I’m currently doing a study about Heaven and Hell.
We’ve known forever that ‘the saved’ will have eternity in Heaven and ‘the unsaved’ will have eternity in Hell.
Anyone who has ever been to a funeral knows that ALL dead people “are in a better place now” and are “smiling down on us from above.”

There is a great deal of cultural and churchianity knowledge regarding Heaven and Hell.

However, I’m more interested in what scripture says about it than what the church has to say about it.
Can you even believe it?
Accepted mainstream teachings and church culture are vastly different from what scripture says.
Didn’t see that coming, did you?
LOL

It will take a bit of time for me to finish my study and to write a narrative on the topic.  In the meantime, I challenge you to do this:
Look up all the occurrences of the word “Hell” in the bible. Go to Blue Letter Bible and see what the REAL words were.
You’ll find that four different places in scripture are all generically translated as Hell>
1. Hades

2. Sheol

3. Gehenna

4. Tartarus


Each place has its own purpose.  When all four are translated into one generic “Hell,” things get confusing.
Let’s sort it out and set things straight, eh??

Truth coming soon…
Stay tuned.

Thanks for the image 119 Ministries…
I’ve included this scripture in some of my teachings as well.

(This post is meant to be encouraging, not legalistic)

If you are negligent in wearing tzitzits and honoring the Sabbath, will YHVH trust you with the ‘weightier matters’ mentioned in Matthew 23?
Weightier matters are important, but be committed to the smaller things first…

Luke 16:10
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
Matthew 13:12
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.
Matthew 25:29
‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

“…without leaving the others undone.”

We are told this in both the Old Testament and the New Testament:
“Love your neighbor as yourself”

I no longer believe in the political system, but I do believe in being kind to others, no matter how they voted.

Consider this…
What if I burst into a church congregation on a Sunday morning and excitedly interrupted their service to exclaim that Jesus was in the parking lot?  What if I insisted the Second Coming was happening RIGHT NOW and for them to come outside and see?
What if the congregants and church leaders poured out into the parking lot to see a man dressed in a clown suit that says Jesus on the back? What if he were making balloon animals and doing silly magic tricks while playing a kazoo?
The people obviously would become irritated. They would quickly recognize that ‘my Jesus’ in the parking lot is not the Jesus of scripture. They would know he was a fraud.

So I ask you this very pointed question:
Do you know Jesus of the scriptures?
Do you know Him well?
Or do you just know what someone else has told you about Him?
Do you know Him?
Do you REALLY know Him?

Why do I ask these questions?
I will give you advance warning. This is my most difficult, and probably, my most “offensive” blog post to date.
You’d better get strapped in. Put on your seatbelts.
This post is going to ask some difficult questions.

I ask you (especially if this post offends you) to look at scripture and believe it. If scripture describes and teaches a different Jesus than you’ve been taught, are you willing to sort out the differences? 
What if you find out you’ve been taught a fraudulent Jesus?
Maybe not as obvious as a clown-suit Jesus doing magic tricks, but fraudulent all the same?
Fair warning — that is what we are going to explore today.

Before we dig into scripture, let’s take a quick look at Mainstream Jesus and our Messiah in scripture:

Mainstream Jesus was born on December 25^th.
Scripture Jesus was born during the Fall feasts, YHVH’s (God’s) Appointed Times.

Mainstream Jesus’ name is Jesus.
Scripture Jesus’ name is Yeshua (salvation in Hebrew).

Mainstream Jesus came to save ‘the lost’.
Scripture Yeshua came only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

Mainstream Jesus violated the Sabbath, as accused by the Pharisees.
Scripture Yeshua kept the Sabbath perfectly.

Mainstream Jesus taught two new, generic commandments.
Scripture Yeshua taught His Father’s commandments.

Mainstream Jesus died on Good Friday.
Scripture Yeshua died on Passover (14th of Aviv).

Mainstream Jesus was placed in the tomb Friday night.
Scripture Yeshua was placed in the tomb at the feast of Unleavened Bread.

Mainstream Jesus resurrected Easter Sunday at sunrise.
Scripture Yeshua resurrected at feast of First Fruits before sunrise.

Mainstream Jesus was in the grave two nights and one day.
Scripture Yeshua was in the grave three nights and three days, just as He foretold.

Mainstream Jesus nailed “the law” to the cross.
Scripture Yeshua nailed our sin to the cross.

Mainstream Jesus fulfilled the law so we don’t have to.
Scripture Yeshua fulfilled the law as our example to follow.

Mainstream Jesus replaced Israel with ‘the church’.
Scripture Yeshua replaced nothing, but will restore Israel.

Mainstream Jesus taught against the Law of Moses.
Scripture Yeshua taught the Law of Moses is about Himself and that we are to follow it.

Mainstream Jesus opposes laws in the Torah.
Scripture Yeshua opposed man-made laws in the Talmud (Pharisees false doctrine).

Mainstream Jesus chose Gentiles and rejected Israel.
Scripture Yeshua grafted Gentiles into Israel which He will fully restore.

Sunday is the Lord’s day.
Yeshua is Lord of the Sabbath.

No one knows when Mainstream Jesus will return, but he’ll come like a thief in the night.
Yeshua of scripture will return at the appointed time, and we’ll know the season.

Mainstream Jesus says Peter is the foundation of the church.
Yeshua of scripture says Peter’s confession is the foundation of faith.

Mainstream Jesus wants you to say a “Sinner’s Prayer.”
Scripture Yeshua wants you to be His disciple, doing the things He did.

Mainstream Jesus wants you to live a good life.
Scripture Yeshua wants you to live a Holy (set apart) life.

