A wake-up call for those who once believed in Y'shua and have now turned their backs on Him

Here's a note to those who once believed in Y'shua and have now turned their backs on Him:  Please read the below very carefully - and then if you still wish to believe that Y'shua is a myth and the "New Testament" is a fabrication, fine. But be sure in your heart that you wish to stake your eternal life on your "new" belief...

2 Peter 2:12 But these, like nasty beasts that by nature are for slaughter and corruption, while engaging in evil speech regarding things they don't know, will perish in their own corruption; 13. they being persons with whom iniquity is the reward of iniquity, and by them rioting in the daytime is accounted delightful; defiled and full of blemishes (are they), indulging themselves at their ease while they give themselves up to pleasure; 14. having eyes that are full of adultery and sins that never end; seducing unstable souls; and having a heart exercised in greed; children of cursing: 15. And, having left the correct path, they have wandered and gone in the way of Balaam the son of Beor who loved the wages of iniquity, 16. and who had for the corrector of his transgression a mute mule which, speaking with the speech of men, rebuked the madness of the prophet.

17. These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, persons for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness. 18. For, while they utter astonishing vanity, they seduce with obscene lusts of the flesh, them who have almost abandoned these that walk in error. 19. And they promise them liberty while they themselves are the slaves of corruption: for, by whatever thing a man is vanquished, to that is he enslaved.

20. For if, when they have escaped the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of our Master and Redeemer Y'shua the Mashiyach, they become again involved in the same and are vanquished, their latter state is worse than the former. 21. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after having known (it), to turn back from the Set Apart Commandment that was delivered to them. 22. But the true proverb has happened to them: the dog returns to his vomit and the pig that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire. (AENT)

Hebrews 10:26 For if a man sin voluntarily after he has received a knowledge of the truth, there is no longer a sacrifice which may be offered for sins: 27. but the fearful judgment impends, and the zeal of fire that consumes the adversaries. 28. For if he who transgressed the Torah of Moshe, died without mercies at the mouth of two or three witnesses; 29. how much more, do you think, will he receive capital punishment who has trodden upon the Son of Elohim and has accounted the blood of his covenant by which he is sanctified, as the blood of all men and has treated the Spirit of grace in an insulting manner? 30. For we know him who has said, Retribution is mine and I will repay: and again, Master YHWH will judge his people. 31. It is very terrible to fall into the hands of the living Elohim.  (AENT)

FOOTNOTE: The admonition above in Hebrews 10 is perhaps a midrash about "blaspheming against the Ruach haKodesh" as mentioned by Y'shua in Matthew 12:32.

To consider oneself "equal" to YHWH is a very serious matter. Yeshua spoke of himself as being about his Father's business, of coming in his Father's Name; he spoke and taught with authority and performed healings which made him a formidable opponent to religious tradition. The charge here of Yeshua making himself equal to YHWH is simply Pharisee tradition projecting itself onto Yeshua. The Ruach haKodesh in Mashiyach is "equal" to YHWH, but the Pharisees supposed that Yeshua and his followers equated his humanity with YHWH; they didn't understand Isaiah 11:1-2, that Mashiyach has the Ruach haKodesh (another name for YHWH-Psalm 51:1-11, Isaiah 63:1-11) within him. YHWH spoke through the Spirit of Mashiyach, rather than through his human component!

Yeshua maintained that his nefesh (soul) would die, but that YHWH would resurrect it! Yeshua believed his own nefesh was mortal. Zechariah 12:10 the Spirit of YHWH is "pierced" but they mourn for him (Yeshua) as an only begotten son. YHWH cannot literally be "pierced"; therefore, this refers to Mashiyach who has the Spirit of YHWH in him. (Footnote borrowed from the Aramaic/English New Testament)

While the Christian "Jesus" has been made out to be a Torah-less, blond adonis who supposedly "abolished the Law," the REAL Yeshua, the "arm of YHWH," (Isaiah 53:1) was a Torah observant, seventh-day Sabbath and Feast-keeping, kosher JEW.

Philippians 2:5 And think you so in yourselves, as Y'shua the Mashiyach also thought; 6. who, as he was in the likeness of Elohim, did not regard it sinful to be the coequal of Elohim; 7. yet disinherited himself and assumed the likeness of a servant, and was in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man; 8. and he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the stake. 9. Wherefore, also, Elohim has highly exalted him and given him a name which is more excellent than all names; 10. that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, of (beings) in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 11. and very tongue will avow MarYah - that is, Yeshua the Messiah - to the glory of יְהוָֹה His Father. (AENT)

More than his literal birth name Y'shua (which was and is a common Hebrew name), and more than the perfect reputation that his name represents. Y'shua bears the Name of YHWH, the "name above all names"! Y'shua has the Name and reputation of the Father YHWH in him (John 17:11) and the name means "YHWH is Salvation" (Matthew 1:21). (The angels, for instance, only have YHWH's title of ELOHIM within their names: GabriEL, MichaEL, RaphaEL....)

Are you new to Torah, and wish to discover how can you can be "set apart" for God?

