April 20, 2017 SnyderTalk: The New Testament is Eyewitness Testimony

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says Yahweh Sabaoth. (Zechariah 4: 6)

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The New Testament is Eyewitness Testimony

I believe that the last two verses of John’s gospel tell us plainly what the New Testament is:

“This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote them down.  We know that his testimony is true. Y’shua did many other things which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21: 24-25)

If that’s not convincing enough, John made it even clearer in 1 John 1: 1-4:

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Y’shua HaMashiach.  These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” (1 John 1: 1-4)

The only logical conclusion is that more than anything else, the New Testament is eyewitness testimony about what the Messiah did and said.

That conclusion begs this question: is the New Testament Yahweh inspired?  The answer is absolutely, positively YES!  But is it Scripture?  I don’t think so.

The New Testament tells us about who the Messiah is.  He is the manifestation of Yahweh who came to redeem and save us.  That was the apostles’ message to the world.

How did the apostles show their readers and those with whom they came into contact that the Messiah really is Yahweh?

In their writings, they quoted Scripture.  In their personal contacts, they quoted Scripture and performed miracles.

What Scripture did the apostles quote?  Most Christians call it the Old Testament.  Jewish people know it as the Tanach (Torah, Prophets, and Writings).  They are the same thing.

The Tanach is loaded with evidence that the Messiah is Yahweh.  For example, Yahweh told Jeremiah the Messiah’s Name:

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.  In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’ [Yahweh Tsidkenu]” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)

The Messiah is David’s righteous Branch.  About that fact, there is little or no dispute even among the most religious of religious Jews.  Speaking to Jeremiah, Yahweh made it crystal clear that the Messiah is Yahweh and that Yahweh is the “Name by which He will be called”.

So, as I said, for the most part the New Testament is eyewitness testimony, and it’s crucial for that reason.  Testimony stands on the strength of corroborating witnesses who have first-hand accounts to share.  The New Testament provides that kind of evidence in abundance.

The New Testament is also history.  It provides important information about what was taking place in the Promised Land immediately before, during, and immediately after the Messiah’s time with us.  That information is vital.

Pointing out what the New Testament is should not be interpreted by anyone as a criticism of it.  Any criticism that I have is focused on people who have misused the New Testament by making it out to be something that it isn’t.

I’m particularly concerned about the way Paul’s letters have been misconstrued.  Some Christian religious leaders, preachers in particular, have for all practical purposes used those letters to create another religion. That would have been abhorrent to Paul.

In Acts chapter 17, we are told that Paul was preaching the gospel to Jewish people in Berea.  When they heard Paul’s message, “they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17: 11)

What Scriptures did the Jewish believers in Berea examine?  The Tanach/Old Testament. That’s a powerful point.

Acts 24: 14-15 provides even more evidence that my argument is correct.  Paul was a Pharisee and a rising star in rabbinic Judaism when he had a personal encounter with the resurrected Messiah.  That meeting changed his life forever, and he became the apostle to the Gentiles.

Eventually, the rabbis in Jerusalem charged Paul with a crime for teaching about who the Messiah is and what He accomplished, and he was taken to Felix, the Roman Governor in Judea at the time, for a hearing.  In his own defense, this is what Paul said,

“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect [the sect of the Nazarenes] I do serve the Elohim of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in Elohim, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Acts 24: 14-15)

As you can see, both John and Paul support my thesis. Therefore, this admonition from John should send a chill down the spine of anyone who would attempt to use Paul’s letters to create a new religion because he has gone too far:

“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of the Messiah, does not have Elohim; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 1: 9)

Since the Messiah taught from the Scriptures and admonished believers to adhere to Yahweh’s word instead of Halacha, the message is as plain as day.  The New Testament is eyewitness testimony that the One referred to in the Tanach as the Messiah is Yahweh and that He came to do what Yahweh promised in the Tanach that He would do, namely to become our Redeemer and Savior.

So, Paul takes a figurative beating for something that he didn’t do.  He did not teach or preach anything new or different from Scripture.  In fact, he used Scripture to show that the Messiah is the One and Only Redeemer and Savior, Yahweh.  That’s what the New Testament says.

This is the bottom line.  The New Testament isn’t Scripture, and the writers of the New Testament didn’t present their writings as Scripture.  They wanted their readers to know that the One referred to in the Tanach as the Messiah is actually Yahweh, and they used the Tanach which is Scripture to prove their point.

