Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of 1 John chapter 2. When you think about the word "anti," you don't only think about someone who is against, but someone who is seeking to take the place of. And so we have here a single individual person that is going to come and is known by John here as the Antichrist, the one who is going to seek to take the place of the Messiah. Now, this is not only a New Testament teaching. There are many titles that the Hebrew writers have given to this man that is going to come in the last days of the church age.

The church is going to be taken out of here and he's going to ultimately rule this world during the tribulation period. This man has many titles and names that have been given to him by the writers of the Bible, of the Word of God. In Daniel chapter 7 and verse 8, he is called the little horn. In Daniel chapter 9 and verse 26, he is called the prince that shall come. In Daniel chapter 11 and verse 36, he is called the willful king. In fact, the Lord Yeshua himself said in John chapter 5 and verse 43, "I came in my Father's name, and you receive me not; but another will come in his own name, him you will receive." Another title of this Antichrist or counterfeit Messiah is one who comes in his own name.

Paul, the apostle, wrote about this man and he called him in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3, the man of sin. In the very same verse of 2 Thessalonians 2:3, he is called the son of perdition. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 8, he is called the lawless one. And finally, in Revelation chapter 13 and verse 1, he is called the beast, as we say it in Hebrew. Many titles that are speaking about one who is going to come in the future day, who is going to be ruler over this world. He's going to be a willful king, the one that is the prince that will come one day, and the whole world is going to follow after him.

The world is ripe for this man to come at any time. The other day I was watching the television station and what I noticed was how the world is so quickly following after some leader, whether it is a musician who is singing and the young people raising their hands and they are so impressed with that singer. I was saying to myself, Lord, I wish I could see that among men today that will lift up their hand in worship and adoration for the person of Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. And the world is so ripe to follow after some great leader that is somehow fascinating the whole world to follow after him.

Do you know what happened in the 30s and the 40s? How Hitler had fascinated Europe and thousands and millions followed after this man because he had this charisma in him. Beloved brothers and sisters, John, this Hebrew apostle, is warning the believers to be careful because there is a time coming when the Antichrist, the single individual that false Messiah, shall come. The one who's going to look like the Messiah, who's going to appear like the Messiah, maybe a political ruler, a political leader, who will lead the world and the world is so ripe for that. We are looking for some great man who's going to fix all our problems: the economic problem, the problem that we have in every area. There is not enough food in this world, and they need to govern this world because the world is so divided, and this man is going to come one day and he's going to appeal to the human race and many will follow after this man.

The Hebrew scriptures have already spoken about this man in many forms and shapes many years ago, even before the Messiah was born. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 24 for a moment. Look at what Jesus the Messiah said when he was here on earth before his death on the cross. Notice what he says in verse 4 and 5. Yeshua answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in my name, saying I am the Messiah, and they shall deceive many." He already predicted this when he was here upon the face of this world, that many will come in his name and they will claim to be the Messiah and they will ultimately deceive many. Notice in verse 24 of Matthew chapter 24, "There shall arise false messiahs, false christs." He promised this when he was here on earth, that there would be many who ultimately would claim to be the Messiah.

How many people have already claimed to be the Messiah and yet none of them really fit what the scripture predicted concerning the true Messiah. You and I are exhorted to be careful, to be aware of the fact that one day a person that will claim to take the place of the Messiah will arise. He's not only against the Messiah, but he also seeks to take the place of the Messiah. So not only that there is one single individual who is going to come to seek to take the place of Yeshua the Messiah, but he says in verse 18, even now are there many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time, the last hour.

John was speaking about 2,000 years ago, and you and I are here 2,000 years later. Imagine how many have been already claiming to take the place or seek to claim that they are leaders and teachers who claim that they are representing the Lord Yeshua or the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And so in verse 18, he is giving them this warning. Even now there are many against the Messiah or false teachers, whereby we know that it is the last time. Beloved brothers and sisters, can you imagine what went on already in the early stage of the church age when there are those who are now not only claiming to be the Messiah, but they as teachers were beginning to teach things that were not in accordance with the Word of God? And when false teaching are being taught, then what really we do? We allow ourselves to be bombarded or influenced by that which is really against the Messiah.

Think about the professing Christians today. Think about some that claim to teach the Word of God and, for example, they deny the deity of Christ. They deny the validity of the Word of God. They deny the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. They deny the Tri-unity of the Godhead. They deny the eternal salvation for a person who believes in Yeshua the Messiah. They deny fundamental truth of the Word of God. There are many who are against the truth of the Word of God that already have been spread in the first part of the church age. You and I today can see that. You don't have to go far, but just read some books or open the television or go on the internet and you will see all sorts of groups with various views that totally are not subject to the written Word of God.

