This article stops short in my opinion. So I need a wedding garment to participate in God's kingdom. I am saved because I believe in Jesus, but I'm not saved without this clothing so I end up in the outer darkness. But Jesus is my righteousness so then I am clothed with Him because "I have put on Christ". So I'm good? Am I saved by Jesus alone or do I have to "do" something to obtain this wedding garment? This article is not helpful to explain the problem.
In traditional Hebrew weddings, the host provided the wedding garments. This symbolises the sovereignty of God to determine way of salvation. The wedding symbolises salvation, the reconciliation of the spirit with the flesh. Hope this helps.
Sorry brother, it does not help at all. No such thing as traditional Hebrew weddings host providing garments, not sure where you got that from. Please provide reference, at the most they would provide kippas. If the host provided wedding garment how come the guy in the parable had none? And why was he punished for showing up without one? It is obvious the garment was the man's responsabiliy. So accepting the call to enter the kingdom will grant access but it is not enough for participation. Belief in Jesus grants access and it's free but confession of His lordship is not simply a chant, submission to His commandments is a duty necessary for continued participation at the wedding of the Lamb. The fine linen garment necessary for the wedding is the righteous acts of the saints (Rev 19:8)
Right? "Let us cleanse ourselves of every stain of flesh and spirit" (i.e. put on Christ. 2 Cor 7:1) that we don't "receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor 6:1).
Yah said in Deuteronomy 18:15 that he would send a prophet in the future (future to Moses' time) that we must hear and obey. That prophet is Yeshua. Peter confirms this very statement in Acts 3:22-23. We can discuss this in the comment section in small little bites, but I did take months to write several hundred pages of which this very thing is a big part. There are many other things that would probably be interesting to you, but you would need to get the book. $10 for an e-book. https://www.blessingsandcursesbook.com/. Shalom.
I feel your passion for the Jewish people, but I fear, as in Jesus’ day, they are a lost cause. I will purchase your book as this topic is interesting to me too.
I think when you read the book you will better understand Jew vs. Israel. I can see that confusion in this comment. There is an entire chapter on that! I really do hope that you will read it. I welcome your comments about it. I will continue searching for truth until my last breath. I really wish more people would read the book. Too few want to read books anymore, but sometimes a subject needs significant space to explore, more than a single article or comment on an article. I do have a Substack where I post smaller tidbits but sometimes a book is required!!! Again, Shalom!
Can I be so bold as to offer some advice? Use your book as a curriculum for a course. This is how you get engagement with the foreknown. I am open to discussing this with you.
I appreciate that. A discussion could be interesting. I am going on a business trip for about the next two weeks that will not allow me much time for this. Maybe a discussion after I return? You would have time to read some or all of the book prior to that.
Oh how I wish we were living under the New Covenant. Read Jeremiah 31 closely. It says that this New Covenant will be with both Israel and Judah, not a man made church. It says that the Torah will be written on our hearts, it will become innate. It says that there will no longer be a reason to teach people about God because all will know him. Is that the world you see around you? I see this New Covenant as still a thousand years in our future. Messiah renewed the covenant at his first coming as “the Prophet,” not in the role of Messiah. At his second coming He is coming as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. At His first coming He renewed the marriage covenant made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. He divorced Israel in Isaiah. It is against Torah for the groom to remarry the divorced bride but that is only true as long as both live. Yeshua died and rose again and now can remarry Israel without breaking Torah. He renewed that marriage covenant. We are in the betrothal period. The marriage is after His second coming. He is marrying Israel, not a church. The church is a New Testament invention. It has always been “the assembly,” just as it was at Mt. Sinai. I go over all of this in my book Blessings & Curses: if my people… available here: https://www.blessingsandcursesbook.com. I also discuss some of this on my Substack, https://www.haveyouconsideredthis.com. There is a lot to like in this article but when we confuse the terms church, Israel, Judah, Jew, etc. we will never understand the story.
How can He be "the Prophet" when He clearly says "I am the way, the truth, and the life" in John 14:6? This is clearly a Messianic statement. Maybe a rethink is in order. Agree that the church as we know it is a man-made invention. The letter to Sardis is symbolic of the Reformation period, and what Jesus hated was the institutionalisation of the Way. He demands they return:
Revelation 3:1-6 LSB “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: This is what He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (2) ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. (3) ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (4) ‘But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. (5) ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (6) ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Peter, sorry, but I should also have mentioned that this verse can be misinterpreted as referring to the raptured church by the Dispensationalist crowd.
Hi Peter, thanks for the question. You cannot read this verse in isolation. This chapter comes right after the Whore of Babylon is smashed, and this verse is referring to the Overcomers of Revelation 2 and 3, and the "Israel of God" as Paul termed the Saints in Galatians 6:16, and also "all Israel will be saved" in Romans 11:26. These, clothed in fine linen, are the remnant. Those chosen by Yahweh for good works, those foreknown by Yahweh to finish their race and win the prize. Does this make sense to you?
Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by Me’. This means that no one can come to God except by believing in Jesus Christ. As He said, He is the ONLY way!
Correct. No Pastor, TV evangelist, YouTube guru, Institution, or Israel, religious attendances, will get you there. It is a personal daily submission to His will. Jesus plus ZERO.
It reminds me of the the reality that Paul wrote to the Corinthians and the problem that still persists today: “But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” 2 Corinthians 3:14-16
This article stops short in my opinion. So I need a wedding garment to participate in God's kingdom. I am saved because I believe in Jesus, but I'm not saved without this clothing so I end up in the outer darkness. But Jesus is my righteousness so then I am clothed with Him because "I have put on Christ". So I'm good? Am I saved by Jesus alone or do I have to "do" something to obtain this wedding garment? This article is not helpful to explain the problem.
