by Rod Thomas | Sep 28, 2015 | Podcasts
The Blood Moon Controversy
With a Side of Shmittah
I. Introduction
This Monday, September 28, 2015, a total lunar eclipse will be visible over Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. This event is projected to last 1-hour 11-minutes. In Israel the eclipse will begin at 3:12 A.M. (Wootliff—09/20/2015) Additionally, this lunar event will feature “the biggest full-moon of 2015 as the moon will be at perigee that day.” (Rao—09/22/2015) This naturally occurring celestial event is aptly called a “supermoon,” and the last such eclipse happened in 1982. The next such occurrence of the eclipsing supermoon will not occur until 2033. Hopefully we all get the opportunity to, as Hebraic Roots teacher Keith Johnson of Biblical Foundation Academy International stated, witness this amazing example of the Creator’s power and creativity. (Johnson-2014) This event is the final chapter to a 4-part lunar extravaganza that began in the spring of 2014.
The greatest aspect of this rare celestial event is not the event itself, but what the event appears to forebode in the eyes and minds of some prominent modern-day Christian leaders. The greatest of these Christian-Evangelical leaders, addressing the relevance of these recent “blood moon” occurrences, appears to be Pastor John Hagee who has not only authored a book on the subject of “Blood Moons,” but has also done a television/YouTube video, multi-episodic teaching series on the subject. According to Hagee, this series of blood moons (and there were 3-others in the last 500-years that coincided with a significant period in the nation of Israel’s history and we’ll look at those historical events being linked to so-called blood moons in just a moment) portends impending judgment upon the nations of this world. But as it relates to this current series of 4-total lunar eclipses that some have labeled bloom moons, they’ve occurred as follows-(1) 04/15/2014–Passover; (2) 10/08/2014–Sukkot; (3) 04/04/2015–Passover and (4) 09/28/2015–this year’s Sukkot celebration, are clear signals from God that judgment is coming to the nations of the world as well as to the enemies of Israel. This tetrad of so-called blood moons, is a sign of the impending destruction that is with the utmost certainty coming to a neighborhood near you.
The utter lunacy of this false prophecy (pun intended) is unforgivable and I’ll get into why I believe this prophecy is false later on in this posting. Nevertheless, the objective of such lame and irresponsible prophecy serves no good purpose other than to distract would-be believers from turning their hearts and minds and souls to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Indeed, teachers like Hagee are attempting to turn the attention of the world’s population to Jesus Christ, but they are resorting to the ole “fire and brimstone” tactics of yesteryear. Now, I’m not saying that employing a little of that ole “fire and brimstone” preaching in one’s teachings is necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, sometimes it takes a little elbowing and fear-mongering to get people’s attention. But if one is going to use fear as the basis of their getting folks to listen and then act in a way that secures their souls in a right-relationship with the Almighty, you better darn well make sure you are telling that which “thus saith the LORD.” Announcing prophecies—which Shimon Keefa (aka as the Apostle Peter) so aptly stated must be of NO private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20)—that are based upon one individual’s interpretation of specific events and then one’s own interpretation of scripture is playing with people’s physical and eternal lives. Every true prophet of God that has ever lived and delivered true prophecies has done so either as a result of hearing directly from the Father Himself, the Master Himself, or the Holy Spirit has revealed the prophecy to him or her and directed them to deliver the prophecy accordingly—in the Father’s perfect reckoning of time.
As it relates to this “Blood Moon” craze, and even exacerbated by the whole “Shmittah Year” violation by the peoples of the earth, these so-called modern-day prophets are latching on to a naturally occurring astronomical/celestial event and improperly attaching scripture to its occurrence in order to foretell of certain doom and destruction for the peoples of this earth. Interestingly, anyone who has been a Christian or of the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith for any length of time inherently knows that doom and destruction are inevitably coming to the inhabitants of this world. Blood Moons as Hagee is referring to—which are really lunar eclipses mind-you–and so-called violations of the Shmittah–both being indicators of impending judgment on the nations of the world, are improper interpretations of scripture. Therefore, it is the intent of this posting to not only debunk this whole Shmittah Year violation and the Blood Moons controversy–all signaling impending judgment by God upon the nations of the earh, but to set the record straight about these two situations using the bible as the primary reference. So let’s get started and see if we can make sense of this matter.
II. What is a Blood Moon?
If you’ve not done any research on this topic, suffice to say that you might be in for a little bit of confusion. This whole controversy over “blood moons” is somewhat of a misnomer if you will. What some call “blood moons” is really total-lunar eclipses. The only saving grace these folks who title these total-lunar eclipses as blood moons have is that during these eclipses, the moon can appear red in color. Astronomers confidently explain this “reddish color” that the moon takes on during these total-eclipses as “Rayleigh Scattering.” Quite simply, it’s the same naturally occurring mechanism that causes colorful sunrises and sunsets. (Reference http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/facts-lunar-eclipse.html) So, a blood moon as referenced by the John Hagees and the Mark Blitz’ of the world are really total-lunar eclipses. And I don’t know about you, but total-lunar eclipses are simply examples of the amazing handy-work of our Creator that man has over the course of human history witnessed hundreds of thousands of times.
So where did this concept of “Blood Moons” originate? For the believer in Jesus Christ (also known as Yahshua HaMashiyach), the concept of Blood Moons was mentioned by the Apostle Peter as he—no longer ashamed of the Gospel nor afraid to be a witness of the Master as he’d been before—responded to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Temple Mount on the Day of Pentecost—known by some as the day the Church was born. Peter, filled to overflowing by the Holy Spirit (also known as the Ruach Kodesh), not only defended and explained to the pilgrims attending the Feast of Pentecost (also known as the Feast of Shavuot) what was happening to the disciples of Yahshua HaMashiyach, but also uttered this profound prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled: Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Act 2:14-21 KJV)
Now, any good student of the bible should be curious as to where Peter got this very explicit prophecy and utilizing any good cross-reference bible or bible software, you will automatically be referred over to the teachings of our Messiah Yahshua—recorded in the book of Matthew:29¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.1(Mat 24:29-31 KJV)
Now one will quickly notice that there is no actual mention of blood moons here by the Master in his prophecy known to many as the Olivet Discourse (that which He delivered to His disciples who came to Him privily and asked Him to explain the end times to them). The key here is not that there is no mention of “a blood moon,” but the timing of this most ominous day—this event will occur “after the tribulation of those days.” One could conclude, if we were to have an open mind, that the moon not giving her light as described in this passage is indicative of a total-eclipse of the moon. But there are other mitigating factors to be considered here. Along with a moon that will not shine in the night-sky is a darkened sun, stars falling from heaven and the powers of the heavens shaken. And if that weren’t enough, the “sign of the Son of man” will be visible in the heavens to all who remain alive on the earth. To me, this is clearly indicative of the return of the Master to take His elect to the “sea of fire and glass” where they await the time for Messiah’s triumphant return to earth to establish His eternal kingdom here on earth. Notice that I did not say establish His kingdom in heaven. News flash friends: we ain’t going to be raptured up to heaven to reign with Jesus for all eternity. That is an eschatological teaching that can not be at all supported by the bible, regardless what churchianity (also known as Christianity that seeks to church their members instead of discipling them) has to say on this subject.
This passage of Matthew is actually linked to a famous passage in the Book of Joel where a similar celestial event will occur, this seeming to occur just after the time that an outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes upon the peoples of Zion. The Father states the following through His servant Joel: 23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.1 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 ¶ And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. (Joe 2:23-32 KJV)
Clearly we see from this passage of Joel a reference to the moon being turned to the color of blood. However, we’ve not seen an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the peoples of Zion; at least I’ve not seen or heard of it as of yet. Certainly, such an outpouring is coming upon the House of Israel—not just the Jews who call themselves the Nation of Israel.
So, the question that must be asked then is: is the current “tetrad” that is concluding the 28th of September—which happens to be the first day of the Rabbinic Feast of Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles), with a total-lunar eclipse, a likely reddish hue, and a supermoon to boot, the same event that Father prophesied through the Prophet Joel? We’ve already concluded that there are some timing issues associated with this Joel event as well as, assuming the two events are similar, the Olivet Discourse event? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Taking a look at the current “tetrad,” which there has been 3-other tetrads that have occurred at significant times in Israel’s history: (1) 1493-1494—occurred after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492; (2) 1949-1950—occurred after the nation of Israel was re-established in 1948; and (3) 1967-1968—occurred or coincided with the 6-Day War of 1967. One can certainly see why the Hagees and Blitz’ of the world are so excited about this current tetrad? But consider this friends, as Hebraic Roots teacher Keith Johnson states in his discussion about blood moons, these key events in Israel’s history occurred a year before the so-called blood moons were actually sighted. This is a fact that Pastor John Hagee has not brought forth to his readers and listeners. Furthermore, if we are going to be transparent about this whole blood moon thing, what about the tetrads that have occurred where there was no significant events tied to it in Israel’s history? We know of 4-such uneventful tetrads: (1) 162-163 CE; (2) 795-796 CE; (3) 842-843 CE; and (4) 860-861 CE. Again, Pastor Hagee has failed to mention these tetrads occurring during uneventful periods in Israel’s history over the last 2-millennia.
