God, what can I do for You?

This meme is my motto! It’s how I came to Torah approximately three years after I “got saved” in a little Baptist church in Missouri. The whole time after I “got saved,” I kept thinking, “There has to be more to this than just “believing in Jesus!” I felt like this relationship was an endless one-way street, because all the prayers I ever heard were from people demanding something from Him: “Heal me, help me, do for me, get me a job, provide my family with rent money, save my marriage…” On and on. .

Yes, I completely understood that we are to go to God with our every need and request. But, what were WE were supposed to do for Him in return? I asked that question of my pastor, and his response was, “Carmen, you don’t have to do anything for Him except BELIEVE.” (His motto was: "Jesus plus nothing.")

Oh, yes, of course. Sure. Just like I was supposed to search the writings of Paul to get my every Bible question answered….

After a couple years passed, I sold my house and all my possessions and moved to Colorado because the Holy Spirit told me to. (True story – the Ruach bugged me for six months to move here!) At first, nothing much happened and I thought I had misheard the Ruach, and almost returned to Missouri. I had done some“church hopping” in hopes of finding one that would fill that little “hole in my soul” that longed for more …

But, nothing. They ALL taught this “one-way street” idea, which absolutely irked me to pieces. God apparently wanted nothing from us. It was all about HIM giving and giving and giving because He was all about "love, mercy and grace." Yes, I got that, but something STILL didn't feel right....

But then, it happened! Through a truly unique series of events, I ended up in a Messianic Torah study, and – oh my gosh! – there it was - what I could DO for God! I could DO those things outlined in His Torah! I could start keeping HIS commanded Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts - all of which were our "dates" with Him! And I could start eating “clean” foods and recognize that as "one in Christ" we were all the SAME. After all, Scripture tells us that in Messiah there is no Jew nor Gentile, male or female, no slave nor free (Galatians 3:28)…. Same God, same rules, baby!

What's more, He EXPECTS us to do those things for Him! Just "believing" doesn't really cut it. For YHWH, it's a TWO-WAY street, ALL the time - Halleluyah! He does for us; we do for Him, we do for each other, with no motive except for love - simple! Nobody keeps score. It's just a great way of life.

That's not so hard to understand, is it?

WOW! My perpetual prayer had FINALLY been answered! “God, what can I do for YOU?” All I ever wanted was to DO for Him because, as far as I'm concerned what His Divine Son did for me on the cross was enough. I had been "in the world" for half my life; I now wanted to spend the other half working for Him. It was the least I could do for the Grace and Mercy I received when ADONAI sent His Divine Son, who gave me the chance at eternal life, merely by BELIEVING in Him!

On the eve of this year’s Yom Kippur….

Shabbat shalom, and may your fast be easy! Mishpocah, I’m so sad for our world on the eve of this Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. It’s hard to try to “forgive” those who have, in some way, wrecked our lives, or made us miserable, both in “real” life and on Facebook or other social media. Add to that the fact that today’s world is in the process of sinking into the abyss, and this whole thing is truly depressing! (I’m sure I don’t have to go into all the details, the many ways things are falling apart at the seams.)

Our world reeks with violence and decadence and all the things our Creator hates. It’s mind-boggling that we have so many lunatic factions and hate-groups today, including “Neo-Nazis”. WHY would anybody in their right mind wish to join something like this? “Neo-Nazis” are absolutely no different from ISIS, which is another vicious, murderous, nonsensical hate-group whose only goal is killing innocents. ALL hate-groups are similar in ideology; the only difference is the name they write on their “soap boxes.”

The thing everyone seems to forget is that hate hurts. Hate resolves nothing and neither does violence! Most “haters” get caught up in causes they don’t necessarily understand, as a moral-less and mum society watches their violent protests in detached fascination, from the comfort of their living rooms. Sure, many “believe in God,” but to actually stand up and DO something – like “talk back” to the haters, using Scripture? Noooooooo! No can do.

My husband and I saw, firsthand, the results of baseless, stupid human pride and ignorance when we visited both Bergen-Belsen and Dachau Concentration camps during our European honeymoon in 2001 (and later again in 2004 when YHWH saw fit to allow me to find my natural father’s side of the family in Germany!)

Standing on the very ground where myriad innocent Jews (and others) died to satisfy a “cause” is indescribable; absolutely indescribable! You would have to be there personally to get a true sense of the suffering, destitution and helplessness You would have to be there personally to FEEL the senselessness and depravity caused by a hate-driven madman who had decided that “the Jews” were to blame for everything “bad” that was happening throughout Europe; and therefore, needed to be wiped from the face of the earth.

Yet that, alone, as far as I’m concerned, is proof that God exists! Why? Because the entire Bible is about YHWH and His chosen people, today universally referred to as “Jews” – who seem to be HATED wherever they go! Despite their “stiff-neckedness,” YHWH loved His people, and He promised to forgive and prosper them; and so they have blossomed everywhere they’ve been planted! (See Genesis 12:1-3; Jeremiah 29:11, etc.) Jews, who currently make up approximately 0.25% of the world's population and 2% of the US population, comprise the biggest percentage of Nobel Prize Winners, and have contributed more to the world than any other group! (You can Google those facts.) Jews are an AMAZING people!

And that’s part of why Hitler HATED them! He apparently couldn’t handle the fact that the German people weren’t “the chosen.” He apparently couldn’t handle that everything “the Jews” touched basically turned to gold. They ALWAYS “made something” of themselves. Always. They lived, they loved, they overcome all obstacles and simply “bloomed!”

So, naturally, they HAD to be what was “wrong” with Germany … those dirty Jews who kept “taking jobs away” from the native-born (many of whom were busy sitting around, waiting for “the government” to help them…see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Nazi_Germany).

It was Hitler’s “cause” to rid the world of the Jewish influence, and this is why I’m posting some photos from our trips to Dachau and Bergen-Belsen so the world can see and understand that it only took ONE madman to produce the Holocaust; a madman who was able to succeed ONLY because people are like blind sheep, prone to simply follow some “cause” – no matter how sick and twisted that cause may be….

Certain Scripture verses (such as Isaiah 42:5-8) must have really goaded Hitler, and so, in his eyes, the Jews HAD to be eradicated, and history HAD to be rewritten somehow because GERMANS were the “Master Race!” Unfortunately, they were a race that had begun floundering and failing already after World War I … And despite this, those pesky JEWS were all over the place, flourishing!

Ironically – not unlike in Hitler's day - the myriad groups and their “causes” today insist that SOMEBODY has to be “eradicated” so that our particular race (pick one: Black, White, Yellow, Red, Brown) can once again appear to be “on top!” Jeremiah 17: 9-10 provides insight: "The human heart is more deceitful than anything else and mortally sick. Who can fathom it? 10 I test inner motivations; in order to give to everyone what his actions and conduct deserve."

Regardless, YHWH said He chooses whom He will, and He chose Abraham to be our first Patriarch; and He has kept all His promises to Israel ever since, including the ones below, that surely grated on Hitler who must have realized that TORAH, YHWH's Divine Instructions in Righteousness was beginning to be introduced to the world that had been busy making up its own religions:

Genesis 12:3 - "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 49: 10 The scepter will not pass from Y'hudah, nor the ruler's staff from between his legs, until he comes to whom [obedience] belongs; and it is he whom the peoples will obey.

Deuteronomy 7:6-8: For you are a people set apart as holy for ADONAI your God. ADONAI your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his own unique treasure. 7 ADONAI didn't set his heart on you or choose you because you numbered more than any other people - on the contrary, you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 Rather, it was because ADONAI loved you, and because he wanted to keep the oath which he had sworn to your ancestors, that ADONAI brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from a life of slavery under the hand of Pharoah king of Egypt.

Micah 4: 2 Many Gentiles will go and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of ADONAI, to the house of the God of Ya'akov (Judah's father)! He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of ADONAI from Yerushalayim.

Isaiah 42: 5 Thus says God, ADONAI, who created the heavens and spread them out, who stretched out the earth and all that grows from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it: 6 "I, ADONAI, called you righteously, I took hold of you by the hand, I shaped you and made you a covenant for the people, to be a light for the Goyim (Gentiles), 7 so that you can open blind eyes, free the prisoners from confinement, those living in darkness from the dungeon. 8 I am ADONAI; that is my name. I yield my glory to no one else, nor my praise to any idol.

