By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
To fully understand the biblical teaching on "eternal life" and "eternal punishment," we must first comprehend what the words aionios and aion, which are generally translated as "ever," "forever," "evermore," or "eternity" in the New Testament, truly mean a Messianic period (present or future). Αιων, transliterated aeon, is a period of time of longer or shorter duration, having a beginning and an end, and complete in itself. This word does not convey the concept of "eternity" or "endlessness" as we understand it. It simply refers to an unspecified, but finite, period of time. Aion in the TANAKH (OT) means exactly what Olam means. the Hebrew noun 'olam is derived from the verb 'alam, which means "to hide," "keep secret," or "obscure." In each occurrence of the verb is the idea of hiddenness, of inability or unwillingness to perceive or disclose something. It may have meant "long life" or "old age", but in general, the word depicts that of which the horizon is not in view. Both words came to be used to refer to a long age or period. In the 1st century, it was believed that the Messiah would deliver Israel from its opressors and restore the authority of the Law (Torah). He would rule over the entire earth from Jerusalem for the period of the golden age we now call "the Millennium," with the Mosaic Law serving as the basis for his government. From the Gospels we can clearly see that there was a Messianic expectation at the time of Yeshua (Matt. 2:4; 26:63; Mark 14:61; Luke 3:15; Luke 22:67; John 1:19-20, 41; 4:29, 42; 6:69; 7:26-31, 40-42; 10:24; 11:27). The Jews were impatiently waiting for the Messiah and the golden age (aion) that the Saviour was to bring. They understood the prophets teach that this Divine Kingdom would be here on earth, desiring to live in this kingdom under the Messianic king God would raise up. The Jewish expectation of "eternal life" was that they would live until the prophesied Messianic kingdom arrived or that they would be resurrected (with all the "just") to physically live in that kingdom. Eternal life, as understood by devout Jews in the 1st century who were awaiting the Messiah, was simply life during the age that the Messianic king would rule. In His final prayer to the Father before his trial and crucifixion, Yeshua actually specified what "eternal life" would mean, when He clearly stated that zoen aionion ("eternal life") was knowing him and the only true God, the Father (John 17:1-3). Watch the Message >>
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By Jaime Noriega | 2016INTRODUCTION
Very often the people misunderstand these terms and believe that there are two laws in the Bible: the Law of G-D (which are 10 the Commandments) and the Law of Moses (which are the rules, ordinances, judgments, etc). In Deuteronomy 4:12-14, Moses speaks to the people of Israel and says: "And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it." The Bible recorded when the L-RD spoke to the people at Mount Horeb. There was fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. The L-RD spoke out of the midst of the fire and His voice was like a thunder. The people of Israel became afraid and asked Moses to go near to the L-RD in order to receive His word and they would listen to Moses instead, because they were afraid to die (Ex 20). Moses himself testified again saying in Deut 5:5 that he stood between the L-RD and the people at that time, to show them the word of the L-RD: "for you were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;". Having the biblical evidence in this and many other passages we understand YHWH delivered the Torah through Moses and then, Moses gave the Torah to the people. It wasn´t his law but G-D´s instead. Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
We have talked about the Deity of Yeshua revealed in the Book of Philippians and the Book of Colossians. The book of Hebrews is very much focused on Adonai Yeshua and it is also called by some Bible enthusiasts as the book about Yeshua “better than…” Yeshua was said to be “better than” the angels (1:7), “better than” His companions (1:9), “better than” the high priests (5:4) and “better that” the bull and goat sacrifices (10:4-7), among other things. This book also speaks about Yeshua being exalted by G-D the Father, Himself. Chapter 1 is the most vocal description of the Deity of Yeshua. His superiority over the angels and all creation is beyond any doubt. The author put together different passages in the Tanakh pertaining to Adonai Yeshua, boldly declared that Yeshua is G-D. The book tells us that G-D, after He spoke long time ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days G-D has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things through whom He made the world. Yeshua is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, the “memra” or word of His power. After He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. When G-D brought His first-born into the world, He says, let all the angels of G-D worship Him. He also called His Son, G-D declaring His throne to be forever and righteousness is the sceptre of His Kingdom. The Father also called Yeshua L-RD and testified that He laid the foundation of the Earth and the heavens are the work of Yeshua’s hand. The Father also declared that Yeshua that He sit at His right hand until He makes Yeshua’s enemies a footstool of His feet. Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
We talked about who Paul was in his previous position in Judaism. Paul zealously persecuted the Ekklesia and he has so much to lose for the sake of Yeshua. Just like in the book of Philippians, Paul has been very bold about who Yeshua is. The very person He used to persecute now he is elevating Yeshua above any one else, next only to G-D our Father. Then, we will notice that the central theme of this book is the Deity of Yeshua. Paul´s Declaration about Yeshua 1. The image of the invisible G-D (Col 1:15a) 2. The First-born of all Creation (Col 1:15b) 3. Created all things (Col 1:16) 4. Before all things (Col 1:17a) 5. Holds all things (Col 1:17b) 6. The Head of the Ekklesia (Col 1:18a) 7. Yeshua is the Beginning, Firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18b) Evidences of Yeshua´s Deity 1. Yeshua is L-RD (Col 1:3, 2:6) 2. Yeshua is G-D’s mystery (Col 2:2) 3. Yeshua has the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3) 4. Yeshua has the fullness of a Deity (Col 2:9) 5. Yeshua is the head over all principality and power (Col 2:10) 6. Yeshua disarmed the rulers and authorities and triumph over them (Col 2:15) 7. Yeshua is seated at the right hand of G-D (Col 3:1) Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
