About that pesky word “fulfill”…

Let's employ some Bible hermeneutics by checking out the words of Yeshua himself.   (Yeshua is our Divine Messiah's given, Hebrew Name which means, "YAHWEH is Salvation" and his Name is written thusly in Hebrew: ישוע ). (By the way, the Father's Name as given to Moses in Exodus 3: 13-15 and looks like this in Hebrew via the letters Yud Hey Vav Hey - יהוה - and is transliterated into the English letters as YHWH, most likely pronounced "Yahway" ...)

Matthew 5: 17. Do not think that I have come to loosen the Torah or the Prophets. I have not come to loosen but to fulfill them through proper interpretation. (Aramaic English New Testament)

Folks - Yeshua at no time "loosened" either Torah or the Prophets! Why would he have, when Torah (erroneously mistranslated as "law" in most Bible versions) is our ONLY blueprint for moral, holy living? Torah consists of the first five Books of the Bible, containing ALL of ADONAI's original teachings and Instructions to His people.)

The prophetic Word YHWH gave to His prophets cannot be loosed or annulled, and neither can the Torah of YHWH. These are two witnesses that stand as One. The Word of YHWH is both Torah (instruction in righteousness) and Prophecy declaring, foretelling and revealing the Will of YHWH to each generation. See Deuteronomy 4:2; 13:1.

"Fulfill" means to carry out or to bring to realization, to perform or do, as in a person's duty; or to obey or follow the Commandments, as in satisfying the Commandments by obeying them (Isaiah 42:21 "YHWH is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will magnify Torah, and make him (it) honorable.")....

Let's take a look at the rest of the aforementioned passage in Matthew 5:

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 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)

The question we must ask ourselves is this: Has everything that "must happen" happened yet? Have "heaven and earth passed away? If not, then it seems believers are supposed to BE Torah observant today!

The verse in Matthew 5:17-20 that says: "So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven" is a major key, because it is talking about YHWH's commands!

What commands are they? TORAH commands - which still stand today ... and WE are obligated, as believers, to keep those that we can! We need to pay special attention to those that have the word "forever" or "throughout your generations" attached to them.

Why? Because "forever" hasn't ended yet! Not to mention, "fulfill" never meant "to put an end to." It means, Yeshua came to do His Father's will and to fulfill "the next thing on the agenda".....

"Fulfill", among other things, means to have proper understanding of a scriptural passage, such as recognizing a precise fulfillment of prophecy. Therefore, for instance, when Yeshua says, "This word is fulfilled in your hearing," he means that he is the goal or object of that prophecy and has now arrived on the scene to do his mission as specified according to prophecy.

Now, if the "fulfillment" has not happened yet, as is the case when Yeshua says, "All that is written in the Torah and Prophets must be fulfilled," then it means, quite obviously "kept", "vouchsafed" or "adhered to" – the exact opposite of passing away!

That is also why he says, "He who keeps (fulfills) my words shall not taste death!"

For a more indepth discussion on this issue, please read my article about the word “fulfill” …

Calendar Issues: “2024: It’s Déjà vu All Over Again”

Those who have been following our calendar at The Refiner’s Fire Ministry, know that the calendar of the Bible has been made a mess by man! Nowhere in scripture does YHWH tells us how the calendar is to be formulated, so it has become a "free-for-all" with nearly everyone saying their calendar is "THE calendar of God" or even "The Creator's Calendar!" 

The bottom line is that many of those calendars simply "don't hold water" when push comes to shove! Even the traditional (modern) Hebrew calendar is fraught with issues resulting in most of YHWH's appointed times celebrated on the wrong days! 

Our ministry, established in 2001, offers the FREE  2024 Eternal Torah Calendar  (simply click to view and/or download) which is based on the actual sun, moon, and stars; NOT the traditional Jewish calendar which is based on an "average moon", and rabbinical additions and changes. (For further explanation, please see our Basic Guide to the Original Biblical Calendar.) 

So, what do we mean by ""Déjà vu All Over Again” when it comes to the 2024 calendar? 

