by Rod Thomas | Mar 1, 2014 | Blog
Greetings Fellow Saints in Training, I’m Rod Thomas and welcome to another Perception Moment. Perception Moments is an offspring of the “It’s Not As You Perceive” umbrella of podcast series AND blog postings designed to provoke dialogue, inform, and encourage you, the Truth Seeking Believer in Messiah, in righteous living while providing you with useful resources to contend for the True Faith Once Delivered to the Saints of the first century. I don’t pretend or presume to be a Torah expert nor some type of prophet or great teacher with some unique, direct connection to God and Jesus. Indeed, I love Yehovah and Torah more than anything and I seek each day to have that special relationship with the Creator of the Universe as the Saints of Old once did. All I am is one who has taken on the mantle of carrying out the great commission through the medium of the internet and its associated forums. We are seeking to share with anyone who would come to read or listen, the truths, lessons, and information that we are blessed by the Spirit to receive. So please join us as often as you have the opportunity and share with us the awesome wonders of the Creator’s Word and the profound benefits to be had as a Messianic Believer.
Let’s dive in!
About three weeks ago, Hilary and I received in to our home three Jehovah’s Witnesses who had originally approached her a week prior requesting to have a “Bible Study” with us in our home. Not being ignorant that Jehovah’s Witnesses go from door-to-door in their associated neighborhoods for purposes of “evangelizing” unknowing and uneducated people (that is uneducated in the Word of God) and seeing an opportunity to share our Faith with them, she excitedly seized upon the opportunity having them come to our home for a formal discussion. I was somewhat indifferent to this opportunity, sensing that these folks would come armed to tear down whatever belief-system we have and show us salvation from their perspective and from their Bibles– essentially evangelize us into their religion. Additionally, I was quite aware of Hilary’s purpose in inviting them over and that was to expose the paganism and error of their religion and in turn evangelize them in to our Faith. I honestly saw a difficult situation brewing and predicted there would be a tremendous waste of time to be had by both sides. I’ll be the first to admit that I did not possess the faith that we would be able to get them to see the errors of their religion. Nevertheless, I give it to Hilary for being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit in this matter.
Well, the meeting began as planned. As I’d anticipated, the JW’s took immediate control of the discussion. They brought with them their own Bible translation that they carefully and aggressively coddled and touted as the true word of “Jehovah.” (I would insert here that they were quite adamant that God’s name was “Jehovah” and that we must pronounce it “Jehovah” and not Yehovah or Yahweh or the like. In fact: they went so far as to say that we were absolutely in error by our referring to Jesus as Yeshua or Yehoshua and corrected us on this matter several occasions during the discussion.)
They did provide us with the option of referring to our own translations, but read strictly from their personal translation. Initially, I found myself actually appreciating their zeal and apparent love for God. I actually gave them kudos for their “Great Commission” like lifestyle of boldly going from door-to-door to share their faith. The first half-hour or so of the conversation seemed to focus on areas of their religion that was consistent with Messianic understanding of the Truths of Yehovah’s Word. However, as we moved in to the next phase of our discussion, the revelation of their religion to us took on a very ominous and troubling dimension. Each area and topic from then on that was discussed went from Bible-supported doctrine and beliefs to strange and absurd manmade traditions and dogma that they vehemently proclaimed as truth. When I asked them to support from theirs or anyone else’ Bible that which they were spouting as truth, they talked around the topic with verbose and confusing babble and used Bible passages that did not even remotely support their claims. When I attempted to correct them on their statements using the Bible as the standard, they essentially told me that my interpretation of the passages of the Bible in question was grossly in error or in Star Wars parlance: “the droids you’re looking for are not here.”
It was here that my ire began to build and I found myself ready to blow in what I’d like to describe as “righteous indignation.” With raised voice and terse tone, I demanded that they cease the foolishness of trying to convince us that their outright lies and errors was God’s Truth. I even tried to step off my bully pulpit and asked them to simply admit that which they held as truth was their belief and not Bible-supported truth; and by doing so they would garner my acceptance of them as fair and honest souls simply seeking truth like the rest of us. Well, needless to say, Hilary and I received no such conciliation from them. The primary leader of the three also became frustrated and obviously angry over my challenges of their religion and he too dove headlong into a retort and challenge of my understanding of Bible. The discussion spiraled out of control even further when one of the female JW’s launched in to what I would describe as a tirade about Jesus eliminating any concern or requirement for His followers to follow Torah (or in her terminology the law). She even insinuated that by us studying, observing, and obeying Torah, we were putting Jesus’ work on the earth and on the cross to no effect and ignoring altogether His authority over our lives. It got ugly and ultimately led to a sudden conclusion–surprisingly civil I might add–to our session. For the male leader of the group, he seemingly could not get out of here quick enough. For the women, they at least left us with hope that we would meet again and iron out our differences.
