We are told in Genesis
2:9 that YHWH Elohim allowed 2 T/trees to be placed in the Garden, it
would seem that in the center was The Tree of Life, which only those who
overcome will see again in the New Jerusalem (The Bride) Rev. 22:1-5; additionally Genesis
2:9 tells us that there was also the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and
Evil, however Scripture does not specify whether it too was in the center of
the Garden or not.
Why would a loving Elohim do this?
Why would YHWH Elohim place these two
T/trees in the Garden, in what may seem an attempt to catch us out?
My answer – It was because as with
everything else we had to make a
choice to demonstrate OUR LOVE FOR HIM: Would we obey HIM and Guard HIS Commandments or not - this is the
true litmus test of LOVE (Ex. 19:5; Deut. 11:1; John 14:15;
John 15:9; 2 John 1:6),
WE EVEN SEE THAT YHWH ELOHIM IN RETURN, IN AN ACT OF LOVE, AS SHOWN IN AND
THROUGH YESHUA, ALSO KEEPS HIS COMMANDMENTS, HIS COVENANT WITHOUT FAULT JUST AS
HE REQUIRES US TO DO EVEN UNTO DEATH BUT
HE, YESHUA, WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE WITHOUT SIN, NOT DERSERVING TO DIE LIKE US,
AND THUS WAS THE NEEDED PERFECT SACRIFICE DEMANDED BY HIS FATHER FOR OUR
IMPOSED PENALTY OF DEATH BECAUSE OF OUR SIN: YESHUA, JUST AS WITH US, ALSO ONLY
HAS THE RUACH OF THE FATHER TO LEAD HIM INTO PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS (Ps. 89:34; Ps. 105:8; Ps. 119:89-96; Is. 40:8;
Phil. 2:1-18 – In case we err in the idea that Phil. 2 requires that we should accept and condone
everything for the sake of “PEACE” in the “BODY” please see – The Fruit of The
Ruach - http://theshofarblows-steve.blogspot.com/2015/03/fruits-of-ruach.html
So in LOVE we see that we were created
with the right to choose, and consequently we see this Elohim given right required
to be exercised all over Creation and in every aspect of our daily lives: Gen. 2:15-17; Deut. 28:1-2;
Deut. 30:15-20 WE ARE NOT AND NEVER WERE CREATED TO BE RELIGIOUS ROBOTS FOLLOWING
THE RULES OF MANKIND IF THEY OPPOSE THE TORAH!
As with any freedoms and Elohim given
rights we are given they WILL ALWAYS place us in a position of Authority for
which we WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR BY THE ONE LAWGIVER AND JUDGE HIMSELF,
YESHUA – Thus on receiving life from our "dead in sin" souls WE NOW HAVE
ACCESS TO HIS RUACH AND HIS LAW, HIS TORAH TO GUIDE US IN THE USE OF THIS
AUTHORITY HE HAS GIVEN TO US!
Now in light of our brief over-view
above, let’s address the world we live in today seeing as the choices we, and
all of mankind before us and until the return of Messiah Yeshua have made and will
still make, will determine how this world will look and behave from this moment
on!
I think we can all agree on the fact
that this right of choice we have has resulted up to now in a really bad job of
“ruling” over Creation and all it entails.
It is also so that this choice we have
been given and subsequently exercised has birthed the 2 K/kingdoms, direct F/fruit from the T/two Trees –
the ONE the Pure Doctrine of Messiah Yeshua and the other the polluted
doctrines of the enemy with all their fringe elements so evident today – the
fringe elements are a mix of so many religions, cults, ideologies, theories,
forms of governments, social structures and perceptions of T/truth that mankind
is absolutely powerless to ever repair our world be it morally, socially,
religiously, financially, emotionally and all the rest.
Thankfully however, Eze. 18 instructs us that what has past we can do
nothing about and will not be held accountable for the sins of our fathers, BUT we may be able to
impact the way ahead if we return to YHWH and HIS Way in and through YESHUA (Eze. 18:30-32).
