Should you eat mushrooms?

Mushrooms are a food that many people love to eat all the world, you can put them on hamburgers, on pizzas, or even sauté them with some onions. But the question arises that many of us never thought about and that is, should we be eating mushrooms?

Genesis 1:29

“And ELOHIM said, “See, I have given you every plant that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree who fruit yields seed, to you it is for food.”

Looking at the etymology of the original word using for “plant” is eseb in Hebrew which is Strong’s #6212 which means to glisten or be green, grass, herb. And Brown-Driver Briggs defines it as herb, herbage, grass, green plants.

So, based off of the Hebrew we can already rule out that mushrooms are not a grass and they are not green. Every herb or plant produces green leaves, for example even though potatoes and carrots grow underground they still produce green leaves and flowers above the ground. So, what is the definition of an herb?

An herb is defined as a PLANT with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume. Any seed-bearing plant that does not have a woody stem and dies down to the ground after flowering.

So, mushrooms are not herbs either because they do not have leaves, they don’t contain seeds because they have spores, and they do not have flowers. Flowers that grow on the top of the plant is where the seeds come from. According to gardeningknowhow.com says “Where do seeds come from? They are the byproduct of a flower or flower-like structure. Sometimes seeds are encased in fruits, but not always. Seeds are the primary method of propagation in most plant families.

So, mushrooms are not herbs or grass, they are not green, and they do not have leaves, or flowers. And we see that YAHWEH said that we can eat every plant within the definition of the Hebrew word eseb.  So, are mushrooms considered plants? Many will be surprised to find out that that mushrooms are not considered plants, but rather a fungus and is closely related to mold and mildew. I know most people would be uncomfortable with putting mold or mildew on top of their pizzas, so what makes mushrooms any different?

www.news-medical.net defines mushrooms as fungi (fungus). Its biologically distinct FROM PLANT and animal derived foods. Wikipedia adds that mushrooms are the fleshly spore bearing fruiting body of a fungus. Reference.com says by the time a mushroom emerges above the ground, the fungus has usually been feeding in place for some time. Fungi send out specialized tendrils, or hyphae into the soil and plants around them to expose a maximum of surface area to the surrounding environment. These hyphae then secrete the necessary proteins directly into the edible manner. These proteins then do the work of breaking down PLANT AND ANIMAL TISSUES. And mushrooms are known to absorb the toxins in the soil. So, mushrooms eat dead organic matter of plants and animals which is something that plants do not do.

Are mushrooms plants?

According to livescience.com Tens of thousands of organisms, from mushrooms to mold to yeast, fall under the umbrella of fungi. Once thought simply to be plants, fungi have emerged as their own taxonomic kingdom. The various fungal species are diverse, with many unique properties: some innocuous, some useful and some harmful.

Classifying fungi

We already defined based on scripture that mushrooms are not plants, but here is a source that breaks down why?

As recently as the 1960s, fungi were considered plants. In fact, at that time all organisms were classified into only two groups or kingdoms: plants and animals. In a 1969 article published in the journal Science, ecologist Robert Whittaker explained the basis of this two-kingdom system. For many decades in history, the only living creatures’ humans observed around them were either the "rooted" plants that produced their own food, or motile animals that sought out their food. Thus, mobility and the method of gaining nourishment became the criteria for a system of classification. "The animals moved and plants didn't, and that's how fungi got stuck with the plants," said Tom Volk, a professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. 

However, unlike plants, fungi do not contain the green pigment chlorophyll and therefore are incapable of photosynthesis. That is, they cannot generate their own food — carbohydrates — by using energy from light. This makes them more like animals in terms of their food habits. Fungi need to absorb nutrition from organic substances: compounds that contain carbon, like carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. 

Based on these and other properties, in 1969 Whittaker proposed that fungi become a separate kingdom as a part of a new five-kingdom system of classification. The proposed classification included a vast array of species. Among them, mushrooms, yeast, molds, slime molds, water molds, puffballs and mildews. 

Since then, the system of classification and the fungal kingdom have been further refined. For example, slime molds and water molds were shuttled off to a different kingdom. Today, the members of the kingdom Fungi are also known as the "true fungi."

Another source

Southmill.com adds more science to why mushrooms are not plants titled: The Difference Between Mushrooms and Plants

What Is Mushroom an Example Of?

Mushrooms are heterotrophs. This means they rely on food sources in their surroundings for nutrients, such as, plant matter, ANIMAL WASTE and organic carbon. A mushroom’s source of food differs from plants because plants are autotrophic, or capable of creating their food from simple organic compounds.

I would like to add that nhphs.org (Nature Works) adds that mushrooms/fungi eat organic matter which are the REMAINS of organisms such as plants and ANIMALS and their waste products in the environment. Fungi release enzymes that decompose DEAD PLANTS AND ANIMALS, fungi absorb nutrients from the organism they are decomposing.

So, mushrooms appear to have the same characteristics as scavengers which we know are unclean for us to eat.

Cellular Structure: Mushrooms vs. Plants

Both mushrooms and plants have cell walls, but their difference lies in its composition. The cell wall of a plant is composed of cellulose, while the cell walls of a mushroom are created from complex polysaccharides: glucan and chitin. A mushroom’s cell wall protects it from predators and enhances its structural integrity.

How a Mushroom Consumes Nutrients

Mushrooms are dissimilar to plants in the way they consume food as well. Plants contain chlorophyll and undergo photosynthesis to sustain growth, but mushrooms do not function the same. Before nutrients can penetrate the cell wall, they must be digested. This means mushrooms are opposite humans in that their food must be digested before taking in nutrients. In this respect, only bacteria are like mushrooms, as their nutrient intake method is the same.

Mushroom Reproduction

If humans are examples of mammals, you may be wondering, “What is a mushroom an example of?” Like humans, mushrooms can produce sexually, which occurs when the spore of one mushroom meets with the spore of another, and a new mushroom is formed. However, mushrooms can also produce asexually. Sexual reproduction leads to greater genetic diversity in mushrooms.

Asexual reproduction involves fragmentation or budding of the mushroom, wherein the mushroom essentially copies itself. The recognizable cap of a mushroom, the part typically used in cooking, is vital to reproduction, as spores found in the gills (slits located under the cap) help create new mushrooms.

Mushrooms, for the most part, belong to either the Basidiomycota or Ascomycota phyla. Basidios are more common than ascos, as the former includes all mushrooms with gills. Ascos mushrooms feature a cup-like cavern in which the spores are contained.

How and Where Do Mushrooms Grow?

The best growth conditions for a mushroom depends on the species, but mushrooms typically do best in cool, damp areas that are rich in available nutrients. Locations where you might find wild mushroom growth include the base of trees, under pieces of wood, and gardens. Mushrooms can be further classified into types by growth patterns and preferred nutrients.

Let us touch nor eat any unclean thing and unlearn the ways of this world. I pray this has helped open the eyes of many to this topic. And as always may our Father YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!

Should you vote? Who is your KING?

This is another very unpopular subject, but it’s another important one that needs to be discussed. We will discuss who is your brother? Should you appoint another to rule over you? Who is your king? Define the word king in Hebrew, and the common excuses used to vote.

Deuteronomy 17:14-15

“When you come to the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, and shall possess it and dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘Let me appoint a king over me like all the gentiles around me,’ you shall certainly appoint a king over you whom YAHWEH your ELOHIM shall choose. Appoint a king over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to appoint a foreigner over you, who IS NOT YOUR BROTHER.”

Firstly, YAHWEH said that He would choose the King who would rule over us and He did that. He gave us His Son YESHUA to be our King who is amongst our brothers from the Tribe of Judah.

As we can see we are only in need in One KING and we submit to Him and not a man. So let us look at some Scriptures to support our King!

Micah 5:2 (Septuagint)

“And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephratah, are few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you one shall come out to Me, to be a ruler in Yisra’el; and His goings out were from the beginning, even from the days of eternity (or days of the age).”

Revelation 19:16

“And on His robe and on His banner He has a name written: KING of KINGS (Melech ha’ Melechim) and Master of masters.”

Luke 1:32-33

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And YAHWEH ELOHIM shall give Him the throne of His father David. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there shall be no end to His reign.”

Luke 23:1-2

“And the entire assembly of them, having risen up, led Him to Pilate, and began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this one corrupting the nation, and  forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Messiah, a King.”

John 18:36

“YESHUA answered, My reign is not of this world. If My reign were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now My reign is not from here.”

King in Hebrew

King spelled using the Otiot (Signs) aka Pictograph which is the oldest form of Hebrew is spelled: Kaph, Lamed, Mem and is pronounced Melech (Meh-leck).

Mem means The water/word, the blood, Mightiness, chaos

Lamed means Leader and Teacher of the Flock, protect, steer, yoke, discipleship, to bind

Kaph means to bend, allow, open, tame, subdue, the work of YESHUA, The filling of The RUACH HA’KODESH

So when we combine these Hebrew words we get: The mighty blood of YESHUA washes us, yokes and binds us to Him as He protects, leads, guides and teaches the flock, and that we bow in submission to Him and allowing us to be filled with His RUACH HA’KODESH!

YAHWEH also said in Deuteronomy 17 “you are not allowed to appoint a foreigner over you, who IS NOT YOUR BROTHER.”

So how does scripture define who our brother and sister is?

Mathew 12:50

“For whoever does the desire of My Father who is in the heavens is My brother and sister and mother.”

Those in politics are not doing the will of YAHWEH as we know that most of their policies go against Him Torah and commands, which means when you vote to implement their policies, that you are appointing a foreigner to rule over you who is not your brother or sister in the faith. We are to walk with ELOHIM and not self-assimilate with the nations, meaning to be like them.

Nothing new under sun

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10

“What has been is what shall be, what has been done is what shall be done, and there is none new under the sun. Is there a matter of which it is said, “See, this is new? It was here already, long ago.”

1 Samuel 8:4-7

“And all the elders of Yisra’el gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to rule us like all the nations.” But the word was evil in the eyes of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to rule us.” So Samuel prayed to YAHWEH. And YAHWEH said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them.”

And the exact same thing is happening today with His Son YESHUA!

John 19:14-16

“And it was the Preparation of the Pesach, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “See your King!” But they shouted, “Away, away, impale Him! Pilate said to them, “Shall I impale your King? The chief priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar!” At that time, then, he delivered Him to them to be impaled. And they took YESHUA and led away.”

Sirach 17:17-18

“For in the division of the nations of the whole earth He appointed a ruler over every people; but Yisra’el is the portion of YAHWEH; Whom being His first-born, He nourishes with discipline, and giving the light of His love, does not forsake him.”

All of the other people of the earth are appointed kings to rule over them, but those who worship and serve YAHWEH belong to Him and He alone is our Ruler! We don’t have to go out into the world to seek another king.

This is happening today in our modern society because many say that they follow YESHUA but they don’t trust Him enough as King, they trust in man and in their hearts are saying they have no king but the President. How does YAHWEH view this behavior as rejecting Him as King for a human king to rule over you when you vote?

1 Samuel 12:17

“Is today not the wheat harvest? Let me call to YAHWEH, so that He sends thunder and rain-know then and see that your EVIL is GREAT, which you have done in the eyes of YAHWEH, in asking for yourselves a king.”

The response we all need to have is this:

Judges 8:23

“But Gideon said to them, “I do not rule over you, nor does my son rule over you. YAHWEH rules over you.”

What Gideon said, completely matches what I quoted from the Book of Sirach is that YAHWEH rules over us and He gave us His Son to be our King, Savior, and Ruler!

Common excuses to vote!

Many believers say that if you don’t vote then you aren’t doing anything to help. One thing we have to remember is that YAHWEH is in control of all things and we depend on Him alone through prayer and trusting in Him.  Plus, there are millions of unbelievers who do not care to walk in the Torah of YAHWEH that will gladly vote in your place. Of course we pay our taxes and obey the laws of the land; however, we NEVER let their laws override the commands of YAHWEH!

.I often here the common phrases amongst believers as to why they vote, even if they don’t agree with everything a certain party does. The answer that is often given is that they are choosing between the lesser of the two evils. So, by their own admission they are choosing an ‘evil’ regardless. So my question is, when does YAHWEH ever approve of evil in any form?

2 Chronicles 7:14

“And My people upon whom My Name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their EVIL ways, then I shall hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Part of the process of YAHWEH healing His people is to turn from their evil ways! So how can you turn from your evil ways, if you are choosing between the lesser of the two evils, when it is still an evil? And YAHWEH said it was evil that they all chose to have a human king to rule over them.

Leviticus 19:2

“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Yisra’el, and say to them, ‘Be holy, for I YAHWEH your ELOHIM am holy.”

Isaiah 5:20

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (Parenthesis mine)

“Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness? (You cannot mix the Torah with the pagan policies of this world). And what fellowship has light with darkness? And what agreement has Messiah with Beliya’al? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what union has the Tabernacle of ELOHIM with idols? For you are a Tabernacle of the living ELOHIM, as YAHWEH has said, ‘I shall dwell in them and walk among them, and I shall be their ELOHIM, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says YAHWEH, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you. And I shall be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says YAHWEH EL Shaddai.”

Let us come completely out of this world and be separate and stand up for our Father YAHWEH and His Son YESHUA! May our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

My Testimony!

When I was about 11 or 12 years old I remembered my parents always used to watch the old version of the 10 commandments movie, but one particular night when I was that age my parents were watching “YESHUA of Nazereth” the 1978 version starring Robert Powell. When it came to the scene of YESHUA being crucified I cried like a baby and could not understand why the people were treating Him that way. So after the movie was over, I went to sleep and that night I saw a white figure in the corner of my room, so me being a child I couldn’t figure out how someone got into my room so I covered my head with the blanket and when I pulled the blanket down to take a peek the presence was gone. I knew something was different, but in a good way. As a child I would look at the sky or sit in my room and think about how the earth came to be. I even at one point began writing a children’s Bible that I never finished, but I always knew who ELOHIM was in a way, but I could not express how I felt into words as a child. I remember whenever a thunderstorm would roll through my parents would cut off the TV and all the lights and we would all sit in one room watching the lightning flash and hearing the loud booms of the thunder; and my parents would say “ELOHIM (At the time they said Lord) is doing His work. I was just so amazed and how powerful our Creator was.

