Introducing – Satan shoes!

 

Introducing – Satan shoes!  Yep, the shoes, which contain a drop of human blood in the sole, went on sale Monday for $1,018 per pair. They are decorated with a pentagram and a reference to Luke 10:18, a Bible verse about Satan's fall from heaven. Only 666 pairs were made available, and all were sold out shortly after going on sale.  

Here are a couple of links for you to check out.

Satan shoes: What's the big deal?  

Nike sues over 'Satan Shoes' with human blood


MY RESPONSETO THIS SILLY NONSENSE:

We’re in the end times, people, and there is clearly a HUGE fight going on behind the scenes in the spiritual world.  Satan KNOWS how The Book ends … which is why he is coming on so hard. Unfortunately, most of the world seems to be flocking to him.  Matthew 7:13-14 confirms that truth.

Anyway, the "rapper" who created these shoes, clearly doesn't know how THE BOOK ends. (That's because he, like most of the world, hasn't read the Bible from cover to cover!) His "god" does NOT win! His "god" is a mere CREATED being - someone who used to be the "head angel" .... the most beautiful angel in heaven.

Luke 10:16. And whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you, he rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me. 17. And those seventy whom he had sent out returned with great joy and said to him, “Our Master, even demons were subject to us by Your name!” 18. And He said to them, I did see Satan falling like lightning from heaven. 19. Behold I give authority to you to tread on snakes and scorpions and all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. 20. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that demons are subject to you, rather be glad that your names are written in heaven.  (AENT)

(NOTE: Y’shua has authority in and by his Father’s Name YHWH.  This, then, does not refer to his name according to his humanity, but the power of the promise in his name (YHWH is salvation), the same name as the Father’s (John 17:11).)

I don't know why that "rapper" is so thrilled about Luke 10:18, because that whole passage, in CONTEXT, reveals that anyone who is NOT bound for heaven, has NO CLUE what they are in for!

Satanists and other unbelievers, let's examine that passage, shall we?

"And whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me." The "Him" who sent Messiah Yeshua is the SAME "Him" who created the smart alecky Lucifer, who got too big for his britches and was kicked OUT of heaven for trying to usurp YHWH's power!

“Our Master, even demons were subject to us by Your name!” The demons need to pay VERY close attention to that, because EVERY KNEE will bow when he returns! (Philippians 2:10-11) Do you realize the implication of that? Just in case you don't, let's read the following passage together:

Matthew 8:28 When Yeshua arrived at the other side of the lake, in the Gadarenes’ territory, there came out of the burial caves two men controlled by demons, so violent that no one dared travel on that road. 29 They screamed, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” 30 Now some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 

31 The demons begged him, “If you are going to drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 “All right, go!” he told them. So they came out and went into the pigs, whereupon the entire herd rushed down the hillside into the lake and drowned. 33 The swineherds fled, went off to the town and told the whole story, including what had happened to the demonized men. 34 At this, the whole town came out to meet Yeshua. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their district. (CJB)

You don't mess with Yeshua, buddy!

Back to Luke 10 - and pay really close attention here, because the hidden message for the lost and those who worship YHWH's Adversary is that they will undergo pain and terror like they've never imagined.

20. "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this that demons are subject to you, rather be glad that your names are written in heaven. "

Well, that's an easy one:  Take on YHWH and GUESS WHO WINS!

ADDENDUM:

In response, this sick "rapper" (calling himself Lil Nas X) made a video that LOOKS like he's going to make an apology for this shoe - but a few seconds into it, he can be seen giving a LAP DANCE to satan. I kid you not! All one can do about disgusting kooks like this is to turn them over to YHWH. Not even Yeshua himself tried to fight demons like this. He simply quoted Torah and Psalms....

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (ESV)

Psalm 64:1-10 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear. They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?” ... (ESV)

Psalm 34:16 The face of YHWH is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth

Sending this out to the world today, on Nisan 14, the day Yeshua died….

 

DID YOU KNOW THAT YESHUA DIED TODAY (Nisan 14 on the Hebrew calendar), some two thousand years ago?

I get a little melancholy every year at the advent of Passover, meditating all day on how Yeshua suffered and finally died at 3 p.m. (the ninth hour, approximately the same time the lambs were slain, Matthew 27:46-50); and was buried later that same afternoon (John 19:31). This happened on THIS very day, so long ago…

Oh, the dread he must have felt as the time inched closer for the impending doom of his arrest, torture and ultimate death! How relieved he must have been to draw his final breath as he exited this earthly life, knowing his job in this “fallen world” had finally come to an end.

Scripture reveals how terrified he was in the hours preceding his arrest:

Luke 22:42. And he said, Father if you desire you let this cup pass over me, but not my will, rather let yours be done. 43. Then a Messenger appeared to him from Heaven to strengthen him. 44. And while being in fear, he was praying earnestly and his sweat became like drops of blood. And he fell upon the ground. (AENT)

The truth is, Yeshua knew who he was and what he had to do, and he went along willingly to martyr himself on our behalf, thus becoming our Divine Redeemer:

Matthew 27:45 And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? (MKJV). ** (See also Mark 15:33-34 and Luke 23:44)

NOTE: While the scripture from the MKJV states "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?", such interpretation has led to the false teaching that Yeshua was quoting Psalm 22:1 and that YHWH somehow abandoned Yeshua and left Him on His own. But where Matthew 27:46 in Greek is transliterated "Eli, Eli lama sabachthani", the Peshitta (Aramaic) reads: Eli, Eli lama azbatani - "My God! My God! Why have you spared me?"

There is a very clear difference between "forsaken" and "spared" given the Messiah's situation - hanging from the stake, suffering, ready to die. He was not "deserted" or "forsaken"; rather, He was simply ready to conclude the ordeal and was only questioning why it could not end. Indeed, moments later, Yeshua's body died.

(Please click on this link for an indepth study on What day was Messiah Yeshua resurrected?)

So, wherever you live, celebrate this Feast every year on Nisan 14-15, and remember the sequence of events:

Our sinless Messiah, Yeshua died on Passover, in late afternoon of Nisan 14. He was buried just before sunset, when God’s “day” turned to Nisan 15 – kicking off the week-long Feast of “Unleavened Bread.” (By that time, we must have rid our homes of anything containing leaven, as leaven represents SIN. Yeshua was without sin.)

