The Messianic Torah Observer

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (2Ti 4:1-5 KJV)

• What must be the focus of the Natsariym? What must be his or her purpose? What is his or her responsibility?
• Who am I to question such a thing as purpose, focus or even responsibility in our Faith Community
• • Hesitancy to say anything because I am a nobody
• I submit to you that we have been given a set of marching orders that defines what our focus, purpose and responsibilities are in this Faith of ours
• Yet it would seem that we are not following suit. It appears that many in our beloved Faith are victims of the "itching ears syndrome" and are off following all kinds of things that have little to nothing to do with that in which the Master has instructed us to focus on
• What is our responsibility and what is to be our focus and purpose? I submit that the Master outlined it beautifully in the famed "Sermon on the Mount"
• • Everyone knows of this great oratory piece that spans 3-chapters in Matthew's Gospel
  • It is here that Master sets the rules of the Kingdom and in effect, gives us our marching orders in preparation for the Great Commission which He ultimately delivers at the end of Matthew's Gospel account
• A few Sabbaths ago, we were privileged to have gone through this most relevant of passages in the whole of the Holy Writ
• I would like for the remainder of this "Thoughts and Reflections," to conduct an overview of this section of the Gospel records and discern what we as Natsariym should be focused upon
• The problem I am seeing, at least in and around the Hebrew Roots circles I have been associated with, is that we as a community are all over the place in terms of what we do, understand, teach and focus on

• • As a result, we as a community have made ourselves irrelevant to the world
  • This is problematic: for we are at a crucial crossroads in world history: millions of former Christian adherents are leaving Churchianity in record numbers and thus, we being in such flux and uncertainty in our Faith, I submit to you, that we are missing invaluable and maybe even, once in a lifetime opportunities to show the world the only true path that leads to life; to lead people to the true Faith once delivered to the first century saints by Yeshua Messiah
• As Natsariym, we know that we should be doing and responding to that which Yeshua taught and modeled
• • Yet Churchianity over the centuries has been erroneously focused primarily upon that which Shaul (Paul) taught
  • • Don't get me wrong, I believe that which Shaul taught is in alignment with the teachings and doctrines of Master Yahshua, but Shaul is not Yeshua--Shaul is not the head of the Body
    • The enemy, in my opinion, has capitalized upon the problems associated with Paul's writing style (2 Peter 3:15,16). That, in concert with Paul's considerable influence among the Gentiles who through his ministry and the work of the Ruach Kodesh have been grafted into the commonwealth of the true Faith once delivered, these have falsely presumed and falsely understood the true meaning of much of Shaul's teachings and as a consequence, have been in many instances, completely thrown off the correct path set forth for us by Master Yahoshua
    • Yet Churchianity has stubbornly refused to return to the teachings of Yeshua Messiah and to Torah-living to gain a firm foundation and understanding as to what we as grafted in believers, should be doing; should be focusing on; should be responsible for
• Churchianity has postulated over the centuries that there exists a "highway" to heaven--that all one has to do is come just as they are, say a "sinner's prayer, maybe be dunked in some water and maybe attend a handful of Sunday church services throughout the year
• • There are no responsibilities beyond these to be had by the new convert
• Sadly, Hebrew Roots has somewhat taken this laissez faire mentality to heart and have applied it in great part to herself and what we now see are people observing the Sabbath (to a greater and lesser degree); observing the feast days (to a lesser and greater degree); and abstaining from pork and shell fish (again, to a lesser and greater degree)
• • But for the Natsariym, that's where everything seems to stop for the most part
• I submit to you that Master gave us a great amount of responsibilities and specific things to focus upon
• • And the focus and responsibility He's given us is not tied to "itching ear" stuff that seems to have gripped our beloved Faith
  • Our Faith is slowly but surely becoming irrelevant (although I don't have any numbers to prove it apart from my personal observations and research) because we are not laser-focused on doing that which Yahoshua taught and showed us to do
  • Instead of obedience to the teachings of our Master; instead of being true disciples of Master--we find ourselves in many instances, being disciples of self
  • • We individually determine what our personal focus and responsibilities and purpose to be
    • And in most cases, we give in to the human propensity for the "itching ears syndrome," whereby we get bored with the stated purpose and focus of a thing such as the Gospel that Yeshua taught, and instead, we latch on to the latest and greatest and most intriguing subject matter
    • • Lunar Sabbaths
      • Flat Earth
      • The 3rd or 4th Temple in Jerusalem
      • The Apocryphal and Forbidden Books not contained in the "authorized" canon of Scripture
      • Messianic Judaism
      • Kabbalah
      • Black Israelitism
      • Modern Israel (the nation that is) Fanatics
      • Sacred Names and Hebrew Names
• I'll be the first to admit, in the course of my 12-plus years in this Faith, I've dabbled in virtually all of the above and Yah knows whatever else was out there
• • Although when I first came into this Faith, my focus was to learn the tenets of the Faith
  • • Those were the best years of my walk with Messiah
    • I grew in obedience and understanding during this period more than anytime in my walk
    • I want to get back to that stage of my life and that is what I am aiming from this time forward to do
    • Focus on that which Master taught us to do and then teach others to do likewise
    • Otherwise, when we default to focusing solely on all of the types of things that I've mentioned above, we become like obnoxious and obstinate little children who misbehave while mommy and daddy are away
    • • Do we want Master to return and find us not doing that which He commanded us to do? I say absolutely not
      • • This goes beyond the above type things--this also applies to being obedient to Torah and not sinning
  • Is dabbling in these things--some of these "itching ear" type topics alway wrong or are they are sinful? Absolutely not (although some do cross the line over into paganism and man made traditions and dogmas
  • • But when we focus our whole attentions to these and other such things and ignore our core values and purpose in the Faith, we will invariably start to move away from the Faith; which ultimately will diminish our witness and hinder our effective walk with Messiah
    • Proper focus on the things Master has directed us to do will ground us and get us into a "Kingdom of Yahovah" mindset that will prepare us for Master's return and our effectiveness and success in the Great Commission
• So, what exactly are we to focus on?
• This topic is so huge and voluminous and relevant. Yet, I don't wish to turn this into a burdensome dissertation that robs you of your individuality and joy in the Faith
• • I only wish to reflect and provide my thoughts on a problem that I see in our Faith and in our community and to provide some corrective content that I personally will be immediately incorporating into my daily walk with Master and that I believe are relevant for our beloved Faith corporately
  • Everything that I am considering in this episode is coming directly from the Bible--coming actually from the mouth of Master Yeshua