In elementary school and middle school I was a bit of a nerd and I loved to read and write and I stayed on honor roll. But of course I was mocked and got joked on by the popular crowd and eventually  I began to fall away from my academic ways to wanting to fit in with the crowd to become cool. And even despite me wanting to become cool, ELOHIM never allowed me to go so far. One example when I was 16 years old I worked at Congo Funnel Cake at King’s Dominion (Amusement park)  and there were two employees around my age working as cashiers and they said to me “If anyone buys a funnel cake and a soda it will come it will come to $3.65, and if they give you the exact change do not ring it up, you can take that money and put it in your pocket.” And they showed me the amount of money they made by doing this scam. So shortly after that a man comes to window and orders the funnel cake and the soda and he gives me the exact change, so I did as my “so-called” friends told me and I pocketed the money. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my left shoulder, so I turned and looked and it was the manager and she said to me “I saw what you did, don’t ever do that again!” My heart dropped because I thought I was going to jail, but I knew then that I could not do what most people could do. An action like this could have led to a life of crime, but it did not because I got chastised early by ELOHIM. It is amazing when you look back on your life and see His fingerprints the entire time, we just have to recognize it and give Him all the praises for it. I remember another time when I was a child that my friends and I were throwing rocks at a new car which is not right to do. We all went home and a little while later there was a knock on the door, it was the owner of the car and they said that I was the one throwing the rocks at the car and the rest of people who were with me got away with it, so I was the one who got in trouble and they did not. This is just two examples, but ELOHIM would always punish me immediately, so my fear of Him grew. So I can honestly say I couldn’t figure it out as a child but as I got older I really understood the scripture that says:

Hebrews 12:7-8

“If you endure discipline, ELOHIM is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become sharers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”

I can honestly tell anyone that this is true, do not despise the spankings that you get when you try to do something that is outside the will of YAHWEH, because He is molding you into what He wants you to be.  However; when College came around I stepped into the world more but was still never wild.

I was never did drugs, never smoked weed, I was never  the type to party or go to clubs, but I did start drinking alcohol and and fell into fornication. My family grew up Seventh Day Adventist until we switched to Judaism later on in my life (which I’m no longer a part of), so I always knew about the Shabbat. We never turned on the TV or worked, but when I got older I started going to the movies Friday night with a lady or going to a friends house to play video games because I knew that was not allowed in my parents house. Looking back on my life I truly see ELOHIM working in every aspect of my life and I see His mercy for all the evil I did in His presence especially growing up with a foundation in the Shabbat.

When I started to work at the sheriff’s office in 2005 that is when things started to change for me. I went to college and graduated with a Marketing degree, so when I began working at the sheriff’s office I spent the first five years on the job as the  Public Information Officer,  which means I had an office and was working from 8:00-4:30.  I was the liaison between the sheriff and the media, I designed the brochures, newsletters, did the annual reports, took the pictures, and worked on the website and much more. The problem is that I trusted in man and was fearful of seeing what was going on around me. By this, I mean there were several transfer lists that would come out throughout the year, which meant that people would be transferred from a position they liked to possibly working night shift in the back of the jail with the inmates. This was something that kept every employee walking around on egg shells because even if a mistake was made an employee they knew that they would be stripped of their rank (demotion) or their position and be cast into the back of the jail to work.

Everytime the transfer list would come out I would get nervous and would run to see if my name was on the list and it never was. So after doing this and being nervous for five years, my worst fear  became a reality. In 2010, I was approached by the Undersheriff who was second in command and he said “Being that the canteen officer quit, we are going to put you in that position in the jail for only a few months until we find a replacement, then we will bring you back into the Public Information Officer position.” That few months that he promised me turned into 9 years.

But, this was all a part of YESHUA’s plan although I could not see it in the beginning. I was terrified going from an office position to suddenly being thrown into the back of the jail with inmates, especially with the mindset that I would never have to. The inmates knew I was a rookie and they approached me saying they were going to beat me up, they would call you outside of your name, and look for any flaw on you that they could expose so they could embarrass you to make you fold or quit. I want to be clear that not every inmate was that way at all, but I have to tell the truth of the experience and how it felt. I honestly did not know that people could be that disrespectful and cruel towards others, and I certainly did not know they had such little respect for authority. 

 When it was time to get off of work I would go home and figure out how to quit the job and it was so bad that when the alarm would go off in the morning that I would be upset, because I loathed going into that place. Every time I thought I had an opening to quit that job and start another it would always fall through. YESHUA quickly taught me that I had to lean and trust upon Him and after a few years I went from being afraid to being bold, I went from being quiet to spreading the gospel to the inmates five years later. YESHUA taught me how to trust in Him and not in man as I did in the beginning. I eventually saw that YESHUA was sharpening and strengthening me for the plans that He had for my life. If I could deal with being hated on that job by staff and inmates then I would be able to handle persecution for sharing the truth of His word today. Whenever we go through a situation it is for our good  so that we can be a complete vessel for Him. An example of the trust YESHUA was developing in me was one day I went inside of the dayroom where all the inmates were housed and the door slammed shut behind me. At this time there were no cameras available and none of the deputies were around to let me out, so when I went to the door to look for someone to let me out I heard the door buzz and it supernaturally opened on its own. I remember saying to myself “YESHUA is with me!”  Another example was one day I was on the loading dock letting a truck delivery in when my radio completely died. The central control room that controls the doors opened a door that I did not ask for and there was no way I could because my battery wasn’t working. Suddenly,  a deputy came by and he seemed concerned to help me out. He leaves and immediately a supervisor shows up and questions me about the doors and not wanting to hear that the situation was out of my control, the supervisor takes me to the office and writes me up unjustly. Sadly, I heard that the deputy that came to check on me was the one who reported me falsely. I was amazed that he would do that to me and then a week later I heard he got fired. My heart was grieved for him losing his job, I tell this story to show that YESHUA was showing me that I do not have to fight my battles because He sees everything. As you can see by now, my faith was growing stronger and stronger; however, ELOHIM still had much work to do on me.

As mentioned earlier, 2015 was the beginning of me spreading the gospel, yet I was being a hypocrite because of the women I was involved with outside of marriage. I had no clue what was about to happen to me. Wednesday’s were my early days because I had to be at work at 5 am and get off at 1 pm. So when I left the jail that day I called my dad and we went and had lunch together. After we finished eating we walked to our cars and talked for a little bit and my dad said to me concerning my fornicating ways “You know what son, you don’t know what that is holding you back from!” Then I realized that I was a hypocrite and it really hit me. But of course I did not stop immediately because I was having too much fun; however, those words always stuck with me. So a few months later I visited a female and left around 3 am and suddenly I did not feel so good about my actions, I said to myself “what is the point in all of this?” And that night, I vowed to give my life to YESHUA and stop living in sin. I never would have known that this was the point that He was leading me to, because once I vowed to give my life to YAHWEH and live for His Son YESHUA is when  He began to speak to me.

In the summer of 2015 I was leaving the grocery store called “Martins” before they closed, and this man stopped me, he was dark skinned with bright blue eyes and shorter than me and he said to me “You are special man!” By the time I digested what he said, I turned around and he was gone. I kept asking myself, what does he mean by that and why did he stop me of all people? Suddenly, I started to remember the white figure that I saw in my room that night when I was around 12 years old when I cried like a baby after watching YESHUA of Nazereth. 

In October of 2015, I prayed and said “Jesus Son of God, I trust You!” I did not get a response that night. When we were  going to the synagogue I  learned that the Son’s Name was YESHUA, but I was still saying Jesus as I was still unlearning the traditions of men, also the synagogues called our Father Adonai and not YAHWEH!  I did not know the Name YAHWEH until He revealed His Name to me several times that summer, everywhere I turned I saw YHWH on social media, in books, or heard it through people, but I was still using mainly God. But the very next night would be the change forever on why I call our Father YAHWEH and His Son YESHUA and never interchanged the Names ever again.

 The next day I felt led to pray the same prayer using Their Names and I’m sure now it was the RUACH HA’KODESH speaking to me knowing what I know now. When I prayed using His Name saying YESHUA, Son of YAHWEH, I trust You!”  I had a supernatural experience that night. I was laying in bed and suddenly I was awakened out of my sleep and felt a power rush through me and I could not control my movements. The presence took my right hand and placed it on top of the lamp that was next to my bed and immediately thought YESHUA is The Light of the World and I cried! I knew He was real! I always believed, but this type of experience is unexplainable. An encounter with YESHUA like this changes your life forever, you go from believing in Him to thirsting for Him and wanting to completely live for Him. As I was driving to work the next day I was listening to Paul Wilbur’s “The Watchman” and when he sings the chorus he says “When you lift up your voices and call on ELOHIM He will come!” And i wept so much I could barely drive, because I literally called on His Name and He revealed Himself to me. I have had many supernatural experiences, I even had one recently in March of this year 2021 while recording live on Periscope before it closed, I was told by one of the viewers that they could see incense in my room, but the thing is I don’t burn incense nor do I have any candles in my room. Prayerfully, I’ll upload the short clip for everyone to see.

Then in November of 2015, I had a very vivid vision that I will never forget. I was walking down a path and there were thousands of people behind me but I could not see their faces. I kept going until it came to a dead end (which I believe was the time I was proclaiming Judaism and its traditions)so i looked around and then I saw another path and walked on it and all the people were still following me. The path led to an open field and there was a house out in the middle of nowhere but the window was open. So I approached the window and looked in, but did not see anyone, then suddenly this man approached and said “Enter in all you saints!” I was relieved and I went through the window and then four more entered in behind me and then the man’s face got really angry and he slammed the window shut on the rest who were trying to enter.  I will never forget the fierce anger  in his eyes as he slammed the window shut because once He did I immediately woke up. And my first thought was, what is a saint? We often use words in our daily life without knowing what they actually mean. For example, you will look at someone and say “You ain’t no saint!” We always know that the word is used to mean something good or holy.  So I immediately looked up the word and it said “One who has given his life to the One true ELOHIM and believes in His Son” or “a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.” And Revelation 14:12 says

“Here are the endurance of the saints, here are those guarding the Commands of YAHWEH and the belief in YESHUA.”

 I was truly amazed at this and I knew that YESHUA was calling me out of this world to serve Him. It tied in perfectly because since giving up fornicating that summer I began to purge things out of my life. To this day I realize how narrow the path is and I continue to learn and grow and I just want to be found worthy to stand before The Son of Man.

I immediately began to seek His face more and began unlearning Judaism.  However, it took me 4 years to actually commit and serve Him full-time as I felt He was telling me. I was still working at the sheriff’s office but I was still writing and doing Periscope live stream videos when I got home. Things on the job began to worsen and I felt it was happening to force me out of my comfort zone to leave. My 8 hour position turned into a 13-16 hour position five days a week on top of being drafted once or twice a month on the weekend which would include night shift. I still refused to work on Shabbat, so I ended up working nights after the sunset or on Sunday and still have to  go right back to the brutal hours for five more straight days.

One day I was tested by ELOHIM to see what I would do whether I would completely walk with Him or not. So a mandate went out to the entire jail telling all the employees that there was going to be a mandatory draft list which included working on the Shabbat due to the fact that the jail was so short staffed. I said “I will not work on the Shabbat, but will work any other day you need!” So sergeants and captains got involved and eventually I got called into the Major’s office and he and a captain told me it was necessary that I work on the shabbat or risk being fired. I told them that I would not work on the Shabbat for them or the  president. And a comment was made by one of them  that one of the judges in the courthouse was a Jew and he works on the Shabbat if the court case goes over its time and I said “I’m not him! I’m going to serve YAHWEH fully and obey His commands!” Everything that I have shared about how YESHUA was molding me to die to self and live for Him was for moments like these, that I would stand for Him no matter what and trust Him. I did not get fired and ELOHIM blessed me for standing strong for Him.

So I began to pray to ELOHIM if He wanted me to stay at the job or leave the job to serve Him. And everytime I asked Him, He responded immediately, but I pulled a Gideon! Remember, Gideon said “YAHWEH if it is You let the dew be on the fleece and not the ground” and it happened, then Gideon said “Let the dew be on the ground and not the fleece” and that happened too. The problem is that I had several confirmations, but I was scared to leave because of bills and a mortgage that I still have to pay to this day. So my faith was strong, but at this point it wasn’t strong enough, though I want to be clear we cannot do anything on our own strength we need the RUACH HA’KODESH!

In 2016 I prayed and asked ELOHIM if He wanted me to quit and on my way to work there was heavy traffic and I ended up getting  rear ended, so the police got involved and I was out for about 5 hours and eventually went to work, and everyone said to me “what are you doing here? You got in an accident!” I have always been a loyal person and did not want to let anyone down. That was my first clue that YAHWEH had other plans for me.

The summer  of 2018, I prayed to YAHWEH if He wanted me to stay or leave the job and immediately I ended up with the flu and was out of work for two weeks. I prayed again and ended up with a serious sinus infection and was out for another week. This is significant because I always went to work and was on time, when I left I had over 1100 hours of sick leave, so the point that I’m making is that when I prayed something would always happen to prevent me from going to work.

Then comes the big one on October 15th of 2018, we had just finished celebrating Sukkot/The Feast of Tabernacles a few days earlier when we are required to live  outside in tents for 7 days.  So when I went back to work I saw things on the job had gotten worse and it reminded me of the misery I felt on the job and began to think of the peace and connection I felt with ELOHIM dwelling in tents and focusing on Him. So that night I prayed  when I got home from work and said “Father YAHWEH in YESHUA’s Name I see that you want me to quit, so do you want me to walk out or do you want me to put in a notice?” That night I had a vivid dream of me driving to work, but I forgot my uniform and my equipment. 

