God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

There are many, many subjects that I have not heard addressed in the 45 years I have been in the contemporary Christian church, and I have heard many of the same sermons preached over and over again by a hundred different Pastors and Preachers. I am not complaining nor disparaging anyone, it just seems to be a matter of circumstance. Here are some common sermon topics: the prodigal son, the good samaritan, the widow and the two mites, robbing god, Elisha burning his farm equipment, the story of the birth of Jesus at Christmas, Jesus’ resurrection on Easter, thankfulness at Thanksgiving, slaying your giants like David, and the list goes on and on. At Hear the Matter, we try to explore the areas of scripture that are rarely discussed. In some cases, it would be discouraged to bring up some of these topics. If a topic is not open for discussion, it is a clue there are issues at hand.

In this blog, I have made a list of some questions, some of which I believe there is a commonly known answer in some circles, some of which I have theories, and some I am still searching for the answer.

To start, a common sermon I have heard dozens of time in my life is about the prodigal son. In my experience, it has always been referred to as a person who left the faith and came back, or literally a child that was brought up in church, went astray, then returned. Those are not bad examples, but was Jesus just referring to some random person’s son who went astray? Here is the parable:

Luk 15:11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.
Luk 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
Luk 15:13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.
Luk 15:14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.
Luk 15:15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
Luk 15:16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
Luk 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
Luk 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’
Luk 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
Luk 15:23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.
Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Luk 15:25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
Luk 15:26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
Luk 15:27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’
Luk 15:28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
Luk 15:29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
Luk 15:30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
Luk 15:31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
Luk 15:32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

Jesus is talking about some very specific things here. The father is Yahuah, (Yahweh YHWH 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄). The son that left was Ephraim, also referred to as the house of Israel, and the older son that was jealous was Judah or “the Jews”. Feeding the pigs and longing to eat food as good as theirs represents Ephraim rejecting the commandments. The older son’s complaint about the prostitutes is referring to the many gods the house of Israel, Ephraim, or the younger brother, whored with against Yahuah. This whole parable is about the two houses coming back through the new or renewed covenant by what Jesus would do. With that sort of interpretation in mind, here are some questions I have, some of which, I am searching the Word for answers. Some of these questions I have discussed in my previous blogs.

What is the significance of adding the “Hey” sound to Abraham and Sarah’s name?

Gen 17:5 Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.

Gen 17:15 And God said to Abraham, “as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name.

What does Jesus mean when He says He is the Alpha and Omega?

Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

What does Daniel do to seal the book? What book?

Dan 12:1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
Dan 12:5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.
Dan 12:6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
Dan 12:8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”
Dan 12:9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.

Where is the church in the new covenant? It is made with the house of Israel.

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

What is the mystery in Romans 16:25-27?

Rom 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
Rom 16:26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—
Rom 16:27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

What is Paul referring to concerning Jannes and Jambres? Who are they?

2Ti 3:8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.

What is the mystery of Christ and the church becoming one flesh?

Eph 5:31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Eph 5:32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

How could the thief be in paradise with Jesus the day he died when Jesus spent three days and three nights in the grave and had not ascended to the Father? Hint: there are no commas in the Greek language, they are inferred by the translators.

Luk 23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
Luk 23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
Luk 23:41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
Luk 23:42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Luk 23:43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Joh 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Joh 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

There is a difference between us knowing Jesus and Jesus knowing us. What is it?

Mat 7:21 “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.
Mat 7:22 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?’
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Who is Jesus referring to in John 5:43?

Joh 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

Why did Jude and Peter reference events in Enoch, yet we do not regard the book?

Jud 1:14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,
Jud 1:15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

2Pe 3:10 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.
2Pe 3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 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!

Why did Saul’s name change to Paul, and what does it mean?

Act 13:9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

Why are the two most important days celebrated in Christianity (Easter and Christmas), not mentioned in scripture, and not celebrated in the first century church? Why is there no mention of Hallow’s Eve, All Saint’s day, Lent and Good Friday being celebrated?

By what authority did the Council of Laodicea forbid celebrating the Sabbath in 346 AD, which is one of the Ten Commandments? This is in direct rebellion to the Word of Yahweh, spoken directly, face to face, to the congregation of the twelve tribes at Mount Horeb. Should we follow Rome or Yahuah, יהוה, the creator of all things?

Canon XXIX.
Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.
Notes.
Ancient Epitome of Canon XXIX.
A Christian shall not stop work on the Sabbath, but on the Lord’s Day.
Balsamon.
Here the Fathers order that no one of the faithful shall stop work on the Sabbath as do the Jews, but that they should honour the Lord’s Day, on account of the Lord’s resurrection, and that on that day they should abstain from manual labour and go to church. But thus abstaining from work on Sunday they do not lay down as a necessity, but they add, “if they can.” For if through need or any other necessity any one worked on the Lord’s day this was not reckoned against him

By what authority did the Westminster confessions reduce the accepted books in the canon to 66 books in 1647?

What is the significance of the 5 loaves for the 5000, the 7 loaves for the 4000 and 12 and 7 baskets left over that were gathered? I am sure these are not random numbers.

Mat 16:5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.
Mat 16:6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Mat 16:7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.”
Mat 16:8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?
Mat 16:9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
Mat 16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?
Mat 16:11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Mat 16:12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Why were there more copies of the book of Jubilees found than Genesis in the caves of Qumran?

Why is Cainan listed in the genealogy in Luke as a son of Arphaxad, but not in Genesis?

Luk 3:36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

Gen 10:24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber.

Why was it not acceptable to Yahweh for Aaron and Jeroboam to make up their own special days, complete with symbols from other deities, in honour of Yahweh, but it is supposedly acceptable to Yahweh for the “church” to create special days with symbols and practices borrowed from other deities?

Why do translators translate breath to Spirit from the Hebrew, and Ghost from the Greek?

Psa 51:11 Cast H7993  me not H408  away from thy presence; H4480 H6440  and take H3947  not H408  thy holy H6944  spirit H7307 from H4480  me.

H7307 (Strong)
רוּחַ
rûach
roo’-akh
From H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, that is, a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions): – air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, X vain, ([whirl-]) wind (-y).

Mar 1:8 I G1473  indeed G3303  have baptized G907  you G5209  with G1722  water: G5204  but G1161  he G846  shall baptize G907  you G5209  with G1722  the Holy G40  Ghost. G4151

G4151 (Strong)
πνεῦμα
pneuma
pnyoo’-mah
From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy spirit: – ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.

Why was Yahweh very angry with Moses, and his wife had to save the day?

Exo 4:23 And I said to you, “Release my son and let him serve me,” but you refused to release him. Look, I am about to kill your son, your firstborn.'”
Exo 4:24 And on the way, at the place of overnight lodging, Yahweh encountered him and sought to kill him.
Exo 4:25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, and she cut off the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, “Yes, you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
Exo 4:26 And he left him alone. At that time she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

Which scriptures are Jesus referring to regarding marriage and angels?

Mat 22:29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

If Jesus supposedly declared unclean animals listed in Leviticus acceptable to eat in the gospel of Mark, why did Peter react negatively to the idea in the vision in Acts chapter 10 years later? Did he not get the memo?

Mar 7:18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,
Mar 7:19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

Act 10:12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
Act 10:13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
Act 10:14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”

Who is being spoken to in Jeremiah 23? I don’t see Judah and Israel dwelling in safety yet.

Jer 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of my pasture,” declares Yahweh.
Jer 23:2 Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people, “You yourselves have scattered my flock, and you have driven them away, and you do not attend to them. Look, I will punish you for the evil of your deeds,” declares Yahweh.

Why do we hide the name of the creator with words like Lord and God? Who forgot His name and called him Baal (Lord)? Is this scripture in Jeremiah referring to 2020?

Jer 23:26 How long will this be in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies, even the prophets of the deceitfulness of their hearts,
Jer 23:27 who plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell each one to his neighbor, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal?

H1168
בּעל
ba‛al
BDB Definition:
Baal = “lord”
1) supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites (noun proper masculine)
2) a Reubenite (noun proper masculine)
3) the son of Jehiel and grandfather of Saul (noun proper masculine)
4) a town of Simeon, probably identical to Baalath-beer (noun proper locative)

Exo 3:15 And God said again to Moses, “So you must say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation.’

Why do we call Jacob, half brother to Jesus, James? Why do we call Jesus, Jesus? They were Jacob and Joshua and became James and Jesus.

Why does the church say that the birthday of Jesus was December 25th, the same as every sun god deity, when it was not?

Why does the church say Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday, when a person with a little knowledge of scripture and Yahweh’s feast days, Passover, unleavened bread and first fruits, can clearly see it is not the case?

Why do we celebrate the day of the dead, Samhain, a high sabbath on the occult calendar, with similar symbols and traditions, such as “trunk or treat” in the church?

When did Jesus or Yahweh command us to celebrate the day he resurrected?

Why is it said Jesus “rose again” when He only resurrected once?

The questions can literally have no end, and the answers are available if a person is willing to take the time to seek Yahweh for the answers. Where is the inquisitiveness? Why are scriptures allegorically analyzed, when they are literally the living Word of God? Why do we hear many of the same topics over emphasized and some of these other topics are never mentioned or glossed over? We should be as the Bereans and search the scriptures daily.

Act 17:10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Act 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Act 17:12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

Not answering some of these questions can cause people to leave the faith or not even consider the faith. Remember to worship in spirit and truth!

Joh 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Featured image taken by Emma Vail.

“In your distress when all these things have found you in the latter days, then you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice.” Deuteronomy 4:30.

I have maintained the book of John’s Revelation needs to be examined in small portions and compared to other scripture to find its meaning. The goal of this blog post is not to provide any concrete answers or interpretations of scripture, but to open the readers mind to scripture that they may not have been previously exposed to. This is to challenge the reader to dig deep in scripture for themselves, and to not be satisfied with the many narratives, false doctrines and imaginations of men that have been floating around for many hundreds of years. In the first part of chapter 12, we see a sign in the heavens and a woman giving birth to a male child.

Rev 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
Rev 12:2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.
Rev 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.
Rev 12:4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Rev 12:5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,
Rev 12:6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Jesus is the only one who is to rule with a rod of iron.

Rev 19:15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

This was prophesied long ago by Jacob to his son Judah. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy:

Gen 49:8 Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. The sons of your father shall bow down to you.
Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bowed down; he crouched like a lion and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him?
Gen 49:10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff between his feet, until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be the obedience of nations.
Gen 49:11 Binding his donkey to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washes his clothing in the wine and his garment in the blood of grapes.
Gen 49:12 The eyes are darker than wine, and the teeth whiter than milk.

The second half of chapter 12 gives us a war in heaven, and the dragon and his angels being thrown down to Earth.

Rev 12:7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,
Rev 12:8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
Rev 12:11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.
Rev 12:14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
Rev 12:15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
Rev 12:16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
Rev 12:17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

The dragon is called a serpent, the devil and Satan. None of these titles give this entities’ name. Satan is just a Hebrew word meaning adversary (שטן). Does this devil have a name? The book of Enoch names him Gadriel, and he is the one who deceived Eve, or Chuah, which means life giver.

The name of the third is Gadr’el: he discovered every stroke of death to the children of men. He seduced Chuah; and discovered to the children of men the instruments of death, the coat of mail, the shield, and the sword for slaughter; every instrument of death to the children of men. From his hand were derived to them who dwell upon earth, from that period forever. CHANOK (ENOCH) 69:6-8 את CEPHER

Enoch is a book that Jesus and the Apostles were familiar with. Both Peter and Jude quote from Enoch, and Enoch explains the origin of the devils and evil spirits talked about all through the New Testament. There are things in the sixty-six book Bible that are alluded to from Enoch that are never explained, in my opinion, because the writers assumed their audience had read the book of Enoch. Some people don’t like the book, or are afraid to read it, but it contains information one should know. Going back to chapter 12 of Revelation, the great sign that appears in the heavens described in verse one is similar to that of a dream Joseph had.

Gen 37:9 Then he dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
Gen 37:10 And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?”
Gen 37:11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Some people believe this sign in the heavens happened on September 23, 2017, just after Yom Toruah. It was the one time the constellation of Virgo had Jupiter in such a place as to give birth with twelve stars around her head and the moon at her feet. At some point after this the dragon is thrown down to Earth and makes war with those who keep the commandments of Yahweh and have faith in Jesus. The mother of the child, Israel, is forced into the wilderness, “where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time”. This is all speculation, but some think this time that Israel is nourished in the wilderness is referring to the regathering of the remnant spoken of over and over by the prophets. In many of my blogs I make reference to the dispersion of Israel, also spoken of by the prophets, and apostles. Israel sinned by committing adultery with foreign gods, going after false feast days, sabbaths and holidays, angering Yahweh to the point of where He divorced them and scattered them. Next, we are going to look at this regathering that will take place, possibly in the context of chapter twelve in Revelation, and possibly soon. This is sometimes referred to as the second exodus. First, the prophecy of the dispersion for disobedience:

Deu 4:26 I call to witness against you today the heaven and the earth, that you will perish soon and completely from the land that you are crossing the Jordan into it to take possession of it; you will not live long on it, but you will be completely destroyed.
Deu 4:27 And Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations to where Yahweh will lead you.
Deu 4:28 And you will there serve gods made by human hands, of wood and stone, gods that cannot see and cannot hear and cannot eat and cannot smell.
Deu 4:29 But from there you shall seek Yahweh your God and will find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deu 4:30 In your distress when all these things have found you in the latter days, then you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice.
Deu 4:31 For Yahweh your God is a compassionate God; he will not abandon you, and he will not destroy you, and he will not forget the covenant of your ancestors that he swore to them.

