YOUR TALK, TALKS AND YOUR WALK TALKS. DOES YOUR WALK-TALK
THE SAME AS YOUR TALK-TALKS?
This
study is to help to define and explain what the Yahudim (“the Jews”) of the
first century termed “halacha” or “the Way”.
It is probably the most important and yet least understood concept in
modern “Christianity”. The restoration
of all things necessitates all believers by favor through faith understand and return
to “the Way” (halacha).
Acts
9:2 “Shaul asked from him letters to the congregations of Damascus, so that if
he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, to
bring them bound to Yahrushalayim.”
Acts
19:9 “But when some were hardened and did not believe, speaking evil of the Way before
the crowd, he withdrew from them and separated the taught ones, reasoning daily
in the school of Turannos.”
Acts
19:23 “And about that time there came to be a great commotion about the Way.”
Acts
24:14 “And this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I
worship the Elohim of my fathers, believing all that has been written in the
Torah and in the Prophets,”
Acts
24:22 “And having heard this, having known more exactly about the Way,
Felix put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I shall
decide your case.”
The
title of this paper I first heard spoken by my father, Robert Henry McDuffie
Jr. I do not know if he originally came
up with this saying or if he was quoting someone else. He is a lifelong Christian and a Southern
Baptist minister. I love my father very
much. He and my mother raised me, the
best they knew how, in a loving and safe environment. They were greatly instrumental in laying the
foundation of faith in my life and for that I cannot help but be eternally grateful.
However,
as an adult my journey of faith has been much different than that of my
father’s. Our independent study and
understanding of “The Scriptures” had led us farther and farther apart in what
we believe to be true about Yahweh Elohim and His plan of redemption for His
people, most commonly called Yisrael. It
is important to note that my father and I still do agree on many of the
foundational Truths of “The Scriptures”; such as the literal six day special
creation account of Bereshith (Genesis), the literal word inspiration of “The
Scriptures” and that salvation is only found by favor through faith through the
finished work of the cross of Yahoshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
It
goes without saying, it is our fallen human nature to focus more on our
differences rather than our common beliefs and that is probably why most of
society is so sectarian in nature.
Whether religion or politics we most often gravitate toward those who
are the most like minded and in some way reject those who are different. It also universally true that we are more
judgmental of our closest family members and friends than we are of ourselves
and strangers, myself included.
The
fact of the matter is, there are literally thousands of differing expressions
of the “Christian” faith and experience.
Almost every one of these expressions claims to believe in “the Bible”
and in “Jesus Christ”. So how come we
all disagree so adamantly about what the Bible teaches to be true? Is the Bible really so confusing that we
cannot understand it as one body of Messiah or have we the sheeple allowed the
faith once delivered to the saints to be hijacked and derailed by those who mean
to rule over us?
Ephesians
6:11-12 “Put on the complete armour of Elohim, for you to have power to stand
against the schemes of the
Devil. v.12 Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against authorities, against the world-rulers of the
darkness of this age, against spiritual matters of wickedness in the
heavenlies.”
The
aim of this study is to simply and clearly explain what Yahoshua the Messiah
and the apostles meant for us to understand by their own testimonies and out of
this understanding for us to leave behind our differing expressions of division
and to become the one new man in Messiah Yahoshua that was intended from ages
long ago by the mouth of the prophets.
Ephesians
2:11-19 “Therefore remember that you, once gentiles in the flesh, (Note
the past tense usage of gentiles also see 1 Cor. 12:2) who are called ‘the
uncircumcision’ by what is called ‘the circumcision’ made in the flesh by hands,
v.12 that at that time you were without Messiah, excluded
from the citizenship of Yisra’ĕl and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no expectation and
without Elohim in the world. v.13 But now in Messiah יהושע you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. v.14 For He is our
peace, who has made
both one, and having broken down the partition of the barrier, v.15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity – of the Torah of the commands in dogma – so as to
create in Himself one
renewed man from the two, thus making peace, v.16 and to
completely restore to favour both of them unto Elohim in one body
through the stake, having destroyed the enmity by it. v.17 And having come, He
brought as Good News peace to you who were far off, and peace to those near.
v.18 Because through Him
we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. V.19 So then you are no longer strangers and
foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the set-apart ones and members of the household of Elohim,”1
Footnote: 1Rom. 11:17-24, Isa. 14:1.
THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES?
Approximately AD 40 the first gentile convert, a Roman
Centurion, by the name of Cornelius, professed Yahoshua the Messiah and
received the gift of Ruach ha Chodesh (the Set-apart Spirit). (Acts 10)
From that time to approximately AD 50 the gospel of Yahoshua ha MaShiach
rapidly spread to the gentile nations.
(From “The Scriptures”, a gentile is defined as anyone who is not in
covenant with the Elohim of Abraham, Yitshak (Isaac) and Ya ‘acob. For this reason alone it would be an oxymoron
for anyone to refer to themselves as a gentile Christian. You can be either a believer in Yahoshua or a
gentile. According to the full counsel
of “The Scriptures” it is impossible to be both.)
It was during this period of time that a very important question
was brought, before the apostles, in Yahrushalayim, by sincere believers in
Yahoshua, who were in urgent need of an immediate answer. It is this question and its answer that would
forever shape the history of the local assembly of believers in Yahoshua the Messiah. HaSatan (The Devil) and His armies knew this
to be true and thus have done everything possible to distort the question asked
and the answer given for over 1,900 years.
The devilish hosts overwhelming success in accomplishing
this has brought the local assemblies all over the world into a state of great
confusion and sincere delusion.
Amazingly, all of this was prophetically foretold and is actually yet
another great fulfillment of prophecy and is thus another authentification of
the divine inspiration of “The Scriptures”.
(For more information on this subject here is the link to the study
“DANIEL 7 ANTI-HA MASHIACH UNMASKED”.)
We find the question, in question, in Acts 15:1.
“And
certain men came down from
Yahuḏah and were teaching the
brothers, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the practice of Mosheh, you
are unable to be saved.”
The question is restated in
Acts 15:5.
“And some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the
Pharisees, rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to
command them to keep the Torah of Mosheh.”
According
to these two verses the important question that was brought before the council
of the apostles was whether you needed to be circumcised and keep the Torah of
Mosheh (Moses) in order to be saved (gentile conversion). There can be no mistaking what this dispute
is all about. It is all about what is
the required of any gentile, who is outside of the covenant Heaven established
with Abraham, (Bereshith / Genesis 15), and later with Yisrael, (Shemoth /
Exodus 12 & 19), who desires to convert and come into the eternal covenant
and enjoin oneself to the house of Yisrael.
(Note: First, it is extremely important to know, it
is an absolute imperical, historical fact, the house of Yisrael in the first
century AD 30 was solely represented by the tribe of Yahudah (Judah), along
with his brothers Benyamin and Levi, collectively called “the Jews”, today. The vast majority of the other ten tribes of northern
Yisrael were in Diaspora (living outside of the promised land of their
inheritance) ever since BC 723/722 until the present time. If you do not know this is 100% true, for
yourself, you can watch Jim Staley’s teaching, “IDENTITY CRISIS” on YAH-TUBE or
you can read J.H. Allen’s book, “JUDAH’S SCEPTRE AND JOSEPH’S BIRTH
RIGHT”.
Second,
for those who do not know: Torah primarily means “The Instructions” and is
comprised of the first five books of the Bible, called, Bereshith/Genesis,
Shemoth/Exodus, Way yiqra/Leviticus, Bemidbar/Numbers and
Debarim/Deuteronomy. However, all of
“The Scriptures” are,
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving
Earth
and
in a much broader sense, “The Torah”, can mean the entire cannon of both the
Old and New Testament Scriptures. e.g. Yahonan / John 10:34, Yahoshua is
referencing Mismore / Psalm 82:6 and yet He calls it “The Torah”!
Third,
salvation is defined as being justified worthy in the eyes of Heaven. It is as though you are a righteous man or
woman without sin. Justification = Just
As If You Have Never Sinned!)
In
other words we are dealing with the single most important question of “The
Scriptures”. How do the gentiles (those
who are outside of the covenant) enter into eternal life? This is why the answer was so urgently sought
from the apostles who were residing in Yahrushalayim.
The
problem with most of our understanding of “The Scriptures” today is that we are
thousands of years removed from the time it was first written and most of us do
not have any real grasp on the historical context of what we are reading and
studying. The end result for most of us
is that we are trying to apply twenty-first century thinking to first century
writings. It simply does not work.
According
to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, this problem found in Acts 15 is nothing
new. It is a historical fact, that in the
first century AD 30, there were at least five different sects of
Pharisees. (Pharisees were the primarily
recognized religious rulers in the land of Yahudah during the time of Yahoshua
and His disciples.) One of these
religious sects of Pharisees required that any male gentile who desired to
convert, and come into the covenant Heaven established with Abraham and enjoin
Himself to the house of Yisrael, must become circumcised and learn the Torah of
Mosheh. This conversion process would
have taken a minimum of three years.
