A picture of the kind of relationship YAHWEH wants with His people…

 

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PHOTO THIS IS! It's a picture of unconditional love going both ways. This is exactly the kind of love ADONAI expects from us in our relationship with Him!  We live in a world filled with problems, sorrow and uncertainty and He is always with His people, through good times and bad (even during those times when we might feel like He has abandoned us.  Truth is, He is the ONLY ONE who will NEVER leave nor forsake those who belong to Him! (Hebrews 13:5) The Bible tells us that those who don’t, are basically on their own.
 
Below are some pertinent scriptures to help you decide whether to choose Eternal Life with YHWH and His Divine Messiah, Yeshua – or to be eternally separated, as if you never existed:

John 17: 3 And eternal life is this: to know you, the one true God, and him whom you sent, Yeshua the Messiah. (CJB)

Psalm 146:4 When they breathe their last, they return to dust; on that very day all their plans are gone.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; there is no longer any reward for them, because all memory of them is lost. 6 What they loved, what they hated and what they envied all disappeared long ago, and they no longer have a share in anything done under the sun. (CJB)

Ecclesiastes 12: 13 Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about. 14 For God will bring to judgment everything we do, including every secret, whether good or bad.

Matthew 7:13   "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  14   "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (CJB)

Romans 10: 11. For the Scripture says: Everyone that believes in him will not be ashamed. 12. And in this, it discriminates neither Jews nor Gentiles. For there is one, Master YHWH, over them all, who is abundantly generous towards every one that calls on him. 13. For everyone that will call on the name of Master YHWH, will have life. (AENT)

Revelation 22: 14 How blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and go through the gates into the city! 15 Outside are the homosexuals, those involved with the occult and with drugs, the sexually immoral, murderers, idol-worshippers, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Yeshua, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the Messianic communities. I am the Root and Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star. 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ Let anyone who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let anyone who is thirsty come — let anyone who wishes, take the water of life free of charge.” (CJB)

IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT OUR CREATOR LOVES US AND HAS GIVEN US THE CHOICE to accept Him and His Messiah, or not.  Those who choose Him will be rewarded in ways they never dreamed of, CONSISTING OF Eternal Life filled with joy and shalom – a peace that surpasses all understanding…

Deuteronomy 30: 15 “Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil … (CJB)

CHOOSE LIFE!  It's what you were created for!

DID YOU KNOW AN UNBORN BABY WAS THE FIRST TO RECOGNIZE OUR MESSIAH?

Luke 1: 41. And it happened that when Elishwa heard the greeting of Maryam, the infant in her womb leaped and Elishwa was filled with the Ruach haKodesh. 42. And she cried out with a loud voice and said to Maryam, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

43. “How did this happen to me that the mother of my Master[1] comes to me?” 44. “For behold when the sound of your greeting fell upon my ears, the infant in my womb leaped with a great joy.” 45. “And blessings to she who believed, because there will be fulfillment to those things that were spoken to her in the presence of Master YHWH.”

46. And Maryam said, “My soul magnifies Master YHWH. 47. And my spirit has rejoiced in Elohim my Savior. 48. Because He has looked at the meekness of his handmaid,[2] for behold from now on will give me blessings to all generations. 49. Because He has done great things for me, He who is mighty and Set Apart is his Name. 50. And His mercy is upon generations for ages of those who fear Him.[3] 51. And He has accomplished victory with his arm and has scattered the proud hearted.

52. He has cast down the mighty from the seats and exalted the meek. 53. He has satisfied the hungry with good things, and the wealthy he has dismissed empty-handed. 54. He has helped his servant Israel and he has remembered his mercy. 55. As he spoke with our fathers Awraham and with his seed forever.” 56. And Maryam remained with Elishwa about three months, and then she returned to her home. (AENT)

FOONOTES:

[1] The Aramaic word Mari, "my Master," refers to Mashiyach/Messiah who is Miriyam’s womb, not YHWH. YHWH does not have a mother; His son does...

