Call of T’shuvah

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Call of T’shuvah

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Call of T’shuvah

 

Psalm 89:16 says, “Esher (happy) is the people that know the tĕruw`ah (war cry [of the shofar]), they shall walk O Yahweh in the light of Your paniym (faces).”

Esher (happy) are you Yisrael my nation yasha (saved) by Yahweh, the shield of your help, the rising sword and Your enemies will be found out liars and you shall tread down their Bamah (platform used for religious leaders).” (Deuteronomy 33:29)

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a kodesh mikra (set-apart nation), Elohim's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Kepha 2:9 quoting Exodus 19:6 & Deuteronomy 7:6)

 

Now, we can quote Scripture like this all day, but excuse me if I may, but why should we be happy and incidentally, what are we chosen for?  

Gas chambers? Genocide? Strict dietary laws? Body altering surgery on eight day old infant boys? Restrictions on clothing? To be a mockery among the nations? To be required to adhere to a high moral standard without any obvious reward? To follow a religion that operates contrary to the standard cyclical calendar?  

No other nation in mankind’s history has suffered as much as the Jews and if you’re a Nazarene, you’re part of that same nation whether you like it or not! We’ve endured so much that the nations came up with their own particular name for our plight. It’s called anti-Semitism! No other nation gets its own personal name for its suffering!

Don’t you realise, you’re affiliating yourselves with a people who have the honorary title of “Christ Killers!”

St. Augustine wrote, "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of J-sus."

From Egypt to the modern era, the nation of Israel has been kicked like a worn deflated soccer ball from one super power nation to the other. In recent times, without a country of its own and without its own defence force, the nation’s occupants got rounded up from everywhere, losing their rights, livelihoods, belongings, loved ones, hair, gold fillings, body parts and eventually their lives in that order while the majority of world turned its back. 

I ask you, do you have a death wish? The Word says, we are blessed, chosen, a royal priesthood, a special treasure. Really? 

I have sat in envy at the peace of the wicked, knowing there are no chains that hold them back until they die? Their vitality throughout their lives always appears sound. They are not included in the toil of frail humans and they are not plagued as we are. They wear arrogance around their necks like jewellery and they are insulated from violence with their eyes bulging from abundance. They’re affluent lifestyles have even exceeded the fantasies of their hearts. They consume the weak and speak evil in public. They speak against heaven, ridiculing us with their tongues strutting on earth. Their success undermines the prestige of the Torah, where it should feel like a flowing river, it seems more like a trickle for us. Their success draining our joy. They ask, how can we be assured of an interventional Creator when we die just like them? These are the wicked and they are always at ease, accumulating wealth? Surely in vain have I purified my heart and ritually cleansed my hands. For I’m plagued all day long and I am chastised every morning with Your reality. If these thoughts became known, I would cause many to stumble in the Way. When I reflected to understand this privately it seemed like this faith was the source of my iniquity. 

I just quoted from Psalm 73. 

Recently, I sat in quiet reflection over the coming High Holidays almost upon us and I toiled over the events of the last year, working out my salvation with fear and trembling. At the same time, I looked at the secular person, even the mainstream Christian, people going about their lives, totally oblivious of the importance of Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur, and yet they seem quite happy.  

Sometimes, at this time of year we can feel so anxious that the allure of our former lives can seem like a grass greener on the other side. 

King David’s director of music, Asaf, went through the same trivial in Psalm 73. But listen to what he continues to say: “It seemed like the source of my iniquity sprang from my faith, but then my thoughts came to the sanctuaries of Elohim. In other words, the apparent unfairness of life continued to puzzle me as long as my vision remained profane, measuring success according to material attainment and physical comfort, but when I shifted my gaze to loftier things I realised that the tearing down of my body was building my soul into a magnificent sanctuary of eternal bliss. 

The wicked are bankrupt, for they have squandered all their merits in this world, and are condemned to eternal damnation in the hereafter (Rashbam & Radak). Through the Ruach HaKodesh, I gazed into the future and saw the fate of those who dared to attack Elohim’s sanctuaries (each Temple and every Elohim fearing man or woman who ever walked). The wicked attack us and in so doing seal their ultimate doom (Ibn Ezra). 

The Egyptians, Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Persians, the Romans, and even as recent as the Germans under Nazi rule have all ceased to exist, but the Jew remains the same. 

Only on slippery places does Elohim place the wicked and He throws them down into darkness. He turns them to desolation and brings them to an end with terrors. They will be as if caught in a bad dream that never ends and all the while their own stench will fill their nostrils. I felt like a fool contemplating the prosperity of the wicked, like an animal that walks alongside you knowing nothing, but still I walked along side you. You cut down all who stray from You. I put my refuge and hope in You and I shall relate You rescue mission.

Asaf comes to his senses, but he does what every believer who is worth their salt should do, reflect and ponder honestly and openly with Yahweh Elohim. Don’t be afraid to tell Him how you really feeling. If you talk openly and honestly with Him, he’ll deal openly and honestly with you. 

Everyone’s worried about Donald Trump, Isis, chem-trails, the illuminati, but the truth is our one and only concern should be our own spiritual condition before Yahweh. 

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Messiah Yahshua came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

We’ve all sinned and Yahweh didn’t arrange His calendar to catch us out and condemn us! He arranged it to remedy our sin, not kill us in the midst of it. Yahweh doesn’t punish us or kill us, we punish us and kill ourselves. 

