Yahushaich Covenant Institute

Yahusha never established a new religion as christian claims.

The Emergence of the Nazarenes under Rav Sha’ul the Apostle
Initially, after Yahusha’s death and later the stoning of Steven, the Nazarene followers went into hiding fearing they too would be rounded up and meet the same fate. However, under the leadership of Rav Sha’ul the Apostle (and the protection of Gamaliel in the Sanhedrin), the Nazarenes began to steadily grow in number. They first began to emerge after Yahusha’s ex*****on following Shav’uot when Yahuah breathed on (poured out His Spirit) the Disciples. They began to teach in public arenas with much more confidence; The Ruach giving them a Spirit of Comfort from the threat of death known as the Comforter. The Nazarenes would steadily increase their numbers and eventually grow to be the dominant sect in Jerusalem. The turning point would be as a result of Rav Sha’ul, a high-ranking Pharisee greatly respected in Jerusalem, converting to become a Nazarene follower of Yahusha.
Let us look at Sha’ul’s journey to accept Yahusha as his Messiah.

Sha’ul attacks James the Just on the Temple steps.
Sha’ul, as we all know, was a leading figure in persecuting the Nazarenes as he was a very prominent Pharisee and deeply dedicated to the preservation of The Torah (which he thought was under attack by this new sect called Nazarenes). Sha’ul was present at Stephen’s stoning, which later would haunt Sha’ul, and most probably, remained with him as his “thorn in the side”. Prior to the stoning of Stephen, while Caiaphas and his father-in-law Ananias were in control of the Temple, there was a significant event that took place found in the historical records… not recorded in the Book of Acts.
It was at this historical event that Sha’ul learned to highly respect James the Just (whom he was attempting to kill). How did that happen? It is important to investigate another earlier event (not recorded in Acts) in which the leadership of the Nazarene Ecclesia were challenged to a public debate with the Temple leadership over the claims that Yahusha was the Messiah of the Jews. This debate was to take place on the interior Temple steps in front of the population.

The Nazarene leaders felt this would be a good opportunity to present their message of the risen Messiah to the Jews in Jerusalem. The account of this event virtually became extinct (thanks to Christianity whose goal is to hide the truth of Sha’ul), except in the poorly preserved 4th century Latin translation by Rufinus of Aquileia of the 3rd century work, The Recognitions of Clements.
Clements was a disciple of Barnabus. Clements later became the third bishop of Rome dedicated by Peter the Apostle. His work, mostly unknown today, would be accepted as based on even earlier manuscripts, lost to antiquity, called the Preaching of Peter and the Ascents of Jacob. The Recognitions of Clements, were preserved and recognized as writings of the Nazarenes of the Zadok-Essene tradition called the Ebionites/Nazarenes (which I explained earlier in this book).

The Recognitions of Clements, documents a very important turning point with both the Nazarenes and the man who would later rise in their ranks to lead them (defining the Nazarenes to this day) … Rav Sha’ul the Pharisee!
This event is the debate between James the Just (the brother of Yahusha and Leader of the Nazarenes in Jerusalem), and Rav Sha’ul (the Pharisee) on the steps of the Temple. A very public debate that changed both men’s lives, ultimately serving as the foundation of their mutual respect and later their close relationship!
The opening debate topics included:
1. Emphasis on Mikveh and self-sacrifice in opposition to physical animal sacrifices
2. Placing Yahusha on the same level as Moses
3. Attacking the teachings of Yahusha which attracted the poor by offering Earthly rewards and inheritances to those who maintained a Righteous life, and
4. Charging Peter, a man not officially educated in the Pharisaic schools in Jerusalem, as portraying himself as a ‘teacher’ and using the title Rabbi.

The public debate broke down when Peter attacked the Temple sacrificial system, saying:
“We have ascertained beyond doubt that Yahuah is much rather displeased with the sacrifices you offer, the time of sacrifices having now passed away (been transposed to the Spirit with Melchizedek). And because you will not admit that the time for offering (animal) victims is past (been transposed to self-sacrifice as we are living sacrificial lambs in The Yahushaic Covenant), therefore the Temple will be destroyed, and the abomination of desolation shall stand in the Holy Place.”
Source: Recognitions of Clements liii to lxxi as quoted Schonfield, Hugh Joseph, The Pentecost Revolution, The Story of the Jesus Party in Israel, AD 36-66, Macdonald and Janes, St. Giles, 49/50 Poland Street, London, W.I., 1974, p 126.

