The God Culture: What Is Restoration?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has a new foundations series lesson. This time he is asking: what is restoration? Well, if you have been following this blog or know anything about The God Culture's doctrine you would know that for Tim, restoration is all about keeping the law once more and relearning geography. The Philippines is the real holy land, dont'tcha know. But let's see what he has to say. 

Facebook

FOUNDATIONS: WEEK 32

What Is Restoration? 

Key Texts: Deuteronomy 30; Isaiah 58; Acts 3:19–21

The story of Scripture is not merely about creation.

It is about restoration.

From Genesis to Revelation, Yahuah continually calls His people back to Himself.

Moses declared: 

"If thou shalt return unto Yahuah thy Elohim... He will turn thy captivity... and gather thee again."

(Deuteronomy 30) 

Isaiah described true restoration as repairing what had been broken: 

"Thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in."

(Isaiah 58:12) 

Peter proclaimed the same hope after Messiah's resurrection: 

"...whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

(Acts 3:21) 

Notice Peter's words carefully.

Restoration is not a new idea.

It is what the prophets have spoken since the world began.

Yahuah is restoring what sin has fractured.

He restores hearts.

He restores covenant.

He restores truth.

He restores worship.

And one day, He will restore all creation under the reign of Messiah.

Biblical restoration is not inventing something new.

It is returning to what Yahuah established from the beginning. 

Question for Discussion 

If restoration means returning to what Yahuah established, what areas of our faith should always be tested against Scripture rather than tradition?

Once again, there is not a word about Christ in this lesson. It is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ that restores all things. In Christ we are made new.

Colossians 1:19–20: For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The underlying assumption behind what Tim is really teaching is a return to or a restoration of keeping the Mosaic law. Lawkeeping is the current running through all his lessons. 

But let's hear from noted theologian Father Ted Crilly.

Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... puts the teacup down with a slow, heavy sigh

I’ve read Tim’s Week 32 lesson on “What Is Restoration?” and once again he gets close enough to the truth to sound spiritual… and then quietly steers the whole thing back into the same old ditch.

What Tim is saying

• The whole story of Scripture is about restoration.
• God keeps calling His people back to Himself (Deuteronomy 30).
• True restoration is “repairing the breach” and restoring the old paths (Isaiah 58).
• Peter spoke of the “times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21).
• Therefore, biblical restoration is not inventing something new — it is returning to what Yahuah established from the beginning.

On the surface it sounds lovely. Who doesn’t want restoration? But look at what he is actually teaching.

The Real Meaning in Tim’s System

When Tim says “return to what Yahuah established from the beginning,” he does not primarily mean returning to faith in the finished work of Christ, repentance, and life in the Spirit. In every previous Foundations lesson, that phrase has meant:

• Return to the Torah 
• Return to the Sabbath 
• Return to the feasts 
• Return to the dietary laws 
• Return to the old covenant ways

“Restoration” becomes another word for Torah restoration. That’s the project.

What’s Missing (Again)

Christ is mentioned only in passing — “under the reign of Messiah.” There is almost no focus on the central New Testament truth: that restoration has already begun in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The cross is the great turning point. The breach has already been repaired by His blood. The new heart has already been promised and given through the Spirit. The Kingdom has already broken in.

Peter’s sermon in Acts 3 is not a call to go back to Sinai. It is a call to repent and turn to the Messiah so that times of refreshing may come. Tim quietly turns it into a call to restore the old system.

The Pattern Holds

This is the same song, just in a softer key:

• Faith = obedience to the law 
• Grace = power to keep the law 
• Truth = the law 
• Rest = the Sabbath 
• Inheritance = remaining faithful to the covenant 
• Now Restoration = returning to what was established from the beginning (i.e., the Torah)

Everything keeps circling back to the same center. Christ is never allowed to be the full and final answer. He is always the One who confirms the old system so we can go back to it more sincerely.

Father Ted’s Plain Verdict

This is not the gospel of restoration.

This is the gospel of regression dressed up as restoration.True biblical restoration is not primarily about going back to the old paths of Sinai. It is about being made new in Christ. The old has passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the tutor.Tim wants to restore the tutor.

The apostles preached the arrival of the Teacher.

