Tag Archives: Yeshua

Jesus is LORD [Yeshua is Yehovah]

God's Name, Peter's blogs, , ,

Yeshua is YehovahSo that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ [Yeshua the Messiah] is Lord [YHVH], to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:10-11

In previous postings on the Name of the sovereign God of the universe, YHVH [Yehovah], I talked about the importance of knowing and speaking His Name, as well as the sad history of the silencing of God’s Name for the past 2300 years. If you recall from those blogs, after the return from exile in Babylon, priests of the Second Temple era decided that God’s name was too holy to pronounce, and they banned the speaking of the Name among the common Jewish people (the priests still knew how to pronounce the Name).

In this blog, I continue this history up into the New Testament period and show how there was even further obfuscation of the Name leading up to the time of Yeshua’s first coming. The first translation of the Old Testament [Tanach] into Greek was the Septuagint, which was completed in 132 BCE. By this time, it was well established that the Name of YHVH was not to be written in any texts (even within Greco-Roman writings). Since the Jews had already been substituting Adonai (Lord) for YHVH, the Septuagint scribes continued the same tradition. When more modern English translators strove to come up with translations that were more faithful to the original Hebrew Tanach Scriptures, they reverted the references to God’s Name (as opposed to His holy title of Lord) back to “LORD”, leaving the other references as “Lord”. Thus, we have a clear way to distinguish God’s Name (YHVH) from his title (Lord) in the Old Testament Scriptures.

When the translators of the Greek New Testament translated the Greek into Latin and modern languages such as English, though, they could not distinguish between the references to the Name YHVH and Lord (as a title). Both words are written as Kurios in Greek. What we have in the New Testament, then, are many verses that are ambiguous as to which meaning is being expressed, God’s Name or His title. I want to focus here on the places in the New Testament where Yeshua is referred to as Lord. Many times this truly is a holy title given to our Messiah and Savior. However, there are quite a few places where Yeshua is being addressed by the Name of God Almighty, YHVH [Yehovah].

Some of the most obvious references to Yeshua as YHVH are quotes or paraphrases of Old Testament verses. The most vivid example of this is the Scripture quoted at the top of this blog, Philippians 2:10-11. Just before this passage (vv. 6-8), the author is saying that Yeshua did not take advantage of the fact that He was in His very nature part of the Godhead, but lowered Himself to be born as a human and then of His own will gave up His life to die on a cross. Then in Verse 9, Sha’ul says that Abba Father gave Him the Name that is above every name. Believers in Yeshua, having the English translations available to them for the New Testament, have always assumed that this Name above all names is Jesus [Yeshua]. However, remember that Yeshua was the name given to the Son of God when He was born on Earth as a human – this name represents His mission, since Yeshua means salvation or deliverance.

Here are a few other verses where it speaks of Yeshua as Lord (which should have been translated as LORD [YHVH]:

  • Rom 10:9-10: ..if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [YHVH] and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
  • I Cor 12:3: and no one can say “Jesus is Lord [YHVH]” except in the Holy Spirit.
  • Matt 23:39: [Yeshua said to the people on “Palm Sunday”] – for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord [YHVH]!’

Some of these verses include quotes or paraphrases from the Old Testament:

  • Phil 2:10-11 was patterned after Isa 45:3: That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess. They shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord [YHVH] I have righteousness and strength.
  • Matt 23:39 was a direct quote from Psalm 118:26 (with LORD in all caps): Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord [YHVH]!

You’re probably asking yourself at this stage – so what is the point of all this? Here’s the bottom line – Jesus [Yeshua] was the Messiah’s name when He was on the Earth fulfilling prophecy as our Savior, but His eternal name is the same as the Father’s – YHVH or Yehovah! He is one of the three persons of the Godhead. He existed from the beginning and was there directing the Creation of the universe along with Abba and the Holy Spirit (John 1:3). To know Yehovah the Father is to know Yehovah the Son and Yehovah the Ruach HaKodesh – they are one [echad] in Spirit but different in character and roles.

[We usually address people by using formal titles (Mr, Mrs, Doctor, and so forth) when we don’t know them well, of if they are entitled to a higher level of respect. Only when we have established some degree of intimacy, do we begin calling people by their given names.] For example, if we are Yeshua’s servants, we would call Him Master; but we are His friends so we call Him by His name, Yehovah. If you want to draw even closer to our Creator, Redeemer, Miracle-Worker, and Lord, call on His Name and you will be able to speak to any or all of the holy and awesome persons of the Godhead who created and love us!

