Was Yeshua crucified on a stake or a cross?

The question we here at The Refiner’s Fire receive every once in a while is:  Did Yeshua die on a stake or a cross?

Author and teacher Jeremy C. Springfield provides the following insights:

Ultimately, I do not know the answer, and I do not believe anyone knows, for sure.

The Romans had not standardized a specific form for the cross. Some were poles, some were shaped like a capital T, and some were the more traditional appearance we are used to a lowercase t.

All we know for certain is that there was room for a sign to be affixed over the head of Yeshua on the cross.

The text of the Peshitta uses two different terms in scattered places: ZAKIFA TZELIBA. The first just refers to something that is upright, and could be interpreted as a pole. The second has been used to refer to the cross and the "sign of the cross," which is obviously not just an upright gesture. That would potentially seem to suggest the one he was crucified upon was in that general shape.

Incidentally, Jewish texts, when speaking about the cross, usually use a phrase that means "the upright and the horizontal," which points to the shape as not being just an upright pole.

In the end, I am unsure, but I do find it of interest that the Hebrew letter Tav was anciently, in PaleoHebrew script, written as an X or a t.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Jeremy C. Springfield is a translator of Biblical languages with work appearing in published Bible translations.  A former congregational teacher and leader, and an author whose works have appeared on Jewish and Christian websites and radio, he has authored over one hundred in-depth studies displaying the harmony of Scripture from a Jewish perspective, using in particular the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the Bible, along with traditional Jewish religious sources, to show a portrait of the New Testament that is fully compatible with the Hebrew Scriptures as understood within the boundaries of Judaism. All of this and more can be found at his website, Random Groovy Bible Facts.

A list of some Bible passages that describe our “end times” scenario…

As you read your way through the following passages, please keep in mind that all these things are foretold in the Bible, and they WILL and MUST happen because, ever since the downfall of Adam and Eve, we’ve been living in a fallen world where bad things happen. 

Through Grace and Mercy ADONAI ELOHIM has been working on redeeming us back to Himself -  the wonder and beauty of which we will only discover and know, once we re out of these “earth suits” and in our new bodies.  In the meantime, we must endure, and continue to keep learning and growing as we strive for that glorious day when we FINALLY get to see His Face!

The Bible tells us (among myriad other things), what to expect in these “end times scenarios” we’ve been experiencing. For your convenience, I have collected and capsulized some pertinent passages from an old article on my website, The Refiner’s Fire, that simply cannot be ignored. The old article (which I am slowly in the process of updating) is entitled, “Reasons why we are in the end times right now! It's not "global warming"; it's "global warning!"

Whether we choose to believe it, or not, God DOES have an ultimate purpose for us, and there WILL be an end to this life as we know it.  (This is not to scare you; rather, to wake you up to the fact that you don’t have to end up “ceasing to exist” once you pass from this world, because you CAN choose “Eternal Life” with God.  It’s all outlined in the Bible!)

It’s not a “pretty picture,” but please take a few minutes to read the following Bible passages that give us strong hints of what has already been happening and what lies ahead:

Among myriad other warnings, the Holy One of Israel said:

• Deuteronomy 32:23-25 - I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.

This was reiterated in the “New Testament”:

• Luke 21:10-12 - There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
• Revelation 6:7-9 - I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
• Revelation 18:7-9 - Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

This world has, throughout the millennia, experienced myriad wars, terrorist activities, droughts, famines, natural disasters, and many other horrific things.  Today, we can add to those things rampant gossip and conspiracy theories via social media; “global warming of biblical proportions”;  tornadoes, fires, floods, earthquakes and dramatic weather changes of all kinds.  Just open your eyes and ears!

• Mark 13:7-9: - "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."

Mysterious diseases, pain and death caused by "beasts of the field/earth.”  (Over just the last 50 years or so, we’ve been witnessing a plethora of deadly diseases (not the least of which were HIV and COVID; along with an upswing in shark attacks, bear, mountain lion and dog attacks, etc.):

• Revelation 6:7-9: - I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
• Luke 21: 10 Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
• Jeremiah 16:3-5: "They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like refuse lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth."

