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CHAPTER 4

Jesus the Christ

(Short summary of life and death).

King Herod (The Butcher, The Great, Herod I) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great is replaced by his son Herod Archaleus, who is replaced by Antipas, also called King Herod but who was commonly called Antipas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Antipas

Jesus died on the Italian Roman Cross, (by His own choice), as ordered by Rome, Italy, who King Herod worked for, and Herod deliberately worked closely with Caiaphas as the High Priest, who heavily influenced the Pharisees (who believed in the Resurrection – so they were fair you see), and the Sadducees (who did not believe in the Resurrection (so they were sad you see). So the order to kill Jesus came from Rome, Italy, consisting of (Gentiles), carried out by Herod, and a few Jews (maybe 200 or so). The majority of the Jews did not appear to be involved. As far as Rome was concerned Jesus was a political insurrectionist (anybody who could feed first 4000 than 5000 men, plus the women and children at one sitting was a huge threat).

Jesus died on a cross on a hill called Golgotha (place of the skull) at the time.

Did Jesus Fulfil and Abolish the Torah and the Prophecies?

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

David Stern (publishing noted above), states: “The common Greek word plerosai means “to fill”. At Matt. 5:17, most translations render it “to fulfill”. The theological implications often drawn is that Yeshua fulfilled all the prophecies of the Tanakh, so that none remain today for the Jews, and that He obeyed every relevant Torah command, so that no one needs to observe the Torah today.

But these conclusions do not follow logically, and in fact they contradict Yeshua’s immediately preceding statement that He did not come to abolish (or destroy) the Torah. More fundamental, however, is the translation issue of whether plesosai ought to be rendered “to fulfill” at all.

“My view is that Yeshua came not to fulfill, but to fill the Torah and the ethical pronouncement of the Prophets full with their complete meaning so that everyone can know all that obedience entails. ———-”Interestingly, this understanding is concordant with Jewish tradition, which says that when the Messiah comes He will both explain obscure passages of Torah and actually change it”.

“Therefore the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) states that the New Covenant, ‘has been given as Torah on the basis of better promises’. This not only strengthens the theological contention that the Torah remains in force, but makes it clear that the New Covenant given through Yeshua is Torah just as much as the Sianaitic Covenant given through Moshe”. (Moses).

He further states: “Works of the Law” and “Under the Law”; Is the Torah Legalistic? The Greek phrases erga nomou and upo nomon were coined by Sha’ul (Paul), and used by him in three of his letters – Romans, Galatians and 1 Corinthians; each appears ten times in the New Testament. They are usually translated “works of the law” and “under the law” respectively.

This often causes the reader to infer that keeping the Torah is bad, (legalistic) and that being within the framework of Torah observance is bad. The CJB’s B’rit Hadashah, following the lead of Cranfield (C.E.B. Cranfield, International Critical Commentary states:

“The epistle to the Romans (Edinburgh; T&T. Clark Ltd., 1979), p. 853), takes these phrases as referring not to the Torah itself but to man’s legalistic perversion of it. Therefore erga nomou is rendered, “legalistic observance of Torah commands”, and upo nomon is rendered “in subjection to the system which results from perverting the Torah into legalism”. The reader can then infer, correctly, that according to the New Testament teaching of Sha’ul (Paul) legalism – whether Jewish, “ or other – is bad, but living according to God’s Torah is good”.

The writer of this epublication feels David Stern makes common sense and the fact that Jesus became very angry at the Pharisees for their legalism is important to note. Up until the last few years, The Ten Commandments of the Torah held much respect.

http://www.amazon.com/613-Questions-Mitzvot-Commandments-Torah/dp/147918814X shows 613 Laws per the Tanakh.

Another search on the Web will reveal about 684 passages in the New Testament containing rules or “laws”.

Wait! More laws in New than Old?

According to Hebrews 2:1-3, the “law” worked perfectly to fulfill its purpose. This seems like a paradox doesn’t it? Since humans could never keep the law, this explains our need for salvation through some other manner – such as a final perfect sacrifice with the shedding of blood. We, however, keep wanting to go back to a covenant of “works”, especially if we fail in some manner.

The book of Hebrews goes into this in great detail. We think there just can’t be something so great as a “New Covenant” and our pride says, “I can do this better next time”. And so God gave us the book of Hebrews so we might understand.

Historical Data as the “Christian” Church” Begins

It’s interesting that the Israelite David buried Goliath’s skull on a hill outside Jerusalem. Goliath was from Gaul. Giants, it is thought by some (there is theological disagreement on this), came from the union of fallen angels and human women, an abomination to Almighty God. Thus Jesus’ perfect blood would have fallen on the hill representing the rebellion in Heaven. Another name for Golgotha was “the place of the skull”. Also, keep in mind, over time names have a way of being modified/shortened/changed, for convenience and Goliath from Gaul’s, head burial place, could have easily been shortened to Golgotha. David did not take the skull to Hebron, which is where the majority of his followers were at the time, but took it all the way to outside Jerusalem. This was 18 miles out of the way – Since of the people were at Hebron at the time, one can conclude this was a supernatural order/impelling from Adonai.