Become an Overcomer

Peter and Nancy's Blogs, Spiritual Maturity, , , ,

soar high on eagle's wingsThe one who overcomes, I will grant to them to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Rev 3:21).

Several passages in Scripture stress the importance of being overcomers, but exactly what does that mean?   At first glance, it seems a fairly simple thing to be an overcomer. For example, we read in 1 John 5:4,5:  For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus [Yeshua] is the Son of God?

It might seem that all we need is faith that Yeshua is the Son of God. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we have been delivered by grace through faith and that even our faith is a gift. This is all true (for Scripture does not lie). However, it is not the complete picture. Faith is more than a sentiment or a creed. Our faith must lead to action. Faith is a gift, but it matters greatly what we do with that gift.

Consider Yeshua’s words in Matthew 25:14-30. We believe that one of the “talents” we have been given is faith. We have also been given other gifts or “talents” corresponding with the purpose YHVH has for each of us in building His kingdom. It is not acceptable for us to bury our gift of faith or let it lay sleeping on a pew. Our faith must spur us into action.

Our faith begins inside, but it should at some point manifest outside as well. Are we becoming more like Yeshua in our attitudes and actions?  2 Corinthians 5:10 shows us that we are accountable: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ [Messiah], so that each one may be recompensed for their deeds in the body, according to what they have done, whether good or bad.”

So how do we become more like Yeshua? One clear statement is in Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [soul]…”.  The concept of renewing our minds seems abstract and difficult to accomplish.  Several Scriptures help clarify this process: Ezra 10:11 – Honor the LORD [YHVH]…and do His will. Separate yourselves from the [worldly] people around you…; Ephesians 5:17 – Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is; I Peter 1:14 – As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance;  and          I John 2:15 – Do not love the world or anything in the world…

Psalm 103:5 tells us that: [YHVH] contents you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

What does it mean that our youth will be renewed like an eagle’s? An eagle can live up to 70 years, but only if at age 40 the eagle makes a very difficult decision. The eagle has to subject itself to a painful transformation. By age 40, the eagles talons are overgrown and inflexible, the feathers weigh down its wings, and its beak is too bent to be useful. So, over a period of 150 days, the eagle must pluck out beak, talons, and feathers and wait for replacement parts to grow in. He cannot eat and he is completely defenseless. If at any time, the eagle decides that this process is too troublesome, it can give up, but it will die. However, if the eagle persists and “overcomes,” it can regain its youth and live for another 30 years.

What about us? We also must make tough decisions and endure sometimes painful transformations. We must turn our backs on much that might seem desirable in this world and focus on our future with Yeshua. We may be asked to give up everything, even our lives. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Rev 12:11). However, if we overcome, we will have more than just an extra 30 years of life. We will have eternal life with YHVH. However, we will have much more than that, more than we can imagine.

He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (Rev 3:5).

He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; (Rev 2:26)

Follow the World or YHVH?

Macabbees, Peter and Nancy's Blogs, , , , , ,

do not worship their godsIn this second blog of our series on Chanukah and the Maccabbees, we show the distinction between the people of Israel who were staying faithful to YHVH’s appointed times and commandments, and those who were following the pagan ways of the Greeks and Romans. In our previous blog (The Mighty Power of YHVH), we saw that Onias, the high priest of the Jews, stayed faithful to YHVH’s Laws, even when Simon, an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin plotted with the king to confiscate money from the Temple treasury that was designated for widows and orphans. When the Israelites prayed fervently, YHVH showed great signs and thwarted the intentions of the pagan government to keep the Temple from being defiled.

In II Maccabees 4, Onias’ brother Jason betrayed Onias by telling lies about him and even claiming that he had plotted against the government. He then became the High Priest deceitfully by offering large sums of silver and gold to the king.  He even offered additional silver to build a gymnasium beneath the Temple, and convinced the people to use this pagan facility for nude games in the style of the Greeks. He encouraged the people to follow Greek customs that were contrary to the Law [Torah] and even the priests lost interest in Temple services and sacrifices and would rush off to participate in the games that were forbidden by the Law (II Maccabees 4:14). The people stopped keeping the Feasts and Sabbaths and kept Greek celebrations instead.

