions for achieving the promises still apply to all New Covenant Believers today, both Jew and Gentile, who become grafted in by faith in Messiah! It is for this reason that the warnings in the Book of Hebrews are so important to New Covenant Believers today!
Who Can Enter In?
As we study the Israelites’ example, it does not take a rocket scientist, to realize one thing: The Israelites, as well as we today, are not able to keep all the Law — the Torah — in our own strength.
But this realization presents a problem. If we are not able to keep the Torah in our own strength, why is there nothing at all in the New Testament, that would nullify the keeping of Torah for New Testament Believers?
From the logic of the Israelites’ example, it appears that we, too, can not keep the Law, and therefore we, too, can not enter in to the promised Land. What is the problem here? If keeping the Law is the only way to enter in, we must ask, “Did Yah change something in the Law that might allow us to enter in?”
Scriptures reveal that Yah did not change anything of the Law (Torah). He simply reminds us, over and over again in the new Testament writings, of the most important mystery of the New Covenant: that is, He has given us ‘Messiah-in-you’ (See Colossians 1:27), who provides the Grace from within, enabling us to keep His eternal Torah!
Joshua and Caleb Enter In
Does the Israelites’ example in the wilderness show us this ‘Messiah-in-you’ example of entering in? Yes! Although that generation of Israelites fell in the wilderness, and were not allowed to enter in, there were two exceptions — Joshua and Caleb. These two are there for our example, of those who will be allowed to enter in to the Promised Land!
Joshua speaks of our Saviour, Yahusha. Yahusha is seen by name prophetically in the Scriptures as the High Priest carrying our uncleanness and sins; as the one who will bring Israel into the Promised Land of their inheritance; and as the One who is our Salvation.
Caleb, the Hebrew word meaning whole-hearted, is also the word that describes the dog. Caleb was called the son of Jephunneh, Strong’s Number <03312>, which name comes from the Hebrew root ‘panah,’ Strong’s number <06437>, meaning “turned back, and prepared.”
Together these names tell us the story of who they speak of today. All have gone astray, and considered nothing but dogs. As whole-heartedly following Messiah, it is through turning back [repentance], that we become prepared. Together, Joshua and Caleb speak of those whole-hearted ones today who, having been Born-Again, have had Yahusha ‘birthed’ within them. By Yahusha’s Grace, His enablement, they repent of any sin when it is revealed to them. Just as Joshua and Caleb entered in, it is the these whole-hearted ones who, together with Yahusha living within (Colossians 1:27), will enter in to the Promised Land.
Yes, Yah knows that on our own, we can not keep all the Law, but He still expects us to choose to keep it all, so that we may choose to enter in with Him. Therefore, He expects us to allow Messiah-in-us to keep it for us, by His grace, on our behalf, as He lives in us daily.
Those Who Are Willing Will Know Him
It is ‘Messiah-in-You’ that will bring us in, by giving us the Grace — the Holy-Spirit power to keep the Torah. It is by His Ruach HaQadesh, that He will first find willing hearts that would follow the Lamb wherever He goes, even if into unfamiliar spiritual territory.
And, for those that are willing, He will then turn our feet away from our iniquities, and then will cause us to walk in His Torah, His statutes, and His Precepts. Those who walk in His Torah will be allowed into the Promised Land as Firstfruits (See Revelation 14:4).
For those that are NOT willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, we are told in (Luke 14:27) that they can NOT be Yahusha’s disciples.
It is from those who love Him, that He will choose His Bride. It is those who Love Him, that He will resurrect as Firstfruits. It is those who Love Him, that will keep His Commandments.
Yahusha did not say, “If you love me, keep the ‘Old Testament’ Commandments. Nor did He say, “If you love me, keep the ‘New Testament’ Commandments. He said, “If you love me, keep ‘MY’ Commandments (John 14:15). But what ARE Yahusha’s commandments? Let’s look:
Yahusha answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:23-24)
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46-47)
Those who truly know Him, realize that it was Yahusha Himself — as the Word of the Father — who gave the Commandments to Moses. Thus Yahusha calls them “My Commandments,” and also calls them “Not my Word, but the Father’s who sent me.” He then reveals to us in John 5:46-47 that Moses’ Words ARE Messiah’s Words. We might then examine ourselves. Am I keeping His Commandments? Am I keeping Messiah’s Words?
Choosing wisely
Israel came out by the Blood of the Lamb. However, they made many choices while in the Wilderness, which prevented that generation from entering in to the Promised Land. We are warned in 1 Corinthians 10:11, and also in Hebrews 4:11, to heed their example.
The nature of the New Covenant is such, that everyone is given a choice of whom they will serve. Here are two examples that apply to us today, regarding our New Covenant choice:
In Joshua 24:15, Yah said, “Choose this day whom ye will serve.” Joshua’s answer is our example for us today: “as for me and my house, we will serve Yah.”
In Isaiah 56:4-7, Yah makes some New Covenant promises:
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:7)
But then we are reminded that these promises are only for those who ‘choose’ in a certain way. Notice the conditions, a few verses prior:
For thus saith the Most High unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; (Isaiah 56:4)
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Most High, to serve him, and to love the name of the Most High, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; (Isaiah 56:6)
Notice the above promises refer to Yah’s Everlasting Covenant, for they refer to features unique to Father’s Everlasting Covenant. These features are 1) choosing the things that please Yah, and 2) the grafting in of the Sons of the Stranger, which are known as the Gentiles.
