The Great Divide.

There is today a seemingly unbridgeable gap in the Body of Messiah - on the one side we have 38,000+ denominations all claiming Roman Catholic doctrines, festivals, holidays, diets, abrogation of the Torah (Marriage Covenant) as their doctrinal foundation of their teachings and understandings of The Gospel.  On the other side there are those named Messianics, Hebrew Roots Movement, Nazarene Israel, The Way and whatever other labels are attached to them, struggling to find their way back to a Gospel Message founded on the entire Bible, which obviously includes the Torah (Marriage Covenant) with it's stipulations (Lev. 23 festivals, Sabbath, Lev. 11 kosher laws, circumcision) as their foundational doctrines of their teachings and understanding and obviously excluding all Catholic/Constantine induced doctrines.

It seems that basically all the two side really have in common is that we are saved by Faith through Grace through the Death and Resurrection of Messiah Yeshua (The sides however seem not to even agree on the HIS Name).

How did this come about that two groups reading the same Book, purportedly believing in the same Elohim (GOD) and led by the same Ruach (Spirit) can be so far apart?

Rather simple really - Politics!

Yes Politics;  what had been maturing for many centuries came to a climatic head in the 2nd centuary CE due to pressures from politics, exasperated by in house fighting, doctrinal difference and capped by the need for expedience a massive schism occurred in the Emerging Assembly of Yeshua.  

Yeshua's Apostles were all dead by this time however The Apostles saw what was about to happen and had already had skirmishes with this emerging Greek conceptual religion in their times and had written about it.  

The Jews were not the easiest of people it must be said, Rome, as many before and after,  hated them and were trying to do every thing they could to alienate and if possible destroy them and their religion, an action which started in the Garden and is still being attempted right now, and very sadly even the Church is assisting in places to attack Brother Judah!  

This Anti-Semetic persecution will carry on and only increase in Tempo until our Messiah returns and Mat. 10 even tells us that the enemy of those walking truly in Messiah will be persecuted even by their own household (read Church as well).

This Anti-Semitism seemed to know no bounds after the death of The Messiah and HIS Apostles because it was these very Jews and their Tanakh which had been used, as Prophesied,  to give birth to Messiah Yeshua and His First Century, Torah observant Community of  Jewish AND NON-JEWISH believers all united in Messiah Yeshua, thus proving the TRUTH of the Prophecies and signalling an end to the rule of the wicked one and thereby destroying the wall between Jews and Gentiles and providing ONE LAW for both and reconciliation with Elohim The Father! (Eph. 211-22) 

We need desperately to understand here and now dear reader:

Messiah Yeshua never came to introduce a new religion called Christianity - HE CAME TO FULFIL THE TANACH (O/T) SCRIPTURES PROPHESYING ABOUT HIMSELF the FULFILMENT OF THE JER. 31:31 and other Scriptures.  THE ORIGINAL MESSIAH YESHUA ORDAINED MESSIANIC MOVEMENT GREW OUT OF THE HEBRAIC SYSTEM ADOPTING THE ENTIRE TORAH OF YHWH AS RECORDED BY MOSHE (MOSES) IN THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF "THE LAW" AND THE PROPHETS!

What Messiah Yeshua did do though was to Live out the truth of the Torah in full obedience to HIS Abba thus revealing the vibrancy and freedom of The Covenant, making it (Torah/Covenant) alive:  This living and Divine Testimony obviously exposed the dead religious doctrines of the day enforced by the religious ruling elite for what they were - controlling religious rituals that made the True Torah, The Word of YHWH null and void and replacing it with a Religious System contrived by man for the benefit of man and NOT ELOHIM YHWH!  We know this exposure of the corrupted Temple System (Worship lifestyle) led to our Masters Death, as it also did to many of HIS Talmudin (Disciples), and which is still happening to this very day!

Lets be honest, truth be told the religious systems prevalent in the Western World today who claim that they come in HIS NAME would, by-en-large still be complicit in His Death, and the death of His Talmudin because Him and His Talmudin could not be of YHWH as they follow Torah and are by far too legalistic for their liking! 

