But we're going to talk about the return of Yahushua HaMashiach, Yahushua the Anointed One, Yahushua the Son of Elohim, our Redeemer, our Savior and King, who was exalted very high and lifted up after a very humble beginning, being born in the stall of the sheep.
1Corinthians 15:51 - Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed --
1Corinthians 15:52 - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
At the last trump, the trumpet shall sound. We shall all look forward to that change, when the former things will pass away. The corruptible body will pass away, and the incorruptible will be put on.
He will make all things new. This week, we look forward to this, remembrance of this time, even though it's not happened yet. It's a memorial of what Yahweh is going to do.
He never actually explains in the Torah specifically why it is He commanded us to keep a holy day and just go around blowing trumpets, but He just said to do it and offer certain offerings on that day. It's a special day.
It's the first day of the seventh month, and I guess that makes it special, but why the trumpets? Very interesting. We learn later that Yahushua is going to return at the last trump, and then we begin to see things take place.
The Feast of Trumpets is mentioned in the Torah in Leviticus 23:24.
Leviticus 23:24 - "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: `In the seventh month, on the first [day] of the month, you shall have a sabbath-[rest], a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
Numbers 29:1 - `And in the seventh month, on the first [day] of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets.
Interesting. So, as you can see, this day is to be observed as a Sabbath day. It is a time of shouting, blowing trumpets, and rejoicing. The Hebrew name for this day is Yom Teruah. Yom means day. Teruah means alarm, or sounding, or maybe even shouting. Sort of like we opened the broadcast today with the sound of the trumpet.
Now, the definition of Teruah, if you look in a Strong's or Hebrew Lexicon -- this is the Brown Driver Briggs -- it says that the meaning is alarm, signal, sound of tempest, shout, shout or blast of war, or alarm, or joy. We're going to go over Numbers, chapter 10, today.
Numbers 10:1 - And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying:
Numbers 10:2 - "Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.
Numbers 10:3 - "When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
Numbers 10:4 - "But if they blow [only] one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you.
Numbers 10:5 - "When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey.
It's interesting. There's a blowing with one trumpet, and then there's blowing an alarm, and so there's a difference between that.
With one trumpet, then the princes, which are the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves. If you blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east part shall go forward.
So, there's two different kind of sounds mentioned here. I have a shofar in my hand. I'm not an expect shofar player, but I thought I would demonstrate, at least traditionally, the difference between the blowing of one trumpet and the blowing of an alarm.
I have the shofar. It's a ram's horn, part of one, and it's been drilled out and professionally polished and everything, and I thought that we would do that today for the broadcast. We did it last year, so might as well do it again.
Anyway, here we are. This is the sound of one trumpet, the one long blast. [blows shofar]
All right. And then there is the alarm, which consists of short blasts, and I believe it's supposed to be a series of seven short blasts, which indicates sort of an alarm kind of a sound, and it would go like this. [blows shofar]
Actually, I did that nine times, but anyway, you're supposed to do that seven times, and that's supposed to indicate an alarm. And my children are laughing. Anyway...
Numbers 10:6 - "When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey; they shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys.
Numbers 10:7 - "And when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance.
Numbers 10:8 - "The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.
Numbers 10:9 - "When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before YAHWEH your Elohim, and you will be saved from your enemies.
Numbers 10:10 - "Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your Elohim: I [am] YAHWEH your Elohim."
The trumpets, which were made of actually two trumpets made of silver, were the professional, official trumpets of the tabernacle. We cannot all afford the pure silver trumpets, so the poor man's trumpet is a shofar, in case you're wondering.
We see they're made of silver, and they were blown on days of gladness, on the solemn days, and the beginning of the month, and blown over the burnt offerings and the peace offerings.
And so there was a regular sound that was heard in the tabernacle or the temple.
Many believed, as I do, that this feast is symbolic of Yahushua's return or our own advancement toward the promised land, which is Yahweh's kingdom, at Yahushua's return.
So, it would make sense, in that the Feast of Passover, observed in the spring, represents Yahushua's sacrifice with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is also in the spring, representing our sinless state, as a result of His sacrifice and, of course, Yahweh's desire for us to live unleavened, that is sinless lives, after receiving Yahushua.
The Feast of Trumpets, also called Pentecost or Shavuot, represents -- I'm sorry -- the Feast of Weeks, also called Pentecost or Shavuot, represents the giving of the Torah and Yahweh's Spirit in Acts 2.
