 
Recognizing The Flaws Of Christianity

Van Davis

First Smashwords Edition 2015

Copyright 2015 by Van Davis

Published by Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover image courtesy of canstockphoto.com

Cover by Joleene Naylor

# Intro

Why is it that Christians do not see how Christianity has deceived them? How do they remain ignorant of the Adversary's will and intent? Christianity is HaSatan's (Satan's) most powerful weapon in his battle against Yahweh the Father. He uses the various colleges and universities around the world to house an incredible database of biblical knowledge. These colleges and universities, along with the various Christian Church denominations, in many ways are designed to act like the Holy Spirit; this database is used as a spiritual guide for people who do not have the Holy Spirit to guide them. Have you ever noticed how people revere the writings and doctrines and theologies and beliefs of learned men of today and those of history? Men such as Martin Luther, or Augustine, and John Calvin; or men today--Chuck Swindoll or John Piper or Joel Osteen, or Creflo Dollar, or Benny Hinn, and any number of well-known and well acronymed personages are viewed by the general public like Roman Catholicism views the Pope--as infallible. When discussing religion, these names and many others, be they Catholic or Protestant or even Judaic, are invariably linked to popular beliefs that lead to erroneous interpretations. These interpretations will often contradict Scripture. The pastors and priests and Rabbis are called experts; so much so, that whatever they say is final, giving incredible weight to their writings, even when it contradicts Scripture. Don't believe it? We don't have to go very far, or reach very deep to pull out an example. Let us look at this very simple one: Christianity continues to push the name of Jesus as the Savior of the world. But Scripture clearly says that the Savior is of Hebrew origin. Matthew 2:6 says, _"And you, Bethlehem, Land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler, who will shepherd My people Israel."_ And John 7:42 says, _"Has not Scripture said that the Anointed One comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"_ Why is this important? It is important because the Hebrew Savior cannot have a name that begins with the letter "J"; why; because, there is no letter "J" in the Hebrew Aleph Bet! How can the Hebrew people name someone, the most important someone ever born into human history, with a letter that does not even exist in their language? The simple answer is: they cannot. Some of you will respond by saying: "wasn't the Brit Hadashah (New Testament) written in Greek, and the letter "J" came from the Greeks?" This certainly sounds plausible; however, there is no letter "J" in the Greek alphabet either. In fact, the letter "J" did not come on the human scene until the 14th century (1500's) and was not widely used until the 17th century (1800's). No earthly language employed the letter "J" before the 14th century. So, it is totally and completely inconceivable that the Savior was known as Jesus while He walked the earth. And yet, has Christianity taken the time to correct this correctable error? Or does Christianity stubbornly continues to call Yahweh in the flesh Jesus? Another one? What about the appearance of the Savior? Isaiah 53:2 says:

... _He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him._

What does this mean? It means that all those pictures you see of Him with long flowing hair, neatly trimmed beard, tall and elegant-looking is not a description we get from Scripture. Again, why hasn't Christianity corrected this very correctable inaccuracy? Why indeed...there are other agendas at play here; agendas designed to deceive and to keep ignorant those of the Christian religion. We simply want to open your eyes to the Truth of Scripture. No tricks! This e-book will challenge your Christian beliefs to the core. The apostle Shaul tells us in I Corinthians 2:14, that a natural man, one without the Spirit of Yahweh in him, cannot accept the Truth, meaning Scripture, which are the things of the Spirit, because he needs the Holy Spirit to know what he doesn't know. Do you embrace what Christianity falsely touts as the Truth? The prophet Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years ago as to what is happening today--people calling what is good evil, and what is evil good. Please take a look at what you believe...

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink; who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble, and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the Law of Yahweh of Hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5:20-24

# What Is Your Calling?

ROMANS 10:2-3 says:

For I bear them [witness] that they have a zeal [for] Yahweh, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of Yahweh's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of Yahweh.

Do you know what your calling is? If you believe Yahweh has called you, what has He called you to do? What is His purpose for you? Do you reflect His character? It was He who called you into His service. Just what do your beliefs and your behaviors reveal about the entity to which you have given your pledge to honor, to worship and to represent? The word _witness_ in our passage above is G3140, and it means: _to testify, to bear record of;_ it is traced to the Hebrew word H5749, which means: _to duplicate, repeat, by implication to protest, to serve as a witness, or to testify against someone, to encompass, to restore, to lift up._ Shaul says he bears witness to some in Israel who have a zeal for Yahweh but it is not according to the discerning knowledge of the Torah. It is not enough to be sincere and enthusiastic about Yahweh. Shaul speaks from personal experience; Galatians 1:13-16 says:

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the [assembly] of Yahweh, and wasted it: and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased Yahweh, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the [nations]; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood...

Shaul, in his life before his conversion, was as zealous THEN, for Yahweh as he is now; he was zealous without the Father's Spirit; and his beliefs and actions reflected the devil whom he served. Though he thought and believed with all his heart he was doing Yahweh's work, he was working against Yahweh, working for HaSatan. He believed that killing others for their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah was the work of Yahweh; he was truly deceived. The word _knowledge_ in our Romans passage is G1922; its roots words, G1921 and G1097, are traced back to H3045, which means:

To experientially know intimately, to be in a close and personal and sharing relationship in which the Father's Spirit leads and guides and teaches you. The character of the Father is superimposed on you; He establishes His purpose in you, His humbleness pervades your mind and body.

Gone are the outbursts of anger and rage and impatience; no longer do you toil under the weight of envying, jealousies, dissensions, and one that is more difficult to detect, heresies. Gone is the need to always be right; gone is the need to never be wrong. For, the counterfeit belief will look and breathe very much like it is from the Spirit of Yahweh. A person will always think he is right when his beliefs are the product of his own mind; his zeal will always be great when he has ownership of his plans and ideas and the direction for his life instead of the plans and direction Yahweh has for you. In fact, there will often be absolutely no doubt whatsoever about whether or not a person is following Yahweh or following his own designs. Yahweh says in Jeremiah 24:5-7:

Thus saith Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel; like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the Land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set Mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this Land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am Yahweh: and they shall be My people, and I will be their Elohim: for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart.

The Spirit will guide those who belong to Yahweh; because, as Yahweh says, those who are His, HE will give them a new heart. Ezekiel 36:26-28 says:

A new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the Land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be you Elohim.

Yahweh gives you a heart; He gives you a new set of behaviors, and a new set of desires, and a new set of wishes, and a new set of thoughts. These attributes are the basis behind the phrase, _new creature_ (II Corinthians 5:17). The person becomes new in every sense of the word. He is of a new and vastly different quality than before his conversion. This is not a false conversion that is so prevalent in the Christian Church. This person is endowed with the power of Heaven throughout every fiber, and every molecule and every cell in his body. In contrast to this, Shaul says the unbelievers: seek to establish their own righteousness. The phrase, _"their own"_ is G2398, and it means: _belonging to one's private and personal and thus being one's own peculiar possession._ The word _"establish"_ is G2476, and it means: _to cause to stand, to set up, being active in the endeavor with the implication of taking pride in one's efforts._ They seek to have people submit to their efforts, to glorify themselves. They do not submit to Yahweh, for to do that would involve ceasing to be dependent upon themselves and their own efforts; it would mean they would fully capitulate to Yahweh through Yeshua. This is something they loathe doing; they are not willing to give up their ideas and their plans or their independence. The pride of their own efforts has just too strong of a hold on them to give up. Being looked up to and admired can be a very strong pull on one's pride; to establish one's own righteousness and a following based on that righteousness contradicts what Moses followed. For Shaul says that the Torah's righteousness is what Moses subscribed to (v.5-6). So, what does this mean, exactly? Well, Leviticus 18:4-5 says:

Ye shall do My judgments, and keep Mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am Yahweh your Elohim. Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and My judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am Yahweh.

To keep the Torah was the aim/goal of Moses and all the prophets. Why? Because to them, it was more than just a collection of statutes and ordinances and laws. In it was the very character and heart of the Father. Why else did He plead, daily, and continuously with Israel to keep it? The Torah was then, and still is today, the way of life for the redeemed. Many people followed the RULES of the Torah, but failed to embrace Yahweh. It is simply not enough to know who He is and follow His Torah as if it was a simple checklist. Shaul says in I Corinthians 10:2-5:

And {they} were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah. But with many of them Yahweh was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

The Israelites did not care for nor did they appreciate Yahweh's provisions as He liberated them from Egypt. As the story unfolds with Moses in Egypt and how Yahweh raised him up and all that happened from Egypt, through the Red Sea, in the wilderness, all of the miracles Yahweh performed for Israel...He was not pleased with their actions and behaviors. We often lose sight of just what Yahweh did for Israel and how little Israel appreciated what He did for them. Nehemiah 9:10-26 tells us some of the things He has done for His people; but even today the pattern of neglecting His Word and the emphasis on self and on what WE have done and on what WE have figured out and on what WE have in place to govern ourselves...Who do you know who keeps the holy days and the Sabbath, but does not do anything or very little to uphold the integrity and the validity of the Torah? Who is it who denies the Torah by questioning its significance or when in the privacy of his own mind and heart, strikes his neighbor with a blow that no one else may ever see; a blow to his honor. An untruth is like a dagger (Matthew 5:21-22), whether a person hears it or not. If your heart is filled with deceit, and puffed up with self; if your heart is filled with complaints and grumbling--in spite of your outward appearance and your outward observance to the Torah, you are still in unbelief. Shaul says in I Corinthians 10:24:

Let no one seek his own, but every man another's wealth.

In other words, love others just as you would love yourself (Leviticus 19:18). Do not crave or lust after evil things (I Corinthians 10:6). One of the root words for the word _lust_ is G1909, and it means: _superimposition; to impose something on you or over you or in you as this something has control over you._ In this case, it is desire that is demonic because it is not grounded in Yahweh; it is a desire for evil, reaching out for something worldly, which is evil. It is a desire just as the apostle John describes it in I John 2:15-18; a lusting of the eyes, a lusting of the flesh, the pride of THIS life; a worldview, as you will (those who use this term may want to take note...). The evil desire is superimposed on the unbeliever, controlling him, as he is guided by his pride or his façade, aided by blind obedience to Satan. By this obedience to Satan, one is blinded to the Truth.

II Corinthians 4:3-4 says:

But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the elohim of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of Yahweh, should shine unto them.