And most importantly, remember that exactly three days later, YHWH resurrected His Divine Messiah on Nisan 17, as the FIRST of the generations to enter the Kingdom under Yeshua’s redemption - thus fulfilling Firstfruits.

On the day of Passover, remember what our awesome Messiah did, how he suffered and died in horrific ways we can only imagine – a monumental selfless act we could never repay...

Thank You, YHWH, for sending us your Divine Messiah who was the Word (John 1:1, 14) and the Arm (Isaiah 53:1), who is now in Your Presence “sitting at your right hand” (Psalm 110:1, Luke 22:69, Colossians 3:1).

And thank YOU Yeshua, our awesome Redeemer, for your willing sacrifice. We will forever, throughout Eternity, humbly bow down before you with immeasurable love and gratitude. Amen. 

A simple explanation of “Counting the Omer” toward the Feast of Shavuot

NEXT UP: THE COUNTING OF THE OMER, where we physically count the 49 days (right after Passover) to the Feast of Shavuot, beginning after sunset this year (2021) on Sunday, March 28. (See Leviticus 23:15-16.)

“WHAT?” you say.

Well, yes, it’s going to sound a bit confusing and even stressful, as we have many things to do for the next 50 days. But just keep in mind that all of the Shabbats (the weekly, seventh day Sabbath AND all of His seven Feasts) are our “dates” with God! Once you get used to them, you’ll begin to wonder why you never knew this before!

Anyway, here’s a simple explanation of what will happen once the Passover holidays begin and we start looking forward to the very important Feast of Shavuot:

As we explained before, Passover starts on the afternoon of next Saturday (Nisan 14/March 27). Then, right after sunset on that same day (which kicks off the Hebrew calendar date of Nisan 15), we begin to celebrate the High Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread/Hag HaMatzot, which marks the beginning of a seven day period of eating some UNLEAVENED bread daily (with at least one meal), as the leaven is a symbol of “sin” during that time – see I Cor. 5:6-8). (This is why we rid our homes of ANY leaven for this particular Feast.)

Messiah Yeshua fulfilled this Feast when he was buried and became our righteousness (Rom. 6:4, II Cor. 5:21). See also Exodus 23:14-16.

Now, pay close attention because this important:

On 15 Nisan at after SUNSET next Sunday (March 28) – which will be at the END of the FIRST day of Unleavened Bread, you are to start counting the days to Shavuot. This is called “counting the omer” … and you start each night by saying “This is the first day of omer…" (and so on, incrementing the count for the next 49 days, along with some pertinent short scripture passage reading each night, which you can find here: https://therefinersfire.org/Omer_Schedule-2021.pdf.)

The 50th day is the High Holy Day called, Shavuot, which marks both the giving of the Torah AND later in history, the giving of the Holy Spirit (Exodus 34:22). See also our in-depth articles: Counting of the Omer and Shavuot).

The bottom line is, the counting of the days and weeks convey the anticipation of and desire for the Giving of the Torah. In other words, at Passover, the Israelites were freed from their lives of slavery in Egypt; and 50 days later on Shavuot they accepted YHWH's Torah which made them a nation that was set-apart and committed to serving God.

Shavuot was fulfilled by the coming of the promised Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) on the disciples of Yeshua when they were gathered. It represents the beginning of the body of Messiah on Earth, in which ALL believers, redeemed through the blood of Messiah, are lifted up before ADONAI and set apart as holy (Acts 2, John 14:15-18, Ephesians 2:11-22 and the Book of Ruth).

(By the way, the Shavua means “week “in Hebrew, and Shavu'ot is plural, meaning “weeks.” YHWH's people have been, for centuries, counting exactly seven weeks from Passover; 50 days. The number 50 is the number for the Holy Spirit. Yeshua said He would send the Holy Spirit, and He did it on the 50th day after His resurrection. During this time we generally eat dairy products and favorite dishes are cheesecakes and cheese pancakes. In Israel, Shavuot is a state holiday, and a time for pilgrimage to Jerusalem.)

As an aside, the theme of accepting Torah is mirrored by the Book of Ruth, which is to be read on Shavuot. Ruth (King David's great-grandmother and ancestor of Yeshua) is born a Moabite, and becomes the first known convert to Judaism. When her husband dies, she tells her Mother-in-Law Naomi that she will go with her, and accept her people. Ruth says the words, "Your people are my people, and your God is my God." During Shavuot we read Exodus 19:1 thru 20:23; Numbers 28:26-31; Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12.

Some important passages to ponder, as they pertain directly to our world today

Not wishing to sound like “prophets of doom” but here are some things we really need to pay attention to:

Romans 1: 22 Claiming to be wise, they have become fools! 23 In fact, they have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mere images, like a mortal human being, or like birds, animals or reptiles! 24 This is why God has given them up to the vileness of their hearts' lusts, to the shameful misuse of each other's bodies. 25 They have exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, by worshiping and serving created things, rather than the Creator - praised be he for ever. Amen.

26 This is why God has given them up to degrading passions; so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural; 27 and likewise the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion. 28 In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things.

29 They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarreling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God; they are insolent, arrogant and boastful; they plan evil schemes; they disobey their parents; 31 they are brainless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. 32 They know well enough God's righteous decree that people who do such things deserve to die; yet not only do they keep doing them, but they applaud others who do the same. (CJB)

More passages to ponder....

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

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

7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and plagues and earthquakes in different places. 8. But all these things are only the beginning of sorrows. 9. Then they will deliver to afflictions and they will kill you and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10. Then many will stumble and will hate one another and will betray one another.

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

And take a look at this:

Zechariah 13: 7 I will turn my hand against the young ones. 8 In time, throughout that land,” says ADONAI, “two-thirds of those in it will be destroyed — they will die, but one-third will remain. 9 That third part I will bring through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined, I will test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is my people’ and they will say, ‘ADONAI is my God.’” (CJB)

(In the above passage in Zechariah, the word for “fire” in Hebrew is “ba’esh” and means “burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.”)

2 Peter 3 says, in part: 3 First, understand this: during the Last Days, scoffers will come, following their own desires 4 and asking, “Where is this promised ‘coming’ of his? For our fathers have died, and everything goes on just as it has since the beginning of creation.”