1. Ideally, subsist in a humble, always dependent upon Father attitude (5:3)
2.  Always mindful of our past and our need for the provisions set forth by Father for today and the future (5:4)
3. Remaining ever so gentle and teachable (5:5)
4. Remain always thirsty and hungry for truth and righteousness (5:6)
5. Merciful towards others in our day-to-day lives (5:7)
6. Live transparently; our actions and our thoughts and our purpose be transparent and pure (5:8)
7. In everything we do, always seek after peace and in effect, be peacemakers (5:9)
8. Be sold out to Master and His way of life, such that we defy the norms of our society (not in a creepy or suspicious or evil way) and we are set apart from the world, ready and willing to be persecuted and judged by the world for our Faith (5:10)
   1. Are we in the proper place in our respective lives to be able to do this?
9. Be salt and light to a lost and dying world (5:13-16)
   1. salt acts as a seasoning and preservative--thus we are obliged to safeguard the truth that is in us and to properly dispense that truth to a dying world
   2. light illuminates and makes one's path visible and prevents stumbling--thus we must be examples to the world as to the proper path each soul must take in order to obtain life--live lives such that men are drawn to us and that point the world to Yeshua Messiah
10. Be Torah observant Yeshua-style (5:17-48)
    1. In order to be Torah observant, we must know Torah
       1. Getting sidetracked with the itching ear stuff that has taken over our beloved Faith will rob us of valuable time that should be used to learn and apply Torah to our lives
    2. This alone will take a lifetime to master!!!!!
    3. Practice obedience to Torah which embodies justice, mercy and equality (7:12)
11. Practice forgiveness (6:14-16; Luke 6:37)
12. Fast Regularly (6:17,18)
13. Maintain a positive and responsive perspective in life where focus is on spirituality (6:19-23)
14. Maintain a trusting faith in Father entirely for our substance and sustenance (6:24-34)
    1. Subordinate ambitions, carer, possessions to the service of Yahovah
15. Practice self-assessment over judgment and criticism of others (7:1-5; Luke 6:37)
16. Safeguard the Word (7:6)
    1. Sanctify it
    2. Regard the Word as holy
    3. Discriminate the sharing of the Word with others such that it is not squandered
17. Turn over reliances and needs to the Father (7:7-23)
18. Learn, obey and imitate Yahoshua's teachings teachings--read, re-read, study, meditate on the Bible (7:24-27)
19. Seek this Kingdom life and the righteousness that is maintained, determined and required of all by Yahoshua Messiah (6:33)
    1. Be giving and generous (Luke 6:30)
    2. This encapsulates much of this whole focus matrix
    3. Requires constant punching of the Bible to figure out how we are to be obedient to these instructions of our Master
20. Love one another (John 13:34,35 and Luke 6:27)
21. Make disciples of the nations of the world (Matt. 28:19)
22. Above all, bear good frujit; do that which is good; feed the hungry; help the needy; visit the prisoner; clothe the naked (Luke 7:43,44)