Jason was so corrupt that he sent men to the “games” in Tyre with a large amount of silver for a sacrifice to the pagan god Hercules (II Maccabees 4:18-19). Once the Jews moved into actively participating in the ways of the world instead of YHVH’s ways, things went downhill for them very quickly. As recounted in Maccabees 6, There was dissension and jealously among the priests and Jewish leaders, and they killed and bore false testimony to the king about each other, until finally the king decided to become more vindictive about having the Jews abandon their Feasts and Sabbaths, and he defiled the Temple by dedicating it to their chief god, Zeus.

Jason had started the downward spiral of the Jews into the abominations that were committed in the following months. The verse in II Maccabees 4:17 gives the reason for the serious judgments against the Jews that followed their disobedience: “It is a serious thing to disregard God’s Law”. Persecution increased greatly from this time forward, and the Greeks defiled the Temple by holding drinking parties and conducting their immoral sexual rituals with prostitutes there. The altar was filed with unclean animal sacrifices. King Antiochus then prohibited the Jews from keeping their Sabbaths and Feasts, and forced them to eat unclean meats that were sacrificed to the false gods. “Then, during the festival in honor of the wine god Dionysus, they were required to wear ivy wreaths on their heads and march in procession” (II Maccabees 6:7). From this time on, as described in II Maccabees 6:9, the Greek leaders “were told to put to death every Jew who refused to adopt the Greek way of life”.

When Onias was high priest, the people kept the Torah. However, our suspicion is that they were more into following the leaders than they were truly seeking YHVH and His ways. When Jason unjustly replaced Onias, many of the Jews were all too ready to follow him into every type of evil and apostasy. When we look at our modern times, we see that most people (Christian, Messianic or otherwise) tend to follow the ways and customs of the world’s culture, rather than seeking to follow God’s ways and keep His appointed times.

Many today do not realize that they are fighting a battle. Even those who do often fail to recognize that the battle is spiritual. Many followers of Yeshua do not understand the spiritual realm and do not operate in the spirit. However, there is no excuse for ignorance since we have ready access to many versions of Scripture and study tools. We also have the Holy Spirit to guide us.   We must not blindly follow human leaders, but must realize that we as individuals are accountable to YHVH for our choices.

The most glaring examples of this relate to the holidays of Christmas and Easter. Our ancestors celebrated these holidays and many continue to follow suit. When we look at the ancient pagan celebrations, the birth of their chief gods was always celebrated on December 25th. These gods include Zeus/Jupiter, Dionysus/Bacchus, Hercules, Tammuz, Apollo, Mithras, Sol Invictus and others. Birthday celebrations for these pagan gods date back to the time of Nimrod, who was alleged to be Tammuz’ father. Note that Zeus, Dionysus, and Hercules were all being worshiped by the Greeks, and then were adopted by the Jews as part of their apostasy. YHVH established seven feasts to point to the work of His Son. We sin against YHVH when we seek to “honor” Him by celebrating holidays that have always been an abomination to Him. Many try to justify celebrating Yeshua during these pagan holidays, but to mix the pagan and the sacred is an even worse abomination to YHVH. We must not yield to the predominating culture any more than the Jews should have yielded to the predominating Greek culture of their day.

We know that HaSatan attracts followers by counterfeiting the true God. From pagan beliefs, we see a counterfeit parallel between the Greek god Dionysus (Roman god Bacchus) and Yeshua. Dionysus was purported to have been born of a virgin (Ishtar/Isis), son of the heavenly father (Zeus), performed miracles such as turning water into wine (he is the god of wine), died and was raised again on the 3rd day (on March 25th), was identified with the lamb, and given titles such as: “only begotten son“, “king of kings”, “god of gods”, “sin bearer”, “redeemer“,  “anointed one” and “the alpha and omega“.

We do not have space for full discussion here, but many of the other rituals and symbols of Christmas and Easter (whose name comes from Ishtar) originated from pagan rituals and symbols. The wreath comes from the wreath worn at pagan sports celebrations, the tree comes from a pagan ceremony at the time of Nimrod, which claimed that the resurrected Nimrod returned each year to leave gifts under a decorated tree. Read Jeremiah 10 if you want to find out what YHVH says about cutting down and decorating trees for pagan celebrations, and Jeremiah 44:17-19 to read God’s admonition against worshiping the Queen of Heaven (Ishtar in pagan lore).

Armed with this knowledge, how does this affect your view of the main Christian holidays, and more importantly, what does it say to your heart about keeping YHVH’s Feasts and Sabbaths and not the festival celebrations of the world? As we read the story of the Maccabees, it is easy to condemn the Jews who strayed from Yehovah’s commands. Are we guilty of the same thing?

”You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD [YHVH] hates they have done for their gods…” (Deut 12:31).