Similar to some other years 2024 is a Disruption Year, which is to say that, like 1970, 2016 and 2019 before it, 2024 will have the Rabbinic Calendar out of synch with the seasons by about a month, causing an enormous amount of confusion!

The following is an excerpt by author, Bible scholar and International speaker Andrew Gabriel Roth, who produces the Eternal Torah Calendar (gleaned from the expertise of the late Lt. Col (Ret) William "Bill" Welker, whose knowledge in astronomy, the sciences, computers and calendars were an invaluable asset).

“2024: It’s Déjà vu All Over Again”

The year 2024 is a Disruption Year, which is to say that, like 1970, 2016 and 2019 before it, 2024 will have the Rabbinic Calendar out of synch with the seasons by about a month. This is dangerous to agriculture in Israel. ETC correctly picks Tuesday, March 26th as the ideal time to
have the barley in Aviv. The barley begins ripening the early days of March.

Unlike the misconceptions of the Karaites, it is not the case that barley must be in Aviv at Abib New Moon; but rather only by the 16th of that month. The barley season then has the crop ripen gradually throughout the Israel over the next three weeks, so by March 24th, almost all of Israel
has barley that either is or has just been in green ears. By contrast the Rabbinic Calendar will have its “firstfruits” only on April 24th, by which time the barley is definitely no longer freshly ripe. In fact, late April to early May is more consistent with the timing of the first fruit of the grain, not the barley. So if we throw off the timing for barley it also negatively impacts that of the wheat and other critical harvests throughout the agricultural year in Israel.

The other thing that 2024 shows us is the extent and seriousness of the disruption away from the tropical year for the Rabbinic Calendar. As we have also mentioned before, I found no evidence of any problem with the Rabbinic Calendar prior to 1970, when the last day of Pesach fell on April 27th. You may also recall that I said no part of Pesach can ever touch any part of May; if it does the rest of the harvests are put at far greater risk at not being in synch with the feasts that are supposed to align with them (Deuteronomy 16:1).

But I also said the error on the RC side was a cumulative math one, and that it would inevitably get worse over time. New calculations have confirmed that as a mathematical certainty. In 2016, the first Disruption Year since 1970, the last day of Pesach hit even later, on April 29th! Then in 2019 a slightly less serious disruption put that occasion on April 26th . But here in 2024 we have the most disastrous timing ever recorded, with the last day of Pesach being April 30th; in fact but for the arrangement of the days of the week, we could have hit May this year. Also, if the ETC dated feast timings locally rather than centralizing it over Jerusalem skies, some parts of the world also would have had the last day of Pesach hit May.

We simply cannot allow that to happen—ever—so I am sounding the alarm now. The Rabbis may have to make a change to their calendar even sooner than I anticipated initially. If they do, all they have to do to fix it forever, meaning never losing a day as they are now, is to apply Rule 1 of the ETC that Abib must be the New Moon nearest the Vernal Equinox, either before or after.

They are more than welcome to keep all of their other traditions intact, including the Metonic Cycle barring when it gets a wrong result, and other traditions that I personally disagree with but will nevertheless be fixed with the adoption of this one simple rule. Otherwise my hope is that 2024 represents the latest possible timing of the end of Pesach on the rabbinic calendar, for the next one in 2030 is more moderate, ending on April 24th. On the other hand, cumulative is as cumulative does, and that has been the pattern up until now

In a sense, these oddities in 2024 are a continuation of the rare timings we saw in 2023, which had five consecutive 30-day months and triggered a claw-back contingency where the sun prevented the moon from having a 31-day month. In this case, 2023 was actually very helpful because its circumstances forced me to issue better descriptions of my calendar rules. In other respects though 2024 is a pretty stable year. Their order of month lengths for thirteen months beginning with January 11th is: Tevet (29), Shevat (30), Adar (29), Abib (30), Iyar (29), Sivan (29), Tammuz (29), Av (29), Elul (30). Tishri (29). Cheshvan (30), Kislev (30), Tevet (29) or seven 30-day months and six 29 day months.