The Feast of Trumpets is a day of rest, so we like to have a gathering or meeting where scripture is read, the trumpets are discussed. Many of us who have the shofars will sound them on this day, as a reminder of what the day is all about. We must be ready for that last trump, when Yahushua returns.
Are we ready? We need to be purifying ourselves, preparing ourselves to meet the Bridegroom, and so I would encourage every one of us to focus on this in the coming days. If Yahushua was to return right now, the question for us is, "Are we ready?"
I know there seem to be many things that await fulfillment before He does return. But, you know, just because you may think His return is many days in the future, that doesn't mean He won't come right away. Because if you were to die five minutes from now, what difference would it make? It would be as if He had just come five minutes from now.
We need to be ready. We know Yahushua is seeking a pure bride, and so we need to be preparing ourselves for His return at any moment, because we do not know the time when we will perish from the earth and be resurrected and judged.
We need to be ready. Once Yahushua returns, He's going to usher in a new era on the earth.
Revelation 20:1 - Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Revelation 20:2 - He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is [the] Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
Revelation 20:3 - and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20:4 - And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Yahushua and for the word of Elohim, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received [his] mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years.
Pretty awesome promises to consider. We all long for righteousness to rule on the earth. When Yahushua rules for 1,000 years, righteousness will rule, and Yahweh's will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Sadly, the modern version of what happens at Yahushua's return is that we get to spend all of our time floating on clouds, playing harps, but such a notion will hide Yahweh's plan on the earth in a very subtle way. It hides the truth that Yahweh will one day rule the earth from Yerushalayim, from Jerusalem.
Today, Israel is a place of great turmoil and controversy, but when Yahushua rules, the peace we've all been praying for will finally come.
Psalms 122:6 - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
Psalms 122:7 - Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces."
Psalms 122:8 - For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace [be] within you."
Psalms 122:9 - Because of the house of YAHWEH our Elohim I will seek your good.
The house of Elohim is not there at this time. It has been destroyed, but it will come again, and Isaiah prophesied of these things.
Isaiah 2:1 - The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:2 - Now it shall come to pass in the latter days [That] the mountain of YAHWEH'S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.
It's going to be exalted above the mountains, above the hills. From afar off, you'll be able to see the mountain of Yahweh's house, established on the top of the mountains. Jerusalem is not the tallest mountain in the world, but we're going to read later about some landscaping that Yahweh is going to do.
Isaiah 2:3 - Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of YAHWEH, To the house of the Elohim of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of YAHWEH from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:4 - He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
Isaiah 2:5 - O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of YAHWEH.
Near about the same time Isaiah was a prophet over Judah, Micah was prophesying the same thing almost word for word.
Micah 4:1 - Now it shall come to pass in the latter days [That] the mountain of YAHWEH'S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.
Micah 4:2 - Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of YAHWEH, To the house of the Elohim of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of YAHWEH from Jerusalem.
Micah 4:3 - He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more .
Micah 4:4 - But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make [them] afraid; For the mouth of YAHWEH of hosts has spoken.
Micah 4:5 - For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the name of YAHWEH our Elohim Forever and ever.
Very beautiful words. We'll walk in the name of Yahweh forever. Now, obviously, these things have never taken place. You don't see swords being beaten into plowshares. In fact, you kind of wonder why do you need a plowshare when you have a tractor?
Possibly, it seems to me, the electricity that we all use today will not be a part of the age to come and maybe even before then, Yahweh will do away with electricity, because they're beating swords into plowshares. Why do they have swords? Don't they have M-16s? You can't beat that in to a plowshare too easily.
I've kind of wondered those things. Maybe we need to be ready to live without electricity. It might be a good idea. I think so.
These things have not taken place. They are still yet to come. There's still war. The house of Yahweh is not standing in Yerushalayim. Believe me -- better yet, believe Yahweh -- it's going to happen.
An important thing to note here is that Yahweh's law, Yahweh's Torah is going to go forth from His dwelling place. In light of this, why would some think that the Torah was abolished when the Messiah died?
If the law is going to go forth, the Torah of Yahweh is going to go forth, why would someone think that law was abolished? There is a reason why the reading of the Old Testament is not encouraged today, particularly the prophetic books, it seems, or the Torah itself, by mainstream churches.
They're afraid that maybe the laymen will become confused by these promises. There are some promises here which clearly indicate the law has not been abolished.
There's some who would say, "That's a new law, not the old law with the feasts and all those things that were just for the Jews. This is going to be a new law that He's going to put out there, a new and improved Torah version 2.0."
