Tag Archives: Leaven

Yeshua Never Died on a Good or a Black Friday

01 Sunday Dec 2019

Posted by in Bible Study

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31 It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. – John 19:31, NLT

In this blog article, I am doing what all saints of Yeshua should do. I am setting the record straight about the Black Friday graphic with Yeshua on the cross flanked by two criminals. Many versions of this graphic have been posted for years on Facebook, but, sadly, they all have been posted not only to confirm Yeshua died on a Good Friday but also to confirm that that Good Friday was a black Friday. The truth is that Yeshua never died on any Friday – neither good nor black or otherwise.

To start with, there were three days of preparation during the so-called Holy Week Yeshua was crucified. The one mentioned in the above Scripture was not on Friday – at least not the week Yeshua died.

During the Holy Week, there were two Sabbaths – a High Holy Sabbath and a regular Saturday Sabbath. The Jews prepared for both of these Sabbaths on the days before they took place.

Moreover, the  13th of Nisan – Tuesday – has been called the “preparation day” for the Passover, which included Passover and Unleavened Bread. On Nisan 13, all leaven was removed out of the Hebrews’ homes.

On this 13th day of Nisan, Yeshua had His Disciples prepare for His Passover meal. Yeshua’s Seder meal actually would be eaten after 6:00pm, which would be the beginning of Nisan 14 since, once again, a Jewish day has always been from sunset (evening) to sunset (evening).

Likewise, the 14th day of Nisan – Wednesday – has always been the day of Passover since the Israelites came out of Egypt. They also have always been allowed to work on this day.

During the week Yeshua died, Nisan 14 (Passover) also was the day that the Jewish religious leaders had the Temple’s guards drag Yeshua in front of Pilate’s (the Roman governor’s) residence around 6:00am (see Matthew 27:1-2; John 18:28-29). Additionally, it was on Passover, from noon (the sixth hour) until three in the afternoon (the ninth hour) that Yeshua was crucified. During these hours, darkness came over all the land. Lastly, it was on Passover that the Jewish people in Yeshua’s day prepared for the next day’s High Sabbath.

Yeshua hung on the cross until right before the 15th of Nisan – Thursday – was about to begin. Nisan 15 has always been the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Yeshua was removed from the cross and then placed in a borrowed tomb right at the start of Nisan 15 – a day that otherwise would be very uneventful, except for the holy convocation.

The 16th day of Nisan – Friday – was called “the morrow after” the Sabbath (the day after Nisan 15th’s High Holy Sabbath). Nisan 16 was the day on which the firstfruits of the barley harvest were cut and bundled. During the week Yeshua died, Nisan 16 also was the day of preparation for the regular Saturday Sabbath.

The 17th day of Nisan – Saturday – in the year Yeshua was crucified was the regular 7th-day Sabbath. At the start of this day, Yeshua had been in the grave two nights and two days. By the start of Nisan 18 – Sunday, the first day of the week – Yeshua had fulfilled His prophesied three days and three nights in the grave. His resurrection also made Him the first fruits of the dead, because He rose on the day of First Fruits when the cut barley sheaves were waved before YeHoVaH.

Yeshua rose from the dead right when Sunday evening started. Sunday was the Day of First Fruits. Remember, a Jewish day is from sunset (evening) to sunset (evening). Without a doubt, the above timeline is consistent with Yeshua’s words that He would be dead and in the grave for three days and three nights.

Shalom . . . . .

Wheat Believers Were Carnal Christians Who Looked Like Tares

04 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by in Bible Prophecy

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Barley, Wheat and Tares

…the servants of the householder came and said unto him, ‘Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath come the tares?’ He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this.’ The servants said unto him, ‘Wilt thou then have us go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ~ Matthew 13:27-30, KJ21

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal. For if there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men? ~ 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, KJ21

The Word of God teaches believers—in Christ’s day and in this century—about how important Barley is to the Kingdom of God’s economy (God’s sovereign plan for mankind). Several Scriptures imply that Barley is the perfect representation of the first resurrection’s firstfruits (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:23), which would include the raptured Bride of Christ—both the resurrected dead in Christ and the alive saints at His coming. Furthermore, since Christ arose from the grave on the Firstfruits feast day—the same day that the Jewish Temple priest waved a sheaf of Barley before God for His acceptance—this Divine Truth is why Barley also represents the resurrected Christ who is the firstfruits of those who have died (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20).

