Will of God: Perfect and Permissive

Will of God: Perfect and Permissive?

What is the difference in God permitting some things and God allowing some things if there is a difference?

There is no difference. Allowing and permitting are exactly the same thing. The problem is this: they both are meaningless due to the way we use them in English. Thus, I must be more specific: what Yehovah allows is not wrong.

I will show you how those words are meaningless in English by this made-up story:

A mother has a young child who wants to play with a ball in the yard. The yard is fenced. The mother says to her son, “You may go outside and play on one condition: if the ball goes over the fence, you will not go after it. You will come and tell me. Do you hear me?” He answers, “Yes, ma’am.” He goes to play. She watches him, looking every few minutes. He is doing fine. Then she sees the ball go over the fence. It doesn’t go far; it is right by the gate. She decides to watch to see what he will do. He looks around to see if she is watching, but she is hidden from his view. He looks at the ball, then back again. Then he goes for the gate. She doesn’t move. She desires to see if he will obey. He opens the gate, runs out just a few steps, gets the ball, runs in, and closes the gate.

Now, here is the question: Did she allow him to get the ball? Did she permit him to get the ball? If you answer, “Yes, she did, because she didn’t stop him,” that is true. If you answer, “No, she did not! She told him not to get the ball if it went outside the fence,” that is true. Thus, allow and permit both have no real meaning in these ways. Just because she didn’t stop him doesn’t mean that she gave her permission; the terms have no meaning.

If God commands against something, He does not allow it or permit it. Yet, He usually doesn’t stop the person from doing it; He keeps an account. This has confused many.

I have often heard that God has a perfect will and a permissive will leading one to conclude that if you don’t do the perfect will, then God permits you to go your way and ‘do your own thing,’ so to speak, which is less than His perfect will is for you. (This is where His permissive will comes into play). Does God have two wills—one that is perfect and one that is permissive?

I am also familiar with this teaching. It is common, and it is the cornerstone of some denominations.

Yehovah does not have two wills. If He did, He would be schizophrenic! He never wills anyone to do wrong, and thus no form of His will exists for a person to disobey.

The real problem with this theology is with the person, not with the True and Living God. The person is under the allusion that there is a perfect will that God employs for everyday decisions. Thus, if a woman chooses the right dress—the dress that is in the perfect will of God, events that day will fit perfectly with God’s plans, and things will go right. If she isn’t sensitive, and thus doesn’t discern His will, thereby choosing the wrong dress, decisions that day will not be the best, and she will miss the perfect will of God. Therefore, she must be constantly on the alert to sense His perfect will for all things. That includes praying at all times in order to get God to reveal to her His perfect will. This is living in mysticism (in the view that God takes a personal interest in and gives directions for every decision that a person makes in life), and this is living in an occult dream. Biblical Saints never viewed things this way, and they certainly didn’t consult God for His will all the time. Living by faith is the opposite of living by mysticism. Faith always includes a certainty; mysticism always includes the unknown.

The Saints knew very well that Yehovah easily had the power to inform them by some direct means if some decision that they were about to make needed to be made in a certain way. When it came to other decisions, they knew that they were doing right as long as they didn’t sin. Thus, if a woman put on a certain dress, she would already know that Yehovah will do what He wants regardless of her dress choice, since He isn’t strapped by her decision. If He really desires her to put on a certain dress, He will tell her. Therefore, she can relax. The life of faith is not a life of tyranny, fear and dread of accidentally not hearing God’s voice. That will drive sensitive persons to total insanity.

When Esther’s turn came to spend the night with the king, she didn’t concern herself with what to wear or not wear; she hearkened to the eunuch, and left it at that.

Those who cling to a god who has two wills cling to a very cruel god. That god makes all of life a constant gamble; the likelihood of failure is far greater than the likelihood of success. If their lives turn out to be bitter, they just know that it was because they missed the perfect will of God. (They don’t consider that they live in a world tainted by sin.)

Jacob was in the will of God (I say will, because there is only one). Yet, he told Pharaoh that his days were few and bad. Still, Pharaoh was pleased to receive Jacob’s blessing!

The Perfect Will of God

Romans 12:1 I therefore beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living, holy sacrifice, acceptable unto God, your reasonable service. ²And don’t be ye conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind so that ye will prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This text directly refers to the perfect will of God. It also refers to the good will of God and the acceptable will of God. It doesn’t refer to wills, but to one will. There is only one will. This entire group (the brethren in Rome) will prove the good, acceptable and perfect will of God if they, as a group, are transformed by their common mind being made new.

Permissive Will Example?

