The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

by | Jun 5, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Parashah 87–Leviticus 16:1-34–Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur-Torah Reading for 6-6-2020

Father Affirms and Enforces His Holiness

 

(vss. 1 & 2) The transgression of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10) led to Abba re-affirming that the Holy of Holies was not a place where the Cohen Gadol could willy nilly come and go as he so pleased throughout the year. In fact, the Holy of Holies was to be entered by the Cohen Gadol only once each year, on the Day of Atonement (i.e., Yom Kippur) as recorded in Exodus 30:10.

 

The Nadab and Abihu Factor

 

The Holy of Holies, as the name so aptly defines, was the most sacred and holy (qodosh) place on the planet as far as we and Father were concerned. And what Aharon’s sons did back in chapter 10 simply showed man’s propensity to sully and diminish that which Abba has declared to be holy (qodosh) and righteous and sacred on the earth.

 

The Propensity of Men to Challenge Yah’s Holliness

 

Simply look at what the Rabbis and Christians have done throughout history just concerning the Creator’s holy Torah (Rom. 7:12). Orthodox Rabbinic Judaism has taken unto themselves the right to not only decertify sections and aspects of Yah’s Torah, but to also put themselves into positions of authority to create mitzvot (i.e., laws) that supersede, and in some cases, replace Torah. Christians on the other hand have taken it upon themselves to completely decertify and reject Torah altogether.

 

This is what man naturally does when it comes to the holy and righteous ways and things of YHVH. Remember back in Exodus 19 (our first Shavuot actually) when we were at the base of Mount Sinai, how Father had to instruct Moshe twice to keep the people back from and away from the mountain proper (Exodus 19:11, 12, 21), the penalty for crossing the boundaries of the Holy Mountain was death.

 

There was a time when I did not understand why Father did not want the very people He lovingly redeemed and brought out of Egypt unto Himself to draw near to Him on His mountain as He spoke down to them His 10-Words. Well the Spirit finally revealed to me that this was the first time or Father’s first lesson to us on holiness and His requirement that we respect that which He deems as holy. For indeed, Mount Sinai was holy unto YHVH at that time in history. Again, recall back in Exodus 3:5 where YHVH instructed Moshe from the burning bush to remove his sandals as the ground upon which Moshe stood was holy ground.

 

Father Defines What is Holy Not Man

 

We find listed, noted and commanded throughout Torah (as well as in the Apostolic writings) that which YHVH has marked/declared/deemed as holy (i.e., qodosh):

 

  • The weekly Shabbat ( 2:3; Exo. 20:8, 11)
  • Those convocations that He commands to take place during His holy days and during His weekly Shabbat ( 12:16)
  • The place where Yah abides ( 15:13)
  • Yah’s purpose and will for His chosen people ( 19:6)
  • The priestly garments and the implements of the Sanctuary (Exo 28-30)
  • The required and freewill sacrifices and offerings we make unto YHVH ( 30)
  • YHVH Himself as well as us, His elect ( 11:44, 45; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16; 1 The. 4:7)
  • Yah’s name is deemed holy—His authority—His presence—His actual Name ( 20:3, 22:32)
  • The various implements of the Tabernacle (Exo 26-40)

 

Violations of Yah’s Holiness Amounts to the Death of the Offender

 

As we saw stipulated with Father’s prohibition against our crossing the boundaries of His holy mountain back in Exodus 19, any defilement of that which He has declared as holy is punishable by death (cf. Lev. 16:2). In the case of the Holy of Holies, Father explained that His presence rested upon the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, which was housed in the Holy of Holies (Exo. 26:33, 34).

 

Summary of the Reading of the Passage

 

Beginning in verse 3 we see precisely spelled out how Aharon was to approach Father in the Holy of Holies at the appointed time each year. We clearly see in this instruction–this mitzvah–that there is a proper way or manner in which Yah is to be approached and related to.

 

  1. After bathing (aka Mikvehed) himself, Aharon had to be properly attired in his holy garments ( 4). We should recall from former studies that these garments were deemed by the Most High to be holy. In fact, more than two chapters in Exodus (28-30) were devoted to the creation and use of these priestly garments. And it should be clear to us given the amount of parchment Father required to express this mitzvot, the High Priest’s garments were extremely important to the whole Sanctuary worship system.
  2. Purification offering (aka Sin offering)—Hebrew—”kataw’ah”—a bull for himself and goat (designated “for YHVH) for the nation ( 3, 5, 6, 11).
  3. Burnt Offering—Hebrew—”o’lah”—an offering of dedication and submission to YHVH. A ram for the Cohen Gadol and presumably another ram for the nation ( 3, 5, 24).
  4. Two goats from the congregation would be brought to A.haron. Lots would be cast for the 2-goats. One goat would represent YHVH and the other Azazel ( 5, 8-10).
  5. Aharon was to take a censer filled with burning coals from the Altar of Incense and incense and bring them within the veil of the Holy of Holies. The smoke that would emerge from the censer would envelop the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, providing Aharon protection from the presence of Yah ( 12, 13).
  6. Aharon would then dip his finger into the collected blood of the bull offering–the purification offering—the sin offering–and sprinkle the blood upon the mercy seat on the east side 7-times ( 14). This sprinkling of the bullock’s blood upon the mercy seat was to atone for Aharon’s sins. In like manner Aharon was to take a portion of the blood of the sin offering goat (ie., the goat designated for YHVH) and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat of the Ark to atone for the sins of the people (vss. 15, 16). This would serve to make atonement for the holy place. The holy place would become defiled because of the sins of the congregation. What I find interesting here is that even the very thing that Abba has declared as holy (such as the holy place) was subject to defilement because of sin. And each year, the Holy Place had to be cleansed with the blood of purification. We see back in Exodus 29:36 that each day a bullock was offered as a sin offering to cleanse the Altar of Burnt Offerings. So as long as the holy implements of worship are within the realm of sinful men, they can and are defiled and they must be cleansed.
  7. Aharon would then go out to the Altar of Burnt Offerings and smear the blood of the bullock and the goat upon the horns of the altar followed by a repeat of the sprinkling of the same blood upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings 7-times ( 18, 19). (Note: The focus of sin offerings was not the sacrificed body or carcass of the dead animal, but the blood of the sacrifice altar. Father always requires blood to atone for sins—always has and always will.)
  8. Aharon would lay his hands upon the head of the remaining goat upon which the lot fell representing Azazel and confess over it the iniquities of the nation. Thus the sins of the nation would be conferred upon the animal which would afterward be led into the wilderness by a ready man ( 21, 22).
  9. Aharon shall then disrobe from the sacred garments in the Tabernacle, leaving them there in the tabernacle ( 23).
  10. Aharon would then bathe himself (ie., mikveh himself) in a sacred place and then put on his regular vestments ( 24).
  11. Then Aharon would return to the Tabernacle and offer the burnt offerings for himself and for the nation as well as burn the fat of the sin-offering upon the Altar of Burnt Offering ( 24, 25).
  12. The man that led the Azazel goat out into the wilderness, in order for him to re-enter the camp, he was required to wash his clothes and bathe himself ( 26).
  13. The bullock and goat sin offerings were burnt without the camp ( 27; cf. Exo. 29:14). All sin offerings were to be burned outside the camp. Only the animal’s blood would be taken and sprinkled upon the altar of burnt offering and the Ark of the Covenant (on this Day) and the fat of the sin offering would be burned on the altar. And the Levite that was tasked with burning the sin offerings without the camp was required to wash his garments and bathe himself before being permitted back into the camp (vs. 28).

 

The Day of Atonement A Perpetual Annual Sabbath

 

This ritual was to be performed every year, on the 10th day of the 7th month, perpetually (LXX). Additionally, the nation was required to fast (LEE)–although most every other English translation I consulted refers to the fasting as “afflicting” the souls of the people. No work could be performed throughout the land–there would be no exceptions (vs. 29). For this is the day in which atonement is made on behalf of the nation and the nation would be cleansed from all its sins before YHVH (vs. 30). And we find in verse 31 where this Day of Atonement is the only Feast of YHVH that is referred to by our heavenly Father as a Sabbath–a sabbath of rest where yet again Father stresses it shall be a day of fasting (vs. 31).

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Yeshua-focused Study of Parashah 87

 

Father Has a Prescribed Manner in Which He is to be Approached

 

Yah was emphasizing to Aharon that there was a prescribed manner in which He was to approach YHVH in the course of his duties as Cohen Gadol. There was only one sanctioned way Abba was to be approached and worshiped. And any deviation from that established manner would not be tolerated. Humans would not be the ones to determine how Yah was to be worshiped and approached. In particular, atonement for sins could only be accomplished through the stipulated ritual or manner.(Which should alert us to assess how we approach Yah in this Spirit and Truth dispensation. Way to many of us take advantage of the Freedom that has been afforded us by Yeshua’s sacrifice. So many of us approach Yah in ways and manners that are not always appreciable of the Holiness of our Father.)

 

Foreshadow of Perpetual Atonement

 

Indeed, the events that our Parashah foreshadowed the perpetual atonement that would be mediated on our behalf by our current and eternal Cohen Gadol, Yahoshua HaMashiyach. Yah appointed Yeshua to be our mediator and Cohen Gadol and Yeshua has served as the ultimate mediator between Yah and man. He fulfills the established-precise manner in which Yah is to be approached and worshiped.

 

No Tolerance for Screw-ups

 

Yah stipulates also in His instructions to Aharon that by Aharon’s strict adherence to the established procedures for worship and atonement that Father laid out to Him would Aharon escape death. And this of course hearkens right back to Nadab and Abihu taking on themselves a way to worship Yah that was contrary to the way Father established. So this parashah begins with an admonishment to Aharon that he was not to enter at any time into the holy place, but only at the appointed time and perform the ritual exactly as Father laid out to them; otherwise Aharon and his descendants faced death (vss. 1, 13).

 

The Plan of Salvation Foreshadowed in Yah’s Feasts

 

The entirety of the annual feasts of YHVH brilliantly paints for the true  Child of the Most High a broad brush picture of the Plan of Salvation/Redemption/Restoration. And although the Feasts are to be kept by us each year as a memorial of what Abba has and will do for us, that memorial drills down to the one-time-for-all-time work of the Mashiyach, Yeshua, to redeem us from the evil one; atone for our sins and restore paradise lost and restore us to the Land of Promise where we will fulfill our originally intended role of being a royal kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto YHVH our Elohim (Galatians 4:4, 5; Hebrews 9:12; 10:10).

 

The Yom Kippur Atonement Ceremony brilliantly foreshadowed the work of Mashiyach. Yeshua’s spilled blood would atone for our sins (represented by the blood of the purification sacrifices or sin offerings that were sprinkled on the east side of the Ark of the Covenant) and the perpetual intercessions our exalted Master makes on our behalf each and everyday (represented by the smoke from the burning incense that emanatedfrom the High Priest’s censer, the smoke thereof filling the Holy Place and covering over the Ark of the Covenant).

 

Yah has always required blood to atone for the sins of man. Thus the blood of Yeshua our Messiah atones for our sins—it imputes unto us righteousness—and justifies us before a holy and righteous God. And because of the atoning work of Yeshua on our behalf, we can now stand uncondemned before the Creator of the Universe.

