Why Did Messiah "Open Their Minds to the Scriptures?"

 

About 3 months ago, I wrote and recorded a 3-part video series titled “Open Eyes & Burning Hearts: Encountering Messiah and the Scriptures.” In that series I examined the fact Yeshua did something very specific at several very pivotal times with His followers, after His resurrection. We read of this in Luke chapter 24 as post-resurrection Messiah is about to leave this earth (as well as with the two on the road to Emmaus.)

As I stated months ago, Yeshua could have highlighted anything at all within this very precious time frame. What did He say, as He took a piece of fish and ate it? He repeated what He said previously to the two that were on the road to Emmaus. He referenced the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalms and then He did something that we must face and meditate upon.

Of all of the things that He could have done in this exact moment, He “opened their minds to the Scriptures.” And we have to always mention this – what were the Scriptures when Messiah said this? It wasn't Galatians, friend. It was the Torah. The Prophets. The Psalms. The Son of the Most High, when He could have said anything at all before ascending to His Father, pointed back to the ancient, good Way.

Friends, we must understand that most of all of Christianity would be utterly baffled to even consider this simple fact! Of all of the things that Messiah could have done – on the road to Emmaus and right here in today’s text specifically – He opened their understanding to the ancient Scriptures. And then…. He left.

Some of you need to let that sink in. As I’m always repeating, although the Torah has been cast aside by majority Christianity in this age, It’s precedence will most assuredly return. The dragon in Revelation will come against those who “cling to the testimony of Yeshua” and “keep the commandments.” Both. The Torah is prophesied to “go forth from Zion” as Yahweh will “teach us His ways.”

Perhaps this is why those who heard Messiah’s words at the end of His earthly assignment “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” And where did they go, *after* Messiah left? And what were they doing? “They were continually in the temple, praising Elohim.” Selah.

Handling the Bible Well

 

While it's normal for bad doctrines to be established by extracting "verse 6" and ignoring "verse 5", here's just one Bible verse that I've seen people recently remove one line out of and leave the rest behind as they establish a so-called "biblical fact."

"Yahweh is near to all?" Well, He is... to those who call on Him. And not just those who call on Him alone. He's near to those who call upon Him in truth. In Hebrew, this is "emet" and insinuates that one must call upon the Most High according to His "divine instruction, testimony and established faithfulness."

I personally believe that this is why the foundation of the early Believers (post-Messiah) had so many things right. They were being brought into the faith via the Torah and the Prophets (sound doctrine.) Their truth was rooted in Who Yahweh Himself told His covenant People that He was (and is.) That's why we read of this so often, as in 1 John 2 "Loved ones, I am not writing a new commandment for you, but an old commandment - one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard." And 2 John, "Now this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the commandment - just as you heard from the beginning - that you walk in love."

This language, of course, permeates the entire New Testament. Why? Because, unlike modern Christianity, the stream of new converts were taught how to love Yahweh and love their neighbors via the Torah and the Prophets! This was *THE ONLY WORD (BIBLE)* of their day. And, it was entirely sufficient to show a man how to walk like the Messiah.

The Bible needs no "new" way to discover new revelation based upon poor handling of each individual line within It. We must give ourselves to approach the Word in Its fullness. Let's practice how to rightly divide and handle the Bible today!

Is Proverbs 29:18 REALLY True?

Oh, how many sermons have we all heard that have only mentioned half of this verse! Building programs. Youth ministry outreaches. Sunday School teaching planning committees. Mission fundraisers. VBS themes. Pastoral search teams. Women’s Prayer retreats. The list is endless.

The issue of blatant misuse of Scripture is probably never more evident than in our verse today. I’m 52 years old and was in church (attending and serving) for over thirty years and I have absolutely no memory of anyone ever reading and teaching this verse in its entirety. Why not? Well, in modern dispensational belief, only half of the verse is applicable to the modern church. As ludicrous as it is, this bad doctrine teaches that the first half of the verse is for the “New Testament church” and the second half somehow “only applies to the Jews.”

An incredible amount of people are waking up to these fallacies that have gone unnoticed for far too long. Modern doctrines of men mishandle the Word immensely and we need to continue to point this out.

But let us not stop there. What *does* the text say? It’s not complicated. When there is no vision/divine revelation, the people are lawless and unrestrained. Not coincidentally, we then see a contrast – a distinction. But, the one keeps (shamar: retains, preserves, treasures) the Torah is blessed. There are always two camps and which one we dwell in is up to us.

Let’s do better, friends. Do you believe the Word or not? Do you read this entire verse and say “amen!” or do you rationalize and dispensationalize yourself out of the latter half of it?

For my church-going acquaintances, the next time you’re sitting in a pew and hear someone stand behind a pulpit and mishandle this specific text yet again, stand for truth. Rightly handle the Word. It’s time that we stand for truth and put an end to the mishandling of Father’s Word. Blessed is the one who keeps Torah. True or false?

 

Humble Study of the Word

 

We read of many times that Messiah spoke things that just didn’t make a hint of sense to His hearers, as we read today. Many today however will boldly say, “well, that was just the hard-hearted Jews that couldn’t receive the Messiah and the Gospel! That’s not us!”

I call arrogance. Only a few verses later (v. 60) his own students stated, “This is a hard teaching. Who can listen to it?” Everyone struggled to grasp the things that Yeshua was saying, friend.

It would do us well to recognize that many times what we “hear” in the Word is a struggle for us to rightly understand and receive as Father intended. Many Believers today arrogantly assume that they are somehow superior and have been given some immeasurable wisdom towards the Bible because they “have Holy Spirit.”

Let’s be careful that we humbly approach the Word today and take the necessary time to rightly understand and apply what we read. Don’t rush to conclusions that lead to deception. Don’t just blindly trust teachers either. Study for yourself. Ask questions. Sit perplexed if necessary and work it out, over time.

We too may be found completely incapable of having immediate understanding, that Father would call truth. That’s okay… if! If we’re humble enough to sit and rightly divide the Word, giving the proper time for clarity to unfold.

When You..... It Will Be Done for You

Here we simply see an example of a father speaking to a son. Within words such as these we see wonderful counsel that reveals to us great wisdom. It is surely sound doctrine that also instructs us how to live. Wisdom lives here.

It would do us well to (yet again) be careful that we do not cherry pick verses in Proverbs and just apply their promises to ourselves. There is always criteria. There are always “when you,” I will. “If you,” things will go well with you.

In other words, you can’t have the promises of verse 23 and abandon verse 1. To be specific to these two verses, we cannot expect to walk securely, in safety, if we are a lawless people that have wandered out from under Father’s protection. In between these verses is instruction to “despite not the chastening of Yahweh” and “don’t grow weary of His correction.” Also, we read of the principle of “first fruits.” Again, “if you, when you, I will.”

We have to approach the Word well, friends. Please be careful not to extract an isolated verse and arrogantly assume that it applies to you. Let us be mature sons and daughters today. Listening and learning from father’s wonderful Instruction (Torah) that was demonstrated to us perfectly in His Son, Yeshua. Selah.