[2] 1 Samuel 1:11; 2:1

[3] Psalm 103:17; 111:9

By the way, Elizabeth’s unborn baby was to become known as John the Baptist!

Galatians 3:19 … one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible!

Galatians 3:19 is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen people use it to show that “the law was abolished because Christ fulfilled it.” That’s very disappointing because they seem to have no clue that, by taking verse 19 and butchering it into oblivion with their “hyper-grace” ideas, they render useless everything YHWH ever commanded!

They simply don’t get that “fulfill” doesn’t necessarily mean that something was abolished. They don’t get that if YHWH’s holy rules for His set-apart people were “abolished at the cross,” we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living!

This fiasco could be totally avoided IF people would only study the rest of that passage through the lens of the Hebrew mindset. Take a look:

Galatians 3: 18. For if the inheritance is by Torah, then it would not be as the fulfillment of promise, but Elohim gave it to Awraham by a promise. 19. Why then Torah? It was added because of apostasy, until the coming of the heir[1] to whom the promise was made, and Torah was given by Messengers, by the hand of a mediator. 20. Now a mediator does not represent one alone, but Elohim is one.

21. Is the Torah we received against the promises of Elohim? Elohim forbid! For if Torah had been given, which was able to give life, then truly righteousness would have come as a result of Torah.[2] 22. But the Scripture has encircled all things and put them under sin, that the promise in the faith of Y’shua the Mashiyach might be given to those who believe. 23. But before faith came, Torah[3] was guarding[4] us while we were confined from the faith about to be revealed.

24. Torah was therefore a tutor for us, going towards the Mashiyach that we, by faith, might be made righteous. 25. But since faith came, we are no longer under tutors.[5] 26. For you are all the children of Elohim by faith in Y’shua the Mashiyach. 27. For those who have been immersed in Mashiyach have been clothed[6] with Mashiyach. 28. For there is neither Jew nor Aramean, nor slave nor free, nor male nor female, but you are all one in Y’shua the Mashiyach. 29. And if you are of the Mashiyach then you are seeds of Awraham and inheritors by the promise. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] More literally, “seed” since a man’s seed (his descendants) are his heirs.

[2] Torah is a very big deal in the Rabbinical Jewish world from which Rav Shaul (Paul) came. The point that Rav Shaul makes over and over is that while Torah is a very big deal, the giver of Torah is even bigger! YHWH gave Torah as a Faith component of Covenant (terms and conditions) between Him and His people, so don’t disregard YHWH and put Him on the shelf because you think yourself a Torah scholar.

Worse yet, don’t put up fences and traditions that become more important to yourselves than YHWH and His Mashiyach. Most people tend to go to a pastor or anyone they think is more knowledgeable than themselves to ask extremely important questions about YHWH and His Mashiyach, long before they even consider going to YHWH Himself!

Faith demands a person enter into an active relationship with YHWH and His Mashiyach, regardless if a person is Christian or Jewish.

[3] In this regard “Torah” can be compared with any righteous values a soul voluntarily imposes upon himself. However, as a spiritual relationship is established with YHWH and His Mashiyach, a soul is elevated to much higher levels of spiritual awareness and accountability. Therefore, it is a complete farce when someone claims to follow Mashiyach, but willfully violates Torah according to their denominational authorities. See Matthew 7:23.

[4] Most Greek translations have “kept in (ward) under the law” which is indicative of popular anti-Torah theology. However, many fail to understand that without the Torah of YHWH, there would be no Standard with which to prove Mashiyach; therefore, NO Mashiyach!

[5] In the most ancient manuscripts in the Peshitta, taraa is ‘tutors’; however, it was translated as the singular ‘tutor’ in Greek. Although the word taraa has the same spelling for both singular and plural, there are times such as here, when the grammar of the sentence does not directly reveal whether it is singular or plural. To correct this problem, the earliest scribes of the Peshitta inserted two dot plural markers called a syame above such words, as in this case.

