Introduction

(Video Version)

Roman Christianity is not limited to Catholicism, but to a degree, includes all Christian denominations that continue to follow her false doctrines and traditions-of-men.

Before we begin, we must differentiate between the institutions of Roman Christianity, including their doctrines and leadership, and the individual members. Also, not all of the leadership is aware that they are teaching false doctrines, many are fooled by Satan’s elaborate deception. The distinction between the institutions and the people is evident in Yeshua’s plea to individual believers in Revelation 18:4.

Revelation 18:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues.“

As YHWH pleaded with the Israelites for centuries to cease their harlotry, a similar plea has been extended to the members of the Roman Church. Offering numerous opportunities for repentance, He warned the Israelites of the impending curse before it eventually came. Likewise, the apostate church faces a comparable fate, with the refiner’s fire awaiting in the future.

We learn about the refiner’s fire, and who will have to endure it, in the Book of Malachi.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And YHWH whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says YHWH of hosts.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that this messenger who prepared the way before YHWH was John the Baptist, who prepared the way before Yeshua at His first coming. But then the verse says that YHWH will suddenly come to His temple.

This word, suddenly, is Strong’s h6597 פִּתְאוֹם pith-ome’: instantly:—straightaway, sudden(-ly).

Now, Paul tells us that we are the temple of YHWH.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Therefore, when Malachi says, “And YHWH whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple;” this was fulfilled by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; and the “messenger of the covenant in whom you delight,” is Yeshua at His second coming. This verse is addressing Yeshua Messiah’s church—that is all who believe, or delight, in Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ). The pronoun “you” in this whole passage refers to the Body of Christ, but only those who are living in disobedience to YHWH. You will see soon how we know it is only the disobedient.

Malachi 3:2-4 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to YHWH. ⁴ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to YHWH as in the days of old and as in former years.

When Yeshua Messiah returns it will be to judge the world, and those who are disobedient to YHWH will face the refiner’s fire.

The sons of Levi, Judah, and Jerusalem are all specifically mentioned here because they represent the remnant of the House of Judah whose offerings were not pleasing to YHWH; and consequently, he had them removed from the Land in AD 70. When Yeshua returns, however, many of them will realize their error in rejecting Him and they will accept Him as their Messiah. Notice that this group is not part of the “you” who are being addressed in the passage. YHWH is talking about the House of Judah while addressing the Church of Christ. The House of Judah are the same people Yeshua’s calls the “synagogue of Satan” in His revelation to John.

Revelation 2:9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 3:9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.

Judah will be refined along with the church that is not living in obedience to YHWH.

Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says YHWH of hosts.

Here, YHWH is addressing “you” again, as he warns “you” that he is coming to judge “you”. YHWH’s Law (Torah) has commandments against sorcery, adultery, bearing false witness, swearing to a lie, not paying a hired worker his wage, not caring for widows and orphans, not caring for sojourners, and not fearing YHWH. This entire list of people is straight out of the Torah. The Roman Church teaches its members to disobey the Torah, which is why they will face the refiner’s fire.

Malachi 3:6 “For I YHWH do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

As we learned in our studies, Who is Biblical Israel and The Olive Tree: Israel, Israel is not a nation based on genetics, it is all of YHWH’s people, which means those who believe in Yeshua Messiah. YHWH is saying that because He does not change His mind, Israel will not be completely destroyed.

Malachi 3:7-10 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says YHWH of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. ¹⁰ Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says YHWH of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 

In this passage we get confirmation that our understanding is correct, YHWH is addressing believers who do not obey His statutes.

Malachi 3:11-12 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says YHWH of hosts. ¹² Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says YHWH of hosts.

This has not happened yet, so we know that it is referring to after Yeshua returns. He will rebuke Satan and bless His faithful remnant. We read about YHWH rebuking Satan in Revelation.

Revelation 20:1-2 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. ²And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 

And we already read in Revelation 3:9 that the synagogue of Satan will see that YHWH loves His faithful and obedient remnant.

Malachi 3:13-15 “Your words have been hard against me, says YHWH. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ ¹⁴You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before YHWH of hosts? ¹⁵And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

This is an apt description of Roman Christianity, who, as we will learn in this study, have willfully disregarded the commands of YHWH to follow the traditions of men. We have written this study to demonstrate this truth, and encourage all who believe to fear and obey YHWH.

Malachi 3:16-18 Then those who feared YHWH spoke with one another. YHWH paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared YHWH and esteemed his name. ¹⁷“They shall be mine, says YHWH of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

The book of remembrance is the Book (scroll) of Life, all whose names are written in the Book of Life will be raised to eternal life through Yeshua Messiah.

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Core Beliefs

The core beliefs of the Roman Church are given in their Nicene Creed, which was canonized at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

This statement of faith is foundational for Roman Christianity, reflecting beliefs that trace back over two centuries prior to its formalization. Recited at every liturgy in the Ukrainian Catholic Church and present in the Roman Catholic Mass, the Nicene Creed highlights that members of Roman Christianity, along with those who share its most fundamental beliefs, are covered by the Blood of the Lamb through faith based on their knowledge of the Word.

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

We are judged based on what we know. The majority of individual believers are not knowledgeable enough on YHWH’s word to understand, independent of their church leadership, what it means to have faith or what it means for faith to be alive. Which is why it is the church leadership who will be held accountable for leading YHWH’s sheep astray.

Jeremiah 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares YHWH.

Please see our study, What is Faith? for a thorough understanding of what faith is, and what it means for your faith to be alive.

Let’s look at a list of 10 core beliefs of the Roman Church as understood by moodycatholic.com, then we’ll discuss in detail the false traditions of men that have developed from them.

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Traditions of Men

Within the core beliefs of the Roman Christian church are many traditions-of-men that contradict scripture. Many of these traditions are followed not only by the mother Roman church, but by her daughter churches as well.

A few of the studies on the traditions of the Roman Church became so long that we needed to move them to their own pages. Please follow the links to read about these traditions before continuing with this study, as there is material covered in them that is necessary for the understanding of subsequent sections.

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Eternal Security

The belief in eternal security, also known as “once saved always saved” is not really a Roman tradition, but it is such a prevalent false doctrine that we wanted to address it anyways. Please follow the link to the OSAS page before continuing with this study.

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Baptism

Please see our study on baptism to fully understand its role and purpose. Here, we will be discussing the false doctrines of the Roman Church concerning the why, how, and when to baptize.

Why be Baptised

The Roman church teaches a doctrine called “baptismal regeneration.” For the definition of this doctrine, we turn to Trinity Apologetics:

Wikipedia did some further legwork for us on this false doctrine:

First, what was Paul saying in his letter to Titus?

Titus 3:4-7 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Paul did not say that baptism is required for salvation, but rather that Messiah saved us NOT by any works that we do (including baptism), but according to Messiah’s own mercy. Besides, “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” does not require water, in Acts 10 the Holy Spirit fell on the gentiles before water baptism.

Acts 10:44-48  While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵ And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Next, we will refute each of the four points from the catechism in turn.

1. Let’s look at John 3:5 in context and see if Jesus (Yeshua) was really saying that “baptism is necessary for salvation,” as the Roman church claims.

John 3:1-6 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We see that what Yeshua actually said is that you need to be baptized in order to “enter the kingdom of God.” Paul reiterates this statement:

1 Corinthians 15:50-55  I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Paul is describing the rapture of the elect in this passage. He says that after the martyred saints are resurrected, then those who are still alive will be taken and given new bodies that will never die. This event is Yeshua returning for His bride, after which He will have a thousand year reign on earth. This is the kingdom of God on earth, then after the thousand years are ended Judgment Day will come when everyone will be resurrected, some to death in the lake of fire and some to eternity in the kingdom of God on the New Earth.

The Roman church does not believe in the rapture of the elect, or the millennial kingdom, which is convenient as then they can interpret the Kingdom of God to mean salvation.

When Yeshua told Nicodemus that you need to be baptized to enter the Kingdom of God, He was not talking about salvation. Further proof of this is a few verses later in John 3, when He says that salvation is through belief in Him, not through baptism.