Now during biblical days, what was matchless about Barley was that it ripened in the spring before any other grains, and it did so without help from the Latter Rains. Barley also was a hardier grain than Wheat, because Barley was able to endure its harshest conditions—poor soil, less water, intemperate weather, and so forth—much better than Wheat. Perhaps the above facts are why Barley grew everywhere and in large amounts, or why Barley also was a healthy grain that resisted diseases. In fact, because of its early maturation, Barley wasn’t prone to pests and infestations like Wheat was.  No doubt it was because of all the ancient health benefits in Barley that made Barley the grain that symbolizes perfection—the perfect firstfruits offering, the perfect sacrifice, and the perfect Bride of Christ.

Harvested a month earlier than Wheat, mature Barley—the seeds of which were planted in Israel the same time as Wheat’s—easily was separated from the chaff and the refuse. Surprisingly, mature Barley’s winnowing involved no crushing or threshing, even though it grew wildly and in abundant amounts. Barley only needed the wind, which effortlessly separated the chaff (husk, hull) from the grain.

Something else to note about both Barley and Wheat is that they also are used in the Word of God to symbolize types of believers. For this reason, it should be expected that what is true about Barley will be true about Barley Christians. Likewise, what is true about Wheat will be true about Wheat Believers.

For example, broken and multiplied by the Lord’s hands, the Barley bread—what He feeds the 5,000 and later His disciples at His Last Supper—represents how saved and born-again believers first must be broken so that the Kingdom of God work they will do can be multiplied. Christ is their example, for His body would be broken for many.

This last truth is why, on the day the Lord feeds the 5,000, He demonstrates the multiplied measure of Barley principle/miracle to His disciples and the multitudes, by causing each loaf of Barley bread in the His hands to be multiplied 1 to 1000 men. This multiplied measure of Barley principle/miracle first is seen in the Old Testament, as Barley is multiplied 2 to 1 over Wheat (cf. 2 Kings 7:1), with Barley costing the same amount as Wheat. Then again in the New Testament, the measure of Barley is multiplied 3 to 1 over Wheat (cf. Revelation 6:6), with Barley and Wheat once again costing the same amount. People certainly will get more bang for their buck from Barley, but not so much from Wheat.

There can be no doubt that the multiplied measures of Barley over Wheat suggest that in the Kingdom of God it is, and always has been, more Barley Christians than Wheat Christians who are spreading the Gospel of Christ, and rightly so. More later on this point. Then too, in the times of famine and scarcity, which often are the results of war—as in the case of the siege of Samaria during the prophet Elisha’s day and in the case of the seal judgments that happen during the Tribulation Period—God designed it so that the poor, who would only be able to afford Barley, would remain healthier than the wealthy who would buy Wheat. Why? Well, it is because Barley is considered to have a near-perfect balance among its nutrients.

Now concerning Christ’s broken Barley loaves symbolizing believers’ brokenness, with genuine Christians their brokenness is the removal of all self-righteousness, jealousy, envy, strife, impatience, and so forth. This brokenness is achieved through the filling of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing sanctification process—the process of sanctifying (perfecting) them so that they effectively can feed the Gospel of Christ to the world’s unsaved multitudes. Once the Holy Spirit fills believers, He then is allowed to begin His progressive sanctification, which transforms believers into the image of Christ—changes their personalities and mindsets, more and more each day, until they become Christlike. Put differently, Barley Christians only need to be exposed to the Wind of the Holy Spirit in order for them to respond by walking right, talking right, speaking right, and thinking right. They truly are the sons and daughters of God who want to be pure (holy) and righteous.

Another example of how what is true about the Barley grain is true about the Barley Christians is in the way the Barley grain ripens before the Wheat grain matures. This early maturation of Barley represents saved and born-again Barley Christians’ spiritual maturity. There can be no doubt that Barley’s early maturation agricultural truth means that the corresponding spiritual truth happens the same way—Barley Christians and Wheat Believers who are saved (sown into the Kingdom of God) at the same time also will mature at different speeds. In particular, the Barley Christians will mature quicker than the Wheat Believers.

What is irrefutable is that the firstfruits Barley grain harvest in the Scriptures is symbolized as the first resurrection’s overcomers—the saints (i.e., Barley Christians) who are resurrected and raptured (winnowed or thrown up in the air against the wind)—translated; caught up; snatched off of this Earth—at the time of the Rapture of the Bride, but before the alive in Christ firstfruits are raptured. Put differently, there is no doubt that the raptured Bride of Christ is represented as the Barley sheaf wave offering that is lifted up and then waved before God for Him to accept it as a firstfruits offering.

In contrast, the Wheat Believers are symbolized as the Tribulation Period’s left-behinders—the rest of the believers. Unlike the mature Barley Christians who are raptured before the start of the Tribulation Period (the Wrath of God), the left-behind Wheat Believers who ripen during the Tribulation Period are in the Tribulation Period to experience the kind of separation or crushing/threshing that will cause these believers to be separated from their much harder husk (chaff, hull)—the world systems and doctrinal errors they trusted more than they trusted the Lord and/or Father God, when they were on the other side of the Tribulation Period.

