Evidence of Post Ascension Obedience

The Original Apostolic Assembly Followed Torah

All too often those indoctrinated into Western and Eastern Christianity are not informed or studied enough — or in denial — to see within the texts of the Apostolic Writings that the apostles (and those they were teaching and leading) continued to follow Torah. Here are some verses that are most frequently either overlooked, deliberately mistranslated, or simply misunderstood.

Acts 10:14 — 14) But Kĕpha said, “Not at all, Master! Because I have never eaten whatever is common or unclean.”

See the lesson, “It’s About People, Not Meat” for more on this passage. Shimon Kefa is specifically stating in no uncertain terms that, after the Ascension, between 3 to 5 years, he is STILL OBEDIENT to the Scriptural definition for what constitutes meat. And the dream wasn’t even about meat. <Acts 10:28> (The clean and unclean animals we mixed together to demonstrate how the Father intends to mix native Israel with the nations to create the true followers through belief.)

Is Shimon Kefa a liar? Did he eat unclean meats but feel the need to lie to a messenger of Elohim? Eek…

And the angel doesn’t correct him. It doesn’t say, “Just eat it all, you dolt! Jesus cleansed all meat in Mark 7.” (For those of you not yet laughing, Mark IS Kefa’s testimony of the ministry of Messiah — as told to and written down by Mark. Get the funny part yet? Not to mention…)

Acts 15:19–21 — 19) “Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the nations who are turning to Elohim, 20) but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols [a], and from whoring [b], and from what is strangled [c], and from blood [d]. 21) “For from ancient generations Moshe has, in every city, those proclaiming him — being read in the congregations every Sabbath.”

References within the passage above: [a] Exo 22:20; Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; Deut 32:21; 1 Cor 10:14; 1 Cor 10:20–21 — [b] Num 25:1–3; Lev 17:7 — [c] Gen 9:4; Eze 33:25 (Strangulation is one way of killing the animal so one can eat the meat with blood); Prov 21:25 — [d] Lev 17:10–14

I have read on another AMINO group ones who claim these are the “4 pillars of Christianity” and assert these are all Christians have to follow. You’ve probably heard them called “the 4 pillars”. To save words and shorten this lesson, read “The Four Pillars of Christianity” to learn about the first steps of belief for new non-Yehudim believers in those days.

Sha’ul Keeps No Fewer than 84 Sabbath Days

Acts 13:14 — 14) But passing through from Perge, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the congregation on the Sabbath day and sat down.

He meets with the assembly at Perge(mos) <Rev 2:12–17> on Sabbath. One.

Acts 13:42–44 — 42) And when the Yehuḏim went out of the congregation, the nations begged to have these words spoken to them the next Sabbath. 43) And when the meeting of the congregation had broken up, many of the Yehuḏim and of the worshipping converts followed Sha’ul and Barnaḇa, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the favor of Elohim. 44) And on the next Sabbath almost all the city came together to hear the Word of Elohim.

Again, meeting on the Sabbath and speaking the Word of Elohim — this is the Law and the Prophets for those reading who are not certain. There was no “New Testament” then. Sha’ul did not whip out his pocket New Testament with the Psalms and start reading to them. It did not exist.

…Continue in the favor of Elohim… How does one do that? Ahem… According to His Word? Two.

Acts 16:13 — 13) And on the Sabbath day we went outside the city by a river, where there used to be prayer. And having sat down we were speaking to the women who met there…

Sha’ul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke (the use of “we” includes the author) were traveling, but ON THE SABBATH they go down to a place near the river where — previously — there had been a place set aside for prayer (this requires reading multiple versions to gather the context of the phrase above). There they meet a Gentile woman, witness to her, and immediately baptize her in the river. On Sabbath. Three.

Acts 17: 2–4 — 2) And according to his practice Sha’ul went in unto them, and for THREE SABBATHS was reasoning with them from the Scriptures {only the Tanak in those days}, 3) explaining and pointing out that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This is the Messiah, יהושע, whom I proclaim to you.” 4) And some of them did believe, and a large number of the worshipping Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Sha’ul and Silas.

Why is Sha’ul teaching them on Sabbath? Back to the law of common sense: from what “Scriptures” is he teaching? Did he pull out his pocket New Testament, read from his letter to the Romans? There was only one “Scriptures” in those days and that was the Tanak (that dirty rag, the Old Testament with the mean old God who smited and smoted). (It would be most of another century before the first accumulation of Apostolic writings were assembled and centuries before being scrutinized and narrowed down to the most likely authentic letters… 2 Peter a possible exception.)