In hindsight, I realize the error of my ways and am saddened over the poor behavior I displayed towards the JWs that evening. If there is ever a next time, I will certainly exercise better self-control and submit fully to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
I could easily discuss in this and the next several Perception Moment episodes the many areas of the Jehovah’s Witness’ religion that starkly fly in complete opposition to the Truths that are contained in Yehovah’s Word. There are a couple of issues that came out of this meeting with the JWs that caused me to pause and weigh their significance/relevance for the Messianic Believer today. I will briefly cover one here, now, and then in the next episode bring up the other.
The issue of the day has to do with us being capable of keeping Torah well or even perfectly and for that matter is it even necessary to keep Torah knowing that Yeshua kept Torah perfectly. This came up in our discussion with the JW’s. Well, the short answer I would say is: Yes! We are indeed capable of keeping Torah well and even perfectly. How do we know this: well as always, the Holy Writ provides us examples and proofs. In this particular instance, we find in Luke where Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth (ultimately the parents of John the Immerser) kept Yehovah’s Law blamelessly (blameless in the Greek is amemptos meaning free from default or defect). I refer you to Luke 1: 5&6:
CJB Luke 1:5 In the days of Herod, King of Y’hudah, there was a cohen named Z’kharyah who belonged to the Aviyah division. His wife was a descendant of Aharon, and her name was Elisheva.
(Luk 1:5 CJB)CJB Luke 1:6 Both of them were righteous before God, observing all the mitzvot and ordinances of ADONAI blamelessly. (Luk 1:6 CJB)
There are other examples in Scripture that highly suggests that we can, as is seen in His people’s example, keep Yehovah’s Laws perfectly.
Gen 6:9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
DBY Genesis 17:1 And Abram was ninety-nine years old, when Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty *God: walk before my face, and be perfect. (Gen 17:1 DBY)
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Granted, many would contend that in the case of Noah, Job and even Abram, the Law had not as yet been given to man. On the contrary, I say the Laws of Yehovah had not been codified as we have them today in our Bibles, but knowledge of God’s requirements of man (i.e., His Laws and commandments) was apparently known to those who lived pre-Sinai and the dissemination of the Law by Moses to the Children of Israel. How do we know this? The story of Cain and Abel clearly details a practice followed by Abel and Cain that is part and parcel of the Law that would centuries later be given to Moses and the Children of Israel. Consider if you would the following passage:
ASV Genesis 4:1 And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. 2 And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it. (Gen 4:1-7 ASV)
Two key elements to pick up here as it relates to the Laws or Yehovah being known to the pre-Sinai patriarchs:
1. The practice of offering proper sacrifices to Yehovah was known by both Cain and Abel as evident in their actions and Yehovah’s reaction to their offerings. (Reference verses 3 through 7)
2. As a concept and a reality, sin was known to both Cain and Abel as evident in Yehovah’s scolding of Cain when he became wroth with Abel over Abel’s offering being accepted by Yah and Cain’s offering not being accepted. Yehovah, as denoted in verse 7, tells Cain that failure to do what is right in the sight of Yehovah will invite sin in to one’s life. Sin then, is known only via Yehovah’s expressed Laws and Commandments.
So then the follow-up question must be: how did the pre-Sinai patriarchs know the Law? To be honest, the Scriptures do not expound upon this, but commonsense and reasoning must prevail here. Yehovah’s Laws and Commandments were earnestly taught to Adam who in turn taught them to his offspring and the cycle from there is supposed to continue in like manner in perpetuity. Consider Deuteronomy 4: 8, 9:
CJB Deuteronomy 4:8 What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today? 9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves diligently as long as you live, so that you won’t forget what you saw with your own eyes, so that these things won’t vanish from your hearts. Rather, make them known to your children and grandchildren- (Deu 4:8 CJB)
So Yehovah’s expectations and requirements for man as to how we are to live are not up to debate and if followed according to the way the Father had set it up to be followed, no one on earth would have been ignorant of God’s Laws and Commandments.
