Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
The constitution of the Davidic Kingdom part, The sermon on the mount part 1
The beatitudes Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Blessed are those who see their need for a saviour as they will be the ones that enter into the Kingdom of heaven. The haughty and self sufficient will not be granted entrance into the Kingdom of God on earth. Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Sorrow over sin against God which produces repentance and a zeal for the Kingdom. Also, those in this life who mourn over lost love ones, lost spiritually or physically, shall be comforted by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Those who are humble and gentle and patient in doing good will inherit the new heavens and new earth which is the promised inheritance of the saints (Isaiah 65:17-18). Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." How sold out for the Kingdom are we? Do we seek it out with a determined singlemindedness? It is those who go into the narrow gate and press into the Kingdom with violence that show that they hunger and thirst after righteousness. Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Only those who show mercy to others will obtain it from God most notably on the day of judgment where we will be in great need of that mercy as every word we have spoken as well as deed in the body will come under scrutiny. Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." To the pure all things are pure. We as believers in the Son of God should believe the best about our brethren. We should believe all things, hope all things and bear all things. Only those pure in heart can do these things. When we bear our brothers and sisters burdens we fulfill the law of Messiah.Being pure in heart is not about outward ceremonial practices but rather about inward sincerity in faith and love. Only the pure will see God in this life and the life to come. In this life close and personal fellowship with Jehovah God and His Son Jehoshua. In the next life we will see the face of God and dwell with Him in New Jerusalem for eternity. Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." In America, the mainstream Church supports war especially that of Geo-political Israel's enemies. They also promote military service as honourable. They also align with political parties who cause divisions among racial, gender and economic classes. We as believers need to stay away from endorsing politicians and war, both of which are antithetical to the gospel of the Kingdom. Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Living righteous is defined by keeping Jehovah's commandments. When people persecute us for doing this then we are blessed even though it may not feel like it at the time. It is those who suffer persecution that prove their loyalty is with the Son of God and not the world. Persecution is evidence that one is worthy of the Kingdom of God. Only those who suffer persecution for the gospel's sake will inherit the Kingdom when it comes down from heaven. Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." Even when we are falsely accused we are to consider ourselves blessed. Many of the martyrs throughout history were put to death by way of false accusations from their enemies. When men revile us which is mocking and insulting. Jehoshua Himself was reviled but He reviled not. He is our example and when unbelievers mock and insult us we are not to return the favor. Matthew 5:12 "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." We are actually to rejoice when this happens as we will be rewarded in heaven and our reward will be accordingly to how much were persecuted for the Kingdom. Matthew 5:13 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Salt gives a strong flavor to that which it seasons and believers in Messiah are to flavor the world with the gospel of the Kingdom. In context, this would mean we live out the teachings here in the sermon on the mount. Messianics are to stick out from the world and not blend in with it. If we lose our savour then we become worthless and hence we will be cut off and cast into the lake of fire (trodden under foot of men). Malachi 4:1-3 1For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.2But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.3And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts. In the day of judgment the righteous will trod under foot the wicked for they will be ashes having been burned up in the lake of fire. Even those once part of the vine can end up under the foot of the wicked if they lose their salt and stop bearing fruit. Ezekiel 18 is a good chapter to read in connection with Matthew 5:13. Matthew 5:14-16 14Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.15Neither do [men] light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.16Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The whole idea of just living a quiet life and not being bold with your faith is unbiblical. The modern Church frowns on outward declarations of the Kingdom and encourages preaching to only be within the confines of a 501 C 3 building structure. Just as Jehoshua is the light of the world as the royal seed of David we too are the light of the world as kings and priests. The fact that we are the light of the world shows that the title as applied to Jehoshua doesn't mean He is God. Our light which is the gospel of the Kingdom is to be shined on the world in the good works we do and in our proclaiming the Kingdom. The idea of just keeping your beliefs to yourself or within your circle is unbiblical and contrary to the command of the Son of God. The ultimate goal of shining our light is so that people will glorify the Father not the trinity. Matthew 5:17-18 17Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. These two verses have become lightening rods of controversy in the Church. For mainstream Christianity this means that Jehoshua came to do the law so that now it's completed and we don't have to keep it anymore. For the Hebrew roots movement this passage means that we are obligated to keep every jot and tittle of the law as heaven and earth have not passed away. So how should we understand the above passage? If we understand the way mainstream evangelical christians do then we would end up with a lawless gospel which contradicts the rest of scripture and the actual terms of the new covenant. If we understand it the way the Hebrew roots movement does then we will end up practicing things that are clearly abrogated through the death, resurrection and ascension of the Son of God. Obviously there are things from the law that we don't practice anymore such as animal sacrifices, the temple system of worship including going to the Levitical Priesthood with our offerings and sacrifices. This passage should be understood that Jehoshua came to fulfill the law in the sense of living out and teaching it's true intent. This is seen in the very sermon we are studying. The word fulfil denotes to bring something to it's perfection or completeness. Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Jehoshua's statement that we are not to break the least of the commandments nor teach others to do so is largely ignored by most of Christendom. His statement that these ones will be called least in the Kingdom indicates that they will not be granted entrance into it, as Revelation 22:14 makes it clear that one has to keep God's commandments to gain entrance into New Jerusalem. So does this support keeping every jot and tittle of the law of Moses as the Hebrew roots movement states? No! If we read the context surrounding this verse then the commandments Jehoshua is referring to is the ones He is giving in the sermon on the mount. What's ironic is that the Hebrew roots folks by believing Jehoshua is referring to the law of Moses end up disobeying the very teachings of the Son of God. Jehoshua makes statements that go beyond the law of Moses in the letter where we have certain rights and demands a denial of self and one's rights in order to sacrificially love neighbor and enemy alike. Matthew 5:20 "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." The pharisees and scribes were adding man made teachings to the commandments of God and were far more concerned with outward displays of religion than internal righteousness. Those who wish to enter the Kingdom must have internal righteousness. Matthew 5:21-22 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Jehoshua intetnalizes commandment number six. While many could outwardly keep the 6th commandment, Jehoshua says that truly keeping it goes beyond literally not killing someone but to keep it is actually not having anger towards a brother without cause. To even call a brother a fool makes one guilty of breaking the 6th commandment. Matthew 5:23-24 23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. One cannot serve God while remaining in an unreconciled state with his or her brother. Matthew 5:25-26 25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Jehoshua stressed the urgency of seeking reconciliation in terms of earthly legal judgments but with implications for heavenly and eternal judgment. Matthew 5:37-28 27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Again, Jehoshua internalizes one of the 10 commandments specifically the 7th one. Many can outwardly keep this commandment but here Jehoshua commands people to keep it inwardly by not lusting after a woman. Matthew 5:29 "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." We must be willing to take drastic measures to avoid sin. Specifically here is the sin of lusting with the eyes which refers to adultery and covetousness, 2 of the 10 commandments. We must be aggressive in terms of fighting against sin. Matthew 5:31-32 31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:32But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Jehoshua narrows the scope in which divorce is lawful and it is fornication (see Leviticus 18) that are the grounds for divorce according to the Son of God. To divorce for any other reason is to cause your spouse to fall into adultery of they end up getting "married" to someone else. Matthew 5:33-37 33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Jehoshua forbids oaths of any kind. There is no gray area here. The Church has largely dismissed this and encourages members to sware all kinds of oaths in relation to being loyal to the government. Swearing on the bible at court is celebrated by the mainstream Church yet it is a direct violation of the Son of God's commandments. Matthew 5:38-39 38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. For the first 3 centuries of the church this was understood literally. The early Church did not believe in participating in war and did not fight their persecuters but rather were willing to suffer for their faith. The Anabaptists also took this passage literally as did other groups throughout the new covenant Church age. This has been the dividing line between false Christianity and true Christianity. The groups that did not take this literally have been fine with joining the military and killing in the name of government. In the 4th century the Roman emperor Constantine lifted the ban on Christianity and shortly thereafter aligned the empire with the Church. The fruit of this union resulted in over 100 million murders of the Church's enemies namely 68 million Christians who were outside the Roman Church system. The Protestants followed the ideology of the Catholic Church and thought it okay to persecute and kill Anabaptists, Catholics, enslave and kill blacks and slaughter native Americans. This Church-state ideology of just war i.e. manifest destiny continues to plague Christendom today as Evangelicals have yoked themselves to the Republican party and cheer lead wars against Muslim countries. One cannot call themselves a true Christian if they do not follow Jehoshua's teachings in turning the other cheek. How do we know this is to be taken literally? Because Jehoshua Himself did not strike back at His enemies and we have been instructed to walk as He walked. Hebrews 12:2-4 2Looking unto Jehoshua the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. We are to look to Jehoshua as an example in how to handle the persecution of sinners. Did He fight them? No! He endured their insults and eventually at His passion, their beatings. Jehoshua despised the shame of the cross i.e. He was willing to endure the suffering that came with it. Jehoshua had the Davidic throne to look forward to as that was the joy set before Him. We too have this same hope as we endure to the end we have the blessed hope of New Jerusalem and to be sat with the Son of God on His throne (Revelation 3:21). Most mainstream deny the literal application of turning the other cheek yet the few times that the apostles sought vengeance they were sternly rebuked by Jehoshua. This verse in the sermon on the mount deserves an in depth treatment. Luke 9:54-56 54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. This should be a warning to all those supposed "Christians" that when they call for war against their