“Saved by Grace through Faith”

Joseph F. Dumond

Isa 6:9-12 And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed. Then I said, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until the cities are wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land laid waste, a desolation, and until Jehovah has moved men far away, and the desolation in the midst of the land is great.
Published: Aug 17, 2017

News Letter 5853-022
The 1st Year of the 4th Sabbatical Cycle
The 22nd year of the Jubilee Cycle
The 25th day of the 5th month 5853 years after the creation of Adam
The 5th Month in the First year of the Fourth Sabbatical Cycle
The 4th Sabbatical Cycle after the 119th Jubilee Cycle
The Sabbatical Cycle of Sword, Famines, and Pestilence

August 19, 2017

Shabbat Shalom to our Family around the world

The Fall Feast days are expected to be on the following days. But if the moon is not seen then each day will be on the next day.

  • Thursday Evening Sept 21, 2017 is the expected New Moon and the start of the start of the Feast of Trumpets. Thursday night and Friday Day.
  • The 10th day of the 7th month would then be on Saturday, Sept 30 evening and Sunday, October 1. From Sunset to sunset. This is a day of fasting. You do not eat or drink during this time.
  • Sukkot would then begin Sunset Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7.
  • The Eighth Day Feast would be Sunset Friday, October 13, 2017 to Saturday, October 14, 2017.

All of these dates could be one day later if the new crescent moon is not seen Thursday, Sept 21.

Also do not forget the Solar Eclipse this Monday August 21 across the USA

 

WHOA!!!! That was Close!

Whoa! That was close, wasn’t it? Right on the cusp or all out Nuclear WAR.

I heard this past week that Bomb Shelters in California were sold out. And they cost $100,000 each but they were all gone.

Just up the road from me is a Nuclear Bomb Shelter that was made in the 1980’s. It was constructed of a whole lot of buses that were then encased in concrete and buried.

 

So have you got one of these made yet?

What plans have you made for what is about to happen? Oh yes, Kim Jong Un decided not to attack Guam this week and those Yankees did not release all that fire and fury upon him. But you have just had an example of just how quickly war can start up. One miscalculation by Kim Jong Un or by President Trump and the world would have been very different for all of us the next morning.

In The Prophecies of Abraham, we told you the USA would have a Hawkish President following a weak one. Seems like we were right again. I would be very pleased to be proven wrong in all that I am saying. Trouble is that the world geopolitical situation keeps proving those things we have told you in our News Letters and in our books and DVD’s to be right. And it is not that we are right, it is what Yehovah has shown us to be true.

Now that Kim Jong Un has stepped back from the brink, Iran has started to rattle the world scene saying they may step away from the Obama Nuclear Deal they signed because of Trumps Sanctions that were signed July 18, 2017. It is now August 15 and now they are complaining.

Iran will spend $260 million on its ballistic missile program and around $300 million on activities by the Quds brigade, the international arm of the Revolutionary Guards corps. The rest of the money will go to other military and intelligence projects, state media reported. Iran got this money from President Obama once they agreed to the deal. Yes, Obama lifted the sanctions and gave Iran all this money that they did not have access to. And where do they put that money? Ballistic missiles and the Quds Brigade which is working in Syria just north of Israel along with Hezbollah and other terrorist activities. Just go and read what they have been doing and then know how much more they will do with all this money give to them.

So have you built your bomb shelter yet? Have you planned your exit plan? Have you got your Passport ready and your bug out bag ready? Your bible says to come out of her my people. That means that the people must do the walking and action of getting out. Mind you this is in reference to coming out of the European Whore of Babylon. It goes on to say lest they partake of her plagues.

So, you know what is coming. If you understand the Sabbatical years then you know when it is to come.

All the prophecies against Israel were known before Assyria came and defeated them in 723 BC. Are you aware that whole tribes were never mentioned as being conquered? Yes, they fled before they were put into captivity. They heeded the Prophets and they took action. Now, mind you, you also have an example of some who fled to Egypt with Jeremiah when Babylon defeated the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 586 BC. Yehovah said not to go to Egypt. They did and they all died.