These two passages also show us exactly how we may choose to be a part of Father’s New Covenant. Let us remember, however, that The Blood of Yahusha Messiah does not guarantee that we will choose correctly, or wisely. His Blood simply redeems us, and sets us free us from bondage. His Grace then enables us to choose.
Notice also that Yah tells us that the promises of Isaiah 56 are for those who choose the things that please [‘delight’] Him. He then tells us exactly those things that delight Him, so that we might choose wisely! Father then equates choosing the things that please Him with taking hold of His Covenant.
In summary, those who choose to enter in to the Promised Land, are those who choose to take hold of His Covenant.
Those who will enter in, are those who have chosen wisely.
Fiveamprayer, how will you choose?
Today we are walking in: The Promised Land: Choosing To Enter In
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
WHEREFORE, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Mashiach Yahusha; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Mosheh was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Mosheh, inasmuch as he who has built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is Elohiym. And Mosheh truly was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Mashiach as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Ruach Ha'Qodesh says, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Elohiym. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Mashiach), if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Mitsrayim by Mosheh. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom swore 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. IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 3:1-19 את CEPHER
The Promised Land: Choosing to Enter In
A great deal of New Testament is devoted to exhorting and warning Believers in Messiah, regarding Entering In to the Promised Land. But today, most Pastors and Leaders have ceased warning the people. Why is this?
Many of these New Testament warnings have two common elements. First, they remind us that all that happened to the Israelites is for our example.
Second, these warnings state that we, too, could fail to enter in, for the same reasons the Israelites failed to enter in.
Since these warnings are so serious, we will look closely at the Israelites’ example, and then try to learn from their experience, so that we might avoid making the same mistake they did.
Here is a summary of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness, according to Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11:
The Israelites’ Experience in the Wilderness (Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11):
They were redeemed from Bondage in Egypt, and they came out by the Blood of the Lamb.
This event corresponds to our being redeemed by the Blood of Yahusha, the Lamb of Yah, and of our being Born-again.
They were baptized in the Cloud & in the Sea (1Corinthians 10:1-2).
This event corresponds to our baptism in water and in the Ruach HaQadesh.
They were refused entry into the Promised Land, even after being brought out by the Blood of the Lamb, and after being baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea.
This fact is a New Testament warning to us today! Let us take notice, and heed the warning, so that we do not repeat their example!
Warning! Warning!
Here is the New Testament warning for us today! Notice carefully:
The Israelites are Prophetic Figures of Believers Today:
Despite being Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, and
Despite being baptized in water, and baptized in the Ruach HaQadesh,
The Israelites were not allowed to enter in to the Promised Land!
All Believers today are warned in Scripture to take notice, and to heed these New Testament warnings.
According to Messiah’s own words, those who choose not to repeat the Israelites’ example, will be allowed to enter in as a part of the Bride Company!
The above is a summary of the great warning given for us today in Scripture (see Hebrews 3:7 through Hebrews 4:-11)!
This warning for us can be easily understood when we list the reasons given in Scripture, why the Israelites [as prophetic figures of Believers today] were refused entry into the Promised Land.
The reasons given for the Israelites will thus become the same reasons many who say they believe in Yahusha will fail to enter the Promised Land today, under the New Covenant!
Now let’s notice in greater detail, the reasons why the Israelites failed to enter in, as given in Ezekiel 20:
The Reasons the Israelites Failed to Enter In (Ezekiel 20):
They continued to disobey Yah’s Law [His eternal Torah] (Ezekiel 20:13, 16, 19, 21, 24);
They despised Yah’s Sabbaths (Ezekiel 20:13, 16, 20, 21, 24).
This corresponds to the warning given in the New Testament Book of Hebrews, telling us the Israelites refused to enter Yah’s rest, by refusing to rest from their work, just as Yah rested from His work.
For us today, the Book of Hebrews is clear. Like the Israelites, we may have come out by the Blood. Like the Israelites, we may have been baptized in water, and in the Ruach HaQadesh. However, we are sternly warned in numerous New Testament passages, that we today may not be allowed to enter in to the Promised Land!
Much of the New Testament centers around points of Torah that Believers in Messiah are called to keep today, as part of the New Covenant. Whoever ‘Believes in’ Messiah, becomes grafted in to Israel, and becomes a partaker of the Covenant promises given to Israel. Thus we see that the promises applying to Israel, now apply also to those grafted in to Israel. We [and they] are now ‘one new Man’ in Messiah.
This is one of the major points described by the apostle Paul — that the conditions for achieving the promises still apply to all New Covenant Believers today, both Jew and Gentile, who become grafted in by faith in Messiah! It is for this reason that the warnings in the Book of Hebrews are so important to New Covenant Believers today!
Who Can Enter In?
As we study the Israelites’ example, it does not take a rocket scientist, to realize one thing: The Israelites, as well as we today, are not able to keep all the Law — the Torah — in our own strength.
