Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)–A Messianic Torah Observer Perspective

by | Sep 25, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Introducing Yom HaKippurim (aka, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement)

Instead of trying to figure out what the Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur/Yom HaKippurim is about through hearsay, public discourse or opinion, what do you say we delve into the riches of Torah to get from the Father’s own Words what the day entails?

I would invite you, if you’re new to Faith and you desire to study for yourself what the Day is about in the pages of your Bible, to grab a pen and paper and take notes. Otherwise, you can visit the website at www.themessianictorahobserver.org and reference the transcript of this post.

Yom HaKippurim (aka, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement) is found in 3 primary passages of Torah: Leviticus 16:20-26; 23:27-32; and Numbers 29:7-11. Yes, there are indeed other scriptural passages that reference the Day of Atonement, but for all intents and purposes, these 3 passages are the go-to-passages for understanding Father’s instructions for Yom Kippur.

What we find when we begin to read the particulars associated with Yom Kippur, especially in these just cited passages, is that this Feast Day is a very unique day in terms of its various elemental parts and the existential relevance to the Hebrew nation (aka, Israel) and ultimately all of humankind.

There are a few moving parts associated with the Day that I will break and group into just two parts for purposes of this discussion: (1) The High Priest making atonement for his, his family’s and the nation’s sins and transgressions; and the purification of the sanctuary and brazen altar; and (2) the Azazel goat (popularly referred to as the “scapegoat”) ceremony. Both of these parts are actually tied into one big worship ceremony, but I elected to tease out the Azazel ceremony from the atonement ceremony because it is rich in symbolism and prophetic relevance and it is somewhat separate from the atoning actions that were performed by the High Priest (i.e., the Cohen Gadol) on this day each year.

So without actually recording or reading out all 3 of these passages for you, I will just summarize the elements of the day contained in them. I would encourage you of course to pull up these passages on your own and study them for yourselves sometime soon.

Timing for Yom HaKippurim/Yom Kippur/Atonement

Father commanded that Yom Kippur take place on the 10th day of the 7th month annually. Many who lean towards Jewish practices and traditions know the 7th month from its Babylonian inspired name of Tishri. If you recall, last week, we celebrated Yom Teruah or the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets. That day the Father commanded be kept on the 1st day of the 7th month (aka, Tishri). Simply put, Yom Kippur will always succeed Trumpets by 10-days. Jewish Tradition titles this 10-day period between Trumpets and Atonement as the 10-Days of Awe.

Now, I won’t get into the 10-Days of Awe simply because it’s not Scriptural, so to speak. Some have made an argument that the 10-days of Awe, a Rabbinic invention, is a prophetic representation of the terrible and harrowing last days that will come upon the modern nation of Israel. Yet, I am hard pressed to conclude from my own studies that this is indeed true. So I’ll just leave the 10-Days of Awe alone for this installment.

Nevertheless, for all intents and purposes, Yom Kippur falls smack in the middle of the Fall Feast Season. Five days after Yom Kippur, the 8-day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot will commence. So it’s pretty easy to keep track of when each of the Fall Feasts hit if one has a firm understanding of when exactly Yom Teruah or the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets falls.

Yom HaKippurim as a Holy Convocation

Father commanded that a holy convocation be held on Yom Kippur (confirmed by Numbers 29:7). I discussed what a holy convocation is based on Torah in an installment of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections and if you’re interested in learning more about holy convocations as stipulated in Torah, I invite you to check that episode out.

Without belaboring the issue, a holy convocation is a sacred gathering of the assembly. In that sacred assembly gathering, scriptures are read, prayers are offered and Father is worshiped according to His instructions in Torah. Today, a holy convocation may of course take on many forms that include (but are not limited to):

  • online/virtual assembly gatherings and services;
  • brick and mortar worship service gatherings;
  • and home fellowship gatherings.

Of course, many in our Faith Community are challenged to find such convocational opportunities, not just on the Feast Days, but even on weekly Sabbaths. Nevertheless, we are to do the best we can with the resources and know how that Father has given us. There are many Hebrew Roots assemblies and fellowships that broadcast live gatherings online that you can connect to if you are so led. If you are interested in knowing what some of those online fellowship/convocational options are, reach out to me at perceptionwp@gmail.com and I’ll pass those on to you. (Keep in mind, however, that I am not a member of any of these fellowships or organizations, nor do I necessarily agree with everything they teach. However, I have connected with each of them over the years and find that they adhere to the basic tenets of our Faith and they have the resources to to convene a convocation during these set apart days.)

Thus, the Hebrews were commanded to convene a solemn, holy convocation for worship purposes on Yom Kippur (Lev. 23:37).

The Fast of Yom Kippur

Father commanded that the Hebrews humble (also rendered as afflict) their souls on Yom Kippur (i.e., verified Lev. 16:29; Num. 29:7).

Needless to say, this humbling and afflicting of one’s soul without a direct commandment for the Hebrew to fast on the day, has left behind its wake tremendous controversy and engendered some degree of confusion in the Hebrew Roots/Messianic ranks.

Although the general consensus among most Bible scholars and even Jewish Rabbis is that this humbling or inflicting of one’s soul is indeed that of a complete abstinence from food and drink: commonly referred to as a fast. The controversy and confusion seems to come from those who take issue with the allusion to fasting that the words humbling and inflicting obviously references.

Just to put any doubt in one’s mind to rest right now, I invite you to consider the following: the commandment from Yah for the Hebrews to “afflict/humble their souls” is found in Leviticus 16:29, 31 with additional reference passages located in Leviticus 23:27, 29, 32; Numbers 29:7; and Exodus 30:1-10. The Hebrews were commanded to fast (Hebrew of “tzom”), which is to afflict the soul or INulNeFeSH (cf. Psm. 35:13; Ezr. 8:21; Isa. 58:3, 5, 10). Nefesh also means appetite as seen in Proverbs 23:23; 107:9; 27:7; and Isaiah 56:11. Thus the Hebrew afflicts their appetite, this being the full meaning to fasting. According to the Tanach, to fast means to refrain from eating or drinking throughout the entire period of the fast/day (cf. Esther 4:16).

Offerings Were Made By Levitical Priests at the Tabernacle

Offerings by fire were to be made by the Levitical Priests serving at the Tabernacle. The offerings consisted of a bull, a ram, 7-yearling male lambs without defect, a goat for a sin offering; and a grain offering.

These were offerings that were performed exclusively by the Levitical Priests serving at the sanctuary. Every feast and Shabbat, the priests were instructed to provide such offerings. These offerings were not the responsibility of the average Hebrew citizen.

No Work of Any Kind is to be Performed

No work of any kind was to be performed on Yom HaKippurim. Contrary to other days of the sacred calendar, the prohibition against work here extended beyond vocationary work. The work prohibition here extended to acts that were of a domestic nature such as cooking, cleaning, washing, setting up and taking down. Some would argue, then, that one is prohibited from driving or doing anything at all on Yom Kippur. I would beg to differ, however. It stands to reason that if one is to participate in a holy convocation, for instance, and that convocation is convened elsewhere than one’s home or property, then you have to get to that convocation location somehow. Also, doing good for others falls within the spirit of the day, and in doing so, one may have to travel to make that good happen, wouldn’t you say?

Otherwise, one may be led by the Spirit to remain immobile and quiet during the 24-hours of the Day. If that is the case, then certainly do as you are so led I would say, but somehow the convocation would have to be factored in there sometime during the Day.

It goes without saying that Father looked at the prohibition against any form of work so seriously that any who violated this commandment was subject to death (verified Lev. 16:29; Num. 29:7). This commandment affected every member of the nation, not just Hebrews (Lev. 16:29). The Hebrews were commanded to cut themselves off from any who refused to keep the day.

Yom Kippur Was to be a Perpetually Kept Feast Day

Like every other Feast Day, Yom HaKippurim was to be a Feast kept in perpetuity. Since it was not one of the 3-mandated pilgrimage feasts requiring Hebrews to journey to Jerusalem, it was to be kept by every Hebrew regardless their station and location in life and in the world.

Other Salient Elements of the Day

Father instructed the Hebrews to acknowledge the day with the blowing of shofars (Lev. 25:9).

The High Priest Before the Mercy Seat

 

The Levitical High Priest made atonement for the Israel nation once a year by entering the Holy of Holies and sprinkling the blood of the sin offering on the Mercy Seat.

Aharon was to enter the Holy of Holies (located in the inner sanctum of the sanctuary) and make atonement for himself, his family, and the nation once a year only on Yom HaKippurim (Exo. 30:10). Aharon, and his selected direct descendants after him (i.e., who were selected by Yah to be High Priests), would enter the Holy of Holies on Yom HaKippurim with the blood of the bull and goat for sin offerings and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat 7-times on this day (Num. 29:7-11). The purpose of this solemn, sacred ceremony was to make atonement on behalf of himself, his family and the nation of Israel (Exo. 30:10; Lev. 16:11-28).

As stated earlier, Father accepted only the blood of specific sacrifices, administered only by His select, Levitical Priests (Lev. 1:4,5; 23:27, 28).

Most folks of Faith focus on the High Priest going in to the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur each year to offer atonement on behalf of the people of Yehovah. Indeed, a lot went into the Day of Atonement in terms of the atonement element of the Day, but there is another aspect of Atonement that is symbolically and prophetically relevant. That has to do with the famously named “Scapegoat” (more accurately named Azazel or Azazyel) ceremony that is summarized in the 16th chapter of Leviticus. Aharon was to take 2 goats before the sanctuary and cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed as a sin offering and which would be the scapegoat (although the descriptor or term scapegoat is not 100% biblically accurate). After sprinkling the blood of a sin offering for himself, his family, the sanctuary, the priests and the nation upon the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant and around the horns of the altar outside the sanctuary, he would ceremonially confer the sins of the nation upon the scapegoat by placing his hands on the head of the scapegoat (i.e., Azazel). Then the scapegoat would be led out and abandoned in the wilderness by a strong and trustworthy man.

Symbolically and spiritually (in a sense), the sins of the nation were conferred upon the Azazel goat by the High Priest laying his hands upon its head out in front of the tent of meeting or the temple proper. The thing that must be understood by this undeniably strange, yet fascinating ceremony is that first and foremost the sins of the nation of Israel were to be expiated (i.e., atoned for) by the sprinkling of blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant housed within the Holy of Holies by the High Priest (i.e., the Cohen Gadol).

With sin having been expiated by the high priest at the first half of the Day’s ceremony (which we are reminded in Hebrews had to be done every year), the next issue that required attention was the root cause and instigator of sin which still remained and needed to be dealt with (symbolically speaking). So the Azazyel goat symbolically assumes responsibility for the sins of the nation (i.e., the apt name of scapegoat) through the High Priest conferring the responsibility and blame upon the goat. The Azazyel goat obviously represents hasatan and his minions. Azazyel is afterward led and abandoned in the wilderness by a “fit” man, symbolizing a time in the future when hasatan will be bound and sent tucked away in the abyss, ultimately to face eternal torment in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. This is what the Azazyel ceremony is all about.

The wonderful thing about the prophetic shadow pictures we can now see embedded in this amazing Feast is Yeshua’s sacrifice and resurrection defeated hasatan and his minions and made a public spectacle of them (Col. 2:15). Unfortunately, that defeat and humiliation did not eliminate the intense influence the enemy continues to have on the human race (Eph. 2:1-3; we are also encouraged by Paul to put on the whole armor of Yah in Eph. 6:10-17 to contend with the wiles of the enemy).

Every one of the 7-annual Feasts of Yehovah was meant to represent something of vital importance to the Hebrews. As I’ve mentioned many times on this program, the Feasts of Yehovah are, for us at least, shadows of good things to come (Heb. 10:1). At the time the knowledge of the Feasts was rendered to Israel, the shadow pictures that they embodied could not be known to them. It just wasn’t time for our Hebrew forefathers to understand and know the intricate meaning behind and foretold in each of the 7-moedim of Yehovah. We on the other hand, are blessed to live in and during a time when full understanding of these Feasts have been revealed to any who would avail themselves to the Truth of the Creator.

Regardless, the Feasts did teach our Hebrew forefathers essential lessons that would be etched into the nation’s psyche, at least in part, to this very day. In the case of Yom HaKippurim, the day taught the Hebrews the importance of reconciling with the Creator and the vital necessity in having their sins expiated. The day also reminded the Hebrews each year of the root cause of sin in every person’s life: that being hasatan and his minions. Despite the endless cycle of atonement sacrifices performed each year since the command to do so was given to Israel by Yehovah, the reality was evident that hasatan—the deceiver of the world—was still active in the world and would at some point have to be permanently dealt with if mankind was to have a fighting chance of overcoming their sin nature.

Yom Kippur—The Name Says it All

Thus, Yom Kippur points us to a time in Father’s great Plan of Salvation and Redemption when the originator and instigator of sin will be dealt with. Yes, the atonement plays a vital part in the whole Day of Atonement as demonstrated in the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies and sprinkling blood upon the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant. Father stipulated to the Hebrews that He would accept this process as atonement for their sins when the ceremony was done precisely as He commanded it be done. This ceremony did not eliminate sin from the Hebrew’s life permanently. The process only appeased or expiated or atoned for the Hebrews’ sins for a set period of time. The process had to be repeated each year on Yom Kippur. However, Father had tucked and hidden away in His Great Plan of Redemption and Salvation provision to permanently eliminate sin from every Hebrew’s life. This would be accomplished a millennia and a half later through the work and agency of Yahoshua Messiah (Hebrews 9 and 10). Although more brilliantly portrayed in the Passover observance, we see a tremendous reiteration and bleed over (absolutely no pun intended as this is extremely serious) of this in the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur ceremony and observance. Yeshua’s sacrifice and His shed blood on Calvary’s execution stake would be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in Heaven by our resurrected Master. This unbelievable act of sacrifice and grace would once and for all atone for the sins of humankind.