5 But, wanting so much to be right about this, they overlook the fact that it was by God’s Word that long ago there were heavens, and there was land which arose out of water and existed between the waters, 6 and that by means of these things the world of that time was flooded with water and destroyed. 7 It is by that same Word that the present heavens and earth, having been preserved, are being kept for fire until the Day of Judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. (CJB)

And let's not forget THIS warning:

Revelation 6: 12. And I looked when he had opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black, like sackcloth of hair; and the whole moon became like blood. 13. And the stars of heaven fell on the earth as a fig-tree casts its unripe figs, when it is shaken by a strong wind. 14. And the heavens separated, as a scroll is rolled up: and all mountains and islands were removed out of their places.

15. And the kings of the earth, and the nobles, and the captains of thousands, and the rich men, and the men of valor, and every servant and free man hid themselves in caves, and in the clefts of the mountains; 16. and they said to the mountains and to the clefts, Fall over us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17. For the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? (AENT)

Revelation 16: 8. And the fourth poured his cup upon the sun: and it was permitted him to scorch men with fire. 9. And men were scorched with great heat; and men blasphemed the name of Elohim who has authority over these plagues; and they did not repent, to give glory to Him. 10. And the fifth poured his cup on the throne of the beast of prey; and his kingdom became darkness; and they gnawed their tongues from pain; 11. and they blasphemed the Elohim of heaven on account of their pains and their ulcers, and did not repent of their deeds. (AENT)

(See also Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 3:15; Matthew 24; Mark 13:24; and Revelation 8:12.)

Now, most are probably sitting in the comfort of their own homes right now, thinking these things won’t happen in their lifetime. But here’s the thing: Read Matthew 24 and the Books of Daniel and Revelation with an open mind and allow the prophesies to sink in.

Have we not been experiencing all kinds of horrific natural disasters bombarding us, one after the other – fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. - all getting ever worse?

Have we not been witnessing mankind, as a whole, becoming more and more evil, decadent and unruly? Have we not been witnessing Muslims “beheading the infidels” (anyone who doesn’t believe their god, Allah)?

These things are ALL outlined in Scripture, which tells us that the end times will be “as in the days of Noah” when YHWH destroyed the earth by water!

Take a look:

Matthew 24: 27 For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noach. 38 Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, taking wives and becoming wives, right up till the day Noach entered the ark; 39 and they didn’t know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes. (CJB)

(For those of you wondering about verse 34 that says: "Truly I say to you, that this tribe will not pass until all these things happen," please go to our website's search engine and type in "Matthew 24 and the interpretation of 'this generation'"...)

Matthew 24: 27. For as the sunshine comes out from the East and is seen even in the West, thus will be the coming of the Son of man. 28. Wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles gather. 29. And immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine its light. And the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 30. And then will be seen the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land mourn, when they will see the Son of man who comes upon the clouds of heaven with great power and glory.

31. And he will send his Messengers with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. 32. Now from the fig tree learn a parable. As soon as its branches become tender and bring forth its leaves, you know that summer has arrived.

33. Thus also when you have seen all these things, know that it has arrived at the door. 34. Truly I say to you, that this tribe will not pass until all these things happen. 35. Heaven and earth may pass, but my word will not pass. 36. About the day and about the hour no man knows, not even the Messengers of heaven, but the Father alone

An explanation of "Fragrant Aroma"

In the Torah reading, Leviticus 1:1-6:1, we read often of the burnt sacrifices as providing a “fragrant aroma” for Adonai (Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17, 2:2, 9, 12, etc.). Some versions instead read: sweet savor, sweet odor, pleasing aroma, soothing fragrance, etc. No matter the version, the implication is clearly that of a burnt offering providing a pleasant smell to YHWH!

Can this understanding be correct that “fragrant aroma” simply means “pleasant smell” the same as it would to a human grilling a steak? (Oh, how I can relate!) The aroma from a steak on a fire is decidedly pleasant; but why would YHWH need to “smell” anything – especially a sacrificed animal, the purpose of which is solemn, to redeem a human sinner, not to “smell good” to anyone - including YHWH?

I’ve long thought that the words we read, “fragrant aroma,” cannot be right and I decided to study it. It turns out that what we read as “fragrant aroma” is actually a Hebrew idiom “re’ach n’yoh’o’ah”; and to understand it, requires a bit of work.

By digging deeper, we discover that the idiom in our Bibles is translated via the most elementary meanings of the two words! A quick check in the concordance on Leviticus 1:9, for example, leads incorrectly to the phrase: “a fragrant aroma for YHWH.”

ריח-ניהוה 

or “re’ach n’yoh’o’ah” or: “pleasant savor” or “sweet smell”.

But the problem is the CONTEXT is missing in the words alone! The context is not simply the burning of meat producing a pleasant smell; it is the death of an innocent animal, giving its life for a sinful human! So, what is the true meaning of “ריח-ניהוה”?

The true meaning, I believe, is found in the root words of the phrase “ריח-ניהוה” (re’ach n’yoh’o’ah) and these are:

רוח

(ruach), which means “to blow” or “breathe”, from which we get “Ruach” or spirit, and

נוח 

(nuach), which means “to rest” or “settle”. 

Thus, the idiom re’ach n’yoh’o’ah, so often mistranslated as “fragrant aroma” is, in fact, closer to: “to transport to rest” or, adding more context: “to transport [the blood offering/the life] to rest [with YHWH].”

When we read in these verses, in English, “a fragrant aroma for YHWH”, we should understand it as “a transport of the life to rest with YHWH.” 

Consequently, the act of burning the sacrifice “transports” the life of the animal into the presence of YHWH and thus, substitutes its life for that of the unclean, sinful human! The sinful human is thus “redeemed”. A “Fragrant aroma” has nothing whatsoever to do with a “pleasant smell.” The actions of a sacrifice are to “transport” the life to YHWH! In this case, the poor, innocent animal’s life had to substitute for the human. 

(In Leviticus 2:2 & 9, the idiom is applied to a grain offering with a caveat. That caveat is that the grain offering is a “אזכרה”, atz’char’ah, or “remembrance or memorial” offering.  So while a grain offering clearly does not transport a life to YHWH, the act of burning the grain offering on the same fire invokes the solemn meaning of the ceremony to remind the offeror that this act is an important part of of one’s life as a child of YHWH.)

The idiom re’ach n’yoh’o’ah is even used in Ephesians 5:2, about the Messiah giving up his life “as a slaughtered sacrifice”.  Clearly, Yeshua was obviously not burned on the altar but the idiom applies nevertheless – his “life” was transported to YHWH as Yeshua was “taken up”. 

Isn’t that amazing?