Then the scene switched and  I was driving my car and it completely died on me so that I could no longer drive it, so I walked home. The very next morning on the 16th of October, 2018 I got on the highway to go to work and there was heavy traffic again, just like it was when I got rear ended in 2016. It felt like deja-vu. So I merged onto the off ramp and happened to look in my rear view mirror when I saw a van coming at me full speed! He hit me so hard that the car flew three lanes across traffic without getting hit by another car. The force of the impact was so hard that I could not stop the car because the brakes stopped working. I had no clue how far I was going to go before the car would stop. When the car finally stopped, I got out and saw that the rear end was completely smashed, the window was blown out and the car was totaled. Then I realized that the dream the night before was a prophecy. This car accident kept  me out from October 16th until November 12th.

At this point the answer was clear for me, but I still went back to work and the final confirmation happened a few months later. I went in that morning and  felt like i shouldn’t have been there and I already knew this,  so I prayed for the final time and asked yet again if I should leave. And when I got inside the jail literally 10 minutes after praying an inmate approached me from the “Special housing unit” these are the inmates that everyone thought was crazy. And he said to me “Powell, just do it!” I said “Do what?” He said “You already know, just do it!” I said to myself there is no way that he would have known my situation or my prayer and I knew that YESHUA was speaking through him to deliver the answer to me. I was so excited and knew what I had to do.

 I remember my mom asking me when she wanted to know what I was going to do and I told her “I’m going to quit because I feel like if I ask ELOHIM again then I will get hit by an 18 wheeler and will not get another chance.” So in June 2019 I quit and have been working for YESHUA ever since then. Our Father YAHWEH and His Son YESHUA are so merciful and Their mercy endures forever! He loves us even though we have strayed and sinned against Him, yet He calls us out of the world to serve Him and that He can live in us. If you feel The RUACH HA’KODESH speaking to you and you are delaying to give your life to Him, I encourage you to do so because I am a living testimony. Answer the call and you will not regret it, because one of my fears was, what if I got so complacent with the world and its ways that I never would have left. We should all want to be on YAHWEH’s time and His economy versus that of the world. Let us all die to self and live for YESHUA who died for us and rose again!

All praises be to our FAther YAHWEH and His Son YESHUA!

First-Fruits 2021

We have already begun the spring moedim the Appointed Times of our ELOHIM and we just completed celebrating Pesach and The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Now coming up on April 18th will be First-Fruits, which is the day of counting the omer the 50 day count to Shavuot. It’s not a Shabbat so you do not have to take off work this day.

Leviticus 23:9-16

“And YAHWEH spoke to Moses, saying, “speak to the children of Yisra’el, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest. ‘And he shall wave the sheaf before YAHWEH, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Shabbat the priest waves it. ‘And on that day when you shall wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to YAHWEH, and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering: one-fourth of a hin of wine. ‘And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your ELOHIM-a Law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves, seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to YAHWEH.”

Aviv in Hebrew means the month of green ears of barley when the barley is ripening. The children of Yisra’el would take the first-fruits of the barley harvest which is the earliest and best of their crops and tie them into a bundle and bring it to the high priest. The high priest would then wave the sheaf (omer) before YAHWEH to accept the future crops and then begin the 50 day count to Shavuot. They were not allowed to put the sickle to grain nor eat any of the harvest until after this ceremony was completed. This reminded the children of Yisra’el that ELOHIM gave them this land and all the harvest belongs to Him.

As for the burnt offering that was made, we know that YESHUA is the Lamb of YAHWEH who takes away the sins of the world and offered Himself with His blood and not the blood of bulls and goats. It is important to see what YESHUA’s blood atonement had done for us and now intercedes for us as the High Priest who does not have to make continual slaughter offerings like the human high priest because He was sinless and unlike the human high priest He doesn’t die; therefore, He makes continual intercession for us.  YESHUA fulfills the animal offerings for us with His blood and the sweet fragrance of the burnt offering that YAHWEH required, and Paul mentions this:

Ephesians 5:2

“And walk in love, as Mashiach (Messiah) also has loved us, and gave Himself for us, a gift and an offering to YAHWEH for a SWEET-SMELLING FRAGRANCE.”

The First-fruits confusion

Passover was on the 6th and the 7th was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15th day of 1st month) and we know that YESHUA rose on the 3rd day. The problem is that we have all been taught, myself included, that the second day after Pesach is first-fruits the day YESHUA rose as our first-fruits. YESHUA DID rise on the third day to fulfill scripture; however, He didn’t have to be resurrected on that day to fulfill it. Reading Paul’s words we see the words “first-fruit” and automatically make the connection to the first-fruits in Leviticus 23:20. YESHUA is the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:20 meaning that those who are in the grave that lived for YESHUA will be resurrected as He was.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22

“But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, and has become the first-fruits of those having fallen asleep. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through a Man. For as all die in Adam, so also all shall be made alive in Messiah.” 

1 Thessalonians 4:16

“Because the Adon (Master) Himself shall come down from the heavens with a shout, with the voice of a chief messenger/angel, and with the trumpet of ELOHIM, and the dead IN Mashiach shall rise first. Then we, the living who are left over, shall be caught in the clouds to meet the Adon in the air…”

Enoch 49: 1-3

“For wisdom is poured out like water, and esteem failed not before Him for eternity. For He is mighty in all the secrets of righteousness, and unrighteousness shall disappear as a shadow, and have no continuance; because the ELECT ONE (YESHUA) stands before YAHWEH of hosts, and His esteem is forever and ever, and His might unto all generations. And in Him dwells the spirit of wisdom, and the spirit which gives insight, and the spirit of understanding and of might, and the spirit of THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

So do we observe first-fruits the counting of the omer during the Feast of Unleavened Bread?

Leviticus 23 reveals that YAHWEH never overlapped or mixed the Feasts. YAHWEH separates them by saying “AND then YAHWEH spoke to Moshe”. Calendars today are lumping First-Fruits in with the Feast of Unleavened Bread; therefore beginning the count too early, while the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is still going. 

For example most started counting the omer (the 50 day count to Shavuot/Pentecost) on March 28th, however  we are to begin counting on April 18th after The Feast of Unleavened Bread is completed to arrive at the 15th day of the THIRD MONTH which is June 6th on our Gregorian calendars. Keep the 15th day of the 3rd month in mind because the Scriptures below will show that is the day when Shavuot is to be celebrated.

The Appointed Times are separated and do not mix or overlap!

So Passover is on the 14th day of 1st month (Abib), feast of unleavened bread is on the 15th-21st of 1st month (Abib). And First-Fruits is on the 26th day of the 1st month of (Abib) AFTER the Feast of Unleavened bread is completed; then that morrow after the Sabbath is first-fruits which is April 18th.  First-Fruits is tied to Shavuot so it cannot overlap with The Feast of Unleavened Bread, because they are separate.

 Scriptural Timeline:

The Israelites left Egypt on 15th day of 1st month which is the first day of the feast of unleavened bread:

Exodus 12:17

“And you shall guard the Matzah (Feast of Unleavened Bread 15th Day of 1st Month), for on this SAME DAY I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. And you shall guard this day throughout your generations, an everlasting Law.” 

And then exactly TWO MONTHS later on the 15th Day of the 3rd MONTH the Israelites arrive at Sinai.

Exodus 19:1

“In the THIRD MONTH after the children of Yisra’el had come out of the land of Egypt, on this day (on that same day 15TH) they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.” For they departed from Rephidim, and had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Yisra’el camped there before the mountain.”

So basically, if we don’t start the count of First-Fruits on the 26th day of 1st month to get to the 15th day of the 3rd month, then Shavuot the beginning of the barley harvest will be celebrated a few weeks  too soon, before the Israelites even entered into Sinai. The Book of Jubilees confirms this:

Jubilees  shows us that the children of Yisra'el arrived on the 15th because YAHWEH spoke to Moses on the next day on the 16th after they camped when arriving.

Jubilees 1:1

“And it came to be in the first year of the children of Yisra’el coming out of Egypt, in the third month, on the sixteenth day of the month, that ELOHIM spoke to Moses…”

So do we know when to celebrate Shavuot?

Many will say that there is no date given in scripture to celebrate Shavuot, which is why there is so much confusion surrounding it. However, the Book of Jubilees which was discovered with the Dead Sea Scrolls alongside books like the Old Testament tell us exactly when to observe it.

 Jubilees 15:1

“And in the fifth year of the fourth week of this Jubilee, in the THIRD MONTH, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH (15th Day) Abram celebrated the Festival of the First-Fruits (Shavuot) of the grain harvest.” 

The Book of Enoch says there are only 30 days in a month; therefore, the middle of the month is the 15th day. Plus we have earlier witnesses in scripture that testifies to this when we look at the flood during the days of Noah.

Genesis 7:24

“And the waters were mighty on the earth, one hundred and fifty days.”

5 months X 30 days in a month= 150 days

Jubilees 16:13

“And she (Sarah) bore a son in the THIRD MONTH. And in the MIDDLE OF THE MONTH (15th Day) at the time of which YAHWEH had spoken to Abraham, on the Festival of the First-Fruits (Shavuot) of the Harvest, Isaac was born.”

So we see that Abraham celebrated Shavuot also known as First-Fruits in Jubilees because  the two are connected by the 50 day counting of the omer. The messenger/angel goes into great detail about the two-fold meaning of The Festival of Shavuot and First-Fruits together:

Jubilees 6:15-21

“And He gave to Noah and his sons a sign that there should not be a flood on the earth again. He placed a rainbow in the cloud for a sign of the everlasting Covenant that there should not be a flood again on the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth. For this reason it is ordained and written on the tablets of the heavens, that they should celebrate the FESTIVAL OF SHAVUOT IN THIS MONTH ONCE A YEAR to renew the Covenant every year.” And this Festival was CELEBRATED IN THE HEAVENS from the day of creation till the days of Noah:twenty-six Jubilees and five weeks of years. And Noah and his sons observed it for seven Jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah’s death. And from the day of Noah’s death his sons forsook it until the days of Abraham, and they ate blood“But Abraham observed it, and Isaac, and Jacob, and his children observed it up to your days, and in your days the children of Yisra’el forgot it until you celebrated it anew on this mountain. And you shall command the children of Yisra’el to observe this Festival in all their generations for a Command unto them; one day in the year in this month (3rd MONTH) they shall celebrate the Festival. For it is the Festival of Shavuot AND THE FEAST OF FIRST-FRUITS: This Feast is twofold and double nature: according to what is written and engraved concerning it, celebrate it.” 

The Festival of Shavuot is the same festival Abraham celebrated and was called the Festival of First-Fruits because they are connected and twofold and we have to remember that we slaves in Egypt. Which I’ll cover as Shavuot approaches for us to celebrate, ELOHIM willing. 

Jubilees 44:1-8

“And Yisra’el took his journey from Haran from his house on the new moon of the THIRD MONTH, and he went on the way of Beersheba, and he offered an offering to the ELOHIM of his dad Isaac on the seventh of this month. And Jacob remembered the dream that he had seen at Beyth El, and he feared to go down to Egypt. And while he was thinking of sending word to Joseph to come to him, and that he would not go down, he remained there seven days, if it came to be he should see a vision as to whether he should remain or go down. And he celebrated the HARVEST FESTIVAL OF THE FIRST-FRUITS (15th day of 3rd month)  with old grain, for in all the land of Canaan there was not a handful of seed, for scarcity of food was over all the beasts and cattle and birds, and also over man.” And on the sixteenth (16th) YAHWEH appeared to him, and said to him, Jacob, Jacob.” YAHWEH spoke to Jacob on the 16th after he celebrated Shavuot on the 15th day of 3rd month just as we saw in Jubilees 1:1 when YAHWEH spoke to Moses on the 16th day after they arrived in the Wilderness of Sinai on the 15th day of the 3rd month.

So if we count the 50 days starting on April 18th (on our Gregorian calendar) which is the 26th day of the 1st month on YAHWEH's calendar, then we will arrive in the middle of the 3rd MONTH (15th Day) when Noah and his sons celebrated it and also Abraham and his sons. So Shavuot will be observed this year on June 6th a NO WORK day. It is important to get the exact days of YAHWEH's appointed times because this is what the messenger/angel says concerning the days of YAHWEH:

Jubilees 6:32-35

“And you shall command the children of Yisra’el that they observe the years according to this reckoning: THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR DAYS (364 days), and these shall constitute a complete year, and they shall not disturb its time from its days and from its Festivals; for all shall fall out in them according to their witness, and they shall not leave out any day nor disturb ANY FESTIVALS. But if they neglect and do not observe them according to His Command, then they shall disturb all their seasons, and the years shall be dislodged from this order; and they shall NEGLECT THEIR LAWS. And all the children of Yisra’el shall forget, and shall not find the path of the years, and shall forget the new moons, and seasons, and Shabbats, and they shall go astray as to all the order of the years. For I know, and from this time on I shall declare it to you, and it is not of my own devising; for the Book is written before me. And on the tablets of the heavens the division of days is ordained, lest they forget the FESTIVALS OF THE COVENANT and WALK ACCORDING TO THE FESTIVAL OF THE GENTILES after their straying and after their ignorance."

Enoch 74:12-14

“And the sun and the stars bring in all the years exactly, so that they do not advance or delay their position by a single day unto everlasting; but complete the years with PERFECT JUSTICE IN THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOUR DAYS. In three years there are one thousand and ninety-two days ( 1,092 days divided by 3= 364), and in five years; one thousand eight hundred and twenty days  1, 820 days divided by 5=364), so that in eight years there are two thousand nine hundred and twelve days ( 2, 912 days divided by 8=364.)

What are we to do on it First Fruits?

As we read in Leviticus 23 that the Israelites were not to eat any grain of the new harvest until they brought their initial crops (first-fruits) and bring the barley sheaf to the priest so he could wave it before YAHWEH to accept the future crops and begin counting down the 50 days to the next Appointed Time which is The Festival of Shavuot aka The Festival of First Fruits aka Pentecost (50 in Greek).

