Chains! The ornaments of the SAINTS!

Things are beginning to ramp up all over the world, and the huge earthquake that hit Turkey is a reminder of what YESHUA already told us would happen when He said:

Matthew 24:7-8

“For peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, and there will be famines and EARTHQUAKES in various parts of the world; all this is but the beginning of the ‘birth-pains.’

Another sign is that the Abrahamic Family house is now open in Abu Dhabi, which consists of a Church (Christianity), Synagogue (Judaism), and a Mosque (Islam), so the writing is clearly on the wall for a one world religion. Atlatniccouncil.org says “What is the Abrahamic family of religions? This inspiring development, which was named after Abraham-the forefather of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam- is dedicated to the pursuit of PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.”

What is the definition of COEXIST? It calls for all people of all different RELIGIONS, along with the NON-RELIGIOUS, should recognize that NO ONE RELIGION IS MORE RIGHT OR TRUE THAN ANY OF THE OTHERS; ALL RELIGIONS ARE EQUALLY TRUE.”

This is in complete OPPOSITION to the words of YESHUA!

John 14:6

“YESHUA said, “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life; NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me.”

 They want to promote a false peace by uniting the religions of the world together, and again YESHUA said the opposite:

Matthew 10:34-37 (Hebrew)

“Moreover YESHUA MASHIACH said to His disciples, “Do not think that I Myself came to set SHALOM (PEACE) on the earth, but certainly I Myself came to SEPARATE the father from the son, and the daughter from the mother, and daughter-in law from her mother-in-law, and people acquainted ones from their acquaintances. Whosoever loves his father or his mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

YESHUA came to separate those who truly follow Him by accepting Him as Savior and the blood atonement He did for our transgressions, and keeping the commandments of the Torah, away from those who walking in the many false religions of the world. YESHUA did not come unite the false religions together, so how can all religions be equally true? That is a lie from Satan! Following the NARROW path of having faith in YESHUA and keeping the commandments of the Torah causes division amongst those who are not truly following Him, and the gap is widening. YESHUA says plainly that no one can come to our Father YAHWEH except through believing in Him, which clearly shows that there are NOT 1,000 different ways to have eternal life and that goes for Muslims, Buddhists, Hinduism, New-Age, any form of Judaism that denies Him etc. In other words, we are all NOT praying to the same ELOHIM! YAHWEH, YESHUA, and the RUACH HA’KODESH is the only true ELOHIM! People already hate YESHUA, but how much more will they hate Him and us, when we are telling them that their one world religion is false and there is only ONE WAY!

Matthew 24:9

At that time you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and put to death, and all peoples will HATE YOU BECAUSE OF ME.” The Hebrew says, “ON ACCOUNT OF MY NAME.”

John 15:19-20

“If you belonged to the world, the world would have loved its own. But because you do not belong to the world on the contrary, I have picked you out of the world---therefore the world HATES YOU. Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will PERSECUTE you too; if they kept My word, they will keep yours too.” But they will do all this to you on My account, because they don’t KNOW the One who sent Me.”

2 Timothy 3:12

“And indeed, ALL who want to live a righteous life united with the Messiah YESHUA WILL BE PERSECUTED…”

John 16:1-2 (CJB)

“These things I have spoken to you so that you won’t be CAUGHT BY SURPRISE. They will ban you from the synagogue; in fact, the time will come when ANYONE who kills you will THINK HE IS SERVING ELOHIM! They will do these things because they have understood neither the Father nor Me.”

John 16:1-2 (Hebrew)

“These things I have spoken to you so that you should not be hurt. They, they will put you outside the houses of their assemblies. And a time will come, that EVERY MAN who comes will try to kill you, and it will seem to him that he is DOING SERVICE TO YAHWEH. And these things they will do to you, because they do NOT KNOW THE FATHER, NOR ME.”

You see, they will persecute us because they don’t truly KNOW YAHWEH nor His Son YESHUA and they will persecute us “THINKING” they are doing the right thing in the name of the “COEXIST” movement. They will say things like “You are preaching YESHUA is the ONLY way and that the Torah must be kept, that is YOUR TRUTH and you are going against the peace we have established amongst the world!”

YESHUA said they will do this because they don’t KNOW Him or YAHWEH?

1 John 2:3-4

“The way we can be sure we KNOW HIM is we are OBEYING HIS COMMANDS. Anyone who says, “I KNOW HIM,” but ISN’T OBEYING HIS COMMANDS IS A LIAR—the truth is NOT IN HIM.”

They will think that they are doing a good work in the Name of our Father. Which reminds me of how Paul USED to think! Paul USED to reject YESHUA as the Messiah and he persecuted those who followed YESHUA. This will be their mentality against us:

Acts 26:9-11

“I USED to think IT WAS MY DUTY to do all I could to combat the Name of YESHUA from Nazareth; and in Jerusalem I did so. After receiving authority from the head priest, I myself threw many of ELOHIM’s people in prison; when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Often I went from one synagogue to another, punishing them and trying to make them blaspheme; and in my wild fury against them. I even went so far as to persecute them in cities outside the country.”

When it becomes a law to not speak against any religion, they will feel like it is there duty to combat us. Are you ready to be hated? Are you ready to stand against the world and keep preaching YESHUA? I have seen this hate first-hand while street preaching and it is increasing!

Almost two weeks ago, my brother joined me as we went downtown to a crowded area preaching the Good News and we got persecuted as expected, but one incident drives home the point I was making about how those who don’t truly know YAHWEH and YESHUA will persecute us. We came to a location on the public sidewalk that was in front of a Church, and we were talking to our new brother in YESHUA we met 5 minutes earlier, who is a Jew from Poland, when suddenly the pastor approached and asked us to move away from his church. You would think a pastor who believes in YESHUA would be all for what we were doing right? Not at all! It was obvious that he did not like the signs, which reads on the front: YESHUA is EL (God) Who became flesh and died for you, and on the back of the sign it says “YESHUA said if you love Me you will keep My commandments, Satan is lawlessness!” Though he believes in YESHUA, he hated the truth of obeying the Torah! So again, just professing faith in YESHUA does not mean you know Him and that was evidenced in that moment just as YESHUA said. This mindset will be completely in line with the COEXIST agenda. But remember this:

2 Esdras 7:88-89

“But this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from their mortal vessel. During the time that they lived in it, they laboriously served the Most High, and withstood DANGER EVERY HOUR, THAT THEY MIGHT KEEP THE LAW OF THE LAWGIVER PERFECTLY.”

Through the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit) we will have the strength and boldness to continue to keep the commandments even under such persecution. My brothers and sister this is all a cause to rejoice because YESHUA already told us this would happen and lets see how our ancestors handled these situations.

Rejoice! Our ancestors knew this was a good thing!

Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians (Written 108 AD)

Chapter 1

“I have greatly REJOICED with you in our Master YESHUA HA’MASHIACH, because you have followed the example of true love as displayed by ELOHIM, and have accompanied, as became you, those who were BOUND IN CHAINS, THE FITTING ORNAMENTS OF SAINTS, AND WHICH ARE INDEED THE DIADEMS OF THE TRUE ELECT OF ELOHIM and our Master…”

Let that sink in my brothers and sisters, Polycarp who was a disciple of John understood that persecution and imprisonment are the true jewels for the saints of YAHWEH! Wow! This makes perfect sense why YESHUA said to rejoice when persecution happens, because we are being adorned with jewels that are fitting for the saints.

Matthew 5:10 (Hebrew)

“Blessed are those who BEAR THE PERSECUTIONS because of RIGHTEOUSNESS, for theirs will be the heavenly kingdom.”

What is righteousness?

Deuteronomy 6:25 (CJB)

“It will be RIGHTEOUSNESS for us IF we are careful to OBEY ALL THESE COMMANDMENTS before YAHWEH our ELOHIM, just as He ORDERED US TO DO.”

Matthew 5:11-12 (Hebrew)

“Blessed ones you will be when the men curse you, and PERSECUTE YOU, and say all kinds of evil things against you, and lie--- because of Me. SHOUT WITH JOY-your wages are GREAT IN THE HEAVENS, for so they PERSECUTED THE PROPHETS who were before you.”

Paul and Silas understood this rejoicing while in prison knowing that the chains are the jewels of the saints:

Acts 16:19-25

“But when her owners saw that what had come out was any further prospect of profit for them, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the market square to face the authorities. Bringing them to the judges, they said, “These men are causing a lot of trouble in our city, since they are Jews. What they are doing is advocating customs that ARE AGAINST THE LAW FOR US TO ACCEPT OR PRACTICE, since we are Romans.” The mob joined in the attack against them, and the judges tore their clothes off them and ordered that they be flogged. After giving them a severe beating, they threw them in PRISON, charging the jailer to guard them securely. Upon receiving such an order, he thew them into the inner cell and clamped their feet securely between heavy blocks of wood. Around midnight, Paul and Silas WERE PRAYING AND SINGING HYMNS TO ELOHIM, while the other prisoners listened attentively.”

Notice they weren’t depressed and questioning YAHWEH’s will for their lives? They knew that this is what we are called to endure as followers of YESHUA! It’s just up to us to heed this words and put them into practice.

Peter and John rejoiced as well:

Acts 5:40-42

“After summoning the emissaries and flogging them, they commanded them NOT TO SPEAK IN THE NAME OF YESHUA, and let them go. The emissaries left the Sanhedrin OVERJOYED at having been considered WORTHY OF SUFFERING DISGRACE ON ACCOUNT OF HIM.” And not for a single day, either in the Temple court or in private homes, did they stop teaching and proclaiming the Good News that YESHUA is the Messiah.”

1 Thessalonians 1:6

“You, indeed, became imitators of us and of the Master; so that even though you were going through SEVERE TROUBLES, you received the Word with JOY from the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit).

YESHUA told us that we will be hated for His Name in Matthew 24:9 and we see the Sanhedrin attempted to ban them from saying YESHUA’s Name and preaching about His resurrection, but notice that they continued preaching YESHUA anyway, despite the threats because this is what we are called to do.

Imprisonment and persecution

Acts 4:1-3

“Peter and John were still speaking to the people when the priests, the captain in charge of the Temple police, and the Sadducees came upon them, very annoyed that they were teaching the people the DOCTRINE OF RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD and offering YESHUA as proof. The Temple police ARRESTED THEM; and since it was evening, they put them in custody overnight.”

Acts 6:8-13

“Now Stephen, full of grace and power, performed great miracles and signs among the people. But opposition arose from members of the Synagogue of the Freed Slaves (as it was called), composed of Cyrenians, Alexandrians and people from Cilicia and the province of Asia. They argued with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom of the Spirit by which he spoke. So they secretly persuaded some men to allege, “We heard him speak blasphemously against Moses (Torah) and against ELOHIM.” They stirred up the people, as well as the elders and the Torah-teachers; so they came and ARRESTED him and led him before the Sanhedrin.” There they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this set-apart place and against the Torah; for we have heard him say that YESHUA from Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs of Moses handed down to us.”

Acts 12:1-4

“It was around this time that King Herod began ARRESTING and PERSECUTING certain members of the Messianic community; and he had James, John’s brother, put to death by the sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Judeans, he went on to ARREST Peter as well.”

Acts 21:28-33

“Men of Yisra’el, help! They shouted, “This is the man (Paul) who goes everywhere teaching everyone things against the people, against the Torah and against this place! And now he has even brought some gentiles into the Temple and defiled this set-apart place! They had previously seen Trophimus from Ephesus in the city with him and ASSUMED that Paul had brought him into the Temple. The whole city was aroused, and people came running from all over. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the gates were shut. But while they were ATTEMPTING TO KILL HIM, word reached the commander of the Roman battalion that all Jerusalem was in turmoil. Immediately he took officers and soldiers and charged down upon them. As soon as they saw the commander, they quit beating Paul. Then the commander came up, ARRESTED him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.”

Philemon 1:10

“My request to you (Philemon) concerns my son, of whom I became the father while here in PRISON, Onesimus.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

“Another reason we regularly thank ELOHIM is that when you heard the Word of ELOHIM from us, you received it not merely as a human word, but as it truly is, ELOHIM’s Word, which is at work in you believers. For, brothers, you came to be imitators of ELOHIM’s congregations in Judah that are united with the Messiah YESHUA---you SUFFERED the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Judeans who both killed the Master YESHUA and the prophets, and chased us out too. They are displeasing ELOHIM and opposing all mankind, by trying to keep us from SPEAKING TO THE GENTILES, so that they may be delivered. Their object seems to be always to make their iniquities as bad as possible! But ELOHIM’s fury will catch up with them in the end.”

1 Thessalonians 3:1-3

“So when we could no longer stand it, we agreed to be left in Athens alone and sent Timothy, our brother and ELOHIM’s fellow worker for the Good News of the Messiah, to make you solid and encourage in your trust; so that none of you would let these PERSECUTIONS unsettle him. For you yourselves know that these are bound to come to us; even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were ABOUT TO BE PERSECUTED; and indeed IT HAPPENED, as you know.”

Whether imprisonment or death its pleasing to YAHWEH:

The greatest example of all was YAHWEH giving up His own Son YESHUA for humanity!