Why is Sha’ul teaching from Tanak? Why is he wasting his time teaching from that abolished, meaningless, outdated stuff that Christians don’t need?

It is the authority in which he speaks. It is the authority Messiah used to defeat hasatan in the wilderness. It is quoted repeatedly by ALL the apostolic writers and is never referred to as abolished or done away with or worthless elemental matters of the world.

Moreover, they weren’t teaching Christians. They weren’t baptizing Christians. They weren’t creating Christians. Sha’ul himself refers to the faith in Messiah Yeshua as a sect of Judaism. He was a JEW, by the modern linguistics. The original apostolic church was a sect of Judaism. Tough pill to swallow, isn’t it? Four, five, six… minimum.

Acts 18:1–4 — 1) And after this Sha’ul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2) And he found a certain Yehuḏi named Aqulas, born in Pontos, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla — because Claudius had commanded all the Yehuḏim to leave Rome — and he came to them. 3) And because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and was working, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4) And he was reasoning in the congregation EVERY SABBATH, and won over both Yehuḏim and Greeks.

There is a contextual conclusion that nearly all Westerners make in this passage (and others, as well). I once watched a movie wherein Sha’ul goes to check on his massive tent making business. In order to understand this, one must first use common sense again. How does Sha’ul travel with a massive tent making business? Is it possible that we have the wrong concept of what type of tent he made? One must go to the source.

He was a Yehudi and, in that culture, and according to Scripture, no man approaches Elohim in prayer without a head covering — a tent. In the West, we renamed these “prayer shawls”, but Jews call these “tents”. Sha’ul made prayer shawls, a business he could carry with him to earn a little coin along the way. This is, still today, a legitimate small business for thousands in Israel and around the world. It is still called, after translation, tent making.

He lived with fellow Yehudim from Rome who had been exiled who were also tent makers.

Now, he reasons in the synagogue every Sabbath while living there. For how long? Go to verse 11:

… 11) And he remained a year and six months, teaching the Word of יהוה among them.

Two things on that: First, that’s 78 or so Sabbaths that Sha’ul kept just in these verses. And, second, from what Word is he teaching? Seven to Eighty-four.

So far, in the verses presented, Scripture demonstrates Kefa keeping the food laws of Leviticus 11. The record saved by Luke in Acts demonstrates the original leaders in Jerusalem instructing new believers from the nations that they take these first steps — from Torah — in order to enter the synagogue to hear the Word of Elohim. And 84 (+/-) instances of Sha’ul keeping Sabbath.

There’s more.

Let’s keep going.

Sha’ul Keeps the Spring Feasts

Acts 20:6–7 — 6) And we sailed away from Philippi after the DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, and came to them at Troas in five days, where we stayed seven days. 7) And on the first of the Shabbats (4521), the taught ones having gathered together to break bread, Sha’ul, intending to depart the next day, was reasoning with them and was extending the word till midnight.

Verse 7 is a prime example of a mistranslated verse, maybe the 2nd worst in just the book of Acts. <Acts 12:4, KJV only> All of the (considered) reliable manuscripts of Acts read, “On the first [of the] Sabbaths (4521)… I have a lesson on this and there is extensive topical coverage available on the internet. Suffice it say, the mistranslation allows Western doctrine to cement sun-day as the “new Sabbath”, something that did not happen officially until the RCC changed it in Canon 29 , thus changing the Word of Elohim to fit their own doctrine.

What it means, in brief, is this is evidence of those with whom Sha’ul ate a dinner (not performed the sun wafer eucharist of the priesthood of Orpheus), met at the end of the first Sabbath counting towards Shavuot. Sha’ul just finished celebrating Passover and Unleavened Bread away from Jerusalem which is allowed in Torah if one is traveling and far from Jerusalem. Sha’ul is recorded, by the nature of counting the seven Sabbaths to Shavuot, keeping another 7 Sabbaths and Shavuot. Counting 85 to 92 Sabbaths kept.

To save word-count, read about the seven Sabbaths in Torah. Leviticus 23:10–22

→ “Nonsense!” you say! “Heresy,” you declare!