This is almost an ideal arrangement, generally alternating between the two lengths, except for two consecutive 29 day months (Tammuz and Elul) and two consecutive 30 day months (Cheshvan and Kislev), each one balancing out the other pair. But what is stable on ETC in 2024 is chaotic on the RC side, unfortunately.

On the other hand, the years 2025-2029 will once again be times of great agreement and alignment between the two calendars, which means 2030, the 2,000th anniversary of the resurrection, will once again be a Disruption Year, though not nearly as bad as what we have on tap now. 2024 is, by far, the most disruptive year that is harmful to the rabbinic calendar that I have ever tracked.

(Andrew Gabriel Roth Andrew has become an international speaker having taught in Israel, Canada, South Africa and across the United States and may be contacted for speaking engagements at: onefaithandrew@gmail.com)

A word about "Torah terrorists" and their abusive behavior...

I HAVE TO SAY I'M GLAD CHRISTMAS IS OVER because I'm tired of seeing all the viciousness aimed at Christians by certain supposed Torah observant types who clearly view themselves as being the only perfect people on the planet.

 They verbally rip to shreds those who are not yet on the same plane as they are, and attempt to give everyone a "biblical concussion" (peppered with plenty of personal opinion!) while never hesitating to lord their self-perceived superiority over those they perceive as "inferior" in Bible knowledge. 

 Most of their posts reflect nothing but pride, arrogance and haughtiness as they spend their time telling everyone else what to do ... clearly never realizing that, by their ungodly behavior, they are proving to the world that they aren't actually bothering to "walk the walk" themselves! 

Did you know that ADONAI HATES negative behavior? Take a look at some of the passages revealing that fact:

Proverbs 6: 16 There are six things ADONAI hates, seven which he detests: 17 a haughty look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet swift in running to do evil, 19 a false witness who lies with every breath, and him who sows strife among brothers. (CJB)

Titus 1:7:  7 For an overseer, as someone entrusted with God’s affairs, must be blameless — he must not be self-willed or quick-tempered, he must not drink excessively, get into fights or be greedy for dishonest gain. 8 On the contrary, he must be hospitable, devoted to good, sober-mindedness, uprightness, holiness and self-control. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy Message that agrees with the doctrine; so that by his sound teaching he will be able to exhort and encourage, and also to refute those who speak against it. (CJB)

James 4:1-2: 1. Let there not be many teachers among you, my Brothers; knowing that as such we will receive a more severe judgment.  2. For we all offend in many things. Whoever does not offend in discourse is a perfect man who can also keep his whole body in servitude. (AENT)

James 6: 6. Now the tongue is a fire, and the world of sin is like a forest. And this tongue, which is one among our members, corrupts our whole body; and it inflames the series of our generations that roll on like a wheel; and it is itself on fire.  7. For all natures of beasts and birds and reptiles of the sea or land are dominated by the nature of man.  8. But the tongue has no one been able to tame: it is an evil thing, unruly and full of deadly poison.  9. For with it, we bless Master YHWH and Father; and with it we curse men who were made in the image of Elohim:  10. and from the same mouth issues forth curses and blessings. (AENT)

Luke 20: 45. And while all of the people were listening, he said to his disciples,  46. Beware of the scribes who desire to walk in long robes and love a greeting in the public square and the chief seats in the assembly and the chief places at banquets.  47. Those who devour the houses of widows with the pretense of prolonging their prayers, they will receive a greater judgment. (AENT)

Proverbs 20:3: Avoiding quarrels brings a person honor; for any fool can explode in anger. (CJB)

Proverbs 21:4 Haughty looks, a proud heart -what the wicked plow is sin.(CJB)

Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. (CJB)

There are many more scriptures such as the above”; but you get the gist. If you know people like this personally (or here on Facebook), gently remind them that their behavior is not only anti-Torah, but also goes against everything Yeshua taught.

