Purim – Recognizing Miracles

We are now in the moon of Adar (the 12th moon) where our joy is increased. But we are living in the galut (dispersion, exile) among the very anti-Semitic goy who try and make life for us Jews very difficult. Here in South Africa, our government is instituting a boycott of any Israeli products, persecuting us Jews and having many marches against us because they claim that we live according to an apartheid regime and that we are villains and evil. But is that really true?

But do we live by apartheid? And if so what kind of apartheid are we talking about?  If we are evil then how is this evil defined?  And then, would such opinions not depend on others point of view?  Looking at a torah life as the only way of life and survival may indeed seem stupid or evil from the outside. The Torah makes it very clear that Yisra’el is a kadosh nation. The question is, what does it mean to be kadosh?

Kadosh simply means, “separate” or, “set apart.” The Christian bible translates this Hebrew word, “kadosh” as “holy.” HASHEM made it very clear that we are not allowed to be like the other nations. Are we not to follow the commands and precepts found in the Torah, no matter where we are? To do this, we must separate ourselves in a torah life and culture, not so? Anti-Apartheid (Anti-Kadosh) literally means, “forced conversion,” which is a very wicked act. It is exactly what happened during the Spanish Inquisition where many Jews we killed. Anti-Kadosh, in this sense, is Anti-Semitic.

Now I need to make it very clear that the kadosh'ness' of the Jews is in no way the same as that of the other apartheid regimes, like what happened in South Africa. Us Jews do not hate or mistreat people from other nations or cultures. In fact, Although we are one of the smallest nations in the world, we are the second largest financial, humanitarian aid contributor among all nations. We have a deep love for people and live to be a light to the world bringing morality and righteousness, no matter where we may be.

Unfortunately, because we have not stayed kadosh, and most times, not been able to do so, there is a great amount of Jews that have assimilated into other cultures and religions. This has always been viewed as a great crisis among religious Jews. We have seen throughout history that Jews have been forced to assimilate and convert to other cultures and religions or face the penalty of being kicked out of the community, country or even killed. This is still happening at this moment all around the world to some degree or another, whether it be terrorist attacks, pressure from the governments, boycotts or simple hate speech against us.

So how are we to increase our joy? We could even be justified in being angry at the injustice and clear violation of our human and religious rights that our own governments show us. But no, we are not angry at all. In fact, we rejoice and really do increase our joy. But how is this even possible? There is one simple word that explains how it is possible, “Emuna.”

Through all this tribulation that we are going through, it is fitting that Purim is being celebrated now. Purim is the remembrance and celebration of the great miracles and protection that the Almighty grants us, His nation, Yisra’el. We read the story Esther on this day, which has so many lessons for us.

The story of Esther is about how we were exiled and were living under the Persian King. One of the King’s generals, Hamman, was an evil man and convinced the King to make a decree that all the Jews must be killed because they live by a different set of laws and separate themselves from the people among whom they live (the Persians). So the Jews were to be destroyed because they were living in apartheid.

But HASHEM had His hand over the situation at every single moment. HASHEM caused this to happen, even though it seemed bad. And As Jews we so many times feel that HASHEM has departed from us, and in worldly terms we may even have every right to moan about being persecuted. But this is not what we do. Such events caused us to fast and repent and turn to HASHEM for their salvation. Everything happened as it should have and at the right moments too. In the end, the evil Hamman and his sons were hanged on the very gallows that Hamman built for the hanging of the righteous Jew called Mordechai. At the end we Jews were not only saved then, we also gained all the respect of the King, something we did not have before.

Emuna teaches that there is only One being that is in control of everything and that everything that happens is from Him. And that everything that He does is for the good, even if it may seem bad.

The Name of the Almighty does not appear even once in the entire book of Esther. In fact it is the only book in the entire Tanakh that does not contain the Name at all. This teaches us, among other things too, that even though it seems that HASHEM has hidden Himself from us, that He is still actually in control and watching over us.

The ultimate goal in life is “tikkun” (soul correction) and everything that happens to us happens for the sake of tikkun, because HASHEM loves us.

That is why us Jews can be happy and Joyful at all times, no matter what our circumstances are at any time. We know that everything is for the good.

May we all continue to do teshuva (repentance) and grow closer to HASHEM, by the study and obedience to His Torah so that we may continue to joyfully say: BARUCH HASHEM no matter what our circumstance. To be kadosh (set-apart) is to be satisfied with being different, as we prefer to be what HASHEM wants us to be, no matter where we are or what the circumstances.

Purim Same'ach

What is true repentance

What is repentance? What does it mean to repent? Many believe that it is asking for forgiveness for a particular sin, but does it really mean that? Many people believe that it is and that they can carry on doing this sin, as long as they ask for forgiveness every time, that they are okay.

The word for repentance in the Hebrew Scriptures is the word, “teishuva.” The root word is the Hebrew word, “shuv” (pronounced shoov), which simply means, turn. The concept of teishuva (repentance) is not only associated with the turning away from sin in the Hebrew understanding. It can be used in many other ways too. Let us look at one such example.

In the time of the temple, the Levites who had certain duties in the temple, used to work in kind of “shift work” schedule. To indicate a shift change, a certain shofar blast would indicate the change. When this shofar blast was heard by a Levite who was to come on duty, he would immediately drop what ever he was busy with and “teishuva” (turn) and go to the temple to do his duty. It was not about turning away from something wrong, but rather to go do what he was required to do at that time.

Repentance from sin is the same thing. When we repent (teishuv), we are required to drop the sin we are busy with and turn 180 degrees and continue in the instruction of the Almighty and never look back. It is a permanent turning away from that sin, never to be repeated again.

New believers, people who come to follow the way of the Torah, have to “teishuva” (turn) away from their previous sinful lifestyle and go follow what the Torah teaches us to do. Once that believer, who has made a commitment to follow the Torah and learns what is required of him, then goes and commits a sin that is liable for death, according to the Torah, will then have his blood on his own hands. This person should not be allowed to fellowship with the congregation any longer. The reason for this is that it becomes understood by others that these kind of actions, that are an abomination, are acceptable to do. That person will be judged by the Almighty.