John 3:14-16 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

It is always important to check context when interpreting scripture to prevent such cherry picking as we see the Roman church frequently doing!

2. “As regards children who die without baptism, the Church entrusts them to the mercy of God.” The reason that the Roman church speaks of what happens to unbaptized children in this way is because they believe in the false doctrine of original sin, which we covered in detail earlier. Children do not need baptism before they are old enough to discern sin from obedience as we are judged on what we know.

3. The definition of “presuppose” from the Cambridge Dictionary is: to accept that something is true before it has been proved; if an idea or situation presupposes something, that thing must be true for the idea or situation to work. So, according to the Roman church, baptism requires the person to have faith in order for the baptism to be real, but they do the baptism to infants before their faith has been proven because they “presuppose” that the infant will develop faith through the traditions-of-men taught by the Roman church. We will address infant baptism in the section on when to be baptized. However, scripture never shows such presupposition, therefore it is just another tradition-of-men that contradicts the Word of YHWH.

4. We thoroughly cover the subject of faith in our study: What is Faith? We agree that “the faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith,” however, the claim that “it is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe” is completely wrong. Was the thief on the cross a member of the Roman church? No. Was he a member of the community of believers? Also no. Was Paul a member of the Roman church? No. Was Peter a member of the Roman church? No. During their lives the Roman church did not even exist.

There are three prerequisites to having faith: 1) knowledge of the Law and the Prophets, 2) repentance, and 3) Obedience. Being a member of any particular denomination or church is not required to have faith!

Without the false doctrine of original sin, the false doctrine of baptismal regeneration is unnecessary.

What is the true role of baptism on our path to salvation? Through repentance of sins and water baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and are symbolically cleansed of our sins and made ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Is receiving the Holy Spirit required for salvation? What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit being sent to dwell in us?

John 14:26 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 that I have said to you.

The Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us to remember and obey YHWH.

John 16:7-10 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin.

1 Corinthians 2:9-13 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—¹⁰ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. ¹³ And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Ephesians 1:17-20 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 

The Holy Spirit is a source of revelation, wisdom, and power.

John 16:13-15 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The Holy Spirit guides us to the truth and knowledge of what is to come.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

The Holy Spirit is the source of our spiritual gifts.

Ephesians 1:13-14 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit is the seal of YHWH, that marks us as belonging to him, while we await our salvation.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us.

What we have learned is that the Holy Spirit helps us in many ways to live lives that are pleasing to YHWH. The Holy Spirit has a vital role in YHWH’s plan, however, our salvation is through faith not works; and the Holy Spirit is also given to some without water baptism.

As we learned in our study, Baptism, by being baptized we are preparing ourselves for our marriage covenant with Yeshua. We are symbolically washing ourselves clean of the sins we have knowingly and unknowingly committed. This is only a symbolic washing clean with water. The true washing clean of our sins is spiritual and is with the blood of Yeshua Messiah.

Revelation 7:14b And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

How to be Baptized

The Greek word translated “baptize” is Strong’s g907 βαπτίζω bap-tid’-zo: to immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism:—Baptist, baptize, wash.

Bap-tid-zo means full immersion in water. There are different Greek words that mean sprinkling or pouring, but they are never used for baptism in scripture. All baptisms in scripture are done by full immersion in water, and the practice of sprinkling was not declared an acceptable substitute for immersion until the council of Ravenna, in AD 1311.

As far as the words that are to be said during baptism, scripture does not give us any specific formula. The Roman church, in an attempt to validate their false trinitarian doctrine, have claimed that Matthew gives a formula, however, as we covered earlier, this is not true. A baptism is valid whether it is done, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” or “in the name of Jesus Christ,” because all of these are YHWH, the One True God.

When to be Baptised

In scripture, baptism occurs in a specific sequence of events: knowledge, repentance, baptism. First you learn about the gospel and believe, then you repent of your sins, and then you are baptized.

Acts 2:36-38 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” ³⁷Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 8:35-38 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶ And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

This rules out infant baptism as legitimate, as infants are not capable of knowing the gospel or believing. Infant baptism was not practiced in scripture and did not come about until after the false doctrine of original sin.

Mark 6:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Belief must come before baptism or the baptism is meaningless.

Conclusion

Baptism is an act of informed choice made by an individual who knows YHWH, accepts the ransom paid on the cross, repents of their sins, and makes the commitment to live a life of obedience to YHWH.

By being baptized we are preparing ourselves for our marriage covenant with Yeshua, washing ourselves clean of our past sins. However, this is only symbolic of the true washing clean of our sins by the blood of Yeshua Messiah.

1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

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Veneration of Relics, Icons, Statues, & Images

The Catholic Church claims that venerating relics may not be explicitly prescribed by scripture, but that there is evidence of it being done. From the website theologycorner.com we read the Catholic Church’s position:

Let’s unpack this one piece at a time, starting with the first paragraph. They say, “Other religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.) also have relics of their heroes, martyrs, and important personages…” What does YHWH say about copying the pagan religions around us?

Deuteronomy 12:30-31a Take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.” ³¹You shall not worship YHWH your God in that way, for every abominable thing that YHWH hates they have done for their gods…

They desecrated the bodies of believers who had been martyred and built alters over them. “The physical remains of their beloved martyrs were usually preserved, and altars were even built on top of them, a practice that was most likely inspired by Rev 6:9.” Let’s look at Revelation 6:9 in the proper context.

Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.

This altar is in Heaven, being used by Yeshua Messiah who is the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. The vision of the souls underneath the alter is symbolic not literal. This verse does not imply that we should or could dig up and desecrate the bodies of Christian martyrs, nor does it support worshipping those bodies. This is ancestor worship, which is a pagan practise.

The Catholic Church claims that it is only ignorant individual Catholics that worship relics. “The Church insists that relics may only be venerated, not worshipped. It is no different from the reverence we give to the statues, icons, and images of the saints. We honor them but do not worship them.”

It is correct to say there is no difference between venerating relics and revering statues, icons, and images of the dead saints. Let’s take a look at some word definitions to see if the Catholic Church is playing games of semantics.

From the Merriam Webster Dictionary, we read the definition of “venerate”:

So the word “venerate”, in English, means worship. However, scripture was not written in English, it was translated into English from Hebrew and Greek, so let’s have a look at the original Hebrew and Greek words from scripture that are translated into “worship” in English.

The Hebrew word Strong’s h7812 is שָׁחָה, shaw-khaw: a primitive root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially reflexive, in homage to royalty or God):—bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

We can clearly see that worshipping, bowing down to, and revering are all synonymous in scripture.

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make a graven image for yourself, of any likeness which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down^h7812 to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am YHWH your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on children to the third and the fourth generation, to those that hate Me; and doing kindness to thousands, to those loving Me, and to those keeping My commandments.

Therefore, it is senseless to say, “We honor them but do not worship them,” because the words mean the same thing.

The author from Theology Corner then goes on to say, “For example, we know that Moses and the Israelites took Joseph’s bones with them when they left Egypt (Ex 13:19 and Jos 24:32). What was this if not Moses venerating the relics of the patriarch Joseph?” Let’s look at those passages and see what it is, if not venerating relics.

Exodus 13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”

Joshua 24:32 As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

The Israelites had Joseph’s bones because it was his dying wish to be buried in the Land that was promised to Abraham’s offspring, Yeshua Messiah. This passage gives no reason to believe that they were venerating Joseph’s bones as relics.

Genesis 50:23-26 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. ²⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” ²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” ²⁶ So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Continuing with the same article at theologycorner.com, we find further attempts to use scripture to justify the veneration of relics. Let’s explore them one by one.

First, let’s read about Elisha and Elijah. The story begins with Elijah covering Elisha with his cloak in 1 Kings 19:19, as a symbol of Elisha being called to prophetic ministry, the cloak shows up only once more in scripture.

At the end of Elijah’s ministry, YHWH tests Elisha’s faith and commitment to stay by Elijah’s side. They travelled from Gilgal to Bethel, to Jericho, then to the bank of the Jordan River. At each stop, we see that the sons of the prophets were aware that YHWH would take Elijah that day, but Elisha did not want that to happen.