The truth is Yahweh doesn't need a 2.0. His 1.0 was plenty perfect in and of itself. We're going to read what that law actually consists of in Zechariah 14.
Zechariah 14:1 - Behold, the day of YAHWEH is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
Zechariah 14:2 - For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
This is gathering all nations. Many people say, "We're looking for Armageddon. Entire Christian books are written about Armageddon and how this big battle is going to happen.
Zechariah 14:3 - Then YAHWEH will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.
Zechariah 14:4 - And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, [Making] a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14:5 - Then you shall flee [through] My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus YAHWEH my Elohim will come, [And] all the saints with You .
Obviously, this is a future time. The Mount of Olives is still intact. It is not split. It's still there. So, we are looking at a future time that Yahweh has prophesied will happen, and we still await the fulfillment of these things. Nobody can say that's already been fulfilled.
Christians like to say Yahushua is going to stand on the Mount of Olives and split it in two, and Armageddon and all these other things, but they don't usually mention what happens afterward, and that's what we're going to look at today.
Zechariah 14:6 - It shall come to pass in that day [That] there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
Zechariah 14:7 - It shall be one day Which is known to YAHWEH -- Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen [That] it will be light.
Another clear prediction not yet fulfilled.
Zechariah 14:8 - And in that day it shall be [That] living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
That is the Dead Sea in the Mediterranean.
Zechariah 14:9 - And YAHWEH shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be -- "YAHWEH [is] one," And His name one.
So no more HaShem, Adonai, Lord, God, whatever. His name will be one, Yahweh.
Zechariah 14:10 - All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. [Jerusalem] shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and [from] the Tower of Hananeel to the king's winepresses.
Zechariah 14:11 - [The people] shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
There's the landscaping we talked about earlier -- and I do mean landscaping, serious landscaping. Entire mountains will be flattened out. Every mountain shall be made low. Men will dwell in it. There will be no more utter destruction, no more destruction of the city, no more suicide bombers, weapons of mass destruction, whatever you want to call it.
Zechariah 14:12 - And this shall be the plague with which YAHWEH will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
Zechariah 14:13 - It shall come to pass in that day [That] a great panic from YAHWEH will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor's hand;
Zechariah 14:14 - Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
Zechariah 14:15 - Such also shall be the plague On the horse [and] the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So [shall] this plague [be].
Why do they have farm animals? Interesting.
Zechariah 14:16 - And it shall come to pass [that] everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, YAHWEH of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
This is the part they don't usually continue in reading the rest here, because that's contradictory to their theology. There's going to be some who won't be destroyed on the day of Yahweh.
Zechariah 14:17 - And it shall be [that] whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, YAHWEH of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
Zechariah 14:18 - If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they [shall have] no [rain]; they shall receive the plague with which YAHWEH strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:19 - This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
He said it three times. Just in case you missed it the first time, He said it three times.
Zechariah 14:20 - In that day "HOLINESS TO THE YAHWEH" shall be [engraved] on the bells of the horses. The pots in YAHWEH'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
Interesting. Altar?
Zechariah 14:21 -
For those who are of the persuasion that Yahweh's law has been abolished, these scriptures are quite perplexing, but they're going to happen. Yahweh says it's going to happen, so it's not up to us to develop a theology and ignore scripture. We're supposed to develop an understanding of Yahweh's will, His plan, and let our beliefs frame around that.
Christian commentaries are full of various attempts to explain away what Yahweh plainly says is going to take place. Yahweh's standard of righteousness was already correct to begin with. He did not need a 2.0.
It's still right and will always be right. Yahweh did not make a mistake when He gave the Torah. This is interesting, because the Gentiles, even those living in Egypt, are going to be forced to come up and keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
Egyptians are going to be Feast keepers, or they'll get no rain. If you know anything about the Feast of Tabernacles, it's supposed to be a time of rejoicing for the harvest, and so if you don't want to rejoice for the harvest, you won't get one.
The point I want to make here is that when Yahweh's will is finally done on the earth, as it is in heaven, guess who's keeping the feasts? Gentiles. Gentiles, even Egyptians, are keeping the Feast of Tabernacles.
Does that not demonstrate that Yahweh really wants everyone -- Jew, Gentile, whatever -- to keep His feast days. This idea that that's just for the Jews is contrary to what we see here. It's not just for the Jews. It's for anyone who wants to join themselves to Yahweh, whether you're a Jew, Gentile, whatever you think you might be. It doesn't matter.