• If we simply focused on these, let's say 22-teachings and instructions of Yeshua, we would have little to no time to worry about the other extra-curricular activities that seem to captured much of our community's attention these days
• • More people will come into the true Faith once delivered
  • More good works will be accomplished
  • Our community and Faith will be so tight and inviting and point the way to the path that leads to life and salvation and away from the broad smooth path that leads to destruction
  • Our walk with Messiah will be more fulfilling and responsive
  • We will grow spiritually beyond imagination
• At the base of Mount Sinai, we were given a most auspicious and unique opportunity. That opportunity, up to that time, was never offered to any other peoples of the world. Yet Father, in His infinite wisdom, chose a people who were from the lineage of Abraham to be His people. And not just a people. A people to serve a purpose for the Creator of the Universe: Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exo 19:3-6 KJV)
• • Thus, Father chose us, took us unto Himself and proposed (i.e., a marriage proposal) to us at the base of that mountain. We were given the unique opportunity to say yes or no to His proposal. And what a proposal it was: Not just to be called or seen as Father's favorite, or as He coined, His peculiar treasure--a treasure--valued above all people--but also to be His representatives and example to all the peoples of the world--that is, to become a kingdom of priests and by default a holy--set apart--nation
• So the proposal was given to us and we did not hesitate to say yes:  7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. (Exo 19:7-8 KJV)
• So the the marriage covenant was made between Father and us on that day at the base of Mount Sinai
• But we cheated; we adulterated; we violated the tenets of that covenant--over and over again
• Yeshua came to repair that breached marriage covenant and those of us outside of Israel were also invited to be part of that renewed marriage covenant: 6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant , he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Heb 8:6-13 KJV)
• • One thing we know from years of research is that when one party in the marriage partnership places their focus and interests in places that are not in the best interests of the marriage relationship, that marriage is often destined for problems if not divorce at some point
  • The focus must always be on keeping the relationship viable, healthy, loving, caring and the like
• We cannot confuse dabbling in quasi-religious topics, issues and matters as being focused or having a sense of purpose or as fulfilling our responsibilities in this Faith...if anything, when our focus crosses the line of not devoting time to develop the relationship such that we focus on the things that we've discussed prior, it is full on distraction--itching ears. And that eventually causes us to become numb and disinterested in sound doctrine
• • It's a prescription for problems in the covenant relationship and violation of our unique call
• Yeshua is returning for a holy assemblage of believers who He will designate as His bride: Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (Eph 5:25-28 KJV)
• Shaul teaches that we must be holy in every respect: he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Eph 1:4-6 KJV)
• How can we achieve the level of holiness that Master is requiring at His return if we spend our days focusing on empty spiritual caloric foods such as those we discussed earlier? Such a requirement for holiness demands focus on the things that Master has given us to focus on and do
• What has been my focus the last several years?  Recently? More importantly, what will be my focus as it relates to my Faith and my walk with my Master?
• • Yes, I am sad to admit that I've dabbled in a lot of "itching ears" stuff and have not devoted the time and gray matter to the things that matter the most
  • I've been convicted of this fault and I will be much more focused upon learning and doing that which Master Yahoshua taught and commanded of us. Furthermore, I purpose to do whatever I possibly can to pass what I learn to others as the Father provides the opportunities and means
  • Have I been distracted with the latest itching ears dogma? Absolutely. Do such things still capture my attention and imagination? Absolutely
  • • But I know now that I must learn to put all of that itching ear stuff in their proper perspective and not allow it to take over the limited time and gray matter that should otherwise be given over to serious discipleship training and working the great commission
• How about you? Are you caught up in the itching syndrome. Is your focus, as it has been mine and countless fellow Natsariym?
• • The times at hand and ahead of us demand that we re-purpose and re-focus and be about our Father's business
  • Are you with me?

• Torah Studies came across Deut. 22:9-11 where it talks about the mixing of seed and the mixing of fabrics and the mixing of animals to till the soil
• • You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together. (ESV)
  • A companion passage to this Deuteronomic passage is Leviticus 19:19: Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. (KJV)   
• Read multiple times
• Failed to see the relevance since I'm not a farmer
• • the clothing aspect makes absolutely no sense to many in both houses of Christianity and Judaism
  • the mixing of seed simply put is don't plant different seeds in the same hole of dirt
  • the yoking of different species of beasts of burden, however, seems to resonate with most Christians however and at least we see truth--at the very least--in part reaching a rather large segment of the world
  • • Although Christians might have some modicum of spiritual understanding here--although most have no idea that the concept that Paul talks about being unequally yoked in 2 Corinthians is based upon this passage of Torah because the Church doesn't realize it in most cases--they still fail to be obedient in exercising this instruction
• Pretty good guess that much of the world today has no clear understanding of the relevance of this concept of mixing seed, mixing animals and fabric, regardless if you are Christian, Catholic or Jew
• Truth of the matter is that there is significant relevance here in these 3 brief sentences, more so to the Natsariym, than any other people of faith in this world
• The thing that we as Natsariym must be acutely aware of is that Torah in and of itself is Father's instruction book for life on this planet

