The Measuring Stick - Part 2 - The Narrow Door

Page 1

Newsletter

20 January 2011

The Witness

The Measuring Stick 13 Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14 But the gate is narrow, narrow contracted by pressure and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it. (Matt 7:13-14) Ampl The apostle Paul or Shual, was called in a very different way by Yahshua. Shual, who became known as Paul, was a very devout and learnt man, who was very zealous for Elohim – the God of the Old Testament. He studied under the most respected Rabbi of that time: Gamaliel. Teaching in the time of the Jews under a master of the Torah did not work like it works in the western world. We decide that we want to study under certain a teacher and then enrol. This was not how it worked in that time among the Jewish Pharisees. For one to be able to become a student under a Rabbi, the Rabbi had to choose you. You would be chosen from among many as the best student.

Gamaliel – “The Elder” Gamaliel I, kown own as "the Elder" (1st cent. CE), president-patriarch president (nasi) of the Sanhedrin, Sanhedrin grandson of Hillel. He and his descendant-successors successors were distinguished by the honorific title Rabban ("our master") in place of the usual Rabbi ("my master") applied to talmudic sages. As a contemporary orary of King Agrippa I, he was consulted by him (and his queen) on halakhic problems. As the supreme halakhic authority, he issued from the Temple precincts proclamations to the communities co in Erets Israel and in the Diaspora concerning tithing problems and the leap year (Sanh. ( . 11b). The right of the Sanhedrin to regulate the Jewish Calendar was at the heart of its authority, ority, and Gamaliel issued a number of regulations (see Takkanah)) to assure the examination of witnesses who had seen the New Moon, thus enabling the court to proclaim the beginning of another month.

The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim Proc His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) 27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. bles This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-1-


Of particular importance are his regulations affecting Marriage (Divorce) law (Git. 4:2-3). To protect the divorcee, he introduced a number of restrictions with regard to the issuance of a letter of divorce (get). The biblical rules of evidence to establish the death of a husband were relaxed in order to free the wife from the shackled status of an Agunah (Yev. 16:7). Gamaliel adopted a humane attitude to gentiles, who were to be given equal charitable treatment with Jews: in material support, visiting their sick, eulogizing and burying their dead, and comforting their mourners. They should not be discriminated against when gathering their due in the fields (Lev. 23:22). Even in his attitude to the emerging Judeo-Christian sect he showed tolerance and adopted a "wait and see" policy when Peter and other Apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin. The New Testament calls him "a teacher of the law held in high regard by all the people" (Acts 5:34). No Aggadic-Midrashic statements are reported in his name, but he gave some sound advice to his students: provide yourself with a teacher; rid yourself of doubt; and when giving tithe do not do so by approximation (Avot 1:16). Simeon Ben Gamaliel I succeeded his father Gamaliel I as nasi of the Sanhedrin and was active during the last few decades before 70 Ce (Shab. 15a). Like his father, he issued proclamations to the Jewish communities inside and outside Erets Israel informing them of the Sanhedrin's decision to intercalate a month in leap years and instructing them about their tithing duties (sanh. 11a). Simeon's modesty is evident in his saying: "All my days I have grown up among the Sages, and I have found no better way than silence; not learning but doing is the chief thing; and too many words cause sin" (avot 1:18). When ecstatically rejoicing at the Water-Drawing Festival at the Temple, he could juggle with eight lighted torches. Josephus refers in glowing terms to the role played by Simeon in the rebellion against Roman rule (66 CE). Simeon joined the revolutionary council directing the war against Rome. When the Zealots progressively established their disastrous dictatorship over Jerusalem and the Temple, he spoke out forcefully (though in vain) against them. Read more: Gamaliel

No other Gospel: So many today glory in the words of the apostle Paul, when he, with great earnestness and rebuke, said: 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that, which we preached to you, let him be accursed, anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment! 9 As we said before, so I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from or contrary to that which you received from us, let him be accursed, anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment! (Gal 1:8-9 Ampl) When you hear these words then, depending on how you think and what you standpoint are on theology you will say: “That it! Tell them!” or “On whose side are you actually?” Paul was very zealous for the sect of the Pharisees. Even in Paul’s time his people were divided on what the truth is! Even Pontus Pilate said to Yahshua: “38 ...What is Truth? (John 18:38)

The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-2-


Many, in search of the truth, have made great sacrifices to find it. For we believe in the truth lies the answer. Many, according to them, have found the truth and have settled with that. Why is the truth so pervasive? The Search for the truth When honest men and women search for the truth they find life, but when wicked men search for the truth they find death....by Hendrik Vorster The problem is not with the truth, but with the way it is searched out. Over many centuries many have twisted the truth so that none is recognisable anymore. Satan has so mixed his seed with the original seed in the hope that men would never find their way back home again. The opposite of the truth is a lie! Jesus said about the initiator of lies: 44 You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires, which are characteristic of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he, himself, is a liar and the father of lies and of all that is false. 45 But, because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me, do not trust Me, do not rely on Me, or adhere to Me. (John 8:44-45 Ampl) Here it seems like Yahshua is setting truth in opposition to the lie. Yahshua tells us how to find those who have no got the truth. They will reveal, when under pressure, the characteristics of their father – Satan. The issue at hand is not doctrine, but character. What do you do when you very own brother, whom you love, starts to oppose you or treat you are a heretic? Or what do you do when those whom you loved suddenly change the way they used to think and believe? Do you suddenly cut them off and do not want to associate with them anymore?