Regarding the Holy of Holies in Heaven, Hebrew Roots teacher and overseer of Christian Biblical Church of God Fred Coulter noted: The Holy of Holies is a type of God’s throne in heaven (Heb. 9:24). Access to the Mercy Seat only on Yom Kippur is allowed by the Cohen Gadol once a year at Yom Kippur. The Mercy Seat sat atop the Ark of the Covenant, which held the commandments written on two tablets of stone. The Cohen Gadol sprinkled the blood of a bullock on the Mercy Seat to make atonement for himself, his family and the family of Levitical Priests. The lot cast between the goats represented the embedded provision for Yehovah selecting the goats; their appointed roles in the ceremony being: one goat to be used as the sin offering for the nation; and the other for Azazel—the popularly named scapegoat. (Note: the Azazel goat was not slaughtered nor its blood spilled. There’s a reason why and I’ll mention it shortly.)

Not only was the sprinkled blood of the bull and the lot-selected goat sin offerings foreshadowing of the blood that Master would shed on our behalf at Calvary, the High Priest that administered the atonement was also portrayed in the resurrected and glorified Person of Yahoshua. The writer of Hebrews described our Master as the mediator of a better covenant (Heb. 8:6).

Thus the name of the Day—Yom HaKippurim—is an important aspect of this day that should be understood. The name carries with it powerful meaning that is multifaceted and vitally relevant to every disciple of Yeshua Messiah.

According to well read and researched Hebrew Roots/Messianic scholar David Rogers (overseer of The Miqra in Rock Hill South Carolina), some Jewish sources define kippurim by breaking the term into its two component parts: Ki which means “as” or “like,” and pur, which means “lot.” When one puts these two components together, the meaning becomes “like Purim” or “like lots.” This naturally takes us to the story of Esther where the Jewish festival/holiday of Purim originated. Recall that lots were cast by Haman for purposes of determining the day and month the Jews of Ahasuerus’ kingdom were to be exterminated (Est. 3:7). This meaning is clearly seen in the ceremony involving the two-goats, each selected for a divine purpose through the casting of a lot (i.e., Yehovah selects each goat for their ultimate purpose).

Yet another interpretation can be derived from Kippurim. The component “caphar or kaphar,” which means “to cover” or “conceal” can be seen. The Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant was called “caporet” which is derived from caphar/kaphar. Caporet then means covering or lid to the ark of the covenant. Thus the other aspect of the Day of Atonement is clearly seen, whereby the sins of humankind are covered, or better, pacified (temporarily) by the Creator’s provision, until such time as the Messiah would permanently cleanse and rid us of the scourge of sin.

Still borrowing from my friend David Roger’s teachings on Yom HaKippurim, yet another aspect of Kippur cannot be overlooked. This aspect of the Day is clearly portrayed in the various sin sacrifices that were offered before and at the time of our Master Yeshua’s sacrifice on Calvary’s execution stake. This meaning is derived from the English term “ransom” which is analogous to the act of “offering a substitute for a thing.” Every Israelite was required to give to the service of the sanctuary the “ransom” money of half a shekel (Exo. 30:12). Egypt was given as a “ransom” for the restoration of Israel as stated by Yehovah (Isa. 43:3). Also tied to this ransom paradigm of Torah and the prophets is the concept of redemption or redeeming one’s life. To redeem means to buy back or to free one from captivity through some payment of a ransom. Thus, Father required offerings and sacrifices be made at various times in the Hebrew’s life, especially when it came to sin, whereby their lives would be ransomed by a sacrificed animal that served to purchase his/her life back from the penalty of “physical” and “imminent” death. The animal sin sacrifices were given as substitutes for the offerers’ life. It wasn’t the animal carcase that provided the substitution per se, but the blood of the animal that satisfied the death penalty, because Father taught us that the life of all flesh is in the blood and is to be given to make atonement for one’s soul on the altar; for it was the blood by reason of the life that makes the atonement (Lev. 17:11).

Indeed, this concept greatly embodies the rich spiritual meaning of Yom HaKippurim, as it is evident in Scripture that every human being must pay the penalty of death for their sins. However, Father in His infinite wisdom, grace and providence provided a means by which the ransom could be paid via substitution. We see this illustrated throughout the Torah and most prevalently in the Gospel records.

Yom-HaKippurim: Addressing the Instigator and Originator of Sin Once and For All

The Azazel Goat

 

The Azazel Goat was selected by lot and the sins of the nation was conferred upon it and it was led and abandoned in the wilderness by a fit man.

So just to quickly review before moving on to the selection of the Azazel goat: two-goats would be brought before the High Priest Aharon. A lot would be cast (again, reminiscent of Purim and the story of Esther) to determine which goat would be the sin offering for the nation and which goat would be the Azazyel goat.

We’ve discussed somewhat extensively in this post about the sin offering goat. That goat was killed and its blood was sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat that sat upon the ark of the covenant to atone for the sins of the people.

Now we get into the Azazel goat a little deeper.

In order to better see the significance of the Azazel goat, especially from a historical perspective, I once again refer to the teachings of David Rogers, who’s done extensive study on Yom HaKippurim. About the Azazel goat, David reveals that we actually find Azazel mentioned by name in the Book of Enoch, an Old Testament apocryphal book that Jude acknowledges is relevant to our Faith. We find Azazel mentioned in Enoch 8:1,2 which reads accordingly:

“Moreover Azazyel taught men to make swords, knives, shields, breastplates, the fabrication of mirrors, and the workmanship of bracelets and ornaments, the use of paint, the beautifying of the eyebrows, the use of stones of every valuable and select kind, and all sorts of dyes so that the world became altered. Impiety increased; fornication multiplied, and they transgressed and corrupted all their ways.”

Thus we clearly see, through the writings of the author of Enoch, that this fallen or corrupted messenger—better rendered, watcher, “altered the world due to the vanity of physical beauty, the crafting of jewelry (the overuse and abuse of which the Scripture condemns) and the forging and use of war implements (David Rogers; Bibletruth.cc/dayofatonement.htm).

Thus, all manner of evil germane to the human experience can be traced in great part back to this watcher named Azazyel. David Rogers astutely attributes human knowledge of and experiences related to sin to hasatan, the deceiver of all mankind.

Interestingly, the watcher (the name formerly given to those angels who chose to defy the rules of the Almighty and defile the Father’s creation) Azazyel was judged accordingly for his grievous transgressions against Yehovah and the human race, as recorded in Enoch 10:4-10:

“The Lord said to Raphael (an obedient Messenger of Yehovah), bind Azazyel hand and foot, cast him into darkness; and opening the desert which is in Dudael, cast him in there. Throw upon him hurled and pointed stones, covering him with darkness. There shall he remain forever; cover his face, that he may not see the light. And in the great day of judgment let him be cast into the fire. Restore the earth, which the angels have corrupted; and announce life to it, that I may revive it.”

How amazing is this and how wonderfully this passage ties in with what we see embodied in the Yom HaKippurim ceremony involving the two-goats AND the coming of days when hasatan too will be bound and placed into darkness by a strong angel. Could that angel be the same Raphael? Just asking. Ultimately, both hasatan and Azazyel will be cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone—assuming they are two-separate entities (Revelation 20:3, 10). These get no chance whatsoever for repentance or atonement or forgiveness. Their sins are beyond the provisions of Yehovah’s salvation and grace.

Commensurate with the promise of salvation for mankind, we see in the same Enochian rendering of the story of Azazyel, a promise that all men would not be destroyed in the coming flood:

“All the sons of men shall not perish in consequence of every secret, by which the Watchers have destroyed, and which they have taught their offspring. All the earth has been corrupted by the effects of the teachings of Azazyel. To him therefore ascribe the whole crime (Enoch 10:11,12).

See the rich parallel that is found in this Enochian passage and the fate facing the Azazel goat in the Levitical ceremony: the “whole crime” is ascribed to Azazel. In other words, all the transgressions of the Hebrew nation would to be conferred upon the Azazel goat, that was ultimately led and abandoned in the wilderness by the “fit man.” Azazel is to bear the blame for the whole issue of sin, despite the other sacrificed goat’s blood that was used to atone for the sins of the people of Israel.

Fred Coulter adds what I believe to be an important point to the Azazel goat discussion in that the Azazel goat was not killed, but instead abandoned in the wilderness by the fit man that led him there. Hasatan and his minions cannot die as humans die. Instead they must be contained or banished as illustrated in the Azazel goat. On the eve of the establishing of the Millennial Kingdom here on earth by Yeshua Messiah, a strong, mighty angel will bind hasatan and remand him to the abyss for 1,000-years (Rev. 20:1-3). Hasatan and his minions will be loosed a short time at the tail end of the Millennium to sway the hearts and minds of humankind against the Kingdom of Yah, yet again. However, Yah will defeat them with fire from above and consume the humans who came against the Kingdom (Rev. 20:7-9). Hasatan and his lot will be gathered up one last time, but this time once and for all they will be cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where they will endure eternal torment (Jude 12,13; Rev. 20:10).

Clearly, the ultimate fate of hasatan (presumably along with his minions) are foreshadowed in the Azazel element of Yom Kippur.

One may wonder, however, given that our sins have been permanently atoned for by the sacrifice of our Master Yahoshua Messiah, why should we have any need to concern ourselves with the ongoing activities of hasatan. Indeed, some would reference the teachings of the apostles that hasatan’s influence and power over us was broken by Yeshua’s sacrifice. Indeed, that is a true statement.

Nevertheless, hasatan’s presence in the work continues to wreak havoc upon the entire human race. Why?

According to Shaul, the perceived veiling of the Besorah (i.e., the Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom) from the minds and hearts of most of the world’s people is because they have been blinded to the Truth (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). Even the Jews have been blinded to the Truth, whereby the obvious foreshadowing of Messiah in Torah and the Prophets remains veiled and hidden from them, despite Master effectively having removed that veil from many (2 Corinthians 3:14). Yet Father’s grace shines a light upon those whom He has chosen and has revealed the knowledge of His glory through Yeshua Messiah (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Hasatan’s influence upon the minds, hearts and souls of mankind can never be understated. His all encompassing influence over mankind is ever so prevalent. It is hasatan who has completely rewritten the the way by which mankind walks and lives on this planet. Shaul stated to the Ephesian Assembly, that they once walked according to the ways and influences of the “prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). Hasatan has a massive bag of tricks to sway the hearts and minds of men, often masquerading as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15). Indeed, there is little wonder that so many atrocities and evils and wrongs have involved people who claim to have operated in accordance to the ways of God and Jesus Christ and whatever gods they serve.

Hasatan’s primary means of influencing the minds and hearts of people is through deception (Eph. 2:2)

As long as hasatan is permitted to operate in this earthly plane, mankind will continue to be influenced and deceived and in many cases be denied the Truth of the Gospel and the chance for eternal life and to be a child of the Most High Elohim. He must be eliminated at some point so as to level the playing field for mankind. Some may suggest that Father could just miraculously drop the scales from every man, woman and child’s eyes and bypass the deception of the enemy. But that’s not the way Father works. We can never forget that Father wants every soul that comes to Him to come to Him freely. Freewill according to Father is never a negotiable commodity that He would take advantage of or override. Once hasatan is removed from the world scene in the Millennial Kingdom, those that are alive will be given the opportunity to accept the Gospel of the Kingdom without the lies and deceptions of the evil one swaying their thoughts and decision making. And then at the end of the 1,000-years when hasatan is loosed, the human race will be tested to ensure that those who committed themselves to Yehovah are truly Yehovah’s. Hasatan will once again be allowed to work his deceptions and publish his lies. Those that were never truly converted will fall for the lies and give themselves over to the enemy’s control. They will come against Yeshua and the Saints residing and headquartered in Jerusalem. However, these rebelling humans will be destroyed by fire from the throne of Yehovah and hasatan will once again be bound, but this time permanently thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Thus, the Plan of Redemption and Salvation will have been successfully completed and a New Heaven and New Earth will be installed and we who are Father’s elect will finally face and enjoy a glorious eternity.

The Apostle Paul (i.e., Shaul) wrote to the Assembly of Messianic Disciples in Corinth:

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1Co 2:9-10 KJV)

Nevertheless, in the interim, even we who are Yah’s elect are subject to the wiles of the enemy. Thus, the Apostle Paul (i.e., Shaul) recommended that each of us put on the whole armor of Yah so that we may be able to resist him in the evil day and be more than capable of standing firm against him (Eph. 6:13-18).

Common Jewish Yom Kippur Traditions and Perceptions

Without firm understanding and knowledge, and acceptance of Yeshua HaMashiyach as one’s Master and redeemer, it is impossible for one to understand the significance of Yom HaKippurim. Even for the Jewish mind, the thought of their messiah fulfilling the role that our Master Yeshua fulfilled 2,000-years ago (poetically and prophetically referred to as the suffering Messiah by Isaiah), is for some a foreign concept which most Jews vociferously reject.

