In Deuteronomy 25:5-10 we find that the law of Yahweh required that should a man die and have no son, his brother or the closest relative was to marry his widow and raise up a child in his name. If the living brother or relative refused to take his responsibility, then the woman was to make it a public issue, take off his sandal, and spit in his face. (We will examine at the end of this sandal study the comparative accounts of Yahshua's spitting.) The brother was then to be known as - "The house of him whose sandal is removed."

The book of Ruth addresses the application of this law when recording Boaz's efforts to acquire Ruth. Boaz brought the matter of Naomi's land and Ruth before the elders and presented them to the closest kinsman redeemer, adding - "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance" (Ruth 4:5). At this the kinsman then declined to redeem the land (because of Ruth), stating - "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it." The kinsman then took off his sandal and gave it to Boaz as a testimony of the legal transfer of his responsibility of redemption to Boaz. This freed Boaz to buy Naomi's land and marry Ruth. Thus the legal transaction was complete, sealed by the transfer of the sandal.

Now, why the sandal discrepancy in Matthew, Mark, and Luke? As you can see, the sandal has great significance. Let us now see what this means. Make sure and read this following portion with great care.

Yahshua, our brother, likewise died - He was killed. And during His time upon this earth He did not Himself establish the perfect kingdom of God - men in imperishable bodies, and the King reigning. In related fashion, there is a "fine" on this land as recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:3. It is - "one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold." These represent the pure kingdom (one hundred talents of silver were used to build the one hundred sockets in the tabernacle - i.e., two Remnants from two Pentecosts or outpourings of the Holy Spirit, 50 each - Exodus 38:27) and the King (King David's crown was made from one talent of gold - 2 Samuel 12:30).

Yahshua came to earth to satisfy the fine on the land and bring forth the kingdom. The only problem was - to pay it He had to die! But that now created another problem. He died, and while He is gone, we as His brothers are legally obligated to bring forth His perfect kingdom. We as His brothers are obligated to bring forth offspring in our Brother's name. Oh we can make Christians out of men, but are they really in the image of Christ? Not at all. To begin with, Christ is (1) in a resurrected body, and (2) He is not ignorant and deceived as are Christians. 22,000 denominations and sects tell us that Christians are in fact confused about what is the truth, each thoroughly convinced they are the ones that are right. I am not trying to be harsh here; this is just the simple and obvious fact concerning flesh-occupied men in Christianity. Finally, (3) Christ perfectly reveals the Father.

This requirement of bringing forth offspring in our deceased Brother's name is thus no small task! 2,000 years of church history have shown that even though the kingdom of God has been provided to man by Yahshua, man, even Christian man, fails to possess the ability to perform at Yahshua's standards. We find then that earthly man is spiritually impotent to bring forth the perfect kingdom!

At first one might be highly impressed or inspired to think that he has been granted the great responsibility of bringing forth the pure kingdom of God. But as history has well proven, no man can do so; his offspring are a mixed Ishmael (part world and part man of faith) that does not fulfill the promised son. And once one takes the sandal, that commitment to bring forth offspring in the name of his deceased Brother is his responsibility, and he is then held legally accountable for that task! So the question is - Who has the sandal?

Now unfolds the truth in this matter as we see it revealed in the differences of the four gospels. To the Matthew first Remnant, Yahshua warned the twelve - "Do not take the responsibility of bringing forth the kingdom. Do not take the sandals." So the first Remnant gave up the sandals, declaring with Ruth's closest relative - "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for Yourself (Yahshua, as pictured in Boaz); You may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it."

Now frankly, this Remnant did actually think they were the prelude to Yahshua. They thought He would return any time. And actually they did much that was necessary to bring forth the kingdom. They are in fact the pattern for the second Remnant. They sold all, thus separating themselves from this world and qualifying for the position of the poor "corners of the field" (Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22) Remnant. But the point is, in their waiting they never tried to build a kingdom. They built no buildings, no churches, no temples, no schools. In fact, they were each financially poor! Silver and gold had they none. So they waited, Stephen was killed, the entire Jerusalem experience was dispersed, then others were killed, they all died, and Yahshua did not return.

