THE LORD MESSIAH JESUS – YESHUA RATIFIED THE NEW COVENANT BY A SIN-OFFERING SACRIFICE HE OFFERED UP TO HIS GOD AND FATHER YEHOVAH

Exodus 24:6-8: And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people: and they said: All that Yehovah has said will we do and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Yehovah has made with you concerning all these words.

Moses was at that time ratifying - placing the people of Israel under the OLD COVENANT before Yehovah.

Hebrews 9:11-28: Now Messiah has appeared as the high priest of the good things to come. He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this present creation, and he entered once for all into the Most Holy Place, not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood [as a sin-offering sacrifice], and in doing so he secured the redemption of the age to come. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, consecrated for outward, ritual purity, how much more will the blood [sin-offering sacrifice] of Messiah, who through the spirit of the age to come offered himself [as a sin-offering sacrifice] without defect to God, purify our consciences from dead works to serve the living God - Yehovah!

    So then HE IS THE MEDIATOR OF A NEW COVENANT, so that those who have been invited may receive the promised inheritance of the age to come, since a death has taken place for deliverance from violations committed under the OLD COVENANT. For where there is a covenant, there must be proven the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid at death, and it is not in force while the one who made it lives. So even the FIRST COVENANT was ratified with blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying: “This is the blood of THE COVENANT [OLD COVENANT] which God - Yehovah commanded you to obey.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and all the things used in worship. According to the Law, nearly everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

    It was necessary therefore for the sketches of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required better sacrifices than these. For the Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God - Yehovah for us. And he did not need to offer himself often, the way the high priest enters the holy place year after year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the culmination of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself [as a sin-offering sacrifice - i.e., as a sacrificial person. God - Yehovah had determined this role for the Messiah] Just as it is appointed for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, so Messiah also, having been offered once [as a sin-offering sacrifice] to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him.

When Jesus was crucified, his shed blood – as a sin-offering sacrifice was the ratification of the NEW COVENANT that all those who are his are under! The NEW COVENANT is sealed by the blood [sin-offering sacrifice] of God's – Yehovah’s anointed one!

Matthew 26:26-28: While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to the disciples. “Take and eat this. It is my body,” Jesus said. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them. “Drink from it, all of you,” he said to them. “This is my blood which ratifies the [NEW] COVENANT, [That is, the blood necessary for ratifying, bringing into force, the NEW COVENANT, based on all Jesus’ words.] poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. [The suffering servant and his death is the basis for this teaching, Isaiah. 53:12 - So I will give him - Yeshua a share among the mighty, and he will divide the prize with the strong, because he poured out his life (as a sin-offering sacrifice) in death and he was counted with sinners. He carried the sins of many. He intercedes for those who are rebellious.]

Acts 20:28: “Be alert for yourselves and for all the flock, in which the holy spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He acquired with the blood [the sin-offering sacrifice] of His own Son.

Hebrews 12:21-25: You have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God - Yehovah, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to multitudes of angels, to the called-out assembly of the firstborn who are recorded in heaven, and to God - Yehovah, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the upright made perfect, and to Jesus - Yeshua, THE MEDIATOR OF A NEW COVENANT, and to the sprinkled blood [a sin-offering sacrifice] that speaks of something better than the blood of Abel did. See that you do not refuse the One - Yehovah who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on the earth, how much less will we if we reject the One who warns from heaven?

Ephesians 1:3-9: Blessed be the God and Father of our lord Jesus Messiah. He - Yehovah is the One who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah.  For He - Yehovah chose us in him before the foundation of the ages [This means that all believers were included in the divine plan from the beginning, according to Yehovah’s foreknowledge], to be holy and unblemished before Him - Yehovah. In love, He marked us out beforehand to be His sons and daughters through Jesus – Yeshua the Messiah, according to the good purpose of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely gave us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, [that is, through his sin-offering sacrificial death in our place and on our behalf (Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom in place of many). Salvation is also through obeying Jesus (Hebrews 5:9: Having been perfected, he became to all of those who obey him the source of the salvation of the age to come)], the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He - Yehovah kindly lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding He made known to us the revealed secret of His will, [the unfolding knowledge of His Kingdom Plan] according to His purpose which He designed in him - Yeshua, as His plan for the time of fulfillment;  to make the Messiah head of everything in heaven and on earth.

Colossians 1:19-20: For God - Yehovah was pleased to have all His fullness live in him, [Note that the same language about “the fullness of God - Yehovah” is applicable to believers also in Ephesians3:19: and to know the love of the Messiah which surpasses knowledge, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God – Yehovah, also Colossians 2:9: “all the fullness of God – Yehovah dwells” in Jesus - Yeshua, is parallel to the idea expressed by Paul here that the followers of the lord Messiah Jesus are also to be filled with the fullness of God - Yehovah], and through him - Yeshua to reconcile all things to Himself - Yehovah by making peace through the blood [sin-offering sacrifice] on the cross; through him, whether things on earth or in heaven.

Hebrews 10:28-31: Anyone who disregarded Moses’ Law was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much greater punishment do you think a person deserves who treads under foot the Son of God, and profanes the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy, and insults the spirit of grace? For we know Him who said: “Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay,” and again: “Yehovah will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God - Yehovah.

1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood [sin-offering sacrifice] of Jesus - Yeshua, His Son, purifies us from all sin,

Revelation 1:5: Grace and peace to you from Him - Yehovah who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits - angels before His throne, and from Jesus the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood [sin-offering sacrifice], and has assigned us a Kingdom, as priests to his God and Father - Yehovah to Him be the glory and the power to the ages of the ages. Amen.

Do you see brethren all that the shed blood [sin-offering sacrifice] of God's anointed one Jesus - Yeshua has given to us: We are bought and paid for by the blood [sin-offering sacrifice] of Jesus - Yeshua and yet he calls us brothers and sisters. By his shed blood [sin-offering sacrifice] the NEW COVENANT has been ratified, and we are to live under it, obeying all it’s precepts. Jesus - Yeshua explains how to do so in all he has outlined for us to do. The first is to follow the creed of Jesus – Yeshua found in:

Mark 12:28-34: One of the religious teachers came and heard them arguing and recognized that Jesus - Yeshua had given them a good answer. So, he asked Jesus, “What commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus replied:

“The most important commandment is: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord - Yehovah our God is one Lord - Adonai. Love the Lord – Yehovah your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no more important commandment than these.”