We haven’t even listed any scripture yet, and I bet you already have questions swirling in your mind.
I have contrasted popular teaching vs. what scripture actually says about Yeshua (Jesus).

Here is my most important question, though:
If you are taught and believe in a false Jesus, while the ‘authentic’ Yeshua (Jesus) of scripture is plain as day on the pages of our bibles, how will it pan out if you don’t REALLY know Him?
My mind immediately goes to this passage in scripture, the very words of scriptural Yeshua:

Matthew 7:21-23 (words of Yeshua)
“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 of scripture states there will be people who call on His name and claim to have served Him, and He will not know them.
What is the qualifier here?
“Those who do the will of the Father” (Torah)
What is the disqualifier?
“you who practice lawlessness”

Whoa, Mainstream Jesus tells us not to follow Torah instruction (the law) because he fulfilled it.
Scripture Yeshua tells us to depart if we practice lawlessness.

Even more disturbing, we have scripture like this:
Romans 10:13
“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Why do I find this disturbing instead of encouraging, at least in the context of this discussion?
Romans 10:13 presents a huge problem.  How can Yeshua/Jesus Himself say “I never knew you” to people who are calling on His name? Especially if Romans 10:13 promises salvation for those who call on His name?
Have we discovered a contradiction in scripture?
No, we have not.
The warning given in Matthew 7 is to the people calling on the name of “Fake-Jesus” or “Lord”, and have put their faith, belief, and trust in the parking lot version of Jesus (or whatever Jesus, but NOT scriptural Yeshua).

STOP!! Think about that for one second…
What if you believe in a fake Jesus?

Am I trying to make something up that just isn’t there?  Am I stretching scripture to fit into a preconceived idea that I came up with?
Here are more words from scripture Yeshua:
Revelation 22:14-15 (words of Yeshua)
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.

Again, scriptural Yeshua says we are to follow His commandments (Mainstream Jesus says not to). And He says those who “love and practice a lie” will not be allowed into the Kingdom.
What if believing in a fraudulent Jesus, an “idea of Jesus” not supported by scripture, is considered to be “loving and practicing a lie”?
As awful as the answer is, Yeshua says you are not coming into New Jerusalem (described in Revelation chapter 21), and says you will not have the right to the tree of life.

Yes, I realize I just illustrated a concept that is a complete disaster for most Christians, and for most Mainstream churches. If what I am evaluating is true, this is the most tragic thing I can think of, throughout all of humanity, throughout all of time.

And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Do you see the significance of what I’m saying here?
I am speaking of something horrible and tragic, on an epic scale.
This idea or concept comes from scripture, not from the recesses of my mind. How can I say that with confidence?
This lesson has already been taught. I am not the first to consider this scenario.
And guess who taught it?
Yeshua did, believe it or not:

John 5:43-47 (words of Yeshua)
I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ 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?”

Did that make sense to you? If not, read it again.
Yeshua of scripture is speaking of the exact same lesson I’m giving here…
He is speaking about people not recognizing His true, authentic self in scripture.
Before you decide to burn me at the stake for saying these things, please consider that the real Yeshua (Jesus) of scripture said the very same thing that I am saying. This is not a new, modern problem.

Yeshua gives many warnings in scripture. It is my opinion that we should evaluate them and understand them.
If our Messiah, our Savior, gives warnings about not being included in His Kingdom, we MUST understand these warnings.
We MUST understand who they apply to, and what the consequences are. And we MUST share our findings with others, to give them warning.
I am sounding the alarm.
Will you heed the alarm and flee to safety, by studying ALL scripture and learning who your Messiah really is?
Or will you remain where you are and stick with the majority?

Matthew 7:13-14 (words of Yeshua)
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
I’m not sure about you, but the majority is not very appealing, if we take Yeshua’s (Jesus’) words to heart…

Here is a final comparison of ‘commonly taught Jesus’ vs. Yeshua in scripture:

Mainstream Jesus tells us about His blessings and about the good news of the gospel.
Scripture Yeshua teaches us about His blessings and about the good news of the gospel; and He called the Pharisees vipers for teaching false doctrine; and he overturned the tables in the Temple and physically whipped the Pharisees; and He told us to follow Torah instructions; and he gave many severe, harsh warnings, expecting us to take heed; and He tells us His message is the Father’s message, one that we have heard since the beginning.

Which Jesus have you been taught?
Which one do you know?
Which one do you love?

John 10:26-28 (words of Yeshua)
But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 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 His voice?
Do you hear His voice?

1Peter 2:25
For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

John 8:47 (words of Yeshua)
^“He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

John 8:51 (words of Yeshua)
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

Let’s end this by evaluating if you know “Mainstream Jesus”, or if you know Yeshua of scripture.  Here are many things that Yeshua of scripture said.  Do you know His voice?

Matthew 19:16-22 (words of Yeshua)
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
¹⁶ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” ¹⁷ So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” ²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
[In this story, a young man asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Did you catch how Jesus answered His question?
“But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
What do you think? Should we listen to Jesus?
Should we obey the commandments?
I say yes, we should.]

Matthew 23:1-3 (words of Yeshua)
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 
[Matthew 23 is one of the harshest chapters in the whole bible. It consists of Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for turning away from the word of God and burdening the people with their own traditions.
But He begins by telling the people to “observe and do” what the Pharisees teach from Moses’ seat.  Through research, we learn that teaching from the seat of Moses consisted of reading from the Torah scroll word for word.  Jesus is telling the people to observe and do the law given in Torah, but then He goes on to tell them not to do what the Pharisees teach and do of their own accord.
Yes, Jesus just told the people of His time, and every person to read this afterwards to follow Torah.]

John 14:15 (words of Yeshua)
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
[This one is short and sweet. Jesus tells us to keep His commandments, as that shows our love for Him.]

