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Before we begin let me see if we can agree on a premise before reading this article.
A Christian's religious belief system, when tested and exposed to contradictory facts from Biblical languages, Biblical history, Biblical culture, and archeology, must in the Spirit of Truth and Repentance, be flexible enough to change
If you can admit to the truth of the above statement, then read on. If not, you need not continue.
If you were like me then most likely you grew up in the Christian church. Having done so you probably, like myself, were fed a steady diet of the book of Hebrews. In that book which is traditionally attributed to Paul as being the author, we are told that Yeshua was the ultimate sacrifice.
In particular we read:
After writing these passages the writer goes even so far as to say in Hebrews 10:20….”by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his body” and Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…”
Although it cannot be proven for certainty, the tradition of the Church maintains Pauline authorship for the book of Hebrews. As early as the second century Paul was regarded in the East as the author, and during the third century his authorship was the accepted view. In the West, where the epistle was known from earliest times, Pauline authorship was rejected and did not gain acceptance until the fourth century.
Having said that, then we should expect to find examples in Paul’s life where he lives out the doctrines of salvation espoused in the book of Hebrews…especially the one concerning the finality of Jesus Christ’s death as the final atonement for sin?
Answer for yourself: Does the Apostle Paul, in his life after the cross, share with us examples whereby he shows us that he believes that Yeshua “once for all” redeemed us from sin? Astonishingly, no he doesn't! In fact I will show you in a minute he does just the opposite!
Answer for yourself: Can we find examples in the Apostle Paul’s life where he goes against the teachings of the book of Hebrews and continues to bring blood sacrifices for sin as an atonement after the cross? Yes. We will examine the book of Acts and the book of Numbers to prove it to you shortly.
Answer for yourself: Did Paul demonstrate through a Nazarite vow and its accompanying blood sacrifices (Num. 6) that he was obedient to the rules and laws of the Pentateuch and the Mosaic Law, thereby producing a state of approval before God after the cross? Yes.
Answer for yourself: How could obedience to the laws of God (including those dealing with blood as well as non-blood atonements) produce a state of approval when we are told different today? It sure does and does so easily. If we look up the word used for “law” in the New Testament we find the correct meaning in the Greek:
The Greek word for "law" is as follows:
Lexicon Greek 3551
3551 nomos {nom'-os}from a primary nemo (to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals); TDNT - 4:1022,646; n m
AV - law 197; 197
IT CAN BE SHOWN THAT THAT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THE APOSTLE PAUL BRINGS BLOODY SIN OFFERINGS AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION OF YESHUA…..SO WHAT GIVES?
That’s right it can! Let us now examine the word "offering" as used of the type of sacrifice Paul is recorded as having made in fulfillment of the Nazarite vow in Acts 21:26.
Acts 21:26
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
(KJV)
The Greek word for "offering" as used in the text is as follows:
Lexicon Greek 4376
4376 prosphora {pros-for-ah'} from 4374; TDNT - 9:68,1252; n f
AV - offering 8, offering up 1; 9
Answer for yourself: Did you notice that this offering could be bloody or not? Yes. So we have to keep studying deeper to get to the truth cause as of now it is unclear which type of offerings Paul brought.
Answer for yourself: How do come to the correct understanding about whether Paul brought blood sacrifices on non-blood sacrifices? Easy. We let the context of the passage define it for us.
And since this offering occurs after the cross - the ramifications of such an offering if is “blood” has staggering consequences for traditional Christianity and Christian doctrine.
We need only to look at what was required in numbers 6 for one who undertook a Nazarite vow.
Since this is a Nazarite vow as described in Acts 21, which occurs almost 30 years after the death of Yeshua, we must look no further than the commandments surrounding the Nazarite vow and these are recorded for us in Numbers chapter 6 to determine if the offerings attendant with it are “bloody” or not:
Numb 6:13 (KJV) And this [is] the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 14 And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, 15 And a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring [them] before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering: 17 And he shall offer the ram [for] a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering. 18 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put [it] in the fire which [is] under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. 19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put [them] upon the hands of the Nazarite, after [the hair of] his separation is shaven: 20 And the priest shall wave them [for] a wave offering before the LORD: this [is] holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. 21 This [is] the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, [and of] his offering unto the LORD for his separation, beside that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.
Answer for yourself: First of all, did you notice that one who undertook a Nazarite vow was required to bring peace offerings as well as sin offerings?
