(To print out, please download the files.)
“How Can I Have Peace?”
By John Hasse
Shalom, friends.
I wish you peace. In Hebrew, peace is “Shalom.” Shalom is so much more than we mean when we say ‘peace’ in English. It refers to a total harmony with nature, and the Almighty One of nature. The Messiah desires to bless us with peace (John 14:27).
‘What has gone wrong that we do not have that peace that we so greatly desire and need?’
Notice that when the Savior quoted Scripture, He quoted the Laws of Moses (Torah). He said that the smallest part of Torah would not be changed until the end of time (Matthew 5:18.)
Scripture says much about obedience, and overcoming (Romans 1:5). Some say we only need to ‘believe’ but then they downplay the need to obey. However, Scripture says even the devils ‘believe’ and tremble (James 2:19). And clearly, the devils are not at peace, nor are they saved (because they did not obey).
The Messiah was not only our sacrifice, He was also our example. He followed the Creator’s instructions in the Torah. He ate only Levitically clean foods, and He honored the special days the Creator had set apart for worship in Leviticus 23. These included the weekly Sabbath (Luke 4:16), and the other festival days (John 7:2).
While the Messiah followed the Torah, it is interesting that while He loved His Jewish brothers He did not follow Judaism per se, for He said they had departed from His Father’s Torah, and had made up their own traditions. He was not in agreement with them, for they delivered Him to the Romans to be killed.
What the Savior came to do away with was not the Torah, but the record of our sins (our transgressions of the Torah), so that He might make peace, breaking down the dividing wall between me and the Creator. This also breaks down the walls between men, for if we are all one in the Creator, then we are also one with each other. This also makes for peace.
Our Messiah affirmed His Divinity (John 8:58), and called His Heavenly Father by His right name (John 17:6, 11, 12, 26). That name is not “The Lord”, but Yahweh, or perhaps Yahoweh or Yahuweh. The Third Commandment tells us not to desecrate this name, but treat it specially, and with all reverence.
Exodus 23:13 makes it very clear that the Creator should not be called by the names of heathen gods. Many other Scriptures say the same thing. However, translators have chosen a name of a heathen god to substitute for the name of the Creator. The name Yahweh or Yahuweh is found in Scripture almost 7000 times. It is arguably the most important word in the entire book, and the Messiah came to declare that name to His followers, and yet with few exceptions the translators have chosen to hide it from the readers!
There was no letter “J” anywhere until about 1400 AD, so the Messiah’s name cannot have a J in it. Names are not to be translated, but to be transliterated. The name of the Messiah is the same as that of Joshua the Son of Nun who fought at Jericho, for we can see that in some Bible versions the translators confused the two names at Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8. Since there was no “J”, it seems that the likely pronunciation is ‘Yahushua’, or perhaps Yahshua. His name MEANS ‘Yahweh’s Salvation.’ Surely if we are truly worshiping Him, we will not call Him by a different name, but by His rightful name.
In their teachings, Yahushua and His disciples warn us that there would be a Torahless, lawless (or law breaking) teaching (1st Timothy 1:9, which is to come (1st Timothy 1:9, Matthew 7:21-23). If we will really sit down and think about this, isn’t Christianity this kind of teaching, which tells us that all we need to do is believe, but not have to obey?
Is there any other real choice? Yahushua has words of eternal life. Where can we go, but to Him? Hebrews 13:13 tells us, “Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Speaking of the lawless, Torahless variations of the faith, Revelation 18:4 says, “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
Spiritual Babylon is any mixture of truth and error which leads His people to think that error is acceptable to Yahweh, when He has made it clear that He wants us to separate ourselves from error.
Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration, and is profitable for doctrine. The Scriptures referred to here are the Old Testament Scriptures. Second Timothy 2:15 tells us to study these Scriptures to show ourselves approved. Salvation is just too important to be left without serious study.
We in Nazarene Israel invite you not to take our word for anything. Rather, we encourage you to study your Bible, and test what you believe against His word. One place you can go to find more resources like this one is the Nazarene Israel website, www.nazareneisrael.org. We hope you will take the time to read these studies, and check them against your Bible.
As 2nd Timothy 2:15 says, we need to study to show ourselves approved.
I wish you the Shalom that surpasses all understanding in the Messiah Yahushua (Philippians 4:7).
—John Hasse.
(For more resources, please visit www.nazareneisrael.org.)