 

The smoke that came from Aharon’s censer (the result of the burning coals from the altar of incense and 2-handfuls of incense Aharon would place upon the burning embers in his censer) represents the prayers of Yah’s elect and His righteous ones and they rise up to the nostrils of YHVH as a sweet and pleasant aroma (Revelation 8:4—John describes the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints, rose before Yah from the hand of an angel). These two elements: blood for the atonement and smoke for the intercession serve to bring us to a place of right standing before our holy and just God. These elements serve to save us from death—both physical and spiritual death.

 

So under the current Spirit and Truth dispensation Yeshua’s blood sacrifice cleanses us from all unrighteousness—all impurities. If we sin or become impure we simply confess our sins to the Father and He is then faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (But this provision is in no way a license to sin. We must get sin under control in our lives. There is a limit to Father’s forgiveness.)

 

The High Priest’s Holy Garments

 

Indeed, the Cohen Gadol’s (i.e., Aharon’s) garments were holy and set-apart from all other garments to be worn by the people of the nation. So whenever we look at the shadow of what such sacred garments represent, we are looking at an individual’s or the child of Yah’s behavior and deportment—how he or she conducts him/herself in the world. That’s why throughout scripture  we are in one way or another encouraged to put on white garments which represent holy and righteous, undefiled lives (Ecc. 9:8; Rev. 3:4, 5, 18; 4:4). 

 

The Cohen Gadol’s garments represented his perfect and holy deportment before a holy and righteous God. That’s why we, the redeemed of the Most High, although our sins have been atoned for by Yeshua, must keep our garments undefiled–that is, we must keep ourselves in a state of purity and righteousness at all times, especially when approaching the throne of the Most High during our intercessory prayer. The practice of intentional and unintentional sin in our lives sullies our spiritual garments. Thus we must tap Yah’s Holy Spirit to assist us in keeping our spiritual garments in a state of purity before YHVH at all times. We never want to be found wearing filthy or soiled garments before YHVH. We want to be in an undefiled, acceptable state before YHVH at all times.

 

So before donning the sacred garments, Aharon had to enter into a state of extreme ritual purity. Jewish tradition as stipulated in the Mishna and Gemara record that the seven-days leading up to Yom Kippur the Cohen Gadol was to be removed from his family’s home and put into seclusion from the rest of the nation in preparation for the big day. Tradition states that throughout this week the Cohen Gadol rehearsed over and over again the precise order and manner of the ritual. Additionally, tradition states that the Cohen Gadol was kept awake throughout the night preceding the day so as to ensure that the priest did not sustain any nocturnal emissions which would make Him ritually impure and disqualify him from carrying out the atonement ceremony. (Bear in mind that this is all Jewish tradition and not necessarily mitzvot from Torah. But these traditions certainly help us to understand just how serious this ritual purity was to the Day.

 

Now, again, all this should be viewed by us from a Yeshua-centric standpoint. Yeshua proved Himself to be ritually pure and acceptable to YHVH as both our sin sacrifice as well as our intercessor. Master did the hard work in securing our atonement and purity before YHVH. It then falls to us to keep our spiritual garments clean and white at all times.

Aaron–A Type of Messiah

 

Certainly the Cohen Gadol’s holy garments hold significant spiritual significance and application for the Torah Observant Disciple of Yeshua (ie., purity; cleanliness; holiness; etc., all personal and spiritual attributes that the Child of the Most High must constantly strive to maintain through the assistance of the Holy Spirit operating in his/her life). However, I believe the spiritual focus of this Torah Reading is more about the foreshadowing of the High Priestly work of Yeshua Messiah: (1) His earthly atonement work; and (2) His heavenly intercessory work. Both aspects of Yeshua’s ministry carried with it themes of purity, sacrifice, atonement, intercession and obedience. Aharon’s High Priestly atoning duties were temporal in nature and had to be repeated each year–both for himself and for the nation. Yeshua’s atoning duties were permanent and eternal.

 

The other thing is, like Aharon’s intercessory work, Yeshua’s intercessory work is a perpetual work on behalf of Yah’s people in the heavenly Mishkan (ie., the Temple in heaven). That being said, one can safely say that indeed, Aharon was a type of Mashiyach–a foreshadowing if you will—of Yeshua Messiah. Yet Aharon, flawed human that he and his descendants were, were not qualified to make the ultimate, permanent sacrifice (that was accomplished by Yeshua) on behalf of Himself and the people that would solve the sin problem once and for all. This ceremony had to be repeated each and every year and it had to be done precisely as YHVH laid out in His Torah.

 

As Messianic teacher Tim Hegg described, Aharon was “an imperfect representation of the Coming One Who would offer Himself as atonement for His people, but Who was Himself pure and without need for personal atonement.”

 

The writer of Hebrews stated of this Aharon-Yeshua connection:

 

Hebrews 7:14-21—14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.17 For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.'” (Heb 7:14-21 ESV)

 

What did the writer mean by Yeshua’s appointment was rendered by “word of the oath” in verses 20 and 21 ? Well, it’s the appointment of Yeshua our Messiah by YHVH our Elohim by fiat (ie., a formal decree). Torah appointed the High Priest based primarily on Aharon’s lineage (i.e., only a direct descendant of Aharon could be a Levitical Priest and High Priest). Yeshua being a Jew–of the Tribe of Judah–could not ever qualify to be a Levitical Priest (much less Cohen Gadol) according to Torah. Why? Because Yeshua was not of the Tribe of Levi.

 

But YHVH set into motion this perpetual High Priest Office that Yeshua would fulfill (the Melchezedekian Priesthood) at the very beginning of time and YHVH declared this to the heavenly council as an oath:

 

Psalm 110:4–Psa 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

 

Yeshua was the only one who proved Himself worthy and qualified to perform the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf because of His flawless obedience to Father’s Torah and Will. Thus, Father appointed Yeshua to fill the Melchezedekian High Priesthood role, even before Yeshua had completed His earthly assignment.

The Sacrifices Point to Yeshua’s Crucifixion

 

Now that’s spiritual understanding related to the office and work of the Cohen Gadol on Yom Kippur. The other aspect that we must look at here are of course the sacrifices.

 

We were instructed to bring to the Tabernacle/Sanctuary 2-goats and one ram from the “congregation of the sons of Israel.”

 

 

The Two-Goats of Yom Kippur

 

Let’s talk about the 2-goat offerings: the goat where the lot fell to represent YHVH was designated as the sin offering; and the goat where the lot fell to represent Azazel was to be led into the wilderness by an able man (I’m guessing priest, but it’s not clear). Here’s something to consider regarding the two goats: a portion of the blood of the sin offering goat would be sprinkled upon the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies and a portion of the blood smeared upon the horns of the Altar of Burnt Offering as well as sprinkled upon the same altar. The Azazel goat on the other hand did not shed any blood. It was led into and abandoned in the wilderness by an able-bodied man selected from the people. (Some Jewish traditions declare that the Azazel goat or “for azazel (aka Scapegoat) was actually led to a precipice by the able-bodied man and either pushed or tossed off, resulting in the scapegoat’s death. But this is tradition and not certified by Scripture. So I won’t go there with this discussion.)

 

The Scapegoat

 

Regarding the Azazel goat (aka the scapegoat; “for azazel”; LXX has it as “for the one carrying away evil” and “the goat determined for dismissal” in verse 26; or “the goat that departs”). Some modern commentators have focused upon the name Azazel in their understanding of this goat. It is supposed that the name or term azazel refers to a pagan or demonic entity that resides in the wilderness. This pagan or demonic entity has been depicted or viewed as a goat by some. And thus, one, according to these modern commentators, can easily ascertain that Father in giving this mitzvah was bringing to the Hebrew’s conscience the requirement that paganism could not reside in the camp; it had to be vanquished. And thus the representation of this goat that the text names as Azazel is a direct reference to hasatan or one of the enemy’s many manifestations.

 

Now given my personal, heavy focus on things of the Spirit, I tend to agree with these modern commentators as it relates to the pagan-demonic connection associated with this goat ritual, despite the more conservative teachers’ stance that this was simply a representation of Yah requiring evil be sent away from the nation. I believe this is indeed a true understanding, but I also believe we cannot dismiss the spiritual connection here.

 

The other thing we must recognize as well as that this azazel goat also seems to foreshadow the vanquishing of hasatan from the earth for 1,000-years. Now, this was the only understanding I had for the azazel goat for many of my early years in this Faith. But as you can see I’m opened to an expanded understanding of the significance and meaning of the azazel goat. Interestingly, along this line of thinking (ie., the azazel goat being hasatan being vanquished from the earth for 1,000-years), some have concluded and believe that the Day of Atonement is entirely about the vanquishing of hasatan in the Millennium.

 

 

Now, we see this clearly revealed in the following Revelation passage:

 

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (Rev 20:1-3 ESV)

 

We can certainly garner some spiritual understanding simply from the “scapegoat” title or name that is bestowed upon this goat. For when taken with this eschatological image as a backdrop, we see how hasatan in the World Tomorrow is blamed for the mess that mankind finds itself in. So terrible and prevalent is the influence that hasatan presents to man’s opportunity to receive and follow Yah’s Words and Way of Life, that the Creator requires that hasatan be locked away in an abyss for a millennia. This is done, according to John the Revelator “so that he (hasatan/the enemy/the deceiver/the dragon) might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended” (Rev. 20:3). So we can certainly view this ritual of the azazel goat as a foreshadowing of this end time event.

 

But we can also look at this thing from the standpoint that vicariously the azazel goat carries away from the camp the sins of the people. For we see in verse 21 of our Torah Reading that Aharon was to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat (ie., the azazel goat) and confess over it the iniquities—the transgressions; the sins of the nation just before the goat is led away into the wilderness by the able-bodied man. This is a vicarious act on the part of Aharon whereby the iniquities, transgressions and sins of the nation are transferred from Aharon onto the body of the azazel goat. Thus, one could certainly picture the crucifixion of our Messiah being foreshadowed by the azazel goat. The sins of the world were placed upon Yeshua who was then taken outside the gates of Jerusalem for crucifixion. (Just another perspective to consider. None of this is doctrine mind you. It’s all about YHVH painting for us as full and brilliant an understanding of His Plan of Salvation/Restoration/Redemption. The more spiritual colors and textures the Ruach (ie., the Spirit) reveals to us about Yah’s set-apart Feasts, the better we understand that which YHVH has, and is, and will do for us, His elect. Amein.

 

I personally can see all these spiritual applications being conferred upon the azazel goat and I leave open the understanding to the leading of the Holy Spirit. For as much as I continue to believe the Day of Atonement and the scapegoat foreshadow this vanquishing of hasatan in the Millennium, I believe there’s so much more to be gain spiritually from Yom Kippur and the scapegoat pointing to Yeshua Messiah’s work.

 

The Remains of the Sin Offerings

 

The carcasses of these various sin offerings were not to be burned upon the Altar of Burnt Offerings. They were, as Father commanded, taken outside the camp to be burned in an acceptable place. Because the sins of the nation were vicariously conferred upon the animals deemed as sin offerings, Father required their remains be treated as refuse. We know that these sacrifices all point in one way or another to Yahoshua’s atoning sacrifice. And we know, historically speaking that is, Yeshua was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem on our behalf. The writer of the Book of Hebrews aptly commented on this:

11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. (Heb 13:11-13 ESV)

 

In a sense, the sin-riddled bodies of the sacrifices (symbolically and spiritually speaking) were an affront to YHVH. This is why Father turned His back upon His only begotten Son as He hung from the execution stake prompting Yeshua to quote a well-known Psalm:

 

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat 27:46 ESV; cf. Psalm 22:1)

 

Final Thoughts

 

Before I close this out I want to make something very clear: Yeshua is not the goat nor the ram sacrifice that led to our salvation or atoned for the sins of the world. This thinking which has turned into teachings in some ministries has led to criticism of our Faith by Jews (not that criticism matters). For these criticizers are quick to grab hold of such inaccurate teachings and will make it their mission in life to scripturally show Yeshua was none of these sacrifices. So this only adds support to these individuals’ efforts to deny the Messiahship of Yeshua. These criticizers have primarily been of the Jewish persuasion—Jews who are hostile towards Messianics let’s just say.