Leviticus 23:12-14

“And on that day when you wave the sheaf, you shall prepare a male lamb a year old, a perfect one, as a burnt offering to YAHWEH, and its grain offering: two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to YAHWEH, a sweet fragrance, and its drink offering:one-fourth of a hin of wine.And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought AN OFFERING to your ELOHIM.”

Even if we wanted to do a burnt offering we cannot because we have no temple, we are not in Jerusalem, and we know that YESHUA gave Himself up once and for all with His own blood and not the blood of bulls and goats. This is what Paul says about how we can also apply this by living holy lives and being obedient to our ELOHIM!

Romans 12:1

“I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of ELOHIM, to present your bodies a LIVING OFFERING-holy, well pleasing to ELOHIM-your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of ELOHIM.”

1 Peter 2:4-5

“Drawing near to Him, a living Stone-rejected indeed by men, but chosen by YAHWEH and precious-you also, as living stones, are being built up, A SPIRITUAL HOUSE, a holy priesthood, to OFFER UP SPIRITUAL SLAUGHTER OFFERINGS acceptable to YAHWEH through YESHUA ha’Mashiach.”

Sirach 35:1

“He who guards the Law brings offerings enough; he who guards the Command offers a peace offering.”

Let us present ourselves as a living sacrifice and keep the commandments so that we offer up spiritual peace offerings to our ELOHIM; and begin the 50 day count to Shavuot the beginning of the barley harvest.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

Prophecy of YESHUA in Psalms 22

Last week we discussed that YESHUA is The Son of YAHWEH and the importance of accepting Him as your Savior before it is too late. Today, I would like to go over a prophecy concerning Him that was written by David in Psalms.

Mark 12:35-37

“And YESHUA responding said, while teaching in the Sanctuary, “How is it that the scribes say that HA’MASHIACH (The Messiah) is the Son of David? David himself said by the  RUACH HA’KODESH (The Holy Spirit), ‘ YAHWEH said to My Master, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for you feet.” David himself calls Him My Master. In what way then is He his Son? And the large crowd heard Him gladly.”

Psalms 110:1

“A psalm, of David.  YAHWEH said to My Master, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your foot.”

So we see that David prophesied concerning YESHUA in the Book of Psalms being led by the RUACH HA’KODESH, and shows us that David already knew that YESHUA was The Son of YAHWEH and even calls YESHUA His Master before He even became flesh and walked on the earth. This again, perfectly matches with what YESHUA spoke of in Luke.

Luke 24:44

“And He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all have to be filled that were written in the Torah of Moses and prophets and the PSALMS concerning Me.”

Now that we see that David was writing prophecies about YESHUA in the psalms we will break down Psalms 22 to show the details concerning YESHUA while being guided by The RUACH HA’KODESH. I will be pointing out the verses that jump out to me concerning prophecy and the fullfilment scriptures.

Psalms 22:1 (Aramaic)

“My EL, My EL, why have You Let me Live…”

Mathew 27:46 (Aramaic)

“And about the ninth hour YESHUA cried out with a loud voice saying, “Eli, Eli, lamah shebaqtani? That is, “My EL, My EL, why have you Spared Me?”

Mark 15:34

“And at the ninth hour YESHUA cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lamah shebaqtani? Which is translated My EL, My EL, why have You forsaken Me?”

Psalms (continued) verse 6 reveals something very interesting

“But I am a worm, and no man…”

The word for worm used here is the Hebrew word “towla” #H8438 which means worm, scarlet stuff, crimson, the dye made from the dried body of the female of the worm “coccus ilicis”. There is a hidden meaning contained in the word choice of worm here which ties in beautifully of what YESHUA did for us. I’ll use a article from randomgroovybiblefacts.com  that explains this perfectly:

The account is of extreme importance, for it actually plays a vital role in understanding how the virgin birth of the Messiah YESHUA is a necessity according to the Torah. This is another teaching in itself, but it’s mentioned here to see the importance of this event and the inclusion of the crimson thread in a Messianic perspective.  The crimson thread and is relation to the Messiah build further in yet another passage.

This is extremely significant to the reader, for here we see Messiah making the claim that He is not to be understood merely as what He is in appearance-a man- but rather, what His true purpose entails. The Kermes Vermilio has to DIE in order to be of any use to humans. The crimson color cannot be extracted without the DEATH of the worm. In the same way, Messiah’s purpose in His first coming was ultimately to DIE so that man could benefit from His life-long faithfulness to the Father in all things.

Furthermore, the “towla/kermes vermilio also must sacrifice itself to bear offspring. It cannot bear offspring without dying, for it forever attaches itself to the tree in order to protect its young while they wait to come forth at their proper time. 

 Additionally, these young feed on their mother for initial sustenance before going forth into the world. These facts parallel the Messiah, who had to die in order to see a harvest. It is Him who  we are told to partake of symbolically in the Passover meal, as well.

I wanted to list the scripture John 6 that he is referencing in the article:

John 6:54-58

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood possesses everlasting life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood stays in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me shall live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of the heavens, not as your ancestors ate the manna and died. He who eats this bread shall live forever.”

The fact that this sacrificial aspect of the worm happens on wood is itself intensely significant. The death of the Messiah took place on the wood of the cross, and the declaration of ANOKEE TOLAAT (I am a worm) here in Psalm 22:6 can be taken as prophetic of when He was affixed to the cross, as the passage goes on to speak of hands being nailed.

Therefore,  the word as it appears in the passage from Psalms 22:6 could be said to really promote the idea of a sacrificial worm connected to the cross. This factor maintains the link of the Messiah’s purpose of giving everything He had to bring forth seed for the Father, and doing it sacrificing Himself for our own future. Therefore, when one reads that Messiah called Himself a “worm” it is far more than a statement of self-pity, but a powerful proclamation of His astounding purpose for the redemption of mankind. He took upon Himself the nature of a seemingly insignificant insect that gave of itself for man (the dye) and for the future of its own offspring. The worm is a portrait of a selfless act of love and beautiful gift given willingly by the Messiah YESHUA to His sheep.

I wanted to comment on what was written in the article concerning YESHUA comparing Himself to an insignificant insect that would give life reminded me of Isaiah 53:2

“For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him…”  

And just like the worm YESHUA’s death brought forth life for us all because we are His children, the same way the offspring of the worm fed off of her when she died so that they could live.

Psalms 22: 6 (continued)

“A reproach of men, an despised by the people”

Isaiah 53:3

“Despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him.”

Verse 14

“And all My bones have been spread apart; My heart has become like wax; it has melted in the midst of My inward parts.” When He was lifted up on the stake the weight of His body pulled down on His hands and wrists that were nailed dislocating His shoulders and elbows.

John 19:34

“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and instantly blood and water came out.” Many believe that YESHUA suffered from a ruptured heart which is why He said that His heart has become like wax and melted in the midst of His inward parts. (apu.edu) adds: Because of the decrease of oxygen from difficulty exhaling causes damage to the tissues and the capillaries begin leaking watery fluid from the blood into the tissues. This results in a build-up of fluid around the heart (pericardial effusion) and lungs. 

Psalms 69:21

“And they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink…”

John 19:28-29

“After this YESHUA,  knowing that all had been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be accomplished said, ‘I thirst!” A bowl of vinegar stood there, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on hyssop, and held it to His mouth.”

Psalms 22: 7-8 and verse 16

“All those who see Me mock Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, He trusted in YAHWEH, let Him rescue Him!” Verse 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; a crowd of evil ones have encircled Me…”

Mathew 27:38-43

“Then two robbers were impaled with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads, and saying, “You who destroy the Tabernacle and build it in three days, save Yourself! If you are the Son of ELOHIM, come down from the stake.” And likewise the chief priests, and the scribes and elders, mocking, said, “He saved others-He is unable to save Himself. If He is the King of Yisra’el, let Him now come down from the stake, and we shall believe Him. He trusted in ELOHIM, let Him rescue Him now if He desires Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of ELOHIM.”

Psalms 22: 14

“I have been poured out like water…”

Isaiah 53:12

“Therefore I give Him a portion among the great, and He divides the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His being unto death…”

Mathew 26:27-28

“And taking the cup, and giving thanks, He gave it to them, saying,  “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood, that of the Renewed Covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Mathew 27:50

“And YESHUA cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit.”

Mark 15:37

“And YESHUA cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.”

Psalms 22: 16

“Piercing My hands and My feet…”

Isaiah 53:5

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

Mathew 27:35, 38

“And having impaled Him…” Verses 37-38 “And they put up over His head the written charge against Him: THIS IS YESHUA, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then two robbers were impaled with Him, one on the right and another on the left.”

Mark 15:25

“And it was the third hour, and they impaled Him.”

Luke 23:33

“And when they had come to the place called Golgotha, they impaled Him there, and the evil-doers, one on the right and the other on the left.”

John 19:17-18

“And bearing His stake, He went out to the so-called Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they impaled Him, and two others with Him, one on this side and one on that side, and YESHUA in the middle.”

Psalms 22:18

“They divide My garments among them, and for My raiment they cast lots.”

Mathew 27:35

“And having impaled Him they divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be filled what was spoken by the prophet, “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”

Mark 15:24

“And when they impaled Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them, what each one should take.”

Luke 23:34

“And YESHUA said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.”

John 19:23-24

“Then the soldiers, when they had impaled YESHUA, took His outer garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and the inner garment. But the inner garment was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. So they said to each other, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it- whose it shall be,” in order that the Scripture might be filled which says, “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” The soldiers therefore indeed did this.”

Psalms 22:17

“I count all My bones…”

John 19:33

“Therefore the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was impaled with Him, but when they came to YESHUA and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”

Verse 17 ( continued)

“They look, they stare at Me.”

John 19:37

“And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Luke 23: 47-48

“And the captain, seeing what took place, praised ELOHIM, saying “Truly this Man was righteous!” And when all the crowds who had gathered to the sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.”

Psalms 22:22

“I make known Your Name to My brothers…”

John 17:6

“I have revealed Your Name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have guarded Your Word.” Verse 11 “And I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, guard them in Your Name which You have given Me, so that they might be one, as We are.”

Psalms 22:23

“You who revere YAHWEH, praise Him! All you seed of Jacob, esteem Him, and revere Him, all you seed of Yisra’el! For He has not despised Nor hated the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him…”

Isaiah 53:10

“But YAHWEH was pleased to crush Him, He laid sickness on Him, that when He made Himself an offering for guilt, He would see a seed (Yisra’el), He would prolong His days and the pleasure of YAHWEH prosper in His hand.”

Psalms 22:27-29

“Let all the ends of the earth remember and turn to YAHWEH, and all clans of the nations bow themselves before You. For the reign belongs to YAHWEH and He is ruling over the nations. All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and bow themselves; all who go down to the dust bow before Him, even he who did not keep alive his own life.”

Philippians 2:9-11

“YAHWEH, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of YESHUA every knee should bow, of those in the heavens, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that YESHUA HA’MASHIACH is Master, to the esteem of YAHWEH the Father.”

The prophecies pertaining to YESHUA are overwhelming and I pray that if anyone has not accepted Him as the Son of YAHWEH and our Savior, that you do so today before it’s too late!

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!

YESHUA is the SON!

I did a video sometime last year titled “YESHUA is not an idol” because there are many who are denying who YESHUA is or even His existence all together and the great falling away is occurring at rapid pace. YESHUA is the Son of YAHWEH and without Him nobody has a chance to be saved. I will include scriptures showing that YESHUA saying or agreeing that He is the Son, witnesses, explaining a parable to show this, and showing how the demons fear and know who YESHUA is.

Many believe they can call upon the Name of the Father all while rejecting the Son and YESHUA’s words are clear on this:

 John 15:23

“He who hates Me hates My Father as well.”

1 John 2:22-23

“Who is the liar, except the one denying that YESHUA is Messiah? This is the anti-messiah, the one denying the Father and the Son. No one denying the Son has the Father. The one confessing the Son has the Father as well.”

Many are calling upon The Father while rejecting the Son and we see that is impossible!

For those who say YESHUA wasn’t there in the beginning as John 1:1-2, Hebrews 1:1-2, Colossians 1:14-17, and many places in the Old Testament  as I’ve shown in past videos, then I would like to quickly show other scriptures proving His existence in the beginning:

Psalms 40:7

“Then I said, See, I come in the scroll (volume) of the Book it is written concerning Me.”

YESHUA is speaking well before He became flesh and said that He comes in the scroll (the animal skin, papyrus, or leather the Torah which is the first 5 Books it was written on) was concerning Him. This ties in exactly to what YESHUA said in:

Luke 24:44

“And He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all have to be filled that were written in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning ME.” Which makes perfectly with Psalms 40:7 quoted above.

John 5:39

“You search the Scriptures because you think you possess everlasting life in them. And these are the ones that bear witness of Me.” Verse 46 “For if you believed Moses, you would have believed Me, since he wrote about Me.”

Luke 10:17-18

“And the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Adonai, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan falling out of the heavens as lightning.”

In order for YESHUA to have seen Satan fall from the heavens as lightning, wouldn’t He have to already be in heaven to see this happen? The following scriptures in John show us where YESHUA came from:

John 6:38

“Because I have come down out of the heavens, not to do My own desire, but the desire of Him who sent Me.”

John 8:23

“And He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.”

John 1:30

“This is He of whom I said, ‘after me comes a Man who has become before me, for He was before me.”

John The Baptist was saying that YESHUA came six months after him being born on earth, but was before him, meaning that YESHUA was here from the very beginning of time.

Micah 5:2 (Septuagint)

“And you, Beyth-Lehem, house of Ephrata, are few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Yehudah (Judah); yet out of you one shall come out to Me, to a RULER OF YISRA’EL; and His goings out were FROM THE BEGINNING, EVEN FROM THE DAYS OF THE ETERNITY.”

Many Torah observant believers and Muslims say that YESHUA never said that He was the Son of YAHWEH!

 Is this true?

