DIVINE APPOINTMENTS  - 15 April 2019

 

Matthew, a disciple of Yahshua wrote in Matt. 28:19 that Yahshua GAVE THEM INSTRUCTIONS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE He was TAKEN INTO HEAVEN after the 40 DAYS that HE APPEARED to HIS DISCIPLES TEACHING THEM about the KINGDOM THINGS. There were many things that they could only understand AFTER Yahshua's resurrection. Finally He gave them the following INSTRUCTIONS (COMMANDS) "Go then and MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL the NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM into the NAME of the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT." [Matt. 28:19].

 

LUKE MADE A CONTINUOUS REPORT referring to the GOSPEL OF LUKE - also the AUTHOR of ACTS:

Luke, a follower of Messiah, a physician, and later on a close companion of Paul wrote in Acts 1:1 "In the former account which I prepared  ..." referring to   the Gospel of Luke ... "I made a continuous report dealing with all the things WHICH YAHSHUA BEGAN to DO and TO TEACH." [Luke 1:1-4].

 

UNTIL the DAY MESSIAH ASCENDED:

Acts. 1:2 "Until the DAY WHEN HE ASCENDED, after He through the Holy Spirit had INSTRUCTED and COMMANDED the APOSTLES (the special messengers) whom HE HAD CHOSEN."

 

TO THEM - HE SHOWED HIMSELF ALIVE during the 40 days after His resurrection till He was taken into heaven:

Acts 1:3 "To THEM He ALSO SHOWED Himself ALIVE AFTER His SUFFERING in the GARDEN AND on the TREE by a SERIES of MANY CONVINCING DEMONSTRATIONS, unquestionable evidences and infallible proofs, appearing to them during FORTY DAYS and TALKING to them ABOUT the THINGS of the KINGDOM of YAH."

 

After Yahshua's resurrection, He APPEARED to His disciples (and others) SPENT TIME in their COMPANY, EATING with them and COMMANDING them NOT to LEAVE Jerusalem - but to WAIT for what the Father had PROMISED (Acts 1:4; John 14:16, 26, 15:26).

 

According to the Gospel of John, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from and lifted out of the groove across the entrance of the tomb. (John 20:1).

 

She ran and went to Simon Peter and John and said to them that they have taken Yahshua out of the tomb, and that they do not know where they have taken Him. (John 20:2). On hearing this, Peter and John run to the tomb, with John that arrived first. He stooped down, and saw that the burial (linen) cloths were lying there, but he did not enter.

 

John 20:6 "Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there;

 

:7 But the burial napkin (kerchief) which had been around Yahshua's head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but was still ROLLED UP, WRAPPED ROUND AND ROUND in a PLACE by ITSELF.

 

:8 Then John, who had reached the tomb first, went in too; and HE SAW AND WAS CONVINCED AND BELIEVED.

 

:9 For AS YET they DID NOT KNOW nor UNDERSTAND the Scripture that HE MUST RISE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD.

 

:10 Then the disciples went BACK AGAIN to their homes,

 

:11 But Mary REMAINED STANDING OUTSIDE the TOMB SOBBING. As she WEPT she STOOPED DOWN and LOOKED INTO the TOMB.

 

:12 And she SAW TWO ANGELS in WHITE SITTING THERE, ONE at the HEAD and ONE at the FEET, where the BODY OF YAHSHUA had lain.

 

:13 And they said to her, WOMAN, why are you sobbing? She told them, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAKEN AWAY my YAH, and I DO NOT KNOW WHERE they have laid Him.

 

:14 On saying this, she TURNED AROUND and saw Yahshua standing there, but she did not recognize that it was Yahshua.

 

:15 Yahshua said to her, Woman, why are you crying: For Whom are you looking? Supposing that it was the gardener, she replied, Sir, if you carried Him AWAY from here, TELL me where you HAVE PUT Him and I will take Him away.

 

:16 Yahshua said to her, MARY! TURNING AROUND she said to Him in HEBREW, RABBONI! which means TEACHER or MASTER.

 

:17 Yahshua said to her, DO NOT CLING to ME, do NOT HOLD Me, for I HAVE NOT YET ASCENDED to the Father. BUT GO to MY BRETHREN and TELL THEM, I AM ASCENDING to My FATHER and  YOUR FATHER, and to MY YAH and YOUR YAH."