 

Well, Scripturally speaking these criticizers are correct. If one had to absolutely pin which animal sacrifice Yeshua embodied or exemplified, it would more accurately be the Passover (ie., the Paschal) lamb. For the blood of the Paschal lamb served to stave and cause death to pass over us affording us salvation, redemption and restoration.

 

But what these criticizers fail to recognize is the spiritual connections and applications and types that are intricately and inextricably connected to Torah and the various Feasts of Yah. This has been the bane of the Jew’s spiritual existence for centuries as it relates to their blindness towards Yahoshua as their Messiah. They can’t see past the pages of their scriptures. They can only see the rote instructions. We on the other hand have been given eyes to see and ears to hear that which YHVH has given in His Word. And we, having received the Ruach HaKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit), have come to recognize and understand how to employ the concept of types and shadows to the various commandments and feasts of Yah. We know, for instance, that the Levitical High Priest was a foreshadowing of Yeshua in His person, ministry, responsibilities, etc. We recognize that the various sacrifices and Tabernacle rituals that were performed throughout the sacred calendar year foreshadowed the sacrificial and intercessory work of Yahoshua HaMashiyach. We see in these various sacrifices atonement for sins, purification from defilement, peace between the offerer and YHVH: all foreshadows of the work that Yeshua has completed and continues to perform on our behalf. In fact, Yeshua’s ultimate sacrificial and intercessory work embodies aspects of every type and form of sacrifice and worship Father instituted in His Torah. Halleluyuah.

 

Bottom line: the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua is the overriding theme of this amazing reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises

The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises

by | Jun 3, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

The Messianic Duty in Times of Global Crises

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Given all the chaos and turmoil that is ongoing in the world today, I was led to talk to you today about duty. Specifically the Messianic duty in the midst of global chaos. Are we as Messianics required to put our two-cents towards fixing the clobal crises that are ongoing round about us?

 Defining Moment in Time

I believe this time in which we are currently living and experiencing to be a defining moment for those of us who are of the True Faith once delivered–Set-apart children of the Most High–Netzarim–Nazarenes. For all that we have endured over the last 4-months for the most part is coaxing/enticingus into making critical decisions regarding our day-to-day lives which can in many circumstances impact (either negatively or positively) our eternal lives and our entry into the Kingdom of Yah.

Society Riding the Wave of Chaos

Society in general (secular), riding the wave crest of the chaos that has pervaded much of the world over the last 4 or more months–the uncertainty–the fear–the weirdness of the various issues related to our health, our government, our national security and our social stability, is demanding we choose a side on the issues of our day. There’s a politicizing of all the issues; there’s a weaponization of all the issues; throw in there a forced compliance to government rule in all these issues. And we who are of Faith, because of how pervasive these issues have become in everyone’s life, are being manipulated into siding with one of several competing sides to these issues, all the while having our constitutional rights to worship the God of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’akov quietly and expertly being stripped away from us.

 Governments-Societies-Community Seeking Trust in Handling the Crises

Our secular governments are encouraging us all to trust in all that they claim to be doing on our behalf and that they have our best interests at heart. Society and local communities are trying to get us to abandon our reliance on YHVH and take up humanistic ideologies and social justice causes; trust in the moral sensibilities and the will of the talking heads that head up our media systems and the top leaders of industrial complexes of the world; see how life should be from their established perspective; all the while ignoring the Godless injustices that continue to transpire/to take place right under their noses. These seek to steer us and control us with an established rhetoric and narrative. And any who would express an opposing perspective is to be ostricized and persecuted by society as a whole. These hate the One True God of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’achov; the Father of our Master and Messiah Yahoshua because His Ways diametrically oppose their ways (the government’s and society’s ways) and the ways of their handlers–their leaders–the globalists–and the globalists’ leaders who are the fallen ones–hasatan–the enemy–the Dragon.

 The Citizens of the World Are Blind

And the terrible tragedy about this whole thing is that the peoples of this world are blindly and ignorantly signing their own death warrants by taking the sides of the enemy. Yes, even our cousins in Christianity and Judaism. For some strange and unfathomable reason, many in both religions have come to believe that their denomination’s ideals and doctrines are aligned with the world’s ideals and doctrines. So no longer is the Christian Church set on winning souls for Christ (which is a bastardization of the Great Commission) but instead to participate in social engineering and lead the call for social justice. Thus, the LGBTQ community is welcomed in much of Christendom today; abortions are an acceptable form of population and birth control; politicians can purchase the votes of its members by simply uttering key phrases and insinuating that they are in fact one of them. All the while no attention is ever given to the injustices (vehemently in violation of Torah) that are commonplace in society: child abuse; abortions; gang violence; elder abuse; domestic violence; black-on-black violence; government corruption; and the list goes on.

 

Much of Judaism on the other hand appears to be caught up in the pervasive secularism of society. Because YHVH has remained true to His covenant and love for the Jewish people, the Jewish community as a whole has prospered. And being drunk with these immense blessings and enticed into becoming more influential and wealthy, they find themselves in the forefront of much of the evil that society embraces. In fact, many of these are behind the terrible injustices that we hear and read so little about these days; those injustices such as pedophilia; political assassinations , sex slavery, pornography, and the list goes on.

 Current World Crises

Just in the last 4-months, our nation (ie., the United States) has endured a global pandemic; government upheaval; media manipulations of the truth; racial division and violence; attacks on people of Faith; destruction of economy; and many other things that don’t readily come to mind at the moment. And the powers that be are capitalizing on the uncertainties of these perilous times to enslave the minds, hearts and souls of this nation’s people. And I’m certain the same thing is happening in many of the other western nations of this world.

Babylonian Citizens

As ignorant as the average citizen of this world may be as it relates to their understanding of what is really going on around them—all the injustices—all the lies—the manipulations—the evils; etc., they are citizens of Babylon. Indeed, some may not be directly contributing to these injustices and such. But they are supporting these injustices and evils simply by virtue of their refusal to abandon the ways of the world and seek the Kingdom of Yah and Yah’s righteousness.

This world is Babylon. The communities we reside in are essentially jurisdictional prefectures of Babylon. And what we know of Babylon–we who are of Faith—is that it is the antithesis of the Kingdom of YHVH. So hated is Babylon by our Creator that He will mete out terrible judgment upon it and its people in the end times (Rev. 14; 16; 17; 18). Yet the so-called Church appears oblivious to this reality thinking and believing that this country of ours is a Judeo-Christian country that is impervious to judgment.

 Babylon A World System

Folks, Babylon is not simply one country. Babylon is the current world system composed of all the peoples of this world who have not given themselves to YHVH.

As the redeemed of Messiah and of our Creator, we are compelled to take on Yah’s ways in this world. In fact, we are to live separate from the Babylonians. We are to live according to the ways of Yah’s Kingdom as taught to us through Father’s Torah and the teachings of Yeshua Messiah. So we can’t, as a community and as individual Netzari, get involved in the affairs of Babylon. Doing so would violate our charter as emissaries of the Most High.

 Are We Dealing with Spiritual Warfare?

Many within and without our Faith Community will believe within their heart of hearts that all that has and is currently going on around us is a spiritual war–a battle for the hearts and souls of this world and our nation. And to some degree–actually to a rather small degree–I would agree with them. But the truth of the matter is that whenever we read about spiritual warfare in scripture, the context of that warfare is having to do with a battle between God’s people and the enemies of Yah—be they human or spiritual. You see, the world—Babylon–has been bought and paid for by the enemy. The unredeemed or the citizens of Babylon are owned and operated by the enemy. So we are naturally and spiritually separated from them.

 We Are Not Babylonians

And by virtue of our present life situations—that being humans living on this earthly plain–we are forced to live within the confines of Babylon. However, we cannot be Babylonians. We have been called out of Babylon by the Almighty:

 

Isaiah 48:20—Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, ‘YHVH has redeemed his servant Jacob!’ (Yes, by virtue of our engrafted status as members of the Body of Mashiyach, we are of Jacob, Halleluyah!)

 

Yochanan the Apostle hears an voice in heaven saying in the end of times: “Come out of her (speaking about Babylon), my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4, 5; ESV). 

Because we have been called out of Babylon and we are no longer citizens of Babylon, we have no business placing our noses into Babylonian affairs: be they political or be they socially.

 What Do We Do About Babylon?

Sure, we can and should pray for this nation and for our government leaders that they lead their charges rightly and with wisdom. We can and should pray for the Babylonian that Father will have mercy upon them for their sinful ways and their rejection of Yah and His Way of life. Certainly we are compelled to make disciples for Yeshua Messiah out of the Babylonians in obedience to Master’s Great Commission. But that’s about the extent of our involvement with Babylon.

More than these types of petitions that the Babylonians of our day will come to know our Father in a true and substantive way and abandon their evil ways for the ways of YHVH, we really should be praying that Abba bring forth His Kingdom sooner than later…”Thy Kingdom come thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). More so we are compelled to earnestly pray for one another (James 5:13-16); to care after one another; to love one another and so forth—those within our Faith Community.

 Avoid the Trap

Look, I get it: it’s so easy to be pulled into all the craziness that’s going on around us today, especially given the high emotions that are tied to these issues. We must not be drawn into that spiritual trap. Because all that comes from falling into such a trap are things that are not in alignment with the Ways of YHVH and things that corrupt our soul and relationship with the Almighty:

 

Ephesians 4:31—Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (ESV). 

That’s why I avoid getting into discussions about the things going on around us these days because doing so only leads to bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, fear and slander. And once these things take hold within our spirit and they overshadow the working of the Ruach haKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit) in our lives, our walk with Mashiyach stands to be corrupted and our eternal life can be in jeopardy.

 Emotions Unhinged and Out of Control

Interestingly, at least one prominent Messianic/Hebrew Roots teacher I’ve come across lately has been fasting and praying for the righteous judgment of Yah to be poured out upon the evil doers of this world. And although I can identify with that sentiment on a human level, spiritually it’s a rather fruitless prayer to pray, especially when we have been tasked with so many other things to not only do but to also pray for. Yah will bring judgment upon this world, including this nation of ours. (And one could safely argue that judgment–to some degree–is even now being meted out upon this world It’s recorded and established in Yah’s Word. Between now and the time that that judgment is fully meted out upon this world—even Babylon, we are compelled to work the fields while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work (John 9:4).

 True Messianics Staying the Course in the Midst of Global Crises

But I will say that for the most part, there are some truly committed, Ruach-filled members of our Faith Community who have put these difficult times into a clear and proper perspective. These focus on the task at hand, evangelizing the lost for Messiah. These are exhorting and admonishing the Body of Messiah to work the fields and to stay strong. They are not giving in to the political and social pressures to take a side on the political and social issues plaguing the nations of the world. They are all about Scripture and doing the Will of their Father in Heaven. And I’m so proud of these individuals for their focus and dedication to do the Will of our Father. Unfortunately, these are but a remnant—a precious few in number. But that’s no surprise. Master in dismay asked of His disciples: “When the Son of Man returns will He find Faith in the earth?”(Luke 18:8).