This current-day 4th lunar eclipse, part of a tetrad, will occur on the first night of the Feast of the Lord called Sukkot which will be September 28, 2015. (Please note: This 28th of September being the first day of Sukkot happens to be the rabbinic reckoning of the date Sukkot falls. The Creator’s calendar has the first date actually occurring September 30, 2015—so we have a slight discrepancy here.) The previous total-eclipses took place on 4/15/2014 which happened to coincide with Passover; 10/8/2014 which happened to coincide with Sukkot; and 4/4/2015 which happened to coincide with Passover once again.
Here’s an interesting tidbit to consider: our moon shines only because the rays of the sun are reflected off the surface of the moon. If the sun is darkened, as noted in the first part of the Joel prophecy, it would stand to reason that the sun would shine either. Consider this prophecy of Ezekiel that seems to capture this same event but from a slightly different perspective: And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.1 (Eze 32:7 KJV) Even though we adhere to scripture as the basis for our understanding the world and the things associated with it, we must also employ the commonsense that the Good Lord has given us when establishing such natural events as tetrads, eclipses, both solar and lunar. Before there was the level of understanding that we have today regarding astronomy and the hard sciences, people would look upon these naturally occurring, celestial events, as omens. And God-forbid if anything bad remotely happened near or after the time of an eclipse or blood moon, the people were led astray by the religious leaders of the day to believe that the bad thing that happened was foretold by the occurrence of the celestial event. Are some of us falling for the same medieval mindset today as it relates to these tetrads and the so-called blood moons?
III. Is the Current Tetrad Indicative of Coming Judgment?
All indications from the data that we’ve reviewed thus far would suggests that the current tetrad as well as the other set of 3-tetrads from 1492, 1948 and 1967 were not the famed blood moon that was foretold of in the Joel prophecy. Notice I said blood moon in the singular. The reddened moon spoken of in the Joel prophecy seems to be a single event and not multiple tetrad events spread out over the course of decades, centuries and even millennia. In fact, THE blood moon spoken of by the prophet Joel would not be an eclipse, but a moon that is reddened for some reason—be those reasons something in the realm of the miraculous or an atmospheric condition that paints the moon a blood color from the perspective of the viewer.
Archaeologist, author and Hebrew Roots teacher Michael Rood in his book “The Mystery of Iniquity” and his most recent DVD teaching series on the subject—”Blood Moons, The Shmittah and the Day of the Vengeance of our God”—contends that the blood moon as mentioned in the Joel prophecy is an atmospheric condition, the result of war and the use of conventional and nuclear weapons. In other words, the resulting smoke and explosive residue in the air and sky, left behind by advanced weapons of war at the end times, will cause the moon to appear a blood-red color. Personally, I tend to agree with Michael because of the context in which the Joel prophecy seems to be taking place. Father, through Joel, seems to be referencing a time in the future when the elements will be shaken and fear and destruction will be the rule of the day. Sounds awfully like some kind of major conflict, even war-like conflict to me. To be honest and fair, however, there are those like Hebraic Roots Teacher and founder of Biblical Foundations Academy International Keith Johnson, who believe that the blood moon, the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling stars of the Joel prophecy are going to be manifestations of Father’s power and might. I respect that perspective and believe that Keith has as much a point as that of Michael. I respect both men’s opinions on this issue.
Additionally, the prophecy of Joel seems to be referencing a time in the future when Father’s precious Holy Spirit will fall upon the peoples of Zion and cause their sons and daughters to prophecy and the old men to dream dreams and the young men to see visions. As much as we might like to believe this is occurring today, but limiting this occurring in the evangelical-charismatic Christian churches of the United States, I believe that interpretation to be very myopic and to a small degree, anti-semitic. Whether we choose to believe it or not, Israel—I’m addressing the Jews and the people of Ephraim—will experience a Holy Spirit resurgence that promises to overshadow anything that churchianity has witnessed in the last two or three centuries. Let’s be honest, this has not yet occurred and as far as I can tell, this event doesn’t seem likely to occur anytime soon. The Jewish nation of Israel remains as secularly-centric as it’s ever been in its history. The nations of Ephraim are just now starting to awaken to the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith and come into the fold of the True Faith that was once delivered to the first-century saints by Jesus Christ (also known as Yahshua HaMashiyach). It’s going to take a monumentally miraculous act of the Father’s Spirit to turn the hearts of the Jew and the Lost Tribes of Israel back to Him. When that happens, then we will likely see the the Joel prophecy and the Blood Moons prophecy manifested.
As it relates to tetrads and the blood moons—which we’ve already established are really lunar eclipses—we find that throughout history, there have been many Israeli world-events that coincide with these tetrads, but also, many more tetrads that have occurred that did not coincide with any significant Israeli world-event.
Keith Johnson, in his treatment of the blood moons controversy, or what he chose to call “Blood Moon Mania,” makes an interesting point: since 1-C.E., there have been 62-tetrads. Of those 62-tetrads, 7-tetrads coincided with Feasts of the Lord, according to the calculated Jewish calendar. This is huge saints: the emphasis that is being placed upon this present tetrad of 2014 and 2015 is number 8 in a series of 63-tetrads since the beginning of this millennia. Seems pretty remote that the end of the world is coming as a result of this current tetrad. I mean, there were 7-other times when this same set of events occurred in conjunction with the Feasts of the Lord, but the world did not come to an end. Commonsense and a sound understanding of the Word of God is essential to being able to work through these types of things. Otherwise, the John Hagees and the Mark Blitz’ of the world will have us in the palm of their hands and before we know it, we’re funneling hundreds if not thousands of dollars into their coffers in order that we find out more of the misinformation they’ve been feeding us.
John Hagee, in his multi-episodic television series on Blood Moons, filmed in 2012 and 2013, and in his book addressing the same issue, has announced that this current tetrad is a signal of judgment that is coming to America and the enemies of Israel. The problem I have with Hagee and Blitz as it relates to their treatment of this topic is that they are indeed right in one respect: judgment is indeed coming, not only to America and the enemies of Israel, but judgment is also coming to the rest of the world for her sins and her refusal to seek the forgiveness of God Almighty. That is a certainty. But to state, emphatically, that this impending judgment is being foretold by a naturally occurring celestial event such as the current tetrad, to me, is heresy. Such teaching, according to Keith Johnson, and I wholly agree with him, is being used to strike fear in Christians and insight the giving of offerings and purchases of their books and DVD’s by their followers. Furthermore, these jack-leg preachers are hijacking the Feasts of Yahovah by causing the people to focus on the celestial light (or lack thereof) show, removing their focus on the moedim of Yahovah—God’s appointed times. These appointed times belong solely to Father. These are times that Father has deemed as holy and set apart and He requires that we set aside our lives for those 7-times during His calendar year to meet with Him—to empty our minds and hearts of the cares of this life; to seek His face and meet Him on His terms, not ours. Father doesn’t need blood moons to stress His festivals nor does He need blood moons to tell Him when to bring judgment upon the world. Father will bring judgment at a time and place of His choosing and He’s not going to consult the Hagees and Blitz’ of the world before He brings the judgment.
Additionally, these horrendous celestial events as prophesied in Joel will most certainly prior to or during the Day of the Lord—the Great Tribulation—when Father will tribulate the earth and those who tribulated His people and refused to obey His commandments and repent from their sins. The Apostle and the Disciple most beloved by the Master, recorded the following: 12 ¶ And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.1 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev 6:12-7:1 KJV) There is no indication in the scheme of world events that the 6th-seal has been opened saints. I may be entirely wrong about this, but it would sure seem that before the 6th-seal is to be opened, there would have had to have been an opening of 5-prior seals. I don’t believe these seals have been opened yet. But you see, this commonsense stuff—this bible stuff if you will, should have been provided to the people of God so that they know the truth and that they are armed with enough information so as to make informed spiritual decisions about the events that are going on around them. It’s not about buying ourselves more time before the return of Master; it’s about placing the focus where the focus is supposed to be placed—the Father’s appointed times. And this week, our focus should be placed on the Feast of Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the last of Father’s mandated moedim for the calendar year. Why are we focusing on stuff that only serves to distract us from our purpose in Yahshua Messiah?