So just to be clear: you are not saved by anything you do, but by what He does in you. If you choose your own wedding garments, you are doomed.
In traditional Hebrew weddings, the host provided the wedding garments. This symbolises the sovereignty of God to determine way of salvation. The wedding symbolises salvation, the reconciliation of the spirit with the flesh. Hope this helps.
Sorry brother, it does not help at all. No such thing as traditional Hebrew weddings host providing garments, not sure where you got that from. Please provide reference, at the most they would provide kippas. If the host provided wedding garment how come the guy in the parable had none? And why was he punished for showing up without one? It is obvious the garment was the man's responsabiliy. So accepting the call to enter the kingdom will grant access but it is not enough for participation. Belief in Jesus grants access and it's free but confession of His lordship is not simply a chant, submission to His commandments is a duty necessary for continued participation at the wedding of the Lamb. The fine linen garment necessary for the wedding is the righteous acts of the saints (Rev 19:8)
Right? "Let us cleanse ourselves of every stain of flesh and spirit" (i.e. put on Christ. 2 Cor 7:1) that we don't "receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor 6:1).
Yah said in Deuteronomy 18:15 that he would send a prophet in the future (future to Moses' time) that we must hear and obey. That prophet is Yeshua. Peter confirms this very statement in Acts 3:22-23. We can discuss this in the comment section in small little bites, but I did take months to write several hundred pages of which this very thing is a big part. There are many other things that would probably be interesting to you, but you would need to get the book. $10 for an e-book. https://www.blessingsandcursesbook.com/. Shalom.
I feel your passion for the Jewish people, but I fear, as in Jesus’ day, they are a lost cause. I will purchase your book as this topic is interesting to me too.
I think when you read the book you will better understand Jew vs. Israel. I can see that confusion in this comment. There is an entire chapter on that! I really do hope that you will read it. I welcome your comments about it. I will continue searching for truth until my last breath. I really wish more people would read the book. Too few want to read books anymore, but sometimes a subject needs significant space to explore, more than a single article or comment on an article. I do have a Substack where I post smaller tidbits but sometimes a book is required!!! Again, Shalom!
Can I be so bold as to offer some advice? Use your book as a curriculum for a course. This is how you get engagement with the foreknown. I am open to discussing this with you.
I appreciate that. A discussion could be interesting. I am going on a business trip for about the next two weeks that will not allow me much time for this. Maybe a discussion after I return? You would have time to read some or all of the book prior to that.
Can you contact me when you get back? Do you have WhatsApp or Zoom?
I will contact you..
Oh how I wish we were living under the New Covenant. Read Jeremiah 31 closely. It says that this New Covenant will be with both Israel and Judah, not a man made church. It says that the Torah will be written on our hearts, it will become innate. It says that there will no longer be a reason to teach people about God because all will know him. Is that the world you see around you? I see this New Covenant as still a thousand years in our future. Messiah renewed the covenant at his first coming as “the Prophet,” not in the role of Messiah. At his second coming He is coming as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. At His first coming He renewed the marriage covenant made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. He divorced Israel in Isaiah. It is against Torah for the groom to remarry the divorced bride but that is only true as long as both live. Yeshua died and rose again and now can remarry Israel without breaking Torah. He renewed that marriage covenant. We are in the betrothal period. The marriage is after His second coming. He is marrying Israel, not a church. The church is a New Testament invention. It has always been “the assembly,” just as it was at Mt. Sinai. I go over all of this in my book Blessings & Curses: if my people… available here: https://www.blessingsandcursesbook.com. I also discuss some of this on my Substack, https://www.haveyouconsideredthis.com. There is a lot to like in this article but when we confuse the terms church, Israel, Judah, Jew, etc. we will never understand the story.
How can He be "the Prophet" when He clearly says "I am the way, the truth, and the life" in John 14:6? This is clearly a Messianic statement. Maybe a rethink is in order. Agree that the church as we know it is a man-made invention. The letter to Sardis is symbolic of the Reformation period, and what Jesus hated was the institutionalisation of the Way. He demands they return:
Revelation 3:1-6 LSB “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: This is what He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (2) ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. (3) ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (4) ‘But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. (5) ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (6) ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Well done
“And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Revelation 19:8)
Geoff - can you help me understand the Revelation 19:8 verse above? Thank you for discussing this very important parable.
Peter, sorry, but I should also have mentioned that this verse can be misinterpreted as referring to the raptured church by the Dispensationalist crowd.
Hi Peter, thanks for the question. You cannot read this verse in isolation. This chapter comes right after the Whore of Babylon is smashed, and this verse is referring to the Overcomers of Revelation 2 and 3, and the "Israel of God" as Paul termed the Saints in Galatians 6:16, and also "all Israel will be saved" in Romans 11:26. These, clothed in fine linen, are the remnant. Those chosen by Yahweh for good works, those foreknown by Yahweh to finish their race and win the prize. Does this make sense to you?
‘God is not willing that any perish’
Jesus said, ‘to as many as received Him gave He the right to become the children of God, to as many as believed on his name.’
Does eating at McDonalds make you a hamburger?
Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by Me’. This means that no one can come to God except by believing in Jesus Christ. As He said, He is the ONLY way!
Correct. No Pastor, TV evangelist, YouTube guru, Institution, or Israel, religious attendances, will get you there. It is a personal daily submission to His will. Jesus plus ZERO.
It reminds me of the the reality that Paul wrote to the Corinthians and the problem that still persists today: “But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” 2 Corinthians 3:14-16