First Century Christianity

Peter tells us how to know if we are born again or not....if you know how to see it.

Shmini is the Hebrew worth for 8th. This Torah Portion addresses the 8th day, which is a remarkably significant concept for Christianity and prophecy. The 8th day signifies a transition in holiness, such as when a boy is circumcised on the 8th day, when the priesthood officially began, and the transition from this world to the world to come.

Why are Christians Keeping the Feast of Tabernacles?The page to learn about the North Kansas City Feast site is https://firstcenturychristianity.net/fot-2025/You may be hearing about Christians who keep the biblical festivals and are wondering what that's all about. As it turns out, the first century church continued to observe the biblical holy days. In fact, both Gentile and Jewish people who accepted Yeshua, Jesus, as the Messiah, continued to fellowship in the synagogues for over a hundred years after Yeshua ascended. We see hints of this in the New Testament, notably at 1 Cor 5 when Paul reminds the Corinthians to continue keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, the Spring biblical holy days, as an analogy for addressing some other problems in their assembly. Keeping these days were so not in doubt that Paul is able to use them as analogies, like we would use Thanksgiving or the 4th of July today. In other words, it is completely taken for granted that the gentile converts in Corinth are observing Passover that Paul is able to use that practice at a teaching tool. What about the Feast of Tabernacles, also called Sukkot? This festival happens in the fall. It was ordained, just like Passover, as a memorial of the Exodus. The Israelites had to live in temporary dwellings for 40 years in the wilderness so this festival is a reminder of that. But it's also a humongous celebration because they got to cross into the promised land and enjoy the food and freedom that came with living the way God intended in the land He set apart!Passover is a memorial of the Exodus and crossing into the Promised land but we all know now that it was a prophecy of the Messiah, the Lamb of God, coming down from heaven to live a sinless life and bear our transgressions. Tabernacles follows this same pattern. It's a memorial to living in temporary dwellings, called sukkot, the plural of sukkah. That's a reminder that our time in this life is temporary, that there is something more out there. But there is a specific prophecy about this observance in the Old Testament book of Zechariah, chapter 14, verses 16-18. This prophecy states that at a future time, the entire world will either observe the Feat of Tabernacles. Those who don't will die by famine because there will be no rain on their lands. This is a future prophecy. Nothing like this has ever happened in history. Most who study prophecy and believe this will happen place the event in the 1000 year Messianic kingdom that begins when Yeshua, Jesus, returns. Whenever this happens, though, it's a prophecy about all nations keeping the Feast of Tabernacles in the future. So many of us ask why not now?Many Christians have returned to the practices of the first century church because it just makes sense. The bible is one story, from Genesis to Revelation, about God's relationship with mankind and His desire to have a relationship with us. A big blessing in keeping God's holy days is that our faith and our lifestyle become one. We who keep these days walk out our faith all year long, planning for the next set of holy days, enjoying the last ones, and living the way we believe all mankind will live when Yeshua, Jesus, returns. We will be hosting the Feast of Tabernacles in North Kansas City this year (2025). This year, we are going to teach the basics of why the holy days apply to Christians. The dates are October 7-14 and we would love for you to join us whether you are local or coming from out of town. Please consider joining us and you can find the information and register at the FOT25 link on firstcenturychristianity.net. I will post that link wherever this gets posted. You may also join us each week for services, online or in person, every Saturday at 1pm central time.Thanks for your time and may YHVH bless you and keep you, in the Name of His Son, Yeshua.

This one is a total slam dunk for us. There is no question the first century church kept Passover. Paul explains Messiah is our Passover and what we just did is as mirrored off the first century church as was can possibly do. This is not so we can be technically accurate, although that is important. But if we are to believe in this faith, we must pattern our lives after it and fully adopt it. Belief must be manifested as a change in behavior and practices.Printed notes and such available at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/yes-christians-are-supposed-to-keep-passover/

The Wedding Supper of the Lamb is an analogy... until itisn't! Throughout history, Yahweh has given warnings about impending destruction. The invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb is a metaphor for this warning. This years' message on First Fruits shows the warning throughouthistory and why we need to accept the invitation lest we end up outside, weeping and gnashing our teeth. Written pdf notes available at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/weeping-and-gnashing-of-teeth/

Understanding the cost of sin and what we can learn of the Messiah from the details of the offerings.

Messianic Torah Portion Pekudei: The transition from common to holy and the relationship between the tabernacle, Ezekiel's temple, and when Jesus will drink the cup new with us in the kingdom.

