Romans 10:13-15

Romans 10:13-15 King James Version (KJV)

¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ¹⁴ How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Paul asks, how can people call on God if they have never heard of Him and how can they believe on Him if they do not know Him? Then he answers, they cannot hear without a preacher. A preacher cannot go unless he is sent. Sent by whom?

Unfortunately, many today are sent by the seminaries, or the diocese, of their chosen denominations. They will carry with them the excess baggage of the doctrines of men and their denominational biases. They are limited to the confines of their denominational standards and thus are not permitted to wander beyond them. They are held accountable to men and their traditions.

Others may send themselves as they choose preaching as their chosen occupation. It is their living. It is how they will pay their bills. It is simply their bread and butter. They usually approach the Scriptures from an intellectual standpoint and there is seldom any spiritual meat to their messages. They will eventually conduct their messages according to what draws the biggest crowds and brings the most cash into their coffers. There is little accountability to anyone and God is not always in what they teach and preach. In fact, much of what they preach does not often align with Scripture from a contextual standpoint.

Still, there are others who may actually have the call of the Almighty upon their lives, but are too impatient to sit under the subjection of the Holy Spirits instruction. They often start out as a gasoline fed fire, but soon burn out, or become just an ember in short order. They usually end up becoming discouraged and disillusioned. They often depart from their calling and frequently become hostile towards God and His children.

We are living in the days spoken of by Paul in his second letter to our brother Timothy where he says in chapter four, verses two through five:

² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I want to encourage those who have a calling upon their lives to persevere. We are living in dangerous times. Many are looking for an easy and lawless gospel. They want to hear about prosperity. They want to hear that they will fly away and not face the trials and tribulations about to come upon the whole earth. They want to hear nice things. If it is not sugar coated, they will turn away to the mega-church preachers and follow the wide, and easy road. We are instructed to be watchful in all things. We are accounted to endure afflictions as Scripture reminds us over and over again. Yeshua (Jesus) cautions us that he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Prepare yourselves. The days ahead are going to be brutal. Many will become disillusioned as they witness things they had never imagined could happen to God's children. Many will fall away in a great apostasy. It is certain to happen in our day. Pray that you would be found worthy to escape the destruction that is coming upon the whole earth, and to stand before the Son of Man in His kingdom. Heed the warning in Revelation 12:13-17:

³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The woman is the body of believers here on earth. We will be persecuted. However we make a flight into the wilderness here on earth where the dragon had been cast down. The believers are hidden here on earth, not in heaven as many teach. Flying into the wilderness is exactly as spoken of when God bore the children of Israel out of Egypt on eagle's wings as spoken of in Exodus 19:4. God does not change. The dragon will open his mouth and will cast out a flood of waters (figurative of people), but God will cause the earth to swallow them up just as he did the household of Ko'-rah in Numbers 16:28-33. Also see Isaiah 59:19.  God does nothing outside of what is already written in His Word.

We are to be praying that we are found worthy to escape God's wrath. It is coming, and all indications are that it is coming sooner rather than later. Remember Peter's warning in 2 Peter 3:3-4,9. Let us be watching and praying.

Pray for the Shalom (Peace) of Jerusalem,

Barry W. Gaugler

Prophesies for This Present Age

Right now there is a prophetic area of discussion going on that many of us are seeing occur over and over again throughout the whole community of believers in Messiah. Many, from different walks of life, are mentioning these exact same prophesies in different terms and expressed in different ways. However, they are the exact same visions. I­ am certainly not the only watchman on the wall sounding these warnings to God's people in this present age. The prophesies being seen and heard are all having the same theme. Personally, I don't believe in coincidence. Everything is done according to the plan of the Almighty, and He is sending a clear warning to His people.

