The Reliability of Scripture – Part 5
02/03/18 (11/09) Video Broadcast
How do we really know the books in the Bible are inspired while apocryphal books like Maccabees, Enoch and Jasher were not? Watch full video where we examine these questions and more.
Alright. Sorry about that
my mic was off, praise
Yahweh; and a little issue
there I had to deal with
and we got it
resolved, thankfully.
And now praise Yahweh, and
one minute to look at this
little thing fixed, and we will be ready to go.
Alright we're ready to begin our fifth segment of the reliability of scripture. We are ready to begin our fifth segment on the reliability of scripture and praise Yahweh. lots of things that we can glean from the holy scriptures, if there's something you're willing to accept not everybody's is willing to accept and that's the point of this very broadcast and study portion is to demonstrate why we believe the scriptures are a reliable record of events and actually the inspired words of our holy Creator, whose name is Yahweh. There are so many reasons I could go into that will actually take a long time for me to explain if you're new to the bible, if you're not so then look at the bible then it's a little easier to explain. For instance the Spring of Fall festivals that are mentioned in the bible and how the Passover, how the history of Israel as a nation they were brought out of Egypt. They were delivered by the blood of the lamb, same way we were delivered from slavery to stay, and we are saved by the blood of the lamb. And Israel they went to the Red Sea with walls of water on its side. We also in a sense when we are baptized, we are surrounded by water. They went into the wilderness and they were tested and tried, we also on a personal journey are tested and tried in a land that's not our own but we're looking forward to the promised and ahead in the same way they were. And we're learning Yahweh's commands and his will for our life even as they were. And ultimately the giver of those laws and commandments could not bring them into the Promised Land. He himself was a sinner. Likewise, the law and the commandments are not gonna be able to save us. We're going to need a man named Yahushua to save us, it just so happens Joshua son of Nun or Yahushua is his name. In the Hebrew has the same name as our Savior, actually brought them across to Jordan into the Promised Land. I could go into scriptures that the show the name of the coming Messiah was going to be Yahushua, in Zachariah 6:12. I could go into all kinds of different prophecies about sin and righteousness and what that means, and what the Messiah was going to do. I did cover some of those things in our previous segment, with just so many wonderful layer upon layer of prophetic in the symbols and signs and metaphors and things that add; the more you study the scriptures with a heart of faith, and a heart of obedience the more clear it is. This collection of books could not have been put together and accomplished by mere man, it is divinely put together in ways that, in ways that far surpass any ability of the human to put together, especially for the humans that were 1500 years, you know. So it's amazing, but how can we really know for those of you who are not familiar with scripture so much, you might ask question; how can we really know that the bible in its present form is the inspired work of our Creator?
Let me say first of all I believe our Creator is a loving heavenly father, I believe he is loving and the evidence for his love is in creation itself. I shared this; I think it was part two or part one. He instil in us sense of right and wrong, he instil that in us justice and injustice. And then actual sense of guilt when we do wrong to others, a conscience; this is like a built in negative consequences that we just have automatically. And it's kind of built-in; it's just how we are made. And since he created us with this unhindered free will, but I think it was a negative consequence when we choose not to love other people. It demonstrates that our Creator himself wants us to love each other because he created this sense of guilt that we have, as part of who we are, as part of our psych and how we are made up. And so he created negative consequence already built into us. Now any Creator who does this with himself has to be one who loves his world. He's directing as by how we're made to a way of love. Now, since he is a loving Creator, I don't believe it would be loving for him to leave us without some kind of clear and authoritative direction or instruction as to how we are supposed to live. Our conscience helps but it has its limitations, a person's conscience can also be formed by the upbringing of culture rather than being inherently good or bad. There's also people who do all kinds of evil acts and have no conscience at all. So we are obviously different than animals. Animals don't have the capacity that we have to choose what we want to do, how we want to live. They are just pretty animals, the rest of creations pretty much operating off of instinct, survival and almost like a pre-programmed way of doing things. And so, certainly it will be unloving for a Creator to leave us without some kind of resource, some kind of way of obtaining information on how we're supposed to live, how we're supposed to behave, how we should treat each other. We need some kind of guidance on what it really means to love each other and how we should conduct our affairs on the earth. And if we delve through the ages there has not been a guiding hand from heaven that guided the decisions of men when they come to the decision of whether they're going to exclude or include a particular book from the bible. Then we would have no consistent and reliable resource to help us discover what truth is. Do we have no authority to resource for right and wrong? In fact we would have a lot of chaos, that's what we will have if he had not guided the decisions of men regarding what books to include or exclude from the bible. Everybody just does what's right in their own eyes and no one can say anything about it, there's no authority. The absence of consistent and reliable resource for truth and guidance and what it really means to love we are in a situation, basically were our Creator says "you figure it out".
But this in and of itself would be an immoral thing for him to do as I see it. I mean when an airplane mechanic say, "I know you're a trainee but you figure it out" to the guy who wants to learn how to fix an airplane. We know the consequences of just an airplane mechanic not knowing what he's doing, people will die, people will get hurt. And we know it will be unloving for an airplane mechanic to say "you figure it out", it will be disastrous and therefore it will be immoral because the one who knows how to do it right, he should share his knowledge with the one who's gonna be working on those airplanes. And so when Yahweh who obviously our Creator knows what's right, provide us somehow, some way with the information we need to know how to just be a human being, to conduct ourselves, we have absolute freewill. And so we need direction and instructions and how we are to conduct ourselves and not to provide that. What in itself be wrong? Even more wrong than a guy hiring an airplane mechanic who don't know what he's doing. So one of the strongest reasons for me as far as accepting the authority of the bible is in considering the alternative. Without some kind of heaven inspired resource and guidance for morality and reliable source of truth, it suggests we have this uncaring and unloving, you figure it out Creator.
And yet we are created with this sense of justice and conscience. And so there's something telling us and guiding us, do the right thing. So many people have so many ideas as to what the right thing is, and so I am looking for some kind
of authoritative resource to tell me who I am, why
I'm here, who made me. It's obvious from I think segment number one of this series, someone made us, someone some higher intelligence being made us. And it's also as I shared in segment two, obviously a loving Creator who made us. And so where is direction, where is instruction? Now skeptics will say "well, you know that bible has been translated so many times, you know. It's not reliable, you know". You've been in a room where one person whispers something to the next person, whispers to the next, whispers to the next, by the time it went around the whole room, the last person give a completely different story. Listen, that's not what happened. Our English bibles are directions from Hebrew or Greek texts. The two thousand year old dusty scrolls prove the one thousand year old masariac was amazingly and miraculously accurate, almost letter for letter and so we are copies of the bible, we got a bible for as going back to 607 BC. And so we have manuscripts of what the Messiah was gonna be like, what he will do, where he will be born, what his name will be, that he would die, the Jews will reject him, the Gentiles would accept him. And so don't let that whole, so many translations assertion fool you. There are many English translations from the Hebrew original, yes and sometimes are not always accurate. But as originally been they are accurate. Now consider what will happen if the entire world followed biblical teachings. Imagine that. What would happen? There would be no murder, there would be no adultery, there will be no racism, there would be no corrupt governments, no wars, no starvation because we are told to give those who need. No drug or alcohol abuse, no venereal disease, no terrorism, no child abuse, no domestic violence, no
rape, no broken families. No thieves, no fighting and arguing, no hypocrisy,
no hurtful speech, no hate, no need for prisons
if the whole world followed the scriptures. There would be the knowledge that everyone's being honest, peace on the earth, everyone loving and serving one another, people who are patient, gentle, humble and meek. People who will value the pure and loving and virtuous things, men who will love and respect their wives, wives who love and respect their husbands, parents who will love and nurture their children, better quality of health, longer life span, on-going blessings from our heavenly father above. That doesn't sound too bad to me; I'll take it, knowing that the teachings of scripture offer really the solution to man's problems. I see the wisdom of being in a loving relationship with the one who inspired its words. To me he's real and he loves us and the scriptures explain why there is death and disease, why disobedience to his precepts is tolerated for now. The author offers eternal life to anyone who turned away from wrong doing and receives the Savior who paid the penalty for our failure to walk in his precepts. And unlike fantasies mythology that people places advance describing the scripture are backed up by archaeological discoveries and science, there were historical events written down by people who were eyewitnesses to when it happened, continue prophecies as we shared in our last segment. Millions and millions of people have been delivered from drug, alcohol abuse, mental illness, abusive behavior, health problems to prayer and application of his teachings.
But then if we have no authoritative document or resource to teach us right and wrong there's gonna be all kinds of conflict and a lack of a solid foundation as to right or wrong behavior, you know what? It damages people. It's harmful to society, the consequences of some of our behaviors in this generation will not be known until later generations figure out the problems that ultimately come out of these bad decisions that are being made.
Take for instance the controversial stance the bible has on sexual morality, the scriptures consistently teach that a male and female should only have intercourse if they are married. Our society completely ignores this moral standard and the end result of ignoring this moral standard is that there a lot of girls and women getting pregnant and having a child, and that child has no committed father in a marriage relationship who is willing to take care of that child. And children of fatherless homes according to statistics are eight times more likely to go to prison, five times more likely to commit suicide, twenty times more likely to have behavioral problems, thirty two times more likely to run away, ten times more likely to abuse drugs, nine times more likely to drop out of school, thirty three times more likely to be seriously abused, seventy three times more likely to be fatally abused.
Seventy five percent of American children who are living in single parent homes will experience poverty before they turn eleven years of age. So yeah there are consequences for this so called sexual revolution that occurred in the 60's where people just do what they wanted and whenever. It happened, men decided to reject the wisdom and the authority of scripture, they create their own standard of life.
