Remember His Name

Jeremiah 23:26 (YHWH asks) 

"How long? 

Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets 
who prophesy falsehood, 

even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, 

who intend to make My people forget My name 

by their dreams which they relate to one another, 

just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~

Hebrew is read from right to left....

 ←

This is the Name of our Father: 

→ Y H W H

Romans 10:13- For everyone that will call on the name of Master YHWH will have life. How then will they call on him, in whom that have not believed? Or how will they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Or of whom will they hear without a preacher? how will they preach if they are not sent forth? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of the heralds of peace and of the heralds of good things."

I have learned that the alphabet of Old Hebrew (Aramaic) was derived from the Phoenician. And the Phoenician alphabet came from what is called the Proto-Sinaitic, represented by the image above. As Hebrew is read from right to left the picture reads: Yod - Heh - Waw - Heh. 

This alphabet was in part derived from Egyptian hieroglyphics and adapted to the Semetic language.

As we continue to learn, and begin to remember the Name of our Creator, I quote linguist and historian Andrew G. Roth who points out: 

Waw or the W sound is the more ancient pronunciation in both Hebrew and Aramaic. Later Hebrew literature leans more to the Vav or V sound. (end quote)

Pronouncing His Name as "Yah-Weh" is acceptable, if not the proper way to pronounce it, but I will not turn this into a topic of contention.  There are way too many views on this and I am happy to know that there is a Name Above All Names and we His people are finally accepting the fact and learning it.  Knowing His Name does not mean that we must learn to speak the entire Hebrew language, but I do suggest learning to recognize Hebrew idioms and poetic writings (which were lost in translations). All is helpful in gaining a better understanding when reading Scriptures.  

Andrew Gabriel Roth from the Aramaic English New Testament:

YHWH is the name of the Most High Elohim. Netzari followers of Y'shua never subscribed to the Rabbinic ban against vocalizing the Name of YHWH (Yah-Weh). Neither was the pronunciation lost within Jewish culture.  When Torah was translated into Greek, observant scribes preserved the Name of YHWH by writing it with Hebrew characters in the Septuagint. Mainstream rabbinical Judaism decided that because of the sanctity of the Name and the fierce punishment for abuse and blasphemy of the Name, that they would ban the pronunciation and say "Adonai" instead of YHWH. "Adonai" was then translated into the Greek "Kurios" which was then translated into the English "Lord".  The English word "Lord" is an equivalent term for Baal. 

Exodus 20:7 ... do not bring the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.

What are we doing when we call our Father "Lord"? We are taking His Name in vain, replacing it with the name of a pagan god, bringing His Name to naught, to nothingness.

Hosea 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel, but he incurred guilt by worshiping Baal and died.

Deuteronomy 4:4 Your eyes have seen what יהוה did at Ba‛al Pe‛or, for יהוה your Elohim has destroyed from your midst all the men who followed Ba‛al Pe‛or.

Baal was the name of the supreme god worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The practice of Baal worship infiltrated the life of the Israelites during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became widespread in Israel during the reign of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33) and also affected Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1-2)

~ * ~ * ~

Quote from Britannica:  Although Christian scholars after the Renaissance and Reformation periods used the term Jehovah for YHWH, in the 19th and 20th centuries biblical scholars again began to use the form Yahweh. Early Christian writers, such as Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century, had used a form like Yahweh, and this pronunciation of the tetragrammaton was never really lost. Many Greek transcriptions also indicated that YHWH should be pronounced Yahweh.

I am YHWH your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. I YHWH am your Elohim, impassioned, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children upon the third and the fourth generations of those who reject Me, but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not swear falsely by My Name for I will not clear one who does.

Leviticus 23:10 .... There came out among the Israelites one whose mother was Israelite - Shelomith, daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan - and whose father was Egyptian. A fight broke out in camp between the son and a certain Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman pronounced the Name in blasphemy and was brought to Moses and was placed in custody. YHWH told Moses to take the blasphemer outside the camp and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let the whole community stone him.

There are reasons we've become unaware of His Name and Satan is the only one happy about that. If we don't know His Name we might just call upon any god.  One reason is given in Jeremiah 44:24-26 - they have been worshipping a pagan goddess while calling upon the Name of Elohim, all while they burnt incense to the Queen of Heaven.

44:24 Hear the word of YHWH, all Judeans in the land of Egypt! You and your wives have confirmed by deed what you spoke in words saying; We will fulfill the vows which we made, to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour libations to her. 26 .... none of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt shall ever again invoke My name... 

Semiramis was the Queen of Babylon. When deified she became known as the Queen of Heaven, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.  The modern day version of this Babylonian goddess worship is the Catholic Mary mother of god worship....

