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You may have heard of holistic medicine and how it treats the whole person. To see the
entire Bible as a solid unit is a mostly foreign concept today, but it is the way the Bible
was designed. Today on Discover the Truth we will explore the unique interaction between
the Old and New Testaments and how their amazing harmony relates to you the believer. Stay
tuned. From the time of the Messiah
to our modern technological age much Bible truth has been lost.
With the melding of foreign philosophies and teachings unknown to the believers of the
first century the early church began a transformation away
from its Hebrew origins. The question we need to ask ourselves is,
just how far did it go? Join us for the next half hour
as we take you on an incredible journey of Biblical understanding as we uncover the
foundation of the Christian faith. Are you ready to Discover The Truth?
Welcome to Discover the Truth, a program that returns to the original New Testament teachings
of your Savior and His apostles. If someone asked you to explain the Bible in a nutshell,
you would be right if you said that the Old Testament lays down the basics of Bible truth
and the New Testament shows how those basics are applied to life, as shown by our Savior
Yahshua through His teachings and actions. To put it another way, the New Testament expands
on the principles of the Old Testament, guiding us on how to live its precepts.
The big mistake in today’s approach is to throw out the foundation, meaning the Old
Testament, and as a result leave the New Testament open to a lot of conflicting interpretations
with nothing to link them to. That is NOT how the Scripture is designed. We read in
2Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of Yahweh, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man
of Elohim may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Once you understand the simple harmony of the Word, so many troubling passages suddenly
become clear. The fog lifts, and you see agreement, not conflict, in everything it teaches.
The New Testament is like a building. It must have a solid footing on which to stand.
Our Savior, Yahshua the Messiah, adhered to that foundation. He taught the precepts of
Scripture each day of His ministry. And here is an important key: the only textbook He
taught and quoted from was the Old Testament. There was no New Testament in His day. The
Old Testament’s 39 books formed the basis for His ministry, and those of His apostles.
The New Testament writers accepted the Old Testament as the framework for their own beliefs.
The question is, has anything changed? How should a believer today approach the Scriptures?
Should it be a la carte, where you sample a little of this and a little of that? Take
a little here and a little there and ignore the rest? That’s how many approach the Word.
It is easy to make a passage say what you want when you yank it out of its context.
Here’s an example of what I mean. You may be surprised to learn that the clean food
laws given in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 were still in effect in the New Testament
…and that means today as well. Yet, many think that in Peter’s vision in Acts 10
that what was Scripturally unacceptable as food for thousands of years was suddenly fit
to eat. This assumption is derived from verse 15, “And the voice spake unto him again
the second time, What Elohim hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” Most people
assume its talking about food. Knowing that the law was never abolished,
according to dozens of Scriptures in the New Testament as well as the plain statement by
Yahshua the Messiah in Matthew 5:17, we must take another look at what Peter gained from
the vision. Realize that Peter’s vision took place many years after the Savior ascended
to heaven. He should have known immediately at the very moment of the resurrection that
the Old Testament’s clean food laws were no longer in effect. Yet, he confirmed with
his own statement that he still obeyed the commands; he said, “Not so, Master; for
I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean,” Acts 10:14. He was still not
eating ham sandwiches or slurping down oysters. Why?
To understand what the chapter is telling Peter, the rest of Acts 10 must be examined.
If you read the rest, you will see that Peter actually gets the point of the vision in v.
28: “Elohim has shewn me that I should not call any MAN common or unclean.” The purpose
of the vision was not about cleansing what had always been by law unclean food, but through
a powerful illustration this converted Jew learned a lesson about prejudice. Peter had
a problem with accepting outsiders to the faith. He no doubt wrestled with the age-old,
semitic notion that Gentiles were unclean. Yahweh knew that this personal issue had to
be cleared up before Peter could be sent to the Gentiles to teach the Word.
Besides the smorgasbord, pick-and-choose-what-you-like approach to the Scriptures, some will add
to the Word to create a false teaching. An example of this is the common expression,
you are saved by faith alone. This is actually a misquotation of Ephesians 2:8: “For by
grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of Elohim.”
Notice the verse does not say faith “alone.” The word “alone” was added to verse 8
during the Reformation, 1500 years after the letter to the Ephesians was written by the
Apostle Paul. It is not found in any Greek manuscript. There is no such thing in the
Bible as "salvation by grace alone". Nor is there any such thing as "salvation by faith
alone." Where the words “faith” and “alone”
are found is in James 2:17: “Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.”