In Amos 3:7, God makes this fact perfectly clear:  Adonai, God, does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. (CJB)

Whether you consider those of us speaking these things to be prophets, or not, is completely irrelevant. We have a commission to fulfill. Our calling is from the Almighty, and it is not dependent upon whether or not the masses recognize our calling. It is to be understood that our calling is to be watchmen (and women) on the wall. If that fits into the category of being a prophet, then so be it. However, the cry is coming from far too many mouths to ignore as mere coincidence.

Dangerous times are ahead, and they are going to start coming to pass in this present year. Several older people have been having dreams like never before. Passages of Scripture are coming forward, seemingly, out of the blue. They are always concerning the days ahead. I'm hearing the same thing coming from others and all of our dreams and Scriptures seem to be lining up in agreement. Something enormously prophetic is about to happen.

Many will scoff at these warnings and not take them to heart, but they will do so to their own harm.  Many are going to suffer greatly in the months to come. I am talking about suffering like you may have never imagined. God is going to try His people to show us of what we are made.  He is saying to us, "Don't give up!" Things are going to happen which will cause many to ask, "How could God allow this to happen to His people?" He is saying, "Do not become offended in Me."  There will soon be a removal of the tares from His congregation. You may feel as though God has abandoned you and ask yourself, "Why is God not answering my prayers?" Don't give into the temptation of believing that He is not there. He is saying to His people, "Seek Me with your whole heart while I am yet be found. Do not turn to your own understanding. Trust in Me and do not waver. I am in charge, and I know what I am doing. Only trust."

We are going to see things that will be very unsettling in the months to come. We are going to be witness to atrocities like we had never imagined could happen in a civilized nation. Prepare yourself.  Know that these things must happen for God to get our attention and turn our thoughts to Him. He wants us to turn to Him, and Him alone, for our provisions. It is no longer a matter of, it might be coming. It is coming! Trust Him. All of our strength must be supplied by Him. Too many are speaking these warnings by Ruach Elohim (the Spirit of God) to ignore them. Some of us have been saying these things for several years, but we have never sensed the urgency like we have lately. This is not a joke. It is as real as a brick wall. Come out of your slumber. The time is at hand.

Shalom,
Barry W. Gaugler

Should Be Saved, or Shall Be Saved? That Is The Question.

John 3:16 is probably the most well known passages in all of Scripture. It is also probably one of the most misunderstood passages in Scripture. This verse is also translated in many Bibles incorrectly because of the doctrine  "all you have to do is believe." To a certain extent, that's true. But what does it mean in the biblical sense "to believe?" I'll get to that a little bit later.

Dr. Sterns in the Complete Jewish Bible translates John 3:16 this way:

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed.

He hits on something there that is very important for the proper understanding of the text. Many people, and even many Bible translators miss a very important detail from this verse. It's a shame because it is right there before their eyes, but people do not take the time to think about what is really being said.

 Notice the words "may have eternal life." The question I'm forced to ask is this. Is the word "May" an absolute? Probably another way of saying it is, Is the word a definite statement, or is it an indefinite statement? I mean, what if I say to a child, You may eat that lemon. Does that mean that the child automatically wants the lemon. There is a good probability that the kid doesn't even care for lemons and may not want any part of it. So, in this case, the word "May" carries with it a sense of being something indefinite. He may want it, and he may not.

I like to compare this verse from every other Bible version against the old King James Version. Not because I think the KJV is always correct. but because, in this particular instance, I find the KJV to be one of the most accurate versions when compared to the Greek.

How does the KJV interpret this verse. It says it like this:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Again, I have to ask the question. Is the phrase "should not perish" an absolute statement?  Think about this for a minute. If God says to you, "You should not eat shell fish." Is that a definite statement, or is it indefinite statement? Is it a suggestion, or is it a commandment? What if you like shell fish? You would probably eat shell fish. Now, what if God said to you, "You shall not eat shell fish." The whole focus of the idea changes. Now we can easily recognize it as a commandment. What was the difference? The difference was between the meaning of the indefinite word "should" and the definite meaning of the word "shall."

