Actively engaging in sin?

A THOUGHT TO PONDER for those who actively engage in anything God calls “Sin,” because they really don’t see anything wrong with their particular sin:

Please ask yourself this: As a Believer, can you also be a practicing/active murderer, thief, liar, idolator, adulterer or prostitute?

Truth is, sin is sin, and you cannot enter the new heavens and new earth if you refuse to repent and TURN FROM your sin, whatever it may be… (Acts 3:19; 2 Peter 3:8-9; Romans 1:18-3 ...)

Let’s take a look at some of the proof texts concerning sin:

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)

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)

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.

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. That is a huge misconception! Divine grace has made wonderful provision for unintentional sin. But there is no provision for intentional sin. The Bible tells us so.

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

Leviticus 26: 23 If, in spite of all this, you refuse my correction and still go against me; then I too will go against you; and I, yes I, will strike you seven times over for your sins. (CJB)

1 Corinthians 6: 9. Or don't you know, that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of Elohim?* Make no mistake! Neither sexual sinners, nor idol-worshippers, nor adulterers, nor the corrupt, nor men who lay down with other men, 10. Nor the oppressors, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of Elohim. (AENT)

FOOTNOTE: Compare this to Matthew 5:17-20, where we are told that breaking the least commandment of Torah and teaching others to do the same makes a person "least in the kingdom" but they still get in. Y'shua implies that those with more serious sins won't make it in: "Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I never knew you"; but here, Rav Shaul gives a more specific list of what will keep them out.

The bottom line is that ongoing, deliberate sinning without any sign of repentance is NOT a good thing, for it WILL keep you from spending Eternity with the Holy One.

Just pondering God’s commanded festivals…

I’VE BEEN PONDERING GOD’S COMMANDED FESTIVALS LATELY, and – even though I’ve been a Messianic Believer since Passover of 1998, I never cease to be amazed over ADONAI’s timing.

It’s all mathematical, scientific and completely methodical. His seven commanded feast times are all based on timed events, with each one foreshadowing His Divine Messiah (who has so far fulfilled the first FOUR of the SEVEN – with the next one being the “catching up” (1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) on a future Fall Festival called Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets, which is when God will call His people together for the “marriage supper of Lamb” (the event that Christians are calling “the Rapture”).

Here’s just one of many examples of His Timing:

The Israelites were led out of Egypt and given physical liberation on 14 Nisan/Passover (Exodus 12:1-13) which foreshadowed Yeshua, the Passover Lamb whose death provided spiritual liberation [see Matthew, Mark, Luke and John].

(By the way, many of the European concentration camps were liberated on or around 14 Nisan, and Hitler committed suicide during this timeframe [April 30, 1945].)

Coincidence? NO! Yahweh ALWAYS does things in HIS TIMING!

Exodus 12: 40 The time the people of Isra'el lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years to the day, all the divisions of ADONAI left the land of Egypt. 42 This was a night when ADONAI kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when ADONAI keeps vigil for all the people of Isra'el through all their generations. (CJB)

The above describes the first Pass-Over, which is one of His seven beautiful festivals for us to commemorate!

Does Hebrews 8 suggest Torah is no longer valid?

SOMEONE RECENTLY WROTE TO MY WEBSITE to inform me that Hebrews 8:13 supposedly proves that Torah is no longer valid, and he offered the following passage as proof:

Hebrews 8: 13 "In that he saith, A new "covenant", he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (KJV)

MY RESPONSE:

Good Bible students recognize that Hebrews 8 refers back to Jeremiah 31:31-34, which says the following:

Jeremiah 31: 31 "Here, the days are coming," says ADONAI, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Isra'el and with the house of Y'hudah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by their hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, violated my covenant, even though I, for my part, was a husband to them," says ADONAI.

33 "For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Isra'el after those days," says ADONAI: "I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

34 No longer will any of them teach his fellow community member or his brother, 'Know ADONAI'; for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest; because I will forgive their wickednesses and remember their sins no more." (CJB)

SO, RETURNING TO HEBREWS 8 (specifically, verse 8:10), an astute mind would begin to wonder why YHWH would write a "decaying and vanishing covenant on our hearts"... Right?

Therefore, when we knit it all together, we can see that Hebrews 8 couldn't possibly suggest that the Torah is obsolete! If you read all of Chapter 8 in context, you'll see the author was implying the LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD is what is being replaced by the Messiah...

In the realization of the above, let's take a closer look at Hebrews 8 via the Hebrew mindset:

Hebrews 8: 6. But now, Y'shua the Mashiyach has received a ministry which is better than that: as also the covenant of which he is made the Mediator is better, and is given with better promises than the former. 7. For, if the first (covenant) had been faultless, there would have been no place for this second (one).