Putting the two concepts of faith and works together, the meaning is, For by grace you
are saved through faith, which is kept alive and sustained by works.
Salvation is based on our faith but Yahweh’s selection of His saints is based on their
worthiness, and rewards are established on what we do in this life, not on what we say.
Yahshua said in Revelation 2:26: “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto
the end, to him will I give power over the nations.” Being faithful until the end by
what we do and how we live is what leads to salvation. Which, incidentally, means a position
of rulership in Yahshua’s Kingdom that's going to come to this earth.
Okay, so what do the Apostles understand about the Old Testament?
In Acts 24:14 the Apostle Paul said that he believed all things written in the law and
prophets. “Law and prophets” is another way of referring to the Old Testament. He
not only believed its precepts, but he also taught them.
Notice what he explained to the young Timothy who was just starting out in the ministry:
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee
wise unto salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yahshua,” 2Timothy 3:15.
We've got a lot more on this subject. Stay tuned we'll be right back.
If you are concerned about the coming end-times then you need our free booklet "Is There A
Coming Rapture" to give you insightful information on the pre-tribulation rapture belief. Understand
the history behind it and the dangerous consequences this belief will have on many believers in
the latter days. There is no time to waste... To receive your free booklet call now:
Dial 1-573-896-1000 that number again is 1-573-896-1000 Or write to:
Discover the Truth; PO Box 463;
Holts Summit, MO 65043. Read and request on our web-site: yrm.org
If the phone lines are busy please try again in 10 to 15 minutes.
As we read in 2Timothy 3:15 Paul was instructing the young Timothy in his ministry. Now, what
Scriptures would make Timothy wise unto salvation? Was it the writings of Paul? No. Again, the
only Scriptures in existence were those of the Old Testament. Was Paul really saying
that the Old Testament is still necessary, and will guide us to salvation? It certainly
sounds that way, doesn’t it? To find out for sure we need to read what
comes next in 2Timothy 3, which is verses 16 & 17: “All scripture is given by inspiration
of Yahweh, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness: That the man of Elohim may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works.” “All Scripture” refers to both Old and
New testaments. Both parts of the Bible work in harmony. And Paul especially includes the
Old Testament, the only Bible in existence at the time, and it instructs in righteousness
and in good works. In Ephesians 6:14 Paul said to put on the breastplate of righteousness.
The Old Testament taught obedience. Paul clearly said that we must adhere to Old Testament
teachings along with the New. So let’s review what we’ve discovered
so far. First, we must be careful to test doctrines
to be sure they square with the entire Bible. Don’t accept any teaching without checking
it yourself. That also includes what we say here on Discover the Truth. Get out your Bible,
turn to the verse and read it for yourself. That’s not just a good idea; it is what
the sincere believer is told to do in John 5:39: “Search the scriptures; for in them
ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Search in the
Greek means like a hound-dog tracks a scent, going wherever it takes him. It does not mean
to push in a certain pre-determined direction. Just let the Scriptures direct you and follow
where they lead. As you look up a passage, read the verses
around it. Read the entire chapter if necessary to get the proper meaning, as we did with
Peter’s Acts 10 experience. Second, passages should never be yanked out
of their context and forced into a certain teaching or belief. Find the first time where
the teaching was made, most likely it will be in the Old Testament, and trace it down
from there. You may find that there was a change in the New Testament. Like animal sacrifices
which are not done today because of the Savior’s once and for all sacrifice. But that doesn’t
mean the concept of sacrifice is abolished. We still have the Savior’s sacrifice.
And we find that animal sacrifices will be brought back in the millennial kingdom, as
we find in the prophecy of Ezekiel 44. Not only was the Old Testament Paul’s teaching
text, but the same is true for Yahshua the Messiah, who quoted the Old Testament 45 times
in the Book of Matthew alone. The New Testament directly quotes the Old a total of 263 times.
