| To anyone who might say, "we're on the road to recovery" and/or "everything will turn around and life is going to get better, you'll see," and "we'll get through this because love is the answer," I have news for you: we're not on any road to recovery and things are not going to get better. Rather, we can expect things to get a whole lot worse. Hang on for dear life because the rough ride is yet to come and it is going to get forcefully bumpy. This article however, is not about the ride. It's about telling it like it is and pointing at the real culprits for our problems. Indeed, something wicked this way comes. But precisely, whose fault is it? What I have to say here is somewhat out of character for me, but I feel strongly that I must say what I have to say, not only because this is my Shavuot message for you, but also because if I don't speak the truth here, then I have not fulfilled my spiritual obligation according to Ezekiel 33:6, as it is written: But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand. Further, in the next few months, I expect that you will be hearing a lot more about what I have to say here, especially if you happen to make it to one of my many live and in-person lectures. I'm getting ready for a three-month 2010 lecture tour in some 35 different cities from Europe to Iceland, to Alaska, to Mexico, to the USA, speaking to groups large and small about getting serious with the restoration of all Israel and about taking our responsibilities to heart, as we learn to walk in the truth of the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and the Brit HaChadashah ("New Testament"). Now, let us get to the meat of the matter. Firstly, to those who may be influential religious leaders amongst us: serve the people and do not expect to be served. Making an honest and fair living in your ministry is one thing. But tickling the ears of emotionally distressed people, promising them prosperity and peace and a good life if they'll just "seed" money into your ministry, this is something entirely different. To you control addicts that have no lack of words and religious rhetoric to pump up the downtrodden and hopeless with your gagging Holy Spirit "get-plugged-into-the power" doctrines, you need to stop this stuff right away. To you Christian pastors that are focused on church planting, missionary work, and building big buildings and entertainment centers for your churches, this will be judged by the Holy One of Israel and you will not come out smelling pretty when it's all said and done. To you Messianic congregations and your spiritual leaders that can't get enough of all this "Hebraic Roots" stuff - because after all, some groups find it to be in vogue to do the "Jewish thing" since 'Jesus was a Jew', go the distance and quickly get beyond your outward cultural behaviors and learn what it means to really be Torah Observant. To any of you that are prone to making lots of money and that you are sitting on lots of cash while you go on milking your proverbial cash cow or whatever it may be, know this: do not think that just because you have lots of the world's money, that this somehow means that you also have a divine blessing on your head. This is not necessarily true. You could be cash heavy but spiritually destitute. Remember this: we live in a world of secular folks that believe in a religion of self-gratification at the expense of everyone else. Do not let this happen to you. If you have a gift for making money, then use it to help build up the steady teaching of the Torah in the midst of a people that are far too often prone to rebellion. Allow me to echo the words of one of Israel's most outspoken prophets in the 8th century before the arrival of Yeshua, a.k.a., "Jesus" for some. His name was Yeshayahu - Isaiah, who said: For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the Torah of YHWH; who say to the seers, 'You must not see visions'; and to the prophets, 'You must not prophesy to us what is right', speak to us smooth words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, and let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.' (Yeshayahu 30:9-11) Carefully, notice all of these words. You see, the truth is this: our global problems on every level,seen and unseen to the human eye, are not the fault of the greedy bankers and their financial institutions that we've all come to know by name. Bankers that are bred from the spiritual malaria infested waters of the RCN -- the Rothschild Criminal Network, which includes not just the Rothschild dynasty and their theater Jews like the Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke, but also the Rockefeller dynasty, the Morgan dynasty, and a long, long list of their clones. Further, our global problems are not the fault of the multitude of deceptive politicians who care nothing for truth and righteousness and the pure way of Divine Law because they are far too engrossed in their own political aims, sold out to the evils of Esau, whose descendants include people like Judea's King Herod and Sons (all Idumeans - of Esau) in the days of Israel's Roman Occupation. Our global problems are not the result of the blunders of a bunch of religious addicts who employ regular deplorable acts of hypocrisy, such as what we have today, in abundance within the organized church institutions that are known as Catholicism and Christianity. And if I might add, our problems specifically in Israel are not because of the Achmeds (aka, the "Muslim Arabs") and their centuries-old goal of seeking to destroy the Jewish presence in the Mediterranean. So, if none of these issues are the cause of our problems in the Land of Israel, in Europe, in England, in the Scandinavian lands , in North America, in South Africa, down under in Australia and New Zealand, then exactly who are we to blame? What's the source of our problems? We'll come to that answer in a moment. Again, the words of the prophet Yeshayahu, so pay attention: For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the Torah of YHWH; who say to the seers, 'You must not see visions'; and to the prophets, 'You must not prophesy to us what is right', speak to us smooth words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, and let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.' (Yeshayahu 30:9-11) The global problems that we face today are because we, as a nation of Israelites and those that want to connect to the Israelite nation haven't learned hardly a descent thing in 27 centuries of wandering amongst the goyim (the "Gentiles"). The New Testament Book of Hebrews says that the Messiah of Israel is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever (Hebrews 13:8). Well, I might add that the institution of Catholicism and its beloved offspring daughters -- Christianity, the current Messianic Hebraic Movement, and the well known concept of Rabbinic Judaism that belongs to the Jews - all of these are precipitous outgrowths of this same institution of what should be called in Hebrew Avodah Zerah - Idolatry, plain and simple. Let us take a look at one example. This comes from the words of the prophet Yechezki'el (Ezekiel) 20:7-8: Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am YHWH your Elohim. But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. As you mentally begin to collide with these words and wrap your brain around them, I want to point out that the Hebrew text behind this English translation is much, much more caustic and to-the-point than what the English translators have given to us. In Hebrew, the idea here is not about us making physically carved idols. If that were the case, then the Holy One of Israel could have chosen a number of other words to express His point such as pesalim. The word idols, as it's used through so much of the writings of Ezekiel, is Gillulim, from the three-letter Hebrew root Gimmel, Lamed, Lamed. A more correctly translated concept here would be that of an ideology, philosophy, belief, creed, dogma. Do you understand what I'm saying here? The Holy One of Israel, the Ancient One, the Eternal One - YHWH (see Exodus 3:14-15) has spoken eternal truth; that His people Israel (whether one calls himself or herself a Jew, an "Ephraimite," a Grafted-in Gentile, whatever...), His nation collectively is a nation entrenched, ingrained, and deeply rooted in the ideologies, philosophies, beliefs, creeds, and dogmas of Egypt, of Babylon, of Rome, and of the nations that we are among, in a divinely ordained and appointed exile. The prophet Ezekiel reconfirms the divine words in Ezekiel Chapter 14:1-11. You should read it. Does any of this sound familiar? It should. Have a look at Sha'ul's words (a.k.a. "Paul") in Colossians 2:8 where he blatantly and without embarrassment says: See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Messiah. Again, Sha'ul says in Ephesians 2:14-15: For He Himself is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, establishing peace.... Then of course, this brings us back to the words of Yeshua that I'm naturally certain influenced Sha'ul to say what he said in the two verses quoted above. Yeshua, in speaking to the religious leaders of his day, said in Matthew 15:6-7: ...And you invalidated the Word of Elohim for the sake of your (religious) tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying.... And Yeshua goes on to quote from the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 29:13 - Because this people draw near with their words and honor me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from me, and their reverence for me consists of commandments of men, learned. Each of these references point us back to the same biblically spoken concern that plaques our nation, our people, our communities, as audaciously vocalized by Isaiah in the context of Chapter 29 and verse 13. For the context goes on to give us all a much-needed tongue lashing in Chapter 30, verses 9 through 11: For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the Torah of YHWH; who say to the seers, 'You must not see visions'; and to the prophets, 'You must not prophesy to us what is right', speak to us smooth words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, and let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.' (Yeshayahu 30:9-11) Recall those famous words of the United States Constitution, where it says in its preamble, "WE THE PEOPLE." The truth is, WE THE PEOPLE are a people that love the religious traditions of men; that love the ideologies and dogmas and creeds of the gentiles; that love everything but the truth; that find solace and comfort in the words and actions of lawless spiritual and physical leaders in politics, religion, and in the economic sectors. Many from among our ranks emulate the trickery of the politicians and call it smart to never reveal too much. Others emulate their religious teachers and call it honoring to YHWH. Still others emulate the ways of the secular money mavericks of our world and call it all good business, at the expense of truth, justice, and righteousness. And why do so many amongst us have this love affair with the ways of the world? Because we become what we worship and serve. The fact is, we refuse to listen to truth. The root of the problem is that we don't want truth. We prefer to be lied to because we can't handle the truth. The prophet Isaiah, speaking in the name of YHWH, said it all too well, as Scripture once again reiterates, saying: ...speak to us smooth words, prophesy illusions. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, and let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. That's right: "smooth words." Let's call the religious leaders that employ this kind of thing "smoothsayers." And those that listen to them love it so. This is precisely what the Hebrew text says. And this is echoed in the Brit HaChadashah (New Testament) at 2 Timothy 4:3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. However, let us get down to the truth. Clearly, from David in Psalm 119:142 and from the Son of David - Yeshua at Yochanan (John) 17:17, both are saying that TRUTH is the LAW OF MOSES: Psalm 119:142 by King David: Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Torah is truth. John 17:17 by Yeshua in his garden prayer: Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. In this context, it makes perfect sense that Yeshua would say what he said in Mattityahu (Matthew) 7:13-14: Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Yeshua then goes on to say with great, unyielding bravado in the seven verses that follow his initial statement: Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Master, Master,' did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' So, let us get back to the issue at hand. Clearly what we are seeing, facing, and experiencing in these days in which we live is nothing short of a spiritual tyranny against the Torah - the Laws and Divine Instructions of YHWH as given to the nation through Moses at Mount Sinai. We're a nation that loves to listen to smooth words; a nation that loves to emulate and practice the ideologies, philosophies, creeds, dogmas of the religious Priests of Ba'al that surround us; a nation that can't get enough of the ways of the world; a people that compliment spiritually misguided pastors; a people that bend backwards to loudmouthed evangelical leaders and Holy Spirit healers; a populace that willingly submits to pompous Messianic leaders who say that if you don't submit to them, then you are not submitting to YHWH because he supposedly put them into their positions of authority; a Messianic community that so very much wants to be like the world and accepted by the Rabbinic Jews that some of our number would do anything to show the Orthodox Jewish powers that be (the Rabbis) that they are blessed and worthy of our collective respect even though the truth is that Yeshua alluded to their religious system as an intrepid mutiny against heaven (Matthew 15:13-14). As a result, what exactly do you think is happening "out there"? What's happening is that there is plenty of collateral damage being done and very few seem to care much about it. We're seeing lots of people growing tired of being lied to (Jeremiah 16:19) and want something fresh and alive and when they find the path, they are shattered with the judgments of their families and friends (Colossians 2:16, Matthew 7:1, Matthew 23:13). Growing numbers of people are walking away from everything that is good and holy, throwing up their hands and essentially saying, "What's the point in following anything spiritual. It's all hypocrisy" (Romans 2:24). Indeed, there is a serious collateral damage of spiritually destitute people out there all because the Torah of Moses is being locked down and shut up by those who are the spiritual descendants of Esau; and interestingly, the Rabbis of ancient Judaism understood that the name of Esau was an equivalent of Rome and its authority and doctrines. As a result, we've forgotten our way to life. We're being drawn into pursuing emptiness and vanity. We're a nation choking on filth; breathing anything but good air. We're a nation with no spiritual nourishment and no access to the pure waters of life (Isaiah 55:1). Rather, we have gleefully allowed a handful of scornful shepherds to control us and to take first for themselves and then leave the waters muddied just as the prophet Ezekiel said to the self-seeking shepherds of his day in 34:18-19: Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet? And as for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet, and they must drink what you foul with your feet! Indeed, we are in a sad state of affairs, spiritually at the very least; a people who have lost their way like wandering sheep that keep on circling on a barren hilltop looking for good water and grazing grounds (such as like the many areas that we have in Israel's Judean wilderness). The tune of mainstream religion today is nothing more than a repeat of the ancient dribble of ecumenicalism; that is, the mantra of "love everyone" and an adoration for the words of the deceased John Lennon who wrote the lyrics to that horrifying song, "Imagine" (though the music itself is elegant), and the world loves it so. Oh, and not just the world, which loves its own, but also our own spiritual family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has no shortage of tag-along worldly wannabes