• • When Torah was given to us in the Sinai, much of the instruction was given in terms of agricultural meanings
  • Much of it was given to us in preparation for our entering the land of promise
  • To those of us living in those times, all of the instruction provided by Yahovah would have been readily and very easily understood by us, for we all would have had extensive agricultural experience
• Today, a great deal of the instruction handed down to us in Torah is foreign and not easily understood. And much of that which is understood is often discarded as having absolutely no relevance to us today--so we quickly read past or even over these amazing passages of truth
• • In doing so--going past or reading over passages of Torah--we miss essential instructions for Torah Living Yeshua-style (as opposed to Rabbi-style)
• But the truth of the matter is that Father in His infinite wisdom made Torah relevant to anyone who has an ear to hear, eyes to see and a heart and mind to receive

• • Probably one of the greatest reasons Christians and even most Jews reject the applicability of Torah today--apart from Christians citing the erroneous mantra that the Law was done away with at the cross of Mithra and that Jesus kept Torah perfectly so that they don't have to--apart from Jews just not caring anymore about their beloved Faith and mixing the seeds of secularism into their heritage and faith--is that they are unwilling to open themselves up to the teachings of Master Yahshua and the revelation and leading of the Ruach Kodesh and see the bigger picture at play here
  • • indeed, blindness in part that Shaul wrote about in Romans 11:25
  • You see, when we were learning how to live Yah's way as we wondered in the Sinai in preparation for entering the land, we were as children having had little to no upbringing
  • Father in His infinite wisdom realized this and simply gave us His instructions for living as it would apply to us in our present state
  • • We couldn't handle more than milk at the time
    • Adding a spiritual and general life application to Torah would have simply resulted in information overload
    • •  I'm a firm believer that Father touches us in whatever place we are found at the time to deliver to us His Word and His instructions
      • Are we in a position to receive and obey those instructions, that is the billion dollar question
    • And even after 3,500-years, Jews (really Israeli's) still are subsisting--if we can really call it subsisting since they pretty much all but reject Torah--on the milk of Torah which the Rabbis have taken and denatured, re-processed, and reformulated into the Talmud and Mishnah--the so-called wall around Torah
    • • Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.  (Mar 7:1-13 KJV)
    • Father never instructed or required us to erect walls around Torah, although the original intention might have been noble. Nevertheless, it served only to bring about a different Faith--actually a religion--that would lead a wandering nation down a path towards destruction--away from Yahovah--out of and away from his will
• The amazing truth of the matter folks is that Christianity and even Judaism has failed to see one of the greatest aspects of Master Yeshua's earthly ministry and that was to show us how to live Torah the way Father had always intended