That means that one verse in every 22 New Testament passages is a direct quotation of
the Old Testament. If we include references and insinuations to the Old Testament, the
figures are far higher: The Old Testament makes up nearly 80 percent of the Bible either
directly or in shared quotations, references, and allusions in the New Testmanet. How can
we ignore 80 percent of a book and claim to understand it? It's time to stop looking at
the Old Testament as optional reading and began to see it as essential to the true interpretation
and observance of the New Testament. During Paul’s ministry the New Testament
was not yet written, let alone codified, which Paul’s letters were to be a big part in
becoming. The apostle Paul said that he was educated
in the Truth by the resurrected Messiah Yahshua. He wrote, “But I certify you, brethren,
that the good news which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it
of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Yahshua the Messiah,” That’s
Galatians 1:11-12. Paul’s teachings are a continuation of the fundamental truths of
the Old Testament but now under the Melchizedek priesthood and only a few changes when it
comes to animal sacrifices and added doctrines of men.
In Romans 3:1-2 Paul asks a rhetorical question: why pay any attention to the Jew? What does
he have to do with us, he asks? “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there
of circumcision?” He then answers his own question: “Much every way: chiefly, because
that unto them were committed the oracles of Elohim.” What are these oracles that
were given to them? Let’s go to Acts 7:38, where we read: “This is he, that was in
the assembly in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and
with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.” What he got from
Sinai was the Ten Commandments and the other laws that we find in the first five books
of the Old Testament. “Oracle” is the Greek logion and means
the utterances or words of Yahweh. Yahweh spoke the law to Moses, which Moses then transmitted
to us. Paul said that these oracles, or Yahweh’s laws, are basic to biblical understanding.
He even wrote of those who have lost the importance of the Old Testament and its teachings, “For
when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which
be the first principles of the oracles of Elohim; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat,” Hebrews 5:12. Peter wrote in 1Peter 4:11 that if you want
to be a correct Bible teacher you must “teach the oracles,” meaning what Yahweh spoke
in the Old Testament at Sinai: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of Elohim,”
Peter wrote. A lot of Bible understanding today is confused
and disjointed, like one of those puzzles where you take the head off one body and put
it on another. Or those carnival attractions where you put your face in a board, which
happens to be a hole for the head of a life-size caricature and you become part of the sketch.
Guys look funny wearing a droopy straw hat and holding a pitchfork, and the ladies look
hilarious in bloomers. A fact that has been hidden in plain sight
for thousands of years is that the Savior of the Bible was a Hebrew. That means he worshiped
in the Israelite tradition. He spent his time on earth teaching His countrymen and women
the correct approach to His Father in heaven. Well we have a little more. Stay tuned we'll
be right back. If you are concerned about the coming end-times
then you need our free booklet "Is There A Coming Rapture" to give you insightful information
on the pre-tribulation rapture belief. Understand the history behind it and the dangerous consequences
this belief will have on many believers in the latter days. There is no time to waste...
To receive your free booklet call now: Dial 1-573-896-1000 that number again is 1-573-896-1000
Or write to: Discover the Truth;
PO Box 463; Holts Summit, MO 65043.
Read and request on our web-site: yrm.org If the phone lines are busy please try again
in 10 to 15 minutes. In a key statement in the New Testament Yahshua
said He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
There is a reason His ministry originated in Israel and not elsewhere. But today’s
popular worship is basically Grecian, having moved away from its Old Testament, Hebraic
roots in the early centuries of the New Testament. In the book Backgrounds of Early Christianity,
the author makes this revealing statement: “The religion of ancient Greece had no creed
there was nothing like a code or system of morality which must be accepted by everyone
who worshiped Athena or Zeus.” This fact explains what has happened today
perhaps. The rule of behavior in Greek religion was a consensus of the public and not a code
of conduct. Much as today’s political correctness has become the modern substitute for laws
of morality based on Scripture, which have been in effect for millennia.
To neglect the teachings of Yahweh’s standards as found in His laws echoes a paganized, Grecianized
approach to worship. Everyone has a say in what is right and wrong. It’s like having
the answer before you know the question. Paul was not sent to Athens, Corinth, and
Ephesus to promote Grecian worship, and neither to have a worship with Grecian elements in
it. He was sent there to establish Israelite assemblies of true worship in a pagan environment.
We use the term "Judeo-Christian" as the foundation of the western culture. Did you ever stop
to consider that this common designation reveals a unity between Judaism and Christianity?
