21 QUESTIONS

1)      Can you knowingly disregard the reasonable requests of your spouse and remain in right standing with them?

2)      Can you knowingly transgress the instructions of our Heavenly Father and remain in right standing with Him?

3)      If you commit a crime worthy of the death penalty, but your twin takes your place at the execution (unbeknownst to anyone else and you go free), does that mean the act you committed is no longer a crime?

4)      Did the sacrificial death of Messiah change what the law defined as sin?

5)      Did the sacrificial death of Messiah make it okay to transgress the law?

6)      Did the resurrection of Messiah make the law irrelevant?

7)      Does being set free mean we are at liberty to do as we please?

8)      When the woman accused of adultery was set free by Yeshua, did he give her a second chance to go and sin some more?

9)      Was the law given to instruct you on how to do evil?

10)   Did our Heavenly Father ever say to disregard what he instructed?

11)  Can you disregard the law and simultaneously admire the Psalms of David who expressed that his hearts desire was to delight in the law?

12)  Can you disregard the law and simultaneously adhere to the wisdom found in Proverbs which was built upon the law?

13)   Did Yeshua say that the law would pass before heaven and earth pass away?

14)   Have the heavens or the earth passed away yet?

15)  When Yeshua said he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, did he mean that he came to tick the law off a list (like you would on a “to do” list)?

16)  Can you get the most out of a relationship without having an understanding of the other’s perspective?

17)  Is our relationship with the Heavenly Father any different?

18)  Did God say we could enter into covenant with Him on our own terms?

19)  Can man define what righteousness is?

20)  Can man amend what God has established?

21)  Did Yeshua say that if we love Him we should keep our own commandments?

To follow is to learn.

Sermon: Fan or Follower

MP3: Sermon: Fan or Follower | Congregation Melech Yisrael - Toronto, Canada

The Promise

What is the Promise that God made to man? Salvation, through Yeshua is a gift, which we have the choice to accept or reject.  However, for those who choose to accept the gift of Salvation, what is promised to those who believe? The answer: eternal life. The hope of all who believe in Yeshua is to be saved from destruction and one day enter into eternal life with him – to be with Him where He is - forever. This is the hope of all believers and John 3:16 is a summation of God’s redemptive plan for mankind.

Yet, there remains a symbol of this Promise of eternal rest in Him. God established a symbol of this promised era of rest in Genesis.  The first book of Torah, B’resheet (Genesis) is a prophetic depiction of God’s complete plan, with the seventh day of creation of special importance. The rest that God describes on the seventh day is prophetic of the rest which believers shall enter in as described in John 3:16.  Put simply, the seventh day rest (Shabbat) represents the hope that all believers are waiting for – to be with Him for all eternity.

In a previous post, In the beginning, there was covenant, Part 2, I described how God instructed Israel that Shabbat (the Sabbath) would stand as a perpetual symbol of His covenant with them – that he would be a husband unto them and they His people.  And is it not the goal of those who wed to live together following the marriage? So it is for us who receive Salvation, we wait to be united with our heavenly Bridegroom who is returning for us. This is why the act of two persons coming together as one in marriage is actually a heavenly concept, created and established by God as demonstrated through the redemptive work of Yeshua for His bride (the body of believers).

And as we wait for His return, we wear the symbol of our marriage covenant - the Shabbat.  Just as a bride and a groom exchange symbols of their union, our Heavenly Father has given a symbol to those who enter into covenant with Him. The Shabbat stands as God’s symbol of the eternal rest that we shall have with Him. 

So as we remember the Shabbat each week and honour it, we are, in essence, putting our faith in His Promise that we shall enter into eternal life with Him according to His Word.  This is why the Shabbat is not just a day nor is it dead. Rather, the Shabbat is a treasure to the believer and is very much alive in the hearts of many believers as a joyous dress rehearsal of the eternal rest that shall come in the seventh millennia. So to believe that Shabbat is no longer relevant is essentially saying you don’t believe in wearing the gift that God gave as a symbol of the promised rest to come.  Yeshua said in John 14:2-3 “….I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” 2 Peter 3:8 also tells us “…beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” If we compare this scripture with the days of creation in Genesis, then we understand the six days of creation and seventh day of rest are prophetic of millennia, and the seventh millennia represents the completion of all things.