Psalms 2:5-9 (Septuagint)

“Then shall he speak to them in his anger and trouble them in His fury. But I have been made KING by Him on Zion His set-apart mountain, declaring the statute of YAHWEH: YAHWEH said to ME, YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN YOU (Brought into existence by or as if by a parent). Ask of Me and I will give you the goyim (nations) as your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall tend them as a Shepherd; You shall dash them in pieces as a potter’s vessel. “

The scripture is clear evidence that YESHUA is speaking and not YAHWEH!

John 9:35-37

“YESHUA heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the SON OF ELOHIM? He answered and said, “Who is He, My Master, that I might believe in Him?” And YESHUA said to him, “You have both seen Him and He who speaks with you is He.”

John 3:18

“He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of ELOHIM.”

Mathew 16:13-17

“Now when YESHUA came into the parts of Kaisereia Philippos; He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say the Son of Man is? And they said, “Some John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “And you, who do you say I am? And Simon Peter answering, said, “You are The Messiah, the SON OF THE LIVING ELOHIM.” YESHUA answering, said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Yonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in the heavens.”

Notice, how YESHUA does not rebuke Peter for saying that He is the Son of YAHWEH? Rather, YESHUA says that Peter is blessed for receiving this revelation because it was given by YAHWEH! We see from scripture that if disciples were ever wrong about something that YESHUA had no problems correcting them:

Mathew 16:22-23

“And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Be kind to Yourself, My Master, this shall not be to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to Me, for your thoughts are not those of ELOHIM, but those of men.”

Luke 9:54-56

“And His disciples, James and John, seeing it said, “My Master, do You want us to command fire to come down from the heavens and destroy them, as also Elijah did?” But having turned, He (YESHUA) rebuked them and said, “You do not know of what spirit you are, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”And they went on to another village.”

Then we see this happen again with the other disciples and YESHUA accepts what they say because it is true and does not rebuke them for it.

Mathew 14:28-33

“And Peter answered Him and said, “Adonai, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to YESHUA. But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Adonai, save me!” And immediately YESHUA stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “O you of little belief, why did you doubt?” And when they came into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat came and bowed to Him, saying, “Truly You are the SON OF YAHWEH.”

Hebrews 1:1-2

“YAHWEH, having of old spoken in many portions and many ways to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by THE SON, whom He has appointed heir of all….

YAHWEH The Father calls YESHUA His SON in the Gospels; and we know that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established:

John 8:17

“And in your Torah also, it has been written that the witness of two men is TRUE.”

Mathew 3:16-17

“And having been immersed (baptized), YESHUA went up immediately from the water, and see, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit descending like a dove and coming upon Him, and see, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My SON, the Beloved, in whom I DELIGHT.”

Mark 1:11

“And a voice came out of the heavens, “You are My SON, the Beloved, in whom I DELIGHT.”

Luke 3:22

“And the RUACH HA’KODESH (Holy Spirit) descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from the heavens saying, “You are My SON, the Beloved, I DELIGHT in You.”

Now let us take a look at a parable spoken by YESHUA to see what He says. But before we do this let’s examine what YESHUA says about parables:

Mathew 13:10-16

“And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” And He answering, said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the reign of the heavens, but to them it has not been given. For whoever possesses, to him more shall be given, and he shall have overflowing; but whoever does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away from him. Because of this I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is completely filled, which says, ‘Hearing you shall hear and by no means understand, and seeing you shall see and by no means perceive, for the heart of this people has become thickened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart, and turn back, and I heal them.”

The Greek word for the heart being thickened is #G3975 Pachyno “Pa-khu-no” which means to rend the soul dull or callous (hardened, no emotion, hard-hearted). So could it be that many who reject YESHUA as the Son of YAHWEH have hard hearts and cannot see the truth that YESHUA spoke in His parables?

Mathew 21:33-44

“Hear another parable: There was a certain man, a house-holder who planted a vineyard and placed a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. And he leased it to farmers and went abroad. And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive its fruit. And the farmers took his servants and beat one, and they killed one, and they stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. And at last he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They shall respect my son. But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and let us possess his inheritance.” “And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Therefore, when the master of the vineyard comes, what shall he do to those farmers? They said to Him, “Evil ones! He shall bring them to evil destruction, and lease the vineyard to other farmers who shall give to him the fruits in their seasons.” YESHUA said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Corner-Stone. This was from YAHWEH, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Because of this I say to you: the reign of ELOHIM shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. And he who falls on this stone shall be broken, but on whomever it falls, he shall be pulverized.”

The Master of the Vineyard/House-Holder is “YAHWEH”

The servants are the “Prophets”

The Farmers are the “Native-born Jews”

The Son is “YESHUA”

Other farmers/Another nation is the “gentiles”

YAHWEH (The Master of the vineyard) called His chosen people the (Farmers) Yisra’elites first but they were rebellious; therefore, He called the gentiles and allowed to repentance unto life to be grafted in and obey Him, which is why YESHUA said “the reign of ELOHIM shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it.”

Deuteronomy 32:21

“They made Me jealous by what is not EL, they provoked Me with their worthlessness. But I make them (Israelites) jealous by those who are no people, I provoke them with a foolish nation (gentiles).”

Acts 13:46

“But speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the Word of ELOHIM should be spoken to you first (Israelites), but since you thrust it away, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, see, we turn to the gentiles.”

YAHWEH continually sent His (servants) the prophets to warn His people but they continually rejected them and killed them, which is why YESHUA said “And the farmers took his servants and beat one, and they killed one, and they stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.”

Mathew 23:29-37

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build of the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets. Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you’re sons of those who murdered the prophets. Verse 37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not!”

Revelation 18:23-24

“And the light of a lamp shall not shine in you any more at all. And the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you any more at all. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, for by your drug sorcery all the nations were led astray. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and all who were slain on the earth.”

Finally, YAHWEH sent His Son YESHUA and they rejected Him and killed Him, which is why YESHUA said “And at last he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They shall respect my son. But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and let us possess his inheritance.” “And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.”

Mathew 12:13-14

“Then He (YESHUA) said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored, as healthy as the other. But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, so as to destroy Him.”

John 1:10-11

“He (YESHUA) was in the world, and the world came to be through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own (Jews), and His own did not receive Him.”

John 19:14-18

“And it was the Preparation of the Pesach, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “See your King!” But they shouted, “Away, away, impale Him! Pilate said to them, “Shall I impale your King? The chief priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar! “At that time, then, he delivered Him to them to be impaled. And they took YESHUA and led away. And bearing His stake, He went out to the so-called Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they impaled Him, and two others with Him, one on this side and one on that side, and YESHUA in the middle.”

And the parable was very clear to the Pharisees because they knew YESHUA was talking about them, yet they still did not catch the part about YESHUA being the Son, because they refused to see it just as many are doing today, as we see in Mathew 21:45

“And the chief priests and Pharisees, having heard His parables, knew that He was speaking them.”

YESHUA is the Chief Corner Stone which is He said “YESHUA said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Corner-Stone. This was from YAHWEH, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”

1 Peter 2:4-7

“Drawing near to Him, a living STONE-rejected indeed by men, but chosen by YAHWEH and precious-you also, as living stones, are being built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to YAHWEH through YESHUA HA’MASHIACH. Because it is contained in the Scripture, “See, I lay in Zion a CHIEF CORNER-STONE, chosen, precious, and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame. This esteem, then, is for you who believe; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the CHIEF CORNER-STONE,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling,” who stumble because they are disobedient to the Word (YESHUA), to which they also were appointed.”

Luke 2:34-35

“See, this One (YESHUA) is appointed for a fall and rising of many in Yisra’el, and for a sign spoken against-and a sword shall pierce through your own being also-so as to reveal the thoughts of many hearts.”

Many are falling because of the Appointed One YESHUA and their hearts are hardened as to not believe in Him just like the Pharisees.

The heir

Hebrews 1:1-2

“YAHWEH, having of old spoken in many portions and many ways to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by THE SON, whom He has appointed HEIR of all…. Which is why YESHUA said “They shall respect my son. But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the HEIR. Come, let us kill him, and let us possess his inheritance.”

Build your foundation on the Rock!

Though YESHUA is referring to keeping His commandments in this scripture, there is still an application to be taken from it. By rejecting YESHUA as the Son of YAHWEH you will be building your house on the sand that will fall, so let’s look at YESHUA’s own words concerning this:

Mathew 7:24-27

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does them, shall be like a wise man who built his house on the ROCK, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house and it did not fall, for it was founded on the ROCK!”

Who is the Rock?

1 Corinthians 10:1-4

“For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our ancestors were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that SPIRTUAL ROCK THAT FOLLOWED, AND THE ROCK WAS MESSIAH.”

YESHUA is the Written Word that became Living Flesh meaning that He is the Torah and Our Rock. So without Him you have no foundation at all; and when the rains, floods, and winds come then you will not be able to stand because your foundation isn’t built on YESHUA because you have rejected Him.

Mathew 7 (continued) “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not do them, shall be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.”

The demons even know who He is shouldn’t you?

James 2:19

“You believe that ELOHIM is one. You do well. The demons also believe-and shudder!”

Mathew 8:28-29

“And when He came to the other side, to the country of the Girgashites, two demon-possessed ones met Him, coming out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one was able to pass that way. And see, they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, YESHUA, SON OF ELOHIM? Have You come here to torture us, before the appointed time?”

Mark 1:23-25 verse 34

“And there was a man in their congregation with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying, “Ha! What have we to do with You, YESHUA of Natsareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of ELOHIM!” Verse 34 And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons, and was not allowing the demons to speak, because they knew Him.”

Mark 3:11-12

“And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the SON OF ELOHIM.” But He warned them many times that they should not make Him known.”

Mark 5:1-7

“And they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of Gadarenes. And when He came out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him, not even with chains, because had had often been bound with shackles and chains but the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was able to tie him. And continually, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. And seeing YESHUA from a distance, he ran and bowed down to Him, and having called out with a loud voice, said, “What have I to do with You, YESHUA, SON OF THE MOST HIGH EL? Swear to ELOHIM not to torture me.”

Luke 4:41

“And also demons were coming out of many, crying out and saying, “You are The Messiah, the SON OF ELOHIM!” And rebuking them, He did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was The Messiah.”

These accounts have been written for a reason to show us that the demons know who YESHUA is, where He is from, and the power that He has. They fear Him, just as every human being on this earth should! Do not wait until Judgment Day to understand that you should have known Him and feared Him more than the demons did.

Let us all be thankful to our Father YAHWEH for sending His only begotten Son YESHUA who died for our sins as we are about to observe Passover next week. I pray this helps someone who doesn’t believe in Him to accept Him today.

May our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name.

Messages contained in Hebrew Names.

We discussed last week the importance of the Hebraic Roots of our faith and how the scriptures were written in Hebrew, how words translated from Hebrew into another language begins to lose its meaning, how Hebrew is the Holy Tongue of creation, and also the importance of studying the etymology of the words in the original language. One of the greatest examples is how YESHUA means “YAHWEH is Salvation.”

 So today I would like to do something different and look at some names and formulate a message out of them. In order to make this work it requires adding a word or two to make a smooth transition to the next word. I would like to use three examples and I’ll start off with a short one so you will get the point of what this message is about.

Message one:

Pharisee in Hebrew means “Separate”

Sadducees in Hebrew means “Righteous ones”

Adding this two words into a sentence would be: The Pharisee’s and Sadducees attempt to separate the righteous ones with their man-made doctrines.

And this makes complete sense when we look at the words of YESHUA:

Mathew 16:6

“And YESHUA said to them, “Mind! And beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Verse 11-12 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the TEACHING OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES.”

Message two:

Now we are going to look at the sons of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Yisra’el in the order of their birth.

Genesis 35:22-25

“And it came to be, when Yisra’el dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his dad’s concubine. And Yisra’el heard about it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Yissaskar, and Zebulon; the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s female servant, were Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s female servant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.”

What are the meaning of their names?

Reuben means “behold” or “a son”

Simeon means “heard”

Levi means “joined”

Judah means “YAHWEH be praised”

Yissakar means “brought reward”

Zebulon means “dwelling” or “habitation”

Joseph means “YAHWEH has added”

Benjamin means “son of the right hand”

Dan means “he that judges”

Naphtali means “my struggle”

Gad means “fortune”

Asher means “gladness”

Combining them together

Now when we combine the meanings together and add a word or two to make a smooth transition of the word I see a powerful message in the names of the 12 Tribes, which reads:

Behold, I heard the truth then joined, let YAHWEH be praised! He brought a reward  The Holy Spirit is dwelling in us ; from the beginning has added the Son of the right hand (YESHUA), He that judges (John 5:22) forgives my struggle (died for our sins/Intercessor) bringing fortune and gladness (eternal life).

Scriptures that match the message are as follows:

Mark 4:20

“And those sown on good soil, are those who HEAR the Word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirtyfold, and some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Psalms 150:6

“Let all that have breath PRAISE YAH. HALLELUYAH!”

John 14:17

“The Spirit of the Truth, whom the world is unable to receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him, for He stays with you and shall BE IN YOU.”

Mathew 26:64

“YESHUA said to him, “You have said it. Besides I say to you, from now you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the RIGHT HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY, and coming on the clouds of the heavens.”

John 5:22

“For the Father judges no one, but has given all the judgment to the Son.”

Hebrews 4:14-16

“Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, YESHUA the Son of YAHWEH, let us hold fast our confessions. For we do not have a High Priest unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who was tried in all respects as we are, apart from sin. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of favor, in order to receive compassion, and find favor for timely help.

Revelation 21:3-6

“And I heard a loud voice from the heavens saying, “See, the Booth of ELOHIM is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and ELOHIM Himself shall be with them and be their ELOHIM. And ELOHIM shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, no mourning, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former have passed away. And He who was sitting on the throne said, “See, I make all new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and trustworthy.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘Aleph and the Tau’, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I shall give of the fountain of the water of life without payment.”

