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Yeshua: The Hebrew Word for Jesus |
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Who is the Bride of Christ?WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF GOD'S TORAH? Probably one of the most misunderstood words in the entire Bible to Christians is the word LAW. In reality, the word LAW is a very poorly translated and misrepresented word to describe the Hebrew word, TORAH. In this chapter, we will seek to understand the purpose and meaning of God's Torah so that we as Christians can have a true Biblical understanding of how God views His Torah and why it is important to Him. When most Christians hear
the word, TORAH, they take two steps backward and put up a religious
wall against any Christian who would mention the word or imply that we
need to live our lives according to God's Torah. In fact, most
Christians view the Torah with the attitude, "We are not under the
Law, we are New Testament Christians and under grace." It is a Biblical truth that we are NOT saved by keeping the Torah of God. We are saved by grace through faith and salvation is a FREE Gift from God. In Ephesians 2:8-9, it is written:
However, the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 3:28, 31 that AFTER we are saved, we are to uphold God's Torah as it is written:
While it is true that we are not saved by keeping the Torah of God, we must know and understand WHAT the word, TORAH, means. The word Law is the Hebrew word, TORAH. It is the Strong's word 8451. The best meaning of the word, TORAH, is "teaching or instruction." The word TORAH does not mean salvation but rather "teaching or instruction." There is a word in the Bible which means "salvation." The English word, Jesus, is the Hebrew word, Yeshua . The Hebrew word Yeshua means "salvation." This is the name for Jesus. In Matthew 1:21 it is written:
From this, we can
understand that JESUS means SALVATION and TORAH means INSTRUCTION.
Therefore, the Torah was NEVER meant by God to be a means of salvation
for His people. God's only salvation is Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah! Because there is no
proper corresponding word in Greek or English for the Hebrew word,
TORAH, it is commonly translated as "law." Law implies a set of do's and
don'ts intended to imprison people when they are broken. However, God
gave the Hebrew language to communicate His spiritual truths. In fact,
God calls Hebrew a pure language (Zephaniah 3:9). This truth is
beautifully understood when we do a Biblical word study of the Hebrew
word, TORAH. MANUAL TO LIVE OUR LIVES The word Torah, which is the Strong's word 8451 in the Hebrew dictionary, comes from the Hebrew word, "Yarah ". The Hebrew word, "Yarah" is the Strong's word 3384. The meaning of the word, "Yarah " is "to teach, to point out as aiming the finger, to lay a foundation" . By examining the Hebrew meaning of the word, TORAH, we can understand that the word Torah means, "to instruct, to teach, to point out as aiming the finger, to lay a foundation.". So, the Torah should be correctly seen as God's INSTRUCTION tool to TEACH His people HOW to live their lives AFTER they are saved. The TORAH should be seen as a foundation for our lives and a foundation for understanding the entire Bible. Therefore, the most basic understanding of the meaning of Torah is "instruction for the purpose of teaching done by pointing out or aiming the finger.". God's purpose for the Torah is to "lay a foundation " to communicate His spiritual truths to His people regarding the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven and His redemptive plan for man. People who are saved by
the grace of God through faith without the deeds of the law by putting
their trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of their
sins will go to heaven. However, salvation does not give us the freedom
to neglect God's TORAH because the TORAH is God's INSTRUCTION MANUAL for
believers on how to conduct and live their lives in a manner that is
well pleasing to their heavenly Father AFTER they are saved. EVERYTHING in the Bible was divinely ordained by God to teach or instruct us about the spiritual truths of the Kingdom of God. In Romans 15:4 it is written:
ALL Scripture is inspired by God. In II Timothy 3:16 it is written:
It should be understood
that when Timothy wrote this letter and made the statement that "ALL
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, " he was talking about
the Old Testament INCLUDING the TORAH. The New Testament was not
canonized when Timothy wrote this letter. God's Torah is His Word. The "Torah" and the "Word of God" are synonymous terms in the Bible. Most Christians view the "TORAH" as the first five books of the Bible but "The Word of God" as the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. However, in Isaiah 2:3, we see an example where the Torah and the Word of God are used interchangeably as it is written:
In this verse, we can see an example of Hebrew parallelism. "Out of Zion shall go forth the Torah" is the same as "The Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Therefore, from this example, we can see that the Torah and the Word of the Lord are used synonymously in the Bible. Another example where we can see the word TORAH used interchangeably with the WORD OF THE LORD is in Psalm 119. In Psalm 119:97 it is written:
In Psalm 119:105 it is written:
Once again, we can see
from the example in Psalm 119 that in one verse, David refers to the
TORAH and a verse following he refers to the WORD OF GOD. Therefore, in
a strict interpretation of the meaning of the word, TORAH, the Torah is
the first five books of the Bible. However, in a broad sense, everything
in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation should be seen as God's TORAH or
instruction to His people. IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden. In the middle of the Garden of Eden was the "Tree of Life." (Genesis 2:9) What was the tree of life that God planted in the middle of the Garden of Eden? The Tree of Life is the Torah! In Proverbs 3:1, 18 it is written:
God said that His Torah is to be more desired than fine gold. In Psalm 19:7-8, 10 it is written:
Those people who delight in the TORAH of God and meditate in God's TORAH day and night are like a tree planted by the rivers of water. In Psalm 1:1-3 it is written:
In these verses we can see that a believer who delights himself in the TORAH of the Lord and meditates day and night in the TORAH is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. In Revelation 22:1-2, the tree planted by the rivers of water is the tree of life as it is written:
Furthermore, Jesus told His Church that those who DO His commandments (Torah) will have right to the tree of life. In Revelation 22:14 it is written:
Therefore, from these verses we can understand the following:
In Romans 4:16, Abraham is called the Father of our faith. Why did God choose Abraham and why is Abraham called the Father of our faith? God chose Abraham because God knew that Abraham would teach His children the Torah of God. In Genesis 18:18-19 it is written:
Abraham kept the Torah of God. In Genesis 26:5 it is written:
Listed below are seven purposes for God's Torah. They are as follows:
b) God is Love (I John 4:7-8). · c) God is Gracious, Righteous, Merciful (Psalm 116:5) d) God is Light (I John 1:5). Teaches and reveals sin (Romans 3:20, Galatians 3:10, James 2:10, I John 3:4) Teaches and reveals man's need to have a Messiah (Romans 10:4) ----> "End" in Greek means "Goal/Target" Teaches and reveals God's redemptive plan through the Messiah (Psalm 40:6-7, Hebrews 10:5-7, Luke 24:36, 44) Teaches and reveals that man is saved by God's grace according to faith and not by the deeds of the law (Romans 3:20, 24, 28, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9) Teaches and reveals the difference between the life of the Spirit (the Torah written upon a heart of flesh) and the life of the flesh (the Torah written upon a heart of stone) (Romans 8:1-3, 5-9) Teaches us how to grow from spiritual babies to spiritual maturity (Genesis 17:1, Psalm 19:7-8, Psalm 119:l-2, Ephesians 4:11-15, Hebrews 5:12-14) As mentioned earlier in this chapter, Torah comes from the Hebrew word, "Yarah" which means "to lay a foundation." The prophets and writings build upon that foundation. Spiritually, Jesus is the LIVING TORAH and God's FIRM FOUNDATION. In Isaiah 28:16 is it written:
The firm foundation and chief cornerstone of God's House is Jesus. Jesus is the living Torah. This foundation is built upon by the prophets and apostles. In Ephesians 2:19-20 it is written:
TO COMMUNICATE HIS TORAH TO US? God gave the understanding of Him and His Kingdom in the form of spiritual pictures, blueprints or shadows. In other words, the literal or natural world was given to communicate the spiritual world. Therefore, God spoke His Torah to His people through different mechanisms including:
God's Torah was given in
the form of parables, deep sayings and spiritual blueprints, so that His
Word would be fulfilled concerning the righteous and the wicked. Those
who would obey the greatest commandment (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark
12:28-31) in spirit and truth (John 4:24) would know and
understand the ways of God. But, the wicked would consider the things of
God as foolishness. (I Corinthians 2:14) UNDERSTANDING TORAH / GOD'S WORD
KNOWLEDGE (Torah) OF GOD? God supernaturally begins to reveal himself and the principles of His Kingdom whenever we obey the greatest commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Mark 12:28-31 ) By obeying the greatest commandment, this will allow the Holy Spirit to lead us so that we can grow into spiritual maturity. This growth is designed by God to be in a step by step fashion, building upon the foundation of the Torah. In Isaiah 28:9-10, it is written:
It is God's desire that after we are saved, we grow in the knowledge and understanding of the ways of God and of His Kingdom "line upon line" and "precept upon precept." In doing so, God desires that we grow from spiritual babies to spiritual maturity. In Hebrews 5:12-14 it is written:
Most Christians associate
the Old Testament (the Biblical name is TeNaKh
- Torah, Prophets (Nevi'im), and Writings (Ketuvim) - (Luke 24:44)