• • That is to take us away from the milk of baseline Torah living, manifested in mindless-rote Torah obedience--based not on love of or for Father, but out of fear or out of tradition (that is because I was raised a Jew or raised a Baptist)
  • • In that sense, yes, the Law has been done away with--for Yeshua has greatly raised the stakes folks or Torah living
    • •  27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Mat 5:27-48 KJV)
  •  Both Jew and Christian have failed to clearly see and understand this simple Truth
  • Torah in its broadest application was intended to help us build that true--thriving--flourishing--and powerful relationship with the Father that only just a handful of people who have ever lived have experienced
  • • These are true friends of Yah, not just adherents to a Faith that is often fraught with the mixing of seed
• It is my humble opinion that the reason we fail to experience a true relationship with Father--that our day-to-day lives are often fraught with problems and challenges--that we are so confused about who and what we are--often doing that which we should never do--is because our lives and our Faith is tainted with mixed seed--mixed relationships--mixed loyalties--mixed everything
• • Very little in our lives is ever pure and undefiled
  • And that defilement--that mixture is the work of hasatan who began his destructive work of mixing seed in the garden and from that point forward, the world has gone into complete and utter disrepair
  • • But Master is returning and He has been given the authority to return the world to the state that it was originally made to be by Father--when He said "it is good"
• Father made everything after its own kind--he did not make hybrids to function on this earthly plain
• • Although He is making us hybrids from the perspective that we are human beings with Father's precious Ruach HaKodesh dwelling within us
  • • But that is only temporary, for we will be translated into a pure and unimaginable to man:  45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1Co 15:45-54 KJV)
• The concept of Seed=Literal seed that produces fruits and vegetables, is also likened unto the Word of the Creator
• • Horrendous problems with the mixing of seeds as we see today in GMO's and other hybrid agriculture
  • • Health issues
    • Father did not provide for an alteration in his setup for agriculture and thus in so doing, man is in complete and utter violation of Torah
  • The Master taught us about the spreading of the Word and likened it unto seed. But we know that when the Word of Yahovah is diluted with incompatible teachings, doctrines and beliefs as we saw in the Judaism of our Master's day (and even in the Judaism of our day), all that comes out of this mixing of truth with fiction and paganism and man made dogma is a holy mess that leads people away from the Creator and over to the enemy
  • • Christianity--Protestantism; then Catholicism (really good example); Judaism, as we saw in Messiah's day--all took the framework of Torah and the Tanak and the writings of the Apostles and introduced paganism--pagan beliefs, teachings and doctrines--even in modern day Messianic Judaism, we see how that Faith has detoured from the true Faith once delivered because of the emphasis on manmade doctrine mixed with just a slight smattering of Torah-truth
    • Christmas being the birthday of Jesus Christ--but the original holiday has nothing to do with the birth of the Messiah
    • Easter Sunday being the Day our Lord and Saviour was resurrected when in reality the day denotes pagan Babylonian practices and mythology
  • The Word of the Creator, especially His Torah, must remain pure and unsullied of the whims and imaginations and personal ambitions of man. The only person who was permitted to address Torah from the perspective of application and truth was Yeshua Messiah who changed nothing from the original teachings, but demonstrated and taught us the original intent of the Torah so that we would live in accordance with the desires and requirements of our Creator--such that we may establish and maintain a true and meaningful relationship with Him
• Yoking together different beasts of burden=certainly has practical applications associated with it, but from a more spiritual perspective, it beautifully crosses over into relationships
• • There are concerns in rabbinic teaching that this prohibition was intended to show compassion for the beasts tilling the soil, given that two different animal species would not operate in the same manner and create a mess
  • • Father never intended again the mixing of animal species, be it in reproduction or in use
  • This is probably one of the most challenging of the 3 prohibitions with spiritual applications: for our carnal nature pulls us to establish and maintain relationships with individuals who do not share our Faith. It is these unequally yoked relationships that have the tendency of:
  • • pulling us away from the purity of the Faith by pushing us to compromise our convictions
    • compromise in our obedience to Father's instructions because we simply don't want to hurt or harm peoples' feelings or we just feel comfortable with certain people and we're willing to compromise just so that we are not inconvenienced
    •  or how about those in our circles who might be members of our Faith and even our Faith community who for whatever reason or manner simply don't add positively to our walk with Messiah--these cause problems in the assembly and cause our walk to be compromised?
  • Paul taught a Torah principle here: 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  
• Linen and Wool=some contend, as I found in www.ourrabbijesus.com, that the prohibition of wool and linen had to do with restricting two items of clothes worn by the Levitical Priests--on item made of wool and another made with linen--restricting those items from the lay folk and keeping them solely in the domain of the priests. But a careful read of Deu. 22:11 indicates that "you shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together."
• • This verse to me is saying that the fabric that a single cloth is made from can not be made of wool and linen; as we have today with our clothes being made of a mixture of polyester, wool, cotton and other items
