And so now we want to pray right now  鈥�Father, in the Name of Moshiach I want to pray right now over this word, 鈥淲e overcome the taivel (devil) by the word of our testimony.鈥� I want to pray, L-rd, that people will give their testimony, that they will maintain their testimony, that they will always be ready to share with anyone the hope that鈥檚 within them.  And I want to pray dear G-d that as we look at 1Yo, the Epistle, that we will see the importance of the testimony.  And we鈥檒l give you all the praise for all the anointing. In Moshiach's Name.  Omein.

Now when we look at 1Yo the very first thing we notice is that the testimony of these Shluchim, these apostles, is so crucial because if you want to have fellowship with G-d you have to realize that their fellowship is with [Atik Yomin, Dan 7:13-14] G-d through His Zun fun Der Oybershter the Bar Enosh Moshiach and if you go outside that circle you don鈥檛 have the Bar Enosh Son and you don鈥檛 have the Atik Yomin Father, and so you have to stay in the fellowship.  And so the people who went out from them because they were not of them, they refused the doctrine, they tried to go beyond the doctrine, to progress beyond the words of the apostles.  But you see the early believers were not like that.  They maintained what they heard from the beginning, they were zealous for the teaching of the Shluchim, the breaking of bread, the prayers, and the fellowship.  And that鈥檚 what we want to talk about today.  It has to do with an empty tomb.

Hallelujah!  An empty tomb.  There鈥檚 only one empty tomb in the world, Friend.  Mohammed is IN his tomb. It鈥檚 quite occupied. And any false Moshiach Rebbe that anyone might want to name, he鈥檚 also in his tomb, it鈥檚 quite occupied. But when we read in Psalm 16 about MOSHIACH鈥橲 TOMB we find out that there is no SHACHAT, no corruption [no rotting], there is no decay there.

And then when we read Isaiah chapter 53 we find out that the kever (tomb) of the Moshiach (Messiah) is mentioned, but it鈥檚 there only because our redemption requires it, and after he (Moshiach) makes the atonement with his asham sacrifice, his offering, of his nefesh, it says Hashem is satisfied and then after that he鈥檚 NO LONGER in his tomb because the Moshiach has his days PROLONGED and THAT  requires an empty tomb.  Did you hear what I said?

The prolongation of the Moshiach鈥檚 days in Isaiah chapter 53 requires an empty tomb.

And that empty tomb is the most important thing you could ever contemplate.  Because one of these days YOUR tomb will NOT be empty, Friend. One of these days your tomb will be occupied.  But I want to point out to you that in Daniel chapter 12, verse 2, it says you WILL AWAKE. 

Now Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story called 鈥淭he Premature Burial,鈥� and he said there was nothing worse, even hell itself, would not be worse, than awaking in your tomb. 

But Edgar Allan Poe had a drinking problem and he didn鈥檛 really exegete the Scriptures ----he may have died in Baltimore in the gutter and he really should have taken another look at this because YOU WILL AWAKE IN YOUR TOMB, no question about it, Daniel chapter 12, verse 2, 鈥淢any that sleep in the dust of the earth WILL AWAKE..鈥� 

So here you are, you are six feet under, and you are waking up!  And your rotting carcass is being materialized into a resurrection body.  There IS a resurrection body. And what happens?  You notice that six feet of cemetery dirt is between you and the feet of the Moshiach who is alive. 

Now how do I know that he鈥檚 alive?  Because in Daniel it鈥檚 very clear that he (Moshiach) makes his histalkus (passing, death) BEFORE the Churban (the destruction of the Second Temple, [70 C.E.]).  And this is found in the 9^th Chapter of Daniel.  So he will be awake. And we know that he (Moshiach) comes in the clouds of glory. Daniel chapter 7, verses 13-14. So he鈥檚 awake and you鈥檙e awake.

But the point is:  Have you cursed him?  Have you called him Yushka?

Have you denied him, or have you SERVED him? (鈥渟erved鈥�=PAY-LAMED-CHET)?

