THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY

I will say unto many
Who say Lord unto me,
I never knew you,
Ye that work Iniquity

These are the harshest words in the pages of scripture, the harshest in the history of the recorded word. These words were reserved for the final judgment, and were spoken to those individuals who considered themselves spirit filled, charismatic, or evangelical Christians. The Lord only takes us to the Judgment day scenario in the most serious of matters.

In this scene in the Gospel of Matthew, the screams of millions of Christians are extinguished in the lake of fire reserved for Satan and his emissaries. These verses are seldom, if ever read in Churches. It is assumed that these words are for people in every denomination and walk of life except for the present company of pew warmers. But it is better to be shocked into reality now, while we have opportunity to correct our ways, than to be dragged kicking and screaming from the presence of the Lord that we thought we served!

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in they name we have cast out devils? And in thy name we have done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity,

First we note that this is addressed to those who have confessed with their mouth that Jesus is their Lord. They have prophesied in the name of Jesus. They have cast out demonic spirits in the name of Jesus. They have raised money to build cathedrals to the glory of God and their television ministries may have spanned the globe as they paraded the biggest names in show business across the stage – praising the name of Jesus and what wonderful things he has done for their lives. But now, with the flames of the Lake of Fire fanned by the flailing arms of their favorite praise and worship leader who was just tossed into the molten brimstone, we ask the belated question: Have we done the will of the Father? Or have we mindlessly followed a religion concocted by the twisted mind of man? It will be too late then to make a course correction. Let us consider deeply this personal working of the Mystery of Iniquity.

To understand this most critical construct of the Mystery of Iniquity and it’s undermining of the life of a believer, it is necessary to capture the context of this statement as it was originally spoken, and thoughtfully consider its ramifications to you and I today. Contextualizing scripture is almost non-existent in modern Christianity, where isolating numbered sound bites (verses) and arranging them into a 25-minute positive-self-image message has replaced thoughtful consideration of the Hebrew Scriptures. To understand the seventh chapter of the book of Matthew, where this passage is situated, we must begin in chapter four. It is there that we witness the first adult activity of the one born “King of the Jews” as his cousin John baptizes him. Jesus then goes into the desert on the East bank of the Jordan for the 40-day fast that ends in his overcoming the temptations of Satan. We know from the other gospel accounts that upon his return to the Jordan, at least two of John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus. The marriage in Cana on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is one of the first recorded stops as he and his growing band of disciples make their way from one village to another, teaching in the local Synagogues each Sabbath. The fame of his teaching echoed throughout the region as he stripped the doctrines and commandments of the religious hierarchy, off from the purity of the commandments delivered through Moses.

The people loved him – they had never heard anyone with such command of the Scriptures and the boldness to expose religious corruption. They anxiously followed him to his next teaching location the following Sabbath. Leaders in the local synagogues were excited to see all of the new faces that he brought with him – not so positive when most of the regulars were in another village to hear him the next Sabbath. A multitude was now itching to hear the next words from the young rabbi’s lips.

Matthew 5:1, And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain; and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.

Just as when Moses saw the burning but unconsumed bush and turned aside to see, so the disciples – the disciplined students turned aside, and climbed the mountain to hear words reserved for the few. They left behind thousands who were willing to listen as long as no exertion was required. Those who wanted a convenient feel good message would wait comfortably on the beach below.

“And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for there is the kingdom of heaven’.”

These are the first recorded words of the Messiah as he addresses his disciples on the mountain. He begins by citing qualifications required for those desiring access into the kingdom of heaven. To understand the magnitude of his words we must step back, not just a few weeks, but several thousand years as we begin to explore the purpose of this specific message, as it had been prophesied from the beginning time.

Thousands and thousands of years before Moses recorded the instructions that were given him from Sinai, God gave his instructions to Adam. Among these instructions God declared the purpose of the spherical bodies that he put in motion in the heavens.

Genesis 1:14, And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days, and for years.

The sun, moon, planets, and stars were put in their courses to reveal the Creator’s reckoning of time; the passing of days, weeks, months, and years. The modern Christian world, however, has forsaken God’s reckoning of time, clearly detailed in the Hebrew scriptures, and has adopted a pagan sun god worship calendar which has no basis in reality whatsoever.

The sun, moon, planets, and stars were put in their courses to reveal the Creator’s seasons; (moedim in Hebrew) the appointed times which became known as the Feasts of the LORD, detailed in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus. The Feasts of the LORD are the prophetic shadow pictures by which God told the end from the beginning. Again, the modern Christian world has forsaken God’s Feasts, which Paul said are all “shadow pictures of good things to come in the future” and has adopted and adapted pagan sun god worship festivals such as Easter – the fertility goddess, and Child mass – the sacrifice of infants to the god of prosperity at the winter solstice.