A Greek redactor could easily miss these and mistake a singular word for a plural, or vice versa. Aramaic texts are unanimous for when the syames appear, making these readings highly reliable. That being so, what we have here is the true tutor, Torah, being contrasted against false tutors, the Pharisees, who put their oral tradition above the written code of Moses and the Prophets.

Such is a common refrain of Y’shua as well in places such as Matthew 15. Unfortunately, this passage was twisted into a “proof text” by anti-Torah types who wanted to distance themselves from the Faith of Avraham, Yitzak and Ya’akov.

[6] That is, as a garment wraps a person inside, which is a very common idiom in both Hebrew and Aramaic. Rav Shaul uses it elsewhere in Ephesians when talking about putting on the armor of Elohim and the breastplate of righteousness. A very similar idiomatic usage, “clothed with zeal like a cloak”, is found in Isaiah 59:17.

A mini-study on why YHWH expects us to turn our backs on those who choose to live a lifestyle of deliberate sin…

Have you ever noticed that YHWH expects His people to turn their backs on ANYONE who chooses to live in sin? This means, if even your own close relatives insist on sinning, you will incur their guilt if you keep making excuses for them, and hanging with them – because, as you know, Scripture is clear that continued, deliberate sin will keep you out of Eternity.

Hebrews 10: 26 For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment, or raging fire that will consume the enemies. (CJB)

The above Scripture is not referring to those unclean bondages that dwell in our flesh ,but to the conscious choices believers make. It refers not to our unintentional sins but to those we pursue knowingly and willingly.

Hebrews 6: 4. But they who have once descended to immersion and have tasted the gift from heaven and have received the Ruach haKodesh 5. and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the power of the world to come, 6. cannot again sin and a second time be renewed to repentance; or a second time execute him on a stake and insult the Son of Elohim. 7. For the earth that drinks the rain which comes often upon it and produces the herb that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from Elohim. 8. But if it should put forth thorns and briers, it would be discarded and be approaching closely to a curse, and its end would be a conflagration. (AENT)

The bottom line is:  There will be no “lukewarm” in His Presence (Revelation 3:16).  The reason YHWH doesn’t kill people on the spot for their ongoing, intentional sins today is because, once we have accepted Yeshua as our Final Sin Sacrifice/Offering, his blood covers our "past sins” (and, of course, because of YHWH’s Grace and Mercy, which, by the way, has always been around).  He expects His people to not only repent of their sins, but to then TURN from them and change our ways to reflect holy living according to His Torah!

Let's do a quick  mini-study outlining what happened to YHWH’s people after they built the “golden calf” while Moshe was up on the mountain, receiving the Ten Commandments. I’ve inserted some personal comments along the way:

Exodus 32: 1 When the people saw that Moshe was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered around Aharon and said to him, "Get busy; and make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt - we don't know what has become of him."

COMMENT: Now, of course, we ask ourselves, how can a people who just witnessed the 10 plagues and crossed the Sea of Reeds on "dry land" POSSIBLY decide build a "golden calf" to worship and attempt to present this abomination as “the God of Israel?”  Read on, and you'll see...

Exodus 32: 2 Aharon said to them, "Have your wives, sons and daughters strip off their gold earrings; and bring them to me." 3 The people stripped off their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon. 4 He received what they gave him, melted it down, and made it into the shape of a calf. They said, "Isra'el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!" 5 On seeing this, Aharon built an altar in front of it and proclaimed, "Tomorrow is to be a feast for ADONAI." 6 Early the next morning they got up and offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings. Afterwards, the people sat down to eat and drink; then they got up to indulge in revelry.

COMMENT:  WOW!  This is almost too much to bear!  WHY did Aharon, the High Cohen/Priest  decide to join them in this? (You'll later see in another passage (Exodus 32:21;24) that, when confronted by his brother Moshe about this situation, Aharon tried to downplay his part by telling a "half truth" in hopes of appearing blameless).