Yahweh called the two witnesses of Heaven and Earth, and Jesus similarly uses these two witnesses describing the time the Law of Yahweh will exist.

Mat 5:18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Mat 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

All throughout the prophets we see of a regathering taking place of Yahweh’s people who were dispersed to the nations and mixed with the Gentiles.

Jer 16:14 Therefore look, days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and it will no longer be said, “As Yahweh lives, who led up the Israelites from the land of Egypt,”
Jer 16:15 but only “As Yahweh lives, who led up the Israelites from the land of the north, and from all the lands where he had driven them,” for I will bring them back to their ground that I gave to their ancestors.

This will be a bigger event than Israel being delivered from Egypt. This does not appear to have happened yet, although some say this was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, or when many people returned to the nation state of Israel. I believe there is merit in those theories, but they do not explain everything, unless scripture is viewed completely allegorically. This following verse in Isaiah gives us more of this picture:

Isa 11:10 And this shall happen on that day: the nations shall inquire of the root of Jesse, which shall be standing as a signal to the peoples, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Isa 11:11 And this shall happen on that day: The Lord will again extend his hand a second time to acquire the remnant of his people that is left, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coastlands of the sea,
Isa 11:12 and he will raise a signal for the nations. And he will gather the outcasts of Israel, and he will gather the scattered ones of Judah together from the four corners of the earth.
Isa 11:13 And the jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and the enemies of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be an enemy of Ephraim.
Isa 11:14 But they shall swoop upon the Philistine shoulder, westward. Together they shall plunder the sons of the east. Edom and Moab will be under their command, and the sons of Ammon will be their subjugated people.
Isa 11:15 And Yahweh will divide the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he will wave his hand over the river with his scorching wind; and he will strike it into seven streams, and he will make it passable by foot.
Isa 11:16 So there shall be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of his people that remains, as there was for Israel when it went up from the land of Egypt.

Yahweh is going to make it possible to come by foot as the people crossed the Red Sea leaving Egypt. It looks like a physical movement of mortals because they will be blind, lame and pregnant.

Jer 31:6 For there will be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim, ‘Stand up, and let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God.'”
Jer 31:7 For thus says Yahweh, “Sing for joy for Jacob with gladness, and shout out for the head of the nations. Proclaim, praise, and say, ‘Save, O Yahweh, your people, the remnant of Israel.’
Jer 31:8 Look, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and I will gather them from the remotest part of the earth. Among them the blind, and the lame, those who are pregnant, and those who give birth, together, a great assembly, they will return here.
Jer 31:9 With weeping they will come, and with pleas for mercy I will bring them; I will let them walk by streams of water in a straight path. They will not stumble in it, for I have become to Israel a father, and Ephraim, he is my firstborn.”
Jer 31:10 Hear the word of Yahweh, O nations, and declare in the coastlands from afar, and say, “The scatterer of Israel will gather him, and he will keep him as a shepherd his flock.
Jer 31:11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, and he has redeemed him from the hand of the person stronger than he.

These images of Yahweh regathering His people are too numerous to list. I am only providing some examples. Once it is understood there is only one people of Yahweh, “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus”, these scriptures appear to point to this remnant of people who exist now, or sometime in the future. These events seem to happen before the resurrection where believers receive their spiritual bodies.

Hos 2:14 Therefore, Look! I am going to allure her and bring her into the desert, and I will speak tenderly to her.
Hos 2:15 From there I will give her her vineyards, and the Valley of Achor as a doorway of hope. And there she will respond, as in the days of her youth, just as in the day of her coming out of the land of Egypt.
Hos 2:16 And on that day—a declaration of Yahweh—you will call me, “My husband;” you will no longer call me, “My Baal.”
Hos 2:17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they will no longer be mentioned by their name.
Hos 2:18 I will make a covenant for them on that day, with the animals of the field, with the birds of the heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground; the bow, the sword, and the war I will abolish from the land, and I will let them lie down in safety.
Hos 2:19 And I will take you as my wife forever; I will take you as a wife for myself in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
Hos 2:20 I will take you as my wife in faithfulness, and you will know Yahweh.
Hos 2:21 On that day I will answer, declares Yahweh, I will answer the heavens, and they will answer the earth.

In Hosea 2:16, Yahweh says we will no longer call Him “My Baal”. In the English translations it is confusing with Yahweh’s name being substituted with “LORD” because in this verse “My Baal” actually means “My Lord”. Here it is is the King James translation:

Hos 2:16 And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

It gets confusing, so the translators do some linguistic gymnastics. If it were all translated to English, it would read, “And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me My Husband; and shalt call me no more My Lord.” This proposes a problem for translations that substitute “LORD” for Yahweh or YHWH יהוה.

Eze 20:33 “As I live,” declares the Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with rage pouring forth I will reign as king over you!
Eze 20:34 And I will bring you from the peoples, and I will gather you from the countries to which you were scattered with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with rage poured out.
Eze 20:35 Then I will bring you to the desert of the peoples, and I will execute justice on you there face to face.
Eze 20:36 Just as I executed justice on your ancestors in the desert of the land of Egypt, likewise I will execute justice on you!” declares the Lord Yahweh.
Eze 20:37 “And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
Eze 20:38 And I will purge the rebels from among you and the ones transgressing against me; I will bring them out from the land where they are living as aliens, but into the land of Israel they will not come, and then you will know that I am Yahweh.
Eze 20:39 And you, house of Israel, thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Let each one go serve his idols now and after, if you are not listening to me, but my holy name you will not profane any longer with your gifts and with your idols.

Who are the rebels who are not going to continue into the land? This whole process sounds like a retake of the forty years in the desert. Could this be a time in the wilderness or desert where Yahweh gets serious with His people before the resurrection? Is this what is being referenced in Revelation 12:14? “But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.”

Mat 24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
Mat 24:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Mat 24:17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house,
Mat 24:18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
Mat 24:19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
Mat 24:20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
Mat 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.
Mat 24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Jesus also says the elect will be gathered from the four winds at His coming.

Mat 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Mat 24:30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

It is not exactly clear as to what all this means; however, we are moving past the 20th century pre-tribulation, dispensationalist view of future events as knowledge increases, and Yahweh removes the scales from our eyes. Once a person realizes there is only one people of Yahweh, and there is not two peoples, the church and Israel, prophesies start to make sense. This is not to say the church replaces Israel, but that Israel was always the church, and we can be grafted in as Paul explains in Romans chapter 11. Maybe the angels gathering the remnant of His people on the Earth is a gathering of the physical people left on Earth. There is no time line given for how long it will take for the angels to gather the elect, or what state they will be in, mortal or immortal.

I have talked about the word church in the past quite often. It is sometimes used to obfuscate the identity of the people of Yahweh. An example of this is found in the book of Acts. Where Stephen talks about the church at Mount Sinai.

Act 7:38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. ESV

Act 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: KJV

King James set forth rules to the translators of the King James Bible. From the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, Volume 3, Authorized Version of the Holy Scriptures:

“The old ecclesiastical words to be kept, as the word church not to be translated congregation.”

The Greek word Ekklesia, is translated to congregation for Stephen’s speech in many English versions, but Church elsewhere. In modern Christianity, too much theology gets rendered unclear if the twelve tribes at Mount Sinai are called “the church”. The King James translators were not making a theological statement in Acts 7:38, just following a set of rules that said, “Ekklesia is always to be translated to the word church”. The truth is the congregation at Mount Sinai was the start of the Ekklesia, which simply means congregation. It is all a play on words. There is no such thing as something called “the Church” as thought of in the modern dispensational theological system. From the Smith Bible dictionary, the word church comes from gathering in the form of a circle, the Latin word circus.

Church

1. The derivation of the word is generally said to be from the Greek kuriakon, “belonging to the Lord”. But the derivation has been too hastily assumed. It is probably connected with kirk, the Latin circus, circulus, the Greek kuklos, (kuklos), because the congregations were gathered in circles.

Once a person realizes there is only one people of Yahweh, who He spoke face to face with at Mount Sinai, sent His son Jesus to recover all the lost who had been scattered throughout the world, and breathed His Spirit into them at Pentecost to empower them to recover the remaining lost, we can understand the book of Revelation is not a stand alone book discussing the future of Israel and “the Church”. Much of Revelation can be interpreted from the prophets in the Old Testament.

Is the gathering spoken of by the prophets the same gathering as Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24? The gathering spoken of by the prophets sounds like it is more physical, having waters parted, lame and pregnant women taking part. The gathering Jesus spoke of sounds more like the first resurrection at His coming, where He appears in the sky and there is a trumpet blast.

In the book of second Esdras, found in the King James Authorized Version of the Bible, we see a different view of some of the same events. Second Esdras was a book removed by the 1647 Westminster Confession of Faith for various reasons, some of a political nature. A sixty-six book Bible was also more attractive to the printing press, where they could get the same money for a smaller book. Second Esdras was originally included in the Vulgate, Wyclif, Luther and Tyndale Bibles as well. If it is a later work than the second temple period as some claim, it still gives us insight as to the beliefs of the early church. Let the words speak for themselves:

2Es 13:25 This is the meaning of the vision: Whereas thou sawest a man coming up from the midst of the sea:
2Es 13:26 The same is he whom God the Highest hath kept a great season, which by his own self shall deliver his creature: and he shall order them that are left behind.
2Es 13:27 And whereas thou sawest, that out of his mouth there came as a blast of wind, and fire, and storm;
2Es 13:28 And that he held neither sword, nor any instrument of war, but that the rushing in of him destroyed the whole multitude that came to subdue him; this is the interpretation:
2Es 13:29 Behold, the days come, when the most High will begin to deliver them that are upon the earth.
2Es 13:30 And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the earth.
2Es 13:31 And one shall undertake to fight against another, one city against another, one place against another, one people against another, and one realm against another.
2Es 13:32 And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass, and the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before, and then shall my Son be declared, whom thou sawest as a man ascending.
2Es 13:33 And when all the people hear his voice, every man shall in their own land leave the battle they have one against another.
2Es 13:34 And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as thou sawest them, willing to come, and to overcome him by fighting.
2Es 13:35 But he shall stand upon the top of the mount Sion.
2Es 13:36 And Sion shall come, and shall be shewed to all men, being prepared and builded, like as thou sawest the hill graven without hands.
2Es 13:37 And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked inventions of those nations, which for their wicked life are fallen into the tempest;
2Es 13:38 And shall lay before them their evil thoughts, and the torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented, which are like unto a flame: and he shall destroy them without labour by the law which is like unto me.
2Es 13:39 And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him;
2Es 13:40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land.
2Es 13:41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt,
2Es 13:42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.
2Es 13:43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the river.
2Es 13:44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.
2Es 13:45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth.
2Es 13:46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come,
2Es 13:47 The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace.
2Es 13:48 But those that be left behind of thy people are they that are found within my borders.
2Es 13:49 Now when he destroyeth the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, he shall defend his people that remain.
2Es 13:50 And then shall he shew them great wonders.
2Es 13:51 Then said I, O Lord that bearest rule, shew me this: Wherefore have I seen the man coming up from the midst of the sea?
2Es 13:52 And he said unto me, Like as thou canst neither seek out nor know the things that are in the deep of the sea: even so can no man upon earth see my Son, or those that be with him, but in the day time.
2Es 13:53 This is the interpretation of the dream which thou sawest, and whereby thou only art here lightened.
2Es 13:54 For thou hast forsaken thine own way, and applied thy diligence unto my law, and sought it.
2Es 13:55 Thy life hast thou ordered in wisdom, and hast called understanding thy mother.
2Es 13:56 And therefore have I shewed thee the treasures of the Highest: after other three days I will speak other things unto thee, and declare unto thee mighty and wondrous things.
2Es 13:57 Then went I forth into the field, giving praise and thanks greatly unto the most High because of his wonders which he did in time;
2Es 13:58 And because he governeth the same, and such things as fall in their seasons: and there I sat three days.

According to Second Esdras 13:47, “The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again”. This was the peaceful multitude that Esdras (Ezra) saw. This could be the group that is gathered and protected in the wilderness spoken of Revelation 12:14. Another verse that could allude to this is found in Isaiah. Many were tossing this scripture around in March of this year due to the lock downs and such.

Isa 26:19 Your dead shall live; their corpses shall rise. Wake up and sing for joy, dwellers of the dust, for your dew is celestial dew, and the earth will give birth to dead spirits.
Isa 26:20 Go, my people, enter into your chambers and shut your doors behind you; hide for a very little while, until the wrath has passed over.
Isa 26:21 For look! Yahweh is about to come out from his place to punish the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth against him, and the earth will disclose her blood and will no longer cover her slain.

If we factor in these verses with the others we have looked at, it appears to be speaking of a resurrection after we hide ourselves from the wrath Yahweh pours out on the Earth, with a time line of a gathering, protection or hiding, wrath, resurrection, and then peace.