The Jewish mind, however, sees Yom Kippur from a less than a biblically-based global perspective. They see the day more from an idealistic point of view, that engenders goodwill, community and future security and prosperity for the Jewish people.

For the Jew, Yom Kippur marks the culmination of the so-called 10-Days of Awe (i.e., the 10-day period of introspection and repentance that falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur).

Tradition says Yom Kippur is the day God decides each person’s fate. Jews are encouraged to make amends and seek forgiveness for sins they committed during the past year. A 25-hour fast is observed and special religious services are held. It is considered a High Holy Day or a Sabbath of Sabbaths.

Tradition holds that the incident with the Golden Calf, God’s subsequent forgiveness of the Hebrews for that transgression, and the giving of the Law on the 2nd set of stone tablets took place on or around Yom Kippur.

It is accepted that the only day of the year the High Priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies and atone for the sins of the nation fell on Yom Kippur. The actual Yom Kippur ceremony continued until the destruction of the Temple by Roman legions in 70 C.E. The ceremony was made into a service for rabbis and their congregations through the synagogue system.

Judaism in general believe the 10 Days of Awe denotes judgment of all creatures by God, who decides whether each person lives or dies in the coming year. Those who are to live, they are deemed righteous and their names are said to be inscribed in the “Book of Life.” Those deemed wicked are condemned to die. Then those who are on the fence (i.e., it’s up for grabs whether they will live or die) have till Yom Kippur to “teshuvah” or repent.

Thus the Days of Awe are typified by prayer, good deeds, reflecting on past mistakes and mending damaged relationships, done with the intent of getting one’s name inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year and escaping imminent death.

Synagogal attendance typically soars during this season. The 25-hour fast on Yom Kippur is for cleansing of the body and spirit, not for punishment as some erroneously surmise. Some heed additional restrictions on bathing, washing, cosmetic wearing, leather shoe wearing and sexual intercourse. The purpose is to detract the member from material possessions and superficial comforts. A single long blast of a shofar is sounded at the end of the final service to mark the conclusion of the fast. Families typically have a bountiful feast on the eve of Yom Kippur that concludes before sundown. Then after the final synagogue service of Yom Kippur, members return home to another festive meal. Typically blintzes, noodle pudding and baked goods are the fare for the day. Members typically dress in white to symbolize purity. Members commonly make financial and material donations to the poor and to the synagogue and do volunteer work during this season which they see as part of seeking God’s forgiveness for sins and offenses committed during the year.

As we saw with Yom Teruah (casting sins in the form of bread onto a stream or river and shaking evil from one’s person), Yom Kippur too has a strange ceremony or tradition that involves the transference of sins and bad karma, so to speak, onto either a live chicken or a package of money. Kapparot, according to chabad.org, is a ceremony that involves the swinging of live chickens and coins over members’ heads while reciting prayers.

According to the article I read regarding Kapparot on chabad.org, observing Jews:

“Ask of G‑d that if we were destined to be the recipients of harsh decrees in the new year, may they be transferred to this chicken in the merit of this mitzvah of charity. It is important to keep in mind that the chicken is not an offering. Neither does performance of the ceremony alone atone for one’s sins. However, the ceremony does shake one up a little.”

I should mention that the money or chickens that the members swing over their heads are then, at the conclusion of the ceremony, given discretely to the poor.

Again, adding to Torah? Seems as such.

This all being said, I am a firm believer that one should be cognizant of such traditions and belief systems so as to avoid falling into traps that only serve to draw one away from the Truth that is Torah and the teachings of Yeshua Messiah.

How to Keep Yom HaKippurim

The fullness of the Fall Feasts could not/would not be realized/understood until Yah’s Spirit, at the fullness of time, revealed their meaning (Gal. 4:1, 2). Father sets the time for the revealing. The revealing is not only universally realized, but individually as well. All we can do is obediently deliver Truth to this spiritually blind and deaf world in obedience to Master’s instructions (Matt. 28:19). The blood of the sin offering (Yah’s goat) symbolized the innocent, sacrificed, shed blood of Yeshua on Calvary’s execution stake (Joh. 10:11-15; see also I Pet. 3:18; Heb. 9:26; Tit. 2:14; Rom. 5:6,7). Yeshua is also represented by the Cohen Gadol (i.e., the High Priest) who administered the atonement procedure.

The prophetic summary of the Day of Atonement is contained in Hebrews 9:11, 12, 26; 10:1, 4, 9, 10, 12-14. This is one of a couple reasons Torah Observant Disciples of Yeshua Messiah must keep the Feasts of Yehovah. They remind us—we humans that are naturally forgetful creatures—of Yah’s goodness and provision so that we do not go a-whoring after other elohim (Exo. 34:15).

We are blessed with the knowledge and understanding of the Feasts, even Yom HaKippurim (at least in part). We cannot keep this Day in the fullness of its Torah rendering. The Temple no longer exists and animal sacrifices have been done away with. Fortunately, Yeshua Messiah took care of atoning for our sins once and for all. All that is now required of us is obedience to Yah’s instructions and the teachings of Master Yeshua.

Thus we keep Yom Kippur as we do the other annual Feasts of Yehovah—in Spirit and in Truth. We keep them to the best of our ability, taking into account the necessary elements of each Feast Day in accordance with the provisions written in Torah that we can reasonably meet today.

So how should we, then, keep the Day of Atonement?

The basic elements associated with keeping Yom HaKippurim are as follows:

  • Begin a full fast starting at sundown the 9th day of the 7th month (i.e., Tishri). Sustain that fast till sundown on the 10th day of Tishri.
  • Observe a complete day of rest whereby we do no servile, convocational or laborious work.
  • Treat the day as holy and sacred.
  • Participate in a holy convocation.
  • Pray and sing songs of praise to our Creator.
  • Read passages of Torah, the Prophets and the Brit HaDashaha (i.e., the New Testament).
  • If we have one available to us, blow the shofar at opportune times throughout the day.
  • If we have the opportunity, do good for others; bless others with whatever resources and talents we may have and as the Spirit leads.

Now, if we fulfill these basic requirements of the Day, the rest is up to the leading of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives. We give ourselves to keeping the day with all the zeal and joy and reverence we can muster. Yes, it’s a solemn day, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a glum day; a sad day; a dreadful day.

We’ve already received the victory in Yeshua Messiah. According to the Apostle John (aka, Yochanan) now are we the sons of Yehovah, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1John 3:2 KJV)

Yeshua’s sacrifice has nullified the requirement for animal sacrifices to atone for our sins. The worship of Yehovah, our Elohim, that once embodied and involved those animal sacrifices which are delineated throughout Torah, have been replaced with sacrifices of praise that come from us individually and collectively. The writer of the Book of Hebrews described this as such:

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Heb 13:15-16 KJV)

A psalmist wrote:

Psa 116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Yehovah.

My friends, have a blessed, and meaningful Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement. Celebrate and keep the Day in the power and might of our Father’s precious Holy Spirit.

Until next time, Shalom and blessings fellow saints.

Yom Teruah’s Greatest Truths and Mysteries (Revealed)

by | Sep 17, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

 

Yom Teruah’s Greatest Truths and Mysteries (Revealed)

 

Today I want to expand our understanding of Yom Teruah (aka The Day of the Blowing of Trumpets or simply the Day of Trumpets) from the day being just another one of the 7-annual Feasts of YHVH; just that of being the beginning of the 7th month and the Fall Feasts of Yah; from that of being a day symbolized by the blowing of Shofars; from that of being the beginning of the Jewish “Rosh Hashanah” or head of the new year—to that which is much greater in its scope and relevance to Messianics today.

Why Study Yom Teruah’s Truths and Mysteries?

And the reason we need to expand our understanding of Yom Teruah or the Day of Trumpets beyond the common, baseline, tradition-laden understanding of the day is because the deep and expansive spiritual and eschatological importance of the day is the thing that will help prepare us to receive and enter the Kingdom of Yah.

Don’t you want to enter Yah’s coming Kingdom? 

 The Confused Conventional Wisdom Surrounding Yom Teruah

 

The conventional wisdom that is commonly attached and observed as it relates to Yom Teruah today is so truncated; so marginalized; so immersed in tradition that the True Child of the Most High is left to observe the day as simply another biblically mandated feast with a smidgen of historic and eschatological significance attached to it. And with all the low-level understanding that is commonly associated with Yom Teruah today, the level of confusion and division that exists in our beloved Faith Community just continues to grow and grow.

Yeshua is indeed coming back for a remnant. And this mo’ed of Yah that we will be observing and keeping this coming weekend highlights our Master’s irresistible return to this earth as the conquering Messiah, where He will gather His elect from the 4-corners of this world unto Himself; set-up His kingdom in Yerusalayim; render judgment upon the nations of this world and restore paradise lost.

 

Dispelling the Confusion About Yom Teruah

 

Little is directly mentioned about Yom Teruah in scripture apart from the Torah instructions regarding the day. But the Bible does indeed provide us with a ton of obvious links to the meaning and importance of Yom Teruah. Additionally, Jewish writings and teachings and dare I say traditions, also lend greatly to our understanding of the relevance of Yom Teruah to Yah’s Elect and to End Times prophecy.

Those with eyes to see and ears to hear are today in priveledged positions to receive the Spirit and Truths about Yom Teruah that the rest of Yah’s human creation seems to not care at all about.

So let us delve into Yom Teruah’s Greatest Depths of Meaning for the Messianic, Yah’s Elect today.

 

The Feasts of Yah and Their Relevance to Yah’s Elect

 

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

 

 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am Yah, and there is none else; I am Elohiym, and there is none like me,  10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isa 46:9-10 KJV)

 

There are a small number of fundamental things that Messianics and Rooters learn quite early when they come to the knowledge of the True Faith once delivered. And one of those things is the importance of Yah’s set-apart days—Yah’s mo’edim-popularly referred to as the Feasts of Yah–to the life of the elect.

 

Yah’s elect do not view these set-apart days or feasts days as the world sees them—as uniquely Jewish festivals or holidays that have no bearing or relevance to Yah’s people. Instead, Yah’s people see these times in their proper biblical context:

 

For the law having a shadow (I.e., skia) of good things to come (Heb 10:1 KJV; cf. Colossians 2:17).

 

Thus, contained within Torah are “skia” or images, a sketch or outline of “good things that are to come into being.”

 

Contrary to fundamentalists’ thinking, Torah is not a laundry list of “does and don’ts” that YHVH gave to “the Jews” in order to keep them in order (which they were never able to keep) and to show the rest of us that we are of such a depraved nature that we are incapable of keeping Yah’s Ways and thus we need Yah’s grace through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. As true as bits and pieces of fundamentalists’ thoughts may be on this issue, their understanding of Yah’s Torah falls tragically short. For we know that Yah’s Torah constitutes a way of life that Yah requires His chosen ones to live and walk-out.

 

Embedded within Yah’s way of life—His Torah—are certain days—moedim—that Yah has declared as “sacred” or “set-apart days” that His elect are to keep and observe. These set-apart days, otherwise known as Feasts of Yah are Holy Convocations (I.e., miqra; sacred gatherings; rehearsals) that when kept in Spirit and in Truth rehearse good things that Yah has planned out for His human creation from the very beginning of time (Genesis 1:14).

 

These shadows or images were hidden in Yah’s Feasts so that hasatan would be unaware of Yah’s Plans for Salvation, Restoration and Redemption. For if hasatan had known beforehand the truths hidden in these set-apart days, he and his ilk would not have crucified the Master of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).

 

You see, the Feasts of Yah all point to the ministries of our Master Yeshua Messiah: His ministry as the “suffering redeemer/suffering Messiah” and His ministry as “the coming conquering King of kings and Master of masters.” In other words: The spring feasts picture the ministry of the “suffering Messiah” (with its intermittent and final fulfillments). Then the Fall Feasts picture the return of Yeshua Messiah, the gathering of the Bride, the establishing of the Messianic Millennial Kingdom here on earth, the judgment of the nations and the restoration of Paradise Lost and the Creator of the Universe dwelling with His people on a new heaven, earth and from a new Jerusalem.

 

And contrary to the erroneous and dangerous teachings and beliefs of the fundamentalists, Yeshua’s ministry here on earth did not bring an end to Torah-keeping by Yah’s people. In fact, Yeshua described the mission that was given to Him by His Father as clarifying and bringing the Law to its fullest potential (Matthew 5:17). And Master made it known that Torah would remain in effect for Yah’s people until Master hands over the Kingdom to His (our) Father (1 Corinthians 15:24) and Yah establishes a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21). Master said:

 

Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:18-20 KJV)

 

Somehow the fundamentalists have gotten this whole thing regarding Torah and Feast-keeping completely wrong: The Bride of Messiah will not be those who have chucked Torah to the side and in effect become lawless in their living, but instead are those that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Rev 14:12 KJV)

 

Bible belief always requires obedience. And Yah’s instructions (I.e., Yah’s Torah commandments and provisions) are given to all who desire to follow in His ways—to be His elect; to be His children. In fact, contrary to the beliefs and teachings of the fundamentalists (even Orthodox Jews) who vehemently assert that Torah and all its provisions and festivals and requirements are strictly for the Jews, we are led back to when Torah was first given to us at Sinai:

 

15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.  16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. (Num 15:15-16 KJV).

 

Is this clear? One Torah for “native” Israel and for the “sojourner” or “Gentile” if you will. Like the sojourners that attached themselves to Israel in the wilderness when Torah was given to us, we gentiles have been attached to Israel and are thus partakers of the covenants and provisions that have been handed down to Israel by our Heavenly Father. We are thus engrafted and are part and parcel of the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13; Romans 11).

