Is your faith strong enough to withstand a thirty minute challenge?
Let’s find out!!

Here is my challenge:
Spend thirty minutes reading nothing but red letter direct quotes of Jesus.
That’s it.
Simple enough, right?
But here comes the challenging part.
If the things that Messiah said do not agree with what you’ve been taught, what will you do about it?

Seriously.
What will you do about it?
There is only One who can grant you salvation.
No one else can do it.
Do you think the things He says matter?
Do you know His voice?

Here is one thing He said:
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” and this…  “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me…” and this…  “My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me.”

Thirty minutes.
That is all I ask.
Read the words of Messiah and nothing else.
Take notes.
Figure out what you will change in your life after you realize His words do not match what your church teaches about Him.

Do you know His voice?

James 4:14
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

It is difficult for mankind to view our existence as Yehova does.
We live our lives minute by minute, day by day, decade by decade.
And then…
It is over.
It may seem like a very long time to us, but to Yehova, it is just a wisp.

Someone was able to boil life down to just four words:
Birth, School, Work, Death
I think they even made some t-shirts to sell.

But what does it all mean?
Some try to live for a higher purpose.  We could fit religion into this model for some…
Birth-School-Religion-Work-Death

Does it all matter?
Or should I say, “does it matter at all”?
What is our reason for living?
We could come up with a list a mile long.
There are things that are important to each of us.
Every person could contribute something special to the list.
But really, why are we here?

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but the counsel of Yehova will stand.

What does it mean for something to stand?
To never erode.
To never wither.
To never change.
To be strong.
To endure.
To last forever.

If the plans of man are no match for the counsel of Yehova, then what are we to do?
Did you know the bible tells us?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

The purpose of man.
Right there it is, at the end of Ecclesiastes.
Fear Yehova.
Keep His commandments.
And then all will be judged.
What does it mean?

I like to put it this way:
This life is simply an audition.
Yehova told us His instructions for living.
Yeshua Messiah came and taught us the same things.
This life is to determine if we will accept His words and His ways.
Know the things He says, and do them.

Pass the test.
Matthew 25:23
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…
OR
Fail the test.
Matthew 7:23
Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!”
Which will it be?

Could I possibly be right about this, in any way, shape, or form?
Could it really be this simple?
Scripture tells us about this test, and lets us know how to tell if we are passing the test:

1John 2:3-6
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Men teach us that “The Law” [Yehova’s instructions for living] is nailed to the cross and done away with…
Messiah says otherwise:
Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.”
John 14:15
 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Men teach that the law is hard to understand and is too hard for us to do. Scripture says otherwise:
Deuteronomy 30:11-14
¹¹ “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ ¹⁴ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Men teach that the Law is a burden to us.
Scripture says otherwise:
1John 5:3
 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 

Men say they can do all things through Christ:
Philippians 4:13
 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
But then, they will say they cannot keep God’s law.
So which is it?
Can you do all things through His strength?
Or can you not?

Los Alamos National Laboratory

I was a reactor operator in the nuclear power field. I served on submarines and we carried nuclear weapons during the Cold War. I was a member of the Nuclear Security Force, assigned to be an armed member of our crew who would fight to the death to protect the security of our nuclear weapons should we come under attack.
I’m quite sure my life has crossed paths with the technologies developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Yesterday, my wife and I drove through Los Alamos, returning to Colorado Springs from Albuquerque.
Tracy asked me what the government did there. I told her it was a lab established for the Manhatten project during WW2.
She didn’t know what that was and asked what they did there.
I told her it is where our government/military develops ways to kill massive amounts of men, women, and children. The Manhatten Project was the development of atomic weapons.
Just as I said this, we drove past the building shown above.
Why did this building bother me?

Check out this building [Mayan Temple], dedicated to the sacrifice and killing of human beings:

Too far removed from our lives today to be considered relevant?
OK, check out this modern building, also dedicated to the killing and destruction of human beings on a massive scale:

Do you see the similarities?

Last year, I was surprised to see the Planned Parenthood building had the same architectural features as the Mayan Temples.
Both are buildings of death with similar construction.
I was completely surprised to find a third building of similar appearance. The building at Los Alamos has similar colored glass, and even has the exact same number of ‘steps’ in its construction.

Does it seem odd there would be three buildings in the world of similar shape,  and that all three are dedicated to killing humans?
I do not believe this is a coincidence…
I wonder if there are more buildings shaped like this, with direct links to the destruction of people?

 

Is it possible for a loving God to turn His back on people?
This is a tough question.
People generally don’t like to consider these types of ideas.
Why would I even bring this up?
What kind of craziness passes through my head?

In recent discussions regarding the direct quotes of Messiah, calling into question the status of the mainstream church, someone noted that “my idea” would mean no one was saved for over two thousand years.
Let’s explore this more, using scripture…

First of all, I do not get to decide who is saved and who is not saved.
This responsibility belongs to Yeshua Messiah.
Matthew 28:18
And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
In my research and sharing of scripture, I am not trying to condemn anyone.  I am simply sharing the warnings that few seem to know about.  I do this to help others…
But how could my “study of scripture” result in the idea that no one was saved for over two thousand years, as my friend put it?
Let’s take a look at the words of our Creator:

Deuteronomy 31:20
²⁰ “For when I bring them to the land flowing with milk and honey that I swore to their fathers, and they eat and are satisfied and grow fat—then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and they will spurn Me and break My covenant.”

Yehova predicts (if you can call His omniscient knowing a prediction) that the people would serve other gods and break His covenant.
He knows this will happen.

Mosheh also knows this will happen, as shown by his words in Deuteronomy 31:29
²⁹ For I know that after my death you will certainly act corruptly and turn aside from the way I have commanded you. So evil will fall upon you in the latter days, because you will do what is evil in the sight of Adonai, provoking Him to anger by the work of your hands.”

