Someone answer these two questions. I am curious and a little bit confused and just need some clarification. Maybe I’m over thinking I don’t know but maybe someone a little more educated than we can explain. Please don’t criticize just asking so I know it says in the Bible that you should honor your mother and your father and that your days upon the earth will be longer so let’s just say if your mom or dad offer you pork and you know in the Bible, you’re not supposed to eat pork in this instance what do you do?
April Tucker
This is not what honoring your parent means. It is one of those “build the community/society” verses. One can only truly honor parents who honor God. If the whole community is honoring God, then there will never be a problem.
There are as many answers to this as there are Messianics. Some will say that “pork is an abomination and therefore never touch it.” Others will say that “the relationship is more important, eat the pork, it only makes one unclean.” There is no easy answer. Other than that, always bring your own food.
There is no way out of the hypocrisy. This is what Paul meant by working out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Phil. 2:12
Unclean
If we carefully look through the Torah we soon realize that we are perpetually unclean. But there is a remedy. We have to wait till the sun goes down and take a bath before going to the temple.
24 “And by these you shall become unclean; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal which parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you; every one who touches them shall be unclean. 27 And all that go on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you. Lev. 11:24-28
But there is a slight problem here, there is no temple. We are now the temple and are perpetually clean in Messiah.
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats; Rom. 14:20
Who is my Father and my Mother?
48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matt. 12:48-50
Tradition
1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.’ 6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”Matt. 15:1-8
What does Paul mean in Ephesians 2:15 when he says…
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; Ephesians 2:15
Answer
This is addressed to the Church that was in Ephesus. Which was mostly made up of Gentiles. We must remember that we are reading someone else’s mail, and we may never completely understand the rationale for what is written.
Verse 11 starts with a “therefore” so we must consider what came before, which goes through the idea that we are one, both Jews and Gentiles, “by grace through faith.”
Although Paul is speaking of the Law, he only mentions one (in particular) circumcision. Circumcision is the one law given to be a sign of the covenant, and forever separated Jews and Gentiles. [Gen. 17]
Human hands make circumcision, and the dividing wall or the partition was also made by man’s hands. Only one who was physically circumcised could move beyond the Court of the Gentiles and into the temple precincts and participate in the ceremonies. The uncircumcised were not allowed.
FYI: This partition was a creation of the rabbis and was not original to the Torah.
Messiah’s sacrifice took away the need for the ceremonial law: that is the laws pertaining to the priestly and sacrificial rites. Which Paul calls “the law and the commandments and the ordinances.” Peter states this quite clearly in that, “Christ died once for all.” [1Pet. 3:18 ]
Paul, in making this statement, stresses that God made one congregation. That it is only through the work of Messiah that the one congregation can meet the commission to leave “the passions of our flesh.”[v3] Just as the Father and Son are one we should be one.
. . . that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21
The rest of Ephesians is on how this will Work
Throughout the Old Testament, the terms stranger and sojourners are put for those who are not part of the Commonwealth of Israel. But now that is no longer valid. All are built on the Foundation.
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, Eph. 2:19-20
And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?” Lev. 10:19
The Context
The tabernacle had been finished and the garments of the high priest had been made, chapter 8 starts with the consecration of Aaron and his son to be the high priests. The process of the dedication was laid out in Ex. 29. However, when the time came for the dedication of the family, things did not work out as planned.
FYI: These events took seven days to complete. “And you shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting for seven days until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you.” Lev 8:33
The Catastrophe
In chapter 9 we have the first sacrifices and the fire coming forth from before the Lord to light the altar for the first time.
This is where things started to go wrong, due to human error. In chapter 10 we have Aaron’s two sons Nadab and Abihu who offered “unholy fire” or “strange fire” before the Lord. The Hebrew text calls this fire “unauthorized” and “not commanded.”
And fire came forth from the presence of the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Lev. 10:2
No one is quite sure what this fire was. It is suggested that it was not for them to burn incense but rather Aaron was to do it, or that it was not the time to burn incense. Interestingly, this is the only time the Lord spoke directly to Aaron without Moses being present. It is surmised that there was some drinking that was the cause of some carelessness in the fire being kindled because this is what the Lord said to Aaron.
8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine nor strong drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. Lev. 10:8-9,
Now we have a family that did not have time to stop and mourn because they were still in the middle of this dedication period. There had to be some concern that something else could go wrong. The stress levels must have been extremely high.
