Messianic Viewpoint

Female Announcer: Shalom and welcome to Shalom Ariel, and to this our 75th message from the Gospel of Mark with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon.

Female Announcer: Today we are going to hear about the Sadducees. Why was it so hard for the Sadducees to understand the eternity of the soul? How many times did they read that chapter in Exodus when the bush burned before Moses, yet it was not consumed?

Female Announcer: God was in that bush and from there he declared, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." He had made the promise to each one of these forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A promise that the land would be theirs, and it would be an inheritance to their children.

Female Announcer: The fact that the bush is not consumed was a visible demonstration that God is the master over all life matters. And that if something as temporal as a bush would not be consumed, but continued to burn, what of the spirit that the Lord created?

Female Announcer: He is not the God of the nonexistent, but he is the God of what is existing. The fire was not consumed because our God, who is unchanging, is unchanged by any external circumstances.

Female Announcer: And we have confirmed to us through scripture that as long as he dwells in us, our eternal life in him is the most unchanging fact about our existence. We will not die, but we will live forever and we want to celebrate that hope, the hope of the resurrection, and the hope and the assurance that we will be with the Lord for all eternity.

Female Announcer: Not to believe in the eternality of life means that we will put all our hopes, all our acquisitions into everything that we work so hard for on this earth here and now. How limiting is that hope? And it's no wonder that the Sadducees would believe something like this when they were part of the aristocracy, part of the echelon of society that looked to wealth and power as giving them their prime identity.

Female Announcer: Let's not forget that the Lord breathed his spirit into man, his eternal essence into us. Something that will never die.

Female Announcer: So be blessed as you listen into today's program and shalom.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: On the other side of the coin, the Emperor Tiberius Caesar was the highest official of the Roman religion. He was called Pontifex Maximus, meaning enlightened supreme pontiff. That is the supreme religious leader. And I find it so strange that today this title Pontifex Maximus is the name carried by the Pope. Isn't this amazing?

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: But there is a direct relation between Caesar and the Catholic Church. It was another Caesar, Constantine, who kept the union between the state and religion as we see it in the Denarius, when the son of God, Tiberius Caesar, became the head of the religion. For them, we have entered the Millennium and the Catholic Church is at its head, but Yeshua is here saying the very contrary.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God, for both have nothing to do with each other. Few in the evangelical world who are increasingly adopting the theory of replacement, that is believing that we are in the Millennium, realize that this replacement theology finds its truth in the Catholic Church with its association with the Caesars.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: The rise and popularity of this belief, which really removes God's promises to Israel, is another sign of the time. Expect it to grow and grow until the very end. We are not in the Messianic time yet. We are not in the Millennium. And when we will enter into the Millennium, the only head will be Yeshua himself.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And we read at the end of verse 17, "And they were amazed at him." The word amaze in this form is only used here in the whole of the New Testament. And it speaks of being very dazzled, very utterly in admiration. But why were they so amazed? What was it that touched them the most?

