Mankind keeps driving birds, fish and animals into extinction…

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth’.” (CJB)

My hubby and I have, for many years now, been watching nature shows and documentaries about wildlife. It is beyond amazing to see YHWH’s incredible creation in action, and discover how every single one of them was apparently created for a specific purpose.

Unfortunately, humans have been less than stellar stewards of the animals, birds, and fish which YHWH gave mankind to care for (Genesis 1:18) – causing some to become completely extinct, either by “sport” hunting, or simply because they were somehow “in the way.”

For instance, the gray wolf, once numbering in the tens of thousands throughout North America, faced public vilification and extermination programs that drove it to near extinction in the US. 

These poor animals were systematically exterminated by controversial, US government-backed programs in the 19th and 20th centuries - primarily due to wolves’ attacks on the cattle, which were central to a booming industry vital to expanding the west’s economy. By 1940, wolves were almost completely gone, and their eradication literally threw the ecology of the Rocky Mountains into disarray, with elk and deer excessively grazing in open lands where they otherwise would have been targets for wolves … which created a domino effect that harmed a variety of species.
 
Today, despite much outrage by cattle ranchers, the inclusion of wolves to the 1973 Endangered Species Act, along with a 1995 effort to build a home for them in Yellowstone national park, has helped bring their numbers back up to acceptable levels in lower 48 states and served to normalize the ecosystem.

Another example of mankind’s amazing arrogance, thoughtlessness and outright stupidity is the near extinction of beavers, which were once killed by the thousands for their pelts, and considered to be environmental pests - because they were created to build dams which the humans saw as an intrusion.

According to the PBS documentary, Leave it to Beavers, FINALLY scientists, conservationists and grass-roots environmentalists have come to regard beavers as "overlooked tools" when it comes to reversing the disastrous effects of global warming and world-wide water shortages.

“Once valued for their fur or hunted as pests, these industrious rodents are seen in a new light through the eyes of this novel assembly of beaver enthusiasts and ‘employers’ who have recognized the ways in which the presence of beavers can transform and revive landscapes.

“Using their skills as natural builders and brilliant hydro-engineers, beavers are being recruited to accomplish everything from finding water in a bone-dry desert to recharging water tables and coaxing life back into damaged lands.”

Well, imagine that! Animals are smarter than man when it comes to preserving Planet Earth….

These were just a couple of examples of the damage men have done to YHWH's animal kingdom. It’s disheartening realize that mankind – who was commanded by God to have dominion over the animals and to take care of them – have failed so miserably!

While I’m at it, I also highly recommend a wonderful PBS documentary entitled, Parrot Confidential, which discusses the horrific damage and cruelty mankind has perpetrated on the exotic birds. The narrative reads:

Their outrageous intelligence and uncanny ability to communicate in any language has made parrots one of the world's most popular pets. But unlike dogs and cats, parrots have not been domesticated. Hardwired for the wild, their high decibel squawks and complex behavior are designed for the wild. Add a lifespan of up to 70+ years with their intense need to bond, and a life in captivity doesn't always have a happy ending.

Most of the time their life in captivity does NOT have a happy ending, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s way past time for the governments of the world to make the capture, selling and owning of exotic animals a CRIME punishable by imprisonment and/or hefty fines!  It’s high time for MANKIND to take responsibility for his actions, for mankind is solely responsible for the ever-worsening problems of EVERY KIND on Planet earth!

Proverbs 12:10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
 
Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds...
 
I'll leave you with just a VERY SMALL listing of some of the animals and birds already driven into extinction, or are near extinction at the hands of humans:

•    Passenger pigeon
•    Dodo
•    Western black rhinoceros
•    Pyrenean ibex
•    Quagga
•    Tasmanian tiger
•    The Poʻouli from Hawaii was declared extinct in 2018.
•    The Spix's Macaw
•    Eastern Puma - victims of deforestation.
•    In Sudan the last male northern white rhino died in March 2018.
•    Steller's sea cow. (According to a recent study in Science, 15 animals are known to have vanished forever from the oceans while terrestrial ecosystems have seen 514 extinctions. Steller's sea cow was literally eaten to extinction by humans.)

Top 10 animals in danger of extinction right now:

•    Javan rhinoceros
•    Cheetah
•    Tiger
•    Leopards
•    Jaguars
•    Red tuna
•    Asian elephant
•    Vaquita porpoise
•    Mountain gorilla
•    Irrawaddy river dolphin
•    Pangolins
•    Elephants. (1 elephant is poached every 15 minutes.)
•    Rhinos. (All five rhino species are now threatened.)
•    Lions. (The kings of the jungle could be extinct in the wild by 2050.)
•    Tigers. (Only 3,200 remain in the wild.)

SHAME ON MANKIND!

Why Torah study is so very important….

Want to know one main reasons why Torah study is so very important?

Because, you can’t “rule and reign” with Yeshua for a thousand years unless you know YHWH and His Word - especially, His Torah!  "Knowing God" is a prerequisite for eternal life! (John 17:3)

The millennium isn’t going to be an endless string of parties with Jesus; it will consist of WORK. The “half-hearted” and pew-warmers (those who never bothered to study the whole Bible so they could KNOW whom they were worshiping) will be left behind (IF they are lucky enough to make it through the coming Tribulation period).

Those who are caught up in the air to meet Master Yeshua at his second coming (1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) will be helping him proclaim Torah throughout the earth – teaching people how to live according to YHWH’s Divine Instructions, and performing everything Yeshua needs done.

The major difference will be that people will be living under YESHUA’S government! They WILL learn and grow and keep the Seventh Day Sabbath along with the Feasts/Appointed times while raising their families! There won't be any "religions" or "denominations"; people will be Torah observant, and life will go on.

Revelation 20: 4 Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them received authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for testifying about Yeshua and proclaiming the Word of God, also those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands. They came to life and ruled with the Messiah for a thousand years.

5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is anyone who has a part in the first resurrection; over him the second death has no power. On the contrary, they will be cohanim of God and of the Messiah, and they will rule with him for the thousand years. (CJB)

Reader wants to know why the Hebrews at Mt. Sinai weren’t “able to keep the law”

READER QUESTION:

I’ve read that the Jews and gentiles in Mt Sinai were not able to keep the law.  I know that is not true. Why would YHWH not ask them to do something that He knows that they could not do, that would be cruel.  Is the reason that they just did not want to because of their stubbornness and disbelief or what?

