It’s Elementary My Dear Children
In the book of Hebrews, we learn much about our High Priest, Yeshua. The writer starts out by saying that he wants to move on from the elementary principles or teachings of Messiah, presumably to some deeper knowledge of our great Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach. Let’s see what some of these things are. In Hebrews 6:1-2, “Heb 6:1-2 Wherefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Messiah, unto the perfection we may advance, not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works, and of faith on Yahuah, (2) of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead, and of judgment age-during,” Here the writer mentions several things are apparently the basic commencement, or introductory teachings of Messiah that Yeshua shared with the world during his first appearance on the planet. These basic teachings included:
1 – repentance from dead works (oral traditions),
2 – faith in Yahuah,
3 – the various ceremonial sprinklings, or cleansings, of the priests,
4 – laying on of hands for baptism in the Holy Spirit and healing,
5 – resurrection of the dead,
6 – age-enduring judgment.
These are six basic principles of Messiah’s kingdom. We need to understand them, so we can grow beyond them to deeper principles in the kingdom. What I want to focus on in this study is the concept of the age or age-during, or age-enduring, or from the ages to the ages. It’s quite clear from Hebrews 6:2 that judgment only lasts for an age, or through a certain age. It is clear for someone reading in the Spirit that the concept of eternal torture of unbelievers is NOT supported in this verse. The concept of eternity or everlasting is NOT taught in this verse. Judgment of mankind will only last to or through an age that is determined by Yahuah himself. This is a basic teaching of Messiah that we must get settled in our spirit, so we can move on in our understanding of our loving, merciful heavenly Father.
The writer continues in verses 3-6, “and this we will do, if Yahuah may permit, (4) for it is impossible for those once enlightened, having tasted also of the heavenly gift, and partakers having became of the Holy Spirit, (5) and did taste the good saying of Yahuah, the powers also of the coming age, (6) and having fallen away, again to renew them to reformation, having crucified again to themselves the Son of Yahuah, and exposed to public shame.” The writer assumes that his readers have tasted of these basic six principles of the kingdom. Verses 3-6 make no sense to a person who has NOT tasted all six of these basic principles of His kingdom. You have to have already turned from following dead men’s oral traditions. That covers a lot of ground in itself, from the Hebrew rabbis to the Christian pastors and teachers. Denominationalism has no place in our lives. You have to already have been regenerated into faith in Yahuah for salvation. You have to be a believer to understand verses 3-6. You should already be familiar with the ceremonial sprinklings, or cleansings, NOT immersion, of the priest. When, why, and how did they do them. What was the purpose of these things in the Law? You should already be filled with the Holy Spirit and His fire, so you are walking in the power gifts that He endows you with. You are Pentecostal aren’t you? Verses 3-6 can make no sense to you unless you are. You should already understand the various resurrections from the dead, Yeshua’s, the overcomer barley companies’ at His second coming, the wheat company believers’ at the end of the thousand year millennium, and the resurrection of the unbelieving grape company at the end of the millennium. And you absolutely must understand that the concept of unending torture of unbelievers is NOT biblical. Judgment only lasts for as many ages as Yahuah orders. The most severe punishment revealed in the Torah is the execution of a criminal, then toss his body into the city dump, thus denying him a proper burial. That’s it, no torture allowed, not even by Yahuah. He would be unjust to punish beyond the statutes and judgments written in His Law.
The writer makes it very clear that you must have tasted and partook of all six of these principles BEFORE you could qualify as one who falls away. If you are not walking in the light of these six basic principles, you cannot fall away from them. You can’t fall away from something to which you haven’t even attained yet. Look at verse 5, “and did taste the good saying of Yahuah, the powers also of the coming age.” Notice that it does not say eternal age, or everlasting age. An age has a beginning and an end. The age he’s talking about here is the next one to come, the Messianic Age of Messiah’s millennial reign on earth, since the writer was living and writing at the beginning of the Pentecostal Age. It will be an age of power because the overcomers will be reigning with Messiah in their glorified bodies, no more mortal weaknesses for them.