Sadly, when we read the Bible in our respective languages, we only see words translated by complete strangers – people we don’t know - and we are seldom provided with other possible meanings. When learned rabbis read the scriptures, they look at all possible meanings, and then rule out the ones that don’t make sense. We don’t have that luxury, as most of us don’t know, and aren’t familiar with the Hebrew language, and so, we usually get only the meaning the translator chose – usually in English. This is we are so adamant about begging you to THINK and study, study, study.

Reiterating the seriousness of intentional sinning

Did you know that the committing of deliberate sins disqualifies pastors/leaders …no matter how sorry they are, or how much we have forgiven them?

We've all heard of some congregation leaders who have committed sins of some kind; and, in nearly every case, people were quick to jump on the "it was a mistake and we have forgiven him because we can't judge anyone" bandwagon.

But did you know that is NOT biblical?

First of all, YHWH is the Judge, and His Torah reveals exactly what constitutes sin - which is “transgression of the Torah" (Romans 4:15; 1 John 3:3-6).  YHWH always has, and STILL expects His people to adhere to His Divine Standards for moral, holy living!  There is no "gray area."

Secondly, the "death of Jesus" did NOT absolve us of continued, deliberate sinning.  His death did not give anyone "carte blanche" to do whatever they want and simply expect "the blood of Jesus" to keep covering them AFTER they have accepted YHWH as their ELOHIM, and His Divine Messiah as their Redeemer.

Let's take a look:

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 (NOT deliberate, ongoing 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/continued to be 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” or leader. (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 (because it cannot be reiterated enough) that, unlike the animal sin sacrifices seen in Leviticus which had to be done over and over again - specifically on(Yom Kippur, Yeshua martyred himself once and for all, for our PAST sins. Like those animal sacrifices,  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 (all of whom, as leaders, should KNOW what constitutes sin!) 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.

The importance of keeping YHWH’s Shabbats

Obeying the "Shabbat" REST fulfills the Fourth Commandment (of the Aseret HaDibrot - Ten Words/Commandments) that YHWH spoke to Israel.
Shabbat is a "door" into the Kingdom of Elohim (Matthew 16:19, Isaiah 66:2, Ezekiel 44:24, Zechariah 14:16, etc.).

The Fourth Commandment makes me think of the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet "DALET" - which reminds me of  "Delet" (or "Dehlet"), the word for "door" ... which reminds me of Y'shua, the Word of the Living Elohim, who is ALSO the "Door" or the "Gate" (John 10:9-16).  NOBODY comes to the Father except through THAT Door! (John 14:6)

Please remember that Shabbat is "eternal" and not for "the Jews only,” but for ALL Believers (see Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13)   All true disciples of Y’shua are able to enter into YHWH’s Shabbat as the “Bride” of Mashiyach (Messiah) from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset, according to Revelation 21:9; Hosea 2; Jeremiah 17; Isaiah 56; 58; 62; 66; Ezekiel 46; Psalm 92.

Ever thought about how quickly seemingly innocent song lyrics and can lead you astray?

Ever thought about how quickly seemingly innocent song lyrics and can lead you astray?

I had one of those “eye-opening” moments happen to me recently, when I found myself humming the “catchy little tune” to "Dominique" - a 1963 French language song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as “The Singing Nun.”  (Click here to listen to the song Dominique.)  

The song (also recorded in English, Dutch, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese) is about Saint Dominic, a Castilian Catholic priest and founder of the Dominican Order and patron saint of astronomers.

Being a lover of foreign languages, I had actually memorized some of this popular French language song – but I had always had a “funny feeling” about it, even back then. I now know that the “funny feeling” was the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) warning me to be careful about what I was singing, because that song (while sung by a well-meaning nun who truly believed the lies she had learned at the convent) does NOT reflect God or His Messiah!  As a matter of fact, it takes glory away from both YHWH and Yeshua…

So, when this song, after many decades, recently came to mind, I decided to Google it – and I nearly fell off my chair when I saw the song lyrics in English for the first time in my life.

Here is the English version of “Dominique” (lyrics translated and written by Noël Regney).  Take a really good, hard look at the words, to see how cleverly they mirror the life of Yeshua, without ever mentioning him; and transfer all the credit and glory to this mere, human priest who, at the end of the song, is even being prayed to!

(I have made a few notes on some of the most disturbing passages.)

Dominique, nique, nique, over the land he plods
And sings a little song
Never asking for reward
He just talks about the Lord
He just talks about the Lord

NOTE:  Okay – so far, so good.

At a time when Johnny Lackland
Over England was the King
Dominique was in the backland
Fighting sin like anything

NOTE: According to Wikipedia, “Johnny Lackland” refers to John, King of England from 1199-1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century.

Now a heretic, one day
Among the thorns forced him to crawl
Dominique with just one prayer
Made him hear the good Lord's call

Without horse or fancy wagon
He crossed Europe up and down
Poverty was his companion
As he walked from town to town

To bring back the straying liars
And the lost sheep to the fold
He brought forth the Preaching Friars
Heaven's soldiers, brave and bold

NOTE:  Do the last three stanzas sound familiar?  Do you remember any Apostles or Disciples by the name of “Dominique”?  Yeshua brought “the lost sheep back to the fold” by preaching YHWH’s Torah – as did his Apostles and Disciples with, and after him. Unless Dominique and those “Preaching Friars” taught TORAH, they weren’t true servants of God! YHWH's people don't pray to Mary or any "saints"...

One day, in the budding Order
There was nothing left to eat
Suddenly two angels walked in
With a loaf of bread and meat

Dominique once, in his slumber
Saw the Virgin's coat unfurled
Over Friars without number
Preaching all around the world

NOTE:  Okay, this stanza is downright blasphemous!  First of all, YESHUA was the Messiah; not his human mother!  Secondly, the “Virgin” had other children after Yeshua, and so she did NOT die as a “virgin”; not to mention, since she was ALIVE the day her son was crucified (John 19:26, Matthew 27: 50-53) and there has been no other “rapture” (Matthew 27:50-54). This means Miriam (Mary), is STILL in her grave, and her soul won’t be raised until Yeshua returns! (1 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

(According to Revelation 20:11-15, the final "rapture" of mankind will happen at the end of Yeshua's thousand year reign when we will ALL stand before God on Judgment Day.) Please also read our article, "Why the "Virgin Mary" can't possibly be our intercessor" 

Grant us now, oh Dominique
The grace of love and simple mirth
That we all may help to quicken
Godly life and truth on earth.