Being Paul a very zealous man, "circumcised on the 8th day, of the nation of Israel from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, persecutor of the ekklesia, as to righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless" (Phil 3:5-6), all his life and way of thinking was changed after He met Yeshua in his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-10; 22:6-21; 26:12-18). Having experienced this encounter with Yeshua, Paul said that "for the excellency of the knowledge of Yeshua HaMashiach my L-RD: [...] I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” - Phil 3:7-8. According to this knowledge attained in a long process to fully understand who Yeshua is, Paul made the boldest declaration about Him in this letter to the Philippians: 1. Yeshua existed in the form of G-D 2. Yeshua is equal with G-D (see Ps 45:6-7; Heb 1:8-9) 3. Yeshua pre-existed (because He emptied Himself, taking the form of servant) (Heb 1:10-12) 4. G-D exalted Yeshua (Ps 110:1) 5. Bestowed on Him the Name above all names 6. Every knee should bow in heaven and on earth under the earth (see Isa 45:23) 7. Every tongue should confess that Yeshua is Adonai (Isa 45:23) After knowing all these things about Yeshua, what does it mean to us? Watch the Message >> By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
The interval between life and death is considered extremely sacred in many Hebraic tradition. On this side, the rite of passage marks the conclusion of the soul's journey on earth. On the other, death heralds the beginning of the soul's eternal life in the coming Millennial & “the World To Come”. In traditional Judaism does not see death itself as a tragedy, but only the natural and expected end of life. Death after a long life, full of faith, vitality and good deeds is just one-half of it; the real life actually only starts at the other side of the grave. We are only travelling this mortal life; this is a mere journey till we reach our destination on the "the world to come" where we will spend our eternity. According to the Scripture, many of those sleeping in the earth's dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and to everlasting loathing (Dan 12:1). The L-RD will judge according to the works we have done during our physical lives: "the ones having done good into a resurrection of life; and the ones having practiced evil into a resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28). All humans will stand before Judge Elohim in His Supreme Court of the Universe. He will judge whether you and I were fools or wise men during our physical lives. According to Scripture, fools will burn in the lake of fire while the wise will live forever in the New Jerusalem. Each of us has to make a choice. We have to decide upon which spiritual foundation we will build our spiritual house (one´s life is like a house). Matt 7:24-27: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." (KJV). The beauty of choose Yeshua´s way is that with Him, there is hope after death, a hope of eternal life. Watch the Message >> By Richard Sison | 2016INTRODUCTION
This is a question that some ignore and some are afraid to ask. Could a Just G-D harden someone´s heart and then punish him? Would not be that unfair? Then, the belief about "predestination" comes up. Are we predestined by G-D to life or to death? The Scripture says that there is no unrighteousness with G-D. In Romans 9:14-15 we read: “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with G-d? G-d forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But in the next verses of the same chapter of Romans it seems like the L-RD prepares some to receive mercy and some to be hardened and predestines some to eternal life and some to destruction. So it looks like G-D shows favouritism, isn’t it? And then, He cannot be questioned. Is that what it really means? Isn’t it that G-D Himself invited His people to reason with Him? “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the L-RD in Isa 1:18. Isn´t Abraham also reasoning with Elohim when He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”, in Gen 18:23-25. The passage in Rom 9:18 should be translated literally from Greek in this manner to give justice to the word of G-D: “Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, but some He determined to be indurate (or stubborn)”, and as for Rom 9:22, “What if G-d, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:”, meaning, G-D waited for a person to repent. After all He said “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the L-rd G-D: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23). Heb 3:8 says: “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:” G-D does not harden people’s heart. It is the people who harden their heart to G-D. Watch the Message >> By Jonah Doctura | 2016INTRODUCTION
The Torah, which is the 613 instructions in the first five books of the Bible, is only for the correction, protection and direction of the Believer.Torah cannot save us. It was given to guide us in our walk with the Messiah Yeshua after salvation, and not at all about obtaining salvation, which means that we do the works of Torah – by our own volition- freely and willingly, after having come to Salvation because we love YHWH and Yeshua. The Torah-Tree consists of Roots, Trunk, Branches and Fruit. The entire tree gets its nourishment from the Roots, which is Yeshua. Everything starts with Yeshua and He is the One giving life. The Trunk is the Two Commandments of Yeshua HaMashiach. These two Laws quoted by Yeshua, "Thou shalt love YHWH thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself", are the very spirit and core of YHWH’s principles. The 7-Noahide Codes, (the bigger branches from the trunk), is a set of moral rules that were given by YHWH as a binding set of Laws for Noach’s Children" – that is, all of humankind. This was given years before Moshe received the written Torah at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments, (the smaller branches from the "big branches"), are an Executive Summary of all of YHWH’s 613 Instructions in the Torah and define the heart of the covenant relationship between YHWH and Israel. The first four Commandments are related to one's relationship with YAHWEH. The next six Commandments have to do with human relationships (six being the number of man). The Fruit from the "Smaller branches“: The 613 Torah Instructions were given to correct us, to protect us, and to give us direction; obviously, to enable us to live a righteous and holy life that is acceptable to YHWH. The Messianic Faith know that Law and Grace working together par excellence. The Law is there to identify when we sin; but then YHWH’s Grace comes through His Son who makes atonement for our sins, as He became the fulfillment of the Offering. This means Law and Grace has always worked together; in fact, it was always Grace first and then the Law. YHWH את first saved the Israelite from Egypt (Grace) and then He gave the Law at Mount Sinai. Also, after repentance, Grace is a gift from YHWH as one starts to dig deeper into the Torah. This means that the Law was never designed as a legalistic set of rules; no, the Law (Indirect Grace) is there to protect and direct us, always. Watch the Message >> |
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