# A Little Background of the Exodus

We know that Joseph arranged for his family to come to Egypt and live there, saving the lives of many people (Genesis 50:19-21). And we know that while in Egypt, the people of Jacob, the 12 Tribes, began to multiple. In Exodus 1:7 we read:

But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

Israel grew faster than anyone expected. And in Exodus 1:8-9 we see a new King who did not _know_ (yada-H3045) Joseph; meaning, he had no regard for his beliefs or his family. Many believe this was the time of the Hyksos invasion. The Hyksos were Semitic in origin and were, in truth, the Edomites. We know from Scripture that the Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother. Throughout their history, representing the seed of the serpent, they have had one primary goal in mind—to kill Jacob and of course the seed of Jacob. Genesis 27:41 says:

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, the days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

Esau's hatred of his brother Jacob has continued throughout history through Jacob's descendants. Wherever the nation of Israel is located, the seed of Esau will be there as well. And as you know, the seed of the serpent is active in this because of what happened in the Garden of Eden and the prophecy declared by Yahweh in Genesis 3:15:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heal.

Often lost in this well-known story is the meaning of the word _enmity._ It is H342, and it means: _hostility, to hate, to be opposite of one another, malice that leads_ _to violent acts against another._ But do we truly understand the implication of this word? To be opposite is to be on the other side; there are those who simply and peacefully make take opposition stance, but there are those who oppose with violent acts. Sometimes the opposition is looked upon with hatred, and those with hatred in their hearts can often be violent. Scripture tells us that hose who are opposed to following the Torah are at enmity with those who do, and many of us have experienced their animosity. Those who are opposed to following the Torah are on the side of Satan, and those who follow the Torah because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are on the side of Yahweh. Scripture does not give us a third option. You are either on the side with the Torah, Yahweh and the Holy Spirit, or you are on the side with Satan--no Torah, no Yahweh, no Holy Spirit. Messiah, the Anointed One, says in Matthew 12:30:

He who is not with Me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.

Scripture does not say there is a common ground between those who represent Torah and those who represent the serpent. Scripture does not say that such an alliance must be sought and achieved. In fact, Scripture says, in no uncertain terms, just the opposite, as we see in II Corinthians 6:14-18:

Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath the Anointed with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of Yahweh with idols? For ye are the Temple of the Living Elohim; as Yahweh hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith Yahweh, and touch not the unclean thing; I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith Yahweh Almighty.

Most know the Messiah followed Torah; and they should know that the Messiah IS the Torah (John 1:1-3). There is no eternal life without Him. That also means there is no eternal life without the Torah...Moses grew up at the seat of power in Egypt. And Hollywood had it wrong; he DID know he was chosen to be the deliverer of Israel. It does not say this in Exodus or anywhere in the Tanakh. This information is in the Brit Hadashah (New Testament), in Acts 7:25, and it says:

For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that Yahweh by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

Moses knew, but the people did not know. The story continues with Moses killing an Egyptian and running away. He runs to Midian and encounters Yahweh in the Burning Bush on Mt. Horeb, the mountain of Elohim (Exodus 3:1). And as some of you know already know, this is the very same mountain on which the nation of Israel would become constituted as the people of the Torah! I certainly was never taught this in my years as a Christian! Exodus 3:5 is also very significant. It says:

Then He said, do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.

To be in the service of the Almighty, one must attach oneself to Him and be sanctified by Him. Nothing was to be intervening between Moses' feet and His hallowed ground, just as there should be nothing intervening between the body of the priest of Yahweh and the priestly garments; and between the heart of a priest and the heart of Yahweh. He is to command all of you—heart, soul and strength. Nothing should come between you and Him. In v.13-15 we have the name of Yahweh. It is not I AM THAT I AM. The words:

Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh

are from an uncertain etymology. They could mean, I AM HE WHO WILL BE or I AM WHAT I WISH TO BE or something similar to this. Believing the future is totally dependent upon Yahweh's will; He is trying to get us to see that HE is more than just a name. For, what He does is who He is. His name is not separate from His actions or His nature. In today's world, we have names, including the names of people that mean nothing. They are devoid of even the hint of Yahweh, and so, they are nothing in the eternal scheme of things. For, only through Yahweh will we have eternal life. Only through Him will we have an everlasting name. Isaiah 56:5 says:

To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, and a name better

than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.

Those who have His name will _know_ (yada) Him intimately. Yahweh pleads with us to _yada_ Him. He wants us to be His sons and daughters. We cannot be that if we do not know His name! When He plants Himself within our hearts, He reveals His nature and who He is through His actions and through His Torah. He manifests Himself in us, re-making our hearts into His heart...

By Yahweh's miracles and signs and wonders, Israel and Egypt should have known He was Elohim, having no other (Exodus 7:5; 7:17; 10:2; 25:17; Ps 9:16).

And His NAME is actually given in v.15, as YHWH or Yahweh. For v.15 says:

And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Yahweh Elohim, of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob.

It is to those who remember His name, who are given His name; and they keep His name;

it is these who belong to Yahweh. Psalm 112:6 says:

The righteous will never be moved; the just is for Yahweh's attention eternally.

In Exodus 5 we have an interesting lesson: the Israelites are making bricks out of mud and straw. In v.8 we have the word _tale._ It is H4971 and it is our modern word for _recipe._ The Israelites were using this recipe to make the bricks. The word _straw_ is H8401. And in v.10, Pharaoh changes the recipe, saying he would no longer provide the _straw;_ he will take the _straw_ out of the recipe. Today, we have many religions that have changed the recipe of salvation. They too have changed it by removing the _straw._ It is not a coincidence that the root word for _straw_ is _ben,_ as in son; as in Yeshua. But they say: but we DO believe in Yeshua; we call Him Jesus. But, Yeshua is also the Torah. And every religion on earth has removed the Torah from its essential and critical place. It is impossible to separate Yahweh from Yeshua, from the Ten Words, from Israel, from the Holy Spirit, from the Torah, from each other...But yet people believe they have the authority to change Yahweh's Word, to change the recipe...

# The Revelation Of Details

Luke 4:14 says:

And Yeshua returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

We read Scripture with the assumption that we will understand all it has to say. After all, they are merely words, are they not? We are terribly and horribly wrong in this belief. We all know Yahweh inspired all the words written in Scripture (II Timothy 3:16). And so, that makes them HIS words. And since He is Spirit (John 4:24), His words are Spirit. Every word, every jot, and every tittle is divinely and perfectly written and arranged. This refers to the original writings of Scripture, not the translations we use today. Seeing that we are using the translations, it becomes even more critical that we are filled with His Spirit so we can discern the Truth of the Father's Word from the error of worldly wisdom. The Bible translations are filled with error after error; the Enemy has placed them there to mislead and deceive those reading them. For, error means not only providing false information, it also means providing incomplete or NO information. Since these translations we are reading are filled with errors, there is much Truth we have not been taught, and much error that we have. Such as, why does Yeshua return to Galilee, in today's verse and why in the power of the Spirit? Is there more to this verse than it seems? Christianity teaches very little about the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Savior. Why? Because teaching about prophecies connects the Savior with the Torah; the Torah is Yahweh's Word on earth; but Christianity says the Torah is no longer valid, and is no longer needed, and is dead (Not realizing that Yahweh IS the Torah). And yet, there is much Truth in the Torah that Christianity uses but does not give credit to the Torah for. In the above passage, the Savior returns from His temptation encounter with HaSatan (Satan, the Adversary) to Galilee (Luke 4:1-13); Moses, in Deuteronomy 33:18 says: _Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going forth!_ What's the connection between these two passages? Yeshua spent much of His life and ministry in and around Galilee. The land of Zebulun is within the territory of Galilee! He goes forth from the place He grew up and from whence He started His ministry. And according to Hebrew traditions, He was to come in power, proving He was the Anointed One. And in fact, as He begins to teach (v.16), He tells them this prophecy from Isaiah had been fulfilled at that very moment, implying HE fulfilled the prophecy. He quotes from the Book of Isaiah telling them exactly what He was referring to! The connection? Let us go to Genesis. Jacob, on his death bed summoned his sons and said to them in Genesis 49:1-2:

Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what shall befall you in the days to come. Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.

The word _come_ is H319, and it means: _the future, the last days, last, latter, end._ Jacob wanted to tell his sons what to expect in the future. And so, starting in v.3, Jacob began with Reuben, in order of their birth. But then he does a very curious thing in v.13. Instead of blessing Dan, who would come after Judah, he blesses Zebulun, the tenth oldest son. Why would Jacob do this? We have seen what Moses had to say about him; this is what Jacob says:

Zebulun shall dwell at the seashore; and he shall be a haven for ships, and his flank shall be toward Sidon.

We see that as Jacob blessed Judah, he distinctly looked forward in time to the Messiah, particularly in v.10-12. Because of the Master's close connection with the Land of Zebulun (i.e., Galilee) during His earthly sojourn, Jacob, through Yahweh's inspiration, placed the two Tribes in juxtaposition (next to each other). This land played a very important part in the life of the Messiah. Just as it was to be a haven for ships, it would be a harbor, a safe haven for the Savior as well. John 7:1 says:

And after these things Yeshua was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.

Yahweh's people have the Spirit to guide them. The Adversary's people do not. When both believers and non-believers read/hear Scripture, believers have another level of understanding and discernment that non-believers do not have because of the Spirit's indwelling. We know this from I John 2:20:

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you {know all things}.

The word _anointing_ is G5545 (yes, the same word from which the word Christ comes), and it means: _to smear, an unguent, a special endowment._ And the word _know_ is G1492, and it means: _to see but not just the mere, physical act of seeing, but to see with perception; to perceive, to know intuitively._ Believers from the House of Israel are given this special endowment, which is the Holy Spirit, through which knowledge and revelation come. The spirit of man and the spirit of the world cannot understand the Spiritual words of Scripture. As we have said, true Scriptural knowledge is Spiritual knowledge, and without the Spirit it is impossible to know Scripture. How do we know this? Shaul tells us this in I Corinthians 2:12-14:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from Yahweh, that we might know the things freely given to us by Yahweh, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining Spiritual thoughts with Spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of Yahweh; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are Spiritually appraised by no man.

Shaul also says we speak Yahweh's wisdom in a mystery (I Corinthians 2:7). Why is Yahweh's wisdom a mystery? It is a mystery because it is Spiritual. In I Corinthians 2:8 Shaul tells us that none of the rulers responsible for the crucifixion of the Messiah had this wisdom; i.e., they did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Shaul goes on to tell us in I Corinthians 2:9-11:

But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that Yahweh has prepared for those who love Him. For to us Yahweh revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of Yahweh. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of Yahweh no one knows except the Spirit of Yahweh.

