I have been stating for a while that YAHWEH has His children returning back to the ancient paths of worship and a big part of that is the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient writings. In the message we will discuss the phases of the eternal Torah/Law and why it still applies for ALL believers today! The conclusion of this message is one that Christians need to hear and truly meditate on!
The Dead Sea Scrolls version of the scriptures lists the Book of 1 Enoch with the Prophets, which means that the righteous Zadok Priests, Levites, and proselytes who converted to “The Way” knew this book was inspired and canon. What does Enoch tell us about the Torah?
Enoch 99:2
“Woe to them who pervert the words of uprightness, and TRANSGRESS THE ETERNAL LAW, and transform themselves into what they were not; into sinners. They shall be trodden under foot upon the earth.”
What does eternal mean? Lasting OR EXISTING FOREVER; WITHOUT END OR BEGINNING!
Notice that Enoch says that those who transgress the eternal law turn themselves into sinners/transgressors! This matches exactly what John the disciple of YESHUA said, because there is only one way to transgress against ELOHIM and that is against His laws!
1 John 3:4 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Everyone who keeps sinning is VIOLATING TORAH---INDEED, SIN IS VIOLATION OF THE TORAH.”
And why did YESHUA die?
Titus 2:14 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“He (YESHUA) gave Himself up on our behalf in order to free us from ALL VIOLATION OF TORAH and purify for Himself a people who would be His own, eager to do good.”
So, as I always say, “YESHUA came to die because we broke the law, how do we go on continuing to break the law when that is the reason why He died?” Enoch’s words are a prophetic warning for those who want to continue in their lawless deeds when it contradicts the law being eternal.
Enoch 108:1-3
“Another book which Enoch wrote for his son Methuselah and for those who will come after him, AND KEEP THE TORAH IN THE LAST DAYS. You who have done good shall wait until an end is made of those who work evil; and an end of the might of the transgressors . And wait indeed until SIN/INIQUITY (1 John 3:4) has passed away, for their names shall be blotted out of the book of life and out of the set-apart books, and their seed shall be destroyed forever, and their beings shall be slain, and they shall cry and make lamentation in a place that is a chaotic wilderness, and in the fire shall they burn; for there is no earth there.”
So being that the Torah is eternal, this means that Abraham obeyed the commandments, but what form of the Torah was it? Many will point to Galatians as proof that Abraham did not keep the commandments because of what Paul wrote.
Galatians 3:17-19 (Aramaic)
“And this I say, that the covenant which was previously confirmed of ELOHIM in Messiah cannot be repudiated (rejected) and the promise nullified by the law which came four hundred and thirty years later. For if the inheritance is by the law, then it would not be as the fulfillment of promise; but ELOHIM gave it to Abraham by promise. Then what is the use of the law? It was added because of TRANSGRESSION, till the coming of the heir to whom the promise was made; and the law as given by angels by the hand of a mediator.”
So, the belief is that the Torah came 430 years later and that Abraham did not keep any commandments, is this true? No, because we see Abraham obeying the commandments of the Torah BEFORE the 10 commandments were given on Mount Sinai.
Phase 1
2 Baruch 57:1-2
“And after these, you saw bright waters; they are the springs of Abraham, also his generations and the advent of his son and of his son’s son and of those who are like them. Because at that time, the UNWRITTEN TORAH WAS NAMED AMONG THEM, THE WORKS OF THE COMMANDMENTS WERE THEN FULFILLED, and the belief in a future judgment was then born, and the hope for a world that will be renewed was then built, and the promise of the life that is coming after this planted.”
What Paul is saying is that the Torah was in an unwritten form during the days of Abraham, but it was not written in stone until 430 years later on Mount Sinai. Some examples of the Torah being eternal and obeyed by Abraham are as follows:
Genesis 26:5 (Samaritan)
“Because Abraham your father obeyed My voice and kept My CHARGE, MY COMMANDMENTS, MY STATUTES AND MY LAWS.”
The etymology for the word law here is H8451 which is “TORAH”.
Sirach 44:19
“Abraham was a great father of many people: in esteem was there none like him; WHO KEPT THE LAW OF ELYON (EL MOST HIGH) and WAS IN COVENANT WITH HIM: He established the covenant in his flesh; and when he was tested, he was found faithful.”
Covenant of Damascus 3:1-4
“Abraham did not walk in it (lust), and he was accounted a friend of ELOHIM BECAUSE HE KEPT THE COMMANDMENTS OF ELOHIM and did not choose his own will. And HE HANDED THEM DOWN TO ISAAC AND JACOB, WHO KEPT THEM, and were recorded as friends of ELOHIM and party to the Covenant.”
