Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth
Why do we need the Kingdom of Elohim and why don’t people believe in it?
We all recently had to endure another silly season, which most westerners celebrate, whether they call themselves Christian or not. Most of us are aware that there is a totally different ‘spirit’ about Xmas and its revelry that somehow affects the minds of most people, duping them to want to have a part in it and its festivities. A large percentage of the inhabitants of the western world have been deceived into celebrating Xmas and all the blatant lies that accompanies it. It is supposed to be a season to be jolly, but how many people were killed in road and other accidents this past Xmas season? How many marriages are destroyed during this time of the year? It is supposed to be a season of giving and sharing, but how many people’s handbags and wallets were stolen in shopping centers throughout the world? How many homes and vehicles were broken into and ransacked during this time? How many people overspend their budgets and will suffer the consequences for the next few months? Even though some know that it is all based on lies, it is as the saying goes: ‘If you lie to yourself long enough, you will eventually believe the lie to be true.’
Since lying and deception are part and parcel of human nature, it is hard to believe or trust anything or anybody any longer. How much of what we are told today are true? Even recorded history is full of lies and deception. Over the past 25 years the history of South Africa and indeed most of the western world have been changed to suit the government of the day, whether it is totally factual or not. It is therefore difficult to believe the history of our people, which as the word ‘history’ says, his (meaning man’s) story of what happened in the past. Ask yourself; how much is modern society influenced by fabricated stories and a recent invention called fake news. How and when did the attitude of deception start and will there ever be an end to it? We find the answer to this important question in the only true source of information available to us today, namely the Scriptures – which are because of the many translations, also not 100% reliable. We read from Revelation 12: 9 a verse which not many believe to be true, as follows: ‘And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.’ It is very difficult for most to accept how the accounts taken from verses in the Bible and given in sermons from the pulpits of churches around the world, can be untrue. They do not realize that a verse quoted out of context may even though it comes from the very word of Elohim, be turned into a lie. Rav Shaul warned believers in 2 Corinthians 11 about those who twist the Scriptures to teach people a different gospel about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Yahshua to be the true gospel of Messiah, instead of the good news about the coming Kingdom of Elohim, as Messiah Himself proclaimed in Mark 1: 14 & 15, as follows: ‘And after Yochanan had been taken into custody, Yahshua came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of Elohim, (15) and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of Elohim is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”’ We pick up Rav Shaul’s warning about those who preach a different gospel in 2 Corinthians 11: 3, 4, 13 & 14, saying: ‘But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Messiah. (4) For if one comes and preaches another Yahshua whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit (such as the Xmas spirit instead of the Set-apart Spirit) which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. (13) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Messiah. (14) And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.’ We need to ask ourselves; do we believe the Scriptures or the fabricated message by an eloquent church minister? The prophet Jeremiah also warns about the so-called shepherds who tend Elohim’s people in the churches of the world, in Chapter 23: 1 - 4, saying: ‘“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares YHVH. (2) ‘Therefore thus says YHVH Elohim of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares YHVH (3) Then I Myself shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and shall bring them back to their pasture; and they will be fruitful and multiply. (4) I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares YHVH.’
Yahshua clearly told His audience in John 8: 42 - 45 that Satan introduced lies, deception and rebellion against Elohim’s truth from the very beginning, saying: “If Elohim were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from Elohim, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. (43) Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. (44) You are of your father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. (45) But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.” Yahshua also told the Jews that those who hear His words are called His sheep in John 10: 14 – 16, saying: “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, (15) even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (16) And I have other sheep which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.” If we start following Yahshua in the way He kept Torah with a spiritual intent, we become His sheep. We will accordingly believe everything He taught and did in the Scriptures and not contradict Him in any way. Rav Shaul confirmed in 2 Corinthians 4: 3 & 4 that Satan hides the truth from people, so that they cannot believe the gospel of the coming Kingdom of Elohim, proclaimed by Yahshua, saying: ‘And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, (4) in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of Elohim.’ This is in agreement with what Rav Yochanan wrote in 1 John 5: 19, saying: ‘We know that we are of Elohim, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.’
