I quote Revelation chapters two and three in my blog posts frequently because these letters say some very hard things to the church. As far as I am concerned these sayings are neglected in today’s apostate churches just as it is prophesied. I am hoping to break through the delusion of dispensational theology, where the church thinks it is going to be whisked away, somewhere beyond the sunset, with Santa and the Easter bunny.

The featured image is that of Krampus, Santa’s helper who handles the “naughty” children, a tradition more familiar in Europe than in North America. Krampus helps us understand the origins of the myth. The featured picture is an entry by Alessio Zacarria on Unsplash.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Some of the harshest warnings from Jesus are to church people who continue in the practices of Balaam and Jezebel. Sadly, many people do not try to understand these things and how they still apply today.

Rev 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Rev 2:21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
Rev 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Rev 2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.

What were the great sins of Jezebel and her husband Ahab? They are spelled out for us in scripture. No one needs to look any further than the books of the Kings, even though one could spend a life time reading books about all the ancient religions and their disgusting fertility rites.

1Ki 16:29 Now Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah. Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
1Ki 16:30 But Ahab son of Omri did evil in the eyes of Yahweh more than all who were before him.
1Ki 16:31 If it wasn’t enough that he went after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he also took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Sidonians. He went and served Baal and bowed down to him.
1Ki 16:32 And he built an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria.
1Ki 16:33 Ahab also made the sacred pole, and he continued to provoke Yahweh the God of Israel more than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

“Ahab made the sacred pole”. I will admit that the ancient religions are confusing. These ancient religions melded together over thousands of years by many cultures. Baal is a generic name for the god they worshipped. Usually Baal had a wife, and she went by many names. The sacred pole, along with groves, is a common theme with these religions. As things moved away from the Canaanite and Moabite religions, they went into Persian, Greek and Roman. The Baals were Adonis, Mithras, Jupiter etc.. The associated goddesses were Diana and Venus. There were many different sacred trees, poles and traditions throughout the different cultures.

1Ki 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you who throws Israel into confusion?”
1Ki 18:18 He said, “I did not throw Israel into confusion; rather you and the house of your father have by forsaking the commands of Yahweh when you went after the Baals!
1Ki 18:19 So then, send word and assemble all of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at the table of Jezebel.”

Committing adultery with Jezebel is playing around with these other gods by using their symbols and special days. Revelation 2:22-23, “Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works”. This is Jesus telling church people He is going to throw them into great tribulation and kill their children for doing these things. Shouldn’t we pay attention and figure out what He is talking about here? This sounds important.

Many of these fertility based religions with sacred poles and trees were centred around the spring equinox. Easter is a remnant of these rites from Ishtar and Diana. The May pole is also one of these sacred poles.

Rev 2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.
Rev 2:25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
Rev 2:26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
Rev 2:27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.

Jesus also calls these things the “deep things of Satan”. Most of the remnants of these “deep things of Satan” have been with us and remain with us in 2021. The following is taken from wiccaliving.com.

The significance of the Winter Solstice has been recognized for thousands of years, ever since human beings first observed the ever-changing patterns of sunrise and sunset over the course of the seasons. The ancient Romans, Greeks, and Persians all held festivals at this time, many of which celebrated the birth of one or more gods. Of course, the leaders of the early Christian church decided that this was a good time to celebrate the birth of Jesus as well, since one of their strategies for winning converts was to align their holidays with already-existing pagan festivals. The name “Yule” actually comes from the pre-Christian festivities of Germanic tribes, and is believed to have been handed down to us from the ancient Norse in particular.

In the Wiccan belief system, the God is reborn at Yule, having died at the previous Sabbat (Samhain) [halloween] at the end of October. The weak quality of sunlight during these still-short days is symbolized by the God in his infancy, just born and needing sustenance before he can come back into his full power. The Goddess, who has been in her Crone aspect these past few months, is now once again in her Mother aspect, having just given birth to the God. She represents the Earth, remaining still and silent for awhile yet as she rests from her labor.

This is a celebration of the renewal of life, but compared to other Sabbats it is a relatively quiet, indoor holiday, as people gather within the warm shelters of their homes to be merry and give thanks. As a Yule ritual, many Wiccans decorate their altars with evergreen branches, such as cedar, pine, hemlock and spruce, as well as bright sprigs of holly, pinecones, and other festive winter flora.

Candles are paramount to this Sabbat, of course, with Yule traditions emphasizing the colors red, green, white, and gold. Images of the Sun are also appropriate. Those lucky enough to have a fireplace can burn a sacred Yule log, but you don’t need an actual hearth to brighten up your home with candles galore! Interestingly, many traditions which are generally thought of as belonging to Christmas—including the Yule log, a decorated tree, wreaths, and even caroling—are actually rooted in pre-Christian pagan traditions. So it’s quite likely that you’ve already been celebrating Yule for years, with or without your knowledge!

“So it’s quite likely that you’ve already been celebrating Yule for years, with or without your knowledge!” The Wiccans know what these holy days are about: how is it Christians are so ignorant when it comes to these things? What about the warning? Rev 2:22-23, “Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead”.

Who would know the “deep things of Satan” better than the Church of Satan? This is from their website churchofsatan.com:

“The Christians stole this holiday from the pagans—Santa Claus has come to signify indulgence, and he is a combination of Dionysos and Silenus from Roman and Greek myths (the Romans celebrated the orgiastic Saturnalia at this time). The Nazarene has little place in the general public’s celebrations of this season, which were meant by pagans to be celebrations of abundance during a season of cold and emptiness. So for the Yule holiday season we enjoy the richness of life and the company of people whom we cherish, as we will often be the only ones who know where the traditions really came from!”

If you didn’t know where these traditions come from, now you know. The apostles sent a letter to the pagans coming into Christianity to not have anything to do with things polluted with idols.

Act 15:19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
Act 15:20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.