In the gospels, Yeshua says that He is Lord of the Shabbat (Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5).  We know that God is not the God of the dead, but is the God of the living.  Therefore, Yeshua would not declare that he is the Lord of the Shabbat if it was done away with or no longer relevant.  From a logical standpoint you cannot be lord over something that does not exist.  Now, in the context of these scriptures this was not the point Yeshua was trying to make, but rather he was outlining that since He is the Creator of the Shabbat, He is the One to decide how it should be properly observed for men had added their own interpretation to its observance.

In summary, if you believe in Yeshua, if you believe you are in covenant with Him and that He is returning for you, if you believe you shall enter into eternal rest with Him, if you believe that His Word is true and His Promises are sure, then we should also believe that the symbol of His Promised eternal rest still shines brightly just like a diamond.  The Shabbat is that symbol and it is a gift that God made specifically for us - for our benefit.  Out of His love, when God entered into marriage covenant with man at Mount Sinai he gave Shabbat as a symbolic Promise that one day we shall be united with Him according to His Word.

Once I understood that Shabbat demonstrates His unfailing commitment to be with me, Shabbat became a treasure of my heart, one that I cherish, honour, and shall remember for all eternity... 

Shalom.

Pass Over

Through the death and resurrection of Yeshua we:

Pass over from death to life

Pass over from darkness to light

Pass over from sin to righteousness

Pass over from cursing to blessing

Pass over from bondage to freedom

Pass over from condemned to redeemed

Pass over from poverty to inheritance

Pass over from the broad to the narrow

Pass over from falsehood to truth

Pass over from the carnal to the spiritual

Pass over from the profane to the holy

Pass over from singleness to marriage

Pass over from the world to the Kingdom.

For, God so loved us, that he sent His Son, Yeshua (which means salvation), to be the sacrificial Passover Lamb for our sins. This is indeed the very crux of our faith. And so it has come to pass that through Yeshua’s death and resurrection, we all have the opportunity to pass over.

Shalom.

Sukkot, a celebration for all nations

And it shall come to pass that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva'ot (the Lord of Hosts), and to keep the feast of Sukkot.

Z'Kharyah (Zechariah) 14:16.

One Head, one House, one Family

By many accounts there are over 30,000 denominations within Christendom today. To me, this prospect is quite unsettling and it leads to me to ask the question: why? Why is “the church” (note singular) plural today? And further to this, the church is not just plural, but downright conflicted with some groups ranging from suspicious to outright dismissive of the others. How can we all claim to be right, while we remain in conflict with one another?  If all 30,000+ of us are reading the same scriptures and all claiming to be led by divine interpretation and not our own, then either God is confused or we are. I know that God is not the author of confusion, so it must be man – again.  I guess we’ll have to do some digging to see when this divisiveness in the church actually began.

History teaches us that Catholicism was at one time the only universal church until the “Great Schism” in the 11^th century which led to the formation of two branches in Christendom: the Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church. However, the confusion didn’t stop there.  Across the years, decades, and centuries; and across the countries, kingdoms, kings, and emperors, thousands of other branches of Christendom came into being. And today we stand at over 30,000 denominations, sects, sub-sects, cults, and break-away groups of one supposed faith. Christianity today is arguably the largest religion in the world, yet, in my opinion, it is the most confused and divided of all other faith groups.  Yet I digress, and the truth is that division was occurring during the days of the Apostles, but that is another topic.

So why does history talk about the Catholic church as the original universal church when Christians believe that their faith started with Yeshua (Christ is a Greek translation)?  This is a quandary because Yeshua was Jewish. While Catholicism teaches that Kefa (Peter) was the first “Pope” of the Catholic church, again there remains the quandary of Kefa’s Jewish heritage.  In fact, all of the Apostles were Jewish, with the exception of Luke that some say was a proselyte or Jewish convert.  And we all love to highlight Sha'ul's (Paul's) teachings, but again, he was a Jew who even took steps to prove that he did not renounce his Jewish-ness as seen in Acts 21. So, it appears that there are some stark contrasts that need to reconciled – if possible.

