Does Mark 7 really suggest that Yeshua declared all foods clean?

The short answer is:  NO!  Unfortunately, some Hebrew Roots types are teaching that it does.  So, let's take a look at Mark 7:14-23 in context.

MARK 7:14. And Y’shua called all the crowd and said to them, Hear me all of you and understand, 15.  There isn’t anything that is on the outside of a man that enters into him that is able to defile him.  But the thing that goes out from him, that is the thing that defiles a man.  16. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 

17. And when Y’shua entered into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about that saying. 18. He said to them, You are likewise slow to understand. You do not know that everything which enters into a man from the outside is not able to defile him. 19. Because it does not enter into his heart, rather into his belly and is cast out by excretion, which purifies all the food. (AENT)

More on this in a moment, but first, it's imperative to know that most Greek Bible versions in Mark 7:18-20 have ADDED the sentence, "Thus Jesus declared all foods clean" (or some form thereof). Example, here's a sample from the NIV:

Mark 7: 18 "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19 For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") (NIV)

Truth is, Yeshua never uttered those words! This sentence was added in order to support the idea that today we are allowed to eat anything we want!

God was clear from the beginning about what we could and couldn't eat. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 provide a list of animals that are not to be eaten as food; and included in this list of "unclean" foods are some of man's favorites: pork, shrimp, lobster, crab, catfish, squid, rabbit, squirrel, etc.

The New Testament, on the other hand, seems to indicate that God changed His mind somewhere along the line, which is absolutely untrue!

Here is what the original documents stated (i.e., the Khabouris Codex - a copy of the oldest "New Testament" ever discovered, which some scholars date between 120 - 160 AD):

MARK 7:18. He said to them, You are likewise slow to understand. You do not know that everything which enters into a man from the outside is not able to defile him. 19. Because it does not enter into his heart, rather into his belly and is cast out by excretion, which purifies all the food.20. But anything that goes out from a man is that which defiles a man.

21. For from the inside, from the heart of the sons of men proceeds evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, theft, murder, 22. Extortion, wickedness, deceit, lust. An evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23. All these evil things, they do proceed from within a man and defile him. (AENT)

The AENT footnote explains the following:

"This chapter showcases one of the greatest discussions of oral versus written Jewish law that exists in these writings of the Renewed Covenant. In many ways this presages the heated exchanges that would be recorded in the Talmud some 200 years later.

"However, a major misunderstanding of this verse found its way into the modern translations with the parenthetical comment "in so doing Y'shua declared all foods clean." Neither Aramaic nor early Greek manuscripts include this in the text, which is clearly an attempt by Gentile or Christian editors to abandon Torah's dietary laws.

"The point being established is that if you plot things like murder, lies, adulteries and so forth, then why be concerned about the food you eat, when weightier things are making you much more unclean than your food? Even if a person kept a perfectly kosher diet, but had such unclean thoughts, such a one would rank among the most unkosher of people. See Luke 11:40."  (End of footnote.)

Now, take a look at this:

ROMANS 14: 14. I know indeed, and am persuaded by Master YHWH (who is) Y'shua, that there is nothing which is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks any thing to be unclean, to him only it is defiled. (AENT)

FOOTNOTE:

"The context of this discussion (verse 2) concerns meat versus a vegetarian diet. There is no discussion here about unclean foods according to Torah, because this is already clearly understood by Greek followers of Mashiyach. However, many twist this verse to teach that unclean food was made clean by Paul, which is a lie.

"Paul was joined together with the other Shlichim in Jerusalem when the Ruach haKodesh spoke through Ya'akov HaTsaddiq, and instructed the non-Jewish converts to avoid unclean foods; i.e., foods sacrificed to idols, and blood. Notice also in Acts 15:20-21 that the expectation of the non-Jewish converts was that they would learn Moshe (Torah) as they grew in their relationship with Mashiyach and his people.

"Anything fit to be 'food' is required to be from a 'clean' animal and be properly prepared. The issue is to not question the good intentions of a host who by tacit agreement would have made an effort to drain the blood from the meat, as Torah requires. It was and is considered rude to go into the kitchen of your host, right before a meal, to act as a 'kosher policeman.' If your host erred, it would be he, not you, who transgressed; therefore, don't cause an uproar over this issue during the meal."  (End of footnote.)

Now, check this out:

ACTS 10:10. And he hungered and desired to eat. And while they prepared for him, a stupor fell over him. 11. And he saw heaven being opened and a certain garment being held by four corners. And it resembled a great linen cloth. And it was descending from heaven to earth. 12. And there were in it all creatures of four legs, and creeping things of the earth, and birds of heaven. 13. And a voice came to him that said, "Shimon! Rise up. Slaughter, and eat!"

14. And Shimon said, "(Elohim) forbid, my Master, because I have not ever eaten anything that is defiled and unclean!" 15. And again a second time a voice came to him that (said), "That which Elohim has cleansed, you should not consider defiled!" 16. And this happened three times, and the garment was taken up to heaven. (AENT)

FOOTNOTE:

"Gentiles are called to enter into the Malchut (Kingom) Elohim to follow Mashiyach and observe Torah; this is not about the consumption of unclean food. Yeshua casts demons into a herd of swine Matthew 8, Mark 5, Luke 8. Swine meat is unclean, demons are unclean; Y'shua destroys both. Peter never ate unclean animals before or after this vision; followers of Y'shua don't eat unclean foods.

"The Hellenized Christian church endorsed eating unclean foods, because non-Jews have always eaten it as a cultural normative. It is a continuum of pagan culture. Isaiah 66:17-24 clearly prophecies of a rebellious people who dine on swine's flesh, eat mice and choose to defy the Word of YHWH and His Mashiyach.

"Gentiles must not assume that these teachings single them out as unclean; Yehudeans are equally as unclean when choosing to defy YHWH and His Mashiyach (see Haggai 2:14; Ezekiel 44:22; Ezra 9:10-10:1; Isaiah 30:6-12; 65:2, 3; Jeremiah 5:22-31). It is very important to differentiate between that which is Kosher according to YHWH, and religious 'tradition.'

"If unclean food is prohibited for Jewish followers of Yeshua, it is also prohibited for non-Jewish followers; the Kingdom of Elohim is not divided. If unclean food has been proven unhealthy, then it is unhealthy for Jewish and non-Jewish bodies alike; there is One Mashiyach and One Torah."  (End of footnote.)

Following is an excerpt from Carmen Welker's book, "Should Christians be Torah Observant?" which literally sums up this whole issue:

"The passages in Romans are dealing with animals YHWH gave us to eat and whether they are ceremonially clean and can be eaten at that time. Even in Peter's vision (Acts 11), Peter would never have eaten the treif (non-kosher) animals.

"The vision was to show that, as Peter knew which animals were clean and which were not because as God had shown him, thus Peter was to accept the Gentiles as God had now shown him they were "clean", that is 'accepted'.

"The rest of the passage in Acts 11 shows that this is the correct interpretation and what the vision was all about (see Acts 11:18).

"Those who don't know their Bibles very well will argue that, since the death of Jesus, we can eat whatever we want. But, since Malachi 3:6 declares that God does NOT change, why would He have changed his mind about what constitutes 'clean' and 'unclean' foods? Why would the foods listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 now be okay to eat?"

What is the spirit of Elijah?

READER QUESTION:

What is the spirit of Elijah? Does it mean the fervor with which Elijah went about his duty? Or literally his..."essence" coming forth to be among people again? I know the Messiah said John the Baptist was "Elijah", yet, doesn't Revelations speak of it as well?

OUR RESPONSE:

I'm guessing you are referring to Luke 1:17 "He [the baby who would become John the Baptist] will go out ahead of Adonai in the spirit and power of Eliyahu to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for Adonai a people prepared.

Eliyahu was the prophet sent by YHWH to the Northern Kingdom of Israel at a time when Israel had largely forsaken YHWH and turned to the worship of idols, under the influence of Israel's king at that time, Ahab (whom the Bible records [1 Kings 16:30] as committing more evil than any of the kings of Israel before him), in concert with his pagan wife Jezebel. Idol worship during his reign was so prevalent that there were only 7,000 people in the entire kingdom of Israel who had not bowed down in worship to Ba'al (1 Kings 19:18).

Eliyahu's prophetic mission was to bring Israel back to the worship of YHWH. He repeatedly warned people to repent of their sin and return to YHWH, and warned them of the judgment of YHWH that awaited them if they did not.

So the "spirit of Eliyahu" would be one who has the same mission and zeal as Eliyahu.

Eliyahu is not mentioned in Revelation though many read Revelation 11 and conclude that the "two witnesses" represent Eliyahu and Enoch or Eliyahu and Moses.

Examining Matthew 12:18–34 a little more closely….