Restoring a pure language – that's not today and we're not going to do that on our own. Genesis 11:1 Trying to do this ourselves is likely prohibited. We know that when mankind tries to act like YHVH, He is not pleased. The verse from Isaiah about rebuilding Jerusalem better. Isaiah 9:8-11 when Ephraim and the Samarians say in their heart ehy will rebuild Israel better, it is considered from pride and self-will, thus YHVH sends adversaries to smite them more. By extension, we should realize that until He wants language restored, it will not happen.That doesn't mean we don't try to learn what the ancients were communicating, but we need to be cognizant of pride, our motivations, and the reality of our present state. While we can learn a lot from studying, we need to realize they were in a state of flux as well. It's Genesis 11 where mankind had a unified language. That means Moses did not.Entropy is a word that means chaos or disorder always increases. This is often illustrated by dropping a perfect pile of marbles on the ground to see how the marbles that travel the furthest have the largest deviation from the original pile. Our present state of language is an enormous illustration of this. I recently found a fun YouTube channel called RobWords. This gentleman traces the history of languages throughout history. What I learned, and should have already known, is that our English alphabet isn't the English alphabet at all. It's the Latin alphabet. The English alphabet is a set of characters called runes. I know English is a mutt of a language, but I found the extent of this to be astonishing. I have put a link to one of Rob's videos in the comments and hope you find time to watch. I've watched a number of his presentations and am floored each time. But it reminds me that for us in our present state of perpetual confusion to think we have some miniscule chance at restoring the pure language ourselves is absolute folly.Rob Words video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4npuVmGxXukThe other remarkable illustration of this is rooted in the restoration of the nation of Judah which is called Israel today. A member of our group sent this video to me about two years ago. When the Jews from all over the world returned to Israel, they set about recording how those who had kept Hebrew alive pronounced the language. Not surprising at all, but the different regions spoke the language significantly different from each other. This video illustrates some of the differences, which even persist to this day. Of course, we all know that languages are not static from English. The Australians and British have distinctly different accents and inside of the US, we have widely varying accents ourselves. Somehow, though, we get it into our minds that Hebrew is immune from change when it certainly is not. Hebrew spoken from Jews who returned to the land. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1ofUZB-76wI hope you all find some time to watch these videos. A couple takeaways from today's message are that we should really be aware of our present state and set realistic goals for our studies. The expectation that we get the pronunciations perfect today simply is not true. We also need to be wary of shunning legitimate scholars and history in our studies. We have a tendency to do this because of how skewed Christianity has become by academia and clergy, but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Good and edifying information is out there, even if it takes a bit of work to find it.Have a blessed week as we begin or continue our preparations for this year's Passover season. May Yahweh bless you and keep you in the Name of His Son, Yeshua. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/a-reality-check-on-restoring-language/

Messianic Torah Portion Vayakhel show us the Holy Spirit in action in the Old Testament with the building of the Tabernacle!

We're about to commemorate the death of Jesus, whom we call Yeshua more accurately. This is an annual set of observances that are commanded for believers. This time of year, we often spend a lot of time discussing when to do what. Most of Christianity keeps a thing called Easter, which isn't biblical at all. Then there are those of us who do what the Messiah commanded and Paul demonstrated. But there's a third group of people who are increasing in numbers exponentially. What about everyone who doesn't know a thing about the bible? What about those who only know of Christianity because of culture? The folks who haven't studied or given a second thought to the enormity of these observances and their eternal implications. How do we reach them and why does this matter?Frankly, it's about the afterlife. Where do you want to spend eternity? Because this is a binary decision. There are only two options. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:11-15)The two options are lake of fire or eternal life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Yeshua the Messiah, is that the invitation for all mankind to attain eternal life has been sent. It was sent by God sending His Son so that whoever believes in the Son may not perish. The bible is the story of God's interaction with mankind. The New Testament is a continuation of this story. The Messiah, (Christ means Messiah, btw) died at the time appointed for the culmination of the Old Testament to then make a shift to the world. The Gospel, the good news, was spread to the known world through twelve men at the first, and then hundreds, then thousands, the tens of thousands, and so on. This season matters because it's our annual remembrance of the sinless Son of God who died to take away the sins of those who believe in Him. This grants us access to the kingdom of God. Keep in mind, this isn't about Yeshua being innocent of what He was accused of. Meaning, this is not about Him being executed unfairly. That happens a lot more often in history than we would like to think of. This is about a being, the very Son of God, coming to earth as a child, being raised as a man, being tempted in all ways, and not sinning one time. Because sin is the cause of death, God sent His Son to die sinless to bear the sins of those who accept Him. That's what this season is all about. The sinless death of the Lamb of God and God's subsequent resurrection of His Son, who now sits at God's right hand and mediates for those who accept Him.Please accept the invitation to enter into the kingdom, to enter into eternal life. Call to mind your sins, reconcile with those you may have wronged, prepare your homes, and enter this Passover season humbled by the death of our Messiah. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/why-jesus-matters/

The Gospel According to MosesOpening with a very broad overview of why to study the whole bible and the true goal of the Gospel.Highlights of this study are establishing the role of mediator, parallels between Moses and Yeshua, and the Book of Life.

Revision 2 of a message about the myths that circulate the commandment keeping Christians such as Messianic, Hebrew Roots, and Sacred Name Movement folks.A pdf of the chart is available at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/myths-versus-truth/

Three Days and Three NightsSlide 2 Do this in memory of me – has been corrupted over time. It's an annual observance that's in addition to what they were already doing. This is not optional. It may sound odd to hear “you have to do something” if you're from many of the traditional Christian faiths, but this is the hard reality. He commanded us to do something in memory of Him. We have to take that literally and seriously. Paul is repeating a commandment to the Corinthian church that He received from the Lord. They were a mixed bunch in a pagan city, so this has to apply to all types of believers and is a commandment, not an option. Slide 3 the timing. Sign of Jonah – it has to be close to 3 days and 3 nights. Slide 4 Modern timing makes no sense. Slide 5 – we have to ignore our time keeping entirely. Very hard to do. But we need to establish and anchor point. Some time in these events from which to derive when it all began and when it all ended. This anchor point is the Passover. Big deal since Yeshua is the Lamb of God. Him dying on Passover is very important to doctrine and we can get into that later. The point here is to use biblical reckoning for time and He died on Passover.Slide 6 – timeline. The anchor point is when the death happened – on the late afternoon of Abib 14. At sunset on Abib 14 starts the High Sabbath of ULB1. This is where we measure from. Then we look back 24 hours and see the night He was betrayed. Then we add 3 to 14 and come up with the resurrection. Slide 7 The Night Yeshua was Betrayed sunset April 11, 2025 (Friday night)Passover (on Shabbat) sunset April 12, 2025Days of Unleavened Bread – April 13-19, 2025 with the 13th (Sunday) and 19th (Shabbat) as Sabbaths.There is no observance for the wave sheaf offering. It's not a Sabbath.https://firstcenturychristianity.net/three-days-and-three-nights/