NOTE:  A nice prayer, but more blasphemy!  Dominique was just a mere MAN – someone who died, with no power to “grant you anything!  YHWH does all the granting … and He does it on HIS terms!

Folks the above is a perfect example of why Yeshua tells us to “take every thought captive.” (Psalm 141:3, Proverbs 21:23, 2 Corinthians 10:5, etc.)  We must be VERY careful what we think, believe, say, sing, or do, because Scripture commands it.

Reader requests we provide the scripture reference for the “civil new year”….

READER COMMENT:

Where is the scripture reference for the civil new year in your article entitled, Why are there two Jewish New Years?  I don’t base my obedience on what sages say or church doctrine but scripture. Scripture has ONE new year and that is the month of the Aviv - when it’s Passover.

OUR RESPONSE:

Well, actually scripture has ONE new year and it is in Tishri!

Look at it this way: When the exodus began, it was ALREADY the month of the Aviv, (Exodus 12:2), clearly defined by the calendar that already existed (Deuteronomy 16:1) at the time of the exodus. YHWH did not say "change the calendar to this month", instead He said "You are to begin *your* calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you". In Hebrew, this is even clearer as it literally reads: "This new moon is for you the head of the new moons, [it] is the first *for you* for the new moons of the year." The instruction was for the Hebrews to count the years of their freedom from the month of the Aviv, not to CHANGE the calendar which was, and always will be determined by the sun.

We learn later in the Torah that the calendar did not change because what is the year of the shemitah (7th year land sabbath)? It is first mentioned in Exodus 23:10-11 "For six years, you are to sow your land with seed and gather in its harvest. 11 But the seventh year, you are to let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people can eat; and what they leave, the wild animals in the countryside can eat. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove." This is a strong hint that the "year" changes with the agricultural season which end in the Fall and begins in the Fall.

Next, we read that the shemitah year is determined from the month of Tishri for the 50th year, the Yovel or "Jubilee" year is announced on the 10th day of the 7th month of the 50th agricultural year. (Leviticus 25:1-13, specifically verse 9.) The "year" cannot be consecrated in Tishri, if the "year" began way back in the month of the Aviv!

So in these verses we know that 1) the Hebrews were to count months from the month of the Aviv to commemorate their freedom from slavery and 2) that the calendar itself did not change and that year were and still counted from Tishri, the month of the end and beginning of the agricultural year.

So, back to Exodus 12:2. It reads (from the Hebrew): "This new moon is for you the head of the new moons, [it] is the first for you for the new moons of the year." "This new moon" was the new moon of the Aviv, (the "month of Spring") and that month had ALREADY been established as the Month of the Aviv" by the calendar which, for the year, had begun some months earlier.

Since we cannot possibly "declare" a 7th year land Sabbath in the month of the Aviv, when the crops were only just then beginning to sprout, the "year" had to have been established at some other month. I have tried to demonstrate that that month for the "change" of the year was the month of Tishri.

Thus there is in Judaism, "2 new years". The annual "increment" of the year always was and remains in Tishri, but the "years" of the freedom of slavery is counted from the month of the Aviv (modern Nisan). Thus, Tishri is known as the 7th month and Nisan is the 1st month, but the calendar year always increments at the end/beginning of the agricultural season by the sun.

As a side note, it is important to understand that the only thing that changed in Exodus is that YHWH anchored the time or Passover to the time of the year in which the one-and-only exodus began. As I said, it was ALREADY the month of the Aviv, so what YHWH told Moshe was to make sure that Spring happens and then the annual celebration of Passover is done. (Spring, then and now, is the day of the equinox). That ensures that Passover is remembered forever at the right time (Deuteronomy 16:1).

"Anchoring" Passover so Spring comes first simply means that it is the new moon of Nisan that forces the entire calendar to be "fixed", thus, the new moon of Tishri (which remains the month in which the calendar year changes) is simply the 7th new moon from the "month of the Aviv" and is not the "1st month" any more. Nevertheless, I hope it is clear that the calendar year did and still does change at Tishri - the end and renewal of the agricultural season.

What in the world is a "mezuzah?"

Those who have been Torah observant for a while, know what a "mezuzah" is, and probably have one on their door. But for those who don't, you'll find this very interesting:

A mezuzah is a piece of parchment (often contained in a decorative case) inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21). These verses comprise the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael", beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, ADONAI our God, ADONAI is One."

Here is the origin of the mezuzah:

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. 6 These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; 7 and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, 9 and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.(CJB)

Deuteronomy 11: 18 Therefore, you are to store up these words of mine in your heart and in all your being; tie them on your hand as a sign; put them at the front of a headband around your forehead; 19 teach them carefully to your children, talking about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up; 20 and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.... (CJB)

To help remind Believers that YHWH is always with them, they affix a mezuzah to the door frame of their homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9). In that passage, YHWH commands His people to keep His words constantly in our minds and in our hearts by (among other things) writing them on the doorposts of our house.

The case containing the scroll is nailed or affixed usually (but not necessarily!) to the door frame about one third from the top of the door jamb with the top of the Mezuzah at an angle (facing toward the center of the room one is entering.) The reason many affix it at an angle is because the Rabbis couldn't decide whether to attach it horizontally or vertically. No Mezuzah is affixed at the entrance to bathrooms and toilets, for obvious reasons.

When affixing a Mezuzah to your door one recites the prayer:

Hebrew: "Baruch attah YHWH eloheynu melekh ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu likboa m'zuzah"

English: Blessed art Thou, O YHWH our Elohim, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments and commanded us to affix a Mezuzah.

Every time you pass through a door with a Mezuzah on it, you touch the mezuzah. This merely shows your love and respect for YHWH and His Word, and indicates that you have opened the doors of your heart to Him.

Revelation 3: 20 "Behold I have been standing at the door, and I will knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door. I will come in to him, and will dine with him and he with Me."

It is proper to remove a Mezuzah when you move, and in fact, it is usually recommended. If you leave it in place, the subsequent owner may treat it with disrespect.

The Mezuzah is significant for Believers because when we place it on our doorpost it is symbolic of us having Torah written upon our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Proverbs 3:1,3; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26. 27; Romans 2:14, 15; 2 Corinthians 3:3; Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16).

In 2 Corinthians 3:3 Rav Shaul (Rabbi Paul) references Jeremiah 31:33 indicating YHWH has written Torah upon our hearts - therefore we are a spiritual Mezuzah since we become "containers" of YHWH's Torah!