Oh, the Bible (every last verse read in context) is SO FULL of wisdom … wisdom that could only have come from above! Let’s take a look at just this passage in Matthew 12:

Matthew 12: 18. And the Sadducees came to him, those who say that there is no resurrection, and they were asking him and saying, 19. “Teacher, Moshe wrote to us that if a brother dies and leaves a wife, but no sons does he leave behind, he should take his brother’s wife and raise up seed for his brother. (See Deuteronomy 25:5, 6)

20. There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife and died, though he did not leave behind any seed. 21. And the second took her and died though he also did not leave behind any seed. And the third likewise.

22. And all seven of them took her and did not leave behind any seed. The last of all of them also died as did the woman. 23. Therefore, in the resurrection, which one of them will she be a wife of? For all seven of them took her.

24. Y’shua said to them, Isn’t it because of this that you err, that you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of Elohim. 25. For when they rise from the dead, they do not marry women, nor are women given in marriage to men. Rather, they are like the Messengers who are in heaven.

26. Now concerning the dead who (you say) will not rise, Have you read in the book of Moshe of how from the bush Elohim said to him, “I AM the Elohim of Awraham and the Elohim of Yitz’chak and the Elohim of Ya’akov. 27. And he is not the Elohim of the dead, but of the living. You err greatly, therefore.

28. And one of the scribes drew near and heard them disputing and saw that he answered them the matter well. And he asked, “What is the first Commandment of all of them?” 29. And Y’shua said to him, The first of all the Commandments is “Hear O Israel. Master YHWH our Elohim is one.

30. And you should love Master YHWH your Elohim with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind, and with all of your strength.” This is the first Commandment. (See Deuteronomy 6:4, 5)

31. And the second that is like it is that. “You should love your neighbor as yourself.” (See Leviticus 19:18) There is no other Commandment greater than these.

NOTE: Some people are so hung up on that “love you neighbor as yourself” mantra, they forget that the FIRST and GREATEST command is to “Love God” – which comes straight from Torah. Take a look:

Deuteronomy 6: 4 "Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; 5 and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. (CJB)

Deuteronomy 11: 1 "Therefore, you are to love ADONAI your God and always obey his commission, regulations, rulings and mitzvot. (CJB)

(See also Luke 10:27.)

So, to reiterate the importance of Torah, take another look at Matthew 22:36-40, above, to see that verse 40 in NO WAY implies that all of God's original instructions were replaced, nullified or abolished! In fact, verse 40 tells us the Torah and the Prophets HANG/ARE DEPENDENT ON those two commands!

There's more to it than just "loving God and loving your neighbor!" Those who DO the Commandments, are they who love YHWH (Matthew 19:17; 1 John 5:2 and 3). Without love, observance of Torah is vanity, and without Torah one’s “love” is vanity.

In other words, SIN is still sin (sin is “transgression of the Torah – Romans 4:15; 1 John 3:3-6) and God still expects His people to adhere to His Divine Standards for moral, holy living! So, it is important to keep in mind that Torah HANGS on those “two commandments”...

CONTINUING WITH MATTHEW 12:

32. That scribe said to him, “Well said Rabbi! You have spoken in truth that he is one and there are no others apart from him. 33. And that a man should love him with all the heart and all the mind and with all the soul and with all the strength, and that he should love his neighbor like himself. This is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34. And Y’shua saw that he answered the matter wisely. He answered and said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of Elohim.” And no man again dared to question him! (AENT)

Beware the Hebrew Roots teachers who insist ALL meats are considered “clean”….

People, be VERY careful about the teachers you choose to follow, because there are plenty of Hebrew Roots teachers who are busy leading many astray with their dangerous, off-the-mark teachings!

Take, for example, the command to abstain from “unclean” meats. Many attempt to use Genesis 9:3 as "proof" that God said ALL meats were considered “food” – but one needs to include this passage in context with what the REST of the Torah states!

Let's take a look at the context:

Genesis 9:1 God blessed Noach and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will be upon every wild animal, every bird in the air, every creature populating the ground, and all the fish in the sea; they have been handed over to you. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you; just as I gave you green plants before, so now I give you everything — 4 only flesh with its life, which is its blood, you are not to eat. (CJB)

Yes, it certainly SEEMS to suggest ALL meat is edible - and one of these teachers even added the following to help underscore his idea that we ARE allowed to eat pig, shellfish and carnivorous birds! This teacher wrote:

“Some people point to the fact that Noah knew which were the clean animals (see Genesis 7:2 and 8:20) and while this is true, they wrongly conclude that Noah must have kept kosher, which is an assumption and contrary to the biblical texts…. “

Well, to that I say, NOT SO FAST, buddy! Let’s ask ourselves a few questions, shall we?

1. If it’s true that Genesis 9:3 suggests that ALL meats are considered “clean” then why did YHWH knock Himself out to show His people during their 40-year exile in the wilderness why they should NOT eat “unclean” meats? (For instance, Leviticus 11:2-7.)

2. Why was Noah told in Genesis 7:2, “Of every clean animal you are to take seven couples, and of the animals that are NOT clean, one couple”? Surely that meant Noah KNEW the difference between clean and unclean - and if he KNEW what the word "unclean" meant, then surely he would not have been eating "unclean" animals, fish and birds!

3. Why does Leviticus 11:2 (and plenty of other passages well after the time of Noah) specifically tell us that the pig is NOT a "clean" animal, and go into great detail as to WHY it’s not clean?

Take a look:

Leviticus 11:2 "Tell the people of Isra'el, 'These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals: 3 any that has a separate hoof which is completely divided and chews the cud - these animals you may eat. 4-6 But you are not to eat those that only chew the cud or only have a separate hoof. For example, the camel, the coney and the hare are unclean for you, because they chew the cud but don't have a separate hoof; 7 while the pig is unclean for you, because, although it has a separate and completely divided hoof, it doesn't chew the cud. (CJB)

Take a really close look at these verses and ask "What is it about these animals which differentiates them?"

Do you see it? Clean edible animals only eat grasses! They are distinguished by a completely split hoof and chewing the cud! All others eat meat (or junk - the pig for example)! Same goes for carnivorous birds and sea life designed to clean the ocean or river floors....

YHWH/Yahweh was clear from the beginning about what we could and couldn't eat. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 provide a list of animals that are not to be eaten as food; and included in this list of "unclean" foods are some of man's favorites: pork, shrimp, lobster, crab, catfish, squid, rabbit, squirrel, etc. - things that YHWH is using as "garbage disposals" to clean up the earth!

Some “New Testament” passages, on the other hand, seem to indicate that God changed His mind about "unclean" meats somewhere along the line – but did He? Perhaps we need to ask WHY would He have done such a thing, BEFORE ordering that lobster or pepperoni pizza!

Here's one of those confusing passages:

MARK 7: ¹⁸ He replied to them, “So you too are without understanding? Don’t you see that nothing going into a person from outside can make him unclean? ¹⁹ For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and it passes out into the latrine.” (Thus he declared all foods ritually clean.) (CJB)

NOTE: This chapter showcases one of the greatest discussions of oral versus written Jewish law that exists in these writings of the Renewed Covenant. In many ways this presages the heated exchanges that would be recorded in the Talmud some 200 years later. However, a major misunderstanding of this verse found its way into the modern translations with the parenthetical comment "in so doing Yeshua declared all foods clean."

Neither Aramaic nor early Greek manuscripts include this in the text, which is clearly an attempt by Gentile or Christian editors to abandon Torah's dietary laws. The point being established is that if you plot things like murder, lies, adulteries and so forth, then why be concerned about the food you eat, when weightier things are making you much more unclean than your food?

Even if a person kept a perfectly kosher diet, but had such unclean thoughts, such a one would rank among the most unkosher of people. See Luke 11:40.

If you still have some doubts, please take a look at what Paul wrote here:

2 Corinthians 6:16. Or what agreement has the temple of Elohim with that of demons? For you are the temple of the living Elohim; as it is said, I will dwell among them, and walk among them, and will be their Elohim, and they will be my people. 17. Wherefore, you come out from among them, and be separate from them says Master YHWH; and don't come near the unclean thing, and I will receive you; 18. And will be to you a Father, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says Master YHWH the Almighty. (AENT)

The bottom line is, it would be VERY unwise to eat or justifying eating something unclean if you wish to be a son or daughter of YHWH!

Those who don't know their Bibles very well will argue that, since the death of Jesus, we can eat whatever we want. But, fact is, Jesus didn't die to change the meaning of "clean and unclean" foods or to change His Father's Torah/Divine Instructions in Righteousness in any way; he died to redeem us and remove our PAST sins!

Furthermore, since Malachi 3:6 declares that YHWH does NOT change, why would He have changed his mind about what constitutes "clean" and "unclean" foods? Why would the forbidden foods listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 now be okay to eat?

Think you’re not important to God? Think again!

Do you realize that ADONAI chooses whomever He chooses to be His servant in some way?  It doesn't matter whether we're male or female, rich or poor, old or young, black, white, red, brown, red or yellow - HE USES WHOMEVER He WILL!  Halleluyah!

