The Messianic Jewish Expositor

Arthur P Wolinsky
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Why are there so many problems in the world? How can you make sense out of all the chaos? What does the future hold for you? Is there anything you can do to make things better? Who is the Source of our Hope? awolinsky.substack.com

  1. Sep 29

    Replacement Theology

    Just as the Enemy has continued to adapt the lies of Antisemitism to every new circumstance, so has he done with Replacement Theology, Antisemitism’s twin sister. This is a work in progress. There are probably more than four types of Replacement Theology but at present, I see four types: To expand on Replacement Theology, please consider this schematic: What is the Application of this teaching? Stand with and Stand for the Jewish people. Antisemitism and Replacement Theology are cruel deceptions of the Enemy. Don’t fall for them! The Jews are no better than other people, but God has assigned them certain tasks and given them certain privileges. They did not ask for these; the LORD ordained them. Don’t question or doubt God’s purposes and plans. For your convenience, here are the above verses: Genesis 15:18 (NKJV) On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— Isaiah 61:5-9 (NKJV) Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. [6] But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. [7] Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs. [8] “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant. [9] Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.” Jeremiah 31:8-12 (NKJV) Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. [9] They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. [10] “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ [11] For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. [12] Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. Deuteronomy 28:1 (NKJV) “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. Deuteronomy 28:13 (NKJV) And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Ezekiel 36:8-11 (NKJV) But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. [9] For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. [10] I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. [11] I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 36:24-28 (NKJV) For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. [25] Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. [28] Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:32-36 (NKJV) Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!” [33] ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. [34] The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. [35] So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ [36] Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.” Zechariah 12:2-3 (NKJV) “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. [3] And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. Zechariah 12:8-9 (NKJV) In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. [9] It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Amos 9:14-15 (NKJV) I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. [15] I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the LORD your God. Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NKJV) “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— [32] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. [33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. [34] No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit awolinsky.substack.com

  2. Sep 4

    The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame

    Please listen, my friends. Art Wolinsky This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit awolinsky.substack.com

    The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame

  3. Jan 23

    Does a Gentile Become a Spiritual Jew When He or She Is Born Again?