OUR RESPONSE:

First of all, it was the HEBREWS (which included all 12 tribes; not just the “Jews”) and any pagans who had followed Moshe out of Israel who were in the wilderness and stood at Mt. Sinai.

Secondly, God never called His Torah "law".  TORAH means, "Divine Instructions in Righteousness."  Without Torah, the world would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living. 

Why WOULDN'T a believer  - especially those people He had just liberated from Egyptian bondage - WANT to obey His Divine Instructions?  They KNEW who He was and they SAW, first-hand, the miracles He had performed - including the parting of the sea!  They had witnessed the Ten Plagues and how He had used Moshe to liberate them from Egypt...

He brought them out of Egypt and into the "desert wilderness" to TEACH them to obey and SHOW them what being "holy" entailed.

They whined and complained and rebelled because they had been snatched from their comfy homes and the good foods they were accustomed to in Egypt, and suddenly forced to live in tents and constantly move from place to place. 

It was a whole NEW life for them after 400 years in bondage.  They weren't even the original people who had been taken INTO bondage!  They were new generations who had only HEARD ABOUT YHWH and His Rules from their parents and grandparents, etc.; and suddenly,here they were, after having lost EVERYTHING they had been used to, literally going through all kinds of trials and tribulations. 

THAT'S what they were rebelling against; NOT His Divine Instructions....

YHWH never expected them (or us today) to "keep the law" (as Christians call Torah) perfectly.  Matter of fact, MOST of His Divine Rules didn't (and still don't) even apply to the regular person; they applied to the Levite Priests!

Most of those original 613 commands were for the Priests; some were only for men, and some only for women.  (As just one example, let's be realistic - why would the rules about women living "outside the camp" during menstruation apply to men?)

Today there is no Temple, and so Believers in YHWH and His Divine Messiah, Yeshua, ARE the "priests" and our BODIES are the "temple" which we are to keep holy via OBEDIENCE to those things we still CAN keep. 

WE don't have to keep all the Levitical rules because they are STILL for the Levite Priests - who will be "reinstalled" once the Third Temple is built. 

YES, His people who came out of Egypt did have a lot of rules - but none that they couldn't keep!  And today, thanks to Yeshua's atoning blood, WE have it much easier, because we don't have to kill innocent animals to offer as "sin sacrifices." 

Today, we "offer ourselves" to obedience to the things we CAN keep - such as eating only foods He considered "clean" (read all of Leviticus); and the Seventh Day Sabbath and His seven Festivals/Appointed Times, by DOING them to the best of our ability.

YHWH expected -  and still expects - people to OBEY His Divine Instructions, and to keep learning and growing in order to prepare us  for the "New Heaven and New Earth!"
If you haven't done so, I would ask you to read the Bible - every word - from cover to cover, so you can see for yourself what God expected of His people. 

And, to keep yourself from becoming more confused, please take some time, whenever you can, to read the articles on our website, all of which are designed to thoroughly EXPLAIN YHWH/Yeshua/Torah.

Did you know we're not supposed to say, "Happy Yom Kippur?"

That's because it's NOT a day to be happy! It's YHWH’s most holy and solemn day of the entire year … a day of TRUE REPENTANCE about yourself, your life, and even the surroundings in which you live.

We’re supposed to be SAD that we might have HURT Him by our words, deeds, our living conditions, and even what we might have eaten that He considered “unclean.”

We’re not supposed to be “happy” while being immersed in the sin that’s all around us - even sin that's, perhaps, lurking in our own home….

We’re supposed to be be SERIOUSLY appealing to THE CREATOR who is searching our hearts, minds and souls to see if we’re TRULY HIS … or if we plan to keep making excuses about ourselves, and thus, pretending to be holy. (It's been my experience that there are MANY pretenders!!!)

It’s a day for total introspection and asking HIM what we should do next in order to CHANGE any conditions that make HIM unhappy with us in ANY way.

NONE of us can say we are perfect beings who please YHWH all the time. That would be a LIE! But this is why we have Yom Kippur - to repent and gain insight into how WE could change to better serve YHWH as the Holy Beings HE wants us all to be....

Here’s a great explanation on why we shouldn’t say “Happy Yom Kippur.”

A real-life example of how King Henry VIII “reaped what he sowed”….

INTRODUCTION:

Let’s talk about a real-life scenario on “reaping what one sows” using the example of the evil King Henry VIII….

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (ESV)

Proverbs 22:8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. (ESV)

Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (ESV)

Henry VIII reaped exactly what he sowed – and unfortunately, some of his children reaped the consequences … because ADONAI, who was watching, “showed grace and forgave,” but at the same time, He did NOT “exonerate the guilty,” but caused “the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.” (Exodus 34:5-7)

YHWH amply repaid the king according to his evil deeds. (1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 5:10, etc.).

Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “We knew nothing about it,” won’t he who weighs hearts discern it? Yes, he who guards you will know it and repay each one as his deeds deserve. (CJB)

Romans 2:5 But by your stubbornness, by your unrepentant heart, you are storing up anger for yourself on the Day of Anger, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed; 6 for he will pay back each one according to his deeds. 7 To those who seek glory, honor and immortality by perseverance in doing good, he will pay back eternal life. 8 But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey evil, he will pay back wrath and anger. (CJB)

YHWH gives us all the choice to live our life according to His Will … or not. Simple and straightforward.

A SYNOPSIS OF THE REIGN OF KING HENRY VIII:

Henry VIII, who ruled England for 36 years (1509-1547), despite insisting he was a good and God-fearing man was, in fact, an evil, ruthless, arrogant, self-centered, womanizer who was married a total of six times before his death in 1547.

According to historian Ben Johnson, “Henry's driving desire for a male heir (to carry on the Tudor Dynasty) was to lead him to divorce two wives and have two wives beheaded: it led to religious revolution and the creation of the Church of England (because the Catholic Church did not allow divorce), the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Reformation.” (Source: History of England/Henry VIII)

Henry was only 17 when he took the throne. Six weeks later, he married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon (from Spain), who remained at his side for 23 years and gave him a daughter (Mary), but failed to ever produce a son.

