Ministry
The Day of Trumpets, also called Yom Teruah, is an ancient Holy Day that prophecies the return of the Messiah. This knowledge has been lost since the first century.
The Father is the only true God and the mission of the Apostles.
For the entire series on the Gospel of John from a first century perspective, please go to https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/the-gospel-of
The New Covenant is not a Renewed Covenant
Strange things creep in once we leave Babylonian Christianity. Face it, we are vulnerable. When we throw off the errors, it’s very easy to go too far. I’ve done it myself but on different subjects. This message is about the odd concept of a “renewed covenant”. This is language that some in the HRM started using about ten years ago. The problem they were trying to solve is real – the phrase New Covenant is very often misused by lawless Christians. The lawless ones have hitched their doctrines to the phrase “new covenant” to make it seem like Yeshua ended the law. Well, He didn’t do that. He changed the law and ushered in the New Covenant. The fact that the lawless ones misuse words and concepts doesn’t mean we need to compensate or surrender theological territory.
As an attempt to put distance between the proper faith, one of Torah plus Yeshua, some people made some convincing arguments that the New Covenant is really a “renewed Covenant”. This is ridiculous and there is no hint of this language in any of the New Testament. Unfortunately, people convinced themselves of this so much that this language may even show up in Sacred Name bibles, which is remarkably ironic. A movement that started by undoing age-old errors has come full circle, introducing their own new, Hebrew sounding errors.
Before proving this through word studies, we do need to take a Romans 1 approach – the helicopter view. This ministry is called First Century Christianity, after all. And that’s what we strive to reproduce – the pure faith of the first believers. Paul wrote in Romans 1 that Creation testifies so the people are without excuse. From a helicopter view do we see a new or a renewed covenant with the actions of the Apostles? Did the Apostles mandate circumcision and instruct all the converts in the diaspora to pilgrimage to the Temple? No. They did not do this. The Ruach ha Kodesh made converts of Gentiles and Jews throughout the Roman Empire and to the East who all stayed put. They did something different. They accepted Yeshua as the Messiah and either continued to attend synagogue or started to, depending on the convert, wherever they were. This is not how people converted under the Old Covenant. From a big picture, it’s obvious as the nose on our faces the covenant was not a continuation of the Old but something different. We don’t need word studies to know this one is false. But some will, so here we go.
Jeremiah 31 in e-sword. Read in NASB then switch to LXX. Show the Hebrew for new, then the Greek for new. Show the definitions. Then show the same word G2537 kainos is used at Luke 22:20.
End with Paul and show that the blood of Messiah had not been shed at Sinai. Therefore it is a New Covenant. His blood was not re-shed. 1 Cor 11:25.
Then to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 8:8 is a copy of the LXX of Jeremiah 31:31. Same word.
Hebrews 9:15-16 Yeshua became our Mediator after He died. The curtain tore. The mediation of Aaron is over. It is a New Covenant. Sin remains so Torah remains. We are still guilty and there are many things we don’t understand. But this faith that is a change in the law was put in place for 35 years so when the Temple came down, it would flourish.
The change is testified to through Peter’s sermon in Acts 2. Israel was set up to be an example to the nations. The pinnacle of the Old Testament was when Solomon presided over the inauguration of the temple and all the nations streamed into Israel. Those nations were supposed to learn Torah when they showed up. Instead, they influenced Solomon to sin and the cycle of failure continued.
The New Covenant is different. Instead of using Israel as a centralized nation, the Ruach Ha Kodesh was sent to the world. We are witness to this today, being called out of Babylon seemingly at random to come to Torah where we live.
The danger of the “renewed” covenant is that it starts a fissure. People begin to have dangerous thoughts like “well, there’s nothing new in the NT”. This is not true in the least, but that thought leads to the rejection of Paul. Then they reject the Messiah. Then they become pseudo-Jews. You probably know people who have done this. Now, who wants us to reject Yeshua, brothers and sisters? Where does doctrine that separates us from the salvation offered at the cross come from? I think you know.
