The Blood of the Mashiach – God’s Universal Love

“Mashiach [Messiah] has entered the Holiest Place…into heaven itself” (Heb 9.24).

Augustine said some very stupid things in his time and he did some very stupid things too. But one thing he assessed concerning God was most certainly correct. After serious consideration, he noted, to God, “No one loses you, except one who voluntarily leaves you. And if he leaves you, where can he go, or where can he escape from you? He can only run from your kindness to your anger. Everywhere in his own punishment he will encounter your law. And your law is truth, and truth is you.”

Cable television has been running a series of productions on NDE’s (Near Death Experiences). One program centred on people’s near-encounters with the fires of a blazing hell. It appears that some of these people may have been allowed to glimpse a view of what certainly appears to be a raging lake of molten lava, with an accompanied “sense” of sulphur. Some of the computerised recreated scenes have been in a word “graphic” to say the least! The question has been rightly put: How can a God of love send people to hell?

You know, dear reader, Our Lord and Messiah Yeshua had more to say about the terrifying subject of hell than any other person in the entire Bible. It is from the lips of the Jewish Messiah that we hear of the fire that is never quenched, the worm that never dies (Mk 9.48) and the awful possibility of utter and complete oblivion (Mt 10.28). It is the Messiah who informs us also about those suffering in what he refers to as “outer darkness” (Mt 22.13). But what most theologians avoid is the issue of hell’s origination and location. If hell exists, and Yeshua tells us it most assuredly does, where did it come from?

The Messianic Scriptures of the Yeshua Party are explicit.

“In a beginning was the Creative Expression (of Musical Sound) [logos], and the Creative Expression (of Musical Sound) [logos] was toward God, and God was the Creative Expression (of Musical Sound) [logos]. This One was in active communion in a beginning with God. All things were made through It, and without It was not even one thing made that was made. In It was life, and the life was the light of men…He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world recognised him not” (Jn 1.1-4,9 tentative BRI version).

Paul’s academic Jewish mystical background in the teachings of the Kabbalah gave him an acute insight into the Metatron and the origin of all things (the universe). He wrote:

“[Messiah] in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature [or, creation]. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him: and he is before all things and in him the universe has its continuance and order” (Col 1.14-17 KJV with Meyer & Alford).

According to the Messianic Scriptures, then, Yeshua Messiah in his emanation as God in ancient times brought hell into existence. Hell exists, and therefore is subject to time and space. That is the nature of “existence.” Hell is integral to a present “material” dimension of space and time, or more properly, spacetime. Spacetime came into “existence” together at the original Creation when, according to quantum physics, the singularity (as a dot smaller than a pin’s head) imploded creating the massive galaxies — the “spaces” between which are expanding away from each other at enormous “speeds.” Because space and time did not originally subsist the singularity existed only and ever in God. “Space” did not exist prior 
to creation, nor did “time.” (Even our use of the word “prior” thus has its inherent difficulties, when discussing the 
beginnings of our material universe, but we utilise it for sanity’s sake.)

The existence of hell originated, according to both John and Paul, with Yeshua Messiah. But the nature of Mashiach is love and the character of Mashiach is Grace. So we can confidently agree with the biblical revelation that the motivational factors of Mashiach, in creating this negative state which we call hell, were love and Grace.

Even Messiah’s justice as a display of his will is rooted in His nature of love and his character of Grace, and not the other way around.

Obligations Toward Deity

Having said this there can be no doubt that we human beings are God’s special creation, and if we are God’s creatures then we have certain obligations toward Him.

I say ‘obligations’ because if we are made in God’s image (and Genesis says that we are) then if we fail to acknowledge Him we devalue ourselves.

 

  • God is to be our God, our centre of worship, and no other.

     

  • God must be worshiped in the way He requires and rightly deserves. We should not misrepresent Him in any way.

     

  • God is so manifestly holy we should not use God’s name thoughtlessly or as a curse word.

     

On this third point I must confess that in the past I often made the mistake, when something would go awry, to an instant-aneous and impulsive exclamation of “Oh, God!” Now I can deceive myself into believing that I was really crying out aloud to God for His invaluable assistance but really, I know better in my heart. I’m blaming, and thus cursing, God for my plight. Even the Psalmist writes of the wicked that “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (Ps 36.1). Paul saw that statement in Psalms as so important he repeated it (Rom 3.18).

