Torah’s Forbidden Sexual Relationships-Yeshua-Focused Torah Studies–Torah Reading 89–Leviticus 18

by | Jun 19, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

Torah's Forbidden Sexual Relationships-Yeshua-Focused Torah Studies

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

This is Torah’s Forbidden Sexual Relationships–Yeshua-Focused Torah Studies-Torah Reading -89–Leviticus 18

 

The underlying theme of our Torah Reading this Shabbat is Sanctification: Being Sanctified unto YHVH. 

 

Sanctification is that internal, spiritual process that leads to our being set-apart unto YHVH our Elohim for His purpose and will in the earth.

 

Another way of looking at sanctification is imaging our Creator–reflecting YHVH in all our ways to this corrupt and dying world. 

 

In our being sanctified unto YHVH, we set His Name apart in all the earth (i.e., we declare, proclaim uphold YHVH’s sovereignty, holiness, grace, Truth, authority, righteousness, justice, presence.) This is very important to YHVH because there are only two existing options available to the world in terms of being set-apart: 

 

  1. Being set-apart unto our Creator to image Him to the world and thus set YHVH’s Name apart in and to the world.
  2. Being set-apart to some other entity to image that other entity to the world, thus setting that other entity’s name apart in and to the world. 

This is brilliantly delineated by Father by a strong and decisive commandment found in verses 3 and 4 of our reading today: 

 

Verse 3-4—“You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God.” (ESV)

 

Now the content of these 2-verses may be taken in a general normative sense such that we are to follow and keep all of Father’s statutes and rules and walk in them, or in a  more contextually restrictive sense that Father is telling us to follow and keep the specific statutes and rulings he is about to lay out for us in the next several verses of this chapter. 

Certainly, both viewpoints are valid here. But for the sake of this reading, we’re going to focus specifically upon those decrees and statutes that Father lays out to us in the remainder of this  chapter. And the decrees or rules and statutes that are contained in the remaining verses of this chapter focus upon certain threats against the integrity of the family. Thus Father points out various sins–that being sins of a sexual nature–that threaten the integrity of the consecrated family unit. And we will later discover in chapter 20 of Leviticus that the penalty for violating some of these mitzvot is execution. Clearly, YHVH takes these sins very seriously. 

Father at the outset of this chapter puts these sins into their proper perspective by identifying the sins’ places of origin and continued practices. And thus Father establishes prohibitions against engaging in sinful activities that He identified as being common to both nations of Egypt and Canaan. In fact, Father goes beyond simply forbidding us to engage in the sinful activities of those nations, but He also forbids us from taking on the general practices/customs/ordinances/statutes/laws {khook kaw} of these nations. Clearly Father was setting the plumb line here as it relates to who’s authority–rulings–decrees–statutes we were to live by. 

 

Verses 4-5–“You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules: if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.”

 

We are to live by and obey YHVH’s rulings and laws exclusively. And Father makes a critical statement here in verse 5 that most people interpret incorrectly, although most English Translations do a pretty good job translating it on the pages of our bibles:

 

if a person does them, he shall live by them…

 

Father is essentially telling us here that (1) we are to follow His rules and keep His statutes and walk in them; and (2) if we elect to follow/obey His rules and keep His statutes and walk in them, we must then live by those statutes and rules. (Yes, it’s kind of a clunky wording and it is somewhat misleading when not read and understood in proper context.) 

Shaul references this very passage in Romans 10:5:

 

“For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law. That the man which doeth those things shall live by them” (KJV).

 

And also Galatians:

 

“And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them” (3:12).

 

Christianity in general has adopted these passages as two of their proof-positive anti-Torah passages. However, such derived understanding is built upon gross hermeneutical error (ie., the art and science of Biblical interpretation) that avoids placing Leviticus 18:5 into its proper and accurate context. The common understanding of these passages among certain Christian thinkers and teachers is that Paul was pointing out to his readers that they had two choices in terms of their salvation prospects: live by Faith, which leads to eternal life; or live by the provisions set forth in the Law, which leads them nowhere but to death. And the bottom line was that you have to pick a side, for the Law is NOT in any way compatible to a life of faith.

 

But the misinterpretation of Leviticus 18:5 doesn’t end with the Christian: Messianics also tend to misunderstand the passage from the perspective that if a Hebrew keeps Torah, he or she will enjoy a prosperous and trouble-free life. Other Messianics take the unfortunate and dangerous position that this verse establishes that Torah-keeping makes one righteous before YHVH and that it guarantees or leads to one’s salvation. But this dangerous understanding could not be further from the truth.

 

We just unpacked verse 3 where Abba told us NOT to do according to the customs and or laws or practices of our previous overlords the Egyptians, nor according to the paganistic ways of the  folks we would eventually evict and kick out of our inherited land. In fact, Father stresses that we are to follow and keep His rules and His statutes alone and to walk in them. Why? Because we were His redeemed; His chosen ones. We are beneficiaries of the covenant that He (i.e., YHVH) made with Avraham.

 

So from a spiritual perspective, it would be like: Look, I’ve redeemed you and claimed you as my own. I kept the covenant that I made with your father Avraham. Having done so, I need you to now do as I instruct you to do because of your set-apart status. I need you to fulfill the role of being a holy nation and a kingdom of priests.

 

When we look at Leviticus 18:5 from the perspective of Shaul’s teachings to the Romans and Galatians, we should get clarity in what Father meant when He stated: if a person does them (i.e., keeps and walks out His statutes and rulings–His Ways) they shall live by them. Essentially Shaul was trying to convey to the Galatians and Romans, as Abba through Moshe to the Hebrews in the wilderness, that obedience to and walking out Torah, while completely disavowing the Ways of the pagan nations around them, was an inevitable and non-negotiable element and expectation of one’s Faith commitment. Walking out and keeping Torah does not bring one into right standing with a holy and righteous Elohim. Thus, Torah was not given to us as the means by which we would achieve right standing before YHVH. Torah, on the contrary, was given to us as a consequence of our faith commitment.

 

It should become clear to us as we proceed through this teaching that when God’s people walk out and keep Torah, their families and communities are stable and blessed.

 

This is secondary to being sanctified unto Yah and setting His Name apart in the earth. That is,  when we declare ourselves and our families and our communities to be sanctified unto YHVH by our words and by our living, without compromising and syncretizing our walk with the ways of the world, we set His Name as holy and sacred in the earth. By consequence our lives, our families and our communities are stable and blessed.

 

And so we go on through the remainder of chapter 18 and we find the following general sins and prohibitions discussed.

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Verses 6-16–Prohibitions against intimate relations with biological family members.

 

Illicit (sexual) relationships are generalized in the English authorized versions as “uncovering one’s nakedness.”

 

It is generally accepted that this uncovering of one’s nakedness expression emerges from the concept of the act of intimacy which was intended exclusively for the marriage union/marriage bed so to speak. And any deviations to the privileges of this exclusive relationship are seen by Father as stealing from this single privilege that the marriage relationship affords.

 

In verse 6 we see introduced this idea of “approach” (in the Hebrew it is “qarab”–to come near)–that being, no one must approach their relative… to engage in sexual relations.” Well, approach in this sense is a plural verb implying these mitzvot apply to both men and women. (This in light of the fact that the general English translations imply YHVH was addressing only men.)

 

Then in verse 9 we see a distinction between one who is “born in the house” versus one who is “born outside /out of the house.” This refers to one born in wedlock versus one born out of wedlock.

 

In a general sense we derive our understanding of incest from this section of our reading. In being transparent, not every immoral family situation is mentioned here. Nevertheless, it must be  understood that all intimate relationships with biological relatives were by extension prohibited. (Commentary on incestuous relationships that were common to the surrounding nations and times.)

 

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Verses 17-18–Prohibitions against intercourse with a woman’s (a woman in whom a man has a romantic interest or is married to–and by extension a man in whom a woman has a romantic interest or is married) biological family members.

 

So in this section of our reading, we see the sexual relationship prohibitions move from one’s biological-family members to those biological relationships tied to the woman/or man (by extension) we have romantic interests and our spouses.

 

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Verse  19–Prohibition against intimate relations with any woman during her time of Niddah (ie., menstrual cycle).

 

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Verse 20–Prohibition against intimate relations with a married woman (or man by extension) who is not your spouse.

 

Violation of this mitzvah results in both parties being unclean.

 

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Verse 21–Prohibition against sacrificing one’s children to Moloch.

 

Among other things, violation of this mitzvah results in the profanation of the Name of Yah.

 

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Verse 22–Prohibition against homosexuality. (Applies to Homosexuality and Lesbianism)

 

YHVH views homosexuality as abominable. It is gross transgression against Yah’s established natural order.

 

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Verse 23–Prohibition against bestiality.

 

YHVH views bestiality as perverted. It is gross transgression against Yah’s established natural order.

 

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Verse 24–YHVH concludes this set of mitzvot with explanations and warnings and consequences for violations/transgressions against these mitzvot.

 

Yah puts forth that engaging in any of these activities defiles us. And we’re able to gain an appreciation for how important our physical and spiritual purity is to Father.

 

All of the nations of Canaan defiled themselves with these evil sexual practices. And because these nations involved themselves in these immoral activities, Father declared that the land upon which these nations resided had become unclean. Thus, Yah declared that the land itself would vomit up her inhabitants.

 

So concerned was Abba about these sins, He commanded that neither we, nor the citizens, nor foreigners living among us were to practice these disgusting acts/abominations. We were mandated and required to keep Yah’s Torah exclusively.

 

Yah warns us not to fall into doing these abominable acts and causing the land in which we resided to vomit us out as well.

 

Those guilty of such disgusting acts, regardless who they may be, will be cut-off from their people. (We discussed this concept of being cut off from one’s people in last week’s Torah Reading.)

 

We are required to keep Yah’s charges and not engage in these abominable acts.

 

All these sexual misdeeds were common to Egypt and Canaan, and Yah warned the nations not to imitate the ways of their pagan neighbors.

 

Man was created to glorify Yah here on earth. Distorting the creative order-specifically those acts related to procreation–by turning it into a thing in which it was never intended, is a form of worship–worship of Yah’s creation actually. And worship of Yah’s creation qualifies the offenders to receive Yah’s wrath (Rom. 1, which we’ll discuss in just a few moments).

 

The other thing that needs to be kept in the back of our minds here as it relates to all these abominable acts is this idea of contamination and or defilement. Father vehemently warned us to not become contaminated through any of these–in the NASB, do not be defiled by any of these. Father recognized that association with any of those nations that practice such abominations would lead to the nation becoming defiled and or contaminated. So Abba warned us and alerted us to guard against such immorality.

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Ezekiel 22:1-12–We find that Israel did not comply with Father’s Commandments as put forth in our reading here today.

 

And because Israel had violated Father’s most sensitive Torah Commandments–those that safeguarded and brought stability to the Hebrew family unit and purity to the overall community, the very Land upon which the Hebrews resided was going to vomit them up as it did the Canaanites before them.

 

Verse 2–YHVH asks the prophet if he was indeed prepared to judge the city that was drenched in blood (i.e., Jerusalem).

 

The Prophet is commanded to make her (Israel) realize how disgusting all her practices were.

 

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Verses 3-5–Father declares that Israel has shortened her days…because

 

  • They’ve shed blood.
  • They are defiled by their idols
  • They are an object of scorn among the nations.
  • They are a laughingstock for every country.
  • They have a defiled reputation.

 

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Verses 6-12–The paganistic immoral practices of a chosen people

 

  • They were committing lewd acts.
  • They were committing incest.
  • They were violating the Niddah Laws.
  • They commit adultery with married women.
  • They were violating all the statutes and rulings of Leviticus 18.
  • They’d forgotten YHVH.

Judgment is indeed coming to our land just as it did with the Canaanites, our Hebrew and Jewish cousins. Why? Because our nation is guilty of the very crimes committed by the Canaanites and Hebrews. And our destruction is coming in a great many and various forms: natural disasters; social and political unrest; economic collapse; war.

 

And to a great degree we the redeemed of the Most High have blood on our hands.

  • We’ve not lived lives of holiness. We’ve failed at being lights to the world; at not obeying Yah’s Torah.
  • We’ve not proclaimed the Gospel of Peace to the world as we’ve been directed to do so by our Master.
  • We’ve not taught our children Torah and we’ve not held them accountable for walking out Torah in their respective lives.
  • We’ve not kept Torah ourselves.
  • We’ve put Yah second place in our lives.
  • We’ve supported evil causes with our physical participation and by God’s money.
  • We’ve consumed ourselves with everything and anything other than seeking Yah’s Kingdom and His righteousness.
  • We’ve worshiped our idols and our demigods instead of the One True and Living Elohim, YHVH.

