Stop listening to all the various voices telling you whether or not to take the vaccine!

Take the vaccine, my friend! Wear a mask and practice plenty of “social distancing.”  It’s simple common sense, given to us by the Creator who expected us to USE that common sense!  (Chances are, we could have probably already rid ourselves of this dreaded virus IF we had stopped being selfish and belligerent and following those with ear-tickling conspiracy theories!  But no, people just HAD to whine about their rights being taken away because they were expected to stop gathering in groups for a while….)

There is no doubt that, like every other natural disaster, pandemic or disease, etc., COVID was sent by God Himself as a warning to reconcile us back to himself through Teshuvah (Repentance).

Instead of recognizing that fact and trying to keep ourselves protected via common-sense precautionary measures (including masking, sanitizing, hand-washing, social distancing, and yes – taking vaccines designed to help us survive against a deadly VIRUS that basically came out of the blue without any warning, so that we CAN LIVE to have a chance to repent and turn back to Him), we are listening to, and even following the myriad smart-alecks, “armchair experts” and “holier-than-thous” who insist we’re “not trusting God” by doing these things.

If you wish to believe every word that spews forth from the mouths of those self-proclaimed “experts” or conspiracy weirdos, then don’t ever seek out professional medical help or take any pills or shots EVER AGAIN!  If you do, then let everyone on social media KNOW, so they can see what a hypocrite you are…

Be that as it may, I personally am convinced COVID and its ever-evolving variants will NEVER go away BECAUSE of the endless rebellion against “the vaccine and mask wearing” by those who believe COVID is a hoax (or at least nothing to worry about)!  Matter of fact, I’m thinking that perhaps COVID is one of the things that will help to cause 1/3 of the earth’s population to die off (Ezekiel 5:11-13; Zechariah 13; Revelation 6:8; 8:7-12; 9:15-18).

What people don’t get is that they are TESTING God; not “trusting” Him…

YHWH has warned His people since the beginning of mankind about the consequences of ignoring His Divine Instructions (Torah) – and people, since the very beginning, have WITNESSED those consequences -  yet we keep doing the same thing over and over and over ad nauseam. We HAVE access to His Word which tells us exactly how to life healthy, wholesome and safe lives; yet we simply never learn!

Most don’t even realize that we keep reaping what we have been sowing for millennia, and that YHWH is finally unleashing His wrath because we are now in the proverbial “Twelfth Hour” and smack, dab in the middle of the End Times as outlined in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. In other words, HE IS GATHERING HIS PEOPLE, and separating the sheep from the goats!  He is laying low the arrogant, loud-mouthed and rebellious!

People - “the government” isn’t trying to kill you, as so many are claiming! ((f anybody is trying to “kill you” it’s Satan – and boy, is he doing a great job!) 

God authored this pandemic, and the authorities have shown us ways of protecting ourselves from it – yet most refuse. In other words, they are following the advice of godless humans, instead of recognizing that ELOHIM is DONE allowing mankind to continue ruining themselves and the rest of HIS Creation by ignoring His Divine Instructions.

My suggestion – for what it’s worth, is to do everything in your power to prevent being killed by COVID because you can’t be of any use to God if you’re dead. Nobody is guaranteed the next day, but at least, if you manage to stay ALIVE, you can continue to do something you CAN’T if you’re dead – and that is, to help spread the Word of YHWH/Yeshua/Torah … which, after all, is ALL that really matters. (Please read the powerful words of Zechariah 13.)

In Deuteronomy 31:29 we see this dire warning from a dying Moshe:

“… because I know that after my death you will become very corrupt and turn aside from the way that I have ordered you, and that disaster will come upon you in the acharit-hayamim, (end of days) because you will do what ADONAI sees as evil and provoke him by your deeds.”

We have been doing that, in spades!