Message 3:

Next we are going to look at the sons of David and combine the name of his sons in the order of their birth. When David reigned in Hebron for 7 years in 6 months, six sons were born to him:

2 Samuel 3:2-5

“And sons were born to David in Hebron. And his first-born was Amnon by Ahino’am the Yizre’elitess; and his second, Kil’ab by Abigail the widow of Naval the Karmelite; and the third, Abshalom son of Ma’akah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur: and the fourth, Adoniyah son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatyah son of Abital; and the sixth, Yithre’am, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.”

David had 11 more sons born to him when he reigned in Jerusalem for 33 years:

2 Samuel 5:13-15

“And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. And these were the names of those worn to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, and Yibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Yaphiya, and Elishama and Elyada, and Eliphelet.”

Amnon means “Trustworthy”

Kil’av means “Like father”

Abshalom means “My father of peace’

Adoniyah means “my father is YAHWEH”

Sephatyah means “Judged of YAHWEH”

Yithrea’am means “Excellence of the people’

Shammua means “Renowned”

Shobab means “Rebellious”

Nathan means “Given, giving”

Solomon means “Peacefully”

Yibhar means “chosen”

Elishua means “My EL is Salvation”

Nepheg means “Sprout”

Yaphiya means “Shining”

Elishama means “My EL hears”

Elyada means “EL knows”

Eliphelet “My EL of deliverance”

Combining all the names together we get:

Trustworthy like Father, my Father of peace, My Master is YAHWEH, Judged of YAHWEH and He is the excellence of the people. YAHWEH is renowned, but Yisra’el is rebellious, yet He keeps giving peacefully. YESHUA is chosen My EL is Salvation and shall sprout with shining, My EL hears, He knows, He is my EL of deliverance.

I absolutely love the part about “My EL is Salvation” because YESHUA literally means “YAHWEH is Salvation!”

Was Jacob and David giving us a message when they named their sons? It is interesting to examine either way. With the adding of a few words we can see some powerful messages contained within the in the etymology of their names. I pray this encourages you to dig deeper into the Hebraic roots of our faith and keep clinging to YESHUA! As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name.

Why do many hate the Hebraic roots of our faith?

I have heard many say beware of the Hebrew Roots movements because they are bringing you back to the Torah which they deem to be a “curse” which is not true because we know that James says that the Torah is freedom in James 1:25. They say that those who call our Father YAHWEH by the Name and calling the Name of His Son YESHUA are “sacred Namers!” As if we are a part of some secret mystery religion when in fact His Name was given to us all to use. So how can the Name of our ELOHIM that He gave us to use be a part of a sacred Name movement?

Exodus 3:15

“And ELOHIM said further to Moses, “Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra’el. YAHWEH ELOHIM of your ancestors, the ELOHIM of Abraham, the ELOHIM of Isaac, and the ELOHIM of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My NAME FOREVER, and this is My remembrance to ALL GENERATIONS.”

 He has a personal name just as we do. The difference is that the Hebrew names have function and meaning whereas a name in our western society is just a means to identify someone. An example of this is the Name YESHUA which means “YAHWEH is Salvation” because YAHWEH sent His only begotten Son to save us from our sins.

Furthermore, if the Hebrew roots movement is evil then we have some serious problems because YAHWEH chose the Yisra’elites as His chosen people and gave them the Torah and due to their disobedience He allowed the gentiles to be grafted in with the native-born even during the Exodus out of Egypt (Exodus 12:37-38).

Deuteronomy 32:21

“They made Me jealous by what is not EL, they provoked Me with their worthlessness. But I make them (Israelites) jealous by those who are no people, I provoke them with a foolish nation (gentiles).”

Acts 13:46

“But speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the Word of ELOHIM should be spoken to you first (Israelites), but since you thrust it away, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, see, we turn to the gentiles.”

How can you provoke them to jealousy when you aren’t doing as they do? They should look at you and say “They keep the commandments like us, so what are we missing? Ohhhh it is because they have YESHUA the Son of YAHWEH as well!” The point that I’m making is that without the Hebraic roots of the faith which were given to the Israelites there would be no such thing as Christianity. The problem is that Christianity has chosen to take pieces from the truth and formed their own man-made doctrines instead of completely immersing themselves in the truth of the Hebraic roots of our faith.

2 Esdras 1:24

“What shall I do unto you, O Jacob? You, Judah, would not obey Me. I shall turn Myself to other nations (gentiles) and to them I shall give My Name, that they MAY GUARD MY LAWS.” Verse 35 I shall give your houses to a people that shall come; who having not yet heard of Me, shall believe Me; to whom I have showed no signs, yet they shall do what I have COMMANDED THEM.”

So YAHWEH did not set up a “New religion” for the gentiles, He simply called them to be grafted in with the native-born and to obey His commandments! But instead of obeying, the world has created something new which has led to so much confusion. Many Christians say “No this is not true because YAHWEH rejected Yisra’el and has chosen the church!” This is called replacement theology and this is not true. YAHWEH addresses this false doctrine Himself:

Jeremiah 33:24-26

“Have you not observed what these people have spoken (Christianity), saying, ‘The two clans (House of Judah and House of Yisra’el) which YAHWEH has chosen have been rejected by Him? So they have despised My people, no more to be a nation before them. Thus said YAHWEH, ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the laws of the heavens and earth, then I would also reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I should not take of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I shall turn back their captivity, and have compassion on them.”

YAHWEH is saying that if His covenant is not with day and night so that the sun doesn’t shine in the day and the moon at night, then so would He cast of the Yisra’elites as His chosen people. And we all know that day and night have continued in their same pattern giving light at their appointed times; therefore, He is saying that He will never reject Yisra’el as His people. So instead of despising the Hebrew Roots it’s time to embrace it and recognize that you should be a part of it. The problem is that Christians believe in YESHUA which is crucial; however, they just do not recognize their identity in Messiah that there is only ONE faith. Your identity is a citizen of Yisra’el through belief in YESHUA and keeping the commandments of the Hebraic roots of your faith.

Those who despise the Hebrew Roots say things like “Well I don’t speak Hebrew that was for the Jews!” But in actuality they speak Hebrew every day or every time they go to church. The word HalleluYAH is Hebrew for “Praise You YAH” and Ahmein is Hebrew for “So be it”, so many are speaking Hebrew without even knowing it. And the ones who say that Hebrew Roots are “sacred Namers” are actually already saying the short form of the Name of our Father YAHWEH when they say Hallelu-YAH!

You don’t have to be a fluent in speaking Hebrew because I would never claim to be, but it shouldn’t stop you from trying. Many will learn to speak many other languages and yet neglect the Hebrew. It’s important to understand that the further you move from the Hebrew you will miss the meaning of the original context of what our ELOHIM is saying. This is why it’s important for us to look at the etymology of the Hebrew Names and words. There are many resources that help you with this such as reading the HalleluYAH Scriptures which comes with a “names meaning” book, and The Blue Letter Bible online.

Without studying the original language makes it easy to misinterpret a passage because most apply the western mindset of thinking to the scriptures instead of the Eastern mindset the scriptures were written in. An example of this is one I’ve covered before about the word “Echad” in Hebrew which is a compound unity meaning more than one, which is how YESHUA can say in John 10:30 that He and His Father are One “Echad” meaning Two separate Persons yet ONE ELOHIM, YESHUA was quoting the Shema found in Deuteronomy 6:4

“Hear, O Yisra’el: YAHWEH our ELOHIM, YAHWEH is ONE (Echad)”

 Reading this with a western mind set makes you think it’s a singular “one” therefore the context is completely missed and false doctrines about YESHUA being an idol start to appear.

The problem is that after the ascension of YESHUA the world started moving away from the Hebraic Roots of our faith and condemning any who did. So those who despise the Hebrew Roots are holding dear to the words spoken at the Council of Laodicea.

Council of Laodicea 364 A.D.

“Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Shabbat, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord’s Day (Sunday); and if they can, resting as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema (cursed) from Christ.”

Let no one be Judaizers? That is interesting because YESHUA was a Jew! This is what happens when you get further and further away from the truth and end up following man and his teaching and not YAHWEH! Passover becomes Easter, Sukkot becomes Thanksgiving, and the Shabbat becomes Sunday.

Evidence that Hebrew is important

The Book of Sirach is one of my favorite books that was included in the original 1611 KJV but removed in the 1800’s.  Sirach, Enoch, Jubilees and Tobit were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls along with the Tanak (Old Testament) in the Qumran Caves discovery which means these writings are over 2,000 years old.

Sirach 1 (The Prologue)

“Whereas many and great matters have been delivered to us through the Torah and the prophets and by others that have followed their paths, for which Yisra’el ought to be commended for learning and wisdom; and of which not only the readers need to become competent themselves, but also those who desire to learn be able to benefit those who are outside, both by speaking and writing. My grandfather Yehoshua, when he had applied himself greatly to the reading of the Law, and the prophets, and other Books of our ancestors, and had acquired good judgment from them, was himself also led to write somewhat pertaining to learning and wisdom; to the intent that those who desire to learn, and are drawn to such, might profit much more in living according to the Law. Therefore let me plead that you read it with good intent and attention, and to pardon us for where we may seem to have come short in some words, which we have labored to INTERPRET. FOR THE SAME WORDS SPOKEN IN HEBREW, AND TRANSLATED INTO ANOTHER TONGUE (LANGUAGE), DO NOT HAVE THE SAME FORCE IN THEM; and not only this, but the Law itself, and the prophets, and the rest of the Books, have GREAT DIFFERENCE, WHEN THEY ARE SPOKEN IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE.”

So as we can see that when Hebrew is translated into other languages it begins to lose it’s meaning because there are no equivalents for the words in another language. So if you hate the Hebraic roots of your faith, yet you want to follow the Scriptures, how will you get the true meaning without studying the etymology of the original words? The Scriptures were written in Hebrew not English.

Genesis 11:1

“And it came to be, all the earth had one language and one speech.” Verse 7 YAHWEH says “Come, let US go there and confuse their language, so that they do not understand one another’s speech.” And YAHWEH scattered them from there, over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. That is why its name was called Babel, because there YAHWEH confused the language of all the earth, and from there YAHWEH scattered them over the face of all the earth.”

So the whole earth was speaking one language before YAHWEH confused all the languages of the earth. So what language were they all speaking? It was Hebrew and the Book of Jubilees clears this up for us.

Jubilees 12:22-27

“And he (Abraham) made an end of speaking and praying. And see, the word of YAHWEH was sent to him through me (angel), saying, “Get up from your land, and from your clan and from the house of your dad, to a land which I shall show you, and I shall make you a great and numerous nation. And I shall bless you and I shall make your name great, and you shall be blessed in the earth, and in you shall all generations of the earth be blessed, and I shall bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you. And I shall be an ELOHIM to you and your son, and to your son’s son, and to all your seed. Do not fear; from this time and to all generations of the earth, I am your ELOHIM.” And YAHWEH ELOHIM said, “Open his mouth and his ears, that he may hear and speak with his mouth, with the language which has been revealed.” For it had ceased from the mouths of all the children of men from the day of the overthrow (Tower of Babel). And I opened his mouth, and his ears and his lips, and I began to speak with him in HEBREW IN THE TONGUE OF THE CREATION. And he took the Books of his ancestors and these were written in HEBREW-and he transcribed them, and he began from this time to study them. And I made known to him that which he could not understand, and he studied them during the six rainy months.”

Does our Father YAHWEH hear us when we speak in other languages? Yes! The point that I’m making is that Hebrew is the language He used to speak the world into existence and we see that Sirach says that words translated from Hebrew to another language does not have the same force in it. Therefore, it’s important we go back to the original language when we study scripture to get the full context of what is being said.

YESHUA spoke Aramaic/Hebrew

Many scholars believe that the earliest manuscripts of the Renewed Covenant which is known as the New Testament are said to have been written in Aramaic before it was penned in Greek, the version is called the Aramaic Peshitta. And we know that Aramaic and Hebrew are Semitic languages that are closely related to each other, and have many common words and phrases. We cannot not forget an important fact is that YESHUA was a Jew from the tribe of Judah, His parents were Hebrew, and therefore Aramaic/Hebrew is the language He would have spoken.

Mark 5:41

“And taking the child by the hand He said to her, “Talitha, kumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

Mark 7:33-35

“And taking him away from the crowd, He put His fingers in his ears, and having spit, He touched his tongue. And looking up to the heavens, He sighed, and said to him “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

Mathew 27:47

“And about the ninth hour YESHUA cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lamah shebaqtani? That is, “My El, My El, why have You forsaken Me?”

Acts 26:11-14

“And punished them often in all congregations, I compelled them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. While thus engaged, as I was journeying to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw a light from the heavens, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in THE HEBREW LANGUAGE, ‘Paul, Paul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the prods.”

Wikipedia adds:

YESHUA and his disciples primarily spoke Aramaic,[1][2] the common language of Judea in the first century AD, most likely a Galilean dialect distinguishable from that of Jerusalem.[3] This is generally agreed upon by historians. The villages of Nazareth and Capernaum in Galilee, where YESHUA spent most of his time, were Aramaic-speaking communities.[4] It is also likely that YESHUA knew enough Koine Greek to converse with those not native to Judea, and it is reasonable to assume that YESHUA was well versed in Hebrew for religious purposes.[5][6][7

As we see from the scriptures above is that YESHUA spoke both and why wouldn’t He able to speak all languages? He is the Son of YAHWEH and we see this in John.

John 7:15-16

“And the Jews were marveling, saying, “How does this Man know letters, not having learned? YESHUA answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

Paul and Peter spoke Aramaic/Hebrew

Mark 14:70

“And again he was denying it. And after a little while those who stood by again said to Peter, “Truly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too, and your SPEECH (Aramaic) is alike.”

Mathew 26:73

“And after a while those who stood by came to him and said to Peter. “Truly you are one of them too, for even your SPEECH (Aramaic) gives you away.”