Yeshua said, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more to you. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has ability and power to cast you into hell. Yes, I am emphatic, fear him” (Lk 12.4,5 tentative BRI version).

Hell comes after death, for some. Although it sometimes feels like it, it is not part of this present life.

An old Buddhist proverb tells us that the disciples of the Buddha ought to wash their mouths out with soap before mentioning the personal name, or even the appellation, of their Enlightened One. If the so-called heathen can show reverence to their teachers how much more so should we reverence our God? The principle is clear enough even to pagans. God’s holiness is so important that we should set time aside to actually enter it.

In fact, God has told us that we humans need a balanced cycle of work and true rest in which we can delight ourselves in a concentrated experience of God. This is why the fourth commandment specified an entire day of 24 hours which we could devote totally to God. So vital was this timely advice God specified the actual day (the seventh day) and placed it squarely between man’s obligations to God and man’s obligations to his neighbour.

And what are our obligations to our fellow man?

 

  • We ought to recognise real parental love as a reflection of God’s family love toward us.

     

  • Hatred toward others rebounds in negative karma to us (a man sows that which he reaps). We should actively pursue outgoing and outflowing concern to our fellow human beings.

     

  • We ought to avoid violating other people’s marriage contracts.

     

  • If someone owns some form of property it really belongs to them, not to us. We should leave it well enough alone, unless its offered to us.

     

  • Lies catch up to us, exposing us, and showing that only God is an authentic spiritually mature personality.

     

  • Envy of the success of others doesn’t do any of us an awful lot of good.

     

Now, by this time you are probably thinking, ‘Where have I heard all this before?’

Yes, these are the Ten Commandments of God (the ten words). We have all violated them in one way or another. Some of us even pursue such violations with glee and enthusiasm. And, as such, we have rejected God.

“Herein consists the judgment, that the light has entered the world, and men craved darkness rather than light, because their deeds and actions were continually a striving after evil. Everyone that practices evil loathes the light; neither willingly comes to the light, in order that his deeds and actions may not be uncovered and reproved” (Jn 3.19,20 tentative BRI version).

The Way of Salvation

But God has had mercy on some of us, and has systematically taken us out of this present evil world of darkness (2 Pet
2.20a
). It is God who has made us “qualified” or “suitable” (Col 1.12,13). Such activity of God is not based on anything we can offer or contribute, but is solely and entirely centred in His nature of love and His character of Grace. This was Paul’s teaching (Eph 2.8-10).

 

  • Yet we cannot be saved unless we have repented of our evil deeds, ways and thoughts.

     

  • We are expected to confess Yeshua as our Lord and Saviour (not Saviour and Lord).

     

  • We are intended to express faith and have a heartfelt conviction and belief in the Messiah and be disciplined in the teachings of the Gospel.

     

  • If we fail in these things we will never be saved (Rom 10.8-13).

     

To accomplish the necessary deeds of repentance, confession, possessing faith, and having a belief in Messiah as a response to His salvation requires God to perform the energising within us by His subjecting power of Grace.

 

  • For, we know that none can come to Yeshua UNLESS God’s Spirit draws him. So much, then, for trying to save human beings through missionary activity (and I personally was engaged in actively promoting missionary work in the past for some period of time).

     

“No man CAN come to me, except the Father who has sent me draw him: and I WILL raise him up at the last day…No man CAN come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (Jn 6.44,65).

 

  • God must grant repentance. Repentance originates in God. God repented of destroying the earth in the days of Noah. There are other prime examples of the repentance of God in the Bible (Gen 6.6,7; Ex 32.14; Judg 2.18 etc). Repentance is entirely His to give.

     

“When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then has God also to the Gentiles GRANTED repentance unto life” (Acts 11.18). “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God perhaps WILL GIVE THEM repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim 2.25).

 

  • It is God alone who gives even a belief in Yeshua. This belief does not come from the spontaneity of the human heart, desire, or will. It has its origin in divinity itself.

     

“For unto you it is GIVEN in the behalf of Messiah not only to BELIEVE on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Phil 1.29).

 

  • God’s gift to us is faith. This kind of faith does not originate in us. To be accurate, there is no such thing as “saving faith” though many believers ask if we have such faith. It is not faith that saves us. It is Mashiach who saves us through faith.