The Two sides of the Coin The scribes and the teachers of the Torah wanted to find a way of trapping Jesus in His own words. So they asked Him a question: “22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not? This was a trick question. They knew that the people hated the unfair taxes that the Roman government had forced upon the people. They also was a kind of a spy, for the Sanhedrin, who was controlled by the Roman government and if He would say anything against Rome, He would be treated and one who causes insurrection and rebellion against Rome. This would cause his captivity and ultimately His death. Therefore, this question was a perfect – “Checkmate” They thought they had him.

The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-3-


23 But He recognized and understood their cunning and unscrupulousness and said to them, 24 Show Me a denarius, a coin! Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered, Caesar's. 25 He said to them: “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Luke 20:22-25 Ampl) Thus, Yahshua, silenced the mouth of all men. Not falling into the trap they had set for Him. Most who have searched for truth have searched for truth to avoid the lie. I used to be a scientist and an engineer in my thinking. That was the old Greek way of thinking. The Greeks used to meditate and wonder about many things. The problem was not that they were wondering, but the way they used to think. I am most definitely not a theologian nor a teacher of the Torah. I think in terms of processes and principles and laws, based on theories. Theory try to simulate what we experience, trying to explain it. Much of what we experience are very complicated and can by theory or simulations be simulated. In order to do this we make use of points of reference. Thus, we have two extremes on the opposite sides of the principle. I approached religion in this same way. YHWH knows the hearts of all men and knows the very thoughts we think and reason even before they even begin to form in our minds. YHWH gave us the mind to be able to understand great things. God even gave Daniel and his friend’s ability, saying: 17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all kinds of visions and dreams. (Dan 1:17 Ampl) God is the one who gives us the ability to comprehend, if we can, the greatness of the things, which He had made. Truly as the Psalm writer said: 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret and intricately and curiously wrought, as if embroidered with various colours in the depths of the earth, a region of darkness and mystery. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days of my life were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. (Ps 139:15-16 Ampl) The intricacy of the substance of mater and the vastness of the universe shows us how great YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are.

The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-4-


Today we are able to use the most powerful microscopes and electroscopes and can see the intricacy of the way everything has been woven together. If the physical world is that deep how deep will not the spiritual world be? So through the best of our ability we could only begin to understand the depths of God, just as Paul, who had been caught up into heaven prayed for the church at Ephesus: 16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit, Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality. 17 May Christ through your faith actually dwell, settle down, abide, make His permanent home in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, 18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints, God's devoted people, the experience of that love, what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it; 19 That you may really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge, without experience; that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God. May have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself! 20 Now to Him Who, by and in consequence of the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. 21 To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen, so be it. (Eph 3:16-21 Ampl) Our minds cannot even begin to understand the great depths of the ability of the Lord Jesus Christ. We could try and image how it will be one day. Even Paul, who saw this “3rd Heaven” said: 1 True, there is nothing to be gained by it, but as I am obliged to boast, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man, in Christ, who fourteen years ago--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know that this man--whether in the body or away from the body, I do not know, God knows-- 4 Was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterances beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter. (2 Cor 12:1-4 Ampl) That which Paul saw was so absolutely different that he could not even explain in words what he experienced. Why am I so bold to write this to you? How do I know and understand what Paul is speaking off? I am not only sharing what I have studied from some book of another or have only meditated on the words of God. No, I myself was also caught up into heaven. During a retreat in 2008, over a 10 day period, I was caught up into heaven over several days. Oh, how I desire for all to experience what I was granted to experience and see. On the 9th of May 2001, when Jesus appeared to me the first time, writing His Name in Heaven in abbreviated form, making a large capital letter “J” in the sky, He spoke to me face to face, just He did to Moses and made me a promise, saying: “I will make my eyes your eyes that you may see what I see!” I never understood what it meant, but 4 years later, after having seen many visions and dreams, I had an experience which was changed my whole way of looking at YAH – the Great I AM! The One who is called the beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. I was taken into the spirit and was shown and experienced many things there. After having seen and experienced this other world or dimension, which the word of God is trying to describe to us in many parables and experiences, which men have had with YHWH, over thousands of years, The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-5-


even my body started to change. More signs and wonders started to naturally occur. Too much to share now! Ok one – One night, after we had come back from being in the Presence of God, the whole day. After I was again taken into heaven over a period of hours, I do not know how long it was, time felt like it stood still, as we were about to go to sleep, one of my roommates asked me to put off the power. It was a direct translation of the way we say: “Swift off the lights” I walked over towards the light switch and as soon as I touched the switch, putting of the light of our room, but I heard: “Put off the power!” The power of the entire retreat area or house in which we were staying, suddenly dropped dead. We were in pitch dark. Then, jokingly, my roommate said to me: “I said put off the light, not the power!” In my spirit I had heard, put off the power grid. Without realizing the power I had been receiving in the spirit, the entire power grid dropped dead; at the very instance I was pressing the button in my room. This sign is for you so that you may know it is true. Unfortunately, this glory faded, with time, being out of the Presence of Yahshua, the Holy Spirit, just like Paul also experienced: 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, emancipation from bondage, freedom. 18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, because we continued to behold in the Word of God as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendour and from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:17-18 Ampl) Therefore, we must continue to grow and increase in the image and thus also the glory of Christ – The Anointed One! With all this said, what am I trying to say. Just this: We are proud to think we have got it all. My doctrine is pure! “I have achieved perfection! My interpretation of the scriptures is final.” This the way we all think and act. We compare with my next door churches growth. We compare one person or leader over against another. We jump from one opinion to the next. We become protective and even defensive when challenged with new revelation. We immediately assume it must be from the devil and “He or She is a false prophet!” What if the false prophets are those who fight with one another and argue among each other? Did not Jesus say: “By their fruit you will recognise them!” We do not realize how powerful this statement is and what an awesome measuring stick this is. All man is sinful and could not achieve perfection, before God on his own, as Paul said: 10 As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. 11 No one understands, no one intelligently discerns or comprehends; no one seeks out God 12 All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one! 13 Their throat is a yawning grave; they use their tongues to deceive, to mislead and to deal treacherously. The venom of asps is beneath their lips. 14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood. 16 Destruction, as it dashes them to pieces and misery mark their ways. 17 And they have no experience of the way of peace. They know nothing about peace, for a peaceful way they do not even recognize. 18 There is no reverential fear of God before their eyes. (Rom 3:10-17 Ampl) Even in our search for the truth, we must take into account that we ourselves are sinners. This same type was also found in the High Priest, who had to offer, once a year, for both his sins and the sins of people. When we preach to others we always, also, preach to ourselves, because no one is exempt from sin and mistakes. The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-6-