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Probably because they did not expect such an answer. They, as it is today in much in Judaism, did not expect the Messiah to come to die first. Their whole argument was based on a faulty premise. They disregarded the hundred or so prophecies which spoke of the first coming of the Messiah.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Had they seen the inscription on the pages of the Tanakh, they would have understood that he actually came to die first. Their amazement translate their ignorance of this simple fact that we find in the scriptures.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: But all through his answer, again, Yeshua was not aggressive at all. And perhaps some of these young men, and maybe some of the Romans too, for some did believe. Even Centurion believed after him, saw in him this grace and the truth.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And even at the trial, they accused Yeshua of teaching men that they should not pay the taxes. Did you know that? It seems they did not learn anything. Look at what it is written in Luke 23:2. And they began to accuse him saying, "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar." That's not true at all, for he actually told them to pay their taxes.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: In the end, they had nothing to say. You know, when we have no argument against somebody, we resort to lies. And so they were lying at the end. The second confrontation that the Messiah had in chapter 12 of Mark is of the same kind. They also missed some part of the word of God.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: This one is brought by the Sadducees, the third main religious leader in Israel. Here, they use the word of God against the author of the word of God. However, their argument is so flimsy, so weak. But through it, we can recognize the many who use part of the word of God while discarding the rest.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Like those making up new theories and new theologies based on one or two truth while they disregard the whole counsel of God. These Sadducees then were the high aristocracy, who happened to be the priesthood. They are the ones who brought out Yeshua's anger for they made the temple of God like a den of robbers.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Now, see how they use the word of God and how far they were from the very essence of the word. Verse 18. It says, "Some Sadducees who say that there is no resurrection came to Jesus and began questioning him saying." Now, right away we can see that they did not know the message of the scripture at all. They deny the resurrection itself.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Yet, this is such an important foundation of the Bible, one that is so often mentioned in the scriptures. Josephus even tells us that they believe that souls, the soul dies with the body, that is, the soul just disappears. I want to tell you this is a scary thought.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: That is probably why, by the way, they also believe that punishment and rewards, there was none in Hades. This is probably why they did whatever they wanted. But how did they miss out on the resurrection seeing that it is mentioned quite often in the Hebrew scriptures? It is found in Job, in Isaiah, in Daniel, especially.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: However, they noticed that the resurrection is clearly stated, and according to them, only in the prophets and in the writings, but not in the Torah. Because, you know what? The Sadducees did believe only in the Torah, and they rejected the writings and the prophets. This is the main reason why they did not believe in the resurrection. However, Yeshua is about to show them that indeed the resurrection is really at the core of God's promises in the Torah itself.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Let us first see their argument, verse 19. And then we'll see Yeshua's answer. It says, they said, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring to his brother." So here they appeal to a beautiful law, by the way, of Moses, called the Law of Levirate, that we find in Deuteronomy 25.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: The word Levirate is Latin from the word Levi, which means brother-in-law. Basically, what the law says is that when a woman's husband dies, her brother-in-law, if not married, is ordered to marry the widow, so that, according to verse five of Deuteronomy 25, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family, so she would be kept in the family. This law protected the widow. Otherwise, she would find herself in the street with nothing. That is the main purpose of this law.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Now, this is how these aristocrats use this great Levirate law to formulate a lie against the resurrection. Listen to what they said. And one more time, they will trigger Yeshua's anger. Look at verse 20 to 23.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died, leaving no children. The second one married her and died, leaving behind no children. And the third likewise, and all the seven left no children. Last of all, the woman dies also. In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had married her.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: I want to tell you, this is such a silly and laughable hypothetical situation. A hypothetical argument is not based on fact, but on maybe's or perhaps and if's. Kids love to ask this type of questions, like the one I heard lately, "If you were an animal, which animal would you like to be?" Or, "If you were a Transformer, what car would you like to turn to?" So I would say my own car, you know, and they were disappointed. They said, "What about, you know, big ones and so on?"

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Now, listen to their story. The first thing we ought to do is to investigate the woman. If it is true that seven husbands died, one after the other, while married to one woman, she should be investigated first.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: But now, see how Jesus answers them. I will read his answer as translated in The Message. I rarely use this translation. It's way too loose, but here they got it right. Verse 24.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Jesus said to them, "You're off base, and here's why. First, you do not understand your Bible. Two, you do not know how God works." This is right on. The reasoning, the reason they came to the point of denying the essence of faith, which is based on the resurrection. Take off the resurrection, and our faith just falls, just like Paul says in First Corinthians 15.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: They rightly coded the scriptures. But coding a verse left and right does not necessarily show that the person knows his or her Bible. Listen to the cults. Listen to those who will dig into the Bible and make all kinds of association, clever ones, just to try to prove their theory. This is what the Sadducees did. And today, they are in oblivion. We do not know where they are.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Moses was aware of this problem when he said in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord." Let us be like Moses, humble enough to say, "I do not understand." Or respectful and meek like David, who said in Psalm 139:6, he says, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is too high, I cannot attain it."

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Or like Paul, let's be submissive and self-effacing to be able to say, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable our great God is!"

