Without any knowledge of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) many people believe the idea that we were given two new generic commands by Yeshua Messiah.

Matthew 22:37-38
³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love Elohim your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

This idea has been taught in our churches for many generations.
How do we obey these commands?  What are the criteria we need to know, so that we may obey them?
There is no criteria given. It is up to us to decide…

This whole idea falls apart if we take a closer look.
First point:
Yeshua Messiah is not giving new generic commands.  He is quoting from ‘the law’.
Deuteronomy 6:5
⁵ Love Elohim your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Leviticus 19:18
 “…but love your neighbor as yourself. I am Elohim.”

There you go…
Messiah is not creating New Testament doctrine.
He is simply quoting instructions already given, and still applicable.

Second Point:
Is there anyway to know my First Point is correct?
Look at verse 36 in Matthew 22.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?”

This discussion is 100% about Torah.
Messiah is simply answering a question about the law, already given and still applicable.

Third Point:
Yes, but still… are you sure about that?
Just in case there is any confusion, Yeshua Messiah tells us this in Matthew 22:40
“The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Yes, Messiah takes the time to tell us He was just paraphrasing the law, as well as what the prophets spoke, which was to turn back to the instructions given in Torah (the law).

Do you love your Messiah, your Savior?
John 14:15 tells us how to love Him.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

There are many people in this world who have a desire to know our Creator.
We are told in scripture how to know and how to follow Him.
Unfortunately, churches have created big-business to cater to this desire.
On the surface, this does not seem to be a bad thing…
But if we slow down and evaluate the status quo, a few problems pop up.

IRS rules say churches are tax exempt by nature, and do not have to file ANY paperwork to be considered tax exempt.  Churches voluntarily fill out and submit applications to become a 501C3 non-profit, even though the instructions for the application specifically say churches are not required to do so. Why would they ignore the instructions and do it anyway?

Why is this a problem?  When this paperwork is completed, filed, and executed, the church has entered into a contract with the US Government, and has given up their own authority and autonomy to the government. Scripture says we cannot serve two masters.
If the government stays out of their business, it is not a problem. But what if the government, at some point in time, decides to interfere?  Will these churches honor scripture and truth, or will they be obligated to honor the government’s demands?  What if the government holds the power to end your ministry, if you do not comply? “Non-compliance” = “cease to exist”.
What will church leaders do?
Self-preservation…

Entering into this [not required]  501C3 contract gives the government authority to control what the church does, what the church speaks about, what the church teaches, etc.  There is no reason to give the government the potential to interfere with your ministry. The government even tells us this is not required, and yet, practically every single church in our nation is a 501C3 entity.

Most churches purchase or rent commercial property. When this obligation is set in place, additional substantial costs are incurred, including but not limited to:  utilities, maintenance, upkeep, insurance, internet, phone, landscaping, parking lot maintenance, security, vehicles, and the list goes on and on…
Collectively, billions upon billions of dollars of commercial real estate has been purchased by churches.  The burden of this cost, including maintenance and upkeep, is placed upon the congregations.  Don’t forget, these costs typically include the salaries and benefits of those who work in the building as well.

I checked my bible, and I couldn’t find the part where it says to purchase billions of dollars worth of property and to fill these buildings with new carpet, padded chairs, elaborate sound systems, and a coffee kiosk.
Nowhere in scripture can I find where it tells believers to contribute money to these purchases, and the ensuing responsibility of taking care of these properties.

Scripture tells us to be cheerful givers.
2Corinthians 9:6-7
⁶ But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Scripture tells us to care for widows and orphans. But we are to use discernment (1Timothy Chapter 5  advises how to identify whom we will help).
We are told to be generous to the needy, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
I obviously can’t speak of all churches, but I’ve served on church boards. I’ve been responsible for the church budgets. I’ve seen the numbers.
Good hearted people give money to church organizations, with a motivation to be helpful, caring, and obedient to the Word.
But then what happens to the money?  Congregants can be confident it is used wisely, in accordance with scripture, right?