The world will turn against the Jews and Israel with a vengeance:

• Isaiah 60:15 - "Whereas you have been [Is 1:7-9; 6:11-13; Jer 30:17] forsaken and [Is 66:5] hated With no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting [Is 4:2; 65:18] pride, A joy from generation to generation.
• Joel 3:2 - 'I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.'
• Ezekiel 36:8-10 - "'But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
• Matthew 24:9 - "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

For centuries everybody has been fighting over this tiny country called Israel to claim it as "their" holy place. It seems that the whole world has always "had it in" for Jews in one way or another, and some (i.e. Hitler) have even tried to annihilate them completely. The bottom line is, this issue dates back to the conflict between Isaac and Ishmael, and will not be resolved until Yeshua returns....

Still not convinced?

The Book of Revelation shows hint of nuclear war (although God does NOT need our man-made weapons to make His end-time scenario happen, and only HE knows what will actually transpire):

John, the prophet on the island of Patmos, sees a vision far into the future. (Revelation) Could this be a description of a thermonuclear holocaust?

• Rev. 8:6 - And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7 The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8  The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.  10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter. 12  The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way."

Since one third of the earth was repeatedly mentioned in the passage above in connection with the destruction of the earth, trees, grass and contamination of the waters making all of them poisonous, and darkening of one third of the atmosphere, a nuclear holocaust seems most reasonable (although God certainly does NOT need to use "man-made" devices to make His end time scenario happen!).

Wars and Rumors of Wars:

• Matthew 24:5-7 - You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Violence will increase (which has been happening in droves over the last few decades – and getting worse by the day!) and difficult times will come:

The Book of Revelation talks about children doing evil against their own parents in the end times; about widespread violence and chaos everywhere. We need only to listen to the news to hear about the latest school shooting, "road rage" incidences, unrest, protests and even riots, etc. - things we never used to hear about in days gone by.

Just take a look at what is happening with humanity, in general. For a few decades now, we’ve seen lunatics with a mental problem or a grudge, or some sick personal agenda, committing “mass murders” and/or other violence, just to “make a statement.” We’re no longer safe, no matter where we go, because crazies (usually with guns) are running amuck!  Many people today seem to think it’s their right to take the law into their own hands...

• 2 Timothy 3: 1-2 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy....

Conflicts, disputes, and fighting over the Temple Mount:

• Isaiah 2:1-3 - In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

The Bible also warns us of the revival of the old Babylonian spirit in the last days, described in the 17th and 18th chapters of Revelation. In Jeremiah 51:7, we find a perfect description of the very condition of the days in which we are now living:

• Jeremiah 51:7 Babel was a golden cup in the hand of YHWH, making drunk all the earth. The nations drank her wine, that is why the nations went mad! (ISR)
• Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of YHWH. And by the fire of His jealousy all the earth shall be consumed, for He makes a sudden end of all those who dwell in the earth. (ISR)
• Mark 13:7. But when you hear of wars and rumors of revolutions, do not have fear. This is bound to happen, but is yet not the end. 8. For nation will arise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places. And there will be famine and uprisings. These things are the beginning of sorrows. (AENT)

So, what can we do about it? Well, nobody is immune from wars and man-made or natural disasters, so the only thing we can really do is to pray and get ourselves “right” with YHWH, because Believers ARE guaranteed eternal life in the “olam haba” (world to come)! We can see examples of the promise of “eternal life” in both Torah and throughout the New Testament:

YHWH put the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 2:9. And in Tanach we see that people are “gathered to their people,” for instance in Gen. 25:8 (Abraham), 25:17 (Ishmael), 35:29 (Isaac), 49:33 (Jacob); Deut. 32:50 (Moses and Aaron); see also Daniel 12:2 and Nehemiah 9:5. In the New Testament we see eternal life through Y’shua, whose shed blood redeemed us, thus offering eternal life to any obedient Believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: Romans 3:23-26; 6:23; John 3:16; 11:25, 3:36, 6:47, 17:3-6 etc.

Obviously only a selection of scripture passages have been given here to make the point. There are dozens and dozens more that were not quoted, but surely, you get the drift by now…

So, is there any GOOD news?

Fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamies, volcanic eruptions, sickness and disease, mass murders, wars, rumors or wars and evil all over the world ... With all the bad news we're hearing lately, is there any GOOD news?

YES - Yeshua's Second Coming! Halleluyah!

YHWH's Messiah will put an end to wickedness and evil on this earth. He will rule and reign for a thousand years upon the Earth after he defeats the Antichrist at Armageddon. After that, on Judgment Day, every soul that has ever lived will stand before YHWH to give an account of their life. (See passages such as Psalm 2:2; Daniel 2:44; Ezekiel 39:7; Revelation 16:14-16, 19:11-16 and 20:1-15.)

