Did you know that the most important thing anyone can do for themselves is to get themselves "right" with God?

Getting yourself "right" with Him means obeying His Will. He sent sent His Divine Son to teach and preach these things to His people, in person.

Example:

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

19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot (words/commands) and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (CJB)

QUESTION: Has everything happened that must happen? Have heaven and earth passed away yet? Yeshua even said He didn't come to abolish but to complete/fulfill. That did not mean "put an end to"...

If the above was not enough to convince you, check out these two verses in Revelation:

Rev. 12:17 - And the dragon was enraged against the woman; and he went to make war upon the remnant of her seed who keep the Commandments of Elohim AND have the testimony of Y'shua. (AENT)

Rev. 14:12 - Here is the patience of the Set Apart believers who keep the commandments of Elohim, AND the faith of Y'shua. (AENT)

(Note that I capitalized the word "AND" in the two passages above...)

1 John 2:1 My children, I am writing you these things so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we have Yeshua the Messiah, the Tzaddik, who pleads our cause with the Father. ² Also, he is the kapparah for our sins — and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. ³ The way we can be sure we know him is if we are obeying his commands. ⁴ Anyone who says, “I know him,” but isn’t obeying his commands is a liar — the truth is not in him.

⁵ But if someone keeps doing what he says, then truly love for God has been brought to its goal in him. This is how we are sure that we are united with him. ⁶ A person who claims to be continuing in union with him ought to conduct his life the way he did. ⁷ Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command. On the contrary, it is an old command, which you have had from the beginning; the old command is the message which you have heard before.  (CJB)

1 John 2:4. For he that says I know him, and does not keep his Commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. 5. But he that keeps his Word, in him is the Love of Elohim truly completed: for by this we know that we are in him. 6. He that says I am in him, is bound to walk according to his halacha ("the way to behave" or "the way of walking" according to YHWH’s Torah). 7. My beloved, I write no new commandment to you, but the old Commandment which you had from the beginning; and the old Commandment is the Word which you have heard. (AENT)

(Please re-read verse 7, as it refers to "the old Commandment" - which come straight from YHWH's Torah...)

Yeshua and all of his Apostles taught the Word of YHWH (Torah). They did not veer from it. Never once was it suggested that "when Jesus dies" the need to obey HIS Divine Commands would be negated, requiring only “grace.” (Without Torah, we have no clue on how to "be holy!")

And yes, these things ARE reiterated in the "New Testament":

James 1:22 Don’t deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it! 23 For whoever hears the Word but doesn’t do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, 24 who looks at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does. (CJB)

The bottom line is, YHWH WANTS a relationship with His people (which includes anyone who desires Him as their God!), and He has shown us over and over again HOW to please Him ... by "hearing AND doing" (which is what the Hebrew word "Shema" means: manifesting the hearing with proof of understanding by proper action).

It's what we need to do if we wish to hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21)

(See also Genesis 26:5, Deuteronomy 6:2-3, 10:12-13, 11:26-28; Exodus 20:1-17, which represent only a few passages wherein YHWH commanded His people to obey so they could be blessed in every way. His Torah still stands today!)

What do you think? Are we right now, "as in the days of Noah?"

If you've read the Bible, you know that in the days of Noah, man was so evil, decadent and ungodly, that YHWH decided to wipe man off the face of the Earth. Thanks to one single righteous and obedient man and his family upon whom God showed mercy, mankind was spared complete annihilation and the Earth was eventually re-populated.

Genesis 6: 5 ADONAI saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. 6 ADONAI regretted that he had made humankind on the earth; it grieved his heart. 7 ADONAI said, "I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them." 8 But Noach found grace in the sight of ADONAI. (CJB)  (See also Genesis 6: 11-13)

(In Noah's day, there was no Internet, no television, computers,  videos, cameras, or even pictures!  There was no written or video "guide" to help them become sinners, like today.  Yet, GOD saw them as evil enough to be wiped from the face of the earth.  Take a moment to let that sink in....)

Later, the days of Lot, beginning in Genesis 19 (many years after the Flood when the Earth had been repopulated) weren't much different. YHWH had given mankind a brand new start, and what did we do? Same ol' thing! (See, for example, Genesis 19:4-6)

Humans have been killing, going to war with our fellow man, stealing, raping, lying, hating, cheating, making idols for ourselves (not only worshiping "other gods" but also money and possessions and status) and generally exhibiting willful disobedience against YHWH since the day Adam and Eve ignored His command to "not eat" from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:17)...