that are also gazing down on some of the delicious looking spoils of the world's life and ideology. What's happened to us? We've rejected the truth of the Torah and this has contributed to our senseless behaviors: Christians, Messianics, Ephraimites, Grafted-in Gentiles, and numerous others of different religious persuasions. There is no shortage of participants seeking out the ways of the world because the grass looks greener on that side of the hill. The fact is, the world IS an enticing place. If it were not so, people would not want it. The world's ways and its ideologies are not part of who we are supposed to be. Never forget this. The problem is that our communities have given in to embracing a series of worldly ideologies that are not in line with the eternal Torah of YHWH and Moses. Truly, we have fallen from grace. On the other side of the spectrum of the song Imagine, there is also a physical manifestation of the ideologies that has taken hold of the minds of millions of others within our ranks. What is this ideology that I am referring to? It's the creed of the brainwashed millions who gather regularly and sing and pray to Jesus Christ (when he never told anyone to sing and pray to himself; only to the Father). You will immediately recognize the religious mantra because it is so very common today -- "Praise Jesus" and "Hallelujah," "Thank You Jesus," and other statements of like resonance, accompanied by frequent emotional outbursts and words that are sky rocketed into the clinging space above with tears innumerable and hands and arms raised high into the air, all the while denying and/or changing the very Torah Law that Yeshua stood for, lived for, and died for. But, I'm not done yet. There are millions of others out there, with their mantras, saying, "Obey our rabbis" and still others saying, "Obey the teachings of the Priest, the Pope, and our Mother Church." This is all man-made religion and in our world today, we have no shortage of religion-- a la carte. Meanwhile, among the world's infamous - the political, financial, and judicial events that are unfolding around us at lightning speed, is all just a bunch of reflections of turpitude with like leaders engaged in a global shell game of who gets to be the master of the world and who gets to control its assets - the bodies and minds of the people: slaves, every one of us, whether one believes this exists or not. We are all slaves on one level or another, either to our masters or to ourselves. In looking around at the problems that are besetting our world, it is very clear that people are weary and angry at the circumstances that have brought us here. We have been bamboozled. As a result, we have no shortage of people out there ready to take on the role of a commander and charge into battle and take with them countless numbers of innocent "Soldiers for Christ." However, remember that we're in a battle for the mind, not in a battle for the world. Think about this before you potentially prepare to go up against "the beast." Of course, the United States Constitution is in shambles and has been for a very, very long time. The bankers, judges, and politicians that are in power have legislated laws against you, essentially putting you into chains; into slavery. Yes, there is a conspiracy and it's not theory. It is fact. We live in days of incredible uncertainty. And to top all of this off, we have a superfluity of religious hypocrites in every city and every community who deceive others into believing that they support and believe in Biblical Faith, Obedience, Love, Kindness, Truth, and Justice but are ever so quick to lie, cheat, steal, break an agreement in the name of, "the Holy Spirit told me..." blah, blah, blah. We have religious nut cases that claim to be prophets and holy men all the while, denying the Torah of Moses and looking for ways to fleece the flock as they travel on paved roads of gold and silver. Yes indeed. This is a world of turpitude. Here, at home in Eretz Israel, we have hundreds of thousands of Jews with national aspirations for a Free State, liberated from its occupiers. But the ones involved with the real occupation of Eretz Israel are not the Muslim and Palestinian Arabs. The real occupiers are those that have no claim to this land -- Jews that are committing fraud with the Torah of Moses. The reality is, we only have a right to the Land conditionally; only that we keep and obey the Torah of Moses. If we don't obey and keep the Law of Moses, then the Land does not belong to us and be assured, it will spew us out (Leviticus 20:22). Since we are a nation that doesn't keep and obey the Law of Moses, we plainly have no rights to settle our families on this real estate, period and do not let anyone tell you anything different. The Word of YHWH shall not be mocked. What we need is repentance, and not just for the Jews in Eretz Israel. We need repentance for each of us individually - you, me, and the guy next door. So, why do we have the global problems that we have today: economically, politically, socially, religiously? Because we have failed to embrace and accept the radiance of the Law of Moses and we have chosen to not repent and return to the Divine Law as it was given at Mount Sinai and further, taught by Yeshua, by Sha'ul, and by Yeshua's disciples. So, what does all this mean? It means that we are the problem, not THEM - the troublemaking politicians, the corrupt judges and lawmakers, the self-serving currency counterfeiters of the Rothschild Criminal Network -- those that give the world its "money" supply - THEM. You see, THEY (THEM) are only a symptom that reflects our problems. They are not the problem itself. Two passages will help us to understand this better: Ezekiel 20:23-25: ...Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, because they had not observed my judgments (Heb: Mishpotai), but had rejected My decrees (Heb: Chukotai), and had profaned My Sabbaths (Heb: Shabbtotai), and their eyes were on the idols (Heb: Gillulei Avotam) of their fathers. And I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.... Jeremiah 4:21-22: How long must I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know. Again, understand this: THEY "out there" are not the problem. WE are the problem and YHWH has made this very clear in Scripture. THEY are there to buffet us; to rub us the wrong way; to make our lives miserable; to get us to feel so worn down, so tired, so frustrated, so weary, and so angry at ourselves that we will choose life and not death (Deuteronomy 30:15-16). And only when we choose to recognize this, only then, can the problems be dealt with. But until we fall on our faces (not on our backs!) and get ourselves a renewed heart (not seek for a new spiritual tongue or new spiritual language), only then will we see changes. Until WE repent of our wickedness, our depravity, our acceptance of turning a blind eye to the Torah of truth; until WE cease from our bent on wanting the Spirit-Filled life without the Spirit-Filled responsibilities (Ezekiel 37:24); until WE stop our actions of lawlessness in the way that we so casually treat our promises, contracts and commitments, one to other; until WE discontinue our crookedness in fueling religious wars over unwarranted disagreements and dissonance, one with another; only then will WE truly begin to rise above our enemies and become the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13-14). On this festival of Shavuot ("Pentecost") 2010, let us collectively agree to stop lying to the Holy One of Israel. Let us collectively stop embracing the ideologies, philosophies, creeds, and dogmas of the goyim (the "Gentiles") around us as it says in Ezekiel 20:7-8 and Colossians 2:8. Let us collectively stop laying our trust down on the doorstep of the world's scholars and their so-called wisdom and get focused on listening to and obeying the Eternal Divine Wisdom, which is the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, and all of its commentary as it's found in the Brit HaChadashah. Let us collectively stop pointing the finger at the people and the things that are upside-down around us, in our world and saying that the fault for our problems in this world is because of the evil that exists out there and that the "Devil is out to get us." Stop this nonsense and realize this: we collectively are the cause of all this evil that is in the world. Let us meet YHWH at Mount Sinai, climb to its summit and join Moses in sitting down at the feet of Him who dwells in the thick cloud (1 Kings 8:12). Better to choose this than to choose to set up an encampment at the foot of Mount Sinai and join all the rest of playful Israel in the idolatries of the nation as they carry on in their all-night dances in front of the golden calf and all that it represents. This is the essence of the allegory to what Sha'ul (Paul) meant in Galatians 4:24-26: ...This is allegorically speaking: for these are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. Wake up O Israel! Our fathers stood at Mount Sinai a very long time ago and promised our collective obedience to YHWH saying communally as a nation, on behalf of all of us here today (Deuteronomy 29:14-15): ...and they said, "All that YHWH has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!" So Moses took the blood and sprinkled on the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which YHWH has made with you in accordance with all these words." (Exodus 24:7-8) Nearly a dozen centuries later, Mashiach Yeshua (John 7:40-41; the Prophet like Moses), precisely echoed these same words as recorded in Luke 8:21: Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see you. But he answered and said to them, "My mother and my brothers are these who hear the Word of Elohim and do it." This being said, we must return back to the words of YHWH as prompted by Yeshayahu (Isaiah) who said with great courage: "For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the Torah of YHWH. The true family of YHWH is made up of those who seek to obey the renewal of contract as it was ratified in blood according to Exodus 24:7-8. This is the true message of Shavuot or "Pentecost." But whatever you do; whatever you think; whatever you understand; understand this point: our global problems of a collapsing US Dollar and the world currencies that are pinned to it, a corrupt system of judges and politicians, a wicked foundation of financial masters and wizards that control all world monetary policy, an evil political leadership in your land, a mob of religious control addicts looking for stupid people to follow them...all of this and more does not find its source in the world. The source of the problem is squarely on our shoulders. We are the source of what is going on in today's world. All of this is fueled by who we are. Scripture is very clear: we control the destiny of the world by our actions of Torah and if there is no Torah amongst us, then there