The Mezuzah on the doorpost of our homes displays a powerful message that our household honors YHWH and that it is dedicated to His Torah!

What's the difference between Passover and Yom Kippur?

READER QUESTION:  What's the difference between Passover and Yom Kippur, since Yeshua died on our behalf:

OUR RESPONSE: 

The death of the Messiah represented a REDEMPTION, the necessary "substitution" for us just as the lives of the Hebrews first born were spared by the redeeming blood of the lambs on the evening of the original, and only, "pass-over" (Exodus 12:13). This was a GIFT to those who believed. Notice that even the Egyptians, if they had complied with the command, would have been spared their first-born! All it took was the belief and acceptance of YHWH as their God.

Similarly, the death of the Messiah was a one-time GIFT to those who accepted the offer of his redemption for them, no matter their sins to that point. (That one-time gift remains for us today.)

Yom Kippur, on the other hand, was that one time a year that the Cohen could enter the Holy of Holies to atone for the multiple inadvertent sins of the people for their very lives. Today, Yom Kippur remains our individual time to come to YHWH to repent and make good our personal sins for the year and our sins against others, for we all continue to sin unintentionally even though we remain covered by the Messiah’s blood redemption for us. 

Think about it. At the Passover, the first-born, those who belonged to him (Exodus 13:2), died if the people did not obey YHWH - humans and their animals alike. But at Yom Kippur, it's about what sentient humans have done - their own actions - for which one must seek honest repentance and acquittal.

Thus, the Passover event was the connection to the Messiah dying at that same time of year as the original and only “pass over” - to redeem ALL who have "taken YHWH as their God." We must all be redeemed *by blood* if we are to enter the Kingdom (Leviticus 17:11).

And Yom Kippur remains our annual time of acknowledgment of our shameful, inadvertent sins; otherwise, we must find a way to bring back the animal sacrifices so we can be "redeemed" over and over again, each time we sin unintentionally……

If you’ve never participated in a Passover seder, here’s help!

For those who are new to the idea of Torah, and have never participated in a Passover seder (celebration either at a Messianic synagogue, or your own, at home), we invite you to print off our Passover Haggadah, which sets forth the order of the Passover Seder.

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

Obedience to the command to take a lamb into their homes for a few days and then kill it for the purpose of spreading its blood on the doorposts ensured that their firstborn would be spared the Tenth Curse against Pharoah who refused to let God's enslaved Chosen People leave Egypt. When the Angel of Death passed through the land and saw the blood, he "passed over" those houses and spared the first born within (Exodus 12:1-13).

Exodus 23:14-16: "Three times a year, you are to observe a festival for me. Keep the festival of matzah: for seven days, as I ordered you, you are to eat matzah (unleavened bread) at the time determined in the month of Aviv; for it was in that month that you left Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. Next, the festival of harvest, the firstfruits of your efforts sowing in the field; and last, the festival of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in from the fields the results of your efforts."

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

Yeshua fulfilled this event when he was crucified. However, please note, he was NOT "the Passover Lamb!' Why? Because (1) the original Passover lamb in Egypt was not a "sin "sacrifice"; it was a "substitute", a "redemption"; and (2) no one "sacrificed" Yeshua, as he martyred himself to shed his divine blood on our behalf.

Please read our in-depth explanation of Passover and how to observe it.

Have you ever noticed that Matthew 22:36-39 is often taken out of context?

Have you ever noticed that Matthew 22:36-39 is often taken out of context?

Matthew 22:36. "Teacher, which Commandment in Torah is the greatest?" 37. And Y'shua said to him, that "You should love Master YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind." 38. This is the first and the greatest Commandment. 39. And the second is like it. That "You should love your neighbor as yourself." (AENT)

For some reason, that passage keeps being twisted into the idea that "loving God and your neighbor" is ALL that's expected of you, rendering null and void YHWH's original, Divine Instructions called "Torah."

That is a HUGE mistake, because YHWH's Torah commands are our ONLY blueprint for moral, holy living!  Yet, people will respond with some nonsensical comment such as, "Well, NOBODY can keep all those 613 original commands, and the Bible says if you break one, you've broken them all."

Statements like that reveal that people have completely missed the fact that YHWH never, ever said that EVERYONE had to adhere to "all 613 commands," as MOST of His instructions were directed at the Levite cohens (priests); while some were only for men; some only for women; and some were only for a certain time frame...  (By the way, men numbered them, not Him.)

HOWEVER - and please take note of this:  Some were meant to last FOREVER and for ALL Believers! (See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13.) I'm talking about those verses where YHWH specifically states His people must do something "forever" or "throughout your generations" - such as keeping His Seventh Day Sabbath REST (which is a SIGN between YHWH and those who are HIS, Exodus 31:16-17; Ezekiel 20:11-12), and celebrating His 7 Feasts (i.e., Exodus 12 and 34; Deuteronomy 16:1-8, Leviticus 23:4-8, Numbers 28:16-25, Romans 6:4, II Cor. 5:21, etc.), and eating only "clean" foods … all the things designed to set HIS people apart from "the world."

“But,” some will retort, “the death of Jesus abolished all that on the cross!”

…Nope, it did not!  Please pay close attention to what you are about to read:

It is imperative to remember that, yes, Yeshua WAS and IS “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and that his divine blood redeemed us.  HOWEVER, YHWH’s TORAH did NOT die when Yeshua’s FLESH was “crucified!” If someone refuses to believe that, then perhaps this next sentence might help change their mind:

Since Yeshua was the “Arm” of YHWH (Isaiah 53:1) and the Word of YHWH (John 1:1, 14), and he died on the cross/stake, then the “Word” (Torah) ALSO ROSE AGAIN when he was resurrected!

Isaiah 40:8 says: “Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, but the word of our ELOHIM stands forever. (See 1 Peter 1:24-25.)

While YHWH eventually recorded TEN in stone, we must remember, these ten are just part of the larger picture taken from His Torah, which He said would stand forever. Many people balk at this idea because they are under the erroneous impression that they don't even have to bother even keeping the TEN Commandments anymore (let alone the "613"); but, rather, just TWO.  HUGE MISTAKE!

Let's take a closer look at what Matthew 22 actually says:

Matthew 22:36. "Teacher, which Commandment in Torah is the greatest?" 37. And Y'shua said to him, that "You should love Master YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind." 38. This is the first and the greatest Commandment. 39. And the second is like it. That "You should love your neighbor as yourself." (AENT)

Unfortunately, people always seem to stop right there, totally ignoring the NEXT verse, verse 40, which says:  "On these two commandments HANG Torah and the prophets."