This ruling elite of Yeshua's day, made up of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, in essence, were remarkably similar to the "Western Church Systems" of our day, in that they are, were both in "bed" with Rome/Political Governance. Obviously because of this politically arranged scenario, corrupted (read "mixed") influences held sway over the Temple system of that day, again much the same as today.  This "Theocratic System" obviously dictated the day to day lives and religion of the 1st Century Hebrews, and it still does today to the 21st centuary "Christians", and seems still to be orchestrated by Rome/ Western World. (USA 501(c)(3); World Council of Churches; Council of Churches of Namibia; Vatican.....?)

Another crucial change the Messiah brought about was the re-introduction of the Eternal Melchizedek Priesthood.  This re-introduction did away with the need for the Burnt Sacrifices for sin as mandated in the Levitical Priesthood for the Believers as HE was the Sacrificial Lamb by Whose Death the Divine Ratification of The Covenant was sealed and we were all reconciled back to our Heavenly Father.  Please note - Reconciled, but not SANCTIFIED!

Please stop for a moment here and ponder this statement:

Believing the promise of YHWH produces Faith; this Faith given by Grace produces Righteousness; Righteousness has kissed Justice; Justice demands a Sacrifice, YESHUA; The Sacrifice of the Justified Innocent Lamb gives sinful man SALVATION!  We are now reconciled with the Father!

OBEDIENCE: produces Blessings in the SAVED PERSON!
DISOBEDIENCE: Produces Curses in the  SAVED PERSON!
DISOBEDIENCE: is SIN!
SIN: is BREAKING THE TORAH OF YHWH!
Lev: 26; Deut: 28; Josh: 1:7-8; Jer: 5:25; 1 John 3:4.

Are we able to see that SALVATION & SANCTIFICATION are TWO DIFFERENT ISSUES?  The choice is up to each one of us whether we want to chose blessings or curses! (Deut: 30:19)

NB:  SALVATION ALLOWS US BACK INTO THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL:  WHEREAS SANCTIFICATION IS A REQUIRED QUALIFICATION FOR THE BRIDE!  Sanctification can only be achieved by following the Torah (Marriage Covenant) of Yeshua given at Mt. Sinai!

Now back to this schism between the early Believers referred to above.  The status quo at that time left us with Jews on the one side and the non-Jews on the other, ALL BEING  IN THE BODY OF MESSIAH HAVING BEEN SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH YESHUA OUR MESSIAH.  

The non-Jews, no longer having access to proficient Hebrew thinking leadership; under political pressure to get rid of all that "Jewish" stuff in their communal worship of YHWH and HIS Son YESHUA; needing to eradicate the impact and differences this Torah made to their social conduct and lifestyles, and needing leadership, in desperation turned to their natural leadership within their communities, a leadership having no basic Torah / Hebrew exposure what so ever.  The Jews on the other hand remained under their Torah mandated and influenced Hebrew Mindset and worship.

To compound the problem the non-Jewish Believers faced was that they and their new leaders were radically influenced by Greek Philosophy stemming from Plato and others. This was the  predominant school of reasoning of the Greeks and the Romans and this filtered down to every aspect of their empires - including the religious and social communities - thus this Hellenistic Mindset progressively grew under the ex-Gentile Believers and they began to rid themselves of the Torah - the Marriage Covenant. 

We now had ONE BODY following two paths - the one a Western World concept and belief pattern and the other, an Eastern World concept and belief pattern.  We see the difference vividly right this very moment as we compare Israel's (Eastern) Bibi Netanyahu and the USA's (Western) BHO.

The basic difference between the two approaches to The Bible & Theology experienced by the Jewish and ex-Gentile Believers  was that the Word was written out of, and still is based entirely on a Hebrew mindset, a Mindset which holds human virtues as the substance and meaning of life, a more concrete concept; whereas the Greek Mindset views life in a very abstract and mental concept.  

The concrete concept of the Hebrew basically keeps us in touch with a Unified Elohim through our actions, senses and daily functional life.

On the other hand of course we have the complete opposite to the Hebrew Mindset enshrined in the Greek or Hellenistic Mindset.  Under this philosophy all of life is based on abstract expressions of thoughts and ideas which cannot be touched with the senses, abstract is not functional.