“It took the mediation of Gamaliel, the chief officer of the Sanhedrin, religious court, to stop the debate to be resumed the next day, this time limiting the debate to Gamaliel representing the Sanhedrin and James (Yaakov) the Just representing the Nazarenes. This engaging debate raged for seven days in which at the end, “all the people, the high priest included, are ready to be Mikveh’d.”
Source: Schonfield, Hugh Joseph, The Pentecost Revolution, The Story of the Jesus Party in Israel, AD 36-66, Macdonald and Janes’s, St. Giles, 49/50 Poland Street, London, W.I., 1974, p 127

At this moment, in arrives an ‘enemy’, which Jewish historian, Hugh Schonfield identified as Sha’ul, the student of Gamaliel, who along with his supporters began harassing and reviling the priests and eventually incited them to murder. With that, Sha’ul seized a firebrand from the altar and began to attack the Nazarenes. At that time, according to the Ascents of Jacob as quoted in the Recognition of Clements, the following account occurred:
“Much blood is shed; there is a confused flight, in the midst of which that enemy attacked Jacob (James the Just), and threw him headlong from the top of the steps; and supposing him to be dead, he cared not to inflict further violence upon him. But our friends lifted him up, for they were both more numerous and powerful than the others; but, from fear of God, they rather allowed themselves to be killed by an inferior force than they would kill others. But when the evening came the priest shut up the Temple and we returned to Jacob’s house, and spent the night there in prayer. Then before daylight we went down to Jericho, to the number of five thousand men.”
Source: Ascents of Jacob, quoted in the Recognitions of Clements liii to lxxi as quoted by Schonfield, Hugh Joseph, The Pentecost Revolution, The Story of the Jesus Party in Israel, AD 36-66, Macdonald and Janes, St. Giles, 49/50 Poland Street, London, W.I., 1974, p 126)

It was Epiphanius, accepting the historicity of this event quoted in the Ascents who states:
“They (the Ebionites) have other Acts which they call those of the apostles, in which are many things filled with their impiety, whence they have incidentally furnished themselves with arms against the truth. For they set forth certain Ascents and Instructions forsooth in the Ascents of Jacob, representing him as holding forth against both Temple and sacrifices, and against the fire on the altar, and many other things filled with empty talk, so that they are not ashamed in them even to denounce Paul in certain invented utterances of the malignant and deceitful work of their false apostles.
Source: Epiphanius, Parnarmour # # # 16, quoted in Schonfield, Hugh Joseph, The Pentecost Revolution, The Story of the Jesus Party in Israel, AD 36-66, Macdonald and Janes’s, St. Giles, 49/50 Poland Street, London, W.I., 1974, p 128)

Let us dissect this critical event in the early history of the Nazarene Ecclesia very carefully. Epiphanius was the first recognized church historian for the Roman Orthodox Church, who felt that the books (the Recognition of Clements, and the Ascents of James) represented books of heresy. Later, in church history, all books of heresy were called Gnostics, but we must be careful to recognize that there were many competing ideologies and factions that were trying to gain control over the Jewish and later the Christian congregations. Yet Epiphanius, as a historian, still recognized that religious texts of opposing ideologies, did still, give historical accounts that were valuable in understanding the growing ecclesia of the apostles in Jerusalem called Nazarenes.

From every appearance, the writers of the Ascent of Jacob, did have a case against the Apostle Sha’ul, who in his rash younger days, did oppose and persecute the leaders of the Hebrew Ecclesia of Nazarenes (in Jerusalem) and sought to kill James the Just, during a debate in the Temple, against the leading rabbinic scholar in Jerusalem and the Ab Beth-Din (the Chief Officer of the Sanhedrin), Gamaliel. If this historical event is accepted even in part, then there was a very personal relationship, though initially acrimonious, between Sha’ul and the Apostle James the Just, before Sha’ul’s conversion. There is a saying in regard to very close intimate relationships; they are born first out of conflict, then change, leading to respect.