Acts 22:1-3

“Men, brothers, and fathers, hear my (Paul) defense before you now.” And when they heard that he spoke to them in the HEBREW LANGUAGE, they kept greater silence. And he said: I am indeed a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamli’el, having been instructed according to the exactness of the Torah of our ancestors, being ardent (passionate) for ELOHIM, as you all are today…”

I pray this was an eye opener to show you that The Bible was written in Hebrew/Aramaic, YESHUA and the disciples spoke this language, the words you speak in prayer are Hebrew, and that words translated from Hebrew to another language does not have the same force in it because it begins to lose its original meaning; therefore, do not despise the Hebraic roots of your faith, but rather embrace it and walk in the footsteps of YESHUA as His disciples did. ELOHIM willing next week we can look into some etymology of some words in Hebrew.

As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

What is a mezuzah? Do you need one?

Wikipedia says this:

Mezuzah Hebrew: מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: מְזוּזוֹת mezuzot) comprises a piece of parchment called a klaf contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21). These verses consist of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael, beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel,  YAHWEH (is) our ELOHIM, YAHWEH is One". In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a mezuzah is affixed to the doorpost of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to "write the words of ELOHIM on the gates and doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9). Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah in every doorway in the home except bathrooms (which is not a living space), laundry rooms and closets, if they are too small to qualify as rooms. The klaf parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe ("sofer stam") who has undergone training, both in studying the relevant religious laws, and in the more practical parts i.e. carving the quill and practicing writing. The verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen made either from a feather or, in what are now rare cases, a reed. The parchment is then rolled up and placed inside the case.

I know many will see the word “rabbinical Judaism” and say this is not something we should do. Just because “Judaism” does something doesn’t mean they are always wrong. They observe Shabbat from evening to evening which is correct in the same way everything Christianity does is not wrong, for example they understand concept of ELOHIM being Three different Persons, yet ONE ELOHIM! We will see in this article that Judaism’s concept of the mezuzah to literally be affixed onto our doorposts is a literal command for us to do.

YAHWEH  never wants us to forget His Words and all His commands so He always gave us physical reminders, for example:

Numbers 15:39-40

“And it shall be to you for a tsitsit, and you shall SEE IT, and shall REMEMBER all the Commands of YAHWEH and shall DO THEM, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, so that you REMEMBER, and shall do all My Commands, and be holy unto your ELOHIM.”

The word remember is the Hebrew word Zakar which means to recall, cause to be remembered, to mention, to remember. So as we see the tsitsit is a constant reminder that we see which reminds us to keep the commandments. Zakar is the same word used for us to “Remember or recall” The Shabbat Day so we never forget it.

Deuteronomy 27:1-3

“And Moses, with the elders of Yisra’el, commanded the people, saying, “Guard all the Commands which I am commanding you today. And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Jordan to the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, that you shall put up for yourselves LARGE STONES, and plaster them with plaster, and WRITE on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as YAHWEH your ELOHIM of your ancestors has spoken to you.” Verse 8 “And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones- PLAINLY AND WELL.”

This is another example of something physical that can be seen which reminded our ancestors to keep the commandments of the Torah on large stones written plainly and well for everyone to see. This example of the writing of stones reminds me of the Mezuzah we will be discussing. I reached out to “Hope-of-Israel.org” and they gave me permission to use their article titled “Message of the Mezuzah”, which I will be reading from in the next section. This article does an excellent job of looking into the history of the Mezuzah, early witnesses of the Mezuzah, and how they were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Here is the article below:

According to Toby Janicki of First Fruits of Zion:

In these passages, the greater context includes all of the commandments as well as the faithfulness to teach and observe them. The word for "doorposts" in these passages is the word mezuzot, which in the singular form is Mezuzah. This word is first used in Exodus 12:7 in connection with the doorposts on which the blood was applied when the children of Israel fled from Egypt during the exodus.

From the earliest times, this commandment was observed by the Jewish [Israelite] people in both the literal sense and with the understanding that the Torah was to be taught in all of Israel's homes and cities. (Mezuzah, First Fruits of Zion, Marshfield, MO, 2013, p. 5.)

The Hebrew word mezuzah simply means doorpost; however, the doorpost of a house can be a sign of what a particular house epitomizes. In Biblical times, the doorpost of a house, due to its visibility to the outside world, represented the family’s values and was a place to show identity. The doorpost has such significance that YAHWEH ELOHIM commanded the blood of the first Passover Lamb to be applied to the mezuzah (doorpost) of each Israelite household -- notice!

Then Moshe (Moses) called for all the leaders of Israel and said, "Select and take lambs for your families, and slaughter the Pesach (Passover) lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop leaves and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame. Then, none of you is to go out the door of his house until morning." (Exodus 12:21-22)

The angel of destruction would see the blood on the doorpost and “pass over” that home, instead of destroying it.

For YAHWEH will pass through to kill the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the top and on the two sides, YAHWEH will pass over the door and will not allow the Slaughterer to enter your houses and kill you. (Exodus 12:23)

The blood of the lamb (YESHUA the Messiah) on the doorposts of our heart saves us from the wrath of YAHWEH ELOHIM.  By placing a mezuzah on the doorpost of our home, it gives witness to YAHWEH ELOHIM, to the world, and to the adversary that this is a home that serves the one true ELOHIM.

Early witnesses

One of the earliest known reports of mezuzah observance is found in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews. He writes:

They are also to inscribe the principal blessings they have received from ELOHIM upon their doors...that ELOHIM’s readiness to bless them may appear everywhere conspicuous about them. (Ant. iv. 8, § 13)

Josephus notes that mezuzah was, already in his time, an ANCIENT PRACTICE among the Israelites.

Notice what the Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) has to say regarding the history of the mezuzah --

The antiquity of the mezuzah is attested by Josephus (c. 37-100 C.E.), who speaks of its employment ("Ant." iv. 8, § 13) as an old and well-established custom. Inscribed with passages of the Torah which emphasize the UNITY of ELOHIM, His providence, and the resulting duty of man toward Him, the mezuzah is an emblematic representation of Israel's belief and practice. Thus Josephus says in speaking of the mezuzah (l.c.): "The greatest benefits of ELOHIM are to be written on the doors...in order that His benevolent providence may be made known everywhere"; and Maimonides adds ("Yad," Tefillin, vi. 13): "By the commandment of the mezuzah man is reminded, when coming or going, of the unity of ELOHIM, and is aroused to the love of Him. He is awakened from his slumber and his vain worldly thoughts to the knowledge that nothing endures in eternity like the knowledge of the Rock of the World. This contemplation brings him back to himself and leads him on the right path."

Probably the earliest written reference to the practice is found in the Letter of Aristeas from the 2nd-century B.C.:

And in like manner He has ordered us to put the divine oracles upon our gates and doors as a remembrance of ELOHIM. (Letter of Aristeas, p. 158-159.)

The Israelites were not the only ones to apply the commandment LITERALLY -- the Samaritans also did. They inscribed Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (and sometimes other texts such as the Ten Commandments and the priestly blessing) on STONE and attached them to, or place them near, their doorposts.

I would like to add that when I read this it automatically reminded me of the scripture I posted earlier about the Torah being written on stone:

Deuteronomy 27:1-3

“And Moses, with the elders of Yisra’el, commanded the people, saying, “Guard all the Commands which I am commanding you today. And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Jordan to the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, that you shall put up for yourselves LARGE STONES, and plaster them with plaster, and WRITE on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which YAHWEH your ELOHIM is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as YAHWEH your ELOHIM of your ancestors has spoken to you.” Verse 8 “And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones- PLAINLY AND WELL.”

Dead Sea Scrolls

Interestingly, I have been reading in a limited edition magazine titled “The Dead Sea Scrolls” which lists the discoveries from the Qumran Caves. So before I continue on with the article I would like to mention that the magazine mentions that from 1949-1956 that 11 caves were found that contained the Hebrew Scriptures dating from 250 BCE to 68 CE 40 %, Bible texts from the Second Temple Period (Including the Book of Enoch, Jubilees, the Book of Tobiyah, The Wisdom of Sirach, and Psalms 152-155 30% and writings of the Essenes 30%. Which is gives us further proof of the validity of the missing books and why we should read them. So there is evidence that Mezuzah’s were found in this discovery of ancient writings dating over 2,000 years ago. Cave 4 which was discovered in 1952 is known as the “mother lode” where 75% of the dig was in this cave.

Yale University Library adds:

Literary evidence from the Letter of Aristeas and Antiquities of the Jews, as well as archaeological evidence from Qumran (fragments of mezuzot have been identified at Qumran Cave 4 and designated Mezuzah A-G 4Q149-155), makes clear that mezuzot were in use during antiquity. The finding of phylacteries and mezuzot at Qumran prove that more than a century before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., some Jews were already observing these practices.

Back the article:

Archaeological digs at Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found) have discovered various kinds of mezuzot (plural of mezuzah) dating back to the Second Temple era. The mezuzot found at Qumran had different Scriptures in them from those in use today. Some of them contained Exodus 13:1-4, and others contained Exodus 13:11-16. According to Toby Janicki:

A total of eight mezuzot were found. Seven of these were in Cave 4 and one in Cave 8. The parchments themselves were made of animal skins and consisted of neatly cut pieces. The Hebrew script was the same size as other biblical manuscripts [found at Qumran], and the writing appears only on one side, as is seen today in traditional practice. The mezuzot parchments contained margins, spacing and layout conforming with rabbinical stipulations of the period. (Mezuzah, First Fruits of Zion, Marshfield, MO, 2013, p. 27.)

When the archaeologists studied the parchments they found that they contained the rabbinically required passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-6 and 11:13-21, as well as additional verses such as the Exodus 20 passage of the Ten Commandments. This may have been included in the original rabbinical practice of the time. When the Temple stood, the Ten Commandments were recited in conjunction with the daily Shema. It has been speculated that this may also reflect the rabbinic idea that "the Ten Commandments themselves are the very essence of the Shema." (y.Berachot 12b-13a)

Continues Janicki:

Another example of the combination of the Shema and the Decalogue is the Nash Papyrus. This fragment was found in Egypt and possibly dates as early as the Maccabean Period (165-137 BCE). On this papyrus is found the Hebrew text of Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5. The combination of these texts has led most scholars to speculate that it is some form of a liturgical text, and some scholars even conclude that it could have been a mezuzah. (ibid., p. 28)

Adds Biblical scholar Jeffery Tigay, "It is certain that Deuteronomy 6:9 means literally to ordain the writing of ELOHIM's instructions on the doorposts and city gates" (The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy, Jewish Publication Society, New York, NY, 1996, p. 443) The evidence, therefore, indicates that the words of the Torah were originally written on the doorposts and gates.

Inside the Mezuzah?

The case is not the mezuzah so the important part is the scroll that is contained inside of it.

Inside each mezuzah of Jewish origin is a rectangular piece of parchment called a klaf, which is made from a specially prepared skin of a Biblically clean (kosher) animal. The klaf (skin) is scribed with Hebrew lettering from key scriptures found in the Word of YAHWEH ELOHIM -- namely Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21. The following verses contain the Shema and the commandment regarding the mezuzah:

 Hear, O Israel: YAHWEH our ELOHIM, YAHWEH is one! You shall love YAHWEH your ELOHIM with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up....You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 9,)

You shall teach them [YAHWEH's Commandments] to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.... (Deuteronomy 11:19-20, ibid.)

The tiny scroll is then rolled up with the Scripture facing inward and placed in the container.

I pray this was helpful to getting you to see that the mezuzah is a literal command for us to apply in our lives today, and another way to be obedient to our Father YAHWEH! I bought mine about two or three years ago from mezuzahstore.com, wherever you buy it from just make sure it does not have the star of david on it, because we know it’s a hexagram.

 As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!

Circumcision

The topic of circumcision is another unpopular topic that many disagree on and many believers today feel that it something that no longer is required of followers of YESHUA. We will discuss the importance of circumcision the eternal covenant, who was circumcised, can you be circumcised after the 8th day, and the circumcision of the heart.

We must never forget the words of YESHUA in Mathew 5:17-18

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete. For truly, I say to you, till the heavens and the earth pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.”

When does heaven and earth pass away?

Revelation 21;1-2

“And I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth, for the former heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. And I, John, saw the holy city, renewed Jerusalem, coming down out of the heavens from ELOHIM, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

We know that none of this has occurred yet; therefore, the commandments still apply to us today. Furthermore, the Torah will be kept when YESHUA reigns for 1,000 years see: (Isaiah 2 and Micah 4:1-8).Understanding His Words helps us to know that YESHUA did not abolish any laws, but only came to show us how to walk in them as He did; and to show us that they are holy and good. I will show that obeying YAHWEH’s command of circumcision is both physically and of the heart.

YESHUA, John the Baptist, Isaac, and Paul circumcised on 8th day

We already read from Mathew 5:17 from YESHUA Himself that the Torah is not done away with, which would make sense that He would be circumcised Himself.

Luke 2:21

“And when eight days were completed for Him to be circumcised, His Name was called YESHUA, the Name given by the messenger before He was conceived in the womb.”

Luke 1:59-60

“And it came to be, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child. And they were calling him by the name of his dad, Zekaryah. And his mother answering, said, “Not so, but he shall be called John.”

Genesis 21:4

“And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as ELOHIM had commanded him.”

And yes Paul, the one who many point to saying not to get circumcised was circumcised on the 8th day.

Philippians 3:3-5

“For we are the circumcision, who are serving ELOHIM in the Spirit, and boasting in Messiah YESHUA, and do not trust in the flesh, though I too might have trust in the flesh. If anyone else thinks to trust in the flesh, I more-circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Yisra’el, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, according to Torah a Pharisee…”

Leviticus 12:3

“And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin is circumcised.”

Eternal Covenant made with Abraham

Genesis 17:10-14

“This is My Covenant which you guard between Me and you, AND YOUR SEED AFTER YOU: EVERY MALE CHILD among you is to be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall become a SIGN of the Covenant between Me and you. And a son of eight days (Leviticus 12:3) is circumcised by you, EVERY MALE CHILD IN YOUR GENERATIONS, he who is born in your house or bought with silver from any foreigner who is NOT OF YOUR SEED. He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your silver, has to be circumcised. So shall My Covenant be in your flesh, for an EVERLASTING COVENANT. And an UNCIRCUMCISED male child, who is NOT circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, his life shall be cut off from his people-he has broken My Covenant.”