enemies that according to Jehoshua they are of another spirit. Jehoshua sternly rebuked John and James for their eye for an eye mentality and indicated that they had the spirit of the devil working in them by saying that. Jehoshua made it clear that His mission was strictly to save lives not destroy them. If this was His mission then it is ours too. Those supposed "Christians" who believe in fighting wars and the Church supporting politicians who fight them are of another spirit which is of the devil. Supposed "Christians" who cheerlead wars are of the devil. Let's go to the time Peter struck the high priest servant on the ear with his sword: John 10:10-11 10Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.11Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Peter was told by Jehoshua to put his sword away. Jehoshua told Peter that He (Jehoshua) was to drink the cup of suffering that the Father had for Him. The cup of suffering was the passion leading up to His death on the cross. Guess what? We are commanded to drink that same cup of suffering: Matthew 16:24-25 24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. In order to be a true follower of Jehoshua you must be willing to pick up your cross which is the same cup of suffering He was given to drink. Picking up your cross and following Jehoshua means you endure persecution without striking back. Those who seek to save their lives by fighting back will lose it in the age to come. Those who are willing to drink the cup of suffering by losing their lives will gain eternal life in the Father's Kingdom. If we seek vengeance or fight back when persecuted then we place ourselves above the Messiah who did neither of those things: John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." Matthew 26:52 "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Matthew has Jehoshua telling Peter that those who take the sword shall perish by the sword. A stark warning to Christians who think they can take up arms against their enemies. Christians who take up weapons against their enemies bring their own destruction upon themselves. Revelation 13:10 "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." The patience and faith of the saints is that they don't take matters into their own hands by picking up the sword. The saints trust is to be in God not the carnal weapons of the world. There is a warning here in the book of Revelation that those who do pick up the sword will also die by the sword. These are the words of Jehoshua being relayed to John by the angel as the Revelation is called the "Revelation of Jehoshua Messiah". Matthew 5:40 "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also." Unfortunately much of Christendom has ignored this verse as many Christians have no problem fighting in court for material possessions. Christians have no problem taking both fellow believers and unbelievers to court over some financial dispute. Or in some cases Christians are taken to court by unbelievers and will fight tooth and nail to win their civil lawsuit which revolves around money i.e. business. The words of the Son of God are powerful here as He says to let the person suing you have what they are asking for but not only that to also give them what they are not asking for. The Church will do everything to explain this away but there is no getting out of the commandment given here by Jehoshua as He means what He says. We see this being lived out by the Church in the new testament: Hebrews 10:32-34 32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;33Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.34For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. The apostolic Church not only allowed their goods to be taken from them without a fight but they gladly accepted it. Do you see the power of Church back then? They had this power because they took the teachings of Jehoshua seriously. Matthew 5:41 "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." This verse likely refers to going the extra mile to help someone. Matthew 5:42 "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." We are not to turn people away when they ask us of our material posessions. There is no wiggle room here as we must not hold onto to our possessions as though they are ours. Matthew 5:43-44 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; This is probably the most or second most challenging statement in the sermon on the mount. This is exactly what the Son of God did when He walked the earth. Jehoshua takes the Leviticus 19:18 command even farther in that we are to love our enemies not just our neighbors. We are to bless those who curse us and pray for those who persecute us. Ultimately this is what defines true believers from false believers. This is what makes you a son or daughter of God: Matthew 5:45 "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." This what makes us children of the Father who also loves His enemies by making the sun rise on them as well. For us to be called children of God we must love our enemies, there is no getting around this. Those Christians who think it's okay to go to war and/or support it show that they are not children of the Father. This passage also shows that God loves His enemies too which dispels the notion of Calvinism which teaches that God does not love everyone. Matthew 5:46-47 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Even for unbelievers it is natural to love those who love them. What separates the Christian from the non Christian is showing love to one's enemies. Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." The very definition of perfection is to love our enemies Jehoshua says here. It is not by keeping a bunch of rules or keeping holy days perfectly it is by loving and saluting our enemies. So many Christians think they are perfect by simply having a mental ascent of Jehoshua but scripture contradicts intellectual belief as being enough. To be perfect one must love their enemies otherwise they are no better than an unbeliever On the other end of the spectrum, the Hebrew roots movement says perfection is in keeping the law of Moses yet they promote defending possessions, military service, not literally turning the other cheek and even support war especially against Geo- political Israel's enemies. The Hebrew roots folks disobey the very teaching of Jehoshua that makes one perfect. The bottom line is that we can be perfect and this perfection is defined by loving our enemies and thereby we become children of the heavenly Father Jehovah.
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