Now we know that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, those three boys, (and of course when I was a child in Sunday School I heard about them all the time) and it鈥檚 very important to hear about them because PAY-LAMED-CHET. They refused to serve the idols, they say, 鈥淥 King, we will not PAY-LAMED-CHET your g-ds,鈥� but ALL PEOPLES, including Shadrach, and Meshach, and Abednego WILL PAY-LAMED-CHET the Bar Enosh when he comes in the clouds of glory.  Because you see he鈥檚 NOT an idol. He鈥檚 the one that comes from the Father, and if you don鈥檛 know the one that comes from the Father, you don鈥檛 know the Father.  And the Shluchim say this, 鈥淥ur fellowship is with him (the Bar Enosh), and his fellowship is with the Father (Atik Yomin), and your fellowship must be with us (Shluchim), and this is how we know the spirit of truth (ruach emes) and the spirit of error (ruach ta鈥檛uim, spirit of error, spirit of delusion): whoever listens to us (Shluchim) has G-d, and whoever does NOT listen to us (Shluchim) does not have G-d.  And there are false prophets who go out from them, because they are not of them. And this is why you must keep yourself in the love of G-d (Ahavas Hashem).  And you must be sure to realize that there is a circle, and in that circle is Eternal Life.  Chayei Olam, eternal life. Chayei Olam is at stake in what we are talking about right now, because if you look at 1Yo 1:3 you will see this: 鈥淲e proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us and our fellowship is with the Father and the Zoon foon Der Oybershter Yeshua HaMoshiach.鈥� He鈥檚 talking about the Word of Life, the Devar HaChayim, the Word of Life.  And that Word of Life is Eternal Life.  And if you have knowledge (da鈥檃s), if you have the anointing (spiritual mishcha) from him, and if you listen to these Shluchim, then you have life, and you have the Spirit of Truth (Ruach Emes), but if you refuse to listen, if you turn away and go out from them because you鈥檙e not of them, you have death.  You have no Chayei Olam.  And this is a very serious thing.  And there are many who鈥�

Can you imagine someone going outside the Bible (Tanakh, Hebrew Bible) to augur if they can see who the Moshiach is? That they would search extra-Biblical materials to augur who is the Moshiach?  What witchcraft!  Friend, why was the Tanakh written? 

Why was it written? It was written so that you might know who the Moshiach is! You cannot go outside the Holy Writ of Scripture to augur who is the Moshiach!  This is pagan divination.  This is not anything but witchcraft!

Can鈥檛 you see that?  Moses (Moshe Rabbeinu) would be pulling his hair out if he knew that this was going on.  This is an occult thing.  Listen, Friend, don鈥檛 let your eyes glaze over.  Don鈥檛 become a member of a cult.  Don鈥檛 get away from the sober word of G-d, because your soul (nashamah) depends upon it.  One of these days you will be in the grave, and you will hear the voice of the Moshiach Ben Dovid, and he will call you out of the grave.  But here鈥檚 the question: will he call you out for a resurrection unto life?  Or will he call you out for a resurrection unto judgment?  And we鈥檙e praying that it will be  unto life.  But you must listen to the Word of G-d.

Why would anyone listen to an extra-Biblical source and not come to Daniel or the Prophets (Nevi鈥檌m) or Moses (Moshe Rabbeinu)?  Who would want to add to G-d鈥檚 Word or go outside the Word of G-d?  This is witchcraft. 

And, Friend, you have to realize that your testimony (eidus tovah) must line up with the Word of G-d. And if it does, you truly have a testimony.  The Shluchim, when they looked for the men that would be ministers, they wanted those that were of good testimony.  And this is all-important, for you to keep your testimony. And the testimony was needed, because that鈥檚 how the people were qualified, because they had to meet a need, and there鈥檚 a need that has to be met: You have to tell people about the Moshiach.  You have to do what the early disciples (talmidim) did: they said, 鈥淐ome with us. We have found the Moshiach (the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach).鈥�

And of course they were referring to the one who QUALIFIES according to the Tanakh, according to the Scriptures.  That he IS the prophet (navi) like Moses (Moshe Rabbeinu). born in Beit-Lechem, the one who would have the government on his shoulders, he is the one who would come and he would make the kaparah.  You remember what Moses (Moshe Rabbeinu) said, in Exodus, in Shemot (Shemos, Exodus in the Torah), he said, 鈥淵ou know, I鈥檓 willing to give my own life so that these people (the Jewish people) would not be destroyed.鈥�  He was willing, he wanted to make atonement, that鈥檚 what he says, Exodus chapter 32.  He wanted to make the kaparah, he was willing to give his own life.  But, you know, Isaiah saw another one who would come.  He would be a LAMB, a SEH.   He would also be a sin-bearer.  He would be the one like the scapegoat, (the Yom Kippur sa鈥檌r l鈥橝zazel) who would make the NASAH, he would CARRY, he would BEAR our sins AWAY.  And he fulfilled Pesach and he fulfilled Yom Kippur.  And this is the one that would be the Tzemach, the BRANCH. He would be the one that would come from Dovid the King.  And he would be the BRANCH (Tzemach, Branch of David).  And Zecharyah (Zechariah) said this, looking at the Kohen Gadol (High Priest, 560-490 B.C.E.) who had been BURIED with all of Israel in the Babylonian Exile (the Golus), but then was RAISED TO LIFE to come back in the Return (537 B.C.E., Ezra 2:2), and this was Yeshua the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, whose name was also Yehoshua.  And what does Zecharyah (Zechariah) say in chapter 3, verse 8 (Zech3:8), and in chapter 6, verses 11 and 12 (Zech 6:11-12)?  He says, HINEI HAISH (鈥淏EHOLD THE MAN鈥�). The man who is the Tzemach.  And his name shall be called Tzemach.  He said, 鈥�Yehoshua Shmo Tzemach鈥� (Yehoshua His Name is Tzemach [Moshiach]).  And of course we know who Yeshua is, we know who Yehoshua is: he is the Tzemach.  He is the Moshiach.  In the Jerusalem Talmud it says very clearly that this [Tzemach] is a code word for Moshiach.  Now we鈥檙e talking about the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh of Rabbinic Judaism.  If this Hebrew Bible, this Tanakh of Rabbinic Judaism, says that the prophets (Nevi鈥檌m) were looking toward one named Yeshua or Yehoshua to be the Moshiach, we鈥檙e going to go with that.  And when we awake in our tombs we鈥檙e going to cry out to him.  But you know what?  It might be too late for some people at that time because it says it鈥檚 appointed for men once to die and then the judgment.  So whoever calls upon the name of the L-rd (Moshiach Adoneinu) will be saved.  But today is the day of salvation.  You need to cry out to the L-rd today.     

Now in chapter 1, verse 2 of 1Yn we see that the Word of Life, Eternal Life, is at stake. Then in chapter 2, verses 24 and 25 it says, 鈥淪ee what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son (Zun fun der Oybershter, Bar Enosh) and in the Father (Atik Yomin). And this is what he promised us, even Chayei Olam, Eternal Life.鈥�   You see I want the good confession that I made before many witnesses, the testimony of my faith, 鈥淎 dead man came alive!鈥濃�攖hat鈥檚 what happens in the metamorphosis of the new birth. You were dead in trespasses and sins, you were dead even while you lived.  And then Yeshua came, Yehoshua, he said to this cadaver in the tomb of Sin, 鈥淟azarus, Come forth!鈥�  And he who was dead came out of the tomb. And that鈥檚 what happens when you鈥檙e born again.  You鈥檙e a new creature.  Old things have passed away.  Now I was dead.  I was a dead man. I came alive. And here鈥檚 the wonderful thing. In the Gospel (Besuras HaGeulah) of Mark, whenever believers testified about what G-d had done for them, there were miracles, there were signs (otot) and wonders following. And this has been true in my own life, and it should be true also in your life. And this is what Satan hates. He will do anything to besmirch your testimony.  He will come and he will say, 鈥淪igns are not for today, first of all, so don鈥檛 even talk to me about signs.鈥�  He will say, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all over. That age has past.鈥� So then he鈥檒l try to throw out the evidence. This is like a hostile prosecuting attorney. Here you are.  You鈥檙e on the defense stand.  And he鈥檚 trying to throw out all of your corroborating evidence even before the jury hears it.  This is what the devil is.  He鈥檚 the accuser of the brethren.  So we have these anti-charismatic theologians who want to throw out all the evidence. But if you look at Mark, chapter 16, verse 17, 18 you will see that these signs followed those that believed:  they spoke in new tongues (leshonot chadashot); they laid hands on the sick; they cast out devils.  Friend, don鈥檛 try to tear that out of the Bible.  It鈥檚 there for a reason.  There are people who require a sign.  They need the signs. And their salvation is hanging in the balance here.  And we need those signs today.

