- What is the trinity?
- Do Christians have to follow kosher laws?
- What happens after death. Is soul sleep biblical?
- What is the proof from scripture that Jesus is the Messiah
- What is biblical inspiration?
Shabbat shalom. We're glad you could
join us tonight. I'm Doctor Todd
Baker. Uh head elder of Shalom Shalom
Messianic Congregation.
Congregation that has been in
existence now since September of
nineteen ninety-nine. We're a very
small congregation but you know
what? Uh God usually does the most
powerful things through small
entities. And this congregation and
it's people support our outreaches
to Israel. But we meet here every
Friday evening at Northwest Bible
Church For fellowship and the
teaching of God's word for the
equipping of the saints. The
edification of the body, and the
education of believers. And folks
don't think this is a unilateral
exercise. I learned just as much as
you when I research for these
topics that we teach on from the word
of God. And so don't think for a moment
that I'm sitting on a mountain
looking down. Not at all. Uh it's it's
very lucrative enterprise when you
teach the word of god because you you
take it with all seriousness and you
want to teach it soundly and
correctly because as you know, James
tells us in his epistle that teachers
will be doubly more accountable to
god at the Bemacy to Christ than just
the average believers. So, I do take
very seriously. On that note, we're
glad you're here. Hope you're having
a good Shabbat and we meet here every
Friday evening at 6 PM Central
Standard Time at Northwest Bible
Church in the Christian Life Center.
Uh third floor room three zero one.
The church is located at 8-five zero
five Douglas Avenue Dallas, Texas
752 3 one. So,
if you like to come and learn about the
Jewish roots of the Christian faith
and enjoy in-depth teaching. Uh then
we'd love to have you. Uh come or you
can watch us on the internet because
we do broadcast on the internet, on
Facebook, and our YouTube page and I
always forget what the YouTube page
call letters are but
I'll put that down there
in in tonight's message. So folks,
we're glad you're here. Uh Israel
update, it's still up in the air. We I
was supposed to go in October and as
you know, that was cancelled due to
the war effort over there. I would
have gone myself but that was out of my
hands. The one of our main
donors felt that it was not safe and I
understand their decision,
liability issues, and so forth but I
would have still gone ah ah because
you know ah now is the most urgent time
that the Jewish people need to hear
the gospel. When the world and all
these anti Semites, by the way, these
anti Semites that you see in our
universities here in America,
across Europe, and the whole world.
They didn't just appear after
Israel's righteous raging
righteous war against the murderous
terrorist Hamas who are
located in Gaza. Uh they these anti
Semites were already there. This
situation that's happening with the
Warren Gaza just open the lid and
revealed all these rotten
hateful maleficent
instruments of the devil to be quite
honest with you and as I said before,
anti Semitism is a symptom. There's a
wasp up here. If you can kill that,
please do that. Anti Semitism is a is a
symptom of a deeper problem with the
sinful individual. Uh what it is is
it's a god problem. These people have
a problem with the god of Israel who is
also the god of the Bible. They hate
the god of Israel and therefore,
they're going to hate whom god
loves. So, they're going to hate
Jews and they're going to hate born
again Christians. So, it's no prize
that this is this is exposing all the
anti Semitism that's going on now
in our world due to Israel's
justifiable waging of war against
these and they're monsters. Let's
let's not let's not hold back. They
are monsters, demon possessed,
agents of Satan. Uh so,
don't you should not be surprised but
anyway, we
we are we're going to go back as soon
as it's possible. Perhaps, I was
going to say December but that's not
looking good right now. Uh perhaps in
March and I will keep you
a prize to the situation but we'll we
will continue to go back for as long as
we can. Uh the war not withstanding
but god's timing is everything as we
know. Folks, if you want to learn
more about what we do in Israel and
exactly how we bring the gospel back
to the people of the book who gave us
the gospel Uh then you can check out
our quarterly newsletter. Search
the scriptures. This is the fall
twenty twenty-three edition. And in
each edition we give you selected
stories about our ministering the
gospel to the Jewish people. This
edition is no different. Uh in this
edition I talk about how we witnessed
to several Jewish people in a row
and they and they both said almost the
same thing while the is not for Israel
and we corrected them and said, oh
yes, it is. God promised to give you
the New Testament, the New Covenant
first. We showed them in their own
Bible in the Tanoch and Jeremiah,
Jeremiah, the prophet, chapters
thirty-one, 31 to 34. Once they saw
that, they were then open to
accepting a complete Bible in Hebrew
with a New Testament. Most of the time
when we use that tactic in Israel,
They they usually will say, okay,
well, if it says in my own Bible, the
New Testament is for the Jewish
people I don't want to go against
the Bible itself. So, that's a really
really simple but smart strategy to
use with them. So, folks, if you would
like to receive our Email or our Email
or newsletters free, you can do that
by going to our ministry website at
triple W dot search the Scriptures
Online. org. Click on the newsletter
menu and sign up on. I know everyone in
here gets the newsletter. Uh so, we
appreciate that and which brings me
to a second point. Uh going to Israel
is not a cheap enterprise. It does
take money. And we
could always use more support from
the body of Christ and carrying out
Romans 116, which gives us the divine
order of evangelism in the great
commission. That is the gospel
should go to the Jew first. There is no
expiration date for Romans 116
during the church age and even beyond
that. Uh so, we need your help
I humbly ask that you would consider
supporting us. We are at 5013 C
entity. So, every donation you give
is tax deductible and during the
woeful days of Biden inflation,
believe me, you need to count and save
every penny. So, when you do give,
you'll be able to deduct that from
your taxes. It's safe and get more
money back at the end of the year. So,
please consider supporting us and
remember, when you support Israel,
god says he will flesh in Genesis
twelve one through three. I will
bless those who bless you and the best
blessing you can give to a Jewish
person is give them an opportunity to
hear the gospel of Yeshua Hamashiach
and place their trust in him for
eternal life. The greatest blessing
is to be saved, to know Yeshua
personally, and to have eternal
life. Amen. And so, consider
supporting us and if you would if you
want to, I humbly thank you, and you
can do that by going to our donate
link. That located there below the
title of tonight's message and it'll
take you to a secure link and you can
give once, you can give quarterly.
