Born Again

Did you grow up in a Born Again Church? All of us at Biet Sapher did. This is the verse that we were taught over and over.

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see/perceive the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 

However, they never get the obvious reversal of the Text, if one is Born Again then they can see the Kingdom of God. 

The funny thing is, that most Born Again Christians believe in what is doctrinally called, a Delayed Kingdom. Meaning that because the Jews rejected their Messiah, the kingdom was delayed till the end of our age, and that the coming of the kingdom will come when Messiah returns. The Text doesn’t support this at all. [See Also: Intro to the Kingdom Parables]

If the kingdom is delayed then both John the Baptist and Messiah Himself were deceivers. Either the kingdom was at hand or is wasn’t.

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. 3:1-2  

. . . and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15

Context

Nicodemus a member of the Sanhedrin came by night and addressed Messiah with great deference, he called him Rabbi and said the He is a great miracle worker and teacher from God .

Then whatever may have brought Nicodemus to this time and place goes out the window with Messiah’s statement that, “. . .you must be born again,” to see the Kingdom. 

Nicodemus is clearly confused. He is clearly thinking of physical things of the world. He questioned the sanity of the possibility of going through the physical birth process again. Our Messiah is a bit harsh, and asked Nicodemus how could a leader such as himself not understand. But he is no different from the millions who have read this passage and also got hung up on physical things. Even with the direct statement by Messiah that these are not physical things.

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?John 3:12

We can only conclude that if one is truly born again then they can perceive the Kingdom of Heaven. They will see that God is on the Throne, and the gates of hell will not prevail against us.

Later

Nicodemus must have thought long and hard on all the words Messiah spoke to him that night, for this is the same Nicodemus that helped with the body of our Lord.

Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight. John 19:39

Somewhere between that night of deeply spiritual discussions and the crucifixion there was clarity, the words from that night must have come back to him. His eyes opened and he saw the Kingdom. 

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14-15

Why else would he take such a personal risk to help with the body of the most notorious and hated man in Jerusalem?

The sight is spiritual, the kingdom is spiritual, someday the kingdom will be physical and every eye shall see. But for now only born again eyes can see.

If one cannot see, there are instructions in the letter to the Church of Laodicea.

17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 8 Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Rev. 3:17-18

The Lamb’s Book of Life

The Inherited churches have over the centuries taught some rather odd things about the Lamb’s Book of Life. Some say, Michael the Arch Angle is the one who writes names into the book, other that Messiah writes the names in. However these ideas have no merit in light of Scripture. The only reason for all this is to make the church somehow responsible for you to be written in the book. If one is Baptized the right way or speaks the proscribed magic words, then one’s name will be written down. However this is not what the scriptures say:

But now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Ex. 32:32-33

The Book already has names written in it. What can apparently happen is ones names can be blotted out.

The Bible is clear that everyone starts out written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. At some point some names are removed, blotted out, scratched off, or erased (depending on the translation).

Other verses

Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous. Psa. 69:28

And I ask you also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Phil. 4:3

He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Rev. 3:5

. . . and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. Rev. 13:8

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

. . . and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:15 

But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Rev. 21:27

Michael

This is the verse where Michael come into it all. However He is not writing names.

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book.” Dan. 12:1

Right Past the Cross

A common problem with Messianic Judaism/Hebrew roots congregation is that too many people never seem to make a real commitment to follow Messiah. These people have left the inherited church, looking for more truth, only to walk right by the cross and straight into pagan Judaism.  What good is that?  They may have had some vague notion of having passed a great light on their way, but they did not stop to consider it.  To leave Xmas, easter, the saints, and Mary only to end up counting the letters of the Torah and vainly separating your meat from your milk, is no good.  Likewise, what of those who would leave pagan Judaism searching to fill the gaping hole in their soul only to pass by the cross on their way to a corrupted church?  Once again they have a glimpse or sense of that bright light along the way but it is quickly blighted by the senseless and needless ritual of the compromised inherited church; intent on manifestations and feelings rather than study and faithfulness to God’s Word.

Stop! And stay at the cross!  At the cross, you will realize, like all those who made it there before you that, Ya!  You are wicked and evil; if you were the last person on earth, you would have driven those nails in all by yourself.

We are all wicked and evil, our hope is not in traditions of the church OR Judaism, our only hope is in that one blood sacrifice made at the cross. Stay with the greatest Rabbi of all, the Messiah, the one who was willing to give His life for you.  He said to take up your cross and follow him! Not Akiva! Not the pope! Not Luther or Calvin.  Follow Jesus/Yeshua/ Messiah!

How does one follow the Messiah?  By doing what He said.

“ While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him” Matt. 12:46

“But he replied to the man who told him,  “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,  “Here are my mother and my brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matt. 12:48-50

Only the faithful, in both the Law and Jesus, are mentioned in The Revelation.

“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

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

Do you know the song of Moses?  Do you know the song of the Lamb?  If you are only singing one, you need to learn the other.  And if you belong to a group that only sings one or the other you need to “come out” of that place and find one that teaches both, properly!

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matt. 7:14

When we came out of the inherited church the one thing we did not like about most Messianic/Hebrew Roots congregations was that our children were not getting enough Jesus/Yeshua. We have created our own three-year reading schedule, where we have included The Gospels and Acts. You can download it here or make your own.

They stood beneath the mountain Exodus 19-24

After the children of Israel left Egypt they came to Mt Sinai on the Arabian Peninsula, now call  by the Arabic name Jebel el Lawz.

Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Ex. 19:17

FYI: No, Mt Sinai is not on the Sinai Peninsula as your Bible atlas shows. That is and was Egypt and they had left Egypt, so they had to be in Arabia. As Paul said.

 Once the children of Israel left Egypt they came to Mt Sinai in Arabia to meet their God. [Gal. 4:25 ]

18 Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off,  19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin.” Ex. 20:18-20