If you don't keep His feast days, He's indicating here that judgment is going to come upon those who don't keep it. That's how serious He views this.
If you're not keeping His feast days, I think it's time you get an idea of how to keep them. After all, this is the rules of the kingdom. If you want to be a ruler of the kingdom, you've got to know the rules. You've got to practice the rules. You've got to submit to the rules.
You can't just read about them and say that's for the Jews. That's not true. It's for everyone. When Yahweh finally has the opportunity to rule over the earth, Gentiles and Jews will come together as one people of Yahweh, serving Him in one accord, not divided into two camps.
We are all one in the Messiah Yahushua. We meet on one day together, the Sabbath day, and we also keep the Feast of Tabernacles together.
Many today teach that the kingdom of Yahweh is at hand, and you must repent. The kingdom of Yahweh is at hand. Well, when it's really preached that Yahweh's kingdom is at hand, do we know what that kingdom is going to be like?
Absolutely. It's going to include the feasts. Hallelujah! The Torah is going to go forth out of Yerushalayim. Someone asked, "How are we going to get there without airplanes?" I guess that will be Yahweh's job. He'll figure out a way. Maybe we'll carry them on eagles' wings and gather everyone together.
I don't know how it's going to happen, but He says it's going to happen, so it will. Maybe it's something spiritual. Maybe those who are incorruptible will carry those who are corruptible. Wouldn't that be awesome?
I don't see airplanes there. I don't think there will be a Port Jerusalem with Delta and American Airlines flying in, and probably not El Israel either. That's just my opinion.
I don't see any electricity happening.
Zechariah 14:21 -
There's sacrificing going on here, as well. Stan, I'm sorry you found someone that does that, but that's all part of Torah keeping, too, is to be truthful and to walk in truth and purity. You should have been here last week. I don't know if you were. We talked about that some, too.
I'd appreciate if we'd try to withhold comment and questions until the end of the broadcast. That way, I can get through this.
Zechariah 14:21 -
What in the world is sacrificing coming back for? Now that really throws some people off. And even people that keep the feast days a lot of times are of the understanding that the sacrificing is done away with. In Messiah, we don't do that anymore.
We see here, according to these prophecies -- and if you also look in Ezekiel, just read chapter 40 all the way to the end. It becomes very clear there is a multitude of different kinds of sacrifices predicted to come.
While some may think that these things have been permanently abolished. Apparently, James, the apostle, and also Paul didn't think so.
Acts 21:18 - On the following [day] Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
Acts 21:19 - When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which Elohim had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
Acts 21:20 - And when they heard [it], they glorified YAHWEH. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
Acts 21:21 - "but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise [their] children nor to walk according to the customs.
Acts 21:22 - "What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
Acts 21:23 - "Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
Acts 21:24 - "Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave [their] heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but [that] you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
James here was encouraging Paul to go and be purified with four men who had taken a vow, and they were going to shave their heads, in order to prove that he himself also kept the Torah. Interesting. What vow involves the shaving of heads?
If you go back to Numbers 6, we read about the Nazarite vow. We'll see that sacrifices are required as part of that particular ritual of being purified.
We find later in Acts 21 -- I did not quote this last night, and so I'm looking it up now, just in case anyone has any question. Let me find it here.
Acts 21:26 - Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
We see that the offering is made. I know verse 25 mentions about the Gentiles being different. I've already addressed that in another study. We'll explain that another day.
The point I want to make here is that Paul himself went to the temple, and he made an offering or was intending to make an offering with the four men, just as James had said.
Some might wonder, didn't Yahushua fulfill all that? Isn't that already fulfilled in Him? Didn't He become our sacrifice?
Yes, He fulfilled a lot of things. He fulfilled the Torah. He fulfilled the commandment to keep the Sabbath day. He fulfilled the commandments to keep the feast days. He also fulfilled the commandments to love His fellow man. He fulfilled the commandments to speak the truth. He fulfilled the commandment to refrain from adultery and from murder.
He did a lot of things, and He even did sacrifices, if He was a Torah keeper, and we know He was. He fulfilled every commandment there was for Him to keep.
Many of these commandments are pictures and shadows that point to Him. Even baptism, He fulfilled, in order to fulfill all righteousness. But simply because they are fulfilled by Him and that they may point to Him, that doesn't mean that they're abolished or done away with or that you don't do them anymore.
If I was a leader of a nation, and I told everyone that was under me to love one another, but only one person in the whole nation actually did, I'd say, well, he fulfilled my law. That doesn't mean I don't want anyone else to fulfill my law. It just means that only one person actually fulfilled it.