Our sin and iniquity cause the separation. Sin and iniquity are not thrust on us; we work them into our lives with great effort. 

Your iniquities have separated you from Elohim, your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

In the absence of sin, Elohim’s presence would be evident everywhere! Gradually we push Him away and He gradually retreats from our sight. This is fine until we need Him again. 

You see we work hard to sin. We walk along way from Elohim’s House to sin. It takes a lot of mental, verbal and physical effort. And when we find ourselves damaged by sin, we want an instant teleportation back into Elohim’s house! Unfortunately, Messiah Yahshua, renamed J-sus Christ by the masses has helped to serve up this instant repentance just add water solution. As a consequence, his redefined persona has for many replaced the requirement to observe the Hebrew Calendar at all.

But what about those of us that have pushed through the myriad of smoke screens and come to the knowledge of the truth. Is life any easier for us than it is for the one walking in ignorance? 

We should know that this walk is not a guarantee against sin. But it is a guarantee for removal of sin and renewal of the soul. According to a Jewish Midrash, there is an interesting take on sin from three different levels of revelation within Scripture.  

 

According to Wisdom sin is a harmful deed. According to Prophecy it is death. Torah sees it as folly. And Elohim sees it as an opportunity. - The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni on Psalms 25)

How’s this work? Three of the four Scriptural interpretations regarding sin’s effect seem to have a similar take on sin and yet Elohim himself says something that seems completely different. 

Well, no doubt you’ve been hearing about Rosh Hashanah and how it’s a Day of Judgment that comes each year and all of creation gets judged. If you’re anything like me, you’re taking that seriously. But you can be bowled over by it or use it to bowl over your sin. 

So how is sin an opportunity? 

Yahweh Elohim invented the laws of nature (both physical and spiritual) and the Wisdom that recognizes how they operate. Elohim is the source of life, and it is He who decreed that it should flow to the human soul via a channel constructed (or disrupted) by the deeds of man. And Elohim gave us the Torah and its formulae for spiritual sanity, self-discovery and transcendence. So Elohim is the source of the first three perspectives on sin.

But the fourth perspective is Elohim’s alone: sin as the opportunity for "return" (teshuvah).

Teshuvah is a process that, in its ultimate form, empowers us to not only transcend our failings but to also redeem them: to literally travel back in time and redefine the essential nature of a past deed, transforming it from evil to good.

To achieve this, we first have to experience the act of transgression as a negative thing. We have to agonize over the utter devastation it has wrecked on our soul. We have to recognize, disavow and renounce its folly. Only then can we can go back and change what we did.

So is sin a bad, harmful deed? Is it the very face of death? Is it mere stupidity, to be shrugged off by an inherently wise and pristine soul? Is it a potent opportunity for conquest and growth? Turns out, it's all four. But it can only be the fourth if it's also the first three.

 

The usual word for sin, averah, is from the root avar, “to pass over,” hence “transgression,” overriding Elohim’s will.

There are three categories of a person who commits an aveira. 

  • The first one is someone who does an aveira intentionally, called "B'mezid." This is the most serious category. 
  • The second is one who did an aveira by accident. This is called "B'shogeg," and while the person is still responsible for their action it is considered less serious. 
  • The third category is someone who is a “Tinok Shenishba,” which is a person who was raised in an environment unaware of the proper halacha. This person is not held accountable for his or her actions.

 

The usual word for repentance is t’shuvah, meaning “turning”– that is, from sin to Elohim. The word Teshuvah in Hebrew may be read “tashuv hey,” literally “returning the letter Hey.” The last letter Hey of the Tetragrammeton refers to Malchut. Malchut is synonymous with Shechinah, which is how Elohim manifests Himself as a sovereign within the creation. When we do t’shuvah in an area, we are returning the sovereignty of Yahweh back to our lives in that place. 

 

T’shuvah comprises chiefly four steps. 

  1. Regret. To regret what we have done wrong. 
  2. Leaving the negativity behind. To stop dwelling on the transgression in thought and action. 
  3. Verbalisation. To verbally state the transgression
  4. Resolution for the future. To be determined not to let the transgression happen again.

The chief reason King Messiah Yahshua was sent was to call sinners to t’shuvah! 

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

 

Maimonides wrote: "let not a penitent man imagine that he is afar off from the excellency, or degree of the righteous, because of the sins and iniquities he has committed, the thing is not so; but he is beloved and desired before the Creator, as if he had never sinned; for his reward is great; for lo, he hath tasted the taste of sin, and hath separated from it, and hath subdued his evil imagination: the wise men say, the place where "penitents" stand, the "perfect righteous" cannot stand; which is as if it was said, their degree of excellency is greater, than those who never sinned, because they have subdued their imagination more than they.''

The High Holidays were given amid the framework of the Torah to enable us to regulate righteous living. Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Awe and Yom Kippur are designed to repair, refresh and restore our souls. They were not given to condemn us each year. 

Every day, every week, every month and all year round the Father is calling us to turn around. On Rosh Hashanah the shofar is sounded as a final alarm of this constant calling. 

The shofar sound on Rosh Hashanah is to awaken us to t’shuvah! 

