The Message

Be faithful to his calling is the exhortation made by Luke to his Hebrew Christian audience. Our apostle and high priest Jesus is worthy of more glory than even Moses the lawgiver, and architect, of the house of Israel.

As stated in the notes for chapter 2, 1st century Jerusalem was under Roman control. The Jewish faith was being tested not only by the polytheistic Romans and their pagan practices but also by the young Christian church and its martyred leader Jesus Christ. Both their national autonomy and their faith were under attack so what Luke the gentile (non Jew) Christian was asking of his Messianic Jewish brothers was nothing short of a paradigm shift! Be faithful to Jesus and the Kingdom of God over and above your allegiance to father Moses and the national faith!

It is my belief that contemporary Christians throughout the free world face a similar set of circumstances. In place of the Roman armies we fight terrorist armies that are insistent about our demise and stir in us a mixture of fear and hate. Our national faith is not Judaism but a form of Christianity that is just as nationalistic. When we read the book of Hebrews we are reading a dissertation by an inspired messenger of God on how Jesus is higher than our religion and our national loyalties. Jesus the Messiah is higher than Evangelicalism, Reformed theology, Catholicism, Mormonism and every other denomination in Christendom. Jesus is higher than America, Canada, Mexico, and the rest of the kingdoms of men. I may sound radical to you when I say these things but I am only repeating what Luke was saying to the Hebrew Christians.

Luke understood (as I do) that this is a proposition not easily accepted for one’s church and love of country is the very marrow of our national identity. Am I wrong when I say that America is the greatest of the kingdoms of men but pales in comparison to the Kingdom of God? Christians, I tell you that Jesus said, “He who loves his life will lose it. Be careful what you cling to in this life for “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” On to chapter 4

I’ll get right in to it.  This chapter opens with an admonition from Luke to his Hebrew brothers in Christ.  The persecution of the Christian church at the hands of the Jewish populace in Jerusalem was intensifying.  Exhortations from the ritualistic and traditional Jews to return to the ways of the Jewish fathers were moving from spoken words to physical violence.  Some of the New Jewish Christians were wavering in the faith and considering a return to orthodoxy.   Mother was against daughter and fathers against sons over the new forming church.  Another important theme in this chapter is the great emptying of Christ from his divine status to a more humble experience as a man, so that he may then be exalted above all.

 This is Luke’s warning.  Be careful not to drift away from faith in Christ for the loss of so great a salvation is beyond tragedy.  In Jerusalem, the heart of Israel, the Christian church begins to grow.  The Sanhedrin (Jewish religious leaders of the day) will have none of it. “We have killed the shepherd and we will scatter the sheep’.  Tensions are always high in Jerusalem for she is an occupied capital at the hands of the Roman Army.  The last group that the Sanhedrin will support is one that exhorts its followers to “love the enemy and pray for the persecutor?”  They need the will of the people to be unified against Rome and these Christians defy their order!  Is it any wonder that they couldn’t tolerate Christians? On a patriotic level, I don’t blame them.  Meditate on this, what do you do when your Christianity and your Patriotism are at odds? 

The Bible in general and this particular instance of Christian history point to this; if you reject the Kingdom of God, you will be cut off.  The Jews saw their nation destroyed in 70 A.D. with the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.  Many Roman scholars believe that the downfall of the Roman Empire was hurried along by the growth of Christianity. It would have been good to see what could have happened in this part of the world, at that moment in time, if young Christianity would have been given a chance. Now our Christianity is older and polished, strong in its doctrines. In fact, the church in the west has the benefit of being the “Masters of the House” instead of the “upstart servants” of that day.  Luke warns his audience as I now warn mine.  Do not drift away from so great a gift, for in this humble state lies your salvation.

Humility is one of many virtues revered in public, yet privately scorned.  It is one of those virtues worn well by those who humble themselves, but to those that have humility forced upon them, it is loathsome.  I’ve been there.  Jesus has too.  Luke writes that the Lord is to be revered for the humiliation that began with the incarnation (verse 7,9) and ended with the cross. (verse 9).  The heart of Luke’s message in chapter 2 is this, Jesus was Mighty, humbled himself, and became the Almighty.  I’m wondering dear reader if you and I can do the same? 

We are in the midst of The Great War on Terror.  I capitalize it because it will be with us for decades or longer.  Our government requires us to be of one will and one mind against the enemy.  The majority of our pastors concur (I know my denomination does).  Will the Christian church follow Jesus’ example?  Will we leave our lofty position, to humble ourselves, so that we might then be brought even higher, or, will we ride our pride ’til the end?  Joshua 24:15       

The best way to study any sacred scripture is to do so exhaustively however, since I have a mixed audience that may not sit through this type of study then I have to customize it somewhat and this is how I’ve decided to proceed.  I will give you the highlight theme/s of our chapter, then the meaning given to it by the orthodox viewpoint followed by variant views including my own if I differ from the orthodox.  You should have the Book of Hebrews open to Chapter 1.  Let us proceed.