 

YAHSHUA'S APPEARANCES after HIS RESURRECTION:

1. AT THE EMPTY TOMB:

Mary went off to bring the Good News to Yahshua's disciples - SHE HAD SEEN the RISEN MESSIAH! - He TALKED to her! - SHE HAD SEEN the RISEN KING!. (John 20:17-18)

 

2. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS:

The same day with nightfall on the first day of the week the disciples were behind CLOSED DOORS in fear of the JEWS (the 'church' of the day) - YAHSHUA CAME AND STOOD AMONG THEM and said "PEACE to YOU!" 

 

Filled with JOY:

Yahshua showed them His HANDS and His SIDE, And when the DISCIPLES SAW Him, they were FILLED with JOY, DELIGHT and EXULTATION. (John 20:19-20).

 

"Just as the Father sent Me, I am sending you":

John 20:21 "Then Yahshua said to them again, PEACE TO YOU. Just as the Father SENT Me FORTH, so I AM SENDING YOU ...

 

Yahshua BREATHED on THEM - :RECEIVED the HOLY SPIRIT:

... :22 And having said this, HE BREATHED ON THEM and SAID TO THEM, RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT!. ...

 

FORGIVENESS and UNFORGIVENESS:

... :23 Now, having RECEIVED the HOLY SPIRIT, and BEING LED AND DIRECTED by Him, if you FORGIVE the SINS of ANYONE, they are FORGIVEN; if you RETAIN the SINS of ANYONE, they are RETAINED. ...

 

Thomas was not with them when Yahshua came:

...:24 But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was NOT with them when Yahshua CAME."

 

3. YAHSHUA APPEARED to THOMAS - BEHIND CLOSE DOORS the SECOND TIME:

John 20:25 tells us that the disciples kept on telling Thomas that they have SEEN YAH, but Thomas doubted, saying that he would never belief it unless he saw with his own eyes the marks on His hands and side.

 

Eight days later:

Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered behind closed doors, and this time Thomas was with them. (John 20:25)

 

Again, Yahshua stood among them and said, "PEACE to YOU!" (John 20:26).

 

Thomas, STOP your UNBELIEF and BELIEVE!:

John 20:27 "Then He said to Thomas, REACH out your FINGER HERE , and SEE My HANDS; and PUT OUR YOUR HAND ad PLACE it IN My SIDE. Do NOT be FAITHLESS and INCREDULOUS, but STOP YOUR UNBELIEF and BELIEVE!.

 

:28 Thomas answered Him, my Elohim and my Yah (God)!.

 

:29 Yahshua said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you NOW BELIEVE, TRUST and HAVE FAITH?. Blessed and happy and to be envied are those WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN Me and YET HAVE BELIEVED and ADHERED TO and TRUSTED and RELIED on Me."

 

In the days after Messiah's resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and HE REVEALED to them many things about Himself and about His kingdom.

 

4. AT the SEA of TIBERIAS - the Sea of Galilee:

The Sea of Galilee was also called the Sea of Tiberias. It is a FRESHWATER LAKE in Israel and is the LOWEST FRESHWATER LAKE on EARTH. The DEAD SEA is the LOWEST SALTWATER LAKE on EARTH.

 

SEVEN disciples SAW Him:

Scripture tells at that at the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias), there were together seven disciples: Simon Peter and Thomas, called the Twin, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, also James and John the sons of Zebedee and two others. (John 21:2)

 

In going fishing right through the night and with morning that was already breaking, Yahshua came to the beach and stood there. The disciples still in the boat approximately 100 yards away did not catch anything. So Yahshua then told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. When they did, their net was so overloaded with fish that they were not able to haul it in. 

 

John 21:9 "When they got out on land, they saw a fire of coals there and fish ling on it cooking, and bread.

 

:10 Yahshua said to them, Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.

 

:11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of LARGE FISH, 153 of them; and though there were so many of them, the NET WAS NOT TORN."

 

:12 Yahshua said to them, COME AND HAVE BREAKFAST ... :13 Yahshua ... TOOK the BREAD and GAVE IT TO THEM, and so also with the fish."

 

There on the beach having breakfast together, Yahshua RECOMMISSIONED Peter.

 

5. Yahshua APPEARED to 500:

In recent times, people are all the more trying to discredit the teachings of the Bible, and with that also Paul's writings saying that Paul was an unreliable "witness".

 

"HISTORICITY" (HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY) of the Gospel reports, and the other Books of the Bible are now being PUSHED by HISTORIANS and by ISLAM - whom in many instances do not have a clue of the real authenticity of Yahweh's word let alone His messengers that wrote it down. RELENTLESSLY in their PURSUIT, they are  trying to DISSECT the WORD and interpreting it with a WORLDLY FLESHLY PERSPECTIVE.