Greek thought will describe the appearance of an object, whereas the Hebrew thought will describe its functional abilities.

Just look at the word love - our understanding of love is the feeling it evokes, the passions, the sentiments, the emotional reactions (Abstract); Yet Messiah Yeshua (A Jew with a Hebrew Mindset) describes love as keeping HIS commandments (Functional).

A Hebrew mindset sees time as a cyclic journey, whereas the Greek Mindset sees it as a linear journey from A-B : For example in Ps. 23:3 is translated as "He...leadeth me in paths of righteousness"  The word translated as paths is from the Hebrew word Magal = a track as circular from H5696 Agol = to revolve, circular, round.

The Hebrew Mindset has block logic, he tends to compartmentalise actions, so he would see events as separate parts of a whole often not understanding how they come together (you see for a Hebrew that is HaShem's problem NOT HIS) whereas the Greek Mindset would see them as linear and linked and if he cannot link them then his logic and perception must reject what he sees - as the abstract must take precedence over the concrete - what you think is more important, more real than what you see!

Hebrew Mindset would see the Supernatural as affecting everything.  The Greek Mindset sees a separation of Supernatural and natural (separation of State and Government?).

Greek Mindset sees a man centred universe; Hebrew Mindset sees Elohim, his family etc as the centre of his world.  

Greek Mindset would react to an abstract thought, whereas Hebrew Mindset will react to a functional and tangible action.

Going back to the definition of Salvation and Sanctification we can see the very definite functional aspect YHWH applies to HIS Works of Salvation and Blessings.  

Again if we look at the word Truth we get an amazing description of what Truth is when we read in Is. 8:20: 

"To the Law and to the Testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them" 

Truth = Law & Testimony.
Law = Torah (Instruction)
Testimony = Tudah (Attestation, precept) from the root ud = to duplicate or repeat; restore, lift up, witness, stand upright.
Light = Life

Truth : Is a functional legal precept based on Law and Action regarding the TRUE IDENTITY OF THE LIVING CREATOR ELOHIM, THE WORD AND THE LIGHT!

Reading Rev: 12:17 and 14:12 we see that only if our Testimony and Interpretational line thereof line up with the Word is it the TRUTH! 

Dear brethren, even Faith is a functional and legal term (Heb. 11:1) - In the Biblical Jewish mind the concept of Faith is the Confirmation of a fact is conveyed by substance & evidence: Therefore fact, substance & evidence = FAITH.

So no name it, claim it and frame it I am afraid - UNLESS THE RUACH OF MESSIAH YESHUA HAS REVEALED TO YOU THE FACT WHICH IS THEN A SUBSTANCE EVIDENCED = NOW YOU HAVE FAITH - BECAUSE YOU ARE STANDING ON HIS REVEALED WORD!

Therefore in closing I would respectfully submit that only ONE of the TWO Branches of The Body of Messiah can be correct.  There are definitely not two brides and Two Husbands, only ONE United (Echad) Husband and Wife walking in the Laws of The Father!

Possibly that is why Sha'ul (Paul) was led by The Ruach HaKodesh to pen that we ex-Gentiles need to have our minds renewed and to not conform to the world anymore - and this written right after he wrote of the Restoration of the House of Israel! (Rom. 12:2).

If then only one of the Branches of the Body of Messiah is correct, I would urge us all to fervently pray and make sure that we are walking in the Right Branch.  If you are able to stand today and claim by FAITH, Substantiated by the Evidence of a Fact through the Revelation of Messiah Yeshua's Ruach (The Holy Spirit) that you are in the "RIGHT BRANCH" - then Hallelujah!

BUT:

Dear Brethren, if you are where you are because of human abstract teachings, precepts and ideas without Divine Revelation to stand on, you may want to seriously look at where you are!  

Do you go on feelings and ideas or on FACTS and FAITH?  The choice is yours!

Test all that I have written and please DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR ANYTHING.

Shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and pray for the Peace of Yerusaliem and their anointed leaders.

Bo'az