Obsessed with having a MALE heir, and single-handedly taking on the Catholic Church, he insisted on having his marriage to Catherine annulled, so he could marry the much younger Anne Boleyn. In the meantime, amidst much turmoil and bloodshed (Henry had no problems ordering the brutal murder of anyone who stood in his way), he established the Church of England, thus ushering in the Reformation.

Anne produced a daughter, Elizabeth, but subsequently had several stillborn births and failed to give him a male heir. Henry lost interest in her, and took Jane Seymour as his mistress. When Anne found out, she became enraged and plotted to have Jane removed from court. Instead, Henry had the marriage to Anne annulled – and two days later, he had her beheaded for reasons unknown to this day.

Days after Anne’s execution, Henry married Jane Seymour, his third wife – who produced a son but died a year and a half into the marriage of childbirth complications. Regardless, Henry FINALLY had that long-awaited, long-desired son, Edward! To ensure that Edward would become King of England, Henry VIII had his daughters declared ineligible for succession to the Crown…

(NOTE: Henry VIII also had an “illegitimate” son by one of his many mistresses - the only “illegitimate” child he ever admitted to fathering - whom Henry named “Henry Fitzroy” which means “Son of the King”. But young Henry who would never legally become king, lived a privileged life because he was the king’s son … but he died at the age of 17.)

Two years after the death of Jane Seymour - solely for the sake of a European alliance, Henry agreed to marry Germany’s Anne of Cleves, after seeing only a nice portrait of her. To his great dismay, the woman looked nothing like the painting, and consequently, he feverishly tried to halt the wedding - but because the arrangement had progressed so far, they married on January 6, 1540.

After just six months, Henry couldn’t take it anymore and decided to divorce Anne, the so-called “ugly wife,” who accepted the divorce and generous settlement, and lived in peace as the “King’s Sister” until her death in July 1557.

Almost immediately after the divorce, Henry married 19-year-old Catherine Howard (lady-in waiting to Anne of Cleves). By this time, he had become so overweight, he was unable to walk, but he was delighted with Catherine and showered her with gifts. However, less than a year into their childless marriage, rumors of her infidelity surfaced, and with enough evidence that she, in fact, had been promiscuous, Henry had her executed for adultery and treason.

A year and a half later, Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, a woman who wholly agreed with his Reform of the Church – but, unlike her husband, she wanted a total break from Catholicism, even daring to enter into heated debates with him about it.

According to historian John Foxe, Henry quickly recognized her brazen attempts to manipulate him into believing he had “begun a good and a godly work in banishing that monstrous idol of Rome, so he would thoroughly perfect and finish the same, cleansing and purging his church of England clean from the dregs thereof, wherein as yet remained great superstition.”

This caused Henry much consternation for he had remained, for the most part, religiously conservative; and so, after a thorough investigation of his wife’s beliefs (which included the torturing of some of her closest associations) he devised a plot to trap his wife into publicly exposing her heretical beliefs by engaging her in a conversation about religion in front of “a number of gentlemen in his household.”

Catherine, however, had already been forewarned of this plot and she recognized this for the trap that it was and refused to be drawn into a discussion, insisting that she “could never presume to instruct the king on religion and that ‘yet must I, and will I, refer my judgment in this, and in all other cases, to your majesty’s wisdom, as my only anchor, supreme head and governor here in earth, next under God, to lean unto’.”

When further pressed, she insisted that “she had only previously dared to dispute with the king in order to learn from him and to try to take his mind off his painful leg.” (Henry had incurred severe injury to his left thigh in a jousting accident years before, which tormented him for the rest of his life.) (Source: Catherine Parr in Danger )

The bottom line for Catherine Parr was that, by her quick thinking, she literally managed to “keep her head” and lived to bring stability and peace to the court, while serving as a kind and caring stepmother to Henry’s children - and she even persuaded Henry to restore his daughters Mary and Elizabeth to the order of succession and acted as Regent when Henry went to war with France….

Unlike Henry’s other wives before her, Catherine Parr managed to remain married to, and “outlive” Henry the VIII ONLY because he died in 1547 “from natural causes: poor health, obesity, and the a wound from an old jousting accident that had not healed and had become ulcerated.” Catherine died a year later.

After Henry’s death, his son Edward VI (son of Jane Seymour) briefly became King of England and Ireland until his death on July 6, 1553, at the tender age of 15, after serving as king for only six years.

After a brief struggle for power, the bottom line was that Henry’s FIRST WIFE’s daughter, Mary, became England's first female monarch. (It would seem that this act may have been God’s reward for the first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was so callously dumped for a younger woman!) Unfortunately, Mary only ruled for five years, until her untimely death during an influenza epidemic (although many historians believe that her death may have been due uterine or ovarian cancer).

Mary’s half-sister, Elizabeth (daughter of Anne Boleyn), succeeded her as a Protestant monarch for the next 45 years reigning as Queen Elizabeth I; and consequently, England remained Protestant. Because she was childless, Elizabeth’s death signified the end of the house of Tudor — a royal family that had ruled England since the late 1400s.

LESSONS LEARNED:

As you read this synopsis of the life of King Henry VIII, you could virtually see YHWH’s hand thwarting the adulterous, manipulating, murderous monarch’s most fervent desires of (1) having a male heir to succeed him to carry on the Tudor line; and then (2) ultimately ending the Tudor line with Henry’s daughter who was, by all accounts, a beloved queen and a good and godly woman … who, unfortunately, happened to “reap what her father had sowed.”

Remember that YHWH also did the same with the lines of Cain (the first known murderer), who killed his brother Abel in Genesis 4 (and wasn’t even mentioned at all in the genealogy of Adam in Genesis 5!); and the widower, Lot, whose daughters had sex with him while he was drunk, in hopes of having children (Genesis 19:30-38).

All of these people served as living examples as folks who “believed in God,” yet lived lifestyles that were completely opposite to YHWH’s Torah commands.

Source for most the historical facts above: Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII?