Messianic Torah Portion Tetzaveh establishes anointing, Yahweh's mechanism for identifying people He calls for specific missions. Anointing is associated with light, oil, high office, and specifically Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. This Torah portion also establishes the concept of holiness, something our civilization has forgotten. Holiness is a hierarchal structure where believers must understand that certain things are off-limits, regardless of how much you may know or do.

History is Repeating: The Comeback of Totalitarianism. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Did you know there are people who purposely want to erase history so that it does repeat? Do you know this was a very common weapon used against nations just a few decades ago?Communism and Fascism were universally rejected in the 1990s. Somehow these are making a comeback and we have to stop it. These two terms refer to economic systems that bring about dictatorships where all commerce, thought, production, power, etc. become centralized in a government and the people do not possess any rights whatsoever. They are awful systems that bring death and oppression. Those of us who are in our 50s or higher were taught to loathe these systems and value freedom and the free market in school. We were taught this through books that showed the awful result of these systems of government. Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, Brave New World, Atlas Shrugged, and other works were these books. If you've never read one of these, you really ought to. Ask yourself a couple questions. Do you hold any beliefs today that are in direct opposition to something you believed recently? If so, how did that happen?Do you hold any political beliefs that are completely incongruent? Meaning at total odds with each other? If the answer is yes, you really want to keep listening. Because something has been done to you by outside forces to get you this way. Intentionally. And for sinister reasons. The goals of the societal takedown. Keep in mind they socialist/Marxist/communist people did not believe these points were valid for society. They used these to destroy existing societies so they could replace authority with themselves. https://cdn.subsplash.com/documents/W8FD27/_source/5b8c9068-5344-4a33-b77a-31d54f98a52e/document.pdfDeception is key. It's 100% trickery. You must be mad and outraged at something, even if it's not real. In most cases it's not real. Then somebody sweeps in with a fix. And the fix doesn't even make sense. We're 36 trillion in debt as a nation so we need to cut government. At the same time proposing cutting enormous taxes or even offering refunds. That makes no sense whatsoever. Zero.They had to get rid of religion, specifically Christianity, secondarily Judaism, to do this. That's because adherents of these two faiths hold a morality that doesn't come from mankind. And adherents of these two faiths are also educated. It's hard to change society when the citizenry holds to a moral authority above the state and can also critically sift through information. These two religions also have educated leaders who can sway the populace, and the state can't have that.Well, religion is nearly gone from our society. We are two generations deep into a society that is largely unchurched. And that means any church. Forgetting or rewriting history is also a component. That's the reason for this post. It's all to condition us to believe lies. Today, with the internet being almost universally accessed several times a day by everyone in developed countries, lies spread like wildfire. Social media should be called socialist media at this point. Truth looks stranger than fiction, like understanding how communism comes in. And we lost truth in 30 years while, shockingly, at the same time we had an information revolution. Norway not refueling a nuclear sub is the latest whopper. For those who may not know, nuclear subs and ships only refuel every 20 years and it's not done in a port of call. More at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/history-is-repeating-the-comeback-of-totalitarianism/

Messianic Torah Portion Terumah shows how the Hebrews overwhelmingly did not contribute to the making of the golden calf. The building of the temple included the work of the nations, showing Yahweh's house was meant for all mankind. This all ties into the building up of the church, where each individual's talents and expected to be used to edify the entire body of Messiah.

Do Not Follow the Masses in Doing EvilHow this commandment is tied to the crucifixion of the Messiah, the problems in our society today, and the end of days.

Messianic Torah Portion Mishpatim (Laws)This is the section of Torah after the Ten Commandment but before the golden calf incident. The laws given to Moses are very fair and this shows the original intent was not to have a Levitical priesthood but for each man to be able to commune with YHVH himself through the altars of stone. Within this section, though, are specific commands that Sanhedrin broke in order to kill the Messiah. Most noteworthy were to give credence to false witnesses and to follow the masses in doing evil.

Did DOGE Accidentally Reveal the Babylon of Revelation?There have been some significant developments with the world'seconomy in recent years that shows us who the Babylon from Revelation may be.This video also includes a lesson on when to take the bible literally and whento not.