Still, as modern readers of the Bible, we tend to ask ourselves: Instead of putting a lid on the people's ridiculous demands, why didn't Aharon remind them of the miracles they had been witnessing both IN Egypt and after their escape FROM Egypt? Why didn't he simply tell them to sit down, shut up and wait on ELOHIM, who had proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt that YHWH was the ONLY GOD, the LIVING God! After all, as Moshe’s mouthpiece during Pharaoh’s plagues, Aharon KNEW YHWH, and what YHWH could and would do to those who dared disobey!

Truth be told, as unbelievable as these things might seem, we MUST try to put ourselves in the place of the Hebrews who were dealing with this "new life" YHWH had unexpectedly forced on them, and honestly ask ourselves if WE would have behaved any differently under those particular circumstances.

Let's read on to see how YHWH ultimately handles this situation:

Exodus 32:7 ADONAI said to Moshe, "Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt! 8 So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, 'Isra'el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'" 9 ADONAI continued speaking to Moshe: "I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are. 10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead."

11 Moshe pleaded with ADONAI his God. He said, "ADONAI, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don't bring such disaster on your people! 13 Remember Avraham, Yitz'chak and Isra'el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, 'I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.'"

14 ADONAI then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people. 15 Moshe turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets inscribed on both sides, on the front and on the back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

COMMENT: Yes, ADONAI “changed his mind” – BUT! – hang onto your hats, because Israel can’t and won’t get away with it! DELIBERATE sin requires punishment; that has never changed.  Take a look:

Exodus 32: 17 When Y'hoshua heard the noise of the people shouting he said to Moshe, "It sounds like war in the camp!" 18 He answered, "That is neither the clamor of victory nor the wailings of defeat; what I hear is the sound of people singing." 19 But the moment Moshe got near the camp, when he saw the calf and the dancing, his own anger blazed up. He threw down the tablets he had been holding and shattered them at the base of the mountain. 20 Seizing the calf they had made, he melted it in the fire and ground it to powder, which he scattered on the water. Then he made the people of Isra'el drink it.

21 Moshe said to Aharon, "What did these people do to you to make you lead them into such a terrible sin?" 22 Aharon replied, "My lord shouldn't be so angry. You know what these people are like, that they are determined to do evil. 23 So they said to me, 'Make us gods to go ahead of us; because this Moshe, the man that brought us up from the land of Egypt - we don't know what has become of him.' 24 I answered them, 'Anyone with gold, strip it off!' So they gave it to me. I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!"

COMMENT:  What a ridiculous thing to say! …The people MADE Aharon do this; and then - voila! - “out came this calf”?  WOW!  This is so reminiscent of the “blame game” Adam and Eve tried to play with YHWH in Genesis 3:8-13; and also how Cain feigned ignorance after he killed Abel in Genesis 4.  How very "human!"

But now, watch what happens to all those who perpetrated this sin … all except for Aharon whom God allowed to live (for reasons known only to God Himself!), even though he had committed that blatant violation:

Exodus 32: 25 When Moshe saw that the people had gotten out of control - because Aharon had allowed them to get out of control, to the derision of their enemies - 26 Moshe stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "Whoever is for ADONAI, come to me!"All the descendants of Levi rallied around him. 27 He told them, "Here is what ADONAI, the God of Isra'el, says: 'Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!"

28 The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died. 29 Moshe said, "You have consecrated yourselves today to ADONAI, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today." 30 The next day Moshe said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to ADONAI ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin."

COMMENT: Notice that the sons of Levi – as horrified as they must have been – obeyed YHWH’s command to kill EVERYONE including their own relatives who had participated in this heinous sin of building the “golden calf” idol. They knew that if they refused, they too, would have to be put to death. This is proof that deliberate sin against YHWH – no matter how great or small – is NOT taken lightly, and those who participate willingly or even “from afar” WILL be held accountable!