There will be a clash between these
T/two K/kingdoms for it is prophesied, but even if it were not I believe that
even the most blind can not help admitting that this status quo will explode shortly
and the consequences of that conflict of K/kingdoms is way beyond our human
grasp of what we believe is reality today, in fact here is a tongue-in-cheek
extract from a mail I sent to a few brethren yesterday morning on this very
matter.
“For
those of us “old enough” to remember the “sage words” of BTO - “..you ain’t seen nothin’ yet..”
- well, bear them in mind - this is going to be one heck of a ride but as we
are told in this weeks Parashat - Ex. 14:13-14 - stand back and see THE
SALVATION (HEBREW FOR SALVATION - YESHUA) of YHWH fight for you.”
So there, up front is the answer to our
present day dilemma which we have caused and cannot escape – WE NEED TO HAVE
YESHUA OUR MESSIAH FIGHTING FOR US - So let’s not be surprised and angered by
the fallen world, it is a continuing consequence that has to happen so that we all can make our decisions thus
allowing Yeshua to separate the sheep can from the goats (Mat. 25:31-46 – those entering eternal life and those
who shall enter eternal punishment) -
and also then finally as the the path narrows even more that the separation of sheep from the sheep will be completed.
I believe that the concept of BEING
STILL AND WAITING ON YESHUA TO FIGHT FOR US may be very appealing to most of us
– BUT THE ACHIEVMENT OF SUCH A REALITY, EVEN FOR THOSE BELIEVING THEY MAY HAVE
ARRIVED, OR BE ON THE RIGHT PATH TO SUCH A REALITY, I ALSO BELIEVE IS BEYOND THE
GRASP OF MOST OF US RIGHT NOW.
We shall need to look into Ezekiel (Yehezqel) 34 more closely because at present it may be one of the most critical, if not crucial portions of
Scripture we have for the believers.
Eze. 34:1-10 is a massive indictment against the
would be shepherds who indeed would appear to be false shepherds: Any of us
believing ourselves to appointed and anointed of The Shepherd, called to lead HIS flock, should really stop and look at this portion of Scripture and ask HIS Ruach to
measure us up against this portion of Scripture regarding the care OF YESHUA’S
FLOCK.
Eze. 34:11-13, for those who would question that YHWH
of The Tanakh (Old Testament) IS NOT YESHUA AS PORTRAYED IN THE BRIT
CHADASAH (New Testament) pay special attention to what YHWH
our SHEPHERD SAYS HERE NOTING WHAT I HAVE UNDERLINED – THIS WILL TAKE PLACE AT
THE END OF DAYS, THE TIMES OF THE TRIBULATION IF YOU WILL: See I MYSELF shall search for MY Sheep and seek them out
as a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his
scattered sheep, so I SHALL SEEK OUT MY SHEEP AND DELIVER THEM FROM THE PLACES
WHERE THEY WERE SCATTERED IN A DAY OF CLOUD AND THICK DARKNESS. AND I SHALL
BRING THEM OUT FROM THE PEOPLES AND GATHER THEM FROM THE LANDS, AND I SHALL
BRING THEM TO THEIR OWN LAND. AND I SHALL FEED THEM ON THE MOUNTAINS OF
YISRAEL, IN THE VALLEYS AND IN ALL THEIR DWELLINGS OF THE LAND.
The above I believe is a confirmation
of Eze. 20:33-37.
We now arrive at Eze. 34:16-22, and in it we see again a confirmation
of Eze. 20:38- in which we are told that HE will -
“….. purge the rebels from
among you, and those who transgress against ME. From the land where they
sojourn I bring them out, BUT THEY SHALL NOT COME INTO THE LAND OF YISRAEL.
AND YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM YHWH”.