2 Kings 13:14 Now, Elisha was fallen sick from his sickness from which he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him. And he wept over his face. And he said, “My father! My father! The chariot of Israel and his horsemen!” ¹⁵And Elisha said unto him, “Take bow and arrows.” And he took bow and arrows unto him. ¹⁶And he said to the king of Israel, “Put thine hand upon the bow.” And he put his hand upon it. And Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. ¹⁷And he said, “Open the window eastward.” And he opened it. And Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The arrow is deliverance to Yehovah, and the arrow is deliverance via Syria. And thou shalt smite Syria in Aphek, unto thy consuming them.” ¹⁸And he said, “Take the arrows.” And he took. And he said unto the king of Israel, “Smite upon the ground.” And he smote thrice, and stood. ¹⁹And the man of God was furious with him. And he said, “To smite five or six times! Then thou would have smitten Syria unto a finish! And now, thou shalt smite Syria thrice!”

Did Joash perform in God’s permissive will? He obviously did not do what was the best. Would he have obtained a much better promise, had he performed in God’s perfect will? Joash didn’t listen and didn’t hearken to the words of a prophet.

Elisha told him, “Take bow and arrows.” Joash hearkened (listened and obeyed).

Elisha commanded him, “Put thine hand upon the bow.” Joash hearkened. Elisha then put his hands upon the king’s hands.

Elisha commanded him, “Open the window eastward.” Joash hearkened.

Elisha commanded him, “Shoot!” Joash hearkened. Elisha then interpreted the actions: “The arrow is deliverance to Yehovah, and the arrow is deliverance via Syria. And thou shalt smite Syria in Aphek, unto thy consuming them.”

Elisha commanded him, “Take the arrows.” That command assumed taking all the arrows, and Joash hearkened.

Elisha commanded him, “Smite upon the ground.” Joash smote three times, and then he just stopped. The meaning of his action of smiting was now clearly established. Why did Joash stop? He had no good reason to stop until all the arrows were used up! Elisha was furious with him for obvious reasons. In other words, Joash disobeyed. When Elisha commanded, “Smite upon the ground,” that command referred to all the arrows that he took. Joash disobeyed; that isn’t part of God’s will at all!

Another Permissive Will Example?

2 Kings 20:1 Hezekiah was sick unto death in those days. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him. And he said unto him, “So says Yehovah, Set thy house in order. For thou shalt die and not live.” ²And he turned his face to the wall. And he prayed unto Yehovah saying, ³ “I beseech thee, Yehovah, remember now how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done what is good in Thy sight.” And Hezekiah wept sore. ⁴And he was before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court. And the word of Yehovah came to him, saying, ⁵ “Turn again. And tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, ‘So says Yehovah the God of David thy father, “I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will heal thee. On the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of Yehovah. ⁶And I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city for my sake and for my servant David’s sake.”’” ⁷And Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” And they took and laid it on the boil. And he recovered. ⁸And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that Yehovah will heal me and that I shall go up into the House of Yehovah the third day?” ⁹And Isaiah said, “Thou shalt have this sign from Yehovah, and Yehovah will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?” ¹⁰And Hezekiah answered, “It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees. No, but the shadow shall return backward ten degrees!” ¹¹And Isaiah the prophet shouted unto Yehovah. And He brought the shadow ten degrees backward in which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz. ¹²At that time Berodachbaladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah. For he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. ¹³And Hezekiah hearkened unto them. And he showed them all the house of his precious things—the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious ointment and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah didn’t show them. ¹⁴And Isaiah the prophet came unto King Hezekiah. And he said unto him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come unto thee?” And Hezekiah said, “They are come from a far country, from Babylon.” ¹⁵And he said, “What have they seen in thine house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They saw all the things that are in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I didn’t show them.” ¹⁶And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, “Hearken to the word of Yehovah! ¹⁷Behold, the days are coming, and all that is in thine house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day shall be carried into Babylon! Nothing shall be left,” says Yehovah. ¹⁸And they shall take away from thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon!” ¹⁹And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, “The word of Yehovah that thou hast spoken is good!” And he said, “Is it not good if peace and truth are in my days?”

Was Hezekiah’s original death time Yehovah’s perfect will, and Hezekiah’s extended life Yehovah’s permissive will? After all, had Hezekiah not lived, he would not have done the unintelligent action that he did, showing messengers of Berodachbaladan all his stuff, and Isaiah would not have prophesied that all that stuff would be carried into Babylon. Can we conclude, therefore, that Yehovah’s permissive will was activated instead of His perfect will? We can conclude this if we also conclude that Yehovah changed His mind. Other cases where it appears that Yehovah changed His mind include refraining from destroying Nineveh after 40 days, as He had Jonah prophesy, and refraining from destroying Israel and raising seed to Moshe, and He said He would do (in the following text):

Exodus 32:7 And Yehovah said unto Moses, “Walk! Get thee down! For thy people that thou broughtest from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves! ⁸They have turned aside quickly from the way that I commanded them! They made them a molten calf, and they worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it. And they said, ‘These are thy gods, Israel, who exited thee from the land of Egypt!’” ⁹And Yehovah said unto Moses, I have seen this people. And, behold, it is a hard-necked people! ¹⁰Now, therefore, let me alone, and my wrath will heat against them! And I will consume them! And I will make of thee a great race.” ¹¹And Moshe stroked the faces of Yehovah his God. And he said, “Yehovah, why does Thy wrath heat against Thy people that Thou exited from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹²Why should the Egyptians speak and say, ‘He exited them for mischief to slay them in the mountains and to consume them from the faces of the land’? Turn from Thy fierce wrath! And grieve of this bad against Thy people! ¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou swore by Thyself. And Thou said unto them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens! And I will give unto your seed all this land of which I have spoken! And they shall inherit her to Hider!’” ¹⁴And Yehovah grieved of the bad that He thought to do unto His people.