Paradoxically, in Orthodox Rosh Hashanah liturgies there is no reference to sin of forgiveness. Why? Because Rosh Hashanah is the preliminary stage of the final rout of t’shuvah for each year. This is called Hirhur t’shuvah (the awakening of t’shuvah). 

The interesting thing about hirur t’shuvah is that it is a form of t’shuvah that lacks all the above stages of t’shuvah. This is why Rosh Hashanah is so awesome. This form of t’shuvah overrides the multi-step process of normal t’shuvah.  

 

An example of hirur t’shuvah can be found in the martyrdom of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon. The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (18a) relates that when he was taken out to be burned at the stake by the Romans, the tufts of woll soaked in water were placed over his chest in order to prolong the agony. The executioner, intensely moved by his suffering, asked Rabbi Chanina whether he could be guaranteed a place in the World to Come were he to remove the tufts of wool and increase the intensity of the fire so as to hasten Rabbi Chanina’s death. When Rabbi Chanina answered in the affirmative, the executioner acted accordingly, the latter subsequently hurling himself into the flames as well. At that point, a voice emanated from Heaven and proclaimed that both Rabbi Chanina and the executioner would enter the World to Come. The emphasis on the story was not that they only earned a share in the World to Come, but that the executioner achieved the same level as Rabbi Chanina. 

In response to this Divine verdict, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi wept, marvelling at how some individuals merit the World to Come only after a lifetime of effort, while others acquire such a reward after only a brief moment. But why did Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi weep? Because, though prior to the incident, he had knowledge of t’shuvah, he never knew of hirur t’shuvah

But to those of you that might have trouble relating to this old story, there is another example of hirur t’shuvah in one of the unlikeliest of sources. The science fiction movie Return of the Jedi. In this movie, the evil Darth Vader watches as his evil mentor, the Emperor proceeds to electrocute his son to death. Watch what happens (Que Slide). 

So this Rosh Hashanah, if you feel you’ve had a bad year, may the sound of the shofar bring you hirur t’shuvah and may you be reconciled to the body of Messiah Yahshua. Amein. 


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The Feast of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)

Comment

The Feast of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)

 

Audio Teaching


Study Notes and Slides

The Feast of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets)

 

Introduction: 

Since we are about to come together in a little over a week & celebrate one of the Feasts of Yahweh (the Lord) it is appropriate to reconsider its significance in our lives. “Yom Teruah” marks the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before Elohim. 

 

It is one of the “Seven Feasts” outlined in the Tanakh (Old Testament) by YHWH the Elohim of Yisrael as Moedim or Appointed times. It is not a tradition but is a Mitzvot or Commandment of YHWH that all Yisrael and those brought into Yisrael should honour and partake of. This feast begins on the First day at the New Moon of the Seventh Hebrew Month called Tishrei.     

 

The importance of the Seventh Month cannot be underestimated! Shelomoh (Solomon) dedicated the First Beyth Ha Mikdash (the Temple) on the Seventh Month and this month is one of the few given a name being the Month of Eythanim- so named since the streams were enduring or still flowing. 

We also read the following concerning the importance of the 1st of Tishrei revealed in the book of NechemYah (Nehemiah) upon the rebuilding of Yerushalayim and the Gathering of the whole Assembly of Yahudim (Jews) before the Beyth Ha Mikdash (The Temple):

 

NechemYah (Nehemiah) 8:2 And when the seventh month came, the children of Yisra’el were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Mosheh, which YHWH had commanded Yisra’el. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.

It is also known as the Anniversary of the Creation of Adam and Chavah (Eve). Another interesting connection is found in Bereshith (Genesis) when speaking about the Eretz (Earth) being dried up after the flood:

Bereshith (Genesis) 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month on the first of the month the waters had dried from upon the earth. 

According to Rashi this is the month of Tishrei being the first month according to the former Calendar before Yahweh instructed Mosheh to make the change making the seventh month known as Aviv or now as Nissan the 1st Month.

Amazingly we discover that all the great events in Scripture are connected to the Moedim or appointed times of YHWH. 

Names that “Yom Teruah” is known by:

 

  1. Rosh Hashanah- The generally accepted & most recognized name that this time is known by is “Rosh Hashanah” which means “Head of the Year” and is observed for two days beginning on the 1st of Tishrei and is known as the Jewish New Year. It has been thought that the adaptation of calling it “Rosh Hashanah” was a result of the Babylonians referring to it as Akitu the New Year celebrated twice, once on 1st of Tishei & once on the 1st of Nissan. Torah however gives us another truth that may contradict this concept:

 

Shemoth (Exodus) 23:15b- 16 Appear not before me empty-handed and also the festival of the Harvest the 1st fruits of your labours which you have sown in the field and the Festival of ingathering at the outgoing of the year.

This seems to suggest that the Feast of Sukkot (Booths) is the time of the New Year and not “Yom Teruah.” 

The Name “Rosh Hashanah” is not used anywhere in the Tanakh but is referred to as “Yom Ha-Zikkron” the day of Remembrance being a set-apart day commanded in: 

 

Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:24- 25 “On the first day of the 7th Month-(Tishrei) you are to have a day of rest (shabbathon), a remembrance, a blowing of the Trumpets, a set-apart gathering. You do no regular work and present an offering made by fire to YHWH. 