  • Interestingly enough, and I agree with ucg.org's take on this issue, science has revealed that certain mixtures of fabrics can cause imbalances in our bodies such as raising body temperatures or causing other physiological imbalances
  • To me, then, this could tie into mixing spiritual influences in our lives--when we walk this walk, are we introducing spiritual influences into our being, psyche, heart and mind that can detract from our overall Godly spiritual wellbeing?
• Bottom line Saints: Torah requires that we not take Father's creation and alter it--that we not mess around with nature. Furthermore, we are not to mess around with His Word and the Faith that was brought to us by Yeshua Messiah
• • Yet man has taken the manipulation of nature to the greatest level known in history
  • • GMOs are now mainstream in our food stores
    • things that we consume are also made in labs
    •  human organs and tissues are being grown in pigs as well as well as they are being manipulated through the mixing in of technology--computer chips and the like--as well as mixing DNA from animals in with the DNA of humans
    • is it not understandable then that we have such widespread physical and psychological problems in the world today?
  • But then we have the mixing of spiritual and faith-related things. We have the Faith once delivered being mixed with paganism and manmade agendas and beliefs and the like. People are taking the Word of the Almighty and mixing in concepts and man made traditions, dogma and beliefs. The end result is a bastardization of the truth that only comes from Yahovah
  • • What about the things that many in our Faith have latched on to that have no Torah-basis whatsoever such as lunar sabbaths and other foolish dogmas that are mixed in with the truth of Scripture?
    • • The end result is that we have members of our community utterly clueless of what they are supposed to do; they are heavily distracted; they are completely misaligned and are only taking their lives down a path of certain doom and destruction
  • In our personal walk with Yahshua Messiah, we mix in carnal living with Torah living. The end result is that we live compromised lives that are not in alignment with Torah living. Many of us align ourselves with people that are not  true believers of Yeshua Messiah
  • •  Shaul warned us to not be partakers with them--Ephesians 5:7
    • He further admonished us to not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness--all types of entertainment; relationships; careers; behaviors; social norms; belief systems--Ephesians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 5:9; 1 John 1:6
• I believe the mixing of seeds--be they of nature or of food or of clothing--violates Torah. At the same time, the mixing of spiritual, relational and biblical seed not only violates the spirit of Torah, but also compromises our witness and our walk with Messiah
• We must constantly be on guard not to mix seed in our Torah living--that is Torah Living Yeshua-style
• • We can not afford to give one inch to the enemy who seeks to take away that which we've gained
  • to take advantage of the cares of this world to rob us of our focus
  • that we be fully sidetracked and invested in the world such that when times of trouble come, we stumble and fall away from the Faith
• May our testimony remain forever intact through our refusal to allow the mixing of seed in all and in every aspect of our lives
• Master taught of the principle of the Word of Yahovah being planted in the lives of potential believers through the parables of the sower and the seeds found in Matthew 13:10-53; Mark 4:10-34; and Luke 8:9-18
• • Master provided 4-scenarios for the direction that the planting of the Word in our lives could go--it's that mixture of the variables of this life into the pure seed base which is the Word that sullies and makes of no effect the fruit that should be manifested in our lives
  • (1) the planting of the pure Word fails to penetrate our thick skulls in the first place and any chance of a firm implantation is removed by hasatan who comes and steals the word away from us (the wayside)
  • (2) we receive the unadulterated seed in our lives and we intend to allow that seed to germinate and manifest in good fruit (i.e., good works) in our lives, but when hard times come we are offended (or maybe better stated--we stumble and depart from the way (the stony ground)
  • (3) then there are those of us where the pure seed--the Word takes hold within us, but the cares of life (e.g., the desire for wealth, career, relationships, power, status, making it, lusts, etc.) strangle and choke away any chance of viable fruit being manifested in our lives (thorny ground)
  • • It is this mixture of elements that prevent us from ever having a fair chance in our Spirit Walk and Torah Living
• But then, some of us find ourselves at a place in life whereby the pure-unadulterated Word of Truth and Life is able to take hold in firm fertile soil within us: strong and viable roots take hold and the Ruach is allowed to till and weed and nurture that which has been revealed to us to the point where luscious, beautiful and wonderful fruit is manifested in our lives and our walk with Messiah and our relationship with the Almighty is beyond that of any others in the world--we become true friends of Yahovah--His amazing workmanship--His treasured possession--the culmination of His purpose and desire for mankind
• If we take the parable of the sower at face value, less than 25% of us will ever manifest this fruit in the world.
• • These will be gathered into the barn in a great joyful harvest (Matthew 13:30)
  • The other 75% will be gathered and bundled and burned--the tares as Master described them
• Father is insistent upon His people being pure and not hybrids of this world. He's calling for purity of heart; purity of mind; purity of behavior--to such an extent that we achieve the original goal and purpose of Torah, the covenant and the working of the Ruach Kodesh in our lives: 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exo 19:5-6 KJV)
• In so achieving that goal and purpose, let us be careful not to allow mixtures to invalidate our witness in the world, otherwise we lose the whole ball of wax. Master taught:
• • "Take heed and listen carefully: Whoever obeys, to him shall more be given. Whoever does not obey, even what he seems to have will be taken away from him" (Luke 8:18, CKJV)

