In this issue of the Restoration Times, we discuss:
• Taste the Coming Kingdom
• Feast Observance – Choosing Between Yourself and Yahweh
• What Happens When We Die?
• Test Your Tutelage
• Hebrew Word Lesson
• Editorial Brief
In this issue of the Restoration Times we discuss:
• Is the New Testament Really New?
• Restoring Truth Once Delivered
• Remarkable Women in the Bible
• Test Your Tutelage
• Hebrew Word Lesson
• Feedback
I have started this article so many times, with so many different ideas, and then got stuck. I got very frustrated and disappointed in myself. I finally realized I was trying to come up with something that would be impactful. It didn’t need to be impactful, just honest and from me. So here it goes: I am still new on this walk in my life, so it is okay; maybe someone else out there is in the same situation and just needs to know they are not alone. I am focusing on what I have learned and building on that, focusing on what I have gained/learned.
What have I gained and learned?
• I have learned our Heavenly Father and our Savior’s real names.
• I have a closer relationship with Yahweh and Yahshua by using their names. I pray and talk with them all day long (very satisfying).
• I feel they hear me more now, feel a very powerful connection that I did not have before, when I used G-d and Jes-s.
• I was raised in another faith. Most of my tough questions were answered with, “It is a mystery, you will understand at the end, after judgement.” YRM has taught me that the Bible answers my questions. They will direct me to appropriate verses and if I still have questions, they explain it to me. It is not a mystery unless you are learning man-made doctrine and being taught pagan beliefs. Ex: Predestination, the Trinity as well as pagan holidays like Xmas and Easter.
• I have gained a new family in the assembly, so enriching to study, congregate and talk with people of like-minded faith.
• I was using the Strong’s Concordance some, before YRM, but they encouraged and directed me to use it more. Again, the Bible has so much information and if you are encouraged and confident, it will have such a deeper meaning than ever before.
• With the confidence I am gaining, I am able to answer questions from family and friends. If I am not sure, I know it is okay to say, “Let me research that and get back to you,” and I do as Romans 15:14 tells us to.
• I am also learning to keep in mind the time period of when the Word was written, and the Hebrew mindset, as it is different from what and how we think now in modern times. Ex: The Bible mentions divorce and what context it is allowed in, Matt 19:8-9. Many people apply this to today’s way of thinking and say okay, if my spouse is unfaithful, I can get a divorce: not true. Back in that time, an engagement was a legal binding contract and during the engagement period if there was sexual immorality, then a divorce was allowed.
There is so much more to learn! I am eager to learn it as Philippians 4:13 tells me I can do all things through Messiah which strengthens me.
Yes, I have lost some family and friends, but that is okay as I have gained so much more. The Bible tells us in Luke 21:16-18 and Matthew 10:21-42 that family and friends will betray us.
Psalm 9:10 says “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou Yahweh, has not forsaken them that see thee.” Proverbs 14:26 says “In the fear of Yahweh is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge.” Blessing and Prayers to you on your journey and growth in Yahweh and Yahshua.
Submitted by Lynne Gerulski
If no one has gone to heaven what about Enoch and Elijah, who were translated to heaven? Also, please explain the transfiguration in Matthew 17 where Moses and Elijah are talking to a transfigured Yahshua.
Genesis 5:24 reads, “And Enoch walked with Elohim: and he was not; for Elohim took him.” The RSB note reads, “Hebrews 11:5 says that Enoch was translated or transferred that he should not see death. The Greek word ‘translated’ is metatithemi and means ‘carried over,’ which is the same word used in Acts 7:16 when Jacob died in Egypt and was carried over to Sychem to be buried. The tense is conditional future, so that ‘he should not die’ (John 8:51; 11:26). In Hebrews 11:13 Enoch is included with the other saints who died having not yet received the Promise of everlasting life.” Enoch was simply transported from one place to another here on earth. The same is true with Elijah.
We read in 2Kings 2:11, “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
The RSB footnote reads, “Elijah (Hebrew EliYah, meaning ‘Yah is my El’) was transported to a different location on earth. This is evident from Elijah’s letter to Jehoram, which chronologically followed Elijah’s being taken into the whirlwind (2Chron. 21:12).
“The fifty sons of the prophets who were nearby (2Kings 2:7), and who witnessed from afar, knew that Elijah was taken somewhere else on earth because that’s where they searched for him after getting permission to do so from the prophet Elisha (2Kings 2:15-18). They would not have looked for him on earth if they thought he went to heaven, neither would the inspired Elisha have consented to their search.” The Bible speaks of three heavens: the atmosphere, outer space, and where Yahweh dwells (Gen. 7:11; Dan. 4:21; 2Cor. 12:2; Rev. 9:1). Whirlwinds operate only in the air of the first heaven. Elijah was simply transported from one place on earth to another.