I began this editorial with quotes from John’s gospel and 1 John.  That’s exactly what John said.  If I’m wrong, then so is he.  Paul said essentially the same thing in his defense before Felix.  Thus, if I am wrong, Paul is, too.

In His Name is Yahweh, I provide mountains of evidence from the Tanach/Old Testament proving that the Messiah is Yahweh.  Read it and see for yourself.

Should telling the truth about the New Testament be problematic?  No, but regrettably in some circles, it is.

Should telling the truth about the New Testament cause believers to lose faith?  Absolutely not.  In fact, telling the truth should strengthen their faith.

In John 8: 32, the Messiah said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” If you look at that statement in context, you will discover that He was telling a group of Jewish believers that He is Yahweh and that they should “abide in” His word.

When He said “abide in My word”, specifically He was talking about the Tanach (Scripture), and He was distinguishing between the Tanach and Halacha (Oral Tradition or man-made laws).

Since the writers of the New Testament were telling us that the Tanach/Old Testament (Scripture) provides abundant evidence about who the Messiah is, doesn’t it make sense that we should examine it to discover important truths as well?  Of course, it does.

Some, probably most, Christians don’t read the Old Testament, but it is THE primary source.  The New Testament, as important as it is, is a secondary source.  I have a strong hunch that Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, and many others agree with me.  I know that John and Paul agree with me, because they said so plainly.

I’ll go one step further.  Given the way that this message is being pressed on me, I believe that Yahweh wants me to tell it and that He wants you to hear it.  If you have doubts, pray about it.

Above all, resist the temptation to reject what I’m saying simply because it’s new to you or because you haven’t heard a preacher say it in church.

Remember how you came to the realization that the Messiah is Yahweh and that we have salvation in the Name Yahweh.  At one point, that was new to you, too, and you probably didn’t hear that message in church, either.

I have serious questions about the things that most believers are being taught in churches.  Far too many Christian leaders, preachers, ignore what Yahweh said and try to build their congregations around their opinions.

Now, if that sounds like a criticism, it’s because it is.

Having said these things, I believe that Revelation may actually be Scripture.  I’m still praying about it.  I used to believe that the four gospels are Scripture, but I don’t think that any longer.

Again, the New Testament is Yahweh inspired and important, but it doesn’t rise to the level of Scripture.

If I were a preacher and I knew that one day I would have to explain to Yahweh why I didn’t tell the truth about Him, His Name, and His word, I would tremble in fear.  I’ll leave it at that for now.

To show you how far off the mark most Christian teaching is, I’m writing this editorial on the day after “Easter”.  Since the name “Easter” is the transliteration of the name of the Babylonian and Assyrian fertility goddess Ishtar, it troubles me more than I can express that churches around the world have just finished celebrating Ishtar Sun Day.

Fact is, Sunday is the day of the week that was set apart for weekly sun worship.  Check it out and see for yourself.

The writers of the New Testament never would have celebrated Ishtar Sun Day.  In fact, they would have been appalled by what most Christian churches are doing.

It’s Pesach or Passover, not Easter.  We need to understand the difference and get it right. The same is true for Sunday.  It’s not the Sabbath day.  The Fourth Commandment tells us how important the Sabbath is, and it’s the last day of the week, not the first day of the week.

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“If My people who are called by My Name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7: 14)

Change that Yahweh calls “good” begins in the hearts of believers—people who are recognizable because they are different.

We are different because we belong to Him and are called by His Name.  We are Yahweh’s people, His followers.

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His Name is Yahweh, the website, is a companion of the book His Name is Yahweh.

To download His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition for free in PDF format, click on the title below:

His Name is Yahweh has been downloaded and shared in congregations all over the world. Please take advantage of this opportunity to read and share essential information about Yahweh.

You have my permission to copy and print His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition as many times as you want.  Please, don’t sell it.  Give it away.

To purchase His Name is Yahweh: Revised Edition in paperback or in eBook, click here.

To see videos that explain the importance of Yahweh’s Name, click here.

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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)

See “His Name is Yahweh”.

2 thoughts on “April 20, 2017 SnyderTalk: The New Testament is Eyewitness Testimony

  1. Thank you of your message. I always look forward to your articles everyday. The last two have been exceptional! Must say I agree.

    Again, thank you

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