In other words, natural men communicate with each other via their spirits. But, men cannot communicate with ants or spiders. Why? This is because ants and spiders do not have the spirit of man in them. We have Yahweh's Spirit within us; therefore, we can communicate with Him and He with us and also with each other.

Here's a passage we all know but until now have been unsure of its meaning; John 16:13 says:

But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the Truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever he hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

Several things we need to take note of: the word _guide_ is G3594, and it means: _to show the way._ One of its root words is G3598, which means: _the road, the way of access to Yahweh;_ we see this root also translated as the word _way,_ as in John 14:6: _I am the way..._ The Definite Article _the_ is used before the word _Truth,_ so we know there is only one particular Truth the Messiah refers to. When we talk about Truth, we often speak of it in ambiguous terms without really defining it. We sometimes attempt to define it by saying phrases like: _the things of Yahweh,_ or _that which is known;_ both may be correct, but does this type of definition give us a greater or deeper understanding of what Truth is? However, when we look at the meaning of Truth from the Tanakh, we get a fairly good picture of it. It is H571, in the Strong's and it means: _stability, certainty, trustworthiness, and faithfulness. It is often connected with kindness and sometimes with righteousness._ These are terms that also define the Holy Spirit. Those who are filled with the Spirit know exactly what these terms mean. Those who are not Spirit-filled will only understand these words from a human or worldly point of view. They will not get the benefits that come from having the Spirit of Holiness dwelling inside you. In the Tanakh, _to walk in Truth_ was to conduct oneself according to the standards of Yahweh. What standards would they be? These would be standards set down in the Torah; we refer to the Ten Words, the feasts/holy days in Leviticus 23, the food laws, etc...It is little wonder the Christian Church does not use this definition of Truth. H571 has as its root word H539, which means: _to build up, to support, to be firm and to be faithful, to nurture, to trust, to believe, and to be permanent._ Clearly the idea is to be consistent and reliable. How much more reliability and support can a person get than by relying on the Torah? So, Truth then is the Father and His ways, which He has set within His Word, the Torah and all of Scripture. Therefore, with the words of Scripture being divine, and being Truth, this makes understanding them a matter of the Spirit, and not merely a matter of the flesh and fleshly reasoning and memorization. A person simply will not understand what Truth is or what it does or how important it is without the Holy Spirit revealing it to him. And with the Adversary planting his Words of Error within Bible translations (the Garden of Eden and the Two Trees should come to mind), we cannot possibly know the difference between the two--the Words of Error vs the Words of Spirit, without the indwelling of the Spirit. This is why we learn; and we grow by revelation. The Holy Spirit reveals to our spirit what is Truth and what is not. And so, to properly understand the Words of the Spirit, i.e., Scripture, and to obey and follow them, one must have Yahweh's Spirit.

# Conspiratorial Writings

John 2:13 says:

And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem.

What is wrong with this verse? There are several things actually. The phrase, _Passover of the Jews_ is patently wrong, according to Leviticus 23. Clearly this is an error in translation and in human interpretation; this is not an error made by the Father. Some of you already know this error. Leviticus 23:4-5 says:

These are the Feasts of Yahweh, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is Yahweh's Pesach

The Pesach belongs to the Father, not to the Nation of Israel; not to the tribe is called Judah, which the translators have erroneously translated into the word _Jews_. All of the Feasts belong to the Father. Leviticus 23:1-4 speak to this fact. Even the holy convocations belong to Yahweh. Yahweh did not tell Moses to write that the Feasts belong to Him, and then tell the apostle John to write that the Pesach belongs to the Jews. It is impossible for Yahweh to make this mistake; it is impossible for Him to make ANY mistake! So, since it is impossible for HIM to make these blunders, the fault, then, falls on man. Men, in their prideful arrogance made the decision to interpret these two verses so they would be a contradiction of each other. And since many people believe the Bible translations themselves are the infallible Word of Yahweh, they point to this as an example that His Word is perhaps not so infallible...

There is no letter _J_ in the Hebrew language. Most of Christianity does not know this fact. In fact, there was no letter _J_ found in ANY language prior to the 14th century (1500s). And it was not widely used until the 17th century (1800s). The Encyclopedia Americana contains this quote:

_The form of (the letter) J was unknown in any alphabet until the 14_ th _century. Either symbol (J, I) {when} used initially generally had the consonantal sound of the letter Y, as in the word year. Gradually, the two symbols (J, I) were differentiated, the J acquiring consonantal force and thus becoming regarded as a consonant, and the letter I becoming a vowel._

Also, there is no letter _J_ in the Greek alphabet as well, the language in which the Brit Hadashah was supposedly written. But, if there is no letter _J_ in either the Hebrew or Greek languages, then, what are we to make of Hebrews 12:2, which says:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

If Christianity is based upon the person of Jesus, then who exactly is He, since there is no letter _J_ in either of the Hebrew and Greek languages? Many believe Jesus, in his pre-incarnate state, appeared in the world as the _Angel of Yahweh;_ this phrase is used approximately 56 times in the Tanakh. It is also used in the Brit Hadashah.

Matthew 1:21 says:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Obviously the Angel of Yahweh was not speaking English. Since Miriam (Mary) was Hebrew, of the Tribe of Judah (Luke 1:27), it would be logical to assume the Angel also spoke Hebrew for Miriam to understand him. We also have what is said in Acts 26:14:

_And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and_ _saying in the Hebrew tongue,_ _Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou Me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks._

And it would have been impossible for Yeshua to have said _Jesus_ in the very next verse, v.15:

And I said, who art Thou, Master? And He said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

As we have stated before, since there is no _J_ in the Hebrew language, it would have been impossible for the Angel or Miriam or Yeshua to say the name _Jesus._ And if they could not say the name _Jesus,_ what then did they say? How can a religion be founded on a name during a period of time when the letter that begins that name was not in existence? How indeed...

John writes in v.14-16:

_And found in the Temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money of money sitting: and when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all_ _out of the Temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changer's money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, take these things hence; make not My Father's House a house of merchandise._

Pesach was at hand, and this was the scene in the Temple. There was no fear, no reverence, and no piety. What Yeshua saw was greed, and greed, and more greed. These were not the Children of the Promise. While many commentators say that the selling of the animals, and the flow of money and the moneychangers were necessary elements, they miss the point of the spiritual warfare being waged right under their noses. Like today, in many churches there are many and varied items _"for sale"_ to meet just about every need imaginable. The Father's House is supposed to be a House of prayer and worship; unfortunately such is not the case. The Christian Church has brought within her walls a store, a community center, a coffee shop, a radio station, and in many places even a television station! All of these are irreverent displays of rebellion against our Creator. Merchandise being sold; merchandise being supported; all under the guise of being holy to the Father. Nowhere in Scripture does it say the apostles and the prophets built mega churches and involved themselves in business acumen for the sake of the Father. We are a _called-out_ people; a people called for His purposes; a _qahal,_ an _ekklesia._ These words are very interesting. We have not spent much time at all in the study of these words; and much of what we know about them comes from Christianity. Typically, the Christian Church defines _ekklesia_ as: _group or an assembly of called out ones; called out by Christ, since it is to Him, as Christianity claims, they owe their allegiance and their existence;_ the Hebrew word _qahal_ is similar in meaning, but we shall see that these two words mean far more than this; and we shall see how the Christian Church has corrupted its meaning. The word _ekklesia_ is G1577; it is a Greek word that means: _the convened assembly of the people._ It originally referred to the people who had not lost their right to convene or gather together (such as prisoners or people who were not citizens). They were called _ekklesiastes_ (assemblyman). The hall or theater in which they met was called _ekklesiasterion;_ and the payment each sitting _ekklesiastes_ was paid was called _ekklesiastikos._ When the _ekklesia_ convened, at least 6,000 members had to be present. Two interesting characteristics of this word are rarely, if ever, mentioned: first, all its gatherings began with prayer and with a sacrifice. This, no doubt, was an influence from its Hebrew origin, which we will get to in a moment. Secondly, it represented a true democracy. It was an assembly where each and every person had an equal right and an equal duty to take part. The word _church_ was never apart of its meaning. It derived its meaning from the Hebrew word _qahal,_ which is H6951, and it means: _to assemble, to gather together; it is also a description of Israel._ Yahweh would use this word to describe Israel, as in Deuteronomy 9:10:

And Yahweh delivered unto me two tablets of stone written with the finger of Elohim; and on them was written according to all the words, which Yahweh spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Yahweh called Israel; He summoned them on that day at Mount Sinai to deliver the Ten Words. Yahweh would use this term to call Israel, to act upon Israel; to speak to Israel, or as was often the case, to have Israel listen to Him. And throughout Scripture we see evidence of the will of Yahweh as it manifested itself through the Feasts, through the Rosh Chodesh, through Scripture itself, or through prophecy. And this is the difference: is it a gathering of people, or is it Yahweh calling His people? Is there a difference between people calling themselves together vs Yahweh calling them together? Also, since the word _ekklesia_ is derived from the word _qahal,_ then clearly the Church did not begin at Pentecost, as Christianity teaches...

And there is a word that only occurs three times in the Brit Hadashah, but we have been incorrectly taught its meaning as well. I speak of the Greek word _paidagogos._ Many of you have seen this word translated and described in many different ways. But most of you know it as the word _schoolmaster,_ from Galatians 3:24-25:

Wherefore the Torah was our schoolmaster to bring us unto the Anointed, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

We should always read this passage with v.26, as we will explain shortly:

For ye are all the Children of Elohim by faith in the Anointed Yeshua.

