Yeshua was NOT the “end of the law!'” as many suggest…

First, check out this important and very beautiful phrase that is equally apparent in both Aramaic and in Greek:

"Mashiyach is the end (Gk. telos) of the Torah, so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." Romans 10:4 (NIV)

While telos can mean "end", it is very irresponsible to render it this way due to the flexibility of that term in the receiving language. In English, "end" has two meanings. The first is "termination" which is the majority usage of the word in English. However, we also have phrases such as "the ends do not justify the means." In this case, the lesser-used meaning is that of "goal", which applies in both Greek and English.

The Apostle Paul clearly refers to the Torah itself as "perfect, righteous and good" (Romans 7:12), so it is very foolish to then think that he turns around and teaches the "termination" of Torah. Instead, and as Paul clearly teaches in Galatians 3, Torah is the tutor that instructs and brings people to Mashiyach. Then, when a person understands and accepts the fact that Y'shua is Mashiyach, he (Mashiyach) becomes Torah's goal.

This is also one of the many meanings behind the cryptic remark in Yochanan 1, calling Y'shua the "Word (Torah) made flesh." By extreme contrast, the NIV translation of Romans 10:4 is the exact opposite of what the original texts meant! NIV makes it sound like Paul is a train conductor calling out a stop--"End of the Torah! Everyone get off!"

Furthermore, in certain key Renewed Covenant passages, telos can only mean "goal":

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to Elohim, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the goal (telos) is eternal life." Romans 6:22

"The goal (telos) of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." I Timothy 1:5

"Obtaining as the goal (telos) of your faith the salvation for your souls." 1 Peter 1:9

In Aramaic we find these same verses have the same reading as "goal" with the word saka. Like telos, the context provides the key to realizing the intended meaning. Because Paul continually upholds Torah in every way (Romans 3:31), then "goal" is also very consistent with the rest of his teaching.

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[1] 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,[2] 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,[3] will have life. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] See 1 Timothy 1.

[2] The first time in this Epistle where YHWH (MarYah) is used instead of Elohim/Eloah. This verse indicates the ONENESS of the Malchut 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.

[3] 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!

Do you ever feel like you’ve failed God?

I'M SURE I'M NOT ALONE WHEN I ADMIT I SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE I'VE FAILED GOD SOMEHOW. I tend to feel like that a lot, but on the other hand, that's a GOOD thing, because it reveals that He's constantly on my mind.

Is anybody with me on that? Do YOU ever feel that way? If so, here's a reminder that the Bible is replete with examples of people who sometimes went with their carnal natures.

For instance, take Rav Sha'ul (The Apostle Paul). He seemed to be upset with himself plenty of times whenever he realized that he kept doing those things he knew he shouldn't do; but - like so many of us - he did it, anyway, causing him to be at war with himself...

Romans 7: 12. As a result, Torah is Set Apart; and the Commandment is Set Apart, and righteous, and good. 13. Did that which is good, therefore, become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be seen to be sin, perfected death in me by means of that good (Torah); that sin might the more be condemned by means of the Commandment. 14. For we know, that Torah is spiritual;[1] but I am carnal, and sold to sin. 15. For what I am doing, I do not know: and what I would, I do not perform; but what I hate, that I do. 16. And if I do what I would not, I testify of Torah, that it is right. 17. And then, it is no more I who do that thing, but sin which dwells in me.

(FOOTNOTE 1: Paul says “Torah is spiritual”; therefore, while those without Torah might be very religious, they are not “spiritual” according to Paul and Mashiyach! Mashiyach is the goal and we are to be like him, which means that when our spirits are awakened to Mashiyach we will proceed to welcome Torah to be written upon our hearts.)

18. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) good dwells not: because, to approve the good, is easy for me; but to do it, I am unable. 19. For I do not perform the good which I would perform, but the bad which I would not perform, that I do perform. 20. And if I do what I would not, it is not I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.

21. I find therefore a Torah coinciding with my conscience which agrees to my doing good, whereas evil is near to me. 22. For I rejoice in the Torah of Elohim, in the inner man. 23. But I see another instruction[2] in my members, which wars against the instruction of my conscience and makes me a captive to the instruction of sin which exists in my members.

(FOOTNOTE 2: The Aramaic word "Namusa" could refer to the Tanakh [Old Testament"], particular instruction within Tanakh, or an earthly instruction from the heart of man that may or may not be righteous, as it does here. The key context here is “in my members”; i.e., the flesh.)

24. O, a miserable man, am I! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25. I thank Elohim by means of our Master Y’shua the Mashiyach (I will be rescued.) Now, therefore, in my conscience, I am a servant of the Torah of Elohim; but in my flesh, I am a servant of the instruction of sin.[3] (AENT)

(FOOTNOTE 3: Two instructions; one from YHWH, the other from flesh, are in direct opposition to one another.)

SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT: We are NOT alone in this struggle! As Scripture tells us, we are born into a sinful world, and as a result, we are constantly in a spiritual battle, exercising our God-given RIGHT to choose "whom" we wish to follow...

May we ALL choose that narrow path that leads to LIFE! (Matthew 7:13-14)

How Yeshua fits into the grand scheme of things…

Isn’t it interesting to note how YHWH constantly reached out to His people - and that His stipulations were always the same?

1 Kings 6: 11 Then this word of ADONAI came to Shlomo: 12 "Concerning this house which you are building: if you will live according to my regulations, follow my rulings and observe all my mitzvot and live by them, then I will establish with you my promise that I made to David your father- 13 I will live in it among the people of Isra'el, and I will not abandon my people Isra'el."

Now watch how Yeshua fit into the grand scheme of things!

Hebrews 8: 1. Now the sum of the whole is this; we have a High Priest who is seated on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven: 2. And he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which Elohim has pitched, and not man. 3. For every high priest is established to offer oblations and sacrifices; and therefore, it was proper that this one should also have something to offer.[1] 4. And if he were on earth, he would not be a priest because there are priests (there) who offer gifts[2] in accordance with Torah: 5. (namely) they who minister in the emblem and shadow of the things in heaven: as it was said to Moshe when he was about to build the tabernacle; see and make every thing according to the pattern which was showed you in the mount.

6. But now, Y'shua the Mashiyach has received a ministry which is better than that: as also the covenant of which he is made the Mediator is better, and is given with better promises than the former. 7. For, if the first (covenant) had been faultless, there would have been no place for this second (one).[3] 8. For he rebukes them and says: Behold the days come, says Master YHWH, when I will complete with the family of the house of Israel and with the family of the house of Yehuda, a renewed covenant;[4] 9. not like the covenant which I gave to their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; (and) because they continued not in my covenant, I also rejected them, says Master YHWH.

10. But this is the covenant which I will give to the family of the house of Israel after those days, says Master YHWH: I will put my Torah in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts; and I will be to them a Elohim, and they will be to me a people. 11. And one will not teach his son of the city nor his brother, nor say: You shall know your Master YHWH: because they will all know me, from the youngest of them to the oldest. 12. And I will forgive them their iniquity; and their sins will I remember no more. 13. In that he said a Renewed (Covenant), he made the first old; and that which is old and decaying, is near to disappearing.[5] (AENT)

Footnotes:

[1] The references relate to Torah (instruction) about the priestly services, not the Torah (Revelation at Sinai), even though both are referenced by the same word in both Hebrew and in Aramaic.

[2] Present tense, clearly indicating the Temple in Jerusalem was standing when this Epistle was written.

[3] Most Christians seem to forget that without the first covenant, the second one is impossible! In very short order Rav Shaul will quote Jeremiah 31:31-34, indicating that the Renewed Covenant is a contingency triggered by, and deriving authority from, the first covenant. YHWH declared that the Ancient Covenant He made with Israel was good; it was to bring life, but the people of Israel chose to willfully break this Covenant and treat it as a vain thing. See Deuteronomy 32:46, 47.

[4] Paul makes reference to the Renewed Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) nine times in this letter.

[5] The context is Jeremiah 31:31-34, what is "near to disappearing" is the sinful nature of man that breaks Torah, not the standard of Torah. Remember that we broke Torah, not YHWH. YHWH did not drop the standard of Torah because Israel chose disobedience; rather, He installed a Renewed Covenant to write Torah upon the heart through the work of the Ruach haKodesh, according to Mashiyach.

The fact of the matter is that in Mashiyach, YHWH raised the bar; He magnified Torah; see Isaiah 42:21. Because mankind broke Covenant, YHWH requires complete renovation on our part, not YHWH's part of the Covenant. This verse in its twisted form, became one of the "crown jewels" of Torahless Christianity which teaches that Torah is decaying and is near to disappearing, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Carmen Welker-Leannah’s “out of body experience”

I’ve often been ridiculed by my Jewish brethren for “believing in Jesus.” Being Jewish through my mother and her mother and on down the line, I am constantly told what a fool I am to believe in that “Christian idol.”

Well, the bottom line is, I believe Yeshua is THE Messiah because I’ve seen him!  YHWH showed him to me in December 1971, just before I turned 21, while lying in a three-week coma at the Fort Leonard Wood Hospital, near St. Robert, Missouri.

Yes, some may roll their eyes and chuckle, and even attempt to ridicule me, but – as I’m about to explain - ADONAI gave me absolute proof that I was NOT hallucinating! You see, having come from a horrific background of child abuse and neglect, I wasn’t the least bit “religious”; and all I knew about God and His Messiah consisted only of what I had heard from friends.