Messianic Torah Portion Yitro (Jethro)This portion includes Moses being reunited with is first wife and children through his father-in-law Jethro. Moses greets Jethro by bowing, shachah in Hebrew, proskuneo in Greek, which shows that we cannot use this action to determine who God is without specific context. Moses listens to Jethro and establishes a tiered leadership infrastructure just before the people get the Ten Commandments. Loving God is equated with keeping His commandments, which we strive to do. We also delve into the New Testament context and applications of the Ten Commandments showing that the Torah continues to be valid and in force until the end of days. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/messianic-torah-portion-yitro-jethro/

When and How to Interpret ScriptureThe bible is written in a style that us westerners aren't familiar with. By learning a couple things about how scripture was written and expected to be received, we can glean a lot more truth even in our native languages. This message touches on the way first century believers would have interpreted the Old Testament and subsequently wrote the New. These tips will help you understand the scriptures closer to their original intent, when things are supposed to be taken literally, and when they aren't. These are very big helps when trying to understand prophecy and the Apostle Paul.

Messianic Torah Portion Beshalach (When He Sent)The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb

Establishing the Lamb of God

Coming to the faith once deliveredThese things take time. My testimony. 3-4 years of unraveling stuff.Videos make it much more difficult today. Very hard to tell the wheat from the chaffe.Read the whole bible first. Then set boundaries for what you will study. If it goes against the fundamentals, it's probably not worth your time. If it becomes ridiculous when taken to it's logical conclusion, it's probably not worth your time. You need a mechanism to quickly differentiate falsehood from something to be considered.Paul, being as educated as a man could be on the Torah in his day, had to go away for three years to relearn. This is seldom mentioned.Today, we learn something new and immediately broadcast it. Technology doesn't discriminate between someone who's off their rocker and sound teaching. In fact, it often puts the most outrageous stuff at the top of the queue because that's what gets the most clicks and eyeballs. Sound teaching is boring.The Sabbath is most often the truth that gets people into this walk. Genesis 1 defines a day as an evening and a morning. Sunday is never defined like that. Those who keep Sunday holy don't know which hours to keep holy.Genesis 1Creation started in darkness then there was light. Once that first light faded into darkness the first time, God called it a day. Yom achad. An evening and a morning, one day. This is the end of that discussion. That's the definition of a day right in the first part of the bible. Later on, the bible authors use common parlance when talking about time, just like we do today. Those things can get confusing if you try to define a day from later scripture. Knowing where key things are defined is foundational to your study.The Sabbath was sanctified at the end of creation. When Jesus says later that the Sabbath was made for man, the Greek word was anthropos – mankind. It's a double entendre because anthropos is the same Greek word use for adam here Genesis 1:26. Show that. So the Sabbath was made for Adam the man but that also meant for all of mankind from the start.Keeping the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset connects us to the first Sabbath of creation. It shows our fidelity to the Creator of the universe. In fact, the commandment says that's a reason for keeping it.Exodus 20: 8-11 For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth and then rested on the seventh.This right here, the fourth commandment, is what very often brings people into the light. And it's shocking information because it's right here, plain as day. Christianity used to put a ton of focus on the Ten Commandments, rightfully so. But when it comes down to it, they only honor 9. Why is that? Do they have the authority to correct God? No, no they don't.This information leads us to question all of mainstream Christianity. If the pastors, priests, ministers, and professors can be convinced this commandment is no longer relevant or has changed, what else is wrong? This is where it becomes crucial to read your bibles and go directly to the source. The Spirit will lead you into all truth, so read with an open mind. Some hints: the chapters and verse aren't really there. Ignore them if you can. The original books were not written with those aids. They were added, shockingly, about 1200-1300 AD. Yes, a thousand years after the close of scripture.Acts 17: 10-12 Study to show yourself approved. Back then, the bibles were almost exclusively at the synagogues. This goes hand in hand with acts 15, which shows the Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath. The first century believers, both Jew and Greek, kept the Sabbath. It makes sense as that is all of mankind, right? And they tested what Paul taught against the scriptures. We need to do that to!Shalom

What the Torah Teachers won't Teach James 3:1-5 The responsibility when a man thinks he knows the bible enough to start talking about it is enormous. We most often invoke this passage when speaking about bad teaching, but there's another type of bad teaching that needs to be addressed today – omission. Lots of folks sound like me but I'm afraid once we peel back the layers, we find they are still in that Babylonia system, especially when it comes to the identity of the Son of God. When people get into this walk, we often spend a TON of time learning about the Names Yahweh and Yeshua. However, the word we need to clearly define is neither of those. The word we need to define is Christ. Matthew 16:16 Christ is not a last name. Yes, I'm afraid most of the world thinks His first Name is Jesus and His last name is Christ. Not the case, Christ is a title, not a name, and one that has a specific definition. Part of the definition is right here in front of us. Son of God. And Yeshua blesses Peter for this being revealed to him by Yeshua's Father, who is a completely different being that was in heaven at that moment in time while His Son was on earth. The teachers never teach this one. They love to talk about calendars, ancient alphabets, pronunciations, or impossible to reconcile doctrines, but this right here is salvation. 1 John 5: 11-12 If you have the Son, you have life. If you do not, you don't. You can have the Father and deny the Son, by the way. And you can deny the Son by making Him out to be His own Father or making Him out to not be who He really is, the Son of God who is subordinate to His Father, who He Himself identifies as God. From Matthew, we know the Christ is synonymous with the Son of God. Is there anything more to that definition? Yes, look at Matthew again and scroll through the definitions. Anointed. That means somebody else anointed Him. Anointing is a calling, or an appointing, for a mission, specifically by Yahweh. Yeshua is not the only person to have this title, however He is THE Messiah while the others were just “a” Messiah. The word Christ is not a random word. In Greek, it means to put oil on something. It was chosen as the direct translation for the word Messiah in Hebrew. Understand, there is nothing pagan about this word and it was chosen to be used for Messiah when the LXX was made – 150 years before Yeshua. Switch to Brenton, search Christ, find Psalm 2, read, then switch to NASB95. Explain the word Messiah or Christ should be there, as well as other places. I don't know why the English translators never do this. Make it clear there is YHVH and there is His Anointed. It's two. Not some incomprehensible amalgamation. Not a mystery. Yahweh anointed Yeshua to be His servant. Down to verse 7 and we see this Anointed one is Yahweh's Son. He's not another Yahweh, but the Son of God. I am not making it up, folks, but this is the stuff your “Torah teacher” won't touch because they are terrified to teach you the truth and break with Trinitarianism. They need to realize they were not given the gift of speech so they can teach secondary and tertiary things. Acts 2: 22-24 this is why it's so important. God really did send His Son. His Son really did die. And God resurrected Him. These are not my words, friends. I have to tell you the truth lest I suffer judgment. Acts 2: 32-26 God made Him the Messiah. Again, not my words. These are Peter's words given to him by the Ruach ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit. Acts 3: 13-15 Again, testifying that God raised Yeshua. Acts 4: 8-12 Finish here. Peter and John called as two witnesses to testify in front of the Sanhedrin. They said what they said. This is the Gospel. The most important information mankind can know, that God sent His Son, the Messiah, to pay the price for our sins. Do you accept Yeshua as the Messiah, the Son of God? https://firstcenturychristianity.net/