    We’re taking a short break from the study of Hebrews to try to answer a few questions about Jews and Gentiles. The first question is “Are Gentile born again believers in Yeshua, spiritual Jews?” Do they become spiritual Jews when they are converted? Does the Bible answer this question? Many Gentile believers who love the Jewish people and Israel want to be spiritual Jews and believe that they are. Some Messianic leaders teach this. Is this valid? Let’s look at some Scriptures that have a bearing on this question. Romans 4:9–12 NIV 9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. So Abram the Hebrew had faith that was credited to him as righteousness. Abram believed God. That is another way of saying that Abram was justified. He was saved. And at that point he had not yet been circumcised and his name had not yet been changed to Abraham. And so the New Testament tells us that he is the father of all who believe and are not circumcised, namely believing Gentiles. And the Scripture also says that he is the father of all who believe and are circumcised, namely believing Jews. So Abraham is the father of all who believe whether they are circumcised or uncircumcised. In the case of Jewish believers in Yeshua or Jesus, Abraham is their physical father and spiritual father. In the case of Gentile believers in Yeshua, Abraham is their spiritual father. Let’s look at another Scripture: Galatians 3:26–29 NIV 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Folks, the Scripture says “for you are all one in Christ Jesus” - this has to mean that we are all one spiritually, not physically. How do we know that? Because the verse also says “nor is there male and female”. Well, we certainly know that in the physical world there is most definitely male and female. I’m a male and my wife is a female. So, Abraham is the father of all believers in Messiah - we are all one. Does that therefore mean that Gentile believers become spiritual Jews when they are born again? The Scripture does not say that. It says that we are all one, we are the same, spiritually. Let me pose this question: When a Jew is born again, does he or she become a spiritual Gentile? The answer is no. So, I believe the answer to the question “Does a Gentile become a spiritual Jew when he or she is born again?” is no. Rather Jews and Gentiles become one. They are the same spiritually. Now what do I say if my Gentile believer friend says, like the great Francis Schaeffer said, “I’m a spiritual Jew” and my friend means this in a way that is clearly honoring to Jews and expresses his or her love and support for Jews and for the Jewish Nation, Israel? I say, “Welcome to the Body of Messiah, brother!” or “Welcome to the Body of Messiah, sister!” Now let’s consider something else today, another question. Are the Jewish people God’s chosen people? The Torah has something to say about this. Not long before the Jewish people entered the promised land, Moses spoke to them. Deuteronomy 7:6 NKJV 6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 14:2 NKJV 2 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. In these two verses God through Moses told the Jewish people - all the Jewish people - that they were a holy people, meaning set apart, a people chosen by God for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. God did not say to them that they were righteous or justified as He had said earlier to Abraham. Now folks, this is important. But what does it mean? Does it mean that every single Jewish person will inherit salvation? No. God did not say that. But how could that possibly be? After all how could the Jews not all inherit salvation? The New Testament helps us to answer this question. And remember folks, the Old Testament and the New Testament are one book and these two testaments do not contradict each other. So what does the New Testament have to say about this question? Let’s read: Romans 9:6–7 NKJV 6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” The apostle Paul had just finished enumerating the special privileges of the Jewish people in the previous two verses: Romans 9:4–5 NKJV 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God,and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, theeternally blessed God. Amen. With all of this how could the Jewish people participate in the crucifixion of Christ and as a nation refuse to accept Yeshua as their very own Messiah? Now folks, the Messiah was resurrected on the third day. He did not remain dead. And you and I all put Him on the cross to die because of our sins. He died to atone for our sins. So, the dispersion of the Jews from the Land of Israel and the centuries long persecution of the Jews was not because the Jews killed Jesus. It was due to something else. That something else was and is the rejection of the Messiahship of Yeshua. But how could God’s chosen people reject the Messiahship of Jesus? They could do it because not all the chosen people are in fact righteous or justified. Not all are the children of promise. Or, to again quote the apostle Paul, For they are not all Israel who are of Israel. There is another passage in the New testament that speaks to this very same thing: Galatians 6:15–16 NKJV 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Folks, the apostle Paul is speaking here about people who are born again, people who are in Christ, people who are new creations. It doesn’t matter whether they are circumcised, meaning Jewish, or uncircumcised meaning not Jewish. And to those in this category - those who walk according to this rule, those who are new creations - peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. Folks, there are two groups here: the circumcision and the uncircumcision, the them and the Israel of God. The them are Gentile believers and the Israel of God are Jewish believers. There is a final question that I believe we have to answer today and when we are finished doing that some of you who are listening or reading might brand me an antisemite. I’m not an antisemite. Please pay attention to the application at the end of this talk and you will see what my motivation is. Romans 2:25–29 NKJV 25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. This is a heavy passage especially for a Jewish person! A Jew, a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, may be circumcised in the flesh but if he does not obey the Law - if he practices unrighteousness - he is not a Jew inwardly and his circumcision is not of the heart, it is not spiritual. He is one of the chosen people but he has not inherited salvation. He is not saved. His heart is not circumcised. This passage does not say that an uncircumcised man who obeys the Law becomes a Jew. Rather it says that his uncircumcision will be counted as circumcision. He is a righteous man; he is justified. Moses talked about circumcision of the heart to the Jewish Nation shortly before the people entered the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 30:6 LSB 6 “Moreover Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. As of January 2026 this has still not happened to the Jewish Nation but it will yet happen. It has happened and will continue to happen to individual Jews. So, what is the bottom line? * Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way, through faith in the finished work of Messiah on the cross at which time He paid for the sins of all who would put their faith in Him. * A saved Gentile does not become a spiritua