Yahushua fulfilled every command of the Father, where we have filled. That does not mean that since He fulfilled it, we are now free to disobey the Father's commandments. Yahushua's fulfillment of the commands does not take away Yahweh's desire for us to fulfill those commands.
Romans 13:8 - Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Galatians 5:14 - For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
How can we say we don't have to fulfill the law? You mean we don't have to love our neighbor as ourself? You mean we have to ignore the commandment to love Yahweh? No, we are all supposed to be fulfilling the law of Yahweh.
If Yahushua, who is the fulfillment of the law, lives in us, then we're going to walk just as He walked.
1John 2:4 - He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1John 2:5 - But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of Elohim is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
1John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Yahushua wants to do the things in us that He did when He was on the earth. He wants to abide in us, and He wants us to walk just as He walked.
What did He do? He kept every command, including the feast days, including Yom Teruah, Feast of Trumpets, the day of alarm. It's not even we who live anymore. Do we understand that?
Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Elohim, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The things which He did on the earth, we do. Does that mean that we do sacrifices? We know Paul did, and James would have, too, and the other apostles would have done it, as well, since Paul was doing this, in order to prove He kept the Torah.
We don't have a temple standing in Yerushalayim available for us like Paul did with the functioning priesthood. Are we able to bring an offering to Yahweh in the temple? No, we're not, but Paul and James did.
Paul went to go sacrifice as the Torah commanded, to prove to his fellow man that he also kept Yahweh's Torah, His commandments. Some would ask me, "What if the temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem today? Would you go and make offerings?"
My answer to that is I kind of doubt anyone can really prove, by their genealogy, they are sons of Aaron, and so I doubt I would. In fact, my understanding is there's going to be one standing there who will go in the place where he ought not, trying to show himself as Yahweh.
I'd be very, very careful about that. Some would say the old covenant -- this is where they play this division in the body of Messiah card, so to speak -- they say the old covenant is for the Jews, and so they had the temple. Paul and James all had that.
The new covenant was with everyone, not just the Jews, they say. And so we're under the new covenant now, and those old things don't apply anymore. Let's see what the new covenant says.
Jeremiah 31:31 - "Behold, the days are coming, says YAHWEH, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah --
Very interesting. The old covenant is with Israel and Judah. We all know that. And the new covenant is with Israel and Judah -- not the Gentiles -- Israel and Judah. How are you, if you're a Gentile, going to be a part of this covenant, when you're not Israel or Judah? We've got good news for you.
Galatians 3:29 - And if you [are] Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Do we understand this? If we are Yahushua's, if we belong to Him, it's no longer we who live. It's He who lives in us; therefore, we are Abraham's seed, and we are Israel.
Gentiles need to understand something. It is we, who are Gentiles, who join themselves to Israel, not the other way around. The church should not be calling Jews to forsake their heritage and say, "Come to us, the church."
The Jews are already, for the most part, trying to keep Torah, although they tend to follow tradition a lot of times. The way we're going to become one is through Yahushua the Messiah and through the understanding that the Torah ought to be observed. We are all Israel through Him.
The new covenant being with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, we become a part of that through Yahushua the Messiah. Through Him, we are Abraham's seed. We are heirs, according to the promise. Let's look at this new covenant in more detail.
Jeremiah 31:32 - "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them , says YAHWEH.
A very popular theology today among Messianics is that the new covenant is actually not a new covenant at all. They prefer to translate this not as a new covenant, but a renewed covenant. In their view, it's not a new covenant anymore. It's a renewed covenant, which indicates a renewal of an old covenant.
If you're renewing a covenant, like you've got a contract here that expired at some point, and you have to renew it, but that's not true. It's not renewed. It's not a renewal of the old covenant.
It's very clear this scripture declares that this new covenant is not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
It's not according to that covenant, and so it's not a renewal covenant which renews an existing covenant. This covenant is not according to the covenant made when Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.
The Hebrew also, if you look at the Hebrew words here, it supports the fact that the word translated "new" always means new. It never means renewed. In fact, there's another Hebrew word altogether that does mean renewed, but this is not used here.
We are not looking at a renewed covenant. Please remember that. We have to be accurate when we speak. If we're going to come to those who are in Christianity and don't understand the need to walk in the Torah of Yahweh and tell them this is a renewed covenant, they're going to look us up and say no.
They're going to think, on that basis, we are keeping Torah because it's a renewal of the old covenant.