Let me just say this: I have from afar respected the ministry of John Hagee. I don’t agree whatsoever with his Trinitarian doctrine and pretribulation rapture theology. However, I do respect His stand on the nation of Israel and his concern over this country’s future and sinful ways. But like he did with the whole prayer shawl controversy, which we discussed briefly in a previous episode, John Hagee has once again taken a controversy taking place in the Faith and capitalizing upon it. Worse, he has painted himself as a false prophet and we know how Father feels about false prophets. Regardless, Shimon Keefa (also known as Peter) said it best: 16 ¶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.1 (2Pe 1:16-21 KJV)
Bottom line saints, is the current tetrad indicative of coming judgment from God upon the world’s nations? No! It is indicative of the great and mighty powers of the Creator of the Universe. Judgment is coming, but this present-day tetrad is not the billboard delivering that message I’m afraid to say.
IV. What About the Shmittah?
Now, I don’t want to spend much time at all on this whole “Shmittah” controversy, that seems to be so intricately tied to this “Blood Moon” controversy. Bottom line saints, this Shmittah controversy seems to have taken on a life of its own. We have various church and religious leaders, who have never wanted to have anything to do with the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith; never wanted to have anything to do with Torah; never wanted to have anything to do with Judaism, now, all of a sudden, latching on to a Torah principle. The problem with this is, if you aren’t properly grounded in Torah, but you out of the blue elect to take on Torah-related things or topics or subjects such as the Shmittah, then you are flirting with certain disaster. Certainly, this Shmittah controversy has led many a well-meaning, sincere Christian, astray, thinking that they or their nation has violated Shmittah. Again, these Torah-less leaders and teachers are teaching Torah concepts to Torah-less believers. There ain’t no good to come out of that mess if you ask me.
Let’s take a quick look at this thing. The concept of Shmittah was first conceived in Torah, found in Leviticus 25:1-7, which reads as follows: And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.1 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.1 6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. (Lev 25:1-7 KJV)
This prescription that the Lord provided the nation upon entering the land of Canaan seems pretty clear—every 7-years, the nation was to allow the land to rest every 7-years. In other words, every 7-years, the nation would not work the land agriculturally, but would make provisions in the 6th year to store up produce so that the land would be allow to go un-worked for the 7th year. This was a commandment of the Father to the nation of Israel, which it turns out, the nation never ever obeyed.
There are curses associated with violations of Shmittah, as Christian leaders are so quick to point out and apply to the world’s nations. These curses for violated Father’s commandments are recorded in Leviticus 26. Chapter 26 of Leviticus is a lengthy chapter and I will not read or record the entire chapter here in this episode. Suffice to say, violations of God’s Commandments—His Torah—will lead to the nations demise. And indeed, this very thing happened to Israel, the 10-Northern Tribes, from 722-713 BCE, when the Assyrians swept in to Northern Israel and drove the people out of the land. The 10-Northern tribes were scattered into the lands beyond Israel and the people assimilated into the Gentile nations of the world. Many of us listening to this podcast episode or reading this blog post, are descendants of those 10-Lost Tribes, we just don’t realize it yet. But I believe the Father’s Spirit will open our eyes to this fact at a time not so far away.
Judah, on the other hand, also violated Torah and they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
Anyone who is versed in Scripture to any reasonable degree will realize that the Shmittah commandment applied only to the our forefathers in the land of Canaan/Israel. It does NOT in any form or fashion, apply to the United States, to Europe, to Asia, to Africa, or to areas in the Middle East outside of Israel. Yet these Christian leaders, hoping to make a dollar and cent from teaching a perverted, error-ridden doctrine of Shmittah and applying it to the world at large, are as Hagee and Blitz, false prophets. These must not be listened to nor must they be given any respect as spokesmen for Yahovah. They’ve led too many astray and they will pay the price in some future time. Oh, they will channel their inner Jew and latch on to Rabbis who will tell them that Shmittah was re-established in 1952 and thus, in 2015, we will enter the next Shmittah-year. First off, the rabbis do not keep nor do they recognize the creator’s calendar, thus they are in no position to determine when or when not to keep Shmittah. Secondly, Christians need to get back into the habit of studying their bibles and not rely upon the jack-legged preachers and teachers of the world to feed them a bunch of bull, such as the Shmittah applying to everyone in the world, when it clearly doesn’t apply to everyone in the world.
So then, is our nation and the world heading for certain doom and destruction and ultimate judgment from God because of Shmmittah violations? The answer is NO, not because of violations of Shmittah, but judgment from God for the same reasons I sighted above when addressing the Blood Moons; because our of sins, our failure to repent from our sinful ways, and our refusal to come to God and obey Him. Not because of Shmittah.
V. What Do We Do With this Information?
Well, you might be wondering by this time, “so what Rod?” What do I do with all this seeming superfluous information that you’ve put out in this episode? Well, I’ll tell you: if you are in a position to do so, go out and enjoy the sight of the supermoon and the total-lunar eclipse that will occur on the 28th of September. Go and appreciate the wonders of the Creator and really get a sense of His power and might and how blessed you are to know Him and have a relationship with Him. Secondly, don’t listen to the false prophets that are out there peddling their wares to those who are biblically illiterate and spiritually deaf. Pray for these people that they come to understand the truth and turn away from their sinful ways. Pray for our nation that we turn to the Father and repent from our sins. Walk this Faith like you’ve never walked it before. Allow spiritual exploits to manifest through you as you go about doing the will of the Father. Be ready to give every man an answer who asks you why you believe what you believe.
That’s all I’m trying to get across in this episode dear saints. The last total-lunar eclipse of the current tetrad is a wonderful natural celestial occurrence that clearly helps us appreciate the power and majesty of our heavenly Father. But this controversy of the Blood Moons and the Shmittah also clearly tells us that we got a lot of work ahead of us. So let’s gird ourselves for the work and battle ahead. Let us stay prayed up, fasted, have a song of praise in our hearts and minds, and go forth and make disciples of the nations of the world. It’s what we’ve been called to do, each and everyone of us.
And until next time, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training. Shalom.
Music by Dan O Music
References:
by Rod Thomas | Sep 17, 2015 | Blog
SERVE THE LORD
Torah Living Daily Challenge
The 4th aspect of Moshe’s admonishment to us from verse 4 of the 13th chapter in most modern translations and verse 5 of the CJB is that we serve Yahovah. In the KJV, the term “serve” is used some 193-verses. The term “serve” in the Hebrew is “abad.” My research into the use of this term took me to some interesting places, although none of what I’ve uncovered was a surprise.
The term as used throughout the scriptures means to work, labour or serve one by labours (at the risk of using the very term to define that term). Digging deeper, we start to get into the concepts of being a slave and a vassal. The concept of being a slave of course comes with some negative connotations associated with it, especially in our Western—so-called enlightened society. Quite plainly, slavery is a bad thing. As a black man living in America, the term “slavery,” of course, carries with it the legacy of 18th and 19th century slavery and oppression that is still often referred to in various segments of our society where social injustice rears its head. And certainly, the enticement when considering this concept of slavery as referred to in this passage of Torah, is to shy away from any thought of being “enslaved” by others.
And it is that Western perspective I have learned, we must closely guard against. As distasteful as the concept of slavery may seem to us in 21st Western society—especially when hearkening back to slavery in this country two and three centuries ago and in light of recent revelations of slavery in the 3rd world as well as “white-slavery”—we can’t superimpose our negative views of slavery upon an appreciation of slavery in the ancient near east. I can understand why so many throughout the centuries and around the world have shirked the Bible, especially the Old Covenant (i.e., the Old Testament) because of such practices such as slavery being prominently discussed and even sanctioned to some degree. Certainly, slavery was a prominent practice and way of life in the ancient near east and of course, it was not looked upon by the citizens of the world living during that time, the way we may view slavery today.