  4. Jan 5

    Hebrews, Part IV

    Greetings, Folks. And Happy 2026! Last time we ended our session on Hebrews chapter 1 with this comment about verses 4 and 5: These verses describe a Father bestowing upon His Son the divine inheritance of kingship. This change in status didn’t make Him better in the sense of becoming a better God but rather to become better than the angels in a new sense. Because He did something that no angel could ever do. He absorbed on the cross the punishment for every sin ever committed by every member of the human race who accepted Him or would ever accept Him and by so doing became better than the angels and by so doing pleased His Father to an extent that we can’t fully appreciate. ‌Now regarding angels and their status, we need to talk about that and we will next time. Now Folks, we will talk about angels today but first let’s talk about something else. We know that Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish believers in Jesus who were feeling a pull back toward traditional Judaism. And I believe this letter to the Hebrews was also intended to be read by Jews who did not yet believe in Jesus. Now what about these different groups of Jewish people? The way I see it, things back then were not all that different than they are today, at least among Jewish people brought up in traditional Jewish homes, homes where God was honored. You would have some people who fervently believed that God was real, some people who believed that God was real and that He had a Son – Yeshua the Messiah – and you would have some people who did not believe in God at all whether they openly admitted that or not. Chances are that in those days in the land of Israel when the Temple was still standing there were not too many Jews who openly admitted literal disbelief in God. Some of this last group would have been of the Priestly families, the Sadducees. Would the encouragement of this letter to these different groups of Hebrews have varying effects in drawing them into the faith? It would all depend on the Holy Spirit. Because nobody can come to faith in Yeshua, nobody can be born again, on the basis of his own will or decision. And it’s worth restating that no one comes to the Father – no one is saved, no one receives the gift of eternal life – except through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. And that doesn’t just go for Jewish people. That applies to Gentiles as well. The author of this letter used Biblical truth to show these groups of people the clear advantage of believing in Jesus. And in the rest of this first chapter the truth about the superiority of Yeshua to the Angels was used. Jewish people, particularly Pharisees and those exposed to the influence of Pharisees - surely a substantial number of people even if not a majority - believed in angels and in their superiority over humans. But what if Jesus was superior even to angels? The Scriptures clearly prove that and who better to show us that than the Holy Spirit inspired author of this letter. And the Old Testament Scriptures were also used to prove that Jesus is God. Folks, can you use Scripture to prove Scripture? Certainly. God does not contradict Himself. But here is something a little different: Can a divinely inspired writer such as the author of Hebrews use already established Scripture (Old Testament Scriptures) to prove what he is writing (New Testament Scriptures)? Can the Holy Spirit do this? Why not? Of course He can. Remember that although the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are indeed different, the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures comprise one book. Both are the word of God and God does not contradict Himself, ever. The Apostle Paul, in Romans, used the Psalms to demonstrate that no one can come to God on his own: Romans 3:10 (NKJV) As it is written: “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE; is proved by : Psalms 53:3 (NKJV) Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. And here are two examples from the Lord Himself: John 5:45-47 (NIV) “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. [46] If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. [47] But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” Jesus