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Romans 1:21-32

 

Shaul brilliantly draws from Leviticus 18 to underscore his teaching of the Gospel of Yah. He writes, beginning in verse 16, that the Gospel contains that which makes man righteous in Yah’s sight through faith (vs. 17). And Shaul quotes Tanach, Hab. 2:4–“The righteous shall live by Faith.” (I would refer you to my post entitled “The Book of Romans and the Gospel of God.”) 

 

But Shaul goes on to write that the Gospel also reveals Yah’s anger towards godlessness and wickedness. And one of the reasons for Yah’s anger towards godless people is that His Name–His Truth is being suppressed in the world (vs. 18).

 

Verse 21-22--Shaul explains that the wicked know of Yah–Because His existence is evident throughout all creation. Yet the wicked and the evil refuse to glorify Yah, nor do they thank Him. Their wicked thinking and way of life has become firmly set and cemented into their very existence. Their hearts have become dark and without the capacity to discern right from wrong.

 

Verse 23–These in fact have turned to idol worship: the gods of greed; selfishness; hatefulness; politics; race; fear; nosiness; lies; murder; jealously; gossip; dishonesty; haters of Yah; planners of evil; disruptors of families; faithlessness; ruthlessness; etc.

 

Verses 24-32–Thus Yah has abandoned them to their lusts and their shameful immoralities. These have rejected the Truth and worship of Yah for humanism, satanism and new age thinking and lifestyles. And within this godless paradigm, gross sexual immorality is allowed to run unabated–particularly homosexuality and child-sex-slavery and abuse. So they will continue advocating and living the shameful life they covet and lust after.

 

Regardless, these know within themselves that they are wrong and that they deserve punishment. But they continue to live shameful immoral lives and encourage others to do the same. 

 

Deviant sexual behavior–sexual misconduct–is considered acceptable in various locales of our present world. And those who oppose this deviant behavior are now considered deviant by society.

 

Just this week SCOTUS ruled that so-called transgenders (and by default homosexuals/lesbians) will have the same workplace protections as racial minorities.

 

A New Jersey brother and sister couple were granted the right to marry after undergoing a 10-year long court battle.

 

Righteousness has been replaced by unrighteousness.

 

We Are Called to be Imagers of YHVH in the Earth

 

Our role and purpose on this earth is to be imagers of Yah. And we accomplish this critical task by “ordering our lives according to Yah’s Will that is revealed in His Torah. This is our top priority” (Tim Hegg Commentary). And the default benefit that comes from such obedient and faithful living is Yah’s blessing upon us, our families and fellowships and communities.

 

Torah reveals that sin is a progressive process.  In commenting on Leviticus 18, R. Moshe Feinstein–An American Orthodox Jewish Scholar and Rabbi stated: “Ordinary transgressions inevitably lead to more serious ones, until the sinner descends to the morass of Canaan and Egypt“.

 

Thus it behooves the Child of Yah to scrupulously avoid even the first step that could lead to total corruption. Was it not Yeshua our Master who saw lust as sinful and when manifested in a person, requiring repentance.

 

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Mat 5:27-28 KJV)

 

For indeed, it is in the heart and mind that sin takes root and is ultimately manifested in actions and deeds (James 1:13-15).

 

It should be noted that we may not be able to change the world’s corrupt practices and ways by our preaching and teaching. But we can and must, advance the setting apart of Yah in the earth by being Yah’s imagers in the earth–that is, we must be light bringers to this dark world. (I would refer you to my post entitled, “The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises.”) 

 

Yah understands the heart of man and He knew that it would become an accepted mindset among  his people that these nations’ abominable ways were normal. And over time they would rationalize these nations’ abominable practices as being okay or acceptable. But these abominable customs are not okay to Yah (nor should they be to Yah’s people for that matter. For Yah requires that His people reject the practices and customs of the surrounding pagan nations. Instead, Yah’s people are required to keep His Ways and His Ways alone.

 

Most of the abominable customs/practices/laws/etc. that exists among the nation-peoples of the world becomes “the zeitgeist” (i.e., the customs of the people become the spirit of the times). And these “zeitgeist” have the potential of working their way into the lives of Yah’s people, Yah’s people are fastidious in their guarding against them having any foothold in their lives whatsoever.

 

Thus we learn from our Leviticus reading today that in Yah’s sight, all human life must conform to His statutes and judgments and Way of life. And when this is accomplished, man can enjoy Yah’s blessings and a true and substantive relationship with Him.

 

To fully conform to Yah’s way of Life, the stony heart of man must transform into that of the Father. Thus Father, according to His perfect grace, has promised to write His Torah upon our hearts and minds (Jer. 31 and Eze. 36). We are then driven then to die to self and conform solely to Yah’s Way of life; to seek Yah’s forgiveness on a daily basis; strengthen ourselves to walk in His Ways and to stand firm against the sin that surrounds us.

 

Thus we are empowered today to accomplish these vital things through the power, might, strength and authority of the Ruach HaKodesh.

 

Israel was supposed to be different than any of her pagan neighbors (a unique, set-apart people). Israel was meant to image YHVH in the earth.

 

Imaging our Creator is recognizable in our outward appearance.

 

Our marriages are to reflect or model the relationship Father modeled with Israel in accordance with the Covenant He’d cut with them. That covenant outlined an exclusive marriage relationship between Israel and YHVH, reminiscent to that of a loving husband-wife marriage relationship. Deviant sexual behavior is not permissible, nor is it to be named among Yah’s people. For such deviance negates the sanctity of the institution of marriage that Yah Himself instituted at creation.

 

Hebrews 13:4 reads:

 

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous” (ESV).

 

Did you know that idolatry tends to be linked to abominable sexual deviance and that Yah’s wrath tends to fall upon those nations that incorporate idolatry, sexual deviancy and child sacrifice into their way of life? These abominable customs and lifestyle, combined, take man below that of the animal kingdom, and down to the demonic kingdom. And the worse part of this evil equation is that no image of YHVH is ever found among the members of these communities and nations. Case in point is found in the example of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 15:16).

 

We’ve reached a point in this country where citizens are incapable of discerning that which Yah approves of and that which Yah hates; that which is holy and that which is profane; that which is pure and that which is defiled; that which is good from that which is evil.

 

When Father declared that we must follow His statutes and decrees exclusively, there is an element of permanence that is implied. The term statutes is actually derived from terminology linked to engraving into metal or stone. Thus, we must draw from this analogy the permanence to be found in Yah’s decrees. Yah’s decrees are evergreen, regardless whether we can or cannot rationalize their applications or purposes today for our lives. 

 

Thus, it behooves us all to take any and all necessary actions that are aimed at stemming the tide of decay in our respective lives.

 

  • Netzari must live and walk out Torah before our children.
  • Netzari men must learn to serve and love their wives.
  • Netzari women must learn to submit to their husbands.
  • Netzari must maintain pure hearts in the midst of a corrupt and defiled world.
  • Netzari must learn to love that which is pure.
  • Netzari must learn to hate that which is impure.
  • Netzari must be modest and holy in the way they carry themselves and conduct their lives, both in public and in private.
  • Netzari must stand against immorality and not lower their standards. In this, we cannot associate with the immoral that come within our spheres of influence.
  • Netzari must never send mixed messages. We cannot claim to be holy, but then live worldly lives at the same time.
  • Netzari must live lives of gratitude, never feeling they’ve arrived. This requires that we resist the judgmental mindset that is so common to our Faith Community.
  • Netzari must proclaim YHVH’s Name through our words and our walk. In this way we serve Him, we set His Name apart in the world, and we image Him in the world.

 

 

 

 

Animal-Blood-Sacrifices–Torah Reading 88–Leviticus 17:1-16

by | Jun 12, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

Animal--Blood--Sacrifices--Yeshua-Focused Torah Studies #88

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

    Animal-Blood-Sacrifices

     
     

    Leviticus 17:1-16

     
    Unpack this Torah Reading
     

    Verses 3-4

     Prohibition against the slaughter of domesticated animals outside the Tabernacle System.

    • The English term “kill” in Hebrew is SHACHAT {Shaw-Khat} which is rendered slaughter in some of our texts.

    • References to slaughter may apply to:

      • Killing a beast for food

      • Killing a beast for purposes of sacrifice (Gen. 37:31; 1 Sam. 1:25)

    • There is Rabbinic Controversy surrounding this mitzvah:

      • A. No domestic animals could be slaughtered outside the Tabernacle System whatsoever. The blood would have to be collected and applied to the altar and the fat burned. But for sin offerings, the carcass had to be burned without the camp. (Rabbi Ishmael) 

      • B. This mitzvah is specific to blood sacrifices and offerings of domesticated animals. No domesticated animal could be sacrificed outside the Tabernacle System. (Rabbi Akiva) And support for this understanding is found in verse 5.

    • Context in this passage seems to connect reading specifically to slaughterings associated with sacrifices (reference Lev. 17:8 and Deut. 12:5-13). 

      • This seems to be the overarching understanding of this mitzvah.

      • This mitzvah applies to a period of time when livestock were used for sacrifices only–during our wilderness wandering days. 

      • We subsisted off of manna and quail. 

      • Consumption of meat would occur only during certain sacrifices where the offerer and priests partook of a portion of the sacrifices.

      • There appears to be a blood component attached to this slaughtering of animals in this passage–slaughter=killeth=SHACHAT

    • The Halladay Lexicon attaches blood specifically to the Hebrew term SHACHAT (Gen. 37:31).

    • The Harris et. al. Lexicon specifically ties SHACHAT to a ritual sacrifice; slaughters of animals used for sacrifice rituals.

    • Only at the door to the Tent of Meeting/Tabernacle were sacrifices–blood sacrifices–burnt offerings unto YHVH to be conducted (cf. Deut. 12:5, 6).

      • Violators of this mitzvah were guilty of bloodshed, to be cut-off from among their people.

     

    Verses 5-6

     

    • At the time this mitzvah was given, our domesticated animals were to be used exclusively for sacrifices unto YHVH.

    • No sacrifices were to be performed outside the place where Yah placed His Name (Deut. 12:5, 6). (Prior to Tabernacle operations, the people offered sacrifices in their own communities and outside the camp. This practice was henceforth prohibited under penalty of the offender being cut-off from among their people.)

    • It appears that the portion of this mitzvah that prohibited the slaughtering of any domesticated animal was reversed in Deuteronomy 12:20-21, in anticipation of our moving into the Land. 

      • We would be removed from the lure of the Satyr sacrifices

      • We were free to consume our livestock as we so desired.

      • Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb. 9:22).

      • Any valid blood sacrifice required that the blood of the animal be applied to the Altar.

      • This mitzvah in its present rendering was ideally applied as we were a community living in close proximity to the Tabernacle.

      • But when we moved into the Land we would be spread over many miles:

      •  This mitzvah requiring all sacrificial offerings be carried out at the Tabernacle applied to native Hebrews and sojourner alike.

    • Some Jewish scholars believe this reading highlighting the slaughter of all domesticated animals was given over to specially trained me referred to as SHOCHETIM.

      • Associated with SHOCHETIM is SHECHITAH which is directly tied to the Jewish cultural practices of kosher slaughtering of animals

     

    Verses 7-9

     

    • The Hebrews appear to have been slaughtering their domesticated animals in worship to pagan deities called SA’IR or SATYRS (Isa 13:21; 34:14).

      • Coming out from under such pagan practices as a way of life, we were quite familiar with the rituals associated with sacrifices to the Satyrs.

      • Satyrs were desert “demon gods.” Some references to “hairy goat; a billy goat.

      • Coming out of Egypt, offerings to Satyrs were an extension of ancient Babylonian Pagan Worship Rituals. 

      • A portion of their meat would be offered up to these demon gods. 

      • Thus it appears Father put into effect prohibitions against slaughtering one’s domesticated animals outside the Tabernacle System to prevent such pagan practices.

      • This appears to have been a temporary measure since this mitzvah seems to be reversed in Deut. 12:15.

      • Yah does not tolerate syncretism.

    • This abolition of sacrifices to the satyrs was a permanent mitzvah.

    • Violations of this mitvah would result in the offender being cut-off from among the peoples of the nation.

      • Fortunately, we see forgiveness extended for the offense of KARETH–2 Chr. 30:17-20

      • To be cut-off from one’s people is not entirely understood.

      • KARETH: the antonym for “to be gathered to one’s people” (Gen. 25:8), which points to one being denied an afterlife.

