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Monday, July 30, 2012

THE SIGN OF YONAH & THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL



THIS BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE ADDRESS PROVIDED BELOW.  I AM SLOWLY TRANSFERRING ALL MY POSTINGS OVER TO WORDPRESS.  I HOPE YOU ENJOY ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS WE'VE MADE.  SHALOM, SHALOM, R

Saturday, July 21, 2012

CURSES, COVENANTS OF DEATH & WICKED SOUL-TIES (Part 2 of 3 - COVENANTS OF DEATH)


Curses, Covenants of Death &
 Wicked Soul-Ties

(Part 2 of 3 – covenants of death)

A GENTLE REMINDER:

(Introduction is repeated from part 1 ~ Curses.  In case you missed it here is the link.


Skip down to, SO WHAT IS A COVENANT OF DEATH EXACTLY, if you do not care to read this introduction again.) 

Dearest beloved and esteemed of the most high Elohim, Shalom Aleichem! (Peace be upon you!)  Once again I find that I am greatly burdened in my heart for the body of Messiah.  This burden is born out of recent events, and circumstances, that have caused me to realize anew just how unprepared / underprepared we are for the days directly ahead.  Why is this?  It is mostly due to our vast ignorance of eternal spiritual principles and precepts, from “The Scriptures”, concerning covenant.  This is nothing new!

My people have perished for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest for Me.  Since you have forgotten “The Torah” (The Instructions) of your Elohim, I also forget your children.” ~ Hoshea 4:6

My primary motivation for writing this is because I have many friends, and family members, in Messiah who are needlessly suffering in their finances and in their life circumstances.  Many compound their present affliction by openly impugning the character of their Groom because they do not understand the spiritual nature of the provision, and protection, we have been guaranteed as partakers of His covenant of betrothal.
 
Hebrews 13:5-6 ~ Amplified Bible (AMP)

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [Elohim] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] v. 

So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Master is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

I have previously written about this covenant on this very blog site.

While it is absolutely true that we live in a world filled with every evil and great suffering, because of the curse of sin and death, which does not automatically preclude that, that is the reason we are presently suffering in our lives.  Most often it is our pride that would much rather point the finger at the devil, this world, or even Yahweh Himself, rather than accept the personal responsibility of our present suffering.  We do not want to readily accept the possibility that it very well might have been something we have done, or even something we haven’t done, which was the very catalyst of our present circumstance.

Unfortunately, pride will even lead us to the delusional belief that which we are suffering, as a result of our own sinful choices, is actually because of worldly or devilish persecution, due to our faith in Messiah.  The greater majority of us are not suffering a “Job” like trial of our faith.  Once again, it is absolutely true we will suffer abandonment, loneliness, persecutions, loss, pain, hardship, tribulations of every kind, and even death for the Messiah’s sake. (Matt 10:17-22, Acts 14:22 & 2Tim 3:12)  However, more often than not, this is not the primary reason most of us suffer in our present life circumstance.  This is especially true for those believers who live in the western world and developing nations.
    
In case you did not know it, we are in a war!  (Shemoth / Ex 15:3, Eph 6:10-18 & 2Cor 10:3-6)  This war is an all out, no holds barred, battle between the Heavenly host and haSatan and his host and they are fighting over us!  (The whole human race and believers in the Messiah in particular.)  Our adversary is over 6,000 years old and does not sleep.  Just how formidable an enemy do you think they are?  I would like to submit to you, if it was not for the mercies of Heaven mankind would have ceased to exist long ago and the community of Messianic believers would have ceased to exist, right along, with the rest of humanity.  It is important to be cognizant of this reality because a certain degree of strategy is needed to wage war effectually and keep our losses to a minimum.  These strategies are taught in our field manual, “The Scriptures”.

Our enemy knows that we cannot be defeated as a result of any direct assault. (Phil 1:21)  This has been proven repeatedly throughout the ages and is recorded in the pages of “The Scriptures” as well as the annals of history.  This only leaves the enemy with one other option; subtly deceiving us, through the prideful wickedness of our own hearts, to inflict / afflict ourselves.  The remainder of this teaching is meant to teach us three of the most effective ways they have done this over the ages.

Yahoshua made, a very specific, promise to us almost 2,000 years ago,  

“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [
a]overflows).”