THAT tells us, there is "something more" to this passage!

For instance, does verse 40 imply that all of God's original instructions have been done away with or were somehow replaced? NO! The Torah and the Prophets HANG/ARE DEPENDENT ON those two commands!

There's more to pleasing YHWH than just "loving God and loving your neighbor!" SIN is still sin and God still expects His people to adhere to His Divine Standards for moral, holy living!

The thing is, people love to pick and choose and play around with the commandments that were written in stone - such as, for instance, the Fourth Commandment concerning the seventh-day Sabbath. Christianity has decided that the death of Jesus somehow changed YHWH's Seventh Day Sabbath rest to a church event done on Sunday morning (which is mostly based on the writings of what they THINK Paul wrote); which, more often than not, concentrates on bands and entertainment instead of solid Torah teachings (after all, they believe the "law" is considered a curse!)... after which some go home to mow their lawns and clean their houses, or return to the office to catch up on some work....

It seems mankind has always liked to "pick and choose" when it comes to God's Word, but it's time to realize that the “forever” or “throughout your generations” commands were NEVER abolished ... on the cross, or anywhere else!

2 Timothy 3:16. All Scripture that was written by the Spirit is profitable for instruction and for decisive refutation, and for correction, and for deep extensive learning in righteousness; 17. that the man of Elohim may become perfect and complete for every good work. (AENT)

Responding to a rabbi who insists that “the whole Bible is Torah” and that the entire Bible is about Jesus, and simply believing in Jesus suggests you are Torah observant….

Here's our response to a 24-minute video of Rabbi who insists the whole Bible (not just those five Books of the Bible) are "Torah"; that you are Torah observant by simply “believing in Yeshua”; and that the entire Bible is about Yeshua because he is God:

While Yeshua was “the Word” (John 1:1, 14) and the “arm” (Isaiah 53:1) and as such, a PART OF YHWH, he “alone” was NOT the totality of who “YHWH” is. He is NOT the “whole focus,” as Rabbi Zev Porat asserts. Without YHWH, Yeshua would not exist.

Luke 4: 43 "But he (Yeshua/Jesus) said, "I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (NOTE: He didn’t say he sent himself.)

Luke 8: 1. And it happened after these things that Y'shua was going around in the cities and in the villages and was preaching and declaring the Kingdom of Elohim.

If the entire Bible is “all about Jesus,” where does that leave YHWH - the One who sent Yeshua and to whom Yeshua prayed while on earth? If Yeshua is God, then why were YHWH’s people in the wilderness/desert for FORTY YEARS, being told “there is no other God except for me” (Exodus 20:3; also Isaiah 45:5-6, 21; Psalm 83:18; Mark 12:32, etc.); and WHY do we see HIM calling Himself YHWH, and not “Yeshua, while revealing His Name to Moshe?

Here are YHWH’s words, in black and white:

Exodus 3: 13 And Mosheh said to Elohim, "See, when I come to the children of Yisra'el and say to them, 'The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His Name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, "I am that which I am." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra'el, 'I am has sent me to you.'" (ISR)

NOTE: The Hebrew text reads: ’eyeh ’asher ’eyeh, the word ’eyeh being derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah. This is not His Name, but it is an explanation that leads up to the revelation of His Name in v. 15, namely: .

Exodus 3:15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, "Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra'el, ' Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Yitsh'aq, and the Elohim of Ya'aqob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.' (ISR)

If what Rabbi Porat asserts is true, then YHWH has been toying with us humans over the millennia to keep us confused and fighting about who He is and who His MESSIAH is!

Let’s take a closer look at these assertions:

If Rabbi Porat is correct and Yeshua is ELOHIM/God, then he sent himself to earth, caused himself to be born via a human woman, had his diapers changed, allowed Satan to “tempt” him; and ultimately – while basically sweating bullets - prayed to himself before he died, begging GOD to “take this cup from me”…

John 6: 35. Y'shua said to them, I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger. And whoever believes in me will not ever thirst. 36. But I have said to you that you have seen me, and you do not believe. 37. All who my Father has given to me will come, and whoever comes not to me I will cast outside!

38. For I came down from heaven, not to do my will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. 39. And this is His will, that of Him who sent me, that all that He has given to me I do not lose even one. 40. For this is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in Him, will have life that is eternal. And I will raise him up on the last day.(AENT)

Notice, Yeshua keeps talking about the “will of his Father?” If Yeshua himself is GOD, then how can GOD have a Father? And can GOD can be born and die? How does that make him any different from us mere, filthy human beings who are born into a fallen, sin-laden world?

When Moshe wrote the TORAH (the first 5 Books) there were no “writings or prophets” to complete the Tanach! Therefore, there is a reason why the Writings of Paul and James, and John, and the Gospels are NOT considered part of the Tanakh - they were not written by prophets!

The Gospels are the record of the Messiah's birth and his teachings of and about Torah and why he was sent, and the rest (mostly Paul) are about how we are supposed to understand what Yeshua did and said and how we are to incorporate into our lives. The New Testament is NOT "new" Torah or "more" Torah!

So, how can anyone even suggest that the actual Word of God is not just the 5 Books of Moses (which are the ONLY Books that contain YHWH’s original, Divine Instructions!

YES, the entire Bible applies to us, but ONLY those FIRST FIVE Books contain the INSTRUCTIONS OF YHWH (the “Father” – without whom “Yeshua” would not have existed, much less, become our Divine Messiah)!

Rabbi Porat asks: “How do we follow the Word of God, how do we follow the Torah …. And the definition of Torah, according to the Word of God is the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. If you’re born again, if you’re under the blood of Yeshua (Jesus), if you call upon Yeshua/Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, if you believe that he died on the tree and the cross for your sins, he rose on the third day, and if you repent and believe, you have full redemption of sins, then you, according to the Bible, are Torah observant.”

Sorry but that is downright FALSE! This is the typical Christian dogma, because “just believing in Jesus” is only part of the equation to have eternal life! Take a look at Yeshua’s own words and then continue reading ALL of John 17 on your own:

John 17: 1. Y’shua spoke these things and he lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said My Father the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son might glorify you. 2. Just as you have given him authority over all flesh that whomever You have given him, he will give to him life that is eternal.