In order not to get entrenched in a discussion on the ethics of the practice of slavery, suffice to say that slavery was widely practiced throughout the ancient near east, including Israel, and Torah stipulated how slaves were to be treated. The focus we must have in this discussion, is not the practice of slavery per se, but the service—the labour that is derived from the practice. The slaves whole purpose in life was to service and attend to the needs of his/her master. Their personal desires, life-goals, needs, hopes, etc., were inconsequential to say the least. And that is why I believe this concept of slavery is so fitting in this discussion, again, at the risk of insulting those who might by offended by the practice of slavery. When we gave over our lives to Father in a covenant agreement to be His peculiar treasure above all people; a kingdom of priests and an holy nation (Exodus 19:5,6)—we essentially forfeited any personal interests, agendas, goals, etc to work for Him. Yet Churchianity has taken the true Faith once delivered down an entirely different road. A would-be adherent to Christianity can come just as they are, say a prayer (the so-called sinner’s prayer), maybe get dunked in a pool of water, and then attend church every Sunday. There is no mention or instruction by the church power brokers that one get up everything in their lives in the service of Yahovah. There is no instruction as to how one should live in accordance with the stipulated ways of Father. Christians are encouraged to pursue personal goals, agendas, desires, hopes, dreams and preferences, even if they are in opposition to the teachings of Y’shua Messiah and Torah. But it stands to reason, then, that we can not truly serve Father if we are serving two masters—God and self (Mat. 6:24). Master taught us that we will inherently love the one (most likely the mammon) and hate the other (most likely the Father). So there is no middle ground in this equation. There is no compromising here. We have been instructed to be as slaves—servants—our entire being consumed in fulfilling the purposes and commands of Yahovah. What He instructs us to do—what He commands us to do—that which we know will please Him, we must do. It means denying ourselves the privileges that we would have to fulfill our own desires. Master taught: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Indeed, that is our Torah Challenge for this post—service to Yahovah through self-denial, constant seeking in terms of Yahovah’s will for our lives and service to the Kingdom. Shalom.
by Rod Thomas | Sep 11, 2015 | Blog
Listen to What the Father Says
Part 5 of Parashah 47
The third aspect of Moshe’s direction to us as it relates to Yahovah preparing us to enter the Land of Promise (verse 5 of the 13th chapter of Deuteronomy—it is the 4th verse in the NAS, KJV DBY, NLT, ASV, YLT, ESV, NIV and NRS) was for us to “listen to what He says” (CJB). And as I read this, I wondered to myself, what does “listening to what the Father says” look like to us living in the 21st century?
This was somewhat puzzling to me as I recalled that day that was recorded in the 19th and 20th chapters of Exodus, where we stood at the base of Mount Sinai and witnessed and heard our Creator speak directly to us, His Torah and establish His covenant with us. This day was the precursor for the Day of Pentecost and Yom Teruah (aka The Day of Trumpets). This day was unlike any in history. This day the Creator of all that is revealed Himself to us as a nation; a people; His possession. But we fretted at the wonders and the sight of His majesty, power and might. It was recorded:
15 ¶ All the people experienced the thunder, the lightning, the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled. Standing at a distance, 16 they said to Moshe, “You, speak with us; and we will listen. But don’t let God speak with us, or we will die.”17 Moshe answered the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come only to test you and make you fear him, so that you won’t commit sins.”18 ¶ So the people stood at a distance, but Moshe approached the thick darkness where God was. (Exo 20:15-18 CJB)
Just a quick note here: you’ll often hear or see me reference instances in Israel’s ancient history in the first person–such as “when we stood at the foot of Mount Sinai.” I am not channeling any spirits from that time. I am not insane thinking that I am reincarnated from that time. I am simply putting into perspective the history of ancient Israel in relation to our heritage. Let me explain: Shaul wrote to the Roman assembly of believers: “But it is to you Gentiles, I am speaking: as I am a Shaliach to the Gentiles (i.e., a Hebrew sent to the Gentiles) I honor my ministry; if, perhaps, I provoke emulation in the children of my flesh and may revive some of them. For if the rejection of them was a reconciliation of the world, what will their conversion be but life from the dead? For, if the first-fruits are set apart, then the rest of the dough (it came from is) also: and if the root is set apart, then also the branches. And if some of the branches were plucked off; and you, an olive from the desert, were in-grafted in their place and have become an heir of the root and fatness of the olive-tree; do not boast over the branches. For if you boast, you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you. And should you say “the branches were plucked off that I might be grafted into their place.” Very true. They were plucked off because they disbelieved; and you stand by faith. But do not be uplifted in your mind, but fear. For if Elohim spared not the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Behold now the goodness and the severity of Elohim…” Rom. 11:13-22–AENT. Thus, when I refer to incidents that occurred to ancient Israel, I will often reference those events in the first person as I seek to put into perspective our new identity in Messiah and Israel. I’ve found that once I embraced our spiritual heritage, everything associated with the Faith became more real to me and I hope and trust that by you understanding this about me, my writings and recordings, you will gain a greater appreciation of who we truly are in Y’shua Messiah. And I will say with some caution so as to not offend those who might disagree with me: I truly believe that most of us who have come in to the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith are not just spiritual Israel, but possibly even of the lineage of physical Ephraim. This will be something I explore in future episodes of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections. But for now, let’s continue with the topic at hand.
So we chose to have Father speak to us through Moshe as opposed to having Him speak to us directly. We gave up a most auspicious opportunity to hear directly from the Creator of the universe as to what it is He expects from us as His own treasured possession among all peoples of the earth; His kingdom of priests; His holy nation. (Reference Exodus 19:5-6) And then today, Father does not speak to us audibly as He did on that day at the foot of Mount Sinai; although some might take exception to that. I realize that Yah’s Spirit will at time speak to us directly as I believe He has spoken to my spirit on several occasions by His Ruach HaKodesh. I’m talking more about audibly speaking to us: like our spouses, children, bosses, friends, neighbors, etc., speak to us such that we hear them with the use of our ears and we can understand them. This is how we humans communicate with one another—one party speaks and the other party receives/hears/listens to the message, and if necessary, the receiving party responds. But in all honesty, Yahovah/Yahweh does not, with the exception of the rarest of occasions, speak to us in an audible fashion. So then we in the 21st century find ourselves in the same boat as we were in the Sinai Desert—requiring the Father to speak to us through His chosen vessels—be it His written word; His chosen teachers; via the move of His Spirit around and in us; or by our general observations of the world around us.
The problem I find with NOT hearing directly from Yahovah/Yahweh as He originally intended His communications to us to be heard, is the risk of Father’s Word being distorted or not reaching us accurately and precisely as He originally transmitted it. We see this evident in so many ways. Take for example our Bibles—we are learning more and more these days how various passages in our bibles have been tampered with by unnamed men who took it upon themselves, for whatever reason or personal or group agenda, to alter the original message. Despite the many disagreements to this by certain segments of the Christian community, it is an established fact that many passages in our bibles have been tampered with over the centuries. How do we know this: manuscript comparisons—Hebrew and Greek scholars comparing the thousands of existing manuscripts of the books of the bible have confirmed variations between those manuscripts. Certainly, one could question the validity of any of those manuscripts being used in the comparisons, but the scholar looks to the oldest existing manuscripts to see what was recorded and the oldest manuscripts will by default become the “standard,” so to speak, whereby the more recent manuscripts are judged. The scrolls found in the Qumran caves have proved to be of greatest value in setting the bar as it relates to determining what the original message was. Scholars have placed the age of the scrolls/manuscripts recovered from the Qumran caves to have been copied by the Essenes between 200 BCE and 68 CE. (Reference: http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html) Many of these Qumran manuscripts make up some of the oldest manuscripts in existence and as a result, these have become the standard by which many of the later manuscripts are judged.
Thus, we are faced with a dilemma as it relates to hearing from Father through the reading of His Word. If scrupulous men have taken upon themselves to tamper with God’s Word throughout the centuries, how do we know that we are hearing exactly what Father has intended for us to hear? Or is it important for us to hear or listen to Yahovah? Well, that question is easy to answer—indeed it is important for us to listen to the instructions of our Creator and more importantly, obey those instructions. Thus we have been commanded to “listen to what Father says.”
Michael Rood touches upon this issue in the introduction to his Chronological Gospels. (Please note: I realize that many who will hear this audioblog or read this blog may not agree with many of Mr. Rood’s teachings. I realize and accept that fact. However, I am a firm believer that Mr. Rood has taught and teaches today a great deal that is true. I reference that of Mr. Rood’s teachings that I have affirmed for myself to be of sound truth through my personal research and study. That which he teaches that is controversial and has limited biblical or extra-biblical support, I try to avoid making any substantive reference to in this or any of our postings.) According to Rood, “a fatal error has been introduced into an otherwise flawless mathematical system (speaking to the time frame that the feeding of the 5,000). In the 4th verse of John chapter six, eight words were inserted into later copies of the Greek text in order to artificially lengthen the ministry of Y’shua. It is the pinnacle of intrigue that these eight words were appended to the very section of Scripture that guaranteed that the forgery would eventually be exposed. And it was revealed by the one miraculous event recorded by all four Gospel authors: the feeding of the 5,000.“ Rood goes on to identify those inserted words as “And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.” (John 6:4) Apart from other sighted discrepancies which makes this sentence suspect of forgery, we in the Hebrew Roots of the Christian Faith should be able to identify a glaring problem with this sentence and that is the phrase, “…a feast of the Jews.” For we know that the annual holy days—the moedim—are Yahovah’s Feasts (also described as the Feasts of the Lord); so clearly it would be evident that Yochanan, the writer of this gospel record, a Jew, would not have used this phrase “a feast of the Jews” to describe one of the annual feast days that he no doubt would have been very familiar with. The other glaring problem with this passage is that bread was served to the 5,000, and if it was indeed Passover–more precisely the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread, then serving the bread would have been in direct violation of Torah as the time of Passover required us to eat “unleavened bread.” As an investigator by career choice and trade, these issues surrounding this passage of John, are quite suspect to me as it should be to any who are familiar with the Hebraic Roots of our Faith. It would clearly seem to me that someone, other than the Apostle Yochanan (aka John), wrote or appended this Johannine passage.