Before we go on, I want to preface that my intent is not to judge any denomination, but to bring to the forefront our perception of what we think, or who we think the church is.  So let’s take a closer look.

Catholic, which means universal, has its headquarters in Rome.  So the Vatican is the headquarters of the “universal” or Catholic church. However, our Lord and Saviour, Yeshua, was born in the city of Beit-Lechem (Bethlehem) which is in Israel.   Note that Israel is both the name of a country and the name of a nation of people.  Secondly, our Lord and Saviour, Yeshua, is returning to Israel for his second coming where he shall reign for a millennia; he is not returning to Rome.  Thirdly, the book of Revelation says that Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) is the new city that shall descend from heaven adorned as a bride unto our God, not Rome.  And the gates of the new Yerushalayim are named after the twelve Jewish tribes of Israel, and the twelve foundations of the city are named after the twelve Jewish Apostles.  No name of any denomination that man has made is adorned on the heavenly city. 

So, let’s do a history recap: God called a man named Avraham (Abraham) to follow him, through whom would come the seed of promise for the redemption of mankind.  God also made a promise of inheritance to Avraham, which included the possession of the land of Israel.  Eventually through Avraham came the nation of Israel whom God wed in marriage at Mount Sinai.  Israel committed adultery soon after covenant was made with God, but their seed still inherited the promised land after forty years.  Some time later, a Jewish king is raised up who conquered the enemies of Israel and his name was David, a man after God’s own heart.  14 generations later, again due to Israel’s adultery against God, the people are carried away by pagan nations into exile while a remnant (Judah) remains. Then another 14 generations pass before the first coming of Messiah, Yeshua, to Yerushalayim.  Before his crucifixion, Yeshua rode into Yerushalayim on a donkey, as a humble king of his people.  Yet when Yeshua returns, he is coming to conquer the world and reign as king over his kingdom, Israel.  The same land that God promised to Avraham thousands of years ago, is the same land that God shall reign as king – time has not changed God’s plans.    

Now in terms of the church, it was established at Mount Sinai when God made covenant with a people.  You could say that the first member of the church was Adam, but God's relationship with man wasn't documented in writing until Mount Sinai when he said he would be a husband to Israel. Yet, despite His bride's sin, God sent his Son, Yeshua, to take the punishment for their sins in order to reconcile His bride, Israel, back to Himself.  In addition to this, God extended the opportunity to enter into covenant with Him to anyone else outside of Israel who would believe.  As such, when we come to God through Yeshua, we come into his family, Israel. There are no denominations with God.  There is only a people named Israel, a land of our inheritance called Israel, and the place where God shall establish His kingdom forever, which is Israel. God does not change folks. 

Romans 10 uses the branch and vine analogy to teach us that we are one family.  Israel are branches of the vine, and the vine is Yeshua.  However, because Israel committed adultery, like a branch, Israel was cut off from the vine.  The good news is that through Yeshua’s sacrifice, the branches that were cut off due to sin, can now be grafted back in to where they belong. We, the non-Jews, were not originally of the vine, we were wild branches (of a pagan heritage).  However, through grace we are grafted into the vine (Yeshua).  The moral of the story is that all of us, Jew and non-Jew, are branches that need the gift of salvation to be grafted into the vine.  The only difference is that the Jew is a natural branch of the vine, while the non-Jew is an unnatural branch.  Indeed, no man can graft himself into the vine, so we dare not boast, as only God through his grace and love can bring us into his family. 

Understand that before the coming of Messiah, the Jews were saved by grace (the Passover) and had covenant with God, but committed adultery.  So it's through Yeshua that the Jews can be re-grafted into the place they belong.  Put simply, they can come back into right fellowship with their husband again.  While the non-Jew, who never had covenant with God, through Yeshua’s sacrifice, can now be grafted into God’s family for the first time.  So, the non-Jew ought to learn from the mistakes of those before us. As the children of Israel were at one time cut off because of sin, so it can be for us today.  None is better than the other for we are all saved by grace.

