8.14.26 –A Major Dilemma

 Very few individuals who believe Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah would ever question that He fulfilled the Torah regarding His mission and first coming. But what about the Scriptures fulfilling His second coming? In the midst of the Torah portion Shoftim, the instructions of who can go to war and the second coming of the Messiah were discussed. Let me share with you some highlights and see what you think about them. Your opinion is valued :-)

There are four individuals who cannot go to war (Deut. 20:5–8). One of the four groups benefits the entire platoon, while the other three only benefit the soldier sent home. The "sent home" ones include someone who has built a new house and hasn't dedicated it. Another is a man who has planted a vineyard and hasn't eaten of its fruit. The final qualification is a man who is betrothed to a wife and hasn't consummated the relationship. The fourth category of disqualifying a soldier for war is a fearful man. Later, Moses tells us that there is a minimum time after the man has consummated his relationship that he must spend pleasing his wife, before he can go to war (Deut. 24:5). If you take into consideration the time it takes before you can eat from the vine—four complete years (Lev. 19:23–25)—we quickly find that the Lord God places a high priority on experiencing specific aspects of life over war. By doing this, it gives man a chance to reflect the image of God as seen in Genesis 2, where He provides a place to live, a vineyard, and a spouse to share it with (Gen. 2:7–22).

You may be asking, "What do the qualifications of who can go to war have to do with the second coming of Messiah?"

My personal belief is that Yeshua is the manifest image of God in the flesh (Col. 1:15). I believe He is the Word that has been from the beginning (John 1:1–18). I believe He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). I believe He is the Prophet that Moses spoke of and others wondered about (Deut. 18:15–18; Matt. 21:21; Mark 6:15). I believe He kept the Torah flawlessly (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5) and taught it to His disciples (Deut. 13:1–8; Matt. 5:17–20). I believe when He came the first time, the world anticipated a Lion but got a Lamb (John 1:29). At His second coming, I believe the world will be unprepared again, since He will come as a Lion, devouring His enemies (Rev. 5:5).

All of the "second coming" theological models have Yeshua coming back in war against His enemies—whether it is a pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib perspective. In our Shabbat group's mind, that created a dilemma according to the instructions on who can go to war versus who has to go home until... It creates a problem because He is still building the house for His betrothed (John 14:1–4) and He is still waiting to share the fruit of the vineyard with His honey bunny (Luke 22:18). On top of that, the relationship needs one year of intimacy (Deut. 24:5)... One thing we do know: He is not afraid!

If Yeshua is a Torah-observant Messiah—and He is—then could it be that we have not considered the necessity of His obedience to Himself, the Word, when it comes to our eschatological views?

Happy Preparation Day!

Shalom,
Alan

P.S. If you are looking for some of the highest quality tzitzit on the market, you can order them on holyfringes.com.

And until the internet situation is completely resolved, you can join the WhatsApp study at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time each morning at 816-772-2183.

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