Humanity (which has been made in YHWH’s Image – Genesis 1:27) has been given lots of freedom, choices and "rights"; but we seem to have forgotten the “personal responsibility” aspect that underpins those things. WE have the RESPONSIBILITY to help stem the tide of the thing that is literally killing us! WE have the RESPONSIBILITY to STOP rebelling against our God-given ability to reason and use common sense during a crisis.

Instead of LISTENING to, and taking advice from actual experts (doctors, virologists, epidemiologists, etc., and trying our best to weed out the kooks among them), most seem to be attracted to, and even seeking out the nonsense spewed forth by the world’s outcasts and rebels who are suggesting that any attempts by authorities to try to contain the pandemic is “mind-control” or an effort to annihilate the human race - or even a way to implant us with a microchip, which they insist is “the mark of the beast”…

SNAP OUT OF IT!  YHWH doesn’t need a man-made thing to be a “mark!”

The bottom line is, people DON'T WANT to obey ANYTHING. Most prefer to be in charge, and to shove their personal opinions down the throats of the entire world!

They keep ignoring the very thing they LOVE to point out, which is, "GOD IS IN CONTROL!"  Yes, He sure is – and He never said He's going to save a godless, Torah-less society from a pandemic that HE SENT to teach us a lesson and to open our eyes to the fact that WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL…

What He DOES want (according to the myriad passages we see throughout the Torah) is for HIS people to use their God-given brains by living according to HIS Divine Instructions which were designed to keep us HOLY so that we AND the land would NOT become defiled through SIN! (Our Torah-less ways continue to RUIN His Creation! We've ruined not only the earth and its atmosphere, but now we're busy sending junk into Outer Space!  Mankind has been VERY destructive!)

Suffice it to say, NOBODY has a "right" to be irresponsible during a worldwide pandemic sent by God, that is designed to awaken us from our slumber. Refusing to cooperate with the common-sense safety precautions is "testing God" … and guess who wins whenever we do that....

On asking Congress to spend the money to “fight diseases”

Today, I watched a short TV interview with basketball great, Magic Johnson, discussing his life after his AIDS/HIV diagnosis. I'm glad to know he's still around, but was very disappointed to hear him say (not surprisingly) that he had implored Congress to "spend money to fight the disease."

What a typical, human response! It seems that whenever we face life-threatening adversity of any kind, we’re always demanding that doctors, epidemiologists, virologists, scientists, and/or the government “DO something to help me beat this thing!”

It never dawns on them to say, “Gosh, this is my own fault, and now I have to live with the consequences; let me see what I can do to remedy this, in order to take care of myself and protect others from having to experience the same fate.”

WHEN is it going to dawn on people that, if they were to get INTO Scripture and live according to Torah (refraining from sexual promiscuity, eating only “clean” foods, and generally taking proper care of our “temples” by refraining from all manner of sin), we wouldn't even have any sexually transmitted diseases ... nor other diseases caused by our respective lifestyles - such as lung cancer caused by smoking, or cirrhosis of the liver caused by an over-abundance of alcohol!

But noooo! It's always, “Somebody, FIND A CURE, quick, so I can continue doing whatever I want ….”

Bottom line: As long as we continue to ignore Torah, we will continue to be plagued by diverse issues. The Bible says so. (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23; 1 Cor 15:42-44; 2 Cor 5:1-4 and 9:6; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 22:4)

Deuteronomy 27: 26: "'A curse on anyone who does not confirm the words of this Torah by putting them into practice.' All the people are to say, 'Amen!' (CJB)

(“All the people” includes ANYONE who has accepted YHWH as their God and Yeshua as His Divine Messiah. (See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13.)

Proverbs 4:2 "I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah!"

And Yeshua said:

Matthew 5: 17 Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened.

(Has "everything happened that must happen," yet?)

Matthew 5:21. It will not be that just anyone who says to me “My master, my master.” Will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, “My master, my master. By your name, have we not prophesied? And by you name have we cast out demons? And by your name have we done many miracles?” 23. And then I will profess to them that from everlasting, I have not known you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity!* (AENT)

NOTE: Psalm 6:8, 9 “workers of iniquity” is a common phrase in the Tanakh. Iniquity is lawlessness (without Torah). “Horror has taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Your Torah.” Psalm 119:53. Each and every teaching of Y’shua is based on Torah.