I find all these prophesies fascinating and wish I could have seen them earlier in my life. Unfortunately, being brought up in churches with a dispensational mindset, the focus was always placed on “the rapture of the church”. Pre, mid or post tribulation rapture discussion always causes so much anger and division. Israel is presented as a separate entity that endures a different destiny than “the church”. Worship of the nation state of Israel causes bizarre alliances with “the church”, and creates a politicization of prophecy and scripture that appears to be greatly twisted. However, once that is all tossed aside, (approximately 130 years of dispensationalism), a new clarity comes to the scriptures, taking out the page that divides the New Testament and Old Testament. With this clarity, new questions arise and once obscure scripture comes alive. Commands and Feasts of Yahweh that were presented as irrelevant are discovered as relevant prophesied by Moses in Deutoronomy!

Deuteronomy 4:30 -In your distress when all these things have found you in the latter days, then you will return to Yahweh your God, and you will listen to his voice.

This is the reason I am choosing to leave the imaginations of men behind, and use the commandments of Yahuah, from scripture, to determine what actions to take moving forward.

“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.” ~Jesus, from Matthew 7:21

According to Jesus, we must do the will of his Father if we are to be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. Since that is the goal of most people who follow Jesus and Christianity, we should probably understand, in great detail, what Jesus’ Father’s will is for His people. Let’s first establish who Jesus is, and who his Father is:

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Joh 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Joh 1:30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
Joh 1:31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Joh 1:32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
Joh 1:33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
Joh 1:34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

The word “God” here comes from the Greek word “Theos”. It is Strong’s G2316, and also used for the Hebrew word “Eloheem” in the Greek Septuagint. Eloheem is the supreme God, creator of everything in these contexts.

G2316
θεός
theos
Thayer Definition:
1) a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities
2) the Godhead, trinity
2a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity
2b) Christ, the second person of the trinity
2c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity
3) spoken of the only and true God
3a) refers to the things of God
3b) his counsels, interests, things due to him

Jesus is the Word made flesh, who was with Eloheem and was Eloheem. Eloheem is Strong’s H430:

H430
אֱלֹהִים
‘ĕlôhı̂ym
el-o-heem’
Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: – angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.
Total KJV occurrences: 2601

Also, Jesus declares Himself to be the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

What does this mean, Alpha and Omega? These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Assuming the book of Revelation was first written in Hebrew, Jesus very likely was calling himself the Aleph Tav, which are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, indicating once again, He is everything that comprises the Word of Eloheem, which all things were created through the speaking of the Word. The Word is the only representation anyone ever had, and any form other than the Word is forbidden.

Deu 4:11 And so you came near, and you stood under the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire up to the heart of the heaven, dark with a very thick cloud.
Deu 4:12 And Yahweh spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard a sound of words, but you did not see a form—only a voice.
Deu 4:13 And he declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he charged you to observe, and he wrote them on the two tablets of stone.
Deu 4:14 And Yahweh charged me at that time to teach you rules and regulations for your observation of them in the land that you are about to cross into to take possession of it.
Deu 4:15 “So you must be very careful for yourselves, because you did not see any form on the day Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,
Deu 4:16 so that you do not ruin yourselves and make for yourselves a divine image in a form of any image, a replica of male or female,
Deu 4:17 a replica of any animal that is upon the earth, a replica of any winged bird that flies in the air,
Deu 4:18 a replica of any creeping thing on the ground, a replica of any fish that is in the water below the earth.
Deu 4:19 And do this so that you do not lift your eyes toward heaven and observe the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of the heaven, and be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that Yahweh your God has allotted to all of the peoples under all of the heaven.

Unfortunately, Israel turned to many strange gods such as animals, fish, trees, the sun and the moon. Christians still use the symbols and special days from these strange gods to worship Yahweh in 2020.

To further show Jesus is Eloheem, let’s look at a verse in Isaiah, and then one in the letter to the Philippians:

Isa 45:21 Declare and present your case, also let them consult together! Who made this known from former times, declared it from of old? Was it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God besides me, and no savior besides me.
Isa 45:22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none besides me.
Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself; a word that shall not return has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness: ‘Every knee shall kneel down to me; every tongue shall swear.’
Isa 45:24 ‘Only in Yahweh,’ one shall say to me, ‘are righteousness and strength.’ He shall come to him, and all those who were angry with him shall be ashamed.
Isa 45:25 In Yahweh all the offspring of Israel shall be in the right, and they shall boast.”

Php 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
Php 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Php 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In this text in the letter to the Philippians, Paul says, “every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord”. This is a big deal because the Greek word for Lord here is Kurios, Strong’s G2962. This is the same word used in the septuagint for Yahweh, Yahuah or YHWH. Paul is essentially saying Yahusha (Jesus) is Yahuah. This is not typically explained very well, but it says what it says. If we compare what is said in Isaiah, we have no choice but to see Yahusha as Yahuah, or Yahuah as Yahusha, or Yahweh (Yahuah, YHWH) would have had to change his mind from His words in Isaiah 45. Jesus says himself in John 8:58, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” “I am” is Yahweh. This is why they wanted to stone Jesus when He said that. The word “Lord” gets tossed about in English translations a lot, without much clarification.

G2962
κύριος
kurios
koo’-ree-os
From κῦρος kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority, that is, (as noun) controller; by implication Mr. (as a respectful title): – God, Lord, master, Sir.

Hopefully I have provided enough scriptures to show that Jesus is the son of the Father God, creator of everything, and the living Word of Eloheem. Next, here are some other instances Jesus tells us that doing the will of His Father is very important:

Mat 12:46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
Mat 12:48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
Mat 12:49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
Mat 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mat 7:21 “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.

Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus said the will of the Father is to believe in the son, so what does it mean to believe in the son? Perhaps looking at examples of the will of the Father can give us more insight as to what believing in Jesus means. Believing in Jesus means more than acknowledging His existence. James 2:19: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

Psa 147:2 Yahweh is building Jerusalem; he gathers the scattered ones of Israel.
Psa 147:3 He is the one who heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
Psa 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them.
Psa 147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is unlimited.
Psa 147:6 Yahweh helps the afflicted up; he brings the wicked down to the ground.
Psa 147:7 Sing to Yahweh with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God with lyre,
Psa 147:8 who covers the heavens with clouds, who provides rain for the earth, who causes grass to grow on the mountains.
Psa 147:9 He gives to the animal its food, and to the young ravens that cry.
Psa 147:10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; he takes no pleasure in the legs of the man.
Psa 147:11 Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him, the ones who hope for his loyal love.
Psa 147:12 Laud Yahweh, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,
Psa 147:13 for he strengthens the bars of your gates. He blesses your children within you;
Psa 147:14 he makes your border peaceful; he satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
Psa 147:15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
Psa 147:16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes;
Psa 147:17 he throws his hail like crumbs. Who can stand before his cold?
Psa 147:18 He sends out his word and melts them; he blows his breath, the water flows.
Psa 147:19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
Psa 147:20 He has not done so for any nation, and they do not know his ordinances. Praise Yah.

Knowing what Yahweh does not delight in is as important as knowing His will. The word for will, delight and desire in Hebrew is Strong’s H2654

H2654
חָפֵץ
châphêts
khaw-fates’
A primitive root; properly to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively to be pleased with, desire: – X any at all, (have, take) delight, desire, favour, like, move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will, would.

Isa 1:10 Hear the word of Yahweh, rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, people of Gomorrah!
Isa 1:11 What is the abundance of your sacrifices to me? says Yahweh. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals and I do not delight in the blood of bulls and ram-lambs and goats.
Isa 1:12 When you come to appear before me, who asked for this from your hand: you trampling my courts?
Isa 1:13 You must not continue to bring offerings of futility, incense—it is an abomination to me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation—I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly.
Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become to me like a burden, I am not able to bear them.
Isa 1:15 And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16 Wash! Make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes! Cease to do evil!
Isa 1:17 Learn to do good! Seek justice! Rescue the oppressed! Defend the orphan! Plead for the widow!
Isa 1:18 “Come now, and let us argue,” says Yahweh. “Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isa 1:19 If you are willing and you are obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.
Isa 1:20 But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”

Yahweh does not delight in sacrifice of bulls, rams and goats, and asked of the people, “Who asked for them?”. Wait a minute, I thought Yahweh wanted animal sacrifice; but what does He say through His prophet? Hosea 6:6: “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”. Jesus even quotes this same verse:

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Mat 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

We are trying to learn what it means to have mercy and not sacrifice. The need for sacrifice comes from sin. Could Jesus be saying the same thing He said to us that He told the woman caught in adultery? John 8:11: She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

If Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more, is He implying that this is possible? One reason He does not desire sacrifice is that it implies there was sin. He has always preferred that His people didn’t sin because then there would be no need for sacrifice. The continual sinning and sacrificing to make atonement was not pleasing to Yahweh. The insincere offerings were hypocritical to Him. It is similar to continue living knowingly in sin, and asking forgiveness for that same sin repeatedly, when the answer is to just stop committing the sin. Otherwise, “even though you make many prayers, I will not be listening”.

Isa 42:18 Deaf people, listen! And blind people, look to see!
Isa 42:19 Who is blind but my servant or deaf like my messenger whom I sent? Who is blind like the one who is repaid or blind like the servant of Yahweh?
Isa 42:20 You see many things, but you do not observe. His ears are open, but he does not hear.
Isa 42:21 Yahweh was willing for the sake of his righteousness; he showed his teaching to be great and proved it to be glorious.
Isa 42:22 But this is a people plundered and looted; all of them are trapped in holes, and they are kept hidden in houses of imprisonment. They have become like plunder, and there is no one who saves; like booty, and there is no one who says, “Restore!”
Isa 42:23 Who among you will heed this, will listen attentively and listen, for the time to come?
Isa 42:24 Who gave Jacob to a plunderer and Israel to those who plunder? Was it not Yahweh, against whom we have sinned? And they were not willing to walk in his ways, and they would not obey his law.
Isa 42:25 So he poured the wrath of his anger upon him and the strength of war. And it set him afire all around, but he did not understand; and it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.

Yahweh does not delight in people that do not obey his commandments. Would it not be fair to say the reciprocal is true? His will is that we obey in love and show mercy?

Jer 9:22 Speak, ‘thus declares Yahweh: “The dead body of the human will fall like dung upon the surface of the field, and like cut grain behind the reaper, and there is no one who gathers.”‘”
Jer 9:23 Thus says Yahweh, “The wise man must not boast in his wisdom, and the warrior must not boast in his might, the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth.
Jer 9:24 But only in this must the one who boasts boast, that he has insight, and that he knows me, that I am Yahweh, showing loyal love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight,” declares Yahweh.
Jer 9:25 “Look, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “and I will call into account all those who are circumcised in the foreskin:
Jer 9:26 Egypt, Judah, and Edom, and the Ammonites, and Moab, and all those who are trimmed to the side, those who live in the desert, for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”

Here is the “mercy not sacrifice” verse from Hosea in context:

Hos 6:4 What will I do with you, O Ephraim? What will I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early in the morning.
Hos 6:5 Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets; I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth like the light.
Hos 6:6 Because I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hos 6:7 But like Adam, they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

Proverbs gives us more regarding what is a delight to Yahweh:

Pro 12:22 An abomination of Yahweh are lips of deceit, but they who act faithfully are his delight.

Pro 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Pro 15:9 An abomination of Yahweh is the way of the wicked, but he who pursues righteousness he will love.

From reading all these scriptures, it is clear that Yahweh’s will is to pursue righteousness, act faithfully, learn His ways and walk in them. He also does not like calling good evil, or evil good.

Mal 2:17 You have wearied Yahweh with your words, but you ask, “With what have we wearied him?” You have done so when you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and in them he delights,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

This word in Malachi is for today. We see examples of calling evil good and good evil every where around us, when defining the word “good” by the words of Yahweh. “Where is the God of Justice?”, is asked by Christians and atheists alike.

We have looked at many scriptures from the Old Testament, but isn’t that all old covenant material? Yet, what is the new covenant other than a renewed old covenant? The best way I have heard this explained is to compare it to leasing an apartment. The landlord has rules to follow, the one leasing agrees to the terms. What if the person leasing the apartment breaks the terms of the lease? The landlord can break the agreement, remove the tenants and make a new lease (or new covenant) with someone else. Did the terms of the lease change, or just the people in the agreement? The beauty of the new covenant with Yahweh is that He is allowing some of the same people back into the new covenant and He is helping us keep the terms through His Spirit. Jesus did not come to start a new religion called Christianity. He came to show us how to do His Father’s will, and gave us the power, through His Spirit to do it. Yahweh said He would write His commandments on our heart, not a new set of commandments.

Jer 31:31 Look, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
Jer 31:32 not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day of my grasping them by their hand, bringing them out from the land of Egypt, my covenant that they themselves broke, though I myself was a master over them,” declares Yahweh.
Jer 31:33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put my law in their inward parts and on their hearts I will write it, and I will be to them God, and they themselves will be to me people.
Jer 31:34 And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor, or each one his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for all of them will know me, from their smallest and up to their greatest,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.”

His Father’s will, law and commands have never changed from the beginning, because He says the following:

Mal 3:6 “For I, Yahweh, have not changed, and you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.
Mal 3:7 From the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my rules, and have not kept them! Return to me and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “but you say, ‘How shall we return?’

Jesus’ sermon on the mount best sums up what the Creator always wanted.