And so we need more guidance that can look down through the corridors of time and see the end result of certain things that people would do. And we are seeing now the end result which is fatherlessness in some cases motherlessness, both of which create problems in our lives. The last segment of the broadcast I shared reasons why Messiah was indeed even by unbelievers considered to be a real historical figure. And I shared that various prophecies had predicted what his life was gonna be like, the manner of his death and the reason for his death. I shared how the scriptures even predicted his own people would reject him whereas the Gentiles would accept him. Well, the bible contains four different books that described his life and his teachings, and in those teachings the Messiah said "the scriptures cannot be broken," John 10:35. He said Matthew 4:4; it is written, Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Elohim. `And so the Messiah who was miraculously, divinely
predicted to have come on the earth and do the things that he did, made these statements. And we have physical copies of Isaiah and other prophetic books that predate our Savior's life
according to dating methods. These physical manuscripts predict him, Psalms 22 the manner of his death; all these things. And so that demonstrates some kind of divinely inspired words that came to pass and came true. And then this Savior that came made these statements that the scripture cannot be broken and that we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh, Our Mighty One. So he believe in the inspiration and the authority of scripture, and in fact he said in Matthew 13:41; The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness. And will cast them into the furnace of fire: and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Lawlessness, if there is no divine law for everyone
to live by there will be no standard by which anyone could be judged as lawless. And so we know that in Messiah at least there was already certain books that were considered to be authoritative and inspired by our Heavenly Father, and it was common knowledge. The same was true of those who followed the Messiah's teachings they believed in the same things. And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea: when they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews, Acts 17:10. In verse 11; these more fair minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily, to find out what of these things were so. And so the scriptures were considered to be authoritative, the determining factor of what is truth. Acts 18:28 says Apollos vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that Yahushua is Messiah, he use the Old Testament scriptures to do that, the prophecies. Romans 15:4, for whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we might through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. And so they are authoritative, they give us hope that he was comfort and they teach us the right way to live and what is the point of the scriptures? All scripture is given by inspiration of Elohim, the word translated inspiration of Elohim literally means Elohim-breathed. And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of Elohim may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So it's a clear record that the followers of this Messiah that was predicted in the prophets, that the divine inspiration. They had a clear understanding that certain books were classified as authoritative. And in fact all but ten of the Old Testament books are actually quoted in the New Testament, to back up the teachings of the New Testament with a quote from the Old Testament. Now nine of those ten books are actually pretty small books; like Jonah, Ezra, Ruth. Now the only book of any significant length but not quoted is the book of Judges, but without that book we would have no information as to what Israel experienced between the Exodus and the time of Samuel and David. And so it's obviously Yahweh was continuing the narrative there. Now when it comes to the bible how do we really know whether or not certain books were inspired by Yahweh, other books maybe were not? What about the Apocrypha? What about the Psedepigrapha? The word Psedepigrapha means pseudo writings, in their words someone acting like they are someone they are not, that's what they call a Psedepigrapha. Are there lost books of the bible? Why is it that certain books were considered to be part of the Canaan, the term Canaan simply means a book that is authoritative inspired scripture. It's true that there were certain men at certain times who made decisions as to which books would be part of the Canaan and which books would not. And yes we're free to do our own investigation in this matter as well, but I would say that we're going to have our limitations when it comes to this. Our biggest limitation is this; we ourselves are not eye witnesses to the various events that are recorded in scripture. And we don't know any of the authors personally.
So how we come to where we are today? Well it's clear to me the reason why certain books survived is simply due to the fact that the authors of these books claim to have divine inspiration. And there were others who were there at the time that they wrote the things they did who were available to verify those claims and therefore those books survived. For instance we know Moshe, he wrote the first five books of the bible. Yahushua said he wrote the Torah, other people were there lots of them to verify that Moshe (Moses) was indeed inspired by Yahweh to write the things he wrote. Or say the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John they were all written in the first century, there were many people who were around to verify the truthfulness of the record and to destroy any books that were not based on reality.
And so that's why they survived, there's a reason why they survived because the people who read those materials in the generation that they were written saw that it was true and preserved it and therefore it was added to the Canaan. That's when it was added, it wasn't added 300 years later. It was already understood to be authoritative in a generation it was written. For example: Luke made a statement. He said, inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us. Just as those, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things, in which you were instructed. And so here is Luke, a first century writer and he begins to write this divinely inspired letter to a man named Theophilus about the life and teachings of Yahushua the Messiah. And there were others present in the first century to verify the authenticity of this account. Therefore the book was copied and passed around to different people and became regarded as authoritative scripture in that generation. And that's how the bible came into existence over a period of 1500 years from forty different authors. Yahweh inspired different men at different times to write accurate accounts of the things that had transpired or words that he himself had spoken to them. Righteous men of those time periods had regarded the words as inspired by Yahweh and they became popular among those righteous men and they preserved them. But we can't go back in time and say, yeah, that really happened back then, we, we can't. We have to trust and believe that Yahweh is loving and because he's loving he guided the process down through the ages, and it's clear to me that he did. And one of the test of that is inferences the bible historically accurate, I mean based on what I shared with you in part two, this segment and others, it's pretty clear the bible is historically accurate. Another one of the test is that we can do is that the bible consistent in its doctrines and does it contradict itself? For every book that would later claim to have divine inspiration will have to go and make sure it was in agreement with what was previously written before. As we examine in part four, yes the bible does pass these tests. Now there are some today who say, but you know since traditional Christianity has lost its way in terms of its doctrines, there has been errors in its doctrines how can we really trust that the books they decided were to be in the bible are actually true?
Well you know we don't need to limit that statement to traditional Christianity because traditional Judaism also has its worth. And down through the ages even the bible itself says that the Jewish people completely fell away and worship idols at different times throughout their history yet somehow we have a clearly defined list of books that was already widely considered to be authoritative in the Messiah's day and the same is true of the new testament its clear by reading church history that those who claim to follow the Messiah often did a very poor job in doing so. And yet there is a reason why the Catholic Church did not want the masses to read the bible and trying to keep it to themselves because the bible does contradict their teachings. Now we have manuscript evidence that the doctrines of teachings in both Old Testament and New Testament were miraculously preserved, which is strong evidence that our heavenly father had his hand in preserving things.
Consider the words of Psalms 119 it says this;
Psalms 119 verse 89 says forever, O Yahweh, your word is settled in heaven. Psalms 119:152; concerning your testimonies, I have known of old that you have founded them for ever. Psalms 119 verse 160; The entirety of Your word is truth: and every one of your righteous judgments endures for ever. This commentary in particular, this Psalms speaks a lot about the word of Yahweh in the scriptures and these are some of the attributes it's saying. Yahushua sanctified them by the truth, your word is truth. If we didn't have any kind of clear cut indisputable word from Yahweh, we have nothing to sanctify us and we have nothing to live by and nothing to determine what's true and what's not. And that's just the way it is, so on the basis of my
knowledge that Yahweh is loving even apart from scripture I see he is loving. I believe a loving Creator would preserve some kind of resource that is widely known to be authoritative. The sixty six books that are in the bible as we know it are not disputed as far as I know by any denomination, any branch of Christianity or any branch of Judaism. All of them regard those particular books as inspired and others some branches of both, well particularly not Judaism but Christianity that might accept other books like Maccabees, Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher, Esdras, Tobeth, Judith and so on. But these are other books that the other ones, the sixty six core books are now held in dispute. The Old Testament is not held in dispute by postinute Christians or by Jews, all those books are considered to be authoritative. The New Testament; all denominations as far as I know believers who believe in Messiah regard those of New Testament books as inspired. Some may choose to accept other ones but there is a core group that is just known to be authoritative down through the ages, it's been that way down through the ages. Now the books that are held in dispute are known as the Apocrypha, accepted by the catholic religion but not accepted by the Jews and not accepted by postituned Christians. Well this is something you know, just because there
is a people group who strays away from the bible teachings doesn't mean that Yahweh can't still work among them in spite of them. We see that happen with the Old Testament, so why wouldn't it happen also with the New Testament? So now these other books that are in the hands, the
New Testament books that are in the hands of Christians; some might suggest since they are not in the hands of Jews how can it be accepted? Well we know the prophets predicted, the Gentiles would receive the Messiah and the Jews would reject him by enlarge. It's already predicted in the scripture and so he allowed the Jews to have the oracles of Elohim in terms of the Old Testament books it allowed Gentiles to have possession of this so called New Testament books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all the way to Revelation. But both were preserved in spite of the acts of the people who had them in their possession. So what about the Apocrypha books, is it possible that there are books out there that the mainstream simply don't accept because they don't fit their doctrines? That's one of the questions I had to ask myself when I learned that both Judaism and Christianity had strayed from the teachings of scripture. Maybe there is certain strains of those religions that didn't want certain things because they contradicted their false doctrines. And actually that kind of looks sided at me to find out whether or not it happened. And so I got to reading this Apocrypha and it turned out there really wasn't anything in there that really even contradicted mainstream Christianity's false teachings. There were some that were contradicting Yahweh's teaching in the scriptures but nothing that really made a difference between me and mainstream Christianity. So there wasn't anything in Apocrypha books that really contradicted mainstream Judaism, like our faith in Messiah. And there wasn't anything in the New Testament Pseudepigrapha or Apocrypha that said you need to keep Torah a little more clean, clearly, plainly. So, I got off that kick. Besides, I found those things were not obviously in the same class. But look at the kind of Apocrypha. I'm going to define as the books accepted into the Canaan by the Catholic Church but was rejected by Jews and rejected by postinued Christians, there are eleven or twelve of those depending how you divide it. The books of Apocrypha were written during the 400 silent years between the book of Malachi and the time of Zachariah to the announcement of the book of the birth of John the Baptist. Well Jewish in New Testament sources both agree there is no divinely inspired prophetic utterance during that 400 year time period. But once you start reading these books, you go okay wait a minute, now I get whether or not in there for instance Tobeth chapter 12 verse 9; for alms giving delivers from death and it will purge away every sin. So giving your alms somehow purges you of all sin. Now from this concept Catholic Church tried to sell that forgiveness of sins is actually resealing indulgences. If you gave money you could continue once a day committing same indulgences sin and you will have your sin purged away, it's called selling indulgences of sin was outlawed even by the Catholic Church. But it's not hard to see where they got this idea, that alms giving somehow is going to take your sin away. And that's contrary to what the rest of scripture teaches. Ezekiel 18 verse 21 says if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does what's lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. So we see repentance is necessary and, finally, faith in Messiah, Ephesians 2:8; for by grace you have been saved through faith; it's not of your own doing: it is the gift of Elohim: Not because of works, lest any man should boast. So our works don't save us but unless we do have works of repentance we are not gonna be saved. So it's grace that saves us, it's his grace that causes a man to surely live when he chooses to turn away from sin. It is not his turning away that saves him, it is Yahweh's grace, choosing to give his grace to the one who turns away from sin and ultimately puts their faith in Messiah Yahushua. And that's contrary to what Tobeth is teaching, following the same concept in Tobeth we see the second book of Maccabees teaching the similar thing it say 2 Maccabees 12:41 says; So they all blessed the ways of Yahweh, the righteous judge, who reveals the things that are hidden. And they turn to prayer, beseeching that the sin which have been committed might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas, exalted the people to keep themselves free of sin, for they seen what their own eyes would have happened because of the sin of those who had fallen.