The sun, moon, planets, and stars put in their courses to reveal the Creator’s signs in the heavens, which have proclaimed God’s plan of redemption from the first starry night of Adam’s existence. The names of the stars reveal the constellations, which are the larger story pictures in the heavens of good things to come. The stars reveal nothing about your personal day-to-day life; that is an astrological perversion. The stars reveal God’s nature to man, day after day. The heavenly bodies are signs in the heavens that foretell the coming of the redeemer. God names the stars, and their original Hebrew names declare his glory:

Psalm 19, The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day the heavens utter speech, and night unto night they show knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

God taught the names and meanings of the stars to Adam, and these instructions were passed all the way down to Shem who was the Malik-Tzedek living in Jerusalem at the time the languages were divided at the tower of Babel. To this day, the stars retain the original meaning of their God given names in nearly every culture under the sun.

The constellation Bethula (Hebrew for “Virgin”) is known in Latin as Virgo, and in Greek as Parthenos. The constellation cannot be seen as an outline of a virgin in the heavens; however, the names of the individual stars in the constellation describe the attributes of the heavenly sign. Bethula has, in her left hand, one star – in Hebrew: Tzemach. Yet, Bethula has been depicted for thousands of years with five branches in her left hand. Why?

The word Tzemach is used five times by the Hebrew prophets. It was translated into English as BRANCH in capitals, as the rabbis and translators understood it to refer to the Messiah as the Righteous Branch, the sprout of the root of Jesse – the offspring of King David. The New Testament scriptures show the fulfillment of these five “BRANCH” prophecies as they are recorded in five gospel records.

In Matthew the Messiah is depicted as the BRANCH, the King from heaven as he lays down the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the criterion by which the King will judge his subjects. The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is used 56 times in Matthew. The corresponding prophecy is found in Jeremiah 25:5.

“I will raise unto David a righteous BRANCH – Txemach; and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth”.

In Mark the Messiah is depicted as the BRANCH, the servant as he gives his life in service. He lives the lifestyle he expects his disciples to follow. The terminology of the gospel paints a picture of undistracted service. The word “immediately” is used 17 times, “straightway” 19 times – no grass is growing under the feet of the Branch. The corresponding prophecy is found in Zechariah 3:8,

“Behold I will bring forth my servant, the BRANCH – Tzemach”. In Luke, the Messiah is depicted as the BRANCH, the Son of Man as he lives his life as an example of service to God. The phrase Son of Man is used 25 times. The corresponding prophecy is found in Zechariah 6:12:

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, saying, behold the man whose name is the BRANCH Tzemach. He shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.”

In John the Messiah is depicted as the BRANCH, the Son of God as he gives his life as a ransom for man’s sins and his sinless blood is poured out on the golden altar as the atonement that was foreshadowed by animal sacrifice. Without the shedding of sinless blood, there is no remission of sins. The price had to be paid by the righteous Branch. The corresponding prophecy is found in Isaiah 4:2;

“In that day shall the BRANCH – Tzemach, of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.”

In the gospel of The Revelation, the Messiah is depicted as the BRANCH, the Judge from heaven as he subdues all earthly power and authority and rules the world with a rod of iron according to the Laws that God has ordained. The King judges and rules his subjects in righteousness. Yes, the book of The Revelation is the fifth gospel. It is “good news” to those who love his coming – bad news for those who have been living by their own rules. The corresponding prophecy is found in Jeremiah 33:15;

“I cause the BRANCH = Tzemach, of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land”.

From the beginning God made provision for the seed of David, the righteous Branch, the King to proclaim the kingdom of heaven and the rules by which it will be governed. From the pages of the gospel of which the stars spoke, we will hear directly from the one of which Moses spoke, “every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people”. (Acts 3:22)

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18)

Moving ahead thousands of years, we resume the context in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The King from heaven lays down the rules of the kingdom of heaven. These are the words that will be required of us all. The end of his warning is the final judgment: “Depart from me”. We should listen to him with great carefulness.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

The Greek word “chortazo” means “to fill to the point of one’s hunger”. If your hunger for God can be satisfied by a 25-minute rehash of a message that was lukewarm 150 years ago, when the heads of a denominational sect of Christianity cooked up a pot of inoffensive middle-of-the-road sermonettes to keep the supporting parishioners complacent, then you are easily filled. But if after 20 years of doing your dull denominational duties, you find yourself daydreaming during the sermon and asking yourself, “Is there nothing more than this insipid drivel?” – you may be on your way to breaking the religious bondage of the system and being filled to overflowing. The Messiah stated the purpose for eternal life as recorded in John 17:3;

“That they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.”