Down with this sort of thing, lad.

Very careful now.

The real restoration has already begun in the finished work of Jesus. We don’t need to go back to the shadows to find it. We find it by coming to Him.

...Right, I’m off to thank the Lord that the great breach has already been repaired by the blood of the Lamb.

Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You keep seeing the same pattern with clear eyes. Tim’s “restoration” always leads back to the law. The real gospel leads us forward into the freedom and newness of life in Christ. That’s the restoration worth having. Keep holding fast to it.

The God Culture: What is Inheritance?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has a new foundations lesson. This time he is asking: What is inheritance? It should be very straightforward. Christ is our inheritance. Surely Tim cannot mess this up. Right? Let's take a look. 

Facebook

FOUNDATIONS: WEEK 31 

What Is Inheritance? 

Key Texts: Genesis 12:1–7; Numbers 26; Psalm 37; Matthew 5:5 

The Bible speaks often of an inheritance.

But what exactly is it?

Is our inheritance merely Heaven after we die?

Or does Scripture paint a much larger picture?

When Yahuah called Abram, He made a promise: 

"Unto thy seed will I give this land."

(Genesis 12:7) 

Throughout the Torah, the inheritance of every tribe was carefully measured, recorded, and preserved (Numbers 26). 

Why?

Because inheritance matters to Yahuah.

David later wrote: 

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever."

(Psalm 37:29) 

Centuries later, Yahusha echoed the very same promise: 

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

(Matthew 5:5) 

Notice the consistency.

Abraham...

Moses...

David...

Yahusha...

All speak of inheritance as something Yahuah gives to His covenant people.

But Scripture reveals another side of inheritance. 

Yahuah does not merely give an inheritance to His people.

His people are also His inheritance.

Moses pleads: 

“O Yahuah my Elohim, do not forsake Thy people and Thy inheritance...”

(Jubilees 1:19)

Again: 

“But they are Thy people and Thy inheritance...”

(Jubilees 1:21) 

Abraham later blesses Jacob: 

“May He choose thee and thy seed that ye may become a people for His inheritance according to His will alway.”

(Jubilees 22:10) 

And again:

“That thou mayest be to Him a nation for His inheritance for all the ages...”

(Jubilees 22:15) 

In Abraham’s final prayer for Jacob, he asks that Yahuah would: 

“Preserve him, and bless him, and... sanctify him as a nation for Thine inheritance.”

(Jubilees 22:29) 

This changes the way we understand inheritance.

The faithful do not merely inherit land, promises, and the coming Kingdom.

They are chosen, preserved, blessed, and sanctified to become Yahuah’s own inheritance.

Inheritance is therefore not merely about what we receive.

It is also about whose we become.

Inheritance in Scripture is far more than possessions. 

It is belonging.

It is covenant.

It is citizenship in Yahuah's Kingdom.

It is the fulfillment of His promises to those who remain faithful.

Our greatest inheritance is not found in earthly wealth.

It is found in the presence of Yahuah and the Kingdom He has promised from the beginning. 

Question for Discussion 

When Scripture speaks of "inheritance," what did Abraham, David, and Yahusha expect the faithful to inherit?

At first glance this lesson seems inoffensive because it's not heavily works based like previous lessons. However, once you see that Tim has left out Christ, who is OUR inheritance, it can't be unseen. In fact, the finished work of Jesus Christ being applied in faith to a person is completely absent from ALL of Tim's foundation lessons. Here's a few verses Tim conveniently omitted.

Romans 8:17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Colossians 3:24: Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Galatians 4:6–7: And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 3:18: For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Galatians shows specifically that when it comes to inheritance the law is of no worth. Yet Tim teaches faithfulness is keeping the Mosaic law especially the feasts. So, not only is his teaching on inheritance Christless, it is also faithless as well. 

But let's hear what noted theologian Father Ted Crilly has to say about the matter. 

Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... puts the teacup down with a slow, thoughtful sigh

I’ve read Tim’s latest Foundations lesson — “What Is Inheritance?” — and it’s a quieter one than some of the others, but the same pattern is still right there under the surface.

