This blog in no way what-so-ever is meant to be insensitive, unemphatic or an attempt to manipulate the situation so many of our family, friends and fellow believers in South Africa find themselves in at this time.
It does not try to say "I know how you feel" because as I said to a group the other day one has to have been in situations like this to even begin to understand the emotions, fears and thoughts one experiences when one is faced with such life altering situations on so many levels of ones' existence and all at with in one event or a very short and traumatic period of time.
I started a blog-draft last week with a rather challenging, but hopefully not purely rhetorical question: It was a question that I hoped would spark some sort of reaction from those reading it, a reaction of self analysis; an intrapersonal inspection of who we were, of where we were regarding the subject being proposed and an honest look at the barriers in our lives, barriers which would prevent us from achieving the desired objective of the proposed question: And that question was:
Where are the Biblical Giants of Hebrews 11 today? Where are the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Tanack; the prophets and apostles of old? Heb 11:38-12:4.
To my shame I edited it out because I felt it may be too harsh, too insensitive, too intrusive for those reading this blog - BUT that was just days before the events we have witnessed in South Africa this past week began - times have changed and once again a "new normal" has been birthed!
Those reading this blog hopefully are aware of the progression these blogs have taken since the beginning of this year, and as referred to in the previous blogs - in this specific blog I hope to be able to explain the crux, the over-riding sentiment of a statement laid on my spirit during the progression of these blogs and a sentiment which still remains the crux of all these blogs right up to this moment - and that sentiment / statement (in my words, understanding and paraphrased) is based on Hos 4:5-7 and Eze 20:33-44 and was placed on my spirit in the middle of June 2021.
"I [Boaz] see the superstition of the people who claim to trust in YHWH as they plead the "Blood of Jesus" and the protection of Psalm 91 and other Scriptures and mantras' over everybody and everything concerning them - BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT YHWH cannot protect them because they do not walk in Covenant with HIM!"
Try as I may I could not put the above question into any form of statement or context in an earlier blog - I just knew I had to record the blogs in the order as seen to date.
It is only today, 16 July 2021, that I have been able to release this sentiment recorded above in this blog:
Obviously I did not know that this SA situation would come to pass - but of this I am sure YHWH has allowed it to happen. It is bloody, it is violent, it is heart breaking, it is depraved - It has caused the veneer of perceived civilization to be stripped bare and shown for the cruel under-belly of the heart of man representative of the rioters, the government and the "normal" citizens protecting their lives, rights and property (please understand we have a Biblical right to protect life and property, BUT not in the way some of these groups have gone about it). It has has even shifted COV!D I9 from the spotlight for a few days, although I am certain that there will now be an "upsurge" in COV!DI9 and more pressure placed on the South Africans to be vaxxed and it will all be blamed on the "non wearing of masks and absence of social distancing" during the riots.
So what, if anything, can we learn from the wanton destruction, carnage and violence which has, and still is, being played out on the South African stage right now? Well one thing is certain - the Government, whether by design or omission were not, or perceived to not be up to the task of protecting their people.
As was to be expected we also learnt of the power of Social-media which was full of visual, audible and written information - a "blow-by-blow" commentary open to all the world - evoking so many emotions, opinions and unsolicited advice from those receiving such messages. This reaction was to be expected and many of us in this part of the world had, as the American's say, "skin in the game" in more ways than one and thus our reactions on occasions were even more emotion based than those in other parts of the world:
We learnt that we were not immune to what has happened in so many other parts of the world - and another thing we may want to consider is the lessons we will still be required to learn as the ripple effects on so many levels of our social, private, economic and corporate lives for a long time to come play out.
As with any learning process it was to be expected that questions would begin to formulate - questions / statements which cast blame; which call for retribution; which criticise the retribution; criticise the rioting; which cast doubt; destroy trust; strain relationships - all these reactions and I am certain more are to be revealed.
BUT one thing that I observed from my perspective of not being in the middle of this fray, not being privy to all the information and only having access to the Social-media messages that I received was that calls for "GOD / JESUS" to intervene only seemed to be aired on Social-media later in the unrest when people found themselves in what can only be described as "Red Sea events" (Ex 14) and they began to cry out for help in absolute desperation!