• Fast forward about 1500-years:

• Why were are celebrating/observing Shavuout today versus next week

• Lev. 23:15-21
• Biblical Hebrew Calendar--Review
  • The Biblical Year began back on Sunday, 4/10/2016--Aviv 1
  • Pesach--Passover Day was on Sabbath Day, 4/23/2016
  • The first day of Unleavened Bread then fell on the next day, Sunday 4/24/2016
  • The controversy has then been, what day day the wave sheaf offering/firstfruits fall on? More critical, what day do we begin the count--the 50-day count--the 7-Sabbath count? On the first day of Unleavened Bread (which we adopted for reasons I discuss in a second) or as others have adopted, on the following Sunday, 05/01/2016? This was critical because depending upon which day we assigned FirstFruits would depend on what day Shavuout would fall on this calendar year. (We all want to get this thing right and Leviticus 23 unfortunately is vague and doesn't really give us clear instruction as to what day FirstFruits should fall on given the "morrow after the Sabbath" this year, if following a plain read of the passage (Leviticus 23:11, 15, 16)--And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord that you may be accepted on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it...And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths, to the day after the seventh sabbath shall you count fifty days; and you shall present an offering of new grain to the Lord.
• What Michael's rationale is for observing Shavuot next week explained

• Why we are celebrating today
  • Reference Joshua 5:10, 11--And the children of Israel kept the passover on the 14th day of the month at evening, to the westward of Jericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain. And they ate of the grain of the earth unleavened and new corn." (LXX)

• Event 50--John 5:16-47--It was on Shavuot in 27 CE, at the Temple, that Yeshua is persecuted by the religious leadership for His healing of the lame man at the pool of Beit Chessed (Bethesda) on the Shabbat--or specifically, the day before Shavuot that year (John 5:2-15)
  • Doing good works on the Shabbat was not permissible according to Judaism
  • The Prushim sought to kill Yeshua
  • Yeshua countered this erroneous teaching and false religious paradigm and hold over the people at the hands of the Prushim.
  • Yeshua explained who He was in relation to the Creator of the Universe--Yahovah
  • The Prushim had no true authority but assumed false authority over the nation as the direct authoritative descendants of Moshe. (Note that the Zadokim who were the Levitical Priests had authority in the Temple and all related services and rites.)
    • Thus, the Prushim constructed manmade Laws regulating every aspect of Jewish life, including what you can't and can't do on the Shabbat.
    • In this particular case, Yeshua healed a man (Event 49) and instructed the gentleman to pick up his mat and go his way--a violation of Judaism in that day.
  • Yeshua's focus (the advent of the Kingdom of Yahovah on earth--Teshuva--a return to Torah) was to profoundly affect the lives of the people that He came into contact with during His earthly ministry. There wasn't a focus on heaven and getting saved.
    • It was a focus of steering people back to the place where they should always have been, but for the sinful, narrow-mindedness, self-focused ambitions of the nation's leadership, their way had been abruptly blocked.
    • Something as simple as correcting a deficiency in someone's life (i.e., healing) was severely frowned upon and then on top of that, simply getting up from your sorrowful condition and walking to where you should have been all alone was also frowned upon
      • Torah never ever dissuaded nor prohibited "doing good" on any day, including the Shabbat
      • How do we view Shabbat today?
  • The Prushim faced what they saw as an existential threat to their way of life.
    • Remember, these leaders had no inherent authority other than that which they themselves gave to themselves.
    • So it could be easily conceived in the minds of these Purshim that Yeshua could turn the hearts of the people against them simply by having the people oppose their laws
  • I found it very interesting in reading event 49 that the healed lame man, after having received his healing and as he walked through the market place in Yerushalayim, the Prushim secret service was loitering around and spotted the gentleman that we must naturally assume that they've know about for years if not decades, lame, impoverished, languishing, ignored.
    • The heart thing comes into play for me here--why would not a religious leader not be ecstatic over the healing of one of the crippled people in their jurisdiction?
    • To see this man up and healthy and walking with his mat on the Shabbat, in violation of Judaism, would certainly have raised their immediate suspicions.
    • Thus they questioned the man as a police officer would question a suspicious individual who they believe could be in the midst of committing a crime.
      • The crime here, however, was being healed and walking about town with your bed. At first the healed man knew not who had healed him. But he ultimately ran into Yeshua in the marketplace at some point afterwards. Thus, the man ultimately informed the Prushim that "...it was Yeshua who had made him whole."
  • Question: Why did Master instruct the man in the market place to sin no more lest a worse thing come to you?
    • One of the reasons I believe this was so is that apart from having the Messianic certification of healing in His wings, Yeshua was also given authority to forgive sins
  • Yeshua faced at least 3-crimes in the eyes of the Prushim:
    • (1) He healed people on the Sabbath
    • (2) He instructed people to violate Jewish law
    • (3) Yeshua called Yahovah His Father which they translated as Yeshua making Himself equal to Yahovah
  • Vss. 19-47 documents Master's relationship to His Father. Here we see where, according to our Master, the Creator has bestowed all authority over to Yahoshua
• Event 254--Acts 2:1-42--The 2nd Layer of Daniel's Prophecy Fulfilled and the Completion of the 70-Weeks
  • Here we see, as I read in the 2nd introductory passage where the Gift of the Ruach Kodesh was poured out upon the 120-disciples that had gathered on the Temple Mount--some believe Solomon's Porch--on the Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost in the midst of 1,000s of Israeli pilgrims from all known regions of the known world--06/20/28 CE
  • The falsehood that the gift was given in an upper room--uniquely referred to as the "Upper Room Conspiracy" (Chaim Goldman) which denotes the erroneous/fallacious replacement theology that has gripped the Christian Community for centuries
  • The disciples turned apostles resided in an upper room (likely a rented 2nd floor hall), but during the day, gathered with other disciples--totally about 120--in Solomon's Porch on the Temple Mount
    • house has been wrongly interpreted as the upper room. House in Greek is "oikos," while in Hebrew house is "beit." The reality of the matter is that the 120 disciples gathered in the House of Prayer or Beit haMikdash
  • Thus the Ruach Kodesh on that day was poured out upon the 120-disciples in plain sight of the 1,000's of Israeli pilgrims attending Shavuout on the Temple Mount
  • That day, in response to Shimon Kefa's explanation of the events culminating from the 120-disciples being filled of the Ruach Kodesh, about 3,000 souls were added to the family of Yahovah, likely baptized in the dozens of mikveh-pools scattered on the temple mount property
  • The new disciples simply gathered daily in the Temple, being taught by the Apostles--breaking bread together from house to house
  • This was the renewal of the broken Sinai Covenant--"Ye have seen all that I have done to the Egyptians and I took you up as upon eagles' wings and I brought you near to myself. And now if ye will indeed hear my voice and keep my covenant, ye shall be to me a peculiar people above all nations; for the whole earth is mine. And ye shall be to me a royal preisthood and a holy nation: these words shalt though speak to the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:4-6, LXX)  And all the people answered with one accord, and said, All things that Yahovah has spoken, we will do and hearken to: and Moses reported these words to Yahovah." (Exodus 19:8, LXX)