The very word ‘sin’ actually in derived from a Greek word: ἁμαρτάνω - ham-ar-tan'-o - properly to “miss the mark” and so “not share in the prize”. To miss the mark! This actually explains perfectly how we think. We think right and wrong. “I got it!” Or “I missed it!” Thus, all men are like archers, who aim at a target, in an attempt to shoot perfectly in the middle of that target. When Jesus, once was asked: 23“...Lord, will only a few be saved, rescued, delivered from the penalties of the last judgment, and made partakers of the salvation by Christ? And He said to them, 24 Strive to enter by the narrow door, force yourselves through it, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house gets up and closes the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door again and again, saying, Lord, open to us! He will answer you, “I do not know where, what household-certainly not Mine, you come from.” Matt 25:24-25 Ampl) We all love God. If we did not love Him we would not have made any effort to worship him and to follow Christ – the Anointed One. One of the most terrifying thoughts in the bible, to me, is to one day stand before God and hear these words: ““I do not know where, what household - certainly not Mine, you come from.” Another that is just as intense, is Yahshua’s words: 7 “You pretenders, hypocrites! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: 8 “These people draw near Me with their mouths and honour Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me. 9 Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men.””[Isa. 29:13.] (Matt 7-9 Ampl) All of us, who worships Yahshua, do not one day want to find out we have worshipped in vain. That would be an absolute tragedy to the seeker of truth. Have you ever tried to impress someone and made a mess of it? We so badly want to be loved, that we would do anything to please the Master. The problem is not in trying to please the master, but lies somewhere else. Through the parable to the faithful servants, Yahshua makes a sad, but yet powerful point about the last servant: 24 He who had received one talent also came forward, saying: “Master, I knew you to be a harsh and a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you had not winnowed the grain. 25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own.” (Matt 25:24-25 Ampl) Remember all three were entrusted with different talents. Not one of the three servants was given the same potential. There was also no, preset expectation, from the Master, from each of the servants. I every case the servants were asked to give report of what they had done. In both cases the servants, who had tried had been rewarded and had been treated with great honour. But the last servant had a different outlook on the Master: “I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you had not winnowed the grain” This man had the wrong perspective of YHWH, as his God. The proverb is true of this man: 7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you, but is grudging the cost.” (Prov 23:7 Ampl) We do not realize, but what we think counts for far more than we realize. What we think is often clearly revealed by our actions.

The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-7-


God will judge us on what we have done, but will first judge the motives of why we have done a thing, for the scriptures says: 12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power, making it active, operative, energizing, and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life and soul and the immortal spirit, and of joints and marrow of the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. (Heb 4:12-13 Ampl) The deepest parts of our thoughts are exposed before the Father and the Holy Spirit. For in the Spirit nothing will be hidden and not uncovered. The very reason why you did what you did will be exposed. We often think we can deceive those around us by putting up a religious or friendly face, but God is not deceived. It is far better to expose your hearts now, before it is too late. We must stop pretending. God can see our hearts. We must ask God to expose our hearts to ourselves now, before the day of judgement comes. Paul also advises the church of the Galatians in this matter, saying: 3 For if any person thinks himself to be somebody, too important to condescend to shoulder another's load, when he is nobody of superiority except in his own estimation, he deceives and deludes and cheats himself. 4 But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable in itself alone, without resorting to boastful comparison with his neighbour. 5 For every person will have to bear, be equal to understanding and calmly receive his own little load of oppressive faults. (Gal 6:3-5 Ampl) Each one of us is humbled in some way. Each one of us, whether we want to acknowledge it or not have his or her own weaknesses and mistakes. Mistakes are sin. Why? Because, we missed the mark. When we pride ourselves that we have found the right doctrine, then without knowing it, we start to put ourselves above another, becoming superior in our minds over this or that person. Our estimation of ourselves now deceives us and we fall into a trap. We are lured by the temper and liar, who hates YHWH. He actually offer us status and power, but, in the end, in exchange, he makes us fall into a great and invisible trap. In order to find the truth we postulate a theory. It would not have been necessary to postulate if we had the truth. Thus, we make the best possible theory to be able to recreate the truth, learning from the past. Let me give you one example: Many people who believe the words of Jesus, when he said: 12 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. (John 14:12 Ampl) Jesus actually said: We will be able to do what He had done, because He was going to the Father! Jesus is not a liar, like we are. Therefore, He meant what He said. We know that Yahshua had healed the eyes of the blind and raised the dead. He actually said to His disciples: 7 “And as you go, preach, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand! 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely, without pay you have received, freely, without charge, give.”(Matt 10:7-8 Ampl) It seems like an ordinary command: “Just go and raise the dead! Oh, and while you are at it, cleanse all the lepers and drive out the demons” The question I want to ask, and that is not the point of the discussion, is why are we not able to do it? Either God has changed or we just miss it! There is that word again. We missed it. We miss the mark. The intended outcome is fruitless. Does that now mean that Yahshua has changed? Does that mean YHWH has changed? What does it mean? We always first find the mistake with God. The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-8-