I remember when I was approximately 5, my foster grandmother in Germany held me on her lap and told me about God, and I totally and completely believed her. But other than that, I had no clue what to do with God; much less, coming to any realization that I was supposed to live according to His Rules.

Until the day He opened my spiritual eyes when I was 44, I basically I felt that the “God and Jesus idea” was just a crutch for people who couldn’t face life on their own.

Regardless, YHWH kept trying to reach me as the years went on, and He even gave me my own personal “Damascus Road” experience while in a coma at the Fort Leonard Wood Hospital, caused by a ruptured appendix that had been misdiagnosed as flu. (I still have the medical records to prove it.)

Anyway, during those three weeks while comatose, I had two “out-of-body” experiences – both of which defy explanation, revealing events that I could NOT have known on my own. (I have included some scriptures wherever appropriate to make my point that I experienced things I couldn’t possibly have known at the time because I wasn’t a church-goer. I reiterate, these experiences happened just before I turned 21, at which time I had never even read the Bible. I didn’t start reading the Bible until I was 44 years old, when I “got saved” in a small-town Baptist church…)

This is an account of my first “out of body” experience – which ultimately served to PROVE (and is revealed at the end of this article) that  both “experiences” had been REAL:

In this first "experience" I remember my soul (or whatever you call the essence that made me, me) sitting up in my body, staring in confusion at all the tubes and machines and paraphernalia keeping me alive, and I simply decided I had had enough.

Next thing I knew, I had left my body completely, and was “flying” up, up, up through the roof of the hospital, heading down Interstate 44 to Springfield, to visit my adoptive father (with whom I had been living while my then-husband was in Vietnam). I remember wondering why I wanted to see my adoptive father, because that monster had been sexually abusing me from when I first met him at age 9, until age 14 when my mother divorced him. (She never knew he was a pedophile, and I never told her. She was too busy fighting her own demons….)

Anyway, during that "visit" I found “myself” (no body, just an invisible “essence”) hovering in the corner of the ceiling above the dining room table, looking down at my father and his girlfriend, Goldie, who – to my sense of hearing in this strange and unusual state - sounded like they were talking into a barrel. They were sitting there holding hands, and animatedly discussing my father’s plans to sell his cows and buy 300 pigs with which to start a pig farm. (Please remember this part!)

Ironically, while peering down at the couple, I was astounded to discover my lack of emotions for them. Normally, I couldn’t look at Daddy without feeling disgust; but in that moment I didn’t care about him, one way or the other; I was simply glad to know he was okay. And as for Goldie, she was like a surrogate mother with whom I had instantly bonded from the moment we met several years before. But, in my present state, I honestly didn’t feel much of anything for her, either. I didn’t feel much about anything or anyone; rather, I felt more like an observer in this world, just basically passing through.

Believing I had accomplished whatever mission I seemed to be on, I felt compelled to return to my sick body back at Fort Leonard Wood. Although I didn’t necessarily want to go back, I somehow knew I had to; and so when I arrived, I unhesitatingly sat down into myself as if taking a seat in a chair. It seemed a totally natural thing to do. I didn’t think to question this experience at all. I simply knew that I was in another realm and that questioning it would be futile because it wasn’t my place to know anything beyond what I was experiencing.

An account of my second “out of body” experience:

Sometime thereafter – several days later – I again found myself leaving my body behind. This time, I headed for outer space and floated around for what seemed like an eternity. Having no body, no arms, no legs, that “entity” again, I was simply “consciousness” floating on a bed of swiftly moving air. I had no clue why, when or where, and I had no control over anything. I was terrified.

Although I couldn’t see much, I distinctly heard sounds from somewhere below me, on another plane; they were eerie sounds, comprised of a mixture of howling winds and human wailing. In my confusion, I was certain that, whatever I was hearing, I wanted no part of it.

Suddenly, to my great relief, in the darkness, a few meters above me and off to the right, there materialized a silhouetted figure of a man dressed in white robes, standing – or so it appeared – in front of the sun. He was too bright to look at until I was fairly close – perhaps a dozen meters away, which was as close as I ever got.

Whoever he was and however he happened to be there, was totally irrelevant to me at the time. I was just glad to see another human and I tried to “will” myself even closer, but I seemed to be stuck in that dozen or so meters away from him. With pleading eyes, I watched this young, olive-skinned, dark-haired man peer down at me. He had a kind, but very sad smile. He wasn’t very good-looking (Isaiah 53:2); as a matter of fact, I remember thinking in my carnal mind, that he was nobody I ever wanted to date. (Obviously, I still had my limited, carnal mindset at that point!)

Be that as it may, I was no longer alone, and he served as company for me in this huge, strange void, and that is all that mattered to me at that point in time.

“Help me!” I called out to him, somehow communicating via thought waves.

He answered in a foreign language I couldn’t understand (presumably Hebrew or Aramaic since Yeshua was an Israeli Jew … which I didn’t know at the time because I didn’t know who this man was); and much of what he said, was ripped from his lips by the awful howling winds (Holy Spirit?) that seemed to grow in ferocity.   I remember being so disappointed in the knowledge that he had the power to pull me up and out of this strange and scary nothingness, yet he seemed unwilling to do so.

(Now, of course, I understand that he didn’t help me back then because I didn’t know him. I had no clue that he was the “gate” to the Father [John 14:6]. At that time, I had never actually confessed YHWH as ELOHIM or Yeshua as His Mashyiach! [Genesis 1; Psalm 103:8-10; see also Exodus 34:6, 7; Matthew 7:7:13–21; Matthew 18:3; John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 5:13; Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3–4, 54–57, etc.] I knew from my foster grandmother that there was a God – but that is ALL I knew!)

Suddenly, as he continued to talk in that foreign language, the raucous winds shifted and I was blown helplessly in an opposite direction! Horrified, I tried to will myself back, but it was no use; I was completely and utterly helpless. The man briefly reached out for me, shouting something I couldn’t make out. His face reflected a mixture of anguish and sadness as he watched me float further away – but I also got the distinct impression that he (or some power behind him) was sending me away!

My eyes desperately sought his as the chasm between us widened. Soon, there was nothing I could do except to watch him recede into the distance, a silent sentinel among the stars somewhere in the middle of the universe – a human silhouette bursting with bright lights and chained energy….

Just before he completely disappeared from view, something inside me “clicked” and I recognized him! He was Jesus, that guy I had heard about, who got nailed to the cross for going around telling everybody he was the Son of God! Yes, I had heard of him through various “Bible thumpers” I’d met over the years, and also my pedophile adoptive father who proclaimed to be a Christian; but other than that, I hadn’t one iota of a clue as to the history behind the cross.

Shortly thereafter I came out of the coma, and lay there, confused and feeling very HOLY for the next few days. It was an AMAZING experience, because I had never been “holy” before in my entire life! But I had felt SO close to “God” during that time, that I never wanted to leave that bed. I had entire conversations with Him as I lay there, waiting for all my faculties to return. I didn’t really WANT to be in this world anymore, but He refused to let me cross over because there was something He needed me to do. Something He needed me to do…

(I finally figured out what the “something” was, once God opened my “spiritual eyes” to Him and His Divine Messiah, back in January 1995, in a little Baptist church, in Seymour, Missouri. That “something” was ultimately to reach and teach the whole world about YHWH/Yeshua/Torah via a website He caused me to create in 2001, called The Refiner’s Fire!)

Anyway,  once out of my coma. “the world” soon returned and - although I KNEW I had really met “Jesus”, when I finally “became myself” again (feeling heavy and quite “out of place” here on earth), I began to doubt and wonder if all this hadn’t really been just a crazy, vivid dream… (Genesis 3:1-4; John 8:44; Mark 9:24; James 1:5-8; James 1:6; Romans 10:17, etc.)

But then I received "proof positive” that my out of body experiences had been real:

It happened when Goldie, my adoptive father’s girlfriend, came to visit me in the hospital, and I asked her, when she and my father were going to start that pig farm.

At that point, you could have heard that proverbial pin drop as Goldie gawked at me for several long moments, in complete disbelief! When she finally found her voice, she said: “Honey, how did you know that?  We haven’t told anybody, yet…”

My response:  “I HEARD you guys talking about it during an out-of-body experience!”

Let's discuss the enormity of what YHWH accomplished through Moshe and Aharon to liberate His people

 

 

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALL, BUT THE PICTURE ABOVE IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL DEPICTIONS I've ever seen about the multitudes of at least TWO MILLION who came out of Egypt and ultimately passed through the parted sea. How can we know the approximate number of people? Because Exodus 12 gives us a clue by giving us the exact number of MEN only. 

Exodus 12:37 The people of Isra'el traveled from Ra'amses to Sukkot, some six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. 38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. (CJB)

 

Now, add to that the wives and children AND the “mixed crowd that had followed Moshe out of Egypt, and all you can do is guess that they numbered at least around two million. 

 

What’s more, such a huge number of people (along with their flocks and herds) could NOT possibly have traveled across the many miles to the sea and then crossed the sea in a short amount of time! 

 

Why? Well, consider this: 

 

Let's say the 2 million traveled, five families abreast, and that they could all walk briskly, 3 miles an hour. (Four miles per hour is a VERY fast pace, considerably faster than a normal walking speed, so 3 miles per hour is a more reasonable, yet "brisk" pace to use in this estimate.) 