is here referring to the Law of Moses, the Torah. One example can be taken from Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy 18:18-19 (NKJV) 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. [19] And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. And here is another example taken from the gospel of Luke describing the conversation that Jesus had with two disciples on the road to Emmaus: Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. So with this strong supporting background, let’s look at some of the Scriptures used to do this in chapter one of Hebrews: Hebrews 1:6 (NKJV) But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.” This is a quote from Psalm 97:7 in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. Angels worship those who are greater than they are. Jesus is greater than the angels. Hebrews 1:7 (NKJV) And of the angels He says: “WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS SPIRITS AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.” Angels are very powerful spirit beings whom God uses to serve His purposes and who may be manifested as flames of fire as was the case when horses and chariots of fire were revealed to a frightened young man though the ministry of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). Angels are indeed very great. Hebrews 1:8 (NKJV) But to the Son He says: “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER; A SCEPTER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM. Here, God the Father is revealing that His Son is also God and that His Throne and Kingdom is righteous and is forever and ever as prophesied in Psalm 45:6. Jesus is not only greater than the angels, there is no comparison. Jesus is God. The Father says so. Hebrews 1:9 (NKJV) YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS MORE THAN YOUR COMPANIONS.” God the Father is anointing this one and only Son because of the Son’s love of righteousness and hatred of lawlessness. That is why He went to the cross. God never said this to an angel. Folks, I thinks Jesus’ companions must be angels. From Psalm 45:7. Hebrews 1:10 (NKJV) And: “YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS. Hebrews 1:11 (NKJV) THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN; AND THEY WILL ALL GROW OLD LIKE A GARMENT; Hebrews 1:12 (NKJV) LIKE A CLOAK YOU WILL FOLD THEM UP, AND THEY WILL BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT FAIL.” These three verses are from Psa 102:25-27. Jesus is able to do what only God can do. Hebrews 1:13 (NKJV) But to which of the angels has He ever said: “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL”? And to which angel did God ever say this, from Psalm 110:1 as written and prophesied by King David. To no angel ever. So, folks the Son is greater than the angels. And the Son is God. The case for this is established through the Hebrew Scriptures and the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35). And to finish chapter one: Hebrews 1:14 “Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” Folks, the angels are mighty and glorious beings. But great as they are, they are created beings and they are in a sense assistants to God. They help believers in Yeshua, Jesus, who will inherit salvation. Folks, this has been a difficult passage today. I feel that I haven’t said much but I hope that it has been enough. The Scriptures speak clearly. The angels are indeed great. But the Son of God is greater. He is God. Will you not see this, my dear Jewish friend? And the New Covenant is greater than the Old. As we will see in a later chapter, the Old Covenant is obsolete and it completely faded away in 70 AD when the Temple was destroyed. God’s laws are not obsolete but the Old Covenant is. That system of religion no longer has any power. My friend, whether you are Jewish or Gentile, please don’t ignore this. God sent His Son into the world that He might die as the sacrifice for your sins. Call upon His name, the Lord Jesus, and ask Him to give you eternal life. If you are sincere He will not turn you down. May you be blessed my friends. Until the next time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit awolinsky.substack.com