Even Adam did just that, saying: “The woman whom You gave to be with me--she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” (Gen 3:12 Ampl) Now it was God’s fault that Eve had sinned. Did God then make man to sin? No! He made them with the ability to choose. Just like a theory has always got two extremes, so we fall into extremes, in our efforts to follow Jesus. When you came to the Lord Jesus, accepting the wonderful work He had done for you, you were not able to stop speaking about what happened to you. I remember that I could not stop speaking with people everywhere and it started influencing my time to study. I was still a university student and would give up classes in order to teach people the word of God. I saw many come to Lord in those days, but I started failing subjects. Because of this in ability to balance my life, it took me 3 extra years to get my degree. Yes, I did get it! Human beings love to impress or perform or even outperform others around them. To some the world is one big competition. We compare with others around us and find ourselves either, too light compared to them or superior to them. Again we see the two extremes. We always need a point of reference. There must be a real bad side. And if there is a bad side, then there must be a good side. Thus, it becomes a battle between good and evil. It becomes a battle of weighing oneself on a scale. From this mind set comes many heart attitudes. Remember as a man think in his heart so is he. James tells us what causes men to fight and war, saying: 1 What leads to strife, discord and feuds and how do conflicts, quarrels and fighting’s originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members? 2 You are jealous and covet what others have and your desires go unfulfilled; so you become murderers. To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned. You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek, so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 Or you do ask God for them and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is, when you get what you desire to spend it in sensual pleasures. (Jas 4:1-3 Ampl) James, one of the former leaders of the Jerusalem church, discovered an awesome secret, why men are fighting. The church of God is divided into literally thousands of pieces. Many ask themselves: “Where is the true church? If only I could find that true church, then I would be happy.” What you are actually saying is that some human institution will be able to satisfy you. Now you have made an idol before God. Then you might say: “But my church is not a human institution?” When you say that, you make certain assumptions about your church and its leadership. You are saying in your heart: “This is a God-sent church. God told us to go to church, didn’t He?” Which god are you now trying to protect? The authority of the church has been an issue since the beginning. Even in Eve, she undermined her husband, Adam, the first Messiah, who did not stand his ground. In the pretence of love, Adam allowed his wife to sin against God, giving away his authority, which was given him in love, by YHWH. Satan knew exactly what was at stake. He came to steal it from them. How did he do it? By The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-9-


deceiving the woman. He knew he would not be able to deceive Adam, but knew what Adam’s weak spot was. Therefore, Yahshua had to come to be the last Adam, to save the women, from prostitution. Yes – prostitution. When we offer ourselves to another we become their slaves. Satan, spiritually, like a spider, laid his eggs in her heart, luring her to question God’s power and motive for telling her not to eat of that tree, which looks so attractive. Now the Lord God Elohim said about him, Satan, that he was more crafty than all the other animals in the garden. We so often make assumptions based on experience or interpretations. In the dark ages the ordinary man in the street could not get a copy of the scriptures. The Scriptures were only for the elite and thus Satan held the word of God away from man, for it is a powerful Sword. Now, in these days, we have all been given the same opportunity to study the word of God for ourselves. What a great opportunity and grace. In the nations of China and the lands of persecution, people often are not allowed to have bibles, yet some of them have stronger faith then us, because their faith is precious and could cost them their lives. Because of the great availability of the word of God each man can now interpret the word of God for himself. Although many do not know the great riches and the power that is hidden in the words of YHWH and of Yahshua. Many different possible interpretations and variances now springs up like mushrooms, just like Paul prophesied would happen: 1 But the Holy Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, 2 Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared cauterized, (1 Tim 4:1-2 Ampl) Many of those doctrines which are now taught are not entirely wrong, but assume full revelation. It is true that, because of the study of the words of the prophets and of the patriarchs of old, that great and new revelations are discovered, which actually makes the understanding of scripture clearer. Yet many who teach these newly discovered revelations without knowing where they fit into the great tapestry of the Lord God.

The Heavenly Sphere The spirit world is so intricate that I do not even dare to start to explain what I have experienced while in the spiritual sphere. See below image, a symbolic representation of what I experienced. In three places, Paul spoke about the spiritual sphere, as was written: 4 But God, so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead, slain by our own shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-10-