Torah means instruction in righteousness. To be anti-Torah is to be anti-Mashiyach; therefore every “authority” will be judged according to whether they uphold Torah or not. According to Y’shua, Torah is “the will of My Father.” Matthew 7:21;12:50.

Got a “toxic person” in your life? Dump them and regain your shalom!

Do you have a toxic person in your life, constantly stirring up stress and strife and making your life miserable?  If so, just know that you don’t have to put up with it.  There comes a point when enough is enough!

Sometimes we all need a little reminder of the fact that YHWH never intended our lives to be in constant chaos  - especially those of us who tend to be "too forgiving" of every little thing. Not even Yeshua did that!  He was patient, but he had his limits! 

I mean, how "forgiving" was he of the money-changers who were committing "work" in the Temple on a Shabbat?  (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:17; Luke 14:23; Mark.11:11). The Temple was his own possession and he had a personal interest in what was taking place. (See Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.)  Consequently, the “toxic” folks were dealt with in a timely manner.

There have to be limits to "forgiving" so that, if nothing else, the perps can finally learn to take some responsibility for their actions! All actions have consequences….

Honestly, it’s insane to allow someone to keep us in constant chaos!  YHWH didn't allow Lucifer to continue causing problems in "heaven"; He kicked him completely OUT ... and even turned the tables on him by fixing things so that Lucifer wouldn't simply have a short time of dreading his awful fate for daring to take on THE CREATOR; rather, ol’ Lucifer has had to wait for several MILLENNIA, dreading the horrible end that is lying in wait for him!

Ol' Ratface only has a thousand more years left before he finally meets his fate - and that's why the world is in such an uproar, as he is working overtime to take away as many as he possibly can before that awful day when he will be permanently cast into the Lake of Fire!

Revelation 20:1. And I saw a Messenger that descended from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2. And he seized the dragon, the old serpent, who is the Deceiver and Satan, who seduced the whole habitable world: and he bound him a thousand years. 3. And he cast him into the abyss and closed and sealed upon him; so that he might deceive the nations no more until these thousand years will be completed: but after that, he will be released for but a short time. (AENT)

Revelation 20:7. And when these thousand years will be completed, Satan will be released from his prison; 8. and will go forth to seduce the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog; and to assemble them for battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth and encompassed the camp of the Set Apart believers and the beloved city. And fire came down from Elohim out of heaven and consumed them. 10. And the Accuser who seduced them, was cast into the lake of fire and sulfur, where also were the beast of prey and the false prophet: and they will be tormented, day and night, forever and ever. (AENT)

Pleasing God includes “hearing AND doing.” What is the “doing” part: Obedience to His Divine Instructions (Torah)!

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER DURING THESE “END TIMES” WHICH WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING:

Pleasing God includes “hearing AND doing.” What is the “doing” part: Obedience to His Divine Instructions (Torah).

For those who believe “all those old rules were just for the Jews” – do you honestly believe that He expected “only the Jews” to be holy? Do you honestly believe He sent His Messiah to shed his Divine Blood, so people could “be saved” by simply “believing in Jesus” while continuing their sinful lifestyles and being under the erroneous impression that their “belief in Jesus” forgives everything? (HINT! His blood forgave your PAST sins, not continued, ongoing, deliberate ones…)

Do you see any passages in the New Testament (that last one-fourth of the Bible that constantly refers back to the “OLD Testament”!) that suggest that your “belief in Jesus” allows you to eat “unclean foods”; abuse your body in any way; have idols of any kind; or concoct your own “holy days” while ignoring His commanded Seventh Day Sabbath or the seven Feasts – ALL of which foreshadow Yeshua (Jesus), who has so far fulfilled FOUR of the seven?