It is interesting that _paidagogos,_ G3807, is looked upon as being an instructor, teacher, guardian, tutor, guide, or some other teacher-like personage, when the verse tells us what exactly the _paidagogos_ does: _he takes us to our destination._ The words _to bring us_ in v.24 are not in the Greek manuscripts, but they describe what the _paidagogos_ does, or did. The paidagogos was not in any sense of the word a teacher or instructor. His duty was to accompany the child (most likely a boy) to school each day, and to TAKE him to his teachers and instructors; he was never an instructor himself! He made sure his charge got to his instructors; he would at times train the child in morals and manners and deportment. His duties were of a practical nature, not an intellectual one. He got his charge ready to learn; he taught him to respect his elders, to walk modestly with his head in a slightly downward fashion; he trained his charge to be silent in the presence of older people, to be well mannered and reserved. In the same way, the Torah walked Israel to the Anointed One. The Torah took Israel, by way of the Feasts, prophecies, and other things, to the future-appearing Messiah; Israel had to trust in Yahweh's words that such a Redeemer, such a Mighty One, would one day come. Israel had to trust Yahweh, just as Abraham trusted Him. It is little wonder, then, that so few trusted the Torah. It did not allow the Children of Israel to have their way; thus, they rebelled. Not unlike many today who follow their own desires and their own interpretation of the Torah. The paidagogos was often an old and trusted slave, one upon whom the master could depend. This is why the Father entrusted Israel into the care of the Torah. He could depend on the Torah to remain the same throughout history. And the Fruit of the Spirit provided infallible proof of the Torah's indwelling in an Israelite's heart, just as it does today. Humility, meekness, gentleness, love and kindness are hallmark characteristics of the presence of the Spirit of Holiness within a person's heart. A person whose will is not his own, one whose desires are second to those around him; one who does not insist on being right or having his way, and one who is not a constant arguer, but one who listens to Yahweh and gives way to others: these are signs of a bondservant of the Anointed One; these, according to Scripture, are the Children of the Promise (Galatians 5:5-26).

# Tracking The Seed Of Promise

We all know the beginning, which is summed up in Genesis 17. But if we had to select one verse, that would be v.7:

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and to your descendants after you.

We see immediately that one of the great features of this incredible covenant is the promise of a multiplicity of seeds to a man who, up to this point, was not only childless, but both he and his wife were well beyond child-bearing years (Genesis 18:11; Romans 4:19; Hebrews 11:11). And this multitude of people was to become, not one nation, not even one great nation, but a plurality of nations; a LARGE plurality of nations. Genesis 48:18-19 says:

And Joseph said to his father, no so my father, for this one is the first-born. Place your right hand on his head. But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people and he also shall be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.

Yahweh also promised that kings would come from Abraham (Genesis 17:6, 16; 35:11). So, as we move on, we know that the promise came through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (We know the story of Ishmael & Isaac, and the story of Jacob and Esau). The next legal inheritor of the birthright would have been Reuben, for he was the firstborn of Jacob's twelve sons, but that was taken from him for defiling his father's bed. The birthright was given to Joseph, and thus to his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. I Chronicles 5:1-2 give us a quick reference about this. And so, in Genesis 48 as Jacob lay on his death bed, and the Spirit of Prophecy was upon him, he declares that Ephraim would be greater than his older brother, and would consist of numerous nations. Manasseh would be a separate nation from Ephraim, but he also would be a great nation. This is the crucial test of faithfulness. Will Yahweh keep His Word and make the seed that He started supernaturally with Abraham and Sarah, into a company of nations? Will Ephraim truly become many, many nations? Will people believe that Yahweh will do this? Or, will they rationalize a way out of believing what they see as totally unbelievable?

As we continue our march through Scripture, we see that Joshua took the Seed of Abraham into the Land of Canaan. And Joshua, chapters 13-22 is concerned with the distribution of the Land, with Joshua 21:40-45 telling of the fulfillment of Yahweh's Word, and Israel, for a season, inhabiting the Land and enjoying Yahweh's blessings. After Joshua died, the Seed of Abraham went through a time of disarray, losing their national sense of unity, i.e., the Tribes/countries as being united under Yahweh's guidance. The Book of Judges tells of the Seed of Abraham degenerating into Baal and other types of worship, and abandoning the spiritual purity Yahweh commanded. As Judges 17:6/21:25 so infamously says:

_In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes._ However, the Tribes maintained their individual identities, in spite of their troubles and their disobedience. Through the Books of Judges and Ruth, the Judges ruled the Seed of Abraham; this span of time was approximately 350 years. Then, starting in the Book of Samuel, we get the first three, and perhaps the most famous of the Seed of Abraham's kings: Saul, David and Solomon. They all reigned over a united Seed. Because of Solomon's marriages and not keeping the covenant, Yahweh said in I Kings 11:11-13 that He was splitting the Kingdom and taking most of it out of the hands of Solomon's son. I Kings 11-12 give us a record of the division of the Seed, with a son of the royal family over one Tribe, and a son of the House of Joseph, an Ephraimite, over the other, larger Kingdom (I Kings 11:26-39). Here we see the fulfilling of the promise of Genesis 48:19 at work, and all of this coming to pass in I Kings 12:1-24. Let us keep in mind; this is all happening to the Seed of Abraham, who are the direct descendants of the Tribes who came out of Egypt. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned over Judah and Benjamin for 17 years (I Kings 14:21-24), and Jeroboam, the Ephraimite, reigned for twenty-two years (I Kings 14:20). I Kings 15 tell of other kings that reigned in both Israel and Judah. But the point we wish to make is this: around this time we see the use of the terms: Nation of Israel, which encompassed the Ten Tribes, and the Nation of Judah, which was comprised of Judah and Benjamin and eventually Levi. The Nation of Israel also became known as the Northern Kingdom, or Samaria, while Judah became known as the House of Judah or the Jews.

We know from II Kings 17 that Shalmaneser, King of Assyria invaded the Nation of Israel and deported many of the people. According to Assyrian court records, 29,290 captives were taken from Israel, the Northern Kingdom. If this figure is accurate, it would seem to be an extremely low number of people taken. How can we account for such a number? Consider this:

When Jeroboam made the golden calves, and appointed people who were not Levites to handle the duties of the Levites, the Levites left the Land of the Ten Tribes, i.e., Nation of Israel, and settled in Judah. This is found in II Chronicles 11:11-17. Now, it stands to reason that if the Levites left the Land of Israel because of the calves, there would have been others who also left for the same reason or other reasons, even though Scripture does not make reference to the tribal names of others as it did for the Levites. But, we know others left. How do we know this? We will get to this soon. When Shalmaneser began his deportation, this occurred in 722 BC or there abouts. What we fail to take into consideration is that Assyria had previously deported Israelites (II Kings 15:29 and I Chronicles 5:26). And immediately after the split of the Kingdom there was a threat of war. I Kings 12:21 says:

Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the House of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the House of Israel to restore the Kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

This was his army after the split. Just seventeen years later under the reign of Abijah, another army was gathered, and this time it numbered 400,000 (II Chronicles 13:1-3). And then just three years later, under the reign of Asa, an army of 580,000 was raised (II Chronicles 14:8). Within the span of twenty years, the Nation of Judah went from having an army of 180,000 to 580,000. Twenty years is an impossibly short period of time to increase a nation's population by birth and then raise them into soldiers! The only reasonable explanation is that people migrated from Israel to Judah.

# Tracking The Seed Of Promise-Part II

Unlocking the mystery to tracking the Seed continues with understanding the two types promises Yahweh made to Abraham. The two types of promises were: A Birthright Promise and a Scepter Promise. There are several aspects to the promises, but they boil down to these types. Critics of the Bible, both unbelievers and those who claim belief, point to these promises to show that Yahweh cannot possibly keep His Word on this. They have come to believe that if Yahweh has not kept His Word by now, it means either: He is never going to keep it and thus man is free to change the details of the Promises; or, the Promises were never true and were never meant to be true; they were simply stories. And many of you know people who fall in both of these categories.

In any case, understanding what the Promises were is where we will begin. Genesis 12:1 says:

_Now Yahweh said to Abram, go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the Land which I will show you_.

And in subsequent verses (such as Genesis 17:1-8; 17-21; 35:9-12), Yahweh says He will make Abram a great nation, and a company of nations, and He would bless him. These were physical blessings. The Birthright Promise was physical. It is a right or possession or privilege to which a person becomes entitled to by birth. Yahweh was promising Abraham that He would make him and his descendants a great nation and a company of nations, and kings would come from him as well.

A Scepter Promise was the promise of authority. First, a scepter, or staff, or a baton, or a rod, was wielded by a sovereign as a symbol of his authority, and was thus the Spiritual Promise. The Messiah was from the Tribe of Judah, and Judah was a descendant of Abraham; when His Kingdom is inaugurated, His rule will last forever. Genesis 49:10 tell us that the Scepter will not depart from Judah. And I Chronicles 5:1 tell us that the Birthright was given to Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. Knowing this information, let us take a look at Genesis 35:11:

Elohim also said to him, I am Elohim Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.

What does this mean? It means, from Jacob will come a monarchy and, from the monarchy will come a union or a company of nations. Also, there is the promise of national greatness and material wealth. We also know that the Birthright Promise was given to Ephraim & Manasseh and the Scepter Promise was given to Judah. In summary: the Nation of Israel split into two nations: The Nation of Israel and the Nation of Judah; this is not disputed. And as we shall see, many different countries will bear the Seed of Abraham (This IS disputed). We must also consider the information we are given in Genesis 49:10:

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes.

The word _scepter_ is H7626, and we all know what it means: _a symbol of power, a staff held by a sovereign as an emblem or sign of authority._ It also means _tribe or clan._ This means that Judah will not stop being recognized or known as Judah (even if they become known by another name--Jews...). And the word _ruler's_ is H2710, and we know it first as: _to hack, to inscribe, to cut or to write._ But it is also means: _to be a scribe, a lawgiver._ Judah would become keepers of knowledge (specifically the knowledge of Yahweh and Torah); it was Judah who formed the basis for the order of the Pharisees. Because they were the keepers of knowledge, the knowledge of when to worship (Sabbath vs any other day), or who to worship, etc...and all information pertaining to Yahweh would necessarily be handed down through them. So, the question of the day:

When Genesis 49:10 speaks of the Scepter, does it refer to the power and authority of the one wielding the Scepter, or does it refer to Judah keeping its tribal distinctions and responsibilities for maintaining the Torah?

Both Israel and Judah were deported, and this is not disputed. What is often not considered is the fact that there were three different deportations--two involving the House of Israel and one involving the House of Judah. This is usually not made clear in various commentaries, for most of them only mention one deportation for the House of Israel and one for the House of Judah. Nor do most commentaries mention that many from Israel escaped into Judah; nor do they mention that the deportation of Judah occurred in three stages; nor do they mention that the 70 year Babylonian Captivity is an inaccurate title for Judah's exile, because the seventy years refer also to Babylon's time of dominance, not only of Judah's exile! Let us look at what Scripture has to say:

The first invasion (but no deportation) leading up to the first deportation was during the reign of Menachem, in II Kings 15:17-20.

_The first wave_ of deportation of the House of Israel occurred in 732 BC from the Galilean area. II Kings 15:29 give us this information:

In the days of Pekah King of Israel, Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-bethmaacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the Land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.