 Scriptural Guidance for the Messianic During Global Crises

So I just want to share a few Scriptural passages with you as it relates to our Messianic Duty in the midst of the global chaos that’s transpiring around us. And it is my hope, trust and prayer that these passages will encourage us all to not just stay the course in our walk with Mashiyach, but to also intensify our commitment and efforts to the Faith and the Kingdom of Elohim in these perilous times.

Searching for a City Not Made by Man 

Hebrews 11:8-10—8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.(Heb 11:8-10 ESV) 

Indeed, Avraham was committed to the will of His Father who called Him out of Babylon, just as we must be.

Citizens of Heaven

Philippians 3:13-21—13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.(Phi 3:13-21 ESV)

To Be Found Without Spot Nor Wrinkle  

2 Peter 3:10-18–10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.(2Pe 3:10-14 ESV) 

Our focus must not be on the temporal things that comprise modern day Babylon that the Apostle prophesies will all burn away in the end times. Our focus then cannot be the temporal things of Babylon. Instead, our focus must be getting ourselves to a place in our walk with Mashiyach where we are found by Master at His return without spot or blemish and at peace with both Yah and with one another. Halleluyah.

We Look to the Unseen Realm 

2 Corinthians 4:17, 18—17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.(2Co 4:17-18 ESV) 

Thus our focus is to be on things that are eternal which are presently inhabiting the unseen realm.

 

No Soldier Concerns Himself With Civilian Pursuits 

2 Timothy 2:3-5—3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (2Ti 2:3-5 ESV) 

Folks, we are employed by our Master to tend to the concerns of the Kingdom of Yah, not the affairs of Babylon. Our focus and work for the Kingdom must be discerning and distinct and not entangled in Babylonian concerns.

 The Indestructible Never Ending Kingdom of God

 

Daniel 2:43-44—43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,(Dan 2:43-44 ESV) 

Let us not be pulled into the concerns of Babylon friends. For Babylon is destined to be broken into pieces by the Kingdom of YHVH. And Yah’s Kingdom will stand for eternity. So if there is any side to take, we should be compelled to stand with the winning team brethren. And the winning team is the Kingdom of YHVH.

 Babylon Will Seek to Kill You 

Revelation 6:10, 11—9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been (Rev 6:9-11 ESV) 

The very individuals and government institutions and such that some members of Faith choose to side with in their social justice/engineering efforts will ultimately be the very individuals and institutions and organizations that will persecute and martyr us in the end times. It will be like the dog biting the hand that feeds them. And that is what’s going to happen in the end times. In fact, we see the beginning of this in many of the cities and towns in which we live. Governments and society in general are becoming intolerant and very hostile to people of Faith. The Christian Church is being persecuted in numbers unimaginable throughout both the western and eastern nations. Yet many people of Faith believe that it is their duty to enlist in the causes of Babylon. We know, however, that Babylon will viciously turn on the true child of Yah, bringing about widespread martyrdom. We are in fact destined for martyrdom if we live to see the end times written about in the Book of Revelation. 

Think about this: the Supreme Court of these United States just sided with government entities that your constitutional right to assemble and worship can be denied you in times of civil national emergencies such as this current global pandemic. The rioters in Washington DC this past weekend were responsible for destroying 2-churches. Folks, Scripture is clear that Babylon is going to turn on the people of YHVH. So there’s no reason to side with Babylon whatsoever.

 The World Hates You Because You Love God 

John 15:16-19-–16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (Joh 15:16-19 ESV) 

Because of our relationship with the Almighty, Babylon by default hates us and hates our ways. Let us not be fooled into thinking that because we show our concerns and support the causes of Babylon that Babylon loves us. Because they don’t love us. They hate us. And we have to recognize and eternalize this. Not for purposes of starting a fight with Babylon. Actually the opposite. We need to live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18); pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:2) and be a light to the world and a witness for Yeshua Messiah (too many scriptures in the apostolic record to mention).

 I Never Knew You 

Matthew 7:21-23—21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Mat 7:21-27 ESV) 

Folks, do you grasp what the Master is really saying here to His Disciples? He’s saying that when Master returns and starts to separate the goats from the sheep, He’s going to put those who He has determined were doing things they were never instructed to do in His Name on the side of the goats. And these individuals will be dismissed and denied entry into the Kingdom. It’s not going to be a pretty sight. 

So Master is giving all of us a heads-up so that we do not find ourselves in that terrible predicament. He simply instructs us to make sure that we hear all that which He has taught us and then go about doing those things. Those  that do that which Master has instructed them to do will be deemed as wise for they have chosen to build their eternal salvation upon the Words of their Master, and not upon the instructions and teachings of the citizens and leaders of Babylon.

Master declared that those who, on the other hand, choose to do their own thing and attach Master’s Name to their activities will be deemed as foolish. For these will have chosen to build their eternal life upon their own means and ways: not the Master’s means and ways.

 Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness

 

Matthews 6:33–Master admonished us to “seek first His Father’s Kingdom and His righteousness.” 

Overall, this is what we have been tasked with doing by Master. And if we can just focus on this assignment, everything else in our Walk with Mashiyach will fall right into place.

 Exhort and Admonish One Another During Times of Crises 

Colossians 3:16—16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16 ESV) 

This may sound selfish and isolationist in tenor. But the fact of the matter is that Paul was admonishing the Colossians to place their focus on their brothers and sisters. Nowhere in his letter here do we find mention that the Colossians were to be focused on what was going on in and around Colossae’s social circles; the Colossae neighborhoods; the Colossae government; etc. The focus was on the Body of Messiah that resided in Colossae.

Be Encouraged Saints 

Fellow Saints in Training, I hope, trust and pray that this installment of the Messianic Torah Observer will encourage your heart and that we not feel pressured to side with the elements of Babylon. In are in a proper and right place. We know what we’ve been tasked to do; we know what is right and what is wrong because we keep and obey Abba’s holy Torah and the teachings and example of Yeshua our illustrious Messiah. We recognize that Babylon is not our home. Our home is coming and that home is the home we must side with in all things. That home we know will be eternal and will destroy and break into pieces Babylon. We are members of the winning team—we are citizens and emissaries of the Kingdom of YHVH. 

May Abba richly bless and keep you in these difficult times fellow saints in training. Shalom.

 

 

 

 

 

The Shavuot-Pentecost Connection

The Shavuot-Pentecost Connection

by | May 28, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

The Shavuot-Pentecost Connection

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

Two-Competing Schools of Thought Regarding Shavuot and Pentecost

When we talk about Shavuot and or Pentecost there are essentially two-prevailing schools of thought and understanding. Interestingly, these two schools or lines of thought are often at odds with one another. And these competing lines of thought regarding this Holy Day, are not at odds with one another because one line is accurate and true and the other isn’t. The contention or disconnect that exists between the two camps of Shavuot-Pentecost thinking or understanding, in my mind has to do with focus. Believe or not, there is a Shavuot-Pentecost connection that is vital to one’s eternal life and admittance into the Kingdom of Yah.  

What do I mean by the two camps having competing foci, yet both camps line of thinking are accurate and true. 

Let me break it down to you.

 The Torah-Torah-Torah Camp

A majority number of Jewish and Hebrew Roots—Messianic brethren focus their Shavuot—Pentecost thinking on the receiving of Torah at Mount Sinai. This is popularly expressed as “the Sinai Revelation.” Thus, to these brethren, the take-away or main point of focus as it relates to Shavuot is Torah.

 The Holy Spirit and Church Camp

Then we have our cousins in Christianity or Churchianity. Their mindset is focused on the birth of the so-called church. The more charismatic side to Churchianity, of course, focuses their attention on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the festival attendees on that historic day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. For these, the day is all about the Holy Ghost experience or the primacy of the “Church” in Father’s plan of salvation for mankind.

 Both Camps Lack a Full Understanding of Shavuot

Now, again, although both camps are correct in their understanding of Torah—the giving and receiving of Torah as well as the giving and receiving of the Holy Spirit on this Feast day—they lack the full understanding of the significance of Shavuot—Pentecost. Ironically, this competing focus and mindset has resulted in perpetual animus between the two camps. The Messianic side that focuses so much of her attention on Torah all but rejects anything having to do with the Holy Spirit and the institution of the Kehila or Ekklesia. Conversely, the Christian side that focuses so much of their attention on the so-called “church” as an institution and the workings of the Holy Spirit adamantly rejects the keeping of Torah by any believer in Yeshua Messiah. 

Sadly, only a few studious Berean-style Netzari are aware of the critical connection that exists between Shavuot and what I would separate out as Pentecost. And just so we’re all on the same spiritual page, Shavuot and Pentecost are one and the same Feast Day. It’s simply that Shavuot is the Hebrew name for the day and Pentecost is the Greek name for the day. But I’ve elected, for the sake of this discussion, to capitalize on the two names for the same Festival to make the crucial point that both schools of thought and focus are inextricably linked and cannot be separated one from the other. 

For by the end of this discussion it is my hope that we will come to know the true connection that exists between the event that occurred at Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus and the event that occurred in Jerusalem on that historic day that Luke recorded in the Book of Acts.

 Eternal Life and Kingdom Admittance 

Here’s the deal: it’s not just important to understand the connection between the two events. It is in fact vitally important to a Netzari’s eternal life and place in the Kingdom of YHVH that they actually live out the connection that exists between the two events. (One thing that I’ve come to understand in my walk with Mashiyach friends is that each of the 7-annual Feasts of the Almighty builds upon the one before it from a spiritual application standpoint. For the Feasts of YHVH as well as the whole of Torah were at the time they were given and in many cases still are today shadows of good things to come, this according to Hebrews 10:1. And some of the Feasts such as Unleavened Bread and Shavuot were shadows of our spiritual journey to shake off the old nature—our old ways of life—and conform to the nature of our Master Yahoshua HaMashiyach who Himself was the splitting image of His Father (Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15).)

 It’s Time to Be Weaned

You see friends: at some point we have to move beyond the milk of the Gospel and our basic understanding of the rote keeping of the Feasts. The Apostle Shaul (aka Paul) had to abruptly chide the Corinthian Kehilas (assemblies) that they were disappointingly still at the milk stage in their walk with Mashiyach; their spiritual development, which is beautifully depicted in the spring Feasts of Yah. Shaul wrote: 

“I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for you are still of the flesh…” (1 Cor. 3:2, 3; ESV).

 The writer of the Cepher of Hebrews, who many believe to have been the Apostle Shaul, wrote a similar thing to his readers. This writing was a bit more jarring in that he wrote: 

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child” (Heb. 5:12, 13; ESV). 

I submit to you that many in our Faith Community are hesitant to grow beyond the milk stage in their maturation towards being a wholly and acceptable child of the Most High. And when it comes to keeping the Feasts of Yah each year, the effort on some folks part is to imitate and take on the traditions of the so-called sages and rabbis. These never seek to grow beyond such practices and traditions and they turn their eyes and heads away from the immense spiritual applications that are embedded in each of the Feasts that require them to be more advanced spiritually than they were the year prior. So they practically stay at the place where they’ve been from the time they first entered into Faith. 