Intimacy = Conflict plus Change
Relating this formula, to the relationship of the Pharisee Sha’ul and the powerful oppositional high priest and Leader of the Nazarene Ecclesia, James the Just, both Rabbi Sha’ul and James the Just, did have a very personal and intimate relationship. Yet there was truly conflict between these two opponents in the Jewish first century Temple culture. Sha’ul, was the flaming zealot and guardian of The Law and the sacrificial system of the Temple culture. James the Just, was the Leader of the Yahusha movement in Judea, and the Oppositional High Priest (or Nasi) of the Hebrew Nazarene Ecclesia of Israel and also, the zealot for The Law of Moses.
Their main conflict was over the life, ministry, death, and Resurrection of Rabbi Yahusha, Fulfilled the Torah type and anti-type shadow pictures of the spring festivals, as the Son of the God of Abraham, and the Mashiach of the Jews. Rabbi Sha’ul would later be the leading figure in history to reveal the meaning of the very things he sought to destroy!

The nemesis of the Nazarenes, Sha’ul, personally confronted James the Just and sought to destroy his life. It can be suggested that Rabbi Sha’ul, whom we know as the Apostle Paul, owed something to Jacob (James the Just) in his prior attempt to take his life. For the Nazarene Nasi, or High Priest, for James the Just to accept Sha’ul back into the fellowship of the Nazarenes, despite the prior attempt of Rabbi Sha’ul to kill him, says also something of the character of that man James (Yaakov) called, the Tzaddik (The Just). It might also fill in the blanks as to why the Apostle Sha’ul was so dutifully loyal to James the Just in later years.

As we shall later see, it the opinion of many scholars, that the Apostle Sha’ul and James the Just became close and personal friends, they respected each other for their positions as zealots of the Law of Moses. They both became fierce advocates that Yahusha, the brother of James, was truly the Promised Redeemer of Israel and they both gave their lives for allegiance to Yahusha the Nazarene, who became the Messiah. James lost his life by the hands of the same Sadducean families that sought to destroy his brother. Sha’ul lost his life at the hands of the Romans, by the neurotic and half crazed emperor, Nero, who pitted the forces of Rome against the zealots of Judea, when Rome burned to the ground in 69 CE.

Sha’ul emerges as The Leader of The Nazarenes
What was the atmosphere in Israel, at the time of Sha’ul’s ministry, that influenced Rav Sha’ul the Apostle leading to his acceptance of Yahusha as the Messiah?
In Acts, we see Peter Proclaims the Gospel in Jerusalem and 3000
men join the ranks of the Nazarenes and followers of Yahusha. Those 3000 men were all JEWISH (not a ‘Christian’ among them)!

The Nazarenes were all Jewish. The proclamation continues in chapter three in the Temple with Peter and John taking center place. They are Witnesses that Yahuah raised Yahusha from the dead. In Acts Chapter four, Peter and John are arrested by the “captain of the Temple and the Sadducees” because they were preaching the Resurrection of Yahusha. At that same time, the number of the Nazarenes who believed in Yahusha had reached about 5000. This meant they outgrew the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes according Josephus’ numbers.

The Nazarenes were now the largest and fastest growing sect in Jerusalem! Not one of them were a Christian (Greek pagans). They all were Jews who accepted Yahusha as the Messiah and were all to a man Torah observant. This is the true early “church”.
It was in this environment that Sha’ul came to believe in Yahusha as well.

The catalyst being Sha’ul’s confrontation with James the Just! Sha’ul was a “Doctor of The Law” (that is what a Pharisee is), who studied under the most influential Jewish Rabbi in history, Gamaliel. Gamaliel was such a respected figure during the time of Yahusha, that he literally dictated the proceeding of the Sanhedrin. His authority was such, that he even rivaled the authority of the High Priest, as we read in Acts Chapter 5! The epigram which Rabbinic literature gives to him speaks of the respect with which Gamaliel was held:
When he died the honor [outward respect] of the Torah ceased, and purity and piety became extinct"(Sotah xv: 18).
Even the Jews admit that upon Gamaliel’s death, the honor of the Torah ceased (succumbed to Hellenism) and purity and piety became extinct where it remains today, in the form of Rabbinical Judaism. From that point forward, history records that Judaism succumbed to Hellenization and paganism. So, the Jews recognize Gamaliel’s’ death as the defining moment when Judaism went astray.