Chapter 1:  Jesus is the unique and superior Son of God who has by his role of redeemer, received the position of heir of all that is.  He is the means by which God speaks to us in these last days.

Luke confirms to his Hebrew reading audience that God has spoken to them throughout history (verse 1) but in these last days He has seen fit to do so by His Son.  If you are the kind that is baffled by the practice of Christians since biblical times of stating  that we are in the last days, rest assured that you are not alone.  Many of us who study the Bible are thrown off by this since most of the New Testament writers (Luke included) mention that they are in the last days and these statements were made almost 2000 years ago! For the most part, contemporary Christians continue to repeat this mantra because of the following:

We don’t believe that this has happened yet so we continue the slogan

One generation of Christians will finally be right (the last generation)

I am of the opinion that the last days that is being referred to here in Hebrews and in many other books of the Bible is a reference to the last days in which God would be speaking to the world of men through the Jewish nation.  It’s called Preterism and it is the interpretive system that states that the end of days spoken of in some of the scriptures is the culmination of the Jewish age (God dealing with them exclusively) and the beginning of the Church age (inclusive of all including Jews) A good basic read on this is The Last Days according to Jesus by R.C. Sproul. 

How is Jesus the unique and superior Son of God?  Well let me start by stating that the Bible calls the angels (including the bad ones) Sons of God (a Google search can lead you to the various biblical passages).  The New Testament also states that those that are born again can be called Sons of God also, so Jesus is not the only Son of God however; He is unique in the following: 

Luke states that all the worlds (ages or universe) were made through him.  (Verse 2)

He states that Jesus is begotten of the Father (verse 5)

He states that all other Sons of God shall worship him and recognize his authority.

If Luke is to be believed (and I do), Jesus was preexistent (not as Jesus but as the Son by which all was created) and through his earthly role as Jesus the perfect lamb of God, became the exalted one who sits at the Right hand of the Father. Why does He get to sit?  Because His work is done!

As a Christian, Jesus is my champion, the one that paid for my sins.  I accept the myth and the legend that he is but with this qualification, I do not agree with orthodoxy that not believing these things will put a soul in danger of death. That is the work of men and their desire to establish a pecking order in an area that has no rational basis.  You will find in Christianity (as in most religions) that the closer you follow the authorities the further you are from the Truth.  If as a Christian you doubt me then try this experiment.  Ask your authority on orthodoxy how Jesus could be fully human, like ourselves in every way, yet not have a human father?  Then ask him if Jesus was fully God then how could God die on the cross?  If the answers require you to just believe, then do so, but do not become a henchman for them against those that would disagree.  The

Kingdom of
God is built through obedience to the Spirit of God and not by allegiance to men regardless of their good intentions.   

In as much as many have taken on the duty of explaining the books of the Bible to the common man, it seems good to me also to impart to you dear reader the insights I have garnished from this most excellent book of Hebrews.  I repeat to you that there is no other New Testament book more applicable to the 21^st century Christian than this one (after only the red lettering of the New Testament).  You may or may not be aware of many of the details that I will put forth so in deference to those that do not, I will take time to explain certain items that to other more biblically inclined readers may appear monotonous. 

I begin with the fact that this book’s author remains a mystery.  There is no signature of ownership within its pages and tradition varies as to the authorship.  The majority of Christian scholars attribute the book however to the apostle Paul.  This fact is what first led me to consider other possible author’s for if there is one thing certain in religious studies it is this; the drivers of religion insist on unanimity even when the facts say otherwise.  I personally do not fear the facts nor do I fear diverting from the popular opinion.  Let God be true and all men liars.  With this in mind I put forth that the author of the Book of Hebrews is Luke, the author of both the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.  There are several reasons why this book was not written by Paul such as the fact that Paul consistently made it a point to claim authorship on every letter he wrote (which this book does not contain) and the excellent Greek grammar and structure this book is written in, dwarfs Paul’s other letters(Paul was a Jew and Greek was his second language) but the key argument against Pauline authorship for me is the fact that the quotes from the Old Testament (and there are many) in this book are taken from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament).  Paul, a Jew and a Pharisee (religious leader of the day) would have quoted directly from the Hebrew Old Testament especially since this book, as its title signifies was written to the Jews (Hebrews).

Luke was a Greek, a professional (a doctor), an accomplished writer and a devout follower of Christ.  He is the likely author because his other work’s (the Gospel and Acts) written style is complimentary to this book’s and because he used the Septuagint exclusively when quoting the Old Testament in his writing for he could not read Hebrew.  Given the possible authors of the day for this work most of the facts point to Luke and not to Paul.