The religious teacher replied: “You are right, teacher. It is true as you said that God - Yehovah is one Person, and there is no other besides Him, and we are to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is far more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Jesus, seeing that he had given an intelligent answer, said: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”

The followers of the lord Messiah Jesus are to live out the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount in their lives. Realize that if we do not live according to the testimony - words of the lord Messiah Jesus – Yeshua and keep his commandment we have no part in him. He requires that we obey him in order to have salvation, even as James said, "faith without works is dead".

James 16-18: Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters.  Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above [The very Jewish idiom “coming down from heaven” simply means that something is a gift from God - Yehovah] , and comes down from the Father of lights, who is without change or turning shadow. He gave birth to us by the Gospel-word of truth - [Rebirth as described by all the NT writers is initiated by belief in the seed message of Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom, as demonstrated by him in the parable of the Sower:

(Matthew. 13:19: When someone hears the Gospel-word about the Kingdom, and does not understand it, then the Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in his mind. This is what happens to the seeds sown on the road;

Luke 8:11-15: The seed is the Gospel-word of God. The seeds on the path are like those who listen, but then the Devil comes - Reminding us of Satan’s constant policy of obstructing the progress of the Gospel of the Kingdom at every opportunity] and takes away the Gospel-word from their minds, so that they do not believe it and so are not saved - [salvation is conditioned on an intelligent reception of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the word of the Kingdom]  The seeds on the rocky soil are those who listen and receive the Gospel-word with joy, but they do not have any roots. They believe for a while - [Showing that the popular belief in “once saved always saved” is false to the teaching of Jesus. Paul warned believers that if we do not remain faithful, we will be cut off (Romans 11:21-22)] but when difficult times come, they give up.  The seeds that fell among thorns are those who listen, but they are choked by life’s worries, wealth, and pleasure, and they produce no fruit. But the seeds in the good soil are the ones who listen to the Gospel-word with an honest and good heart. They hold onto it and produce fruit with perseverance.

1 Peter 1:23-25: You have been born again, [Rebirth and conversion must of course happen now. Immortality is to be gained fully at the return of Jesus (Like 14:14).] not from perishable seed, but from an imperishable seed; the Gospel-word of God, [The word/Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:19) as preached by Jesus - Yeshua is the essential seed of rebirth, containing the seed of immortality (Luke 8:11). The essential saving content of the Gospel is the Kingdom of God as preached as gospel by Jesus (Hebrews 2:3) and Paul and all NT writers.], which is living and lasting.  For “All humanity is like grass, and all of their glory like wildflowers. Grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached as Gospel to you. [According to God’s – Yehovah’s own plan, so that we would be the first fruits of His new creation].

Notice: Hebrews 5:8-9: Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through the things which he suffered. Having been perfected, he became to all of those who obey him [Obedience to Jesus - Yeshua is invariably the condition of salvation. Faith without obedience is false faith and cannot save] the source of the salvation of the age to come, [Of the future Kingdom of God on earth.] having been designated by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

John 3:34-36: For the one whom God - Yehovah sent as His agent speaks the words of God, for he does not give out the spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. The person who believes in the Son has the Life of the Age to Come [in the coming Kingdom of God where those who enter as glorified immortal men and women will co-rule with the lord Messiah Jesus] The one who refuses to obey the Son [Salvation is given only to those who obey the Son (Hebrews 5:9; 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 John. 7-9; John 12:44] will not see that life. Rather, the righteous fury of God hangs over him.” [That is, threatening with destruction unless he/she responds by repenting and believing the Gospel of the Kingdom as preached by Jesus and every NT writer (Mark 1:14-15; Acts 8:12]

John 6:63: It is the spirit which gives life; the flesh gains you nothing. The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

John 14:10: Do you not believe that I am in the Father - Yehovah and the Father - Yehovah is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own initiative. The Father - Yehovah who lives in me is doing His works through me.  Believe me, that I am in the Father - Yehovah and the Father - Yehovah is in me. [The same unity is the ideal for all believers who are to be of one mind and purpose with the Father - Yehovah and Son (John 17:11: I am to be no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name which You have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one., vs. 22-23: I promise to give them the same glory which you have given me. I want them all to be one, just as we are one: I in them and You in me, so that they may be brought to maturity as one - united, that the world may come to know that You commissioned me and that You loved them just as You loved me.)

The word we are to obey are the words the Father gave Jesus to give to us. Obey them!

 

ARE THE FOLLOWERS OF THE LORD MESSIAH JESUS OBLIGATED TO OBSERVE THE MOSAIC LAW?

Those who believe that the followers of the lord Messiah Jesus – Yeshua are not obligated to observe the Mosaic Law are not picking and choosing which passages they want to accept.

Nowhere in any of the New Testament writings outside of the 4 Gospels are there any writings admonishing anyone to observe the Mosaic Law.

The only reason Jesus - Yeshua taught the people to observe the Law was because the Jews - Israel were still under the Mosaic Law. Jesus - Yeshua had not offered himself up to his God and his Father Yehovah as a sin-offering sacrifice, thus reconciling humanity to God – Yehovah, so during his lifetime the Old Covenant,God – Yehovah made with Israel was still in effect:

Galatians 4:1-7:

Let me explain. As long as an heir is underage, he is not different from a slave even though he is destined to be master of everything. He remains under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.  So, we also were formerly underage, held in bondage under the elemental principles of the world.  But when the time was right, God - Yehovah sent forth His Son, who came into existence [GENOMAI] from a woman and under the Law, to redeem those under the Law and give us the status of sons and daughters.  Because you are children, God - Yehovah sent the spirit of His Son into our hearts, calling, “Abba! Dear Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and since you are a child, you are an heir through God – Yehovah.

See Romans 3:19-31:

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world may be held accountable to God - Yehovah. For by the works of the Law no one will be made right in His sight, because through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now, apart from the Law, God’s – Yehovah’s way of being right with HIm has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. That is, God’s – Yehovah’s way of being right with Him is through the faith of the Messiah Jesus - Yeshua for everyone who believes, and there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Yehovah. We are all made right freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. God - Yehovah displayed him publicly as the atoning sacrifice – sin offering sacrifice by his shed blood, effective through faith. his was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God – Yehovah passed over prior sins. And He demonstrates His righteousness at this present time, that He is right and He makes right those who have the faith of Jesus

[NT faith in the Messiah Jesus - Yeshua entails not just believing in him but believing what he believed and taught (Hebrews 5:9; 2 John 7-9; 1 Timothy 6:3; John 3:36. Where then is boasting? There is no place for it. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we maintain that people are made right by faith and not by works of the Law. Or is God - Yehovah the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, because God - Yehovah is only one Person, and He will make the circumcised right by faith and the uncircumcised right through the same faith. Are we then negating the Law by faith? Absolutely not! No, we are upholding the Law.