He also took up a collection, men by men to the amount of two thousand drocmads of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide a sin offering. And in doing this he acted very well and honorably taking account of the resurrection. For if you were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would not have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. And now we are starting to get some strange things, but he was looking through the splendidly wall that was like, for those who fall asleep in unrighteousness it was the whole empire. Therefore he made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin. Now those of us who know the scripture are going okay, red flag time, right? Because we know it's appointed unto man to die once and after that the Judgment. Once you're dead you can't someone call on and make you repent or atone for your sin or anything. But this is what Maccabees is teaching and we know that it's not correct doctrine. Here is the book of Baruch says; O Yahweh Almighty, Elohim of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, and of the sons of those who sin before thee, who did not heed the voice of Yahweh their Elohim: so the claim is a claim to us. So you know dead men praying, no. The dead do not praise Yahweh, Psalm 115:17, nor any who go down in silence. But we will bless the Yahweh from this time forth and for evermore. Praise Yahweh. So you have to pass the test of accuracy and consistency in the bookstore. Here is the book of Judith, completely fabricated story and says; in the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over Assyrians in the in the great city of Neneve. Nebuchadnezzar was not the ruler of the Assyrians; he was the ruler of the Babylonians. So you find things like this, and this is not all but you find things, now I see why those books were rejected. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. He was the king of Babylon, he was not the king of Assyrians, and he's from Babylon not from... And the whole story is based on this idea and it's a mess. And as far as the other books of Maccabees, we know the Messiah kind of ignored them, in this first here Matthew 23:34; therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city. That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel (that's the book of Genesis) to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Talking about the time that Zachariah was one of the final prophets who was eventually killed and so we see, he's taking us from one place of scripture to the other, he does not mention the blood that was shed in the book of Maccabees. There is a story there of a woman who had sons and all those sons were killed because they wouldn't eat pork, you know it's an interesting story but, it's just simply not scripture; it does not pass the test. The scripture in Yahushua seem to ignore that, those accounts. So apparently he did not regard this as scripture, and he was in a temple during the Feast of Dedication and that event is mentioned in the book of Maccabees, but this does not prove the book was inspired. It only provides some evidence that there was at least one thing mentioned in Maccabees that was true. It doesn't mean everything else is true. Now, if the writers of the New Testament considered the Apocrypha to be scripture I'll expect them to quote you know, like they did in the rest of scripture. But there is here eleven or twelve books that are never even quoted, none of them are quoted from the Apocrypha. That's in contrast to 250 quotations from the authoritative Old Testament scriptures. Now what about the book of Enoch?
Someone is gonna bring that up so here we go Jew chapter 1 verse 14 says; now Enoch the seventh from Adam, prophesized about these men saying, also saying behold the Master comes, with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are unrighteous. Now that does read summarily, but differently than the idiopic copy of Enoch we have today, which says not convict but destroy that's what it says. Now, imagine if the word convict and destroy was mixed up in some other texts, alright. Like this one; nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage I go away, Yahushua saying here. For if I do not go away the helper will not come to you, but if I depart I will send them to you; and when he has come he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Now what if we put the word destroy in here? Would it make a difference? Yes, it would make a huge difference; so it also makes a difference that Enoch quotes it differently than, I'm sorry I don't have a quote up here. But he quotes it differently than the book of Jude quotes it. Now the fact that a new testament writer might quote something from a book, does not in itself mean that book is completely inspired from one end to the other, does not mean that. It simply means they could have put, Paul quoted Pagan people a couple of times. It doesn't mean that everything that they write is true. So now, another point I wanna make about the book of Enoch is this, it says in the fourth was named (talking about these demons) Penamue, and he
taught the children of men the bitter and the sweet and he taught them all the secrets of their wisdom and he instructed mankind in writing with ink and paper. And thereby many sin from eternity to eternity until this day, for men we are not created for such a purpose to give confirmation to the good faith with pen and ink. In other words using a pen and ink is a sin, now
that's odd because the book of Enoch required pen and ink. And so how could it be, you got a little problem there and the whole bible is pen and ink. So yeah, very strange stuff going on here; so
even if you think suppose you think it's authentic. There may have been perhaps a divinely inspired book of Enoch at some point in history, I don't know. But we don't have any complete copy of the book of Enoch any older than 500 years old. And who knows what happened to that, and so it's not being preserved, 1500 is the earliest have. And if there is ever a divinely inspired book of Enoch, by Jude you'll have to wonder whether or not Yahweh has chosen to preserve this book like he did the others, apparently he didn't.
And I also take serious exceptions to this idea that pen and ink is a bad thing. But you know it's one of the most ridiculous things to say this, I mean this is one of many problems in the book of Enoch. The book of Enoch claims that demons mated with women and produced giant men that were 450 feet tall. It says they took wives, (talking about demons taking wives) Enoch 7:10 each choosing for himself; whom they began to approach, and with whom they cohabited; teaching them sorcery, incantations, and the dividing of roots and tress. And the women conceiving brought forth giants. Whose stature was each three hundred cubits (that's 450 feet tall, do you realize how tall this is?). These devoured all which upon lest the labor of men produced; until it became impossible to feed them. When they turned themselves against men, in order to devour them. So I don't know you don't see taller tales like this in the bible, I mean you just don't. Yeah you have an example of the book of genesis saying that the sons of Elohim went into the daughters of men, but that doesn't mean there were angels, in fact Yahushua said the angels don't marry nor give in marriage. And so how can spiritual being go into a physical human and produce an offspring? Why aren't they doing it now? If they could do it then, what's stopping them right now, I think what happened is the sons of Elohim means the righteous men married the daughters of men; talking about unrighteous women and produced an offspring that was nephilim. The word nephilim means fallen, it doesn't mean giants. Look at it in Hebrew it means fallen, doesn't have anything to do with giants and therefore I don't believe that there were even giants being produced. I think what it was, the nephilim, the fallen offspring were the ones who because righteous men married unrighteous women, their children were taught the ways of Satan and the ways of the devil by the women whom they married. Like a believer marrying an unbeliever, so let's think about this logically here, I mean the human biology; there is no biology that can produce a 450 feet tall human. Neither an animal; nowhere near an animal I ever that tall. Let alone the one who is standing upright and it doesn't make any sense; biologically it's impossible. If you study biology the limitations to bone mass and things like the heart size, you know that just inherently impossible. And how could a normal size woman give birth to a baby just be one hundred times her size?
Now speaking of size the book of Enoch claims that the size and the circumference of the sun and moon are the exact same things. Saying here that the circumference of these two great luminaries is both alike, of course didn't realize the sun is far 93 million miles away and so they thought it was circumference-wise the same size, but the reality is the sun is 400 times larger than the moon is also 400 times further away. Anyway, just because an inspired author quotes
somebody doesn't mean you can take the whole book as being authoritative. We see that other places, here's Paul calling a Pagan prophet as one of the prophets of their own, said, Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. His testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in faith. Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, who turn from the truth? What do I think the book of Enoch is I think it's a Jewish fable, that's what I think it is and scripture talks about that very thing. So a few people are putting their faith in the book of Jasher, but there is no book of Jasher prior to 1829, I think it is a complete work of fiction. Book of; 2 Samuel 1:17-19; and David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son. (He told them teach the children of Judah the sign of the bow: indeed, it is written in the book of Jasher.) The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places: how the mighty have fallen! And then it goes on, there's more to it there. But another place Numbers 21:14; Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of Yahweh, Waheb in Suphah, The brooks of Arnon, And the sloop of the brooks that reaches to the dwelling of Ar, and lies on the border of Moab. Yes, quoting this book of the wars of Yahweh, where is it? Again, because the bible quotes from another book it's not proof that this book is divinely inspired if it was unsure Yahweh would have preserved that book, that we had this long lost book of the wars of Yahweh. Long lost book of Jasher; and the book of Enoch which even if they were inspired Yahweh; for one reason or another did not allow them to be faithfully fully transmitted to our generation. And we have no complete version of these works other than in relatively modern times. But for those who have chosen to put your trust in these books I ask the following question. Don't we already have plenty to learn from what we know in scripture? I mean without having to go to these other books that we can't even be sure they are and don't look like they are to me. I hate to put my trust in some duck and I can only get from one of these alternative books. You can't find it anywhere else, only meaning wrong and ultimately have to be reproved by Yahweh himself on the final day. There's already so much we can trust in as an anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:17-19 says; Thus Elohim, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. That by two immutable things, in which is impossible for Elohim to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who fled for refuge to lay hold the hope that's before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which enters the presence beyond the veil. So that's my anchor, the fact that I know Elohim does not lie and that his counsel is immutable, it is perfect but I found the extra biblical books to have rightly been rejected by former believers. I could certainly devote more time on this topic but I just pray that we become so familiar with what we know is Yahweh's word, that we recognize a counterfeit when we see it, and I see counterfeit. One of the things I find amazing about scripture is it's so honest. If the bible was written by mere man who were trying to promote Yahweh, and trying to promote Yahweh and his wonderful deity that created all things. Why would it include so many narratives where people didn't wanna follow him? Completely disregarding him and completely just utterly rebelled against him.
I mean if you try to make up some bible aren't you gonna show how great he is and how great it was that people followed him. Instead you got almost one carrying the other, all the problems that people heard were following him. If the bible was written by mere men, I really doubt it would make men look so foolish and rebellious, stumbling and bumbling around like a man trying to walk out of complete darkness. Even Peter, the one who was the most favorite of Yahushua's disciples given the keys and all these things, denied him three times. And you think maybe Yahushua will pick someone better you know. And he was also reproved by Paul over being a hypocrite, so the scriptures are transparent about what really happened; not because it was written by men but it was honest, inspired by the spirit of truth, spirit of Yahweh our Creator, our redeemer it's honest in this area, is one of the many reasons I believe the rest of the biblical account is 100% true, and authentic in everything it teaches. Another thing I think. If men wrote the bible they certainly wouldn't have a condemning fornication and other acts of physical pleasure to the enemy as well as to command that we be righteous even in our thought life, not just our mere actions, is evidenced we have an authority that knows our thoughts.
And nearly all the competing religions of ancient times gave excuses for rape, fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, appealing to men's animalistic immoral instincts and desire to pervert things. And we have the same thing going on in culture they justify the carnal desires all the while, men hating women, women hating men. Both men and women; hating children with their self centered lifestyles and through the noise and confusion. Everything going on in the world today, you know what the heart's cry of every human being is?
To be loved, that's it.
