| The Two People of the Bible |
 |
|
Throughout the Bible, there is one theme unmistakably continuously revealed, implied, or exampled. That theme is that Yahweh [GOD] only considers humanity divided into two types, or groups, of people. One group He calls “My People,” the other are seen by Him, as I read the Bible, as Gentiles or the “nations.” In other words, you belong to God/Yeshua by faith, just as Abraham did, or you are children of the nations, as the Apostle Paul clearly explains in Eph 2:11-13 nkjv “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." In a perfect world, Yahweh’s definition, He created the first couple [Adam & Eve made in His image], and placed them in a paradise garden of beauty and perfection… Where, among the trees of the garden, there was also two unique trees; namely, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, gen 2:8… some time after, how long I don’t know, we read of the fall of man [sin of disobedience], which began the age of “two” kinds of people. Then, Adam had two sons, Cain & Able, made in his image [not God’s image]… Cain killed his brother able, they were separate types of people, as men are now. As time progressed, we learn of a man named Noah, as men expanded their presence over the earth. Genesis chapter 6 tells us of the corruption of humanity, even involving fallen angels, and the resultant wickedness and violence of that antediluvian age… Genesis 6 includes this comment by Yahweh: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” gen 6:5-7 nkjv However, verses 8-10 niv tells us this: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” (emphasis mine) You will notice the contrast between the “two types” of people… this theme started in the beginning and was fully recognized by the Apostle Paul in his day from his comments in Ephesians chapter two above… Yeshua Himself refers to “His sheep that know His voice,” vs the goats that are separated into the group bound for destruction. (mat 25:31-46) It is also contrasted in the record of the Apostle John in his writings in the book of Revelation… the distinction being those who take the “mark of the beast,” vs those who do not. This completes the very clear and expressed definition of Yahweh’s two types of people [by specific design]. Which group are you in? It’s not by saying the sinners prayer and going on to do your own thing… If you are among the “God type people,” you are the ones taking Yeshua serious about His saying, “if you love me, keep My Commandments.” jn 14:15 To me, this gives more understanding to the discussion of “predestination.” Predestination was Yahweh’s plan from time immemorial… because He would that none would perish 2 pet 3:9; because of the “lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” rev 13:8, 1 pet 1:20 Remember, God sees the end from the beginning. He fully intends for the “good seed” to thrive and grow in spirit and in truth… and just like he fully intended for Adam to “tend and keep the garden.” But failure to follow the voice of the great Shepherd [Yeshua/Jesus], can cause one to depart from the will Yahweh has prepared for them… remember Yeshua’s prayer model for us, “not my will, but Thy will be done.” Disobedience is a terrible choice. This does not happen with one bad deed… it is when one “practices” lawlessness that one gives up his predestined birthright. (mat 7:23, mat 13:41, rom 1:32, rom 2:1-2, gal 5:21 ). Now the beginning of the conflict between the “two types of people,” was when [in gen 3:14-15 nkjv] Yahweh told the serpent [who deceived Eve into disobedience]: “So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (emphasis mine). Since that day, Yahweh has placed a divine obstruction [flaming sword guardian] in front of the Tree of Life… so no unregenerate could partake of it and live forever in such a defiled state. Gen 3:24 Now it is important to note that from the beginning, there was only two “special” trees in the Garden of Yahweh… One being The Tree of Life, which the ancient Scribes call the Torah [Law of Moses, first five books of the Bible], and the other being the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which unless one has been born again, they only have for consumption. Yeshua [Jesus] is said to be the Tree of Life, the same vine He speaks of in John 15:1-3 nkjv “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” This is the “tree” that Paul speaks of us being grafted on to in Romans, and Yeshua says, apart from Him [this vine, Tree of Life], we can do nothing, nothing that is acceptable to Yahweh. According to Genesis 1:11, the “law of the harvest,” the fruit comes from the seed… the fruit also contains the seed… it produces after its own kind. Yeshua said you cannot get bad fruit from a good tree, and you cannot get good fruit from a bad tree. Mat 12:33, The battle between the “seeds” is the battle between the “two people types.” Theses “people types” are feeding off from one or the other of the two trees… and, there is no other tree from which they can derive from. There is no “new testament tree,” no “catholic or protestant tree,” no “male or female tree,” All God’s “my people,” are one in Christ, or they are from the “nations” group. If so, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for them [nations], is the Tree of Death. Following the flood of Noah’s time, as men began to repopulate the earth, they began to group up together, and we come to the man Nimrod at the tower of Babel… where Yahweh separated [scattered the rebels because of their intended mischievous intent]... and following that, we soon come to meet a man named Abram. Yahweh chose to use Abram to reestablish a definite, special people group He would use to fulfill His purpose with mankind, that was derailed with Adam’s failure. Yahweh took Abram from the pagan land of Ur [Mesopotamia], and established him in a place to where Abram followed Yahweh’s direction, not knowing where he was going… Now this would be the beginning of this new posterity of Yahweh, a people who “by faith, believed God.” These “one and only people of God,” would later be named Israel. Nothing has changed, they still are. No church or other group has replaced them, nor have there been an “additional” group… there is only the one people of God [all one in Christ]. The Bible tells us, Abram [later named Abraham by God], believed Yahweh God, and He [God] accounted it to him for/as righteousness. Rom 4:3, gal 3:6. The Apostle Paul told the Galatians: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” gal 