Note: Galatians 3 and Hebrews 8:13:

At the time when He said: “A new covenant,” He made the first covenant obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is near to disappearing.

The Apostle Paul included Romans 3:31 because he did not want anyone to think he was against the Law because it came from God - Yehovah and is holy (Romans 7:12). No one is to condemn or belittle the Law.

If the Apostle Paul believed Christians are obligated to observe the Law, why then did he write Romans 14:1-6; Galatians 2:14; 5:11-12?

Romans 14:1-6: Accept the one who is weak in the faith, but not to dispute over opinions. One person believes in eating everything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not look down on the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who eats everything, because God - Yehovah has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own master. And he will stand, because the Lord - Yehovah is able to make him stand. One person considers one day as more holy than other days, while another person considers every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day observes it for the lord - Yehovah. The one who eats everything eats for the lord, because he gives thanks to God - Yehovah. The one who does not eat everything does it for the lord and gives thanks to God – Yehovah.

Galatians 2:14: But when I saw that they were not behaving according to the truth of the Gospel, I said to Peter in the presence of all of them, “You are a Jew who lives like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How then can you pressure the Gentiles to live like Jews?”.

Galatians 5:11-12: As for me, brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? If I were still preaching circumcision, the stumbling block of the cross would have been removed. I wish that those agitating you would cut theirs right off!

According to Hebrews 8:7-13 and Hebrews 10:1-13, believers are living under the New Covenant nor the Old Covenant (the Mosaic Law).

Hebrews 8:7-13: For if that FIRST COVENANT had been faultless, then there would have been no need for a SECOND COVENANT. But finding fault with them, God - Yehovah says: “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord - Yehovah, when I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My COVENANT, and I had no regard for them, says the Lord - Yehovah.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord - Yehovah. I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. And each one will not teach his fellow citizen or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord - Yehovah,’ because all will know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their evil actions, and I will remember their sins no more.” At the time when He said: “A NEW COVENANT,” He made the FIRST COVENANT obsolete. And what has become obsolete and has grown old is near to disappearing.

Hebrews 10: 1-13: For the Law, having a shadow – a rough outline of the good things to come, but not the reality itself, can never with the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, make perfect the worshipers. Otherwise, would the sacrifices not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having been once purified, would have no more consciousness of sin? But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

So, when he [Jesus – Yeshua] came into the world he said: “You did not desire sacrifice and offering, but You prepared a body for me. You have no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do Your will, O God.’” After saying above: “You did not desire and had no pleasure in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and other sacrifices for sin” - which are offered according to the Law - then he said: “I have come to do Your will.” He abolishes the FIRST [COVENANT] in order to establish the SECOND [COVENANT]. By His will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of the Messiah Jesus - Yeshua once for all.

Every priest stands day after day serving and offering time and again the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But Jesus - Yeshua, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins [a sin-offering sacrifice] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God - Yehovah, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering [sin-offering sacrifice] he has perfected for all time those who are being made holy.

Acts 15:1-35 describes a meeting the discussed the issue of whether the believers were required to observe the Mosaic Law or not (Acts 15:1, 5). Acts 15:19-22, 15:28-29, and Acts 21:25 describes the results of the meeting.

The believers were to keep only 4 aspects of the Law, none of which included circumcision. These 4 things were to keep the peace between the Jew and Gentiles believers (Romans 14:1-6; 1 Corinthians 8:9-13)."

Note: Acts 21:25:

But about the Gentiles who have believed, we have written our decision that they should avoid meat sacrificed to idols, blood, the meat of strangled animals, and sexual immorality.”

What is written above is absolute proof that the followers of the lord Messiah Jesus – Yehshu are not bound, not required to keep the Law of Moses, i.e. the OLD COVENANT which has been done away by the sin-offering sacrifice THAT Jesus – Yeshua gave to his God and his Father Yehovah on the cross – stake. By his shed blood he ratified the NEW COVENANT, under which all his followers are bound to keep in faith.

Note: Luke 22:19-20:

He took some bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them. “This is my body given for you; remember me by doing this,” he said to them. In the same way he took the cup after supper and said: “This cup is the New Covenant ratified by my blood which is being poured out for you.

Amen  

THE ORIGIN OF THE LORD MESSIAH JESUS - YESHUA

Matthew has deliberately used the powerful Greek word GENESIS - origin, to ensure that readers understand that the Son of God, the promised Messiah who Matthew presents is a real human being, though supernaturally “begotten in Mary”

Matthew 1:20: As he [Joseph] was thinking about these things, an angel of the Lord - Yehovah appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife, because the child who has been fathered [GENNAO - “to cause to come into existence,” “to beget,”] in her is from holy spirit [God’s – Yehovah’s creative operational power].

Matthew’s words are a direct allusion to Genesis 5:1 which speaks of the “GENESIS, the origin and birth record of Adam.” This excellent statement makes our point, and Matthew’s, very well: “Not only was the Gospel of Matthew referred to among Greek-speaking Jews as GENESIS, but also his phrase ‘the book of the GENESIS of Jesus the Messiah is strongly reminiscent of the Greek version of Genesis 5:1: ‘the book of the GENESIS of human beings’ and Genesis 2:4: ‘the book of the GENESIS of heaven and earth’ [the account of God - Yehovah working with preexisting material to fashion the world for Adam].

In Jesus - Yeshua the Messiah, God - Yehovah had made a new beginning. The major importance of Matthew 1:1, is that verse defines who Jesus is. John and Paul should not be twisted to contradict this primary, “umbrella” definition of Jesus - Yeshua, meant to identify the true Son of God, the Messiah. Jesus - Yeshua is the visible image of the invisible one and only true God [John 17-3].

In Jesus - Yeshua we see the visible glory of God - Yehovah.

John 1:18: No one has seen God - Yehovah at any time. A uniquely begotten Son, the one who is in the bosom of the Father - in a most intimate relationship with God – Yehovah, he has explained God.]

Jesus is the visible stamp or impress of his Father, who alone is God – Yehovah

Hebrews 1:1-3: God - Yehovah after He in the past spoke to our ancestors in the prophets at many times and in many ways, has in these last days spoken to us in a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom – because of whom, He made the ages. His Son is the radiance of His glory, the exact image of His person, and upholds all things by the word of his power.