And the scriptures teach love as its foundation for everything. 1 Timothy 1:5; the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, from a sincere faith. These are all mental attitudes, mental attributes can only be done mentally, and its purpose is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, from a sincere faith. From which some having strayed have turned aside to idle talk. Desiring to be teachers; of the law understanding neither what they say; or the things which they affirm. Not everybody claims and quotes from the bible, actually follows the way of love, the bible teaches and they don't understand what they are saying or even the things they are affirming when they read the scriptures. Instead, it's just a bunch of idle talk, hateful speech. And some people are rejecting scripture not because of scripture but because people who claim to follow scripture treated them in a wrong way. The bible even talks about them kind of people doing that, he predicted it would happen, it did. Personally I found that getting the love I need from humans, I mean it's great when it happens but it's not quiet consistent, not really quiet fulfilling and really the expectation we are getting it consistently is downright hateful. To get the love we need really, there is only one big enough and consistent enough for the task and that's our heavenly father. And his love flows through my Savior Yahushua, such perfect form; if you've never felt it, if you've never experienced the love of Yahweh you don't know what you're missing. Daily it propels me, daily it convicts to want to be more like him, his presence explains a believer's zeal and passion for their faith, it's very, very real. And if you don't know that love, ask him, remove any stumbling blocks from your heart from receiving it. Never interpret his love through the example of any human being, not your father, your mother, your spouse, your friend, your aunt or uncle. His love is not like human love it is real, it is powerful, it is consistent as an unending fountain of grace for everyone who's willing to receive without pretence and with a thankfulness that just propels us to love Him. 1 John 14:19 says; we love him because he first loved us. If you don't know him you have this empty feeling inside, I know you have it because I had it, and it never goes away until we turn our hearts to him and let him have the reigns. And then and only then will we find peace, when we are at peace with our Creator that's the only way we can get peace in our hearts and he fills that empty space, and clean feeling inside is just amazing. And that's the testimony of many who have followed his teachings, I've heard things like well before I had Messiah in my life I always felt miserable and empty, I didn't know what I was even missing, didn't even know I was missing anything. I didn't know life could be so much better. I now realize I can only have peace inside when I make peace with the one who made me. Having that peace is better than any drug, any alcohol, any relationship, these are the words I've heard from people. People say I felt like I had this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I'm set free, I'm light, I feel lighter. I feel love for the first time in my life. I've heard people say well before I never understood why believers wanted to keep commandments and now I will do anything for him, and now I see the wisdom and it's all really about love. You know there is no greater tyranny than living in sin, but unless we have experienced the love of Messiah you may never even know it. We were not created for sin, sin came about when we all by our own free will relation chose to depart from the true way of love and that's what it's all about. Messiah was asked a question in Matthew 22:36; teacher what is the great commandment in the law? Yahushua said to him, you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. Who's more worthy of our love than our heavenly father? I mean, He does everything for us. He created us. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Everything, all scripture that's ever written has the idea of love for our neighbor, love for Yahweh as its intend. See we don't just like being commanded, you want to do your own thing see. But really what's it's commanding us is love your father in heaven, love your fellow men.
Whatever your need is, if you wanna be loved Yahushua says great love has no one unless to lay down his life from his friends, that's awesome. He through whom the worlds were created was willing
to go through tremendous amount of pain and suffering and torture just so that we could be delivered, so that we would have the punishment we deserve for our sin and will be placed on him and the righteousness of him will be placed in us as we join ourselves to him spiritually through the body of Messiah, through being joined to him in spiritual sense. You know every society on earth has statures and laws; essentially commandments of varying levels of consequences, every society has it. And the fear of the consequences for breaking those commandments that are established in the revised code; US constitution or any nation keeps people from doing unloving things right? I say you know why not heed the commandments coming from the wisest one of all, the Creator of the universe; who knows far better than what we do, as far as what's good for us and why don't we fear the consequences for breaking his higher government laws? It's not like he's asking too much, one of the reason I'm willing to serve Yahweh is because my eyes has been opened to realize he daily serves me. I owe my very existence to his service, the air I breath, the beauty that surrounds me; all created by him and he gave his only son, so I can live with him forever. He loves me, he values me, he thinks I'm important. And If everyone would serve and love like he did, you know what? There would be no crime, no one hurting each other, just love. And really he's our only hope, you know I said the reason why some Atheists can seem to find the Creator is kind of related to the reason why thieves can't seem to find a police officer anywhere.
They don't wanna be accountable, and if they only knew the judge of humanity standing right there with the son; ready and willing to bare the punishment for them. If they only receive him and turn away from their wrong behavior and choosing to do that was really the best decision I ever made; 1989 alone in my apartment, alone. There I was, I was ready even working on my heart;
he had been sent to me in dreams that I was going to die apart from him. I thought, you know if I ever die I'll just pray for it; I die he'll forgive me. He showed me that won't gonna work in these dreams I was getting. But I was ready and they were a couple of veracious prayers that were answered, one on that night and one later on. And this is one of many; brothers and sisters, friends; even unbelievers who may be listening in, I experienced miracles and almost weekly basis. Things that no one could explain in the natural realm. That's not why I believe, but I think it's because I do believe I experience miracles.
But we live in a culture that has glorified itself, glorified self-expression at the expenses of self-control. And so we have now his human pleasure to being image, and our culture has dethroned the most high. And now men has his own deity, living his own universe; but one day the Savior is gonna come like a thief in the night and remind us we didn't make ourselves. And the things that are profane and the things that people laugh at; it's never superior, the pure and lovely things, the holy way of life. The quiet ordered life, now let me ask you a question; if following the truth involve changing your lifestyle, being the outfall in society,
getting us something you find pleasurable, would you do it? If there's any hesitation before answering yes, it's likely you're probably not following truth now. There are some areas you're not willing to accept. It's more likely you're creating a fantasy to fit what you want and calling it truth.
We have to be willing to give up what we want for the sake of following what truth really is. If we don't have that desire for truth and be willing to give up the things that are ultimately and we know are hurtful to other people, we probably not gonna find the truth even scripture even talks about that. But it's not like we don't get anything back I mean we get so much more in return I mean, if you wanna be loved he's right there. You know you're loved, if you wanna be valued the very hairs of your head are all numbered he says. Matthew 10:30; if you want to be heard he says the eyes are on the righteousness, ears are opened to their prayers. If you wanna have peace he says he will keep you in a perfect peace is mine it stayed on you because he trusts in you. If you wanna have encouragement, sorry I don't have the right topic there. Be of good cheer Yahushua said I have overcome the world if you need provision. He says seek first the kingdom of Elohim and all these things will be added to you, Matthew 6:33. If you need acceptance Psalms 103 verse 12 says; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed the our transgressions from us.
If you want to be understood says; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you comprehend, you understand my thought are far off, you comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my way, Psalms 103 verse 12. You need guidance, Psalms 73 verse 23-24; you hold me by my right. You will guide me with your counsel and afterward receive me into glory, beautiful. You need guidance and hope, there it is, to be
rescued from trouble. Elohim is our refuge and strength, a very pleasant help in trouble therefore we will not fear even though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
I can tell you many times he saved me from a real difficult spot. To inherit eternal life--It should be 1 Thessalonians 4:16; the dead in Messiah should rise first. We arise first than we are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air: and thus we shall always be with the Master. Looking for someone you can really trust? Jeremiah 17:7; blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, whose hope is Yahweh; for he shall be alike a tree planted by the waters, spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when he comes. Seeds from yielding fruit as the rest of the verse say. And if you're looking for someone to humbly teach the way of righteousness and the way you ought to live, to be a patient teacher of what is good. Yahushua says; come to me, Matthew 11:28, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls. The rest of it says my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You know to receive these things we only need to seek forgiveness through the Messiah Yahushua and commit ourselves to walking in his ways, that's it nothing complicated. Just receive the Messiah Yahushua for forgiveness of sin. let him bare all the consequences of the sin that you have and pay your debt to the father. And so the father in heaven can dismiss your case and you can be set free. No church denomination needed, just him that's it. You know this is not a religion, it's a relationship; a religion has very little power in that it's an old tired way of following certain rules because you think it's the right religion. But the relationship we're inspired to be an overcomer because we truly love our heavenly father and we truly love his ways. We receive that and when you're in a relationship you don't wanna grief your best friend right? You wouldn't wanna hurt your best friend, the one you love. And so you don't do the things that would hurt him, you're grieved by the ways of Yahweh's enemy who's trying to thwart the things that Yahweh id trying to do which is bring love on the earth and you reject those attempts by the enemy to pull you away from your father in heaven whom you love. And because we love Yahweh we find joy in seeing Yahweh's ways being established in our hearts, and in the hearts of other people.
You look at the earth today and all the turmoil, all the strife and all the crimes committed in secret and openly, people hurting, children are hurting, the world's hurting. But if we are willing to turn our hearts to the biblical teachings; everything would be solved, just one choice receive the teachings of scripture. One choice, one choice; one choice divides us from
each other, one choice and we are sister and we are brother. One choice and broken families reunite one choice we no longer fight, one choice and nations are at peace, one choice and crime will cease. One choice and we love together, one choice and life forever. One choice and we're under one king, one choice...O how our children will sing. There are choices, are we gonna love the one who died for us? Is his death really all in vain, for you? Yahushua is what we really need, will not realize though till he's all we have. Don't wait until judgment day to see that you really do desperately need him. He is and will be your only hope and your need. Someone once told me of a friend who strayed far from Messiah and done many horrible things and he asked me; do you think there's still hope from that person? You think there's still mercy and exceeding grace available for someone like that? He's telling me all the terrible things he has done; I said is the heart still beating?
If your heart is still beating and you haven't yet given your heart and life to the one who loves you like no other and you wanna make that one choice. Pray with me. Heavenly father, I see that you do love your
creation. I see that you do love me, I see that you value me, I am important to you. Father your words says that, we are your special
treasure; we're your inheritance, we are your workmanship.
Yahushua gave and poured out his whole life for us. There is so much you've given to us, and so much we've not given back. We've taken advantage of your grace, we disregarded you, and we've not believed your word. And father forgive us in any areas we've not heeded your wise and loving instructions.
We receive the gift of grace as we turn away from the things that we know are wrong and we turn toward the ways that we know you are right. We receive the gift of grace often to the Messiah Yahushua and we ask as your word has said in Isaiah 53; you laid on him the inequity of us all, we accept that, painfully at the thought of the suffering he went through. A perfect man suffering for the imperfect but we accept it and we thank you for it, we thank Yahushua for it. We thank you father for calling us out of darkness into your marvelous light for who is like you,
Yahweh Almighty One, Yahweh Our strong one, Yahweh our hope, our redeemer, our Savior, our friend, our father, our everything.