We are studing the book of John on Shabbat and organically arrived at New Covenant language in chapters 15 and 16 last week. Please give that interactive study a listen for some solid teaching on the new covenant and how the Messiah amplified the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves to love our neighbors MORE than we love ourselves. Shalom.
Have you given any thought to living in a divine monarchy with a theocratic government?
The Last Supper was not Passover.
The purpose of Lazarus’ resurrection.
The distinction between Yahweh and Yeshua.
The purpose of the Gospel.
A new mixed multitude for a new covenant.
This is part of a Messianic series on the Gospel of John. The series is at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/the-gospel-of
Please Stop Rejecting the Messiah
Calling Yeshua, aka Jesus, “God” or “Yahweh” rejects Him as the Messiah and is playing with fire.
There’s a fear that if people reject Yeshua as God, or see God and Jesus as two beings not one being, that they are likely to reject the New Testament. This is the opposite of my experience. People that I’ve seen reject Jesus have been the ones who think Yeshua and Yahweh are the same being. These often also call it the “renewed” covenant. This slippery slope often results in trying to recreate the wilderness experience and live like it’s the days of Moses. We do not live in the days of Moses, we live in the days of Yeshua and the New Covenant inaugurated in His blood.
The people who see Yeshua as just a man who was born of Mary but is still the Son of God call themselves Biblical Unitarians. These folks see a complete distinction between God and Jesus with Jesus have a starting point about 2K years ago. I’ve NEVER seen one of these folks reject the New Testament. In fact, they seem more attached to the New Testament than most.
To explain why believing Yeshua and Yahweh are the same being leads to rejection of the Messiah, we just have to look at John 3:16
Slide 2 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Joh 3:16 NAS95)
If you believe that Jesus is God, then this sentence makes no sense at all. It would be a different gospel entirely, that God came down here and pretended to be His own Son or something. Even Trinitarians, who we are the hardest on, understand there’s a separation. When you cross the divide to them not being “them” but just one being, then hundreds of verses no longer make any sense.
Slide 3 Jesus (Yeshua) said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'" (Joh 20:17 NAS95)
This is just one of the starkest examples out of innumerable verses that is incomprehensible if Yahweh and Yeshua are the same being. Beyond this, there’s a handy proof text in the OT for us to know exactly who the Father is:
Slide 4 But now, O LORD (YHVH), You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isa 64:8 NAS95)
My preferred bible puts YHVH as LORD in all caps. This clearly states who the Father is and it’s Yahweh.
Beyond the hundreds of verses in the NT where Jesus and God are different, we also need to have prophecy identifying the Messiah. This is how the bible works. God tells us what’s going to happen, sometimes cryptically sometimes not, then it happens. Most often when the prophecy happens nobody realizes it until after the fact, which was clearly the case with Yeshua. He had to explain who He was to them after His resurrection, hence my citing of John 20:17. The prophecies of Yeshua also have Him as not being YHVH. Psalm 2, Psalm 22, and Isaiah 53 all speak of someone other than YHVH being the Messiah. The one I want to focus on, though, is the one in Micah:
Slide 5 "Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD (YHVH), In the majesty of the name of the LORD (YHVH) His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. (Mic 5:1-4 NAS95)
This plainly says One will go forth from YHVH, One who existed from eternity, who will be a ruler in Israel. And He will come in the Name of YHVH, whom we know to be the Father. Brothers and sisters this IS the gospel, that God sent His Son into the world so that whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. We know those who have the Son have life, those who do not have the Son do not have life. Any doctrine that teaches Yeshua is not the Son of Yahweh must be discarded, not even considered, otherwise you will have lost your Messiah, the Mediator between God and man.
Prophecy is exciting. It brings the crowds, creates social media buzz, and piques everyone's curiosity. Most of the time, when we hear the word "prophecy", we think of revelations about the future. But is that really what prophecy is?