Genesis 18:19
“For I have made Myself known to him, so that he will give orders to his children and to his household after him to KEEP THE WAY (Psalms 119:1) of YAHWEH and to do what is right and just, so that YAHWEH may bring about for Abraham what He has promised him.”
And that is exactly what Abraham did!
Jubilees 20:1-3
“And in the forty-second jubilee, in the first year of the seventh week, Abraham called ISHAMEL,, AND HIS TWELVE SONS, ISAAC AND HIS TWO SONS, AND THE SIX SONS OF QETURAH, AND THEIR SONS. And he commanded them that they should GUARD THE WAY OF YAHWEH (PSALMS 119:1), and that they should work RIGHTEOUSNESS (Deuteronomy 6:25), and each love his neighbor, and act in this way among all men; that they should each walk this way with regard to them as to do judgment and righteousness on the earth. That they should circumcise their sons, according to the covenant which He (YAHWEH) had made with them, and not deviate to the right hand or the left of all the paths which YAHWEH had commanded us.”
Jubilees 22:1
“And it happened in the first week in the forty-fourth jubilee, in the second year, that is, the year in which Abraham died, that ISAAC AND ISHMAEL came from the Well of the Oath to CELEBRATE SHAVUOT, that is, the Feast of the first-fruits of the harvest to Abraham, their father, and Abraham rejoiced because his two sons had come.”
So Abraham taught the unwritten Torah to all of his children and their sons. Why was the written form of the Torah added 430 years later? Because of transgressions and the people needed a visible remember to obey it, unlike Abraham who not only had great trust in YAHWEH to leave his own country and his father’s household to go to a place that He would show him, to offer up his son Isaac, but also to obey the Torah without having to see it written on stone.
Jubilees 6:17-18
“For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets, that they should celebrate the FEAST OF SHAVUOT in this month once a year, to renew the covenant every year. And this whole Feast was CELEBRATED IN HEAVEN (ETERNAL) from the day of creation until the days of Noah: twenty-six Jubilees and five weeks of years. And Noah and his sons guarded it for seven jubilees and one week of years, until the day of Noah’s death. And from the day of Noah’s death HIS SONS DID AWAY WITH IT, until the days of Abraham, AND THEY ATE BLOOD. But Abraham guarded it, and Isaac and Jacob, and his children guarded it UP TO YOUR DAYS, AND IN YOUR DAYS THE CHILDREN OF YISRA’EL FORGOT IT UNTIL YOU CELEBRATED IT FRESH ON THIS MOUNTAIN.”
The children of Yisra’el ate blood which is forbidden and forgot the commandment to celebrate Shavuot unlike our righteous ancestors did. This is clear rebellion against YAHWEH as lawlessness began to increase.
Jasher 9:5-6
“And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the correction of YAHWEH and His ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time. And Abram was in Noah’s house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew YAHWEH from three years old, and he went in the ways of YAHWEH until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him. And ALL THE SONS OF THE EARTH IN THOSE DAYS GREATLY TRANGRESSED AGAINST YAHWEH, AND THEY REBELLED AGAINST HIM and they served other elohim, and THEY FORGOT YAHWEH who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made for themselves, at that time, every man his own el (god); elohim of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the SONS OF MEN SERVED THEM AND THEY BECAME THEIR ELOHIM.”
Jubilees 22:16-19
“And now, my son Jacob, remember my words, and guard the commands of Abraham your father. Separate yourself from the nations, and do not eat with them. And do not do according to their works, and do not become their associate. For their works are unclean, and all their ways are a pollution and an abomination and uncleanness. They offer their slaughtering’s to the dead and they worship evil spirits, and they eat over the graves, and all their works are vain and empty. They have no heart to understand and their eyes do not see what their works are, and how they err in saying to a piece of wood, ‘You are my elohim,’ and to a stone, ‘You are my master and you are my deliverer.’ And they have no heart. And as for you, my son Jacob, may EL ELYON help you. And the ELOHIM of the heavens bless you and remove you from their uncleanness and from all their error.”
I believe the “sons of Noah” is a representation of the nations that sprung forth from his sons in Genesis 10 “The Table of the nations” and the more lawlessness increased from eating blood to forsaking Shavuot and YAHWEH altogether led to YAHWEH’s people needing the Torah to written in stone, since you can’t obey the unwritten form as Abraham did, then I’ll give you something you can see.
