“they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. [until] some of them…of Cyprus and Cyrene [notable international crossroads]…when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians…and a great number believed…Then…the church which was in Jerusalem…sent forth…Barnabas and Saul…unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.

And the [Gentile] disciples were called Christ-ians / Christ-Ones first in Antioch.” (Acts 11:19-25)

NOT because they had just founded a new religion!

The Roman Empire’s incorporation of foreign cultures resulted in the need to translate foreign culture into the mainstream language, exactly as happens in America. In the eastern Roman provinces, previously the Greek Empire, the lingua franca was Greek. So, speaking Greek instead of Hebrew to the Gentiles, the Hebrew term for “Messianic Whatever” became Greek “Christ-one”.

Continue reading “171) Messianic Judaism Isolates From Gentiles”

From Matthew 24:

^“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives,

the disciples came unto him privately, saying…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

They are expecting this any day now! They were showing him the buildings of the temple in anticipation of their new offices. I can imagine Peter thinking “Please not the treasury, I’m no good at math.” and another fisherman thinking “I’m functionally illiterate, please don’t make me a scribe.” John of course had grown up being highly educated with priestly his relatives and was confident of his place in the hierarchy.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, in essence, “You determine that.“

1. “many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ / the Anointed Heir to the Kingdom; and shall deceive many.” Take Game of Thrones, for example. When Prince Joffrey took the throne the vast majority of people didn’t realize his father wasn’t King Robert. 
2. “nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” George R.R. Martin nailed it in his vividly gruesome depiction of multiple claimants fighting battles on multiple fronts during a time of complete upheaval of daily life.
3. “they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:” Ned Stark was summarily imprisoned and executed because he testified of the true king.
4. “and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” The name of Stark carried by the family, household members and bannermen was hunted down to be wiped out
5. “many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” Starkly depicted in The Red Wedding.”
6. “many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many”. The prime example is the Red Woman who, like Jezebel, leads a fiery inquisition in worship of the red god, R’hllor, the Lord of Light, but there are many, many others
7. “iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”. Pietr Baelish, Master of Coin and brothels, manipulated kingdom affairs (pun) through sexual depravity with perverse pleasure in the chaos, destruction, suffering and widespread death that resulted. And yes, there’s lots of nudity in GOT. Innocent of wrong is not the same thing as innocent of wrong-doing. You can best believe that plenty of women-for-hire flaunted their wares to Jesus and his disciples as he passed by and were sent by rulers to destroy his reputation. I’ll never forget the look in the eyes of a pole dancer in a strip bar I was dragged into by my own heartless husband, but his plan backfired. Instead of being drawn into licentiousness, I so pitied her bondage that I spent my life making a way out of depravity for people trapped in sin. Was Jesus with me in that bar?
8. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Keep this statement in context. It follows and contrasts with “the love of many shall wax cold.” We choose to love – join identity to – either the Christ – or his opposite. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:32-34)
   
9. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be…when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors…
10. But of that day and hour / the precise date –  knoweth…my Father only….[for] if the goodman of the house / the god of this world had known in what watch the thief / his adversary the true Christ would come, he would…not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
11. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat / sustenance in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
12. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 26:1-2)

There’s your answer, apostles and all the rest of us. The ministry we will end up in is the ministry where we proved ourselves faithful.

Judas and Peter demonstrate the difference between “love waxing cold” like cold wax preventing adherence, and a light “enduring to the end”.

From Matthew 27:

• Judas: “when he saw that [Jesus] was condemned” – he just wanted Jesus’ megalomania cut down to ordinary human status – “brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” Obviously he did not believe Jesus’ claims to be the Promised Savior from sin and death.
• Peter’s response to his own betrayal of the Christ is the opposite of Judas’ despair, and it is through his relationship with his rival John that he is restored to fellowship with the Christ.
  • “Mary Magdalene…cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved…” Get it? John didn’t repudiate Peter for his betrayal, and Peter didn’t run away from the fellowship of apostles like Judas did.
  • Peter and that other disciple came to the sepulchre” to face down Rome’s soldiers!
  •  Simon Peter, and…the sons of Zebedee / James and John and [four]other of his disciples go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee…Jesus stood on the shore… that disciple whom Jesus loved [sparking Peter’s rivalry] saith It is the Lord. Simon Peter [impetuously as usual] cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship…Jesus saith to Simon Peter, lovest thou me more than these? [More than John who you simultaneously compete with for dominance and bond with for elevated status as his closest friend, who you depend on for emotional and spiritual support?]
    • “He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Didn’t I prove it when I reversed my denial of you by risking my life to go to the tomb?
    • “He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” In essence, stop focusing your attention on status with the big shots! Focus on the needs of the little people!
    • “He saith unto him again the second time, Lovest /bond with thou me? Feed my sheep”.
    • “He saith unto him the third time…Feed my sheep.” The best way I know how to understand this is the prophecy by Zechariah. “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd [Jesus], and against the man that is [promising to be] my fellow / partner [applying to Peter]…smite the shepherd [Jesus], and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones / lambs. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land…two parts therein shall be cut off and die…And I will bring the third part through the fire…they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”
    • “Verily, verily, I say unto thee…when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands…and carry thee whither thou wouldest not…signifying by what death he should glorify God.” The very crucifixion he feared so greatly that he denied Christ just a few days before. “And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.”  Get it? To the cross! “Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following…saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him…[What did I just tell you? Forget about the big people!] what is that to thee? follow thou me.”

Fortunately for Peter – and all the rest of us – one, or even many failures – does not doom us to an eternity separated from God. God gives opportunity after opportunity to get things right with him.

And that is true not only on a personal level but on the national.

“all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6)

it is essential that we determine the significance of the phrase “come to pass,”

“Comes to pass” describes a circular wheel passing over and over again, an unending cycle until someone puts a stop to it.

God’s plans are irrevocable.

• “And God said…and it was so.” (Genesis 1)
• “my word…that goeth forth out of my mouth…shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

The covenant of dominion over the earth granted to humans requires the cooperation of human leadership and can’t be fulfilled until leadership muscles up. So opportunities to do so cycle around endlessly until someone finally steps up to the plate and hits a home run.

Modern sensibilities have difficulty understanding this because our modern lives are almost ridiculously structured by linear time separating past, present and future. The Bible, however, and all ancient societies, acknowledged the concurrent influence of history and future in cyclical time. We still cycle events like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and holidays commemorating the past’s effect on our present, and, especially at New Year’s, determine to change our past actions, act now to shape our future.

So when Jesus called down judgment on “this generation” of rebellious rulers in his day, that was just one cycle.

And nothing changes until human leadership steps up to the challenge and joins our king as his feet stand in that day upon the mount of Olives.

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God.“ (I Corinthians 15:24)

We must connect “the end” with “the beginning” of this era, when one of the two humans who had been granted dominion instead chose the Serpent as master triggering the battle between the god of death and the human ruler appointed by the Creator and Sustainer of life.

“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household?…that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing…” (Luke 12:42-43)

We understand that the kingdom of heaven and earth could not be established until the perfected Only Begotten Son of God took his place.

“he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten [declared my heir is] thee…in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death…Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” (Hebrews 5:5-9)

Can we not understand that the instructions he authored are not

• for spiritually immature children or adults to ask him to “come into my heart” to guarantee they go to heaven regardless of their behavior and lack of belief as adults,
• or to recite a creed,
• or even to maintain a righteous way of life?

“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast [relinquish all the distractions of this world’s materialistic way of life], and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me [my spiritual way of life]. (Matthew 19:21)

Continue reading “170) The End Cometh When Leaders Are Ready To Take Charge”

^“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him…

Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons…She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said…Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” (Matthew 20:17-23)

Saul / Paul exemplifies for all who claim to witness of the Christ by bearing his name / identity as a Christ-One that this entails suffering, and a self-sacrificing love for people whatever ethnicity they may be, however much they may have harmed us.

Continue reading “171) Only Wounded Warriors Reign With Christ”

When YHVH’s Savior told the rulers of Israel “Ye shall not see me [your King] henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:29-36) he remained 100% consistent with the extension of timelines from previous scripture beginning with the establishment of the nation of Israel.

