As we say in our About You & Us page, we are not here to tell you what to think, but to help you better think for yourself.
We’ve always had Rom. 15:20 as a “key” verse for us. Paul said he would not build on another’s foundation. We don’t see the point of teaching you whatever is already being taught 20 times over. We look to bring you teaching not found elsewhere!
Part of the point of this, in fact a major part, is also to point out information that would not be readily available to you, such as that contained in a Greek Concordance of the RCS. RCS, as we explain in our Glossary, Renewed Covenant Scriptures, is a much much more accurate name than “New Testament”.
God
When Yeshua is asked “What is the first commandment”… Mk. 12:28 cf. vss. 28-34, Yeshua responds with a verse from the Torah Dt .6:4 “Hear (O) Israel (the) LORD our God is One”….
One in Hebrew has no equivalent in Greek or English and can’t really be translated. I would render it as “absolute compound Oneness absolute One”. Cf. Gen. 1:5; esp. Zech. 14:9.
As we explain in our teaching, commandment in Hebrew has the deeper meaning “fulfilling of which leads to fullness of life, delegation of authority while the LORD retains control; like being assigned to a (military) post”. It is also directly related to the word translated Hosts and includes the meaning Units.
Is there anywhere Yeshua teaches that after him Gentile leadership will have the prerogative to push the Jewish Brothers aside, and come up with a “definition” of God? Further; where does Yeshua teach that anti-Semitic Gentile leadership has the Biblical authority to make their definition of God a litmus test of following him?
We should note: in Yeshua’s “extend the hands and ask” form of Jewish prayer (cf. the Hebrew of Ps. 122:6) in Yochanon 17:20-23, our wonderful Master asks that his followers be one as he and the Father.
(Just for the record and so there’s no confusion; we believe in the Divinity of Yeshua and the Ruach Hakodesh. We just can’t find anywhere whatsoever in Scripture where post Biblical Gentile anti-Semitic leadership is given Biblical authority to come up with a “definition” of God. Thus when asked we say “We’ll hold to what Yeshua says in Mk. 12:28-34”.
We should note; Yeshua, seeing that the scribe understood what the deeper essence of the Torah is about, tells him he is not far from the Kingdom. While Yeshua is often very very bold and direct, he can also be very subtle as he is in this instance. It’s obvious that all the scribe needs to do is place his steadfast trust in Yeshua as Israel’s Mashiach).
Yeshua also – nowhere – holds out a 10-point “statement of faith”. That sort of thing is very Western.
The Name Yeshua
Said very sensitively, while Christians may call Yeshua “JC”, his name of course can only be Yeshua. He can only be Yeshua. As we point out in our teaching on Dt. 17:14-16, v.15; the king of Israel cannot be, in Hebrew “(a) man of foreignness”. The King of Israel cannot be merely ethnically Jewish. He cannot be rooted spiritually in foreign sources; i.e., from sources other than the Torah and Hebrew.
Would the angel have communicated to Miriam (not “Mary”) in Lk. 1:30-34 – in reality a 15–16-year-old Torah observant pious Jewess of the Galil (“Galilee”) – a name of Israel’s Mashiach that was derived from Latin?
Yeshua is not merely “a culturally Jewish” name for “JC”. It is only the name Yeshua that tells us who he “be”. (Hebrew has no “is”).
As we explain in our teaching: Yeshua in Hebrew more deeply is from/means: “substance, there be, grant essence of existence, grant vigorous existence; as much of the essence of God that Man can comprehend has been revealed”.
Again, said sensitively: as shocking as it may be, Yeshua never heard himself called nor is he referred to as “JC”, except possibly by the Romans.
Son of Man
The way Yeshua actually refers to himself by – far and away – is by the Messianic term referring to one with a Kingdom and Dominion in Daniel 7:13-14, Son Man.
Scholars point out Yeshua either refers to himself or is referred to as the Son of Man 86 times.
Torah & the Hebrew Bible
In Mt. 5:17-20, Yeshua, in a totally Jewish and Pharisee way, upholds the Torah.
If Yeshua teaches God forbid, “I have come and the Torah is ended”, where does he teach this? In our essay The Treasure of the Bible’s Hebrew and Greek, we explained that the meaning fulfilled at the end of Mt. 5:17 does not mean fulfilled thus ended, but rather filled full.
Regarding the Hebrew Bible: Christians are typically taught in one form or another, that it is “Old”, superseded, or no longer authoritative now that Yeshua has come. Is that what Yeshua teaches?
Yeshua – nowhere – uses the term “Old Testament”. We’ve explained in our teaching that Yeshua uses Covenant; that Testament is from Latin. Again; Yeshua never says “Old Covenant”.
Yeshua never speaks of an “Old Testament/New Testament” dichotomy either. If he did, wouldn’t the last Passover Seder have been the place to do so?