2 Kings 2:1-8 Now when YHWH was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for YHWH has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As YHWH lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today YHWH will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.” ⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for YHWH has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As YHWH lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ⁵ The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today YHWH will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.” ⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for YHWH has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As YHWH lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. ⁷ Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸ Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

Now, this does not make Elijah’s cloak a relic, any more than Moses’ staff was a relic, or the sticks in the hand of Ezekiel. They are merely props that YHWH uses temporarily to make a show to the Israelites of who is in control—YHWH.

2 Kings 2:9-10 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” ¹⁰ And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 

Elijah is leaving the decision, as to whether Elisha will be his successor or not, up to YHWH.

2 Kings 2:11-12 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 

Elisha tore his clothing in mourning for the loss of Elijah.

2 Kings 2:13-14 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is YHWH, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

YHWH used Elijah’s cloak as a temporary prop for Elisha to part the water, as Elijah had done, so he could return across the Jordan River. The purpose was so that the sons of the prophets would see that YHWH had named Elisha the inheritor of Elijah’s prophetic ministry. YHWH knows that people need to see grand signs to believe. But still, many doubted Elisha and wanted to go in search of Elijah.

2 Kings 2:15-18 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. ¹⁶ And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of YHWH has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” ¹⁷ But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him. ¹⁸ And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

Then Elisha performs more signs and miracles for the people, but never uses the cloak again.

2 Kings 2:19-25 Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.” ²⁰ He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says YHWH, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.” ²² So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke. ²³ He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” ²⁴ And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of YHWH. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. ²⁵ From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

The cloak never again turns up as a relic being venerated by anyone. It was just a temporary symbol.

Continuing on with that same article:

2 Kings 13:20-21 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. ²¹ And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Were Elisha’s bones being kept as venerated relics by the Israelites? No. They were being buried in the ground where they belong. YHWH used them one time as a sign to the Israelites that the prophecies of Elisha were from Him. The bones had no power, it is superstition and idolatry to believe they were magical and held the power to resurrect the dead, because that power belongs only to YHWH. And since the bones had no power, and they were never mentioned again, clearly the Israelites left them buried in the ground and did not venerate them as relics.

And we’ll look at one last example given by the author from theologycorner.com:

Again, we will start by reading the passages referenced.

Acts 5:12-16 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. ¹³ None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. ¹⁴ And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, ¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Acts 19:11-12 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

Scripture indeed tells us of the many miracles the apostles performed by the power of the Holy Spirit, but this has nothing whatsoever to do with venerating relics. YHWH healed them if even Peter’s shadow fell on them, or items that touched Paul’s skin, not only by the laying on of hands. This was so that many who were called would believe. There is no record of those items being kept and worshipped as venerated relics later on.

Now, let’s compare their use by the Church with their use in scripture.

In order for these articles to be examples of relics in scripture, they would need to be shown to be kept and venerated by the Israelites, because that is what the Catholic Church is doing with them. That is what the Catholic Church is attempting to justify, as opposed to YHWH using articles as props once or twice and then discarding them.

The Greek word for worship is Strong’s g4352 προσκυνέω pros-koo-neh’-o: probable derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):—worship.

On “Good Friday”, the members of the Catholic church of the Byzantine Right, crawl on hands and knees up to a painting of Yeshua laying in the tomb with His wounds visible, and kiss each wound in turn, making the sign of the cross between each kiss. This is quite literally the very definition of worshipping an idol. Nowhere in scripture are any of YHWH’s faithful people ever shown doing this to a painting or statue of Yeshua.

While all Catholic rights may not participate in this particular idolatry, Pope Francis encouraged it in his speech on 16 April 2014. The following is from the article, Pope Francis: kiss the crucifix, kiss the wounds of Jesus, by Elise Harris, from the Catholic News Agency:

The following is taken from The Catholic World Report, March 27, 2019, found at https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2019/03/27/why-do-people-kiss-the-popes-ring/:

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make a graven image for yourself, of any likeness which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am YHWH your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on children to the third and the fourth generation, to those that hate Me; and doing kindness to thousands, to those loving Me, and to those keeping My commandments.

Revelation 9:20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

YHWH’s Word is clear on “venerating” relics, icons, statues, or images: do not do it!

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The Eucharist

In the following article from Bible Study Tools, Mike Leake does an amazing job of explaining the eucharist.

Transubstantiation

The Roman church believes that the bread and wine of the eucharist are changed in substance into the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ through the prayer said over them by the priest during the liturgy. The following is from the article, Transubstantiation, by FR. William Saunders, at the Christian Education Resource Center:

The Roman church uses the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper as well as passages from John 6 and 1 Corinthians 11 to justify their belief that the bread and wine become Yeshua’s literal body and blood. However, this is a simplistic view of something that is beautifully complex.

In chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, Yeshua fed five thousand people with only 5 loaves of bread and two fish, an event that took place during Passover. The following day the crowd had followed Yeshua across the lake and they began questioning Him again, then He said:

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

What is the seal of God? The Holy Spirit.

John 6:28-40 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Yeshua told the Jews that He is the bread of life, immediately after they mentioned the manna given to the Israelites by YHWH during the forty years they wandered the wilderness. Let’s look at His letter to Pergamum in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.

The Israelites had only manna from YHWH to sustain them (not hidden) those 40 years in the wilderness, and now Yeshua is the manna from YHWH (hidden) sent to sustain the Israelites during the 2000 years (40 jubilee periods) that they will wander the wilderness until He returns. We learn what the sustaining manna is when Satan tempts Yeshua in the wilderness for 40 days; during which time Yeshua has nothing to eat.

Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

So, what is the bread that sustains man? The Word of God. Yeshua is quoting from Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3  And you shall remember the whole way that YHWH your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. ³ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of YHWH.

The parallels here are very obvious:

• a period of time of forty,
• tempted by the devil,
• which was a test by YHWH,
• the reference of bread from YHWH (manna).

Now let’s compare to what Yeshua is saying when He calls Himself the “bread of life“:

John 6:47-51 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The manna was bread from heaven, Yeshua is bread from heaven. The manna sustained the body, Yeshua sustains the spirit. Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of YHWH. Yeshua is the hidden manna, which is every word that comes from the mouth of YHWH.

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Jews made the same error that the Roman church is making.

John 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 

And Yeshua had to explain the situation to them, which neither the Jews nor the Roman church understand.

John 6: 53-58 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 

Let’s understand together the underlined points that Yeshua was making in this passage, and what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

1. What brings us eternal life?
2. What will cause us to be raised up to eternal life on Judgment Day?
3. How do we cause Yeshua to abide in us and us in Him?
4. How will we live for ever because of Yeshua?

The answer to these questions is what eating His flesh and drinking His blood literally means.

Therefore, to answer the first question: What brings us eternal life? Believing in YHWH.

Therefore, to answer the second question: What will cause us to be raised up to eternal life on Judgment Day? Hearing Yeshua’s Word and believing YHWH.

We learn what bearing fruit means in Paul’s letter:

Colossians 1:10 for you to walk worthily of the Lord to all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing into the full knowledge of God;

Bearing fruit means to do good works, and we learn what good works are from Yeshua:

Matthew 19:16-17 And behold, a man came up to Him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

Yeshua says that good work is obeying YHWH’s commandments, therefore, bearing good fruit means obeying YHWH’s commandments.

Therefore, to answer the third question: How do we cause Yeshua to abide in us and us in Him? We abide in Yeshua by obeying His commandments, and He abides in us as the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, to answer the fourth question: How will we live for ever because of Yeshua? Because YHWH loved us so much that He died on the cross as atonement for our sins.

So, what does eating His flesh and drinking His blood literally mean? According to scripture it means: believing in YHWH and obeying His commandments!

Luke 22:18-20 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

The bread and wine no more becomes the literal body and blood of Christ than the Passover lambs were His literal body and blood. The lambs were a foreshadow of (looking forward to) Christ’s crucifixion, the bread and wine are memorials of (looking backward to) Christ’s crucifixion.

How beautifully complex is the Word of YHWH!