Yet man reached a point in history where man forgot much of Yehovah’s Laws and Commandments, as they have been forgotten even today. When the Israelites entered in to Egypt and endured years of slavery and oppression, Yehovah’s presence and Word was absent. It wasn’t until Moses led the Children of Israel out of bondage in to the wilderness that Yehovah re-established His Laws with that nation with the promise of making the nation a unique people amongst the nations of the world:
6 For thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God: Jehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7 Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples: 8 but because Jehovah loveth you, and because he would keep the oath which he sware unto your fathers, hath Jehovah brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, 1 (Deu 7: 6-9, ASV).
Then there is Exodus 19: 5 & 6:
CJB Exodus 19:5 Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra’el.” (Exo 19:5 CJB)
So it is today: are we any different from these our predecessors? Has not our Father transferred this most auspicious mantle (i.e., to be a special people unto Himself) upon those of us among mankind who are True disciples of Yeshua Hamaschiah? Did He not bestow upon us the same expectations that He bestowed upon the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Consider:
DBY Revelation 1:6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father: to him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen. (Rev 1:6 DBY).
Then there is this:
DBY Revelation 5:8 And when it took the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, having each a harp and golden bowls full of incenses, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sing a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open its seals; because thou hast been slain, and hast redeemed to God, by thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, 10 and made them to our God kings and priests; and they shall reign over the earth. (Rev 5:8-10, DBY)
The standards to achieve the job of being a King and Priest in Yehovah’s Kingdom has not changed whatsoever over the last 3-1/2 millennia. Yehovah requires obedience and perfection of those who would be His chosen. Yehovah told the nation of Israel:
DBY Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with Jehovah thy God. (Deu 18:13 DBY).
Likewise, Yeshua taught:
CJB Matthew 5:48 Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Mat 5:48 CJB)
The issue thus comes full circle: what does perfection look like? How is perfection defined? Simple: via Torah!
One of the three JW’s who sat at the table and responded to my acclamation that obedience to Torah is essential for one’s salvation said with absolute certainty: Yeshua gave us ONLY two commandments to follow and those commandments are:
1. Love God
2. Love Your Brother as Yourself
Indeed, Yeshua did give that Law. But I then asked that person (who did not respond to this question), What does that love for God and for our brethren look like?’ I padded that question with, ‘my understanding of how to love God and my brethren is probably different from your understanding of how to love God and your brethren.
The defining source as how to love God and our fellow man is only found in Torah. John in his general epistle stated:
1Jo 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Let us face it: we all have individual and differing opinions, perceptions, and levels of understanding on virtually every topic and issue of life. Love has to be one of those massive concepts that are never devoid of a number of opinions and ideas as to what it actually means and how it is best expressed. Some of those ideas run consistently amongst many individuals throughout society while other ideas and opinions of how love is viewed and expressed are held by others in society. Yet despite such variances, every individual will label their personal understanding, ideas and expressions of love as “love.” Well, we can’t have 6 billion differing opinions of love friends. And quite frankly, regardless how wonderful we believe we are as a people, only one opinion matters on this issue and that is God’s opinion. God has not left us in the dark as to what his standards for love are; how He wants to be loved; how we are to love one another. He gave them to us in His Word; in His Torah. Yet millions around the world, especially those of the JW’s, will tell us that all we need to do is Love God and Love man and the rest is up to Jesus.
Indeed Yeshua paid our sin debt in full. Having done so, are we then supposed to live according to our individual concepts of how a Believer is supposed to live? What does Paul say about this?
ESV Romans 6:15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Rom 6:15 ESV)
And again, what defines sin? Torah!!!!! It always, always, always comes back to Torah! Whether we are defining what it is God expects of us; what love looks like; or even the definition of sin. No matter how hard my JW friends (well maybe not friends in the classic sense–hey, how does Torah define friendship) contend, Yehovah has provided us His idea, His opinion, and His requirements of mankind. When we say that we no longer need Torah, we are effectively saying we no longer need Yehovah to define for us what He expects of us. And these little concepts that are actually big–huge concepts–like love God and love man mean nothing unless they are defined by Yah Himself and Yah has done that through His Torah. Why do we kick against the prick dear Friends when all we’re doing is resisting the rule of Yehovah and His Holy Spirit in our lives.