The question is this:
What happens to the people when they break His covenant?
In Deuteronomy 28, Yehova outlines the blessings for following His instructions, and He also outlines the curses for disobedience.
Here are the scriptures telling us about the curses:

Deuteronomy 28:15-69
Curses for Disobedience
¹⁵ “But if you will not listen to the voice of Adonai your God, to take care to do all His mitzvot and statutes that I am commanding you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
¹⁶ “Cursed will you be in the city, and cursed will you be in the field.
¹⁷ “Cursed will be your basket and your kneading bowl.
¹⁸ “Cursed will be the fruit of your womb, the produce of your soil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
¹⁹ “Cursed will you be when you come in, and cursed will you be when you go out.
²⁰ “Adonai will send on you cursing, confusion and frustration in every undertaking of your hand that you will do—until you are destroyed and perish quickly, because of the evil of your deeds by which you have abandoned Me. ²¹ Adonai will make the plague cling to you, until He has put an end to you from the land that you are going in to possess. ²² Adonai will strike you with weakness, fever, inflammation, fiery heat, the sword, blight and mildew—they will pursue you until you perish. ²³ Your sky above your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. ²⁴ Adonai will make the rain of your land powder and dust—it will come down on you from the heavens, until you are destroyed.
²⁵ “Adonai will bring you to defeat before your enemies. You will go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. You will become a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ Your carcass will be food for every bird of the heavens and beast of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
²⁷ “Adonai will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with hemorrhoids, with scabs and with itching, from which you cannot be healed.
²⁸ “Adonai will strike you with madness, with blindness, and with confusion of heart. ²⁹ You will grope at noon as the blind person gropes in darkness, and you will not prosper in your ways. You will be only oppressed and robbed all the time, and there will be no one to save you.
³⁰ “You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will sleep with her. You will build a house, but you will not dwell in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not put it to use. ³¹ Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat of it. Your donkey will be stolen in front of you, and it will not be returned to you. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and you will have no one to save you.
³² “Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while your eyes look on, longing for them all day long—but your hand will be powerless. ³³ A people you do not know will eat up the produce of your soil and all your labor, and you will be only oppressed and crushed all the time. ³⁴ You will be driven mad by the sight that your eyes will see.
³⁵ “Adonai will strike you on the knees and thighs with severe boils, from which you cannot be healed—from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
³⁶ “Adonai will bring you and the king you set over you to a nation you and your fathers have not known—and there you will serve other gods, wood and stone. ³⁷ You will become a horror, a proverb, and a byword—among all the peoples where Adonai will drive you.
³⁸ “Much seed you will take out to the field—but little will you bring in, for the locust will eat it up. ³⁹ Vineyards you will plant and tend—but wine you will not drink or bring in, for the worm will devour it. ⁴⁰ Olive trees you will have in all your territory—but oil you will not rub on yourself, for your olives will drop off. ⁴¹ Sons and daughters you will father—but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity. ⁴² All your trees and the produce of your soil the whirring locust will possess.
⁴³ “The outsider who is in your midst will rise up higher and higher above you, and you will go down lower and lower. ⁴⁴ He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him; he will become the head and you will become the tail.
⁴⁵ “All these curses will come upon you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed—because you did not listen to the voice of Adonai your God, to keep His mitzvot and statutes that He commanded you. ⁴⁶ They will be a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. ⁴⁷ Instead of serving Adonai your God with joy and goodness of heart, out of the abundance of everything, ⁴⁸ you will serve your enemies, whom Adonai will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and lacking everything; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
⁴⁹ “Adonai will raise up a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, just as the eagle swoops down—a nation whose language you will not understand, ⁵⁰ a brazen-faced nation that will not respect the old or be gracious to the young. ⁵¹ It will devour the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your soil, until you are destroyed. It will not leave behind for you grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until it ruins you. ⁵² It will besiege you within all your town gates throughout your land, until your high and fortified walls—that you trusted in—come down. It will besiege you within all your gates throughout your land that Adonai your God has given you.
⁵³ “You will eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters Adonai your God has given you, in the siege and stress with which your enemies will distress you. ⁵⁴ The most tender and delicate man among you—his eye will become evil against his brother and the wife of his bosom and the rest of his children that he has left. ⁵⁵ He will not give to a single one of them from his children’s flesh that he will eat, because nothing else is left for him in the siege and stress with which your enemy will distress you within all your town gates. ⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman among you, who never ventured to set the sole of her foot on the ground out of delicateness and tenderness—her eye will become evil against the husband of her bosom and her son and daughter. ⁵⁷ For in secret she will eat her afterbirth that issues from between her legs and the children she bears, for lack of anything else in the siege and stress with which your enemy will distress you within all your gates.
⁵⁸ “If you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah, the things written in this scroll, to fear this glorious and awesome Name, Adonai your God, ⁵⁹ then Adonai will make your plagues and the plagues of your descendants extraordinary—terrible and prolonged plagues, severe and prolonged illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt that you were afraid of, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹ Also every illness and plague that is not written in the scroll of this Torah, Adonai will bring on you, until you are destroyed.
⁶² “You will be left few in number, instead of being like the stars of the sky in number—because you did not listen to the voice of Adonai your God. ⁶³ Now just as Adonai rejoiced over you to do you good and to multiply you, so Adonai will rejoice over you to ruin and destroy you; and you will be uprooted from the land that you are going in to possess.
⁶⁴ “Adonai will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods—wood and stone—that you and your fathers have not known. ⁶⁵ Among these nations you will find no rest, and there will be no rest for the sole of your foot. But there Adonai will give you a trembling heart and failing eyes, and a despairing spirit.
⁶⁶ “Your life will hang in the balance before you; you will be afraid night and day, and you will have no assurance of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!”—from the fear of your heart that you will fear and the sight of your eyes that you will see. ⁶⁸ Adonai will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way that I said to you, ‘You will not see it again.’ There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves and maids, but there will be no buyer.”
Renewing the Covenant
⁶⁹ These are the words of the covenant that Adonai commanded Moses to make with Bnei-Yisrael in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He made with them at Horeb.

Wow!!! Really?
Did you read those curses?
Even more importantly, do you believe these curses?
Let’s highlight a couple phrases that pertain to the topic of this study:
⁵⁸ “If you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah, the things written in this scroll, to fear this glorious and awesome Name, Adonai your God, ⁵⁹ then Adonai will make your plagues and the plagues of your descendants extraordinary—terrible and prolonged plagues, severe and prolonged illnesses.
And this:
⁶² “You will be left few in number, instead of being like the stars of the sky in number—because you did not listen to the voice of Adonai your God.
And this:
⁶⁴ “Adonai will scatter you among all peoples from the one end of the earth to the other, and there you will serve other gods—wood and stone—that you and your fathers have not known. 

Yehova says these curses will affect both these people and their descendants!!
Yehova says they will be few in number.

Hosea summarizes all of this is just a short statement:
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Since you rejected knowledge,
    I will also reject you from being My saints.
Since you forgot the Torah of your God,
    just so I will forget your children.

Hosea says that the children of the people will be forgotten by Him, our Elohim.
Yehova says He will reject the people from being His saints.
Who are the saints?
Revelation 14:12 [NKJV]
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

This is what disobedience looks like.
This is what exile looks like.
It is horrific.
Rejection by Yehova!!
In fact, this is exactly what Messiah told us as well:
Matthew 7:21-23
²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
In Matthew 7, Messiah is not making up new doctrine, or creating a new warning.  He is simply repeating what the Father has already said.

