The significance of the Tabernacle…

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TABERNACLE BECOMES CLEAR ONCE WE RECOGNIZE that YAHWEH not only sent us His Messiah who chose to martyr Himself on our behalf (NOTE: nobody “sacrificed” Yeshua - there was no altar on which to “sacrifice,” and he allowed himself to be murdered on mankind’s behalf to become our Final SIN Sacrifice” to wash away our PAST sins); but you can be sure that he will be meting out justice from the Third Temple, once it is built:

Hebrews 9: 1. Now, under the first (covenant), there were ordinances of ministration and an earthly sanctuary. 2. For in the first tabernacle which was erected there was the menorah and the table and the bread of the presence; and this was called the Sanctuary. 3. But the inner tabernacle which was within the second veil was called the Kadosh Kadoshim (Holy of Holies). (AENT)

NOTE: Kadosh Kadoshim (Set Apart of the Set Aparts) translated as "Holy of Holies"; however, it is important to note that many religions use "holy" as a term to denote what is sacred unto them. In the Malchut Elohim (Kingdom of Elohim), the term Kadosh denotes the "nature" of Yahweh, who is the sole Creator and sustainer of Life. He has made distinct "boundaries" in Himself which He reveals according to His Word and through the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit).

In Christianity being "holy" is often thought of as "being like Jesus" although most Christians wouldn't dare to live like Yeshua and His Talmidim (Disciples) for fear of being "too Jewish," or being labeled as legalists! Yeshua and His followers were Torah Observant; and it is within Torah Observance that one can truly define what it means to be "Set Apart unto Yahweh." "But know that Yahweh has Set Apart for Himself those who are Chasid (righteous): Yahweh will hear when I call unto him." (Psalm 4:3).

Hebrews 9: 4. And there were in it the golden censer and the ark of the covenant which was all overlaid with gold; and in it were the golden urn which contained the manna and the rod of Aaron which sprouted, and the tables of the covenant; 5. and over it were the cherubim of glory which overshadowed the mercy seat. But there is not time to speak particularly of each of the things which were so arranged. 6. And into the outer tabernacle the priests at all times entered and performed their ministration.

7. But into the inner tabernacle, once a year only, the high priest entered, with the blood which he offered for himself and for the sins of the people. 8. And by this the Ruach haKodesh indicated that the way to the Set Apart (places) was not yet manifested so long as the first tabernacle was standing: 9. and it was a symbol for that time during which oblation and sacrifices were offered that could not make perfect the conscience of him who offered them: 10. but (they consisted) only in food and drink and in the ablutions of diverse things which were flesh ordinances, and were set up until the time of restoration. (AENT)

Hebrews 9: 11. But the Mashiyach who came was a High Priest of the good things which he created: and he entered into the great and perfect tabernacle which was not made with hands and was not of these created things. 12. And he did not enter with the blood of goats and calves; but with the blood of himself he entered once into the sanctuary and obtained eternal redemption.

13. For if the blood of goats and calves, with the ashes of a heifer, was sprinkled upon them that were defiled and sanctified them as to the purification of their flesh; 14. then how much more will the blood of the Mashiyach, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to Elohim, purge our conscience from dead works so that we may serve the living Elohim? 15. And for this reason he became the Mediator of the renewed covenant, that he might by his death be redemption to them who had transgressed the first covenant; so that they who are called to the eternal inheritance might receive the promise. (AENT)

Now take a look at what's to come:

Revelation 11: 1. And a reed was given to me, like a rod; and the Messenger stood, saying, Arise and measure the temple of Elohim, and the altar, and them that worship inside it. 2. But the court which is without the temple, leave out, and measure it not, because it is given to the Gentiles; and they will tread down the Set Apart city forty and two months. 3. And I will give my two witnesses; and they will prophesy a thousand and two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. 4. These are the two olive-trees and the two menorahs which stand before Master YHWH of the earth.

5. And if any person will harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and consumes their adversary; and if any one will harm them, thus must he be slain. 6. They have power to shut up heaven so that the rain will not fall in those days: and they have power over the waters, to turn them into blood; and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they please.

7. And when they will have completed their testimony, the beast of prey that came up from the abyss will make war upon them and will overcome them. 8. And their dead bodies (will be) in the open street of that great city which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Master (Y'shua) was executed on the stake. 9. And (they) of the nations and tribes and peoples and tongues will look upon their dead bodies, three days and a half; and will not suffer their dead bodies to be laid in the grave.