Jesus gave a stern warning about acting like Jezebel with the sacred pole, yet everyone will be putting up their sacred pole, along with all the fertility symbols that go along with it in the coming weeks.

1Ki 21:25 Truly, there was no one like Ahab who had sold himself by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh, whose wife Jezebel urged him on.
1Ki 21:26 Also, he acted very abominably by going after idols like all the Amorites had done whom Yahweh had driven out from before the Israelites.”

Jesus calls out people in the church for doing these same abominations of Balaam, which are very similar to those of Jezebel.

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
Rev 2:15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Rev 2:16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Balaam couldn’t curse the children of Israel as Balak hired him to do. However, he did show Balak how to get the chosen people of Yahweh to curse themselves.

Num 25:1 When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab.
Num 25:2 And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods.
Num 25:3 So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and Yahweh became angry with Israel.
Num 25:4 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and kill them before the sun, so the fierce anger of Yahweh will turn from Israel.”
Num 25:5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who are joined together with Baal Peor.”

Balaam was the one who was accredited with leading the Israelites astray. The Moabite women enticed the Israelites with their form of worship, which was very unpleasant to Yahweh.

Num 31:15 And Moses said to them, “You have kept alive every female?
Num 31:16 Behold, these women caused the Israelites, by the word of Balaam, to be in apostasy against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was among the community of Yahweh.

The prophet Micah brings up Balaam and the terrible events surrounding the people’s apostasy.

Mic 6:5 O my people, remember what Balak the king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might know the righteous acts of Yahweh.”

Baal of Peor was the god of the Moabites which the Israelites joined themselves with by celebrating the feasts with the Moabites. They were actually drawn in by the women of the Moabites. “The people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab. And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods”. These are the same fertility rituals that are practiced today where Christians openly take part in “eating food sacrificed to idols”. It was also going on in Corinth during Paul’s day. He brings up the Baal of Peor incident.

1Co 10:7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”
1Co 10:8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

Paul also warns us again not to partake in these feasts of other gods.

1Co 10:19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
1Co 10:20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
1Co 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
1Co 10:22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

All the symbolism of Christmas comes from these foreign gods. The witches know this, the Satanist know this, yet church people are ignorant and still partake. Jesus is very clear about not engaging in these stumbling blocks.

Rev 2:16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

This sword Jesus speaks of is not something to take lightly.

Rev 19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Rev 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Rev 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God,
Rev 19:18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”

I suggest the words of Jesus be taken very seriously. These feast days of foreign gods have not vanished, they have simply been assimilated into Christianity. It is no different than what happened at Shittim, bringing a curse on the people.

Eze 3:20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.
Eze 3:21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

Previous blog posts:

Structural and Denominational Hindrances to the Good News

And not for a single day, either in the Temple court or in private homes, did they stop teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Yeshua is the Messiah. Acts 5:42 (CJB) It is clear for all to see that the church building has been elevated to the very essence of Christianity in many cases,…

by Gary Vail May 24, 2026

The Lost Sheep of the House of Israel

But an hour is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for indeed the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the ones who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23–24 (LEB) Yeshua makes a clear distinction of people groups…

by Gary Vail May 23, 2026

Do You Have “Freedom in Christ”?

 Submit as people who are free, but not letting your freedom serve as an excuse for evil; rather, submit as God’s slaves. Be respectful to all—keep loving the brotherhood, fearing God and honoring the emperor. 1 Peter 2:16–17 (CJB) I have had discussions with people where they argue that in Christianity there is no Messiah.…

by Gary Vail May 16, 2026

Who is “God”?

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?Who has cupped the wind in the palms of his hands?Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?Who established all the ends of the earth?What is his name, and what is his son’s name?Surely you know! Proverbs 30:4 (CJB) There are many gods in the world,…

by Gary Vail May 9, 2026May 22, 2026

When God’s Hand Protects His People

The dragon was infuriated over the woman and went off to fight the rest of her children, those who obey God’s commands and bear witness to Yeshua. Revelation 12:17 (CJB) After Joshua led the ancient Israelites into the land promised to Abraham and all of the promises were fulfilled as stated in Joshua 23:14 (LEB):…

by Gary Vail May 2, 2026May 22, 2026

Idolatry: The Love of God is not about Land

I, Yahweh, have spoken; I will surely do this to all this evil community who has banded together against me. In this desert they will come to an end, and there they will die.” Numbers 14:35 (LEB) After ancient Israel met God and heard His thunderous voice on Mount Horeb, outside of the land, they…

by Gary Vail April 25, 2026April 25, 2026

Go Ahead, Destroy the Earth

“We give thanks to you, Lord God All-Powerful,the one who is and the one who was,because you have taken your great powerand have begun to reign.And the nations were angry,and your wrath has come,and the time for the dead to be judged,and to give their reward to your slaves the prophetsand to the saints and…

by Gary Vail April 19, 2026April 19, 2026

Jesus: The Prophet Like Moses

Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You will listen to him in everything that he says to you. And it will be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet will be destroyed utterly from the people.’ Acts 3:22–23 (LEB) Jesus, or…

by Gary Vail December 24, 2025

Reasons for Christians to Celebrate Hanukkah

 They sacrificed to the demons, not God,to gods whom they had not known,new gods who came from recent times;their ancestors had not known them. Deuteronomy 32:17 (LEB) The Greeks set up Asherah poles and sacrificed a pig to Zeus in the temple of the God of Abraham on this day in 165 BCE. The Greek…

by Gary Vail December 14, 2025

Dispensationalism Theology, Israel and You

 And you will say, ‘I will go up against a land of open country; I will come to the people being at rest in safety, all of them dwelling without a wall and crossbars and without doors, Ezekiel 38:11 (LEB) How is the theology of Dispensationalism related to the country of Israel? Dispensational theology teaches…

by Gary Vail November 29, 2025

Prophecy Fulfilled; And It’s Not Good

 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? Matthew 7:15–16 (LEB) When we speak about God’s instructions that He gave to mankind through ancient Israel, most…

by Gary Vail November 22, 2025

Testing the Spirits

 And while he was still approaching, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. Luke 9:42 (LEB) What is the “Holy Spirit”? Trinity doctrines exist as attempts to explain the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.…

by Gary Vail November 1, 2025

Did you ever wonder when Jesus was really born? Most people know Jesus was not born in December, but the Gospel of Luke gives us all the information we need to calculate the month that the Messiah was actually born. This is a great video by Rico Cortes explaining the process by understanding the workings of the temple.

