More than Ten

"The Ten" comprise an all purpose set of instructions and are part of the entire book of rules, laws, instructions and teachings given to us by our Creator, and which we are reminded of by His Son. YHWH's Instructions are called The Law by Christians. You know, those same Laws they were taught were nailed to the cross. What The Law is, in reality, is our Creator's original set of Instructions that go along with His creation and were never done away with.

Here is what is commonly called the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:

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.

Remember the sabbath day and keep it set apart. Six days you shall do all your work but the seventh day is a sabbath of Mine. You, your family, your hired hands or your work animals or the stranger who is visiting your town shall do no work. I made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them in six days and on the seventh I rested, therefore I blessed the sabbath day and set it apart.

Honor your mother and father that you may long endure in the Promised Land that I am giving you. You shall not murder, or commit adultery or steal or bare false witness against one another. You shall not covet your neighbor's house or wife or anything that belongs to him.

Deuteronomy 6:24 ~ We are to observe all the laws, to revere YHWH our Elohim, for our lasting good and for our Survival, as is now the case. It will be therefore to our merit before YHWH our Elohim to observe faithfully this Whole Instruction (found in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) as He has commanded us.

Deuteronomy 4:35 reveals that YHWH has clearly demonstrated that He alone is El and there is none beside Him - He is Elohim in heaven above and on earth below - there is no other. Observe His laws and commandments that it may go well with you and your children. (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.)

Leviticus 26:1 ~ You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am YHWH your Elohim. (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.)

Exodus 23:24 ~ You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

Exodus 23:12 ~ For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and your servants may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident. (Remember the sabbath day and keep it set apart. Six days you shall do all your work but the seventh day is a sabbath of Mine. You, your family, your hired hands or your work animals or the stranger who is visiting your town shall do no work. I made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them in six days and on the seventh I rested, therefore I blessed the sabbath day and set it apart.)

Deuteronomy 5:16 ~ Honor your father and your mother, as YHWH has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that He is giving you. (Honor your mother and father that you may long endure in the Promised Land that I am giving you.)

These 'ten' instructions apply to all people who choose YHWH as their Elohim: The Hebrews that make up the House of Israel and the mixed multitude that left Egypt with them, and these same Instructions carry through into our lives. When our Creator says 'forever' He means forever. 

There are other instructions that apply to the priesthood and their temple duties in addition to the Ten; there are additional instructions if one is to make a vow or how to handle ritual purity. The same goes for specific instructions in regards to donations to the temple; what is to be done during the Sabbatical year; food regulations; when, where and how Yah's Set Apart times are to be observed; responsibilities of each community; how idolatry is dealt with; war regulations, social instructions as well as family responsibilities. There are additional laws that deal with those involved with the justice system; owning servants and rules governing torts. Taking this into consideration you can understand that the Ten envelope all of us, but depending on our station in life, others may or may not apply.  Most of us keep about 200 of His 'Laws' just by living morally upright lives.

There are clear instructions about dealing with idolatry and related practices; prohibitions that resulted from specific events; blasphemy; more specifics about Temple rules, priests and sacrifices; dietary laws; instructions that pertain to Nazarites. There are instructions for agriculture, making loans and maintaining fair business practices.

Our Creator gave us His Owner's Manual, Torah which means Instructions, for our lasting good and for our survival, as is now the case. It will be to our merit to observe faithfully this Whole Instruction (found in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) as He has commanded us. His way has always been the perfect governing system for our health and well being, and never about religions which divide us. 

False Teachers Once True

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. 

That Beastly Mark

There is a lot of guesswork in regards to what the 'mark of the beast' will be, but Scriptures tell us exactly what will happen to those who accept this mark:

Revelation 13:13 (The end times False Prophet has been bringing about great signs, even to make it appear that fire comes down from heaven) - And he seduced them that dwell on the earth to erect an image to the beast who had the wound from a sword and recovered from it. And it was given to him to put life into the image of the beast and to cause that all who would not worship the image of the beast should be slain; and to (instruct that) all people should receive a mark on their right hands or upon their foreheads so that no one might be able to buy or to sell, except those who had the mark of the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: let him that has intelligence compute the number of the beast of prey for it is the number of a man and its number is six hundred and sixty and six.

