As this modern Torah movement settles into place, I keep hearing a certain idea presented. From man’s perspective, it sounds great. But is it scriptural?
Let’s find out…
What is the idea that I keep hearing, not only from the mainstream church culture, but also from within the Torah movement?
I keep hearing the idea that people who “get it wrong” are still going to heaven.
In the Christian world, there are approximately 40,000 denominations out there.
They all claim to be correct in their theology and doctrine.
They all acknowledge they are a bit different from all the other denominations.
There is so much diversity in denominations that we even have non-denominations to contend with. And as you might guess, there are MANY non-denominational churches, each with their own point of view, slightly different from the others.
When does it ever stop?
More importantly, where does it all lead to?
Heaven, right?
It leads to heaven.
Well, that is what they all claim, but is it possible for 40,000 different paths to all end up at the same destination?
And now, we have the Torah movement to throw into the mix.
And as we speak, the Hebrew Roots/Torah movement is in the process of splintering into many different ideas.
It is what man does.
Simple and true is never enough for man.
Mankind needs to debate and evaluate and discuss and present and ponder. Mankind needs to differentiate and be right.
Is this what the world needs eventually?
40,000 different Torah denominations?
I don’t think so.
But let’s dig into the issue at hand.
Everybody who claims to believe gets to go to heaven, right?
I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve heard Torah Observant people say how grateful they are to be called out of the false teaching of the church, but then turn right around and talk about their brothers and sisters in Christ —– wait for it…
in the mainstream church.
Is that possible?
If the mainstream church is comprised of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they will all be saved and go to heaven, then what is the point of being called out of it???
These same people quote Revelation 18:4 with regard to the mainstream church:
““Come out of her, my people,
lest you participate in her sins
and receive her plagues!”
Check out all of Revelation 18 in context.
There is no way to refer to the mainstream church as our brothers and sisters in Christ, and also refer to them as fallen Babylon, and that we are to come out of her.
The two are incompatible.
If people do not love the ways of Yehova , then they do not love Yehova. [see the Psalms — David was an example of a man who loved the ways of Yah]
It does not matter how many “tasks of men” people accomplish. The tasks of men are worthless. What matters is whether or not we love the ways of Yehova. God wants us to love His ways, and to do them.
[If we strive to live per His ways and mess up, that is what grace is for — I am not anti-grace].
It does not matter how much people claim to love Jesus.
We will not be evaluated/judged by Yeshua Messiah based on the lies we have spoken out loud to other men, claiming our love for God/Jesus when our actions say otherwise.
Here are some direct quotes of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus) – as He tells us how He expects to be loved:
John 14:15
“If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.”
John 14:21
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
John 15:10
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
The scriptures give us a test, so that we can determine whether or not we know our Messiah and Savior:
1John 2:3-6
3 Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— 6 whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
This mirrors the test given in Deuteronomy 13 to determine whether or not we know and love Yehova, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
Deuteronomy 13:4-5
…for Yehova your Elohim is testing you, to find out whether you love Yehova your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 5 Yehova your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His commands you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling.
The next place this discussion tends to go is my Torah friends will claim the mainstream church folks are just innocent victims. They don’t know the truth yet. They are waiting for Yehova to reveal the truth to them.
My question is this:
Why has Yehova not already revealed the truth to these people?
The scriptures promise God’s wisdom and understanding to those who want it.
James 1:5-8
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,[b] who gives to all without hesitation and without reproach; and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting—for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord— 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it shall be opened.
But is Yehova’s understanding given freely, to everyone, no matter what? What if I show you that His understanding is restricted?
Would you believe it?
Matthew 13:11-15
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
Yeshua Messiah says that understanding is intentionally withheld from some.
Who is not allowed to understand?
Those with calloused hearts.
The understanding of scripture is not freely available to everyone.
This seems to be quite important.
Does scripture tell us how to receive understanding, if in fact, it is being withheld from us?
Absolutely.
2Corinthians 3:14-16
14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
This bit of scripture tells us that our minds are veiled from the truth, just as Messiah was saying in Matthew 13.
How is this veil lifted?
By turning to Yeshua.
By submitting completely to Him.
Bu humbling ourselves before Yehova.
And if we do so, what happens when the veil is lifted?
People are able to understand the writings of Moses.
What are the writings of Moses?
The Torah.
The first five books of the bible.
The law.
The commandments.
The covenants.
The story of His people.
This is a very difficult topic.
I could literally spend hours, days, weeks writing about this very topic. Countless scriptures warn us about such things.
Instead of making this a mile long, let’s take a look at how the wisest man to ever live summed it up for us:
Ecclesiastes 12:13
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear Yehova and keep His commandments,
For this is the duty of man.
The idea that our churches do not teach sound doctrine is widely accepted in the Torah movement.
The idea that unsound doctrine will result in them not entering into the kingdom of heaven is a much more difficult concept to accept, so it seems.
It is actually quite simple, though.
If someone loves the ways of Yah, then they love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
If they argue and fight against the ways of Yah, then they do not love and follow the God of the bible.
If they say they love Jesus, but do not understand who He is, then they do not love Messiah.
They may very well love something, but it isn’t Messiah that we see in the scriptures.
Nobody gets bonus points for loving a made up god (See Jeremiah 16:19-20 to learn about made up gods, and why they are made up).
Yeshua says His sheep know His voice and follow Him.
If someone believes that Jesus did away with the law, then they are not hearing His voice, and they are chasing after a made up god.
There is no salvation in made up gods.
Jeremiah warns us of this.
Let’s go ahead and take a look at it again (I’ve posted this many times).
Jeremiah 16:19-20
O Lord, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?
So what about the people who are in love with a god of their own making (one who did away with the law)?
Messiah addresses this specific situation.
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’
People will claim to know Messiah and follow Him. They will claim to have done things in His name.
But He does not know them, and He rejects them.
He sends them away.
This is a hard lesson to wrap our heads around, but scripture is very clear about it.
I don’t write these posts to criticize or condemn anyone. I don’t have that responsibility or authority, nor would I want it.
I write these things to show people what the scriptures say.
I do not want you to believe any of this, just because I said it here.
I want you to engage, think, study, pray, and research.
I want you to submit to Yehova, then pray for His understanding, and then read and study the scriptures in conjunction with prayer.