"WILL I BE SENT TO HELL IF I DON'T SLEEP IN A TENT FOR A WEEK?"

As unbelievable as it is, some years ago, a woman on Facebook was telling everyone they would go to hell if they didn't spend a week in a tent! 

First of all, NO human being has a right to tell anyone they are "going to hell" if they don't celebrate one of the High Holy Days a certain way.  (Deciding where each of us will spend eternity YHWH's job!)  None of us have Moshe or Yeshua here to tell us exactly "how" to do them.  We can only keep them to the best of our knowledge and ability (hopefully with like-minded friends, relatives and/or a group or congregation).

You can read my indepth response to the above at this article on my website.

In the meantime, let's just concentrate on observing the festival of Sukkot without the stress of "doing it right." Unless we were present in the desert with Moshe who received his instructions directly from YHWH Himself, we cannot truly know whether or not we are "doing it right." The main thing is to "do it!"

Sukkot is not a feast where we are supposed to be made to feel "uncomfortable" or "put out" in any way. It is to be a time of REJOICING! Take a look:

Deuteronomy 16: 13 "You are to keep the festival of Sukkot for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing-floor and winepress. 14 Rejoice at your festival - you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, the L'vi'im, and the foreigners, orphans and widows living among you. 15 Seven days you are to keep the festival for ADONAI your God in the place ADONAI your God will choose, because ADONAI your God will bless you in all your crops and in all your work, so you are to be full of joy!

How do you celebrate Sukkot?

If you can't have a Sukkot gathering in someone's field or having a party in someone's backyard sukkah, then simply pitch a tent and enjoy fellowship!  If you can't build a "temporary dwelling" outside for whatever reason, then simply decorate a spot in the safety of your own home where you can sit, read Scripture, and take at least one meal each day, and just "be" with YHWH.) The trick is to just DO it to get the "feel" of the Leviticus 23:43 experience.

It's a joyous time to participate in, and reflect on, the rich history of God's people and just "be" with YHWH for a week.  Remember that the first and last days of Sukkot are the High Holy Days where no work is to be done. 

Chag sameach! (Happy holiday!)

Proof that Paul was Torah observant

Many insist that Apostle Paul taught against Torah – which, of course, is untrue, as revealed in all of Paul’s teachings, when viewed via the “Hebrew” instead of the “Greek” mindset. As a matter of fact, Paul was "caught" being Torah observant 29 years after Yeshua's death!

How do we know that little fact about Paul?

The answer can be found in Acts 21:20-24; and Acts 24:27 – which reveal that Procurator Felix was replaced ~60 CE, and the events of Acts 21 two years earlier. Assuming the death of Yeshua in ~30 CE, then the events in Act 21 were in the ~29th year after Yeshua's death.

Check it out for yourself:

Acts 21: 20. And when they heard (it) they glorified Elohim. And they said to him: “Our brother, You see how many myriads[1] there are in Judaea who have believed: and these are all zealous for Torah! [2] 21. And it has been told them, of you, that you teach all the Jews that are among the Gentiles to depart from Moshe, by telling them not to circumcise their children, and not to observe the rites of Torah. [3]

22. Now, because they have heard that you have arrived here, 23. do what we tell you. We have four men, who have vowed to purify themselves. 24. Take them, and go and purify yourself with them, and pay the expenses along with them, as they will shave their heads; that every one may know, that what is said against you is false, and that you fulfill and observe Torah. (AENT)

Acts 24: 27. And when two years were fulfilled to him, another governor, whose name was Porcius Festus, came into his place. And Felix, that he might do the Jews a favor, left Paul a prisoner. (AENT)

So, there’s your answer, folks!

Here are some footnotes pertaining to the passages:

[1] Greek murias (myriads) refers to a minimum of 10,000 souls.

[2] Most translations read “zealous for the law”; it is a self-evident truth that myriads of Netzarim followers of Y’shua were also zealous for Torah! The work of the Ruach haKodesh (Set-Apart Spirit) is to write Torah (instructions in righteousness) upon the hearts of YHWH’s people, both Jew and Elohim Fearers.