So, are you ready to go? Do you know where you’re going?

The Doomsday Bomb has not been stopped, it has only been kicked down the road a bit. It will come again, and possibly the next time someone will blink at the wrong time.

We have told you about the archers that grieve Joseph. We have told you about the Nuclear Missiles in Zechariah 5.

Zecharia 5:1-4 Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll.
And he said to me, “What do you see?”
So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.”
Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.”
“I will send out the curse,” says the Lord of hosts;
“It shall enter the house of the thief
And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name.
It shall remain in the midst of his house
And consume it, with its timber and stones.”

Now I want you to focus on the part of this verse that says that these Nuclear missiles will enter the houses of those who swear falsely by my Name.

Now consider this commandment.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

We have explained this verse many times. One of the explanations of is this is when you are betrothed to a man, the woman takes on his name and acts respectfully because she is now known by his name. Israel has, as your bible says acted like a whore and done it all under His name.

1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We have not kept the commandments and although we as a nation say we do keep them, we really never did. We bear His name falsely. Those missiles are aimed at us and they are sent by Yehovah.

In the Mail this week

I love it when I see people studying and double checking the things I see and especially when they learn even more than what I have said. Here is a perfect example.

Also, you can leave comments at the end of each News Letter. I hope you do. It would encourage others to look more at the many things on our web site. Than k you.

Joseph,
I remember you said in your videos that God gave us a reprieve on the pestilence cycle, but that is not true. You were looking for viruses, but it is all manner of sicknesses, not just viruses. In the United States, we are plagued with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, alzheimer’s, and many, many more. If you look at the statistics on these diseases, they began to show up in the last Jubilee cycle (that ended in 1995) during the pestilence years and have continued to rise. They started manifesting when we took prayer out of the schools, and have continued to rise. Now in the pestilence cycle of this Jubilee, these diseases are rampant, and approximately 4 out of 5 Americans have one of these diseases, and 50% have more than one disease. This is what God says about the plagues he brings:

Deu 28:58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

Deu 28:59 Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

Deu 28:60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

Deu 28:61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this lawthem will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Diseases of Egypt – Diseases of the Heart

Exo 9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

Exo 9:15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

Isa 47:10  For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Isa 47:11  Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
Isa 47:12  Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries,wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Isa 47:13  Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

Isa 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

Isa 47:15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

multitude of thy counsels – doctors, pharmacists, drug reps, farm reps

wisdom and knowledge – medical science

evil  and mischief shall come upon thee – diseases from being poisoned by drugs, pesticides, herbicides, GMO’s sorceries – drugs, chemicals, poisons, potions

labored from thy youth – farmers (Israel was always an agrigarian society – livestock and crops)

monthly prognosticators – monthly prescriptions – the prescribers, doctors, pharmaceutical companies (advise on monthly dosage)

save thee from these things that shall come upon thee – diseases of poisoning

The other problem that has reared its ugly head is the Pharmaceutical companies. God says if you repent, he will heal you of your diseases; but do we repent? NO! We have learned that Medical Science is a replacement for God and just take a pill, and we do not have to repent. We do not get the connection between sickness and sin, disease curses and God. I have watched how person after person in my community has had cancer (more than half) and gone through chemotherapy. It has been mostly women, but to see them before and after chemo… they turn into a husk of a person. People don’t look to Yehovah, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; they look to their true god – medical science. We are all guilty of it. Medical science has given us some knowledge, but we cannot replace God with this knowledge. Sure these people ask and want God to heal them, but they do not repent, so they think that it is God’s will for them and all of the distorted thinking that comes in that as the deceiver whispers in their ears. They say that they believe God can heal them, but since he doesn’t, they think that they are suppose to rely on medical science for healing. And if they get through the chemo, then they say that God healed them through the cancer via the doctor and the chemo. God doesn’t need doctors or perverted science to heal anyone. I think this is blasphemy – associating God with the drugs and the poisons that he abhors that man has made.