If Yehovah can change His mind, that means that He doesn’t know the future. If He knows the future, He already knows what He will do. He can most certainly declare what would happen if certain things were true and certain other things were not true, but that isn’t changing His mind.

In Hezekiah’s case, the man would have died had Yehovah not intervened. Yehovah did intervene, however, answering Hezekiah’s prayer. That was Yehovah’s will (call it perfect if you desire). Hezekiah’s showing off ‘his’ possessions wasn’t Yehovah’s will. Just because Hezekiah lived doesn’t mean that this caused Hezekiah to be foolish. Yehovah did his will (His only will) by healing the man, and the man did not do Yehovah’s will in response. There was nothing permissive about Yehovah’s will.

The Sword against Israel

Do enemy attacks against Israel after Israel has continued in sin demonstrate Yehovah’s permissive will? The following texts will demonstrate what is occurring:

Leviticus 26:21 “And if ye walk contrary unto me and will not hearken unto me, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.”

Leviticus 26:25 “And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the fight of my covenant! And when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you! And ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.”

Leviticus 26:32 “And I will bring the land into desolation. And your enemies that dwell in her shall be astonished at it!”

No group can touch Israel without going through Yehovah. It is as simple and as complex as this.

But is it Yehovah’s ‘perfect’ will to bring slaughtering and murderous enemies against Israel? It is Yehovah’s will (of any kind, since there is only one will) that Israel will walk righteously. If Israel will not, it is Yehovah’s will to dramatize to Israel and the word that He will not tolerate Israel’s sinning forever. He will judge after a long time and after many warnings in His Scriptures, by truthful teachers, and in other ways (by causing Israel to be weak, as Israel was under the rulers that brought pogroms against villages). If Israel continues to not heed the warnings, Yehovah will finally make Israel’s slaughters so disgusting, that other races will see and will fear. Yet, Yehovah will preserve the race of Israel and the People of Israel, and will remarkably destroy many of Israel’s enemies.

The Word Better

While the word better is used 119 times in the King James Version, it isn’t in the Hebrew text. Since better is comparative in English, a reader might think it belongs there. The Hebrew expression, good than seems to mean better, but it differs. The word good is absolute in Hebrew. The expression good than indicates that something truly is good, and what follows than is not good, but is truly inferior or bad. That isn’t comparative. One text shows this:

Exodus 14:12 “Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, and we will serve the Egyptians’? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”

The flavour of the text is more like this:

Exodus 14:12 “Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, and we will serve the Egyptians’? For it had been good for us to serve the Egyptians, from (akin to and not) that we should die in the wilderness.”

Yehovah has a view of what is good and what is not good, and therefore bad. His thinking is not like ours, since He sees all things perfectly. Just as He sees what is good, He declares what is good. If He had two wills, one would be good, and the other would be less than good. What is less than good? Is it merely good with some good parts missing? The entirety of Scriptures does not declare Truth in this manner. Truth is what is absolute from Yehovah’s perspective. Whatever is not absolute is not Truth. If it isn’t Truth, it is not merely inferior to Truth; it is error or a lie. In the same manner, what is not good is not merely inferior to good; it is either bad (harmful, destructive, injurious, etc.) or it is evil (morally and/or ethically sinful).

Children tend to see things as good or bad; they have to be taught to reckon shades of gray. Once they do this, they become easy prey to sin, since they learn to not see things as right or wrong. The Bible is designed for children. Its premises always include right and wrong (as absolutes). This is one reason why so many reject the Bible.

Conclusion

I haven’t found any indication in the Bible that Yehovah has or maintains two wills, or that He is double-minded. I instead find that He knows what is good (implying that it is perfect), and what is bad (indicating that it is destructive or harmful). Those who believe in two wills usually (perhaps always) do not know which of the two to follow, since they cannot easily discern God’s voice in every choice they must make in a given day. They have a much greater likelihood of following the inferior will, since they would have to have the very same view as God to know what choice is the best. This is a very mystical (and therefore occult) approach to Godliness, and is akin to a guessing game. Saints in the Bible never had this difficulty; thus, they never had this view.

May 15, 2009July 5, 2017

Who in Hell Does God Love?

A common teaching is that God loves everybody. I find it amazing how few folks stop and think about how unreasonable this is.

If God loves everyone, why does the Bible teach about everlasting torturous judgment?

Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.

If God loves everyone, why does the Bible teach that God commanded the Israelis to annihilate all Canaanite folks?