with which He quickened Him, for it is by grace, His favour and mercy, which you did not deserve that you are saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation. 6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together, giving us joint seating with Him in the heavenly sphere, by virtue of our being in Christ Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One. 7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate, through the ages to come the immeasurable, limitless, surpassing riches of His free grace, His unmerited favour in His kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by free grace, God's unmerited favour that you are saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation through your faith. And this salvation is not of yourselves, of your own doing, it came not through your own striving, but it is the gift of God; 9 Not because of works, not the fulfilment of the Law's demands, lest any man should boast. It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself. (Eph 2:4-9 Ampl) All people want to take the glory for themselves. We want to be able to say: “I found it! It was my hard work!” But God says it has nothing to do with your work or effort. It was His mercy to even make it possible for us to have a saviour. When we are saved we are allowed to start tasting or experiencing the great vastness, just like the universe itself, of the heavenly sphere. Again, Paul said: 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, God's consecrated people, this grace, favour and privilege was granted and graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending, boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless riches of Christ. Wealth which no human being could have searched out, 9 Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan, regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men, of the mystery kept hidden, through the ages and concealed until now in the mind of God, Who created all things by Christ Jesus. 10 The purpose is that through the church, the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God, in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects, might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities, principalities and powers in the heavenly sphere. 11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose, which He has realized and carried into effect in the person of Christ Jesus our Lord...” (Eph 3:8-10 Ampl) Wow! Paul’s life was never the same after having seen and experiencing what he had seen in the 3rd heaven or as he calls it here – the heavenly sphere. Paul in some words are trying to let us, the reader, understand, that what he experienced, saying: “...unending, boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless riches of Christ. Wealth, which no human being could have searched out,...” It was “a deep mystery.” It was “complicated and had many sides to it, an infinite variety and innumerable aspects.” It was eternal and timeless! Praise God. Words cannot express what God is like. Many have thought if they see God they would die. But Moses had an experience with God. Every time, you enter the Presence of YHWH – I AM WHO I AM, we get another experience of YHWH’s eternal depth. That is way it is written: 8 And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within, underneath their wings; and day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Omnipotent, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.” 9 And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honour and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever, through the eternities of the eternities, [Ps. 47:8.] 10 The twenty-four elders, the members of the The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-11-


heavenly Sanhedrin, fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out: 11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honour and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were brought into being and were created. [Ps. 19:1.] (Rev 4:811 Ampl) The many sided aspects of God is so vast that one human being will not be able to contain it. The one who does think he stands will fall.

The degenerate hearts of men Jeremiah said about the hearts of men: 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it, perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind? 10 I the Lord search the mind, I try the heart, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. (Jer 17:9-10 Ampl) In our best efforts we try to understand the words of God, but we do not realize our own blind spots. We look at the scriptures through the twisted mirror and glass, of our own past and upbringing. We do not know why we react the way we do when opposed by men, because of what we believe. We often, in our shamed condition, hit back with pride and defence. We try to defend something that God cannot protect. In YHWH’s eyes it is a wall that is white washed only. Soon a storm will come and test the house of cards, which we have trusted in, and then it will fall. The influence of only one sin of Eve, had a wave effect that vibrated through history up until now. If her sin had such devastating effect then, what makes us so sure that more intense curses does not come into effect over us and our families, when we sin today? Our sins influence the very way we think! Paul speaks of this effect, saying: 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their own hearts to sexual impurity, to the dishonouring of their bodies among themselves, abandoning them to the degrading power of sin, (Rom 1:24 Ampl) Again, he said: 25 Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen, so be it. 26 For this reason God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affections and degrading passions. For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural and abnormal one, 27 And the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze, burning out, consumed with lust for one another--men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray, which was their fitting retribution. (Rom 1:25-27 Ampl) It is clear from Paul’s words to the Romans, who lived in a exceedingly degraded society of people, where men have become homosexual and woman have become lesbian. They not only sin in adultery, but their sin have degraded to the next level of perversion, where men now have intercourse with men and women are in degrading acts with one another. Now when this happens the level of the deception also increase, as Paul explains the consequences of deliberate disobedience to God, which is rebellion, saying: 28 And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, 29 Until they were filled, permeated and saturated with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. They were full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, deceit and The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-12-


treachery, ill will and cruel ways. They were secret backbiters and gossipers, 30 Slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, and boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. 31 They were without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless and merciless. 32 Though they are fully aware of God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them. (Rom 1:28-32 Ampl) After men have been given over by God into the rebellion they have chosen, they lose all logical passions and reasoning. The process of sin is gradual and also grows in intensity, if we do not obey and fear God. The more we decide to disobey God, the more God gives us over into sin and perversion. Here is a spiritual revelation that explains why men have kept wandering in the wilderness of confusion for 2000 years, since Jesus came to set us free from the curse, which came upon Adam and Eve. Have you ever wondered why we could not see the lies of the traditions, which we have inherited from our forefathers? After our eyes have been opened we see them for what they really are – an abomination in God’s sight. It was because of this very reason. Sin, like layers, because of consistent rebellion and refusal to humble ourselves, we have hardened our hearts in each consecutive generation to blind us with another layer or vial over our hearts. That is why Yahshua said to the people of his day, to whom He told parables, but they also could not understand them. Why?: “You shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand; and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive. 15 For this nation's heart has grown gross, fat and dull, and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them. (Matt 13:14-15 Ampl) The Apostle John, reveal what the Holy Spirit had revealed to him why people do not hear although they hear: 37 Even though He had done so many miracles before them, right before their eyes, yet they still did not trust in Him and failed to believe in Him - 38 So that what Isaiah the prophet said was fulfilled: Lord, who has believed our report and our message? And to whom has the arm and the power of the Lord been shown, unveiled and revealed? [Isa. 53:1.] 39 Therefore they could not believe, they were unable to believe. For Isaiah has also said: 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened and benumbed their callous, degenerated hearts, He has made their minds dull, to keep them from seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts and minds and repenting and turning to Me to heal them. (John 12:37-40 Ampl) God is closing their eyes because of their degenerate and callous hearts. The more you hear a message and do nothing about it the more difficult it becomes to obey, because, in your consistent rebellion, you are closing your ears to hear the voice from God and obey Him. That is why it was impossible for the people of Yahshua’s time to hear His voice and live. So even now, they will again kill the sons of man and not realize that they have done it to them.