3. Now this is life that is eternal, that they might know You, that You are the Elohim of Truth, and he alone whom You have sent, the Mashiyach Y’shua. 4. I have glorified You on earth. The work that You have given to me to do I have finished it. 5. And now glorify me my Father with You in that glory that I had with You from before the world was.

6. I have made Your Name known to the sons of those men whom You had given to me from the world. They were Yours and You have given them to me, and they have kept Your Word. 7. Now they have known that everything that you have given to me I have given to them and they received them. 8. And they know that I have truly proceeded from your presence, and they believe that You have sent me.

9. And I plead for them. It is not for the world I plead; rather, for those whom you have given to me because they are Yours. 10. And everything that is mine is Yours, and Yours is mine and I am glorified by them. 11. Henceforth, I will not be in the world, and these are in the world. And I am coming to Your presence. Kadosh[1] Father, keep them by your Name,[2] that which you have given to me, that they may be one as We are. (AENT)

NOTES:

[1] Kadosh/Set Apart means that YHWH and His Word will never change; we can put our trust in Him knowing He will keep His Word.

[2] A very key passage. Aramaic literally reads that YHWH gave His Name to Y’shua; therefore, he has the Name of his Father within him.

No, sir, the Bible is NOT all about Messiah Yeshua; it is all about YHWH – who handed down His Divine Instructions and sent His MESSIAH to earth in the womb of a virgin! The life of Messiah is only thoroughly discussed in the New Testament, which is approximately the LAST FIFTH of the Bible. Yeshua does not exist without YHWH. That is a fact revealed in Scripture.

SIGH! Those pesky “uncanonized books” just keep being lauded….

If you’re among those who like to insist that we need to use uncanonized books to "fill in the blanks historically, " then please read the following:

There were good reasons for certain books to be left out of the canon!  It’s because they either contained doubtful authenticity, or they had unknown authorship, were of doubtful origins, or were historically or geographically off the mar.  Therefore we don’t have a right to pick and choose what to believe in them.

We simply have to remember, they are NOT part of the Bible for a reason! Yet, many people who find their way to Torah, FLOCK to these books, because they think they contain "secrets" that have been kept from us – one example being that the angel called “Gadreel” is actually Cain’s father… never mind that SCRIPTURE says Adam and Eve had Cain: Genesis 4:1.

The reality is, veering from your study of Scripture to pursue knowledge from those EXTRA-Biblical, UNCANONIZED books, is like coming upon a massive, bloody car pileup on the freeway. No matter how gory, your mind WANTS to see .... and then you have nightmares because you can't un-see people’s brains and guts all over the road.

Unfortunately, most people seem to be conspiracy theorists, drawn to things that aren't necessarily true or are somehow "forbidden knowledge." Reading those books gives people the idea that they're privy to "something they shouldn't know" - and, to them, it becomes way more important than actual Scripture. As a matter of fact, once they start reading those books, they don't even know if they're reading an actual copy of Jasher or Enoch, or whatever, because there are many “fakes” of those books out there….

For instance, let's take a look at the several reasons the Book of Enoch not canonized"

First, we have no authoritative Book of Enoch; rather, we have documents that purport to be the Book of Enoch. It's pseudepigrapha.

Secondly, its calendar is indecipherable being only an agricultural calendar based on the sun, not matching scripture.

Thirdly, it contradicts the canonized scriptures and, honestly, could we have today a "book" written by a man who existed such a long time before the Flood? While we have evidence of some very ancient writings on tablets, few, if any, have been shown to have been written by anyone prior to the flood.

Yes, stories of Enoch circulated in Biblical times. He is even mentioned in Jude 1:14 regarding a prophecy from Enoch. But since Jude was written in the First Century CE, its reference to Enoch is most likely only expressed from oral tradition and not any "Book of Enoch" which is nowhere mentioned in scripture.

The bottom line is this: No matter what the latest scuttlebutt is - Rome did NOT replace everything for its own ends! While Rome attempted to tamper with some things, the Eastern-Aramaic traditions escaped their greedy hands by being preserved in Persia, which was outside their influence. And the Greek actually also didn't fare as totally badly as some had feared either, because we can check it against the Aramaic to make sure.

In the end though, line by line and concept by concept, YHWH has preserved the totality of His Word to mankind. We should never let questions about this line or this version of the text distract us from the big picture, but let the mystery of understanding His Word drive us to appreciate it more and more for the Set-Apart revelation that it is ... without trying to FORCE extra-biblical writings into HIS Word!

How is the Sabbath a “sign”?

READER COMMENT: Referring to the Sabbath being a “sign” I looked up the word ¨sign´, the definition I got was a signal or mark. My question then is, are YAH´s people the ones who keep the sabbaths and the others who are SUN-day worshippers are the ones who are disobiedent and does not keep the sabbath. The scripture say the sabbat is a sign between YHWH and the believers. I need some feedback on this. Thanks.

OUR RESPONSE:

Let’s start with some pertinent scripture passages:

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

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

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

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

Yes, "sign" means, in its narrowest sense, a "signal or mark". Indeed, by this definition, many think a "sign" must be visible. But as used in scripture some 79 times, it means many things including a signal, flag, beacon, evidence, mark, token, etc. What is missed in trying to translate the Hebrew word אוֹת "oth" (sometimes spelled "owt") as "sign" is that אוֹת, (oth), is evidence of something either literally or figuratively. The rainbow (Genesis 9:13) is a literal sign. Observance of the Passover and the Feast of Mazah (Exodus 13:5-9) is a figurative sign.

So "keeping the Sabbath" is a "sign" because YHWH commanded it and we are to do just that as our part of the covenant with Him. No one actually "sees" us "keep the Sabbath", so here the sign is figurative. We "keep the sabbath" when we DON'T do those things we want to do like go to movies or go shopping or watch a sports game, etc. Instead, we set aside the Shabbat as holy, for Him as He asked. So the "sign" is that we keep the Sabbath in our lives. (Isaiah 58:13-14.)

Another example:

Many say the Month cannot be renewed when the moon is in conjunction because when the moon is in conjunction, it can't be seen. They say "How is the moon a sign if you can't see it?" So they think the "sign" of the new month is the sighted crescent. The problem is that they don't realize the when the moon can't be seen, that IS the sign of the new month! This is because the moon is always visible, all month (sometime during every day), except when it is in conjunction. So this is another example of a "figurative" sign. You can't see the moon, but the fact that you can’t see it IS the sign.