1. “if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments…that ye break my covenant…
   1. I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague…ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you
2. And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me,
   1. then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
3. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me;
   1. I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
4. And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things…
   1. I will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
5. And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me…
   1. I will chastise you seven times for your sins.” (Leviticus 26)

Continue reading “172) It Takes As Long As It Takes”

“Who raised up the righteous man from the east [Abram] gave the nations before him [Abraham], and made him rule over kings [as Melchizedek]?…calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD…

The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid…So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith [to make idols to house demon gods to fight YHVH]

But thou, Israel, art my servant / slave, a permanent relationship, Jacob whom I have chosen [to fight with me], the seed / descendant / a generation of Abraham my friend…and said unto thee, Thou art my servant / slave; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.” (Isaiah 41:1-9)

So when Judea was again, under Rome, as previously had happened under Babylon, desolated and its people scattered, YHVH was followed the terms of his covenant with Israel to be his witnesses of salvation to the whole world, not abandoning them.

Continue reading “SECTION XXXI: Israel Among The Gentiles – Acts 10”

Although Christianity acknowledges that Jesus Christ is identified by his likeness to Moses, Christianity ignores the importance of Moses and his successors by downplaying their roles as being nothing more than just “types” of Christ. We are discarding our own identity in Christ if don’t understand Moses and his successors’ relationship to the Promised Redeemer.

“And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for THOU must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and THOU shalt cause them to inherit it.

And the LORD, he it is that doth go before THEE; he will be with THEE, he will not fail THEE, neither forsake THEE: fear not, neither be dismayed. ” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)

“the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister…as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail THEE, nor forsake THEE…

“he hath said, I will never leave THEE, nor forsake THEE. So that WE may boldly say, The Lord is MY helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto ME.” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

The full biblical – not Jewish or Christian – criteria for recognizing the Melchizedekian successors to Moses include ALL leaders in the Kingdom of Heaven:

1. “whom the LORD knew face to face”, i.e. had a unique close association with YHVH demonstrated by
2. “all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt” – hyper dimensional power made possible only through
3. commitment to YHVH’s existing covenant at that time, demonstrated by godly lifestyle and proven by
4. “all that mighty hand, – undertaking battle in the power and glory of God unto death
5. and in all the great terror” – i.e. miraculous victory in battle against the adversary, thereby being granted
6. “the blessing…The LORD came from Sinai…with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words”, i.e. a new covenant producing a higher union with YHVH than the previous covenant. (Deuteronomy 33:1-3, 34:10-12)

Continue reading “SECTION XXXIII: Take Two! A(nother) Melchizedek Like Moses”

Let the record show that Paul hits every criteria for being a true Melchizedek chosen / messiahed and spoken into being by YHVH’s Savior.

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come;

• glorify / give victory in battle to thy Son
• that thy Son also may glorify / give victory in battle to thee…
• I pray for them…which thou hast given me; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
  • that they also may be one in us: 
  • that / this is how the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
• And the glory / victory in battle which thou gavest me
• I have given them;
  • that they may be one, even as we are one:” (John 17)

Continue reading “177) A Melchizedek Like Christ Required”

“stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ” (Romans 16:25)

Paul’s gospel was not a new gospel.

Nothing changed in Yeshua’s message about himself before Pentecost and the apostle’s doctrine of the New Testament Church after Pentecost.

The apostolic leaders of the congregation of believers – including Paul – validate everything they preach by referencing back to the Old Testament promises to Israel.

“Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel…Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house [dynasty].And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an household / family for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” (II Samuel 7:8-17)

“…they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. 

• The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt…
• he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus…
• children of the stock of Abraham, AND whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent…
• we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus…from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption…

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things...Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.” (Acts 13:14-43)

A meaningful pattern of the development of the organization and doctrine of the New Testament Church becomes apparent if we organize the books in the order and the context in which they were written. The dates the books of the New Testament were written can’t be known with absolute certainty, but for our purpose, the order and historical context in which books were written is what matters, and can be determined for the most part by internal evidence.

Chronological New Testament

Continue reading “178) The Gospel According To Paul”