Kingdom Come

“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?

In God’s kingdom, we are meant to transform into the likeness of our Savior by following the same process he underwent – submitting our will to the will of the Father. And it’s not any more comfortable than a drug addict trying to kick an opioid or methamphetamine habit!

It is no different from any child developing social skills and self-control through mastering self-will through ever higher levels of practice, practice, practice. As one of my son’s high school teachers explained, “You decide if you want to work at a fast-food restaurant or in a profession by how you apply yourself now.”

Continue reading “176) The End Cometh When Leaders Are Ready To Take Charge As An Order”

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 “177) It Takes As Long As It Takes”

Judas and Peter demonstrate the difference between “love waxing cold” like cold wax preventing adherence, and a lit wax candle “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. 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)
• “all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet…This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:6)

Continue reading “178) The Cycling Signs Of The Times”

Paul’s claim to be a Hebrew, and a consummate one at that, confirms that there is a religious significance to this identification, which precedes and is separate from the Israelite national identification, and is important enough for Paul to brag about.

“Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.” ( II Corinthians 11:22) “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a [superstrict] Pharisee.” (Philippians 3:5-6)

The home New Testament Church was led by ultra-religious James the brother of Jesus in Jerusalem. I’m one of six daughters of a total of nine children and let me tell you the competition for recognition was intense. James must have grown up constantly attempting, and failing, to prove his worth against his perfect older brother Jesus. A perfectionist habit that stuck. It stands to reason that Paul was never made welcome at James’ home church.

Paul’s base was in Gentile Asia, but even Paul’s Gentile churches rejected him when at the end of his ministry he pushedfor the Gentiles to identify themselves with Jews. Consider what Paul was asking them to do at this point in history! To share the Jews’ political status as hated enemies and enslaved losers of the 70 AD war. It was the equivalent of establishing a home-mosque in New York City right after 9-11.

With this in mind, re-read Paul’s exhortation to Ephesian Gentile believers.

“For this cause I The Jew Paul, the prisoner of the Jewish rival to Caesar YHVH’s Messiah for you Gentiles…by revelation he made known unto me the mystery…which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:1-6)

Paul had before established in his earlier letters that Jews and non-Jews alike are saved by faith, not works of the law, so he is not referring to salvation.

An heir is granted power and authority to govern.  This is the mystery that Paul is revealing, and why he is praying that they would be strengthened with might to pick up and carry this heavy burden.

And in this light, this was the purpose for writing the letter to his fellow, but mainly ignorant, Hebrews.

I am aware how sharply this contrasts with the orthodox Christian analysis of the letter to the Hebrews. “With its myriad references to Hebrew customs and the Old Testament, the book was likely sent to a Jewish Christian community.”

This is illogical for starters. The Messianic Jews did not need to be educated on the holy scriptures. It was the influx of scripturally illiterate Gentile believers who did.

This assumption also betrays ignorance that the identity of Hebrew / international followers of Eber encompasses, but is not synonymous with, the children of Israel.

Continue reading “178) Paul Identified As Hebrew”

From Romans 10:

“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

There we have it. End of Judaism, beginning of easy believe Christianity.

Or is it?

• For Christ / The Messiah / Anointed Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:25, 29) is the end of the law requiring a substitute animal blood sacrifice  
  • “My time is at hand; I will keep the passover And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of ME [instead of the Passover of Egypt with its yearly sacrifical lamb.]
  • And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26, Luke 22)
• for [establishing God’s] righteousness to every one that believeth…
  • For the scripture saith…there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

“For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall…bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall…bring up Christ again from the dead.)”

Paul didn’t make up this scenario. Clearly, many Jews were rejecting the claims of Jesus the Christ being the only begotten son of God, proven by his resurrection from the dead, and therefore denying YHVH himself, and their need to be saved from their sin.

Back up a  verse to get the entire argument in view.

“going about to establish their own righteousness, [Israel] have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

Continue reading “175) Christ Is The End Of What Law?”

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you…God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.” (Romans 16:25-17)

Once we get the main point of this verse clearly in focus, the middle part also comes into focus.

“according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,”

“My gospel” is not something new, but equated with / and / i.e. the preaching of Jesus Christ / the son of David. ” (Romans 16:25).

The preaching of Jesus Christ was the one sect of Judaism true to scripture in a medley of heretic Jewish sects following man-made traditions instead. The preaching of Jesus Christ is what Paul converted to.

“For ye have heard of my [Paul’s] conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I…profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:13-14)

Continue reading “175) The Gospel According To Paul”

It is highly significant that, while encouraging Gentiles to identify with God’s people without full conversion to Judaism, Paul himself never relinquished his elite Jewish Pharisee identity.

• “I also am [present tense] an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” (Romans 11:1)
• “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;” (Philippians 3:4-5)
• “among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
• And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come.” (Acts 26)

Paul’s ostracism by the Jews proves that no Gentile Christian church was established during the Acts of the Apostles. There was only a Jewish Messianic sect that was fiercely opposed by mainstream Judaism, especially Paul’s claim that the HEBREW scriptures allowed non-practicing Gentiles into their assembly.

1. Acts 9: in Damascus: And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues…And the Jews took counsel to kill him:
2. Act 9: in Jerusalem: And when Saul was come…he disputed against the Greeks [philosophically adulterated sect of liberal Jews: but they went about to slay him. 
3. Acts 14: in Iconium…there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use despitefully / torture, and to stone them.
4. Acts 14: they fled unto Lystra and Derbe…And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Paul himself never claimed to found a new religion. He states multiple times that he was a follower of Jesus of Nazareth because Jesus was the fulfillment of Judaism’s Old Testament prophecy.

“Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul…we have found this man a pestilent fellow…a ringleader of the [Jewish] sect of the Nazarenes…

Then Paul…answered, after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing [present tense!] all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust…I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings…certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple…” (Acts 24:1-18)

Paul clearly articulates that the law of Moses, which did not institute but rather affirmed the earlier practice of the identifying mark of circumcision, was never an element of salvation for the Jews but a code of righteous conduct for a select leadership who are already in a faith-based relationship with the LORD God.

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised…being fully persuaded that, what he [God] had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus / YHVH’s Savior our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:1-25)

Continue reading “SECTION XXXVI: Paul Did Not Found Christianity”

As the capitol of the Empire, Rome had become home to a vast population of Jews who had been brought back as slaves after wars, or had emigrated voluntarily for economic opportunities. 

[Writing in 59 BC] “You know what a big crowd it is, how they stick together, how influential they are in informal assemblies….” Cicero’s remarks…indicate misgivings about their separatist tendencies. “[T]he great section of Rome on the other side of the Tiber is occupied and inhabited by Jews, most of whom were…brought as captives to Italy [then] liberated by their owners… [T]hey have houses of prayer and meet together in them, particularly on the sacred Sabbaths when they receive as a body of training in their ancestral philosophy…

[In AD 41 The Emperor] Claudius…ordered them, while continuing their traditional mode of life, not to hold meetings”….

[and then] “Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome…” 

[Another Roman historian writes] Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome because in their resentment against Christ they were continually creating disturbances…’

“And when we came to Rome [about AD 60]…Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them…for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect [obviously of Judaism], we know that every where it is spoken against. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus [as the prince who is to come] both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets.

And some [of the Jewish leaders in Rome] believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word; Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet (chapter 6) unto our fathers, 

• Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
• Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear / receive it.” (Acts 28)

This sentence has been grossly misinterpreted to deny salvation to the Jews.

It is not.

Continue reading “172) Paul Transfers Kingdom Rule To Gentiles”