The featured image is by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

Previous blog posts:

Did Jesus Hate the Pharisees?

But as for the cowards and unbelievers and detestable persons and murderers and sexually immoral people and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death. Revelation 21:8 (LEB) Jesus had some of his harshest criticism for the Pharisees. Does this…

by Gary Vail October 25, 2025October 25, 2025

Are We Really Robbing God or Just Getting Robbed?

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness,  in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (LEB) Having been raised in evangelical denominations in the United States, I became accustomed to hearing a sermon about…

by Gary Vail October 19, 2025October 18, 2025

I was Raised a Christian-Zionist Nationalist- and Left

And then many will be led into sin and will betray one another and will hate one another, and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end—this person will be saved. And this gospel…

by Gary Vail October 7, 2025

Choosing Your Sins Carefully in 2025

And I brought them out from the land of Egypt, and I brought them to the desert,  and I gave my statutes to them, and my regulations I made known to them, which, if a person does them, then he will live by them. And also my Sabbaths I gave to them to be a…

by Gary Vail September 6, 2025

This is How it Works

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place! For all who take up the sword will die by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot call upon my Father, and he would put at my disposal at once more than twelve legions of angels? How then would the scriptures…

by Gary Vail June 17, 2025

Today is the Day of Pentecost

Pentecost is a Greek term meaning “fifty”. Many churches are celebrating the day of Pentecost today, which in most cases is viewed as the start of the Church and the giving of the “Holy Ghost”. (This is, by the way, a terrible translation of the term Spirit of God.) However, Pentecost is the 50th day…

by Gary Vail June 8, 2025May 24, 2026

Imaginary Jesuses

Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness,because they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 (LEB) When Jesus delivered his famous sermon on the mount, one of his statements was “Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be satisfied.” Unfortunately, we are not given the definition of righteousness…

by Gary Vail May 10, 2025

AI Bot Understands the Sabbath Better than Many Christians…

He will speak words against the Most High.He will harass the holy ones of the Most High continually.His intention will be to change times established by law.The holy ones will be delivered into his handfor a time, times, and half a time. Daniel 7:25 (NET 2nd ed.) I decided to enter the world of artificial…

by Gary Vail January 31, 2025

Have You Been Programmed by the Religious Establishment?

The one who is from God listens to the words of God. Because of this you do not listen—because you are not of God.” John 8:47 Confusion is a state of existence that does not come from the Creator. What could be more confusing than 50,000 Christian denominations of Christianity that all disagree with each…

by Gary Vail January 11, 2025

Jesus is more than a Baby; He is the Administrator of the Eternal Covenant

And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple, and there were lightnings and sounds and thunders and an earthquake and large hail. Revelation 11:19 (LEB) There are many sects of Christianity in today’s world. Christianity started with a sect of people practicing first century…

by Gary Vail December 25, 2024

“Jesus is the Real Reason for the Season!” Really????

“When Yahweh your God has cut off the nations whom you are about to go to, to dispossess them before you, and you have dispossessed them, and you live in their land, take care so that you are not ensnared into imitating them after their being destroyed from before you, and so that you not…

by Gary Vail December 15, 2024

“Jesus is my Sabbath Now”???? Are we being Bamboozled?

 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath?” in order that they could accuse him.  But he said to them, “What man will there be among you who will have one sheep and if this one fell into a…

by Gary Vail December 7, 2024

Many people who casually read the Bible do not realize how much of the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament. For example, to understand Paul, one has to read what Paul was reading and quoting. Take for example the verses in the second letter to the Corinthians. Paul is not quoting verses out of context to support some new concept. He is reminding his readers where to look in scripture to find the deeper understanding. We do this today by quoting a famous line in a book or movie to bring the whole theme of the movie into the thought we are trying to emphasize.

2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Co 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
2Co 6:18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Here is the first quote in these verses:

Lev 26:11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.
Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

If we look at the preceding verses in Leviticus, it is in line with what Paul is saying about idols.

Lev 26:1 “‘You shall not make for yourselves idols and divine images, and you shall not raise up stone pillars for yourselves, and you shall not put a sculptured stone in your land in order to worship before it, because I am Yahweh your God.
Lev 26:2 “‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and you shall revere my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
Lev 26:3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and you keep my commands and you do them,
Lev 26:4 then I will give you rains in their time, and the land shall give its produce, and the trees of the field shall give their fruit.

It always amazes me to drive by cemeteries with large obelisks for head stones. These are the stone pillars Yahweh is speaking about, yet church people erect them on graves in church yards either out of ignorance or defiance.

Would Paul quote part of Leviticus 26 and not believe the whole chapter still applied? The same God that said have nothing to do with idols also said to keep His Sabbaths, walk in His statutes and keep His commandments in the same context.

Paul also quotes from Isaiah 52, telling his readers to get away from the pagan idolatry and touch no unclean thing. This is similar to Acts 15, “things polluted by idols”.

Isa 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.

Read the whole chapter or the whole book of Isaiah to better understand what Paul is trying to convey.

Isa 52:10 Yahweh has bared his holy arm to the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Isa 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there! You must not touch any unclean thing. Go out from the midst of it, keep clean, you who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
Isa 52:12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for Yahweh is going before you, and your rear guard is the God of Israel.
Isa 52:13 Look, my servant shall achieve success; he shall be exalted, and he shall be lifted up, and he shall be very high.
Isa 52:14 Just as many were appalled at you—such was his appearance beyond human disfigurement, and his form beyond the sons of mankind—
Isa 52:15 so he shall sprinkle many nations; because of him, kings shall shut their mouths. For they shall see what has not been told them, and they shall consider with full attention what they have not heard.