Brethren here we see the separation of
the SHEEP FROM THE SHEEP, just as we saw happen amongst the Covenant Children
coming out of Egypt, HOW ALL BUT 2 OR THREE NEVER WERE ALLOWED INTO THE PROMISED LAND – AND
WHYWAS THIS?......BECAUSE THEY REBELLED AGAINST YHWH! …….AND HOW DID THEY
REBEL?
Well Numbers (Bemidbar) 14:20-23 speaks of
the 10 reasons that our forefathers never entered the Promised Land – Promised
Land is a foreshadowing of return to Eretz Yisrael in fulfillment of the Covenant
Promise made to Ava Avraham by YHWH in Gen. (Bere.) 17:7-8
NB: remember in Hebraic Gematria 10 means a completed cycle, it represents a whole - just as a tithe represents our entire income.
(1) Red Sea crossing - “Was it for a lack of graves in Egypt that you took us
to die in the desert?” (Exodus 14:11).
(2) What shall we drink? (Ex. 15:24-25).
(3) What shall we eat? (Ex. 16:2-3)
(4) Not trusting for the morrow. (Ex. 16:19-20)
(5) Gathered Manna on The Shabbat (Ex. 16:27-30)
(6) Give us water – camp riot against Moshe, YHWH’s anointed causing The Rock
to be smitten. (Ex. 17:1ff).
(7) Idolatry (Golden Calf) (Ex. 32)
(8) Murmuring (Num. 11:1-3).
(9) Lust for flesh not satisfied with The Manna, The Bread from Heaven (Num. 11:4ff).
(10) Rejection of The Promised Land through not trusting the report of Caleb and
Yehoshua (Num. 14)
In 1 Cor. 10:1-22 the
Apostle Sha’ul gives and instruction regarding the sin of Idolatry from which
he says WE MUST FLEE and this entire section of Scripture in 1 Cor. 10 which we are looking at is based on a Midrash
of the Idolatry/Sin of those who died in the Wilderness BECAUSE OF THEIR 10
SINS LISTED ABOVE AND THEREFORE COULD NEVER INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND (1 Cor. 10:5). So let break it down a little and begin
with a look at 1 Cor. 10:1-5 where the Apostle
writes that we today, as well as those in the times of Corinth, should not be
ignorant as to the fact that our forefathers were (a) Baptized (b) they ate
Spiritual food; (c) drank Spiritual Drink and (d) were “immersed”
into the Law of Moshes (The Covenant, immersed into The Word Himself), but
they still died in the wilderness, never reaching or inheriting the Promised
Land – Eternity with Messiah Yeshua –BECAUSE OF THEIR SIN, their breaking of
The Torah, The Law (1 John 3:4).
Please understand that the use of Moshe’s name in 1 Cor. 5:2 is purely an euphemism for The Law (see Mat. 8:4; Mat. 23:2; Mar. 12:6; Luke 5:14; Luke 16:9; John 7:19-24
– all used by Yeshua Himself); because should we try and apply this Scripture to
mean that Moshe and his law redeemed our forefathers out of Egypt and brought them
into The Promised Land, this would make this portion of Scripture false and
Heretical and we know that cannot be so!
So on a plain reading of this Scripture excluding the
understanding that Moshe and his law redeemed the Children of Israel we can see
that the remainder of 1 Cor. 10 up to verse 22 is clearly showing
that what Sha’ul is telling the Corinthians, and us today, is DO NOT TAKE IT
FOR GRANTED THAT JUST BECAUSE WE ARE BAPTISED, EATING AND DRINKING OF THE
SPIRIT AND ARE KEEPING THE TORAH WE ARE BULLET & FIRE PROOF BEING
ASSURED OF OUR PLACES IN ETERNITY, IN THE PROMISED LAND!
BRETHREN, FLEE IDOLATRY BECAUSE THAT IS SPIRITUAL
ADULTRY AND REASON FOR THE MESSIAH TO PUT HIS BETROTHED AWAY BECAUSE SHE HAS
BROKEN COVENANT WITH HIM! Is. 50:1; Mat. 5:31-32; Mat.19:9.