(1st Sam. 17:54 – Regarding Giants addressed more in other historical books of the Bible). Some of David’s “mighty men” killed the rest of the giants, (four). This seems prophetic in nature, because David had picked up five stones and killed Goliath with one.

Then after Jesus was Resurrected, and Ascended back to heaven, the Roman Emperor named Constantine came along.

And after he conquered the world he said “Christianity” was all right. At that point in time, the Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire. And if you thought it was evil before, it really got evil. Constantine thought he was a good Christian”, and the “Christians” that agreed with him, left simple “Christianity” behind and faced Rome, agreeing with a lot of pagan beliefs that had nothing to do with simple “Christianity”. Today, Constantine wouldn’t count as a “Christian” in most forms of “Christianity” without water baptism, but it’s not even that clear in the first few centuries of “Christianity, when “Christian” dogma had yet to be fixed. See: “Religion and Politics at the Council at Nicea,” by Robert M. Grant. The Journal of Religion, Vol. 55, No. 1 (Jan., 1975), pp. 1-12– http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1202069?uid=3739656&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103158237261

The Roman Emperor Constantine had all the pagans walk into the local river, and then out again. This was his idea of Baptism. They were pagans when they walked in and pagans when they walked out. Constantine was what current day people would call a “nominal” “Christian”. He did get baptized with water on his deathbed, just in case. Constantine also worshipped the sun god. He changed the Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week, because he felt it was good for everyone to worship on the “Day of the Sun”.

Early “Christians” went along with this because they were being persecuted by Jews as well as Rome.

Sabbath Day Changed

According to www.religioustolerance.org/sabbath.htm#move:

Protestants use several scriptures to justify Sunday as a worship day: John 20:19 describes events on what we would call Sunday evening. “The disciples were gathered together”. Some have speculated that this might have been the first Sunday worship service. Others suggest that the text seems to imply that they were gathered together for their own protection, out of fear of attack by the Jews.

Acts 20:7: Paul is described as preaching on a Sunday evening. It was evening, because the passage refers to lamps being lit. Some “Christians” promote this text as demonstrating that Paul held a religious service on a Sunday. Others suggest that he gave the teaching on what he would call Sunday evening but we would call Saturday evening; the first day of the week started at sundown on Saturday in 1st century CE Palestine. If Paul considered Sunday to be the Sabbath then he would not have set out on foot to Assos on Sunday morning. Walking on the Sabbath was forbidden.

1 Corinthians 16:2: Paul instructs the “Christians” at Corinth that each of them is to lay aside some money every Sunday that would later be collected for the “Christians” at Jerusalem. Some interpreters believe that this might refer to a collection of money at a Sunday religious service. Others suggest that the text implies that the money was to be laid aside by each believer separately and privately, and to be saved up by each person independently.

Primarily the following two scriptural texts are used by Protestants to justify Sunday worship: Colossians 2:16-17: Paul writes: “…do not let anyone judge you…with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (NIV).

Some people interpret the reference to “Sabbath” in this passage as authorizing “Christians” to celebrate (or not celebrate) the weekly Sabbath in any way that they wish. Others suggest that the “Sabbath” in this passage apparently refers to the Ceremonial Sabbaths, not the Weekly Sabbaths.

The verse in Colossians duplicates the text of Ezekiel 45:17 which reads: “…at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths – at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel.”

Romans 14:5: Paul writes: “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Some people interpret this passage as allowing “Christians” to either recognize or ignore the Sabbath, – or perhaps to select any day as the Sabbath.

But others suggest from a reading of the subsequent verses that Paul is discussing fasting here, not religious observance. They would suggest that verse 1 of this chapter indicates that the passage relates to “disputable” matters (such as when or if to fast); the day of the Sabbath was not a disputable matter; it was a commandment from God. The phrase “considering every day alike” might mean that every day from Sunday to Friday were treated the same, as in the passage describing the collection of manna in Exodus 16:4

There seems to be no internal evidence that would justify the “Christian” church changing the day from that commanded in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)-the 7th day or Saturday. However, in later centuries, moving from Saturday to Sunday certainly was beneficial if for no other reason than to improve the security of “Christians” by distancing “Christianity” from Judaism in the eyes of the government.” http://www.logosapostolic.org/bible_study/RP208-5SabbathtoSunday.htm

The discussion, although perhaps pointless, goes on and on: http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/time-shift-creates-sabbath-joke although this article does contain numerous points of view from a seminary level.