Before invading Israel, the King of Assyria laid siege to Damascus; after this successful excursion, he then launched a two-pronged campaign into Israel. One prong invaded the Transjordan Gilead and the other invaded Galilee (See II Kings 15:29 above) _._ Gilead had been the base of one of King Pekah's political strongholds. After this invasion, Gilead as a base or political power was effectively eliminated. Tiglath-pileser then moved to take Gilead. I Chronicles 5:26 says: (See I Chronicles 5:3, 6 for additional information).

So the Elohim of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, the King of Assyria, even the spirit of Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria, and he carried them away into exile, namely the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, to this day.

_The second wave_ of deportation is commonly referred to as the _Assyrian Exile;_ this occurred ca 723-721 BC. The Assyrians came and carried away the Nation of Israel (Not Judah). II Kings 17:6 (repeated in 18:11) says:

In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

However, Scripture tells us that not all Israel was carried off in exile, for we know that some of the population escaped into the Land of Judah (See last week's lesson). As an aside, we see for the first time the term Judean, later became known as Jews, which consisted of the Tribe of Judah, the Tribe of Benjamin, and the Tribe of Levi; no other Tribe was included. Today, the term Jews has come to mean anyone from the Nation of Israel (even though Scripture does not say this), because many people completely ignore the tribal differences. This is clearly an incorrect usage of the word, one that furthers the propagation of an incorrect theology.

One hundred and thirty years later, after the Assyrian Exile, _the third wave_ of deportation occurred. Babylon carried off Judah. This is commonly known as the _Babylonian Captivity_ _._ This is said with Judah supposedly being exiled for seventy years. But is this the true wording of Scripture? Let us take a closer look at just what Scripture is indeed saying, beginning with its ending. The exile ended in 538 BC when Cyrus II decreed that all who came from the House of Judah could return. This is generally the accepted date. So, if this was the ending, when was the beginning? This is where this teaching fails us. While most people use one date for the Babylon Captivity, that being 586 BC, there were in fact three different dates for Judah's exile:

605 BC (Daniel 1:1-6--Daniel and others were taken);

597 BC (II Chronicles 35:5-6; II Kings 23:34-24:7--Jehoiakim was King, and was carried into Captivity. His son, Jehoichin ruled in his place for three months & ten days before he too was taken away to Babylon);

586 BC (II Kings 25).

If we take each date for the start of the Babylonian Captivity, 605 BC=67 years; 597 BC=59 years; 586 BC=48 years. As you can see, none of these years equals 70 years. Why doesn't the math work? That's because, if you look closely at Scripture, it will show you that the 70 years does not pertain to the House of Judah; v.11-12 says:

And this whole land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the King of Babylon seventy years. Then it will be when the seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, declares Yahweh, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

The prophet says in v.11: _these nations shall serve the King of Babylon._ This means Babylon will be in power; it will rule itself and surrounding nations for seventy years; it will be the dominant world power for seventy years. And as secular history tells us, Babylon defeated the Assyrians in 608 BC. History calls it, the NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE (746-608 BC). Through in-fighting and civil war, the Assyrian Empire became weak, and was beaten by the combined forces of the Medes and Persia. Jeremiah 29:10 makes this clearer:

For thus says Yahweh, when seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good Word to you, to bring you back to this place

Yahweh is referring to the Babylonian Empire here. There is no such thing as a seventy-year Babylonian Captivity! These verses speak to the Babylonian Empire lasting seventy years. The seventy years is referred in II Chronicles 36:20-23:

_And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were_ _servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the Kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the Word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the Land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until seventy years were completed. Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia—in order to fulfill the Word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah—Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his Kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, thus says Cyrus King of Persia, Yahweh, Elohim of Heaven, has given me all the Kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a House in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may Yahweh his Elohim be with him, and let him go up!_

Daniel 9:1-2 is also a place we need to take a closer look at as well:

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made King over the Kingdom of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the Books the number of years which was revealed as the Word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

The passage says Daniel read and knew and understood what Yahweh said to Jeremiah concerning Jerusalem and Babylon in Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10. He understood that if the desolation of Jerusalem was to last seventy years, and if the count began at 586 BC, the time in captivity at that juncture was only 48 years, with another 22 years to go. What would be his reasoning for praying? No, Daniel understood that the seventy years pertained to the time that Babylon would be in power, from 608 BC to 538 BC. And now it was 538 BC, and he understood that the House of Judah would be desolate only during the time of Babylon's power, which was seventy years also. Since Darius the Mede was reigning, he knew that Babylon's seventy years were then completed. And so Daniel says in v.19: _"O my Elohim, do not delay"._ In other words, Daniel was asking, now that the seventy years are completed, _"How much longer?"_ He did not have long to wait, for in less than a year, we know that Cyrus II gave the decree for the House of Judah to return and live in the Land once more.

Since we are on the subject of the House of Judah, as many of you know, Scripture has Zedekiah as being the last King of Judah to sit on the throne of David. And yet Scripture also says in II Samuel 7:12-16:

When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his Kingdom. He shall build a House for My name, and I will establish the throne of his Kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men. But My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your House and your Kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.

Many people say the Messiah is filling this prophecy of an everlasting throne as he sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. But v.14 says this person will commit iniquity; clearly this cannot be the Messiah, and clearly this is a physical ruling and not a spiritual one. No. The most likely candidate is King Solomon. I Samuel 8:23-25 tells us:

You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel.

In fact, Scripture says this a few times, I Kings 8:5, 9:5; Jeremiah 33:17; Psalm 89:28-29 just to name a few verses. In fact, Psalm 89:34-37 says:

My covenant I will not violate, nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.

And Psalm 89:29 says:

So I will establish his descendants forever, and his throne as the days of Heaven.

Now, these passages come with a condition of obedience, and we will not downplay that. But still, when Scripture says, _"His throne will continue or be as the days of Heaven",_ since Heaven is outside of time, and we still have the sun, moon and stars, then somewhere on earth sits a member of the Davidic line holding the scepter of Israel. How can this be? Well, we know that Zedekiah was King of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and blinded him and killed his sons and slew all the nobles of Judah (Jeremiah 39:1-10). This story is retold in Jeremiah 52; and 52:11 adds that Zedekiah was put in prison where he died. After these things, Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah a governor and put him in charge of Judah and the surrounding area (Jeremiah 40:5). But he was killed by Ishmael, and Jeremiah 41:1-10 give us these details. In v.10 of that passage it says the King's daughters were saved and taken away. This is extremely important because some of our Christian teaching says there was no one of noble birth after Zedekiah's death, and that the Davidic line died. But here is where we must remember the commission placed on Jeremiah back in Jeremiah 1:5, 10:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations...See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over Kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.

As you can see, Jeremiah was appointed to tear down and to build up something. And as v.5 says, he was born to deal with Kingdoms and nations. So, he was not only a prophet, but he was also tore down and built up nations.

In Jeremiah 43:1-8 Johanan takes the King's daughters and others into Egypt, against Yahweh's command. And then Jeremiah 44 predicts the destruction of Egypt, and Jeremiah 44:14, 26-28 tells us only a few will be saved. So then what happens to this remnant? Where will they be planted and take root? Most scholars stop here regarding the whereabouts of Jeremiah. Some few put forth conjecture without Scripture support and much confusion is created because of this. Being guided by the Spirit is obviously important. This is always our intent, to follow the leading of the Spirit. And there are times when we are simply wrong; we fully admit that. But there are also times when we are right, often in the face of an unbelieving world. With that said, we believe Scripture does give us several clues as to what happened to the royal seed. Isaiah 37:31-32 says:

And the remnant that is escaped of the House of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of Mount Zion: the zeal of Yahweh of Hosts shall do this.

This passage clearly says the remnant shall take root and bear fruit again, this being symbolic of children. So, they left Judah, escaping out of Zion. But the question is, to where did they escape? Some of the verses in Psalm 89 are helpful in this regard. Psalm 89:3-4 reminds us that Yahweh has sworn that David's throne will be established forever. Then in v.20-25 the writer says:

I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him: with whom My hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him: and in My name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.

The word _hand_ is H3027, and it means: _hand, a symbol of power and authority._ David's power or symbol of power will be on the sea, as in a naval power. Besides, how was the nation of Israel warned or talked to through Jeremiah if indeed Jeremiah was not with them? Jeremiah 31:7-10 speaks of Israel living on coastlands. In v.2 it speaks of the remnant who survived the sword back in Isaiah 37:31-32; Yahweh says they will plant and enjoy the vineyards of Samaria _AGAIN_ (v.5). It cannot be _"AGAIN"_ if they were never in Samaria; Yahweh would be returning them to their homeland, from whence they came. In v.7 He even refers to them as: _"The remnant of Israel"._ In v.8 Yahweh refers to them as: _"The north country",_ as in north of Jerusalem, which, immediately north would be Samaria. And what about Isaiah 49:1-12? Yahweh continues to speak of gathering the remnant from around the world. In this passage, He says in v.12:

Behold, these shall come from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.

In the Hebrew language there is no word for _"northwest"_ but the phrase, _"from the north and from the west"_ designate this direction. It means, _"the northwest"._ What country is northwest of Jerusalem or Samaria? The British Isles.

Ezekiel 17 gives us another view at what happened to this remnant. As v.2 tells us, this passage is both a riddle and a parable. Why both? We believe two different ways of perceiving this passage is required to understand what Yahweh wants us to know. He wants us to understand the more obvious parallels as one would in a parable; and He wants us to also understand that the understanding accurately of the parallels are needed to understand the deeper meanings of the riddle. He helps us with the more obvious parallels, as He gives them to us, starting in v.12. He begins with reminding us that v.12 is reminiscent of chapter two of Ezekiel; there He labeled Judah a rebellious House. Nebuchadnezzar is the first eagle. He deported King Jehoiachin, his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers to Babylon (II Kings 24:12-15). In v.13 Nebuchadnezzar takes Mattaniah, who was Jehoiachin's uncle, changed his name to Zedekiah, and made him King of Judah (II Kings 24:17). In v.15 Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and in v.16 Yahweh prophecies that Zedekiah will die in Babylon. Then in v.17-21 we see the account of the fugitives escaping into Egypt and being killed. But not all of them. As we have said before, the daughters of Zedekiah were spared, along with Jeremiah the prophet and his assistant. This is explained in v.21. A tender, young twig, one of Zedekiah's daughters, is planted (By the second eagle). But where is she planted? Clearly she was not planted in Canaan, for that was under control of Babylon. Yahweh says in v.23 that He would plant the young tender twig in the high mountain of Israel. But where is that place? As you can clearly see, Hosea 3:4 was in play. During this time when David's Seed was on the run, and the Kingdom is in disarray. Babylon had taken Judah's King and nobles and princes and other leaders. The Kingdom and this group were even without household idols (We saw this earlier in Judges 18:1-21).