 

Further, let's say the families are clustered together, rows of families 10 feet apart. This means, we have a line, 5 families wide; 120,000 families long, which stretches 227 miles!

 

Please take some time to ponder this mind-blowing feat on the very first "Pass-Over," to grasp the enormity of what YHWH accomplished through Moshe and Aharon to liberate His people after 430 years of captivity...

 

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE NAME OF MESSIAH “YESHUA” CONTAINS HIS FATHER’S NAME WITHIN HIS OWN?

The Torah gives us a hint:

Exodus 23: 20 "I am sending a messenger ahead of you to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him, listen to what he says and do not rebel against him; because he will not forgive any wrongdoing of yours, since my name resides in him. 22 But if you listen to what he says and do everything I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. (CJB)

This cannot be just any "messenger"; it has to be Yeshua! Why?

Because of all the heavenly beings in ADONAI ELOHIM’s Realm, ONLY Yeshua has the power to "forgive"; and ONLY Yeshua has His Father's NAME residing within His own Name! (“Yeshua” means "Yahweh is Salvation" in Hebrew!)

All other heavenly beings (angels, messengers) simply contain the shortened TITLE of “ELOHIM” (God) within their own names.

Here are some names of YHWH’s angels/messengers, along with their meanings:

• MichaEL (meaning, "who is like Elohim?") performs acts of justice and power.

• GabriEL (meaning, "the strength of Elohim") performs YHWH's kindness.

• RaphaEL (meaning, "Elohim heals") YHWH's healing force.

HOW THE SINS OF THE FATHER ARE PASSED DOWN TO THEIR CHILDREN…

While having a snack with my husband at a local coffee shop recently, I noticed a man sitting at a nearby table with a curly-haired little boy sporting a pony tail. The father made absolutely no effort to converse with, or entertain the child in any way. He just sat there, ignoring him while casting occasional frustrated glances around the room, and at the overhead television set. (It seemed to me, he was apparently waiting for his wife to return from grocery shopping, next door.)

All the while, the child, having nothing to keep himself occupied, sat silently in his chair, squirming around a bit in obvious boredom. After some minutes, casting a furtive glance at his Dad, I watched him reach for a large notebook-type zipper bag lying at the edge of the table, to remove something that resembled a pamphlet or small magazine, which he then quietly began to peruse.

For some reason, this angered the father, who promptly jerked the pamphlet out of the child’s hand and began to grill him as to why he did that. This went on for at least a minute or more, while the little boy, terror splashed across his countenance, kept shrugging his shoulders, clearly unable to come up with a response.

(While I couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, I surmised that, that is what was happening, because I grew up in a household with a mean-spirited, control-freak adoptive father, who was always yelling and screaming and forcing me and my little brother to “explain why” we were doing something, and then – when we couldn’t come up with an instant response - he would thump us on the forehead with his knuckles, or grab us by the shoulders, fingers digging in with a vice-like grip, in hopes of shaking an answer out of us …)

Anyway, when the little boy couldn’t answer, the man angrily shoved the pamphlet back into the zipper bag with a force, and shook his head, as if to leave no doubt in the child’s mind that he was a stupid and worthless troublemaker.

At that point, I had seen enough, and decided to do something for that poor little boy who sat there, quaking, dejectedly looking down at his hands, clearly not knowing what to else to do. So, I quickly took a pen from my purse, grabbed a napkin, and drew a little puppy on it, and – taking a deep breath to steady my nerves - made my way over to their table.

“Hello,” I said sweetly, giving the father and little boy a big smile, while holding up the napkin for them to see. “Sorry to bother you,” I said, looking at the father, “but I couldn’t help noticing what a gorgeous child you have, and was wondering if it would be okay for me to give him this little puppy to maybe try to copy or color in with a pen or pencil, or something? He looks so bored.”

The man stared blankly at me for a second, then forced a thin smile and nodded.

Now, I didn’t know this man from Adam, but I could sense that he had a mean, cold spirit, and so, to keep him from becoming angry at the thought that I was just some meddling old lady who had overheard him reprimanding his son, I decided to employ a little psychology, to keep him from taking it out on the little boy.

“Your little boy is simply adorable,” I said sweetly, looking him straight in the eye.  “He looks just like you.  How old is he?”

“Four,” the man replied with a smile that no longer looked forced.

“Well, he’s such a good, well-behaved little boy.  You must be SO proud of him!”

With another big smile at that little boy, I said goodbye and turned to rejoin my husband at our own table, fervently saying a silent prayer that my actions had given that little boy a small spark of hope and happiness … and that I had, perhaps, sowed at least a tiny seed in the father to help him realize what a Shmuck he was...

HERE IS THE GIST OF MY STORY: Without going into any deep, psychological discourse, the simple and common-sense truth is that our own behavior patterns determine whether or not our families end up blessed or cursed! The Bible tells us what God considers “good” or “bad.” Example:

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things. ²⁴ Moreover, those who belong to the Messiah Yeshua have put their old nature to death on the stake, along with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since it is through the Spirit that we have Life, let it also be through the Spirit that we order our lives day by day. (CJB)

The bottom line is: Little children NEED love and attention. They are like little sponges, constantly absorbing everything around them – both good and bad. If what they see and/or experience is goodness, kindness, gentleness, healthy family relationships, and everything that God considers GOOD, then they will normally follow suit, growing into happy, healthy, GOOD adults who will ultimately pass those traits into their own children.

But if they experience the kind of parent I witnessed at that coffee shop, chances are, they will tend to become that proverbial “chip off the ol’ block,” behaving just like their parents and becoming abusive adults who pass on all those negative traits on to their own children and grandchildren … thus causing them to live in SIN:

Deuteronomy 5:9 … for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot. (CJB)

Exodus 34:5 ADONAI descended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name of Adonai. ⁶ Adonai passed before him and proclaimed: “YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations.” (CJB)

In other words: The sins of the fathers are punished in the children through becoming the sins of the children. (Exodus 20:5; Numbers 14:18)

The generations to come who experience the penalty of the fathers’ sins are those who hate ELOHIM– meaning, they are either atheists or “lukewarm,” and refusing to live according to His Divine Instructions in Righteousness (Torah); nor follow the examples of YHWH’s Divine Messiah, Yeshua.

When the father’s sins are visited on the children it is because the children are sinful – in large part, BECAUSE their formative years were filled with abuse and/or endless negativity, something that was permanently “embedded” in them, and which they never even recognized in themselves so that they could bring about change.

HOWEVER, the good news is, because of God’s grace, through Messiah, whenever children recognize these traits in themselves, they CAN confess their own sins, which means the sins of their fathers and be forgiven and accepted by ADONAI.

Once they confess their misdeeds/iniquity along with those of their fathers, their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they are able to make amends, then YHWH will remember His covenant with Ya’akov” (Leviticus 26:39-42). This means that the words of Exodus 34:5-7 are NOT nullified by the generational migration of sin! (Exodus 34:5-7)

IN CLOSING, I WOULD ASK YOU TO HELP ME PRAY for this poor little boy I encountered at the coffee shop. It was so obvious to me that he is stuck in an abusive relationship that will ultimately cause him to behave the same way his father behaved. Please pray for the father’s heart to be softened towards his child/children so that the whole family can be healed and become everything ADONAI wants them to be….

A true story about how I was prompted into taking the Shabbat seriously…

The following conversation actually took place one Saturday afternoon in 2008 when I found myself, as usual, at a restaurant, after the weekly Shabbat service, to have lunch with my Messianic Rabbi and other members of the congregation.

At one point, I said loudly, in front of everyone seated at the table, “Guys, I’m starting to feel really guilty about going out to eat in restaurants on Shabbat. I don’t think we’re supposed to be doing this!”

There was a pregnant silence as all eyes fell on me. Finally, our Messianic Rabbi, breaking into laughter, replied, “Aren’t we allowed to eat on Shabbat, Carmen?”

“Yes, of course,” I said, “but not in a restaurant. The Torah tells us we are not supposed to work, cause others work, or commit commerce on Shabbat – which is exactly what we’re doing.”

He stared at me in disbelief for a long moment, then shook his head and emitted a little chuckle while pulling a credit card from his wallet to hold it up for all to see:

“Carmen, listen,” he said. “First of all, we’re not causing anyone to work – they’re here working today, anyway, whether we are here or not. And secondly, I’m not committing commerce because I’m using a credit card, which is basically not money; but rather, a PROMISE to pay.”

There were more scattered giggles as I felt my face flush. What he said made sense, but I also knew I wasn’t wrong in this, because I had been diligently studying all the pertinent scriptures, and they were clear: no commerce nor work nor causing anyone to work on Shabbat... Passages such as the following that were clear about the fact that ALL God’s people were to honor the Seventh Day Sabbath which God sees as “holy” in His eyes:

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

Nehemiah 10:31 "If the peoples of the lands bring merchandise or food to sell on Shabbat, we will not buy from them on Shabbat or on a holy day. (CJB)

When I finally found my voice, I reminded the Rabbi that credit cards ARE immediate payment, which meant that this definitely WAS an act of commerce.

“Okay, okay, Carmen,” he replied, raising his hand as if to shut me down. “Believe as you wish. But like I said, this restaurant is open on Saturdays, and people are obviously ‘working’ here because they’re not Torah observant, and so we are NOT ‘causing’ them work. They work here of their own accord – so where is the harm or the crime?”