I
have copied and pasted the following from the Wikipedia web site @
Early debate on requirement for
circumcision
According to the Jewish Encyclopedia article on circumcision of proselytes[16], in
the 1st century CE, before
the Mishnah
was edited, the requirement for circumcision of proselytes was an open issue between the zealots and
liberal parties in ancient Israel. R. Joshua argued that besides accepting Jewish beliefs and laws, a prospective
convert to Judaism must undergo immersion in a mikveh. In
contrast, R. Eliezer makes circumcision a condition for the
conversion. A similar controversy between the Shammaites and the Hillelites is given regarding a proselyte born without a foreskin: the former demanding the spilling of a drop of blood of
the covenant; the latter declaring it to be unnecessary.[17]
In discussions about the necessity
of circumcision for those born of a Jewish mother, lending some support to the
need for circumcision of converts, the Midrash
states: "If thy sons accept My Godhead [by undergoing circumcision] I
shall be their God and bring them into the land; but if they do not observe My
covenant in regard either to circumcision or to the Sabbath,
they shall not enter the land of promise" (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xlvi). "The Sabbath-keepers who are not circumcised are intruders, and deserve punishment," (Midrash
Deut. Rabbah i).
However, the opposing view is supported in the Babylonian Talmud: "A male convert who has been
immersed but not circumcised, or circumcised but not immersed, is a convert."
As
you can see, the issue of what is required for a gentile to convert and come
into covenant was a contentious and divisive one for sure. Once again it is important to recognize that
the issue at hand is all about conversion!
What is the requirement for gentiles to come into covenant with the
Elohim of Abraham and enjoin oneself to the house of Yisrael. Among the Yahudim (incorrectly called the
Jews), the converted, and the gentiles this question persists till this day and
there is still much confusion and divisiveness due to the many various
sectarian beliefs.
However, from “The Scriptures”
all believers in Yahoshua the Messiah have received the correct and final answer. So it is really a matter of will we hear and
obey, (shema – Debarim 6:4-9), the Word of Yahweh as given to us by His
emissaries (the apostles). Here is the official
answer as recorded in Acts 15:19-21.
v.19
“Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who
are turning to Elohim, v.20 but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what
is strangled, and from blood.
v.21 “For from ancient generations Mosheh (Moses) has, in every city, those
proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.”
It
is also recorded in Acts 15:28-29.
v.28
“For it seemed good to the Set-apart Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no
greater burden than these necessities: v.29 that you abstain from what is offered to idols, and
blood, and what is strangled, and whoring. If you keep yourselves from
these, you shall do well. Be strong!”
It
is recorded a third time in Acts 21:25
v.25
“But
concerning the gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they
should keep themselves from what is
offered to idols, and blood, and what is strangled, and whoring.”
It
seems pretty straight forward doesn’t it? However, the way most of “the NT church”
tries to interpret and explain these verses you would think that these are the only
four basic requirements for any gentile who desires to convert to
“Christianity”. Well if this is true
then what about the part about loving Elohim and loving your neighbour?
Mattithyahu
22:37-40 “And יהושע said to him, “ ‘You shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your
being, and with all your mind.’ v.38 “This is the first and great command. v.39
“And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ v.40
“On these two commands hang all the Torah and the Prophets.”
What
about not stealing and not lying? This
isn’t mentioned anywhere in Acts 15. In
addition, according to “Dake’s Annotated Bible” there are 1050 commands in the
New Testament alone. Who are all these
commands for? Are they just for Yahudah
and not at all for the gentiles who convert to “the Way”?
Another
valid point is that most of “the churches” do not bother to teach these four
requirements to new converts at the time of their conversion. For most westernized “churches” the only
requirement to convert and be a “Christian” is to simply believe. Ask yourself, when was the last time you
heard any of these requirements mentioned, much less taught to sinners, in any
detailed explanation, before they said “the sinners prayer” and “gave their
heart to Jesus”.
ARE
GENTILES CALLED TO REPENT OR TO CONVERT?
Contrary
to current popular thinking, words really do have meaning. It is my opinion that one of the greatest
weapons of our enemy, the Devil, is to get us to change the meaning of the
words in our Bibles. The original
purpose of the first Webster’s dictionary was to establish the meaning of the
words in the King James Version of “The Scriptures”. This was / is necessary because of man’s
devilish propensity to change the meaning of the words we communicate with.
In
my lifetime I have watched the common word “gay” change meaning two different
times. What once meant “happy” came to
be understood as “homosexual” and now is used as a negative term meaning
“unaccepted, unfashionable and out-dated”.
The
primary message of all of the prophets, Yahonan the cousin of the Messiah
Yahoshua, Yahoshua ha MaShiach and all His disciples can be summed up in just
one word, REPENT!! Repent is a word in
the vocabulary of every assembly of believers in Yahoshua and most theologians. But, I submit to you that almost everyone who
uses this expression does not know what it really means.
One
of the most familiar usage of the word repent is found in Acts 2:38 on the day
of Shavuot (Pentecost).
“And
Kĕpha (Peter) said to them, “Repent, and let each one of you be immersed in the
Name of יהושע Messiah for the forgiveness of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the
Set-apart Spirit.”
It
is most unfortunate that most believers are too lazy to study “The Scriptures”
for themselves and thus are all too often easily deceived and led astray. However, it is almost equally unfortunate
that when believers do apply themselves to study “The Scriptures” they usually
resort to looking up a definition of a word in a dictionary or concordance and
are entirely satisfied with the answer provided. In the New Testament book of Acts Christians
were called noble for searching “The Scriptures”, not the latest commentaries
and Bible dictionaries.
Acts
17:11 “Now these were more
noble than those in Thessalonike, who received the word with great eagerness, and searched “The Scriptures”
daily, if these words were so.”
The
set-apart Hebrew language was / is divinely designed by Heaven. Part of this design is that the meanings of
the words throughout “The Scriptures” are to be understood and defined by the context
of the usage. Another aspect of this
design is that the original usage of any word is usually the best
definition. In other words the Heavenly
design of “The Scriptures” is that “The Scriptures” themselves would be the
dictionary that defines the meaning of the words throughout “The Scriptures”.
Now
that a proper foundation of understanding has been laid, where do we find the
first usage of the word repent in “The Scriptures”?
Bereshith
/ Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your
face you are to eat bread until you return
to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return.”
From
this Scripture we learn that the same word that Kepha used in Acts 2:38 is
first used by Yahweh Elohim at the fall of man in the garden of Eden. (It is H7725 in the Strong’s concordance,
Shub or Shuv.) By this first usage of the
word repent we can see it means to return to the place of origin.
Now,
“repent” was a perfectly logical
command when preached to Yisrael and Yahudah in the OT, and Yahudah in the NT. As His chosen people, they knew the Yahweh
Elohim of Heaven and Earth. They also
possessed His Word, the Torah and the TaNaKh (the rest of the OT). Perpetually, both Yisrael and Yahudah have
added to the Word of Elohim and took away from the Word of Elohim from the time
it was given to them in the wilderness till this very day. This is strictly forbidden by the Word of
Elohim.
Debarim
/ Deuteronomy 4:1 “And now, O Yisra’ĕl, listen to the laws and the
right-rulings which I am teaching you to do, so that you live, and shall go in and
possess the land which יהוה Elohim of
your fathers is giving you. v.2 “Do not add to the Word which I command you,
and do not take away from it1, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you.” Footnote: 1See also
12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.
Yisrael
and Yahudah in the TaNaKh (OT) and Yahudah in Brit ha DaShah (NT) were all
called to repent, or more accurately return, to Yahweh Elohim and His Torah by
every one of the prophets up until and including Yahonan Ben Zecharyah (John
the Baptist), Yahoshua ha MaShiach and all the first century apostles.
By
the very definition of “The Scriptures” it was / is impossible for any gentile
to repent. How can a gentile return to
Yahweh Elohim whom he has never known?
How can any gentile return to obeying the Torah which he has never
heard? The message of repentance would
be and still is utter nonsense to an unconverted gentile. (If you disagree, I would love to hear from
you with your Scriptural based reason(s) why at 7rapturesrobert@gmail.com.)
Logically,
anyone who has never known Yahweh Elohim (i.e. a gentile) must first convert
and come into covenant with the Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Yitshak and Ya
‘acob. Only those converts who have come
into covenant can repent if they have strayed from “The Scriptures” and genuine
active faith in Yahweh Elohim.
Those
who are diligent to examine the first century writings (NT), will soon discover
that repent or repentance is also used in reference to the gentiles who are
converting (i.e. coming in to covenant with the Elohim of Yisrael).
Acts
11:18 “And having heard this, they were silent, and praised Elohim, saying,
“Then Elohim has indeed also given to the gentiles repentance to life.”
However,
further research will soon reveal that there is only one word, repent, in the English language and in
the Greek. When we go back to the Hebrew
equivalent we find that the word nâcham
(pronounced: naw-kham') can also be translated repent.
The
first time this word is found in “The Scriptures” is in Bereshith / Genesis
5:29. ~
“and
called his name Noaḥ, saying, “This one does comfort us
concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which יהוה
has cursed.”