In any case, this lesson is far too long and complex to cover everything in just a few pages. For, there is the Breach to consider, and I haven't even started on that. So, please forgive me for cutting this lesson short. There is simply too many details to follow and explain, and we simply do not have the time. Let me leave you with this:

Yahweh gave the Kingdom of Israel over to David forever (II Chronicles 13:5). Now, this next bit of information is very, very critical, because few people catch it, and fewer still believe it and thus they do not realize they are fighting against Yahweh at that point! But here it is:

I repeat, Yahweh gave the Kingdom of ISRAEL over to David. And we know that David came from the line of Judah. The Scepter was also promised to Judah, which means it was promised to David. But David's Seed was given the Ten Tribes, which is the true Israel, which have been dispersed across the world. So, the Scepter will come from Ephraim now that David was given the Ten Tribes. The Seed of David reigns over Israel and the Messiah came through the Seed of David. But the country Israel today is not the name of the Ten Tribes who were named Israel. THOSE Ten Tribes of Israel were driven into unknown lands, and many of them do not know they are of the original Ten Tribes of Israel. They are known by other names.

The House of Judah that is in the Land of Canaan today is without its royal leadership, for it never came back from the Diaspora. The royalty of Judah was with Jeremiah who escaped overseas. Scripture tells us the Daughters of Zedekiah were in the Diaspora with Jeremiah.

# These Words...Shall Be Upon Your Heart

Moses says to the Nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 6:4:

Hear O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim is One Yahweh.

We all know this: it is the beginning of the _Shema,_ given to Israel. And we all know that the word _hear_ is H8085, and it means: _to hear intelligently, to hear and understand, and to hear with the idea of being obedient._ Moses uses this phrase several times in reference, not only to Yahweh, but also in reference to His Torah, as in Deuteronomy 4:1:

Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the Land which Yahweh Elohim of your fathers giveth you.

The word _hearken_ is also H8085, the same Hebrew word from which we get the word _hear._ As we have said, H8085 means: _in various contexts, to hear with the idea of being obedient._ Given this, obedience rarely comes from listening once to something; it involves the constant activity of listening to teachings over and over; what we need to know and learn and understand is to be kept before us at all times. The Spirit will lead you to the Truth you need to translate into obedience as you yield your heart to Yahweh's leading. Notice how Moses connects the idea of teaching with listening; he basically says, _"Listen and obey while I teach you"._ He does not say, _"Read and obey while I teach you"._ So then, the implanting of Yahweh's laws into the hearts of the believers, i.e., the obedient Israelites, came to those who heard the teaching and responded accordingly. This is in line with what we know of Shaul's teaching in Romans 10:14-15: _How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!_

Moses was sent to _teach_ the Nation of Israel the Torah of Yahweh. And the word _teach_ is another key word. It is the Hebrew word H3925, and its primary meaning is: _to goad, to learn, to study, to be taught, to be learned, to train, to accustom someone to particular types of patterns of behaviors._ The implication being the person will practice these behaviors to incorporate them into his lifestyle. Secondarily and by implication it means to _teach._

Getting back to our Scripture passage in Deuteronomy 6:4, we know that _hearing_ involves being obedient, being ready to learn, and be willing to give up your current way of life and follow Yahweh's way of life. Fast-forward in history and we find that Yeshua says the same thing in Matthew 16:24:

... _if any man come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me._ The word _deny_ is G533, and it means: _to disown, abstain, to turn against._ The Messiah is using it here to show how the person who denies himself is rejecting himself; he is renouncing and disregarding all his personal interest and enjoyment. Many Christian leaders and Christian and non-Christian groups alike who advocate people following their dreams, and taking a stance for their rights show that they do not deny themselves; thus, they show they are not ready to follow the Messiah. Yeshua says you cannot serve both Yahweh and your own personal interests; either you will hate the one, and love the other, or else you will care faithfully and diligently for the one, and despise and give no thought to the other; He says you cannot do both (Matthew 6:24). And the word _follow_ is G190, and it means: _to be of the same mind, to cleave to, to act and behave according to your example, to be joined together in abiding fellowship._

So _hearing_ involves obedience, learning, behaving like the Father, and abiding fellowship with the Father. Those Israelites who heard Moses teach and became obedient to the Word, the Father made His abode within those persons, just as He does today. There is one Israel, one Yahweh, one Messiah; and they all abide within each other. And for those who like to keep track, in Deuteronomy 4:1, between the words _teach_ and _you_ is the stand alone _Aleph Tav._

And Deuteronomy 6:5 says:

And thou shalt love Yahweh thy Elohim with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

If a person is not obedient to Yahweh's Word, if he has not submitted all of his wishes, dreams, and aspirations to Yahweh in exchange for a life of righteous slavery, he does not belong to Him. The man of Yahweh does not have a will of his own, so he cannot fight for personal rights. The man of Yahweh has no greater desire than to please and to live for the Father. All that we have and all that we do should go to glorify Him. As the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 73:28:

But it is good for me to draw near to Elohim: I have put my trust in Adonai Yahweh, that I may declare all Thy works.

Notice how the Psalmist speaks of himself in the singular? It is as if he was answering Moses in Deuteronomy 6:2-3, where he speaks in the singular, addressing each and every Israelite individually; just as Moses addresses the Nation in its totality in v.1. The duty of each person of the nation is to hear and obey the teaching of the Torah. Those who are obedient will love Yahweh, and will show their love through their continued obedience to the Torah. The more obedient they become, the closer they are drawn to Yahweh. Their behaviors will change, their friends will change, and their lifestyles will change. Everything about them will change. They will appear as new people because they ARE new people (II Corinthians 5:17). This verse reminds us of Colossians 3:1-3. When you love Yahweh with all your heart, soul, and strength, your old self has died; you are dead to it but are now alive, being connected to a new and divine life source from Heaven. You are no longer who you were. So, it is these few to whom Moses spoke in v.5. And v.6 says:

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.

If His Word, His Torah, is not in your heart, you are not His. It was true then; it is true today. Where true love for the Father exists in a person's heart, it will manifest itself in the seeking of His will, and dutifully being obedient to His Torah. _And these words_ are the words of the Torah that Moses spoke to the true House of Israel, that is, those who had the Torah written on their hearts. So, then, as a community, there can be no greater concern than that of keeping and observing the Torah. Since every true Israelite's greatest concern is also following the Father through the Torah, the Torah becomes the central theme of true Israel. Each person is being continually transformed into the likeness of the Savior (II Corinthians 3:18); the Father writes, shapes, colors each heart that belongs to Him through each person's own personalized sanctification. This cannot be stressed too much: The heart belonging to Yahweh will manifest the behaviors of Yahweh.

Where the world says, _"Say yes to self"_ Yahweh says, _"Say no to self"._

Where the world says, _"Say yes to Jesus"_ Yahweh says, _"Say yes to the Torah"._

Where the world says, _"Say yes to individuality",_ Yahweh says, _"Say yes to being transformed by His Word" (Romans 12:2; Understanding that you will lose that desire to be a unique individual; you will be one of a nation of people who--basically will act the same, who basically will think the same way, who basically will like many of the same things because they are all being transformed into the same person)._

You get the idea...Yahweh will help you to understand the words He has written on your heart. Ezekiel 36:24-27 says:

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your Elohim. I will also save you from all your righteousness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

So, the true Israelite will have Yahweh's Word written on his heart.

And Deuteronomy 6:7 says:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

The phrase, _teach them diligently,_ is H8150, and it means: _to point, to pierce._ To some Hebrew scholars it has come to mean: _to teach in short yet penetrating and easy to remember sentences._ And the word _talk_ is H1696, and it means: _to speak, but it can also mean to speak about someone or some thing._ However, when together figuratively, they can mean: _to teach diligently the Torah and to speak of the Torah, meaning, the Torah is to be impressed upon something, as being impressed upon the heart._ The Torah, what the Torah means, and what the Father's intentions are for the Torah are impressed upon the believer's heart so that when he does _"speak"_ of the Torah, he does so because he has a working and living knowledge of it. The words of the Torah are a divine and holy way of life. You ALWAYS see the result of the Father's hand upon a person's heart; you will see His love and gentleness, His humbleness, His generosity, His kindness; the person will have an increased knowledge of the Torah; you will see the Father's patience, and other Fruit of the Father's Spirit. The Torah is not simply words to be recited or referenced, as the hypocrite is wont to do. The person who is in a state of unbelief may refuse to even acknowledge the Torah.

And Deuteronomy 6:8 says:

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

We belong to Yahweh. We surrender all that makes up who we WERE, and who we ARE, and who we WILL BE to Him. The Spirit's sanctification process is the remaking of us in the Messiah's image. What He liked, we like, what He hated, we hate, how He sacrificed Himself--His time, His life for others, we sacrifice ourselves, our time, our lives for others; how He prayed, we pray, how He suffered, we suffer; the Father is remaking us to mirror the wants and desires of His Son so that we can also live like His Son. He is remaking us to be like Him. The apostle Peter says in I Peter 2:21:

For even hereunto were ye called: because the Anointed also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.

The word _follow_ is G1872, which means: _to accompany._ But the root words of this Greek word are G1909 which means: _to be superimposed upon,_ and G190, which means: _to cleave to, to follow, to believe in and trust in another._ This means: _you will reject your own way of life and embrace the Anointed's life of sacrifice and self-denial; you will embrace the Spirit's remaking of you and reject your former way of life._ This is the life that the Father has written on our hearts; and we are bound to this way. What we do with our hands is the manifestation of the Spirit's work in our hearts; this binding of our hands is to show that we are bound, inseparable to the Torah. We bear the Torah between our eyes to not only show we are enslaved to the Father's righteousness (Romans 6:18), but that the Torah also directs our eyes, for the Torah's righteousness is surely better than our own (Numbers 15:39-40).