8. For he rebukes them and says: Behold the days come, says Master YHWH, when I will complete with the family of the house of Israel and with the family of the house of Yehuda, a renewed covenant;[1] 9. not like the covenant which I gave to their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; (and) because they continued not in my covenant, I also rejected them, says Master YHWH.

10. But this is the covenant which I will give to the family of the house of Israel after those days, says Master YHWH: I will put my Torah in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts; and I will be to them a Elohim, and they will be to me a people. 11. And one will not teach his son of the city[2] nor his brother, nor say: You shall know your Master YHWH: because they will all know me, from the youngest of them to the oldest. 12. And I will forgive them their iniquity; and their sins will I remember no more. 13. In that he said a Renewed (Covenant), he made the first old; and that which is old and decaying, is near to disappearing. [3] (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

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

[2] The phrase in Aramaic is bar medintheh, which literally means "son of his city" but idiomatically carries the meaning of "fellow citizen, neighbor" and most definitely a metaphor Greek does not have. This fact puts Peshitta well before the end of the Second Century when the mistranslated Greek texts were done. It is also important to note that this is the last book of the Eastern canon. As a result, the entire collection must have circulated prior to this very early date.

[3] The context is Jeremiah 31:31-34, what is "near to disappearing" is the sinful nature of man that breaks Torah, not the standard of Torah. Remember that we broke Torah, not YHWH!

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

The fact of the matter is that in Mashiyach, YHWH raised the bar; He magnified Torah; see Isaiah 42:21. Because mankind broke Covenant, YHWH requires complete renovation on our part, not YHWH's part of the Covenant. This verse in its twisted form, became one of the "crown jewels" of Torahless Christianity which teaches that Torah is decaying and is near to disappearing, but nothing could be farther from the truth. See 2 Peter 3:16.

A note for those who don’t believe in keeping the Seventh Day Sabbath…

Folks, Scripture speaks for itself. Please take a look:

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them. 2 On the seventh day God was finished with his work which he had made, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy; because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce. (CJB)

NOTE in the above that He "BLESSED the Seventh Day and separated it as holy"... (The Seventh Day on our Gregorian calendars falls on Saturday.)

Exodus 31:16 The people of Isra'el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the people of Isra'el forever; for in six days ADONAI made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.'" (CJB)

NOTE:  Since God’s people AND the “grafted-in” are “one in Messiah” ((Ephesians 2:15 and Galatians 3:28), this means ALL who accept the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are required to keep God’s Seventh Day Sabbath HOLY!

Ezekiel 20:11 I gave them my laws and showed them my rulings; if a person obeys them, he will have life through them. 12 I gave them my shabbats as a sign between me and them, so that they would know that I, ADONAI, am the one who makes them holy. (CJB)

Exodus 20:8 "Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for ADONAI your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work -not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, ADONAI made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why ADONAI blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself. (CJB)

Isaiah 56: 2 Happy is the person who does this, anyone who grasps it firmly, who keeps Shabbat and does not profane it, and keeps himself from doing any evil. 3 A foreigner joining ADONAI should not say, "ADONAI will separate me from his people"; likewise the eunuch should not say, "I am only a dried-up tree." 4 For here is what ADONAI says: "As for the eunuchs who keep my Shabbats, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant: 5 in my house, within my walls, I will give them power and a name greater than sons and daughters; I will give him an everlasting name that will not be cut off.

6 "And the foreigners who join themselves to ADONAI to serve him, to love the name of ADONAI, and to be his workers, all who keep Shabbat and do not profane it, and hold fast to my covenant, 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." (CJB)

Isaiah 58: 13 If you hold back your foot on Shabbat from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call Shabbat a delight, ADONAI'S holy day, worth honoring; then honor it by not doing your usual things or pursuing your interests or speaking about them. 14 If you do, you will find delight in ADONAI - I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Ya'akov, for the mouth of ADONAI has spoken." (CJB)

Isaiah 66: 23 And it shall be that from one New Moon to another New Moon and from one Sabbath to another Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord. (CJB)

Jeremiah 17: 21 Here is what ADONAI says: "If you value your lives, don't carry anything on Shabbat or bring it in through the gates of Yerushalayim; 22 don't carry anything out of your houses on Shabbat; and don't do any work. Instead, make Shabbat a holy day. I ordered your ancestors to do this, 23 but they neither listened nor paid attention; rather, they stiffened their necks, so that they wouldn't have to hear or receive instruction. 24 However, if you will pay careful heed to me," says ADONAI "and carry nothing through the gates of this city on Shabbat, but instead make Shabbat a day which is holy and not for doing work; (CJB)

THERE ARE MORE PASSAGES, but hopefully the ones I posted here will suffice. Just please remember that, when ADONAI commands something, it should never be ignored.