My heart broke when I heard women crying out over WhatsApp for prayer when there were reportedly rioters breaching their proprty-walls and their husbands were not there to help because they were busy with other "duties" in this mayhem. When I heard men speaking of abandoning their homes and possessions and taking their families to hide in the bush until the looting had past - and then breaking down in tears and calling out to "GOD" to send Angels to help - "just ONE please GOD" as one person cried out.
There is however one question that I personally have not as yet heard being asked, but I am convinced it must be in so many peoples minds, and that is - "Why did GOD allow this to happen?"
I am just as certain that for those asking this question with a true sincerity of heart, who are seeking YHWH Elohim and who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the answer is there to see and hear.
It is in prayer and reflection when considering Deut 8:2-3 that we begin to arrive at the answer to the question of: Why did GOD allow this to happen?
Deut 8:2-3 in my opinion says a lot about the fallen human psyche we are all cursed with: The moment troubles come over our paths we rush to do what we think needs to be done "our way", when all the while YHWH Elohim is allowing these troubles to be so that we are able to see what is on our hearts - to make us understand that a person does not live by bread alone - BUT FROM EVER WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF YHWH (YESHUA, THE WORD OF YHWH ELOHIM) - the same Scripture Yeshua used when confronted by HaSatan - Mat 4:4.
Again please Note: These situations come to pass so that we can see what is on our hearts (what we trust in) so that we are brought to a realisation that we cannot live by bread alone (earthly knowledge, possessions, wisdom's) but by very Word coming out of the Mouth of YHWH!
These situation in SA and every other corner of the globe are for the benefit of the Redeemed of YHWH - not those of the world BUT THOSE WHOSE NAMES ARE IN THE BOOK OF LIFE!
The Word being spoken of here, and as pointed out in the previous blogs, is The Torah, The Covenant entered into at Mt Sinai embodied and lived out by Yeshua! - See Are Christians in Covenant with Messiah? posted on 6 July 2021; The Sign posted on 13 July 2021.
That way, which we choose through human nature will, by default always be without the direction and input of The Ruach HaKodesh and therefore cannot please YHWH: Rom 8.
Our choices may indeed make a lot of sense to us when relying on our own insight, training, experience and understanding of situations (Prov 3:5-8) and we may even say, and really believe, that which we choose to do we do because it is quite acceptable to YHWH simply because we "believe that in Yeshua / Jesus" and because of that He (YHWH / Yeshua) would never allow such things to happen to us and anyway we are under His Blood BUT NOT UNDER HIS LAW ANYMORE!"
The choices we make without Ruach's input will generally gain the approval of friends and family, especially when the pressure is turned up; look at Adam and Chavah, I believe that they, without any pressure, when making their fateful choice they believed they made sense and were OK. Well we all know how that worked out. However these sorts of decisions do not correspond with what we are told in Deut 8:2-3 or Gen 2:15-17.
The Ways and Thoughts of YHWH Elohim are so far above ours as to not even be conceivable or fathomable by us without the Insight, Truth, Love and understanding (Is 55:3 & 6-11 arw Eph 3:14-21) of YHWH Elohim and that is why we are so often required to obey Him even if we are not sure why, in fact I would go so far as to say, especially when we are not sure why! If we are sure it is of YHWH then do it, let Him lead us in paths of Righteousness for His Name Sake (Covenant / Marriage talk).
Our human paths, as said before and cannot be over stated, have many, many different directions based on our own concepts, past experiences, training, pseudo-religious mantras, cultures, vain superstitions and more especially - our emotions, all of which are offered up as being acceptable to Jesus because of our conceptual belief in the Name and Hope of Yeshua / Jesus all being based on our understanding that we are no longer under the Law!
