Chapter 2

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Those who possessed the law (Torah); the Jewish people were led astray in the belief that their possession of Torah; and knowledge of it’s intricate codes, laws and circumcision rites –  that this somehow gave them special privileges and standing before The Creator!

The Jewish pride in the law obscured the degree to which the Jews failed to do the law.

Romans 2:1Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judges: for in your judgment of another, you condemn yourself; because you who judge do the same things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of vuvh is according to truth against those who commit such things. 3 And do you really think, O man, that judges them who do such things, and do the same, that you shall escape the
judgment of vuvh?

Shaul’s words of course come from the Pseude pigrapha, Psalms of Solomon 15:8 “But they shall pursue sinners and overtake them, for those who act lawlessly shall not escape YHWH’s judgment.”

Today Jewish pride of their view of their place in the world to come is prevalent because of texts like Sanhedrin 10:1: “all Israel, even those executed by the court for their sins have a portion in the World to Come.”

Romans 2:4 Or, do you stand against the riches of His mercy and tolerance and patience; by not knowing that the mercy of vuvh can lead you to repentance? 5 But after your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up for yourself great wrath against the day of His wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of vuvh; 6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds.

Romans 2:7 To them who by continuing patiently in well doing seek for glory, honor, immortality and eternal life: 8 But to those that are contentious against the truth, and do not obey the truth, but actually obey unrighteousness, will come indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every being that does evil, upon the Jew first, and also upon the Greek and Aramean;

Romans 2:10 But glory, honor, and shalom, to every man that does good works, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek and Aramean:

Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with vuvh. 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. (No ‘hupo nomon’ ‘under the law’ in the text.)

Here, it becomes obvious that two groups of people are in view:

1. The ‘Hosoi gar anomos hemarton, anomos kai apolountai.’ For as many as without law did sin, without law also shall perish.’
2. The ‘Kai hosoi en nomo hemarton, dia nomou krithesontai.’ ‘And as many as did sin in law, through law shall be judged.’

The division is between those who sin within the law – Jews, and those who sin without the law – gentiles. Both are judged, it’s possible, the Jew’s even harsher because of their knowledge of the Creators decrees!

Amos 3:2 ‘You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.’

Romans 2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just before vuvh, but the doers of the law shall be righteous.

Knowing whether something is sinful or not is irrelevant, you’re still going to be judged by by the consequences of such sin.

Revelation 20:12 the dead are all going to stand before יהוה when death comes ‘a knocking’; the books’ll be opened:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Revelation 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before Elohim; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Sêpher/biblion/books

Exodus 32:31-34
Then Moshe returned to יהוה (after the Golden Calf breach) and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
And the יהוה  said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

From this passage we learn what leads to one being blotted out of this book—breaking the Book of the Covenant!

Psalms 69:28
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.

From this passage we learn that this book that people may be blotted out of is the Book of the living in which the righteous are listed.

Philippians 4:3
And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Overcomer’s are not blotted out of the book of life and Yahusha confesses the names of those in this book before His Father and His angels.

Revelation 13:8
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Even those not written in the book of life will worship the Lamb, to whom this book belongs.

Revelation 17:8
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

“The book of life from the foundation of the earth.”

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Here we learn this book of life is different from the books that were opened by which the dead are judged.

‘Books’ is from the Greek ‘biblion’, the Hebrew Sepher; meaning: ‘bill,’ ‘book,’ ‘scroll’ or ‘writing.’

This is the books containing the record of human deeds, all people have done is recorded, and it’ll be exhibited on the final trial, and will constitute the basis of the last judgement for how they lived in this life.

Death is the boundary marker, once crossed the account is balanced. Death ends our period of probation and seals our destination.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

John 5:29  The dead shall come forth; they that have done good, will rise to live, and they that have done evil, will rise to be condemned.

2 Esdras 9:10 For such as in their life have received benefits, and have not known me;11 And they that have loathed my law, while they had yet liberty, and, when as yet place of repentance was open unto them, understood not, but despised it;12 The same must know it after death by pain.

2 Clem 8:3 For after that we have departed out of the world, we can no more make confession there, or repent any more.

The books of the living and the dead, or the book of life and the book of death. The accounts of the good and evil actions of men; the former leading to life, the latter to death. John in Rev alludes to Daniel 7:10;  but Paul in Romans and Galatians is concerned about the ‘book of the law!’

Galatians 3:10: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Paul understood that the ‘book of the law’ was now superseded in by the Book of the Covenant;  the Book of the Law’s day had come and gone!

The Greek for ‘book of the law’  is: ‘to bibleo tou nomou.’

I believe Revelations 20:12 and Galatians 3:10 are connected;  as are:

• “The books were opened” – (Daniel 7:10).
• The books of YHWH’s remembrance, alike of the evil and the good (Psalm 56:8; Psalm 139:4)
• The book of His True Name-remembrance Malachi 3:16
• The book of what’s written in the conscience (Romans 2:15)
• The book of the word of Yahusha (John 12:48)
• The book of the law (Galatians 3:10)
• The book of YHWH’s eternal counsel (Psalm 139:16).”

So “the books” ; in contrast with ‘The Book of Life,’ are a reference as to what each individual has done/not done in his or her life.

From a Torah legal standpoint if you’re not a Melchizedek covered by the Yahusha’s blood in Book of the Covenant,  then you’re left to your own devices and’ll be judged according the all the other books, books of differing works and remembrances RATHER than ‘the book’ sprinkled in blood – THE CHOICE IS BETWEEN A BOOK OF ATONEMENT OR BOOKS OF YOUR WORKS!

Romans 2:14 For when the nations, which have not have the law do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, have a law for themselves:

Romans 2:15 Which shows the work of the law written on their  hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts will either accuse, or else excuse one another.

Isaiah 24:5 all the earth is held responsible: The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Romans 2:16 In the day when vuvh shall judge the secrets of men 6 by Yahusha our Messiah according to my Gospel.  17 See, you are called a Jew, who trusts in the law and makes your boast in your Elohim,  18 And knows His will, and approves of the excellent things, that are being instructed in the Torah;  19 And are confident that you yourself are a guide to the spiritually blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
Romans 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babies, who see  themselves as the pattern of knowledge and truth that is in the Torah.
Romans 2:21 You therefore who teaches another, don’t you also teach yourself ? You that proclaim that a man should not steal, do you steal?  22 You that say a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You that hate idolatry, do you rob temples?  23 You that make your boast in the law, through breaking the law do you dishonor vuvh?  24 For the Name of vuvh is blasphemed among the nations through you, as it is written. 25 For circumcision truly profits, if you keep the law: but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has been  made uncircumcision.

Romans 2:26 Therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the Torah (BoC) ,shall not his uncircumcision be again counted as circumcision?

Romans 2:27 And shall not the physically uncircumcised, if they completely perform the Torah (BoC), judge you, even though you follow the letter and the circumcision but still transgress the Torah?(BoC)  (by not accepting Yahusha’s ratification of it, thus still being dead in your sins and under the BoL).

Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcison, which is outward in the flesh:  29 But he is a Jew, who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from vuvh.

Conclusion: all are guilty before יהוה, and death ends our period of probation and seals our destination.