Trees of Righteousness

Peter's blogs, Spiritual Maturity, , , ,

trees of righteousness,

Have you ever wondered how we as humans can be compared to trees? There are a number of places in Scripture where it speaks of people of us as trees (e.g. Ps 1:3, 92:12; Isa 61:3), or our actions as representing the attributes of trees. In Isaiah 61:3, the prophet says that when we are brought back out of grief and mourning into praise and joy, that we resemble trees of righteousness. Psalm 92:2 says that the righteous will flourish like palm trees, and Psalm 1:3 says that when a person delights in YHVH’s Word, then they shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…and whatever they do will prosper.

In Proverbs 15:4 YHVH says that our tongue is like a tree of life when we speak gentle words to people. Proverbs 3:18 states that when we embrace YHVH’s wisdom in our lives, we are blessed with happiness and YHVH’s wisdom is like a tree of life to us. In Proverbs 11:30, we learn that when we are walking a righteous path of life, the fruit of the Spirit is a “tree of life“, and we exhibit wisdom when we are winning souls into YHVH’s Kingdom.

What is it that is so significant about trees and that we are like them? Botany and anatomy show us that human skeletons are constructed similar to trees, where our backbone is the trunk that holds our bodies upright and allows us to walk and move about without discomfort or pain. Beyond this obvious physical comparison, though, Scripture says that when we are rooted and grounded in YHVH’s Word, we will be like trees planted firmly in the love of Messiah, with the promised blessing that we will “be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:17-19).

How do we become like trees of righteousness? After Adam and Eve [Chavah] were cast out of the Garden for their disobedience, angels were placed all around the Tree of Life so that they could not eat from it. It is no coincidence that Yeshua was crucified on a tree. Through His righteous atonement, He allowed us to be righteous and holy before Abba Father, just as we were told to be like trees of righteousness in Isaiah 61:3. When we believe and accept Yeshua’s precious gift, we become righteous like Him.

Yeshua’s atonement provides our new life in Him: “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The tree features prominently in the Gospel story, and Yeshua brings righteousness to us through His unswerving obedience to the Father and His willingness to give His life for those who hated and persecuted Him.

When Yeshua spoke to the congregations through John in Revelation 2, He told them that although they had been diligent in doing YHVH’s works, they had lost their first love (Himself). But then He promised that “the one who overcomes I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev 2:7). Since the time of Adam and Chavah, people had been expelled from the Garden and from being able to eat of the Tree of Life, but in the Millennial Kingdom, the paradise of God will be re-established. Those who keep YHVH’s commandments will “have the right to the tree of life..” (Rev 2:14)

There will be a physical Tree of Life in YHVH’s future Kingdom, which will bear different fruit every month, and its leaves will be for the healing of the nations. However, we believe that Yeshua will be the ultimate Tree of Life who will dwell at the center of the true “paradise of God”. He is the Seed, Root, Trunk, Branches, and Fruit that come from heaven. The first Adam (in the Garden of Eden paradise) lost access to God because of his sin, but the last Adam reclaimed our access by means of His obedience, resisting the power of evil even to the point of death upon the tree (Phil 2:8). His resurrection life is the “firstfruits” of all who put their trust in Him; “For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah Yeshua shall all be made alive” (I Cor 15:22). Those who have put their trust in Yeshua and continue to keep His commandments to the end will be made alive in Him and will spend eternity in Paradise with Him. Will you be one of those blessed people?

Is that a Bear, a Dipper, or a Sheepfold in the Sky?

Gospel in the Stars, Peter's blogs, , , ,

one flock one shepherd

We spoke in a previous blog about the Gospel message written in the heavens. When Abba took Abraham outside and showed him the stars, He said “look towards heaven, and tell the stars, if you will be able to list them; and He said to him, ‘So shall your seed be’” (Gen 15:5). As a refresher, the word that is translated tell is actually the same word used for taking a census, and means that Abba not only counted the stars for Abraham, but He told him their names! Similarly in Psalm 147:4, David says of YHVH: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name”.

As we look out across the night sky, one of the most recognizable constellations is the Big Dipper (and its cousin the Little Dipper). These two constellations are in the Zodiac sign commonly referred to us as Cancer. However, it is very misleading to portray this sign as a crab, as the ancient Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Latin, and Greek names for this sign have similar meanings: “to bind together”, “holding” and “encircling”. There was no ancient Hebrew word for crab, as it would have just been included in the general category of unclean creatures not fit for eating. In the center of this sign is a very bright cluster of stars, whose ancient name was Praesepe, which means a multitude or offspring. The names of some of the brightest stars in Cancer have the meanings of: “sheltering”, “hiding place”, “assembled thousands”, and “lambs”. When we put all of these names together, we get a picture of this sign as the fold or sheltering place for a large multitude of lambs.

