ONE Sign Given, the Sign of Jonah - Part 2
ONE Sign Given as Proof of Our Redeemer - The Sign of Jonah, Part 2
Has the Time Come for the End of Sound Doctrine?
Has the time come for the end of sound doctrine? Today, sin and evil are rapidly taking over the world, while darkness has descended over our governmental decisions, banking crimes are being ignored, and our election system is proven to be a complete farce, Are we also, calling ourselves believers, joining in the parade of lawlessness and turning to teachers who teach what we want to hear? Why is it we jump on those who bring truths that are proven solely from scripture and at the same time defend others who teach from mere books written by men?
We have been charged to carry the true gospel that Jesus (Yeshua) taught, one of repentance, to the ends of the earth. Yet we have been hijacked by those false teachers who bring a completely different message than the message that Yeshua (Jesus) taught us and followed while he walked among us. Is this part of a greater plan, even unannounced to those false teachers, by Satan himself to attempt to deceive the elect? Can we stand up and find and follow sound doctrine before it is too late?
Our charge
2 Timothy 4:1 I solemnly charge you before God and the Messiah Yeshua, who will judge the living and the dead when he appears and establishes his Kingdom: proclaim the Word! Be on hand with it whether the time seems right or not. Convict, censure and exhort with unfailing patience and with teaching. For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear. Yes, they will stop listening to the truth, but will turn aside to follow myths. But you, remain steady in every situation, endure suffering, do the work that a proclaimer of the Good News should, and do everything your service to God requires. For as for me, I am already being poured out on the altar; yes, the time for my departure has arrived. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. All that awaits me now is the crown of righteousness which the Lord, “the Righteous Judge,” will award to me on that Day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for him to appear. (CJB 2 Tim 4:1-8)
Sound Doctrine
This is an interesting choice of words used by Paul in placing a charge on Timothy as well as us today. Paul warned Timothy and in doing so spoke prophetically to us in this very age, that people word turn away from truth and follow myths. Not only do they turn away from truth today, but will violently persecute those who are purveyors of truth. These two words, Sound Doctrine, are from the Greek as follows:
<5198> ὑγιαίνω hugiaino
Meaning: to be sound, healthy
Origin: from 5199
Usage: good health(2), safe and sound(1), sound(8), well(1).
And
<1319> διδασκαλία didaskalia
Meaning: instruction (the function or the information)
Origin: from 1320
Usage: doctrine(9), doctrines(3), instruction(1), teaching(7), teachings(1).
Thus Paul is saying that people are turning away for the sound, healthy teaching and instructions of Jesus (Yeshua) who told us to obey his instructions, those very commands we say were nailed to the cross. How can we claim that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Word or Scripture or the spoken words of YHVH (the LORD) and then follow the myth of them being done away with?
Let us return to healthy instruction
Just as Paul cried out and warned Timothy from his captivity in Rome, let us too, return to the healthy instructions the Yeshua (Jesus) laid down for us and do what Jesus (Yeshua) did while on this planet. We have to sift through and test every doctrine with logic and scripture. This means digging into the same scriptures that the Bereans, who were acclaimed for searching out truth, used to adhere to sound doctrine. Remember after Jesus (Yeshua) had risen from the dead, taken the first fruits from among the dead as commanded by YHVH (the LORD) in scripture, he met two disciples on the road to Emmaus. How did Jesus (Yeshua) teach them the truth, sound doctrine?
And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that athe prophets have spoken! “aWas it not necessary for the 1Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning 1with aMoses and 1with all the bprophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luk 24:25-27 NAU)
Return to Moses (starting in Genesis which he penned) and the Prophets and use “all the Scriptures” to test all doctrines. Discard things that can not be proven so you won’t be discarded in the end. Hold on to and be a doer of the WORD (made flesh) so that when the day comes for judgment you will be held on to by Yeshua (Jesus) our redeemer.
The Bible and the Transitive Property of Equality
The Bible and the Transitive Property of Equality is a relationship that is so ignored by most Christians today. I know your eyebrows are raised, mouth and lips forming a circle and saying what! Since when did our mighty creator ask us to stop using the logic and principles that HE created? Why is it that when we read the bible we are to drop logic and all other correlations of algebra and mathematics? Do we disengage our brain to read the bible or should we read using what we have learned?
I believe that we are commanded to gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding in all that we do. We have been given the blessings of a sound mind and good knowledge from the Word of YHVH (the LORD). Wisdom is given freely just as stated in James:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (Jam 1:5 KJV)
Understanding comes from practical application, just as we all did in science class. James also speaks of this telling us to not just be hearers of the word (knowledge) but to be doers of the work (understanding) in our lives. Continue Reading →
Consider It All Joy
Breaking News: The market just crashed, ISIS has taken over the world, your car was just stolen, and scammers have helped themselves to your life savings, but consider it all joy… How does that work for you? It seems that the insurmountable world is so far stacked against us that this verse of scripture is almost unrealistic in our lives today.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (Jam 1:2-4 NAS)
The ONE Sign Given for Proof of our Redeemer – The Sign of Jonah, Part 2
In review from Part 1 of our single sign for proof of our redeemer we looked at what Jesus (Yeshua) said would be the sign of Him being who he said he was. We also looked at the sign he spoke of, the sign of Jonah from the book of Jonah, chapter 1. We left off with the counting of three days and three night, the ONE sign given and the time line. Here it is as review and the scripture we are looking at:
“For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.” Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Mat 12:37-40 NAS)
The ONE Sign Given for Proof of our Redeemer – The Sign of Jonah Part 1
This is the most significant piece of scripture in the entire New Testament, the sign of Jonah, where we place our hope of salvation upon the one who fulfills this very sign. Question is did Jesus (Yeshua) fulfill the sign or did He not fulfill it? This would make the scripture in Corinthians true and thus “…then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1Co15:14). Another question is could we have been following traditions and ignoring the truth and Yeshua (Jesus) really did fulfill the ONE and ONLY sign that will be given as proof of who you should place your trust in. Let’s look at the scripture:
“For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.” Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Mat 12:37-40 NAS)
