By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
Rabbis continue to say Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that All Mitzvot Remain Binding Forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet; therefore, throughout the New Testament (they say), Yeshua contradicted the Torah by stating its commandments are no longer applicable. Most of mainstream Christianity agree that "Jesus" did away with the Torah since He died for our sins. Messianic Believers are totally against this and state categorically that we do not see how Yeshua contradicted the Torah. In Matt 5:17 we read: "Think not that I have come to abolish the Law, but I have come to fulfill it." Yeshua was telling to the people that it must be obeyed! In this study, we will focus on the main reasons why Judaism rejects Yeshua as the Messiah and what the Scriptures says about it. Many passages in the Torah and the Brit Chadasha states that there is a veil that remains in the Jewish people on the understanding of the identity of the Promised Messiah. According to the Word, YHWH blinded them and He will open their eyes at the appropiate time.. We cannot go against YHWH’s plan and try to undo what He has done. The truth is that He always keep a remnant´s eyes open in every generation (Rom 11:2-5). Why most Jewish world rejects Yeshua as the Messiah and why the First century believers accepted Him? These are some of the objections: 1) Yeshua did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies the Messiah is supposed to accomplish. Jewish mindset show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists. Many Jewish sages saw two primary Messianic types in Scripture. There is Messiah Ben David and Messiah Ben Joseph, with Judah and David the primary types of the king of Israel, and Joseph and Joshua the primary types of the saviour of Israel. In Hebrew, "ben" means "son of." In Yeshua’s day, however, the sages had not yet formulated this clear understanding of two Saviour figures in prophecy. 2) Yeshua embodies not the personal qualifications of Messiah. a. As a prophet. Understanding the Scriptural requirements of the prophecy. b. As a descendant of David. Understanding Yeshua´s genealogies. c. As a Torah-observant. Understanding that He came to fulfill and not to destroy the Torah. Watch the Message >>
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By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
The epistle of Jude is one of the shortest book in the Bible and yet one of the most controversial book that almost did not make it in the biblical Canon. In as much as there are many controversial issues that the book has to deal with, it was able to make it in extensive Canon process because the early Ekklesia never doubted its authenticity. However, its links to 2 Peter, its use of the Apocryphal Books, and its brevity raised concern among the scholars and remains as issues until today. The epistle of Jude is the penultimate book of the Brit Chadasha and is rightfully placed just before the book of Revelation as a prelude to the book of the End Times as it also quote passages from the book of Enoch, whose purpose of writing is for the remote generations who will live in the last days. In this study, we will be discussing the seven J’s as follows: The Journal of the Book. To understand this epistle better, we will discuss the background and the author. Jude (also known as Judas or Judah) was one of the four brothers of Yeshua according to Mark 6:3 and Matt 13:55 and was believed to be the author of the epistle by the early Christianity. The Jaunty of the Writing. The outline of the Book is as follows: I. Salutation (v1-3) II. Occasion for the Letter (v3-4) A. The change of Subject (v3) B. The Reason for the Change: The Presence of Godless Apostates (v4) III. Warning against the False Teachers (v5-16) A. Historical Examples of the Judgement of Apostates (v5-7) 1. Unbelieving Israel (v5) 2. Angels who fell (v6) 3. Sodom and Gomorrah (v7) B. Description of the Apostates of Jude's Day (v8-16) 1. Their slanderous speech deplored (v8-10) 2. Their character graphically portrayed (v11-13) 3. Their destruction prophesied (v14-16) IV. Exhortation to Believers (v17-23) V. Concluding Doxology (v24-25) Watch the Message >> By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
The Adversary has crippled Christians for almost 2000 years. He has masterfully deceived their minds by distorting the fundamental truth that the Scripture/Old Testament is not applicable anymore, meaning that the “TORAH/Law" has been done away with. For true believers, the Torah or Law is the instruction from YHWH, for the “right relationship" upon which to build our faith. Most Messianic believers will agree that the Torah is the only true Scriptural source for a “solid foundation" for understanding the rest of the TaNaKh and the New Covenant Scriptures. The Torah alone should be the starting point for building a faith foundation after our rebirth in Yeshua the Messiah. It is the foundational revelation about the nature of YHWH and His redemptive dealings with mankind. The New Covenant Scriptures are therefore a continuation of the Torah in that they complete (fill up) the revelation of the TaNaKh. We must remember the Torah was a shadow and pattern of good things to come. All concepts and doctrines developed in the New Covenant Scriptures are "already revealed in the Torah"; albeit only as a shadow. If the faith isn't based upon the foundation of the Torah, there is a need to seriously study the Torah diligently to see what YHWH’s Torah says. If the foundation is built from the New Covenant alone, then you will have a less than ideal understanding of YHWH's Scriptures and His will for your life. The truth is that it will be impossible to fully understand the New Covenant Scriptures without a proper foundation from the Torah. L-RD Yeshua emphasized and said, "I have not come to destroy the Law (literally meaning, to incorrectly teach the Torah – thereby making it undone), I have come to fulfill the Law (literally meaning, "I have come to explain and interpret the Torah to you correctly")". Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