The great men of the earth are the men who own the drug companies – Monsanto, Dupont, Eli Lily, Pfizer, etc. they are one and the same. The same group of people own them all. They are those that belong to the Club of Rome, Bilderberger group, and so on. The word translated sorceries is the Greek word “pharmakeia”. It is even that way in the Septuagint for the Old Testament passage I listed. This particular form of the word means drugs or potions.

Rev 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils,and idols of goldand silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Rev 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Rev 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

The voice of the bridegroom – Our Savior; the voice of the bride – us. Their plan is to silence the bridegroom and the bride, and the great men of the earth (the merchants that sell the drugs and own the medical field) through their drugs all nations are deceived. (They are presently giving shots to African women and sterilizing them, and the people of India are also being killed and maimed from the polio vaccinations).

Apollo – the god of health and vitality – his emblem – the hammer – the hammer with two snakes.

I hope this helps you see how the plagues was not a reprieve and how this is tied into the worship of Apollo.

Thank you for reading this. Rhonda

I am also getting reports and pictures from people who are having excellent results with their gardens this year. Bumper crops and super large produce, all because they kept the Sabbatical year last year. I thank all of you who did that and I thank those who share their learning curve on this essential subject.

Trip to Israel

Shalom Brethren, as you know we have canceled our regular scheduled all inclusive tour of Israel this year. But we have planned to have two bus tours and a walking tour around Jerusalem for a few days. I am very excited about the two tours we have planned this year. Very excited. To see Joshua’s Altar for the second time plus the other Gilgal sites is going to be thrilling.

I have advised those who want to join us that they can book their own rooms and meet us for each of these tours on those days we have them planned. You will look after your own meals and housing. But you can join me on these two tours and on our tours of Jerusalem.

The cost for these two tours will be about $300 depending on the number of people who actually show up. But I have to book them now. So if you’re interested in joining us. Then please send me $300 ASAP so we can book them as they are paid in advance. If this is of interest to you then please contact me ASAP.

  • 08:00     Pick up from Jerusalem
  • 09:00     Gilgal Argaman
  • 10:30     Gilgal Yafit
  • 12:00     Lunch on Mt. Gerizim (not included)
  • 01:00     Shechem lookout
  • 02:00     Ascend Mt. Ebal from Shavey Shomron
  • 03:00     Tour of altar
  • 06:00     Site of Jacob’s Dream of The Ladder
  • 08:00     Drop off in Jerusalem

 

  • Tel El Fool – Gibea
  • Kubur Bini Israel – alternate site for Rachel’s tomb
  • Mikmash pass – story of Jonathan’s attack against the Philistines
  • Kubat El Najme hike – Lighting site of the torch informing of the beginning of the Hebrew month
  • Ein Samiya  and Marjame ruins– shaft tombs and one of the possibilities of the city of Ai
  • Ofra – first modern Jewish village in Samaria after 2,000 years of exile

 

Cost of Doing this work in Burundi

I want to thank each and every person who stepped up and made a difference this past couple of weeks. Thank you, thank you to each of you who has made a donation to help get James and myself to Burundi to speak with the Prime Minister and the President and his leading Government officials and also the many dignitaries that are expected to come from other countries. Bishops and Pastors and Kings and 0ver 1000 other government leaders.

We are told this meeting is going to be aired on TV and Radio and we hope to be able to get a copy of our presentation and share it with all of you. This meeting could only take place with the help of you the brethren. Our ministry is very small and we do not have a peace and prosperity message. So we are not much liked. But we do seem to sound like the Church of Revelation. I could be wrong but consider the doors Yehovah has opened for us to go through these past couple of years and remember what happened in the Philippines in 2015.

Rev 3:7-8 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

James has also written to me this week before our meeting last Sunday to share with all of you about what your funds are doing and the effect they are having on all the people there. As you read this keep in mind James wrote it the day after he arrived home. His hurt and joy are evident in his words.