Repentance does not mean that we can ask for forgiveness and then continue to do the same sin again and just ask forgiveness every time. Repentance is turning away from that sin and put it behind you and never do it again. We will all eventually be living a perfectly righteous life if we all continue to do “teishuva” for all our sins. The more we do it, the easier it becomes and the more we are going to develop a pure love for the Almighty and His Word and also for our neighbors too.

If we all do teishuva and truly turn to do what is written in the Torah, then we will all stand side by side in perfect agreement with the Torah as our foundation. May we all study His Torah in order to know what is right in the eyes of the Almighty and turn from our evil ways to do what is good.

Romans 2 – Judging, practice what you preach and circumcision

Romans chapter 2 has a couple of teachings that are misquoted so many times and used for so many false doctrines. The one that is the most evident is that of, ‘Don’t judge me, because if you judge me, then you will also be judged.’ Another one is that of, if one subjects themselves to follow the Torah, then that person is under the law. This chapter is also one of the most used verses used to justify that one does not need to be circumcised in the flesh. All of these points are totally false and I will show you why in this article, by using what Shaul wrote here in Romans 2.

One key point that we do not always remember about the letters that Shaul wrote is that they did not originally have chapters or verses, but were written as a continual piece of writing as they were letters sent to the Gentile believers living in Rome.

There are many valuable lessons that can be learnt from Shaul’s letters and even in this chapter in Romans. But in order to learn from these lessons, we need to understand what is being taught in the correct context. If we do not read it in its correct context, we stand the chance of failing to learn what Shaul was teaching, and even worse, we could learn the total opposite of what is being taught, like millions of people around the world because they follow the people who incorrectly interpret Shaul's teachings.

Now let us break this chapter into sections, and I will point out the things that Shaul was really trying to say. 

“Therefore, O man, you are without excuse, everyone who judges, for in which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you who judge practice the same wrongs. And we know that the judgment of Elohim is according to truth against those who practice such wrongs” (Rom 2:1-2). This verse is so wrongly used by millions of people to try and hide or justify their sinful behavior. As soon as someone tries to point out their error(s), the first reaction to this is a very defensive reaction with the phrase, something like this, “don’t judge me, for you will also be judged if you do!”

People only judge when they deviate from the ‘Judgment’ of YHWH. Quoting His Judgment and staying within His Judgment is not being judgmental! Only when one deviates from the Judgment of YHWH, then that person elevates himself above YHWH and will then be judged by YHWH accordingly.

The church has taught us all to be too thin skinned, so that we are incapable of accepting correction for our sinful actions, which is a very dangerous matter, and can lead us into destruction. The fact of the matter is that the majority of the time, when someone points out errors, it is done out of love, in order to help that person become aware of the problem and to fix the problem. Even if the rebuke seems harsh, it is not to be met with a defensive reaction, but rather a personal soul searching on the matter to see if the matter is true. Then we can repent of the error and continue to grow in faith.

“And do you think, O man, you who judge those practicing such wrongs, and doing the same, that you shall escape the judgment of Elohim? Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and tolerance, and patience, not knowing that the kindness of Elohim leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of Elohim, who “shall render to each one according to his works”: everlasting life to those who by persistence in good work seek for esteem, and respect, and incorruptibility; but wrath and displeasure to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness” (Rom 2:3-8). Here Shaul is speaking to those who are hypocrites, who judge other people while, they themselves, do the same evils. He is also clarifying that a person only judges if he judges outside the judgment of YHWH (as stated above).

Notice how Shaul points out that those who practice the same wrongs by which they judge others are hard and unrepentant and that these people will be met with the wrath of YHWH in the day of wrath.  These people will be judged by Elohim through His Torah (righteous judgment of Elohim) according to their works.

Also notice how clear Shaul is making the distinction between the righteous and the unrepentant sinners. He shows us here that only those who persist in good works (the Torah of YHWH) and seek for esteem and respect and incorruptibility, will inherit everlasting life. And those that do not obey the Torah (truth) but rather obey unrighteousness (anti-Torah) will receive the wrath and displeasure of YHWH.

“affliction and distress on every human being working what is evil, of the Yehuḏite first, and also of the Aramean” (Rom 2:9). Aramean, as apposed to “Greek” or “Gentile” who have no ancestral ties to Israel. Almost all our English translations of the Bible have the word “Greek” instead of “Aramean” here, which is again a twisting of Scripture. Shaul is extremely clear throughout his epistle to make proper distinction between these two, although the point of the message is clear that YHWH is no respecter of persons.  

“but esteem, respect, and peace to everyone working what is good, to the Yehuḏite first and also to the Aramean. For there is no partiality with Elohim” (Rom 2:10-11). Now do not think that a Greek or any other nationality cannot be saved because the verse reads “Aramean” instead of “Greek”, that is not what Shaul is teaching. Shaul is teaching that esteem, respect, and Shalom (peace) to everyone that obeys the Torah of YHWH, whether it be Jews or anyone else as Elohim accepts everyone who submits themselves to Him. If a person submits to YHWH, then he has to follow YHWH’s instruction which is His Torah (instruction in righteousness).

“For as many as sinned without Torah shall also perish without Torah, and as many as sinned in the Torah shall be judged by the Torah. For not the hearers of the Torah are righteous in the sight of Elohim, but the doers of Torah (the law) shall be declared right” (Rom 2:12-13)

So those who sin, not knowing the Torah, will perish without the Torah. In order to gain everlasting life, one needs to have the Torah and subject themselves to it. Also notice how those “under Torah” and those “doers of Torah” are put in opposition to one another; therefore, both cannot simultaneously be in error. This is clarified with the phrase “for the doers of Torah will be made righteous.” So, if Torah-doers are made righteous, it stands to reason Torah itself is NOT passing away! The fact that such deep pro-Torah statements are being sent to Gentiles in Rome speak volumes of how mainstream Christianity is perverting Shaul’s teachings. “Under Torah” means to look to its rituals as a form of magic; a power that needs no purity of intent to bring about blessing, but merely fixed repetition. Torah in itself provides no authority of magic. Rather, Torah has authority because it is YHWH’s instruction to man! So “under Torah” is a false teaching that has never been true according to the Tanakh: YHWH blesses man for Torah observance, which is obedience to His Commandments and obedience to Him. Notice in Matthew 15 how Yehoshua rebukes the Pharisees on this very issue, how they set aside YHWH’s Torah (instructions) in favor of their traditions.