[3] Attacks against Rav Shaul (Paul) by factions of rabbinical zealots were manifold. Shaul taught that faith and intent of the heart determines whether a person is ready to be circumcised and walk in Torah. At no time did Shaul teach against either circumcision or Torah; however, he opposed the “traditions of the Pharisees” who demanded blind observance to their religious traditions. Shaul required that Gentile converts be taught about covenant and have clear understanding of what they were doing, in relationship to YHWH and His Mashiyach.

To be expected to know and observe complex halakha (collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah; literal meaning: “the way”) at early stages of belief is unacceptable. Both the Pharisees and Netzarim taught that a person must study to develop their understanding and establish the intent in their heart before circumcision, rather than blindly follow the wishes of others.

Only a small group of zealots demanded immediate circumcision, which is something Rav Shaul clearly opposes. It is very evident that Awraham received instruction before his circumcision, and he is the father of Faith for both Jews and Gentiles alike.

WHY DO WE NEED YOM KIPPUR FOR ATONEMENT, SINCE YESHUA DIED TO REMOVE OUR SINS?

Yeshua died to remove our "past sins" - not so that we could continue sinning.  Problem is, we humans do have a tendency to commit inadvertent sin, sometimes, and that's where Yom Kippur comes in.  Any sins we commit today, no matter how inadvertently, are not covered by Yeshua's death, as he died to remove our PAST sins. 

Here's proof:

Numbers 15: 30 "'But an individual who does something wrong intentionally, whether a citizen or a foreigner, is blaspheming ADONAI. That person will be cut off from his people. (CJB)

Hebrews 6: 4. But they who have once descended to immersion and have tasted the gift from heaven and have received the Ruach haKodesh 5. and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the power of the world to come, 6. cannot again sin and a second time be renewed to repentance; or a second time execute him on a stake and insult the Son of Elohim.

7. For the earth that drinks the rain which comes often upon it and produces the herb that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from Elohim. 8. But if it should put forth thorns and briers, it would be discarded and be approaching closely to a curse, and its end would be a conflagration. (AENT)

NOTE: Huge contrast between Aramaic and Greek. The Greek reads: "once having been enlightened..." This "enlightening" seems logical until we look at Aramaic: "But they who have once descended to immersion..." The difference is acute, since baptism is clearly a subject being introduced just two verses earlier. The reason for the Greek redaction to "enlightenment" may well have been due to early Gnostic influence that stressed Mashiyach's knowledge over his actual power and incarnation of Deity. See also Hebrews 10:32.

Hebrews 10: 26 For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only the terrifying prospect of Judgment, or raging fire that will consume the enemies. (CJB)

The above Scripture is not referring to those unclean bondages that dwell in our flesh but to the conscious choices believers make. It refers not to our unintentional sins but to those we pursue knowingly and willingly.

Yom Kippur 2023 is around the corner!

YOM KIPPUR/DAY OF ATONEMENT - THE HOLIEST OF GOD'S APPOINTED TIMES - is once again on the horizon. Celebrated on Tishri 10 (which, this year on our Gregorian calendar begins at sunset on September 24), this "Fall Festival" High Holy Day always falls in the September/October time frame.

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

NOTE: This COMMANDED High Holy Day is not just for the Jews; it is for ALL who have accepted YHWH (can also be written as Yahweh) as their God Most High, and His Divine Son, Messiah Yeshua. (See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13.)

On this solemn day we are to "deny ourselves" (i.e., fast, refrain from work of any kind, and repent and bare our souls to YHWH, asking Him to forgive us anything we may have done throughout the year that was not pleasing to Him).

Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins will not succeed; he who confesses and abandons them will gain mercy. (CJB)

1 John 1:7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other and the blood of Y’shua his Son cleanses us from all our sins. 8. And if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all our iniquity. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not with us. (AENT)

This mo'ed (Appointed Time) also represents the need for the sacrifice/sin offering that must be made for the sins of the nation. As the Bible tells us, Messiah shall descend to put to an end the sins of Israel (Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21) .