Again, I’ve seen the numbers.
Almost none of the money taken in by churches ends up helping the community, or even the members of the church itself!
Why not?
Because they have a building to pay for, and costly expenses to maintain the building.
They have a staff to pay, and if they want to keep decent staff, there’d better be good health care, continuing education benefits, housing allowances, vehicle allowances, retirement plans, and on and on…
Yes, churches do dedicate money from their budget for hospitality/benevolence.  Maybe an elderly couple needs help with their utility bill? Maybe a family needs help with groceries? Maybe a congregant is unexpectedly unemployed and struggling?  Maybe a diabetic member can’t afford their insulin this month? Maybe this, maybe that?
But what happens if there isn’t much cash left over after the building and staff are paid?
Will the church take care of widows and orphans and the needy, just as scripture dictates?
Or will the church pay their staff and take care of the mortgage?
I’ve seen the numbers.  We are talking 2 or 3% of the budget going to the community.
Sadly, this number is accurate based upon what I have witnessed. [Again, I cannot speak for all churches.]

Why is this number so very small?
This is where we end up:  Self-preservation.
An organization or institution will always default to self-preservation when things get tight, and sometimes, even when things are not tight.
“How can we help the community if we cease to exist?”
The logic is sound.

But what if we took the billions upon billions of dollars collected every year by the church-business-enterprise, and obeyed scripture first instead?  What if we prioritized obeying scripture over self-preservation?
What if hungry children were fed first?
What if the elderly were cared for first?
What if single moms and struggling families were helped first?

Do we really need a building in order to love our neighbor as ourselves?
Do we really need new padded chairs, or a light and sound system that cost tens of thousands of dollars?
Do we really need pastors with the best houses, the best cars, the best vacations, and the best retirement plans? (Again, this is a general view of the entire church system, not every single church).

Maybe my concerns here sound petty…
Maybe I’ve lost everyone by now.
If you are still reading, consider this:
Read scripture and see what it says about living His way.
Read scripture and see what it says about helping others.

Instead of rejecting my ideas, slow down, consider them, and pray about them.
I’m not church bashing.
I’m just trying to see what scripture says, and do it.
I’m moving away from the traditions of men, even if those traditions are all we’ve ever known during our lifetime.

Since my exposure to church budgets is very limited compared to the whole, do this:
Ask your church if you can see their budget.
Ask your church what percentage of offerings go to salaries and benefits.
Ask your church what percentage of offerings go to mortgages/rent and building maintenance and operating costs.
Ask your church what percentage of offerings go to help those in need.
Be prepared. Most likely, you will be ABSOLUTELY shocked by the numbers, and not in a good way.
Let’s hope I’m wrong.  But try it anyway.
Find out if they will even let you look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practically everyday, I hear someone say, “Yes, but it is not a salvation issue…”

People study and discuss scripture all the time.  That’s a good thing, right?  Iron sharpens iron.
Unfortunately, agreement is not always common.
That makes for even better discussion, as many ideas get to be heard and evaluated. Test them against scripture and pray about it.
This is a good thing, so long as discussion does not devolve into argument, which then devolves into disrespect.  Love your neighbor as yourself, even if they have a different idea than you do.  You can disagree and still be kind [even if they are dead wrong].

Most people on the earth do not agree with me.
So what?
Such is life…

But what about this phrase?
“It’s not a salvation issue.”

First of all, what criteria do we use to determine if something is a salvation issue or not?
Who gets to decide?
Who has that authority?
I’m pretty sure it isn’t me.

I checked my bible and there is not a list of salvation issues.
So now what?

Well, where does salvation come from?
First of all, let’s just go on the record and state that salvation is not a New Testament doctrine.  It is not a post death-burial-resurrection concept.  Of the 166 mentions of salvation in scripture, 122 of them are in the Old Testament.  Yes, that’s right. 73.5% of the salvation ideas in scripture are given to us in the Old Testament.
Let that sink in for a minute…

Peter and John were arrested by the Sanhedrin for teaching about Yeshua Messiah.
While under arrest for this “offense” Peter boldly proclaimed, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: ⁹ If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, ¹⁰ let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ ¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  [Acts 4]
In danger of being punished by death, Peter still proclaimed the truth of salvation!!  And he stated that salvation comes through no other than Yeshua Messiah.

We are told the exact same thing by Messiah in John 14:6
Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

OK, so we know there is only once source of salvation, right?
But how do we get salvation?

Ephesians 2:8-9
 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Salvation comes from His grace, which is given because of our faith.
It is a gift, not of something we have done…

If salvation comes by faith, how do we obtain faith?
Romans 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So let me get this straight – – – we hear the word of Yahuah, and it gives us faith, and because of our faith, we are given the gift of salvation through grace.

Interesting.
Getting back to the initial thought about salvation issues, what happens if we read the Word and do not believe it?
What happens if we reject the Word?
Maybe not all of it, but some of it?
What if we reject any of it?