If now we can conclude that the author is not Paul and hence not a Jew then what would a non Jew have to say to the Hebrews about Jesus.  Simply this, Jesus (although a Jew himself) came to establish a New Covenant which is far better than the Old Covenant of Judaism.  But before I go in to reviewing this theme in the book of Hebrews I should first clarify that the Hebrew audience that this book is written to are Jews that accepted Jesus as their long awaited Messiah.  As such, any statements contained in this book and as a result in my commentary, are not made to denigrate the Jewish belief system.  My commentary on this book is directed to the general readership so that you (collectively) may understand what arguments Luke used to convince Messianic Jews (Jews who believe in Jesus as Messiah) not to cave in to the pressure and return to the rituals of the past but to press forward to the Kingdom of God that awaits.  Let us now continue.

To the readers of this missive, may the blessings of El Shaddai be upon you.  Shalom to you my friends and As Salaam-O-Alaikum.

I am daily amazed by the applications of the internet and now that I have begun to write The Message born in me, I have not only admiration but gratitude for the creators of the net in general and, for the team behind Voxtropolis in particular.

I am going to veer away from The Message for a time so that I might be able to give you the reader some insight into my theology so that you might better understand my labor.  I have concluded that this task can best be completed by taking you through an abridged analysis of the Book of Hebrews which in my opinion is the single most pertinent book in the entire Bible for a 21^st century Christian behind only the red lettering in the New Testament.  For those of you non Christians or non biblical followers, the red lettering I refer to are the words of Jesus himself in the New Testament.   I will begin with a survey in to the authorship and general background of this inspired book but before I do I would like to brief you a little more on my personal background so that you may know your servant a bit better. 

I am Rafa el for God heals.  Every name has a meaning including yours.  This is mine.  I am a worshipper of the Living God and a disciple of Jesus Christ by rebirth.  I do not call myself a Christian for the same reason that some of you do not call yourselves such.  That name has taken on the trappings of folk religion, the kind of religion that doesn’t debate metaphysical topics anymore for “that stuff has already bin figered (sic) out by them smart people that lead our churches”.

I don’t know when it began or when I finally concluded that, what matters most to me is to be found by God, while I am seeking him.  The Truth, is what I long to know, and while on the road of discovery, I found this passage from Jesus’ dealings with the woman at the well, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know: we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.” (John 4:21-24).  These passages were pregnant with meaning for me because of the following background I knew that you may not be aware of.  The woman He was speaking to was a Samaritan.  Samaria is the middle region between Galilee in the north and Judea in the south in
Israel.  Through intermarriage with the conquering Assyrians the Samaritans believed in the God of Israel but had changed some of the most important stories in the Jewish Old Testament to fit their belief system.  Because of this Jews despised them and avoided them for they did not want to be tainted by them.  Jesus even called her on this when he said “You worship what you do not know (implying false/erroneous doctrine) we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews (who would know better about salvation than the savior) BUT the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

Have you been turned off by the Christian religion because it seems that every Christian denomination (Evangelicals, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc…)claim Christ but none of them behave like Christ except with their own kind?  If they can’t get along with each other then how can we expect them to get along with non Christian religions who also claim to know God?  I feel you.  It baffled me for the longest too.  Then Jesus opened my eyes through the passage above.  Listen for I tell you the Truth.  The Samaritans are the Mormons (no offense to my Mormon brothers and in fact, you can consider me the Samaritan in your story) or the Witnesses or any of the other Christian sects.  They are false and erroneous in their doctrines “BUT the hour is coming, AND NOW IS, when the true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” 

I have been released from my ignorance.  Because of these words from Jesus himself, I began to see that it doesn’t matter what your church calls itself because if you personally worship God in Spirit and in truth, then you are my brother/sister in Christ. (Even if you are wrong!J) Doctrines will always lead you to church (a good thing) but Doctrines cannot draw you higher to Christ.  He does

A warning to you dear reader.  The Pharisees and scribes of your denomination will fight you on this.  You will hear them from your pulpits and on your radio filling your mind with biblical passages that insist that you not build bridges with the “cults” for “they have a different Christ, a different Gospel”.  Stick to the red lettering and have no one but the spirit of God teaching you what you already know.  The agents that control wish to channel the Spirit of God through their spouts only.  Blind men.

I am Rafael of the Spirit and the Truth, S and T for short.  If after reading this you consider me a brother, then call me by the name that my own family calls me, Ralph.

  ST Ralph

Bless my lips Jehovah Adonai that my mouth may speak healing to the dying and give life to those already dead.