Many people do not want to know the true God or His Son – now. Why would they want to spend eternity getting to know him? Would God clutter heaven with a bunch of pew warmers and pain-in-the-neck ignorant by-standers?

As we will soon see in the ensuing chapters of Matthew, the King has a way of separating those who hunger and thirst for righteousness from those who wait for his return in the comfort of their religious traditions. In the 17th verse of chapter 5 we read what has become the unspoken motto of the modern Christian Church:

“Think not… May this word of comfort from the scriptures guide you until we meet again in the same pew, at the same time next week. Amen. Now, we will receive an offering to release the anointing.”

OK. Let’s put this verse back in the context and make certain that I handle the words of the Lord faithfully. Watch closely.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law (Torah), or the prophets (Nevim); I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

This is the first recorded teaching of the Messiah where thousands of Galilean Jews have the opportunity to hear the King as he lays down the rules of the kingdom of heaven. His disciples press their way up the mountain to be there for every word. They know that what he has been saying goes against the grain of the system, but it makes sense. Carefully consider my paraphrase!

“Do not think, for one moment – no matter what you hear from anyone in the days, weeks, months, years, and centuries to come – that I have come to destroy either the law, or the prophets. Again, let me reiterate what I just said in the last sentence, lest your mind has already wandered – I have not come to destroy – I have come to fulfill, to complete, and to satisfy the words of the Torah, and the words of the prophets.”

The word translated “law” is the Greek word “nomos”, which is the word that was used to translate the Hebrew word “Torah” in the Alexandrian Septuagint. “Torah” in Hebrew means “instructions” – and is used synonymously with the five books of Moses. It is the Torah that King David said is sweeter than honey. “Nomos” in the Greek version of the Scriptures, means Torah – which Paul the apostle said is, good and holy, and righteous, and just. Nomos is incorporated in the word “astronomy” which literally means “star instructions”. The word “Law”, however, stirs up images of flashing blue lights in the rear-view mirror, handcuffs, and the right to call an attorney. For clarity, I will u se the original Hebrew word Torah in the place of law. It is important to see that Torah is the basis to all that will be discussed in the following chapters.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot (Yod) or one tittle (decorative ornament on a letter) shall in no wise pass from the Torah, till all be fulfilled.”

Till heaven and earth pass:
Till all be fulfilled:
The Torah will not be altered in any detail.

It should be obvious to the most casual observer that heaven and earth have not passed. What about the other conditional phrase? Have all the Torah and all of the prophets been fulfilled?

Modern Christianity has developed a theology in which the instructions in the books of the “Old Testament” have all passed away. With the exception of one verse in the book of Malachi, which is interpreted to say that 501 C-3 corporations must collect a 10% religion tax each Sunday – or God will curse everyone in the building. But, before we jump to such conclusions, let us look at the very words and actions of the Messiah as he entered the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, as recorded in the 4th chapter of the gospel of Luke;

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee; and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book (scroll) of the prophet Yeshiyahu (Isaiah). And when he had opened the scroll, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the scroll, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.”

The Lord just did something that was completely unexpected by the people who were raised with the words of the prophet Isaiah from a youth. Why did he stop reading? Why was the entire assembly stopped breathing? Every eye was riveted on him. What is he doing to the prophet Isaiah? Why did his voice not trail off as he concluded the last word? He stopped dead – in the middle of a sentence!

“And he began to say unto them, This day, is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

The people were stunned. Why has he done this? The prophet Isaiah did not say this! We read the text from the 61st chapter.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God.”

Why did he not read the rest of the words of the prophet? Why did he stop in the middle of a sentence? He did not come to fulfill the day of vengeance of our God! He cam to fulfill the roll of Messiah Ben Joseph, the suffering servant – the atoning sin sacrifice. He did not come to be heralded as the Messiah Ben David – the conquering King who reigns over the earth with a rod of Iron. He did not come the first time as the Judge who wields the sword of vengeance. That is why he stopped reading in the middle of the sentence, closed the scroll and said; “This day, is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”.

I ask you again, have all of the Torah and Prophets been fulfilled??? Only if you have never read the Torah and the Prophets could you concoct such an uninformed, and deadly theological premise! Half of the Torah and Prophets tell of the Messiah coming as the suffering servant who will atone for the sins of his people; that is the message of the first four Gospels. That is the picture embedded in the Spring Feasts of the LORD – the shadow of the Messiah as Suffering Servant.

The other half of the Torah and Prophets tell of the Messiah ruling over the earth with a rod of iron as the King of Kings; that is the message of the fifth Gospel – the book of The Revelation. That is the picture embedded in the Fall Feasts of the LORD – the shadow of the Messiah as the Reigning King.

Have all the Torah and Prophets been fulfilled??? Only in your sick, twisted, western Gentile Mind! Or in the words of the Messiah: “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures – the Torah and the Prophets.”

