If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3)
As a result of the continuing demonic attack on the most holy scriptures, the Christian church in America has found herself bereft of the true foundations of her faith which lie in the Torah of Moses, the prophets of Israel and the writings of the kings and scribes. How this came to be is a matter of history: the church fathers as early as the second and third century C.E. distanced themselves from the Jews, whom they accused of killing Yeshua and therefore deemed to be eternally accursed of God Himself. Consider this quote from the Council of Nicea, 325 C.E.: “We ought not to have anything in common with the Jews…we desire, dearest brethren to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews…”
"As a result of this fundamental anti-semitism within the church from its earliest days, the interpretation of scripture has been practiced in an inverted manner. Theologians have begun with their understanding of what might be called Pauline precepts, interpreted Yeshua’s sayings in light of Paul’s, and then continued by inferring meaning from the Old Testament in light of what Yeshua said. Indeed, the complete opposite is true. The foundation is the Old Testament: Yeshua can be judged to be the Messiah on the basis of the Old Testament requirements, and Paul provides his own testimony for his faithfulness to that covenant. While most Christians might give lip service to this concept, their own understanding of what is written is colored by historically established interpretation prejudices.
In fact, this misunderstanding has promulgated an even deeper misconception within the faith and that is the division of the character of God. The supreme being of the Old Testament is viewed as a blood-thirsty, irrational and even capricious divinity, constantly testing His people and asking them to do unreasonable and possibly immoral acts to please or prove themselves to Him. The church teaches that, in contrast, the God of the New Testament is kind, generous and loving. However, there is only one God who said: “For I am YHWH, I change not…” (Malachi 3:6) and of Whom James wrote: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (1:17)
What is Yeshua’s foundation?
Yeshua was born a Jew, of the tribe of Judah. He is the Messiah for the whole world. The qualifications for being Messiah are listed in many Old Testament prophecies: where He was to be born, how He was to die, the sinless life He would live. This is confirmed in the New Testament: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] .” (Hebrews 4:15) What is the definition of sin? “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (I John 3:4)
Of what law is the author speaking? There was only one law at the time, i.e., Torah. Deuteronomy gives this warning: “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for YHWH your God proveth you, to know whether ye love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after YHWH your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” (Deuteronomy 13:1 – 4)
Who is the author of the commandments of Torah: “For YHWH [is] our judge, YHWH [is] our lawgiver, YHWH [is] our king; he will save us.” (Isaiah 33:22) and “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” (James 4:12).
We see in fact that, despite what may currently be taught, Yeshua wrote the law, embodied the law through the incarnation and kept the law as a man. If He had broken it, He would be, by Biblical definition, disqualified from being the Messiah.
What is Paul’s foundation?
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;” (Philippians 3:5)
“I am verily a man [which am] a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, [and] taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.” (Acts 22:3)
“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men [and] brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question,” (Acts 23:6) (i.e., not was a Pharisee before and am something different now),
“And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.” (Acts 25:7-8)
“And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men [and] brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.” (Acts 28:17)
In addition, Paul has written these things:
“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31)
“What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Romans 6:15)
“What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (Romans 7:7)
“Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:12-14)
What was the foundation of the first believers in Jerusalem?
“And when they heard [it], they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:” (Acts 21:20)
And John the beloved wrote: “Whosoever committeth sin also transgresseth the law; for sin is the transgression of the law.” (I John 3:4)
Torah is the foundation of the faith
Torah defines what sin is and what righteousness is. The argument is =not= about salvation but about what a believer’s walk with Yeshua looks like.
Things that the church overlooks because their foundation is destroyed
The seventh day is sanctified by YHWH at creation. There were no Jews, no Christians. It is for all people. Yeshua said the Sabbath was made for man. The word Sabbath means ‘to rest’. The Sabbath was never changed. In fact, there is a man who is a Seventh Day Adventist who will give you $10,000 if you can prove this was changed in Scripture. It was, as is easily proven from history, changed by the Catholic Church and they take it to their credit that Protestants still consider Sunday as the Sabbath.
Leviticus 23 gives the seven feasts of YHWH. It is written: “And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, [Concerning] the feasts of YHWH, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, [even] these [are] my feasts.” (Leviticus 23:1-2) It does not say they are feasts for Jews. It says they are His feasts. They were commanded to all Israel, which house and commonwealth all believers are grafted into. (Romans 11, Ephesians 2)
Yeshua said “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)
If He did not come to destroy, if it will not pass away until heaven and earth have passed away, if we are encouraged to teach the commandments, then why is it taught that they are done away with?
This is the foundation for understanding Paul’s writings, including Galatians. Paul never spoke about doing away with Torah. If that is what has been taught and generally understood, then there is a foundational problem in our thinking.
