Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections Episode 70
The Temple Rite Related to the Day of Atonement
Just a day or so out from Day of Atonement (aka Yom Kippur)—a most solemn day of rest for our Faith where we fast and pray and reflect upon our lives and the past year. Prophets sight this Day of Atonement as a day in the not too distant future when the nation of Israel will face existential destruction, losing 2/3 of her residents as well as others sight the time when Yahovah will judge the earth and her inhabitants
Feast of Tabernacles (aka Sukkot)
A City of Sukkas
From Atonement, we’re then just 5-days away from Sukkot (aka Feast of Tabernacles)—the 8-day extravaganza where we celebrate all that Father has done for us during the year and we commemorate the time when we sojourned in the desert in temporary booths. Sukkot also is a prophetic shadow picture of the time in the future when Yeshua will return to this earth and establish His millennial kingdom here on earth. Torah will become the standard of His world government and peace and prosperity will reign throughout the world
Second Presidential Debate
Hilary Clinton-Presidential Candidate 2016
Donald Trump-Presidential Candidate 2016
The 2nd Presidential Debate this past Sunday—certainly our nation is in dire need of prayer given the peoples’ choices this go around and the problems facing this nation
- Racial division
- Economic uncertainty
- Islamic terrorism
- Governmental assaults on the rights of the American citizens
- Globalists intrusion on the sovereignty of this nation (internet, economy, Agenda 21, elections)
- Threats of war with China and Russia
- Inept legislative branch of government
- Corruption in our government at the highest levels
- Death of countless industries in this nation (coal, steel, manufacturing)
Michael Rood
Had a wonderful gathering and meal with members of our weekly Shabbat Fellowship this past Sunday and our special visitor/guest was none-other than Michael Rood who was fresh off a weekend teaching stint in Los Angeles with a Chinese contingent, seeking to learn about our Faith. (Neglected to get pictures—dangit)
I. Sharing Hebrew Roots with Christians
Had a very impromptu but welcomed opportunity to share our Faith with a young lady who comes across in actions and talk as a “devout,” fundamental Christian. What follows is a brief summary of my experience and reflections on the such encounters
Cited Reasons Why Hebrew Roots is Bad According to Some Christians
- Too many distractions
- Too much focus on works and the law
- Christianity promotes heart and grace
- Not interested in hearing truth because it doesn’t really matter—it’s all distractions
- Many believe they’ve found God and all of His truth, so they have no need to receive or seek out new truths
Lessons Learned
- These are lost causes
- We can only hope the seeds we may have opportunity to have planted will someday germinate and take root
- Discern the spirit of the inquisitors–are they curious about what you believe solely for purposes of boxing you? Or are they seeking knowledge
- Be ready instantly to give a reason for the Faith (Peter) Be ready in season and out of season (Paul)
but treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you- yet with humility and fear, 16 keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are spoken against, those who abuse the good behavior flowing from your union with the Messiah may be put to shame. (1Pe 3:15 CJB)
proclaim the Word! Be on hand with it whether the time seems right or not. Convict, censure and exhort with unfailing patience and with teaching. (2Ti 4:2 CJB)
- Control. Be prepared to have the Church talking points hurled at you and to not take it personally. Let the Ruach take control of the situation. It’s not about us, but about Him
- Realize the world rejects Torah and any who would honor and guard it
- In reality they are rejecting Yahovah
- Plant the seed and let the Ruach do the rest. It’s up to Father. Father chooses us, not us Him
- Pray for the inquisitors
- Realize that churchianity will never be able to reconcile Mat. 5:17,18
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:17-20 KJV)
2. The Lunar Sabbath Debacle
The Lunar Sabbath Debacle
Long Lost Church Sabbath Friends Turn to the Lunar Sabbath
Last week I ran into a member of a Sabbath Keeping church I used to attend about 4 or 5 years ago while grocery shopping. Hadn’t seen her since. Turns out she and her husband also left that church shortly after Hilary and I did. But in the interim, this couple took a very different turn than Hilary and I did. This couple entered into the Lunar Sabbath sect of our Faith. Yes, another family has fallen for this lie from the very pit of hell. Turns out, we are friends without another couple who we met at a Rood Awakening Conference about 3-years ago and they too recently left the 7-day Sabbath for the Lunar Sabbath sect of our Faith. Learning of these defections from the true Faith once delivered not only angered me (yes angered), but also intrigued me: what was this Lunar Sabbath thing all about? Why would someone abandon that which the Bible clearly instructs—to remember the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy. This instruction finds it very root at creation when Father rested from His creative work on the 7th Day. And from that day forward to today, a remnant of peoples throughout the earth have kept holy the 7th day. The vast majority of the world’s population could care less about the Sabbath. But we in this Faith of ours (and to a great degree, practicing Jews worldwide) are blessed to realize the critical importance of this day on the weekly calendar—regardless what Christianity teaches to the contrary.