The GOOD NEWS is that Messiah Yeshua died on our behalf to take away our past sins and allow us to be clean before his Father and learn His Word and how to keep His Ways, using the time left of our earthly years as a “practice run” for the Afterlife! 

Through Yeshua’s redemption get to receive eternal life – whatever that might entail or look like – and spend ETERNITY in our “new, eternal bodies” with YHWH and Yeshua…  (See John 3:16 and 5:24; Romans 6:23; Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:21; Revelation 21 and 22.)

Ultimately, it’s all GOOD because it’s all for HIS Glory and our glorious transformation!  Halleluyah!  Hang in there, guys!

Carmen Welker’s “out of body experience”

I’ve often been ridiculed by my Jewish brethren for “believing in Jesus.” Being Jewish through my mother and her mother and on down the line, I am constantly told what a fool I am to believe in that “Christian idol.”

Well, the bottom line is, I believe Yeshua is THE Messiah because I’ve seen him!  YHWH showed him to me in December 1971, just before I turned 21, while lying in a three-week coma at the Fort Leonard Wood Hospital, near St. Robert, Missouri.

Yes, some may roll their eyes and chuckle, and even attempt to ridicule me, but – as I’m about to explain - ADONAI gave me absolute proof that I was NOT hallucinating! You see, having come from a horrific background of child abuse and neglect, I wasn’t the least bit “religious”; and all I knew about God and His Messiah consisted only of what I had heard from friends.

I remember when I was approximately 5, my foster grandmother in Germany held me on her lap and told me about God, and I totally and completely believed her. But other than that, I had no clue what to do with God; much less, coming to any realization that I was supposed to live according to His Rules.

Until the day He opened my spiritual eyes when I was 44, I basically I felt that the “God and Jesus idea” was just a crutch for people who couldn’t face life on their own.

Regardless, YHWH kept trying to reach me as the years went on, and He even gave me my own personal “Damascus Road” experience while in a coma at the Fort Leonard Wood Hospital, caused by a ruptured appendix that had been misdiagnosed as flu. (I still have the medical records to prove it.)

Anyway, during those three weeks while comatose, I had two “out-of-body” experiences – both of which defy explanation, revealing events that I could NOT have known on my own. (I have included some scriptures wherever appropriate to make my point that I experienced things I couldn’t possibly have known at the time because I wasn’t a church-goer. I reiterate, these experiences happened just before I turned 21, at which time I had never even read the Bible. I didn’t start reading the Bible until I was 44 years old, when I “got saved” in a small-town Baptist church…)

This is an account of my first “out of body” experience – which ultimately served to PROVE (and is revealed at the end of this article) that  both “experiences” had been REAL:

In this first "experience" I remember my soul (or whatever you call the essence that made me, me) sitting up in my body, staring in confusion at all the tubes and machines and paraphernalia keeping me alive, and I simply decided I had had enough.

Next thing I knew, I had left my body completely, and was “flying” up, up, up through the roof of the hospital, heading down Interstate 44 to Springfield, to visit my adoptive father (with whom I had been living while my then-husband was in Vietnam). I remember wondering why I wanted to see my adoptive father, because that monster had been sexually abusing me from when I first met him at age 9, until age 14 when my mother divorced him. (She never knew he was a pedophile, and I never told her. She was too busy fighting her own demons….)

Anyway, during that "visit" I found “myself” (no body, just an invisible “essence”) hovering in the corner of the ceiling above the dining room table, looking down at my father and his girlfriend, Goldie, who – to my sense of hearing in this strange and unusual state - sounded like they were talking into a barrel. They were sitting there holding hands, and animatedly discussing my father’s plans to sell his cows and buy 300 pigs with which to start a pig farm. (Please remember this part!)

Ironically, while peering down at the couple, I was astounded to discover my lack of emotions for them. Normally, I couldn’t look at Daddy without feeling disgust; but in that moment I didn’t care about him, one way or the other; I was simply glad to know he was okay. And as for Goldie, she was like a surrogate mother with whom I had instantly bonded from the moment we met several years before. But, in my present state, I honestly didn’t feel much of anything for her, either. I didn’t feel much about anything or anyone; rather, I felt more like an observer in this world, just basically passing through.