Jeremiah 31:35-37: This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar- the LORD Almighty is his name: "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me." This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD.

Romans 11:11-12: "But I say: Have they so stumbled as to fall entirely? May it never be! Rather, by their stumbling, life has come to the Gentiles for (awakening) their jealousy. And if their stumbling was riches to the world, and their condemnation riches to the Gentiles; how much more their completeness?"

Romans 11:25-27: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

Yes, Hitler couldn’t allow “the Jews” to “be a light for the Gentiles”; he was going to rid the world of them because the demise of European governments was surely the fault of the Jews…..

Well, the joke was on him, because YHWH used what Hitler did to make TWO of His end times prophecies come true: Because the world briefly felt sorry for the Jews after the Holocaust, Israel was returned to them! As Isaiah prophesied, Israel WOULD become a Nation again, and it would happen in ONE day! (See my short blog for more: http://blog.therefinersfire.org/2017/06/two-of-gods-end-times-prophecies-were.html)

Anyway, on this Yom Kippur eve, I can’t help but wonder how those Jews in Dachau, Bergen-Belsen and other horror camps, managed to keep Yom Kippur, their holiest day of the year, as it surely seemed that G-d had turned His back on them….

HOW do we forgive ANY pain inflicted on us? How do we deal with this fallen world today that has descended so low that only Yeshua’s Second Coming can possibly restore humanity, because the world has completely fallen away from YHWH and His Will?

The bottom line is: We HAVE to! We have to forgive those who hurt us, lest the pain inside us festers and ultimately kills us. YHWH commands us to forgive and to deal with our enemies to the best of our abilities. This is why this Mo’ed/Appointed Time is so important. It’s designed to FORCE us to face “us”. We’ve just experienced “10 days” (Days of Awe) where we should have been busy thinking about forgiveness and restoration, searching our hearts, confessing and repenting; and recognizing our OWN sins so that WE can ask for forgiveness on Yom Kippur and finally put an end to those things we know aren’t pleasing to YHWH.

…Because, you see, it all starts with “us” humbling ourselves, and asking YHWH to refine us, no matter what it takes. (Please see my short article about the refining fire: http://therefinersfire.org/refiners_fire.htm) If we ALL begin to recognize our own faults, then we can better begin to reach out to others and forgive them THEIR faults. If we all worked on our own faults, and started living a holy/set apart life, as designed by our Creator, just THINK how different our world would be. Reaching out and forgiving each other in love to make our world a better place. What a novel concept!

I’ll let it start with me: I know I have some faults, and I am truly sorry if I’ve hurt anyone over this past year. I want you to know I love you, and humbly ask your forgiveness….

(Below are some of the photos we took at the Dachau and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps while on our European honeymoon in 2001. The first few are of the Jewish Memorial at Bergen-Belsen.  Note that the camp was liberated on Passover, 1945! The last couple are of people being bulldozed in mass graves.  How sad and ridiculous that “Neo-Nazis” wish to emulate and represent this inhuman swinery!)

  

A word about the death of Hugh Hefner

So Hugh Hefner died, and Hollywood and the underbelly of society mourns.  In the wilderness days YHWH ordered the killing of all who deliberately violated His Mitzvot (words/commands). Thanks to Y'shua, we don't do that today; but there IS a Judgment Day when ALL will stand before Him to give an account of their life (Rev. 20:11-15). So, concerning Hefner, I only have this to say:

Revelation 22: 11. He that does evil, let him do evil still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him practice righteousness still; and he that is sanctified, let him be sanctified still. 12. Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me to recompense everyone according to his work. 13. I am Alap and the Taw, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Completion.

14. Blessed are they who do His (Master YHWH’s) Mitzvot* that they may have a right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. 15. Without (will be) dogs and sorcerers, and whoremongers and manslayers and idolaters, and everyone that loves and does falsehood. 16. I Y’shua have sent my Messenger to testify to you these things before the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of Dawid: like the splendid star of the morning. (AENT)

Footnote: Very important! Y’shua is talking, so these are YHWH’s Mitzvot (Commandments), not his. This is also the original reading in Revelation. The “wash your robes” line was substituted later, as a way to downplay the obvious pro-Torah message at the end of the NT. This is, in effect, the last speech Y’shua gives to the world. There are actually two ancient Greek witnesses that are split on the matter, and one may have arisen as a scribal error to the other between poiountes tas entolas (do his commandments) and plunontes tas stolas (wash their robes).

A note about “fractured America”

 

My husband and I recently watched a 20/20 episode entitled: "Fractured America: Extremism in the Streets" (08/18/17). It was a MAJOR eye-opener that revealed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are steeped in the “end times” outlined in the Books of Daniel and Revelation! These hate groups are serious in their respective sick missions to destroy anyone who isn’t the same color or of the same mindset as they are…. (Many photos can be found here.)

In the olden days, we had hate-groups such as the Ku Klux Klan who wanted to eradicate “Negroes.” Those kooks are still around and starting to once again rise up; but now they’ve got competition from new hate groups such as Alt-Right; the fascist Antifa, a left-wing movement based on Marxist, anarchist, and anti-capitalist ideals; and the Neo-Nazis – no explanation needed … all with their own agendas.

Not surprisingly, all of these “intellects” are fighting each other.

So, to put it in perspective, today we have Whites fighting Whites, Blacks fighting Blacks, Blacks fighting Whites and vice-versa , both groups fighting Latinos; and, of course, we also have ISIS, who fights everybody, inciting gullible folks in America and around the world to “kill where they live” - which is code for “go and run your car into innocent crowds of people you don’t know and who have never done a thing to you.”

These groups are mainly all about “race, color and politics,” but there are other factions that exist to argue about everything from vegan vs. meat eating, big pharma vs. natural health remedies, Christianity vs. Judaism (and everything in between); etc. The list is endless. Everybody seems to be fighting everybody. (That much is even evident here on Facebook where you can't post anything without somebody getting upset!)

There are myriad “my way is better than your way” groups - some of which are benign, whereas some can definitely be classified as hate-groups. It truly makes one wonder, "where does it all end?" The answer, of course, is: ONLY when Yeshua returns! Scripture tells us these things would happen:

2 Timothy 3: 1. But know this: That in the latter days hard times will come: 2. and men will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, boasters, proud, revilers, unyielding towards their own people, deniers of grace, wicked, 3. unloving, addicted to irreconcilable malicious gossips, ferocious, haters of the good, 4. treacherous, rash, inflated, attached to pleasure more than to the love of Elohim, 5. having a form of respect for Elohim but wide from the power of Elohim. Them who are such, repel from you. 6. For of them are they who creep into this and that house and captivate the women who are plunged in sins and led away by divers lusts, 7. who are always learning, and can never come to the knowledge of the truth. (AENT)

Scripture asks:

James 4: 1. From where is it, that there are among you arguments and conflicts? Is it not from the lusts which war in your members? 2. You covet but do not possess; and you kill and envy, and effect nothing: and you fight and make attacks; and you do not have, because you do not ask. 3. You ask, and do not receive because you ask wickedly, that you may feed your lusts. 4. You adulterers, don’t you know that the love of the world is hatred towards Elohim? He therefore who chooses to be a lover of this world is the enemy of Elohim. (CJB)

Scripture commands:

Proverbs 24: 1 Don't be envious of evil people, and don't desire to be with them. 2 For their minds are occupied with violence, and their lips speak of making trouble. (CJB)

Proverbs 24: 21 My son, don't get involved with revolutionaries, but fear ADONAI and the king. (CJB)

Proverbs 24: 21 My son, don't get involved with revolutionaries, but fear ADONAI and the king. (CJB)

22 For disaster from them will suddenly appear, and who knows what ruin they both can cause? (CJB)

Romans 12: 19. And be you not avengers of yourselves, my beloved: but give place to wrath. For it is written: If you do not execute judgment for yourself, I will execute judgment for you, says Elohim. 20. And if your adversary be hungry, feed him: and if he be thirsty, give him drink. For if you do these things, you will heap coals of fire on his head. 21. Do not be overcome by evil; but overcome evil with good. (AENT)

See also Deuteronomy 32:35; Psalm 94:1; Prov. 20:22; and remember that there are no directives from B’resheet/Genesis to Revelation which counsels anyone to take vengeance upon their adversaries. YHWH says, “vengeance belongs to Me”; He will judge and resolve all matters according to His Righteous Judgment. The idea of taking vengeance upon others, as in jihad or holy war against the infidels, is rooted in fear and heathenism by those who put their faith in self rather than in Elohim.