Is this promise being fulfilled in your daily walk with the Messiah?  There was a time in my life I did not know the fullness of this promise either.  However, today, my wife and I know this promise is true, and we experience the fullness of it, every day of our lives.  This is my / our hope and prayer for you too!    

Question: SO WHAT IS A COVENANT OF DEATH EXACTLY?

Answer: A covenant of death is a legal contract, enforced in the Heavenlies, due to an enactment here on earth. 

In varying degrees, Heaven holds each one of us legally responsible and morally accountable, every time we are personally confronted with the sin of another human being and we do not speak out against it.

What is true in the spiritual realm is also true in the natural.  Here are some examples of covenants of death in the natural realm.

1)  If we possess critical information concerning the criminal activity of another person, and law enforcement discovers that we withheld that information, we can be charged with “accessory to a crime” which we did not even commit. 

2)  If we harbor a criminally charged fugitive, and tend to their welfare, we can also be charged with a felony crime.

3)  If we witness a crime being committed and we take no responsible action, e.g. like calling for help if you have a cell phone, and later it is found out you could have done something, but instead chose to nothing, then we can possibly be charged with a crime.  (This is the so called “Good Samaritan Laws” that have been passed far and wide around the world.)

Here is what “The Scriptures” have to say about covenants of death.

Yehezkel / Ezek 3:17-21 ~ "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Yisrael.  Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me. v.18  If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. v.19  But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. v.20  Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die.  Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. v.21  But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul."

From this passage of “Scripture” we can discern the spiritual principle if we do not warn the sinner, who is personally known to us, of the consequences of their sin, then we will be held accountable for not speaking out against their sin.  It is imperative to remember we are to speak against the sinfulness, of the sin itself, not the person who sinned.  Our Father’s heart is merciful toward the sinner and we must have His merciful heart also when confronting sin.  We must confront the sinner in the broken humility of our Messiah or we too are liable to fall into sin!

 “Brothers, if a man is overtaken in some trespass, you the spiritual ones, set such a one straight in a spirit of meekness, looking at yourself lest you be tried too. v.2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so complete the Torah of Messiah.” ~ Gal 6:1-2      

In another passage of Yehezkel the prophet is similarly warned. 

Yehezkel / Ezek 33:2-9 ~ "Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, v.3 and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, v.4 then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. v.5 He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. v.6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. v.7 "So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Yisrael. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me. v.8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. v.9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.”

There is no greater approaching danger, to the soul of another person, than the consequence of their sin.  The spiritual principle discerned from this passage is profoundly simple.  If someone we know tells us they are going to commit a certain sin(s), before they actually commit the sin(s), then we must warn them, in the fullest measure, of the consequences of their sinful choice(s).  In addition, if someone confesses to us they have sinned against Yahweh, after the fact, then we must warn them of the spiritual consequences of their sin and we must lead them to confession and repentance at the cross of our Messiah, by the power of Ruach ha Chodesh (The Set-apart Spirit).

Let’s take a look at one more example, of a covenant of death, from the following passage in Romans. 

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge Elohim, Elohim gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. v.29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, v.30 slanderers, haters of Elohim, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, v.31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. v.32 Though they know Elohim's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. 2:1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. v.2 We know that the judgment of Elohim rightly falls on those who practice such things. v.3 Do you suppose, O man--you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself--that you will escape the judgment of Elohim? v.4 Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that Elohim's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? v.5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when Elohim's righteous judgment will be revealed. v.6 He will render to each one according to his works:

There is a principle in the natural which is just as applicable in the spiritual, “Your silence is your acquiescence or agreement.”  When anyone falsely charges us directly, with any matter whatsoever, we have the moral obligation to set the record straight, in humility and in love.  If we do not speak out then we are agreeing to the charges as a principle of natural, common, and contract law.  

This principle is exemplified and amplified in the greatest example of all time, set before us in “The Scriptures”, at the trial of Yahoshua.

“And the chief priests, and the elders, and all the council were seeking false witness against
יהושע to put Him to death, v.60 but found none. Although many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward, v.61 and said, “This one said, ‘I am able to destroy the Dwelling Place of Elohim and to build it in three days.’ ” v.62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Have You no answer to make? What do these witness against You?” v.63 But יהושע remained silent.” ~ MattithYahu 26:59-63a

Because Yahoshua did not speak up, to defend Himself, before the high priest, when He was accused falsely, they were then able to find Him guilty of the crimes they accused Him of.  Thus He was able to bear our sins upon Himself when He died upon that tree almost 2,000 years ago.