In our teaching we point out that Luke in Lk. 22:19-20 renders Yeshua’s Hebrew original in KG by a form of “kainos” “renewed/new in quality covenant”. Not, “neos” “new in time”, i.e., “brand new”.
Luke – both repeatedly – and consistently – in his Gospel very significantly renders in Greek, Yeshua speaking of the Hebrew Scriptures with the following. A form (perfect) which indicates binding and ongoing authority. In other words: Yeshua expresses the continued authority of the Hebrew Bible. Technical commentaries consistently point this out.
Further; Luke uses the same form indicating the ongoing – not ended – authority of the Hebrew Bible in Acts as well.
Yeshua refers to the Jewish order of the Hebrew Bible in Lk. 24:44; the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Writings section).
Christian translations don’t follow Yeshua’s Jewish order.
They follow the order of the Bible’s first translation, done in an earlier form of the RCS’ Koine “Common” Greek known as the Septuagint (“70”). Scholars are not sure why the Jewish Sages who did the translation changed the order.
The Kingdom or the “Church”
We point out in our teaching why the Greek “ekklesia” should be translate “assembly” and not “Church/church”.
According to a Greek concordance we learn the following:
Uses of Kingdom in the Gospel – 111
References to the Universal Assembly – 1
Overall in the RCS: 137 to less than 30
Heaven And Hell
We learned together above that there are 111 references to the Kingdom in the Good News.
The number of uses of the Greek word Geena for the Hebrew Hinnom (Valley of Hinnom, below the southern side of Mount Zion and the Western Wall area), translated ‘Hell’? 11.
In the Good News the uses of Heaven and Hell are 111 to 11 respectively.
Overall it is 137 to 12.
You may well be shocked to learn: between Acts 1:1 and the end of Revelation 22, the concordance shows only one use of Geena, Hell.
Paul never uses the word – period.
An evangelical scholar astutely and correctly points out: Yeshua never says, “Choose Heaven or Hell”.
The 111 uses of Kingdom in the Gospel are about double the number of uses of “sozo” ” save” “soter” “savior” and “soteria” “salvation” combined.
The Greek Concordance shows us that 32 times Matthew in Greek renders Yeshua’s Hebraic original “Kingdom of the Heavens”. Based on what are known in Hebrew as Ten of the Words (“Ten Commandments”) Ex. 20, Jews often refer to the LORD obliquely, so as not to take His Name in vain.
Mark and Luke probably use Kingdom of God so that their primarily Gentile audience would be sure to understand what’s being referred to.
Yeshua’s Emphasis on “Be” and “Do”
The concordance lists almost 670 uses of the Greek word “ginomai“. “be/ become”.
The concordance lists 568 (technically 583) uses of “do/make”.
Over 60% of these are found in the Gospel. This means there are well over 350 uses of each word in the Gospel.
Yeshua Remains Part of the Whole of the Jewish People – And A Jew
Mt. 1 shows us the physical offspring of the Jewish People Yeshua is physically descended from.
Revelation – written 5 1/2 to 6 decades after Yeshua’s Ascension – specifically identifies Yeshua with the Jewish People in at least three instances:
2 in Rev. 5:5 and 22:16
Rev. 22:16 tells us Yeshua tells the angel to tell the seven assemblies, mentioned earlier in Rev. 2-3, that he is of the offspring of David. This is one of the very last verses of Scripture.
In Rev. 2-3 Yeshua does what the Torah would call literally a warning, to seven cities with assemblies of Gentile followers. Yeshua makes a reference there to David.
We should note: there are no references to the universal assembly in Revelation. After the warning to seven cities with assemblies of Gentiles in Revelation 2-3, assembly is not used again until Revelation 22:16.
Christians are typically taught – in one form or another – whether subtly or directly, that “since Yeshua was rejected by the Jewish People, he rejected them”.
Revelation clearly shows us otherwise!
Yeshua is uniquely part of or involved with other Jewish People before coming to Earth his Jewish humanity on Earth, and now in the Heavens (Heaven in Hebrew is plural).
We have teaching on Yeshua as the Angel of the LORD and Yeshua’s involvement with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
It is Yeshua that gives Jacob the name Israel in Gen. 32.
Unfortunately, very very few followers seem to be aware of the fact that Yeshua in his divinity on Earth before coming as a Jew, is the one who originally gives Jacob the name Israel Gen. 32:25-33.
The LORD Himself will reiterate this to Jacob in Gen. 35:9-12, v.10.
The Major Events of Yeshua’s Life Virtually are all Witnessed By or Involve Jews
The only exception is the three wise men from the East who come to visit Yeshua when he is born.
Otherwise:
Yeshua’s parents are Torah observant Jews Lk. 2.
The end of Luke 2 shows us Yeshua learns his style of teaching from the Pharisees.