Also known as Zichron Teruah often translated as memorial or another rendering can be to a mentioning:

The day of Zichron Teruah, the “Mentioning Shout”, may refer to a day of gathering in humble public prayer in which the Assembly of the faithful shouts the name of “Yahweh” in unison.

 

 

 Yom Teruah [The Day of the Trumpets] 

Based on the Scriptures Yisrael is:

  1. Commanded to rest & do no regular work.

  2. Commanded to make it a day of Remembrance or Mentioning (a “Zik’ron”).

  3. Commanded to blow the Shofarim (Trumpets).

  4. Commanded to make this day a Miqra Kodesh or a Set-Apart gathering.

  5. Commanded to present a “Isheh” fire offering to YHWH.

 

“Yom Teruah” however has no clear purpose other than that we are commanded to rest on this day. Nevertheless, the name of Yom Teruah provides a clue as to its purpose. “Teruah” literally means to make a loud noise. This word can describe the noise made by a trumpet but it also describes the noise made by a large gathering of people shouting in unison as in the fall of Yericho:

 

Yahushua (Joshua) 10:5-6 “And it shall come to pass when the ram’s horn makes a long blast, when you hear the sound of the shofar, the entire nation will shout (Teruah) a great shout, and the wall of the city shall fall in its place, and the people shall go up as one man against it.”

Traditionally on this day the Shofar was blown 100 times;

The various sounds made on the Shofar include:

  1. Tekiah- A long straight blast.

  2. Shevarim- Three short blasts.

  3. Teruah- Nine quick blasts in succession.

They blow 3 times in that order so that is nine. That series they blow 11 times that day. The one hundredth blast is known as the “Last Trump.”

 

 

  1. Yom HaDin- This name refers to the day of Judgement when the books are opened and is also known as the day the gates are opened:

Hitgalut (Revelations) 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before the throne and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

This concept of Judgement was well known amount the ancient Hebrews as we see in Daniel for example:

Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

 

This event becomes a promised truth known to all Israelites, that on a future “Yom Teruah” the Heavenly court will sit & based on the accusations brought, the Books are opened and the case proceeds for ten Days. Each person’s life is placed on the scales. 

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah that each one may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or bad. 

We could say that the blowing of the Shofar is a yearly reminder of a soon to be event which should highlight its importance & establish this reality for our benefit.

 

  1. Yom Ha Keseh- Meaning “the Hidden Day” since it is concealed as to when it begins. Every day during the month of Elul, a trumpet is blown to warn the people to turn back to Elohim, except for the last day of Elul, the day preceding Rosh HaShanah (Elul 29 is known as the “Day of Release” at the end of a Shemita year.) On that day, the trumpet is not blown, because it was hidden from Ha Satan, the adversary. It is taught that the Shofar does not blow on this day so that Ha Satan does not know the day judgment begins

 

  1. The Time of Ya’acov’s (Jacob’s) Trouble:

There are many references of this day with the purpose of producing great Awe & fear in the hearts of all those who fear YHWH and to bring a call for them to do “T’shuvah” and repent:

 

ZephanYAH (Zephaniah) 1:14-16 The great day of YHWH (the LORD) is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of YHWH is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. 15 That day is a day of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpets (Yom Teruah) and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. 

Yet many live as though they need nothing but this is for them:

Revelation 3:17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and have white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.    

In Judaism the High Priest was known as the thief in the Night and he would come to see if the Temple guards were asleep & if they were, the High Priest would get some coals from the altar & light their garments on fire. They would then run & scream & take off their garment so they were naked running through the temple courts.  

 

Yahshua’s words are therefore an inspiration for all of us:

Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  

    The truth is, that day will not come with warning but as we read:  

 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 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. 

This truth should stir us up to watch and not slumber:

This image is none other than “Yom Teruah.”! Because Shavuot (Pentecost) is known as the “1st Trump.” 

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is known as the “Great Trump.” 

  1. The Day that No Man Knows-

 It is called this because this is the only feast that is determined by the sighting of the “New Moon” and so “no man” could calculate the exact day or hour when this feast day would begin. In ancient Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), there would be “two witnesses” who would stand on the walls of Yerushalayim and “watch” for the first sliver (crescent) of the new moon. The two witnesses would sound the Shofar & all the people would drop what they were doing & run to the Beyth Ha Mikdash (The Temple) for the celebrating of “The Day of Blowing” (Yom Teruah). 

The Temple doors were only left open for a short time & late comers were not permitted to enter ounce the doors were shut. Since the feast began at sundown the oil lamps needed to be filled in order for people to find their way to the Temple. 

 

This is the heart of the story in MattithYahu (Matthew) 24 of the workers in the field where it says one is taken but the other is left. These would run to the Temple when they heard the sound of the Shofar since the doors to the Beyth Ha Mikdash (Temple) would only remain open for a limited time. Therefore Yahshua is speaking the language of “Yom Teruah.” 

Yahshua also likens this day to the coming of the Bridegroom in the Parable of the 10 virgins and so this again is the language of “Yom Teruah” which basically means the day of shouting, fanfare or blasts of the trumpets. 

 

 

  1. Yom Ha Melech- (The Day of the King) This signifies the day of Moshiach (Messiah) or the Eternal King’s return:

Tesloniq’Yah Alef (1 Thessalonians) 4:16 For the Master Yahshua himself shall descend from the Shamayim (the Heavens) with a shout and with the voice of the chief Malak (Angel/ Messenger) and with his Shofar blowing the Tekiyah-ha-gadolah (the Long Blast) of YHWH and the dead in Moshiach (Messiah) shall rise first. (Hidden Truths N.T.) 