      • According to messianicjudaism.me, Psalms 109:13 sheds light on the concept of KARETH: The end of a person’s life or descendants through the deaths of those carrying on the name (Mal. 2:12). Known as EXTIRPATION, which means the end of a family line. It may also mean a denial of the afterlife. 

    • All intended sacrifices were to be presented alive at the Tabernacle. 

      • This officially certified one location for Yisra’el’s sacrifices–The Tabernacle.

      • Proper-sanctioned sacrifices required the mediating Levitical Priest (Lev. 16:32).

     

     

    Verses 10-14

     

    • Prohibition against the consumption of blood would result in YHVH Himself setting His face against the offender and cutting Him off from the nation (Lev. 3:17; 7:26). 

    • Life of all flesh according to YHVH is in the blood.

    • The blood of animals would serve only as an atonement for the souls of the people.

      • Blood is the principal carrier of life

      • It is sacred

      • It is henceforth reserved only for sacred purposes. It is for atonement purposes (5:11).

      • Blood makes atonement for sins

      • Blood was for the spiritual welfare of the offerer, not to gratify YHVH. For it represents the total surrendering of the offerer to the Will of YHVH.

    • Animals slaughtered for food purposes (specifically those animals that were hunted for food) were to have the blood drained from the carcass and buried.

    • The consumption of animal blood has been the practice of many pagan nations for time immemorial.

      • Such practices ran contrary to the intent of the sacrifice which was atonement and peace between Yah and the offender. 

      • Yah reiterated that the life of the creature is in the blood. 

      • Even today cultists and satanists consume blood as part of their pagan worship practices

      • The enemy thrives off of human and animal blood.

      • The Blood Covenant by H.C. Trumbull–written in the 1800.

     

    Verses 15-16

     

    • A little confusion surrounds this mitzvah because of Deuteronomy 14:21. 

      • Hebrews were prohibited from consuming such animals.

      • Non-Hebrews sojourning among us were permitted to consume non-slaughtered animals

      • Those that consumed such meat would be unclean and not permitted to enter the sanctuary unless he or she purified themselves.

    • Animals that died of natural causes or that were killed by a predator and were then consumed by members of the nation resulted in those individuals falling into a ritually impure state (i.e., they could not worship at the Tabernacle). Father provided a means for the offenders to return to a state of ritual purity:

      • Mikveh

      • Wash their clothes

      • Remained unclean until the evening

    _______________________________________________________________________

     

    John 6:52-59 (66)

     

    • Yeshua contends with Capernaum Jewish leaders over His teachings that they must consume His blood and body.

    • No one comes to the Father but through Mashiyach, which is clearly seen in our Torah Reading today (Joh. 14:6).

    • Blood must always be offered up to YHVH before atonement is accomplished (Heb. 9:22)

    _____________________________________________________________________________________

     

    Spiritual Applications to this Reading

     

    • Sacrifices must cost the offerer something. When we give from our substance, we lose that portion of our substance. However, when we properly give to YHVH, we gain many folds spiritually and physically.

    • Romans 12:1-2–We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices.

    • Ephesians 5:2–Yeshua is our sacrifice.

    • Philippians 4:18,19–financial sacrifices

    • Hebrews 3:15-16–sacrifices of praise

    • Summary–Two applications:

      • (1) The atoning sacrifice Yeshua made on our behalf. His sacrifice is the only acceptable sacrifice unto YHVH. That sacrifice is sealed and completed.

      • (2) The sacrifices and offerings we make unto YHVH. These sacrifices are open and require us to make decisions on the proper applications of our sacrifices. 

     

    The Book of Romans and the Gospel of God-Part 17 of the Paul and Hebrew Roots Series

    by | Jun 10, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

    The Book of Romans and the Gospel of God

    by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

     

    Goal:

     

    This is “The Book of Romans and the Gospel of God—Part 17 of our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series.” 

    Today we will begin our extensive study of the many challenging Book to the Romans passages by examining one of Shaul/Paul’s foundational doctrines. This doctrine in particular is a mainline thread that is weaved into and throughout the entire Cepher/Book/Epistle. In addition, this doctrine is mentioned right off the bat in the very first-verse of the first chapter. And although many may not see this verse as a particularly challenging or difficult passage to understand, it really is a challenging concept for some to grasp in my opinion. It is challenging from the perspective that many folks both within and without our Faith are ignorant of the doctrine, or rather, the teaching’s true meaning for a number of reasons (such as prior denominational false teachings; personal biases against concepts that are believed to be uniquely Christian in origin; English translational issues; variations on the teachings found in Scripture; etc.). 

    The doctrine or teaching I’m referring to is the “Gospel;” specifically the “Gospel of God.”

     

    1. Attention:

     

    Why is it so important for Torah Observant disciples of Yahoshua to understand the Gospel? Shouldn’t our focus be on Torah-keeping? Furthermore, why is understanding the Gospel relevant to our Book of Romans studies?

    Well, for starters, the Gospel is mentioned right off the bat in the apostle’s (ie., Shaul’s/Paul’s) opening verse:

     

    “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God …” (1:1a; NKJV).

     

    And if that weren’t enough, the term gospel is mentioned in Romans (ie., in the AV) some 9-other times. 

    That’s just in the Book of Romans. The term gospel is used by Paul/Shaul at least 53-other times (i.e., in the AV) throughout the whole of his epistles/letters/cephers/writings. 

    And the one thing serious Bible students inherently recognize when it comes to reading and studying Scripture is if you run into a term (such as “gospel”)  more than once, it’s a pretty fair bet that the term or concept has a great deal of importance attached to it. We know for a fact that preaching and teaching the “Gospel” to the lost sheep of Israel was our Master Yahoshua’s central theme and focus throughout His earthly ministry. 

    Nevertheless, everyone within and without our Faith Community understands what the “Gospel” is. Right? 

    Probably not. Especially given the pervasiveness of Biblical Illiteracy amongst the world’s Christian and Messianic population today, it would not be a stretch to conclude that most people of Faith do not understand to any appreciable degree what the Gospel is truly about. 

    If it came right down to it, most of us would not be able to properly define or explain what the Gospel is. When Shaul wrote that he had been separated unto the Gospel of God, what in the world did he mean by that? 

    The consensus in fundamental/orthodox Christianity today is that the Gospel is about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and eternal life for those who invite Jesus into their hearts. 

    That being said, if the Gospel is specifically about the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua HaMashiyach, how could the Gospel belong to or be about YHVH? I guess it can if one holds to the belief and understanding that Yeshua and YHVH are one and the same Person. But this only muddies the water as it relates to how the gospel message was delivered and understood by various individuals throughout biblical history. 

    Would it surprise you to learn that the Gospel is so much more than the good news about the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua Messiah? What if I were to say to you that Shaul/Paul mentions several different Gospels in the Book of Romans alone:

     

    • The Gospel of God (1:1; 15:16)
    • My (ie., Shaul’s/Paul’s) Gospel (1:9; 16:25)
    • The Gospel of Peace (1:15)
    • The Gospel (10:16; 11:28; 15:20)
    • The Gospel of Christ (15:19, 29)

     

    Does this all mean that Paul taught and preached different/competing versions or aspects of the Gospel? Was Shaul’s Gospels different from the Gospel Yeshua and His disciples taught and preached? Or by chance were all of these Gospel variations just different ways of viewing and expressing a single, overarching Gospel doctrine: the same Gospel that Yeshua and his disciples taught? 

    The whole point behind my doing this series was that we, members of the Netzari, set-apart Faith Community, would gain a better understanding of Shaul’s many difficult and challenging passages, as well as be equipped to explain those difficult and challenging passages to those who may question or oppose our Faith. 

    And as it relates to our discussion today, we cannot interpret Shaul’s difficult and challenging passages without gaining an understanding of how the apostle understood, taught and preached the Gospel. 

    Why does any of this matter to our study of Shaul’s difficult and challenging Roman passages? 

    Simply this: we clearly see from the get-go that Shaul wasted no time getting to the crux of the matter: that he was a bond servant (i.e., a doulos) of Yeshua Messiah, even an apostle (i.e., a schlicim; an emissary; a sent one), who had been set apart from the rest of humanity for the dissemination of the Gospel of YHVH. And by the way, that same Gospel of YHVH had been promised and declared by the ancient Hebrew prophets (1:2). 

    So then, if the average orthodox-fundamental Christian, let’s say, is ignorant about the fundamental things of the Christian Faith (and certainly the Messianic/Hebrew Roots/Set-Apart/Netzari Faith should be included in there as well), what are the chances the average person of nominal Faith will really understand what the Hebrew concept of the Gospel is? 

    Most professing Christians and not too few Messianics will have a limited, simplified, anemic Greek understanding of the Gospel: that it’s all about the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the truth of the matter is–and we’ll clearly see this as we progress through this and future studies of this series–that the various Gospels that Shaul mentions throughout his writings consist of more than just the life, death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua Messiah. 

    And that’s what we aim to work out here today: what in fact did Paul mean by “the Gospel of God?” 

    So by the end of this installment we will understand what Paul meant when he wrote that he was separated (ie., aphorismenos) unto the Gospel of YHVH (eis euaggelion Theo). 

    And once we gain this understanding of what the Gospel of God is we will then be in a better position, spiritually and cognitively speaking that is, to carry out our personal assignments in the Great Commission; to be in a more enlightened position to walk out this Faith of ours; and to better understand the Creator’s Plan of Salvation/Redemption/Restoration. 

    Indeed, our calling as Netzari, under the New Covenant and the Great Commission, inherently involves and includes our delivering to the nation peoples of the world the Gospel of God that Paul wrote so passionately about. Therefore, if we’re tasked with delivering the Gospel to the nation peoples of this world, we have to understand what the true Gospel is and what it truly means to the world.

     

    1. Visualization:

     

    When we think about Shaul’s/Paul’s difficult and challenging passages in Romans, we tend to focus our concerns upon those passages having to do with Torah-keeping. And those things that we don’t associate directly with Torah-keeping, we either outright ignore and briskly read over them; or we make-up things about them so as to make ourselves appear knowledgeable or spiritually-minded. And I would submit to you that Paul’s numerous mentions of the “Gospel” in Romans (actually some 13-times) is one of those things that many of us tend to read over and never really pay attention to. 

    Indeed, Shaul mentions the Law in Romans 4-times more (52-times to be exact) than he mentions the Gospel. So Messianic’s concerns about Shaul’s position on Torah-keeping is certainly a valid one. However, this concern comes with a rather myopic perspective, especially when we’re talking about the Apostle’s understanding of the Gospel.

    Clearly the Gospel, mentioned 13-times in Romans, is important to Paul/Shaul as well as it must be to us. And I submit to you today that Paul’s Gospel message is inextricably connected to YHVH’s Law, His Torah. Yet, this reality is not readily apparent to most for the very reason we’ve embarked upon this study. The Apostle Kefa (ie., Simon Peter) stated it best:

     

    14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation– as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things (these things meaning the expected return of Yeshua to earth), in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (2Pe 3:14-16 NKJ)

     

    Instead of simply explaining what he meant by “the Gospel of God” in verse 1, the Apostle takes us on a whirlwind exposition on the topic of the Gospel, choosing along the way to attach a few “genitive” pronouns and descriptors to the term Gospel: such as my Gospel; Gospel of Christ/Messiah; and Gospel of peace. And this just leads to a lot of confusion and lends room for itchy-ear type teachers and preachers to assert things about the Gospel that may not entirely match up with what Shaul is discussing. 

    For instance, one Messianic commentator I came across in my preparation for this study viewed Shaul’s mention of the “Gospel of God” as a confirmation that Yeshua and YHVH are one and the same Person. This commentator’s expressed understanding is not without a great many supportive Messianic and Christian fans. But such understanding, as I mentioned above, only muddies the water in terms of what the Gospel of God truly means. For the Gospel of God was never meant to be understood strictly from a Christological perspective (i.e., the theology that focuses on the Person, nature and role of the Christ). For when Yeshua preached the Gospel of God during His earthly ministry (Mar. 1), scripture defines His message as being that of the coming Kingdom of YHVH.  In fact Yahoshua hardly ever discussed or taught about His role as Mashiyach during his earthly ministry. Master’s message was consistently that of the coming Kingdom of YHVH. 

    Nevertheless, given the context in which Paul wrote his statement that he had been “set-apart for the gospel of God” (vs. 1b) there appears to be no agenda on the apostle’s part to put forth any Christological doctrine to his Roman readers. What we have in this content rich verse is not a Christological doctrinal statement from Paul, but simply a statement about who he (Shaul) was (ie., a “doulos” or a bondslave of Yeshua Messiah) and what his overall mission was (i.e., that of being an apostle—a sent one—who had been set-apart to “preach”—Tyndale NT—the Gospel of God). 