Believing I had accomplished whatever mission I seemed to be on, I felt compelled to return to my sick body back at Fort Leonard Wood. Although I didn’t necessarily want to go back, I somehow knew I had to; and so when I arrived, I unhesitatingly sat down into myself as if taking a seat in a chair. It seemed a totally natural thing to do. I didn’t think to question this experience at all. I simply knew that I was in another realm and that questioning it would be futile because it wasn’t my place to know anything beyond what I was experiencing.

An account of my second “out of body” experience:

Sometime thereafter – several days later – I again found myself leaving my body behind. This time, I headed for outer space and floated around for what seemed like an eternity. Having no body, no arms, no legs, that “entity” again, I was simply “consciousness” floating on a bed of swiftly moving air. I had no clue why, when or where, and I had no control over anything. I was terrified.

Although I couldn’t see much, I distinctly heard sounds from somewhere below me, on another plane; they were eerie sounds, comprised of a mixture of howling winds and human wailing. In my confusion, I was certain that, whatever I was hearing, I wanted no part of it.

Suddenly, to my great relief, in the darkness, a few meters above me and off to the right, there materialized a silhouetted figure of a man dressed in white robes, standing – or so it appeared – in front of the sun. He was too bright to look at until I was fairly close – perhaps a dozen meters away, which was as close as I ever got.

Whoever he was and however he happened to be there, was totally irrelevant to me at the time. I was just glad to see another human and I tried to “will” myself even closer, but I seemed to be stuck in that dozen or so meters away from him. With pleading eyes, I watched this young, olive-skinned, dark-haired man peer down at me. He had a kind, but very sad smile. He wasn’t very good-looking (Isaiah 53:2); as a matter of fact, I remember thinking in my carnal mind, that he was nobody I ever wanted to date. (Obviously, I still had my limited, carnal mindset at that point!)

Be that as it may, I was no longer alone, and he served as company for me in this huge, strange void, and that is all that mattered to me at that point in time.

“Help me!” I called out to him, somehow communicating via thought waves.

He answered in a foreign language I couldn’t understand (presumably Hebrew or Aramaic since Yeshua was an Israeli Jew … which I didn’t know at the time because I didn’t know who this man was); and much of what he said, was ripped from his lips by the awful howling winds (Holy Spirit?) that seemed to grow in ferocity.   I remember being so disappointed in the knowledge that he had the power to pull me up and out of this strange and scary nothingness, yet he seemed unwilling to do so.

(Now, of course, I understand that he didn’t help me back then because I didn’t know him. I had no clue that he was the “gate” to the Father [John 14:6]. At that time, I had never actually confessed YHWH as ELOHIM or Yeshua as His Mashyiach! [Genesis 1; Psalm 103:8-10; see also Exodus 34:6, 7; Matthew 7:7:13–21; Matthew 18:3; John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 5:13; Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3–4, 54–57, etc.] I knew from my foster grandmother that there was a God – but that is ALL I knew!)

Suddenly, as he continued to talk in that foreign language, the raucous winds shifted and I was blown helplessly in an opposite direction! Horrified, I tried to will myself back, but it was no use; I was completely and utterly helpless. The man briefly reached out for me, shouting something I couldn’t make out. His face reflected a mixture of anguish and sadness as he watched me float further away – but I also got the distinct impression that he (or some power behind him) was sending me away!

My eyes desperately sought his as the chasm between us widened. Soon, there was nothing I could do except to watch him recede into the distance, a silent sentinel among the stars somewhere in the middle of the universe – a human silhouette bursting with bright lights and chained energy….

Just before he completely disappeared from view, something inside me “clicked” and I recognized him! He was Jesus, that guy I had heard about, who got nailed to the cross for going around telling everybody he was the Son of God! Yes, I had heard of him through various “Bible thumpers” I’d met over the years, and also my pedophile adoptive father who proclaimed to be a Christian; but other than that, I hadn’t one iota of a clue as to the history behind the cross.