Amazingly,
“The Scriptures” testify extensively that the Gentiles received “the
Comforter” or Ruach ha Chodesh / the Set-apart Spirit at the time
of their conversion. This is exactly
what the Yahudim were bearing witness to in Acts 11:18.
“And
as I began to speak, the Set-apart Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the
beginning. v.16 “And I remembered the word of the Master, how He said, ‘Yaḥonan indeed immersed in water, but you shall be
immersed in the Set-apart Spirit.’ v.17 “So if Elohim gave them the same gift
as He gave us when we believed on the Master יהושע Messiah, how was I able to withstand Elohim?” Acts 11:15-17
To
summarize: In the first century (NT) whenever Yahudah was called to repent
their proper response was to return to the faith of their father’s Abraham,
Yitshak and Ya ‘acob by the shed blood of Yahoshua ha MaShiach and to the pure
undefiled Torah of Yahweh Elohim. When
gentiles were called to convert they were admonished to demonstrate the sincerity
of their commitment to the covenant of Yahweh’s favor, by the shed blood of
Yahoshua the Messiah, by agreeing to the foundational stipulations found in
Acts 15:19-21.
A CALL TO
SET-APARTNESS
The
way that most “Christians” in the modern western world live out their faith you
would think that the grace of Heaven was a license to do whatever you please. They think Elohim will forgive them no matter
what and they have a fire insurance policy that is paid in full because they
believe. Sadly, I was once one of these
professing fools. “The Scriptures” declare the very opposite to be true.
Mattithyahu
5:48 “Therefore, be
perfect, as your Father in Heaven is
perfect.”
Romans
6:12-16 “Therefore do not
let sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its desires, v.13 neither present your members as instruments of
unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to Elohim as being alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to Elohim. v.14
For sin shall not rule
over you, for you are not under the law but under favour. v.15 What
then? Shall we sin because
we are not under Torah but under favour? Let it not be! v.16 Do you not know that to whom you
present yourselves servants for obedience, you are servants of the one whom you
obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?”
1Corinthians
15:34 “Wake up to soberness, righteously, and do not sin, for some do not have the knowledge of
Elohim. I speak this to your shame.”
Titus
2:14 “who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people, His own
possession, ardent for good works.”
Ya
‘acob / James 4:17 “To
him, then, who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
1Yahonan
2:1 “My little children, I
write this to you, so that you do not sin. And if anyone sins, we have
an Intercessor with the Father, יהושע
Messiah, a righteous One.”
&
3:8 “The one doing sin is of the devil, because the
devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim was
manifested: to destroy the works of the devil.”
1Kepha / Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy
in all manner of conversation; v.16 Because it is written, Be ye perfect; for I am perfect.”
The
present nightmarish reality is that the fruit of the westernized “church” is mostly
rotten to the core. Every category of
sin without exception is just as prevalent in the local “church” as it is in
the world. The state of denial is such that
there is little to no call to forsake our lawlessness and to return to the
standard of righteousness recorded in “The Scriptures”. The end result is countless millions are
leaving the “church”, but not their faith in the Messiah, Yahoshua. Where O’
where did it all go wrong?
How
did we go from the greatest revival ever recorded in history, in the book of
Acts, to the present shipwreck “Christianity” has become all over the western
world today? To answer this question in
detailed accuracy would probably take a whole library of books. So perhaps a much wiser question would be,
how can we all return to where we originated from and experience this revival once
again?
Just
maybe the answer is as simple as taking a closer look at Acts 15 and hearing
and obeying the instructions given to us.
AN ILLUSTRATION
FROM MARRIAGE
It
is my personal belief that our Father in Heaven speaks primarily in picture
language so that even a child can hear and understand “The Scriptures”, and
thus obey them. Theology has complicated
the understanding of “The Scriptures” to the point that today there is
estimated to be tens of thousands of different expression of the “Christian”
religion. I personally believe that when
we all return to the picture language that Yahweh Elohim gave us from the
beginning all of our theological messes will disappear and we will be one
(echad) even as our Master Yahoshua prayed for us to be. (Yahonan 17:20-23)
The
original and most prominent picture we are given is found in Bereshith /
Genesis 2. It is the picture of
marriage. Ephesians 5:32 tells us this
is the picture of Yahoshua and His bride, Yisrael, by His unmerited favor
through faith. This picture tells us the
whole story! Everything we will ever
need to know is found in Bereshith chapter 2!
It speaks of Yahoshua’s first coming, His second coming and the
doctrine(s) of justification, sanctification, and glorification. (I cover all this in detail in my teaching,
“THE ELOHIM AND KING OF ALL GRACE”, available for free, upon request and also
posted on my blog. Here is the link for
your convenience.)
The
picture of marriage was kept pure by every single patriarch until Abraham. He and Sarah muddled up the picture when they
brought Hagar into their marriage covenant.
Halleluyah, Yitshak / Isaac, who is a foreshadow of Yahoshua, restored
the picture for us in his marriage covenant to Ribqah / Rebekah. However, his son Ya‘acob really muddled up
the picture with his two wives and two concubines and it has been pretty much
distorted ever since. It is no wonder
there is such a perpetual attack against the one man / one woman marriage
covenant. HaSatan and his kingdom wants
to do everything they can to destroy the beautiful picture of our Heavenly
Father’s plan His Son and His bride.
With the picture of marriage in mind I
want us to consider some familiar verses of Scripture.
“That
if you confess with your mouth the
Master יהושע and believe in your heart that Elohim has raised Him
from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, and so is saved. Because the
Scripture says, “Whoever puts his trust in Him shall not be put to shame.”
Romans 10:9-11
The word translated as confess is actually from a Greek
compound word that means covenant as in a marriage covenant!!!
homologeō
~ pronounced ~ hom-ol-og-eh'-o
From
a compound of the base of G3674 and G3056; to assent, that
is, covenant, acknowledge:
- con- (pro-) fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise.
When
an individual enters into holy matrimony he, or she, vows to hold onto that one
person, to the exclusion of everyone else in the world, no matter what the
circumstances of life may be. This is
exactly what we do when we convert and follow Yahoshua the Messiah. We commit our life to Him to the exclusion of
everyone and everything else in the world.
He did the same for us when He died for us almost two thousand years
ago. In the light of this understanding,
holy could also just as readily be defined as wholly! (Note: Holi is the name of a far eastern
elohim and as a general rule I try to avoid its usage altogether. Shemoth /
Exodus 23:13)
“And
He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but
for Him who died for them, and was raised.” 2Corinthians 5:15
When
we get married we abandon the life we knew previously in exchange for a new
life with our spouse. If someone claimed
to be married, but they never made love to their spouse, lived in a completely
separate home, had completely separate friends, and a completely separate life,
would that be a marriage? No! That would not be a marriage. That would be a fraud! In the exact same way, if we claim to be a
believer in Yahoshua ha MaShiach and nothing ever changes in our lives, how can
we claim to belong to Him?
Now
as we look more carefully at Acts 15 let us consider it within the frame work
of the picture of marriage. When we
first get married we exchange vows. This
is a tradition that extends back, in many various forms, for thousands of
years. The initial vows are like the
frame work of a house. The frame will
eventually require a roof, walls, decorated interior, etc. In other words it is a starting place from
which a lifetime of additions will be made as two people get to know one
another and create a life together.
Our
wedding vows are, our initial torah (instructions) by which every frame of
marital relationship is built. All
additional torah will come along as we continue to walk together in mutual relationship
of exclusivity. Of course we do not call
this torah, instructions or commandments in most of our homes. Instead we call them likes, dislikes,
preferences, boundaries, etc. We listen
to and follow the lead of our spouses because we value them as our spouse and
we enjoy the benefits of marriage. It is
the relationship of exclusivity that gives us the desire to please our spouse
according to their desire.
In
Hebrew this relationship is expressed as aggadah. Without agaddah the halacha has little to no
meaning. You must have a personal
aggadah (relationship) with Yahoshua ha MaShiach in order to want to obey His
halacha (instructions). All throughout
“The Scriptures” you will find that aggadah and halacha are inextricably inseparable
in our relationship with Yahweh Elohim.
This is absolutely essential to our understanding His nature and
character. Although inseparable you will
find that Yahweh always initiates relationship first and then He instructs us
in His ways.
With
this Hebraic perspective in mind let’s take a closer look at the torah
(instructions) given by Ya ‘acob, the half brother of Yahoshua, in Acts
15.
1.) “abstain
from the defilements of idols”
Just
what is the defilement of idols? What
was / is offered to idols? Instead of
vain, imaginative and speculative answers why don’t we just let “The
Scriptures” interpret “The Scriptures”.
Shemoth
/ Exodus 20:4-5 “You do
not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the
earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth, v.5 you do not bow down to them nor
serve them. For I, יהוה your
Elohim am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,”
Way
yiqra / Leviticus 19:4 “‘Do
not turn to idols, and do not make for yourselves moulded mighty ones. I am יהוה your Elohim.”
Way
yiqra 26:1 “‘Do not make
idols for yourselves, and do not set up a carved image or a pillar for yourselves, and do not place a stone image in
your land, to bow
down to it. For I am יהוה your
Elohim.”