    That being said, we won’t venture into a defense of or discussion on the divinity or “Christology” of Yeshua here. Instead, we’ll attempt to sort out what exactly the apostle meant by “Gospel of God” in this verse. (If you’re interested in my perspectives on the Divinity of Yeshua Messiah, click this link to the first installment to my short divinity series.)

    To begin with, the Apostle’s understanding of the Gospel Message extends well beyond any imagined “Christology” or even the baseline understanding that the Gospel is about the “death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua Messiah. And the very fact that the sheliach (ie., the apostle) mentions the Gospel from various perspectives throughout his letters to the various assemblies he oversaw tells us that he understood the Gospel from a great many perspectives beyond the aforementioned perspective. 

    In other words, Paul understood, preached and taught the Gospel from an overarching or general perspective–that being the coming Kingdom of God–just as much as he understood, preached and taught the Gospel from a great many perspectives–such as the gospels of peach, Messiah, salvation and grace to name a few. And if we are truly going to understand this gospel that Paul claim to have been set-apart to teach and preach, we probably should get as much of an understanding of what this Gospel is that he’s writing about. 

    So if the Gospel of God that Paul wrote to the Romans about is not just about the Person of Yeshua Messiah, and it’s not about Yeshua and YHVH being one and the same Person, what then is it about? Is the Gospel that Paul preached and taught the same Gospel that our Master and His disciples turned apostles preached and taught? 

    Let’s first take a look at the term “gospel” from a few perspectives. 

    When we tap our cousins in Christianity for the meaning of “Gospel,” we get a whole host of definitions ranging from the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation (the most prominent explanation) to the joy of Jesus Christ; from regarding atonement for sin to a belief in the Name of Jesus Christ; from an understanding of the Christian Faith itself to a genre of Christian music. And of course there are other definitions and variations on these aforementioned themes. 

    But can these various definitions and beliefs regarding the Gospel be correct, especially as it relates to Paul’s mention of the Gospel of God? 

    When we, on the other hand, tap our cousins in Judaism, we generally find a vehement rejection of anything having to do with the concept of “gospel.” Why? Because the concept of the Gospel to much of orthodox Jewish thinking is about Jesus Christ and orthodox Jews in general reject Jesus as their Messiah. Now, this is all the more tragic when we consider that the true biblical gospel was delivered to them (i.e., the Jewish/Hebrew nation) throughout the whole of Torah, the Writings and the Prophets. Most of them rejected the Gospel of God, turning instead to a false gospel that the Rabbis created and have taught now for over two-millennia. But in all fairness to our cousins in Judaism, they are awaiting the arrival of the long-prophesied Messiah. And with all that is going on in the world today, especially all that’s going on in and around Israel today, some orthodox Jews are rethinking Yeshua as their Messiah. Nevertheless, if one could apply an understanding of “gospel” to Judaism, it generally is understood from an institutional perspective; that being a focus on Judaism as a religion of the Jews and Judaism as a way of life. 

    From a Catholic perspective, interestingly enough, the Gospel of God has more to do with a spreading of the Catholic religion or the Catholic way of life than anything else. There seems to be a similarity between Catholicism and Judaism in that each religion’s focus is on their respective institutions and way of life. So any biblical understanding of “gospel” when applied to various denominations appears to conflict with these institution’s general focus or thinking that any so-called good news is not to be had outside the confines of the religion’s doctrines and belief systems. 

    In other words: join us and we’ll pass on to you some good news. And generally the good news these religions and denominations tend to pass on to you are teachings about their religion and way of life. 

    So getting back to Scripture, what exactly was the Apostle Paul set-apart to teach and preach? Biblically speaking, what is the Gospel and the Gospel of God? 

    When we look at the English term “Gospel” in its ancient koine Greek form, we find the term “euaggelion.” Euagelion simply means “a good message” (Strong’s 2098). It is derived from the Greek verb “euagelizo,” which means “to announce good news.” 

    Digging a little deeper into the Greek term “euaggelion,” we find in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon a definition of “good tidings;” of “Glad tidings” tied to the coming Kingdom of God. And these glad or good tidings are tied to the work and Person of Yeshua Messiah (Mar. 1:14, 15; 13:10; 16:15). 

    Thayer’s Lexicon ventures further in its explanation of the term “euaggelion” by defining the gospel as the true doctrine concerning Christian salvation (Gal. 1:6; 2 Cor. 11:4) and the Truth God extended to creation from eternity (Rev. 14:6, cf. Rom. 1:1). 

    One can clearly recognize some orthodox and fundamental Christian influences sprinkled throughout Thayer’s work here. And of course the other mainstream lexicons I consulted expounded further upon the explanation offered by Thayer. 

    But the bottom line, all things considered with these mainstream lexicons, is that the Gospel is simply good news or good tidings about something having to do with the Faith of Yeshua and of Shaul.

     

     

    The Gospel of God

     

    What exactly then is this Gospel of God; this good news or good message or glad tidings of God? Because Shaul mentions a handful of “gospels” in his letter to the Romans, is the gospel he mentions in this verse the same or a different gospel from those mentioned in his other writings? Is this and the other gospels the same gospel preached and taught by Yeshua? 

    Just from Paul’s writings alone, the Gospel appears to have a number of facets attached to it. And depending on the context in which Paul is addressing his readers—the issue or topic he is addressing at the time he of his writing—determines what aspect of the Gospel Paul is specifically addressing. Clearly the “Gospel” as an overarching entity is vast in scope and complexity (ie., it encompasses the Person of Yeshua Messiah, the Coming Kingdom of Yah, the peace of Yah, the relationship we can now have with the Creator of the Universe, salvation, grace and so much more); yet it can be simply understood and viewed from the standpoint of the Person and Work of Yeshua Messiah or the Kingdom of God. Consider this list of “gospels” or gospel types (if you will) that Paul mentions in his various letters to the kehilas he oversaw:

     

     

    • Gospel of Messiah—Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 9:12, 18; Gal. 1:7; Phi. 1:27; 1 The. 3:2
    • Gospel of Salvation—Eph. 1:13
    • Gospel of Peace—Eph. 6:15
    • Glorious Gospel of Messiah—2 Cor. 4:4
    • Gospel of His Son—Rom. 1:9
    • My (Shaul’s) Gospel—Rom. 16:25
    • The Gospel—Mar. 16:15, 16
    • Gospel of the Grace of Yah—Act. 20:24
    • Our Gospel—2 The. 2:14
    • Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God—1 Tim. 1:11

     

     

    So coming back to Romans 1:1b where Paul writes that he had been set-apart for God’s good news—euaggelion Theo in the Greek and “besorah YHVH” in Hebrew by the way–when we connect besorah or euaggelion to Theo (ie., YHVH; God), it is obviously implied that YHVH is the owner or originator of the glad tidings or good news that has been entrusted unto Paul to preach and or teach. 

    What then is Yah’s glad tidings or good news about? 

    Shaul admonished the Evangelist Timothy to follow him as he (i.e., Shaul) followed Messiah. So, one can safely deduce that the same Gospel message that Yeshua Messiah brought to the Nation of Israel is the same Gospel message Shaul was bringing to the Romans. Right? 

    Well let’s reason this out even further: since Yahoshua did only that which His Father gave Him to do, it stands to reason that the gospel He brought to the world is His Father’s Gospel. So then that leaves us with figuring out what was the good news that Yeshua’s heavenly Father gave Him to preach and teach.   

    We find in Mark chapter 1 verse 1 the author mentions a gospel that is directly associated with Yeshua Messiah. And depending on which English translation you reference, Mark is said to be documenting a gospel “about Yeshua Messiah” or a “gospel of—implying ownership of—belonging to–Yeshua Messiah.” 

    So if Mark is documenting a gospel about Yeshua Messiah, then we the reader are being introduced to good news ABOUT the Person or work or mission or ministry of Yeshua Messiah. If on the other hand Mark is documenting a gospel belonging to or originating with YHVH, then we the reader are about to receive the good news or glad tidings that Yeshua taught and preached during His earthly ministry–that good news or glad tidings that YHVH gave to Yeshua to deliver to the world. 

    In a general sense, regardless the English translation rendering, I believe Mark is introducing us to both perspectives of the gospel: good news about Yeshua as the Son of God, and the good news originating with the Creator that was to be delivered by Yeshua to the world. 

    Mark then, from verses 2 through 8 of chapter 1, briefly describes the ministry of Yochanan (ie., John) the Immerser. And we learn from Mark that Yochanan the Immerser preached a message of baptism of repentance for remission of sins (verse 4) and of the one who was to come who was mightier than him, whose sandals he was unworthy to unlatch and who would baptize His people with the Ruach HaKodesh (verses 7 and 8). 

    Then picking up at verse 9, through 16 of the same first chapter, Mark introduces us to Yeshua Messiah. According to Mark, after the imprisonment of Yochanan the Immerser, Yeshua began his earthly ministry by preaching repentance and THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD (verse 14). 

    But the Greek text reads “to euaggelion tou Theo” which transliterates into “the Gospel of God!” Imagine that! The exact same “gospel” that the Apostle Shaul declared to the Romans that he was set-apart to preach and teach. 

    But this still doesn’t answer the question of what the Gospel of God is about, right? Well no. But in letting Scripture interpret itself, we find in the very next verse a clear definition of what the Gospel of God—ie., the very Gospel that Yeshua and the Apostle Paul preached—was truly about:

     

    “Jesus (aka Yeshua) came to the Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God, ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mar. 1:14b, 15; NAB; cf. Mat. 3:2; 4:17; Luk. 10:9).

     

    Thus with this basis of understanding under our belts, I contend that the overarching understanding of the “Gospel of God” that Paul wrote to the Romans about is about the Malchut Elohim (ie., the Kingdom of Elohim/God). And the awesome thing to bear in mind here as we move forward in this discussion is that Shaul’s besorah message (ie., gospel message) to the Roman assembly was the same as that of his Master, Yeshua HaMashiyach. Amein? Amein. Does it exclude the Gospel being about Yeshua Messiah? No. The Gospel about Yeshua Messiah, if you will, along with all the other Gospel variants, all fall under the overarching good news that Yeshua taught during His earthly ministry about the coming Malchut Elohim (aka the Kingdom of Elohim). But when a denominational sect, let’s just say, limits their understanding to just the Person and or ministry of Yeshua as it relates to the overall gospel message, they risk not receiving a more complete understanding of what the true Gospel is all about.  

    Now, presuming the Gospel in it’s overarching-broad sense is about the Malchut Elohim (ie., the Kingdom of Elohim), the Truth-seeker can now trace the “besorah,” the “euagellion,” the “gospel” all the way back to Gan Eden (ie., the Garden of Eden). Adam and Chuah (ie., Eve) were created to serve and worship YHVH in the earthly extension of the Malchut Elohim. But because of Adam’s transgression of Yah’s Torah (eating the forbidden fruit), the Malchut Elohim did not advance here on earth as it was supposed to. The Malchut Elohim remained here on earth in the form of Yah, throughout human history,  interceding in the affairs of fallen mankind—such as when He called His chosen ones out of Babylon; the giving of Torah to the nation of Yisra’el; and the ministry of Yeshua Messiah.  And while the Malchut Elohim was manifested in the lives of the patriarchs of old, it remained only an elusive hope and promise. So when Yeshua came declaring that the Kingdom of Yah was “at hand;” that it was near; that it had come, it made headlines: not just in the human realm; not just among the poor and rejected of the nation of Yisra’el; not just in the synagogues strewn throughout Yisra’el and the Sanhedrin headquartered in Yerushalayim,  but also in the spirit realm. Let us not forget that the enemy has ruled over this physical realm since man lost the title deed to this earth. So the enemy has been quite happy with the kingdom that they have been running and controlling upon this earth. They are understandably concerned and opposed to Yah’s coming Kingdom that Daniel the Prophet wrote:

     

    “…shall never be destroyed and His kingdom shall not be left to another people, but it shall beat to pieces and grind to powder all other kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (2:44; LXX).

     

    So to the first century disciples of Yeshua, this pronouncement of a coming Malchut Elohim was the greatest news they’d ever received in their lifetime. The advent of this coming Malchut (i.e., this coming Kingdom) would begin internally within the hearts, minds and lives of the disciple of Yeshua HaMashiyach. And it was back then and continues to be today a joyous promise for the would be Child of the Most High to understand and possess. But to the enemies of Yah—be they human or fallen spirits–the coming Malchut Elohim was and continues to be the worse news they could ever receive. 

    Nevertheless, the Malchut Elohim to come here on to the earth will not see its fullest manifestation until Yeshua HaMashiyach returns and restores Paradise Lost and destroys the enemies of YHVH. 