The Torah used as a Trap I know many are sitting ready to either congratulate me or to crucify me when I reveal to you how you have been trapped by Satan. Your congratulations will be of no value if I only answer you what you want to hear. And so, you also would not have wanted to crucify me if you we were not of the spirit of Cain. Both extremes are cursed and cast men into a trap. The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-13-


The scribes and the religious teachers of Yahshua’s time also set at trap for Jesus: 23 And when He entered the sacred enclosure of the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching and said, By what power of authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this power of authority? 24 Jesus answered them, I also will ask you a question, and if you give Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what power of authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John--from where was it? From heaven or from men? And they reasoned and argued with one another, If we say, From heaven, He will ask us, Why then did you not believe him? 26 But if we say, From men--we are afraid of and must reckon with the multitude, for they all regard John as a prophet. 27 So they answered Jesus, We do not know. And He said to them, neither will I tell you by what power of authority I do these things. (Matt 21:23-27 Ampl) When Satan sets a trap he does not play fair. A trap was made to catch those who are off guard. The Greek word for trap is: “Scandalize” To shame you and make you do something you would not have done. There are always a catch in a trap. It is like setting a question in such a way that you will fall and do exactly what you did not want to do. This then is the best prove that you have been trapped and made a public spectacle before God and man. After you have been caught you just want to go and hide yourself in a hole, just Adam and Eve did.

Traps set by Satan Satan uses the Law as such a trap! Hear my words, the Torah is not the trap, but he uses the Torah as such a trap. You might immediately protest: “How could Satan use the Torah as such a trap?” Did not even Yahshua, Himself, allow Himself to be caught in this same trap so that He could be crucified? If He had not allowed it they would never have been able to put Him to death, but how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that said it had to happen in this way? Was Yahshua guilty of breaking the Torah in anyway? No not at all? For He Himself said: 17 Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfil them. 18 For truly I tell you, until the sky and earth pass away and perish, not one smallest letter nor one little hook, identifying certain Hebrew letters, will pass from the Law until all things it foreshadows are accomplished. 19 Whoever then breaks or does away with or relaxes one of the least important of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least important in the kingdom of heaven, but he who practices them and teaches others to do so shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness, your uprightness and your right standing with God is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:17-20 Ampl) Those who strictly keep the Torah today boast in these words of Yahshua, that they keep, practice and The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-14-


teach them. This truly is what Yahshua has said, to keep and teach them. Thus, those who say He did not say it are liars. But those who keep the Torah also are under curse, as Paul said: 10 And all who depend on the Law, who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals, are under a curse and doomed to disappointment and destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed, accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment be everyone who does not continue to abide, live and remain by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them. [Deut. 27:26.] (Gal 3:10 Ampl) Many today claim that they do not keep the whole Law but that the oral law had been fulfilled and that only the moral part of the Torah now remains. But hat is not what the Torah or the book of Moses itself says to those who are called to obey it! For it says: “Cursed, accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment be everyone who does not continue to abide, live and remain by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them.” Those who want to keep the Torah love God and desire to please God. They desire to show that they love God and obey His commands. They also say that His commands are not burdensome, and pride themselves that they keep the commands of God. But this what the requirements of the Law is for those who desire to please God: “Cursed, accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment be everyone who does not continue to abide, live and remain by all the precepts and commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them.” Those who desire to please God, are commanded to keep all the precepts and commands there in, not only in the Law or the 10 commandments, but the entire book of the Law or the precepts and the statutes and commands of the word of God to Moses. Many desire to proof with much explanation and reason, and find sounding arguments why we should keep the Law of Moses. Paul, the man whom YHWH in Yahshua, had predestine to become the apostle to the Gentiles, trained and raised up under the strictest sect of the Pharisees, trained under the most respected Rabbi of that time, was chosen to shame all our man made wisdom and reasoning. He, who loved and desired to worship YHWH, as his Lord, proving it by his zeal even giving his approval to the killing of the Lord Jesus’ disciples, persecuting them from city to city, trying to eradicate them. This Jewish man was under no delusion as to what these imposters and perverters of the law, according to him, had been teaching. What was more, even saying that a Messiah had come, who also had not kept the Entire Torah. This was unthinkable blaspheme. These people must be heretics and be burnt at the stake. Nothing would have stopped Shual or Saul, if it was not for Yahshua’s supernatural, divine intervention, granting Paul a witness that He would share for the rest of His life. It would shake the very core of that which He used to believe. All the books written by the apostle, sent by YHWH, now reflects this one message and revelation. This Paul called a mystery that was opened up to him, so that the gospel of the Good News of God could go out into all the earth, even to the Gentiles. The problem in our generation has now come up and the question which many now ask is? What was that mystery which Yahshua had revealed to Paul? What is the true message of the gospel? Hidden in Yahshua’s statement is the answer, which many misses: 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness, your uprightness and your right standing with God is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:17-20 Ampl) Just like Saul, The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-15-