Eleazar and Ithamar
Instead of eating their portion of the sacrifice Eleazar and Ithamar perform a complete burnt offering. Moses is very angry with them because they had not eaten the portion that was theirs to take and instead, they had burned the entire offering.
Moses explains why they were to eat it because it was to symbolize that in the eating they were symbolically taking the sins of the people into themselves.
“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? Lev. 10:17
Failing to do this correctly marred the image of Messiah in the sacrifice. This sacrifice represented Messiah taking on the sin of the world. We must remember that the priest and the victim are not two separate things. The image we seek is that our true Mediator is in himself both priest and victim/sacrifice. Therefore the priest bears the iniquity of the sinner for whom he makes expiation
It shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take upon himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering which the people of Israel hallow as their holy gifts; it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. Ex. 28: 38
Now back to the Verse in Question
And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?” Lev. 10:19
Aaron is upset that anyone would think he could eat when he has suffered the loss of his two older sons. Would the Lord truly be pleased if he had eaten the meat without celebrating? If the family was not hungry and did not feel like eating, this special food that was for them only, so it was simply burned. In doing this Aaron treats this sacrifice as if it were an ordinary peace offering.
. . . but what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. Lev 7:17
FYI: This passage does illustrate that there was some reasonable latitude with the application of the ritual observances and the unexpected circumstances of life.
Many people in the inherited churches will quote this verse without any regard for its context.
9 “Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”Josh 1:9b
They do this mostly from ignorance, because they don’t actually read the Bible for themselves. So they are easy prey for the worldly teachers that are so pervasive in this post-modern age, we live in.
Joshua’s Great Commission.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Josh 1:5-9
Notice that Joshua is the one that will cause the people to inherit.
vs. 6 “for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers”
The only way to get all this accomplished is to meditate on the Law. His success at this will depend on his meditating day and night on the first five books of the Bible. Courage comes from knowing what the right thing to do is. And knowing right and wrong comes from the Law of God.
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. Rom. 2:13
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! Psa. 119:1-3
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psa. 1:1-2
The inherited churches will tell us that the law has passed away. But that verse is also in complete.
31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Rom. 3:31
17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.Matt. 5:17 -18
So many times people have lost their way, simply because they did not look at the Law of God. Our economies fall apart because we do not practice sabbath and jubilee, our armies fail because we do not fight for truth or justice, we simply do not consider what is best for our fellow man, over what is profitable for us.
None of us are Joshua, but all of us can follow his lead. We were not told to take land, we were told to take souls. We were told to preach the Gospel, and that Gospel started in the Law. For it is in the Law that we find the promise of a redeemer. We were told to wait for our Redeemer for he would surely come.
Gen 3:15 Enmity between the woman’s Seed and the Serpent
Gen 9:25-27 Blessed be Shem
Gen 12:3 By you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves
Gen 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, till Shiloh comes
Sheol/ Hades, Gehenna, The Bottomless Pit, The Lake of Fire, etc.
The English word hell actually came from Old English hel, hell, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hel and German Hölle, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to cover or hide’.
But the English word is not what we are after. As we study the Bible we need to ask some questions about the words that are translated to hell. Are all these words referring to the same place, or are they different places?
Over the centuries the churches concepts of hell have been highly influenced by the pagan concepts. When Constantine made Christianity the state religion anyone wanting to have political influence needed to become Christian. These peoples conversions were never complete, and a great many pagan notions flooded the church. It doesn’t help that writings like Dante’s Inferno have given people a false notion of what will happen to the wicked, nor have the hell fire and brimstone preachers of the 19th century helped matters. These all gave us the misconception that the devil and demons are in charge of hell. Satan is not the king of hell. He is its chief prisoner. Messiah is the king of heaven, hell, and the earth.
But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell (Gehenna); yes, I tell you, fear him! Luke 12:5
And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. Rev. 19:20
As a child in church there was occasionally a guest speaking of the old hell fire and brimstone variety. They taught some interesting if not outright frightening concepts, but as I began to read the Bible for myself I did not find things so clear cut. While studying ancient mythology I realized that a great deal of that hellfire was coming from these ancient mythological stories. The most familiar of which is probably “Orpheus in Hades” however the oldest is “Ishtar in the Babylonian Hades” c.f. Myths of Babylon and Assyria by Donald A. Mackenzie page 95.