will be lawlessness in the world. We have invited these lawless masters into the world, begging them to become our caretakers and our supervisors because we didn't want the responsibility of doing things and figuring things out according to the Torah. As one of my Messianic-turned-Orthodox Jewish friends from years ago once put it to me, "if the Rabbi tells me to do something, I do it. And if he's wrong, then it's the Rabbi's responsibility, not mine." Though this may seem comforting, and though Judaism does teach things this way, there is however, a personal liability to know what YHWH requires of you (Micah 6:8). We are each responsible to determine to walk according to what has been written in the Torah and to figure out what YHWH wants from us. Proper biblical definitions are everything to us and we must each seek and pray for divine wisdom and do what we can to line our lives up with the words of the Torah, to the best of our ability. No, there is no such thing as perfection. But the phrase, "keep on seeking truth" should never leave our hearts, minds, and lips. WE MUST SEEK REPENTANCE BACK TO THE TORAH OF MOSES, and SEEK TO OBEY IT, and SEEK TO LIVE IN IT, to the best of our situation that we have today. However, behaving like the world by mixing their ideas of how "good business" is defined, or behaving like the Rabbinic Orthodox Jews (as many do) and thinking that by acting in these ways, it will give you and I credibility or acceptance and "Jewish" validity in their eyes; that since Hebraic Roots is in vogue amongst many, therefore, let's join the club; that carrying around and blowing a shofar or speaking some Hebrew words or wearing tzitziot with a thread of blue or just wearing white or carrying around a certain vocabulary that makes you sound spiritual such as, "I LOVE ISRAEL!", "We're Christian Zionists!" - All of this is worthless and nothing without repentance and returning back to the written instructions of YHWH and the Torah of Moses. In other words, "repentance" does not mean following the practices and theology of the Jews, the Rabbis, the Christians, the Catholics, the Pastors, the Priests, or even me! Repentance is directly defined and connected to seeking out and walking according to the Laws of Moses as they were written and passed down by Moses, period. Learn to get attached to what has been written for all us, collectively. As I see things, take your actions, your Messianic or Christian vocabulary, and your religious labels and throw them in the trash because they are all of no value unless you are going to take the Torah seriously and stop giving mere lip service to YHWH and stop disobeying His Laws in your life: wronging one another; lying to each other; violating oaths and promises that come out of your mouth, one to another; treating your children, your family, your husband, your wife, your friends with contempt and dishonor; committing adultery, perversion, and letting your anger control you instead of you controlling your anger, and being so proud and haughty that you think true spirituality is in the knowledge that you have. Let us collectively learn to bring true meaning to our Torah observances and not become like the hypocrites. Only when we allow truth to prevail and we allow spiritual unity in the bond of shalom to come together, then we shall really see divine power in our communities and changes in our lives by the authority and decree of the Holy One of Israel. As for you Christians and/or Messianic believers, stop mocking YHWH and mocking his Divine Eternal Law. Stop hanging on to the institutionalized church and its Byzantine Era theology (300's - present) unless you have a very specific calling to be in that environment. Further, if you have a congregational leader that insists on scornful words against YHWH's Eternal Law of Moses and calls it bondage or you have a leader that only Jews have to keep the Torah of Moses and Gentiles don't have to do this or the leader and the elders relegate you to a second class status to that of the "born Jew" (because you may not be born Jewish), you absolutely must leave that congregation at once and find a community of people that wants to learn how to serve one another; that accepts a spiritual equality that is true to the body of Messiah and scripture with its family of Jews and non-Jews. And stop fighting one another for control of everyone else in the congregation or community. Each of you, use your gifts to serve, not to be served. Remember Yeshua's words in Luke 22:24-27 and Matthew 5:17-19. Further, if you are in a Messianic Jewish community or in an "Ephraimite" returning House of Israel community, stop thinking that if you must behave like the Orthodox Rabbinic Jews and in doing so, this is going to please YHWH. Not on your life. Their system is rooted in rebellion. Get focused and walk to the best of your ability in what you understand according to the eternal Written Torah and to what Abba in Heaven is showing and teaching you. Behaving like a rebellious member of the family is going to get you nowhere. In time, YHWH will show us more as we start with the small things - faithfulness - and grow into the greater things - knowledge of the Torah of life. Finally, if you want to come to Israel to study the Torah- Excellent! But seek to come here during the festivals of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot, and Sukkot (Exodus 23:14-17) because in doing this, you will be making a bold, loud statement