Spirit and Truth

John 4:23

But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, indeed. For the Father, He seeks worshippers as these.  Because YHWH is Spirit and those who worship they must worship Him in spirit and truth.

John 15:26

But when the Redeemer comes, He Whom I will send to you from the presence of my Father, the Spirit of Truth, He Who proceeds from the presence of my Father will witness concerning me.  You will also testify for you were with me from the start.

John 16:12

Again I have much to say to you but you are not able to grasp it now. But when the Spirit of Truth comes He will guide you in all truth, for He does not speak from His own mind but He will speak everything that He hears (directly from YHWH).

Yah set the pattern in the beginning teaching that faith in Him and living according to His Instructions were the means to walk His path of righteousness. Today it is that same faith we show in accepting the shed blood of His Son renewing Yah's covenant wherein we abide by The Father's Instructions in Spirit and in Truth.  Much has changed on this earth since Abraham was called out from the pagan lifestyle in Ur of Chaldea, but Yah's Word never changes.  It is by His Spirit given us through faith and our testimony of His Son that we learn to worship our Creator in Spirit and in Truth.

"As we approach Yah-weh in the name of Yah-shua, we accept the redemption the Father provides through His Son."

Put Yah First

Isaiah 59

Our Creator's arm is not too short to save

or His ear too dull to hear;

but our iniquities have been a barrier

between us and Him,
our sins have made Him turn away 
and refuse to hear us.

We hope for a glimmer of light 
but there is darkness;
we walk in the gloom.
We grope like blind men along a wall;
we stumble at noon as if in darkness;
we all growl like bears and moan like doves.

We are aware of our sins, we know well our iniquities,
rebellious and faithless towards our Creator,
turning away from Him and His Instructions,
planning fraud and treachery, conceiving and telling lies.

From the very beginning Yahweh has told us everything we need to know in order for us to have life eternal. Through our studies and searching Scriptures truth is revealed via His Spirit dwelling within us. He has not hidden anything but man sure has piled on tons of lies and distractions upon the Word of Yahweh our Creator. 

Deuteronomy 11:26

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 
the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your Creator, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of Yahweh, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known. 

Deuteronomy 30:15

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity. For I command you this day to love Yahweh, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that He may bless you. But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods, I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish. I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Chose life by loving Yahweh your Creator, heeding His commands and holding fast to Him. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure.

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It is not our job to save the world - Y'shua will do that at his return. It is not our job to drag anyone to 'church'. It is, however, our responsibility as Set Apart believers to share the Good News of His kingdom to come. The choice will always be the individual's option, as stated by our heavenly Father in Deuteronomy, noted above.  It is also pointed out by His Son that his sheep will recognize his voice - it is plain that not everyone will be saved at the return of Y'shua.

In Acts 2:38 we read in order to be saved (from the curse of eternal death) that we are to repent (return to Yah, turning away from our old sin nature) and be immersed (ritually cleansed) so that we may receive His Set Apart Spirit. By sharing the Good News of His kingdom with others we are planting seeds; those who will listen can make the choice to get on His Path and move along towards our inheritance = the Promised Land. 

Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the Good News 
for it is the power of Yahweh to life;

as it is written, the righteous by faith will live.

What is the Good News?
The Good News is that our Heavenly Father and His Anointed Son are righteous and just and all who put their Faith in YHWH are being called into righteousness to walk as Y'shua walked.

Luke 8:1- Y'shua was going around in the cites and in the villages and was preaching and declaring the Kingdom of Elohim.
Romans 10:13- For everyone that will call on the name of Master YHWH will have life. How then will they call on him, in whom that have not believed? Or how will they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Or of whom will they hear without a preacher? how will they preach if they are not sent forth?
Isaiah 52:7- How welcome on the mountain are the feet of him announcing happiness, heralding good fortune, announcing victory, telling Zion, "Your Eloah reigns!

This brings us back to Faith....