Lk. 5:1-11 – Yeshua uses a totally Hebrew Scripture, Hebrew, and Jewish way of demonstrating, in context, that he is not just another rabbi of the time going around teaching Jews in Israel. How does he do this? Does he do it by way of making an intellectually compelling argument or by personality?
No. He uses the fish that Peter and the others caught after telling him they couldn’t catch anything all night, to concretely demonstrate to them; he is not another teacher, but the Mashiach!
Number of fellow Jews personally called by Yeshua: including Paul: 13 (not including the 70 referred to as sent out in pairs by Yeshua).
Number of Gentiles: 0
None of the Twelve nor Paul are Gentiles.
The Western Tradition Religious System hides/downplays this by anachronistically calling them “Christians” or ” Jewish Christians”.
Number of times the term “Ioudaios Xristianos” ” Jewish Christians” is used: 0
Number of uses of Xristianos Christians in the Gospel: 0
Number of times the Twelve or Paul call themselves/himself Christians: 0
Number of uses of Xristianos “Christians” by Paul? 0
The concordance shows overall there are 370 uses of forms of the Greek words for brothers or sisters, and only 3 uses of Christians.
No Gentiles are at the Last Passover Seder.
No Gentiles hear Yeshua make the Renewed/New in Quality Covenant.
Jews witness the Crucifixion except for the Roman soldiers.
Jews are charged with writing the Gospel. Even if Luke is Gentile, he’s dependent on Jewish sources.
The Three Resurrection appearances are only to and only seen by Jews.
As we point out in our teaching on the Resurrection: Paul makes the point of the Resurrection of Yeshua to the Corinthians in a totally Hebrew, Jewish – and Pharisee – way. Paul refers to The Writings, i.e., the Hebrew Bible, and eyewitnesses; all Jews. Cf. 1 Cor. 15:1 on.
Yeshua’s Personal Religious Practice is to Attend His Home Synagogue in Natzeret on the Sabbath
Lk. 4:16. Luke’s Greek “euthos” “custom” is defined in lexicons as “one’s customary personal religious practice”.
Yeshua Does Not Switch from Hebrew to Greek, Latin, or “English”
Paul recounts in Acts 26:14-15 that on the Damascus Road Yeshua called to him from Heaven in Hebrew – not Greek!
Paul clearly had a solid middle level knowledge of KG; yet Yeshua calls to Paul from Heaven in the Jewish language of Hebrew.
This tells us where both are fundamentally and foundationally rooted – in Hebrew.
Yeshua’s teaching and message is a “we” message – not a “me” message.
As we repeatedly pointed out in our teaching:
The Greek Concordance shows that about 63% of the uses of ‘you’ are ‘you’ plural. Not ‘you’ singular! There are 778 more uses of ‘you’ plural than ‘you’ singular.
There are 865 uses of ‘we’ ‘us’ ‘our’.
Nine out of the 10 uses in Greek of God as Savior is Savior of “we/us”.
First century Israel, Israel today, and the wider Middle East throughout its history have always been and still today very much are, “we” oriented; not ” me” centered as is the West.
The “me-ism” of much of Western European in the American history, never existed in Yeshua’s first century Israel. Western culture influenced by Greek and Latin thinking, was overall very foreign to Yeshua!
In short for here, scholars point out that the Judaisms before and during the time of Yeshua, tended to take any outside influences and adapt them to Hebrew and Jewish thinking. Rather than, being influenced by them.
In a sentence; Yeshua has a totally Hebrew & Jewish heart; not a Western Greek Latin English influenced mind!
We cannot possibly stress enough; though Yeshua is typically presented to Christians as though he’s an early 19th-century American Gentile from the Bible Belt, that is no more accurate than portraying William Shakespeare as an Orthodox Jewish playwright who lived in Jerusalem and wrote In Hebrew!
Remarkably – and very very unfortunately – and I (Jacob) have seen this first hand, the typical Christian tour to Israel shows Christians places in Israel; but talks about Yeshua and what’s there, as though they were visiting the hills of Tennessee or the Rockies.
There were times when I saw this when I literally wanted to yell out, “Don’t you know where you are? Take a look around! You’re not in the Bible belt”!
In a sentence the problem is a very inaccurate picture of Yeshua, his People – Israeli Jews especially those of the Galil (Galilee) – and Israel, is presented.
Further, tragically and a major major problem is Christians are not connected with Israelis and have no contact with them except for the tour guide, the bus driver, and a couple of staff at the hotels they stay at.
In short: Christians see the places of the Bible and where Yeshua went; but they don’t see and experience the people he felt in his guts for Mt. 9:35-36.
The above we hope has given you some information, again, that no doubt you have never heard or would not have ready access to.
That is only some of the major teachings and facts about Yeshua; to do more would before long, turn into a book.
There’s an old saying that good preaching afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted. We hope that good teaching and the information above, does the same.