If they refuse your gentle nudge, or become belligerent, just let them be. Disassociate yourself and shake the dust from your sandals. Turn them over to ADONAI and keep them in your prayers. They’re not your problem and they’re not worth your time and energy.

Israel has a RIGHT to defend herself, and “the world” needs to back off!

"The world" has been trying to kill off "the Jews" since time immemorial, and they ALWAYS "bounced back" (because YHWH is with them!); and they have bent over backwards to appease everyone in all sorts of ways. Modern day Israel doesn't go out to pick on people or start wars - yet, way too often, they are provoked into unwanted combat by bullies who want them dead.

In my humble opinion, it's way PAST time they stood up to the terrorists who keep trying to wipe them out! It's time for them to STOP giving away their Land and their Temple Mount, etc., to appease those who didn't have a right to squat on THEIR GOD-GIVEN LAND, Israel, in the first place. You can’t negotiate with those who hate you enough to want you DEAD!

SO, IF YOU ARE AMONG THOSE IGNORANT, MOUTHY, BRAINLESS SUPPORTERS OF ISRAEL'S ENEMIES, THINK ABOUT THIS:

If someone came to your house time and time again to harass, terrorize, rape the women and/or kill your family and neighbors - would YOU stand by and do nothing? Would YOU sit there and whine and cry or hide like some simpering coward and let everyone else tell you to just back away and appease the swines who keeps attacking you? Or would you FINALLY grow a backbone and start fighting back, with every last ounce of strength you could muster - even if it meant your own death?

As sad as it is, EVERY war has "collateral damage" with innocent bystanders being killed. But that's just the way it goes. War is HELL!

I guarantee you, if it were MY family or neighborhood being attacked by Hamas or Isis or any other human dung who exist only to KILL, I would fight like HELL to put the hurt on them in every way available to me - and I wouldn't let ANYBODY tell me to sit down , shut up, and deal with it.

As much as I hate to see innocents getting hurt and killed, "the world" needs to understand Israel is not defending itself against a government; it's defending itself against the world’s barbaric extremists who exist only to hate the Jews and wipe them out!

Reader question about Galatians 3:10

 READER QUESTION:

I have a question on Gal. 3:10. My grandson insists that this verse means that if we keep His commandments we are under a curse. And how do I explain the comment, "for those that are servants of Torah are still under a curse.” Please help!

OUR RESPONSE:

Those are great questions, and the problem is that Paul was very hard to understand. Even Peter said that he would be (2 Peter 3:15-18).

First, let's take a look at who Paul was writing to ... The congregations in Galatia (Galatians 1:2). Why was he writing to them? Because they had already fallen away from faith in the Messiah and had been confused and challenged by men who did not believe in the Messiah (1:6-7). What did Paul say about these teachers?

He said they " are men who agitated you and desired to pervert the Good News of Mashiyach" (1:7), and that these men "preach outside from what was preached to you, let them be cursed. ... Whichever man preaches to you outside of what you have received, let him be accursed" (1:8-9).

Now, read Galatians 3 with this in mind - but first, understand that Torah says: "A curse on anyone who does not confirm the words of this Torah by putting them into practice" (Deuteronomy 27:26).

In Galatians 3, Paul was teaching (again) that righteousness does not come through "works"; rather, that righteousness is through faith, and faith is demonstrated by works (Galatians 3:2-6). Then, referring to Deuteronomy 27:26, Paul said in 3:10 "For those who are servants of Torah are still under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not act 35 on all that is written in this book of Torah.”

Paul went on through the rest of Galatians 3 to explain that he was talking about those very men whom he mentioned back in Galatians 1:7, that those men were cursed because they taught Torah, but they DID NOT LIVE BY TORAH.

Read the way Paul puts it in Romans 2: "13. For not the hearers of Torah are righteous before Elohim; but the doers of Torah are being made righteous. 14. For if Gentiles who have not Torah will, by their nature, do the things of Torah; they, while without Torah, become a Torah to themselves.

