The Fisherman’s Warning (1)
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Peter 2:1 NASB
False prophets – Do we have false prophets among us? Would you know one if you saw one? Once we read Peter’s warning within its Hebrew context, we will be able to identify such men instantly. In order to understand what Peter is saying, we must begin with the question, “How does Scripture define a false prophet?”
The answer is pretty straightforward. Moses gives us the first criterion. “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 4:2). John echoes the same command in his apocalyptic work (Revelation 22:19). God’s prophets castigated Israel and the official court “seers” for departing from Torah. The Tanakh is clear. The first sign of a false prophet is departure from Torah.
The second sign is the failure of prediction. Of course, that makes perfect sense. We all have a good laugh about headlines like “End of the World Postponed,” when so-called prophetic words fail to come true. But be on guard. Moses has some words about this too. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder , and the sign or the wonder comes true . . .” Moses is quite clear. Even if the prediction comes true, you are not to follow such a man if he tells you to cease being obedient to YHWH’s commands (Deuteronomy 13:1-11). In fact, even if the prediction comes true, this “prophet” is to be put to death! It’s worth noting that in the same passage Moses warns against listening to relatives who entice you to leave God’s commandments and serve some other deity. That should remind us of Yeshua’s comment about “hating” father, mother, brother or sister (Luke 14:26). So this second test is really only a temporary conditional. If the prediction does not come true, the man is false, but if it does come true, the first test must still be applied. The bottom line is the integrity and applicability of Torah. End of story. Once more you can understand why Jewish reaction is so strong against the Christian presentation of Jesus. As far as they are concerned, He is a false prophet because He advocated the “end” of Torah.
Peter was a Torah observant Jew. Can you imagine him telling followers of Yeshua HaMashiach that they don’t have to follow Torah? Can you imagine him endorsing anyone who would add or take away from the words delivered by Moses? I can’t. Peter identified the false prophets of the past in the same way that he would identify the false prophets of his time (and ours). Apply the tests. It doesn’t matter if the person is “saved.” It doesn’t matter if the person is theologically educated or in a power position in the Church. Why would you follow someone who asked you to violate God’s explicit instructions? Does denying the applicability of the entire book of Deuteronomy make any difference? Not to Moses. Not to Peter. What about you?
Topical Index: Torah, false prophet, 2 Peter 2:1
Dear Skip,
What does this Ezer kenegdo need to do when it is the one who is supposed to “remember what God’s instructions are”, who is the one who refuses to let me follow HaShem’s instructions?
I am so extremely tired of hearing the excuses and having to be put down for what I know is right…
1 Peter 3
Your redeemer is HaShem, not your husband. Yeshua did not try to convince everyone that He was Messiah, he let those who had ears, hear. Your call to face or face away from your husband (toward HaShem) will be enough. It is not your job to control him, just be real….he’ll get it, one way or another. Don’t stress yourself…
Ilze if you would like to talk, give me a call, 812-518-0471, or e-mail me at cheryl@livingtruth.us, I would be happy to be an ear for you. You can email me at drcdurham@gmail.com
—The first sign of a false prophet is departure from Torah.—
“To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”—Isaiah 8:20.
“Father, sanctify them by your truth, because your word is truth.” (John 17.17)
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (Joshua 1.8)
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalm 119.9)
Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to G-d.” (Colossians 3:16)
“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)
“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, but the word of ADONAI endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the good news was declared to you.” (1 Peter 1.21-23)
“O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” (2 Samuel 7:28)
“Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23.29)
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24.35)
“Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89)
Acts chapter 10
Salvation (deliverance) is (always) to the Jew first..- and also to the Greek. The Gentiles are not our enemy. Salvation is offered to “whosoever will”. Salvation is inclusive. Christ said “come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden..and I will give you rest.”- Does this (“all”) include the Jew? Yes. Does this include the Gentile? Yes. When our LORD said “whosoever,”- He included me. –“other sheep have I which are not of this fold”–
Ruth was neither Jew nor Gentile, yet she was chosen and loved by Boaz, her Kinsman-Redeemer. We are Ruth, the (future) bride of Boaz, our Go’el, our Kinsman Redeemer. We (all) have been invited to a Wedding Feast- the marriage supper of the Lamb.
2 Corinthians chapter 5
-“but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is G-d’s power and God’s wisdom.” (1 Corinthians 1.23,24)
What about
Rom 8:1[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Doesn’t this free the Gentile and even the Jew from the ceremony or duty of the Torah as it was excercised in OT? We are to walk in the spirit that was given after Jesus resurrection. The law cannot save me only Jesus Christ and His shed blood.
Thank-you Skip, and others in this community, for making the Word like a two-edged sword again,… a divider of truth and error. I have similar family fears – as does Ilze. My biggest fear is that by trying to embrace Torah, I will become a poor ambassador of what it means to follow Torah. I know my own ‘fallen’ nature; the tendency to strain the gnat and swallow the camel.