In chapter 43 of Isaiah, it tells us about the relationship of sons and daughters, or children, as Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians.

Isa 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
Isa 43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Paul is using bits and pieces of the Old Testament to remind people of the larger narrative. Putting on the “whole armour of God” is usually attributed to Paul in at least one sermon per year by every preacher. I have never heard anyone ever relate this to the passages in Isaiah that Paul is quoting.

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Eph 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Eph 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Eph 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Eph 6:19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,
Eph 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah 11:5 speaks of the girded waist with truth. We know that truth is the righteousness of Yah found in His Torah.

Isa 11:1 And a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit.
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of Yahweh shall rest on him—a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.
Isa 11:3 And his breath is in the fear of Yahweh. And he shall judge not by his eyesight, and he shall rebuke not by what he hears with his ears.
Isa 11:4 But he shall judge the poor with righteousness, and he shall decide for the needy of the earth with rectitude. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked person with the breath of his lips.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

The breastplate of righteousness is not man’s righteousness, but the righteousness of Yahweh.

Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and he was appalled that there was no one who intercedes, so his arm came to assist him, and his righteousness was what sustained him.
Isa 59:17 And he put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head, and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a robe.
Isa 59:18 According to deeds, so he will repay; wrath to his enemies, requital to those who are his enemies. He will repay requital to the coastlands.
Isa 59:19 So they shall fear the name of Yahweh from the west, and his glory from the sunrise, for he will come like a narrow stream; the wind of Yahweh drives it on.
Isa 59:20 “And a redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression,” declares Yahweh.

“The shoes of your feet, bringing the good news announcing peace” is another reference to Isaiah. This is all about imitating the Messiah. Paul is not plagiarizing Isaiah. He is pointing his readers back to what he assumes they already know. It’s like saying “go ahead, make my day”, wanting to bring to mind Clint Eastwood movies to an audience.

Isa 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name, therefore in that day, that I am the one who speaks. Here am I.”
Isa 52:7 How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns as a king.”
Isa 52:8 The voices of your watchmen! They lift up their voices; together they sing for joy; for they clearly see Yahweh’s return to Zion.

Another reference, Ephesians 6:15, “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”, is found in Isaiah.

Isa 49:1 Listen to me, coastlands, and listen attentively, peoples from far away! Yahweh called me from the womb; from the body of my mother he made my name known.
Isa 49:2 And he made my mouth like a sharp sword; he hid me in the shadow of his hand, and he made me like an sharpened arrow; he hid me in his quiver.
Isa 49:3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will show my glory.”
Isa 49:4 But I myself said, “I have labored in vain; I have used up my strength for nothing and vanity! Nevertheless, my justice is with Yahweh, and my reward is with my God.”
Isa 49:5 And now Yahweh says, who formed me from the womb as a servant for him, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might not be gathered, for I am honored in the eyes of Yahweh, and my God has become my strength.
Isa 49:6 And he says, “It is trivial for you to be a servant for me, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will give you as a light to the nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth.”
Isa 49:7 Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one, to the one who despises life, to the one who abhors the nation, to the slave of rulers: “Kings shall see and stand up; princes, and they shall bow down, for the sake of Yahweh, who is faithful, the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you.”

Jesus is the one with the sword in his mouth. He is going to use it against the wicked.

2Es 13:10 But only I saw that he sent out of his mouth as it had been a blast of fire, and out of his lips a flaming breath, and out of his tongue he cast out sparks and tempests.
2Es 13:11 And they were all mixed together; the blast of fire, the flaming breath, and the great tempest; and fell with violence upon the multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned them up every one, so that upon a sudden of an innumerable multitude nothing was to be perceived, but only dust and smell of smoke: when I saw this I was afraid.

Rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

During my forty-seven years in the Christian church, I never realized the disdain Christians have for the Old Testament until I started reading and understanding it. Things are said such as, “but that’s the Old Testament”, or “Isn’t that from the Old Testament?”, as if the Old Testament is an irrelevant document. It is the whole basis for the New Testament! As much as Christianity wants to distance itself from the Hebrew scriptures and develop a new world religion with a lawless gospel, the writers of the New Testament have all brought it forward. Speaking of the Old Testament, this is what Paul told Timothy in his letter, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”.

The featured image is by Mick Haupt on Unsplash.

Previous blog posts:

Finding God in Organized Religion

Have you found yourself in a place where you cannot tolerate the manipulation, control and inconsistencies found in organized religion? Do you still yearn for an understanding of a creator or meaningful relationship with God? Please check out my book where I discuss many topics about these issues based on my personal experiences from fifty…

by Gary Vail June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

Who is your Neighbour?

Which of these three do you suppose became a neighbor of the man who fell among the robbers?” So he said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” And Jesus said to him, “You go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36–37 (LEB) In Christianity we often hear about “loving our neighbour”. When Jesus was asked which…

by Gary Vail June 24, 2023

Which Feast are You Planning to Attend?

And I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come! Assemble for the great banquet of God, in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of military tribunes, and the flesh of the…

by Gary Vail June 11, 2023

Brutal Honesty: We’re in Trouble

“If you do not diligently observe all the words of this law written in this scroll by revering this glorious and awesome name, Yahweh your God, then Yahweh shall overwhelm you with your plagues and the plagues of your offspring, severe plagues and lasting illnesses, grievous and enduring. Deuteronomy 28:58–59 (LEB) God is referenced throughout our…

by Gary Vail June 3, 2023June 4, 2023

Happy Shavuot!