We must speak up, in love and in humility, for the Truth’s sake. Many times our silence is not “golden”, rather our silence is sin.  We cannot compromise Truth for peace!  This is the easiest way to entangle ourselves into a covenant of death.

The greatest covenant of death ever recorded in history is when Rome and Yahudah agreed to crucify the Savior and King of Heaven and earth.  Even though the Roman official washed his hands clean he is still just as guilty of the murder of an innocent man.  Up to this very day the Roman Catholic Church and the Yahudim have a very close alliance at the very highest levels of power and influence.  Why is this?  They are seemingly two very much opposed religions. 

The answer lies in the covenant of death established in Yahrushalayim almost 2,000 years ago.  Until Yahudah and Rome separately, corporately confess this sin and renounce this covenant of death it will continue on, legally binding, to each subsequent generation!  Without audible confession (renouncement) and repentance, there is no restoration!  This principle is firmly established in Bemidbar / Numbers 30 and again in Romans 10.

Bemidbar 30:3-16  “Or if a woman vows a vow to יהוה, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth, v.4 and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father has kept silent towards her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself stands. v.5 “But if her father forbids her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself stand. And יהוה pardons her, because her father has forbidden her. v.6 “But if she at all belongs to a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself, v.7 and her husband hears it, and he has kept silent towards her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself do stand. v.8 “But if her husband forbids her on the day that he hears it, then he has nullified her vow which she vowed, and the rash utterance of her lips by which she bound herself, and יהוה pardons her. v.9 “But any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, stands against her. v.10 “And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath, v.11 and her husband heard it, and has kept silent towards her and did not forbid her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself stands. v.12 “But if her husband clearly nullified them on the day he heard them, then whatever came from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it does not stand – her husband has nullified them, and יהוה pardons her. v.13 “Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her being, let her husband confirm it, or let her husband nullify it. v.14 “But if her husband is altogether silent at her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her – he confirms them, because he kept silent towards her on the day that he heard. v.15 “But if he nullifies them after he has heard, then he shall bear her crookedness.” v.16 These are the laws which יהוה commanded Mosheh, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.”

Romans 10:9-10 “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. v.10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, and so is saved.”

Again, at the time Yahudah made their covenant with death their Groom, of betrothal, remained completely silent! 

“And all the people answering, said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Matt 27:25

Yahoshua’s silence is why their curse came to pass in exact detailed fulfillment!  All of Yahudah and their children were completely destroyed and “the sign of Yonah” was wondrously fulfilled when the temple, Yahrushalayim and over 1,000,000 Yahudim were brutally and mercilessly slaughtered.  If Yahoshua had opened His mouth and nullified this vow in “the day that He heard it” then “the sign of Yonah” (Matt 12:39) to a wicked and adulterous generation would have never come to pass and the prophecy would have failed.  This sign is still extant today at the Drash (hidden) level of fulfillment which will conclude in the Shabbat year of 2026 / 27.   
  
For a detailed understanding of “the sign of Yonah” check out the study linked below.  Since I originally posted this study much more revelation has been received and has been added.  Do not forget to check out the comment section for very informative objections and answers.


The reason we must specifically confess every sin OUT LOUD is because in the very day we confess and forsake every covenant of death made in our ignorance, willful disobedience, and / or presumptuously our Groom can then legally take our crookedness upon Himself and nullify every covenant of death, “IN THE DAY HE HEARS OF IT”!  This is exactly what “The Torah” teaches us! (Bemidbar 30:3-16)    

In Summary:  WE COVENANT WITH DEATH WHEN…

1)  We keep silent when personally confronted with the sin of another.

2)  We do not warn the sinner of the consequences of their current course of action.

3)  We mutually agree with another party to transgress Yahweh’s Torah or when we enable / support another’s transgression by our words or actions.

EXAMPLES OF COVENANTS OF DEATH

We covenant with death when another person tells us they are going to…

Have an abortion…
Divorce their spouse…
Commit fornication / adultery or are committing fornication / adultery…
Commit murder or have already committed murder…
Lie / bear false witness or have previously lied or are currently bearing false witness…
(The above would include gossip, slander, libel & unsubstantiated rumors.)

etc, etc, etc…
…and we say or do nothing to bring about correction. 