The first of the three constellations within this sign is the so-called “Little Dipper” or “Little Bear” (Ursa Minor). Once again we see many wide-ranging names, images and descriptions of this constellation. Most of the mistakes in interpreting Ursa Minor stem from the source of these names – all the modern-day names are based on the mythological foundation of the star-picture interpretations. All of these are based on pagan gods and were later inventions which began during the time of Nimrod following the great Flood. As we did with the sign of Cancer, we return to the ancient names for the constellations and the stars within them. In the companion constellation, the “Big Dipper”, the brightest star is named dohver in Hebrew, which means “fold” as in sheepfold. It is also translated as rest or security in the Scriptures, and in Judges 5:16 as sheepfolds. This tells us that both the Big Bear/Dipper and Little Bear/Dipper are actually representing sheepfolds! Part of the confusion may be between dohv and dohver in Hebrew (and also in Arabic): dohv means bear whereas dohver means fold.

The major stars in these two constellations, where ancient names have been preserved, help to confirm their meaning as the lesser and greater sheepfolds of the Messiah: “awaiting Him who comes”, “the redeemed assembly”, “the traveling company”, the “stronghold of the saved” and the “flock”. What is the distinction then between the lesser and greater sheepfold? The greater sheepfold (Ayish in Hebrew) is referred to in Job 9:9 and 38:31-32. It is generally translated as “the Bear with her cubs”. However, in other places in the Scriptures, Ayish is sometimes translated as “moth” or “butterfly”, which is in line with our sacrificed Redeemer, Yeshua the Messiah, whose body was transformed into a glorified body in His resurrection and ascension. We know from YHVH’s promises in His word that Yeshua will return to gather together His children. The remnant that He will gather will be his flock from both the lesser and greater sheepfolds.

Based on many ancient star-names, we believe that the lesser sheepfold will consist of the physical children of the tribes of Israel; not only the Jews but the remnant of all 12 tribes of Israel gathered from throughout the Earth. The greater sheepfold, then, will be the remainder of the multitude of people from the nations who believe and trust in Yeshua as their Messiah, Lord, Savior and Deliverer. Only YHVH knows which fold we are associated with, or whether we are part of His flock at all. I want to be part of this remnant flock. Whether I am from the lesser or greater sheepfold does not matter; Yeshua Himself said: “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd”. (John 10:16) I pray that we as believers in Yeshua will all be part of His flock, and not worry about which fold we are gathered from.

Our Strength in Battle

God's Strength & Character, Peter's blogs, ,

be strong

“…Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

This verse from Joshua along with Deuteronomy 20:1-4 are well-known battle verses, meant to encourage troops before they head off into conflict. However, what about the daily battles we face, which are not usually against flesh and blood but rather against spiritual enemies and people who are influenced by spiritual forces (demons) from the kingdom of darkness?

Psalm 144:1 contains an even stronger verse relating to preparation for battle: – “Blessed be the Lord [YHVH] my Rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle—“. When we look further down in this passage, though, we see that David is talking about spiritual warfare as much as physical combat. In Verses 7-8 he says: “Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks lying words, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.” We see from these verses that David is not getting training in face-to-face physical combat techniques so much as he is learning to trust YHVH his Rock in all situations, knowing that Yehovah will be fighting alongside him and rescuing him from the enemy’s attacks.

Where then do David and other warriors get their courage and strength? Looking back at the Joshua 1 passage once again, we see that Joshua is told to be strong and courageous, but not because of his own prowess or battle-worn experience. He is told that Yehovah will be with him in the battles, and because of that he does not need to fear. In 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 King Hezekiah says: “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord [YHVH] our God, to help us and to fight our battles…” Verse 8 clearly states that their army is greater than the army of Assyria, but not because of physical numbers. Rather, their strength and numbers are bolstered by having God Himself with them. In fact, God is not only with them, but He is fighting the battles for them!

If we need YHVH to be with us when we fight the physical and spiritual battles of life, then how do we ensure that YHVH is with us? The answer is in a single word, trust. It sounds simple, but it requires us to trust YHVH with our life, which is not simple. We learn this deep level of trust day-by-day by experiencing YHVH’s Hand of victory throughout the trials and conflicts of our lives. One of the clearest testimonies to trusting YHVH is in 2 Chronicles 14:11 when Asa cried out to YHVH and said, “LORD [YHVH], it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let people prevail against You!”