My question is, why would anyone who is walking in the light of these six basic principles in the joy of the Holy Spirit want to even consider falling away? What could be more wonderful during the Pentecostal Age? If we would but get comfortable in the fire of His judgments and afflictions, we would continue to seek and run to Him, not away from Him. We also learn to obey through the things we suffer.
The writer continues in verses 7-8, “For earth (you dear reader), that is drinking in the rain (of the Holy Spirit) many times coming upon it, and is bringing forth herbs (fruit of the Spirit) fit for those because of whom also it is dressed, doth partake of blessing from Yahuah (according to the Law), (8) and that which is bearing thorns and briers (no fruit, bad fruit) is disapproved of, and nigh to cursing (according to the Law, NOT beyond it), whose end is for burning (refining fire of Yahuah’s judgment, to purify you);” This is the burning fire that Yeshua wanted to see kindled on the earth while He was still walking among us, as He stated in Luke 12:49, “I came to send (refining) fire on the earth (on you, dear reader), and how I wish it were already kindled (anapto)!” Yahuah revealed to me many years ago that part of my calling is to kindle this fire in my brethren. That’s why my email screen name is anapto, I’m here to light you up, to enkindle the fire of the Holy Spirit in your spirit!! It is by the fire of Yahuah that we are conformed to the image of His Son, Yeshua. We want the dross burned out of our lives. You want to be rid of all sin before Yeshua returns. This is our calling and destiny! Yahuah wants pure crystal clear golden children, and He will have His way. You want to swim in the river of fire that flows from His throne, it’s the river of the waters of life. There is no other way back to the Garden of Eden, you must go through the flaming fire of His sword, the living burning Word. Let Him have His way in your heart, your earth, your promised land.
This is what the writer is talking about in verses 9-12, “and we are persuaded, concerning you, beloved, the things that are better, and accompanying salvation, though even thus we speak, (10) for Yahuah is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of the love, that ye shewed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering; (11) and we desire each one of you the same diligence to shew, unto the full assurance of the hope unto the end, (12) that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.”
The end in verse 11 could be the end of this age, the age to come, the end of your physical life on earth, the end of Yahuah’s plan for you. Yes, Yahuah’s plan has an end goal in mind, the restoration of all things, as explained in Acts 3:21, “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which Yahuah has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” The word times here is chronos, the time of restoration of all things has a beginning, which I believe has already begun, and it has an end in some future age, as spoken by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:28, “Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that Yahuah may be the all in all.” There is no room for unending torture of unbelievers in this concept. Yahuah subjects His enemies to Him by turning His enemies into His friends. All men will be saved eventually. We are inheriting the promises, even now.
The writer finishes chapter 6 with verses 13-20, “For to Abraham Yahuah, having made promise, seeing He was able to swear by no greater, did swear by Himself, (14) saying, `Blessing indeed I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee;’ (15) and so, having patiently endured, he did obtain the promise; (16) for men indeed do swear by the greater, and an end of all controversy to them for confirmation is the oath, (17) in which Yahuah, more abundantly willing to shew to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, did interpose by an oath, (18) that through two immutable things, in which it is impossible for Yahuah to lie, a strong comfort we may have who did flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us , (19) which we have, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and entering into that within the vail, (20) whither a forerunner for us did enter–Yeshua, after the order of Melchisedek chief priest having become–to the age.”
We inherit salvation by two immutable things that Yahuah has provided, the promise and the oath. Your salvation is doubly secured by Yahuah who cannot morally lie; it’s against His nature to lie, because He loves the Truth. We need to learn to love truth as He does. Yahuah promised He would bless Abraham and his children, and He confirmed that promise with an oath, a two-fold security system for your salvation. Why would you want to fall away from that? The promise was unconditional and cannot be nullified by the Law, which came 430 years later, as Paul states in Galatians 3:16-18, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Messiah. 17And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by Yahuah in Messiah, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but Yahuah gave it to Abraham by promise.” The Renewed Covenant was made between Yahuah and Yeshua, by promise, ratified in the blood of Yeshua, you are not a part of this covenant, you just inherit the benefit of it, salvation. Your performance, whether to gain or to lose salvation, is not in consideration in this covenant. You will be restored to your Creator, Yahuah, whether you think you want to be now or not. He is sovereign, not you.