# The Spirit Of Discernment And Understanding

In our lives we should endeavor to know and understand and obey the will of the Father. This is our most compelling reason for where each of us has been stationed. If we truly believe in Yahweh (And unfortunately Christianity as a whole does not), then we must discern there are various reasons, just as there are myriads of purposes, for where He has placed us and why. Distinguishing the purposes of the Father from the purposes of men will result in knowing on which road and in which direction we are headed: be that on the narrow road of Matthew 7:13-14, which, by its definition, will at all times be filled with pain and suffering. To counter this Truth, Satan has many corners of Christianity teaching that this road is filled with riches and pleasure and ease. This is only one of its many heresies. As one searches through the annals of Christian teachings, one will easily see there is no uniform teaching on what this narrow road is. And this is simply mind-boggling because the Anointed Yeshua tells us EXACTLY what it is: _"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it._ Yeshua uses the word _strait,_ which is G4728, and it means: _narrow, filled with obstacles, dangers, and persecutions._ Imagine a two foot-by-two foot tunnel filled with spikes, sharp edges and broken glass on the floor and on the ceiling. He uses this word to make sure everyone understands what manner of path this is; this road is not a simple walk on the beach or a gentle stroll through the Arboretum! In I Peter 2:21 the apostle Peter says this is the road the Messiah walked, leaving us an example for us to follow. If we are who we say we are—and that is as being bound and united to Him, then our lives should reflect His Spirit living within us and guiding us. Romans 6:3-5 says:

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Yeshua the Anointed were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptized into death: that like as the Anointed was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.

Though we are still horrendously sinful compared to Him, we and others around us should clearly see the vestiges of the divine Spirit at work within us (Ephesians 2:10).

Christianity tells the world that through belief in Jesus Christ, ANYONE can have salvation. However, Scripture tells us in Matthew 15:24 that Yeshua (Yahweh in the flesh) came ONLY for the scattered and punished sheep of the House of Israel. Yahweh punished the House of Israel for its disobedience by allowing the Assyrians to deport them (II Kings 17:1-41). In spite of what Christianity claims, Christianity teaches its Christian members to believe something other than what Scripture teaches. Will you continue to make that very disastrous mistake as well?

The Book of James helps us to understand and navigate down this narrow road of salvation, and it helps us to understand what the Father is telling us. James 1:1 says:

James, a servant of Yahweh and of the Master Yeshua the Anointed, to the Twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Many of you know much about this Book, and so know that James, its author, is the brother of our Savior (Matthew 13:55; Galatians 1:19). He says he is a servant, or as some of your Bibles may say, bondservant. Many of you know this word; it is G1401, and you know what it means: _slave, either involuntary or as voluntary, a willing slave, but not having a will of your own._ The root word is G1210, and it means: _to bind._ As we have stated many times before, those who belong to the Messiah are bound to Him. Here is another example that helps to explain that binding. As Yeshua's servant, all of our personal rights are assigned to Him. This is one of the reasons why this word was used. We no longer belong to ourselves. Yahweh wanted that very clear; we are not calling the shots in our lives (And if we are, then something is terribly wrong)! As we study the lives of the Apostles, we can see how the Spirit guided them. Like them, we too are joined to Him Spiritually, as well as bodily and mentally. The bond to the Messiah is total and complete. Shaul says in Romans 6:5:

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.

The phrase _planted together_ is G4854, and it means: _to grow together, to be united._ Its primary root word is G4862, and it means: _union, of one mind, joined together, to be complete._ The bond with the Messiah completes us; He is the missing piece so that we gain salvation and have eternal life with Him. Now, think about that for just a moment. Since we are bonded, permanently, to the Messiah, and since we are growing together with Him, doesn't this imply that we are also learning from Him? Since we are bonded to Him, we will exhibit many of His characteristics, i.e., self-sacrifice, willingness to give, humility, kindness, self control, mercy, worshipping on the Sabbath, following the Torah, etc...Our actions, our behaviors, our thoughts, our beliefs will not be so horrendously different from the Messiah's that people won't see Him in us. Since these are the things that characterized Him, these same things will characterize us. We will be like Him since we are being remade in His image (II Corinthians 3:18). Christianity completely ignores the fact that Yeshua worshipped on the Sabbath. Not once did He change or attempt to change or even suggest changing the Sabbath from the original date in Genesis to today, in 2015. He always followed the Torah (wrote it actually, if Truth be told...) and He celebrated the biblical feasts (Leviticus 23). Being bonded to Him we are then compelled to also do them, because His nature has become part of our new nature. We are compelled to search for heavenly things. Colossians 3:1 says:

If ye then be risen with the Anointed One, seek those things which are above, where the Anointed One sitteth on the right hand of Yahweh.

The word _"if"_ is G1487, and it is a particle of a fulfilled condition; it is not, as many believe, a hypothetical situation. Shaul is not proposing a circumstance that MIGHT happen; he is stating this as a well-known established fact; the word _"since",_ or the phrase, _"In view of"_ would have been a more accurate translation. Shaul speaks to those who are ALREADY Spirit filled; not to those who, by Christianity's reckoning, could become Spirit filled, even though there is no Scriptural basis to warrant such a belief. This verse is connected to Ephesians 1:3-4:

Blessed be Elohim and Father of our Master Yeshua the Anointed, who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places in the Anointed {One}: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Here, Shaul says that Yahweh chose us before the foundation of the world. It does not depend on what we will or desire; it depends solely on the Father. Romans 9:11 says:

For the children being not born yet, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of Yahweh according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth.

These verses speak of Yahweh as having already chosen His people, which Scripture says is Israel. Scripture does not speak of turning non-Israelites into Israelites, which is one of the major beliefs of Christianity--but Christianity believes their god turns non-Christians, which includes all Israelites, into Christians. In Matthew 25:31-46 in which the Anointed One talks about the sheep and the goats, never does He mention anything about turning goats into sheep; never does He talk about moving those on His left hand over to His right hand; never are the goats even given a chance to become sheep; and at no time does Scripture ever mention that goats were ever considered to be sheep. They were born goats and they remained goats, just as sheep were never changed into goats. It simply never happened...And yet, the Christian Church evangelizes with this very belief that people can be fundamentally and foundationally changed into something they are not...that they can be a goat and be changed into a sheep; that they can be a non-Christian and be changed into a Christian...that the enmity that Yahweh placed between the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the Woman was somehow superseded or taken away so that the seed of the serpent could be changed into a Seed of the Woman. Scripture simply does not embrace this concept. The Seed of Hagar was never going to inherit the blessings set aside for the Seed of Isaac. Scripture makes it plain that Yahweh only recognizes the Seed through Isaac.

But this is simply one of the many so-called changes Christianity said was destined to take place with the coming of the Messiah. Supposedly, Yeshua's incarnation was to usher in various and much needed changes to a belief system that the Christian Church believed was no longer relevant or needed. Scripture, however, does not record a single instance where the Messiah announces He was _"doing away"_ with the Torah. Christianity fails to realize that the Messiah came to also fulfill Tanakh or Old Testament prophecy; no such prophecy exists that foretells the complete dismantling of Yahweh's Law. Nowhere in the Tanakh will you find even an illusion to a prophecy that says Yahweh was going to inaugurate a new belief system at the advent of the Messiah; a belief system that was to be so new and so radical that it would have no need for the House of Israel, or her prophets or the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; this new belief system would have no need for the Torah and make no reference to it whatsoever. This belief system, being Christianity, was to come on the human scene. What the Christian Church fails to understand is that where there is no Law, no Torah, (which it seeks to abolish with an impassioned fervor), there reigns lawlessness. What does Scripture say about lawlessness? The Messiah speaks of lawlessness in no uncertain terms in Matthew 7:23. Most people know this verse, and even use it often; but they do understand that it is a verse that actually condemns Christianity:

... _And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness._

What Yeshua is saying is that those who live without the Law (Torah) are unknown to Him; they have no intimate or special relationship with Him; if they are living their lives without the Law, then they are living without Him. And yet, Christianity touts the belief that to live without the Law is a good and wonderful thing, even though it is in direct contradiction to Scripture. The Messiah quotes Psalm 6:8 for the second part of this verse:

Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for Yahweh hath heard the voice of my weeping.

Living without the Torah, as Christianity pushes and touts, but as Scripture confirms, is to live in sin, plain and simple. And those living in sin will never see the Kingdom of Heaven. These are words of prophecy; Yeshua expected the House of Israel to know this verse...

In James 1:2 we have the very popular saying, _"count it all joy"._ The word _"count"_ is G2233, and it means: _to lead, to go first, to be a leader, to rule; it also means to consider, deem, give_ _consideration to._ This word is in the _Aorist Imperative Middle Tense,_ which means the word _"count"_ is a command; we are commanded to consider as joy, all our experiences involving temptations and trials. The phrase _"fall into"_ is G4045, and it means: _fall around, fall into the midst of, to fall among._ The idea here is that a believer may at times be surrounded by various trials and temptations; and the person may at times get the feeling of being hemmed in. He does not deliberately and habitually fall into temptation; but as it is around him, there are times when temptations will over take him, and he may fall into it. The word _"divers"_ is G4164, and it means: _motley, various, diverse._ In the Greek, _this word applies primarily to the variety of colors in the world;_ it loses most of this meaning when being translated into English. And this is unfortunate, for it is the various attractive coloring of temptation that is pleasing to the eyes; it is this multiple coloring that helps to make it worldly and dangerous. This is why we need discernment--we need to recognize temptation as it gathers around us and as it pursues us, for it too is wooing us, just as the Father is wooing us.

We have at the beginning of v.3 the word _"knowing"._ It is G1097, and it means: _not just to know, but it means having the ability to discern and to distinguish._ It means: _to be able to recognize._ As believers we have the ability to recognize and understand that the process that tests us and declares us approved by Yahweh is the means by which He develops patience within us. In other words, every time we are tempted, our faith/trust is put to the test. These tests are the ways Yahweh uses to develop patience within us. The word _"trying"_ is G1383, and it means: _a testing; by implication, trustworthiness._ The word _"worketh"_ is G2716, and it means; _to work, to accomplish, to finish, to fashion, to achieve._ We are Yahweh's workmanship. Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are His workmanship, created in the Anointed Yeshua unto good works, which Yahweh hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The word _"patience"_ is G5281, and it means: _endurance, constancy, enduring, to persevere, to bear up under._

Imagine a blacksmith working a piece of iron; he holds it in the fire to soften it and to make it pliable. This is exactly what Yahweh wants for us; He allows the testing of our faith by trials and temptations and sufferings to us pliable, to make us willing, and to make us submissive and to make us obedient. He wants us to be patient like Him. He wants us to be useful. If we are out from under the stress and strain of suffering, we would not be able to identify with those around us who are. Also, our Savior was constantly under stress. How can we be like Him if we do not embrace suffering for the Father's sake? We could not be like Him if we are constantly looking for ways to escape the trials of suffering for the sake of the Kingdom. Patience would not get a chance to develop. Our witness would be false, for we would not be on the same road on which the Messiah walked. Yahweh is re-shaping us; He is re-imaging who and what we are to look and act like the Messiah (II Corinthians 3:18). He is re-shaping us to be like Him! Digging a little deeper, we see that one of the root words of G5281 is G5278, and it means: _to_ _remain, to undergo, to remain alive._ The idea is to remain steadfast, constant, and to have fortitude; to bear up under pressure, to remain permanently under pressure and not collapse. Another of its meanings is to await someone; to await the arrival of some else. As believers we are all awaiting the return of the Messiah.