Some people think the punishment for disobedience, being scattered among the nations, is all about being subjected to rule by their enemies.
While this is true, here is an even worse part of this punishment:
The people are exiled from Yehova and His ways…

I have given a very small sample of scripture regarding this punishment for disobedience, but we could spend hours and hours looking at other scriptures by the prophets.
The exile and banishment of the people are well documented in scripture, and the consequences are terrible.

Is this the fault of Yehova?
No, it is not.
Yehova gave instructions to the people, and told them how they would be blessed by simply following those instructions.
The curses, though…
It is the fault of the people, for turning away from Him.
It is the fault of the people for forgetting His Torah.

Proverbs 3:1-2
My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
² For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.

Psalm 119:18-21
¹⁸ Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
¹⁹ I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
²⁰ My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
²¹ You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.

We are barely scratching the surface of what scripture says will happen to us if we turn away from Yehova.
In this incredibly small sampling of scriptures, we have learned the following:

1.  Disobedience leads to curse and death.
2.  Disobedience leads to exile, separation from Yehova.
3.  Separation from Yehova affects the descendants as well as the original offenders.
4.  What is the result of forgetting the Torah?  Destruction of people… This is serious business!!

The curses of disobedience affect the descendants according to scripture, but for how long? Let’s take a brief look at this (again, many hours and days could be spent on this one topic alone).

We see that the ten tribes were divorced from their covenant with Yehova in Jeremiah 3:8
⁸ Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce…
And we see this further into Jeremiah 3
‘I will not remain angry forever.
Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your charms
To alien deities under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.

A divorce from the covenant occurred, but Yehova says He will not remain angry forever.
We find out how long the people are to be banished in Ezekiel 4:4-7
⁴ “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. ⁵ For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. ⁶ And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

The house of Judah gets 40 years, and the house of Israel gets 390 years!! That is a long time, but it gets worse!
Torah requires the unrepentant to have their punishment multiplied by seven.
Since Israel did not repent, their punishment/exile is multiplied by seven, becoming a whopping 2730 year exile!!
This began in about 820BC when the Assyrians defeated the house of Israel and began scattering them.
That means the punishment ended in approximately 2009/2010, which is when many people all around the world began returning to Torah.

Here is the thing to remember:
The 2730 year punishment of the people is not Yehova’s fault.
It is the fault of the people, who turned away from Him, serving other gods and forgetting His Torah.

Here is what scripture says about the restoration [just one of many, many references in scripture]:
Hosea 6:1-3
A Call to Repentance
6 Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
² After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
³ Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

In many instances, a day in scripture equates to either a year, or to one thousand years.
In this scripture in Hosea, if the days mentioned are a thousand years, it matches the punishment of 2730 years.
The people are banished for the first 2 days (2000 years) and are restored during the third day (during the third 1000 years).

Am I saying that no one was “saved” for this span of time?
Was no one saved during the 2730 year banishment?
No, I am not saying that.
I am not Yehova.
I do not have the authority to decide who is saved and who is not saved.
What I am doing, is showing what scripture says about these things.
Men will say it is not possible for Yehova to turn His back on people.
Men say things that make the “importance and significance of men” a higher priority than the words of Yehova.

The few words I’ve shared from scripture in this article show us that, yes, it is possible that Yehova would turn His back on the people.
Not because He is unloving, but because He is just.
He told the people in advance what would happen if they forsake Him, and yet, they chose to forsake Him and his instructions anyway.
The negative consequences were chosen by the people, with complete knowledge of what would happen.

In today’s church culture, this idea comes across as ridiculous.
People think this idea is absurd, but it is spoken by Yehova, and then we see it play out before our eyes in the Word.
Why do we consider it absurd when we find evidence of it in the inspired word of God?

But still…
It just isn’t possible, right?
There is no way hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people could be separated from God.
Right?
Jeremiah speaks of the world’s religious systems in end times:
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?

Jeremiah, who is speaking the words of Yehova, states that the Gentiles will one day realize they have been taught nothing but lies.
We are seeing this come to life right now.
People are “waking up” and returning to Torah, the ways of the Father.
But most are not willing to explore this idea, let alone accept it.
Most reject these thoughts, even though it is all written down for us so that we might know.
Messiah spoke of this problem, when He stated who will not be in the kingdom of heaven.
Revelation 22:15
But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

“…whoever loves and practices a lie.”
What if the lies He is speaking of are the lies that Jeremiah described?

I fully understand the ideas I’m presenting here are hard to swallow.
I would encourage you to study the scriptures before you reject them out of hand.
I have no authority.
I am in charge of no one.
I am in charge of nothing.
I do not make these kinds of decisions.

But the word is truth.
If difficult concepts are presented in and supported by scripture, we need to study and evaluate, and request understanding through prayer.

 

If you found a child in the desert, dying of dehydration, what would you do?
Obviously, we would provide them with water and get them medical care and try to help them live.
Knowing they would literally drink ANYTHING handed to them in their condition, would anyone give them household cleaners instead of water, knowing it would poison them?
Of course not.  That would be evil beyond imagination.
No mentally sane person would do such a thing.

And yet, it happens every day in other ways.
The Creator of all things, Yehova, gave His instructions to people. It is all recorded for us to read and study.
But His message has been distorted and corrupted by man.
There are things that Yehova said are forever, for all generations, never-ending, a perpetual covenant.
And man teaches those things are not forever.
Man teaches that God changed His mind.
Scripture says this has never happened and never will happen.
Scripture says the Word never changes, and that Yehova never changes.

Malachi 3:6
“For I am the Lord, I do not change”
Numbers 23:19
Yehova is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes his mind!
Hebrews 13:8
Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Men will then say those “forever things” were given to a specific group of people, and it does not apply to any of us today.
People buy it.
People guzzle that household cleaner.
People drink that poison, without even slowing down to evaluate it.

If we look at the things Yehova said are forever, we see that it is not just for a specific group of people.
He said those things are for the native-born Hebrews, AND for the strangers among them.
He specifically states there is one instruction, and it is for all.

Leviticus 24:22
You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your Elohim.
Exodus 12:49
One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.