who became soul, the Pharisees were zealous for YHWH’s righteousness. So why then is Yahshua saying: “Unless your righteousness surpasses their righteousness.” How much more righteous must a man be then. No wonder the disciples once asked Yahshua, will only few be saved? What then did Yahshua mean, when He said: “Make every effort to enter...” Many, who hear this message, are already offended at me for even daring to say this. You had so hoped that this was not a false prophet. But like Paul, I say to you, if I was not a servant of Christ, I would still try to please men. Like Paul says: Many who desire to keep the law, wants to make a good show, but only want you for themselves. They claim that they have love for their brother and sister in Christ, but will cut them off for not keeping the Law the way you see fit? Is that the heart of the Father? Would Christ have done such a thing? Many who do not understand will now turn away from following this work and be blinded by the lies you are fed by your trapped teachers. Many who have started off, keeping only one law, by now are more and more convicted of the other laws they have not been keeping, like wearing the ‘tallit’ or prayer shawl and having to have the ‘tzizit’ sacred tassels, hanging on the four corners of your clothes. You now have to have a deeper understanding of the Torah and have to keep many more, new, added laws, which now also make sense. You have slowly been pulled away from grace and the gospel, like Eve and being deceived to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The Gospel of Good News Do not Yahshua say: “Make every effort?” Thus, Paul and Yahshua must be in disagreement, for Paul says: 6 Thus Abraham believed in and adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness, as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action. [Gen. 15:6.] 7 Know and understand that it is really the people who live by faith who are the true sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify, declared righteous, put in right standing with Himself, the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel, foretelling the glad tidings of a Saviour long beforehand to Abraham in the promise, saying: “In you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” [Gen. 12:3.] 9 So then, those who are people of faith are blessed and made happy and favoured by God as partners in fellowship with the believing and trusting Abraham. (Gal 3:6-9 Ampl) What is the gospel which Paul, warns us twice, not to twist and pervert? Is he saying, that which many, erroneously, says he is saying? Is he saying: Only keep that part of the law which was not nailed to the cross? Or: Only do not keep that part of the law, which was nailed to the cross? If this was what he was saying, then he is greatly misunderstood when he clearly condemns those who do not hold to the gospel. What is this gospel? Many today say it is a gospel of the kingdom of God. But they deliberately forget what the man after God’s own heart wrote, saying: 13 You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, Your right hand is soaring high. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and loving-kindness and truth go before Your face. 15 Blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied are the people who know the joyful sound, who understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the feasts; they walk, O Lord, in the light and favour of Your countenance! 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. 17 For You are the glory of their strength, their proud adornment, and by Your The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-16-


favour our horn is exalted and we walk with uplifted faces! (Psa 89:13-17 Ampl) Who is the Arm of the Lord? To whom did YHWH reveal His Arm? Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness that it cannot hear. (Isa 59:1 Ampl) But later the prophet said: 15 Yes, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. 16 And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor, no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right; therefore His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness, having the Spirit without measure, sustained Him. 17 For the Lord put on righteousness as a breastplate or coat of mail, and salvation as a helmet upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal and furious divine jealousy as a cloak. (Isa 59:15-17 Ampl) It displease the Lord God that man has fallen and that they did not keep the truth and lived. He had mercy on them and wanted to redeem them from the hand of the enemy. So in His righteousness He came to us. He came and kept the law, which no man could keep. For it is written: 12 But the Law does not rest on faith, does not require faith, has nothing to do with faith, for it itself says: “He who does them, the things prescribed by the Law, shall live by them, not by faith. [Lev. 18:5.] All who is anyway live by the law will live by it and all that it prescribes. They cannot live by faith, for the law, in its entirety, has to do with the works of the Law, whether it is keeping the law of not committing adultery or the law of keeping the Sabbath. No man will be made righteous through the keeping of the law, but the righteous shall live by faith, for 13 Christ purchased our freedom, redeeming us from the curse or the doom of the Law and its condemnation by Himself becoming a curse for us, for it is written: in the Scriptures: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree or is crucified”; [Deut. 21:23.] (Gal 3:13 Ampl) Therefore the prophet says: 20 He shall come as a Redeemer to Zion and to those in Jacob or Israel who turn from transgression, says the Lord. 21 As for Me, this is My covenant or league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit, Who is upon you and Who writes the law of God inwardly on the heart, and My words, which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your true, spiritual children, or out of the mouths of your children's children, says the Lord, from henceforth and forever. [Jer. 31:33; Rom. 11:26, 27; Gal. 3:29; Heb. 12:22-24.] Lord declared His servant Abraham righteous and commended him for that, for in Abraham YHWH found a man after His own heart. Yes, that was why David also was called and man after YHWH’s own heart, for he prophesied, through spiritual understanding, about a future righteousness, saying: 7 Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried. 8 Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him. [Ps. 32:1, 2.] (Rom 3:7-8 Ampl) All who died in Christ, under the law, yet lived in the trust of what is better, a permanent freedom from sin and iniquity, believing the unconditional promise, to them, who believe God’s promise; those whom YHWH has always know to be His, for they would obey His words in love, to them awaits a glorious hope of eternal redemption from the body of curse and death, through the last Adam, the Anointed One or life. In the past YHWH temporarily covered their sins until Yahshua came and permanently forgave their sins. To all who die in Christ, without the law, will yet be judged by the law of Christ, which has been written in the Spirit from the beginning. To all who die under law, not eating of the Tree of life will The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-17-


