Law, statutes, and commandments - What do they mean?

In a world where everyone thinks they know everything, it can be frustrating to enlighten those who will not take, at least, a few minutes to sit and examine the evidence set before them. This is why I have taken the liberty to post less on YouTube and to send people to my webpage who truly want to learn. At least I know that those who are genuinely interested, whether they agree or disagree at the end, will take the time to view the evidence.

Let me show you a group of people who were wise in their days:

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:10-11

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4 KJV

The problem with this translation is that the translator avoids the definite articles that change the meaning of what is stated. I have provided my translation below.

“[All] [that] [{are} committing] [the Sin]; [he [also] transgresses] [the law] [and] [the Sin] [is] [the] [lawlessness].” 1John 3:4 -My Provisionary Translation

Now that I have provided my translation of 1 John 3:4, the key to understanding what John is referring to doesn't rest in the fact that you can read words on a paper. To understand what the Apostles understood, it is essential to recognize that the Greek word 'nomos,' which is translated as 'law,' has been used in various ways in Koine Greek. So I will have to show you what I mean.

I have copied a portion of several distortions from the AI Overview by Google. Most Jewish people, Christians, and some Hebrew Israelites believe these distortions. Read it and let me know if you see any of those lies.

“1. The Law of Moses (The Old Testament)

This term refers to the compilation of decrees found in the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis through Deuteronomy). [1]

• The Covenant: These 613 commandments (which include the Ten Commandments) formed the terms of the covenant between God and the ancient Israelites.

• Three Categories: The laws are historically grouped into three areas: moral laws (timeless principles of right and wrong, e.g., the Ten Commandments), civil laws (rules for governing the society, such as property and justice), and ceremonial laws (instructions for worship, sacrifices, and purity).

• Purpose: The Apostle Paul explains in the New Testament that the law acted as a "tutor" or guide, revealing human imperfection and the need for divine grace.”

If you can’t see the lies, that is okay. God called me to point out the details to you. The first lie is that the “law of Moses (the Old Testament)” refers to the compilation of decrees found in the first five books of the Old Testament.

The first five books of Moses contain history, prophecy, poetry, laws, statutes, commandments, judgments, and ordinances. All are equally important, but all are not legal decrees, that is, legally fixed apodictic regulations. Many people vaguely understand why the five scrolls that Moses wrote are called the Law of Moses. Before you can learn that, allow me to point out the Hebrew meaning of the translated English word “law.”

The Hebrew word that the English Bibles translate as “law” is “torah.” The Hebrew word “torah” is the noun for "instruction" or "teaching." I like “teaching” better, though. “Torah” comes from the root word "Yarah," which means “to point out.” "Teacher" is the English noun for the Hebrew noun “moreh” that comes from the root word “Yarah.” As you can see, a legal set of rules can’t accurately define “teaching.” This distinction is because a law is a legal enforcer and a teaching is the process of imparting knowledge. This is why Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 KJV

Knowledge of the truth will set you free, and this process involves learning how to receive knowledge on any topic. This is why a foundational understanding of the term “Torah” is critical. Another reason it is important is because when it comes to the Septuagint, the translators who translated the Hebrew writings from Hebrew to Koine Greek used the Greek word “nomos” to translate the Hebrew term “torah.” Why? It is because the teaching was the rules that the Yahudim (Jews) lived by during the time of the Greek invasion. However, the story comes with a bit of deception. This tale is not from me but from those who thoroughly enjoy reading the apocrypha. Most of the writings in this body of work come from the Maccabean period.

In a few places, 1 Maccabees states that no prophet was in the land. Let me show you:

“They discussed what to do about the altar for entirely burned offerings, since it had been polluted. They decided it was best to tear it down so that it wouldn’t be a lasting shameful reminder to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar. They stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple mount until a prophet should arise who could say what to do with them.” 1 Maccabees 4:44-46

“So there was great distress in Israel, the worst since the time when prophets ceased to appear among them.” 1 Maccabees 9:27

“The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise.” 1 Maccabees 14:41

I have shown you three witnesses who state that there was no prophet in the land until John the Baptist came along. The reason for the delay has to do with God’s anger against Israel as a whole. God got tired of the Israelites turning aside from the way; that's an idiom. Every time they distorted the truth beyond recognition, God had to send a prophet to restore it. John the Baptist is the last prophet that God sent. He prepared the way of the Lord, as Isaiah said would happen, and the gospel writings confirm this. The Yahudim had lost the truth a long time before the Babylonian captivity. The writer of 1 Kings provides us insight into this events:

“Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.” 1 Kings 17:18-19

This verse should tell you everything you need to know concerning the Talmud that the Pharisees used to teach during John the Baptist's time. Judah, “...walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.” They created their own version of the oral Torah, and by doing so, they abandoned the oral Torah that God handed down to Moses, along with the written Torah that God wrote on the stone tablets. The Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud are the oldest collections of works that the Yahudim created to observe Judaism. The Mishnah and Gemara were composed roughly between 200 CE and 500 CE. These two (the Mishnah and Gemara) were constructed after the death of the last apostle. He died sometime between 96 and 99 CE.

Since Judah continued to follow a distorted version of the Lord's teachings, God allowed them to continue their works until He sent His prophet to restore the truth for the coming of their Messiah. However, they didn't believe John the Baptist, and you know what happened to Jesus. After John completed his assignment, Jesus took over, and his ministry resulted in many Jews claiming that Jesus had some new teaching:

“And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, what thing is this? What new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.” Mark 1:27

The teaching that the people claimed was new, which they heard Jesus teach, was new to them because they had lost the true explanation of the statutes that Judah had distorted. We are in the same place today because of many Church Fathers who took over after John's death. This is what the apostles stated would happen after their death:

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3

These words could not describe our time better. People are teaching damnable heresies. There are some Hebrew Israelites denying the Lord who bought them; many people are following pernicious ways, and the way of truth is spoken evil of every time I speak the truth. Lastly, many false prophets are making merchandise of you. They say, "God just said to me, 'If you sow a $50 seed right now, on the 50th day of the feast of weeks, God will pour out a blessing that will overtake you.'" The worst thing is that people fall for it. So God has sent two witnesses to teach the message that Elijah has restored.

This article is getting a bit long, so I will write a part 2. I hope to complete it to provide you with more insight. If you wish to stay connected with me and hear about some of the things I teach, I want you to go to this link and sign up. I really don’t desire to teach on YouTube for three reasons:

1. I would rather not hear anyone accuse me of making things up for a YouTube paycheck. God has given me a brain and being an IT professional, I make a decent living.

2. I wish to teach those who are truly interested in hearing the truth. Which is why you are here reading. I will lay out the evidence and I would have done what God called me to do.

3. People will take what I teach and distort it while teaching their following. So I desire to protect the truth to the best of my ability. This is why the prophets say to keep the commandments. "Keep" means "guard."

Shalom!