- YHVH,
which is pronounced as YaHVaH or YaHWaH. In addition we will also
use our Heavenly Father’s attribute/title, which is Elohim rather
than “God,” which sadly is the name of a pagan god. In addition we
also love to use the actual and real Name of our beloved Messiah which
is 
- Yahushua or Yahshua in short, for
this is our Saviours original Hebrew Name as given to Him at birth in
This is the basis of this study, what is love? Do we understand it and do we really love in the correct and proper manner, or are we being deceived in this new and rather evil world that seems to be in what is known as the “end times” for prophetically we do seem to be racing towards the time when Messiah will return to the earth. Thus the question I will ask you is this; “Are you ready for Him?”
I already hear some say, but they have been saying that for eternity, “The end is near, the end is near and it never comes.” Well my friend there is a slight difference these days, for 1. The Jewish people have resettled back in their homeland; although it is what I call their partial return for the main big return is yet to happen! 2. We are living in a time of natural disasters as climate change is no longer a debate, although the sceptic’s will always be sceptics! But, there have been more floods, massive fires due to unbelievable droughts in various parts of the globe, and earthquakes, and other catastrophes that has cost countless of millions of lives in recent years. 3. Strife and wars, killings and murders on our streets, etc! Our beloved Saviour, Messiah Yahushua Himself gave us a warning of these, the “Latter days”;
“And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Mattityahu - Matthew 24:6-8.
But, I will be covering more about these events later.
“All
you need is Love”:
Let me describe the main difference between those who are genuinely the faithful in YaHVaH Elohim, and Yahushua The Messiah and those who are not!
The faithful in the Almighty will live according His Word, thus as life tends to go a man will find the perfect lady and they, being in love will get married and they will have children. The husband will go to work in order to care for his family and his dear wife will remain at home to care and teach her children until they will go to school. I am well aware that there are those out there who will have all sorts’ objections and will say but times have changed, etc! Sorry, no they have not, it is just that we want far too much in a hurry and we are greedy for goods and luxuries these days! But a faithful one will live simply within their needs! “But the poor woman, she will be like a slave.” I am so aware that there are those who say just that these days and they are the poor Satanic deluded ones going to hell! But, no, the faithful wife knows the Scriptures well and knows that everything in the Word has an order and she is more than happy to live according to Elohim’s plan and His Life and the order He has set, for in that order everything works perfectly, including pure love and happiness! As the Scriptures so clearly state there is and must be an order in all things;
“Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Messiah is Elohim.” 1 Corinthians 11:3.
Thus we have
learned that the love of those who are in Messiah Yahushua is an unselfish love
and it is all giving and pure! However, it is very different when it comes to
the love of the world, for there we will generally find a sensual and a selfish
love! Although, I will say, there are instances where there is love from the
parents and their children and the same applied with the grandparents, etc. But
generally I am sad to say it is all sex and raunchiness that sells here! The
truth is we have now entered into the realm of “that ancient serpent
called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” Revelation
12:9.
Sadly love these days is almost something that comes and soon goes away, for it is just more of a selfish type of feeling. Rather sad really! In addition these day’s couples more often than not no longer get married, they just live together as “partners” and have children and live as a married couple, but the vast majority, just like the married ones, generally break up, or get divorced within 7 to 12 years! It is so sad, for they tend to tire of each other and look for something new, a new love, the problem is everything is so terribly selfish, it is I, Me and Myself. Due to the extremely high divorce rates worldwide, governments have relaxed the laws and made it so simple to obtain a divorce and most couples tend to get married with what is called a pre-nup, meaning they have already made arrangement for their future divorce, thus they know in advance when they break up, who gets what! Thus, before marriage the break up is already pre arranged, how tragic, why bother to bring children in their rotten little world and destroy their lives, just because of their selfishness!
Then of
course there are more and more single women and yes, even Lesbians, that just
have babies and do not bother to get married at all. There are some who have a
partner, including homosexuals and they live together with their children
obtained by the means of “In Vitro Fertilisation” until, they tire of each other. But it is always the
children that suffer the consequences and these children grow up defiant and
angry and become delinquents and into drugs and crime! In addition women have
become so ambitious that they are climbing the ladder of success, now that may
all be very well, and you may well say, but if they have the skills, why not?
The problem is this, if all this has come at the destruction of the family unit, and destroyed lives within a marriage, which I have seen all too often, when the wife has disregarded her husband so much, that the marriage can no longer survive, for she had become so self absorbed with her work, and he had to become the house husband, and be degraded and I have seen it, many men had to leave their work. In due course it all brakes down and the children are removed from the family by Children’s Services Department, for they should be in her custody, but the wife simply would not look after them, yet the husband had to pay up big time, although she was the one earning a fortune, and his life had been totally destroyed. The children had a bad time with their foster parents in separate houses and ended up running away and got into drugs and crime and much worse. And why, because their mother was totally selfish and independent individual with her feminism and obviously Satan as I have said earlier was in charge of this wicked movement from the very beginning, for that Grier woman is clearly so evil and as common as they come! Due to her book and her followers, millions of lives have been utterly destroyed, and due to this movement, which now has become the norm, the world has gone vastly astray, and unemployment has gone wild, for the men cannot get work, for their wives have the jobs that they should be doing!