What Tim is teaching

He starts well enough by pointing out that the Bible’s idea of inheritance is bigger than “going to Heaven when you die.” He traces the land promise to Abraham, the tribal allotments in Numbers, David’s words in Psalm 37, and Jesus’ Beatitude in Matthew 5:5 about the meek inheriting the earth. Fair enough so far.

Then he shifts: God’s people are not only receiving an inheritance — they are Yahuah’s inheritance. And to prove it, he leans heavily on the Book of Jubilees (quoting it multiple times). Inheritance becomes covenant belonging, citizenship in the Kingdom, and the reward for those who “remain faithful.”

Where the problems show up

1. Heavy reliance on Jubilees
   Tim treats Jubilees almost as if it’s Scripture. He quotes it more freely than the New Testament on this topic. That’s a red flag. Jubilees is an important Second Temple Jewish text, but it is not part of the biblical canon for most of Christianity (or even for mainstream Judaism). Building core doctrine on it is shaky ground.
2. Christ is almost invisible
   In a whole lesson on inheritance, Jesus is barely mentioned beyond echoing the land promise in Matthew 5:5. There is no discussion of the New Testament’s central teaching that our inheritance is in Christ:
   • We are “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
   • We have obtained an inheritance in Him (Ephesians 1:11, 14).
   • Our inheritance is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4).
   • It is sealed by the Holy Spirit as a down payment (Ephesians 1:13–14).
   Tim’s version keeps the focus on land, covenant people, and remaining faithful. The New Testament centers the inheritance on union with Christ.
3. “Remaining faithful” becomes the real condition
   The final note is that the inheritance belongs to those who remain faithful. In Tim’s broader system (as we’ve seen for 30+ lessons), “remaining faithful” always means keeping the Torah — Sabbath, feasts, dietary laws, etc. So inheritance quietly becomes something you secure by ongoing law-keeping rather than something secured for you by Christ’s finished work.

The Pattern Continues

This is the same song in a softer key:

• Take a biblical concept (inheritance).
• Root it heavily in the Old Testament and extra-biblical texts (Jubilees).
• Frame it as covenant belonging and faithfulness.
• Soft-pedal or ignore the New Testament’s clear teaching that our inheritance is received by faith in Christ and sealed by the Spirit.

It’s not as aggressive as some of the earlier lessons on the law or the Sabbath, but the underlying theology is still the same: covenant standing and the benefits that flow from it are tied to ongoing faithfulness defined largely by Torah observance.

Father Ted’s Plain Verdict

This lesson is quieter, but it’s still part of the same project. Tim is building a system where the center of gravity is the old covenant people, the land, and remaining faithful to the law. Christ is present, but He’s not the solid rock on which the inheritance rests.

The New Testament says the inheritance is already secured in Christ for those who believe. We receive it by grace through faith, and the Spirit is the guarantee. Our “remaining faithful” is the fruit of that, not the root.

Down with this sort of thing, lad — even when it comes dressed in softer language.

The real inheritance is not something we secure by staying in the system. It is something Christ secured for us, and the Spirit seals it

....Right, I’m off to thank the Lord that our inheritance is kept in heaven and that nothing can separate us from it in Christ

.Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You keep seeing the pattern. Tim’s Foundations keep circling the same center. The real foundation is Christ and the inheritance He purchased with His blood. That’s far more secure than what he’s offering. Keep holding fast to it.

The God Culture: Did Paul Teach a Different Gospel?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has a new Foundations series article. This time it's a bit different as he is asking if Paul taught a different Gospel from Jesus. The obvious answer is he did not but Tim has a lot of assumptions hidden in this lesson that are not readily apparent unless one is familiar with the whole of his teaching. Let's take a look. 

Facebook

Did Paul Teach a Different Gospel?

FOUNDATIONS: Week 30

Key Texts: Acts 24:14; Acts 17; Romans 3; Galatians 1:6–9

Some claim Paul taught a gospel different from Yahusha.

But what does Paul's own life reveal?

Paul declared:

"I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets."

(Acts 24:14)

Throughout Acts, Paul preached in the synagogues, observed the Biblical Feasts, and proclaimed Yahusha as the promised Messiah.

He repeatedly taught that salvation is by the grace of Elohim through faith—not by human merit.

Yet he also affirmed that faith does not nullify obedience.