You know what’s funny? Society defines two classes of people: law abiding and criminals. Criminals are those who break the law in one form or another. Now these individuals who break the law may do so in the open or in secret; they may get caught or they may not have been caught by the poh poh. Ultimately, these individuals either lose their freedoms or will eventually lose their freedoms in society. Law abiding citizens, on the other hand, obey the law (at least for the most part) and thus they reap the benefits of living freely in society. Thus, they enjoy order and relative safety because the laws of the land regulate behavior and correct those situations and individuals who fail to comply with established rules and laws. No society, no organization, and no ideal or concept such as a religion can exist for long if there is no rule of law to govern the lives and behavior of its members.
So then dear believer, what makes us believe that the would-be Christian can determine for him or herself how he or she must or should live; or how we must understand or view things? Without a standard or mold by which to pattern our behavior and understanding, human organizations and societies fall apart quite rapidly. All sports games run via a set of laws and rules, otherwise chaos would ensue quite rapidly and no true winner of those games could ever be faithfully identified. Let’s stop fooling ourselves, we cannot get away from Torah no matter how hard we inappropriately apply the teachings of Paul.
With that, let’s pick this up next time.
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by Rod Thomas | Feb 26, 2014 | Blog
Numbers 11: 4 reads:
CJB Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat! (Num 11:4 CJB)
This rich verse of Torah reveals so much to the heart and soul and mind of the Truth Seeking Torah Observer. There are indeed lessons to be learned here.
It was indeed astonishing to learn that the thousands of souls that left Egypt in the Exodus was a composite of peoples. The Holy Writ is not clear as to what cultures made up the composite parts, but it is clear that the Children of Israel were not the only nation tagging along for the journey. The Hebrew term for mixed multitude is acpecuph, meaning rabble. This people were not the designated people of the promise, but likely heathens who were looking for a better life for themselves at the expense of the chosen of Yehovah. These people expected to be whisked away to the promised land and start a new life, likely to resume worship of their pagan gods and live according to their pagan ways.
Who made up the “rabble?” Well, it appears to me that there is no true answer to the question. Some sources say mercenaries; others say sorcerers; while others contend they were Ethiopians and Cyprians. Bottom line, no one really knows at this juncture of history. Looking at this objectively and given what we know about Egypt during this time, the “rabble” accompanying the Children of Israel through the desert was likely made up of various cultures and peoples of the earth who happened to reside in the land of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. In the end, it really doesn’t matter. The apple of Yehovah’s eye was and to some extent today, remains the Children of Israel. It was these who the Master of the universe anxiously brought to Himself in the desert to be His chosen possession. It was these who, out of all the nations in existence at the time, He chose to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. But alas, these fell short. Why? There are many reasons to consider. One of the reasons, according to this verse, seems to be the influence that the accompanying “rabble” had on Yehovah’s chosen. Whether intentional or happenstance, the “rabble” presented the Children of Israel with one more purifying medium to separate and mold them in to the people Yehovah sought to make His possession.
The Effect of Rabbles in Our Life and On our Journey
Sadly, our Faith is filled with rabble. I realize that this is not politically correct nor is it “Christian-like.” Indeed, the traditional Christian Faith is filled with those who seek to make a name for themselves, or carve out a career as an evangelist, or simply find a home in which they can ply their wares upon unsuspecting truth seekers. Indeed, such individuals delude the sanctity of our Faith from the perspective of influences and holy relationships. What do I mean by this? Simply this: We all know individuals in the Faith who instead of exhibiting a changed heart and soul and way of living, bring their dirty laundry with them into the Faith. Indeed, the old Christian hymn “Just as I am…” rings ever so True in the Christian Faith. Granted, we are human and prone to falls. However, I’m many addressing those who have absolutely no intention of changing their lives through the help and agency of the Holy Spirit. In fact, many of these malcontents relish and languish in their disparate lives. Consequently, these individuals cause great harm and challenge to the rest of the body or assembly, as did this “rabble” in the wilderness to the Children of the Promise.
Interestingly, the rabble did not expect to go through testing in the crucible of the wilderness. Yehovah uses the various wildernesses in our lives to test us; to mold us; to purify us; to bring us to a place of uniqueness and separation from commonality. This absolutely had to be a huge shock to the individuals who composed the “rabble”: hey Moses, you promised us a land flowing with milk and honey, and a prosperous and healthy life and you bring us to a most desolate place where it is hot in the day, cold at night; food only composed of manna and water from a rock. I did NOT sign up for this!