Man is “the image and glory of God”

1 Corinthians. 11:7: A man should not have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God – Yehovah.

In Jesus that ideal image is restored. He does what Adam failed to do. Jesus is the “man Messiah” of 1 Timothy 2:5:

“…there is one God - Yehovah and one mediator between that one God and humanity, Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, who is himself human.

Note: “begat” = to cause to come into existence, to procreate, to father. Equally true of the Son of God who was begotten, brought into existence by miracle by God - Yehovah in Matthew 1:18-21:

The origin - GENESIS of Jesus Messiah was like this: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she became pregnant through holy spirit. Joseph, her husband-to-be, was a good man, and since he did not want to shame her publicly, he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he was thinking about these things, an angel of the Lord - Yehovah appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife, because the child who has been fathered – GENNAO – cause to come into existence, in her is from holy spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus - Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins.”

The begetting of the Messiah by God - Yehovah was predicted in Isaiah 9:6:

“A child/Son will be begotten [by God - Yehovah, a divine passive]”.

Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will conceive,” implying a divine paternity.

See 2 Samuel 7:14 and 1 Chronicles 17:13, where God will become the Father of the Messianic son of David (Hebrews 1:5). Also, Psalm 2:7 and Psalm 110:3 (LXX). Luke1:35 and Matthew 1:18, 20 take up the prophecies of divine begetting and show how they were fulfilled in history.

John 1:13 (see Jerusalem Bible) speaks of the virginal begetting in the case of the Son of God, Jesus.

Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5 see the fulfillment of Psalm 2:7 at the birth of Jesus, as does Acts 13:33 (ESV) where the “raising up” is fulfilled when Jesus is begotten.

Acts 13:34 speaks in contrast of the later resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 1 John 5:1 speaks of God - Yehovah as the begetter and 1 John 5:18 (ESV) of the coming into existence, begetting of the Son, who now protects believers.

The begetting of the Son in 1 John 5:18 defines a time when this happened. To dissolve the easy word “beget” into timelessness destroys both the unitary monotheism (God - Yehovah is a single divine being) and the human Messiah, who in order to be a real human, must begin in the womb of his mother (cp. Isaiah 49:1, 5).

Jesus is the second man specially created by God – Yehovah, the second Adam:1 Corinthians 15:47:

The first man is of the earth, made of dust, the second man is of heaven – begotten by the Spirit of God – Yehovah in the womb of Mary.

Everyone knows that Adam was a human person. As Adam was the federal head of humanity, Jesus is the federal head of the “New Humanity”.

All those who are ‘New Creations’ in him are also members of the ‘New Humanity’ that God – Yehovah has been creating since Adam’s disobedience and its consequences for humanity, held in bondage to sin, but those who are ‘New Creations’ in the lord Messiah Jesus – Yeshua have been freed from the bondage of sin!

WHAT IS ARMSTRONGISM? IS THE WORLD WIDE CHURCH OF GOD AND IT'S OFFSPRINGS A CULT?

 Herbert Armstrong was the founder of the World Wide Church of God and in my opinion was a false prophet and the leader of a cult religion. His teaching mixed law and grace which Paul condemns in the strongest terms saying that anyone who does so is under a curse.

Galatians 3:10: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Armstrong said that his followers were under obligation to keep the law of Moses and keep all the holy days as mentioned in Leviticus 23.

Galatians 2:3-5: But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in the Messiah Jesus  - Yeshua, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

Paul would have labeled Armstrong a false teacher/brother who indeed brought people into the bondage of the law of Moses, and requiring them to circumcise their children on the eighth day after birth.Titus was not circumcised, in order to join an assembly of God.

Galatians:2:16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus - Yeshua the Messiah, even we have believed in Jesus - Yeshua the Messiah, that we might be justified by the faith of the Messiah, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

This statement by Paul totally condemns all that Armstrong did by saying his followers had to keep the law in order to be saved and enter the kingdom of God, which is a Satanic lie.

Galatians 3:13: The Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: The Messiah became a sin-offering for us to be reconcilled to our God and Father Yehovah.

What Armstrong taught was a total rejection of what the anointed one Jesus - Yeshua did for us by allowing himself to be crucified, and become a sin-offering sacrifice. 

Anyone who mixes law with grace is under a curse and is following a false gospel, Paul makes that very clear all through the letter he wrote to the Galatians.

Nothing in my hand can I bring to earn salvation, only to his cross [stake] I cling, realizing that I can do nothing to earn salvation. Knowing that my lord and savior has done all on my behalf to reconcile me to his God and his Father and my God and my Father Yehovah. There is no other means or way to gain salvation but in the name of the lord Jesus - Yeshua Yehovah's anointed one. His is my all!

MEDITATE ON THESE VERSES

GALATIANS 5:22-25

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

There is no law against these things!

Those who belong to the lord Messiah Yeshua have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross - stake and crucified them there.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 

ROMANS 6:3-6:

“Have you forgotten that when we were joined with the lord Messiah Yeshua in baptism, we joined him in his death?

For we died and were buried with the lord Messiah Yeshua by baptism.

And just as the lord Messiah Yeshua was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with the lord Messiah Yeshua so that sin might lose its power in our lives.

We are no longer slaves to sin.” 

GALATIANS 3:26-28:

“For you are all children of God - Yehovah through faith in the lord Messiah Yeshua.

And all who have been united with the lord Messiah Yeshua in baptism have put on the lord Messiah Yeshua, like putting on new clothes.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in the lord Messiah Yeshua.” 

ROMANS 12:4-8:

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with the lord Messiah Yeshua’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God - Yehovah has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

So, if God - Yehovah has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

If your gift is serving others, serve them well.

If you are a teacher, teach well.

If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.

If it is giving, give generously.

If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.

And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” 

EPHESIANS 2:20-22:

“Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is the lord Messiah Yeshua himself.

We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord - Yehovah.

Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God - Yehovah lives by his Spirit.” 

1 CORINTHIANS 3:16-17:

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God - Yehovah and that the Spirit of God - Yehovah lives in you?

God - Yehovah will destroy anyone who destroys this temple.

For God’s – Yehovah’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

2 CORINTHIANS 5:18b-20:

“God - Yehovah has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.

For God - Yehovah was in the lord Messiah Yeshua, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

So, we are the lord Messiah Yeshua’s ambassadors; God - Yehovah is making his appeal through us. We speak for the lord Messiah Yeshua when we plead, ‘Come back to God - Yehovah!’”

HEBREWS 9:27-28:

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,

so also, the lord Messiah Yeshua was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people.

He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

ACTS 4:11-12:

“For Yeshua is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God - Yehovah has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.’”

PSALM 89:47-48:

“Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men?