As we saw from Jubilees chapter 6 and 20 that Shavuot was celebrated by Abraham which matches the scriptures above about him obeying the commandments before it was given to Moses! And where is Shavuot found? In the Torah:
Deuteronomy 16:9
“You are to count seven weeks; you are to begin counting seven weeks from the time you first put your sickle to the standing grain. You are to observe the FESTIVAL OF SHAVU’OT (Weeks) for YAHWEH your ELOHIM with a voluntary offering…”
Abraham was also the first to celebrate Sukkot
Jubilees 6:21
“And he (Abraham) built tabernacles for himself and for his servants on the Feast, and HE WAS THE FIRST TO CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES ON THE EARTH.”
Leviticus 23:33 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“YAHWEH said to Moses, “Tell the people of Yisra’el, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the FEAST OF SUKKOT FOR SEVEN DAYS TO YAHWEH.”
Phase 2 Written in Stone:
Because of transgressions and complete rebellion mentioned above they needed a visible remember to obey the Torah, so it went from an unwritten form to a written form!
Exodus 24:12 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“YAHWEH said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the STONE TABLETS WITH THE TORAH AND THE MITZVOT (COMMANDMENTS) I HAVE WRITTEN ON THEM, SO THAT YOU CAN TEACH THEM”
Jubilees 1:1
“And it happened in the first year of the exodus of the children of Yisra’el out of Egypt, in the third month, on the sixteenth day of the month, that YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, “Come up to Me on the Mount, and I will give you TWO TABLETS OF STONE OF THE TORAH AND OF THE COMMAND, WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN, THAT YOU MAY TEACH THEM.”
Jubilees 33:15-16
“And let them not say, “to Rueben was granted life and forgiveness after he had laid with his father’s concubine, and to her also though she had a husband, and her husband Jacob, his father, was still alive.” For until that time there had not been REVEALED the statute and judgment AND TORAH IN ITS ENTIRETY for all mankind, but in your days IT HAS BEEN REVEALED AS A TORAH OF APPOINTED TIMES AND OF DAYS, AND AN EVERLASTING TORAH FOR THE EVERLASTING GENERATIONS.”
Even though the Torah is eternal and was first given in its unwritten form, it had not been fully revealed in it’s entirely until Mount Sinai, where laws like incest were unveiled, which is the context being explained in chapter 33 of Jubilees.
We saw the 10 commandments were written in stone and other examples of visual reminders to obey the commandments are:
Numbers 15:38 (Samaritan)
“And they shall be to you, as tzit-tzit (fringes) for you to LOOK AT THEM AND REMEMBER ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF YAHWEH, AND DO THEM, and not go after your own heart and your own eyes, that you are playing as a harlot following them.” For that you shall REMEMBER to do all My commandments, and be set-apart to your ELOHIM.”
Deuteronomy 27:1-8 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Then Moses and all the leaders of Yisra’el gave orders to the people. They said, “Observe all the mitzvot (commandments) I am giving you today. When you cross the Jorden to the land YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, you are to set up LARGE STONES, put plaster on them, and, after crossing over, WRITE THIS TORAH ON THEM, EVERY WORD—so that you can enter the land YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as YAHWEH, the ELOHIM of your ancestors, promised you. When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to SET UP THESE STONES, as I am ordering you today, On Mount Eival (Ebal); and put plaster on them. There you are to erect an altar to YAHWEH your ELOHIM, an altar made of stones. You are not to use any iron tool on them, but are to build the altar of YAHWEH your ELOHIM of uncut stones; and you are to offer burnt offerings on it to YAHWEH your ELOHIM. Also you are to sacrifice peace offerings, eat there and be joyful in the presence of YAHWEH your ELOHIM. YOU ARE TO WRITE ON THE STONES ALL THE WORDS OF THIS TORAH VERY CLEARLY.”
Joshua 8:30 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Then Joshua built an altar to YAHWEH, the ELOHIM of Yisra’el, on Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of YAHWEH had ordered the people of Yisra’el to do (this is written in the book of the Torah of Moses), an altar of uncut stones that no one had touched with an iron tool. On it they offered burnt offerings to YAHWEH and sacrificed peace offerings. HE WROTE THERE ON THE STONES A COPY OF THE TORAH OF MOSES, INSCRIBING IT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PEOPLE OF YISRA’EL.”