Eucharistic Adoration

We read about Eucharistic Adoration at Catholic Answers:

We covered the subject of worship and veneration in the previous section, so we will not repeat ourselves here. Suffice it to say that they are in fact the same thing.

Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

YHWH forbids us in His commandments from worshipping the likeness of anything that is in heaven above. That includes things that are meant to represent God Himself. See our study The Harlot for more details on making images of God, as the Israelites did with the golden calf. Anything that is made by human hands cannot be God.

Deuteronomy 27:15 Cursed is the man who makes a carved or molten image, an abomination to YHWH, the work of a craftsman’s hands; and who sets it up in a secret place! And all the people shall answer and say, Amen!

Revelation 17:4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and being gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominations and unclean things of her fornications.

The belief that bread and wine made with human hands becomes God through the prayers of priests is the very definition of idolatry. Participating in the bread and wine of communion is a memorial of Christ’s finished work on the cross; we do not partake of his body and blood by eating the bread and wine, but by living our lives in obedience to YHWH.

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The Afterlife

On the website Catholic 365, we find an article that details the Catholic doctrine on what happens after death. We will work through the article section-by-section highlighting the problematic points. These problematic doctrines are not limited to Catholicism, as many are shared by her daughter churches as well.

Purgatory

Continuing with the same article from Catholic 365:

We are perfected in holiness through Yeshua’s atoning work on the cross, not by time spent in an imaginary place after we die. Let’s look at the verse given by this author to support the false doctrine of purgatory, in the context of the greater passage.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³ each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴ If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

In verse 11, Paul says that our foundation must be Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ), and Yeshua says that we are to buy our gold from Him—refined by fire.

Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

In verses 12 and 13, Paul says that worldly things like gold, silver, gems, wood, hay, straw, etc. will be burned up by fire and destroyed on the Day that Yeshua returns. He’s contrasting building on the foundation of Yeshua Messiah (in which case you will not endure the Refiner’s Fire) with the foundation of worldly things (in which case you will have to endure the Refiner’s Fire). We explain the Refiner’s Fire in detail in our study, but in short, it is YHWH’s wrath poured out on the disobedient world, after Yeshua returns for His bride.

Jeremiah 23:29 Is not my word like fire, declares YHWH, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

YHWH’s Word is Yeshua Messiah, He is the hammer that breaks rock in pieces.

Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore wait for me,” declares YHWH, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

This is a description of Armageddon, when the armies of the nations will gather against Yeshua Messiah—the Day of the fire of YHWH’s jealousy.

In verses 14 and 15, Paul says that if your works are obedience to YHWH through faith in Yeshua Messiah, you will receive the reward of being at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If your works are disobedience to YHWH, then even though you will have eternal life through faith in Yeshua Messiah, you will have to endure the refiner’s fire, and miss the celebration of the marriage supper. For more on this please see our study, The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Paul is not talking about a fire that refines our souls after we die while we await resurrection—such a fire does not exist in scripture—but rather the refining fire of YHWH’s wrath, on all those who disobey His commandments, when Yeshua returns for His bride.

The author of the article states: “2 Maccabees 12:44-46 shows Judas Maccabeus offering prayers for the dead, indicating belief in a purifying state after death.” The books of Maccabees are not inspired scripture and this is one very good reason for that.

Heaven and Hell

Continuing on with the same article:

Does Paul say that we will see God face-to-face in heaven, in 1 Corinthians 13:12, as the author claims? We’ll look at the verse in the context of the greater passage.

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So, no, Paul does not mention heaven at all in this passage. What about in 1 John 3:2, does John say we will see YHWH as he is in heaven?

1 John 3:1-3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ³ And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Again, the answer is no, John does not mention us being in heaven either. Heaven is where YHWH is now, there are angels there, and Yeshua Messiah is there, sitting at the right hand of YHWH. But human beings do not go to heaven when we die. On Judgment Day, all of the dead will be resurrected and those who have faith in Yeshua Messiah will spend eternity in the New Jerusalem, where we will be with Yeshua and YHWH. There we will see them face-to-face; there we will see YHWH as he is.

Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Does Matthew really say that those who reject Yeshua Messiah will go to Hell when they die?

Matthew 25:41-46 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Once again we catch the Roman church misrepresenting scripture, as Matthew does not mention hell in this passage. He says the unbelievers will go away into the eternal fire for eternal punishment. The eternal fire is the lake of fire where Satan and his angels (who are immortal) will be tortured for eternity, and those people who reject Yeshua Messiah will be destroyed. People can not be tortured for eternity because we are not immortal, those thrown in the lake of fire will die the second death. Only those who receive salvation will have eternal life. There is no such thing as eternal death.

Revelation 20:13-15 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades [Hell] gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades [Hell] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Greek word “hades” is Strong’s g86, ᾅδης hah’-dace: properly, unseen, i.e. “Hades” or the place (state) of departed souls:—grave, hell.

The Greek word “hades” means “hell”, they are the same word. Hell is also thrown into the lake of fire and destroyed, therefore, hell cannot be the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:1-8 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” ⁵ And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” ⁶ Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost. ⁷ The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. ⁸ But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

We do not go to Heaven or Hell when we die. The concept of Heaven and Hell as places we go to in the afterlife is a pagan Zoroastrian religious belief, it is not scriptural. Heaven is not the place believers go when they die, and Hell is not the place where the dead go if they reject God. This is a belief borrowed from the Zoroastrian Religion and has no basis in scripture and no place in the doctrines of the Assembly of Yeshua Messiah.

Praying for the Dead

We found a solid article on the error of praying for the dead and the risk this false belief has on the Body of Messiah at Biblical Foundations for Freedom.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates the fact that the dead cannot intervene for the living, regardless of whether hades is literal or figurative. We’ll just read the relevant verses, but you can find the entire parable in Luke 16:19-31.

Luke 16:25-31 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’

When Yeshua refers to Moses and the Prophets, He is talking about scripture, meaning the Law and the Prophets or what we today call the Old Testament. Yeshua is prophesying that He will rise from the dead and the people will still not be convinced to repent of their sins, but the parable also proves God’s position on communication between the living and the dead.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

There is nothing we can do to influence God’s righteous judgment on another human being for their sins.

Psalm 146:4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

There is nothing more that can be done to help another person once they die, there is no second chance.

Here are a few verses that the Roman church suggests justify their practice of praying for the dead.

2 Timothy 1:16-18  May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, ¹⁷ but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— ¹⁸ may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

Some people interpret the way Paul talks about Onesiphorus, in chapters 1 and 4 of his second epistle to Timothy, to mean that he has died. However, that is only one possible interpretation and one based on the need to find someplace in scripture to support praying for the dead. It is much more likely that Paul prays for and addresses the household of Onesiphorus instead of the man himself because he is not at home in Ephesus at the time Paul is writing the letter to Timothy. Paul would not greet a person in his letter to Timothy, who was in Ephesus, if that person was not in Ephesus with Timothy at the time.

1 Corinthians 15:29  Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 

The context of this entire passage is the resurrection of the dead. Paul is asking what would be the value in baptism, which is symbolic of dying and being reborn in Yeshua Messiah, if there was no resurrection of the dead. Without resurrection of the dead, not only will we remain dead, but Messiah would have as well. Why would we be baptized at all if we are just to remain dead? This passage is not talking about you being baptized for someone else who has already died, that would be a contradiction to Psalm 49:7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life.

The Bible does not provide any evidence of praying for the dead, but rather speaks clearly against the idea that anything done by the living can influence YHWH’s righteous judgment on those who have already died the first death.

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The Virgin Mary and the Saints

Marian Dogmas

There are four Marian Dogmas of the Roman church: 1) divine motherhood, 2) perpetual virginity, 3) immaculate conception, and 4) the assumption. The only one we do not expressly disagree with is her perpetual virginity. We will be using an article from Catholic News Agency, for the Roman church’s position on the other three, and we will refute each one in turn.

No where in scripture does anyone ever call Mary the “Mother of God,” or the “Birthgiver of God.” In fact, any time someone implied that Mary should be more special to believers than any one else, Yeshua rebuked them.