Deuteronomy 20:16 But thou shalt save alive nothing that breathes from the cities of these peoples that Yehovah thy God gives thee for an inheritance, ¹⁷but thou shalt utterly destroy them—namely, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites—as Yehovah thy God commanded thee.

If God loves everyone, why does the Bible teach that God kills and destroys Israel’s enemies?

Psalms 143:12 Cut off my enemies from Thy Grace, and destroy all them who afflict my being! For I am thy servant.

If God loves everyone, why does the Bible teach that God slew Judah’s firstborn son?

Genesis 38:7 And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yehovah. And Yehovah slew him.

If God loves everyone, why does the Bible teach that God hated Esau?

Romans 9:13 As it is written, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.”

Some senseless folks will say, “God loves everyone, even folks who go to Hell, because it was their own choice to go there!” They have no understanding that the Lake of Fire and Sulfur is a judgment that God will institute! What kind of love will consign a person to such a place everlastingly? If this is ‘love’, do you want God to love you?

Some groups try denying that Hell is a real place. They claim that it is a state of mind, or it is right here on earth. Denial is the core of unbelief.

“Then whom does God love?”

The Queen of Sheba stated about King Solomon,

2 Chronicles 9:8 Blessed is Yehovah thy God Who delighted in thee to set thee on His throne to be king for Yehovah thy God. Because thy God loved Israel to establish them forever, therefore He made thee king over them to do justice and righteousness.

The Bible stated about the Israelis,

Deuteronomy 7:7 Yehovah did not set His love upon you or choose you, because ye were more in number than any people—for ye were the fewest of all people—⁸but Yehovah brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt because Yehovah loved you and because He would keep the oath that He swore unto your fathers.

“But what about Gentiles?”

Psalm 146:8 Yehovah loves the righteous.

Any Gentiles that the Bible considers righteous will have His love.

Does God hate or abhor anyone?

Psalms 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight! Thou hatest all workers of iniquity [folks who make themselves guilty before God by sinning]. ⁶Thou shalt destroy them who speak lying! Yehovah will abhor the bloody [folks who intentionally shed innocent blood] and deceitful man!

John 3:36 He who doesn’t believe the Son [the Biblical Jesus, distinct from the popular ‘Jesuses’ of many different religious forms] shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.

“Well, I just can’t believe there is anyone that God doesn’t love.”

Anytime someone states, “I can’t believe…” and then follows it with something the Bible teaches, the person is directly declaring his own unbelief. I always believe that person’s testimony, and know that that person truly cannot believe.

Jesus taught the Jews and their friends who will be going to Mount Zion during the Tribulation,

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait [constricted and very tight] gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and there are many who go in there. ¹⁴Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads unto life, and there are few who find it.

If only a few will find it of all who seek it, and if the majority never seek it, the number who will find it must be very small contrasted with the very large majority who go to destruction (the Lake of Fire and Sulfur).

Do you think the Biblical God loves you? You probably do. If you are normal, the Biblical record doesn’t really matter. You figure that you have not been as bad as some folks, and that God ‘grades on a curve.’

2 Thessalonians 2:11 God shall send them strong delusion for this cause so that they will believe a lie, ¹²so that they all will be damned who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

February 20, 2009August 22, 2016

Why Yehovah Chose Israel

Edited by S. Spencer

Why did Yehovah choose the race of the Israelis, especially considering that other saints came before them? What is the need to have a group to give the picture when there were already individuals who gave the picture?

1. Principalities and Authorities

Ephesians 3:8 This grace was given to me, the less than the least of all the saints, to announce the beneficial proclamation among the races—the unsearchable riches of the Messiah—⁹and to enlighten all what the fellowship of the mystery is that has been hidden from the ages—in God Who created all things by Messiah Yeshua ¹⁰that the multifarious wisdom of God will be now known to the principalities and the authorities in the heavenlies through the assembly ¹¹according to purpose of the ages that He did in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.

Yehovah determined to demonstrate his “multifarious wisdom” to the angels (principalities and authorities in the heavenlies). He determined to use the assembly (the church, the Body of Messiah), purposing this throughout the ages.

A significant portion of the angels rebelled, having a view that Yehovah did not use wisdom in His plan. All angels (including demons) have a purpose given in the following text:

Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, “Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool”? ¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Job himself had the head demon as a guardian angel:

Job 2:3 And Yehovah said unto Satan, “Hast thou considered my servant Job—that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God, and eschews evil? And he still holds fast his perfection although thou move me against him to destroy him without cause!” ⁴And Satan answered Yehovah and said, “Skin for skin! Indeed, all that a man hath he will give for his life. ⁵But put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face!” ⁶And Yehovah said unto Satan, “Behold, he is in thine hand. But save his life!”

Satan had to guard this man even while he painfully and severely pushed him to deny Yehovah (Job never did).

