life | Missing Pieces

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 seventeenth article in the series, Yeshua is the Resurrection.

Yeshua said to her, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life! Whoever puts his trust in me will live, even if he dies; (John 11:2).

As Yeshua’s apostles spread the good news of the Kingdom, they emphasized the significance of Yeshua’s resurrection. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of [Yeshua], and God’s great blessing was upon them all (Acts 4:33). In fact, Sha’ul (Paul) claims in his letter to the Romans that Yeshua’s resurrection proves that He is the Son of Yehovah. It concerns his Son — he is descended from David physically; he was powerfully demonstrated to be Son of God spiritually, set apart by his having been resurrected from the dead; he is Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord (Rom 1:3-4).

Yeshua raised the widow’s son from the dead in Nain (Luke 7:11-17) and also raised his friend, Lazarus after three days (John 11:38:44). So, what is significant about Yeshua’s resurrection and how is it different from Lazarus being raised from the dead? Unlike the widow’s son and Lazarus who were brought back to life in their mortal bodies, Yeshua was raised into an immortal body, a body that cannot be harmed, that is incorruptible. What does that mean for us?

It means that the payment Yeshua made for our sin debt has been accepted by Yehovah (Rom 4:25). Our corruptible bodies will die but we need not fear for we will be raised into immortal bodies just like Yeshua. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies (1 Cor 15:53).

It also means that Yeshua is alive and active in His body of believers. He is very involved with us, with our growth and formation as citizens of His kingdom. Even though He is seated at the right hand of the Father, Yeshua communicates with our spirit through His Spirit. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing (Acts 2:33).

In this mortal body, we have pain, illness, and weakness, but in our new glorified bodies, we will have perfect health and power. Living in this mortal body is temporary, but living in an immortal body will be forever. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body (1 Cor 15:42-44).

Yeshua is our resurrection; therefore, we have hope for the future beyond the death of our mortal bodies. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you… (1 Pet 1:3-4).

Yeshua’s resurrection means that He will someday return to the earth to judge, to rule and to reign in His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31). Those who remain faithful to Yeshua while in their mortal bodies will reign with Him in their resurrected bodies. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years (Rev 20:4-6). Revelation 1:5-6 states “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

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.

This article is the final of three articles in a series entitled “Living Kingdom”. We will examine the importance of choosing to abide by YHVH’s commands as we consider the choices of individuals in Scripture. The Good News (Gospel) is about YHVH’s kingdom. Salvation is necessary for Kingdom Living, but it is a part of the process, not the goal. We face the same challenges as the Israelites: recognizing and obeying our King.

Yeshua said, “If you love Me, obey My commandments” (John 14:15). Misinformation abounds among present-day followers of Yeshua concerning what Yeshua meant by “commandments”. It is time to clear away the cobwebs of lies and confusion that impede us from all that YHVH intends for us.

Sha’ul (Paul) discusses more than one type of law even though many Bible translations speak of all types as just “law”. Sha’ul is talking mainly to Gentiles who were involved in pagan worship and were heavily influenced by the law of hasatan (Satan). Sha’ul pointed out that they had been released from the law of sin and death and were now free to pursue the law of YHVH which leads to freedom and life. It is helpful for us to use a translation that clearly distinguishes the different types of law, so all Scripture quoted in this article will be taken from New Living Translation (NLT).

In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, YHVH clearly points out that we have two choices. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving [YHVH] your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.…” The Israelites had lived in a pagan culture (Egypt) for over 400 years. The choices given here were between YHVH’s law or hasatan’s law. We all live in a world that has been influenced by the values of hasatan’s law which are sometimes called “worldly ways” or “living in the flesh”.

In the first chapter of Romans (1:18-32), we find mention of the two types of law. First there is the law and order of YHVH expressed through His creation: They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God (v 18-20). YHVH’s ways are evident throughout creation, but He has also given us His law in written form (Scripture) and has written it on our hearts. The opposite of YHVH’s law, satanic law, is graphically described in verses 28-32: Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.… They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. If hasatan had his way, this is the only law any of us would know. Therefore, he has worked throughout history to obscure and misconstrue YHVH’s law.

There has been confusion about the law since the time of the apostles. First, some Jewish leaders were adding pre-requisites before receiving salvation. We are rescued (salvation) from the dominion of hasatan through faith and even that faith is a gift from YHVH (Eph. 2:8). Second, Constantine, in an effort to unite his empire, combined the sacred with the pagan and forbade keeping Torah under pain of death, thus distorting the Sabbaths and replacing the appointed times of YHVH. Later, in the time of Martin Luther, grace was misconstrued as being the opposite of keeping law.

One dangerous heresy that has resulted today is the widespread belief that Yeshua’s followers are no longer under any type of law. Grace reconciles us to YHVH and keeps us in relationship with YHVH when we transgress while unlearning hasatan’s ways and learning YHVH’s ways. Grace is not a replacement for obedience to YHVH’s laws but rather the application of the atonement and covering of Yeshua when we repent of our sin.

Another myth today is that the laws of YHVH are too difficult to keep and therefore YHVH has done away with them. There are 613 laws in the Torah and no one person is accountable for all of them. Some are for priests only, others just for men, some for women only, and so on. There are actually 1,050 commands in the New Testament!

Adam and Eve were influenced by hasatan and sinned against YHVH, subjecting themselves to hasatan. Until hasatan distracted and confused them, they were capable of keeping YHVH’s law. Now, we who are born under the dominion and influence of hasatan, struggle to keep YHVH’s law on our own. Therefore, through Yeshua’s covering and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we can maintain our relationship with YHVH while we are being perfected. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him (Phil 2:13).

Yeshua rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for their false teachings and actions. Under the guise of keeping Torah, the Pharisees were more often keeping their own man-made laws (Matt 23:15-30). hhhahasMan-made law is the distortion of YHVH’s law thanks to humans who have disobeyed by adding to or subtracting from YHVH’s law (Deut 4:2). Man-made law is actually satanic law in another guise.

Salvation is not a one-time event, but a process. Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear (Phil 2:12). YHVH has not changed, neither has His law nor His expectations of us.