What is this Lunar Sabbath All About?
So I elected to find out what this Lunar Sabbath debacle (I call it debacle which essentially means a disaster—something that the enemy has thrown at us that too many of our lot have grabbed hold of and adopted it as biblical truth) was all about without wanting to waste too much of my time doing it. What follows is what I’ve come up with in my low-level search. I’m certain there is more to this madness than what I mention here, but I think I’ve at least mentioned the basics, which should be enough to base judgment as to whether or not this thing is of Abba Father or hasatan.
The Facts
- The weekly Sabbath is observed on the same days of the renewed moon each week during the same biblical month
- 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th (where is that in scripture—it ain’t there)
- https://www.worldslastchance.com/yahuwahs-calendar/the-lunar-sabbath.html
- http://www.lunarsabbath.org
- Author of article I read is offering $10,000 to anyone who can locate a weekly Sabbath on any other day than by the moon’s reckoning of days (what????)
- There are 72 weekly Sabbaths per biblical year
- The renewed moon is a worship day
- Eze 46:1-3 (proof?)—yet there is no solid tie in to the weekly Sabbath with the renewed moon each month
- Key word is “and”
- Isa 66:23—same as in Eze 46
- Num 28:11-14
- Where is the true historic evidence that our forefathers kept the weekly Sabbaths on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th of each month?
- Exo 16:1-23?? Like one of those months where the weekly Sabbath will fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th of the month—it just will work out that way in some months
- Col 2:16
- We must rely upon the moon to tell us what day it is because everyday is alike, including the Sabbath according to the author
- Eze 46:1; Isa 66:23; Amos 8:5
- We are commanded to observe the luni-solar calendar to determine days and weeks and months and years
- There is no specific commandment to base the Sabbaths on as it relates to sighting the monthly renewed moon
- What happens when the renewed moon is not sighted on the expected day?
So What? Is the Lunar Sabbath of Yahovah or Man? (or Hasatan)
- Smoking mirrors and just another play of the enemy to get us to disobey the test-Torah commandment to honor the Sabbath day
- When Abba set the 7th day as the set apart day of the week, did he institute that each of those days would occur on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th of each month? Not likely. You seek, Father instituted a full-proof way to tell when His set-apart day of the week would be, regardless where one was in the world. We’ve never lost track of when the 7th day occurs from the creation—all the way back to Adam. Are the lunar-sabbatarians saying that Yahovah change this set-up? Not likely
- I have come to understand however, just how important Chodesh is each month—I will embark upon a deep study on this subject and report back
3. Deuteronomy 32—A Prophetic Shadow of America Today
A Present Day Image of America Straight out of Torah
In my Torah studies this past week, I came to the 32nd Chapter of Deuteronomy, which the Bible editors entitled “The Song of Moses.” This so-called song of Moses captured my imagination and my attention as I carefully read through it. It was clearly a prophetic overview of the future of Israel. Moses in this dissertation addressed the past, present and future relationship Abba Father has with us. Much of the dissertation focused upon the future relationship which was for lack of a better description, bleak. And this Song of Moses of course spot-on pegged the future events that would befall us as a people as a result of our disobedience to Torah. And I could not but help seeing here an amazing parallel to that of this country. It is almost a glove-fitting overview of what is currently happening and is likely to happen to us in this country if we don’t get our act together and turn to Yahovah and His Torah. So what I want to share with you now is my reflections of Deuteronomy 32 and its prophetic shadow of America today.