What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave?”

ECCLESIASTES 9:5-6:

“The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered.

Whatever they did in their lifetime - loving, hating, envying - is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.”

Unbelievers will be raised in the final resurrection. They will then be judged. If their names are not recorded in the book of life, they will be destroyed in the second death.

REVELATION 20:13-15:

“13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire [and destroyed].”

EPHESIANS 1:10-11:

“And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of the lord Messiah Yeshua - everything in heaven and on earth.

Furthermore, because we are united with the lord Messiah Yeshua, we have received an inheritance from God - Yehovah, for He chose us in advance [according to His foreknowledge], and He makes everything work out according to His plan.”

EPHESIANS 1:5-8:

“God - Yehovah decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through the lord Messiah Yeshua. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

So, we praise God - Yehovah for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son.

He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.

He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

NOTICE: Salvation originates in the grace of God - Yehovah. Grace comes from the undeserved love that God - Yehovah has for us. God’s – Yehovah’s plan of salvation flows from His heart to find its fulfillment in the lives of an unsaved humanity. God - Yehovah was not obligated to save people from sin or give them His spiritual blessings; sinners do not deserve to be saved because they are only worthy of death. The basis of God’s – Yehovah’s grace comes entirely from Him and is completed by Him. There is nothing we, as humans, can do or to deserve God’s – Yehovah’s gift of salvation.

1 TIMOTHY 2:5-6:

“For, there is one God - Yehovah and one Mediator who can reconcile God - Yehovah and humanity - the man the lord Messiah Yeshua.

To purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God - Yehovah gave to the world at just the right time.”

As members of God’s – Yehovah’s house, we are ordered to live holy lives and persistently change our behavior so that we increasingly resemble the character and quality of God - Yehovah Himself. We are the light (truth-bearers) to the world.

EPHESIANS 5:1-2:

“Therefore, be imitators of God - Yehovah, as beloved children,

and walk in love, just as the lord Messiah Yeshua also loved you and gave himself up for us, a sin-offering sacrifice to God - Yehovah as a fragrant aroma.”

 

WHY DO PEOPLE SEEK AFTER SIGNS AND WONDERS?

People seek after signs and wonders because they don't take God at His word as Abraham did! They do not have the faith of Abraham or any faith for that matter. If we cannot believe in the revelation that God has given in the scriptures we are lost, and without hope in the world. Only as we accept and believe what God has spoken through all those who have penned the scriptures will we cease to seek after signs and wonders. In the last days the false prophet will be able to do great signs and wonders and the whole would will be deceived by that agent of Satan.

Mark 13:22: For false Messiah's and false Prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Reelaton 19:20: ...and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, in which he led astray those who receivedthe mark of the beast, and those who bowed before his image; living they were cast — the two — into the lake of the fire, that is burning with brimstone, and they will be destoryed;

DOES HEBREWS 6:4-6: MEAN WE CAN LOSE OUR SALVATION?

Hebrews 6:4-8: For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God - Yehovah, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God - Yehovah: But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

What do we understand from these verses:

1. If someone falls away from believing in God's – Yehovah’s message given through the lord Messiah Jesus, in other words has been enlightened, and has tasted the heavenly gift of the Holy Spirit, and given the good revelation of God - Yehovah and tasted the powers of the coming new age that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance.

2. In falling away that person has crucified to themselves the son of God again and put him to an open shame.

3. The end result is to be burned up in the lake of fire, destroyed.

This is a dire warning for those who might contemplate going back to this world and rejecting the one whom God - Yehovah has sent. Such a one would obviously have no meaningful contact with anyone who was sincerely following the lord Messiah Jesus. That being said, this does not exclude what the lord Messiah Jesus can do!

Luke 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

We see here that there were 100 sheep in the flock, but one wanders away in the wilderness and is lost, so the shepherd goes after the one who has become lost until he finds it.

Notice the lost sheep is lost in the wilderness which if we look at the parable and apply it to the present time, the wilderness that we walk through is this world. If one sheep who is of the flock, cared for by the lord Messiah Jesus, our shepherd; wanders of into the wilderness and becomes lost, i.e. has fallen way, gone back out into the world and become a part of it, which believers are not a part of, will not the lord Messiah Jesus as shepherd seek to find such a one and bring him/her back to be a part of the flock.

Ask yourselves this question: how many times has Jesus brought you back to walk on the narrow path that leads to eternal life as a glorified man/woman in the coming new age when you have wandered away from it? How many times? I know for myself I can't count the many times he has done so!

Again notice, Luke 15:6: And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Luke 15:10: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God - Yehovah over one sinner that repents. Does this not include a sinning sheep who has wandered off and the lord Jesus has brought back carrying him on his shoulder, because it is too weak to walk on its own?

The parable of the prodigal son is a prime example of one who has rejected his father, taken his inheritance - his taste of the things to come - and even rejected the country he grew up in, was a part of and gone into the wilderness so to speak.

Notice what the father does when he sees him returning, he runs to him with open arms. He was looking for him to return, he didn't give up hope that his son would return. Our God - Yehovah will never give up hope as far as we are concerned, even if we come to the point of rejecting his beloved son, because he gave His son Jesus to save those who are lost. It is all between the lord Messiah Jesus and the one who has fallen away. In other words, it is not possible for any follower of the lord Messiah Jesus to renew such a one to repent and come back, only the lord Messiah Jesus can bring that one back.

Luke 15:24: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. God - Yehovah is love!

THE EIGHT KINDOM TEXTS IN ACTS

I was thinking about the eight Kingdom texts in Acts for this presentation, two words stood out. First, the name of the book, Acts, also called the Acts of the apostles, which may seem pretty obvious, but this book provides a vivid account of the apostles and the early Called-out Assembly, the events, growth, miracles, persecution, and missionary journeys. This is Luke’s sequel to his gospel account. The second word that stood out of course is “Kingdom.” The book of Acts is not the first time we read or hear about the Kingdom in the Scriptures. Jesus - Yeshua spoke extensively about the Kingdom, not only in Luke’s gospel, but also in Matthew, Mark, and John’s accounts. In fact, the Kingdom of God (same as Kingdom of Heaven) was the central theme of Jesus’ – Yeshua’s teaching.

As we examine the eight Kingdom texts, I encourage you to consider these 6 questions:

1. What did Jesus say about the Kingdom?

2. What is the Kingdom?

3. What is the Gospel?

4. What does the Kingdom have to do with salvation?

5. Were the Apostles and disciples of Jesus preaching the same message as Jesus taught?

6. Why know the 8 Kingdom texts?

Kingdom Text #1: Acts 1:3

Luke starts off talking about Jesus - Yeshua after his resurrection: “To these [his apostles] he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days, and speaking to them about the Kingdom of God.”