On the contrary: if they’d only realized the greatness to be had at the other end of the journey. Everything comes with a price. There are no free lunches. Yehovah sets the rules and we don’t have the authority to change those rules. In this case, the “rabble” along with their Israeli-counterparts agreed to the contract that the Father provided at the base of Mount Sinai on that fateful day:
ASV Exodus 19:1 In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount. 3 And Moses went up unto God, and Jehovah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: 6 and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Jehovah commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do. (Exo 19:1 ASV)
Oh dear Saint: how many of us have agreed to the terms of the contract that was put before us on the day we accepted this walk with the Creator, only to turn sour on the deal months and years later because life in Yeshua did not pan out the way we expected it to? Or better yet, we decided to restructure the agreement we made with the Creator (as so many millions of self-professing believers have done throughout the centuries) in order that we may have “an easier life?”
Are we not that mixed multitude in some respects? Do we grow greedy for an easier life in Messiah? How do we do such a thing you may ask. Well, frankly my friend, by failing to obey His commands and His precepts and His laws. Failing to be content where we are and always relying upon the grace and providence of the Eternal. Defaulting to stirring the pot in our lives in order to elicit a favorable response from the Father. If only we can trust and obey Him and hang in there for just a little while longer, the glory to be had could never be put in to human words.
Join me for Part 2 of “Hangers On.”
by Rod Thomas | Feb 25, 2014 | Podcasts
CJB Numbers 11:4 Next, the mixed crowd that was with them grew greedy for an easier life; while the people of Isra’el, for their part, also renewed their weeping and said, “If only we had meat to eat!(Num 11:4 CJB)
The term mixed in Hebrew is “as-pee-oof” and denotes a collection, a rabble, a collected multitude. “As-pee-off” is only used in Numbers 11:4
CJB Exodus 12:38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. (Exo 12:38 CJB)
Mixed in Hebrew in this passage is “ereb” meaning mixture or mixed people. These people fell alusting; lusted exceedingly; grew greedy; had strong craving; lusted greatly. The people wept and lusted after an easier life–Oh that we had meat to eat…”
CJB 1 Corinthians 10:1 For, brothers, I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to our fathers. All of them were guided by the pillar of cloud, and they all passed through the sea, 2 and in connection with the cloud and with the sea they all immersed themselves into Moshe, 3 also they all ate the same food from the Spirit, 4 and they all drank the same drink from the Spirit- for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah. 5 Yet with the majority of them God was not pleased, so their bodies were strewn across the desert. 6 Now these things took place as prefigurative historical events, warning us not to set our hearts on evil things as they did. (1Co 10:1 CJB)
These things were our example so that we do not set our hearts on “evil things” or better, things other than that which Yehovah intends for us to have. This story provides for us types or examples.
by Rod Thomas | Feb 24, 2014 | Podcasts
The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You
Part 5
Concluding the Parables of Matthew 13:
In Matthew 13, Yahoshua gave the people eight parables about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Each parable contained its own message. After Yahoshua gave the last parable, He was done teaching. He then asked the crowd if they understood what he had taught them and they said “Yes”. So he gave them the gravity of their calling in the form of a parable: “51Jesus said unto them, have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 52 Then said he unto them, Therefore, every scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.” The people who answered yes are claiming to understand the parables that went forth. What did they understand? In verse 52, Yahoshua is telling them what they are claiming to understand by their “yes “answer. Now that they have learned what the Kingdom of Heaven is like, He is now turning His focus to the workers in the kingdom, after spending a few hours instructing them.
Now that you have been instructed about the Kingdom of Heaven, and you have claimed to understand the teachings by your “yes” answer, you are now in the position of scribes because you have been given specialized knowledge about the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore as a scribe you are like a householder, which is the master who holds a key to the house. Thus you are now holding knowledge, which is considered keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. The knowledge is the storehouse of treasure. Some of the treasure is old and some are new; however, the scribe is responsible to use both the old and new knowledge and connect them with increased understanding so that he can teach it to others. The greater his understanding the better he will be able to show the relationship and connection between the new and the old. Because the old covenant has been amended to show the fulfilling of the redemption portion of the law, the old law has now become renewed covenant to show the fulfillment.