 

 

  1. Yom Ha Kidushin- The day of the expected Wedding of the Moshiach (Messiah):

Knowing that there is an expectation of the return of Moshiach (Messiah) & that he is coming to take his bride we need to arise and make ready. This is because his “Ketubah” the Betrothal Contract is in his hand: 

 

The Bride Has Made Herself Ready

Hitgalut (the Unveiling) 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Bride has made herself ready. And it is granted to her that she should be arrayed in fine linen, pure and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of the Saints. And He said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage supper of the Lamb. These are the true sayings of Elohim.

The Summary of the Great Truth of Yom Teruah:

To fully grasp the awesomeness of this Day we must remember & see it as a rehearsal of an Eschatological event that will one day occur. To this end we can summarize it under these points that should bless us as well as cause us some anxiety & awe:

  1. As it is also known as “Yom HaDin” it reminds us of a time when all mankind will be called before the Heavenly Judgement seat where the books will be opened and the charges presented for what we have done in the flesh. We however have the hope that since our defence counsel is Yahshua who has redeemed us we shall not be condemned according to:

Romi’Yah (Romans) 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Moshiach (Messiah) Yahshua.   

This however does in no way negate our need for living our life in the flesh with a great fear and an awe of Yahweh because we will also be judged according to how we live & we will all be rewarded according to what is written in the books therefore Adonai (the Master) has a rewards program for the way we have lived apart from the concept of being written in the book of life:

Hitgalut (Revelations) 22:12 And behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his Work.

  1. Rosh Ha shanah is a cyclical remembrance for those whom Moshiach calls his bride that she might;

  1. Arise from slumber and renew her dedication to him.

  2. Be purified and prepared for the Bridegroom as a Bride awaits the coming of her betrothed since she knows not, the day or hour of his coming.

  3. Be prepared to go out into the field in search of her beloved.

  4. Yahshua like a Hebrew Bridegroom has great expectations for his bride and it is out responsibility to know what is expected by us:

Ephsi’Yah (Ephesians) 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious Assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be set-apart and without blemish. 

We could easily replace the word Assembly with Bride to get the meaning of a pure set-apart bride prepared for her Bridegroom eagerly awaiting his wondrous coming with all the fanfare that he will muster being the true picture of Yom Teruah the Feast of Trumpets. 

  1. Like the traditional Hebrew Betrothal where the bridegroom would pay 30 pieces of Silver at the Betrothal as the ransom for any failure of his bride, those who are the bride have that promise as well that they can prepare themselves in expectation of being accepted when he comes knowing he has already redeemed them with his precious blood being the Bride’s price.

 

Conclusion: 

It is within the brief summary of this Great day that it makes us consider our lives & calls us to a renewed emphasis on repenting from our past failure remembering that YHWH in his exceedingly great mercy gives us this day each year as another opportunity to renew our passion once again for him with renewed vigour remembering that one day we will finally stand before that awesome Heavenly Court with great trepidation. 

With this thought we can however rejoice in Yahshua the Messiah who has done everything necessary that we can be accepted into the beloved through his precious atoning blood that we might be presented to him at his coming as his bride without spot or blemish. The art of repenting & doing T’shuvah in accordance to his Torah being his prescribed instruction for his bride should always remain the greatest joy that we can do for our beloved as it is the only human activity we can do for him with the hope of bringing joy to his heart. Though we may never be perfect the knowledge of knowing that he has made us acceptable should be all the prompting that we need to bring us back onto that path of “T’shuvah & Righteous living.  


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Reclaiming the Original Faith - Part 4 - The Netzarim & Torah

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Reclaiming the Original Faith - Part 4 - The Netzarim & Torah

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Study Notes and Slides

Reclaiming the Original Faith

Part 4- The Netzarim & Torah

 

Introduction: The entire journey that we have undertaken in this series is to establish the truth of our faith that has always revealed the importance of Torah observance to the faith that was passed down from the Fathers. Rather than time diminishing its importance it was in fact the subtle and frontal attacks upon everything that the Covenants and the Torah suffered that made us observe how vital it was to the lifeblood of Yisrael. It was through this conflict that Yisrael discovered their true purpose of preserving everything that YHWH had imparted through Mosheh to them. 

 

In our last encounter we looked carefully at the approach that Yahshua had towards Torah and noted how his only opposition was to the added “Takanot” or the rules and regulations that the “Perushim” the Pharisees made which placed great burdens on the people making a life of Torah observance extremely burdensome. Therefore we see Yahshua opposing the Pharisees about healing on the Shabbat, about their regulations concerning washing hands, & plucking grain on the Shabbat remembering they had imposed over 500 commands related to Shabbat let alone any other aspects of the Torah. In this vein we discovered that rather than Yahshua coming to put aside Torah he came to give it its real application or to reveal the spirit of the Torah which was a blessing for any who desired to live by it.  

 

It is also appropriate to consider that “Halakah” is somewhat like an extension of the “Takanot” or the regulations of the Pharisees and that we can easily become like the Pharisees in applying the complexity of them but when these smother the joy of Torah then they fail to achieve what they were meant for which was to enhance our Torah observance and not hinder it or cause it to become burdensome. 