Mat 5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Mat 5:2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
Mat 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Mat 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Mat 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Mat 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Mat 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

When you do the Father’s will, expect to be an outcast. Even those who claim to be Christian will ridicule you. Jesus said the following:

Mat 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Mat 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Mat 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Mat 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Mat 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Do the Father’s will, stay on the hard, narrow path that few find, and watch out for the wolves! If you study the truth, you will spot the wolves easier, because they will be speaking falsely. There are many examples in scripture given to understand the will of the Father. In that day when people are saying “Lord, Lord”, you don’t want to be the one who hears, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Feature image taken by Emma Vail.

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:14-16

When a New Testament writer quotes scripture, we should take notice to whom it is being quoted and how it is being applied in light of the new covenant. In the opening scripture, Peter is saying a lot when he quotes this Old Testament verse. Let’s put this scripture in context and see to whom Peter was addressing in this letter, and what information he was relaying.

1Pe 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
1Pe 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Peter is writing to the elect of the exiles in the dispersion who are located in Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. We often hear about Paul’s letter to the Galatians, but seldom do we hear about Peter’s letter to the Galatians. These people are the descendants of the tribes from the House of Israel, whom Yahweh divorced and dispersed for adultery because they went after the gods of the nations and their customs. Jacob, renamed James, in English translations of the Bible, addresses his letter to a broader audience, but it is the same concept:

Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

Who has heard of this dispersion in any contemporary church setting? I have spent 47 years in Catholic, Pentecostal and Baptist churches and never heard it spoken about. Maybe I missed it? That is possible. The Northern kingdom of Israel was dispersed around 722 BC, for not regarding the commands of Yahweh just as prophesied in Deuteronomy:

Deu 28:64 And Yahweh shall scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth up to the other end of the earth, and there you shall serve other gods that you have not known nor your ancestors, gods of wood and stone.
Deu 28:65 And among these nations you shall not find rest, and there shall not be a resting place for the sole of your foot, and Yahweh shall give you there an anxious heart and a weakening of eyes and a languishing of your inner self.
Deu 28:66 And your life shall hang in doubt before you, and you shall be startled night and day, and you shall not be confident of your life.

There would be a way back for these exiles, through Jesus, described as a prophet like Moses.

Deu 18:15 “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your countrymen, and to him you shall listen.
Deu 18:16 This is according to all that you asked from Yahweh your God at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘I do not want again to hear the voice of Yahweh my God, and I do not want to see again this great fire, so that I may not die!’
Deu 18:17 And Yahweh said to me, ‘They are right in what they have said.
Deu 18:18 I will raise up a prophet for them from among their countrymen like you, and I will place my words into his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him.
Deu 18:19 And then the man that will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will hold accountable.

Now that we know Peter’s audience, let’s see what information Peter relayed to them through his letter.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1Pe 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
1Pe 1:7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
1Pe 1:9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
1Pe 1:11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
1Pe 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

When a person knows this letter is written to the dispersed from the House of Israel, it makes more sense, and is easier to understand. Notice he says the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would be afforded to these people. The prophesies throughout scripture describe how Yahweh intended to take back the House of Israel, and in doing so provide a way for the whole world to be saved. Read the book of Hosea for more on that subject. Peter explains to his audience what to do because of their salvation:

1Pe 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
1Pe 1:15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1Pe 1:16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1Pe 1:17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
1Pe 1:18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
1Pe 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
1Pe 1:20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
1Pe 1:21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
1Pe 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
1Pe 1:23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
1Pe 1:24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
1Pe 1:25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Due to the work Jesus did, the readers of Peter’s audience can set their hope on grace at the revelation of Jesus Christ, also known as “the great day of the LORD”. Peter also tells them to be obedient children, not conformed to the passions of their former ignorance; and that Jesus ransomed them from their futile ways, inherited from their forefathers, with His precious blood. Peter quotes Leviticus 11:45, “Thus you shall be holy, because I am holy.”

Lev 11:42 You must not eat anything that moves upon its belly or that walks on all fours, even any with numerous feet belonging to any swarmer that swarms on the land, because they are detestable.
Lev 11:43 You must not defile yourselves with any swarmer that swarms, and you must not make yourselves unclean by them and so be made unclean by them,
Lev 11:44 because I am Yahweh your God, and you must keep yourselves sanctified, so that you shall be holy, because I am holy. And you must not make yourselves unclean with any swarmer that moves along on the land,
Lev 11:45 because I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be for you as God. Thus you shall be holy, because I am holy.
Lev 11:46 “‘This is the regulation of the animals and the birds and all living creatures that move along in the water and concerning all the creatures that swarm on the land,
Lev 11:47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that is to be eaten and the animal that must not be eaten.'”

Peter brings them right to the dietary instructions of Yahweh. Was Peter quoting this scripture out of context, or was he saying that it was the futile ways of their forefathers, disregarding the instructions of Yahweh, that caused them to be dispersed and divorced in the first place? Jesus had to pay their ransom with His blood, so now, be obedient and do not go back to the ignorant ways that they inherited from their forefathers. He was reminding them about the life giving instructions of Yahweh. All he had to do was quote that one part of scripture to paint a picture of the disobedience of the Northern kingdom, the exile, dispersion and divorce by Yahweh, seemingly separating them forever. It is similar to the phrases “lest we forget”, “never forget”, or “remember the Alamo”. Peter also reminded them to be purified by obedience to the truth. The truth is defined by scripture as the instruction of Yahweh and Jesus. Paul had a similar message for the Galatians:

Gal 4:8 But at that time when you did not know God, you were enslaved to the things which by nature are not gods.
Gal 4:9 But now, because you have come to know God, or rather have come to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental spirits? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?
Gal 4:10 You carefully observe days and months and seasons and years.
Gal 4:11 I am afraid for you, lest perhaps I have labored for you in vain!

Many will try to say this passage in Galatians is talking about the Galatians following Yahweh’s instructions, His feast days or Torah. I do not know how anyone can think that based on the words, and in light of everything else Paul was recorded as saying. Paul was recorded as keeping the feast days in the book of Acts. What would change His mind by the time he wrote to the Galatians? The answer is nothing. We have been sold a pack of lies from the wolves. I used the Lexham English Bible translation for these verses in Galatians for its rendering of the Greek word stoicheion, Strong’s G4747, as elemental spirits.

G4747
στοιχεῖον
stoicheion
Thayer Definition:
1) any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal
1a) the letters of the alphabet as the elements of speech, not however the written characters, but the spoken sounds
1b) the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe
1c) the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside
1d) the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline
1d1) i.e. of mathematics, Euclid’s geometry

Thayer’s dictionary gives a complete list of definitions for the word. Which definition best fits the context of Paul’s letter to the Galatians? The alphabet? phonetics? geometry? I am suggesting it was the weak and elemental spirits of the hosts of heaven, whose festivals and holy days they observed. That is the subject of Paul’s concern. This was the same “passions of former ignorance” and “inherited futile ways” Peter was speaking about. What about us? We are essentially spiritual descendants of the people Peter, James and Paul were writing to in these letters. Have we returned to our former ignorance? Maybe we cannot return to something that we have never left? Did the Galatians and other early churches ignore Paul and Peter, staying immersed in the traditions of the nations’ gods? It would appear so. We see Yahweh’s warnings through the prophets about the same things:

Isa 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become to me like a burden, I am not able to bear them.
Isa 1:15 And when you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not be listening. Your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16 Wash! Make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes! Cease to do evil!

Hos 2:10 And now I will uncover her nakedness before the eyes of her lovers, and no one will rescue her from my hand.
Hos 2:11 And I will put an end to all her mirth, her festivals, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals;
Hos 2:12 and I will lay waste to her vines and her fig trees, of which she said, “They are my payment for prostitution, which my lovers gave to me.” I will make them a forest, and the wild animals of the field will devour them.
Hos 2:13 I will punish her for the days of the Baals, to whom she burns incense, and she decked herself with her ornamental ring and jewelry, and she went after her lovers, and forgot me—a declaration of Yahweh.

These times Yahweh is lamenting over, the festivals and sabbaths His people are celebrating, are not about Yahweh’s sabbaths and feast days. This is a common misunderstanding from the beginnings of the church to justify all the pagan days being celebrated by the people, or just plain ignorance. The first chapter in the book of Jubilees makes this error clear. Jubilees is a book found along side the oldest existing copy of Genesis in the caves of Qumran. This book of Jubilees found in the Dead Sea scrolls of Qumran matched the book of Jubilees contained in the original Ethiopic Bible, where it was considered to be part of the canon. Yahweh is speaking to Moses in these passages from the book of Jubilees:

For they will forget all my commandments, even all that I command them, and they will walk after the other nations, and after their uncleanness, and after their shame, and will serve their elohiym, and these will prove unto them an offence and a tribulation and an affliction and a snare. And many will perish and they will be taken captive, and will fall into the hands of the enemy, because they have forsaken my ordinances and my commandments, and the feasts of my covenant, and my Shabbathoth, and my holy place which I have sanctified for myself in their midst, and my Tabernacle, and my sanctuary, which I have sanctified for myself in the midst of the land, that I should set my name upon it, and that it should dwell there. And they will make to themselves high places and Asherah poles and graven images, and they will worship, each his own graven image, so as to go astray, and they will sacrifice their children to devils, and to all the works of the error of their hearts. And I will send witnesses unto them, that I may witness against them, but they will not hear, and will slay the witnesses also, and they will persecute those who seek the Torah, and they will abrogate and change everything so as to work evil before my eyes. And I will hide my face from them, and I will deliver them into the hand of the other nations for captivity, and for a prey, and for devouring, and I will remove them from the midst of the land, and I will scatter them amongst the other nations. And they will forget all my Torah and all my commandments and all my judgments, and will go astray as to New Moons, and Shabbathoth, and feasts, and jubilees, and ordinances. YOVHELIYM (JUBILEES) 1:10-15 את CEPHER

The new moons (sometimes translated as months), sabbaths and feasts Yahweh often complains about in scripture are not His. They are those of the nations. It is the same thing Paul and Peter are speaking to the Galatians about. Unfortunately, these are many of the same days Christians celebrate today. They are days that have nothing to do with Yahweh and His son Jesus or in Hebrew, Yahusha, yet they get amalgamated into “Christian” holidays. Why would Yahweh hate His own festivals and sabbaths that He established? Ezekiel sees some interesting visions of these abominations taking place:

Eze 8:4 And look! There was the glory of the God of Israel like the vision that I saw in the valley.
Eze 8:5 And he said to me, “Son of man, lift up now your eyes toward the north.” And I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and, look, there was to the north of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy at the entrance.
Eze 8:6 And he said to me, “Son of man, “Do you see what they are doing—great detestable things that the house of Israel is committing here so as to drive me from my sanctuary, and yet you will see again greater detestable things.”
Eze 8:7 And he brought me to the doorway of the courtyard, and I saw, and look! A hole in the wall.
Eze 8:8 And he said to me, “Son of man, dig now through the wall.” And I dug through the wall, and look! There was a doorway.
Eze 8:9 And he said to me, “Come and see the detestable things, the evil that they are doing here.
Eze 8:10 And I came, and I saw, and look, all kinds of creatures and detestable beasts; and all of the idols of the house of Israel were carved on the wall all around.
Eze 8:11 And seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, was standing in the midst of them, and they were standing before them. Each one had his censer in his hand, and the fragrance of the cloud of the incense was going up.
Eze 8:12 And he said to me, “Have you seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the inner rooms of his idol, for they are saying, ‘Yahweh is not seeing us; Yahweh has abandoned the land.'”

In these verses from Ezekiel, the angel is showing Ezekiel all of the things that Peter and Paul were referring to when speaking to the Galatians about their former passions and ignorance. What is the image of jealousy other than a stone pillar or Asherah pole used in worshipping the sun gods? These are common in churches today as obelisks and certain types of fir trees, among other things. In fact, there was just a large prayer gathering around the largest obelisk in the world, the Washington monument. It is very important symbolism in the mystery religions, sun god worship and free masonry. The idols of detestable beasts, like gargoyles, can also be found on many church structures still today.

Eze 8:13 And he said to me, “Still you will see again greater detestable things that they are doing.”
Eze 8:14 And he brought me to the doorway of the gate of the house of Yahweh that is toward the north, and look! There were the women sitting weeping for Tammuz.
Eze 8:15 And he said to me, “Have you seen, son of man? Still you will see again greater detestable things than these.”

Tammuz is a sun god that resurrects every year in the spring. Weeping for Tammuz was done for forty days prior to his resurrection. This practice was amalgamated into what is known as lent today. That is a simplistic explanation for a subject many books have been written. Please do a study for yourselves.

Eze 8:15 And he said to me, “Have you seen, son of man? Still you will see again greater detestable things than these.”
Eze 8:16 And he brought me to the inner courtyard of the house of Yahweh, and look, at the doorway of the temple of Yahweh, between the portico and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of Yahweh and their faces toward the east, and they were bowing down toward the east before the sun.