You can give monthly. You can give
weekly, you can give twice a year,
whatever. The lord puts on your heart
but please consider supporting us. Alright, folks. I want to apologize.
This week, we were supposed to be back
in Ephesians but I had some pain
issues. I'm dealing with the pinched
nerve. Pray for healing on that. I'm
seeing a chiropractor and don't
don't inundate me on on Facebook with
all these different medical
remedies. I'm I'm taking care of it.
So, I'd ask that you would refrain
from that. Just pray for me. That's
the best remedy you can give me is
prayer. So, I didn't, I wasn't able to
delve into Ephesians this week. Uh I
prepared half of it already. So, we
should be back in Ephesians chapter
five next week. So, I went ahead and
brought up some teachings I've done
in the past specifically on YouTube
for Zola Levitt Ministries called Faith
Foundations. That program has been
put on ice temporarily because quite
frankly, their funding is down and
and they also fund us. So, please
consider supporting Zola Levitt
Ministries as well. I was a mentor and
colleague of Zola for 10 years. So,
it's not like I just waved to him once a
year. We I was over at his house. We
were good friends. We were close and
he asked me to help him
to start. Shalom shalom messianic
congregation back in September of 1999. So, they they we did a
series of programs called Faith
Foundations. We did 11 series for
about almost 3 years. So, tonight,
I'm going to be talking about five
subjects I did in series two and they
are they are proposed in a
catechetical format. What's what
does that mean? A catechism or a
catechetical means a Question is
asked and then the answer is given.
That's what a catechetical format
is. And that's how I did the program.
So we'll do that tonight. What we're
going to look at is I want to look at
five questions if four definitely
five if we have time. Number one, what
is the trinity? Number two, do
Christians have to follow kosher
laws? Do you need to put away that ham
sandwich that you were eating the
other day? Um what happens after
death is is the atheist, right? We
just cease to exist and hey, let us
eat, drink, and Mary. For tomorrow we
die and we're no more. Does what
happens after death? Is is soul sleep
biblical? Uh no, it's not. Um
for what is the proof from scripture?
Jesus is the Messiah in five. What is
biblical inspiration? So these are
all questions that I'm going to give
you a snatch snapshot answer to each
question you could I believe me. I
could go on and on about them for hours
even weeks. So that's why I've titled
tonight's lesson. Miscellaneous
Bible Topics. I thought about saying
the Trinity keeping sure what
happens after death and on but that's
too long of a title. So,
Miscellaneous Bible Topics and
we'll be doing this from time to time
as I glean from my faith foundations
program. So, the first question we
have to ask ourselves, what is the
trinity? The trinity is not a
secondary doctrine that you don't
have to believe in and still be saved.
Eschatology is a secondary issue. Um
if a person believes in a post trib
rapture, that person is still
going to go to heaven. He's still
saved. I'm not saying S is not
important. It is very important
because it does affect other
subjects of systematic theology. Uh
but the trinity is not a secondary
issue. This is a historic essential.
And if you don't believe in the
trinity you're not saved. Because
the trinity is the reflection of the
true God. So if you don't believe in
the trinity you don't you you're
believing in a false God. If you don't
believe in the Trinitarian God
then you've got another god. You've
got another Jesus and you've got
another Holy Spirit. It's as simple
as that. So, what is a trinity? Well,
the word trinity is a theological
term used to denote the Christian
doctrine that god exist and is
revealed to three distinct persons
and you know who they are. Father,
son, and Holy Spirit. Each of the
persons are distinct from one
another yet are one in being an
essence That's a complicated thing
to understand. I believe it was ah ah
one theologian who said that the
trinity, we can apprehend the
trinity but we cannot fully
comprehend the trinity and that's so
true. So, each of the three persons,
father, son, and Holy Spirit are
distinct from one another yet are one
in being and essence. Theologians
call this subsistence which means
real existence. So, the reality of
god of god exist under the subsist
of three persons, father, son, and
holy spirit, co eternal, coequal,
coexistent, Amen. The trinity is not
three gods as cults, one is
Pentecostals, and Muslims try to
claim. If you look at the Quran, when
Mohammed and his so-called inspired
state, not from god, by the way, tries
to to denigrate the trinity, he does
so based on his misunderstanding of
it. He disparages it as the belief in
three gods. Well, that's not the
trinity. That's not biblical
trinitarianism. So, he's created a
strongman argument. Uh biblical
trinitarianism is not tritheism.