Shortly thereafter I came out of the coma, and lay there, confused and feeling very HOLY for the next few days. It was an AMAZING experience, because I had never been “holy” before in my entire life! But I had felt SO close to “God” during that time, that I never wanted to leave that bed. I had entire conversations with Him as I lay there, waiting for all my faculties to return. I didn’t really WANT to be in this world anymore, but He refused to let me cross over because there was something He needed me to do. Something He needed me to do…

(I finally figured out what the “something” was, once God opened my “spiritual eyes” to Him and His Divine Messiah, back in January 1995, in a little Baptist church, in Seymour, Missouri. That “something” was ultimately to reach and teach the whole world about YHWH/Yeshua/Torah via a website He caused me to create in 2001, called The Refiner’s Fire …

Anyway,  once out of my coma. “the world” soon returned and - although I KNEW I had really met “Jesus”, when I finally “became myself” again (feeling heavy and quite “out of place” here on earth), I began to doubt and wonder if all this hadn’t really been just a crazy, vivid dream… (Genesis 3:1-4; John 8:44; Mark 9:24; James 1:5-8; James 1:6; Romans 10:17, etc.)

But then I received "proof positive” that my out of body experiences had been real:

It happened when Goldie, my adoptive father’s girlfriend, came to visit me in the hospital, and I asked her, when she and my father were going to start that pig farm.

At that point, you could have heard that proverbial pin drop as Goldie gawked at me for several long moments, in complete disbelief! When she finally found her voice, she said: “Honey, how did you know that?  We haven’t told anybody, yet…”

My response:  “I HEARD you guys talking about it during an out-of-body experience!”

The AI “Grok” knows of my late husband’s work!

I JUST HAD AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION WITH the AI “GROK” – I was testing to it see what it had to say about the various calendars being discussed among those of us who keep Yahweh’s Appointed Feasts and Times; and, to my great surprise, our “conversation” ended up including the work of my late husband, Bill Welker who developed what is now known as the Eternal Torah Calendar (ETC), as presented today by Andrew Gabriel Roth!

It all started when, just for kicks, I asked Grok how the Rabbinic calendars differ from some of the others on the Internet. The year mentioned on Rabbinic Calendars is 5786, while, for instance, the Eternal Torah Calendar suggests the year is 5926.

Here’s the exact conversation:

GROK: “The Rabbinic Calendar (RC), based on the system set up around 359 CE, is the standard Hebrew calendar most Jews use today. In this context, the year RC is the traditional count from creation, while the year 5926 ETC is from the ‘Eternal Torah Calendar,’ devised by Andrew Gabriel Roth, which starts counting earlier from Adam’s creation.”

ME: “So, you’ve heard of my friend, Andrew Gabriel Roth and his work?”

GROK: “Of course. Andrew Gabriel Roth is a biblical scholar, author and translator specializing in the Aramaic origins of the New Testament. Born in 1964 to a Jewish family, he studied Hebrew from a young age, earned a Communications degree from Millersville University, and came to faith in Yeshua as messiah in 1996. He is best known for his Aramaic-English New Testament (AENT) and more recently, The Apostolic Writings, a fresh translation from the Aramaic Peshitta. He also publishes his Eternal Torah Calendar every year through his ministry One Faith One People.”

(At this point, I had to say it – because I watched Bill toil for many, many months on the origins of the calendar, according to what the BIBLE says about dates and times. He put a LOT of time and effort – and money - into the project!)

ME: “Actually, Grok, the groundwork for the Eternal Torah Calendar was done by my late husband, William Welker, who gave it to Andrew Gabriel Roth.”

To my great surprise, Grok responded with the following:

GROK: “Oh, I stand corrected. Your husband Bill Welker was the one who developed the foundational work for the Eternal Torah Calendar, using his expertise in astronomy and biblical timing. Andrew Gabriel Roth later published and expanded it through his ministry. Thanks for sharing that personal piece of history.”

WELL, YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW THRILLED I WAS TO HEAR THIS! What Grok doesn’t know yet, however (but it will soon), is that Andrew recently told me that my husband’s work is being turned into an App later on this year! As Bill would say: "All the honor, praise and glory goes to ADONAI-ELOHIM!"

Has ALL been fulfilled yet? Have heaven and earth passed away?

I can’t understand why there is so much dissension among believers – especially those who keep insisting “the law” (Torah) has been abolished.

I've been asking people for 28 years now: Have heaven and earth passed away yet? Has "all been fulfilled" yet?

Without the Torah (ADONAI's Divine Instructions in Righteousness - erroneously referred to as "the Law"), we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living! Without the Torah, we wouldn't know what constitutes "sin" - which John explains as "transgression of the Torah" (1 John 3:4).
Throughout the Torah see myriad warnings from Yahweh, along with plenty of examples of "sins" being committed (including in-your-face "do's and don'ts" in Leviticus - some of which sound VERY strange to our modern mindsets)! And, as you know, we get the "Ten Commandments" straight out of Exodus. (Ask yourself this question: If "all sins were forgiven,” as many insist, then why weren't those Ten?)