    Hebrews, Part IV

  5. 12/16/2025

    Hebrews, Part III

    How could Jesus, Who was always God, become even better? Hi Folks. This will be our last podcast of 2025. We’ll resume in January. I’m excited for us to move on today to the next two verses of Hebrews so let’s start by reading them. We’re using the NKJV: Hebrews 1:4-5 (NKJV) having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. [5] For to which of the angels did He ever say: “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”? And again: “I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON”? These verses tell us that our Messiah, having become so much better than the angels, has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. So we need to ask ourselves if Yeshua, Jesus, became something that He was not previously. How did He obtain a more excellent name? Now this verse is comparing Jesus with angels. He has become better than the angels and He has inherited a more excellent name than they. We might ask if He has become better than the angels by virtue of inheriting a more excellent name and if so what is in that name that makes Him better? Let’s read verse four again: ‌Hebrews 1:4 (NKJV) 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Because the word as separates two clauses in this verse, and because as is present in the Greek, we might wonder how the Son of God, who was and is always perfect and who was and is always God, became so much better than the angels by inheriting a better name. What could that mean? I think that in order to understand this question we need to remember the last part of verse 3 and we need to remember that the chapter and verse numbers in the Bible were not in the original Scriptures. Keeping that in mind let’s read the last part of verse 3 with all of verse 4 as if that was a single verse: ‌Hebrews 1:3-4 (NKJV) .... when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ‌So, Yeshua’s becoming better than the angels by obtaining a more excellent name seems to be at least in part be due to His sitting down on the Father’s right hand and that could never have happened without Jesus having purged our sins. And He couldn’t have done that without being the perfect sacrifice and He couldn’t have been that perfect sacrifice without being God. But OK, we know that Jesus is God and He was God before the cross. John 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Now Jesus being God is not new. So, how did He become so much better than the angels? It seems to me that of course, as God He was better than the angels already but then He became so much better than the angels. What accounts for that? Let’s read verse four once more: Hebrews 1:4 (NKJV) having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. What is the meaning of as here? Does it mean He became so much better because He obtained a more excellent name than they? I think we have to understand what rank the angels hold and compare it to the rank that Yeshua holds. And of course, there is no comparison there! There never was. But Yeshua has been elevated even more in some way.‌ Again, His becoming better seems to be due to a change in His name and what that name represents. ‌So what was the nature of this change? It was a change in status or rank. To understand this, I think we get some help from looking at the next verse, verse 5 : Hebrews 1:5 (NKJV) 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? ‌“You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” - Now folks, this could be a little confusing, so please stick with me. Jesus was God the Son throughout eternity but this clause from Hebrews 1:5 is describing something extra, something new. “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”. This clause is a direct reference to Psalms 2:7 (NKJV) “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‌Incidentally folks, to digress for just a moment, note the word begotten in John 3:16. Let me read that to you: ‌“John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.‌ Folks, the word begotten in John 3:16 does not have the meaning to beget or to give birth; the Greek word is better translated as unique or one and only. ‌But in Psalms 2:7 and so in Hebrews 1:5, the word for begotten does usually mean to beget or to give birth. And there seems to be a particular point in time, today, when the Father becomes the Father of this very special Son, our Messiah. In the NKJV it says Today I have begotten You. Now we know that God the Son always existed and that He is God. He was never anything else. And He was always the Son, the eternal Son. How do we know that? We know it from: ‌Proverbs 30:4 (NKJV) Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know? But again, how could the Son of God become better - how could God ever become better? - and how could He become the Son of God the Father? Wasn’t He already the Son? Now, He, Yeshua, is God. He was never born in the way that you and I were born. Yes, He was literally born of a virgin, Miriam or Mary. That was the incarnation when He became the God-Man and that was indeed a change. At the incarnation His nature changed from perfect God to perfect God and perfect Man. And we know that happened so that He could do something that He couldn’t do when He was God only. That something was to die on the cross. And there were other things that He couldn’t do when He was perfect God only; He couldn’t suffer the way a man can suffer. When he was perfect God only, He couldn’t do that. And we’ll see a little later in Hebrews why that is necessary. But the most important thing that he could do as a man that He couldn’t do as perfect God was to die. ‌Folks, this is absolutely extraordinary, is it not? Without question it is extraordinary! ‌So Jesus became the God-Man. He was no less God than He was before but now He became Man also. And He was and is a Man in a way that no other man could ever be. In what way is that you might ask? He was without sin, as we will see when we get to Hebrews chapter four where we read about Jesus being a high priest: Hebrews 4:15:“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” So Jesus went from being God only to being the God-Man. Did this change His name and status? I don’t think that it did at His birth, at His incarnation. But, as perfect God and perfect Man he was able to die and by so doing He became sin for us, meaning He became a sin offering for us, or I should say He became the sin offering for us, the perfect sacrifice. He paid the price that God’s Law demanded for sin, for every sin ever committed. That price was, and is still today, death: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”‌ After He died He was buried and then He was raised from the dead and those of us who accept the marvelous work that He did on the cross for us are included in this supernatural experience: Romans 6:4 (NKJV) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ‌ So, by what He did Jesus made it possible for you and me to not only be forgiven of our sins but also be raised to newness of life. And because He did this His name and His status changed. I think verse five of this first chapter makes that clear: Hebrews 1:5 (NKJV) For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? This verse directly quotes Psalm 2:7 and it also quotes 1 Chronicles 17:13. Let’s look at the context of these two Old Testament verses. Let’s look at the context of the 1 Chronicles verse first: 1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (NKJV) And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. [12] He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. [13] I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you (King Saul). [14] And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” ‘ “ These verses describe the Davidic Covenant. Now most Bible scholars quote from 2 Samuel when referencing the Davidic Covenant: 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NKJV) “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. [13] He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. [14] I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. [15] But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. [16] And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ‘ “ I prefer