Notice how YAHWEH says that circumcision is an everlasting covenant and that it is a sign of His covenant in your flesh. He also says that every male must be circumcised even the foreigner (gentile) who was bought with silver.

Genesis 17:23-27

“And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all those born in his house and all those bought with his silver, EVERY MALE among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that same day, as ELOHIM told him. And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised that same day. And all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with silver from a FOREIGNER, were circumcised with him.”

If circumcision wasn’t a big deal, YAHWEH would have told Abraham not to be circumcised and to wait to start with his son Isaac. However, we see Abraham was 99 years and old, Ishmael was 13 and the men of his house (meaning adults) were all circumcised that same day. And we know that YAHWEH established is covenant with Isaac who was circumcised on the 8th day and not Ishmael. We see that Abraham’s faith brought for obedience to His commands he did not remain uncircumcised.

Jubilees 15:25-32

This Torah is FOR ALL GENERATIONS FOREVER, and there is no circumcising of days (not a single day should be cut off or removed) and no omission of one day out of the eight days; for it is an ETERNAL ORDINANCE, ordained and written on the heavenly tablets. And everyone that is born, the flesh of whose foreskin is not circumcised on the eighth day, does not belong to the children of the covenant which YAHWEH cut with Abraham, but to the children of destruction; nor is there, moreover, any sign on him that he is YAHWEH’s, but is destined to be destroyed and killed from the earth, and to be uprooted from the earth, for he has broken the covenant of YAHWEH our ELOHIM. For all the messengers of the presence and all the messengers of holiness have been created this way from the day of their creation (The angels were created already circumcised) and before the messengers of the presence and the messengers of holiness He has set Yisra’el apart, that they should be with Him and with His holy messengers. And command the children of Yisra’el and let them guard the sign of this covenant for their generations as an eternal ordinance, and they will not be uprooted from the land. For the command is ordained for a covenant, that they should guard it FOREVER among all the children of Yisra’el. For YAHWEH did not draw Ishmael and his sons and his brothers and Esaw, and He did not choose them, because they are the children of Abraham, because He knew them, but He chose Yisra’el to be His people. And He set it apart, and gathered it from all the children of men; for there are many nations and many peoples, and all are His, and He has placed spirits in authority to lead them astray from Him. But over Yisra’el He did not appoint any messenger or spirit, for He alone is their ruler, and He will preserve them and require them at the hand of His messengers and His spirits, and at the hand of all His powers in order that He may preserve them and bless them, and that they may be His and He may be theirs from now on and forever.”

Prophecy of Future Apostasy (Modern day believers from what Christianity teaches)

Jubilees 15:33-34

“And now I announce to you that the children of Yisra’el will DENY this ordinance (As Christianity has done), and they will NOT circumcise their sons according to all this Torah; for in the flesh of their circumcision they will omit this circumcision of their sons, and all of them, sons of Beliyya’al, will leave their sons UNCIRCUMCISED as they were BORN. And there will be great wrath from YAHWEH against the children of Yisra’el. Because they have forsaken His covenant and turned aside from His word, and provoked and blasphemed; inasmuch as they do not guard the ordinance of this Torah. For they have treated their members like the nations (gentiles), so that they may be removed and uprooted from the land. And there will no more be pardon or forgiveness to them, for all the sin of the ETERNAL ERROR.”

Can you be circumcised after the 8th day?

As always, I say to take everything to our Father YAHWEH in prayer and see what He tells you, because your situation may have been different and only He knows this. Our ELOHIM is merciful which is why He sent His Son YESHUA to die for us. I personally believe that we should do everything according to the word of YAHWEH and His instructions, but I’m sure many will want to know what happens if they didn’t know better or their parents neglected to circumcise them as children, or they found out this information after coming into the faith. This would more than likely be the part where ELOHIM’s grace and mercy comes in, but again please take it to Him in prayer, I can only go what the word states and I can provide a few examples of this happening after the 8th Day, but I’m not the judge.

We have read from multiple scriptures the importance of being circumcised on the 8th day, but Jubilees 15:33 says that they will leave their sons uncircumcised as the day they were born, so it’s definitely not right to remain uncircumcised. We read that Abraham was circumcised when he was 99, Ishmael was 13, and the adult men in Abraham’s house were circumcised. The only two example’s I can think of is Timothy and those with Joshua after crossing the Jordan:

Acts 16:1-3

“And he came to Derbe and Lustra. And see, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed but his dad was a Greek-who was well spoken of by the brothers who were at Lustra and Ikonion. Paul wanted to have this one go with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his dad was Greek.”

So Timothy was half Jew and half Greek and yet he was still circumcised by Paul. And most scholars say that Timothy was somewhere between 17 and 30 years old meaning he wasn’t circumcised on the 8th day, because his Greek dad did not allow it; however, he was still circumcised. This is an example that we will see when we discuss Acts 15 as all the gentile converts were adults.

Joshua 5:7-10 (Parenthesis mine)

“And Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way (in the wilderness). And it came to be, when they had completed circumcising ALL the nation, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed.”

This would mean that many of them who were born in the wilderness were adults, being that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and then they were circumcised by Joshua. Men, boys, and children were circumcised that day and it was so many of them that Joshua 5:3 says “So Joshua made knives of flint for himself, and circumcised the sons of Yisra’el at the Hill of Foreskins.” We also have to remember that the gentiles who were grafted in were traveling with the native-born and one example of this is Kaleb son of Yephunnah the Kezzinite.

Exodus 12:37-38

“And the children of Yisra’el departed from Ramses to Sukkoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides the little ones. And a MIXED MULTITUDE (gentiles) went up with them too, also flocks and herds, very much livestock.”

Numbers 11:4

“And the MIXED MULTITUDE who were in their midst lusted greatly, so the children of Yisra’el also wept again and said, “Who is giving us meat to eat?”

Romans 4:11-13

“And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision (Genesis 17), a seal of the righteousness of the belief in uncircumcision, for him to be a father of all those believing through uncircumcision, for righteousness to be reckoned to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the belief which our father Abraham had in uncircumcision.”

Abraham was righteous through his faith without being circumcised, but his faith led to obedience to be circumcised at 99 years old when YAHWEH made the covenant with him, which is why Paul says righteousness in obedience through uncircumcision. However, that righteousness would be reckoned to those who follow his example, by the uncircumcised gentiles who will be following Abraham’s example of faith leading to obedience to be circumcised. Which is why Paul says he would be a father of all those believing through uncircumcision, because he believed before being circumcised, and the end result was that he got circumcised. We know that the gentiles are grafted in as part of the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:27) therefore, he is your model and example to follow.

Romans 3:31

“Do we then nullify the Torah through the faith? LET IT NOT BE! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.” As we see Abraham’s faith did not nullify the Torah and the same concept applies today.

What about Acts 15?

What was said that got the new converts stirred up and worried?

Acts 15:1

“And certain men came down from Judah and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised, according to the practice of Moses, you are unable to be saved.”

Firstly, these Pharisees were preaching a works only doctrine, they already did not believe in YESHUA. So they said unless that you are circumcised you cannot be saved! But the question is when does one commandment save us alone? We are saved by the blood atonement of YESHUA! We don’t earn salvation by keeping the commandments, but we keep the commandments through obedience by our faith in YESHUA. And keeping the commandments is how we LOVE and KNOW Him! As I’ve heard it said we don’t keep the commandments to be saved, we keep them because we are saved.

John 14:21

“He who possesses My Commands and guards them, it is he who LOVES Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and manifest Myself to him.”

1 John 5:3

“For this is the LOVE for YAHWEH, that we guard His Commands, and His Commands are not burdensome…”

1 John 2:3-4

“And by this, we know that we KNOW Him, if we guard His Commands. The one who says, “I KNOW Him,” and does not guard His Commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

This is why we keep the commands out of obedience or as Paul says:

Romans 1:5

“Through whom we have received favor and office of the emissary for BELIEF-OBEDIENCE among all the nations on behalf of His Name…”

Romans 16:25-26

“And to Him who is able to establish you according to my Good News and the preaching of YESHUA HA’MASHIACH, according to the revelation of the secret which has kept silent since times of old, but now has been made manifest, and by Scripture of prophecy has been made known to ALL NATIONS, according to the Command of the everlasting ELOHIM, for BELIEF-OBEDIENCE.”

Your faith in YESHUA should produce obedience to His Commandments.

Acts 15:2

“So when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them to go up to Jerusalem to the emissaries and elders, about this question.”

So we see the question is presented at the Jerusalem Council and we will see that James the half-brother of YESHUA who was the head of the Council says in verse 19:

“Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who are turning to ELOHIM, but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood.”

James is saying that the Pharisees were trying to put too much on the gentile converts at one time. They were just now turning to ELOHIM and they were needing the milk and not the meat. Let them develop their faith in YESHUA and let them immediately turn away from defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood, if they want to join in with the believers. By thinking this is the only things that gentile converts have to do means they are permitted to commit adultery, murder, dishonor parents, bear false witness and covet because they were not mentioned right? False! This was a basis that the gentile converts had to start with immediately and verse 21 is critical to understanding this passage:

“For from ancient generations Moses (Torah) has, in EVERY CITY, those proclaiming him-being read in the congregations every Shabbat.”

The Torah was taught in congregations in every city on the Shabbat. So the gentile converts will still have a chance to learn and grow on every Shabbat and hear the laws and commands of YAHWEH and to perform them as they grew stronger in the Word and faith. These new converts were already attending Shabbat to learn as we read in Acts 13:42

“And when the Jews went out of the congregation, the gentiles begged to have these words spoken to them the next Shabbat.” Verse 44 “And on the next Sabbath almost all the city came together to hear the Word of YAHWEH.” Verse 46 “But speaking boldly, Paul and Barambah said, “It was necessary that the Word of ELOHIM should be spoken to you first (native-born), but since you thrust it away, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, see we turn to the gentiles.”

So as we can see the gentiles attended the congregations on the Shabbat to hear the Word of YAHWEH; therefore, they would have time to get acclimated with the ways of YAHWEH through the disciples. You give a baby milk before you give him meat, a baby must crawl before they walk. Nowhere in the chapter does anyone conclude that circumcision would not apply to the gentiles converts.

Gentiles had to be circumcised like native-born to eat Passover

Exodus 12:42-49

“It is a night to be observed unto YAHWEH for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This night is unto YAHWEH, to be observed by all the children of Yisra’el throughout their generations.” And YAHWEH said to Moses and Aaron, “This is a Law of the Passover: No son of a stranger (Nekar) is to eat of it, but any servant a man has brought for silver, when you have circumcised him, then let him eat of it. A sojourner and a hired servant does not eat of it. It is eaten in one house, you are not to take any of the flesh outside the house, nor are you to break any bone of it. All the congregation of Yisra’el are to perform it. And when a stranger sojourns with you (Ger) and shall perform the Pesach to YAHWEH, let all his males be circumcised, AND THEN let him come near and perform it, and he shall be as a native of the land. But let NO UNCIRCUMCISED eat of it.”

Joshua 5:7-10 (Parenthesis mine)

“And Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way (in the wilderness). And it came to be, when they had completed circumcising ALL the nation, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. And YAHWEH said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the name of the place is called Gigal to this day. And the children of Yisra’el camped in Gilgal, and performed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening on the deserts plains of Jericho.”

Numbers 14:33-38

“And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whorings, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days-a day for a year, a day for a year-you are to bear your wickedness forty years, and you shall know My breaking off. I am YAHWEH, I have spoken, I shall do this to all this evil congregation who are meeting against Me: In the wilderness they are consumed, and there they die. And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing an evil report of the land, even those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before YAHWEH. Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun, Kaleb son of Yephunneh remained alive.”

So here we see that those who rebelled against YAHWEH in the wilderness were cut off as they wandered for 40 years and would not enter into the Promised Land, but the children who were born to them in the wilderness were not yet circumcised. So notice that after Joshua circumcised them that they were allowed to eat the Passover four days later? That’s because no uncircumcised can eat Passover as YAHWEH commanded in Exodus 12.

It’s also about circumcision of the heart

I believe YAHWEH wants us to be physically circumcised as it is a part of the eternal covenant of His covenant in our flesh, but also to be circumcised of the heart.

Ezekiel 44:7-9

“That you brought in sons of a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart AND uncircumcised in the flesh, to be in My Sanctuary to profane it, My House! That you brought near My food, the fat and the blood, and you broke My Covenant because all of your abominations. And you did not guard the charge of that which is holy to Me, but you have put others to guard the charge of My Sanctuary for you.” ‘Thus said the Adon YAHWEH, “No son of a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in the flesh, comes into My Sanctuary, even any son of a foreigner who is among the children of Yisra’el.”

Deuteronomy 10:16

“And you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and harden your neck no more.”

Jeremiah 4:4

“Circumcise yourselves unto YAHWEH, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath come forth like fire and burn, with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”

Acts 7:51

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the RUACH HA’KODESH (The Holy Spirit), as your ancestors did, you also do.”

Jubilees 1:23

“And after this they shall turn to Me in all uprightness and with all their heart and with all their being, and I shall circumcise the foreskin of their heart and the foreskin of the heart of their seed, and I shall create in them a holy spirit, and I shall cleanse them so that they shall not turn away from Me from that day unto eternity.”

I just want to say that I don’t believe that Paul preached against circumcision, I believe that many have misunderstood him. But even if he did, we know that Mathew 18:16 and even Paul himself says this in 2 Corinthians 13:1 “At the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” Just something to think about for all who point to Paul’s letters to say he did away with something, which I don’t believe he did. Even if Paul was preaching lawlessness you must present another witness to align with his words to form a sound doctrine and you will not find it.

As always, may our Father YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!