I remember sitting there for some moments, while my mind scrambled to form a coherent response. Finally, I said, “Look, the fact of the matter is that while ‘they’ might not be Torah observant, WE are … and Scripture commands US to be holy and set apart, and to commit no commerce nor cause anyone to work on Shabbat.

"Even the farm animals are to rest on Shabbat. Each one of us sitting here at this table proclaim to be Torah observant, yet we have just asked someone to take our order to have someone else COOK and SERVE the food, and then to clean up after us. I’m sorry, but to me, is says WE are guilty of not keeping the Shabbat holy.”

The Rabbi stared at me for a long time, speechless, clearly perturbed. I had obviously hit upon something that had never occurred to him before, and he didn’t like it.

“No,” he replied curtly. “I think you are reaching for straws here. But if you don’t want to join us for lunch on Shabbat anymore, that is up to you. It’s your choice.”

Recognizing I had “stirred up a hornet’s nest,” I smiled, stood up and then bent down to give the Rabbi a quick hug, and left the restaurant, knowing that, no matter how much heckling the future might bring concerning this issue, this was the last time I would ever enter a restaurant (or any other store, movie theater, or business) on Shabbat. The LAST thing I ever wanted to be guilty of was being “lukewarm” – which is what people are when they “pick and choose” which commands to follow…

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.'" (CJB)

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. (CJB)

Isaiah 58:13 If you hold back your foot on Shabbat from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call Shabbat a delight, ADONAI'S holy day, worth honoring; then honor it by not doing your usual things or pursuing your interests or speaking about them. 14 If you do, you will find delight in ADONAI - I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Ya'akov, for the mouth of ADONAI has spoken." (CJB)

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

Mark 11:15 And Y’shua entered the temple of Elohim and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the money changers, and the seats of those who were selling doves. 16. And he would not allow anyone to carry possessions inside the temple. (AENT)

DO YOU TRULY KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN MESSIAH?

Have you ever really pondered who you are in Messiah?

I was born Jewish through my mother and grandmother, and on down the line.  However, when I was a child, my mother, in our post-War Germany, always said, "Don't ever tell anybody you're a Jew, because they KILL Jews!" 

Today, knowing “who” I am, makes me smile, because – even if someone were to “kill me,” it’s not the worst thing that could happen, because once I die and get out of this “earth suit,” the moment my eyes open in my “forever body,” I will be looking straight into the eyes of Yeshua!)

Galatians tells us the following:

Galatians 3:26 For in union with the Messiah, you are all children of God through this trusting faithfulness; 27 because as many of you as were immersed into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah, in whom 28 there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. 29 Also, if you belong to the Messiah, you are seed of Avraham and heirs according to the promise. (CJB)

So you see, it doesn’t matter “who” you are, or what you look like, or whatever gender or color you are -  the bottom line is, you are no longer a “Gentile” once you have accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His Messiah. You are ONE in Messiah!

NEED MORE PROOF?

Take a look at Genesis 12 where Avram [later renamed Avraham], the pagan Chaldean, became a "Hebrew" [which, in Hebrew, means "to cross over"], when he accepted YHWH as his God, and physically crossed over into the land YHWH commanded.)

Genesis 12: 1 Now ADONAI said to Avram, "Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (CJB)

Avram became a "Hebrew" the moment he accepted YHWH and "crossed over" both spiritually and physically, leaving his own country and starting the journey to begin living his life according to YHWH's Divine Instructions. (See Genesis 14:13).

So, if you have accepted YHWH as your ELOHIM and Yeshua as His Son, and Divine Messiah, you too, can now call yourself a "Hebrew" if you wish because you are NOT a "Gentile" anymore, as Gentile means (among other things) "pagan" or "of or relating to the nations at large as distinguished from the Jews"...

Once you become a "believer," you are are no longer "of the nations"; and are therefore required to leave "religion" and "religiosity" and all the various dogmas and any paganism behind, because the Torah explains that God commanded it.

Remember, myriads of pagan Egyptians followed Moshe/Moses out of Egypt when YHWH liberated His people. They ALL stood at the base of Mt Sinai and saw and heard what went on there - and God commanded that those who chose to follow Him were to do EXACTLY as His people did! (See Exodus 12:49, Numbers 15:13-16, Isaiah 56:6, Galatians 3:28 and Romans 10:12-13.) 

SO, HERE’S SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:

As you know - the Books of Daniel and Revelation are unfolding before our very eyes. Things are heating up, and the BEST thing people can do for themselves is to get themselves "right" with God. He doesn't have any "gray areas" - and, unfortunately, most seem to "be asleep at the wheel" because they ignore the "whole Bible concept," which spans from Genesis to Revelation.

Many (if not most") are mired in their religion or religiosity, and absolutely refuse to let go of their personal opinions, and simply allow the Holy Spirit to lead them. In other words, they aren’t learning or growing!

So WHO are they, really? God can't do anything with those who don't bother to listen to His Voice, or refuse to "shema" (Hebrew, for "hear AND do")...

Truth is, we can't know what the Holy Spirit is trying to show us UNTIL we become humble enough to actually study the Bible from cover to cover so we can KNOW what it says, and thus, be able to discern The Word from the endless whispering of the Destroyer who wants us to remain in our "ruts" for the purpose of keeping us away from the Truth of YHWH/Yeshua/Torah.

Many simply (and sadly) don't realize that "letting go" and making the decision to TRULY figure out WHO they are, and then become WILLING to follow God, CAN and WILL change their lives in ways they never imagined - and that they will be blessed abundantly for it!

May you be blessed as you continue your journey that takes you toward that “narrow gate that leads to life!”  (Matthew 7:13-14)

Let’s take a realistic look 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Someone recently challenged me on this passage to “prove” that Torah was supposedly abolished at the cross:

2 Corinthians 3:13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NIV)

See how the New International Bible version changed it to suggest that “Christ” somehow removed the need for the entire “Old Covenant?” Other “Greek” Bible versions do the same thing! (The “Old Testament” reveals WHO God (YHWH) is and what He expected of His people. Anyone who accepts Him as their God is HIS people – and those who are His, ARE expected to obey the Divine Rules designed to set them apart from the world…)

Anyway, let’s take a look at this passage through the “Hebrew” as opposed to the “Greek” mindset:

2 Corinthians 3:12. Seeing therefore we have this hope, we the more, speak with boldness; 13. And are not like Moshe, who threw a veil over his face that the children of Israel might not behold the termination of that (condemnation) which was abolished. 14. But they were blinded in their understanding because until this day, when the Ancient Covenant is read, the same veil rests upon them; nor is it manifest (to them), that it (condemnation) is abolished by the Mashiyach.

15. And to this day, when Moshe is read, a veil is thrown upon their hearts. 16. But when any of them is turned to Master YHWH, the veil is taken from him[*]. 17. Now Master YHWH Himself is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of Master YHWH is, there is freedom. 18. And we all, with uncovered faces, behold as in a mirror the glory of Master YHWH; and are transformed into the same likeness, from glory to glory, as by Master YHWH the Spirit. (Aramaic English New Testament/AENT)

Let’s put on our thinking caps and view this through the Hebrew, instead of the “Greek” mindset:

First, the context of this passage marked by the asterisk (*) does NOT suggest that Torah “blinds”; nor does the reading of the “Renewed Covenant” bring Grace. The context is that in each, one must “turn to Master YHWH with their hearts” to remove the veil.

Secondly, in verses 16 through 18, the use of the word “Lord” in the Greek versions makes it look as if it is referring to “Christ” (Messiah). However, the Aramaic actually uses the term “MarYah” meaning “Master YHWH” (the Father)!

Rather than people constantly turning to “Jesus” as the deciding factor (i.e., insisting he removed the need for Torah - the first five Books of the Bible that contain YHWH’s original Divine Instructions, designed to show us how to “be holy” - along with the rest of the “Old” Testament, people need to start viewing YHWH ELOHIM as our ancestors KNEW Him during the 4,000 years BEFORE Messiah ever came onto the scene. (YHWH handed down all kinds of instructions to mankind in Genesis 1 and throughout the rest of the Torah.)

If they would only STUDY the “Old Testament” in context, they would eventually discover that the “New” Testament” was NOT to show that “Jesus came to bring grace and abolish His Father’s Divine Instruction in Righteousness,’ with no other responsibilities besides “believing in Jesus.”

The “Hebrew context” (which began some 2,000 years ago, when men began to translate and MIS-translate the original manuscripts), reveals that YHWH sent His Messiah to return His people onto HIS Path of holiness, without all the additions and changes that men had begun to teach each other.

Yeshua’s task was to do His Father's will and NOT his own; that he would do everything His Father commanded, and then to martyr himself and thus become our Redeemer who – as we all know - substituted his nephesh/soul for ours so that we could TRULY come to know and follow YHWH’s ways and be “set apart” (instead of only “lukewarm” in our religiosity spawned by our limited, human mindsets) and ultimately receive eternal life.

NOTHING suggests that Yeshua came to bring a new religion or “abolish” His Father’s Divine Instructions OR anything else in what we call the “Old Testament!”

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."

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.

The bottom line is that Jews and Gentiles must learn to see “the whole picture” in context, instead of using prayers or certain passages (often taken out of context) to pretend that God doesn’t mind “opinions” or outright Scripture twisting to make us feel good.

Throughout the Gospels we see Yeshua giving Glory to the Father, and teaching men to turn hearts unto YHWH. It was never about himself; it was about the whole concept of ADONAI/ELOHIM God, and how to please Him so that we could learn to be holy and set apart, and thus gain eternal life instead of risking eternal separation from God.