It's not true. What we need to do is recognize this is a new covenant, but it doesn't mean it's a whole different set of laws. It's not a whole different set of laws we're going to follow. This new covenant says:
Jeremiah 31:33 - "But this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says YAHWEH: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.
We know that Yahushua is the mediator of the new covenant. We also know that Yahushua, according to John 1:1,14, is called the Word of Yahweh that was made flesh and dwelt among us.
If this new covenant, of which Yahushua is the mediator, causes the Torah of Yahweh to be written in our inward parts and written on our hearts, it would make perfect sense that it's no longer we who live. It's Yahushua who lives in us.
Yahweh's Torah, Yahweh's Word, believe it or not, that Word of Yahweh includes the Torah -- that's Genesis through Deuteronomy was included -- is written in our hearts, in our inward parts.
In our baptism, we make a statement that we belong to Yahushua, that the old man, the Adam man has passed and died, buried in the water. A new man rises up, a new creation.
Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Messiah; it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Elohim, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
This leads to a very important question. If the symbolic acts that they call shadows, such as sacrifices, feast days, etc., are all done away with under the new covenant, on the basis that they are symbols of our salvation in Yahushua, then why not, under that same premise, do we not abolish baptism?
Baptism is also a symbolic act representing a spiritual event taking place. Just because there is a physical enactment of some kind of thing that we practice physically to represent something going on spiritually, we don't abolish it in Messiah on that basis. Rather, the outward symbol represents Him on the earth as a way to glorify Him.
Baptism is symbolic for the ultimate rebirth that occurs, the old man passing away, the new man rising up. Guess what? That baptism represents the ultimate rebirth when we will be changed and truly born again to something incorruptible.
We accept it by faith now, but ultimately it's fulfilled when Yahushua returns, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
The baptism represents something that's going to happen at the last trump. Do you see how they're both connected to the same event? Why, then, would you not want to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets? Why would we uphold baptism and ignore the Feast of Trumpets like it doesn't even exist?
They're both beautiful symbols and plans that Yahweh has for us. We need to embrace the fullness of both of them, and let it teach us about the wonderful works of Yahweh. Now, although baptism is actually a symbol of our rebirth, which we accept now by faith, there's a time to come when we're truly going to be born of Him, to where we are not corruptible anymore.
We regard that as something that's already done now by faith, but the actual time when it occurs is in the future. We say that we're saved, but really our salvation actually occurs when the last trumpet sounds.
We say that we're born again, but that rebirth actually occurs when the last trumpet sounds, because Yahweh speaks the things which are not yet done as though they are.
In fact, we say we're in a new covenant, but the fullness of the new covenant will not come until the last trumpet sounds. Only then are we going to see the following fulfillment of the new covenant take place.
Jeremiah 31:34 - "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, `Know YAHWEH,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says YAHWEH. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Even so, through the Spirit of Yahweh dwelling in us, Yahushua dwells in us now as a guarantee.
Ephesians 1:13 -
Ephesians 1:14 -
The Spirit of Yahweh dwelling in our hearts is there, number one, because Yahushua dwells there, and in Him is the Spirit of Yahweh, and that Spirit leads us to obedience.
Ezekiel 36:27 - "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do [them].
When the Spirit of Yahweh is there and the Torah is written in our hearts, what's going to happen to us? We're going to begin to walk in the Spirit. We're not going to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We're going to walk in the Spirit.
That reflects obedience. If the Torah is in our hearts, then obedience to the Torah will reflect on the outer layer.
When Yahweh reigns from Tsiyon, Zion, in the 1,000 year reign, Jeremiah 31:34 will take place. Everyone will know exactly who He is, and they're also going to know what His will is, because the law of Yahweh is going to go forth, and people are going to be excited.
They're going to say, "Let's go up to the mountain of Yahweh, because that's where the Torah is going to go forth." The fact that Zechariah 14 speaks of the feasts of Yahweh being kept at that time proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the feasts are not abolished in the new covenant, because the law of Yahweh is going to go forth.
Isaiah 2:3 - Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of YAHWEH, To the house of the Elohim of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of YAHWEH from Jerusalem.
That's where the law is going to come. The law always has, always will teach us His ways and His paths, and we will walk therein. Yahweh seeks to make every one of us one. That's His goal.
Galatians 3:27 - For as many of you as were baptized into Messiah have put on Messiah.
Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yahushua.