On August 20, Tim Hillis of Remnant Nation University joined Common Sense Bible Study for a conversation about the nature of prophecy. What is it? How can you recognize it? What's the difference between a true and false prophet?
From the Remnant Nation website ( https://remnantnation.org/ ) :
Tim is a dedicated and knowledgeable student of God's Word and His movement around the globe. As a leader called to do the work of an apostle, he fearlessly challenges the religiosity that has entrenched itself in the "church" culture and seeks to bring a fresh perspective on the First Century to the modern Body-Bride of Messiah. Through his articles, blogs, and messages, Tim boldly exposes the "takanot", a Hebrew word referring to the rules of religious leaders that have caused people to interpret scripture incorrectly.
Tim's journey in ministry has been an incredible adventure, full of challenges and opportunities for growth! After completing some of his education and serving in various positions within the Church of God, Tim felt called to a broader harvest field. He completed training in a "School of the Prophets" and then attended World Harvest Bible College.
Tim and his wife Naphtali are ordained by Christian International (Santa Rosa Beach, FL) under the vision of Dr. Bill Hamon. Tim completed his studies and successfully defended 2 theses for a PhD in Biblical Philosophy and Theology May 1st, 2017.
From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).
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Trying to enter through a different door and the ancient, yet subordinate, relationship between Yahweh and Yeshua.
This study is part of a series on the Gospel of John. All the videos of this series are posted at this link once they're completed. https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/the-gospel-of
The Torah keeping groups have a blessed tradition of corporate prayers. Does your congregation?
The Pharisees Were Chickens
This is part of our congregational study of the Gospel of John from a Hebraic perspective. The series and many other teachings on early Christianity are available at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/the-gospel-of
This is an excerpt from our study on John 5. The KJV translators purposely manipulated the text at John 5 to introduce doctrines the bible doesn't support. They actually changed the words of Jesus, aka Yeshua, to things He did not say. They did this to make people believe doctrines of men. Today, people making Sacred Name bibles and Hebrew Roots bibles are doing this same thing. This video shows those lies and how to quickly evaluate a bible for accuracy at two specific places.
The SKF Passover Package Program was created in 2011 and is now the largest of its kind in the nation. It is designed to enable Sabbath and festival observant inmates across the USA to keep the most basic of scriptural commands of Passover while in prison, and without this service, they cannot. Over the last few years we have been blessed to be able to provide well over 10,000 Passover packages to hundreds of prisons across the nation. However, we could and should have provided many more than that. It is only for lack of funds that we cannot provide these vitally important packages for all inmates of our faith.
We have worked very hard over the years to get them approved in most prison systems across the country, and we are very blessed to now have many Chaplains and volunteers calling us each spring to request these packages for their Sabbath and festival-observant inmates. We are also blessed to have several volunteers from a wide range of Sabbath-keeping faiths who donate their time each year at our “Passover Package Party” to help us with the physical effort of putting together thousands of packages and getting them all into the mail. It is a herculean task, and there are a few loving people who always show up faithfully to do the work. Of course, we can always use more volunteers to help us do this, and you are invited.
Here in this brief video, we try to give you just a taste of what it is like to perform this blessed service to our brothers and sisters behind bars, and to see something of what our charity is all about. It is only a small sample of what we do, but I hope it accomplishes that task. For you who have already donated to help in this effort, thank you, and may the Most-High bless you for your charity. For those of you who have not yet donated time or resources, may YHWH inspire your heart to fulfill the words of our savior when he said,
“Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world – for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, ‘Master, when did we see You hungry and we fed You, or thirsty and gave You to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and took You in, or naked and clothed You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and we came to You?’ And the King shall answer and say to them, ‘Amein, I say to you, in so far as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’”
The Samaritan woman at the well shows us how we are supposed to receive the Messiah.
The series of the study is available at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/the-gospel-of
Interactive study on the book of John, chapter 1. Verses 1-5 explained and harmonized with the rest of scripture. The origin of the concept of "the Word" as a mediator also explained.
