Brother Mike Ministries

The many days of Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011!  
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ETERNAL LIFE: No Longer Possible!! ***

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Hebrews 5:10-14
You have need of milk and not solid food!
By Brother Mike (11-14-16; 37 minutes)
   


10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec .
11
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat .
13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil .


INTRODUCTION

In Hebrews 5:10-14, we first read what we had already read in Hebrews 5:6 that Christ was called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Then, we are told that there are many things about Christ for the Hebrew Christians to learn, but they had become dull of hearings. They had heard enough in the past to have had become teachers by now, but, instead, they had need that one teach them again the first principles of the oracles of God. In other words, as spiritual infants, they were in need of milk - the basic principles of the Word of God - rather than the meat or solid food of the Word that the mature need who through habit have their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil.


Verse 5:10
:  

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec .  

In this verse, we basically have repeated what was already said in verse 6, namely that Christ was called by God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. So, once again we have this strange personage called Melchisedec mentioned. We are told in Genesis 14 that Melchisedec came out to meet Abram after Abram rescued Lot from his captors, and he came out to him with bread and wine. We read,  

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God .
19 And he blessed him [Abram], and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all

In our last study , we concluded that Melchizedek was a picture of Christ who offers His bread (His body) and offers His wine (His blood) - which both together represent the gospel - for the sins of Abram and all the elect who were yet in the loins of Abram. We also saw that Abraham who is called the father of all them that believe (Ro 4:11), when he rescued Lot was a picture of the elect who, during the day of salvation up until May 21, 2011, were used to rescue their brethren (typified by Lot) from their enemies of sin, Satan, and death through the gospel (the bread and wine offered to them by Melchizedek). But, in simplicity, what Yahweh wants us to know in this verse is that Christ was called by God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec, who we will learn much more about in chapter 7, but, for now, what we have learned is that Melchisedec was a picture of Christ who would bring the gospel (the bread and wine) unto the elect. Furthermore, we learned that for Christ to be a high priest after the order of Melchisedec means that His priesthood is eternal. So, with that, let's move onto our next verse:    


Verse 5:11
:  

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing .

Here, we first read, Of whom we have many things to say. Actually, it literally reads, Of whom many things is the word to us. That is, Of [concerning] whom [Christ], many things is the Word [Christ] to us. So, we could simplify all this and simply say, Concerning Christ, many things is the Word [Christ] to us. Our verse could then read, 

11 Concerning Christ, many things is the Word [Christ] to us, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing

The idea is that Christ is many things to us. For instance, He is the New Covenant, He is our high priest, He is made after the order of Mechisedec, He is eternal, He is our sacrifice, He is Yahweh, He is the Son of God, He is our Savior, He is the Word of God, He is seated at the right hand of Yahweh in the heavens as Lord, He is the Lamb of God, and many other things as well. Yes, Concerning Christ, He is many things to us. 

Next, our verse says, and hard to be uttered. That is, concerning Christ, He is many things unto us, and it is hard or difficult to be uttered. Actually, to be uttered is more properly translated as to be saying. So, concerning Christ, He is many things unto us, and hard or difficult to be saying. Our verse, then, reads, 

11 Concerning whom [Christ], many things is the Word [Christ] to us, and hard to be saying, seeing ye are dull of hearing

What we see, then, is that concerning Christ, he (the Word) is many things unto these Hebrew Christians, and these things are difficult to be saying to them. Why? Because, as we read, seeing you are dull of hearing. Here, the word translated as seeing in the sentence, seeing you are dull of hearing is better translated as since. And, the verb you are in the sentence, seeing you are dull of hearing is in the Perfect Tense , which means that the action of the verb, you are, took place in the past, and, the result of that action continues on in full force; therefore, you became dull of hearing in the past, and you are still dull of hearing in the present as a result. Our verse can now be translated like this:  

11 Concerning whom [Christ], many things is the Word [Christ] to us, and hard to be saying, since you are [still] dull of hearing

It isn't just that they are dull of hearing in the present, but, rather, that they became dull of hearing in the past, and that dullness of hearing continues right to the present so that we can say about them that they are [still] dull of hearing.  