Matthew 12:46-50  While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. ⁴⁸ But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Luke 11:27-28 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” ²⁸ But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

This dogma seems to have originated as a response to the false doctrine of original sin, as a means to explain how Mary was able to carry and birth Yeshua Messiah. Nowhere in scripture is there even a hint of the immaculate conception of Mary. The idea that Mary was without sin is completely unnecessary and pointless. Sure, we have heard Catholics say that Mary had to be without sin in order to have God inside of her for nine months, because God could not have abided in a sinful person, but this is a demonstratively incorrect assumption.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

The Holy Spirit dwells within us, even though we are still in our sinful flesh. The Holy Spirit was dwelling in a group of Gentiles even before they were baptized.

Acts 10:44-48  While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵ And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

You may be tempted to say that you no longer sin, but John says otherwise.

1 John 1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Therefore, we all continue to sin, even with the Holy Spirit in us. Sometimes involuntary, sometimes accidently, and sometimes because we make a wrong decision or judgment call. It happens, we mess up and need to repent. If God could not abide in a sinful body, then we could not have the Holy Spirit in us, because the Holy Spirit is God. The account of the conception of Yeshua Messiah tells us that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. If we can have the Holy Spirit in us despite being sinners, than so could Mary.

Matthew 1:18-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

It is good that the Roman church acknowledges that the assumption of Mary has no basis in scripture. The absence of this event from any inspired author’s writing should give any potential proponent of the dogma pause. If it were true, this would be a very major event that would seem impossible to be missed in scripture—important to the apostles and to YHWH—yet of this miraculous event we hear not a peep.

In fact, the last we hear of Mary at all is at the very beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, she was present at the meeting in the upper room.

Acts 1:12-14 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Mary is not even given a place of honour in the list of attendees; but rather, she is stuck on at the end like an afterthought, then never mentioned again.

From the cross, Yeshua instructed John to take care of Mary, so one would assume she was with him for the remainder of her years. If she was honoured by the apostles, you would think that John would have mentioned her a lot in the five books that he wrote, but he did not mention her even once after the ascension of Yeshua. Not to mention Yeshua’s Revelation to John, which described scenes that took place in heaven, but nowhere do we see Mary in heaven.

The truth is that Mary is in the ground, asleep, awaiting the resurrection like everyone else.

The veneration of Mary

We’ll start with an article from biblestudytools.org:

The Roman church refers to Mary as their mother, often citing the scene at the cross as their reason. Let’s have a look at that passage in the Gospel of John.

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

What we see happening here is Yeshua ensuring that Mary would be provided for once He was gone. Yeshua did not say anything about her being anyone else’s mother, just John’s. If, as the Roman church claims, this was the moment that Mary became the mother of all the Assembly of Messiah, she without a doubt would have been talked about a lot in the letters that were passed around and later canonized into the New Testament. We would have heard all about her ministry and activities in the Church, and they definitely would have written about her assumption. However, we do not hear about any of that, Mary is all but forgotten until the Roman church needed a “Mother” to attract the pagans and their money to the church.

Praying to Mary and the Saints

Mary and the deceased saints are all in the ground awaiting the resurrection of the dead on Judgment Day, they cannot hear your prayers. Praying to people who have come before us is called ancestor worship and it is adultery and idolatry.

When scripture talks about saints, it is referring to all believers in Yeshua Messiah, every one of us!

Paul often addresses his letters to the saints who are in the various cities, obviously these are living people.

Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

We covered earlier in the section on praying for the dead, how the Roman church defines and labels saints, and it is not scriptural. Mary and the saints cannot intercede for us, nor can they commune with one another, because they are asleep in the ground awaiting the resurrection of the dead.

The Roman Christians often use a passage in Hebrews as support for the communion of the dead saints.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This cloud of witnesses are the deceased men that were listed previously, in chapter 11, whose faith was so strong that they had endured extreme hardships. The author of Hebrews was not saying that those deceased men were hanging out in a cloud surrounding the first century believers. After all, he did not say the cloud of witnesses was above them, he said it surrounded them. Therefore, we can deduce that this cloud of witnesses was metaphorical. The author was making the point that we should all expect to suffer and possibly die for our faith as those who came before us did; we are surrounded metaphorically by them when we share in their tribulation.

Does scripture support our position that the saints who have come before us are in the ground awaiting the first or second resurrection? Yes, it does.

John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

At the end of the Book of Daniel, Yeshua tells Daniel that he will not be aware of any of the events of his prophecies because they will happen after he dies and he will not be resurrected until Judgment Day, long after the events have passed.

Daniel 12:13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.

We have an illustration of how we envision time that makes all the seemingly contradictory verses about this fit together and make sense. This illustration is not meant to be doctrine. We are not saying this is exactly how time works. We are just showing this as an example of how it could work, because we do not need to know for certain how it works, we just need to see that there is a way that it could work.

When you read scripture with this image in mind, many things make sense that previously did not. For example, how the thief on the cross could be with Yeshua in paradise that very day.

Matthew 23:42-43 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

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Angels

Veneration of Angels

We have already covered how veneration and worship mean the same thing, regardless of what the Roman church would have you believe. The veneration of angels is therefore adultery against YHWH.

Guardian Angels

Scripture does tell us about angels that are sent by YHWH to protect and watch over people at specific times, for specific reasons or events, but it does not say that we each have a personal angel or angels that follow us from birth to death.

Psalm 91:11-12 is given as evidence that we have guardian angels watching out for us. However, Satan uses this verse against Yeshua during His temptation, which indicates that this Psalm is about Yeshua not us.

Psalm 91:11-12 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. ¹² On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Matthew 4:5-6 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Also, Matthew 18:10-11 is often quoted as evidence of guardian angels. However, you will note where the angels are looking, their eyes are glued to YHWH’s face. Angels can be sent by YHWH to help, but then they return to Him.

Matthew 18:10-11 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

There are guardian angels found in many false religions from all over the world: Roman Christianity, Talmudic Judaism, Christian Kabbalah, Jewish Kabbalah, Zoroastrianism, Islam, and Thelema.

There truly are angels at work in heaven and in the world, and they are referred to in scripture, but the idea that we have angels assigned to us at birth that are responsible for guiding, protecting, and interceding for us is not scriptural. Guardian angels is just another example of false doctrine that has creeped in from pagan religions.

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Authority of the Magisterium

Please follow the link before continuing with this study, as there is material covered that is necessary for the understanding of this study as a whole.

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The Role of Women in the Church

Would YHWH put a gag order on half of the world’s population just because of their gender? What is the endgame here anyways? Who benefits from women remaining silent? Surely not all of those who will burn in the lake of fire at the end of time because they did not hear the Gospel.

The Roman church limits the role of women in the Body of Christ, citing two passages from Paul’s letters as their reasoning. But, did Paul have the authority to add to YHWH’s Law?

Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God that I command you.

Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar.

We have a full study on Women in Ministry, which we recommend that you read if you have any concerns over this doctrine. However, for now we’ll just give you the highlights. Let’s start by reading a few examples from scripture that prove that YHWH has never limited the role of women in His ministry.

Exodus 15:20 And the sister of Aaron, Miriam the prophetess,…

2 Kings 22:14-20 And Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe—and she lived in Jerusalem, in the second quarter—and they spoke with her. And she said to them, So says YHWH, the God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, So says YHWH, Behold, I will bring evil on this place, and on the inhabitants of it, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read; because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to other gods…

Joel 2:28-29 And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. And also I will pour out My Spirit on the slaves and on the slave-girls in those days.

Luke 2:23-38 And there was Anna, a prophetess, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher—she was advanced in many days, having lived seven years with a husband from her virginity; and she was a widow eighty-four years—who did not depart from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. And coming on at the very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke concerning Him to all those in Jerusalem, eagerly expecting redemption.

Acts 21:8-9 …And going into the house of Philip the evangelist, he being of the Seven, we stayed with him. And there were four virgin daughters to this one, who prophesied.