And so wherever the believers went, they had these signs following them.  And here鈥檚 the wonderful thing. We know Yeshua rose from the dead.  How do we know?  The tomb was empty.  鈥淲ell yes,鈥� you say, 鈥渂ut there may have been a mistake.  Maybe they went to the wrong tomb.  Maybe these women were so silly they couldn鈥檛 even find the right tomb.鈥�  Well if you will open your Bible to the end of the Gospel of Mark (Besuras HaGeulah of Mark) you will see there that the chevra kadesha, the burial society, that their first obligation was to accompany the body to the tomb to make sure that that very thing did not happen.  And these women were watching as the tomb of Yosef of Arimathea was opened and the body was place therein.  So they were right there.  And then at the end of the Gospel of Matthew we know that there was a guard posted.  Those that thought that there would be some chicanery, so, 鈥淥kay, let鈥檚 seal the tomb.鈥� So that was done.  And also there was a two-ton rock put in front. 

And then when the women came back after Shabbos was over early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, the first thing that was on their mind was, How were they going to anoint the body, How were they going to do those preparations that the burial society did, if they couldn鈥檛 even have access to the body, because the tomb was thus sealed?  But you know what?  The L-rd had taken care of that, and there were angels.

Now these women, who were the first witnesses, would NOT have been the first witnesses, if it had been a trumped-up affair.  Because a woman鈥檚 testimony was not counted in court.  But you see that鈥檚 exactly how it happened, NOT the way it would have been orchestrated to happen if it were being done by people trying to fool us. And then of course we know from 1Co 15 that Moshiach was seen by Peter (Kefa), he was seen by all the Shluchim, he was seen by over 500 people at one time.  And we know this because there were even hostile witnesses who saw this鈥e鈥檙e talking about his unbelieving half-brother Ya鈥檃kov ben Yosef.  We鈥檙e talking about Sha鈥檜l of Tarsus.  So there were people that didn鈥檛 WANT to believe it, but the evidence itself brought their faith.       

And, Friend, this is important because one day, when you鈥檙e in that tomb, and you awake according to Daniel, chapter 12, verse 2, you won鈥檛 want any religious authority who鈥檚 rotting in his tomb to help you.  He won鈥檛 be able to help you.  There鈥檚 no Mohammed that will be able to help you. There鈥檚 no false Moshiach Rebbe who鈥檒l be able to help you. Buddha certainly can鈥檛 help you.  Nobody will help you.  Only the Living Moshiach with the empty tomb can help you.  And there鈥檚 only one empty tomb in the universe.  And that empty tomb was CERTIFIED by eye-witnesses as empty.  These were pious Jews who went to their deaths rather than to recant it.  Why, Friend, were they terrorized before, running for their life, and then a few days later, boldly proclaiming, unless they saw something that verified their faith in the Techiyas HaMeisim in general and the Techiyas HaMoshiach in particular, that there was a resurrection, not only of the dead but also of this particular claimant to the throne of David, that he was alive!  Yosef Chai!  He鈥檚 alive. They saw him!  And they turned the whole world upside-down. 

Why would anyone in their right mind want to follow anyone else, when we have this historical evidence?  Listen, we鈥檙e not going to put anyone else鈥檚 picture on the Five Dollar Bill in America.  We鈥檙e going to give honor to whom honor is due.  He KNOW that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and saved the Union.  So it鈥檚 HIS picture that goes there, because eye-witness saw it [i.e. saw him free the slaves and save the Union].  Why would we want to go and find some nobody [(in the analogy) someone who hadn鈥檛 raised from the dead, who hadn鈥檛 been seen, whose tomb was not certified as empty by eye-witnessed] 鈥揥HY would we want to go get some NOBODY and stick HIS picture on the FIVE DOLLAR BILL?????????  We wouldn鈥檛 do that unless we were crazy (meshuga), unless we鈥檇 received a spirit, unless our eyes were glazed over, unless we had joined a cult, unless we had lost our rationality. What is wrong with our rationality?