Another example of this type of unquestioning trust is in Exodus 33:15-16 when Moses says to YHVH: “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?” In this statement to YHVH, Moses is saying that he knows they will not be successful if YHVH does not go with them, and the Israelites will not have the testimony that they cannot succeed without YHVH.

So, where did these leaders find the strength to go out before their enemies, knowing their armies were physically inferior and that they did not have the courage and strength in themselves to be victorious? They found their strength in YHVH. There are many verses in the Torah, Psalms and Prophets that talk about people putting all their trust in YHVH’s strength. In fact they say that YHVH is their strength (Ex 15:2, Ps 18:2; 19:4; 118:14, Isa 12:2, etc.). I believe David sums this up in Psalm 27:1: “…The LORD [YHVH] is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1) Even Sh’aul came to this conclusion in all his struggles when YHVH said to him: “…‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness’.” (2 Cor 12:9)

I aspire to have this kind of trust, where I have no anxiety or fear when I am going through the severe trials of life; only believing that YHVH will get me through those trials and that He will give me the victory over whatever enemy I am facing, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. My desire is that you will also learn to have this type of unwavering trust in YHVH, the Creator of the universe, and in His Son, Yeshua our Redeemer.

When Yeshua Returns

Feasts of YHVH, Nancy's blogs, Peter and Nancy's Blogs, Peter's blogs, , , , ,

when Yeshua returns

Is it Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah?  What is the meaning of blood moons?  Is this the beginning of the Jubilee of Jubilees? There are currently numerous arguments and speculations concerning the fall feasts and current events.  As we reviewed the Scriptures (Lev 23:23-25, 25:8, Num 29:1) on keeping the feast of Yom Teruah, we began asking questions during our praise and worship time with YHVH.

The Bible indicates that this fall feast is provided so that we may rehearse the sounding of the trumpets as a warning to look inwardly to ensure that we know and are keeping YHVH’s commandments (Neh 8:2-6).  Yom Teruah is not the beginning of another year, but it may signal a new beginning yet to come, the release of all the inhabitants of the land (Lev 25:8-10).  Scripture teaches us that every seven years (smitah) the land must be rested and anyone in the tribes of Israel was to be released from indentured servitude.  Every fifty years is a jubilee (juval) when all debts are forgiven and everything in Israel is restored and every person in Israel is released.  Any land sold to another tribe is to revert back to the original tribe.  All people in Israel are to be set free (Lev. 25:10).  According to the reckoning of others, the next Jubilee will be the 70th Jubilee. Since years were lost during the Babylonian exile, how do we determine which is the correct year to celebrate it?  How will we know?

As we reviewed the Scriptures on Yom Teruah, the shmitah and Jubilee, we began asking questions about how to correctly celebrate the appointed times and how to best understand current events.  We believe that the Holy Spirit provided the following explanation.  Yeshua will return amid the blowing of trumpets and shofars on the Yom Teruah before we are to celebrate the Jubilee of Jubilees (70th Jubilee).  It is Messiah Himself Who will announce release to all the inhabitants not only of Israel, but all the earth.  The King of Kings will judge His enemies and provide covering for His sheep on Yom Kippur.  Our spiritual enemies will be confined for 1,000 years and we will be released from their torment.  There will be joyous celebration and Yeshua will celebrate with us!  We will then know it is time to blow the shofar on Yom Kippur to indicate the Jubilee of Jubilees.  The first time Yeshua came was to provide atonement and a way for us to be released from slavery to the enemy (salvation and deliverance).  The second time, Yeshua will take captive our enemies, both human and spiritual, and remove them from our presence.

We know from Scripture that Yeshua will return to a desolated world (Matt 24:29).  We also know from Scripture that Israel is not to plant or harvest during a shmitah or Jubilee year.  So, if there is much destruction in the land, how will people eat?  Scripture tells us that Israel’s former enemies and oppressors will come bearing many gifts (Is 60:11).  We believe these will be mainly people from the enemy nations who were not personally guilty of oppression against Israel.  We believe the remnants of the enemy nations will be eager to reconcile with Yeshua and with Israel.  Just as the Israelites took possession of Canaan and enjoyed the products of others’ labors, the inhabitants of Israel will now have the products of their enemies’ labors delivered to their doorstep (Is 60:5).