Hebrews 4:2- For to us also is the announcement (the Good News) as well as to them, but the Word they heard did not benefit them because it was not combined with the faith of those who heard it.

Click here to go to my study The Seed

Click here to go to my study Prepare for His Kingdom

 

 

 

It was Too Late

Back in the days of Noah folks were living life as usual, eating, drinking, getting married, raising families, buying and selling goods and ignoring the reason Noah and his family were preparing, in obedience to the instructions given by YHWH the Creator. Those other folk kept on keepin' on right up until the Noah Family entered the ark. The others did not really care to understand what was going on, that is until the flood hit, and then it was too late to enter the ark, too late to be saved. Yah had shut the door and locked it.

This scenario comes to light again when His Son shares the parable of the wedding feast.

Matthew 22:3 ~ He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fatlings have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, and another to his business.…

The symbolism is also revealed in the parable of the 10 Virgins (invited to the banquet as guests) of which 5 ran out of oil and went to buy more.  While they were gone, the doors to the banquet hall were shut and no one else could enter. It was too late.

Matthew 25:10- And while they (the foolish ones) went to buy more pure olive oil for their lamps, the Bridegroom came, those who were ready entered with him into the banquet hall. And the door was locked. 

We have been called to this banquet, the one prepared by the Father for His Son. We are invited guests, not the bride, and we've been given plenty of time to get ready to attend.

Let us be properly prepared to Meet the Bridegroom- to be full of the Ruach haKodesh = The Spirit of Truth = prior to the return of Y'shua.  If we are full of His Spirit (pure olive oil) we will not wander off in search of who-knows-what. We shall enter into the banquet hall with him before the door is shut and locked. After that it will be too late.

 

We have been told the signs to watch for that occur before the return of Messiah so that we will prepare before it's too late to be saved from the coming flood of Wrath of Yahweh, which is contained in the final 7 Bowls of Plagues.

Current Moon Phases

lunar phases

Give Thanks

I have lightly paraphrased each verse and so remind you to please read from your own copy of Scriptures to see the original context as written in the days of old and realize they still apply to us today.  Thanksgiving is a daily offering we give to Yahweh our Creator - its not just about pilgrims adjusting to the new world with the help of the natives; it is always about putting our heavenly Father first in all things.

Psalm 106:1 ~

Halleluyah and Praise YHWH for He is good; 

His steadfast love is eternal. 

Who can even tell of all His mighty acts

and proclaim all His praises?

Proverbs 3:9-10 ~

We honor YHWH with our wealth, with the best of all we have gained from our labors, and He will provide for all our needs.

Click here to learn the truth about tithing

Deuteronomy 8:10 ~

When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to Yah your Creator for the good land which He has given you.

Note: we don't pray before we eat; it is afterwards we give thanks for what we have been given

2 Samuel 7:21-22 ~

For Your word's sake and of Your own accord You have wrought this great thing and made it know to Your servant. You are great indeed, O Yahweh Elohim. There is none like You and there is no other god but You, as we have always heard.

2 Samuel 22:1-51 ~ King David is speaking to His Creator

O Yahweh, my crag, my fastness, my deliverer; the rock wherein I take shelter; my shield, my mighty champion, my fortress and refuge! My savior, You who rescue me from evil.  All praise belongs to You - I called upon You and was delivered from my enemies.

Click here to go to my study about the 'star' of David

Psalm 98:1 ~

Sing a new song to YHWH for He has worked wonders; He displays His triumph in the sight of all peoples.  He was mindful of His steadfast love and faithfulness toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth behold the victory of our Creator.  Raise a shout to Him; break into joyous songs of praise!

1 Kings 8:15 ~

Praise YHWH Elohim who has fulfilled His promises (and those promises yet to be fulfilled)

Psalms 9:11; 33:2 ~ Those who know Your Name trust You, for You do not abandon those who turn to You, who reigns in Zion and declares His deeds among the peoples. 