Joe put this in the news letter next week from me:

Hello everyone who reads our newsletter. This is James Relf, the one who has just returned form Burundi. My topic here and now is one of “Donations” which I know nobody likes including me. We have a problem because I have been to Africa and everything costs money to do the work there. It costs money to fly there, stay in a cheap hotel, eat food so that I do not get sick on the medications I have to take just being there, then there is getting around in a broken down vehicle, that despite good thoughts and prayers, still runs on Diesel fuel which is very expensive over there. Then we have costs involved in renting transportation to go further than just around the city, once again food and costs of places to stay when we travel. Sometimes we can stay at places like a monastery for nothing but then you usually give something to cover food and hospitality.

I know this is getting old fast, but your not there, I was and for those who donated to support this trip and the one to come I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The impact you have made not only in the lives of those whom I managed to get around to teach, the impact on those who listened, and heard, it was life itself to them. I am pretty sure that there was not one place that I journeyed that they did not beg me to stay and be their teacher so they could continue to hear the truth. How would you respond to those people who have always been mislead by those only seeking vain glory or the spotlight. It was and is always heart wrenching each time we had to leave and also very exhausting. I continually lost my voice from speaking so much and I would have continued but could not.

I myself have always refrained from stepping into the spotlight. I never wanted it and always did the work in the shadows to support others who did that work. This time it was me out there. The impact for you who do donate a few dollars are having is beyond what even I could have imagined a few dollars would have gone, but YHVH is taking everything and as little as possible and making it work. That said, we could use more. You think it is money you can’t afford to spend, and that it is TOO much to keep asking for this money to support us. There will always be a cost to do His work. I want to share briefly what my cost has been this trip alone now that I am home again.

I arrived home on August10 at 8:25 where my wife of 33 years greeted me at the airport. She seemed happy and nothing out of the ordinary. As we drove and not having slept very much in a month, I enjoyed the quiet ride back home. On the way we stopped for a coffee where she informed me that my beloved dog, Dino our Great Dane, had died while I was away, of heart failure, while I was doing this work. I felt and still do like someone had ripped my heart out. As we stood there for a while crying over the loss I realized that he died only a week after I left and my wife had to deal with this all by herself for three weeks. She never said a word so I could stay focused on the work ahead of me. It was a very painful ride back from there as we drove to the farm where he was buried to say goodbye one last time.

James Relf

 

Brethren, each time I have sent James to Burundi I have been worried sick for him. The Malaria pills are very nasty, but the potential diseases in the area are far worse. This week my wife has expressed concern for me. She is not a believer and is wondering if I am going to come home from this trip. She thinks the same thing about Israel each time I go there. But she too has fears for my safety and health and for my life about this trip.

Brethren do keep us in your prayers. We really do need them.

Again I want to thank you all for your donations to help pay for this trip. We have reached enough for the airfare and hotel. Thank you. I would like to tell you to stop sending us money at this time. We do not know what is to come of this meeting. If we could build up a war chest then we might be better able to take on the next opportunity once it comes if we had the finances on hand already. But for now, we have enough to do the job in front of us.

I do thank you all. Those who gave a little and those who gave much more. Thank you for being a part of this team at this time at the end of this age. Watch what Yehovah is doing in Africa and know you are a part of it.

Now as we go to post this News Letter, more news out of Africa has surfaced. And it appears to me that James and I are being put in front of some very formidable foes.

Last week we showed you how the President of Togo was organizing a conference in October right after Sukkot, with Prime Minister Netanyahu to organize other African nations to support and vote with Israel at the UN. In this article here you will learn as I just did that South Africa is pushing hard against this conference along with other African Muslim nations.

It would seem that there is a political maneuver taking place to stop the voting that favors the PLO. Mahmoud Abbas knows that without Africa, the “Palestinians” are finished at the UN since they would lose the “automatic majority” against Israel. This majority is caused by the vast majority of the 56 African countries voting against Israel at UN forums, on behalf of the PA.

Part of my presentation was going to show the leaders at our meeting how they are cursed for cursing or voting against Israel. I am amazed at just how spot on our presentation is and I have yet to tweak it. Brethren James and I could very well be thrust on the world stage against the UN and the PLO just from this one meeting. Do read the articles I posted last week and this one today. Keep us in your prayers. Let our words be those things Yehovah would have us say. And again thank you for your support and encouragement.