 

 

Paul wrote to the assemblies at Colossae that they not be bothered nor discouraged by those who sought to criticize them in their walking out their Faith, especially as it applies to their keeping of the weekly Sabbath, the food laws and Yah’s set-apart days. For according to Paul, these are a shadow of things to come (Colossians 2:16-17).

 

So let the naysayers condemn us for our keeping of Torah and Yah’s set-apart days. For we know the importance of these days and we are well within our rights as engrafted members of the commonwealth of Israel to keep them; within our duty, being saints of the Most High acting in obedience to His Words; and within our steadfast desire to commune with, bless and glorify our Heavenly Father in Spirit and in Truth.

 

 

Biblical Understanding of Yom Teruah

 

Instructions regarding Yom Teruah is found in Leviticus 23:24-25 and it reads:

 

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (Lev 23:24-25 KJV)

 

When we break down the requirements for observing and keeping the day, we find the following five elements:

 

  1. It is to be a sabbath—a complete day of rest. Thus we are to rest on this day from all our labors as we do each weekly Sabbath.
  2. It is to be a memorial of blowing of trumpets and or of joyful shouting. The Hebrew word used for memorial is —zik-rone—a reminder; remembrance. The blowing of trumpets is the Hebrew word “teruah” which can also mean loud sounds made in either a joyous occasion or in victory or in warning. What is being memorialized in the blowing of trumpets? Scripture doesn’t not tell us directly. But we will discuss an interesting applications that may give us a clue as to what is to be memorialized later on in this discussion. Blast of Trumpets=Teruah. Also shouting and joy and praise and alarm (Psa. 47:1; 66:1; 81:1; 100:1). Teruah–Num. 10:5; 23:21; 1 Sam. 4:5; Job 33:26.
  3. We are to convene a holy convocation—a miqra—a reading; calling together; a sacred assembly; a rehearsal on this day.
  4. We are to perform no servile work on this day. Just as we perform no industrious work on the weekly Sabbaths, we are not to perform no such work on this set apart day.
  5. An offering by fire is to be made unto YHVH. 

We find in Leviticus 23 that Yom Teruah is not a pilgrimage feast. We know that the three pilgrimage feasts are: (1) Unleavened Bread (aka Feast of Matzah); (2) Shavuot (aka Pentecost); and (3) Sukkot (aka Feast of Tabernacles among so many other names)(Exodus 23:14, 17; Deuteronomy 16:16). These three pilgrimage feasts required that we actually travel to the place where that Almighty choses (Deuteronomy 16:16). Ultimately that place of pilgrimage became Jerusalem at Solomon’s and Herod’s Temples. However, with the destruction of the Temple by the Roman Army in 68-70 C.E., Yah’s elect for all intents and purposes no longer have such a place to pilgrimage to. Today, our bodies have replaced the once standing and operating Jerusalem Temples and we worship Yah, especially during the Feast, from wherever we are on this planet, in Spirit and in Truth (1 Corinthians 6:19; John 4:23-24). 

 

All sacrifices were rendered exclusively at the place where Yah chose to place His name. They were not to be performed anywhere other than either the Tabernacle or the Temple. Yah commanded:

 

5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:  6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: 7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee. (Deu 12:5-7 KJV)

 

Consequently, only the priests were to render sacrifices and offerings unto Yah at Yah’s appointed place, which was either the Tabernacle or the Temple. Lay folks were not permitted to render sacrifices and offerings unto Yah. So the commandment given in our focus passage here that an offering of fire be made unto Yah pertained exclusively to the priests of Yah. 

Yom Teruah is the only mo’ed that falls on the first of a new month and on the sighting of a renewed moon (Num. 10:10). 

 

The Rosh Hashanah Lie

 

One Torah teacher espoused in his discussion on Yom Teruah that “Tradition breeds reverence. It doesn’t trump scripture. It’s fun for historical reasons.”

 Jewish traditions play a huge role in Messianic understanding of Yom Teruah. In fact, many modern day Rooters and Messianics take their lead on the day (I.e., how they understand and keep the day) by observing Jewish Traditions related to Yom Teruah.

 

As interesting and enticing as Jewish Traditions may be to us, it behooves the well-meaning, set-apart Messianic to keep in the forefront of their minds the warnings put forth to us by our Rabbi Yeshua about Jewish traditions:

 

Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?…Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. (Mat 15:2-6 KJV)

 

Folks, when delving into Jewish traditions related to any of the Feasts of Yah, we must be uber careful that we discern within those traditions any elements that make Yah’s commandments of none effect. In fact, I did a teaching on various Jewish tradition trappings associated with Yom Teruah a couple years ago that I would encourage you to check out if you are  so led. This teaching will better alert you to things that our Jewish cousins have adopted in their keeping of Yom Teruah that are contrary to Torah.

 Because I am not one who promotes the keeping of Jewish customs and traditions in this ministry and on this program, my viewership and listenership is substantially less than those programs and teachers that promote Jewish traditions. These ministries amass more views and downloads than I ever could because folks are more interested in Jewish practices than they are the actual, unadulterated Word of Yah.

 

Now I’m not one to condemn those who choose to indulge in certain Jewish traditions: that’s a subject between Yah and that individual. I have no heaven or hell to put anyone into.

 

But I will say this: We are well advised to stick to what is written regarding Yom Teruah (Col. 2:8). There is a lot of following Jewish traditions when it comes to Yom Teruah. Yah is the One who deems a thing holy.

 

I get it: traditions feel good in the natural. They serve to bind us to a people. However, when traditions are weighed alongside Torah such that they run contrary to Torah, they serve to nullify or diminish the primacy of Torah. When traditions clash with Torah, they should stir questions in our spirit. 

 

Now, the only Jewish Yom Teruah tradition I will address here today is the tradition that places Yom Teruah as the head of Yah’s sacred calendar year. And this placing of Yom Teruah as the head of the Faith’s calendar year has resulted in this mo’ed (set apart day) being renamed Rosh Hashanah.

 

Rosh Hashanah literally means “Head of the Year,” and is thus treated as New Year’s Day in Judaism.

 

But how can Yom Teruah be Rosh Hashanah (the head of Father’s calendar year) when Father established the head of His biblical calendar year as the Month of Aviv (aka Abib) (Exodus 12:2; 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1)? As you may or may not know, Aviv always falls within the Gregorian Calendar months of March and April each calendar year.

 

Well, apparently this tradition of moving Yom Teruah to the beginning of the year, replacing Aviv 1 is a result of pagan influence and misreading Torah.

 

A great many bible scholars who have either unbiased, and to some degree biased feelings and viewpoints about this twisted tradition have pointed the finger of blame at Canaanite and Babylonian influences. It is proposed by these biased and unbiased scholars that Israel possibly added an additional calendar to the calendar handed down to them by YHVH in Torah. That added calendar is based upon Canaanite and Babylonian agricultural festivals and observances that place the head of their calendar year in the fall, during the planting season. You may come across mention in some writings of “Akitu” and other such pagan holiday observances as being the source or reason for the Rosh Hashanah tradition. But truth be told, there is a lot of debate and disagreement over this contention among scholars. Nevertheless, it is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that pagan influences fueled this change in Israel’s calendar.

 

The other influence is attributed to a misreading and or misinterpretation of Torah, whereby certain rabbis have taken passages such as Exodus 23:16 (I.e., “…and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in  thy labours out of the field) and Deuteronomy 14:23-28 (I.e., speaking about Sukkot, at the end of three years thou shall bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year) as proof that the end of and beginning of Israel’s calendar year is in the same month as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah. (My understanding of the manipulation of Father’s calendar by the rabbis is one of the main reasons I recently abandoned the prescribed Torah Portion system since the assigned Torah Readings are based upon the altered Hebrew calendar.)

The more liberal Jewish rabbis and Messianics will assert that Israel has received two-calendars: (1) Spring New Year=Nisan 1–Tribute/Religious Calendar (Festival Calendar), and (2) Fall New Year=Tishri 1–Civic and Agricultural Calendar.  

 

The other thing that comes to mind as it relates to this idea of possible pagan ties to the altering of the Creator’s original calendar has to do with the months of the sacred calendar year that was given to us by Father in His Word, with the exception of Aviv, having no names assigned to them. At some point in Judah’s history, pagan names were assigned to the months of the altered calendar. And some scholars have surmised that these names (e.g., Tishri, Elul, Nisan, etc.) are of Babylonian and Canaanite origin.

 

We find evidence of this in various ancient Jewish writings such as the Onkelos and Jonathon Targums (I.e., expansive versions of various books of the Tanach). These writings capture the thinking and practices of the ancients in the midst of their adding and taking away of Yah’s Word:

1 Kings 8:2 Targum Jonathon–“In the month which the ancients called the first month, on the festival, and at present it is the seventh month.”

 

As you can see, at the time the Jonathon Targum was written (~2 C.E.) the month of Tishri (what we know to be the 7th month) had become the 1st month of the Jew’s calendar year. 

 

Bottom line my friends, Rosh Hashanah cannot biblically be attached in any way to Yom Teruah. It is a Jewish Tradition that violates Torah teaching that Aviv 1 is the real head of Yah’s sacred calendar year. 

 

Jewish Writings Reveal Deep Spiritual Themes Attached to Yom Teruah

 

Not all Jewish traditions and thoughts are bad or anti-Torah in their making. Some traditions and thoughts are deeply spiritual in their application to and understanding of Torah. And the various titles that Jewish tradition and thinking have applied to Yom Teruah can, when put through the filter of Scripture, expand one’s understanding of what Yom Teruah means to Yah’s people.

 

Here are a few titles that have been applied to Yom Teruah by ancient Jewish writers. And I want you to keep in the forefront of your minds that these themes and concepts were written centuries before the Brit HaDashah was written.

 

  • Yom Teruah—Day of Trumpets Blast ( 29:1; 1 The. 4:13-17; Psm. 47).

 

  • Yom Hazikaron—Day of Remembrance—In Yom Hazikaron, the righteous Jew’s name is said to be inscribed in the Book of Remembrance, while the unrighteous’ names are scrubbed from the Book of Remembrance. 3:16-17; Lev. 23:23-25; Psa. 69:28; Dan. 12:1-2; Rev. 3:5; Luk. 10:18-20; Phil. 4:3; Heb. 12:23. Compare this ancient Jewish concept of Yom Hazikaron with Revelation 3:5: “They that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels.” Revelation 13:8: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (I.e., the Beast), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” And there are other Brit Hadashah references to the Book of Remembrance.

 

  • Yom Hadin—Day of Judgment. Daniel 7:9-10—Yom Teruah foreshadowing a time where the books will be opened and the Ancient of Days sitting in counsel judging those before Him.

 

  • Yom Hakeseh—Day of Concealment—Day of the Throne. 81.1-4 (Yom Teruah is the only Feast Day that falls on a new moon. This Psalms passage declares the blowing of the shofar in the new moon, in the time appointed, or in the full moon, which is “keseh” in Hebrew. “Keseh” means a concealed moon—such that the moon can not be seen by the naked eye just before the sliver of the renewed moon can be seen. The moon at this stage was considered to be concealed or “keseh.” According to Torah teacher Matthew Vander Els, the first century Sanhedrin made use of a calculated calendar (similar to one Judaism uses today) alongside their observational calendar (similar to what the Karaite Jews use today). When someone claims to have sighted the renewed moon, the Sanhedrin would confirm the observers’ claims by comparing and contrasting these two calendars. Keseh also meant throne. Blow your shofar at the new moon, the festival of the throne. The Targum of Psalms, 81:4—”Blow the horn in the month of Tishri, in the month in which the day of our festivals is concealed.” The LXX of Psm. 81:4—”Blow the trumpet at the new moon, in the glorious day of your feast.” The focus was on Yom Teruah. The gates and doors of heaven are said to be open beginning at Yom Teruah, closing at Yom Kippur. This time of the sacred calendar year would constitute 10-Days of Awe, an intimate time with Father. Psm. 24:7-10. The pre-1st century Jew saw these passages as representative of Yom Teruah. Rev. 4:1-4—the doors and gates of the Temple are open and trumpets blown to assemble the divine counsel to meet and to begin a time of judgment upon the unrighteous on the earth. This takes us back to Dan. 7. Psm. 47:1-5—Clap your hands all ye people—This can be seen as an enthronement ceremony. An enthronement ceremony such as that depicted in 2 Kin. 11:12, where the onlookers clapped their hands and declared “God save the king.”

 

  • Hayon Hashem—The Terrible “Day of the Lord.”

 

  • Zichron Teruah=Memorial of the blowing of trumpets—In Leviticus 23:24. The Hebrew word “Zichron” is sometimes translated as “memorial” or “remembrance.”

 

In Leviticus 23:23-25 we are commanded to blow trumpets and shout on this day. It’s to also be a day of remembrance, and as we mentioned earlier, we’re not told what is to be to remembered or memorialized.

 

Ancient Jewish thinking suggests that Yom Teruah is a day we are commanded by Yah to blow shofars and get Abba’s attention? It is a day, specifically, to get Abba to “pay attention” or to “remember His people.” Thus the thinking is that we shout and blow shofars and repent during Yom Teruah because we want YHVH to remember us: Lev. 26:40-42.

 

Shofar blowing is also linked to battle cries and warnings. And we know from scripture that Messiah will return with an “army to slay His enemies” (Revelation 19:11-16). Joel 2:1-17 prophesies of the alarm to be sounded for the coming Day of the Yah. 