Click here to go to my study about His Name

Psalm 50:23 ~ 

He who sacrifices a thank offering honors YHWH, and to him who improves his way He will show salvation.

Daniel 2:20:23 ~

Let the name of our Creator be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power are His. He changes times and season, removes kings and installs kings; He gives the wise their wisdom and knowledge to those who know. He reveals deep and hidden things, knows what is in the darkness and light dwells with Him.  
(Yahweh is His Name and Yahshua, His Son, is the Light of the World)

Philippians 4:4-6 ~

Rejoice in our Messiah at all times! Let your humility be recognized among all peoples. Y'shua is near to us; be anxious for nothing but at all times by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make known your requests to YHWH. And the peace of our Creator which surpasses all knowledge will keep your hearts and your mind, through Y'shua His Son.

Psalm 100 ~

Acknowledge that YHWH is the one true living Elohim; 

He made us and we are His, His people, the flock He tends.

Click here to go to my study about His Flock

Land of our Inheritance

The land which is our inheritance covers a bit more land than the current day nation state of Israel. Does the land of Canaan ring a bell? 

"The area known as Canaan in ancient times covered parts of modern-day Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Ancient Canaan also included parts of the coastal regions and areas of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan"

Genesis 13:12 ~ Abram stays in the land of Canaan while Lot settled in the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom. YHWH said to Abram, "Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north, south, east and west, for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever. Get up and walk about the land, through its length and breadth..." Abram moved his tent and dwelt at the terebinths of Mamre* which are in Hebron. 

Numbers 34 ~ When you enter the land of Canaan this is the land that shall fall to you as your portion, the land of Canaan with its various boundaries: 

Your Southern sector shall extend from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom. The boundary shall start on the east from the tip of the Dead Sea.  It shall then turn to pass south of the ascent of Akrabbim and continue to Zin and its limits shall be south of Kadesh-barnea, reaching Hazar-addar and continueing to Azmon. From Azmon the boundary shall turn toward the Wadi of Egypt and terminate at the Mediterranean Sea.

For the Western boundary, you shall have the Great Sea (Mediterranean) and its coast. This shall be your western border.
 

The Northern border: from the Mediterranean Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor. From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and let it reach Zedad. From there the border shall extend to Ziphron, and terminate at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.
 

For your Eastern border, draw a line from Hazar-enan to Shepham. And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue downward and abut on the eastern slopes of the Sea of Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee). And the border shall continue down along the Jordan, and terminate at the Salt (Dead) Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.”

*Note: Mamre was an Amorite, kinsman of Eshkol and Aner, allies of Abraham. The terebinths of Mamre in Hebron are generally agreed to have been oak trees and that grove was named after Mamre.

This land is also pointed out later on to Moses in Deuteronomy 34. The territory has been divided among the twelve clans descended from Jacob (whose name Yah changed to Israel) ~

Moses went up from the steppes of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, opposite Jericho, and YHWH showed him the whole land:
Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, the whole land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev; and the Plain (the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees) as far as Zoar.  YHWH said to Moses, 'This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I assigned it to them and their offspring.'

Many ancient names for these locations have remained and some have not.  It's not the easiest of tasks to find an overlay of the land of Canaan on to the modern day borders of Israel.  But the main message is that the physical land mass of what we know as Israel is not the same as the promised land described by our Creator. His promise is to the people, Israel, those descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their offspring AND anyone who chooses Yah as their God, abide by His Instructions and have the tesitmony of His son, thus becoming adopted into the commonwealth of the House of Israel.  "Israel" is a people, not the U.N. created state.

Click Here to go to my Study: Who Is Israel?

This Really Chaps my Hide.....

Here is the meme I recently saw on Facebook that seems like one of those "Get out of Jail Free" cards, giving folks excuses to live and let live and still feel good about themselves. For example, if David had an affair, what difference is it if I have one? 