Teach us to walk the life you want us to live; that we might live eternally with you, you are our reward, our exceedingly abundant reward. When we awaken in your likeness, we will rejoice.
Through and by your son Yahushua we pray these things. Amein.
little thing fixed, and we will be ready to go.
Alright we're ready to begin our fifth segment of the reliability of scripture. We are ready to begin our fifth segment on the reliability of scripture and praise Yahweh. lots of things that we can glean from the holy scriptures, if there's something you're willing to accept not everybody's is willing to accept and that's the point of this very broadcast and study portion is to demonstrate why we believe the scriptures are a reliable record of events and actually the inspired words of our holy Creator, whose name is Yahweh. There are so many reasons I could go into that will actually take a long time for me to explain if you're new to the bible, if you're not so then look at the bible then it's a little easier to explain. For instance the Spring of Fall festivals that are mentioned in the bible and how the Passover, how the history of Israel as a nation they were brought out of Egypt. They were delivered by the blood of the lamb, same way we were delivered from slavery to stay, and we are saved by the blood of the lamb. And Israel they went to the Red Sea with walls of water on its side. We also in a sense when we are baptized, we are surrounded by water. They went into the wilderness and they were tested and tried, we also on a personal journey are tested and tried in a land that's not our own but we're looking forward to the promised and ahead in the same way they were. And we're learning Yahweh's commands and his will for our life even as they were. And ultimately the giver of those laws and commandments could not bring them into the Promised Land. He himself was a sinner. Likewise, the law and the commandments are not gonna be able to save us. We're going to need a man named Yahushua to save us, it just so happens Joshua son of Nun or Yahushua is his name. In the Hebrew has the same name as our Savior, actually brought them across to Jordan into the Promised Land. I could go into scriptures that the show the name of the coming Messiah was going to be Yahushua, in Zachariah 6:12. I could go into all kinds of different prophecies about sin and righteousness and what that means, and what the Messiah was going to do. I did cover some of those things in our previous segment, with just so many wonderful layer upon layer of prophetic in the symbols and signs and metaphors and things that add; the more you study the scriptures with a heart of faith, and a heart of obedience the more clear it is. This collection of books could not have been put together and accomplished by mere man, it is divinely put together in ways that, in ways that far surpass any ability of the human to put together, especially for the humans that were 1500 years, you know. So it's amazing, but how can we really know for those of you who are not familiar with scripture so much, you might ask question; how can we really know that the bible in its present form is the inspired work of our Creator?
Let me say first of all I believe our Creator is a loving heavenly father, I believe he is loving and the evidence for his love is in creation itself. I shared this; I think it was part two or part one. He instil in us sense of right and wrong, he instil that in us justice and injustice. And then actual sense of guilt when we do wrong to others, a conscience; this is like a built in negative consequences that we just have automatically. And it's kind of built-in; it's just how we are made. And since he created us with this unhindered free will, but I think it was a negative consequence when we choose not to love other people. It demonstrates that our Creator himself wants us to love each other because he created this sense of guilt that we have, as part of who we are, as part of our psych and how we are made up. And so he created negative consequence already built into us. Now any Creator who does this with himself has to be one who loves his world. He's directing as by how we're made to a way of love. Now, since he is a loving Creator, I don't believe it would be loving for him to leave us without some kind of clear and authoritative direction or instruction as to how we are supposed to live. Our conscience helps but it has its limitations, a person's conscience can also be formed by the upbringing of culture rather than being inherently good or bad. There's also people who do all kinds of evil acts and have no conscience at all. So we are obviously different than animals. Animals don't have the capacity that we have to choose what we want to do, how we want to live. They are just pretty animals, the rest of creations pretty much operating off of instinct, survival and almost like a pre-programmed way of doing things. And so, certainly it will be unloving for a Creator to leave us without some kind of resource, some kind of way of obtaining information on how we're supposed to live, how we're supposed to behave, how we should treat each other. We need some kind of guidance on what it really means to love each other and how we should conduct our affairs on the earth. And if we delve through the ages there has not been a guiding hand from heaven that guided the decisions of men when they come to the decision of whether they're going to exclude or include a particular book from the bible. Then we would have no consistent and reliable resource to help us discover what truth is. Do we have no authority to resource for right and wrong? In fact we would have a lot of chaos, that's what we will have if he had not guided the decisions of men regarding what books to include or exclude from the bible. Everybody just does what's right in their own eyes and no one can say anything about it, there's no authority. The absence of consistent and reliable resource for truth and guidance and what it really means to love we are in a situation, basically were our Creator says "you figure it out".
But this in and of itself would be an immoral thing for him to do as I see it. I mean when an airplane mechanic say, "I know you're a trainee but you figure it out" to the guy who wants to learn how to fix an airplane. We know the consequences of just an airplane mechanic not knowing what he's doing, people will die, people will get hurt. And we know it will be unloving for an airplane mechanic to say "you figure it out", it will be disastrous and therefore it will be immoral because the one who knows how to do it right, he should share his knowledge with the one who's gonna be working on those airplanes. And so when Yahweh who obviously our Creator knows what's right, provide us somehow, some way with the information we need to know how to just be a human being, to conduct ourselves, we have absolute freewill. And so we need direction and instructions and how we are to conduct ourselves and not to provide that. What in itself be wrong? Even more wrong than a guy hiring an airplane mechanic who don't know what he's doing. So one of the strongest reasons for me as far as accepting the authority of the bible is in considering the alternative. Without some kind of heaven inspired resource and guidance for morality and reliable source of truth, it suggests we have this uncaring and unloving, you figure it out Creator.
And yet we are created with this sense of justice and conscience. And so there's something telling us and guiding us, do the right thing. So many people have so many ideas as to what the right thing is, and so I am looking for some kind
of authoritative resource to tell me who I am, why
I'm here, who made me. It's obvious from I think segment number one of this series, someone made us, someone some higher intelligence being made us. And it's also as I shared in segment two, obviously a loving Creator who made us. And so where is direction, where is instruction? Now skeptics will say "well, you know that bible has been translated so many times, you know. It's not reliable, you know". You've been in a room where one person whispers something to the next person, whispers to the next, whispers to the next, by the time it went around the whole room, the last person give a completely different story. Listen, that's not what happened. Our English bibles are directions from Hebrew or Greek texts. The two thousand year old dusty scrolls prove the one thousand year old masariac was amazingly and miraculously accurate, almost letter for letter and so we are copies of the bible, we got a bible for as going back to 607 BC. And so we have manuscripts of what the Messiah was gonna be like, what he will do, where he will be born, what his name will be, that he would die, the Jews will reject him, the Gentiles would accept him. And so don't let that whole, so many translations assertion fool you. There are many English translations from the Hebrew original, yes and sometimes are not always accurate. But as originally been they are accurate. Now consider what will happen if the entire world followed biblical teachings. Imagine that. What would happen? There would be no murder, there would be no adultery, there will be no racism, there would be no corrupt governments, no wars, no starvation because we are told to give those who need. No drug or alcohol abuse, no venereal disease, no terrorism, no child abuse, no domestic violence, no
rape, no broken families. No thieves, no fighting and arguing, no hypocrisy,
no hurtful speech, no hate, no need for prisons
if the whole world followed the scriptures. There would be the knowledge that everyone's being honest, peace on the earth, everyone loving and serving one another, people who are patient, gentle, humble and meek. People who will value the pure and loving and virtuous things, men who will love and respect their wives, wives who love and respect their husbands, parents who will love and nurture their children, better quality of health, longer life span, on-going blessings from our heavenly father above. That doesn't sound too bad to me; I'll take it, knowing that the teachings of scripture offer really the solution to man's problems. I see the wisdom of being in a loving relationship with the one who inspired its words. To me he's real and he loves us and the scriptures explain why there is death and disease, why disobedience to his precepts is tolerated for now. The author offers eternal life to anyone who turned away from wrong doing and receives the Savior who paid the penalty for our failure to walk in his precepts. And unlike fantasies mythology that people places advance describing the scripture are backed up by archaeological discoveries and science, there were historical events written down by people who were eyewitnesses to when it happened, continue prophecies as we shared in our last segment. Millions and millions of people have been delivered from drug, alcohol abuse, mental illness, abusive behavior, health problems to prayer and application of his teachings.
But then if we have no authoritative document or resource to teach us right and wrong there's gonna be all kinds of conflict and a lack of a solid foundation as to right or wrong behavior, you know what? It damages people. It's harmful to society, the consequences of some of our behaviors in this generation will not be known until later generations figure out the problems that ultimately come out of these bad decisions that are being made.
Take for instance the controversial stance the bible has on sexual morality, the scriptures consistently teach that a male and female should only have intercourse if they are married. Our society completely ignores this moral standard and the end result of ignoring this moral standard is that there a lot of girls and women getting pregnant and having a child, and that child has no committed father in a marriage relationship who is willing to take care of that child. And children of fatherless homes according to statistics are eight times more likely to go to prison, five times more likely to commit suicide, twenty times more likely to have behavioral problems, thirty two times more likely to run away, ten times more likely to abuse drugs, nine times more likely to drop out of school, thirty three times more likely to be seriously abused, seventy three times more likely to be fatally abused.
Seventy five percent of American children who are living in single parent homes will experience poverty before they turn eleven years of age. So yeah there are consequences for this so called sexual revolution that occurred in the 60's where people just do what they wanted and whenever. It happened, men decided to reject the wisdom and the authority of scripture, they create their own standard of life.