I think that as a general policy we would have much less confusion we would simply allow the Jews to interpret all the Scriptures that the Jews have written, and let the Gentiles interpret all the Scriptures that the Gentiles have written. To illustrate, let’s consider what Peter writes of Paul:

“Even as our beloved brother Paul hath written to you, some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrestle these things as they wrestle the other scriptures unto their own destruction.” (II Peter 3:15)

What are the scriptures of which they are ignorant and unstable? The Torah and prophets from which Paul is constantly quoting! These are the scriptures that the believers in Berea searched every day, to prove whether Paul was teaching them the truth, or personal opinion. Paul proved that Jesus was Messiah by teaching the Torah. Bereans proved that Paul taught the truth by researching the Torah. Timothy was taught the Torah from a youth – the scriptures able to make one wise unto salvation. Paul said that the Torah was given by inspiration of God and was profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. The modern Christian church, however, has been raised in ignorance of this Torah.

We, like Peter, are “fishermen”. We were not raised at the feet of Gamaliel, as was Paul – having memorized the entire Torah by the time he reached his twentieth year. We have grown up in a culture that has ignorantly twisted the writings of Paul into four thousand denominations that curse each other and butcher scripture about which they know little. Because chapter and verse references are not emblazoned on the pages of the New Testament, most Christians don’t recognize that the Torah is continually referenced in Paul’s letters and the gospels. The writings in the New Testament never cite chapter and verse because there were no chapter and verse designations for a thousand years after the New Testament was written. Christians think that the New Testament fell out of a thin blue sky, that Jesus was born in the year one, and God’s chosen people finally arrived on the scene at Pentecost. Christians have been raised ignorant of Torah – which is the context of the entire New Testament! Modern Christianity has ignorantly proclaimed the passing of the Torah and the prophets because in their shallow understanding – “all the Torah and prophets have already been fulfilled. Obedience is bondage, we are all under grace.”

Those who have been raised in a Gentile world, ignorant of the Torah, can twist the simplest of scriptures, just as Paul stated to some unstable Gentile believers in Galatia:

Galatians 2:15, We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners among the Gentiles. Know that a man is not justified by the works of law.

Let us stop here for a moment and catch the context. Those who are born Jews, know something that is apparently escaping the Gentiles in Galatia. The Gentiles must recognize what Paul so eloquently wrote to the Gentiles in Ephesus;

Ephesians 2:12, Remember that one time you Gentiles were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

In other words, the prophets were sent to the children of Israel, they received the Torah, and the covenants were theirs. The Gentiles, on the other hand, were completely immersed in pagan sun god worship, fertility rites, and child sacrifice. As Paul wrote to the Gentile believers in Rome:

“Some of the natural olive branches (Israel) were broken off because of unbelief, and you Gentiles, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them to partake of the root and sap of the natural olive tree. But, do not exalt yourself over the natural branches. You do not bear the root. The root bears you. Don’t get haughty – but fear. Since God did not spare natural branches, take heed… If you do not continue in his goodness, you also will be cut off. I don’t want you Gentile brethren to be blinded by your conceit and ignorance of this mystery; that blindness in part (and only in part) is happened to Israel, until (and only until) the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. Israel is the Fathers beloved, and God’s gifts and calling to Israel will never be revoked.” (Romans 11:17-29)

Now that we have gained a more honest perspective concerning the Gentiles and their recent grafting into the Hebrew roots from paganism, lets see what Paul, a natural born Jew that was not cut off, has to say to these former heathens.

“We who are Jews by nature, and not heathen among the Gentiles, know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Messiah”.

The Jews understand that we are not now, nor ever have been, justified by keeping the Torah. Gentiles think, that the Jews believe that their righteousness is earned by keeping the law. That is a Gentile misconception – and that is what Paul is attempting to communicate. Every Gentile culture has laws that describe their righteousness and they ascribe their problem to the Jews. Abraham our father believed God, and was justified. Our righteousness is not earned by keeping the minutiae of commandments. Our righteousness comes by faith, just as our father Abraham. However, religious systems develop in every culture, and Israel is no exception. Men want to control others, and they develop laws that define righteousness so they can control people. God wants to lead us by his Spirit. Those who do not want to be obedient to God’s simple instructions and then learn to live in the spirit of those instructions will always make their own legalistic rules to govern themselves and others. Paul is attempting to break down this legalism, as it exists among the Jewish followers of the Messiah, and the Gentile followers of the Jewish Messiah.

Galatians 2:16, Even we (Jews) who have believed in Jesus Christ, are justified by faith in Messiah, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of law shall no flesh be justified.