 

If we actually read Scriptures we'll learn that this is not acceptable behavior. If we deliberately go against our Father's Instructions things won't end us so well for us.

The Meme:

I agree that sometimes it may seem puzzling as to why God used these people to accomplish certain things but bottom line is that they are all examples for us.

From 1 Corinthians 10... all our fathers were under the cloud, and they passed through the sea, and they were all immersed by Moses in the cloud and in the sea. The all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink... from the spiritual rock that attended them and that rock was the Anointed One. But with a multitude of them, YHWH was not pleased. These things are an example for us so that we won't covet after evil things as they did. Neither should we serve idols as some of them did nor commit sexual sin.

Let me set the record straight in regards to the allegations listed in the meme and what is actually written in Scriptures.

1. Noah wasn't a drunk although he did get drunk drinking from his first grape harvest after The Flood. Maybe he was celebrating the fact that he and his family and all those animals survived the ordeal. This incident did not result in Noah being cursed, but one of his sons was cursed.

2. Abraham grew up in a pagan household and when God called him out he did not hesitate. It was by faith that he obeyed the command to leave Ur of Chaldea. He became the father of many peoples and God kept His Covenant through him by his sons Isaac and Jacob. Yep, he aged during this time.

3. Sarah, Abraham's wife:
In Genesis 11 we read the fact of her being barren, childless. This was back when they were packing up to leave Ur of Chaldea. In Genesis 16:1 we read that Sarah offered her maid, Hagar, to Abraham so they could have a child by her. They did and named him Ishmael. This was a few years before Genesis 18 we read about the two messengers who said she would give birth to a son and Sarah thought it was pretty funny that they thought she would get pregnant after all these years of being barren, and at her age let alone the fact that Abraham was 99 years old! I'm not seeing enough to imply she was impatient.

4. Jacob was a cheat? What is that referring to? Is it Genesis 25:30 when Jacob legally purchased Esau's birthright? Or is it Genesis 27:30 when Jacob's mother set him up to receive the blessing of the first born?

5. Moses would rather YHWH send someone else to set His people free from Pharaoh. Remember that Moses was raised as royalty in Egypt and his time there ended badly: the accidental death of an Egyptian Moses had hit 40 years earlier. In Exodus 4 Moses makes another excuse for why God shouldn't choose him; “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Quote: In Stephen’s speech in Acts 7, he reminded his audience that Pharaoh’s daughter brought Moses up “as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds."

Moses was humbly trying to convince God that he was not qualified for the task because he simply did not want to go back to Egypt. God knew better than that.

6. Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron:

Numbers 12:1 ~ Both Miriam and Aaron spoke out against their brother because they believed Moses had married a Cushite woman. Further study reveals that Moses never married this queen of Ethiopia nor shared a bed with her; he remained true to YHWH during his exile in Ethiopia after he accidentally killed an Egyptian. In this case, yes, Miriam and Aaron were guilty of spreading rumors and they were showing some jealousy towards their brother. It didn't happen again. Zipporah was the only wife Moses had. She was a Midianite, one of seven daughters of Reuel (Jethro) the priest of Midian, a counsellor to Pharaoh.

7. Gideon, Judges Chapter 6: 

God says to Gideon: "Go in this strength of yours and deliver Israel from the Midianites." Gideon wants to be sure it is indeed Yahweh speaking with him so he asks for a sign; and Yah gave him one by accepting the offering made by him. Nothing insecure about that. Twice more Gideon asked for signs and Yahweh obliged him. Satisfied that he was being commanded by the Living God, Gideon listens and obeys.

It is true that Yahweh chose Gideon who was from the humblest of clans in Manasseh and he was the youngest in his father's household, but our Father also knew that Gideon would carry out His plans; just as He knew of the righteousness of Abraham, Noah and Moses who all obeyed Yahweh because of their Faith in Him. It makes sense that we should, by Faith, trust in Him and obey His commands and live according to His Instructions, otherwise we might fall into that 'once saved always saved' trap thinking we are one of His Chosen and later hearing Y'shua tell us to go away from him, he never knew us.