Notwithstanding it is our desire to simply conclude from our previous teaching that Yahshua clearly demonstrated his love for all the Mitzvot (Commandments) of YHWH always referring to the Torah in his defence or in answering questions so as to affirm for us that in no way has he come to destroy the Torah. We know that due to the failure of many to understand Rabbinic terminology his true teaching, has for too long been hidden under the many misunderstood verses resulting in doctrines contrary to what Yahshua and his Talmidim apparently taught as we saw from our last encounter.  

In the Aftermath of Persecution:

To fully appreciate the understanding of the first Century Kehilot or Assemblies we need to take our journey through the writings of the earliest written texts and that of the “Ma’asehSh’liychiym” or the Acts of the Apostles and we will begin with an introduction to establish some vital information that will help to confirm the teachings that were prevalent with the Netzarim as they were called or what was known as “The Way”. For this to happen we will endeavour today to observe the early Kehilot or the Assemblies and refer to verses and proofs of whether anything in their observance changed, followed by an introduction into the Sepher of Ya’acov or what is better known today as the Book of James.

 

The years Following Yahshua

What is noticeable as we read through the book of Acts is how the believers responded to the message and how they lived. Firstly we find something quite interesting with regards those who came to the faith who were not just the common people:

Ma’aseh Ha Sh’liychiym (Acts) 21:20 And they said to Sha’ul (Paul), “you see, brother, how many thousands of Yahudim there are who have believed and all are Zealous for the Torah (Law). 

Why this incident is so relevant is that it is quite late in the book of Acts and we find Sha’ul (Paul) coming up to Yerushalayim to meet Ya’acov (James) and the Elders of the “Kehilah” (Assembly). Like many today who think Sha’ul was teaching against Torah these believers had heard stories that he taught against Torah but we now see, that is not the case because he follows the instructions of the Elders according to:

Ma’aseh Ha Sh’liychiym (Acts) 21:23-24 “So do what we say to you: We have four men who have taken a Nazarite vow. 24“Take them and purify yourself with them and pay their expenses so that they shave their heads. And all shall know that what they have been informed about you is not so, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Torah. 

It is extremely clear that by these verses that Shaul (Paul) was totally Torah observant lest he be a deceiver putting on a show for the new believers which we do not ascribe to. Therefore we can rest assured that he was obedient to all as written in the Torah whether regards Shabbat observation which he kept throughout the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) as many as 86 times plus the feasts and all what was required for the Yahudim (Jews). Sha’ul’s entire defence before King Agrippa is based on his faith in Yahshua as he states, and his absolute Torah obedience cannot be denied:

 

 Ma’aseh Ha Sh’liychiym (Acts) 26:4-5 Truly, then, all the Yahudim (Jews) know my way of life from my youth, which I led from the beginning among my own nation at Yerushalayim,

5 since they have known me from the first, if they wish to witness, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our observance.

We also receive a clear message from Kepha (Peter) in Acts that the believers continued to keep Kosher & not eat unclean animals at a time that would have been at least 7 years after the resurrection of Yahshua. In this story he received a rather strange vision which he ponded over and which subsequently has been greatly misunderstood but what is important is what we read about his continuing in Torah observance:

 

Ma’aseh Ha Sh’liychiym (Acts) 10:14 But Kepha (Peter) said, “Not at all, Master! Because I have never eaten whatever is common or unclean. 

This verse confirms that even 7 years after the Resurrection nothing had changed with the Talmidim (Disciples) concerning their observance of Torah with regards foods.

We therefore are now living in a unique time in History since YHWH by the power of his RUACH (Spirit) is awakening many of us to the truth of his word and causing us to question many of the preconceived views on Scripture and challenging Doctrines that have been rendered immoveable until now since they have been central to Christianity for 2,000 years but are now beginning to reveal cracks.

Why is it that we should now turn to the Book of Ya’acov (James) for our study on the early Netzarim movement?  He was the half-brother of Yahshua but he also had no belief in Yahshua as the Moshiach (Messiah) during Yahshua’s life. These are the challenges we will face and try to answer. 

  1. The Person of Ya’acov Ha Tzadik (James the Just)  

If we know our Greek we find there is no “Y” therefore his name became Iakōbos’ –but then from the Latin it became‘Jacobus’- but over time it became ‘Jacomus’  then finally it became ‘James’ though King Jimmy(James) may have had a great influence on that as well.

We now know that there was not any James in the Scriptures so his true name was Ya’acov (Jacob) known as the Tzadik. Ya’acov was called the Tzadik (the Righteous) because of his ascetic practices which involved taking Nazarite vows.

 

A quote from “Hegesippus” by Jerome gives us some insight into the person of Ya’acov Ha Tzadik:

This one was Holy from his Mother’s womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, ate no flesh, never shaved nor anointed himself with ointment or bathed. He alone had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies since he did not use woollen vestments but linen and went alone into the Temple and prayed on behalf of the people in so much that his knees were reputed to have acquired the hardness of camels’ knees.   

Heggesippus” portrays Ya’acov as somewhat of a zealot associated with the Ebionites, who regarded Shaul (Paul) with disfavour and praised Yaakov as the true heir to Yahshua’s teaching.