Can you just imagine what this must have been like for Jesus’ – Yeshua’s disciples -seeing him alive, and being with him for 40 days? What overwhelming joy they must have felt. They had witnessed the Messiah, their master, their Lord, their teacher, and friend, go through a humiliating, unjust trial, treated as a malicious criminal, severely beaten, and sentenced to death by crucifixion. They saw him take his last breath and his body placed in a tomb. On the third day, God - Yehovah raised him from the dead, and he appeared to his apostles and disciples, eating and drinking with them (Luke 24:43; Acts 10:41).

The disciples no doubt remembered what Jesus - Yeshua told them before he was arrested, that they “will not see me for a little while, then after a while you will see me…You will weep and wail while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will turn into joy; and no one will be able to take away your joy” (John 16:19- 22).

Jesus - Yeshua also said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Now alive, and immortal, Jesus - Yeshua gives many convincing proofs that it’s really him. And yes, he is speaking about the Kingdom of God. Jesus - Yeshua clearly stresses the important, vital, saving Gospel message of the Kingdom of God after his resurrection. The next Kingdom text mentioned by Luke is a few verses later in Acts 1:6.

 Kingdom Text #2: Acts 1:6

“So, when they had come together, they began asking him, ‘lord, is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’”

This question that the apostles asked is a hotly debated verse, and some claim that it’s the wrong question. But this question is the correct question as they were looking towards that future Messianic Kingdom on the earth, which the prophets wrote about under divine inspiration in the Hebrew Scriptures.

It was this Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus - Yeshua had been preaching to them. It was this restoration Kingdom message that they had been proclaiming when Jesus sent them out, two by two, and gave them authority over evil spirits, healing every kind of sickness and disease. And they went out and preached that people are to repent (Mark 6:7, 12). Jesus- Yeshua told them in Matthew 10:7, “Wherever you go, preach the gospel, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near’” (also called the Kingdom of God).

The disciples knew Isaiah 2:3-4:

““Many peoples will come and say,

 ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yehovah,

To the house of the God of Jacob.

So that He may teach us His ways,

And that we may walk in His paths.’

For the law will go out from Zion

And the word of Yehovah from Jerusalem.

And He will judge between the nations,

And will mediate for many peoples.

And they will beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not lift up a sword against nation,

nor train any more for war.” 

 The apostles also knew about Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a massive statue, saying “that God - Yehovah made known to King Nebuchadnezzar [a pagan king] what will happen in the last days” (Daniel 2:28). Daniel describes the different parts of the statue and materials which represent different kingdoms on earth:

“The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You continued watching until a stone was broken off without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed to pieces all at the same time, and they were like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the entire earth” (Daniel 2:32- 35).

It is this final divine kingdom or government that will fill the earth. Daniel 2:44 says, “The God Yehovah of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

The apostles’ question shows that they knew Jesus - Yeshua was the promised Messiah: “Is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom?”

“Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you.

He is righteous and endowed with salvation,

Humble, and mounted on a donkey,

Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

And I will eliminate the chariot from Ephraim

And the horse from Jerusalem.

And the bow of war will be eliminated.

And He will speak peace to the nations.

And His dominion will be from sea to sea,

And from the Euphrates River to the ends

 of the earth” (Zechariah 9:9,10). 

Yes, this Kingdom will bring peace to the world. No more war. The lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, now raised from the dead, when hearing their question, replied, “It is not for you to know periods of time or appointed times which the Father - Yehovah has set by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8).

The lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua did not say: Oh, you have it all wrong; what are you asking? No, instead he let them know that God - Yehovah has set the appointed time for the Kingdom to be established, and that it’s not for them to know. Then he told them that they would go to the surrounding areas, even to the most distant, isolated, remotest parts of the entire earth to be his witnesses.

When I hear the word “witness,” I immediately think of a courtroom and a witness on the stand. This is someone who sees an event in person, someone who is an eyewitness, someone who can testify what happened. The apostles witnessed, from the start of Jesus’ Kingdom Gospel ministry until his death and resurrection. Now they received further instructions to bring everything they saw, heard, learned and knew about the Messiah and the saving Gospel message of the Kingdom of God to the world.

Listen to the lord Messiah Jesus’ – Yeshua’s words to his disciples in Luke 24:44-49 after his resurrection, and just before he ascended into heaven:

“‘These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So it is written, that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father - Jehovah upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’”

Kingdom Text #3: Acts 8:12

 “But when they believed Philip as he was heralding the Gospel [good news] about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus the Messiah, they were being baptized, both men and women.”

Here we read that Philip, the evangelist, was preaching the good news - the Gospel about the Kingdom of God, the same Gospel that Jesus preached, and the name of the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. This added information about Jesus’ – Yeshua’s “name” means understanding his purpose, believing and obeying everything Jesus - Yeshua taught; knowing he is the Son of God, who died for our sins, whom God - Yehovah raised from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father until the day his enemies will be his footstool (Psalm 110:1). At the appointed time, the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua  will return to earth, in the same way he was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:11), to rule as King in the Kingdom of God, the restoration hope for mankind.

Yes, this too is part of the Good News - Jesus’ – Yeshua’s death, resurrection and ascension. However, it is the Kingdom of God that Jesus - Yeshua talked about all the time, his purpose for being sent, which can’t be left out. The Gospel is not complete if we only proclaim, “He is risen!” as many today preach.

As men and women were listening to Philip, they believed him, and they were being baptized. These Christian converts demonstrated their repentance of sin, renewal and belief in the coming of God’s Kingdom, in Jesus’ – Yeshua’s sin-offering sacrificial death for the sins of the world, and his rulership in that divine Kingdom. These men and women displayed their resolve to obey God - Yehovah and His Son - Yeshua, through water baptism. It was vitally important then, and is still today, to know the full Gospel, which not only takes hearing and understanding it, but truly believing in the Kingdom of God.

Although perfect, Jesus - Yeshua himself was baptized, but did not need to repent. His baptism clearly displayed his obedience, and his unique relationship with God - Yehovah, his Father. Matthew 3:16-17 says: “After he was baptized, Jesus - Yeshua immediately got out from the water, and heaven opened before him, and he saw God’s – Yehovah’s spirit like a dove descending and landing on him. A voice from heaven said, ‘This is My Son, the one I love, who pleases Me.”

