A tidbit about Paul and Torah…

Whenever Abba opens our eyes to Torah and we begin to obey, we will ALWAYS receive opposition from pastors, family and friends. Always. They will always insist that we've "put ourselves back under the law."

And that is because they don't understand that the "law" actually refers to YHWH's Divine teachings and instructions, without which we would have no blueprint for moral, holy living.

They don't understand that His original "thus saith the Lord" teachings are all contained within the Torah, the first five Books of the Bible - and that His Divine Messiah, Yeshua, taught those same instructions and never veered from Torah.

And neither did his Apostles nor Disciples....

Unfortunately, havoc was wreaked upon the Bible, once the "Greek mindset" came along, with its limited understanding of the "deeper" meanings of the Hebrew language.

That is why Christianity is actually based more on the misunderstood writings of Paul, than on Torah.

Here are just a few examples:

Acts 28: 23 "From morning till evening the Apostle Paul explained and declared the Kingdom of God and tried to convince people about Yeshua from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets."

Acts 24: 14. But this indeed I (Paul) acknowledge, that in that same doctrine of which they speak, I do serve the Elohim of my fathers, believing all the things written in Torah and in the prophets.

Romans 3:31: Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law....

QUESTION: Do any of the above passages sound like someone was attempting to negate Torah?

Paul NEVER negated Torah!

Romans 15: 4. For everything written of old was written for our instruction; that we, by patience and by the consolation of the Scriptures, might possess hope. (AENT)

The passage above is one of the clearest pro-Torah statements in all of Romans. Rav Shaul (Paul) believed that "everything written of old" is for the instruction of the Gentiles; this clearly indicates Paul's intent. Compare this statement to Romans 3:31 and 7:12.

Now, look at this:

Romans 15: 9. And that the Gentiles might glorify Elohim for his mercies upon them, as it is written: I will confess to you among the Gentiles, and to your name will I sing psalms. 10. And again he said: Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people. 11. And again he said: Praise Master YHWH, all you Gentiles; (and) laud him, all you nations. (AENT)

"His People" refers to YHWH's people, Israel. The Gentiles are fully invited and expected to join in together with Netzari (Nazarene) synagogue practice, as one people, into one Kingdom according to One Torah.

As you can clearly see in the few examples above, Paul’s writings were severely misunderstood. Even Peter mentioned that Paul's writings would be hard to understand and that people would ultimately twist Paul's teachings – which they did!

2 Peter 3: 15 And think of our Lord's patience as deliverance, just as our dear brother Sha'ul also wrote you, following the wisdom God gave him. 16 Indeed, he speaks about these things in all his letters. They contain some things that are hard to understand, things which the uninstructed and unstable distort, to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 But you, dear friends, since you know this in advance, guard yourselves; so that you will not be led away by the errors of the wicked and fall from your own secure position. (CJB)

THE BOTTOM LINE IS: YHWH will open the spiritual eyes of all those who truly want to have a closer relationship with Him. But, in order to do that, we MUST let go of these old myths:

(1) Torah was only for the Jews. (Torah doesn't indicate that at all.)

(2) God is only all about “grace and love”. (If that is true, then why does Proverbs 28:9 say that if one isn't Torah observant, even his prayer is an abomination?)

(3) Jesus came to bring a new religion called “Christianity” (No - he came to proclaim the Kingdom and do everything his Father commanded - Deuteronomy 18:15-18; John 6:35-40; Luke 4: 43 and Luke 8:1)

(4) All that’s required to get to heaven is to "believe in Jesus.”

John 17: 1. Y'shua spoke these things and he lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said My Father the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son might glorify you. 2. Just as you have given him authority over all flesh that whomever You have given him, he will give to him life that is eternal. 3. Now this is life that is eternal, that they might know You, that You are the Elohim of Truth, and he alone whom You have sent, the Mashiyach Y'shua. (AENT)

When you read and actually STUDY the Torah, you will see exactly why all those myths are just that: MYTHS! The truth is, if you believe in,.and live by those myths, you may NOT get to spend eternity with YHWH because ... if you're not following HIS commands, then whose are you following?….

Have you seen the list of demands by those "CHAZ" twits in Seattle?

Have you seen the list of demands by those "CHAZ" twits in Seattle? Click here and check it out.