I know many people who believe in the gospel message, but reject the Torah instructions which God said are forever, for all generations, never ending…
I know many people who believe in the gospel message, but reject the idea of Noah’s Flood. Or they reject the idea that giants existed, even though they are documented in scripture.
I know many people who believe in the gospel message, but reject the idea of Creation, instead believing the ‘science’ of evolution.
And on and on and on…

Does scripture say that believing or not believing the gospel message brings faith, which in turn brings salvation?

Nope.
Scripture says that hearing the word of Yahuah brings that faith.
Well, the account of Noah’s flood is in the Word of Yahuah.
We are told of giants in Genesis, Numbers, and many other books of the bible, which are the Word.
We are told in Genesis that Yahuah created man and woman from the dust of the earth, and breathed life and spirit into them.

What if we reject any of these ideas out of disbelief, or in other words, a lack of faith in the Word?
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Can we show a lack of faith, and therefore not please Yahuah, and still be granted salvation?
This is a good question. I don’t know the answer.

When the apostles asked about being greatest in the kingdom, Yeshua responded by telling them they must become like little children, otherwise they would not enter the kingdom.

Whoa, this is a harsh warning!!  Did you catch that?
—-They would not be allowed in the kingdom.—-
Here is the direct quote from Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
² Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

How can we be humble like a child?
Small children do not know pride.
Small children do not know arrogance.
Small children believe without question.
Small children do not know hypocrisy.
Small children are not haughty.
Small children are humble and reliant.

James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

While this is a good discussion, I have not determined a tried and true method to determine if a topic or an issue is a salvation issue.
But we know this: salvation means we will be allowed in the kingdom, right?
Are there any scriptures that talk about being in the kingdom?
Or worse, not being in the kingdom?
Yes, there are.
OK, now we are getting somewhere!

Ecclesiastes 12:13 [by the wisest man to ever live]
 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
We are told that the duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. If this is “man’s all” then it must have something to do with our eternity, right?
Messiah tells us this in Revelation 22:14, speaking of who gets to be in His kingdom:
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”
This is in reference to those who will get to enter the City of New Jerusalem, described in Revelation 21. This is the location of the Kingdom of heaven, after all is said and done.  This is the place you want to be!!  But according to Messiah, you have to keep the commandments in order to be able to enter.

Again in Revelation, we are told who the remnant of the church is at end times:
Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua Messiah.

Hmmm, in order to be part of His people, you have to keep the commandments of Yahuah and have His testimony.

Again in Revelation, we are told what criteria makes us the elect, a saint of the kingdom.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Does scripture ever tell us who will not be in the kingdom?
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

In this direct quote of Messiah, we are told those who practice lawlessness will not be welcomed.  Keep in mind, these are people who called on His name. These are people who prophesied in His name and cast out demons, and many wonders. These are not ordinary people. These are people who thought they were “in” the kingdom. But they were not, because of lawlessness.

So, that means speeding, and shoplifting, and paying your taxes right? Complying with the laws of the government, right?
Nope.
This is in reference to following the commands of God (hey wait, that is what Revelation said several times).

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

“Yeah, but that’s ok, because Messiah died on the cross to forgive my sins.  I have grace to cover my sins, my transgression of the law.”

Is that true?
Are you sure about that?
Yes, I agree that Messiah overcame the wages of sin, which are death, and He did so on our behalf.
But what happens after that?
What if we are granted forgiveness by grace, through faith, just as scripture has stated.
What happens after that, if you continue to sin, having known the truth?

Hebrews 10:26-31
The Just Live by Faith
²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hmmm…
So you are saying that continued sin, after coming to understand the truth of the gospel message, that there no longer remains a sacrifice for those willful sins?

No, I’m not saying that.
The bible is saying that.

So you are saying that instead of grace, we can expect judgement and fiery indignation?
No, I’m not saying that.
Scripture says that.

Well, now where do we stand?
What is a salvation issue, and what is not a salvation issue?
We can discuss many topics, agree on some, disagree on others.

But it would seem to me that keeping the commandments of Yahuah, and not sinning willfully is how we avoid salvation issues.
Let’s stop debating what is a salvation issue and what is not a salvation issue, and instead, learn what it means to keep the commandments which according to scripture, WILL KEEP US OUT OF THE KINGDOM.
Not my opinion, but simply what the bible says, sometimes direct quotes of our Messiah!!