I can’t turn back because I’ve already seen too much – this is the paradigm that makes peace and brings the sword. Heading down this path has set me free from some tangible, life-long struggles, and now I can only ask for prayers for the courage to continue.
Dusty,
The law was never given in order that man be saved. That assumption has been an error for centuries. The law was given to men as instructions for living. It was never meant to “save.” Skip has written much on this issue. Simply type in the search engine words like “law”, “Torah”, “salvation”, etc., and you can read many articles on the subject. Remember, Paul didn’t say those in Christ were free from the law. He said they were free from the law of “sin and death.” Those are two very different proclamations.
Blessings,
Jimmy
Thank you for your reply Jimmy. Do you know which Levitical laws/commandments are in effect for a Gentile believer? I know that the 10 Commandments are a guidline for most Christian churches but Im assuming since there were many more in OT times that we are missing a few.
Dusty,
First, here is the the link to a great resource: http://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm. As you read through the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments), you may find that you already abide by many of them unaware. You can exclude all the commandments concerning the Levitical priesthood, Temple sacrifice and any that deal with a Nazarite since none of these exist today. Assuming you are a male, you can exclude all of the laws which concern women. In my experience, most Christians have a problem with Torah because they believe Jesus did away with the dietary laws, and can’t get over the fact that bacon, shrimp and crablegs are forbidden.
Others in this community may want to add some imput, but I hope this helps a little.
This is an extensive conversation that Skip has throughly covered. I would invite you to join the journey. It is a very refreshing one indeed.
Jimmy
“In my experience, most Christians have a problem with Torah because they believe Jesus did away with the dietary laws, and can’t get over the fact that bacon, shrimp and crablegs are forbidden.”
THERE IS ALWAYS TURKEY BACON… (don’t do crablegs at all & haven’t had shrimp in a long long time)…
jan
… or “macon”, explained to me as “beef bacon”. It is a thin slice of beef, smoked and prepared as you would bacon,but without any pork in sight. It is too me personally a much better tasting dish than bacon.
Hi Dusty,
There are many trying to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and re-institute the Levitical priesthood with it’s sacrifices… will we be obligated by Torah to participate once they do? ( i.e., then the laws concerning the altar come back into play.)
Thank you,
Bruce
Hi Skip Just to say this is a difficult statement and I know this is only the first part, but according to what this statement infer we all are wrong, isn’t it?
Someone once pointed out that we complain that the 613 laws are too many and too hard, without remembering that once we get a drivers license we are subject to over 2,000 laws and regulations regarding driving in the USA!! And that is only a drop in the bucket to the estimated 2,000,000 plus laws, regulations, statutes and ordinances on the local, state and federal level!!! And just a reminder that if you break the least of them-ignorance of the LAW is NO EXCUSE!! Now, considering this, do we really think that YHWH is being too strict or legalistic?
Plus, most of the 613 do not apply to any 1 individual
I’m new to this discussion, so I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere…As I understand the over arching theme of this current discussion, we are saved by grace; then it is our privilege/responsibility to keep the laws of the Torah and the Mitzvot including dietary ones. Is this understanding correct?
Mary,
That is correct. We obey the instructions of Torah because we love G_d, not in order to obtain salvation. I am encourage to live Torah even more as I read 1 John. John repeats over and over that if we love G_d, we will obey His commandments. The only commandments John could have possibly been speaking of are those found in Torah. During his time there were no other commandments…..and to this day, there still are no others.
Jimmy
Elijah ate food delivered from an unclean bird… he is therefore false.
Jeremiah spoke against a leader of the people… he is therefore false.
Paul associated/ate with unclean people… he is therefore false.
Jesus let an unclean, bleeding woman touch Hiim, and He didn’t go and wash according to Torah… He is false too.
This list is very large… they departed from Torah… and they are false. according to Torah…
This is great… thanks.
Bruce,
No – the delivery method of the clean food does not make the food unclean. Elijah did not eat the unclean birds.
Jeremiah spoke the word that God commanded him to speak. This is one of the key roles of the prophet – they are sent to the leaders to bring the word of God, be that one of encouragement or one of rebuke (usually the latter because of the tendency of man to follow his own ways rather than God’s ways).
Only according to the Pharisees’ additions to the Torah (the Oral Law). Nothing in Torah forbids this (to my knowledge anyway). You should read <a href="https://stage.skipmoen.com/2011/09/10/a-closer-look-at-acts-15/"my article on Acts chapter 15 and chapter 10 for more clarification on this (noting that the relevant part of the article is that dealing with Acts 10).
Once again, according to Torah or according to the “traditions of the elders” a.k.a. the Oral Law of the Scribes and Pharisees?
No – they did not observe the instructions of the Pharisees but a careful and diligent study of the Torah of Moses will reveal that they did not depart from Torah.