Is there forgiveness for all of these transgressions?  Absolutely, Yes!  However, forgiveness is contingent on confessing our sin, OUT LOUD, and forsaking it.  Our authority for determining what is sin and what is not sin is the Word of Elohim.  Specifically, the first five books called “The Torah”.  Even Brit ha Dashah, (Erroneously called the New Testament), testifies to this authority.

Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness, i.e. without or against “The Torah”.” ~ 1Yahonan 3:4              

Anything that we do that goes against the authority Yahweh has placed in His Torah is sin!  Much of the time our emotions will get in the way of making the right (righteous) decision, especially, when it comes to speaking absolute Truth into the lives of our closest relatives and friendships.  Our emotions can deceive us and they can lead us straight into the pit of hell if we are not careful.

To make sure we do not fall into this trap a good question to always ask is… “By what authority are you… (Insert whatever sinful course they are engaging on / in here, e.g. divorcing your spouse for instance)?  If the person we are engaging with cannot give us an answer by the authority of “The Scriptures” then it is sin!  If “The Scriptures” are our final authority for absolute Truth then we will keep ourselves from engaging in a “covenant of death”.

Once again, if we do not speak absolute Truth when confronted by another person, with their sin, then we have entered into a covenant of death.  By our silence we have agreed to their rebellion before Yahweh.  Our hearts are wicked and deceitful and can easily deceive us into cursing ourselves by ignorantly establishing covenants of death.

“The heart is crooked above all, and desperately sick – who shall know it?” ~ YirmeYahu / Jeremiah 17:9 

We must guard our hearts at all cost, especially, when it comes to our closest relationships. i.e. best friends, our spouse, our children.

 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” ~ Mishle (Proverbs) 4:23

Real love for another, and thus true friendship, will confront any known sin in the life of their friend and they will not hesitate to ask the question, “By what authority?” 

Open reproof is better than hidden love. v.6 The wounds of a friend are true, But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.” ~ Mishle 27:5-6  


WE COVENANT WITH DEATH WHEN WE COME INTO AGREEMENT WITH ANOTHER PERSON(S) TO TRANSGRESS THE TORAH OF YAHWEH

MORE EXAMPLES OF COVENANTS OF DEATH

We covenant with death when we…

mutually agree to murder the baby Yahweh has blessed us with, i.e. abortion.
mutually agree to divorce one another.
mutually agree to deceive another / others,
mutually agree to lie to another / others.
mutually agree to steal from another / others.
mutually agree to defraud another / others.
 
I personally fell into the trap of this last one starting in 2002.  I had entered into this “covenant of death”, due to the direct influence and counsel of my ex-wife.  My good friend Richard and I had worked together, starting in 2001 through 2002, developing an original marketing and fund raising business, “Groceries Free” TM.  While working on this venture together we successfully established two key accounts both of which, unlawfully, terminated their contractual agreement with us.  In both instances Richard decided to refrain from responding in any manner except trusting, through prayer, in Heaven’s Providential Sovereignty and releasing every offense to the finished work of the cross.  For Richard there really wasn’t any other option.  He was an excellent example to me as I watched him live out his faith as instructed in Romans 12.

v.17 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. v.18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. v.19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of Elohim, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says Yahweh." v.20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." v.21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Because we had two, seemingly solid, contracts in place Richard had agreed to advance me several thousands of dollars, which was to be but a small fraction of future commissions expected.  However, when those two contracts fizzled out I was left with no practical means of returning the money I owed to Richard.  From late 2002 through late 2005 I made above average income and I could have easily repaid the money I owed to Richard.  Each time I suggested doing this my ex-wife would talk me out of it.  She insisted because Richard didn’t want to pursue the breach of contracts he should be held liable for the loss of paid commissions to me.

In my heart I knew this was wrong, however, I did not aggressively pursue the matter as I did not want to stand for truth when I knew it would just create further strife with my ex.  In late 2006 I was talking to Richard and he asked me if I had considered the possibility that I had created a covenant of death, and thereby cursed myself, by agreeing with Jolene to not repay him the money I owed him.  I prayed about this insight, and by the Spirit, I knew Richard was right.  I had established a covenant of death with Jolene and I had thereby cursed myself, and my financial provision from Heaven, even further.