All of the above was said so that the following can be said about why the Wheat Believers gathered at the end of the Age of Grace are NOT the Barley Christians and therefore not the Bride of Christ. In order to be the Bride of Christ (Barley Christians) or a Loaf of Barley that is to be broken for many, believers in Christ cannot have lost their first love, cannot be listening to and/or following the teachings of Balaam (idolatry and immorality), cannot be listening to and/or following the Nicolaitans and the Jezebel prophetess (more idolatry and immorality), cannot have passion that is dead, cannot have incomplete works, cannot be lukewarm, cannot be proud, cannot be ignorant of the Word of God, and cannot be spiritually blind.  For sure, the believers who have lost their first love, and etc., are the Wheat (Wheat Believers) that must go through the Tribulation Period.

Once again, the Wheat gathered at the end of the Age of Grace actually will be carnal Christians who finally reached their spiritual maturity during the Tribulation Period. God made this point clear when He mandated that the firstfruits of the Israelites’ Wheat Harvest, from which the two loaves of Wheat were made and then waved on the Day of Pentecost, should contain LEAVEN (cf. Leviticus 23:17). Now that is so interesting, especially since God makes it clear in many biblical passages that leaven represents a type of carnality and sin. This Divine Truth only can mean that the Wheat Believers who go through the Tribulation Period had to do so because of the carnality and sin that were still in their lives.

In contrast, the Barley bread was made without leaven, and this fact is another reason why Barley—NOT Wheat—symbolizes perfection—the holiness and righteousness of a pure spiritual life. Moreover, the difference between unleavened Barley Christians and leavened Wheat Believers should make it understandable that the Wheat gathered at the end of the Age of Grace will NOT be the Bride of Christ. Indeed, Jesus Christ definitely is letting His Bride know in the parable of the Wheat and Tares that the surviving Wheat Believers at the end of the Tribulation Period were never His true believers who—on this side of the Tribulation Period—humbly were growing in Grace through faith in the hope, love, wisdom, understanding and knowledge of God’s Will for their lives. That is why it is the surviving Tribulation Wheat Believers—NOT the Barley Christians—who have to be separated from the Tares and then stored in the Lord’s barn.

Certainly a barn or storehouse is a far cry from the Bridal Chamber the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ) has prepared for His Bride (Barley Christians) in His Father’s House. That’s why the barn image also lets the true Bride of Christ (Barley Christians) know that the Tribulation Period’s Wheat Believers are not the Lord’s firstfruits overcomers, because these Wheat Believers are not gathered into Heaven but rather into the Lord’s barn. That is to say, these alive Wheat Believers no longer have one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God. They are now fully in the Kingdom of God, but that doesn’t mean they also have received their glorified bodies. The only thing that being put in the Lord’s barn means is that the Wheat Believers are completely safe and out of the reach of God’s enemies—Satan and his imps!

Now here begins the main point of this blog entry, which for many will be an uncomfortable truth. Be that as it may. Also in the Wheat and Tares parable, Jesus Christ is making it clear that the reason why His spiritual servants are not able to tell the difference between the Wheat Believers and the Tares (unbelievers) is because Wheat Believers are the leavened carnal believers. In other words, it is the carnality in the Wheat Believers that makes them look too much like unsaved worldly people (unbelievers)—makes them look too much like the Tares! This last point is why, until the agricultural Wheat bows—becomes mature—it is almost agriculturally impossible to tell the difference between the Wheat and the Tares. Likewise, until the weight of the spiritual Wheat Believers’ fruit causes them to bow humbly before their Lord, it will be nearly impossible for other spiritual believers to tell the difference between the leavened carnal Wheat Believers and the Tares (unbelievers).

No doubt this last fact is why leavened carnal Wheat Believers are in the Tribulation Period. It is obvious that God is giving them time to mature and finally get separated from the chaff—to have what is godly in them completely separated from what is ungodly.

There also can be no doubt that carnal babes in Christ—on  this side of the Tribulation Period—will become the sold out for Christ Wheat Believers who were once on milk. As the apostle Paul declares, carnal believers cannot be fed the meat of the Word of God. If they can’t eat meat, then their milk diet will be the reason why they do not grow up fast enough—spiritually speaking.

Carnal believers’ slow spiritual growth keeps them from being prepared and ready (sanctified, Christlike), when Christ comes for His Bride, who is without spot, wrinkle or blemish. Therefore, the Bride of Christ is His ripened and harvested Barley Christians.