Not because I say so, but because Messiah says so.
Again, Revelation 22:14 (those who get to be in the kingdom):
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 

There is an interesting statement made in 2John regarding those who reject Yeshua Messiah.

2John 1:7-11
⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world—those who do not acknowledge Yeshua as Messiah coming in human flesh. This one is a deceiver and the anti-messiah. ⁸ Watch yourselves, so you do not lose what we have worked for but receive a full reward. ⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in Messiah’s teaching does not have Yahweh. Anyone who remains in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not welcome him into your home or even give him a greeting. ¹¹ For the one greeting him shares in his evil deeds.

I have found many fellowships who consistently use the Torah teachings of non-Messianic Rabbinical teachers (such as Nehemia Gordon, for example).
I do not dispute the fact that Nehemia (and many other teachers in this category) know and understand Torah better than I could ever hope to know Torah.
But…
What are we to do with this?

2John says to not welcome these men who reject Yeshua Messiah, and to not even greet them.
I have been told this bit of scripture is exclusively directed to Gnostic teachers who believe Yeshua lived, but deny the fact that He was deity.
Assuming this is true…
If we are told to not greet those who believe Yeshua lived, but wasn’t deity, then how much more so should we reject those who do not acknowledge Yeshua is the Messiah?

I choose to not refer to the teachings of anyone who rejects Messiah, no matter their background or knowledge level.  I do so based on these words in 2John.
I’d rather conservatively honor this bit of scripture, rather than violate the advice being given…

In the meantime (whether I’m right or wrong about this), let’s pray for those teachers who are scripture and linguist experts but deny Messiah, that they might see the truth in scripture and choose to acknowledge and follow Yeshua Messiah!!

For those who are not aware, a rare star alignment matching scripture descriptions will occur on September 23rd. Namely, Revelation 12 seems to match this stellar alignment.

Mother, Child, Dragon, and War

12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ² She is pregnant—crying out in birth pains, in agony to give birth.
³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: a great fiery red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. ⁴ His tail sweeps away a third of the stars of heaven—it hurled them to the earth. Now the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that whenever she gave birth he might devour her child.
⁵ And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away to God and to His throne. ⁶ Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God so they might take care of her for 1,260 days.
⁷ And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels making war against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they were not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. ¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters—the one who accuses them before our God day and night—has been thrown out. ¹¹ They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even in the face of death.
¹² Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great rage, knowing that his time is short.
¹³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he stalked the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly away from the presence of the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is taken care of—for a time, times, and half a time.
¹⁵ And from out of his mouth, the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, in order to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶ But the earth came to the aid of the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. ¹⁷ So the dragon became enraged at the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring—those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Yeshua. ¹⁸ And he stood on the shore of the sea.

If you choose to read an exciting and entertaining novel, you start somewhere towards the back, right?  No, we pretty much all start at the beginning and read it straight through.

You struggle to commit 5-10 minutes per day to reading this exciting story, right?  No, I’ve gone without sleep in order to keep reading an exciting novel. How about you? Can’t put it down, eh?

Since we started about 2/3 of the way through the book, we use our imagination to make up our own story to make sense of the parts of the book we actually read, right?  No, we read the story from the beginning, and the later story line is built upon what happens earlier in the book.

I could ask any number of questions like this, but three is enough for now…
Do we read our bibles properly?
Does it even matter if we read our bibles properly?

Here are my thoughts on how to read the bible.
1. Open the bible to Genesis 1:1. 
2. Keep reading until you get to Revelation 22:21.
3. Believe what you read.
4. Read later information in context with earlier information.

OK, that seems simple enough, right? That is how we would read a novel for entertainment.
But what advice are we given by ‘the professionals’?
If we look to church ministry experts, how do they say we should read our bibles?

Here is what I did…
I Googled “How to read the bible”

From Crosswalk.com, I found this instruction:
You don’t have to start at the beginning.
The Bible contains 66 separate books compiled into one book. The 39 books of the Old Testament are the story of God and his people before the coming of the Messiah—Jesus. The 27 books of the New Testament pick up the story beginning with the birth of Jesus. 

If you’re new to the Bible, the best place to start is the Gospel of John. This book (the fourth book in the New Testament) is John’s eyewitness account of the life of Jesus. As one of Jesus’ closest disciples, John’s account is both riveting and informative. 