The world is not listening; it's getting worse by the day - and all YHWH’s people can do is to pray AND find the intestinal fortitude to speak the Word without hesitation, warning anyone who cares to listen that these things are happening because we are IN the end times – and behavior such as the above is proof! Things are only going to get worse before they get better. Scripture says so….

Yom Kippur: To fast or not to fast?

This year, many Hebrew Roots types seem to be teaching that we do NOT have to “fast” on Yom Kippur, insisting that fasting became a mere tradition, as the word in Hebrew is not to fast but to afflict or humble oneself; etc.

Well, call me crazy, but here are some scriptures that, for me, tie in that being "afflicted" on Yom Kippur includes fasting, because YHWH definitely afflicted His people when He brought them out of Egypt. For 40 years He "afflicted" them while He continuously taught them obedience to everything He ever commanded, including keeping all the Feasts/Appointed Times – each of which has a special meaning. All other Feast times are for celebrating, Yom Kippur is different, expecting us to "afflict" ourselves :

Deuteronomy 8:2 You are to remember everything of the way in which ADONAI led you these forty years in the desert, humbling and testing you in order to know what was in your heart - whether you would obey his mitzvot or not. 3 He humbled you, allowing you to become hungry, and then fed you with man, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, to make you understand that a person does not live on food alone but on everything that comes from the mouth of ADONAI. (CJB)

We also see in Isaiah 58:3. 'Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our beings, and You took no note?’" (ISR)

(Bear in mind the Hebrew has no punctuation, so this is not necessarily two sentences.) In Hebrew its "tzamnu" (fast) and "a'na'inu" (aflict) and "nefeshnu" (soul/being). This seems to clearly tie the idea of "aflict" is to "fast" and that the purpose of fasting is to "afflict the soul".)

Then, there is also Ezra 8:21: "I then proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahawa, to humble ourselves before our Elohim," (ISR)

Here "fast" is Hebrew "tzom"; Humble is Hebrew "l'hit'anot", from "anah", meaning afflict. Again, to fast is directly tied to "afflict".

And another! Psalm 35:13: "...I humbled my being with fastings;..." (ISR)

Again: "tzom" is to fast and "anah" is to afflict/humble.

And another: Isaiah 58:5: "Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his being?" (ISR)

Again, tzom (fast) is tied to "anah" (afflict). And then there is this thought: One of the human understandings of "soul" (Hebrew: nephesh), is to mean "appetite"...

See Proverbs 23:2-3: "If you have a big appetite [nephesh], put a knife to your throat!" (CJB)

And a second example, Psalm 107:9: "For He has satisfied a longing being [nephesh], And has filled the hungry being [nephesh] with goodness" (ISR)

So to "afflict your souls" (Leviticus 23:27) is literally to fast!

Yes, the New Testament does promote Torah!

The NT doesn’t promote Torah? Sure it does. We just have to read Scripture in context. Here’s just one example:

Acts15:21 For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat." (CJB)

A fulfillment of Isaiah 56:1-9, where we see Gentile converts observing Shabbat and learning Torah as one body along with Jews. Unfortunately, not long afterward, Marcion (whom Polycarp referred to as “the firstborn of the devil”) built the first all-Gentile church to promote the insertion of pagan ideas. (Of course, no one noticed because it all “sounded good”; and people do what they've always done: They blindly followed; and, consequently, a new "religion" was born - one that totally detracted from Torah, YHWH's Divine Instructions in Righteousness, without which we would have no blueprint for moral, holy living.)

Marcion held his services on Sunday which blended with Zeus (the sun god) culture – which, of course was in total opposition to the teachings of our Jewish Messiah. (These modern theologies were based more on Hellenism than on original fundamental Hebraic values.)

Marcion coined the words “Old - New Testament” and did his level best to warn Gentiles away from Torah and “the God of the Old Testament.” He also invented theologies known as replacement, dispensational, supercessionism, etc., which are very popular among Christianity today. (Source: AENT)

A word about the football players and their “platforms”…

So, please help me figure this out: I understand why certain athletes and "movie stars" and whatnot have used their public platforms to "make a statement." Many of those "statements" truly were for good causes. But I don't understand this push to basically condone the radical, violent and riotous "Black Lives Matter" movement, because it seems to suggest that ALL cops are "bad" and anyone caught committing a crime or resisting law enforcement in any way, is "good."

And yes, I realize that Blacks are being killed by White cops, but look at the circumstances. I mean, this whole thing has left me wondering why there is NO outcry against criminal behavior (black or white), while, at the same time, law enforcement is being demonized. This, to me, is simply another way we humans have smacked our Creator in the Face because His Torah outlines the difference between good and evil, and we're told in numerous ways that He HATES evil. MOST today, it seems, are ignoring Him - including many who profess to be Believers….

YES, there are "bad" cops, but NOT "all cops" are bad! They are doing their jobs and part of that job is to stop criminals in action! Yet, this "Black Lives Matter" movement suggests they don't want ANY law enforcement, whatsoever. Clearly not all blacks are criminals but instead of promoting "don't commit crimes," or "don't behave badly," their "platform" seems to say the exact opposite. And to prove it, they don't just engage in peaceful protests; they become demonic and allow their protests to become excuses for breaking into stores and stealing and destroying the properties of innocent people, and generally behaving in a demonic manner.

HOW does that solve anything?

As a 22-year military veteran, I am VERY disappointed in and disgusted with the NFL football players AND their narrow-minded, money-grubbing managers who choose to use their fame and public platforms to disrespect our country's flag and consequently, those who DIED for that flag! Countless millions of Americans do not deserve this disrespect! These sports figures are not only supporting the "cops = bad; criminals = good" mentality, but they are adding to our country's mounting internal problems, including the revived racial issues. As long as we have blacks (and whites) behaving like this, we will have fringe lunatic groups such as the Neo-Nazis and "white supremacist skinheads" forming to fight against them. In the end, there will be NO winner! We ALL lose!

If these spoiled-brat, millionaire football players truly wanted to "make a statement," then they would use their illustrious "platforms" to come up with ways to HEAL, instead of continuing to divide our country. Until then, I see their behavior as DESPICABLE! Yes, they have a right to protest, but our Constitution in NO WAY suggests that anyone has a right to riot and loot and pillage and steal from and destroy the properties of innocent people who happen to get in their way.

In my opinion, you illustrious sports "heroes" - YOUR rights end where the rights of others begin! Remember that the next time you "take a knee" designed to kick in the face all that the United States has ever stood for, and those who died. God gave you a brain. Use it. The actual solution begins at home: Stop the silly, arrogant nonsense and return to the values God gave us.

We’re all still here. The “prophets” are liars!

Sorry, but I'm NOT letting this "rapture" and "Niburu" nonsense go just yet! So, here's my rant about this horrific "rapture/Planet X" myth that many allowed themselves to be sucked into:

First of all, people who open their big mouths to "prophesy" and come up with dates of the "rapture" and other things Scripture says they shouldn't put a date on. - they need to stop, drop and roll and READ the Bible from cover to cover to see what it actually says! Why? Because if you prophesy a LIE, you should be put to death because you're going straight into the Face of YHWH whenever you make up stuff and attempt to attribute it to the Bible! (See Deuteronomy 18: 20.)

Furthermore, anybody who is able to READ should have checked Scripture to see if the Gregorian date of September 23 as the "rapture" could be found in the Bible. It's easy enough to do - just Google various Bible software. There is NO excuse for propagating OR believing lies. NONE! Whatever we need to know is IN Scripture! Not in "extra-biblical" books as some are pushing, but IN THE BIBLE - all versions. Pick one.