The research Rood conducted in putting together The Chronological Gospels, especially as it relates to this crucial event—the feeding of the 5,000–led to him coming across manuscripts that predated the manuscripts that most of our English bibles are based upon. Those earlier texts DID NOT have the phrase or sentence, “And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.” This is prima fascie that forgers have taken hold of our bibles and for whatever reason, altered the original writings.
Now, as insignificant as this specific example of the bible being altered in places might seem to most self-professing Christians throughout the world, it should be of tremendous importance to us in the Hebrew Roots of the Faith. This example is a clear indicator that the brother of our Master, who penned the epistle of Jude, was right in his assessment that “…certain men [have] crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4 NAS) For we’ve established without any uncertainty, the absolute importance of hearing or listening to what Father has to say to us. For any distortion or error in Father’s Word could lead many of us astray, as so many in churchianity find themselves today.
Now, I don’t believe all is lost, despite what the naysayers will throw at us regarding the perceived unreliability of the biblical text. Father has, throughout the centuries, preserved His Word in many sundry ways. He has sent us His anointed teachers and His Spirit to ensure that His Word is delivered in as pristine a state as we, the receivers of the Word, are willing to receive. I truly believe Father is committed to our understanding what it is He has for us to know about Him and His expectations for us as His people. Oh, the Word of Yah is so wonderful, despite the attacks it has suffered at the hands of men who have personal and organizational agendas. When we fall in love with the Creator of the universe and we hunger and thirst after Him and His righteousness, and seek to know and please Him, nothing will prevent us from hearing His voice accurately.
Father spoke to the Prophet Isaiah in this regard and what Isaiah recorded—in my humble opinion–is one of the most profound and assuring verses to be found in the whole of Scripture in regards to the Word of Yahovah reaching its intended audience unsullied:
CJB Isaiah 55:1 ¶ “All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You without money, come, buy, and eat! Yes, come! Buy wine and milk without money – it’s free! 2 Why spend money for what isn’t food, your wages for what doesn’t satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and you will eat well, you will enjoy the fat of the land. 3 Open your ears, and come to me; listen well, and you will live – I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the grace I assured David. 4 I have given him as a witness to the peoples, a leader and lawgiver for the peoples. 5 You will summon a nation you do not know, and a nation that doesn’t know you will run to you, for the sake of ADONAI your God, the Holy One of Isra’el, who will glorify you.” 6 Seek ADONAI while he is available, call on him while he is still nearby. 7 Let the wicked person abandon his way and the evil person his thoughts; let him return to ADONAI, and he will have mercy on him; let him return to our God, for he will freely forgive. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says ADONAI. 9 “As high as the sky is above the earth are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For just as rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return there, but water the earth, causing it to bud and produce, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth – it will not return to me unfulfilled; but it will accomplish what I intend, and cause to succeed what I sent it to do.” (Isa 55:1-11 CJB)
When we gave up that opportunity to hear directly from Yah on that fateful day at the foot of the mountain, from that point on Father spoke to us through His chosen vessels—first Moshe; then Joshua; then His appointed Judges; then His prophets; the righteous Kings of Israel (as well as the evil kings of Israel who rejected Yahovah’s Torah and led us away from Father, the actions of which resulted in our punishment and destruction as a nation); then Y’shua and His chosen Apostles. After Master left us, He sent us His Ruach HaKodesh (aka the Holy Spirit). The Ruach Kodesh also reveals and delivers Yahovah’s word to us. After the Apostles left us, we were left with the following means by which we today can accurately hear/can listen to what the Father says:
- His recorded Word or as popularly known, the Bible–utilizing consistent, sound bible study practices and referencing a wide range of bible resources that Father in his providence and infinite wisdom has made available to us
- His Ruach HaKodesh–His Holy Spirit–His voice that speaks to our hearts, minds and spirit
- His anointed teachers–those who teach the truth and who do not compromise the Word for personal or denominational agendas
- Our personal and collective life experiences
- The people and situations that we come into contact with on a frequent and infrequent basis
These mediums by which the Father speaks to us are readily accessible to most of us in one form or another. However, and this is a huge problem that we face in our Faith as well as in all of Christianity, we tragically fail to optimize the opportunities to hear from Father. What I mean by this is that many of us fail to even pick up and study our bibles at any appreciable frequency. Many of us would prefer to have someone tell us what “thus sayeth the Lord.” This is one of the biggest reasons why Christianity is in the terrible rut it’s currently in. For centuries, many of us have sat under the teachings and doctrines and rules and laws of churches and denominations. Instead of hearing what Father has to say to us, we’ve given ourselves over to hearing what the church or a denomination has to say to us. By our not consulting and eating up our bibles each and every day, we leave ourselves open to missing vital information that we need to properly function as ambassadors of the Most High to this evil and perverted world. I discuss this very issue in my multi-episodic series entitled “Understanding the Bible” and I would humbly encourage you to take the time and listen to or read those postings. In those postings I discuss the tragedy of biblical illiteracy in the Hebraic Roots and Christian Faiths. The Bible, for all intents and purposes, is the primary means whereby Father speaks to us. Most of us are acutely aware of this. Being self-professing children of the Most High, we require constant instruction in order to live and fulfill the Creator’s will for us in this world. Yet our laziness and fear of reading and studying the bible prevents us from properly functioning as children of the Most High. The only way to fix this is to resist the enemy’s efforts that prevent us from delving into the riches of our bibles each and every day.
Which brings me to the next problem: the cares of life. The cares of life get in the way of our listening to and hearing from Yahovah/Yahweh. When we were in the Sinai desert under the leadership of Moshe, we didn’t have anything to distract us or take our attention away from hearing what Father had to say to us. The only reason we failed to obey what Father instructed us to do was because of our inclination as human beings to resist and even oppose the ways of our Creator. Shaul wrote this to the Roman assembly:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:1
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.1
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.1
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:1-8 KJV)
Today, with all the things constantly ongoing in our lives: careers, families, bills, current events, television and the internet, we are faced with rationing out time in a cramped life for Yahovah. This should never be the case for any of us. But for the vast majority of us, it sadly is. The cares of life drown out the quiet, small voice of the Ruach (Spirit) as it attempts to get our attention and communicate with us the will and commandments and love of the Father. How many of us go through an average, busy, hectic day, and at the end of that day, realize that we made no time for the Father. We find that we did not receive a Word from Father for that day. Instead, we received word(s) from children, husband/wives, bosses, co-workers, the television, the radio; everyone and anything but Father. This is the absolute best scenario for the enemy to have and it serves their purposes and goals to a “t.” Listening to Yahovah takes some work. It’s not something that we naturally do–it’s a foreign-alien practice to us as humans. We cannot entirely rely upon preachers, teachers or church-leaders to deliver the spiritual goods to us, although Father certainly speaks to us through his anointed teachers. But beyond that the teachers and preachers, we must listen and hear from Yahovah through fervent, heart-felt, meditative prayer. We must listen/hear from Yahovah through the reading of Yah’s Word and allowing the Ruach to reveal His truths to us. We must listen/hear Yah by quietly and observantly taking the time to appreciate Father’s creation. I realize this may seem completely unconventional to most, but when we take the time to experience and appreciate Yahovah’s creation, the Ruach uses those rare moments to reveal many things about the Creator of the Universe to us and that is another opportunity to listen and hear Father.
Sometimes it comes down to simply turning off the electronics, getting in to our closets, putting our bibles on the desk in front of us, clearing our minds of all the stuff that it has been filled with the day prior, and availing ourselves to the infilling, leading and revelation of the Ruach Kodesh. We make room for everything else in our lives, but we tend to place Yahovah at the bottom of each day’s to-do and personal appointment lists. If we find that we’ve run out of time, we may give Father an obligatory nod of the our spirit and promise to do better the next day and move on with our lives. Father demands more from us. He demands to be first in our lives. He purchased us with the blood of His Son and has branded us with His Ruach Ha Kodesh. ( 19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple for the Ruach HaKodesh who lives inside you, whom you received from God? The fact is, you don’t belong to yourselves; 20 for you were bought at a price. So use your bodies to glorify God. (1Co 6:19-20 CJB) Thus we are to become and exist in this world as His loyal servants. Not as “robots” or some form of automatons, but exercising the unique gifts and character in the service of His Kingdom. Once we realize what the “real deal” is, we can hear and listen to Yahovah. And when those impediments to hearing and listening to Yahovah have been done away with, we can live that life abundant that Master provides. Master said,
“ 7 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (Joh 10:7-10 KJV)
Lastly, we can learn and hear from Yahovah through a recall of our individual life experiences, as well as through the life experiences of others whom we may come into contact with. How many times have we come into contact with someone and hear their testimony and have been profoundly affected by their testimony or their story? How many times have we, conversely, looked back and have seen the path we’ve taken and have learned something so profound that it literally changes our lives and the direction of our walk with Messiah right then and there? It’s happened to me on a number of occasions. That which profoundly affects and changes our lives may seem to others as insignificant. But that seeming insignificant thing can be used by the Spirit (Ruach Kodesh) to teach us something about Father; about ourselves; and about the world around us, through that simple reflection. We often tend to devalue our own experiences and interactions with others. However, it’s these varied and seeming insignificant (as well as the significant) life-experiences that have played such a great role in my spiritual development—looking back over an experience or interaction, and seeing something there of a critical spiritual nature, and then internalizing and acting upon that revelation. These times offer opportunities for Yahovah to communicate to us His will for our lives and His commandments of us as His chosen ones.