It is no secret that there has been a steady decline of morality and a rise in decadence, aggressive behavior and violence over the millennia.  These things are basically in our backyards today!

In today's "modern" world, the things that God considers "bad" are considered "good" by society society-at-large. We have normalized things that YHWH Himself, as well as Yeshua and his Apostles called "abominations" and something to be shunned. (See  Leviticus 18: 22, Deuteronomy 22:5, Romans 1:22-32, 1 Timothy 1:9-11.)

The ONLY way to escape eternal separation from God on Judgment Day is to REPENT and TURN from our respective sins, and begin to live according to His Torah...

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

Hebrews 6: 4. But they who have once descended to immersion and have tasted the gift from heaven and have received the Ruach haKodesh 5. and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the power of the world to come, 6. cannot again sin and a second time be renewed to repentance; or a second time execute him on a stake and insult the Son of Elohim. 7. For the earth that drinks the rain which comes often upon it and produces the herb that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from Elohim. 8. But if it should put forth thorns and briers, it would be discarded and be approaching closely to a curse, and its end would be a conflagration. (AENT)

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

SOME WISDOM FROM PSALM 37

Psalm 37:23 Adonai directs a person’s steps, and he delights in his way. 24 He may stumble, but he won’t fall headlong, for Adonai holds him by the hand. 25 I have been young; now I am old; yet not once have I seen the righteous abandoned or his descendants begging for bread. 26 All day long he is generous and lends, and his descendants are blessed. 27 If you turn from evil and do good, you will live safely forever. 28 For Adonai loves justice and will not abandon his faithful; they are preserved forever. But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

NOTE THAT THE WAY TO PLEASE ADONAI is to learn to recognize and ponder some key words while reading and studying His Word.

Here’s what I mean:

(POINT 1)   "not once have I seen the righteous abandoned"...

WHO are the "righteous" and how can we learn and KNOW that we are "righteous?" (See Isaiah 33:15-17; Ezekiel 18:5-9; Proverbs 2:5-20; Matthew 5:20; Romans 8:4-6; Psalm 15:1-5 and 33:18–22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; and the entire Book of Leviticus.)

(POINT 2)  "if you turn from evil and do good, you will live safely forever...”

HOW do you know exactly what God considers "evil"; and what needs to be accomplished in order to be considered "good?" (Read Exodus 20:6 and 20; Deut. 11:1; Romans 6:23, 12:1-21 and 19-21; John 15:10; 1 John 5:2-4;)

God warns us in Proverbs 4:2 - "I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah."

This is reiterated in the “New Testament”:

“And by this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and follow his commandments. For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome. Because, whoever is born of Elohim overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith" (1 John 5:2-4).

"Only take great care to obey the mitzvah and the Torah which Moshe the servant of ADONAI gave you - to love ADONAI your God, follow all his ways, observe his mitzvot, cling to him, and serve him with all your heart and being." (Joshua 22:5). He declared "...as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH."  (Joshua 24:15).

(POINT 3) "(He) will not abandon his faithful; they are preserved forever"

WHAT does "faithful" mean; and who are the faithful?

The dictionary definition describes “faithful” as: “steadfast in affection or allegiance : LOYAL; firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty : CONSCIENTIOUS.”

Simply put, the “Faithful” are those who truly love God enough to adhere to His commandments and seek His Will in their daily walk!  GOD keeps His promises to us; but we humans tend to veer whenever we find it “inconvenient” to remember HIS Divine, clearly outlined Instruction in Righteousness…

Titus 3: 8. Faithful is the Word: and in these things I would have you also establish them; so that they, who have believed in Elohim, may be careful to cultivate good works: these are the things which are good and profitable to men. 9. But foolish questions and stories of genealogies and the disputes and contests of the scribes, avoid: for there is no profit in them and they are vain. 10. An heretical man, after you have instructed him once and then again, avoid: 11. and know that such a man is perverse and sinful, and self-condemned.

(POINT 4)   "But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off."

WHAT is God’s definition of "wicked?"

First, the dictionary definition defines it as: “Evil, fierce, ferocious, roguish, vile; disposed to or marked by mischief; disgustingly unpleasant; causing or likely to cause harm, distress, or trouble.