“For when gentiles, who do not have the Torah, by nature do what is in the Torah, although not having the Torah, they are a Torah to themselves, who show the work of the Torah written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or even excusing” (Rom 2:14-15)

Shaul does not suggest that Gentiles are spontaneously Mastering Torah. Even common logic will prove this to be true. The point is that they should learn the written Torah without the distraction from Pharisaic or any other man-made traditions which are not rooted in the plain understanding of the Torah.

“in the day when Elohim shall judge the secrets of men through  יהושע (Yehoshua) Messiah, according to my Good News” (Rom 2:16). Here is a scary thought for many people, that in the end on the return of the Messiah, those that have sinned but have not been “caught out”, will be judged for all the sins that they committed in secret. YHWH knows your thoughts and even the intentions of your thoughts too. "According to my Good News" is that of the Messiah who also lifted up and magnified the Torah of His Father. So everyone will be judged according to the Torah of YHWH.

“See, you are called a Yehuḏite, and rest on the Torah, and make your boast in Elohim, and know the desire of Elohim, and approve what is superior, being instructed out of the Torah, and are trusting that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of foolish ones, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Torah” (Rom 2:17-20). Wow, Shaul makes it VERY clear in this piece that we are all to learn and conduct ourselves according to the Torah! It is very clear through out the entire Scriptures, and stated here again by Shaul, that in order to know the desire of the Almighty, then you must study the Torah. The Torah is a very beautiful Word, however, many false teachers try and claim that it is a curse and that all that subject themselves to it are under a curse.

Is that really what Shaul is teaching? Can that statement or idea be found anywhere in Scripture? Certainly not! The Torah is the Living Word of YHWH, it is the marriage contract between the bride and the bridegroom, it teaches us how to love the Almighty and also to love each other. One can only start reading the Torah and see for themselves that if the world was governed by the Torah (which it will be with the return of the Messiah), then there would not be any hunger or poverty or theft or murders or unrighteousness in any way.

“You, then, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who proclaim that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abominate idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the Torah, through the transgression of the Torah do you disrespect Elohim? For “The Name of Elohim is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you,” as it has been written” (Rom 2:21-24)

Now here Shaul is once again addressing the hypocrites, or is at least warning the readers to not be hypocrites. He shows us that if we claim to be followers of the Almighty and we have any influence on other people, even if it is by being observed by how we live our lives, then we are to live our lives totally according to the Torah of YHWH. If we do not do this, then we are guilty of blaspheming the Name of Elohim.

What Shaul is also saying here is one of the most important keys to deciphering all his letters (which is the majority of the Renewed Covenant). He is saying here that one has to practice what you preach. Now that is a very important statement! Let me explain why, it is taught by all of Christianity that Shaul taught that it is not any more necessary to follow the Torah, because of the death and resurrection of the Messiah. This false doctrine is never supported anywhere in Scripture nor anywhere in Shaul’s letters.

You see, if Shaul taught that we are to practice what we preach, then he himself would also have to practice what he taught, or else he would also be a hypocrite! So if it was not necessary to follow the Torah anymore, then why did Shaul subject himself to following the Torah till the day he died? He did not deviate one bit from the Torah, in fact, he went out of his way to keep the Torah even when he was in captivity.

“For circumcision indeed profits if you practice the Torah, but if you are a transgressor of the Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if an uncircumcised one watches over the righteousness of the Torah, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned as circumcision? And the uncircumcised by nature, who perfects the Torah, shall judge you who notwithstanding letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the Torah! For he is not a Yehuḏite who is so outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But a Yehuḏite is he who is so inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in Spirit, not literally, whose praise is not from men but from Elohim” (Rom 2:25-29)

Once again, here is a small piece of Shaul’s letter that is grossly mistranslated and many false doctrines are based on these few verses. The false teachers use this piece to teach that it is not necessary to be circumcised in the flesh. This of course is a totally false teaching.

Once again, we need a key to understanding what Shaul really meant here. Why do we need a key? Because Shaul wrote with a Hebrew mindset as he himself was a Hebrew and used Hebrew idioms. We, who are English speaking, are not Hebrews and do not read the Scriptures with a Hebrew mindset. In order to understand these Hebrew idioms we have to actually learn them and that is what the key is and not some magic formula that was “revealed in a divine way” to a single person, like many false teachers claim when they try and teach a new false doctrine to the people.

Now the key to this section is that of the circumcised and the uncircumcised. Shaul is not necessarily classifying the physical circumcision here, but is rather speaking of two different groups of people. Whenever he talks of the circumcision, he is referring to the Hebrews or Jews as that is how they were known, and the uncircumcision are the Gentiles or those that are not native to Israel.

Now with this point clear, you can read the section in the correct context. Those who are of the ‘circumcision’ who transgress the Torah, will become ‘uncircumcision’. If you do not use the key in this instance, you can try and imagine what people might believe, that those who are circumcised must be uncircumcised…. ? Who is going to have their foreskin sewn back on? OUCH!

No, what is being taught is that the Jews who transgress the Torah, will be cut off from YHWH’s people as stated in Romans 11.

Also, because a person could be physically circumcised and be a thief, liar, murderer, etc.

On the flip side, those who are of the uncircumcision (Gentiles), who keep the Torah of YHWH, will be reckoned as the circumcision (grafted into the good olive tree) again explained in Romans 11. You see, the true faith of YHWH and His Son the Messiah is to love Him and to watch over the righteousness of the Torah and to become righteous by doing the Torah of YHWH.

So are we to be circumcised in the flesh too? Well…. What does the Torah (the Living Word of YHWH) teach us on this subject? I am sure you can look it up for yourself!

So if you read Shaul’s letters in the correct context, it makes so much more sense and dismisses all the false teachings that stem from them. Shaul NEVER taught that it was not necessary to keep the Torah, but rather that it was absolutely necessary to keep the Torah of YHWH in order to inherit everlasting life.

There are only two Laws.