They basically want FREE everything and NO law enforcement or imprisonment. (Gosh - that would make it so much easier to rob convenience stores, wouldn't it? It would enable those lazy morons to basically just take what they want from hard-working citizens who actually CONTRIBUTE something to society..)

MY UNSOLICITED ADVICE: Grow up, stop whining and blaming everyone else for your lot in life, get a JOB, integrate into normal, working society and start contributing something to make this world a better place. Get rid of your "entitled" mentality and BECOME the person God designed you to be!

How will the end times unfold?

READER QUESTION:

Just wondering if I could get your opinion on how the end times will unfold.  I find it all so confusing.

OUR RESPONSE:

GREAT question, and we invite you to read our article about the end times scenario at Yeshua’s return which, in short,describes the following and includes plenty of scripture references.

People will be born, live and die until he returns.  When he returns (on some future Yom Teruah.Rosh haShana (I'm thinking by 2030 at the latest, judging by everything that is going on), he will simply appear one day.

When he does, all those who have died since the day HE died (contrary to popular belief, nobody goes to heaven immediately after they die!), will be the first to resurrect (not bodily - as our bodies are filthy and return to dust), and then we who happen to still be alive after all the things that are happening and will continue to happen.

We will then be in that other dimension for a short while where YHWH resides, to have the Marriage Supper of the Lamb - and then we will all return to rule and reign with Yeshua for a thousand years.

The people of earth WILL recognize us because, like Adam and Eve, we will be "glowing" (like Moshe when he came down off the mountain after being in YHWH's Presence for 40 days).  Same with Yeshua.  EVERY KNEE will bow and recognize HIM!!!!

Bottom line - our "new bodies" won't be like our old bodies.  They will constantly be in touch with YHWH, with no "skin covering" like we have now.

People will still continue to be born and die during that time.  Many will NOT end up as believers, even though the world will be led ONLY by Yeshua, and that's why satan will be loosed "for a time" toward the end of that thousand years, so those people can make up their mind whether to continue following him, or to repent.

And then at the end of that millennium, this earth will somehow be gone, and we will receive a new heavan and new earth to live on for eternity with YHWH/Yeshua.

Does Deuteronomy 23:2 mean all who were born illegitimately would not be part of YHWH'S people?

READER QUESTION:

Deuteronomy 23:2

Does that mean all individuals who were born illegitimately would not be part of YHWH'S people? Or am I missing something? How long is a generation according to the Bible? Is it 40 years?

OUR RESPONSE":

Deuteronomy 23:2 A mamzer may not enter the assembly of Adonai, nor may his descendants down to the tenth generation enter the assembly of Adonai.

First off, let’s clarify that the meaning of "mamzer" is uncertain. The word is used only one time in the Tanakh, and two times in the New Testament. The Tanakh, in fact, renders the word as "misbegotten", a clear indication that the meaning of the word, even in Judaism, is not at all understood. It only evolved into the common understanding of "a child of a Jewish father and a heathen mother", or "one of illegitimate birth", or as the KJV crudely puts it "a bastard".

There is a great body of evidence, however, to conclude that the term only meant that the mamzer simply could not fully participate in in religious rites at the Temple. In other words, the child is perfectly welcome to receive the rights, but could not participate (call it "hold office" if you wish) in the administering any religious rights on others.

Similarly problematic is the previous verse! "A man with crushed or damaged private parts may not enter the assembly of Adonai." We can see that it can be understood in the same manner.
There are many verses in the Bible which are very hard to comprehend today because we don't have the ancient language and cultural background to rely on for an accurate interpretation while we only read and try to understand using modern language.

As for your question about "generation" - when we read “generation” in the Bible, we have to consider the context. Usually, a generation in the Bible is roughly thirty years long or the people living during that time, the same as what we understand a generation to be in everyday talk.

There’s an an epidemic of God's people participating in vicious gossip….

There seems to be an epidemic of God's people participating in vicious gossip - and this has never been more evident than in the past few months, since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and the BLM "protests" that kicked off riots and looting and all manner of decadent behavior.

Gossip.. In Hebrew it's called "lashon hara", which means "evil tongue."

What constitutes lashon hara? Derogatory messages of any kind about another person; deliberately spreading falsehoods (or even things that may be true) in order to hurt someone's reputation without employing any attempts to correct or improve a negative situation.