Beloved, I am not saying that women cannot work, of course not, but married women who are bringing up children should be doing what the Almighty has created them to do, to love and feed their little ones, and teach them whilst they are at home, and not dump them in a kindergarten and head off to work and have strangers bring up the children as most women are doing today! Love, where is the true love that we find written about in the Word of YaHVaH Elohim these days? Sadly the truth is friends, there is not a great deal of genuine LOVE around anymore!
But,
thankfully, there are still signs of genuine love here and there, thus there is
hope, and friends, remember, there is always hope, and we must continue to pray
that our Saviour will continue to do a work in the lives of those who need to
be fully restored unto Him and learn how to really LOVE again, by the means as
is written in the blessed Scriptures, for we have a duty as we are so clearly
told in the Word!
Yahushua The Messiah made this amazing statement, something that would be very difficult for many in the world today;
“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you.” Mattityahu - Matthew 5:44.
Scriptural
Love:
Did Yahushua also not say “Love Your
neighbour”? Mattityahu – Matthew 19:19. Ask most of the
“Little Flock” of the faithful in Yahushua The Messiah what the
“heart of His ethical teaching” was, and most will likely
say that it is the teaching of “Love Your Neighbour.'. For instance, they
might quote the following Scripture;
“‘Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Yahushua replied: ‘Love
YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is
like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Mattityahu -
Matthew 22:36-40.
Let me first make it very clear what Yahushua said at the conclusion of His statement, for that is usually forgotten! “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these TWO commandments.”
Now let us look at the first one. “Love
YHVH your Elohim with ALL your heart and soul and all your mind.”
Here we are speaking of a greater and higher kind of love, and I mean not just
saying, Oh I love you, and forgetting about Him until the end of the week when
it is the next Sabbath and we come together for worship, Certainly not, for it
is a love that completely fills your body (heart) your whole being (soul) and
your intellect (mind), thus your entire consciousness, your thoughts and your
spirit, meaning that YaHVaH Elohim MUST come first in all things in your
life and you must make decisions that are befitting as a servant of your
Heavenly Father and as one who has been saved by the shed Blood of the Lamb of
Elohim! Only this kind of person can fully understand the fullness and their
duty that is required of them that was spoken by our beloved Saviour Yahushua
to you and to me!
Now please note the following two points about
loving your neighbour.
First: “Love Your Neighbour”
this was certainly not a brand new command, in fact many statements in the Brit
Chadashah, the New Covenant are just like “Love Your Neighbour”
that our Saviour gave us on that day He spoke. And most will not know that
those very words and others came directly from the Tanach, the Old Covenant. In
Vayikra – Leviticus we read;
“Do not seek
revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour
as yourself. I am YHVH.” Vayikra – Leviticus 19:18.
On various occasions when our Saviour Yahushua mentions the what is often called the “Royal Commandment” - you will find it in Mattityahu - Matthew 22:34-40, Markus - Mark 12:28-34 and Lukas - Luke 10:25-28, each time it is quite explicit what is being discussed is “The Law” and obviously that is as found in the Tanach the Old Covenant for remember it was the ONLY Scriptures in existence at the time!
Second: How did
Yahushua interpret the Law? Yahushua made it clear that “neighbour”
did not just mean people living next door, or close by, for in the Sermon on
the Mount, He clearly said:
“You have heard
that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I
tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you
may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love
those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors
doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father
is perfect.” Mattityahu - Matthew 5:43-48.
However there is that famous parable of the
“Good Samaritan” that will make it even clearer. The
question is; “Who is my neighbour”? Therefore let us see
what we can gain as we read the Scriptures regarding the Good Samaritan
in Lukas - Luke 10:25-37.
25 “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Yahushua. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
26 ‘What is written in the Law? He replied. ‘How do You read it?’
27 He answered: ‘Love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
28 ‘You have answered correctly,’ Yahushua replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Yahushua, ‘And who is my neighbour?’
30 In reply Yahushua said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So also, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’
37 The expert in the
law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Yahushua told him,
‘Go and do likewise.’”
Having taken a look online I was amazed what
the thoughts of some are regarding this subject, and how easy it is to be
deceived, all because of the words and alterations of man. Whilst I looking for
some background information re this subject online I discovered in a
“christian commentary” and the following statement …
“We may well
ask why was this story so significant in the Bible? I can tell you now that it
was not just because this particular kind man was so compassionate to the man
in distress. No, indeed not, for it was because this man was a hated
“Samaritan” and were a people disliked by the Jews for John clearly
states that the “Judeans do not associate with Samaritans.” John
4:9, NIV.”
