About Y'shua's birthday

Y'shua was born on the first day of Sukkot and circumcised 8 days later. Both the first and the last are "high holy days"....The answer about Yeshua's birth can be found in Scripture:

Luke 2: 1. Now it happened in those days that a decree went out from Augustus Caesar that the names of all the people of his dominion should be written down. 2. This census first happened during the governorship of Qurinius in Syria. 3. And everyone went in his own city to be registered. 4. And Yosip was also going up from Nasrath, a city of Galeela into Yehuda to the city of Dawid, which is called Beth-Lekhem, because he was from the house and from the clan of Dawid, 5. With Maryam his bride while she was pregnant, that there they might be registered. 6. And it happened that while they were there, her days of pregnancy were fulfilled. 7. And she bore him a firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger because there was no room where they could lodge. 8. At this time shepherds were there in that region were they were lodging and keeping watch there at night over their flocks. (AENT)

Note that last verse:  “At this time shepherds were there in that region were they were lodging and keeping watch there at night over their flocks.”  Shepherds and their flocks aren’t out in the dead of winter in December, which knocks the “He was born on December 25^th” idea out of the water.

Miriam was forced to give birth in a stable because there was no room at the inn - because people from all over had gathered in Jerusalem for the census! Not to mention, it was also the festival of Sukkot - Tabernacles - when many pilgrims came to celebrate in Jerusalem....

Bethlehem is only about 5 miles from Jerusalem and so Y'shua was born there because was no room at the inn. The name Bethlehem means "House Of Bread", with the strong connotation of House Of Battle. And as we all know, Y'shua is the Bread of Life" (John 6:43-51).

Ever thought about who got to enter the Promised Land?

 DID YOU KNOW that, of the original ones who left Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb and their descendants were allowed into the Promised Land?

Numbers 32: 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.'

Numbers 14:20 we read: 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

Joshua 14 allots Caleb and his descendants their own parcel of land: 6 Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7  I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.'

...13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. 15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.) Then the land had rest from war.

On being debt free

 

Statistics show that most Americans are deeply in debt – but, you CAN get out IF you’re willing to make the effort and employ some real willpower!

Proverbs 21:20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. (ESV)

Scripture provides ample warnings to NOT become a slave to debt. Here is just a couple of examples:

Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. (ESV)

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)

NO ONE would be in debt IF we all adhered to Torah principles. Examples:

Exodus 22:25-27 “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. (ESV)

Deuteronomy 15:1-2 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord's release has been proclaimed. (ESV)

As mentioned above, getting out of debt takes some effort and willpower … the willpower to give up “credit” and manage your income so that you don’t keep spending more than you make.

That’s basically the whole key to becoming debt free. Pay off those credit cards (smallest to the largest) as fast as you can, and don’t buy unnecessary “stuff.”

Financial guru Dave Ramsey says, until you are debt free, you shouldn’t even enter a restaurant unless you work there; and in the meantime, you should basically live on beans and rice, rice and beans. Sounds harsh, but it works!

As with Torah observance, being debt-free feels GOOD and it eventually becomes a "way of life!"

Dave Ramsey’s mantra about the process of becoming debt-free is, "I didn't say it was going to be easy! I said it's going to be worth it!"

My late husband and I knew for a fact that it’s worth it, because were completely debt free beginning in  2012 - able to pay cash for everything we bought!  

It's a great feeling to owe no one!

Someone recently commented that we should not get caught up in YHWH's law and not to put so much emphasis on the Torah. Here is my response.

The Bible literally teaches us to meditate on the Torah (YHWH’s instructions). The Torah (YHWH’s Instructions) teaches love, faith, grace, and forgiveness.

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵/𝗬𝗛𝗪𝗛’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

Joshua 1:8

“This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then, you will make your way successful, and you will act wisely.”

Psalm 1:2

“But his delight is in the Torah of YHWH, and on His Torah he meditates day and night.”

Psalm 119:15

“I meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.”

Psalm 119:97

“Oh, how I love Your Torah! It is my meditation all day.”

Psalm 119:148

“My eyes are awake before the night watches, so that I may meditate on Your word.”

Psalm 143:5

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands.”

1 Timothy 4:13 (Paul to Timothy)

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to encouragement, and to teaching."

1 Timothy 4:15

“Meditate on these things; be in them, so that your progress may be plain to all.”

𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘏𝘞𝘏’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀:

𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆:

Deuteronomy 6:5

“And you shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being and with all your might.”

(𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠e𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 22.)

Leviticus 19:18

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

(𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘠e𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘢.)

When someone says, “Just focus on love, not the law,” they don’t realize the Torah defines love.

𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉:

Genesis 15:6

“And he believed in YHWH, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

(𝘈𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘮’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.)

Habakkuk 2:4

“The righteous shall live by his faith.”

(𝘘𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.)

Deuteronomy 32:20

“They are a perverse generation, children in whom there is no faithfulness.”

(𝘠𝘏𝘞𝘏 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩.)

Even Paul quoted the Torah and Prophets to teach faith (see Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11).

𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 / 𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚:

Exodus 34:6-7

“YHWH, YHWH, a compassionate and gracious Elohim, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”

Numbers 14:18-19

“YHWH is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression…”

Deuteronomy 4:31

“For YHWH, your Elohim is a merciful Elohim. He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant…”

𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸—it’s in the very foundation of Torah.

𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔:

Leviticus 4 (entire chapter) Details sin offerings for unintentional sin—YHWH’s provision for forgiveness within the Torah.

Numbers 15:28

“And the priest shall make atonement before YHWH for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him so that he may be forgiven.”

Psalm 103:11-12

“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

𝘠𝘏𝘞𝘏’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴—but it’s found within His covenant structure, not outside of it.

Rejecting the Torah in the name of grace is like rejecting the foundation of a house and expecting it to stand. Yahshua never taught us to abandon the commandments—He taught us to keep them the right way: with hearts of love, humility, and faith.

Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think I came to abolish the Torah… I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

Romans 3:31 – “Do we then nullify the Torah through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.”

The 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩 teaches 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲.

The 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩 teaches 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵.

The 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩 teaches 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲.

And the 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗬e𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗮.

Let’s not downplay it. Let’s 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 to it—with hearts ready to 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝘆

 

Do we take the Torah literally?

Someone recently sent us a great question that seems to be on the minds of many - especially those who insist on believing that the earth is flat:

QUESTION:

Dear Refiner's Fire..first of all just let me say that I LOVE this site. It has been an invaluable resource in my new walk. I am starting on my second cycle of the weekly lessons. But let me get to the point. In the first lesson we read in Genesis where it is saying that YWWH created a "dome that separates the waters from the waters". The explanation of Refiner's Fire was that it was not meant to be a scientific account of creation..

With all due respect I think we have to ask ourselves some questions. Are we to take the Torah literally for what it says or explain away the meaning. Do we believe YHWH or do we believe the Jesuit and Masonic scientists. Thank you again for this incredible study and website... I anticipate your reply,

OUR RESPONSE:

You asked a perfect reasonable question: "Are we to take the Torah literally for what it says or explain away the meaning." The short answer is "both" - but it takes much more to fully understand what we mean by "both".

First, "do we take the Torah literally?" Yes, except we must realize that some is literal and some of the narrative in the Torah ... and indeed, in all parts we find some allegory. This includes the Prophets, Writings, and New Testament. For example: Take the animal sacrifices in Leviticus. The narrative literally speaks of slaughtering animals, and that the sins of the person offering the animal are "taken away."

Indeed, there is a literal, formal ritual of a substitutionary death described in the narrative of animal sacrifice. But there is also allegory. The slaughter only represents human's sins and ties the condition that our sins deserve death. Thus, for us to live, an animal, (sinless by the way), had to die. If the people had not sinned, they would not have had to kill an animal. So, the Torah was actually trying to teach people to choose NOT to sin.

Today, people get caught up in the literal description of the slaughter process. and see only the "commandment" that it "must be followed"; they don't see the greater picture in the allegory: that it was intended to represent a spiritual truth in terms a human can come to understand. Don't sin, you live; sin, and you must be redeemed from that sin.

You asked: "...or explain away the meaning?" Yes, except we are not really explaining it "away"; rather, we are trying to understand it from the original Hebrew perspective. In your example of Genesis 1:6, you are seeing the literal verse: "God said, "Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water."

In English, that certainly paints a picture in our minds of a "dome" and becomes our literal understanding. But that's not what the Hebrew says. The Hebrew word, incorrectly translated as "dome" is "ra'kita", which means "expanse". So, the verse actually reads, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters."

You see, the English translators inadvertently changed the meaning of the scripture. Some English translations use "firmament" instead of "dome" which is a bit better. However, without understanding the deeper meaning in the Hebrew, "firmament" still does not convey the meaning of "ra'kita".

