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As the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15), Yeshua (Jesus) declared, "...I will build My congregation..." (Matt. 16:18). Initially, Yeshua's congregation consisted solely of a remnant of Israelites, including the 12 disciples and the 120 believers who entered into the New Covenant with God on Pentecost (Acts 2). After Yeshua's ascension, the Gospel- the Good News- was opened to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46, etc.). 

Over time, false converts infiltrated Yeshua's congregation (Jude 1:3-4), ascended to positions of authority, and began teaching false doctrines, including "myths" and "traditions of men” (2 Tim. 4:1-4). They also mixed many pagan elements with the true faith, which Scripture explicitly forbids (Deut. 12:29-32; Jer. 10:1-5). 

In his epistle, Jude, a brother of Yeshua, warned, "...It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which 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 Yeshua Messiah” (Jude 3-4). 

Around 100 AD, the Apostle John was imprisoned by the Romans on the Isle of Patmos off Asia Minor in the Aegean Sea, where he wrote the Book of Revelation under the inspiration of the holy spirit. God inspired the book in highly symbolic language (Rev. 1:1) to conceal the identity of true believers from false believers, and to reveal the identity of false believers to true believers (Matt. 13:10-17). 

In the book, the believers of the false congregation are described as "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots" (Rev. 17:5), symbolizing peoples who were unfaithfully breaking their covenant with God by willfully breaking His commandments. This led to the prophesied apostasy—the time of great falling away (2 Thess. 2:1–4)— when Yeshua's congregation split in two. False ministers seized power, persecuting, murdering, and scattering true believers, both physically and spiritually.

One congregation is portrayed as a chaste virgin (2 Cor. 11:2), a remnant of Yeshua’s original congregation. The other is described as "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots. (Rev. 17:5). This description symbolizes the Catholic Church and her Protestant, daughter Churches, whose spiritual roots extend back to the Babylonian mystery religion, a pagan cult. Together, they are known as mainstream Christianity. 

For the past 2,000 years. the chaste congregation has remained relatively obscure (Luke 12:32), while the harlot and her daughter congregations now account for one-third of the earth’s population (Revelation chapters 8 through 11).

As we approach the end of the age, we find ourselves in the midst of the “Greater Exodus.” After God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage through a series of plagues, He led them into the wilderness where He entered into a covenant with them contingent upon them keeping His Torah (Ex. 19:3): His commandments, statutes, and judgments. Likewise, today, God is leading His people into a spiritual wilderness through a series of plagues (Revelation chapters 9 through 10), where He is entering into a covenant with us, also contingent upon our obedience to His Torah (Ex. 19:3). In Revelation 18:4, God cries out to people in those congregations who are willing to repent, saying, “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4). 

Today, we are witnessing a spiritual awakening among God's people in mainstream Christianity. They are being led by God to seek "the ancient paths" (Jer. 6:16) and to return to the First-Century Hebraic Roots of the faith. This spirit-led, prophetic awakening has manifested itself in what is known as the Hebrew Roots Movement, by which God is calling "His people" to repentance.

James wrote, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20). Again, Hebrew Roots believers follow his instructions by calling mainstream Christianity to repentance.

Leviticus 19:17 states, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.” Hebrew Roots believers are often criticized as "Torah Terrorists." While there have been a few overzealous believers in the movement, the number of them is greatly exaggerated by a substantial liberal anti-Torah element in mainstream Christianity. This Scripture implies that if we do not rebuke our brother or neighbor for their sins, we are guilty of “hating” them, as they could face condemnation on judgment day. This belief is often dismissed by those who don't believe that they are required to keep God's Law.

Regarding Salvation, we believe it is a two-step process: justification and sanctification. Justification is the one‑time act of accepting Messiah Yeshua as Savior, resulting in being “saved” from our “sins that are past” (Rom. 3:24–25). Sanctification is a lifelong process of keeping the Law through a living faith (James 2:17) and overcoming sin to the end (Rev. 2:7, etc.), at which point we "attain salvation." 

For more information on this important topic, read my short article titled: "Eternal Life: Harmonizing Yeshua, James, and John."

Stephen Otto

I would love to hear from you! If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me using the link in the menu above.

​יהוה bless and keep you. יהוה make His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. יהוה lift up His face toward you, and give you peace.