Answer for yourself: Don't you find this rather strange in light of what Hebrews teaches, yet we have Paul’s example to the contrary?
Answer for yourself: If Paul is the writer of Hebrews, and if he ascribed to such doctrines taught in Hebrews then why is he doing just the opposite?
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that these peace and sin offerings required the killing and spilling of an animal’s blood which had to be sprinkled on the altar?
Answer for yourself: Having read Numbers 6, do you see for yourself that blood sacrifices had to be brought in fulfillment of the Nazarite vow which Paul was obedient to over 30 years after the cross? I hope so.
Answer for yourself: Does it look like it to you that Paul believed, as seen in his actions, that Yeshua was the last sacrifice once and for all? No way.
Answer for yourself: Does it appear to you that the writer of the book of Hebrews 10:1-2 is correct when it states that blood sacrifices for sin had “ceased to be offered?” No way. Evidently Paul surely does not seem to believe it by his actions.
Answer for yourself: Can you say that by Paul’s actions he believe that the offering of the body of Yeshua was a once for all sacrifice for sin? You sure can't!
Answer for yourself: How can be believe Hebrews 10:14 where it says we are “perfected forever” by the sacrifice of Yeshua when just 30 years later the Apostle Paul was still bring sin offerings to the Temple (after the death of Yeshua)?
Answer for yourself: Over the course of thirty years had Paul forgotten that “Now where remission of there is, there is no more offering for sin” as Hebrews 10:18 professes? Evidently he did not ascribe to such a teaching as evidenced by his life and actions.
Answer for yourself: How can we draw near to God with a true heart when we have been taught a doctrine by our Christian church which cannot be substantiated by looking at Paul’s life when he is the one believe to have written it in the first place?
Answer for yourself: Why would Paul bring "blood sacrifices" and “sin offerings” if the Law had been down away with in Yeshua's death or if Yeshua’s death had been understood as the final sacrifice of all sacrifices? He most assuredly would not have done so.
Answer for yourself: From the examples I have shown you, how can you in true faith believe that there is a “new way” when it can be shown by Paul’s life that there is not any new way at all, but that the only way given to God by man was still followed by him as well as gentile coverts he taught?
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that maybe for the first time you are seeing the many conflicts in the New Testament which lie just before the surface of the English translation?
Answer for yourself: Will you admit to yourself that what you have just saw throttles mainline Christianity and its teachings about the death of Yeshua as a final atonement for sin? (request our in-depth teachings on atonement and get the answers you need..they are free).
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that not just in Hebrews, but all through the New Testament we have passages which pass for “truth,” which upon just a little investigation can be shown to be Gentile fabrications created by Roman and Gentile authors to change the faith of Yeshua into a faith about him and replace Biblical Judaism intended for all mankind with neo-paganism which was their heritage?
Answer for yourself: In other words, are you aware that as a typical Christian you practice a replacement faith which can be shown to be in error by anyone well versed in both the Jewish as well as the Greek Scriptures?
You might ask yourself why no one besides me has pointed this out to you before. I can assure you that there are multitudes coming to the realization to which I bring you today. The Last Days are upon us and as the Prophet Hosea states that in the Last Days God will restore the roots to the faith of the Gentiles. Simply, the vast majority of Christian pastors and teachers today are not qualified in the study of the Scriptures to lead anyone as evidenced by what I showed you today. I too like you was led astray by my spiritual leaders as well as my Seminary. Such is the sad reality to which I was born, and only departed after many years of in-depth study to find the truth when my studies challenged much of what I had accepted “by faith.” Faith should only confirm and not contradict Biblical facts! But the roots of Gentile anti-Semitism created a new theology to replace what God had given all mankind. The legacy remains today and most are not aware.
The fact that Paul does bring blood sacrifices COMMANDED BY THE LAW testifies to him and should to us that the Law had not passed away after Yeshua's death as a pattern for life for believers in Yeshua and his message as we so often have been told. But more than that it demonstrates two things:
Answer for yourself: Is that the message you have received from your church?
Answer for yourself: Has you church or clergy studied deeply enough to search out these truths buried beneath the pages of your Bibles or have they accepted the “echoes” of the past as truth even when the text of your Bibles correctly interpreted says different?
Answer for yourself: What does that do to the traditional teachings we hear week after week in our churches preached by those who repeat what they have heard and not studied out for themselves? Should we feel secure?