That is the belief in three gods. The
trinity of god affirms one god
revealed through three persons that
are coexistent, co-eternal, and co
equal with each other. Let me get some
water here. Excuse me. If I get out of
camera, Sean.
So, let me say that again. The trinity
of god affirms one god revealed
through three persons. One god
revealed through three persons.
That our co-existing co-eternal and
co-equal with one another. So, when
we speak of the trinity must be
maintained that the father is not the
same person as the son who is not the
same person as the Holy Spirit. Thus,
each of the three persons are not the
other two persons. This is what's
called modalism. The ancient heresy
that the early church combated,
modalism is the belief that there's
only one person in the godhead and he
takes on two a three-year
goals. So, they're the one person
they would claim would be god the
father and then he disguises himself
or puts on the role of the of the son or
the Holy Spirit. So, they believe
there's one god and he has two other
modes, the sun and the Holy Spirit.
Manifestations. Uh
I'm not hesitant to name names who
teach this heresy but TD Jakes is a
famous modelist. Bishop TD Jakes. If
you go to their website Potter's
House, they affirm that god is
revealed through three
manifestations. That's modalism.
God is not three manifestations.
He's three persons and the
modalistic god is another god and
he's not the god of the Bible. So, TD,
you've got a problem there. Um
The trinity is a plurality of persons
in one god head. Those persons that
make up one god head are only father,
son, and holy spirit. The Bible
therefore espouses Trinitarian
monotheism. This plurality of
persons in the one godhead is
intimated in the first book of the
Bible in the Old Testament. We have
the plural uses for god in Genesis 126
and twenty-seven with the creation
of man and I quote, then god said, let
us make man in our image and in our
likeness. So, god created man in his
own image. Get that. There's the
plurality of persons in one godhead.
The persons of the godhead are
speaking as they create man and then,
man is created in god's image.
G O D possessive S not G O D S as in more
than one god. I like what my notes and
my Bible say here about this
intimation of the trinity. It says
this in about Genesis one
twenty-six. The first clear
indication of the triunity of god is
given here. The very name of Elohim is
a plural form of L. So, when it says god
here, it's using the plural form of
god, Elohim. In verse twenty six.
Even in verse one, in the beginning,
god, that's Elohim. That's the
plural usage for god. It's also the
Hebrew usage for different gods
plural but here it's talking about
the plurality of the persons in the
one godhead. The crowning point of
creation, a living human was made in
god's image to rule creation. He was
made in our image. So, here in the
first chapter of Genesis, we already
have the Trinitar God
implied with the fact that there are a
plural of persons in the one god head.
Uh you ought to see the excuses Uh
Orthodox Judaism tries to come up
with to explain away this plurality
of persons. They would say here or
modalist. They would say, well, when
god says, let us, he's talking to the
angels here. That's why he's using
the plural us there. Well, wait a
minute. Uh we're not made in the image
of angels. The scripture Makes a
distinction between man and angels.
So, it's not talking about angels
here. Number two, angels don't have
the power to create. Only god is
attributed alone as creator in the
scriptures. Uh then, there's
another explanation. There's
another interpretation used to try
to explain the plurality of persons
when god had a way as in the revealed
here in Genesis 126 and again, it
comes from Orthodox Judaism. They
would they would also say, well, this
is a plural of majesty. Just like when
the King tells the commoner, you may
approach our throne. It's a plural of
majesty here. Well, what's sounds on
the surface like maybe. Well, first
of all, if that's the case, this is the
only time in the Bible where a plural
of majesty is used. It's nowhere else
used in scripture. So, why would it be
used here? Now, I think I think the
first interpretation, meaning I
should say, the Trinitarian meaning
is the one to go with here especially
when you have one god in three persons
saying, let us make man in our own
image. Notice the truth of the
plurality of persons and one godhead
is revealed here. Let us, that would
be father, son, and holy spirit
speaking as the one god who then makes
man after the divine image. The Shema
of Israel, here, oh Israel, the lord
our god, the one is the the hero
Israel, the lord, our god, is one. Uh
notice in the Sheman, Deuteronomy
six four, that one there is
which means a composite or plural
unity. Now, if god were a single
person, the word
Yahad would have been used.
This means unity
and this means plural. So, when it
says in Deuteronomy six four, here
always are the lord our god. The lord
is one. That's Ekhad and that's a word
used for plural unity. The Hebrew
word for one is a cod which means a
composite unity that allows for a
plural unity, not a single unity. The
word is also used, get this, for Adam
and Eve being one flesh, two
individual people that make up one in
marriage. Check it out. Genesis two
twenty-four. Men and women shall
come together and they shall be one.