Listening to and hearing from Yahovah comes to us by many obvious and not-so obvious means. It’s not from just reading our bibles, although the greatest messages from Father come directly from our study and reading of the bible. But Yah’s Word comes to us from virtually every aspect of our lives; some obvious and some not so obvious. Thus, we must shut up, crank up our hearing (be it physically or spiritually), and just avail ourselves to hear what Father has to say to us. We don’t have Father speaking His Word directly in to our ears as He did on that fateful day at the foot of the mountain. We forfeited that opportunity. We don’t have Moshe, the prophets or the apostles to provide us direct instruction from Father. But what we do have is the written Word, the Ruach Kodesh, Yahovah’s anointed teachers and the many life-experiences that provide us endless opportunities to hear from our Creator. That is our Torah Challenge for today fellow saints-in-training: to listen to and hear from Yahovah by whatever means He chooses to deliver His Word to us. How we go about listening to and receiving that Word is entirely up to us as individuals. But we better damn well figure out and get it done—sooner than later.
Shalom and may you walk in the power and might of His Ruach Kodesh. Sincerest blessings to you all.
by Rod Thomas | Sep 10, 2015 | Blog
By Grace are You Saved
Part 2 of the series: Grace and the Law
In part one (1) of this series entitle Grace and the Law, we critically looked at some of the key bible passages that our cousins in fundamental and charismatic churchianity (or Christianity as popularly referenced) have used over the centuries to support their claim that Torah was done away with and replaced by the hijacked (my wording) doctrine of grace. Allow me to conduct a brief review of those controversial passages so that we all have a central place to begin our quest for a sound, biblically-based response to our Faith’s most staunch critics.
Restating the problem simply, traditional and charismatic Christianity contends that Torah has been done away with by the work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Furthermore, our cousins in the Christian religion contend that any attempt or even thought of adhering to the Laws or Commandments of God (or as we prefer to call these collectively, Torah) are tantamount to a transgression of God’s grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; that we are placing our eternal hope in works that could never pay the price of our redemption. Finally, the Jew showed us that it is impossible to keep Torah, thus any effort to keep Torah will be met with utter failure and any claim of faith in Jesus Christ, a total mockery. According to the Christian, Jesus kept Torah perfectly during His life and ministry here on earth. Therefore, we who would claim Jesus as our Lord and Saviour no longer are required to keep Torah. In other words, everything has been taken care of by the Creator or Jesus Christ—in other words, don’t worry, be happy—occupy until Jesus returns and raptures us from this earth and takes us to heaven where we’ll reign with Him for all eternity.
Conversely, we in the Hebraic Roots/Messianic Believers in Y’shua Messiah/Netzari communities contend that we are compelled by our love for the Father and in strict obedience to our Lord and Master, Y’shua HaMashiyach, to be Torah honoring, observant and obedient. We see our salvation as a free gift from Yahovah, the God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov. Furthermore, we contend that our freedom from sin and the resulting eternal life came to those of us who would claim Y’shua HaMashiyach as our Messiah, as a result of His atoning death on the execution stake on Calvary more than 2,000-years ago. It is our love for our Creator and our loyalty to our Master Y’shua HaMashiyach that we, without reservation, without the slightest hesitation, obey the Father’s Torah and adhere to His way of life for mankind. Our salvation is tied to Torah by way of our qualification for that free gift of salvation. We are able, contrary to popular Christian belief and teachings, that one may live Torah perfectly as a result of the infilling of the Ruach Kodesh (aka the Holy Spirit) and it is this divine arrangement that the Christian wrongly interprets as “grace.” Despite the many seeming anti-Torah passages in the Brit HaDashah (aka the New Testament), primarily from the pen of Rav Shaul (aka the Apostle Paul), we of the true Faith once delivered to the first-century saints by Y’shua HaMashiyach realize the truth of what Shaul was trying to get across to the recipients of his many epistles. We contend that Westernized—Paulinized churchianity has failed to properly execute sound biblical exegesis of his writings and thus it is really these (that is the westernized Christian) that have fallen from grace, not us. This is not a finger-pointing exercise, but a thing of seeking the truth as revealed to any who would seek it via (1) the revelation of the Ruach Kodesh; (2) bible scholarship that is devoid of denominational assertiveness and influence; and (3) commonsense that the Creator endowed each of us with at birth.
I, unfortunately, am of a mind that our two sides can not be reconciled to any appreciable degree without one side conceding to the claims and accusations of the other. It would mean we in the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith abandoning a fulfilled life of discipline, love and peace in Torah for a contrived life of “live as you please” or “as you see fit” and “occupy until Christ returns.” It would mean we would become subject to the traditions, laws and rules of men. Essentially, it would mean going over to a life of religion that Y’shua came to free us from. I came from that and many of you came from that as well. We’ve come to realize and greatly appreciate the freedom that has come as a result of our giving ourselves over to our Master Y’shua as opposed to giving ourselves over to men; to a church; to a denomination; to a religion. Y’shua told us that He came that we would have life and experience that life in abundance. (John 10:10) As wonderful as life may appear in churchianity, her members have spoken loudly with their feet and their wallets. The Barna Group reported a few years ago that people are leaving tradition/fundamental Christianity in droves—some estimates place the number in the millions over the course of the last decade. The primary reason given by those who have left Christianity is a lack of spiritual fulfillment and their lives having not been challenged during the time they were members of the church. Conversely, all indications are (and unfortunately there is no data that I can find to back this up) that our Faith is growing and that large numbers of folks are coming to a knowledge of the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith. These are finding rest for their weary souls and a refreshing for their diminished spirits. Indeed, the Ruach is moving in our Faith. It is a wonderful time to be a part of the true Faith once delivered.
Last episode we looked at a few controversial passages that may cause some of us problems when trying to defend and explain to non-Torah observant believers in Jesus Christ (or traditional/fundamental/charismatic Christians) why we believe Torah is still viable for every believer in Y’shua Messiah. As well as it’s important that we make sure within our own minds and spirits that we understand what Shaul meant when he wrote these seeming anti-Torah passages. Let’s go over them quickly before we move forward. They are as follows:
Ephesians 2:8,9— 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Is Shaul saying here that grace through the simple act of faith eliminates any need for works in a believer’s life? What does Shaul mean when he says “not of works?” What is this “works?” What does a “workless” life look like as it pertains to those who depend solely upon grace through faith?
Romans 6:14—14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. I discussed last episode that sin, despite what Shaul appears to be saying, remains commonplace in many congregations and churches throughout the world. Since it would stand to reason that Shaul is not speaking to actual sin that believers are prone to commit—that is the violation of Torah; is it then reasonable to conclude that Shaul is actually referring to something else here? Could it be that Shaul is creating an analogy here whereby he is actually referring to any negative influences or affects that sin will have in opposition to the believer’s eternal life?
Romans 7:6— 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.1 According to this passage, it would seem that Shaul is saying that the law was not good for us and if we were to serve in the newness of spirit, then we had to be delivered from the law. Is Shaul saying here that the Law had problems associated with it? Was the Law problematic? Was the Law bad? Was the Law a mistake that needed correcting? Was the Law a failed experiment? If we choose to honor and obey Torah, have we placed ourselves in spiritual harm’s way, so to speak?
Galatians 3:10-14– 10 ¶ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Is Shaul here saying that Torah observers are under some kind or type of curse? If so, what is there about the Law that makes it a a curse? If the Law is deemed to be a curse through the auspices of the Holy Spirit that was working in and through Shaul, and that Holy Spirit was provided to Shaul as a gift from Y’shua HaMashiyach, why would Father have placed upon us a cursed thing such as Torah? What would that say about our Creator? Are we then victims of the Law?
