Category Archives: Holiness and Righteousness

Shavuot—Getting in Tune With the Heavenly Philharmonic

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This is a story—not just any story, but our story—yours and mine. It’s the story of our lives, the  story of our people. It’s an old story, yet a new story. Only the faces and places have changed. The plot remains eternally the same. It’s the story of the Creator reaching out to humans, who struggle to accept his love, yet who end up largely refusing it. It’s a never-ending cycle going from one generation to the next.

This story started a long time ago. When in Egypt, the children of Israel were in tune spiritually to the rhythms and beat of Egypt (a biblical metaphor for this world).

YHVH led the Israelites out of Egypt into the quietude of the wilderness.The Hebrew word for wilderness is midbar and is from dabar meaning “to speak, declare, converse” and is related the word d’bar meaning “to hear.” Thus, one could say that YHVH led the Israelites into the wilderness to hear him speak his word,  and to enter into conversation with him—an impossibility in the noise and confusion of the environment of Egypt where man is at the center of everything and a lot is going on. The wilderness was a sterile and neutral environment devoid of the noise and confusion of man-made stuff.

The first place YHVH brought the Israelites to was the foot of Mount Sinai so he could speak to them face to face.

Before they could hear him, they had to prepare themselves. They had to make themselves clean and set apart from the physical and carnal impurities and distractions of the world and the flesh, which impede one’s ability to hear YHVH—to connect with their Creator (Exod 19).

YHVH spoke to them, but it was too much for them to hear. It frightened them because they weren’t ready to hear him and to get their lives in sync with his Word — the Torah (Exod 20:19). They still had too much carnality in them. They were still too much in tune with the rhythms, that discordant cacophony masquerading as music, of Egypt. That old worldly, sinful man with his penchant toward the dissonant tunes of Egypt had to die in the sterile and noise-free zone of the wilderness. It was hear that Israel’s ear and heart would begin to be weaned off of the howlings and screechings that the world falsely identifies as beautiful and melodious and get tuned into the heavenly sounds of the music from above that sings of the beauty of YHVH’s holiness and the glory of his upward paths. 

Nonetheless, in his merciful love and to begin to accustom the ears of his people to heaven’s music, YHVH gave Israel his Torah—his words of instructions to live by. The Torah shows man how to get in harmony with his Creator. The Torah is a like a tuning fork. When one follows the Torah, one gets in tune with YHVH’s musical pitch—with the heart, mind and will of YHVH. When this occurs, as a natural result, one gets out of tune with the world, the flesh and the devil and begins to recognize for the discordant and evil noise that it really is.

The fact that Israel was more in tune with Egypt than with YHVH became evident at the golden calf incident when Israel turned to worshipping the Egyptian calf-idol. At the same time, YHVH’s merciful grace for his weak children was revealed. Contemporaneously, Moses was a holy man who, at a great personal price, had already forsaken Egypt and all it had to offer and had been purified in his own wilderness experience lasting forty years, where he learned to hear his Master’s voice and willingly submitted to YHVH’s will. He was by now totally sold out to YHVH. When Israel sinned, Moses was so grieved that he had to separate himself from the Israelites by placing his abode outside the camp of Israel (Exod 33:7). The human leaders YHVH chooses to lead his people are often in a special place of their own—one that is a little nearer to YHVH and, thusly, further from those around them who are still in tune with the music of this world that in sync with the rhythms of their own sin-bent nature. How can a leader be a leader if he is not in some small way out ahead of the people? YHVH prepares his leaders beforehand to lead by often stripping them of everything near and dear to them so that all they have left is him. This helps them to become detuned from the material world around them and to get in tune with the world above that Elohim inhabits. This happened to Moses who lost his Egyptian princely position and all the glory and honor that came with it. He also lost his wife and children. All he had left was YHVH. He had already died to himself, which is why he was set apart from the children of Israel who hadn’t yet reached this stage in their spiritual maturation.

The whole history of Israel from the golden calf incident until the day of Pentecost can be described as a tension between being in sync with the discordant and assonant vibes of the world versus being in harmony with the beauty of YHVH’s holiness and his path of righteousness. Israel found itself in the middle of this struggle. At times they leaned in one direction, at times in the other, but more often to the negative side. The Israelites’ perennial inclination toward Baal worship is a perfect example of this. To follow Baal was and is to succumb to the lower and downward pull of man’s carnal nature. “If it feels good do it,” is the mantra of the religion of the Baalim. On the other hand, YHVH demands that men resist the downward, gravitational pull of sin and to ascend to him. This is done only as we submit to YHVH and follow his rules—the Torah.