Job is a prophet. How can one know this? Consider Yehovah’s words:

Job 42:7 And it was, that after Yehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Yehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friends because ye have not spoken of me right as my servant Job. ⁸Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams. And go to my servant Job. And offer up for yourselves a burnt offering. And my servant Job shall pray for you—for I will accept him—lest I deal with you after your folly in that ye have not spoken of me right like my servant Job.

How could he have spoken right throughout all these chapters, since he covered many topics? He spoke things about Yehovah he could have not known. For example,

Job 19:6 Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.

How could Job have known this without prophesying? Job also stated,

Job 19:22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

Consider both texts. Are they true in Job’s case? If Job is prophesying, however, he is speaking absolute Truth for another. Psalms written by David, for example, do not speak of David’s experiences, but do show the voice of others (of Israel in the Tribulation, for example). Job did the same thing.

His prophecies regarding Israel are vital to a full understanding of Israel’s future. Israel will experience what he experienced.

Satan learned that Job’s faithfulness to Yehovah was not because he was ‘paid’, since Satan removed all that he had (except for his wife, and she was necessary to keep him alive), and Job remained faithful. Satan and all the angels will learn the same thing about all the Saints, and about the Assembly, the Church.

I already noted the following Hebrews text:

Since all angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation, and since Israel’s assignment has always been to be ministering beings sent forth to minister to the world about the Salvation of Yehovah, it is only appropriate that the entire group of messengers (the Israelis) be used to prove a point to the angels by perfectly demonstrating that ministry for a thousand years! That will show the manifold Wisdom of God!

2. The Church

The Church consists of all Saints added to Israel (the core of the Church). How can one know this? A major clue is found in the following text:

Acts 7:37 This is that Moses who said unto the children of Israel, “Yehovah your God shall raise up unto you a prophet of your brethren like unto me. Ye shall hear Him.” ³⁸This is He Who was in the Church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to Him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us.

Church is Congregation.

Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the Congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

Thus, a Biblical reader must think of Israel when considering the Church, just like one must think of Israel when considering the olive tree in Romans 11. And just like the Romans 11 olive tree, when anyone comes to faith, Jewish or non-Jewish, that person is grafted into that Tree, and is made part of that Church.

Where can one find that the Church doesn’t exist without Israel? The Ephesians 5:25 text below will demonstrate that Messiah died for the Church. He loved her. He didn’t die for a congregation that had not yet existed, but for one that already existed, for Messiah stipulated,

Matthew 15:24 “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Thus, the Church was already established. Another text also expresses that the Church was already established:

Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. ¹⁶But if he will not hear, take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ¹⁷And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a gentile man and a publican.

This text assumes that a gentile and a publican are not considered in this group called the church, but are instead outside.

Saints (Jewish and non-Jewish) are added to the church:

Acts 2:47 And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Future paragraphs will explain how the Church can consist of Israel not in faith, yet have Jewish and non-Jewish Saints both added to that Church.

Israel is in unbelief at the present time (that status not being altered by the few individual Israelis who believe), and thus the core of the Church is in unbelief:

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your own wives even as also the Messiah loved the Assembly and gave-up Himself for her ²⁶so that He will sanctify, having cleansed by the washing of water in the Word, ²⁷so that He will present her to Himself the glorious Assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any of such things, but rather that she will be holy and blameless.

She is presently unsanctified and unclean, anything but blameless, but she won’t be in the future. She is in this condition since just after her beginnings (after the time of Jacob). All Saints have been added to her as part of her as described in Romans 11:

Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷And if some of the branches are broken off, and thou being a wild olive were grafted in among them and partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree with them, ¹⁸boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee! ¹⁹Thou wilt say then, “The branches were broken off so that I will be grafted in!” ²⁰Fine! They were broken off because of unbelief, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear! ²¹For if God spared not the natural branches—lest he also not spare thee! ²²Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God—severity on them who fell, but goodness toward thee if thou continue in His goodness. Otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off! ²³And they also shall be grafted in if they abide not still in unbelief, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴For if thou were cut out of the olive that is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more shall these be grafted into their own olive tree who are the natural branches?

Israel is the core of the Church regardless of Israel’s coming late into the Biblical scene. The same is true of Messiah’s being the Salvation of the world. His coming and sacrifice long after the world was created does not diminish its effectiveness toward those who lived and died in faith before that coming and sacrifice.

The Church, then, has been assigned the position of showing the Wisdom of God to angels.

3. The Church as a Group Versus the Individual Saint

If individual Saints demonstrated their characters from the beginning, why did Yehovah also have to have a group give a picture?

I will not claim to give Yehovah’s mind and His many reasons for doing what He did; I can propose a few reasons.

A group of angels rebelled. A group of angels did not see Yehovah’s multifaceted wisdom. Angels are not tempted in the same ways man may be tempted; man can be tempted in far more ways. If a group of humans with far more possibilities for temptations and reasons to compromise (under great duress) can stand firm with the Truth and righteousness, the excuses the rebellious angels might supply will be futile. If this group additionally stands firm not seeing Yehovah (as the angels see Him), but having to live by faith, they will remove even more challenges to Yehovah’s wisdom. Then again, if this group may be freely tempted by angels who desire its fall (as a group and as individuals) and this group stands firm, the wisdom of Yehovah will be even more apparent.