     

“For in Grace are you saved through faith: and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT of God” (Eph 2.8).

 

  • Even the motivation and will which we express, and the effort to perform according to the standard of God, cannot be the outcome of our own will and efforts.

     

“For it is God who works in you BOTH TO WILL [Greekthelo: purpose, determination and will] AND TO DO his good pleasure” (Phil 2.13).

 

  • Entrance into the Kingdom of God cannot be accomplished by our own good works and fine efforts. The Kingdom of God is given to Messiah’s disciples according to His good pleasure.

     

“Fear not, little flock: for it is your Father’s good pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom” (Lk 12.32).

 

  • The entire intent, plan and purpose of God for the salvation of humankind depends entirely and only upon GRACE.

     

“But as many as received him [and we have already seen that only by God’s saving intervention can we receive Yeshua] to them GAVE he authority to become the children of God, to them that believe on his name. Who were born [again] not of blood, nor of the WILL OF THE FLESH [the carnal decision-making will], nor of the WILL OF MAN [the good intention of man], BUT OF GOD” (Jn 1.12,13).

 

  • If you ever thought that YOU chose the Messiah, then you are guilty of adopting the popular Constantinian
    counterfeit Christ who must be accepted NOW before it’s too late to ever do so! How can the world of themselves accept Messiah, when He has not at this time called or elected them. Remember, we THE  MESSIANIC COMMUNITY are the FIRSTfruits of the harvest and Mashiach, while at the same time loving the world, is dealing ONLY with us today.

     

“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and appointed you” (Jn 15.16a).

 

  • It is even God who grants us a fundamental right to eat of the “tree of lives.” The early Messianic Community
    believed in and accepted the first-century Jewish doctrine of reincarnation (as opposed to the Neo-Platonist and Hindu distortion of it). Some may well object to this statement but we have produced a series of lectures on just this awesome subject (“Is Man the Phoenix?”), and they are available to those who may wish to study the subject more closely in their own Bibles by joining the IMCF and financially supporting this Work and ministry. Surprisingly, most Christians today claim to possess an immortal soul. “Immortal,” if words mean anything, is “eternal.” If you have an immortal soul WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR ALL ETERNITY? If you are a Messianic believer, THIS IS YOUR LAST
    LIFE. Next stop, resurrection!

     

“Proceeding [from] God and…the Lamb…a tree of life…Spiritually joyous and prosperous are they who wash their robes that they may have right to the tree of lives” (Rev 22.2,14).

 

  • Have we an insight into the essential character of our inner spirits that have lived countless lives, culminating in this final life in Mashiach? God is vitally interested in our inner spirits, for He is called “the God of the spirits of all flesh”
    (Num 16.22; 27.16). What is your spirit’s character?

     

“If you [apostles] being EVIL know how to give good gifts to your children [the apostles were married men, and had families] how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit [in contrast to their own evil spirits] to them that ask him?” (Lk 11.13). “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all FILTHINESS OF the flesh and SPIRIT, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7.1).

 

  • God is cleansing His spiritual Community at this time. Our spirits are essentially evil. While the Messianic Scriptures often point out the imperative need to overcome bodily and fleshly lusts and soulish disorders, Christians often overlook the necessary introspective evaluation of the inner spirit. Locked within it is a perversity that masquerades as “good.” We can be easily deceived by it. The Bible reveals that our natural spirit which underlies our personality may very well be “a spirit of error” (1 Jn4.6), a “spirit of fear” or panic (2 Tim 1.7), a “spirit of laziness” (Rom 11.8), a “spirit of jealousy” (Num 5.14,30), a “spirit of sexual excess” through the means of prostitution (Hos 4.12; 5.4), a “spirit of perversity” (Isa 19.14).

     

The Fires of Purification

Now, of course, we may choose to do absolutely nothing about our spirit’s condition. If this is the case, and we are truly converted (that is, we are in possession of God’s very own precious holy Spirit), then FIRE may be our only hope — not the lake of fire which cannot touch God’s people (Jn 5.24; Rom 8.1 Greek) but the raging mental purifying fires at the dais of Mashiach (Rom 14.10; 1 Cor 3.15). No hell fire awaits the true believer. Yeshua speaks of our state as “passing over from death to [the] life” (Jn 5.24 Gk). Paul refers to a Christian’s death not as a “dead end” but rather a “departure”
(Phil 1.23). For the believer to die is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5.8). We should all rejoice that we have been removed from the very real threat of suffering in the purifying lake of fire.