But this realization presents a problem. If we are not able to keep the Torah in our own strength, why is there nothing at all in the New Testament, that would nullify the keeping of Torah for New Testament Believers?
From the logic of the Israelites’ example, it appears that we, too, can not keep the Law, and therefore we, too, can not enter in to the promised Land. What is the problem here? If keeping the Law is the only way to enter in, we must ask, “Did Yah change something in the Law that might allow us to enter in?”
Scriptures reveal that Yah did not change anything of the Law (Torah). He simply reminds us, over and over again in the new Testament writings, of the most important mystery of the New Covenant: that is, He has given us ‘Messiah-in-you’ (See Colossians 1:27), who provides the Grace from within, enabling us to keep His eternal Torah!
Joshua and Caleb Enter In
Does the Israelites’ example in the wilderness show us this ‘Messiah-in-you’ example of entering in? Yes! Although that generation of Israelites fell in the wilderness, and were not allowed to enter in, there were two exceptions — Joshua and Caleb. These two are there for our example, of those who will be allowed to enter in to the Promised Land!
Joshua speaks of our Saviour, Yahusha. Yahusha is seen by name prophetically in the Scriptures as the High Priest carrying our uncleanness and sins; as the one who will bring Israel into the Promised Land of their inheritance; and as the One who is our Salvation.
Caleb, the Hebrew word meaning whole-hearted, is also the word that describes the dog. Caleb was called the son of Jephunneh, Strong’s Number <03312>, which name comes from the Hebrew root ‘panah,’ Strong’s number <06437>, meaning “turned back, and prepared.”
Together these names tell us the story of who they speak of today. All have gone astray, and considered nothing but dogs. As whole-heartedly following Messiah, it is through turning back [repentance], that we become prepared. Together, Joshua and Caleb speak of those whole-hearted ones today who, having been Born-Again, have had Yahusha ‘birthed’ within them. By Yahusha’s Grace, His enablement, they repent of any sin when it is revealed to them. Just as Joshua and Caleb entered in, it is the these whole-hearted ones who, together with Yahusha living within (Colossians 1:27), will enter in to the Promised Land.
Yes, Yah knows that on our own, we can not keep all the Law, but He still expects us to choose to keep it all, so that we may choose to enter in with Him. Therefore, He expects us to allow Messiah-in-us to keep it for us, by His grace, on our behalf, as He lives in us daily.
Those Who Are Willing Will Know Him
It is ‘Messiah-in-You’ that will bring us in, by giving us the Grace — the Holy-Spirit power to keep the Torah. It is by His Ruach HaQadesh, that He will first find willing hearts that would follow the Lamb wherever He goes, even if into unfamiliar spiritual territory.
And, for those that are willing, He will then turn our feet away from our iniquities, and then will cause us to walk in His Torah, His statutes, and His Precepts. Those who walk in His Torah will be allowed into the Promised Land as Firstfruits (See Revelation 14:4).
For those that are NOT willing to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, we are told in (Luke 14:27) that they can NOT be Yahusha’s disciples.
It is from those who love Him, that He will choose His Bride. It is those who Love Him, that He will resurrect as Firstfruits. It is those who Love Him, that will keep His Commandments.
Yahusha did not say, “If you love me, keep the ‘Old Testament’ Commandments. Nor did He say, “If you love me, keep the ‘New Testament’ Commandments. He said, “If you love me, keep ‘MY’ Commandments (John 14:15). But what ARE Yahusha’s commandments? Let’s look:
Yahusha answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:23-24)
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46-47)
Those who truly know Him, realize that it was Yahusha Himself — as the Word of the Father — who gave the Commandments to Moses. Thus Yahusha calls them “My Commandments,” and also calls them “Not my Word, but the Father’s who sent me.” He then reveals to us in John 5:46-47 that Moses’ Words ARE Messiah’s Words. We might then examine ourselves. Am I keeping His Commandments? Am I keeping Messiah’s Words?
Choosing wisely
Israel came out by the Blood of the Lamb. However, they made many choices while in the Wilderness, which prevented that generation from entering in to the Promised Land. We are warned in 1 Corinthians 10:11, and also in Hebrews 4:11, to heed their example.
The nature of the New Covenant is such, that everyone is given a choice of whom they will serve. Here are two examples that apply to us today, regarding our New Covenant choice:
In Joshua 24:15, Yah said, “Choose this day whom ye will serve.” Joshua’s answer is our example for us today: “as for me and my house, we will serve Yah.”
In Isaiah 56:4-7, Yah makes some New Covenant promises:
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:7)
But then we are reminded that these promises are only for those who ‘choose’ in a certain way. Notice the conditions, a few verses prior:
For thus saith the Most High unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; (Isaiah 56:4)
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Most High, to serve him, and to love the name of the Most High, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; (Isaiah 56:6)
Notice the above promises refer to Yah’s Everlasting Covenant, for they refer to features unique to Father’s Everlasting Covenant. These features are 1) choosing the things that please Yah, and 2) the grafting in of the Sons of the Stranger, which are known as the Gentiles.