Historically, we know that Gamaliel was an important Jewish leader of the first century, and the New Testament confirms that he was part of the Sanhedrin, a Doctor of The Law and respected by the people. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, records all this along with the fact, that he is a Pharisee and the teacher of Rav Sha’ul. To Luke, the term Pharisee was descriptive and not necessarily written with a negative connotation… for Sha’ul himself claimed to be a Pharisee (in the Acts of the Apostles). It was Sha’ul being the protégé of Gamaliel that was instrumental in Sha’ul’s rapid climb in influence and position within the ranks of the Pharisees. Gamaliel flourished then from about 20 AD to 52 AD, this was the period in which the “Church” (or rather Nazarenes) first grew into prominence.

Gamaliel was a Nasi (head of the Pharisees) in this period. During this period that Gamaliel headed up the party of the Pharisees, Yahusha said: “The Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, so all that they say to you, observe and do”. Since Gamaliel is said to have ‘sit at the steps of the Temple Mount’ (and issued letters from there), it is likely he saw Yahusha in action and heard him teach, and perhaps, even met and spoken to the Messiah, on at least one occasion, if not many. Gamaliel later became a follower of the Messiah and by all accounts, maintaining his position in the Sanhedrin to use his position of authority to protect the Nazarenes from prosecution (as we see him do in the book of Acts). This is not admitted or even mentioned in Rabbinical Judaism!

We then see Rav Sha’ul, an influential member of the sect of the Pharisees, become a believer and called directly by Yahusha, to bring the Gospel to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, scattered among the Gentile nations. It was a fellow Nazarene, described as “an observant follower of the Torah”, who came to restore Sha’ul’s vision. Acts 22:12 – Sha’ul going to a Torah observant Jew to be healed. A man named Hananyah, an observant follower of the Torah (why would he add that statement?) who was highly regarded by the entire Jewish community there, came to me, stood by me and said “Brother Sha’ul, see again!”.

We have Sha’ul’s teacher (a devote Torah observant famous Rabbi), the man who healed Sha’ul’s sight, all Torah observant Jews! In fact, there was no such thing as a Christian among them at that time. There were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essences, and Nazarenes and all of them were Torah observant Jews.

This is the historical context of Sha’ul’s transition from being a leading Pharisee, to becoming a Nazarene, to being influential in the conversion of his Rabbi Gamaliel to becoming a Nazarene, and finally later, becoming the “Leader of the Nazarenes” which ultimately lead to his own death. We have an environment where the leaders of the Pharisees (Gamaliel and Sha’ul) became converts to the Messiah Yahusha, and in Sha’ul’s case, the Leader of the entire Nazarene movement.

Today, after 2,000 years of pagan Greek influence in translating the Scriptures, Sha’ul’s Nazarene teachings have been twisted into a Greek appropriate lie called The Pauline Doctrine. Many so- called “Teachers” today have proclaimed Sha’ul a false teacher. This is because they themselves are “self-appointed teachers” void of the Ruach to teach them the truth of the letters that Sha’ul actually wrote. Since they cannot properly teach his letters, they instead declare him a false teacher so they are not exposed as very immature teachers at best, if not false teachers themselves who do not understand what they read. Any discussion of Rav Sha’ul the Apostle today, must come with a strong rebuke of those who would bear false witness against the most influential and anointed teacher of the Nazarenes!
What these ‘immature teachers’ are rebelling against is not Sha’ul’s actual writings, but The Pauline Doctrine of the ‘Christian Church’ which is a sound bite driven doctrine born out of twisted mistranslated texts!

Excerpted from The Book of Nazarene Chapter one by Rave Sha'ul, in the

www.sabathcovenant.com

The Branch In The Heavenly Scroll
The Plan of Salvation through a human mediating High Priest and King, is laid out in detail in The Heavenly Scroll. The constellations are pictographs with meaning given to all mankind.
Deuteronomy 3:19
When you look up to the sky (sky is Hebrew 8064 shamayim/Zodiac) and see the sun, moon, and stars (speaking of the Zodiac) — the whole heavenly (Mazzaroth/Zodiac) Creation — you must not be seduced to worship and serve them (signs of the Zodiac), for Yahuah your Elohim has assigned them (the signs of the Zodiac) to all the people of the world (they were created by Yahuah to Proclaim the coming Messiah Yahusha, see Psalm 19, they are not gods).