10. And they who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and will be merry, and will send presents to one another; because those two prophets tormented them who dwell on the earth. 11. And after these three days and a half, the Spirit of Life from Elohim entered into them, and they stood upon their feet: and great fear fell on those who saw them.

12. And they heard a great voice from heaven, which said to them: Come up here. And they ascended to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies saw them. 13. And in the same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell: and the persons killed in the earthquake were seven thousand names: and they who remained were afraid and gave glory to Elohim. (AENT)

The Father has always reached out to His people … and the stipulations were always the same…

It is interesting to note how YHWH constantly reached out to His people - and that His stipulations were always the same:

1 Kings 6: 11 Then this word of ADONAI came to Shlomo: 12 "Concerning this house which you are building: if you will live according to my regulations, follow my rulings and observe all my mitzvot and live by them, then I will establish with you my promise that I made to David your father- 13 I will live in it among the people of Isra'el, and I will not abandon my people Isra'el."

Now watch how Yeshua fit into the grand scheme of things!

Hebrews 8: 1. Now the sum of the whole is this; we have a High Priest who is seated on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven: 2. And he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which Elohim has pitched, and not man. 3. For every high priest is established to offer oblations and sacrifices; and therefore, it was proper that this one should also have something to offer.[1] 4. And if he were on earth, he would not be a priest because there are priests (there) who offer gifts[2] in accordance with Torah: 5. (namely) they who minister in the emblem and shadow of the things in heaven: as it was said to Moshe when he was about to build the tabernacle; see and make every thing according to the pattern which was showed you in the mount.

6. But now, Y'shua the Mashiyach has received a ministry which is better than that: as also the covenant of which he is made the Mediator is better, and is given with better promises than the former. 7. For, if the first (covenant) had been faultless, there would have been no place for this second (one).[3] 8. For he rebukes them and says: Behold the days come, says Master YHWH, when I will complete with the family of the house of Israel and with the family of the house of Yehuda, a renewed covenant;[4] 9. not like the covenant which I gave to their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; (and) because they continued not in my covenant, I also rejected them, says Master YHWH.

10. But this is the covenant which I will give to the family of the house of Israel after those days, says Master YHWH: I will put my Torah in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts; and I will be to them a Elohim, and they will be to me a people. 11. And one will not teach his son of the city nor his brother, nor say: You shall know your Master YHWH: because they will all know me, from the youngest of them to the oldest. 12. And I will forgive them their iniquity; and their sins will I remember no more. 13. In that he said a Renewed (Covenant), he made the first old; and that which is old and decaying, is near to disappearing.[5]

Footnotes:

[1] The references relate to Torah (instruction) about the priestly services, not the Torah (Revelation at Sinai), even though both are referenced by the same word in both Hebrew and in Aramaic.

[2] Present tense, clearly indicating the Temple in Jerusalem was standing when this Epistle was written.

[3] Most Christians seem to forget that without the first covenant, the second one is impossible! In very short order Rav Shaul will quote Jeremiah 31:31-34, indicating that the Renewed Covenant is a contingency triggered by, and deriving authority from, the first covenant. YHWH declared that the Ancient Covenant He made with Israel was good; it was to bring life, but the people of Israel chose to willfully break this Covenant and treat it as a vain thing. See Deuteronomy 32:46, 47.

[4] Paul makes reference to the Renewed Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) nine times in this letter.

[5] THE CONTEXT IS JEREMIAH 31:31-34. What is "near to disappearing" is the sinful nature of man that breaks Torah, not the standard of Torah. Remember that MEN broke Torah, not YHWH.

YHWH did not drop the standard of Torah because Israel chose disobedience; rather, He installed a Renewed Covenant to write Torah upon the heart through the work of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit), according to Mashiyach (Messiah).

The fact of the matter is that in Mashiyach, YHWH raised the bar; He magnified Torah; see Isaiah 42:21. Because mankind broke Covenant, YHWH requires complete renovation on our part, not YHWH's part of the Covenant.

This verse in its twisted form, became one of the "crown jewels" of the false teaching that Torah is decaying and is near to disappearing, but nothing could be farther from the truth!

The fact of the matter is that in Mashiyach, YHWH raised the bar; He magnified Torah; see Isaiah 42:21. Because mankind broke Covenant, YHWH requires complete renovation on our part, not YHWH's part of the Covenant. This verse in its twisted form, became one of the "crown jewels" of the false teaching that Torah is decaying and is near to disappearing, but nothing could be farther from the truth!