Obviously, believers are NOT to take part in ANY kind of wickedness!  As a matter of fact, YHWH's people are NOT to associate with the wicked, AND WARN anyone who associates with the wicked! 

Mishpocah/family/friends -  these things you’ve just read should NEVER be ignored or taken lightly!

Ezekiel 3:18 If I say to a wicked person, 'You will certainly die'; and you fail to warn him, to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his wicked way and save his life; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death. 19 On the other hand, if you warn the wicked person, and he doesn't turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, then he will still die guilty; but you will have saved your own life. (CJB)

20 Similarly, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, I will place a stumblingblock before him - he will die; because you failed to warn him, he will die in his sin; his righteous acts which he did will not be remembered; and I will hold you responsible for his death. 21 But if you warn the righteous person that a righteous person should not sin, and he doesn't sin; then he will certainly live, because he took the warning; and you too will have saved your life." (CJB)

Romans 1: 28. And as they did not determine with themselves to know Elohim, Elohim gave them over to a vain mind; that they might do what they should not. 29. Being full of all iniquity and lewdness, and bitterness and malice, and covetousness and envy, and slaughter and strife, and deceit and evil machinations 30. And backbiting and slander; and being haters of Elohim, scoffers, proud, vain-glorious, devisers of evil things, destitute of reason, disregardful of parents. 31. And to whom a covenant is nothing, neither affection, nor peace, and in whom is no compassion. (AENT)

32. These, while they know the judgment of Elohim, that he condemns those to death who perpetrate such things, are not only doers of them, but the companions of such as do them.  (AENT)

So, as you can see by the above, actual STUDY of Scripture is both imperative and enlightening, leading to a closer relationship with our amazing Creator!

My prayer for all my family and friends is that YHWH would open the spiritual eyes of all those who are truly seeking HIS Truth. May you all develop a never-ending hunger for HIS Word so that you will ultimately get to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

A word about the derogatory term “Judaizers”

Those who enter into the Kingdom of Elohim and attempt live like Yeshua and followers did, run the risk of being marginalized by religions that don’t follow Torah (first five Books of the Bible that contain all of God’s Divine Instruction in Righteousness, without which humanity would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living).

Hence, the term “Judaizers” – as if being Jewish or being grafted into the Olive Tree and following God’s Word is a “bad” thing….)

Although many have long used the term “Judaizer” to disgrace Messianic believers, the reality is that Messiah Yeshua (who was a Jew) is calling a Set Apart and spiritually renewed people out of the world – meaning, those who are not conformed to this world or the religions of it; but are renewed in mind and spirit, and desire to DO the Word of YHWH and walk like His Messiah did (1 John 2:6). (Contrary to popular belief Yeshua (whom Christians call "Jesus") did NOT come to abolish YHWH’s Torah; rather he came to show us how to properly walk it out!)

Simply put, the negative or condescending spirit against “the Judaizers” is a product of the demonic world that inspires the lower nature of mankind to fear what it does not understand. As Paul taught, “…who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant?” (Romans 14:4).

The bottom line is that the condemnatory and judgmental spirit against the “Judaizers” is a straw man that hides ignorance and spiritually immature religious prejudices.

“Be like little children…” What does that mean?

Matthew 18: 1. At that moment, the disciples drew near to Y’shua and said, “Who indeed is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? 2. And Y’shua called a child and made him stand in their midst. 3. And said, Truly I say to you, that unless you change and become like children, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4. He therefore who humbles himself like this child, he will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5. And he who receives one like this child in my name receives me. (AENT)

Referencing Matthew 18 above, it would seem that our natural instinct is to believe that the passage refers to behavior – perhaps, “acting childish.” But that’s not what Yeshua means at all. He is, in fact, talking about honing our relationship with God…

Case in point:

Little children, from babyhood on, are naturally curious. They use all their senses of seeing, hearing, touching feeling, smelling, and tasting in order to get a good grasp of their immediate surroundings. (As you know, practically everything ends up in a baby’s mouth!)

Later, as their world expands, they’ll eat dirt, grass, and water from a mud puddle, just to see what they taste like. They will pull a dog’s tail, just to see the animal’s reaction. They drive their parents crazy with questions about everything and anything.

In short, they’re like little sponges, soaking up the entire world around them in their innate drive to learn ALL the basics and “push the limits” to gain knowledge and get their way while doing so. Parents are constantly kept busy teaching and guiding the hungry minds of their inquisitive children, whose curiosity seems to know no bounds!