Lastly, Galatians 5:2-4– 2 ¶ Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. Are we who are Torah observant truly fallen from grace? For that matter, what does “fallen from grace” really mean? Do our cousins in churchianity, who love to use this passage as an assault upon us and our Faith, truly understand what this actually means? Is it true what our cousins in churchianity say about those of us who follow Torah—that if we choose to obey the Law, if we are found to have violated one of the 613-commandments or laws, that we are guilty of breaking the entire Torah? Does breaking one of the commandments actually nullify the rest or make one guilty of breaking the entire Torah? Is circumcision a dead or done-away with commandment? If we who are of the true Faith once delivered, who have chosen to be Torah observant, make the work of Y’shua Messiah of no effect unto us? If so, why?
Setting the Stage
As I stated in the previous post, these are some tough passages to confront for those of us Torah observant believers in Y’shua Messiah. What I find very interesting is that Christianity has gone out of her way to apply a very literal read of these passages and has effectively made Rav Shaul, or as the Westerner prefers to refer to him as the Apostle to the Gentiles Paul, into the most effective anti-Law (aka Torah) agent in all of history.
We inherently know that a plain read of these Pauline passages can be profoundly misleading. We also know that biblical illiteracy is at the heart of the misunderstanding and mistranslation of these passages. The purpose of this episode is to take each of these passages and determine whether or not the plain read of that passage provides an accurate meaning of that passage based on sound biblical interpretative practice and exegesis. We will resist denominational influences to guide our study. We will not allow our individual cultural and personal biases to prevent our gaining a true understanding of these passages. All we want to do is to resolve once and for all what Shaul meant when he wrote these passages and whether or not he stood for Torah observance in the life of the believer in Y’shua Messiah. I want to know if I truly understand why it is important for all believers in Y’shua Messiah to be Torah observant, especially in light of these seeming anti-Torah passages of Shaul. If we fail to prove that the plain reading of these passages does NOT reject Torah observance by us believers, then we are in a dilemma: are we Torah observant because someone told us we needed to be but we really have no true biblical basis for our beliefs and actions? Or are we simply making things up in our heads and living according to how we feel we should live? I don’t know about you, but I want to be in line with the will and commandments of Yahovah/Yahweh/Yahuah and His Son Y’shua HaMashiyach.
So let’s get started. But first, let’s establish some ground rules for this study: (1) we acknowledge the primacy of Scripture to determine how we live our lives in Y’shua Messiah. (2) We believe that Shaul was a sent one from Y’shua and therefore he has authority to instruct us in the ways of our God. (3) We acknowledge that the only way to gain a true understanding of the bible is through the revelation of the Ruach Kodesh (aka the Holy Spirit) and applying proper exegetical principles to our study of Scripture. Those exegetical principles include: (a) allowing the bible to interpret itself; (b) avoid taking one verse alone to establish doctrine, but to examine every other applicable verse in comparison; (c) studying each passage in question in context—that is, what is the true issue being addressed; who is writing the passage; what was going on in history at the time the passage was written; who was the author’s intended reader and audience; how do the surrounding verses connect with the verse/passage in question? And (d), when examining the use of certain key words in the passage in question, gain an understanding as to how that same word is used in other passages of the bible.
That which we don’t cover we’ll pick up where we leave off in the next episode. Again, I believe that we can not downplay the importance of this subject as it relates to our Faith and our being able to defend what it is we believe and why we believe that which we say we believe and practice. Too many of us assume that we don’t need to defend our actions or our Faith. Yet when we are confronted by someone who opposes our Faith, or we are asked by someone in search of truth to explain our Faith, we choke—we present a poor witness. Our Master gave His best for us when He walked this earth 2,000-years ago. Shouldn’t we do likewise? I don’t want to disappoint Him nor do I want to do anything that will diminish the opportunity for someone to find truth in the midst of a jacked-up world. We have all the answers to this world’s many woes. That being said, my goal, my intent, my mission in life is to be ready to give anyone who asks me about my Faith. Rav Kefa (aka the Apostle Peter) wrote in his first epistle:
ESV 1 Peter 3:15, 16 but ain your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, balways being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and crespect, 16 ahaving a good conscience, so that, bwhen you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
Does the Creator’s Grace Eliminate Torah Entirely?
Ephesians 2:8,9— 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
This verse seems to aptly support the doctrine of “sola gratia” that I referenced last episode/last posting. Sola gratia, if you recall, is the Latin phrase meaning “grace only” or “grace alone.” The concept of sola gratia came out of the Protestant Reformation and was to stand in stark contrast to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that seemed to suggest that salvation was achieved through the grace of God and also by the merits of “one’s own works performed in love.” (Wikipedia-sola gratia) Although this was a hardcore belief of those behind the reformation, the truth of the matter was that the Roman Catholic Church “explicitly affirmed the doctrine of sola gratia in the year 529” in the Councils of Orange and of Trent. It was the doctrine of “sola gratia” that emerged from these councils and was explained as such: that salvation is made possible only by grace and that faith and works “are the secondary means that have their origins in and are sustained by grace.” The protestant reformers, however, seized upon and took the concept of sola gratia to a higher level, taking works entirely out of the equation and actually labeling works as Legalism. Bottom line, as it relates to the protestant reformer’s concept of sola gratia—which today constitutes the same view of most fundamental,traditional and charismatic denominations throughout the world—is that “salvation is entirely comprehended in God’s gifts (that is, God’s act of free grace), dispensed by the Holy Spirit according to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone.” (Wikipedia—sola gratia)
Now, one must agree that there is a problem with the doctrine or concept of “sola gratia” and that problem is what is referred to in Wikipedia as “Antinomianism.” Antinomianism argues that “if someone is saved, he/she has no need to live a holy life, given that salvation is already in the bag” so to speak. And isn’t this perspective a primary cause for the schism; the chasm; the thing that divides our two faiths? It is indeed clear that our love and obedience to Torah is nothing short of a gross offense to Christianity as a whole. The problem, however, is not with us but with the Christian who is sorely mistaken, not only in their understanding of the concept of “grace,” but also in their reasoning and understanding as to why we are Torah observant.
So as it relates to this passage of Ephesians, what do we know about the purpose and intent of this letter? Who was Shaul’s intended audience or readers? What could have prompted this statement from Shaul? Well, scholars tell us that Ephesus was located on the east side of the Aegean Sea in Asia Minor which is part of modern Turkey. Shaul’s first visit to Ephesus is recorded in Acts 18:18-23, which appears to be one of the stops Shaul made on his second missionary journey. The assembly in Ephesus appears to have been a mixture of Gentiles and Jews who seemed to be primarily congregating at the local synagogue, which was common place throughout the Roman Empire of the first century. With that, we know then, that a mixture of Torah observance, Judaism, and maybe even some paganism was being practiced amongst the members of that assembly. It so happens that Ephesus was famed for its Temple of Artemis or Diana. So like everywhere else that Shaul’s foot print was felt, Shaul had a rough road to haul—trying to coral believers from every walk of first-century life, into the true Faith, must have been an impossible task.
This portion of the Ephesian letter, interestingly enough, seems to be focusing on the Gentile half of the assembly. Shaul writes:
“For it is by His grace we are rescued, through faith; and this is not of yourselves, but it is the gift of Elohim: Not of works, or else anyone glory (in themselves). For we are His creation who are created in Y’shua the Mashiyach for good works which Elohim has before prepared for us to walk in. Wherefore be mindful that you formerly were carnal Gentiles; and you were called the uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision and which is the work of the hands of the flesh. And you were, at that time, without the Mashiyach; and were aliens from the regulations of Israel; and strangers to the covenant of the promise; and were without hope and without Elohim in the world. But now, by Y’shua the Mashiyach, you who before were afar off, have been brought near by the blood of the Mashiyach. He is Himself our peace, who has made the two (become) one, and has demolished the wall which stood n the midst, and the enmity, by His flesh; and in His flesh (the) enmity and regulations of commands (contained) in his commandments are abolished (so) that in himself (an occurrence of the divine nature or qnoma), he might make the two into one, establishing peace.” (Eph. 2:8-15 AENT)
Now there are a few things to consider as we examine this passage in context. Instead of taking just verses 8 and 9 at face value, we have now taken on a sizable chunk of Shaul’s letter to the Ephesian assembly. Now, most of churchianity when referencing Ephesians in their arguments in support of sola gratia and the abolishment of the Law or Torah, will focus only on verses 8 and 9. However, there is a severe problem in referencing just verses 8 and 9 when discussing the issue of grace and the law, and that is one receives an incomplete understanding of what Shaul has to say on the subject.