(I truly apologize for another long article, I did not intend to make it so long but as I started writing it, I realized that there was so much information on the subject. There is a lot more that I did not put in this article as there is just too much.)

Probably the biggest delusion of the Christian faith is that the Law of YHWH has been done away with or abolished by the death and resurrection of the Messiah. The Church relies almost only upon the teachings of Paul to justify this false doctrine. Does Paul have the authority to change or abolish the Word of YHWH? Did Paul teach against the Torah of YHWH or that we should not adhere to it? No, not at all, In fact, he taught us to uphold the Torah (Law) of YHWH.

Peter told us that the writings of Paul were hard to understand and that those who were untaught and unstable twist what is said in Paul’s letters to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15-16). Paul is clearly talking of two laws at times. The Christian faith does not make any differentiation between the two, thus creating many false doctrines.

There are only two laws in this world. The one is an everlasting Law that cannot change or be done away with. The other law has been abolished through the death and resurrection of the Mashiyach. Every person on this earth is either doing one or the other, you cannot keep both or not do either, it is impossible. The one law binds and the other sets free.

Let us have a look at which one will never pass away. “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done” (Mat 5:18). Here the Messiah Himself is saying that the Torah of YHWH has not passed away, not even until the heaven and the earth pass away. So it is very clear to see that Y’shua did not do away or destroy the Torah of YHWH! “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away” (Mat 24:35)

It is also very clearly written that we are to adhere to the Torah (Law) of YHWH, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.  Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’” (Mat 7:21-23) lawlessness = without the “law” – those who do not do the Torah of YHWH.

“and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the messengers. As the darnel, then, is gathered and burned in the fire, so it shall be at the end of this age. The Son of Adam shall send out His messengers, and they shall gather out of His reign (The English translations do not have the word “reign”, but “kingdom” which has been taught to mean the “kingdom of Jesus") all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing lawlessness, and shall throw them into the furnace of fire – there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Mat 13:39-42).

 “And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold” (Mat 24:12).

“Blessed are those whose lawlessness’s are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Rom 4:7). This last verse once again shows us that sin is lawlessness. Only those who’s lawlessness has been forgiven are blessed. One cannot be forgiven if that person continues in lawlessness. Repentance is a turning away from sin or lawlessness and not returning to it. Only a dog returns to its own vomit (Prov 26:11)

“Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14). Now this verse makes it very clear that those who are lawless are unbelievers and are referred to as darkness. The Torah is light and those who walk in the Torah of YHWH also walk in light. “Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away is to come first, and the man of lawlessness is to be revealed, the son of destruction. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood” (2 Thes 2:3,9). Once again, this verse speaks of the Anti Messiah as being the man of lawlessness which is according to the working of Satan.

Yes you must have guessed by now what the other law is. It is the law of sin, or better known as lawlessness. Y’hoshua set us free from this law when he died on the torture stake and rose again on the third day. Only by following after YHWH and His Son can we be set free from the law of sin. We are to adhere to the Law of YHWH in order to be set free from the law of sin as sin is lawlessness, “Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

“For the saving Gift of Elohim has appeared to all men, instructing us to renounce wickedness and worldly lusts, and to live sensibly, righteously, and reverently in the present age, looking for the blessed expectation and esteemed appearance of the great Elohim and our Saviour יהושע (Y’hoshua) Messiah, who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people, His own possession, ardent for good works” (Tit 2:11-14). This verse sums up what is known as the Good News (Gospel) of Y’hoshua the Messiah. He came to redeem us from ALL lawlessness so that we can turn away from worldly lusts and wickedness and live righteously to be His own possession, a clean people. We are also to beware and watch so that we do not be led away from the truth by the delusion of the lawless people who twist the writings of Paul and other Scripture too:  “You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless” (2 Peter 3:17) “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; For not the hearers of the law are just before Elohim, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rom 2:12-13). Only the doers of the Torah will be justified? We are not justified by the Torah, but only those that do the Torah can be justified.

“Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah” (Rom 3:31)

“Blessed are those doing His Commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14). Only those who do the Torah of YHWH may enter into the city through the gates and will have access to the tree of life. The Torah truly does set us free. “For the Torah of the Spirit of the life in Messiah יהושע (Y’hoshua) has set me free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom 8:2).

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim and possessing the witness of  יהושע (Y’hoshua) Messiah” (Rev 12:17)

“Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of Elohim and the belief of יהושע (Y’hoshua)” (Rev 14:12)

Does Paul teach us that we don’t have to keep the Torah of YHWH, or that we must keep it? “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Torah through the body of Mashiyach, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for Elohim, for while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Torah, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Torah, for we died with Mashiyach, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve Elohim, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the Torah, but in the new way, by the Spirit” (Romans 7:4-6)

The heart of this passage is the phrase, “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Torah, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” Sinful passions have always been aroused by Torah. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Chawwah came to know sin only when YHWH said “thou shalt not eat” and then after they sinned they tried to cover up their nakedness. In addition the “new way, by the Spirit” is really the old way, of Abraham (Romans 4:2-16), but it became new because by Y’hoshua’s time the “conventional wisdom” of the Pharisees was anything but wise! The consistent point of Rav Shaul, though, is that Torah is the way sin is defined, and yet, just a few lines later he makes it clear that:

“As a result, Torah is Set Apart; and the Commandment is Set Apart, and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12)

Notice that the “old way” was the Pharisees tradition of obeying the “letter of the Torah,” but this is most certainly not an indictment against Torah! Y’hoshua taught that Torah is good, but we are instructed to look at the intent, heart and Spirit of Torah:

“Woe to you, teachers of the Torah and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the Torah – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23)

“Yet a time is coming, and now has come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. Elohim is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Yehochanan (John) 4:23-24)

Now let us look at the other passage where “died to the Torah” appears:

“For when I tried to keep the Torah, I realized I could never earn Elohim’s approval. So I died to the Torah so that I might live for Elohim. I have been nailed to the stake with Mashiyach” (Galatians 2:19)

Shaul realized that he had fallen into the same trap that he now accuses other religious authorities of being in. He gives more details on the method behind that trap here:

“For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism… I was advancing in Judaism beyond the Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:13-14)

Notice Rav Shaul does not mention Torah here, but “the traditions of my fathers” (i.e., the fences built by men around the Torah). Here the ritual became so important that it gave birth to regulations that became erroneously identified as sanctification. Instead, the true justification is in the next line:

“But when Elohim, who set me apart from birth and called me to His favor (grace), was pleased to reveal His Son to me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man” (Galatians 1:12-16)

Once again, it is always the faith behind the rituals that really counts.