I don't want to mention names, but you and I know very well who we are talking about and how careful we have to be when it comes to this kind of teaching. And so there is a warning here. Even now there are many against the Messiah or false teachers whereby we know that it is the last time. Now notice what he says in verse 19 immediately. John points now to the departure of those counterfeit believers. And he says, "Listen, they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

This is an important verse to understand. Let me just make sure that we all understand what John did not say. He didn't say that if believers have a problem and they seem to fight with each other, and one has left and has gone to another community of believers, he didn't speak about those believers who have friction among each other and sometimes divide. That's why oftentimes we are divided among ourselves, not because one denied the person of Yeshua the Messiah, but simply because there are problems among the people of God. Because we are not patient enough and we are not submissive enough as we know our hearts, and at times we divide from one another, but he doesn't talk about true believers dividing from another true believer. He doesn't speak about that.

We have to be very careful because if somebody that was in our midst and has gone to another meeting place with another group of saints of the Lord, it doesn't mean that it applies to him. This is not at all applied to believers who have left one group and have gone to another group. That has nothing to do with this. Here in 1 John chapter 2 and verse 19, he is speaking about unbelievers, those who were never at all belonged to the family of God, and at a time earlier, they have been among the people of God, but it didn't take too long and they didn't stay there.

You see, brothers and sisters, do you know what a false teacher or a false believer, a person who is not really born again, does? He comes among the people of God, stays for a while, and then after a while he's gone out and maybe he goes another place and then seeking to influence the others. At the end, he or she do not continue with the things of the Lord. It's just a temporary thing. In other words, they were never born of the Holy Spirit of God. They have never accepted Yeshua as their Lord and Messiah. They have never been born from above.

So they just temporarily stick around among the people of God and when trouble comes, all of a sudden they don't need to stay anymore among the people of God. They forsake the people of God and have gone away. It happened in the history of the church, how many false teachers have crept in among the people of God, which Paul have also warned in Acts chapter 20. Even from among you will rise some who will not spare the flock and they will depart and they will not continue among the people of God.

You see, there's a time coming that the Lord tests his own people. He will test you, he will test me. Now, believers will fail the Lord. We know we fail the Lord many times, but a believer is still a child of God. Even though at times we fail and we are not honoring the Lord the way we should be, but we still remain among those who confess that Yeshua is the Messiah. But here we have false teachers who had claimed to be those that belong to the Lord, but actually they have never belonged to the Lord. They have never known him as their Lord and Messiah and Savior.

I want to read you a couple of verses in Matthew chapter 7. Verse 21, we read these words that were spoken by Yeshua the Messiah. "Not everyone 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 your name? And in thy name have we cast out demons? And in thy name have done many wonderful works?" And listen what the answer will be in verse 23. "Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

You see what the Lord is saying, that these individuals never had this new life in them right from the beginning. They came among the people of God, but they were never born from above, born again. Look what Yeshua said right there in John chapter 10 and verse 24. This is in connection with the feast of the dedication. Then came the leaders, the Jewish leaders about him, and they said unto him, "How long does thou make us doubt? If you be the Messiah, tell us plainly." And he answered and he said, "I told you, but you believe me not. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

You see, beloved brothers and sisters, John warning the believers, the little children, the born one, the one that belong to him. He says, listen, it is the last time. Soon will this one single individual called Antichrist, counterfeit Messiah, false Messiah, is going to arise. But now there are already, as he says in verse 18, there are many antichrists and we know now that we are in the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have no doubt continued with us.

We need to be extremely careful because what happened, there will be in every situation, whether we are here locally or whether we are in another place, there will always be those who would come with some new revelation that God had given to them. As if there are some new things, and you notice that. It comes and it goes, and it comes and it goes. It happened to the early believers 2,000 years ago, and it's going to happen in your life and in mine, in which John is warning the believers to be alert to that, to be careful and to notice this because false teachers do not remain among the people of God. They stay there for a season and then all of a sudden when it doesn't suit them anymore, they all of a sudden go astray. The "us" is the believers. The "they" is the unbelievers, and definitely we are not speaking about believers that separate from each other, not at all, but we are speaking about those who claim to belong to the Lord, but really they have never been part of the family of God.

So now notice, beloved brothers and sisters, in 1 John chapter 2, John now continues and he's saying the second thing about those false teachers or false counterfeit believers. Not only that they don't remain among the people of God, but secondly, they deny the truth of God's word. False teachers deny the truth of God's word, the clear scripture, the clear word of God, what we have in the Tanakh and in the B'rit Hadashah, in the Old Testament and Old Covenant and New Covenant.

And so John now presenting what false teachers deny. Notice that in verse 20. He began by saying the true believers have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them. "But ye," this is the believers, "ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." That word for "unction" is the Greek word charisma, which is really the anointing. In Hebrew we call it Mishchah. And he's saying you, all believers, have the unction, the anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

In other words, every believer is being anointed or being baptized or being saturated or being indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. He doesn't speak about selected individuals. You know, sometimes we see somebody that is really the Lord using, we say, wow, he has the anointing. But here he speak about all believers. Every one of us here in this room today that is a believer in Yeshua the Messiah, you have an anointing, an unction. You have the charisma. You have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God in you, and you know all things. In other words, you are able to understand the things of God.