 

 

 

 

So how do you do it?

 

The simplest answer is:  Read and study the Torah - the first five Books of the Bible.  I've been doing it for almost three decades now, via the "yearly" reading cycle that takes you, in increments, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. Over and over again. These yearly studies reveal not only who God is and what He expects of His people, but you'll also learn the history of His people, and how YOU fit into the grand plan!

 

I promise you, it's not boring.  Every time you study your way through those first five Books, you will "see" or suddenly recognize "something new" that you hadn't noticed before. Every year, you'll be stepping up onto the next "rung of the ladder" that leads toward a closer relationship to God than you could ever imagine!

 

Throughout the Torah we not only see Divine Rules to follow, but we are told via many examples exactly HOW we can be "set apart" for Him.  (The main thing, of course, is, don't follow the abominable ways of the other nations). YAHWEH - or simply YHWH (the Name the Father gave to Moshe/Moses in Hebrew -  יְהוָֹה - in Exodus 3:13-15) gives us a choice to follow Him, or not. Those who follow Him are blessed; those who don't are "cut off." That is what the Torah tells us throughout. There is no gray area.

 

Over and over in the Torah, we see YHWH saying in various ways: "Be holy because I am holy."  We are to "do" or "not do" simply because He SAID so - because HE KNOWS what is best for us!  Paraphrased:  "I am ADONAI! I am holy, and I want YOU to be holy, because I am holy! It is the only way you can enter into My Presence..."

 

So, how does one know how to "be holy"? It is revealed to us in Leviticus 18:

 

Leviticus 18: 1 ADONAI said to Moshe, 2 "Speak to the people of Isra'el; tell them, 'I am ADONAI your God. 3 You are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Egypt, where you used to live; and you are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Kena'an, where I am bringing you; nor are you to live by their laws. 4 You are to obey my rulings and laws and live accordingly; I am ADONAI your God. 5 You are to observe my laws and rulings; if a person does them, he will have life through them; I am ADONAI. (CJB)

 

It couldn't be any clearer!  And guess what:  YOU, as a believer in Jesus (whose given Hebrew Name is ישוע - or, Yeshua, which means "YHWH is Salvation") are grafted into Israel.  As such, you are expected to do what His people do - OBEY His divine Instructions in Righteousness found only in the Torah, which is our ONLY blueprint for moral, holy living.  

 

(Contrary to popular belief, it's NOT only all about "believing in Jesus" and "grace and mercy." It's a two-way street where God shows mankind HOW to live a holy, set apart life, according to His wonderful Divine blueprint; and you, as a believer, are obligated to obey - just like your parents expected you to learn and obey their rules, for your own good, when you were growing up.)

 

Unfortunately, many insist “those old rules were just for the Jews,” which is a HUGE misconception, as we are “one in Messiah” (Galatians 3:23-29; Ephesians 4:1-6; and John 17:20-23), which means: same God, same rules for holy, set apart living. (I'm not making this up! It's all outlined in Torah.)

 

We can see evidence of this way back at Mt. Sinai: There were 12 Tribes standing before YHWH at Mt. Sinai, INCLUDING all the pagans who followed Moshe out of Egypt, who were told that, if they accepted YHWH as their God, to do "exactly" as His people did (Numbers 15:13-16). That rule was not discarded just because Yeshua died. He didn't come to change Torah; he came to be our final SIN "sacrifice." (Well, he wasn't actually "sacrificed" as nobody sacrificed him; but he willingly martyred himself to shed his Divine Blood, against which is there is no law...

 

Anyway, the Book of Leviticus outlines the things our Creator tells us to do in order to be holy, through obedience to HIS rules!  It's a hard Book to read because some of the rules written thousands of years ago, sound very strange to our "modern" ears and mindsets.  

 

The good news is, nobody is expected to adhere to "all 613 commands" 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. (Please read our website's article entitled, But, didn't Jesus abolish the Law and those 613 original commandments?)

HOWEVER, some were meant to last FOREVER - and those are the ones that believers must pay attention to. 

If you are new to the idea of Torah, you're surely rolling your eyes by now and asking:  "Okay, then - WHAT rules am I supposed keep today?" (The answer can be found in our article called What parts of Torah can we keep today?  )

 

Basically, this is what the article says:

 

(1) Eat only “clean” foods (i.e., no pork or shellfish). (For more explanation, see our article Does God Really Consider All Foods Clean?)

 

(2) Keep God’s commanded Seventh Day Sabbath “rest” (which are our “weekly dates” with Him). (See our article, The Seventh Day is a SIGN between God and His People)

 

(3) Keep His seven High Holy Days, which are our “yearly dates” with Him, spread throughout the year, with each one having great significance. For instance - Messiah Yeshua has fulfilled 4 of the 7 ... and the next one (Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets when God calls His people together, which is what Christians refer to as "the Rapture" ...See our article: Yeshua in the Biblical Feasts)

 

Folks, I promise you: Just DOING these things will bring you SO MUCH closer to God than you’ve ever thought possible!  Please give it a try... It's truly not that hard to do!