Galatians 3:29 - And if you [are] Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Many say we want to be one with the Israelite, because we want to receive those promises given to Israel. Then they want to distance themselves from Israel when it comes to fulfilling the obligations, but we can't do this. We must realize that when Yahushua dwells in us, it's no longer we who live.
It's an Israelite, Yahushua the Messiah, who lives in us. Sin is a transgression of the law.
1John 3:4 - Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Yahweh is going to come at the end of this age, and everyone is going to get baptized. Isn't that exciting? The baptism He's going to give is not going to be a baptism with water. It's going to be a baptism of fire.
Matthew 3:11 - "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:12 - "His winnowing fan [is] in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
This is John the Baptist speaking. Very interesting. Yahushua said He wanted to kindle that fire even then.
Luke 12:49 - "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
Luke 12:50 - "But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!
What is that fire going to do? What is that fire going to do to the ones who do not walk according to the ways of Yahweh, the ones who sin? What's that fire going to do?
Isaiah 66:15 - For behold, YAHWEH will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.
Isaiah 66:16 - For by fire and by His sword YAHWEH will judge all flesh; And the slain of YAHWEH shall be many.
The same fire that destroys the sinners will purify the people of Yahweh.
1Corinthians 3:11 - For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Yahushua Messiah.
If we've laid that foundation, then the things built upon it may not be totally pure, but we ourselves will be saved.
1Corinthians 3:12 - Now if anyone builds on this foundation [with] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
1Corinthians 3:13 - each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
1Corinthians 3:14 - If anyone's work which he has built on [it] endures, he will receive a reward.
1Corinthians 3:15 - If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
The people of Yahweh are purified, not destroyed by the fire.
Zechariah 13:8 - And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says YAHWEH, "[That] two-thirds in it shall be cut off [and] die, But [one]-third shall be left in it:
Zechariah 13:9 - I will bring the [one-third] through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, `This [is] My people'; And each one will say, `YAHWEH [is] my Elohim.'"
His people call on His name. His purified, refined people call on His name, and He responds, "It is my people," and they shall say, "Yahweh is my Elohim."
His people will not be consumed along with those who eat swine's flesh.
Isaiah 66:15 - For behold, YAHWEH will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.
Isaiah 66:16 - For by fire and by His sword YAHWEH will judge all flesh; And the slain of YAHWEH shall be many.
Isaiah 66:17 - "Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, [To go] to the gardens After an [idol] in the midst, Eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together," says YAHWEH.
Wow, I don't want to be doing those things.
Isaiah 66:18 - "For I [know] their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.
Isaiah 66:19 - "I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: [to] Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, [to] the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
Isaiah 66:20 - "Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to YAHWEH out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says YAHWEH, "as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of YAHWEH.
Isaiah 66:21 - "And I will also take some of them for priests [and] Levites," says YAHWEH.
Yes, priests and Levites. All right, going to make some offerings. We should know these things. In fact, Yahweh said, "If my covenant with day and night can be broken, if my covenant can be broken, day and night..."
Jeremiah 33:20 - "Thus says YAHWEH: `If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season,
Jeremiah 33:21 - `then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers.
It's not going to be a covenant that's broken, at least until day and night cease, which the truth is -- I don't mean to get too far off our rabbit trail here, but my own personal thoughts on this is when death is no more, when death is thrown into the lake of fire, then there will be no more sacrifice.
At the end, Messiah will deliver up his kingdom to the Father. I suppose at that time there will be no day or night. The Lamb will be the light, so it kind of fits in.
Priests and Levites for what? Until that time, priests and Levites, sacrifices. As the new heavens and new earth which I will make -- not saying it's there yet. It's saying He's going to make it.
Isaiah 66:22 - "For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me," says YAHWEH, "So shall your descendants and your name remain.
He's not saying He's going to make the new heavens and new earth at this time. He's saying, "Just like the new heavens I'm going to make, your seed and your name is going to stay."
Isaiah 66:23 - And it shall come to pass [That] from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me," says YAHWEH.
Isaiah 66:24 -
New moons, Sabbaths. Where are these people going when they go forth and look upon the carcasses of men that transgressed, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenching, and they're an abhorring to all flesh? Where are they going?
Didn't it just now say all flesh will come to worship before Him on the Sabbath day and on a new moon day? They're going up to worship Yahweh on Shabbat. As they're going forth, they see the carcasses of the men that transgressed, where the worm doesn't die and the fire is not quenched. Yahushua talks about this very time in Mark 9:43-50.