 

STANDING ON THE WORD:

As for me (and I hope for you too) -  I am STANDING ON THE WORD of YAHWEH GOD as the UNFAILING TRUE WORD from ABOVE and I BELIEVE everything IN HIS WORD. Furthermore, I BELIEVE the WORD is FROM YAHWEH GOD, and the WORD IS HIS SON, MESSIAH YAHSHUA .

 

John 1:1 "In the BEGINNING BEFORE ALL TIME, was the WORD (MESSIAH YAHSHUA) and the WORD WAS WITH YAH, and the WORD was YAH Himself.

 

:2 HE WAS ORIGINALLY WITH YAH.

 

:3 ALL THINGS were MADE and CAME INTO EXISTENCE THROUGH Him; and WITHOUT Him was not even ONE THING MADE that has come into being. 

 

:4 IN HIM WAS LIFE, and the LIFE was the LIGHT of man(kind)"

 

I also believe that "ALL SCRIPTURE IS YAH-BREATHED and is USEFUL for TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING and TRAINING in RIGHTEOUSNESS." (2 Tim. 3:16).

 

To stay in the TRUTH, I also make use of the original Hebrew Picture Words and the original Koine Greek manuscripts, in detecting human translation errors, but even with the translations errors such as the names of Yah that were 'universalized' into "God; Lord; Christ and Jesus" and certain things translated into more acceptable words and terms to suit the one world religion such as "CHURCH" for ASSEMBLY etc. the ESSENCE of the WORD OF YAH is STILL the SAME - UNDENIABLE  - UNQUESTIONABLE and would STAND FOREVER.

 

One of this 'historicity' events is the appearance of the 500 people, the apostle Paul talks about in  1 Cor. 15:6 " Then LATER He SHOWED Himself to MORE than 500 brethren at ONE TIME; the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep in death."

 

In verse 8 of 1 Cor. 15:6 Paul says: "And LAST OF ALL He APPEARED to me ALSO, as to one prematurely and BORN DEAD, no better than an unperfected fetus among living men.

 

:9 For I am the LEAST WORTHY of the APOSTLES, who am NOT FIT OR DESERVING to be CALLED AN APOSTLE, because I ONCE WRONGED and PUSUED and MOLESTED the ASSEMBLIES of YAH, OPPRESSING it with CRUELTY and VIOLENCE.

 

:10 But by the GRACE, the unmerited favor and blessings of YAH, I am what I am, and HIS GRACE TOWARD ME WAS NOT FOUND TO BE FOR NOTHING, FRUITLESS and without EFFECT. In fact, I WORKED HARDER THAN ALL of the apostles, though it was NOT REALLY I, but the GRACE, the unmerited favor and blessings of YAH WHICH WAS WITH me."

 

Paul was a CHOSEN VESSEL,  an INSTRUMENT of TEACHING under the GENTILES - CHOSEN AND TAUGHT by YAHWEH'S SPIRIT Himself.

 

John 20:30 "There are also MANY OTHER SIGNS AND MIRACLES which YAHSHUA PERFORMED in the PRESENCE of the DISCIPLES which ARE NOT WRITTEN in this book.

 

:31 But these are written and recorded in order that YOU MAY BELIEVE that YAHSHUA is the MESSIAH, the ANOINTED ONE, the SON of YAH, and that through BELIEVING and CLEAVING to and TRUSTING and RELYING UPON Him you may HAVE LIFE THROUGH and IN HIS NAME, through WHO He is."

 

A DIVINE APPOINTMENT:

Regarding the more than 500, Scripture tells us in Matt. 28:16  that Messiah made an APPOINTMENT with His eleven disciples, and it is most probably that Yahshua also made an appointment with others there in Galilee on the MOUNTAIN - MORE THAN 500.

 

Matt. 29:16 "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the MOUNTAIN to which YAHSHUA HAD DIRECTED AND MADE APPOINTMENT with them.

 

:17 And when they (all of them) SAW Him, they FELL DOWN and WORSHIPPED Him; but SOME DOUBTED.

 

"ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN to Me"

:18 Yahshua APPROACHED and BREAKING the SILENCE, said to them, ALL AUTHORITY - ALL the POWER to RULE IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH has BEEN GIVEN to Me.

 

:19 GO THEN and MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL THE NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM into the NAME of the FATHER and of the SON and of the HOLY SPIRIT.