15. Additionally, they show the work of Torah as it is inscribed on their hearts; and their conscience bears testimony to them, their own reflections rebuking or vindicating one another" (Romans 2:13-15). But about the Torah-teachers he says:

"17. But if you who are called a Jew, and rely yourself on Torah and glory in Elohim, 18. (And further that you think) that you know His good pleasure and discern obligations because you are instructed in Torah; 19. And (that Elohim) has confidence in yourself, that you are a guide to the blind, and a light to them who are in darkness, 20. And an instructor of those lacking knowledge, and a preceptor to the young; and you have the appearance of knowledge and of verity in Torah (then what do you all say to the following):

21. You therefore, who teach others, teach you not yourself? And you who teach that men must not steal, do you steal? 22. And you who say, “Men must not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? And you who condemn idols, do you plunder the sanctuary? 23. And you who glory in Torah, don’t you, by acting contrary to Torah, insult Elohim himself? (Romans 2:17-23).

SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT: When Paul wrote in Galatians 3:10 that those who are servants of Torah [that is, they demand serving Torah, not living by Torah] are still under a curse because they, themselves don't live by Torah through as servants to YHWH - which is exactly as Torah teaches (refer back to Deuteronomy 27:26).

A reader’s thoughts about the Middle East, the Parallels and Reliving the 1930s

READER COMMENT:

I’m writing to throw out some thoughts for your readers to ponder, because I’ve been wondering if anyone else had noticed these things, too.

For instance, over the last several years, I've been fascinated by the Middle East. Since becoming a believer in YHWH, I've realized that the events in the Middle East (ancient AND modern) have repercussions on the rest of the planet (Genesis 10:1-4, Genesis 10:8-12, Genesis 10:25, Genesis 11:1-32, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 16:12, Genesis 19:24-26, Genesis 36, Genesis 46, and Joshua 10:13-14). 

People do mock me over this. Regardless of where we live, we must realize YHWH is in control and that events in the Middle East are still forecast to happen in the not too distant future (Yeshayahu 17, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38 and 39, Joel 3:12 and Revelation 16:12).

I’ve also been wondering if anyone else has noticed the pararallels between the Islamic world and the actions of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan? I see many parallels. The actions of Hamas and Hezbollah as well the rhetoric of Iran's Revolutionary Guard mirror that of Hitler and the Third Reich. Islamic suicide bombers mirror the tactics of Imperial Japan's kamikaze pilots crashing their planes into Allied warships. I hope many more out there come to YHWH while there is still time. The Prophetic Clock is ticking. YHWH isn't messing around.

Lastly, does it seem to you as if we re repeating the events of the 1930s?  Every day, I see reports on the Israel-Hamas war while surfing the web. Rampant Anti-Semitism spreads like a virus (like other perversions such as homosexuality and drug-use). May I please obtain some insight into this? I know that we are living in the End Times and that the days are likened to the days of Noah and Lot. I know we must do our best to be Set Apart, especially right now and do our best to focus on YHWH and His Word and stay away from darkness, deception, falsehoods, lies and ignorance.

OUR RESPONSE:

These are some very deep and appropriate thoughts to ponder, and I agree with everything you wrote.  I would love to hear from our other readers, to get their perspective on this!

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR THOSE TO FEEL ENTITLED TO CONSTANTLY JUDGE OTHERS

Matthew 7: 1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you.

3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye! (CJB)

IN OTHER WORDS, “you” should not judge by your own judgment, but by YAHWEH’s righteous judgment. (Deuteronomy 1:17; Psalm 37:30, 31. ) Yeshua teaches that justice (judgment) is one of the more important matters of Torah, Matthew 23:23, but if you judge by your own standards then YHWH will use your own standards to judge you. Also, see Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21.

BOTTOM LINE: No one is perfect - and that includes those who love to sit in judgment of others! If a person has repented and apologized for their past mistakes, then you do NOT have the right to constantly remind and harass them about it. Instead, you need to do a self-examination, make a list of your OWN mistakes, figure out what YOU have perpetrated against God, and then start doing some repenting and apologizing of your own. YAHWEH is the final Judge of all of us; not you!