Remember - In Genesis 12, YHWH chose Abram, a pagan Chaldean, to become our first Patriarch!  And, starting in Exodus 2, we see Moshe being prepared to go to Egypt to liberate YHWH's people (he was 80 years old at that point), lead them through the desert wilderness for 40 years and write the entire Torah!

In the days when there was an absence of "good men," YHWH chose a WOMAN to be Judge over all Israel (see the Book of Judges) - which, to me, puts an end to the argument that women need to "be silent" or that they can't teach men.  That's totally bogus!  YHWH chooses whoever He knows can and will meet HIS needs.

He chose Rav Sha'ul (Paul) to become the Apostle to the Gentiles ... Paul, who was a raving anti-missionary and murderer!  (See Acts 9.)

And today, He is choosing some of US to promote His Word.  No matter who we are or what we've done in the past, it simply doesn't matter.  It's who we are NOW in Him that matters - Halleluyah!

Here's are some passages (in random order) and from random sources that prove that it:

Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.…

Acts 2:17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Proverbs 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

There are many more passages, but you get the gist:  YHWH uses whomever He wishes, whenever He wishes - so listen to that "small, still voice" and be ready at all times!

The relationship between God, us, and animals

This is one of the several baby rabbits that have come to hang out in our yard on a daily basis.  We LOVE these sweet, little adorable creatures!  This little one, just a few weeks old, doesn’t seem to be afraid of us at all. It just sits perfectly still and watches us move around whenever we’re outside.  May Abba protect it from all harm!

As you probably know, the animals YHWH created, suffered greatly because of MANKIND! The earth was cursed when Adam and Eve sinned, and after that, all the living creatures YHWH had made, began to FEAR man. 

Animals were cursed because of man … but, they are also redeemed because of man's acceptance of YHWH and His Torah, and of the gift of salvation provided by the death and resurrection of Messiah. THEIR fate has always depended on OUR fate....

Genesis 1: 20 God said, "Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures (nephesh/souls), and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky." 21 God created the great sea creatures (nephesh) and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good.

22 Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 God said, "Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature (nephesh) - each kind of livestock, crawling animal and wild beast"; and that is how it was. (CJB)

Genesis 9:2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you is on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the heavens, on all that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea – into your hand they have been given. (CJB)

Genesis 9:8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth.

11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth.

14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings.

16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”  17 God said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between myself and every living creature on the earth.” (CJB)

When “the end” finally comes for the “old earth” and the Redeemed get to live in Eternity with YHWH in the NEW Heavens and earth (Revelation 21), ALL the animals will PRAISE Him.  We will be ALL be worshiping YHWH together!

Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth and on the sea - yes, everything in them - saying, "To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb belong praise, honor, glory and power forever and ever!" 14 The four living beings said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped. (CJB)

For more on the relationship between God and animals, please see our article, “Do animals go to Heaven?”

A demon-possessed man recognized Yeshua …

Here’s a story full of irony – about a demon-possessed man, along with his myriad demons, who recognized Yeshua! One has to wonder how that can be, when many men who possess myriad scriptures are unable to do the same….

MARK 5: 1. And he (Yeshua) came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gadarenes. 2. And when he went out from the boat, a man who had an unclean spirit happened upon him from the cemetery. 3. And he was dwelling in the cemetery. And no man was able to bind him with chains, because whenever he was bound with fetters and chains, he would break the chains and he would cut the fetters and no man was able to subdue him.

5. Always during the night and during the day he was in the cemetery and in the mountains and he would cry out and cut himself with rocks. And when he saw Y’shua from afar, he ran and worshipped him.

7. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with you, Y’shua the Son of The Most High Elohim? I adjure you by Elohim that you not torment me. 8. For he was saying to him, Unclean spirit come out from the man. 9. And he asked him, What is your name? He said to him, “Legion is our name, because we are many.” 10. And he entreated him greatly not to send him out of the country.

11. Now there was a large herd of pigs that were feeding near the mountain. 12. And those demons were entreating him and saying, “Send us upon those pigs that we might attack them.” 13. And he permitted them, and those unclean spirits departed and attacked the pigs. And that herd ran to a steep place and fell into the sea, and about two thousand were drowned in the water.

14. And those who were tending them fled and reported it in the city and also in the villages. And they came out to see what had happened. 15. And they came to Y’shua, and they saw the one possessed of demons dressed and sober and sitting - him in whom Legion had been, and they were afraid. 16. Those who had seen related to them how it happened to the one possessed of the demons and also about those pigs. 17. And they began entreating him to depart from their border.

18. And when he went up into a boat, he who was possessed of the demons was entreating him that he might remain with him. 19. But he did not allow him, rather he said to him, Go to your house to your people and relate to them what Master YHWH did for you and how he had mercy on you. 20. And he departed and began to preach in the ten cities what Y’shua had done for him. And all of them were amazed. (AENT)

So, to reiterate – how is it that a demon-possessed man, along with his myriad demons, were able to recognize Yeshua; while so many who possess the pearls of myriad scriptures are unable to do the same?

The answer is: ADONAI blinds the eyes of those who refuse to see! (Isaiah 44:18; John 12:40; 2 Corinthians 4:4)

Did you know gossip is a sin?

We've all seen it - the endless gossiping and tearing down of others (especially our country's leaders) being perpetrated here on Facebook ... It's truly out of control, with many actually making up things with which to fortify their "tall tales" designed to impress and get people to post on their respective walls

No one seems to know or care that, according to Torah, gossip is a sin.

The Hebrew term for gossip is "lashon hara" which means "evil tongue." One is guilty of lashon hara if they reveal secrets and go about as talebearers or engage in scandal-mongering. A gossiper is a person who has privileged information about people and proceeds to reveal that information to those who have no business knowing it.

"Gossip" is different from just "sharing information" in two ways:

1. Intent. Gossipers often have the goal of building themselves up by making others look bad and exalting themselves as some kind of repositories of knowledge.
2. The type of information shared. Gossipers speak of the faults and failings of others, or reveal potentially embarrassing or shameful details regarding the lives of others without their knowledge or approval. Even if they mean no harm, it is still gossip.

In the book of Romans, Rav Sha'ul (Paul) reveals the sinful nature and lawlessness of mankind, stating how YHWH poured out His wrath on those who rejected His Torah. Because they had turned away from God's instruction and guidance, He gave them over to their sinful natures.

The list of sins includes gossips and slanderers. We see from this passage how serious the sin of gossip is and that it characterizes those who are under God’s wrath. Anyone can engage in lashon hara simply by repeating something heard in confidence. The book of Proverbs contains a long list of verses that cover the dangers of gossip and the potential resulting pain it causes.

"A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret." (Proverbs 11:12-13).

Many friendships have been ruined over a misunderstanding that started with gossip. Those who engage in this behavior do nothing but stir up trouble and cause anger, bitterness, and pain among friends. Scripture tells us "a perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends." (Proverbs 16:28).

Some seem to thrive on lashon hara and look for opportunities to destroy others. And when such people are confronted, they deny the allegations and answer with excuses and rationalizations.

Rather than admit wrongdoing, they blame someone else or attempt to minimize the seriousness of their sin.

"A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" (Proverbs 18:7-8).

YHWH actually destroyed the earth once because He saw that man was wicked:

Genesis 6: 5 ADONAI saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. 6 ADONAI regretted that he had made humankind on the earth; it grieved his heart.

7 ADONAI said, "I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them."

Luckily for us, Noah found grace in His eyes (Genesis 6:8) and was permitted to continue the human race! Unfortunately, "fallen" man eventually gave into his sinful nature again...and has continued through to this point in time to disappoint God who - make no mistake! - will expect to hear an account of ALL our words and deeds on Judgment Day (Matthew 12:36)!

Today, it seems that we are just as bad (or worse) than people were "in the days of Noah" or in Lot's time, when YHWH destroyed Sodom and Gemorrah.....

And, the sad fact is, supposed BELIEVERS are contributing to this dilemma! Many half-hearted Believers (the hypocrites who espouse Scripture from one side of their mouth while spewing evil out the other) are actually HELPING to bring in the "end times" outlined in the Books of Daniel and Revelation!

Y'shua taught: "For every tree is known by its fruit. For they do not gather thorns from figs nor do they gather grapes from a thorn bush. From a good man the treasures that are in his good heart brings forth good things, and an evil man the evil treasures that are in his heart brings forth evil things. For the abundance of the heart speak the lips." (Luke 6:44, 45).

For the sake of our eternal souls, we must learn to guard our tongues and refrain from the sinful act of lashon hara because it constitutes willful and deliberate sinning, for which there is no sin sacrifice! Those who guard their tongues keep themselves from calamity (Proverbs 21:23).

Ezekiel 18: 20 The soul that sins, it shall die.