Tithing is a practice (and tradition) of every Christians in modern society to give ten (10%) percent of their incomes to their local church. As we moved to messianic faith, the teachings about tithing never really went away and as a matter of fact it was even highlighted because we now observe the Torah, we ought to live by them, including the tithing. Unfortunately, the misconception and false teaching about this commandment took a huge toll to people and countless souls were taken advantage in the guise of biblical teachings. In this study, we will consider the seven (7) T’s about tithing to shed light in this very controversial topic, to wit: Talks about Tithing. Did you know that there are 23,145 verses in the Old Testament and 7,957 verses in the New Testament for a total of 31,102 verses while the passages that speaks about tithing is only 34? It is barely 0.1% in the Scriptures and yet it is the frontrunner in christian teachings next only to evangelism. To top it off, there are more important words in the Bible barely mentioned by the preachers, or worse being attacked by them like “Commandment” (mentioned in 335 verses), “Sabbath” (mentioned in 149 verses), “Feasts” (mentioned in 140 verses) and “Law” (mentioned in 459 verses). Trickery using Tithing. It is very unfortunate that a beautiful commandment is being over-emphasized while other more important things are ignored or set-aside for they don't benefit as much as they do with the former. Phrases like "If you don't tithe, you rob G-D" and "If you tithe, you will receive abundant blessings" are used to persuade people to tithe but, it is more of superstition and to some degree, gambling! Superstition because they feel that if they don't give, they will be not be blessed or worse “cursed.” Others give because they think it will multiple 10-folds or even more. Is it really the case? Texts about Tithing. The Biblical texts teach us what, where, when, how and to whom we have to give our tithes and what is the blessing that comes from doing it in G-D´s way. By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of qorbanot (the sacrifices and offerings) is not simply to obtain forgiveness from sins committed. The purposes of qorbanot are pretty much the same as that of prayer. We offer qorbanot to praise G-d, to become closer to Him, to express our love and gratitude to Him. We also bring qorbanot to celebrate holidays and Feasts. Others are used to cleanse a person of ritual impurity, which does not necessarily have anything to do with sin. Many qorbanot, like many prayers, are brought for purposes of atonement. However, the atoning aspect of sacrifices is limited. For the most part, it only expiate unintentional sins, that is, sins committed because a person forgot that this thing was a sin. No atonement is needed for violations committed under duress or through lack of knowledge, and for the most part, sacrifices cannot atone for a malicious, deliberate sin. In addition, qorbanot or sacrifices have no expiating effect unless the person making the offering truly repents from his actions before making the offering, and makes restitution to any person who was harmed by his transgression. Yeshua reflected this teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:24). Watch the Message >> By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
You may recall in our studies Yeshua (Jesus) spent much time in synagogues (Matt. 4:23). He taught in them (Matt. 13:54), healed in them (Luke 4:33-35; Mark 3:1-5), and debated the interpretation of Torah in them (John 6:28-59). For emphasis, Yeshua is a “rabbi” that belonged to the community of the synagogue, because when he visited Nazareth, he was scheduled to read the Haphtarah (Luke 4:16-30). This is a remarkable example of God's preparation, as the passage Yeshua (Jesus) read was exactly the passage that he used to explain his ministry. The early Christians continued to attend synagogues, though with a new interpretation of the Torah, now that Yeshua (Jesus) had been revealed as Messiah (Acts 13:14). The new community of Yeshua (Jesus) was born out of the synagogue. Believers were to become assemblies, not single individuals seeking God alone. We address God as "our Father" because we are his assembly - one body because we are made that way through Yeshua (1Cor. 12:12-13). In Ephesians 4:11-12 we read: "And indeed He has assigned some to be apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some shepherds and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Messiah". The meaning of the passage and the roles each has to play in the congregation have been misunderstood or mistranslated in modern church. But, the believers of the 1st Century knew exactly what Paul was saying. Let´s look at the Five-Fold Ministry roles: APOSTLE – An apostle is simply a person who is “sent out” as shown in Acts 13. It is important to understand that an apostle was only an apostle while he was sent out. Once he returned, he was no longer an apostle. PROPHET – The Hebrew word for prophet is “Navi” ( נביא ). The prophets of old, those who wrote various parts of the Tanakh are called “Navaim”. A prophet is one who “speaks forth” as in the case of Aaron, who spoke for Moses (Exodus 7:1). EVANGELISTS – An evangelist was a person who would seek new converts in the local community and outlying areas. In theSynagogue he was call a “Maggid” (מגיד), a