These two passages also show us exactly how we may choose to be a part of Father’s New Covenant. Let us remember, however, that The Blood of Yahusha Messiah does not guarantee that we will choose correctly, or wisely. His Blood simply redeems us, and sets us free us from bondage. His Grace then enables us to choose.
Notice also that Yah tells us that the promises of Isaiah 56 are for those who choose the things that please [‘delight’] Him. He then tells us exactly those things that delight Him, so that we might choose wisely! Father then equates choosing the things that please Him with taking hold of His Covenant.
In summary, those who choose to enter in to the Promised Land, are those who choose to take hold of His Covenant.
Those who will enter in, are those who have chosen wisely.
Fiveamprayer, how will you choose?
Monday, April 17, 2023
THE PROMISED LAND- HOW TO ENTER IN: THE WORDS OF YAHUSHA
Hebrews chapter 3
Today we are walking in: How To Enter In: The Words Of Yahusha
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
The Promised Land — How to Enter In:
The Words of Yahusha
Yah is opening the eyes of His children!
His purpose is that His children would see His plan, so they might alter the course of their lives, and might prepare themselves to enter in to the Promised Land. Yahusha has revealed, in the Scriptures, the overall plan of Yah for His people, in order that they might heed the Scriptures, and be able to enter in.
Yah’s plan for His people can be clearly seen in the example of the Israelites being set free from slavery in Egypt.
Notice the two separate steps: 1) Yah brought the Israelites out of Egypt, so that they could 2) enter in to the Promised Land.
Notice however, that even though the Israelites had been ‘saved’ out of the land of Egypt, they did not immediately enter in to the Promised Land. Instead, they were brought into the wilderness to be tested, to prove whether they would meet Yah’s conditions for entering in.
We are then told that because of unbelief, most of that original generation of Israelites failed to enter in to the Promised Land.
Why is the Israelites’ example so important, and of such great significance for us today?
The apostle Jude and the writer to the Hebrews both give this example of the Israelites, as a warning to us today who follow Messiah. We must come out just as they did, by the blood of the Lamb. We must likewise enter in as they were required to do, by faith and obedience (Jude 1:5; Hebrews 3:7-19; Hebrews 4:1-11).
In summarizing the Israelites’ testing in the wilderness, Jude tells us that Yah, having “saved” the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that were not “continuing to believe” (Jude 1:5). Then we are told (Hebrews 4:6,11) that they failed to enter in because of disobedience, which we are then told (Hebrews 3:19) is a form of unbelief.
The result is that out of the original multitudes of those above 20 years of age who were ‘saved’ out of bondage, out of the land of Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter in to the Promised Land.
Many today have Believed in Yahusha Messiah for salvation, and have been brought out of the bondage of sin. But like the Israelites, we too will fail to enter in, if we fail to heed the warning of their example. That is, if we today hope to enter in to the Promised Land, then we must not go the way of most of that generation in the wilderness. If we hope to enter in, we must be as Joshua and Caleb. To do this, we must choose to heed these New Testament warnings!
How do we enter in? Most today have assumed there is only one requirement to be met, in order to enter in — that one must be redeemed. All of Scripture, as well as the very words of Yahusha Himself, reveal that there are two separate and distinct steps of His plan — each having its own distinct, Biblical requirements to be met — in order that we might attain our overall goal: to enter in to the Promised land.
Our Saviour Yahusha tells us about these two separate steps — of coming out of hasatan’s kingdom, and of entering in to Yah’s kingdom — and what is required for each. Let’s look further at these two steps.
Yahusha made two basic statements. These two statements are repeated among several verses, along with minor variations in other passages, giving multiple, confirming witness as required by Scripture. The first statement shows us the initial or ‘coming out’ step of Yah’s plan. The other statement reveals the final or ‘entering in step.’
Taken together, these two statements reveal Yah’s overall plan for His people, and the requirements they must meet in order to achieve the final goal: our entrance to the Promised Land, also called Life Everlasting, and known as the Kingdom of Yah or the Kingdom of Heaven. All of these terms are euphemisms for eternal Life, and are used interchangeably in the Gospels.
Let us begin with the following passages:
The First Statement of Yahusha: How to Come Out
The first statement by Yahusha reveals the initial requirement for one whose goal is to ‘enter in’ to eternal life. This initial requirement reveals the come out step of the overall plan, and is the part familiar to many today. Let’s look carefully at these words of Yahusha:
…Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5b)
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)
Yahusha answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Yah. (John 3:3)
Yahusha answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Yah. (John 3:5)
In the above passages, Yahusha Himself reveals to us the requirements for the initial or come out step of our journey, the goal of which is to enter in. For those that think these words in the book of Revelation are not Yahusha’s words, one need only read verses 1 and 2 to see this is the Revelation of Yahusha, which was given to Him by the Father; and which He then sent to us by John, to be shown unto Yah’s servants.
In the above passages we see the following features that identify the first step of our journey, to come out of bondage:
Step 1: Come Out of Bondage
Redemption and Cleansing of Sin, by the Blood of the Lamb;
Teshuvah – converting [turning] from our own way, to walk in Father’s Way; redeemed – by the Word (1Pet 1:23);
Baptism in water and in the Spirit.