 


Saved by Grace through Faith

This weeks article comes to us from Honor of Kings.org by Kevin Kleint.

Dissecting “Saved by Grace through Faith”
August 10, 2017 by Kevin Kleint

How to tell if you are truly “saved by grace through faith”

From conservative Baptist to flamboyant Charismatic, the enthusiastic confession of “I am saved by grace through faith” is the most common scriptural reference used in any conversation about salvation. Well over 95% of professing believers everywhere have this handy little snippet at the forefront of their collection of religious mantras just in case they need to convince themselves, and others, that they are “saved”.

Taken from Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are you saved, through faith…” has become the foundation brick, the centerpiece and the Rosetta stone through which all other scriptures are filtered.

The problem is, the abundant misuse of this scripture has provided the fertilizer for the growth of a massive, bald-faced lie. Our notion of being “saved by grace through faith” is the tall redwood among the other trees of apostasy that you will find sprouting up on the Christian landscape.

It’s not that Paul was lying, but rather that we were lied to by our leaders as to the context and interpretation of this verse. The majority of these leaders were not being malicious when they taught us this lie, they merely chose to parrot their training rather than think for themselves.

Be that as it may, the lie has taken deep root and the world (and the “church”) now believe that they have no responsibility whatsoever to obey the commandments of Yah. They think that their salvation is completely independent of their deeds.

They have a very rude awakening coming – and, yes, I’m going to prove it in this post.

This Salvation Mantra is not the “Be All, End All”

I freely admit to having a serious irritation with people who use this verse to affirm their salvation, so be warned that you may encounter an intensity in this post.

Not only do I feel anger because a single phrase mantra is being used as the “be all, end all” to any argument on the topics of grace and salvation, I’m also a little peeved for all the times that I (and others who believe along the same lines I do) have been slapped in the face with this slogan, only to realize that a single phrase counter-slogan is not available.

Due to the deception involved, explaining any opposing viewpoint requires quite a bit of detail and most of us do not have that detail committed to memory. This poses a problem in both Facebook conversations and face-to-face discussions. So we’re left sitting there … heads hung in shame and hands in our pockets, knowing that something is so “messed up” with the understanding of this verse and there is nothing we can really do or say about it, in short order.

All this aside, the main goal of this post is not to win an argument, but to stop the lies. We need to find out the truth about what it means to be “saved by grace through faith” rather than just spout what we’ve been told, further perpetuating the deception.

We absolutely MUST dig deep into scripture and find out what it actually says.

Now, understand as you read this, my goal is not to make you feel bad, but if true conviction comes in the process … please let it do it’s work!

And as you gain this renewed perspective of what it means to be “saved by grace through faith,” I hope you become SO grateful for what the Father has offered you, that you will demonstrate your allegiance to the Kingdom of Light with actual obedience to the commandments, not just the flimsy mental assent that even demons are capable of. (James 2:19)

The Sum of the Error

The error taught by the “pulpit masters” can be summed up like this:

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace (undeserved mercy) are ye saved (from hell) through faith (belief in the form of mental assent); and that not of yourselves (you didn’t do squat and you don’t need to do anything): it is the (free) gift of God: Not of works (obedience to the law), lest any man should boast (so just forget about obedience, leave that to the Jews).

This is the standard belief regarding the relationship between a believer’s salvation and grace. Granted, it’s rarely spoken of with such bluntness, but when the rubber meets the road, this is at the forefront of everybody’s minds.

Let’s take a closer look at some key terms in this passage and see if this definition is on point.

A Sober Look at “Undeserved Favor”

The study of the word “grace” [Greek “charis” – G5485] is rather lengthy and involved, but when one undertakes that study, you will find either “undeserved favor” or “divine enablement” at the core of the definition. People go back and forth as to which definition is correct, but all you have to do is look at the surrounding scriptural context and you will be able to see what definition is more appropriate.

While discussing the topic of “salvation,” “undeserved favor” tends to be the prevailing definition. There’s nothing wrong with this definition, but “the devil is in the details” as they say.