First John 4

Do not believe all spirits but discriminate among the spirits whether they are of Elohim; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

8. About King David.... now lets be real about this as he had more than an affair. In II Samuel 2, after Saul had died, we read David had two wives at that time, Ahinoam and Abigail. It was then that David, his household, the men and their families moved to the Hebron area and settled. The men in Judah came and anointed David king over the House of Judah; David was 30 years old. In chapter 3 we read David fathered sons from Ahinoam and Abigail as well as from Maacah who was the daughter of the king of Geshur; Haggith and Abital and another gal by the name of Eglah who is also called his 'wife'. In chapter 5 we read David took more concubines and wives when he was in Jerusalem.

9. Elijah was moody? Good Golly People - Read Scriptures!

1 Kings 19:14 ~ “I have been very zealous for You, Master Yahweh,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”

10. Jonah 1:1

Yah provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah where he stayed three days and three nights, and he prayed. He acknowledged his troubles and that when near death Yahweh brought him up from the pit. He gave thanks and vowed to do as He commanded. The fish spewed Jonah out upon dry land.

The second time Yah told Jonah to go at once to Nineveh, he did. The people believed Jonah was speaking on God's behalf, that He would do what He said He would do, so they turned back from their evil ways. Yah saw they repented and renounced the punishment, yet Jonah was displeased. This was the very reason he tried to avoid God in the first place because he thought he knew Yahweh well enough and knew what the outcome would be; why should he waste his time to do anything, or get involved, or try to warn anyone.  But YHWH knew the people needed to have the error of their ways pointed out to them - they had become so accustomed to them that these ways seemed 'normal'. The people needed to be shown they had strayed from Yah's Path of Righteous Living.
 
The lesson here is that we should not think so highly of ourselves that we venture to know our Creator so well that we think we know what He will do regardless of our actions, so we choose to sit back and do nothing (the 'live and let live' attitude) instead of sharing the Word of YHWH with other people. We read in Galatians Chapter 6 that if a man considers that he is something when he is not, his soul is deceived.

Galatians 6:1 ~ Brothers, if any man among you goes before you in error, you, who are in the Spirit, restore him by the spirit of gentleness, and beware or else temptation also comes upon you.

11. Thomas wanted proof that his fellow disciples actually saw the resurrected Messiah.

12. Peter may have had a temper, but it was more like he became highly irritated when people started pointing him out as one of the followers of Y'shua. Peter fulfilled prophecy and denied knowing Y'shua. Moses got mad and struck the rock twice. God once destroyed the earth with a flood and lets not forget it will be the wrath of our Creator that brings this world to an end.

Ephesians 4:26 ~ Be angry, but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath and give no place to the Accuser

13. We read of Zaccheus/Zakkai in Luke 19:2 and learn he was a wealthy man and head of the publicans. When he learned Messiah was coming to town, he desired to see him but was small in stature so he climbed a tree to see him. When Y'shua saw him in the tree he called him to come down that he might stay in his house. When this happened the others started arguing because Messiah went in and lodged with a sinful man.

So, you see, it was about wanting to actually see the man, Y'shua the Anointed One, and not letting the opportunity pass by Zakkai climbed a tree. Y'shua noted the man's heart felt desire and knew this was the man he would lodge with. The others started arguing because, well, Messiah didn't pick any of those who thought they were better than old shorty.  In Mark Chapter 2 we learn that the scribes and Pharisees displayed the same mindset disgusted that Messiah would sit and eat with publicans and sinners. Y'shua says to them:

The healthy have no need for a physician, rather those who are very ill are in need. I have not come to call the righteous, rather the sinners.