The real meaning of the phrase "Lord's day" unlocks prophecy like you never though possible!
The Lord’s Day
Slide 1 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." (Rev 1:10-11)
A misnomer in Christian parlance is that this is referring to Sunday, aka the first day of the week with the reference to the Lord’s day. There actually isn’t anything tying this phrase to Sunday except the traditions of men. In fact, I think this is the only place in the bible where the phrase “Lord’s day” appears. Sunday is not what is meant by the term Lord’s day. In fact, it’s referring to a day an annual day, not a weekly one. Those of us who have returned to original, first century Christianity know exactly what day this is speaking of and it’s an annual observance.
The phrase “sound of the trumpet” is the key to understanding the verse. John was in the Spirit on the Day of Trumpets, Yom Teruah in Hebrew. He was still keeping the festival days and it was, and is, widely understood that the “great and terrible day of the Lord” is the first day of the 7th month on the Hebrew calendar.
Slide 2 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 'You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.'" (Lev 23:23-25)
Here's the commandment and you can make the association rather easily. This is also called the “day no man knows” because it’s the only holy day we don’t see coming in the Torah. Passover, Atonement, and Sukkot start in the middle of months and Pentecost gets counted out. Yom Teruah, or the Feast of Trumpets, or the Day of the Lord, is the one you have to prepare for and then wait for the sound of the trumpet from the kohen to tell you it has arrived. Think about how Jericho fell. It's actually a prophecy about the end of this age. They march 7 times, the 6 doing nothing. Then on the 7th, they go 7 times and blow trumpets and shout at the end, which destroys the pagan temple. The Messiah is coming back and will usher in the Messianic kingdom, the last 1000 years of this overall age. At the end of that 1000 years, all will be judged, those who’s names are written in the book of life will enter eternity. The Lord’s Day signifies all this and is observed annually, on the first day of the 7th month. John continued to keep Torah his whole life while accepting Yeshua as the Messiah. It only makes sense he would get the vision of the end on the day that represents it.
Slide 5 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1Th 4:15-18)
Paul gives us great insight about the return of Yeshua here. The Day of Trumpets is the holy day that foreshadows the return of the Messiah. Many of Yeshua’s parables reference this. “if the owner had known when the thief was coming”, “if the virgins had prepared their oil”, and “those who the master finds doing His will” all come to mind.
For those of us who have learned the Holy Days of Leviticus 23 and observe them, it’s not even in doubt that the Lord’s day in Revelation is Yom Teruah. The sound of the trumpet is our key. John meant to tell us he was in the Spirit on the Day of Trumpets which is also called the great and terrible day of the Lord. And it makes perfect sense that he would be given the most comprehensive vision of the return of the Messiah on the annual holy day that prophesies that very event. The Lord’s Day this year (2024) from sundown October 2 to sundown October 3. We’d love for you to observe it with us!
Exploring how and why people study themselves off a cliff right after coming to the knowledge of the truth.
Original Christianity
One of the hardest things to come by today is truth. Everyone is lined up on each side of issues, minds are made up, and very few people take the time to research and have a dialogue. This leads to a lot of friction and good ideas never considered at all because they come from “the other side”. In practical life, this is not making our society better at all. In fact, the opposite is happening.
When it comes to learning about Christianity, this “us versus them” paradigm has been in place for a really long time. But how does one learn real, original Christianity today? The internet is flooded with information. From videos to podcasts to blogs to books, it’s complete information overload. How does one even choose which of the many Bible translations to read? To try and provide a path forward, I have made a series of videos meant to teach you how to read the bible and come to faith the same way the early converts did. This series does not force feed a bunch of doctrine but empowers you to be able to come to the truth on your own. The original Christians were not intended to learn everything at once, but rather begin a lifelong journey of learning how to love God and live the way His Son, Jesus did.