God is the three persons that all
share in one divine essence. In the
New Testament, there are clear
examples of the trinity and distinct
references to the three persons of
the trinity. All three persons of the
godhead were present during the
baptism of John in the Jordan River.
Matthew three the father speaking
from heaven of his delight in his son.
Jesus, the son being baptized, and
the Holy Spirit descending upon
Jesus after his baptism. So, there
and and his Jesus's baptism in the
Jordan, you have all three persons of
the godhead present. I remember I was
witnessing to a oneness Pentecostal
one time and I said, okay, if god is
only one person, then, why would he
pray to himself? Uh number two, how do
you deal with the
Divine persons present in Jesus'
baptism. Number three, how do you
deal with the fact that Jesus sits at
the right hand of the father if god's
only one person? Well, they were
caught in their absurd, modalistic
belief and so they said, well, I don't
know. It's just higher than we can
ever imagine. I said, that's a cop
out. Scripture clearly teaches that
there are three persons who are
divine and are god. There are three
persons in one godhead and that's the
only way you can make sense out of
Jesus praying to the Father and his
subject object relationship. Jesus
sitting at the right hand of the
father which we're told in scripture
And all three being present during
the baptism of the Lord Jesus. And so
remember that Jesus commanded his
disciples that they are to baptize in
the name of the father, son, and holy
spirit. Notice it doesn't say names
there. Again, that's that's
indicating the plurality of persons
in one godhead. Matthew
twenty-eight nineteen. Many more
New Testament examples of the three
persons of the godhead could be
mentioned here should do a whole
series on the trinity but right now,
time does not allow it. Uh though the
Word Trinity is not found in the
Bible. The concept clearly is there.
They, you know, this is another lame
argument. Well, if the trinity were
biblical, why isn't the word trinity
in the Bible? Uh well, with that same
kind of logic, the the neither or
other words that we teach at Sound
Doctrine or in the Bible, the
millennial kingdom, that term is not
found in the Bible, yet the concept is
taught in Revelation twenty verses
one through six. So, you you that's
that's a poor man's argument. Uh so,
the theological term trinity first
appeared with the early church
fathers. Theophilus of Antioch in
180 AD and Tertillion in 2hundred AD.
They used the Greek word triads.
Triaz.
To describe the three persons in the
godhead and then
Also, the Latin word Trinitas is also
used.
I believe that was used by
Tertullion So, they use the word
Greek word trias and the Latin word
Trinitas respectively and to
Trinitarians who reject the triune
nature of god saved. The word is not
found. Trinity is not found in the
Bible. Uh well, they do well to
remember that the words Bible,
theocracy, omnipresence,
omniscience, and omnipotence are
not found in the Bible either but the
truth and concepts of all these are
found in scripture and so it is with
the trinity as well. The trinity
makes up one god but our three
distinct persons, equal and
coexistent with one another.
Father, son, and Holy Spirit. This is
the biblical doctrine of the
trinity. If you do not believe in
this, god revealed as triun, then,
you got another god, you got another
Jesus, and you got another spirit,
and you're not saved. Can I just be
that blunt? Yes, I can. Uh I mean,
let's think about it. Let's say if I
started broadcasting on air and in
print, that that that
Greg is a serial killer and everybody
should avoid him. Well, that's
obviously slandering his true
character. That's not who he is at all
and yet, if people were to believe
that, they would be misled and
deceived. They would not know who he
really is. Well, how much more with
the identity of who god is? If you do
not believe in the trinity, you are
believing in a god who is not the god of
the Bible and cannot save you and
there is no compromise on that. Uh so,
the father and son can each be on the
throne in heaven at the same time
because there are personal
distinctions within the Triune
Godhead that have a subject object
relationship with each other and the
Holy Spirit. All three divine
persons in fellowship and communion
with one another in the one eternal
Godhead. This also shows us that from
eternity past, god is a social being.
Each member of the godhead, each
persons of the godhead were in
fellowship with each other in
eternity past and isn't that exactly
what the Johanai prologue says in
John one one in the beginning was the
word and the word was with god
and the word was god and we go jump down
to John 114 and we know who that the
divine word is. It's Jesus. The word
became flesh and dwelt among us or
tabernacle among us. So, even in the
beginning, when John says in the
beginning, that word also could be
archae in the Greek, could be
translated in the dateless past, an
eternity past. The word was with god
and that that that preposition in
great prose in Greek actually means a
face-to-face relationship. Uh
is so much more precise than our vague
English language. I wish we had that
same specificity in English but we
don't but so there John is telling us
that god the word had a face-to-face
relationship with god the father in
eternity past. Isn't that
something? Isn't that wonderful?
And so but we must move on. Secondly,
another controversial subject that
unfortunately many legalists in the
Messianic community will fight
tooth and nail on Uh do Christians
have to follow kosher laws? This was
something that Zola got tired of
dealing with odd nauseam along with
the Sabbath observance. Uh you know,
do should we follow culture laws to be
good Christians? Uh well, first of
all, let me just be real blunt with
you. The New Testament clearly and
unequivocally teach. The dietary
laws from the law of Moses have been
done away with in Jesus Christ.