    Hebrews, Part III

  6. 12/04/2025

    Hebrews, Part II

    Hi Folks. Thanks for joining me as we move ahead in our study of Hebrews. We’re moving on to verses 2 and 3 of chapter one today but before we do that, I want to tell you about a friend of mine. He is no longer with us. His name was Joel (name changed for confidentiality purposes) and he was Jewish. He suffered from depression and always proclaimed forcefully that his depression was due to a chemical imbalance that required multiple medications to treat it. The treatment was never effective. He would sometimes say to me, “Art, I guess God wants me to be depressed”. Joel made a profession of faith in Jesus about 25 years ago. Now folks, please keep this true anecdote in mind because Hebrews was written to Jewish people some of whom may have been like Joel. Hebrews 1:1–3 NKJV 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Last time we went over verse 1 and we talked about how God spoke to the ancient Hebrews through the prophets at many different times and in various ways. The prophets refers to the Old Testament prophets of course including the 16 writing prophets as well as those prophets who did not write specific books in the Old Testament that have been categorized as books of prophecy. Writing prophets would include those such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The 16 writing prophets are divided into major and minor prophets but I need to mention at this point that what I am referring to as the 16 writing prophets would be in the Jewish tradition only 15 in number. The difference is Daniel. Hebrew tradition does not include Daniel in the Nevi’im, or Prophets. Daniel is included in the last or third section of the TaNaKh which is the Ketuvim or the writings. Now folks, we can say from Hebrews 1:2 alone that Jesus’ ministry marked the beginning of the last days. Maybe that surprises you. But listen please. Hebrews 1:2 NIV but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. Folks, God spoke many things to the Jewish people of first century Israel through His Son Jesus and much of what He said has been preserved for us to read today. We will cover some of those things in our study of this book. But let’s talk now for a minute or so about Jesus as God’s Son. Jesus is God’s Son in a very different way than we are sons and daughters of God. We are told that we are sons and daughters in the Gospel of John: John 1:12–13 NIV Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. This verse talks about what happens to us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior; we are born again and are transferred from being in Adam to being in Messiah or Christ. That’s what John 1:12-13 is talking about and as incredible as that is - we becoming sons and daughters or children of God - we are not sons in the sense that Jesus is the Son of God. Because Jesus is not a created being and He is the one and only Son of God, He has to be of the same substance and nature as His Father. He has to be divine, He has to be deity. So please recognize that Jesus is the only unique Son of God and He is a Son - the Son - in a different way than we are. I also just want to remind you that God said He has a Son in the Old Testament in Psalm 2 and in Proverbs 30 and we talked about that last time. God’s Son here is the Messiah. But getting back to Hebrews 1:2: Hebrews 1:2 NIV but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. In trying to grasp the profound meaning of this verse I think we can get some help by looking at John’s Gospel: John 1:1–3 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Now please take a look at Genesis 1:1: Genesis 1:1 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Folks, God’s Son did this. So, Who is this Son? We’ve already said that He is a Son like no other Son and that He is divine - He has the attributes of deity. But can we get a better understanding of that? I think we can. In John chapter 1 He is called the Word which in Greek is Logos and we are told that in the beginning He was with God and was God and that without Him nothing was made that was made. So, how is He, the Logos or Word and also God? Thanks to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, I’ve come to understand that the idea behind the Greek word Logos is better understood by the Aramaic word Memra, which also means word, and which was used in the Jewish Targums or paraphrases of the Hebrew Scriptures, recognized by many rabbis, to describe a visible appearance of God, somewhat similar to, yet different from, the Shekinah glory of God, like the pillar of fire that stayed with the Israelites in the desert following the Exodus. Sometimes this Memra would appear as the Angel of the LORD or the Angel of Yahweh such as we see in: Exodus 3:2 NIV There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. AND: Exodus 3:4 NIV When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” Can you see from these 2 verses that there is an equivalence between the Angel of Yahweh and the LORD, meaning Yahweh Himself? The Apostle John was a Jewish man and would have been familiar with the Memra which means word. Logos was the closest Greek equivalent to Memra and so John used Logos as he was inspired to do by the Holy Spirit. This gives us an understanding of how Jesus is the Logos and God. He came as God in the flesh, God incarnate, and He was and is the same Divine Being that he was in the Old Testament where He temporarily came as the Angel of Yahweh. These appearances, in the Old Testament, were of the preincarnate Christ. Folks, this is mind blowing, is it not? But it’s true! So, the Son of God - the Logos, or Memra, or Word - is like no other Son. Understanding this will help us greatly in this study of the letter to the Hebrews. And as the Divine Son of the Father, it becomes understandable that Yahweh, the Father, would appoint His one and only Son the Heir of all things. Likewise it makes sense that YHWH would appoint His Son to make the Universe, that the Universe would be made through Him. Folks, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We are in deep waters here but what wonderful deep waters they are! The Shema tells us that God is One but He is a complex or plural One. He is one God with a plural nature. We cannot fully understand this. But God allows us to understand it enough to know that it is absolutely true and that is a wonderful gift to us! But, getting back to the Scripture: Hebrews 1:2 NIV but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. So, what did the Son speak to us - and that applies to you and me - in these last days? Let me give you just a few things that He said: John 3:3 NIV Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” And Jesus also said this: John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This is perhaps the most well known verse in the Bible. Both the essence and the assurance of salvation is encapsulated in this one verse. And Jesus said this: Matthew 22:36–40 NIV “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Folks, this is the essence of The New Covenant. This is the law that we are to follow now and it is a law that we can keep with the help of the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers. And Jesus also said this: John 19:30 NIV When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Jesus finished the work of salvation. At a cost that we cannot comprehend, He has done it all. Folks, let’s move on to verse 3 of chapter 1: Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) ‌The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. The Jewish religious leaders were angry when Yeshua called Himself the Son of God. Because He was equating himself with deity. Let’s look at John 5:18 NIV: ‌For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Yeshua is calling God His own Father or if I can take the liberty, His very own Father. In the Greek His own is idios. By using this word, idios, Yeshua is saying that God was His own private, personal, unique Father. If that were not so He would have used the usual Greek word for own which is autos. What about Jesus being the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representatio