Here is some more passages that shows that Paul taught us to live by the Torah of YHWH, “For sin shall not rule over you, for you are not under the law but under favour. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Torah but under favour? Let it not be! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves servants for obedience, you are servants of the one whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?” (Rom 6:14-16).

“So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the command set-apart, and righteous, and good” (Rom 7:12)

If the Law of YHWH has been "nailed to the cross," why does YHWH tell us clearly that when the Mashiyach returns to this Earth to rule, that SAME law will go forth to the rest of the world?

“And many peoples shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה (YHWH), to the House of the Elohim of Ya’aqob, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths, for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the Word of יהוה (YHWH) from Yerushalayim.” (Isa 2:3)

“And many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה (YHWH), to the House of the Elohim of Ya’aqob, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths. For out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah, and the word of יהוה (YHWH) from Yerushalayim.” (Mic 4:2)

YHWH repeats this twice by two different people for us and tells us that His Set-Apart Law, which is active today, will continue after Y’hoshua returns, and will go out and be the rule by which the nations are judged and corrected. Today, we would do well to realize that if Y’hoshua’s death truly "did away with YHWH's Laws," then why would they be back, and going out to the physical people and nations after Y’hoshua's return?

YHWH's Law is a reflection of His mind and character, as it is of Mashiyach. We are to be conformed, BY obeying YHWH's LAW, and with YHWH's spirit working in us, into the very image and character of Y’hoshua. The Law of YHWH stands now and will abide forever (in reflection of action and thought) because YHWH abides forever, and YHWH's law simply reflects His mind!

Y’hoshua the Messiah came to be an example for us to live. We are to walk as He walked. Y’hoshua kept the Torah of YHWH perfectly. Should we then also keep the Torah of YHWH? “For to this you were called, because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). 

“He who possesses My commands and guards them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21)

If you do not live according to the Torah of YHWH, then you are living according to the law of sin.

So, which Law do you adhere to? Is it the Law of YHWH unto righteousness, or is it the law of sin that leads to destruction?

I will leave you with a part of this beautiful psalm:

“But the kindness of  יהוה (YHWH) Is from everlasting to everlasting Upon those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To those who guard His covenant, And to those who remember His orders to do them. יהוה (YHWH) has established His throne in the heavens, And His reign shall rule over all. Bless יהוה, you His messengers, Mighty in power, who do His Word, Listening to the voice of His Word. Bless יהוה (YHWH), all you His hosts, You His servants, who do His pleasure. Bless יהוה (YHWH), all His works, In all places of His rule. Bless  (YHWH) יהוה, O my being!” (Psalm 103:17-22)

Rapture

I am posting this article in the light of what happened recently with Harold Camping predicting that the rapture was going to take place on the 21 May 2011. This rapture did not happen. Many people were left confused or just plainly ignorant on this topic.

The “rapture theory” teaches that “the saints” who are alive on the earth will miraculously fly to heaven either before, during or after a time of great tribulation on Earth. The main body of the rapture theory was invented by Ribera, a Catholic Jesuit theologian who published his work shortly after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572. The blood of that horrific Catholic inspired massacre of French Protestants was still being washed off the streets of Paris when the Jesuits presented their rapture theory, designed to take pressure off the Catholic Church system that was being fingered as the Antichrist, the Beast, and/or the Whore of Revelation. To excuse themselves from this embarrassment the Catholic Church developed a “futurist” theology that suggested they could not be the Harlot Church who sits on the Seven Hills of Rome, they began posturing that Revelation speaks of “futurist” prophecies that are not yet fulfilled. (The head of the Vatican was so delighted with his massacre in Paris that he struck a coin to commemorate it.) Ribera wrote: “None of the wicked shall understand,” yet thousands of “Bible teachers” today maintain that Ribera’s idea of a future personal Antichrist is the right interpretation, and that the Reformers’ view of the papacy as the Antichrist was wrong. From 1580 to 1830, the official teaching of the Church of Rome was that an individual personal Antichrist would appear in the future; while the Protestants held that the reign of Antichrist extended all through the Dark Ages, from the Fourth Century onward.

In the mid 1700’s Emanual Lacunza, a Chilean Jesuit of Spanish descent wrote a book entitled, “The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty,” which launched a theory that Mashiyach was to come TWICE; once for his saints at the rapture and then again with an army of his saints. But he also wrote that the priesthood of the Catholic Church would apostatize at the coming of the Antichrist and that the Antichrist himself would take over the Roman Catholic Church and persecute Catholics. However, Lacunza also yielded to one of the main contentions of the Protestants that the Antichrist was not a man but a system or body of men animated by one spirit. Lacunza had taken the Reformers’ perspective and melded it with Rome’s but, of course, this publication was immediately put on the Vatican’s list of prohibited books – so, for whom was it written? It came with a commendation of being condemned by the Pope.

Lacunza also wrote his book under the name of “Rabbi Ben Ezra” claiming to be a learned Jew who became a Christian who was out to convert his Jewish brethren to Christianity. “Ben Ezra: became famous among Christians under the cloak of the converted Jew. Did Lacunza really expect to reach Jews by pretending to be an ex-Jewish Rabbi? No, because he was aiming at the Protestants. Lacunza was found dead on June 17^th 1801. There was no record of what caused his death, but after his death his book found its way to Oxford and Cambridge and into the library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the official head of the Anglican Church and the people of England. In the course of time, the librarian to the Archbishop, Dr. Maitland, became smitten with the teachings of “Rabbi Ben Ezra the converted Jew,” and the ideas of Lacunza the Jesuit rose from the dead and “ministered” to Protestants everywhere.