John 14:21 (words of Yeshua)
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”
[Just a few verses later, we get a very similar statement.  It must be important for Jesus to tell us this twice, in rapid succession.  Maybe we should do it?  I vote yes.]

John 5:45-47 (words of Yeshua)
 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?”
[Again, Jesus tells us that the words of Moses’ are valid. Jesus goes so far to ask why would we believe Him if we don’t believe the words of Moses?
If Jesus thinks this is important, then maybe WE should think this is important.  Have you read the words of Moses, with the idea that they are valid, as Jesus indicates multiple times?]

Matthew 28:16-20 (words of Yeshua)
The Great Commission
¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
[Ahhh, yes, the Great Commission…
Everybody knows this one, right?  Can you quote it word for word?
Don’t forget verse 20:  “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
Refer to Matthew  23:2-3
Yes, Jesus just told us to teach our disciples to follow the law.]

Luke 16:19-31 (words of Yeshua)
The Rich Man and Lazarus
¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ ²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
[Did you catch that in verse 31? In this story, Jesus tells us we need to listen to Moses and the prophets.  What did they teach us?]

Matthew 5:17-19 (words of Yeshua)
¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
[These verses are Jesus’ preface to the Sermon on the Mount, where He directs people to follow Torah law instead of the man-made doctrine that the Pharisees teach.
Did you catch that in verse 18?
Not one pen stroke of the law will pass until heaven and earth have passed away. That hasn’t happened yet, but it will happen…
Did you catch that in verse 19?
If you break the least of one of these commandments, and teach to break – will be considered the least.
If you do and teach to do the commandments of the Torah law, you will be considered the greatest.
Straight from the mouth of Jesus.
Do you want to be considered great or least by Jesus?]

Revelation 14:12 (revelation of Yeshua)
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
[Church doctrine has made a mess of things, going back many centuries and many generations.  Thankfully, Yeshua gave us some instructions for the future, just in case we get confused along the way.
In Rev 14:12, Yeshua tells us who the saints are…
Did you catch that? He gave us two criteria.
1.  Keep the commandments of God
2.  Have faith of Jesus
Whoa…
Churches do a great job of teaching #2.  But what about #1??
They teach the exact opposite!!
What warning does Yeshua give us in Revelation about not following what He says in the book of Revelation?
Revelation 22:19 (revelation of Yeshua)
^“ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
Do you want to be removed from the Book of Life?  Do you want to be excluded from the city of New Jerusalem?
You might want to start working on #1 above, as Jesus tells us it takes two criteria to be a saint.]

Revelation 12:17 (revelation of Yeshua)
 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.
[In this passage, Jesus tells us about the remnant of the church in end times.  It is this remnant that Satan will attempt to destroy.  How is the remnant described?
1.  Keep the commandments of God
2.  Have the testimony of Jesus
This is the second time Jesus has made this point. Should we listen?
What was the punishment for removing words from the book of Revelation?
Should we teach and do both #1 and #2?
I think yes.]

Revelation 22:12-15 (words of Yeshua)
Jesus Testifies to the Churches
¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”  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.[Again, a third time, when Jesus testifies to the churches, He tells us to do His commandments.  Three times, in one book.  Maybe we should listen to Him. Do you want to have the right to the tree of life?  You had better not be loving and practicing a lie.
Is it a lie to teach and practice to NOT follow the commandments of God?
According to Yeshua, yes, it is.
What do you practice?]

Matthew 7:13-14 (words of Yeshua)
The Narrow Way
¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
[Mainstream Doctrine teaches us that everyone who believes in Jesus will go to Heaven.  While there are scriptures that seem to indicate this is true, they have to be isolated from all other scripture in order to create this doctrine.  Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 inform us that few will find the narrow path. Yes, Jesus really said this.]

Matthew 7:21-23 (words of Yeshua)
I Never Knew You
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!’
[Just a few verses later, Jesus tells us this bit of scary scripture.  While all scripture is important, I think we should pay very close attention to the words of Jesus, especially when He is providing a warning.  In this passage, Jesus tells us only those who do the will of His Father in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven.  What is the will of the Father?  He gave it to us in Torah instruction, even writing some of it in stone tablets with His own finger. Yes, I’m talking about ‘the law’.
Many claim to have done good works in the name of Jesus, but how does He respond?
“I never knew you.”
“Depart from me,”
“you who practice lawlessness.”
Whoa… That is harsh.
Jesus does not say depart from me you who follow the law.
He sends away those who do not follow the law.
We are not taught this in church.
But, yes, Jesus really said that.]

Luke 13:24-30 (words of Yeshua)
And He said to them, ²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ ²⁶ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ ²⁸ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. ²⁹ They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.³⁰ And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
[Again, will He know you?  Do you know Him?]

Matthew 8:11-12 (words of Yeshua)
And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.¹² But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
[Do you know Him? Do you hear and follow His words?  Will you join Him in the Kingdom for doing so?
Or will you be cast into outer darkness?]

Matthew 13:41-43 (words of Yeshua)
⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
[Do you practice lawlessness? Do you love and practice a lie? Do you have ears to hear? Do you hear His voice? Do you know the things He said? Do you follow the things He said.  Do you heed His warnings?]

Matthew 24:11-12 (words of Yeshua)
¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

In case you missed it, these are the words of your Messiah.
Direct quotes of Yeshua.
Do you know His voice?  Will you obey what He says?

