Tag: lawlessness

Contend for the Faith (Torah)

“All Scripture is breathed out by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of Elohim may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

If Paul was writing to Timothy that all Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness . . . Surely he was also referring to Ezekiel and Ezekiel records this:

“Her priests have done violence to My Torah and have profaned My holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded My sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.” Ezekiel 22:26

The thing i am finding more and more frustrating with modern translations is their separation from Israel, and by this separation the changing of and diluting of Elohim’s word. If you open your modern translation for Ezekiel 22:26 it will read, “Her priests have done violence to my law.” In our westernized, hyper grace way of thinking it is easy to disregard the word ‘law’ as outdated and done away with. However, the word is Torah and it refers to HIS WORD. His written word and if Yahoshua is the WORD made flesh it even sets Him aside.

“In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with Elohim, and the WORD was Elohim. He was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” . . . “And the WORD become flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5,14

Yahoshua, declared, “I and My Father, are one.” “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” “I can do nothing of Myself. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” What is the will of the Father? Well, according to Ezekiel YHWH, the Father, was calling out Israel for what they had allowed to happen among them. Violence towards the Torah, profaning the Holy things of Elohim, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded the sabbaths.

Micah records YHWH saying, “I have told you o’man what is good and what does YHWH require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your Elohim.” It isn’t so much a set of rules as it is acting justly by following the decrees of Elohim, it is loving mercy, and walking humbly. Not by our own will or understanding but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Elohim. Yahoshua is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He and the Father are one what is the writer of Hebrews saying? Malachi writes, “For I YHWH do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the WORD of our Elohim will stand forever.” Matthew writes, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My WORDS will not pass away.” John in the book of Revelation records Yahoshua saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega (Aleph—Tav), the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Has the WORD been done away with? Are we now outside of Torah? Are we allowed to live lawlessly? By all means NOT! But Yahoshua, writes the Torah on our hearts and through the Holy Spirit we are empowered to live for Him, not under the punishment of the law but by faith we must be obedient to the WORD made flesh. “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:18-19 — His coming, was the fulfillment of the Torah and the prophets not the dissolving of them. He states that Moses wrote about Him, He reads Isaiah in the Temple and declares, “Today this verse is fulfilled in your eyes.” He is the promised Messiah. In Him is healing and forgiveness, “Behold the Lamb of Elohim who takes away the sin of the world.”

There is coming a separation of the sheep and the goats. The sheep will enter through the narrow gate. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 The idea of being a sheep is a reoccurring theme, in John, Yahoshua is recorded as saying, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and THEY will listen to My voice. So there will be ONE FLOCK, ONE SHEPHERD.” Messiah is not divided, nor are we two different nations, but we are one people, with one Shepard.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Adonai, Adonai,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 —If profaning the sabbath, and treating the holy things of Elohim as common, and putting that which is unclean in place of that which is clean was detestable in the days of Ezekiel, then they are detestable today. Oh yes, thank Adonai for favor, for grace, for forgiveness, but grace does not excuse our lawlessness or better our Tora’lessness. Obedience is righteousness, FAITH drives our obedience.

In a world hell bent on excluding Elohim, we the PEOPLE of Elohim, need to stand up, stand apart, and live our lives in obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Yahoshua said, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and manifest Myself to him.” . . . “If anyone loves Me, he will KEEP MY WORD, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does NOT love me does NOT keep My words. And the word that you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” . . . “But the HELPER, the HOLY SPIRIT, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:20-21, 23-24, 26

Many will hear Yahoshua say, “Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” The Greek “Anomos,” means, “Destitute of Mosaic Law” or Tora’lessness, being without or outside of Torah. Yahoshua is the doorway by which we enter into relationship with Elohim. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the very WORD of Elohim, in the flesh.

Time is short—

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve YHWH, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH.” Joshua 24:15

You are loved,
cj

Signs . . . Pt 4

Persecutions and the Increase of Sin

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

We must seek to do the WILL of the Father, love Elohim with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength; likewise our neighbor as ourselves. Love our enemies, “Forgive them for they know NOT what they do” (Said, Yahoshua on the cross and Stephen under a pile of rubble). It is going to become increasingly hard to love others, to love our enemies. Especially, once they begin to turn on us in spite of the love we have shown. They will assume they are doing what is right. Much like the brown shirts of Germany. They thought they were doing what is right by turning in the Jewish people and those who would help them. Even Paul admitted that he thought his zeal for YHWH gave him the right to persecute the Believers of the WAY.