Debarim
4:23-25 “Guard yourselves,
lest you forget the
covenant of יהוה your Elohim
which He made with you, and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the
form of whatever יהוה your Elohim
has forbidden you. v.24 “For יהוה your Elohim is a consuming fire, a jealous Ěl. v.25 “When
you bring forth children and grandchildren, and shall grow old in the land, and shall do corruptly and make
a carved image in the form of whatever, and shall do what is evil in the eyes
of יהוה your Elohim to
provoke Him,”
So
far it seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it?
Believers in Yahoshua are not supposed to make any images of any kind,
to bow down to them, to worship them or to serve them. The majority of Christendom today would never
even consider doing this. Imagine if a
husband of wife, to be, were standing at the altar of covenant and either one
of them were thinking of carrying on a relationship with a previous
boyfriend(s) / girlfriend(s). This
thought would be absolutely reprehensible to most of “Christianity”.
Debarim
/ Deuteronomy 4:15-19 “Therefore, diligently guard yourselves, for you saw no
form when יהוה spoke to you at Ḥorĕḇ out of the midst of the
fire, v.16 lest you should do
corruptly and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any
figure – the likeness of male or female, v.17 the likeness of any beast that is
on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens, v.18
the likeness of any creature that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any
fish that is in the water under the earth; v.19 and lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and
shall see the sun, and the moon, and the stars – all the host of the heavens –
and you be drawn away into bowing down to them and serving them, which יהוה your Elohim has allotted to all the
peoples under all the heavens.”
Here we
see a further explanation of “the defilement of idol(s)” in the forbidding of
Yahweh’s people from practicing Zoroastrianism.
Today, this is most familiarly called astrology or the horoscope. Many “Christians” are not even aware “The
Scriptures” forbid this practice altogether and many more do not see any real
danger in indulging in this sinful behavior.
The current state of Christendom is so bad that even when you try to
warn people about the dangers of consulting their horoscope they usually scoff
and casually dismiss it. In addition, many
of the holiday celebrations that “Christians” engage in over the course of the
year, including the celebration of birth dates, are directly related to the pagan
religion of astrology.
Debarim 9:12 “Then יהוה
said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your
people whom you brought out of Mitsrayim have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside
from the way which I commanded them, they have made themselves a moulded image.’”
Shemoth
/ Exodus 32:5 “And Aharon saw and built an altar before it. And Aharon called
out and said, “Tomorrow is
a festival to יהוה.”
Shemoth
32:7-8 “And יהוה said to Mosheh,
“Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Mitsrayim have
corrupted themselves. V.8 “They have turned aside quickly out of the way which
I commanded them. They
have made themselves a moulded calf, and have bowed themselves to it and
slaughtered to it, and said, ‘This is your mighty one, O Yisra’ĕl, who brought
you out of the land of Mitsrayim!’”
In the previous three passages of “Scripture” we witness
on all too familiar and devilish scene.
This sinful, forbidden practice began in the wilderness 3,500 years ago,
carried on through most of the history of Yisrael to the north, and Yahudah to
the south, and is still prevalent in most “Christian” churches to this present
day.
Even though, by His own mouth, Yahweh Elohim hates this
idolatrous practice most “Christians” remain completely ignorant to His wrathful
disdain and continue to worship Him in the manner the pagans worship their
elohim. Even worse, among those who are
very well informed, this idolatry persists in Elohim’s assemblies and they do
not see any need to confess and forsake their wickedness! They arrogantly think that all idolatry is
justified because of the favor they have received by the shed blood of Yahoshua. Hear the Word of Yahweh Elohim!
Debarim
12:29-31 “When יהוה your Elohim does cut off from
before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you dispossess them and
dwell in their land, v.30 guard
yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are
destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire about their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these
nations serve their mighty ones? And let me do so too.’1 (Footnote:
1See also 18:9, Way yiqra/Leviticus 18:3, Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 10:2, Yehezkel/Ezekiel
11:12 & 20:32, Ephesians 4:17, and 1Peter 4:3) v.31 “Do not do so to יהוה your Elohim, for every abomination which יהוה hates they have done to their mighty ones, for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their mighty
ones.”
“The Scriptures” record, Yisrael, led by, their very own
high priest, Aaron, worshipped and sacrificed to the one true Yahweh Elohim of
Yisrael.
“And
Aharon saw and built an altar before it. And Aharon called out and said, “Tomorrow is a festival to יהוה.”
Question: Why should Yahweh Elohim be angry with Yisrael, and with
Aaron, and want to destroy them.
Answer: They were worshipping Him according to the way of the
pagans and not in truth according to “The Scriptures”.
Many have supposed that the children of Yisrael were
worshipping another elohim when Aaron fashioned the golden calf. However, this was probably not the case at
all! The sin of Yisrael was that they
had made Yahweh Elohim into their own graven image and worshipped Him, with
their whole heart, according to the vain imaginations of men and not according
to “The Torah”.
Question: Why would the Yisraelites fashion Yahweh Elohim into a
golden calf?
Answer: The first letter in the Hebrew aleph-bet is the
Aleph. In the oldest written form of
Hebrew the Aleph was represented by the picture of an ox head, e.g. a. The letter Aleph was and is
closely associated with Yahweh Elohim till this very day. In the book of Revelation Yahoshua identified
Himself as the Aleph and
the Tav on four different occasions.
The Aleph and the Tav, e.g. aft, is actually the very mark He
places on the forehead and hand of all those who belong to His Kingdom. (See the study, “THE ETERNAL MARK OF THE
KINGDOM OF YAHWEH ELOHIM”, via the link provided.)
Yahweh Elohim was not pleased at all that His esteem was
reduced to the vanity of man’s imagination.
He was also not pleased in the least that mere men should ordain a
set-apart day(s) unto Yahweh Elohim. If
anyone should doubt His anger about this please refer to the entire account of
this event as recorded in Shemoth / Exodus 32.
Unfortunately, over six hundred years later, this vanity
would repeat itself over and over again.
Yeroboam became the first king over the Northern Ten Tribes of Yisrael,
when Yahweh sovereignly and providentially divided His people in the days of
Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. 1Melakim /
Kings 11:4-13 & 29-39
Even though Yeroboam was Yahweh Elohim’s handpicked
sovereign over Yisrael, Yeroboam was fearful if the people of Yisrael were to
continue to worship Yahweh Elohim according to the instruction they were given
in the Torah of Mosheh their hearts would return to Rehoboam and desire for him
to rule over them. Rehoboam was the
sovereign over Yahudah whose capitol city was Yahrushalayim. (1Melakim 12:25-27)
Yahrushalayim was the very city were Yahweh Elohim had
placed His name and had instructed all the men of Yisrael from 20-50 years of
age to come and worship before Him three times every year. (Debarim / Deuteronomy
16:16) In addition all the children of
Yisrael from the very youngest to the very oldest were commanded to appear before
Yahweh their Elohim, in Yahrushalayim, once every seven years. (Debarim 31:11)
Yeroboam’s solution to his fear was to instate and
sanction a new feast unto Yahweh Elohim.
This feast unto Yahweh was to be held in the 8th month in the
cities of Dan and Bethel. Yeroboam had
two golden calves molded and erected and placed one in each city.
v.28
“So the sovereign took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said to the
people, “It is too much for you to go up to Yerushalayim. See, your mighty ones, O
Yisra’ĕl, which brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim!” v.29 And he
set up one in Bĕyth Ěl, and the other he put in Dan. v.30 And this matter
became a sin, for the people went before the one as far as Dan. v.31 And he
made the house of high places, and made priests from all sorts of people, who
were not of the sons of Lĕwi. v.32 And Yaroḇʽam
performed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the
festival that was in Yahuḏah, and he offered on the altar. So he did at Bĕyth
Ěl, slaughtering to the calves that he had made. And at Bĕyth Ěl he appointed
the priests of the high places which he had made. v.33 And he made offerings on
the altar which he had made at Bĕyth Ěl on the fifteenth day of the eighth
month, in the month which
he had devised in his own heart. And he performed a festival for the
children of Yisra’ĕl, and offered on the altar and burned incense.” ~ 1Melakim
12:28-33
Does all of this sound frighteningly familiar? History will surely repeat itself by all
those who refuse to learn from it. There
is nothing new under the sun. (Qoheleth / Ecclesiastes 1:9) If Yeroboam had obeyed the instructions of
Yahweh to write down all the words of “The Torah” and to read them and to obey
them, all the days of his life, perhaps this abominable wickedness would never
have come into the land and the northern land of Yisrael would not have been
brought to complete desolation, even until this very day. (Debarim 17:18-20)
It is most unfortunate indeed that “the sin of Yeroboam”
would continue on unrepented of to every single succeeding generation, throughout
seven different dynasties. Hear the Word
of Yahweh!
King Nadab ~ “And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the
way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Yisra’ĕl sin.”