 

As we mentioned just a moment ago, trumpet blowing is also linked to the enthronement of a king. We know that when our Master returns He will be coming “as the King of kings and Master of masters” with the shout of an archangel and resounding trumpet blast (1 Thessalonians 4:16). 

 

And Shofar blowing is linked to victory. This brings to mind the conquest of Yericho, where the people were commanded to shout and blow trumpets after the 7th circuit around Yericho on the 7th day of the siege of Yericho, resulting in the collapse of the walls of that city (Joshua 6:4-5).

 

In Temple times, when the renewed moon was sighted and verified in the 7th month in Jerusalem, at that moment the trumpet sounds and the fires are lit signaling the rosh chodesh and the start of the high sabbath, Yom Teruah. All work stops and Yom Teruah begins. The ancients described this annual event as occurring on a day and at an hour that no man knows. Compare and contrast this to Yeshua’s statement recorded in Matthew:

 

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. (Mar 13:32-33 KJV)

 

Of special relevance to Messianics, Judaism knows Yom Teruah as the Day of the Resurrection. Compare and contrast that to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

 

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1Th 4:16-17 KJV)

 

Traditionally in Judaism, Yom Teruah begins what is referred to as the “10-Days of Awe” (Yomim Nora’im), which of course leads directly into Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the sacred calendar year. The sounding of the shofar on Yom Teruah serves as a wake-up call to the observant Jew to “teshuvah” (I.e., return) to the commandments of YHVH. Thus these 10-days that are sandwiched in-between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur are supposed to be days of solemn, deep introspection. There is an urgent sense of repentance during this time.

 

Biblical Eschatological Applications to Yom Teruah

 

Many teachers in our Faith have taken a position whereby they will not surmise about eschatological events being tied to the Fall Feasts of Yah. Their position is that we must stick only to what’s written in the Book. Well, as wise as that thinking may be, it seems to me that when individuals who hold such thoughts keep the Feasts of Yah, their Spirit and Truth keeping of the Feasts is severely lacking. Indeed, as long as we resist the tug of making our eschatological links to the Feasts of Yah doctrinal, I believe Yah is quite pleased with us when we search out His Word for the spiritual attachments to His set-apart days that are outlined for us in His Torah.

 

We find in Leviticus 23:1-23 an outline of the Spring Feasts of YHVH. But in verse 24, Yah commands us to not harvest the outskirts of our fields, but to leave those unharvested sections of our fields for the Gentiles to glean. Then in verse 25 Yah goes into an outline of the Fall Feasts of YHVH.

 

Earlier we discussed that the Annual Feasts of Yah are shadows or depictions of good things to come. Another way of looking at this is found in the Hebrew term for “convocation,” which is “miqra.” Miqrah has been interpreted by many as “rehearsals.” When viewed from the perspective of convocations being rehearsals, the Feasts of Yah can be viewed as rehearsals of Yah’s glorious Plan of Redemption, Salvation and Restoration.

 

Thus from an eschatological perspective, is it conceivable that Yah’s commands that we leave portions of our fields unharvested be a foreshadowing of the provisions that Father has made in His Plan of Salvation, Redemption and Restoration for the Gentile? Are we now living under that foreshadowed provision that is depicted in this commandment? Why not? We know that Yah has indeed made provisions, as we discussed earlier, for us to be engrafted into the commonwealth of Israel.

 

So Yom Teruah embodies the gathering of the Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel. Yom Teruah also embodies the collecting of Yah’s elect from the 4-corners of the world:

 

Mat. 24:30-31—The collecting of Yah’s elect at the sound of the ram’s horn.

 

2 Thes. 2:1-17–The coming of Messiah as the conquering King and the gathering of the bride.

 

Yom Teruah also embodies the resurrection of the “dead in Messiah”:

 

1 Cor. 15:52—in a moment at the last trump, the trump will sound and the dead will raise imperishable and we shall be changed.

 

Yom Teruah is about making noise because of the enthronement of our King:

 

Revelation 19:9—The Marriage Supper of Messiah. (Cf. Revelation 19:16; 21:5—as our Master will be crowned King of kings and Master of masters.)

 

As was part of the mystery of Yom Teruah coming on a day and at an hour no man knows because it is a Day of Concealment, we are reminded the Day of Yah:

 

“…will come as a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:2).

 

Yom Teruah foreshadows Yeshua returning as the conquering King!

 

 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Mat 24:29-31 KJV)

 

Folks, this is literally the reason for the season.

 

1 The. 4:13-17—We have a hope and expectation.  This is the gathering where the bridegroom receives His bride and takes her to His Kingdom. The elements of this moment is that of a shout and the voice of an archangel and the blast of the shofar. The shaking from the noise that will be made from heaven when Yeshua returns is going to be jarring. Recall the assembling of the people at the foot of Mount Sinai?

 

Yom Teruah is supposed to be a joyous day. It’s the day the bridegroom comes for His bride. This is why we Messianics and Rooters celebrate the way we do. 

We’ve clearly seen depicted in the Apostolic writings where Yom Teruah is linked to the return of Messiah. That return will be marked by great “joy for Yah’s elect.” But for the enemies of Yah and the nations of this world, Yom Teruah is depicted as a time of “judgment” and sorrow and fear. 

 

From the modern Messianic perspective, when we factor in all that we’ve been discussing, we can clearly see that we are commanded by Father on Yom Teruah to make a lot of noise. This noise-making day is in a sense a rehearsal. It is a day where Yah’s elect rehearse the return of Mashiyach (I.e., Messiah) to this earth. And we know from scripture that Master’s return will be accompanied by shouts and shofar/trumpet blasts.

 

Yom Teruah Call to Action

 

So this is what I want you to do this coming Yom Teruah if you are so led and willing:

  1. If you get this message in time, purchase a shofar depending upon your budget and your confidence level in learning to properly (or as near as you can get) blow it. There are (not to be insulting) plastic children shofars that you can purchase that have a “gazzoo” type mechanism built into them that when blown, generate a sound similar to that of a ram’s horn that will suit the occasion just right.

 

  1. Pray, (and if you are so inclined and led) fast and study in the days leading up to Yom Teruah to prepare to receive the day when it arrives.

 

  1. If you’re working, see about getting the day off. If you’re not slated to work, make sure you have the day clear to dedicate the entire 24-hours to Yah.

 

  1. Keep your eye and mind on the calendar so that you are aware when the day arrives.

 

  1. Make a joyful noise unto Yah when the day arrives, throughout the day.

 

  1. Convocate with like-minded brethren on the day if possible. If possible, join a fellowship with like-minded brethren on the day. If you don’t have any opportunity to do so, contact me immediately and I’ll send you a link to an online fellowship Hilary and I will be participating in on Yom Teruah.

 

  1. Read associated scriptural passages throughout the day and meditate on his Word. Meditate on the themes of the Day such as teshuvah, resurrection, remembrance, enthronement, salvation, judgment, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, etc.

 

  1. Feast and celebrate the day with joy and passion, keeping in mind: 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Rom 13:11-14 KJV)

 

Have a blessed, powerful and meaningful Yom Teruah my friends.

Polygamy and the Bible–A Messianic Perspective

by | Sep 4, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

My Interest Piqued

In my studies of this past week’s Torah Reading, I was drawn to Deuteronomy 21:15-17. Many modern English bibles generally entitle this passage something akin to “The Right of the Firstborn.” That being said, this short passage really is about the birthright is to be given to a father’s oldest son. This mitzvah overrides any potential of the father favoring the younger son over the oldest son. Nevertheless, the issue of immediate interest to me in this passage the that this birthright commandment was given within the framework of polygamous marriage relationships. And my interest become piqued over the issue of polygamy and the bible.

So I asked myself: Does YHVH condone or prohibit elect from engaging in polygamy?

Polygamy–A Convoluted Subject

The bible’s treatment of the practice of polygamy is quite convoluted. On the one hand it appears evident that heterosexual monogamy was the only of marriage relationship practiced in the first-century kehila/ekklesia/church. On the other hand, it is evident that many of our Hebrew forefathers openly practiced polygamy without incurring the wrath of the Almighty. Why this obvious dichotomy? Furthermore, nowhere, apart from Paul’s writings, is there any condemnation of polygamy.

What then is Yah’s real position on His people engaging in the practice of polygamy? And how must we as set-apart disciples of Yeshua Messiah view the practice when we come across it?

By the end of this short discussion today, we will have answered these two questions.

The Torah Passage in Question

Again, our focus passage this evening is taken from Deuteronomy 21:15-17. It reads:

“If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have born him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved who is the firstborn. But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his” (ESV).

Modern Perceptions of Polygamy

I would think that it is a universally accepted understanding that polygamy is a rather outmoded/outdated/impractical, and even immoral marriage relationship. Therefore, it is a lifestyle that is only practiced by heathens remote parts of the world and by a handful radical Mormons in this country.  Scripturally, polygamy was practiced by a  handful of our Hebrew forefathers back in the day.

Consequently, both secular and religious segments of society have overwhelmingly disavowed and rejected polygamy. In fact, polygamy today is considered a crime punishable by imprisonment in most western countries. I would say that there exists an ingrained disdain for the practice among the western nations of the world.

Christianity and Judaism reject and disavow the practice. Despite both faiths’ rejection of polygamy, neither side can prove that the practice is prohibited in scripture.

Torah’s Stance on Polygamy Reveals to a Little Bit About the Mind of YHVH

As irrelevant as this subject may appear to you and me—such that it doesn’t have any bearing on our personal walk with Messiah—I believe this subject does reveal how Yah works with His people despite them engaging in certain activities that He may not endorse. Certainly it behooves each of us to understand and know how Yah’s Mind and Purpose work in relation to these types of issues and subjects.

Father Has Our Backs

And in our understanding of how Yah has and continues to work with His people under varying circumstances, we can walk out our Faith with a secure feeling and purpose. For we will come to recognize that Yah has each of our backs, despite what we may have done or been through in our lives.

So as odd as this may sound, convoluted issues such as polygamy has the potential of showing us how the mind of our Heavenly Father works. And regardless how foolish Yah’s people may have acted in their lives, Father has the ability to work with and through His elect’s missteps to fulfill His purpose and Will in the earth. Therefore, if we are going to walk out this Faith in grace and in victory, we definitely need to know how Yah sees such things.

Defining Polygamy

Let’s first define what polygamy.

Our English term “polygamy” is derived from the Greek term ”polygamia.” Polygamy is the practice of marrying multiple spouses.

As an aside, the term “polygyny” refers to a man who is married to multiple women. This, of course, is the most prevalent form of polygamy practiced throughout the world. The term “polyandry” on the other hand, refers to a woman who is married to multiple men. This form of polygamy is extremely rare. It has been confined to the remote peoples of the world such as the nomadic Tibetans of Nepal, parts of China and Northern India according to Wikipedia.

No Biblical Prohibition Against Polygamy

Biblically speaking, nowhere in scripture will one truly find where Yah either condemns nor condones the practice of polygamy. And this is a mystifying thing, especially when one understands the Creator’s original design and intent of the sacred institution of marriage. (See my YouTube teaching on Biblical Celibacy-Marriage-Divorce-Remarriage where I go into great detail describing the Creator’s original intent and purpose for marriage. Trust me: it’s nothing like that which you’ve all be taught in church.)

Father’s Original Intent and Purpose For Marriage

Father’s original design and purpose for marriage was for a single man and a single woman to come together in union—”echad”—for purposes of serving the Eternal and His kingdom as well as to procreate. And of course Yah’s original intent and purpose for the institution of marriage is clearly illustrated in the life story of Adam and Eve. The “Fall” in the Garden of Eden aside, scripture documents their story as being one of a lifelong monogamous.

The Creator’s Original Intent and Purpose For Marriage Must be Kept in Mind When Discussing Polygamy

From a scriptural perspective, polygamy must be looked at having Yah’s original purpose and intent for marriage and the ANE cultural norms and customs both in mind.

YHVH clearly permitted His people to engage in the practice of polygamy. However, under certain situations the practice was was forbidden:

(1) When marrying sisters (Lev. 18:18);

(2) In the case of kings accumulating multiple wives (Deu. 17:17);

(3) When it involved forsaking/mistreating/cheating on the wife of a man’s youth (Mal. 2:14-16);

(4) Such that it violated the original intent and purpose of marriage (Mat. 19:4,5; Mar. 10:2-8).

In the New Covenant, Apostolic writings, Paul held that overseers, elders and deacons of the congregation be monogamous (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Tit. 1:5,6).

Yah permitted and tolerated His people practicing polygamy (2 Sam. 12:8; Exo. 21:10; 1 Sam. 1:2; 2 Chr. 24:3).

Historically, polygamy was practiced by:

  • Lamech (Gen. 4:19);
  • Abraham (Gen. 16:1);
  • Esau (Gen. 26:34; 28:9);
  • Jacob (Gen. 29:30);
  • Ashur (1 Chr. 4:5);
  • Gideon (Jug. 8:30);
  • Elkanah (1 Sam. 1:2);
  • David (1 Sam. 25:39-44; 2 Sam. 3:2-5; 5:13; 1 Chr. 14:3);
  • Solomon (1 Kin. 11:1-8);
  • Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:18-23); etc.