    In a sense, the Tree of Life that stood in the midst of Gan Eden (aka the Garden of Eden) was a visual (and arguably a physical) representation or signpost for the Malchut Elohim in earliest recorded human history. It offered Adam and Eve the opportunity to live eternally in the service of the Creator of the Universe. At the fall, however, that representation or signpost to the Malchut Elohim was removed from man’s access. 

    Roughly 4-millennia later another tree-signpost or agricultural representation of the Malchut Elohim replaced the Tree of Life. Continuing with the agricultural paradigm, Isaiah the prophet foretold of an even greater signpost and representation of the Malchut Elohim:

     

    There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isa 11:1-6 ESV)

     

    Now, does any of what Isaiah wrote here sound anything like a signpost leading to a full manifestation of the Malchut Elohim through the emerging of a branch (aka, a Netzer) from the stump of Jesse (aka, King David’s father)? Furthermore, is not this very writing of Isaiah’s a true “gospel” message of the coming Malchut Elohim? Of course it is. 

    Clearly, the “Gospel” predates the earthly ministry of Yahoshua, despite all things in Torah and the Prophets regarding the coming Gospel message—the coming Malchut Elohim–pointed squarely at Yeshua Messiah as the primary instrument by which YHVH would usher in His eternal Kingdom here onto earth. Halleluyah! 

    Throughout recorded Tanach history, only a small handful of individuals responded to the Gospel message—the Good News of the Malchut Elohim (eg., Noah, Avraham, Yitzhak, Ya’akov, Moshe, Yahoshua, King David, Daniel and Yah’s anointed prophets). We take special note of Avraham’s response to the Gospel message about two-millennia before Yahoshua arrived on the scene (Gal. 3:8). Of Avraham, the Apostle Yochanan (aka John) recorded the words of Yeshua when He declared that “Abraham rejoiced to see His day…” (John 8:56). This is clearly an early, ancient, Torah reference to the Gospel of God (aka Gospel of Yah) where Yeshua would become the mediator of the coming Malchut Elohim to earth. Even Avraham was familiar with the Gospel of God. 

    Each patriarch’s receiving and or partaking of the Gospel message in their day was founded upon their obedience and unshakable Faith. 

    As far as I’m concerned, one of the greatest examples of the Gospel of God message that we see portrayed in Torah and the Prophets is the story of the Exodus and the receiving of the covenant and Torah at Mount Sinai. For there at the base of Mount Sinai Abba declared unto us His Gospel message:

     

    “you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo. 19:6).

     

    And from Exodus 19 through to the end of Deuteronomy 34, we received the Gospel. How so? As Father passed to us His Besorah—His Gospel during our wilderness sojourn, we received a glimpse of the coming Malchut Elohim. Indeed, the nation of Yisra’el would become an integral part of that Malchut here on earth. 

    So from that point moving forward in the history of Yisra’el, our whole existence was tied to the Malchut Elohim. And when Yeshua came heralding the message that the Malchut Elohim was at hand, it was the greatest news that any Jew/Hebrew could ever receive. It was what the first-century Jew/Hebrew lived for. That’s why Yahoshua’s disciples were so inquisitive on the Mount of Olives on the day our Master ascended to His Father:

     

    “Master, will you at this time restore the Kingdom of Yisra’el” (Act. 1:6).

     

    Indeed, the disciples on the Mount of Olives that day recognized the inextricable link that exists between the Nation of Yisra’el and the emerging Malchut Elohim. In other words, without Yisra’el there is no Kingdom of Yah.

    But the advent of the Malchut Elohim was the Euaggelion/the Besorah that Yahoshua taught and preached about. And it is the same Euaggelion/the same Besorah that the apostles taught and  preached. The thing with Paul, however, is that His spiritual perspective regarding the overarching Gospel message was at such a heightened level that he could easily speak to his charges regarding any and all facets—aspects—elements of the overall Gospel message. Thus, depending on what he was addressing in his letters at any given time determined what aspect of the Gospel he would expertly apply (e.g., peach; the Person of Mashiyach; salvation; grace; etc.). 

    So we’ve determined at this juncture that the Besorah-the Good News-the Gospel of God/Yah was first and foremost a message about the coming Malchut Elohim (ie., the coming Kingdom of God/Yah). However, there is even more to the overall Gospel of Yah than the coming Malchut Elohim. More important than the coming Malchut Elohim was the astoundingly good news of the means that Father put into place so that we, fallen man, may have a true and substantive relationship Him. Think about it: what happens to any kingdom on this earthly plane when the subjects of that kingdom do not have a loving and reverent relationship with their king? Eventually the kingdom will implode. 

    The main problem Father has always had regarding His human creation since the Fall has been the impossibility for mankind to establish and maintain a true and substantive relationship with their Creator. Yes, there have been rare exceptions in history where Father found individuals whose willingness to believe on His Name and obey His voice resulted in such a relationship. 

    Scripture describes Avraham and Moshe as being friends of YHVH (Jas. 2:23; 4:4; Exo. 33:11). 

    King David is described as a man after YHVH’s heart (Act. 13:22). 

    Yeshua is described as a beloved Son with whom Yah was well pleased (Mat. 3:17; 17:5).  

    Both the physical and spiritual Malchut Elohim is based entirely upon the relationship that YHVH has and will have with his chosen ones—the Saints—the Children of Yah (Rev. 11:18). And that essential relationship forms the basis for the economy; the workings; the order; and the greatness of the Malchut Elohim here on earth. And unless one establishes a true and substantive relationship with the Almighty through the means that Father has established through the Person and ministry of His Son, Yeshua, he or she will in no wise enter the Malchut Elohim (Mat. 5:20; 7:21; 18:3). 

    Now, this relationship aspect to the Malchut Elohim and the Gospel of Yah/God goes straight back to the foundations of the earth and time. Yah’s Torah has been the foundation upon which any true relationship with the Creator of the Universe has been formed and based. Without man’s adherence and obedience to Torah, no true relationship can be had with the Creator of the Universe. It’s just that simple. 

    The problem has always been that man, using ancient Israel as the example, is inherently incapable of keeping the true substance of Torah because the heart of man is naturally, desperately wicked, or as the ESV declares, “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick” (Jer. 17:9; cf. Mar. 7:21). Father declared through the prophet Isaiah that His (i.e., YHVH’s) thoughts were not our thoughts and our ways not His Ways (Isa. 55:8). Paul wrote of man’s inability to have a relationship with Yah: “the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit—the Ruach—of God, for to him (i.e., mankind) it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually” (1 Cor. 2:14; NAB).

     

    But there’s good news in all this. Part of the Gospel of the Kingdom is that Father is going to fix the heart of His would be children so that they willingly and gladly keep His Torah and enjoy an eternal relationship with Him:

     

    “I will give you (talking about Yisrael) a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit—My Ruach HaKodesh–within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them” (Eze. 36:26, 27; NAB).

     

    And so we see yet again just how expansive the true Gospel message is. The New Covenant, which this is speaking to, is another aspect or element to the overarching Gospel message leading to the Malchut Elohim. This is the embodiment of grace that Father is going to lavish upon His people. And although this promise was directed specifically to His people Yisra’el, we Gentiles can by virtue of Yahoshua’s atoning work, share in this promise and in the commonwealth of Yisrael. By virtue of the New Covenant that has been initiated and mediated by our Master Yeshua HaMashiyach, we are grafted into the commonwealth of Yisrael and all the benefits of the promised covenants are ours to share and enjoy alongside Yisra’el. 

    But there is a problem when Christianity declares and teaches that Torah, the basis upon which a true relationship with the Almighty is maintained, has been abolished or annulled. Indeed, such a declaration and teaching, which has for many centuries  been held up as one of the many facets of the Gospel, is really an entirely different “gospel”—a Gospel that is in fact alien to the Gospel that Yeshua and His anointed disciples turned apostles taught and preached. 

    Thus the Gospel of Yah/YHVH/God is the good news that YHVH is “a loving, merciful and forgiving Father,” who has made provisions for his human creation to have an eternal  relationship with Him. And under the New Covenant, Father graciously accepts a broken spirit and a contrite heart in place of animal sacrifices in order for us to have a true and substantive relationship with Him. Yeshua our Messiah made all this happen through His sacrifice and His obedience to the Will of His Father. Now, regardless whether we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, etc., etc., we can now walk in the newness of life, receive empowerment to live a holy and righteous life, and enter the coming Malchut Elohim. This indeed is the summation of the Besorah of Yah—the Gospel of God.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1. Action:

    So then what do we do with all that we’ve been discussing today? As Torah Observant disciples of Yeshua Messiah, it is our responsibility to understand, receive and walk out the true Gospel message—the Gospel of Yah. And we certainly can’t walk out something that we  don’t understand. Thus, it behooves us to fully understand that thing that the Apostle Paul wrote to his Roman assembly members that he says he had been set-apart for. And that thing he had been set apart for is of course the Gospel of Elohim.

    Now, Paul wrote that he had been called to be a schiliach—a sent one—an emissary—an apostle AND he had been set-apart to preach—declare—proclaim—teach—the Good News of Yah. Fully understanding the meaning of what Paul had been set-apart to do will help us  better understand our set-apart status as the redeemed of the Most High as well as ensure that we are in fact doing that which YHVH has called us to do.

    And by us having fleshed out what Shaul really meant by the phrase Gospel of Elohim—of God—we will, as we move further along in our studies of the Book of Romans—better understand the various facets and elements of the Gospel that Shaul brings to the attention of the Roman Kehila.

    We will next tackle verse 16 of Romans chapter 1, which tends to be one of those challenging Pauline passages that requires a little airing and discussion on our part.

    Until next time. Shalom.

    The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

    by | Jun 5, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

    The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

    by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

    Parashah 87–Leviticus 16:1-34–Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

    Father Affirms and Enforces His Holiness

     

    (vss. 1 & 2) The transgression of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10) led to Abba re-affirming that the Holy of Holies was not a place where the Cohen Gadol could willy nilly come and go as he so pleased throughout the year. In fact, the Holy of Holies was to be entered by the Cohen Gadol only once each year, on the Day of Atonement (i.e., Yom Kippur) as recorded in Exodus 30:10.

     

    The Nadab and Abihu Factor

     

    The Holy of Holies, as the name so aptly defines, was the most sacred and holy (qodosh) place on the planet as far as we and Father were concerned. And what Aharon’s sons did back in chapter 10 simply showed man’s propensity to sully and diminish that which Abba has declared to be holy (qodosh) and righteous and sacred on the earth.

     

    The Propensity of Men to Challenge Yah’s Holliness

     

    Simply look at what the Rabbis and Christians have done throughout history just concerning the Creator’s holy Torah (Rom. 7:12). Orthodox Rabbinic Judaism has taken unto themselves the right to not only decertify sections and aspects of Yah’s Torah, but to also put themselves into positions of authority to create mitzvot (i.e., laws) that supersede, and in some cases, replace Torah. Christians on the other hand have taken it upon themselves to completely decertify and reject Torah altogether.

     

    This is what man naturally does when it comes to the holy and righteous ways and things of YHVH. Remember back in Exodus 19 (our first Shavuot actually) when we were at the base of Mount Sinai, how Father had to instruct Moshe twice to keep the people back from and away from the mountain proper (Exodus 19:11, 12, 21), the penalty for crossing the boundaries of the Holy Mountain was death.

     

    There was a time when I did not understand why Father did not want the very people He lovingly redeemed and brought out of Egypt unto Himself to draw near to Him on His mountain as He spoke down to them His 10-Words. Well the Spirit finally revealed to me that this was the first time or Father’s first lesson to us on holiness and His requirement that we respect that which He deems as holy. For indeed, Mount Sinai was holy unto YHVH at that time in history. Again, recall back in Exodus 3:5 where YHVH instructed Moshe from the burning bush to remove his sandals as the ground upon which Moshe stood was holy ground.

     

    Father Defines What is Holy Not Man

     

    We find listed, noted and commanded throughout Torah (as well as in the Apostolic writings) that which YHVH has marked/declared/deemed as holy (i.e., qodosh):

     

    • The weekly Shabbat ( 2:3; Exo. 20:8, 11)
    • Those convocations that He commands to take place during His holy days and during His weekly Shabbat ( 12:16)
    • The place where Yah abides ( 15:13)
    • Yah’s purpose and will for His chosen people ( 19:6)
    • The priestly garments and the implements of the Sanctuary (Exo 28-30)
    • The required and freewill sacrifices and offerings we make unto YHVH ( 30)
    • YHVH Himself as well as us, His elect ( 11:44, 45; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16; 1 The. 4:7)
    • Yah’s name is deemed holy—His authority—His presence—His actual Name ( 20:3, 22:32)
    • The various implements of the Tabernacle (Exo 26-40)

     

    Violations of Yah’s Holiness Amounts to the Death of the Offender

     

    As we saw stipulated with Father’s prohibition against our crossing the boundaries of His holy mountain back in Exodus 19, any defilement of that which He has declared as holy is punishable by death (cf. Lev. 16:2). In the case of the Holy of Holies, Father explained that His presence rested upon the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, which was housed in the Holy of Holies (Exo. 26:33, 34).