You may be thinking this is not what you have been taught.  I also was not taught these things…
But we can clearly see what is important to Jesus.
Will you follow Him?
Or will you reject His words and continue to believe the mainstream church message?
If you are wondering how the church has gotten this wrong, check out 2 Peter 3:14-18.
We are warned against what the mainstream church teaches.
Be Steadfast
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; 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 are also warned by Paul of such things…
2 Corinthians 11:1-4 tells us this:
Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. ² For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul fears that “you may well put up” with someone teaching a fraudulent Jesus.
Don’t do it. Don’t put up with it. Check against scripture and find out if the true Yeshua, Messiah of scripture is being shown to you.

If this post has made you angry, that might be a good thing.
Use that anger to fuel your efforts to study scripture for yourself, to find out who your Messiah is.
Please keep in mind that I share scripture out of love for others.
I was taught ideas contrary to what scripture says for over three decades.  I now share what I learn in scripture, not to say “you are wrong,” but to ask you to study other scriptures you may not know about and get the WHOLE picture. Based on the things that Yeshua said, this could be is very important for you.

As I like to say, “Don’t believe a word I say.”
Instead, believe what scripture tells you.
And the best way to go about it?
James 1:5-8
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.

 

The 21^st Century is a free refill society.
When I was a kid, a Coke at McDonald’s was 8 ounces.  I remember when they had a large 12 ounce drink available as well. Getting a refill was unheard of…
Today?  We get a 32 ounce (or bigger) cup, and we can refill it as many times as we like.  In fact, they moved the drink machines out to the café to make it self-serve. (Except we don’t eat fast food, except in dire emergency, and even then, I’d consider eating my arm raw first).

Red Robin is more than happy to serve us as many fries as we can possibly eat.
The Olive Garden will give us a bottomless pasta bowl for $10.
I could go on and on…

Free refills are so ingrained into our society that it has become an expectation, an entitlement.
How do you feel about a place that wants you to pay for a drink refill? It is irritating, right? That is how we’ve been conditioned.

Unfortunately, the free refill concept has spilled into our church culture.
Yes, I’d like more please… Keep it coming. Don’t stop.

We are taught that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins.  It is called grace. Sounds good to me. I’m on board with this concept. It is scriptural.

But what comes next?  I’ve heard it taught many times that grace continues, no matter how many times we sin.  I’ve heard many people say, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.”  And based on this statement, they continue to sin willfully, knowing that grace will cover their transgressions. This evolves into an idea of “Why even try?” I’m just a sinner.

I typically describe this idea as “Hyper-grace.”
Unending grace.
Infinite grace.
Grace with free refills.
And who is behind the counter, serving up the free refills?
That would be Hippie Jesus, of course. You know him, right?
“Thumbs up, wink-wink” Jesus.

As you have come to expect from my blog, I’d like to move away from popular opinion and see what scripture has to say on the matter.
I love saying this:
We are accountable to the word of God, not to the thoughts of educated religious leaders.
So let’s bust out some grace scripture and see what the bible REALLY says.

Acts 15:11
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

Acts 20:32
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Romans 3:24
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 5:2
…through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 11:16
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

1Corinthians 1:4
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,

1Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His gracetoward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

2Corinthians 12L
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Galatians 2:21
I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 2:5
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

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

Ephesians 4:7
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

1Timothy 1:14
And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

2Timothy 1:9
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

Titus 2:11
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,

Titus 3:7
that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

James 4:6
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Revelation 22:21
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

1John 1:8-9
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

OK, I have shared a large sampling of ‘grace’ from the New Testament. We could study this out in more detail, but suffice to say, we hear much about grace in scripture.
Grace is a wonderful thing.
Grace is clearly a gift, so that no man should boast.

Abundant grace.
Forever and ever, amen.
Enough for free refills for all of humanity?
End of story, right?
Well, not exactly.
There happens to be more.

When we are sinners, we come to the foot of the cross, seeking Yeshua our Messiah (Jesus).
We confess our sins, and seek forgiveness from our Savior.
This is when grace is bestowed upon us.  The wages of sin are death, but Yeshua paid that price, and He washes us with His own blood, making us righteous as He is righteous.

2Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

But what happens after that?
We continue to sin, and we continue to receive grace in abundance?

This is where the message gets murky.
Scripture says we are to repent.  There is a big difference between confession and repentance.
From Mr. Webster:
Confess ~
1:  to tell or make known (as something wrong or damaging to oneself) :  admit <he confessed his guilt>
2:  to acknowledge (sin) to God
—-intransitive verb
1a :  to disclose one’s faults; specifically :  to unburden one’s sins or the state of one’s conscience to God

Repent ~
1:  to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life
2a :  to feel regret or contrition b :  to change one’s mind

Do you see the difference?
One is to admit or acknowledge.  The other is to change, to amend one’s life.

When we confess and admit sin (and in so doing, admit our need for a Savior), Yeshua shows us mercy and pays our wages of sin, granting us salvation through grace.
We are then expected (scripturally) to repent ~ to amend our life.

Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 

Paul tells us we should not continue to sin.  Paul tells us that if we died to sin, then how can we continue to live in sin?

In John 5:14, Jesus says the following to a man He had healed and forgiven:
“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Did you catch that?
“Sin no more.” 

In John 8:11-12, Jesus says this to the adulteress:
“And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” ¹² Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Did you catch that?
“Go and sin no more.”
“Shall not walk in darkness.”

It is clear that Jesus expects us to no longer sin, after He has forgiven us.

But what if, after being forgiven, we deliberately choose to continue in sin?
This is where the “free refill” myth goes down in flames…

Hebrews 10:26-31
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.

Did you catch that?
“If we sin willfully”
“there no longer remains a sacrifice”
What does remain for those who sin willfully?
“certain fearful expectation of judgement”
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

There is no grace for willful sin.
Deliberate sin.
“I-don’t-care-I’m-doing-it-anyway” sin.
“And-I’ll-keep-doing-it” sin.