We see this first step in the example of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt. Just as Israel came out of the bondage of Egypt by the Blood of the Lamb, and was then baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea (1Cor 10:1-2), we too must come out of bondage to Sin and its strength [the Law], by the Blood of the Lamb.
Like Israel, we too must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and in water. This coming out by Blood and water is a requirement that must be met, before one may go on to meet the step 2 requirement.
The Second Statement of Yahusha: How to Enter In
The second statement by Yahusha reveals the final requirement for one whose goal is to enter in to eternal life. This final requirement reveals the ‘enter-in’ step. Notice these words of Yahusha:
…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:17b)
In the above passage, we see clearly that Keeping the commandments is Yah’s requirement for the ‘enter in’ step, keeping in mind that the overall goal is to enter into Life.
In this statement made by Yahusha, He was revealing the step 2 requirement that must be met, but only after meeting the step 1 requirements we saw above [coming out by the Blood of the Lamb].
Some today claim that the above words by Yahusha were only for a certain group, or for a certain era in time. But what do the Scriptures say? Let’s look at some more passages for confirmation:
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)
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. And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’… (Revelation 22:16-17a)
In the above passages, we see two things. First, we are told plainly and clearly, that doing [to do, make, bring forth, perform, keep, fulfill] His Commandments is a requirement for entering in, through the gates, into the city [the City is another expression of the New Jerusalem, the City of the Great King, the Kingdom of Heaven, or Eternal Life].
Second, we are told that these things are to be testified in the churches, telling us that these words are for us today. In fact, all the words spoken by Yahusha are for us today!
Fiveamprayer, Do not let the error of the Theologians or Pastors rob you of your eternal inheritance!
For further confirmation of Scripture, let’s look at these two passages:
Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. (Psalms 50:5)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yah, AND the faith of Yahusha. (Revelation 14:12)
In the first passage, we see that the ‘Saints’ are those citizens who have made a covenant with Yah by Sacrifice, telling us that this can only be done by the shedding of Blood of an acceptable Sacrifice. So the ‘Saints’ are those that have completed the step 1 requirement of coming out by the sacrifice of the Blood of Yahusha. These are all the redeemed citizens.
In the second passage, the ‘Saints’ are seen again, as those who have completed the first requirement — of having the Faith of Yahusha they received when they came out by the Blood of the Lamb in step 1. However, these saints are also seen keeping the Commandments of Yah, which is the step 2 requirement. Thus they are Ready to enter in.
How do these two steps of Father’s overall plan for entering in to the Promised Land, compare with the rest of Scripture, and with the writings of the Law and the Prophets? It is very important that we look carefully, for as we saw in What You Believe: True or False? The Simple Biblical Test, there must be complete agreement within all of Scripture in order to be confirmed as Truth.
As we saw above in step 1, Israel came out of the bondage of Egypt by the Blood of the Lamb, and was then baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. This is a pattern for us today. The entire process was done by the Grace of Yah. Israel is an example for us, in how to ‘come out.’
In the same way, Israel is an example, and a warning for us, regarding the ‘enter in’ step of our journey. Israel came out by the Blood of the Lamb, but they failed to enter in — for a number reasons, which are repeated for our warning today.
Why Israel Failed to Enter In
In the Book of Hebrews, the entire 3rd and 4th chapters are devoted to revealing why most of that generation of Israel failed to enter in to the Promised Land. These passages go on to warn us that that we today, also might not enter in, unless we heed the Israelites’ example.
For detailed descriptions of exactly why the Israelites failed to enter in, and what they did, let’s look at a few writings of the Prophets:
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Most High that sanctify them. 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 20:12-13)
Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. (Ezekiel 20:15-16)
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)
In the above passages, notice the items highlighting what Israel did. How do the above Scripture passages compare with what you hear from your spiritual Leaders today about ‘entering in’ to the Promised Land?
Their Example: A Warning For Us
Psalms 106 reveals further details, for our warning, of why most of that generation of Israel failed to enter in. Let’s look at some New Testament passages:
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)
What is the New Testament conclusion from Hebrews 3:17, as to what they did? Notice the following passage:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1John 3:4)
So we see from the new Testament that Israel fell in the wilderness, because they Transgressed the Law [Torah].
Now let us notice the advice given to us today, as New Testament citizens:
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. (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief <543>. (Hebrews 4:11)
The Greek word used here in Hebrews 4:11 is ‘apeitheia,’ Strong’s number <543>, and comes from the word ‘apeithes,’ Strong’s number <543>, which means “disobedience.”
So we are warned in 1 Corinthians, and in the book of Hebrews, that we too could fail to enter in, because of disobedience — because of transgression of the Law [Torah]!
Only By Grace
Lest anyone think that Grace is a separate idea from obedience to the Commandments, we must look briefly at two of the many examples of Biblical ‘Grace’ seen in the Scriptures. Notice the following:
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Yahusha Hamachiach. (John 1:17)
To whom Yah would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Hamachiach in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)
One truth of Biblical Grace we see in the above Scripture passages, is that the Law [the Torah] was given by Moses, but Grace — the power and ability to fulfill the Torah, to keep it, obey it, and walk in it — came by Yahusha Messiah. This is the Grace that Yahusha gives us from within, as He lives within us.