And let’s not overlook those who call themselves members of the True Faith once delivered, yet simply ignore the Feasts altogether. These delude themselves into thinking that Yah knows their loving and warm heart. And their loving and warm heart will be counted to them as righteousness by Father despite them willfully disobeying Torah. Well, that thinking is manifested, pure and utter rebellion and disobedience and a rejection of the Name—the authority—of YHVH which is supposed to be THE absolute reality of their lives.

 It’s a Question of Authority

And that absolute reality—the Name—the authority of the Creator of the Universe—reigning supreme over our respective lives is what Shavuot—Pentecost is supposed to be about. 

Indeed, Shavuot depicts the Great Revelation at Sinai where YHVH gifted us His Torah—His eternal Words of Truth (Exodus 19 and 20). Yes, Shavuot or Pentecost also depicts the launch of the Kehila—the assembly of Yah with the power and might of the Holy Spirit being gifted and poured out upon the disciples of Yeshua Mashiyach just as Master had promised them days prior to the Acts 2 event. Both monumental, historic events were miraculous and powerful. But these 2-historic events were designed and enacted to drive home a critical spiritual point to those with eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to embrace and a mind to keep and obey. 

And although each event, despite being separated by roughly a millennia and a half, were unique experiences for the witnesses and souls involved, the events were actually two separate variations on a central theme. Both were multi-sensory events (that being the witnesses and participants could hear, see and smell without a doubt in their minds) all that what transpiring before them. In both events, the presence of YHVH was experienced by the witnesses and participants. And both events were fulfillments of promises that were made to the Faith’s patriarchs. Both events were about mankind being afforded by the Creator of the Universe the opportunity for a breakthrough and moving forward in their present and future lives. Each event was about freedom: being freed from the individual’s former slave masters and coming under the loving and blessed authority of a new Master and King—YHVH.

 Imagers of YHVH on Earth

Shavuot and Pentecost was about finally becoming “imagers” (a term I’m borrowing from Dr. Michael Heiser) of the Most High Elohim. They’re about realizing the great potential of mankind to be Children of YHVH—the Creator of the Universe. 

And of course, the Shavuot of Exodus 19-20 and the Pentecost of Acts 2 are both so much more in terms of the Truths and spiritual mandates they paint for us.

 However, the understanding that we as potential Children of the Most High must draw from the Shavuot of Exodus 19-20 and Pentecost of Acts 2 is the very thing that connects the two events. 

Let’s quickly take a look at both events.

 Our First Shavuot

When we arrived at Yah’s Mountain—Mount Sinai—roughly 50-days after departing Mitsrayim (ie., Egypt), we were proposed to by the Almighty. Yes, you heard me correctly: YHVH—the Creator of the Universe—put forth to us a marriage proposal: 

“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself (essentially Father regaled the courtship He had with the nation). Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (19:4-6). 

This marriage proposal essentially stipulated that if we would obey His voice and keep the terms of the covenant Yah was extending to us in His Torah, He would be our God with all the privileges and protections that come with having Him as our God. And if that weren’t enough, Father added amazing additions to the agreement which included Him making us His absolute most favored people on the planet (above any other people) and His exclusive representatives to the whole of the human race.

 A Ketubah

This proposal was essentially a marriage agreement between the Hebrews (and any of the mixed multitude who elected to be bound to the God of Avraham, Yishak and Ya’achov) and YHVH. A marriage covenant is known as a “ketubah.” 

A ketubah is essentially a Hebrew (most would say a Jewish) marriage contract which is an integral part of the traditional Hebrew or Jewish marriage. 

The ketubah outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom in relation to the bride (wikipedia). 

Torah became the Ketubah between YHVH and His bride Israel. For within the Torah-Ketubah framework the would be child of the Most High Elohim finds Torah outlines the way the marriage would be lived out by us. Its precepts describe how the marriage would function. The picture Torah paints describes what married life would look like to us on a real, boots on the ground way. Torah’s judgments describe how each would be child of Yah and YHVH Himself were to relate to one another. And the agreement stipulated that either party who would violate the terms of the agreement violated the ketubah/contract itself.

 We Refused to Maintain the Agreement–The Ketubah

The plan was that YHVH Himself would give to us His Ketubah—His Torah—the Covenant. We, however, stopped YHVH in the midst of Him delivering the contract (ie., the 10-Commandments). Because of our fear of the unknown and fear of what it was we’re getting ourselves into, we demanded Yah not speak directly to us but instead deliver the covenant–the Law—the Ketubah to Moses. Moshe in turn would deliver the Ketubah to us and we would then, in theory, obey and keep the terms of the contract (Exodus 20:18, 19). 

Now, we can talk all day about what this all meant and the ramifications of our turning our ears and hearts away from the Almighty from both a Truth and Spirit standpoint. Nevertheless, the true basis and intent of Shavuot must be understood by every would be child of the Most High, especially in connection to that which transpired about 1,500-years later on the Day of Pentecost.

 The Mixed Multitude Equation

Interesting thing to see here that I want to point out to you. Recall that the multitude that departed Egypt under the leadership of Moshe was a mixed one. Contrary to conventional thinking, it wasn’t  just Hebrews that departed Egypt. 

Egypt in effect was an ancient metropolis attracting people from all the known nations of the known world at that time. And many of those nation peoples that found homes in Egypt ended up slaves just as the Hebrews did for various and sundry reasons. 

So what came out of Egypt was a multi-cultured, multi-language multitude of people, the whole of which one could safely say represented the 70 original nations of the world as mentioned in Genesis 10. 

Remember that I said that both Shavuot and Pentecost were multi-sensory events whereby each person who witnessed and or participated in events all felt, saw and smelled everything that was going on in that respective event all at the same time. 

So it stands to reason that as Father was speaking His Ketubah-His Torah to us as we stood frightened at the base of Mount Sinai, we being a mixed multitude, heard and understood those eternal Words of the Creator of the Universe in our own tongue and dialect. (Are you starting to see a connection to Pentecost here?) Every member of the mixed multitude heard the 10-Commandments as delivered by YHVH, according to Jewish tradition, in their own tongue and dialect. Thus Shavuot appears to be a fore-shadowing of the Pentecost outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh that would transpire some 1,500 year later. In the Pentecost experience of Acts 2, everyone who Father intended to truly experience the event, heard the Words of YHVH in their own tongue and dialect. Indeed, Pentecost was essentially a continuation or carry over if you will of the Sinai Shavuot. There are undeniable parallels here, especially given that Jewish sages believed members of the mixed multitude heard Yah’s Words in their own tongue and dialect back at Mount Sinai’s Shavuot in Exodus 19 and 20.

 We Were Supposed to Receive Yah Himself

I believe Father originally intended for us to receive His Ketubah from Him directly at Mount Sinai and then go right into Canaan. We would be YHVH’s tool—His right-arm for administering judgment against the fallen ones and the pagan nations that inhabited Canaan. And then we would serve YHVH as His shining light to the nations of the world. And at His appointed time, assuming we kept YHVH’s contract—His Ketubah—His Torah—His Covenant, we would receive His Ruach HaKodesh—His Holy Spirit and as a nation of set-apart people and as set-apart individuals we would realize our fullest potential as children of the Most High. We would in a sense be the leavened bread that was waved before YHVH by the Levitical Priest—a people who through the work of Yah’s Ruach HaKodesh operating in their lives and the Torah being inscribed in them each Shavuot.

 We Continually Violated the Ketubah

But we failed to keep the terms of the Ketubah and we never came even close to being the nation of priests Father desired for us to be under His Kingdom rule. But Yah had a follow-up—we can even say a back-up plan—that would pick up where we failed and left off at Sinai.

The Re-Launch That Was Acts 2 Pentecost 

Pentecost would be a re-launch of the Ketubah and the set-apart nation that Father originally intended at Sinai. And that re-launch as recorded in Acts 2 was a dramatic event highlighted by the proclamation of Yah’s Word to the nations of the world, similar to what happened back at Sinai 1,500 years or so prior.  

John 1:1, 4, 11, 12 summarizes our failed situation back at Sinai’s Shavuot: 

“In the beginning was the word (Father’s instructions—Father’s Ketubah—Father’s plan for the salvation and restoration of mankind unto Himself) and that Word was with YHVH and that Word was YHVH.” 

Folks I’m sorry to tell you: the mention of the Word here is NOT talking exclusively about Yeshua. Yes, Yeshua is the walking, talking Torah—He is the Word of Yah. But here in context, John is talking about Yah and His Word of Life—His Plans for His human creation in the earth. And this plan existed from the very beginning of creation. John states that “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made” (not speaking about Yeshua here, but in context John is speaking about YHVH creating all things)—verse 3. 

John continues: “In Him (YHVH) was life and the life was the light of men (verse 4). 

Later on in verse 10 John records that “He (YHVH) was in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not” The He here that made the world but was rejected by those who He adopted to be His chosen ones, is not referring to Yeshua. Contextually, Yeshua doesn’t come in till verse 14.

 The Children of God

Here, the He is referring to YHVH. Yah’s chosen people failed to receive Him. They not only refused to receive Yah’s Word directly from YHVH, but they also rejected Yah’s Word through their disobedience and the hardness of their hearts. However, those who would believe in His Name–His name referring specifically to Yah’s authority over all–He (YHVH) gave childhood status (John 1:12). 

Thus, with the exception of only a very small handful of people, from the time of Adam and Eve till the advent of Yahoshua HaMashiyach, all of human creation had rejected YHVH. Yet John 1:13 tells us that those who were chosen of YHVH and who were determined to live their lives according to Yah’s Ways, to these were granted the authority to be Children of the Most High.  

(Friends—I pray that you’re seeing where this is going.)

 Childhood Authority

This childhood authority was not based on biology nor on the selected individual’s or other people’s determination or ambition (John 1:13). In fact this childhood authority was based solely upon YHVH’s perfect and righteous Will (John 1:13). 

But praise YHVH for the Pentecost of Acts 2. For here in this historic replay of the Revelation of Sinai we find Father picking up and resuming where the Hebrews of old miserably failed and left off. But this resumption of the first Shavuot would prove to be full-proof and be the piece de-resistance that the enemy can’t stand to recognize. For the thing that connects both historic events—the Sinai Shavuot and the Acts Pentecost is the basis for our eternal life. For Shavuot and Pentecost are about the establishing of a relationship with the Creator of the Universe. And that relationship is based upon the giving, receiving and keeping of Yah’s Word. In the original covenant—Ketubah, the Word was passed down to the Hebrews by Yah through Moses. We rejected Father’s attempt to deal directly with us in delivering His Word. Thus the Word was written on tablets of stone and delivered to us through Moshe. But we failed to heed or keep Yah’s Word because our hearts were just like the stone tablets the 10-Words were inscribed upon. Our hearts were in fact hostile towards Yah’s Ketubah—His Torah.

 The Heart Problem

Of the heart of man, which can also be understood to be the mind from a spiritual standpoint, Paul wrote: 

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God (His Torah—His Ketubah), neither can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:6-8; KJV). 

The Relationship

You see, Father from the very beginning has sought to have a true and substantive relationship with His human creation. But our unconverted minds—our unregenerated hearts remain in a state of war with YHVH. Thus a relationship with the YHVH is impossible. And the only way for man to have a true and substantive relationship with the Most High is for them (1) have a true and honest desire to be in a relationship with YHVH; (2) to submit ourselves to His authority over our lives; (3) be obedient to His Ways; and (4) abandon our former masters and their ways. 