Polygamy Fraught With Problems

Although Yah seemed to permit His people to practice polygamy, He recognized the practice was fraught with problems:

(1) Husband favoritism (Deu. 21:15-17), such as in the story of Jacob’s wives Rachel and Leah (Gen. 29:30; 30:15);

(2) Rivalry between wives such as in the case of Elkanah’s polygamous marriage to Hannah and Peninnah (1 Sam. 1);

(3) Resulting sibling rivalry as in the story of Rehoboam’s polygamous marriage (2 Chr. 11):

(4) Domestic unhappiness as seen in Abraham’s family (Gen. 16:1; 21:9-16); etc.  

The Earliest Mention of a Polygamous Relationship

It is unclear when the practice of polygamy began. The first hint or mention of a polygamous marriage is found in Genesis 4:19-23. It  reads:

“And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah…Adah bare Jabbal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle…his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, ‘Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt’” (KJV).

Any of Adam’s descendants from Lamech on back could have taken more than one wife. But this is not documented in Scripture. We know from some of the apocryphal books (e.g., Jubilees, Jasher and I Enoch) that men turned away from honoring and worshiping Yah within a few generations of the Cain and Abel incident. It would then seem that the practice of polygamy started to take hold within Lamech’s generation as the population of women had grown commensurate with that of the men.

Polygamy Beyond Lemach

It is quite conceivable that polygamy was widely practiced by succeeding generations leading up to Noah and the Great Flood. Scripture clearly documents that the state of the human heart had begun to turn away from Yah and His Ways. And it would seem pretty safe to conclude that the sacred institution of marriage suffered greatly in those dark days leading up to the Flood.

Despite man’s deplorable state leading up to the flood, scripture is clear that Noah and his three sons led monogamous lives. And since the flood ultimately wiped out all human life save Noah’s immediate family, polygamy could not—would not–have been an option for the four-men who entered the ark with their families to escape the flood.

Now, we know that Noah had a very close relationship with YHVH. In fact, Yah deemed Noah righteous in his generation (Genesis 6:9; 7:1; Hebrews 11:7). Moses recorded that Noah walked in Yah’s Ways such that Yah took exceptional note of him. Yah chose Noah and his family alone to save from the impending destruction.

Obviously, Noah’s walking in Yah’s Ways and living a righteous life included a clear understanding of Yah’s original intent and purpose for marriage. Consequently, it would seem reasonable to conclude that Noah trained his three boys, Ham, Shem and Japheth in Yah’s ways. And it would also seem reasonable to conclude that Noah’s teaching of Yah’s Ways to his sons included the Creator’s original intent and purpose for marriage.

As the sons went their own ways and began raising their own families in the post flood world, their understanding of the sacred institution of marriage should have been passed down to their descendants.

The Desperately Wicked Nature of Man’s Heart

Unfortunately, as scripture records, the heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). It seeks to pervert every thing that belongs to the Eternal. Consequently, within a few generations of Noah’s grandchildren, the practice of polygamy made its return to humanity.

Polygamy: a Perverted Marriage Construct of Man?

I would submit that it was not Father who introduced to either the pre-flood or the post-flood human race the practice of polygamy. The practice of polygamy was born out of the desperately wicked hearts and imaginations of men (Jeremiah 17:9).

Despite the practice not originating with the Almighty, and given that the practice is fraught with a great deal of strife for the involved family  unit, for whatever reason, Yah did not prohibit His chosen ones practicing it.

Yah’s Chosen Ones Engage in Polygamy

The first post-flood recorded incident of Yah’s chosen ones engaging in the practice of polygamy that we come across in scripture is the polygamous relationship that took place between Abram, Sarai, and Sarai’s handmaid, the Egyptian Hagar (Genesis 16).  And from that polygamous relationship came the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. These descendants to this day are sworn enemies one with the other. And we can clearly see from this and other examples throughout scripture that one of the common downsides to polygamy is internal and external family strife.

The Almighty Establishes Ground-Rules Around Polygamy

Thus we have laid out before us the holy institution of marriage created by YHVH that Yah’s human creation corrupted into something that deviates from the holy institution’s original purpose and intent. Yet, nowhere do we see in Yah’s eternal Word where he discourages it; where he prohibits it; nor where He instructs against it. In fact, Father in His Torah sets up rules by which His set-apart people are to live by as it relates to polygamous marriage relationships (e.g., Deu. 17:17; 21:15-17 25:5; and by extension all of the restrictions regarding sexual relationships between family members).

Scripture Shows that Strife is a Natural Byproduct of Polygamy

Father not only recognized that polygamy challenged the fundamental tenets of His sacred marriage institution, but that it also had the huge potential of introducing strife into Yah’s people’s homes and family structures. Examples of this strife are seen in the stories of the patriarchs as we’ve discussed above.  

The Great Conundrum Involving the Father and Polygamy

So given that which we’ve discussed up to this point, the Elect of Yah on the one hand is left wondering why the Almighty didn’t just ban the practice altogether, from the beginning? That’s on the one hand. But on the other hand, the Elect of Yah is also left wondering: if Yah sanctions polygamy (despite it’s potential for internal and external family strife), why didn’t He simply instruct His people to adopt it as a viable marriage option?

Is Our Torah Passage Indicative of the Creator’s Endorsement of Polygamy as a Viable Marriage Option?

Some within and without our Faith Community contend that our focus passage, along with other related passages, is indicative of Yah’s endorsement of polygamy. But is this indeed the case? 

According to an article I came across on www.chabad.org, the unnamed author states that Yah does not in anyway deem polygamy, when practiced within the rules He established in His Torah, a sin. However, according to this writer, Yah does not encourage polygamy as an acceptable marriage lifestyle either. Why? Simply because it is tempered with much trouble for all parties of the polygamous relationship.

The article goes on to state that the practice of polygamy in ancient Israel was rare. The requirements that were placed on the man who would dare take on the practice of polygamy were significant, such as the husband being required to see to the individual needs of each of his spouses without fail.

Torah Does Not Forbid Polygamy

Torah does not forbid a man from having multiple wives. For example Avraham, Jacob, David and Solomon (just to name a few) were all polygamists. And despite the inherent problems associated with polygamy, Father did not prohibit His people from engaging in the practice.

Just Because The Almighty Didn’t Prohibit Polygamy Doesn’t Mean it’s a Prudent Thing to Engage In

From a New Covenant and Apostolic Writings standpoint, I’m reminded of Paul’s sage advice to the Corinthians and Romans that can be applied to the question of Yah’s people engaging in the practice. Paul wrote:

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not (I.e., don’t build one up)” (1 Cor. 10:23; KJV).

And in Romans 14:19, the apostle wrote:

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

 

In the Corinthian passage the application is simply: although Father may permit one to take on a polygamous marriage, it doesn’t mean that it’s a wise enterprise to engage in. The key element in this Romans passage being “those things which make for peace in one’s life.” The polygamous lifestyle does not make for a peaceful lifestyle. In fact, more times than naught, it leads to varying degrees of strife.

The Rabbis Step In and Ban Polygamy

Rabbi Gershom ben Judah (aka the “Light of the Diaspora” and Rabbeinu Gershom; c. 960-1040), a renown Talmudist and Halakhist, banned polygamy as a marriage practice in Judaism well over a millennia ago. That ban was accepted as law by all Ashkenazic Jews. Interestingly, this ban was rejected by Sephardic and Yemenite Jews.

Now, this ban was enacted for a number of reasons, the least being the requirement that husbands were required to provide their wives with individual residences. This of course would place a significant financial hardship on most individuals, which would of course introduce into the polygamous relationship added financial and relational problems.

Exceptions to the Hebraic Polygamous Rule

Despite polygamy not being the norm under Rabbinic Judaism, interestingly enough, there were a couple of instances where polygamy was viewed favorably by the Rabbis:

1. The barren state of the first wife might necessitate a second wife to provide the husband children in which to carry on the family name.

2. For monarchs where polygamy might serve as a means of alliance building for the Jewish state (as was the case with King Solomon).

3. Levirate Marriages as mentioned in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, whereby a brother-in-law marries his childless, widowed sister-in-law for purposes of producing children to carry on the diseased brother’s name. The example of Tamar and Ruth provide some degree of support for this form of polygamous relationship.

Strange Hebrew Roots Sect Encourages Polygamy/Polygyny

Strangely enough, I recently came across a Messianic ministry out of Florida, by the name of “Your Arms of Love to Israel International Ministries,” where the leader of the group, through a voluminous series of teachings, advocates polygamy for Yah’s people.

According to the group’s website, the group’s leader is:

“Is a pioneer in the restoration and mainstream acceptance of Torah marriages, as either heterosexual covenant monogamy or polygyny. Sholiach (Hebrew title for a Hasidic apostle) was used to restore the correct understanding of such misunderstood concepts as sexual permissions and forbidances based solely on Torah terms apart from man’s traditions and religious perversions.”

I took a handful of minutes out of my life (which I’ll never recover mind you) and listened to one of this gentleman’s messages advocating polygamy as a marriage option for Yah’s Elect. And the overriding reason that the so-called Sholiach advocated polygamy in that video for Yah’s people is because monogamy as a traditional marriage option is not taught nor mentioned in scripture. Specifically, the term or concept of monogamy is not mention in scripture according to this gentleman; nor is monogamy the original intent for the institution of marriage. In another video, Sholiach stated that YHVH is a polygamist Himself.

The Other Side of the Coin Regarding Polygamy

And then you come to the other side of the coin regarding the question of polygamy where organizations such as 119 Ministries teach a doctrine that Yah outright prohibited polygamy. 

119’s primary scriptural proof passage for this doctrine is Leviticus 18:18 which reads:

“Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time” (KJV).

Now the conventional understanding of this verse, both within and without our Faith Community, is that men were prohibited from marrying literal, biological sisters; I.e., siblings. But 119 sees Yah prohibiting not just the marrying of biological siblings, but the marrying of multiple women altogether.

119 asks: Does “sister” here mean any women or actual siblings? Or is Father prohibiting polygamy outright whereby sister is a generic reference to womanhood or a sisterhood?

The organization goes to great lengths to expound upon the Hebrew word used for “sister” in this verse. 119’s conclusion is that the Hebrew term for sister used in this verse is an idiomatic term for sisterhood and not literal sisters/siblings.

I found the following commentary on this verse by Matthew Henry to be quite helpful:

“That article (v. 18) which forbids a man to take a wife to her sister supposes a connivance (I.e., willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing, especially an immoral or illegal act. In other words, there is an intent to incite jealousy in the first wife)at polygamy, as some other laws then did (Exod. xxi. 10; Deut. xxi. 15), but forbids a man’s marrying two sisters, as Jacob did, because between those who had before been equal there would be apt to arise greater jealousies and animosities than between wives that were not so nearly related. If the sister of the wife be taken for the concubine, or secondary wife, nothing can be more vexing in her life, for as long as she lives.”

Putting the concern that such a marriage would potentially vex the first wife aside, this verse is located in a section of Torah forbidding sexual relationships with family members who are not a man’s wife. So from a contextual standpoint, 119’s position that this verse is an overall prohibition against polygamy is a bit off and is stretching the interpretation of this verse a bit too far.

Polygamy is Fraught with Problems

I will, however, agree with 119 that Torah and the rest of Scripture seem to highlight the disastrous relational and spiritual consequences polygamy naturally brings to a household.

Polygamy disappeared from Israel after the Babylonian Exile according to commentary on our focus passage in J.H. Hertz Torah and Haftorah; pg. 932. And the reason given by Hertz for polygamy’s demise within the nation of Israel is because the practice naturally leads to strife. 

I believe that Father did not care at all for the practice of polygamy. However, given man’s selfish nature and hardheartedness as Yeshua stated in Matthew 19, like the act of divorce, Yah permitted His elect to engage in the practice. However, knowing the problems that are germane to the polygamous lifestyle, Father wisely placed regulations around the practice in order to maintain peace in that family’s structure.

Western Practices of Polygamy Going Beyond the Biblical Understanding of Polygamy

Apart from rare incidents of polygamous marriages in extreme sects of Mormonism, the practice of multiple people having consenting relationships one with another remains very much alive in 2020 Western society. The term popularly used to describe such relationships today is “polyamory” or “polyamorous relationships.” In fact, there exists a thriving polyamory community in the West. And although these may not be legal marriage unions, the community contends that these are nonetheless committed relationships as any monogamous marriage would be. Consequently, there are many variations and levels of partner participations in these types of relationships.

Polyamory and polygamy (also known as plural marriages) are illegal across the United States. To be more precise in our terminology, “polygamy takes place when only one person is married to more than one partner, whereas polyamory tends to encompass a broader range of people involved with one another” (Joshua Bote; USA Today; 2/14/2020—”What you need to know about polyamory—including throuples—but were too afraid to ask”). And of course, there’s a lot of terminology associated with polyamory that makes the whole issue a rather convoluted one. Despite the somewhat vague differences, however, both polygamy and polyarmory involve multiple relationship partners, all within a so-called committed relationship. 

It should be mentioned that mainstream Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or LDS) no longer practice polygamy. However, there are rare instances of LDS “splinter sects” that do practice polygamy. Also there are sects of Muslims, Wiccans and certain Liberal Christian groups (people.howstuffworks.com/about-polygamy.htm) that defy the laws against polygamy and engage in plural marriage relationships. Mormons who refused to abandon polygamy were supposedly excommunicated from the LDS Church.

Julia Layton, who posted an article on this subject on https://people.howstuffworks.com, places the number of practicing polygamists in this country somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000. Such groups appear to dwell in small communities in the west. 