The sun is a metaphor of the coming “Light of the World” who would be The Branch or Messiah that would show ‘The Way’ to all mankind.
Psalm 19
2 The heavens (the place in the sky where the stars are located i.e. Zodiac) are telling of the Glory of Yahuah (the Glory of Yahuah is Yahusha! 2 Corinthians 4:6); and their expanse is Declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day (The Heavenly Scroll) pours forth speech, and night to night reveals Knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their (signs of the Zodiac/Constellations) voice is not heard. 4 Their line (Zodiac means line or path of the sun) has gone out through (and seen by) all the Earth, And their (signs of the Zodiac) utterances to the end of the world. In them (the constellations) He has placed a tent for the sun (the Zodiac), 5 Which is as a Bridegroom (Messiah) coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man (Glorious Righteous Branch/human Messiah) to run his course (of a Wedding). 6 Its rising is from one end of the heavens (Zodiac), And its circuit (Zodiac means circuit or path or The Way) to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
As the sun moves through the constellations each year, as seen uniquely from Earth, the life of the Messiah is foretold. The story begins with the constellation Virgo who holds a branch of Wheat/Barely in her left hand.

The coming one is referred to in The Heavenly Scroll as The Branch for that reason. All the Prophets of Yahuah were not only aware of the message contained in the stars, they based their prophecies on The Heavenly Scroll. This is why they all use the term “Branch” of the coming Messiah. Below is the message it contains.
VIRGO: A virgin will give birth to a beautiful Glorious and Righteous branch. The seed of the woman will be a man of humiliation to rise to be the desire of nations and will become exalted first as Shepherd then as Harvester. LIBRA: The scales demand a price to be paid of this seed, a stake/cross to endure; the victim will be slain and purchase a Crown. SCORPIO: There is a conflict between the seed and the serpent leading to a struggle with the enemy, the enemy is vanquished. SAGITTARIUS: The double-natured seed (servant/King) triumphs as a warrior and pleases the heavens, builds fires of punishment, casts down the dragon. CAPRICORNUS: Eternal life comes from his death, he's the Arrow of God, and he is pierced, yet springs up again in abundant life. AQUARIUS: He pours out “Living water” from on high, humanity drinks of the heavenly river and the Faithful live again, he is the deliverer of the good news (Gospel), Carrying ‘The Way’ by example over the Earth. PISCES: The Redeemer's people multiplied, supported and led by the Lamb, The Bride is exposed on Earth, and the Bridegroom is exalted. ARIES: The Lamb is found worthy, the Bride is made ready, Satan is bound, the strong man triumphs. TA**US: The conquering Ruler comes, the sublime vanquisher, to execute the great judgment, he is the ruling Shepherd King. GEMINI: The Marriage of the Lamb, the enemy is trodden down, the Prince comes in great Glory. CANCER: The great Bride, the two Houses of Judah and Israel are united, they are brought safely into the Kingdom. LEO: The Lion King is aroused for rending, the Serpent flees, the Bowl of Wrath is upon him, and his carcass is devoured. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah rules as King.
In The Heavenly Scroll, the role of this Righteous Branch is laid out and the Feast Cycle is foretold as it is the original and most complete Gospel where Yahusha was given Glory by Yahuah as the coming Righteous King.
For more information on The Heavenly Scroll, please read my book Creation Cries Out! The Mazzaroth, where I prove The Scroll in Scripture, and teach how it is read, and what it says.

Excerpted from Sabbath Covenant by Rave Sha'ul.

Very soon we will have class programs on live video concerning the purified words of Yahuah.

God is one not Trinity, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 17:3, Mark 12:28, 1Timothy 2:5. The Trinity: (God the Son, God the Father & God the Holy Spirit equal to one God) which is the foundation of Christians faith is blasphemy of God John 10:33.

Does the new covenant (Yahushaic covenant) have abolished Torah?
Mathew 5:17 (NIV) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.

The Yahushaic covenant is not much different from the precovenant that Yahuah made with children of Yacob through His chosen men. The only difference is that Yahuah transformed the laws from the letter into the intent.
Jeremiah 31:33 (NIV)This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Yahusha Hamashiech never changed the previous covenants, but he has only fulfilled them by transforming laws from letter to the intent. The sacrificial lamb was transformed into individual sacrifice or offering.

Yahusha has a biological father like all the sons of men. His biological father was Joseph. 2 Samuel. 7:12-14

The war between good and evil still not yet.
We are fighting evils!