Which of these scenarios describe you?
#1 — I confessed my sins, and accepted Yeshua as my Savior.  I repented of my sins (turned away from, amended my life) and do not do those things anymore.  I walk as Yeshua walked. I follow and obey the commandments out of love for Yeshua. I sometimes mess up, and I again confess, repent, and receive grace.

#2 — I confessed my sins, and accepted Yeshua as my Savior. I thought about repenting and following the commandments, but I kind of like some of those things I’ve always done. But that’s ok, because I’m saved by grace, and Jesus loves me. There is no way Jesus will hold me accountable for my continuing actions, because I have grace.

If #2 describes you more than #1, you might want to review the following verses:

1John 3:4-6
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.⁵ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6:15-16
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (keep in mind, this statement is made to people who have already accepted Messiah as Savior – this is not referring to the unbelievers).

1John 3:9
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

1Corinthians 6:18-20
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Matthew 7:21-23 (words of Jesus)
“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!’

1Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Let’s wrap this up.
Here is how I see scripture playing out, after we are ‘saved’.

Go and sin no more.  Follow the commandments.  Mess up, receive grace.

Based on the scriptures we’ve reviewed, do you believe the following idea to be valid, and how you should conduct your life?
Rest in abundant grace, making little effort to follow the commands of YHVH (God). We KNOW we WILL mess up, but it’s ok because grace will cover my sin. Why bother trying that much?

IF yes, please go back to the top and start over…

Most people do not follow YHVH’s (God’s) commands given in the Torah.
Does it really matter?

We know from scripture that we have salvation by faith.
But we also know from scripture that if we truly love YHVH (God) and Yeshua (Jesus), then we will keep the commandments:

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

What happens if we don’t show our love by keeping the commandments?
These are the words of Yeshua (Jesus).
Brace yourself…

Matthew 7:21-24
“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!’

Not keeping the commandments is lawlessness.
1John 3:4
Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Jesus says to depart if you practice lawlessness, and that He never knew you.
Yeshua (Jesus) says that if we love Him we will keep His commandments.
If we say we love Him but do not keep the commandments, then we are practicing a lie.

1John 2:3-4
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.

Revelation 22:14-15 tells us this about who gets in and who doesn’t:
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 keeping commandments out of love are in.
Those who “practice a lie” are outside and not going in.

This may seem a little confusing.
Salvation is by faith only.
But the words of Yeshua (Jesus) indicate that action on our part is also required.
Yes, action is required, but it is a follow up, coming after salvation by faith.
So, no, scripture does not contradict itself.
It is true that we receive salvation by faith.
It is also true that Yeshua (Jesus) tells us and expects us to do something as a result of our faith and salvation.

We are taught that we can do nothing to earn salvation (correct teaching), and that we should do nothing (incorrect teaching).

I wish Yeshua (Jesus) would just come right out and tell us what we should do and be…
Oh, he did tell us?
Where?
Check out Revelation 14:12, where Yeshua (Jesus) tells us who the saints are (saints, Christians, believers, followers, disciples).
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

How do I know Yeshua (Jesus) thinks this is true?
They are His words:
Revelation 1:1
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…”

With this in mind…
Should we eat pork? Shell fish?
Should we honor the Sabbath?
Should we celebrate YHVH’s feast days instead of pagan holidays?
Should we steal?
Should we lie?
Should we commit adultery?
Should we honor our mother and father?
Should we have no other gods before YHVH?
Should we wear tzitzits? (tassels)
And on and on and on…

Are we perfect? No, which is why we have grace. Grace covers us for when we are trying to follow His commands, but fail.
Does grace allow us to ignore the commands and do whatever we want, whenever we want, without repercussion?

Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Is there any scripture that is absolutely clear on this concept?
Are we told, plain as day, that grace will not cover intentional, continued sin?
Yes, there is…

Hebrews 10
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?

If we continue in sin willfully, “there no longer remains a sacrifice.”

What does remain?
“certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

Who wants some of that?
Not me.

 

 

OK, so let’s dig into some scripture that reveals truth about the character of YHVH (God). You’ll notice, though, that this concept is not typically taught in church.  I’ve approached a number of pastors with this understanding of scripture.  A couple told me I was probably correct, but they are not allowed to teach this idea because their governing denominational leadership will not allow it. Most just tell me (in a nice way) that I’m a nut job…  LOL
If believing what scripture says makes me a nut job, well, ok then.  I’ll be a nut job.

First things first.  How did I come to understand and believe an idea that is not taught in church?
When I was younger, I realized through various sermons that YHVH (God of the Old Testament-as often portrayed) did some things that were harsh.  Downright devastating sometimes…
One of the biggest things that comes to mind is Noah’s flood.  We are taught this story as young children.  There are cute pictures of Noah and his ark, with animals coming two by two.

As children, we are taught a very cute version of the story.
But look at the details…
It is horrifying!!
Every living being on the earth, save eight people and a boat full of animals, are killed in a violent scary manner.

We are taught that God chose to do this because mankind was evil and committed many sins.
So what??
Mankind has committed many sins today, yesterday, a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago.  What makes the Flood different?  We are taught that God ‘felt bad about it’ and promised not to do it again, providing a rainbow as evidence of this promise. We come away with an idea that God did something incredibly harsh, and then felt bad about it, as if it were a mistake.

Skip forward to the Exodus story.  The nation of Israel is told to enter the promise land and kill every living being, women, children, and livestock included.  Really???  Mass genocide again??  Why would God do something so horrible to so many people, just to show favor to His chosen people?
This isn’t fair, is it?
While His chosen people are rewarded, His unchosen people are slaughtered, even the babies.  What kind of God would not only allow this to occur, but command His followers to commit such atrocities?
We could dig deeper into scripture and see other circumstances similar to these, where YHVH responded with harsh consequences.
Check out Numbers 31-35
³¹ Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. ³³ So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴ Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!” ³⁵ And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.