Romans 16:1 But I commend to you our sister Phoebe, being a servant of the church in Cenchrea; that you may receive her in the Lord, as is worthy of the saints, and may assist her in whatever she may need of you. For she also became a helper of many, and of myself.

These are all great examples of women in roles of authority and teaching within YHWH’s ministry, but we’ve left the best for last, as Deborah is our favourite of them all.

Judges 4:4-5 And Deborah the wife of Lapidoth, a woman prophetess, was judging Israel at that time. And she lived under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in the hills of Ephraim. And the sons of Israel went up to her for judgement.

We have heard people attempt to explain away Deborah by saying that YHWH had her be a judge only because there was no man available to do the job. There is no scriptural basis for this opinion, it is pure conjecture. Everyone that YHWH calls to service is given the ability to do the job that they are called by YHWH to do. If He wanted a man to be the judge, He would have set a man in that position and given Him the necessary skills. There were thousands of men available at the time, her own husband being one. YHWH used Deborah to show us that He does not distinguish between male or female when it come to preaching, teaching, prophesying, or judging.

Deborah is really the ultimate nail in the coffin of this false doctrine of women not teaching men in “the church”. She was a prophetess, a judge, and a married woman. Prophets relayed the Word of YHWH to the people, just as we in ministry do today, using YHWH’s Word. A Judge in Israel was not just a civil position, as they too spoke the Word of YHWH to the people, and with YHWH there is no separation between “church” and “state”. She was also a married woman and therefore was in authority over her own husband as well as all the other men in her area.

Next, we’ll examine the passages where Paul appears to be contradicting ALL of scripture, including himself, and decide if he is a false prophet, insane, or just misunderstood.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Let your women be silent in the churches, for it is not allowed to them to speak, but to be in subjection, as also the Law says. But if they desire to learn anything let them question their husbands at home; for it is a shame for a woman to speak in a church.

Does the Law actually say that women are not allowed to speak in church? No, it definitely does not. Earlier in this same letter Paul said women were to have their heads covered when they speak in church, and referenced a church leader named Chloe, so that would mean he is contradicting himself twice in one letter!

We have already seen that there are women apostles, prophets, and teachers within the Hebrew Israelites and the Apostolic Age, therefore, forbidding women from doing these things would be contradictory to everything else in scripture. Obviously, this is not what Paul means in this passage.

The context of chapter fourteen is conduct within the church gatherings. Verses 1 to 20 address the effect of speaking in tongues on the speaker and the assembly. Then in verse twenty-one:

1 Corinthians 14:21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”

Paul refers to the writings of the prophets as the Law, and is referencing Isaiah 28:11.

Isaiah 28:11 For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue YHWH will speak to this people,

But, what does this passage in Isaiah have to do with the topic he is discussing? Isaiah 28 is a prophecy of judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem because their priests and prophets had become unwise, filthy drunkards who were unfit to receive the knowledge from YHWH. The Word of YHWH was to them just rules on top of rules, and they mocked and derided the prophets who spoke them.

Isaiah 28:14 Therefore hear the word of YHWH, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem!

YHWH commanded His people to rest and observe His Sabbaths, but they refused to listen. Therefore, YHWH’s Word will be their stumbling block (Recognize Yeshua?). 

Isaiah 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord YHWH, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

YHWH has planted the seeds of knowledge for them to grow, not for them to be wasted; therefore, be wise in YHWH by taking His counsel.

Isaiah 28:29 This also comes from YHWH of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

What does this passage in Isaiah have to do with the Corinthians? Why is Paul quoting it to them? What Paul is saying is: speaking in tongues is just nonsensical babbling that mocks the foreigners if there is no one around to translate, and the non-believers will see it as a mockery and not be convinced. The admonishment for women to be quiet and learn from their own husbands is because the unlearned women had taken over the church while the men were more concerned with drunken foolishness.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 Let a woman learn in silence, in all subjection. But I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived has come to be in transgression; but she will be delivered through the bearing of children if they remain in faith and love and holiness, with sensibleness.

If we are to accept all of scripture as inspired, we must reconcile what Paul says to the rest of scripture. In this passage, Paul says, “I do no allow…”, however, Paul does not have authority to make new laws or change existing Laws, as we already mentioned. Let’s see if we can find other places where Paul has said something similar to determine his intention.

1 Corinthians 7:10a To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord)…

1 Corinthians 7:12a To the rest I say (I, not the Lord)…

Do you see the distinctions that Paul is making? When his instructions come from the Law of YHWH, which cannot be changed in any way, he tells the reader that the words come from the Lord; but when his instructions are of his own making, meaning not from the Law of YHWH, he tells the reader that the words are his own. Instructions from YHWH are for everyone, everywhere, for all time; whereas instructions that are from Paul are for a specific group of people, at a specific location, at a specific time.

The Roman church is not confused by this fact when Paul tells Timothy to drink wine and not water, but when it comes to belittling and trivializing women, they prefer to believe Paul is sinning against YHWH by making up new laws for everyone forever. One cannot help but think there may be an ulterior motive at play.

After exploring scripture from one end to the other, the only logical conclusion to come to regarding Paul’s confusing words is this:

Ephesus and Corinth were struggling with men being drunk and showing poor judgment. People were babbling incoherently, pretending to be speaking foreign languages and making themselves a mockery to non-believers. Wealthy widows, unlearned in the Law and the Prophets, were using their wealth (displayed in dress and jewelry) and their ancestry (endless genealogies) to obtain positions of authority in the church and then were teaching false doctrine and fables, leading people astray.

Paul was giving specific instructions to the members of the churches of Ephesus and Corinth at that time to have their uninstructed women remain silent in church regardless of their social status and wealth in order to avoid having the false teachings of Satan infiltrate the body of Christ. However, both men and women are to prophesy, pray, teach, and interpret YHWH’s Word to ALL people of ALL genders and ALL nations!

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Neglected Doctrine

We’ve included this section in the study because there are important doctrines that are either outright denied or just neglected by the Roman Church. They should be emphasized much more than they are because they are key in fully understanding the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Imminent Return of Messiah

Scripture says that Yeshua will return to resurrect the martyrs (first resurrection), rapture His bride, have the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and rule His Millennial Kingdom while Satan is bound and buried. Then after the thousand years are over, Satan will be let loose to deceive the nations one last time, YHWH will destroy him and his followers, then Judgment Day will bring the resurrection of the rest of the dead (second resurrection), heaven and earth will pass away, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Revelation 20:5-6 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

Yeshua’s return is imminent, which means that we should stay vigilant, prepared like the five wise virgins with our lamps full of oil, waiting for our Bridegroom.

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶ So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

James 5:7-9 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

The Roman church does not believe in the same imminent return of Messiah as most other Christian denominations do today. They believe that when He returns it will herald the end of the world, the final judgment, and they do not believe in the rapture of the elect. Let’s listen to what the Roman church has to say at Catholic Answers:

This passage from Catholic Answers is another good example of how the Roman church twists scriptures to support their false doctrine; by giving the scriptural evidence of the rapture as evidence that there is no rapture. Paul literally says that the elect still living will be taken up to meet Christ in the air—raptured. They then say, “not a secret or early removal of believers.” Who said the rapture was secret or early? Not us. Let’s read part of the Parable of the Ten Virgins again:

Matthew 25:6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’

See, not a secret.

When Yeshua returns for His bride, He will first resurrect the martyrs (the first resurrection), then He will rapture the elect from wherever they are on the earth and take them to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. These elect are the five wise virgins in the parable. The five foolish virgins who were ill-prepared for the Bridegroom’s return are the Roman Christians. By the time the call goes out that the Bridegroom has come, it will be too late, they will miss the marriage supper; however, this does not mean that they will not have salvation. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is not the same thing as Salvation.

Let’s explore scripture to see if the Roman church’s claim that the rapture is NOT supported by scripture is true.

Matthew 24:29-31  “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (the Rapture).

Mark 13:24-27 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. (the Rapture)

Luke 17:34-35  I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken (the Rapture) and the other left. ³⁵ There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken (the Rapture) and the other left.”

