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Yahshua Came
 
to Restore
 
                 
                         
   This article is about one important verse of Scripture ... actually, one word in that verse ... a word so significant that its misinterpretation essentially led to the Holocaust. The misinterpretation continues to this day. Here is the verse:
   Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill, Matthew 5:17.
 
What Yahshua “Fulfilled”
   And, here is the word: Fulfill. The Greek word plerosai translated “fulfill” here has many definitions: to make replete (that is, to fill up), to supply, imbue, diffuse, influence, satisfy and to verify or validate.
   Yahshua came to fulfill the Law of Yahweh and what the Prophets of Yahweh said about Messiah Yahshua. “To fulfill” here does NOT mean, as many have interpreted it, “To put an end to the Law and the Prophets.” To think of it this way is simply evidence of false doctrinal programming; for, doesn’t the phrase to PUT AN END TO something mean to DESTROY something? Now, to see what I am asserting, simply insert this false doctrine into Matthew 5:17 -"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to destroy.”
   No! I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. I did not come to destroy but to destroy? This is what is being taught out there, that Yahshua came to fulfill the Law of Yahweh – so that WE DON’T HAVE TO. Don’t have to ... what? OBEY! Really? This doctrine of the “blind leading the blind” is perpetuated by two oftentimes quoted phrases, “The Law is Dead” (meaning, “It is destroyed”), and “The Law was nailed to the cross.” What are they REALLY saying? That, “the Law was nailed to the cross and is as dead as our Christ.” No. The Law was NOT nailed to the tree ... what was nailed to the tree were the infractions we earned by disobedience TO the Law! Without the Law there is no sin. People will confess they are sinners. How can this be if the Law is dead? It is a circular argument that is explained away by saying “It’s a mystery.” It is NOT a mystery. The Law is alive, and it still applies to all mankind. Yahshua OBEYED His Father; so, now, we don’t have to obey?! Yahshua says, “Abide in Me,” “Follow Me,” and “If you love Me, obey My commandments.”
 
Whose Commandments?
   Yahshua said in John 5:37,
   And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape.
   Well, then WHO was speaking to Adam, Noah or Moses? Who, exactly, spoke to the Prophets? Who speaks to YOU? It is Yahshua! So, which commandments was He referring to when He used the phrase, “Obey My commandments”? I submit to you that He was referring to everything written in the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. He is the Angel, the Messenger, of Yahweh, who spoke to Moses in the burning bush and elsewhere. He is the Messenger who calls us out, according to the will of His Father, the Almighty Yahweh.
   To understand what Yahshua is truly saying in Matthew 5:17, we need to know what the opposite of “destroy” is, because it’s absolutely clear that He is referring to its antithesis. Does this make sense? Listen to the heart of Yahshua. “I did not come to judge, I came to forgive.” “I did not come to be served, I came to serve.” “I did not come to change My Father’s Will, I came to restore My Father’s Will.” The thesaurus defines the antonym of “destroy” as “build.” To “destroy” means to tear down. The opposite is to “build up.” To build up also means to “put together,” to “assemble” and to “encourage.” What was Yahshua’s purpose in His first appearance? To put together the two houses of Israel, the “stick” of Judah and the “stick” of Ephraim, to create an assembly, with Him as High Priest, to honor Yahweh and to strengthen this Body of Believers.
 
Purpose of Laws
   In the same manner that the laws of this land, the civil and criminal statutes, are designed to protect and prosper the innocent, so, too, are the Laws, commandments, statutes, judgments and ordinances of Yahweh designed to protect and prosper the innocent. Who are the innocent? They are those who obey these laws – these instructions – and understand the strengths, blessings, freedoms afforded them. They are those who are “not under” the Law. In this world, who is under the law? Well, that’s why we have prisons. This is what Paul was trying to teach in Galatians 5:18,
   But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
   So,I ask you,if you are led by the Spirit, will you transgress the Law of Yahweh? Yahweh forbid!
 