Deuteronomy 31: 20 For when I have brought them into the land I swore to their ancestors, flowing with milk and honey; and they have eaten their fill, grown fat and turned to other gods, serving them and despising me, and broken my covenant; 21 then, after many calamities and troubles have come upon them, this song will testify before them as a witness, because their descendants will still be reciting it and will not have forgotten it. For I know how they think even now, even before I have brought them into the land about which I swore. (CJB)

It is IMPERATIVE to remember that you are NOT pleasing YHWH, by constantly going against His Torah (i.e., via endless "tale bearing" etc.). You cannot be "set apart"/holy if you're ignoring HIS Divine Rules! By continuing to do so, you are risking your eternal life, as there will be no "half-hearted" in Eternity.

The meaning of “their worm will never die” in Isaiah 66…

READER COMMENT:

Isiah 66, verse 23-24 can you help me understand verse 24 please?  Verse 23 I can understand, but 24 sounds how can I put it, " scary, creepy, nauseating " it reads -- after worshiping ADONAI , as they leave, they will look on the corpses of the people who rebelled against me, for their worm will never die, and their fire will never be quenched; but they will be abhorrent to all humanity.

OUR RESPONSE:

it's a little hard to follow but the reference in Isaiah 66 is to the "Valley of Hinnom", or "Gehenna" a place on the outside of Jerusalem used as a garbage dump where bodies were disposed of (2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 7:31-33).

So the imagery in the verse is of the most vile place in Jerusalem, where the bodies of the discarded rot and an analogy is made to a "worm" or grub or maggot that is forever consuming the corpse. The verse is thus describing hell, where the torment can be expected to last forever.

Yeshua makes mention of this same verse from Isaiah in Mark 9:45-48 when he says: "It is better for you to enter into life lame than though you have two feet to fall into Gehenna, where their worm does not die and their fire does not go out. And if your eye offends you, pluck it out! It is better for you that with one eye you enter into the Kingdom of Elohim than though you have two eyes to fall into the Gehenna of fire, where their worm does not die and their fire does not go out." Here Yeshua is literally saying it is better that you remove a body part which causes you to sin than to spend your eternity in Hell. This same message is repeated in Matthew 5:29-30.

This reference to a place known to the people drives home the horror that awaits those who (as stated in Isaiah, "rebelled against me") are sent to hell. Thus, Bible scholars see these verses in Isaiah and Matthew and Mark as referring to man's consciousness as a "worm". Those deposed to hell, being completely cut off from YHWH, exist continually with a nagging, guilty conscience that, like a persistent worm, gnaws away at its victim with a remorse that can never be mitigated.

Reasons why we DO have “free will”

Many insist we don’t have “free will” and that God controls our entire life.  Here are some reasons as  to why that idea is bogus:

The Aramaic says the following (and I've included the sentence AFTER verse 13 because it SHOWS that we have "free will" as we are being exhorted to BE HOLY for YHWH....

Philippians 2:13. For Elohim is operating in you, both to purpose and also to perform that which you desire. 14. Do all things without arguing and without conflict; 15. that you may be perfect and without blemish, as the sincere children of Elohim who are resident in a perverse and crooked generation; and that you may appear among them as shining lights in the world; 16. so that you may be to them in place of life, for my glory in the day of the Mashiyach that I may not have run in vain or worked for nothing, (AENT)

Furthermore, if "free will" was a hoax, then WHY did Adam and Eve get the CHOICE to mess up and end up out of the Garden?

Why, throughout the entire Torah, do we see YHWH constantly SHOWING people how to be holy, set apart, reconciled to Him through OBEDIENCE ... even punishing them for deliberately breaking Shabbat, etc. if they didn't have the FREE WILL to DISOBEY?

If we had NO free will, we would ALL be living happily forever in the Garden of Eden, because He would never have allowed us to sin....

One last example:

When we go to a restaurant (back in the days before this Covid plague when we could do so) we had the FREE WILL to eat pork or shellfish if we wished.  We could have said, "But I love crab legs, so God will understand"; or we could have said, "I choose to obey God who told me pork and crab are unclean".

For those of us who love ADONAI, we derive great joy in CHOOSING to obey Him, for we know that an unclean person cannot be in His presence.

Don’t worry about “who” you were before the Ruach opened your spiritual eyes….

Remember “who you were” and how you behaved back in “those” days, and how you wish you could go back an change it all?

Well, I feel the same way - ashamed of the things I did when I was “in the world” and "carnal", completely Torah-less, even though I thought I was a moral person.

The thing is, we can’t sit around beating ourselves up over who we “used to be,” because we didn't know any better! We thought we were simply "being real". We were simply behaving like every one else.

But NOW we know better, for YHWH chose to set us apart. Halleluyah! So, stop fretting about things you can’t change, and change what you can NOW.

Remember Lot's wife in Genesis 19, who "looked back" at her “old home and life” and was, consequently, turned into a pillar of salt?

Certainly, don’t forget “who” you once were, but don’t “look back!” Pity that poor, unsaved person who was once you, and let go by simply "looking ahead" and living the life ADONAI meant for you to live!

Here’s one example:

Luke 9: 57. And while they were going on the road, a man said to him, "I will come after you to the place that you go my Master. 58. Y'shua said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of heaven a home, but the Son of man has no where to lay his head. 59. And he said to another, Come after me. And he said to him, "My Master allow me first to go and bury my father.

60. Y'shua said to him, Leave the dead to bury their dead, and you go and declare the Kingdom of Elohim. 61. Another said to him, "I will come after you my Master but first allow me to go and reassure my household and I will come.

62. Y'shua said to him, No man places his hand upon the handle of a plough and looks backwards and is useful to the Kingdom of Elohim. (AENT)

NOTE: "Let the dead bury their dead" basically means to let the spiritually dead take care of burying the physically dead. But right now, in this point and time I need you to "go and proclaim the Kingdom of Elohim."

By making such a statement, Yeshua wasn;t being mean; he was trying to help the young man realize the supreme importance of the Kingdom. Yeshua might even have known this young man to be a younger son, and if his father is dead other family members will assume the burial duties.

Bottom line:

Worry not about the past that cannot be changed, and simply concentrate on your future with YHWH/Yeshua/Torah!

Never argue with an idiot….

Most of you have probably heard the saying, “Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

Well, the Bible tells us the same thing:

Proverbs 26: Don’t answer a fool in terms of his folly, or you will be descending to his level; 5 but answer a fool as his folly deserves, so that he won’t think he is wise. (CJB)

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (CJB)

Proverbs 12: 15 Fools suppose their way is straight, but the wise pay attention to advice. (CJB)

Proverbs 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in trying to understand; he only wants to express his own opinion. (CJB)

2 Timothy 2:14 Keep reminding people of this, and charge them solemnly before our Master (Y'shua) not to engage in word-battles. They accomplish nothing useful and are a catastrophe for the hearers! (AENT)

Thinking of rejecting Yeshua and the New Testament?

Thinking of rejecting Yeshua and the New Testament because you've found a nest of Yeshua-rejecters on Facebook who insist that "Noahide Judaism" is the "true way" to get to Heaven?

If so, please know you are making the biggest mistake of your life - one that WILL cause you your salvation! If you want to know why those "counter-missionary Noahides" and other Yeshua-rejecters are dead wrong, please check out all the articles on our website that counter HUNDREDS of their assertions!

Don't be led into the depths of Hell without at least knowing WHY you're headed there!

Don’t just “pray for” someone; help them back onto the path!

It's biblical to "pray for people" you know are weaker in the faith or who are even outright sinning.  But don't forget that Scripture also commands us to confront those people - TALK to them so they can know what they're doing wrong and why they need to make a correction in their thinking or behavior.

Way too many tend to take Scripture passages out of context via their "Greek" mindsets, and are under the erroneous assumption that we shouldn't "judge others."  Well, correcting a brother or sister according to TORAH is NOT "judging!"  Torah says to DO something so that their blood won't be on YOUR hands!  (Some pertinent scriptures below.)

I can't tell you how often I've been warned to "just pray" and "leave it up to God, because only He can change someone's heart."

While it's true, His Word ALSO tells us to get off our duffs and DO something!  I mean, if someone is getting ready to walk off a cliff, are you going to yell "STOP!" or are you going to get down on your knees to ask God to keep them safe?

If your toddler is getting ready to walk out into the traffic, are you going to yell loudly and jerk him back from the road - or are you going to sit back and pray for him?

The truth is, you can pray AFTERWARD, after you've done something to help that person back onto the path.

Ezekiel 3:17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. 18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19 But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.…

Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

1 Timothy 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

Titus 1:  13. And this testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith  14. and may not throw themselves into Jewish fables and into the precepts of men who hate the Truth.  15. For to the pure, everything is pure; but to them who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but their understanding is defiled, and their conscience.  16 And they profess that they know Elohim, but in their works they deny him; and they are odious and disobedient and to every good work reprobates.

People keep misinterpreting the word “judging”…

Hardly a day goes by where I don't hear or see the phrase, "You're judging!" = so let's discuss the meaning of "judging" again.
 