If we read the bible starting in the beginning, we can establish some truths, not by our own ideas, but simply because Yehova spoke it.
People learn New Testament teachings from churches without knowing some of these base truths in the Old Testament.
People will say, “Of course God changed everything. He is God.  He can do whatever He wants.”
But scripture says this does not and will not happen.
But most people do not know these things.
Most people are dying of thirst, and don’t even know it.
The traditions of men are handed out to them, and they guzzle this poison as if it will save their lives.
Sadly, it will not.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Since you rejected knowledge,
    I will also reject you from being My saints.
Since you forgot the Torah of your God,
    just so I will forget your children.

People thirst for knowledge, but are being given false doctrine instead of living waters.

Messiah came and taught the instructions that Yehova gave to the people.  He did not come to teach a new plan for salvation.  He did not change anything that God had already spoken.

John 7:16
 Yeshua answered, “My teaching is not from Me, but from Him who sent Me. 

John 8:42-44
Yeshua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for from God I came and now I am here. For I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. ⁴³ Why don’t you understand My speech? Because you’re not able to hear My word! ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks lies he is just being himself—for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 12:47-50
⁴⁷ “If anyone hears My words but doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I came to save the world, not to judge the world. ⁴⁸ The one who rejects Me and doesn’t receive My words has a judge; the word I spoke will judge him on the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Therefore what I say, I say just as the Father has told Me.”

But our churches teach us that He did change everything.
They teach that Messiah did away with the law, and that we no longer have to follow it.

Here are some things that Messiah said.
Will you listen to Him and live?
Or will you listen to the traditions of men and die of thirst?
Matthew 7:21-23
²¹ “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!’

Revelation 22:14-15
¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
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.

Messiah said these things…
Do you hear His voice?
Do you believe Him?

John 7:14, 27
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.“

Do you know Him?
1John 2:3-6
The Test of Knowing Him
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Why do I write these things?
I’ve learned that people love the promises and blessings in scripture.
I’ve also learned that people do not even know about the warnings in scripture.  Or if they do know about the warnings, they’ve been told they mean something other than what they say.
Or, that the warnings do not apply to them…

I have wiped my slate clean.
I have let go of the things I think I knew, and I study scripture without bias.
1Corinthians 3:18-19
¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so he may become wise.  ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God.

Messiah gives many harsh warnings, and the consequences of His warnings are horrific.
I write these articles and share them, hoping people will see the warnings in scripture and evaluate them.
Please study and pray about these things!!

Psalm 119:142
Your justice is righteousness forever,
and Your Torah is truth.

I have spent the last 18 months studying the warnings in scripture.
Many of these warnings are direct quotes of Messiah, or are the direct words of Yehova.
I find that very few people know or understand these warnings, including many in Torah community.
My goal for studying and sharing is that people can see what these scriptures say, and look into it more for themselves.

Since Torah is being returned to the people, I’ve been involved in many discussions about the mainstream church.
The compassion of man creates an idea that those in the mainstream churches who do not understand Torah are victims of false teachers.
Makes sense, right?
People have been taught lies, therefore, they believe and follow those lies. They are completely unaware and not at fault, right?
And since they are not at fault, they will not be held responsible for false teaching, correct?

From man’s perspective, this idea makes sense.
But what does scripture say about it?
What does Messiah say about it?
Did you know He addresses this problem, more than once?

Messiah Himself tells us what will become of false teachers AND their followers:
Matthew 15
13 But He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Both the teacher and the follower go into the pit.

Matthew 23:13
“But woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not enter yourselves, nor do you let those enter who are trying to go in.”
The false teachers will not enter heaven, and neither will the people they teach.

Matthew 7:21-23 is another direct quote of Messiah, that tells the fate of those who believe false teachers [even though the teachers are not mentioned in this quote].
²¹ “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!’

Messiahs says those who practice lawlessness will be rejected.
It does not say, “unless they were taught lies” or “unless they have a bad teacher”.
There are no exceptions given. Does this sound harsh?
Maybe…
But it is not for us to decide.
These are the words of Messiah.
Do you hear them?

We see this concept in another quote of Messiah, some of His final words to us:
Revelation 22:14-15
¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Those who do His commandments will be included.
Those who practice a lie will not be included.
Do you hear His voice?
Are you listening?
This quote of Messiah does not address where the lie came from.
Does it matter?
Do you think this is fair?
Do you think this is ok?
First of all, it is not up to us to decide these things.
Secondly, there are reasons for it.
Are you ready to look at more scripture, to understand why people might be condemned for following false teaching, when it seems it is not their fault?

So this is the question of the day.
Are people held accountable in scripture for following false doctrine or false teaching? It is the teacher’s fault, right?
The students are just victims, right?
In various places in scripture, we see that there is no excuse for believing and living false doctrine and false teaching. Let’s take a look.

If man is teaching lies that lead to the lake of fire, what can a congregant do to avoid this fate?
James tells us and it is quite simple.
James 1:5-8
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Wow, can it really be that easy?
We just pray for wisdom, and Yehova will give it to us?
If one has been taught falsely, it can be remedied through prayer. If they listen to the Spirit, then they will not fall prey to false teaching.

John 14:26
²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

1John 2:26-27
²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who try todeceive you. ²⁷ But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

It really is that easy.  But we must have faith in what He reveals.
If we do not believe what He reveals to us, then we will receive nothing from Him.

To further this idea, we are told that salvation comes through grace, which comes by faith.  And faith comes by hearing the word of Yeshua Messiah.
If we hear the word from Yeshua, and doubt or reject it, then we do not have faith in the word of Messiah.
—– and that is where grace and salvation come from, according to scripture!

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of Yehova. 
Where does this faith come from?
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Messiah.

These are some of the many words of Messiah:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.”

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

“Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”

Churches generally teach the opposite of what Messiah says.
People in the church believe Jesus did away with the law.
Are the people of the congregations listening to Messiah?
Nope.
Do they hear His voice?
Nope.
Are they His sheep?
Not according to what Messiah said.

If Messiah says one thing, and the church teaches the opposite, a choice has to be made by the people listening:
—The people can hear Messiah and know His voice and be His sheep.
—Or they can reject Messiah’s voice and believe the teachings of men.

If they stay in the church, and believe what is said, then who is at fault?
The teacher or the student?
Just the teacher, right?
Nope.
Both are at fault.
That is why Messiah says they both fall into the pit.
That is why Messiah says neither get to enter heaven.