1Melakim 15:26
2nd DYNASTY ~ King Baasha ~ “And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of Yaroḇʽam, and in his sin by which he had
made Yisra’ĕl sin.” 1Melakim 15:34
King Elah ~ “for all the sins of Baʽasha and the sins of Ělah his son, by which they had
sinned and by which they had made Yisra’ĕl sin, in provoking יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl with their
worthlessnesses.” 1Melakim 16:13
3rd
DYNASTY ~ King Zimri ~ “And
it came to be, when Zimri saw that the city was captured, that he went into a
high place of the sovereign’s house and burned the sovereign’s house down upon
himself with fire, and died, v.19 because of the sins which he had sinned in doing evil in
the eyes of יהוה, in walking in the way of
Yaroḇʽam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Yisra’ĕl
sin.” 1Melakim 16:18-19
4th
DYNASTY ~ King Omri ~ “And Omri did evil in the eyes of יהוה,
and did evil more than all those before him, v.26 and walked in all the ways of
Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, and in his sin by which he had made
Yisra’ĕl sin, provoking יהוה Elohim of
Yisra’ĕl with their worthlessnesses.” 1Melakim 16:25-26
King Ahab ~ “And Aḥaḇ son of Omri did evil in the eyes of יהוה, more than all those before him.
v.31 And it came
to be, as though it had been a light matter for him to walk in the sins of
Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, that he took as wife Izeḇel the daughter
of Ethbaʽal, sovereign of the Tsiḏonians. And he went and served Baʽal and
bowed himself to it, v.32 and raised up an altar for Baʽal in the house of
Baʽal, which he had built in Shomeron. v.33 And Aḥaḇ made an Ashĕrah. And
Aḥaḇ did more to provoke יהוה Elohim of
Yisra’ĕl than all the sovereigns of Yisra’ĕl before him.” 1Melakim 16:30-33
King Ahaziah ~ “and did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and walked in the way of his father and in the way
of his mother and in the way of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin, v.53 and
served Baʽal and bowed himself to it, and provoked יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, according to
all that his father had done.” 1Melakim 22:52-53
King
Yehoram ~ “And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, but not like his father and
mother; for he removed the statue of Baʽal which his father had made. v.3But he clung to the sins of
Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin. He did not turn away
from them.” 2Melakim 3:2-3
5th
DYNASTY ~ King Yehu ~ “Thus Yĕhu destroyed Baʽal out of Yisra’ĕl. However, Yĕhu did not turn away from the sins of Yaroḇʽam
son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin, from the golden calves that were at
Bĕyth Ěl and Dan.” 2Melakim 10:29-30
King
Yeho’ ahaz ~ “In the twenty-third year of Yo’ash son of Aḥazyahu, sovereign of
Yahuḏah, Yeho’aḥaz son of Yĕhu began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron, and
reigned seventeen years. v.2 And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה,
and followed the sins of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who
had made Yisra’ĕl sin. He did not turn away from them.” 2Melakim 13:1-2
King
Yo’ ash ~ “In the thirty-seventh year of Yo’ash sovereign of Yahuḏah, Yeho’ash
son of Yeho’aḥaz began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron, sixteen years. And
he did evil in the eyes of יהוה. He did not turn away from all
the sins of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin – he
walked in it.” 2Melakim 13:10-11
King Yerob ‘am ~ “In the fifteenth year of Amatsyahu son
of Yo’ash, the sovereign of Yahuḏah, Yaroḇʽam son of Yo’ash, the sovereign of
Yisra’ĕl, began to reign in Shomeron, and reigned forty-one years. v.24 And he
did evil in the eyes of יהוה. He did not turn away from all
the sins of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin.”
2Melakim 14:23-24
King
Zeḵaryahu ~ “In the thirty-eighth year of Azaryahu sovereign of Yahuḏah,
Zeḵaryahu son of Yaroḇʽam began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron, for six
months. v.9 And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Yaroḇʽam
son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin.” 2Melakim 15:8-9
6th DYNASTY ~ King Shallum ~ (King Shallum’s
sins are not recorded.)
King
Menaḥĕm ~ “In the thirty-ninth year of Azaryah sovereign of Yahuḏah, Menaḥĕm
son of Gaḏi began to reign over Yisra’ĕl, ten years in Shomeron. v.18 And he
did evil in the eyes of יהוה. He did not turn away from the
sins of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made Yisra’ĕl sin, all his
days.” 2Melakim15:17-18
King
Peqaḥyah ~ “In the fiftieth year of Azaryah the sovereign of Yahuḏah,
Peqaḥyah the son of Menaḥĕm began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron, for two
years. v.24 And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה. He
did not turn away from the sins of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made
Yisra’ĕl sin.” 2Melakim 15:23-24
Seventh
DYANSTY ~ King Peqaḥ ~ “In the fifty-second year of Azaryah sovereign of Yahuḏah,
Peqaḥ son of Remalyahu began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron, for twenty
years. v.28 And he did evil in the eyes of יהוה. He
did not turn away from the sins of Yaroḇʽam son of Neḇat, who had made
Yisra’ĕl sin.” 2Melakim 15:27-28
King
Hoshĕa ~ “In the twelfth year of Ahaz sovereign of Yahuḏah, Hoshĕa son of Ělah
began to reign over Yisra’ĕl in Shomeron, for nine years. v.2 And he did evil
in the eyes of יהוה, but not as the sovereigns of
Yisra’ĕl who were before him.” 2Melakim 17:1-2
It cannot possibly be overstated that Yisrael’s primary sin, for which they
were ultimately destroyed, was worshipping Yahweh Elohim according to their own
vain imagination and not in Truth, according to His Word, “The Torah”.
“The church” of westernized “Christianity” is long
overdue for a serious audit of it’s beliefs, traditions and holiday (holy day)
celebrations. Why is it ok to hold onto
paganized beliefs, traditions and holy days, white-washed in the name of
“Christianity” today, and it was all considered abominable 2,000 years ago? Why is it ok to worship “God” according to
our vain imaginations today when Yahweh Elohim severely punished Yisrael for it
2,700 years ago? Has Yahweh changed His
mind? Has He become more tolerant of
sin, which is defined, in the first century Scriptures, as the transgression of
His Torah? (1Yohanan 3:4) Was Yahweh
Elohim of the TaNaKh (OT) a mean and angry Elohim and now He has transformed
Himself in the first century AD to be kind, gentle and compassionate? What does “The Scripture” say?
“For I am יהוה, I shall not change, and you, O
sons of Yaʽaqoḇ,
shall not come to an end.” Malachai 3:6
“יהושע Messiah is the same yesterday, and
today, and forever.” Ibrim / Hebrews 13:8
“The Scriptures” cannot possibly state the case any
plainer. Yahweh Elohim the Father and Yahweh
Elohim the Son do not and will not ever change!
If you still tenaciously believe what was condemned as sin in the TaNaKh
(OT) is acceptable and set-apart in the first century writings (NT) you are
marvelously deceived, because you refuse to receive the love of the Truth!
“The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of haSatan, with
all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, v.10 and with all deceit of
unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in
order for them to be saved. v.11 And for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to
believe the falsehood.” 1Thessalonians 2:9-11
Yahoshua said, “But the hour is coming, and now is,
when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does
seek such to worship Him. “Elohim
is Spirit, and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth.”
Yahonan 4:23-24
How
in the world can anyone justify white-washed paganism as the Truth? Paganism is the perversion / counterfeit of
the Truth. Pagan worship can never be
true worship because it is not sanctioned by Yahweh Elohim’s eternal Word.
“Set
them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth.” ~ Yahonan 17:17 Footnote: See Mismore / Psalm 119:142, 151
“The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall by no
means pass away.” Mattithyahu 24:35
Paganized-Christianity
is a total oxymoron. The westernized “church” has successfully married the
set-apart to the profane until the present, and today most cannot discern the
difference between the two. One is the
table of haSatan and the other is the table of Yahweh Elohim. We must choose which table we are going to
receive our sustenance from as it is impossible to partake of both and be
pleasing unto our Master Yahoshua.
1Corinthinas 10:21 ~ “You are not able to drink the
cup of the Master and the cup of demons, you are not able to partake of the table of the Master
and of the table of demons.”
Remember
the first commandment to any new convert is to, “abstain from the defilements of
idols”! It is not the idol(s) that
defiles us, but the various elements of worship unto the idol(s) that defile
us!
1Corinthians
8:4 ~ “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in
sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other
Elohim but one.”
The list
of “the defilements of idols” that is commonly witnessed in the average
“church” cannot be exhaustively covered within this study. However, I guarantee you that if you are
intellectually honest and begin to investigate the origins of almost any holi-day,
belief, or tradition that your particular religion, denomination, or church
holds sacred you will find that almost every one of them originate from
paganism, and not thus saith, Yahweh Elohim, by His Word, “The Scriptures”.
At the
risk of sounding like a broken record, let me be perfectly clear, it is not the
idol(s) that have defiled most of us. It
is worshipping Yahweh Elohim in the tradition we have learned from paganism and
idolatry that has defiled us! Since
Yahweh Elohim does not change, His word to the prophet Yehezkel / Ezekiel is
the same to us today.
“Her priests
have done violence to My teaching and they profane My set-apart matters.
They have not distinguished between the set-apart and profane, nor have they
made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they
have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned in their midst.” Yehezkel 22:26
This
is exactly why the very first order of business of the Millennial Kingdom of
Y’shua will be to teach all of us the difference between what is holy and what
is profane.