Isaiah 53:10 (Dead Sea Scrolls)

“Yet YAHWEH was WILLING TO CRUSH HIM, and He made HIM SUFFER. Although you make His soul an offering for iniquity…”

Psalms 116:15 (Aramaic)

“Precious in the sight of YAHWEH is the death of His saints.”

We see a good example of this with Peter:

John 21:15-19 (Hebrew)

“Then, as he ate, YESHUA said to Simon Peter, “Simon of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” Then he answered, Master, yes—you know that I love you.” So YESHUA said to them, “Keep my lambs.” Then YESHUA asked him again, “Simon Peter, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” So Simon said, “Yes Master, you know that I love you.” Then YESHUA said unto him, “Shepherd and feed My lambs.” He asked Him a third time, Simon of Jonah, do you love Me? (Now Peter was anxious because he had asked him three times if he loved him.) He said to him, “Master knowing all things, you know that I love you!” So YESHUA said to him, “Feed My flock. Truth I say to you---when you were a young man you were staying and going to the place of your pleasure, but when you become and elder you will stretch out your hand and another will go after you and drive you into a place that you do not find pleasure in.” And YESHUA said this, alluding with what DEATH HE (PETER) WOULD ESTEEM EL.”

1ST Epistle of Clement 5:24-31

“But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars of the Assembly have been PERSECUTED AND PUT TO DEATH. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labors and when he had at length suffered MARTYDOM, DEPARTED TO THE PLACE OF ESTEEM DUE TO HIM. Owing to envy, Paul was obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation DUE TO HIS FAITH, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the EXTREME LIMIT OF THE WEST, and SUFFERED MARTYDOM under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and WENT INTO THE SET-APART PLACE, having proved himself a striking example of patience.”

Philippians 1:21-25

“For to me, life is the Messiah, and DEATH IS GAIN. But if by living on in the body I can do fruitful work, then I don’t know which to choose. I am caught in a dilemma: my desire is to go off and be with the Messiah --- THAT IS BETTER BY FAR --- but because of you, the greater need is to stay on in the body. Yes, I am convinced of this; so I know I will stay on with you in order to help you progress in the faith and have JOY IN IT.”

The sole purpose of this message is to strengthen the Body of Messiah to understand what is coming and not to panic, but rather REJOICE and stand strong for YESHUA as our ancestors did! This should be exciting times for those who know that this world is not our permanent home and that we are just passing through. Embrace the jewels of the saints and be prepared to lose your life in this world to gain it in the world to come, and receive the crown that won’t fade away.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

WAIT!!!

Often in this life, we as human beings get impatient when things are not going the way “we think they should” and we end up taking matters into our own hands and making decisions instead of waiting for YAHWEH! I know it is easier said than done, but it something that we all must work on and that is the reason for this message. I will give a personal example as it is fitting the for this message, is that I too, am in a waiting period, as I have waiting for a wife for almost 8 years, but I will not stop waiting until His appointed time, and that is if time permits and only He knows this. ELOHIM willing, I will do a message on this topic for all the single men for encouragement to not give up on waiting for her to come. The point is that waiting applies to us all.

 Sometimes we will pray for something and if it does not happen within a day or two, we think ELOHIM did not hear us and we go and do our own thing without His guidance or approval, or we will act without even taking it to Him in prayer at all. We must remember this:

2 Peter 3:8

“Moreover, dear friends, do not ignore this: with YAHWEH, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day…”

Psalms 90:4

“For from Your viewpoint a thousand years are merely like yesterday or a night watch.”

YAHWEH operates outside of time and space and He doesn’t see things the way that we do, nor think how we think, and whenever He answers us it is ALWAYS the right time, but when we get ahead of Him is when things begin to go awry.

Wait in Hebrew is the word Qavah pronounced (kaw-vaw) and is spelled Quph, Waw, Hey!

Quph: is a picture of the sun on the horizon and means condense, circle, TIME

Waw: is a picture of a tent peg and means add, SECURE, hook

Hey: is a picture of a man with his arms raised and means look, REVEAL, breath

When we combine this letters Quph, Waw, Hey for the word Qavah (wait) we get this message: “Time secures revelation!” In other words, when we wait on YAHWEH which requires time, then we will receive revelation as He wills it. Let’s now take a look at a few examples from scripture.

Jubilees 14:21-24 (Concerning Abraham having a son)

“And Abram rejoiced, and told all these things to Sarai his wife. And he BELIEVED that he would have seed, BUT SHE DID NOT BEAR. And Sarai advised her husband Abram, and said to him, “Go in to Hagar, my Egyptian handmaid. It may be that I will build up seed to you by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai his wife, and said to her, “Do so.” And Sarai took Hagar, her handmaid, the Egyptian, and gave her to Abram, her husband, as wife. And he went in to her, and she conceived and bore him a son, and he called his name Ishmael, in the fifth year of this week; and this was the eighty-sixth year in the life of Abram.”

The beautiful thing is that Abraham believed that he would have a son and rejoiced; however, Sarai did not bear a son when they thought she would, so Sarai figured the plan was to bring about the child through Hagar and Abram went with the plan, although YAHWEH said the child would be born by Sarah and not Hagar. The result is that Ishmael was not the covenant son of the promise, but rather Isaac who was born to them 14 years later when he was 100 years old (Genesis 21:5). 14 years is a long time to us, but less than a day to YAHWEH and this just goes to show that YAHWEH’s promise did not fail, we must wait for Him. In no way am I casting blame on anyone as I know that times can be difficult, this message is to hopefully strengthen us all to know that His promises never fall to the ground. Abraham was a man of great trust in YAHWEH as he left his home country to go to a place that YAHWEH would show him, how many of us would do that today? It just shows us that waiting can be difficult for us, but ELOHIM will answer.

2 Peter 3:8

“Moreover, dear friends, do not ignore this: with YAHWEH, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day…”

Judith 7:19-32

“The children of Yisra’el cried to YAHWEH their ELOHIM, because their heart failed, for all their enemies had circled round about them and there was no way to escape out from among them. Thus all the company of Assyria remained about them, both their footmen, chariots and horsemen, THIRTY-FOUR DAYS, so that all their vessels of water failed all the inhabitants of Bethulia. And the cisterns were emptied and they did not have water to drink their fill for one day; for they gave them drink by measure. Therefore their young children were discouraged and their women and young men fainted for thirst and fell down in the streets of the city and by the passages of the gates and there was no longer any strength in them. Then all the people assembled to Uzziyahu and to the chief of the city, both young men and women and children and cried with a loud voice and said before all the elders, ELOHIM be judge between us and you: for you have done us great injury, in that you have not required peace from the children of Assyria. For now we have no helper: but ELOHIM has sold us into their hands, that we should be thrown down before them with thirst and great destruction. Now therefore call them to you and deliver the whole city as a spoil to the people of Holofernes and to all his army. For it is better for us to be made as spoil to them, than to die of thirst: for we will be his servants, that our souls may live and not see the death of our infants before our eyes nor our wives nor our children. We take to witness against you heaven and the earth and our ELOHIM and Master of our fathers, who punishes us according to our iniquities as we have said this day. Then there was a great weeping with one consent in the midst of the assembly; and they cried to YAHWEH ELOHIM with a loud voice. Then Uzziyahu said to them, brothers, be of good courage, let us endure yet  FIVE DAYS, in the which space YAHWEH our ELOHIM may turn His mercy toward us; for He will not forsake us utterly. AND IF THESE DAYS PASS AND NO HELP COME TO US, I WILL DO ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD. And he dispersed the people, everyone to their own charge; and they went to the walls and towers of their city and sent the women and children into their houses: and they despaired greatly in the city.”

As I mentioned in the introduction, people will pray and when it doesn’t happen in the time “they think it should happen”, then they feel as though their prayers were not heard. If you give Him five days, how do you not know He was going to respond in 10 days? After a day or two people will act without waiting to hear back from YAHWEH, and we see how many days it took for Him to respond to Jeremiah and it was NOT immediately.

Jeremiah 42:1-7

“Then all the officers of the forces and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah and all the people from the young to the old came near. And said to Jeremiah, we beseech you, PRAY FOR US before YAHWEH your ELOHIM, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us; that YAHWEH our ELOHIM may show us the way by which we may go and the thing that we may do. Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard you; behold, I WILL PRAY before YAHWEH your ELOHIM according to your words; and it shall come to pass that whatever YAHWEH shall answer you, I will declare it to you; I will hide nothing from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, may YAHWEH be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not do according to the word with which YAHWEH your ELOHM shall send you to us. Whether it be good or whether it be bad, we will obey the voice of YAHWEH our ELOHIM. And it came to pass AFTER TEN DAYS that the word of YAHWEH came to Jeremiah the prophet.”

Judith understood this very well:

Judith 8:9-22

“Now when she (Judith) heard the EVIL WORDS of the people against the governor, that they fainted for lack of water; for Judith had heard all the words that Uzziyahu had spoken to them and that he had SWORN TO DELIVER THE CITY TO THE ASSYRIANS AFTER FIVE DAYS; then she sent her maid servants, that had the administration of all things that she had, to call Uzziyahu and Hever and Carchemish, the ancients of the city. And they came to her and she said to them, hear me now, O you governors of the inhabitants of Bethulia; for your words that you have spoken before the people this day is NOT RIGHT, regarding this oath which you made and pronounced between ELOHIM and you and have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, UNLESS YAHWEH TURNS TO HELP YOU WITHIN THESE DAYS. And now who are you that have TEMPTED ELOHIM THIS DAY AND STAND INSTEAD OF ELOHIM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF MEN, and not TRY YAHWEH of Hosts? But you shall never know anything. For you cannot find the depth of the heart of man, neither can you perceive the things that He thinks: how then can you search out ELOHIM; that has made all these things and know His mind, or comprehend His purpose? No, my brothers, do not provoke YAHWEH our ELOHIM to anger. For if He will not help us within these five days, He has power to defend us WHEN HE WILLS, even every day or to destroy us before our enemies. DO NOT BIND THE COUNSELS OF YAHWEH OUR ELOHIM: for ELOHIM IS NOT AS MAN, THAT HE MAY BE THREATENED; neither is He as the son of man that He should be wavering. Therefore LET US WAIT for His salvation and call on Him to help us and He will hear our voice, IF IT PLEASES HIM.”

Everything has a time and a season according to YAHWEH’s plan:

2 Esdras 13:57-58

“Then I arose and walked in the field, giving great esteem and praise to the Most High because of His wonders, which He did from time to time, and because HE GOVERNS THE TIMES AND WHATEVER THINGS COME TO PASS, as these dreams show.”

We simply have to wait and be patient because we cannot force the hand of YAHWEH!

Jasher 75:1-17

“It happened in the hundred and eightieth year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, there went forth from Egypt valiant men, thirty thousand on foot, from the children of Yisra’el, who were all of the tribe of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim the son of Joseph. FOR THEY SAID the period was completed which YAHWEH had appointed to the children of Yisra’el in the times of old, which He had spoken to Abraham.”

Again, instead of WAITING for the appointed time for deliverance according to YAHWEH’s prophecy given to Abraham, they tried to FORCE it. Notice, this happened in the 180th year while in slavery, and yet YAHWEH said they would be captives for 400 years. This means they were impatient and tried to jump the gun by a whole 220 years.

Genesis 15:12-14

“As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell on Abram; horror and great darkness came over him. YAHWEH said to Abram, “Know this for certain: your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. They will be slaves and held in oppression there FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. But I will also judge that nation, the one that makes them slaves. Afterwards, they will leave with many possessions.”

Jasher 75 continued: “And these men girded themselves, and they put each man his sword at his side, and every man his armor upon him, and they TRUSTED IN THEIR STRENGTH, and they went out together from Egypt with a mighty hand. But they brought no provision for the road, only silver and gold; not even bread for that day did they bring in their hands, for they thought of getting their provision for pay from the Philistines, and if not they would take it by force. And these men were very mighty and valiant men; one man could pursue a thousand and two could route ten thousand. So they trusted to their strength and went together as they were. And they directed their course toward the land of Gath, and they went down and found the shepherds of Gath feeding the cattle of the children of Gath. And they said to the shepherds, “Give us some of the sheep for pay, that we may eat, for we are hungry, for we have eaten no bread this day.” And the shepherds said, “Are they our sheep or cattle that we should give them to you even for pay? So the children of Ephraim approached to take them by force. And the shepherds of Gath shouted over them that their cry was heard at a distance, so all the children of Gath went out to them. And when the children of Gath saw the evil doings of the children of Ephraim, they returned and assembled the men of Gath, and they put on each man his armor, and came forth to the children of Ephraim in battle. And they engaged with them in the valley of Gath, and the battle was severe, and they struck from each other a great many on that day. And on the second day the children of Gath sent to all the cities of the Philistines that they should come help them, saying “Come up to us and help us, that we may strike the children of Ephraim who have come forth from Egypt to take our cattle, and to fight against us without cause.”

