Transcript of Sabbath Meeting - 12/03/99

Tonite I would like to deal with the question "Is the law Jewish"?

Many claim that we need not follow the law because it is (in their mind) Jewish

Is this true, is the law really Jewish?

I believe that there are 2 answers to that question, yes and no.

And I believe that it depends on the meaning of the question.

If someone is asking me if the law is 'Jewish', in one sense I would say yes

To be "Jew-ish" in one sense is to be Jew-like. The word "Jew" is derived from "Judah" or .. "Yehudah" in Hebrew

If one were to say that the law is Jewish in that perspective, I would agree for Jews have at least believed in keeping the law/Torah for thousands of years although tradition and Talmud have placed unnecessary things on top of the law.

However, if you were to say that the law is Jewish and this means that it was only given to "Jews", I would like to demonstrate from scripture that this is not true!

I want to ask everyone who shares this opinion to shake loose the traditions of men and please examine the scriptures with me on this issue..

First, let's learn about what "Righteousness" is

From the beginning, Yahweh looked with favor upon the righteous:

Genesis 7:1 - And YAHWEH said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 15:5 - And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Genesis 15:6 - And he believed in YAHWEH; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 18:19 - For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of YAHWEH, to do justice and judgment; that YAHWEH may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Genesis 26:4 - And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Genesis 26:5 - Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Genesis 32:4 - And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my master Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

Psalms 40:10 - I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

Exodus 9:27 - And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: YAHWEH is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

John 17:25 - O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

Deuteronomy 6:25 - And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before YAHWEH our Elohim, as he hath commanded us.

Psalms 19:9 - The fear of YAHWEH is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of YAHWEH are true and righteous altogether.

Psalms 119:123 - Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.

Psalms 119:172 - My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.

Psalms 119:160 - Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

Yahshua agreed

When praying, He said to the Father..

John 17:17 - Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Luke 1:5 - There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

Luke 1:6 - And they were both righteous before YAHWEH, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of YAHWEH blameless.

Now it can be certain that the scriptures teach that the opposite of righteousness is unrighteousness or sin

Romans 6:15 - What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under favor? By no means!!

Romans 6:16 - Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Sin leads to death and obedience leads to righteousness.Here is another verse showing that sin is simply "unrighteousness"

1John 5:17 - All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Well, if obedience to the law is righteousness...then transgression of the law is sin/unrighteousness

With this, scripture agrees

1John 3:4 - Whoever commits sin trangresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.

1John 3:5 - And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

1John 3:6 - Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

1John 3:7 - Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1John 3:8 - He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of YAHWEH was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

1John 3:9 - Whoever has been born of YAHWEH does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of YAHWEH.

1John 3:10 - In this the children of YAHWEH and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of YAHWEH, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Should we only observe the laws that are said to be for Gentiles?

Are the Sabbath, the Feast days and the clean and unclean commandments given to Jews or Israelites only??

Let's examine...

Genesis 7:1 - And YAHWEH said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 7:2 - Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

The answer then MUST be that this is not a Jewish law or doctrine, but this is YAHWEH'S law and doctrine

Yahweh clearly marked the animals at creation so that man could distinguish between the clean and the unclean animals.

For animals, they must have a cloven hoof and chew the cud to be clean.

For fish, they must have fins and scales to be clean.

The remarkable thing about this is that nearly all of the clean animals are vegetarians and nearly all the unclean animals are scavengers and feeders off of the ocean floor, the garbage cleaners of the earth.

Yahweh designed the animals in such a miraculous way, what a blessing!

So this is not a 'Jewish' law, this is Yahweh's law.

What about the Sabbath, is it intended for Jews or Israelites only?

We learn that Yahweh did something else at creation besides marking the animals. He also rested on the seventh day:

Genesis 2:2 - And on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Was it because He was physically tired?

This cannot be, Yahweh does not need to 'rest'. Why then did Yahweh rest?

As an example for us! In the Ten Commandments, which are written in stone by His own finger..Yahweh writes:

Exodus 20:8 - Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Exodus 20:9 - Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Exodus 20:10 - But the seventh day is the sabbath of YAHWEH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exodus 20:11 - For in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YAHWEH blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Some will argue that there is no scripture telling us that the patriarchs kept the Sabbath day

But I assure you there is no scripture telling us that the patriarchs DIDN'T keep the Sabbath day!

In fact, as I stated before.. it was written of Abraham:

Genesis 26:4 - And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Genesis 26:5 - Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

I believe they were passed down from generation to generation and were commonly known in those days.

However, when the children of Israel went into the wilderness, they went into forced labor and this commandment along with many others..was forgotten:

Nehemiah 9:13 - Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

Nehemiah 9:14 - And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:

His Sabbath day had already existed since creation, Yahweh had to make it known to them that they were to be keeping it holy/separate.