After all the examples Sha’ul gives in 1 Cor. 10 regarding IDOLATRY he succinctly sums up
with this warning (taken from Complete Jewish Bible)
“So what am I saying? That food sacrificed
to idols has any significance in itself? Or that and idol has significance in
itself? No, what I am saying is that the things which pagans sacrifice, they
sacrifice not to Elohim but to demons and I don’t want you to become sharers of
demons! You can’t drink both a cup of YHWH and a cup of demons, you can’t
partake in both a meal of YHWH and a meal of demons. Or are we trying to make
YHWH jealous? We aren’t stronger than He is, are we?” 1 Cor. 10:19-22.
Let’s stop and look at this for a moment superimposing
1 Cor. 10 over a few Church practices and festivals:
The Church has un-Scripturally abandoned the Torah
for, as the Jews say, the teachings of Paul.
The Church, with absolutely no Scriptural support of
authority introduced the Sunday worship in place of the Biblical Shabbat – knowing
Sunday is the celebrated day of The Invincible Sun (Sol Invictus) – and on this
day they hold their Holy Communion in remembrance of Christ! (Ex. 20:8-11)
The Church, with absolutely no Scriptural support or
authority exchanged Passover (Pesach) with Easter (Ishtar) commemorated and
celebrated with Easter Eggs (pagan fertility symbols) and the good old hot cross bun with all its pagan
baggage. (Lev. 23:2 & 5-8)
Of course there is the Christmas Festival, an entirely
stand-alone pagan based fictitious representation of the birth of Jesus Christ
(Not Yeshua HaMashiach) with its forbidden ham feasts and Christmas Trees. (Lev. 11:7; Jer. 10:1ff)
In the few points regarding the Church which I have
highlighted above, I believe that clear case can be made that the Church are
vsteeped and built on IDOL WORSHIP!
What is an idol?
Amongst other definitions and according to the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary -
1: a representation or symbol of an object of worship;
broadly : a false god.
2: an object or ideal of extreme devotion
3: a false conception
Now taking 1 Cor. 10,
Church worship and practices and a definition of an idol into consideration
allow us now to look & see what Acts 15:19-22
stipulates as the Biblical conduct required of non-Hebrews turning to Messiah for
the sake of fellowship with True Believers.
Right at the top of the list they are told THAT THEY
ARE TO ABSTAIN FROM IDOLS;
FROM WHORING; FROM STRANGLED FOOD (this would be Lev.
11 food and not pork, seafood’s etc.) AND THE EATING OF BLOOD – all
these restrictions come out of The Torah OF MOSHES – that same Torah that the
Forefathers’ were immersed into (1 Cor. 10:2).
This portion of Scripture further goes on to imply I believe that as for
the more involved doctrines, THE RETURNING “GENTILES” (to coin a phrase) WOULD BE
HEARING THE TEACHINGS OF MOSHES EACH SHABBAT AND WOULD THUS BE TAUGHT CORRECTLY
ON THOSE OTHER ISSUES OF DOCTRINE – these would be the pure Doctrines of Torah devoid
of the oral doctrines of proselytization that some of the believing Jews
were insisting upon and which is witnessed to in Acts
15:1 and is in fact why The Council of Jerusalem was convened and recorded, proselysation “which was the
standard theology of their day." was put to the test and it failed - this is what Sha'ul continually taught and not the abolishment of the Torah as erroneously assumed.
In fact it can be safely assumed that the letter Yaakov (James) and the
elders sent out (Acts. 15:23-29) would have been
read to the Assemblies at Shabbat attendance.
So is the Torah (a Life Style fashioned on Yeshua and His WAY) so difficult to observe as the Churches and their various
denominations say?