For as long as I can remember, “the gift of grace” has been explained something along the lines of the following allegory:

Imagine that you’re a little kid and your father comes to you with something hidden behind his back. It’s not Christmas. It’s not your birthday. He says, ‘Kevin, come here … I have something for you.’ As you walk over to him, he reveals what he has hidden behind his back and it’s a brand new video game console with 3 of the coolest video games out on the market! You leap in excitement and joy! You don’t know what you did to deserve your father’s favor, but you gladly accept this free gift given to you by your father! This is what God’s grace is like! ”Maybe you didn’t hear “the gift of grace” explained exactly like that, but it was probably something fairly close. Something that places us in a role where we are not so “unlovely” … “not exactly evil.”

Maybe you didn’t hear “the gift of grace” explained exactly like that, but it was probably something fairly close. Something that places us in a role where we are not so “unlovely” … “not exactly evil.”

But the above example is not grace, it’s just a dad doing a generous deed for his child who is already part of his family. To understand grace this way is a gross error.

In order to have an accurate picture of the grace shown to us, we need to understand exactly who we were before we received this grace and where we came from.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms

There are two kingdoms – the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness and they are violently opposed to one another. While the Kingdom of Light will soon overcome the kingdom of darkness entirely, we do not see the fullness of that victory just yet.

Let me tell you another analogy. This analogy will not be a perfect parallel to what we know happened in the Word, but it doesn’t need to be perfect to demonstrate my point.

Imagine if the kingdom of darkness took your son (or daughter) and beat him before your eyes. They didn’t just beat him … they really put “the hurt” on him, torturing him and committing the most inhumane atrocities upon his person for an extended period of time before they finally shot him, ending his life.

The sound of the gunshot was actually a relief – anything to stop the suffering … anything to stop the primal, uncontrolled screams that echo in your mind even after it was over.

Any loving parent would be driven to the point of absolute, rage-filled insanity at the prospect of having to sit there and watch something like that happen.

But before your son dies at the hands of his captors … before the pistol was raised to his head, your son looks at you and says, “Please! Please forgive them, Father!” … [BANG!] … and the blood He sheds in front of your eyes cries out “Mercy!” and “Favor!” to those who would choose to follow in the sinless footsteps of the sinless One who gave His life. You and I belonged to the people who killed the Messiah in like manner. By extension, we drove the nails. And the Father of the murdered Son gave us grace in the form of “undeserved favor.” We had done nothing … no works … to deserve this grace.

You and I belonged to the people who killed the Messiah in like manner. By extension, we drove the nails. And the Father of the murdered Son gave us grace in the form of “undeserved favor.” We had done nothing … no works … to deserve this grace.

Our hearts were black as death. We were killers. We were enemies of the Kingdom of Light. We killed His Son!

You see, the grace that was “shed abroad” opened the door for us to enter into the Kingdom of Light. It did not give us the entitlement to enter into that kingdom, prance around like spoiled brats and continue to live in defiance of its laws (1 John 3:4)

This “undeserved mercy” saved us from being destroyed by the Father whose first born we had slaughtered!

How dare we make this about a choice as to whether we should obey, or disobey, the laws (Torah) of His Kingdom! This shouldn’t even be up for debate!

We OWE OBEDIENCE to the Father because of the Messiah’s selfless sacrifice which allowed us an entry into the Kingdom “by faith.” The very least that we can do is submit to and obey the rules of the kingdom that we were invited into!

What does that even look like? Let’s look at the “faith of Abraham.”

What is “the Faith of Abraham?”

If we want to live up to the claim of being “saved by grace through faith” we need to live our lives “through faith.”

Again, what does that mean?

It means that we need to have the same faith as our father, Abraham.

Galatians 3:6-7
“…just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”

In this epistle, Paul was quoting Genesis 15:6:

“And he (Abraham) believed [H539 – aman] in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.”

The connection should be obvious, but what does “believe” really mean?

The Hebrew word for “believe” – “Aman” – means “to support, confirm and be faithful to”. This is not the same as “giving mental assent”, or just believing with your mind.

The demons “believe” this way and I challenge you to find ONE who has any hope of salvation.

James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble!