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: But Yeshua, nevertheless, answers them, and he also teaches us something new. The first part of the answer is in verse 25, when he says, "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: So we learn here that in heaven there's no marriage. Now, don't be disappointed, by the way. There is some other great truth to consider that he's saying here. First, marriage was created for procreation, and to resolve also the problem of loneliness. You know, for Adam, he was all alone with all these animals.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: However, in the new world to come, in heaven, there's no procreation, and there's no loneliness either. This, I want to tell you, does not mean that the love relationship between a husband and wife will just disappear. For if there is one thing we bring with us in heaven is love.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Whether it is that of a husband and wife or that of a friendship, this love is undying. You know why? Because God is love. I personally believe that the relationships that are formed here on Earth, which are based on the true love, will last forever. Perhaps through special partnership up there, for there will be so much work to be done.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And whatever we sow on Earth, and especially love for one another, we will reap in heaven with everlasting, actually, affinity. One thing we know is that love never fails. You know that. First Corinthians 13. Love never dies. This is what it means.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: But now it says, "Faith, hope, and love." Remember verse 13? "But the greatest is love." So let us love each other and serve each other even more for this is a great investment for our future in heaven.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Now, it is in the second part where Yeshua shows them that the resurrection is found actually right in the Torah. Look, verse 26-27. "But concerning the dead," Jesus says, "that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken," he says to them.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Here is such a great reference to the resurrection in the Torah. Something they completely missed out for as Yeshua says, they did not understand the power of God, which is especially seen in the resurrection, which is at the core again of our belief. Yeshua quoted this from the Torah. That is in Exodus 3, an important chapter where after 400 years, the Lord spoke right at the appointed time, right when he said he would. There he spoke to Moses through the burning bush, if you remember.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And the most amazing thing is that here it is Yeshua himself, actually, who was in the burning bush. Have you noticed that it says that it is the angel of the Lord who spoke through the burning bush? Exodus 3:2 and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. And here, he was in front of them and they did not recognize him. They did not know Moses. Because Jesus even said, "If you know Moses, you would know me."

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: It is here where he said the words, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." This statement is made three times in this chapter, verse 6, 15, 16, and one more time in Exodus chapter 4. The point is that God is not the God of the dead, meaning that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive and well in heaven.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And being alive in heaven, a new body will be given to them and to all believers, one body fit for our new home in the New Jerusalem very soon. I want to tell you, this is great news. You know why? For if they are alive in heaven, it means that very soon we'll be meeting them. Have you ever thought of that?

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Having a conversation with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. Maybe ask Jacob what it means to struggle with God. What happened really that you can walk. And how did you feel when you saw Joseph, you know, after when you thought he was dead? We'll have some great conversation out there. We'll be like a huge family in heaven and we'll be meeting all the believers in the past. You have any Bible question, keep them. You ask them. It will be good.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And by the way, what is the power of God for us today? Where can we find this power, this hope? It is actually in the word of God. Look at Romans 1:16, a powerful verse. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew and also to the Gentiles," to all.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: You know, to conclude, and since Shavuot is coming soon, we will be celebrating it next week with the story of Ruth, who herself was connected with the Law of Levirate, that one great commandment in the Mosaic Law, which was designed actually mainly to protect the woman. There's one aspect of this law I want to close with.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: The law also allows the man to refuse to marry the widow if he doesn't want to. But at such a great cost that it was better for him to marry her. This is how God actually made up this law. Now, let me tell you how the law prescribed this law.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: First, if the man refused to marry his brother's widow, actually, the whole affair becomes a public one. So she goes and sees the elders or the judges of the city. And if they are involved, the whole community is involved as well. So it becomes a big affair. And these elders will try to convince the brother to do such a thing. It's the law.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: However, if he persists in refusing, see what God said. Deuteronomy 25:9. "His brother's wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit on his face." That's the law, by the way. What a story.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And if after this man, because he still, he can say no. The man still did not accept to marry the widow, then he was marked for life, with a new title. Look at Deuteronomy 25:10. "And his name shall be called in Israel, the house of him who had his sandals removed."

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: God has a great sense of humor. He does not let go easily. It was clearly better for this man to marry this woman. Why this whole big deal about this issue here? Because the law was designed to protect every human being.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Again, this widow, if not married, will be put out of her house, and in those times would surely find it hard to find another husband, having been already married. But more than that, a wife did not inherit the husband's wealth. So God designed the word of God, his scriptures, in order to protect the woman and all of us. Amen.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Let's bow our head in prayer. Oh Lord, our God, there is no one like you in heaven above or on earth below. You are a God of mercy and a keeper of promises. Not even the heaven, of the heavens, of heavens can contain you. Yet you listen, Lord, to the prayers of your servants who pray before you day and night.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: And so, Lord, as we bring our request to you, our true throne, we realize that you are an ever-present overseer of heaven and earth. You know the ways of this world, and you see the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Forgive our sins. Purify us. Make us more like your son, Yeshua, and use us, Lord. Use us, even ourselves.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Make us like a lamp of the world. Help us to brighten the corner where we are and be a blessing. And to the congregation, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. May the Lord bless you all. Amen.