YAHWEH gave the Torah in stone to Moses, told the people to wear fringes as a reminder to keep the commandments, and then had a copy of the Torah written again in stone clearly for all of Yisra’el and proselytes to see as a visible reminder, to learn, hear, and obey the Torah!
Phase 3
Jeremiah 31:31-33 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Here, the days are coming,” says YAHWEH, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Yisra’el and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by their hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, violated My covenant, even though I, for My part, was a husband to them,” says YAHWEH. For this is the covenant I will make with house of Yisra’el after those days,” says YAHWEH: “I WILL PUT MY TORAH WITHIN THEM AND WRITE IT ON THEIR HEARTS; I will be their ELOHIM, and they will be My people.”
YAHWEH gave us a New Covenant through His Son YESHUA which had nothing to with doing away with any of the laws!
Hebrews 12:24 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“To the Mediator of a NEW COVENANT, YESHUA; and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
The New Covenant is this: The Torah is written on the tablets of our hearts instead of tablets of stone. YESHUA is our High-Priest in the Order of Melchizedek meaning that He is King, Priest, and Prophet, and His Priesthood is more superior than the Levitical Priesthood and it also predates the Levitical Priesthood. Unlike the human high priests like Aaron who died at 123 years old, YESHUA does not die for He is eternal and intercedes for us continually at the throne, and unlike the human high-priests, YESHUA does not have to make continual slaughtering offerings for transgressions because YESHUA was perfect and without iniquity, Aaron had to atone for his own iniquities because he was a human as we see in Leviticus 16.
Hebrews 7:15-17 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“It becomes even clearer if a “different kind of priest,” one like Melchizedek, arises, one who became a priest not by virtue of a rule in the Torah concerning physical descent (Aaron’s line), but by virtue of the power of AN INDESTRUCTIBLE LIFE. For it is stated, “You are a Priest FOREVER, to be compared with Melchizedek.”
Psalms 110:4 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“YAHWEH has sworn it, and He will never retract—“You are a Priest forever, to be compared with Melchizedek.”
Now that the Torah is written on our hearts as a part of the New Covenant we have a desire, a hunger and thirst to obey the commandments of the Torah through the leading of the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit) as it is written:
John 16:13 (Hebrew)
“But when that RUACH (SPIRIT) OF TRUTH will come, He will teach you ALL TRUTH.”
What is the truth?
Psalms 119:142 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your TORAH IS TRUTH.”
Psalms 119:151 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“You are close by, YAHWEH; and ALL YOUR MITZVOT (COMMANDMENTS) ARE TRUTH.”
The New Covenant forgives of all of our transgressions by the bled YESHUA shed for us, YESHUA being our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, and to write the Torah on our hearts, and be lead by the RUACH HA’KODESH to obey the Torah.
So the question I present is this, Christians say the “Torah/Law is done away with!” But, how can you remove something that is written on your heart? If you remove your heart then you will die; likewise, if you remove the Torah which is on your heart you will die! Again, Enoch warned saying:
Enoch 99:2
“Woe to them who pervert the words of uprightness, and TRANSGRESS THE ETERNAL LAW, and transform themselves into what they were not; into sinners. They shall be trodden under foot upon the earth.”
Luke 10:25-28 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“An expert in Torah stood up to try and trap Him by asking, “Rabbi, what should I do to obtain ETERNAL LIFE?” But YESHUA said to him, “What is written in the TORAH? How do you read it?” He answered, “You are to love YAHWEH your ELOHIM with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.” That’s the right answer,” YESHUA said. “DO THIS, AND YOU WILL HAVE LIFE.”
The whole context of this scripture was about how to obtain eternal life and the expert in Torah summed up the 10 commandments, which is a summary of the entire Torah. The first four commandments shows how to love YAHWEH and the last six shows us how love our neighbor as ourselves. Notice how YESHUA said if you obey the Torah you will have eternal life? This matches what is written in the Torah.
Leviticus 18:5 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“You are to observe MY LAWS AND RULINGS; if a person DOES THEM, HE WILL HAVE LIFE THROUGH THEM; I AM YAHWEH.”
Ezekiel 20:21 (Complete Jewish Scriptures)
“But the children too rebelled against Me. They did not live by MY LAWS or observe MY RULINGS, TO OBEY THEM, which, if a person DOES, HE WILL HAVE LIFE BY THEM.”
In conclusion, the Torah is eternal and it stands for all believers today. The Torah went from an unwritten form to a written form in stone, to now being written on our hearts, so lets us “Shema” hear and obey the written Torah and have trust in YESHUA the Living Torah!