 

  • But our destiny is to share in the fires of God.


The God of Israel said through both Moses and whoever wrote Hebrews that “our God is a consuming fire” (Deut 4.24; Heb 12.29). The prophet Isaiah, comprehending that God is a burning brightness, wrote, “Who among us shall dwell with the DEVOURING FIRE? Who among us shall dwell with EVERLASTING BURNINGS? He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of deceit, that won’t accept bribes, and closes his ears from plans to shed blood, and who shuts his eyes from seeing evil” (Isa 33.14,15).

There can be little doubt that as the nature of this material universe has FIRE as its basic element, so the spiritual world is a raging inferno of flame. In the Jewish thoughtform of the period of history dominated by the Fifth and later Procurator- ships of Judaea, the Jewish people understood that God was essentially composed of fire. All His works were created by and through fire, including even God’s angels (Ps 104.4). And, when angels commit an unrepentant sin they are destined to the horror of God’s lake of fire in order to be purified (Mt25.41). The nature of unrepentant sin, among angels, will be annulled (as it were homoeopathically) by fire. This was the first century understanding among the Jewish people! Hell, created by a loving God, was ultimately for purification purposes and decidedly NOT for destruction and damnation.

Angels are sinners. The Word of a holy God makes that fact explicitly clear (Job 15.15,16; 4.18; 25.5; Rev 2.2a,8a,12a, 18a; 3.1a,14a). The only angelic power of an assembly in Revelation who did not receive correction from the Lord Yeshua was the angel over the Philadelphian Assembly (3.7a). The heavens, says the Bible, are not clean in His sight.

This brings us to an important revelation, for I have taught for many years that Yeshua Messiah was resurrected, not in 
eternity as such, but in our own spacetime. For one thing, Miriam was not allowed to embrace or even touch the risen Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane (Jn 20.17). This was because he had not yet ascended to the Father. Later that day the disciples are invited to handle the Lord (Mt 28.9). Sometime between his meeting with Miriam and this later event with his disciples, Yeshua had ascended to heaven and returned. But what had “ascending” to God the Father to do with touching, or not touching, Yeshua?

I believe the Turin Shroud holds the key. Recently “proven” to be a forgery, it is no such thing, and unbiased scholars are well aware of the chicanery that has gone on concerning the Shroud — from the Pope down! It was considered a fake BECAUSE THE BODY OF YESHUA SHOWS CLEARLY THAT HE IS NOT DEAD.

Fresh blood trickles from his wounds. Blood only flows because a heart continues to beat. A corpse does not bleed! Rome finally rejected the Shroud because they mistakenly considered that Yeshua was still alive when taken down from the cross.

But what we are looking at when we examine the Turin Shroud, is not Mashiach recently in repose. Rather, it is Messiah’s moment of resurrection. The imprint of Messiah’s body on the Shroud was caused by the explosion of unbelievable 
POWER as the Spirit brought him back to life. And as he awoke blood flowed!

The Astonishing Meaning of the Shed Blood

But didn’t Yeshua shed his blood for humankind when he died? Yes, he most certainly did! But did he shed ALL his blood at that time? This is, after all, the popular teaching of the church. But Hebrews tells us that this is a pernicious error. Let me explain.

When Our Lord died he was the most vile sinner who ever lived. Paul even went so far as to suggest that when Mashiach died he became, not only mere sinner, but SIN itself (2 Cor 5.21 Gk). He took your sins, and my sins, and the sins of the entire world upon himself when he died. He became therefore our perfect Substitute and Representative Man. When we are saved, we are saved into the life of God’s eternal fire.

Daniel shares with us his grand vision of the event which occurred between the time Miriam was rejected in the orchard of Gethsemane and the event later when the disciples held the feet of the Lord. Note carefully what Daniel tells us:

“And I saw in the night, visions, and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven [that is, the Son of Man came into heaven itself: this is not the second Advent pictured here as some denominations erroneously teach], and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him [at that time] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom which shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7.13,14).

Yeshua was given at that time all power. He himself admitted, after his resurrection, that this was the case (Mt 28.18). He was given, in effect, unrivalled cosmic Lordship!