The words in the Greek are in the indefinite.  Properly translated, it should be either '"may" as in the CJB, or "should" as in the King James. Looking closely at this verse from the context – which I shall show shortly – bears this out. Think about this. If I say you, "you should not perish." Does that statement not imply that you possibly could perish, simply because I used the indefinite word should?  There is a condition at work here. The condition hinges upon the word "trust."

Comparing verse 16 with previous verse, and then with 17, you should soon see the context I'm talking about. Along with it, comes the idea that the words used here are in the indefinite state. Verse 15, from the Complete Jewish Bible reads like this:

¹⁵ so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life.

Notice again the indefinite word may

Then when we move on to verse 17, we see the same train of thought.

¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved.

The same verse in the King James reads like this:

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Now I have to ask. Is the word "might" a definite or an indefinite word.

Suppose I said, the world through Him will be saved, or perhaps if I said, the world through Him shall be saved. These words are both in the definite case. The fact that words in these verses are actually in the indefinite implies that believing in Yeshua does not necessarily mean you shall not perish.  Hold on before you all go crazy!  It also does not mean that the world through Him will be saved – in the sense that most people believe.  Remember, James 2:19 says, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! Are the demons going to be saved? I hardly think so.

There is a condition required here. What is that condition? Verse 18 from the CJB says:

¹⁸ Those who trust in him are not judged; those who do not trust have been judged already, in that they have not trusted in the one who is God’s only and unique Son.

I like the KJV better. It says:

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

In verse 18 we have our explanation. Verse 18 moves from the indefinite to the definite.

There is a tremendous difference between believing in Yeshua, as in the sense that; Yes I believe that he was a great man, or perhaps; Yes, I believe he was a great teacher, but I cannot believe that he was God in the flesh. Those people believe that he was, but there is no trusting upon him for their salvation. In their case, they might be saved. However, first they are going to have to come to the realization of whom Yeshua really is and begin to trust in His name.

The opposite is those people who believe on Him with their whole heart. They believe that He was the Word made flesh and there is no other name under heaven by which we might be saved. Those who have thrown their complete trust upon Him, and walk in obedience to His commandments are those who shall be saved. There is no might concerning them. In their case, they will be saved.

Where do you stand? Are you in the might be saved category, or are you in the will be saved category. Are you one of those who should not perish, or are you one of those who will not perish? It's your choice. choose wisely.

Shalom,
Barry W. Gaugler

What is Heresy?

According to Webster's Twentieth Century Dictionary (Unabridged) Second Edition heresy is defined as such:

her'e-sy, n.;  1. a doctrine, opinion, or set of opinions or principles at variance with established or generally received views or doctrines, as in politics, morality, philosophy, etc.  2. in theology, a doctrine or belief that is contrary to the fundamental doctrine or creed of a particular church; especially, such a belief specifically denounced by the church and regarded as likely to cause schism.        3. the holding to such a belief  or opinion.

Would it upset you if I told you that the early communities of believers in the Jewish Messiah would look upon the vast majority of Christian communities today as heretics? That is not an easy statement for many Christians to swallow. It shakes at the core of everything they believe. However, when you compare the things Yeshua and His apostles spoke, and wrote, there is very little semblance between what they taught, and what is taught in congregations today. We have received a mushy, diluted, watered down gospel that is actually not the Gospel taught by Yeshua, or His apostles at all.