And so we need more guidance that can look down through the corridors of time and see the end result of certain things that people would do. And we are seeing now the end result which is fatherlessness in some cases motherlessness, both of which create problems in our lives. The last segment of the broadcast I shared reasons why Messiah was indeed even by unbelievers considered to be a real historical figure. And I shared that various prophecies had predicted what his life was gonna be like, the manner of his death and the reason for his death. I shared how the scriptures even predicted his own people would reject him whereas the Gentiles would accept him. Well, the bible contains four different books that described his life and his teachings, and in those teachings the Messiah said "the scriptures cannot be broken," John 10:35. He said Matthew 4:4; it is written, Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Elohim. `And so the Messiah who was miraculously, divinely
predicted to have come on the earth and do the things that he did, made these statements. And we have physical copies of Isaiah and other prophetic books that predate our Savior's life
according to dating methods. These physical manuscripts predict him, Psalms 22 the manner of his death; all these things. And so that demonstrates some kind of divinely inspired words that came to pass and came true. And then this Savior that came made these statements that the scripture cannot be broken and that we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh, Our Mighty One. So he believe in the inspiration and the authority of scripture, and in fact he said in Matthew 13:41; The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness. And will cast them into the furnace of fire: and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Lawlessness, if there is no divine law for everyone
to live by there will be no standard by which anyone could be judged as lawless. And so we know that in Messiah at least there was already certain books that were considered to be authoritative and inspired by our Heavenly Father, and it was common knowledge. The same was true of those who followed the Messiah's teachings they believed in the same things. And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea: when they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews, Acts 17:10. In verse 11; these more fair minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily, to find out what of these things were so. And so the scriptures were considered to be authoritative, the determining factor of what is truth. Acts 18:28 says Apollos vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that Yahushua is Messiah, he use the Old Testament scriptures to do that, the prophecies. Romans 15:4, for whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we might through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. And so they are authoritative, they give us hope that he was comfort and they teach us the right way to live and what is the point of the scriptures? All scripture is given by inspiration of Elohim, the word translated inspiration of Elohim literally means Elohim-breathed. And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of Elohim may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So it's a clear record that the followers of this Messiah that was predicted in the prophets, that the divine inspiration. They had a clear understanding that certain books were classified as authoritative. And in fact all but ten of the Old Testament books are actually quoted in the New Testament, to back up the teachings of the New Testament with a quote from the Old Testament. Now nine of those ten books are actually pretty small books; like Jonah, Ezra, Ruth. Now the only book of any significant length but not quoted is the book of Judges, but without that book we would have no information as to what Israel experienced between the Exodus and the time of Samuel and David. And so it's obviously Yahweh was continuing the narrative there. Now when it comes to the bible how do we really know whether or not certain books were inspired by Yahweh, other books maybe were not? What about the Apocrypha? What about the Psedepigrapha? The word Psedepigrapha means pseudo writings, in their words someone acting like they are someone they are not, that's what they call a Psedepigrapha. Are there lost books of the bible? Why is it that certain books were considered to be part of the Canaan, the term Canaan simply means a book that is authoritative inspired scripture. It's true that there were certain men at certain times who made decisions as to which books would be part of the Canaan and which books would not. And yes we're free to do our own investigation in this matter as well, but I would say that we're going to have our limitations when it comes to this. Our biggest limitation is this; we ourselves are not eye witnesses to the various events that are recorded in scripture. And we don't know any of the authors personally.
So how we come to where we are today? Well it's clear to me the reason why certain books survived is simply due to the fact that the authors of these books claim to have divine inspiration. And there were others who were there at the time that they wrote the things they did who were available to verify those claims and therefore those books survived. For instance we know Moshe, he wrote the first five books of the bible. Yahushua said he wrote the Torah, other people were there lots of them to verify that Moshe (Moses) was indeed inspired by Yahweh to write the things he wrote. Or say the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John they were all written in the first century, there were many people who were around to verify the truthfulness of the record and to destroy any books that were not based on reality.
And so that's why they survived, there's a reason why they survived because the people who read those materials in the generation that they were written saw that it was true and preserved it and therefore it was added to the Canaan. That's when it was added, it wasn't added 300 years later. It was already understood to be authoritative in a generation it was written. For example: Luke made a statement. He said, inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us. Just as those, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things, in which you were instructed. And so here is Luke, a first century writer and he begins to write this divinely inspired letter to a man named Theophilus about the life and teachings of Yahushua the Messiah. And there were others present in the first century to verify the authenticity of this account. Therefore the book was copied and passed around to different people and became regarded as authoritative scripture in that generation. And that's how the bible came into existence over a period of 1500 years from forty different authors. Yahweh inspired different men at different times to write accurate accounts of the things that had transpired or words that he himself had spoken to them. Righteous men of those time periods had regarded the words as inspired by Yahweh and they became popular among those righteous men and they preserved them. But we can't go back in time and say, yeah, that really happened back then, we, we can't. We have to trust and believe that Yahweh is loving and because he's loving he guided the process down through the ages, and it's clear to me that he did. And one of the test of that is inferences the bible historically accurate, I mean based on what I shared with you in part two, this segment and others, it's pretty clear the bible is historically accurate. Another one of the test is that we can do is that the bible consistent in its doctrines and does it contradict itself? For every book that would later claim to have divine inspiration will have to go and make sure it was in agreement with what was previously written before. As we examine in part four, yes the bible does pass these tests. Now there are some today who say, but you know since traditional Christianity has lost its way in terms of its doctrines, there has been errors in its doctrines how can we really trust that the books they decided were to be in the bible are actually true?
Well you know we don't need to limit that statement to traditional Christianity because traditional Judaism also has its worth. And down through the ages even the bible itself says that the Jewish people completely fell away and worship idols at different times throughout their history yet somehow we have a clearly defined list of books that was already widely considered to be authoritative in the Messiah's day and the same is true of the new testament its clear by reading church history that those who claim to follow the Messiah often did a very poor job in doing so. And yet there is a reason why the Catholic Church did not want the masses to read the bible and trying to keep it to themselves because the bible does contradict their teachings. Now we have manuscript evidence that the doctrines of teachings in both Old Testament and New Testament were miraculously preserved, which is strong evidence that our heavenly father had his hand in preserving things.
Consider the words of Psalms 119 it says this;
Psalms 119 verse 89 says forever, O Yahweh, your word is settled in heaven. Psalms 119:152; concerning your testimonies, I have known of old that you have founded them for ever. Psalms 119 verse 160; The entirety of Your word is truth: and every one of your righteous judgments endures for ever. This commentary in particular, this Psalms speaks a lot about the word of Yahweh in the scriptures and these are some of the attributes it's saying. Yahushua sanctified them by the truth, your word is truth. If we didn't have any kind of clear cut indisputable word from Yahweh, we have nothing to sanctify us and we have nothing to live by and nothing to determine what's true and what's not. And that's just the way it is, so on the basis of my
knowledge that Yahweh is loving even apart from scripture I see he is loving. I believe a loving Creator would preserve some kind of resource that is widely known to be authoritative. The sixty six books that are in the bible as we know it are not disputed as far as I know by any denomination, any branch of Christianity or any branch of Judaism. All of them regard those particular books as inspired and others some branches of both, well particularly not Judaism but Christianity that might accept other books like Maccabees, Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher, Esdras, Tobeth, Judith and so on. But these are other books that the other ones, the sixty six core books are now held in dispute. The Old Testament is not held in dispute by postinute Christians or by Jews, all those books are considered to be authoritative. The New Testament; all denominations as far as I know believers who believe in Messiah regard those of New Testament books as inspired. Some may choose to accept other ones but there is a core group that is just known to be authoritative down through the ages, it's been that way down through the ages. Now the books that are held in dispute are known as the Apocrypha, accepted by the catholic religion but not accepted by the Jews and not accepted by postituned Christians. Well this is something you know, just because there
is a people group who strays away from the bible teachings doesn't mean that Yahweh can't still work among them in spite of them. We see that happen with the Old Testament, so why wouldn't it happen also with the New Testament? So now these other books that are in the hands, the
New Testament books that are in the hands of Christians; some might suggest since they are not in the hands of Jews how can it be accepted? Well we know the prophets predicted, the Gentiles would receive the Messiah and the Jews would reject him by enlarge. It's already predicted in the scripture and so he allowed the Jews to have the oracles of Elohim in terms of the Old Testament books it allowed Gentiles to have possession of this so called New Testament books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all the way to Revelation. But both were preserved in spite of the acts of the people who had them in their possession. So what about the Apocrypha books, is it possible that there are books out there that the mainstream simply don't accept because they don't fit their doctrines? That's one of the questions I had to ask myself when I learned that both Judaism and Christianity had strayed from the teachings of scripture. Maybe there is certain strains of those religions that didn't want certain things because they contradicted their false doctrines. And actually that kind of looks sided at me to find out whether or not it happened. And so I got to reading this Apocrypha and it turned out there really wasn't anything in there that really even contradicted mainstream Christianity's false teachings. There were some that were contradicting Yahweh's teaching in the scriptures but nothing that really made a difference between me and mainstream Christianity. So there wasn't anything in Apocrypha books that really contradicted mainstream Judaism, like our faith in Messiah. And there wasn't anything in the New Testament Pseudepigrapha or Apocrypha that said you need to keep Torah a little more clean, clearly, plainly. So, I got off that kick. Besides, I found those things were not obviously in the same class. But look at the kind of Apocrypha. I'm going to define as the books accepted into the Canaan by the Catholic Church but was rejected by Jews and rejected by postinued Christians, there are eleven or twelve of those depending how you divide it. The books of Apocrypha were written during the 400 silent years between the book of Malachi and the time of Zachariah to the announcement of the book of the birth of John the Baptist. Well Jewish in New Testament sources both agree there is no divinely inspired prophetic utterance during that 400 year time period. But once you start reading these books, you go okay wait a minute, now I get whether or not in there for instance Tobeth chapter 12 verse 9; for alms giving delivers from death and it will purge away every sin. So giving your alms somehow purges you of all sin. Now from this concept Catholic Church tried to sell that forgiveness of sins is actually resealing indulgences. If you gave money you could continue once a day committing same indulgences sin and you will have your sin purged away, it's called selling indulgences of sin was outlawed even by the Catholic Church. But it's not hard to see where they got this idea, that alms giving somehow is going to take your sin away. And that's contrary to what the rest of scripture teaches. Ezekiel 18 verse 21 says if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does what's lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. So we see repentance is necessary and, finally, faith in Messiah, Ephesians 2:8; for by grace you have been saved through faith; it's not of your own doing: it is the gift of Elohim: Not because of works, lest any man should boast. So our works don't save us but unless we do have works of repentance we are not gonna be saved. So it's grace that saves us, it's his grace that causes a man to surely live when he chooses to turn away from sin. It is not his turning away that saves him, it is Yahweh's grace, choosing to give his grace to the one who turns away from sin and ultimately puts their faith in Messiah Yahushua. And that's contrary to what Tobeth is teaching, following the same concept in Tobeth we see the second book of Maccabees teaching the similar thing it say 2 Maccabees 12:41 says; So they all blessed the ways of Yahweh, the righteous judge, who reveals the things that are hidden. And they turn to prayer, beseeching that the sin which have been committed might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas, exalted the people to keep themselves free of sin, for they seen what their own eyes would have happened because of the sin of those who had fallen.