A note about the “Messenger” mentioned in Exodus 23

Exodus 23:20 "I am sending a messenger ahead of you to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him, listen to what he says and do not rebel against him; because he will not forgive any wrongdoing of yours, since my name resides in him.

Did you notice that? Yahweh's NAME resides in the Messenger! 

Hmmm... wonder who that could be?

The verse goes on to say:

22 But if you listen to what he says and do everything I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. 23 When my messenger goes ahead of you and brings you to the Emori, Hitti, P'rizi, Kena'ani, Hivi and Y'vusi, I will make an end of them.

24 You are not to worship their gods, serve them or follow their practices; rather, you are to demolish them completely and smash their standing-stones to pieces. 25 "You are to serve ADONAI your God; and he will bless your food and water. I will take sickness away from among you. (CJB)

SO, WHAT WE SEE IS THAT THIS "messenger" cannot be just any messenger; it has to be Yeshua!

Why? Because of all the heavenly beings in ADONAI ELOHIM's Realm, ONLY Yeshua has the power to "forgive"; and ONLY Yeshua has the Name of Yahweh residing within His own Name!
"Yeshua" means "Yahweh is Salvation" in Hebrew! All other heavenly beings (angels or messengers) simply contain the shortened TITLE of "ELOHIM" (God) within their own names.

TAKE A LOOK:

MichaEL ((which means "who is like Elohim?") performs acts of justice and power.

GabriEL (which means "the strength of Elohim") performs Yahweh's kindness.

RaphaEL ((which means "Elohim heals") Yahweh's healing force.

None of them have the actual Name that Yahweh gave to Abraham in Exodus 6:2: “I am (הוה). 3 I appeared to Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov as El Shaddai, although I did not make myself known to them by my name. (CJB)

The tetragrammaton you see in the parentheses above are the Hebrew letters "Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey," which consist basically of these letters in English: "YHWH" (written as "Yahweh" and mostly likely pronounced "Yah-way"). The reason we see a "W" instead of a "V" sound in place of the "Vav" is because in this case the Vav takes on an "oo" sound in the Name; thus making it sound like a W.

The true meaning of the word “repent”

I found this jewel on a Facebook post, and don’t know who the author is, but kudos to that person, because this is a great little explanation:

The Hebrew word for Repent: Shuv

Pronunciation: shoov

Meaning: to turn back, to return, to change direction and move toward what you left

Shuv is the primary Hebrew word behind what English Bibles often translate as “repent.” And unfortunately, English absolutely fumbles the ball on this one.

The Hebrew word for Repent is Shuv. Repent has come to mean feeling bad, being sorry, having an emotional moment. Maybe crying. Maybe making a promise to do better.That is not shuv.

Shuv is not about remorse, it’s about movement.

This Word Assumes You’re Facing the Wrong Way.

When Scripture calls someone to shuv, it is not asking them to generate guilt. It is stating a directional problem.

You are going the wrong way. Turn back.

This is why shuv shows up constantly in the prophets, especially when God is addressing covenant breach. “Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot.” (Malachi 3:7 (TLV)

That “return” is shuv on both sides. The issue is not that the people feel nothing. The issue is that their lives are pointed elsewhere.

Repentance here is not an internal regret… it is reorientation.

God is not saying, “Convince Me you are worthy.”

He is saying, “You know where home is. Turn around.”

Shuv Is Measurable.

One of the reasons shuv matters so much is because it produces visible change. You can tell when someone has turned around.

If you are walking east and God tells you to go west, shuv is the act of turning your body around and actually heading west. No speech required, no mood lighting. Just obedience.

Western Christianity often treats repentance like a feeling state.

Ancient Hebrew treats repentance like a GPS correction.

That’s why the prophets are far less interested in apologies than they are in behavior. Shuv shows up in actions, not speeches.

You stop going the way you were going, you stop reinforcing the same patterns. You move back toward covenant alignment. Emotion may accompany that but emotion is not the engine.

This is why Scripture can talk about returning to the Lord even when the people are emotionally numb, stubborn, or exhausted. The focus isn’t their inner turmoil, it’s their trajectory.

God Uses This Word About Himself.

Now this is where shuv gets even more interesting.

