Monthly Archives: December 2022

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the fifteenth article in the series, Yeshua is Sar Shalom.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name … Sar-Shalom [Prince of Peace] (Is 9:6)

In English, we say that Yeshua is the Prince of Peace and we are speaking the truth, but not the complete truth.  In Hebrew, sar means prince, leader, ruler, but the Hebrew word shalom means much more than just an absence of war or conflict.  The root word of shalom is shalam. It is used several times in Exodus 21 and 22 where Moses is giving instructions to the Israelites concerning Yehovah’s commands to them.  In this instance, Moshe is discussing the compensation (shalam) that must be paid in case of personal injury to another or in case of damage to another’s property. In these two chapters shalam is translated as “make it good”, “shall surely pay”, “make full restitution” or to “restore”. (“The True Meaning of Shalom” by Doug Hershey, firmisrael.org) Yeshua paid full restoration for our sin in order to restore our relationship with Yehovah (Rom 5:1). 

As if paying our debt wasn’t enough, Yeshua provides even more for us. He restores to us all that has been lost through our own sinful choices as well as all that has been stolen or destroyed due to sabotage from our enemy, hasatan.  Yeshua restores our dignity, our true identity in Yehovah, and our lost dreams (Col 1:22).  He heals our soul wounds as well as our physical ailments (Is 53:5).  Everything that was lost to us through the fall of Adam and Eve or through our own fault, is restored to us (James 1:4).  In order to experience all that Yeshua provides, we must have an active personal relationship with Him. The more we seek Yeshua and trust Him, the more He restores to us.

Another definition of shalom is “full of well-being; healthy, prosperous.”  Shalom has been used as a greeting for centuries, even during Yeshua’s time.  In Luke 24:36, the resurrected Yeshua surprised his disciples by suddenly appearing in a room with locked doors and greeting them with “shalom aleikhem” or “shalom to all of you.”  This greeting is a blessing, a wishing someone to be completely well and prosperous. Only in Yeshua can we realize our full potential.

We are restored, not only for our own pleasure, but in order to be fully prepared and equipped to carry out our assignments in the Kingdom of Heaven (Heb 13:20-21).  Yehovah’s underlying purpose is to establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.  He created and fully equipped Adam and Eve for such a purpose.  When they succumbed to the deception of hasatan, Yehovah made new provisions, at great sacrifice to Himself and to Yeshua, in order to carry out His kingdom-building plan. Yehovah is establishing His kingdom on earth, not only for His own pleasure, but for us as well.  He graciously allows us to participate in His great work.  As a result, we are blessed abundantly as we participate in His work.  When we seek Yehovah with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength, we will experience true shalom.

Now may the Lord of shalom himself give you shalom always in all ways. The Lord be with all of you (2 Thessalonians 3:16). 

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the fourteenth article in the series, Yeshua is Advocate.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

If you look closely throughout Scripture, you may notice that our Heavenly Father is also the King and Judge over all that He has created and, in particular, over all the earth.  There are times, as in the days of Noah, that our Father warned the inhabitants of the earth that they were straying far from His ways and entrenching themselves in evil. When they continued to disregard Him, our Father, who is also King and Judge, pronounced sentence upon them.  Only Noah and his family were spared because they heeded Yehovah and followed his ways (Gen 5:32-10:1). Other examples include Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19); Nineveh, although that sentence was revoked due to their repentance (Jonah 3); and the dispersion of the Jews and the destruction of the second Temple in 70 AD (as Yeshua prophesied in Matt 24). 

As humans, we stray from Yehovah’s laws and we don’t always heed His warnings right away.  We need an advocate in Heaven to represent us before the Judge.  According to Easton’s Bible dictionary, an advocate is one who pleads another’s cause, who helps another by defending or comforting him.  Yeshua is our Advocate in Heaven, seated at the right hand of Yehovah.  Since the courtroom is in Heaven and we are residing on earth, we have another Advocate on earth to represent us and counsel us here. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate on earth (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7). The roles of an advocate are to defend rights, to fight for needs and rights for other people, and assist others. 