So was the Sabbath for Jews or Israelites only? Some might point to this scripture:

Exodus 31:16 - Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

Exodus 31:17 - It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

There are several logical reasons why this cannot be so:

1. It is commonly and rightly taught that all who believe in the Messiah will or presently are under the New Convenant

The new covenant is not for Gentiles!

Jeremiah 31:31 - Behold, the days come, saith YAHWEH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

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 bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith YAHWEH:

Jeremiah 31:33 - But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith YAHWEH, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people.

2. Yahweh plainly says that it is a sign between Him and the children of Israel "Forever".

It is written:

Galatians 3:29 - And if you are the Messiah's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

So was/is the Sabbath for Jews or Israelites only? Not at all, it was kept by Yahweh's true people since the beginning of creation. Yahshua plainly said that His Sabbath was for everyone when He said:

Mark 2:27 - And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

By some interpretations, they would have to correct Yahshua and tell Him He should have said "The Sabbath was made for Jews, not Jews for the Sabbath".

But this is not what Yahshua said

His statement is backed up by scripture. Let's read the 56th chapter of Isaiah:

Isaiah 56:2 - Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

Isaiah 56:3 - Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to YAHWEH, speak, saying, YAHWEH hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

Isaiah 56:4 - For thus saith YAHWEH unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

Isaiah 56:5 - Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 56:6 - Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to YAHWEH, to serve him, and to love the name of YAHWEH, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

Isaiah 56:7 - Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

To be certain, it is written that everyone will be observing His Sabbath day regularly after the resurrection:

Isaiah 66:22 - For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith YAHWEH, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Isaiah 66:23 - And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith YAHWEH.

Not just Israelites or Jews

every Sabbath

Even in the New Testament time period we see that the Gentiles and the Jews were keeping the Sabbath together in the Synagogue

Acts 18:4 - And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Acts 15:19 - Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to YAHWEH:

Acts 15:20 - But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Acts 15:21 - For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

James also stated the same thing in his writings:

James 2:2 - For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

James 2:3 - and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"

I do wonder how many people honestly believe this scripture:

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 the Messiah Yahushua.

Yahweh's law was never meant to be double sided. In fact, Yahweh said on more than one occasion:

Exodus 12:49 - One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Numbers 15:16 - One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

Therefore, I believe all these scriptures prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Yahweh's Sabbaths endure forever and are intended for all mankind, not just Jews

Finally, the Feast days are also meant for all of mankind

Many of the same scriptures that I have shared concerning the weekly Sabbath day would also apply for Yahweh's seven annual Sabbaths

In fact, the first part of Leviticus 23 which outlines all of Yahweh's feast days it says:

Leviticus 23:2 - Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of YAHWEH, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Leviticus 23:3 - Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of YAHWEH in all your dwellings.

This chapter begins a detailed outline of Yahweh's feast days. Apparently, Yahweh's weekly Sabbath is also considered a feast day.

This indicates the unity of all of Yahweh's Sabbaths being important.

There are many scriptures also that indicate His annual Sabbaths are intended for all who join themselves to Yahweh, however with time constraining I want to quote one very clear one:

This is in the context of the great battle against Jerusalem in the end times

Zechariah 14:12 - And this shall be the plague wherewith YAHWEH will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue she will consume away in their mouth.

Zechariah 14:13 - And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from YAHWEH shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

Zechariah 14:14 - And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

Zechariah 14:15 - And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

Zechariah 14:16 - And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, YAHWEH of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:17 - And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, YAHWEH of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

Zechariah 14:18 - And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith YAHWEH will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

If it was never His will for Gentiles to keep the feast days why would Yahweh put plagues on Gentiles for not coming to worship Him and keep the feast?

But these are only a sample of the scriptures that show there is no such thing as a feast intended only for Jews or Israelites. They were and are to be a light unto all nations, calling all people unto Yahweh

Many of us have heard the statements..

"I don't keep the law, it's Jewish"

or

"I don't keep the Sabbath day, it's Jewish"

or

"I don't keep the annual Sabbath/feast days, I'm not Jewish"

Well, I do have some news for you..

We have a Savior who is our ultimate example..and HE is Jewish!

I believe that it is because of bias against the Jews throughout Roman/Greek churchianity that people are saying these things today!

All of Yahweh's commandments intended for Jews are also intended for anyone who wants to be grafted in and join themselves unto Yahweh

Keeping the Sabbath is no more Jewish in that context than keeping oneself from adultery

Must we seek out our lineage now to see if we have any Jewish or Israelite blood and therefore exclude ourselves from needing to keep these commandments?

That's insane!

Forget that! As I often say, walk as Yahshua walked

John 2:1 - And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Yahushua was there:

1John 2:1 - My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Yahushua the Messiah the righteous.

1John 2:2 - And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

1John 2:3 - Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

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 YAHWEH 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.

What we really need to do...

is look at Yahshua's life...

and emulate it...

in doing so..

it is not we who do it..

but it is He doing it in us..

just as He did on earth.

May His Spirit of truth and love and righteousness abide in us forever..

and may Yahweh bless you all!