What about “I change not!” do we not understand?

Deuteronomy 31:10–13, You shall read this Torah before all Israel. Verses like this tend to expose the theological confusion that occurs in the minds of many Christian Bible teachers. For example, Christian commentator Matthew Henry on this verse writes about the need to read the Word of Elohim and that doing so will “help us to keep his commandments.” Yet elsewhere he says in the same commentary about the same laws that the commandments or laws of YHVH “are done away with.” Statements like these are representative of a split and incongruous, double-speak thinking on the part of many Christian Bible teachers and people when it comes to the commandments or laws of Elohim. Some laws, they say, we are to keep (e.g., thou shalt not murder, lie, commit adultery, etc.), but other laws we can disobey (e.g., the Sabbath, dietary laws, and biblical feasts). Is it possible to have it both ways: to believe that we need to keep his commandments, yet teach they are done away with? If so, then what is the meaning of such biblical phrases pertaining to YHVH’s Torah or Word as “forever,” “for a thousand generations,” “the same yesterday today and forever,” “till heaven and earth pass away,” “I change not,” and “think not that I came to destroy the Torah-law?” Is ­YHVH’s Word inconsistent and contradictory, or is this, instead, the case with the thinking of men? Is YHVH’s immutable character flawed with regard to keeping his Word, promises and standards or is man the one at fault?

Do we have a high enough view of YHVH Elohim and fear him and tremble at his Word (Isa  66:2), or have we, in reality, to demoted the veracity of his Word by contorting YHVH and his Word to fit the mindset of changeable and inconsistent man (which the Scriptures define as idolatry)? Have we bought into the lie that the serpent proffered at the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden when he told the man and the woman that YHVH really did not mean what he said and that humans can take the “have it your own way” and “pick and choose” approach when it comes to obeying the Word of YHVH (a philosophy that forms the basis for the religious movement called secular humanism, which is at the heart of all the religions of the world—including much of Christianity—except the true religion of the Bible)?

How many aspects of Christian theology are no more than a thinly veiled version of the religion of humanism in disguise? These are tough questions that we as redeemed Israelites need to ponder seriously. Let’s not forget the words of Yeshua in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my [Torah] commandments” and the words of the apostle in 1 John 2:5–5, “He that says, ‘I know him,’ and does not keep his [Torah] commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whosoever keeps his Word in him truly is the love of Elohim perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

The bottom line of why man has a hard time submitting to all of YHVH’s commandments is nowhere stated more concisely in the Bible than in Romans 8:7,

[T]he carnal mind is enmity against Elohim: for it is not subject to the law of Elohim, neither indeed can be.

 

Don’t get spit out of Yeshua’s mouth!

Lion crachant de l'eau  Rome

Revelation 3:14, The church at Laodicea.

Will you pass the test and make it into YHVH kingdom? 

Life is a series of tests. We either pass or fail them. YHVH is the school teacher who determines whether we will pass or fail, not us. His Word is our text book that tells us how to pass. If we learn the lessons and put to practice the things we have learned, we will pass. If not, we will fail.

The problem is that we’re not just in a regular school classroom where if we fail, it’s really not a big deal in the bigger scope of life. Our classroom is this life. Whether we pass or fail will determine not only whether we will obtain eternal life or eternal damnation, but if we pass, the grade we get will determine our level of rewards in YHVH’s eternal kingdom. There are a couple of things going on here.

When YHVH calls us with his holy calling and we respond, we have a choice. The choice we make will determine Continue reading

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 10-2 Through 10-8-16

Aside

THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Vayelekh — Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30
Haftarah — Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-27**
Prophets — Zephaniah 3:1-20; Haggai 1:1 – 2:23; Zechariah 1:1 – 4:14
Writings — 2 Chronicles 16:1 – 22:12
Testimony — Revelation 4:1 – 10:11

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

** A different Haftarah is read when it is a special sabbath in Jewish tradition. This week it is Shabbat Shuvah on the traditional calendar. Otherwise, Isaiah 55:6 – 56:8 would be read.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 10/2 through 10/8/16.