About that “atoning thing”….

Actually, this "atoning thing" on Yom Kippur can be very cathartic on many levels! Let me tell you a true story:

I once met a middle-aged lady at a Messianic conference who confided that during her childhood, she had been sexually abused by her older brother, which had "ruined her life" to a certain extent. She said she hadn't seen nor spoken to him in decades; but that she "just couldn't get past the anguish" of those days.

I told her that I could totally relate, as I had been a sexually abused baby, child and teenager, and that all my abusers had died in the meantime, which meant there was no way to confront them anymore. However, I had forgiven them all in my heart. (Not forgotten, because you can’t “forget” something like that; but you CAN hand it over to God and ask HIM to help you deal with it, whenever the Adversary attempts to remind you….)

Anyway, this lady’s abuser was still alive and she knew his address, and so SHE still had a chance to do confront him. And so I gently reminded her that she needed to do that because God can’t use “broken vessels” who CHOOSE to cling to the baggage of their past, constantly dragging it behind them like a pet on a leash.

To help her drop that baggage and break the “emotional bonds” that were holding her captive, I suggested she write her brother a letter outlining the anguish he had caused. (Not a phone call that could lead to a war or words, but a simple letter designed to make her feel empowered by allowing her to "have the last word.")

I told her to remain calm and courteous, and “be the adult” by simply outlining what his actions had done to her psyche, and how much he had hurt her … adding that she has forgiven him in her heart, AND that she fully intended to consider those emotional ties SEVERED as soon she dropped the letter into the closest mailbox!

Her question to me, of course, was, “What happens if he writes back a nasty response of some kind – something that rip open those old wounds and hurt me all over again?”

“If he does that,” I replied with conviction, “toss his letter into a fire-proof container of some kind, and set it on fire, and then watch it burn to crisp, while asking ADONAI to help you continue to heal and forgive, and to take this awful burden from you.”

Well, there was a happy ending to this story!

The lady sent me an email a couple weeks later to let me know that she had written that letter to her brother - and that they had reconciled! She related that, as soon as he had received her letter, he had called her, crying and begging her forgiveness, telling her he agreed that it had all been his fault, and that he, too, had been anguished all his life over what he had done! The only reason he hadn't contacted her was because he was convinced she would never forgive him....

…So, you see, reconciliation CAN happen, IF both parties “come clean” and honestly bare their feelings.

But if they don’t, or there’s no way to contact the person you hurt, or who hurt you – then simply forgive them AND yourself, and ask Abba to take it this burden away, because it’s from Adversary whose goal is to get YOU to concentrate on anything else EXCEPT YHWH/Yeshua/Torah!

Don’t give the Adversary that kind of power - ever again!

Remember: “Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world!” (1 John 4:4)

…And the gullible just keep allowing the “counter-missionaries” to rip them away from Yeshua…

Well, I just discovered I have lost yet another couple of former FB friends to Rabbi Tovia Singer and his cohorts who make their living stealing people away from "Jesus" with their smooth-talking, "ear-tickling" anti-New Testament rhetoric. No big surprise; it happens all the time because many people are plain gullible.

This couple I'm talking about is a husband wife team who were Torah observant for many years, and little by little, they started posting against Paul and the NT. Now, they're plastering Singer's anti-Jesus, anti-New Testament videos all over their wall. How sad for them that they've LOST their salvation!

I tried to warn them, just as I've tried to warn hundreds of others over the years, but they didn’t have “ears to hear or eyes to see” because, once you make up your mind to blaspheme the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit which brings haShem’s Truth to mind, Psalm 51, Ezekiel 3:12, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Joel 2:28–29, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 2:10-11, Acts 1:8, etc.), you’re pretty much hosed.

Every single former FB friend I've ever had who has decided to reject ADONAI's Divine Messiah, could NOT be swayed in their decision. Ironically, many have reluctantly admitted they've "never read the whole Bible," yet, also assured me they "knew enough of it to make an informed decision" and had "done their homework" before coming to the decision to reject "Jesus and the NT."

"Informed decision".... They’ll be trembling on their knees trying to convince YHWH Himself on Judgment Day about their “informed decision” and why they influenced others to reject HIS TRUTH.

Folks, this is the "great falling away!" If you're gullible enough to believe the “counter-missionaries” by rejecting the One who opened your spiritual eyes, in the first place, then you'll surely be vomited from Yeshua's mouth (Rev. 3:16). Better enjoy the life you have left on earth, because Scripture amply warns us about being “lukewarm” and “half-hearted”:

Matthew 10:32. Whoever, therefore, that confesses me before the sons of men, he also I (will confess) before my Father who is in heaven. 33. But whoever denies me before the sons of men, he will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. 34. Do not think that I have come to bring calm on earth. I have not come to bring calm, rather a sword. (AENT)

John 14: 6 Yeshua answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (CJB)

Isaiah 29:13-14: HaShem says: "They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men...the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." (CJB)

Scripture tells us that YHWH is ELOHIM (Genesis 1, 4:26; Exodus 29:46; Numbers 22:6; Joshua 3:7; 1 Kings 8:43, etc.), and that Yeshua was not only His Messiah (Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2, John 3:16, 7:42; Luke 1:26-35, 2:4-7; Matthew 2:1-7, etc. ) but he was also the WORD, which is one of Yeshua’s titles (John 1:1, 17: Acts 11:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Colossians 1:19-25; 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:2).

If you truly believe that the "counter-missionaries" are telling you the truth, then I invite you to check out our website's page containing dozens of articles and HUNDREDS of reasons why they are LYING to you by twisting Scripture.

(Remember, how angry you used to be about "being duped" by your pastors? Well, guess what, dear Yeshua-rejecting Gullibles: You've been duped again! Know why? Because you've been busy "religion hopping" instead of reading the Bible from cover to cover to see what IT says!)

For those hanging out with the counter-missionaries, I pray you'll wake up BEFORE you make the worst mistake of your entire life! Your "eternal life" depends on it:

A word about forgiving and defending a known sinner….