It is useless for us to try to mesh current events and Scriptural prophecy to fit into our own time frame as many people are doing now.  The one thing we know for sure is that YHVH is in control and will do all that He has promised in His own way and in His own time.  It is not our job to predict or even speculate how everything will play out.  It is our job to be working in the harvest and doing our individual assignments from YHVH.  Then, when Yeshua returns, He will find the faithful servants He expects to find (Matt 24:45-51).  What will you be doing when Yeshua returns?

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  I am the [alef] and the [tav}, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

 Blessed are those who do [téreó, meaning to keep, guard or observe] His commandments [entolé],  that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city (Rev 22:12-14).

Where do we look on Yom Teruah?

Feasts of YHVH, Peter's blogs, , , ,

blowing of trumpets

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky: all the tribes of the Land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with tremendous power and glory. He [Messiah] will send out His angels with a great trumpet [shofar] blast; and they will gather together His chosen people from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Yeshua tells us in Matthew 24:30-31 (CJB) that in the last days, He [Messiah] will sound a great shofar, and send out His angels to gather His Body from all the ends of the Earth. YHVH has provided the Feast of Trumpets [Yom Teruah] as a rehearsal to help us prepare for this great End Times event.

When you see phrases like the “blowing of the trumpets” or “loud shouting”, these are translated from the same Hebrew word, Teruah, which simply means a loud noise. One of my favorite uses of this word in Scripture relates to the moving of the Ark of the Covenant in II Samuel 6:15: “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of YHVH with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet [shofar]”. This same event was described in I Chronicles 15:28: “So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of YHVH with shouting, to the sound of the ram’s horn [shofar], trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.” In both descriptions, you see the combination of loud shouting and the blowing of the Shofar, which both come from the word Teruah. An occasion like the moving of the Ark elicited many loud sounds from the people in the procession, both from instruments and with their voices raised in praise to Yehovah.

There are many other passages in Scripture that tell us how the Shofar is used: as a wake-up call to turn people back to YHVH (Jer 6:17, Eze 33:3-6), a call to battle (Isa 18:3, Jer 4:19, Josh 6, Judges 7), or the announcement of an appointed time with Yehovah (Ex 19:16-19, Lev 23:23-25, Num 29:1). These last two verses refer to the blowing of the Shofar and “loud shouting” on the Feast of Yom Teruah, or the Day of the Blowing of Trumpets.

Going back to the original Hebrew, a better translation of Numbers 29:1 would be: “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy rehearsal. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets”. Leviticus 23:24 could also be more accurately translated as: “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of trumpets, a holy rehearsal”. Why would this and other Fall Feasts be described as rehearsals? Most likely because the Fall Feasts have not yet been fulfilled. Putting all these Scriptures together, it seems clear that Yom Teruah will find its ultimate fulfillment in the “great shofar blast” described in Isaiah 27:13 (and quoted by Yeshua in Matthew 24:31): “And in that day a great trumpet [shofar] will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship YHVH on the holy mountain at Jerusalem”.

So, what does all this mean to us as the Body of Messiah? No matter whether or not end times prophecy is fulfilled this year and this is indeed the Great Shofar blast that signals the return of Yeshua to reign on the Earth, the blowing of the Shofar on Yom Teruah is nevertheless very significant for believers. Yom Teruah is always meant to be a special time of awakening for our souls and repentance for our hearts so that we are prepared to be received by Yeshua as the Bride of Messiah when He returns. So on this Yom Teruah, we need to look at our inner selves and take stock of how we are doing at lining up our souls with our born-again spirits (Rom 12:2). I know I have areas that need work based on my report card – how about you?

Accepting the Gifts

Nancy's blogs, , , , , , , , ,

on the crossHow many people on earth need salvation through Yeshua? Are there certain categories that are exempt? No, for we read in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Every human born on this earth with the exception of the one perfect human, Yeshua, is in need of redemption through Yeshua’s blood so that we can be restored to relationship with YHVH (2 Cor 5:18).

How many people on earth are in need of the baptism of the Holy Spirit? All of us (Matt 3:11, Acts 1:4-5). We need to be fully equipped with all that the Holy Spirit brings to us if we are to be effective workers in YHVH’s harvest.

How many people on earth are in need of deliverance from the oppression and bondage of demons? Is it not all of us? This is the gift that is most often rejected. The most prevalent argument against deliverance for believers in Yeshua is that the Holy Spirit and demons cannot dwell in the same place. How many Christians and Messianic believers, whether water baptized, baptized in the Holy Spirit or baptized in both, are still sinning? If sin dwells in us alongside the Holy Spirit, then so can demons dwell in us and keep us in bondage.