It is very unfortunate that the hard truth for some Christians to swallow is that Jesus Christ will leave behind—close the door/portal/gateway to Heaven—on the carnal babes in Christ who are not spiritually mature. Why? Well, the obvious truth is that they are carnal believers instead of spiritual believers! As such, there was no way the Holy Spirit could finish the work God began in them—no way He could give them their completely sanctified spirits, souls and bodies so that they could receive their glorified bodies!

That’s right! Today’s carnal believers are not becoming Christlike because they are not being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, who cannot initially fill them (baptize them in Him) so that the sanctification process can begin. If these believers in Christ do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that He can give them His filling—His Baptism that is corroborated, first and foremost, by the speaking in tongues—then these carnal believers (Wheat Believers) will continue to look the Tares until these carnal believers either physically die—on this side of the Tribulation Period—or until they become completely faithful and obedient to Christ during the Tribulation Period. However, by then, they either will be martyred (beheaded for their love of Christ and God, and for their holy and righteous living) or they will survive the Tribulation Period and become the holy and righteous individuals who—like Noah and his family—repopulate the Earth.

In contrast, neither the Barley grain nor the Barley Christians resemble Tares. This truth no doubt is why Barley Christians represent genuine Christians. Moreover, Barley Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit, as well as empowered and endowed by Him. As a result, these believers will be producing the fruit of the Spirit and living righteous and holy lives that will make them standout instead of making them bear a resemblance to the Tares. This truth is why ONLY the carnal babes in Christ will be the Wheat that is growing right alongside of the Tares—both on this side of the Tribulation Period and during the Tribulation Period—at least until they become sold out for Christ followers.

The bottom line is this: In the Word of God, there are two grain harvests that belong to the Lord—the firstfruits harvest and the subsequent harvest (the Barley harvest and then the Wheat harvest), with the latter being larger than the former. Now that should be no surprise, since the Word of God reminds true Christians that only a few of people—a remnant—of all of the world’s people will find the narrow path that leads to the Kingdom of God gate,  enter through the gate to the Kingdom of God, and continue walking on that path. This Divine Truth is why the Word of God also promises there will be two spiritual harvests—the harvest of Barley Christians and the harvest of Wheat Believers. 

Just like the agricultural Barley harvest comes first with the agricultural Wheat harvest following, the Barley Christians or Bride of Christ’s pre-Tribulation spiritual harvest will come first, and it will be followed by the Tribulation Period’s finally sold out for Christ surviving Wheat Believers’ end of the Age of Grace spiritual harvest. Clearly, the Barley Christians and the Wheat Believers are not the same people, and that is why both of these groups of believers cannot be the righteous, pure (holy), and unblemished believers who, after being sanctified, are given glorified bodies and then admitted into Heaven as the Lord’s Bride.    

Lastly, the reasons why Barley is important to the Kingdom of God are what follows. The first reason is because Barley’s multiplication principle/miracle represents how swiftly The Way—in the first century—and today’s real Christianity spreads. Put differently, Barley signifies just how often God has added another follower of Christ to the Lord’s ekklesia—the emphasis should be on GOD being the One adding genuine followers of Christ to His ekklesia and NOT on men and women adding new converts to their “church” rolls. Secondly, since Barley grows everywhere, tolerates the harshest conditions, and endures inclement temperatures, it should be obvious by now that ONLY Barley represents all of the persecuted Christians from the first century until the Rapture of the Bride of Christ, and all of the centuries of Christian missionaries—whether apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. In short, Barley is important to the Kingdom of God, because Barley symbolizes the Age of Grace’s pre-Tribulation raptured perfected Bride of Christ.

A word to the wise should be sufficient. Amen.

Religious Hypocrites Are Dangerous!

06 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by in Heavenly Insights

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Pharisees & Sadducees' Leaven

Jesus said to them, ‘·Be careful [Watch out]! Beware of the ·yeast [leaven] of the Pharisees and the Sadducees [C yeast or leaven refers here to the dangerous permeating power of their influence].’ ~ Matthew 16:6, EXB

 

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the biggest religious hypocrites in Christ Jesus’ day, which was the reason why the Lord taught that these religious leaders’ outward religiosity was thoroughly fruitless, phony, and narcissistic. For these reasons, He warned His disciples to beware of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ leaven (their venomous attitudes), and why He advised His disciples to avoid judging other people with the same kind of hypocritical righteousness the Pharisees and Sadducees used.