Yud (Y)

Ancient Name: Yad 

Pictograph:  Arm and closed hand

Meanings: Work, Throw, Make, Praise

Sound:  Y, iy

Hey (H)

Pictograph: Man with arms raised

Meanings: Look, Reveal, Breath

Sound:  H, eh

Waw (W)

Ancient Name:  Waw 

Pictograph: Peg 

Meanings:  Add, Secure, Hook 

Sound:  W, ow, uw

Hey (H)

Pictograph:  Man with arms raised 

Meanings:  Look, Reveal, Breath 

Sound:  H, eh

~ * ~ * ~

Symbolic Connections to the Name YHWH:

Yod: 
Symbol: Arm and closed hand ~ Meaning: Work, Throw, Make, Praise

Heh: 
Symbol: Man with arms raised ~ Meaning: Look, Reveal, Breath

Waw: 
Symbol: Peg ~ Meaning: Add, Secure, Hook 

Heh: 
Symbol: Man with arms raised ~ Meaning: Look, Reveal, Breath

His Name does not represent:  "Behold Nail Behold Hand"

That is a backwards reading of His Name some folks use to point towards the crucifixion of Y'shua. Their intentions may be good but the idea is stretching it quite a bit. It is true that the Son came in the Father's name, to do His works and both Names will be written upon the foreheads of the 144,000 first fruits of the earth when that day comes.  But lets not twist the physical in an attempt to make it fit the spiritual.

quote:

The name of the Heavenly Father is composed of four Hebrew letters. For that reason it is referred to as the Tetragrammaton. Understand that when James Strong produced his concordance, the popular view among scholars was that the name of the Heavenly Father was Jehovah. Strong and most scholars of that time were still following the error of the original English translators who had mistakenly incorporated the vowel points occurring in the Hebrew text into the transliteration. These vowel points had been added by the Masoretes to maintain their belief that the Sacred Name should not be spoken. For those fluent in Hebrew the vowel points are not necessary for reading or understanding the text. .... the same “liberties” that were taken with YHWH’s Name were also applied to the Savior’s Name in Hebrew. Because of these corrupted traditions it is necessary to disregard the vowel points when translating these names. (end quote)

The name of the Son

The name of the Father is in the name of His Son, the name He gave him, meaning:

Yah is Salvation = Yahshua

י ה ו שׁ ע

from right to left the Hebrew letter are:

yod - hey - waw - shin - ayin 

pronounced Yah-Shua

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

What is a covenant?
It's an agreement between two or more persons, also known as:

contract - promise - pact - understanding

When Elohim makes a promise it is to bring about a relationship between Himself and His people.  He explains what is expected (the terms) and then we choose whether or not to accept His Terms.  If we agree with His terms then we must uphold our end of the deal.

When we accept and agree to do as He says, we are to abide by the 'Terms of the Contract'.  In order to know the terms we need to read Scriptures, beginning with Genesis, wherein YHWH explains what is expected of His People.

Genesis 2:15 - YHWH Elohim took Adam and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.  And He commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die."

This was the understanding between Yah and Adam.

Genesis 3 - Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts... He said to the woman, "Did Elohim really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?"  Eve replied, "We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. It is only  about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden Elohim said 'You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.'  And the serpent said to her, "You are not going to die, but Elohim knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad."

Thus, the serpent caused Eve to doubt the Word of Elohim and also convinced Adam to do likewise.  They betrayed the understanding between them and their Creator. YHWH banished them from the Garden.  Their faith, their trust in the Creator was tested - they did not resist temptation; the devil did not flee from them.

Fast-forward to the time of Noah.

In Genesis 6 YHWH tells Noah He's going to put an end to all flesh because of how corrupt the earth had become, filled with lawlessness.  He instructs Noah in the building of the ark because of the flood to come.

Genesis 6:17 - For My part, I am about to bring the Flood... to destroy all flesh under the sky... everything on earth shall perish. But I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark with your sons, your wife and your sons' wives...
Genesis 9:9 - I now establish My covenant with you and your offspring to come, and with every living thing that is with you... all that have come out of the ark, every living thing on earth.  I will maintain My covenant with you: never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.
Genesis 9:12 - This is the sign that I set for the covenant between Me and you... for all ages to come.  I have set My bow in the clouds and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.  When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.  When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between Me and all living creatures, all flesh on earth.  That shall be the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on earth."

The promise here is that Elohim will not flood the world again in order to destroy all flesh.  He calls this an everlasting covenant which means it is still in effect in this day and age.  Think about this next time you see a rainbow.

Moving along, in Genesis 12 YHWH makes a promise to Abram.  He tells Abram to leave 'home' and travel to the land He will show him.

Genesis 12:2 - I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you." (the terms of the contract)

Abram left and took his wife and his nephew Lot and all their belongings with him.  When they arrived in the land of Canaan YHWH appeared to Abram and told him, "I will assign this land to your offspring."

Eventually Abraham and Lot go separate ways.  

In Genesis 13:14 YHWH reminds Abraham that the land he sees belongs to him and his offspring forever - generation after generation. This covenant is still in effect.

Genesis 15:18 - On that day YHWH made a covenant with Abram saying, "To your offspring I assign this land 

Genesis 17 - I am El Shaddai. Walk in My ways and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between me and you and I will make you exceedingly numerous.  This is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fertile, and make nations of you; kings shall come forth from you.  I will maintain My covenant with you and your offspring to come, as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, to be God to you and to your offspring to come. I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding.  I will be their Elohim. 

Genesis 17:9 - As for you, you and your offspring to come throughout the ages shall keep My covenant. Such shall be the covenant... every male among you shall be circumcised... that shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.  Throughout the generations every male shall be circumcised at the age of eight days... Thus shall My covenant be marked in your flesh as an everlasting pact. If any male fails to do so he shall be cut off from his kin because he has broken My covenant. 