Revelation 14:9 ~ And another, a third Messenger (angel) followed the other two, saying with a loud voice: If any man will worship the beast of prey and its image and will receive its mark upon his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of Elohim which is poured undiluted into the cup of his indignation, and will be tormented with fire and sulfur before the Set Apart Messengers and before the throne. The smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever and there is no rest, by day or by night for those that worship the beast of prey and its image.

Revelation 15:1 ~ I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful: Seven Messengers having seven plagues, the last in order, because with them the wrath of Elohim is completed. I saw as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire and they who had been innocent over the beast of prey and over its image and over the number of its name were standing on the sea of glass. They had the harps of Elohim and sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb*.

Revelation 16:1 ~ I heard a voice which said to the seven Messengers: Go forth and pour those seven cups of the wrath of Elohim upon the earth; (this caused) a malignant and painful sore upon those who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped its image.

Revelaton 19:20 ~ The beast was captured along with the False Prophet who did those amazing things before him, whereby he seduced those who had received the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image. They were both cast alive into the lake of fire which burns with sulfur. The rest were slain by the sword of him that sat on the horse (at the return of Messiah), by that sword which issues from his mouth and all the fowls were satiated with their flesh.

Revelation 20:4 (It is the beginning of Y'shua kingdom on earth; Satan is bound and cast into the abyss for a thousand years) I saw thrones and persons sat on them and judgment was given to them and to the souls that were beheaded for the testimony of Y'shua and for the Word of Elohim, and these are they who had not worshipped the beast of prey nor its image neither had they received the mark upon their forehead or on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Y'shua the Anointed One those thousand years.

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After reading what happens to those who receive the mark, for whatever reason or whatever the mark will be, why o' why would we choose to accept it? How can anyone justify being marked knowing that decision condemns us to the second resurrection**?  As far as we can tell by Scriptures, anyone who decides to receive the mark of the name of the beast or the number will not be gathered with Messiah at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. These folks will remain with the others who refused to repent and continue to blame God for their problems.

Preparing for the days ahead is not a bad thing to do. Storing emergency supplies is not a bad thing to do. Stocking your pantry with water, assorted canned goods, rice and beans is not a bad thing. Moving out of big cities is a good thing to consider.  Remember, Noah was the first prepper whilst stocking the ark. He had enough supplies to last at least a year. Joseph was a prepper, stashing extra grains for the hard times coming their way, which would last seven years. Both these men knew what was coming and prepared to endure. They knew because Yah told them and by faith they did what needed to be done. The same goes for us now. We read and study Scriptures, the Word of Yahweh Elohim Almighty, and know what is to happen, so we should prepare for it, now. By faith we prepare and rely on our Creator to see us through. 

For us, the event that triggers the final 3-1/2 years is when the world leader steps up and claims to be 'god'.  This is when those living in 'Judea' are told to head for the hills and don't look back.  So it would be best to be prepared before then. Yes, we are still a ways from that timeline but it gets closer every day. If we have enough set aside and stand strong in our faith, we will get by. Start downsizing now so its not that big of a challenge when time runs out and chaos is king. Be prepared and knowledgeable now so as not to think it's going to be alright if you stand in line in order to be marked.

Y'shua tells us it will be like the days of Noah, preceding his return. Folks back then were living life as usual, eating, drinking, getting married, raising families, and ignoring the reason Noah and his family were preparing as they obeyed the instructions given by Elohim. The Nephilim walked the earth, too, back then and evil had permeated the earth. Those other folks kept on keepin' on right up until the Noah Family entered the ark. The others did not know until the flood hit and took them. It was too late to be saved, too late to enter the ark. This is why we are told the signs before the return of Messiah, so we will prepare before it's too late to be saved from the coming flood of Wrath from Elohim, which is contained in the final 7 Bowls of Plagues.