It is most likely that Ya’acov had students of his own but there is no mention of him during Yahshua’s ministry until the book of Acts. Shaul (Paul) records an event that likely had a profound effect on Ya’acov (James) in:

 

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 And that Yahshua was seen by Kepha (Peter), then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brothers at one time, of whom the greater part remain til now, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by Ya’acov (James), then by all the emissaries.

Ya’acov’s position as successor to Yahshua appears in numerous accounts of the early Assembly literature before the Council of Nicaea. 

 

Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History: Ya’acov (James), who was surnamed the Just by the Forefathers on account of his superlative virtue, was the first to have been elected to the Office of Bishop of the Jerusalem Congregation.’

‘Kepha (Peter) Ya’acov (James) and Yochanan (John) after the Ascension of the Saviour, did not contend for the Glory, even though they had previously been honoured by the Saviour, but elected “James the Just” as Bishop of Jerusalem.’ (Hypo-typo-ses)

Clement then adds that the election was by the Principal Three.

 

In fact the Nazarenes recognized Ya’acov as the “Nasi” the Pillar or Bishop of their Nazarene Sanhedrin. 

The Downplaying of Ya’acov: 

Often in many circles we find that Ya’acov is downplayed while Shaul (Paul) is raised up because Ya’acov was a Zealot. However we now come to understand that Ya’acov (James) is actually the head of the Yerushalayim Assembly. Therefore according to the 1st Century Saints Ya’acov was superior to both Kepha (Peter) & Shaul (Paul). This is so important because the Catholics have elevated Peter. 

Why then was Ya’acov put down and Peter & Paul elevated?

This was because Ya’acov was Zealous for the Torah! 

We see both Kepha (Peter) & Yochanan (John) defer to Ya’acov’s authority & headship in:

 

Acts 15:1-2 And certain men came down from Yahuḏah (Judea) and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the practice of Mosheh, you are unable to be saved.” 2 So when Sha’ul and Barnaḇah had no small dissension and dispute with them, they arranged for Sha’ul and Barnaḇah and certain others of them to go up to Yerushalayim, to the emissaries and elders, about this question.

The Favouring of Paul or Shaul has been huge for 2 Millennium with his heavy theology rather than Ya’acov who is extremely primitive. Martin Luther came along and fanned the flames of the Reformation by assigning Ya’acov (James) to an Appendix in his German translation naming it “A Right Story Epistle” since he did not know what to do with the book of Ya’acov as it did not match his theology. 

John Elliot in his commentary says this: The Book of Ya’acov is ranked among the Junk Mail of the New Testament.  

 

The book was very popular, however with the Eastern Fathers, particularly in Alexandria with the first commentary being written by Didymus the Blind (313-398) in Alexandria.

 

 

The Significance of the Sepher of Ya’acov (Letter of James)  

It is now important for us to realize why this letter was written, to whom it was written and when it was written:

Why it was Written:

We know that Ya’acov was in Yerushalayim and in fact this Sepher (letter) was more likely a sermon or “Homily” in Greek” or in Hebrew “D’rashah or Midrash”. It is like an Oration because there is rhyme in the text itself. 

Ya’acov was communicating to Yahudim believers who had scattered and were facing persecution not only from Rome but from their own Brethren the Yahudim as well. The emphasis of the Letter was not on creed but conduct, not on belief but behaviour, not on doctrine but deeds! Ya’acov was encouraging the faithful to endure persecution without denying Yahshua or turning from Torah obedience by demonstrating true Character under persecution. 

To Whom was it Written:

It was written to an audience who lived outside of Yerushalayim in the Diaspora or the dispersion after the Martyrdom of TsephanYah (Stephen) who himself was a Hellenistic Yahudim (Jew):

 

Ma’aseh Ha Sh’liychiym (Acts) 11:19 Then, indeed, they who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over TsephanYah (Stephen) passed through to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except the Yahudim (Jews) only. 

From this we see that the message was only delivered to the Yahudim though surely believers from the other tribes of Yisrael are also included who were also coming to the faith in Yahshua. The significance of this letter is that it has no additional Christian theology and that is why Martin Luther added it as an appendix to his German Bible. Also the use of the Torah (Law) shows the familiarity the audience had with the Torah. This book has 40 allusions from the Tanakh & 4 direct quotes. 

Many in the Messianic movement will push for a Hebraic or Aramaic dominance but if Ya’acov’s (James) audience is in the Diaspora following the death of TsephanYah (Stephen) and since the language of the international community was Greek and we read in Acts about Stephen and Philip among others ministering to the Hellenistic Widows it could easily be concluded that it was of Greek origin. It does however have a very Semitic feel to it.

The Messianic teacher Matthew Nolan says that we can tell its Greek origin by its structural rhythm and rhyme and Ya’acov’s (James’s) fondness for alliteration and wordplay. When we become aware of these stylistic devices in the Greek it becomes nearly impossible to imagine this homily or sermon as a translation from Aramaic or Hebrew.

When was it written?

It appears that 1st Yochanan (John) & 1st Kepha (Peter) draws off the information in this Sermon so it must date mid-1st century but we can dig deeper since we know that Ya’acov was Martyred in 62CE but we can even go earlier because it does not include any of the 1st Century developed Doctrines of the Brit Chadashah (the New Testament) like that which developed with Shaul (Paul) found in Christianity so it reveals a totally Raw texture. This is why it focusses on impacting & changing lives which is surely what we all need today and in all other times as well. It is about the heart, stirring up faithfulness to YHWH, love for the fellowship through behaviour & deeds in order to strengthen the faith and hold firm to Torah. 