For the record, the Pharisees were strict observers of the Written Law or Torah, as well as strict observers of the Oral Law. They adopted the “traditions of elders”—the interpretations of the Oral Law (unwritten laws) they claimed had been handed down from Moses. However, by placing more emphasis on the “traditions of elders,” the Pharisees made God’s written commands of no effect. Even though the Pharisees explained/taught the Law of Moses and enforced a strict adherence to said Law, they usually didn’t practice what they taught and enforced. Furthermore, they were nitpickers, but ONLY about SOME commandments; they actually ignored following many of God’s commandments, as well as many of the laws they themselves added. Because they were full of spiritual pride, they demanded to be greeted in public as Rabbi, Master, and/or Father, and they expected to be shown the proper respect. Then too, their deeds were constantly on display; they had a habit of praying, fasting, and giving alms in public, because they loved to be seen of men. They made sure that their phony religiosity and man-given honorable titles impressed the people watching them so that they (the Pharisees) could make money off of their religion, as well as receive praise.

In contrast, the Sadducees believed in a strict literal interpretation of the Written Law or Torah, which was to them without any influence from their contemporary society or the Oral Law (unwritten laws) that had been handed down. Their main concern was maintaining the integrity of the Mosaic Law. They insisted that the Torah, the Law of Moses found in the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament), was binding. The Sadducees believed that the oral regulations based on “tradition” misrepresented the Torah, and this is why they rejected the “traditions of elders.” They also didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, nor in angles or demons. Moreover, because they didn’t believe in Judgment, Heaven, or Hell (denied the afterlife and the immortality of the soul), they also did not believe in rewards or punishments at judgment day. The taught external cleanliness (modesty; clean clothing), but they didn’t teach about inward holiness or obedience to God. They were rationalistic and worldly minded, heavily influenced by Greek customs and culture, and were in favor of adopting them. They accepted human reasoning over Divine Revelation, believing that if they couldn’t conceive or comprehend something, then that “something” could not exist. Although they believed in God, they denied the supernatural. Lastly, they didn’t believe in God’s involvement in everyday life. In fact, the Sadducees were exceedingly self-reliant.

Even though the Pharisees are the ones who consistently are given a bad rap, the truth is that the Pharisees and Sadducees in Christ Jesus’ day were spiritually proud religious hypocrites, legalists, murders, and militants. Both groups/sects also were involved in political scheming.

What is important to note here, however, is that the leaven Christ Jesus tells His disciples to watch out for refers primarily to the Pharisees and Sadducees’ spiritual pride and religious hypocrisy, which Christ Jesus teaches God never rewards. Metaphorically speaking, Christ Jesus is saying that the leaven in Pharisees and Sadducees’ unregenerate inner spirit or heart has the same internal and external altering effects as does the little amount of yeast that is put inside a portion of bread dough. In other words, both the Pharisees and Sadducees’ sufficient amount of toxic attitudes in their individual spirit/heart and the accurate measure of yeast in bread dough modify internal and external characteristics as they spread or rise. Bottom line: The Lord is saying that sooner or later the Pharisees and Sadducees’ leaven (spiritual pride and religious hypocrisy) will spread from the inside – out, causing internal emotional, moral, and spiritual changes and external physical alterations to the people in their Jewish Temple community.

For the purpose of being very clear, let’s mix metaphors.  Pharisaical and Sadducean leaven is a rotten apple. That is to say, malicious leaven during the process of fermentation has the same internal and external poisonous effect on an infected person and the region of people he or she pollutes, as does the internal and external decomposing effect the overripe apple during the ripening process has on itself and the other apples around it. In the case of the one bad apple that spoils the whole bunch, the riper apple gives off a higher level of ethylene, which is both a natural gaseous hormone and a ripening agent. It is the ethylene from the overripe apple that speeds up the ripening process in the other apples around it, and eventually rots them.

Additionally, an apple that is infested with mold also will contaminate the other apples (or the different fruit) it is stored with, because the mold on the infected fruit spreads to more food sources, ruining or rotting them as well. Likewise, this same rotting principle is true of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ leaven. Just like one bad apple most definitely will contaminate the other apples its around and ultimately cause their premature rotting, the Pharisees and Sadducees’ leaven (spiritual pride and religious hypocrisy) also will corrupt everyone with whom their leaven comes in contact.

Today, as it was in Christ Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and Sadducees’ cancerous leaven (spiritual pride and religious hypocrisy) pertains to both our natural and spiritual lives. In the natural realm, the Pharisees and Sadducees’ malicious leaven represents the destructive power one person’s contaminative influence can have on his or her own natural developmental process—mental and physical maturities—as well as on other individuals’ natural developmental process. Likewise, in the spiritual realm, the Pharisees and Sadducees’ malicious leaven signifies the destructive power one spiritually unrighteous, unholy person can have over his or her own eternal life status and spiritual growth, as well as over other people’s eternal life status and spiritual growth.