However, for those who are more alert in the
Word of YaHVaH Elohim. Will have noticed something in Yochanan – John
4:9, for if you will note if looking, lets say in the NIV, as well as the NASB,
NASU, ASV and countless other versions of the Scriptures all have brackets
around those words (Judeans do not associate with Samaritans). And why is that
so, simple, because those words were in fact inserted at a much later date and
therefore they have very little authority!
But, what is valid that two high ranking
Judeans, both very rich and of a high standing totally ignored this poor
injured man and walked on the other side of the road in order to avoid him, whilst
one who was not even a Judean, but a good Samaritan man who came to his rescue
and cared for him and paid for his upkeep. That indeed is a true neighbour
according to Yahushua, and this Samaritan, did not even know this man!
Therefore for a true believer in Messiah
Yahushua, “Love Your Neighbour” means to “Love all
people” even those who are enemies. I am well aware that an enemy
will be the most difficult of all people to love, but our loving
Saviour’s command is very powerful and we must to understand its full
implication, for in its fullest implication we are clearly told, that we MUST
“Love Your Enemies” no matter what he or she has done!
But, do I have to love Satan?:
Praise Yahushua, for we know that Satan has already been defeated almost 2,000 years ago, through the all-powerful shed Blood of the Lamb of YaHVaH Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name! We know that Yahushua gave His life freely and He rose again three Days and three nights later, for He gave us the sign of Jonah and the whale as the clear indication of the actual time that He would remain in the tomb (there is a study regarding this is online). Our Redeemer lives and He will return, and we His faithful who remain in faith and walk in His path according to His will and His commandments have the power to defeat the Adversary in and through His all powerful Name, the Name above all name, the Name of Yahushua! HalleluYAH.
I am well aware that there are some passages
in the Word that supposedly contradict Yahushua’s teaching to love our
enemies. However as we closely examine this, we will see that it is certainly
not the case.
“Do not suppose
that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace,
but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter
against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man’s
enemies will be the members of his own household.” Mattityahu - Matthew
10:34.
What our Redeemer Yahushua is speaking about
here the tragic situation that will come about because of those who have become
His true followers, whilst others have remained in a world of sin, or have
followed false faiths and sadly that includes any of the harlot pagan christian
churches that have come out of Rome who all worship another being called “christ” by the name
“Jesus” which means “a hail to Zeus”! Thus they do not
know the true Messiah who is Yahushua, He “who IS THE Word, who was in
the beginning, who is Elohim!”! Therefore they and others have become
“enemies” and the statement “a sword” is metaphorical
for “The Word” that the faithful can use, or even His light that is
in us, to shine out of us to reveal His glory, etc. But it also refers to the
divisions His message causes. It does not negate the fact that His faithful are
commanded to “love all people.”
If we are to love all people, we may ask, how
come that Yahushua so powerfully criticised His opponents as is stated in
Mattityahu - Matthew chapter 23? First,
His words were not just simple name-calling or blind criticism of certain
people, for He clearly named sinful practices, and He pointed out what should
be done to remedy these. The truth is that Yahushua was telling it very much
like it was, just as was done in the Tanach, the Old Covenant when
However Yahushua’s criticisms of the
Pharisees was certainly not unloving in nature, for at the end of his
discourse, He said:
“O Jerusalem,
Messiah Yahushua would allow anyone to become
His follower. He visited the Pharisees (Lukas - Luke 7:36-50, 11:37-50), and
Yochanan - John’s gospel records how at least one Pharisee, Nicodemus,
became a follower of our beloved Messiah!
Although Yahushua had to criticise sin and
evil wherever He saw it, but that certainly did not make Him unloving. In 1
Corinthians 16:22 there is the following statement;
“If anyone does
not love the Lord curse be on him. Come, O Lord.”
The phrase “curse be on Him,”
should read … “Let him be anathema.” We should
understand that this actually means “Let him (or her) be accused”
– or “excommunicated.” It is calling upon Elohim to act as
the judge, and certainly not anyone else. For we are still called to love all
people, including those who have fallen and we are to pray for their
restoration to the Heavenly Father in Yahushua’s Name! If they turn away
from Him forever, Elohim will judge all people in that great Day of Judgement.
But the judging will be done by
Romans 13 states, we must obey the
State:
True believers in Messiah Yahushua have always responded to unjust laws, much in the same as in the way the Apostles responded. There was a time when high priest had the Apostles arrested and they were thrown in jail, but during the night an angel of YHVH came and opened the door and they were commanded to go to the temple court and declare the Word of the new life. Thus the next day they were sharing the Word and once again they were brought before the priests;
“They made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this Name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’ Shime’on - Peter and the other Apostles replied: ‘We must obey Elohim rather than men! The Elohim of our fathers raised Yahushua from the dead.” Acts 5:27-30.