Female Announcer: Welcome to this segment of our program, the Q&A with Messianic leader Jacques Isaac Gabizon. And today's question deals with Torah observance in Messianic congregations. Are believers free to be Torah observant, or are they mandated to be Torah observant according to Acts chapter 15? Let's listen in and be blessed.

Female Announcer: Hello, shalom. I have a younger brother who is involved in a Torah observant Messianic fellowship. We ourselves have no Jewish ancestry that we know of. And one of the verses that his group uses to argue for Torah observance is found in Acts 15:21, which says, "For Moses, from ancient generations, has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

Female Announcer: From this verse, he deduces that the Jerusalem Council was instructing Gentile believers to attend synagogue and learn Torah observance. It's interesting to me that because the law is a unit and breaking one of the 613 commandments is a violation of the entire law, that this group picks and chooses which they will observe and how they will do so. It seems that each person develops their own personal Midrash. If you can shed some light on the Acts 15:21 passage, it would be truly helpful. Thank you.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Well, thank you for your question. You know, it is surprising how some will use Acts 15:21 as a reason to attend synagogue and learn Torah. This, I want to tell you, is beyond Midrash. The words, "Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath" is in reference to the weekly Parashah, the portion of the Torah that is read every week in the synagogue.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: At the time of Acts, the Torah, being split up into many Parashot, were read more carefully, for it took actually three years to go through it, while today it is done very fast, that is through a one-year cycle. Now, the action of this group and the interpretation of this verse defeats the context of the Jerusalem Council, which dealt with Jews who were coming into the new faith, into the new dispensation of grace. And it was not an easy transition.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: The leaders in Jerusalem were very sensitive with them. We even hear of the sect of the Pharisees within the church, within this new congregation in Acts 15:5. This sect was tolerated. However, it did not take time for many of them to adapt to the new dispensation.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: While many succeeded in making the jump, as Paul mentions, some of them, some who were from the circumcision, meaning from this sect in Colossians 4:11, of whom he says that they have proved to be an encouragement for him. However, many, many others did not and became false teachers, pushing the law on to the Gentiles.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: This is described in Titus 1:10, which says, "For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision." But in the midst of this feud, the new Gentile believers coming into the fold were greatly disturbed. This was a concern for the leaders in Jerusalem, as stated by James in Acts 15:19, where he says, "Therefore, it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles."

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: So they set up new regulations to facilitate the encounter of these two groups. But even after 2,000 years, the problem did not go away. As it is today, many Jews and Gentiles cannot make the transition. So they still hang on to the law.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: Now, looking at the verse of Acts 15:21. Biblically speaking, to preach Moses is to see Yeshua, and to recognize him as the final sacrifice and savior from all the condemnation of the law. Jesus himself scolded the religious authority of the first century for misusing the name of Moses and the law. That he told them, if they knew Moses, in John 5:46, he says, "You would believe in me." If they knew the Torah, they would right away go to Yeshua.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: So instead of getting closer to Yeshua, these are moving away and returning back to the place they were saved from. This problem with this type of interpolation may very well stem from a lack of distinction between Rabbinical Judaism and Biblical Judaism. True Biblical Judaism is defined by the scriptures, not by your religious system.

Jacques Isaac Gabizon: This is mainly a problem that we find in North America, by the way. For Messianic Jews in Israel make this distinction, that is, for the great majority.

Female Announcer: Shalom Ariel is a daily radio program emphasizing the Jewish perspective of scripture. God is not through dealing with Israel, nor will he renege any of the promises he has made to her. Our teacher for this program, Jacques Isaac Gabizon, is a Messianic Jewish believer and Messianic leader at Beth Ariel Congregation right here in Montreal. If you've been encouraged by the messages, we'd love to hear from you.

Female Announcer: Give us a call at 1-888-685-5902, or you may write us at info@bethariel.ca. You are also welcome to join us for our Saturday morning services. We are located at 6297 Moncland Boulevard, corner of Madison in NDG. The message is given in English, but we do offer simultaneous translation into French and Russian. Services begin at 11:00 a.m. We have Sabbath school for children of all ages up to and including teens.

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