Have you ever noticed how quickly people will rush to forgive known deceivers? I’m talking about deceivers who are busy cheating, lying, committing adultery; those who are abusive drunks or drug addicts, or who are purposely sinning in some other way, who were caught red-handed in their sin, after generally deceiving everyone into thinking they were “godly” men and women…

Unfortunately, most seem to be ready, willing and able to immediately "take them back" the moment they apologize - no matter WHAT they did!

Equally sad is that these same people rushing to forgive known sinners, will also quickly ostracize those who warn others about the sinner, and those who attempt to find two witnesses to help them confront the sinner in hopes of getting him/her back onto YHWH’s Path! (I know this from experience because I once attempted to lead a sister in our former congregation back onto YHWH’s Path, who was committing adultery. Things turned ugly when I approached the other Elders’ wives to help me confront and pray with that sister (whom I had actually already counseled in private). Ultimately, that whole congregation fell apart because the leaders had allowed “the enemy” to gain a foothold….)

People who are quick to forgive sinners (and judge YOU for attempting to step in), clearly don’t know that Scripture commands us to stay completely away from those who purposely sin and refuse correction. (See Deuteronomy 13:4-18; 24:7, to mention just a couple of passages.) Of course, today, we don’t have YHWH Himself commanding us to put the evil-doers to death. (If an evil-doer has been found guilty of a heinous crime, then the justice system will decide what to do with him or her.)

The thing is, we DO have scriptures that tell us to STAY AWAY from people who refuse to walk according to Torah – especially if they refuse any “Matthew 18” correction. We’re not to blindly “forgive and forget” just because they’ve apologized! This holds true especially if the perp was a Messianic or Hebrew Roots teacher. You don’t arbitrarily forgive those who purposely sinned and simply allow them to return to continue teaching, as if nothing ever happened! They’re no longer qualified to teach because they should have KNOWN better!

Matthew 18:15 And if your brother with you is at fault, go rebuke him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16. And if he does not listen to you, take with you one or two others, because of the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word is established. 17. And if he will also not listen to them, tell the congregation. And if he will also not listen to the congregation, let him be to you like a tax collector and like a heathen. (AENT)

Oh sure, they’re “sorry” and asking for forgiveness – because they got caught! But what qualifies them to return to your “friends list” or congregation and expect to continue teaching and preaching to YOU? YHWH expects HIS people to be HOLY, set apart from the world. If you wish to forgive them and allow them to return to “your world,” fine – but they should NOT be allowed to even give the appearance of trying to “teach” anyone….

1 Corinthians 5: 11. But this is what I wrote to you, that you don't mix, if anyone is called a brother, and is a sexual sinner, or avaricious, or an idol-worshipper, or a charlatan, or a drunkard, or rapacious, with him who is such, not even to eat bread.[1] 12. For what business have I to judge them who are without? But those within the body, you judge, 13. and those without, Elohim judges; and remove you the wickedness from among you. (AENT)

NOTE: Breaking of bread, of course, is a timeworn Middle Eastern custom that is done only with family and friends. If you cannot eat with someone (as Peter tried to separate himself in Galatians 2:13), then you cannot associate with them at all. If the sinner was out of the assembly, you were not permitted to persecute them. However, you could, and in fact you must, demand that such a person put away detestable habits if they are to join the assembly and partake of the communal and havdilah meals that Y'shua and his disciples enjoyed.

Here is another dire warning for the “bleeding hearts” who don’t believe in holding people accountable for their actions:

Ezekiel 3:18 If I say to a wicked person, 'You will certainly die'; and you fail to warn him, to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his wicked way and save his life; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death. 19 On the other hand, if you warn the wicked person, and he doesn't turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, then he will still die guilty; but you will have saved your own life.

20 Similarly, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, I will place a stumblingblock before him - he will die; because you failed to warn him, he will die in his sin; his righteous acts which he did will not be remembered; and I will hold you responsible for his death. 21 But if you warn the righteous person that a righteous person should not sin, and he doesn't sin; then he will certainly live, because he took the warning; and you too will have saved your life." (CJB)

If a brother or sister has "fallen from grace," it is our DUTY to speak up and tell them how and why they're "off the mark." This holds true, no matter WHO they are!

Many teachers have "fallen from grace" over the years, yet people continue to promote, and even defend these teachers and their teachings – and they will verbally blast anyone who attempts to tell them otherwise. The truth is, Scripture reveals that "teachers" are held to a higher standard and should be as blameless before YHWH as is humanly possible because they should KNOW Scripture inside-out (James 3:1).

If they've committed sins against Him, it usually turns out to be a "deliberate" sin - for which there is no sin sacrifice! (Please see our article on deliberate sinning.) People who committed deliberate sins during Israel's 40 years in the wilderness, were KILLED because YHWH commanded that HIS people to "rid themselves of such evil from among them."

Yet, today, we seem to be all about "forgiveness" of anything including deliberate sins. That is why churches and synagogues reek with "religiosity." Many insist on watering down the Word and immediately accuse us of “judging” if we dare attempt to rectify a situation.  (This kind of “upside-down” thinking is why humanity keeps getting worse and more vicious, violent and unruly; and why the world is in the bad shape it’s in….)

Many reading this will counter: "But scripture says 'Don't judge, so that you won't be judged'!", quoting Matthew 7:1.

What they fail to do is to continue reading verse 2 where Matthew goes on to say: "For the way you judge others is how you will be judged..."  Judgment is always to be made with Torah as the standard of judgment - not your own interpretation.  Torah is the only measure of sin.  So, when you have pointed out a person's sin according to transgression of Torah, you are not judging according to the world or your own standards; you are judging righteously!

Therefore, if you see a brother or sister who is about to “fall off a cliff” and out of YHWH’s grace – don’t be afraid to tell them, or to warn others whenever that particular sinner refuses correction….

You certainly don’t want to be guilty of having “their blood on your hands” come Judgment Day!

A word about those annoying, off-the-mark memes being passed around on the Internet

I keep seeing memes on the walls of supposed Believers, with comments such as, "My God is greater than any virus, and so I don't have to worry about social distancing or wearing masks!"

MY QUESTION IS: When is it ever okay to "test" God" - the One who CREATED viruses and sends them for a reason?