“Now the beings of the children of Ephraim were exhausted with hunger and thirst, for they had eaten no bread for three days. And forty thousand men went forth from the cities of the Philistines to the assistance of the men of Gath. And these men were engaged in battle with the children of Ephraim, and YAHWEH DELIVERED THE CHILDREN OF EPHRAIM INTO THE HANDS OF THE PHILISTINES. And they struck all the children of Ephraim, all who HAD GONE FORTH FROM EGYPT, NONE WERE REMAINING BUT TEN MEN WHO HAD RUN AWAY FROM THE ENGAGMENT. For THIS EVIL WAS FROM YAHWEH AGAINST the children of Ephraim, FOR THEY TRANGRESSED THE WORD OF YAHWEH IN GOING FORTH FROM EGYPT, BEFORE THE PERIOD HAD ARRIVED WHICH YAHWEH, in the days of old, had APPOINTED TO YISRA’EL.”

Notice that this passage says that this was FROM YAHWEH? Ten men from Ephraim survived, and ten in the Otiot is “Yod”, which is the picture of an arm and hand, and means “work, hand, throw, worship”, so this shows that YAHWEH’s hand overthrew them and gave them over into the hands of the Philistines! No matter how we feel about a situation, we have to wait for YAHWEH’s timing, because if you get ahead of what He has ordained for your life then this could be the result. Wait for Him in prayer and wait for all His appointed times in your life to manifest.

1 Samuel 25:1-35

“Then David set out and went down to the Pa’ran Desert. 2 Now there was a man in Ma‘on who had property in Carmel. He was very rich, having three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The man’s name was Naval, and his wife was named Abigail. The woman was intelligent and attractive, but the man was surly and mean in his actions; he belonged to the clan of Caleb. 4 David, there in the desert, heard that Naval was shearing his sheep. 5 David sent off ten young men with these orders: “Go up to Naval in Carmel, and bring him greetings from me. 6 Say, ‘Long life and shalom to you, shalom to your household, and shalom to everything that is yours! 7 I’ve heard that you now have shearers. Your shepherds were with us [for a while], we did them no harm, and they found nothing missing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your own men; they’ll tell you. Therefore, receive my men favorably, since we have come on a festive day. Please give what you can to your servants and to your son David.’”

9 On arrival, David’s men said all these things to Naval in David’s name. When they had finished, 10 Naval answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jessie? There are many servants nowadays running away from their masters. 11 Am I supposed to take my bread, my water and my meat that I slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men coming from who knows where?” 12 So David’s men turned around, went back and came and told him everything Naval had said. 13 David said to his men, “Buckle your swords on, all of you!” Each one buckled on his sword, David too; and there went up after David about four hundred men, while two hundred stayed with the equipment.

14 But one of Naval’s men told Abigail his wife, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, and he flew on them in a rage, 15 even though the men had been very good to us — they didn’t harm us, and we found nothing missing during the entire time we went with them, while we were out in the countryside. 16 They served as a wall protecting us day and night all the time we were with them caring for the sheep. 17 So now decide what you are going to do, for clearly harm is on its way to our master and all his household, but he’s so mean that no one can tell him anything.”

18 Abigail wasted no time in taking 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already prepared, six quarts of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins and 200 fig cakes, and having them loaded on donkeys. 19 Then she said to her young men, “Go on ahead of me, and I’ll come along after you.” But she didn’t tell her husband Naval.

20 She was riding her donkey down past the hiding-place in the mountain, when David and his men descended toward her, and she met them. 21 David had said, “What a waste it has been guarding everything this fellow has in the desert, so that nothing of his was missing! He has repaid me bad for good!” 22 Then he swore, “May ELOHIM do the same and more to David’s enemies if I leave alive even one male of everything he owns.”

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried to dismount from her donkey, fell on her face in front of David and bowed down to the ground. 24 Having fallen at his feet, she said, “It’s all my fault, my master, all my fault! Please let your servant speak in your ears, and listen to what your servant says. 25 Please! My master shouldn’t pay any attention to this worthless fellow Naval, because he’s just like his name — ‘Naval’ means ‘boor,’ and his boorishness stays with him. But I, your servant, did not see my master’s men, whom you sent. 26 Therefore, my master, as yahweh lives, and as you live, inasmuch as YAHWEH has kept you from the guilt of shedding blood and from taking vengeance into your own hands — therefore, may your enemies and anyone seeking your harm be [as worthless] as Naval. 27 Meanwhile, let this present which your servant has brought to my master be given to the men in my master’s service. 28 And please forgive the offense your servant has caused; because YAHWEH will certainly establish my master’s dynasty, for my master fights YAHWEH’s battles, and nothing bad has been found in you all your life long. 29 Even if someone comes along searching for you and seeking your life, your life will be bound in the bundle of life with YAHWEH your ELOHIM. But the lives of your enemies he will fling away as if from the pouch of a slingshot. 30 Then, when YAHWEH has done all the good to my master that he has said about you and made you ruler over Yisra’el, 31 what happens here will not have become an obstacle to you or a cause for remorse to my master, neither that you shed blood without cause nor that my master took vengeance into his own hands. Finally, when YAHWEH has dealt well with my master, then remember your servant.”

32 David said to Abigail, “Blessed be YAHWEH the ELOHIM of Yisra’el, who sent you today to meet me; 33 and blessed be your tactfulness, and blessed be yourself for having kept me today from the guilt of shedding blood and taking vengeance into my own hands. 34 For as YAHWEH the ELOHIM of Yisra’el, lives, WHO HAS KEPT ME FROM HARMING YOU, if you hadn’t rushed to meet me, not even one male would have been left to Naval by morning!” 35 So David received from her what she had brought him, then said to her, “Go up in peace to your home. I have listened to what you said and granted your request.”

David recognized that he was about to take matters into His own hands instead of waiting for YAHWEH Who took care of Naval Himself!

Deuteronomy 32:35

“Vengeance is MINE and recompense, against the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.”

I wanted to give many different scenarios to show that regardless of which one you are in, it’s best to wait for YAHWEH, not to get ahead of Him, and not to take matters into your own hands.

Wait

Psalm 37:7

“Be STILL before YAHWEH; WAIT PATIENTLY TILL HE COMES…”

Isaiah 30:18

“Yet YAHWEH is just waiting to show you favor, He will have pity on you from on high; for YAHWEH is an ELOHIM of justice; happy are all who WAIT FOR HIM!

Lamentations 3:24-26

“YAHWEH is my Portion,” says my being, “Therefore I WAIT FOR HIM! YAHWEH is good to those WAITING FOR HIM, to the being who seeks Him. It is good both to WAIT and to be silent, for the deliverance of YAHWEH.”

Exodus 14:10-14

“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Yisra’el looked up and saw the Egyptians right there, coming after them. In great fear the people of Yisra’el cried out to YAHWEH and said to Moses, “Was it because there weren’t enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out to die in the desert? Why have you done this to us, brining us out of Egypt? Didn’t we tell you in Egypt to let us alone, we’ll just go on being slaves for the Egyptians? It would be better for us to be the Egyptians’ slaves than to die in the desert! Moses answered the people, “Stop being fearful! Remain steady, and YOU WILL SEE HOW YAHWEH IS GOING TO SAVE YOU. He will do it today---today you have seen the Egyptians, but you will never see them again! YAHWEH will do battle for you. JUST CALM YOURSELVES DOWN!”

We all need to just “calm ourselves down” and wait on YAHWEH because He will act even when you don’t think He is, because He is always working behind the scenes, and He can make something happen at the last minute when you least expect it. He parted the Red Sea for His people, how much more can He do in our lives? Let us WAIT because Qavah “time secures revelation!”

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

YAHWEH did not make His Name known?

There is another scripture that has become a head scratcher and I have heard many different interpretations for it, so today I will offer mine, and prayerfully clear up some confusion surrounding this topic.

Exodus 6:1-3 (Most translations)

“And YAHWEH said unto Moses, “Now you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand He will send them off; with force He will drive them from the land!” ELOHIM spoke to Moses; He said to him, “I am YAHWEH. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as EL SHADDAI, although I did not make MYSELF KNOWN TO THEM BY MY NAME YAHWEH.”

This would seem to be a contradiction because we see them calling on the Name of YAHWEH before it was given to Moses and we know that the scriptures do not contradict itself. If there seems to be a contradiction it just means that there is something that we missed and did not connect the dots or haven’t checked various translations.

Genesis 4:26

“To Seth too was born a son, whom he called Enosh. That is when people began to call on the NAME OF YAHWEH.”

Genesis 12:8

“He (Abraham) left that place, went to the hill east of Beth-El and pitched his tent. With Beth-EL to the west and ‘Ai to the east, he built an altar there and CALLED ON THE NAME  OF YAHWEH.”

Genesis13:1-4

“Abraham went up from Egypt—he, his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him---into the Negev. Avram became wealthy, with much cattle, silver and gold. As he went on his travels from the Negev, he came to Beth-El, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning of, between Beth-El and ‘Ai, where he had first built the altar; an there Avram CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH.”

Genesis 21:33

“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH, the everlasting ELOHIM.”

Genesis 26:25

“There he (Isaac) built an altar and CALLED ON THE NAME OF YAHWEH, He pitched his tent there, and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Genesis 28:16

“Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, YAHWEH is in this place---and I didn’t know it!”

So, we can clearly see that YAHWEH revealed His Name to our ancestors because they were calling upon His Name.  So, how can this scripture be explained?

Exodus 6:2-3 (Concordant Version of The Old Testament)

“ELOHIM spoke to Moses and said to him: I am YAHWEH, and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as the EL who suffices; as to My Name YAHWEH, I was not REALIZED BY THEM.”

Realized is defined by Oxford dictionaries as “to become fully aware of something as a fact; UNDERSTAND CLEARLY.” So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob understood what EL SHADDAI meant, as ELOHIM being the “All Mighty” or as Concordant Version of the Old Testament says the EL who Suffices, meaning the EL who MEETS  OR SATISFIES THE NEEDS OF as He is the protector and provider. But as for the Name of YAHWEH they did not REALIZE the full meaning of His Name, they did not understand clearly the, power, and essence of His Name as they did with His title EL SHADDAI! We get the full explanation of His Name when YAHWEH spoke to Moses. In Exodus 3:14 we get the explanation of the Name of YAHWEH.

Exodus 3:14 (Samaritan)

“And ELOHIM said to Moshe (Moses), EHYYEE ESHAAR EHYYEE. And He said, This you shall say to the Sons of Yisra’el, I WILL BE has sent me to you.”

The footnote in the Samaritan Torah for verse 14 says “I will be as I will be”. His Name also means according to Wikipedia as “I am that I am”, “I am who I am”, “I will become what I choose to become”, “I am what I am”, “I will be what I will be”, “I will create whatever I create”, or “I am the Existing One”. The Aramaic Peshitta says “THE LIVING ELOHIM.” YAHWEH is the Self-Existent One, the Self-Sufficient One, He exists! So after explaining what His Name means in verse 14, He just reinforces His Name that our ancestors knew except moving forward all would know what His Name fully means.

Exodus 3:15 (Samaritan)

“And ELOHIM said furthermore said to Moses, this you shall say to the Sons of Yisra’el, YAHWEH, ELOHIM of your fathers, ELOHIM of Abraham, and ELOHIM of Isaac, and ELOHIM Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to generation to generation.”

Moses knew exactly what YAHWEH was saying as we see what he says in the book of Yashar (Jasher).

Jasher 79:43-47

“And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records that related to the kings of Egypt, to be brought, and they brought the book of records, the chronicles of the kings of Egypt, in which all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding in it the Name of YAHWEH, but they did not find it. And Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Behold I have not found the Name of your ELOHIM  written in this book, and I do not know His Name.” And the counsellors and wise men answered the king, ‘We have heard that the ELOHIM of the Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.” And Pharoah turned to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I do not know YAHWEH whom you have declared, neither will I send His people.” And they answered and said to the king, YAHWEH ELOAH of ELOHIM is His Name, AND HE PROCLAIMED HIS NAME OVER US FROM THE DAYS OF OUR ANCESTORS, and sent us, saying, ‘Go to Pharoah and say to him, “Send My people that they may serve Me.”

This scripture from Jasher further proves that our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew the Name YAHWEH before His Name was explained in full detail to Moses. Furthermore, Pharoah was looking for YAHWEH’s Name in the book of idols and of course he wouldn’t find it there. Why?

Isaiah 42:8

“I am YAHWEH; that is My Name. I yield my esteem to NO ONE ELSE, nor My praise to ANY IDOL.”

YAHWEH is greater than any idol and His Name is great and kodesh (set-apart), so looking for His great Name amongst a book of idols was futile.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name

What is the WILL of YAHWEH?

Matthew 12:46-50 (Hebrew)

“And while He spoke unto the people, His mother and His relatives stood outside and wanted to speak with Him. Then a certain man said to Him, “Your mother and Your relatives are standing outside and asking for you.” So YESHUA answered and said to him, “Who is My mother? And who is My brother or My relative? Everyone who DOES THE WILL of My Father who is in the heavens—He is My brother and My sister and My mother.”

Matthew 7:21-23 (Aramaic)

“It is not everyone who merely says to Me, My Master, My Master, who will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but He who DOES THE WILL of My Father in heaven. A great many will say to Me in that day, My Master, My Master, did we not prophesy in Your Name and in Your Name cast out devils and in Your Name do many wonders? Then I will declare to them, I have never known you; keep away from Me, O you that work INIQUITY.”