Thus even in the very sight of their oppressor
they shared the Word of truth! Thus, beloved, if the law of the state conflicts
with Elohim’s laws, we are called to disobey the State! A true
believer should have no hesitation in saying that we must stand against State
laws on issues, such as abortion, homosexuality, racism and fighting their
wars. We should be able to say, “I am sorry, I believe that my Elohim and
Yahushua my Saviour has clearly stated in the Scriptures that we must not fight
our fellow human beings, for His Word commands us very clearly to …
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
But beloved, there is also another problem
with trying to invoke Romans 13 in support of war and fighting. The apostle
Shaul - Paul says to obey our governments because “The authorities that
exist have been established by Elohim” as stated in verse 1. But if we
are to follow that reasoning consistently, it follows that the government of
that other country, that might
be the enemy, which your country is about to go to war against, has also been established by
I am sure you will remember all the Arab
Israeli wars, after the State of Israel was re-established after their return
to the land that has always been their very own land after WW2, I ask you, was
it Israel that ever attacked their Arab neighbour’s? No it was not! For
sadly every Middle-East war that followed was a full-scale attempted invasion
of the State of Israel, including the six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War, etc,
etc!
Thus, when we look at it that way, it is very
clear that Romans 13 does not address the issue of war in any shape of form. It
simply tells us to be good citizens, obeying the laws of our country as long as
they do not go against Elohim's principles and nothing more! But I will return
to this matter in more detail a little later.
Is War Ever Justified?
The words
of Yahushua are great and wonderful words of LOVE! He calls His faithful to
refrain from fighting any enemies no matter what the circumstances are!
Therefore, He calls His followers not to participate in any kind of war for how
can you “Love your enemy” with a gun aiming at them ready to kill
them?
However, throughout history, the majority of “christian’s” that are those who believe in “Jesus christ” have never taken any notice of this command and have gone to war and have killed countless thousands, if not millions of other believers in “Jesus christ” without any thought, except – “They are our enemy and we are right to do this for our government and country told me to do it, thus we are right, I am a soldier of God!” Thus, they found ways to justify themselves in taking part in a war and the killing of others who were of much the same faith as themselves.
Sadly, the
truth is that not one of them were a true or a genuine believer and followers
of the real Messiah whose Name is Yahushua, but they followed another one,
whose name was created by a man who is described in the book of Acts as a
“sorcerer” and was reprimanded by Shime’on – Peter,
before he went to Rome to start this new faith, which was based on various
pagan beliefs with a little of what he had learned about the Messiah of Israel,
but he changed all the names. He became the first bishop of Rome for he founded
the pagan church of
We must
understand that all the faithful in Messiah Yahushua who followed the ongoing
teachings of the Apostles for hundreds of years after Messiah had ascended to
Heaven to be with the Father, they took the words of Yahushua and the Apostles
literally and they upheld the call to pacifism, and they refused to join the
Roman army. The turning point came during the fifth century when the evil
Bishop Augustine of Hippo (also known as
When the
Western Roman Empire was starting to disintegrate, it was pope Augustine who
developed the concept of that the catholic church would become “A
Spiritual City of God” (in a book of the same name), distinct from the
earthly City of
To both the ‘Roman catholic church’ and the English offshoot, the ‘anglican church,’ he is a saint and pre-eminent “Doctor of the church,” and the patron of the “Augustinian religious order”; his memorial is celebrated 28 August, being the day of his death. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, the alleviation of sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses.
Many harlot
churches, such as the protestant denominations, especially the
Calvinists, consider him to be one of the theological fathers of the Reformation
due to his teaching on salvation and divine grace. The Eastern orthodox church considers him to be blessed and
his feast day is celebrated on 15 June. Among the orthodox he is called the
“Blessed Augustine.” or “
1.
While in general it is a good
principle to look at a passage in the Word on its own before comparing it to
the rest of the blessed Scriptures, for the Word will NEVER contradict itself!
In this case as you read on the narrative continues that later that night: when
one of those present in the garden used a sword and cut the ear of a soldier
and Yahushua rebuked him for doing so.
A rebuke is
recorded in three of the four gospels: Here are the details and
Yahushua’s words regarding the matter;
Yochanan - John
18:10-11:
Mattityahu -
Matthew 26:52:
Lukas - Luke
22:51:
As we have
noted Markus - Mark does not record a rebuke, but he does note that while one
disciple used a sword, Yahushua allowed Himself to be arrested peacefully,
implying that He disagreed with the use of force.
Some
commentators cite John 18:11 to suggest that Yahushua was only opposed to the
use of weapons on this particular occasion, because it was Elohim's purpose for
Yahushua to be arrested. But they tend to forget the rebuke recorded in
Mattityahu - Matthew that was far more wide-ranging for it very clearly states
“‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.’”
and if we analyse it carefully we will realise that condemns, or at least very
strongly discourages the use of any kind of weapons!
