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Perhaps no other chapter in the Book of Acts is more misunderstood and misinterpreted than this chapter dealing with those coming out of the nations after receiving Yahshua as Messiah, than this chapter (others are chapters 10 and 21). With Yahweh’s help I will attempt to expound on this chapter and show you that it contains the THREE KEYS TO THE RESTORATION OF YISRAEL- The Truth of the Two Houses of Yisrael (Judah and Ephraim), the Truth of the Name of Yahweh, and the Truth of Torah for the Two Houses. Let us look at this chapter very closely to discover these Truths of the Debar Yahweh.

 

1. Verse 1: These were unauthorized teachers (see verse 24) coming from the Judean Brethren in Yahrushalayim demanding that the newly converted Yisraelites (I’ll prove that later) undergo a conversion to Judaism in order to be delivered or saved. These new converts came into the Body of Messiah without becoming proselytes to Judaism according to the ORAL LAW that required a brit milah, mikvah, and a sacrifice at the Temple. These FALSE TEACHERS from JUDAH were putting conditions upon "salvation" that the Torah did not require. The prophet Yoel proclaimed that "ALL who call upon the Name of Yahweh shall be saved."(Yoel 2:32). So, the question was,"Can one from out of the nations come into the assembly without a full conversion to Judaism?" Ironically, today the question is,"Can a Jew be "saved" without becoming a pagan Christian?"

 

Circumcision predates the Torah by more than 400 years .It is part of the Avrahamic Covenant (actually Yahweh’s covenant). All HEBREW MALES were to undergo brit milah on the eighth day (Bereshit 17:9-14). This command was reconfirmed in the Torah to Yisrael in Wayyiqra 12:1-2. So, ALL Yisraelite males were to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant of Avraham. We can assume this demand of these teachers was according to Oral Law because they say "according to the manner of Mosheh". The Torah does not spell out HOW to circumcise, BUT the Oral Law DOES spell out "the manner" in which to circumcise. This was codified in the Mishnah about 170 years after Acts 15 (see Shabbat 9:3,18:3,19:1-6; Pesachim 3:7;Megillah 2:4;N’darim 3:11;Arakim 2:2;K’ritot 1:1, and N’ga’im 7:5).

 

The question we need to ask is,"What does Yahweh require for one to be delivered or justified?"We MUST NOT as Messianic Yisrael accept the teachings of men or even a Bet Din’s ruling of what the conditions are for coming into the Body of Messiah. We do not need to convert to Rabbinical Judaism to be a Messianic Yisraelite or to come into the Body of Messiah.

 

2. Verse 2: Because of these demands of these Judean teachers, Rav Shaul and Barnabah had a rather large dispute with them. They were taking the "Good News" to the nations in order to find the "lost sheep of the House of Yisrael". They actually saw the ones coming out of the nations receiving Yahshua as Messiah and the Ruach Hakodesh WITHOUT BEING CIRCUMCISED! The dispute became so heated that they decided to take the sh’eilah (question) to the emissaries and elders in Yahrushalayim. Yahrushalayim was the center for the Messianic faith at the time as the elders and the emissaries were still there. Rav Shaul would appeal to them and their wisdom for the solution to this major dispute in the congregations.

3. Verse 5: Notice here that some believing P’rushim (Pharisees) agreed with the teachers from Yahrushalayim. These are not FORMER Pharisees, but like Rav Shaul, Pharisees that believed in Yahshua as the Moshiach.

 

4. Verse 7: Kepha recounts to the assembly gathered of how Yahweh had cleansed the hearts of those from out of the nations by belief (not faith) after hearing the Word of Yahweh taught to them.

 

5. Verse 8:Yahweh gave them, the ones from out of the nations, the Ruach just as He did the Jews.

 

6. Verse 9. Yahweh MADE NO DISTINCTION between the Jews and the ones coming from the nations, and had made them acceptable to himself by belief in Yahshua as the Moshiach.

 

7. Verse 10: What is this "yoke" that Kepha is speaking of here? It is NOT TORAH! The Torah is not a burden, but a joy to perform! In the Mishnah in B’rakot 2:2 (commenting upon Deut.6: 4-9) the yoke is in the mind of a Yisraelite is the Kingdom of Heaven and the mitzvoth of Torah. But this does not imply the heavy burdensome yoke spoken of here, any more than Yahshua’s yoke (Matt.11: 30) .So, we can understand that Kepha is NOT speaking of the Torah nor the Kingdom of Yahweh.He is speaking of the mechanical legalistic rule-keeping of the Oral Torah and traditions the sages and rabbis placed upon the people of Yisrael, REGARDLESS of the heart condition. Please read Mattithyahu 23 to get the full understanding of what Kepha is saying. The yoke is the EXTRA prohibitions and commandments added to the Torah. You have to understand that to the Jew, Torah includes all the Oral Law and the Written Law. We could say it is the yoke of legalism prescribed by men. Legalism is always a burdensome thing. Love is never a burden. Performing the commands of Yahweh from true love can never become legalism. Rav Shaul also called legalism a "yoke of slavery" in Galatians 5:1.