die outside the city, cursed, for they refused to accept the only hope of their salvation. They have truly been trapped and cursed forever. The whole world is under the curse and the trap of Eve. For it was not Adam who rebelled, but Eve. In Eve, we all desired the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Eve, all men died without the law, even though the law was not yet given, died. Even Abraham died without the Law of Moses under the curse of Eve’s sin. The gospel was not only proclaimed to Abraham, but to Eve, for YHWH prophesied, saying: 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel. [Gal. 4:4.] (Gen 3:15 Ampl) Satan will lie in wait, that is he will set a trap for each man on the earth, to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also tried Yahshua to fall into this trap but He did not. Therefore Paul also says: 3 But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ. [Gen. 3:4.] 4 For you seem readily to endure it if a man comes and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you once received or a different gospel from the one you then received and welcomed; you tolerate all that well enough! (2 Cor 11:3-4 Ampl) Again Paul says that if you proclaim a different gospel you are also teaching a different Jesus and a different spirit. Many of those who now fall into this trap have gone on in their deception, going after the letter of the law and the word of God and not the Spirit of the words of Yahshua. The reason men fall into this trap is because of fear. Those who formally knew Christ’s love have now started to doubt where they are fully saved, without the law. Those who keep the Law, actually in their hearts say: “Do you think YHWH will acquit and make you free, if you do not keep the Law?” They claim that they know the heart of YHWH Who has not changed. The truth is they have never nor in any instance had a relationship with Him. They had kept His commands like the man who said: I know you to be a herd man!” You have hard laws, which no man can keep. Those who did have an experience with God, fellowship with His Spirit, like intercourse with God’s Presence, becoming One with Him, have forgotten the pure life and love that are in Him and were unable to grasp the depths of His limitless grace and favour for those who trust in Him. But Paul says: 16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, good news of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation, for deliverance from eternal death to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, 17 For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith. [Hab. 2:4.] (Rom 1:16 Ampl) The one who start off by faith, trusting in YHWH for his or her righteousness cannot later return to the old way of the law, for those who choose righteousness shall live by faith. It will become a permanent way of life. This was the way of life for which the Patriarchs was commended, for of Enoch it says: 5 Because of faith Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received testimony, still on record that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. (Heb 11:5-6 Ampl) Those who truly The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-18-


want to please the Father or YHWH, must please Him through trust and not through a self attained righteousness, which comes from keeping any written part of the Torah. That is why Paul says: 14 Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note, bond, with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us, hostile to us. This note with its regulations, decrees, and demands, He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to His cross. 15 God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it, the cross. 16 Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. 17 Such things are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality, the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it belongs to Christ. (Col 2:14-17 Ampl) The reason most have made the mistake of condemning and judging one another is because they have missed the spirit of the word of Yahshua. They have fallen into the trap of eating from the tree of good and evil instead of life, which is Christ. I want to show you more examples of these traps, into which most, who love God and have great zeal for Him, now fall. Many now return to the ancient Hebraic roots in a search for more truth. It is true that great hidden mysteries have been hidden in the Feasts, the Hebrew calendar and even the Sabbath. But the most who study these things get caught up into these laws, like one who gets lost in a maze. Soon you are in condemnation and a trap. The fear of YHWH, have entered your heart and you believe, in the obedience of all that the law says, lays your deliverance. You subtly judge those who are not like you and you start to with draw from them, like the Jews would withdraw from a pagan or a Gentile for fear of becoming deceived like they do. Many starts to use the original Hebrew language for into are hidden depths of secret riches. But the Truth is only truly found in Christ, as was written: 3 In Him all the treasures of divine wisdom, comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God and all the riches of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden. 4 I say this in order that no one may mislead and delude you by plausible and persuasive and attractive arguments and beguiling speech. (Col 2:3-4 Ampl) The Hebraic roots teaching do a powerful attraction to them for knowledge and for insight, but do they bring you life or death? Do you now become critical and judgemental towards those who do know what you know? In conclusion about knowledge, Paul says: 1 Now about food offered to idols: of course we know that all of us possess knowledge, concerning these matters. Yet mere knowledge causes people to be puffed up, to bear themselves loftily and be proud, but love, affection and goodwill and benevolence edifies and builds up and encourages one to grow to his full stature. 2 If anyone The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-19-


imagines that he has come to know and understand much of divine things, without love, he does not yet perceive and recognize and understand as strongly and clearly, nor has he become as intimately acquainted with anything as he ought or as is necessary. 3 But if one loves God truly, with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing, he is known by God, recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him. (1Cor 1:1-3 Ampl) Knowledge is good, but knowledge used in a judgemental way is a sign of the heart of the bearer of knowledge. It is also a sign of their spiritual immaturity and lack of understanding God’s grace. Many who disagree what I am teaching here, have this complaint against those who say they teach love! They use love as a licence to sin. That should not be and will also be judged on that day. But those who teach the complete obedience to the law for righteousness not only lead men astray, they bring them under a curse and make them fall into a trap. But you would say to me: I do not teach righteousness through the law, but only that you keep that part of the law which is not fulfilled. Hypocrite! Thus you condemn yourself by saying: I only try to keep try that part of the law which Christ has not fulfilled yet. It is true that not all of the law has been fulfilled in Christ Yahshua – Jesus Christ, but you do not know that you have already fallen out from under grace and are deceiving others, for even your righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and the Scribes otherwise you will not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, God calls us to choose: Self-effort, through self attainted righteousness, not only to salvation, but also to holiness. Or, to trust in the promise of God, through an understanding of unconditional love and an unmerited promise for all who trust in Him, just like Abraham did. Those who, choose knowingly or unknowingly, to be made righteous, by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, there will be curse and death, but to those who choose to trust in the Anointed One’s complete work on the cross, fulfilling the commandment, showing us how to live and obey the Law, which has always been written on our hearts, living by the Spirit, who now lives in us, they also come to eat of the first down payment of YHWH, the foretaste of the glorious things to come – the tree of Life. From His servant and witness, waiting patiently with you, for the soon to be revealed Glory from heaven, when those who have trusted in Him, will be delivered from the hour trial, which will now come upon the entire world.

The Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ South Africa, Pretoria info@witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za & www.witnessesforjesuschrist.co.za This letter was written as a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ so that by all possible means God’s people will be prepared for the works of service to which He has called them. Proclaim His coming, for His coming is soon at hand. (1 Cor 9:1-27) Please send this letter to as many others so that they may be blessed. This letter may be copied, but all rights are reserved as revealed from the Lord Jesus Christ and those ministries mentioned. Therefore give Glory to whom Glory belong.

-20-


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.