Nevertheless, before getting to the solution to all the lies and temptation that mankind will be exposed to, until the end of the world, let’s consider the ways given in the Scriptures to recognize the false teachers among us. Starting in 1 John 4: 1 & 2 Yochanan warned us not to be misled saying: ‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from Elohim; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (2) By this you know the Spirit of Elohim: every spirit that confesses that Yahshua Messiah has come in the flesh is from Elohim.’ This is simply as we read from Matthew 1: 23, which is a quote from Isaiah 7: 14, in this way: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “ELOHIM WITH US.” This is one way in which to recognize false teachers who teach that there are two (YHVH)’s or that Elohim is composed of three persons in one; or that Yahshua was an angel before coming to earth. These are the ones spoken about in Romans 1: 21 - 23 who speculate about the ‘composition’ of Elohim, instead of believing in His Oneness as confirmed throughout the Scriptures, as follows: ‘For even though they knew Elohim, they did not honor Him as Elohim, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible Elohim for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.’ Another way in which false teachers contradict the Master is found in 2 Peter 2: 1 – 3, in this way: ‘But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying (which comes from the Greek word ‘arneomai’ and can also mean to contradict) the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2) And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; (3) and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.’ In their greed to have a following, these people will once again cause those who came out of the false religious systems of the world, to follow another counterfeit of the faith which was once delivered to the believers, as also spoken about in Jude 3 & 4, as follows: ‘Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation. I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. (4) For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our Elohim into licentiousness and deny (or contradict) our only Teacher and Master, Yahshua Messiah.’
Considering these Scriptural methods to identify false teachers, ask yourself, do you deny that Yahshua is YHVH with us? Do you deny the Oneness of Elohim believing there are two (YHVH)’s? Do you contradict Yahshua the Messiah believing He died on a Friday afternoon and was resurrected the following Sunday morning? Do you contradict Yahshua when He told the people that He did not come to do away with Torah, but to make it more binding, as may be read from Matthew 5: 17 – 48? Do you contradict Yahshua when He told Peter (Rav Kepha) that he (Kepha) is a (living) stone; and that He (Yahshua) is the rock or foundation stone upon which the congregation of called out believers are built as a spiritual house for a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Elohim through Yahshua Messiah, as He said in Matthew 16: 18, and is confirmed by Rav Kepha in 1 Peter 2: 6 – 10? Do you contradict the Scriptures by putting a Xmas tree in your house, despite the fact that we are told not to do so in Jeremiah 10: 1 – 5? Do you contradict the Scriptures by claiming that the original covenant (or Torah) was abolished after Yahshua’s death, resurrection and ascension to heaven, despite Scriptural proof to the contrary? These Scriptural proofs are amongst others:
· One - the rainbow after a thunderstorm; the first covenant that YHVH entered into with mankind? Do you believe that it has been abolished? If so, why does the rainbow still appear every time after a rainstorm?
· Two – we are told in Hebrews 8: 6 – 10, that the fault with the original covenant or Torah was not with the covenant, but with the people, and that the original covenant entered into between the united nation of Israel and Elohim, will be the one written on our hearts and minds, when Messiah returns to establish during the world to come, in this way: ‘But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. (8) For finding fault with them, He says, “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS YHVH, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; (9) NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS YHVH. (10) FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISREAL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS YHVH: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM UPON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR ELOHIM, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”
· The third proof comes from John 5: 45 – 47, where Yahshua answered the Jews, saying: “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. (46) For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. (47) But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Yahshua was telling believers in Him that unless they believe in the first five books of the Scriptures written by Moses, they simply cannot believe in His words.
Even though these Scriptural witnesses are sufficient proof that the original covenants are still valid, it does not matter how many Scriptural witnesses we can come up with, as it will never satisfy the requirement of unbelievers. It is as one of my previous teachers said many times: ‘If you convince a man against his will; he will be of the same opinion still!’ Therefore, to answer the first question asked at the beginning, namely; why do we need the Kingdom of Elohim? The overriding reason being, that during the coming Kingdom of Elohim, Yahshua our Messiah will rescue us from our own and all Satan’s lies and deception.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied more than 2700 years ago how corrupt the house of Israel have become in their disrespect for Elohim’s truth (Torah). Today, politicians in Israelite countries make promises before elections, which they full well know that they cannot keep. Newspapers print lies and half-truths and present it as facts. When Yahshua returns to rule us from Jerusalem, all deception will come to an end, as we witnessed in Isaiah 11: 9, in this way: ‘They will not hurt or destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of YHVH as the waters cover the sea.’ During the coming Millennium, people who survive the Great Tribulation will at last have access to spiritual knowledge that they never knew before. We also read about that time from Jeremiah 31: 29 – 34, as follows: “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ (30) But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. (31) Behold, days are coming,” declares YHVH, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, (32) not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares YHVH. (33) But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares YHVH, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people. (YHVH will only write the covenant on the hearts of the house of Israel and put the Law within them, since the house of Judah has been Torah observant all along.) (34) And they shall not teach again each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know YHVH,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares YHVH, “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Those believers who are already keeping Elohim’s annual Feast Days are slowly but surely learning about Elohim’s plan of salvation for all mankind. They are in fact learning to practice righteousness, by obeying the instructions that YHVH gave us in His Torah. The coming Kingdom will eventually change the entire world, in that once the united nation of Israel are on the right track, to serve YHVH as His model nation, they will show the rest of the world by example, how mankind should serve YHVH our Creator and Elohim. We see from Isaiah 42: 21, that Messiah came the first time to exalt the Law and most certainly not to abolish it as also witnessed in the well-known Scripture in Matthew 5: 17 – 20. It will also be during Yahshua’s return to earth, that He will begin to restore all things, as witnessed in Acts 3: 19 – 21, in this way: ‘Repent therefore and return (to Torah obedience), that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of YHVH; (20) and that He may send Yahshua, the Messiah appointed for you, (21) whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which Elohim spoke by the mouth of His set-apart prophets from ancient time.’