 

8. Verse 11: Kepha states that EVERYONE, Jew and non-Jew, can trust to be justified by the favor or grace of the Master Yahshua the Messiah. The same conditions for all men- TRUST and GRACE!

 

9. Verses 14-18: THE TRUTH OF THE TWO HOUSES AND THE NAME OF YAHWEH!

Verse 14: "Shimon has declared how Yahweh first visited the goyim (nations) to TAKE OUT OF THEM a people for HIS NAME."

 

The first thing you need to notice here is that Yahweh is only visiting the nations (through His emissaries) to remove them (His people) from the nations and is putting His Name upon them. The Greek word for people here is "laos" and refers to a people elected by Yahweh. In Acts 10:2 and 10:42 this very same word refers to Yisrael! Yisrael has always been the elect (see Matt.24: 31) and the chosen people of Yahweh. Read Tehillim 33:12;Deut.7: 6,14:2;Yeshayahu 45:4. These people scattered into the nations are the "lost sheep of the House of Yisrael" that Yahshua mentions in Matt.10: 6. For references to the SCATTERING of Yisrael read these:Lev.26:33;Deut.4:27,28:64,32:26;Neh1:8;Jer.9:16,18:17,23:1;Ezek.20:23,22:15,36:19;Yochanan (John) 11:52. All these prophetic utterances prove that the "sheep" or Yisrael would be scattered into EVERY LAND in the four corners of the earth. The Book of Hoshea is a great place to read of the scattering of Yisrael AND the regathering in the latter-days.

 

This word visited in Acts 15:14 is #1980 in Strong’s and actually means to inspect, to look upon, to care for, exercise oversight. Ya’akov was saying that Yahweh is going into the nations (goyim) and inspecting the sheep there to see if they are His or not! He is the Great Shepherd (Ps.23: 1,80:1;Jer.31: 10;Ezek.34, 37:24;Yochanan (John) 10) and knows His sheep. Yahshua said that they KNOW His voice and would respond. He also explained that He had more sheep that were not just in the land of Yisrael (John 10:16). Yahshua also said that many were called, but few are CHOSEN (Matt.20: 16). The word chosen in that verse is #1588-eklektos meaning chosen, elect, or favorite. It comes from # 1586-eklegomai meaning to select or make choice, chosen. It is a combination of #1537-EK and #3004-LEG: To call, ask, bid, speak to, NAME, and OUT (ek), or to speak to someone in order for them to come out! Now, it is very interesting that the word congregation or assembly is ekklesia (which ALWAYS referred to Yisrael) is a combination of EK-KALEO and means an assembly or congregation of CALLED-OUT ONES! It is used of Yisrael in Acts 7:38! We see in this one verse that Yahweh was inspecting the nations, calling out to them in order to find His sheep, seizing them or removing them from the nations (#2983-lambano-to catch, seize, remove get a hold of, take away), and give them His Name-Yahweh! Only Yisrael was given the Name of Yahweh. More on that later as we study this chapter.

 

10. Verses 16-17: Ya’akov explains to the council that this was prophesied by the Navaim (prophets) in the TaNaK .He then quotes from the prophet Amos 9:9-12 concerning the Tabernacle of Dawid. "I will rebuild the fallen Tabernacle (tent or booth) of Dawid". WOW! If we look at the context of this quote from Amos we can see it deals with the SCATTERING of Yisrael among the nations like seed! Then Amos says that Yahweh will rebuild the booth of Dawid or the House of Dawid /Kingdom of Yisrael (ALL 12 TRIBES) which has been destroyed. It shall be rebuilt as in days of old. This will require a regathering from where they were scattered-the nations (goyim)! But that is not all! In Amos 9:12, it says "so that they (Yisrael) possess the remnant of Edom (should read Adam-mankind), and ALL the gentiles (goyim) on whom MY Name is called, declares the Master Yahweh who does this."