It's heartbreaking to see the damage mankind has done to the Bible throughout the ages! Scripture reveals in several places that this would happen:

Ezekiel 22:26 Her pastors/priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them."

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

Proverbs 28:4 Those who abandon Torah praise the wicked, but those who keep Torah fight them.

James 3:15 For this wisdom comes not down from above; but is earthly, and from the devices of the soul, and from demons. 16. For where envy and disputation are, there also is confusion and everything wrong. 17. But the wisdom which is from above is perfect and full of peace, and mild and submissive, and full of compassion and of good fruits, and without partiality and without respect of persons.

People can argue all day long about how they have the truth...but this gets us nowhere! In the end, there is only one truth - and that is YHWH's Truth! If we don’t adhere to it, then WHOM are we truly worshiping?

A mini-discussion about 2 Corinthians 3:1-8

2 Corinthians 3:1-8 is often used by Christians to show that Torah was “abolished at the cross”; and by Jewish “counter-missionaries” and their adherents to “prove” that the New Testament is full of myths and anti-Torah rhetoric, and that Y’shua couldn’t possibly be the Messiah.

Yet, the astute person who is able to view this chapter in context, recognizes that Paul constantly refers to YHWH’s Torah (Divine Instruction in Righteousness without which we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living!).

It’s truly way past time for both Christians and Jews to start recognizing that maybe – just MAYBE – they have misunderstood the writings of Paul!  Contrary to popular belief, Paul – a mere human - didn’t “change” YHWH’s Torah or attempt to negate the teachings of Mashyiach Y’shua! He merely tried to interpret into plain language the deep and often hard-to-understand Hebrew mindset and concepts.

Unfortunately, he didn’t always succeed. Peter even warned of this (2 Peter 3:15-16) by explaining that Paul’s letters had already been turned into a Torahless fiasco, even in Peter’s day! Certainly it was not the Pharisees who were renouncing Torah Observance, but the humanist, pagan and materialistic “modernists” who operated under “Christian” labels…

Having said that, let’s check out 2 Corinthians 3 in context, using the footnotes from the Aramaic English New Testament:

2 Corinthians 3:1. Do we begin again to show you who we are? Or do we need, like others, that letters of recommendation from us should be written to you? Or, that you should write recommendations of us? 2. You are our epistles, written on our hearts and known and read by every man. 3. For you know that you are an epistle of the Mashiyach, ministered by us; not written with ink, but by the Spirit of the Living Elohim; not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of the heart of flesh.[1]

NOTE 1: Paul is clearly referencing Jeremiah 31:33, indicating Torah is being written upon the heart. See also Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26-28.

2 Corinthians 3:4. And such confidence we have in the Mashiyach towards Elohim; 5. Not that we are sufficient to think anything, as of ourselves; but our efficiency is from Elohim: 6. Who has fitted us to be ministers of the Renewed Covenant[2] not in the letter, but in the Spirit; for the letter kills[3] but the Spirit gives life. 7. Now if the ministration of death was engraved upon stones in writing, and was so glorious that the children of Israel could not look on the face of Moshe[4] on account of the glory upon his face which vanished away; 8. How then will not the ministration of the Spirit be still more glorious?

NOTE 2: Again, a reference to Jeremiah 31:33. See also Matthew 26:28.

NOTE 3: The “letter” and “Spirit” are not opposites. In verse 1 Rav Shaul begins by explaining how a “letter” in itself is not sufficient for his purposes, and how those in Corinth are not epistles written with ink, but in the Spirit of Elohim. The letter points out flaws. When we study the letter, sins of the weak flesh are exposed; our “natural” man is condemned to death to create a new birth according to YHWH’s Spirit.

Christian theology, however, teaches the “letter” refers to Torah, and that Torah is contrary to the spiritual man (which is a rather evil theology considering that mainstream Christians are already keeping over 60 percent of Torah)! Torah contains righteous directives of how to live and love, as well as the Covenant of promise that necessitates Mashiyach.

In this discourse Rav Shaul is juxtaposing condemnation as a function of the letter; he is most certainly not discrediting the Torah of YHWH as it pertains to the Spiritual Man (Romans 7:14; 8:4). Torah is the Word of YHWH: “For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this WORD you shall prolong your days in the land.” Deuteronomy 32:47

NOTE 4: Shemot/Exodus 34:29 “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.”

2 Corinthians 3:9. For if there was glory in the ministration of condemnation[5], how much more will the ministration of righteousness excel in glory? 10. For that which was glorious was as if not glorious in comparison with this which excels in glory. 11. For if that (condemnation) which is abolished[6] was glorious, much more must, that which abides be glorious.

NOTE 5: Ministration of death is also the ministration of condemnation which comes against the sins of the carnal man. If a man steals he is condemned; if he commits adultery or lies, he is condemned when he reads the Letter.

NOTE 6: Condemnation is abolished when the Ruach haKodesh writes Torah upon the heart, which brings the end of breaking Torah! However, Christian theologians twist this verse to teach that Paul brought an end to Torah itself.

2 Corinthians 3:12. Seeing therefore we have this hope, we the more, speak with boldness; 13. And are not like Moshe, who threw a veil over his face that the children of Israel might not behold the termination of that (condemnation) which was abolished. 14. But they were blinded in their understanding because until this day, when the Ancient Covenant is read, the same veil rests upon them; nor is it manifest (to them), that it (condemnation) is abolished by the Mashiyach.

15. And to this day, when Moshe is read, a veil is thrown upon their hearts. 16. But when any of them is turned to Master YHWH, the veil is taken from him[7]. 17. Now Master YHWH Himself is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of Master YHWH is, there is freedom. 18. And we all, with uncovered faces, behold as in a mirror the glory of Master YHWH; and are transformed into the same likeness, from glory to glory, as by Master YHWH the Spirit. (AENT)

NOTE 7: The reading of Torah does not blind, nor does the reading of the “Renewed Covenant” bring Grace: but in each, one must “turn to Master YHWH with their hearts” to remove the veil. MarYah/YHWH is used here, rather than Y’shua.

Rather than people turning to Y’shua as the deciding factor, the point is that both Jews and Gentiles must be truthful, and not just use prayers or Scripture readings as some sort of magical incantation, but to turn their hearts to YHWH. In many places Y’shua teaches that he came to bring Glory to the Father, and to turn hearts unto YHWH.

The meaning of “The Lord said to my Lord”…

LET’S EXAMINE THE MEANING OF THE PHRASE “THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD” IN MATTHEW 22:44…

As most know, in order to properly understand Scripture, it is necessary to first, view it through the Hebrew, instead of the Greek mindset; and secondly, to figure out the CONTEXT – which is usually accomplished by reading the previous or following passages (and sometimes even entire chapters).

For instance, let’s take a look - from the Hebrew/Aramaic viewpoint - the phrase “The Lord said to my lord” in Matthew 22:44. To figure this out, we need to start with verse 33:

Matthew 33. And when the crowds heard this, they were amazed by his teaching. 34. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. 35. Then one of them who knew Torah asked testing him. 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.” 40. On these two commandments hang[1] Torah and the prophets.

41. Now while the Pharisees were assembled, Y’shua asked them, 42. and said, What do you say about the Mashiyach? Who is he the son of? They were saying to him, “The son of Dawid.”

43. He said to them, How then did Dawid in the spirit call him Master YHWH? For he said, 44. “that Master YHWH said to my master, ‘You sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.’” 45. Therefore, if Dawid calls him Master YHWH,[2] how is he his son? 46. And no man was able to give him an answer. And no man dared to question him again from that time on. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1]  In other words, this passage does NOT mean that there are only two commandments; rather, that Torah and Prophets hang or “hold on by” these two great Commandments of Love. Those who do the Commandments, are they who love YHWH (Matt 19:17; 1 John 5:2 and 3). Without love, observance of Torah is vanity, and without Torah one’s “love” is vanity.

ADONAI’s commandments are perfectly outlined in the Torah, which means they are holy and good instructions … instructions that cannot and should never be ignored. The death of Yeshua didn’t automatically abolish the rest of God’s commandments. Torah was NOT abolished; rather, he removed the certificate of debt for our sins…

[2] This footnote is a little more difficult to explain, and will require some real attention to detail: “Therefore, if Dawid calls him Master YHWH, how is he is son?” (Matthew 22:45)

First of all, the Greek Kurios (Lord), and Adon/Adonai, (Master) can easily be applied to either Y’shua or YHWH; therefore, few scholars have noted that the Greek Kurios could mean YHWH in Matthew, and “human masters” in Mark and Luke, as referenced in the Aramaic Peshitta readings.

Compare the Aramaic readings of Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-40; Luke 20:39-47: Notice that Mark and Luke say: “Dawid, calls Him ‘my master’; so how is He his Son?” But in Matthew: “Dawid calls Him ‘YHWH’; how is He his Son?” Both Mark 12:39 and Luke 20:39 read: Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” And they no longer dared to ask Him anything. Then He said to them, “How can they say that the Mashiyach is the Son of Dawid? Matthew 22:41-42 reads: While the Pharisees were together, Y’shua questioned them, “What do you think about the Mashiyach? Whose Son is He?” “Dawid’s,” they told Him.”

Compare the differences:

1. Luke says that Y’shua first silenced the Pharisees, and then asked his question. Matthew says that Y’shua first asked the question.