The restoration of the commonwealth of Israel is only the beginning of the universe-wide Kingdom of Elohim. During the millennium, Yahshua the Messiah will institute Elohim’s way in all the nations throughout the world. We read aptly from Isaiah 60: 3, “And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” We read further from verses 4 & 5, “Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. (5) Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.” Like during the time of King Solomon the nations around the world will again bless the nation of Israel, as witnessed in verse 11 of Isaiah 60, “And your gates will be open continually; they will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession.” We see more details about the restoration of Israel and Judah in Jeremiah 33: 7 – 9, in this way: ‘And I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and I will rebuild them as they were at first. (8) And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me, and by which they have transgressed against Me. (9) And it shall be to Me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear of all the good that I do for them, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’ It is because we know that these promises of YHVH our Elohim are true and will definitely come to fruition that we need to proclaim the gospel of the coming kingdom of Elohim to be ushered in when Yahshua our Messiah returns. It is most important that at this time, we the called out congregation of Elohim confess the lies that our fathers taught us as witnessed in Jeremiah 16: 19, saying: ‘O YHVH, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to Thee the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood futility and things of no profit.”’ We should stop living a lie and serving people and things, as if they are the providers of all our needs. We need to recall Yahshua’s own words in Matthew 19: 17, ‘And He said to him (the young Pharisee who asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life), “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”’ It is time to come out of the false Babylonian religious systems of the world – the confusion which was started in the city of Babel by Nimrod, where they built a tower to ‘go to heaven’. It is time to start obeying YHVH and do what He tells us in His word; it is time to stop spreading ambiguous half-truths, thus contradicting what our Master, who bought us, taught. But most of all, it is time to pray earnestly for the Kingdom of Elohim to come on earth, as it is in heaven! Only then will all the lies and temptations of Satan come to an end.
Let’s now answer the second part of our opening question, namely why don’t people believe the gospel anymore. The main reason is that many came to believe that Yahshua taught a different message to what is found throughout the Tanach, even though the gospel of the Kingdom of Elohim is the primary theme of the Tanach. The prophets foretold the coming of Messiah to save His people from their sins, as well as to come and rule them from Jerusalem during the Millennium and beyond. The phrase ‘the millennium‘ meaning a thousand years, was so-called by historians, because Yahshua revealed it to Yochanan in Revelation 20, where he wrote that He will reign with His saints, who will be resurrected at His return for a thousand years. Messiah’s rule of a thousand years will be the beginning of Elohim’s eternal reign, as witnessed in Daniel 7: 13 & 14, as follows: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. (14) And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” Even though we believe in the coming millennial rule of Yahshua our Messiah, there are others who believe the reference to the 1000-years in the book of Revelation to be purely symbolic and will never occur literally. Then there are those who believe that the 1000-years are already here, and to them this is known as the ‘church age’. This last view comes from the Christian Church father Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 CE), who was born in Africa of a pagan father and a Christian mother; he initially believed in the Millennium, but later changed his teachings to identify the church with the Kingdom of Elohim, maintaining that it started at Messiah’s birth. Which of these ideas are correct? What do the Scriptures have to say about it and what did Messiah’s disciples believe after His resurrection? We read the answer from Acts 1: 1 – 6, in this way: ‘The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Yahshua began to do and teach, (2) until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Set-apart Spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had chosen. (3) To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of Elohim. (4) And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; (5) for John immersed with water, but you shall be immersed with the Set-apart Spirit not many days from now.” (6) And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Master, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”’
Even after Yahshua ascended to heaven, the apostles did not change their minds, as we read from Acts 3: 19 – 21 where Rav Kepha explained, saying: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of YHVH; (20) and that He may send Yahshua, the Messiah appointed for you, (21) whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which Elohim spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” It is important to note that these early believers connected Yahshua’s return to descriptions of a new world given by the prophets. It also informs us that we will get further evidence of early Renewed Covenant belief in the writings of the ancient Hebrew prophets. We read for example from Revelation 11: 15, that the Kingdom of Elohim will come at Messiah’s return, as follows: ‘And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of YHVH, and of His Messiah; and He will reign forever and ever.”’ Recalling Yahshua’s teaching in Matthew 24: 29 – 47 we read: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, (30) and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (31) And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER HIS elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (32) Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; (33) even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (34) Truly I say to you, this generation (or race) will not pass away until all these things take place. (Meaning that the Jewish race will still be around when Messiah returns.) (35) Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. (36) But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (37) For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. (38) For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (39) and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. (40) Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. (41) Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. (42) Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Master is coming. (43) But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (44) For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. (45) Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? (Note this is talking about spiritual food which should be given during weekly and annual Sabbaths.) (46) Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (If we remain loyal and teach new believers about the coming Kingdom of Elohim, until Yahshua returns.) (47) Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Yahshua promised His followers rulership under Him, if they continue to teach new believers the true gospel. It is only when we consider these words of Messiah that we come to the realization that it has still to occur.