Unfortunately, the first Shavuot, which should have been the one and only launching pad for mankind establishing this true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe proved that we were incapable of fulfilling these 4-requirements without the Father’s direct intervention and assistance.

 The New Covenant Revealed

Enter Acts 2 Pentecost. Under the New Covenant mankind would finally have the wherewithal to desire and maintain a relationship with the Almighty; to submit to Yah’s authority; to be obedient to His Father’s Ways; and to abandon—without looking back—our old way of life and the slave masters we were formerly subject to. 

This would be accomplished through the very element that we witnessed in the Acts 2 Pentecost event whereby we would be able to establish and maintain a true and substantive relationship with YHVH because (1) Father’s Holy Spirit would forever reside within us; and (2) Father’s Ways—His Torah–will be written on the fleshly tables of their heart and inscribed in our minds (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36 Hebrews 8 and 12). Thus we can finally establish and maintain a true and substantive relationship with the Almighty which will also result in eternal life for each of us; receiving the rights and privileges germane to being a true Child of YHVH; and a royal citizen of YHVH’s eternal Kingdom. 

 The Shavuot-Pentecost Connection Revealed

Folks, this is the Shauvuot—Pentecost Connection that we all must understand and strive to receive and maintain. 

Dear friends, let us understand and live out the connection that exists between the Sinai Shavuot and the Acts 2 Pentecost. It’s the only means by which we may receive eternal life and enter the Kingdom of YHVH. 

Indeed, many who refuse and fail to understand and live out this connection will be horribly disappointed on judgment day. Consider our Master’s pronouncement for what it really will mean in the World Tomorrow:

 

“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (and that will is to abide by the terms of the covenant that He has established through the sacrifice of His Son and the workings of the Ruach HaKodesh). Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy Name have cast out devils? And in thy Name done many wonderful works (ie., done all kinds of things citing His authority to do so, which He really had not authorized them to do)? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Mat. 7:21-23). 

The individuals that Yeshua are referring to here in this prophecy are not just those who deny the Master as their Messiah, but also those who fail to heed and practice the Shavuot-Pentecost connection. Essentially, Master is referring to those who fail to establish a true and substantive relationship with His Father. 

Thus, it behooves us as Abba’s elect to establish and maintain a substantive and true relationship with the Creator through Yeshua Messiah—our redeemer and intercessor. This whole thing—both camps of thought—Torah and Holy Spirit/the launching of the Body of Messiah—is really about establishing and maintaining a true and substantive relationship with the Creator of the Universe. This is THE CRUCIAL CONNECTION that exists between Shavuot and Pentecost.

 Shavuot is so Much More Than…

You see, it’s so much more than simply knowing and keeping the letter of Torah. It’s so much more than seeking after and experiencing the manifested gifts of the Holy Spirit. In fact, it’s so much more than the organizational Body of the Kehila/Ekklesia of Messiah. Yes, Shavuout and Pentecost are about these amazing elements and yes, these amazing elements are indeed important for us to understand and to incorporate in our day-to-day lives. But more so, the important thing to garner from these elements of walking out Torah, being a relevant member of the Body of Messiah and embracing the workings of the Holy Spirit in our respective lives is the intimate relationship that we must have with YHVH. If we are not imaging our Father here on this earthly plain; if we are not conforming the very image of our Master Yahoshua Messiah who is the expressed image of YHVH our Elohim; if we lack Faith in the Name—in the authority of YHVH our Elohim; if we don’t see things the way our Father sees things; if we don’t feel about things the way our Father feels about things; if we don’t act the way our Father would act—if we don’t have an intimate relationship with YHVH–then we have entirely missed the connection that exists between Shavuot and Pentecost. 

My dear brothers and sisters, the connection that exists between Shavuot and Pentecost is the relationship we must possess and maintain with our Heavenly Father.

The Gates of Hell

The Gates of Hell

by | May 22, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

The Gates of Hell

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

The Gates of Hell

Today I want to discuss the enemy’s goal to destroy and hinder the Creator’s Plan of Redemption, Restoration and Salvation. It will become the purpose of this discussion to examine how the enemy was defeated by Master Yahoshua (Yeshua) Messiah and to highlight how we are poised to carry on the war against the Kingdom of Darkness. For Yeshua declared to His disciples (and to us by extension) that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail –will not stand–against the Body of Messiah (i.e., of Mashiyach). 

Our Identity

 We are supposed to be children of YHVH: 

1 John 3:10—”By this the children of Yahweh are distinguished from the children of the devil: Whoever does not practice righteousness and does not love his brother, does not belong to Elohim.”

Of the Pharisees and Scribes, Yeshua called them out for who they really were:

John 8:44—You are of the Devil as father, and the lust of your father you desire to do. That one was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar, and the father of it.”

And as Children of YHVH, we have a vital role in the reclamation of Creation from the hands of the Kingdom of Darkness, and to usher in the Kingdom of Yah. 

As it relates to our role—as Children of Yah–in the reclaiming of Creation and the ushering in of the Kingdom of Yah, we receive our marching orders from the example and instructions of Yeshua our Master. 

And what we will see in part today that the 2nd Adam—Yeshua–would begin the work that He started to restore and usher in the Kingdom and take down the Kingdom of Darkness: 

1 Cor. 15:45—”So also it has been written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam a life-giving Ruach (ie., Spirit).”

Yeshua, who Paul referred to as the 2nd Adam, through His obedience unto death, would usher in the Paradise that was lost—the Kingdom of YHVH–by the actions of the 1st Adam and return eternal life and sonship to Yah’s human creation.

The Ongoing Struggle Against the Gates of Hell

But none of this is to come about without an immense struggle on our part. As we will see, the enemy saw in part a glimpse of Father’s overall plan to redeem man from the dominion of the Kingdom of Darkness and to restore Paradise Lost—the Kingdom of Yah here on earth. 

So in response to Yah’s plan, which we are a part of, the enemy has waged an intense) (cosmic) war to retain that which they’ve held possession of for so many millennia. 

In fact, there’s coming a time when the enemy will launch a full frontal—side—rear attack on Yah’s people. The Sons or Saints of the Most High will suffer momentary defeat at the hands of the enemy: 

Dan. 7:25—”And he (the enemy) shall speak commands against the Most High, and he shall wear out the saints of the Most High. And he intends to change times and law. And they shall be given into his hand UNTIL A TIME AND TIMES AND ONE HALF TIME.”

You see, the enemy will see and believe the saints’ defeat  a huge win for them, just as they thought Yeshua’s crucifixion put an end to any talk about a coming kingdom of Yah. But just like the crucifixion of Yeshua ultimately proved to be the enemy’s actual death knell, the saints’ defeat will only hasten the enemy’s ultimate destruction. 

In the interim, Father’s grace has provided his true children with the tools and resources they need to (1) successfully defend against the enemy’s attacks; and (2) effectively fight and win against the enemy. 

Thus it behooves every one of us who are children of the Most High to be prepared and effective soldiers against the kingdom of darkness.

 

We Can Win The Fight

If we heed the lessons that Father graciously placed in His eternal Word, we can effectively fight against the enemy and do our part to bring in or usher in the Kingdom of the Most High. 

Because at the end of the day, we all have a role and responsibility in this thing. We’re not supposed to be “pew warmers” or “spiritual spectators.” 

The Church Triumphant has sold us a bill of goods that we are simply to await a sudden rapture where we’ll be whisked away to heaven and all of the hard and difficult work that needs to be done will take care of itself. 

This could not be further from the truth. For every Set-Apart child of the Most High has a duty and role to play in all this. And we need to be about fulfilling that role and those responsibilities.

What Does It Look Like?

In order to understand the high level of warfare and push-back that the enemy has invested in this thing, let us take a quick survey of the war that has occurred between the powers of darkness and our Master Yeshua. 

We must remember that Yeshua is the fulcrum upon which Yah’s plan for the restoration of Creation rests.

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Here’s another central principle to keep in mind here: Everyday of Yeshua’s earthly ministry was a “spiritual assault on the forces of darkness. And Yeshua’s purpose (and we touched upon this last time if you recall) was to reclaim what rightly belonged to Him, His Father,” and those who would be Yah’s elect/chosen ones/children. 

The question that must be answered from each of us is: is our  earthly ministry a spiritual assault on the forces of darkness in the advancement of the Kingdom?

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Recall that the deliverance of Yah’s chosen people from Egypt was a victory over the demigods of the region. And Moshe and most of those who were delivered realized this. For it was Moshe who proclaimed in his song celebrating Yah’s mighty wonders in delivering the nation: “Who is like Yahweh among the god” (Exo. 15:11)? 

The Exodus of Yah’s chosen people from Egypt was a resumption of Yah’s overall plan to restore Paradise Lost, ie., the Edenic Kingdom on this earth. And it was a resumption of the process by which Yah would legally reclaim and redeem humankind from the fallen ones who had held claim to them since the Fall. 

And what we will see throughout Yeshua’s earthly ministry was in fact somewhat of an Exodus 2.0 And Exodus 3.0 is coming in the End Times. 

Let’s look briefly at Exodus 2.0 for a moment.

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The Baptism of Yeshua in Comparison to the Red Sea Crossing

 

Mark 1:9-11—”And it happened that in those days Yeshua came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And immediately as He was coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens being split (Gr. Schizo) apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on Him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The LXX’s description of the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14:21 uses the same Greek term “schizo” to describe the splitting of the heavens and the Spirit descending down upon Yeshua like a dove. 

This was the consecration of Yeshua via Yehovah’s pronouncement “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (a rabbinic term, “bat kol,” is a certifying pronouncement from heaven). This was the first of 3-such “bat kols” that would be documented, certifying Yeshua’s ministry by the Creator of the Universe. 

When we saw the Israelites cross over on dry land through the Red Sea, we saw in a sense the consecration of Yah’s people from the demigods of Egypt. And the children of Israel would be given the opportunity to be Father’s special possession; His elect; His Children. 

The title “beloved” that was placed upon Yeshua by His Father was used to mark Solomon as the legal heir to the Davidic convenantal throne (reference Jedidiah of 2 Sam. 12:24, 25). Yehovah essentially says of Yeshua to creation: “This is the king, the legitimate heir to David’s throne.”

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Yeshua’s Wilderness Experience

 

Immediately after Yeshua’s baptism, the Spirit (the Ruach) led Him into the wilderness where He was tempted by hasatan at the direction of the Holy Spirit (Mat. 4:1; Mar. 1:12; Luk. 4:1-13). Like the Israelites and their wilderness experience of Exodus 1.0, this leg of Yeshua’s ministry was crucial to Yeshua’s vetting and defeat of the enemy. 

The Judean wilderness is not just one of the more desolate places on this planet. It is also metaphorically unholy ground. The wilderness is associated with the demonic. And so it seems quite appropriate that Yeshua would meet hasatan there.

 

Quick Review

(1) Israel (Yehovah’s son—Exo. 4:23) passed through the Red Sea (Exo. 14, 15). 

(2) Israel met Yehovah at Mount Sinai on the first leg of restoring Paradise Lost. 

(3) Israel’s faith and loyalty proved insufficient for them to carry out the remainder of the reclamation process (Jud. 2:11-15). The demonic powers of the wilderness (Deu. 32:15-20) forestalled the restoration process for a time. 

Yeshua, however, would repeat this process from start to finish without faltering. During Yeshua’s temptation in the wilderness He quoted 3 passages of Torah that Moshe addressed to Israel prior to their entry into Canaan: 

  1. Thou shalt not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Yah—Mat. 4:4 and Deu. 8:3.
  1. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy Elohim—Mat. 4:7 and Deu. 6:16.
  1. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve—Mat. 4:10 and Deu. 6:13.