John’s purpose in writing is to help us believe, making it the ideal place to start. “These things were written to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

So, these mainstream theology experts consider the first 39 of 66 books to “just be a story before Jesus came.” They clearly make the distinction that it is the OLD Testament, even though scripture does not.

Let’s check with another expert source.  ibelieve.com gives us these instructions and advice:

That being said, here are my top five places to start reading the Bible:

1. The Gospel of John – This is the best place for new believers, especially, to start reading. This book will give you a good understanding of who Jesus is and what His ministry is about. Although the other Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark and Luke) do this, the book of John particularly focuses on who Jesus is rather than just what He did. 

2. Romans – This is a good place to start if you want a clear understanding of the Gospel. I suggest every Christian read Romans to build confidence in the faith they profess. Since the entire Bible points to the Good News of Jesus Christ, this is certainly a good place to start.

4. Proverbs – This book is packed with wisdom. It offers biblical knowledge and instruction to help guide us in our day-to-day life. It’s a great place to start if you want practical direction on how to live out this Christian life. The brevity of each verse also make it an easy and light read.

5. Genesis – I generally would not place a historical book of the Bible, like Genesis, as the best place to start but if you want to read through the entire Bible in chronological order, Genesis is the place to go. Doing so will give you a better understanding of the Bible as a whole. 

This list is in no particular order. Where you start depends on your personal goals. My suggestion is to pray that the Lord will lead you to the verse, passage or book of the Bible that He desires. If you are ever confused about a particular part of the Bible, pray to the Lord for understanding and discernment. I’m amazed at how many ways the Lord has answered this prayer for me.

Oh boy… Instead of giving us one bad piece of advice, they have given us numerous poor choices.
But to be fair, there are also some tidbits of good advice.
Such as beginning in Genesis if you choose to read the whole bible.
And to pray for understanding. This is actually excellent advice, but let’s expound on it just a bit.

James 1:5-8
⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, 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.

James has given us a promise. If we ask Yahuah for His understanding, He will give it to us!!! Awesome!!
However, we get one verse of promise, followed by three verses of warning.
Should we heed this warning? I say yes.
Do not doubt.  Believe what you read, and believe what Yahuah reveals to you.
So many people read their bible, but then have questions about what they have read.  Not so much because it is hard to understand, but because they cannot fit what they read into the doctrine they have been taught.
So what do they do?  Do they heed the warning of James 1:6-8?
Typically, no.  They go to their theology experts, the educated religious leaders.
They are then told that scripture does not mean what it says, or what they thought it said.  They are given another version that lines up with seminary teachings.  That is better, right?
Read Matthew 23 if you want to know if that is better.
Chapter 23 is a scathing rebuke given by Yeshua Messiah to the educated religious leaders of His time for teaching false doctrine.

This article tells us to read the Psalms if we want to be relieved of stress and anxiety. Why? Because its poetic nature is soothing.

How about this one:
Psalm 95:7-11
⁷ For He is our God,
and we are the people of His pasture,
the flock of His hand.
Today, if you hear His voice:
⁸ “Do not harden your heart as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ when your fathers tested Me,
they challenged Me, even though they had seen My work.
¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation.
So I said: ‘It is a people whose heart goes astray,
who do not know My ways.’
¹¹ Therefore I swore in My anger,
    ‘They shall never enter into My rest.’”

This is quite soothing, unless you do not know the ways of the Father.
Try reading Psalm 119. It is the longest chapter in the entire bible.
The whole thing is about following the ways of Yahuah:

ב Beth

ג Gimel

ד Daleth

ה He

ו Waw

ז Zayin

ח Heth

ט Teth

י Yod

ך Kaph

ל Lamed

ם Mem

ן Nun

ס Samek

ע Ayin

פ Pe

ץ Tsadde

ק Qoph

ר Resh

שׁ Shin

ת Tau

To end this article, I have one last scripture to share with you.
If you skip the first 39 books of the bible, you run the serious risk of the warning given by Peter in 2Peter Chapter 3.
The consequences of not heeding his warning is YOUR DESTRUCTION.

Yes, that’s right, your destruction.  So you may want to pay attention to this one…

2Peter 3:14-18
¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵ and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the lawless; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

We must know the rest of the scriptures [the first 39 books] in order to understand Paul’s writings properly.
Mainstream Christian theology/doctrine is built upon the writings of Paul, and defy what is said in the first 39 books.
This is not possible, as it would make Yahuah (God) a liar.

Numbers 23:19 tells us this:
God is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes his mind!