Do you know that there was a false teacher called Valentinus.  This was a Gnostic teacher.  And he was in the Second Century.  And he had all kinds of crazy notions.  He thought that there were people who were just plain Tzaddiks.  And they didn鈥檛 NEED salvation.  All they needed was to discover how 鈥渨ithout sin鈥� they were and how wonderful they were.  And they didn鈥檛 need a Savior.  Well, Friend, there are people in Brooklyn that are so ignorant that they don鈥檛 even know that that鈥檚 what they are [Valentinian Gnostics].  Just like there are these ladies in front of the 鈥淜ingdom Hall鈥� who don鈥檛 know that they are Arians.  They are so ignorant they don鈥檛 even know what they are!  They don鈥檛 know that they are heretics.  They don鈥檛 even know what heresy they believe in, they鈥檙e so ignorant.  Friend, it鈥檚 time to get rid of the ignorance.  It鈥檚 time to come back to the Hebrew Bible.  You can鈥檛 write anything better than the Bible.  Don鈥檛 read anything better than the Bible.  Don鈥檛 open, don鈥檛 attempt anything better than the Bible, because there isn鈥檛 anything better than the Bible.  Why did G-d go to all the trouble that He went to just to assemble the Hebrew Tanakh, only to have you spend all your time reading everything BUT the Hebrew Tanakh?  Friend, you wouldn鈥檛 read any other book like that.  You wouldn鈥檛 put it down every two sentences and then go consult something else.  You would read it from beginning to end.  And if you will, you will find that Yehoshua, Yeshua is the Name of the Tzemach (Moshiach).  So unless you have another candidate鈥nd you say, 鈥淥 you're talking about YUSHKA (YIMACH SH鈥橫O V鈥橺IKHRO 鈥淢ay his name and memory be blotted out鈥�) and you curse him.  Friend, you won鈥檛 be cursing him when you awake in your rotting tomb.  And you WILL AWAKE, and Daniel chapter 12, verse 2 says you WILL awake, you will open your eyes.  And I鈥檓 praying you won鈥檛 open your eyes in hell, like the 鈥渞ich鈥� man in one of Moshiach鈥檚 parables.  Friend, it鈥檚 so important today to think about what I鈥檓 saying.  Whoever calls upon the Name of Yeshua HaMoshiach Adoneinu will be saved.  And it鈥檚 time to do it now.  People think, 鈥淵ou know, I need to make my burial preparations, I need to pre-pay my funeral expenses, I need to get a good funeral home, make all the arrangements, write my will and everything else.鈥�  Well, Friend, why don鈥檛 you think about what鈥檚 going to happen when you OPEN YOUR EYES in that tomb, when you AWAKE in that tomb?  Will it be what Edgar Allan Poe feared (and worse!) in his fictional short story, 鈥淭he Premature Burial?鈥�  Or will it be to see the one that Lazarus saw when he came out of his tomb, when he (Moshiach) said 鈥淟azarus, come forth!  Lazarus, come forth!鈥�  Will he say to you, 鈥淲ell done, good and faithful servant!鈥�   Listen, you must have a testimony, but you will never have a testimony, until you hear the knocking of the Son of G-d, the Zun fun Der Oybershter Yeshua HaMoshiach, on the tomb of your cold, dead heart.  He wants to come in.  He wants to bring life.  When he comes in, the Ruach Hakodesh comes in with him.  And there is life,  There is a ruach chadasha, a new spirit.  There is a new mind.  All things are new. Old dead things have passed away. That鈥檚 what G-d wants.  Why would anyone want to resist Him?  What are your options, Friend?  You KNOW you鈥檙e going to that tomb.  It鈥檚 out there waiting for you.  It鈥檚 the narrow house of the grave worm鈥檚 Night, the night that goes on for all eternity鈥he outer darkness. But the Light has come into the world, the Ohr HaOlam (the Light of the World).  How dare you compare any rotting flesh in this world to our Goel Redeemer Yeshua HaMoshiach!  How could you possibly do it!  