In the deliverance sessions where we have assisted, we are continually astounded at how much damage has been inflicted on people who outwardly seem to be perfectly normal.  In our put-on-a-brave-front society, no one would ever suspect the misery and torment that these individuals are experiencing.

Yeshua announced His mission by reading Isaiah 61 verse 1 and part of verse 2. When comparing the words in Isaiah 61:1 with the recounting of Yeshua addressing the members of the synagogue in Nazareth, we see that a line has been added.

 “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (Is 61:1 NKJV)

 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed; (Luke 4:18 NKJV)

The Orthodox Jewish Bible also records the same addition in Luke 4:18.  Also, the OJB not only makes reference to Isaiah 61:1, but to Isaiah 58:6 as well.

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6 NKJV)

The extra line in Luke 4:18 is talking of spiritual blindness.  Before Peter and I were set free from bondage, we suspected that perhaps something was not quite right with us, but we did not recognize the demons who oppressed us.  However, during the deliverance session, when the Holy Spirit gave our deliverance team revelation, our spiritual eyes started to open. Only after Peter and I were set free from our own bondage to demons, did we began to recognize and understand just how insidious bondage to demons is.

We know that we are called to be faithful witnesses and effective harvest workers as the evil around us becomes more evident. We need to be released from all the bonds with which the enemy afflicted us while we were still members of the kingdom of darkness.  If Yeshua came to set us free from bondage, why do we refuse His precious gift?

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim 2:24-26).

“Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness” (Rom 6:16)?

Stand Firm in Love (Part 2)

Peter's blogs, Spiritual Maturity, , ,

Let all you do be done with love

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” I Corinthians 16:13-14

Last week, I focused on Verse 13 above as I spoke about holding fast to our convictions when we know they are clear instructions from YHVH’s word. In Part 2 this week I will focus on the second part of this passage above, which says that everything we do should be done in love. From I Corinthians 13 Verse 2 we know that even if we are working miracles through Holy Spirit gifts and have greater faith than the Apostles, “so that we could remove mountains, but have not love, we are nothing”.

The same adage goes for mentoring and discipling other believers – if we are not “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15), then we are better off not speaking at all. Whenever the Holy Spirit puts on our heart that we are to speak with someone, our words need to be spoken “with grace, seasoned with salt, that we may know how we ought to answer each one” (Col 4:6).

When we put this together with Verse 13 above, it means that we are to stand firm in our convictions and not be swayed by the world’s compromise with YHVH’s word, but when we do speak out we need to be sensitive to the beliefs and feelings of others. Does this sensitivity to their beliefs mean that we are to be silent and avoid delicate topics like homosexuality? No, most certainly not! If we were silent, then we would no longer be watchman for YHVH’s Word to others in the world.

So how do we keep the delicate balance between offending people (even friends and family) and speaking the truth in love? Actually, we cannot avoid offending people when we speak God’s truth.  Didn’t Yeshua say:”And blessed is the one who is not offended because of Me” (Matt 11:6), and then: “…you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Luke 21:17). Many people were offended by Yeshua’s words, and He told His disciples (including us) that we would be hated when we speak His words and His name.

I believe we need to state the Godly convictions we stand on and why we are so passionate about them. This way, the person will not think we are judging them, and we will not so easily repel them with our strong words. We need to come from the perspective that we love God and want to follow His instructions because He first loved us, and because He made the most incredible sacrifice of all time for us. He hung on a tree for us when we were still sinners and didn’t deserve His love or His sacrifice.

It is only God’s amazing love that will draw people to Him. Until people understand the depth of Yehovah’s love and concern for them as individuals, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with them, there is no hope that they will listen to more serious matters. Once they reach this understanding in their heart, then you can gently start speaking to them about obedience and being pleasing to God in the way they live their lives.

Unless we speak to people out of love, we are like clanging symbols: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (I Cor 13:1-2) When we share the truth with others, we must season our words with grace so that we allow Abba Father to draw them to Yeshua and the Holy Spirit to convict them in their sinful lifestyle. Then the door is open for us to disciple them and pray with them so that they want change their lifestyle so that they can be pleasing to Yehovah.

We need to look at our heart motives behind our words. When we approach people about their lifestyle or behavior, do we come to them with an air of superiority or self-righteousness, or do we come to them with humility, speaking the truth to them out of love?