Ezekiel was shown people practicing sun god worship, probably regarding Tammuz. Sun god worship has many names for the sun god due to all the languages. They all have similar traditions and are all rooted in the same mystery religions. When I was younger, the church I attended would have an Easter sunrise service at a park, and then a large breakfast afterwards. “Former ignorance” not so former. Along with eating much bacon, this practice was steeped in sun god worship. When it was time for Easter dinner, there was always a lot of ham to honour Tammuz as well. As the myth goes, Tammuz was killed by a wild boar while hunting. Eating ham helps revenge his death. We cannot forget about the eggs either. Easter is all about eggs for the children to honour the mother of Tammuz, the queen of heaven, Astarte, Asherah, Isis, Ishtar or Eostre depending on the culture. Contemporary churches stop short of having temple prostitutes, but the way things are progressing I may live to see that come full circle. The pagan temples of Galatia would have had all of this plus temple prostitutes. You may say, “I thought Easter was about the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah?” I suppose it is in some ways, but all the mixing with “hosts of heaven” and “futile ways of your forefathers” makes it hard to recognize the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits that were the appointed days Yahweh established, Jesus fulfilled, and the first century church celebrated. The son of Yahweh, Jesus, was not born on December 25th, and did not resurrect on Easter. Those are different gods that did those things to whom we honour demons by attaching those days to Yahweh and His son. Remember what caused Israel to be dispersed and divorced in the first place. Was it not attachment to all these foreign gods and practices? Peter warned the exiles returning to Yahweh to “be holy for I am holy” because it took the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, to pay the ransom needed to release them from their futile ways.

The feature image was taken by Emma Vail in New Brunswick, Canada.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:9-15

When ending a prayer, often the words “in Jesus’ name” or “in His name we pray” are used to end the prayer. Is this how the Creator really wants us to pray? In the opening scripture, Jesus showed us how to pray. There are some other note worthy prayers given in scripture. Let’s compare Hezekiah’s prayer:

Isa 37:15 And Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh, saying,
Isa 37:16 “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel who is enthroned on the cherubim, you are the one, God by yourself, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you are the one who made the heavens and the earth.
Isa 37:17 Yahweh, extend your ear and hear! Yahweh, open your eyes and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib that he has sent to taunt the living God!
Isa 37:18 Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the lands and their land,
Isa 37:19 to set their gods in the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them.
Isa 37:20 So now, Yahweh, our God, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh, you alone!”

Hezekiah never ended his prayer “in Yahweh’s name we pray”. Another prayer that is not in the sixty-six book Bible, is the Prayer of Manasseh. We find this in the King James Authorized Version.

Man 1:1 O Lord, Almighty God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed; who hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; who hast bound the sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; whom all men fear, and tremble before thy power; for the majesty of thy glory cannot be borne, and thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable: but thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable; for thou art the most high Lord, of great compassion, longsuffering, very merciful, and repentest of the evils of men. Thou, O Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and forgiveness to them that have sinned against thee: and of thine infinite mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may be saved. Thou therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the just, hast not appointed repentance to the just, as to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, which have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed repentance unto me that am a sinner: for I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions, O Lord, are multiplied: my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities. I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot life up mine head, neither have any release: for I have provoked thy wrath, and done evil before thee: I did not thy will, neither kept I thy commandments: I have set up abominations, and have multiplied offences. Now therefore I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: wherefore, I humbly beseech thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and destroy me not with mine iniquites. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for me; neither condemn me to the lower parts of the earth. For thou art the God, even the God of them that repent; and in me thou wilt shew all thy goodness: for thou wilt save me, that am unworthy, according to thy great mercy. Therefore I will praise thee for ever all the days of my life: for all the powers of the heavens do praise thee, and thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

There is also recorded a prayer by David in the book of Chronicles.

1Ch 29:10 Then David blessed Yahweh in the sight of all the assembly, and David said, “Blessed are you, O Yahweh, God of Israel, our father forever and ever!
1Ch 29:11 Yours, O Yahweh, is the kingdom and exaltation over all as head!
1Ch 29:12 And wealth and glory are from you, and you rule over all. And in your hand is power and might. And in your hand is power to make great and to give strength to all.
1Ch 29:13 And now, our God, we give thanks to you and offer praise to the name of your splendor.
1Ch 29:14 And indeed, who am I, and who are my people that we retain power to offer according to these offerings willingly? For everything is from you, and from your hand we have given to you.
1Ch 29:15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners like all our ancestors. Our days are like the shadow upon earth, and there is no hope of abiding.
1Ch 29:16 O Yahweh our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build for you a house for your holy name is from your hand, and all of it is yours.
1Ch 29:17 And I know, my God, that you yourself test the heart and are pleased with uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are found here willingly offer to you.
1Ch 29:18 O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this forever as a plan and thoughts of the heart of your people, and establish their heart toward you.
1Ch 29:19 Grant to Solomon my son a heart of peace to keep your commands, your statutes, and your regulations to do everything, and to build the citadel for which I have provided.”

It is possible that praying in the name of someone, in this case Yahweh, may mean something different than what we as English speakers understand. In English, the word “name” is simply something you call someone. Webster’s defines name as: “a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing”. When we look at the word for name in Hebrew, much like other words, the meaning is much more extensive. The word is Shem and it is Strong’s H8034.

H8034
שׁם
shêm
BDB Definition:
1) name
1a) name
1b) reputation, fame, glory
1c) the Name (as designation of God)
1d) memorial, monument

Not only does the word mean name, it also is tied to a person’s reputation, fame and glory. The word for name in Greek has even more description. It is Strong’s G3686.

G3686
ὄνομα
onoma
Thayer Definition:
1) name: univ. of proper names
2) the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.
3) persons reckoned up by name
4) the cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason

It seems in the Hebrew and Greek languages, “name” has more depth than it does in English. If we look at prayers by people in the Bible, they start out describing the characteristics of the God they are praying to. “Our Father in Heaven”, “the one who made heavens and Earth”, and “To you, O Yahweh, is the greatness and the power and the splendor and the glory and the strength, for everything in the heavens and in the earth”, all these prayers describe who Yahweh is. They declare His Shem. Maybe this is why those who practice Judaism call Yahweh H’Shem, which translated is “the name”, but it means more than just the “name” in the English sense. Maybe praying in His name has more to do with including Yahweh’s characteristics in the prayer than just saying “in His name” at the end like it is a formula for success. There is another aspect to look at as well. If we believe the entire Bible is true, then what do we do with this verse:

Pro 28:9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

The word “law” in this verse is from the Hebrew word Torah, which is the law of Yahweh. According to this, those who won’t listen to Yahweh, won’t be listened to by Yahweh. Is this not what is meant by “your will be done” in the prayer Jesus showed us? In order to pray in Jesus’ name, maybe we need to be in His will, following the commandments in an upright manner. Possibly this would turn the ear of the Father to hear our prayer more than ending with the tag “in Jesus’ name we pray”.

Here is a facetious example: A robber breaks into someone’s home to steal all the owner’s valuables. While he is filling his bag full of the owner’s valuables, the robber prays to God that the owner doesn’t come home, or that the police do not catch him. Does Yahweh answer his prayer? What if he ended the prayer by saying “in Jesus’ name we pray”? Would that make the Father answer his prayer? If the owner didn’t come home and the police never caught this robber, does that mean his prayer was answered? Here is what the psalmist said:

Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked; nor does he stand in the way of sinners; nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers.
Psa 1:2 Instead, in the law of Yahweh is his delight, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psa 1:3 And so, he is like a tree planted by streams of water that gives its fruit in its season; its leaf also does not wither. Therefore all that he does prospers.
Psa 1:4 Not so the wicked. Instead, they are like the chaff that the wind scatters.
Psa 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
Psa 1:6 for Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The book of Revelation can be difficult to understand, but sometimes the difficulty may come from trying to swallow the whole book at once. There are two scriptures I often quote. I believe they are key to surviving the days ahead in the faith. They are the following:

Rev 12:17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Rev 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

These two passages show how keeping the commandments of Yahweh, and having faith in Jesus, will both cause the enemy to make war with, and enable the same people to endure this war. When we have faith in Jesus, we declare He is one with Yahweh and the only way to Yahweh the creator, God above all gods. Any other god is simply an imposter. Are words enough, or do there need to be actions? The robber praying that he will not get caught may say he has faith in Jesus, but he is not following His commandments, which Jesus says are not His but His father’s. So by not caring enough about what it is to have faith in Jesus, the prayer is not considered because the robber ignores the commandment “do not steal” or “ love your neighbour “. A person does not love their neighbour when they steal. We live out our faith by doing the things Yahweh says we need to do. When we break the commandments we open ourself up to being deceived and destroyed. Paul, who is falsely believed to preach against keeping the commandments, says the following in his letter to the Romans:

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Rom 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
Rom 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
Rom 1:27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Rom 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Rom 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
Rom 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Rom 1:32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

When the false Messiah shows himself, it will not be obvious to those who do not know the commandments of Yahweh. Right now the beast system causes many to be deceived about the second coming of Jesus and the nature of Jesus. Many will follow the man of lawlessness because they already believe Jesus is a lawless saviour who is tolerant of every evil thing that He condemned. This perception of Jesus has created a false Jesus already. This false Jesus system is already making war against those who have faith in the real Jesus and keep His commandments.

Jas 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Jas 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Jas 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Praying in the name of Jesus is so much more than just saying those words like an incantation to force the hand of Yahweh. One must worship in spirit and truth.

Isa 56:1 Thus says Yahweh: “Observe justice and do righteousness, for my salvation is close to coming, and my justice to being revealed.
Isa 56:2 Happy is the man who does this, and the son of humankind who keeps hold of it, who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it, and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

Pray in His name by knowing the greatness of His name, fame, reputation and accomplishments. Jesus declared the name of His Father and also came in His name.

Joh 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
Joh 17:2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
Joh 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
Joh 17:4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
Joh 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Joh 17:6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Joh 17:7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.
Joh 17:8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
Joh 17:9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
Joh 17:10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
Joh 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
Joh 17:12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
Joh 17:13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Joh 17:14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Joh 17:20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
Joh 17:21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Joh 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
Joh 17:23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
Joh 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Joh 17:25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.
Joh 17:26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Also this:

Joh 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
Joh 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Joh 5:41 I do not receive glory from people.
Joh 5:42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
Joh 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
Joh 5:44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

If we take the verse John 5:43 and use the simple definition for name, we can see that Yahusha , Hebrew for Joshua, who we call Jesus, came in His father’s name Yahuah or Yahweh. Some spell is Yehusha, meaning the salvation of Yah. I think declaring His name may include these definitions, but is also much broader. Declaring His name is declaring His essence, that is, what makes Him who He is. Coming in another name, would be coming as someone else, much like a false god or messiah. If we view Jesus as in opposition to the commands of His Father Yahweh, then who are we talking about other than a false messiah? It is easy to discern if one is not deceived. Paul explains in his second letter to the Thessalonians:

2Th 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
2Th 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
2Th 2:10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
2Th 2:11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
2Th 2:12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2Th 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

Paul indicates one must believe the truth, and if someone refuses to believe the truth, God will send them a strong delusion. What is truth as defined by scripture?

• Psa 119:142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is truth.
• Psa 119:151 You are near, O Yahweh, and all your commands are truth.
• Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

According to scripture, Yahweh’s law, commands and Jesus are defined as the truth. This should make sense because Jesus is the living Word that came in the flesh from the Father. This is a consistent theme throughout scripture. We must be sanctified or set apart by the Spirit, and believe in the truth. How can one believe in the truth if the truth is never pointed out? If we are praying in the name of Jesus we had better know and accept the truth or we will be part of the delusion.

2Th 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
2Th 2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Earlier in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians he states there will be a rebellion before the man of lawlessness is revealed. The only thing meaningful to rebel against is the truth, Yahweh’s words, personified in Jesus. Other translations use the word apostasy. These are the people who do not meet the Revelation 14:12 call for endurance. Therefore, praying in the name of Jesus is much more than closing words of a prayer. Praying in the name of Jesus is praying in everything He is and wants us to be.

“For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 3:13

Once I researched what it is to be a deacon, I was surprised to learn the “office of a deacon” was never an office. It appears tradition has transliterated a Greek word into a position of power in various church denominations. Was this the original intention of the “office”? The opening quote is from the King James translation of the Bible. The English Standard Version has a more honest translation:

1Ti 3:13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

In the English Standard Version, instead of office of the deacon, the word is simply “deacon”. What exactly is a deacon though? Where does the word come from? The Smith Bible defines the word as this:

“Deacon. The office described by this title appears, in the New Testament, as the correlative of bishop. See Bishop. The two are mentioned together in Phm 1:1; 1Ti 3:2; 1Ti 3:8. Its original meaning implied a helper, an assistant. The bishops were the “elders,” the deacons were the young active men, of the church. The narrative of Acts 6 is commonly referred to as giving an account of the institution of this office.
The apostles, in order to meet the complaints of the Hellenistic Jews that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration, call on the body of believers to choose seven men “full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom,” whom they “may appoint over this business.” It may be questioned, however, whether the seven were not appointed to higher functions than those of the deacons of the New Testament.”