2. Luke and Mark do not provide the Pharisees’ initial answer that Matthew includes. In other words Luke and Mark record Y’shua responding to the answer!

3. Luke writes “no one dared ask him anymore questions” at the beginning of the phrase.

4. But look at Matthew 22:45-46: “If, then, Dawid calls Him ‘YHWH’ how is He his Son?” No one was able to answer Him at all, and from that day no one dared to question Him anymore.” Matthew puts “no one dared ask him any questions” at the end, not the beginning like the others. This is also how it has been translated into Greek. Which version of the story is correct? Both! They are providing accounts of different stages of the same exchange.

5. Mark does not record “no one dared ask him any questions” in his narrative. Some suggest that is because his writing style is much more abbreviated than the others; however, Mark frequently includes details that others don’t: Matthew: “while the Pharisees were together”. Mark 12:35: “while teaching in the temple”. Luke: “while he taught the people in the temple”.

The Aramaic word korseya (Hebrew cognate kisseh- see Genesis 41:40) specifically means “throne”, exactly as in the Aramaic portion of Daniel 7:9. Y’shua is describing a seat of judgment that implies YHWH’s authority. So while Y’shua vigorously rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees for rebellion, hypocrisy, and their man made traditions that make void the Torah; he also recognizes them as the rightful inheritors of Torah-based halakha (applying the Word of YHWH to our lives).

This would include the ancient Priesthood calendar that the Pharisees followed for keeping the Feasts. There are no accounts in the New Testament or in Jewish history of Y’shua or the Apostles departing from the calendar that the Pharisees sanctified. Y’shua and the Apostles routinely taught in synagogues of the Pharisees and in the Temple and observed the moedim (Set Times) in unity.

A great reminder concerning the 7th Day Sabbath

HERE'S A WONDERFUL REMINDER CONCERNING THE 7TH DAY SABBATH, from Truth Ignited:

• Food was made for man, not man for food.
• Water was made for man, not man for water.
• Air was made for man, not man for air.
• Sunlight was made for man, not man for sunlight.
• Homes were made for man, not man for homes.

I am sure I can list off several other things that were made for man, but you get the point, right?

In the same manner, The Sabbath REST is a basic human need. If you do an honest study of Scripture, this becomes clear. There is even modern scientific and health-based research that supports the idea that The Sabbath is literally a human need on the same level as food, water, air, sunlight, and shelter.

A lot of people contend that "Jesus is our Sabbath now" and that somehow means that we don't have to keep it.

Well, The Bible says that:

• Yeshua is the bread of life, does that mean we stop eating food?
• Yeshua is the light of the world, does that mean we stop going out in the daylight of the sun?
• Yeshua is the door we enter in, does that mean we no longer enter the door of our homes, our shelters?

Some say, based on John 7:38, that Yeshua is the living water, does that mean we stop drinking water?

Some would even say that Yeshua is the breath of life, does that mean we hold our breath and stop taking in air, suffocating ourselves?

Lets re-examine the misunderstood concepts of “Priests are forbidden to marry” and “Do not call anyone “Father”…

1 Timothy 4: 1. But the Spirit says explicitly that, in the latter times, some will depart from the faith, and will go after deceptive spirits and after the doctrine of demons. 2. These will seduce by a false appearance, and will speak a lie and will be seared in their conscience; 3. and will forbid to marry,[1] and will require abstinence from meats which Elohim has created for use and for thankfulness by them who believe and know the truth. 4. Because whatever is created by Elohim is good; and there is nothing which should be rejected if it be received with thankfulness, 5. for it is sanctified by the Word of Elohim[2] and by prayer. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The Roman Catholic church and other Christian organizations forbid priests to marry; by installing their own so called “infallible” deity-like “fathers” they’ve chosen to wage war against Torah and Mashiyach Y’shua. They forget that the Levite Priests were allowed to marry and have families. (See, for example, Leviticus 21 which tells us that YHWH expected His cohens to marry "unblemished" women – no prostitutes or divorcees.) So where did this idea of complete chastity for priests originate?

[2] Food includes meat which must be sanctified by the Word of Elohim (Torah), and there are clean and unclean meats – some are sanctified, some are not; see Leviticus 11. Saying a prayer over unclean food doesn’t sanctify the food anymore than praying that you don’t get caught stealing can “sanctify” or protect you from the consequences of that transgression. Many fail to remember that, just because the punishment is not immediate, doesn’t mean that it’s been forgotten by heaven.

NEXT:

Matthew 23:9. “And do not call yourself Father for your Father is one who is in heaven.” (AENT)
When viewed via the Hebraic mindset, we see that this prohibition against calling leaders “father” is to avoid giving high status to men which is due unto YHWH. (AENT)

Catholics openly defy this commandment, but all institutions who use flattering titles for leaders are culpable; see Job 32:21-12. Isaiah 56:10-12 exposes leaders who “can never have enough” and who keep their “followers” in spiritual and often financial poverty by seeking personal gain for themselves.

Do you have any “smoldering stumps of firewood”plotting to ruin your life?

“SMOLDERING STUMPS OF FIREWOOD” …THOSE WORDS STOOD OUT TO ME the other day, as my husband and I continued to make our way through the Bible, because they perfectly describe some of the “problem people” or “tares” in our life:

Isaiah 7:4-5: “…Take care to stay calm and unafraid; don’t be demoralized by these two smoldering stumps of firewood... (and others who) ...have been plotting against you”… (CJB)

The words hit me so hard because, at some point in our life most, or ALL of us, have experienced “enemies” who disliked us enough to spend time “plotting against us” in some way.

I certainly have!

One example that comes to mind is a high-ranking Department of the Army Civilian I worked for in Germany in the 1985/86 timeframe … a psychopath who loved to harass people by “toying” with them in various ways, in attempt to provoke in them the “fight or flight” response.

My boss (let’s call him “J.D.”) was the head of an Army Public Affairs Office in Heidelberg, Germany, who attempted to ruin, not just my military career, but my entire life, for reasons that remain a mystery still today!

Truth be told, J.D. didn’t need any reasons; he simply took pleasure in harassing and making fun of people, mimicking them, or purposely “pushing their buttons” in some way until they couldn’t take it anymore. He was an “equal opportunity” harasser and bigot. NOBODY was safe from him!

Unfortunately, most people were too afraid to “talk back” or report him – mainly because of his position and temperament. Nobody dared to challenge him … nobody that is, except for me! (If I feel threatened in any way, I don’t lay down and play dead. I’m very tough, because I have had a tough life.  My motto has always been: “The buck stops here!”)

When I realized I had become J.D.’s target, I immediately began keeping records and evidence about his tactics – keeping detailed notes on not only what he was doing to me, but also to others; all of which I ultimately used to report him to the Command’s Inspector General’s Office.

In the end I won my case but, suffice it to say, it was a VERY grueling, lonely, tedious, year-long, uphill battle going up against someone who was buddy-buddy with the Command Sergeant Major, the Chief of Staff and the General - because “the powers that be” ALWAYS tend to “side” with the higher-ranking person! I cannot begin to explain to you the myriad gyrations I was forced to endure in order to “prove” that I wasn’t the worthless employee and “loser” J.D. was trying to make me out to be…

MORE ON THAT LATER, but first I want to share with you one other example of J.D.’s sick antics:

During my first six months in that particular Public Affairs Office, we went through two different secretaries – both of whom left BECAUSE of J.D. Unfortunately, neither was brave enough to report him to the command before they left, because his tendency to terrorize made people paranoid. (That man’s countenance was absolutely demonic whenever he was angry! He could be a real force to deal with!)

Anyway, the secretary who was there when I first arrived at my new duty station, was a German lady who was married to a Black soldier. She left shortly after my arrival, but before she left, she confided to me that her departure was due solely to J.D.’s endless racial jokes and constant mention of the fact that she was married to a Black man, as if it was a “bad” thing.

Her replacement was a black lady from the Bahamas, who happened to be married to a white, Italian man. The couple had two young “mixed race” boys who – as you might guess – were to become J.D.’s next target. The whole situation served as a huge guffaw for J.D. who spent days talking about it in the office.

One day, after looking at the new secretary’s family photo on her desk, J.D let out a huge, comical snort and said: “Well, I don’t know about you all, but it sure looks to me like our ‘Local-National Personnel Office’ mandates that the Public Affairs Secretarial position has to be filled by women involved in interracial marriages!”

“That’s not true!” the secretary countered, quickly adding: “Does it bother you that I’m Black? I mean, you keep bringing it up.”

“Oh, no, of course not!” he replied indignantly. Pulling his lips into a sardonic grin, he continued, “I’m just joking! Don’t take it seriously. I just like to kid around. You’ll get used to me, don’t worry!”

Instead of leaving it at that, the next day, he once again approached her desk and casually asked her if she would mind if he called her children ‘Oreos’.

Tossing him a questioning glance, she responded, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Oh, sorry,” he replied with a grin. “What I mean is, your kids are like those cookies we have in America, called ‘Oreos’. They’re black on the outside and white on the inside.”

Clearly incensed over his comments, she stood and looked him straight in the eye and demanded to know why he felt a need to label her children at all.

Not used to being challenged, J.D. stiffened as his face flushed, but he quickly managed to regain composure. Jaw visibly clenched, he patted her on the shoulder, then turned to head into his office, and tersely said over his shoulder in a tone that left no doubt that this brand new relationship was going to be short-lived: “Don’t worry, honey, I’m just kidding. I promise you, it will never happen again.”