No works of any law, man-made or God-made, produces righteousness. The Lord does not want us to be confused by Jewish or Gentile religious leaders who twist the Scriptures into their own rules and regulations to conduct followers into their own peace, safety, and prosperity goldmine.

Whosever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

To which commandments is he making reference? Context! The commandments in the Torah! The very commandments that he said would not pass until all of the Torah and Prophets have been fulfilled – and the new heaven and earth replace the old. Which is the least of the commandments? I would suggest that it is the one you break because you don’t think it matter. There are 613 commandments in the Torah. There are over 900 in the New Testament. Many of the commandments in the Torah don’t apply to your situation. Some apply only to adult men, others adult women or children. Some apply just to the Levite, others to Cohanim among the Levites. Some apply if you do not want to share in the deadly diseases from which Gentile Christians drop like flies, but kosher Jews never get. Others apply if you do not want your carcass to be cast upon the carcasses of the pagan idols that you have inherited from your ancestors. Take your pick, but my advice is, be aggressively obedient to the commandments of God. You cannot go wrong by engaging in acts of righteousness. Your personal pursuit of living according to God’s instructions is obedience – not legalism.

Keeping the commandments of God is referred to as obedience throughout the Scriptures. God defines sin and He defines obedience. Legalism, on the other hand, can only refer to the strict adherence to doctrines, commandments, religious rules and regulations of men. This is the systematized bondage from which the Messiah came to set us free. The word “legalism” is not found in the scriptures, but bondage to the rules and traditions of men is railed upon from its very first pages. The religious system in Israel was full of bondage in the fifth millennium. But the repression of their system doesn’t hold a candle to the manipulation, intimidation, and fear by which religious Gentiles rule over their flocks of sheep. If you do not want to govern yourself according to the commandments of God, there is a plethora of religious professionals who will be happy to control you and your assets, with their own brand of legalism. Don’t allow others to manipulate you – break every rule that religious systems put in front of you to measure your righteousness. Break every legalistic rule and regulation of men, but never break even one of the least commandments in the Torah. Breaking the rules and commandments of religious systems and refusing to be manipulated by religious guilt, will set you free from every form of religious bondage, even Christian bondage. Getting free from the doctrines and commandments of men will only work if you walk by the Spirit and live by the revealed Word of God. Remember, there are no “least” commandments, unless of course you are vying for the title of “Least” in the kingdom of heaven.

Some have suggested that being least in the kingdom is better than not being in the kingdom at all. They willingly sell their birthright for the pleasures of the flesh now, thinking that they may have just a little lower stature for eternity. Ministers commit adultery with their secretaries, paying for abortions with a portion of the congregational tithes. They rationalize that all sin is the same in God’s eyes, “grace” permits them to sin, and being “least” is not all that bad.

The King himself offered the title “least in the kingdom of heaven” and the qualifications for the title were succinctly delineated. But I feel that there has never been an adequate theological treatise on the subject and so I offer my uniquely qualified perspective. We immediately recognize that “least” is a relative term, and its subtle nuances and implications must be explored with meticulous deliberation. In my youth, I worked on several farms and have had, in my opinion, sufficient experience with beef cattle to posit a credible association of “least” in this environment. It may not take the same years of experience for most readers to select what they would consider to be “least” among the following list of beef cattle products:

My experience has brought me in contact with the fourth selection far more often than I care to articulate. But, I can say with confidence that one who would turn the grace of God into a license to sin in the matters that we are discussing; in the kingdom of heaven we affectionately refer to him as “Reverence Dow Dung”. This may not seem to be a particularly pleasant appellation, but certainly fitting for those who would not only break the Torah of God, but also teach others to do the same. Just as the Lord said of the religious leaders of his day:

Matthew 23:15, You cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn him into twice the son of hell as yourselves.

After he denigrates those who break the Torah and teach others to do the same, a casual conjunction begins the next statement, which sets the stage for the remainder of his dialogue through chapter seven:

“For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

The Pharisees were ultra-conservative and had orthodoxy for nearly every situation in life. They would not break the smallest of rules among the religious establishment. They prided themselves on being correct in their handling of the Scriptures and spend much time memorizing the same. Paul proclaimed near the end of the book of The Acts, that he was Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee; of this he was never ashamed. Nicodemus; a member of the Sanhedrin, and Joseph of Arimathaea were both followers of the Messiah and Pharisees as well. In the fifteenth chapter of Acts we read of a group of zealous Pharisees who were part of the Messianic community in Jerusalem. Pharisees were not typical religionists who attend a meeting once a week to scratch a mild religious bug. The Scriptures were their life, and they had a very organized system of righteousness that defined their every action. The Scribes were, perhaps even more disciplines than the Pharisees. They were trained to hand copy every yod and flourish of the Scriptures on a sheet of lambskin with absolute accuracy. Scribes were not inexperienced seminary graduates with a pastoral degree. Yet, this is the caliber of men that the Lord used to illustrate the righteousness that would be required of those who would enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Please allow me to offer this paraphrase from the MIV (Marine Infantry Version) for your consideration:

“For verity I say unto you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the most religious members of your ministerial association, theological seminaries, and schools of prophetic anointing, you can kiss your ticket to heaven – goodbye..”