It will come first from within. We see it already within the Church as it splits into the right, left, paradigm. False teachers have sprung up and are tickling the ears of many and in the midst of them are the ignorant. Persecutions are nothing new. We in the west don’t understand fully the weight because we have been blessed to live in the freedom of religion capital of the world. The early church wasn’t as lucky. The Apostles with the exception of John were all murdered for their belief. Some will say that John being exiled on the island of Patmos was a sever punishment, if only i would be exiled on an island. i would go in a heartbeat, but that’s a different story.

i recently saw a story about Christian persecution around the world and how it is increasingly common. India surprisingly, with only a single digit percentage of Christians is under increasing persecution. Of course China, but places like Ireland are also on the list. Of course the many countries on the African continent is a hotbed for persecution against Christians. So what will happen when that persecution really turns up on believers around the world? Well, Yahoshua said, many will be offended. i am one that believes this isn’t just those outside the “Church” i believe those who think of themselves as Christians will be offended by the Truth of the Word and turn on their fellowship thinking they are doing a service to the greater good. For the sake of coexisting, of course.

Even now we have believers who relish in the fall of other believers. They point fingers, laugh and applaud, rather than weep, and pray for them, reaching out in love as the word declares, in order to restore them. We treat them like a hot-potato and the sooner they are gone the better. Few things hurt more than having those you love, cheer your biggest struggles. The question is this; Can one forgive and live under true persecution? Like many around the world, can you stand up in the face of death? Can you endure to the end, even if that end is a martyr’s death? Because of this persecution, the love of many will grow cold. Not just the persecution, but the lawlessness.

Yahoshua, also talked about the increase in lawlessness. Who’s law? Man’s law or Elohim’s law? As the world increasingly decriminalizes things it certainly can’t be man’s laws that lawlessness abounds in . . . Certainly, Yahoshua was referring to the increase of lawlessness to the Word, to the laws of Elohim. But what laws is He talking about since many in the Church believe the old covenant is gone? This is a slippery slop for the church and they don’t even realize they are on it. Yahoshua, said, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness, this is the same lawlessness that is increasing in the world.

We need to get back to the fundamentals of walking with Yahoshua. Follow His example, which will ensure that we are counted worthy of persecution. That seems counter intuitive but it is truth. We must walk in love that says, go and sin no more. We must walk in love that picks up the broken-hearted, helps the widow and the orphan. We must walk in love that puts others first. We must walk in love that does justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with YHWH.

Endure to the end, do not stop loving and sharing the good news of salvation in Yahoshua who takes away the sin of the world. This message will reach the ends of the earth . . . Endure to the end!

Do no let your love grow cold.

You are loved
cj

the love of many

“And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold.” Matthew 24:12

Are you getting discouraged with the direction of the world? There are so many hot spots. We are told that the entire Middle East would be and it is a powder keg. However, let’s mention a few others, China and Taiwan, Russia and Ukraine, North Korea and its testing of long range missiles, that’s a few global, not to mention local uprisings in France, Australia, Germany. Even here at home lawlessness is increasing all over the USA, mainly in your bigger cities but we also have a crisis at our southern border.

Frustration and discouragement lead to bitterness and a loss of understanding, respect, civility, and ultimately love. i am writing to encourage you not depress but knowledge is key here. You have to be aware of what is going on so that you can fight off these feelings. As believers we have the Holy Spirit, we have a Prince of Peace, we have an Almighty Elohim. Knowing this is vital!

There is a reason the early church was given warnings and told what to look out for in the future. Many of them were living under constant persecution. We in the west really cannot relate, but we need to start preparing spiritually, and mentally, for what is coming. Remind yourself of who you are in Messiah. As things become more unhinged knowing these things would come to pass before His return should give us peace and hope.

“Peace I leave with you – My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

” Yahshua answered him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he shall guard My Word. And My Father shall love him, and we shall come to him and make Our stay with him.’” John 14:23

There isn’t a need for me to analyze these crises, there are many already doing that. i am simply highlighting them to bring awareness to the fact that the reason these things are happening is that the lawless one is currently running the show. Yahshua said, “I shall no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he possesses naught in Me.” John 14:30

“But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13

“Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Revelation 22:7 KJV

Do not let your love grow cold. Stay focused on Adonai. Stay obedient to His Word, by staying IN His Word. Know that these things are coming and we are called to endure, and to love.

You are loved,

cj