Notice verse 20 in Hebrews chapter 6. Yeshua is made the Melchisedek High Priest, for an age, or to the age. To what age? To the age of restoration of all things. We may not need a High Priest, once all of creation is set free in the Jubilee at the end of all the ages of Yahuah’s plan. Yeshua said you would be set free indeed. He meant it. We should be perfectly conformed to the image of Yeshua by the end of the ages. In that day we should be able to live in perfect harmony with our Heavenly Father and our fellow immortals. I look forward to seeing you there.
In chapter 7 of Hebrews, whenever the writer talks of Yeshua being priest forever, he is saying to the age, or for the age, or He is an age-during priest.
Chapter 8 continues the discussion about the fact that we do have this High Priest Who is ministering for us in the heavenly tabernacle or Court of Yahuah on our behalf. Verse 13 is fantastic, it says the Renewed Covenant has made the Old Covenant obsolete and that the old is ready to disappear, but it does NOT say that the old has disappeared yet. It’s old, it’s aging, it’s senescent, it’s obsolete, but it’s not gone yet. The Assembly of Yahuah needs to understand that we still need the Law so we know how to live with each other and with our Elohim.
Now on to chapter 9 of Hebrews. Verses 1-11 talk of the priestly services in the earthly tabernacle, but then speaking of Yeshua in verse 12, “neither through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, did enter in once into the holy places, age-during redemption having obtained;” What do we see here? Our redemption will last through an age, or the age to which Yahuah wants it to endure. Is that eternal security of the believer? Or do we come to a place in our life where we no longer need redemption? Once the plan of redemption is complete, do we need Yeshua’s blood covering any longer? These are dangerous questions. In the Law, the one redeemed served the Redeemer until the redemption price had been paid back. Will we someday be true co-heirs with Yeshua, walking as fully redeemed men, truly free indeed? We will then serve Yahuah because we love Him and we want to serve Him, not because we owe our Redeemer a debt of service. That will be the sense in which our redemption is eternal. We will only owe Him our love, but we will be forever grateful for what He did for us, so we will serve Him out of a pure heart of love. That age is coming.
Verse 14 could be troublesome, “how much more shall the blood of the Messiah (who through the age-during Spirit did offer himself unblemished to Yahuah) purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living Elohim?” You know that the Holy Spirit is eternal because He is One of the Elohim. He is One of the Unity of the Echad. So why did the writer say age-during Spirit? It’s possible that he was referring to the Passover Age in which Yeshua did His redemptive work. The Holy Spirit of Yahuah will be the age-during Spirit of all ages, past, present, and future. And no matter in which age Yeshua were to offere Himself, He would be an unblemished sacrifice, in any past age, present age, or any age to come, because the Son is also eternally existent. Notice that the phrase in this passage is in parenthesis. It’s possible that this was just a margin note of an early copyist of the Scriptures. No matter how many ages Yahuah has in His plan, the Holy Spirit will endure through all of them.
Verse 15 continues, “And because of this, of a new covenant he is mediator, that, death having come, for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, those called may receive the promise of the age-during inheritance,” You mean our inheritance may not be eternal? But it will endure through all the ages that Yahuah has planned. There is a beginning and an end to our inheritance. Outside of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, evidence for eternal or everlastingness is just not in the Scriptures.
Hebrews 9:26, “since it had behoved him many times to suffer from the foundation of the world, but now once, at the full end of the ages, for putting away of sin through his sacrifice, he hath been manifested;” Yeshua did His redemptive work on the execution stake at the consummation of the Passover Age. It was the perfect time and place in history. Thank Yahuah that He only had to do that once, but the results will last to the . . . ages!
Now we jump to Hebrews 13:20, “And the Elohim of the peace, who did bring up out of the dead the great shepherd of the sheep–in the blood of an age-during covenant–our Master Yeshua.” Whoa, you mean the covenant itself only lasts through a certain age? Yeah, until the redemptive process is totally complete.
And verse 21, “make you perfect in every good work to do His will, doing in you that which is well-pleasing before Him, through Yeshua HaMashiach, to whom is the glory–to the ages of the ages! Amen.” What? We’re not going to give glory to Yeshua forever? No, just from age to age, age after age, to the ages!!
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