2.
The group comprised Yahushua
and the eleven remaining apostles, and possibly some others. Two swords were
not enough to defend such a group. Why then did Yahushua say 'That is enough'?
3.
Yahushua ties the use of the
sword to the Scripture being fulfilled, thus the statement; “And He was numbered with the
transgressors,” The sword really referred to His up coming
occasion on the Mount that night, when our Saviour would to be arrested like a
criminal – a transgressor.
4.
On the other hand, there was no
time for them to sell their cloak and buy a sword anyway; suggesting Yahushua
was really looking towards the future.
5.
If Yahushua was telling them to
have a sword handy (for self-defence) as they went into the world sharing His
Word, why then do Acts and the epistles consistently show the disciples
accepting persecution peacefully? Below we will see how some were put to death,
then we see how Shime’on – Peter was arrested and he did not fight
against it and went along peacefully, but was later saved by the angel of
YaHVaH Elohim!
7.
Today, true and genuine
believers in Yahushua the Messiah have no problem in the understanding of the
fullness of the meaning of His Word’s, “Love your enemies.”
And thus, we will not fight by any means whatsoever, for Yahushua said that
days of great persecution will come, remember the true faithful who stood in
the coliseum full of lions? Well they sang praise to whom? I can tell you; for
they knew no other then Yahushua THE Messiah, for the name of Jesus had not
been invented yet!
8. However, whilst travelling a sword is handy in those days for cutting food from the ground or trees, as well as protecting themselves against any wild animals. But do not forget as stated earlier, that the Greek word used, can also mean - just a “knife.”
Second
Argument on Romans 13:
As stated
earlier, Romans 13 has been used by many to justify ‘christian’
support for war and the murder of many. Thus, in general as seen in
The
“christian” argument goes something like this;
“We as Christians, we are commanded in Romans 13 to obey our
government. So if our government declares, or supports a war, we are bound to
support our government to the full, for it is the will of God.”
Friends,
there are three great errors in that argument!
First: The reason is that YaHVaH Elohim’s (the LORD God) laws override man’s laws and this principle is clearly confirmed in the Book of Acts chapter 5;
“We must obey the Laws of Elohim, not men.” Acts;
5:29.
Therefore
if we check carefully, we will realise that the teaching, in Romans 13 is only applicable
in areas of morality, which are neutral. If Elohim has nothing specific to
say on an issue, then we are commanded to obey the state.
So Romans
13, by itself, can never be used to justify any action. We must first look
elsewhere to see if an action is prohibited by Elohim, and if it is not
prohibited, then we are called to obey our government. But we must first look
elsewhere to determine whether an action is morally correct.
Did you
notice that Romans 13 never assists us to determine the morality of an action?
Second: The very context of Romans 13 is the payment of taxes. If we look at verse 6, Shaul – Paul of Tarsus applies his teaching by saying, “That is also why you pay taxes.” In fact, most commentators agree that Shaul wrote Romans 13:1-7 to refute suggestions that the faithful should not pay taxes.
Obviously
there is no law on what is the ideal level of taxation. Therefore, the faithful
in Messiah are commanded to obey the tax laws set by their government. But it
does not follow that the faithful in Messiah should obey their government when
it tells them to do something that is completely opposed to Yahushua’s
teachings, being all of His commandments as well as all of the Ten
Commandments!
Third: The fallacy is Shaul’s reason for actually obeying the given
governments. For he clearly states in verse 1;
“The authorities that exist have been established by Elohim.”
We need to
understand that the pro-war argument runs according their following statement:
“God has placed this government over us, so disobeying the
government is disobeying our God!”
However, if
you accept this, you have just hit a massive Scriptural problem, for should you
apply this to fighting in a war, the real problem is if anyone fights a war,
they will be fighting against one man against another man, one country against
another country. And more often than not, as it mostly was in WW1 and WW2 in
Europe, it was ‘christians’ killing ‘christians,’ now
how does that make sense? Or look at the mad Irish wars, where the evil
catholic’s fought against the protestants and visa versa, both
slaughtering each other, and I mean in the most despicable and evil of ways,
including blowing up babies and little children and doing this without any remorse
whatsoever! They were just like those Satanic catholic and lutheran German's
who were able in cold blood slaughter six million Jews, babies, children, women
and men during HaShoah, the Holocaust!