Scripture sometimes uses this word to describe God’s response. For instance, we see in Jonah:

“God relented from the calamity that He said He would do to them, and did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10 (TLV)

The word translated “relented” is built on shuv. God “turns” from the announced outcome when the people turn from their ways.

God is not fickle here. It means relationship is real. Covenant includes responsiveness an direction matters.

Shuv and Teshuvah.

You cannot talk about shuv without mentioning teshuvah, the noun form that grows out of it. Teshuvah is often translated as repentance, but it literally means returning.

It doesn’t require a public meltdown.

It doesn’t require wallowing in shame for a socially acceptable amount of time.

Which honestly tells you everything you need to know about how God views repentance.

Why This Word Still Matters

A lot of modern faith language treats repentance like a feeling check. Do you feel sorry enough? Did you mean it?

Shuv asks a different question. Where are you headed now?

It doesn’t demand perfection, it demands honesty. It is impossible to turn without admitting where you are currently facing. And you cannot return without movement.

My Final Thoughts.

Shuv reminds us that repentance in Scripture is not about self-flagellation. It’s about reorientation.

You don’t repent by staying where you are and feeling worse about it.

You repent by turning and walking back toward what gives life.

This word carries mercy in its bones because if returning is possible, then distance is not final.

And Scripture is very clear about that.

- Author unknown

Misunderstandings and misconceptions about the “the Law” can seriously hamper your relationship with God!

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Misunderstandings and misconceptions about the “the Law” can seriously hamper your relationship with God!

FOLKS, after 27 years of being a Messianic believer,  I’m so weary of having my Torah walk challenged by those who adhere to only the last fourth of the Bible which has erroneously been dubbed as the “New Testament,” as if the “old” (the first three-quarters of the Bible, containing the ORIGINAL words of God in those first five Books called “Torah”) are somehow no longer valid, because “Jesus” supposedly came to bring a “new religion” and abolish everything his Father ever commanded!

It gets old, having the same old hackneyed lines crammed down my throat about how “Jesus Christ is the only way to God!” and “The Law was just for the Jews,” and “it was abolished at the cross because nobody could keep it perfectly.”

SO HERE’S MY RESPONSE: While those worn-out phrases are nerve-wracking, it might surprise you that those particular statements are both true AND false!

Please read the following explanations:

POINT ONE: YES, MESSIAH YESHUA (whom Christians call Jesus) IS THE ONLY WAY TO THE FATHER! However, Yeshua (whose given Hebrew name means “Yahweh is Salvation” or “Yahweh saves”) did not come to bring a “new religion” called “Christianity.” He came to earth to represent Yahweh-Elohim (his Father), to teach us how to properly obey and worship the Father, and how to treat each other; and to ultimately offer his life for the purpose of becoming our Redeemer so that we could have eternal life.

POINT TWO: We must remember that the Bible tells us we are all ONE in Messiah (Galatians 3:28), and as such, there are no separate rules for His “natural” or “adopted” children, when it comes to certain “forever” commands. Not to mention, nothing says we have to keep "all 613 commands" (let alone, “perfectly”) as MOST of them were directed at the Levite cohens (priests); some were only for men; some only for women; and some were only for a certain time frame.) However, some were meant to last FOREVER - and those are the ones that believers must pay attention to.  For instance:

(1) Eating only “clean foods” (the “unclean” animals, birds and fish didn’t automatically become “clean” just because Jesus died!).

(2) Keeping the commanded Seventh Day Sabbath – which sets us apart from the rest of the world. It’s our weekly “date” with God!

(3) Keeping the seven commanded Biblical Feasts (all of which foreshadow Yeshua!)  They are our yearly “dates” with God, spread out throughout the year, in part, to continue our ongoing relationship with Him.

(4) Keeping in Ten Commandments (which, by the way, come straight from the “Old Testament” people insist doesn’t pertain to them, because it’s supposedly “only for the Jews”) which outline, in no uncertain terms exactly what is expected of God’s people.  Tithing comes straight out of the “Old Testament” – so why do pastors still ask for tithes?

POINT THREE: Yahweh Himself reiterated several times that ALL who accepted Him as their God were to do as His people did, which was to obey His Torah (Divine Instructions in Righteousness).

Leviticus 24: 22 You are to apply the same standard of judgment to the foreigner as to the citizen, because I am ADONAI your God."

