Shalom, Guy.
guysmith said:
Shalom Retrobyter,
1. You stated: Thus, this is talking about hearing this message about the Kingdom and either "not understanding it at all," "receiving it until pressure and persecution arises," "receiving it while being distracted," or "receiving it with full understanding, weighing the cost."
My response: What do you mean by “receiving it”?
2. You keep mentioning the kingdom and salvation as two different topics. To me, if you accept Christ, you receive salvation which includes you into the kingdom. Any one that makes it to the kingdom has to first accept Christ to receive salvation. They compliment each other. But, you are trying to tell us something that I still haven’t fully understood. Would you elaborate?
3. Is there a difference/seperation between the 10 Commandments and the Law?
...
In Yehoshua,
Guy Smith
Answer to Question 1: What I meant by "receiving it" is "listening to the good news about God soon reigning through His Messiah the Kingdom that was promised to David's Heir and accepting it as truth for oneself, not just a vague 'truth' that MAY apply to oneself." This entails how that Kingdom will literally make a difference in one's life. What will be one's standing within such a Kingdom?
Those who have done well in little matters will be rewarded with governing over an appropriate number of towns and villages ("cities"):
Luke 19:15-19
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
KJV
Paul took this VERY literally when he said the following to the gathering in Korinthos:
1 Corinthians 6:1-11
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels (God's messengers)? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous (the unjust; the unfair) shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
KJV
This is not about the process of being justified by God; this is about, now that you all ARE
ALREADY justified by God on the authority of the Master Yeshua` and through the power of the
Ruach haQodesh - the Holy Spirit - of our God, being the kind of highly noble person who is
READY to judge matters of state!
Today, we have almost totally lost this concept in the vague, wishy-washy, ethereal interpretations we have of the Scriptures within our churches! That's NOT GOOD!
Answer to Question 2: Sure. You are, of course, right that one must first be justified by God before he or she can be within God's Kingdom that will be ruled by Yeshua` the Messiah when He returns from the sky ("heaven"). BUT, being "justified by God" is not what is meant in the term "salvation." "Salvation" is about the RESCUE OF THE JEWS! It's a problem with semantics.
That being said, the concept of an individual's justification by God and the concept of God's Kingdom DO complement each other. One is not admitted into God's Kingdom under His Representative Anointed to be King unless he or she has first been justified by God, and, having been justified by God, one is not only just admitted, one is also given appropriate administration of a portion of God's Kingdom, as described above!
It's time for our churches to get off the "ethereal plane" and get down to the reality of what the Scriptures actually say! That will also, consequently, give our churches a MUCH better means by which to relate and help our present world system! By being more concrete, one will have his or her head "out of the clouds" so he or she can make a more meaningful contribution to other persons' lives! And, of course, the highest contribution one can make to another person's life is to show them how they, too, can be justified by God and become a member of God's
mishpachah - God's FAMILY!
Answer to Question 3: Yes, there is a GREAT difference. Technically, there are 613 commandments, not just 10. But, the "Law," as it has been translated from the word "
Torah," is not just "a list of do's and don't's." "Torah" means "INSTRUCTION." God was not just communicating a list of requirements and prohibitions; He was communicating a LIFESTYLE that the children of Isra'el were to adopt!
On the negative side, YEARS AND YEARS before we learned about parasites, microbes, bacteria, and viruses, God gave the Hebrews a lifestyle that would protect them from such infestations and the deaths that could result!
On the positive side, He was teaching them about HIMSELF! He was showing them how they could have a RELATIONSHIP with Himself! He not only wanted them to survive but to EXCEL! However, He had to take them - step by step - through the fundamentals of how impossible it was for them to live such a lifestyle and to have such a relationship with an altogether HOLY GOD by themselves! They needed to have HELP - God's HELP! They needed to have God's justification! David understood this and communicated it to the people in his psalms:
Psalm 19:12-14
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
KJV
Psalm 25:1-22
1 Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
KJV
Psalm 51:1-17
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
KJV
David didn't write all the psalms, although he wrote most of them, but whoever wrote Psalm 130, he also understood:
Psalm 130:1-8-131
1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7 Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
So, if the only thing one got out of the
Torah was a list of do's and don't's, then he or she has failed at understanding the
Torah. They got an "F" in the class!