For the next three chapters, the Lord is going to describe to the disciples, the essence of the righteousness that must surpass that of the most austere religionists of their day. We will select one example from chapter five which will effectively prove the point and hopefully inspire you to spend the rest of your life understanding the sermon that few desired to hear.

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time. Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

This is a perfect example of the letter of the Torah. It is one of the Ten Commandments quoted verbatim in English. There is no misunderstanding the commandment God’s instructions usually interpret themselves in their original context.

“But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”.

This is a perfect example of the spirit of the Torah. Messiah interpreted the heart of this instruction to mean; God wants us to not only refrain from the act, but we are to control our mind so that our imagination does not even consider the possibility of fleshly fulfillment. We should be able to trust each other around our wives, sisters, and daughters. This is the spirit of the Torah, which in this instance is more restrictive that the letter of the Torah. If you keep the spirit of the Torah, you will not be under the letter of the Torah.

Many Christian ministers are teaching by their actions, that grace is a license to sin. They teach that the Torah, including this particular commandment, has been destroyed by the death of the Messiah. They isolate and twist the words of Paul to legitimize their systematic perversion of grace.

Romans 8, The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For to be carnally minded (entertaining the thoughts and fleshly lusts – such as adultery) is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it (the thoughts of the natural man and his unbridles fleshly lusts) is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh (in their mind and body) cannot please God.

The carnal mind, the natural fleshly desire and craving of the natural man, is at enmity with God and his instructions – his Torah. The natural man refuses to subject himself to the instructions of God and he refuses to control his fleshly lusts.

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

These are very hard words to those who yield to the flesh and pervert grace to facilitate their twisted theology. They are none of his! John iterated the same principle in his letter,

I John 2:3, By this we know that we know him; if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Paul intimates that the enmity that natural man has against God’s instructions has been crucified. The natural man with his refusal to subject himself to the will of God has died with the Messiah and we are now set free from our natural animosity against his Torah. He paid the price, now all he asks, “If you love me, keep my commandments, they are not grievous.” We love him because he first loved us, and gave his life as the atonement for our sins. We are to desire the Torah more than treasures of fine gold. Once the enmity is destroyed, the Torah is sweeter than honey from the comb. Once the Spirit of God resides within, we will not have enmity against the Torah unless we have been taught to rebel against his instructions. But, we can repent from our misguided lawlessness, and he will write the commandments on our hearts as we study and learn them. They are not grievous.

Men incite rebellion against God’s Torah so that they can control the innocent with rules and regulations of their own choosing. They want your obedience, adoration, and worship. They want to be your god. As long as you are not obedient to the commandments of the true God, Satan will be happy for you to worship anywhere that you please. Satan has a plan for your life. It is called the Mystery of Iniquity. That mystery is about to be revealed by the Lord.

In chapter seven we find the summary of his entire message to those who would desire to enter into the Kingdom of heaven. He concludes with the final example of what will befall those who call him Lord, but refuse to obey his commandments. This is what it will look like if our righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees:

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Here we see the essence of the Hebrew concept of doctrine; it is encapsulated in the first two letters of doctrine DO. “Doctrine” is not what you sit in a pew and think – that is “theology” – the science of comprehending and describing the nature of God. Theology is a Greek philosophic and intellectual perversion of the Hebrew concept of doctrine. You cannot sit in a building and have the correct doctrine because you are not doing anything. As James said, “The Devil believes in God, what’s that all about? You propose to show me your faith by sitting in a meeting? I’ll show you my faith by what I do! If you don’t do acts of righteousness, you are as good as dead”. (James 2:18 MIV)

We all have hit-and-miss theology. Not one of us fully understands the Creator of the heavens and earth, nor can we accurately express his nature in words. If we have been touched by God’s power, the Creator’s nature should be manifest in our lives. We will express his nature. What we do – our doctrine is the result of what we become as we abide in his will. F our life has been transformed by his love, we will transform others. We will bear fruit, not sit in a building and think about it.