4. Why Yehovah Chose Israel

Deuteronomy 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto Yehovah thy God. Yehovah thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth. ⁷Yehovah did not set his love upon you or choose you because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all peoples. ⁸But Yehovah hath brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of slaves—from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt because Yehovah loved you and because He would keep the oath that He had sworn unto your fathers.

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth Yehovah thy God require of thee but to fear Yehovah thy God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Yehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, ¹³to keep the commandments of Yehovah and His statutes that I command thee this day for thy good! ¹⁴Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is to Yehovah thy God—the earth also with all that is in her. ¹⁵Only Yehovah had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them—you above all people, as it is this day!

Yehovah chose Israel because of his oath to and delight in the fathers (Avraham, Isaac and Jacob). In order to ‘unchoose’ Israel, He would have to change His mind about the fathers. Once He chose their seed, that choice was fixed by the faithfulness of Yehovah.

5. All Israel Will Be Saved

The entire group of Israelis will be saved with a permanent Salvation:

Romans 11:26 And so shall all Israel be saved as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. ²⁷For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins.

Isaiah 45:17 Israel shall be saved in Yehovah with an everlasting salvation. Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days come,” saith Yehovah, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—³²not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they broke although I was a husband unto them,” saith Yehovah. ³³ “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” saith Yehovah: “I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And they shall no more teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying, ‘Know Yehovah!’ For they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them!” saith Yehovah. “For I will forgive their iniquity! And I will remember their sin no more!”

Jeremiah 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath. And I will bring them again unto this place. And I will cause them to dwell safely. ³⁸And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me forever for the good of them and of their children after them. ⁴⁰And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good. And I will give my fear in their hearts so that they shall not depart from me. ⁴¹Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good! And I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

Ezekiel 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them. And they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes, and do them. ²⁵And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt. And they shall dwell in her—even they and their children and their children’s children forever. And my servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶And I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. ²⁷My tabernacle shall also be with them. I will indeed be their God, and they shall be my people. ²⁸And the races shall know that I Yehovah do sanctify Israel when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Ezekiel 39:25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

Ezekiel 39:26 (Literally) “…and they shall carry their calamity and all their trespass that they trespassed via me in their dwelling securely upon their soil, and there is no fear-causer, ²⁷in my returning them again from the peoples. And I will gather them from their enemies’ lands. And I will be sanctified via them to the eyes of many races. ²⁸And they shall know that I am Yehovah their Gods via my exiling them unto the races. And I will collect them upon their soil. And I have left none from them any more there. ²⁹And I will not hide my faces again from them, that I poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel,” saith my Lords Yehovah.”

Zephaniah 3:13 The remnant of Israel—they shall not do evil and they shall not speak lies. And a tongue of deceit shall not be found in their mouth. For they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

I propose that these texts demonstrate both the range of the Salvation (all Israel) and the endurance of the Salvation (that is, every Israeli will be born of God from that time to the end of the planet’s existence). This especially makes sense since a number of these texts deal with the Israelis as a group, not only as individuals. (Literal renderings of these texts demonstrate this even stronger.)

No such possibility exists for the angels that rebelled. The following text that only pertains to humans nevertheless explains this justice:

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit ⁵and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, ⁶if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame.

Jude 1:6 And he hath reserved the angels that kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The angels that rebelled knew exactly what they were doing and what the consequences would be. Yehovah made no redemption/salvation for them; they are creatures of sight, not of faith. Yet, Yehovah determined that all His creatures would know His wisdom and justice in their judgments and/or rewards. The angels who rebelled cannot clearly see His justice until they see a group that turns to do righteousness by faith (and not by sight), turning from sin, and continually walking righteously before Yehovah in spite of the worst conditions all creatures have ever seen. Once Yehovah has demonstrated this point, all rebellious angels will be locked up for 1,000 years:

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. ⁸And he shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Isaiah 5:14 Therefore, Sheol widened her being and opened her mouth without statute! And her majesty descended, and her crowd and her noise and her triumph into her!

Yet, Yehovah’s plan is not finished. He will release these angels for one more opportunity to gather as many human rebels as possible in their attempt to overthrow Messiah at the end of the Millennium. He will thus use these demons to show who is and who isn’t an enemy of Messiah. This is the last service these demons will do (as far as I know). Israel (the group and the individuals) will be the center of the action also at this point.

Is there a time after the millennium when some Jews will again sin? No. Will the rebellious ones be unbelieving ones of other races? Yes. Once the Israelis have the Torah written on their heart, they will do what is right, just as the children born to them will do right. Those children will be born in sin, but will refuse to sin.