After all these centuries we are going to have to look at all these Biblical words and concepts to see if they are the same or different. To find where is truth and where is error.
The term “bottomless pit” is only mentioned in The Revelation. Most interpreters assume that it is a literal place, and equate it with the Old Testament’s concept of Sheol.
Sheol/Hades
Sheol was the place of the dead both good and bad, that had two areas divided by a great chasm. The best description of is in Luke 16:19-31 in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. But then there is the question as to whether or not this is a parable or an actual report, as it is the only parable where a person is named. Or is Messiah just making the point that those on the good side are known to Him by name, where those on the bad side are strangers whose name is not known to Him. Either way this is our best description of Sheol.
Gehenna
Gehenna is Greek for the valley of Hinnom. The idea that the valley of Hinnom is associated with Hell come from the Pseudepigrapha book of 1 Enoch.
1 Then said I: ‘For what object is this blessed land, which is entirely filled with trees, and this 2 accursed valley between?’ Then Uriel, one of the holy angels who was with me, answered and said: ‘This accursed valley is for those who are accursed for ever: Here shall all the accursed be gathered together who utter with their lips against the Lord unseemly words and of His glory speak hard things. Here shall they be gathered together, and here 1 Enoch 27:1-2
The valley became a place of idol worship and child sacrifice during the period of the Monarchy (2 Kgs. 23:10; Jer. 32:35). The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that the valley would become known as the “valley of Slaughter” where Yahweh would judge and punish his people (Jer. 7:30-32; 19:2, 6).
The valley was apparently named for the family that resided there at a time not specified.
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech. 2Kings 23:10
They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. Jer. 32:35
Messiah spoke of Gehenna as the place where body and soul are destroyed.
26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna). 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matt. 10:26-33
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell (Gehenna)? Matt. 23:33
But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell (Gehenna) of fire. Matt. 5:22
And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell (Gehenna), to the unquenchable fire. Mark 9:43
The Abyss/The Bottomless Pit
There are two outlier verses, that only contain the word for abyss without being modified by bottomless. It seems to be the place where demons are contained, rather than a place for human dead.
And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Luke 8:31
. . . or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Rom. 10:7
Bottomless
The Greek – prear tho abussos – or, shaft to the pit or abyss, a hole without a bottom, or the deepest hole in the earth.
In The Revelation the idea that it is bottomless seems to mean that it cannot be filled, or that it will never run out of space for the demons for whom it was intended. For it is a place of demons and not people.
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Rev. 9:1-2
They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. Rev. 9:11
And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, Rev. 11:7
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. Rev. 17:8
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. Rev. 20:1
Tartarus
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell (Tartarus) and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment; 2Pet. 2:4
Lake of Fire
And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. Rev. 19:20
. . . and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev. 20:10
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; 15 and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:14-15
NOTES
1.20 a‡bussoß, ou f: (a figurative extension of meaning of a‡bussoß ‘pit,’ not occurring in the NT) a location of the dead and a place where the Devil is kept (Re 20:3), the abode of the beast as the antichrist (Re 11:7), and of Abaddon, as the angel of the underworld (Re 9:11) — ‘abyss, abode of evil spirits, very deep place.’ ti÷ß katabh/setai ei˙ß th\n a‡busson; touvt∆ e¶stin Cristo\n e˙k nekrw◊n aÓnagagei√n ‘who can go down to the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead’ Ro 10:7; kai« e¶balen aujto\n ei˙ß th\n a‡busson ‘and he threw him into the abyss’ Re 20:3.
a‡bussoß is sometimes rendered as ‘a very deep hole’; in other instances, ‘a hole without a bottom’ or ‘the deepest hole in the earth.’
ABYSS
Although in English translations of the OT “abyss” is rarely used (cf. Gen. 1:2 NEB, NAB), Gk. aébyssos (“primal ocean” or “world of the dead”) appears frequently in the LXX as a translation of Heb. teïho®m, “waters of the deep.” Teïho®m, treated as a proper name, derives from the same Semitic root as [p. 12] Tiamat, the goddess in Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation story. However, it does not appear to be personified in the OT and refers variously to the creation event (Gen. 1:2; Job 38:16; Ps. 33:7), to blessings and fertility (Gen. 49:25; Deut. 8:7; Ps. 78:15), and to destruction (Gen. 7:11; 8:2; Ezek. 26:19; Amos 7:4). It is also associated with the Reed Sea (Exod. 15:5; Isa. 51:10; Ps. 106:9).