YESHUA has clearly told us that we must DO THE WILL of His Father to enter into eternal life and to be considered His brother, sister, mother, and relatives. So, the question becomes, what is THE WILL OF YAHWEH?

Psalms 40:7-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“So then I said, “Here I am! I’m coming! In the scroll of a book it is written about Me. Doing YOUR WILL, my ELOHIM, is my joy, YOUR TORAH is in my INMOST BEING.”

This is YESHUA speaking and we know that YESHUA is the Living Torah, and we are to walk in the Torah just as He walked in the Torah (1 John 2:6).

Sirach 2:15-16

“Those who fear YAHWEH will not disobey His word, and those who love Him will keep His ways. Those who fear YAHWEH will seek that which is good and pleasing to Him; and those who love Him shall be FILLED WITH THE TORAH.”

First Epistle of Clement, Chapter 2:7-8

“Content with the provision which ELOHIM had made for you, and carefully attending to His (YAHWEH’s) words, ye were INWARDLY FILLED WITH HIS DOCTRINE.”

Doctrine is defined by Oxford languages as “a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a CHURCH, political party, or other group.”

Vocabulary.com says “A doctrine is a set of beliefs. The word comes from the Latin doctor for “teacher,” so think of a doctrine is the teachings of a school, RELIGION, or pollical group.”

Proverbs 4:2 (Aramaic)

“Hear, O my children, the instruction of a father, and give ear to knowledge and understanding. Because I give you GOOD DOCTRINE, DO NOT FORSAKE MY LAW.”

The First Epistle of Clement which is said to have been written in 70 A.D. or 96 A.D. at the latest and Sirach agree with Psalms 40:8 that the Torah should be in our innermost being to walk in the truth, in other words we are inwardly filled with the desire to obey the Torah being led by the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit) and walk as YESHUA showed us how to walk. So, the will of YAHWEH is to obey the commandments of the Torah. But is that all? No!

John 6:25-40 (Hebrew)

“And when they had found Him (YESHUA) across the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” So YESHUA answered them and said, “Truth I say to you, you are seeking Me, not because you have seen signs, only because you ate the bread and were satisfied by it. You must not work for food that perishes (whosoever perished), but for food that abides into everlasting life-that which the Son of Man will give to you; for EL (God)  the Father signifies this.” So they said to Him “What should we do that we may be able to do good works to EL?” YESHUA answered and said to them, “This is the work of EL, that you believe in He whom He sent- ME.” Then they said to Him, “What sign do you do that we may see it and believe You? What work do you do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread of heaven to eat.” So YESHUA said to them, “Truth I say to you, Moses did not give you bread of heaven, but My Father gives you true bread from the heavens; and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Master, may this bread be given to us all the time.” Then YESHUA said to them, “I am the bread of life, whosever comes unto Me will not be hungry, and whosoever believes in Me will not have thirst in ETERNITY! But this I say to you because you saw Me and yet you did not believe in Me. Everyone the Father gave Me comes to Me, and He who comes to Me I will not cast out. For I, I descend from the heavens, not in order to do My will, only the WILL of Him who sent Me. And THIS IS HIS WILL, that all these which He gave Me, I should not let any of them be destroyed, but that I should raise them up in the last day. FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF THE FATHER WHO SENT ME—that every man who CHOOSES THE SON AND BELIEVES, will have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up alive in the last day.”

When we combine all of these scriptures together we can clearly see the WILL of YAHWEH is to keep the commandments of the Torah AND to believe in His Son YESHUA!

Revelation 12:17 (Hebrew)

“Then the dragon was filled with anger because of the woman, and he went to make war with the remaining ones of her seed, who PERFORM THE COMMANDMENTS OF YAHWEH, AND BELIEVE IN THE TESTIMONY OF HIS MESSIAH.”

Revelation 14:12 (Hebrew)

“Here is the hope of the set-apart ones, and here are those who DO THE COMMANDMENTS OF YAHWEH, AND BELIEVE IN YESHUA.”

1 John 2:17

“And the world is passing away, along with its desires. But whoever does ELOHIM’S WILL REMAINS FOREVER.”

The scriptures are consistent and nothing has changed, rather it is mans reasoning and justification that wants to change what YAHWEH’s will really is! Repent! We must keep the commandments and believe in YESHUA for this is the WILL OF YAHWEH! Obey the written Torah and have faith in YESHUA the Living Torah! So, the question is, do you want to enter into eternal life? Do you want to be considered His brother, sister, mother, and relative? We all do, and He already told us how we achieve that.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

Love your ENEMIES!

As the Living Torah, YESHUA showed us how to walk in the Torah, and one that many struggle with is about loving your enemies. What does YESHUA tell us concerning this matter?

Luke 6:27-36 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“Nevertheless, to you who are listening, what I say is this: “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES! Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone hits you on the cheek, offer the other too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well. If someone asks you for something, give it to him; if someone takes what belongs to you, don’t demand it back. Treat other people as you would like them to treat you. What credit is it to you if you love only those who love you? Why, even the transgressors love those who love them. What credit is it to you if you do  good only to those who do good to you? Even transgressors do that. What credit is it to you if you lend only to those who you expect will pay you back? Even transgressors lend to each other, expecting to be repaid in full. But LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD, and lend expecting nothing back! Your reward will be great, and you will be children of Ha’ELYON (The Most High); for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Show compassion just as your Father shows compassion.”

I’ve heard it said “Where in the Torah does it say to love your enemy or to do good to them?” YESHUA never spoke an idle word, so we can find this in:

Proverbs 25:21-22 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“If someone who HATES YOU is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For you will heap fiery coals of shame on his head, and YAHWEH will reward you.”

This heaps fiery coals of shame upon their heads because they aren’t expecting someone who hates them to do good for them and are put to shame, which matches exactly what YESHUA said. Most people are expecting the opposite reaction.

Exodus 23:4-5 (Samaritan)

“If you come upon your ENEMIES ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey which belongs to someone who HATES YOU laying down helpless under its load, you are not to pass him by but to go and HELP HIM FREE IT.”

There are acts of love and doing good for the one who hates you! YESHUA doesn’t stop there; He goes on to give an example that no one would be able to refute by using a situation they were familiar with.

Luke 10:25-37 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“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.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to YESHUA, “And who is my ‘neighbor’?” Taking up the question, YESHUA said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him naked and beat him up, then went off, leaving him half dead. By coincidence, a priest was going down on that road; but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite who reached the place and saw him also passed by on the other side. But a man from SAMARIA (Samaritan) who was traveling came upon him; and when he saw him, he was moved with COMPASSION. So he went up to him, put oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. Then he set him on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he took out two days’ wages, gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Look after him; and if you spend more than this, I’ll pay you back when I return.’ Of these three, which one seems to you to have become the ‘neighbor’ of the man who fell among robbers?” He answered, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” YESHUA said to him, “You go and DO AS HE DID.”

The message that YESHUA was conveying is two-fold, as He telling this Torah expert to not only love his neighbor who is anyone in need, but also to love his enemies. The man passing through from Jerusalem to Jericho was a Jew and the one who helped him was a Samaritan. This makes sense when we understand that the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other.

John 4:5-9 (Hebrew)

“So YESHUA came into a part of Samaria which is called Suchar, near the place which Jacob gave to Joseph his son and the spring of Jacob was there. So YESHUA, being weary because of the way, sat by the spring. (And it was about the sixth hour of the day.) Then a woman came to draw waters, so YESHUA said to her, “Give Me some water to drink.” (Now His disciples went into the city to buy some food.) Then that Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew, do You ask of me to give you water to drink while I am a woman from the place of Samaria?! (For the Jews do not hold company with the Samaritans.”)

John 8:48-49 (Hebrew)

“So the Jews answered and said, “Do not we rightly say that you are a Samaritan? You have some of Ha-Satan!” YESHUA answered, “There is not a demon in Me, but I honor My Father; while you despise Me.”

Luke 9:51-56 (Aramaic)

“As it happened when the days to go up on His journey were fulfilled, He set His face to go to Jerusalem. So He sent messengers ahead of Him; and they went away and entered into a Samaritan village to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set to go straight to Jerusalem.”

The point is that the Samaritan’s  are from the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Yisra’el and they know the Torah as well as the Jews, even to this day.  Despite the hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews, the “Good Samaritan” helped his enemy who was a Jew; whereas, the Levites and Priests who teach the Torah (Deuteronomy 33:8-10) should have known better and yet left their own brother to die. This is a powerful example that YESHUA gave, and the Jews knew exactly what this meant, which is a perfect example of loving your enemy and doing good to them, and loving your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Finally, to go along with YESHUA saying to do good to those who hate you, we see Joseph doing good for his own brothers who hated him.

Genesis 37:4

“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they began to HATE him and reached the point where they couldn’t even talk with him in a civil manner.”

Testament of Simeon 4:4-6

“Now Joseph was a good man, and had the RUACH (Spirit) of ELOHIM within him; being compassionate and pitiful, he bore no malice against me; but LOVED me even as the rest of his brothers. Beware, therefore, my children, of all jealousy and envy, and walk in singleness of being and with good heart, keeping in mind Joseph your father’s brother, that ELOHIM may give you also favor and esteem, and blessing upon your heads, even as you saw in Joseph’s case. All his days he did not despise us concerning this thing, but LOVED us as his own being, and esteemed us beyond his own sons, and gave us riches, and cattle and fruits.

Testament of Joseph 17:4-8

“And when my brothers came to Egypt they learned that I had returned their money to them, and did not rebuke them, and comforted them. And after the death of Jacob my father I loved them more abundantly, and all things he commanded I did very abundantly for them. And I did now allow them to be afflicted in even the smallest matter; and all that was in my hand I gave to them. And their children were my children, and my children as their servants; and their life was my life, and all their suffering was my suffering, and all their sickness was my infirmity. My land was their land, and their counsel my counsel. And I did not exalt myself among them in arrogance because of my worldly esteem, but I was as one of the least among them.”

YESHUA said to the torah teacher, “Go and do the same!” and He is telling us to “Go and do the same!” as well. It takes true humility, self-denial, love, and considering others better than yourself to be able to carry this out, and we know YESHUA walked this way and those who follow Him are to do the exact same thing.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

Christians: Does your righteousness surpass the Pharisees?

Proverbs 28:9

“If a person will not listen to Torah (The Law) even his prayer is an ABOMINATION.”

This message is for every Christian who says that the law is done away with based on Matthew 5:17-20, so this will be a breakdown of those verses and I believe this will answer many questions and prayerfully open up some eyes. I want to show that there is a difference between the Written Torah/Law and the Oral Torah, and that Christians have confused the two. And what does verse 20 mean that rarely gets discussed, then you can ask yourselves if your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees or not.

Before breaking down Matthew 5:17-20 verse by verse, I have a question to those who say the Torah/Law is done away with. When you come to a stop sign do you stop? When you come to a traffic light do you stop? Every Christian will undoubtedly answer “YES” To all these questions.  So technically, the world has no problem obeying man’s laws but they don’t want to obey our Father YAHWEH’s laws! Another example, the owner’s manual of whatever car you drive will tell you to put gas in the tank, no one disregards those instructions by saying to the manufacturer “No! I’m going to do whatever I want; I’m going to put water or soda in the gas tank!” Why? Because the manufacturer of the car knows what is best for the car, the same way our Father YAHWEH is the manufacturer of our bodies and He gave us laws about food we can eat and those we cannot eat, why? Because He is the manufacturer of our bodies knows what is best for it, just as the manufacturer of your car knows what is best for it. Yet, YAHWEH’s laws get tossed to the side and questioned and people are basically saying “Why can’t I put soda in the gas tank?” The same Christian who questions our Father’s instructions will NOT question the human beings instructions for the car. I want you to think about this and tell me if that makes sense? You cannot alter a stop sign and make it so “Go!” The same way we cannot alter YAHWEH’s laws to say “Go away!”

A brother in YESHUA brought up a good point, he said “Name one king in history that did not have laws? Since we know that YESHUA is our King then wouldn’t He would have laws too, but why are His being done away with?” That’s a beautiful way of wording it, because if the president said, “Today I’m abolishing all laws, DO AS THOU WILT, the purge is on!” Then crowds of people start to head towards your house to take what you have because there are no laws in place and you have to fend for yourself, then people would be begging for the laws to come back so they would be protected again. Likewise, YAHWEH has given us laws to protect us from Satan and his purge on humanity, while we are in the world. Let’s now breakdown YESHUA’s words in Matthew 5:17-20. I have covered versus 17-19 to some extent in previous messages, but in this message I will also cover verse 20 which has been overlooked.

Matthew 5:17 (Hebrew)

“Moreover YESHUA MASHIACH said to His talmidim (disciples), “Do not think that I came to throw down the Torah and the prophets, ON THE CONTRARY (The opposite of), I came to CONFIRM.”

YESHUA says “Do not think” in other words do not let it even enter your minds that I came to get rid of the Torah or the prophets. And as I mentioned in a previous video “What is the law of Christ?”  How could He change the law when He did not speak His own words, but only the words of YAHWEH The Father?

John 12:49-50

“For I do not speak of Myself; but the Father who sent Me, He commanded Me to speak and to command—and I know that His commandment is everlasting life. And that which I speak is identical to that which the Father speaks so I speak.”