It is also useful in looking at the propositions that you put forward to understand the difference (from a biblical point of view, not the rabbinic definitions) between halakhah – literally “the walking”, speaking of the “letter of the law”, and ‘aggadah – literally “the telling”, speaking of the “spirit of the law”.
Halakhah is to do with the rules and regulations – ‘aggadah is to do with relationship. Halakhah refers, if you like, to the “outside of the cup”. By the same analogy, ‘aggadah refers to the “inside of the cup”. It has been said that Jews “clean the outside of the cup” and Christians “clean the inside of the cup”. Yeshua taught, “clean the inside first, then the outside will be cleaned also“. In other words, when the inside is cleaned (the relationship) then what flows out will clean the outside (the actions will be in accordance with the rules of the house).
I believe it is in “Heavenly Torah” (although I don’t have the exact reference to hand) that Abraham Heschel quotes a well known rabbi thus; “Whoever clings only to halakhah, does not truly know halakhah. Whoever clings only to ‘aggadah, does not truly know ‘aggadah”. In other words, he is echoing the words of Yeshua and the teaching of Moses. Relationship comes before obedience. This is all through the Torah. The first four commandments (in my view, actually the first 5) have to do with our relationship with God – they are ‘aggadic in nature. The next 6 (or 5) have to do with how we live in the community – they are halakhic in nature.
By the way, ‘aggadah is from the root nagad – nun-gimel-dalet – literally to tell, to proclaim, to share. This is the same root as the word kengegdo (which we should all be familiar with from Skip’s teaching on the ezer kenegdo – the “help opposite” – opposite not in terms of negation or opposition but in terms of being “face to face”. This gives us another hint as to the role of the ezer kenegdo.
Adam (the male) was to zakar – remember the commandments of God – this is halakhah. Chavvah was to be “face to face” and to guard, protect and assist – this is ‘aggadah. They were to be echad – one – in their proclamation – their telling – of the glory of YHVH. Both halakhah and ‘aggadah are necessary, from the beginning. Remember this when you study the Torah, the prophets, the wisdom literature, the gospels and the apostolic writings. You will see things in a different light.
Rodney, once again I am indebted. Thank you for adding this vital insight to the role of the ‘ezer kenegdo. I wish I could claim that I thought of it. It’s brilliant.
As for the rest of your reply, I am dismayed each time I read someone’s comment that suggests Torah and grace do not flow together in perfect harmony. Your response is the right one to this continuing misunderstanding. The teaching of the Church over all these centuries has bolstered a paradigm that is now entrenched in the Christian community, a paradigm that finds no expression at all in Scripture. What a shame! I simply do not know how to say it more clearly. Torah does NOT save. Grace saves (as Abraham discovered). But without Torah our message has no distinctiveness in the world. It becomes nothing more than higher ethical principles. We cannot fulfill GOD’S designed purposes according to HIS way without Torah. One reason the Christian message seems so anemic today is that Christian theology has converted a way of living into a philosophy of ethics. They are not the same. Yes, there are many, many good Christian people with hearts filled with adoration for God. They have done many wonderful works in the world. But this issue (Torah and Grace) is not about the witness of those people. If it were, we would have to also account for the 2000 year history of Christian anti-Semitism, brutality, torture, the Inquisition, etc. No, this is a THEOLOGICAL issue, not an issue about any particular person’s life. It is the theology that is mistaken because it refuses to examine the “jewishness” of the Scriptures.
Fortunately, there are several important scholars (Gager, Eisenbaum, Young, Heschel, Flusser, et. al) who are recognizing this error and writing to correct it. But paradigms do not die natural deaths, as Kuhn clearly demonstrates.
The recognition of Torah is weak or non-existent because the definition of sin (Gen. 3:5) is weak or non-existent. Until the issue of man’s desire to be his own god is dealt with, the Torah cannot find its rightful place.
Thank you for your kind words, Skip. I am humbled. I wish I could say that I thought of it, too. 🙂 Credit where credit is due – I am indebted to Brad Scott of Wild Branch Ministries and his audio series “Paul: False Apostle or Falsely Acccused?”. Brad spoke of the root of ‘aggadah and its relationship to halakhah and linked it to the Genesis account. I put 2+2 together and summarized a fairly lengthy discourse into a few sentences.
The interesting thing is that now that I’m aware of it I clearly see these principles operating in my own marriage relationship. I tend to be much more concerned with the “letter” and teaching “just the facts”, transferring the information, if you like, whereas Laura is much more concerned about (or perhaps, more correctly, more aware of and attuned to) the relationship with those being taught, and constantly reminds me that I need to be sensitive to where they’re at and bring them along with me, rather than just “shoving the map in their hand and sending them on their way”. I can, therefore, confidently speak of the relationship between halakhah and ‘aggadah in the context of zakar and ezer kenegdo because I do so from personal experience. 🙂
Regarding your other comments, I completely agree. I was going to say much more but it is late and I need to get to bed. Blessings to you and Rosanne and thanks for your continued faithfulness in speaking out for truth.