Genesis 17:19 - Sarah your wife shall bear you a son and you shall name him Isaac and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring to come... Ishmael I will bless... but My covenant I will maintain with Isaac.

Years go by and Abraham stays true to Elohim. Even so, YHWH tests him.  He tells Abraham to take his favorite son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering.  Abraham's faith is as such that He obeys the command and totally trusts Yah to know what He's doing.  He proceeds to the place as instructed.  Of course YHWH stops Abraham from slaying his son and now commits to blessing Abraham.

Genesis 22:17 - I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.

In Genesis 26, YHWH tells Isaac about fulfilling the oath He swore to his father, Abraham, about the land and his descendants and the blessing -

26:5- Inasmuch as Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws and My teachings (the terms of the covenant = obey the Creator).

In Genesis 28, YHWH meets Jacob and lets him know that He is the Elohim of Abraham and of Isaac. He reaffirms the covenant, points out the land that is his and his offspring and tell  him that He won't leave him until He has done what He has promised.

Genesis 35:10 -  You whose name is Jacob, you shall be called Jacob no more, but Israel shall be your name.  I am El Shaddai. Be fertile and increase; a nation, yes an assembly of nations, shall descend from you.  Kings shall issue from your loins.  The land that I assigned to Abraham and Isaac I assign to you; and to your offspring to come will I assign the land.

We learn that the Creator, our heavenly Father, made a promise long ago, an everlasting covenant with a select group of people:

Any one who obeys His Instructions and

Have the testimony of His Son

That Pagan World

Over the years I have posted here and there, and shared several links to the topic of the Pagan Origins of the many things we take for granted. This is an important study and the knowledge needs to be shared - again.  Don't let yourself become overwhelmed or angry or discouraged. What I am sharing is a result of my research and study and reading Scriptures that started over fifteen years ago when I innocently looked for the origin of christmas... the journey had to start somewhere! I don't claim to be any sort of scholar, but I know a lot more now than I did back then.  And we are not the first to search these things.  Once you start looking, there have been many before us seeking truth.

I will include as much as I can and pray for this to be a source of light to those searching for His Path, continually seeking Him so that He will cause the Ruach haKodesh (His Set Apart Spirit) to reveal to you Truth in everything.

The Ten Commandments begin with Yahweh, our Creator, telling us He is the one true Elohim and that we shall have no other gods besides Him.  He goes on to define those gods as man made images (idols) of things in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters and Not to bow down to them or serve them. He is serious about this and will pass on the guilt of doing such things to the generations that reject Him and He will show kindness to the generations who love Him AND keep His commandments. He also knows that Satan will set up counterfeits along the way.  It is important for us to recognize the Spirit of Yahweh so as to identify the devices of Adversary.

To 'bow down to them' is to exalt, to think very highly of them, seeing them as powerful, lesser, greater or in place of YHWH. Whether made of stone, wood, gold or silver and in the image/symbols of what we think angels look like (heavens above) or man, or animal fetishes or representing fish or other things in the water, we are not to serve them.

Look around. You will notice right away a variety of images in a variety of forms representing heaven, earth, waters, sea, air, the elements -- things Yahweh said right off the get-go not to make. He wants us to be Set Apart (righteous); set apart from the world and its pagan ways, those subtle temptations that cause us to doubt the Creator, as when Satan said to Eve, "You are not going to die, but Elohim knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad."

Then what happened?
In short, they tried to hide themselves from Yahweh because of their guilt and were eventually kicked out of the Garden.

Right from the beginning Satan has been tempting us. It is our Faith in the Creator and our obedience to His Instructions, which are for our health and well being, reinforced by (witnessed) the life and death of His son, Y'shua Messiah that we choose to be Set Apart, resisting temptation cause the devil to flee from us.

Who would have thought that types of  Dance could be pagan?

“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!” (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 5:20)

Most folks already are aware of when Messiah was born.

The Origin of Christmas Tree

Just as early Christians recruited Roman pagans by associating Christmas with the Saturnalia, so too worshippers of the Asheira cult and its offshoots were recruited by the Church sanctioning “Christmas Trees”.  Pagans had long worshipped trees in the forest, or brought them into their homes and decorated them, and this observance was adopted and painted with a Christian veneer by the Church. 

 ~ Here is what God says: “... Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven [the stars]; for the heathen are dismayed at them [millions ignore this plain statement of God and read their horoscopes daily]. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree…” (Jeremiah. 10:2-5).

The Origin of Mistletoe

Norse mythology recounts how the god Balder was killed using a mistletoe arrow by his rival god Hoder while fighting for the female Nanna. Druid rituals use mistletoe to poison their human sacrificial victim. The Christian custom of “kissing under the mistletoe” is a later synthesis of the sexual license of Saturnalia with the Druidic sacrificial cult.

The Origin of Christmas Presents

In pre-Christian Rome, the emperors compelled their most despised citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia (in December) and Kalends (in January). Later, this ritual expanded to include gift-giving among the general populace. The Catholic Church gave this custom a Christian flavor by re-rooting it in the supposed gift-giving of Saint Nicholas.