The Beast

For most Bible students it comes as no surprise that Protestant Christians fingered the Roman Catholic Church as the Antichrist Church of Revelation; especially when the Vatican extended extreme cruelty, torture and death to independent Christian minorities who refused Catholic “conversion.” The Church of Rome continues to provide asylum for criminals and boasts extreme extravagance at the expense of the poorest of the poor while also being found to cover up/minimalize the wicked sexual perversion of priests who’ve raped the most vulnerable of society: children. The Vatican, which puts its official “Christification” on images of the sun placed behind the heads of many a “saint,” epitomizes the marriage of paganism with Christianity, lavishly pouring condemnation and guilt upon its adherents and then selling cash pardons for “forgiveness.”

Anyone visiting or viewing photos of the Vatican has likely noticed a massive obelisk at the center of St. Peter’s square, which is dedicated to sex/sun worship. The massive eight-rayed sun wheel around the obelisk is the ancient symbol of Ishtar (Easter) who was a goddess of sex. The obelisk itself is a phallic symbol (penis) that was brought to the Church from Heliopolis Egypt by the Roman Emperor Caligula. Ancient pagan civilizations believed that the fellow who sported the largest penis was sent from the gods; therefore, Protestants pointed to the Catholic erection as evidence that Catholicism is in bed with paganism.

Caligula, according to historical sources, was a man of extreme cruelty, extravagance and sexual perversion who considered himself a deity. For public meetings he dressed up as various gods and demigods, such as Hercules, Apollo, Venus or Mercury, and he demanded that both the senators and people worship him as a physical living god. Similarly, the head of the Vatican also prides himself as “Vicar Christi” (in place of Christ) and operates under the title of “Holy Father” – which is much like the spirit of Caligula and a rather wicked thing in the light of Mashiyach’s warning; “And do not call yourself Father for your Father is one who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9).

The Catching Up

“And then we who survive and are alive shall be caught up together with them to the clouds to meet our Master (Y’hoshua) in the air; and so shall we be ever with our Master.” (1 Thess 4:17)

Here Rav Shaul teaches that the first resurrection and the “catching up” will occur at the return of Mashiyach. The survivors of the great tribulation are they who “survive and are alive” which was also witnessed (2 Peter 3:10-12) at the end of what is known as Jacob’s Trouble.

Mashiyach says, “Blessed are they who are meek because they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). (See also Psalm 37:11, 149:4.) Isaiah wrote: “And one cried unto another, and said, Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, is YHWH of hosts: the whole earth is full of His esteem” (Isaiah 6:3), which was echoed by Rav Shaul: “For the earth is MASTER YHWH’s, in its fullness” (1 Cor 10:26). Certainly the Earth is headed towards catastrophe of unimaginable proportion; but regardless of what man does to destroy it, it is YHWH’s property and He clearly intends to redeem every molecule of it.

“For in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YHWH blessed the Shabbat day, and Set it Apart” (Exodus 20:11). YHWH calls tov (good) all that He created; therefore, fallen man’s plans to destroy the Earth will come to an end long before the Earth does – which is why Mashiyach says, “For then will be great suffering such as has not been from the beginning of the world until the present, nor will ever be again. And if those days were not shortened, not any flesh would live, but because of the chosen, those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).

Although the rapture theory has gained wide recognition and acceptance in the Christian world, the word “rapture” like the word “trinity” is not found in Scripture. It is much more important for those who follow Mashiyach to focus on donning the garments of righteousness instead of supposing they already have all their facts straight. A future rapture is nothing but a clever deception of the enemy to make Christians think they’ve “got it in the bag,” when in fact they are giving authority to the Anti-Christ Church by disobeying Mashiyach and Torah. It should also be noted that the “rapture theory” never penetrated the Church of the East; it is of Western origin.

The Promised Land

A very integral part of the Covenant YHWH made with Awraham included a “Promised Land.” Undoubtedly, there is going to be a lot of scorched earth between now and when Mashiyach returns, but YHWH isn’t nervous and Mashiyach isn’t fearful. HaSatan knows that his days are numbered; therefore, it is utterly foolish to play religious games with “the Devil.” We are told by the Prophet Isaiah that haSatan will be destroyed after he makes the Earth tremble and has shaken kingdoms and destroyed cities; but the irony is: “They that see thee (haSatan) shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth tremble, that did shake kingdoms? “ (Isaiah 14:16) In other words, people will be amazed at how pathetic the chief of doom really is and they will realize the utter foolishness of even thinking that evil would triumph.

Rapture Not the Goal

The goal then is not the Rapture (or religion) but Spiritual Regeneration. Mashiyach Y’hoshua was put to death on the merits of religious tradition, but so is religion (false Christianity) putting Y’hoshua to “death” by turning their backs on Torah, which is Mashiyach preincarnate. The post-apostolic Western Church (inspired by haSatan) has always been at war with the true followers of Mashiyach but: “Judgment begins in the house of YHWH” (1 Peter 4:17-18), so as the One World Government continues to rape and pillage the Earth of righteousness, one can expect even more false prophets to advertise cheap religious travel packages into the clouds. 

Man After YHWH's Own Heart

 “And having removed him, He raised up for them Dawiḏ as sovereign, to whom also He gave witness and said, ‘I have found Dawiḏ the son of Yishai, a man after My own heart, who shall do all My desires.’” (Act 13:22)

To understand the character of a person, one can look at their heart. When we are “born from the beginning” into the Spirit, We are changed into the image of YHWH and do His hearts desire. How do we know what is the hearts desire of YHWH? The Scriptures have given us a very good example of a man who is claimed to be the only person in the entire Scriptures to be called “a man after YHWH’s own Heart.” His name is King Dawid

We can learn a lot from the life and writings of Dawid. From a very young age, Dawid was courageous, obedient and faithful. He defended his flock from lions and bears when he was still a shepherd boy. When he was still too young and small to join the army, he faced and killed Goliath, who made all the other Israelites tremble with fear, because Dawid was obedient to YHWH. Dawid later became King of Israel after Saul became disobedient to YHWH, and even tried to kill Dawid out of jealousy.

Dawid was protected and blessed by YHWH because of his obedience to and love for YHWH. Although Dawid also had many faults, he repented from his sins and turned back to YHWH every time. Dawid knew very well what the will of YHWH is. He wrote many Psalms that illustrate his love towards the Will of YHWH. Probably the most beautiful one is Psalm 119.