A simple disciple of Christ asked three of his teachers the following question, “how does a Jew get to Heaven?” The first teacher responded, “why that is simple.  Christ died for all and if a Jew accepts him then the Jew can enter Heaven”.  “But the Jews have never accepted our Lord” was the students reply. The Jews of Christ’s day martyred James the founder and persecuted the Christians at Jerusalem so that they had to flee to Asia and Europe.  Israel is Jewish to this very day yet we are taught to favor them especially over Palestinians and Muslims”.

So how does a Jew get to Heaven?  The second teacher responded, “the Jews are a separate and unique group of people.  The Jew gets to Heaven by keeping God’s law.  They are of a different dispensation and God has promised that he will deal with the Jew in the last days once again.  Remember that God told Abraham, ‘I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you’.”  The student perplexed responded, “but they as a people have never been able to keep the law.  Every book in the Old Testament testifies to it and, as far as individual Jews go, I personally know of a Jew who followed God but could not keep his law.  He lied, he committed adultery and murder but I know that he loved God even when he did it and I know he is in Heaven!”

“You are very mistaken my child for even thinking that” said the second teacher.  “The apostle Paul says, no liars, adulterers or murderers can enter the kingdom of God.”  But this one did teacher!  His name is King David who lay with Bathsheba and killed Uriah her husband and lied about it!  So if a Jew doesn’t accept Jesus and he cannnot keep the law, then how does a Jew get to Heaven?”

The third teacher looked the student through the eyes and said, “you are not only a danger to yourself but you are a danger to those around you.  We know the scriptures and if you must know then I will tell you.  The Jew gets to Heaven because God says so in his scriptures!  Who do you think you are to question God almighty on why he does what he does and on who he allows to enter his courts?  If God has a special people then he does.  If God gives the Heaven to the elect then he does!  If God gives hell to the damned then He does!”

The student looked back at the third teacher and quietly responded, “how ironic, you sound exactly like a Muslim cleric.  ‘Allah the merciful will have mercy on whomever he pleases’.”

Upon leaving his teachers the student understood that no man has the answers.  He looked up to Heaven and asked the wind, how does a Jew get to Heaven?  The answer was soft and reassuring.

 Come and See.

“But as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the son of man be”

Reveal to your people El Roi what in plain sight remains hidden

That the Nephilim are alive and well.  The offspring of your disobedient sons who despised their birthright and quickened your judgement.  Fallen ones bore gifts of kingdom building knowledge and gave these to mere men in exchange for flesh.  The trap sprung.  

“The gods are benevolent for they make our burdens lighter” pronounce the Magi.  No one would foresee that the gods lightened man’s load in order that man could carry the burdens of the gods. 

The Temple,  The Industrial Revolution.  The Technological Revolution

  The power of the pyramid is the cornerstone that floats and watches from above the ignorant masses.  “God has favored our undertaking”, “A new order has begun”

The Nephilim are a secret to society for they are cloaked from our conscience, they are no longer nine foot tall men.  These days their stature is measured by the billions of pounds and dollars, by the barrells of oil and guns and by the medicines withheld from the dying masses.  

Eye see you

I see you

I C U

Intensive Care Unit. 

Do not be afraid of them.  Jehovah Nissi fights for us.

El was the name given to you by the ancients before the Genesis for at that time you became Elohim for your greatness can hardly be contained by the singular. But singular you are and shown yourself to mere men as JHVH the unmentionable. Hashem you are, Adonai, Adoshem for double respect you deserve.
El Olam will you love me and keep me forever?
El Roi do you see me that I love you and serve you alone?
El Elyon will you lift me up beyond the reach of my enemies?
El Hai do you make the righteous alive if they die?
Jehovah know me
Yahweh save me
Jehovah Yireh provide for my needs
Jehovah Rapha give me the power of my name’s sake
Mortal men have forever called upon your many names but I am told now that in these last days you respond to only one name, that you are God to only one people
I DO NOT BELIEVE THEM MY MASTER
The Blind leading the Blind will fill the ditch in time
What is your name my Lord that I may tell the people?
“I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE” is your name as you have said all along
Ein Sof, no man will contain you with one name
Even so now Lord give me the name unknown
that they that persevere in Philadelphia can know
according to your servants revelation.
Amen

He said, “blessed are the poor in spirit” yet we deny ourselves this every time we proudly proclaim our nation’s Christian heritage.  He said, “blessed are those who mourn” yet who has time to sorrow in the land of lattes and cable.  He said, “blessed are the meek” yet we pay Him no mind as we salute our war planes en route to the Muslim world.  He said, “Blessed are the merciful” but we will not relent until all of the terrorists are found and killed.   He said, “blessed are the peacemakers” but few of us want to speak out for a peace that initiates with us.  If you look to the bible for answers, make sure you start with the Red lettering!