Law Stands Forever
We should all be familiar with Matthew 5:17 for a number of reasons. Primarily, we should understand that out of Yahshua’s mouth comes the indisputable and undisputable, irrefutable and conclusive proclamation that the Law (that is, the Instruction of Yahweh) is forever! We shall see that this proclamation was foretold by Yahweh, through Moses, in the Torah.
   What Yahshua fulfilled was not simply the Law of Yahweh – He fulfilled the WILL of Yahweh, showing us how we, too, must fulfill Yahweh’s Will. The Law is forever. Yahshua fulfilled the sacrifice of animals. He has also fulfilled Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Sheafwave Offering and Pentecost. He has yet to fulfill the day of Trumpets, the day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. He will return to the blast of the Trumpet of Yahweh. He will gather Israel from out of all peoples. He will lead the worshippers of Yahweh into the Kingdom of Yahweh. And He will put an end to all evil, forever. Everything has not yet been fulfilled.
 
Misleading Version
   In the Bible version I quoted above, the title given to the section that begins with Matthew 5:17 is this, “Christ Fulfills the Law.” This is a deceptive, ambiguous phrase that is used by the editors of the Bible to teach their doctrine that “The Law has been Fulfilled – and remains fulfilled” – in short, that the Law of Yahweh is dead. The truth is that the Messiah showed us 2,000 years ago how we are to fulfill the Law of Yahweh now. This is yet another important reason for us to clearly understand what Yahshua is telling us here.
   Now, notice, also, that the subject of this section title is not “Messiah,” but “Christ,” the Greek and Latin alternative title, used to avoid referencing anything Hebrew or Jewish. We cannot ignore that the “Universal Church’s Christ” bears a stronger resemblance to the pantheon of Greek and Latin sun deities than to the description of the Hebrew Messiah written in the Scriptures. Who, but a pagan deity would be assigned the same birth date as Mythra, Zeus, Tammuz and others on the fourth day after the winter solstices (December 21)? Who, but a pagan deity would be determined to have been raised from the grave on a day dedicated to the goddess of fertility, Ishtar, or Easter, at sun rise; and who, but a pagan deity, would be worshipped on the “venerable day of the sun”?
   Have those who seek to know Yahweh and His Son, Yahshua, set aside the false doctrines of this Universal religion? In truth, yes, some have, but the vast majority remain entrenched in the subtle – and obvious – hatred of anything Hebrew, in large part due to historical writings of so-called “holy men” and “scholars” to perpetuate hatred for anything “Jewish.” Truly, we have inherited lies from our fathers.
 
Martin Luther, the Great Reformer?
It may surprise you to know that Martin Luther, the so-called “Great Reformer,” was one of those writers who perpetuated (nay, advanced) anti-semitism. Certainly, Luther interpreted the word “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 to mean “put an end to” the Law and the Prophets. He believed with passion that the “Christ” came to put an end to Israel and anything associated with Israel, including their Law. He published a pamphlet entitled, On the Jews and Their Lies. I want to quote a few excerpts from his writings (excluding the more vile and reprehensible excerpts), not to belabor his obvious anti-Semitic values, nor his rebellion against certain principles of the Roman Catholic Church for which he
       
is primarily known, but to emphasize how his notoriety has influenced Protestantism against anything resembling Jewishness or Hebraic, and, perhaps more importantly, how his prejudice has taken people away from Scripture itself.
   Martin Luther seems to completely lack the understanding that Yahweh will “save all Israel,” that He will “raise up a Savior for Israel,” that “through the Messiah [we] have been brought near to the Commonwealth of Israel” and that Yahweh will restore the House of Judah and the House of Israel (Ephraim) to Himself. As it turns out, Luther is NOT a great reformer, but rather, and this out of his own mouth, a great Destroyer. Listen to his words, in quotes:
 