If one is willing to be honest with themselves, one would only have to do the slightest amount of prayerful research and it would become apparent that most of what Christians believe isn't supported by Scripture in its proper context. Do a careful study of Matthew 15 and Mark 7 and see what Yeshua was accusing the scribes and Pharisees of doing. He was coming down hard on them because they were judging people, and condemning them, for violating the traditions of men while at the same time totally ignoring the instructions given by Almighty God in Torah. Notice Matthew 15:3 where it says:

And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?  (NASB)

Then in verses 7-9 Yeshua continues with these words:

⁷ You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ⁸ ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ⁹ ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”  (NASB)

Before we continue, one needs to get this simple fact embedded into their spirit. Satan hates the words of Almighty God. He directs this hatred towards God's people who were created in His image. From the Garden of Eden forward Satan has intentionally twisted the words of the Almighty with the intention of destroying God's people. I can't express this fact strongly enough. If you miss that fact, you will miss everything. He has done this throughout all time. His working in this area was especially evident even while the apostles were still walking this earth. After they had passed from this life Satan went to work with a vengeance trying to destroy all evidence of truth about Messiah and His love for His covenant people the Hebrews.

Satan's first attack was the same tactic he used back there in the Garden with the same results in mind. He attacked the Word of God with the intention of destroying God's people (the Hebrews), and the Gentiles who had now been grafted into Israel and would follow His instructions. His favorite tool has never changed. He mixes confusion with the Word of God. It has always worked well for him. Add a word here, subtract a word there, or cloud the intended meaning by substituting a word with a vague, or completely different meaning. He works especially well in this area through translating from one language into another. Particularly from Hebrew and Aramaic into Greek and then again into English. His work is easy for an unsuspecting people lacking spiritual discernment and real knowledge of God's word. That is the reason for the pouring out of the Spirit in the last days. God is still in charge and He will defend and reveal the truth found in His word.

One of Satan's tricks was to flood the early church age with many counterfeit copies of the accounts of Yeshua. Several counterfeit gospels and epistles were circulated around the known world at that time. Many poorly written copies and forgeries of the actual Gospels and epistles of the apostles were also circulated. Then the idea was to attack the Jews and discredit them. People like Marcion even attacked the Scriptures themselves. He went as far as to formulate the false idea that there were two Gods. The cruel and rigid God of the Hebrew Scriptures, and the loving and merciful God of the Apostolic Scriptures. He coined the terms Old Testament and New Testament to support this doctrine. Many today still buy into his heresies unknowingly. There is one, and only one, God. Not two.

It was the Jewish people who carried the Good News to the world in those days. However, as time went on, Gentiles began to outnumber the Jews in the Messianic communities and anti-Semitism grew. The ancient Hebraic understanding of the Apostolic Writings, which was fully built upon and supported by the Hebrew Scriptures, was soon replaced with Western modern Greek philosophical reasoning. These new Christians were former pagans who began to mix paganism with the Hellenistic mindset and the Gospel. Heresies began cropping up everywhere and instead of the church resisting these heresies, they adopted them. Jews were looked upon as the murders of Messiah. They were hated, persecuted, and often slaughtered. The instructions which God had delivered to the Hebrews  at Mount Sinai was rejected. God's appointed times were rejected and replaced with pagan festivals. The pagan festivals were now given Christian names mixing the profane with the holy. The pagan icons were now given Christian names, and all things considered Jewish were rejected and in most cases outlawed. The church had departed from the established doctrines of Yeshua and the apostles.

The so-called church fathers in the second through the fourth centuries had established a doctrine or belief that is contrary to the fundamental doctrine delivered by Yeshua and the apostles. They had in fact a created a doctrine, opinion, or set of opinions or principles at variance with established or generally received views or doctrines of the apostles. From the time the apostles had all died out the church was now committing heresy. They had rejected the apostles doctrines in favor of the anti-Semitic doctrines of the so-called "church fathers." These heresies still continue in most of the churches to this day. Yet, many accept it them as the doctrines of Yeshua and the apostles. They are not!

The first thing that had to go was the so called Jewish commandments. They were now called "the Law." People do not like laws as they are a way of restricting one's freedom. So we now call the instructions given by God at Sinai, "Laws." The belief was introduced that these "Jewish" commandments were now changed by Yeshua even though He Himself said in Matthew 5:17-19:

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (NASB)

Notice that Yeshua says, "but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Does that sound to you like Yeshua was talking about doing away with Torah? I would be curious to know how you would come to that conclusion.