When “abyss” is not used to translate teïho®m, “the deep” is often employed (cf. Gen. 1:2 NJPSV, RSV, NRSV).
Usually translated “abyss” in the NT, it refers to the place of the dead (Rom. 10:7) and is synonymous with hell or Hades. It more frequently refers to the place where the forces of evil dwell (e.g., Luke 8:31; Rev. 9:1, 2).
GEHENNA(Gk. géenna; Lat. Gehenna)
The “valley of Hinnom” (from Heb. geî hinnoœm), a ravine (Wadi er-Raba®bi) S and SW of Jerusalem, meeting with the Kidron Valley at En-rogel. Early traditions locating the valley in the Wadi Kidron are not satisfactory. The English NT usually translates the Greek term as “hell.” The OT often combines “hinnom” with “sons (or ‘son’) of” (NRSV “Ben-hinnom”), suggesting a possible origin in a family name.
The valley became a place of idol worship and child sacrifice during the period of the Monarchy (2 Kgs. 23:10; Jer. 32:35). The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that the valley would become known as the “valley of Slaughter” where Yahweh would judge and punish his people (Jer. 7:30-32; 19:2, 6). Joel also envisions God’s judgment as occurring in a valley just outside the city of Jerusalem (Joel 3:2, 12, 14[4:2, 12, 14]; Isa. 30:29-33; 66:24). By the time of the Maccabees, the valley was the appropriate location in which to burn the bodies of one’s enemies (cf. 2 Esdr. 7:36). 1 Enoch viewed “the accursed valley” of God’s judgment as outside the city of Jerusalem, the center of the world (e.g., 1 En. 27:1).
By NT times the idea of Gehenna had made a full transformation to an otherworldly place of future punishment for the wicked. The valley itself may have become a place where trash was dumped and burned, thus an “unclean” location. (This interpretation has been questioned.) In theory, one could not go directly from the Hinnom dump to the temple because of the worshipper’s unclean status. This status of uncleanness (“cut-off”) and the past association of the valley with a place of judgment combined to create a metaphor for “hell.”
An alternative view is that the altars for pagan worship in the valley of Hinnom involved the funneling of the victim’s blood directly into the earth to satisfy the gods. This may have evolved into a tradition that this was an entrance into the underworld (the opposite of Jacob’s discovery of the staircase entrance to heaven).
By the time of the NT writers, the idea of a “hell” (gehenna) had developed into a physical place where God’s enemies would suffer punishment and destruction in both body and soul (e.g., Matt. 10:28; 23:33). Slaughter, burning, and shedding of blood all became symbols for this punishment (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:43-47).
See HINNOM.
HELL
An English word used to translate four biblical terms. Heb. sûeï}o®l and Gk. haédeäs generally refer to the world of the dead. Tartarus (cf. Gk. tartaroœoœ, 2 Pet. 2:4) is the place of punishment for fallen angels awaiting final judgment. Gk. géenna is the place and condition of just retribution saved for the post-judgment impenitent.
Originally, all the dead had the same banal existence in Sheol. Sheol later included an eschatological dimension, a future with resurrection, final judgment, doctrines; it was the grave, and the shadowy realm of the dead, where the human spirit no longer exists. The three-tiered cosmology of heaven, earth and Sheol or Hades shifted with the realization of a planetary system. Preexilic Hebrew thought assumed the dead formed a faceless collective after death. Gk. phylakeäí, also the underworld or the place of punishment in hell, is where Satan is made harmless during the millennium (Rev. 20:7); though death occurs, the pneuíma exists, and “prison” becomes the place of torture.
Gehenna first clearly occurs as a post—final judgment locus of the wicked in Enoch. In Hades, a preparatory place, the souls await their end. In rabbinic literature Gehenna refers to the final, not an intermediate, place of retribution. Apocalyptic writings announce death, resurrection, a judgment, final punishment, and a place of retribution that imply Gehenna. The term derives from “the valley of Hinnom” (or “lamentation”) near Jerusalem. The pollution there signified horror, defilement, and consuming fires. Consequently, Gehenna became a metaphor for acute torment. During Jesus’ time, Gehenna meant an irrevocable, eternal doom for the wholly wicked.