    Hebrews, Part II

  7. 11/20/2025

    Hebrews, Part I

    Introduction Hebrews is an amazing book. It is a book of contrasts. It contrasts the Old Covenant given through Moses with the New Covenant first prophesied through Jeremiah in the Hebrew Scriptures and later inaugurated by Yeshua at the last supper, a Passover seder, and at the cross. It was written to Jewish people not long before the second Jewish Temple was destroyed by Rome in 70 AD. Some scholars believe that it was addressed to Jewish believers only, to Jews who were born again but weak in their faith. For several reasons, which I hope to cover with you as we go through this book, I do not believe that. I believe the epistle was indeed written to born again Jews who were weak in their faith, but also to Jews who might be interested in Yeshua but had not made a profession of faith in Him. And I also believe that the author certainly hoped that the epistle would be read or explained to Jews who had no apparent interest in following Jesus; this latter group may have included people who practiced traditional Judaism - the Temple was still standing when Hebrews was written - some who were serious about their religious practice and some who may have gone along with the practice of the Jewish religion because of pressure from their peers. And this book has great application for all of us today, both Jew and Gentile. Let’s begin today by reading and then discussing the first verse of the epistle. All Scriptures in this series will be from the NIV unless otherwise stated. Hebrews 1:1 “1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,” God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways. What does that mean? There were 16 writing prophets, men sent by God to proclaim His word and to make a written record of what they said. These written records survive today as the prophetic books of the Tanach or Old Testament. One of those prophets was not sent to the Jewish people although they must surely have known of his message. That was the prophet Jonah who was sent to proclaim the need for the people of Nineveh in Assyria to repent of their sins and indeed they did so and God did not bring disaster upon them. So, many prophets were sent over a great many years - hence, “at many times”; the Analytical Lexicon of the New Testament gives a translation for this as bit by bit. That makes sense to me. We have a very patient God. He doesn’t give us His truth all at once because He knows that we couldn’t handle it. Bit by bit might be a good thing for us to keep in mind as we share God’s truth with people. We want to be careful not to feed a person who only has the ability to consume one piece of bread with a 7 course meal. We need to take our Heavenly Father’s example and His truth bit by bit, at least in the beginning. And the message was also given in various ways. What does that mean? The great law giver, Moses, considered by many Jewish people to be the greatest prophet of all, and who wrote the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible, wrote about the first Passover in ancient Egypt and the need for a blood sacrifice to preserve life. The shed blood came from lambs. Those things pointed to the first coming of our Messiah, the Lamb of God, and to the cross. But Moses also wrote about something that came even earlier. That was the very first mention in the Bible of a deliverer, our Messiah, who would in the future crush the head of the serpent who at Satan’s direction deceived Eve and so led Adam and Eve to disobey God which caused something to happen that we call The Fall. God intended for us to live forever but because of the disobedience of our first parents all of us are born spiritually dead and have limited physical life spans. Let’s read about this: Genesis 3:14–15 NKJV So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed that the LORD is talking about here, her Seed - the Seed of the woman - is the deliverer, the Messiah, whom we now know is the Lord Jesus. This is the first time in the Bible that a Deliverer is mentioned. This is the first foreshadowing of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. The LORD speaking through Moses again said something of a profoundly prophetic nature in Deuteronomy: Deuteronomy 18:18–19 “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.” These verses speak of a future deliverer who like you, meaning like Moses would deliver His people from slavery and death but the deliverance of the future deliverer would be permanent. This was a prophecy about Jesus, Yeshua, and of His earthly ministry. Another prophecy of a future deliverer is in Psalm 2 where the LORD talks about His Son: Psalm 2:7–8 “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” And the Lord gives us a further hint of His coming Son in the book of Proverbs: Proverbs 30:4 “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!” Folks, God the Father has a Son and He has told us about Him in the Old Testament. And then we have a prophecy given to King David from the prophet Nathan who was not one of the 16 writing prophets, but was a prophet nonetheless. Listen to the Lord speaking through Nathan to David: 1 Chronicles 17:11–12 “When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.” The Lord is here speaking of the throne of the Messiah Who will be King of Israel and Whose throne will be established forever. That will begin when this present age is over and Messiah, the Lord Jesus, will reign for a thousand years from Jerusalem. That time will follow the rapture and the 7 year tribulation. That time is drawing nearer every day. Maranatha! Come quickly Lord Jesus! Then there was Isaiah who told of the Messiah who would come by virgin birth and who would be God Himself and God with us: Isaiah 7:14 NIV Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us and that’s exactly who Yeshua was when He walked among us 2,000 years ago. Folks that prophecy was fulfilled about 700 years later when He was born in Bethlehem. And Isaiah also prophesied this: Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This prophecy has only been partially fulfilled as of the date of this message - November 2025 - but rest assured that it will be completely fulfilled soon when Messiah Yeshua returns to rescue Israel, to judge the world, and to set up His 1,000 year reign. Later in his book, Isaiah prophesies about a person who would come, a Servant, who would suffer and die for our sins. This was indeed a prophecy about the Lord Jesus. He comes first as a suffering servant and only later as King and ruler, at His second coming, which we expectantly wait for now. Those of you who attend a traditional Jewish synagogue might wonder why this Suffering Servant of Isaiah, chapter 53, is not mentioned or taught about. This portion of Scripture is not included in the weekly Haftorah readings in the synagogue. This prophecy is so clearly about Jesus the Messiah that it is abhorrent to many Jewish leaders especially the Rabbis. That is why it is not taught. And then the LORD sent Jeremiah the prophet through whom the LORD promised a new covenant: Jeremiah 31:31–34 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”” What a wonderful promise from the LORD through Jeremiah. That New Covenant was inaugurated at Jesus’ death and it will be completely fulfilled after all Israel is saved at the end of the 7 year Tribulation. Romans 11:26–27 “and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”” And there are many more examples that I could give you but I don’t want to tire you out. We will be talking about the New Covenant in this series because it is re-stated in the letter to the Hebrews. The prophecy of the New Covenant was made a reali