But something else occurred when Yeshua entered heaven and stood before the fiery appearance of Adonai.

And the letter to the Hebrews tells us exactly what it was. “[T]he first covenant…was inaugurated with blood. After Moshe [Moses] had proclaimed every command of the Torah to all the people, he took the blood of the calves with some water and used scarlet wool and hyssop to sprinkle [really, splash] both the scroll itself and all the people; and he said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God has ordained for you.’ Likewise, he sprinkled [splashed] with the blood both the Tent [the tabernacle] and all the things used in its ceremonies. In fact, according to the Torah, almost everything is purified with blood; indeed, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Now this is how the copies of the heavenly things had to be purified, BUT THE HEAVENLY THINGS THEMSELVES REQUIRE BETTER SACRIFICES THAN THESE. For the Messiah has entered a Holiest Place which is not man-made and merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, in order to appear now on our behalf in the very presence of God. Further, he did not enter heaven to offer himself over and over again [the inference is that Yeshua did offer Himself in heaven, but only once] like the cohen hagadol [high priest] who enters the Holiest Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer death many times – from the founding of the universe on. But as it is, he has appeared once at the end of the ages in order to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself” (Heb 9.19-26 Stern’s Jewish New Testament, emphasis mine throughout text).

 

  • Please read this passage again and again until you understand it properly.

     

For, the unknown author of Hebrews is informing us that the resurrected Yeshua entered the Holiest in heaven and acted out a divine accomplishment that involved splashing his blood in a sacrificial ceremony of which the physical ritual in the carnal tabernacle of Moses was merely a type.

In other words, Yeshua took his own blood (what was left from the cross, still in his body) to splash the environs of the heavenly Holy of Holies — which environs are representative of the entire universe in which sin dwells. Even the heaven where God resides needs cleansing and purifying (Heb 9.23). This may not sit well with many of our readers who erroneously major on heaven’s purity. But we have clearly illustrated that even God’s very own angels have similar natures to we humans.

Yet with the shedding of Messiah’s blood on the cross, AND the splashing of what was left in his sacred veins in the heavenly realm, AND GOD’S ACCEPTANCE OF IT, the state of death will be annulled. True, hell fire — the lake of fire — is the second death. But with the annulment of the death state, hell will be no more. This was given as a promise to Jeremiah many centuries ago. The region which typified hell, and which was referred to as “Gehenna” in the days of Jeremiah and Our Lord will be eventually declared to be “holy” (Jer 31.40).

Unquestionably, this accords practically with the fact that God is Purpose in Itself. The very idea of an eternal hell is purposeless. Christian “thinkers,” while they readily admit that hell is purposeless, fail to see the light because they have failed to see the plot. Salvation is a game. And the Scriptures declare that God is already the champion (victorious). The words of Yeshua come immediately to mind: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world.”

Here end and cause have the same meaning. The purpose is the cause. The purpose not merely crowns the work, it caused it. The end made the beginning. “God will be All in all” not “all” in “some” (1 Cor 15.28).

Obviously, if hell is no more, if the state of death — first or second death — has been abolished, then what we are left with is life. Paul understood this precisely. “Death [the state of death] is swallowed up in victory. O death [the death state], where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (1 Cor 15.54,55). “For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed [annulled] is death” (1 Cor 15.26).

The continuation or perpetuation of death for eternity — in whatever form it manifests — is a massive contradiction to the Divine Purpose (1 Cor 15.26). Death is either that “LAST enemy” to be annulled, or it’s not. We cannot have it both ways, though some clearly want to do so.

The Outcome of God’s Game — An Ultimate Universal Salvation

It is the blood of Mashiach that has made possible the gathering “together in one THE UNIVERSE in Mashiach, all things whether they inhabit the heavens or the earth. In him” (Eph1.10). “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who WILL [not desires, hopes, aspires or wishes] have ALL men to be saved [that’s ‘all men’ — not all sorts of men] and to come to the knowledge of the truth that there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Messiah Yeshua, who gave himself a ransom for ALL the testimony of which is to be given in strategic seasons having a unique character of their own” (1 Tim 2.4-6 Greek). The ransom in “due time” of the quaint KJV leaves it all a little hollow.

 

  • An ultimate universal salvation is “good and acceptable to God” because it is the eventual outcome of His grand game of salvation and redemption. God has been in charge of it all along. Satan has had his part to play, for every game — even a divine game — must have the edge in the lurking presence of an ever-aggravating darkness. That’s what makes the game exciting.