Israel as YHVH’s son (Exo. 4:22—Moshe told Pharaoh—Israel is My son, even My firstborn) had to go through a time of testing that involved being deprived of water and food; taught Yah’s way of life; pressed into trusting obedience to YHVH. That process took 40-years in preparation for them to be worthy of service unto Yah. 

Yeshua,  Son of Yah, was also sent into the wilderness for testing. This time, this Son of Yah would be tested for 40-days. Like Israel before Him, He too was tried and tested for service. He faced the exact same tests that Israel endured. Israel ultimately reclaimed the Land and took the reclamation/restoration/redemption of Creation and Paradise that was lost up a few notches. But they failed over several centuries to fulfill their prime directive, which was to be the royal priests to the people nations in that reclaimed Paradise.

 

Where Israel failed, Yeshua succeeded.

 

Folks, those of us who have been selected as YHVH’s sons/daughters will have to go through a period of testing and refining. Are we ready for that?

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Yeshua Cranks Up His Assault On the Kingdom of Darkness

 Upon returning from the wilderness, Yeshua filled with the power of the Spirit begins His ministry with 3 big moves: 

(1) The proclamation of: “Repent, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mat. 4:17). 

(2) He assembles an assault team—His disciples. 

(3) He heals a demon-possessed man (Mar. 1:16-28; Luk. 4:31-5:11). And Yeshua links the advent of the Kingdom of Heaven with His casting out of demons (Luk. 11:20). 

Thus, the holy war began: the next phase in the reclamation/redemption Plan and the ultimate defeat of the demigods of this world. 

He didn’t stop there: Yeshua ramps up His proclamation of the coming Kingdom of God, with many more healings and exorcisms. And if that’s not enough, He gives His disciples the power and authority over the demigods and sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God throughout the region. 

“And after these things, Yahshua also appointed seventy others from His disciples, and sent them two by two before His face  into every city and region, where He was about to go” (Luk. 10:1). 

Now, the number 70 is not happenstance. Seventy is the number of nations listed in Genesis 10 that the demigods took control over and possessed (Deu. 32:8). These 70-disciples are said to have returned with joy (Luk. 10:17), announcing to Yeshua that the demons were subject to them in His Name. 

What was Yeshua’s response? “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (10:18). The implications are clear: “Yeshua’s ministry was the beginning of the end for the enemy and the gods of the nations. And the great reclamation/redemption of creation and humankind had begun in earnest.

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The Declaration that Rocked the Kingdom of Darkness and Sealed Yeshua’s Doom

 We find near the latter portions of His ministry the incident that occurred in Caesarea Philippi. Yeshua and His team had been conducting evangelistic work in the northern region of Judea. The group came to Caesarea Philippi, which is 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.

Turns out that Caesarea Philippi is is a fertile and lush region with a dubious spiritual background. It’s lushness attracted a great amount of religious worship. Archaeologists have uncovered many remains of Greek and Roman temples in the region.

The city sits at the base of Mount Hermon. The region was referred to as Baal Hermon and Baal Gad in the Old Testament. The Greek god Pan was worshiped there.

Recall that this was also the region where Og of Bashan (a demonic giant) reigned. And it was Joshua’s holy warriors that took him out (Num. 21:33; 32:33; Deu. 1:4; 3:1-13).

Turns out that the region was ground zero for the government and rule of the Kingdom of Darkness for that region.

It is here that Yeshua asks His disciples who the people of Judea say He was. The disciples go through a litany of prophets and bible heroes. So Yeshua refines His question and asks His disciples: “Who  do you say that I am?”

And it was Simon Peter (Kefa) who responded: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim” (Mat. 16:13-16).

Peter’s pronouncement of who Yeshua prompted Yeshua to make a startling proclamation—in the sight and hearing of the demigods on ground zero:

 “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my “Church”—my “Ekklesia;” my Kehila—my assembly of Call-Out, Set-Apart ones), and the gates of hell (ie., hades) shall not prevail against it. And I will give each of you the keys to the Kingdom (of Heaven). And whatever you bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven—and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And then He charged His disciples that they should not tell anyone that He was the Messiah” (Mat. 16:17-20).

 

Yeshua is using a literary technique here scholars refer to as “wordplay.” Yes, Kefa, or Peter means stone or rock. But Yeshua was taking Peter’s name and using it to direct His disciple’s attention to Mount Hermon—Ground Zero—demigod headquarters—where Yeshua is proclaimed as (1) the Messiah; and (2) the legal Son of the Living God. This was done in earshot of the demigods who were once considered sons of God themselves. But they lost that status. 

And He promises His disciples they would have all the resources they needed to combat and help take down the Kingdom of Darkness: such that whatever they were to bind or loose on earth will be reflected in heaven. 

And then he tells them the strangest thing: “Don’t tell anyone who He was. Why? Because Yeshua had more work that needed to be done before His earthly ministry was to be completed and He could not afford this information getting out and into the hands of the wrong people—be they well meaning people or bad people. Yeshua realized that He had to expedite His death at this point by allowing the demigods to do their work. 

Consequently, the demigods rightly saw all of this as an affront to their rule. Thus they began the process of taking Yeshua out. 

So Yeshua proceeds to tell His disciples of what will take place in a short period time:

 “From that time forth Yeshua began to declare to His disciples that He must go to Yerushalayim and suffer many things of the elders and ruling cohenim and sages, and be killed and be raised again the third day” (Mat. 16:21).

And then He told them something that has been misunderstood by church scholars and teachers for centuries: 

“Truth I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste of death be3fore they see the Son of Man in Kingdom” (Mat. 16:28). 

We will see shortly.

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 Churchianity and Catholicism have misunderstood the significance of this “gates of hell” Proclamation.

Ancient Near Eastern understanding of gates were that of defensive in nature. They were not weapons of any sort. They were not offensive by any means. 

With this ancient understanding of gates, when we look closely to what exactly Yeshua was implying here to His disciples, the domain of the demigods (the gates of hell) would now be under assault. And who was going to be doing the assaulting? The Kingdom of God would be conducting an assault on the domain of the demigods and their very realm would not be able to stand against the assault. And like Yeshua and His disciples, we are to be a part of that assault against the Gates of Hell. 

Yeshua’s proclamation was never intended to be a prophecy that the Kingdom of Darkness would assault and threaten the so-called Church. It was actually the reverse when you look at this thing in its proper context.

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The Transfiguration—The Straw Breaking the Camel’s Back

 And if the proclamations of Yeshua and Peter at the base of Mount Hermon weren’t enough, another assault against the Bashan Kingdom occurred just a few days after. 

Recall that Yeshua told His disciples that there were some standing with them on the day the proclamations were made at Mount Hermon who would not see death before they saw the Son of Man in His kingdom? 

Six days later Yeshua takes Kefa, Yaakov and Yochanan up into a high mountain where Yeshua was transfigured before them. Which mountain would that have been (Mat. 17:1-9). No doubt it was Mount Hermon. 

The Famous Transfiguration takes place on the demigods’ own soil. And the transfiguration we’re told involved Yeshua in some form of conversation with Moshe and Elijah. Now, many have downplayed this event as nothing more than a vision of Yeshua having a simple conversation with Moshe and Elijah and Peter, James and John were witnesses to that event. And that may or may not be true. 

But I submit that what Peter, James and John witnessed was something so much greater than a simple conversation between Moshe and Elijah. Could the Transfiguration been some form of supernatural ordination or ceremony foreshadowing the exaltation of Yeshua to His future office as our Cohen Gadol under the order of Melchizedek? 

And I would further submit that the Powers of Darkness saw this event take place on their sacred ground and they weren’t the least bit happy about it.

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Getting Rid of Yeshua—The Problem

 

Clearly by this point Yeshua had gotten on the enemy’s last nerve and they obviously began in earnest to get rid of Him. 

Yet they had no idea that their actions accelerate the downfall of their rule and the advent of the Kingdom of Yah. They got bested by the Creator of the Universe:

 

1 Cor. 2:7, 8“But we speak the wisdom of Elohim in a mystery, having been hidden, which Elohim ordained before the world for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age has known. For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Master of glory…”

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So the demigods had our Master crucified. And they attended the crucifixion to celebrate their handiwork. How do we know this. It was prophesied by David:

 

Psa. 22:12-19—”Many bulls have circled around Me; strong bulls of Bashan have surrounded Me. They opened their mouth on Me, like a lion ripping and roaring. I am poured out like waters, and all My bones are spread apart; My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and My tongue clings to My jaws; and You appoint Me to the dust of death; for dogs have encircled Me; and band of spoilers have hemmed Me in, piercing My hands and My feet. I count all My bones; they look, they stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and they made fall a lot for My clothing. But You, O Yahweh, be not far off; O My Strength, hurry to help Me!”

Call to Action 

Oh what our Master went through on our behalf. But praise be to Yah that Yeshua reigns victorious on our behalf. 

But we cannot be led to follow the false assumption that we don’t have a role to play in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Yah and the restoration of Paradise Lost. Because the truth of the matter is that we do have a significant role to play. 

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By virtue of our set-apart status, we are required to not only to defend ourselves against the attacks of the enemy, but we are also required to take the fight to the enemy. We cannot sit idly by and allow the enemy to steal, rob and to kill.  

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Ephesians 6:10-20–The Armor of God to Crush Through the Gates of Hell

Paul admonishes the Ephesians to be strengthened in Yahoshua and in His mighty power (vs. 10). Paul realized that we cannot stand against superhuman powers as flesh and blood. So we must rely upon the strength of our Master. This come through prayer as we will see (6:28).

Thus Paul instructs the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of Yah, which in effect Paul is instructing the Ephesians put n the “image of Elohim” (vs. 11).

The analogy that Paul employs here is astounding as he contrasts the elements of Yah’s spiritual armor against the “methodeia” or “tzentah” or strategies of the adversary.

Now the 4-pieces of armor described protect the disciple against the 4-principle strategies of hasatan. And the order in which Paul describes each piece corresponds to the 4-classes of demons or “shaida” mentioned in verse 12: (1)Rulers or Principalities; (2) Authorities or Powers; (3) “kosmokrator” or Possessors; and (4) Evil Spirits or Spiritual Wickedness (vs. 12).

Let’s look at each of these pieces as it relates to the prescription Paul gave to the Ephesians for battling against the enemy in Ephesus. Paul chose to order them from the perspective of the most vulnerable part the enemy will attack first, and then move on up to the strongest positions.

(1) The Belt of Truth protects the disciple against the lies and deceptions of the “possessors.”

(2) The Breastplate of Righteousness corresponds to protection against temptations and pride that spiritual “authorities” bring.

(3) The Shoes of Peace is intended to protect the disciple against oppression.

(4) The Helmet of Salvation is to defend against Principalities. Principalities bring about accusations.

 

 

 

The Book of Romans-To Whom Was It Written?

by | May 14, 2020 | Blog, Podcasts

To Whom Was The Book of Romans Written? Part 16 of the Paul and Hebrew Roots Series

by Rod Thomas | The Messianic Torah Observer

 

Our Purpose for This Post

 

To whom was the Book of Romans Written?