The unedited full text of the Jewish encyclopedia, records the Hebrew meaning of the word “scribe” as “a teacher whose office it is to interpret the Torah for people.” You can visit the encyclopedia page at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13356-scribes It makes common sense that in order to interpret the Law, one must first understand the Law. So Yahoshua is being specific by targeting the “scribes who have been instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven”. Thus, it becomes clear that the teaching sessions of the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven have been training sessions for the sons of the kingdom! These sons are scribes trained for the kingdom. They are the people who understood Torah the parables and the ones for whom the message is intended. They are the sons of the kingdom. These are not the existing scribes of the synagogue and the Sanhedrin, they are new recruits from among the people who have been looking forward to the Messiah and are accepting of Yahoshua. As the scribes of the new kingdom they are expected to be Torah observing, with understanding great enough to teach and interpret the Torah to others.
Only the scribes will hear the word of the kingdom and understand it. By teaching the word 
he will bear fruit (make disciples) and yield a hundredfold, sixty-fold and thirty-fold. The process of multiplication begins as more disciples are made. This teaching would have increased their understanding of the hidden things so they can teach it to others. Could this be a recruitment of officers for the new kingdom? As you can see, the people who will be sons of the kingdom are those who 1) accept Yahoshua as Messiah and Master, and 2 obeys Torah and will apply their understanding to make disciples by teaching others about the Old and the Renewed covenant.
Parable #1: The Sower: taught the people that the Kingdom of Heaven operates on the principles of seed time and harvest; and that the harvest is produced only by a few who grow in understanding of the kingdom message. Though the opportunity to bear fruit is 
given to all, only a few make use of the opportunity to bear fruit. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. The focal point of the interpretation of this parable is in verse 12. “Whosoever hath”, hath what? The answer is the desire to grow in understanding. Whosoever has the desire to grow in understanding, to him shall be given more understanding: but whosoever does not have the desire to grow in understanding even that (little understanding) which he has will be taken away.
Note what John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:7-10 to the Pharisees and Sadducees: “7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Parable #2: A Man Who Sowed Good Seed in His Field (Parable of the Tares):
“37 He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are 
the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear”.
You may recall John the Baptist said of Yahoshua in Matthew 3:11-12, “11I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Yahoshua used similar words in the parable above.
You may ask, how does a Scribe becomes trained? Yahoshua told His disciples in John 14:26, “26 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.” This verse tells us that every Scribe trained for the Kingdom of Heaven must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire!
In Matthew 23:2-3 we read, “2The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” There is a portion of the translation of verse three which is a bad translation. The rest of the verse is fine except for the portion that says, so do and observe whatever they tell you. The bad translation for this phrase came as a result of the Greek translating from a bad Aramaic translation. Thus the Greek was not translated from the Hebrew text but from the Aramaic text. So the Greek is a translation from a translation. The Aramaic presented this word as “yomru” which means “they tell”, instead of “yomar”. The word that is being mistranslated is the word “yomar” which means “he tells” The actual translation for verse 3 reads, “Do what he (Moses) tells to do, but not the works that they do. For they preach but do not practice”. For more information visit http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/50_pharisees.html
According to the Jewish encyclopedia http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13356-scribes teachers of the Torah are the Scribes. In Matthew 23 Yahoshua tells us not to obey the Takanot and Ma’asim (the reforms and additions to the Torah) of the Pharisees. In this chapter, Yahoshua rebukes and reprimands them severely because of their Takanot and Ma’asim. It appears that Yahoshua is recruiting scribes to be trained for the Kingdom of Heaven. Throughout his ministry, Yahoshua has been antagonized by the scribes and Pharisees continuously because he has been challenging their interpretation of the Torah. They accuse Him of breaking Torah and He is able to show them that He is not breaking Torah; however, he is not obeying their Takanote and Ma’asim (man-made additions and changes and private interpretations) of the Torah.
Thus, in verse 52 Yahoshua is implying that the sons of the Kingdom of Heaven are Scribes trained for the purpose of training others in the Torah. This new Scribe is in the position of authority like the master of a house. This is a honored position because he holds the keys to the house. He can differentiate between the old and the new treasure, which are the Old covenant and the Renewed Covenant.