Now, one final thing about this verse: the word translated as hearing in the phrase, since you are [still] dull of hearing is actually plural so that they have not just become dull of one hearing, but of hearings (plural), and the final translation of our verse is this: 

11 Concerning whom [Christ], many things is the Word [Christ] to us, and hard to be saying, since you are [still] dull of hearings .  

So, what our verse is telling us is that concerning Christ, He is many things to us Christians, and these things are hard or difficult to be saying to you Hebrew Christians since you became dull of hearing in the past with the result that you are still dull of hearing now. In fact, you have heard enough so that you should be teachers by now, but, instead, you need someone to teach you the basics all over again, which leads us to our next verse.    


Hebrews 5:12
:  

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat .   

In this verse, we first read, For when for the time you ought to be teachers. Although this is a good translation in the King James, we prefer an even more literal translation because we like to stay as close as possible to the original even though the result may seem a little sluggish in the English. So, I would translate the first sentence not as For when for the time you ought to be teachers, but like this:  

12 And for through the time you ought to be teachers . . .  

This is basically saying the same thing that the King James says, but with no added or subtracted words such as when, which is added, and And, which is subtracted, in the King James Version to apparently make it sound better in the English.   

Now, we next read, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God. That is, even though you Hebrew Christians have heard enough teachings on the Word of God so that you should be teachers by now, yet, because you became and continue to be so dull of hearing, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God. Apparently, these Christians have not yet gotten past the basics of the Christian Faith with such things as repentance from dead works, faith in Christ, baptisms, eternal judgment, the resurrection from the dead, the laying on of hands, and so forth (see Hebrews 6:1-2), which is a clear evidence that many of them had not yet become saved. Indeed, they were falling back into the Old Levitical way of dong things as they could not see how Christ was the fulfillment of all those things. Hence, the book of Hebrews is all about showing how the Old was fulfilled by Christ, and why the New is so much better than the Old; all for the purpose of directing these young Hebrew Christians and us in the direction of the New Covenant, and away from the snare of the Old Covenant, which never could pay for sins or save those who were subject to it, but it was used to prepare us as our schoolmaster for the New by giving us types and figures of what was to come. 

There is another point that we can draw from all of this as well. Even though so-called Christians can hear many teachings on the Bible, as these Hebrew so-called Christians did, if they have not yet become saved, which salvation is now impossible ever since May 21, 2011, it doesn't matter how many different true teachings they hear, they won't be able to discern the deeper truths of scripture because these things are spiritually discerned, but they are yet spiritually dead. So, how can they who are spiritually dead discern what is spiritual? Obviously, they cannot. They are so-called Christians who have become dull of hearing. This is how those who have remained in and not obeyed our Lord's command to come out of the churches are: they are dull of hearings, and they can't possibly know the deeper things of the Word of God, for they are spiritually discerned. This is one of the reasons, for instance, why so many of those who are now in the churches are what we call dispensational premillenial who pride themselves in a literal method of interpretation, and by doing so, they butcher the Word of God and miss the beautiful spiritual continuity throughout its pages. Indeed, they can't even see the spiritual depth of Holy Writ because they have never been truly born of the Spirit, but they are dull of hearing, and, in fact, incapable of discerning truth in a similar way to how these Hebrew Christians had become dull of hearing. The main difference being that the ancient Hebrew Christians could yet be saved, and, thus, be in need of the milk of the Word, whereas those who now still reside in the churches cannot (see Why Leave All Churches? ).  

Now, in getting back to our verse, we read that these Hebrew Christians not only have need that one teach them again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, but they are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. Milk, in the Bible, refers to the basic foundational teachings of Christianity such as are listed in Hebrews 6:1-2 where we read,  

1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God ,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment .   

These are the foundational teachings of Christianity, and teachings that a newborn Christian yearns for in a similar way to which a newborn child yearns for the milk of its mother; and it needs the milk of its mother as a foundation for growth and good health for the rest of its life just as a newborn Christian needs the foundational teachings of Christ (the milk of the Word) for spiritual growth and spiritual good health for the rest of his or her eternal life. We read in 1Peter 2:2, 

1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby . . .  