Where does this term “office of the deacon” originate? The short answer is that it was invented by the translators to reflect the traditions of the church. Here is the passage with the Strong’s Numbers:

1Ti 3:13 For G1063  they that have used the office of a deacon G1247  well G2573  purchase G4046  to themselves G1438  a good G2570  degree, G898  and G2532  great G4183  boldness G3954  in G1722  the faith G4102  which G3588  is in G1722  Christ G5547  Jesus. G2424

Deacon is used for Strong’s G1247, and the words “office of“ are not there in the Greek, and do not appear to have any merit in the first century context. Let’s look at Strong’s G1247:

G1247
διακονέω
diakoneō
Thayer Definition:
1) to be a servant, attendant, domestic, to serve, wait upon
1a) to minister to one, render ministering offices to
1a1) to be served, ministered unto
1b) to wait at a table and offer food and drink to the guests
1b1) of women preparing food
1c) to minister, i.e. supply food and necessities of life
1c1) to relieve one’s necessities (e.g. by collecting alms), to provide take care of, distribute, the things necessary to sustain life
1c2) to take care of the poor and the sick, who administer the office of a deacon
1c3) in Christian churches to serve as deacons
1d) to minister
1d1) to attend to anything, that may serve another’s interests
1d2) to minister a thing to one, to serve one or by supplying any thing

The word deacon comes from daikoneo, and appears to be the origin of the English word, deacon. It is easy to find how this word daikoneo, and its various forms that are used in the New Testament. It is usually used as a verb for ministering and serving. In this example, we see women were daikoneo. or “deaconing”:

Mat 27:55 And G1161  many G4183  women G1135  were G2258  there G1563  beholding G2334  afar off, G575 G3113  which G3748  followed G190  Jesus G2424  from G575  Galilee, G1056  ministering G1247  unto him: G846

The modern meaning of the word seems to be a reference to this scene in the acts of the apostles:

Act 6:2 Then G1161  the G3588  twelve G1427  called G4341  the G3588  multitude G4128  of the G3588  disciples G3101  unto them, and said, G2036  It is G2076  not G3756  reason G701  that we G2248  should leave G2641  the G3588  word G3056  of God, G2316  and serve G1247 tables. G5132
Act 6:3 Wherefore, G3767  brethren, G80  look ye out G1980  among G1537  you G5216  seven G2033  men G435  of honest report, G3140  full G4134  of the Holy G40  Ghost G4151  and G2532  wisdom, G4678  whom G3739  we may appoint G2525  over G1909  this G5026  business. G5532

So there was a group who were prayed over that were given the duty to serve tables in this example. If we look at Timothy 3:8, we get another form of the word, Strong’s G1249.

1Ti 3:8 Likewise G5615  must the deacons G1249 be grave, G4586  not G3361  doubletongued, G1351  not G3361  given G4337  to much G4183  wine, G3631  not G3361  greedy of filthy lucre; G146
1Ti 3:9 Holding G2192  the G3588  mystery G3466  of the G3588  faith G4102  in G1722  a pure G2513  conscience. G4893

G1249
διάκονος
diakonos
Thayer Definition:
1) one who executes the commands of another, especially of a master, a servant, attendant, minister
1a) the servant of a king
1b) a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use
1c) a waiter, one who serves food and drink
Part of Speech: noun masculine or feminine

Is Paul speaking of something different in verse 8 than he was in verse 13? Even in 1b of the definition it uses the word “deacon” when that word would not have existed at the time daikonos was being used in Greek. This word daikonos is present when Paul is speaking about Phebe, a sister who is a servant of the church in his letter to the Romans. Why is the same Greek word translated to servant in the case of Phebe, and translated to a new word, deacon, in the letter to Timothy?

Rom 16:1 ( G1161 ) I commend G4921  unto you G5213  Phebe G5402  our G2257  sister, G79  which is G5607 a servant G1249 of the G3588  church G1577  which G3588  is at G1722  Cenchrea: G2747

In the English Standard Version it looks like this:

Rom 16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,
Rom 16:2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

I don’t have the luxury of being educated in the Greek language to know the difference between daikonos and daikoneo, but it appears Paul is using them in a similar context in his letter to Timothy. Let’s look at the whole passage of scripture concerning the qualifications of a deacon, servant, minister, or attendant of the congregation: This is from the English Standard Version:

1Ti 3:8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
1Ti 3:9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
1Ti 3:10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
1Ti 3:11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
1Ti 3:12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.
1Ti 3:13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Why are these two Greek words used many times throughout scripture for attendant, servant, ministering and serving, yet only three or four times translated to the made-up English word “deacon” or diaconus in Latin? Could it be that the tradition of men has made this title deacon into more than it was intended to be? It is just a question. Is there enough evidence to lock women out of serving and attending in the congregation? Does any congregation actually do that, or is it just the official title of “deacon” that some congregations do not allow women to hold? All of these are valid questions. After all, what is a deacon in terms of the entire New Testament, but an attendant or servant of the church? One who ministers the basic needs to the widows, orphans hungry and destitute? Maybe today, deacons only pass out communion once a month? More importantly, what are the qualifications to serve the congregation according to Paul?

• Must be dignified, meaning honorable and honest
• No double talk, meaning not saying one thing to one person and something else to another
• Not addicted to much wine
• Not greedy for dishonest gain
• Only have one wife
• Hold the mystery of the faith with clear conscience

Should this list not be relevant of anyone who is serious about serving Yahweh? What is Paul referring to when he says “mystery of faith”?

I am not trying to diminish the “office of the deacon”. This is merely an attempt to show how tradition pushes meaning onto the text that may not necessarily be there. For example, in the book The Baptist Deacon by Robert Naylor, on page 23, the author states that in the bible it says, “a deacon must not be given to much wine” then he goes on to say that this actually means a deacon must completely abstain from drinking any alcohol. As much as someone may wish that is what the text says, it does not say that. Here is some history of un-fermented wine from Wikipedia:

Thomas Bramwell Welch (December 31, 1825 – December 29, 1903) was a British–American Methodist minister and dentist. He pioneered the use of pasteurization as a means of preventing the fermentation of grape juice. He persuaded local churches to adopt this non-alcoholic wine substitute for use in Holy Communion, calling it “Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine.”

If a deacon could be addicted to too much wine, that implies this beverage he is speaking about is alcoholic. Has anyone ever been addicted to too much grape juice? What would be the down side to that from Paul’s perspective? Another example of pushing doctrine on a text happened at a funeral I attended. The person performing the funeral service read the following words of the Apostle Paul:

1Th 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
1Th 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

He went on to explain that Paul actually meant the souls of the dead were already in heaven with Jesus. As much as that is the narrative of many doctrines, it’s not in this section of scripture, and in my opinion, hard to make a case for in scripture at all. It is having a learned belief system first, then imposing that belief system on the scriptures. There are many examples of this, and it is one of the reasons there are over 40,000 denominations in Christianity.

Looking at this situation where the word deacon is actually just a word to describe someone in the congregation that serves, ministers or attends to work that needs to be carried out, it should be fair to conclude that anyone who serves in this type of capacity in the congregation or “church” should be the type of person who Paul describes in Timothy 3:8-13. The list of attributes Paul gives for a servant of the body of Christ is very similar to the words of Jesus on how to obtain eternal life in these passages:

Mat 19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
Mat 19:17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
Mat 19:18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Can we assume Jesus referred to all the commandments here or just the ones listed? If it is just the ones listed we would have to say Jesus was implying Yahweh was no longer concerned with idolatry, sabbath keeping, graven images, coveting, and using His name in a worthless manner.

Therefore, we could conclude that anyone who serves in any capacity should follow the guidelines for being a servant in the church outlined by Paul in his first letter to Timothy. Who would that exclude? It would exclude those who are not “tested and proven blameless”, something similar to the new converts described at the first council. James, whose real name is Jacob, said the following:

Act 15:19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
Act 15:20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

Gentiles, or people from the nations, would not necessarily be familiar with the commands Yahweh gave to Moses, so they gave them a place to start, Torah commands that the people of the nations of that day would be deeply steeped in breaking, such as: temple prostitution, idol worship, and drinking blood from their temple sacrifices. As they met on the sabbath, being new converts, they would continually learn the ways of Yahweh in the synagogue, eventually becoming “tested and blameless” and able to serve in the congregation of believers. These first steps for believers are found in the Torah. First, the instruction not to eat blood:

Lev 17:14 Indeed, the life of all flesh, its blood, is in its life, so I said to the Israelites, ‘You may not eat the blood of any flesh, because the life of all flesh is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.’

Sexual immorality as defined by Yahweh, told to Moses:

Lev 18:1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev 18:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and say to them, ‘I am Yahweh your God.
Lev 18:3 You must not carry out the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you lived, and you must not carry out the practices of the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you; and you must not follow their statutes.
Lev 18:4 You must carry out my regulations, and you must observe my statutes by following them; I am Yahweh your God.
Lev 18:5 And you shall observe my statutes and my regulations by which the person doing them shall live; I am Yahweh.
Lev 18:6 “‘None of you shall approach anyone who is his close relative to expose nakedness; I am Yahweh.
Lev 18:7 You must not expose your father’s nakedness or your mother’s nakedness—she is your mother; you must not expose her nakedness.
Lev 18:8 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s wife—it is your father’s nakedness.
Lev 18:9 As for your sister’s nakedness, whether your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born abroad, you must not expose their nakedness.
Lev 18:10 As for the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, you must not expose their nakedness, because they are your nakedness.
Lev 18:11 As for the nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife, she is your sister, a relative of your father; you must not expose her nakedness.
Lev 18:12 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
Lev 18:13 You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
Lev 18:14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not have sex with his wife—she is your aunt.
Lev 18:15 You must not expose your daughter-in-law’s nakedness; she is your son’s wife; you must not expose her nakedness.
Lev 18:16 You must not expose the nakedness of your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness.
Lev 18:17 You must not expose the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, or her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter; you must not take her as wife to expose her nakedness; they are close relatives—that is wickedness.
Lev 18:18 And you must not take as wife a woman with her sister, to be a rival-wife, to expose her nakedness before her during her life.
Lev 18:19 “‘And you must not have sex with a woman to expose her nakedness during her menstrual uncleanness.
Lev 18:20 And you must not have sex with your fellow citizen’s wife, becoming unclean with her.
Lev 18:21 “‘And you shall not give any of your offspring in order to sacrifice them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am Yahweh.
Lev 18:22 And you shall not lie with a male as lying with a woman; that is a detestable thing.
Lev 18:23 And you shall not have sexual relations with any animal, becoming unclean with it; and a woman shall not stand before an animal to copulate with it—that is a perversion.
Lev 18:24 “‘You must not make yourself unclean in any of these things, because the nations whom I am driving out from your presence were made unclean by all of these.
Lev 18:25 So the land became unclean, and I have brought the punishment of its guilt upon it, and the land has vomited out its inhabitants.
Lev 18:26 But you (neither the native nor the alien who is dwelling in your midst) shall keep my statutes and my regulations, and you shall not practice any of these detestable things
Lev 18:27 (because the people of the land, who were before you, did all these detestable things, so the land became unclean),
Lev 18:28 so that the land will not vomit you out when you make it unclean just as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
Lev 18:29 Indeed, anyone who does any of these detestable things, even those persons who do so shall be cut off from the midst of their people.
Lev 18:30 Thus you shall keep my obligation to not do any of the statutes regarding the detestable things that they did before you, so that you will not make yourselves unclean by them; I am Yahweh your God.'”

Finally, these new converts were given the command about idolatry. To this day, believers struggle with these verses by still using the symbols that other religions worshiped their gods with to worship Yahweh.

Deu 12:29 “When Yahweh your God has cut off the nations whom you are about to go to, to dispossess them before you, and you have dispossessed them, and you live in their land,
Deu 12:30 take care so that you are not ensnared into imitating them after their being destroyed from before you, and so that you not enquire concerning their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods, and thus I myself want to do also.’
Deu 12:31 You must not do so toward Yahweh your God, because of every detestable thing they have done for their gods Yahweh hates, for even their sons and their daughters they would burn in the fire to their gods.

The other group of people Paul is excluding from serving or ministering in the church are those who blatantly are in opposition to being “blameless and tested”. If someone spends years in the congregation of believers and still does not qualify for Paul’s requirements of servants or “deacons”, it must mean they are double tongued, adulterous, greedy or covetous, alcoholics who do not hold to the faith of Jesus. This is a group of people who refuse to study and learn the ways of Yahweh, or are in opposition to his ways. Jesus explains:

Mat 5:18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Mat 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Here Jesus states our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. These Pharisees did not worship in spirit and truth. They added commandments and stipulations to the commandments of Yahweh, following the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. They looked good on the outside but were like “whitewashed tombs” on the inside.

Mat 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Strive to meet the qualifications of “the office of a deacon” even if you are never actually a “deacon”. It simply means that you are loving Yahweh and loving your neighbor, as the two greatest commandments state.

Feature photo credit Emma Vail

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

I remember sitting on the living room floor and my father telling my mom that we needed to start attending church. I was about 5 years old. My mother was raised Roman Catholic so that was the only option for her. We attended a Catholic Church for several years after that, where my father was confirmed and I received first communion. My father did a lot of work in the church and I remember the priest dropping off a 1/2 gallon of Canadian Club whiskey as a gift of appreciation for my father. He didn’t really drink, so that sat around for a long time, and I think we ended up giving it to my uncle. My father had grown up involved in the Pentecostal church, so we eventually started attending an Assembly of God church. My mother was studying and learning about God. Growing up in the Roman Catholic Church in the 1940’s, she was not encouraged to read the Bible by the church. A turning point happened for her one night when she asked God if she should quit smoking, and immediately our dog got sprayed by a skunk. My mother took that as a yes, and went from 2-3 packs a day to never smoking again in her life. My father was returning to a path he had started on, and for my mother it was all new.