Yeshua came so that we can be “born-again” in him.  That is, be a new creature, one who can enter into a new covenant with God once the old man is dead.  The terms of the covenant remain the same, we are the one’s who are new.  Yeshua is also the head of the church which was established at the Mount, and the name of the church (or his family) is Israel.  This is the name that God gave to his family before you and I were born.  Israel was the name of his bride before he married her at the Mount, and although Israel committed adultery soon after the “I do’s” were said, God has, and will always remain faithful to the covenant of marriage he made to Israel thousands of years ago. The bottom line is that God married Israel friends, not the Baptists, or the Anglicans, or the Catholics, or any of the other 30,000+ denominations that we can make up.  So, when we accept Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, we now come into God’s singular family.  He remains the husband of one house - the House of Israel.

And let us not perceive the House of Israel as an ethnicity, for many nations belong to it. There is no discrimination with God. So it matters not what country you were born, your race, ethnicity, the language you speak, your cultural heritage or any other factor.  An example of unity is described in the Jamaican motto which says: “out of many, one people.”  I believe this is how we should think of God’s House.  There is no division, there is only one.

Shalom.

Israel 2012!

 It is the land our Father has chosen to establish his kingdom.  Therefore, as believers, it is the land of our inheritance and so it is our duty to support it.

Examples of using ancient Hebrew to look at scripture

Taking a look at the Name of God, the word Shalom, and other interesting stuff using the ancient Hebrew picture language. Enjoy!

In the beginning, there was covenant Pt. 3

As depicted in the exodus of Israel, Torah was only given to Israel after they came into covenant with God.  At Passover, the blood on the doorposts represented Yeshua’s blood which saved them from the judgment for sin – that being death.  Then God delivered them from Egypt (the house of bondage or sin).  So being delivered from the bondage of sin, they were then baptized in the Red Sea.  The water of the Red Sea represented the Word that renewed the Israelites while exacting judgment upon the Egyptians (sinners) who died therein.  Then, coming out on the other side of the sea, they left behind the old man and were symbolically reborn.  It was following this event that God proposes marriage to Israel at the Mount.  When Israel accepted, it was then that God revealed His Torah to teach them how to be a pleasing bride, how to be a holy nation unto Him. 

From this we can see that Torah does not precede salvation, rather, Torah comes after salvation to sanctify us unto God. It is only when we choose by faith to enter into covenant with Him that the process of sanctification begins.  When God rescued Israel from the bondage of sin and set them free in Him, His Torah was then given to maintain their new found liberty by directing them away from the ways of the world (or sin). We see that God affirms this to be true in the first of the ten commandments, which says: “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2.  Looking at this commandment from a covenant perspective, it’s clear that God is not only affirming Himself as our deliverer from bondage, but also our Husband. 

In the Hebrew Bible “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” represents the totality of the first commandment; the second commandment begins with “You are to have no other Gods before me….” What is interesting about this fact is that the first “commandment” does not have a “do” or a “don’t” as the remaining nine commandments.  The first commandment is simply a statement.  You may ask how can a statement be a “commandment” if there is no directive?  Well, if you agree with the premise of the statement, then you are acknowledging, first and foremost, WHO God is to you and WHAT he did for you.  This is an act of faith. When you put your faith in this truth: God is my Husband who saved me from sin, the rest of the commandments fall into place.

So when we think of what a husband is, some descriptions such as: leader, provider, lover, protector, comforter, friend, confidante, and helper, come to mind.  It is interesting to note that God reiterates this phrase “I am the Lord thy God” (i.e I am your Husband) over 30 times throughout the Tanakh (Old Testament).  It’s like God is drilling into our brains that He is our Husband. Why would God see the need to reinforce his role so many times?  Could it be that He wants us to understand that He loves us more than anything and wants the very best for us? If we believe this to be true, then we should never perceive that His teachings (Torah) is the source of any bondage. Remembering that God saved us from the bondage of sin, it would be counter intuitive to believe that he would put us back into any form of bondage after He delivered us from it.