It is a frightening thing to try to defend yourself in an earthly court; how much more so to try to defend yourself before the King and Judge of all creation. It is wise to repent and ask forgiveness as soon as we realize that we have sinned. We are not alone for we have advocates to assist us and advise us. Both advocates represent us in Heaven’s Court and both counsel us.  The Holy Spirit not only counsels us directly, but also relays Yeshua’s advise to us (John 16:14). If we will heed their advice and submit to our Father’s rule, we will have no need to be judged.  However, if we stray, we have two powerful advocates to plead our cause before the Judge and to advise us. They are clearly on our side, so it is in our best interest to heed their advice.

When another person complains to the Father about us or when the adversary, who constantly seeks opportunities to destroy us (1 Pet 5:8) raises accusations against us, the Righteous Judge must address the matters brought before Him.  Thanks to His merciful provision, we already have two court-appointed advocates to plead our cause and intercede for us.   

Since Yeshua has lived upon this earth as one of us and has suffered as we suffer, He understands our weakness and is an empathetic Advocate.  He knows our hearts and can plead for us based on what’s inside of us, unlike an advocate in an earthly court who can only work with external evidence.

Every time we are found guilty or plead guilty in Heaven’s court, there is a corresponding debt to be paid, one that we cannot pay for ourselves.  Our Father, the righteous Judge, does not cancel our debt and pretend our sin hasn’t happened when we stand before Him.  However, in His infinite mercy, our Father has provided the payment for our sin, through the sacrifice and blood of His first-born, His precious Yeshua.  Yeshua is not only our Advocate in Heaven, but He has already given His life for us and provides the payment for our debt with His own blood. Once our debt has been paid, our sin is stricken from the record.  We see a picture of this in the commands concerning the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus 16. 

When we cooperate with the Righteous Judge and our two Advocates, everything works out beautifully in our favor and our rewards and benefits are bountiful.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the thirteenth article in the series, Yeshua is Deliverer.

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God (Ps 40:17).

What is a deliverer?  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “deliverer” is defined as:

  1. A person who delivers goods to customers usually over a regular local route; or
  2. One that saves [others] from danger or destruction

Let us explore these two definitions beginning with the second definition. If Yeshua is our deliverer, what has He delivered us from?  If we explore the Scriptures, Yeshua has delivered us from much danger and eternal destruction.

Yeshua delivered us from:

Bondage to hasatan and to the law of sin and death which comes from hasatan  For freedom [Messiah] has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).

Our sins [Yeshua] Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14 ESV) And she will have a son, and you are to name him Yeshua [Yehovah saves] for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21).

Heavy burdens Each of us carries heavy burdens such as worry, anxiety, sorrow, grief, soul wounds, and so on.  Then [Yeshua] said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28).

Eternal condemnation (the second death) and separation from Yehovah For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Sickness, disease, weakness But [Yeshua] was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed (Is 53:5 ). That evening many [demonized] people were brought to [Yeshua]. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.  This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases” (Matt 8:16-17).

Fear “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Luke 14:27).

Spiritual debt Due to our sins, we each owe a debt that we cannot possibly pay.  Yeshua has paid that debt for us with His own blood.  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, [Yeshua the Messiah] the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Spiritual darkness/blindness Yeshua spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12).

In addition to rescuing us from many evils, Yeshua also delivers to us numerous delightful gifts.  Some of these gifts are listed below.

Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26).

Adoption and Inheritance [Yehovah] determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his children — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose (Eph 1:5).  Also, in union with [Messiah] we were given an inheritance, we who were picked in advance according to the purpose of the One who effects everything in keeping with the decision of his will, so that we who earlier had put our hope in the Messiah would bring him praise commensurate with his glory (Eph 1:11-12). The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him (Eph 1:15).

A share in His glory Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne (Rev 3:21-22).

The righteousness of Messiah For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21)

Eternal life And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:11-12).

Joy But rejoice insofar as you share [Messiah’s] sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed (1 Pet 4:13).

Spiritual Gifts Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Rom 12:6-8).

Wisdom …that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is [Messiah],in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3).

As we meditate on Scripture, we can add to both these lists.  Yeshua delivers us from the hell we were born into and His gifts equip us to thrive in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Take courage, for we have all that we need to fulfill Yehovah’s purpose for us.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the twelfth article in the series, Yeshua is Yehovah Tz’vaot.

And David saith unto the Philistine, `Thou art coming unto me with sword, and with spear, and with buckler, and I am coming unto thee in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, God of the ranks of Israel, which thou hast reproached.”  (1 Sam 17:45 YLT).