Are we responsible for the truth?
No matter what church leaders teach, do the congregants have the truth available to them?
What if we have bibles available to us, but we don’t bother to study them?
What if we carry the truth under our arms in and out of churches for years or even decades, but do not study it for ourselves? [notice I said “study” not “read”]
What if the bible app on our phone just sits there, unused?
What if we relinquish the responsibility of studying the word to “religious experts” instead of studying it ourselves?
What if we go to a building each week and listen to some other guy tell me what scripture says and means?
All he may be capable of telling you is what other men told him in college.
What if we have the truth in the scriptures available to us, and we ignore it?
This is a problem.
This is happening.
Will Messiah give people a break for not knowing the truth, when it is all around them?
What if one day, on judgment day, a person takes a knee before Yeshua?  What if Yeshua Messiah asks them why they did not obey the truth?
Can they say, “I didn’t know the truth?”
Is that a valid excuse?
According to the very words of Messiah, it is not a valid excuse.
“I never knew you.  Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.”

We have access to the scriptures.
We have UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS.
The words of Messiah are right there before our eyes, for all to see.
What if we don’t study them?
Or what if we read them, but ignore what He is saying, in favor of the teachings of men?

Just how important is it to hear the words of Messiah?
As in, REALLY LISTEN TO HIM?
Here is what He says about it:
John 7:14, 27
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 
²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.“

These verses are short, but extremely important.
These verses are SIGNIFICANT.
Do you see what Messiah says?
His sheep hear His voice.
He knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him.

What if you are not His sheep?
“I never knew you.  Depart from Me you workers of lawlessness.”

 

OK, we’ve covered some difficult things.
But it gets even harder.
There is more:
Is there any chance that Yehova would intentionally withhold knowledge from people?
No, a loving God would not do that.
That could never happen.
What if I said it could happen?
What if I said it absolutely happens?
If I said that, would you believe it?
What if Messiah said it?
Would you believe it then?

Understanding of the truth is withheld from those with calloused hearts.
That is what Messiah says in Matthew 13:11-13, 15
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

If you want to understand this better, read all of Matthew 13.  Yeshua is explaining why He teaches in parables.
Messiah DOES NOT WANT some people to know the truth.
Does that shock you?
Do we serve an unloving God?
No, we do not.
This problem is the fault of people, not Messiah.
They have calloused hearts.
They do not love the words and the ways of Yehova!!
And what truth does He withhold from them?
The knowledge of the kingdom of heaven!!
This is important stuff!!

Obviously, I have to be wrong about this.
There is no way Messiah would prevent someone from learning how to get to heaven.
Check this out:
“Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”
This is also from Matthew 13, but it is a quote from Isaiah.
Do you realize this is earth-shattering?
Messiah is saying that He withholds the truth from those with calloused hearts. Why?
He does not want them to learn the secrets of the kingdom of heaven and end up being saved through knowledge.

People have to loveYehova.
People have to love the words and the ways of Yehova.

People who do not know the truth may love church.
People love their pastors.
People love their friends at church.
People love the idea of being a Christian, so long as they get to decide what they will or won’t do.
People love the potlucks.
People love the Christmas plays.
People love the youth trips.
I could go on and on.

But keep in mind, most of these people are REALLY NICE PEOPLE.
Most of these people are kind to others, and loving, and generous.
But why do they not understand the truth of the kingdom of heaven?
Because Messiah withholds it from them.
Intentionally.

People in church claim to love God and love Jesus, but when we show them the truth of scripture, most reject it and sometimes get mean about it.
Their true colors show.
I’ve seen some of the nicest church ladies get downright vicious in their rejection of the truth. If they were seeking the truth, then the truth would be music to their ears.  They would be drawn to it.
But they seem to hate it.
Why?
Because they do not love the words and the ways of the Father.

It does not matter how much someone says they love Jesus.
What matters is if they do love Messiah the way that He says to.
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
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.

I realize what I’m saying here is a tough pill to swallow!!
I get it.
But do not reject the truth, just because it does not sit well with you.

Do you want to know how to tell if someone loves Messiah?
We are told in scripture:
1John 2:3-6
The Test of Knowing Him
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

If someone says they love God, or they love Jesus, give them the test of 1John 2.
–Do they walk just as Messiah walked?
–Do they keep and honor Shabbat?
–Do they observe the appointed times, the biblical feasts?
–Do they wear tzitzits?
–Do they keep the commands?
If not, then they are liars and the truth is not in them.
Yes, that sounds harsh, but it is scripture and therefore it is truth.

So, if the truth is withheld from some, how can they possibly get it?
A loving God would surely provide a way, right?

2Corinthians Chapter 3 talks about what it takes to lift the veil of people who are blinded from the truth:
2Corinthians 3:14-16
14 But their minds were hardened. For up to this very day the same veil remains unlifted at the reading of the ancient covenant, since in Messiah it is passing away. 15 But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. 16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Those who have calloused hearts can change everything! They just have to turn to Yehova! They just have to humble themselves, and submit to the Father.
Many will say they are humble.
Many will say they have submitted to God.
But the evidence in their life will show if they have or not.

None of this is random.
Nobody is a victim of false teaching.
Scripture tells us this, and makes it quite clear, many times over.
People are victims of their own lack of love for the words and the ways of Yehova. They are a stiff-necked people, as it is put in the Old Testament writings.

I spent over thirty years in the mainstream church, not understanding the truth.
How did I come to understand the truth?
How was my veil lifted, so that I might understand Torah?
Extreme Crisis.

I found myself staring at my oldest son who was fifteen at the time.
Why was I staring at him in crisis?
Because he was in ICU on life support and his cat scan showed he was brain dead.
Homicide detectives officially declared his body a crime scene at 3am.
That is a tough crisis.
That is heartbreaking.
This will cause a grown man to crumble.
And I did crumble…

On this night, I got on my knees before my Creator.
For the first time in my life, I fully understood that He was the Creator of all that there is, and I was nothing.
I was the dirt of the earth, and worthless without Him.
I humbled myself before Yehova, and I turned my heart to Him.

I hope that others do not have to go through an extreme crisis in order to turn to Yehova.
But that is what Tribulation is for.
The world considers Armageddon the end of the world, the ultimate punishment.
It is not.
It is merciful.
Tribulation is how Yehova will “gift” people with crisis, so they might turn to Him.
Having our veils lifted, and being allowed to understand His truth is a gift far more valuable than anything else.
It is worth a bit of crisis.
Even Tribulation.

And by the way, Yehova gave my son his life back.
You can read more details here:
My Testimony

 

Deuteronomy 13
The Test of a False Prophet 
13 “Whatever I command you, you must take care to do—you are not to add to it or take away from it.
2 “Suppose a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises up among you and gives you a sign or wonder, 3 and the sign or wonder he spoke to you comes true, while saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods’—that you have not known, and—‘Let’s serve them!’ 4 You must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams—for Adonai your God is testing you, to find out whether you love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 5 Adonai your God you will follow and Him you will fear. His mitzvot you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve and to Him you will cling. 6 That prophet or dreamer of dreams must be put to death! For he has spoken falsehood against Adonai your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to entice you from the way Adonai your God commanded you to walk. So you will purge the evil from your midst.