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

(TO REITERATE: "Israel" includes not just the Jewish people; but ALL who believe in and follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And yes CHURCH, this includes you, as well. Jesus did not put an end to YHWH's Torah; he offered himself on the cross to remove our "certificate of sin and debt" so that we could enter into the Presence of YHWH.)

IN SHORT - this mo'ed signals the call for "Teshuva" - repentance - for the time is short and Judgment is coming upon the Earth, whether people are ready, or not! (See the Books of Daniel and Revelation.) Teshuvah basically allows us to erase our sins through a four-step process:

ONE: Leave the Sin. Leaving the sin consists of stopping the commission of the sinful act. You cannot do teshuvah if you continue to do the sin - period!

TWO: Regret. Regret is sincerely regretting one's wrong action. You must be genuinely ashamed and embarrassed over your sins. (This is where "God knows your heart" comes into play...)

THREE: Confession Before Yahweh. Confession before Yahweh means confession spoken out loud, in which you formulate in words the commitments and attitudes you have reached in your heart. It should go something like this: "I have sinned, I have done such and such; I deeply regret my actions, and I declare before Yahweh, Who knows my innermost thoughts, that I will never do this sin again."

(Note that this confession is directly to Yahweh. No one needs to confess to an intercessor as Catholics are told.)

FOUR. Acceptance for the Future. Acceptance for the future consists of resolving in your heart never to commit the sin ever again.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT these 4 steps are only for sins committed against Yahweh! For sins committed against a person, you must first ask forgiveness from that person and then ask Yahweh to accept your teshuvah.

And - these four steps are only valid if you do teshuvah AFTER an unintentional sin. You cannot say: "I can do this sin, then do teshuvah and He will forgive me..." It simply doesn't work that way! The Bible tells us that the sin offerings of Leviticus were for unintentional sin. There never was atonement for intentional sin, and there still is no atonement for deliberate sin...

Hebrews 10: 26 "For if we deliberately continue to sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins." (CJB)

The good news is, Torah tells us that no matter how far we stray or how many times we sin, Yahweh will wait for us to return to Him.

Make sure YOU are ready! Your eternal life depends on it...

Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShana is on the horizon once again…

ANOTHER GLORIOUS HIGH HOLY DAY IS ON THE HORIZON: Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashana (Feast of Trumpets/New Year)! This year (2023) Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashana begins at sunset on September 15 and ends at sunset on Saturday, September 16.

The biblical name for this holiday is actually “Yom Teruah” ("day of shouting/blasting"). It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days known as "Days of Awe" as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, kicking off a ten-day period of penitence culminating in the holiest of High Holy Days, known as Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

Why is it so important and what, exactly, makes this day so special?  Let’s begin with this passage, where God Himself commanded it to be observed:

Leviticus 23:23-25 says: And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a rest, a remembrance of blowing of trumpets, a set-apart gathering. 25 ‘You do no servile work, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה.’” (ISR)

Rosh Hashana denotes the Jewish Civil New Year … the creation of the world, according to tradition; the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve and their first actions toward the realization of man's role in the world; of the first sin that was committed and resulting repentance; a day when YHWH takes stock of all of His Creation, which includes all of humanity.

It is also a rehearsal for the day when the bridegroom will come to claim us, his bride, who are betrothed to Him … when Yeshua will return to earth as the “Lion of Judah!”

1 Thessalonians 4: 16. Because our Master (Y'shua) will himself descend from heaven with the mandate and with the voice of the chief Messenger and with the Qarna (trumpet/shofar) of Elohim; and the dead who are in the Mashiyach will first arise; 17. and then we who survive and are alive will be caught up together with them to the clouds to meet our Master (Y'shua) in the air; and so will we be ever with our Master. (AENT)

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. (AENT)

According to tradition, during this time YHWH's people are to concentrate all their efforts into making amends with their brethren and apologizing for past offenses – in preparation for the next Feast, which is Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement.

It is important to note that, judging by the fact that Yeshua has so far fulfilled the first four Appointed Times in sequence, Yom Teruah/Trumpets will be the next one to be fulfilled, because when the trumpets sound, those who have accepted YHWH as their God (along with His Divine Messiah, Yeshua) will be gathered/resurrected (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:50-54).

Halleluyah!