The Great Destroyer
“Therefore a Christian should be content and not argue with the Jews. But if you have to, or want to talk with them, do not say any more than this: "Listen, Jew, are you aware that Jerusalem and your sovereignty, together with your temple and priesthood, have been destroyed for over 1,460 years? For this year, which we Christians write as the year 1542 since the birth of Christ, is exactly 1,468 years, going on fifteen hundred years, since Vespasian and Titus destroyed Jerusalem and expelled the Jews from the city. Let the Jews bite on this nut and dispute this question as long as they wish.” (Emphasis is mine throughout.)
   Notice that he is proclaiming destruction upon Jerusalem, the sovereignty of Israel (whom he refers to as the “Jews”), the temple (the House of Yahweh) and the Levitical priesthood.
   “For such ruthless wrath of God is sufficient evidence that they assuredly have erred and gone astray. Even a child can comprehend this. For one dare not regard God as so cruel that He would punish His own people so long, so terribly, so unmercifully, and in addition keep silent, comforting them neither with words nor with deeds, and fixing no time limit and no end to it. Who would have faith, hope, or love toward such a God? Therefore this work of wrath is proof that the Jews, surely rejected by God, are no longer His people, and neither is He any longer their God. This is in accord with Hosea 1:9 RSV, ‘Call His name Not My people, for you are not My people and I am not your God.’ Yes, unfortunately, this is their lot, truly a terrible one. They may interpret this as they will; we see the facts before our eyes, and these do not deceive us.”
   Now, I have to step in here, because Luther is clearly performing “proof texting.” It’s the same as the old adage, “Statistics never lie ... but liars use statistics.” Scripture never lies, but liars use the Bible to advance their own doctrines of demons. Luther is either incredibly naïve or a boldface liar. If he had but read the verses preceeding or following verse nine, he would have known, first of all, that these passages are NOT about the “Jews,” the House of Judah. Yahweh, through Hosea, is speaking to the House of Israel, the ten tribes. Yahweh divorced the House of Israel, but He did not divorce the House of Judah. Guess what the verses after Hosea 1:9 say.
   Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, “You are not My people,” there it shall be said to them, “You are sons of the living Elohim.” Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves one head; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel! (Hosea 1:10-11)
   How can any man, much less a reputed scholar, make such errant, foolish and abominable accusations! One wonders if he has even read the Scripture. Certainly, he does not understand the Bible – can anyone who makes such a claim indeed have the Spirit of Yahweh in him? Many pastors and priests today say that Israel is no longer Yahweh’s people, or “We are no longer of the dispensation of the Law but of the dispensation of grace.” If they do, they are following the anti-Israel, anti-Yahweh and anti-Messiah doctrine of Satan. Let’s continue reading Luther’s pamphlet:
   “Accordingly, it must ... not be considered a trifling matter but a most serious one to seek counsel ... to save our souls from the Jews, that is, from the devil and from eternal death. My advice, as I said earlier, is: First, that their synagogues be burned down, and that all who are able, toss sulphur and pitch; it would be good if someone could also throw in some hellfire ... Second, that all their books – their prayer books, their Talmudic writings, also the entire Bible – be taken from them, not leaving them one leaf, and that these be preserved for those who may be converted... Third, that they be forbidden on pain of death to praise God, to give thanks, to pray, and to teach publicly among us and in our country ... Fourth, that they be forbidden to utter the name of God within our hearing. For we cannot with a good conscience listen to this or tolerate it ...”
   Notice that Luther has reduced “the Jews” to devils who lead people to eternal death. He further advocates burning their houses of worship, forbidding free speech, taking away their literature until they submit to the doctrines of a religion contrary to their own, issuing threats of execution, and even denying
citizenship. Now, WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD ACTUALLY CARRY OUT LUTHER’S PROCLAMATIONS? I hope you don’t have to search for an answer – it should be obvious. Luther ends his pamphlet with these incomprehensible, if not confusing, words:
   “The merciless punishment of the wicked is not being carried out just to punish the wicked and make them atone for the evil desires that are in their blood, but to protect the righteous and to maintain peace and safety. And beyond all doubt, these are precious works of mercy, love, and kindness.”
   Luther refers to the Jews as being naturally wicked (it’s “in their blood”), and he advocates “punishment without mercy.” Now, what is punishment without mercy ... but death? Are you beginning to understand the perverse
     
rationalization he is using to advocate killing “the Jews”? But, it gets worse. THEN, Luther proclaims
that these works, i.e., destruction, abuse and murder, are “precious works of mercy, love, and kindness!” Notice that he describes “merciless punishment” as “works of ... mercy!” As a licensed mental health professional, I have case-managed people who are clinically sadistic and antisocial, and if you were to associate with these individuals, without their medications and unconfined, your life and well-being would be at risk. Luther was not simply sadistic and antisocial. He may be, in my opinion, psychopathic, currently being considered as a separate diagnosis for individuals who cannot be treated with medication or psychotherapy, could not ethically be released into the general population, and informally defined as “intraspecies predators.” (Note that Hitler was such an “intraspecies predator.” He would not eat meat and would hide his eyes from a movie depicting cruelty to animals. He also enacted the most stringent animal protection laws to date.)
   I ask you, “How twisted and perverse can an individual like Martin Luther be to use his notoriety to influence others to violate the Word of Yahweh, judging one’s fellow man and condemning people to death because of their religious beliefs?”
 