Yehovah Tz’vaot is translated as “Yehovah of Hosts”, “Yehovah of the Armies”, “LORD of Hosts”, among various other translations.  It is a designation for Yehovah indicating that He is Lord or Ruler over the heavenly hosts and also the armies of the earth.   The first time this term is used in the Bible is in 1 Sam 1:9, where Hannah, who is barren, is pleading with Yehovah to give her a child.  In this case no earthly armies were involved.  In Matthew 26:53-54, Yeshua talks about His Father sending legions of angels to Him at His request.  Throughout the Old Testament, we see examples of Yehovah intervening on behalf of earthly armies You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chron 20:17).  Another example is ‘for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ (Deut 20:4).  And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when the people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses – all dead.” (2 Kings 19:35).

Is Yeshua also Yehovah Tz’vaot?  Some translations of Isaiah 44:6 seem to indicate that Yeshua also carries this title.  “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Is 44:6 NKJV). In Matthew 28:18, Yeshua told His disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him. 

What does this mean for us?  It means that we are never alone in our battles, whether in the physical realm or the spiritual realm.  In these troubling times, we can easily feel threatened on many levels, but we are not left on our own to contend with those who threaten us, whether human or demonic. We have very real help. not just from earthly armies, but from heavenly ones as well. And we can rest assured that both Yehovah, and His Son, Yeshua, are in charge of all armies. 

I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him.  He alone protects and saves me; He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my strong protector; He is my shelter. (Ps 62:5-7 GNT)

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the eleventh article in the series, Yeshua is “the Prophet”.

Moses continued, “[Yehovah] your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deut 18:15).

Yeshua is the Prophet that Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18.  This is confirmed in Peter’s speech on Shavuot (Pentecost): Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Yeshua, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you. Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people (Acts 3:19-23).

Moses prayed on behalf of the Israelites on many occasions throughout Exodus and Deuteronomy. One example is found in Deuteronomy 9:18. Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in Yehovah’s sight and so arousing his anger.  Matthew 4:1-3 tells us that Yeshua was led into the desert for forty days and forty nights and that He fasted and was tempted by hasatan (Satan). Was He also interceding for His people as Moses did? Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”  In John 17:20-21 Yeshua prayed “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Moses taught the Israelites how to live according to Yehovah’s commands and instructions.   Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you. (Deut 6:1).  Yeshua taught His disciples and large crowds in Israel the same statutes and judgments (Matt 5-7) and even expanded the commandments.  You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.  But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell (Matt 5:21-22). Yeshua did not do away with the law of Moses which is actually the law of Yehovah.  Moses was merely the messenger or prophet.  In fact, Yeshua not only upheld His Father’s law, but raised the bar, so to speak. 

Miracles and signs were performed through Moses as endorsement or proof that he had been commissioned and sent by Yehovah.  For example, Aaron’ staff turned into a snake. Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron,“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miraculous sign,’ then you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh.’ It will become a serpent.” Exodus 7:8-9).  There are other examples of signs and miracles throughout the Old Testament of Moses and other prophets performing signs and wonders.  Yeshua also performed many miracles such as changing water into wine (John 2:1-11); healing the sick (Matt 8); raising the dead (John 11:38-44); feeding multitudes with just a few loaves and fish (John 6:1-14).

Moses relayed messages from Yehovah to Pharoah and to the Israelites. Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say” (Ex 4:12). Yeshua relayed messages from Yehovah to the religious and civil authorities and to the people in Israel.  For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. (John 12:49).

Moses as a prophet was a messenger for Yehovah, but Moses did not provide the manna in the desert, nor did he part the Reed Sea, nor did he draw water out of the rock by striking it.  It was Yehovah who protected and provided for the Israelites.  Yehovah is a spirit and it is more difficult for people operating only in the physical realm to related to a spirit.  So, Moses, a human like the rest of the Israelites, was more tangible to them, but he was not Yehovah.  Yeshua is both Yehovah and a human and is therefore the perfect person to be the Prophet.  The Israelites tended to attribute Yehovah’s work to Moses’ credit and there was a tendency to worship Moses rather than Yehovah.   Yeshua, the Prophet, relates the Father’s message to us and does the work of His Father, but Yeshua is also Yehovah.  When we understand who Yeshua is, then we can more easily make the connection to Yehovah.  It is then that we recognize our true Provider and Protector.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.