And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering’s sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks. Until the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days; then you shall present a new grain offering for Yahweh. Leviticus 23:15–16 (LEB) Shavuot is traditionally…

by Gary Vail May 27, 2023June 4, 2023

The Ancient Paths are Better

Thus says Yahweh: “Stand at the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the way of the good is, and walk in it, and find rest for your inner selves. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 We lose sight of our past as society progresses and every…

by Gary Vail May 20, 2023

Who is a Christian? Who Can be Saved?

And the earth is defiled beneath its inhabitants.For they have transgressed laws;they have passed by statutes;they have broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24:5 (LEB) I enjoy engaging with strangers on social media to discuss religious topics because there is no shortage of opinions and willingness to debate. I am exposed to many belief systems that…

by Gary Vail May 6, 2023

Does God Want Us to be Dumb?

Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. They accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day to see if these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and not a few of the prominent Greek women and men. Acts 17:11–12 (LEB) Gnosticism is a belief system that puts the…

by Gary Vail April 30, 2023May 27, 2023

Generations to Come

I invoke as a witness against you today the heaven and the earth: life and death I have set before you, blessing and curse. So choose life, so that you may live, you and your offspring, by loving Yahweh your God by listening to his voice and by clinging to him, for he is your life…

by Gary Vail April 22, 2023April 21, 2023

Manipulation, Control, Religion and Christianity

 Remove from me the noise of your songs, and I do not want to hear the melody of your harps!  But let justice roll on like the water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:23–24 (LEB) People have used religion to manipulate and control other people for thousands of years. Socrates was brought to…

by Gary Vail April 15, 2023April 14, 2023

Yeshua or Yearly Sungod Resurrections?

And not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the most holy place, obtaining eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12 (LEB): There is a great contrast between the yearly resurrection of the sun god and the resurrection of the Messiah Yeshua. Unfortunately, the myths of the…

by Gary Vail April 8, 2023

What do the Dead know?

Death Deprives Humans of Everything in Life Whoever is joined to all the living has hope. After all, even a live dog is better than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything. They no longer have a reward, and even the memory of them…

by Gary Vail April 8, 2023April 7, 2023

I recently subscribed to a daily Bible verse account on Instagram. The site posts an encouraging verse, then 500 people comment “Amen”. This is similar to devotionals and other daily scripture tools that will take a verse completely out of context to give everyone reading false hope. In this example, Isaiah 58:9 was the verse. Only the text of the verse is shown in the Instagram picture with no chapter or book.

Isa 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

This is the “then” part of a conditional statement. A person needs to do the “if” part to make the “then” part happen. Giving people the hope of the “then”, without telling them the “if” is nothing more than deception from the enemy. Of course the greater deception is leaving out the “else”!

Let’s read the verse in context now.

Isa 58:6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Isa 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Isa 58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Isa 58:10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
Isa 58:11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isa 58:12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
Isa 58:13 “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
Isa 58:14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

At first I thought that perhaps the person posting this was encouraging people to read the verse in context, but then I realized there was not any reference provided for this scripture. Most people were commenting “amen” to the “then” statement seemingly having no care of the “if” statement in the preceding verses. My question is, does anyone who typed amen also agree with the rest of the chapter, or for that matter, the entire book of Isaiah? Does the person posting these types of out of context verses know what is being spoken about? I am only using this as an example because I see this repeatedly.

The start of chapter 58 is likely referring to the fast usually done on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.

Isa 58:1 “Call with the throat; you must not keep back! lift up your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their rebellion, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
Isa 58:2 Yet they seek me day by day, and they desire the knowledge of my ways like a nation that practiced righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of its God; they ask me for righteous judgments, they desire the closeness of God.
Isa 58:3 ‘Why do we fast, and you do not see it? We humiliate our soul, and you do not notice it?’ Look! You find delight on the day of your fast, and you oppress all your workers!
Isa 58:4 Look! You fast to quarrel and strife, and to strike with a wicked fist. You shall not fast as you do today, to make your voice heard on the height.

Yahweh’s complaint against His people is basically they do what is right in their own eyes and wonder why He doesn’t listen. The sum of the instructions of God is to love Him with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself. The proper way to “afflict” yourselves on the Day of Atonement is the following:

Isa 58:6 Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of injustice, to untie the ropes of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and tear every yoke to pieces?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to break your bread for the hungry? You must bring home the poor, the homeless. When you see the naked, you must cover him, and you must not hide yourself from your relatives.

Jesus, whose name is Yeshua in Hebrew, said something similar.

Mat 25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest,
Mat 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

We could argue that this is not just talking about physical food, drink, clothing and hospitality, but also sharing these things spiritually.

Joh 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Joh 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
Joh 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

The first part of Isaiah 58 is addressing the tradition of fasting on the Day of Atonement. The command for that day doesn’t necessarily involve a fast, albeit a fast is a good thing one can do.

Lev 23:26 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev 23:27 “Surely the Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month; it shall be a holy assembly for you, and you shall deny yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
Lev 23:28 And you must not do any regular work on this very same day, because it is the Day of Atonement to make atonement for you before Yahweh your God.
Lev 23:29 If there is any person who does not deny himself on this very same day, then he shall be cut off from his people.
Lev 23:30 As for any person who does any work on this very same day, I will exterminate that person from the midst of his people.
Lev 23:31 You must not do any work; it is a lasting statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening—from evening to evening you must observe your extraordinary Sabbath.”

Are we able to assume the person who posted the daily Bible verse quoting Isaiah 58:8 believes in keeping the Day of Atonement properly? How about the 500 people who typed “amen” in the comments? The rest of Isaiah 58 speaks of the Sabbath. The Day of Atonement is a Sabbath, which is specifically kept from the ninth day evening until the tenth day evening. That really leads us to believe that the Israelites were not starting their days in the evening as tradition wants us to believe. If the day started in the evening, then why would it be said to start this sabbath the day before, on the ninth? Let’s look at the rest of Isaiah 58 concerning keeping Sabbaths.