There is not an Old Testament and a New Testament.  There are just scriptures, and all are true. One whole and complete testament.
Dividing the word and making the first 2/3 of it obsolete is a man-made tradition.
Again, refer to Matthew 23 to see what Messiah thought of man made teachings, imparted onto the people.

Yahuah (God) said many things are forever, never ending, perpetual covenants, and for all generations in the “Old Testament”.
Mainstream doctrine, built upon the twisting of Paul’s writings, tells us those things are not forever.
Mainstream doctrine says Yahuah (God) is a liar.
Will you put up with that any longer?

One of my friends asked this question, after seeing these memes:
“The Old Testament laws and penalties contradict the law of Christ to love God and love each other as our self. You cannot believe what Christ says of loving our enemies, going the extra mile and being a good samaritan, and entering an enemies town as in the OT and killing every man, woman and child. That sort of thinking and living is no better than todays Islamic radicals. The Roman Catholic Church put together the books authored by patriarchs, prophets, kings, disciples and apostles of which today we call the Bible. There is obviously a progression of theology and law throughout Biblical times and it continues today. Loving God, and loving each other. Everything else is not as important. Interesting, but not a relevant.”

My response, to explain these things, using scripture:

You are referring to Matthew 22:37-39.
I know this well.

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

However, I believe you are a victim of false doctrine.
To understand verses 37-39, you have to look at verse 36.

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus is not creating New Testament doctrine. He is simply answering a question about the Torah, the law already given. In fact, if you research it, you’ll find that Jesus is actually QUOTING the law.
Verse 37 is a quote from Deuteronomy, and verse 39 is a quote from Leviticus.
Seriously!! Look it up!!

Just in case we are confused by false teaching and false beliefs, Jesus tells us what He is saying in verse 40.
40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

He tells us these “two commands” are just paraphrasing the law and the prophets.

As for entering into lands and killing…
This is impossible to understand if you have not come to a full understanding of what is written before.

Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 6 tells establishes why Noah’s flood and killing those in the promise land were necessary.
In Numbers 13, we see confirmation as to why this was necessary.

In Genesis 6, we see that rebelious fallen angels took human wives for themselves (against the will of God) and their offspring created the Nephilim, a breed of giants. Scripture validates this (Job establishes that these were fallen angels, not men in Gen 6:4).
Og of Bashan, Goliath, and many other references to giants throughout scripture establish this as truth.

Numbers 13 tells us that Joshua, Caleb, and the other 18 spies witnessed these giants living in the land. They were as grasshoppers in their sight.

Fallen angels corrupted the Creation of God. Noah’s flood cleansed the earth of them. You’ll see in Gen 6:9 that Noah was chosen because he was a righteous man AND ALSO because he was perfect in his generations. It was spiritual (righteous) and physical (perfect in his generations, or genetics).

This may sound crazy to you because mainstream Christian doctrine won’t touch these ideas with a ten foot pole.
But they are all right there in scripture, in black and white.

If you are interested, I can explain these thing to you in greater detail, using scripture (not my ideas).

We are told by Jeremiah that a time will come when Gentiles realize they have inherited nothing but lies.
That time is now.

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?

The church teaches a concept of a mean old God in the Old Testament, and a kinder, gentler deity of Jesus in the New Testament.

Messiah Himself tells us that He and the Father are one.
He tells us his doctrine is not His own, but the Father’s who sent Him.
Numbers and Micah tell us that God is not a liar and does not change His mind. John 1:14 tells us that Jesus is the Word become flesh. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
If He is the word and He never changes, then the word never changes.

There are clues all through scripture to tell us that nothing has changed since day one.
God said His instructions in Torah are forever, perpetual, never ending, and for all generations.
Believing that the law is no longer applicable makes God a liar, which is impossible. (Pus scripture tells us God cannot lie).

Mainstream doctrine has twisted scripture so badly that no one knows the truth.
But it is all right there on the pages, waiting for us to read it.
Churches mostly use the writings of Paul to back up and ‘prove’ their doctrine.
We are warned against using Paul’s writings the way the church uses them:

2Peter 3:14-18
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

He warns us to not go the way of the lawless, which will result in our destruction.
Messiah tells us the exact same thing in Matthew 7:21-23.
Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

Revelation tells us who the remnant of the church is:
Rev 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Those who keep the commands of God and have faith in Jesus!!
Two things, not one.

Rev 14:12 tells us who the saints are (the elect, the saved):
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those[g] who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Again, two criteria!! Not one.