Closing Thoughts and Reflections on the Subject of Polygamy

So why should we care about polygamy as an elect of Yah? I think that we all can agree that most of us will never knowingly come across instances of polygamy in our respective day-to-day walks with Messiah. But all things considered, we will from time to time run across this issue of polygamy in our reading and study of scripture. And when we do run across those instances of polygamy in our reading and study, we have to understand what Father is trying to convey to us regarding those instances.

Yah allows His people to do certain things while prohibiting His people from doing other things. The reason why he allows some things but not others may or may not be apparent to us at the time. Torah tells us:

“The secret things belong to YHVH our Elohim, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deu. 29:29).

Father Permits His People to Engage in Certain Things That May Not Be Best For Them

The reason why Abba permits His people to engage in problematic practices such as polygamy and slavery, just to name two, is not always understood by us. But what we can understand from Yah permitting such problematic acts is a grander purpose that is associated with YHVH’s Plan of Redemption, Restoration and Redemption.

Yah’s Purpose and Will

I believe this understanding certainly applies to the ancient’s practice of polygamy. I have no proof of this, but it would seem by the way Father framed the practice of polygamy throughout His word, that He was not a fan of polygamy. However, because of man’s Yah-given free will, Father allows man to do what he wants within the confines of His creative order, purpose and will. Unfortunately, when left to his own devices, man will often reap the negative consequences of their actions, such as marital strife that is common to polygamous relationships.

But Yah has this uncanny way of making lemonade out of lemons and we see this played out over and over throughout His Word; especially in regards to the issue of polygamy.

Polygamy Versus the Original Institution of Marriage

YHVH created the institution of marriage to be a union between a single man and a single woman. It was intended for a single man and a single woman to come together as one entity (i.e., “echad”). This coming together as a echad unit was for purposes of serving and working for Yah and His Kingdom and for procreation.

Unfortunately, man being the mischievous soul that he is, seems to always find new and innovative ways to pervert the Creator’s original intent and purpose for things. Some things Yah will permit/allow such as polygamy and slavery, while other things such as homosexuality and adultery He does not tolerate because they cross the established line of His creative order, will and purpose,

The Sovereignty and Ways of Yah

Yah is sovereign indeed. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8). Yet He is willing to share his ways and thoughts with His elect. It then falls to His elect to learn what He will and will not tolerate from His people and do that which He commands.

And by chance if we’ve done something in our lives that runs contrary to Yah’s Ways, Father is more than willing to forgive us of all unrighteousness and transgressions if we but repent and sin no more.

Yah Can Make Things Right

Regardless what we’ve done in our lives, Yah can make it right if we are simply willing to turn to Him and die to self. He will take whatever bad things have emerged out of what we’ve done in our lives, and work them out in accordance with His Will and Purpose. Despite all the problems that emerged out of all the polygamous relationships portrayed in Scripture, Father was more than able to bring His beloved Son into this world and through His Son’s ministry bring about salvation, restoration and redemption to His people.

Polygamy is not a sin when practiced within the confines of Yah’s Eternal Torah. Like so many things in life, polygamy is not the ideal lifestyle for either the man or woman of Yah. As we’ve discussed, it is fraught with problems. Nevertheless, despite what some Messianic Ministries may be teaching to the contrary, polygamy is illegal in this country. And that’s a good thing I would say.

The Messianic’s View on Polygamy

How should we then process and view the ancient practice of polygamy? Simply that it was a marriage relationship practice that was not Father’s original plan for marriage; that it was born out of man’s tendency to mess with Yah’s creative order. Nevertheless, Yah’s eternal Will and Plan for His elect prevailed despite the many disastrous things that occurred as a result of His people having engaged in polygamy over the centuries. Beyond this, the practice has no place whatsoever in an elect’s life. If anything, the record that Scripture provides us regarding polygamy should serve as an encouragement for us to cherish and respect the monogamous marriages we currently have with the spouses Abba blessed us with. And we should do so to the glory and honor of YHVH, our Elohim.

So let us take stock in our current monogamous marriages and strive to live out the ideals and standards for marriage that Father established for His human creation from the beginning? With YHVH as our “echad” focus, let us love, cherish and minister to our spouses accordingly, being ever so willing to die to self in the service of Yah and the spouse of our youth.

Shalom and Blessings to You Fellow Saints in Training.

 

 

 

 

 

Picking Up and Moving Forward With TMTO

by | Sep 2, 2020 | Podcasts

Update on TMTO (Special post without any fanfare and promotion)–Where we are today and where we’ll be going.
 
  • Discontinuing Live-Stream and Why.
    • The failure of the Livestream.
    • Non-committal group of individuals. 
    • Newsletter failures.
    • Loss of focus on the original purpose and goal of TMTO
    • Forgetting my audience–focus on getting back to our core work.
  • Return to the original, overall Focus:
    • What caused this change?
      • Changes to my understanding of the sacred calendar.
      • Failure of the Livestream in the midst of so many online ministries that are focused on Messianic Judaism.
    • Yeshua-centric Torah Living and our Kingdom Destination.
      • Being an exceptional disciple of Yahoshua Messiah. Torah-living is crucial to our making it into the Kingdom. Unfortunately, many end up focusing on Torah as the end all to be all, but never truly realizing the existential impact that Torah must have on each individual’s life beyond the rote letter of Torah (remember, the letter of Torah kills but the Ruach of Torah gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). And this is the life that our Master came to bring us is it not (Joh. 10:10)?
        • People are looking for rote–drawn-out pathways to walking out their Faith.
        • Many ministries circumventing Yeshua altogether in their dividing of the Word of Yah.
        • Yeshua and his Apostles gave us the Spirit of how our Faith is to be walked out. 
      • Pulling back on Torah, Torah, Torah focus and Rabbinic influences to our Faith (e.g., Torah Portions–whereby Torah has all but become secondary to the Torah Portion system).
        • Instead, focusing on Yeshua’s teachings on Torah principles and how those things prepare us for the coming Kingdom of Yah.  
      • This is not a fellowship or congregation or church, but a resource for day-to-day walking out of our Faith.
  • Ministry Elements:
    • Podcasts and Blogs and other content designed to inform, exhort, equip and bless the Body of Mashiyach.
      • Looking also to add guests to our show’s content that fit within the paradigm and focus of TMTO.
    • Explore avenues for evangelism of our Jewish and Christian cousins.
    • Engage you the audience.
    • Shorter–More Content Packed–Timely Posts. (Missed opportunities–confused focus.)
    • More personal posts–thoughts and reflections–sharing my day-to-day walk with you–sharing my studies–my experiences.
      • Engaging guests with their experiences and perspectives
      • News
  • Constantly evolving as the Spirit leads and as the needs of our Community are identified we will respond in the appropriate, Ruach-led manner. 
    • Invitation to share this journey with me and fellowship with me as we walk this journey together in Faith, Obedience, Love and Grace. 
  • Thanks to all of you who have stood by this ministry over the years. Stand-by and prepare for what’s coming ahead.
    • Please pray for us as we re-adjust and re-focus
  • Shalom and Blessings

 

The Righteousness of God Revealed From Faith to Faith—Its True Meaning and Reality for God’s People

by | Aug 20, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Today’s discussion is entitled, “The Righteousness of God Revealed From Faith to Faith—Its True Meaning and Reality for God’s People.” 

Why The Church Loves This Romans 1:17

Fundamentalists; traditionalists; and evangelicals absolutely love this passage. Why? Because according to these and their hyper-grace teachers, preachers and ministers, this passage is one of a handful that certifies Torah-keeping and living the set-apart lifestyle that we in the Messianic Faith walk out each and every day, has been done away with. Why do they believe that Torah-living is not something the redeemed of Christ should be doing? Because according to these, all one needs is God’s grace and faith to be in God’s good graces and to receive eternal life. Right? So there’s no need nor room in a believer’s life for Torah-keeping or Torah-living or the like. In fact, if you keep any part of Torah, you’ve fallen from grace because the one who keeps Torah has put their Faith in Torah as opposed to putting their Faith in God for their salvation.

As we’ve spoken about many times on this program, these vehemently hold to a “once saved always saved;” “just as you are; “free to live as you choose;” repeat after me “sinners prayer-based” salvation that has for all intents and purposes drawn countless millions down a road to destruction throughout the centuries.

Yet Again Paul is Falsely Accused of Spiritual Crimes he Didn’t Commit

And of course, the Apostle Paul is the one who stands falsely accused of being the architect for this mainstream Torah-less life of faith that so many have come to put their trust and eternal security in. And this is most unfortunate. It’s most unfortunate for a great many reasons; the least of which is that the truth of this matter is readily accessible to anyone who comes to Yah in faith having a pure heart, a contrite spirit, eyes to see and ears to hear, a teachable spirit; and a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Unfortunately today, it would seem that the Church Triumphant has stripped these character traits away from the would-be Child of Yah.

Many Are Misled By the Church’s False Interpretation of this Passage

Sadly, given the conventional wisdom as it relates to living lives consistent with Paul’s teachings, especially passages such as the one we’re looking at this evening—Romans 1:17—the chance of one actually having that special relationship with the Almighty, the life abundant and inclusion in the coming Kingdom of Yah is certainly a questionable one. Why would I say such a thing? Simply because the false conventional wisdom of the Church Triumphant naturally leads its members astray under the false pretense of religion. People are thus conditioned to place their trust and eternal security in the teachings, doctrines and traditions of the Church as opposed to placing their trust and eternal security in YHVH and His Son Yahoshua HaMashiyach. So the Church’s members follow the instructions and commandments of their denomination and religion and not the instructions and commandments of their Creator.

I Never Knew You Will Be the Result Far Too Many Will Hear in the End

What did Master teach regarding this very thing as it relates to the End Times?

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Master, Master, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? ‘And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22, 23; ESV).

Why should such a heart wrenching thing have to happen to any would-be believer in Messiah when the Bible clearly tells the would-be believer who he/she must follow and believe?

I’ll tell you why? Because people have itching ears that cause them to accumulate unto themselves teachers that suit their own passions and that turn them away from listening to the truth and to wander off into myths (2 Timothy 4:3, 4; ESV). The human soul is naturally rebellious towards the things and ways of the Most High. It has a hardened heart that prevents the would be believer from willfully following in the Ways that Father has prescribed in His Word for His Elect to keep and walk-out. Therefore, for most individuals in the world, apart from one adopting atheism or some religion other than Christianity, the Church is the most appealing option for them because it does not require its members serve Yah, but instead, serve themselves and serve the organization.

 The Normative Value of Romans 1:17

The central truth that the Apostle Paul was attempting to convey to his Roman readers here in this passage is a normative one. The central truth of Romans 1:17 is normative because it applies across the board to any person seeking a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe and whose ultimate goal it is to enter the Kingdom of Yah. For in these two-verses, two of the greatest components of a would-be believer and follower of Messiah’s life are discussed: righteousness and faith.

Faith and Righteousness Are Crucial for Salvation and Relationship With the Almighty

The truth of the matter is that without both “righteousness” and “faith,” none of what we’ve been talking about is possible.

Interestingly, the so-called Christian and his “Torah-focused” counterpart, firmly believe they have the faith and the righteousness all checked off on their list of requirements for salvation. The Christian believes that he/she has salvation because they possess a cognitive understanding that Jesus existed and that He died for their sins and because of Christ’s sacrifice, salvation requiring “righteousness” has been inputted (I.e., granted; applied) to them. And because of this gift or because of God’s grace, nothing more is required of them in order for them to receive eternal life. So for all intents and purposes, these live a lawless life.

The Torah-focused-soul, on the other hand, believes in the centrality of keeping Torah and in many cases Talmudic traditions and laws. These see their righteousness coming from their keeping and walking out of Torah with no true acknowledgment of God’s grace being applied to their life-situation.

Both sides’ understanding of this and other similar Pauline passages are unfortunately living out their faith in great error. And if any of us happen to be living out our faith under one of these error-ridden situations, well, hopefully, after this discussion we will be in a better position to assess our respective spiritual lives and make the necessary adjustments to our understanding and walk. For without faith, it is impossible to please Yah. And without being in a right-standing relationship with our Creator, there is no chance for one to enter the Kingdom of Yah. It’s just that simple.

 

Recognizing True Biblical Saving Grace

 

Despite what the religious mainstreamers may say Romans 1:17 means to today’s believer, the reality of what this verse should truly mean to Yah’s set-apart people requires one to be able to recognize what true, biblical saving faith consist of, and what Abba requires of all people to receive His gift of salvation. And once we understand what the Bible truly says about these critical things, we will be well equipped to accurately interpret our focus passage.

 Begin Unpacking the Focus Passage

 

Our focus passage reads as follows:

 

For therein (Paul is contextually speaking about the Gospel here) is the righteousness of Yah revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).

 

According to Paul, the Gospel (which we learned from verse 16), has the absolute power to bring people to salvation. Whether we realize it or not, unconverted people are in a depraved and desperate situation. Because of sin, every man, woman and child is ultimately destined for eternal damnation. Only Yah’s Gospel has the power and wherewithal to deliver the unconverted person from their hopeless state on over to eternal life.

 Yah’s Righteousness Revealed in the Gospel

Thus the Gospel, in addition to its power to save people, reveals Yah’s righteousness to the world.