We know quite a bit about the author. But we may not know much about the so-called Romans or the Roman Church. Unfortunately, our understanding of who they are may be influenced by our Western mindset. You see, we tend to have preconceived notion of what a Church is and what it looks like. Those preconceived notions may play right into our perceptions about the Roman Church of Paul’s day.

In this installment to our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series, we seek to identify Shaul’s (i.e., the Apostle Paul’s) original intended audience for his Letter to the Romans. 

It is important to establish right off the bat the identity of the original intended audience. For not knowing the original identity of the original intended audience adds to the difficulty to Shaul’s challenging writings. 

So then, a present day reader who reads Shaul’s epistles without establishing the letter’s original intended audience stands to misinterpret and or misunderstand some of the letters’ content. 

 

Need—Identify Who the Original Intended Audience Is

 

The Book of Romans-To Whom Was It Written?

Just reading the Title and the introduction to the Book of Romans does not reveal precisely to whom the Book of Romans was originally written. We must dig deeper.

Knowing to whom the Book of Romans was written helps us determine what content in the Cepher/Letter pertains specifically to Shaul’s original intended readers (in this case the Roman Kehila) and what content pertained to all the Kehilas the apostle oversaw.  

 

 

 

 

Determining the identity of Shaul’s original audience is equally important to our understanding of what content contained in the Cepher/Letter is and is not applicable to Messianics today.

 

Shaul’s Applicable Content Wrapped in the Identity of His Original Intended Audience

 

To begin with, some things Shaul wrote about were organizational and personal in nature. For these things did not apply to any persons or organizations outside the original addressees to his letter. 

Shaul’s restriction against women speaking in the Kehila is an excellent example of this. 

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law” (1 Cor. 14:34). 

Now, this restriction applied on to the Corinthian Messianic Assemblies at the time the apostle wrote it. It did not apply to any other kehilas the apostle oversaw. In general terms, this restriction does not apply to our assemblies today.

 

Shaul Wrote Evergreen and Non-Evergreen Content

 

Indeed, Shaul did write a great deal of evergreen content to the Kehilas (i.e., the churches) he oversaw. And this evergreen content carries with it universal application. These evergreen instructions span every region, time and audience. 

Case in point would be Shaul’s instruction to the same Corinthian Messianics to.

 “…keep the feast, not with old leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). 

Conversely, instructions like the one restricting women speech in the Corinthian Kehilas addressed an emergent issue or situation within the original intended readers’ Kehila.

 

Normative Versus Restrictive Biblical Content

 

You may recall I previously introduced you to the “internal consistency” concept. Know that within that concept, the Berean-styled student of scripture is compelled to distinguish between “normative” and “restrictive” Scripture. 

“Normative” passages consist of universal, “evergreen content” that every true disciple of Yeshua should heed and apply to their respective walks with Mashiyach. 

Conversely, “restrictive” passages consist of regional, original addressee-specific content that may not apply to any of the other assemblies Shaul oversaw; or for that matter, would not apply to Messianics today.

 

Is Restrictive Content of any Use Today?

 

Are “restrictive” passages then of any significance to present day disciples of Mashiyach? Absolutely! 

Just as we find certain Torah commandments do not apply to Messianics today, those same non-applicable commandments may have important spiritual applications attached to them. 

Step back for just a second to the example of Shaul instructing that the Corinthian women (or woman) be silent in the assemblies. If a similar situation of trouble-making women (and or men for that matter) were to erupt in one’s kehila today, then this instruction applies.

 

Our Hebraic Focus for This Study

 

As we progress in our study of Romans, I want you to keep in mind that we will be looking at the epistle’s contents from a multi-layered cultural—Hebraic—historic—geographical perspective. Thus, in preparation for this study, I’ve tapped a few of the best contemporary Messianic teachers around to help fill in where my understanding and knowledge is lacking. 

 

Contrary to Mainstream Belief Shaul Did Not Establish the Kehila in Rome

 

It must be understood early on here in our study of Romans that Shaul did not establish the Kehila at Rome. In fact, Shaul himself made note that he had been hindered getting to Rome and he desperately desired to visit their Kehila (1:11, 13, 15).

“For I long to see you, so that I might share with you some spiritual gift that can make you stronger…I want you to know that although I have been prevented from visiting you until now, I have often planned to do so, in order that I might have some fruit among you…therefore I am eager to proclaim the Good News also to you who live in Rome” (CJB). 

 

Who Then Founded the Roman Kehila?

 

The truth of the matter is Roman Jews and Proselytes established the Roman Kehila. And these were likely eyewitnesses to the Great Outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh on Shavuot (Acts 2) 10-days after Yeshua ascended to heaven. 

“Now there were staying in Yerushalayim religious Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered; they were confused, because each one heard the believers speaking in his own language. Totally amazed, they asked, ‘How is this possible? Aren’t all these people who are speaking from the Galil? How is it that we hear them speaking in our native languages? We are…visitors from Rome; Jews by birth and proselytes…How is it that we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things God has done?” (vss. 5-11; CJB). 

These supposed Roman Kehila founders were members of the 3,000 converted Shavuot (i.e., Pentecost) attendees from that day. And upon returning to Rome after their historic encounter with the Spirit of YHVH, their life-changing testimony birthed the Roman Kehila.

 

The Roman Kehila Gentiles

 

Since first-century Rome was a major regional melting pot, there is no doubt that the Roman Kehila consisted of a great many Gentile converts as well. Thus, Shaul had an invested interest to explain to the Kehila’s members the Gentile’s set-apart status in the Faith (chapters 9-11).  

Despite the fact that Shaul did not establish the Roman Kehila, we must consider that the individuals Shaul sends his greetings to in chapter 16 were leaders and teachers of the Roman Kehilas. Moreover, these accomplished women and men of the Gospel were originally discipled and mentored by Shaul throughout the apostle’s evangelical career. These in turn taught, admonished and helped grow the Roman Kehila over several years. 

Therefore, in a sense, one could say that Shaul oversaw the Roman Kehila despite not being its original founder.

 

Was Paul’s Intended Audience Home Churches—Fellowships? 

J. K. McKee (a prolific Messianic apologist and author) contends that a number of home congregations or fellowships made up the Roman Kehila. 

Interestingly enough, Shaul never describes his readers as the “church in Rome.” Indeed, given the sheer number of Messianics in Shaul’s Rome, it was not possible for the whole kehila to meet in any one place. Thus, we can conclude that there was no single group of Messianics in Rome. 

According to James R. Edwards (New Testament scholar and Professor of Theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington): 

“It is clear that Romans is addressed to a predominantly Gentile congregation, though one in which a significant Jewish element was present.” 

I personally believe there is some truth to both McKee’s and Edwards’ assertions about the Roman Kehila. However, I believe their assertions are weak (anemic) in describing the true nature and make-up of the Roman Kehila.

 

Was Paul’s Intended Audience Roman Messianics Attending Roman Synagogues?

 

Tim Hegg (prolific author and President of the Torah Resource Institute) places a tremendous amount of emphasis in Rome’s established synagogal system. Rome’s synagogues would have provided the platform by which Roman Messianic worship and teaching would primarily take place. 

Hegg cites James D. Dunn (a New Testament scholar at the University of Durham in England): 

“…to be able to assume such a knowledge of the scriptures as Paul does in Romans he would have to assume that his readership by and large had enjoyed a substantial link with the synagogues in Rome” (Word Biblical Commentary: Romans).  

Now, Hegg goes on to postulate in his commentary that Shaul was writing to a “synagogue community” in Rome that was part of a larger Jewish community. 

I fully support Mr. Hegg in his assessment that the Roman Kehila was primarily synagogue-based and that Shaul’s original intended readers were in fact members of the Nazarene Jewish-sect.

 

The Role the Jerusalem Council Played in the Roman Kehila Formation

 

James the Just (half-brother of Yeshua and leader of the Yerushalayim Council) sent forth the following edict to all existing Messianic Assemblies: 

“For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat…it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements: to abstawin from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing. Shalom!” (Act. 15:21-29). 

This is critical information to tuck away in our minds and hearts. For the Yerushalayim Council’s edict describes perfectly the Roman Kehila situation of Shaul’s day. We cannot identify the Roman Kehila as anything other than a true Messianic-sect of Judaism. 

 

Shaul Lavishes the Roman Kehila With Broad-Brushed Titles

 

So at this point, we have established up to this point that the original intended audience for the Cepher to the Romans were Nazarene-Netzari-Messianic Jews and Gentiles. These participated in Jewish worship and received Torah instruction through the synagogal system, as well as many extended their worship and learning over into home-fellowships. 

The apostle’s intended Roman audience was is identified as holding to the true Faith introduced to them by the original witnesses to the Shavuot (i.e., Pentecost) event in Yerushalayim 3-decades prior (Acts 2). Additionally, the Roman Kehila received teachings from the large cast of teachers, preachers and leaders listed in chapter 16. 

However, Shaul identifies these Messianics using spiritual titles and responsibilities.

 

Obedient to the Faith

The Roman Kehila is called to “obedience of the Faith” in Yeshua’s Name among the Gentile nations of the world (vss. 5, 6; NKJV). 

 

Beloved of God

 

Shaul called the members of the Roman Kehila “beloved of YHVH” (verse 7). 

In the Greek, beloved of God is “agapetois theou.” The “agapetois” denotes someone who is dear to someone. And that someone is YHVH. In fact, the term is applied to a special choice or selection of the Most High (Mat. 3:17). 

Throughout Scripture Father referred to Israel as His beloved, despite the nation’s rejection of Yeshua as their Mashiyach (11:28). 

So, when we are talking about Israel from the standpoint of being “Yah’s beloved,” we are really talking about a group of individuals who have been designated or elected for the Father’s sovereign purpose and will. 

Tim Hegg notes that the focus of the phrase “beloved of Yah” is that of Yah’s love for His elect, as opposed to the Roman Kehila’s love for YHVH. It is clear that Yah’s love for His chosen ones always precedes the elects’ love for Yah. For the Apostle John affirms for us that Yah loved us before we could love Him (1 John 4:19). 

We find most prominently featured in the Brit haDashah, Abba calling Yahoshua “my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17; 17:5).

 

Saints

 

Shaul referred to the Roman Kehila as “saints.” 

The term or title “saints” is the same as “holy” (Gr. “Agios”), which means to be “marked off, separate, withdrawn from common use” (Tim Hegg). 

When we call a certain group of individuals saints, we are declaring them to as “holy.”  Such individuals possess a relationship with the Almighty that is special, unlike any in the world. 

When we meditate on what it means to be holy or to be a saint, we are essentially meditating on the “holiness of YHVH”. That holiness is an absolute attribute specific to YHVH. And Yah requires His people—His “elect” or “chosen ones”–possess and demonstrate this same attribute. 

The existence of this attribute in the life of a Child of Yah is indicative of Yah’s absolute authority. For Yah is saying to us: I am this way (i.e., holy). You must be the same way. 

As it is carried over onto the intended reader of Shaul’s letter to the Romans, Shaul is writing to those who have been called by the holy God—YHVH. These individuals are thus holy by virtue of that calling.

 

Call to Action

 

I would ask you, in anticipation of our next installment to this series, to meditate on the identities of the original intended audience for this Book to the Romans. 

Think about the connection that the Roman Kehila had with the Hebrew or Jewish Community in first-century Roman. Consider what obedience to the Faith meant to Shaul, the Roman Kehila and to you. Meditate on what it means to be “beloved of YHVH” and what it means to be a “saint.” 

Until next time, may you be most blessed fellow saints in training. Shalom.