The bible is filled with numerous promises and blessings.
They give us peace and a hope for the future.
Not just our future on this earth, but a hope for all eternity.

This is wonderful.
We need to remember this, though:
We cannot base our entire doctrine on just the promises in scripture.
Everybody loves the promises, but what about the warnings?

I propose this:
If we don’t know and understand the warnings in scripture, we run the risk of losing out on the promises.

Just as there are MANY promises in scripture, we need to realize there are also MANY warnings.
Here are just a few of the eye-opening, earth-shattering warnings:

Hebrews 10:26-31
²⁶ For if we keep on sinning willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but only a terrifying expectation of judgment and a fury of fire about to devour the enemies of God.  ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the Torah of Moses dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severe do you think the punishment will be for the one who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, and has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know the One who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “Adonai will judge His people.”  ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Do you understand the significance of this?
If we continue to sin willfully, Messiah’s sacrifice no longer covers us.
Don’t believe me?
Read it again.
That is what it says.
When’s the last time you were taught this in church?
Probably way back never.

What about this one:
John 3:36
He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Do you get it?
If the wrath of God remains on you, then you are not saved from your sins.  This is the same warning as Hebrews 10 above.
If you do not obey Messiah (by continuing to sin) then you will not be saved.
Messiah said this in Luke 6:46
“Why do you call Me ‘Master, Master’ and do not do what I say?”

So what is it that He said?
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
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.

Revelation 14:12, describing the saints, the elect, the saved:
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Who does the beast of Revelation try to destroy?
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 Jesus Christ.
Does it say he wants to destroy the mainstream church, the people who think the Law is done away with?
No, he seeks to destroy the remnant of the church, those who keep the commandments of God (Torah, the Law) and have the faith of Yeshua Messiah.

Do churches teach us to keep the commandments?
No, they teach us the law is done away with.
Obviously, Jesus means some other commandments, right?

Matthew 5
 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets!”

“Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif^[b] shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass.”

“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Still not sure?
Messiah really dials it in for us in Revelation 22:14, when He says who will 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.

Eternity in Heaven is in the City of New Jerusalem.  Read Revelation 21 for the details.
The only way to have eternal life is to have access to the tree of life.
The only way to be in Heaven is by entering into the city.
Revelation 22:14 tells us who will be able to do these things: Those who keep the commandments.  What commandments?  The commands of God. The Law. The Torah.

Another warning:
2Peter 3:14-17
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 wicked;

Mainstream Church Doctrine is based upon the [misunderstood] writings of Paul.
Peter warns us not to make this mistake.
If we make this mistake, it will lead to our destruction.

Another warning:
1John 2:3-6
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

If you say that you know Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus, Savior —- and do not keep the commandments, then you are a liar. You do not know Him.
Not my opinion…
It is simply what scripture says.
Do you believe it?

Another warning, a direct quote of Messiah:
Matthew 7:21-23
²¹ “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!’

Yeshua, Jesus, Messiah – tells people who thought they were serving Him that He never knew them. He sends them away and rejects them.  Why?
Because they were lawless.
They did not follow the Torah, the instructions of Jehovah.

Another warning:
Matthew 23:13
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

Again, a direct quote of Messiah.
He is scolding [rather harshly] the educated religious leaders of His day.  Why? They taught the traditions of men as though it were the word of God.  But they are wrong about that.
What is the result?
1.  They will not enter Heaven.
2.  Their followers will not enter Heaven.

We do not get a “pass” because of false teachers.
We are responsible for learning the word of Yehovah.
If we listen to and believe a teacher who gets it wrong, we suffer the same fate as the false teachers.
No excuses allowed.

Let’s stop for a second and think…
If I am right about these warnings, then that means the entire Mainstream Christian Industry has things wrong.
How could that be possible?
“Nope, it can’t be possible.  That is too much to accept.”

Final warning [not the last in scripture – there are many more – but the final warning in this mini-teaching]:

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?

While it seems preposterous that the entire Mainstream Church could be teaching a false message, scripture predicts it.
You can not only believe it, but you can bet on it, if you were a betting man…
Not only are lies taught, the consequences are devastating.
It results in men making up their own gods.
But they are not gods.
And if they are not gods, they cannot grant salvation.

Do you follow Yehovah in the bible?
Do you follow Messiah in the bible?
Or do you follow man’s made of versions of them?

Answer carefully.
Your eternity is at stake.

OK, you talked me into it.
One last warning.
This is the test of a false prophet:
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lordyour God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You shall walk after the Lordyour God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. ⁵ But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

If any teacher steers you away from the Law, the Torah, they are to be rejected as a false prophet.
Does this test in Deuteronomy remind you of any other tests in scripture?
Again, 1John 2:3-6
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Do you pass the test?

 

 

We’ve all heard about seeker-friendly churches.
The idea is to get people in the door by any ‘attractive’ means possible, in the hope they might learn something about scripture while there.  It also involves a simple, watered down message to prevent scaring people away.  On the surface, the idea sort of makes sense.  But is it scriptural? And does it result in good fruit?

Moving away from the mainstream church and into Torah observance, should the seeker-friendly concept be welcomed in Torah fellowship?
This is a big deal.
What I’m going to write is probably not going to be well received by most, even within the Torah community.
I propose that the idea of being seeker friendly actually equates to being tolerant of those in rebellion to the word of Yehovah.

The “Torah-portion” format tends to guarantee the content of any given teaching, so the issue is not about a watered down message.
In my experience, the seeker-friendly Torah fellowship is one that allows members to be in open rebellion to the Word.
They come.
They hear.
They eat pie.
And then they don’t do the things of Torah.

Should we allow anyone and everyone to be in fellowship?
Even if they don’t adopt the words and the ways of Yehovah?
We are not called to be a tolerant people.
We are called to be a set-apart people.