Messianic Torah Portion Vaera (I appeared) chronicles the beginning of the Exodus. In our study, we parallel the plagues of Exodus with those in Revelation 6 and contrast the purposes of each set of plagues.

The recent history of time keeping can make it very difficult for us to understand how those who wrote the books of the bible kept time. When you stop to think about it, can you even relate to how we kept time just thirty years ago?

2025 Holy Days in Kansas City We are hosting Sukkot aka The Feast of Tabernacles in Kansas City in 2025 in addition to all the Holy Days of Leviticus 23. This video is the announcement, please follow the link below to get details as they become available. Please contact us through the website to let us know if you are intending to fellowship with us for any of Yahweh's appointed times this year. These blessed events require planning, so we really need get an idea of how many may come. Please also contact us with any gifts you may want to bless us with from dance to music, kids classes, group activities, crafting, or anything else. The Holy Days from Leviticus 23 prophetically explain the plan of salvation that God established at the foundation of earth. They have deep meaning for Christians and were continued to be kept by the New Testament converts in the first century. We observe these days in a New Covenant context, as the early believers did, in anticipation of the return of Yeshua the Messiah, where He will usher in a millennial kingdom where observance of these days will be required. We welcome all who wish to observe God's Holy Days in 2025 in Kansas City in a spirit of unity and cooperation. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/holy-day-dates/

Messianic Torah Portion Shemot is the beginning of the book of Exodus. This study is prefaced with the origin of the word Exodus and how there will only every be the one Exodus. We spoke about the remarkable parallels between Shemot and the end times. And, as always, why the Torah is so important to the New Testament. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/

Messianic Torah Portion Vayechi (and he lived) This Torah portion wraps up the book of Genesis with the death of Israel/Jacob (the person) and the end of Joseph's life. This Torah portion contains big clues that salvation has always been available to both those of the nation of Israel and those of the nations. Specifically, Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh were mixed race, with their mother being Potifera, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Jacob was embalmed as a Pharaoh while buried in the promised land, which also gives a hint to the future and how we live in Babylon today, but will ultimately be joined to Messiah in the true Israel. Our study was long and included much discussion. Please enjoy this discussion and feel free to join us each Shabbat! https://firstcenturychristianity.net/

Mainstream Christianity First Century Christianity Go to church on Sunday or Keep the Sabbath Sunday, Christmas, Easter or The Holy Days of the Bible Dead people are now spirits or Dead people are dead awaiting resurrection Trinity is mandatory or Accepting Yeshua as the Messiah and Son of God is the key to life Works optional/not required or Repentance and change mandatory Goal of life is going to heaven or Being in a better resurrection/the kingdom of God/ the Olam Haba Old Testament for reference only or The Old Testament was the only bible they had for decades Christianity is a different/new religion or Christianity is the continuation of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Messianic Torah Portion Vayigash (and he approached) The Torah portion is about Joseph's revealing of himself to his brothers and bringing Israel into Egypt. The parallels between these scriptures and the New Testament are plentiful. Our discussion covers the despair of Jacob and parallels this to the grief of Yeshua's disciples and the despair of the world as it awaits Yeshua's return. We also discuss the joy Jacob experiences when he learns Joseph is alive and compare this to the resurrection of the Messiah. The theme established that Joseph's brothers meant it for evil when they sold him into slavery but God meant it for good compares remarkably with the resurrection of the Messiah and the sermon given by Peter in Acts 2. We also touched on topics of end times studies and how the concept of the Noahide laws are folly. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/messianic-torah-portion-vayigash/