word that means “telling”. He was oftentimes a rabbi with good speaking skills who could relate the various Biblical stories in such a way as to encourage a person to come back into Synagogue fellowship. The Maggidim were considered itinerant in that he would often visit neighbouring Synagogues to bring good news. PASTORS – Pastors were appointed by the congregation once it had grown to the point that it needed one. The Synagogue term was “Zakin”. He was often an older, wiser rabbi who’s purpose was to provide counselling and to visit the sick. This was not an administrative office and was usually reserved for the “retired” rabbis and priests. TEACHERS – The teachers were often rabbis. The Synagogue term was “batlanim” which in Hebrew means “men of leisure”. These were men who had the free time to spend studying the scriptures. In order for a new Synagogue to be established, there had to be at least ten batlanim available in order to form a “minion”. Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
One of the most common word you will find among the evangelical people is the word “believe.” This word has been over used and abused and became the battle-cry of many evangelist to bring in converts to their denomination. But what does believing mean really? אמן - 'âman (aw-man’) - a Hebrew word for "believe" has many different meanings but all of them point towards action, which makes of "believe" an action word. According to the Greek mind, "believe" πιστεύω - pisteuō (pist-yoo’-o) - is a state of mind, something that you know. When the Brit Chadasha was translated to English, the Hebrew word âman and the Greek word pisteuō were deviated somehow from what the meaning of the word in its original language. However, from the perspective of the translators, they put a word as they understand it in their time and culture and “believing” in their time means “to hold dear, to love, to care and to desire.” Today, the definition of believing has evolved again becoming a merely belief "to think" or "to accept that something is true, correct, or real"; "that state of the mind by which it assents to propositions, not by reason of their intrinsic evidence, but because of authority", meaning that, despite of the Bible, any authority can establish a belief as the "truth". How the Tanakh would define “believing”? The first appearance of the word 'âman is in Gen 15:6 referring to Abraham and it is an action word, not passive. The ancient Hebrew concept of 'âman or “believing” is to follow everything that a person is telling you to do. Abraham has to do something to prove that he believes. In Genesis 26:5 we read what Abraham did: "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws", says the L-RD. Watch the Message >> By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
In this time of the year we have the Jewish Feast of Passover and the Christian Easter, which is really a festival of fertility named after the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar, or some spell it Ashera, Astarte, etc. So then the celebration and worship of the goddess of fertility with the symbolic use of the egg as a local point and is known as Easter and has nothing to do with the death or resurrection of the Messiah. Through man´s ignorance, pride, and the deception of satan, people have been robbed of the true Messianic message and prophecies contained within the L-RD´s feasts. The biblical Holy Days have been replaced by Romanized Church traditions with pagan roots. The L-RD´s feasts have become "the Jewish Holidays" and the biblical examples of Yeshua found in the feasts have been discarded. Yeshua said, "I am the way, the truth and the life"; the truth about Him is to be found and celebrated in every Feast of G-D´s calendar, including the Sabbath. The seven (7) feasts are for all who are fellow citizens in G-D´s Kingdom and members of YHWH´s household. The Father chose the nation of Israel, anointed a people, appointed a priesthood, and gave an annual schedule of events that were intended to be a blessing to Jews and non-Jews everywhere. Watch the Message >> By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
Jeremiah 16:19 says "O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit." Jeremiah said that people will eventually come to the conclusion in the end of days (just before Yeshua’s return) that they have been taught worthless things and that they have inherited nothing but lies. We have been taught by the Pastors and Leaders in Ministry that the Law does not apply anymore. They have been deceived by satan to give clever ways past these Scriptures. It is all inherited lies through man’s traditions (Jews and Gentiles alike). No one is righteous! Today we have to make a decision, either to continue living in a rebellious way or accept what the Scriptures says. "Today, if ye hear His voice, harden not your hearts" Hebrews 3:7-8 Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
Yeshua said in John 14:15 "If you love Me keep My commandments" and also He summarized the Law in two Greatest Commandments "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself", in Matt 22:36-40.To John was given a special revelation and special assignments, among other things, and the Bible describes it as "the disciple whom Yeshua loved [...] and and we know that his testimony is true." (John 21:20-24). The epistle of John is also known as “love epistle” for it bears the word “love” more than any other epistles in the Brit Chadasha. As we go deep in learning, we will notice that love is always referred to obedience to the commandments of the L-RD and that those who say that know Him but don´t follow what He said, are liars and the truth is not in them. Watch the Message >> |
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