14. Martha

In Luke 10:41 we read that Martha had received Y'shua into her house. She was busy with chores that her sister, Maryam, usually helped her with but now Maryam was seated at the feet of Y'shua listening to his words. Martha tells Y'shua to tell her sister to to help her and Y'shua lets Martha know that he knows she is anxious and troubled by many things but at this time Maryam was where she needed to be, hearing the Word. (I have often wondered how wonderful it would be to be a the feet of Messiah as he taught!) Martha's sister Maryam is the same Maryam that had anointed the feet of Y'shua and wiped them with her hair. Martha, Maryam and Lazarus were from the town of Bethany. These same two sisters along with their brother Lazarus are written of in John 11. Here we find out Y'shua had great love for these people, and brought Lazarus back to life.

15. Mary Magdalene was not a whore. In Luke 7:36 we do read of an unnamed woman known as a sinner who cried at the feet of Y'shua while he was in the house of a Pharisee. She wiped his feet with her hair and had an alabaster vase of ointment and anointed his feet with the oil of incense. The Pharisee was thinking to himself 'if Y'shua was truly a prophet he would realize who she was and what her reputation was.'  Yet because of her faith Y'shua said to her: You are forgiven your sins, your faith has given you life.  Is this the event that folks tie in with Mary Magdalene thinking she was a prostitute? Probably but it is not the same woman.

In medieval Western Christian tradition, "Mary of Bethany" (sister of Martha and Lazarus) was identified as "Mary Magdalene" (who had seven demons cast out) in large part because of a homily given by Pope Gregory the Great in which he taught about several women in the New Testament as though they were the same person. This led to a mixing together of the individual women and presenting them as one and the same: Mary of Bethany with Mary of Magdala as well as with another unnamed woman (Luke 7:36), and the woman caught in adultery (a story not found in the four earliest Greek manuscripts but was added at a later time in John 8 verses 1-11).

Note:
In John 12, six days before Passover, Y'shua came to Beth-Anya where Maryam the sister of Martha and Lazarus were gathered with folks at a banquet for Y'shua. Martha was serving and Lazarus was a guest along with Y'shua. Maryam took an alabaster vase of very expensive perfume of the choicest nard and anointed the feet of Y'shua; the fragrance filled the house. This is when Judas (the thief who was in charge of the money bag) complained that the perfume could have been sold and the money could have been used to help the poor. This was Maryam of Bethany in this scenario and not Maryam of Magdala.

Maryam of Magdala (Mary Magdalene) 
In Luke 8 Y'shua was going about preaching and declaring the Kingdom of God; his 12 apostles were with him and those women who were healed of sicknesses and of evil spirits. Maryam who is called Magdalitha from whom seven demons had gone out, and Yokan the wife of Kuza the steward of Herodus, and Shushan and many others were ministering to them from their wealth.  

Magdala was also known as Magadan, Dalmanutha and Mejdel:
This small city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee was about 3 miles N of Tiberias. Taricheae was a Greek name of the place called in Hebrew Migdal (Magdala), and came from the word 'taricheuein' which means to smoke or preserve fish ("pickling places.") The pickled fish of Galilee were known throughout the Roman and Greek world. Large quantities were taken up to Jerusalem at the season of the yearly feasts, because of the great multitudes. Barrels were also transported around the Mediterranean.

With this information about the area where 'Mary Magdalene' came from it is easy for me to see that her wealth came from her family's successful fish business.

When do we read of Mary Magdalene again? At Y'shua's death (Matthew 27:55-56;61). In Chapter 28 she comes with 'the other Mary' (mother of James the lesser) to see the grave of Y'shua and an angel lets them know that he was risen and that they should go and tell his disciples that he had risen from the dead. In Mark 16:9 we read that Magdalitha was the first to see the resurrected Messiah.

In John 19:25 we read that before he died Y'shua saw his mother Maryam standing near the stake and she was with her sister; and Maryam of Qalyopa/Cleopas (she was married to him, Luke 24:18); and Maryam of Magdala were there. 