“And they are to
teach My people the difference between the set-apart and the profane,
and make them know what is unclean and clean.” Yehezekel
44:23
Finally,
it is worth noting, one of the least known “defilements of idol(s)” is the
mentioning of their names in the assemblies of Elohim. It is very common knowledge the names of the
days of the week on the Roman calendar are derived from pagan deity worship, as
are most of the names of the months.
However, most of these names are not used in the assemblies of Elohim
for worship. Sunday and Easter are the
two most prominent exceptions. These are
both named for pagan deities and highly venerated by paganism as well as
“Christianity” until this very day.
Debarim 12:1-4
“These are the laws and right-rulings which you guard to do in the land
which יהוה Elohim of your fathers is giving you to possess, all
the days that you live on the soil. v.2 “Completely destroy all the places where the nations which
you are dispossessing served their mighty ones, on the high mountains
and on the hills and under every green tree. v.3 “And you shall break down their altars, and smash their
pillars, and burn their Ashĕrim with fire. And you shall cut down the carved
images of their mighty ones and shall destroy their name1 out of
that place. (Footnote: 1The names of the gentile deities
(mighty ones).) V.4 “Do
not do so to יהוה your Elohim,”
“And
in all that I have said to you take heed. And make no mention of the name of other mighty ones,
let it not be heard from your mouth.” Exodus / Shemoth 23:13
Why
is it the case that most “Christians” have no moral objection to mentioning the
name of pagan deities in their “holi assemblies”? Yahoshua tells us in His own Words,
“Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast the tradition of men.” Mark 7:8
“Forsaking the command of Elohim, you hold fast the tradition of men.” Mark 7:8
The
bottom line is “the church”, made up of practicing / non-practicing
“Christians”, has not “abstained from the defilements of idol(s)”, but has
rather unapologetically embraced them in every way! It is time to confess our transgressions
against Yahweh Elohim and forsake the lies we have inherited from our fathers.
Yirmeyahu
16:19 “In the day of distress the gentiles shall come to You from the ends of
the earth and say, “Our
fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and there is no value in them.”1
Footnote: 1See Ps. 147:19, Isa. 2:3, Isa. 60:2-3, John 4:22, Rom.
2:20, Rom. 3:2, Rom. 9:4.
2.) and from
whoring,
By
definition, from “The Scriptures” (Way yiqra / Leviticus 18), any sexual
intimacy outside of the marital covenant between a man and a woman as well as
any unsanctioned sexual* or marital relationship** is whoring. *i.e.
bestiality, incest, **e.g. A man was not to take his step-mother as his wife
once his father died. It was and is
expected, if you are going to enter into the re-NEW-ed covenant by the blood of
Yahoshua ha MaShiach, that you will live a life of sexual purity unto Him. It needs to be made plain and clear, IN BOLD PRINT AND CAPITAL LETTERS, if
you are going to covert and become a believer and follow Yahoshua the Messiah
you must be committed to sexual purity from the very first hour! If you are not committed to abstain from
whoring you cannot come into covenant with Yahoshua ha MaShiach!
Remember
the picture of marriage? How can we come
to the altar of covenant with our Heavenly Groom Yahoshua knowing we have a
lover(s) on the side, outside of the covenant of set-apart matrimony? Because of sheer ignorance on the part of the
“new believers”, and sheer arrogance on the part of the “spiritual leadership”
of “the westernized church”, this scenario repeats itself week after week. Today, in many western churches, it is not
uncommon to find the majority of male / female couples are in fact
cohabitating, outside of the covenant of marriage. Where o’ where is the unapologetic call to
personal holiness at the time of conversion?
Sadly, it is hardly to be found!
Hear the stern warning of “The Scriptures”.
v.3
“For this is the desire of
Elohim: your set-apartness! – that you should abstain from whoring, v.4
that each one of you should know how to possess his own vessel in set-apartness
and respect, v.5 not in passion of lust, like the gentiles who do not know
Elohim, v.6 not to overstep and take advantage of his brother in this matter,
because the Master is the revenger of all such, as we or indeed said to you
before and earnestly warned. v.7 For Elohim did not call us to uncleanness, but
in set-apartness. v.8 Therefore
he who rejects this does not reject man, but Elohim, who also gives us
His Set-apart Spirit.” 1Thessalonians 4:3-8
Almost
everywhere throughout the TaNaKh (OT) Scriptures we see the defilements of
idolatry and whoring closely linked together.
Is it any coincidence “the defilements of idol(s)” are rampant
throughout the “Christian westernized churches” and whoring and divorce are
just as rampant? When is the “church”
going to wake up to the rottenness of the fruit it is producing? How can the table of demons bring forth the
fruit of set-apartness Yahweh desires? I
could go on for pages citing statistic after statistic and study after study
evidencing the absolute rottenness of the fruit the westernized “church” is
currently producing.
The
plain reality is “the western church” is filled with all types of whoring and
perversion and the preaching and practice of sexual purity is mostly a relic of
days gone by. The reformation of the
Protestants did recognize the severity of “the defilements of idol(s)” and the
rampant promiscuity in their day and they addressed both very
successfully. They made good progress
for a season as they preached against many of “the defilements of idols” and
whoring, however, many known concessions / compromises were made from that time
until the present and now “the church” in many ways finds itself in a worse state
than the first.
“For
speaking arrogant nonsense, they entice – through the lusts of the flesh,
through indecencies – the ones who have indeed escaped from those living in
delusion, v.19 promising them freedom, though themselves being slaves of corruption
– for one is a slave to whatever overcomes him. v.20 For if, after they have
escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Master and
Saviour יהושע Messiah, they are again entangled in them and
overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the first. v.21 For it would
have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than
having known it, to turn from the set-apart command1 delivered unto
them. (Footnote: 1The singular “command” often means “commands” – see
1 Tim. 6:14, Dt. 17:20, Ps. 19:8.) v.22 For them the
proverb has proved true, “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “A washed sow returns
to her rolling in the mud.” 2Peter 2:18-22
Please
carefully consider the first century “Scriptures” that speak directly to the
subject of whoring and its consequences.
1Corinthians
5:9 & 11 “I wrote to you in my letter not to keep company with those who whore. But now I have written to you not to keep
company with anyone called ‘a brother,’ if he is one who whores, or greedy of
gain, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to
eat with such a one.”
1Corinthians
6:9 “Do you not know that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the reign of Elohim? Do not be
deceived. Neither those
who whore, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
homosexuals,”
Ephesians
5:5 “For this you know, that no
one who whores, nor unclean one, nor one greedy of gain, who is an
idolater, has any
inheritance in the reign of Messiah and Elohim.
.
Ibrim
/ Hebrews 13:4 “Let marriage be respected by all, and the bed be undefiled. But
Elohim shall judge those
who whore, and adulterers.”
Revelation
21:8 “But as for
the cowardly, and untrustworthy, and abominable, and murderers, and those who whore, and drug
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all the false, their part is in the lake which burns with fire and
sulphur, which is the second death.”
Revelation
22:14 & 15 “Blessed are those doing His commands, so that the authority
shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the
city. “But outside are the
dogs and those who enchant with drugs, and those who whore, and the murderers, and the
idolaters, and all who love and do falsehood.”
These
warnings are grave indeed! We must heed
them or suffer the consequences!
3.) and from
what is strangled,
This
is where these instructions can get a little confusing if you’re not careful to
rightfully divide the Word of Truth. (2Timothy 2:15) The right question should be, “Why does
Yahweh Elohim care if I eat the meat from an animal that has been strangled or
not? The simplest answer I can come up
with is Yahweh Elohim cares for all of His creation. Even though He gave man the provision of
“clean” meat as their dietary supplement, ever since the world-wide flood, this
was never His perfect will. (Bereshith / Genesis 7:2 & 9:3)
Before
the flood the Earth was very, very different, in every way. All men were vegetarians as were all the
animals. However, the flood literally
changed everything and this was no longer the case in a post-flood world. (Please see Creation Science Evangelism’s
Seminar 1 & 2 for detailed information and extensive documentation on this
subject. Here is the link.)
Yahweh
does not want us to inflict pain unnecessarily on the animals He has provided
for our sustenance. He wants us to be as
merciful as possible to all of His creation, even in death. If a man is cruel toward an animal it is most
likely he will also be cruel toward another human being. In Old Testament times the Yahudim and
Yisrael would slit the throat of their sacrifices, and their animals for
eating, with a very sharp knife.
Contrast this humane killing with the command of the disciples not to
eat an animal that has been choked to death inhumanely. Yahweh wants all believers in Yahoshua
Messiah to be known as merciful and compassionate ambassadors, even as He is
merciful and compassionate.
4.) and from
blood
It is quite surprising how many
believers do not give a second thought to eating their meat with the taste of
blood still remaining in it. I grew up
as a Southern Baptist “Christian” eating most of my meat medium rare. I never stopped for a moment to think that
the command to gentile converts meant that I was sinning against Yahweh Elohim,
by transgressing His commandment. All
throughout “The Scriptures” we plainly see the admonition not to partake of any
blood in our diet.