And as we jump to v.12, it says:

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown of Life, which the Master hath promised to them that love Him.

The word _"blessed"_ is G3107, and it mean: _supremely blessed, fortunate, well off, receiving the favor of Yahweh._ The word _"endureth"_ is G5278, and it happens to be one of the root words for the word _"patience"._ It means: _to stay, to abide, to persevere, often with a strong emphasis of holding fast to one's beliefs under very trying circumstances and trials_. There are times when the circumstances of life weigh very heavy on us; we are under them as they seemingly press harder and harder down on us. What can we do? What were we accustomed to doing? In our past it was, for many of us, instinctual to try to escape these temptations, to run away from the trials of life, or at least, to try to ease the pressure a bit. But now, because of the teaching of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), we know that we are to remain, to endure the trial; we now know these are tests designed to strengthen our dependence on the Father. They are meant to drive us closer to Him. The word _"endureth"_ is also in the _Present Indicative Active Voice,_ which means the person has been given endurance presently; it is not a future endowment but one the believer gets when he becomes a citizen of the Kingdom. The word _"temptation"_ is G3986, and it means: _trials, testing of one's virtues, such as one's faith._ It speaks of circumstances of life beyond our control. Yahweh allows these circumstances as trials so that our trust in Him will become deeper and stronger. Trials also allow us to see what is truly in our hearts (Deuteronomy 8:2). The word _"is"_ happens to be G1096, and it means: _to cause to be, to become, brought about, to come into being._ But it also has another meaning: _to become the property of another, to come into the power of another._ It is this meaning we believe fits this context best. The word _"tried"_ is G1384, and it means: _to be accepted, proved, acceptable, pleasing._ The word _"crown"_ is G4735, and it means: _a victor's crown, a sign of honor and dignity in victory._ It speaks to some type of final reward for the believers being victorious in the struggle of life. For James it is this Crown of Life; for Shaul it is the Crown of Righteousness (II Timothy 4:8), and for Peter it is the Crown of Glory (I Peter 5:4).

In v.18-20 James says:

Of His own will begat He us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of Yahweh.

The key to understanding Yahweh's will for us is to be of Him. "Like kind" will produce "like kind"; an apple tree will produce apples; it will not produce grapefruits; If you come from Him, then you will have His characteristics within you; you will act, think, talk, and behave like Him. The Fruit of His Spirit will be clearly shown by who you are. And if your heart has not been circumcised (Deuteronomy 30:6), then your behavior will clearly show that you belong to the Adversary, HaSatan. Yeshua also deals with this in Matthew 12:33-37. The fruit must, and it will, conform to the nature of the tree. No matter what people may say or what they profess, if they do not act like Yeshua, by keeping the Sabbath and the Torah, then they are not of Yeshua. James says this of Yahweh in 1:18:

Of His own will He begat us.

The phrase, _"His own will"_ is G1014, and it means: _to be willing, to will, wish, desire._ It was Yahweh's personal desire to make us and to provide a way for us to approach Him. The word _begat_ is G616, and it means: _to breed forth, to generate, to produce, to bear._ It is synonymous with G5088, _to bring forth,_ and with _G1080,_ _to give birth, to be born, to conceive._ Yahweh gave birth to us, so naturally we will have the same attributes and characteristics as He. And it is in the past tense, and it indicates completeness and permanence. This birth is complete and permanent; it can never be undone. And He begot us how? He begot us with the Word of Truth, the Agent of creation being Yeshua; we get support for this from John 1:1-3; 9-14. And so, being of Him, He has given us attributes that are designed to help us grow in our walk. Not surprising, these attributes are in our hearts; starting in v.19 James says: _Be swift to hear._ The word _"swift"_ is G5036, and it means: _fleet, prompt, ready; it implies eagerness._ Yahweh changes the heart to be eager to hear. The question is: _to be eager to hear what?_ No doubt to be eager to hear the Father's Word! We want to be quick to hear, and quick to understand, and quick to respond! All that we hear and all that we understand are to make us quick to be obedient. I Peter 2:2 says:

As newborn babies, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.

The key to understanding this verse is the word _"desire",_ which is G1971 and it means: _to yearn, to crave intensely, to greatly desire._ One of its root words is G1909, which, as you know, means: _to be superimposed upon._ We have already determined that the Holy Spirit is superimposed onto believers. And here, Peter says as newborn babies we desire greatly the Father's Word. This takes us back to being _"swift to hear"._ Yahweh gives us the ability to not just hear, but to desire greatly to hear. The word _"desire"_ is also in the _Aorist Imperative Active_ _Voice,_ which means the desire and the yearning for the Word is in the present; it is not a future event. This _"desire"_ begins the moment the person becomes a citizen of the Father's Kingdom. Evaluate the condition of your heart; take an inventory of it. Do you delight in the Torah? Do you have an insatiable longing for it? Do you pour over and over it, longing to read and wanting to understand it? Do you look forward to the Sabbath? Are you desirous of the feasts of Leviticus 23? This is the type of desire the Father gives His children; it is another way we are set apart from those who do not long after the Father or do the things the Messiah did.

Next in v.19, James says to be: _slow to speak._ Right off the bat we see that James does NOT say: Do not be angry; do not be wrathful, but to be slow in doing so. This implies there is a type of anger that is permissible, and a type that is not. And v.20 tells us that the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of Yahweh, which, then logically, we are to understand that the wrath of Yahweh DOES work His righteousness. The word _"speak"_ is G2980, and it means: _to talk, to speak, but it is in reference to being angry._ It thus means: _an extended or random_ _harangue, meaning a vitriolic diatribe, a rant, which may or may not be directed at someone._ Next, James says be: _slow to wrath._ Or some Bibles use the word _"anger"._ Again, Yahweh does not say: Do not get angry. Even He got angry, many times at Israel. And even today He still gets angry at a great many of His people.

# Producing Fruit According To Your Nature

A person cannot produce fruit that is NOT according to his nature. It is simply an impossibility. Matthew 7:18 says:

A _good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit._

You can only produce what you are. A pig cannot produce or become a sheep. A bird cannot produce or become a lobster. An apple tree cannot produce bananas. The word _cannot_ is G3756, and it means: _an absolute negation, absolutely not, negative._ This means there is absolutely no possible way for a good tree to produce bad fruit, and there is absolutely no possible way for a bad tree to produce good fruit. The man of Yahweh will not and cannot lead a double life of blessing and cursing; it is not in his nature to be double-minded. The person in whose life the Holy Spirit dwells cannot/will not serve two masters. He cannot bless and serve Yahweh and then curse and be utterly independent of Him. The person who says he is devoted to Yahweh and yet eats at the table of demons by freely supporting, participating in and embracing other beliefs contrary to Torah does not belong to Yahweh. Shaul says in II Corinthians 6:14-18 says:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath the Anointed with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of Yahweh with idols? For ye are the Temple of the Living Elohim; as Yahweh hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith Yahweh, and touch not the unclean thing; I will receive you. and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith Yahweh Almighty.

The Apostle John says that whoever claims he is devoted to Yahweh and yet continues in sin is a liar. I John 2:4 says:

He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him.

He is the one who tries to justify sin, especially his favorite sin(s). In spite of what this person claims to be, he does not belong to the Father. In I John 3:6 the Apostle John also says this:

Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.

The word _neither_ is G3761, whose root word is G3756, _an absolute negation._ What this is saying is that the one who habitually sins has never known Yahweh. No matter who this person claims to be, or no matter what he claims to have done, he has never belonged to Yahweh. He has never repented of his sins and has never embraced Yahweh and the Torah as Scripture commands us. This word _neither_ also implies an absence of usefulness. What use is an unrepentant soul to Yahweh?

In James 3:13 the Apostle asks, _who is wise and who is endued with knowledge?_ Or, another way of saying this verse is, _who has been given practical skills and uses them according to Yahweh's will?_ Who has no will of his own, and has made Yahweh's will his will? The wisdom of Heaven is a divine endowment, not a human acquisition. It is reserved ONLY for the House of Israel, the Father's elect. The Father's elect are indeed wise, but not of ourselves, but only as such divine wisdom guides our thoughts and action. Shaul says in I Corinthians 2:5-8:

That your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men, but on the power of Yahweh. Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak of Yahweh's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which Yahweh predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Master of Glory.

We are given the Seed of Life itself; the power of Creation implanted in the center of our hearts to give clarity and direction to our minds. Shaul says those who are mature, meaning those who are obedient to the Torah, speak with this wisdom. This wisdom and divine life (including the Holy Spirit) and the Torah are given to us; we are known by the fruit that the Spirit produces in us. The self-control, the kindness, the love, and the gentleness with which we speak and act and behave are readily seen the world. But, we are far from perfect, being a work in progress. Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are His workmanship, created in the Anointed Yeshua unto good works, which Yahweh hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We embrace each day in Messiah; a divine newness making a point to be separate from a dark and dying world. Shaul says in II Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore if any man be in the Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The wisdom of an unsaved world will often originate within the minds of men. Such is the faith of the Christian Church, which embraces and encourages unbelief. Knowledge alone cannot and will not save you; there is no redemptive enablement inherent in accumulating facts. Nor is there any type or any method of redemptive enablement designed to perfect any type of physical skill. There is simply no substitute for the Torah. Every Israelite is born with just enough faith to know he cannot save himself. Yahweh must provide the rest; He provides wisdom, faith, and our salvation. We provide our unbelief, for in the post-modern man, unbelief comes in a variety of flavors and colors. The denial of the crucifixion of the Messiah is the greatest single evidence of the stupidity of unbelief. But there are many other acts of unbelief, all very serious and condemning. The denial of keeping the Sabbath; Christianity's teaching of worshipping on the first day (Sunday), Christianity's teaching of rejecting the dietary laws, its teaching of mixing the profane with the holy, its propensity to totally and completely ignore the Father's holy days of Leviticus 23 (Pesach, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, etc...), and many other things constitute denying the Scripture. This is unbelief in its purest form.