The Origin of Santa Claus  

Nicholas was born in Parara, Turkey in 270 CE and later became Bishop of Myra. He died in 345 CE on December 6th. He was only named a saint in the 19th century.  He was among the most senior bishops who convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE and created the New Testament. The text they produced portrayed Jews as “the children of the devil” who sentenced Jesus to death.

In 1087, a group of sailors who idolized Nicholas moved his bones from Turkey to a sanctuary in Bari, Italy. There Nicholas supplanted a female boon-giving deity called The Grandmother, or Pasqua Epiphania, who used to fill the children's stockings with her gifts. The Grandmother was ousted from her shrine at Bari, which became the center of the Nicholas cult. Members of this group gave each other gifts during a pageant they conducted annually on the anniversary of Nicholas’ death, December 6.

The Nicholas cult spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans. These groups worshipped a pantheon led by Woden –their chief god and the father of Thor, Balder, and Tiw. Woden had a long, white beard and rode a horse through the heavens one evening each Autumn. When Nicholas merged with Woden, he shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a beard, mounted a flying horse, rescheduled his flight for December, and donned heavy winter clothing.

In a bid for pagan adherents in Northern Europe, the Catholic Church adopted the Nicholas cult and taught that he did (and they should) distribute gifts on December 25th instead of December 6th. 

In 1809, the novelist Washington Irving (most famous his The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle) wrote a satire of Dutch culture entitled Knickerbocker History. The satire refers several times to the white bearded, flying-horse riding Saint Nicholas using his Dutch name, Santa Claus.

Dr. Clement Moore, a professor at Union Seminary, read Knickerbocker History, and in 1822 he published a poem based on the character Santa Claus: “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hope that Saint Nicholas soon would be there…” Moore innovated by portraying a Santa with eight reindeer who descended through chimneys.

The Bavarian illustrator Thomas Nast almost completed the modern picture of Santa Claus. From 1862 through 1886, based on Moore’s poem, Nast drew more than 2,200 cartoon images of Santa for Harper’s Weekly. Before Nast, Saint Nicholas had been pictured as everything from a stern looking bishop to a gnome-like figure in a frock. Nast also gave Santa a home at the North Pole, his workshop filled with elves, and his list of the good and bad children of the world. All Santa was missing was his red outfit.

  

1931, the Coca Cola Corporation contracted the Swedish commercial artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke-drinking Santa. Sundblom modeled his Santa on his friend Lou Prentice, chosen for his cheerful, chubby face. The corporation insisted that Santa’s fur-trimmed suit be bright, Coca Cola red. And Santa was born – a blend of Christian crusader, pagan god, and commercial idol. (I never heard this one about Coca-Cola - ckc) 

The origins of Easter

John 4:22-24 You worship something that you do not know. But we worship what we know, for life is from the Yehudeans (Messiah is referred to as the Lion of Judah). But the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, indeed. For the Father, He seeks worshippers as these. For Elohim is Spirit and those who worship they must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Mark 7:6-7 Messiah says, Yesha'yahu (Isaiah) the prophet did well prophesy about you hypocrites! As it is written that 'This people honor me with their lips (words) but their hearts are very distance from me. And vainly they fear me while they are teaching the doctrines of the (man made) commandments of the sons of men.

My husband and I don't 'celebrate' Purim or Hanukkah because they are not 'commanded' by Elohim. I realize they are of historical value, like the 4th of July or Memorial Day (which we do not celebrate, either).

Chanukah is a man made tradition. 

Quote: (John 10:22-24). Notice that this is the only reference to the festival of Chanukah (חַג חֲנֻכָּה) that occurs in all of Scriptures. Some additional "extra biblical" sources include the testimony of the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who likewise referred to the commemoration of the Maccabees as an eight day "festival of lights", and various midrashim that quote Hillel and Shammai (i.e., two famous sages that predated the time of Yeshua) discussing the method of kindling the lights of the Chanukah menorah. One midrash states that Chanukah was to be regarded as an acronym for Chet Nerot veHalakhah K'bet Hillel ("eight candles and the law according to the House of Hillel"), referring to Hillel's view (his opinion) that we should light one candle on the first night and increase the amount by one every day (Shammai, on the other hand, thought we should light eight candles on the first night and reduce one every subsequent night). According to early Jewish tradition (preserved in Megillat Antiochus, 2nd Century AD), since the Maccabees were unable to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot at its proper time in the fall, they decided that it should be observed after the Temple was restored, which they did on the 25th of the month of Kislev in the year 164 B.C. Since Sukkot lasts eight days, this became the time frame adopted for Chanukah."  End Quote.

John 10:22 gives us a time frame, noting the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) occurred in Jerusalem and it was winter and Y'shua was walking in the temple in the porch of Solomon. (note: this is the only time Hanukkah is mentioned in Scriptures - there's no 2 or 3 other times to bear witness or support its importance as a feast day.)  Folks think because Messiah was 'there' that he was 'celebrating' but I think the reason he was there was because he was 'teaching', as he was accustomed to doing, not so much partaking of the feast. 

