The first person I ever heard teaching about Torah was Monte Judah of Lion and Lamb Ministries. I had recently found a radio station on iTunes called Solace Radio and he was one of the 'programs' they supported. It was then that I eventually learned of other Torah Teachers of the Hebrew Roots mindset, such as:
- Mike Clayton
- Bill Cloud
- Brad Scott
This began the new learning process for me and my husband about ten years ago. Later we heard of Mark Biltz, Perry Stone, Rico Cortes, and others that many in 'the group' seemed to know, like and agree with. In my zeal for more about this Torah teaching idea I searched the internet and found a few web sites that rounded out this new world we had entered: 119 Ministries; Jim Staley's Truth or Tradition; Michael Rood's A Rood Awakening, for examples.
Through the various teachings and insights of them all, my husband and I became firmly rooted in the Hebrew origins of Scriptures and continue in study of His Word to this day. We gleaned many a nugget and felt the joy and blessing from the Creator as we carnal Gentiles started leaving the old Babylon worldly system. Yet we were believing in men and not taking what they were saying back to Scriptures at that time. We, like many Christians before us, were following the leader, without question.
We started wondering about those people and what they were teaching and what, exactly, were we learning. Once we understood the Old Testament was just as important as the New Testament, the more we read and studied Scriptures for ourselves the more we realized they were straying from His Path and taking us with them. Most had left Churchianity years ago but were still dragging religious baggage with them, trading the cross symbol for the star of David. Others were trading religions: Christianity for Judaism. We do acknowledge that they served their purpose as Stepping Stones that got my husband and I lined up with our Creator and His Path of righteous living, but I will not recommend any of them so that those new to the Hebrew origins of Scriptures will not be tempted to follow false teachings. Many will sit back and listen without consulting the Creator on all things.
As the years went by and without intentionally doing so, we measured ourselves against people who helped open our eyes to the truth about Yah's Instructions for His Creation, but when those teachers seem to have gone down a rabbit trail or adopted Jewish traditions it was time to leave them and move on, continuing in our studies, reading Scripture and staying on YHWH's Path of Righteousness. Many who were seeing the truth still fell into a religious comfort zone, traps set by Satan.
Mike Clayton was a great teacher and able to put the Word of YHWH into simple stories for those new to reading the Old Testament. He was easy to understand and seemed a trustworthy teacher to have along the Hebrew Roots journey. I copied a few of his teachings and shared them here and there because they were perfect for getting folks interested in Torah. But since then Mr. Clayton has changed his name to Mikell, doesn't use the Name of our Creator, thinks Israel has already been gathered and puts too much emphasis on today's Jews. He's taken many trips to Israel and offers tours. All these things do not make him a bad person, but like many he has been tripped up by Judaism, trading his Christian religion for a Jewish one. This is not someone who should continue teaching the Word of "G-d" because he is no longer teaching the whole Truth. I do not doubt that Mike Clayton loves YHWH and truly believes he is doing the right thing, but he is also mixing and mingling doctrines of man with the pure word of our Creator. If you come across his teachings on your journey I know you will find some nuggets worth gleaning but do not let your guard down else you get sidelined by that same rabbit trail. Always take what you learn back to Scriptures and the Set Apart Spirit of our Creator will show you the truth of all things.
My same sentiment goes for Bill Cloud: If you come across his teachings on your journey I know you will find some nuggets worth gleaning but keep your guard up else you travel down that same rabbit trail. Always take what you learn back to Scriptures and the Set Apart Spirit of our Creator will show you the truth of all things.
Mr. Cloud is another one of those likable down-home fellas who came out of Churchianity after learning that Torah is YHWH's set of Instructions for everyone - not just the Jews. But, like many others, he allowed the religion of Judaism to replace the religion of Christianity as he continued to adopt traditions of man. This may be because he was taught by a rabbi. I began to question his view of Torah years ago when I attended one of his seminars on a Sabbath day and noticed he had an assortment of CDs and Books displayed on a table, all for sale, on the Sabbath. I had learned enough about Yah's instructions to know that this wasn't right. All it takes is one contrary thing to raise an eyebrow of mine and spur me into research mode. These guys were valuable stepping stones in my journey and taught me how to read and study Scriptures for myself as I began to take their teachings back to the Word of our Creator, so they served their purpose in that respect.
If you think you need to learn the Hebrew Language then Brad Scott is the guy for you. I think he pushes the language topic a little too far, however, knowing Hebrew idioms and poetic prose does indeed help us to better understand Scriptures and clear up errors in translations. It is not necessary for us to be speaking and reading the Hebrew language as a whole in today's world, yet I believe it will be the language restored when we enter Y'shua's kingdom. I am content to wait until then. Mr. Scott goes beyond simply teaching the Word of Elohim and makes Scriptures seem as a mystery that needs to be understood by seeking deeper meanings. We are to be seeking YHWH as if looking for treasures and not picking and choosing a Hebrew word to analyze for an hour or two. That is one of those famous rabbit trails readily available in any Hebrew Roots group. I am not accusing Mr. Scott of being a bad guy, but his teaching strays off course when he relies on science to prove a point. If you come across his teachings on your journey I know you will find some nuggets worth gleaning but do not become distracted else you end up down that same rabbit trail. Always take what you learn back to Scriptures and the Set Apart Spirit of our Creator will show you the truth of all things.
I no longer recommend these teachers or websites because I hate it when a 'fellow believer' tells me to "eat the meat and spit out the bones". I shall never offer that advice to anyone. The bones are snares cast by Satan and I would never point someone in that direction. If I find something true and worthy of sharing in a site that is riddled with bones, I will not send someone there looking for it, but will dig out the nuggets and share them as a quote without leading anyone astray.
I post this topic hoping to bring awareness to those of you who are still relatively new to YHWH's Path and learning to live according to His Instructions (aka Torah). You will more than likely hear of these popular teachers in the Hebrew Roots learning curve and watch the videos. I will simply say avoid them and continue reading Scriptures for yourself. These teachers have come to represent, in my view, bait dangling on a hook: it looks good and we're hungry for His Word, but once they get you hooked they will take you to the wide gate along the broad way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (Matthew 7:14) There is almost no avoiding these 'teachers' when one awakens after hearing and recognizing the Good Shepherd's voice. We are called to come out of Babylon, that pagan religious mindset, which means leaving all religions behind and returning to the Faith once delivered.
One more mark against good men teaching traditions: They should not be advertising their 'studies' for sale, or providing shofars, tzitzits, shabbat candles or prayer shawls for sale, nor asking for donations, as this is not what was taught by Y'shua. This behavior reminds me of the flea market and money exchange that was set up in God's House in Jerusalem. On one particular Sabbath day Y'shua entered and tossed them all out.