These messages are for people who are curious about original Christianity and want to learn truth without the baggage of the last 1850 years. If you want to learn how Christianity was intended to be received by the early converts, this is the place to be. Please watch them in the order presented because they build on each other. This will help you start your studies with a solid foundation. If you aren’t new to Christianity but are wondering why modern Christianity seems so different from that of the bible, these messages will help you to sift the wheat from the chaff and draw nearer to God and His Son.
Thanks for your time. Please drop a line if these messages help you and be sure to share them with friends and family. The nature of the world shows us change is coming. People have questions and want to know about eternal life. Let’s help spread that knowledge.
The series of messages is available at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/original-chri
Facts Lies Mistakes & Pride: The last message in the series Learn Real Christianity from Scratch! available here https://firstcenturychristianity.net/from-scratch/
Learning topics of substance, especially something foreign or new, requires working through biases and pre-conceived notions. We are also required to be disciplined, patient, and methodical. I explain how to do this in this installment of the message. I also explain the incredible gravity of why we need to apply these virtues to arrive at the truth.
Discipline is key. Society has great systems for arriving at truth and facts. From childhood, most of us were taught the Scientific Method. This is a recipe for challenging hypotheses until they pass enough tests to become Scientific Law. This method requires patience, discipline, and objectivity. The same virtues are required when we take up matters of law. Our judicial system is set up very similar to that of the Torah. Two or more witnesses are required to establish facts in the Bible, specifically facts about sin and law.
In business, society has systems of standards like the International Standards Organization and the Six Sigma method of improvement. These systems, and their equivalents, are established similar to the Scientific Method. They drive us to challenge norms and constantly improve through methods established to unearth truth.
Two big examples of how disregarding societal standards come from two instances. One is ancient and biblical. The other is recent and societal. The recent departure was the maniacal usage of hand sanitizer during COVID. Those who work in labs are trained, drilled even, to know how to respond to airborne pathogens. Hand sanitizer has no effect. Yet ALL of society's leaders in science disregarded their training at the drop of an emotional hat.
The second centers around the mission of these messaged: Christ and Him Crucified. When the people had the Messiah executed, they emotionally disregard a foundation of the Torah. This foundation was part of their core identity: the law of two or more witnesses. They threw all they knew to be true out the window and had an innocent man executed, even shouting they had no king but Caesar. That sentence rejected YHVH as their true King and Yeshua as their Prince. This message, in video above and print at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/facts-lies-mi shows you how to avoid being like these two groups of bad actors
How to Read the Bible: The bible, like all literature, contains nuances. This is the third installment of the series How to Learn Real Christianity from Scratch. I explain some of these nuances to help you learn scripture the way it was meant to be received.
One first should start with a bible that is literal, accurate, and provides the information in as non-biased fashion as possible. The New American Standard Bible of 1995 fits this bill very well. This version contains hints that enable readers of English to get more out of the bible than previous versions. I show the power of one of those hints in detail in this message.
Another key to learning how to read the bible is to avoid the chapters and verses. This sounds shocking, but those were added over 1000 years after the Messiah ascended. The people who put the chapters and verses in the bible were at least as removed from their original intent of the text than we are today. The chapters and verse often break up thoughts and sentences and give the impression there are gaps in time when there are none. It takes effort, but if you read the bible without the chapters and verses, you will experience the fluidity of how it was originally meant to be read.
In this message, I show the culture of how the New Testament was meant to be read. The Jews of the first century cited scripture by just referring to a phrase or sentence from a passage. Since all believers attended synagogue, they knew Moses and the rest of the Old Testament by heart. Jesus aka Yeshua leveraged this form of communication in His discussion with his detractors. In fact, His dying words "Eli, Eli, llama sabachtani" used this very technique to tell those looking that He was fulfilling a prophecy. Paul expected anyone who read his letters to be familiar with this communication method. This is why his letters oftentimes have sentences that just look out of place.
The key place I use to explain this technique, and the hints built into the NASB95, is the greatest commandment. Yeshua was telling us how to love God when He told his challenger what the greatest commandment was. This message is available in video or print at https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/how-to-read-t