Oxford languages defines “identical” as: similar in EVERY DETAIL; exactly alike.

YESHUA is the written word that became Living Flesh which means that He is the Living Torah/Law that came to confirm the Torah still stands and to show us how to walk in the Torah as He did:

1 John 2:6 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“A person who CLAIMS to be continuing in UNION with Him (YESHUA) ought to CONDUCT HIS LIFE THE WAY HE DID.”

For us to be in union/covenant with YESHUA we must conduct our lives the way that He did; and the fact is that YESHUA obeyed the Torah, just as we should be doing. Furthermore, with the understanding that YESHUA is the Living Torah; this means if you want to do away with the Torah/Law you are wanting to do away with Him because they are one in the same. This is why YESHUA says in John 14:6 I ‘am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, these were not idle words as He was telling you who He is:

The WAY

Psalms 119:1 “How happy are those whose WAY of life is blameless, who live by the TORAH OF YAHWEH!”

The TRUTH

Psalms 119:142 “Your righteousness is eternal righteousness and your TORAH IS TRUTH.”

The LIFE

Deuteronomy 32:46-47 “He said to them, “Take to heart all the words of my testimony against you today, so that you can use them in charging your children to be careful to OBEY ALL THE WORDS OF THIS TORAH. For this is not a trivial matter for you; on the contrary, IT IS YOUR LIFE!”

As we clearly see from the scriptures, the Way, the Truth, and The Life all connect to the Torah/Law! So we can now see that YESHUA is the Living Torah/Law made flesh! So, how do you abolish the Law that He Himself is? This is another reason why He says:

John 5:46-47 (Hebrew)

“And if you have believed Moses, you would perhaps believe Me; but if you DO NOT BELIEVE HIS LETTERS, HOW WILL YOU BELIEVE MY WORDS?”

YESHUA is saying, if you do not believe in the words of the written Torah/Law by saying they are done away with, then how will you believe the words of the Living Torah? You won’t! So, again YESHUA the Living Torah came to show us how to walk in the written Torah the way YAHWEH intended for it to be kept.

Matthew 5:18 (Hebrew)

“I say to unto you in truth, that NOT ONE WORD of the Torah will be diminished, every WORD WILL BE PERFORMED-UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.”

Matthew 5:18 (Aramaic)

“For truly I say to you, until HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS AWAY, not even YOD or a DASH shall pass away from the law until all of it is fulfilled.”

In the Hebrew YESHUA says the Torah shall be PERFORMED! Perform is defined by Oxford Languages as: “CARRY OUT, FULFILL, DO, EXECUTE”. If you notice these are all action words requiring something for the believer to DO; and one of the synonyms is “fulfill”, which shows that fulfill means to perform, to execute, to do, to carry out, and does NOT mean “abolish” or “do away with” as Christianity has promoted. If every word shall be “performed” until the end of the world, how can it be done away with when the world hasn’t ended? YESHUA stresses this point and drives it home by saying that even not one “Yod” which is the smallest letter in Hebrew and Aramaic will not be done away with. He wants the reader and the hearers of His day to understand that nothing in the Torah is done away with, until heaven and earth pass away.

So, ask yourself, are you still on earth right now? The answer is yes! And being that the answer is yes that means that the Torah still stands because earth has not passed away! When does earth pass away?

Revelation 21:1-3

“Then I saw NEW HEAVENS and NEW EARTH, for the FIRST HEAVENS AND EARTH HAD PERISHED, also the first sea was no more. An I Yochanan (John) saw the set-apart city, the NEW YERUSHALAYIM (NEW JERUSALEM), descending from the heavens to the earth, and it was adorned like a wife who is adorned before her husband.”

Matthew 5:19

“And whosever transgresses one of these smallest commandments, or teaches to break them, he will be small in the kingdom of heavens. On the contrary, whosoever teaches it and carries it out, great will he be in the kingdom of heavens.”

I’ve heard it said, “Well as long as I make it in heaven, I’ll accept being the smallest,” therefore they feel that breaking the commandments and teaching others to be lawless will still get them a golden ticket into eternal life.  Is this true? Firstly, a brother in YESHUA shared another Hebrew manuscript with me that says otherwise.

Matthew 5:19 (Hebrew Z-Subgroup of family B)

“He who violates ONE WORD of these commandments that I teach, I will UTTERLY DESTROY!”

That is pretty clear about how YESHUA feels about the lawless ones! Which is a perfect match with what He said in

Matthew 7:23

“Depart from Me you workers of LAWLESSNESS!”  

Matthew 5:20 (Hebrew)

“And I say unto you in truth, that if you do become righteous ones, MORE THAN THE WISE ONES AND THE PHARISEES, YOU WILL NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVENS.”

Matthew 5:20 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“For I tell you that UNLESS your righteousness is FAR GREATER than that of the Torah-teachers and Pharisees, you will CERTAINLY NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN!”

Verse 20 leaves no doubts just as verses 17-19 did not leave any doubts of what YESHUA is saying. The scribes and the Pharisees had a degree of righteousness, why? They did follow the written Torah (The first five books of Moses), but they also followed the Oral Torah! Their problem was that they put the Oral Torah above the Written Torah. Before I explain what, the Oral Torah is, I’ll quote from Brittannica.com which says:

“In Orthodox Judaism, therefore, both the WRITTEN LAW (Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament) and the ORAL LAW (codified in the Mishna and interpreted in the Talmud) are immutably FIXED and REMAIN in the sole norm of religious observance.” Orthodox Judaism | Britannica

What is the Oral Torah/Babylonian Talmud/Traditions of the elders? It can be found in Galatians 1:13-14 which Paul USED to be involved in as a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), Mark 7:1-13, Matthew 23:1-5 (The burdens of Oral Torah), and Luke 6. I’ll quote one:

Matthew 15:1-3

“Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem drew near to Him, and they said “Why do your disciples break the TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS? They do not RITUALLY WASH THEIR HANDS WHEN THEY EAT? But He answered them and said, “And why do you transgress the COMMANDMENTS OF EL (God) on ACCOUNT OF YOUR DECREES?”

The ritualistic washing of the hands is called “Tiqunim” which means “manmade regulations, or manmade amendments or improvements to the Torah, that ARE NOT A PART OF THE ORIGINAL COMMANDMENTS OF YAHWEH’s TORAH.”

Matthew 15:8-10

“This people which honors Me with words but their heart is far from Me, they honor Me in vain, imposing YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND COMMANDMENTS OF THE MEN.”

 Do you see how YESHUA distinguished between the written Torah of YAHWEH and the man-made Oral Torah of men? This is the part that has confused Christianity, because they believe the written Torah is bad, when in actuality the written Torah is beautiful and set-apart! Christianity has believed that the written Torah and the Oral Torah are the exact same thing and when they are not. YESHUA and Paul rebuked the Pharisees because of their Oral man-made Torah not the written one given by ELOHIM on Mount Sinai.

  Judaism believes that Moses received TWO TORAH’s on Mount Sinai, one was the written Torah the 10 commandments on two tablets of stone and the other was an Oral Torah that was NOT WRITTEN DOWN which is why it’s called “oral”, and they say it was passed down from generation to generation which includes “Rabbis” interpretation. They believed that if they followed these man-made commandments step by step then they will be saved based off their own works, when we all know it’s the blood of YESHUA that saves!  And this is the only reason why Paul says this:

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For you have been delivered by mercy through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but ELOHIM’s gift. You were not delivered by YOUR OWN ACTIONS; THEREFORE NO ONE SHOULD BOAST.”

Paul clearly said in Romans 7:12 “So the Torah is set-apart (holy), just and good”, Paul also said not to do away with the law because of faith (Romans 3:31). Paul is simply saying that we can’t be saved based off of our own works, why? Because ALL of us have broken the Torah at some point (Isaiah 53:5-6, Romans 3:23) and we cannot boast in our own actions to save us, this is why we need a Savior! Does the mean we stop observing the commandments? No! The commandments are how we know Him (1 John 2:3-4) and how we love Him (John 14:21 and 1 John 5:3) and it’s still a part of righteousness in this walk (Deuteronomy 6:25.)

Titus 2:14 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“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.”

YESHUA came to die because we broke the law, so how do we continue to break the law when that is the reason why He died? That’s like being set-free from an electric chair for a murder and as soon as you have been freed from prison you commit another murder. You would be doing everything you can to obey the laws from that point on. YESHUA set us free from our imprisonment of transgressions, so how do we go on continuing to do what got Him put on the stake?  Does that make any sense?

 So, does your righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees? The Pharisees did at least observe the Shabbat, do you? Their problem was adding man-made traditions to the Shabbat making it a burden for people to keep it (Matthew 23:1-5); and they also kept the set-apart feast days found in Leviticus 23, do you? So, the question I pose to Christians is this, if you are not keeping the Shabbat AT ALL as the Pharisees did, nor observing the feast days as they did, and rejecting ALL the commandments by saying “They are done away with!” Then how does your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? This would mean your righteousness is less than theirs and you will not inherit the kingdom! It’s time to repent, hear and obey!
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!

Prophecy: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

When YESHUA spoke to His disciples about eternal life, He spoke to them using marriage terminology that they understood and YESHUA paints a beautiful picture of Him being the bridegroom coming back for His bride Yisra’el.  In order to understand His words and the connections that He was making we have to look at the ancient Galilean weddings and how they were conducted.

I firstly want to cover the stages of a Hebrew wedding to establish the foundation of what YESHUA was saying. There are two stages in a Hebrew wedding, the first stage is called the Erusin or Kiddushin which is the betrothal/engagement stage which is as binding as a marriage for they both sign a ketubah which is a marriage contract, therefore the couple is technically married but not yet officially married. This is what we see with Joseph and Mary in Matthew 1 where Joseph was the engaged husband and Mary was the engaged wife. This is a lot different than an engagement in the western society as they are not considered married.

Matthew 1:18-19

“Now the birth of YESHUA, the Messiah, was like this: while Mary His mother was BETHROTHED to Joseph, without them being united, she was found pregnant by the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit). But Joseph, HER HUSBAND was just and did not desire to expose her, yet he was thinking in secret that he would dismiss (divorce) her.”

As we see Joseph was considered the husband of Mary while betrothed to her and he wanted to divorce her which is only something you can do if you are married to them, so this proves that they were considered to be married even in the first stage of engagement.

The second stage is called “Nisu’in”, where the couples status changes from being technically married to officially married. At this stage it becomes what ELOHIM has brought together let no man separate for they are officially one flesh in wedlock.

The Pure Bride

I wanted to cover the two stages to show that we are currently betrothed to YESHUA which means we are in the first stage of the wedding and are waiting for Him to come back to take His bride (Yisra’el) to be with Him forever!

2 Corinthians 11:1-2 (CJB)

“I would like you to bear with me in a little foolishness---please do bear with me! For I am jealous for you with ELOHIM’s kind of jealousy; since I promised to present you as a PURE VIRGIN IN MARRIAGE TO YOUR ONE HUSBAND, THE MESSIAH…”

During the betrothal stage in a Hebrew wedding, the only thing that could terminate the marriage contract was death or fornication, so Paul is using this language here to show that we must be pure undefiled virgins by coming completely out of this world, drying to self, obeying the Torah and not committing spiritual adultery. This makes since when we examine this further:

Leviticus 21:10-14 Complete Jewish Bible (Parenthesis mine)

“The priest who is ranked the highest (The high priest) among his brothers, the one on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who is consecrated to put on the garments, is not to stop grooming his hair, tear his clothes, go in to where any dead body is or make himself unclean, even when his father or mother dies. He may not leave the sanctuary or profane the sanctuary of his ELHOHIM, because the consecration of the anointing oil of his ELOHIM is on him; I am YAHWEH. He is TO MARRY A VIRGIN; he may not marry a widow, divorcee (divorced during the betrothal stage before being officially married), profaned woman or prostitute; but he must MARRY A VIRGIN from among his own people and not disqualify his descendants among his people; because I am YAHWEH, who makes him set-apart.

As we see the high-priest was to marry a virgin; and likewise YESHUA is our High-Priest and is only coming back for a pure virgin bride just as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:1-2.

Ephesians 5:27 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“In order to present the Messianic Community to Himself as a BRIDE to be proud of, WITHOUT SPOT, WRINKLE or any such thing, but set-apart and WITHOUT DEFECT.”

These are those who have been spiritually reborn and being led by the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Set-Apart Spirit)  to keep the commandments and trust in YESHUA. Leviticus 21 also says that a high-priest cannot marry a PROSTITUE/WHORE which is another reason why we are told to flee from the WHORE of Babylon.

Revelation 17:1-5 (Hebrew)

“Then one of the seven messengers who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me and said, “come, and you will be shown the judgment of the GREAT HARLOT who sits over much waters, with whom the kings of the earth and those whom she had made drunk with her wine have committed ADULTERY.”  Verse 5 “And on her forehead was written the name of the secret of the great city Babel, the MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND UNCLEANNESS OF THE EARTH.”

Revelation 18:1-4 (Hebrew)

“And after this I saw another messenger descending from the heavens, and he had power and great strength, and the earth shone with his light. And he cried out with all his power and said. “Fallen, fallen has the great city Babel! And it became a dwelling of satans, and to hide all the unclean ones of the birds and creeping things. For all of them have drunk of her wine, and the kings of the earth have committed FORNICATION with her, and all the merchants have become rich by her great desires. Then I heard another voice from the heavens, and he said, GO OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that they be not punished with her because of her iniquities!”