Exodus 32: 31 Moshe went back to ADONAI and said, "Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold. 32 Now, if you will just forgive their sin! But if you won't, then, I beg you, blot me out of your book which you have written!" 33 ADONAI answered Moshe, "Those who have sinned against me are the ones I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go and lead the people to the place I told you about; my angel will go ahead of you. Nevertheless, the time for punishment will come; and then I will punish them for their sin." 35 ADONAI struck the people with a plague because they had made the calf, the one Aharon made. (CJB)

SO HERE ARE MY FINAL THOUGHTS – and please feel free to challenge me on this:

Sin of ANY kind is bad! But, through Yeshua, YHWH made it easy for us to receive eternal life. None of us today is forced to kill an innocent animal to atone for our sins. Yeshua was the Ultimate Sacrifice (even though he was NOT “sacrificed” per se; rather, he martyred himself).

However, we must remember that the blood of Messiah only covers our PAST sins. Once we accept YHWH as our Elohim and Y’shua as His Messiah, we MUST obey His Divine Instructions to mankind (Torah). If we don’t, WHOM are we worshiping, and why bother?

The act of “obedience” alone is not what “saves” us; belief in YHWH/Yeshua does. But that “belief” and acceptance means we start to do things HIS way so we can become holy/set apart; thus, leaving “the world” behind. THAT is what it means to be Torah observant.

YHWH had His people in the wilderness for 40 years to learn the simple concept of being “holy/set apart” by obeying His commands and behaving according to His Holy Rules. That has never changed because, if we dare veer from His Path, we end up being erased from His Presence. GOD HIMSELF said so, and it is our personal choice to either BE COMPLETELY HIS, or not…

Numbers 15: 30 "'But an individual who does something wrong intentionally, whether a citizen or a foreigner, is blaspheming ADONAI. That person will be cut off from his people. (CJB)

 So, I reiterate: 

Hebrews 10: 26 For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment, or raging fire that will consume the enemies. (CJB)

2 Peter 2: 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for a person is slave to whatever has defeated him. 20 Indeed, if they have once escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah, and then have again become entangled and defeated by them, their latter condition has become worse than their former. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness than, fully knowing, to turn from the holy command delivered to them. (CJB)

How many of today's believers behave in a way they know is sinful and yet they go ahead and do what they feel like doing, anyway? That's because they mistakenly think Divine grace covers intentional sin, which is a huge misconception! 

Divine grace has made wonderful provision for unintentional sin, but  there is no provision for ongoing, willful and intentional sin. The Bible tells us so. (As mentioned earlier in Hebrews 6, Yeshua would have to be executed on the stake again, for that to happen.  He died to remove our PAST sins and give us a clean slate to "start all over again."  He did NOT die to give anyone carte blanche to continue their sinful lifestyles and pretend to be forgiven.)

Deliberate, premeditated sin is willful disobedience and rebellion against ELOHIM; and it results in severe punishment or even loss of our salvation.

Passover is once again on the horizon–Halleluyah!

PASSOVER IS ON THE HORIZON AGAIN! This year (2023), it starts late afternoon on April 4. (Some suggest it begins on the evening of April 5. See explanation at the end of this article.)

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE IDEA OF PASSOVER:  First of all, we must understand that, like ALL of ADONAI's Moedim/Appointed Times/Commanded Festivals, Passover applies to ALL believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His Divine Messiah, Yeshua - who, by the way, has so far fulfilled the first FOUR of the SEVEN - Halleluyah! Please click here to check out our article of explanation about God's Festivals.

Passover/Unleavened Bread/Hag HaMatzot celebrates the deliverance of the slaves from Egypt. It is the story of redemption by the killing of the Passover Lamb, the blood of which was applied to the doorposts while the Israelites were still in Egypt, shortly before their Exodus.

Obedience to the command to take a lamb into their homes for a few days and then kill it for the purpose of spreading its blood on the doorposts ensured that their firstborn would be spared the Tenth Curse against Pharoah who refused to let God's enslaved Chosen People leave Egypt.

When the Angel of Death passed through the land and saw the blood, he "passed over" those houses and spared the first born within (Exodus 12:1-13).