Looking at this from a natural stand point, would a true husband put his spouse in bondage? Absolutely, not! While some may perceive the guidelines within Torah as limiting or constraining, these guidelines are actually designed for our protection, preservation, and prosperity.  I gave an analogy of this concept in my first blog “Faith and Torah” using a parent and child as an example.

Obedience leads to blessing, and Deuteronomy 28 clearly illustrates this concept. When we adhere to what God is teaching us, His blessing follows.  So God made sure to give us an instruction manual to show us the path to optimal health, safety, protection, justice, equality, victory, peace etc. True liberty is not found in exercising one’s own free will, but in subjecting our will to that of our Heavenly Father. And because we have come into union with a Holy God, it naturally requires that we also be holy which is outlined in Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; and 20:7, and later quoted by Kefa (Peter) in chapter 1:16. Accepting the free gift of salvation is only the first step in our journey of covenant with God. From that day forward, we commit to following His teachings wholeheartedly simply because we love for Him.  When we remember who God is to us and what He did for us, obedience to Torah becomes the desire of the heart.

Shalom.

In the beginning, there was covenant Pt. 2

When we enter into a marriage covenant, it would be incumbent upon us to understand what it means to be party to a marriage in order to have a successful union.  If we closely examine the scriptures we see that our Heavenly Father laid out His role and expectation of those who would enter into covenant with Him. 

In Exodus chapter 19: 3-6 God proposes marriage to Israel through Moshe (Moses), in that He promises Israel shall be a “peculiar treasure unto me above all people”, “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” if they accept the conditions of the marriage which are “obey[ing] [his] voice” and “keep[ing] [his] covenant.”  Once Moshe relayed this proposal to Israel (vs. 7) and the people accepted (vs. 8), God immediately prepared to come to earth to meet with Israel to make His vows and seal the covenant (vs. 9-25). 

Through the next four chapters of Exodus (20-23), God lays out to Moshe the terms and conditions required for entering into covenant with Him. In chapter 24, Moshe relays God’s instructions and statutes to Israel, who agree in verse 3 to abide by all they heard.  It’s important to note that once Israel vocalized their acceptance of the terms of the marriage contract, God has oxen sacrificed.  What is significant about this act is that in the ancient Hebrew picture language, the first letter of the Aleph-bet represents God and is depicted by an ox head.   Therefore, we see that God demonstrates His entering into covenant with Israel through the symbolic slaying of Himself, the shedding of His own blood.  This sacrifice displayed that the promise He made to be a husband unto Israel was sealed by His own blood.  This is seen in verse 6 when Moshe took “half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.”  Following which he took “the book of the covenant” [that is the writings of all the words God spoke to Moshe in the preceding chapters 20-23) and read all the words to Israel. When Israel agreed to abide by all these words (vs. 7), “Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words” (vs. 8). In that moment, God and Israel entered into covenant, with God as their Husband, their Father, their Lord.

To give a little background on the significance of blood covenant, the cutting of an animal and walking through its separated parts represented the integrity of one’s word.  It was understood that by walking through the pieces of an animal, the individual was submitting themselves to be slaughtered (as displayed) if they didn’t keep their word.  For example, in Genesis 15:8-21, when Abram asks God how will he know that His promises are sure, God has Abram divide several animals through which God later walks in the midst of,  thus signifying that His promise to Abram is unbreakable.

And from this covenant that God made with Abraham, God made another covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai.  With Abraham we saw the cutting of several animals to seal the promise that a nation (Israel) would come who would inhabit a land where God would establish his kingdom; this promise was symbolized by circumcision. Then when Israel is delivered from bondage, God enters into a marriage covenant with them to make Israel His people.  This vow is sealed by God shedding His own blood (the sacrifice of the oxen) at the mount. 

Following these events, God calls Moshe up into the mount to give instructions on how to build a tabernacle for God to dwell with His bride on earth.  We understand that it took 40 days for all the instructions regarding the construction, sanctification, and priestly service of the earthly tabernacle to be relayed, then God concluded by explaining that His Sabbath would stand as an eternal symbol of their marriage covenant (Gen 31:12-17). In other words, the observance of God’s Sabbath would be akin to wearing a wedding band as an outward sign of your commitment to your spouse.