The thing is, so many are so lukewarm toward God and the Bible, that they truly don't know what it says, and that's why they fall for any lie that comes along (2 Timothy 4:3). I wonder how many of those "fell away" completely yesterday when they discovered that the "rapture" is probably a lie; or, that they were lied to by yet another Bible teacher - again!

This is why I keep harping that people need to get INTO Scripture for themselves so they can KNOW what it says and doesn't say, so that NOBODY will ever again be able to fool them!

YHWH makes no mistakes. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, etc., all lived their whole lives, uttering 100% accurate prophecies; therefore their writings were preserved. Today, there are many who believe themselves to have "the gift of prophecy"; but, in fact, their "prophecies" are nothing more than things they've conjured up in their own minds. One must therefore always make sure that all "prophecies" line up perfectly with the Bible. If they don't, then they aren't from God!

Another thing: Have you ever noticed that MOST of these silly "prophecies" come from non-Torah observant believers? These people usually hail from the "NT-only, grace-only" lukewarm mindset that has NO CLUE about God or the Bible, yet they're out there "prophesying" from their limited, human mindsets that is stuck on the last third of the Bible in a sea of misunderstood "Paul said..." ideology.

That is not to say that Torah observers are much better, as most of them don't necessarily adhere to Scripture, either. Most of them push their own twists on Scripture the moment they discover Torah, and are after money, fame or glory while they're "wowing" people by tossing around a few Hebrew terms. Bottom line: MOST are NOT pleasing YHWH in this "post-resurrection" era in which we live.

There's only ONE WORD that is Truth and we need to become more mindful of that.We truly need to snap out of it and start adhering to Scripture in our dealings with God and each other. We're not doing Him or ourselves any favors with our endless squabbling and "prophesying" and other silly nonsense that turns the awesome entity called THE BIBLE into a pathetic fiasco of personal opinions and ideas. Scripture says what it says. We need to start READING it - ALL of it!

Shame on the football players! SHAME!

Call for a National boycott of the NFL for Sunday November 12th, Veterans Day Weekend. Boycott all football telecast, all fans, all ticket holders, stay away from attending any games, let them play to empty stadiums. Pass this post along to all your friends and family. Honor our military, some of whom come home with the American Flag draped over their coffin. Continue with the weekly boycott of televised games.

I keep seeing people upset about Trump's comments to those football players who "take knee" instead of honoring our flag, country and national anthem. Well, those of us who served (and I also speak for the ones who fought and died for America), agree with Trump's "tough words" to these guys who make their living playing a game! If they have a point to make, there are other ways to do it besides being DISRESPECTFUL! Here are some wonderful comments by an old friend from my United States Sergeants Major Academy days, Sergeant Major (Ret.) Bob Easterling:

TAKE A KNEE---AND THINK A LITTLE

Take a little trip to Valley Forge in January. If you don't know where that is, just Google it from the sidelines. Hold a musket ball in your fingers and imagine it piercing your flesh and breaking a bone or two. There won't be a doctor or trainer to assist you until after the battle, so just wait your turn. Take your cleats and socks off to get a real experience. Then take a knee.

Then, take one at the beach in Normandy where man after American man [including Blacks who served] stormed the beach, even as the one in front of him was shot to pieces...the very sea stained with American blood. The only blockers most had were the dead bodies in front of them, riddled with bullets from enemy fire.

Take a knee in the sweat soaked jungles of Vietnam. From Khe San to Saigon... Anywhere will do. REAL Americans died in all those jungles. There was no playbook that told them what was next, but they knew what flag they represented. When they came home they were protested as well..and spit on for reasons only cowards know.

Take another knee in the blood drenched sands of Fallujah in 110 degree heat. Wear your Kevlar helmet and battle dress. Your number won't be printed on it unless your number is up! You'll need to stay hydrated but there won't be anyone to squirt Gatorade into your mouth. You're on your own.
There's a lot of places to take a knee. Real Americans have given their lives all over the world. When you use the banner under which they fought as a source for your displeasure, you dishonor the memories of those who bled for the very freedoms you have. That's what the red stripes mean. It represents the blood of those who spilled a sea of it defending your liberty.

While you're on your knee, pray for those that came before you, not on a manicured lawn striped and printed with numbers to announce every inch of ground taken...but on nameless hills and bloodied beaches and sweltering forests and bitter cold mountains...every inch marked by an American life lost serving that flag you protest.

No cheerleaders, no announcers, no coaches, no fans...just American men and women...delivering the real fight against those who chose to harm us.... blazing a path so you would have the right to "take a knee."

You haven't an inkling what it took to get you where you are; but your "protest" is duly noted. Not only is it disgraceful to a nation of real heroes, it serves the purpose of pointing to your ingratitude for those who chose to defend you under that banner that will still wave long after your jersey is issued to another....

If you really feel the need to take a knee, come with me to church on Sunday and we'll both kneel before Almighty God. We'll thank Him for preserving this country for as long as He has. We'll beg forgiveness for our ingratitude for all He has provided us. We'll appeal to Him for understanding and wisdom. We'll pray for liberty and justice for all...because He is the one who provides those things. And there will be no protest. There will only be gratitude for His provision and a plea for His continued grace and mercy on the land of the free and the home of the brave. It goes like this..

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Sergeant Major (Ret.) Bob Easterling
(Posted by Sergeant Major (Ret.) Carmen Welker)

We are now experiencing the “10 Days of Awe”

We are now experiencing the “10 days (Days of Awe)” between Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). This is a time for restoration, searching your heart and confessing and repenting; a time for recognizing our sins so we can ask for forgiveness and finally put an end to those things we know aren’t pleasing to YHWH.

These things are strictly between you and God, so concentrate on recognizing, confessing and repenting. Don’t attempt to justify or explain away what you know you’re doing wrong. There is no justification for purposeful, deliberate sinning! Contrary to what many believe, you aren’t sin-free just because you’re a Believer, and that’s what the “Days of Awe” are all about – to give you a chance to shed the “stuff” and become the person our Creator wants you to be!

So, be humble and ask His forgiveness and, if possible, reach out to those you’ve hurt (or who have hurt you) over the last year and ask their forgiveness as well. Restoration is key as we head toward Yom Kippur.

By the way, Yom Kippur begins at sunset Sept. 29 and ends at sunset Sept. 30. For a brief overview, please read my short blog post on this.

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is just around the corner!

Shalom, Mishpocah/family/friends: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement – the holiest day of the year when we are to fast and pray and concentrate on “getting ourselves right with our ELOHIM and fellow man”) begins at sunset next Friday (Sept. 29) and ends at sunset on Saturday.

Before I present a short explanation of Yom Kippur, I would first like to publicly apologize to anyone I may have hurt intentionally or unintentionally this past year. I love all my brethren and realize I can be pretty curt and forceful sometimes, especially with those I find annoying. I’m going to work on that….

Now, let’s talk about this particular YHWH-Appointed Time. Here is what He commanded – and please note, this wasn’t only meant for “the Jews”; it was for ALL who accepted Him, and it was to be a “permanent regulation” (see Numbers 15:13-16):

Leviticus 16:29 tells us: "It is to be a permanent regulation for you that on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves and not to do any kind of work, both the citizen and the foreigner living with you. For on this day, atonement will be made for you to purify you; you will be clean before ADONAI from all your sins. It is a Shabbat of complete rest for you, and you are to deny yourselves. This is a permanent regulation." (CJB)

At this point you are probably wondering why we need a “Day of Atonement” since Yeshua was our Atonement. This is thoroughly explained in a wonderful teaching my husband did once at our former synagogue, which also helps to explain what to do on Yom Kippur.

So, what are we supposed to do on Yom Kippur? Well, since we don't belong to a formal congregation anymore, this is what happens at our house on the holiest day of the year:

We spend the day - as commanded in Scripture - fasting from sunset to sunset, and also reading the pertinent scriptures:

MORNING: Leviticus 16:1-34, Numbers 29:7-11, Isaiah 57:14 through 58:14 and Matthew 27:1-32.