Some attempt to focus upon the word "fulfill" as though Yeshua now made the instructions of God obsolete, but that is not what is being said here. What we have here is one of those examples of a weak translation using the word from the Greek and translating it into the English as fulfill. Ask yourself a question. But first, let's substitute the word "fulfill" with the word they would really like for you to be thinking. Let's substitute the word fulfill with destroy. Do you really think Yeshua was saying that He came to destroy the instructions He just said, He came not to destroy? The word for fulfill from the Greek used here means to "complete" or better yet, to "fully preach" or to "reveal the true meaning." When you have the proper interpretation the true meaning becomes clear. What Yeshua is saying here is that He came not to destroy the Torah, but to "reveal its true meaning. The question to ask yourself is this. Have heaven and earth passed away? I didn't think so. I look out my window and still see stars, the moon and the sun. I also see grass and trees. Heaven and earth are obviously still here. Therefore the Torah has not passed away either.

Here is something else to contemplate. If Yeshua had changed any part of God's Torah, He would have been a false prophet according to Deuteronomy 13. If Yeshua had changed any part of Torah He would be guilty of rebellion against YHVH (the LORD) by seducing you away from the way God had commanded us to walk. Deuteronomy 13:5 clearly says:


⁵ But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

If Yeshua had done away with any part of Torah, He could not possibly have been the Messiah, because the Messiah could not possibly be a false prophet according to Torah. It's long past time that we start reading our Bibles for ourselves. Yeshua has promised us that when He returned to the Father in heaven, He would send us the Comforter. He would lead us into all truth. It is imperative that we begin to get on our knees and fall upon our faces before Almighty God and ask Him for His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. It is His promise to reveal Himself to those who will diligently seek Him. We need to awaken to the shocking fact that we have been sitting in apostate churches since the fourth century. We have been listening to heresies passed down to us for centuries from heretics.

 It's time to get uncomfortable in the churches and start asking questions which most pastors will not be able to answer. They will not answer, either because they don't know, or because their paycheck may be in jeopardy if too many people start asking the hard questions. Remember this, there is a time, coming soon, when God will hide His people from the vicious and merciless onslaught of Satan and his people against the true believers in Messiah Yeshua. God will protect those who are truly His. However there are some requirements to receive His protection. He will not protect those who insist on remaining in the confusion of Babylon and her heresies. What are those requirements? They are found in Revelation 12:13-17. Pay very close attention to the last verse. There are the two requirements.

¹³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.


Shalom,
Barry W. Gaugler







   

Under the Law, or Subject To It?

Romans 3:19-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

The difference here is being under the law, as opposed to being subject to the law. I don't like the use of the word "law" as it is probably the least acceptable interpretation of the word "Torah" and the context makes it plain in these verses that Paul is not always talking about Torah, but rather the legalistic observance of the oral traditions. It is unfortunate that most English versions usually translate the Greek word "nomos" as "law" every time they see it. Unfortunately, they make no distinction between Torah, civil law, church laws, or the oral traditions by translating the vague word as "Law." It creates little light, but often generates a lot of heat. The context must define the proper interpretation of the word, not just the random understanding of the translators. Both Torah and the oral traditions are used in these verses. How do we distinguish the difference? Notice Paul says, "By what law?"

We are subject to the law [Torah] (not for salvation, but to set us apart from the ways of this world). We are not under the law [oral traditions] as the way to righteousness. To give a physical picture of this we can look to a horse and rider. When a horse is to be ridden, in the common manner, a horse is said to be "under saddle." He is not only carrying the weight of the saddle, saddle blanket, and rider, but also whatever the rider places upon his back. He must carry the full burden of all that is placed upon his back. So it is with being "under the oral traditions." In Judaism, its adherents were required to carry the full burden of the oral traditions placed upon them by the traditions of their fathers. These are the same things Yeshua/Jesus was condemning the scribes and Pharisees for doing in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. Messiah removed that burden from off our backs. We are no longer carrying the burdens placed there by the traditions and doctrines of men, which placed a hedge around Torah. It also added to the word of God, which in of itself was sin.