He also took up a collection, men by men to the amount of two thousand drocmads of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide a sin offering. And in doing this he acted very well and honorably taking account of the resurrection. For if you were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would not have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. And now we are starting to get some strange things, but he was looking through the splendidly wall that was like, for those who fall asleep in unrighteousness it was the whole empire. Therefore he made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin. Now those of us who know the scripture are going okay, red flag time, right? Because we know it's appointed unto man to die once and after that the Judgment. Once you're dead you can't someone call on and make you repent or atone for your sin or anything. But this is what Maccabees is teaching and we know that it's not correct doctrine. Here is the book of Baruch says; O Yahweh Almighty, Elohim of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, and of the sons of those who sin before thee, who did not heed the voice of Yahweh their Elohim: so the claim is a claim to us. So you know dead men praying, no. The dead do not praise Yahweh, Psalm 115:17, nor any who go down in silence. But we will bless the Yahweh from this time forth and for evermore. Praise Yahweh. So you have to pass the test of accuracy and consistency in the bookstore. Here is the book of Judith, completely fabricated story and says; in the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over Assyrians in the in the great city of Neneve. Nebuchadnezzar was not the ruler of the Assyrians; he was the ruler of the Babylonians. So you find things like this, and this is not all but you find things, now I see why those books were rejected. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. He was the king of Babylon, he was not the king of Assyrians, and he's from Babylon not from... And the whole story is based on this idea and it's a mess. And as far as the other books of Maccabees, we know the Messiah kind of ignored them, in this first here Matthew 23:34; therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city. That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel (that's the book of Genesis) to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Talking about the time that Zachariah was one of the final prophets who was eventually killed and so we see, he's taking us from one place of scripture to the other, he does not mention the blood that was shed in the book of Maccabees. There is a story there of a woman who had sons and all those sons were killed because they wouldn't eat pork, you know it's an interesting story but, it's just simply not scripture; it does not pass the test. The scripture in Yahushua seem to ignore that, those accounts. So apparently he did not regard this as scripture, and he was in a temple during the Feast of Dedication and that event is mentioned in the book of Maccabees, but this does not prove the book was inspired. It only provides some evidence that there was at least one thing mentioned in Maccabees that was true. It doesn't mean everything else is true. Now, if the writers of the New Testament considered the Apocrypha to be scripture I'll expect them to quote you know, like they did in the rest of scripture. But there is here eleven or twelve books that are never even quoted, none of them are quoted from the Apocrypha. That's in contrast to 250 quotations from the authoritative Old Testament scriptures. Now what about the book of Enoch?
Someone is gonna bring that up so here we go Jew chapter 1 verse 14 says; now Enoch the seventh from Adam, prophesized about these men saying, also saying behold the Master comes, with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are unrighteous. Now that does read summarily, but differently than the idiopic copy of Enoch we have today, which says not convict but destroy that's what it says. Now, imagine if the word convict and destroy was mixed up in some other texts, alright. Like this one; nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage I go away, Yahushua saying here. For if I do not go away the helper will not come to you, but if I depart I will send them to you; and when he has come he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Now what if we put the word destroy in here? Would it make a difference? Yes, it would make a huge difference; so it also makes a difference that Enoch quotes it differently than, I'm sorry I don't have a quote up here. But he quotes it differently than the book of Jude quotes it. Now the fact that a new testament writer might quote something from a book, does not in itself mean that book is completely inspired from one end to the other, does not mean that. It simply means they could have put, Paul quoted Pagan people a couple of times. It doesn't mean that everything that they write is true. So now, another point I wanna make about the book of Enoch is this, it says in the fourth was named (talking about these demons) Penamue, and he
taught the children of men the bitter and the sweet and he taught them all the secrets of their wisdom and he instructed mankind in writing with ink and paper. And thereby many sin from eternity to eternity until this day, for men we are not created for such a purpose to give confirmation to the good faith with pen and ink. In other words using a pen and ink is a sin, now
that's odd because the book of Enoch required pen and ink. And so how could it be, you got a little problem there and the whole bible is pen and ink. So yeah, very strange stuff going on here; so
even if you think suppose you think it's authentic. There may have been perhaps a divinely inspired book of Enoch at some point in history, I don't know. But we don't have any complete copy of the book of Enoch any older than 500 years old. And who knows what happened to that, and so it's not being preserved, 1500 is the earliest have. And if there is ever a divinely inspired book of Enoch, by Jude you'll have to wonder whether or not Yahweh has chosen to preserve this book like he did the others, apparently he didn't.
And I also take serious exceptions to this idea that pen and ink is a bad thing. But you know it's one of the most ridiculous things to say this, I mean this is one of many problems in the book of Enoch. The book of Enoch claims that demons mated with women and produced giant men that were 450 feet tall. It says they took wives, (talking about demons taking wives) Enoch 7:10 each choosing for himself; whom they began to approach, and with whom they cohabited; teaching them sorcery, incantations, and the dividing of roots and tress. And the women conceiving brought forth giants. Whose stature was each three hundred cubits (that's 450 feet tall, do you realize how tall this is?). These devoured all which upon lest the labor of men produced; until it became impossible to feed them. When they turned themselves against men, in order to devour them. So I don't know you don't see taller tales like this in the bible, I mean you just don't. Yeah you have an example of the book of genesis saying that the sons of Elohim went into the daughters of men, but that doesn't mean there were angels, in fact Yahushua said the angels don't marry nor give in marriage. And so how can spiritual being go into a physical human and produce an offspring? Why aren't they doing it now? If they could do it then, what's stopping them right now, I think what happened is the sons of Elohim means the righteous men married the daughters of men; talking about unrighteous women and produced an offspring that was nephilim. The word nephilim means fallen, it doesn't mean giants. Look at it in Hebrew it means fallen, doesn't have anything to do with giants and therefore I don't believe that there were even giants being produced. I think what it was, the nephilim, the fallen offspring were the ones who because righteous men married unrighteous women, their children were taught the ways of Satan and the ways of the devil by the women whom they married. Like a believer marrying an unbeliever, so let's think about this logically here, I mean the human biology; there is no biology that can produce a 450 feet tall human. Neither an animal; nowhere near an animal I ever that tall. Let alone the one who is standing upright and it doesn't make any sense; biologically it's impossible. If you study biology the limitations to bone mass and things like the heart size, you know that just inherently impossible. And how could a normal size woman give birth to a baby just be one hundred times her size?
Now speaking of size the book of Enoch claims that the size and the circumference of the sun and moon are the exact same things. Saying here that the circumference of these two great luminaries is both alike, of course didn't realize the sun is far 93 million miles away and so they thought it was circumference-wise the same size, but the reality is the sun is 400 times larger than the moon is also 400 times further away. Anyway, just because an inspired author quotes
somebody doesn't mean you can take the whole book as being authoritative. We see that other places, here's Paul calling a Pagan prophet as one of the prophets of their own, said, Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. His testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in faith. Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, who turn from the truth? What do I think the book of Enoch is I think it's a Jewish fable, that's what I think it is and scripture talks about that very thing. So a few people are putting their faith in the book of Jasher, but there is no book of Jasher prior to 1829, I think it is a complete work of fiction. Book of; 2 Samuel 1:17-19; and David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son. (He told them teach the children of Judah the sign of the bow: indeed, it is written in the book of Jasher.) The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places: how the mighty have fallen! And then it goes on, there's more to it there. But another place Numbers 21:14; Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of Yahweh, Waheb in Suphah, The brooks of Arnon, And the sloop of the brooks that reaches to the dwelling of Ar, and lies on the border of Moab. Yes, quoting this book of the wars of Yahweh, where is it? Again, because the bible quotes from another book it's not proof that this book is divinely inspired if it was unsure Yahweh would have preserved that book, that we had this long lost book of the wars of Yahweh. Long lost book of Jasher; and the book of Enoch which even if they were inspired Yahweh; for one reason or another did not allow them to be faithfully fully transmitted to our generation. And we have no complete version of these works other than in relatively modern times. But for those who have chosen to put your trust in these books I ask the following question. Don't we already have plenty to learn from what we know in scripture? I mean without having to go to these other books that we can't even be sure they are and don't look like they are to me. I hate to put my trust in some duck and I can only get from one of these alternative books. You can't find it anywhere else, only meaning wrong and ultimately have to be reproved by Yahweh himself on the final day. There's already so much we can trust in as an anchor for our souls. Hebrews 6:17-19 says; Thus Elohim, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. That by two immutable things, in which is impossible for Elohim to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who fled for refuge to lay hold the hope that's before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which enters the presence beyond the veil. So that's my anchor, the fact that I know Elohim does not lie and that his counsel is immutable, it is perfect but I found the extra biblical books to have rightly been rejected by former believers. I could certainly devote more time on this topic but I just pray that we become so familiar with what we know is Yahweh's word, that we recognize a counterfeit when we see it, and I see counterfeit. One of the things I find amazing about scripture is it's so honest. If the bible was written by mere man who were trying to promote Yahweh, and trying to promote Yahweh and his wonderful deity that created all things. Why would it include so many narratives where people didn't wanna follow him? Completely disregarding him and completely just utterly rebelled against him.
I mean if you try to make up some bible aren't you gonna show how great he is and how great it was that people followed him. Instead you got almost one carrying the other, all the problems that people heard were following him. If the bible was written by mere men, I really doubt it would make men look so foolish and rebellious, stumbling and bumbling around like a man trying to walk out of complete darkness. Even Peter, the one who was the most favorite of Yahushua's disciples given the keys and all these things, denied him three times. And you think maybe Yahushua will pick someone better you know. And he was also reproved by Paul over being a hypocrite, so the scriptures are transparent about what really happened; not because it was written by men but it was honest, inspired by the spirit of truth, spirit of Yahweh our Creator, our redeemer it's honest in this area, is one of the many reasons I believe the rest of the biblical account is 100% true, and authentic in everything it teaches. Another thing I think. If men wrote the bible they certainly wouldn't have a condemning fornication and other acts of physical pleasure to the enemy as well as to command that we be righteous even in our thought life, not just our mere actions, is evidenced we have an authority that knows our thoughts.
And nearly all the competing religions of ancient times gave excuses for rape, fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, appealing to men's animalistic immoral instincts and desire to pervert things. And we have the same thing going on in culture they justify the carnal desires all the while, men hating women, women hating men. Both men and women; hating children with their self centered lifestyles and through the noise and confusion. Everything going on in the world today, you know what the heart's cry of every human being is?
To be loved, that's it.