Well, that was the beginning of the end, and we all knew that this secretary wasn’t going to be with us much longer…

The final straw came just a few months later when the secretary called J.D. one morning to inform him that she had fired her baby-sitter for physically abusing her little boys (aged 5 and 7), and she was planning to take the day off to look for a new sitter.

No one knows what was going through J.D.’s mind at the time, but he let her know in no uncertain terms that he was NOT giving her the day off, because she was “urgently needed in the office.” To make sure she understood the consequences, he firmly added that she would receive a letter of reprimand if she refused to come in.

Having overheard the conversation, I quickly went into his office to let him know I would be happy to fill in for her – but, obviously annoyed and shaking his head vehemently, he quickly dismissed me with an impatient wave of his hand…

When the secretary showed up some 45 minutes later, J.D. came out of his office to ask if she had found a sitter, to which she shook her head and replied that, since she wasn’t allowed to take the day off, she had been forced to ask one of her neighbors to check on her boys throughout the day.

The bottom line to all this was that J.D. didn’t really have any urgent need for the secretary’s presence there that day; he simply didn’t want to grant her the day off. The “end of everything” came just before quitting time, when she received a call from a Child Protection Advocate, telling her that she had been reported her for abandoning her children.

“This is the last straw!” she shouted. Angrily marching into J.D.’s office, she demanded to know if he was the one who had reported her and - as she told me just before she tearfully stomped out of the office forever - he was squatted behind his desk, hands laced behind his head as he leaned back in his chair, and nonchalantly admitted to having turned her in. “Well, of course I did,” he had told her with a huge, triumphant smile. “It was my duty. I mean, what kind of mother would leave her little kids alone all day long?”

…OKAY, SO I WROTE ALL THIS to show you that this man was a total psycho. I won’t go into what all he did to me; but suffice it to say, the year I worked for him was one of the hardest times of my life. Unlike the civilian employees, there could be no “flight response” for me. Since I was an Army journalist, I couldn’t simply “find a new job somewhere else,” and so I was forced to stay and prepare to get into the “fight” mode…

To make that proverbial long story short, while I searched (and failed) to find another Army Public Affairs position, the Chain of Command did allow me to be reassigned to the Congressional Inquiries Office in the Personnel Directorate, while my Inspector General investigation was underway.

As I mentioned above, in the end, I won …and in the meantime, because of my “time in grade” and stellar military service for my then 16 years in the Army – much to J.D.’s consternation, I was even promoted to Master Sergeant/E-8!

Looking back, even though I didn’t know YHWH or Yeshua back then, our ELOHIM protected me from that demon and even repaid him for his evil deeds! Here’s what ultimately transpired – and my story has a HAPPY ending:

Approximately year after I had reported J.D. and kicked off an investigation that seemed to be moving slower than those proverbial “molasses in January,” J.D. took a job at the Pentagon to become Chief of Public Affairs.

I remember being EXTREMELY distraught when I heard about it - because I couldn’t figure out WHY the Command hadn’t taken ANY kind of action against this sick monster – and had even seen fit to allow him to be promoted! As far as I was concerned, he should have been BOOTED OUT of the Civil Service!

But then, quite out of a blue a couple weeks later, something happened to help snap me out of my depression and restore my faith in “the system”…

It happened when, one morning the new Chief of Staff of the Command came into the Congressional Inquiries Office and, in front of everyone, he said he came to APOLOGIZE on behalf of the new General and the entire Command about the way my “J.D. investigation” had been handled!

The Colonel started off by assuring me that things would have turned out radically different, had this new “Chain of Command” been in charge when this incident took place! Unfortunately, my investigation had been “placed on the back burner” because the Command was undergoing a change in leadership at the time, which is why things turned out the way they did…

While that didn’t exactly thrill me (because I had wanted J.D. FIRED!), I practically jumped for joy when the Colonel related that J.D. didn’t completely get away unscathed. He said, because of my bravery in daring to take J.D. on, and “outing him” - he had lost the healthy sum of money he was supposed to have received via that year’s Civilian Incentive Award. AND, not only that, but the new General had sent a letter forwarding a copy of the Inspector General’s Investigation packet to J.D.’s new boss at the Pentagon, informing him of this incident.

I was elated! As far as I was concerned, that was at least “some” vindication – it was better than nothing.

But there is more to the story.

At some point after J.D. had taken the Pentagon job, I heard “through the grapevine” that his position had been DOWNGRADED (for reasons unknown to me); but years later when the Internet was in full swing, I Googled his name, and was thrilled to see that he had unsuccessfully attempted to fight the demotion, and to add insult to injury, he didn’t even receive the new position he was seeking!

So – all’s well that ends well!

As for me, everything was suddenly “coming up roses” because, in the winter of 1989, I was selected to attend the prestigious United States Army Sergeant Major’s Academy in El Paso, Texas, where – after graduation, the Commandant asked me to stay on as a lesson developer and substitute Instructor … AND soon thereafter, I discovered that I had made the Sergeant Major’s List!

I’ll never be able to forget what happened in Germany those 40 long years ago, but I have forgiven J.D. in the meantime; and turned him over to YHWH. I don’t know whatever happened to him, and I don’t care, as it just doesn’t matter anymore.

I WILL SAY THIS, THOUGH: Baruch haShem YHWH for working behind the scenes to protect me from those “smoldering stumps of firewood” that tried to destroy me! Even though I was just a “lukewarm” believer back then, I was being supernaturally protected. Satan tried to kill me, but YHWH turned it all around for GOOD! Halleluyah! Praise Him forever!

Ready for a more indepth study of John 1, verses1 and 14?

Following are some great footnotes in the Aramaic English New Testament to John 1:1 and 14 (from the Hebraic, rather than the Greek mindset)…

Yochanan 1:1. In the beginning [1] was the Miltha.[2] And that Miltha was with Elohim, and Elohim was that Miltha. 2. This was with Elohim in the beginning.[3] (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The phrase B’resheet aytohi hwa miltha breaks a most basic rule of Aramaic grammar by combining a feminine noun (miltha) with two masculine verbs for “to be” (aytohi, hwa). This is unheard of in Aramaic literature other than right here in this passage and in 1 John. This shows YHWH has male and female “images/spirits” even though YHWH remains a He. It may also be a midrash on Isaiah 11:1-2, which describes the Spirit of YHWH descending on Mashiyach using both masculine and feminine suffixes. This is not something easily translated, let alone when it occurs within the first four words.

[2] Miltha has no direct English equivalent. It can mean ‘Word’, ‘Manifestation’, ‘Instance’ or ‘Substance’ among other things. In this context, it may best be left untranslated.

[3] Fulfilling Messianic prophecy: Mashiyach (ruler of Israel) to have origins of the ancient past Micah 5:2; Isaiah 48:16. Bear in mind that Micah is referring to the spiritual “Israel of Elohim,” those of the Kingdom of Heaven according to the circumcision of heart.

John 1:14. And the Miltha[1] became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw his glory,[2] the glory as the Only-Begotten[3] who is from the Father who is full of grace and truth. 15. Yochanan witnessed concerning him and cried out and said, “This is he whom I said would come after me, and yet be before me because he was earlier than me.” 16. And from his fullness we all have received grace on account of grace; 17. Because Torah was given through Moshe, but truth[4] and grace[5] through Y’shua who is the Mashiyach.[6] 18. Man has not ever seen Elohim. The Only Begotten of Elohim, he who is in the bosom of his Father, he has declared Him. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1]  Miltha refers to the “Manifestation” of the Ruach haKodesh within Mashiyach. The physical body of Mashiyach is not the Word of YHWH, but his words and actions demonstrate the Will and Word of YHWH, which upholds observance of Torah. However, Christo-Pagans like Marcion and Constantine taught that Y’shua’s body and spirit manifest a different “word” that did away with Torah. The Word of YHWH was substituted with dispensational and replacement “theologies,” which are very popular among Christians.

[2] Isaiah 42:8; 48:11

[3] Ekhadaya is a beautiful term used among Eastern theologians and poets; it literally means “THE ONE”

[4] Shemot/Ex. 34:5, 6; D’varim/Deut. 32:4; Psalm 25:10; 31:5; 119:142, 151; 146:5, 6; Isaiah 65:16; Jer. 4:1, 2; John 17:17.

[5] Genesis 6:8; Shemot/Ex. 33:12-17; Psalm 84:11; Jeremiah 31:1-3; see footnote 1 Peter 5:10.

[6] The Torah of Moshe is the Word of YHWH, but grace and truth revealed in Y’shua are the impelling forces that uphold all righteousness and keep the Word of YHWH (Torah) positioned in our hearts; these are complimentary, not opposites. It is according to the Grace of the Father YHWH that Mashiyach is revealed in a person’s heart; see John 17:9, 10.

Let’s do a thorough exam of that “you’re judging me” thing…

Many people are quick to yell, "Don't judge me!" whenever someone attempts to tell them they are off the mark in some way. Truth is,TORAH is our judge. We're not "judging" anyone by telling them that they're going against Torah principles..

"Judging" refers to the attempts to correct others according to your own standard of iniquity. When you do that, you condemn yourself. When you "judge", you must do it SOLELY by the standard of truth, and that truth (which Paul amply addressed in Romans 2:1-8) is Torah.