Not even the Divine Messiah, Yeshua, dared to "test" ADONAI during his time on earth as a human being, so what gives any of us the right to even presume we should dare test Him?

Please read at Matthew 4:1 - 11 where you will see Yeshua didn't do ANYTHING the Adversary commanded or enticed to do - BECAUSE he knew it was WRITTEN in the Torah that one should NEVER "test" ELOHIM!

EXAMPLE:

Matthew 4:5. Then the accuser took him to the Set Apart city and raised him upon the edge of the temple, 6. and said to him, “If you are the son of Elohim, cast yourself down for it is written that his Messengers he commands concerning you, and upon their hands they will bear you up that your foot should not strike upon a rock. (AENT)

What did Yeshua do? Did he brag about who he was, or argue and scream and holler about his "rights"?

NO! He calmly replied: "Again it is written that you will not test Master YHWH your Elohim."

What was he referring to? The Torah - those first five Books of the Bible that contain ALL of ADONAI's original, divine Instructions to His people (which included anyone who accepted Him as their God). In this instance, Yeshua was quoting from Deuteronomy 6, (which was referring back to Exodus 17:1-7).

Deuteronomy 6: 16 Do not put Adonai your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah [testing]. 17 Observe diligently the mitzvot (words, instructions) of Adonai your God, and his instructions and laws which he has given you. 18 You are to do what is right and good in the sight of Adonai, so that things will go well with you.... (CJB)

So, again, my question is:

Where do we mere humans come off pretending WE have the right to "test God" by our refusal to take proper precautions during a pandemic, and propagating memes designed to take others away from biblical TRUTH?

Yom Teruah (Trumpets)/Rosh Hashana (New Year) kicks off tonight!

A reminder that one of God's seven commanded Festivals/Appointed Times kicks off tonight at sunset, making all day tomorrow a High Holy Day.

What is this festival?

It's called Yom Teruah (Trumpets)/Rosh Hashana (New Year), and it is the next one Yeshua will fulfill, as he will return on a future Yom Teruah, when God calls His people together with the sound of a great shofar/trumpet!

For Believers in YHWH/Yeshua/Torah, it is a rehearsal for the day when the bridegroom will come to claim his betrothed. (Judging by everything that's happening in the world today, that won't be too far off. See I Thessalonians 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:50-54.)

Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShana is the first of three Fall festivals. It denotes so many things:

It 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; and a day when YHWH takes stock of all of His Creation, which includes all of humanity.

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.'" (CJB)

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 – in preparation for the next Festival/Appointed Time, which is Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement. (This year, Yom Kippur kicks off at sunset, September 26.)

A warning about Scripture inerrancy

It is always best to have several different Bible versions in your house for comparison, as the numerous Bible versions are fraught with mistranslations and changes, subtractions or additions. Furthermore, many changes occur because copyright laws state that each new Bible version MUST be at least 20 percent different from the others....

It’s one thing for each Bible version to “sound different” from the others; but it’s a real and dangerous problem when the various translators have inserted their own bias and added to, or subtracted from, the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts, THAT IS EDITING the Word of YHWH!

For instance, in the case of the bogus John 8, woman caught in adultery story, this addition made it sound like Yeshua was breaking Torah - which tells us adulterers were to be STONED TO DEATH, not simply released and told not to sin again….

Please read our article on Scripture inerrancy.

Did you know the “woman caught in adultery” story was bogus?

READER COMMENT:

Most Christians that are aware that the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was asked by Yeshua (Jesus)..."Where are thine accusers?" When she realized they had dispersed, Yeshua said to her "Neither do I condemn thee"..."GO AND SIN NO MORE". That wasn't a suggestion but rather a command(ment). Since the death of Jesus who nailed the law to the cross, God doesn't condemn us anymore and therefore we don't have to bother with those 613 commandments today!

OUR RESPONSE:

Actually, that particular little story is nonexistent in the original writings. In later Greek translations a story appears in the text of a woman caught in adultery, which was inserted into John 8 as verses 1-11. The story is nonexistent in the Peshitta and does not appear in the four earliest Greek manuscripts of John.

YHWH definitely does expect us to QUIT sinning once we have the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) inside of us. Unfortunately, many who erroneously insist they can continue to sin because "we are now under grace" don't realize YHWH has certain rules and regulations (Torah) to follow and that those who willfully ignore them will be considered "lukewarm" on Judgment Day (Revelation 3). These include keeping the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Biblical Feasts and eating kosher foods.

Yeshua came to proclaim the Kingdom of YHWH and to do everything His Father commanded. He tore down the fences of man's legalism. Neither He nor His Apostles ever advocated against Torah!

John 12: 44. But Y'shua cried out and said, He who believes in me, it is not in me he does believe, but in Him who sent me. [1] 45. And he who sees me sees Him who sent me! 46. I have come as the light into this world that all who believe in me might not remain in the darkness! 47. And he who hears my words, yet does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I have not come to judge the world but to give life[2] to the world. 48. He who rejects me and does not receive my words, there is something that judges him. The word that I have spoken, it will judge him on the last day. 49. For I have not spoken from my soul, but the Father who sent me. He gave a Commandment to me what I should say and what I should speak. 50. And I know that His commands are eternal life. [3] Therefore, these things that I speak just as my Father told me, thus I speak.[4] (AENT)

[1] Y'shua does not bring a new Faith, but reveals the original Faith of YHWH the Father.

[2] Y'shua proclaims that he came to give life, then he declares that His father's Commands are eternal life! The Father's "Commands" are instruction in righteousness; this is Torah which contains Commandments, Judgments, Testimony and Witness regarding the Kingdom of Elohim. Those who enter into Covenant with Mashiyach are entering into Covenant with his Father YHWH; therefore, it is evil - an outright lie - to teach that Torah is done away with and replaced by a new theology!

[3] The Commands of YHWH bring eternal life. YHWH's "Commands" refers to all of His Commandments; these are one and the same as every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of Elohim. These are not Commands only between Y'shua and His Father but they are universal for all souls who will enter into the Kingdom.