Not only Grace, but likewise Truth, came by Yahusha Messiah. Yahusha Messiah came as the Living Truth. He revealed Truth by showing us, by the example of His life, demonstrating for us exactly how He would provide the Grace to us as needed, the ability He gives us to live in obedience to the Written Truth [the Torah — Psalms 119:142], just as He did, when He lived and walked on the earth 2,000 years ago.
Another truth of Biblical Grace in Scripture can be seen in the Biblical definition of the New Covenant. Notice the following passages:
Behold, the days come, saith the Most High, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah…But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Most High, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Yah, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31,33)
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Most High; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a Yah, and they shall be to me a people: (Hebrews 8:10)
Moses gave us the externals of the Law [written on tables of stone]. But Yahusha Messiah gave us the internals of the Law — by writing them on tables of flesh, on our mind, and our heart [so that we would have the heart-felt desire to obey them], exactly as the New Covenant promises are described above, in Jeremiah and in the Book of Hebrews.
Likewise, The apostle Paul had much to say on the subject of Biblical Grace, and the source of Grace. Notice what Paul said:
For I delight in the law of Yah after the inward man: (Romans 7:22)
Paul must have fully understood the mystery of Messiah-in-you, and must have understood the goal of the New Covenant fulfillment within Yah’s people — that Yahusha would actually live within us, and would write the Torah internally on our heart, rather than externally on tables of stone, or in a Bible.
Yahusha, as He lives within us, would then provide us His Grace — the enablement He gives us to obey the Torah — even when we step out in ‘blind obedience’ to the Torah.
Paul has a great deal more to tell us about Biblical Grace. Notice in the following passages two of the purposes of this Grace:
…we have received grace… for obedience to the faith… (Romans 1:5a)
…let us have grace, whereby [by which] we may serve Yah acceptably… (Hebrews 12:28)
The above passages confirm to us that Biblical Grace is a gift, given to us by Yahusha, for the purpose of our obedience to ‘The Faith,’ so that by His Grace we may serve Him in an acceptable manner.
Conclusion
Fiveamprayer, you may have come out by Yah’s Grace, by the Blood of the Lamb. You may have been baptized in Water. You may have been baptized in the Spirit, and may have received all spiritual gifts. Thus far, you have done well — you have completed step 1 of Yah’s program.
But according to the words of Yahusha, and all of Scripture, you and I will enter in, only if we meet Yah’s step 2 requirements — by being obedient to Father’s Commandments, by His Grace.
This is How to enter in to the Promised Land, according to the Words of Yahusha.
Today we are walking in: How To Enter In: The Words Of Yahusha
Exodus 3:18
And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, H4057 that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
Today we look to the word-WILDERNESS- H4057 midbar --wilderness, pasture, uninhabited land
The Torah testifies.......................................
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, H4057 by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Exodus 4:27
And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness H4057 to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Numbers 14:33
And your children shall wander in the wilderness H4057 forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. H4057
Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, H4057 where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 42:11
Let the wilderness H4057 and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, H4057 and rivers in the desert.
Jeremiah 9:12
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, H4057 that none passeth through?
Ezekiel 20:13
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: H4057 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, H4057 to consume them.
The Writings bear witness.............
Joshua 1:4
From the wilderness H4057 and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
2Chronicles 1:3
So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. H4057
Nehemiah 9:19
Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: H4057 the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
Psalm 65:12
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: H4057 and the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 78:15
He clave the rocks in the wilderness, H4057 and gave them drink as out of the great depths.
The Promised Land — How to Enter In:
The Words of Yahusha
Yah is opening the eyes of His children!
His purpose is that His children would see His plan, so they might alter the course of their lives, and might prepare themselves to enter in to the Promised Land. Yahusha has revealed, in the Scriptures, the overall plan of Yah for His people, in order that they might heed the Scriptures, and be able to enter in.
Yah’s plan for His people can be clearly seen in the example of the Israelites being set free from slavery in Egypt.
Notice the two separate steps: 1) Yah brought the Israelites out of Egypt, so that they could 2) enter in to the Promised Land.
Notice however, that even though the Israelites had been ‘saved’ out of the land of Egypt, they did not immediately enter in to the Promised Land. Instead, they were brought into the wilderness to be tested, to prove whether they would meet Yah’s conditions for entering in.
We are then told that because of unbelief, most of that original generation of Israelites failed to enter in to the Promised Land.
Why is the Israelites’ example so important, and of such great significance for us today?
The apostle Jude and the writer to the Hebrews both give this example of the Israelites, as a warning to us today who follow Messiah. We must come out just as they did, by the blood of the Lamb. We must likewise enter in as they were required to do, by faith and obedience (Jude 1:5; Hebrews 3:7-19; Hebrews 4:1-11).
In summarizing the Israelites’ testing in the wilderness, Jude tells us that Yah, having “saved” the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that were not “continuing to believe” (Jude 1:5). Then we are told (Hebrews 4:6,11) that they failed to enter in because of disobedience, which we are then told (Hebrews 3:19) is a form of unbelief.
The result is that out of the original multitudes of those above 20 years of age who were ‘saved’ out of bondage, out of the land of Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter in to the Promised Land.