 

:20 TEACHING THEM to OBESERVE EVERYTHING that I HAVE COMMANDED you, and BEHOLD, I AM WITH YOU ALL the DAYS, PERPETUALLY, UNIFORMLY and ON EVERY OCCUASION, to the VERY CLOSE AND CONSUMATION of the AGE."

 

6. YAHSHUA APPEARED to JAMES His HALF-BROTHER:

As I have said previously, there were THREE JAMES'. 2 were disciples but the third was the half-brother of Yahshua - the author of the Book of James.  Messiah's other half-brother Jude, wrote the Book of Jude.

 

1 Cor. 15:7 tells us that Yahshua APPEARED ALSO to His half-brother JAMES - then to all His disciples. It is possible that even James was doubting and for that reason, Yahshua appeared to him personally.

 

Afterward, James became the prominent leader of the ASSEMBLY in JERUSALEM. The Book of James is a guideline to GODLY LIVING from OUTWARD TRIALS to INWARD ENTICEMENTS.

 

His emphasis are on HEARING the WORD - RECEIVING the WORD and OBEYING the WORD.

 

In the final chapters James appeals for PATIENCE - for PURENESS in SPEECH - for PRAYER AND COMPASSION.

 

7. The gathering on the MOUNT OF OLIVES where YAHSHUA WAS TAKEN INTO HEAVEN:

The Gospel of Luke tells us that there was a gathering of Yahshua and His disciples on the Mount of Olives and that they went as far as Bethany - identified as the West Bank where the site of Lazarus' tomb was - about 2.4 km. to the east of Jerusalem on the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

 

Luke 24:50 "Then Yahhsua CONDUCTED them OUT AS FAR as BETHANY, and, LIFTING UP HIS HANDS, He INVOKED a BLESSING on them.

 

:51 And it OCCURED that while He was blessing them, He PARTED FROM THEM and WAS TAKEN INTO HEAVEN.

 

:52 And they WORSHIPPING Him went back to Jerusalem with GREAT JOY;

 

:53 And there, they were continually in the temple CELEBRATING WITH PRAISES and BLESSING AND EXTOLLING YAH. Amen, so be it."

 

Before Messiah was taken into heaven, He:

1. OPENED UP the EYES of HIS DISCIPLES to UNDERSTAND the SCRIPTURE (Luke 24:45);

2. Said to them that REPENTANCE with a view to and as the CONDITION of FORGIVENESS of SINS SHOULD BE PREACHED (Luke 24:47);

3. That EVERYTHING that was WRITTEN ABOUT Him in the LAW OF MOSES and the PROPHETS and the PSALMS MUST BE FULFILLED (Luke 24:44);

4. That they are WITNESSES of all these things (Luke 24:48)

5. That He will SENT FORTH UPON them the PROMISE of the Father and that they should stay in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49);

6. To GO INTO ALL THE WORLD and PREACH and PUBLISH OPENLY the GOOD NEWS - the GOSPEL (Mark 16:15);

7. That he who BELIEVES - ADHERES TO, TRUSTS IN and RELIES on Him AND is BAPTIZED will be SAVED (Mark 16:16);

8. That he who DOES NOT BELIEVE will be CONDEMNED (Mark 16:16b);

9. That ATTESTING SIGNS will ACCOMPANY THOSE WHO BELIEVE:

10. In His NAME they will DRIVE OUT DEMONS;

11. In His NAME they will SPEAK in NEW LANGUAGES;

12. In His NAME they will PICK UP SERPENTS, even DRINK ANYTHING DEADLY it will NOT HURT THEM;

13. In His NAME they will LAY THEIR HANDS on the SICK and they will be HEALED (Mark 16:17-18);

14. That ALL AUTHORITY - ALL POWER OF RULE - KINGSHIP of ALL and EVERYTHING has been GIVEN to HIM (Matt. 28:18);

15. To TEACH the people to OBSERVE EVERYTHING that HE COMMANDED (Matt. 28:20);

16. That HE WILL BE WITH us ALL - ALWAYS - to the END OF THE AGE - in EVERY DAY and EVERY OCCASION (Matt. 28:20b).

 

John 21:25 "And there are ALSO MANY OTHER THINGS which YAHSHUA DID. If they SHOULD BE ALL RECORDED ONE BY ONE in detail, I SUPPOSE that EVEN the WORLD ITSELF COULD NOT CONTAIN and HAVE ROOM FOR THE BOOKS that WOULD BE WRITTEN."