AFTERNOON: Leviticus 18:1-30, Jonah 1:1 through 4:11, Micah 7:18-20 and Matthew 27:33-66. (If someone is pregnant or has medical problems that require them to eat a little bit, by all means, do so. YHWH doesn’t expect us to die while keeping His Appointed Times!)

After one of the readings (either morning or afternoon) my husband and I go to separate rooms and just spend some time alone with YHWH, praying, listening to the Ruach, repenting ... and generally apologizing for anything we might have done during the past year that may have upset Him, and asking for help and guidance to prevent making the same mistakes in the coming year. I love to just sit there quietly before YHWH, listening and letting Him know HE is totally in charge of my life!

What you do in between the readings and the praying/repenting is up to you. The main thing on this High Holy Day, is to concentrate on YHWH. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. It's not a time for "fun and games"; it's a time to get ourselves "right" with our Maker!

President Trump just “tells it like it is!”

I love how Trump didn't bother pretending to be "diplomatic" toward a tyrant who keeps threatening us. (As most Presidents before him have done because they would rather lay down and play dead in their desire to be "diplomatic" with tyrants, than to make waves and stand up to arrogant, war-mongering punks. "Diplomacy" sometimes doesn't work, and sometimes you have to "tell it like it is.")

Anyway, Prez Trump simply said (paraphrased), "Mess with us and we'll destroy you!" (Unlike Obama who was forever adjusting the "lines" in the sand.) And, as a former military person with 22 years of service under my belt, I can attest to the fact that he was NOT lying!

The world can try to make fun of America all it wants, but the bottom line is, we are still the mightiest nation on earth, with the BEST military - and we are certainly capable of defending ourselves in ways someone like Kim Jong Un could only imagine!

Like the President or not, it’s about time SOMEONE started showing the world that threats against the US aren’t going to be tolerated!

School’s dress code for prom raises ire

Here is a perfect example of what’s wrong in America. I almost fell off the sofa while watching this morning’s news, when I heard a woman make one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever heard in my entire life. The comment was regarding the enforcement of a school’s dress code for the prom night, where girls were to be required to send in photos of themselves wearing their dresses, to keep them from being turned away at the door on Prom Night for wearing an inappropriate gown.

I totally see the logic in the school’s requirement, because today, there is no morality, and some people see nothing wrong with the way their children dress as they attempt to emulate Hollywood standards where “evening dresses” resemble skimpy beach wear, designed to not just attract the opposite sex, but to drive them crazy with desire. (Ironically, this train of thought completely contradicts women’s wishes to NOT be “sexualized”….) High school students with their raging hormones don’t need to be enticed with the “street walker look.” They need guidance on proper dress and behavior and self-control!

Yet, we have parents out there who apparently aren’t smart enough to understand “morality” and “proper behavior and dress codes,” and who are allowing their children to redefine these terms according to their own immature, carnal desires.

Paraphrasing, this “expert” in the news story (Rosalie Whiteman) insists that it’s wrong for adults to perpetrate their dress codes on young kids because it is shaming them about their bodies.

REALLY? What else are ADULTS for, but to TEACH children and keep them safe?

Mark 7:20-23 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (ESV)

Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (ESV)

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (ESV)

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (ESV)

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (ESV)

About Saturday’s “rapture” and the Planet Niburu….

Hey, the Sept. 23 "rapture" and the "Planet Niburu" myth made World News Now this morning - and, unfortunately, way too many are falling for it....

Here's the thing, if the "rapture" is this coming Saturday, GREAT! I'm ready – and I would all all of you are, too! But, if it happens, then what about the few other prophecies that were to be fulfilled BEFORE the "rapture" - i.e., the coming of the Antichrist, the Third Temple rebuilt, etc.?

And that "Planet X" stuff? Well, it's just another conspiracy theory that's been around for years. This thing is NOT going to suddenly appear and cause the end of the world!  Check out this teaching by my husband, who used to teach college astronomy.

Two quick rants about our sick society

TWO QUICK RANTS:

1.  The “protests” in St. Louis...

You know, it’s one thing to “protest” something; it’s quite another to become violent while doing it. I am convinced these "protestors" who are destroying private properties are looking for a reason to do it. How childish! What I propose is this: If the police can’t round up all those who have done even the slightest bit of damage to make them pay for their silly deeds, then the taxes of whole community should be raised to pay for all the damage caused by rioters and looters. Every shop owner and every private citizen who has suffered property loss because of these rioters should be reimbursed IN FULL by those responsible! Maybe THAT will wake people up enough to start STANDING AGAINST violence and idiotic behavior and stop it in its tracks…
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2 Timothy 3: 1. But know this: That in the latter days hard times will come: 2. and men will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, boasters, proud, revilers, unyielding towards their own people, deniers of grace, wicked, 3. unloving, addicted to irreconcilable malicious gossips, ferocious, haters of the good, 4. treacherous, rash, inflated, attached to pleasure more than to the love of Elohim, 5. having a form of respect for Elohim but wide from the power of Elohim. Them who are such, repel from you. 6. For of them are they who creep into this and that house and captivate the women who are plunged in sins and led away by divers lusts, 7. who are always learning, and can never come to the knowledge of the truth. (AENT)

1 Peter 2: 13. And be submissive to all the sons of men, for Elohim’s sake; to kings, on account of their authority; 14. and to judges because they are sent by him for the punishment of offenders, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of Elohim, that by your good deeds you may stop the mouth of the foolish who do not know Elohim: 16. As free men, you are not like men who make their freedom a cloak for their wickedness, but as the servants of Elohim. 17. Honor all men; love your Brothers; fear Elohim; and honor kings. (AENT)

2.  Senseless deaths due to “Hazing” (a formal way of calling it what it really is: BULLYING).
Since some college kids have proven they cannot behave in a civilized manner and show some responsibility when “partying,” I propose all fraternities and sororities be discontinued and outlawed. Problem solved. These senseless deaths are occurring all too often by those who are members of these organizations.

(See  latest hazing incident; gauntlet death; and here's someone who committed suicide because of his fraternity.)

2 Timothy 3: 1. But know this: That in the latter days hard times will come: 2. and men will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, boasters, proud, revilers, unyielding towards their own people, deniers of grace, wicked, 3. unloving, addicted to irreconcilable malicious gossips, ferocious, haters of the good, 4. treacherous, rash, inflated, attached to pleasure more than to the love of Elohim, 5. having a form of respect for Elohim but wide from the power of Elohim. Them who are such, repel from you. (AENT)

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (ESV)

Psalm 1:1-150:6 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ... (ESV)

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)

Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShana starts at sunset this Wednesday!

Leviticus 23:23-25 says: ADONAI said to Moshe, "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'In the seventh month, the first of the month is to be for you a day of complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar. Do not do any kind of ordinary work, and bring an offering made by fire to ADONAI.'"

This Feast on Tishri 1 falls in the September/October time-frame. The blowing of shofars (rams' horns) signifies the bringing together of God's people, warning them to repent during the coming "days of awe" (the 10 days between Trumpets and the Day of Atonement). It is believed when Yeshua said we "will not know the hour or the day" it is because Yom Teruah is based on the New Moon's appearance. To protect against missing or celebrating the holiday too soon, some observed this holiday for two days.

"Rosh Hashana" is the Jewish Civil New Year; the creation of the world, according to tradition; the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve and their first actions toward the realization of man's role in the world; of the first sin that was committed and resulting repentance; a day when YHWH takes stock of all of His Creation, which includes all of humanity. It's a rehearsal for the day when the bridegroom will come to claim us, his bride, who are betrothed to Him.

Rosh Hashanah is celebrated not with fireworks and champagne but with family meals and introspection. The devout believe one’s destiny is set for the coming year during the holiday, and that in the 10 days of soul-searching that follow — leading up to the fast day of Yom Kippur — prayer, charity and repentance can ensure a good year.

According to tradition, during this time YHWH's people are to concentrate all their efforts into making amends with their brethren and apologizing for past offenses. However, what most traditional Jews do not yet realize is that this Feast is the next one to be fulfilled by Yeshua, because when the trumpets will sound and the true believers in Messiah Yeshua will be gathered/resurrected (I Thess. 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:50-54).