In this Psalm the word Torah, and nine other words are used which run parallel with, or are synonymous of Torah (Instruction), thus a total of 10 parallel words. All 176 verses of Psalm 119 contain one of these 10 Parallel words, except verse 122!

Another wonderful fact concering Psalm 119, it consists of 176 verses. 176 divided by 8 gives us 22, which is the amount of letters in the Hebrew alphabete (aleph-beth). now the interesting part... the first 8 verses each begin with the letter 'aleph', the next 8 verses each begin with the letter "beyt", the next 8 verses after that each begin with the letter 'gimel' etc etc He does this through out the entire chapter untill all the Hebrew letters are used... it is one beautiful poem written to the Almighty.

Clearly Dawid is revealing the true Will of YHWH here. By meditating on and rejoicing in Torah everyday and guarding the Commands of YHWH. The Psalm before this one, Psalm 118, is a Psalm about Y’hoshua Mashiyach. Dawid clearly understood the desire of YHWH and the role of His Mashiyach. The Christian Church claims that the Good News only came into existence during the life of the Mashiyach Y’hoshua. The evidence, however, tells us something else. The Good News was very evident throughout the Torah and the prophets. Dawid proves this by writing Psalm 118! With all this information, Dawid was in the same boat as we are in today. Dawid, with all the information that he had about the Mashiyach, still chose to guard the Torah of YHWH and to keep His Commands, not because it was the tradition of Israel, but because of his love for YHWH and through his Faith.

“And by this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and follow His Commandments. For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his Commandments: and His Commandments are not burdensome. Because, whoever is born of Elohim overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” (1 John 5:2-4).

Dawid knew and understood what John wrote in the above verse even though Dawid was not around when John wrote it. This is because they both had the same spirit, and understanding of the true Will of YHWH, because they both studied and knew the Torah! “Therefore you shall love YHWH your Elohim and keep His charge and His Statutes and His Judgements and His Commandments, ALWAYS” (Deut 11:1). All the other disciples and apostles also had this knowledge and taught it to all the nations.

Now, has the Will of YHWH changed since Y’hoshua’s death on the stake? NO! this is evident when Y’hoshua says, “Therefore they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”  יהושע (Y'hoshua) answered, “You know (Y'hoshua) neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would have known My Father also.” (John 8:19). So we clearly see that the Son has the same character as his Father. So if we know the Son, then we know the Father. “Y’hoshua Mashiyach is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). So we can certainly see that the Will of YHWH is the same now as what it was before Y’hoshua died on the stake.

To understand the Character and Will of YHWH and His Son Y’hoshua, we can learn a great lesson from King Dawid who truly understood the Will of YHWH, by just reading the 119^th Psalm we see that the Will of YHWH is for us to guard and keep His Torah day and night! But not just keep Torah but to love YHWH’s instruction! “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in order for them to be saved. And for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the falsehood, in order that all should be judged who did not believe the truth, but have delighted in the unrighteousness” (2 Thes 2:9-12) 

They Repented Not

 Revelation 9:20-21

Multitudes of religious people are under the erroneous impression that they are “saved” in their sins and have been forgiven, simply because they have “repented” according to traditional guidelines. This is because they don’t realize there is an extreme difference between religious status quo repentance and reality. The “religious status quo repentance” theology is famous for making people feel guilty about their sin and then providing religious “comfort food” to put them at ease. Many Catholics, for instance, believe that confession to a man in a booth takes care of their need for repentance – but this is simply a tradition. Most Christians categorically believe repentance means “to change your mind,” to “accept Jesus” or to “believe upon the shed blood at the cross.” Hardly anyone stops to think that religious tradition interprets Scripture according to tradition and that they might just be “missing the mark” by blindly following their religious leaders. The thing is, there is a vast gulf between religious and true repentance.

There are two Hebrew words that translate into the English word “repent.” In Moshe’s appeal to YHWH both words appear in the same verse: “Turn (shuv) from thy fierce wrath, and repent (nacham) of this evil against thy people” (Exodus 32:12). The Jewish world predominantly focuses on the word shuv as in Teshuva, whereas the Christian world functionally adopts nacham – two very different words. “shuv” appears 1,066 times in Scripture but is almost entirely negated by modern Christian theology. The first mention of shuv is: “In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return (shuv) unto the ground…” (Gen 3:19). Clearly shuv means to return to where you’ve come from and this is the key to true repentance.

Teshuva (repentance) means return to YHWH. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return (shuv) unto YHWH, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).

How can a person return to YHWH if they’ve never known His Ways or experienced the Kingdom of Elohim? It would seem that in order to return to something, you would have to have been there before. In reality, the neshama (spirit) of each individual belongs to YHWH and by surrendering and returning to YHWH every soul is, in fact, returning to their spiritual origin. This is also what it means to be “born from the beginning,” whereas being “born again” is a bit of a misnomer. In reality when a person makes teshuva and returns to YHWH they come to know the Spirit of Mashiyach (the Ruach haKodesh), but they also experience their own neshama. Not only has the unrepentant person not come to know the Ways of YHWH, but in reality they have not come unto their own spirit until they make teshuva.

Teshuva or returning to YHWH is an absolute requirement to obtain pardon; there is no other way to Salvation. Sin first entered into man through Adam and Chawwah, but whether Jew or Gentile, man’s destiny lies outside of sin. Our Creator created us according to His purpose. By returning to Him our true purpose is revealed, but we must also return to Him on His terms and conditions.

Nacham is translated as; comfort (57), repent (41), comforter (9), ease (1), for a total of only 108 occurrences. Christian theology weighs in very heavily on comforting the sinners by teaching them that “Jesus did it all” or “you don’t have to keep the law” or “you are saved by grace” or “all your sins past, present and future are forgiven” or “say the sinners prayer and be saved” or “it doesn’t make any difference if you keep the law” or “Jesus did away with the law” …on and on; there are literally hundreds of other religious clichés that make sinners feel comfortable in their sin. Religious comforts are also extended by theology like Justification, Grace only, Dispensationalism and Replacement Theologies which gives “the Church” the power to forgive sins and make void the requirement of teshuva. Christianity has given itself a theological license to transgress Torah; invented, of course, by the post-apostolic founders of the all-Gentile church.