John 10 starts out with his Sheep Parable, then the feast day is mentioned, then: The Jews surround him again asking how long will he keep them waiting: "if you are the Mashiyach, tell us!" He lets them know that he HAS told them but they do not believe because 'they are not of his sheep'. Perhaps noting the feast day and the fact these Jews were celebrating it (which is why they were at the temple) and then Y'shua saying they were not his sheep, lets us know it is not of Elohim and we should not partake of it, either.

Y'shua was not celebrating Chanukah - he was present, on the porch of the Temple. It appears he was taking the opportunity to teach to those who had gathered there.  The lead in verses to John 10:22 sets the tone for what's going on.  In 10:7 he says that he is the Gate of the flock. He goes on to say if a man should enter by him (the Gate) he will live, enter and go out and find pasture. (No man comes to the Father except by Y'shua). He says he is the Good Shepherd that lays his life down for the flock. He knows those who are his and they know him. Then he says in 10:16 that he also has other sheep, those not of this sheepfold. It is necessary for me to bring them and they will hear my voice and all the flocks will become one and there will be One Shepherd. (I love this! He just told us the sheepfold is the House of Israel and the other sheep are those who have chosen to obey YHWH and have the testimony of His son - we will be One People with One Faith and One Elohim!) Well, once again Y'shua causes a stir among the Yehudeans, they don't believe, they don't recognize their Shepherd's voice and think Y'shua is possessed.

Here's info on Purim   

As a reminder, No matter what one uses for research and reference material, ALWAYS take what you have gleaned and measure it against Scriptures, the Word of God our Creator. His Ruach haKodesh - His Set Apart Spirit - will reveal the Truth as long as we maintain our Faith in the one true God. It's not about religion, but His perfect government system.  Judaism is a religion. Christianity is a religion. Islam is a religion, etc... 

Confusion

I see there is still much confusion about whether or not Yahweh means what He says, especially when He uses words like "forever and ever"; "throughout the ages"; and "for all your generations". 

Many people have been taught that Y'shua Messiah did away with the "Law of Moses", that the New Testament replaces the Old Testament and the only commandment that exists now is to "love one another as well as loving God". This mindset places the Son of the New Testament above the Father of the Old Testament and that is not the intention of the Creator. All praise and glory belongs to Yahweh.

Among other things, there is this 'law of christ' being taught by a man named Charles Leiter (friends with Paul Washer) that I've recently become aware of, so I am researching this fellow and found this snippet from a promo of one of his CDs:

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, the apostle Paul claims that he is not under the Law of Moses, but under the Law of Christ. Charles Leiter spends these three messages explaining the meaning of this assertion. The first sermon shows that the Law of Christ is not the Law of Moses and then explains the role of the Law of Moses in history. According to Scripture, the Law of Moses was part of the Old Covenant, and for that reason the Law of Moses was meant to guide God's people only until the New Covenant came to replace it. In the second message, Charles lists all the ways that the Christian has been freed from the Law of Moses, now that Christ and His New Covenant have come. Mainly, we are freed from the Law's curse on sin, freed from our inability to obey God, and freed from having to keep the Law of Moses as a covenant agreement. Finally, the third sermon describes the Law of Christ itself. It is the command to love God and love one another, following the example of Christ. Furthermore, it is a higher law than the Law of Moses, and Christians actually want to keep it, due to their new hearts. Theologically, they explain the relationship between the Covenant with Abraham, the Old Covenant, and the New Covenant—a problem which has caused much confusion in the Church. With regard to Christian living, these messages help us to understand how God wants us to live, now that we are not under the Law of Moses. 

What this guy is teaching is horribly wrong and will lead many astray! Paul never taught against Torah; Y'shua did not bring his own ideas to the table - he came to do the will of the Father; the 'new covenant' did not replace anything, it renewed the promise made by Yahweh to Abraham; we are totally able to obey our Creator; and if we choose to break the covenant we will not inherit the Promised Land. 

Yahweh Elohim, our Creator, is not the author of confusion, but of peace (First Corinthians 14:33)

It was never about religion, denominations or all the other various belief systems.  Yahweh gave us a Set of Instructions, the perfect governing system for our health and well being. Those Instructions are found written in Scriptures from Genesis through Deuteronomy.  These Instructions are referred to throughout Scriptures giving us a clear picture of what happens when we obey and follow those Instructions and what happens if we choose not to follow them.  All that is needed is Faith. We trust that Elohim our Creator knows what's best for His creation. 

The Name above All Names

I am not a Hebrew scholar nor a linguist 

or much of an expert on anything.

I am, however, a follower of Y'shua and read Scriptures 

almost every day.

I am a believer in the one true Elohim, our heavenly Father, 

the Creator.

It was over fifteen years ago that I learned He had a Name, 

Yahweh (YHWH). 

(I always thought His Name was 'God'). 

Then I learned His son's name isn't 'Jesus' but is Yahshua (Y'shua).

I know there are many discussions out there in cyber-land and elsewhere debating the 'spelling of' and 'pronunciation of' these Names. I do not disregard their studies and research but I prefer not to let this be a matter of contention which blinds us to the fact that there is a Name above all names. In my studies and keeping the ancient Hebrew texts in mind, I have come to respectfully call the Father and His Son by their names: Yahweh (YHWH) and Yahshua (Y'shua).