Truth is, there are NO passages like that. Paul (who has been very much misunderstood in his attempts to translate deep, Hebrew concepts into other languages) said the following:

Romans 3:29. For, is he the Elohim of the Jews only and not of the Gentiles? No, but of the Gentiles also. Because there is one Elohim who makes righteous the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision by 30. the same faith. 31. Do, we then nullify Torah by faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish Torah. (AENT)

"We ESTABLISH Torah!"

So, the only thing Yeshua’s blood changed was your need to kill innocent animals to atone for your sins. He didn’t come to abolish Torah; he came to give you a chance to start all over again by living according to HIS Divine Instructions!

1 John 2:6 tells us: “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Yeshua did.” And how did he walk? In Torah!!! His death didn’t abolish those instructions, without which we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living!

OUR BODIES are living temples for HIM! (Leviticus 19;28; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20; etc.) We are commanded to take care of those temples by eating only “clean” foods as outlined in Leviticus; keeping ourselves “clean” in body, mind and spirit; and “living right” – according to the Torah instructions.

WE ARE PRIESTS, thanks to the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua!

In light of that, take a look at the passage below to see what YHWH expected of his Cohanim (priests) … and then ponder that passage because, while he was referring to the Levite Priests back then, guess what: WE are now “priests” as well; which means ALL Believers, holy and set apart for Him, must walk according to Torah!

Malachi 2: 1 "Now, cohanim (priests), this command is for you. 2 If you won't listen, if you won't pay attention to honoring my name," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot, "then I will send the curse on you; I will turn your blessings into curses. Yes, I will curse them, because you pay no attention. 3 I will reject your seed; I will throw dung in your faces, the dung from your festival offerings; and you will be carted off with it. 4 Then you will know that I sent you this command to affirm my covenant with Levi," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot. 5 "My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave him these things. It was also one of fear, and he feared me; he was in awe of my name.

6 The true Torah was in his mouth, and no dishonesty was found on his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness and turned many away from sin. 7 A cohen's lips should safeguard knowledge, and people should seek Torah from his mouth, because he is the messenger of ADONAI-Tzva'ot. 8 But you turned away from the path, you caused many to fail in the Torah, you corrupted the covenant of Levi," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot. 9 "Therefore I have in turn made you contemptible and vile before all the people, because you did not keep my ways but were partial in applying the Torah." (CJB)

Since our bodies are now our "temple" and we are priests in His eyes, shouldn't WE take YHWH and His commands seriously? According to the Apostle Peter, we should!

1 Peter 2: 3 For you have tasted that Adonai is good. 4 As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to him, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be cohanim set apart for God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Yeshua the Messiah. (CJB)

1 Peter 2: 9. But you are an elect race, officiating as priests of the Kingdom; a Set Apart people, a redeemed congregation; that you should proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness to his precious light: 10. who formerly were not counted as a people but now are the people of Elohim; and also, there were (once) no mercies on you but now mercies are poured out upon you. 11. My beloved, I entreat you as strangers and pilgrims, separate yourselves from all lusts of the body, for they war against the soul.

12. And let your behavior be honorable before all men; so that they who utter evil speeches against you, may see your good actions and may praise Elohim in the day of trial. 13. And be submissive to all the sons of men, for Elohim's sake; to kings, on account of their authority; 14. and to judges because they are sent by him for the punishment of offenders, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of Elohim, that by your good deeds you may stop the mouth of the foolish who do not know Elohim: 16. As free men, you are not like men who make their freedom a cloak for their wickedness, but as the servants of Elohim. (CJB)

Revelation 1:5 To him, the one who loves us, who has freed us from our sins at the cost of his blood, 6 who has caused us to be a kingdom, that is, cohanim for God, his Father — to him be the glory and the rulership forever and ever. Amen. (CJB)

Please don’t close your ears to this important message, for it determines where you will spend Eternity….

SORRY, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE SAID....