Finally, the main thing to remember is that a spiritually proud religious hypocrite who is in the process of spiritually, emotionally, morally, and physically decaying his or her own life, both internally and externally, absolutely can emotionally, physically, morally, and spiritually decay the internal character traits and external behaviors of the people who are around him or her. For this reason, a spiritually proud religious hypocrite is a dangerous enemy to the Household of Faith children who are in the Kingdom of God on Earth, because a spiritually proud religious hypocrite swiftly contaminates the inward emotions and attitudes of others. Additionally, a spiritually proud religious hypocrite’s behaviors always dishonors, disrespects, and diminishes the “much good” that genuinely holy and righteous people do.  For these reasons, believers today still need to watch out for the Pharisees and Sadducees’ leaven, for it rots within and affects without.  AMEN.

God Is Reawakening Believers’ Interest in the Lord’s Ekklesia

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Faith and Wisdom

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Called-Out Ones/Community of Believers

‘I also tell you this: you are Kefa,’ [which means ‘Rock,’] ‘and on this rock I will build my Community, and the gates of Sh’ol will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.’ ~ Matthew 16:18-19, CJB

And he told them yet another parable. ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.’ ~ Matthew 13:33, CJB

 

 

It seems that almost every month there are well-known spiritual leaders in various mega churches who are praying either for a real move of the Holy Spirit (a real move of God) or for some kind of revival. It seems odd to this blogger that these spiritual leaders just keep praying for something God already is doing on this Earth with the Lord’s Body of believers.

For sure, God definitely is moving in His children via His Holy Spirit, and God absolutely is coordinating a revival to beat all revivals. The move of the Holy Spirit (or move of God) and the revival that God is doing on this Earth involve Father God reawakening His children to the first-century believers’ deep-rooted understanding of and genuine desire to be obedient to the Lord’s intent for His Ekklesia. Put differently, God clearly is restoring His sons and daughters’ interest in and/or their attitude about the Lord’s Ekklesia.

Now, contrary to today’s popular opinions about “The Church,” there truly are distinct differences between the conventional sense of “The Church,” which indisputably is a man-made organization, and the original intent of the Lord’s Ekklesia. These differences between today’s institutional “church” and the Lord’s perception of His Ekklesia are evident from the moment that Christ Jesus says to Peter:

…‘you are Kefa,’ [which means ‘Rock,’] ‘and on this rock I will build my Community, and the gates of Sh’ol will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.’ ~ Matthew 16:18-19, CJB

In the above Complete Jewish Bible’s version of the quoted verses, the English word Community is the equivalent translation for the Greek word Ekklesia. Thus, it should be noted here that, throughout the New Testament Scriptures, it is obvious that the Lord intended for His Ekklesia to be a Community of believers—to be a Tabernacle of God, which means a Temple not made by human hands. Without doubt, this Temple not made by human hands is exactly what the Lord intended for His Ekklesia, because He says:

…‘I will destroy this Temple made with hands; and in three days I will build another one, not made with hands.’ ~ Mark 14:58, CJB

For sure, even though it was the Lord’s enemies who conspired to have Him crucified, none of His enemies could have crucified Him if Christ Jesus Himself did not allow it to happen—if the Lord had not surrendered His Will to the Perfect Will of Father God. So then, in the above-cited verse, Christ Jesus is saying that, even though His enemies’ hands would be responsible for destroying His Temple or Body (His sacred edifice or sanctuary), which He has to allow to happen, His Father’s spiritual hands would be responsible for resurrecting His Temple or Body (His sacred edifice or sanctuary). Put differently, He is saying that by His resurrection He would become the new Temple of God, which was not made by human hands. In other words, Christ Jesus is, and always was, the true Tabernacle of God!

Furthermore, because of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice, His burial, and His resurrection, all believers in Him receive new life, salvation, sanctification, and glorification. More important, all believers in Christ Jesus also have become the Tabernacle of God, because for the first time since the beginning of mankind God now tabernacles inside of His children (inhabits their physical bodies), in the person of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul confirms this Divine Truth, for he writes:

Or don’t you know that your body is a temple for the Ruach HaKodesh who lives inside you, whom you received from God? The fact is, you don’t belong to yourselves; ~ 1 Corinthians 6:19, CJB

Now concerning the differences between the institutional “church” of today and the Lord’s original intent for His Ekklesia, the truth is that, first off, the early assembly of believers didn’t have any clergy who were distinct from the rest of the Body of believers. Clergy with titles and authority was foreign to the early believers in Christ Jesus, because no one was having a power trip.