As you know, God doesn't command anything without a solid reason, and so we must be very careful to avoid that “line” between sin and righteousness defined in Torah. That is why it is imperative to read the WHOLE Bible, in context, via the Hebrew instead of the Greek mindset, as the Bible amply reveals what constitutes sin!

The bottom line is, no matter how great or small the sin, forgiveness lies in repentance AND turning FROM sin because - if you keep on sinning in the erroneous belief that "Jesus died to forgive ALL our sins," no matter how many times you knowingly and purposely continue to follow your carnal nature - then you WILL be considered "lukewarm" upon Yeshua's Second Coming; and, consequently, risk being "vomited from his mouth." (See Revelation 3:16.)
BY THE WAY - for those who never really thought about it, "sin" is active violation or deliberate rebellion against divine commands. It covers both acts of commission (doing forbidden things) and omission (failing to do what is required), representing a rejection of God’s established order and moral boundaries.

That certainly didn’t change because “Jesus died”...

Yeshua's divine, shed blood covered our PAST sins; NOT deliberate, willful ongoing sins (2 Peter 1:9 and Romans 3:25). When we believe in Yahweh-ELOHIM ("the Father) and accept the fact that He sent His "Son" (Messiah Yeshua) to earth to teach and preach His Word,  to represent Yahweh-Elohim (his Father), to teach us how to 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.

He didn’t come to abolish His Father’s Divine Instructions in Righteousness, nor to start any new religions that gave men the freedom to make up their own rules while ignoring those made in Heaven.

Why would he? He was, since the “beginning” - and still IS - "the arm of ELOHIM" (Isaiah 53:1) and “the Word” of ELOHIM (John 1:1 and 14)…

The Torah is explicit about this fact: Sin is sin and the meaning of sin didn’t change just because Yahweh’s Messiah shed his blood for us.

God said WHAT???

By Vishal Sooklall

One of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible is Numbers 31:17–18. Many people claim these verses prove that God commanded the Israelites to take young girls as sex slaves. However, that is not what the text says. A careful reading of the entire chapter reveals a very different picture.

The first rule of Bible study is to read every verse in its context. In Numbers 25, the Midianites deliberately led Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality at Baal Peor. They used their women to entice the Israelites into worshipping false gods. Because of this rebellion, God's judgment fell upon Israel, and thousands of Israelites died.

Later, in Numbers 31, God commanded Israel to execute judgment on Midian. Moses reminded the people why this judgment was taking place: "These women caused the children of Israel... to trespass against the LORD" (Numbers 31:16). The women who had participated in leading Israel into sin were judged because of their role in that rebellion.

The young girls, however, had not participated in those events. That is why they were spared. The Bible simply says to "keep alive" the girls who had not known a man. It does not say they were to be raped, abused, or used as sex slaves. Those ideas are added to the text by critics—they are not found in the passage itself.

In fact, the Law of Moses contains many commands protecting women from sexual immorality and unlawful sexual behavior. God repeatedly condemned sexual sin and required His people to live holy lives. It would be inconsistent to claim that the same God who condemned sexual immorality was commanding sexual abuse in this passage when the text never says so.

This event was also not a general command for all nations or all generations. It was a unique act of divine judgment against the Midianites because of their deliberate attempt to corrupt God's people through idolatry and immorality. It was a specific historical event, not a universal rule.

A quick message on the daughters of Zelophehad, and the reason why Mary is able to transfer the rights of inheritance to her son, Yeshua…

In reading Numbers 27:1 in this week's Torah portion, we see some of the first "women's libbers" - five women who dared to speak out and claim their father's inheritance - The five daughters of Zelophehad who petitioned Moshe that they be granted the portion of the land belonging to their father (who died without sons).

YHWH Himself accepted their claim and incorporated it into the Torah's laws of inheritance, thus revealing that, in certain circumstances, inheritance CAN be passed down through women:

Numbers 27: 1 Then the daughters of Tz'lof'chad the son of Hefer, the son of Gil'ad, the son of Machir, the son of M'nasheh, of the families of M'nasheh, the son of Yosef, approached. These were the names of his daughters: Machlah, No'ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzah. 2 They stood in front of Moshe, El'azar the cohen, the leaders and the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 "Our father died in the desert. He wasn't part of the group who assembled themselves to rebel against ADONAI in Korach's group, but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons.