For instance, when we hold them on our laps to teach them about God, they are “all ears,” asking tons of questions. However, when we become adults who have learned all the basics, we tend to lose the thrill about the world around us and get busy with our respective roles in life.

Truth is, for many (if not most), God often “takes a backseat” and their Bibles lay on some forgotten shelf somewhere to gather dust. Many feel that, just “knowing God” suffices, and there’s no need to do anything else except perhaps go to church sometimes, IF and when they have the time.

They don’t realize that, even though we can’t literally SEE our Creator and His Messiah, He still desires to have a real relationship with us … and today, the ONLY way to have that relationship is to get into the Bible to do some actual reading and studying to find out who God is, and what He expects of His people!

In other words, when it comes to God, many adults tend to lose that wonderful child-like curiosity or the “innate, driving desire” to use all of their senses to actually discover WHOM they are supposed to be worshiping, or HOW to worship Him (all of which can be found in the Bible).

(How can we possibly know what it means to be holy/set apart unto Him UNLESS we KNOW and DO His Word?)

Yom Kippur is just around the corner. Are you ready?

Yes, it’s that time of year again – Halleluyah!  Celebrated on Tishri 10 (this year Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement falls on our Gregorian calendar on October 6),) this mo'ed always falls in the September/October time frame. 

Are you ready?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This mo'ed signals the call for repentance, for the time is short and Judgment is coming upon the Earth - whether people are ready, or not! (See the Books of Daniel and Revelation.)

So, I ask again:  ARE YOU READY?

An important mini-teaching on 1 John 2

1 John 2:1. My children, these things I write to you that you do not sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Y’shua the Mashiyach, the righteous. 2. For he is himself the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only but also for all the world. 3. And by this we will be sensible that we know him, if we keep his Commandments.

4. For he that says I know him, and does not keep his Commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. 5. But he that keeps his Word, in him is the Love of Elohim truly completed: for by this we know that we are in him.

6. He that says I am in him, is bound to walk according to his halacha ("the way to behave" or "the way of walking" according to YHWH’s Torah). 7. My beloved, I write no new commandment to you, but the old Commandment which you had from the beginning; and the old Commandment is the Word which you have heard.* (AENT)

*“Elohim is light”, (1 John 1:5); therefore, it can be argued that at Creation when YHWH said, “Let there be light”, Genesis 1:3, that He in effect brought a part of Himself out to accomplish the creative act. The “Word” does this same feat, Psalm 33:6; John 1:1; a few lines earlier we read the “Word of Life.”

Direct linguistic relationship between the Hebrew and Aramaic roots for “Light” and “Torah” can also be seen in places such as the following:

Psalm 119:105 “Your word (davar) is a lamp to my feet, a light (aur) to my path.”

Proverbs 6:23 “For the commandment is a lamp. The teaching is a light (aur), and the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines.”

What makes this citation in Proverbs most profound is the word mitzvah (commandment), since tradition commonly calls the revelation at Sinai the Ten Commandments when in fact the Tanakh uses davarim (words)!

Keep this in mind while considering 1 John 2:4. “He who says I know Him and does not keep His Commandments (poqadona) is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word (miltha) in him, verily is the love of Elohim perfected; hereby we know that we are in Him.” 1 John 2:4 (Lamsa).

Aramaic could not make a more forceful point. The fact is, poqadona and miltha are exceedingly close matches for their Hebrew counterparts mitzvah in Proverbs, and davar in Psalms. However, it is in this next passage that the full measure of John’s brilliance is shown: “My beloved, I do not write a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have heard from the beginning.” 1 John 2:7 (Lamsa)

The Commandment is the Word, which comes from the beginning! We must now realize that to translate this as “his Commandments” is wrong, but “His Commandments” is correct. “His Commandments” is the WORD which came from the very beginning of time.

Many fail to understand this truth: It is impossible for Torah to have passed away during the lifetime of the Shlichim if John himself writes about the Word they have heard from the beginning. What else could this WORD be, except the living Torah!

John was a native Aramaic speaker and follower of Y’shua who knows that the WORD (or the Torah of YHWH) comes from the “Light”; he stated that Elohim is Light and that we abide in that Light when we do His Mitzvot/Poqadona/Commandments.

Furthermore, the interchanging of “Word” and “Commandment” simply does not happen in any other language except Hebrew and Aramaic, the “word that you have heard” is the Shema!