Torah continues to expand on the terms of the marriage contract between God and His people by outlining what was required to make the union fruitful and prosperous while Israel learned about the character of their God.  Torah can also be seen as an instruction manual that a father gives to a child to help them grow and develop, or it can be viewed as our constitution for governance, for morality, equality, and justice. 

In essence, when we choose to enter into covenant relationship with God, we subject ourselves to learn the truth of His ways as found in His teachings, which is Torah.  As covenant partners we look to please Him in our lifestyle and worship of Him, but we cannot know how to do these things without instruction from God himself.  Indeed, this is what Torah is all about; it represents the very foundation of our relationship with God.  Without Torah we cannot properly serve Him or please Him for we would not know what He requires of us.

So when we say yes to the Lord to take up our cross and follow Him, it’s not just about the benefits we can reap from our relationship with God, but rather, our focus ought to be how we can serve Him.  We are already saved by grace, but once we become a part of the family of God, we begin the process of learning how to please our Heavenly Father and Husband.

In the final segment of this series we’ll look at the first commandment from a covenant perspective and uncover why it’s integral to understanding who God is to us.

Shalom.

In the beginning, there was covenant. Pt.1

What is a covenant? The Merrian-Webster dictionary gives the following definition: “a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement” or “a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action”

The Hebrew word for covenant is be-reet which is derived from a root meaning “to cut.” Therefore, to enter into a covenant requires the “cutting” or shedding of blood. In essence, covenant can be described as a promise sealed in blood.

For many Christians this action is reflective of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) sacrifice wherein His blood was shed to purchase or seal our salvation. Yet, how many of us consider the fact that God established covenant with man before man was even created? The scriptures show us that from the very beginning, Yeshua was already slain. Revelation 13:8 talks of the book life belonging to the Lamb who was “slain from the foundation of the world.” (KJV) 1 Peter 1:20 also describes the Lamb of God as being “foreordained before the foundation of the world”.

These concepts are more than just figurative. Signs of God’s promise to redeem man are literally encoded within the text of the scriptures. Friends, because the Word of God is the very essence of God, there is no limit to what you can discover within the Word. So I wrote this blog to share some insights regarding this topic which can only be seen by using Hebrew.

If we consider the first words of the Bible as the building block of all creation, or in essence, the chief cornerstone of creation, then we should be able to find signs of Yeshua in these words because Ephesians 2:20 describes that Yeshua is “the chief corner stone.” In addition, we know that Yeshua is the living Word of God and the gospel account of Yochanan (John) 1:1 says “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” So, from these verses we understand that all things exist by Him, which confirms his authority as the chief cornerstone of all creation.

By using Hebrew we find that within the very first verse of the Bible lies a description of the plan of salvation.  Many believe God’s salvation plan is first spoken inGenesis 3:15 after Adam and Eve sin, however, using Hebrew we see it’s actually visible in Genesis 1:1. In English we see the first threes words in Genesis 1:1 as,“in the beginning”, but in Hebrew, the first word is “B’resheet.”

Now, the word B’resheet consists of six Hebrew letters: Beit, Reish, Aleph, Shin, Yod, and Tav =

בראשית

(read from right to left).

With credit to the teaching ministry of Pastor Mark Biltz the following analysis of the word B’resheet is provided:

Within B’resheet we find several other words:

בר=son

א = God

ראש= head or king

שית = thorns

ברש = tree

If we put this together we can see: the Son of God, thorns, head, and tree.  Note the letter Aleph (underlined) which represents God is in the middle of the word B’resheet and on either side of it are the letters for the word tree.  Also, God being a King would wear a crown, but here we see the crown is thorns.  So if we put this together we have: the Son of God with a crown of thorns upon His head while hung on the tree.

בראשית

Other words we find in B’resheet are:

ברית =covenant

שי=gift

The letter tav (underlined above) is the last letter in the Hebrew aleph-bet.  Understanding that the meaning of each Hebrew letter (when read together) proclaims the gospel message, the Tav essentially completes or seals the plan of God. Tav means mark or a sign and in ancient Hebrew script it was written as a cross – it is a covenant letter and identifies ownership.  And it was the mark of the Tav (a cross) that God instructed to be placed on the foreheads of His remnant in Ezekiel 9:4 to protect (or save) them from death. We also know that Yeshua died upon a tree (in the form of a cross) to seal our salvation.