6. Frequent Attempts to Annihilate the Jews

How strange it seems that the Jews (as individuals and as a group) are repeatedly targeted for annihilation throughout history. One of the first attempts was when a particular Egyptian Pharaoh commanded the Jewish midwives to drown all Jewish males just after they were born, a command the midwives refused to obey:

Exodus 1:15 And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives of which the name of the one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah. ¹⁶And he said, “When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him. But if it be a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷And the midwives feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

Jewish tradition holds that Laban was the first one to attempt annihilation of the Jews (a tradition to which I also ascribe, because it has some merit). Try finding a reason for the many attempts (including Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’); it defies reason. If one includes the demons and their desire to remain free, and to never be placed into the Lake of Fire and Sulfur, the reason is apparent. The ‘hope’ of the unsaved world is in Israel’s destruction, since Messiah cannot return if Israel is destroyed:

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem—thou that kills the prophets and stones them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under wings, and ye would not! ³⁸Behold, your house is left unto you desolate! ³⁹For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He Who comes with the Name Yehovah!’”

If Jerusalem’s citizens do not make this declaration, Messiah cannot come. If the Jews are annihilated, Jerusalem’s citizens will be gone. Yehovah’s plans are not ‘thwartable’, however. He has invested His entire plan (including the resurrection of the dead) in the existence and Salvation of the Jews! (Read on if you want to see what I’m talking about. I know that this contrasts to modern Christianity’s views. I am not going to leave folks of a race other than Israel, who hold the faith of the God of the Bible, hanging without support.)

John 4:22 “Ye worship ye know not what! we know what we worship. For Salvation is of the Jews.”

Though Yeshua was speaking to a Samaritan woman about the Samaritans, He could have been speaking to the vast majority of members of ‘Christianity’ today and throughout the centuries. Most claiming Christianity have no investment in the continuance (let alone Salvation) of the Jews, and thus have no investment in the Biblically described and defined resurrection of the dead. Every attempt against Jews/Israelis is an attempt against Yehovah and His Messiah.

A reader might point out that the Jews are not innocent, and that the majority of Jews are in unbelief. Paul knew this, and his ministry was always for the benefit of the Jews no matter where he went or to whom he wrote. Of course they are not innocent, and they have been diligent workers against their own Salvation! But Yehovah’s plans are still invested in them and will always be until His plans are fulfilled. Anyone who has the Biblical Hope will also have an investment in the aid and Salvation of the Jews (both as individuals and as a group), for their very resurrection will depend on the Salvation of the Jews! Messiah Yeshua will not return until all Israel has been saved, and no resurrection of the dead will occur until Yeshua returns! Anyone truly born of God will intuitively realize his connection to the Jews in many ways, and will have the strongest investment in the Salvation of the Jews. Those who neglect and/or reject the Jews as central to the Biblical theme neglect/reject their own Salvation! If faith comes by hearing/hearkening, and hearing/hearkening comes by the Word of God, anyone claiming faith who has not hearkened to the Word of God (whether through ignorance or neglect) is a liar. The Bible explains this relationship to Israel from its beginning, and it never swerves from this thrust. Only a damned fool (meant in the most literal sense, not as an insult) will claim Salvation and will ignore or stand against the Jews.

7. So, Why did Yehovah Choose the Jews?

He chose the Jews because of Wisdom, because of His oath to the fathers and because of His love for the fathers.

What is your stand regarding the Jews? Will you be as the ‘righteous’ in (Matthew 25:31 and following) who are willing to risk everything (including the lives of their own families) to help Yeshua’s brethren (the Jews) during the Tribulation, or will you be as the other group (the folks in the ‘goat’ group) who do not, and who are summarily damned in spite of their claims of faith?

February 9, 2009July 5, 2017

The Faces

The Hebrew word faces is always plural. The singular would describe turning, as in a corner. A living creature never has only one face—one turn. The faces consist of many turns, and the faces can turn to show many reactions. One face can express anger, while another expresses joy.

Face appears early in the Bible:

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the faces of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the faces of the waters.

Children naturally associate with faces more than do adults. This is one reason why they are attracted to stuffed animals. They have friendly, soft faces. A dark room may frighten a child, because the faces of the room are unknown. Moving waters, as the ocean waters, have faces that are constantly changing. The soil also has faces:

Genesis 2:6 There went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

Humility or sudden fear is shown by the ‘childism’ falling on one’s faces:

Genesis 17:3 And Abram fell on his face.

Just as a child whose faces show the direction the child intends to go, the Bible describes the same thing regarding adults:

Genesis 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom.

If a child is afraid of someone, he will run from that person’s faces:

Genesis 35:1 And God said unto Jacob, “Arise! Go up to Bethel and dwell there. And make there an altar unto God Who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the faces of Esau thy brother.”

A child who shows great affection for an adult will go for his faces. This is also true of Biblical adults:

Genesis 50:1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face. And he wept upon him and kissed him.

Even if a child cannot run from someone he fears, he will hide his faces:

Exodus 3:6 Moreover he said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

Children do not tend to fear what they cannot see (or imagine). Thus, Yehovah determined to place His fear before the faces of the Israelis:

Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, “Fear not! For God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”

When a child becomes angry with someone, she sets her faces against him, just as the Bible portrays:

Leviticus 17:10 “And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among you who eateth any manner of blood, I will even set my faces against that soul that eateth blood and will cut him off from among his people!”