In the story of Korah, we see that their entire households were swallowed into the earth. Their wives, their children… Everything they owned, and everything associated with them.

We also see in ‘the law’ that some offenses are punishable by death.  Upon the testimony of two or three witnesses, the offenders are stoned to death.  Sounds awful, right?

From start to finish, we see actions taken by God that seem very harsh, without mercy. Does that mean the God of the Old Testament has character issues?

I asked these types of questions when I was young.  My pastors were unable to answer them.  I was told we don’t understand God.  I was told we have to give God the benefit of the doubt. While I thought it was odd that ‘the experts’ could not answer my questions, I chose to continue on.  I did not give up my faith over some unanswered questions.

When my oldest son was about 13 or so, he started asking the same questions.  He was not willing to follow a God that killed women and children.  I went to church leadership again, asking the same questions again, and got the same non-answers yet again.  Except this time, my son’s faith was hanging in the balance.  While I continued to go on in my faith, my son was ready to abandon his faith.
When my pastors could not answer these questions, and didn’t seem to care much about it, I started posing the questions to other pastors outside my church.  Again, no answers.
Really?  The entire “Professional God Industry” can’t answer these questions?  The same questions that have probably been asked for centuries, throughout many generations of Christians?
Nope.
Nobody could answer the questions…

As a father of a child who would abandon his faith, I was extremely concerned.  I didn’t want answers, I needed answers.
Around that time, I was reading through the book of James and found this interesting bit of scripture:
James 1:5-8
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.

I had stumbled across a promise by YHVH (God), saying He would give me His understanding.  All I had to do was pray and ask, and then believe what He reveals.
Could it really be this simple?
I needed answers for my son, so I decided to try this.  I prayed for YHVH’s (God’s) wisdom and understanding regarding the “God of Genocide” accusations that my son had leveled against YHVH (God).
I then went to scripture and read the stories again.
And I understood.
I saw clues in scripture that I had never noticed in the past.
It all clicked. It all made sense.
It wasn’t due to my efforts. I didn’t read, take notes, analyze and evaluate, connect the dots, etc.
It was not of my own doing.
I simply prayed, read, and understood.
YHVH (God) gave me His understanding, just as promised.

But wait a minute…

What I understood to be true was a foreign concept. I had never heard this idea.  Not one preacher had ever spoken of this in nearly thirty years of church attendance.  When I asked my questions, not one preacher had ever answered with these ideas.
So now what? 
Can I really proceed with an idea that millions upon millions of Christians and Pastors throughout thousands of years had never known or taught?
Well, let’s take another look at verse 6-8 in James…
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, YHVH (God) tells us, along with His promise, to NOT doubt.
If I ask and He answers, and I reject it???
Whoa…
I didn’t want to reject the very thing I had asked for. Even if what YHVH (God) revealed was bizarre and not a common teaching.

Let’s begin exploring this idea in Genesis 3.
After Adam and Eve were deceived and had fallen, YHVH (God) spells out some consequences.
In Genesis 3:14-15, we see the consequences communicated to the serpent:

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

In Genesis 3:16 we see the consequences for woman:

¹⁶ To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”

In Genesis 3:17-19, we see consequences communicated to man:

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”

 

We could spend a great deal of time studying all of this, but let’s concentrate on Genesis 3:15.
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

What is the first thing we notice?
There will be enmity between her seed (the seed of humans) and the seed of the serpent (Satan, fallen angels).

Wow, do you see the significance of this? We are talking about genetics.  We see that the woman’s seed is capitalized, so we know this is referring to Yeshua (Jesus) down the line.
We are all familiar with the good vs. evil context of scripture.  We all know that the serpent, the devil, Satan, Lucifer… whatever name we ascribe to it – will be opposing Yeshua (Jesus) throughout all time.
But details in scripture matter.
The curse does not say there will be enmity between the serpent and the Seed of the woman.
It clearly says enmity between her Seed and his seed.
Genetics.
The serpent will have offspring that will battle against the human seed.

We are not taught this concept in church. At least, I never have been. We hear quite a bit about Satan, about the enemy, the devil.  But we don’t hear about “his seed.”
Ever.
At least I haven’t.
But this is not my idea.
It is right there in scripture.  It is what God’s word says.

Do I have your attention yet? Are you interested in hearing how this plays out?

OK, let’s move on to Noah’s flood and see what details we can find.
This concept picks up again in Genesis 6:1-2
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

Now, we can read these verses and not really see any ‘seed of the serpent’ details in it.
Let’s evaluate the terms “sons of God” and “daughters of men”.
The daughters of men refers to exactly what we think.
Men, humans, had offspring, including beautiful daughters.
Let’s take a closer look at “sons of God” though…
“Sons” in Hebrew is Strong’s #1121
If we go to www.blueletterbible.com, what do we see?

We see that this word can simply mean son, or even grandson.
But one of the definitions refers to angels, when mentioned in the phrase sons of God, or in Hebrew, ‘ben Elohiym’.

Most pastors will argue that Genesis 6 is referring to men and women, all humans. But where else in the bible do we see the Hebrew phrase ‘ben Elohiym’?

Check out Job 1:6
“⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^[b] also came among them. ⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

In this context, we can clearly see ‘sons of God’ (or ben Elohiym) is referring to angels. Those present are Satan, and the sons of God, which we find out the company that Satan keeps are his fallen angels, those angels that he persuaded to take his side in his rebellion against God.

Again, that is a whole other study. But for now, we can see the context in Job 1:6 establishes the idea that Genesis 6:1-2 is speaking of fallen angels.
And what did they do?  They took for themselves wives, from the daughters of men.