There was a big effort by my parents to be involved in the churches we attended. They provided the music for two and my father was a deacon in one. There always seemed to be conflict and division in theses churches we attended. Usually there was a building project in every church that didn’t end well. I remember in one church, people were remortgaging their homes to build a bigger church, when the church we had was not what you would call overflowing into the streets. At another church, the building project was a large gymnasium. There was a catered roast beef supper at a fancy hall that we attended. My parents had no idea that they were going to a fund raiser or that there was someone planted at each table to put the pressure on members to give to the building project. They were not just looking for an extra hundred bucks either. The pastor there built the gym and eventually ended up going to jail for mishandling funds, among other things.

I moved away and started attending church in my new country. I married and had children. My wife and I were always involved in a church to some capacity. It seemed to mirror the experiences my parents had. Although we were involved with many good people, there always seemed to be conflict and decisiveness. At times, I was caught up in the drama and took part in it. Eventually I tried to remove myself from all the conflict so I could see if it existed without my help. It was still there, and plentiful. Many church people were lying, abusive, manipulative and deceitful, and I am talking about leadership. I always knew that this was not the way Christians should act, and I always knew the Creator was not like this, nor did He condone it. Many times we would hear, “don’t ever expect to find a perfect church” and “church is for sick people”. Neither myself or my parents were ever looking for a perfect church, we just were looking for a church where people acted at least as good as the non-church people in our life did.

After a few years there was one or more crises in my life, and I was ready to abandon religion all together. Even though I always knew the Creator God was real and interacted with me on a personal level, I found no help from church leadership, actually hindrance. Only friends, some family, and the Creator were there for me. To be fair, most probably did not know I was somewhat unstable. The Creator caused me to study like I never had before and started showing me things through His word. I read volumes of books from Christian writers who were alive in the first five centuries, and I started realizing why we have come to the place we are at in the contemporary church. Call it a conspiracy or prophecy, the result is the same. So in a sense, I did finally abandon religion, but never Yahweh, the Creator, or his son Jesus, also called Yeshua, or Yahusha depending on the language preference. There really isn’t a translation for the Father’s name, nor a positively known pronunciation. It is simply יהוה in the Hebrew Scriptures. I use Yahweh because it is widely accepted and I believe Yahuah is also a good representation. The terms Lord and God are so generic, when using them they have to be defined now- like what God are you talking about? Are you talking about the Creator spoken of in scripture, or a new lawless god? Perhaps he is the god of the light or Kabbalah, possibly from the mystery religions or the lodge?

The first impression that was made on me was by the works of Eusebius. The events he recorded in the fourth century were incredible. The martyrs of the believers, stories of Polycarp and James in the early church that I had never heard before. Augustine also wrote volumes and delved into philosophy, but there were many lost truths about the Old Testament writings that he brings out in Confessions and The City of God. The letters of Augustine are enlightening as well, especially where he keeps asking Jerome questions. They show the transition of the early church from the ways Jesus and the apostles taught, to a political, pagan, war machine. Cyprian was a third century African Bishop that had many writings as to what was happening around his area concerning the church that are also great to read. My view of Christianity changed over a couple years to the point where I would not even read anything from Christian authors that was written after the 18th century. I am still very selective.

It was the writings of the early fathers that really made me interested in the twelve tribes of Israel, all the Old Testement prophecies and how they would unfold. These writings make some contemporary sources seem like kindergarten material. With the help of these commentaries the scripture came a live more than ever before. I had to read the Bible over and over, and finally I realized that the Old Testament was not about Jews or the modern day state of Israel. They may play a part, but the prophecies are much bigger. I realized that Israel, that is the descendants of Jacob, were abandoned by Yahweh for disobedience, but He promises to regather them in the future and all the peoples that they have mixed with. Once I started understanding Deuteronomy and the books of Kings, I realized Christianity today has gone down the same road Israel did before Yahweh divorced and scattered them. They use symbols of other gods to worship Him, and ignore His commandments against Idolatry, sexual immorality, witchcraft and sorcery. It started down this path in the first century. They tried to correct things during the reformation, but were unsuccessful.

The next phase of my personal reformation was learning about the feast days of Yahweh. Those are the festivals that are supposedly for “the Jews”. That is a lie. Those days are for us, today. They are His special days. We have traded them for holy days of the nations starting in the third century and say we are celebrating them in the name of God or Jesus. This is the same thing as Aaron did with the golden calf event and Jeroboam also did with his idols and holidays. It is clear as it can be if your eyes are open. The same symbols and calendar days are celebrated for these demonic deities, principalities and rulers.

It was at this point in my life I started looking at what other people were doing, how they were leaving the mega churches in droves to be “Torah pursuant”. I am still looking at this and think it is prophetic, even though there are aspects of this movement that can lead a person into Kabbalah, Judaism or teachings of the Talmud. I guess it is no different than the church leading a person into idolatry, witchcraft or new age theosophy.

Once I realized the commandments were still relevant, and started paying more attention, things started to come together. The Sabbaths and the feasts are very good. We have celebrated Passover two years now and are still learning. I also realized that many people in the whole world are being brought to this understanding. There are no leaders of the movement, no constitutions or bylaws, only people coming to a similar understanding as I did. The statement of faith is the Word. I am glad that I was not looking at these things in the beginning, because then I would question if it was just a fad or something real. It’s as if a whole group of people woke up one day at the same time. Well maybe they did.

The following prophecy has not happened in full yet. The entire House of Israel was scattered, and mixed into the nations, completely lost genetically.

Deu 30:1 “And then when all of these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse that I have set before you and you call them to mind among the nations there where Yahweh your God has scattered you,
Deu 30:2 and you return to Yahweh and you listen to his voice according to all that I am commanding you today, both you and your children, with all your heart and with all your inner self,
Deu 30:3 and Yahweh your God will restore your fortunes, and he will have compassion upon you, and he will again gather you together from all the peoples where Yahweh your God scattered you there.
Deu 30:4 “Even if you are outcasts at the end of the heavens, even from there Yahweh your God shall gather you, and from there he shall bring you back.
Deu 30:5 And Yahweh your God will bring you to the land that your ancestors had taken possession of, and he will make you successful, and he will make you more numerous than your ancestors.
Deu 30:6 “And Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your inner self so that you may live.
Deu 30:7 And Yahweh your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, on those who harassed you.
Deu 30:8 And you will again listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you will do all his commandments that I am commanding you today.
Deu 30:9 And Yahweh your God will make you prosperous in all your undertakings, and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground abundantly, for Yahweh will again rejoice over you, just as he rejoiced over your ancestors.
Deu 30:10 He will do this if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God by keeping his commandment and his statutes written in the scroll of this law and if you return to Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your inner self.

The prophet Jeremiah speaks of a time when people will realize they have inherited nothing but lies and idolatry.

Jer 16:14 Therefore look, days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and it will no longer be said, “As Yahweh lives, who led up the Israelites from the land of Egypt,”
Jer 16:15 but only “As Yahweh lives, who led up the Israelites from the land of the north, and from all the lands where he had driven them,” for I will bring them back to their ground that I gave to their ancestors.
Jer 16:16 Look, I am sending for many fishermen,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and they will fish them out, and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and from the clefts of the cliffs.
Jer 16:17 For my eyes are on all their ways, they are not hidden from before me, and their iniquity is not concealed from before my eyes.
Jer 16:18 And I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin because of their profaning my land with the dead bodies of their abhorrences, and with their abominations they have filled up my inheritance.'”
Jer 16:19 O Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our ancestors have inherited only lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them.
Jer 16:20 Can a human make for himself gods? Yet they are not gods!”
Jer 16:21 “Therefore look, I am about to let them know, this time I am going to let them know my power and my might, and they will know that my name is Yahweh.”

We know this is a future event because it will be so great that people will no longer talk about the exodus from Egypt. We are still talking about that. There is also a prophecy that Ezekiel had where Yahweh told him to lie on his side, a day for every year God was going to curse the House of Israel.

Eze 4:4 And you, lie down on your left side, and you must put the guilt of the house of Israel on it. You will carry their guilt the number of days that you will lie on it.
Eze 4:5 And I will give to you the years of their guilt according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days, and you must bear the guilt of the house of Israel.
Eze 4:6 When you have completed these, then you must lie a second time on your right side; and you must bear the guilt of the house of Judah forty days, a day for each year, a day for each year I give it to you.

The House of Israel was given a sentence of 390 years where the House of Judah was given 40 years. The House of Israel was the northern kingdom and they never came back to Yahweh and dispersed into the nations. Yahweh indicates if they would not repent the curse would be multiplied by sevenfold.

Lev 26:14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,
Lev 26:15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,
Lev 26:16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Lev 26:17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.
Lev 26:18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,
Lev 26:19 and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.

The House of Israel’s curse told to Ezekiel was 390 years. The theory is that because they never returned to obeying Yahweh, the 390 years has to be multiplied by seven due to Leviticus 26:18. Assyria captured the Northern kingdom around 722 BC, so add 390 x 7 and you land in the year 2008. The curse shown to Ezekiel ended roughly in 2008. It was in that time frame that people started coming back to following the commandments of Yahweh. I received the call and many others did also. Now the movement is growing. It has been mainly organic in the sense that it is happening all over the world, even though it does not carry a popular message.

Jer 3:6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah, the king, “Have you seen what apostate Israel has done? She has gone on every high hill and under every leafy tree and she has prostituted herself there.
Jer 3:7 And I thought, ‘After her doing all these things to me she will return,’ but she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
Jer 3:8 And I saw that for this very reason, that on account of apostate Israel committing adultery I divorced her and gave the letter of divorce to her. Yet her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid and she went and prostituted herself also.
Jer 3:9 And it was because of the frivolity of her fornication that she defiled the land and committed adultery with the stone and with the tree.
Jer 3:10 Yet even in all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares Yahweh.
Jer 3:11 Then Yahweh said to me, “Apostate Israel has proved herself more upright than treacherous Judah.
Jer 3:12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, apostate Israel,’ declares Yahweh. ‘I will not cause my anger to fall on you. For I am loyal,’ declares Yahweh. ‘I will not be angry forever.
Jer 3:13 Only acknowledge your guilt, that against Yahweh your God you have rebelled, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every leafy tree, and you have not obeyed my voice,’ declares Yahweh.”
Jer 3:14 “Return, apostate children,” declares Yahweh. “For I am your master, and I will take you one from a city and two from a clan, and I will bring you to Zion.
Jer 3:15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart and they will feed you knowledge and insight.
Jer 3:16 And it will be when you have multiplied and become fruitful in the land in those days,” declares Yahweh, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.
Jer 3:17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of Yahweh,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem, and they will no longer go after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
Jer 3:18 In those days the house of Judah will walk along with the house of Israel and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave as an inheritance to your ancestors.
Jer 3:19 Then I thought, ‘How I would set you among the children, and I would give you a land of desire, an inheritance of the glory of the hosts of nations.’ And I thought, ‘You would call me, “My father,” and you would not turn back from behind me.’
Jer 3:20 However, as a wife departs treacherously from her lover, so you have dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel,” declares Yahweh.
Jer 3:21 “A voice is heard on the barren heights, the weeping of the pleas for mercy of the children of Israel, because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God.
Jer 3:22 Return, O apostate children, I will heal your backsliding. ‘Look, we come to you, for you are Yahweh our God.
Jer 3:23 Surely, an illusion comes from the hills, the turmoil on the mountains. Surely, in Yahweh our God is the salvation of Israel.
Jer 3:24 But the shameful thing has devoured the labor of our ancestors from our youth, their flocks, and their cattle, their sons and their daughters.
Jer 3:25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. For against Yahweh our God we have sinned, we and our ancestors, from our youth and until this day. and we have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God.’

At a time leaders like Andy Stanley are saying we need to “unhitch” ourselves from the Old Testament; however, I am saying it is actually quite the opposite, The secret to living to the fullest is actually doing what Yahweh said to do. The scriptures are twisted by men to allow men to follow their own lusts and imaginations. Take a look around, look close in the churches; How is it working out? I am a “measure by results” type of person, and things are pitiful in my opinion. You are a spiritual descendant of Abraham through Jesus the Messiah. That means all these scriptures about gathering, obedience and someday living in the land, apply to you.

Rom 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Rom 9:4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.
Rom 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,
Rom 9:7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

Here is a picture of a fake Jesus:

I would not attend this church. Putting a man-made decree as a stipulation to be a follower of Jesus, even if this is in jest, is offensive. We don’t make an image of the real Jesus, but this is what is said by the real Jesus:

Mat 7:21 “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.
Mat 7:22 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?’
Mat 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Here is another one:

If you want to wear a mask, or require others to, that’s one thing, but don’t tie it to scripture as if this new fad somehow defines a person‘s salvation.

Having spent a lifetime in organized religion, “being in God’s will” or “what is God’s will in my life?” were popular subjects. How can someone be in God’s will and break His commandments? It seems simple, but that was never presented as a possibility. What has the will of the father always been but to follow the commandments and do what He said to do? If you are wondering what God’s will is for your life, start with His commandments and the details will work themselves out. After all, what else matters?