I have a point of doctrine relative to this verse that I would like for you to consider. It would appear that the exercise of confessing with one’s mouth that Jesus is Lord, the singular goad of evangelical Christianity, might be highly over-rated. It appears that the Lord himself doesn’t even give it a second thought. Perhaps we need to rethink this entire field of religious activity to insure that we are in compliance with the will of the heavenly Father. I distinctly recall that Jesus chided one who did confess him as Lord with, “Why do you call me Lord, but you do not do the things I say to do” as if to say, “One of us doesn’t understand the word ‘Lord, and I don’t have the problem!” A verbal confession doesn’t appear to have much of an effect if our actions are not aligned with our words. We now recognize the gravity of this chilling scene as it is played out in the final episode of our worst nightmare:

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name we have cast out devils? And in thy name we have done many wonderful works?”

I can picture the Lord as he leans for ward from his throne and thunders incredulously, “We? Who is we? Do you have a mouse in your pocket? I only see you, and I don’t have any idea who you are! Did you join some kind of group that gets in under a package deal? Get out of my face! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!” The words could never be more harsh or the response more desperate…

But, there is not but. There is no recourse – there is no appeal. The Judgment is final and no anguishing screams for mercy will be recognized. Your Christian theology didn’t work.

“And then will I profess unto the, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

The sermon that began with the stern warning, “Do not think that I am come to destroy the Torah…” is now closed with the hardest words in the scripture, “Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

**What is a worker of iniquity? Context! A worker of iniquity is one who breaks the least of the commandments of God, and teaches others to do the same. One who is without Torah, and encourages rebellion against the giver of the Torah. One who is least in the kingdom of heaven and doomed to be rebuffed with those terrifying words. Yes, the sermon that few wanted hear – the sermon that began with the stern warning, “Do not think that I am come to destroy the Torah..” now ends with, “Depart from me, ye who are without Torah.”

In the opening chapter we considered Noah Webster’s definition of lawlessness because the King James translators use the word iniquity and lawlessness interchangeably from the Greek anomia. Here we see the full depth of the Mystery of Iniquity as it relates to the verdict on Judgment Day.

Lawless is defined as: The state of being without or in opposition to the law (Torah). Hence, lawlessness entails the stand of one who is in opposition to the originator, or author of the law (Torah). An act of open rebellion, and renunciation of the one to whom one owes allegiance.

We now see the severity of what Satan has been able to produce through the modern Christian religious system. Isolating numbered sentences into theological statements that cloister converts within the sterile walls of complacency, Satan built systems of theology that destroy the Torah of God. Those who are without Torah, no matter how religious, are in open rebellion and have in action renounced the Author of the Torah. They say that they know Him, but by their Doctrine have denied Him. They will be joining the Master of Iniquity in the lake of fire! The words of John return to haunt us; “If we keep his commandments, we know him. If we say we know him, yet we do not keep his commandments, we are liars. Now the Lord says, ‘You call me Lord but you do not keep the Torah? Liar! You do not know me, I do not know you, depart from me.” Just as the Messiah said of the religious system leaders of his day:

Matthew 15, You have made the commandments of God none affect by your religious traditions. Ye hypocrites…you worship me in vain, teaching the commandments of men as doctrine.

Satan’s emissaries promise freedom from God’s Torah, but they themselves are liars and the paid professional servants of sin. They are wells without water, having a form of asceticism without power, religious activity without Torah, and eternity without God. They break the least commandments and teach others to do so under the promise of freedom under grace. They are not really cow dung in the kingdom; cow dung has value in many applications. They masquerade as the apostles of light leading the innocent before the throne to hear the words, “Depart from me, you are without Torah, you call me Lord, but yet you never did what I asked you to do. You were always busy in your slick religious sideshows. You built cathedrals to praise yourself, but you don’t even know what I asked you to do. I gave you a brain, and thousands of Saints gave their lives so that you could have my Torah, my instructions as close as your motel nightstand, but you chose to listen to another master. My first words in the New Testament warned you of the false prophets who would break my everlasting Torah and then lead others to the same destruction, but you would not listen to me. I clearly warned you that the leaders of the most disciplined religious systems were not going to enter the kingdom, and you chose to not listen to me. You chose to not live according to my written instructions in Torah, you turned away from my verbal instructions in the New Testament, and yet you pranced around telling everyone how the Lord told you this, and the Lord told you that…’ You refused to hear my voice. You made up your own prophecies. You never knew me, and I don’t know you! Depart!” Please consider that whatever pain you endure as you repent from your current course, can never be measured against the words;

“I never knew you, and you never knew me. You lived your own reality – without my Torah. You did your own will, now I do mine; Depart from me”.

The working of the Mystery of Iniquity comes full circle in the heart of modern Christianity. We have been raised without Torah, and unless we repent and return to Torah, we have already heard the final words from the one who will be our Judge on that day.

In the 16th chapter of his book, Jeremiah was told that when judgment fell on the house of Israel, the people would finally ask,

“Why hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, and have walked after other gods, and have served the, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my Torah.”