Therefore this most probably could bring us to a date about 40-50 CE making Ya’acov (James) the oldest book of the Brit Chadashah (New Testament). Matthew Nolan even suggests it could have been written sometime after 34CE leaving one year or so for the events from Acts 1 to Acts 9 since nothing in this sermon goes beyond Acts 9.

 

The Death of Ya’acov Ha Tzadik (James the Just)

The death of Ya’acov (James) becomes extremely significant since we discover that he had a great reputation even among the Sanhedrin suggesting that he was seen as fully Torah observant and considered righteous and influential among the Yahudim. After his arrest he is presented with an ultimatum. He was to address the 100,000 people in Yerushalayim at the Passover and renounce his faith in Yahshua or he would be killed. Ya’acov (James) agrees to speak to the great gathering and is brought to the Temple Pinnacle only to preach his faith in Yahshua and is then pushed off the Temple and lands on the Temple steps and is then stoned to death. 

The Jewish Historian Josephus attributes the Destruction of the Temple and Yerushalayim to this Historic day being the Martyrdom of Ya’acov. 

What is even more significant and often goes against most history is that Titus laboured earnestly to save the Sanctuary and the city. 

 

 

Quote from Josephus:

Josephus & the Destruction of the Temple

Book VI, Chapter II, Section 4 (Entire)

4. Now Titus was deeply affected with this state of things, and reproached John and his party, and said to them, "Have not you, vile wretches that you are, by our permission, put up this partition wall* before your sanctuary? Have not you been allowed to put up the pillars thereto belonging, at due distances, and on it to engrave the Greek, and in your own letters, this prohibition, that no foreigner should go beyond that wall? Have we not given you leave to kill such as go beyond it, though he were a Roman? And what do you do now, you pernicious villains? Why do you trample upon dead bodies in this temple? and why do you pollute this holy house with the blood both of foreigners and Jews themselves? I appeal to the gods of my own country, and to every god that ever had any regard to this place, (for I do not suppose it to be now regarded by any of them ;) I also appeal to my own army, and to those Jews that are now with me, and even to you yourselves, that I do not force you to defile this your sanctuary; and if you will but change the place whereon you will fight, no Roman shall either come near your sanctuary, or offer any affront to it; nay, I will endeavour to preserve you your holy house, whether you will or not." *

 

We will often read that the Romans burnt and destroyed the Temple but through the words of Josephus we gain more historic truth;

…. it was the corrupt Levitical priesthood under Ananus the Cohen Ha Gadol (High Priest) that set fire to the Temple- an inside job rather than let it fall into the hands of followers of the recently martyred Yaakov which were thought to be numbering about 20,000.

The fall of the temple was directly connected to the killing of Yaakov the Tzadik!

Josephus writes, ‘the Jews were even burning down their own Temple and then jumping

into the flames.’ (War 2.425-9)

 

 

Some have disputed the words of Josephus as simply pandering to the Romans but regardless the result of the action at the Beyth Ha Mikdash (the Temple) was its destruction and the complete ransacking of Yerushalayim with according to Josephus 1.1 Million Yahudim dead though this is disputed but this figure has some credibility since it was according to Historians just before Pesach (Passover) which would swell the City with people. 

The Knowledge Gained from this Introduction: 

From this brief introduction into the person of Ya’acov Ha Tzadik (James the Just) we can surmise the tremendous effect that the Message of Yahshua was having in Yerushalayim and from this we can list some often lost truths:

 

  1. Among the Believers Torah observance did not vary at all from what was observed by all the Yahudim as noted by Shaul (Paul) & Kepha (Peter) and the respect awarded Ya’acov (James) by all the Yahudim (Jews).
  2. It was Ya’acov (James) who was elected by the top three leaders as the “Nasi” or head of the Netzarim movement and not Kepha (Peter).
  3. Ya’acov was zealous for the Torah and so the book of James was not given its correct importance by the Catholic Church or by Martin Luther. 
  4. It can be concluded that the Sepher of Ya’acov (The Book of James) was the first to be written among the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) since it is “Raw” text without the later heavy Doctrines.
  5. This letter has the purpose of strengthening believers among the dispersion of the tribes of Yisrael who were turning to faith in Yahshua. It was in fact meant to develop inner Character reflected in conduct, behaviour and deeds so it is a very a practical work for the believer to enhance Righteous living and Covenant relationship with the Elohim of Yisrael.

 

Conclusion

In our journey of the faith it has been my desire to establish the permanency of Torah and the establishment of evidence to help us give conclusive proof that Yahshua appearance was in accordance with Torah. It was by his sacrifice to bring Salvation to Yisrael & all who would be grafted into the Covenant and the evidence of scripture is that faithfulness to YHWH is revealed by faith in Yahshua as well as obedience to his Mitzvot (Commands) as confirmed by the Book Hitgalut (Revelations):

Hitgalut (Revelations) 14:12 Here is the steadfast endurance of the set-apart saints; here are they that guard and keep the commandments of Elohim and the faith of Yahshua. 


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