Heirs according to the promise. Prelude – rebuilding the wall of separation. Attractive for both sides. One wants the commandments to be exclusive. The other wants nothing to do with the commandments. In effect, both sides want the law to be exclusive, I suppose. Out of pure practicality, this answer can't be true. For people to accept anyone as Messiah, they must understand what a Messiah is. That is established solely though the Law and the Prophets. It's not a concept for the nations. A Messiah is one who has been anointed by God for a mission. The Messiah, the Son of God, is the very image of God and our Mediator between us and God. It's impossible for those who accept the Messiah to then not accept the law because there would be nothing to mediate. Let's get into the details. Ephesians 1: 3-7 Paul refers to “us”. He does not make a distinction. He includes himself in the adoption. This is strange as he was surely native born. Ephesus is where Paul started a riot preaching against idolatry so at a minimum it's a mixed congregation of both native and grafted in. The promise – Galatians 3: 26-29 Abraham was promised to be the father of countless people. This promise is fulfilled in this adoption. That through His seed, Yeshua, we have the opportunity to join the family of God. We do not replace that family, but we join in. We have the choice to accept adoption. The native born have the choice to also accept Yeshua. The wall is broken down – Eph 2: 11-13 Commonwealth of Israel. You understand Paul is including gentile converts as Israel here. Not as a replacement for Israel, but a joining, a grafting in. Both groups into one. The gentiles who accept Yeshua as Messiah become part of Israel. Grafted in, not a replacement. Not a separate class of people, either. The goal here is unity. Acts 15: 19-21. The gentiles are showing up at synagogue on Shabbat all over the world. They are accepting Yeshua as the Messiah and following the commandments. The question is whether conversion to Judaism is requires through circumcision prior to allowing them to commune and study. The answer is no. Many take this to mean that's the end of the story, that these directives issued by the council of Jerusalem are the permanent ordinance and all people have to do to be consider Christians forever. That all who accepted Yeshua from the nations forever were to just stop right here and be done. Believe in the Messiah, learn, and basically continue to live as you did prior expect with these few requirements. This cannot be true because it would legalize sin for most of mankind. It would make the rest of the New Testament gibberish as there would be nothing for converts to learn or do. What would they be persevering in? If their behavior barely changed from prior, how would anybody even know they changed? It's bizarre this concept keeps coming up on both sides. Mainstream Christians believe the law doesn't apply to them and Jews concur. This is the divide between us and mainstream Christianity. 1 Cor 5: 4-8 become a new lump. Written to a gentile area in the Name of Yeshua. Assuming a mixed group of prior Jew and Gentile. And they are expected not only to know Torah but to be keeping ULB. Does this sound like this group stopped at the few things commanded in Acts 15? Of course not. Because Acts 15 is just a starting point. The believers were expected to keep attending Shabbat, hearing Moses, learning, and doing as they learned. Rev 14:12 – the remnant are those who keep Torah and believe in Yeshua. You want to be the remnant. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/

The parallels between Joseph and Yeshua (Jesus) aren't just remarkable, they are prophetic and establish our nderstanding of the relationship between Yahweh and His Son.

The Christian Truth of Hanukkah This study shows how Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, was referring to something that had already happened in Matthew 24 when He spoke of the Abomination of Desolation. In fact, His words about praying that their flight not be in winter or the Sabbath, that the would have to leave for the hills in haste, and women with children would have a difficult time were all a call-back to something that had already happened once. If you wish to understand what He was really telling them, we must study the Maccabees and the truth of Hanukkah, which contains much needed truth for Christians.

Messianic Torah Portion Vayeshev (and he lived) is about Joseph being sold into slavery by his own brothers. There are many parallels between Joseph and Yeshua, the Messiah, which we discuss in this study. The focus of our congregational discussion is on prophecy and its ultimate purpose, which is to further the kingdom of God.

Channukkah and XMAS collide 1st night of chanukkah 12/25. The contrast is stark. But with the real history of Chanukkah from the Apocryphal book of 1 Mac. I encourage you to read the first four chapters of 1 Mac. To get that, look at the Brenton translation of the Old Testament. Matthew 24:15-20 is a direct reference to the Maccabean revolt and Channukkah. The abomination of desolation had already been set up once by the Greeks. Their flight was indeed in winter. And they refused to fight the first Sabbath of the revolt due to their obedience to Torah and they lost. The crux of this was compromise and mixing. The first time the Greeks came to Judea, they were welcomed. Many of the Israelites mixed Greek customs with Torah and compromised themselves. The Greeks came back after a battle with Egypt and compromise was no longer an option. They forced Israel to forsake the commandments. No more Sabbath, no more circumcision, no more festival days, temple defiled, and they had to eat pork. Or die. And they had to adopt the Greek holidays and culture wholesale, including the sacrificing of pigs and the eating of the same. This was very bad. Judas Maccabeus couldn't take it and started a revolt, ultimately pushing the Greeks out and restoring Torah to judea. How does this align with Christmas? XMAS is a non-biblical observation where people partake in rituals derived from pagan religions and dine on pork. But they do it in the name of God. This is impossible if we understand Matthew 24 to be warning us against these abominations. I'll be talking about Chanukka on Friday night, December 20, on a friend's study group if you want to learn the details about this commemoration. However, don't lose the irony that the Greeks forced believers into pagan customs while modern Christianity voluntarily partakes. Hopefully more folks will read their bibles and history and come to the realization that the worship of Yahweh is easy if we just relent and to it the way His Son showed us. Have a blessed week!