Listen, the only sign you could receive was this, that Yonah (Jonah) was in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights.  But when he came up, there was wonderful salvation for the Ninevites, and they believed.  And now all over the world the Ninevites (Gentiles) are believing.  But Hashem has not forgotten His ancient people whom He foreknew, and there is a revival going on, it鈥檚 been going on since the Six Day War (1967) among the JEWISH people.  And I thank G-d that even in Brooklyn there are Hasidim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) who are starting to believe.  And they鈥檙e going to think for themselves, Friend.  They鈥檙e going to think for themselves.    They鈥檙e going to read the Hebrew Bible.  They鈥檙e not going to put your words or the words of men on the same par with the Word of G-d.  You are not in the same league with Daniel.  We KNOW people will AWAKE.  You鈥檙e not in the same league with Zecharyah (Zechariah).  He said, he told you the personal Name, the Namesake of the Moshiach, the Moshiach鈥檚 Name, Yehoshua, Yeshua. Hashem Himself arranged that the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) that would come back and build the Beis Hamikdash (Second Temple, 516 B.C.E.) would be named J_ _ _ _ !  [Insous = Greek for Yehoshua / Yeshua / Anglicized Greek = J _ _ _ _ see Targum HaShivim] Yes!  You call him Yushka!  Well, that was his Name, J _ _ _ _ !  Let me ask you something.  If you saw him today [the builder of the Second Temple Yeshua/Yehoshua the Kohen Gadol, 560 B.C.E. to 490 B.C.E. the Anglo-Greek form of whose Name is J _ _ _ _ ] building the Beis Hamikdash (the Second Temple, 516 B.C.E.), if you were in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) in the 5^th Century B.C.E., and you saw this man, would you walk up to him and say, 鈥淗ey, Yushka, we know who your name is, your name is J _ _ _ _ ! Yeah, we don鈥檛 mention YOUR name in our house!鈥�  Listen, that鈥檚 not the way Zecharyah (Zechariah) spoke about him.  Zecharyah walked up to him and he said, 鈥淏ehold the Man [J _ _ _ _ ] whose Name is Moshiach.  His Name is Moshiach!  His Name is Moshiach!鈥�  You say, 鈥淲here does it say that in our Hebrew Bible?  Zecharyah 6:11-12.  That鈥檚 where it says it!  It says it in Rabbinic Judaism鈥檚 own Hebrew Tanakh!  Yes, but I can鈥檛 help you if your own Hebrew Bible says it and you don鈥檛 believe it!  And isn鈥檛 it ironic that even Rabbinic Judaism鈥檚 own Hebrew Bible says things that Rabbinic Judaism doesn鈥檛 accept? Well, you better start accepting it!  Because the day is coming when you鈥檙e going to want to call upon him.  And you NEED to call upon him NOW.  Because what does the Scripture say?  It鈥檚 appointed unto men once to die and then the judgment.   So let鈥檚 not wait until it鈥檚 too late.  Let鈥檚 cry out in our hearts to him right now.  Pray this with me right now.  Rabbono shel Olam.  (Say that with me.) 鈥�Rabbono shel Olam, Yeshua HaMoshiach, the Moshiach of Israel, the Goel Redeemer.  Come into my heart.  Forgive my sins.  Forgive my blasphemy.  Forgive my unbelief.  Thank you that you made the kaparah temurah (blood atonement substitution).  Thank you that you are the Seh HaElohim (Lamb of G-d).  Thank you that you are the Yom Kippur Scapegoat that carries my sin away.  Come into my heart.  Forgive my sin.  And take control of my life, Moshiach Adoneinu.  And I will not be ashamed of you.  And I will not deny you.  And even if someone says Kaddish over me and I鈥檓 disinherited, and I lose everything in this world, I thank Hashem that when I awake in that tomb, I will still have you, Hashem's Word of Life, the Devar HaChayim.  Omein.  Amen.鈥�            . 

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