• • the tenets of the broken covenant were satisfied by the sacrifice of Yahoshua Messiah--the shedding of innocent blood
  • 3,000 souls were lost on the day the Sinai covenant was broken--"...and there fell of the people that day about 3,000 men" (Exodus 32:28, LXX)
  • 3,000 in contrast were "saved" on the day the Ruach was given and the covenant renewed--"...They then that received his word (speaking about Shimon Kefa) were baptized and there were added unto them in that day about 3,000 souls. (Acts 2:41, ASV)
• The Torah is believed by most to have been given around the time of Shavuot--although Shavuot had not been given as a feast of Yahovah--but I believe the timing is absolutely there.
• The Torah was now written on our hearts under the renewed covenant as told in Jeremiah 31:31
  • Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will  make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda: not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they abode not in my covenant and I disregarded them, saith the Lord. For this is my covenant which I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will surely put my laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not at all teach every one his fellow citizen, and every one his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them: for I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins I will remember no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34, LXX)

• So we then see the earnest/downpayment if you will, of this promise, fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost in 28 CE and as recorded in Acts 2 and as I read in the 2nd of the two opening passages

• Are we then living out to the fullest extent possible the renewed covenant? Are we optimizing the Ruach HaKodesh in our lives? Are we dreaming dreams, prophesying, facilitating exploits, that bring about a curiosity factor and draws and points people to Y'shua HaMaschiyach?
• • "These signs will follow those who believe in my name: they will cast out demons and they will speak in  new tongues and they will handle serpents and if they should drink a deadly poison it will not harm them. And they will place their hands on the sick and they will be healed. (Mark 16:17-18, Aramaic NT)

• Have a blessed Shavuout. Shavuoatov. Shalom

In this episode of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, I discuss a crucial passage of Deuteronomy where Father reveals his position on the sanctity of human life, even in the midst of warfare against the enemies of His chosen people. What are the spiritual applications to Father's perspective on the sanctity of human life? Let's discuss.

Shalom Saints! In this installment of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, I reflect upon the recent actions and statements made by Pope Francis related to Islam, Christianity, Catholicism and Protestantism. These statements and actions are highly suggestive of a spirit of Anti-Christ or Anti-Messiah. So I look at just what this spirit entails according to the Bible and then determine if Pope Francis' recent statements and actions fit those parameters. 

Shalom Saints! In this edition of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, I delve into the significance of the 50-days leading up to Pentecost (aka Shavuot) and the concept of the so-Called "Counting of the Omer" that has become popular parlance in our community. Additionally, I reflect upon Zachary Bauer's comments on what he feels is the two most important things lacking in our community: midwives and mohels. I primarily reflect upon the bigger issue of circumcision as it pertains to the males of our community: is circumcision still relevant? Was circumcision discouraged by the Apostle Paul? Is employing more mohels the most important thing facing our community today? Be blessed.

In this episode of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, I discuss the Biblical Hebrew Calendar; a discrepancy involving FirstFruits and where it fell out on this year's calendar; the erecting of 100-exact imitation Temple of Baal archways in various western cities of the world; and a review of Lew White's book--Nimrod's Secret Identity--The Greatest Conspiracy on Earth.

The week leading up to His passion--His sacrifice on the

Shalom! This is I believe, the most important Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections episode I've ever done. I reflect upon the providence of God (Yahuah/Yahweh/Yahovah) and our purpose and responsibilities in the confines of His providence, sovereignty and perfect will. You won't want to miss this episode. May you be most blessed.