     

    This verse is absolute proof of the Two-House Truth! Let us look at two words remnant and possess. The word possess in Hebrew is yaresh and means to occupy (by driving out the previous inhabitants and possessing their place), to seize, rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish. The Hebrew for remnant is sh’eriyth meaning a remainder, residue, the rest, portion. It comes from sha’ar meaning to swell up, remain, reserve, the rest. What Amos is saying in this verse is: when Yahweh begins to rebuild the House of Dawid (the Kingdom of Yisrael under the Greater Dawid-Yahshua) the scattered seed of Yisrael will be occupying all the lands of what is left of all mankind (not counting the Seed of Yisrael), and they (the SEED) will be in ALL the GENTILES on whom the NAME of Yahweh is CALLED! HalleluYAH! This is the very same thing that Ya’akov is saying in Acts 15:15-17! He (Yahshua’s half-brother) knew that these so-called "gentiles’ were really the "lost sheep of the House of Yisrael"! Why? Because they were called by Yahweh’s Name. You cannot have the Messiah Yahshua without receiving the Name of Yahweh. He (Yahshua) is "Yahweh’s salvation". He came to save (YASHA) His people (Yisrael) from their sin or Torah breaking! When you know the Son then you should know the Father (Yochanan –John 8:16-56).

    What does it mean to be called by Yahweh’s Name? Look at Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:23-27. Aharon the Kohen HaGadol (High Priest) was to bless ALL Yisrael and PUT THE NAME OF YAHWEH UPON THEM! Only Yisrael had this right and blessing. It did not belong to the pagans and worshippers of "gods and lords". Yahweh was the Mighty One of Yisrael ALONE! Aharon is a type of Yahshua, our High Priest. Now in the Brit Chadasha, Yahshua is placing the Name of Yahweh upon those who are Yisrael and will not deny His Name. Revelation 3:12 says that Yahshua (speaking to the assembly at Philadelphia) will place the Name of His Elohim (Yahweh) and the name of the city of Yahweh –Yahweh Shammah (the Renewed Yahrushalayim) on him who overcomes. Yisrael means –he who prevails or overcomes with Yahweh (El). So, we can see that only Yisrael can receive the Name of Yahweh upon them. Look at Revelation 14: 1.There the 144,000 Messianic Yisraelites have the Name of the Father –Yahweh- on their foreheads! These are from the 12 tribes of Yisrael, not just Judah, as many believes.

    Yes, Ya’akov believed and understood the prophecy of Amos concerning the regathering of Yisrael in Moshiach. We are told in Bereshit 49:10 that to Judah would be the gathering (yiqqahah) or obedience of the people. This word gathering or obedience comes from the root Yaqeh a symbolic name for Shelomoh (Solomon) –who is a type of Moshiach. The rabbis know this verse teaches that the Messiah will come from Judah (as did Solomon) .He would also be the Son of Dawid (as Solomon). To Him (Moshiach) would be the gathering of the people. People in this verse is the Hebrew word AM and can men people, TRIBE (as those of Yisrael), troops, FLOCK (as sheep), or even NATION. Shelomoh was the last King of Yisrael that ALL the tribes were gather under. Now, under King Moshiach- Yahshua, the tribes, flock, nation, and people of Yisrael will be regathered into the rebuilt Tabernacle of Dawid! AM YISRAEL CHAI!

     

11. Verse 19: Let us look at the word trouble #3926 in Strong’s meaning to annoy, harass, irritate, vex, to make loathsome a crowd so that they become bitter or angry. The word turning is epistepho in the Greek and means RETURN, turn AGAIN, convert, revert, come AGAIN or go AGAIN, turn about AGAIN! No one can return or come back UNLESS THEY WERE ONCE THERE! This verse proves that these so-called ‘Gentiles" in this chapter had ancestors that ONCE WORSHIPPED YAHWEH AS YISRAELITES AND YAHWEH WAS CALLING THEM (THE BLOODLINE SEED OF YISRAEL) BACK TO YAHWEH THROUGH MESSIAH YAHSHUA!

 

Ya’akov was not wanting to vex or harass these RETURNING YISRAELITES (Ephraimites) with the whole yoke of Torah at once. He (in his wisdom) knew that anyone coming to Messiah needs to start with baby-steps of observance and obedience. If the council would "dump the whole load" of Torah on the new Believers, they would become bitter and discouraged, which leads to anger with oneself with the inability to perform all 613 mitzvoth at once. Then they would become disenchanted with Torah and go back to their pagan ways. What a word of wisdom to us in Messianic Yisrael!

 

12. Verses 20-21:The Truth of Torah for ALL Yisrael!

    Ya’akov, under the inspiration of the Ruach, decides to put no heavier burden on the returning Yisraelites than four Torah mitzvoth. They are the following: 1. To abstain from the defilement of idolatry 2. To abstain from whoring 3.To abstain from meat from strangled animals 4. To abstain from blood. This was to be the beginning of their Torah observance as new Messianic Yisraelites. All of these can be found in the Torah. Let us look at them one by one so we can gain some understanding.