To begin with, Shaul goes on to say in verse 10 that we (Gentiles) have newly been created “for good works which Elohim has before prepared for us to walk in.” Does this not hit you like a brick wall as it hit me? What is Shaul saying here? He’s saying that we who were Gentiles, having been made new by the work of Y’shua, are now created “for good works” and those good works were prepared by Yahovah (as opposed to Elohim) for us to walk in. The NAS and ESV says of those good works, that they were “prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” And the natural question that we must ask is, what are those good works that were prepared beforehand that we should walk in them? Well, the phrase “good works” is found in 23 verses in the KJV. Now, we must be careful to discern the different Greek words used to describe “good works” which are “agathos” and “ergon” respectively. In some passages, the word “good” is “kalos” which means beautiful, handsome or excellent. Shaul uses “agathos” in this Ephesians passage. Invariably, however, the Greek word “ergon” is used to denote “work.”
As it pertains to this particular passage, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon suggests ”ergon” is “that which is required and approved of Yahovah (as opposed to God), in the same sense of Mashiyach.” And we can safely presume that which is required and approved of by Yahovah and Mashiyach as related to “works” is commandments or rules, or as I will boldly propose here, Torah. Yes, I believe Shaul is suggesting here that we Gentiles, through the work of Mashiyach, have been fashioned to do “good works” which I surmise to be Torah. There are several biblical verses that I point to as support for my contention:
Titus 2:11-14—For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
What is Shaul writing about here? He’s talking about the grace of Yahovah bringing salvation to the world and that grace teaching us to live Godly lives as we await the Saviour’s reappearing. And we know that it is not up to man’s discernment or determination as to what is Godly and what is not. Father alone is the stipulator of what is Godly. Yet Father has not left the determination as to what is Godly or not Godly up to chance or up to trying to read His mind. He revealed what is Godly and what is not by His Torah. It’s not rocket science.
Titus 2:1-10—But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”
Hello! All of these qualities are not unique to Shaul’s teachings. They come right out of Torah. Good works!
2 Timothy 3:17—But thou hast fully known my doctrine (writing to Timothy), manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus (here’s that reference to living Godly lives again) shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou has learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures (none other than the Tanakh—the Torah, the prophets and the writings—but primarily Torah, because the New Testament had not been created as yet), which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all “good works.””
Here we go again, good works being tied directly to scripture, or better, tied to Torah.
And there are several others that I will not overtax with you. But suffice to say, that Shaul seems to be tying the concept of “good works” or “ergon agathos” to being Torah observant.
But then there is the other aspect of works that we must not overlook here and that has to do with Shaul tying works directly to “law.” The phrase “works of the law” is used some 5-times in the KJV. (Reference: Rom. 9:32; Gal. 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10)
So I think we have enough to put into some semblance of understanding what Shaul is saying in Ephesian 2: 8—and that has to do with providing a quasi definition of grace; that being grace through our faith in Y’shua HaMashiyach, has rescued us from the world and from eternal death. That rescuing came as a free gift from Yahovah/Yahweh and all we had to do is accept that rescue. In doing so, however, we have received the power to live godly lives. And what does living godly lives look like? It’s all contained in Torah. We have become new creatures. Being former Gentiles (but now Israelites—having crossed over and grafted in) we lived according to the ways of men—evil, sinful, without Yahovah in our lives. Taking on that newness of creation, we have the wherewithal to walk according to His ways or as Shaul wrote: created for good works which God “prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” What is this good works that Shaul is referring to? It’s Torah. So already we see that Shaul has not discarded Torah observance by believers, especially Gentiles. But Shaul clearly indicates here that grace has saved us from the world and from destruction and has provided us the means by which we may walk in accordance to Yahovah’s stipulated way of life for mankind.
Oh, I have no doubt that the more stubborn and obstinate Christian will insist that “good works” as referenced here by Shaul throughout his writing has nothing to do with Torah, but will instead provide a definition or explanation of the phrase “good works” that is consistent to his/her western understanding of what good works means. The problem with this line of reasoning is that there will be thousands, if not millions of perspectives on what constitutes good work. Like opinions, everyone has their own idea of what constitutes good work. But let’s break it down folks: our opinions amount to nothing more than “dung” in the sight of the Almighty. And if anyone is a serious believer in Y’shua HaMashiyach, or for that matter, Jesus Christ, and they are pure in their agenda, then he or she must concede that it’s all about Yahovah/Yahweh/Yahuah/God/Father. It is His opinion, and His opinion alone that matters. So let’s get off our high horses and stop being arrogant fools. Any concept of what is good, especially as it relates to works, must absolutely come from Father and can not come from man, as much as we may like to thing that we have the right stuff to determine what is good and what living a good and godly life looks like.
But let’s not stop here fellow saints, we’re heading towards the stretch as it relates to this Ephesian passage—and hang on, this is where it really gets exciting and brings home for us the truth about Torah living in relation to grace! Hallelujah.
Verse 11, Shaul, a Benjamite, a former Pharisee and at the time of this writing, an Apostle—a sent one directly from our Master Y’shua Messiah—lovingly reminds us of our past. We were carnal gentiles. The KJV, ESV, NAS, ASV words it, Gentiles in the flesh. But the literal rendering of the Greek text (along with the DBY and YLT) reads nations in the flesh. In other words, we were not Israelites and we were certainly not Jews. Thus looking at us from the Jewish and Israelite perspective–from Shaul’s perspective, we were so-called “uncircumcised.” Being of the so-called “uncircumcised,” we were aliens, devoid of commonwealth of Israel, or better rendered in the Greek, we were lacking Israeli-citizenship—verse 12. For all intents and purposes, we were “outsiders.” We were despised and rejected by the Israeli nation, especially by the Jewish nation. Being outside the realm of the true Israelites—not speaking of Judaism per se, but of true Israelis who’s lives were governed by Torah—we were NOT privy to the covenant promises that came by virtue of being an Israeli; especially an Israeli who had Mashiyach as their Master and Yahovah as their God. Thus we were in a hopeless state. Destined for eternal damnation. But the Father, in His infinite wisdom and love for mankind, made provision for even us, being, existing in our hopeless state. He inserted Himself in the affairs of men to offer a lifeline to any who would grab hold to it. It was no longer a case whereby we would have to live out our lives in a hopeless state. It was not situation that we had to convert to Judaism to have the remotest chance and part of the covenant. No! Not this time! It was an opportunity for complete inclusion in the commonwealth of Israel; full access to the blessings of the covenant. What should have cost us our lives for access and inclusion, cost us nothing—just acceptance. But with that acceptance comes responsibility. That responsibility is that we perform. Perform what? That we live and operate in the realm of “good works,” for we have been made—we have been prepared—for such. That is who we become—it is who we are identified as. It is what we look like. It is how the world sees us from then on. Good works. It’s not negotiable as the Christian would assert.
Being born here in America, my citizenship comes to me free of charge. However, if I am to be; if I am to remain a citizen, there are things that I am expected to do—obey the laws of the land; pay my taxes; make a living; contribute to society in some way or another. If I fail to obey the laws of the land or pay taxes or make a living for myself and my family, I will not realize the full benefits of American citizenship. In fact, I may even lose my citizenship (in a low-level way I would add) by being incarcerated.
Despite what the Christian believes and teaches and lives, there are no free lunches as it relates to our relationship with Father. He does indeed offer us the gift of eternal life that comes without charge to us—but oh what price was paid for that gift. In order to receive and keep the gift, we must qualify for it. Father is not going to promote any human to the place of being one of His children; a king; a priest; His elect in a state of rebellion; hating Him by virtue of being disobedient to His will and His commandments. Does it make any sense, Christian, to think and believe that we can live anyway we damn-well please, reject Father’s laws and commandments, and enter into His Kingdom as honored citizens? Would you allow your children to live in your house in total rebellion and disobedience and receive complete and unfettered freedom and privilege? Well, some of you do, and that’s a shame. But let me just tell you, Yahovah don’t play that. He has purchased us with the blood of His son. Shaul wrote to the Corinthian assembly: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price…” (1 Cor. 6:19, 20) We’ve accepted that gift. We now live in His house. He has house rules. Therefore, we are compelled to live in His house under His rules. His rules are contained in Torah. Thus, we must be Torah observant, even as believers in Y’shua Messiah. If we elect to not obey His rules—His Torah—well, that’s a story for another day.
Conclusion:
If there is anything to be gotten from this exercise, it is the absolute necessity of sound biblical exegesis that include contextual analysis—context, context, context. If we were simply to take verses 8 and 9 of this 2nd chapter of Ephesian, from a purely plain reading perspective, we could very easily walk away having an unshakable impression that sola gratia is the name of the game today and that Torah observance by believers in Jesus Christ is not only unnecessary, but completely in opposition to the sacrifice of the Saviour and the doctrine of grace. Employing bible sound bites to explain and support Christian doctrines is a prescription for destruction; at the least, a prescription for living an unfulfilled and potentially sinful life.
References:
- Wikipedia—Sola Gratia
- The Aramaic English New Testament (AENT)
- Friberg Greek Lexicon
- Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
- Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts
- Michael Rood
- Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
Music by Dan O Music