Secondly, just as foreign to the early assembly of believers is the idea of worshipping and fellowshipping in a sacred building—in a House of God. Perhaps this foreign idea is why the New Testament Scriptures NEVER describe any sacred buildings in which born again, saved, and being sanctified Christians are worshipping and fellowshipping. In fact, it wasn’t until after Emperor Constantine ordered the construction of the great sacred worship building, the old Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the construction of which started around 324 A.D., that other physical structures in which believers would worship God and/or fellowship with one another began to be built.

The bottom line is that no one can find in the Greek New Testament Scriptures any descriptions of any “churches” with steeples, stained glass windows, sanctuaries, pews, foyers, baptisteries, choir rooms, class rooms, bathrooms, offices, banks, spas, gymnasiums, or reception halls. Why is that? Well, the Divine Truth is that nowhere in the New Testament Scriptures is there any reference to a “church”—neither a building nor an institutional “church” organization!

Furthermore, the late Greek word “kyriDakon,” which is transliterated as “kuriakon” (literally meaning “the lord or master of a property”), cannot be found anywhere in the Greek New Testament, and yet many word scholars claim that the term “church” comes from “kuriakon”! The Greek word that is found in earlier New Testament manuscripts is “kuriakos” (the possessive form of the root word kurios). Thus, it is from “kuriakos” and not “kuriakon” that the Old English language gets the word “cirice,” and it is from the Old English word “cirice” that the Middle English language gets the word “chirche.”

Then too, the modern English word “church” descends from the Middle English word “chirche,” which is from the Old English word “cirice.” As already mentioned, word scholars claim that the modern English word “church,” which is used in the King James Version of the Holy Bible, descends from the late Greek word “kyriDakon” or “kuriakon,” because supposedly this Greek word is a derivative of “kuriakos”—a Greek word that originally was used to describe “things belonging to the Roman Emperor.”

Now, if “kyriDakon” or “kuriakon” is NOT in the Greek New Testament, then how could “kuriakon” be used for the Greek word ekklesia, especially since the King James Version of the Holy Bible does not translate the Greek word “kuriakos” as “church”? “Kuriakos” loosely means “belonging to the Lord,” and in the only 2 places in the Greek New Testament Scriptures where “kuriakos” is used this Greek word is translated as “Lord’s”: 1. in1 Corinthians 11:20, as in the Lord’s supper; and 2. in Revelation 1:10, as in the Lord’s Day.

The hard truth is that of the 112 times that the New Testament Greek word ekklesia is translated in the English versions of the Holy Bible as “church,” ekklesia never suggests the idea of a “church” building or an institutional “church” organization. While the late Greek word “kuriakon,” from which “church” supposedly is derived, pertains to a physical building or physical property, the Greek word ekklesia never is used to describe a physical building in which believers worship and fellowship.

The true sense of the Lord’s Ekklesia either describes the “called-out” ones of Christ Jesus, or the Community of believers, or the special assembly of God. Once again, ekklesia never is used anywhere in the Greek New Testament to describe today’s “church” buildings, and ekklesia never is used to describe an established religious system! Bottom line is that the Greek words “kuriakon” and ekklesia are not synonymous; these Greek words do not mean the same thing, so it is reprehensible to replace ekklesia with the word “church”!

Furthermore, based on how the Greeks used ekklesia and how the Romans used ecclesia, it appears that the Greeks and the Romans had similar meanings for their words. By ekklesia, the Greeks meant a ruling body, which governed a city, territory, or nation. By ecclesia, the Romans meant that the called out Roman citizens would go into a conquered territory and teach the defeated people the language and culture of Rome, until everyone in said territory walked, talked, and behaved like the Romans.

Based on the Greek and Roman meanings for ekklesia/ecclesia, there can be no doubt that the way Christ Jesus uses the word Ekklesia, when He declares to Peter that the Lord would be the foundation upon which Christ Himself would build His Community of believers, is to express His original intent for His Ekklesia. That original intent for His Ekklesia is that the Lord expects every Ekklesia to be a Community of believers—disciples who not only are concerned about the world, from a Christ-like perspective, but also are representing the Kingdom of God on this Earth in such a way that they are causing the entire world to conform to the culture of the Lord’s Ekklesia. In other words, Christ Jesus’ original intent for His Ekklesia is that each Community of called-out believers would be changing the world until everyone in the world begins to walk, talk, and act like true believers in Christ are supposed to walk, talk, and act.