Jesus - Yeshua later instructed his disciples to baptize those who come to the knowledge of the Kingdom of God and the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua (John 4:1). Certainly, we too should follow Jesus’ – Yeshua’s command to be baptized in water, to show our dedication and commitment to the kingdom of God to come and to obey His anointed one, the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua.

Kingdom Text #4: Acts 14:22

The fourth Kingdom text in Acts is 14:22. Please note that the next five Kingdom texts that the writer Luke records are about the Apostle Paul. So, five out of the eight Kingdom texts are connecting Paul with the Gospel about the Kingdom of God. This was something that I had not thought about before, but this is significant as we go through them.

I’d like to start in verse 21: “After they had preached the Gospel to that city [Derbe] and had made a good number of disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. They said, ‘It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.’”

To get a full picture of Acts 14:22, let’s look at what led up to this in Acts 14:1-20. Paul and Barnabas spoke in the Iconium synagogues, and a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed, but their Gospel message stirred opposition, leading to divisions. Some sided with the Jews, and some sided with the apostles. Hearing of threats of violence and stoning, Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra and Derbe, where they continued to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom. Then, in Lystra, Paul healed a man who had been lame from birth. This miracle prompted the crowd to mistakenly identify Paul and Barnabas as Greek gods, Hermes and Zeus. (In Greek mythology, Hermes is the messenger of the gods and Zeus is the king of the gods.) When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” The priest of the temple of Zeus brought oxen and flower wreaths for the people to offer sacrifices to them. When Paul and Barnabas heard this, they tore their robes in distress, and rushed into the crowd, shouting, “Why are you doing this? We too are only men like you. We are bringing good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.” Despite their efforts to redirect the crowds to worship the one true God, opposition from Jews from Antioch and Iconium stirred the people against them. They stoned Paul and dragged his body outside the city, presuming he was dead. However, Paul survived, and with Barnabas, the next day they went to another town called Derbe.

So, now we come to the Acts 14:21-22 Kingdom text: Paul and Barnabas were preaching the Gospel in many cities and many were becoming disciples. The first thing I’d like to point out is that we read that the Gospel that Paul is preaching is about the Kingdom of God and going through many tribulations to enter it. It is the same Gospel as the 12 apostles were teaching and the same gospel that Jesus - Yeshua taught, about the Kingdom of God. The second point is that Paul was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to both Jews and Gentiles. Many church denominations today teach that there is one Gospel for the Jews and another for the Gentiles, but that certainly isn’t the case. And the third point is that Paul needed to strengthen and encourage these new Christian disciples to continue in the faith since all followers of the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, not just Paul, will go through many tribulations prior to entering the Kingdom of God.

Yes, those who now believe in the Kingdom of God, and follow and obey Jesus - Yeshua, will go through much tribulation. Just read the book of Acts -  the persecutions, trials, suffering, and physical hardships; being imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and opposed by Jewish leaders, Roman officials, and pagan religious believers.

Many of Paul’s letters to the various churches give evidence that Christians will be persecuted for their belief in the Gospel of the Kingdom. Yet Paul encourages them to remain faithful. In 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 Paul says he “speaks proudly about you in the other called-out Assembly’s of God - Yehovah because of your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions which you are enduring.” He continues, “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God - Yehovah, so that you will be made worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.” Jesus - Yeshua also told his disciples before he sent them out to preach, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved” (Matt. 10:22).

Kingdom Text #5: Acts 19:8

Paul “entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them about the Kingdom of God.”

Here the Apostle Paul is on his third missionary journey and is in Ephesus. And what is he doing? He is in the synagogue talking, discussing, persuading, speaking boldly for three months about the Kingdom of God. Not just once, but for three months. You can just imagine him, every day publicly advocating for the Kingdom of God to everyone who was present.

Certainly, he was using the Hebrews scriptures since he was in the synagogue and likely having discussions about the prophecies written by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. In fact, all the prophets were looking towards that restoration Kingdom hope that would start in Jerusalem and fill the entire earth.

And God would accomplish this through a descendant of David - the Messiah. The Jews would have been familiar with Jeremiah 23:5-6:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares Yehovah, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign wisely as king and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is his name by which he will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

 After months of Paul boldly proclaiming about the Kingdom of God, it then says, “But when they stubbornly refused to believe, Paul then went to the lecture hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus and continued for two years, so that all those living in the province of Asia heard the Gospel-word of the Lord, both Jews and Gentiles” (Acts 19:9-10).

Again, Paul continues to preach the Gospel-word of the te lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. This Gospel-word includes Jesus’ – Yeshua’s death and resurrection, along with the words Jesus - Yesua spoke and taught, the Good News about the Kingdom of God. Paul was preaching the full Gospel - the Kingdom of God and the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, to both Jews and Gentiles.

Kingdom Text #6: Acts 20:24-25

“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the lord Jesus - Yeshua, to testify solemnly of the gospel of God’s – Yehovah’s grace. And now I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the Kingdom, will no longer see my face.”

These two verses go hand in hand. Paul says in the first verse that he received from the lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of God’s – Yehovah’s grace, and in the very next statement says he was preaching the Kingdom. It’s unfortunate that many people read the first verse and stop there. Paul refers to the gospel of God’s – Yehovah’s grace with the Kingdom in the very next sentence. They are the same, equal in meaning. As the saying goes, “Context is king.” Did you notice too that Paul said, “so that I may finish my course and the ministry”? Paul is stating his full mission statement, his whole ministry as “preaching the Kingdom.”

These verses reflect Paul’s deep commitment to his mission and his awareness of the challenges ahead. Paul declares that he considers his life worth nothing to himself, as his primary focus is to complete the task given to him by the lord Messiah Jesus – Yeshua, testifying to the Gospel of God’s – Yehovah’s grace, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

He acknowledges that he will not see the people he has preached to in the regions of Asia again, as he anticipates the hardships awaiting him. These verses highlight Paul’s unwavering dedication to the Kingdom hope, the Gospel of God’s – Yehovah’s grace, the salvation for mankind through the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. He displays selfless devotion and courage in proclaiming the Gospel, regardless of personal cost, even in the face of imminent trials and separation from those he loves. It’s a testimony to faithfully obeying the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua.

The final two Kingdom texts in Acts, can be found in the last chapter of Acts - chapter 28.

 Kingdom Text #7: Acts 28:23

 “When they had set a day for Paul, people came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the Kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.”