Prior to being declared righteous, Abraham had already PROVEN his faithfulness by leaving his homeland while not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Leaving your home at the command of YHWH and not knowing the destination is a PHYSICAL ACT. It was not mental assent.

Abraham had PROVEN his faithfulness by rejecting the riches of Sodom, pledging his allegiance and support to the Most High, relying on Him to meet his needs.

Genesis 14:22-23
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’…”

Rejecting the riches of Sodom and choosing to trust YHWH was a TANGIBLE CHOICE. It was not mental assent.

These physical deeds of obedience and loyalty were acted upon BEFORE the Father showed Abraham the stars and Abraham “believed.”

But it was because of Abraham’s “aman” – his support and faithfulness to the Father involving acts of obedience – that YHWH declared Him “righteous.”

It wasn’t because he said, “That’s really cool, YHWH! I believe what you just said!” when the Father showed him the stars and told him about his descendants.

No, Abraham supported, confirmed and was faithful to YHWH through His acts of obedience and it was because of this, he was considered “the friend of God.” (James 2:23b)

Genesis 18:17-19
And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way [H1870 – derek]of the LORD, to do righteousness [H6666 – tsedeqah] and justice [H4941 – mishpat], that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

This is the kind of “Faith” you need to have in order for you to be considered a child of Abraham.

This is the kind of “Faith” you need to have in order to be considered “righteous”.

The Messiah asked the question.

Luke 18:8b
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

I believe that He asked that question because He knew that there would be little faith left.

Taking another look at “Saved by Grace through Faith”

So let’s take another look at this misunderstood passage, inserting what we know to be true from this study.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace (undeserved mercy and favor) are ye saved (from the wrath of a Father whose son’s blood you have on your hands)through faith(fulness resulting in obedience to the law of the Kingdom that you’ve been granted access to); and that not of yourselves (you were killers and did nothing to deserve it): it is the gift of God (as long as you are walking in faithful obedience) : Not of works (what could you really do in the kingdom of darkness to earn this?), lest any man should boast (How can a killer boast in the presence of the Father of a son they just killed?).

I hope you can see that this passage actually means the exact opposite of what we have been taught.

So, how do we act as a result of His “undeserved mercy and favor.”

Now we have a choice. What do we do with this grace that was shown to us? Paul (the same guy who wrote the epistle to the Ephesians) had a great idea.

Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin (disobedience to the Torah – 1 John 3:4), that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin (disobedience to the Torah – 1 John 3:4), live any longer therein?

Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law (Torah) through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law (Torah).

So we see that it is our deeds that establishes the law as the result of our active faith. Of course, there is the alternative. But I don’t recommend it.

Hebrews 10:26-29
For if we sin (transgress the Torah – 1 John 3:4) willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins (transgressions of the Torah – 1 John 3:4), but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law (Torah) dies (present tense)without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

This is going to be the fate of those who think they will enter the Kingdom with an attitude of “Wow! I sure am glad that curse doesn’t apply to me!”

Let’s do one more recap to drive it home

1) By Grace – The Father honored the request of His sons blood and granted us the OPPORTUNITY to become citizens of the Kingdom of Light
2) You have been Saved – From the wrath of a Father whose Son we had just killed
3) Through Faith – Through embracing the sacrifice of his son and living in obedience to the commands in order to prove ourselves
4) It is the Gift of God – Believe me, He did not have to do this
5) Not of Works, lest any man should boast – As a member of the enemy kingdom who killed his son, could you do anything to earn this gift?He gave us an opportunity through no works of our own, whether or not we

He gave us an opportunity through no works of our own, whether or not we take that opportunity and PROVE ourselves faithful, like our Father Abraham, remains to be seen.

I hope this cleared up what it means to be “saved by grace through faith.”

The next time someone throws this little Christian slogan up in a Facebook conversation when you talk about obedience, righteousness and salvation … feel free to put this link up in response.

Shalom.

5 Comments

  1. Carrie

    Awesome1 Thank you very much. Your explanation of saved by grace makes tremendous sense. And it tries in with a number of other verses in both New and Old Testament that tell us to obey God, to obey His voice, His commandments, His statutes, and His ordiances.