How do you and I understand the truth of the Word of God? We don't understand all things at all times at once, you might say, but as we grow and we learn, the Holy Spirit of God teaching us the truth of the Word of God. And that's why, beloved brothers and sisters, when John is writing here, he says, look at this, brothers and sisters. You are indwelt by the Spirit of God. You need to discern those things. You have the Word of God in your hand, you have the Holy Spirit of God in your heart, and you are to know, to discern, is this from God or is this not from God? Does this person teach me the truth or does this person teach false teaching?

And that's why John is saying to them, brothers, look. Yes, many false teachers will rise up, and they will teach all kind of things. But you have to listen to what they say, read the Word of God, and with the help of Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit of God, you can know whether this is of the Lord or this is not of the Lord. The reason, brothers and sisters, why many times we are being swayed by all sort of things and all sort of professing teachers, the reason why we are swayed all the time or many times is because we're not listening to the Word of God and not allow the Spirit of God to convict us.

We sometimes harden our hearts. We sometimes have pride and self-will that allow us to be swayed by all sort of false teachers. But really, beloved brothers and sisters, according to this verse 20, we have the Holy Spirit of God. And the Holy Spirit of God is this unction, this is the one that is calling here. He is the anointed one, he is the one that have indwelt every believer, and we ought to know that which is from the Lord and that which is not from the Lord. We can never blame God when we are being swayed. we can only blame ourselves because we were not allowing the Spirit of God to speak to us and to lead us.

I can give you some verses that are very clear that Paul wrote to believers. Galatians chapter 5 verse 16: "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the spirit lusteth against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, and they are contrary to each other." There are many other verses that we can read in scripture which oftentimes we fail because we don't submit ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, and we are at fault.

But you know, we have the Holy Spirit of God. We ought to be able to discern, is that from the Lord or is that not from the Lord? So every believer have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling. In fact, Romans 8:9 says if any man have not the Spirit of the Messiah, he is not belonging to him at all. In other words, we all have the Holy Spirit of God, meaning all believers. If we don't have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling us, that means that we don't belong to him at all. 1 Corinthians 12:13 says by one spirit we have all been baptized or placed into one body.

It is the Holy Spirit of God that have been indwelt in the believer. In accordance with John chapter 14, Yeshua said that he will send the comforter and he will teach you all things. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, we have to be wise and discerning whether something is from the Lord or not because we have the possibility to learn that and to discern that because Ruach HaKodesh, divine person, is indwelling every believer in Yeshua the Messiah.

So John is writing in verse 21 and he says, "I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth." You know the truth on the basis of the Word of God. You know the truth because you have the Holy Spirit of God and you have the ability to discern whether something is from the Lord or whether it is not. And so now he's saying in verse 22, "Who is a liar?" Look, he is now speaking about those who profess to belong to the Messiah, but really they are not belonging to the Messiah.

Verse 22, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Yeshua is the Messiah? He is an antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son." John is making a very plain statement here. And you notice that, and why he's mentioning that, and I tell you why he's mentioning this especially here, because in the early church age, there were already those that have crept in among the people of God that have claimed that Yeshua is really not the Messiah, and they deny his Messiahship, his lordship. They denied his humanity. They denied his divine nature. They deny the Tri-unity of the Godhead. They deny all that which is very clear had been given to us both in the Tanakh, in the Old Testament, as well as in the B'rit Hadashah.

And so he's saying in this verse 22, a person who is denying that Yeshua is the Messiah and coming among the people of God and claiming to be a believer, he is a person that is really not saying the truth. And he is calling him here according to verse 22, "Who is the liar but he that denieth that Yeshua is the Messiah? He is against, he is an antichrist, against the Messiah that denieth the Father and the Son."

I can tell you that as a Jewish person that I had a hard time as a young person exposed to the gospel to understand that in the Godhead there is the Father, Abba, and you have the Son, Ben, and we have the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. I had a hard time with it. I wanted to know, is it from the scripture, from the Word of God? It takes time with the help of the Spirit of God to understand this truth, that in the Godhead, there is one God, the God of Israel, but he expresses and he existing and consisting in three persons: the Father, the Son, the Spirit.

It was very hard. And by the way, it's not only hard for us as Jewish people today, but remember, the first-century writers were all Jewish. They themselves had to learn these things. It is by the revelation of the Holy Spirit of God that the Spirit of God have revealed to them of the Father and the Son of the Spirit. And so look at this again, and I'm emphasizing verse 22, that denying that Yeshua is the Messiah and denying the Father and the Son. This is amazing truth.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0. Or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM and Saturdays at 1:00 PM at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com. God bless you, Shalom Shalom.