This Feast also signals the call for repentance, for the time is short and Judgment is coming upon the Earth - whether people are read, or not! (See the Book of Revelation.)

A Yom Kippur teaching

Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Hebrew year, is on Saturday, September 30. On it, we must remember to DENY ourselves - which, according to the Rabbis - includes fasting. In this passage alone, we see YHWH twice commanding His people to deny themselves AND to make this a "permanent regulation."

Leviticus 16: 29 "It is to be a permanent regulation for you that on the tenth day of the seventh month you are to deny yourselves and not do any kind of work, both the citizen and the foreigner living with you. 30 For on this day, atonement will be made for you to purify you; you will be clean before Adonai from all your sins. 31 It is a Shabbat of complete rest for you, and you are to deny yourselves. This is a permanent regulation."

We invite you to check out our Yom Kippur teaching that uses the illustration of the faithfulness of former Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher, Sandy Koufax, who refused to pitch in the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it was Yom Kippur!

In the grand scheme of things….

Ever thought about how small and insignificant we are, in the grand scheme of things? Nearly 20 years ago, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft left Earth and began a seven-year journey across the solar system. Its destination? Ringed Saturn and its many, many moons. After more than a decade exploring the system, Cassini plunged to its doom in the planet’s atmosphere on September 15, 2017. You can take a look at Cassini’s voyage and its greatest achievements by clicking on this link:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2017/09/cassini-saturn-nasa-3d-grand-tour/?utm_source=NatGeocom&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=specialedition_cassini_20170915&utm_campaign=Content&utm_rd=18923577+#finale

Studying the Weekly Torah portions help you grow into the person God needs you to be!

Shabbat shalom, everyone!  We’re only four weeks away from the new Torah cycle, wherein we will start all over again in Genesis.  Please join us by reading our weekly Torah portions designed to help you get to know God and His Word!

For those new to Torah studies, all you have to do to is to click on the link to our easy-to-read outline of each week’s Torah portions as we present them to you.  For instance, this week’s portion can be found on our website at http://www.therefinersfire.org/parashah_51.htm 

This particular lesson is one of the most powerful in the entire Torah as YHWH once again drives home the importance of obedience, outlining the blessings for doing His will, and the curses for not doing His will. We DO/OBEY for the sake of fulfilling His desire! So, here's a question to ponder:

In all the parashahs we've read over the past year, do you remember one instance where YHWH ever said, "After my Son dies, you guys will have free rein to do whatever you want. You will no longer have to bother with my Seventh Day Sabbath rest; you won't have to pay attention to my mo'edim (Feasts/Appointed Times) because in those days you can invent your own; and basically, everything I ever commanded will in those days be considered a curse because I was WRONG to give you guys rules for moral, holy living!"?

No, YHWH never said that; instead, He just kept repeating simple OBEDIENCE! Yes, many of those original commands outlined in Torah were for the priests of the day; some were only for men, some only for women, some only for a certain point in time. But there were some forever commands that still stand today, because "forever" hasn't ended yet.

There is SO MUCH to discover, once you study Scripture from the beginning!  It’s truly life-changing!

No matter how we try to paint it, homosexuality is a sin!

Edith Windsor, champion for LGBTQ rights dies; is hailed a “true American hero” by her “wife”, Judith Kasen-Windsor and others. As sad as this is, and as much as one can empathize with the desire for human “love”; the fact remains YHWH created man and woman to procreate because, without procreation, mankind would have died out immediately. His first command to man was “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:27-28). If you go outside His Torah commands, you don’t belong to Him. Sin is sin and sinning keeps us from receiving the gift of eternal life.

Their carnal natures are showing….

As we face another day full of talk about natural disasters, the years-long feeling of doom about the earth's future lay heavy upon my heart - for what we are seeing today is truly a precursor of what’s going to happen around the world as Scripture continues to unfold before our eyes. (And I'm not talking about what today's false "prophet's are "prophesying" or about people's dreams or visions; but what SCRIPTURE actually says.)

Take a look at what's happening on the Irma-decimated Island of St. Martens where troops have now been called in to stop the looting. The entire island is devoid of infrastructure, and while good people are busy just trying to survive, violent looters armed with guns and machetes are stealing their food, water and meds. In other words, we’re beginning to really get an idea of how the carnal nature works!

Similar thing is happening in Florida. Take a look.  Humanity at its worst!

This is a precursor of what’s ahead, folks! This is why I keep harping on “getting yourself right with God,” because that and praying are the ONLY things we’ll be able to do in a world filled with evil. Hoarding food and water and arming yourself to the teeth and moving out into the wilderness (as many "conspiracy theorists" are teaching) is NOT going to save you when endless disasters hit. You don’t know whether or not you’re going to survive, and you certainly can’t stop a horde of looters with evil intent from robbing you blind and killing you on the spot.

And you can only hope and pray that “the government” that many sit around to bash constantly, will be able to stop the North Korean missiles that may be lopped at the US by a crazed, fame and glory-seeking dictator. When everything happens at once and governments run out of money and there aren’t enough “first responders” or policemen to deal with all the disasters and the looters, you will be on your own! So, yes, do collect bottled water and some non-perishables for such times, but use some common sense and don't go hog-wild because some "prophet" tells you what to do and where to go. NO place on earth is going to be safe! The ONLY "safe place" is knowing that, whatever happens, YHWH has assured His people eternal life....

There won’t be any “lukewarm” or unbelievers in Heaven! (Revelation 3:16) If you’re an unbeliever, send me an email so we can discuss world events and how they line up with Scripture. If you’re lukewarm, clinging to your religion or religiosity, please stop it and start reading the Bible in earnest, from cover to cover so you can finally learn how to please your Creator. YHWH is not kidding around. He never did. He destroyed the earth by flood because of the very same thing that’s happening today. This time, it will be by fire!

2 Peter 3:10. And the day of Master YHWH will come like a thief; in which the heavens will suddenly pass away; and the elements, being ignited, will be dissolved; and the earth and the works in it will not be found. 11. As therefore all these things are to be dissolved, what persons should you be, in Set Apart conduct and in the Fear of Elohim, 12. expecting and desiring the coming of the day of Elohim in which the heavens being tried by fire will be dissolved and the elements being ignited will melt? 13. But we, according to his promise, expect new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14. Therefore, my beloved, as you expect these things, strive that you may be found by him in peace, without spot and without blemish. (AENT)

Please read Isaiah 24 if you truly think your “religiosity” and preferred “religion” are pleasing to YHWH. Here is just one passage:

Isaiah 24: 1 Look! ADONAI is stripping and destroying the land, turning it upside down and scattering its inhabitants 2 cohen and commoner, slave and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. 3 The land will be completely stripped, completely plundered, for ADONAI has spoken this word.

4 The land fades and withers, the world wilts and withers, the exalted of the land languish. 5 The land lies defiled under its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the teachings, changed the law and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore a curse is devouring the land, and its inhabitants are punished for their guilt. It is why those living there waste away, and the people left are few. (CJB)

Of biblical proportions….

Hurricanes and fires of biblical proportions in the US and on island nations. Devastating earthquakes in Mexico. Europe overflowing with refugees from the Middle East which is falling apart at the seams due to demonic regimes. Lunatics around the world volunteering to be "suicide bombers" so they can be viewed as heroes in the eyes of a god that doesn't exist except in their warped minds. A megalomaniac North Korean child dictator conducting non-stop underground nuclear tests (which are about to literally destroy the land itself!) in hopes of becoming a world-renown "leader"....

On this somber Shabbat, with everything that's happening to the United States and elsewhere, I'm hoping people are beginning to realize that the Books of Daniel and Revelation are unfolding. YHWH is doing exactly what He said He would do! I'm praying that people will come to the conclusion that mankind is NOT in charge and that we need to adjust our lives to line up with His Will. It's the ONLY way to eternal life!

I also need to mention here that I feel so sorry for all the animals that are being hurt and/or killed in these disasters. No one ever mentions those innocent victims who don't understand what's going on and why their world is being destroyed. They don't know where to go or what to do. What's really sad is that we HUMANS are responsible for this fallen world in which these animals are forced to live. They ended up in a fallen world right along with Adam and Eve who chose to disobey YHWH! WE are the reason for their plight! May He have mercy on the animals who live in the paths of these fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes...