We could also say that the milk of the Word is not only the basic foundational teachings of Christianity, but they are also those teachings which are easiest to grasp as they tend to be the more literal teachings of scripture. The meat of the Word, on the other hand, is that which requires a more complete understanding by the comparison of scripture with scripture with a view to seeing the deeper spiritual content hidden beyond the surface. It requires a right dividing of the Word of God, and a much greater breadth of knowledge and understanding, which only comes through experience in the Word of Yahweh and only after having been well fed with the milk of the word once having been saved. Unless one has truly been saved and nourished first on the milk of the Word, it is impossible to move onto the meat of the Word. This is why the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians in 1Corinthians 3:2, 

1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able

Yes, just as a newborn infant is unable to bare solid food in the beginning, so, also, a newborn Christian must be fed with the milk of the Word or they just won't be able to grasp it, and, indeed, they could become spiritually ill as they are choked by the meat of which they are not yet ready to eat.  


Verse 5:13
:  

13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe .  

Here, the Verb Participle translated as one that uses in the sentence, For every one that uses milk . . . is more literally translated as one that is partaking, and, because it is in the Present Tense and Active Voice, the one that is partaking is doing so on an ongoing basis. In addition, the word translated as milk is in the Genitive Case, which means that it is literally translated as of milk. Moreover, the word translated as unskillful in the sentence, For every one that is partaking of milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness . . . is literally translated as untried, or we could say inexperienced. So, our verse now reads, 

13 For every one that is partaking [ongoingly] of milk is untried [inexperienced] in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe

This verse is simply giving reason as to why these Hebrew Christians are not yet to the level of being teachers. It is because they are still partaking of the milk of the Word, which means that they are too inexperienced in the Word to be teachers, for they are babes or infants in so far as their maturity in the Word, and, of course, a babe or young child is not yet to the point of being able to teach, but, rather, needs to be taught. The point being that, spiritually speaking, these Christians who should by now be teachers based upon the amount of teachings that they have already received are still babies who have not grown past needing milk, which means that they are inexperienced in the Word of righteousness and need someone to be teaching them. They are not yet ready for the meat or solid food of the Word, but they still need to be taught the basic foundational teachings of Christ, the milk of the Word that they might be saved, and the milk of the Word make them begin to grow spiritually.   

Now, is there a group of so-called Christians today who are similar to these Hebrew Christians in that they need the milk of the Word rather than the meat of the Word; wherein they should by now be teachers, but, instead are in need of the foundational teachings of Christ? Indeed, there is, for all those people who still reside in the churches of today are such that they need the milk of the Word because they have never actually been saved. And, when people have not actually ever been saved, they truly need to be taught in the basics of Christianity because they have never really ever experienced salvation. Of course, it is no longer possible to be saved ever since May 21, 2011, but, nevertheless, if salvation were still possible, those who still reside in the churches would need the milk of the Word in hope that through the hearing of the milk of the Word, they would become saved to begin their birth then growth into the new life of the Spirit. But, because they have never been saved even though they think they have, they have drifted off into all sorts of false teachings, which they think are the meat of the Word, but are instead the deceptions of Satan, the false Christ, who had set himself up in the temple of the churches as the man of sin to be worshipped as Jesus beginning on May 21, 1988 (see Why Leave All Churches? ).  

But, as we know, the wrath of God now rests upon all the churches and the entire world wherein salvation is no longer possible ever since May 21, 2011. The only ones who are now being saved are all those who were saved by this date; the rest are destined to destruction, or in false gospels wherein they think they have been saved. That's right, they have no eternal hope, but they will die either in the normal course of their lives, or on the Last Day when they are destroyed by eternal fire even as Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed by eternal fire to never live again.  


Verse 5:14

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil

Let's look at the first part of this verse first. It reads, But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age. Here, the two words strong meat would be better translated as solid food because the analogy that has been being used is that of milk, which an infant drinks, verses solid food, which an adult or mature person would eat. Furthermore, the phrase, belongs to them that are of full age is more simply and literally translated, is of the mature . . . So, our verse should now read,   

14 But solid food is of the mature . . .  

Next, the latter part of our verse reads, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. First of all, the word even does not appear in the Greek, and, then, the sentence can be simplified and more literally translated as, who through habit have their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil. Our entire verse, then, should read, 