Lashon hara can be spread in many ways including face-to-face conversation, letters, telephone, email and on "social media" sites such as Facebook - where it has grown to epidemic proportions, with myriads espousing their exalted opinions, and passing them off as "truth."..

What is disturbing is that so many Believers are choosing to engage in this sinful activity!

It isn't "bad" to have an opinion about the government, a particular leader; or current events. What's "bad" is when something that leader may (or may not) have done is being used against him/her and ultimately "twisted into a lie" in hopes of making others believe the lie.

We are in the world, but not "of it" and unfortunately, we must learn to deal with it - not like the heathens do, but according to YHWH's Torah. God's people are to be holy/set apart, "taking every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Deliberately spreading vicious rumors about someone (whether or not there's any truth to them is irrelevant), is NOT pleasing to YHWH...in part, because we are to be His ambassadors, constantly trying to reach others for Him. How you can reach the lost if you're out there being vicious and behaving in a carnal manner?

Matthew 12:34 "Generation of vipers! How are you able to speak good things, you who are evil? For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart. 35. A good man brings forth good from his good treasures, and the evil man brings evil from his evil treasure. 36. I say to you for every vain word that the sons of men speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. 37. For by your words you will be made righteous, and by your words you will be condemned." (AENT, See also Deut. 32:21)

There is no scripture commanding us to slander others with vicious gossip. We are to "rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith" (Leviticus 19:17, Titus 1:13, 1 Timothy 5:20); we are to "warn a divisive person once, then a second time, and after that, have nothing more to do with him" (Titus 3:10); we are to "beware of" and "stand distant from" those who refuse to follow YHWH's commands (Romans 16:17-18) and we are to do the following:

2 Timothy 2:15 Do all you can to present yourself to Elohim as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth. 16 But keep away from godless babbling, for those who engage in it will only become more ungodly, 17 and their teaching will eat away at people like gangrene. (CJB)

We are to turn godless people over to God; not become their judge and jury. Certainly, we can approach them with HIS Truth; but if they refuse, let them go and leave them alone. HE will deal with them in HIS timing! (See Matthew 12:36, 2 Peter 3:10-13, Romans 2:16, etc.) PRAY for them in hopes they will some day see YHWH's Truth; don't malign them; that's not your job!

But, before we can lead someone to the Truth, WE must be a light, and exemplify the meaning of "holy." If we don't, then we are nothing but opinionated hypocrites, attempting to lead others to "our" own, personal ideas of "truth"...

Isaiah 55:6 Seek ADONAI while he is available, call on him while he is still nearby. 7 Let the wicked person abandon his way and the evil person his thoughts; let him return to ADONAI, and he will have mercy on him; let him return to our God, for he will freely forgive.(CJB)

Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (AENT)

Ephesians 5:4 Neither obscenities nor words of foolishness, or of division, or of falsehood, which are not useful; but instead of these, thanksgiving. (AENT)

James 1:26 And if anyone thinks that he worships Elohim and does not subdue his tongue, but his heart deceives him; his worship is desolate. (AENT)

Titus 1:16 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)

Unless you’re solidly grounded in the BIBLE, stay away from those “uncanonized” books called the Apocrypha!

Be very careful of those who believe in and attempt to tout the extra-biblical books of the Catholic Bible called the Apocrypha!

The Apocrypha consists of books such as Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Jasher or Enoch, and a couple of others. Those are books that the people who canonized the Bible, didn't include because they either contained doubtful authenticity, or they had unknown authorship, were of doubtful origins, or were historically or geographically off the mark - and therefore we can't really pick and choose what to believe in them.

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

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

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

"There is no god"….

I just saw a stunning comment on Facebook, where someone insisted, "There is no god."

YIKES! Really?

So, I wrote:

If there is no God then how do you explain that myriad Bible prophecies have already unfolded, and continue to unfold before our very eyes?

I mean, TWO of these prophecies came to pass in 1948 when God used Hitler's Holocaust to make a couple of His "end times" prophecies come true!

Isaiah's prophecies about (1) Israel becoming a nation once more and (2) that it would happen in ONE DAY) came to pass in 1948 when the world briefly felt sorry for the Jews and returned Israel to them - which happened in ONE DAY.... (See Isaiah 66:7-8.)