     

    Summary of the Reading of the Passage

     

    Beginning in verse 3 we see precisely spelled out how Aharon was to approach Father in the Holy of Holies at the appointed time each year. We clearly see in this instruction–this mitzvah–that there is a proper way or manner in which Yah is to be approached and related to.

     

    1. After bathing (aka Mikvehed) himself, Aharon had to be properly attired in his holy garments ( 4). We should recall from former studies that these garments were deemed by the Most High to be holy. In fact, more than two chapters in Exodus (28-30) were devoted to the creation and use of these priestly garments. And it should be clear to us given the amount of parchment Father required to express this mitzvot, the High Priest’s garments were extremely important to the whole Sanctuary worship system.
    2. Purification offering (aka Sin offering)—Hebrew—”kataw’ah”—a bull for himself and goat (designated “for YHVH) for the nation ( 3, 5, 6, 11).
    3. Burnt Offering—Hebrew—”o’lah”—an offering of dedication and submission to YHVH. A ram for the Cohen Gadol and presumably another ram for the nation ( 3, 5, 24).
    4. Two goats from the congregation would be brought to A.haron. Lots would be cast for the 2-goats. One goat would represent YHVH and the other Azazel ( 5, 8-10).
    5. Aharon was to take a censer filled with burning coals from the Altar of Incense and incense and bring them within the veil of the Holy of Holies. The smoke that would emerge from the censer would envelop the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, providing Aharon protection from the presence of Yah ( 12, 13).
    6. Aharon would then dip his finger into the collected blood of the bull offering–the purification offering—the sin offering–and sprinkle the blood upon the mercy seat on the east side 7-times ( 14). This sprinkling of the bullock’s blood upon the mercy seat was to atone for Aharon’s sins. In like manner Aharon was to take a portion of the blood of the sin offering goat (ie., the goat designated for YHVH) and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat of the Ark to atone for the sins of the people (vss. 15, 16). This would serve to make atonement for the holy place. The holy place would become defiled because of the sins of the congregation. What I find interesting here is that even the very thing that Abba has declared as holy (such as the holy place) was subject to defilement because of sin. And each year, the Holy Place had to be cleansed with the blood of purification. We see back in Exodus 29:36 that each day a bullock was offered as a sin offering to cleanse the Altar of Burnt Offerings. So as long as the holy implements of worship are within the realm of sinful men, they can and are defiled and they must be cleansed.
    7. Aharon would then go out to the Altar of Burnt Offerings and smear the blood of the bullock and the goat upon the horns of the altar followed by a repeat of the sprinkling of the same blood upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings 7-times ( 18, 19). (Note: The focus of sin offerings was not the sacrificed body or carcass of the dead animal, but the blood of the sacrifice altar. Father always requires blood to atone for sins—always has and always will.)
    8. Aharon would lay his hands upon the head of the remaining goat upon which the lot fell representing Azazel and confess over it the iniquities of the nation. Thus the sins of the nation would be conferred upon the animal which would afterward be led into the wilderness by a ready man ( 21, 22).
    9. Aharon shall then disrobe from the sacred garments in the Tabernacle, leaving them there in the tabernacle ( 23).
    10. Aharon would then bathe himself (ie., mikveh himself) in a sacred place and then put on his regular vestments ( 24).
    11. Then Aharon would return to the Tabernacle and offer the burnt offerings for himself and for the nation as well as burn the fat of the sin-offering upon the Altar of Burnt Offering ( 24, 25).
    12. The man that led the Azazel goat out into the wilderness, in order for him to re-enter the camp, he was required to wash his clothes and bathe himself ( 26).
    13. The bullock and goat sin offerings were burnt without the camp ( 27; cf. Exo. 29:14). All sin offerings were to be burned outside the camp. Only the animal’s blood would be taken and sprinkled upon the altar of burnt offering and the Ark of the Covenant (on this Day) and the fat of the sin offering would be burned on the altar. And the Levite that was tasked with burning the sin offerings without the camp was required to wash his garments and bathe himself before being permitted back into the camp (vs. 28).

     

    The Day of Atonement A Perpetual Annual Sabbath

     

    This ritual was to be performed every year, on the 10th day of the 7th month, perpetually (LXX). Additionally, the nation was required to fast (LEE)–although most every other English translation I consulted refers to the fasting as “afflicting” the souls of the people. No work could be performed throughout the land–there would be no exceptions (vs. 29). For this is the day in which atonement is made on behalf of the nation and the nation would be cleansed from all its sins before YHVH (vs. 30). And we find in verse 31 where this Day of Atonement is the only Feast of YHVH that is referred to by our heavenly Father as a Sabbath–a sabbath of rest where yet again Father stresses it shall be a day of fasting (vs. 31).

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    Yeshua-focused Study of Parashah 87

     

    Father Has a Prescribed Manner in Which He is to be Approached

     

    Yah was emphasizing to Aharon that there was a prescribed manner in which He was to approach YHVH in the course of his duties as Cohen Gadol. There was only one sanctioned way Abba was to be approached and worshiped. And any deviation from that established manner would not be tolerated. Humans would not be the ones to determine how Yah was to be worshiped and approached. In particular, atonement for sins could only be accomplished through the stipulated ritual or manner.(Which should alert us to assess how we approach Yah in this Spirit and Truth dispensation. Way to many of us take advantage of the Freedom that has been afforded us by Yeshua’s sacrifice. So many of us approach Yah in ways and manners that are not always appreciable of the Holiness of our Father.)

     

    Foreshadow of Perpetual Atonement

     

    Indeed, the events that our Parashah foreshadowed the perpetual atonement that would be mediated on our behalf by our current and eternal Cohen Gadol, Yahoshua HaMashiyach. Yah appointed Yeshua to be our mediator and Cohen Gadol and Yeshua has served as the ultimate mediator between Yah and man. He fulfills the established-precise manner in which Yah is to be approached and worshiped.

     

    No Tolerance for Screw-ups

     

    Yah stipulates also in His instructions to Aharon that by Aharon’s strict adherence to the established procedures for worship and atonement that Father laid out to Him would Aharon escape death. And this of course hearkens right back to Nadab and Abihu taking on themselves a way to worship Yah that was contrary to the way Father established. So this parashah begins with an admonishment to Aharon that he was not to enter at any time into the holy place, but only at the appointed time and perform the ritual exactly as Father laid out to them; otherwise Aharon and his descendants faced death (vss. 1, 13).

     

    The Plan of Salvation Foreshadowed in Yah’s Feasts

     

    The entirety of the annual feasts of YHVH brilliantly paints for the true  Child of the Most High a broad brush picture of the Plan of Salvation/Redemption/Restoration. And although the Feasts are to be kept by us each year as a memorial of what Abba has and will do for us, that memorial drills down to the one-time-for-all-time work of the Mashiyach, Yeshua, to redeem us from the evil one; atone for our sins and restore paradise lost and restore us to the Land of Promise where we will fulfill our originally intended role of being a royal kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto YHVH our Elohim (Galatians 4:4, 5; Hebrews 9:12; 10:10).

     

    The Yom Kippur Atonement Ceremony brilliantly foreshadowed the work of Mashiyach. Yeshua’s spilled blood would atone for our sins (represented by the blood of the purification sacrifices or sin offerings that were sprinkled on the east side of the Ark of the Covenant) and the perpetual intercessions our exalted Master makes on our behalf each and everyday (represented by the smoke from the burning incense that emanatedfrom the High Priest’s censer, the smoke thereof filling the Holy Place and covering over the Ark of the Covenant).

     

    Yah has always required blood to atone for the sins of man. Thus the blood of Yeshua our Messiah atones for our sins—it imputes unto us righteousness—and justifies us before a holy and righteous God. And because of the atoning work of Yeshua on our behalf, we can now stand uncondemned before the Creator of the Universe.

     

    The smoke that came from Aharon’s censer (the result of the burning coals from the altar of incense and 2-handfuls of incense Aharon would place upon the burning embers in his censer) represents the prayers of Yah’s elect and His righteous ones and they rise up to the nostrils of YHVH as a sweet and pleasant aroma (Revelation 8:4—John describes the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints, rose before Yah from the hand of an angel). These two elements: blood for the atonement and smoke for the intercession serve to bring us to a place of right standing before our holy and just God. These elements serve to save us from death—both physical and spiritual death.

     

    So under the current Spirit and Truth dispensation Yeshua’s blood sacrifice cleanses us from all unrighteousness—all impurities. If we sin or become impure we simply confess our sins to the Father and He is then faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (But this provision is in no way a license to sin. We must get sin under control in our lives. There is a limit to Father’s forgiveness.)

     

    The High Priest’s Holy Garments

     

    Indeed, the Cohen Gadol’s (i.e., Aharon’s) garments were holy and set-apart from all other garments to be worn by the people of the nation. So whenever we look at the shadow of what such sacred garments represent, we are looking at an individual’s or the child of Yah’s behavior and deportment—how he or she conducts him/herself in the world. That’s why throughout scripture  we are in one way or another encouraged to put on white garments which represent holy and righteous, undefiled lives (Ecc. 9:8; Rev. 3:4, 5, 18; 4:4). 

     

    The Cohen Gadol’s garments represented his perfect and holy deportment before a holy and righteous God. That’s why we, the redeemed of the Most High, although our sins have been atoned for by Yeshua, must keep our garments undefiled–that is, we must keep ourselves in a state of purity and righteousness at all times, especially when approaching the throne of the Most High during our intercessory prayer. The practice of intentional and unintentional sin in our lives sullies our spiritual garments. Thus we must tap Yah’s Holy Spirit to assist us in keeping our spiritual garments in a state of purity before YHVH at all times. We never want to be found wearing filthy or soiled garments before YHVH. We want to be in an undefiled, acceptable state before YHVH at all times.

     

    So before donning the sacred garments, Aharon had to enter into a state of extreme ritual purity. Jewish tradition as stipulated in the Mishna and Gemara record that the seven-days leading up to Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol was to be removed from his family’s home and put into seclusion from the rest of the nation in preparation for the big day. Tradition states that throughout this week the Cohen Gadol rehearsed over and over again the precise order and manner of the ritual. Additionally, tradition states that the Cohen Gadol was kept awake throughout the night preceding the day so as to ensure that the priest did not sustain any nocturnal emissions which would make Him ritually impure and disqualify him from carrying out the atonement ceremony. (Bear in mind that this is all Jewish tradition and not necessarily mitzvot from Torah. But these traditions certainly help us to understand just how serious this ritual purity was to the Day.

     

    Now, again, all this should be viewed by us from a Yeshua-centric standpoint. Yeshua proved Himself to be ritually pure and acceptable to YHVH as both our sin sacrifice as well as our intercessor. Master did the hard work in securing our atonement and purity before YHVH. It then falls to us to keep our spiritual garments clean and white at all times.

    Aaron–A Type of Messiah

     

    Certainly the Cohen Gadol’s holy garments hold significant spiritual significance and application for the Torah Observant Disciple of Yeshua (ie., purity; cleanliness; holiness; etc., all personal and spiritual attributes that the Child of the Most High must constantly strive to maintain through the assistance of the Holy Spirit operating in his/her life). However, I believe the spiritual focus of this Torah Reading is more about the foreshadowing of the High Priestly work of Yeshua Messiah: (1) His earthly atonement work; and (2) His heavenly intercessory work. Both aspects of Yeshua’s ministry carried with it themes of purity, sacrifice, atonement, intercession and obedience. Aharon’s High Priestly atoning duties were temporal in nature and had to be repeated each year–both for himself and for the nation. Yeshua’s atoning duties were permanent and eternal.

     

    The other thing is, like Aharon’s intercessory work, Yeshua’s intercessory work is a perpetual work on behalf of Yah’s people in the heavenly Mishkan (ie., the Temple in heaven). That being said, one can safely say that indeed, Aharon was a type of Mashiyach–a foreshadowing if you will—of Yeshua Messiah. Yet Aharon, flawed human that he and his descendants were, were not qualified to make the ultimate, permanent sacrifice (that was accomplished by Yeshua) on behalf of Himself and the people that would solve the sin problem once and for all. This ceremony had to be repeated each and every year and it had to be done precisely as YHVH laid out in His Torah.