Yahshua called the transfiguration a “vision” in Matthew 17:9. This was a glimpse into the future Kingdom, as is clear from the preceding verses (Matt. 16:28). In 2Peter 1:16-18 the Apostle Peter corroborates that this is what they saw (RSB).
First, should my tithe be given every time I receive a paycheck and as soon as I receive a payment? I prefer to pay my tithe to you, since you all have enlightened me with this information. Also, as you may know it is common for Christians to have their children baptized at a young age, such as when I knew none of the information I know now. But I also read that after baptism if you stray away then you have turned your back on Him.
The Bible does not provide a frequency for tithing, but examples show that it took place when payment was received. Tithing is the firstfruits of our increase and should be given to Yahweh off the top because He must come first in all things.
Infant or child baptism is not a practice the Bible supports but was introduced by the Roman church. The church believed that because children were born polluted by original sin that they needed baptism for the remission of that innate sin. Church father Tertullian was much opposed to child baptism because of what it lacked. Repentance is a prerequisite to baptism, Acts 2:38. Immersion must be followed by an immediate, permanent change and redirection of one’s life of sin to one of obedience. Children haven’t even experienced life yet in all its trials and temptations. From their disadvantaged point children don’t grasp the gravity of repentance. Repentance is not a simple confession, but a complete turnaround in behavior, thinking, and action. This requires the maturity of an adult mind. Nowhere in Scripture do we find a single case of child baptism. Based on Yahweh’s Word (Ex. 30:14; Lev. 27:2; Num. 1:3; 14:29; 26:2; 32:11; 1Chron. 23:24; Ezra 3:8), we believe that 20 is the age when a person is considered a mature adult and accountable for his or her actions in Yahweh’s eyes. For these reasons we believe that 20 is the minimum age for baptism.
Does your ministry adhere to Anglo-Israel/British-Israelism? I ask only be-cause I know that other organizations share a similar view of the Law and how it relates to Christians as your ministry does and a big reason for that is their belief in British-Israelism.
While we believe that some of the European nations may be descendants from the Israelite tribes, this is not something we emphasize and neither do the Scriptures. Besides possibly having some prophetic impact, it does not change the Good News or requirements for salvation. According to Paul in Galatians, there’s no distinction between the Jew and gentile in Messiah. Those who establish barriers based on race or ancestry do so to their detriment. Paul told Timothy, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than righteous edifying which is in faith: so do,” 1Timothy 1:4.
I want to be baptized into Yahshua’s Name. I believe that it should be done in running, living water like a river. What do you believe?
There is a tradition that baptism is proper only in moving or running water, but the Bible does not state this as a requirement. The only “living water” we find in the New Testament refers to Yahshua in a metaphorical sense (John 4:10,11, 7:38). We see no connection there with baptism. In John 3:23 we find John the Baptist at work: “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.” Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible note says that springs and streams were prevalent at Aenon. In baptism water is the agent for the figurative burial, Romans 6:3. Must that water be running then? Baptismal waters are an extension of the mikveh in type, an immersion bath for ritual cleansing. Most homes in Jerusalem had these baths.
Please give a brief history of Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry as well as your goals.
As with the apostolic assembly in the New Testament, we have no connections to nominal worship that arose in the third century. Most of our members became interested in the teachings of this ministry when they learned that scripturally there was more to worship and practice than what they had believed. Our desire is to return to those original teachings and beliefs held by our Savior and His disciples. To do that we must re-focus on the foundation of Scripture just as they did. The Bible used by the Messiah Yahshua and His disciples was the Old Testament. Our contemporary
roots trace to the religious reawakening that was sparked in the 1840s, that gave rise to today’s major Sabbath-keeping groups. And again in the 1930s. The question at that later time among those who kept the seventh-day Sabbath was, what name is proper for baptism. This led to a full-scale investigation of the sacred Names. From there they became convicted through much study that the seven annual observances or Feasts are also still in effect for the believer in the New Testament, among other key Bible truths. YRM continues these pursuits to restore what has been lost through time.
There doesn’t seem to be any way to prove, confirm or deny what thousands of groups claim is true. How is one able to discern truth from falsehood?
Yahshua said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Bible is the basis for all truth and not tradition or church creed. The Bible harmonizes, meaning one verse will never contradict another. The Old Testament does not contradict the New Testament. If you hear of a doctrine someone is pushing, before you should embrace it as truth you should check it against all other related Scriptures. Check the context of a verse and then check it against the Hebrew or Greek behind the translation. That will catch most flaws. Most focus on just the New Testament, ignoring the Old Testament that gives foundation to the New Testament. They also embrace the errors of traditional teaching that grew out of compromise with pagan beliefs and philosophies. The Bible comes as a unit, and the Old Testament is the basis from which even Yahshua and His disciples taught; there was no New Testament in their day.
We emphasize to the beginner to learn the Scriptures well and test every teaching.
Do we think we have all the Truth? Of course not, nobody does. But we believe we have the basic salvation truths correct, and that is what really matters.