     

    	IDOLATRY: Shemot 20:2-6; Wayyiqra 19:4,26:1;Tehillim 96:5. Since these returning Yisraelites were former idolaters this was the very first commandment given them. Yahweh did not want them returning to the "god and lord" that they formerly worshipped when they were in the nations. He was calling them out of that abomination. If they were returning to Yahweh, the Elohim of Yisrael, then they had to put all forms of idolatry away from themselves. They had to stop their pagan feast days and holidays. They had to forsake their pagan ways of worship. They had to take the pagan names of the Baalim (lord) and gad (god) from their lips!
    	FORNICATION: Shemot 20:14;Wayyiqra 18: Most of the worship they had been involved with while in the nations included all kinds of sexual immorality and abominations. In fact, most of it is too obscene to write about in this article. Yahweh wants His people to be pure sexually. The sexual morals of the nations were abominations to Yahweh and the Jews. So, before these returning Yisraelites (Ephraim) could be accepted by the other talmidim they had to forsake the idol temples, rituals, homosexuality, bestiality, lesbianism, and any other form of fornication. Idol worship ALWAYS involves some form of sexual perversion.
    	THINGS STRANGLED: Wayyiqra 11;Devarim 12: This command to the new Believers in Yahshua deals with meat that has not been properly slaughtered so all the blood is drained out. The word strangled means in the Greek "to choke, throttle, choked to death (not bled)" .In Judaism proper slaughtering is called sh’chitah and requires that the animal be killed by a single knife stroke across the neck. The animal dies instantly, painlessly, and all the blood is drained very quickly. This is a part of the law of Kashrut.The reason for this was to make sure that the meat (clean meats of course) the Yisraelites were eating was drained of all blood. Once again this goes back to idolatry and part of their pagan worship.
    	BLOOD: Wayyiqra 17;Devarim 12: The drinking of blood is connected with idol worship and the rites of the false gods of the nations. Yahweh forbids His people Yisrael to drink blood or even eat meat with the blood still in it. The law of Kashrut or the eating of kosher meat was a command given the Body of Messiah. The Judean Brethren wanted these new Believers to keep the clean animal laws and stay away from any form of idolatry-in any shape or form. Therefore all meat they consumed had to be properly slaughtered and all the blood drained before they could consume it. That left out all the meat they would purchase in a meat market of the heathens or at the pagan temples.

    As you look over these very "basic" commands given by the council to the Body of Messiah (and these are still binding by the way), how many do you hear preached from the "pulpits" (to pull in a pit-blind leading the blind) of the "kirches". Even if they do not believe they are Yisrael, and think they are "Gentiles", these still apply to them today. They were never rescinded or done way with. As I studied this part, I wondered how many Believers are even aware that these are in the Scriptures and they should be performing them? These are commands of Yahweh to the congregations of Messiah.

    Then in verse 21 Ya’akov says, " For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in EVERY CITY, those proclaiming him-being read in the congregations EVERY SABBATH." He and the council decided to send these returning Yisraelites to the SYNAGOGUE to hear the Torah read every Shabbat (not SUN-day) so they could learn more of the torah and what was required of them as Yisraelites. Week by week in every city Torah was being expounded and taught. They were to go on Shabbat and hear the Torah, ask questions, and learn more of the commandments slowly week by week. They would grow in Torah knowledge and observance as they went on Sabbath with the other Believing Judean Brethren to the synagogues.

    We see then that one of the main purposes of these first four commandments for the Yisraelites (Ephraimites) was so they could have table fellowship with their Judean Brethren. The Judean did not have to fear becoming ritually unclean from being with these Ephraimites or eating their food. They knew the food was kosher and that these new Brethren had not been participating in the rituals and worship at the pagan meeting places. They also had the confidence knowing that these Ephraimites would slowly learn more Torah and become true Yisraelites over a period of time. A great message for Messianic Yisrael today!

     

13. Verses22, 28:The text says it seemed good to all the emissaries, elders, and the entire congregation that this was the solution to the question of the returning Ephraimites. So letters were sent to all the congregations. Verse 28 states it was also seemed good to the Ruach Hakodesh. This was a wise decision on the part of the elders to deem these four commandments of the Torah as necessary for the Ephraimites and the Judeans in the congregations. They could now fellowship freely with one another at the table. It was the beginning of the Restoration of the Tabernacle of Dawid with the 12 Tribes reunited through Moshiach Yahshua, a prophetic happening as Amos predicted!