However, like the horse is also subject to a bit and bridle, we are subject to Torah. The bit and bridle do not weigh very much and they are carried quite easily. But on the other hand it has a powerful influence over the direction of the animal. In like manner, through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, keeping Torah is not burdensome. Torah is to be the bridle that sets us apart from this world and causes us to go in the direction the Almighty is directing us to go. Without Torah, we have nothing to tell us what is sin. It is our schoolmaster. Without the schoolmaster, there is nothing to teach us what God requires of us for righteous living. Without laws all you have is lawlessness.

Shalom Ahlaychem,
Barry W. Gaugler.

• Clarification: There seems to be a lot of reservation, by some, that Paul is not speaking about Torah every time the Greek word (νομος) "nomos" is used in Scripture. The main focus of the problem stems from the erroneous Christian understanding of the phrase "works of the law (Torah)" and "under the law (Torah) as is used in Romans 3:28, and elsewhere in Scripture. Some examples are as follows:
  
  Romans 3:28 American Standard Version (ASV)
  We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
  
  Romans 3:28 Common English Bible (CEB)
  No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law.
  
  Romans 3:28Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
  Therefore, we hold the view that a person comes to be considered righteous by God on the ground of trusting, which has nothing to do with legalistic observance of Torah commands.
  
  I could go into a long detailed and drawn out explanation, but there is no need. Andrew Gabriel Roth gives a great explanation in His comment of Romans 3:28 in the A.E.N.T. (Aramaic English New Testament), so I will simply quote him.
  "The term "works of Torah" and "under Torah predate Paul by hundreds of years. These terms were discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls (A Sectarian Manifesto 4QMMT:4Q394-399)while originally referring to the ultra religious halakha of the Essenes, the same principles may apply to the Pharisees' halakha. These two phrases are also mentioned in Romans 6:14,15; 9:32; 1 Corinthians 9:20; 21; Galatians2:16; :2, 5, 10, 23;4:4, 5, 21; 5:18. "Under Torah" refers to the orthodox/traditional interpretation and observance of Torah. Religious halakha is clearly NOT what Y'shua or Paul followed in their observance of Torah. The Renewed Covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:33 is to write Torah of YHWH upon the hearts of His people, not the "Torah of men."The idiomatic expression "works of Torah" provides insight to those of a "traditional" Jewish upbringing. Paul references Jews at the very beginning of this chapter; in verse 19 he states "Now we know" referring to those who understand Torah and halakha."

Shalom,
Barry W. Gaugler

The Call of the Watchman

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Yerushalayim; they will never fall silent, neither by day nor by night. You who call on Adonai, give yourselves no rest; (Isaiah 62:6 [CJB])

I appointed sentinels to direct them: ‘Listen for the sound of the shofar.’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ ¹⁸ So hear you nations; know, you assembly, what there is against them. ¹⁹ Hear, oh earth! I am going to bring disaster on this people; it is the consequence of their own way of thinking; or they pay no attention to my words; and as for my Torah, they reject it. (Jeremiah 6:17-19 [CJB])

 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.              (Ezekiel 3:17 [ESV])

“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, ³ and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, ⁴ then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. ⁷ “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. (Ezekiel 33: 2-9 [ESV])

The calling of a watchman, like that of a prophet, is not a pleasant calling. It involves knowing the words of the Almighty in a way that most believers do not care to search. A watchman, like a prophet is permitted to see things from God's word by the Spirit of revelation that the world cannot see. If one has a real understanding of a watchman, or a prophet, it is not a calling that one would seek after. It is a calling of rejection by family, friends and even communities. It is a calling of heartache, bitterness, persecution, and often brutal death.