Being our teacher and the greatest teacher of all times, Yahoshua knew that the information he was sharing was a hidden secret that was not to be shared with everyone. Have you ever heard of hiding in plains sight? Then this was an overt way of accomplishing a covert mission in public. Basically, He was saying to the sons of the kingdom, “for your eyes only”. Yahoshua had a mission to the lost sheep of Israel, so the message was directed to the few within the group who had ears to hear, eyes to see and a heart to understand. These are the ones who would hear the message, and follow through to action. This is why he started out with the parable of the Sower. The Good Soil group was the choice group though it made up a very small portion of the seeds that were planted yet it was the only group to produce fruit.
Understanding Torah comes through obedience to the commands of Yahovah. We must teach obedience to Torah because our obedience is an expression of our faith in Yahovah.
The apostle Paul in Acts 26:18-23 is an excellent example of the Scribe that Yahoshua is recruiting for the Kingdom of Heaven. He is adept in the Torah, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, he was able to impart knowledge and open the eyes of people to the scriptures so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Yahoshua, to the treasures of the scriptures, the reality of the power of darkness, to expound on the difference between the Old Testament and the Renewed Covenant, the prophecies concerning the Messiah, the law of grace, mercy, faith and redemption in the Torah, to teach clearly so the person can choose the power of Yahovah to deliver them from darkness.
by Rod Thomas | Feb 18, 2014 | Podcasts
The Gospel Your Pastor Never Taught You
Part 4
In Part 3 we looked deeper and analyzed the first four parables Yahoshua preached about the Kingdom of God from Matthew 13. In verse 35 we learn that the secrets hidden in the parables are so that: “35 …it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.’” The parable secrets about the kingdom of heaven in this chapter tell of hidden truths kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Continuing in Matthew 13, The next parable is found in verse 44:
Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he hath, and buys that field.
Based on the interpretations used in the previous parables, field represented the world and the man represented Yahoshua. The man spend all he had to buy the field and treasure together. From our study of the life and mission of Yahoshua, we can surmise that the price he paid was His blood. Therefore it must be the redemption price for the world. But what was the treasure which he discovered and (He hides) kept it a secret? We can also surmise that the treasure was built into the total package of his mission. We know the redemption price was paid for by His blood. John 3:16-17 tells, For God so love the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believed in Him should not die but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world (field) through Him might be saved.
To redeem the world came with a price and also a reward to the man who qualified to pay the price. The man (Yahoshua) received the treasure (the reward) when he bought the field. Psalm 2:8 quotes Yahovah saying, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8)
Yahoshua was almost thirty years old when He began His ministry. Before He stepped out in public to take on the mission of being the redeemer of the world, He had the free will to exercise His option of either taking the normal track that a man’s life would take; or be the sacrificial Lamb of Yahovah in exchange for reward Yahovah had to offer him to fulfill the purpose for which He was born, to be the Messiah for Israel and the redeemer of the world. In Hebrews 12:2 we read, “2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
By taking the route of His divine purpose, the treasure included in land deal is as follows: He would become the appointed King over the kingdom of Yahovah on earth. With this position He would be the Messiah, the ruler over Israel, the physical representative of Yahovah, the Commander of the Host of Army of Angels in heaven, He would also be the recipient of the covenant Yahovah made with Abraham, He would receive the nations of the earth as an inheritance, He would be the one who defeats Satan and the kingdom of Satan, and He would receive all power, authority and dominion over Yahovah’s creation.
I believe when Yahoshua weighed the cost for fulfilling his purpose and all the treasure that came with it; then decided to keep it a secret because if Satan understood that the mission included the plan to take back the title deed of the earth Satan had stolen from Adam and Eve, then Satan would not have plotted to kill Yahoshua on the cross. The choice between living the normal righteous life of a Jewish man; versus living His life of purpose caused the scale to tip in favor of choosing to live His divine purpose. While the cost of His purpose driven life of being the sacrificial Lamb of Yahovah, that takes away the sin of the world was a very steep price to pay, it was worth the trade in exchange for the value in the treasure Yahovah offered to Him.
Though this honor was prophesied for the messiah throughout the Old Testament, it was not understood by Israel nor by Satan. Thus, Satan was outwitted because everyone including Satan thought the Messiah would fulfill Isaiah’s complete prophecy when he came. They did not understand that the messiah would fulfill his mission on two parts on separate occasions first as the prophet and redeemer, then secondly as the messiah, judge and King. Also He was the prophet Moses said we must Shema. Yahovah kept the details of His plan secret and divulged it only to Yahoshua, who also understood the covertness of the operation and kept it a secret.