And the scriptures teach love as its foundation for everything. 1 Timothy 1:5; the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, from a sincere faith. These are all mental attitudes, mental attributes can only be done mentally, and its purpose is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, from a sincere faith. From which some having strayed have turned aside to idle talk. Desiring to be teachers; of the law understanding neither what they say; or the things which they affirm. Not everybody claims and quotes from the bible, actually follows the way of love, the bible teaches and they don't understand what they are saying or even the things they are affirming when they read the scriptures. Instead, it's just a bunch of idle talk, hateful speech. And some people are rejecting scripture not because of scripture but because people who claim to follow scripture treated them in a wrong way. The bible even talks about them kind of people doing that, he predicted it would happen, it did. Personally I found that getting the love I need from humans, I mean it's great when it happens but it's not quiet consistent, not really quiet fulfilling and really the expectation we are getting it consistently is downright hateful. To get the love we need really, there is only one big enough and consistent enough for the task and that's our heavenly father. And his love flows through my Savior Yahushua, such perfect form; if you've never felt it, if you've never experienced the love of Yahweh you don't know what you're missing. Daily it propels me, daily it convicts to want to be more like him, his presence explains a believer's zeal and passion for their faith, it's very, very real. And if you don't know that love, ask him, remove any stumbling blocks from your heart from receiving it. Never interpret his love through the example of any human being, not your father, your mother, your spouse, your friend, your aunt or uncle. His love is not like human love it is real, it is powerful, it is consistent as an unending fountain of grace for everyone who's willing to receive without pretence and with a thankfulness that just propels us to love Him. 1 John 14:19 says; we love him because he first loved us. If you don't know him you have this empty feeling inside, I know you have it because I had it, and it never goes away until we turn our hearts to him and let him have the reigns. And then and only then will we find peace, when we are at peace with our Creator that's the only way we can get peace in our hearts and he fills that empty space, and clean feeling inside is just amazing. And that's the testimony of many who have followed his teachings, I've heard things like well before I had Messiah in my life I always felt miserable and empty, I didn't know what I was even missing, didn't even know I was missing anything. I didn't know life could be so much better. I now realize I can only have peace inside when I make peace with the one who made me. Having that peace is better than any drug, any alcohol, any relationship, these are the words I've heard from people. People say I felt like I had this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I'm set free, I'm light, I feel lighter. I feel love for the first time in my life. I've heard people say well before I never understood why believers wanted to keep commandments and now I will do anything for him, and now I see the wisdom and it's all really about love. You know there is no greater tyranny than living in sin, but unless we have experienced the love of Messiah you may never even know it. We were not created for sin, sin came about when we all by our own free will relation chose to depart from the true way of love and that's what it's all about. Messiah was asked a question in Matthew 22:36; teacher what is the great commandment in the law? Yahushua said to him, you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. Who's more worthy of our love than our heavenly father? I mean, He does everything for us. He created us. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Everything, all scripture that's ever written has the idea of love for our neighbor, love for Yahweh as its intend. See we don't just like being commanded, you want to do your own thing see. But really what's it's commanding us is love your father in heaven, love your fellow men.
Whatever your need is, if you wanna be loved Yahushua says great love has no one unless to lay down his life from his friends, that's awesome. He through whom the worlds were created was willing
to go through tremendous amount of pain and suffering and torture just so that we could be delivered, so that we would have the punishment we deserve for our sin and will be placed on him and the righteousness of him will be placed in us as we join ourselves to him spiritually through the body of Messiah, through being joined to him in spiritual sense. You know every society on earth has statures and laws; essentially commandments of varying levels of consequences, every society has it. And the fear of the consequences for breaking those commandments that are established in the revised code; US constitution or any nation keeps people from doing unloving things right? I say you know why not heed the commandments coming from the wisest one of all, the Creator of the universe; who knows far better than what we do, as far as what's good for us and why don't we fear the consequences for breaking his higher government laws? It's not like he's asking too much, one of the reason I'm willing to serve Yahweh is because my eyes has been opened to realize he daily serves me. I owe my very existence to his service, the air I breath, the beauty that surrounds me; all created by him and he gave his only son, so I can live with him forever. He loves me, he values me, he thinks I'm important. And If everyone would serve and love like he did, you know what? There would be no crime, no one hurting each other, just love. And really he's our only hope, you know I said the reason why some Atheists can seem to find the Creator is kind of related to the reason why thieves can't seem to find a police officer anywhere.
They don't wanna be accountable, and if they only knew the judge of humanity standing right there with the son; ready and willing to bare the punishment for them. If they only receive him and turn away from their wrong behavior and choosing to do that was really the best decision I ever made; 1989 alone in my apartment, alone. There I was, I was ready even working on my heart;
he had been sent to me in dreams that I was going to die apart from him. I thought, you know if I ever die I'll just pray for it; I die he'll forgive me. He showed me that won't gonna work in these dreams I was getting. But I was ready and they were a couple of veracious prayers that were answered, one on that night and one later on. And this is one of many; brothers and sisters, friends; even unbelievers who may be listening in, I experienced miracles and almost weekly basis. Things that no one could explain in the natural realm. That's not why I believe, but I think it's because I do believe I experience miracles.
But we live in a culture that has glorified itself, glorified self-expression at the expenses of self-control. And so we have now his human pleasure to being image, and our culture has dethroned the most high. And now men has his own deity, living his own universe; but one day the Savior is gonna come like a thief in the night and remind us we didn't make ourselves. And the things that are profane and the things that people laugh at; it's never superior, the pure and lovely things, the holy way of life. The quiet ordered life, now let me ask you a question; if following the truth involve changing your lifestyle, being the outfall in society,
getting us something you find pleasurable, would you do it? If there's any hesitation before answering yes, it's likely you're probably not following truth now. There are some areas you're not willing to accept. It's more likely you're creating a fantasy to fit what you want and calling it truth.
We have to be willing to give up what we want for the sake of following what truth really is. If we don't have that desire for truth and be willing to give up the things that are ultimately and we know are hurtful to other people, we probably not gonna find the truth even scripture even talks about that. But it's not like we don't get anything back I mean we get so much more in return I mean, if you wanna be loved he's right there. You know you're loved, if you wanna be valued the very hairs of your head are all numbered he says. Matthew 10:30; if you want to be heard he says the eyes are on the righteousness, ears are opened to their prayers. If you wanna have peace he says he will keep you in a perfect peace is mine it stayed on you because he trusts in you. If you wanna have encouragement, sorry I don't have the right topic there. Be of good cheer Yahushua said I have overcome the world if you need provision. He says seek first the kingdom of Elohim and all these things will be added to you, Matthew 6:33. If you need acceptance Psalms 103 verse 12 says; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed the our transgressions from us.
If you want to be understood says; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you comprehend, you understand my thought are far off, you comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my way, Psalms 103 verse 12. You need guidance, Psalms 73 verse 23-24; you hold me by my right. You will guide me with your counsel and afterward receive me into glory, beautiful. You need guidance and hope, there it is, to be
rescued from trouble. Elohim is our refuge and strength, a very pleasant help in trouble therefore we will not fear even though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
I can tell you many times he saved me from a real difficult spot. To inherit eternal life--It should be 1 Thessalonians 4:16; the dead in Messiah should rise first. We arise first than we are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air: and thus we shall always be with the Master. Looking for someone you can really trust? Jeremiah 17:7; blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, whose hope is Yahweh; for he shall be alike a tree planted by the waters, spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when he comes. Seeds from yielding fruit as the rest of the verse say. And if you're looking for someone to humbly teach the way of righteousness and the way you ought to live, to be a patient teacher of what is good. Yahushua says; come to me, Matthew 11:28, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls. The rest of it says my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You know to receive these things we only need to seek forgiveness through the Messiah Yahushua and commit ourselves to walking in his ways, that's it nothing complicated. Just receive the Messiah Yahushua for forgiveness of sin. let him bare all the consequences of the sin that you have and pay your debt to the father. And so the father in heaven can dismiss your case and you can be set free. No church denomination needed, just him that's it. You know this is not a religion, it's a relationship; a religion has very little power in that it's an old tired way of following certain rules because you think it's the right religion. But the relationship we're inspired to be an overcomer because we truly love our heavenly father and we truly love his ways. We receive that and when you're in a relationship you don't wanna grief your best friend right? You wouldn't wanna hurt your best friend, the one you love. And so you don't do the things that would hurt him, you're grieved by the ways of Yahweh's enemy who's trying to thwart the things that Yahweh id trying to do which is bring love on the earth and you reject those attempts by the enemy to pull you away from your father in heaven whom you love. And because we love Yahweh we find joy in seeing Yahweh's ways being established in our hearts, and in the hearts of other people.
You look at the earth today and all the turmoil, all the strife and all the crimes committed in secret and openly, people hurting, children are hurting, the world's hurting. But if we are willing to turn our hearts to the biblical teachings; everything would be solved, just one choice receive the teachings of scripture. One choice, one choice; one choice divides us from
each other, one choice and we are sister and we are brother. One choice and broken families reunite one choice we no longer fight, one choice and nations are at peace, one choice and crime will cease. One choice and we love together, one choice and life forever. One choice and we're under one king, one choice...O how our children will sing. There are choices, are we gonna love the one who died for us? Is his death really all in vain, for you? Yahushua is what we really need, will not realize though till he's all we have. Don't wait until judgment day to see that you really do desperately need him. He is and will be your only hope and your need. Someone once told me of a friend who strayed far from Messiah and done many horrible things and he asked me; do you think there's still hope from that person? You think there's still mercy and exceeding grace available for someone like that? He's telling me all the terrible things he has done; I said is the heart still beating?
If your heart is still beating and you haven't yet given your heart and life to the one who loves you like no other and you wanna make that one choice. Pray with me. Heavenly father, I see that you do love your
creation. I see that you do love me, I see that you value me, I am important to you. Father your words says that, we are your special
treasure; we're your inheritance, we are your workmanship.
Yahushua gave and poured out his whole life for us. There is so much you've given to us, and so much we've not given back. We've taken advantage of your grace, we disregarded you, and we've not believed your word. And father forgive us in any areas we've not heeded your wise and loving instructions.
We receive the gift of grace as we turn away from the things that we know are wrong and we turn toward the ways that we know you are right. We receive the gift of grace often to the Messiah Yahushua and we ask as your word has said in Isaiah 53; you laid on him the inequity of us all, we accept that, painfully at the thought of the suffering he went through. A perfect man suffering for the imperfect but we accept it and we thank you for it, we thank Yahushua for it. We thank you father for calling us out of darkness into your marvelous light for who is like you,
Yahweh Almighty One, Yahweh Our strong one, Yahweh our hope, our redeemer, our Savior, our friend, our father, our everything.
Teach us to walk the life you want us to live; that we might live eternally with you, you are our reward, our exceedingly abundant reward. When we awaken in your likeness, we will rejoice.
Through and by your son Yahushua we pray these things. Amein.