Rather, faith establishes a life devoted to Yahuah.

Paul did not preach another gospel. 

Yes, Paul even agreed with James' "faith without works is dead" explicitly as he wrote passages such as: "created in Christ Jesus to do good works"  (Ephesians 2:10).

He proclaimed the same Messiah foretold by the Law and the Prophets and fulfilled in Yahusha.

The issue is not whether Paul agreed with Yahusha.

The issue is whether we are reading Paul in harmony with the rest of Scripture.

Question for Discussion

Should Paul's letters be interpreted through the teachings of Yahusha and the whole of Scripture—or should isolated verses define Paul's message?

The core of this lesson is the following:

Throughout Acts, Paul preached in the synagogues, observed the Biblical Feasts, and proclaimed Yahusha as the promised Messiah.

He repeatedly taught that salvation is by the grace of Elohim through faith—not by human merit.

Yet he also affirmed that faith does not nullify obedience.

For Tim the Gospel means obedience which means keeping the law. No matter how much lip service Tim gives to saying "salvation is by the grace of Elohim through faith—not by human merit," his whole theological system is nothing but graceless law keeping. Tim has absolutely nothing to say about the finished work of Christ on the Cross and the victory we have through His blood. Go back and read every Foundations lesson critiqued on this blog where that is proven to be the case. 

But let's hear a word from noted theologian Father Ted Crilly who has been following along and can put it all together. 

Ah, Philippine Fails, me lad... puts the teacup down slowly and lets out a long breath
I’ve read Tim’s Week 30 Foundations lesson — “Did Paul Teach a Different Gospel?” — and you’re right. It’s craftier than some of the others.On the surfaceIt sounds reasonable. Tim says Paul didn’t preach a different gospel from Jesus. He quotes Paul saying he believes “all things which are written in the law and the prophets” (Acts 24:14), and notes that Paul kept feasts and preached in synagogues. He affirms that faith produces works and quotes Ephesians 2:10. 
Fair enough. Paul did not preach a different gospel. He preached the same good news about the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament.But here’s the crafty partTim is using a true statement (“Paul and Jesus taught the same gospel”) to smuggle in his own version of what that gospel is. In Tim’s system, the “same gospel” means:

• Keeping the Torah (Sabbath, feasts, dietary laws, etc.)
• Obedience to the law as the evidence and continuation of salvation
• The law still functioning as the main director of the Christian life

He’s not really defending Paul. He’s using Paul as a shield to protect his Torah-observant theology.The sleight of handNotice how Tim never lets the cross, the blood, justification by faith apart from works of the law, or the finished work take center stage. He keeps steering everything back to “faith establishes a life devoted to Yahuah” — which, in every previous lesson, means law-keeping.
This is the same pattern we’ve seen for 30 weeks now:

• He affirms something true (Paul and Jesus agree).
• Then quietly redefines what they agree on as continued Torah observance.
• He makes the law the hero again.

The Real IssuePaul and Jesus absolutely taught the same gospel. But that gospel is:

“Repent and believe the gospel” — the good news of the Kingdom, centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, received by faith, not by works of the law.

Paul spent his whole ministry fighting against the idea that Gentiles (or Jews) had to keep the Mosaic law to be saved or to stay saved. That’s why he wrote Galatians with such fire. Tim wants to bring that law back in through the side door and call it “the same gospel.”Father Ted’s Plain Verdict

This lesson is clever misdirection.

Tim is not defending the unity of Scripture. He’s defending his own law-centered system by borrowing Paul’s authority.

The apostles did not preach “Keep the Torah and you’ll be fine.”

They preached “Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

The gospel is the same from Genesis to Revelation — but its center is Christ, not the Mosaic law. The law served its purpose. Christ has come. We now live by the Spirit.

Down with this sort of thing, lad.

Very careful now.

Tim keeps trying to put the old yoke back on. The apostles spent their lives trying to lift it off.
...Right, I’m off to read Galatians again and thank the Lord for the freedom we have in Christ.
Go on, go on, go on — have a cuppa. You keep seeing through the craftiness. Tim is very good at sounding biblical while steering everything back to the law. The real gospel keeps Christ at the center. Keep holding fast to that. It’s so much better than what he’s building.