 So when reading B’resheet

בראשית

from right to left we see: the Son of God is the gift of salvation.

Isaiah 46:10 says that God announced the end at the beginning and Yeshua declared in Revelation chapter 1 that He is the beginning and the end (the Aleph and the Tav). We just learned how Genesis 1:1 is literal proof of this truth.

When it was revealed to me that the very first word which God wrote was a depiction of His promise to redeem me, I realized that reading Torah is a window to see the very heart of God. In fact, the first word in Torah, which we just learned, begins with the Hebrew letter Beit ב and the last letter of Torah (Deut. 34:12) is Lamed ל.  Reading right to left,
Lamed+ Beit =  לב which means heart. So, Torah truly is the heart of God.

I will end with this: How do you treat the heart of the one you love? Would you treat it irreverently or forsake it, or would you cherish it, adore it, and respect it?

In my next blog we’ll take a deeper look at this covenant God made with us and whether we really understand what it means to enter into covenant with Him.

Shalom.

Faith and Torah

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Heb. 11:6 (KJV)  The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) reads as such: “And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches Him must trust that He does exist and that He becomes a Rewarder of those that seek him out.”

So in essence, faith is synonymous with trust. Hebrews 11:1 in the CJB defines faith (or trust) this way: “Trusting is being confident in what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see.” The KJV of Hebrews 11:1 describes faith this way: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

It is important to note that as the chapter goes on, God thought it important to give examples of people who lived by faith, people who set the standard of what it means to live by faith. Some of the names listed are Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samson, David, Samuel, and even Ra’hab are noted as people of faith.

When you follow the lineage of Abel, you eventually arrive at Moses and it was through him that God chose to reveal His teachings, or Torah.   Indeed, the Hebrew people were the only nation through whom God chose to reveal Himself in written form.  However, one must understand that Torah existed before Moses revealed it to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. 

The scriptures describe that hundreds of years before Torah was given at Mount Sinai, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all walked with God and obeyed His commands.  That is, these patriarchs had relationship with God and thus knew how to please Him.  For example, notice that Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all built altars to offer sacrifice unto God hundreds of years before God instructed the Children of Israel to do the same.  The significance of this fact demonstrates that Torah does not belong to Moses; Torah preceded Moses. For, as shown above, the patriarchs prior to Moses obeyed God, even in their manner of worship unto Him, without any written word as a guide. 

The Book of Hebrews gives an account of how each of these patriarchs walked in faith.  Indeed, the scriptures clearly describe the actions of these individuals as a testament of their faith. James 2:26(b) from the CJB states, “faith without actions is dead.” In other words, our faith should translate into actions, otherwise our faith is useless.

James addresses this topic in detail in chapter 2: 14-18 when he states: “What good is it, my brothers if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to prove it? Is such “faith” able to save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, and someone says to him, “Shalom! Keep warm and eat hearty!” without giving him what he needs, what good does that do? Thus, faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions is dead.  But someone will say that you have faith and I have actions.  Show me this faith of yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions!” (CJB) In the last sentence, James is challenging anyone who would believe that it’s possible to espouse either faith or works without the other.  He drives his point home in verse 19 by describing that even demons believe in the One, True, and Living God, and yet, they are condemned to eternal damnation.  Thus proving that believing in God without works is useless.

Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (KJV).  So whether it was the voice of God heard by the patriarchs before the days of Moses, or it’s the written Word of God read from Torah scrolls, The Word of God gives the seed of faith.  We can then use this faith to believe the Word is Truth, and then act upon our faith by obeying its ordinances.  