By now you’ve all heard of the deadly tornadoes that recently ripped through Midwest, leaving in their wake nearly 100 dead, along with historic levels of damage.

In the meantime ... Russia is preparing for war against its neighbors, and US/China relations are beyond tense. The Middle East is overrun by all flavors of terrorists, humanity is out of control on many levels and global warming (or perhaps "global WARNING?") is changing the face of our planet.

And all this, amid a world-wide COVID pandemic that is never going to go away because most people can’t be bothered to change their precious lifestyles long enough to force the virus into extinction.

These are just a few of the signs of the end times, folks! Scripture warns us these things would happen. Those with their heads in the sand won’t understand, but I’m here to say, the ONLY thing we can really do is to get ourselves “right” with YHWH now, because we ARE dangerously close to the 12th hour, and nobody is guaranteed the next day….

In my humble opinion, the human race has "tested" God once too often, pushing Him to the limits of His patience. He's surely tired of all the nonsense, the bickering and arguing and rampant selfishness and arrogance. (Just like in the days of Noah....)

Zephaniah 1:18 - Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord's wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth."

Deuteronomy 32:23-25 - I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.

Luke 21:10-12 - There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Revelation 6:7-9 - I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Revelation 18:7-9 - Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

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)

Were any of God’s commands consolidated after the Hebrews entered the Land?

READER QUESTION:

Reading the books of Lev and Deut, I note that in Exodus and Levit there are very many instruction given to the Hebrews  and their hangers on regarding their worship, and their movable Temple. All of this was whilst they were a nomadic group, however, once they prepared to enter the land promised to them and were to commence a settled existence the instructions were coalesced into those in Deut.

To me this means that the instructions in the second teaching (Deut) are the ones Jesus ( Yeshua) was talking about when he said "not one jot or the old law will be changed". Accepting this cuts the 600+ Jewish Laws down to a number that are not burdensome  (1 John 5;3 et seq)

Am I on a correct track?

MY RESPONSE:

Thank you for that great question. You're clearly thinking, and you're almost on the right track, but there is more to it.

Truth is, every command YHWH ever handed to His people was for good reason, but He never revoked any. It's just as my article stated: Most of those "613 commands in the wilderness times were for the Levite priests; some were only for men while others only for women; some were only for a certain point in time; some for Nazirite vows, and 200+ related to the Temple which is not standing to this day (but will be in the future, and the sacrifices will resume – please see my articles: (https://therefinersfire.org/original_commandments1.htm) and https://therefinersfire.org/third_temple.htm).

People also don't realize that the “numbering” of the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments) were more of a man-made tradition rather than an actual "number of commandments" sent down by YHWH. The idea originated in the Talmud which says there are both "positive" and "negative" mitzvot (do's and don'ts) which can be divided into 365 Negative Mitzvot (to remind us not to do bad things every day of the year) plus 248 Positive Mitzvot - for a total of 613).

Similarly, the tzit-tzit (knotted fringes) of the tallit (prayer shawl) are also connected to the 613 commandments. Torah commentator Rashi declared that the number of knots on a tzit-tzit (in its Mishnaic spelling) has the value of 600. When doubled over, each tassel has eight threads and five sets of knots, which totals 13 - for a grand total of 613. This concept reminds tallit wearers of all Torah commandments. (That particular way of tying tzitzit is done by the Ashkenazi Jews.)

IF traditional Jews thought those commands were irrelevant after the Hebrews were sent into the Land, why would they still tie the knots the way they do?

And take a look at this passage:

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, many people stop right there, TOTALLY IGNORING verse 49, which says: “On these two commandments hang Torah and the prophets.”

The Torah and the Prophets HANG/ARE DEPENDENT ON those two commands!

So you see, there's more to it than just "loving God and loving your neighbor,” or trying to figure out ways to circumvent YHWH’s original Divine Instructions. SIN is still sin and God still expects His people to adhere to His Divine Standards for moral, holy living! So, it is important to note that neither YHWH nor His Divine Messiah ever said that the original Torah commands were to be replaced, abolished or somehow consolidated!