Messianic Torah Portion Vayishlach (and he sent) shows Jacob's final conversion to Israel and how he has become a change man. This Torah portion references Jacob's camp putting away their idols and washing their garments before entering the promised land. This is the same theme as the end-times, where no idolators will be in the kingdom per 1 Cor 6: 8-11

Messianic Torah Portion Vayetzei means “and he left”. This portion chronicles Jacob's departure from the land of Canaan into the land of Haran to find a wife. Jacob made a deal with God when he left and had many lessons to learn in his 21 year away. When he returns, he is a changed man who properly credits Yahweh for his deliverance and wealth. Along the way, we have a lesson on idolatry. Jacob was not raised to be an idolator but he had to live in the land of false gods for 21 years. At the end of the journey, he rightly credits the God of Abraham for his blessings and rejects idolatry. The sages associate this passage to the rejection of idolatry and we connect this to Paul's work in Ephesus, teaching that gods made with hands are no gods at all. The lesson for us with Messianic Torah Portion Vayetzei is that we also must reject idolatry despite being immersed in a culture of false worship.

This is a discussion on the Torah Portion called Toldot from a New Testament perspective. Topics covered: ·       How covenants are often inaugurated with meals and how that ties into the New Covenant. ·       How incredibly evil circumstances can be used by God to bring about His ultimate plans. ·       How we need to embrace predestination and understand it is not at odds with free will.

The Torah is the Foundation The book of Revelation quotes or alludes to the Old Testament no less than 505 times. The book of Revelation only has 404 total verses. Did you know this? Did you know that to understand what the future holds we must study the bible from Genesis 1 all the way through? This path we are on is a fundamental re-orientation of our thought process with respect to Christianity. Almost all of us learn the NT first then think the OT is like a glossary of terms or just a place to look to bolster the information in the New Testament. This is backwards. The Torah is the foundation that informs the NT. Learning the bible in the order in which things happened, i.e., starting in Genesis and really learning the Tanakh, then learning the New Testament, is what the first century Christians did. The Messiah did not come to start a new religion but to build on existing faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc. As we discussed in last week's Torah portion, the order Paul refers to in Romans 13 was established through the Torah. When Paul wrote that people must be subject to governing authorities, we see that begin when Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek. Abraham was a known leader who had just won a military battle and still gave proper respect to one whose rank was higher than his. Abraham also made the deal for Sarah's tomb in a public setting, insisting on paying full price with witnesses, so there would be no doubt of his ownership of that land. When Paul went on to talk about honoring authorities for the sake of conscience, that also harkens back to Abraham's servant who was trusted to bring back a bride for Isaac. Abraham could not do this work himself, so he made his servant swear to do it. His servant could have gone rogue, kept the camels and gold, and never came back. Or came back and lied. But that's not what happened. Abraham's servant did what was right in the sight of YHVH and Abraham even when nobody would have known he did wrong. You see that honoring authorities is a virtue established in the earliest parts of the Old Testament. Paul was not issuing some new edict but rather re-iterating an existing biblical truth. Those of us who study the Torah while believing in Yeshua the Messiah have put the truth back in the proper order. The Torah informs the rest of the Old Testament, the Old Testament in total informs the New, and we look for the return of the Messiah who will establish peace by ushering in an orderly kingdom based on the truths we hold dear that are established from Genesis to Revelation. Our challenge, though, is re-orienting our minds. Most of Christianity has been taught the New Testament is the foundation and the rest of the bible is just handy to have when it bolsters a point of doctrine or makes a point we want to make. It's incredibly difficult to rebuild a foundation, especially one that is this ingrained into us. It's akin to learning a second language. For many years, everything you learn of the foreign language will be compared to your native tongue. In fact, you may never get to the point where you can completely break from using your native tongue as the foundation. Remember how I said that the book of Revelation quotes or alludes to the Old Testament at least 505 times? This is not unique to the book of Revelation. The Gospels refer to the OT almost constantly, too. So do the letters and epistles. If you want to understand the New Testament, you must first understand the Old. This is a tall task, but as the Messiah said, believing in Him is founded on Moses…. Because Moses wrote of Him! Shalom and have a blessed week! https://firstcenturychristianity.net/the-torah-is-the-foundation/

This Torah Portion is called the Life of Sarah. Abraham begins to establish the order Paul speaks of in Romans 13. This is also contrasted in the Haftarah portion of 1 Kings 1: 1-31 where David's authority was nearly usurped.

The goal in raising children is to produce productive adults that can contribute to the betterment of mankind. Today, this is best achieved by breaking from the traditional education system in whole or in part. This is a testimonial about our experience with home schooling meant to encourage others who are looking for alternatives. Tips for how to home school or employ alternative paths while keeping your children in the government schools can be found at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/homeschooling-tips/

Messianic Torah Portion Vayera is the foundation for John 3:16 that God gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life. This truth is founded upon Abraham's willingness to slay Isaac, the son of the Promise and God substituting the ram for Isaac. In this discussion, we show how Abraham's obedience foreshadowed the Messiah and the many direct parallels from this Torah portion to New Testament scripture.

This Torah portion should be called "The Promise" from a New Covenant perspective because it is about the promise made to Abraham to make him the father of many nations. We discussed this Torah Portion extensively against the fulfillment of The Promise as articulated in Galatians 3.

How the collision of the USS Fitzgerald gives insight on the last days.

Congregational discussion on the Torah portion called Noach November 2, 2024. Verses discussed: Genesis 6:9-11:32 Isaiah 54:1-55:5 Luke 1: 5-11, 2Peter 3:9-13 The Messianic Torah Portion list is posted at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/torah-portions/ along with instructions on how to join us!