with the Torah but they do not associate the New Testament (Covenant)
with the Torah. However, most Christians fail to realize that the BIBLE
tells us that the New Testament (Covenant) is TORAH based!! The New Covenant is Torah based. In Jeremiah 31:31, 33, it is written:
The book of Hebrews confirms that the Holy Spirit is a witness that the New Covenant is the TORAH written upon our hearts. In Hebrews 10:15-16 it is written:
Why was the New Covenant necessary? Did God find fault with the Torah? NO!! God could not find fault with the Torah because the Torah came from Him. If God found fault with the Torah, He would have to find fault with Himself. So, what did God want to change? God didn't want to change His Torah because the Torah is the Tree of Life and the Torah is eternal. Therefore, what God desired to change was the HEARTS of His people. We can understand this truth in Hebrews 8:7-8 as it is written:
Therefore, God did not
find fault with the Torah that He gave at Mount Sinai. God found fault
with the HEARTS of the people who received His Torah! THE OLDER AND NEWER COVENANT? Because most Christians believe that God did away with the Torah after the death and resurrection of Jesus, they do not understand the difference between the older and newer covenant. Most Christians believe that God found fault with the TORAH given at Mount Sinai and that is why Jesus came to usher in the New Covenant. However, as stated earlier, since God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, if God found fault with the Torah then He would find fault with Himself. By understanding that BOTH the older covenant and the newer covenant is Torah based, we can understand what God found fault with and wanted to replace. God did not find fault with Himself who is the GIVER of the Torah, but God found fault with the RECEIVERS of the Torah, the HEARTS of the children of Israel. So, if both the older covenant and the newer covenant is Torah based, what is the difference between the two covenants?
The problem with the
First Covenant was the HEARTS of the PEOPLE who RECEIVED the Torah NOT
THE TORAH! When God gives His Torah/Word, the target destination of His Torah/Word is the human heart. The older covenant was written on a heart of stone. Therefore, God desired to bring forth a newer covenant and intends for His Torah to be written upon a heart of flesh. We can understand this truth in Ezekiel 36:26-27 as it is written:
Jesus explained to us the characteristics of a stony heart in the parable known as the parable of the sower. In Mark 4:3-6 it is written:
In Mark 4:14-17, Jesus explains the parable and the meaning of the stony ground (heart) as it is written:
Therefore, what are the characteristics of a stony heart according to Jesus?
When God gave His Torah to the children of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai, they heard the Word and received it with gladness (Mark 4:16). In Exodus 24:3 it is written:
The joy and gladness of the hearts of the children of Israel to receive and do the Torah of God is seen in a greater dimension by understanding the Hebrew meaning of the phrase, "All the words which the Lord hath said will we do." In Hebrew the phrase reads, "Na'aseh v'Nishmah," which means, "We agree to do even before we have listened !! " The heart of the children of Israel was so strong to please God that when God said "Will you ...," the people said, YES!, even before they heard what God was going to request of them. This should be the ATTITUDE of every believer! What the children of Israel lacked was the POWER of the indwelling Holy Spirit to fulfill the conviction to love and serve God with all their heart. In Mark 4:17, Jesus described that a stony heart becomes offended through affliction and persecution. This is exactly what happened to the child of Israel in the wilderness. Time after time they were tempted in the wilderness and the people became offended from their trials and tribulations and desired to return to Egypt. When the 12 spies were sent to explore the land of Canaan, 10 spies came back with an evil report that the children of Israel were not able to take the land of Canaan as God promised Abraham. They ended by becoming offended at the promise of God and desired to return to Egypt. In Numbers 14:1-4 it is written:
This is the characteristic of a stony heart. The children of Israel received the Torah of God with gladness but later when they encountered the trials and tribulations of the wilderness and the giants in the land of Canaan, they desired to return back to Egypt. In the same manner, a stony heart keeps Christians from being the Bride of Christ. Many receive God's gift of salvation with great joy. They see the mighty, awesome and wonderful things that the Lord does in their lives to bring them to salvation. They want to talk about God day and night. They have a great fire for God. Even so, they still need to deal with and experience the trials and tribulations of life. When the trials and tribulations of life begin to come upon them, their fire for God begins to fade. They become bitter toward God because of the trials and tribulations in their lives and they say in their hearts, "It was better and I had more fun living in the world." This is a stony heart. Therefore, the children of Israel are not the first and last people on the earth with a stony heart; many Christians have a stony heart also! A stony heart rejects the Torah/Word of God. In Zechariah 7:11-12 it is written:
The Ten Commandments were
written on tablets (hearts) of stone (Exodus 24:12, 31:18,
Deuteronomy 4:13-14, 5:22, 9:10-11) OVERCOME THE FLESH (Sin Nature) A stony heart exemplifies
the characteristics of our sin nature inherited from Adam and rejects
the TORAH/Word of God. The newer covenant was needed because in the
older covenant the heart of stone could not overcome the sin nature of
the flesh. The problem in the older covenant was not the Torah because
the Torah is the tree of life! Therefore, what was done away was NOT THE
TORAH but the HEART of STONE. God desired to replace the heart of stone
with a heart of flesh. This would be accomplished by God putting His
Holy Spirit within us! God desired for His Spirit to live inside all
believers so that they would have the power to overcome the desires of
the flesh and the sin nature inherited from Adam. In doing this, God
needed to change the heart of man not His Torah because His Torah is
eternal! The Torah given at Mount Sinai was written upon a heart of stone. A heart of stone does not have the power to overcome the flesh. The Newer Covenant is the Torah written upon a heart of flesh. A heart of flesh has the power to overcome the desires of the flesh and our sin nature. The difference between the heart of stone which cannot overcome our sin nature and the heart of flesh which can overcome the desires of our sin nature by the power of the Holy Spirit is the message that is being communicated in Romans 8:2-10 as it is written:
The difference between the older covenant which is the Torah written upon a heart of stone and the new covenant which is the Torah written upon a heart of flesh is the difference between two natures within us. The Torah written upon a heart of stone is the nature of the flesh. The Torah written upon a heart of flesh follows after the nature of the Spirit of God. This is the message being communicated in Galatians 4:22-26, 29 as it is written:
In Romans 7, it tells us that the Torah is holy and the commandments are holy, just, good, and spiritual. It also tells us that the Torah bears fruit after the INWARD man. In Romans 7:12,14, 22 it is written:
THE NEWER COVENANT? The newer covenant is the TORAH written upon a heart of flesh (Jeremiah 31:33). This would be accomplished by God putting His Holy Spirit within us so that the Spirit of God can teach God's people how to walk in the ways of God and keep His Torah and be obedient to His commandments. In Ezekiel 11:19-20 it is written:
A stony heart brings death but a heart of flesh brings life. This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 3:3, 6 as it is written:
THE NEWER COVENANT?
In summary, Torah does not mean "Law" but instruction. We are not saved by keeping the Torah of God. We are saved by grace through faith and salvation is a free gift from God. God gave His Torah so that we could have a knowledge of sin and the holiness of God. By having a knowledge of sin, man could understand that he needs a Messiah. However, AFTER we are saved without the deeds of the law, God's Torah serves as his instruction manual concerning how Christians need to live their lives in a manner pleasing to God. God's Torah is a tree of life and it is eternal! Those who refuse to follow the Torah of God have a stony heart and do not overcome the desires of the flesh and the ways of the world. By not overcoming the desires of the flesh and the ways of the world, stony heart Christians will not be the Bride of Christ. Those who love God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength and bear much fruit in their lives through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit have a heart of flesh and will be the Bride of Christ.
Continue to Chapter 12
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Yeshua from Genesis to Revelation
This DVD series reveals Yeshua in the entire Bible (Psalm 40:7, Luke 24:44). Yeshua is in the Torah. He created the heavens and earth, made covenant with Abraham, led the children of Israel out of Egypt, gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, is the bridegroom of Israel and the glory of God that filled the tabernacle. Yeshua died on the tree to unite the twelve tribes of Israel (John 10:16-17, 11:49-52). Yeshua will gather the twelve tribes of Israel during the tribulation period and be glorified. He will reign during the Messianic Era as King over the whole earth teaching the Torah to all nations. While revealing Yeshua from Genesis to Revelation, this DVD series also teaches the basic principles of the Hebraic roots of Christianity, including who is the house of Jacob, Torah is for all believers in Yeshua, and Two Houses and the New Testament. Finally, this DVD series gives a Hebraic perspective of the end of days. In all, twelve hours of power packed teaching!
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