VIOLATING THE REIGN OF THE HEAVENS

              IS DOING VIOLENCE TO THE TORAH

THE QUESTION:

(From a message on Torah Institute Facebook page): 

hello, can you help me understand this verse luke 16;16 is it saying that the teaching of torah ended when john the baptist came on the scene.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
same as in matthew 11: 12-13

RESPONSE:

It only seems to be saying the Torah ended because of the present-day use of the words.  The words have to be closely examined, as well as the context of the statement.  Yahusha was addressing people who loved silver (the Pharisees) just before making this statement:

Luk 16:16:  “TheG3588 lawG3551 andG2532 theG3588 prophetsG4396 were until G2193 (Yahukanon):G2491 sinceG575 that time G5119 the G3588 kingdomG932 of (Alahim)G2316 is preached,G2097 andG2532 every man G3956 pressesG971 into G1519 it.G846 ”

He was speaking to the Pharisees about the violence they were doing to the Torah “The Reign of Alahim is announced” is a phrase stating that the Torah is announced, yet whosoever is announcing it is doing violence to it.  As we all well know, this is done today by Christian preachers.

Notice the words “were until” in this statement as translated.  The Greek word is a preposition and abstractly means “throughout”, or “continuously through”, not necessarily the idea that we have today of being “terminated”, even though the dictionary will include this. 

We know this because the next verse removes all doubt for us:

Luk 16:17:  “And it is easier for the heaven and the earth to pass away than for one tittle of the Torah to fall.” (see next verse also).

  The idea of crowds of people “pressing” their way into the Reign of Yahuah (Torah) is pointing out how they are seeking their own desires in a bull-headed way, not having humility and complete submission.  In the process, they do violence to the Torah, placing their views above it as the Pharisees had done by superseding specific instructions in order to observe men’s rulings The RCC teaches that Circus Tradition is higher than the Scriptures, just as Rabbinic Judaism teaches their Talmudic traditions also may negate specific instructions (Torah). 

  Just before Yahusha made the statement at Luke 16:16, He had addressed the Pharisees who were listening to Him:

Luk 16:14, 15:  “And the Pharisees, who loved silver, also heard all this, and were sneering at Him,

so He said to them, ‘You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but Alahim knows your hearts, because what is highly thought of among men is an abomination in the sight of Alahim.’” (Because they taught men’s traditions to be higher than Torah, thus doing violence to Yahuah’s Torah).

  If we follow this with Luke 16:16, you can see He is speaking directly to the Pharisees who had done violence to the Torah, and placed their own traditions above the Torah, which Yahusha then proclaimed will never pass away in the very next verse.

Most compelling is the Word given through the prophet YirmeYahu that pertains to the unchanging Torah:

Jer 31:36, 37:  “‘If these laws vanish from before Me,’ declares Yahuah, ‘then the seed of Yisharal shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.’  Thus said Yahuah,  ‘If the heavens above could be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I would also cast off all the seed of Yisharal for all that they have done,’ declares Yahuah.”

Let’s see how this understanding sheds light on Mt. 11-14 now:

Mat 11:12-14:  “And from the days of Yahukanon the Immerser till now the Reign of the heavens is violated, and the violent seize it.

For all the prophets and the Torah prophesied till Yahukanon.

And if you wish to accept it, he is Aliyahu who was about to come.”

Yahukanon was mentioned because he carried out the mission of AliYahu, and proclaimed the Name just as AliYahu had done.  The Pharisees were doing violence to the Name, by avoiding it and outlawing the use of it.  The “Reign of the Heavens” refers to the instructions, the Torah.  The Pharisees were doing “violence” to Torah, and seizing the interpretation of it for themselves, and would soon do violence to Yahusha, the Son of the Owner of the vineyard.  The Pharisees were the “hired workers” who desired to have the vineyard for themselves.

I hope this clarifies the issue a little.

Love always,

brother Lew (Lew White)
Torah Institute POB 436044, Louisville, KY 40253

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