John 14:1-4 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself (the Rapture), that where I am you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”

Matthew 24:36-44 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. ³⁷ For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left (the Rapture). ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left (the Rapture). ⁴² Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

1 Corinthians 15:50-55 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.(the Rapture) ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” ⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body (the Rapture), by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first (the first resurrection). ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (the Rapture), and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him (the Rapture), because we shall see him as he is.

Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. (How will we be kept from the hour of trial? We’ll be taken in the Rapture!)

The Roman church dismisses all of the evidence for the Rapture found in the Book of Revelation, by claiming that the events described in Revelation are not real. Why do you suppose they make that claim? For two reasons: 1) in order to dismiss evidence that disproves their false doctrine, and 2) to hide the obvious description of the Roman church given in Revelation 17 (the Harlot), and in Revelation 18 (Babylon). Nothing to see here, folks.

However, there is still plenty of evidence in the rest of scripture for the Rapture of the elect, which will happen at Yeshua’s imminent second-coming!

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The Millennial Kingdom

Many Christians are unaware of the thousand-year reign of Yeshua Messiah that will happen after He returns for His bride.

Revelation 20:1-6 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. ² And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, ³ and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. ⁴ Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The Roman church denies this doctrine by allegorizing this entire passage. However, YHWH uses repetition to emphasize the importance of a doctrine, and He repeats “thousand years” five times in these six verses, and once more in verse 7. Not only that, but this millennial time period is part of the whole picture of the Gospel.

The account of the week of creation is a prophecy. 119 Ministries has an excellent teaching on The Creation Prophecy that we highly recommend everyone watches. The six days that YHWH works are prophetic of the first six thousand years of human history, a day represents a thousand years. Each day of creation was a literal 24-hour period, but each day was a prophecy of an event or events that would occur in the corresponding thousand-year period.

2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

When YHWH said that His Spirit would abide with man for 120 years, this meant 120 jubilee cycles, which is six thousand years. YHWH’s words were a prophecy.

Genesis 6:3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

The seventh day in the creation account is the Sabbath Day, the day that YHWH rested from all the work that He had done.

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

This is the “rest” that the author of Hebrews, in the fourth chapter, is telling us we will enter into if we live in obedience to YHWH’s commandments; this is not salvation, as salvation is by faith. This seventh day Sabbath rest that the author of Hebrews is talking about is the Millennial Kingdom of Yeshua, when Satan is bound and buried and we will live in peace without his evil influence.

Hebrews 4:1-13 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. ² For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. ³ For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. ⁴ For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” ⁵ And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” ⁶ Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, ⁷ again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” ⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. ⁹ So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, ¹⁰ for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Isaiah chapter 11 is a thorough description of Yeshua returning for His bride, setting up His kingdom, and the peace that will be in our thousand years of rest.

Isaiah 11

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
² And the Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of YHWH.
³ And his delight shall be in the fear of YHWH.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHWH
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse,

who shall stand as a signal for the

peoples—of him shall the nations inquire,

and his resting place shall be glorious.

¹¹ In that day YHWH will extend his hand yet

a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people,

from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam,

from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

¹² He will raise a signal for the nations
    and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
    from the four corners of the earth.
¹³ The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
    and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
    and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
¹⁴ But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
    and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
    and the Ammonites shall obey them.
¹⁵ And YHWH will utterly destroy
    the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River
    with his scorching breath,
and strike it into seven channels,
    and he will lead people across in sandals.
¹⁶ And there will be a highway from Assyria
    for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from the land of Egypt.

This was just a brief overview of the abundance of evidence for the literal thousand-year Reign of Yeshua. We cover the subject in great detail in our study: The Millennial Kingdom.

The seventh day in the creation account is prophetic of the seventh millennium after creation, the thousand years of peace on earth. The Day of Rest. This is another example of why keeping YHWH’s weekly Sabbath is so very very important! It is looking forward to His Millennial Kingdom and peace on earth!

Two Judgments

There are two separate judgments given in scripture, failure to realize this can cause some believers to think that scripture is contradicting itself. The first judgment, the one between eternal life and the second death, believers do not face—we get life through our faith in Yeshua Messiah. This is the judgment being referred to in the following verses.

John 3:18 The one believing into Him is not judged; but the one not believing has already been judged; for he has not believed into the Name of the only-begotten Son of God.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, The one who hears My Word, and believes the One who has sent Me, has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear His voice. And they will come out, the ones having done good into the resurrection of life; and the ones having practiced evil into a resurrection of judgment.

1 John 4:14-17 And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and the one abiding in love abides in God, and God in him. By this love has been perfected with us, that we have confidence in the day of judgment, that as He is, we are also in this world.

1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we discerned ourselves, we would not be judged.

We do, however, face the second judgment, when the scroll of our works is opened before YHWH and we are placed in the hierarchy of the Kingdom based on what He finds written there. The works that we do here on earth do not determine our salvation status!

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. (RSB)

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (RSB)

Matthew 12:36 But I say to you, that every idle word, whatsoever men may speak, they shall give an account of it in Judgment Day. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we all must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to what he did, whether good or bad.

James 3:1 My brothers, do not be many teachers, knowing that we will receive greater judgment.

The first judgment, between life and death, cannot occur until all seven seals have been broken on the scroll (book) of life. This is the scroll where the names of all who believe in Yeshua Messiah are written. Everyone whose name is written on the scroll of life does not face the first judgment, they get life through faith. The judgment of the dead cannot happen until the scroll is opened.

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book (scroll) of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Both of these two judgments takes place when we are resurrected, neither of them occurs at the moment of our death, as the Roman church erroneously teaches.

The Whole Word of YHWH

The worst offense of all the offenses that we have covered in this entire study is the disregard for YHWH’s commandments.

We’ve heard so many excuses for disobedience, such as: “the Law was nailed to the cross with Jesus!” Well, as a matter of fact, Jesus (Yeshua) is the Law!

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So, yes, the Law (Word of YHWH) was nailed to the cross, and it was resurrected without change.

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Yeshua Messiah is the Law made flesh.

Isaiah 2:3-5 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of YHWH, to the house of Elohim of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of YHWH from Jerusalem. (RSB)

Isaiah 51:4-5 Hearken unto me, My people; and give ear unto Me, O my nation: for a Law shall proceed from Me, and I will make My judgment to rest for a Light of the people. My Righteousness is near; My Salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine Arm shall they trust. (RSB)

Both of these verses in Isaiah are referring to Yeshua Messiah as the Law.

The Law and the Prophets are the Word of YHWH. Yeshua Messiah is the Word of YHWH. Therefore, Yeshua Messiah is the Law and the Prophets in human form—the Living Word. Yeshua was the Law walking among us! Obeying Yeshua means obeying the Law. When Yeshua says to obey Him, it is synonymous with saying to obey the Law (the Torah).

The false Doctrine of the Trinity was invented in order to hide the Law of YHWH. By separating the Father and the Son they can claim that the command to obey the Son is not synonymous with the command to obey the Father. They dismiss the Old Testament verses that say to obey YHWH’s commandments, claiming that those commandments were before Yeshua; whereas, after Yeshua, we only have to obey Yeshua’s commandments.

The order to keep YHWH’s commandments is repeated hundreds of times in scripture. We know that repetition is one of the ways that YHWH stresses things that are important to Him. Based on that, we can be certain that it is of utmost importance to Him that we keep His commandments!

Leviticus 22:31 And you shall keep My commandments, and shall do them; I am YHWH.

Deuteronomy 6:16 You shall not test YHWH your God as you tested Him in Massah. You shall diligently keep the commands of YHWH your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.

He has also told us not to add to His commandments (traditions-of-men) or take away from His commandments (neglected doctrines).

Deuteronomy 12:32 All the things that I command you, take heed to do them, and you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

What are the reasons why we should obey YHWH’s commandments?

1. Yeshua told us that obeying YHWH’s commandments is how we are to love Him!

John 14:21-24 He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is that one who loves Me; and the one that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and will reveal Myself to him. Judas, not the Iscariot, said to Him, Lord, what has happened that You are about to reveal Yourself to us and not at all to the world? And Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him. And We will come to him and will make a dwelling-place with him. The one who does not love Me does not keep My words–and the word which you hear is not Mine, but of the Father who sent Me!