Once again, I humbled myself and prayed for forgiveness for this transgression of His righteousness and I asked Yahweh to please forgive me.  Through further prayer I realized I must start repaying the money I owed Richard, immediately.  Although all I had to my name was $25.00 (US) I knew, by faith, I must send it all for the power of the curse / covenant of death to be broken through this act of repentance.  From the time I first sent out this first payment I was not able to send Richard even one dollar more over the next two years.

In late 2008 Richard called me up to tell me the Spirit of Yahweh had spoken to him and told him to tell me the debt was forgiven in full and no more needed to be repaid.  Only later would we both realize from “The Scriptures” this was actually a command to the children of Yisrael.  In the end of the seventh year every debt left unpaid, to another member of the house Yisrael, was to be canceled in full. (Deuteronomy 15:1) 

I bless Yahweh that by His mercy He revealed these “covenants of death” to my heart that I might confess them, forsake them, and repent of them and thus be set free from their powerful strongholds over my life.  I never want to be held captive or restrained by any curse, “covenant of death”, or wicked soul tie ever again.  By Heaven’s favour I want to work out / walk out the “Power of Deliverance” all the rest of my days or until Yahoshua returns. (Phil 2:12) 

EVERY DECISION WE MAKE WE CHOOSE TO SERVE YAHWEH OR THE ELOHIM OF SELF!  CAREFULLY CHOOSE WHOM YOU SHALL SERVE!
        
In Acts 5:1-11 is recorded the true account of Ḥananyah and Shappirah.  They mutually agreed to lie to Shimon Kepha (Simon Peter) and keep back part of the money they had sold their property for.  As a direct result of this covenant of death both Hananyah and Shappirah were struck dead immediately and the fear of Yahweh fell on the entire assembly at Yahrushalayim.

Fortunately, none of my own covenants of death have cost me as much as it cost these two.  Never the less, do not think for a moment, in the deceitfulness of your heart, that our covenants of death do not cost us dearly and do not in fact bring varying degrees of death to every area of our lives. 

“Be not deceived; Elohim is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” ~ Galatians 6:7-8

WE COVENANT WITH DEATH WHEN WE…

enable those we love to continue on with their destructive behavior, including, but not limited to…

drug addiction, alcoholism, pornographic addiction, sexual addiction, relationship addiction, emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, etc, etc.    

Some of the varying ways we do this are by…

condoning wrong behavior.

refusing to bring wrong behavior into the light for it to be exposed and corrected before two or three witnesses.

financially providing for the wickedness to continue on.

refusing to contact law enforcement authorities to request the removal of the abusive party.

refusing to physically remove ourselves from the presently dangerous and harmful environment if law enforcement authorities will not provide the protection requested.

Even though there are hardly any grounds for a believer to divorce their spouse, found anywhere in “The Scriptures”, this does not mean there is any expectation we subject ourselves to continual abuse.  By all means if your marriage is not one of safety, protection and provision, according to “The Scriptures”, then remove yourself and wait on Yahweh for further direction.  Every wise counsel we need is found in His Torah. (Mishle / Proverbs 3:5-6 & James / Ya ‘acob 1:5-6)
  
A good question to ask myself is, “If Heaven cannot bless or reward sinful behavior, what makes me think that I can?”  “How can I go against the will of Heaven, for another person to receive correction, according to what they have been sowing, without turning Heaven against me and my promised covenant protection and provision?”  I know firsthand this is impossible.  When we enable another person financially, who is currently living in open rebellion, unconfessed / unforsaken sin, against Yahweh and His Torah, then we must be sure Heaven’s favor will turn away from us.

I myself have made this terrible mistake and I have paid very dearly for it.  I let my wicked heart deceive me and although my intentions were very good my actions were evil in the eyes of Heaven.

I did this by agreeing to support my ex-wife financially even though she was living a life of unconfessed, unrepented rebellion against Heaven.  I knew she was in a state of unconfessed, unrepented rebellion against Heaven, (even though I was not aware of the full extent of her rebellion at the time), and yet I still elected to commit full financial support for her, for the sake of our children.