Matthew 24:

1. And Y’shua went out of the temple to depart, and his disciples drew near and were showing him the construction of the temple. 2. But he said to them, Behold, don’t you see all these things? Truly I say to you, nothing will be spared. Not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down. 3. And while Y’shua was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples drew near and were saying among themselves and to him, “Tell us when these things will be and what is the sign of your coming and the end of the world.”

4. Y’shua answered and said to them, Beware, let no man deceive you. 5. For many will come in my name and will say that “I am the Mashiyach.” And many they will deceive. 6. For you are bound to hear of revolutions and rumor of wars. Watch out and do not be disturbed, for it is necessary that all these things happen, but it is not yet the end. 7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in different places. 8. But all these things are only the beginning of sorrows.

9. Then they will deliver to afflictions and they will kill you and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10. Then many will stumble and will hate one another and will betray one another. 11. And many false prophets will arise and deceive many. 12. And because of the growth of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold. 13. But whoever has patience until the end, he will have life. 14. And this Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come, 15. And when you see the sign of uncleanness and desolation, that was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, which will stand in the Set Apart place. He that reads, let him understand. (AENT)

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Behold–a nail…

This afternoon I was sitting on a bench, praying, at Glen Eyrie (a Christian Conference Center) in Colorado Springs. If you've ever visited that place, you know what I mean when I say you can't help but be Spirit-filled to the brim as you take in all that peace and beauty. Anyway, with all the Fall Festivals, including Yom Kippur approaching, I felt a little self-conscious because I know I'm forever disappointing God, and so I was sitting there, telling Him how sorry I was, begging Him to make and mold me more than ever, because I desperately want to continue being used by Him in whatever way He chooses.

Feeling ashamed and unworthy, I let my gaze fall to the ground where - lo and behold! - there happened to be this huge, rusty nail lying at my feet! Curious, I picked it up to examine it, and realized it had obviously been used to mark something. My first thought - one that brought tears to my eyes - was that this nail was similar to the nails that were driven into Yeshua's hands and feet....

My next thought (and perhaps it was just wishful thinking) was that, "coincidence" or not, I felt that this was a sign from YHWH, to let me know that, whatever my shortcomings, I'm still His - warts and all! - and He's never letting go.

Deuteronomy 7:9 From this you can know that ADONAI your God is indeed God, the faithful God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot, to a thousand generations. (CJB)

Psalm 136: 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his grace continues forever. (CJB)

Zephaniah 3:17 ADONAI your God is right there with you, as a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you and be glad, he will be silent in his love, he will shout over you with joy." (CJB)

John 3:16. Thus, for Elohim loved the world so as he would give His Only-Begotten Son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish, but would have life that is eternal. 17. For Elohim did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to give life to the world through him. 18. He who does not believe in him is judged, and he who does not believe is already judged because he does not believe in his name, that of the Only-Begotten, the Son of Elohim. (AENT)

A word about women teachers

Some people get really bent out of shape about women teachers. Well, to that I say: If a woman can be a disciple like Junia or Tabitha/Dorcas; a deacon like Phoebe; evangelists like Euodia and Syntyche; or a judge over all Israel like Deborah (Judges 4:4, 5), why can't she be a "teacher of men?"

And ask yourself whether the following women weren't being used by God: Miriam who was Prophetess and sister to Moshe (Genesis 24:15, 19), the Daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1-11); Ruth (Ruth 1:1-4:22); Huldah (2 Kings 22:3-20); Esther (saved the Jewish nation, Esther 4:1); Anna (Luke 2:36-38); the woman at the well; Phoebe (Romans 16:1); and Philip's daughters (Acts 21:9). YHWH uses whoever is on His path to get HIS TRUTH out to the world! He even included Moshe's and Aharon's sister, Miryam in his list of "leaders":

Micah 6: 1 So listen now to what ADONAI says: "Stand up and state your case to the mountains, let the hills hear what you have to say." 2 Listen, mountains, to ADONAI's case; also you enduring rocks that support the earth! ADONAI has a case against his people; he wants to argue it out with Isra'el: 3 "My people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! 4 I brought you up from the land of Egypt. I redeemed you from a life of slavery. I sent Moshe, Aharon and Miryam to lead you.

Who was YHWH talking to? Only men? No! He was talking to HIS people! Women are people, too! We can see that YHWH gave blessings and commands to both "male and female" right from the beginning:

Genesis 1: 27 So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them: God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth."

Exodus 15:20 And Miryam the prophetess, the sister of Aharon, took the timbrel in her hand. And all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miryam answered them, "Sing to YHWH, for He is highly exalted! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!"

Moshe gives the daughters of a dead tribe leader the land that was to be inherited in Israel:

Numbers 27:7 "The daughters of Tselophhad speak what is right. You should certainly give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 "And speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, 'When a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 'And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.'

There are 55 prophets in Scripture; 7 of them are women!

The end times are here … time to stop slumbering

We've had flooding of "biblical proportions" in Texas, along with the “biggest fire on record” in Los Angeles.  Washington, Montana, and Oregon have been on fire for months and there have now been dozens or recent earthquakes in Idaho and Utah.  In the meantime there are people in Myanmar trying to escape “ethnic cleansing”; and in N. Korea, Kim Jong Un keeps rattling his sabers and trying to pick a fight with the world. Over the weekend he caused a 6.3 earthquake by detonating a hydrogen bomb underground!  This little lunatic clearly wants to start WWIII….

So, here’s the important thing:  Scripture (specifically the Books of Daniel and Revelation, and various passages, such as the below) warn us that these things will happen. There’s nothing you can do about it except to pray and get yourself "right" with God!  Hoarding food, water and weapons and moving into a cave somewhere (as some pastors suggest) isn’t going to save you.  Nobody is guaranteed the next day.  However, we ARE guaranteed eternal life with our Creator!  (John 11:25, 5:24, 6:47; 17:6; 14:9; Matthew 7:23; Philippians 3:10–11;  1 John 5:11–12; Revelation 22:1–2; etc.)

The bottom line is:  The world is in the shape it’s in BECAUSE our of failure to live according to YHWH’s Divine Instructions!  Scripture foretold all this, and it is now happening. 

Matthew 24: 3. And while Y’shua was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples drew near and were saying among themselves and to him, “Tell us when these things will be and what is the sign of your coming and the end of the world.”

4. Y’shua answered and said to them, Beware, let no man deceive you. 5. For many will come in my name and will say that “I am the Mashiyach.” And many they will deceive. 6. For you are bound to hear of revolutions and rumor of wars. Watch out and do not be disturbed, for it is necessary that all these things happen, but it is not yet the end.

7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in different places. 8. But all these things are only the beginning of sorrows. 9. Then they will deliver to afflictions and they will kill you and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.

10. Then many will stumble and will hate one another and will betray one another. 11. And many false prophets will arise and deceive many. 12. And because of the growth of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold. 13. But whoever has patience until the end, he will have life. 14. And this Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come…. (AENT)

Reader question about doomsday prophecies

READER QUESTION:

How should we, Torah observers and followers of Yeshua, react to the doomsday predictions out there?  Examples include: 2012 Mayan Calendar (failed), August Solar eclipse rapture (failed), and now the Sep. 21 doomsday prediction?

OUR RESPONSE: 

Laugh at them! Seriously - laugh at them! People who put these bogus prophecies together are only feeding on the fears of unknowing people.

Face it, we all know "gloom and doom" is coming, but the Messiah warned us that "no one knows the day or the hour!" (Matthew 24:36). That means that all those who create these "doomsday" predictions are actually blaspheming God! They are modern-day false prophets!

Honestly, our responsibility is to make sure we, personally, are "clean, presentable, and ready" to meet the fate that any one of us may face in these end times.

Yeshua says this very thing: "Therefore you too must always be ready, for the Son of Man will come when you are not expecting him. " (Matthew 24:44).

That's how we should react.

Humans are so fickle….