 

How does the power that is contained in the Gospel save people? Well, the power the Gospel contains is that which makes the unconverted person righteous in Yah’s sight. And because righteousness is a requirement for salvation, there is no other means by which a person qualifies for salvation. People, however, are naturally incapable of turning to Yah on their own to receive this required righteousness. For the ways and means of Yah seem or appear foolish to people. Of this very thing, the apostle wrote:

 

“For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of Yah” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

 The Carnal and the Converted

The problem is not that people aren’t capable of understanding who Yah is. Neither is the unconverted incapable of understanding just how desperate their eternal life situation is. For the unconverted person generally recognizes that there is a Creator out there who holds the power of all creation in His hands. These also recognize that they have no control over what happens to their souls when they die. Thus there is a very real fear of death and the grave that is implanted in every person. And the only hope people have for life beyond this life is found only in the power of the Creator of the Universe to reverse death and make one an eternal being. 

 

The problem is that people on their own are incapable of truly turning to Yah because their hearts are “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Master described the nature of the wicked heart as such:

 

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23). (Recall that Yah does not tolerate impurity or defilement in His Holy presence. So a defiled person as Yeshua mentioned here can never have a relationship with YHVH unless he/she makes the critical decision to accept the Creator’s provision for making them pure so that they may have that relationship with their Creator.)

 

Paul informed the Corinthian Messianics the following regarding unconverted peoples’ eternal situation:

 

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Yah? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of Yah” (1 Corinthians 6:9).

 

Indeed, only the righteous will be admitted into the Kingdom of Yah:

 

“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” (Matthew 13:43).

 

 The Wicked Heart is Incompatible With the Holy and Righteousness Nature of God

The wicked heart is incompatible with the holy and righteous nature of YHVH. Because of peoples’ wicked, unconverted hearts, it is then impossible to have a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe nor will they receive eternal life. That is, it is impossible for one to have such a relationship with the Almighty outside the provisions that the Creator made to address the wicked heart and nature of people. And that provision that addresses the unconverted heart and making one righteous before YHVH is founded in the Gospel that Yeshua and Paul taught and preached.

 The Gospel Can Change the Wicked Heart of the Unconverted

One of the provisions contained in the Gospel is Yah’s power to change the wicked heart of people. This is all accomplished exclusively through the preaching of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21):

 

“For Yah’s wisdom ordained that the world, using its own wisdom, would not come to know Him. Therefore Yah decided to use the ‘nonsense’ of what we proclaim (I.e., the instrument of preaching the Gospel of Yah) as His means of saving those who come to trust in it.”

 

Thus, Yah brings that crucial change to people’s hearts through the instrument of the preaching of the Gospel.

 The Power of Preaching the Gospel

So the preaching of the Gospel has the immense power to save people. That power that is contained within the Gospel of Yah that brings one to a right-relationship with the Creator of the Universe is the same power that brought creation into existence and raised our Master from the dead and that will also transform Yah’s Elect into glorified spirit-beings. And also contained within that Gospel Message is the righteousness of Yah. The righteousness of Yah, according to Paul, is an essential element to one’s salvation.

Discerning Greek Righteousness from Hebrew Righteousness 

What does Paul mean by the “Righteousness of Yah?” Righteousness means to be “right” or “accepted.” The righteousness of Yah in the Greek is “dikaiosune gar Theos.” The Greek meaning of “dikaiosune” (I.e., righteous/righteousness) is somewhat watered down when compared to the Hebrew term for righteous/righteousness which is “Tzedek.” Tzedek speaks to actions that fulfills God’s-given obligations in the Torah,” or “the demands of a particular relationship.” In other words, the Hebrew term Tzedek is more of an action word than simply a state of being. More so, the Greek concept of righteous or righteousness suggests that one is found to be in an acceptable, proper or right state as it relates to established rules or expectations. The Hebrew concept of righteous/righteousness, on the other hand, suggests that because one finds themselves in an acceptable, proper or right state, he or she will naturally conduct themselves according to the expectations or established rules of whatever Person is in charge.

 

Tzadik speaks to individuals whose conduct and character conform to the administration of justice, or refer to one’s particular status within the community; I.e., innocent or justified. In so being innocent or justified, the Tzadik conducts him/herself accordingly.

 How is God’s Righteousness Revealed in the Gospel?

So the questions that must be asked as it relates to Paul’s statement that Yah’s righteousness is revealed in the Gospel: Is Paul writing about Yah’s righteous character? Is Paul referring to one living a righteous life here on earth that imitates the righteousness of Yah? Or is Paul referring to one’s “right standing before Yah;” that being what is popularly referred to among Christian scholars as an “inputted righteousness;” that being Yah unilaterally assigns or awards a state of righteousness or right standing to the unconverted individual? Unfortunately, this is where it gets a little confusing for some, especially confusing for those who have not been able to give up the Christian-based anti-Torah doctrine.

 Righteousness as a Descriptor

 

The righteous or righteousness that the apostle writes about here, when used as an adjective—that which describes a person, speaks to the saved individual “having been acquitted of guilt by the court of heaven” (Tim Hegg; Romans Commentary). In this sense, Yah has conferred upon the saved person a “righteous” standing. That “righteous standing” leads to a righteous character through the lifelong sanctification process. Remember we just talked about the Hebrew concept of righteous and righteousness being an action word: the righteous status of the individual being naturally leads the converted into a life of obedience and Godly character. Recall also back in verse 5 (I.e., our discussion entitled “Obedience of Faith”) that we expounded upon the apostle’s calling to be the apostle to the Gentiles whose purpose was to bring Gentiles into an obedience of Faith. In other words, Paul’s preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles was intended to bring them, through the power of the Gospel, to a right-standing with YHVH, and by virtue of them coming in to that righteous standing before YHVH, they would natural begin walking out Torah in obedience of their faith profession.

 Imputed Righteousness

 

The “Righteousness of Yah” as mentioned here in our focus passage simply means that Yah, through the atoning work of His Son Yahoshua HaMashiyach, which is all contained in the Gospel of Yah, has appointed or assigned a status of “righteous” or “righteousness” upon those who believe in the Gospel Message. And as a result of one’s belief in the Gospel Message—the work of Yeshua Messiah—Yah’s ability to save him/her—the redeemed individual receives in place of their death-sentence an acquittal because the Creator has deemed them righteous because of their Faith in Him. The simple act of turning one’s life over to the Creator of the Universe is all that is required to receive right standing before YHVH our Elohim. There is absolutely nothing that people can do on their own to receive that critical/crucial righteousness that is required for eternal life and entry into the Kingdom of Yah. This is a gift—grace—Yah’s unmerited favor—originating from the Creator of the Universe down to any human who is willing to turn their lives over to Him:

 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Yah” (Ephesians 2:8).

 Where Does Torah-Keeping Come In?

So where does Torah-keeping come into play in relation to one becoming righteous in the sight of Yah because of one’s faith in the Creator and the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua Messiah? Well, the righteousness that Paul is writing about—that righteousness that has been inputted to the person who through Faith turns their lives over to Yah–then naturally begins living a Godly life. The very principles of what living a Godly life is supposed to look like is found in Torah and in the teachings and example of Yahoshua Messiah. Any other lifestyle one would seek to live apart from Torah and the teachings and example of Yeshua Messiah is incompatible with the Ways and desires of YHVH. Peoples’ ways are simply incompatible with the Ways of Yah:

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, saith YHVH. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

 

So the converted person is compelled to adopt and walk out Yah’s ways in their lives, contrary to what the Fundamentalists teach. Although salvation can never be earned through the keeping of Torah, salvation cannot become a reality in a believer’s existence unless they keep Yah’s Word (through the help and guidance of Yah’s Spirit working through a circumcised heart).

 

Master told the Rich You Man who questioned Him about what it would take for him to enter the Kingdom of Yah:

 

“…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

 

Paul said something similar to this when he wrote to the Corinthians the following:

 

“For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep Yah’s commandments” (1 Corinthians 7:19).

 

Well, so much for those who accuse Paul for disavowing the requirement of Torah-living for the set-apart people of Yah.

 The Biblical Meaning of the Righteousness of God is Revealed from Faith to Faith?

 

So what about the Apostle’s statement that the Righteousness of Yah is revealed to the converted person “From faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith?”

 

Paul in this verse is referencing Habakkuk 2:4

 

”Behold, his soul which is lifted upright in him (I.e., specifically speaking about the arrogance of the Chaldean nation and her army), but the just (I.e., Tzedek, the righteous one) shall live by his faith.”

 

This statement that the righteous or just will live by faith specifically applies to the individual who accepts and submits to Yah’s Word. That submission, which is based on the individual’s faith in Yah and the work of Yeshua Messiah, leads to life eternal; entry into the Kingdom of Yah.

 

Now, that Righteousness of Yah that Paul is writing about here is revealed in the Gospel. The process by which one is made righteous before Yah begins and is dependent upon the individual’s faith.

 

Thus, one’s righteousness (I.e., one’s right-standing before YHVH) comes about through that person’s faith in the work and teachings of Messiah (by faith righteousness). From there, the converted soul is compelled to live in accordance with their faith. Faith is also an action word. When one has faith in something, he or she will behave accordingly. And so righteousness is received only through the exercise of one’s faith.

 Habakkuk 2:4 and Galatians 3:11 in Relation to Romans 1:17

When we compare and contrast Habakkuk 2:4 with the Roman’s companion verse, Galatians 3:11, we learn that “no one is justified by Torah before Yah.” Faith here is put over against “works of Torah” as the means by which people are justified or made righteous. Regardless what some in our Faith may believe, faith has always been Yah’s way of declaring people righteous (e.g., Avraham—Abraham’s faith was reckoned to Abraham by Yah as righteousness. Abraham believed Yah and because of Abraham’s trust in Yah, which led to Abraham’s obedience to Yah’s instructions and commands, Yah reckoned unto Abraham a state of righteousness before Him—Romans 4:9). This whole thing is a gift, which is otherwise known as grace. This gift of Yah makes it so that anyone who is willing to submit to Yah’s revealed Truth (I.e., Yah’s Torah) and live in accordance with it, will receive the opportunity to receive and enter the Kingdom of Yah and have a relationship with the Most High. That submitting that is required is of course an act of Faith. That act of submission leads to one conducting themselves in this life in accordance with Yah’s established Ways which are recorded in His Torah and in the teachings and example of Yeshua Messiah. However, on his/her own, people are incapable of submitting to Yah’s Ways. Such submission requires initiating faith that will begin a process whereby the convert’s heart is changed to a place whereby he/she earnestly desires to please their God and walk in the Ways that He established for them to walk in.

 Faith Comes Before Obedience of Faith

An easy way to understand this is simply this: it’s all about a sequence and order. One must first come to Yah in Faith. Then Yah provides him/her the means by which to walk out their lives in accordance with His ways. Faith first, then obedience will follow. 

 

Habakkuk’s definition of faith (in the Hebrew faith is ‘emunah) is that it is a way of behaving that is born of “inner stability, conscientiousness;” “an inner attitude and the conduct that attitude produces” (Tim Hegg). Thus faith is not just a mental exercise as the fundamentalists have conditioned millions throughout history to view faith. True faith involves the deeds which faith produces.

 Justification and Obedience

One is justified by how one lives (James 2:21—I.e., Abraham’s willing obedience to Yah’s commands which came about as a result of His Faith in Yah). God-given faith produces life in a person; urges growth and brings about salvation. Thus, God-given faith produces faithfulness, which is a life-long process (I.e., the sanctification process). So when Paul writes that the righteousness of Yah is revealed from faith to faith, he’s writing about one growing in faith toward Yah—I.e., the sanctification process. What Paul is referring to here  is a lasting faith whereby one grows in his/her faithfulness (I.e., his/her commitment, trust, obedience) toward Yah and his/her fellow man. Within the confines of this special saving faith, there is no falling away (Rom. 8:24-30). Neither is there carnality. If carnality surfaces, the child of Yah is convicted and immediately seeks Yah’s forgiveness and turns from their carnality, never to repeat it again. Thus, there is a steadfast faithfulness to Yah’s Word, otherwise referred to as an “Obedience of Faith” (Romans 1:5).

 

But it must be realized by one who determines to enter this life of faith that the saving grace that comes only from Yah can only take hold when he/she decides to “die to self.”  What is this “dying to self” really about? Paul explains it quite well in Ephesians. The Apostle wrote:

 

“And that ye put on the new man, which after Yah is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that  stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to  the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of Yah, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Yah for Messiah’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:24-32).

 

All of the carnality that Paul list here is natural behavior to the unconverted soul. Yet the Apostle is telling the Ephesians (and by extension us today) that we no longer are to practice such things in our lives as we once did. In fact, he told the Corinthians that they no longer had the right to live according to their old ways because they now belonged to another Master:

 

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of Yah, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify Yah in your body, and in your spirit, which are Yah’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

 

And this all stems from our Faith that ultimately leads to our obedience of Faith.

 

 Closing and Call to Action

Well, I pray that this brief discussion will strengthen and enhance your understanding of Paul’s teachings on faith and righteousness. And what we’ve discovered in this discussion is that Romans 1:17 is in no way a proof-passage related to a rejection of a set-apart lifestyle of Torah-keeping. To the contrary, we’ve learned that Torah-living is evidence of our faith in the atoning work of Yeshua Messiah and in the saving grace of our heavenly Father.

Father, through His Gospel, revealed his righteousness to the world. That righteousness shows the world that He did not abandon His human creation to eternal damnation. Rather, the Gospel has the power to permanently and profoundly alter the lives and eternal destinies of those who believe in Him and His Ways such that he/she may live in covenant harmony with their Creator and enter His coming Kingdom.