Getting interesting, eh?

So then what happened?
Genesis 6:3-4
³ And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”⁴ There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Most teachings say the ‘120 years’ reference is YHVH (God) reducing the life span of mankind.  Early men are documented living for nearly 1000 years. If God were going to change man’s life span, would he randomly insert this ‘decree’ in Genesis 6:3, right in the middle of another concept?  I don’t think so.
What we see here are fallen angels, violating YHVH’s (God’s) creation, by taking the daughters of men as their wives.  This results in corruption of DNA, the corruption of God’s creation in His own image. This was a major transgression against God.

God is not saying that the lifespan of mankind is reduced to 120 years. He is setting a time limit on how long he will wait out this transgression. Would the sons of God repent and stop? Or would they continue violating God’s creation?
Well, they were given a 120 year time limit to repent and stop.  This is a warning of the coming flood. God did not destroy them without warning. He is just.  He is kind. He is merciful. He gave warning, but they did not heed the warning.

 

Now it gets even more interesting.  In Genesis 6:4, we are told there were giants in those days. Not only that, but we are told there would be giants afterwards too.
Where did these giants come from? Verse 4 tells us this:
“when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them.”

When fallen angels mated with daughters of men, the result of mixed seed, corrupted DNA, are giants.
The serpent seed mentioned in Genesis 3:15 are giants, referred to as the Nephilim.

What kind of character did these beings have?
We see in Genesis 6:5
⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

Again, I say that details matter.
This scripture tells us that EVERY intent was evil CONTINUALLY.

Scripture tells us that these beings had no goodness in them. They were all evil all the time, continually.
Wow, slow down and think about that.
Who do we know that was evil.  Hitler?
Was Hitler all evil all the time?
No. He was married. He fell in love and had a bride. He had friends. While he committed many atrocities, he was NOT all evil, all the time.

But scripture tells us that the offspring of fallen angels were all evil all the time.  And they were giants.
Imagine what kind of devastation a giant who only knows evil could create.
Then imagine a bunch of beings like this, unleashed on the earth.
Do you see where this is going?
Are you starting to realize the need for a flood?

Was the flood the result of random harshness from God?  Was it because God’s character was questionable?

No, let’s check out how God felt about it in verse Genesis 6:6-7
⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
⁷ So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 

Wow, this corruption of God’s creation, in His own image, grieved His heart.
It made YHVH (God) sad to know His creation was corrupted.
It made YHVH (God) sad to know that He would have to destroy them.

How does Noah come into play?
We are taught that YHVH (God) chose Noah and his family, to spare them because Noah was a righteous man.  We see time and time again that ‘righteous’ men played a major role in God’s plans.
But were these men perfect? Was Noah perfect?
No. Abraham was God’s chosen, and God used him to create the nation of Israel. But was Abraham perfectly righteous? No, he was not.  Out of fear of being killed so that other men could take his beautiful wife, he lied and told the gentile king that his wife was his sister.
The king took her to be his own wife, but God intervened and protected her, and protected the marriage of Abraham and Sarah.
Abraham also did not have faith or trust, and was not patient.  God had promised him a son.  But since Sarah had not become pregnant, he slept with her maid servant Hagar and had a son (Ishmael), outside the will of YHVH (God).
We could go on and on reading about Abraham and his failings.

David was a ‘man after God’s own heart.’
And yet, we know that David committed adultery and murder.
But he was pivotal in YHVH’s plan.

Same thing goes for Noah.  He was not a perfect man, but he did love YHVH (God) and made an effort to follow and obey Him.
But what clues do we have in scripture that confirms our story?
Genesis 6:9
⁹ This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. 

Did you catch that?  It says that Noah was perfect in his generations.
What does that mean?  Is this speaking of his behavior? No, because it says he was perfect.
Scripture tells us that Yeshua (Jesus) was the only man to live in perfection, without sin.
Verse 9 also tells us that his generations were perfect. If this were speaking of his behavior, it would mean his generations, his ancestors, would have had perfect behavior as well. We know this is not true.
So what does ‘perfect in his generations’ mean?

It tells us that his genetic line had not been corrupted by the fallen angels and their offspring.

Whoa, ever heard that in a church before?
Me either.

Am I just reading into scripture, making up ideas that really are not there?
Well, just in case we need clarification, God gives us this in Genesis 6:11-12
¹¹ The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Verse 12 does not tell us that man’s behavior was corrupt.
It says ‘flesh’ was corrupt.
Again, another reference to genetics, just in case we weren’t paying attention all along.
God is very clear on this. But you won’t hear it in a church.
Ever. Most likely.

Still not sure?
Well, what does YHVH (God) communicate to Noah in verse 13?
Genesis 6:13
¹³ And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

God is speaking to Noah, a man whose generations are perfect.
And He says, “for the earth is filled with violence through them.”
Using the word “them” sets up a contrast between “them” and Noah, men.  YHVH (God) communicates His intention to destroy “them” with the earth.

The narrative then goes on to speak of building the ark for the remainder of Chapter 6.
Genesis 7:1 is a verse used by typical church teachings to support the idea that Noah was chosen because he was righteous in his behavior.
But is this true?
Here is the verse:
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

In this case, the Hebrew word “tsaddiyqis” is used for righteous.
While this word can be used to describe just, lawful, righteous behavior, there is another meaning.
It also means:  just, right (in one’s cause)

In Genesis 6:14-22, God commanded that Noah build an ark to His exact specifications.  Starting in verse 7:2, God begins to give Noah instructions about putting the animals on the ark.