The Lukan Hellenistic Gehenna concerns immediate reward and punishment after death, the resurrection of the just. Following judgment, God sends the wicked to Hades or Gehenna, and the [p. 573] righteous go to Paradise for resurrection with Jesus at the Parousia. A Jewish-influenced Matthew omits reward and punishment at death, and ascribes a judgment day, resurrection, bodily Gehenna, and an eternal agony for the wicked. After the resurrection and judgment, Gehenna receives the evil for retribution.
Hades, the place of all the dead, is the name of the Greek underworld god. Sheol and the old concept of Hades are the dark, gloomy abodes of the dead. Increased Jewish belief in resurrection meant God would bring the dead from Hades back to life — a return of corporeal life; a life for resurrected spirits in heaven. God brings the soul from Hades and the body from the grave to be rejoined in resurrection. At the resurrection, death ceases, and Hades will be closed. Both death and Hades diminish into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).
In Jewish eschatology, death meant the separation of the body and soul. Yet no harm occurs after death, for the soul remains secure. Matt. 25 portrays hell as the domain of Satan and his angels, and the damned. The OT makes no reference to torture once persons are relegated to Sheol. Intertestamental literature focuses on heavenly assistance against God’s enemies, a human messiah, and divine justice.
Most scholars agree that the only text (1 Pet. 3:18-20) which might imply Jesus’ descent into hell does not support earlier interpretations that suggest Jesus’ preaching to the dead or experiencing a passion or damnation. Recent scholars view this event as the work of the risen Christ. Some scholars contend Christ descended into hell triumphantly after his death, to show himself as the defeater and conqueror of death, Satan, and hell. The NT does not reflect any passion or activity of Jesus between death and resurrection.
Most interpreters agree that Eph. 4:8 first concerns Christ’s descent (v. 9), then his triumphant ascent after his death and resurrection: from heaven to earth (incarnation) or from earth to grave (Sheol). Others contend the descent occurred after Jesus’ ascension and depicts the return to the earth of the exalted Christ as the Spirit and Pentecost.
Jesus did not proclaim a doctrine of hell nor describe damnation, and spoke only marginally of hell. His proclamation of the kingdom of God invited one to choose salvation or doom, yet Jesus did not preach dualism. Many contrasting metaphors for hell indicate God’s wrath and punishment. The notion of eternity indicates a final punishment, but not necessarily one that extends for all times. Ideas of complete destruction and infinite punishment over against universal love, mercy, and reconciliation exist throughout Scripture and Church history. Ultimately, damnation is not an absolute and remains contingent on God’s will and grace.
Bibliography. G. Doehler, “Descent into Hell,” Springfielder 39 (1975): 2–19; W. H. Harris, III, “The Ascent and Descent of Christ in Ephesians 4:9-10,” BSac 151 (1994): 198–214; H. Küng, Eternal Life? (Garden City, 1984); C. Milikowsky, “Which Gehenna? Retribution and Eschatology in the Synoptic Gospels and in Early Jewish Texts,” NTS 34 (1988): 238–49; H. Scharen, “Gehenna in the Synoptics,” BSac 149 (1992): 324–37, 454–70.
BRIMSTONE
Probably burning sulphur (cf. Lat. ignis et sulphur for Gk. puír kaií theiíon). Except for Job 18:15, all biblical references to brimstone are coupled with fire. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone (Gen. 19:24). The Psalmist uses fire and brimstone as a metaphor for God’s judgment upon the wicked (Ps. 11:6). The lake which burns with fire and brimstone is the final destiny of the devil, the beast, the false prophet (Rev. 19:20; 20:10), death, hades (20:14), and all people whose names are not written in the book of life (21:8).
Food always comes up as an issue in Messianic congregations.
When the congregation was small and we all lived near each other we had potlucks every Shabbot. We all came from different backgrounds and were all at different points in our spiritual growth and so it was decided that we were not going to fight over food. So we posted, “some in our Congregation keep kosher, so if you bring something to share that contains pork or shellfish please tell us.” Some of us will eat such food and some of us won’t.
Now that we are larger and all over the world, we still feel the same way. There is so much wrong with what is being taught in the post-modern churches, that what we eat is the least of our problems.