"Judging" refers to the attempts to correct others according to your own standard of iniquity instead of Torah.  When you do that, you condemn yourself.   When you "judge", you must do it SOLELY by the standard of truth, and that truth (which Paul  amply addressed in Romans 2:1-8) is Torah.

So, the bottom line is, when Torah observant Believers see someone teaching for instance, "there's no need for Yeshua," or "no need for Torah," or "It's okay to have an affair when you're married to an unloving spouse," or anything else that is contrary to Scripture, we MUST rebuke them! 

To sit idly by and say nothing is NOT an option, for if we don't help our brethren stay on the YHWH's Path, then WE will be held accountable!  (See Ezekiel 33, James 5:19, Matthew 18:6, Acts 20:28, etc.)

In Torah, we learn the following:

Leviticus 19: 15 "'Do not be unjust in judging - show neither partiality to the poor nor deference to the mighty, but with justice judge your neighbor. 16 "'Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don't stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake; I am ADONAI. 17 "'Do not hate your brother in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly, so that you won't carry sin because of him. 18 Don't take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am ADONAI. (CJB)

So you see, Scripture commands us to warn our brethren about sinning, but the problem is many attempt to use New Testament scriptures, such as Romans 2 as proof that we are not to "judge one another." (Read Romans 2 in context)

TORAH is our judge, and if you see a brother or sister who has fallen head-long into sin, you can't just stand by and watch, or attempt to "pray it away." You MUST warn that person. But, simply telling someone they're breaking ELOHIM's rules is NOT "judging"!

“Do not think that I have come to bring calm on earth. I have not come to bring calm, rather a sword”….

Something hit me hard today on Shabbat, while cruising around Facebook seeking like-minded believers who were busy discussing God and the Bible….

Matthew 10:34. Do not think that I have come to bring calm on earth. I have not come to bring calm, rather a sword. (AENT)

It hit me this is exactly what has been happening "in spades” ever since the arrival of COVID-19, which happened around the same time the Black Lives Matter group were in an uproar and not only protesting, but rioting and looting, and generally trying to destroy the entire United States!

Fact is, people have been at each other’s throats with their various, respective beliefs – which have included the ludicrous notion that the virus is a hoax, and/or that it’s “not really dangerous” and/or that “it’s all a huge government conspiracy designed to control us.”

Greasing the squeaky wheels of dissent over the virus, has been the added problem that every “armchair expert” has been crawling out of the woodwork to provide the world with all their personal opinions about why masks aren’t necessary; and that being forced to wear them in public somehow violates their Constitutional rights.

People have been verbally (and in some cases, physically) tearing each other apart over these issues, with NOBODY giving an inch.  Instead of recognizing that all these  horrific events are simply part of the end times scenario, and that they MUST happen before Yeshua’s return, they ALL seem bound and determined to cater to their carnal natures!

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

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

Mark 13:7. But when you hear of wars and rumors of revolutions, do not have fear. This is bound to happen, but is yet not the end. 8. For nation will arise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places. And there will be famine and uprisings. These things are the beginning of sorrows. (AENT)

So, let’s get back to Matthew 10, where Yeshua describes exactly what is going to happen BECAUSE of our carnal natures:

Matthew 10:35. For I have come to divide a man from his father, and a girl from her mother. And a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law. 36. And the adversaries of a man will be his household.[1] 37. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.[2] 38. And anyone that does not take up his staff [3] and come and follow me is not worthy of me. 39. Whoever finds his soul will lose it, and whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it.

40. Whoever accepts you, accepts me, and whoever that accepts me, whom I send accepts him. 41. Whoever accepts a prophet in the name of a prophet a reward of a prophet will he receive. And whoever accepts a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, a reward of a righteous man will receive. 42. And anyone who gives only a cup of cold water to drink to one of these little ones, in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you that he will not lose his reward. (AENT)

[1] Refers to Micah 7. Please take one minute to read Micah 7 right now….

[2] Compare the phraseology in verse 37 to Luke 14:26 "he who comes to me and does not hate his father or mother is not worthy of me". Matthew's version is literal while Luke's version is idiomatic. To enter into the Kingdom of Heaven we must love Messiah Yeshua more than anything or anyone else. This does NOT mean that we fail to love and honor our parents. Rather, it means that however much love is lavished upon one's parents; more should be given to Yeshua.

Our love for the Kingdom of Heaven brings eternal life to both ourselves and potentially to our family members. By comparison, earthly love "looks" like hatred. YHWH is the Author of love, as we devote our love to Him, and give Him our time to worship Him and study Him and His Word, only then are we better able to love ourselves and those around us.

[3] Take up your staff and follow means to exercise your personal authority. A staff is a symbol of authority that is used for mobility and protection (see B'midbar/Numbers 17:16-25. Christian versions insert "cross" here which does not appear in either Aramaic or Greek texts.

Referring to Matthew 10:34-42, at first glance it would seem Yeshua wanted to bring war onto the earth, but upon closer examination we can see that he was merely referring to the Prophet Micah!  (If you haven’t read  Micah 7, please do so now!)

Both Micah and Yeshua were simply stating facts: Belief in YHWH would cause all kinds of problems for mankind because humans, in general, have a hard time with obedience! The earth's inhabitants would ultimately be viewed as demonic in the "end times" with people turning against each other even in closely-knit families.

This is happening today in a world where "tolerance" for all things evil reigns and where satan has been allowed to run amok!

The first time we saw people turning against each other in the Bible was when Adam accused Eve of causing him to stumble (Genesis 3:12). The proverbial envelope was pushed even further when Cain killed Abel, and later when Cain's offspring, Lemech, also killed someone (Genesis 4).

By the time of Noah in Genesis 7-9 the earth's inhabitants were so evil, YHWH destroyed everyone except for Noah and his family! And by the time we got to Genesis 19, we saw mankind had already begun another "downhill slide" that caused YHWH to send the righteous Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gemorrah just before He destroyed those cities....

Throughout the Tanach we see one king trying to steer his people to Torah (YHWH's Divine Instructions in Righteousness) while the next one sends them back into "the world." Mankind has been through various ups and downs, and today, we are as bad as back in the days of Lot and Noah!

It is obvious today that YHWH has removed His Mighty Hand from the world, as is evidenced by the fact that we are beginning to experience natural disasters of "biblical proportions."

The only thing we can do is to "get ourselves right with God" so that if we don't make it through these terrible tribulations, at least we can know that we have eternal life!

Let’s discuss that pesky “pre-trib rapture” theology

QUICK QUESTION for those who think they are going to be “zapped out” of here in that false idea called “pre-trib rapture.”

The question is:

Do you honestly believe you’re so pure and holy that you deserve to be spared ANY pain, hardship or suffering? Are you truly holier than all of the men and women in Bible history, who were NOT “raptured out” of THEIR respective tribulations – including those unbelievably horrific ones perpetrated upon our divine Messiah Yeshua who literally went through Hell on earth to become our Redeemer?

Are you so much “better” than all those who have gone before us, including those who were considered to be “the holiest men on earth” in their day?

I’m talking about people such as the following:

· Noah and his family. Noah endured 100 years of chiding about the ark he was building in the middle of the desert before the flood came and killed off everyone else on earth. After 40 long days adrift on an ark full of animals, and not knowing what lay ahead, YHWH finally caused Noah to find dry land, where he and his family were able to start the human race all over again. Were those things not “tribulation”? (Genesis 6-9)

· Lot and his family, who received basically only a moment’s notice to “get outta Dodge” before Sodom and Gemorrah were to be wiped off the face of the earth. When his wife was turned into a pillar of salt in the process, Lot was forced to start life all over again in a cave with only his two daughters…. (Genesis 18-19)

· Abraham. How many bullets do you think Abraham was sweating when he thought God was serious about having him sacrifice his son, Isaac on Mt. Moriah? (Genesis 22)

· Moshe (Moses) who was rousted from his comfortable life at the age of 80, to travel to Egypt and try to convince the Hebrews to follow him out on foot, to start all over again somewhere else – a place known only to YHWH.

And before all that could happen, Moshe, his family and all the Hebrews were forced to live through TEN plagues! And, after that, they endured hardship after hardship during 40 years of tent living in the desert wilderness, assembling and disassembling and carrying with them the tabernacle wherever they went.

And then – even though poor Moshe was truly holy and obedient (except for a few infractions) - he didn’t even get to cross over into the Promised Land, after all he went through! (Read the whole story beginning in Exodus 3)

· Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (along a fourth person within the furnace “who looked like the son of man”) had to go INTO a fiery furnace before they were delivered! (Daniel 3)…

I could go on, but surely you get the drift by now.

It is very arrogant of people to believe themselves to be so “holy” that they won’t have to endure any of the coming “tribulations” and fully expect to be zapped out before anything “bad” can happen to them.

This is part of the reason why that “pre-trib” idea is completely bogus!