They were part and parcel of the Old
Covenant. They were given to the
nation of Israel, not to the church in
the New Covenant. Paul even tells us
this in Colossians 214 and sixteen.
Colossians 214 and sixteen. Here's
what he says about the matter of
eating certain things. Uh and Jesus
fulfilling everything that the law,
Mosaic Law demanded. Uh having wiped
out the handwriting of requirements
that was against us. The handwriting
there of course is the tabulated
commandments of the law
he wiped out the the that which was
against us which was contrary to us
and he has taken it out of the way
having nailed it to the cross, having
disarmed principalities and
powers. He made a public spectacle of
them triumphing over them in it. So,
in light of the fact that Jesus has
fulfilled and removed the Mosaic
Covenant, the Old Covenant, Paul
says this in verse sixteen, in light
of that, so let noone judge you in food
or and drink or regarding a festival
or a new moon or or Sabbaths. So, here
Paul is saying that the Christian is
not obligated to keep the feast of
Israel to keep kosher and to observe
the Sabbath. Now, you can have the
freedom to do that and we we still
teach the we still teach the word of
god. That would include Leviticus
eleven where the culture laws are. We
teach how the the practical aspects
of the Sabbath. We teach how they
fulfilled and messiah Jesus and we
also we also teach the
the feast of Israel and how they
collectively point to the Messiah.
Um but Paul writes here in Colossians
214 through sixteen that Christians
are not under these kinds of dietary
restrictions. Since they
foreshadowed in one way or another,
the person and work of the Messiah.
Amen? What we eat or do not eat under
the new covenant is not an issue. Nor
does it produce a better standing
with the lord since one is justified
by faith in Jesus Christ alone and not
by the works of the law such as
following Cushroat, the food laws of
the Old Testament. Paul tells us in
Galatians 216 that none of us are
justified by trying to keep the law.
That would include keeping kosher,
observing the Sabbath, and all the
other six hundred andthirteen
commandments of the law. Uh Paul goes
on to say in first Corinthians eight
eight, but food does not commend us to
god for neither if we eat or are we the
better nor if we do not eat, are we the
worst. So, certainly, if we, if
Christians had to follow the kosher
laws and benefit by them, Paul
wouldn't make a statement like he
just made that I read you here in first
Corinthians eight eight. Uh this can
also extend to those people who
follow Lent for 40 days after Fat
Tuesday, they will not eat meat on
Friday. And they think that that's a
spiritual benefit to them. A word of
god says, you're not better or worse
if you choose to eat certain things or
don't eat certain things. So, that
would include people who celebrate
Lent, the Anglicans, the Roman
Catholics, and some and in some
quarters, the the Lutheran
denomination. They're doing such in
vain. It doesn't give them Mary
before god and it doesn't make them
anymore spiritual than other
Christians who don't observe food
prohibitions. Impurity is not what
you eat or don't eat. But
a matter of the heart as Jesus clearly
declared in Mark seven verses
fourteen through twenty-3. There
Jesus addresses the issue of does
Kosher when you eat food and and
reinforce it with unwashed hands
does eating with unwashed hands and
eating unclean food itself. Does
that make you impure? Jesus said it
didn't. Because he came and
fulfilled that aspect of the law of
Moses and did away with it for the New
Testament believer. The whole idea
of opposing imposing a dietary
for the New Testament believer is not
scriptural and my messianic
fellows will vehemently disagree
with that and create all this kind of
clever exegesis where it says, well,
we should follow the law. I had one one
messianic town many years ago. Well,
we should follow Kosher because we we
need to do what Jesus did and I said,
well, how far do you want to take
that? He goes, what do you mean? I
said, well, for instance, you're
married. Jesus wasn't married. So,
you need to divorce your wife and be
single because Jesus was single. How
far do you take that? You know, and
it's it's absurd. Um
so the the the whole idea
as I said of imposing a dietary ritual
for the New Testament believers not
scriptural. Those laws are not
applicable for the church since
since we are under the better and
permanent promises of the new
covenant. Read second Corinthians
threeseven through eighteen. Paul
says this in Romans fourteen
seventeen. For the kingdom of god is
not eating and drinking but
righteousness and peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit. Again, if kosher
laws was mandatory for the New
Testament believer. Why then would
Paul say that? If our relationship
with god depends upon what we eat or
don't eat. Of course, it doesn't
under the new covenant. The dietary
laws that make up biblical culture
are found in Leviticus eleven. You
can go there if you want. Such foods
prohibited there were porks,
shellfish, scavenger animals,
birds, rodents, and most insects.
The kosher laws were given to Israel
alone. Let me say that again, the
kosher laws were given to Israel
alone to make them a distinct people
before god and the nations
surrounding them. Many of these
foods that were eaten by the
Canaanites were done in association
with their worship of false gods. So,
god wanted the Israelites to further
accent the fact that they were
followers of him, the one true god and
not followers and imitators of those
who worship false gods and would
dedicate food to them. IE the
Canaanites.