YESHUA our High-Priest cannot marry a whore; therefore, you cannot be spiritually  involved in whoredom of false religion, idolatry and the unclean things of this world, so come out of her and walk in the truth.

The Ancient Galilean wedding

During the betrothal ceremony the bridegroom would pour a cup of wine called the “CUP OF JOY” and give it to the bride to drink. At this point she can either accept the covenant/proposal by drinking the wine or reject the covenant by not drinking the wine. This is an interesting parallel because the bridegroom gives the bride the “CUP OF JOY” for the covenant, just as the Bridegroom YESHUA gave us the “TORAH OF JOY” on Mount Sinai to join in covenant with Him.

James 1:25 (Hebrew)

“But whosoever sees with fullness into the LAW OF JOY, and establishes it, and does not forget what he heard, but DOES IT, this one will be blessed in all his deeds.”

Psalms 19:7-8 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“The TORAH of YAHWEH is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of YAHWEH is sure, making wise the thoughtless. The precepts of YAHWEH are right, REJOICING THE HEART. The mitzvah (commandments) of YAHWEH is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Exodus 19:5-6

“Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and KEEP MY COVENANT, then you will be My own treasure from among the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you will be a kingdom of priests for me, a nation set-apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Yisra’el.”

We as the bride Yisra’el accept the Torah of Joy and YESHUA is the Living Torah made flesh who shed His blood for us. Therefore, we enter into covenant with YAHWEH just as the bride drinks the Cup of Joy to enter into covenant with her husband. We can either obey YAHWEH to walk in His covenant or reject it by not obeying the terms of the covenant, which is the same option the bride has with her husband. This is the beauty of our ELOHIM is that He wants us CHOOSE Him, He does not force Himself on you. By choosing Him you show that you love Him, want to follow Him, and obey Him, you have the option to choose life and not death.

John 6:38-40 (Hebrew)

“For I, I descend from the heavens, not in order to do My will, only the will of Him who sent Me. And this is His will, that all these which He gave Me, I should not let any of them be destroyed, but that I should raise them up in the last day. For this is the will of the Father who sent Me that every man who CHOOSES THE SON AND BELIEVES, will have everlasting life; and I will raise Him up alive in the last day.”

If she drinks the wine, she is saying “I do” and chooses life with a righteous husband, just as we choose to want to live with YAHWEH and YESHUA forever, which is similar to how the children of Yisra’el responded by agreeing to the terms of the betrothal covenant/marriage contract with the Righteous King YAHWEH and YESHUA in:

Exodus 19:7-8

“Moses came, summoned the leaders of the people and presented them with all these words which YAHWEH had ordered him to say. All the people answered as one, “EVERYTHING YAHWEH HAS SAID, WE WILL DO.”

After she drinks the cup of joy (the wine) then the bridegroom publicly says, “You are consecrated to me according to the Law of Moses and I WILL NOT DRINK THIS CUP UNTIL I DRINK IT NEW WITH YOU IN MY FATHERS HOUSE.”

Everyone during that time knew that this was a reference to the wedding feast and the consummation of the marriage, and that is why YESHUA says the exact same thing:

Matthew 26:27-29 (Hebrew)

“And afterwards He TOOK THE CUP and did a prayer of thanksgiving, and gave it to them, and said, “DRINK THIS-all of you, for this is the blood of the new, which will be shed to atone for your iniquities. And I say to you faithfully that from now and onward, I WILL NOT DRINK OF THIS SMOOTHNESS OF THE VINE UNTIL THAT DAY THAT I WILL DRINK IT WITH YOU ANEW IN THE KINGDOM OF MY FATHER.”

So YESHUA gave them the literally “cup of joy” as the bridegroom gives to the bride and as we saw earlier also the Torah of Joy that He gave on Mount Sinai. The disciples being from Galilee themselves knew exactly what YESHUA was saying, and that He was referring to the consummation of the marriage, meaning the marriage supper of the Lamb to be with Him forever. The same way the bridegroom announced publicly that he would not drink the cup until he drank it new with his bride in his fathers house, meaning they would become one flesh in marriage forever.

Next phase:

After the betrothal ceremony the bridegroom would make preparations and  go back to his fathers house to add a room onto his fathers house for his soon to be bride, and this is the reason why YESHUA said:

John 14:1-3 (Hebrew)

“Let not your hearts become terrified; believe in EL, AND believe in Me. In the HOUSE OF MY FATHER ARE MANY DWELLING PLACES. Truly I say I’M GOING TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. And if I go to PREPARE THE PLACE, I WILL COME AGAIN AND BRING YOU UNTO ME—so that in the PLACE WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY ALSO BE.”

Just as the bridegroom prepares a room onto his fathers house for his bride so they can be together forever, is how The Bridegroom YESHUA goes to prepare an eternal home for us His bride Yisra’el.

Only the Father knows the day and hour

As the bridegroom goes back to his father’s house to prepare a place for his bride, he would be waiting for his father to tell him to go and get his bride, because only the father knew the day and the hour of the wedding, and the son did not know. This is why YESHUA says He does not know the day or the hour, NOT BECAUSE HE IS NOT EL (GOD) Himself, it’s just an illustration of YAHWEH and YESHUA staying true to the ancient Galilean wedding custom that the disciples would understand:

Matthew 24:36

“And no man knows the day and the hour, neither the messengers, NOR THE SON, but ONLY THE HEAVENLY FATHER.”

Also, the bride knew that the bridegroom would be coming to take her within that year, but she did not know exactly when he was coming, so she had to ready and WATCHFUL! Which is why YESHUA says:

Matthew 24:45-51 (Hebrew)

“And what do you think of a wise and faithful servant? His master sets him over all his company, that he should give them food in their time. Blessed is that servant whom his master finds WATCHFUL and doing so. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his goods. But if the wicked servant will say in his heart, “My master will tarry long to come,’ and will begin to beat the other servants, and begin to eat and to drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will COME IN A DAY THAT HE DOES NOT EXPECT, AND IN AN HOUR THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW. And he will remove him from his supervision and will place him with the deceivers, and there he will bear weeping and quaking of teeth.”

The bride also had to keep oil ready for her lamps just in case the bridegroom came at night. This is why YESHUA gives us the parable:

Matthew 25:1-13 (Hebrew)

“And then the heavenly kingdom will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to the path to the BRIDEGROOM and the bride. Five of them were foolish and five of them were wise. And the five foolish ones did take their lamps. And while the bridegroom DELAYED to come, all ten virgins slept for long—until the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. A man shouted, ‘Get up! Behold the bridegroom is coming, go out to him to the path! Then all the virgins got up and LIT ALL THEIR LAMPS. And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.’ But the wise ones answered and said, ‘Perhaps it will be not sufficient for us, go to the sellers and buy for yourselves.’ But as they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready, entered with him into the wedding and the door was shut behind them. And afterwards came the foolish virgins, and cried, ‘Master, master, open for us! But He answered and said, ‘Truth I do not know who you are.’ Therefore you must be AWAKE, for you do not know the day and the hour.”

Just as the bride had to stay ready with lamps and oil, and even sleeping in her wedding dress because she did not now the day or the hour of the coming  of the bridegroom, is the same way we the bride of YESHUA must be ready because we also don’t know the day or the hour of His coming.

Coming for the bride

When the father finally tells the son that it is time for him to get his bride, the shofar is sounded and heard by all in the town which parallels:

Matthew 24:31 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“And  He will send out his angels with a GREAT SHOFAR; and they will gather together his chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Then the bride is picked up and put on a litter also known as a palanquin. A palanquin is defined by Oxford languages as “In India and THE EAST) a covered LITTER for ONE PASSENGER, consisting of a large box CARRIED on two horizontal poles by four or six bearers.”

Song of Solomon 3:7 (Aramaic Peshitta)

“Behold, the LITTER of Solomon is surrounded by sixty mighty men of the valiant of Israel.”

Amplified Bible

“Behold, it is the COUCH (PALANQUIN) of Solomon; sixty mighty men around it, of the mighty men of Israel”

NASB 1977 translation

“Behold, it is the TRAVELING COUCH of Solomon, sixty mighty men around it, of the mighty men of Israel.”

So, the bride is picked up, lifted into the air and placed on a litter, which parallels:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“For the Master Himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with ELOHIM’S SHOFAR; those who died united with Messiah will be the first to RISE; then we who are left still alive will be CAUGHT UP WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE MASTER IN THE AIR; and thus we will always be with the Master.”

So as bride is lifted up in the air and carried back to the fathers house of the bridegroom  for the wedding feast and to be with her husband forever, is how we will be lifted up in the air and carried back to His Father’s House for the marriage supper of the Lamb and to be with YESHUA forever.

The Marriage Supper

Once they bring the bride to the house of the father of the bridegroom is when the marriage supper takes place. Things are now in order for the second stage of the Hebrew wedding the consummation (Nisu’in).

Revelation 19:7-8 (Hebrew)

“Let us be glad and give Him honor, for the time of the WEDDING OF THE LAMB has come, and his wife prepared! And it was given to her to be clothed in fine linen, pure and good and beautiful.”

Once everyone is inside the door is shut!

Matthew 25:10

“But as they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready, ENTERED with him into the wedding AND THE DOOR WAS SHUT BEHIND THEM.”

Genesis 7:16 (Aramaic)

“And they that ENTERED, males, and females of every living thing went in, as ELOHIM had commanded him. Then YAHWEH SHUT HIM IN.”

This is a representation of those who are in covenant with YAHWEH will enter into the wedding feast, just as those who were in covenant with Him entered into the ark. Those who did not make it into the wedding feast are outside the covenant and will perish, just as those who did not make it on to the ark were not in covenant with YAHWEH and perished.

Wedding feasts in ancient Yisra’el usually lasted for seven days:

Tobit 11:19

“And the WEDDING of Toviyah was kept SEVEN DAYS WITH GREAT JOY.”

Judges 14:1-17 (Seputagint)

Verse 1-2 “And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath from the daughters of the Philistines. And he went up and told his father and his mother and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath from the daughters of the Philistines; and now take her for me AS A WIFE. Verse 10 “And his father went down to the woman and Samson made a banquet for SEVEN DAYS THERE, FOR SO THE YOUNG MEN ARE USED TO DO.” Verse 17 “And she (Samson’s wife) wept before him the SEVEN DAYS DURING WHICH THEIR BANQUET LASTED…”

Jubilees 28:8-9

“And Laban said to Jacob, “Let the SEVEN DAYS OF THE BANQUET of this one pass, and I will give you Rachel, that you may serve me another seven years, that you may pasture my sheep as you did in the former week.” And on the day when the SEVEN DAYS OF THE BANQUET of Leah had passed, Laban gave Rachel to Jacob, that he might serve him another seven years, and he gave Bilhah, the sister of Zilpah, to Rachel as a handmaid.”

I believe the seven-day theme is a representation of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and it’s connection with Passover.

Revelation 19:9 (Hebrew)

“Then he said to me, “Blessed are those whom He calls to EAT THE FEAST WITH THE LAMB.”

The footnote for “The Feast” says literally the “EVENING MEAL”.  And as we know according to scripture we eat Passover on the EVENING of the 14th Day of the 1st month which is the start of the 15th Day of the 1st month which ties it in with The Feast of Unleavened Bread. This would match the words of YESHUA when He said:

Matthew 26:27-29 (Hebrew)

“And afterwards He TOOK THE CUP and did a prayer of thanksgiving, and gave it to them, and said, “DRINK THIS-all of you, for this is the blood of the new, which will be shed to atone for your iniquities. And I say to you faithfully that from now and onward, I WILL NOT DRINK OF THIS SMOOTHNESS OF THE VINE UNTIL THAT DAY THAT I WILL DRINK IT WITH YOU ANEW IN THE KINGDOM OF MY FATHER.”

This was during Pesach (Passover) when He said these words, which is a beautiful match with this verse:

Jeremiah 38:8 (Septuagint)

“See, I bring them from the north and will gather them from the end of the earth to THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER: and the people shall beget a great multitude and they shall return here.”

So, YESHUA will not drink the fruit of the vine until He sees us in His Father’s Kingdom and I believe that feast is Passover THE EVENING MEAL as we saw in The Hebrew Revelation 19:9. Ancient Hebrew wedding feasts lasted for 7 Days just like Passover which is connected to The Feast of Unleavened Bread also lasts for 7 Days.

Exodus 12:18 (Samaritan Torah)

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month AT EVENING (Passover), you shall eat unleavened bread, until twenty-first day of the month at evening.”

The evening of the 14th at sunset is the start of the 15th, so we see: the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st is 7 DAYS like the 7 Day wedding feast.

I believe the connection to Passover is important because the perfect blood of the lamb was required for YAHWEH to PASSOVER AND PROTECT His people from death; likewise, this Passover the Marriage Supper of the Lamb shows that death PASSES OVER US FOREVER as we will be with Him for eternity.

