WRITINGS
Yeshua said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). Yeshua is the way to eternal life. That is clear. But what is the truth? Pontius Pilot, the governor of the Roman province of Judaea, asked Jesus the same question.
God created many languages, as it is written: “From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations” (Genesis 10:5). One of those languages was Aramaic. Aramaic is considered a special and unique language. Rabbi Moses Isserlis said that Aramaic has a semi-holiness that dates to Mount Sinai.
The Bible tells that, "when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). This verse speaks to the First Advent of Christ. It also speaks to the redemption of Israel. But what about Christ's second Advent and Israel's final redemption?
It is written, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35 & 38-39). “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
I often hear Christians talk about following the Will of God over the Will of man. It’s a strange word, often used to express someone’s futurity about their express desire.[i] Sometimes I feel like I’m in a wrestling match with God— “I want to buy that new sports car. No, you can’t have it.”
In this context, God’s Will appears arbitrary and maybe even selfishly motivated. Is He the grand arbitrator up in the sky? My response to the car question: “Why can’t I have it?” “Because I said so. Next question, please?”
We all know the story of Abraham, how he took his only son Isaac to Jerusalem and was prepared to offer him as a burnt offering to the Lord on Mount Moriah. They traveled for three days until Abraham saw the place in the distance. As he and his son carried the wood and fire for the sacrifice, Isaac asked his father a question:
“My Father? Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham responded: “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7-8).
The first time read about the Shofar, the ram’s horn, in the Bible is in Exodus Chapter 19, when the Israelites encamped below Mount Sinai. The Hebrew word used in these chapters is Shofar (שֹׁפָ֖ר).[i] The Lord instructed the Israelites to wait for the third day when He would come down upon the mountain, and the blast of a Shofar would sound before them.
“The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zephaniah 1:14-15, NKJV).
I never expected to write about the gospel. And yet, I find myself needing to clarify the biblical gospel in the light of a rising movement, even within the church, trying to redefine what the Bible says about this subject.
If you search on the internet, you will quickly discover some of the many other gospels out there. There is a social gospel, also called social constructivism. There is the gospel of science, Christian humanism, and list goes on and on.
It is written, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face” (Psalm 89:14). Reading this verse makes me feel like I am standing in a court of law. We are— “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).
The Apostle Paul spoke of several mysteries in his epistles to the church. These mysteries were in essence, God’s hidden wisdom concealed from humanity, until the time He would choose for its revelation;[i] as it is written, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).
I often hear Christians say, “we are no longer under the Law.” True, I reply. You’re a Gentile. You were never under the Mosaic Law, to begin with. So, if the Gentiles have nothing that legally binds them to the Old Covenant, why do they make such a big deal about not being under it? The answer might surprise you. Let’s find out.