Additionally, the Lord’s original intent for His Ekklesia is that each Community of called-out believers would be like Kingdom of Heaven’s Leaven, as well as like Kingdom of Heaven Salt and Light. The Lord says:

…‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.’ ~ Matthew 13:33, CJB

AND

You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on. You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 5:13-16, CJB

What the Lord is declaring in the above verses is that everyone in each one of His Ekklesia is responsible for heavenizing this entire Earth. In other words, every one of God’s Household of  faith children is expected to be in a participatory Christian Community that has intimate, open, unscripted, and spontaneous gatherings, as opposed to His children being in an aloof, closed, predetermined, and planned gatherings that take place in the spectatorial-like Christian “churches.”

What’s more, everyone in each one of the Lord’s Ekklesia would have all things in common (would demonstrate a spiritual oneness in their witness, worship, and fellowship or koinonia). Therefore, each believer not only would be winning lost souls for Christ in every city, state, and nation, but also each believer would be discipling saved souls so that the entire Body of Christ, believers in every Ekklesia across this globe, would be witnessing to, influencing, edifying, and encouraging people in every nation. For sure, heavenizing the entire Earth—being the Kingdom of Heaven’s Leaven, Salt, and Light—actually would accomplish the witnessing, the winning of souls, and the discipling responsibilities.

The bottom line is this: The differences between an institutional “church” and the Lord’s Ekklesia are more than a mere word change. Certainly, unlike a “church’s” congregation, which gathers together either for the purpose of worshipping and fellowshipping in a sacred building designated as the Lord’s House, or for the purpose of finding peace from the environments the “church’s” congregants live in, the Lord’s Ekklesia NEVER gathers in a sacred building designed for worship and fellowship; more important, the Lord’s Ekklesia ALWAYS directly challenges its environments’ existing cultural, social, economic, religious, and governmental/political issues.

Then too, while a “church’s” congregation requires everyone to be committed to and involved in either that “church’s” Saturday or Sunday programmed activities and/or ministries, the Lord’s Ekklesia expects every believer in its Community of witnessing, worshipping, and fellowshipping believers to represent the Kingdom of Heaven in all walks of life. Additionally, a “church’s” congregation only trains its congregants for “church” life, which pretty much amounts to teaching them how to look and speak “churchy” and how to behave during “church” services, but the Lord’s Ekklesia disciples every participatory believer in its Community for a global ministry, which would include spiritual warfare, evangelistic responsibilities, and outreaching deeds. Furthermore, while a “church’s” congregation affects a change in one individual congregant at a time, the Lord’s Ekklesia affects a change in the entire Community all at once!

Finally, based on the Lord’s original intent for His Ekklesia, it is ONLY the Lord’s Ekklesia that has a vision for everyone in every one of His Communities of believers. Then too, it is ONLY the Lord’s Ekklesia that develops a worldview, which from a Christ-like perspective means each Ekklesia would be prepared to influence and change every kind of environment. It also is ONLY the Lord’s Ekklesia that fulfills the Lord’s Great Commission of discipling whole nations, while focusing on serving others and stewarding the entire Earth. Lastly, it is ONLY the Lord’s Ekklesia that is truly One with Christ Jesus, One with the Holy Spirit, and One with Father God. More important, it is this ONEness that prevents obstacles like denominational and doctrinal differences and wrong interpretations of God’s Word from keeping one of the Lord’s Ekklesia from connecting with every other Ekklesia!

All of these stated differences between the Lord’s Ekklesia and the institutional “church” are why God is restoring His sons and daughters’ interest in and/or their attitude about the Lord’s Ekklesia. This restoration is the present ongoing move of the Holy Spirit (or move of God). There can be no doubt that Father God wants to revive the Lord’s intent for His ekklesia, which got lost centuries ago.

God always has wanted the Lord’s disciples (His past, present, and future believers) to heavenize this entire Earth with their heavenly Leaven—to cause the whole world to walk, talk, and behave like genuine Christians are supposed to be walking, talking, and behaving. Thus, there can be no denying that centuries of people who have called themselves Christians have failed to achieve this goal.

Then too, God always has wanted the Lord’s disciples (His past, present, and future believers) to heavenize this entire Earth with their heavenly Salt and Light—to witness to the whole world by demonstrating Christ-like characteristics, thinking, and living. Thus, there can be no denying that centuries of people who have called themselves Christians have failed to achieve this goal.

The Divine Truth is that the ONLY way this desired heavenizing can be achieved is if the Lord’s disciples (His past, present, and future believers) are participating in Communities of witnessing, worshipping, and fellowshipping believers. In essence, all believers must be actively involved in and committed to the Lord’s Ekklesia, which is NOT now, and never has been, a “church” or “The Church.” Amen.

For additional information about the Lord’s Ekklesia, please read my blog entries: Too Many “CHURCHGOERS” Are Spectators Instead Of Participants,  The False Pretense Of Being Divided By FAITH, and Ekklesia Says It All: Christ Will Call His Bride Out of This World!