I’ve “done my research!” Riiiiiiiight….

It always makes me cringe to see people insisting they’ve “done their research.” More often than not, their “research” consists of some article or video made by someone with an OPINION after supposedly doing THEIR “research”, and gleaning ideas from someone else with an opinion….

I’m reminded of this passage whenever someone arrogantly insists they have “done their research”….

2 Timothy 3: 6. For of them are they who creep into this and that house and captivate the women who are plunged in sins and led away by divers lusts, 7. who are always learning, and can never come to the knowledge of the truth. (AENT)

Always learning, never coming to the knowledge of the truth. WOW! That describes MYRIADS, doesn’t it? While the above speaks about gullible women, it certainly applies to men, as well.

The thing is, everyone has the ability to influence others - who then go out and influence others who influence others, and so on. That’s how rumors and wars get started!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not just talking about the ordinary “Joe off the street” doing the influencing; as there are plenty of people with actual credentials in their respective fields, voicing and sharing their personal OPINIONS. (Truth is, just because someone has a diploma or a degree in their chosen field, doesn’t mean they automatically have “common sense” - which is pretty much a requirement to make it through life properly…).

Be that as it may, OPINIONS are different from actual, scientific proof and knowledge.

For instance, you’ve all seen the push by many self-proclaimed “experts” to get people to stop using what they refer to as “big pharma” (man-made medicines) and start taking only “natural” products to help control or cure whatever ails them.

That’s all fine and dandy. I’m all for “natural” myself. However, the truth is, MYRIADS have been hospitalized or even died BECAUSE they followed someone’s OPINION on social media, concerning natural remedies! (I'm not lying; you can Google it yourself.)

FULL DISCLOSURE: I have to count MYSELF among the gullible, too! With all my knowledge, college education AND common sense, I am guilty of participating in the “natural” kick, too. I always “do my research” AND normally follow instructions because I know that, while “natural” is good – it CAN just as much damage as "big pharma" IF NOT TAKEN PROPERLY!

Notice I said I “normally” follow instructions….

You see, I recently caused myself to land in a local Emergency Room with severe HEART AND BLOOD PRESSURE PROBLEMS (verified via an “abnormal” electrocardiogram) BECAUSE I, in my “great wisdom,” thought I could cure myself of a couple of health issues if I were to increase my daily Zinc and Magnesium dosages.

Problem was, I didn’t bother reading the side effects of an over-abundance of these chemical elements – both of which have a long list of side-effects that include stomach pain, vomiting, an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, breathing difficulties and … cardiac arrest. (In other words, I could have DIED from these "natural" products!)

Well, on my way home – thanking YHWH for keeping me alive that day - I tried to figure out what was going on. I do have heart problems (after all, that’s why I have a pacemaker). But then it hit me … perhaps I had been over-dosing on Zinc and Magnesium?

A quick Google search on the side-effects confirmed it. Lesson learned.

Anyway, I hope you all will get the gist of what I am trying to get across - which is that, along with hard work and diligence, one must use plenty of common sense AND discernment (the kind that only the Ruach haKodesh [Holy Spirit] can provide), when doing one’s “research” on ANYTHING!

We must think PAST our own biases and stop seeking “like-minded people” with opinions that match ours - because reading an article or watching someone’s video does NOT make us “experts” on any given subject!

NO ONE is an expert in the fields of virology, epidemiology, nutrition, biology, or anything else UNLESS they’ve actually taken plenty of college-level courses on a particular subject, where they were forced to STUDY that subject in order to gain an intimate knowledge of it!

(Compare this to the Bible: I mean - does anybody really have a right to discuss (much less TEACH) the Bible if they’ve (1) never read it; or (2) spent their life just reading certain passages or skipping around between the chapters, never actually having bothered to read it FROM COVER TO COVER? Well, the same goes for anything else that we think we have the right to influence others on!)