Mat 19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
Mat 19:17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
Mat 19:18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mat 19:20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Jesus knew that this young man didn’t keep the commandments. In a fragment of the gospel of the Hebrews, preserved in the writings of Jerome, there is another line in the story.  “But the rich man began to scratch his head, and it pleased him not. And the Lord said unto him: How sayest though: I have kept the law and the prophets? For it is written in the law: Though shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, and lo, many of thy brethren, sons of Abraham, are clad in filth, dying for hunger, and thine house is full of many good things, and nought at all goeth out of it unto them.“

Here is another interesting picture. Is it out of ignorance, plain deception, or a devious conspiracy? I don’t know, but it is poor imagery. The Washington monument is the highest obelisk in the world. It is a phallic symbol relating to sun worship. The people who put this monument in Washington knew what it is and the god it represents. A fun fact is that it’s base is 55.5 feet (666 inches) square and its height is 555 feet (6660 inches). Put a cross atop of an obelisk and there is your typical church steeple.

Yahweh hates Ashera poles and obelisks. Israel was divorced for harlotry with other gods and the church has carried on the tradition. These are part of Babylonian mystery religions. In this picture, thousands of Christians are gathered under the obelisk to pray to whom? Yahweh hates stone pillars. Do these folks think Yahweh recently started liking stone pillars?

Deu 16:21 You shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah pole beside the altar of Yahweh your God that you make for yourselves.
Deu 16:22 And you shall not set up for yourselves a stone pillar, a thing that Yahweh your God hates.

Pro 28:9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

Is this what the Apostle John was seeing when he wrote down the visions in Revelation?

Rev 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;
Rev 18:5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Jeremiah has a warning as well:

Jer 51:44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen.
Jer 51:45 “Go out of the midst of her, my people! Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the LORD!
Jer 51:46 Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful at the report heard in the land, when a report comes in one year and afterward a report in another year, and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler.
Jer 51:47 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming when I will punish the images of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

This is where I have arrived in my life. It is amazing to me that while I was wrestling with Yahweh, thousands of other people in the world were coming to some of the same truths. I appreciate the people who have liked my blogs and my Facebook page. I have had people contact me from as far away as West Africa and India to encourage me.

I named the blog Hear the Matter from Proverbs 18:13, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame”. I write the things I write to challenge the reader to search these matters out for themselves. There are very few in my life who have any interest concerning these things, but I find some people to converse with, with the aid of the internet. Do not rely on other people to do the hard work. My experience is that people have been taught not to question so called church authority, and they accept everything that is said to them from leadership, yet Paul says:

Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

And John…

1Jn 2:26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
1Jn 2:27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Below is a link to a map that people who have returned to Yahuah have added their names to from the “ four corners of the Earth”

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1VwhwTcggPdBn_Fc-t2HcWZCVYuA&hl=en%20&ll=12.016549181497941%2C54.25217793364277&z=1

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

What does it mean to repent? It’s an unpopular message, yet it seems to be a key requirement that Jesus and the apostles often emphasize. What is the gospel that we are to believe in? Neither repentance nor the gospel are solely New Testament concepts. Yahweh speaks through the prophet Ezekiel in these scriptures:

Eze 18:23 Have I delight by any means in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord Yahweh, and not at his turning from his way, so that he lives?
Eze 18:24 And when the righteous turns from his righteousness, so that he does injustice, and does all of the detestable things that the wicked do, then will he live because of all of his righteousness that he did? Those things will not be remembered because of his infidelity that he displayed, and because of his sin that he committed. Through them he shall die.
Eze 18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ Listen, now, house of Israel, is my way not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair?
Eze 18:26 When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and he does injustice, then he will die because of them; because of his injustice that he did he will die!
Eze 18:27 And when the wicked turns from his wickedness that he did and he does justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life.
Eze 18:28 And if he sees and he returns from all of his transgressions that he did, surely he will live; he will not die!
Eze 18:29 And yet they, the house of Israel, say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ Are not my ways fair, house of Israel? Are not your ways unfair?
Eze 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways,” declares the Lord Yahweh. “Repent and turn around from all of your transgression, and it will not be as a stumbling block of iniquity to you.
Eze 18:31 Throw away from yourselves all of your transgressions that you committed, and make for yourselves a new heart and new spirit, and so why will you die, house of Israel?

Verse 24 throws cold water on the once saved, always saved theology, much like the writer of Hebrews does:

Heb 6:4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
Heb 6:6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
Heb 6:7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
Heb 6:8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
Heb 6:9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.
Heb 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

These are some hard topics, especially since they are not discussed often. Today, it is all about being tolerant and inclusive. However, is that what Jesus preached? The ones preaching tolerance today are often quite intolerant of anything that opposes their world view. Paul warns of these people in his letter to Timothy:

2Ti 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2Ti 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
2Ti 3:4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
2Ti 3:6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,
2Ti 3:7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

Jesus tells His audience to repent or perish. He never indicated that if a person was a “good person” they need not repent, or that their sin would not count against them. We can be forgiven only when we repent. Psalms 14 says, “There is not one who does good; there is not even one.”

Luk 13:1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Luk 13:2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?
Luk 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Luk 13:4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
Luk 13:5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

There is no other record concerning these events Jesus was speaking about; however, it is clear that these people who had died in unfortunate circumstances where no worse offenders than anyone else. Anyone that does not repent “will likewise perish”. It is interesting to note that Jesus uses the word perish numerous times throughout scripture, and does not always equate that to being in a place of torment forever. Jesus tells His audience to repent or perish. Yahweh has always wanted this. It was the purpose of the prophet Jonah’s trip to Nineveh.

Jon 3:3 So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an extraordinarily great city—a journey of three days across.
Jon 3:4 And Jonah began to go into the city a journey of one day, and he cried out and said, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be demolished!”
Jon 3:5 And the people of Nineveh believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least important.
Jon 3:6 And the news reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne and removed his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Jon 3:7 And he had a proclamation made, and said, “In Nineveh, by a decree of the king and his nobles: “No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything! They must not eat, and they must not drink water!
Jon 3:8 And the human beings and the animals must be covered with sackcloth! And they must call forcefully to God, and each must turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
Jon 3:9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn from his blazing anger so that we will not perish.”
Jon 3:10 And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil ways—and God changed his mind about the evil that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.

How do we repent? Peter tells us in the book of Acts.

Act 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Act 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Peter is addressing “all” the house of Israel. This is all twelve tribes which include Judah, the “Jews”, the other eleven tribes scattered throughout the whole world, and all that are far off. This is the gospel. There is a path for those previously cut off, divorced from Yahweh and “not His people”, or the nations. Everyone knew what Peter was speaking about and it was truly “good news”. Paul says the same thing in his letter to the Ephesians:

Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—
Eph 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” When we repent for the forgiveness of our sins, how can we define sin other than the transgression of Yahweh’s law? In doing so we get the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is in a sense, Jesus in spirit. First, we can see Paul defines sin as breaking the law of Yahweh. The law of Yahweh defines sin.

Rom 7:7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.

John also defines sin:

1Jn 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
1Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
1Jn 3:6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
1Jn 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1Jn 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
1Jn 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

These words of John go against the current narrative that says we shouldn’t follow the law of Yahweh and that we can’t do it, so don’t try. John also says this:

1Jn 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1Jn 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
1Jn 2:5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
1Jn 2:6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1Jn 2:7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
1Jn 2:8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

Paul can be confusing, and right here John is also confusing. On one hand, John says that no one who abides in Him, Yahweh God, keeps on sinning, but on the other hand, if we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. There is a difference between practicing sin and committing a sin. Practicing sin, or lawlessness, would mean a person has no regard for Yahweh’s instructions or does not believe these instructions are relevant, where practicing righteousness would mean a person was studying, learning and doing the ways of Yahweh. Notice John says he is not giving a new commandment, but an old commandment known from the beginning. What commandments did we have in the beginning if not the ones Yahweh gave to the twelve tribes? When we repent and receive the Spirit of Truth from Jesus, then we are empowered to practice righteousness. If we don’t repent, as Jesus said, we will perish. Why do I say the Spirit comes from Jesus? Let’s look at the following:

Joh 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Joh 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Joh 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

So the Spirit is sent by Jesus, from the Father. Jesus also says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20. How is He with us but through the Spirit? Paul addresses the people at Athens about repentance in the following passages:

Act 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
Act 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
Act 17:31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

For those who say we cannot practice righteousness by keeping the commandments, why do you contradict Yahweh, creator of the universe? He tells us it is not too hard:

Deu 30:11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
Deu 30:12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
Deu 30:13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
Deu 30:14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

Again, repent. From what? Practicing lawlessness. Why? Yahweh has a fixed day in which He will judge everyone. Please see my blog post The Great Day of Yahuah for more on this subject.

Isa 1:27 Zion will be redeemed by justice, and those of her who repent, by righteousness.
Isa 1:28 But the destruction of rebels and sinners shall be together, and those who forsake Yahweh will perish.

In Isaiah we see this word perish again. What does it mean? It is Strong’s H3615, and it means to be ended, vanish, destroyed and exterminated. There is no mention about eternal torment in fire, for that reason we will look at this subject closer later.

H3615
כּלה
kâlâh
BDB Definition:
1) to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be complete, be at an end
1a2) to be completed, be finished
1a3) to be accomplished, be fulfilled
1a4) to be determined, be plotted (bad sense)
1a5) to be spent, be used up
1a6) to waste away, be exhausted, fail
1a7) to come to an end, vanish, perish, be destroyed
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to complete, bring to an end, finish
1b2) to complete (a period of time)
1b3) to finish (doing a thing)
1b4) to make an end, end
1b5) to accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass
1b6) to accomplish, determine (in thought)
1b7) to put an end to, cause to cease
1b8) to cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend
1b9) to destroy, exterminate
1c) (Pual) to be finished, be ended, be completed

How have we arrived at the place where there is no longer talk of repentance or practicing righteousness? Jesus did not come for the well, but the sick.

Mat 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Mat 9:12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Mat 9:13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Is Jesus no longer an effective physician? Why do there continue to be so many who call themselves Christians which are not healed in their spirit? It is from the lack of repentance and not practicing righteousness, which results in not having the Spirit of Truth to guide them. It is our duty to tell people to repent and the good news is that there is now a path through Jesus for eternal life. We quote John 3:16, but what about 3:20 and 21?

Joh 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Joh 3:21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Those who are well need to sound the alarm!

Zec 11:17 “Woe, my worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword fall on his arm and on his right eye! May his arm wither completely and his right eye be utterly blinded!”

Jer 14:13 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh, look, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and famine will not be yours, but reliable peace I will give to you in this place.'”
Jer 14:14 And Yahweh said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, and I have not commanded them, and I have not spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, and a divination, worthless, and the deceitfulness of their minds.”
Jer 14:15 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who prophecy in my name though I have not sent them, yet they are saying, “Sword and famine will not be in this land.””By the sword and by the famine those prophets will perish.

Our ancestors have inherited lies! They have been tricked into worshipping the idols of the nations on the feast days of demons! They have been told not to follow the instructions of Yahweh. They have mixed the good news of the gospel with philosophy and theosophy.

Jer 16:19 O Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our ancestors have inherited only lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them.
Jer 16:20 Can a human make for himself gods? Yet they are not gods!”
Jer 16:21 “Therefore look, I am about to let them know, this time I am going to let them know my power and my might, and they will know that my name is Yahweh.”

One of the purposes of this blog site is to help identify some of the lies Jeremiah was prophesying about. People are starting to wake up to many of the lies we have inherited. Once a person sees it, it cannot be unseen, and we are compelled to call the lies out. Practice righteousness, not lawlessness.

Act 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out,
Act 3:20 so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ appointed for you—Jesus,
Act 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of the restoration of all things, about which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times.

The word lawlessness comes from the Greek word anomos, Strong’s G459.

G459
ἄνομος
anomos
Thayer Definition:
1) destitute of (the Mosaic) law
1a) of the Gentiles
2) departing from the law, a violator of the law, lawless, wicked

Rev 22:11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

What is it to perish compared to be in eternal flames? Jesus throws the beast and the false prophet in the eternal flames when he comes back, yet the rest were slain by the sword of His mouth having their flesh eaten by birds.

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
Rev 19:21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

We also see that anyone who takes the mark of the beast or worships the beast will be thrown into the lake of fire having no rest forever and ever.

Rev 14:9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Rev 14:10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
Rev 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

After the thousand year millennium, the devil is released for a time and then thrown into the eternal fire.

Rev 20:10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So far, we see only the beast, the false prophet, the humans who took the mark of the beast, and the devil who deceived everyone in the eternal flames being tormented forever. Finally, there is the judgement day , also spoken of by the prophet Daniel, where all the dead are raised and brought before the righteousness judge.

Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
Rev 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Rev 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Can something be called a second death if the person lives forever being tormented in the flames? This is speculation, but I believe that the people who take the mark of the beast will be caused to be immortal in a way that Yahweh does not approve, much like the nephalim, who unnaturally became immortal as the illegitimate children of fallen angels and humans. Every other mortal that gets thrown in the fire will perish in the flames, because they have not received eternal life from repentance, or become immortal by the beast’s mark. However, repent and practice righteousness and you will not need to worry about perishing or burning forever. This is the hope we have and the good news.

Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Rev 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Rev 21:5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Rev 21:6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
Rev 21:7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Rev 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”