Similarly, Genesis 1:8 in English usually reads "and God called the dome Sky." But the Hebrew, properly reads, "And Elohim called the expanse, Heavens." Here, "Heavens" is from the Hebrews "ha'mayim" - it is plural and means "the lofty". So "sky" is close to correct, but in the Hebrew context the word implies not only the sky, but beyond, including the air where the clouds move, along with celestial bodies.

So, you see that we must take care in our literal reading to see beyond both what we are able to comprehend (due to the inadequacy the English); and to consider and look for the deeper meaning which the English does not convey.

Stop Freaking Out About When the Bible Was Written!

(The following teaching was written by Rich Oka at The Messianic Revolution.)

"Shlomo formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her into the City of David, [where she lived] until he had finished building his own palace, the house of Adonai and the wall around Yerushalayim."-1 Kings 3:1

In chapter 2, we saw how Solomon eliminated all potential rivals and rebels.

This gave him a rock-solid foundation from which to run his government.

The next step was to begin creating alliances with the surrounding nations.

Verse 1 doesn't waste any time in explaining that Solomon married the Pharaoh's daughter to establish an alliance with Egypt.

Interestingly, the author tells that after marrying the Egyptian princess, Solomon had her live in the City of David until his palace and the Temple were finished.

These are things that wouldn't happen until much later.

So what does this tell us?

It tells us the writer recorded these events much later than they actually took place.

A lot of homies get bent out of shape when they hear a particular Bible book was penned a couple of centuries or more later than the time the characters in the book lived.

They're reacting like it's some kind of heresy or something.

My response?

Calm the hell down, man.

Look, most of the books in the Bible were written a helluva long time after the events depicted in them occurred.

This doesn't reduce their credibility one iota.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Why?

Because it gave the Scripture writers a chance to dig deep into other source material in addition to working from all of the oral traditions that were handed down throughout the years.

Ya feel me here?

I've already discussed how the Book of Kings was put together by pulling from other records.

The books themselves attest to that and name three primary sources as follows

The Annals of Solomon (mentioned in 1 Kings 11).

The Annals of the Kings of Israel (mentioned actually 17 times in 1 Kings 14 and 2 Kings 15).

And the Annals of the Kings of Judah (mentioned 15 times in 1 Kings 14, 2 Kings 24, and other spots).

So again, stop popping a blood vessel every time you hear that the books of the Bible were compiled, written, and edited much later than the events depicted occurred.

The bottom line is that some of the best and most accurate history books were written in recent times.

As Tom Bradford mentioned in his awesome Torah class, modern publications about the American Civil War are perfect examples.

The authors were able to tap into a vast array of information, such as government documents and private memoirs of army generals, as well as letters written by soldiers to their families from a variety of locations in the US while the war was going on.

It’s only later, when someone gathers the info, that the full picture starts to emerge like a jigsaw puzzle that only makes sense after the pieces are gathered and put together.

Ya feel me here?

This leads to our takeaway for today.

The process I mentioned should strengthen our faith in the divine origin of the Scriptures, and not weaken it.

The Bible is unique because it was written:

Over about 1,500 years...

By 40+ different authors...

In different locations (Israel, Babylon, Egypt, Rome, etc.)...

In different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)...

By people with very different backgrounds (kings, shepherds, prophets, fishermen)...

Yet, despite that, it tells one consistent story about one God, one moral standard, one problem (sin), and one plan of redemption, pointing to the coming of the Messiah.

If the Bible were a manmade book, it would be all over the freakin' place.

Different authors would contradict each other, and the message would shift over time.

But that ain't what we see.

From Exodus to Matthew, the message is consistent.

That's not random.

That's evidence pointing to a divine hand guiding the process.

Ya feel me?

Done.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

"All Scripture is God-breathed ​
​and is useful for teaching, rebuking, ​
​correcting and training in righteousness,^​
​so that the servant of God may be ​
​thoroughly equipped for every good work."​
-2 Timothy 3:16-17

P.S. Click HERE (https://messianic-revolution.com/) for more teachings like this.

…And He protects it (Israel) like the pupil of his eye…

ISRAEL IS GOD’S PRIZED POSSESSION, AND HE PROTECTS IT LIKE THE PUPIL OF HIS EYE. Think about that for a moment: OUR eyes are the reflection of our soul, and our hearts are where we are to write HIS Torah. The words we speak come from what is in our heart, so if we have His Torah written there (meaning, we study, learn and memorize His Divine Instructions in Righteousness), we will automatically do, think and speak HIS holiness.