*They sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are your deeds, Master YHWH Elohim Almighty, just and true are Your ways, O King of the worlds. Who will not fear You, O Master YHWH, and glorify Your Name? Because You only are Set Apart and just; because all nations will come and worship before You, since your righteousness has been revealed.

**Y'shua is the judge of the living and the dead.... the first resurrection is of those who choose the Blessing: Set Apart believers from the beginning of time who have died and are seen rising by other believers still alive when that time comes. This is the gathering of Yah's people after the 7th shofar is sounded. This is the 'living' time line we want to be part of, as this is eternal life. The second resurrection, the Curse, is after the thousand years come to an end, and is known as the second death. 

Revelation 20:5 ~ This is the first resurrection. Blessed and Set Apart is he that has part in this first resurrection; over them the second death has no dominion, but they will be and are priests of Elohim and of his Mashiyach and they will reign with him the thousand years. 20:14 ~ And death and the grave were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, namely, this lake of fire. And if any one was not found enrolled in the book of life, he was cast into this lake of fire.

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Behemoth and Leviathan to the end times beasts

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Using Tradition as an Excuse

A man once said: 
" I want to remind folks that Y'shua kept man made traditions. "

He used Luke 4:16-17 as proof — "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written....."

This man concluded: "Reading the Torah on the Sabbath is a man made tradition and here we find that not only did Y'shua keep this man made tradition but it was his custom to do so."

Well, as you probably figured out, this didn't set right with me. From my understanding of that verse Y'shua was not keeping a tradition. It was very normal for him to be in an assembly on each 7th Day, which ever town he was in at the time. In Luke we read that Y'shua was in Nazareth, his home town, and it was the Sabbath day. When he stood up, he was handed the scroll of Isaiah. When he 'stood up' means he had been sitting which means he had not been standing previously and reading from Torah scrolls. After Y'shua was handed the scroll he looked for the part he wanted to read to the assembly. Today we know he read from Isaiah 60, a prophecy concerning the Son of YHWH. 

Y'shua made it clear that he came to do the will of the Father and I really don't think there were any traditions handed down by Him. YHWH did give us His original set of rules, laws, regulations and teachings that are for our health and well being - these are not traditions. Anything that man adds, says or does outside Yah's clearly stated Instructions become traditions if people continue to do them time after time, year after year. These are practices that man thought made the Creator's instructions even better. By this type of behavior man places himself above YHWH and this is not a good thing.

Some folks believe Y'shua was teaching from the weekly Torah portion format and the section he was reading was from the Haftarah. It is true that Jewish rabbis had adopted the Haftarah readings as part of Torah teachings, but, again I point out Y'shua read the prophecy about himself being fulfilled that day from the scroll of Isaiah. There's no mention of Y'shua reading from any other scrolls.  Folks 'assume' he was.

I am inspired to take a closer look at what is written in Luke beginning with 4:15:

And he would teach in their assemblies and would be praised by every man. And he came to Nasrath where he had been raised and entered into the assembly as he was accustomed on the day of the Shabbat and stood up to read (from) the scroll of the prophet Isaiah which was given to him. Y'shua opened the scroll and found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of Master YHWH is upon me.... He has anointed me to declare hope to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted and to preach release to the captives and give sight to the blind; to free those who are oppressed by the power of forgiveness; and to preach the acceptable year of YHWH". Verse 20 - And he rolled up the scroll and gave it to the minister and sat down. 

Y'shua told them the Scripture he just read and they just heard was fulfilled that day. He has the Spirit of YHWH and is the Mashiyach - the Anointed One.  He was not teaching a Torah portion. This is the Son of YHWH letting folks know who he is and backing it up with Scriptures! Folks became angry with him to the point they were ready to toss him off a cliff. Does this sound like he was making them happy by following their 'tradition'?  I don't think so.

Quote from Chabad: The custom to complete the weekly public reading of the Torah every year finds its root in Babylon of the Talmudic Era. The Torah was then divided into fifty-four sections to allow for the completion of a yearly cycle with the reading of one Parshah per week. (end quote) 

Now that describes a man-made tradition! I really don't think Y'shua would adopt the practices that came from the Babylonian Talmud which are traditions passed down from the elders to the Pharisees whom Y'shua often called hypocrites. He would not enter a synagogue to join with the Pharisees and their method of teaching, but to teach the difference between their way and Yah's way.