But the question still comes up, what is clean and unclean? And does it matter anymore?
Many Messianics use the word Kosher improperly or it can be argued that the Jew use it improperly, (like we did up there in our keep kosher comment). To a Jew the noun Kosher is about the separation of meat and dairy. Where Messianics tend to use Kosher to mean meats that are forbidden which are actually called Trefah.
Forbidden or Trefah Foods
A full list of what is clean and unclean is in the whole chapter of Leviticus 11. Here are the ones that come up most often.
7 And the swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
9 “These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is an abomination to you.Lev. 11:7-9
But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is an abomination to you. Lev. 11:10
And Deuteronomy
And the swine, because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. Deut. 14:8
“You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the alien who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a people holy to the LORD your God.
“You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. Deut. 14:21
Gentiles
The entire Leviticus 11 chapter is addressed to the children of Israel.
1 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, These are the living things which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Lev. 11:1-2
This an other laws became a problem in the first century. How many of these laws were to be applied to the non Jew who had come to faith. This is one of the questions that were addressed by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.
Clean
Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. Lev. 11:3
“These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. Lev. 11:9
When the temple stood the altar was that which consecrated all things.
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become holy. Ex. 29:37
But now we are the holy sacrifice.
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Rom. 12:1
What ever Messiah touched became clean. Just as anything making contact with the altar in the temple had become clean.
You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. John 15:3
If we are all clean in Messiah? Then there is no reason to fight over food.
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats; Rom. 14:20
Penalty
But there was a way to become clean after eating these Trefah foods.
24 “And by these you shall become unclean; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 26 Every animal which parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you; every one who touches them shall be unclean. 27 And all that go on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.Lev. 11:24-28
So the penalty is that one is unclean till evening and one will have to go through the ritual bathing before one can go into the temple. Oh wait, there is no temple. We are the temple, and we are clean.
Many believers only know the view their spiritual leader holds. That person often only mentions what they believe. Or they disparage the other’s views to a degree that students may think that those that hold the other views are not even true believers. All too often, the controversy of these views has become greater than our brotherly love for one another as the arguments rage on. Speculation on things unfulfilled are seemingly more important than our unity in our salvation.
The Millennium
We get the term millennium from early Latin writers for mille or “one-thousand.”
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4
There are three views on how this will be fulfilled, Pre-millennial, A-millennial, or Post-millennial.
Pre-millennialists believe that the Messiah will return before this millennial period.
A-millennialists believe that there is no literal millennium.
Post-millennialists believe that Messiah will return after the millennium.
For the sake of argument, the authors of this blog are Pre-millennialists. However, that is not to say that we do not think that the other views are devoid of a good argument.
Those arguments are centered on the fact that the passage where pre-millennialists think the Messiah literally returns, is clearly highly symbolic. Messiah is presented as riding a horse and with a sword coming from His mouth. There is also the fact that the Greek word mille doesn’t alway mean one thousand, sometimes it mean lots and lots like the English world zillions.
A Little History
In the nineteenth century, many if not most of the Western Protestant churches were Post-millennialist or A-millennialist. They believed that the church through its missionary activities that the Western Imperial nations would bring Christ and good government to the lost dark world. However the American Civil war brought many to reconsider the immorality of man.
Then the even greater, War to End All Wars, or WW1, brought the idea into ridicule. All were disillusioned that the church could ever change enough hearts or that Western governments could teach good government when these Christian nations were slaughtering each other on an industrial scale.
After this Christians viewed other Christians with great skepticism as to their faith. After all, both sides had claimed Christ. Europeans were filled with pessimism and suspicion about God Himself and began to leave Christianity altogether.
This was when the Pre-millennialists became the primary view that was taught in seminaries and then churches. Because they don’t think that the church can bring the nations to righteousness. We believe that this can only happen with the physical presence of Messiah on earth.
The Reign
However the passage actually seems to be connected with Dan 7’s throne judgement. In this passage there seems to be some overlap or delay between the thrones and the reigning, and the judgment.
9 As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
11 I looked then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.Dan. 7:9-14
Conclusion
We are just as confused as when we started. I suppose as Sir Issac Newton said, “Time will be the telling of the prophecy.”
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, . . . Rev. 15:3a
The inherited churches in the last two centuries have made Moses and Jesus, into Moses verses Jesus. But Jesus did not come to put away the Law of Moses.