We are called to obey the instructions of our Creator.
ALL of His commands, not just the ones we like.
For example:
Deuteronomy 12:28
Take care and listen to all these words that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Yehovah your God.
Deuteronomy 6:25
It will be righteousness to us, if we take care to do all this commandment before Yehovah our God, just as He has commanded us.’
Deuteronomy 11:22
“For if you will diligently keep all this mitzvah [commandment] that I am commanding you to do—to love Yehovah your God, to walk in all His ways and to cling to Him…
Deuteronomy 5:29-30
“So you must take care to do as Yehovah your God
has commanded you—do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 30 You are to walk in all the way that Yehovah your God has commanded you, so that you may live and it may be well with you and you may prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

This is the simple truth of scripture, that we are to obey ALL that He commanded.
Are we instructed to water down the message so that those in open rebellion to Yehovah might be attracted?
Nope.
People who rebel against Yehovah have a very difficult time in scripture. We see it over and over again, if we are willing to study it.
Do we see these “Old Testament” stories as irrelevant and not applicable today?
Or do we see these stories as a warning to us, so we might avoid the pitfalls of their disobedience?
Does Yehovah take these things seriously?
What happened with Aharon’s sons when they brought strange fire before Yehovah at the Tabernacle?
They were consumed by fire.
What happened when the people made a golden calf?
The Levites were sent among the camp, to randomly slay anyone and everyone in their path with the sword.
What happened when Korah led a rebellion against Mosheh and Aharon?
He and his people were sucked into the earth. The people, having learned nothing, continued their rebellion the next day and Yehovah sent a plague among them.  14,700 people died in just moments…
What happened when a man knowingly and defiantly violated the Sabbath, intending to spite Yehovah?
He was stoned to death outside the camp.
What happened when the people were impatient and complained about manna?
Yehovah sent fiery serpents to bite and kill them.
I could go on and on and on.
There are many examples.
But here is the gist of it:
We are to hear His voice and follow Him.
We are to value His instructions for living.
We are to trust Him.
We are to follow Him wholly and completely.

Of the two or three million people in the Exodus from Egypt, only two male adults were allowed to see the promise.
Joshua representing the Hebrews, and Caleb representing the mixed multitude among them.
Why were they allowed into the promise land?
Because they followed Yehovah wholly and completely.

Numbers 32:11-12
¹¹ ‘The men who came out of Egypt, from 20 years old and upward, will not see the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they have not followed after Me with a whole heart— ¹² except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they were wholehearted after Yehovah.’

I study these stories and warnings in scripture.
I take them to heart.
Jeremiah 16:14-15 tell us there will be a second exodus.
 “Therefore, the days are quickly coming,” declares Yehovah, “when it will no longer be said. ‘As Yehovah lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.’ ¹⁵ Rather, ‘As Yehovah lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ So I will bring them back into their land that I gave to their fathers.

Are people talking about this second exodus, and not speaking of the exodus from Egypt?
Nope.
That means it has not yet happened, but it is going to happen.
For those involved in this second exodus, it is extremely important for them to know and understand what happened to the people of the first exodus.
If this second exodus happens during our lifetime…
You do not want to be the guy complaining about manna.
You do not want to be the guy growing impatient and longing for your previous life in Babylon.
You do not want to be the guy rebelling against Yehovah and his spokesman/leaders.

We have these stories for a reason. They are not just for our entertainment or casual reading. They are not for bible trivia contests. We need to know and understand them and this is why:
Ecclesiastes 1:9-11
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done will be done again.
There is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰ Is there anything about which is said,
“Look! This is new!”?
It was already here long ago,
    in the ages long before us.
¹¹ There is no remembrance for former things,
    and things yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

With this in mind, how does all of this relate to today’s Torah fellowships?
I have been involved in several Torah fellowships here locally.
Tracy and I left them because of an overwhelming presence of seeker-friendly-lukewarm behavior and attitudes.
The fellowships are full of really nice people.  But the majority are in open rebellion against Yehovah in numerous ways.
Not honoring and observing Shabbat.  Some due to having work schedules that include the Shabbat. Others who honor the Shabbat, unless they get tickets to the football game. Or if a new movie is released they have been waiting months to see. Or if a friend wants to go out to eat together.
The majority do not wear tzitzits, even though they have studied about them. Some just don’t feel like it. Some feel like they are too mature in Torah to need them. Others (including leaders) openly admitted they were angry with Yehovah and refuse to wear tzitzits in intentional rebellion.  Some said God told them not to wear tzitzits.  Even worse are the ones who wear tzitzits on Shabbat when they will be seen by men, but do not wear them during the week if you happen to run into them.

We experienced the seeker-friendly ideas in Torah fellowships.  People who have no love for the ways of Yehovah are allowed to be a part of the fellowship. I am not speaking of new people who are just learning Torah.  I am speaking of people who have been in Torah fellowships for years…
They are happy to join in the feast day celebrations and fun.
They are happy to join in the Shabbat fellowship and potluck dinner.
They are happy to listen to the studies, but choose not to do the things spoken of in Torah.
The majority of people we’ve met in Torah fellowships pick and choose what they are willing to do.  They are not willing to follow wholly and completely, like Joshua and Caleb.
Is it enough to attend fellowship, but not do the things they learn?
James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror— ²⁴ for once he looks at himself and goes away, he immediately forgets what sort of person he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect Torah, the Torah that gives freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts—he shall be blessed in what he does.
If we love our brother as ourselves, we should encourage them to be doers of the word, not just the hearing of it.
I’ve been accused of being unloving because I encourage others to do all of the things of Torah, just as Yehovah told us over and over again in Deuteronomy.
Do ALL that I have commanded you this day…
It is important to Yehovah, so it should be important to people who claim to follow Him.
But we often see this is not the case.
Do we adopt ‘seeker friendly’ behavior and pretend everyone is OK?
Do we pretend people are not in rebellion to the word?
Do we include them, hoping they will one day fully follow Yehovah?
What does scripture say about it?
That is where we should get our answer.

Numbers 15 tells us the recourse for those who commit sin by accident, without knowing.
But here is what happens to those who sin willingly:
Numbers 15:30-31
³⁰ “But the person who sins defiantly, whether native or outsider, reviles Yehovah and that person is to be cut off from his people. ³¹ Because he has despised the word of Yehovah and has broken His commandment, that person will certainly be cut off—his guilt will remain on him.”

Do you understand?
If we learn about honoring Shabbat, or if we learn about making and wearing tzitzits, what happens if we rebel against these commands and others by not doing them?
— That person reviles Yehovah
— That person is cut off from the people
— That person despises the word of Yehovah
— Again, cut off and his guilt remains upon him.

If we have people in Torah fellowships who don’t feel like doing the things of Torah, how should we respond?
Should we be seeker-friendly, keeping them in the fellowship because they are nice and we like them?
Not according to Numbers 15.
If they learn the ways of Torah, and are defiant, they are cut off.
This is not my opinion, but simply what Yehovah has commanded.