One does not choose to become a watchman anymore than one chooses to become a prophet. Watchmen, and prophets are not appointed by man. The Almighty may call upon men to anoint a person to be a watchman or prophet, but the ultimate calling can only come from the Almighty Himself. Notice the wording in each of these passages as to who is doing the calling. Each time, it is the words of the Almighty speaking. "I have posted watchman on your walls." "I appointed sentinels" "I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel."

There are many out there who claim the calling of a watchman or prophet. By the same token, there are many out there who are watchmen, but are not sounding the alarm about things to come. Their shofar (trumpet) is silent to the impending dangers ahead. The blood of God's Israel will be upon their hands.

 I have often wondered why I can never seem to rest. My watch is to continue, and I am not to fall silent either by day or by night. It is a lonely calling to stand on the wall and be rejected time and time again by family, friends, and community. I have never asked for this calling, but just like during the draft era, many never asked to go and fight for their country. But fight they did. It was a matter of life and death.

So when a watchman is trying to warn you about errors in your lifestyle, do not be so quick to accuse them of judging you. Do not hurl statements like, "Who are you to judge me?" or "Who do you think you are condemning my actions?" It is not the watchman, or the prophet who is condemning you, it is your own conscience knowing that you are in conflict with the words of the Almighty.

The promise of the Almighty is this: I am going to bring disaster on this people; it is the consequence of their own way of thinking; or they pay no attention to my words; and as for my Torah, they reject it. It goes back to the saying, "Pretty words are not always the truth, and the truth is not always pretty." All the watchman can do is what the Almighty has commanded them to do. If you reject the warnings, your blood will be upon your own hands, and our soul will be delivered. However, if the watchman sees the danger and does not sound the warning, your blood will be upon our hands. This is the way the Almighty has ordained it to be. I pray for your understanding.



Shalom,
Barry W. Gaugler   

They have eyes, but they cannot see

¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” ¹⁷ But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? ¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?  (Mark 8:16-18 [NKJV])

²³ Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; ²⁴ for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” (Luke 10:23-24 [NKJV])

³⁰ Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. ³² And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,   (Luke 24:30-33 [NKJV])

Notice what is common concerning these three passages of Scripture. Yeshua/Jesus is concerned that they have eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot hear. Add to that the fact that they cannot remember. Remember what? He tells them that blessed are the eyes that see the things that you see, for the prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see. Why could they not see in the beginning? It was because their hearts were hardened. Why could the prophets and kings not see, or hear,  yet they had the desire? It is because these things had not yet been revealed. But notice, the travelers on the road had their eyes opened when He took the bread and gave it to them. And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Yeshua imparted to them the Spirit of revelation in this matter even though Weeks/ Pentecost had not yet occurred. The Ruach HaKodesh was even then subject to Yeshua. We have this same Spirit which raised Yeshua from the dead, and which opened the eyes of the disciples of old. We are able to see Yeshua from the same Scriptures as the apostles, because Yeshua returned to the Father. Did He not promise this in John  14:26 where He says:


²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

This is where it gets sticky for some people. Not only is He bringing to their remembrance those things which He said to them while He was walking with them person to person, but He would also bring to their remembrance those things which were spoken of him in the Torah and the Prophets. He is bringing to their remembrance those things written in the Word of God through the prophets. The prophets were speaking the Word of God. Is not Yeshua the Word made flesh?

Pray that the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) would open your eyes and unstop our ears that we may see and hear the Good News. He wants us to see, He wants us to hear. It is His will that none should perish, but that all would come to repentance. Only when you are willing to surrender all that you think you know can the Ruach open your eyes. It is up to you. Simply ask. Until you are willing to surrender all of your man-made traditions, seek an intimate personal relationship with your Maker, and ask the Almighty to be your teacher, all you will have is religion. God hates religion.


Shalom,
Barry W. Gaugler