A Song of Moshe
- (vss. 4-6) Despite all that Yahovah has done for our nation over the centuries and all that He is (i.e., our Rock; truth; without iniquity; just and right—vs. 4) we requite Him (i.e., we “gamal” or repay Him by being a blemished, crooked and twisted generation (vss. 5 & 6)
- (vss. 7-14) In so being a blemished, crooked and twisted generation, we’ve forgotten our heritage—how we used to be a God-fearing people; how we used to revere the Bible as the Word of the Most High; how we have a moral compass by which to live our lives and as a result, we were abundantly blessed of Yahovah
- (vs. 15) But we’ve grown fat and have forsaken Yahovah and have rejected His salvation and protection
- (vss. 16-18) Our apathy towards Yahovah and the adoption of a Torah-less life has provoked Yahovah to jealousy and anger
- We’ve replaced Yahovah with other gods. And because we are too smart and too sophisticated a people and generation these days, our gods are no longer religious or faith based. Instead, we replaced Father with the gods of greed, ego, power, fortune, possessions, social media, friends, entertainment, careers and governments
- (vss. 19 & 20) Yahovah is not blind to our transgressions and our rejection of Him as our sovereign Master. Thus our Rock hides His face from us and is allowing the chips to fall where they may fall in this country of ours
- We will get the president we deserve
- We will get the end that we deserve
- Pray as we may, this nation will ultimately fall because of her rejection of Yahovah and her sin
- (vs. 21a) We’ve replaced Yahovah with the cares and desires of this present life and world. Thus we’ve effectively moved Abba to jealousy and anger with our vanities
- Why? Because He is supposed to be our all in all
- (vs. 21b) Thus as a consequence of our ways and our rejection of Him, Yahovah will move us to jealousy with a nation of people who are godless; He will provoke us to anger with the most unlikely nations—all these nations will put us to shame
- Russia
- China
- (vs. 22) Additionally, Yahovah’s anger and jealousy will result in our nation being set on fire
- Racial division
- Political division
- Social division
- Social status division
- (vs. 23) Yahovah will heap upon our nation mischiefs
- Financial and economic collapse
- (vs. 24) We will become a malnourished and unhealthy nation overall
- Lab created foods replacing real food
- GMOs
- blights
- droughts
- floods
- (vs. 25) There will be violence and terror and destruction affecting all sectors of our society
- Regional and global scuffles and wars
- Homegrown terrorism
- Unbridled criminal activity
- Anarchists
- Technical terrorists
- (vs. 26) Our nation will be scattered and human life will become a nominal commodity
- People fleeing cities for suburbs and woods
- preppers
- (vs. 28) our nation lacks sound counsel and law and order; our government is against her citizens; our citizens don’t trust their government to have their best interests at heart; our government is corrupt; our leaders are career politicians who seek to increase their personal wealth and secure their power and authority
- (vs. 29) our nation is heading for a great fall/collapse, but we as a people and nation seem to care very little for the pending/looming doom
- (vs. 31) our enemies will ultimately become our judges and our executioners
- (vs. 35) our end is looming ahead and is approaching us quickly
- (vss. 37 & 38) when our end does come, Yahovah will ask us as a nation: what good did all our elohiym do us? Why have they not protected and delivered us from our demise?
- (vss. 39-43) There is but One Elohiym who can bless, nurture, protect and deliver this nation from her pending doom
The Final Solution to the American-Deuteronomic Dilemma
- The only way out of this existential quagmire that we are finding ourselves in is for this nation of ours is to reject/put away/destroy our idols and our evil behaviors and to turn to Yahovah and His Torah
- At the very least, we Hebrew Rooters must get our collective and individual acts together and stop our foolishness and pray that Father puts off the pending doom for such a time that more people may be saved
- It starts with each and every one of us today
Shalom
Faithfully,
Rod Thomas