Isa 58:13 If you hold your foot back from the Sabbath, from doing your affairs on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a pleasure, the holy day of Yahweh honorable, if you honor him more than doing your ways, than finding your affairs and speaking a word,
Isa 58:14 then you shall take your pleasure in Yahweh, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth, and I will feed you the heritage of Jacob your ancestor, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

This is another “if -then” statement concerning keeping the Sabbath. Christians do not typically concern themselves with the fourth commandment which is about Sabbath keeping. Would the 500 people who typed “amen” in the comments of this daily Bible verse posted on Instagram agree with Sabbath keeping? I certainly do as a follower of Yeshua.

Out of context Bible verses in daily scripture readings and devotionals are a major source of deception. They twist scripture making people think they will receive the “then” without doing the “if”. What they are really in for is the “else” statement.

Mal 4:1 “For look! The day is about to come, burning like an oven, and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says Yahweh of hosts. “It will not leave behind for them root or branch.
Mal 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise, with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like fattened calves.
Mal 4:3 You will trample down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am going to act,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Mal 4:4 “Remember the instruction of my servant Moses, which I commanded him at Horeb to all Israel, the rules and regulations.

The prophets wrote about the deception that we are witnessing in full force today, which is if you ignore Yahweh’s instructions, you will still reap His blessings. This message cannot be found in scripture. Only the warning that this will be latter day doctrine is found.

Jer 23:16 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “You must not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you with visions of their mind, They do not speak from the mouth of Yahweh.
Jer 23:17 They are continually saying to those who disregard the word of Yahweh, ‘Peace it will be to you,’ and to each one who walks in the stubbornness of his heart they say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’

Jer 23:20 The anger of Yahweh will not turn back until his doing and until his keeping the plans of his mind. In latter days you will look closely at it with understanding.

Read the entirety of scripture and learn what it means. Repent and learn to be obedient to Yahweh as our Saviour Yeshua showed us.

The featured image is by Sarah Noltner on Unsplash.

Previous blog posts:

Is this Really the End?

 And in the day of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left for another nation, and it will bring an end to all these kingdoms, but it will stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone from the…

by Gary Vail April 1, 2023

Are the Instructions of God Really Nailed to the Cross?

Having destroyed the certificate of indebtedness in ordinances against us, which was hostile to us, and removed it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14 (LEB) I often refer to the phrase “the law of God was nailed to the cross” when comparing the words of the Creator to the…

by Gary Vail March 25, 2023

The Lord’s Day

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was established for people, and not people for the Sabbath. So then, the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27–28 (LEB) The Sabbath was made for man, and Jesus said he was the lord of the Sabbath. Was Jesus anticipating the day he considered…

by Gary Vail March 18, 2023

Believe and Confess?

 He came to his own things, and his own people did not receive him. But as many as received him—to those who believe in his name—he gave to them authority to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a husband,…

by Gary Vail March 11, 2023February 17, 2024

How are We Deceived?

 and with every unrighteous deception against those who are perishing, in place of which they did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved. And because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,  in order that all may be condemned who did…

by Gary Vail March 4, 2023March 4, 2023

Traditions of Men

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unclean hands?”So he said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far…

by Gary Vail February 25, 2023February 24, 2023

The Fullness of the Gentiles

But the things which God foretold through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ…

by Gary Vail February 18, 2023February 17, 2023

The Name of God

 And he said, “Because I am with you, and this will be the sign for you that I myself have sent you: When you bring the people out from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “Look, if I go to the Israelites and I say to them, ‘The God…

by Gary Vail February 11, 2023February 11, 2023

Salvation and the Sinner’s Prayer

 As many as I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent! Revelation 3:19 (LEB) What must one do to be saved? Most of us were taught to say a prayer and “ask Jesus into our heart”. Where is this method found in the Bible? Did we see altar calls in the New…

by Gary Vail February 4, 2023

Do You Know God?

 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for her; in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word; in order that he might present to himself the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but…

by Gary Vail January 28, 2023January 27, 2023

Are We Able to Earn Our Salvation?

 And we all have become like the unclean, and all our deeds of justice like a menstrual cloth, And we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities take us away like the wind. Isaiah 64:6 Are we able to save ourselves by performing the correct acts at the appropriate times? What is the formula…

by Gary Vail January 21, 2023

Where are we Headed?

And the dragon was angry at the woman, and went away to fight against the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and who hold to the testimony about Jesus. Revelation 12:17 (LEB) There are many views in Christianity on the afterlife and eschatology. The two most common views I am…

by Gary Vail January 14, 2023January 13, 2023

Talking about concepts such as Karma was taboo in Christian circles at one time. The concept of Karma is a Hindu or Indian philosophy where a person’s actions, good or bad, will have a reciprocal effect, most likely in another life. Now that New Age philosophy has taken over the Christian churches, with its crystals and spirituality, this may not raise too many eyebrows amongst average church attendees as in the past.

The enemies of Yahweh’s people are going to fall into the very trap they have set. A person’s actions will return on to their own head, whether good or bad. These are all Biblical concepts, and sound much like “Karma”. There is no reincarnation or a pantheon of gods with Biblical Karma, just one supreme God who executes His justice.

Psa 7:8 Yahweh judges the nations. O Yahweh, vindicate me according to my innocence and according to my integrity within me.
Psa 7:9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, and test the hearts and innermost being, O righteous God.
Psa 7:10 My shield is with God who saves the upright of heart.
Psa 7:11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.
Psa 7:12 If he does not repent, he will sharpen his sword. He has bent his bow and he has strung it.
Psa 7:13 And he has prepared for him weapons of death. He has made his arrows fiery shafts.
Psa 7:14 See, he travails with evil. He is pregnant with trouble, and he gives birth to deception.
Psa 7:15 He makes a pit and digs it out, then falls in the trap he has made.
Psa 7:16 His trouble comes back on his head, and his violence comes down on his skull.
Psa 7:17 I will thank Yahweh according to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of Yahweh, the Most High.