4 Why should the name of our father be eliminated from his family just because he didn't have a son? Give us property to possess along with the brothers of our father." 5 Moshe brought their cause before ADONAI. 6 ADONAI answered Moshe, 7 "The daughters of Tz'lof'chad are right in what they say. You must give them property to be inherited along with that of their father's brothers; have what their father would have inherited pass to them.

8 Moreover, say to the people of Isra'el, 'If a man dies and does not have a son, you are to have his inheritance pass to his daughter. 9 If he doesn't have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 If his father doesn't have brothers, give his inheritance to the closest relative in his family, and he will possess it. This will be the standard for judgment to be used by the people of Isra'el, as ADONAI ordered Moshe.'" (AENT)

(Some more tidbits coming - please bear with me, because it all ends up tying together!)

Let's briefly examine that last passage, above:

In Numbers 27:8-11, we saw yet another scripture that negates the anti-Y’shua crowd’s attempts to disprove Y’shua! They are adamant that He cannot be Messiah because His lineage came through a woman (since Joseph wasn’t His biological father; just someone who "adopted" Y'shua...), and they insist the genealogy (according to Judaism), must come through the male.

Also, according to the anti-Y’shua crowd, women cannot inherit or pass on an inheritance. Hence, on several levels, Y’shua’s messiahship – according to them - is null and void.

Well, let's examine what SCRIPTURE says:

Numbers 27:8 Moreover, say to the people of Isra'el, 'If a man dies and does not have a son, you are to have his inheritance pass to his daughter. 9 If he doesn't have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11 If his father doesn't have brothers, give his inheritance to the closest relative in his family, and he will possess it. This will be the standard for judgment to be used by the people of Isra'el, as ADONAI ordered Moshe.'"

So, there goes the idea that women cannot have an inheritance!

While we’re at it, let's move on to the genealogy thing that some traditional Jews use to attempt to negate the legitimacy of Yeshua...

Okay, so it looks like Mary should be disqualified to transfer the rights of her lineage to her son, Yeshua - except for a little known exception to the rule!

In Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38 we are presented with two genealogies of Yeshua. On the surface these different listings would appear to be a contradiction in the scriptures. Not only are the two genealogies listed in the reverse chronology from each other, but the genealogy found in Matthew's gospel is the lineage of Yeshua's mother Mary, while the genealogy found in Luke's gospel is the lineage of Yeshua's earthly father Joseph.

[Note: this is completely opposed to most teachings! But there is no doubt that Matthew's genealogy is that of Mary, and not her husband Joseph as is usually assumed.]

However, many people fail to realize or address a major problem associated with the genealogical listing found in Matthew's gospel: The lineage of Mary. Once you have established that the line is indeed Mary's you must deal with a second difficulty: The rights of the line are NOT passed through the mother; but rather, through the father.

Even though Mary, through her lineage, was of the Davidic bloodline (as was her husband, Joseph), she should be excluded from being able to pass those rights of the bloodline because she was female (Deuteronomy 21:16).

So, it is not enough to prove that Mary was an unblemished descendant of David; she had to be a male to transfer the rights. Therefore, she would be disqualified to transfer the rights to her son Yeshua - EXCEPT for a little known exception to the rule.

BUT, FIRST, LOOK AT THIS!

In Numbers 26 we are introduced to Zelophehad. Zelophehad, we are told, had no sons; only daughters. In Numbers 27, following the death of Zelophehad, the daughters of Zelophehad came before Moses and argued their plight. Because their father had died with no sons, all of their rights of inheritance were to be lost and they felt this was unfair.

So Moses prayed to YHWH and He gave Moses an exception to the rule! He told Moses that the inheritance CAN flow through a female, IF they fulfill two requirements: There must be no male offspring in the family (Numbers 27:8) and if the female offspring should marry, they must marry within their own tribe (Numbers 36:6).

Returning to Mary:

On the surface she should be unable to transfer the rights to her Son. But when you research you find that Mary had NO brothers, she was of the line of David, AND received the inheritance of her father because her father had no sons, AND Mary did indeed marry within her own tribe to Joseph.

End of argument!