3:26-29 nkjv The important thing to note here, is that from the beginning, inclusion in the “people of God,” has been through faith. Yahweh’s gift to us is Christ, who’s faithfulness secured for us a place in Yahweh’s family… yes, we who are in Christ, by faith, are called “My people” by the Creator of the Universe. We are “joint heirs,” with Him, by Him, and through Him, now called sons of God. Paul the Apostle says it like this to the Romans: “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” rom 10:8-10 nkjv Now upon becoming the means by which the “seed” of the woman would bruise the Serpents head, the Serpent [devil] has been using every means possible to corrupt the seed, or destroy the seed bearer, that would otherwise become his destruction. His main tools stem from the same basic tricks he employed against Yeshua in the three temptation, in the wilderness, in His [Yeshua’s] ministry beginning. Namely, these are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life . “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 jn 2:16 nkjv This demonic plan and assault of the devil has been focused [targeted] against the three main institutions that Yahweh initiated in the beginning. They are, the family [one man/wife nuclear family], the sacred fellowship of saints [some call church, not a good global name, too many mislabeled implications], and finally the civil governance of humanity. All these divine institutions have been badly corrupted and are no longer representative of their original design. Mainly, the three temptations listed above has dismembered them, and generally converted them into a humanistic model. They are all dependent upon the Tree of Death for their provision. By deception, the evil cabal has been ruling over them. Their deliverance will come when King Yeshua returns to restore all things. Everything is about your identity. What do you partake of? Which Tree nourishes your soul? Do you in fact, above all else, want to be named among the “My People” of Yahweh? This is the main question. If your desire is yes, then Yahweh by His Holy Spirit will empower you, your mind can be renewed by partaking of the holy fruit of the Torah, [the Tree of Life], and your blemished and sin scared body and heart can be washed as white as snow in the crimson blood of Yeshua the lamb. Yeshua was referring to this when He spoke of his followers “eating His flesh.” Because He was the Word of Yahweh [Tree of Life], made flesh. Partaking of the Word of God [Torah, Tree of Life], is spiritually feasting on the body of Yeshua, the Word made flesh. It is soul food. Yahweh knew all this in the beginning, remember He saw the end from the beginning, when He provided the Lamb Slain from before the foundation of the world… who was later revealed [not initiated] at Calvary. They missed Him then, because they were partaking of the evil tree of death, which appealed to their fleshly minds. Too many are missing Him now for the same reasons and choices. What will you do? I am 1942 vintage, I have been “in church” from childhood, mostly having similar experiences as others in my age and lifetime group… I am 83 as I write this article. I experienced several changes and activities in my march through time. About 56 years ago, I began helping my church with more involvement; namely, I agreed to help by teaching 5th grade boys Sunday School, using denominational prepared lesson literature for the classes. As time moved along, so I learned more from study and good and meaningful leaders who tried to help with my growth in fellowship ministry. It was all good, and I benefited greatly from those times. I had the privilege of being in a fellowship of faithfully good and well-meaning saints. As time moved along, I became more advanced in leadership and teaching, some pastoral activity, and oversight of a number of home fellowship study groups. And, I served some 20 plus years as secretary of the church board of deacons. All along the way, I had continued to study and learn more Biblically, leading up to becoming an associate Pastor [full time for seven years] and being ordained in my denomination. When I left that church, I then worked in ministry teaching and helping another church for some four plus years, and finally, later becoming a co-leader in a local Messianic Believers fellowship. I retired from that service in 2015 and had to deal with health issues for both myself and my dear wife, who was fully involved in my ministry efforts all throughout my life. I said all the above to say, I was 60 years old [2002] when I began to do in-depth study of the entire Bible, and church history; and I have spent these 24 years systematically following Torah portion study as provided by Christ devoted brethren in soundly founded Hebrew Roots studies and researching first century Christ-like discipleship practices… namely researching and examining how they lived and followed the Savior Yeshua, and it has changed my life dramatically. It is from this exposure that I came to understand the, “only two types of People,” understanding that I have described in this article. I try to always remain open to learning new truth and revising and adjusting my thinking as the clarity of the Scriptures challenge me and the Holy Spirit confirms it to me. I think we all learn in different ways and from different avenues. The goal is that we all come to the better as believers in our precious Lord and Savior… I hope this article can perhaps stimulate your thinking to study, not for purpose that you believe me, but that you examine the meaning of all of this from the Scripture and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit yourselves. I truly believe that in the last days in which we live, that we need to seek and follow Yahweh’s truth more and more. I often recall Yeshua’s prayer to the Father for Him to “sanctify them [His followers/including us] by thy truth, thy Word is Truth” jn 17:17… and that is my prayer for you as well. Amen. I have listed here below, a few web-links on my website that provide more context for this issue. My Journey to learn about the Messianic Faith of Yeshua and the First Century Believers: Understanding Your Hebrew Roots of Believers Faith: It was near the end of our 2015 season that I completed a “My Book,” composite booklet that includes many of the experiences and lessons I learned and observed during the “my journey” season of 2004-2015. It is in PDF form at this link: Shalom, John |
Who are the "My People" of GOD?