Bereshith
/ Genesis 9:4 & 5a “But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood. “But only your
blood for your lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it,”
Way
yiqra / Leviticus 7:26-27 “And do not eat any blood in any of your dwellings,
of bird or of beast. v.27 ‘Any
being who eats any blood, even that being shall be cut off from his people.’
”
Way yiqra 17:10-14 “‘And any man of the house of Yisra’ĕl, or of the strangers
who sojourn among you, who eats any blood, I shall set My face against that
being who eats blood, and shall cut him off from among his people. v.11
‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make atonement for your lives, for it is the blood that makes
atonement for the life.’ v.12 “Therefore I said to the children of Yisra’ĕl,
‘No being among you eats blood, nor does any stranger who sojourns among you
eat blood.’ v.13 “And any man from the children of Yisra’ĕl, or from the
strangers who sojourn among you, who hunts and catches any beast or bird, which
is eaten, shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust, v.14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood is
for its life. And I said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Do not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of
all flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it is cut off.’”
Debarim / Deuteronomy 12:23-24 “Only, be firm not to eat the
blood, for the blood is the life, do not eat the life with the meat. v.24“Do
not eat it, you pour it on the earth like water.”
In
light of the commandment in both Brit ha DaShah (NT) and the TaNaKh (OT)
“Scriptures” I hope that you now know with all certainty that all believers in
Yahoshua ha MaShiach better be absolutely certain that there is no blood
whatsoever in the meat that we eat. This
is a definitive part of the re-NEW-ed covenant.
5.) “For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in
every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every
Sabbath.”
This one verse is probably the most overlooked and underappreciated
verse over the majority of the history of the (NT) “church”. This statement should provoke us to ask some
seriously pressing questions.
a) Why in the world would Ya
‘acob decree that “The Torah” of Mosheh is being read, every Sabbath, in every
city, in the then known world?
b) How did “The Torah” or “Old Testament” “Scriptures”
circulate so widely by the first century AD?
The
average “Christian” believer never stops to consider the great economic value
of a copy of “The Scriptures” in the first century AD. The cost of the average “Torah” scroll was
very prohibitive to personally owning one.
During this time almost every scroll was made from “clean” animal skin
parchment, (which would be the equivalent of 55 sheep skins). Once the parchment was prepared a specially
developed ink would be applied by a highly, technically trained scribe. From beginning to end it was not uncommon for
this process to take at least one year.
This does not take into account the additional cost and time required to
make a copy of the rest of the TaNaKh (OT) scrolls, from Shophetim / Judges – Malachi,
(in the English translations).
If
you were the average believer living in the first century and you wanted to
hear the Word of Elohim or study it for yourself then you had to go to the
local Synagogue. This was the only
option available! This is where the
entire body of TaNaKh scrolls was safely kept for the benefit of the whole
congregation. During this time in
history there where usually at least two portions of “The Scriptures” that were
read publicly. The first portion that
was read was always from “The Torah” and the second portion was usually from
one of the prophets or the writings.
These readings would be followed by different members of the
congregation sharing their insights, concerning the passages read, with the
rest of the congregation. This is
exactly what Rav Shaul was speaking to in his first letter to the assemblies at
Corinth.
“And
let two or three prophets speak, and let the others discern. v.30 And if there
should be a revelation to another who sits by, let the first be silent. v.31
For you are all able to prophesy one by one, so that all learn and all be
encouraged.” 1Corinthians 14:29-31
There
is no model of the western “church” found anywhere in the book of Acts or the
rest of Brit ha DaShah (NT) for that matter.
The body of believers is meant to be an active participatory gathering
every time we come together. The idea
that we are to passively listen to one person espouse their commentary on “The
Scriptures” and then hand over our tithes and offerings is born out of the cult
of man’s heavy handed tradition and continues largely due to man’s laziness to
study and understand “The Scriptures” for himself.
Another
point that needs to be seriously considered by the average believer is that Brit
ha Dashah (the NT) did not exist at all in the first decades of the re-NEW-ed
covenant. Most believers never stop to
think “The Scriptures” being referred to from Matthew – Revelation are all TaNaKh
(OT) Scriptures! Now I am not saying Brit
ha DaShah (the NT) is not Scripture, I am simply pointing out the weight of
“The Scriptures” used for teaching, preaching and understanding the gospel,
(GOOD NEWS) of Yahoshua ha MaShiach, for at least the first 100 years, was 100%
from the TaNaKh (OT)! With this in mind
consider the following passages afresh!
“And
He said to them, “O thoughtless ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that
the prophets have spoken! v.26 “Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer
these and to enter into His esteem?” v.27 And beginning at Mosheh and all the Prophets, He was
explaining to them in all the Scriptures the matters concerning Himself.”
Luke 24:25-27
“And
He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still
with you, that all have to be filled that were written in the Torah of Mosheh
and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” v.45 Then He opened their minds to understand the
Scriptures,” Luke 24:44-45
“And
according to his practice, Sha’ul went in unto them, and for three Sabbaths was
reasoning with them from
the Scriptures,” Acts 17:2
“Now
these were more noble than those in Thessalonike, who received the word with great eagerness, and searched
the Scriptures daily, if these words were so.” Acts 17:11
“For
I delivered to you at the first that which I also received: that Messiah died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, v.4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised
the third day, according to the Scriptures,” 1Corinthians 15:3-4
“and
that from a babe you have
known the Set-apart Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
deliverance through belief in Messiah יהושע. v.16 All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, v.17 that
the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy
3:15-17
The
point I am making is simply this. All
throughout the known world in the first century AD if you wanted to hear “The
Scriptures” and study “The Scriptures”, Jew or Gentile, you had to go to the
local Synagogue on the weekly Shabbat, (Sabbath). The idea that the believers in the first
century met separately on the first day of the week is absolute, “western
Christian church” fantasy. Not only is
there no “Scriptural” support for meeting on the first day of the week,
replacing the Sabbath, logistically it would have been impossible to do
so. There would have been little to no
copies of “The Scriptures” from which to preach, teach and study from. (Note: See the study, FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY
for more in depth information on this topic.)
The
idea of Yahudim (Jews) and Greeks (non-Yahudim) congregating together is really
nothing new. Everywhere Rav Shaul went
the Yahudim and Greeks were gathered together at the local Synagogue. (Acts 13:42, 14:1, 18:4, 19:10 & 17,
20:21) The NT believers would continue
to go to the temple in Yahrushalayim, (until approximately 62/63 AD), and the local
Synagogues all over the world for an extended time after this. It was only much later when Rome followed by the
“westernized Christian church” began to persecute the Yahudim that the
believers who followed Yahoshua began to be no longer welcome by the Yahudim, universally. I wonder why?
How did “The
Torah” or “Old Testament” Scriptures become so widely circulated by the first
century AD?
The
correct answer to this question can be very long and exactly detailed. I highly encourage everyone to read the book
by JH Allen and / or watch the video by Jim Staley, linked above, as a starting
point to fully understanding the answer to this question.
The
summary answer is the northern ten tribes of Yisrael were conquered by the
nation of Assyria in and around BC 723/22 and “The Scriptures” and history
records the majority of these people have never returned to the land. Approximately 120 years later the three
southern tribes of Yahudah (Yahudah, Benyamin and Levi) were conquered by
Babylon and many were taken into captivity.
Seventy years after this they were free to return by the declaration of
the Persian king. History and “The
Scriptures” record approximately 10% of the southern tribes of Yahudah returned
to their native land. Many of the
remaining 90% of the tribes of Yahudah were also scattered to the nations at
the time Babylon was conquered by the Medo/Persian empire. Many of these facts of history are confirmed
by the great historian Flavius Josephus.
Antiquities of
the Jews - Book XI (Ch. 5) Section
2
“When Esdras (Ezra) had received this epistle, he was very joyful, and began to worship God, and confessed that he had been the cause of the king's great favor to him, and that for the same reason he gave all the thanks to God. So he read the epistle at Babylon to those Jews that were there; but he kept the epistle itself, and sent a copy of it to all those of his own nation that were in Media. And when these Jews had understood what piety the king had towards God, and what kindness he had for Esdras, they were all greatly pleased; nay, many of them took their effects with them, and came to Babylon, as very desirous of going down to Jerusalem; but then the entire body of the people of Israel remained in that country; wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers. Now there came a great number of priests, and Levites, and porters, and sacred singers, and sacred servants to Esdras. So he gathered those that were in the captivity together beyond Euphrates, and stayed there three days, and ordained a fast for them, that they might make their prayers to God for their preservation, that they might suffer no misfortunes by the way, either from their enemies, or from any other ill accident; for Esdras had said beforehand that he had told the king how God would preserve them, and so he had not thought fit to request that he would send horsemen to conduct them.”