Once the purpose of Kosherot was
fulfilled, Jesus the Messiah
declared all foods clean according
to Mark 719. Let me read that. How
people can just gloss over a passage
like that and say we're believers are
required to follow culture laws is
beyond me. They're not being honest.
Because they have a pet doctrine. And
so their presupposition guides them
is to ignore that. Mark seven
night here's what Jesus said when he
was addressing the issue of clean or
unclean foods. Mark 719, he says
this, well, I'll go up to verse
eighteen. Jesus speaking here. So,
he said to them, then, meaning the
scribes and Pharisees, are you thus
without understanding also? Or are
you saying this to this disciples
actually? Uh after he previously
talked to Pharisees in this chapter
of Mark seven. Are you without
understanding? Also, do you not
perceive that whatever enters a man
from outside cannot def and because
it does not enter his heart but his
stomach and is eliminated. Thus, in
saying this, he purified all foods.
Who is he here? It's Jesus. Jesus is
saying this, right? Here, folks. Um
so, Jesus was not only overturning
the tradition of hand washing but
also with the same stroke, remove the
restrictions regarding dietary
laws of kosher. Purity and impurity
he was telling us are a matter of what
is in the what is on the inside of a
person and not on what kind of food he
puts into his mouth. But on the
condition of the heart and soul as
Jesus powerfully affirms here in
Mark seven. When the issue of
unwashed hands and digested food was
brought up by the legalistic
Pharisees. There is nothing wrong.
Let me just hasten to add. There's
nothing wrong if a Christian or a
messianic. Whether Jew or Gentile
wants to follow Kosher laws. Just as
long as they do not impose it on other
believers as necessary for
salvation and sanctification and
there's where they go wrong when they
start imposing that on the church and
Paul addresses Jesus addresses this
in Mark seven Paul addresses it in the
book of Galatians and he addresses it
in Romans fourteen about the issue of
eating food there it's eating food to
unto idols. They were offered to
idols. Romans fourteen one to 23 does
teach that if a weak believer is
offended by our eating non-osher
food, the more mature believer
should refrain from doing so in his or
hers presence so as not to offend that
believer of weaker conscience, even
though our liberty in Christ permits
us to eat any food under the new
covenant. When I've when I've eaten
in front of people who I know are
strongly kosher, I I I practice as a
city. You won't you won't you won't
you won't be offended if I order and
they're like, no, go ahead, man. If
you want to poison yourself, that's
fine. They they have to add that but
it's like, well, you know, there's so
many foods out there other than pork
that I'm sure are not good for us but if
if we if we are not supposed to eat
food, we shouldn't eat, then, many of
us would starve to death, I would
think. Uh but all food under the new
covenant is consecrated by the word
of prayer. Just as first Timothy four
four and five, clearly teaches and I
quote, for every creature of god is
good and nothing to be refused. If it
be received with Thanksgiving For it
is sanctified by the word of God and
prayer. Amen. So we move on. The next
catechetical question we're
dealing with now is what happens
after death. When you die is that it?
Are you unconscious? Do you cease to
exist? When you die, if you're not
quite good enough and pure enough to
be in god's presence, do you go to
purgatory and suffer temporal
punishment, do your menial sin
or if you are a true born again
believer, the moment you die, you're
ushered into the presence of god in
heaven or if you're an unbeliever,
you're immediately in the black
blackness and darkness of hell.
Well, the Bible first of all reveals
god. Uh god made man with a physical
body but it didn't stop there. He gave
him a spirit that resides in that
body. God breathed into him and Adam
became a living soul. Genesis two
seven and so also, all his
descendants after him which would
include you and I. The spirit is the
immaterial part of us that lives on
after physical death. You are
going to survive your physical
death. I hate to tell you that unsafe
sinner. That you you revel in your sin
and shake your fist at god and rebel
against his law and authority. You
will answer to him after you die. Uh
you're not getting, you're not
escaping it through death. Every
human being survives physical death
and the spirit lives on beyond this
world in the afterlife. Now, there's
this insidious, heretical teaching
promulgated by the Jehovah's
Witness in the seventh day of
Adventist called Soul Sleep and they
take certain scriptures out of
context where it says, when when the
when a person dies or the dead no
longer are are on the Earth or
memories no more. Keep in mind,
that's talking, that's talking
about their physical body. And their
conscience here on earth. They're
not here anymore. It doesn't mean
they become extinct and they cease to
exist. The atheist is wrong
when he assumes that you just die and
that's it. Uh but the Bible teaches
every human being survives physical
death and the spirit lives on beyond
this world in the afterlife. What is
called eternity which is another
mention which is another dimension
altogether. The atheist is wrong
when he assumes that when you die, you
just simply cease to exist. Well,
wouldn't that be comforting? You
could live a life of gross immorality
and then you get off the hook at the
end, you die and you cease to exist.
