The Perseverance of the Saints
Since awakening to the relevance of Torah, my faith has never been so attacked. I guess that's a good thing - it must mean I'm on the right track - but the attack is happening on two fronts. Although I've never publicly approached Christians regarding obedience to God's commands nor Jews on their disbelief in Yeshua, I have seen enough articles and read enough books to know that Christians call people like me "in bondage to legalism" and Jews consider us to be "idol worshippers". Their accusations can be painful, and I've had to trust the Spirit's guidance more than ever, yet it's a comfort to read that these things are to be expected.
The context of Revelation 14 is identifying the true followers of the Lamb from the worshippers of the beast. Verse 12 warns that perseverance is needed, but from whom is it expected? From those who are both obedient to God's commands and faithful to Yeshua. I do not think it is a coincidence that the Bible mentions the characteristics of the saints in this particular order. When a believer in Jesus discovers Torah, to whom does he first go? Other Christians. If they do not listen, to whom does a believer run? Unbelieving Jews. Thus, the attack is on two successive fronts. Christians attack our conviction on Torah-keeping and Jews attack our belief in Yeshua. These parties generally use Scripture to support their attacks, so I fight back with Scripture. I've found that one can prove obedience to Torah and the Messiahship of Yeshua using the first five books of the Bible alone. Unfortunately, it can be a painful process. Many apostatize from the faith because all of their beliefs are called into question. However, if one is really seeking the truth, he has nothing to lose. This is the perseverance of the saints. We must use the Scriptures and the Spirit to expose error and point to the Way, namely, Yeshua.
I plan to do a series soon called "In Defense of Yeshua" which will cover several of the arguments that Jews raise against Yeshua. Most of these are valid objections given the shallowness of Christian doctrine. It is vital that we examine seeming contradictions in our beliefs and work to prove otherwise.
"Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." (Revelation 14:12)
The context of Revelation 14 is identifying the true followers of the Lamb from the worshippers of the beast. Verse 12 warns that perseverance is needed, but from whom is it expected? From those who are both obedient to God's commands and faithful to Yeshua. I do not think it is a coincidence that the Bible mentions the characteristics of the saints in this particular order. When a believer in Jesus discovers Torah, to whom does he first go? Other Christians. If they do not listen, to whom does a believer run? Unbelieving Jews. Thus, the attack is on two successive fronts. Christians attack our conviction on Torah-keeping and Jews attack our belief in Yeshua. These parties generally use Scripture to support their attacks, so I fight back with Scripture. I've found that one can prove obedience to Torah and the Messiahship of Yeshua using the first five books of the Bible alone. Unfortunately, it can be a painful process. Many apostatize from the faith because all of their beliefs are called into question. However, if one is really seeking the truth, he has nothing to lose. This is the perseverance of the saints. We must use the Scriptures and the Spirit to expose error and point to the Way, namely, Yeshua.
I plan to do a series soon called "In Defense of Yeshua" which will cover several of the arguments that Jews raise against Yeshua. Most of these are valid objections given the shallowness of Christian doctrine. It is vital that we examine seeming contradictions in our beliefs and work to prove otherwise.
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