Philippians 2:9

Elohim has highly exalted him and given him a name which is more excellent than all names, that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, of beings in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Master YHWH is Y'shua Mashiyach to the glory of Elohim his father.

I agree with Andrew G. Roth when he states:

Y'shua reveals the Name of YHWH, the Name above all names! Y'shua has the Name and the reputation of the Father YHWH within him. Y'shua means 'YHWH is salvation' therefore the Will and Spirit of Yah-weh is manifest in Yah-shua as the Arm of YHWH.

Isaiah 52:10  YHWH will bare His arm in the sight of all the nations, and the very ends of the earth shall see the victory of our Elohim

Isaiah 52:13  Behold, My servant will prosper, he will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.

Daniel 7:14  And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

John 17:11  I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You, Kadosh Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave me, so that they may be one as We are one.

John 17:12  While I was with them, I protected them and guarded them by Your Name, the name You gave me.

Psalm 80:18   Grant Your help to the man at Your right hand, the stem You have taken as Your own.  We will not turn away from You; preserve our life that we may invoke Your Name. O Yahweh Elohim of hosts, restore us; show us Your favor that we may be delivered.

Faith> Grace> Works

A study I've been working on compelled me to look up the definition of 'Grace' in the Webster dictionary:

Pleasing quality; favor; thanks; A sense of what is right and proper; the unmerited love and favor of The Creator towards mankind; divine influence acting in a person to make the person pure (righteous/clean/set apart); morally strong; a special virtue, gift or help given to a person by Elohim.

Grace is a gift from Elohim that does not replace Torah. Torah is the set of instructions to show us what is right and proper. Grace shows His favor towards us, in that through His Set Apart Spirit He helps us to understand His commands and how to apply them to our lives that we may be righteous, morally strong.   YHWH, by His Grace, gave us the gift of His Laws and free will to choose Life eternal by obeying, keeping, observing and living by them.

There is a point of contention among 'believers' in regards to being 'saved'. There is the 'once saved always saved' mindset along with being 'saved by grace' and the 'saved by faith' and the 'saved by works' facets of this one topic.  

Acts 2:38 tells us in order to be saved (from the curse of eternal death) that we are to repent (return to Yah, turn from our sinful ways) and be immersed (mikveh/baptised/ritually cleansed) so that we may receive the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). 

If we do turn away from our sinful ways and return to the Creator and His Teachings and be immersed symbolizing our intentions, then we are ready to receive the gift of His Set Apart Spirit.  If we make the first move then Yah will follow up, giving us His unmerited love and favor.  It is a process, not an end-all.  We never stop learning until the day He restores all things!

2 Thessalonians 2:16

And may our Master Y'shua the Mashiyach himself, and Elohim our Father who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and a good hope through His grace, comfort your hearts and establish yourselves in every good word and in every good work.

In the letter to the Romans, Paul refers to himself as a servant of Y'shua, who was called, sent and separated to the Good News of Elohim and acknowledges it is from Him whom we have received grace and a mission... to the end that all may obey the faith among whom are called by Y'shua.

Grace doesn't just happen - it is a result of our Faith.  Faith is our belief, our trust in YHWH Elohim.  In trusting Him we choose to obey His Instructions. The result is Righteousness - we become morally justified and freed from sin.

Hebrews 11

Now faith is the persuasion of the things that are in hope as if they were an actual fact, and it is the manifesting of the things not seen. For by faith we understand that the worlds were shaped by the Word of Elohim and that things seen originated from those that are not seen.

By faith, Abel offered to Elohim a better sacrifice ... and on account of it he is testified of being righteous... By faith, Enoch was translated and did not taste death ... there was testimony of him that he pleased Elohim.

Without faith, man cannot please Elohim.

He who draws near to Elohim must believe His existence

and that He will recompense those who seek Him.

By faith, Noah when he was told of the things not seen, obeyed Yahweh and made an ark... and became righteous which is by faith.  By faith, Abraham, when called, obeyed... departed to the place of his inheritance while he had no idea where he was going. By faith he became a resident in the land that was promised... All these died in faith and did not receive their promise but they saw it from a distance and rejoiced in it, and they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

1 Peter 1:6-9 ... when you are under some pressure by the various trials that pass over you (it is) so that the proof of your faith may appear more precious than refined gold that is tested by fire, to glory and honor and praise at the manifestation of Y'shua: whom having not seen, you love; and in the faith of whom you rejoice with the joy that is glorious and beyond expression, that you many receive the reward of your faith, the life of your souls...

Faith and Grace are part of a harmonious connection between us and YHWH.

Paul's desire is to give the gift of the Spirit through which we become established and find comfort together in faith. The Good News reveals the righteousness of Elohim, from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The righteous by faith will live.'

We find in the writings of James chapter 2:

What is the use if a man says 'I have faith' yet he has no works? Can his faith restore life?" James continues to give the example of a fellow believer who is cold and hungry and another says to him, 'go in peace...warm yourself and be full', then he does not give him the necessities (clothing and food), what is the use? Consoling a person without providing the need is faith without works... whereas providing the need, whether food, clothing or shelter, is 'works' which reveals faith.