Jesus, or in Hebrew, Yeshua, made this concept clear in His sermon on the mount. It is the meek, poor in spirit individual that will inherit the Earth, not the proud and arrogant.

Mat 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Mat 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Mat 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Mat 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Yahweh is a just God. It is the “merciful that will receive mercy”. what about the wicked?

Eze 7:1 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
Eze 7:2 “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh to the land of Israel: ‘The end comes, the end on the four corners of the land.
Eze 7:3 Now the end is on you, and I will send my anger on you, and I will judge you according to your ways, and I will bring on you all your detestable things.
Eze 7:4 And my eye will not take pity on you, and I will not show compassion for your ways; on you I will bring your detestable things; they will be in the midst of you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.’
Eze 7:5 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Look! Disaster after disaster is coming!
Eze 7:6 The end comes, comes the end! It has awakened against you! Look! It comes!
Eze 7:7 Doom is coming against you, the dweller of the land; the time comes, the day is near, panic and not joy is on the mountains.
Eze 7:8 Soon I will pour out my rage on you, and I will fully vent my anger on you, and I will judge you according to your ways, and I will bring on you all of your detestable things.
Eze 7:9 And my eye will not take pity, and I will not show compassion. According to your ways I will deal with you, and your detestable things will be in the midst of you, and you will know that I am Yahweh who strikes.

Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is going to judge the people of the Earth according to their ways. This sounds a lot like the definition of Karma. The difference is that Yahweh is the one who makes the rules determining what righteousness and mercy actually looks like, as opposed to some distorted, manmade view.

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Joh 14:7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Joh 14:8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
Joh 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Joh 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

The Messiah tells us He is the “the way, and the truth, and the life”, and no one comes to the Father any other way. What does this mean? Yeshua is the living Word of Yah the Father. The Father’s words manifested themself in human flesh.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Joh 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Joh 1:7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
Joh 1:8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
Joh 1:9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
Joh 1:11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
Joh 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

“The word became flesh and dwelt among us”. This concept is not taught and causes a huge misunderstanding as a result. It is not taught because if the reality that Messiah is the embodiment of the Torah, prophets and writings, ie God’s Word, was brought to light, Christians who adhere to a lawless gospel would have a fit, likely skipping their weekly offering they pay to hear “smooth things”.

Isa 30:8 Now go, write it on a tablet with them, and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be for the time to come, forever, forever.
Isa 30:9 For it is a people of rebellion, deceitful children, children who are not willing to hear the instruction of Yahweh,
Isa 30:10 who say to those who do see, “You must not see!” and to the seers, “You must not see truth for us; speak smooth things to us, see illusions,
Isa 30:11 turn aside from the way, turn aside from the path, put an end to the holy one of Israel from our face.”
Isa 30:12 Therefore the holy one of Israel says this: “Because you are rejecting this word and you trust in oppression and cunning and you rely on it,
Isa 30:13 therefore this iniquity shall come for you like a breach about to fall, bulging out on a high wall that breaks suddenly, in an instant.
Isa 30:14 And he breaks it like a vessel of a potter breaks, that is crushed; he has no compassion, and no potsherd is found among its fragments to take fire from the hearth, or to skim water from the cistern.”
Isa 30:15 For the Lord Yahweh, the holy one of Israel, said this: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; your strength shall be in quietness and in trust.” But you were not willing,

We are being told by Isaiah that these words were to be written for a time to come, “forever, forever”. Would our present day not fit that description? People do not want to hear the righteous path or “the way”. “The way” showed up in person, and the church tries to make a different way. They say Jesus is the way, but they don’t explain what “the way” is. They make up a new, dispensational way that severs “the way” that Jesus personified.

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If Jesus is the way and the truth, and no one comes to the Father any other way, would it not also mean that the way and truth are the only way as well? So if you seek the way and the truth, then you are seeking Jesus because he is the way and the truth. What is truth then?

Psa 119:153 Resh Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law.
Psa 119:154 Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!
Psa 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
Psa 119:156 Great is your mercy, O LORD; give me life according to your rules.
Psa 119:157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies.
Psa 119:158 I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.
Psa 119:159 Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love.
Psa 119:160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

The name of Jesus, Yeshua, actually means the salvation of Yah. So, Yeshua is far from the wicked. The sum of the Father’s word is truth. It is the Father’s words that are truth, and this is the same thing Jesus says He has personified.

When Jesus said he is the way, the truth and the life, it means He exemplified the life we are to live if we are going to walk in the “way” and “truth” which are already defined in scripture. Jesus did not make a new religion “unhitched” from the way and truth defined in scripture as much as people would like to be.

Joh 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

Joh 10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
Joh 10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
Joh 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
Joh 10:13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
Joh 10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

He is talking to the sheep of Judah and referring to the lost sheep of the House of Israel being in a different fold. There will be one shepherd for the united House of Jacob. Remember when Jesus said, “if you have seen me you have seen the Father”? The Word of God speaking through Ezekiel said the same thing as Jesus. This shouldn’t be a surprise though.

Eze 34:14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their pasture will be on the mountains of the heights of Israel; there they will lie down in good pasture, and on lush pasture they will feed on the mountains of Israel.
Eze 34:15 I myself will feed my flock and I myself will allow them to lie down,” declares the Lord Yahweh.
Eze 34:16 “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the scattered, and I will bind up the one hurt, and I will strengthen the sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed her with justice.”

Many don’t realize that Jesus is the Word of Yahweh and the salvation of Yahweh. They cannot be separated in dispensational economies. Jesus also told us he will repay us with the works of our hands.

Rev 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Rev 2:21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
Rev 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Unlike Buddhism and Hinduism’s version of Karma, we know the force behind “trouble coming back on our head” is a law of the universe that Yah has established. It is just scales and balances, not a mystical force created by our own actions.

The Jesus, or Yeshua, of the New Testament, is the Word of Yah from the Old Testament. If your version of Jesus is different than Yahweh, then you are serving a different, false god in a new religion.