Passover not only serves as a reminder of the events leading up to the Exodus from Egypt; but it is also the story of redemption through Messiah Yeshua, whose shed blood on the cross freed Believers from the slavery of earthly bondage to “the world!”

Yeshua fulfilled the festival of Passover when he was crucified. Like the lambs at the first Passover in Egypt, he was our substitute, our redemption. We have the chance for eternal life through our belief in Yeshua's divine blood shed on our behalf ... and always following YHWH's Torah to help us to lower our tendency to sin and do our best to NOT sin anymore!

It is important to remember that Passover marks the beginning of a seven-day period during which the eating of leavened Bread is forbidden, as LEAVEN is a symbol of sin during Passover. (I Corinthians 5:6-8; see also Exodus 23:14-16; Romans 6:4 and II Corinthians 5:21). That is why we must follow the command to "rid our homes of leaven":

Exodus 13: 3 "...Remember this day, on which you left Egypt, the abode of slavery; because YHWH, by the strength of his hand, has brought you out of this place. Do not eat hametz." (CJB)

Exodus 12: 18 From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah. 19 During those seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses. Whoever eats food with hametz in it is to be cut off from the community of Isra'el - it doesn't matter whether he is a foreigner or a citizen of the land. 20 Eat nothing with hametz in it. Wherever you live, eat matzah." (CJB)

(NOTE: Some people insist you are to clean out your “yeast” before Passover, but this is not true. There is no way to get rid of all yeast, because yeast spores are everywhere, including in every breath we take. For an indepth explanation, check out our article entitled, Yeast or Leaven.)

EXPLANATION OF "OUR" CALENDAR:

Please note we use the calendar based on the actual sun, moon, and stars; not the traditional Jewish calendar which is based on an "average moon", and rabbinical additions and changes. Click here for a basic explanation as to why.

By the way, in case anyone is interested, we offer a free downloadable haggadah (liturgy) for Pesach/Passover on our website. Just click on our Articles and Studies page, and scroll down until you see "Free calendars, Siddurs & Pesach Seder", and choose one of the final two link.

READY TO HEAR ABOUT A TRUE MIRACLE FROM OUR AMAZING CREATOR?

It was déjà vu for me on the morning of February 26, 2023 while my new husband of only 5 months, Tom Leannah, and I were having our usual fellowship breakfast with some friends from our congregation – when, suddenly, while placing his breakfast order, Tom displayed symptoms of a stroke (which I instantly recognized, since I lost my late husband, Bill Welker, to a stroke in May 2021).

Within seconds, our friend Jay, and a couple of other men picked Tom up and carried him out of the restaurant to place him in Jay’s truck, and off we went to the hospital which was only approximately five minutes away. (Tom was in such bad shape, he couldn’t speak or walk.)

Two of the men stayed behind to pray, and within 15 minutes, our whole congregation (via our prayer list) became involved in praying for Tom’s recovery.

At the hospital (where Tom already seemed perfectly “normal” upon our arrival), a CT scan and MRI revealed that he had definitely suffered a stroke, due to a completely blocked right carotid artery filled with plaque, along with a blood clot in his brain – both, or either of which SHOULD have caused him to have some signs of a stroke (i.e, slurred speech or drooping of the left side of his face, etc).

HOWEVER, the only reason Tom seemed to have zero effects was because his brain had “rewired” itself and been sending blood to the right side of his brain all along! (We believers know that only GOD is responsible for that kind of thing! HE is the one who created us and knew us before we were born… –Jeremiah 1:5.)

Psalm 139:13 For you fashioned my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I thank you because I am awesomely made, wonderfully; your works are wonders - I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo, but in your book all my days were already written; my days had been shaped before any of them existed. (E-Sword)

Tom remained in the hospital for four and a half days before they finally released him on a Thursday. He seemed fine until Friday morning when, upon rising, he had yet ANOTHER STROKE, and was rushed to the hospital once again. (Luckily for me, one of his daughters and her husband happened to ring the doorbell while I was freaking out, and loaded him into my car for me.)