Judgment will fall on the Christian Church in America and the nation as well – because, just as Israel, we have not kept the Torah. If you were to ask the Israelis if they had forsaken God, or followed other Gods, or worshiped them, they would have scoffed at the accusation. They had no idea that they had disobeyed the Torah because they had stopped reading it in their synagogues. The government of Israel had ordained priests who were not Levites, and they were unlearned in Torah. They preached a feel good message and never separated the holy from the profane. God instructed his people, “Do not learn the way that the heathen nations worshiped their gods and do the same thing to worship me! It is utterly repugnant, repulsive, putrid, vile and disgusting!” But, the Israelis took on the forms of pagan sun god worship until they were celebrating all of the worldly “holy” days. They had forsaken the instructions and broken the least of the commandments until Shalmanessar carried the Northern tribes into captivity and slaughtered the people of God with the edge of the sword. The Gentile Christian Church has also become lawless. That lawlessness has spread throughout America. Christians whine because the Ten Commandments have been taken out of the school and are being chiseled off the facades of public buildings across the country. But why are they so upset about that? When is the last time you saw the Ten Commandments for sale in a Christian bookstore? When is the last time you saw them emblazoned upon the walls of a church building? They were commonplace in the 1950’s but where are they now? The Christian church is the instrument that has removed the Ten Commandments from our nation! Quit whining about the government – those who call themselves Christian have destroyed the Torah of God! If the Torah was ever written on the hearts of the people, we have become reprobate and the spirit of God no longer is part of the national conscience. Prosperity is the religion of America and the god in whom the Christians trust is green and thin and has occult symbols on the reverse side.

Jude 3, Earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The faith once resident among the first century saints was being quickly eroded by the satanic intervention of religious philosophers who were unlearned in Torah. These ungodly men stealthily entered the ministry for the purpose of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness – a license that allows sin. They deny the reality of the Lordship of the Father and the Son. The objective of the “ministry” is that believers are no longer obedient to the commandments – we no longer do what the Lord tells us to do. They replace obedience to Torah with license, and they renamed this manufactured perversion “grace”. They immediately proffer a system of religious rules and regulations to which you must comply to maintain the “righteousness” that they offer. We will either control ourselves by obedience to God’s law and stay free from religious bondage, or men will make laws to control us. If a religious system can cause a man to forsake God’s law, he can be manipulated under an invented law, and intimidated to comply with an ever-moving standard. He will have no freedom of conscience. He can be controlled by guilt if he simply violates their ever-changing rules and regulations. A never-ending series of flaming hoops await those who would climb the Nicolaitan ladder of success in the religious systems of man.

In the 6th chapter of Romans, Paul asks the rhetorical question, “Shall we continue (to live) in sin, because (God’s) grace is abundant? God forbid.” He clarifies the power of the grace of God in his letter to Titus;

“The grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”.

This is the Scriptural definition of God’s grace. It teaches us that we should deny the attractions of ungodliness and worldly lusts, and we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the age in which we live. These are the very things that grace taught the patriarchs. God’s grace has been evident since the opening of the book of Genesis. Even when the world was on a fast track to destruction in the time of Norah, we find that he was righteous in his generation and “Norah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. Noah was empowered by God’s grace.

The religious “grace” offered through modern Christianity ends in eternal destruction. God’s grace leads us to eternal life. The working of the Mystery of Iniquity results in death. The working of God’s grace is life. God’s grace, and lawlessness – living without Torah are mutually exclusive. God’s Torah is God’s grace revealed. How should we then live? Even though the word for “grace” (chen and chesed in Hebrew) occurs twice as often in the Torah and prophets than the New Testament, we must never assume that Grace ended at Pentecost. God’s grace still empowers the believer to live a sober, righteous and godly life even in this sick, perverted, religious world.

We will allow the Lord to conclude this teaching the way he closed it two millennia ago…

“Who ever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it. And when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were stunned…

And we are still stunned today when we hear him conclude the whole matter. The continuance of the record in chapter 8 is apropos to the popular Christian culture;

Only his disciples made the laborious climb up into the mountain. Relatively few heard the hard things that he had to say concerning the kingdom. Multitudes waited below for the next healing show. They, like multitudes who crowd the stadiums today, desire an instantaneous touch from the Spirit, but are unwilling to be disciplined followers. It was very stylish to follow Jesus around to all the happenings – just as it is today. Followers sport all of the latest Jesus paraphernalia and look for the next multi-million dollar marketing idea. The mass marketing of the “WWJD?” wristbands and T-shirts has produced millions in revenue through the Pop-Christian market. You cannot imagine our shock when we opened the scriptures and found the answer!

1. Keep The Sabbath
2. Obey The Commandments
3. Celebrate The Feasts Of The Lord
4. Study And Live The Torah

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