The Roman church claims YHWH’s commandments are impossible to keep. But YHWH says they are not impossible to keep.

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not heavy.

The written Law is what tells us how YHWH wants us to live, it does not justify us. Justification (making perfect or righteous) was never the purpose of the written Law, but it is the purpose of the Law made flesh, which is Yeshua Messiah. To not live the way YHWH wants us to live (disobey the Law) is sin. If you are confused about the scriptural definition of sin, please see our study: What is Sin?

2. To demonstrate faith to the World

Our faith is demonstrated by our obedience to the Law. The world will witness the Law through our obedience and will be able to identify sin. By learning what sin is they will understand our faith in the promise of forgiveness for our sins. We disrespect YHWH’s holy name by living contrary to His instructions. We must live lives that bring honour to YHWH, not lives that cause scoffers to blaspheme His name because of our failures.

John 17:6 I revealed Your name to the men whom You gave to Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me; and they have Kept Your Word.

3. To accept the free gift of Salvation.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your Name, and in Your Name cast out demons, and in Your Name do many works of power? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, those working lawlessness!

John 3:19-21 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than the Light; for their works were evil. For everyone practicing wickedness hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, that his works may not be exposed. But the one doing the Truth comes to the Light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been worked in God.

Those who work lawlessness, i.e. disobey the Law, will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. How is Salvation a free gift, then? The free gift of forgiveness and everlasting life is available to all who have faith in Yeshua Messiah. Those who have faith in Him will do their best to live in obedience to Him. As we covered in our studies, What is Faith? and Justification, our faith must be alive to justify us, and faith without works is dead.

Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we are willfully sinning after receiving the full knowledge of the Truth, there remains no more sacrifice concerning sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and zealous fire being about to consume the adversaries. If anyone did not regard the Law of Moses, that one dies without pity on the word of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will be thought worthy to receive having trampled on the Son of God, and having counted the blood of the covenant in which he was sanctified common, and having insulted the Spirit of Grace?

Once a person understands the importance of obedience to Torah, if they fall back into sin, they will not receive forgiveness for those sins. Through the written Law, a person is found guilty of sin on the word of two or three witnesses. Now that we have the Law in the flesh (Living Word) how much worse will our punishment for disobedience be? Repentance is required for Salvation. Identifying sin is required before repentance and obedience is required after repentance. We cannot repent and then go on sinning, as this would be calling Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross a common thing and insulting the Spirit of Grace!

4. To be great in the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 5:17-19 Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul, but to fulfill. Truly I say to you, Until the heavens and the earth pass away, in no way shall one iota or one tittle pass away from the law until all comes to pass. Whoever then shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of the Heavens.

Yeshua says that all of the Torah will remain until the end of His thousand-year reign, when all the prophecies have been fulfilled, heaven and earth pass away, and the dead are raised to Judgment.

2 Timothy 3:14-17  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The one who obeys the Torah, and teaches others to obey the Torah, will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Sounds like a win-win scenario. We get to be great for all eternity and we help others to be great as well!

For more on obeying the Whole Word of YHWH, please see our study: Why Should We Obey Torah.

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Modern Denominations

The following is a chart comparing the percentage of Roman Christian false doctrines followed by some common Christian denominations. Red is bad and blue is good. The red checkmarks under the Traditions-of-men indicates the denomination follows the tradition, and a blue x indicates that it does not follow the tradition. Under the Neglected Doctrine, a red checkmark means the denomination neglects the doctrine, and a blue x means that they do not neglect the doctrine. The Doctrine of Eternal Security is not included in the % calculation in the final column.

Revelation 18:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues.”

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Conclusion

YHWH’s people are destroyed for their lack of knowledge, because they have forgotten His Law.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

It is frighteningly easy to deceive people with false doctrine, when those people do not know YHWH’s Word.

“Some of the truths that have been handed down to us by tradition and are not recorded in the Sacred Scriptures, are the following: That there are just seven sacraments; that there is a purgatory; that, in the new law, Sunday should be kept holy instead of the Sabbath; that infants should be baptized, and that there are precisely seventy-two books in the Bible [66 that are inspired, plus 6 apocryphal] “–Francis J. Butler, Holy Family Catechism, No. 3, p. 63 [Butler (1859 – ?) was a Catholic priest of Boston and an author of a series of catechisms].

Mark 7:6-8 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; ⁷ in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

YHWH commanded that we not add to (traditions-of-men) or take away from (neglected doctrines) his Torah.

Deuteronomy 12:32 All the things that I command you, take heed to do them, and you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

How did Yeshua’s Church go so badly off the rails as to become Rome’s church, within just a couple of centuries? We find the answer in the Parable of the Unrighteous Judge.

Yeshua had just been asked by the Pharisees about when the kingdom of God will come, and He told them that it was in their midst (Luke 17:20-21). After that (Luke 17:22-37), He was explaining to His disciples what signs and events would herald His return and this parable was a continuation of that teaching. So, the discussion subject matter surrounding the parable was end time prophecy, which makes it reasonable to assume that the parable is as well.

Luke 18:1-8 And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray, and not to faint, saying, A certain judge was in a certain city, not fearing God and not respecting man. And a widow was in that city, and she came to him, saying, Avenge me from my adversary. And for a time he would not. But after these things he said to himself, Even if I do not fear God, and do not respect man, yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will avenge her, that coming in the end she may not subdue me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says; and will God not at all execute the avenging of His elect, those crying to Him day and night, also being patient over them? I say to you that He will carry out the avenging of them speedily. But the Son of man coming then, will He find faith on the earth?

The widow in the parable is “the church”, whose bridegroom was crucified. The unrighteous judge is the red dragon from Revelation (Satan), who persecuted the church using his beast empire—Rome. There were times over the past 2000 years when the beast appeared to be the defender of “the church”, but ultimately it was her adversary. YHWH (the Righteous Judge) will judge “the church’s” adversary at the time appointed for the end.

When the unrighteous judge decided to avenge the widow, he said, ⁵ because this widow causes me trouble, I will avenge her, that coming in the end she may not subdue me. Satan and his beast do not want “the church” to subdue them. They began persecuting her immediately after she became a widow, however, once it became apparent that they could not destroy her, they switched tactics. They instead positioned themselves as her defender and leader. In this role, over the centuries, they have deceived many into believing that they are the righteous judge and speak with God’s authority. They have changed times and laws and have led many to the error of lawlessness.

The unrighteous judge was guilty of allowing maltreatment of the widow (up until Emperor Constantine in the fourth century), but the widow could not be destroyed. The unrighteous judge then switched tactics and brought the widow in under its protection, giving her a new home and new leadership (Rome and the Papacy). The unrighteous judge deceived the widow into false beliefs (lawlessness & the traditions-of-men) to ensure she would not be able to subdue it when the end times come.

Many people believe that “the church” is what needs to be taken out of the way (the rapture) for the Lawless One to be revealed. However, “the church” hasn’t been subduing (holding back) the Lawless One, rather the Lawless One has been deceiving and subduing “the church”.

YHWH is our Righteous Judge.

2 Timothy 4:8 For the rest, the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me in that day–and not only to me, but also to all the ones loving His appearance.

YHWH, the Righteous Judge, will avenge His elect on the unrighteous judge. At the time appointed for the end, Yeshua will return and rescue His elect (those He will find remaining faithful), and destroy the unrighteous judge and ALL who follow its ways.

Matthew 24:13 But the one who endures to the end, that one will be saved.

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are the ones keeping the commands of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Matthew 7:13-14 Go in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to death. And many are the ones who go through it. For narrow is the gate, and constricted is the way that leads into life, and few are the ones who find it.

Revelation 22:12-14 And, behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each as his work is. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last. Blessed are the ones doing His commands, that their authority will be over the tree of life, and by the gates they may enter into the city.

We have written this study to demonstrate this truth, and encourage all who believe to fear and obey YHWH.

Revelation 18:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues.“

It is our sincere prayer that the followers of Roman Christianity will come home to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that is Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ).

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