At that time, Heaven was busy dealing with my ex and she was beginning to suffer severely for the consequences of her wickedness.  I did not even pray about the decision to support her financially and I let my heart deceive me to interfere with Heaven’s discipline in her life.  In a way I seized the opportunity to be sovereign in her life rather than let Elohim’s Sovereignty work itself out in her life and the life of our children.  If I had not done this I would have been a lot wealthier financially, I would not have been disciplined by Heaven, and I probably would have received custody of my children.

Sin will always take us further than we wanted to go, cost us more than we wanted to pay, and make us stay longer than we wanted to stay.  It is so very important that we pray before we make any financial decisions.  Too many times we make decisions regarding our finances based on our temporal emotions and not the eternal Truth of “The Scriptures”.  

Since I received this revelation, in August 2008, there have been several occasions when the Set-apart Spirit has spoken to my heart and told me not to give, even though I knew of the need first hand.  Believe me when I say, it is much harder for me to be obedient to the Set-apart Spirit when He tells me not to give than when He tells me to give.  However, because I understand covenant in the picture of marriage I know I do not have any choice but to obey. 
 
Furthermore, I was not the faithful steward I should have been of Yahweh’s resources.  Back when I was a “Christian”, I was never really taught the doctrine of covenant as it relates to marriage.  “Christendom” taught me to pay my 10% religious tax, give an occasional offering, and whatever was left over I could pretty much do with as I wished, within certain prescribed parameters.

While it is true that every believer in Messiah should give their primary tithe to support the ministry that teaches them “The Scriptures”, through the lens of the Torah, tithing by itself does not fulfill the picture of covenant.  The doctrine of covenant is best understood in the picture of marriage.

When you enter into the covenant relationship of marriage you lose all personal ownership of everything; Period!  Your money is no longer yours, your time is no longer yours and everything you possess is no longer yours.  Even your very life and body no longer belong to you.                 (1Corinthians 7:4)  

  
The bride belongs to her Father’s house first and then her Husband’s house second.  The bride NEVER belongs to herself over her entire lifetime.  Whether she is living in her Father’s house during her betrothal or her husband’s house from the time of the wedding feast, either way, everything the bride has is NEVER hers; it all belongs to her Father or her Groom.  The Father and the Groom have both sworn to always provide for and protect the bride of covenant.  Everything they have, they have given to us as well.  Since they have everything and we have nothing don’t you think this is a wonderful arrangement?  I know I sure do! 

Religion has taught believers that the tithe and maybe an occasional offering belong to the Groom, but all the rest belongs to the bride to do with as she pleases.  Does this accurately reflect the picture of a marriage covenant?  Everything we have belongs to the Groom.  We are called to be responsible stewards of everything He has blessed us with for the sake of the covenant. (1Corinthinas 4:2)

To more fully understand the marriage covenant and what the first marriage (Adam and Hawwah / Eve) is supposed to teach us please visit me on my blog site.


When Yahweh revealed to my heart that I had entered into a covenant of death with my ex-wife I responded with joyous confession of my sin and repentance.  (I have learned to define repentance as fully agreeing with the Elohim of the universe.)  Why would anyone want to argue with the supreme authority of the universe?  How could I possibly win such an argument?  Everything He declares is sin in my life is what sin really is.  In addition, I do not have to guess what He defines as sin because He has already told me what sin is by His Word!  Sin is Torah-less-ness! 

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 Yahonan / John 3:4) 

My heart filled with laughter to overflowing as I was praying, confessing my sin.  I could almost hardly believe I had committed this particular sin.  My love for my children and my ex-wife blinded me to the reality that I was establishing a covenant with death back in the summer of 2006.  It was even harder for me to believe that I had been so blinded from seeing the obvious consequence of my sin.  The reason why I was joyously laughing with such disbelief, when this revelation came to my heart, is because I knew what a covenant of death was.  I had taught this very lesson on “Curses, Covenants of Death and Wicked Soul-Ties”, from “The Scriptures”, at least a half dozen times over the previous 18 months.  How could I be so blind as not to see the wickedness of my own sinful covenant of death and not know I needed to confess it as sin for over two years?

One of the most prominent ways we covenant with death is in the areas of our financial matters.  More often than not people, especially married couples, come into agreement concerning financial matters that are completely contrary to “The Torah”.


EXAMPLES OF COVENANTS OF DEATH IN OUR FINANCIAL DEALINGS

Did you know that as followers of Yahoshua and His doctrine, “The Torah”, the following holds true for our stewardship of His kingdom.