Until the Dispensationalists made their appearance in the early 1800’s, standard church teachings included the observation of the fourth commandment, to keep the Sabbath. They did believe or teach that the day had changed to Sunday. Because the Romans had changed the day from the Sabbath to Sunday, but they still taught that it must be kept. Until recently, most states in the US and provinces in Canada had blue laws that closed businesses on Sundays. But the Dispensationalists have taken over the postmodern church and now teach that, “the Law has passed away.” The Commandments and The Song of Moses has been neglected. They keep quoting this verse as if that was all the verse states.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. Rom. 3:31
“Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them”. Matt. 5:17
It has not been the historical teachings of the inherited churches that the law was done away with. Over the centuries they posted the Ten Commandments on their walls, and frequently taught the children to recite them.
As for Passing Away
For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Matt. 5:18
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one dot of the law to become void. Luke 16:17
Whether looking forward or backward to the Blood of the Lamb, all people are saved at the cross.
Sing the Song of Moses
But if we are children of God, then we are to hold onto the Commandments and bear proof of Jesus.
Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. Rev. 12:17
It seems poignant here, that the congregation of Rev. 12 understands that to fully worship, they must both understand God’s commandments and accept His Messiah as their redeemer. Those who over come the false teachings, sing both the song of Moses and the Lamb.
And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! Rev. 15:3
The Israelites sang praises to God on the banks of the Red Sea after being saved from their enemies. So too, the Bride now sings, for all her enemies have been destroyed. She praises God through the Song of the Lamb for His great deeds, for being Just and True. She calls Him Holy and declares that all the nations shall worship Him.
It does not seem too mean that one is to actually singing these particular songs that are said to be songs of Moses or the Lamb. It is more about what these songs say. All these Songs of Moses and the Songs of the Lamb are songs of triumph; ascribing power, glory, and salvation to God. They point to the One whose right hand had delivered mightily. [Ex. 15:1-18; Deut. 32:1-43; Ps. 90] [Rev. 5:9-10; 15:3-4]
The books of Moses; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy provide the foundational understanding of sin, redemption, and prophecy. If one is not taught these foundational books, then a great deal of what Messiah said makes no sense. The context of His teachings are to a people that are living the Law of Moses.
This is the reason that Moses came first. The rules of salvation had to be explained. One simply must have the Law so that the Messiah can fulfill the Law.
One must sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. We cannot sing just one. Truth faith keeps the Commandments and The witness that Jesus is the only way of Salvation by fulfilling the Law.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5
Over the centuries the church has confused itself as to what “born of water” means. Some have taught that this means baptism, others that it means natural birth.
The idea that it is baptism comes straight out of the apostate church, that mingled christianity with the mystery religions, and for this reason should be rejected out of hand. A little background is needed here. In a mystery religion all those who wanted to be initiated into the mystery had to be baptized. These rituals were apparently not as smooth going as modern ones, for the ancients refer to those who “survived.” These were then given the secret knowledge of the mystery. The grand incentive to submit to this ordeal was as Tertullian tells us, a promise of an outcome of—
Natural birth can be excluded because that is what Nicodemus thought and Messiah corrects him and said the meaning is not natural but rather “heavenly things.”
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? John 3:11-12
So, He is speaking of heavenly or spiritual things, not literal physical things.
However
This is in the book of John, not Matthew, Mark, Luke, or Paul. None of them even cover this event with Nicodemus. We must consider that John is the guy who wrote about antichrists in his epistles, no one else mentions this name. He also wrote about a ten horned seven headed sea monster in The Revelation, and many other strange spiritual things, none of the others have such weird use of language. Remember most scholars believe that the book of The Revelation was written first, then the gospel, then the epistle. So what did water mean in John’s books?
And he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. Rev. 17:15
To John water is where nations come from, and the main subject here in John chapter three, is The Kingdom of Heaven. We must not forget that the Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom or nation.
If one assumes that there is no time break between chapters 2 and 3 of the gospel of John, then the contexts is the mo’dim (appointed time) of Passover. This was the time the story of how the nation was birthed when leaving Egypt and passing through the waters of the Red Sea.
But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Ex. 14:29
He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. Psa. 78:13
They came out of the sea a nation or kingdom, with God as their king. As we become citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph. 2:19
From the Congregation of Biet Sepher 