Romans 13:1 clearly states that ALL governments are established by Elohim! The question is, what does this really mean? It means that He is in control of borders worldwide, and He will allow governments to rule good or bad, including the evil ones. We need to understand that YaHVaH Elohim will even allow the “Beast, with seven heads, and ten horns with crowns, with the harlot riding it” come to power, during the Great Tribulation, for it is written in prophecy! These things must be. We also know that the evil one, the anti-messiah will have countless tribulation faithful murdered, mostly during the second half, which is known as the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” And this will be a tragic time. I am sure that we will recall the time that the Roman’s killed thousands of the Apostolic faithful in Yahushua the Messiah. Later, Emperor Constantine who was a sun worshipper to the day he died, commenced the state run religion a mixture of paganism and this ‘Jesus’ he had heard about but did not believe in, but he added another pagan festival and made the day of his beloved sun-god the day of official worship, instead of the day as given in the “fourth commandment” being the “Seventh Day Sabbath.” This new day of worship, being a Sunday, and his edict was written as follows;
“On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates
and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed.”
(Codex Justinianus 3.12.3) – dated March 7, 321 A.D.
Thus, the
argument of “obeying the government is obeying Elohim” is
automatically negated if we have to disobey the Word of YaHVaH Elohim and the
commandments of Yahushua our Lord and Saviour, and when He said “Love
your Enemies.” Simply means we cannot fight to overthrow another
government for we will be fighting against another ordained government by
Elohim, be they good or evil! Thus no matter how evil that land may be, we must
not fight them as believers, because our Saviour Yahushua The Messiah calls us
all to shun violence and to “Love our enemies.”
Is
the Elohim in the Old Covenant really an Angry Elohim?
The following is a statement I have heard many times and mostly from a Pentecostal or a Baptist ‘christian’;
“I believe that the God of the Old Testament is a God of anger and He is full of wrath, whilst our Lord and Saviour, Jesus is loving and kind and that is the difference, He is so full of love!”
May I point out a very simple fact, that all “christians” when such evil and sinful statements that in some way what they are saying is in fact directly related to anti-Semitic backgrounds. There is a verse that is used over and over again to prove one thing to suit their needs, but seems to be left out when this kind of statement is being made. Let me give it to you in full! And fully understand what it is saying!
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim (God). He was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (including making the Sinai Law).” Yochanan - John 1:1-3.
Thus, if you or your church is teaching this evil rubbish that “the God of the Old Testament is a God of anger and full of wrath” then you are saying that you are accusing He who … “the Word was Elohim,” and I mean, He who became Yahushua in the flesh Himself, the one they claim to be the very same one who is “kind and full of love” as if He was someone else than Elohim, for we know that He was! Let me tell you that this ideology is totally evil and wholly Satanic!
Friends,
“Showing mercy to thousands, to all who love Me and keep My Commandments.” Davarim - Deuteronomy 5:10.
“But You, O YHVH, are an Elohim full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Tehillim - Psalm 86:15.
“YHVH is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger, abounding in love.” Tehillim - Psalm 103:8.
“But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I Am YHVH, who exercises loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. For in these I delight,’ declares YHVH.” Yirmyahu - Jeremiah 9:24.
“And YHVH passed by before him, and proclaimed, YHVH, YHVH Elohim, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Shemos - Exodus 34:6
Having read these verses, it is clear enough that YaHVaH is indeed a just, merciful, gracious, longsuffering, righteousness and full of loving-kindness! We have seen this in so many cases when he delivered those who in certain cases did not deserve to be delivered, but yet He did! Why, because YaHVaH made an eternal covenant with Avraham, and He will never break His Word, even though there are parts of the church that claim that the “the Jews are finished, and that the christens are now the children of Israel of God.” I am sorry but that is just another of Satan’s great and evil lies, for YaHVaH never changes His mind, for in Messiah Yahushua we are ONE in the body, made up of Hebrews and those who were once Gentiles! Remember the Word states that Gentiles are without Elohim and are lost in their sins, thus once saved in Messiah Yahushua we, beloved have become one in Him! Indeed heritage wise, we may be from various nationalities, but that has no bearing whatsoever in the standing in our faith!
There is no doubt that the Brit Chadashah, the New Covenant, brings in a new era when it comes to the dealings between mankind and Elohim. Yahushua commands us regarding loving our enemies, which would have been so radical back in those days because this was a new commandment as such. As we now know many of the Old Covenant practices are no longer in affect these days, for things have dramatically changed because Yahushua became to be the Sacrificial Lamb of Elohim, “for indeed Messiah our Passover was sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. Therefore there would be no further need for sin offerings and certain other sacrificial laws.
However beloved, the Ten Commandments remain fully effective, for Messiah confirmed all of these in His teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, as well as at other times and the Apostles confirmed these throughout their ministries. But, the Royal Law of Love remains as powerful today as it ever was in the Tanach, the Old Covenant, for YaHVaH Elohim, the Elohim of the Old Covenant is a most loving Father who cares and lovingly provided for His Children with an outreached arm!
Sadly far too many in the “christian church” have taught the complete opposite and they even dare to say to a degree that “The OLD Testament can be done away with, for now we have the NEW Testament and we have a new God, a God of love!” But, as we have read above, and I have heard this said far too many times, it is tragic, but worst still, much of the church is sadly are led by Satan who is as the Word so clearly states;
“Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” Revelation 12:9.