The words of Messiah Himself tell us who gets to be in His kingdom in Rev 22:14.

Blessed are those who do His commandments,[g] that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Again in Revelation, we are told for the third time to keep the commandments, this time by Messiah Himself.

In Rev 22:15, He tells us who will not be in His kingdom:
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Those who love and practice a lie will not be in the kingdom.
What lies?
Refer to the prophecy of Jeremiah again:
“Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”

It specifically says that Gentiles will realize we have inherited lies.
If those people continue to love and practice those lies, they will not be in the kingdom.

No my words, but God’s (through Jeremiah) and the words of Messiah to confirm it.

If you’d like to know more about these things, I’d be happy to share scripture with you that explains them in more detail.

OK, so this is a very difficult concept to grasp.
It is not difficult to understand, as the words are given to us in scripture.  Black and White.

It is difficult to grasp because it goes against the entire Christian establishment.  It goes against the only things we’ve ever known.
It goes against what our fathers believed and what our grandfathers believed before them.
It requires us to let go of what we think we know and simply believe scripture instead.
That is not always easy.

Here is what we are going to look at today:
1. The words of Yahweh, through Moses, in Deuteronomy 4, telling us what IS going to happen.
2. The words of Yahweh, through His prophet Jeremiah, giving us prophecy of what will have happened, by the time we reach end times.

Let’s get started…
Deuteronomy 4:23-29
²³ Watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the covenant of Adonai your God, which He cut with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything that Adonai your God has forbidden you. ²⁴ For Adonai your God is a consuming fire—a jealous God.
²⁵ “When you father children and children’s children and have been in the land a long time, and you act corruptly and make a graven image in the form of anything and do evil in the sight of Adonai your God, provoking Him to anger, ²⁶ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will certainly be carried off quickly from the land you are crossing over the Jordan to possess. You will not prolong your days on it, for you will certainly be destroyed.
 ²⁷ Adonai will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where Adonai will drive you. ²⁸ There you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which do not see or hear or eat or smell. ²⁹ But from there you will seek Adonai your God and you will find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

In this bit of scripture, we see what IS going to happen.
Israel is not told what might happen if they stray, but Yahweh clearly communicates this is going to happen.
Does that mean He willed it to happen and Israel had no choice to comply with His will?
No, it does not.
It simply shows us that Yahweh is outside of our concept of time.
He sees the end from the beginning, and the beginning from the end.
He simply states what He has already observed, even though it did not happen yet in our physical realm.

Isaiah 46:9-10
Remember the former things of old:
For I am God—there is no other.
I am God, and there is none like Me—
¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning,
from ancient time, what is yet to come,
saying, “My purpose will stand,
and I will accomplish all that I please.”

So what is it that He tells us, through His spokesman Moses?
Verse 23 comes across as a warning, and subsequent verses tell us what will happen.
“Watch yourselves…”
“Do not make graven images…”
“You will be scattered…”
“You will serve man-made gods of wood and stone…”
And then, the restoration of Israel is mentioned.

As we read scripture, we see all of these things come to pass.
Of course we do.  Why wouldn’t we?
If Yahweh communicated these things to us, then it is absolutely certain, and not to be doubted.

With regard to graven images, we see further instructions [the Ten Commandments] in Exodus 20:3-5.
³ “You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴ Do not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth. ⁵ Do not bow down to them, do not let anyone make you serve them.

How many times have you witnessed a crucifix of ‘Jesus’ in a church? Sometimes they are 20 or 30 feet tall!! Enormous elaborate ornaments.  Sometimes just a cross, sometimes a crucifix.

How many cross and/or crucifix necklaces have you witnessed around the necks of men and women, wearing them with good intentions, but in direct disobedience to the words of Yahweh?
[when we learned of this truth in scripture, my wife and I took hammers and smashed all of her cross necklaces, even the white gold one with tanzanite and sapphire jewels!  —  obedience is more important than possessions.]

How many times have you witnessed people kneel down at the front of a church, thus kneeling before these carved, graven images, once again in direct disobedience to scripture?  “Do not bow down to them, do not let anyone make you serve them.”

Our modern church culture is in direct violation of the instructions given to us by Yahweh.
Do we accept these things and keep doing them?
Or do we recognize the truth of scripture and say no?
I for one, say no.

Joshua 24:15
But as for me and my household, we will worship Adonai!”

Moving on, let’s take a look at Jeremiah 16:19-20.
¹⁹ 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?