It is unfortunate that most people don't seem to realize that some common sense is needed when reading Scriptures. For instance, we today, cannot possibly (nor are we expected to) keep all 613 original commands.

Why? Because they didn't all pertain to "everybody!" Most were meant for the Levite Priests, while some were meant only for men and others only for women...

However, we should definitely pay attention to those that we CAN keep ... the ones that have the word "forever" or "throughout your generations" attached to them. They were never meant "just for the Jews!" (Remember, there were 12 tribes in the desert with Moshe for 40 years - along with myriad foreigners" who had followed Israel out of Egypt ... and they were told to obey "exactly as" God's people did... See Numbers 15:13-16.)

The truth is, if you believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then you are "grafted in" and required to keep God's "forever" commands. (For proof, re-read all the above mentioned passages and Numbers 15: 13-16, and Deuteronomy 31:11-12.)

Did you know that the “cock” that crowed at “just the time” was NOT a rooster?

Did you know that the “cock”that crowed at the appointed time was NOT a rooster?

Matthew 26:34. Y’shua said to him, Truly I say to you, that in this night before the cock crows you will deny me three times. (AENT)

The Greek translations would have you believe that it would be a rooster crowing ... but the truth is this: the Aramaic word used was "gaver" which is a slang term for "cock" or "rooster" - referring to the town crier blowing his shofar (ram's horn). ”

The "gaver" was responsible for opening the temple before dawn and calling out loudly, two or three times to announce the early morning services. So, the reality is, "the cock crowed" simply referred to the town crier doing his job.

A mini-lesson on the importance of holiness in the Presence of ADONAI: never offer “strange fire”…

Leviticus 10:1-3 provides a tiny inkling of what transpired during the consecration of Aharon (Aaron) and his sons, who were killed on the spot for adding "unauthorized fire before ADONAI":

Leviticus 10: 1 But Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI, something he had not ordered them to do. 2 At this, fire came forth from the presence of ADONAI and consumed them, so that they died in the presence of ADONAI. Moshe said to Aharon, "This is what ADONAI said: 'Through those who are near me I will be consecrated, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" Aharon kept silent. (CJB)

Before I continue, please note that Nadav and Avihu were certainly NOT guilty of worshiping other gods or being purposely disrespectful; they apparently thought Yahweh would be pleased if they added, or did something spontaneous, to honor Him.

But He wasn’t, and for that, they lost their lives.

Can you even begin to imagine how Aharon felt in that moment when he saw his sons lying dead on the floor?

We are told Aharon was too stunned to speak over the deaths of his sons. As a matter of fact, he and the others were so distraught, they couldn't even bring themselves to eat the goat of the sin offering as Moshe had ordered (Leviticus 16-20). How unimaginably tragic and shocking it must have been for Aharon yet, as high priest, he had no choice but to carry on with the holy activities!

What the incense or the “strange fire” actually was is really anybody’s guess; but the fact remains that the two new cohanim (priests) clearly did something that displeased Yahweh, something He had not commanded them to do while honoring Him. Therefore, we have no choice but to realize that they obviously disregarded God’s commands and treated the holy things casually, as if they could approach God on their own terms.

This reveals just how serious an offense it can be when we “add to” or “subtract from” what He commanded! We simply cannot decide to make up our own stuff, and expect ADONAI to bless it…

As hard as it is to hear, unlike most priests, pastors and rabbis who are often prone to "think carnally" and overlook "little indiscretions," YHWH our God shows over and over again that He is NOT tolerant of anything that adds to or subtracts from His Word! (This is why we at The Refiner's Fire constantly reiterate the importance of stopping the nonsense of "religiosity" which insists it's okay for believers to ignore the commanded Seventh Day Sabbath and the Biblical Feasts and to eat "unclean" foods. (Since we are “one in Messiah” it would be a smart idea to apply the “same God, same rules” concept whenever possible.)

In conclusion:

Experiencing our ancestors through human emotions helps us to see them (and history) in a completely different light, doesn’t it? If you haven’t already done so, in the future, try putting yourself into each Bible story, to really get to KNOW the people who lived centuries ago.

And remember to never take lightly your worship of our Living God who expects pure holiness…

Leviticus 11: 44 For I am ADONAI your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy…. 45 For I am ADONAI, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy. (CJB)

A deeper explanation of Passover…

The following was borrowed from “Yael’s Letters”…

Israel’s Firstborn, God’s Son, and the Beloved Son at the Cross

Counting of the Omer – Day 7

The story of Passover is not just about deliverance. It is about the firstborn, and that detail is not incidental.

From the very beginning of the Exodus narrative, God frames the entire confrontation with Pharaoh around identity, inheritance, and sonship.

Before the plagues intensify, before the sea opens, before freedom becomes visible, God defines Israel with a title that carries covenant weight.

“Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22).