What happens if they do the stuff they like, but reject the things they dislike in Torah? Or only do the things they like when it is convenient for them?
It’s ok to follow Yehovah partially, right?
I refer you back to the Exodus story again.  Yehovah was not pleased with His chosen people because they did not follow him wholeheartedly, and they suffered for it.

Is there anything in the New Testament that mirrors this concept?
Surely, this has changed.
Surely, we can follow Yehovah as we please, right?

John 3:36
 He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Umm, that’s not good…

Hebrews 10:26-31
²⁶ For if we keep on sinning willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but only a terrifying expectation of judgment and a fury of fire about to devour the enemies of God.  ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the Torah of Moses dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severe do you think the punishment will be for the one who has trampled Yeshuah Messiah  underfoot, and has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know the One who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “Yehovah will judge His people.”  ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
uh-oh… Even worse!!

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’”
The words of Messiah.
The scariest four words in all of scripture: “I never knew you.”

Neither the New Testament nor the Old Testament supports a seeker-friendly approach to fellowship and congregation.
Being seeker friendly is a man-made concept.
Yehovah is not seeker friendly.
His inspired Word is not seeker-friendly.

People have two choices:
They can turn their hearts to Yehovah and submit to Him.
Or they can choose not to.
If they do, then their veil is removed and they are allowed to understand the truth of scripture:
2Corinthians 3:14-16
¹⁴ But their minds were hardened. For up to this very day the same veil remains unlifted at the reading of the ancient covenant, since in Messiah it is passing away. ¹⁵ But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. ¹⁶ But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Messiah says that knowledge of the truth is withheld from some people intentionally.  Why???  Does that make sense?
Matthew 13:11-17
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.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Some people profess a love for Yehovah and Yeshua Messiah, but their actions show us they are not submitted to Him.
Their disobedience shows us they do not value His Word.

Messiah told us this, three times:
John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.
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.

What if someone claims to love and follow Messiah, but does not do the things He says? Should we keep them in our fellowship?
Our culture says yes.
Our culture says to welcome them, love them, and maybe eventually they will finally commit to Yehovah.
This is a harsh truth, but it is the truth:
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.

Claiming to know and love Messiah does nothing for us.
Doing the things He asks of us is how He knows we love Him.
We can say whatever we want to say, but if we do not keep His commands, then the truth is not in us.

Luke 6:46-49
Why do you call Me ‘Master, Master’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you what he is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock. And when a flood came, the torrent burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.
⁴⁹ “But the one who hears yet does not do is like a man who built a house upon land without a foundation. When the torrent burst against it, immediately it collapsed—and the destruction of that house was great!”

Doing what Messiah says is our firm foundation.
Not doing as He says will result in our destruction.
Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

The things I’m showing here, using scripture as my source, are very hard things to absorb.
We’ve been taught something different our whole lives.
Even those who have left the mainstream churches and entered into “Torah-Observant” fellowship have a hard time wrapping their heads around this idea.

Those who know the word, but choose not to do it are to be cut off from the people.
Numbers 15 commands it. This is not my idea or my opinion.

Everyone is welcome in fellowship, right?
What does Messiah tell us about it?

Matthew 7:6-7
⁶ “Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise, they will trample them under their feet, then turn and rip you to shreds.
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.
What good is it to tell someone about the gospel message if they hate it?  Do not cast it before them, as we are told in verse 6.
Verse 7 explains a bit more…
If someone is asking, THEN it shall be given.
If someone is seeking, THEN they shall find.
If someone is knocking, THEN it will be opened.
What if someone is NOT asking, seeking, or knocking?
Do not cast your pearls before them…  
They don’t want them, and we are told not to give them…

How can we tell if someone is seeking?
They will hear the word and love it.
They will hear the word and do it.

What does Messiah tell us to do with people who hear the truth, but won’t accept it?
Matthew 10:11-15
¹¹ “Whatever town or village you shall enter, find out who in it is worthy and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you come into the house, greet it. ¹³ If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it’s not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, as you leave that house or that town, shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Amen, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.

This advice from Messiah does not say to seek out everyone in the town.  He says to find out who is worthy.
Whoever will not listen, shake the dust off and move on.
What if someone listens, but won’t do what they have learned?
Then they have not accepted it.
They do not love the words and the ways of Yehovah.
While these ideas do not match what is taught in our churches, it is the truth, straight out of the mouth of our Savior.
So what happens if someone joins your fellowship, but rejects the things they learn?
We keep them involved, for months and months, or even years and years, hoping they will one day truly submit to Yehovah and commit to His word, right?
Nope.
Numbers 15
They are cut off from the people…
Matthew 10
Shake the dust off and move on…

This is a harsh reality.
It is difficult to practice.
Why?
Because we make friends with people.
We spend time with them and enjoy their company and participation.
But if they don’t adopt the truth, we are told in scripture what to do.
It is not easy.
It is extremely hard, and people will not understand you.
They will question your motivation.
They will question your character.
They will question whether or not you have any love for others.
But it is love to share the truth of scripture with people.
It is love to be honest with them, even when it is hard.

It takes some time to learn Torah.
If someone is new to Torah, we are given this instruction:
Acts 15:19-21
¹⁹ Therefore, I judge not to trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God— ²⁰ but to write to them to abstain from the contamination of idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what is strangled, and from blood.  ²¹ For Moses from ancient generations has had in every city those who proclaim him, since he is read in all the synagogues every Shabbat.”

If someone is new, we are told to require four things of them.
The rest they will learn weekly by hearing the words of Moses.
We should welcome those who want to learn.  We should teach them and help them and encourage them.
But if they learn the things of Yehovah and they choose not to do them, then what?
Numbers 15. Cut off.
Because he has despised the word of Yehovah and has broken His commandment, that person will certainly be cut off—his guilt will remain on him.

I do not share all of this to be harsh.
I do not share it to exclude people.
I share this because it is the truth of scripture.
We are to love our brother as ourself.
Do we accomplish this by pretending they are OK with Yehovah in their disobedience and rebellion?

I can promise you (from personal experience), most people will not like it if you encourage them to follow Yehovah wholly and completely.
Most people like to follow Him partially.  Most people will do the things in scripture that are pleasing to them, but will not do the things they despise in the word.

What did the people of the Exodus want to do to Joshua and Caleb?
They wanted to kill them.
Numbers 14:10
 But the whole assembly talked about violently stoning them.

That’s not good, is it?
But will you choose to please men, or will you please Yehovah?
I will fear and follow Yehovah.
I will love my brother by telling him the truth.
Seeker-friendly behavior will send people to their destruction, both in mainstream churches and in Torah fellowships.

Revelation 3:15-16
¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Oh, that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of My mouth.