The bottom line is this:

The Bible gives us plenty of insight about human nature – and what we can know from that insight is that we live in a FALLEN WORLD where bad things happen; AND that many people CATER TO THE ADVERSARY (knowingly or unknowingly – as is hugely evidenced on social media platorms!). And they do it by following whatever “sounds good” or “feels right” to them - erroneously mistaking as "knowledge" whatever they may have read or heard; thus, becoming an instant "expert"...

So, here's my suggestion to keep YOU from following the Adversary:

Don’t ever blindly believe some “cool-sounding” self-proclaimed teacher/preacher; or some fame-and-glory-seeking glutton. Educate yourself and BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE by first studying the Bible, from cover to cover, so you can TRULY come to KNOW our amazing CREATOR and what HE has been trying to teach humanity since the day life was breathed into the first human being.

That “knowledge” – plainly stated – consists of: Don’t be an opinionated fool. Study the Word and obey/live by Abba’s Divine Instructions (Torah). Think, use common sense, and view EVERYTHING through lens of the Ruach BEFORE opening your mouth!

Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge comes easily to someone with discernment. (CJB)

Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom is at rest in a person with discernment, but in fools it has to call attention to itself. (CJB)

Proverbs 17:16 Why would a fool wish to pay for wisdom when he has no desire to learn? (CJB)

A mini-teaching on "righteousness"....

Romans 10:1. My Brothers, The desire of my heart, and my intercession with Elohim for them is that they might have life. 2. For I bear them witness that there is in them a zeal for Elohim; but it is not according to knowledge. 3. For they do not know the righteousness of Elohim, but seek to establish their own righteousness: and, therefore, they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of Elohim.

4. For Mashiyach is the goal of Torah for righteousness to everyone that believes in him. 5. For Moshe describes the righteousness which is by Torah, this way: Whoever will do these things will live by them. 6. But the righteousness which is by faith, says thus: You will not say in your heart, Who ascends to heaven and brings Mashiyach down? 7. Or, Who descends to the abyss of Sheol and brings up Mashiyach from the house of the dead?

8. But what says it? The thing is near to your mouth and to your heart: that is, the Word of Faith which we declare. 9. And if you will confess with your mouth our Master Y’shua, and will believe with your heart that Elohim has raised him from the dead, you will live. 10. For the heart that believes in him is made righteous; and the mouth that confess him is restored to life.

11. For the Scripture says: Everyone that believes in him will not be ashamed. 12. And in this, it discriminates neither Jews nor Gentiles. For there is one, Master YHWH,[1] over them all, who is abundantly generous towards every one that calls on him. 13. For everyone that will call on the name of Master YHWH,[2] will have life. 14. How then will they call on him, in whom they have not believed? Or, how will they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? Or, how will they hear without a preacher? (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The first time in this Epistle where YHWH (MarYah) is used instead of Elohim/Eloah. This verse indicates the ONENESS of the Kingdom of Elohim. ONE YHWH, One Kingship and One People. This is a continuum; NOT a drastic change in Covenant, but a renewal of YHWH’s people unto Himself.

[2] MarYah, as opposed to the Greek kurios, can only refer to YHWH, giving Aramaic a huge interpretive advantage. It is a critical fact, as is pointed out here, that Rav Shaul specifically tells believers to call on the name of YHWH, which is certainly not at all represented by the name “Jesus.”

John 17:11 tells us that the name of Y’shua is of the name YHWH. Before Rav Shaul came to believe, Y’shua had already ascended to the Right Hand of YHWH (Revelation 19:13). Prayer was being offered unto YHWH in the name of Y’shua. Y’shua stated that his mission was to bring glory to His Father YHWH. Y’shua’s name (YHWH is salvation) is accomplishing the salvation of YHWH.

It was also prophetic that the Gentiles would come to know the Name of YHWH, according to Jeremiah 16:19-21: “O YHWH, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto you from the ends of the earth and shall say,

Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is YHWH.”

And, of course, this is to be done according to the Perfect work of Mashiyach!