According to Scripture that “catching up” of both dead believers and those who are alive at the time, will happen when Yeshua returns! (1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)

So, instead of worrying about “when” the “rapture” is going to happen, wouldn’t it be better to spend time concentrating on “how to become truly holy” by getting ourselves “right” with God?

To do that, we must become truly familiar with, and learn to LIVE according to His Word – the Word which reveals that holiness can ONLY be found in YHWH’s original, divine Instructions called “Torah”.

Proverbs 28:9  “If a person will not listen to Torah, even his prayer is an abomination”…

Let's discuss Israel for a minute….

Many tend to forget that YHWH gave the Land to the Hebrews/Israelites (the offspring of Isaac); NOT to the Arabs (the offspring of Ishmael who ultimately became the enemy of YHWH: Muslims)!

Watch how YHWH tells His people to not only kill or drive out the people living in the Land, but also their idols and "high places" (places of worship), lest they become infected with false gods. He did not do this because He was a mean God; He did it because (1) He intended for HIS people to inhabit the Land; and (2) He did not want them to fall prey to pagan ways:

Numbers 33: 50 ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden, across from Yericho. He said 51 to tell the people of Isra'el, "When you cross the Yarden into the land of Kena'an, 52 you are to expel all the people living in the land from in front of you. Destroy all their stone figures, destroy all their metal statues and demolish all their high places. 53 Drive out the inhabitants of the land, and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess.

54 You will inherit the land by lot according to your families. You are to give more land to the larger families and less to the smaller ones. Wherever the lot falls to any particular person, that will be his property. You will inherit according to the tribes of your ancestors.

55 But if you don't drive out the inhabitants of the land from in front of you, then those you allow to remain will become like thorns in your eyes and stings in your sides - they will harass you in the land where you are living. 56 And in this event, I will do to you what I intended to do to them." (CJB)

Numbers 34 reveals the birth of Israel: YHWH's "forever" promise to the Israelites concerning the Land, and instructions as to how to KEEP their inheritance:

Numbers 34: 1 ADONAI told Moshe 2 to give this order to the people of Isra'el: "When you enter the land of Kena'an, it will become your land to pass on as an inheritance, the land of Kena'an as defined by these borders. 3 "Your southern portion will extend from the Tzin Desert close to the border of Edom. The eastern terminus of your southern border is at the end of the Dead Sea.

4 From there your border turns, goes south of the 'Akrabbim Ascent and passes on to Tzin. From there it goes south of Kadesh-Barnea, on to Hatzar-Adar, and on to 'Atzmon. 5 Then the border turns and goes from 'Atzmon to the Vadi of Egypt and along it to the Sea. 6 "Your western border will be the Great Sea.

7 "Your northern border will be as follows: from the Great Sea mark a line to Mount Hor, 8 and from Mount Hor mark a line to the entrance of Hamat. The border goes out to Tz'dad. 9 Then the border goes to Zifron and finally to Hatzar-'Einan; this is your northern border.

10 "For the eastern border mark your line from Hatzar-'Enan to Sh'fam. 11 Then the border goes down from Sh'fam to Rivlah, on the east side of 'Ayin, then down until it hits the slope east of Lake Kinneret. 12 From there it goes down the Yarden River till it flows into the Dead Sea. These will be the borders of your land."

13 Moshe gave this order to the people of Isra'el: "This is the land in which you will receive inheritances by lot, which ADONAI has ordered to give to the nine tribes and the half-tribe. 14 The tribe of the descendants of Re'uven have already received their land for inheritance according to their clans, and so have the descendants of Gad and the half-tribe of M'nasheh.

15 These two-and-a-half tribes have received their inheritance on this side of the Yarden, across from Yericho and eastward, toward the sunrise." 16 ADONAI said to Moshe, 17 "These are the names of the men who will take possession of the land for you: El'azar the cohen and Y'hoshua the son of Nun.

18 Also appoint one leader from each tribe to take possession of the land. 19 The names of these men are: from the tribe of Y'hudah, Kalev the son of Y'funeh; 20 from the tribe of the descendants of Shim'on, Sh'mu'el the son of 'Ammihud; 21 from the tribe of Binyamin, Elidad the son of Kislon; 22 from the tribe of the descendants of Dan, a leader, Buki the son of Yogli; 23 from the descendants of Yosef: from the tribe of the descendants of M'nasheh, a leader, Hani'el the son of Efod; 24 from the tribe of the descendants of Efrayim, a leader, K'mu'el the son of Shiftan; 25 from the tribe of the descendants of Z'vulun, a leader, Elitzafan the son of Parnakh; 26 from the tribe of the descendants of Yissakhar, a leader, Palti'el the son of 'Azan; 27 from the tribe of the descendants of Asher, a leader, Achihud the son of Shlomi; 28 from the tribe of the descendants of Naftali, a leader, P'dah'el the son of 'Ammihud." 29 These are the ones whom ADONAI ordered to divide the inheritance among the people of Isra'el in the land of Kena'an. (CJB)

As you know, it seems EVERYBODY wants a piece of Israel these days. The thing is, YHWH gave it to the Hebrews/Israelites and NOBODY else has a right to it, nor does anyone have the right to help "divide" Israel! Not the Muslims, not Torah-less people of any self-serving country or from any walk of life; only YHWH's Torah observant believers including the foreigners who joined them in the Exodus from Egypt and accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! YHWH obviously loves the Land and His people among whom He lives!

Numbers 35: 34 No, you are not to defile the land in which you live and in which I live; for I, ADONAI, live among the people of Isra'el.'" (CJB)

Ah, the old "Chew the meat, spit out the bones" philosophy....

You’ve all heard the old adage, "I chew the meat and spit out the bones," by people who believe they know how to be discerning when it comes to Scripture.

Basically, it means "I accept the good parts of the teaching, and ignore the bad."  Or: "I like this or that, and will ignore whatever doesn’t fit my theology." 

That’s fine for those who are intimately familiar with Scripture.

The thing is, most people are NOT! And so, when someone who is, forwards teachings from those certain “teachers” whose stuff requires one to “chew the meat and spit out the bones,” guess what happens!

Yep – those who are NOT well-versed in Scripture will swallow the whole thing, hook, line and sinker (lies and all) and add it to their repertoire of other false knowledge tucked away in the recesses of their mind! (Or, they might dismiss it altogether. Either way, they won’t really “grow” – so what was accomplished, in the long run?

Anyway, the next time you hear that “chew the meat and spit out the bones” adage, try to remember this:

The bones make up the skeleton, the foundation, and the "meat" (muscle) is attached to the skeleton!  If you remove the "bones", the "meat" is a lifeless mass of quivering muscle laying dying on the ground.  Without this "foundation" the meat (muscle) can't even survive because the very blood which nourishes the muscle is produced by the bone! 

If, regarding someone's teaching of the WORD, you "chew the meat and spit out the bones" aren't you throwing out the very foundation of their theology? Why on earth would you "dismiss the foundation" only to retain the "lesser parts" which, when separated from the foundation, can't stand on their own?

Well, I posit that you shouldn't throw away the foundation!  Don't spit out the bones!
Here's what you SHOULD do:

First READ your Bible so you can KNOW what it says. If some teacher you’re following turns out to be off the mark on some major issues (or even on lots of lesser issues)  then STOP following that teacher! I don’t care WHO they are! Off the mark is off the mark and it can and will lead you into the pits of Hell.

1 Corinthians 6:14 says: "what fellowship has light with darkness?"

Secondly, DO go to this teacher and attempt to show them where and how they were off the mark, as we are to "rebuke our brothers lest we carry sin because of him" (Leviticus 19:17; Matthew 18:15;  Luke 17:3). Remember that if you DON'T try to correct them, YOU are guilty! (Study Ezekiel 3!)

Thirdly, DO NOT blindly forward “cool sounding” stuff just to impress others. If we simply let these false teachings go unchallenged, and forward them to others, believing they can "chew the bones and spit out the bones," we assist in deceiving people and perpetuating false doctrines!

Matthew 7: 13. Enter by the straight door, for wide is the door and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many are they, those that go in it.  14. How narrow the door and straight the road that leads to life, and few are they, those that find it. 

15. Beware of false prophets that come among you in the clothing of lambs,  82  but from within are ravenous wolves.  16. But you will know them by their fruits.  Why do men pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?  17. Like this every good tree bears pleasing fruit, but an evil tree bears evil fruit.