On the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, YHVH put his Holy Spirit (or Set-Apart Spirit) into each person and wrote his Torah on his people’s hearts. This was the big breakthrough that helped men to finally have the internal help to get in harmony with the heavenly music of YHVH’s divine will—his Torah. Now, with the aid of the internal dynamo of the Set-Apart Spirit, each person was now able not only to operate in harmony with YHVH’s will, but they had the spiritual power to take the glorious melody of the message of the pro-Torah gospel message to the lost sheep of Israel scattered throughout the world.

The whole creation, all of nature, and the universe is in sync with YHVH Elohim. Each aspect of YHVH’s creation does what it was created to do without question. Each knows its Master and follows the Creator’s laws. The ox knows its master and the donkey its place in the world, but, on the contrary,  Israel fell into rebellion against its Creator (Isa 1:3). The heavens declare Elohim’s glory and the sun follows its circuit of rising and setting (Ps 19:1, 5–6). Everything reproduces after its own kind (Gen 1:20, 24–25). The cycles of seedtime and harvest, winter and summer, day and night continue without cessation (Gen 8:2). Only man rebels against this symphony of creation and refuses to follow the Heavenly Conductor’s direction. Man needs to repent of the sin of Torahlessness and get a new, circumcised heart to obey YHVH Elohim!

The weekly Sabbaths and biblical feasts are in harmony with the seasons, which are in harmony with the sun and moon. The plants and animals are in harmony with the seasons. Even the mighty ocean tides follow the moon’s direction. Like musicians in an orchestra, all follow the Divine Conductor’s direction. Yet man lives incongruently with the spiritual harmony with these things. Even man in his calendar, though subdivided into months (moons), refuses to follow the moon’s lunar cycle. Man is rebellious, stiffnecked and proud and thinks he knows better than the Creator. How small, foolish and silly man really is! The seasons, months, the seven day week that ends in the Sabbath, and the seven biblical festivals are all like musical instruments that when combined harmoniously create a melodious message pointing to the Creator. The whole creation is shouting, yes, screaming at man to follow the Creator’s direction—his Torah-word as wells as Yeshua, the Living Torah. Yet man refuses to listen, to obey and to walk in harmony with the directions of the Divine Conductor! Now is the time for man to repent of his rebellious pride and to get in sync with his Creator.

Psalm 19 says that the heavens declare YHVH’s glory from one end of earth to the other.  As the sun’s rays light man’s path in the darkness, so the Torah is a light to direct man in his spiritual walk through the darkness of this world (Pss 19:5ff; 119:105). Yeshua, the Living Torah, is our spiritual Sun of Righteousness who  brings healing to the troubled soul (Mal 4:2). He is the spiritual light of the world (John 1:7–9; 8:12), and he will be the only light in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:23). As Psalm 19 says, the whole creation, like musicians each playing their part in an orchestra, points us toward YHVH and his Torah (both the Written Torah and Yeshua the Living Torah-Word of Elohim incarnate), which is the spiritual vehicle to bring us to YHVH—to put us in harmony with him. About the Torah, Psalm 19 says,

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Shavuot/Pentecost—Insights from Exodus 19, 20 and Acts 2

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To fully understand Scripture and to extract its applicable meaning to us, we must insert ourselves into the scriptural narrative and ask, what can I learn from this and how does it apply to me? With such an inquiring mind and an open heart, the still small voice of the Spirit of Elohim will begin to whisper insights into our spirit and mind. 

This is how the Word of Elohim comes alive to us and how we find spiritual direction—light in the darkness—to guide us in the path of life. With this in mind, let us now discover what we can learn from Exodus chapter 19 as the children of Israel prepared to meet YHVH Elohim on the day of Pentecost (or Shavuot—its Hebrew name).

Insights from Exodus 19

Exodus 19:3, Moses. The name Moses/Moshesh literally means “drawing out or rescued.” What was Moses drawn out of or rescued from? From the waters of the Nile River in Egypt. Water can be a biblical metaphor for humanity as in the seas of humanity, and Egypt a metaphor for Satan’s world. That is to say that Moses was drawn out of or rescued from the seas of humanity. YHVH then used Moses to rescue, draw forth or fish the children of Israel out of the same sea of Satan’s world. 

Exodus 19:3, Moses went up. Even before Elohim called Moses, he was willing to go up. Elsewhere in the Psalms, we learn that if we incline our hearts toward YHVH, he will incline himself toward us. Yeshua promised that all those who ask, seek and knock will be rewarded accordingly.