Judge for yourself –
Torah is not difficult – Deut. 30:11
Torah is not hidden - Deut. 30:12-14
Torah is Life – Deut. 30:15
Torah is a blessing – Deut. 11:26-27
Not obeying Torah is a curse – Deut. 11:28
Torah is Spiritual – i.e. comes from The Holy Spirit – Rom. 7:14
Torah is the eternal Law of Heaven and earth – Ps.
119:89-90
Torah is a delight – Ps. 119:92
Torah is Wisdom & Understanding – Deut. 4:1-8
YESHUA IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE – THE TORAH
IS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE – THE TORAH IS YESHUA, YESHUA IS THE TORAH!
YHWH
has never tried to catch us out; HE has always waited for us to PROVE THAT WE
LOVE HIM by choosing HIS COMMANDMENTS and HIS WAYS ABOVE OUR OWN CHOICES WHICH
ARE ALWAYS BASED ON OUR CORRUPTED OPINIONS AND EMOTIONS – Just as Adam and
Chavah had a Tree of Life and a Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to
choose from, SO DO WE STILL TO THIS VERY DAY, SO WILL WE TODAY CALL ON HIM
WHILST HE IS STILL NEAR AND CAN BE FOUND? Is. 55:6
True LOVE has no
fear: True LOVE IS ALL ABOUT FAITH, FIDELITY & COMMITMENT TO YESHUA, TO
THE TORAH HIMSELF BY THE APPLICATION OF HIM/HIS TORAH TO OUR LIVES; BY LIVING OUT
THE TORAH; BY LIVING OUT YESHUA IN THE HERE AND NOW SO THAT WE CAN BE A WITNESS TO HIS MERCY AND BE USED BY HIM TO PLANT HIS SEED OF LIFE JUST AS HE, OUR
MASTER YESHUA HIMSELF DID AND INDEED NEEDED TO DO SO THAT HE COULD REDEEM US FROM OUR SIN, OUR
BREAKING OF HIS TORAH (James 2:8; 1 John 3:4)
The
choice is ours BUT please read Deut.
12: 29-13:18!
If we say we have the Seed of YHWH in us why are we not doing and
walking like our First Fruit Yeshua did?
Yeshua lived and died to protect, guard and keep His Torah in obedience to
His Father AS LED BY THE RUACH (SPIRIT)?
SO ARE WE TRULY OF THE SEED OF YESHUA Or are we Monsanto seeds?
Mixed up by man and made unclean, fractured of no use to YHWH? John.
14:12, 15-17.
Brethren, we will not make it in these end times without Yeshua, The
Salvation of YHWH FIGHTING FOR US WHILST WE STAND AND WAIT ON HIS INSTRUCTIONS!
Ex. 14:13-14
WE NEED YESHUA, WE NEED THE TORAH – THE
PAGAN WAYS OF THE CHURCH BUILT ON THEIR IDOLS WILL NOT HELP US AND, ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, CAN AND MUST LEAD TO MASSIVE DECEPTION AND DESTRUCTION Matt. 24:4 & 24:21-24
NB:
I will keep asking
this question ad nauseam – IF YESHUA NEEDED THE RUACH TO LEAD HIM IN PATHS OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS JUST AS WE NEED, THEN WHY IS HIS RIGHTEOUS PATH SO DIFFERENT
TO OURS? Please see – A Snapshot of The Bride - http://theshofarblows-steve.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-snap-shot-of-bride.html
Again I need to emphasise that I am not judging any persons within the Christian/Denominational Systems, it is the systems that are judged ACCORDING TO HIS WORD - so if you
decide to remain in the systems that is your responsibility and right, nobody can or should ever decide for you, however let us make Wise decisions because WE WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR CHOICES BEFORE YHWH YESHUA THE ONE AND ONLY RIGHTEOUS LAWGIVER AND JUDGE
THE ELOHIM OF AVRAM, YITSAK & YAKOV! Is. 33:22 arw James (Yakov) 4:11-12.
Shabbat
shalom
Bo’az
No comments:
Post a Comment