 

America in Bible Prophecy and the Lost Tribes of Israel

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Deuteronomy 29:28–30:1–20, A time is coming when Israel, including the ten northern tribes, will be redeemed and regathered back to the land of Israel after having been exiled into captivity from their land. What is the captivity from which Israel will be returning?

What Is This Captivity? 

The biblical term captivity is often a reference to Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom or House of Israel, being brought out of captivity by YHVH (Ezek 16:53). Also compare Isaiah 61:1 with Luke 4:18–21 where, while preaching in the region of Galilee and Nazareth (the historic homeland of the Northern Kingdom or House of Israel), Yeshua Continue reading

 

Blog Scripture Reading for 9-25 Through 10-1-16

Aside

THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Nitzavim — Deuteronomy 29:9 (10)* – 30:20
Haftarah — Isaiah 61:10 – 63:9
Prophets — Nahum 2:1 – 3:19; Habakkuk 1:1 – 3:19; Zephaniah 1:1 – 2:13
Writings — 2 Chronicles 9:1 – 15:19
Testimony — Hebrews 11:1 – 13:25; Revelation 1:1 – 3:22

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day. One each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

* Verse numbers in parenthesis refer to the verse number in Christian English Bibles when they differ from Hebrew Bibles or the Tanakh.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 9/25 through 10/1/16.

 

Solomon’s Downward Spiritual Spiral Begins

Beautiful egyptian woman bronze portrait.

2 Chronicles 8:11, Daughter of Pharaoh…my wife. Solomon couldn’t bring his heathen wife into the City of David, for fear of defiling the holy ground thereof. So why did he marry her in the first place?

This obviously was a marriage strictly for political purposes (and being a kings daughter, she was probably good looking to boot!)

This type of action on Solomon’s part was the beginning of his spiritual descent that eventually led to idolatry and witchcraft.

Even as Samson had a weak spot for beautiful women and it led to his downfall, the same happened with Solomon. Instead of trusting in YHVH to be the strength of his kingdom as he had promised to do, Solomon relied on comprising political alliances, horses and chariots—something which YHVH commanded his servants not to multiply (Deut 17:16). To do this would lead them into a secular downward spiral orientation and take them away from trusting in Elohim for their defense and protection.

What is the lesson in this for us? Though we are in the world, we are not to be of the world, as Yeshua said in John 17. To live on this earth, we must sagaciously navigate the waters of this cosmos without getting sucked in to using worldly methods to advance the kingdom of Elohim. If not careful and discerning we can fall into the trap of using the methodologies of this world as a pretext for doing “the Lord’s work” when in reality we’re fulfilling our own carnal agendas and desires for money, power and public recognition.

 

How to Really Get Clean on the Inside

piece of soap and foam

Hebrews 9:13–14, Purifying the flesh…cleansing your conscience. The Levitical sacrificial system was never able to atone for sin in the full sense. These sacrifices were effective only temporarily in that they had to be continually repeated. These sacrifices never mitigated YHVH’s judgment against sin. The Levitical sacrifices simply covered over sin, so that the sinner could stand before Elohim without being consumed by his righteous judgments.

Only Yeshua’s death could satisfy Elohim’s judgment against sin. Only his atoning sacrifice could thoroughly wash away our sins, remove the death penalty, which is the wages or penalty of sin, and cleanse the sinner of a guilty conscience or spirit of man so that one could “serve the living Elohim.” Sin can contaminate the spirit of man, which houses the conscience of man (2 Cor 7:1). Only the blood of Yeshua can miraculously cleanse our flesh and spirit and bring us to perfect holiness in the fear of Elohim (Ibid.) This Yeshua did in a spiritual sense in the spiritual temple in heaven, which is greater than the physical temple on earth, which was a mere copy or shadow of the one in heaven (Heb 8:3–6).

The cleansing the temple system offered was physical and external, while the one Yeshua offers through the heavenly temple gives internal cleansing.