with all the rest of us that are doing this, to the Jewish Ministry of Tourism! If you only come here at other times of the year that are not associated with the divine festivals according to Exodus 23:14-17, then all that you are doing is acting like a tourist and this does nothing for the overall cause of letting the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Israel in General know that you - the House of Israel - exists "out there." Do you understand what I am saying? In other words, the Ministry of Tourism sees all of you that come here outside of the festivals as "Christian Pilgrims" and Tourists. Israel in general has a limited understanding of the existance of the House of Israel and the Ministry of Tourism in Israel simply DOES NOT know that you exist and you are not giving them any reason to know that the House of Israel exists! I am speaking as an Israeli guide here! The Ministry of Tourism sees three basic types of tourists that come here to this land: Catholics, Christians (both mainstream and evangelical) and Jewish. Again, they have no idea that there is a returning House of Israel that is committed to keeping the divine feasts and the Sabbath and thus, when you come at times that are not according to the Torah, you are testifying against yourselves that you are simply like everyone else -- Christian Pilgrims. If you insist on doing tours of Israel at times that are not associated with the Divine Festivals, then in essence what you are doing is shooting all of us in the foot and hurting our witness to all Israel and disabling our cause for the good of all the House of Israel. Stop it immediately! COME to Israel to participate in Sukkot if you can. This is a great witness! Camp out with all of us and make a statement to the Israeli authorities and make a statement to all Israelis that the House of Israel is alive and well and that you want to come here to live. They will never see this if you insist on acting like typical tourists and Christian Pilgrims. Work with us. Join us. Build something here that can and will make a difference for the future. Yes, coming here during the divinely mandated festivals is more expensive than at other times of the year. So what? Think of the greater good; the witness that you will leave here! If you want to be a part of the collective House of Israel then collectively join us in our witness to Israelis in general and to the Ministry of Tourism and stop thinking selfishly. Further, if you do come to Israel, expect to honor the Shabbat and not to transact business on the Shabbat. DO NOT get on a tourist bus with a paid tourist bus driver and spend money with rebellious taxi drivers on the Shabbat and spend money with Israeli or Arab storekeepers that are open for business on the Holy Day. If you wish to tour on the Shabbat, tour and have a wonderful time at places that are free and places that do not require entrance fees. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with studying your Bible on location in Eretz Israel on the Holy Shabbat and even driving a rental car to the location to do your studies at the sites where the events took place. There is nothing wrong with this at all, in my opinion. However, the issue that I'm bringing up involves supporting and paying for commercial services to tour bus operators and storekeepers and taxi drivers and gas station attendants and others that are working on Shabbat because they are not interested in keeping the Law of Moses and they have plenty of customers to prove it. For them, Shabbat is business as usual and you should not join them in their rebellion. Use wisdom and be aware of what you are doing with your witness when you are touring in this land. YHWH spoke clearly when he said: Ezekiel 20:23-25: ...Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, because they had not observed My judgments (Heb: Mishpotai), but had rejected My decrees (Heb: Chukotai), and had profaned My Sabbaths (Heb: Shabbatai), and their eyes were on the idols (Heb: Gillulei Avotam) of their fathers. And I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.... The statutes and ordinances that are referred to above as "not good" are the man-made laws, rules, and regulations of those governments and authorities that you serve in exile. In other words, our fathers did not want the laws of YHWH and so YHWH gave us the laws of men to make us miserable so that we would want the laws of YHWH. Choose whom you will serve - YHWH or man. And again, our global, national and international problems are because collectively, we are failing to repent in all these kinds of rebellions and so much more negative, disobedient behavior. Let's collectively put a stop to all of the things that are causing global tsunami waves in the spiritual dimensions. By doing what we are supposed to be doing, we are inviting YHWH to come and dwell with us. The way to put a stop to Muslim Arab antagonism and violence is that we would obey and keep the Torah. Let us look to YHWH for help, which He said he would give to us IF we would obey His Laws. Until we repent, our international problems will simply escalate. However, if we shall do what is right according to Scripture then we shall see many blessings, as it is written in Holy Scripture: If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14) L'hitraot ad HaKayitz. See you this summer (Northern Hemisphere) Chag Sameach Shavuot, 2010. Avi ben Mordechai
Jerusalem, Israel |
Friday, May 28, 2010
TM