In reality Nacham (repent of comfort) refers to the Spirit of YHWH bringing comfort after a person does Teshuva and takes back the ground they lost through sin. The comfort aspect occurs when we return to YHWH and He draws us close to Himself. However, most Christians are content with the social gratification of church membership and being comforted by religious traditions. Modern religion copes with sin. Social transgressions such as gossip, backbiting, condemnation, finger pointing, evil imaginations, slander, adultery, lawlessness and covetousness are normative in most churches because, “Hey, nobody can keep the law perfectly, only Jesus, and he died to forgive us our sins.” There is a massive gulf between false religion that comforts a person in their sins verses turning to YHWH and His Mashiyach and making things right. Unfortunately, when many Christians hear true repentance being preached they are quick to condemn the preacher as a “legalist;” because the truth about repentance feels to them like harassment or embarrassment.

Most of the religious world sees repentance as something you do after you sin. Many sin and “repent” over and over simply because they have never known the true nature of Teshuva (repentance). Teshuva is a daily turning to YHWH; every thought is subjugate to obedience to the Mashiyach (2 Cor 10:5), implying that our words and actions are done in the Spirit of YHWH. Throughout the Renewed Covenant we see Y’hoshua our Mashiyach, Peter, James, John and Paul ministering “perfection” which is a state of completion in one’s spirit. Mashiyach is the life of Torah that brings perfection. We humans know that we are not “perfect” beings, yet we are called to be tamiym (perfect, complete, clean). Noah and Awraham were perfect long before Torah was given at Sinai and before Y’hoshua came to Earth as Mashiyach.

To make Teshuva (repentance) is to empower the spiritual man. “Draw near to Elohim, and He will draw near to you, Cleanse your hands, you sinners: sanctify your hearts, you divided in mind.” (James 4:8). Teshuva is the basis of how we draw near to YHWH, and it is only realized through Torah observance. Torah is the Will of YHWH, His Love Letter, His Promise, and His Covenant. Torah contains the Terms and Conditions of YHWH’s Love towards His Creation.

The Torah of YHWH is perfect converting the soul, yet many are quick to reject Torah even when they have little or no understanding of how it reveals the Kingdome of Elohim according to Mashiyach. The rabbinical world may have kept Torah from the Gentiles, but Mashiyach who is the “Light unto the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6, 60:3), did the very opposite. The prophets foretold of the Gentiles being drawn unto YHWH in Mashiyach. Rav Shaul taught the Gentile world about the “inner spiritual man” which is the foundation of Torah that guides us according to the Image of Elohim. This is also one of the reasons why the Pharisaic elite wanted to kill him, they were threatened because he was “stealing their thunder” and bringing Torah to the Gentiles. The more the Gentile world has Torah written upon their hearts the more redundant the various religious traditions become; indeed the religious hierarchies would become irrelevant.

A very common tradition within Gentile Churches  is that neither Y’shua nor Paul expected Gentiles to live like Jews; and Acts 15 records the dispute among those “who believed from the teaching of the Pharisees”. Here again it was clearly a matter of the traditions of the Pharisees being in conflict with the Way of Mashiyach, not a matter of “living like Jews.” However, Shimon Peter set the record straight: “And He differentiates nothing between them and us because He cleansed their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9). The Renewed Covenant requires that Torah be written upon the heart – this is what it means to have a clean heart, whether a person is Jewish or not in this matter is irrelevant. It was a watershed concept for most Jews and Gentiles that, “He differentiates nothing between them,” but in reality authentic Jewish identity has always been defined by Mashiyach; not by various hierarchical religions of Jews.

In other words when you make teshuva and truly follow in the footsteps of Mashiyach, others will most certainly scorn you for living like a Jew because Christianity has done an extensive makeover to take the Jew out of their version of Y’hoshua. The resistance against you for making true repentance will come from church people, family, friends, pastors and those who habitually accuse followers of Mashiyach of being “legalists” and “Judaizers” because they prefer their own traditional worldly lifestyles. But Mashiyach says: “Whoever finds his soul will loses it, and whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

Another component of repentance is to enter into the Government of Mashiyach, rather than talk about it. Every dominion, government and authority that has not entered into the perfection of Mashiyach is not of him. Mashiyach is begotten of YHWH which means he is the Firstborn and head of YHWH’s Government. “Misrah” (government; Isaiah 9:6-7, 22:21) comes from the root word “Sarah”. It is through the descendant of Awraham and Sarah that the Promise and heavenly Government was established. The Promise was given in Gan Eden; “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). YHWH ordained that the “Seed of Woman” would bruise the head of the serpent which is Mashiyach’s Government. Therefore the Government of Mashiyach has been a continuum from the Garden of Eden right through to the World to Come, and every generation is called to depart from iniquity, turn away from all false dominions and subscribe to Mashiyach. To do this a person must stop adhering to the teachings of man and turn to YHWH to observe His Torah – His Heavenly Instructions – and begin to learn about Justice, Peace and Righteousness according to Mashiyach.

One of the very first words on the lips of Mashiyach Y’hoshua was “repent” (Matt 4:17). It is imperative that we understand how to repent (make Teshuva) and turn to YHWH and keep His Commandments. Rav Shaul gives testimony to King Agrippa of a “heavenly vision” saying: “…I preached from the first to them in Damascus, and to them in Urishlim and in all the villages of Judea; and I preached also to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and should turn to Elohim, and should do the works suitable to repentance” (Acts 26:20). There is no doubt, whatsoever, that Rav Shaul spoke with the full weight and authority of Mashiyach Y’hoshua and Torah. Paul taught “repent and turn to Elohim” which is very Hebraic, very commonly understood among Jews, and a very ancient understanding which means to observe Torah! Paul commanded Gentiles (who, like the original Jewish followers of Y’hoshua, adhere to the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) to: “Do the works suitable to repentance.” Same Heavenly Father, same rules! Y’hoshua Mashiyach did not come to replace YHWH or to start a new, Torah-less religion. He came to show us in person how to do it right.