Some form of the word faces is used at least 2,100 times in the ‘Old Testament,’ since it is found in the word translated before (meaning in front of, orliterally, to the faces of). Children learn early about faces, and they show their inner thoughts on their faces.

Many cultures have portrayed what they believe to be the face of Jesus through their icon art. These almost never show Jesus as Jewish, but reflect the cultural view of how Jesus ‘should’ look. The faces of Gentile Jesuses are neither Biblical nor Scriptural. Yeshua’s faces drew children:

Mark 10:13 And they brought young children to Him so that He would touch them. And the disciples rebuked those that brought. 14But when Jesus saw, He was much displeased. And He said unto them, “Dispatch the little children to come to me, and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God. 15Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter into her!” 16And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them and blessed them.

Yeshua chose to be born with a Jewish face. Attacks against the Jews sometimes feature a stereotypical, twisted Jewish face with a broken nose and dark eyebrows. While Jewish features are not standard, and reflect the many cultures of the world, hating or ignoring the faces of Jews is the same as hating the faces of God. Many churches claiming to be based on Christianity like faces in their memberships to reflect themselves, not folks who look different, especially who look Jewish. Yet the angels of Jewish children always behold the faces of Yehovah the Father:

Matthew 18:10 “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones. For I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father Who is in heaven.”

Do you portray the faces of Yeshua to others, especially to Israel? Jewish individuals who care find it strange when a non-Jewish person ‘looks’ so much like the Biblical God and Biblical Saints. Consider the surprise of the Jericho spies when Rahab said,

Joshua 2:9 And she said unto the men, “I knew that Yehovah gave to you the land, and that your terror fell upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melted from your faces. 10For we heard how Yehovah dried up the waters of the Red sea from your faces in your exiting from Egypt, and what ye did to two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side Jordan—to Sihon and to Og whom ye utterly destroyed. 11And we heard. And our hearts melted. And spirit did not arise again in a man from your faces. For Yehovah your God—He is God in the heavens from above and upon the land from under. 12And now vow, pray, to me by Yehovah. For I did Grace with you. And ye shall do Grace, even ye, with the house of my father. And ye shall give to me a sign of Truth. 13And ye will make-live my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that is to them. And ye shall rescue our beings from death.”

Rahab, a Gentile and a Canaanite, certainly showed a Jewish face!

October 21, 2008July 5, 2017

Stroking God’s Faces

Stroking Yehovah’s Faces

‘Childisms’ in the Bible

Yehovah designed The Torah, the first six books of the Bible, for children. Yet many adults have found some of these books difficult. I propose to do a series of articles on the ‘childisms’ of the Torah and Tenach (‘Old Testament’). You may desire to collect these articles, since they will define and describe some very important Hebrew words and expressions.

Beseeching God

What does beseech or entreat (intreat) mean in the Scriptures? Several words are translated beseech or entreat, but one with Strong’s Concordance number 2470 will be considered here. This word means to stroke, to make smooth, and is often combined with faces, making the phrase to stroke the face of. This pictures a child in a parent’s lap making a request while stroking the parent’s face. This childism describes an intimate, special, emotional and close relationship with Yehovah the parent Who is King of the Universe. Consider a few texts in which this flavorful definition is employed:

Exodus 32:11 And Moshe stroked the faces of Yehovah his God, and said, “Yehovah, why does Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?”

1 Kings 13:6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, “Stroke now the faces of Yehovah thy God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.” And the man of God stroked the faces of Yehovah. And the hand of the king returned unto him again, and became as before.

2 Kings 13:4 And Jehoahaz stroked the faces of Yehovah, and Yehovah hearkened unto him. For he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. 5And Yehovah gave Israel a saviour so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians. And the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 6And they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam who made Israel sin, but walked therein. And there remained the grove also in Samaria.

In the last case, a non-fearer of Yehovah stroked Yehovah’s faces. One person may use this word toward another person also:

Proverbs 19:6 Many will stroke the faces of the prince. And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
One must humble himself before Yehovah, as a child would:

Matthew 18:2 And Yeshua called a little child unto Him and set him in the midst of them. 3And He said, “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The little child that Yeshua called was Jewish, since Yeshua’s ministry was to the Jews:

Matthew 15:24 But He answered and said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
How strange it is that nearly all churches with claims of representing the Bible ignore Israel! One mark of a ‘liberal’ (not fundamentally sound) church is its ignoring Israel and centering on itself. Listen carefully to sermons to see how often Israel is mentioned as central to the plan of God. The Bible mentions it all the time. Any pastor who doesn’t have the central goal of the Salvation of the Jews either hasn’t read the Bible or doesn’t believe it.

Stroking Yehovah’s face is a very wise way to entreat Him and to obtain a benefit or necessity.