Many today have Believed in Yahusha Messiah for salvation, and have been brought out of the bondage of sin. But like the Israelites, we too will fail to enter in, if we fail to heed the warning of their example. That is, if we today hope to enter in to the Promised Land, then we must not go the way of most of that generation in the wilderness. If we hope to enter in, we must be as Joshua and Caleb. To do this, we must choose to heed these New Testament warnings!
How do we enter in? Most today have assumed there is only one requirement to be met, in order to enter in — that one must be redeemed. All of Scripture, as well as the very words of Yahusha Himself, reveal that there are two separate and distinct steps of His plan — each having its own distinct, Biblical requirements to be met — in order that we might attain our overall goal: to enter in to the Promised land.
Our Saviour Yahusha tells us about these two separate steps — of coming out of hasatan’s kingdom, and of entering in to Yah’s kingdom — and what is required for each. Let’s look further at these two steps.
Yahusha made two basic statements. These two statements are repeated among several verses, along with minor variations in other passages, giving multiple, confirming witness as required by Scripture. The first statement shows us the initial or ‘coming out’ step of Yah’s plan. The other statement reveals the final or ‘entering in step.’
Taken together, these two statements reveal Yah’s overall plan for His people, and the requirements they must meet in order to achieve the final goal: our entrance to the Promised Land, also called Life Everlasting, and known as the Kingdom of Yah or the Kingdom of Heaven. All of these terms are euphemisms for eternal Life, and are used interchangeably in the Gospels.
Let us begin with the following passages:
The First Statement of Yahusha: How to Come Out
The first statement by Yahusha reveals the initial requirement for one whose goal is to ‘enter in’ to eternal life. This initial requirement reveals the come out step of the overall plan, and is the part familiar to many today. Let’s look carefully at these words of Yahusha:
…Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5b)
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)
Yahusha answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Yah. (John 3:3)
Yahusha answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Yah. (John 3:5)
In the above passages, Yahusha Himself reveals to us the requirements for the initial or come out step of our journey, the goal of which is to enter in. For those that think these words in the book of Revelation are not Yahusha’s words, one need only read verses 1 and 2 to see this is the Revelation of Yahusha, which was given to Him by the Father; and which He then sent to us by John, to be shown unto Yah’s servants.
In the above passages we see the following features that identify the first step of our journey, to come out of bondage:
Step 1: Come Out of Bondage
Redemption and Cleansing of Sin, by the Blood of the Lamb;
Teshuvah – converting [turning] from our own way, to walk in Father’s Way; redeemed – by the Word (1Pet 1:23);
Baptism in water and in the Spirit.
We see this first step in the example of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt. Just as Israel came out of the bondage of Egypt by the Blood of the Lamb, and was then baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea (1Cor 10:1-2), we too must come out of bondage to Sin and its strength [the Law], by the Blood of the Lamb.
Like Israel, we too must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and in water. This coming out by Blood and water is a requirement that must be met, before one may go on to meet the step 2 requirement.
The Second Statement of Yahusha: How to Enter In
The second statement by Yahusha reveals the final requirement for one whose goal is to enter in to eternal life. This final requirement reveals the ‘enter-in’ step. Notice these words of Yahusha:
…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:17b)
In the above passage, we see clearly that Keeping the commandments is Yah’s requirement for the ‘enter in’ step, keeping in mind that the overall goal is to enter into Life.
In this statement made by Yahusha, He was revealing the step 2 requirement that must be met, but only after meeting the step 1 requirements we saw above [coming out by the Blood of the Lamb].
Some today claim that the above words by Yahusha were only for a certain group, or for a certain era in time. But what do the Scriptures say? Let’s look at some more passages for confirmation:
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)
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. And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’… (Revelation 22:16-17a)
In the above passages, we see two things. First, we are told plainly and clearly, that doing [to do, make, bring forth, perform, keep, fulfill] His Commandments is a requirement for entering in, through the gates, into the city [the City is another expression of the New Jerusalem, the City of the Great King, the Kingdom of Heaven, or Eternal Life].
Second, we are told that these things are to be testified in the churches, telling us that these words are for us today. In fact, all the words spoken by Yahusha are for us today!
Fiveamprayer, Do not let the error of the Theologians or Pastors rob you of your eternal inheritance!
For further confirmation of Scripture, let’s look at these two passages:
Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. (Psalms 50:5)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yah, AND the faith of Yahusha. (Revelation 14:12)
In the first passage, we see that the ‘Saints’ are those citizens who have made a covenant with Yah by Sacrifice, telling us that this can only be done by the shedding of Blood of an acceptable Sacrifice. So the ‘Saints’ are those that have completed the step 1 requirement of coming out by the sacrifice of the Blood of Yahusha. These are all the redeemed citizens.
In the second passage, the ‘Saints’ are seen again, as those who have completed the first requirement — of having the Faith of Yahusha they received when they came out by the Blood of the Lamb in step 1. However, these saints are also seen keeping the Commandments of Yah, which is the step 2 requirement. Thus they are Ready to enter in.
How do these two steps of Father’s overall plan for entering in to the Promised Land, compare with the rest of Scripture, and with the writings of the Law and the Prophets? It is very important that we look carefully, for as we saw in What You Believe: True or False? The Simple Biblical Test, there must be complete agreement within all of Scripture in order to be confirmed as Truth.