Numbers 9: 14 If a foreigner is staying with you and wants to observe Pesach for ADONAI, he is to do it according to the regulations and rules of Pesach- you are to have the same law for the foreigner as for the citizen of the land.'"

And check out this passage wherein Yahweh says FOUR TIMES in a row that ALL are to obey His Divine Instructions!

Numbers 15: 13 "'Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"

Deuteronomy 31: 11 when all Isra'el have come to appear in the presence of ADONAI at the place he will choose, you are to read this Torah before all Isra'el, so that they can hear it. 12 Assemble the people-the men, the women, the little ones and the foreigners (which includes ANYONE who wishes to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) you have in your towns -so that they can hear, learn, fear ADONAI your God and take care to obey all the words of this Torah…

SO YES - belief in the shed blood of Yeshua is definitely the ONLY door or portal through which we have access to the Father – but as you can see from the few passages above, there’s more to belonging to God than just “believing” in His Messiah. The whole Bible tells us so:

John 14: 6 Yeshua answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

UNFORTUNATELY, MANY FAIL TO BOTHER WITH THE “OLD TESTAMENT”; consequently missing the point that ALL who accept Yahweh as their God and Yeshua as His Divine Messiah, are to OBEY His Divine Instructions, without which we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living! What makes you think Yeshua abolished that, when Yahweh sent him specifically to do everything His Father told him to do? 

Deuteronomy 18: 15 "ADONAI will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him, 16 just as when you were assembled at Horev and requested ADONAI your God, 'Don't let me hear the voice of ADONAI my God any more, or let me see this great fire ever again; if I do, I will die!' 17 On that occasion ADONAI said to me, 'They are right in what they are saying. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him. (CJB)

Yeshua Himself said He came to do HIS FATHER's will; not His own!

John 6: 35. Y'shua said to them, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger. And whoever believes in me will not ever thirst. 36. But I have said to you that you have seen me, and you do not believe. 37. All who my Father has given to me will come, and whoever comes not to me I will cast outside! 38. For I came down from heaven,[1] not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. 39. And this is His will, that of Him who sent me, that all that He has given to me I do not lose even one. 40. For this is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in Him, will have life that is eternal. And I will raise him up on the last day. (Aramaic English New Testament)

[1] As in the context of Miltha (the Word) or the "Manifestation" or the "Will of" YHWH coming down from heaven to do the Will of YHWH upon earth; his Spirit is of YHWH but his nephesh (soul) and body are human and temporal. This shows that Yeshua was NOT in charge; HIS FATHER WAS!

Yeshua came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH and to do everything His Father commanded. He tore down the fences of man's legalism. Neither He nor His Apostles ever advocated against Torah!

Does this mean we have to convert to Judaism or become Orthodox Jews, dressing in black suits and hats and perform all the traditions?

NO! What this means is that you should READ and STUDY the Torah (first five Books of the Bible that contain ALL of YHWH's original, Divine Instructions); along with the REST of the Bible in order to get the "big picture"; and begin to recognize that

1 John 2: 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. 6 He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked. (CJB)

How did he walk? By Torah! Y'shua didn't make up new rules. He kept Torah and expected US to follow suit. You can only know the him through the law and the testimony! Revelation reveals this:

Revelation 12: 17 "The dragon was infuriated over the woman and went off to fight the rest of her children, those who obey God's commands and bear witness to Yeshua." (CJB)

Revelation 14: 12 "This is when perseverance is needed on the part of God's people, those who observe his commands and exercise Yeshua's faithfulness." (CJB)

Please note, the above scriptures don't mention the "Ten Commandments". They simply refer to "the Commands" or "the Commandments" depending on which Bible version you use....God warns us in Proverbs 4:2 - "I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah."

Here's more...

"And by this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and follow his commandments. For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome. Because, whoever is born of Elohim overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith" (1 John 5:2-4).

And Paul said:

"Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we ESTABLISH the Law" (Romans 3:31).

In closing: Nobody said we had to "follow the law perfectly." But Torah commandments still stand for ALL who have accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Remember, in Messiah there is no Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free. We are all equal, and ultimately, there is no difference between is "natural" and "adopted" children...

If the above explanation hasn’t given you enough food for thought, then please read two of my short blog posts designed to explain further: https://blog.therefinersfire.org/2024/10/if-youve-broken-one-commandment-youre.html and https://blog.therefinersfire.org/2022/01/please-read-this-if-you-dont-believe.html