    Reply
  2. Glenn Caron

    YES! Faith is an ACTION word. It involves going TOWARD IT in order to TAKE it. Its like you said about Abraham,,, he had to WALK the Faith before he was imputed righteousness for it. And many do not realize that the word RIGHTEOUS is an act of KEEPING the Commands.
    see….Psa 119:172 My tongue shall speak Your Word, for all Your Commandments are righteousness.
    SO in order for Abraham to have righteousness , HE had to DO the will of GOD by walking and DOING what GOD said , then AFTER he showed the action of KEEPING GODS words and commands … he was righteous before the LORD.
    The word believe in Hebrew denotes an action required behind the word. it is NOT just a verbal announcement but an internal and external turn to ACTION in belief . The action of doing and MOVING the action TOWARD the belief is what it means. Having true FAITH or belief requires action to SHOW the outward conviction of that belief or FAITH. FAith is WALKING out by speaking it , believing it internally and LIVING it in ACTION. ALL of those things are required to HAVE faith or belief in Yeshua’s life AND death .
    This definition of faith contains two aspects: intellectual assent and trust. Intellectual assent is believing something to be true that has NOT been seen. Trust is actually relying on the fact that the something is true.
    I like the following analogy I modified from wikipedia.
    A chair is often used to help illustrate this. Intellectual assent is recognizing that a chair is a chair and agreeing that it is designed to support a person who sits on it. Trust is actually sitting in the chair, and believing it will HOLD you . The sitting is the outward manifestation that you TRUST in FAITH and believe that the CHAIR will hold you . So to connect this to our discussion of FAITH and belief… In all that we do saying we believe someone or something is ONLY WORDS and really mean nothing until one STEPs out in ACTION to SHOW the FAITH by doing something that , if its NOT true , the person can actually be greatly affected negatively someway . In other words acting in FAITH has risks especially if the other person wants to HURT you . YOu leave yourself vulnerable and the one who you rely on IN that belief shows his LOVE by giving the TRUTH in that predicament. Its a 2 way relationship. Acting out in FAITH is an act of potential vulnerability and SHOWS the person has faith and believes the other. Wow , its amazing how this weeks newsletter hits home. I have been discussing these things recently and have had terrible time trying to convey these things to those GRACE ONLY people. THey are surely deceived as the rest of the world is. BUT ultimately only GOD can open their hearts and minds. But we must be there to help disseminate the truth about these verses taken DELIBERATELY out of context . Many of these people who tout this Grace only thing, actually seem to be LOOKING for justification by others to continue to NOT do whats required to become righteous by GODS standards. They keep trying to justify what seems right in their OWN eyes and not GODS…. Isa_55:8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways, says Jehovah. Isa_55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
    Thank You for your newsletters and biblical exegesis . I always look forward to what You and your group have to say about these things. I find that more truth comes from here than most organized religious denominations who SHOULD actually KNOW better about this . They seem to use it to spread the “prosperity “message and to tickle ones ears . Well those who keep this false doctrine will hear the words… ” AWAY with you , those who practice Torah Lessness!”

    Reply
  3. Pauline

    Shalom Joe, thanks so much for this ‘grace’ teaching. It was a fantastic conversation starter at our Shabbat gathering; giving opportunity to discuss the subject further and gain deeper understanding and clarity of this important subject.
    Shalom
    Pauline
    James, I praise Yahuah for you! Thank you for the tremendous work you have done. And so brave as to put your life at risk so that others may know the truth of Torah. Yahuah bless you mightily for your obedience to Him.
    I was so saddened to hear of the loss of your beloved Dino. Yahuah blessed you with a loyal and loving friend. May He Rest In Peace and may his memory be a blessing to you. You have an amazing wife too!! Yahuah bless both of you and may He bring you comfort.
    Shalom
    Pauline

    Reply
  4. jesse zirkle

    Thank you for the teaching I enjoy it. Just like all the others. May YeHoVaH bless you and keep you
    thank you
    Jesse

    Reply

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