James 2:17 reads: 

"So also faith alone, without works, is dead. For a man may say you have faith and I have works; show me your faith that is without works and I will show you my faith by my works."

James 2:24 

You see that by works a man is justified and not by faith alone.

Galatians 3:23 

"But before faith came, Torah was guarding us while we were confined from the faith about to be revealed." 

Andrew Gabriel Roth offers insight: 

In this regard "Torah" can be compared with any righteous values a soul voluntarily imposes upon himself. However, as a spiritual relationship is established with YHWH and Y'shua, a soul is elevated to much higher levels of spiritual awareness and accountability.

Galatians 3:12 

Thus Torah is not made by faith, but whosoever will do the things that are written in it, will live in it. (Leviticus 18:5: You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them...) 

John 20:29 

Y'shua said to him, "Now that you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who do not see me and believe."

If you continue to study Scripture then Knowledge and Understanding will increase, baggage falls away, the narrow gate opens and the straight path is revealed. Halleluyah! and praise Elohim for His steadfast love that all would have the opportunity and choose to turn from sin and return to Him - the One who created us!  This is the path we journey along towards our real home. We come across many stepping stones as well as stumbling blocks, but our Faith keeps us steady.

By our Faith we receive His Grace as we live by His Instructions.  It is just natural to follow up caring for fellow believers and by doing these good works we are morally justified, accounted as righteous.

Finding Truth in Scriptures

YHWH, our Creator, our Elohim, our Heavenly Father, has told us the end from the beginning. He used the prophets, his servants, to speak and write His Words which we know as Scriptures.

He told us the past, present and future so that when these things happened we would have no doubt that He is the one true living Elohim. All praise and glory belong to Him.

Yah warned us of Satan and his subtle tempting to draw us away from Truth and lead us into the pit of lies.

Satan causes divisions among us, he causes doubt, appearing as a knowledgeable one, gaining our trust, then leading us away from eternal life. He accomplishes this in many ways using various devices in the most subtle of ways. This is evident from the account of Eve's encounter with him.

Satan tempts Eve to eat of that one tree Elohim states not to eat of. He causes her to doubt the Word of God. She believed a lie, caused her husband to follow suit and by this they were cast from Paradise.

Life goes on with an added dimension: the spiritual war for our very souls.

Satan, who once submitted to YHWH, has become self centered and arrogant, desiring to become a god, or at least be worshiped as a god. He causes a rift between God's People by mixing and mingling with His Creation. Satan convinces some other divine beings to leave their heavenly stations and join him on his path of destruction.

YHWH (Yahweh) has given us free will, the ability to make decisions either based on His Instructions in truth and love and righteousness OR based on the lies spawned from the Adversary. There are only two choices: Life or Death (aka: Blessing/Curse; Right/Wrong; Good/Bad...). There is no middle of the road, no fence sitting when decision time comes your way. Throughout Scriptures we are given examples of choices made and the consequences that followed. It should be clear to us today which path we should travel.

Through love for our Heavenly Father we Trust in Him and have Faith in His Instructions and believe His love for His People is steadfast and eternal.

Choose the Blessing. Receive the Blessing by following His Instructions and spread the Good News of the Kingdom to come wherein His Son, Y'shua the Messiah will be our King and High Priest.

In the beginning was The Word and the Word was made flesh - Y'shua Mashiyach, the anointed one, will return at the end.

Yah Approved House of Prayer

Abraham was a Hebrew:

Genesis 14:13 Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew (about Lot being taken captive).

His descendants are Hebrews.  Even when YHWH changed Jacob's name to Israel, they were still descendants of Abraham, still Hebrews, becoming the House of Israel. Paul says as much in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 11:22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

Yah is the God of our fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with whom He has kept His everlasting covenant:

Genesis 17:7 "I will establish My covenant between Me and you (Abraham) and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be Elohim to you and to your descendants after you.

Exodus 3:13 Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' (He is going to the sons of Jacob/Israel [descendants of Abraham], who were the heads of each of their clans = the 12 tribes of Israel. Each tribe was named after each of the 12 sons.)

YHWH is God/Elohim of the Hebrews:

Exodus 5:3 Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us.

Exodus 7:16 "You shall say to him, 'The God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness.

Exodus 10:3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 

God is YHWH the Elohim of the Hebrews and their descendants, and all who may turn from those pagan ways and serve Him.   Not by any of  man's traditions, but by obedience to His commands.

From the Mountain to the Tent

The first 'temple' was the Tabernacle constructed from the pattern YHWH showed Moses and it is patterned after the one in heaven. This is where God attached His Name after He moved from the mountain. It was the House of Elohim.  This pattern also served as a foreshadow of the temple Solomon would build.

Exodus 25:8 "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9 "According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture..."

Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. That is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle, "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

YHWH establishes the priesthood and selects those of the tribe of Levi to tend to the sacred duties of  the Tabernacle:

Numbers 8:19 "I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary."
Numbers 18:23 "Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting... it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 " For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to Me, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, 'They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.'" 

Collectively, the descendants of Abraham the Hebrew are now being called the sons of Israel. Only those from the tribe of Levi were chosen to serve in the tent/temple and perform all related duties.