So – there was another CT scan and MRI; and this time, a brain scan, because I had related to the doctors that Tom had been doing some strange “seizure-like” things with his left hand on the way to the hospital. To everyone’s utter surprise, nothing had changed, and the brain scan showed no evidence of seizure dangers.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Tom is just fine now; a little tired but recuperating nicely.  Baruch haShem YHWH!

True believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His Divine Messiah KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Tom’s situation was a miracle from YAHWEH, freely offered to a man mature in the faith, who obeys His divine Instructions, and clings to His Promises, including the miraculous power of prayer…

The reality of all this is, we live in a fallen world where “bad things happen to good people” – and the bottom line is, sometimes YHWH chooses to allow someone to continue to remain on this earth; while others are taken, for reasons known only to Him. (Please see my article: God, thank You for the storm! - https://www.therefinersfire.org/storm.htm)

It’s YAHWEH’s call and, although our “carnal nature” doesn’t want to lose any loved ones, mature believers (while terrified over possibly losing a loved one) realize and accept the fact that it CAN and DOES happen - even when modern medicine attempts to get into God’s way.

No one knows when their last day on earth might be, and so the BEST thing we could possibly do is to “get ourselves right with God,” so that we may live in Eternity with Him! Why live that holy, set apart life for Him? Because it’s the ONLY way to retain “eternal life!”

Our life here on earth is simply the prelude – an introduction, an overture – on what’s to come, once we are out of these “earth suits.” That is why it is so very important to learn all we can about the Holy One who created us and even saw fit to provide us with a blueprint for moral, holy living!

There is only one alternative, and that is to perish and be eternally separated from Him. (See Matthew 7:23 and 10:27-29; Ezekiel 18:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 20:11-15; etc.)

Ecclesiastes 9:1 I applied myself to all of this, sifted through it and concluded that the righteous and the wise, along with their deeds, are in God's hands - a person cannot know whether these people and deeds will be rewarded with love or with hatred; all options are open. 2 Anything can happen to anyone; the same thing can happen to the righteous as to the wicked, to the good and clean and to the unclean, to someone who offers a sacrifice and to someone who doesn't offer a sacrifice; it is the same for a good person as for a sinner, for someone who takes an oath rashly as for someone who fears to take an oath.

3 This is another evil among all those done under the sun, that the same events can occur to anyone. Truly, the human mind is full of evil; and as long as people live, folly is in their hearts; after which they go to be with the dead. 4 For as long as a person is linked with the living, there is hope - better to be a living dog than a dead lion! 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; there is no longer any reward for them, because all memory of them is lost. 6 What they loved, what they hated and what they envied all disappeared long ago, and they no longer have a share in anything done under the sun. 7 So go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God has already accepted your deeds.

8 Let your clothing always be white, and never fail to perfume your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife you have loved throughout your meaningless life that he has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility; for that is your allotted portion in life and in your labor that you work at under the sun. 10 Whatever task comes your way to do, do it with all your strength; because in Sh'ol, where you will go, there is neither working nor planning, neither knowledge nor wisdom. 11 Yet another thing I observed under the sun is that races aren't won by the swift or battles by the strong, and that food doesn't go to the wise or wealth to the intelligent or favor to the experts; rather, time and chance rule them all.

12 For people don't know when their time will come any more than fish taken in the fatal net or birds caught in a snare; similarly, people are snared at an unfortunate time, when suddenly it falls on them. 13 Here is something else I have seen as wisdom under the sun, and it seemed important to me: 14 there was a small town with few people in it; and a great king came to attack it; he surrounded it and built massive siege-works against it.