Read the whole passage in Acts down to verse 16:

… 16) For Sha’ul had decided to sail past Ephesos, so that he might lose no time in Asia, for he was hurrying to be at Yerushalayim, if possible, on the DAY OF THE FESTIVAL OF SHAḆU’OT. {Counted from the day on which the sheaf of the first-fruits is waved during the Festival of Matzot (Unleavened Bread) — See Lev 23:10–21 <The morrow after the Sabbath>} <See also Acts 2:1>

If Sha’ul did away with Torah, as most of Christianity claims he did in Romans, why was he still following that pesky worthless old law, huh? Common sense seems to have been drained away with the baptismal water. He meets with believers for dinner on the first of the seven Sabbaths counting from the Sabbath within Passover (v7) to Shavuot (v16). In these verses we have evidence of Sabbath keeping and celebrating the Feasts of YHVH, AFTER WRITING THE LETTER TO ROMA, which is belief obedience to Torah.

All Are Ardent for the Torah

Acts 21:20–26 — 20) And when they heard it, they praised the Master. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Yehuḏim there are who have believed, and ALL ARE ARDENT FOR THE TORAH…

→ “Those deluded law-keepers! Just a bunch of Judaizers, those original followers of Messiah! Phffft!”

Sha’ul Keeps a Torah Vow

The leadership in Jerusalem excitedly identifies the believers as all being: “ARDENT FOR THE TORAH.” What? Didn’t they get Sha’ul’s letter to Rome tossing out the Torah? Sha’ul seems to have missed it himself! Otherwise, why is in he in Jerusalem for Shavuot?

… 23b)… We have four men who have taken a vow. 24) “Take them and be cleansed with them, and pay their expenses so that they shave their heads. And all shall know that what they have been informed about you is not so, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Torah.

Sha’ul walks orderly… keeping the Torah…

→ Whaaaaa?!

Sha’ul is asked to help 4 men keep the Nazarite vow as a demonstration of his obedience. Which he does without argument, he pays for them all, and goes through it with them. It was NOT for show — BECAUSE — that would violate his own message and all of his writings by doing for the esteem (glory) of men — making him a hypocrite.

Was Sha’ul a hypocrite?

→ That old fool keeping the feast after he abolished them on the letter to Roma.

My snarky hyperbole is starting to make my point. How and why does the guy who eliminated the need to do them still doing the Feast and Sabbaths of YHVH?

He remained obedient to the Father’s instructions because he was obedient to Messiah Yeshua — because he loved Him. He imitated Messiah and advised us to do the same. <1 Cor 11:1> Also, he did NOT want the perception that others formed to cause some to stumble. He LIVED HIS OWN MESSAGE! <Romans 14:1–6, 1 Cor 8:1–13>

The Nazarite vow is found in Torah. Numbers chapter 6. Continuing in Acts 21:

Acts 21:25–26 — 25) “But concerning the nations who believe, we have written and decided that they should keep themselves from what is offered to idols, and blood, and what is strangled, and whoring.” <Act 15:20> 26) Then Sha’ul took the men on the next day, and having been cleansed with them, went into the Set-apart Place to announce the completion of the days of separation — until the offering should be presented for each one of them. {This is how we know that he also performed the vow with the men.}

Quick review: Sha’ul is asked to perform the Nazirite Vow, per Torah <Num 6:1–21>, by Ya’akov, the leader of the group of 12 (down to 10 at this point) and the Jerusalem assembly. The key being that Sha’ul performs the vow without question in response to being accused of teaching against Torah. He performs the vow with other believers that are not only obedient to Torah, but ARDENT FOR IT! As he states of himself in Romans. <Rom 7:12, 22>

I thought I’d throw this one in for fun:

Acts 22:2–4 — 2) And the high priest Ḥananyah commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3) Then Sha’ul said to him, “Elohim is going to strike you, whitewashed wall! And do you sit judging me according to the Torah, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the Torah?” 4) And those who stood by said, “Do you revile the high priest of Elohim?” 5 And Sha’ul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it has been written, ‘You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.’ ” <Exo 22:28>

What just happened? At trial, Sha’ul is struck. He condemns the one who gave the order to strike him because that VIOLATES Torah. But then is told that the one who gave the order is the High Priest and Sha’ul corrects himself: WITH TORAH!

You must read Acts 24:10 to the end of the book to learn about Sha’ul’s “trials” and trials.

The Assembly at Corinth is Confused by False Teachers

1 Corinthians 5:8 — So then let us celebrate the festival, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with the UNLEAVENED BREAD of sincerity and truth.