Genesis 7:1 sits inbetween these two commands given to Noah.
Genesis 7:1 is not speaking of Noah’s righteous behavior, as the church typically teaches, but is speaking to the idea that Noah completed YHVH’s (God’s) instructions, and did indeed build the ark. He was “just or right in one’s cause” — and his cause was to build the ark.
Verse 7:1 is just confirming that Noah had completed YHVH’s (God’s) instructions.

So to summarize…
—Genesis 3:16 tells us of a curse between the Seed of man and the seed of the serpent.
—Genesis 6 tells us about the seed of the serpent, the corruption of human DNA.
—The idea of having to destroy His creation grieved the heart of God. He was saddened at having to destroy the earth to set things right.
—Noah was selected because his genetics were not compromised.
—The flood wiped the slate clean, getting rid of all corrupted DNA on the earth.

Probably never heard that at church, eh?
Again, I did not understand these things.  I needed to understand them, for my son’s sake (and for my own sake).
I prayed in accordance with James 1:5-8, and YHVH (God) revealed His truth to me.
And now, I share it with anyone willing to listen.

I believe the details available to us in scripture show us what has happened, even though this concept is not generally taught in church.
I believe these details clarify the character of YHVH (God).
He loved His creation and was grieved that it was corrupted, and was grieved that He had to destroy it.

What do you think?

By the way, there is much more. We can study continued references to Nephilim, or giants, in scripture.  They make another appearance in the Exodus story, when entering the promise land.
The nation of Israel was commanded to kill all living beings. Genocide?
No.
It was necessary to cleanse the earth of corrupt DNA.  Numbers 13:33 tells us this about the people occupying the promise land:
There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

We can take a look at what it means now, in modern times. And specifically, we’ll look at when Israel entered the promise land, and again had to wipe out genetic corruption of the giants.

I’ll dig into more of this in future posts…

“But, scripture says not to follow the law, right?”

Does it?
Does it really say that?

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

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. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Mark 16:16
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 

Romans 10:13
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ok, that settles it, right?
Well, no, not exactly.  Nowhere in these verses (and many more like them) does it say to not follow the law, God’s instructions given in Torah. (Before you start quoting Paul, please read 2 Peter 3:14-18)

But, the church has taught for many centuries and many generations that we are saved by faith, that Jesus fulfilled the law, and we no longer have to do it.
Yes, you are correct.  The church has taught us that.
But is it correct?

Show me anywhere in those verses, or any other, that we are not supposed to follow the law.
I agree that salvation comes by faith, and that it is a gift so that no man should boast.  End of story, right?
No, end of that statement, but the story goes on. There is more.

This concept highlights the difference between how the mainstream approaches scripture, and how I approach scripture.

Yes, I believe Ephesians 2:8-9 is true.
Does that mean we can take Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 3:16 and other verses like them, and create a doctrine based on them, while ignoring scripture like Revelation 14:12, Matthew 7, etc?
No, we cannot.

I propose this:
Every bit of scripture is true. But every bit of scripture is just a small piece of a large puzzle. When you take all the pieces and fit them together, you get ONE WHOLE BIBLICAL TRUTH.

Some people like to take bits of scripture and create a doctrine with them. But to do so, they have to remove other bits of scripture, because they don’t fit in the puzzle that they are creating.

We don’t get to take the pieces we like and build our own mini-puzzle.

We have to take all of the pieces and build the whole puzzle, otherwise, we just create false doctrine. Or partially true doctrine. Call it what you like, but it is not the whole truth of the whole bible.

Yeshua (Jesus) tells us more than once in Revelation who the saints (disciples, Christians, followers, believers, etc) are:

1. Those who keep the commandments of God
2. Those who have faith in Jesus.

There are verses that support #1, and there are other verses that support #2.
We need all of it, not just the pieces that support #2, if those are our favorites.

John 3:16 says this:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “

Matthew 7 gives us this:
“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!’

Can we say Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 are invalid or must mean something other than what it actually says, because of John 3:16 or because of Ephesians 2:8-9?

No. Independently, they seem to be saying different things. Together, they create a whole truth; the whole truth that is represented in the words of Jesus in Revelation 14:12.

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9 (and many other scriptures) support the ‘faith in Jesus’ half of Revelation 14:12.

Matthew 7 (and many other scriptures) support the “keep the commandments of God” half of Revelation 14:12.

Both are truth, and both support a whole biblical truth.

We can read ALL scripture and obey it, or we can build doctrine on the parts we like and ignore the rest. Or we can decide that the parts we don’t like must mean something else. Or we can decide the parts we don’t like were for another time, another place, another people.

Except there are those pesky verses that tell us God never changes, that the Word never changes, that the law never changes.

Yes, this is a difficult thing to wrap our head around, because we have been taught a partial truth for so many centuries and so many generations.
Here is the solution: we are not supposed to wrap our heads around it. We are supposed to wrap our hearts around it.
Just submit to God’s sovereign authority.
Just say yes.
Let’s stop trying to academically fit the pieces into preconceived ideas.
Yesterday I shared my testimony with a teen who is struggling (read here, if you wish: http://the2000yearfix.com/index.php/2016/11/30/my-testimony/).

There was a time in my life when a horrible crisis brought me to my knees.  A horrible crisis forced me to strip away all doctrine, all thoughts and ideas, all religiosity, and just submit to YHVH (God).
I found myself in a place where God is everything, the Creator and Caretaker of all that there is, and I am nothing, just the dirt of the earth. At that point of total submission I began to learn truth.

We are not meant to shoe horn scripture into ideas we’ve been taught all of our lives. I know, because it won’t fit. I tried for decades…

Submit your heart to God, and your mind will follow — not the other way around.
Learn the WHOLE truth, not just fabricated pieces of it.
James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Use all of the pieces of the puzzle, not just the ones you like the best.