Wedding feasts are celebrated with joy, just as we eat the Passover and celebrate it with joy:

Exodus 12:13 (Aramaic)

“For YAHWEH will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, YAHWEH will bring JOY to the doors and will not suffer the destroyer to come into your house to smite you.”

Jubilees 49:2

“For on this NIGHT-the beginning of the festival and the beginning of the JOY-you were eating the PASSOVER in Egypt, when all the powers of Mastema had been let loose to slay all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh to the first-born of the captive maid-servant in the mill, and to the cattle.”

Jasher 80:49

“And Bathia the daughter of Pharaoah went forth with the king on that night to seek Moses and Aaron in their houses, and they found them in their houses, eating and drinking and REJOICING with all Yisra’el.”

Also, just as all leavened bread which represents iniquity is removed out of our homes during during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so we likewise will be without iniquity in the house of YAHWEH forever.

Jubilees 1:22-28

“And YAHWEH said to Moses, “I know their defiance and their thoughts and their stubbornness. And they will not be obedient until they confess their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers. And after this they will turn to Me in ALL UPRIGHTNESS and with ALL THEIR HEART and with ALL THEIR BEING, and I will circumcise the foreskin of their heart and the foreskin of the heart of their seed, and I will create in them a set-apart spirt, and I will CLEANSE THEM so that they SHALL NOT TURN AWAY FROM ME FROM THAT DAY TO ETERNITY. And their beings will cling to Me and to all My commands, and they will fulfill My commands, and I will be their Father and they shall be My children. And they all shall be called children of the living EL, and every messenger and every spirit shall know, yes, they shall know that these are My children, and that I am their Father in uprightness and righteousness. And that I love them. And you: write down for yourself all these words which I declare to you on this mountain, the first and the last, which will come to pass in all the divisions of the days in the Torah and in the witness and in the weeks and the jubilees to eternity, until I descend and dwell with them in all ages OF ETERNITY.” And He said to the messenger of the presence, “Write for Moses from the beginning of creation until My DWELLING-PLACE has been built among them for all eternity. And YAHWEH will appear to the eyes of all, and all will know that I am the ELOHIM of Yisra’el and the Father of all the children of Jacob, and King on Mount Zion for all eternity. And Zion and Jerusalem shall be set-apart.”

So, I ask you all, are you ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? Or you walking in covenant with YAHWEH by trusting in His Son YESHUA and keeping the commandments of the Torah? If not, it’s time to drink the cup of joy which is the torah of joy, repent and enter into covenant with YAHWEH, because YESHUA will come at a time when you least expect it, and you do not want to have the door shut in your face and hear the words “I never knew you!” For those who are walking in covenant with YAHWEH, keep clinging to YESHUA and do not let go, stay awake and be ready by having  oil for your lamps as we await His return. HalleluYAHWEH!

As always may YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!

High-Shabbat: First Day of First month

The beginning of the year on YAHWEH’s calendar begins in the Spring (Aviv) when things like flowers and trees are coming back to life as they began to bloom again, and it begins to warm up outside. The New Year does not occur in the fall as Judaism falsely claims on their civil calendar, which they call Rosh Hashanah when things are beginning to die and it gets cold outside. This year on the Zadok Priestly Calendar the FIRST Day of the FIRST month will be on March 22nd. And this day is important because it is a High-Shabbat, a Day of Remembrance, a Feast Day, and the beginning of the spring season.

Exodus 12:1

“And YAHWEH spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month is the BEGINNING OF MONTHS for you, it is the FIRST MONTH of the year for you.”

We are to blow the shofar at the beginning of every month; therefore, blowing the shofar would be included as a part of our observance for the First Day of the First Month.

Numbers 10:10

“And in the day of your gladness, and in your appointed times, and at the BEGINNING OF YOUR MONTHS you shall blow the trumpets over your ascending offerings and over your slaughtering’s of peace offerings. And they shall be a remembrance for you before your ELOHIM. I am יהוה (YAHWEH) your ELOHIM.””

Psalms 81:3

“Blow a shofar in the NEW MONTH, in the covering for the day of our festival.”

The First Day of the First month is the start of the spring season, so we are to blow the shofar, have a feast, and do no work because it is a HIGH-SHABBAT as it is recorded in the Temple Scroll that was found in the Dead Scrolls in cave #11.

Temple Scroll page 287-289 Column 14:9-11

“And on the FIRST DAY of the FIRST MONTH, THE FIRST OF THE MONTHS, which is the BEGINNING OF THE MONTHS of the year. Any laborious work you shall NOT DO-EXCEPT FOR WHAT IS TO BE EATEN by each person this only you may prepare for yourselves.”

This is the same directive we are given during the Feast of Unleavened Bread where our Father YAHWEH says we can cook on the first and seventh day of Feast of Unleavened Bread, because they are High-Shabbats, but we cannot work on those days, and the same applies to the first day of the first month.

Exodus 12:15-16 (Samaritan Torah)

“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the FIRST DAY (HIGH-SHABBAT) you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, and that soul shall be cut off from Yisra’el. And on the FIRST DAY( HIGH-SHABBAT) you shall have a set-apart reading, and a set-apart reading on the SEVENTH DAY (HIGH-SHABBAT). NO WORK at all shall be done on them, EXCEPT WHAT MUST BE EATEN by every soul, that alone may be PREPARED BY YOU.”

We can prepare food because it’s a feast day and it matches what we see being done in the following scriptures:

Jubilees 6:23-28

“And on the FIRST of the FIRST MONTH (Spring/March 22nd), and on the of the first of fourth month (summer), and on the first of the seventh month (fall), and on the first of the tenth month (winter) are the DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE, and the days of the seasons in the four divisions of the year. These are written and ordained as a testimony FOREVER. And Noah ordained them for himself as FEASTS for the generations FOREVER, so that they have become thereby a memorial unto him. And on the FIRST of the FIRST MONTH he was bidden to make for himself an ark, and on that (day) the earth became dry and he opened (the ark) and saw the earth. And on the first of the fourth month the mouths of the depths of the abyss beneath were closed. And on the first of the seventh month all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened, and the waters began to descend into them. And on the first of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen, and Noah was glad. And on this account he ordained them for himself as feasts for a memorial forever, and thus are they ordained.”

Jubilees 7:2-3

 “And in the seventh week in the first year, in the this jubilee, Noah planted vines on the mountain on which the ark rested, named Lubar, one of the Mountains of Ararat, and they produced fruit in the fourth year. And he made wine from them and put it into a vessel, and kept it until the fifth year, until the FIRST DAY, on the FIRST OF THE FIRST MONTH. And he celebrated with joy the day of this FEAST, and he made a burnt sacrifice unto YAHWEH, one young ox and one ram, and seven sheep, each a year old, and a kid of the goats, that he might make atonement thereby for himself and his sons.”

Genesis Apocryphon 12:13-15 (Found in the Dead Sea Scrolls cave #1)

“And I (Noah), with all my sons, began to cultivate the earth. I planted a large vineyard on Mount Lubar, and in the fourth year it produced much wine for me, and I brought down all the wine. When the FIRST FEAST came, on the FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH, which is in the FIRST MONTH…of my vineyard. I opened the vessel and began to drink from it on the first day of the fifth year.”

We currently don’t know exactly how the feasts were celebrated, but we can clearly see it was a feast day as recorded in Jubilees and Genesis Apocryphon, and a high-shabbat according to the Temple Scroll. Outside of the obvious of doing no work, I would suggest cooking good food on the grill or a good meal in general, remembering the events of the flood account by reading Genesis and Jubilees for the remembrance portion, recognizing it is the beginning of a new season, and blowing the shofar.

 I and others strongly believe it was the First Day of the First month when Saul was having a feast and David was going to go, which would show that they were familiar with the Zadok Priestly Calendar. However, it’s not clear as to why Saul held a three-day feast.

1 Samuel 20:5

“And Daviḏ said to Jonathan, “See, tomorrow is the CHODESH NEW MONTH, and I ought to be DINING with the king.. But let me go, and I shall hide in the field until the THIRD DAY at evening.”

1 Samuel 20:18

“Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is CHODESH (NEW MONTH), and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.”

1 Samuel 20:24

“And Daviḏ hid in the field. And when the CHODESH (NEW MONTH) came, the sovereign sat down by the food to EAT.”

Again, there is strong reason to believe it was the First Day of the First Month because on the Zadok Priestly Calendar the First Day of the First Month always falls on a Wednesday the fourth day of the week. So, in 1 Samuel 20:5 we read that David said he would hide for THREE days, and three days from Wednesday would be the 7th Day Shabbat (Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night) just as it on the Zadok Priestly Calendar. The only reason David could not participate in the meal is because Saul intended to do David harm but was warned by Jonathan to flee. David was very familiar with the 364 Day Solar Calendar because he wrote a song for each day of the year. According to the book “The meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls” the solar calendar which is found in Enoch and Jubilees PREDATES the Qumran community and thus proving its ancient origin. In the “. Here is a description of the contents of the “Great Psalms Scroll”  which found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Wikipedia states:

The 364 songs for the daily sacrifice and other items (fifty-two Sabbath songs, and thirty songs for monthly offerings and festivals) show that this Psalter was arranged in accordance with the year, weeks, and months of the 364-day solar calendar. Thus David is associated with the calendar evident in the books of 1 Enoch and Jubilees, and used by the Yahad Essenes at Qumran and elsewhere.

David’s Compositions (11QPsa, col. 27:1–11)

Now David, son of Jesse, was wise, and he shined like the light of the sun. And he was a scribe, and discerning, and blameless in all his ways before ELOHIM and humankind. YAHWEH gave him a discerning and shining spirit, so that he wrote:

·         Psalms: 3,600.

·         Songs to sing before the altar over the daily perpetual offering for all the days of the year: 364.

·          For the Sabbath offerings: 52 songs.

·         For the new month offerings, all the festival days, and the Day of Atonement: 30 songs.

·         The total for all the songs that he composed was 446.

·         Also, songs for making music over people afflicted by demons:

·         And the sum total (Psalms and Songs) was 4,050.

·         All of these he composed through prophecy, which was given to him by the Most High.

Other events on the First Day of the First Month:

Jubilees 28:14

“And again Jacob went in to Leah, and she conceived, and bare him a third son, and he called his name Levi, on the FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH in the sixth year of this week.”

Exodus 40:1-2 (Samaritan Torah)

“And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, on the FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH you shall set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. And you shall put in it the Ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the mercy seat. And you shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it, and you shall bring in the menorah and light its candles. And you shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put up the screen for the gate of the tabernacle. And you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the gate of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. And you shall set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water therein. And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen at the court gate.”

Exodus 40:17 (Samaritan Torah)

“And it came to pass in the FIRST MONTH in the second year since their exodus from Egypt, ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, the tabernacle was raised.”

Animal sacrifices were required on the First Day of the First Month according to the Temple Scroll, so this was the start of them being able to do so now that the Tabernacle was being set up for the first time.

Temple Scroll page 287-289 Column 14:9-13

“And on the first day of the first month, the first of the months, which is the beginning of the months of the year. Any laborious work you shall NOT do-EXCEPT FOR WHAT IS TO BE EATEN by each person this only you may prepare for yourselves.” And you shall make a burnt-offering for YAHWEH: one male calf, one ram, seven yearling lambs, unblemished, and one goat for the purification offering besides the monthly burnt offering…”

The Tabernacle was set up in the BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR and makes me think of when YESHUA comes to reign on earth that it will be the BEGINNING OF NEW YEARS of Righteous rule from the Righteous King with Him reigning for 1,000 years in the Temple.

I pray that this helps you as we return to the ancient paths of worship and as always may YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

Was Torah given by ELOHIM or angels?

We read the Old Testament that ELOHIM gave the Torah to Moses on the mountain, but the New Testament says it was given by malachim (angels). What really happened? Is this a contradiction  as some have said?

Old Testament scriptures:

Exodus 31:18 (Samaritan Torah)

“And He gave to Moses, when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony written by the Finger of ELOHIM.”

Exodus 32:15-16 (Samaritan Torah)

“And Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands, tablets were written on both sides, they were written on one side and the other. And the tablets were ELOHIM’s work, and the writing was ELOHIM’s writing engraved on the tablets.”

Exodus 34:1 (Samaritan Torah)

“And YAHWEH said to Moses, cut out for yourself two tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered.”

Deuteronomy 5:28 (Samaritan Torah)

“And you, stand here by Me, that I shall SPEAK to you all the commandments, the statues, and the judgments which you shall TEACH THEM, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess.”

Jubilees 1:4

“And Moses was on the Mount forty days and forty nights, and YAHWEH TAUGHT him what was and what will be, and the division of all the days of the Torah and of the witness.”

New Testament scriptures:

Acts 7:51-53 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“Stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You continually oppose the RUACH HA’KODESH (THE SET-APART SPIRIT)! You do the same things your fathers did! Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who told in advance about the coming of the Righteous, and now you have become his betrayers and murders! --- You!--- who receive the Torah as having been delivered by angels (malachim)—but do not keep it!”

Galatians 3:19 (Aramaic Peshitta)

“Then what is the use of the law (Torah)? It was added because of transgression, till the coming of the heir to whom the promise was made; and the law was given by angels by the hand of a Mediator.”