Satan desires them to think that YaHVaH Elohim the Almighty is an
Elohim of wrath and anger, etc, for that will then also demean Yahushua, who is
… “the Word (who) was with Elohim, and the Word was
Elohim!
“Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the Word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Markus - Mark 4:13-17.
Elohim who hates Sin
and Evil in both the Old and the New Covenants:
But my call is this; if you have left the Heavenly Fathers side for
some reason, He will always love you enough, for although He hates the sin, He
desires you to come back to Him, for the Way, the Door is always open to you.
“Return to Me and I will Return to you” – you can do
this in and through the blessed Name of Yahushua The Messiah, who is our
Redeemer. All you have to do is; believe in Him and repent of your
sins in HIS Name!
“Repent and let every
one of you be immersed (baptized) in the Name of Yahushua The Messiah
for the remission of sins.” Acts 2:38.
Therefore we certainly cannot use the Old Covenant for forming a
doctrine of waging a “Just war.
What about Ecclesiastes 3:8?
“A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Qoheleth - Ecclesiastes 3:8.
In the Tanach the book of Qoheleth - Ecclesiastes much like the book of Job is in fact a book of speculative wisdom. We could ask, who wrote this book? According to tradition, the author is Shlomo - Solomon, but could also be another, we will never know: The book has been frequently criticised by some, for its “amorous language,” but I certainly believe that it has a right to be in the Scriptures, for we see many wonderful affections between Elohim and His Chosen People, as well as the Messiah and His faithful.
However, in relation to Chapter 3:8, you will find a
range of various sayings that are discussed and thought over, but not all may be
factual. The writer, and for that matter the reader, ponders over different
angles before arriving at the facts. Now consider the following verses:
The book of Ecclesiastes contains many verses that
should be read more as human sayings, and not necessarily as
“‘Meaningless!
Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is
meaningless.’” Qoheleth - Ecclesiastes 1:2.
“A man can do nothing better
than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.” Qoheleth - Ecclesiastes 2:24.
“And I declared that the dead,
who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But
better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is
done under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 4:2-3.
It is obvious that not one of the three verses above are presented as being an absolute truth, but rather as the writer’s speculation as he searches for truth. And it was deliberately how it was written, because it was written in the style of what may be called “speculative wisdom.” Therefore, I would suggest that Qoheleth - Ecclesiastes 3:8 falls into this very same category.
The notion that “There is a time for war”
is very much a human philosophy, which the author of Qoheleth - Ecclesiastes obviously rejects before the verse ends when he
states “and a time for peace.”
Yahushua
used war in a parable:
Before making a statement on this let me quote
several other verses that I will use as a response;
“He (Yahushua) also said to His disciples: ‘There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.” Lukas - Luke 16:1-8.
The prodigal son - “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots; you killed the fatted calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found’” Lukas - Luke 15:25-32.
One might well say that the parable of the shrewd
“rich man’ in Lukas - Luke 16:1-8, endorsed dishonesty, or that the
parable of the prodigal son in Lukas - Luke 15:11-32 endorses irresponsible
living. Of course not, Yahushua told these parables to make a specific point.
Whereas the parable in Luke 16:1-8 was certainly not about the rights or wrongs
of war but obviously about making a peace agreement and the parable of the
Prodigal son was all about a sinner who was lost, but who was found and saved again! Therefore Yahushua was looking
and pointing towards the redemption of sinners!
Soldiers
in the New Covenant:
We should also note that in none of these cases were
they fighting battles in these stories and they are featured as having become
men of faith! We know from history that many soldiers are also fulfilled in
peacekeeping duties, akin to the modern police force, and this was more than
likely the case in the instances mentioned. So this case does not carry much
weight when compared to several clear passages of teaching.
But
Yahushua was using hyperbole. While it is true that Yahushua may have used some
hyperbole (exaggeration) in the Sermon on the Mount, it is not at all clear
that this passage does. We need to understand that hyperbole is deliberate
exaggeration to make a certain point. Thus if this is hyperbole, what is the
actual point Yahushua was making? I can see no point except “love your
enemies” and “do not resist an evildoer.”
But an even
more telling answer is the fact that the very same teaching turns up in various
places throughout the New Covenant. Not only do both Mattityahu - Matthew and
Lukas - Luke record it on the lips of Yahushua, but both Shaul - Paul in Romans
12, but also in 1 Shime’on - Peter in chapter 3, have much the same
commands: not to resist an evil person, and to love our enemies.
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be
sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil
with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were
called so that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Shime’on - Peter
3:8-9.