[4] Y'shua speaks the Word of YHWH, not his own words; therefore, he conveys the revelation of YHWH according to the Ruach haKodesh without the baggage of man's religious tradition. Religion has a propensity to reinvent or interpret the Word of YHWH to make it "acceptable" to man's standards; whereas Mashiyach came not to please men, but to honor and bring Glory to his Father.

Reader question about Revelation 11:1-2

READER QUESTION:

I have a question on Revelation 11:2 about why the court of the gentiles is not to be measured. My thinking is we are one in Messiah, so, why is there a need to have a court of the gentiles?

OUR RESPONSE:

This was a really great question!

While we are "one in Messiah," that phrase refers only to those Gentiles (and Jews, actually) who have taken Yeshua as their Messiah (redeemer). 

Revelation 11:1-2 parallels the visions of other prophets, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah.  John eats the scroll (John 10) similar to Ezekiel 1-3. Then  John is to measure the Temple and the altar, similar to Zechariah 2, and count the people worshiping there.

This is a reference to the holy place and those within who are of YHWH. (This would be both Jews and Gentiles who were of YHWH and who were "clean" and worthy of being in the presence of YHWH.)  But outside (verse 2), John is not to measure any area for it has "been given to the Goyim", i.e., the pagans, the unbelievers and those who are not worthy of being in the presence of YHWH.

We are even told the outer court would be given over to the pagans for 42 months.  That matches the 3 1/2 years seen by Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 (a time, times, and half a time) when the pagans were to be allowed to overrun Jerusalem.

So, we must understand the meaning of the "court of the gentiles" to mean the "existence" of man OUTSIDE the presence of YHWH; that is, outside the courtyard of the Temple. They are left to their godlessness, while those inside are preserved, for example, Zechariah 2, specifically 2:5: "says Adonai, 'I will be for her a wall of fire surrounding her; and I will be the glory within her.'"

“How do I keep God’s Shabbats and Holy Days with little children to take care of?”

A Mom with young children recently asked a great question about how to keep Shabbats, including Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement when you have little ones to take care of.

The simple answer: Just use some common sense.

The longer answer is this:

The truth is, a mother’s work is never done. It's impossible to for a Mom to NOT do some "work" on any Shabbat (including Yom Kippur), be they the weekly or the yearly ones - especially when she has very young children.

Life HAS to go on!

(This also means that YOU must take care of YOU. Fast on Yom Kippur, if you can, but don’t put your health and well-being in jeopardy as you spend your day taking care of your children. And by all means, do NOT make your little ones fast. Gradually introduce them to “denying themselves” as they grow older, by – for instance – not allowing them to eat certain things or denying them some video watching on Yom Kippur.)

YHWH didn't mean for any of His Shabbats to be a burden; they are to be joyful days of rest away from your normal, "income-producing" work.

Each of the yearly High Holy Day Shabbats have a special meaning, and as long as you know that and are sincerely doing them to the best of your ability, you won’t be guilty of “breaking” a Shabbat.

So, yes, it’s especially difficult for a housewife to properly keep any Shabbats – unless she has no children and can prepare her food ahead of time (on Fridays or in the days prior to a yearly High Holy Day) and leave the dishes and other housework until after the Shabbat. But, as mentioned above, with small children, life MUST go on!

Therefore, simply employ some common sense and do what you need to do on Shabbat (or High Holy Days, including the upcoming Yom Kippur). Clean up the messes, get your children fed and taken care of, play with them, let them watch some children’s videos, and REST when you can ... while remembering throughout the day to talk to YHWH and thank Him for His blessings, acknowledging that it’s Yom Kippur (or whatever the High Holy Day is at the time).

When the children get older, teach them about Shabbats and what is to be done on each of them (both weekly and yearly). Teach them to clean up their own messes to give their Mom a break, especially on Shabbat. (There's no reason why, for instance, a 10 year old can't clean up their room or their own toaster crumbs or to clear and wipe off the table after putting their dishes in the sink … ANYTHING to help the mother out and make her day’s work a little easier.)

Just remember, YHWH knows whether or not you’re trying, so give yourself a break and do the best you can – but ALWAYS BE SINCERE, because He KNOWS who is truly trying their best, and who is only “halfhearted.”

YHWH’s Shabbats and High Holy Days are hard to keep in a Torah-less world, and really, NOBODY knows exactly “how to do” them. We’re all just doing the best we can.

How to fast on Yom Kippur

For those who want to know “how to fast” on Yom Kippur, fret not. YHWH doesn't expect anyone to put their life in jeopardy!

Those who can do a full fast, stop eating or drinking for 24 hours (except for water). Many choose to do a liquid diet on Yom Kippur, drinking only water and juice, to keep from dehydrating.

For those who are not healthy and/or take lots of medications, it’s probably best to NOT fast at all. Or - at most - give up only one meal during those 24 hours. YHWH won't mind, as long as you try to "deny yourself" of something.

The main thing is to deny yourself of "something" and spend some time in sincere prayer with YHWH, asking forgiveness for anything you did that might have upset Him over the past year. (On Yom Kippur, Bill and I will go to separate rooms to be alone with YHWH and pray.)

Also, if possible, try to reconcile with anyone who hurt you, or whom you might have hurt - but ONLY do it if you know that reconciliation is actually possible, as some relationships are/were toxic and HAD to end. Just forgive them in your heart, and move on. Simply employ your God-given common sense ….

To fast or not to fast on Yom Kippur

Every year at Yom Kippur you'll see arguments about fasting. 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 teaching obedience to HIM, including keeping all the Feasts/Appointed Times – each of which has a special meaning.

While all other Feast times are for celebrating, Yom Kippur is different, because on Yom Kippur YHWH expects 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, which says: "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”…

Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement is just around the corner

This year Yom Kippur begins at sunset on September 26, meaning, the 27^th is a High Holy Day on which we fast and take the day off from work.

Yom Kippur is a Shabbat/High Holy Day on which we fast, repent and bare our souls to YHWH, asking Him to forgive us anything we may have done throughout the year that was not pleasing to Him: This solemn day represents the need for the sacrifice/sin offering that must be made for the sins of the nation.