Even though most scholars and theologians agree that the Kingdom of Elohim is discussed throughout the pages of the Scriptures, most theologians do not believe, or have lost faith about what is written in The Scriptures. We read from the book of Acts 26: 6 & 7, where Rav Shaul (as ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes) tells King Agrippa that He is on trial for his hope in the Kingdom of Elohim, as follows: “And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by Elohim to our fathers; (7) the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve Elohim night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews.” Even under persecution we should not become weary of waiting for the coming of our Messiah, as we are admonished in Hebrews 10: 35 – 39, in this way: ‘Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (36) For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of Elohim, you may receive what was promised. (37) FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. (38) BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. (39) But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.’ Hebrews 10: 38 is a direct quote from Habakkuk 2: 4, where we are reminded that ‘the righteous will live by his faith.’ From the apostles’ time to the present there have always been those who lived in expectancy of the imminent return of our Master Yahshua. However, with the passing of time, when the anticipation of the return of Messiah did not happen, believers have been forced to forget about it ever happening. Yahshua identified three areas in the parable of the sower which believers will face that will result in them losing faith in the coming Kingdom of Elohim in Matthew 13: 3 – 9, as follows: ‘And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; (4) and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. (5) And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. (6) But when the sun had risen, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. (7) And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. (8) And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. (9) He who has ears, let him hear.”
After hearing this parable, Yahshua’s disciples asked Him why He used parables to teach them, He answered in Matthew 13: 11 – 13, saying: “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (those not called at this time) it has not been granted. (12) For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. (13) Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” It is important to understand the meaning of this parable, so that we may not become despondent, when some of those whom we teach, fall away. We need to understand that unless YHVH opens our minds to understanding His truths, we will not see it, as Yahshua explained in John 6: 65, as follows: ‘And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.” We see further from Matthew 13: 18 & 19 that YHVH allows Satan to blind the minds of unbelievers, so that when they are told about the coming kingdom of Elohim and finds it too incredible to be true, he removes it from his hearts, in this way: “Hear then the parable of the sower, (19) When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.” From His explanation we understand that YHVH is not calling everyone alive during this age, but He is only calling first fruits who if they finally make it into the kingdom of Elohim, will rule as kings and priests under Yahshua, during His millennium rule and on into eternity. One example in the Scriptures where YHVH promises rulership to those who overcome and endure to the end of their lives or until Messiah returns, is found in Revelation 3: 21, as follows: “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” A second witness may be found in Revelation 5: 10, in this way: “And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our Elohim; and they will reign upon the earth.”
Yahshua also explained about a time during which people from all generations will be judged at the same time, during the great white throne judgment in Matthew 12: 41 saying: ‘The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.’ These people from ancient times will be resurrected after the millennium rule of Yahshua and will respond once they have had a genuine opportunity to understand the Scriptures. We read Yahshua’s own words about the Queen of the South in Mathew 12: 42, saying: “The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” The Queen of the South will be in the second resurrection, after the millennium. She will be part of the second harvest of souls into the Kingdom of Elohim. She will repent and accept Yahshua our Messiah as her personal Savior. She will also accept and live by what is written in the books (The Scriptures) and her name will be entered into the book of life as witnessed in Revelation 20: 12, in this way: ‘And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.’ Those who are not called during this age will have their chance in the second resurrection. The majority of all the people who have ever lived fall in this category and will have their first chance only then as may be seen in Isaiah 25: 7 – 9, as follows: ‘And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. (8) He will swallow up death for all time, and YHVH Elohim will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for YHVH has spoken. (9) And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our Elohim for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is YHVH for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’ However, those who still reject Yahshua as their Messiah and savior after been given full knowledge, will be burnt to ashes as witnessed in Malachi 4: 1, in this way: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says YHVH of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” Think about it!