“When Esdras (Ezra) had received this epistle, he was very joyful, and began to worship God, and confessed that he had been the cause of the king's great favor to him, and that for the same reason he gave all the thanks to God. So he read the epistle at Babylon to those Jews that were there; but he kept the epistle itself, and sent a copy of it to all those of his own nation that were in Media. And when these Jews had understood what piety the king had towards God, and what kindness he had for Esdras, they were all greatly pleased; nay, many of them took their effects with them, and came to Babylon, as very desirous of going down to Jerusalem; but then the entire body of the people of Israel remained in that country; wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers. Now there came a great number of priests, and Levites, and porters, and sacred singers, and sacred servants to Esdras. So he gathered those that were in the captivity together beyond Euphrates, and stayed there three days, and ordained a fast for them, that they might make their prayers to God for their preservation, that they might suffer no misfortunes by the way, either from their enemies, or from any other ill accident; for Esdras had said beforehand that he had told the king how God would preserve them, and so he had not thought fit to request that he would send horsemen to conduct them.”
Everywhere
the Yisraelites (all twelve tribes) went throughout the world they carried “The
Scriptures” with them. This is the
primary reason why almost every where the gospel went in the book of Acts there
was already an established community of faith in the one true Yahweh Elohim of
Abraham, Yitshak and Ya ‘acob. Almost
without exception these synagogues were made up of Yahudim (Jews) and Greeks /
Gentiles (converts to the religion of Judaism, but most likely descendants of
the ten exiled tribes of Yisrael). There
is much “Scriptural” support for this understanding.
In
his letter to the assemblies at Rome Rav Shaul quotes the prophet Hoshea whose
prophecy concerns the ten northern tribes of Yisrael exclusively, not the
gentiles, not the Yahudim. Now either
Rav Shaul, correctly understands the gentile converts are in fact the
descendants of ancient Yisrael or he is guilty of being a false apostle.
“As
He says in Hoshĕa too, “I shall call them My people, who were not My people,
and her beloved, who was not beloved.” V.26 “And it shall be in the place where
it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons
of the living Elohim.”” Romans 9:25-26
The
apostle Kepha (Peter) had this exact same understanding and he too quotes the
prophet Hoshea.
“Kĕpha,
an emissary of יהושע Messiah, to the chosen, strangers of the dispersion in
Pontos, Galatia, Kappadokia, Asia, and Bithunia, v.2 chosen according to the
foreknowledge of Elohim the Father, set apart by the Spirit unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of יהושע Messiah: Favour and peace be increased to you.” 1Kepha 1:1-2
“Who
once were not a people, but now the people of Elohim; who had not obtained
compassion, but now obtained compassion.” 1Kepha 2:10
Ya ‘acob the half brother of Yahoshua also held to this exact
same belief.
“Yaʽaqoḇ, a servant of Elohim and of the Master יהושע Messiah, to the twelve tribes who are in the dispersion:”
Greetings. Ya ‘acob 1:1
As a matter fact the only people who do not seem to know
they are in fact Yisrael, are the people of Yisrael who erroneously, ignorantly
claim to be “gentile Christians”.
The Yahudim living during the time of Yahoshua’s
ministry understood this to be true.
“The
Yahuḏim, therefore, said to themselves, “Where is He about to go that we shall
not find Him? Is He about to go to the Dispersion among the
Greeks, and to teach the Greeks?” Yohanan 7:35
The
high priest of the Yahrushalayim temple, Qayapha also understood this to be
100% true.
“And
one of them, Qayapha, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know
naught, v.50 neither do you consider that it is better for us that one man die
for the people than that the entire nation should perish.” v.51 But he did not say this from
himself, but being high priest that year he prophesied that יהושע
was about to die for the nation, v.52 and not for the nation only, but
to gather together into one the children of Elohim who were scattered abroad.” Yohanan 11:49-52
Conclusion: The first four
Torot, (instructions), given by Ya ‘acob, are only meant to be the foundational
Torah for all new gentile converts.
Remember the picture of marriage?
Everything else, (i.e. The Torah of Mosheh and the rest of the TaNaKh),
a new believer needed to know they would learn from Sabbath to Sabbath as they
worshipped at the local Synagogue. This
is affirmed by Ya ‘acob in his letter to the twelve tribes.
Ya ‘acob 2:2 “For if there should come into your Synagogue a man
with gold rings, in a splendid robe, and there should also come in a poor one
dressed in rags,”
Question:
Why would gentile converts be interested in hearing and obeying “The Torah” and
the rest of the OT if it was done away with by Yahoshua Messiah?
Answer:
1.) The TaNaKh (OT) is the only “Scriptures” they had available at that
time. They did not have a choice. & 2.)
The Torah was never done away with.
“Do
not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to
destroy but to complete. “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the
earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah
till all be done.”1 Footnote: 1Luke 16:17 Mattithyahu 5:17-18
Question:
Has heaven or earth passed away yet?
Answer:
No! A thousand times NO!
Question:
Has everything in the Torah and the Prophets been completed yet?
Answer:
No! A thousand times NO!
“But
when the completion of the time came, Elohim sent forth His Son, born of a
woman, born under Torah,” Galatians 4:4
Question:
When was the completion of the time?
Answer:
At least part of the answer is, when “The Torah” had gone out to the entire
known world.
“For from
ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being
read in the congregations every Sabbath.”
From
the beginning Yahweh’s Torah has been perfect and everlasting. Listen to the words of the Psalmist and ask
yourself, now was David lying or is my pastor / church / denomination /
religion lying?
Mismore / Psalm 19:7-11 “The Torah of יהוה is perfect, bringing back
the being; The witness
of יהוה is trustworthy, making wise the simple; v.8 The orders of יהוה
are straight, rejoicing the heart; The command of יהוה is clear, enlightening
the eyes; v.9 The fear
of יהוה is clean, standing forever; The right-rulings of יהוה
are true, They are righteous altogether, v.10 More desirable than gold, Than
much fine gold; And sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.v.11 Also, Your
servant is warned by them, In guarding them there is great reward.”
From
the time of the controversy disputed and resolved in Acts 15 till the present
the answer has always been the same. You
can only come into the re-NEW-ed covenant
by Yahweh’s favor through faith in Messiah Yahoshua and the sincerity of your
commitment was demonstrated by agreeing to four basic / foundational
commandments (torot). You would learn
everything else Yahweh Elohim required of you, needful to walk in His
set-apartness, (perfection and blessing), as you heard and obeyed His Word from
Shabbat to Shabbat.
For
example, over time you would hear about the significance of male circumcision,
(halacha), and by Ruach ha Chodesh, (the Set-apart Spirit), you would
understand the significance of circumcision in your personal relationship to
Yahweh Elohim, (aggadah), and only then you would be convicted to do so, based
on your personal relationship with Yahweh Elohim and not the coercion of
men. I am thoroughly convinced of this,
today, more than ever before. My
“Christian” father and mother had each of their boys circumcised on the 8th
day from birth. Now why would they want
to do this except it is written in “The Torah” and on their hearts?
Romans
2:2a “For circumcision verily profiteth”
Romans 3:1 -2a “What advantage then hath the
Yahudim (Jew)? or what profit is there of circumcision? v.2 Much every
way:”
If
the Pharisees had prevailed then it would have taken up to three years for any convert
to “Christianity” to be received into full fellowship and the males would have
had to have beeen circumcised first.
Now
that you know the Truth do not let anyone try to deceive you by telling you
that obedience to Yahweh’s Torah is legalism and Pharisaical. Obedience to Yahweh Elohim is never called
legalism anywhere in all of “The TaNaKh (OT) or Brit ha DaShah (NT) Scriptures”. Legalism / legalistic is defined by the
“westernized church” as anyone who would obey Yahweh Elohim according to His
Word alone and not according to the traditions of their cultic sectarian
group. Yahweh Elohim calls obedience
loving Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might
and loving your neighbor as yourself. (Debarim 6:4-9 & Leviticus 19:18)
Revelation
14:12 ~ “Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Elohim, and the faith of
Yahoshua.”
Revelation
22:14 ~ “Blessed are they that do His
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city.”
Mattithyahu
/ Matthew 7:21-23 ~ “Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he
who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. V.22 “Many shall say to Me
in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out
demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ v.23 “And then I shall declare to
them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’” (Footnote: Lawlessness
= Torah-less-ness or without “The Torah”!
Don’t take my word for it, look it up in your Bible Concordance /
Dictionary for yourself.)
There
is only one sectarian group of people on planet earth that could possibly
identify with this last passage of “Scripture”.
They would most often identify themselves as “Christians”. Unfortunately, most every “Christian” I know
would never think that Yahoshua is speaking directly to them, even though they
are in fact torah-less believers.
May
we all fall on our face and repent before Yahweh Elohim, before it is too late!
Shalom,
shalom,
your
servant and His,
Robert
McDuffie ~ Mismore / Psalm 119:18
7rapturesrobert@gmail.com
Blessed Are You Yahweh
Elohim King Of The Universe!
http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p069.html
ReplyDeleteThe above link is another study, on Acts 15, which I recently discovered and am sharing as I believe it offers added insight and benefit to the reader. Shalom, shalom!
http://nazarenespace.com/profiles/blogs/the-seven-laws-of-noah-a-betrothal
ReplyDeleteAnother outstanding, insightful and briefly worded study is linked above. Definitely worth the 10-15 minutes time it will take to read the article.