Second Lesson: Who is YEshua?
Son of man? Father? Creator? or all?
By now you have witnessed the exposition of the first teachings of Yeshua. Before I enter into a discourse that proceeds from that initial orientation, I must ask you to reflect upon what you read.
Ask yourself these questions:
Did something stir in your heart as you were hearing (reading) about the Heavenly Celestial Father G-d, Yeshua, the Messiah, His Divine Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Have you ever heard or read the teachings of Yeshua in a Bible, from a preacher, a missionary or some other place?
Would you like to know the truth about the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father discussed by Yeshua to his disciples?
Who do you think were actually his disciples?
Do you think it is possible to connect directly to the Heavenly Parent without an intermediary?
Is Yeshua an intermediary for the Divine Parent?
I will help you to answer these questions yourself on this page. Through the affirmation of scriptural texts written by prophets in covenant with G-d, I will point you in the direction of concluding where you can truly stand on all these points of discussion.
Repentance and redemption are not new things inimical to Christians, even in the first centuries of the Way. The idea of repentance dated back all the way to the Sons of Adam with Cain and Abel. In fact this is where the work of redemption began. The Heavenly Parent (G-d) and His Holy Spirit promised to send a Saviour, one who would rend the gates of hell and set all captives free. What this means is that even up to the time of Yeshua, (Jesus) repentance was available to man in spite of Adam’s separation with the Heavenly Parent. In fact, tt was available to the entire creation.
But many rulers and despots held the souls of people captive through repressive religions including Judaism in its many forms. Tribal regimes (such as the Caesarea of Rome) through the ages did not allow people to maintain a covenant with the Kingdom of Heaven. The dominion of darkness ensnared people with worldly aspirations and affectations only to disappoint them in the end and capture their souls in a snare to do obeisance in fear of a rebellious demon, known as the Prince of the world. We shall not invoke his name.
For this reason Yeshua came. He came to preach repentance of the wrongful cultural conditioning of souls and set captive living souls at liberty. This included souls who had already died centuries past during His Resurrection and were trapped in Sheol. Yeshua brought the culmination of His teachings down to making a choice. Whom will you choose? The Prince of this world or the Heavenly Father? Repentance of worldliness is the first key that unlocks the gate to the Kingdom of the Heavenly Parent.
The relationship between Yeshua and the apostles is very intimate in the scriptures. He was very close to them because the Apostles had chosen to forsake everyone and everything that opposed the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father, even parents, wives, children and community. They did this to learn all they could about hearing about that Kingdom spoke of by Yeshua because they ‘saw’ truth in His words. Yeshua had many disciples but only a few Apostles. It was not because they were an elected few. It was because these few men were stirred by the love of Father in an age desperately needing Him. They elected themselves. "Many are they that were called, but few chosen" This phrase really means that only a few have chosen to be in covenant with the Heavenly Parent.
Yeshua said, “My father, mother and brother and sisters are those who seek the Will of the Heavenly Father. Only those who forsake all in favor of the Kingdom are worthy to be called my family.”
He was not saying he was rejecting his own personal family. He was taking advantage of the opportunity to exemplify to his disciples something profound. In this world brother will be against brother, father against son as from the time of Cain and Abel. But the only solidarity a righteous man who has chosen Heaven over the world can have, is the solidarity with others who also seek righteousness and the Kingdom of Heaven.
"Do not sit with scoffers, idolators, or hypocrites."
Well, doubters may say, well why does the Bible say that even as Yeshua states we should love everyone? Well, in fact he did not say to love everyone! He said to avoid walking with evildoers and to love your brethren meaning those who also walk the walk of righteousness. In seeking and loving the Heavenly Father, we are to bear up one another as children of God in love and fellowship. Brotherly love should be accorded to all who walk the righteous path.
But are not even the evildoers loved by the Heavenly Father?
Well, yes! But remember the love of the Father for His children is perfect. He is omnipotent and His love is Holy. Even the brethren who are working on learning how to love, cannot sustain a perfect love! But we can try! But love is not the same as tolerance, and in an imperfect world, we often confuse unconditional love with social tolerance.
We can offer unconditional love by according to everyone the same as the Father would give where it is warranted to do so. We should be prepared to offer mercy, forgiveness, charity, counseling, compassion to those who ask of us. However, we are not to be tolerant of or directly engage in the worldly preoccupations, affectations and vices of those who are not righteous and who do not seek reconciliation!
Therefore this 'love for all' could not be the same love and affection as we would impart for the brethren centered on Heaven, which includes peace, joy and trust! In fact, we are to AVOID the sinful affairs of the unrighteous and dealings and disavow their worldly customs and practices!
"Ye shall know them by their fruits."
The world was an impossible place in biblical times as it is today. Persecution abounded for the person just trying to do right just as today. Some people believe that if you do right you will not obtain karma or spiritual debts and it will be easy to live in the world in peace. In fact many are the philosophers seeking to proselytize a holy grail to happiness in the world. They pose as intermediaries for a spiritual pantheon or god making people believe their souls will be saved from destruction if people follow their doctrines. But it is not true. We are all under a curse from the time of Adam. We all possess the ‘mark of Cain.’ No man on his own with good deeds or an earthly intermediary can escape spiritual destruction without the assistance of G-d's mercy and grace. You can try. In the early medieval centuries, the Pope of the universal catholic empire began 'selling' indulgences, a kind of clearinghouse for sins committed that would buy you entry to heaven. Imagine that?
To have a curse-free relationship and covenant with the Heavenly Father as did Enoch, Elijah, Noah, Moses and Isaiah, you must enter a direct and intimate relationship with the Heavenly Father himself with NO intermediary, priest, sin offering or other qualifying helper.
But how would this be possible when the curse of the world had ultimately cut all men off from Heaven in which no man could know the Kingdom, let alone the Creator of Heaven and Earth?
The answer? The Creator Himself came: to renew a relationship with man as promised in the writings of Isaiah. He came as Yeshua in hypostasis with the Father. He came as a man who could be touched, heard, seen, talked to and followed. And unlike our imperfect love which is weak, and finite, full of vulnerability, He came as One with power and infinite grace, and showed His perfect unconditional love to sinners, scoffers, hypocrites and idolators without the vulnerability we have, with love that was healing, effective and transcendent.
Yeshua IS the physical human manifestation of the Heavenly Creator confirmed when He said “I and the Father are One. The Father is in me and I am in the Father. Those who have seen me and heard Me have seen the Father. I AM.”
Why is this remarkable?
It is remarkable because both in the sacred scriptures of the Judean Torah and the Christian Bible, it is stated that these words “I AM” were the same words spoken to Moshe on Mount Sinai after which Moshe returned from the cleft of the rock on that mount transfigured having both seen and heard the Living G-d…….