As we saw above in step 1, Israel came out of the bondage of Egypt by the Blood of the Lamb, and was then baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. This is a pattern for us today. The entire process was done by the Grace of Yah. Israel is an example for us, in how to ‘come out.’
In the same way, Israel is an example, and a warning for us, regarding the ‘enter in’ step of our journey. Israel came out by the Blood of the Lamb, but they failed to enter in — for a number reasons, which are repeated for our warning today.
Why Israel Failed to Enter In
In the Book of Hebrews, the entire 3rd and 4th chapters are devoted to revealing why most of that generation of Israel failed to enter in to the Promised Land. These passages go on to warn us that that we today, also might not enter in, unless we heed the Israelites’ example.
For detailed descriptions of exactly why the Israelites failed to enter in, and what they did, let’s look at a few writings of the Prophets:
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Most High that sanctify them. 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 20:12-13)
Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. (Ezekiel 20:15-16)
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)
In the above passages, notice the items highlighting what Israel did. How do the above Scripture passages compare with what you hear from your spiritual Leaders today about ‘entering in’ to the Promised Land?
Their Example: A Warning For Us
Psalms 106 reveals further details, for our warning, of why most of that generation of Israel failed to enter in. Let’s look at some New Testament passages:
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)
What is the New Testament conclusion from Hebrews 3:17, as to what they did? Notice the following passage:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1John 3:4)
So we see from the new Testament that Israel fell in the wilderness, because they Transgressed the Law [Torah].
Now let us notice the advice given to us today, as New Testament citizens:
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. (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief <543>. (Hebrews 4:11)
The Greek word used here in Hebrews 4:11 is ‘apeitheia,’ Strong’s number <543>, and comes from the word ‘apeithes,’ Strong’s number <543>, which means “disobedience.”
So we are warned in 1 Corinthians, and in the book of Hebrews, that we too could fail to enter in, because of disobedience — because of transgression of the Law [Torah]!
Only By Grace
Lest anyone think that Grace is a separate idea from obedience to the Commandments, we must look briefly at two of the many examples of Biblical ‘Grace’ seen in the Scriptures. Notice the following:
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Yahusha Hamachiach. (John 1:17)
To whom Yah would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Hamachiach in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)
One truth of Biblical Grace we see in the above Scripture passages, is that the Law [the Torah] was given by Moses, but Grace — the power and ability to fulfill the Torah, to keep it, obey it, and walk in it — came by Yahusha Messiah. This is the Grace that Yahusha gives us from within, as He lives within us.
Not only Grace, but likewise Truth, came by Yahusha Messiah. Yahusha Messiah came as the Living Truth. He revealed Truth by showing us, by the example of His life, demonstrating for us exactly how He would provide the Grace to us as needed, the ability He gives us to live in obedience to the Written Truth [the Torah — Psalms 119:142], just as He did, when He lived and walked on the earth 2,000 years ago.
Another truth of Biblical Grace in Scripture can be seen in the Biblical definition of the New Covenant. Notice the following passages:
Behold, the days come, saith the Most High, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah…But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Most High, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Yah, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31,33)
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Most High; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a Yah, and they shall be to me a people: (Hebrews 8:10)
Moses gave us the externals of the Law [written on tables of stone]. But Yahusha Messiah gave us the internals of the Law — by writing them on tables of flesh, on our mind, and our heart [so that we would have the heart-felt desire to obey them], exactly as the New Covenant promises are described above, in Jeremiah and in the Book of Hebrews.
Likewise, The apostle Paul had much to say on the subject of Biblical Grace, and the source of Grace. Notice what Paul said:
For I delight in the law of Yah after the inward man: (Romans 7:22)
Paul must have fully understood the mystery of Messiah-in-you, and must have understood the goal of the New Covenant fulfillment within Yah’s people — that Yahusha would actually live within us, and would write the Torah internally on our heart, rather than externally on tables of stone, or in a Bible.
Yahusha, as He lives within us, would then provide us His Grace — the enablement He gives us to obey the Torah — even when we step out in ‘blind obedience’ to the Torah.
Paul has a great deal more to tell us about Biblical Grace. Notice in the following passages two of the purposes of this Grace:
…we have received grace… for obedience to the faith… (Romans 1:5a)
…let us have grace, whereby [by which] we may serve Yah acceptably… (Hebrews 12:28)
The above passages confirm to us that Biblical Grace is a gift, given to us by Yahusha, for the purpose of our obedience to ‘The Faith,’ so that by His Grace we may serve Him in an acceptable manner.
Conclusion
Fiveamprayer, you may have come out by Yah’s Grace, by the Blood of the Lamb. You may have been baptized in Water. You may have been baptized in the Spirit, and may have received all spiritual gifts. Thus far, you have done well — you have completed step 1 of Yah’s program.
But according to the words of Yahusha, and all of Scripture, you and I will enter in, only if we meet Yah’s step 2 requirements — by being obedient to Father’s Commandments, by His Grace.
This is How to enter in to the Promised Land, according to the Words of Yahusha.
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