18.  A  good  tree  is  not  able  to  bear  evil  fruit,  and  an  evil  tree  cannot  bear  good  fruit. 19. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut and thrown in the fire.  20. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them. (AENT)

2 Timothy 4:2. Proclaim the Word and persist (in it) with diligence, in time and out of time; admonish and rebuke with all patience and instructiveness.  3. For the time will come when they will not give ear to sound teaching; but, according to their lusts, will multiply to themselves teachers in the itching of their hearing;  4. and will turn away their ears from the truth, and incline after fables. (AENT)

Do follow some good teachers, but don't glean only from teachers "you like" unless you KNOW they are ON the mark! (The fact that you “like” them doesn’t mean they’re good teachers…)

1 John 2:27. And you also, if the anointing which you have received from him remains in you, you need not that any one should teach you; but as that anointing is from Elohim, it teaches you all things; and it is true, and no falsehood is in it. And as it has taught you, remain you in Him.  28. And now, my children, remain you in him; that so, when he will be manifested, we may not be ashamed before Him, but may have an open countenance at His coming.  29. If you know that he is righteous, you also know that whoever does righteousness is from Him. (AENT)

Stay in scripture!  Learn to listen to the Ruach, and learn from Elohim and His Word – not solely from men!  Yes, there are some "good" teachers (you will know them by their ability to make their teachings line up with Scripture), but be VERY discerning! 

Only by personally knowing and staying in scripture will you ever conquer the “chew the meat and spit out the bones” idea. Better yet, "chew the meat and if it is not done right, fire the cook!"

Is ADONAI finished with the Jewish people?

Have you ever heard anyone trying to tell you that ADONAI is finished with the Jewish people and that Israel doesn't really belong to them? Well, please check out our article that reveals why they are WRONG to say that!

God is NOT kidding around!

Atheists love to use scriptures such as those in Numbers 31 as proof that YHWH (whom they don't even know by Name; rather, simply as "God"!) is a "mean God" because He ordered the Israelites to "take vengeance on the Midyanim" (Numbers 31:1-21); and ultimately, to "take all the booty, both people and animals...and divide it" (Numbers 31:25-54).

Thing is, those who don't know the Torah, don't realize that YHWH had a plan for His people to own what is now known as Israel, and that anyone standing in their way (i.e., the Gentiles/pagans/ungodly/those who worshiped "other gods) were nothing more than collateral damage.

This "God loves everybody equally" stuff is actually not quite true. He loves those who are HIS - those who love Him and obey His Divine Instructions in Righteousness. That was amply evident in Noah's day, when YHWH wiped out all the wicked on earth via flood!

Genesis 6:5 Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. 6 Adonai regretted that he had made humankind on the earth; it grieved his heart.

7 Adonai said, “I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them.” 8 But Noach found grace in the sight of Adonai. (CJB)

Those who refuse Him and His Torah - the ones who find no importance in being "wholehearted" - are considered "lukewarm" at best; and will be "vomited from Yeshua's mouth" on the day he returns to kick off his Millennium reign (Revelation 3:16).

If you know that you haven't been "wholehearted" toward our awesome Creator, I beg you to start today - because, as Scripture amply reveals - YHWH is NOT kidding around. There will be no "lukewarm" in Eternity with Him.

The importance of staying true to your word

Do you know how critical spoken words can be? For instance, volumes could be written about the very first verse in Numbers 30, where we see YHWH's instructions regarding the making of vows.

Numbers 30: 1 Then Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Isra'el. He said, "Here is what ADONAI has ordered: 2 when a man makes a vow to ADONAI or formally obligates himself by swearing an oath, he is not to break his word but is to do everything he said he would do. (CJB)

YHWH takes oaths very seriously, especially ones that were made to Him! Today, contracts don't seem to hold any meaning anymore because, many believe contracts were made to be broken and/or re-written to suit a certain purpose. Even many couples who are married in church and pledged to stay together "unto death" demonstrate instead that they didn’t take their oath very seriously, and end up divorced.

Unbeknownst to them, the vows made before YHWH stand, regardless! YHWH doesn't care what the reasoning, whether simple carnal desire or profit of some kind. A contract is a contract. (Yes, there are certain grounds for divorce, according to Torah, but every effort must be made to restore the marriage, first.) We are to hold to our word. Scripture tells us that every word that comes from our mouth has consequences!

Remember the story about Bil'am in Numbers 22-24, who was originally hired to put a curse on Israel, but was ultimately forced to do YHWH's will, instead? Well, check out Numbers 31:8 which tells us he was killed by the sword! Bil'am was NOT a good man, and YHWH intervened to use for good what Bil'am had originally meant for evil.

Words...oaths...curses. We are told to guard our mouths and even to take every thought captive (Psalm 141:3, Proverbs 21:23, 2 Corinthians 10:5, etc).

Committing of deliberate sins disqualifies pastors/leaders …no matter how much we have forgiven them!

A serious matter to ponder:

Paul was a criminal BEFORE Yeshua opened his spiritual eyes … which is why Paul was forgiven.

Note, I said BEFORE his spiritual eyes were opened ... which means, Paul was forgiven through the blood of Yeshua who died to absolve us of our PAST sins.

Once Paul's eyes were opened, he repented and turned from his previous life of sin YHWH knew that, and that is why He caused Paul to become an Apostle.

Now – had Paul become an evil murderous lunatic AFTER he was given the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit), that would have been a different story. Instead of being exonerated for his sins, he would then have had to give up his “Apostle” title, because he would no longer have qualified to be any kind of an “Elder”. (Titus 1:5-9, 1 Tim. 3:1-7, 1 Peter 5:1-4).

Truth is, since Yeshua died to forgive our PAST sins (Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14; Hebrews 10:26, etc.),  then Paul’s intentional PRESENT sins would NOT be covered by “the blood of the Lamb” (because there is no sin sacrifice for continued, deliberate, intentional sins by Believers (Hebrews 10:26).

You see - to take away any of Paul’s PRESENT sins, Yeshua would have to come back and die AGAIN!

It is imperative to remember that, like the animal sin sacrifices seen in Leviticus, Yeshua martyred himself for our PAST sins. Like those animal sacrifices, which had to be done annually (Yom Kippur) to cover one’s sins for the year, Yeshua’s blood only atoned for what we have done in our past, to enable us to be clean enough to enter into YHWH’s Presence in the Holy of Holies, to pledge ourselves to Him.

That is why – when the head of a congregation (i.e., pastors and rabbis) or any of his Elders today commit deliberate sins (i.e., adultery, intentional murder, stealing, defrauding, etc.), they MUST relinquish their titles …. because they NO LONGER qualify to be “Elders” or “teachers of the Word”….

No matter how wonderful their sermons or teachings are, and no matter how much people have “forgiven” the one who sinned - if they are guilty of, and tainted by, DELIBERATE sin after receiving the Ruach, according to Scripture, they are NO longer qualified to shepherd others, and MUST step down from their posts.

Nowhere in Torah do we see anyone who committed deliberate sins AFTER having been a Torah observant believer in YHWH, being leaders of any kind. YHWH has always expected HIS leaders to be spotless.

Unintentional transgressions – yes - they can be forgiven (i.e., those that Moshe committed, for instance, by hitting the rock instead of talking to it, as instructed (Numbers 20:2-11) ). But NOT those which are devious and intentional after one has accepted the redemptive gift of the Messiah Yeshua….

So, you’re “offended”? Well, so am I. Let me count the ways….

With so many people mouthing off about “what offends” them today – to the point of wanting every statue torn down, every history book-re-written, every street and grocery store product and even ball teams renamed, let me share some of the things that offend ME! In no particular order, I offer the following:

• Hypocrites – those who don’t practice what they preach.

• Riots – race or otherwise. They are senseless and stupid; perpetrated by childish people throwing temper tantrums and exhibiting every kind of BAD behavior the Bible warns us about. (Galatians 5:19-24)

• A lack of common sense and reasoning power. What is so hard about recognizing that we shouldn’t condemn every Black or White (or any other color) for the actions of SOME; and that it’s usually the “bad” ones who end up on the evening news; while all the “good” are rarely mentioned?

• People who refuse to wear masks during a pandemic – especially the ones who have the gall to say something stupid like, “If you’re afraid to catch the virus, stay home!” (Why don’t YOU stay home, you selfish nitwit? I wear a mask to help protect YOU, if I happen to be infected and don’t it. People like YOU are THE REASON for the resurgence of COVID-19!)

• People who go around insisting the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax. Yeah, tell that to those whose loved ones have DIED! Unless you’re a doctor, scientist, epidemiologist or someone with actual qualifications who can speak intelligently about this pandemic, YOU need to sit back and be quiet! Whether YOU believe it or not, this virus HAS done its level best to ruin life as we’ve known it, and cripple world economies! Has it ever occurred to you – you “armchair expert” - that this virus just might be THE very thing that ends up wiping out two-thirds of the world as outlined in Zechariah 13? WAKE UP and pay attention!

• Christians who don’t understand what Torah is, yet feel obligated to tell me I’m ”under the law” – as if it were a BAD thing! News Flash! - NOT obeying God’s Divine Instructions is a “bad thing” – so whose law are THEY following if they can’t even be bothered to keep the COMMANDED Seventh Sabbath or His Holy Feasts/Appointed Times, all of which foreshadow Messiah Yeshua?

• People on Social Media feeling qualified to tell the rest of us how to live, who and what we should like or dislike, and what to eat, drink, and think.

• People being rude and downright disrespectful toward each other.