Answer for yourself: Dear Christian, can you now see that the Law had never passed away after the cross and we have severely misunderstood the message of the Bible and in its place accepted the traditions of men…many of which are in error and contradict the truths given by God? I hope so.
Answer for yourself: Can you begin to guess at the staggering consequences facing you since not only the Law has not passed away, but it seems Yeshua's death was not understood by the first believes as a final atonement for sin as we have been told?
Answer for yourself: As most who read these thought-provoking articles are Christians, do you understand that you, like I did before I learned the truth, have lived most of your lives as "Lawless Believes" and are trusting for you atonement something other than the Bible teaches and what Paul actually believed?
Needles to say we have a great contradiction. Paul’s life speaks otherwise than what is attributed to him in his letters. What we have to come to terms with is that much of what is believed written by Paul is rhetoric put into the mouth of Paul by the early Gentile Church. For you have seen hidden beneath the lines of your Bible evidence which contradicts much of what we are told Paul wrote. The both cannot be reconciled!
It is almost too scary to consider the many sins we have committed "under grace" without the guidance of God's Law which would have regulated our conduct and behavior if followed. Bet Emet Ministries continues to warn the Christian concerning the Law and its demands made upon one's worship of God through the correct giving of the Tithe, as well as the sanctification and observance of the many appointed times with God as commanded in the Law concerning His Festivals and Saturday Sabbaths. Not only this, but the Law details other than non-blood atonements which often are the subject matter of the teachings of Yeshua in the “red” of our Bibles, but our unfamiliarity with the Bible blinds us to such understanding. The only problem is that we, for the most part, don't know the Law and are not aware of what God gave besides animal sacrifices that atones for our sins. We must repent if we truly are believers in God and love Him more than our erroneous traditions.
We at Bet Emet Ministries realize that the vast majority of our readers have never had the opportunities presented to me as well as others who are part of our ministry to study in-depth to the degree that we do.
I personally understand the great handicap this presents to the average Christian believer today. The average believer cannot read either Hebrew or Greek and is at a total loss in coming to terms with the original language in which the Bible was written. Those who try to study rarely go deep enough since lacking the skill to do so to the degree necessary to arrive at pertinent information such as this article has provided. Thus, they find themselves dependent upon their local spiritual authorities for spiritual guidance in the Scriptures.
This is the tragic irony of all! Much within the documents comprising the New Testament can be shown to be Gentile fabrications when viewed against the religion of Yeshua which was Biblical Judaism.
As I have shown you in this article alone, a thorough understanding of the Bible and the Jewish Scriptures is necessary to accurately understand the events of the New Testament. Without such a background one is easily led astray by the “agenda” of the Gentile authors of the books of the New Testament in spite of the fact they carry “Jewish names” (given by Jerome). The real apostles of Yeshua had nothing to do with the writing of the Synoptic gospels, for just a cursory background in Judaism betrays the mistakes and errors within the Synoptic Gospels that pass for “Judaism” to the unlearned, which in reality never were a part of the Judaism practiced in the first century. The pagan religions of the non-Jews who were familiar with mystic blood cults. It is not surprising to find in Mythric cults, as well as others, liturgies in their pagan rites often quoted word or for word in the New Testament. How are we to account for this as if given to us by a Jewish Rabbi who fought and gave his life to strengthen the faith of Moses? The chronology and evolution of the Canon of the New Testament which was disputed, argued, debated, and challenged up until the first millennium after Yeshua.
One you come to an understanding that there was not a consensus of opinion concerning the books we take for granted was “inspired scripture,” and that consensus was arrived at only after hundreds and hundreds of years, then your opinion of these documents as “authoritative” will quickly vanish. Not only were books “in” and “out” of the Canon of the New Testament repeatedly, but this nonsense seriously calls into questions the role of the Holy Spirit in the selection process itself. Besides that, if you are acquainted with the theologies of those who did the selection, then you should be horrified that God would allow such an important task to fall into the hands of idolaters such as the early Roman Church. Let us not forget it was these people who prayed to the dead, believed in Mary as co-mediator with Yeshua, believed in purgatory, believed in purchasing indulgences to get people out of hell, baptized infants for salvation, etc.
Answer for yourself: It is to these we are to look for “inspired Scripture
I could go on and on, but you see the point. If you would like more in-depth teachings concerning the Hebrew Roots of the Christian Faith, how the original faith taken in the Great Commission was corrupted and later changed by Roman invention and how you can return to “the faith once given to the saints,” please contact us. Shalom.