Many think that there is nothing wrong with keeping traditions. The point these folks try to make is if tradition does not break commandments then it is just fine and dandy as long as we don't call them commandments, yet, at the same time, they know it was the traditions of the Pharisees that got them into trouble but think it was because they made their traditions into 'commandments'. This kind of self justification makes my head spin!

Again, we need to take another look into Scriptures for some clarity. It does not appear that the Pharisees made their traditions into commandments, although, they did value their own opinions and commentaries, just as many 'religious leaders' do in this day and age. And they did mix these ideas in with Torah, which is why they loved their Oral Torah. This is how the Mishnah, Talmud and Kabbalah came into existence. In Scriptures Y'shua calls them 'traditions' many times. An example of mixing imagination with Yah's Instructions is Nadab and Abihu, priests who did not follow the Instructions of YHWH exactly, but added their own touch and offered it as if it would be accepted. Things didn't go so well for them after that. Why is it so difficult for folks to simply obey the Instructions given us by our Creator without thinking we can do as we please which only pleases ourselves?  You know, after YHWH finished creation He said it was 'good' but Satan told Eve it could be better. Look where that got us.

Back in the time of Moses there were no 'synagogues'. Yah's people gathered at the Tent of Meeting and there certainly wasn't a 'haftarah' portion back then as the prophets were still a future time. The priests followed the pattern given by Yahweh through Moses, not some tradition they learned in Egypt. There were no 'chapters and verse' back then, either. However, His Instructions do say to be in His Word, reading and teaching them to our children Every Day: reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up, and to write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates to the end that you and your children may endure in the promised land (Deuteronomy 11:18). The command to read Torah during Sukkot is to be done every 7th year when everyone attends Sukkot (not just the males during the other years). It is an extra observance in keeping Sukkot each seventh year, not a separate command. 

Concluding that Y'shua was teaching per the Torah portion format makes no sense and is not backed up in Scriptures.  Besides that, Y'shua is the Word made Flesh, so he would be naturally teaching 'Torah' with clarity and authority by his behavior, by his very being, and not reading from scrolls as if he were second hand news. 

Matthew 23 ~ Y'shua spoke with the crowds and his disciples, saying to them: The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Therefore everything that they say to you, you should keep and do (according to written Torah). But (don't do as they 'do') not according to their deeds (according to oral Torah), for they talk but do not do as they teach. They do all their deeds that they might be seen in public. They widen their Tefillin (leather box/straps) and lengthen the Tekhelet (the cord of blue attached to the fringes) of their robes. And they love the chief places at festivals and the best seats at the assembly. They love to be greeted in the streets and to be called Rabbi by men. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites! For they shut up the Kingdom of Heaven before the sons of men.

They honor YHWH with their words, in their form, but their hearts are far from him as they please themselves with their made-up traditions.

The established thoughts and behavior of the elders were handed down to the Pharisees which was the ground work for what became the religion we know of today as Judaism: a cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs and institutions (as are most religions). As we uncover the Hebrew origins of our faith we learn that there are traditions we should not add to our spiritual awakening thinking we are pleasing Elohim.

Mark 7:5 The scribes and the Pharisees ask Y'shua, "Why don't your disciples walk according to the traditions of the elders? His short answer is: "You hypocrites... You have left the Commandment of Elohim and have embraced the tradition of men. And you despise the Word of Elohim because of the tradition that you have handed down..."

Matthew 15:3 records the same... the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem ask Y'shua why his disciples transgress against the traditions of the elders. He asks them, "Why do you transgress the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions?"

Written Torah was pitted against the oral traditions of the Pharisees who were nullifying the Word of YHWH by their traditions and Y'shua would not instruct his followers to do likewise, let alone adopt those same traditions and teach them to others.