This erroneous belief obviously will influence our logic, our decision making process and what we think we need; more importantly what we want and, dare I say, very arrogantly, what we basically subscribe to Yeshua as what He wants for us (these are all Idols - Eze 14:1-11 - remember if we are redeemed by The Blood of Yeshua we, like our forefathers going out of Egypt under Blood of The Lamb [symbolised by the blood of the Pesach lamb on their door lintels] and are still on our way to receive the Covenant at Mt Sinai, it does not mean that Yeshua has offered it to us yet, aBUT if He has HAVE WE ACCEPTED HIS OFFER).
Please again understand that there is from my side absolutely no judgement or condemnation of our family in Messiah in The SA at all, and there is certainly no perceived righteousness on my behalf for us this side of the border, our time is coming. Dear brethren if we were faced with what our family in Messiah have, and are still being confronted with in SA, how would anyone of us react? We cannot say - but what we can do is pray for their deliverance, that the will of YHWH be done AND THAT WE LEARN OUT OF THEIR TESTIMONIES!
What we can witness from their situation is how quickly we forgo all our religiosity and forget that not a single sparrow falls from the air unless YHWH allows it. We forget His Sovereign, Governing Authority which He showed to us by placing limits on the accuser in the opening chapters of Iyob (Job).
In a situation of crisis we forget what the Word, regarding Himself, declared that for all eternity - All Authority in Heaven and on Earth are under Him.
With these foundational promises from Yeshua, The Word, our Covenant Protection and Shield we are able to see then how far our Western culture and denominational beliefs and practices are from His Word and Authority, and as I have tried to portray in the previous series of blogs, how far away from the Truth we are and it is back to this Truth which YHWH is needing, by these world events, to bring us back to - this is where true repentance (to return to Covenant / Torah) leads to - Mat 4:17.
Our Western sensitivities largely based on concepts of what are called Political Correctness, Critical Race Theories, Post Modernism, Relative truth and again much more, all have the effect of bringing Yeshua / Jesus once again into the orbit of man and the ways of man - instead of us trying to be as Yeshua is we make Yeshua as we think He should be to be in line with out humanistic ideas.
We want Yeshua to give us everything we WANT, yet we are no even prepared to put ourselves out in the slightest for Him ..... BECAUSE WE ARE FREE OF THE LAW!
We run over ourselves to listen to "prophets" and "men / women of GOD" and do the most ridiculous things in "obedience" to their instructions and all in the "Name of a generic emasculated god"!
We trumpet "Faith, Faith" all the time - here is a description of Faith based on Biblical precepts which may shock the more finely sensitive, democratic, human rights orientated reader:
Eph 2:8: FAITH IS A GIFT - WHICH WE DO NOT DESERVE nor EVER CAN!
WE CAN NEVER WORK IT OUT WITH A RATIONAL MIND OR SEQUENCE OF LOGIC!!!
Faith is what we should stake your lives on!
It is what you live out!
Faith is NOT an AGREEMENT with a set of prepositions - it is what you believe and trust as truth and apply it to every aspect of your life.
When we accept this gift of Faith our spirit will immediately come into conflict with our fleshly mindset and the ways in which we have walked up until that time of the acceptance of this undeserved gift of Faith: Eph 2:8-10
Only Faith through Yeshua can lead to true redeemed Israel: Israel are those who recognise YHWH Elohim and His Son Yeshua and are drawn into a struggle, contending with Him (The Ruach) in an attempt, desire to try to get to know and understand YHWH better - BECAUSE WE KNOW HE (YESHUA) IS THE TRUTH, THE VERY WORD OF LIFE BY A DIVINE GIFT OF FAITH!
Taking marriage which is what our entire relationship with Yeshua is about - one supports and protects ones marriage by faith - one does not "believe" that one's wife exists - one "knows" that she exists and one progresses in one's marriage by applying and working out one's "belief" [trust / faith upon which one bases one's entire marriage] thus betting one's life endeavours on that marriage / union working out and thereby allowing that marriage and that partner to become and define one's life!