In the ancient world, the firstborn is not simply the first child in a family. The firstborn represents authority, inheritance, continuity, and the future of the father’s house.

What belongs to the father passes through the firstborn. The name, the blessing, and the responsibility all converge there.

So, when God calls Israel His firstborn, He is not speaking sentimentally. He is making a covenantal claim.

Pharaoh’s refusal to release Israel is therefore not just political resistance. It is a rejection of God’s declared sonship. And God’s response mirrors the offense with exact precision.

“If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son” (Exodus 4:23).

This is not arbitrary judgment. It is measured justice, answering defiance with a response that exposes the weight of what has been rejected.

When the final plague comes, it is not generalized destruction.

It is targeted, deliberate, and focused on the firstborn in every household, from Pharaoh’s throne to the lowest servant.

“Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die” (Exodus 11:5).

The strike is not random. It is aimed at inheritance itself, at the future of every house.

And yet, in the middle of that judgment, a distinction is made that cuts deeper than ethnicity, status, or lineage. The dividing line is not who you are, but what covers you.

A lamb is chosen, examined, and killed. Its blood is placed on the doorposts and lintel, marking the threshold of the home. When judgment passes through the land, it does not pause to evaluate identity or intention. It responds to the covering.

“When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13).

This establishes a pattern that is both simple and severe. The firstborn either dies or is covered. There is no third category.

That reality sharpens the tension in the story.

Israel is called God’s firstborn, yet Israel is also spared only through the blood of a lamb. The identity is real, but the protection still requires substitution. Even the firstborn of God must be covered.

This is not a contradiction. It is a revelation of how covenant operates.

From that point forward, the firstborn belongs to God in a unique and costly way.

“Consecrate to me all the firstborn” (Exodus 13:2).

The firstborn is claimed, set apart, and often redeemed through sacrifice. The principle becomes embedded in Israel’s understanding: the firstborn carries weight, the firstborn is costly, and the firstborn cannot be treated casually.

As the narrative unfolds, the language of sonship begins to deepen and narrow.

Israel is called God’s son, but within Israel there are firstborn, and within that structure a greater pattern is forming. By the time we reach the Psalms and the prophets, the idea of “the Son” begins to take on a more focused, forward-looking shape.

“You are my Son; today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2:7).

What began as a national identity is becoming personal, prophetic, and anticipatory.

When we arrive at the Gospels, that anticipation resolves into a declaration and at Yeshua’s baptism, a voice from heaven identifies Him unmistakably.

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

The language is intentional. The beloved Son stands in continuity with Israel, but also in fulfillment of what Israel was always meant to embody.

Matthew makes this connection explicit when he writes, “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Matthew 2:15).

Yeshua is not separate from Israel’s story. He is walking it out, carrying it, and bringing it to its intended completion. The identity of “firstborn” is no longer just corporate. It is concentrated in a person.

This is why the timing of the crucifixion matters. The final week does not unfold randomly. It aligns precisely with Passover. The Lamb is chosen, examined, and found without blemish. Everything about the moment echoes the instructions given in Exodus, but now the pattern is intensifying.

At the first Passover, the firstborn in Egypt dies, and the firstborn in Israel lives because a lamb dies in its place.

At the cross, that structure turns in a way that should stop us. The Son, the true Firstborn, the beloved Son, becomes the One who dies.

The direction has reversed.

No longer does the lamb die so the firstborn can live. Now the Firstborn Himself becomes the Lamb.

This is why Paul can say, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). He is not borrowing imagery. He is identifying fulfillment.

The categories that once stood side by side have now merged into one person. The Lamb and the Firstborn are no longer separate roles. They are embodied together.

This changes the entire frame of the story. The question is no longer simply who holds the position of firstborn. The question becomes who stands under the covering that the Firstborn Himself has provided.

At the cross, the judgment that once moved through Egypt moves again, but this time it falls on the Son. Not because He deserves it, but because He stands in the place of those who are covered by His blood. The substitution that was patterned in Exodus reaches its full expression here.

The pattern is complete.

This is why Scripture calls Him “the firstborn of all creation” and “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:15, 18).

He is not only first in rank, but first through death and out the other side. He is the Firstborn who enters death and the Firstborn who rises beyond it, carrying others with Him.

And just as in Egypt, the dividing line remains unchanged. It is still the blood.

The story that began in Exodus finds its fulfillment at the cross. The themes of firstborn, lamb, judgment, and covering are not separate ideas. They converge into a single moment where the Son stands in the place of many, and the weight of substitution is no longer symbolic, but complete.

So, when we read Passover, we are not just reading history. We are reading a pattern that was always moving forward. And when we look at the cross, we are not simply witnessing an execution. We are seeing the Firstborn take the place of the firstborn.

And because He does, those who are covered live.