A related
argument is; “That Yahushua’s commands on the Sermon on the Mount
are for a different dispensation: for they were spoken to the Jewish
believers.” I reject that argument, even though the hearers were all
Judeans and Israelites, but in the case of the anti pacifism argument, it is
very simple to dispel the “christian” argument by pointing out all
the similar passages in Romans and Shime’on - Peter (as already shown
above) which, even the dispensationalists would agree was teachings for both
the Hebrew and Gentile believers in Messiah in other lands.
“When the centurion and those with him who were
guarding Yahushua witnessed the earthquake and all that had happened, they were
terrified and exclaimed, ‘Surely He was the Son of Elohim!’”
Thus, here
we see the witness of Yahushua’s love, as He had said, “Father
forgive them for they do not know what they do” and this centurion
realised that he had met the very Son of Elohim and possible he may well have
become a believer there and then, although we have nothing further to base this
on, except for the statement that he made! However, I pray that he did!
In Conclusion:
In the same vain, today most have little understanding of what the blessed Scriptures is really saying, for the key is based on those three point that you can find at the very top of this page, and they are;
1.
Who was YHVH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, speaking to?
Beloved, if we will only be obedient unto Him then we will see His most blessed and shinning face in that great day when we finally arrive in the “Kingdom of Elohim”, but if we refuse and rebel against Him and Yahushua The Messiah, we will certainly see Elohim, but only to be torn away after having seen the all powerful and the ultimate beauty and greatness and then you really want and desire to be with Him right there and then, for as you face your Maker you will have full knowledge, but it will be to late to repent. You will be removed from standing in front of the Great Throne and taken to the most horrid place on earth that you will ever see the Valley of Hinnom in Israel, where in ancient day all the local rubbish was burned, (Gehenna) and you will be thrown into the pit of fire and be burned up until there is nothing left. This is called - the “second death.”
Beloved,
this is not an inconsistency in Elohim’s character, but a part of
absolute consistency, for we have all been clearly told about the results of
good and evil! In addition ever since the time of Messiah the “Little
Flock” of the faithful in Yahushua The Messiah have been sharing the
Scriptural Truth throughout the ages. Thus the Good News has always been
available and it has been up to the individual to choose the Love, Kindness and
Salvation of
“This is what YHVH of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me,' declares YHVH of Hosts, 'and I will return to you,' says YHVH of Hosts.” Zecharyah – Zechariah 1:3.
“‘Return to Me, and I will return to you,’
Says YHVH of Hosts.”
“The
Over the many years I have had people say to me, “Brother you often speak about the soon return of our Saviour, but it must still be way off?”
My answer to that is very simple and in reply I have an interesting story that I like to tell and it actually comes from my Hebraic roots. Beloved, this is a very powerful story and I certainly pray that it will touch you as it has touched countless ones worldwide!
This is a
true story that occurred many years ago in
There was a Rabbi who dearly loved the Elohim of his fathers. On one Sabbath after the reading of the Torah Scroll and the Prophets, the Rabbi was about to give his Sabbath study, however, he stood close by the Ark of the Covenant pondering on the message that he was going to give. However, after a lengthy silence and with sadness in his eyes, he commenced to speak, but he said with a tears in his eyes.
“Family and friends, today I will be giving my shortest but the most important message that I have ever given. ‘And it is this - Repent one day before you die!’”
He then stood there in total silence for his message that Elohim had laid on his heart for his congregation was complete.
Throughout the Synagogue there was a deadly silence and it seemed to go on, and on forever. But, then suddenly somewhere from out of the silence, one of the young students stood up and he asked;
“But Rabbi how will we know when we are going to die?”
The Rabbi replied;
“Therefore repent NOW, repent this
very moment, for no-one knows when they are going to die. It could be today, or
tomorrow. Be ready for HaSHEM (YHVH - the LORD) therefore Repent Now!”
Beloved,
this story contains a powerful truth, because none of us know when our time
will come, we should realise that no one really knows when we are ready to meet
our Heavenly Father? Or do we have the attitude the Judeans had when rebuilding
the
Sadly, far too many have become so involved in building or rebuilding of the internals of the temple within us, than giving our all unto YaHVaH Elohim, and excepting Yahushua The Messiah to the fullest in LOVE and sharing that LOVE with your loved ones, neighbours, friends strangers, workmates, and even all those who come against you and persecute you!
When we are
obedient unto Him, you will have the assurance, that through His grace and love
our spiritual lives will be in order! And
Yahushua said … “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Mattityahu - Matthew 17:20.
Earlier in this study I gave some simple words from a song, and although, I am not endorsing the song in any way, I do like the words just as they are read here in its purest and Spiritual form in Messiah - “All you need is Love” for if you have the love of Yahushua The Messiah in you, then you will be like a shinning light unto others that they may see the love of Messiah in you!
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Mattityahu - Matthew 5:16.
“Teach me
Your way, O YHVH. I will walk in Your truth.
UNITE MY HEART TO FEAR YOUR NAME!”
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