Isn’t it funny how we’re now hearing about the comradery in Texas, now since everything has been taken away from people (which makes everyone “equal”), and they only have each other? Week before last, America was divided and ready to go to war over the removal of confederate statues. We even had “Neo-Nazis” and “KKK” and other weirdoes crawling out of the woodwork to spread their hate.

And not too long ago, we had the ever-skimpily dressed Beyonce’ inciting unrest on all sides with her silly retro garb designed to honor the “Black Panthers”….

We humans are so fickle! We can do that proverbial “180” over just about anything because we allow ourselves to be motivated by emotion. Scripture tells us as much. Take a look at just these few passages:

John 2:24. But Y’shua did not entrust himself to them, because he understood every man. 25. And he did not rely on men to testify to him concerning anyone, for he knew what was in man. (AENT)

Isaiah 2:22 22 Stop relying on man, in whose nostrils is a mere breath - after all, he doesn't count for much, does he? (CJB)

Micah 7:5-6 5 Don't trust in your neighbor; don't put confidence in a close friend; shut the gates of your mouth even from [your wife], lying there with you in bed. 6 For a son insults his father, a daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a person's enemies are the members of his own household. 7 But as for me, I will look to ADONAI, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. (CJB)

This passage says it all:

Jeremiah 9:4 2 I wish I were out in the desert, in some travelers' lodge then I could get away from my people and distance myself from them! "Indeed they are all adulterers, a band of traitors is what they are. 3 They bend their tongues, their 'bow' of falsehood, and hold sway in the land, but not for truth. For they go from evil to evil, and me they do not know," says ADONAI. 4 Everyone, be on guard against your neighbor, don't trust even a brother; for every brother is out to trick you, and every neighbor goes around gossiping.

5 Everyone deceives his neighbor, no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongues to lie, they wear themselves out with sinning. 6 "You inhabit a world of deceit; deceitfully they refuse to know me," says ADONAI. 7 "Therefore," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot, "I will refine them and test them. What else can I do with the daughter of my people? 8 Their tongues are sharpened arrows; with their mouths they speak deceit - they say nice words to their neighbors, while inwardly plotting against them. (CJB)

Psalm 146:3 1 Halleluyah! Praise ADONAI, my soul! 2 I will praise ADONAI as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God all my life. 3 Don't put your trust in princes or in mortals, who cannot help. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to dust; on that very day all their plans are gone. (CJB)

I would love to see our future filled with the continuance of the kind of comradery we see today in Houston and the rest of the flood area. But, I’ve lived long enough now to know that it won’t, because humanity has a short memory. In the history of the world, man has ALWAYS found reasons to make war. Always.

Disasters always draw people together, but that togetherness quickly dissipates once things return to normal. It can be likened to attending a marriage or substance abusive recovery seminar … for a while the love and fellowship feels terrific, making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But once we return to our homes, the “warm and fuzzy” quickly recedes into the background (especially in those who have never given their lives to YHWH/Yeshua), and we become the same people we were before the seminar....

Hurricane Harvey has America in shock right now, and we're all united in the desire to help our fellow man. But, it won’t be long before we’ll find something else to divide us. That’s just the way we humans are.

Does having a disease mean I’m not on God’s path?

READER COMMENT:

I am just heartsick! A friend told me that because I have an illness/disease, it is a sign I am not on God’s path! Is this true?

OUR RESPONSE:

Your friend does not know Scripture or our ELOHIM! Tell your well-meaning friend that contrary to their guidance about your ills, it is actually more likely that if they, themselves are not suffering or have not suffered some affliction it is THEY who are probably not on God’s path! Ouch!

Scripture indeed tells us, in no uncertain terms, that we must suffer, and that our suffering helps build our characters and prepares us better for the eternal life we seek!

Yeshua said: "I have spoken these things to you that in me there may be to you peace. In the world will be affliction to you, but take courage, I have conquered the world." (John 16:33. AENT)

Let's see what scripture actually says:

Paul, James, Peter and Timothy wrote in the many letters of the Epistles, there is a valued purpose in our earthly suffering!

2 Timothy 2:8. Be mindful of Y’shua the Mashiyach, that he arose from the dead; who was of the seed of Dawid, according to my proclamation, 9. in which I suffer evils to bonds [i.e., ‘chains’] as if an evil-doer: but the Word of Elohim is not in bonds. 10. Therefore I endure everything for the elect’s sake; that they also may obtain life in Y’shua the Mashiyach with eternal glory. 11. Faithful is the saying, For if we will have died with him we will also live with him; 12. and, if we will have suffered, we will also reign with him. But if we will have rejected him, he will reject us." (AENT)

James 1:2. Let it be all joy to you, my Brothers, when you enter into many and various trials. 3. For you know that the trial of (your) faith, makes you possess patience. 4. And let patience have its perfect work so that you may be complete and perfect and may lack nothing. (AENT)

Romans 5:3. And not only so, but we also rejoice in afflictions because we know that affliction perfects in us patience; 4. and patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5. And hope makes us not ashamed because the love of Elohim is diffused in our hearts by the Ruach haKodesh who is given to us. (AENT)

2 Corinthians 12:7. And, that I might not be uplifted by the excellence of the revelations, there was given also to me a thorn in my flesh, the Messenger of Satan, to attack me that I might not be uplifted. 8. Respecting this, three times I begged my Master (Y’shua), that it might depart from me. 9. And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is perfected in weakness." Gladly, therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of the Mashiyach may rest upon me. 10. Therefore I have pleasure in infirmities, in reproach, in afflictions, in persecutions, in distresses, which are for the Mashiyach’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (AENT)

2 Timothy 2:3. And endure evils as a good soldier of Y’shua the Mashiyach. (AENT)

2 Timothy 3:12 And likewise all who choose to live in the Fear of Elohim, in Y’shua the Mashiyach, will be persecuted. ( AENT)

1 Peter 4:12. My beloved, be not dismayed at the trials that befall you as if some strange thing had come upon you; for these things are for your probation [i.e,. the act of testing]. 13. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of the Mashiyach that so you may also rejoice and exult at the revelation of his glory. (AENT)

So you see our sufferings while in our mortal bodies on earth, including the many ills we face, is expected to mold us into a form of "perfection" to be worthy of eternal life! Seeing our ills as "sharing in the suffering of the Messiah" (1 Peter 4:13), may be very hard to do and hard to take, but when we realize that these are tests of our faith to help build us for our ultimate presence with Him, we can, as scripture indicates "take joy in our trials, for they are for the Messiah’s sake." (2 Cor 12:10).

And look at it this way, if your friend has no ills, or has not suffered, then what good are they to others? How can they empathize? How can they teach others how to bear pain? How can they understand and share their experience and lead others to the gift of eternal life? (2 Timothy 2:10). How can they say their faith has been tested? (1 Peter 4:12).

No, your suffering, your ills, bear witness that you are on God’s path! Rejoice! (1 Peter 4:13).

Deuteronomy 30:20 And remember: Loving YHWH your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him - for that is the purpose of your life! (CJB)

Of course we must all go through trials – endure ills and suffering for probation. But these ills do not mean we are "not on God’s path"! Rather, they are brought to us usually through no fault of our own by "the world" because it is fallen. But you very well might not be on God’s path! You can’t call it a "test of faith" if your ill or pain is self-induced – drug use, alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct, obesity through over eating or laziness, etc.

Scripture also amply speaks about our own responsibility to eat right and to take care of ourselves. Leviticus 11 addresses what animals may be eaten. 1 Corinthians 6:15-19 talks about sexual misconduct, how it defiles the body. And: "Be sober and guarded because haSatan, like a lion, roars and goes about and seeks whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8, AENT). (Read that verse carefully!) No, if you are suffering an ill not of your own doing, take comfort to know that it is to build you up for the Kingdom. You may not understand just why, or how, but your role is to trust and not lose your faith.

Remember: For, though He was executed on a stake in weakness, yet He lives with the power of Elohim. We also are weak with him; yet we are alive with him, by that power of Elohim which is among you. Examine yourselves, whether you stand in the faith: prove yourselves. Don’t you acknowledge that Y’shua the Mashiyach is in you? And if (he is) not, you are lawbreakers. (2 Corinthians 13:4-5. AENT)