Thus, the treasure hidden in a field is the glory offered by Yahovah to the man from the house of Israel who qualified to be His appointed King to rule over the House of Israel and the kingdoms of this earth; and to receive the nations of the world as his inheritance. This is the most exciting offer because not only did Yahoshua have the desire to please His Father Yahovah and to accept the mission; but in addition, He qualified for the reward offered to Him. He agreed to suffer to please His father and fill His divine purpose. Being the sacrificial Lamb of God to pay for the sin debt of the world to redeem Yahovah’s creation from Satan was a great burden to bear because the pain, suffering, shame, disgrace, humiliation, rejection and death He experienced by the mob in public, was a very high price to pay with His blood for the sins of the world. But it was worth the price for the promised glory (or treasure) offered to him by His Father, Yahovah. In Hebrew 12:2 we read, “2 Looking unto Yahoshua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Therefore, The words to understand are: field (world), man (Yahoshua), finding the treasure (understanding the joy and the glory He would receive from Yahovah for fulfilling His purpose), man hiding the discovered treasurer (He kept the secret by telling it as a parable), sells all he has (gave his life as the sacrificial Lamb of Yahovah), buys the field (He paid the redemption price with His life blood for the glory offered to Him). Revelation 5:12 reads, “12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.” This is the treasure that was packaged with the field, which he bought together, with His blood.
Parable of the Merchant Man Seeking Goodly Pearls
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is being compared to the merchant man who is in search of something valuable. His important mission was accomplished when he found what he was searching for. He was so excited that he invested all he had to obtain this rare treasure. The times when both Yahovah and Yahoshua demonstrate a “sold out, all or nothing attitude” was towards the value of a lost sheep. Therefore i believe the Pearl represent the lost sheep or a sinner in need of salvation. As the Good Shepherd, they both take drastic action on behalf of their lost sheep. Therefore the merchant man is either Yahovah or Yahoshua. We read Ezekiel 34:7-11 where Yahovah shows how He will take drastic actions against the shepherds (Jews) He had appointed, who did not care for His flock: “7 Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah: 8 I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, If not, because of My flock being for a prey, Yea, My flock is for food to every beast of the field, Because there is no shepherd, And My shepherds have not sought My flock, And the shepherds do feed themselves, And My flock they have not fed. 9 Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah: 10 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I [am] against the shepherds, And have required My flock from their hand, And caused them to cease from feeding the flock, And no more do the shepherds feed themselves, And I have delivered My flock from their mouth, And they are not to them for food. 11 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I — even I, have required My flock, And I have sought it out”.
Yahoshua tells us in Luke 19:10 that He came to seek and to save those who are lost. In the parable of the good shepherd, recorded in both Matthew 18:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7 Yahoshua asks, “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”
Thus, we see that the merchant man is a seeker who goes all out to find and to redeem what he is searching for. Luke 19:10 tells us that Yahoshua came to seek and to save those who were lost. In Matthew 21:43, Yahoshua told the Jews that the kingdom of God would be taken away from them and given to the gentiles. “43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” Producing fruits of the kingdom of God are the fruit of righteousness (Mark 7:20-23) and fruit of making disciples as seen in Yahoshua commission to us according to Matthew 28:19-20 to and according to Mark 16:15-16, to go into the entire world and preach the gospel of the kingdom to every nation, teaching them to observe all he commanded us, and whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Consequently, the merchant man represents Yahoshua who has come with a mission to seek and to redeem the sinners in need of salvation. John the Baptist warned the Jews in Matthew 3 that they were not indispensable to Yahovah because He can replace them. We read in Matthew 3:7-9, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “7You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8″Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”
The Torah was entrusted to the Jews to teach the nations about Yahovah and His laws; but they failed at their purpose. Therefore, the mission of teaching torah was taken from them and given to the Gentiles to be preached to the world according to what what we learned from Yahoshua. This spreading of the gospel of the kingdom is now being spread by using the technology of business and commerce to spread the teach the gospel of the kingdom and make disciples of all nations. Today these tools are the tools of commerce like the radio, television, internet and satellite which is used in commercial marketing strategies to take it to the ends of the earth, even at great expense.
Parable of the Net
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Yahoshua Interprets of the Parable of the net
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