• The lack of respect shown towards education and hard work. When did those things become the butt of jokes? Many feel entitled to have everything handed to them on a silver platter – including what we working folks WORKED HARD for! (That’s why so many young people are wanting to turn America into s Socialist country! But, hey – since they’re blinded by the idea of handouts and trying to re-write history, they really have no clue how utterly destructive Socialism is…)

• The “dumbing down” going on everywhere, on all sorts of levels – for instance, the trend with weather forecasters is to tell you the “feels like” index. Instead of providing the actual temps, they say things like, “Today is gonna be a hot one; it will feel like 110 outside.” (I’m not three years old; just tell me what the actual temp will be and I’ll make up my own mind as to what it “feels like”….)

• Friend requests from fake Facebook accounts made by evil folks desiring to “mine” our profiles/photos/info to make more fake accounts; and to find gullible people to send them money.

• Facebook “friends” who never bother to contact you, yet somehow believe you’ll be interested in all the junk they post on their own walls, and will send myriad “forwards” via Messenger … videos, articles or silly “chain letters” and memes promising God will bless you IF you forward the nonsensical garbage to all your Facebook contacts within the next 10 minutes…

• Women who post sexy/revealing photos of themselves and then cry “foul” and “sexual harassment!” when some man makes a suggestive comment.

• GO FUND ME pages on Facebook – especially those posted by able-bodied people who have more “wants” than “needs” and yet have the chutzpah to get YOU to reach deep into your pocket to help fulfill their wish list without having to WORK for anything. While there are certainly some people with REAL needs, it’s sometimes hard to differentiate them from the lazy or “entitled” scam artists, so be VERY careful. There are no holy commands telling you that YOU are required to support every person on the planet with a Go Fund Me page.

• People who suck the life out of you with prayer requests for their endless emotional and financial needs, demanding your time and energy, and guilting you into “being there” for them 24/7.

Okay, I could list more items, but you get the gist. Do you think that something can be done to help eliminate the things that offend ME! If not, why not? After all, the history I studied in school is being re-written by “offended” people! My goodness – even the grocery store products I knew and loved as a child are being “renamed” because of “offended” people!

The statues of people I learned about in the history books, who helped to build America, are being torn down by “offended” people, who are too dense to recognize that the flaws they see in our ancestors through today’s mindset, were simply because THEY lived according to the norms of their day.

It was simply “the way things were back then!” It’s unfair and downright LUDICROUS to judge long-dead people with the prejudices of our “modern” mindsets. Instead of being irate about the statues that were made in their honor, try THANKING GOD that things are DIFFERENT today!

So, yeah, I’m offended, too – because brainless, angry, prideful people with no common sense are busy making ridiculous demands and trying to FORCE America to become what their little pea-brains think it should be!

Sorry – but that REALLY offends me! As an educated, hard-working, naturalized American citizen who pays taxes and votes – I’m waiting to what the “offended” of America are going to do about the things that offends ME! (Or don’t MY rights and feelings and desires count?)

Did you know that it's not correct to suggest that "the Jews" are God's Chosen?

Did you know that it's not correct to suggest that "the Jews" are God's Chosen?

Now since I have your attention, let me explain what I mean.  YES, the Tribe of Yehudah (Judah) was special because it was CHOSEN to take Torah into the world and safeguard and preserve it (Genesis 49:10, Micah 4:2). The religion of JUDAISM (where the term "Jew" originated) took its cue from the Word of YHWH which has been around for as long as man has been alive - or at least 6,000 years. Believing Jews are Torah observant as YHWH instructed! (And let's not forget that YHWH caused Yeshua to be born into the Tribe of Yehudah/Judah).

So, YES, Jews ARE special!

BUT - the term "Jews" has simply become a blanket description for all Israelites. In actuality, only someone born into the Tribe of Judah can claim they are Jews. The fact is, there were no Jews until after Jacob begat the Tribe of Yehudah (Judah - Genesis 29:35; Matthew 1:1-2). The Torah reveals that His Chosen were called HEBREWS (Genesis 14:13). (See the lives of our first Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). 
Sooo, what am I getting at?

Well - simply this:  Scripture read in context reveals that EVERYONE, beginning with Cain and Abel, was Torah observant (which actually negates the Christian claim that they don't have to obey God's Divine Instructions!) ANYONE who believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is to be Torah observant, and He even said so FOUR TIMES IN A ROW in Numbers 15:13-16!

YHWH (Yahweh) chose Abraham (a pagan Chaldean) because He wanted to (see Deuteronomy 7:6-8) and He reiterated this in Jeremiah 31:32 by making His New Covenant with the Houses of Israel and Judah - both of whom were Torah observant.  (Notice, He didn't make any covenants with Gentiles or even Christians....)

THE GOOD NEWS IS, believing Gentiles who are grafted into the Olive Tree (Israel) automatically become part of Israel. They are "ONE" in Messiah - which doesn't mean they are Jews, BUT they can now call themselves HEBREWS (the word "Hebrew" means "To cross over" - which is what Abraham did when he accepted YHWH as his God, and went to live in the land God commanded him to go to in Genesis 12).

Being a "Hebrew" or a "Torah observant Believer" means you have accepted YHWH and His Divine Messiah and become Torah observant believers. (Remember - same God, same rules!)

The bottom line is, Yehudim (Jews) literally translates "those who praise Hashem," which is why that specific tribal name is used to describe all adherents to Torah, from any tribe and including converts... because all praise Hashem. 

 

According to Scripture, anyone who accepts YHWH as their ELOHIM, and believes that His Divine Messiah (Yeshua) redeemed them, constitutes His "CHOSEN".... (See Deuteronomy 14:2; 1 Peter 2:9; John 15:16, etc.)

A cool tidbit about the letter "Shin"

Here's a cool tidbit for those who have never heard this before:

The Hebrew letter "Shin" (which looks like this שׁ and has an "S" or "Sh" sound, and is an emblem for Shaddai, “Almighty [God]”), was ironically first introduced to "the world" by the mythical Star Trek character, Spock (played by the Jewish man Leonard Nimoy), who decided to use the Hebrew sign, as the salutary Vulcan hand signal conveying the message, to “live long and prosper.”

Bad things happen in our fallen world….

It always pains me to see movies where someone's loved one dies, and the survivor's pastor, -when asked, "Why did God do this?" - will, with a sad expression, give some nonsensical reply, like: "Gawd works in mysterious ways. It was His will that your baby/spouse/brother/sister/ whoever died from AIDS/COVID-19/Rubella/a rapid-growing cancer ... or was killed in that awful, horrible accident/fell off a cliff/was burned to death in a horrific house fire/hanged him/herself ......"

It makes me want to shout, "OH, SHUT UP, YOU DUMMY! God didn't 'do this' to your loved one! The answer is: "We live in a fallen world, where bad things happen. Nobody is exempt, including innocent little babies who haven't even had a chance to 'sin' yet"...

My goodness - where do supposed "pastors" come up with those lame answers they supply? Scripture TELLS us why bad things happen:

We inherited our sinfulness from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) and since then, God has constantly reached out to "fallen man" to show us how to become reconciled to Him via His Torah, which perfectly outlines HOW to live holy and set apart lives.

My goodness - He even sent us His Divine Son, Yeshua, who martyred Himself on our behalf, to make it easy on us to become reconciled to God, merely by "believing" in him!

Truth is, there no easy answer as to why God allows "bad things to happen to good people!" But we CAN know that YHWH does some of His best work in and through "broken vessels" - those who have suffered pain and loss and grown stronger in their faith BECAUSE of their suffering. (Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 57:15; Proverbs 3:5-6, etc.)

We must learn to recognize that "bad times" are part of our growing process. We cannot truly understand "good times" UNLESS we've suffered through "bad times."

Borrowing from an old Oak Ridge Boys' song: "Where the sun always shines, there's a desert below."...

Borrowing from the BIble:

2 Corinthians12:9. 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)

Yeshua brought "his own commandments?

Many insist that Yeshua brought "his own commandments", and that these are somehow new and improved over the ones given in Torah.  Could that really be true?

Let’s examine a few verses that are often twisted right out of context:

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” 

Mark 8:38 “For all who are ashamed of me and my words in this sinful and adulterous generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with his Set Apart Messengers.”

John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

John 15:12 “This is my commandment: That you love one another, as I have loved you.”

The truth is that Yeshua's words, commandments and commands, were all according to, and validated by,Torah:

Luke 24:44 “Now He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things that are written about me in the Torah of Moshe and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 

John 5:39-47 "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life.

I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of Elohim in yourselves. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only Elohim?

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moshe, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moshe, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, howwill you believe my words?"

In these other passages, Yeshua makes it very clear that his teachings do not even come from himself:

John 7:16 “My teaching is not my own, but His who sent me.”

John 12:49 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father abiding in me does His works.”

John 14:10 “For I did not speak on my own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent me has given me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.”

John 14:24 “He who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's, who sent me.”