    Hebrews, Part I

  8. 11/12/2025

    A Final Dive Into The Rapture

    Hi Folks, I’ve said that I would say no more about imminence but I have to say a little more. Did you know that Charles Spurgeon, J. C. Ryle, and George Mueller, believed in imminence? I’m not saying that they believed that the Rapture was imminent, although I think that they may indeed have believed that (The Second Coming of Christ: Encouragement to Watch and Be Ready for Our Lord’s Return [Updated and Annotated] by Dwight L. Moody , Harriet B. Stowe, et al.) These were men, and one woman, who took the Scriptures literally, including prophecy. They absolutely believed that the Second Coming was imminent and they based this belief on verses like these: Matthew 24:27 NKJV For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:36 NKJV “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. Matthew 24:42,44,50 NKJV [42] Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. [44] Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. [50] the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, Matthew 25:6,13 NKJV [6] “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ [13] “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Now, it certainly seems to me that the Rapture is not mentioned in the synoptic gospels. But imminence certainly is mentioned. What should we make of that? These saints - Spurgeon, Ryle, Mueller, and others too - didn’t say be ready for the coming of the Lord at any time after the Tribulation. They just said be ready, the Lord could come at any time. That is imminence! Now, exactly what does all this mean? I’m not certain. But I am certain of this: these saints believed that the Lord could return at any moment, although not necessarily soon, and they did not know when. That’s imminence. And they rejoiced in this. That has to mean something. These folks were looking for the blessed hope! Just read what they wrote. You can find it in the book that I just referenced. So much for imminence. At least for now. Now, does the Rapture happen before the Tribulation? Absolutely! Why? Here are a few reasons. It’s not an exhaustive list. * The Rapture must occur in order for the Antichrist to be revealed. * 2 Thessalonians 2:7–8 “7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;” * Therefore the Rapture must occur in order for the Tribulation to start. * Therefore the Rapture must occur in order for the Time of Jacob’s Trouble to start, which is the second half of the Tribulation, called the great Tribulation by Yeshua. See Matthew 24:15 and 24:21. * Therefore the Rapture must occur in order for the Jewish people, in their extreme desperation, to call for their Messiah and to mourn for Him as one mourns for an only Son (Zechariah 12:10). * Therefore the Rapture must occur for the Lord Jesus to return a second time. * Therefore the Rapture must occur for the Messianic Kingdom to be set up. Also: * The Rapture must occur before the Tribulation in order for the Apostle Paul to say, when describing the Rapture: Comfort one another with these words. If these believers were going to go through the Tribulation, Paul would not have said this. * The Church is not mentioned in Revelation 6-18. Why? These chapters deal with the Tribulation. The Church is not in the Tribulation because it has been raptured to heaven. I’ll leave it at that for now. The Rapture is important and it is pretribulational. So, Folks, that’s it on the rapture for now. It’s been my pleasure and privilege to talk with you all about these things. Please, if you agree or disagree, or if any of this is new or useful to you, or if you think that it is woefully wrong, let me know by leaving a comment on Substack. Thank you, and God bless you all. This is Art Wolinsky. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit awolinsky.substack.com

    A Final Dive Into The Rapture
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Why are there so many problems in the world? How can you make sense out of all the chaos? What does the future hold for you? Is there anything you can do to make things better? Who is the Source of our Hope? awolinsky.substack.com

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