16. Paul describes himself in Philippians 3:5, the way he was before his encounter with Y'shua, before he became an apostle -

"Circumcised when eight days old; of the stock of Israel; of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew, descendant of Hebrews; in regards to Torah, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the assembly of Messianic believers; and as to the righteousness of the oral Torah, I was without fault." (Oral Law is rabbinic tradition)

Paul was a Hebrew of the tribe of Benjamin and was taught "Judaism" by the most respected rabbi of his day. He was blinded to the truth of YHWH while being horribly misled by the traditions of the Pharisees, who were at extreme odds with the followers of The Way as taught by Y'shua the Anointed One. This same thing is so true in today's world which is saturated with man's traditions being spread by 'respected religious leaders' and false teachers who continue to mesmerize congregations into believing they are doing the right thing. What we should be doing is reading Scriptures for ourselves so that those scales fall from our eyes in order to see the truth be revealed. Any of us could have been raised in a God-fearing home, going to church every sun-day, but sitting in any religious assembly listening to someone you trust teaching you about Scriptures instead of reading Scriptures for yourselves is the same as abiding by 'oral torah' taught by the Pharisees.  These are the same types of religious leaders that Y'shua fought against in his day, and remember, he said the day will come when he says, 'Go away from me, I never knew you.'

The story of Paul begins in Acts Chapter 8:

Paul was a participant in the murder of Stephen as well as part of the great persecution going on towards the congregation of the followers of Y'shua in Jerusalem.  He was part of those who persecuted the congregation of Yahweh. He entered homes and dragged out the men and women and took them to prison.  Chapter 9 - Paul was full of intimidation and the fury of murder towards the disciples of our Master Y'shua.  Paul asked for letters from the chief priests to take to the assemblies in Damascus giving him permission to arrest any followers he may find there and bring them to Jerusalem. On the road to Damascus a light from heaven suddenly shone upon him, and he was thrown to the ground. He heard a voice saying to him, "Shaul! Shaul! Why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick the stakes*." 

The men who were traveling with Paul were amazed because they heard only a sound but no man was visible to them. Paul got up from the ground and was no longer able to see, even though his eyes were open.  The men guided him as they continued to Damascus. Paul was unable to see for three days and neither did he eat or drink during this time.  (a very humbling experience)

It took an experience such as this and what followed for Paul to 'see the light' and become a righteous follower of The Way.  Who better than he to be chosen as the one to teach the Gentiles? What an extraordinary example for all of us in today's world!  No matter our past sinful ways we have the choice to come into covenant with our Creator through His son Yahshua the Anointed One. 

Paul went to Jerusalem desiring to join the disciples there but all of them were afraid of him.  They did not believe that he had become one of them. Bar-Naba ended up taking him to the Apostles and explained to them what had happened. They let him in with them and they went out into Jerusalem. Paul was boldly speaking in the name of Y'shua and disputing with those Jews who spoke Greek and they desired to kill him.  When the brothers knew this they brought Paul to Caesarea by night and sent him to Tarsus... nevertheless, the assembly that was in all Judah and Galilee and Shamrin now had peace in them.  The assembly grew, built up and instructed in the fear of Yahweh and in the comfort of His Set Apart Spirit.

Yahshua called the qualified ones to become his disciples and they became Spirit filled Apostles ten days after he left this earth.  They carried on in truth and wisdom teaching many and making further disciples. They continued to fight the good fight for the faith once delivered and it is amazing that our Creator preserved His Instructions with their stories in Scriptures as examples for us teaching how to live according to them.

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* "kick against the stake" is also translated "kick against the goads" which is a Hebrew idiom referring to getting a stubborn ox to move (more or less).  Y'shua is telling Shaul to stop fighting him, stop trying to get him to move out of the way.  It's possible Y'shua had been working on Paul for some time and finally broke through to him on the road to Damascus.