So who is going to try to bring forth the kingdom? The first Remnant was directed in Matthew not to take that sandal-bearing responsibility. But in Mark, the gospel representing Christianity, Yahshua told the twelve - "Take the sandals." So Pauline Christianity, the body of Christ, took the sandals, and obtained the responsibility to bring forth the kingdom for its eldest Brother, Christ. First came the recognition of their kingdom by Constantine in 300 AD. Then they built their kingdom in Rome. In the 1200's, it became a kingdom that reached the highest goal of ruling the world - "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ" (Revelation 11:15). But, that world-ruling kingdom was an evil, corrupt kingdom. And by the refining fires initially kindled by men's own bodies, a new move of the Spirit began the Protestant kingdom. It was markedly improved and had outbreaks of refinement, purification, and power; but actually, it too has never come near to being the perfect kingdom of heaven, as required by the older Brother. It too is still the product of a mixture of good and evil. The only temples Christianity has ever brought forth are what can generally be built with substantial financial indebtedness - stone, wood, and metal buildings that will perish and grow cold in time. Neither the members of this kingdom nor the leaders dwell together in unity; rather, they often give themselves to denominationally divisive and selfish means, and are frequently controlled by greed and fleshly lusts.

Many of its leaders fall into embarrassing s(c)andals, while other leaders disfellowship or stone those who disagree with them. Just as Yahshua said, this Mark kingdom (which has the mark of the beast) is a mixture of good and evil (Matthew 13:24-33). Having been planted as a good seed at first, it has grown into a large tree in which the birds of the air reside. It is three pecks of meal, but the leaven of false teachings and corruption has leavened the whole amount. (Remember, characteristic of its beginnings, the church began on Pentecost; and Pentecost is the feast of leavened bread. The church is a leavened corrupted work which cannot ascend to heaven, even as leavened bread could never be offered to Yahweh as a burnt offering, which ascended to heaven as a savory sacrifice - Leviticus 2:11). The church kingdom with the sandals is the field bringing forth both wheat and tares. This church kingdom failed to be the kingdom that the "fine" on this earth demanded - a perfect kingdom of pure silver ruled by a perfect king. The church has failed to be perfect, and its leaders have woefully failed to be perfect caretakers and shepherds (as prophesied in the Scriptures concerning the shepherds). Even as was the first Remnant, Christianity is miserably incapable of bringing forth the kingdom; but the problem for them is that they have the legal responsibility to do so - they have the sandals - and they fail! And those sandals, like the Israelite's sandals during their forty years in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:4-5), have never, never, never worn out! Christianity is the church in the wilderness (Lit. of Acts 7:38), and they have the sandals that remain with them to the end. Having the sandals, Christianity has the legal responsibility to bring forth offspring in the deceased Brother's name, and they fail!

While Christianity possesses those enduring sandals, let us proceed now in our gospel comparison and see what the Holy Spirit's message is to the Luke second Remnant. In Luke we find that sandals are not even mentioned. Why not? Because Christianity has them, and the second Remnant that will be built on the example of the first poor Remnant will not possess them! The second outpouring of the Spirit will bring forth the second "son of fresh oil" that will come out of and be separate from Christianity and the world. They will not try to build any kingdom of wood, metal, or stone. They will break bread together, going from "house to house," loving His appearing. It is this pure last-day latter rain "fresh oil" work that is "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," that will be the high priests in the everlasting kingdom with the only qualified King.

Even as Israel and the Jews failed to bring forth the kingdom (they killed the King), so Christianity will likewise fail. The Rock (Yahshua) that was struck by the rod of Moses (the Jews) which brought forth the first outpouring of the water of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, has been struck once again to produce a second outpouring of the water of the Holy Spirit. Christianity has the sandals, and this is to their judgment. The law says that evidence must be presented by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6), so (1) Israel and (2) Christianity have been the two witnesses that man cannot bring forth the "fine" on the land (even with the earnest of the Holy Spirit) - a perfect king and kingdom. Man, as always, must prove his utter inability to do the will of God - his best is like a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6) - so that Yahweh might provide it by His power and mercy. Just as Israel and Christianity are the two witnesses to the failure of man, even so the two Remnant will be the two witnesses (Revelation 11:1f) of the mercy and power of God to bring forth His kingdom among men. They will be the two "fresh oil" witnesses from which Yahweh Himself will build a temple made of living stones. Hallelu-Yah!

Finally, the book of John, which reveals the pure heavenly kingdom, does not address the sandals, because by the time the perfect kingdom is established, our eldest Brother will have already returned and produced what the surviving brother, Christianity, failed to accomplish. "The kingdom of the world (will have in truth) become the kingdom of our Lord, and His Christ." The King and His kingdom will have come!

Continue to page 4 of Sandals And Staff for THE SANDALS, PART 2

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