Some people just cannot accept YHWH at His word and simply obey His Instructions. For some reason they feel the need to dress 'em up, because that's what the Jews do and they are His chosen people, aren't they? And we Gentiles have been grafted in to the House of Israel, haven't we? When folks who are trying to be Torah Observant do Kiddush on Friday night and light the candles they are doing so because of tradition which has been 'handed down' and  'added' to the instructions of how to keep the seventh day set apart.  Folks use the excuse that it helps them to see that the Sabbath is special, holy, set apart instead of trusting and doing according to the Word of MarYah.

Definition of "tradition" from the 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

• an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior
• a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable
• the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction
• cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions
• characteristic manner, method, or style

Y'shua's focus is on the traditions handed down by the 'elders' which were practiced by the Pharisees. The Book of Mark Chapter 7 showcases one of the greatest discussions of 'oral versus written law' predating what would later be recorded in the Talmud some 200 years later. Matthew 15:3 also records that the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem ask Y'shua why his disciples transgress against the traditions of the elders. He asks them, "Why do you transgress the Commandments of Elohim because of your traditions?"

Y'shua is pointing out The Traditions of the Pharisees go against the Instructions of YHWH.  These traditions were woven into the religion of Judaism and are accepted by many Hebrew Roots groups today. Now, can you see what I am getting at? Traditions are not necessary or commanded by our Creator but are additional rituals invented by man, and taught to others who have been doing them for so many years they seem a natural part of YHWH's Instructions. This is the same process by which traditional holidays have taken over the world.

YHWH has told us to remember and observe His Set Apart times for us: 

Passover, which begins the days of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Feast of the Harvest/Weeks (aka: Shavuot/Pentecost), Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles (Leviticus 23). He gave us specific instructions to follow, so why add some man made tradition to His clearly stated how-to list? Nadab and Abihu were trained up in their priestly duties, instructions straight from YHWH, but what did they do? They took the fire pans with fire in them and laid incense on it and offered it up in a way that did not follow YHWH's instructions. They used the tools given them by YHWH to please themselves first and then go before Elohim.

Traditions have been 'added' to the clear instructions given by our Creator.  Are folks doing the traditional things because it makes them feel good? Are they impressing their friends and family? Assembly members? Do they think by doing more than He asks they will score more points with Him? The only thing this type of behavior does is represent 'disobedience' to our heavenly Father.

How Long?

In Numbers 14 Yah asks Moses a question that I see is still pertinent to this very day. In Verse 11 we read, “How long will this people despise Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

He refers to these people a few more times: 

Isaiah 43:8 ~ Bring out a people who have eyes but are blind, and who have ears but are deaf. Jeremiah 4:22 ~ "For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they do not know how to do good."

Here's an example of this type of behavior that Isaiah pointed out in his day being brought up again by Paul in Acts 28:25 after a day of teaching from Torah and the prophets to this group of people, who, after hearing all these words some refused to listen or try to understand. These people left arguing among themselves (just the same as folks in today's world). Paul says "Well did the Ruach haKodesh by the mouth of Isaiah the prophet speak concerning your fathers, saying... Hearing you will hear and will not understand, and you will see and will not comprehend."

We have read that the wheat and the tares grow together until the end, when the harvest of the earth begins. There is nothing new under the sun and we are experiencing the same sort of mindset in our day as in the days of Isaiah the prophet and the days of Paul the Apostle.  How many of us have gathered with 'like minded folks' only to leave the assembly in disagreement? How many times have I heard the excuse, 'we'll just have to agree to disagree'.  It is time to give up those convenient comfort zone excuses!

How can we have eyes and ears but not see or hear?  Our lack of understanding Scriptures is the meaning of the metaphor. We give it a light reading and it makes no sense. We'd rather close the book and go do something else than continue to study it out until it makes sense.  If we do not have a love for the truth we will fall short and be destroyed for lack of knowledge.

How do we continue to 'spurn' YHWH? Who of us are still celebrating various man-made holidays? How many of us celebrate His 'feast days' the way we think they should be celebrated, ignoring His clear Instructions? Maybe many have stopped partaking of holiday parties but still eat pork chops, crab and shrimp.  Others may have adopted His Menu but still think the 7th day rest is on a sat.day. The tangled web which has been woven over hundreds of years is a tough one to separate ourselves from but it can be done and should be done if we want to show our love for our Creator.