I'll never forget. I was arguing with
a a myopic Jehovah's Witness and he
was trying to make this case that that
how could god create a hell? Uh how
could a loving god create a hell? And I
said, simple. I said, a just god does
create a hell but he created for the
devil and his angels. God is not sin.
People arbitrarily to hell. They
send themselves there because they
don't want to have anything to do
with god. They don't want to live for
em. They certainly don't want to be
in his presence when they die because
it would be nothing but torment and
great displeasure. So, God gives
them what they want. They want to be
separated for him. So, in this life,
so they can sin and do whatever they
want, then they will be separated
from from him in the next life
forever. In Luke 16 19 31, the Lord
Jesus unveils the reality of what
happens when a person dies to live on
in the afterlife. It is a true story.
It's not a parable. It's not a
parable. And even if it was a parable,
it's still illustrating a truth
about reality. Namely, that you
after death. So, in this
in this true story, we have a poor man
named Lazarus and a rich man both died
and their souls went to two different
places, hell or paradise. Notice,
there's no purgatory here. Believe
me, if purgatory is such an important
doctrine and it really exists. Don't
you think Jesus would have mentioned
that? In Luke sixteen? No. Of course
he wouldn't. But it doesn't exist.
So, the thought never even crossed
his mind to mention something that
doesn't exist. However, he does
mention that hell and heaven or
paradise exist. That true account on
Luke sixteen applies to all people
who die. Heaven for those who believe
in Jesus Christ and hell for those who
die in unbelief. Read the account.
This is called what what happens to
your soul after death is called by
theologians. The intermediate
state of the soul which means that at
death, the human spirit of the person
survives and goes to one of two places
depending on whether he or she he or
she believe in Jesus Christ or not.
The first person go to heaven after
Jesus's death was a thief on the
cross. Remember he told him, today,
you will be with me in paradise. Now,
it's funny the people who advocate
soul death and the Jehovah's
Witnesses will try to rearrange that
grammar to make it sound like, you
know, Jesus really wasn't saying
today, you'll be with me in paradise
to try to make it sound like something
else and of course, you know, there
were no commas in ancient Hebrew and
in ancient Greek. It says, what it
means. This day, when you and I die,
you will be with me in paradise
because Jesus is the only way into
paradise. Amen. And the thief
acknowledge that of course and Jesus
commended him for his faith on his
deathbed. If you want to call it a
deathbed and dying in agony on a cross
and he was promised paradise or
heaven after that. So, you go a person
who dies either goes to one of two
places to Depending upon whether he
or she believed in Jesus Christ for
salvation or not. Thus, god's word
does in fact affirm life after death
for both the believer and unbeliever
and I will not get into a discussion
here about NDE experiences or
near-death experiences. I think
they're valid. I think they're real
but we won't get into them here.
That's another big subject
altogether. For believers in Jesus
Christ, at death, their souls
immediately go to the third heaven
where they are brought into the
presence of the lord because they
believed in Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of sins and receive the
gift of eternal life. John 3sixteen,
John 520 For believers to be absent
from the body is to be at home and in in
the presence of the lord. So says Paul
in second Corinthians five, six, and
eight. At death, a sole or spirit of
dead believers goes to heaven while
their physical bodies remain in the
grave. Asleep so to speak. So, the the
body does sleep. Death, when when you
go to bed at night and sleep, that is a
picture of your death. Assuming the
lord tarries and the rapture doesn't
happen in your life. And then you wake
up in the morning. Well, that every
every time you do that each day, you
are picturing your own death and
resurrection. So, the body
dies and remains in the grave but the
soul of that person goes to heaven.
When the first resurrection occurs
at the rapture beginning with the
rapture and ending with the old
resurrection of the Old Testament
saints at the conclusion of the
tribulation period Daniel twelve
one through two the first
resurrection the will occur when the
disembodied souls of believers will
then be reunited with the
resurrected glorified bodies that
come forth from the graves we don't
have time to go through the
scriptures but let me give them to you
and you can look them up yourself
first Corinthians 1550 through
5four Uh first Thessalonians 413
through seventeen This
reunification of soul and
resurrected glorified body will be
in the possession of believers
throughout eternity. It will be a
body that will never waste away,
never decay, and never die.
Revelation chapters 21 and 2 22. For
the unbelievers, it is a salvation
for the for the unbelievers. It is a
horrible and damnable future after
death. For the believer, it's one of
glory and entrance into heaven but
for the unbeliever, it is one of
damnation, that will be horrible
after death. Those who don't believe
upon Jesus Christ for salvation will
enter into hell immediately after
death. Again, I refer you to the rich
man in Luke sixteen. He went to the
torment side of Hades. And that's
another whole subject will cover
later. Before the cross, there was
the paradise side of Hades and the
torment side. When the lord Jesus
died, he went to the paradise side of
Hades, rescued the souls there,
brought them into heaven, the third
heaven to be in the presence of god.
So, that part of Hades is
been vacated. The torment side of
Hades were all unbelievers go after
death. It's still being occupied Uh
but but the unbeliever, those who don
believe upon Jesus Christ will enter
into hell immediately after death.