What I have written above believe it or not is based on something that I heard Jordan Peterson expound on - here is a man moving towards the Truth of TORAH even though he, in his own words, says that he cannot grasp the concept of Yeshua as a Spiritual figure, he is trying to understand HIM. He has still in my opinion to understand that that FAITH IS AN UNDESERVED GIFT FROM YHWH THROUGH HIS GRACE IN YESHUA but this man, Biblically, may be more a part of Israel than many of those claiming a redemption through Jesus / Yeshua who we see in the religious assemblies today - both Christian and Hebrew Observers.
My heart is troubled whilst at the same time heavy - Troubled because I see the charlatans preaching "peace, peace"; "prosperity"; preaching "a watered down sinless Gospel which cost Yeshua everything and mankind NOTHING"; a Gospel which makes Yeshua a private "good-luck charm" for everybody; a Gospel founded on "signs and wonders" and not on The Word / The Covenant of Yeshua - preaching and presenting a Yeshua Who is a user-friendly, Politically Correct, effeminate, emotional humanist(to name just a few of the "new age" attributes of their Yeshua / Jesus); a gospel based on feeling good - BUT this is NOT THE CREATOR ELOHIM WHO IS THE VERY WORD, FULLNESS, AUTHOR OF LIFE AND CHARACTER OF YHWH; THE ONE WHO WILL JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD AND SEND THOSE FOUND WANTING TO HELL, AN ETERNAL DAMNATION SEPARATED FOR ALL ETERNITY FROM HIM! One Who will JUDGE SIN - THE BREAKING OF HIS TORAH, OF HIMSELF AND HIS ELOHIM!
My heart is heavy because I see genuine, good, decent people honestly believing that by "Pledging the Blood of Jesus" over themselves; placing a bumper sticker declaring - "Protected by Ps 91" on their cars; religiously giving of their tithes, attending their Bible studies, partaking of their Holy Communions, going Sunday after Sunday to Church, attending all their Christmas and Easter festivals and preparing with joy and thanksgiving their Lev 11 unclean foods they sincerely believe that they are "dwelling in the secret place of El Elyon and abiding under the shadow of El Shaddai and YHWH is their refuge and fortress: their Elohiym in Whom they trust." (Ps 91:1-2) paraphrased - people believing that they can go through these turmoils and even escape much of it because they are safe in Yeshua: Yet when looking at Rav Sha'ul, upon whom so much weight is placed by these same people, who say that they are no longer under the Law (Covenant / Torah / Yeshua The Word), states and equates unequivocally in Eph 5:22-33 that the man is to be the head of his home as Yeshua is the Head of The Assembly and as The Marriage, which is the Great Mystery, portrays and use the exact Words used in Gen 2:23 to explain the relationship between Yeshua and His Betrothed as was used to describe Adam and his Covenanted wife befall the fall!
Please understand as of writing this blog the situation in SA is still volatile with no real end in sight, in fact it seems that these riots could spread to the Western Cape (Cape Town), we have even had suggestions of violence taking root in Namibia. The situation globally is not going to calm-down, it cannot there are too many global leaders involved and too much time, money, planning and preparations have been invested, and most importantly these dark times have been prophesied and will come to pass - BUT be of good cheer because Yeshua, Who has overcome the world and HaSatan has allowed this to come to where it is and He will allow it to progress as far as His Father requires it to, and again I state IT IS ALL FOR OUR BENEFIT SO THAT WE CAN BE PERSUADED TO RETURN TO YESHUA OUR BETROTHED AND HIS TO HIS COVENANT SO THAT WE CAN BRING HONOUR AND GLORY TO HIS NAME BY BEING A LIGHT TO THE WORLD BUT NOT BY BEING A LIGHT UNTO OURSELVES THROUGH OUR OWN WORKS AND PLANS! Rom 8:24-30.
I shall leave this here for now, I am praying and seeking guidance and counsel from The Ruach as I believe there is still one more blog that I am needing to address, BUT the release of that will depend on Yeshua our Messiah.
Our Shabbat is breaking here in my part of the world, my prayer for all those in His Book of Life, no matter what trials or tribulations you may be facing is that you will find Shalom, Joy, Peace and Protection in your homes this Shabbat and for eternity.
Again please do not just believe what I say - check what say against the Word and prayer.
Shabbat shalom to you all,
Boaz
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