     

These “strategic seasons” or ages having a unique character of their own are pictured by the festival seasons of ancient Israel. The feasts of Israel portrayed the amazing plan of Almighty God, and we should all rejoice in this monumental revelation! [As a member of the IMCF you can access a series of lectures on “The Festivals of Israel: God’s Ancient Cosmic Plan for Mankind Revealed!” Join now to obtain similar benefits.]

It is Yeshua haMashiach and his death and resurrection for our sins, including the purifying by his blood of the heavens, that has been the reality that underscores even our faith. The faith of the Messiah is like the electric lead to a stereo system. It carries the current. It is not the lead which makes the stereo function. It is the electricity. But until the lead is there and plugged into the supply there is nothing. No music.

God is the Great Electrician, and the Great Maestro.

The festivals of Israel, with the exception of Yom Kippur, were times of great festivity, revelry, jubilation, and merriment. The wine flowed. The sound of music was heard near and far. And people danced to the sound of joyous melody.

The festivals of Israel’s agricultural calendar reveal the stupendous blueprint of God for humanity’s salvation.

They reveal the Lord Yeshua, in all his glory, and the role he himself designed to play in this phenomenal game of salvation.

Leviticus 23, set as a backdrop against the outworking of the Gospel drama, carries the key to unlocking the hidden purpose of God in dealing with man.

Every rabbi worth his salt knows that Israel sacrificed 70 bullocks throughout the feast of Tabernacles (Suk’kot), for the Jews observed the late September/early October festival on behalf of the 70 Gentile nations who would not keep the Torah. The prayers of Suk’kot were chanted in the Temple — not for Israel — but for the nations. This is why Jewish people, once converted to Messiah, usually have no trouble accepting the truth concerning God’s universal salvation. They see right through the perverted “doctrinal-proof-text-flack” of “Christian” — or, better — Constantinian fundamentalism.

Had the Constantinian church in the fourth century maintained a firm and faithful stand against the virulent antisemitism of the Roman Empire they would have retained and preserved a knowledge, however fragmentary, of the meanings which the festivals illustrated. They would have been faithful to Paul’s ministerial advice to Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” (2 Tim 4.2). Instead, when they threw the Jewish baby out with the Jewish bath water, they lost all knowledge of God’s seasonal (agricultural) calendar and thus the meanings the seasonal festivals conveyed.

There can be no denying the fact that Messiah’s universal salvation reflects his universal love for humankind. We are created in the Divine Image. While the mirrored image or reflection is presently fractured, Mashiach is engaged in a massive restoration program called “the Work of salvation.” Ultimately, God cannot deny Himself (2 Tim 2.13).

Universal Love — Universal Salvation.

The precious life-blood of Mashiach was shed, not just for every human being who has ever lived, but for the entirety of the Universe. Messiah’s love, his grace, and his shed blood decidedly were not (and are not) limited. Messiah’s love is not restrained. Messiah’s Grace is not restrained. Messiah’s sacred blood is not restrained. The precious life-blood of the Mashiach formed a red pool at the foot of the crucifixion tree, for you and for me, and its residue was splashed all over the heavenly ark of the covenant in God’s Holiest Place for the entirety of the universe. And only the very bitter, the very ignorant, the very arrogant would deny it.

This present “strategic season” in which God is only dealing with His spiritual Messianic Community (and it has rightly been called the secret age of Grace by some “NT” scholars) is our time NOW as Christians or Messianic believers to learn to keep in step with the harmonious melody and rhythm of Deity, and to joyously celebrate in the festive salvific laughter of the God of Israel.

The blood of the Mashiach has forever settled the question of our personal destiny, and not ours only, but the destiny of the entirety of the Universe.

Praise God for the wonder of His Self-emptying love and grace displayed so generously in Messiah’s sacrifice.

Brightness of eonian glory, 
Shall Thy praise unuttered lie? 
Who would hush the heavenly story 
Of the One who came to die? 

Universal His creation!
 

Universal its recall! 
Blood bought reconciliation 
Makes the Father all in all! 

Sing His love, surpassing story,
 

Love abiding, love above, 
Ev’ry attribute and glory, 
Sing Himself, The Son of Love!