The bottom line upfront is, there IS a difference between “judging” and “exposing!”  For instance, whenever Torah observant Believers see someone teaching "no need for Yeshua," or "no need for Torah," or pushing themselves on others to shove the idea of YHWH/Yeshua/Torah down their throats (or anything that may be contrary to Scripture), we MUST rebuke them!

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

Yes, we must "stand our ground" when it comes to our faith; BUT, we don't need to go into synagogues or churches to "target" anyone in hopes of roping them into God's Truth... After all, Scripture commands us to be gentle (see Philippians 4:5; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:12; 1 Corinthians 4:21; Ephesians 4:2).

In Torah, we learn the following:

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

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

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

HOWEVER, we also need to consider this:

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

In other words, don't white-wash the Truth. Be firm - but do NOT give people a "biblical concussion" while you're doing it.

Let’s go a littler deeper:

Referring to the “Jewish fables” mentioned in Titus 1:14 above: According to Charles Ryrie: “Jewish myths; speculations of a Gnostic sort, supposedly based on OT scripture.”  Ryrie Study Bible (NASB), p. 393: The key is in the highlighted portion of the above passage, “they profess to know Elohim, but in works deny him” for by this very description, Paul has named the heretical sect. “Gnosticism” is derived from the Greek gnosis, “to know.” What is often overlooked is that Gnosticism did not originate with Christianity, although later adopted by many Messianic themes. Rather, it began as a Jewish sect with their own “myths and fables.”

Professor Ryrie continues: The heresy of Gnosticism had begun to make inroads among churches in John’s day. Among its teachings were: (1) knowledge is superior to virtue; (2) non-literal sense of Scripture is correct and can only be understood by a select few; (3) evil in the world precludes God being the only creator; (4) the incarnation is incredible because deity cannot unite itself with anything material such as a body (Docetism); and (5) there is no resurrection of the flesh. The ethical standards of the Gnostics were low… (Ryrie Study Bible (NASB), p. 440).

Is it any wonder then why Paul was upset at these false teachers? Even a conventional Pharisee would take great offense to such posturing, and they most certainly did with four of these five articles of belief. These false teachings are, of course, diametrically opposite to Paul’s own teaching as a “ringleader” of the Netzarim, so there should be no surprise when he takes these false teachings to task.

In any case, one can easily see how modern readers, divorced from the historical context, can easily draw the wrong conclusion and not take into account who the speaker is, and who the intended audience is.” (Source, AENT)

QUESTION: Why does YHWH need a Messiah?

A FRIEND RECENTLY POSED THE FOLLOWING GREAT QUESTIONS:

“I going to be honest in that I am struggling since I came to Torah observance. Why does YHWH need a messiah? I believe that Yeshua is real but don’t understand why Jewish people don’t think He is Messiah. Then I am struggling with there is only one God so why does He need another man? Scriptures please.”

MY RESPONSE:

QUESTION: Why does YHWH need a messiah?

ANSWER: The simple answer on this is: He probably doesn’t “need one”; however, since we mere humans cannot actually SEE God Himself (and it’s hard to believe in, and worship an “invisible” entity), He obviously decided to send one as a human who was to teach mankind face-to-face via a “human vessel” that could help us understand Him better.

That is why He supernaturally sent “The Word” (John 1:1, 14) into a human woman’s womb, who would be born to be the Messiah … someone who was totally sinless in every way (so that he could later offer himself as the Final SIN Sacrifice*, and relieve us of the burden of having to kill innocent animals to atone for our sins); and would teach not just the ordinary population, but also the Rabbis who needed to be “wowed” and reminded that they weren’t doing everything correctly, and had even been “putting fences” around His Word and thus turning some of His commands into a burden.

(NOTE:  *By the way, Yeshua was not “sacrificed” as nobody sacrificed him in the Temple; he willingly martyred himself on our behalf, against which there is NO Torah law.)

Furthermore, YHWH actually SAID He was going to send us someone who would be “greater than Moshe” who was to do everything He ordered him to do – and I’m taking this straight from my website’s article Proclaming Torah which says, in part:

Deuteronomy 18: 15 "ADONAI will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him, 16 just as when you were assembled at Horev and requested ADONAI your God, 'Don't let me hear the voice of ADONAI my God any more, or let me see this great fire ever again; if I do, I will die!' 17 On that occasion ADONAI said to me, 'They are right in what they are saying. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him. (CJB)

Yeshua then said He came to teach and do HIS FATHER's will; not his own – in words that God’s people could understand!

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,[1] 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)

[1] As in the context of Miltha (the Word) or the "Manifestation" or the "Will of" YHWH coming down from heaven to do the Will of YHWH upon earth; his Spirit is of YHWH but his nephesh (soul) and body are human and temporal. This shows that Yeshua was NOT in charge; HIS FATHER WAS!

QUESTION: I believe that Yeshua is real but don’t understand why Jewish people don’t think He is Messiah.

ANSWER: The short answer is that Christians have turned “Jesus” into God Himself, and Jesus is supposedly the be-all-end-all, and the Father (YHWH) is hardly ever mentioned in church! To them, it’s all about “Jesus!”

The Jews know and believe that throughout the Torah, YHWH kept telling them He was the ONLY God – and He IS! Yet, Christians have turned “Jesus” into “God in the Flesh” – which is not a good description at all. He was the DIVINE Messiah (“divine” because of who his Father was!). Yeshua had a divine Nature, and thus, he innately KNEW YHWH’s Will (because he was “The Word made flesh” after all (and “the Word” is a PART of who YHWH is!). Yeshua clearly had a special relationship with YHWH that we mere humans cannot possibly comprehend. However, he was NOT a separate god! He CAME from God as His prophesied MESSIAH – someone who was able to be born and die (neither of which YHWH ELOHIM can ever do and never did!)…

Take a look at these passages from the Hebrew and Aramaic viewpoints:

Here are some great footnotes in the Aramaic English New Testament to John 1:1 and 14:

Yochanan 1:1. In the beginning [1] was the Miltha.[2] And that Miltha was with Elohim, and Elohim was that Miltha. 2. This was with Elohim in the beginning.[3] (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The phrase B’resheet aytohi hwa miltha breaks a most basic rule of Aramaic grammar by combining a feminine noun (miltha) with two masculine verbs for “to be” (aytohi, hwa). This is unheard of in Aramaic literature other than right here in this passage and in 1 John. This shows YHWH has male and female “images/spirits” even though YHWH remains a He. It may also be a midrash on Isaiah 11:1-2, which describes the Spirit of YHWH descending on Mashiyach using both masculine and feminine suffixes. This is not something easily translated, let alone when it occurs within the first four words.

[2] Miltha has no direct English equivalent. It can mean ‘Word’, ‘Manifestation’, ‘Instance’ or ‘Substance’ among other things. In this context, it may best be left untranslated.

[3] Fulfilling Messianic prophecy: Mashiyach (ruler of Israel) to have origins of the ancient past Micah 5:2; Isaiah 48:16. Bear in mind that Micah is referring to the spiritual “Israel of Elohim,” those of the Kingdom of Heaven according to the circumcision of heart.

John 1:14. And the Miltha[1] became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw his glory,[2] the glory as the Only-Begotten[3] who is from the Father who is full of grace and truth. 15. Yochanan witnessed concerning him and cried out and said, “This is he whom I said would come after me, and yet be before me because he was earlier than me.” 16. And from his fullness we all have received grace on account of grace; 17. Because Torah was given through Moshe, but truth[4] and grace[5] through Y’shua who is the Mashiyach.[6] 18. Man has not ever seen Elohim. The Only Begotten of Elohim, he who is in the bosom of his Father, he has declared Him. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[[1]] Miltha refers to the “Manifestation” of the Ruach haKodesh within Mashiyach. The physical body of Mashiyach is not the Word of YHWH, but his words and actions demonstrate the Will and Word of YHWH, which upholds observance of Torah. However, Christo-Pagans like Marcion and Constantine taught that Y’shua’s body and spirit manifest a different “word” that did away with Torah. The Word of YHWH was substituted with dispensational and replacement “theologies,” which are very popular among Christians.

[2] Isaiah 42:8; 48:11

[3] Ekhadaya is a beautiful term used among Eastern theologians and poets; it literally means “THE ONE”

[4] Shemot/Ex. 34:5, 6; D’varim/Deut. 32:4; Psalm 25:10; 31:5; 119:142, 151; 146:5, 6; Isaiah 65:16; Jer. 4:1, 2; John 17:17.

[5] Genesis 6:8; Shemot/Ex. 33:12-17; Psalm 84:11; Jeremiah 31:1-3; see footnote 1 Peter 5:10.

[6] The Torah of Moshe is the Word of YHWH, but grace and truth revealed in Y’shua are the impelling forces that uphold all righteousness and keep the Word of YHWH (Torah) positioned in our hearts; these are complimentary, not opposites. It is according to the Grace of the Father YHWH that Mashiyach is revealed in a person’s heart; see John 17:9, 10.

As mentioned above, Yeshua was sent by the Father NOT to do his own will, but the Father's! So many erroneously seem to think he came to replace the Father and abolish Torah....Yet he came to restore man's relationship with YHWH and remind us to totally rely on YHWH for everything. There are LOTS of scripture passages, complete with proper footnotes on the above-mentioned article and I would highly suggest you read it all in order to get the “whole” picture:

I believe all of the above serves to answer your final question: “Then I am struggling with there is only one God so why does He need another man?”...