An everyday example of faith and works is seen in this analogy.  A parent (God) instructs a child (man) to not touch an iron because it will cause harm.  Child A chooses not to touch the iron because they believe the words spoken even though they have no understanding of what it means to be burned.  Child B does not believe the words spoken and proceeds to touch the hot surface.  The end result is that Child A, through faith or trust, avoids the experience of searing pain and is ultimately blessed.  While Child B, whose lack of faith or trust, is burned, and realizes the hard way that their parent was trying to protect them or keep them blessed.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to be like Child A: one who follows his instructions without first having to prove its merit, which is an act of faith! Indeed, this is how the Patriarchs of Old related to Yahweh, and thus, their names are eternally recorded as those who walked by faith.  So following Torah does not negate faith, it actually affirms it!

1 Cor. 13:12 describes that we only know in part, like seeing through a dark glass. Therefore, without a full understanding of the ways of God, it would necessitate that faith is required to follow God.  Christian theology may teach that following Torah is legalism and bondage, yet God gave us Torah so that we might live and not die, (Deut. 6 and Deut 28), and it takes faith to believe this to be Truth.   So if God’s Word brings life and blessing, then it is impossible for it to be a source of bondage at the same time.  There are countless scripture references that describe the blessings and liberty found in obeying Torah.  If you consider yourself a student of the Word who loves God, I challenge you to seek out these scriptures for yourself which can be found from Genesis to Revelation.

Finally, when it comes to following Torah, God looks at the condition of the heart.  If you consider Torah just a bunch of rules, then your observance of Torah will be legalism.  However, God rejects legalistic worship as documented by God’s response to Cain’s offering, and the same remains true today.  Some other examples of scriptures that address this matter are found in Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8 and Mark 7:6.  Put simply, observance of Torah must begin in the heart for it to be acceptable in God’s sight.  Understand this: Abraham walked with God for 24 years before God asked him to circumcise his flesh.  The circumcision of the flesh was an outward symbol of the covenant that Abraham had already made with God inside his heart.   

Paul taught in the book of Romans not to focus on the outward circumcision of the flesh without addressing the circumcision of the heart first.  For circumcising the flesh, without first circumcising the heart is useless.  It’s like putting the cart before the horse or being like Cain, offering an empty sacrifice.  If your heart is not in what you do, then don’t do it, for God does not want empty sacrifices – he wants relationship that is built on trust.

Thus, following God, or in essence, his Torah, has always required faith which first begins in the heart, then secondly is demonstrated by our outward action of obedience.  And when we exercise our faith by following God’s Word, there are blessings that follow!

For example, observing Shabbat is not bondage, but an honour and a privilege that enriches your life!  Understanding that God established Shabbat millennia ago as an eternal symbol of His covenant with his people, it becomes clear that its observance is not about rule-keeping, but it's about relationship.    

I will close with this: God is Love.  Thereby, we know that God’s Word is Love: Torah the written Word, Yeshua the Living Word. As John 1:1 says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  My friends, Torah is God’s love letter to you which details all the vows that you are required to keep if you want to remain in covenant relationship with Him.  I highlight the word "remain" because our entrance into relationship with God is a free gift through salvation - His grace and and our repentance.  However, once in this relationship with God, there is a lifestyle of holiness we are to conform to so that we "remain" in right standing with Him, or in other words, be a pleasing spouse. The added bonus is that the instructions given on how to please Him are designed to bless your body, mind, and spirit - to give you life! By faith through an act of obedience we shall be blessed.  From the very beginning, observance of Torah was intended to be an expression of our faith, a tool to build our trust in God, a medium to show our love unto God.  Yeshua surmised the matter quite succinctly when he said in John 14:15: “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (CJB).

Marriage and the Fruit of the Vine

Ever wonder why the Messiah said  in Luke 22:18 "For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come" ? See the teaching video below for the answer.

Birth of the Messiah

Do the scriptures reveal the birth date of the Messiah?  Absolutely! When you understand that God created the universe and all therein, you will also understand that He is a God of order and design right down to very smallest detail.  Nothing is haphazard or coincidental about God, therefore, even the timing of the Messiah's birth was divinely planned.  Watch the video below and verify the facts for yourself.  Our love for Him should motivate us to ensure that the manner in which we worshp him is in accordance with His Word.  Indeed, the scriptures say in John 4:24 "God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."