Yeshua, of course, WAS that "Sacrifice" (actually, "Offering" is a better word, because no one "sacrificed" him; he martyred himself), and he will be recognized for it at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb which may (judging by how close together the Fall Festivals are) take place immediately after Rosh Hashana/the "catching-up of YHWH's people" just BEFORE we all return with Him to fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles, wherein Yeshua will "tabernacle" among us for the next thousand years!

Celebrated on Tishri 10, this mo'ed falls in the September/October time frame. 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."

This Festival represents the need for the sacrifice/sin offering that must be made for the sins of the nation. As the Bible tells us, Messiah shall descend to put to an end the sins of Israel. (Remember, "Israel" includes ALL who believe in and follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!)

At that time the Jews will mourn for the "One who was pierced" and FINALLY recognize that Yeshua was the Messiah, all along! This day will be fulfilled upon the Second Coming of Messiah to the Earth (Matt. 23:37-39, Hos. 5:15 thru 6:1-3, Zech. 13:8,9 Zech. 12:10, Zech. 13:1, Ezek. 16:61-63).

This holy day signals the call for repentance, for the time is short and Judgment is coming upon the Earth - whether people are ready, or not! (See the Books of Daniel and Revelation.)

If you’re the boss, should you allow your employees to work on Shabbat or on the High Holy Days?

Honestly, unless one is a healthcare or some other type of "emergency" worker, YHWH's Sabbaths are not negotiable - especially the "High Holy Days"/Feasts.  The thing is, as hard as it is in our Torah-less society, while your workers might not be Torah observant, YOU are, and it's YOUR business, so you shouldn't "cause anyone to work." 

It’s the same reasoning behind why we aren’t allowed to commit commerce on a Shabbat. YHWH commanded His people to REST from “the worldly activities.” If we go to the movies or a restaurant on Shabbat, we are, in effect not only committing commerce, but causing the money and ticket taker and the cooks and waiters to work “for us” at that point in time.

Same thing with your business/company. Don’t work or cause your employees to work - unless you’re providing medical or some kind of other emergency services. RESTING on Shabbat is not a suggestion; it is a COMMAND.

Scripture tells us we are not even to allow our animals to work on Shabbats:

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

Exodus 31: 13 "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you."

Exodus 31: 16 "Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'"

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

Nehemiah 13: 19 So when the gates of Yerushalayim began to grow dark before Shabbat, I ordered that the doors be shut; and I ordered that they not be reopened until after Shabbat. I put some of my servants in charge of the gates, to see to it that no loads be brought in on Shabbat. 20 The merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Yerushalayim once or twice, 21 until I warned them, "Why are you spending the night by the wall? Do it again, and I'll use force against you!" From then on they stopped coming on Shabbat. 22 Then I ordered the L'vi'im to purify themselves and come and guard the gates, in order to keep the day of Shabbat holy. My God, remember this too for me, and have mercy on me in keeping with the greatness of your grace!

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

Yeshua wasn’t “sacrificed”….

It seems some people are confused about Yeshua’s “sacrifice” on the cross, so I’m going to try to explain in as simple language as possible….

First of all, Yeshua was NOT “sacrificed.” "sacrificing" involves doing a special ritual for a purpose. For instance, performing an actual “sacrifice” was when the priests killed a blemish-free "clean" animal for the purpose of spilling its blood (and smearing some of it on the "horns" of the altar) to atone for the PAST sins of the people for that year:

Leviticus 4:7 “The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before YHWH in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”

(See also Hebrews 9:19-20 which teaches that blood is for atonement.)

Nobody ever said a word about “sacrificing” YHWH’s Messiah - and furthermore, YHWH never expected nor accepted any HUMAN sacrifices!

Yeshua was KILLED – nailed to the stake - for supposedly being a "criminal" and a threat to the Jews because he taught with authority and viewed himself as "equal to God." Nothing says they were killing him to atone for people's past sins, nor did anyone spread his blood on the horns of the altar.

(By the way, notice that this happened on PASSOVER, which reflected the very first Pass-Over in Exodus 12 where the blood of the lambs was substituted to save the people’s firstborn from being killed by the Angel of Death, who “passed over” any house that had the lamb’s blood smeared on their doorposts! AND, Yeshua died at 3 p.m. - exactly when the lambs were slain at that first Pass-Over! (See Mark 15:34.) ALL of ADONAI’s commanded Feasts have specific purposes….)

Anyway, the Jews wanted Yeshua out of the way, and the Romans ended up doing the dirty deed by simply killing him. (They did NOT “sacrifice” him! There was no ritual. They tortured him and nailed him to a cross/stake. He ALLOWED himself to be killed because he knew he HAD to die to redeem those who had accepted YHWH as their God. He “offered himself/martyred himself/sacrificed his own life to become OUR atonement, our redeemer and substitute.)

Now, here’s something very important to remember:

Yeshua only died ONCE to remove our PAST sins, whatever they might have been .... and then those who have accepted YHWH as their God and Yeshua as His Divine Messiah who “sacrificed his life,” were and are expected to turn and repent and sin no more ...

Note I said Yeshua’s death removed our PAST sins! He did NOT die to cleanse us from any present or future intentional sins! In order to remove any intentional sins we commit NOW, he would have to die again and again and again - and that ain't gonna happen!

His death was a one-time, take-it-or-leave-it deal. You are now required to “walk the straight and narrow path” as outlined in TORAH. (In other words, YHWH expects you to LIVE your faith, obeying the commands to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath and all the Feasts, and eating only “clean” foods… all the things that can still be done today.)

The bottom line is that one’s salvation always required that blood substitution or redemption of one nephesh (soul) for another. The possibility of that substitution of an animal at the Temple is gone; it has been replaced by your acceptance that the Messiah died for you, and redeemed you, so you can receive eternal life. THAT is why Yeshua allowed himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter….

This whole thing was basically YHWH's way of saying. "Okay, children, from now on, you don't have to kill innocent animals to atone for your past sins anymore. I'm sending my Messiah to shed his Divine Blood for you - but after that, if you continue in your old sinful ways, you are HOSED! So, either stop the sinning and do your best to OBEY AND LIVE BY MY HOLY COMMANDS, or I will consider you "lukewarm" and "half-hearted" on Judgment Day - and trust Me - there won't be ANY "lukewarm" in Heaven with Me!"