Usury
   Additionally, Martin Luther condemned the Jews for their ability to make money by usury. Truth known, it is written in the Torah and in the New Testament that Israel is allowed to charge interest to those outside the faith. Hear this clearly: no one forces an individual to take out a loan, knowing that there is a fee for such service. Ultimately, “the Jews,” or anyone of Israel, is within the bounds of the Law by lending money at interest to those outside the faith, while those who borrow money at interest could easily be accused of foolishly wasting the “talent” given to them.
   To a foreigner you may charge interest [usury], but to your brother you shall not charge interest, that Yahweh your Elohim may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess, Deuteronomy 23:20.
   In the parable of the talents, especially for the one who received one talent, Yahshua teaches us a hard lesson of what we are to do with the gifts we are given and written for us in Matthew 25:26-27:
   But his master answered and said to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest [usury].”
 
Vengeance is Yahweh’s (Romans 12:19)
   Is killing Jews to avenge the death of the Messiah correct?
   Luther goes so far as to proclaim: “We are at fault in not slaying them, for avenging the death ofJesus Christ.”
   In an article by Jim Walker entitled, Martin Luther's Dirty Little Book, he writes:
   “Daniel Jonah Goldhagen wrote a book entitled, ‘Hitler’s Willing Executioners,’ and in the foreword to the volume, he applauded the burning of the synagogues and the coincidence
 
of the day: 'On November 10, 1938, on Luther's birthday, the synagogues are burning in Germany.' The German people, he urged, ought to heed these words of the greatest anti-Semite of his time, the warner of his people against the Jews.
   “In Mein Kampf, Hitler listed Martin Luther as one of the greatest reformers. And similar to Luther in the 1500s, Hitler spoke against the Jews. The Nazi plan to create a German Reich Church laid its bases on the ‘Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther.’ The first physical violence against the Jews came on November 9-10 on Kristallnacht (Crystal Night) where the Nazis killed Jews, shattered glass windows, and destroyed hundreds of synagogues, just as Luther had proposed.”
   Is it a coincidence that Kristallnacht occurred on Martin Luther’s birthday? No, I think not. Rather, I suggest that this was the planned beginning of the Holocaust ... and, that it was done on this day specifically to honor Martin Luther.
   Now, back to Matthew.
 
I Came to Restore
   In Matthew 5:17 NKJV, it is written,
   Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to restore.
   Yahweh Eloheka [Eloheka means “your El,” or “your Mighty One”] will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear [and obey], according to all you desired of Yahweh Eloheka in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh Eloheka, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.” And Yahweh said to me: “What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him,” Deuteronomy 18:15-19 NKJV.
   Philip found Nathanael and said to him,
   “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote – Yahshua of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Yahshua saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" (John 1:45-47 NKJV)
   Yahweh will raise up a Prophet like Moses, who spoke face-to-face to Elohim.
   So Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Then Moses said to Yahweh, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." And He said,"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest," Exodus 33:11-14.
   Moses wanted to see the Way of Yahweh, because he wanted to KNOW Yahweh.
   Yahshua answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father Who honors Me, of Whom you say that He is your Elohim. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Yahshua said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM," John 8:54-58.
   Thomas said to Him, "Master, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Yahshua said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, "Master, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Yahshua said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father Who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves,” John 14:5-11
   Yahweh also told Moses,
   My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest, Ex. 33:14.
   Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah, 1 Corinthians 10:1-5.
   Can you see how Yahshua has fulfilled the Will of Yahweh? He continues to fulfill the Way of Yahweh through the Spirit of Yahweh; and with His Spirit, we shall assist in restoring the Law of Yahweh. We will honor the WILL and the TEACHINGS of Yahweh. HalleluYah!
                       
               
-Elder John Fisher
                   

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