Hebrews 2:2 (Aramaic Peshitta)

“For if the word spoken by angels has been affirmed, and everyone who has heard it transgressed it has received a just reward…”

So, do we have a contradiction? Or is there something we may have missed? Let us examine further:

Jubilees 30:18 (Malach/Angel of the presence speaking)

“And the seed of Levi was chosen for the PRIESTHOOD and to be LEVITES, that they might minister before YAHWEH, AS WE DO (Malachim/angels), continually, and that Levi and his sons may be blessed forever….”

Another witness to this is the “Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice,” which was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. Eight manuscripts were found in cave #4 and one manuscript was found in cave #11. Here is a brief summary from ibiblio.org:

4Q403 (ShirShabbd)
Parchment
Copied mid-first century B.C.E
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

“The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, also known as the “Angelic Liturgy,” is a liturgical work composed of thirteen separate sections, one for each of the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year. The songs evoke angelic praise and elaborate ANGELIC PRIESTHOOD, the heavenly temple, and the Sabbath worship in that temple.”

So, the malachim/angels minister in the heavens in a Priest and Levite role just as earthly Levites and Priests did in the temple on earth and of course YESHUA is the High Priest. Everything that is done on earth with YAHWEH’s people is a shadow of what is in the heavens, so it only makes sense that this would be the case.

Hebrews 8:3-5 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so this high priest too has to have something he can offer. Now if He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a priest at all, since there already are priests offering the gifts required by the Torah. But what they are serving is only A COPY AND SHADOW OF THE HEAVENLY ORIGINAL; for when Moses was about to erect the Tent, ELOHIM warned him, “See to it that you make everything ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN YOU WERE SHOWN ON THE MOUNTAIN.”

So, seeing that the Levitical priesthood is a copy of what is being done in the heavens, we can look at the role of priests and Levites. One of the roles of the priests and Levites was to teach the Torah to the people, so keep this in mind.

Deuteronomy 33:10 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“They (Levites) will TEACH Jacob Your rulings, Israel Your TORAH. They will set incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.”

Nehemiah 8:9 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the COHEN (PRIEST) AND TORAH-TEACHER and the LEVITES WHO TAUGHT THE PEOPLE said to all the people, “Today is consecrated to YAHWEH your ELOHIM; don’t be mournful, don’t weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the Torah.”

So, we have Ezra who is the Priest and Torah teacher (As YESHUA is our High Priest who taught us how to walk out Torah as YAHWEH intended) and the Levites (As the angels are described in Jubilees 30:18) all teaching the Torah to the people.

Malachi 2:7-9 (Parenthesis mine)

“A COHEN’S (PRIESTS) lips should safeguard knowledge, and people should SEEK TORAH FROM HIS MOUTH, because he is the MESSENGER OF YAHWEH (Jubilees 30:18 malachim/angels are also messengers) of YAHWEH. But you turned away from the path, you caused many to fail IN THE TORAH, you corrupted the covenant of LEVI,” says YAHWEH-Tsva’ot (Hosts). Therefore I have in turn made you contemptible and vile before all the people, because you did not keep MY WAYS but were partial in APPLYING THE TORAH.”

Leviticus 10:8-11 (Samaritan Torah)

“And YAHWEH then spoke to Aaron (high priest), saying, do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, that you will not die. It is a perpetual statute throughout your generations. And to make a distinction between the set-apart and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean (Ezekiel 22:26). And to TEACH the Sons of Yisra’el ALL THE STATUES (LAWS) which YAHWEH has spoken to them THROUGH MOSES (TORAH).”

Testament of Rueben 6:8

“Therefore I command you to listen to LEVI, because he will KNOW THE TORAH OF YAHWEH, and will give STATUTES for judgment and will slaughter for all Yisra’el until the end of the times, as the anointed High Priest, of whom YAHWEH spoke.”

Testament of Levi 9:6-7

“And Isaac called me (Levi) continually to put me in remembrance of the Torah of YAHWEH, even as the messenger of YAHWEH showed me.” And he taught me the Torah of the priesthood, of slaughtering’s, ascension offerings, first-fruits, freewill offerings, and peace offerings.”

Testament of Levi 14:3-4

“For as the heaven is purer in the sight of YAHWEH than the earth, so also you (sons of Levi) should be, as the LIGHTS OF YISRA’EL, purer than all the nations. But if you are darkened through transgressions, what, therefore, will all the nations do, who live in blindness? Yes, you will bring a curse upon our race, because the LIGHT OF THE TORAH-which was given to LIGHTEN EVERY MAN- you desire to destroy by teaching commands contrary to the judgments of ELOHIM.”

How does scripture define light?

Proverbs 6:23

“For the command is a lamp, and the TORAH A LIGHT.”

So, the Levites were chosen to be LIGHTS OF YISRA’EL by teaching Israelites the TORAH which is LIGHT.

So, what is the conclusion? Our ELOHIM gave the Torah to Moses and wrote it with His finger, but the malachim/angels were also present and were helping to teach the Torah to Moses which is one of the roles of priests and Levites, and a role they serve in the heavens. But let’s add one more layer to this it will become even clearer. Going back to this scripture from Paul shows it:

Galatians 3:19 (Aramaic Peshitta)

“Then what is the use of the law (Torah)? It was added because of transgression, till the coming of the heir to whom the promise was made; and the law was given by angels by the hand of a Mediator.”

Who is the Mediator?

1 Timothy 2:4 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“He wants all humanity to be delivered and come to full knowledge of the truth. For ELOHIM is ONE, and there is but ONE MEDIATOR between EL and humanity, YESHUA the Messiah, Himself human, who gave himself as a ransom on behalf of all, thus providing testimony to ELOHIM’s purpose at just the right time.”

Testament of Dan 6:1-2

“And now, fear YAHWEH, my children, and beware of Satan and his spirits. Draw near to ELOHIM and to the MESSENGER that MEDIATES for you, for He is a MEDIATOR BETWEEN ELOHIM AND MAN, and for the peace of Yisra’el He will stand up against the kingdom of the enemy.”

YESHUA is the Mediator! Also an Malach/Angel was ONE of His manifestations that we see in Exodus 23:20-21, the Angel who had the power to forgive transgressions and YAHWEH’s Name in Him as YESHUA means YAHWEH is Salvation.

John 1:29 (Hebrew Gospels)

“And on the next day Yochanan (John) saw YESHUA who came unto him; and he said, “Behold, this is EL (God), who takes away the iniquities from the world.”

John 1:35-36 (Hebrew Gospels)

“And on another day, Yochanan and two of his talmidim (disciples) stood again, looking at YESHUA as He walked and said, “Behold the MALACH (Angel) of YAHWEH.”

All of this matches when we connect it back to Acts when Stephen was speaking:

Acts 7:38 (Parenthesis mine)

“This is the man (Moses) who was in the assembly in the wilderness, accompanied by the MALACH (ANGEL) that had SPOKEN TO HIM AT MOUNT SINAI and by our fathers, the man who was given LIVING WORDS (10 COMMANDMENTS) to pass on to us.”

Therefore, we see that YESHUA (The High Priest) gave the Torah to Moses written by His finger and the angels in their roles as Levites/Priests were with Him teaching Moses the Torah, and there is no contradiction, but rather a complete picture of what occurred on the mountain.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

Women should be silent! What does this mean?

The words of Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:34 has caused much confusion and has been interpreted several different ways, many have been extreme saying a woman should not speak at all, and others ignore these scriptures all together and have women leading the congregation.  So, we will examine what Paul is really saying using the Aramaic scriptures and prayerfully clear up the confusion surrounding these passages. As I have already stated in the message titled “Wives submit to your husbands!” I listed many witnesses from the scriptures that women should not preach, lead a congregation, nor have authority over a man. Men and women have different roles within a marriage and within the Body of Messiah and must be followed according to the hierarchy that the scriptures outline for us. So, what do we make of Paul’s writings when he says a woman should be silent in the congregation?

1 Corinthians 14:33-34 (Complete Jewish Bible)

“For ELOHIM is not a ELOHIM of unruliness but of shalom (peace). As in all the congregations of ELOHIM’S people, let the wives REMAIN SILENT when the congregation meets; they are certainly not permitted to SPEAK OUT. Rather, let them remain subordinate, as also the Torah says (Genesis 3:16); and if there is something they want to know, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for a woman to SPEAK OUT in a congregational meeting.”

Notice Paul says she is not allowed to SPEAK OUT! So what does not speaking out mean? Let’s examine another scripture.

1 Timothy 2:11-14 (Lamsa’s Aramaic Peshitta)

“Let the woman LEARN IN SILENCE with all subjection. I do not think it seemly for a woman to DEBATE PUBLICLY or otherwise usurp the authority of men, but she should be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and she transgressed the law.”

1 Timothy 2:11-12 (Aramaic English New Testament)

“Let a woman LEARN IN SILENCE, with all submission: for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in STILLNESS.”

Stillness is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “as in silence, incapacity for OR RESTRAINT from speaking; as in quietness.”

As we see in both letters from Paul is that the directive is during a congregational setting, which means that a message was being preached to the assembly. This is why Paul says that the woman must “learn in silence”, meaning she is listening to the message being delivered and thus “learning” from what is being preached.   Also, the other key words that were mentioned was that a woman should “not debate publicly” nor “speak out” in the congregation.

So, the message that is being conveyed by Paul is one we have to view from the Hebraic lens of how they conducted themselves in the assembly. During a congregational meeting the pastor would preach to the assembly and the men would ask questions or possibly interrupt the speaker when there was something they did not understand which would qualify as a form of debating, which is why the Aramaic stated “debate publicly”; however, a woman could not interrupt the speaker and get involved in the discussion. In other words, when brothers and sisters come together in the congregation and a message is being preached, then the woman should learn in silence and if she disagrees with something that is said or does not understand it, then she is not allowed to “speak out” which means to “publicly debate” with the congregational leader. She is to wait until they leave the assembly and ask her husband at home. To be fair not everyone woman is married and have no husband to ask; therefore, she would be able to ask the pastor or elders outside of the congregational meeting and they should make themselves available to answer their questions.

 If Paul meant that a woman could not speak at all, then how would she be able to prophesy (which is not teaching), pray, sing or teach the young women and children? That would contradict what he wrote in Titus.

Titus 2:2-5 (Aramaic English New Testament)

“And so also the elder women that they be in behavior as is becoming to the Fear of ELOHIM; and not be slanderers; and not be addicted o much wine; and to be TEACHERS of beautiful things, making the younger women to be modest, to love their husbands and their children, to be chaste and Set-Apart and to take good care of their households and to be obedient to their husbands, so that no one may reproach the Word of ELOHIM.”

Footnote #3 in the Aramaic English New Testament says “The concern in 1 Timothy seems not so much about WOMEN SPEAKING, but to NOT SPEAK OUT OF TURN WHILE THE OFFICAL LEADER IS TEACHING. Surely, such action is disrespectful universally; neither is it normal for men to be given such liberty. Shaul encourages the older and spiritually mature women to both teach and be examples for the YOUNGER WOMEN, as they are able to help safeguard young men and women from “worldly lusts.” We don’t see endorsement of women CONGREGATINAL LEADERS in Paul’s writings, but we certainly do see encouragement for women to exercise leadership in modesty and be Set Apart unto YHWH.”

Adam Clarke writes concerning 1 Corinthians 14:34 “It is evident from the context that the apostle refers here to ASKING QUESTIONS, and what we call dictating in the assemblies. It was permitted to any man to ASK QUESTIONS to object, altercate, attempt to refute in the synagogue, but this was NOT allowed for women. St. Paul confirms this reference also to the Christian church; he orders them to keep silence; and, if they wished to learn anything, let them inquire of their husbands at home; because it was perfectly indecorous for women to be CONTENDING WITH MEN IN THE PUBLC ASSEMBLIES, on points on doctrine, cases of conscience, etc. But this by no means intimated that when a woman received any particular influence from ELOHIM to enable her to teach, that she was not to obey that influence; on the contrary, she was to obey it, and the apostle lays down directions in chap. 11 for regulating her personal appearance when thus employed. All that the apostle opposes here is their questioning, finding fault, disputing, etc…”

This matches exactly what is written in the Aramaic that a woman should not debate publicly but to learn in silence and Clarke also says that this does not mean a woman could not say anything at all and references 1 Corinthians 11, which is about praying and prophesying, not about teaching and we have seen that Paul says that women should teach the women and children. This cannot contradict what Clarke wrote saying “what we call dictating in the assemblies”. Dictating is defined by Collins dictionary as to prescribe or command forcefully, to impose or give orders with or as with authority, to give orders or instructions arbitrarily, which is not the role of a woman to be a congregational leader.

So, in conclusion Paul is saying that a woman should not have authority over a man and that she cannot ask questions during a gathering/congregational meeting because she should not debate publicly; therefore, she is to present her questions to her husband at home. And for anyone who dismisses Paul and writes him off as a false apostle, I want to point out that Polycarp was a direct disciple of John who walked with YESHUA, and he endorsed Paul in Chapters 3, 9, and 11 in his letter to the Philippians in 108 AD. So, we have ancient witnesses confirming that Paul was legit.

 I pray that this has cleared up any confusion and that we all continue to return to the ancient paths of worship as our ancestors did.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!