Exodus 19:3, YHVH called. YHVH calls us to come up to him—to follow him. Will we answer or ignore his call?

Exodus 19:3, From the mountain. YHVH not only exists, but he exists above the earth on a proverbial mountain far above the human plane. Isaiah declared that YHVH is “high and lifted up.” He is calling us to come up to him. Will we go up to him, or do we love this world too much to answer his call to come up? Twice David the psalmist asks and then answers the question, who will ascend the hill or mountain of YHVH?

YHVH, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear YHVH; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. (Ps 15:1–5)

Who may ascend into the hill of YHVH? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from YHVH, and righteousness from the Elohim of his salvation. (Ps 24:3–5)

Are you a spiritual mountain climber, or one who is content to be a spiritual low-lander preferring to inhabit the basement of life?

Exodus 19:4, Brought you [Israel] to myself. YHVH’s purpose for calling Israel out of Egypt was to bring them to himself. One cannot be of the world and at the same time be in Elohim. Yeshua said that his servants cannot serve two masters—Elohim and this world (or mammon). He also declared that though we are in this world, we are not to be of this world. Though we live in this world physically, we are not to be a part of, loyal to or identify with it spiritually.

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What Does It Mean to Have a Circumcised Heart?

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Circumcision Was the Sign of the Abrahamic Covenant

Why did YHVH choose the curious ritual of physical circumcision as the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant and as an identifying mark of an Israelite? We will explore the spiritual ramifications and implications of this seemingly archaic ritual that many modernists decry as being barbaric. But aside from the antipathy that some people have toward circumcision, more importantly, how does the Creator view it? Maybe he knows something that we don’t. Moreover, the mores of man’s culture, no matter the time period past or present, seldom align with the heart and mind of YHVH Elohim because, not surprisingly, the ways of sinful humans are always, to one degree or another, incongruent with if not antithetical to those of man’s Creator as the Bible, the word of Elohim, chronicles from beginning to end.

While the Bible teaches that physical circumcision is not a salvation requirement (see Acts chapter 15 and Acts 10:44–48), it is, however, by no means a passé, irrelevant and out-of-date ritual. For example, in the future, this rite will be a requirement for people desiring to be priests in YHVH’s millennial temple (Ezek 44:7, 9). Why? Because circumcision, like baptism for the remission of sins, is an act of obedience that shows one’s willingness “to go all the way with YHVH”, to identify with the Abrahamic Covenant and the physical nation of Israel. If a man, for example, willingly subjects himself to being circumcised, this proves that he is serious about following the God of the Israelites and becoming a part of that nation. What’s more, for the children of Israel, circumcision was like a passport or national identity card in a sea of heathen nations; it was a visible symbol proving that you were a citizen of the nation of Israel and not a pagan Gentile. Therefore, it was requirement that all men who desired to take Passover to be circumcised, and those who did not keep the Passover were to be cut off from Israel (Exod 12:47–48).

Again, in the new covenant era, the Testimony of Yeshua (the New Testament) is clear that circumcision of the heart—a non-gender specific requirement for salvation—and not physical circumcision is what YHVH really cares about, but it still behoves one to study the spiritual symbolism of physical circumcision. 

The following bullet points offer some insights as to the spiritual significance behind the interesting and ancient circumcision ritual.

  • YHVH told Abraham that physical circumcision was to be “a sign” (the Hebrew word oth pronounced owt) meaning “a literally and visible sign of or token” representing the blood covenant between Elohim and Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:11). In a physical and practical sense, circumcision is a literal, physical sign that goes before or in front of a man anatomically.
  • Circumcision symbolizes purification of the heart from sinful unrighteousness by cutting away a piece of the flesh, the foreskin, which would otherwise be a carrier of filth and potential disease.
  • Circumcision is a seal of holiness and righteousness. How? The foreskin that is removed is round like a ring. A ring signifies a bond or union (like a wedding ring) and is worn constantly even as the circular sign that is left after a man is circumcised is worn constantly.
  • Circumcision occurs on a baby boy at eight days of age. Eight is the biblical number that symbolizes “new beginnings.” Both physical and heart circumcision signify the consecration of a person to YHVH, and the commencement of a covenantal relationship between that person and his Maker (Gen 17:12). The significance of covenant in the Bible as well as in the cultures of the ancient Near East cannot be over-estimated, for, like a treaty, it was a matter of life and death between the various parties, even as the Abrahamic Covenant is the basis of our salvation—a life and death proposition for both the saint the sinner (see Romans chapter four).
  • The rite of circumcision whether it is physical or of the heart is painful and humiliating. Heart circumcision involves repentance from sin and self denial—a painful process involving self-examination and the putting away of the filth and defilement of sin through repentance and then determining to walk in righteous obedience to YHVH Elohim (Gen 34:20–25 cp. Acts 2:37).
  • From the penis flows the seed of life. Circumcision is a sign that one’s seed or physical offspring should and could be righteous and consecrated to YHVH.
  • In Romans 4:11, Paul teaches us that circumcision is a sign, mark or token, and a seal (placed on a man) signifying ownership similar to an impression or stamp made by the signet ring of an ancient king or person of authority . Circumcision spoke of Abraham’s dedication to be righteousness and the faith that he had in YHVH who “owned” Abraham.
  • And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. (Rom 4:11–12)