Mark 9:43 - "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched --
Mark 9:44 - "where `Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
Mark 9:45 - "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched --
Mark 9:46 - "where `Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
Mark 9:47 - "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of Elohim with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire --
Mark 9:48 - "where `Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
Mark 9:49 - "For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
Mark 9:50 - "Salt [is] good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."
He's quoting Isaiah 66. He's taking us back to Isaiah 66, this time in the future. We're going to be keeping Shabbat. We're going to be keeping feast days, observing Yom Teruah, the new moon. That's the one day we're commanded to gather. He says have salt in yourselves. What does salt do? Doesn't it preserve? That's one way of looking at it. It seasons, it preserves.
The mainstream churchianity, salt has not preserved the ways of Yahweh. We've got to be that salt that willingly preserves Yahweh's ways, as we present our bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable for His service.
That means we obey His commandments. We are the living Torah on the earth that Yahushua was when He was on the earth. We are the body of the Messiah. We are His representation on the earth; therefore, we are that pleasing offering to Him, seasoned with salt.
Yahweh says all flesh will come to worship before Him on the Sabbath days. The kingdom of Yahweh is within us, and so we keep His Sabbath days. On Yom Teruah, the Feast Trumpets, and the new moons, the Torah will go forth from Yerushalayim.
These truths have been lost in modern religion today, but the day is going to come when the land of three religions will become the land where Yahweh alone is worshipped, and it becomes a dwelling place of Yahweh and His remnant.
Yahweh will flatten everything out, south and west of Jerusalem, and He will dwell on high in Tsiyon, where the Torah will be the standard and rule for all the world.
Yes, Yahweh's law will be the law. No more idols. No more suicide bombers, land for peace deals and futile wars. This is the true kingdom, the kingdom Yahweh speaks about that really, truly is at hand.
If this kingdom truly be within you, let it be known, and don't cleave to the foolish things of this age.
1John 2:15 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1John 2:16 - For all that [is] in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world.
1John 2:17 - And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of Elohim abides forever.
What is the will of Yahweh? If the kingdom of Yahweh is in us, we're going to battle against the things that are contrary. We're going to cleave to Him. We're not even going to love the world and the way it is, or the things that are in it, but the love of the Father is going to be in us.
Let's seek to abide eternally. Let's seek to do the will of Yahweh, living out the kingdom life today, as we're able, so that we may do the will of Yahweh and abide forever.
Psalms 119:105 - NUN. Your word [is] a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
John 8:12 - Then Yahushua spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
He is the Light. He is the Word.
John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim.
Yahushua is the Word. He is the Torah. He is the Light. He didn't come to destroy that light. He is the Light.
Those that believe in Him can have Yahushua, the Light, the Torah, dwelling in them.
2Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves [as to] whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Yahushua Messiah is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified.
We need to have Yahushua shining through us. Let's keep the Torah. Let's not put out the Light, for all that's in the world, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, the pride of life, will be wiped out in one day. Let's not be of it.
If we're of it, we'll be wiped out ourselves. We need to seek righteousness while we're living in this time. Right now, we're in a time of relative rest. Let's spend that time filling our hearts and minds with His Word, practicing doing battle against the enemy in the spiritual realm, so that we might be prepared for the bigger battles that we may face in the days to come.
When we keep His commandments, the coming kingdom of Yahweh is manifested to everyone. Our observances of Yahweh's feasts are a picture of the things that are to come; therefore, let's abide in Him, and let Him abide in us.
John 15:4 - "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:5 - "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:6 - "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:7 - "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
John 15:8 - "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
John 15:9 - "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
John 15:10 - "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
John 15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.
Let's bear much fruit, as we bear in the Messiah. Let's keep His commandments and abide in His love, even as Yahushua kept His Father's commandments and abode in His love.
Through this, the Father is glorified, that the Son abides in you, keeping the commands in you that He kept when He was on the earth.
We cannot bear fruit of ourselves. We need the Light, the Word, the Messiah, the Vine, the Torah living in us.
When His Light, the Word, the Messiah, the Vine, the Torah lives in us, then we will be ready, as a bride adorned for her Husband.
1John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
1John 2:29 - If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
That's what it means to be born again, to be born of Him. Let's be ready to endure the things to come. Let's cleave unto Yahweh our strength. Let's be ready to rule and reign with the Messiah for a thousand years, where the Torah will be called the law of the land, and Yahweh will be King -- not the modern politicians.
Yahweh will be the King. Let's be ready when the last trumpet sounds. May Yahweh bless you, and may He have mercy on us all.
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