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Thursday, January 28, 2016

The early church


When Yeshua was on the earth, He regularly attened Synagogues and read from the Torah.  As a Rabbi, He gave His interpretation of what was in the Torah and, being the author of it, His interpretation is the correct interpretation.

Luke 13:10  And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

Nowhere in the New Testament does it indicate that Yeshua changed ANY of the Torah.  Why would He change something He wrote?  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and had no errors to correct in it.  If He had changed the Torah, He could not have kept all of it and the Pharisees would have held it against Him at His trial before He was executed yet they had NOTHING to say about Him violating Torah during His trials.  It would If Yeshua had changed the Torah, it would be like changing the rules in the middle of a game of monopoly and then claiming you kept the rules.  Could not have happened.

When Yeshua was addressed by the Pharisees on why His disciples "violated the Sabbath", He never said the Sabbath was wrong - He clarified that the rabbinic fences was wrong and the picking of a handful of grain was not the same as harvesting a field.  Today you have even those who claim to follow Yeshua as Messiah pre-tear their toilet paper so they don't have to "work" by tearing it on the Sabbath (seriously)

After Yeshua was crucified, resurrected, and transfigured, the apostles kept the Sabbath and the rest of the Torah.  Peter in His vision in Acts 17 had obviously never been taught by Yeshua that the dietary laws were not in effect since he stated 'he never ate any unclean thing" and this by some scholars calculations, was some 30 years after the Resurrection.

Acts 10
13  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14  But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16  This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17  Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
18  And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19  While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

Acts 10:28  And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.


The early church met in the same Synagogues as the unbelieving Jews.  'The Way' as the followers of Yeshua were called (not to be confused with the modern cult called 'the way' / 'the way international') was a sect of Judaism (yes, they were also called 'Christians')

When the gentiles first started believing and accepting Yeshua as Messiah, they were instructed to turn away from their idolatry and eating of blood and then they would learn the rest of Torah in the Synagogues every Sabbath.  This is the same with the new believer today - they are told to turn away from their major sins before attending the fellowships and then let Yahweh work on cleaning the rest of them up as they learn what being a true follower of Yeshua means:

Acts 15
15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
17  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
19  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.


It was common for the believers to meet with the unbelieving Jews in the Synogogues on the Sabbath and then meet together after the service to learn about Yeshua and then after the Sabbath to meet together for fellowship, a meal, and further bible studies before getting up the next morning to work.  Remember (and this is where a lot of confusion is) the day in Jewish culture starts at SUNDOWN so when scripture says they met on the first day of the week it was sundown after the Sabbath on saturday night.  Sunday morning worship did not exist until many centuries later.  Note that the gentiles were already meeting with the Jews in the Synagogues in some areas even before they accepted Yeshua as Messiah:

Acts 17
2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3  Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
4  And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

Acts 18
4  And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
5  And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.


When the apostle Paul went into gentile cities and told the gentiles about Yeshua, he told the new converts to not let any of their pagan friends and family judge them when they started observing the Sabbath and observing the feast days and obeying Torah.  This, in context is NOT giving consent for them to follow pagan feasts and observances.  Before accepting Yeshua, the Colossians were following pagan customs and traditions as was their friends and family and would not have needed this instruction.  Note verse 17 that says that these observances are a shadow of things to come which Paul would NEVER have said about pagan holidays and traditions! :

Colossians 2
16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.


While the unbelieving Jews raised up against the apostles when the apostles were convincing people to accept Yeshua as Messiah, the believing Jews and gentiles were in the Synagogues and worshiping along with the unbelieving Jews up until ~135AD.   During the third Jewish revolt against Rome,  Simon bar Kokhba, which was a leader of the revolt, was thought to be the Messiah by many unbelieving Jews.  After all, they thought the Messiah would come to free them from Rome and take back Jerusalem.  When the unbelieving Jews tried to force those in the Synagogues to accept bar Kokhba as Messiah, the believers (both Jew and gentile) would not because they knew who Messiah was and it was not bar Kokhba.  This is when the church separated from the unbelieving Jews and is what started a distrust between the unbelieving Jews and the Christians that lasts for the most part to this day.

Some of the gentiles re-assimilated into their former pagan culture and incorporated paganism into their believes.  With the many inquisitions, it was easier to compromise than to continue to follow Yeshua (Yeshua said the road is narrow and His flock is small)  In about 300AD, Constantine combined paganism with this lukewarm compromising "christianity" and that became the roman catholic church - the great harlot.  With the reformation, they changed a FEW things back to how it was before constantine although they allowed much of the paganism to remain.  They only reformed a few things they disagreed with, they did not restore back to 100% truth.

Many today are wakening to the fact that Torah is for today, obedience is not optional for the True follower of Messiah Yeshua, and that the compromising church is not acceptable to Yahweh.

Do your own studies and see for yourself.  This is crystal clear for those who truly want to follow Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) although those who only want an escape from hell ("fire insurance") will continue to be blinded and Yeshua will tell them 'go away, I never knew you'

1 John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Matthew 7
21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
G458

Strong's number G458 iniquity (transliterated as anomia) is  :
anomia
1) the condition of without law
     a) because ignorant of it
     b) because of violating it
2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
John14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

John15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

1 John 5
2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Revelation 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

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