     

    As Messianic teacher Tim Hegg described, Aharon was “an imperfect representation of the Coming One Who would offer Himself as atonement for His people, but Who was Himself pure and without need for personal atonement.”

     

    The writer of Hebrews stated of this Aharon-Yeshua connection:

     

    Hebrews 7:14-21—14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.17 For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.'” (Heb 7:14-21 ESV)

     

    What did the writer mean by Yeshua’s appointment was rendered by “word of the oath” in verses 20 and 21 ? Well, it’s the appointment of Yeshua our Messiah by YHVH our Elohim by fiat (ie., a formal decree). Torah appointed the High Priest based primarily on Aharon’s lineage (i.e., only a direct descendant of Aharon could be a Levitical Priest and High Priest). Yeshua being a Jew–of the Tribe of Judah–could not ever qualify to be a Levitical Priest (much less Cohen Gadol) according to Torah. Why? Because Yeshua was not of the Tribe of Levi.

     

    But YHVH set into motion this perpetual High Priest Office that Yeshua would fulfill (the Melchezedekian Priesthood) at the very beginning of time and YHVH declared this to the heavenly council as an oath:

     

    Psalm 110:4–Psa 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

     

    Yeshua was the only one who proved Himself worthy and qualified to perform the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf because of His flawless obedience to Father’s Torah and Will. Thus, Father appointed Yeshua to fill the Melchezedekian High Priesthood role, even before Yeshua had completed His earthly assignment.

    The Sacrifices Point to Yeshua’s Crucifixion

     

    Now that’s spiritual understanding related to the office and work of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. The other aspect that we must look at here are of course the sacrifices.

     

    We were instructed to bring to the Tabernacle/Sanctuary 2-goats and one ram from the “congregation of the sons of Israel.”

     

     

    The Two-Goats of Yom Kippur

     

    Let’s talk about the 2-goat offerings: the goat where the lot fell to represent YHVH was designated as the sin offering; and the goat where the lot fell to represent Azazel was to be led into the wilderness by an able man (I’m guessing priest, but it’s not clear). Here’s something to consider regarding the two goats: a portion of the blood of the sin offering goat would be sprinkled upon the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies and a portion of the blood smeared upon the horns of the Altar of Burnt Offering as well as sprinkled upon the same altar. The Azazel goat on the other hand did not shed any blood. It was led into and abandoned in the wilderness by an able-bodied man selected from the people. (Some Jewish traditions declare that the Azazel goat or “for azazel (aka Scapegoat) was actually led to a precipice by the able-bodied man and either pushed or tossed off, resulting in the scapegoat’s death. But this is tradition and not certified by Scripture. So I won’t go there with this discussion.)

     

    The Scapegoat

     

    Regarding the Azazel goat (aka the scapegoat; “for azazel”; LXX has it as “for the one carrying away evil” and “the goat determined for dismissal” in verse 26; or “the goat that departs”). Some modern commentators have focused upon the name Azazel in their understanding of this goat. It is supposed that the name or term azazel refers to a pagan or demonic entity that resides in the wilderness. This pagan or demonic entity has been depicted or viewed as a goat by some. And thus, one, according to these modern commentators, can easily ascertain that Father in giving this mitzvah was bringing to the Hebrew’s conscience the requirement that paganism could not reside in the camp; it had to be vanquished. And thus the representation of this goat that the text names as Azazel is a direct reference to hasatan or one of the enemy’s many manifestations.

     

    Now given my personal, heavy focus on things of the Spirit, I tend to agree with these modern commentators as it relates to the pagan-demonic connection associated with this goat ritual, despite the more conservative teachers’ stance that this was simply a representation of Yah requiring evil be sent away from the nation. I believe this is indeed a true understanding, but I also believe we cannot dismiss the spiritual connection here.

     

    The other thing we must recognize as well as that this azazel goat also seems to foreshadow the vanquishing of hasatan from the earth for 1,000-years. Now, this was the only understanding I had for the azazel goat for many of my early years in this Faith. But as you can see I’m opened to an expanded understanding of the significance and meaning of the azazel goat. Interestingly, along this line of thinking (ie., the azazel goat being hasatan being vanquished from the earth for 1,000-years), some have concluded and believe that the Day of Atonement is entirely about the vanquishing of hasatan in the Millennium.

     

     

    Now, we see this clearly revealed in the following Revelation passage:

     

    Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (Rev 20:1-3 ESV)

     

    We can certainly garner some spiritual understanding simply from the “scapegoat” title or name that is bestowed upon this goat. For when taken with this eschatological image as a backdrop, we see how hasatan in the World Tomorrow is blamed for the mess that mankind finds itself in. So terrible and prevalent is the influence that hasatan presents to man’s opportunity to receive and follow Yah’s Words and Way of Life, that the Creator requires that hasatan be locked away in an abyss for a millennia. This is done, according to John the Revelator “so that he (hasatan/the enemy/the deceiver/the dragon) might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended” (Rev. 20:3). So we can certainly view this ritual of the azazel goat as a foreshadowing of this end time event.

     

    But we can also look at this thing from the standpoint that vicariously the azazel goat carries away from the camp the sins of the people. For we see in verse 21 of our Torah Reading that Aharon was to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat (ie., the azazel goat) and confess over it the iniquities—the transgressions; the sins of the nation just before the goat is led away into the wilderness by the able-bodied man. This is a vicarious act on the part of Aharon whereby the iniquities, transgressions and sins of the nation are transferred from Aharon onto the body of the azazel goat. Thus, one could certainly picture the crucifixion of our Messiah being foreshadowed by the azazel goat. The sins of the world were placed upon Yeshua who was then taken outside the gates of Jerusalem for crucifixion. (Just another perspective to consider. None of this is doctrine mind you. It’s all about YHVH painting for us as full and brilliant an understanding of His Plan of Salvation/Restoration/Redemption. The more spiritual colors and textures the Ruach (ie., the Spirit) reveals to us about Yah’s set-apart Feasts, the better we understand that which YHVH has, and is, and will do for us, His elect. Amein.

     

    I personally can see all these spiritual applications being conferred upon the azazel goat and I leave open the understanding to the leading of the Holy Spirit. For as much as I continue to believe the Day of Atonement and the scapegoat foreshadow this vanquishing of hasatan in the Millennium, I believe there’s so much more to be gain spiritually from Yom Kippur and the scapegoat pointing to Yeshua Messiah’s work.

     

    The Remains of the Sin Offerings

     

    The carcasses of these various sin offerings were not to be burned upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings. They were, as Father commanded, taken outside the camp to be burned in an acceptable place. Because the sins of the nation were vicariously conferred upon the animals deemed as sin offerings, Father required their remains be treated as refuse. We know that these sacrifices all point in one way or another to Yahoshua’s atoning sacrifice. And we know, historically speaking that is, Yeshua was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem on our behalf. The writer of the Book of Hebrews aptly commented on this:

    11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. (Heb 13:11-13 ESV)

     

    In a sense, the sin-riddled bodies of the sacrifices (symbolically and spiritually speaking) were an affront to YHVH. This is why Father turned His back upon His only begotten Son as He hung from the execution stake prompting Yeshua to quote a well-known Psalm:

     

    46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat 27:46 ESV; cf. Psalm 22:1)

     

    Final Thoughts

     

    Before I close this out I want to make something very clear: Yeshua is not the goat nor the ram sacrifice that led to our salvation or atoned for the sins of the world. This thinking which has turned into teachings in some ministries has led to criticism of our Faith by Jews (not that criticism matters). For these criticizers are quick to grab hold of such inaccurate teachings and will make it their mission in life to scripturally show Yeshua was none of these sacrifices. So this only adds support to these individuals’ efforts to deny the Messiahship of Yeshua. These criticizers have primarily been of the Jewish persuasion—Jews who are hostile towards Messianics let’s just say.

     

    Well, Scripturally speaking these criticizers are correct. If one had to absolutely pin which animal sacrifice Yeshua embodied or exemplified, it would more accurately be the Passover (ie., the Paschal) lamb. For the blood of the Paschal lamb served to stave and cause death to pass over us affording us salvation, redemption and restoration.

     

    But what these criticizers fail to recognize is the spiritual connections and applications and types that are intricately and inextricably connected to Torah and the various Feasts of Yah. This has been the bane of the Jew’s spiritual existence for centuries as it relates to their blindness towards Yahoshua as their Messiah. They can’t see past the pages of their scriptures. They can only see the rote instructions. We on the other hand have been given eyes to see and ears to hear that which YHVH has given in His Word. And we, having received the Ruach HaKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit), have come to recognize and understand how to employ the concept of types and shadows to the various commandments and feasts of Yah. We know, for instance, that the Levitical High Priest was a foreshadowing of Yeshua in His person, ministry, responsibilities, etc. We recognize that the various sacrifices and Tabernacle rituals that were performed throughout the sacred calendar year foreshadowed the sacrificial and intercessory work of Yahoshua HaMashiyach. We see in these various sacrifices atonement for sins, purification from defilement, peace between the offerer and YHVH: all foreshadows of the work that Yeshua has completed and continues to perform on our behalf. In fact, Yeshua’s ultimate sacrificial and intercessory work embodies aspects of every type and form of sacrifice and worship Father instituted in His Torah. Halleluyuah.

     

    Bottom line: the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua is the overriding theme of this amazing reading.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises

    The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises

    by | Jun 3, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

    The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises

    by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

    Given all the chaos and turmoil that is ongoing in the world today, I was led to talk to you today about duty. Specifically the Messianic duty in the midst of global chaos. Are we as Messianics required to put our two-cents towards fixing the clobal crises that are ongoing round about us?

     Defining Moment in Time

    I believe this time in which we are currently living and experiencing to be a defining moment for those of us who are of the True Faith once delivered–Set-apart children of the Most High–Netzarim–Nazarenes. For all that we have endured over the last 4-months for the most part is coaxing/enticingus into making critical decisions regarding our day-to-day lives which can in many circumstances impact (either negatively or positively) our eternal lives and our entry into the Kingdom of Yah.

    Society Riding the Wave of Chaos

    Society in general (secular), riding the wave crest of the chaos that has pervaded much of the world over the last 4 or more months–the uncertainty–the fear–the weirdness of the various issues related to our health, our government, our national security and our social stability, is demanding we choose a side on the issues of our day. There’s a politicizing of all the issues; there’s a weaponization of all the issues; throw in there a forced compliance to government rule in all these issues. And we who are of Faith, because of how pervasive these issues have become in everyone’s life, are being manipulated into siding with one of several competing sides to these issues, all the while having our constitutional rights to worship the God of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’akov quietly and expertly being stripped away from us.

     Governments-Societies-Community Seeking Trust in Handling the Crises

    Our secular governments are encouraging us all to trust in all that they claim to be doing on our behalf and that they have our best interests at heart. Society and local communities are trying to get us to abandon our reliance on YHVH and take up humanistic ideologies and social justice causes; trust in the moral sensibilities and the will of the talking heads that head up our media systems and the top leaders of industrial complexes of the world; see how life should be from their established perspective; all the while ignoring the Godless injustices that continue to transpire/to take place right under their noses. These seek to steer us and control us with an established rhetoric and narrative. And any who would express an opposing perspective is to be ostricized and persecuted by society as a whole. These hate the One True God of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’achov; the Father of our Master and Messiah Yahoshua because His Ways diametrically oppose their ways (the government’s and society’s ways) and the ways of their handlers–their leaders–the globalists–and the globalists’ leaders who are the fallen ones–hasatan–the enemy–the Dragon.

     The Citizens of the World Are Blind

    And the terrible tragedy about this whole thing is that the peoples of this world are blindly and ignorantly signing their own death warrants by taking the sides of the enemy. Yes, even our cousins in Christianity and Judaism. For some strange and unfathomable reason, many in both religions have come to believe that their denomination’s ideals and doctrines are aligned with the world’s ideals and doctrines. So no longer is the Christian Church set on winning souls for Christ (which is a bastardization of the Great Commission) but instead to participate in social engineering and lead the call for social justice. Thus, the LGBTQ community is welcomed in much of Christendom today; abortions are an acceptable form of population and birth control; politicians can purchase the votes of its members by simply uttering key phrases and insinuating that they are in fact one of them. All the while no attention is ever given to the injustices (vehemently in violation of Torah) that are commonplace in society: child abuse; abortions; gang violence; elder abuse; domestic violence; black-on-black violence; government corruption; and the list goes on.