It says in a thinly veiled way that Christianity is rooted in a Hebraic faith and that’s
how it has been for 2,000 years! A Grecian context, on the other hand, makes your worship
anything you want it to be and it changes with the times as a matter of fact. That’s
the definition of idolatry. Although most of its surviving manuscripts
are in Greek, the New Testament is not Grecian, but it's Hebraic. Let’s look at the facts:
the key personality of the New Testament is a Hebrew Savior with a Hebrew Name Yahshua
who quoted liberally and often from the Old Testament Hebrew writings. The New Testament
is full of the writings of Hebrew apostles, detailing Hebrew thought, customs and lifestyles.
Its text is filled with Hebrew idioms, expressions, and grammar from Matthew through Revelation.
And most important of all, it advances most of the teachings given to Israel in the Old
Testament. Think about this: Having Israelite roots explains why churches
today still have "altars," as did the prophets in ancient Israel where they sacrificed to
Yahweh. It is why there are those called priests today, just as in ancient Israel. Churches
continue to take up what is known as "offerings," just as Israel did when they came before Almighty
Yahweh at the tabernacle and temple. They brought their sacrificial offerings before
Yahweh on the Sabbath, on the Feast days and on the new moons.
Because it grew out of Judaism, churchianity still acknowledges one day of the week as
"holy," as Judah and Israel did each seventh-day Sabbath.
Reflecting its Old Testament ties, the church’s weekly Communion service is a takeoff of Israel's
Passover with its symbols of body and blood sacrifice.
Many churches have "sanctuaries," or holy places. The tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple
had them first. Others see the church building itself as sanctified. This is a throwback
to the Jerusalem temple and the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle of Israel, where Yahweh
dwelled and where no one could enter but the high priest on the day of Atonement.
But there is a lot more about today’s worship that reflects Israelite roots:
The music of the modern song service is directly tethered to the Old Testament practice of
singing Psalms, which King David set to music, as well as the songs Israel sang. Many today
have music ministries with music ministers. That’s nothing new. The Levitical priests
were in charge of the music service, as well as everything dealing with worship.
Have you wondered where terms like "elder, "teacher," "pastor," and "shepherd" came from?
They trace directly to worship in ancient Israel. You hear the words "amen," "halleluyah,"
“praise” and other terminology used in the modern worship service, which are borrowed
directly from Hebrew worship. In saying HalleluYah you are actually giving worship to the one
Named Yahweh, saying, “praise Yah.” “Hallel” which is Hebrew for praise, and “Yah,”
the first part of Yahweh’s Name. HalleluYah = Praise Yah.
Even the bridal wedding gown with its headdress and veil is yet another indisputable link
to biblical worship. Paul explained in 1Corinthians 11 that the female headcovering reflects headship
and in the case of the bride, submitting to the authority of the husband.
The Old Testament is intertwined and interconnected with modern worship and practice that to think
otherwise is to ignore the very structure of the Bible itself. To say worship today
has little or nothing to do with the Old Testament is no less ludicrous than saying astronomy
can ignore mathematics. Or a carpenter has no need of construction tools. The Old Testament
is the basis on which the New rests. Yahshua Himself warned about rejecting the
Old Testament in Luke 16:31: “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Moses and the prophets
is another way of saying the Old Testament teachings.
He commanded that the Old Testament be read, studied and lived today. Notice what He said
in Matthew 4:4: “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh.” Again, the only
“Word” in existence in His day was the Old Testament.
Through centuries of preconditioning, today’s Bible believer has been led to the very false
notion that the Old Testament is mostly useless; its system of worship, outdated; its laws,
unsolicited and unwelcome. The average churchgoer, his understanding spilling over with centuries
of calcified, traditional notions, is told that the 39 books that come first in the Bible
are immaterial, without value today. BUT--If the Old Testament was repeatedly taught
and often quoted by the Messiah Yahshua how can anyone claim it is irrelevant?
In Matthew 15, Yahshua said that man’s traditions undermine the Truth. “You hypocrites, well
did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draws nigh unto me with their mouth, and honors
me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men,” Matthew 15:7-9.
That's all we have today. We invite you to tune in next time as we look again at the
scriptures and what they teach in the New Testament in relationship to the Old as we
return to the origingal New Testament teachings of Yahshua and His apostles.
We invite you to take advantage of today's free offer by calling 1-573-896-1000.
Or write to Discover the Truth;
PO Box 463; Holts Summit, MO 65043.
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