Circumcision of the Heart

Although the rite of circumcision was the physical and an outward sign on a man’s body to signify in a real way that he associated himself with the Abrahamic Covenant—the covenant of salvation (Romans chapter four), the greater, ultimate and higher sign of the covenant was a circumcised heart. To this day, many Jews circumcise their boy babies in a ceremony called a brit milah or simply a bris for short, but then many of these the boys grow up and live a totally secular life devoid of Elohim and largely ignore his Torah-laws. So in reality, for them, the ritual of circumcision means little or nothing. This is because their hearts have not been circumcised to love and obey YHVH.

Contrary to what many Christians believe, circumcision of the heart is not of New Testament origination, but originated with YHVH in the time of Moses. Physical circumcision pointed to, was the ultimate goal of or prefigured heart circumcision.

Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. (Deut 10:16)

And YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. (Deut 30:6) 

For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of Elohim. (Rom 2:25–29)

Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. (Rom 4:9–12)

Physical circumcision was to be an outward sign of an inward spiritual, heart reality, not the cause of it. If it were, then women would not be able to come into a faith-based and salvation relationship with YHVH because they have no foreskin. That’s why Paul writes,

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Hidden Gems on Holiness & Yeshua in Leviticus

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Leviticus is one of the least read, most confusing books of the Bible for traditional Christians to understand, yet it is one of the most important books in the Bible. It lays the foundation for the gospel message, the cross of Yeshua/Jesus and reveals the pathway to Elohim in heaven. This book is full of life-changing gems, as this videos points out, and it shows the saint how to stay in the river of life and be blessed in his physical life.

 

How Torah Improves One’s Life & an Understanding of the Bible

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Boy reading from a gevil parchment scroll. This one is written on goat skin.

A New Way of Life

Coming to an understanding of YHVH Elohim’s Torah-laws and then adopting a Torah-compliant lifestyle coupled with viewing the Bible through a Hebraic perspective and context has numerous positive benefits in one’s life. A pro-Torah approach to one’s life is more than just…

  • Changing which day you go to church on.
  • Changing your eating habits.
  • Celebrating different holidays.
  • And, if you’re really into it, growing a beard and wearing blue fringes or tassels. 

Pursuing a Torah-centric lifestyle will not only change some aspects of your lifestyle, but will also change how you view the Bible, how you view Yeshua or Jesus, Elohim or God, yourself, the Jews, the land of Israel as well as your thinking about a lot of other things, and how you view yourself and your fellow Christians. It will also vastly deepen and broaden your understanding of the Bible in ways you could never imagine. Let’s briefly explore a few of these areas.

The Main Lifestyle Changes Include

  • Observing the seventh day Sabbath
  • Celebrating the biblical feasts
  • Adopting a biblically kosher diet

But as we are about to learn, this is only the beginning.

A New Perspective on the Bible

A pro-Torah and Hebraic view of the Bible opens up multiple new vistas in one’s understanding of the Bible. Here a few of them:

  • A more traditional  Greco-Roman, Western, caricaturized view of Jesus gives way to a more accurate Hebraic or Jewish and Middle Eastern view of the real and authentic Yeshua.
  • One learns that Yeshua in his pre-incarnate state was the God of the Old Testament and the one who interacted with the patriarchs, Moses, the children of Israel and the prophets. As such, he is the One, as the Word of Elohim who would eventually became flesh, who gave the ancient Hebrews his Torah-law.
  • One learns that the thesis-antithesis paradigm of the Old Testament Torah-law or law of Moses model versus the New Testament grace model is a false and church-invented construct, and that the concepts of law and grace are not antithetical as the mainstream church teaches but are complimentary and indivisible issues, and are, in reality, two sides of the same coin.
  • One gains a deeper understanding of who and what the church is. The church was neither birthed nor spontaneously combusted on the day of Pentecost. Rather the church is a long term continuation of YHVH’s relationship with his people going back for thousands of years and continues to this day and involves all of the saints.
  • A new and greater holistic view of the Bible emerges versus only seeing the Scriptures in a seemingly disparate, disjointed and unrelated parts and pieces. The pieces of this vast puzzle finally begin to fall into place and a much more glorious and expansive picture than ever imagined emerges.
  • A Hebraic or Eastern view of the Bible replaces a limited and somewhat cartoon Greco-Roman and Western Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant view.
  •  One begins to understand the Bible through Hebraic block logic rather than Greek step or syllogistic logic. 
  • One gains a deeper understanding of the rules of biblical interpretation including understanding Scripture in its whole Bible, linguistic, historical and cultural context. One also learns about the four levels of understanding the Bible known as the PaRDeS method (i.e., the simple, hinted at, allegorical and mystical levels). One also gains an understanding of and an appreciation for the concept of exegesis over eisegesis when correctly interpreting or rightly dividing the Word of Elohim.
  • A better understanding of biblical history and future events including the Hebraic understanding of cycles emerges.
  • One gains a new understanding of Paul and the real issues facing the New Testament church. The controversial issue that Paul was dealing  with was not the law versus grace and whether or not YHVH’s Torah-law was relevant to Christians. Rather, the issue was about a works-based salvation versus salvation by grace through faith. In Paul’s writings, the validity of the Torah-law was never the issue contrary to what mainstream Christianity has falsely taught over the millennia.
  • One gains a whole new perspective and understanding of Old Testament Bible prophecies as one learns who the ancient players were and who their modern descendants are and how that relates to end times Bible prophecy.
  • One learns who the two houses of Israel were and who their modern descendants are and how that relates to each of us regarding our future destiny as it relates to the establishment YHVH’s kingdom on earth.

A New Perspective About Yourself

As one embraces the Torah and the Hebrew roots of one’s faith…

  • A new and fuller perspective on the biblical definition of sin emerges. One learns that YHVH’s Torah-law defines sin, not church traditions and the rules of men. This is both liberating and sets one’s life on a more solid spiritual foundation based on the Truth of the Bible as opposed to the unbiblical traditions of men.
  • One gains a new and fuller perspective and understanding on who you are as a grafted-in Israelite. You are no longer a Gentile who is without God and without hope, but are part of the commonwealth, nation, citizenship and covenants of Israel. You are a redeemed Israelite and the literal offspring of Abraham and you are part of YHVH’s chosen people along with our Jewish brothers. This is an enormously empowering concept!
  • One obtains a new and fuller understanding of what holiness is and how to become holy. The Bible defines what people, things, practices or times are holy, not men.
  • Your physical diet improves. This is because one becomes a label reader and discovers that one has not only been eating biblical non-kosher foods, but a lot of unhealthy junk and chemical ingredients as well. By eliminating these toxic substances from one’s diet, one’s health will improve because one stops eating physical junk food.
  • One’s spiritual diet will improve. One becomes a spiritual label reader and begins to compare what the mainstream church is teaching or not teaching compared to what the Bible really says. As a result, one stops feeding from the toxic mixture of truth and lies that are emanating from the pulpit, which is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and one starts feeding from the whole Truth of the Bible, which is the tree of life. Thus, one’s spiritual health improves as one stops eating spiritual junk food.
  • One gains a deeper understanding of what it is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit and what it means to live a sanctified and holy life.

A New Perspective on Some Other Things

One gains…

  • A new love for the land of Israel.
  • A new love for the Jewish people.
  • A new love for YHVH’s lost and scattered sheep of the house of Israel. 
  • An expanded and deeper understanding of the gospel message including Yeshua’s remarriage to his Israelite bride and why he had to die on the cross to pay the sin price for his adulterous wife.
  • A fuller understanding on what it is to be the bride of Yeshua and how to prepare for and qualify to be his glorious and immortalized bride.
  • An understanding of the heavenly and temporal rewards that one will receive as a result Torah obedience versus not obeying YHVH’s Torah.
 

Antarctica & the Upward Call to Exceptionalism

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My recent voyage to Antarctica was like a trip to another planet. It was a surreal, unearthly place that because of its pristine beauty and vast stretches of whiteness with the glaciated mountains and icebergs transports one to a different realm physically, emotionally, psychologically and even spiritually. Antarctica is almost a holy, even a godly place because it is largely untouched and untainted by sinful man. The message of this video was birthed in the Antarctic as a result of some transcendent thoughts that came to me while there concerning the higher walk to which Yeshua is calling us. May this message edify, bless and encourage the listener onward and upward!