     

    Much of Judaism on the other hand appears to be caught up in the pervasive secularism of society. Because YHVH has remained true to His covenant and love for the Jewish people, the Jewish community as a whole has prospered. And being drunk with these immense blessings and enticed into becoming more influential and wealthy, they find themselves in the forefront of much of the evil that society embraces. In fact, many of these are behind the terrible injustices that we hear and read so little about these days; those injustices such as pedophilia; political assassinations , sex slavery, pornography, and the list goes on.

     Current World Crises

    Just in the last 4-months, our nation (ie., the United States) has endured a global pandemic; government upheaval; media manipulations of the truth; racial division and violence; attacks on people of Faith; destruction of economy; and many other things that don’t readily come to mind at the moment. And the powers that be are capitalizing on the uncertainties of these perilous times to enslave the minds, hearts and souls of this nation’s people. And I’m certain the same thing is happening in many of the other western nations of this world.

    Babylonian Citizens

    As ignorant as the average citizen of this world may be as it relates to their understanding of what is really going on around them—all the injustices—all the lies—the manipulations—the evils; etc., they are citizens of Babylon. Indeed, some may not be directly contributing to these injustices and such. But they are supporting these injustices and evils simply by virtue of their refusal to abandon the ways of the world and seek the Kingdom of Yah and Yah’s righteousness.

    This world is Babylon. The communities we reside in are essentially jurisdictional prefectures of Babylon. And what we know of Babylon–we who are of Faith—is that it is the antithesis of the Kingdom of YHVH. So hated is Babylon by our Creator that He will mete out terrible judgment upon it and its people in the end times (Rev. 14; 16; 17; 18). Yet the so-called Church appears oblivious to this reality thinking and believing that this country of ours is a Judeo-Christian country that is impervious to judgment.

     Babylon A World System

    Folks, Babylon is not simply one country. Babylon is the current world system composed of all the peoples of this world who have not given themselves to YHVH.

    As the redeemed of Messiah and of our Creator, we are compelled to take on Yah’s ways in this world. In fact, we are to live separate from the Babylonians. We are to live according to the ways of Yah’s Kingdom as taught to us through Father’s Torah and the teachings of Yeshua Messiah. So we can’t, as a community and as individual Netzari, get involved in the affairs of Babylon. Doing so would violate our charter as emissaries of the Most High.

     Are We Dealing with Spiritual Warfare?

    Many within and without our Faith Community will believe within their heart of hearts that all that has and is currently going on around us is a spiritual war–a battle for the hearts and souls of this world and our nation. And to some degree–actually to a rather small degree–I would agree with them. But the truth of the matter is that whenever we read about spiritual warfare in scripture, the context of that warfare is having to do with a battle between God’s people and the enemies of Yah—be they human or spiritual. You see, the world—Babylon–has been bought and paid for by the enemy. The unredeemed or the citizens of Babylon are owned and operated by the enemy. So we are naturally and spiritually separated from them.

     We Are Not Babylonians

    And by virtue of our present life situations—that being humans living on this earthly plain–we are forced to live within the confines of Babylon. However, we cannot be Babylonians. We have been called out of Babylon by the Almighty:

     

    Isaiah 48:20—Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, ‘YHVH has redeemed his servant Jacob!’ (Yes, by virtue of our engrafted status as members of the Body of Mashiyach, we are of Jacob, Halleluyah!)

     

    Yochanan the Apostle hears an voice in heaven saying in the end of times: “Come out of her (speaking about Babylon), my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4, 5; ESV). 

    Because we have been called out of Babylon and we are no longer citizens of Babylon, we have no business placing our noses into Babylonian affairs: be they political or be they socially.

     What Do We Do About Babylon?

    Sure, we can and should pray for this nation and for our government leaders that they lead their charges rightly and with wisdom. We can and should pray for the Babylonian that Father will have mercy upon them for their sinful ways and their rejection of Yah and His Way of life. Certainly we are compelled to make disciples for Yeshua Messiah out of the Babylonians in obedience to Master’s Great Commission. But that’s about the extent of our involvement with Babylon.

    More than these types of petitions that the Babylonians of our day will come to know our Father in a true and substantive way and abandon their evil ways for the ways of YHVH, we really should be praying that Abba bring forth His Kingdom sooner than later…”Thy Kingdom come thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). More so we are compelled to earnestly pray for one another (James 5:13-16); to care after one another; to love one another and so forth—those within our Faith Community.

     Avoid the Trap

    Look, I get it: it’s so easy to be pulled into all the craziness that’s going on around us today, especially given the high emotions that are tied to these issues. We must not be drawn into that spiritual trap. Because all that comes from falling into such a trap are things that are not in alignment with the Ways of YHVH and things that corrupt our soul and relationship with the Almighty:

     

    Ephesians 4:31—Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (ESV). 

    That’s why I avoid getting into discussions about the things going on around us these days because doing so only leads to bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, fear and slander. And once these things take hold within our spirit and they overshadow the working of the Ruach haKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit) in our lives, our walk with Mashiyach stands to be corrupted and our eternal life can be in jeopardy.

     Emotions Unhinged and Out of Control

    Interestingly, at least one prominent Messianic/Hebrew Roots teacher I’ve come across lately has been fasting and praying for the righteous judgment of Yah to be poured out upon the evil doers of this world. And although I can identify with that sentiment on a human level, spiritually it’s a rather fruitless prayer to pray, especially when we have been tasked with so many other things to not only do but to also pray for. Yah will bring judgment upon this world, including this nation of ours. (And one could safely argue that judgment–to some degree–is even now being meted out upon this world It’s recorded and established in Yah’s Word. Between now and the time that that judgment is fully meted out upon this world—even Babylon, we are compelled to work the fields while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work (John 9:4).

     True Messianics Staying the Course in the Midst of Global Crises

    But I will say that for the most part, there are some truly committed, Ruach-filled members of our Faith Community who have put these difficult times into a clear and proper perspective. These focus on the task at hand, evangelizing the lost for Messiah. These are exhorting and admonishing the Body of Messiah to work the fields and to stay strong. They are not giving in to the political and social pressures to take a side on the political and social issues plaguing the nations of the world. They are all about Scripture and doing the Will of their Father in Heaven. And I’m so proud of these individuals for their focus and dedication to do the Will of our Father. Unfortunately, these are but a remnant—a precious few in number. But that’s no surprise. Master in dismay asked of His disciples: “When the Son of Man returns will He find Faith in the earth?”(Luke 18:8).

     Scriptural Guidance for the Messianic During Global Crises

    So I just want to share a few Scriptural passages with you as it relates to our Messianic Duty in the midst of the global chaos that’s transpiring around us. And it is my hope, trust and prayer that these passages will encourage us all to not just stay the course in our walk with Mashiyach, but to also intensify our commitment and efforts to the Faith and the Kingdom of Elohim in these perilous times.

    Searching for a City Not Made by Man 

    Hebrews 11:8-10—8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.(Heb 11:8-10 ESV) 

    Indeed, Avraham was committed to the will of His Father who called Him out of Babylon, just as we must be.

    Citizens of Heaven

    Philippians 3:13-21—13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.(Phi 3:13-21 ESV)

    To Be Found Without Spot Nor Wrinkle  

    2 Peter 3:10-18–10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.(2Pe 3:10-14 ESV) 

    Our focus must not be on the temporal things that comprise modern day Babylon that the Apostle prophesies will all burn away in the end times. Our focus then cannot be the temporal things of Babylon. Instead, our focus must be getting ourselves to a place in our walk with Mashiyach where we are found by Master at His return without spot or blemish and at peace with both Yah and with one another. Halleluyah.

    We Look to the Unseen Realm 

    2 Corinthians 4:17, 18—17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.(2Co 4:17-18 ESV) 

    Thus our focus is to be on things that are eternal which are presently inhabiting the unseen realm.

     

    No Soldier Concerns Himself With Civilian Pursuits 

    2 Timothy 2:3-5—3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (2Ti 2:3-5 ESV) 

    Folks, we are employed by our Master to tend to the concerns of the Kingdom of Yah, not the affairs of Babylon. Our focus and work for the Kingdom must be discerning and distinct and not entangled in Babylonian concerns.

     The Indestructible Never Ending Kingdom of God

     

    Daniel 2:43-44—43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,(Dan 2:43-44 ESV) 

    Let us not be pulled into the concerns of Babylon friends. For Babylon is destined to be broken into pieces by the Kingdom of YHVH. And Yah’s Kingdom will stand for eternity. So if there is any side to take, we should be compelled to stand with the winning team brethren. And the winning team is the Kingdom of YHVH.

     Babylon Will Seek to Kill You 

    Revelation 6:10, 11—9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been (Rev 6:9-11 ESV) 

    The very individuals and government institutions and such that some members of Faith choose to side with in their social justice/engineering efforts will ultimately be the very individuals and institutions and organizations that will persecute and martyr us in the end times. It will be like the dog biting the hand that feeds them. And that is what’s going to happen in the end times. In fact, we see the beginning of this in many of the cities and towns in which we live. Governments and society in general are becoming intolerant and very hostile to people of Faith. The Christian Church is being persecuted in numbers unimaginable throughout both the western and eastern nations. Yet many people of Faith believe that it is their duty to enlist in the causes of Babylon. We know, however, that Babylon will viciously turn on the true child of Yah, bringing about widespread martyrdom. We are in fact destined for martyrdom if we live to see the end times written about in the Book of Revelation. 

    Think about this: the Supreme Court of these United States just sided with government entities that your constitutional right to assemble and worship can be denied you in times of civil national emergencies such as this current global pandemic. The rioters in Washington DC this past weekend were responsible for destroying 2-churches. Folks, Scripture is clear that Babylon is going to turn on the people of YHVH. So there’s no reason to side with Babylon whatsoever.

     The World Hates You Because You Love God 

    John 15:16-19-–16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (Joh 15:16-19 ESV) 

    Because of our relationship with the Almighty, Babylon by default hates us and hates our ways. Let us not be fooled into thinking that because we show our concerns and support the causes of Babylon that Babylon loves us. Because they don’t love us. They hate us. And we have to recognize and eternalize this. Not for purposes of starting a fight with Babylon. Actually the opposite. We need to live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18); pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:2) and be a light to the world and a witness for Yeshua Messiah (too many scriptures in the apostolic record to mention).

     I Never Knew You 

    Matthew 7:21-23—21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Mat 7:21-27 ESV) 

    Folks, do you grasp what the Master is really saying here to His Disciples? He’s saying that when Master returns and starts to separate the goats from the sheep, He’s going to put those who He has determined were doing things they were never instructed to do in His Name on the side of the goats. And these individuals will be dismissed and denied entry into the Kingdom. It’s not going to be a pretty sight. 

    So Master is giving all of us a heads-up so that we do not find ourselves in that terrible predicament. He simply instructs us to make sure that we hear all that which He has taught us and then go about doing those things. Those  that do that which Master has instructed them to do will be deemed as wise for they have chosen to build their eternal salvation upon the Words of their Master, and not upon the instructions and teachings of the citizens and leaders of Babylon.

    Master declared that those who, on the other hand, choose to do their own thing and attach Master’s Name to their activities will be deemed as foolish. For these will have chosen to build their eternal life upon their own means and ways: not the Master’s means and ways.

     Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness

     

    Matthews 6:33–Master admonished us to “seek first His Father’s Kingdom and His righteousness.” 

    Overall, this is what we have been tasked with doing by Master. And if we can just focus on this assignment, everything else in our Walk with Mashiyach will fall right into place.

     Exhort and Admonish One Another During Times of Crises 

    Colossians 3:16—16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16 ESV) 

    This may sound selfish and isolationist in tenor. But the fact of the matter is that Paul was admonishing the Colossians to place their focus on their brothers and sisters. Nowhere in his letter here do we find mention that the Colossians were to be focused on what was going on in and around Colossae’s social circles; the Colossae neighborhoods; the Colossae government; etc. The focus was on the Body of Messiah that resided in Colossae.

    Be Encouraged Saints 

    Fellow Saints in Training, I hope, trust and pray that this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer will encourage your heart and that we not feel pressured to side with the elements of Babylon. In are in a proper and right place. We know what we’ve been tasked to do; we know what is right and what is wrong because we keep and obey Abba’s holy Torah and the teachings and example of Yeshua our illustrious Messiah. We recognize that Babylon is not our home. Our home is coming and that home is the home we must side with in all things. That home we know will be eternal and will destroy and break into pieces Babylon. We are members of the winning team—we are citizens and emissaries of the Kingdom of YHVH. 

    May Abba richly bless and keep you in these difficult times fellow saints in training. Shalom.