This text describes a meeting shortly after Paul's house arrest in Rome. Paul had a large number of Jewish leaders coming to him. These leaders had not been informed or received letters from Judea concerning Paul’s mistreatment by the Jews, and how he was then handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem; and no one came to Rome to report anything bad about Paul. But the Jews said that they would like to hear from Paul what his views were regarding this religious movement, which they had heard about, and everyone was speaking harshly against it (Acts 28:17-22)

What an opportunity for Paul! So, he explained to them and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them concerning Jesus - Yeshua. He shared the message of the Gospel from morning until evening. Paul testified about the Kingdom of God, using the Law of Moses and the Prophets to show how they point to Jesus - Yeshua as the Messiah.

For example, Deuteronomy 18:18 says that Yehovah God told Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and He will speak to them everything that I command him.”

Daniel chapter 7 describes Daniel’s vision of the “Ancient of Days seated on His throne” with “thousands upon thousands serving Him,” and the vision of the “Son of Man” in verses 13 and 14:

“I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man was coming,

And he came to the Ancient of Days,

And was presented before Him.

To him was given dominion, honor, and a Kingdom,

So that all the peoples, nations, and populations

of all languages would serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away.

And his Kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.”

 

Daniel’s vision also describes the “saints of the Highest One” receiving an everlasting Kingdom. Daniel 7:18 says: “But the saints of the Most High will receive the Kingdom and possess it forever - yes, forever and ever.” And again, in verse 27: “The people, the saints of the Most High, will be given dominion under the whole heaven, taking possession of the Kingdom forever, and all nations will serve and obey them [the saints].” 

Paul’s tireless efforts and deep knowledge were evident as he passionately tried to persuade them about the truth of faith in God’s plan through the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. This verse highlights Paul's unwavering dedication to his mission, even in captivity, and underscores his reliance on Scripture to bridge understanding and invite belief. It’s a compelling testimony to perseverance and faithfulness in sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom and the things concerning the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. This account then says that “some of them were persuaded by what Paul said, but others refused to believe” (Acts 28:24). 

Kingdom Text #8: Acts 28:30-31 

“Now Paul stayed two full years in his own rented lodging, and welcomed all who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching the things about the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua with all openness, unhindered.” 

These two verses conclude the book of Acts with the powerful purpose statement emphasizing Paul’s unwavering commitment to preaching the Kingdom of God and the things concerning the Lord Jesus Messiah. Still under house arrest in Rome, Paul continued preaching the full Gospel for two years. And he welcomed all who came; this would include both Jews and Gentiles. 

It is believed that Paul’s first and second letters to Timothy were written at this time, when he was imprisoned in Rome at the close of his ministry. He writes in 1 Timothy 2:3-6, referring to praying for all people in the world, including those in authority, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth - namely that there is one God, and one mediator between that one God and humanity, the man the Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, who gave himself as a ransom [as a sin-offering sacrifice] for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” 

Paul’s second letter to Timothy gives Timothy and us today a wonderful summary of the Kingdom of God and the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua: 

“Remember the Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, resurrected from the dead, a biological descendant of David according to my Gospel. For this Gospel I am suffering to the point of being a criminal in chains, but the Gospel-word of God is not chained up! So, I am enduring everything for the sake of the chosen ones, that they too may gain salvation in the Messiah Jesus - Yeshua with its glory of the Coming Age. This saying is trustworthy: If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will reign as kings with him. If we renounce him, he will renounce us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, because he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:8-13). 

This future Kingdom of God on a renewed earth will be a blessing to those who listen to and obey God and His Son Jesus, and those who have died in the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua will be resurrected from the dead. One of my favorite scriptures is Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither mourning, nor crying, nor pain will be any more, for the former things have passed away.”

Now that we’ve covered the eight Kingdom texts in Acts, let’s return to the questions posed at the beginning of this presentation: 

1. What did Jesus - Yeshua say about the Kingdom? The Kingdom of God was Jesus’ – Yeshua’s primary focus, as he preached about it for over three years. Jesus - Yeshua himself said it was the reason he was sent or commissioned by God - Yehovah (Luke 4:43). It’s what he told us to pray for, and people need to repent and believe it. He spoke about the Kingdom of God both before he was crucified and after his resurrection and said that it would be preached to the whole earth before his return (Matthew 24:14). 

 2. What is the Kingdom? The Kingdom of God is God’s – Yehovah’s righteous rulership over all of His creation. This is His will and plan to restore mankind and this world back to Himself. And He has accomplished this through His uniquely begotten Son, the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua, descendant of David, who is the promised King of that Kingdom. This Kingdom will be established on the earth and will be everlasting. 

3. What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the Good News about the Kingdom of God and includes the death, resurrection, and future return of Jesus - Yeshua as King in that Kingdom. It is the full life-saving Good News, the foundation of Jesus’ – Yeshua’s teachings. 

4. What does the Kingdom have to do with salvation? Jesus - Yeshua said to seek that Kingdom, putting it first in our lives, as well as spreading or sowing the Kingdom Gospel “seed” throughout the world, for people to hear and believe in order to be saved. This is what followers of Jesus - Yeshua should be doing: heralding, proclaiming, teaching this Gospel of the Kingdom until his return. 

5. Were the Apostles and disciples of Jesus - Yeshua preaching the same message as Jesus – Yeshua taught? Absolutely! Jesus - Yeshua instructed his followers in preparation for that future Kingdom of God. He opened their minds to fully understand the Scriptures, and said he would send them the promise of his Father, the Holy Spirit, to clothe them with power from on high. And they would bring this Kingdom good news to both Jews and Gentiles. 

6. Why know the 8 Kingdom texts? These eight Kingdom passages in Acts each emphasize the significance of the Kingdom of God - beginning with Jesus’ – Yeshua’s command to proclaim the Kingdom to all nations until his return and culminating in the Apostle Paul’s mission to share the complete Gospel. 

If you have not read the book of Acts for a while, I encourage you to read the whole book from start to finish, all 28 chapters. The Apostles’ faith, courage and steadfastness in the face of persecutions demonstrates the importance of preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the lord Messiah Jesus - Yeshua. This saving Gospel should be internalized and believed, as it means everlasting life - the life of the age to come - and ruling the world with Jesus.² Summary: 

 The 8 Kingdom Texts in Acts

1. Acts 1:3

 2. Acts 1:6

 3. Acts 8:12

 4. Acts 14:22

 5. Acts 19:8

 6. Acts 20:24-25

 7. Acts 28:23

 8. Acts 28:30-3

Written by Merryl DeMott, Oregon and edited by Bruce Lyon

From a presentation at the 2025 online Theological Conference: youtube.com/focusonthekingdom