Yahweh tells us, through His prophet Jeremiah, that during end times [the day of affliction], the Gentiles will realize they have inherited lies.
These lies are not almost correct.
These lies are not ‘close enough’ for Yahweh.
These lies are not mostly true, but just a little bit off.

Yahweh (God) says these lies are worthless and unprofitable.
That is not good for those who believe these lies.

What is the result of these inherited lies?
Scripture tells us…

Man-made gods, which are not really gods.

Does this remind you of Deuteronomy 4:29?
²⁸ There you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which do not see or hear or eat or smell. 

Yahweh told us it would happen, and then we see evidence of it in the prophecy of Jeremiah.

“Yes, but the churches have created these statues out of reverence for God. Surely, God will appreciate that, right?”

If this thought is still running around in your mind, please go back to the top and begin reading this study again, from the start.

No, Yahweh (God) does not appreciate our disobedience.
He warns us of the consequences all throughout scripture.
There are no do-overs.
Hebrews 10:26-31 tells us there is no sacrifice (by Messiah) that remains for willful disobedience. Instead, we can expect fiery judgement (don’t believe me? Go read it…).

Do you understand what I’m showing you in scripture here today?
Our mainstream doctrine is made of inherited lies.
Our mainstream doctrine has created gods which are not gods.
Not because I say so, but because Yahweh Himself says so, through His prophets Moses and Jeremiah.

This is barely scratching the surface of things.
Are you still wondering if there is any chance I could possibly be right about this?

Please do this, if you are not sure:
Review the following from Deuteronomy 12:
Deuteronomy 12:4
⁴ You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.

Deuteronomy 12:9
⁸ “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes—

Deuteronomy 12:29-32
²⁹ “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, ³⁰ take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ ³¹ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
³² “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Yahweh (God) clearly tells us to not worship Him in the way the pagans worship their gods. We are told this multiple times.

Google “the pagan origins of Christmas.”
Read up and decide if Deuteronomy 12 applies.

Then Google “the pagan origins of Easter.”
Read up and decide if Deuteronomy 12 applies.

If you’d like some help with this, please watch the videos in the links provided below. People have studied these things and provided videos for our benefit.
Don’t know or trust those ministries?
That’s ok.
You can study these topics for yourself .

CLICKABLE Links to video teachings:
What is Pagan [119 Ministries]
Hosea’s Christmas Tree [119 Ministries]
Let the Christmas Trees Rejoice [119 Ministries]
Pagan Origins of Easter and Christmas Exposed [Jim Staley]
The Origins of Easter
And there are many more.  Too many to share here…

Please do this…
If we have inherited lies…
[and if you believe scripture to be true, then you have to take this seriously]
…we need to see if these lies have consequences.

In Revelation 22:15, in Messiah’s final words to us, He gives this warning about who will NOT be in His kingdom:

Revelation 22:15
“But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

This is a direct quote from Messiah Yeshua.
If you happen to love and practice a lie, you will not be in His kingdom.
This is worth evaluating, even if it goes against everything you’ve been taught and believe.

Actually, ESPECIALLY if this goes against what you have been taught and believe.

We are all busy, but do you have sixty seconds?
Do you have just one minute?

We all pray.
In one way or another, we all pray at some point.
Some pray very much.
Some pray very little.
Even atheists are known to pray in times of absolute need.
When extreme crisis occurs, we give up the decisions we’ve made as men and women and revert to instinct.
We revert to what we know is true at the core of our being.

Romans 1:18-21 tells us that we know of Him, even if we reject Him:
¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

When we pray, will He always answer?
Sometimes, we do not get the answers we seek.
Some get frustrated and give up.
Some say it was just not the will of God to answer this prayer in the way we had hoped.

But is there more to it?
Is there anything in scripture that might give us insight to unanswered prayers?

Proverbs 28:9
One who turns his ear from hearing Torah —even his prayer is an abomination. (Tree of Life Version)
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. (King James Version)
If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. (NIV)
God cannot stand the prayers of anyone who disobeys his Law. (CEV)
Even the watered down ‘The Message’ version gets this somewhat right:
God has no use for the prayers of the people who won’t listen to him.

Scripture tells us if we turn away from His law, His instructions, His commands, His Torah – then our prayers are an abomination to Him.

If you have unanswered prayers, please think about these things.
The general mainstream Christian doctrine tells us the law is done away with.
Scripture says otherwise…