Worshiping Satan for Free Yes, Halloween is Satan's holiday I don't talk about this one much because, well, anybody who has ever read a bible should know this day is evil. The entire observation is opposed to the faith of the Bible regardless of if you emphasize the entire book or even just the New Testament. Threatening to prank people if they don't give you candy while dressing up like demons is not something that should require a pastor to tell a believer not to do. When this holiday is observed by the children of Christian parents, it's telling those kids the parents' faith is just a hobby – it doesn't even mean anything and can be set aside, even for wicked practices, at a whim. Let's take a look at the seriousness. And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Yeshua replied to him, “It is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'” (Luk 4:5-8) Halloween's history is in an ancient Celtic religious practice called Samhain (not pronounced anything like it is spelled). It's not some secular day that accidentally got melded with spirits, its origin is in the worship of the earth and evil spirits, which is almost always traced back to worshiping Satan and his demons. It was melded into Christianity over hundreds of years. Once Rome conquered the Celtic lands, two pagan Roman holidays were mixed with Samhain. Once Rome became “Christian” in air quotes, the Catholics actually did try to get rid of this one. They made up a holiday called All Saints Day to be in the beginning of November to try and blend this one in/replace it, too. They failed and ended up just having another made up observance right after this pagan one. An easy history of this day is available at History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween Yeshua replied to him, “It is written: ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'” (Luk 4:8) “You shall fear only YHVH your Elohim; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.” (Deu 6:13) Yeshua's response to Satan when He was being tempted is that worship is restricted Yahweh only. This is done in the manner and at the time he decides, not us. Societies have cultures that are rooted in what society holds holy. To be fair, some activities we do today have no religious significance whatsoever while looking like religious observances. The 4th of July is one of those. It's a day when we all do similar activities to celebrate our independence from the British. Some sporting events are also similar to this. Halloween is not one of these exceptions. Halloween's observances trace straight to pagan religious practices and nowhere else. This means this day and its observances are to be anathema to those who worship the God of Abraham. Our God is a jealous God who doesn't tolerate blending. He has shown His disdain for that numerous times in history. The quotation Yeshua used from Torah is just after the Shema, the most important commandment. Hear oh Israel, Yahweh is our Elohim, Yahweh is one. And you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, soul, and strength. If you are doing this, just as the Son of God Himself did, then you will not find Halloween anything to be associated with. When Satan tempted the Messiah, He promised wealth and kingdoms for that worship. Today, believers aren't just worshiping Satan once a year, they're doing it for free. Knock it off and take a stand for your faith. https://firstcenturychristianity.net/worshiping-satan-for-free/

The history of the Day of Atonement is almost as old as earth itself. This day is applicable to Christians today and incredibly important for understanding the end of days. Written notes of this message, given on the Day of Atonement 2024, are available at https://firstcenturychristianity.net/yom-kippur-2024-explaining-the-last-adam/.

Amendment 3 in Missouri would legalize abortion based solely on "fetal viability". The amendment defines this solely on the abortion doctor's discretion, which would technically and literally legalize abortion up to and perhaps even after birth. This video explores the text of the law and explains why this law needs to be opposed even by people who may not be pro-life.

Preparing for the Fast Be aware. Last year, October 7 was both the Sabbath and a high day. Israel was attacked. This year, October 12 is the Sabbath and the fast. This is a dangerous time. The ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, aka the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, are referred to as the Days of Awe. In Judaism, it is a time of repentance and soul searching ahead of the fast, which they consider to be the holiest day of the year. These are traditions so we take this info with a grain of salt understanding we can learn from traditions. There's also something to consider…. Christianity started as a sect of Judaism. The two were indistinguishable for decades after the ascension of the Messiah. Acts 15 was addressing what to do with Gentiles who accepted Yeshua, Jesus, as the Messiah and then showed up at synagogue. It's more than reasonable to consider that our Messianic forefathers influenced Judaism before Messianics, aka Christians, were forced out of the synagogue. Jews associated the Day of Trumpets with having people be inscribed in the book of life and then, on the Day of Atonement, sealed in the book of life. These concepts have a New Testament eschatology flavor to them, don't they? We don't know what the ten days between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur signify. The bible doesn't tell us. But they mirror the ten days between the first day of the first month of the year and the selection of the lamb for Passover. We know that Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets, signifies the return of Yeshua. We also know the Day of Atonement is associated with Yeshua's sacrifice. Sometimes this is hidden, like in the special linen garment He was buried in and the one piece tunic He was crucified in. Those are reminiscent of the special clothes the High Priest wore on the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest came into the presence of Yahweh. We can see an easy parallel here. Sometimes the hints are not so subtle. In the book of Hebrews, it is written that Yom Kippur is a day for the forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance and the Messiah asked God to forgive His executioners because they did not know what they were doing. This would be a direct correlation. The Holy Days of Leviticus 23 are not just relevant to a New Covenant believer, they contain a lot of information about past and future events. As you prepare for the fast, which starts at sunset October 11 through sunset October 12 this year, meditate on what the Messiah's sacrifice has done for mankind. He has made a way for the forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance, to include His own executioners. This means He has made a way for the billions of people who have never known Him and His Father like we do. And praise Yahweh for sending His Son into the world for this purpose.