15 Now there was found in it a man who was poor but wise, and by his wisdom he saved the city; yet afterwards, nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So, although I say that wisdom is better than strength, nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised; nobody pays attention to what he says. 17 A wise man speaking quietly is more worth heeding than the shouts of a ruler commanding fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but a person who makes a mistake can destroy much good. (CJB)

The meaning behind “I and the Father are one”

Have you ever wondered why Yeshua uttered the words, “I and the Father are one”? (John 10:30)  Here is a great explanation from an Appendix in the Aramaic English New Testament:

The intimate relationship between Father and Son unfolds in Matthew 6:9-13 with the Slotha d'Maran, or Prayer of our Master, and progressive revelation continuing in Matthew 26:39, 42 and so on.  Put simply, if Y'shua is YHWH, then is he talking to himself?  The answer, of course, is NO! But, in order to understand we must go deep into the Tanakh to the following milestone passages: 

(1) In Exodus 23:20-22 we find mention of the only Messenger that YHWH sent to Israel who “has My Name in him.” This is key because every other messenger has YHWH's title – EL (MichaEL, RaphaEL, GavriEL, etc.) in their names.  But Y'shua's name means, “YHWH is salvation” which is tied to prophecy about him in places like Jeremiah 23:5-6, and fulfilled in John 17:11.

Mashiyach has a superior name to the other messengers (Hebrews 1:1-5) and a Name in him that is above all other names (Colossians 1:16-19, Philippians 2:9-10). This means that Y'shua and this Messenger, who are one and the same, have the Name Yah rather than El/Eloah/Elohim.

(2) The other aspect of Exodus 23:20-22 is that YHWH warns that this Messenger will not forgive Israel if they sin; implying that he had the independent power to do so, but would not on this occasion.  Such ability was not ever afforded any other heavenly messenger. To see how this might manifest with Mashiyach’s power and office, please see Matthew 9:5-8.

(3) Isaiah 9:6 tells us that one of the names of Mashiyach is “the Everlasting Father,” who is obviously YHWH Himself.  Then Isaiah 11:1-2 tells us that Mashiyach as the Root of Jesse will have the Spirit of YHWH rest inside him! Incidentally, the Spirit of YHWH and the Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit are also one and the same, as evidenced by Psalm 51:1-11 and Isaiah 63:1-11.

(4) Perhaps the most essential passage is in Zechariah 12:10, where the only begotten Son is killed but YHWH is “pierced.”  The Hebrew here, in spite of rabbinic argumentation to the contrary, could not be clearer.  The phrase in question is et asher dakaru. The et serves as a direct object pointer; it shows what part of a Hebrew sentence is receiving the action. 

So in Genesis 1:1 we are told et hashamayim v'et ha'aretz, with the et meaning that the heavens and the Earth are receiving the action of being created.  On this everyone agrees, but the same rabbis who agree with this usage everywhere else in Tanakh turn a blind eye here.  In this passage, it can only read as “to whom pierced they,” and since YHWH is speaking, He is being pierced! 

And yet the rest of the passage talks of people mourning for the man as “an only begotten son”! How can this be?  The Son whose flesh is pierced contains an occurrence (qnoma in Aramaic) of YHWH's Spirit, so while it is the flesh that is literally pierced and dies, the Spirit of YHWH is pierced too, but of course, cannot die.

(5) Finally Isaiah 53:1: “to whom has the arm of YHWH been revealed?”  This is the only acceptable form of “Godhead” in Scripture.  Clearly not a Trinity of three separate beings (or persons), because the arm is not a separate entity from the rest of the body and has no independent will.  The “arm” moves only with the power and control from the mind. 

In the same way YHWH’s nature is manifest as an occurrence within the Son that is separate but side-by-side with his human nature.  These two natures then communicate with one another; thus explaining why Y'shua is not talking to himself when he prays to his Father. 

This fact is also why sometimes Y'shua says things like, “My teaching is not my own” and “I can do nothing without my Father” on the one hand but on the other he says, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” and “I and my Father are one of the same.” 

This indicates a 100 percent divine nature that exists in a 100 percent human soul and flesh, where one or the other talks through Y'shua.  But the human is subject to the divine (again, “Not my will...”) which is the only way the Scripture cannot be broken.  It is not Trinity but neither does this deny the divine aspects in Y'shua himself.  It is also the real meaning behind, “No one comes to the Father but by me.”  See also John 5:26.