14 But solid food is of the mature who through habit have their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil

Notice that we have translated the word senses in the sentence, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil as faculties. This is because the word senses makes us think of our five senses, but that is not what the Greek word is referring to. It is referring to our faculties of mind such as perceiving, understanding, and judging or discerning. Also, we have changed the whole phrase, by reason of use to simply the word habit in order to simplify and make our verse more literal. So, once again, our translation of the verse reads, 

14 But solid food is of the mature who through habit have their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil

There is, perhaps, one more thing that should be mentioned about our verse. The word exercised in our verse which reads, But solid food is of the mature who through habit have their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil is in the Perfect Tense and Passive Voice. This means that the mature had their faculties exercised in the past, and the result of having had their faculties exercised in the past continues on in full force to the present, namely that the mature still have their faculties exercised (see Perfect Tense ). In other words, the mature who through habit have their faculties exercised to discern good and evil has been an ongoing process. It started in the past when, we can assume, they were first saved, and it continued to the present. Also, as already stated, our verb exercised is in the Passive Voice, which means that the mature who through habit have had their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil, and who still have their faculties so exercised, have been passive in the matter. So, it isn't that the mature in their own power and doing have had their faculties exercised to discern good and evil, but they have been passive in the matter while, we can assume, Yahweh through the Spirit has been the responsible agent. He has matured them and made them to discern both good and evil from beginning to end. Indeed, as we read in Philippians 1:6,  

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ . . .  

Yes, it is Yahweh who first saves us, and then who matures us right up until the Last Day when we will be changed into new spiritual bodies, and then live all eternity with our Lord, Jesus Christ. Indeed, He is the agent who matures us and who guides us into all the truth. We read in John 16, 

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come [and He came at Pentecost in 33 AD], he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come

Now, through habit of what do the mature have their faculties exercised to discern both good and evil? Why, it is by their habit of using the Word of God. That is, the mature have a habit of reading and studying the Word, and applying it to their lives. And, after years of doing this, the Lord has matured them to be able to discern both good and evil. Indeed, this is a fact: unless the Lord has chastened us to make it a habit for us to spend time reading and studying the scriptures, then it is not likely that we have yet reached maturity. As the scripture says,  

Ps 94:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law . . . 

You see, it is by being washed by the Word of God, the law, whereby we are cleansed and matured. Without the Word of Yahweh, this is impossible, for it is through habit of listening to, reading, and studying the Word of Yahweh that we are matured and our faculties are rendered fit to discern both good and evil. This is why true Christians have been called the people of the book ever since the first century, for a true Christian is centered upon the Word of Yahweh as they feed on it in order to become mature and fully fit to serve their Lord in a reprobate world. So, you show me a Christian who does not study the Bible, and I'll show you a Christian who is babe, or who is not a Christian at all. But, you show me a Christian who regularly studies his bible, and I'll show you someone who is either mature, or who is on his way to being mature. I leave you with Psalm 1:1-3,  

Psalm1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful .
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper .  


CONCLUSION 

It is the Lord who matures us as Christians. He does so by working in us the habit of listening to, reading, and studying the Word of Yahweh. And, through this, He matures us by exercising our mental faculties to discern both good and evil. But, if we are still partaking of the milk of the Word, as these Hebrew Christians were doing, it is clear that we, and they, are babes and must be taught the milk of the word; that is, the basic and foundational teachings of Christianity, all over again before it is possible to move onto the meat or solid food of the Word, which are those teaching that require more experience in the Word, and which lead to maturity over the years. The meat of the Word is that which requires a more complete understanding by the comparison of scripture with scripture with a view to seeing the deeper spiritual content hidden beyond the surface. It requires a right dividing of the Word of God, and a much greater breadth of knowledge and understanding, which only comes through experience in the Word of Yahweh and only after having been well fed with the milk of the word once having been saved. Unless one has truly been saved and nourished first on the milk of the Word, it is impossible to move onto the meat of the Word. These Hebrew Christians could not move onto the meat of the Word because they had not yet grown past the milk of the Word. Indeed, the Lord wanted them to learn many things about the deeper things of Christ, but they had become dull of hearings, and they needed to be taught the milk of the Word all over again.


Now may the LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

4:13-16
5:1-5 
5:6-9
5:10-14
6:1-2

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