Hell is a temporary holding place of
torment until the second
resurrection which will occur after
the thousand year reign of Christ
according to Revelation 2011
through fifteen. All the departed
souls of the unbelieving dead are
currently right now being held in
hell where they reside in darkness
and fiery torment. Immediately
after the unbeliever dies, he or
goes straight to hell and is
tormented for their sins. This is
exactly what happened to the
unbelieving rich man after he died as
documented by the lord Jesus Christ.
In Luke sixteen twenty-two through
23. Why are they being tormented? Is
god a sadistic monster like
full-hearted atheist
what's this? Dawkins. What's his
first name? Richards. Richard
Dawkins. Supposes? No. You're
paying for your sins in hell. Jesus
paid for you but you didn't want it.
You didn't want to receive that
payment of your innocent, sinless
substitute and so, you wanted to do it
your way and you will in hell. You will
pay for your sins for an eternity in
hell and then, there's this nonsense
that that at the second judgment
which applies only to unbelievers,
the unbeliever will be raised only to
be annihilated. This is called
conditional immortality. Uh and
that's equally ludicrous
especially when the same word used
for eternal life and Aeonia in Greek
is also used is the same word used for
punishment of the damned. So, both
heaven is for the believer is eternal
and both each hell and the lake of fire
is eternal for the unbeliever. The
unsaved will remain in hell until
they are physically raised from the
dead and their souls joined to their
risen bodies to stand before the lord
Jesus at the great white throne
judgment. This is a judgment it will
only apply to unbelievers. Once
judged, they will be cast into the
lake of fire. Hell will then be
emptied. It's a temporary prison
right now for all unbelievers who go
there after death. But at the at the
great white throne judgement after
the thousand year reign of Christ is
completed. The second resurrection
will occur that applies only to
unbelievers. They will be judged and
cast into the lake of fire. Where they
will be tormented day and night
forever. As eternal punishment for
their sins against an eternal god.
When you commit sin against eternal
god, there must just there must
be a just proportion to that
crime and that is eternal punishment
because you're sinning against
eternal an eternal being. So,
logically, the punishment has to be
commensurate with the crime
which is being committed against the
person and since the person is
eternal, your punishment's
going to eternal. Let me in by saying
this, Revelation 2013 through
fifteen, one of the most sobering
texts and truths of the Bible. This is
the great white throne judgment, the
millennial kingdom of Christ is
concluded and this is what happens
and this refers to all unbelievers,
only believers will be raised in the
first resurrection. Covering the
church, the believers in the church,
the Old Testament saints, and those
murdered during the great
tribulation. All of those people
will be raised in the first
resurrection. The second
resurrection, there's only one
class of people. That's
unbelievers. Revelation twenty
eleven, then I saw a great white
throne and him who sat on him from
whose face the earth and the heaven
fled away and there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great standing before God, and books
were open, and another book was open,
which is the book of life. And the dead
were judged according to their works
by the things which were written in
the books that since they have no
faith in Jesus Christ, the only other
thing there to be judged upon is their
works. Their the the quality of their
lives, what they did in their unsafe
state. Verse thirteen, the sea gave
up the dead who were in it and death in
Hades delivered up the dead who were
in them and they were judged each one
according to his works. So, their
thoughts, words, and actions will be
compared to god's perfect holy
standard in that
This is the second death and anyone
not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.
And I'll just end by saying this. You
don't want to end up forever
tormented in the lake of fire.
Especially when you don't have to.
There is an escape. From all of us are
born hell bound sinners. None of us
are born sinless. Godly. Uh
angelic. We're all born with a sin
nature. Therefore, we're already
fallen and under the condemnation of
god for our law-breaking nature. So,
all of us need to find escape from the
eternal punishment of the lake of
fire and the only escape, the only
escape that god has provided is in his
son, Jesus Christ, who died in your
place and in my place. Who deserve
the just judgement and punishment of
god for our sins and yet god and his
mercy and grace sent Jesus to die in
our place. So, we would miss the lake
of fire and end up with him in heaven
forever. Everyone who dies is going
to go to either one or two place or or
two either hell or heaven. There are
only two places you will end up in
after death and what you do with Jesus
Christ will determine your eternal
destiny. If you repent and put your
trust in him for the salvation of your
soul you will go to heaven. Not
because you're trying to be good and
you're trying to earn your way up
there and you've been baptized and
you go to holy communion and all that.
None of that gets you into heaven.
Jesus Christ gets you into heaven.
Turning to him and accepting him,
believing, he is god in the flesh, the
son of god, the savior who died to pay
the penalty of your sins so that you
can escape hellfire and be within
heaven. That is what is going to get
you to heaven. So, if unsure of where
you will go after you die, you need to
place your trust in Jesus Christ and
have that assurance of eternal life
in a home in heaven when you die that
god wants you to have. You can do that
by putting your trust in the lord
Jesus Christ. The one who died for
your sins and rose again from the
dead, give you eternal life. Don't
delay. Make that decision now. Amen. Well, until next time. Shalom,
Yeshua Hamashiach. May the peace of
Jesus, the Messiah, be with you all.