What Feast is Sha’ul taking about here? Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The members of the assembly in Corinth have asked pointedly if they should still celebrate the Feasts of YHVH, particularly the coming Passover. (The possibility exists that they are asking if they can change some of the patterns of worship for newly adopted formerly pagan practices. This can be read both ways.) Sha’ul answers pointedly:

Duh, of course! Let us CELEBRATE the festival with Unleavened Bread!

Because the unleavened bread is representative of our lives with the leavening of sin removed by Messiah. The bread represented the Messiah removing the leaven of sin all the way back to Sinai. One of those types and shadows.

The Colossians Needs a Little Help with the Gnostics

Colossians 2:16–17 — 16) Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths — 17) which are a shadow of what is to come — but the Body of the Messiah.

The Body of Messiah is to give ruling on all matters, not the outsiders! Let No One Judge You goes into much greater detail. Sha’ul is saying to those believers at Colossi not to be swayed by the Gnostic influence and to go ahead and celebrate the Feasts and Sabbaths of YHVH in joy and with confidence. What did he tell the assembly in Corinth? Why would he say something different to the assembly at Colossi?

Is Sha’ul of two minds? A two-faced snake in the grass?

NO!

If you think he says celebrate the Feast to Corinth and not to celebrate the Feasts to Colossi, it’s your doctrine blinding you, not Sha’ul sending different messages.

However, the way the verse is written causes the confusion here. Using English grammatical rules, simply move it around:

… 16–17) Let no one, but the Body of the Messiah, therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths — which are a shadow of what is to come…

If all of these things have been abolished, how could they still be shadows of WHAT IS STILL TO COME? One must IGNORE “verse” 17 to think Sha’ul is talking about tossing these things out. The letter to the Colossians was written 5 to 6 years AFTER the letter to Rome. Here Sha’ul is still advocating belief obedience to Torah through Messiah Yeshua — including celebrating the Sabbath and Feasts of YHVH (not to mention using the calendar the Father gave in Torah).

Shavuot at the Temple

Acts 2:1 — And when the Day of the Festival of Shaḇu‛ot had come, they were all with one mind in one place.

Why are these men who walked with Yeshua — who learned in person from Him — at the Temple for Shavuot?

**(They are at the Portico of Solomon. It was the main non-priestly meeting place at the Temple and the only space large enough to accommodate thousands of people at the same time. It was also connected to the court of the nations where non Yehudim would have been allowed inside the Temple grounds. Acts 3:11, John 10:23, and Acts 5:12 all mention the Porch of Solomon. According to non-Scriptural sources, the Porch was nearly half of the width down one side of the Temple and nearly the length of the whole area.)

The entire event of Acts 2 is the group of 11 disciples, several Mary’s including Messiah’s mother, probably Yeshua’s brothers (who are not mentioned), and a few others, certainly including Luke, are all at the Porch of Solomon for Shavuot.

WHY?

Did they miss Messiah telling them they did not need to keep the Feasts anymore?

They did not miss it, Messiah never said it. It is dogma to misinterpret the Word of Elohim the way Christianity does. It feels good, it’s easy to not do the things of the Father. It is easy to do the things of the world — like Christmas and Easter and Valentine’s Day and Halloween. These are easy because the world makes them easy. Doing the things of the Father is difficult because it sets us apart from the world and the world hates us for it.

{Allow me to deviate for a moment and provide an example of what I mean. I live in a particularly Roman Catholic country — Philippines. In the spring, we cannot find matzoth or any of the other celebratory items associated with Passover. Although we do not do it, we have never seen a Hanukkiah menorah. When we celebrate Shavuoth and Sukkot people simply do not understand. When we blew the horn for Yom Teruah this past fall…wow…for a country consisting of more noise than a steel mill they sure complained about our joyful noise. The place of the world makes doing the things of the Father VERY difficult.}

I have to cut this one off here. This is not an exhaustive study of ALL of the evidences of post Ascension belief obedience to the Moral Standard of the Almighty. It’s a solid list and goes on a bit, sorry. But there are others, a little trickier to sus out and require much greater in-depth study. Maybe another lesson.

For those about to run to Romans and cherry pick out their favorite anti-Torah verse, you should read the 21-part series I did on the book of Romans first. It will save us both a lot of time. Well, me. You have some reading to do. I will invest the time saved in more study. It’s only about 70,000 words and includes the entire text of the book of Romans. It’s worth your time and study, even if your goal is to “prove me wrong.” You can’t do it if you do not read me or ignore what I say. That’s just 1 Tim 6:4–5.