The featured image is by Mackenzie Taylor on Unsplash.

Previous blog posts:

What if it is True?

Therefore is the law opposed to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, certainly righteousness would have been from the law. But the scripture imprisoned all under sin, in order that the promise could be given by faith in Jesus Christ to…

by Gary Vail October 22, 2022October 21, 2022

To Be Like Jesus

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (LEB) Remember the old chorus we used to sing in church, To Be Like Jesus? “All I ask is to be like…

by Gary Vail October 17, 2022

Are There Antisemitic Roots in Christianity?

Therefore, what is the advantage of the Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. Romans 3:1–2 (LEB) Erasing history is not a new phenomenon, and there is a considerable amount of history erasing happening in real time today. Our…

by Gary Vail October 15, 2022October 13, 2022

Sukkot: The True God’s Week Long Festival

And then every survivor from all those nations coming against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the king, Yahweh of hosts, and celebrate the Feast of Booths. Zechariah 14:16 (LEB) Most Christians have no knowledge of the week long festival the Creator gave to His people to enjoy called Sukkot. However, most…

by Gary Vail October 8, 2022October 7, 2022

Should Christians Regard Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement?

Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of injustice,to untie the ropes of the yoke,and to let the oppressed go free,and tear every yoke to pieces? Is it not to break your bread for the hungry?You must bring home the poor, the homeless.When you see the naked, you must cover him,and you…

by Gary Vail October 2, 2022

Should Christians Follow the Instructions of Their God?

You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in hearts and in your ears! You constantly resist the Holy Spirit! Acts 7:51 Anytime subjects such as the Sabbaths or dietary instructions present themselves, the average Christian will sharply reply, “that is the old covenant” or “I am saved by grace and not under the law”. It is as…

by Gary Vail October 1, 2022September 30, 2022

Happy Yom Teruah!

The Feast of Trumpets Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a rest period, a remembrance of the trumpet blast, a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work, and you shall present an offering made by fire…

by Gary Vail September 25, 2022

The Eternal Covenant

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with every good thing to do his will, carrying out in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory…

by Gary Vail September 24, 2022

Futurism and the Pretribulation Rapture

And he also told them a parable: “Surely a blind person cannot lead the blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? Luke 6:39 (LEB) Many Christians believe in a pretribulation rapture happening before a seven year period called the “tribulation” where the “church” is taken off the Earth before the so-called…

by Gary Vail September 17, 2022

The Fall Feasts of Yahuah

And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth. John 1:14 The fall feast days start soon and what better time to celebrate the birth of our Messiah? There are many reasons to believe…

by Gary Vail September 11, 2022

The Burden of Yahuah

By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome 1 John 5:2–3 (LEB) People have reminded me at times that teachers and instructors will be held accountable…

by Gary Vail September 10, 2022September 10, 2022

What Now?

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a faith without hypocrisy, from which some have deviated, and have turned away into fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the law, although they do not understand either the things which they are saying or the things concerning…

by Gary Vail September 3, 2022September 3, 2022

Deu 30:1 “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,
Deu 30:2 and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 30:3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.
Deu 30:4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you.
Deu 30:5 And the LORD your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.
Deu 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Deu 30:7 And the LORD your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you.
Deu 30:8 And you shall again obey the voice of the LORD and keep all his commandments that I command you today.
Deu 30:9 The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,
Deu 30:10 when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deu 30:11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
Deu 30:12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
Deu 30:13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
Deu 30:14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
Deu 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
Deu 30:16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
Deu 30:17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,
Deu 30:18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
Deu 30:20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Is your God the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or a different god?

Mat 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The featured image is by Karla Hernandez on Unspalsh.

Previous blog posts:

The Feast of Weeks; Pentecost

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. Acts 2:1 (LEB) The Feast of Weeks, Shavuot, or in Greek, Pentecost, is traditionally the feast day that celebrates the marriage covenant between Yahuah and His people at Mount Horeb. It is also the feast that believers gathering on…

by Gary Vail June 5, 2022June 4, 2022

What are you Afraid of?

And why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid the foundation on…

by Gary Vail June 4, 2022June 3, 2022

Vines, Branches, Sticks and Trees

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and dries up, and they gather them and throw…

by Gary Vail May 28, 2022May 27, 2022

The Church, Korah and a Rich Man

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Therefore do and observe everything that they tell you, but do not do as they do, for they tell others to do something and do not do it themselves. W. Hall Harris III…

by Gary Vail May 21, 2022May 21, 2022

The Test Results are in and…

 O Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our ancestors have inherited only lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them”. Jeremiah 16:19 (LEB) Tests can be stressful because they are…

by Gary Vail May 14, 2022May 13, 2022

The Blood of the New Covenant

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup. For the one who eats…

by Gary Vail May 7, 2022May 6, 2022

Understanding the Law of Christ

Brothers, even if a person is caught in some trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of humility, looking out for yourself, lest you also be tempted. Carry the burdens of one another, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1–5 (LEB): What is different about the law of…

by Gary Vail April 30, 2022April 30, 2022

Importance of the Sabbaths and the Kingdom of God

“Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. Six days you will work, and you will do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God; you will not do any work—you or your son or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your animal, or your…

by Gary Vail April 23, 2022April 23, 2022

Die by the Sword If You Wish

If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity will go into captivity. If anyone will kill with the sword, he must be killed by a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Revelation 13:9-10 The crusader mentality is alive and well in western Christianity. Read the…

by Gary Vail April 16, 2022March 8, 2026

Passover Celebration

And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and of the living creatures and of the elders, and their number was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands times thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom…

by Gary Vail April 9, 2022April 9, 2022

Who is Your Father?

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that…

by Gary Vail April 2, 2022April 1, 2022

Called to be Holy, Sanctified and Set Apart

Therefore, when you have prepared your minds for action by being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former desires you used to conform to in your ignorance, but as the one who…

by Gary Vail March 27, 2022March 27, 2022