1) We are not to enter into any debt contracts lasting longer than seven years.

When we enter into any debt obligation(s), without first praying for direction and hearing from Yahweh to proceed, we are presuming on His future provision(s).  Presumption is the anti-thesis of faith.  It is actually a very clever counterfeit of genuine faith.  Faith is of Heaven.  Presumption is from hell.  When two or more people agree to indebtedness, without hearing from Heaven, they have established a covenant of death.

To clearly illustrate the difference between faith and presumption permit me to share the following anecdote.  I invite you over for dinner and you accept my invitation.  Faith is, I go ahead and make all the preparations necessary for your expected arrival at the previously agreed date and time.  Presumption is, you show up at my door at the time expected and I inquire of you, “Where is the meal, the wine, the bread and the dessert.”, and I had never informed you I expected you to bring any of these with you when you came. 

I hope this illustration has helped you to see how close and yet how very far away the concepts of faith and presumption truly are.  I would humbly submit to you that most believers I know operate mostly in presumption and do not know genuine, “Scripturally”, defined faith.

2) We are commanded not to charge fellow believers interest.

I can’t help but wonder how Elohim feels about how much interest is paid out annually by His trusted stewards to the financial institutions of this world?  I wonder, just how much kingdom work goes left undone each year, which could be readily financed on just the interest that is squandered, by His covenant partners?  Do we really think there will not be an accounting one day?

3) Tithing is an integral part of our covenant relationship with Yahweh.

When a husband and wife mutually agree not to tithe they essentially curse themselves.  The tithe belongs to Yahweh and is set-apart unto Him from the first fruits of our labour.  When we do not tithe we are essentially stealing from Yahweh. In addition, we are proclaiming our distrust of His provision and His protection.  My wife Jenn and I have always tithed, from the very beginning of our marriage, because we understand this principle.

The first tithe ever recorded is when Abraham gave a tenth of all of his wealth (silver money) to his Torah teacher Shem. (As recorded in Bereshith / Genesis 14 and “The Book of Yasher.)  Follow his example and give your first fruits to your Torah teacher as unto Yahweh.  If you can trust him to feed your soul then you can trust him with your tithe.  If you cannot trust your Torah teacher with the tithe of Yahweh that person has no business teaching you the Torah.  If you live in a remote area and / or you are receiving your Torah instructions from several Torah teachers via the internet, television, radio, etc. then make sure to pray and give your tithe to all those whom the Father directs you to.        

Regularly giving out of our tithes and offerings to the poor, widows, orphans, and believers who are visiting from a foreign land are also integral to our covenant relationship with Yahweh.  Prayerfully consider the following “Scriptures”.  Pray how Yahweh had would have you give in these areas and then be swiftly obedient to His voice. (Mishle / Proverbs 3:27-28)  Remember, to agree to delay or not to obey in this area of your stewardship is also establishing a covenant of death.     

Mishle / Proverbs 19:17 “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto Yahweh; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.”

Mishle 21:13 “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.”

Mishle 22:9 “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.”

Mishle 28:27 “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.”
   
Ya ‘acob / James 1:27 “Clean and undefiled religion before the Elohim and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Ibrim / Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

1Kepha / Peter 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Our daily choices in obedience vs. disobedience to the Torah will determine if we shall walk in a Covenant of Life or a Covenant of Death!

IN CONCLUSION:  Every covenant of death we have entered into must be confessed as sin and renounced.  If we have entered into a covenant of death in mutual agreement with another party, e.g. a spouse, close friend, other family member, etc, then this covenant of death should be confessed as sin and renounced by both parties, in mutual agreement, if at all possible. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I ask You to reveal to me every covenant of death that I have entered into and have thereby empowered to take legal, spiritual authority over any area of my life.  I am asking You to help me to identify each covenant of death I have agreed to, specifically, and particularly, so I can confess it OUT LOUD and forsake it, so I can be healed, delivered, and made whole, by the power of Your Set-apart Spirit.  Thank You Yahweh Elohim for revealing everything I have asked You to, so I may be whole and free from the power of any covenant of death I have previously agree to in my ignorance, wilfully, and / or presumptuously.  In Yahoshua’s name I pray, Amein!
  
Shalom, shalom, In Sincerity and Truth,
Robert McDuffie ~ YeshaYahu 1:19-20
7rapturesrobert@gmail.com