From the Tent to the House

1 Kings 6:1 ... Solomon began to build the House of YHWH... you can read further all the lavish details of this project, but notice it is called the House of Elohim, YHWH.  1 Kings 8 tells us when the House was done Solomon called the elders of Israel, who are all the heads of the tribes and the ancestral chieftains of the Israelites, and they arrange to have the Ark of the Covenant, the Tent of Meeting, and all the set apart vessels brought to the House of God.  The presence of Elohim filled the House - He approved it. He fulfilled the promise He made to David:

1 Kings 8:16 "Ever since I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city among all the tribes of Israel for building a House where My name might abide; but I have chosen David to rule My people Israel... :19 however, you shall not build the House yourself; instead, your son... shall build the House for My Name.

There is only one House of Elohim albeit rebuilt a couple of times, but only one place where He attached His Name.  It not a Jewish institution. It was a House of Prayer, a place where He could be in the midst of His people = the Israelites and those who attached themselves to the House of Israel (Spirit of Adoption).  Y'shua refers to them as 'the sheep' and the 'other sheep' he came to gather together as one flock.  That one flock is God's chosen people. 

Here is a link to some History of the Temple although it was never a Jewish Temple.  This is a good historical time line from Solomon to Titus and the Roman legions who looted and leveled this temple in 70 AD. They state after the temple was destroyed in 70AD, synagogues replaced that temple and prayer replace animal sacrifice. Please note when you are following up with your own research, remember to remove the Jewish mind-set from some of the sites you visit.

YHWH warns once again what happens if we turn away from Him, as He tells Solomon:

1 Kings 9:6 " If you and your descendants turn away from Me and do not keep the commandments and the laws which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods... then I will sweep Israel off the land which I gave them; I will reject the House which I have consecrated to My name; and Israel shall become a byword among all peoples. 

And we know what happened... As smart and wise and just and fair as Solomon was, women turned out to be his downfall... he loved many foreign women who turned his heart away from Elohim and towards other gods - those false idols worshiped by his many women.  He turned away from YHWH and eventually the Israelites were 'swept off the land'.  After Solomon's death, the ten northern tribes refused to accept his son Rehoboam as their king. The country was divided into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south. 

After some time, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, marched on Judah. He pillaged Jerusalem and deported tens of thousands to his capital in Babylon.  The poor and sick people were allowed to stay in Judah.  Several months later Nebuchadnezzar's army began the destruction of Jerusalem and the House of Elohim:

Ezra 5:12 But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

Ezra picks up after the 70 year exile in Babylon when King Cyrus is chosen by YHWH to declare the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem in Judah.  So the chiefs of the clans of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites, all whose spirit had been roused by Elohim went to Jerusalem.  In Ezra 2 is the list of the men of Israel who came up from among the exiled, including Levites and the temple servants. They searched genealogical records in order to select the priesthood.  When the 7th month arrived they were ready to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles.  All the Israelites assembled in Jerusalem as one.  The temple is for all Set Apart believers - not just the Jews or not just for the Levites.

The problem with Judaism is its mixture of rituals and religious observances, combined with rabbinic laws and traditions. These bad habits were most likely picked up during that 70 year exile in Babylon. This mind-set is what Y'shua was revealing in his teaching from the Father. He called the Pharisees 'hypocrites' many times.  He was reminding everyone by teaching what Torah is about and how it was intended as opposed to Jewish Traditions.  It is not a bad thing to do good, but when you overrule God and teach others to do the same, that is not good. Y'shua Messiah definitely was not participating in Judaism nor its traditions. He was sent by the Father and spoke Yah's message, the same message from the beginning.

John 5:30 Y'shua is speaking, "I am not able to do anything of my own desire, but as I hear I judge, and my judgment is just, for I don't seek my will, rather the will of Him who sent me.  :36 ... For the works that my Father has given to me to complete, those works that I do, testify that the Father sent me.  :39  Search the Scriptures, because in them you think you have that life that is eternal, and they testify of me. Yet you do not desire to come to me, that you may have that life that is eternal.  :43 I have come in the name of my  Father, and you have not received me... :46  IF only you had  believed in Moses, you would also be believers in me, for Moses wrote concerning me.  And if you do not believe the writing of that man, how will you believe my words?"

The writings of Moses are contained in the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy.  These writings, in the Hebrew language, are called Torah, which translates to Instructions.  These are not to be confused with Jewish laws or holidays or traditions, which men added at a later time.  This is an example of just how subtle Satan is.  He causes 'doubt' just as he did with Eve in the garden.  He spins his own doctrine from bits and pieces of what YHWH actually spoke.  This is how we have ended up with hundreds of denominations and belief systems throughout the world.  This is why when you attempt to 'google' Torah you get hundreds of sites that refer to it as 'religious Judaic tradition'.  If you spend time reading Scriptures, the Word of Elohim,  you will find this is not so.

There is only One God and His Name is YHWH (Yah-weh). 

He sent His Son in His Name, Yashua (Yah-shua).

His Instructions are not a set of religious beliefs;

but a perfect governing system intended for 

our well being while on this earth.

YHWH gave us a choice and many examples 

of the results of those choices. 

Do as Y'shua suggests: Read Scriptures

Let the Spirit of Truth reveal to you 

the Way of the Creator.