Our lives today have become much more complicated in comparison to that mixed multitude that spent 40 years in the wilderness - only two of the original group made it into the promised land.... what do we have to look forward to?

Lovers of Self

I've been talking with people who have had the feeling that we are sampling a small taste of what will be commonplace in the end times scenario, and I have to agree with them.  Some have experienced a spiritual separation from others due to our growing faith in YHWH Elohim; a separation from those people we love but they all continue, one way or another, in the pagan ways our Creator warned us about - many show no interest in coming out of those worldly ways. It appears that the time has come to shake the dust off our sandals and move on. The Seed Parable comes to mind.  We have tossed a lot of seed in their path and it is possible The Light will go on for them somewhere down the road, and I pray it does.

This coming out of Babylon seemed easy at first to my husband and I, and now we're getting a glimpse of what it means in totality. Leaving the big yearly holiday celebrations was easy once the truth of their origins were revealed to us. After that, giving up all man-made traditions made sense. Leaving our little Hebrew Roots group took a while but needed to be done. We had gotten the same feeling that church goers get when they realize they've been short-changed by false teachings: it's time to stop meeting with that congregation and come out of the Babylonian mindset. In doing so we begin to see Yahweh Elohim for who He is. The more in line we get with Him and His Instructions the more heartache we can see on the horizon because of the choices we must make.  It is sad and exciting to have His Truth revealed, a great test to reveal what is in our hearts, whether we really will obey Him. 

Then there are those who become 'lovers of themselves' who have egos built upon pride and arrogance. They place upon themselves a huge heapin' helping of self worth and claim it's 'live and let live' time.  Their excuses are 'that's not what it means to me' and 'God knows what's in my heart' and 'as long as I honor Him, its OK whatever I do, whenever I do it' (sounding quite a bit as if they follow the doctrine of Nicolaitans). That sure puts a heavy glaze over the truth of Scriptures and what our Creator expects from us.  But you know what? It is the Seed Parable once again.

The seed is the Word of Elohim

"The side of the road" are those people who hear the Word, but along comes the enemy and takes the Word from the heart so that they might not believe and gain life eternal. (Satan causes us to doubt the Word of Elohim which removes it from our heart)

"The stony ground" are those that heard it and received the Word with joy, but they have no root; rather for a while their faith is growing, yet in the time of difficulties and trying times they are offended and turn their backs on Elohim. (No root means no foundation in Scriptures, no place for faith to gain a foothold. Everything sounds good and seems right on the surface to these folks, but when bad things happen, they quickly blame God)

A "thorny place" are they who hear the Word but eventually, with the wealth and lusts of the world, are choked, and they do not produce fruit. (TV Evangelicals come to mind, ensnaring and choking off people everywhere and getting rich doing so.)

"Good ground" are they who, with an honest and good heart, hear the Word and retain it and bear fruit with patience.

We are to Love YHWH first and foremost and not put ourselves first and then work Him into our schedule as we see fit. 

Mark 12:29 - Y'shua said the 1st Commandment is 'Shema (hear and obey) O Israel! Master YHWH is one - Love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind and strength. The 2nd is like it - Love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18)

And while we're at it:

Romans 12:9 - Let not your love be full of deceit, but be haters of evil things and adhere to good things. Love one another, honor one another, be active and not slothful. Be fervent in spirit. Work for Y'shua. Be joyful in your hope in the Good News. Be patient under your afflictions and preserving in prayer. Be communicators to the wants of the Set Apart believers. Be kind to strangers. Bless your persecutors, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with them who rejoice and weep with them who weep. Do not indulge in arrogant thoughts, but unite yourselves with the humble minded. Be not wise in your own estimations. Repay no man evil for evil but let it be to your study to do good before all men.

In Revelation 2:6, and 2:15, it is stated that the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans is a thing to be hated. The Nicolaitans believed in the freedom of the flesh and taught that the deeds of the flesh had no effect upon the health of the soul and had no relation to salvation. They believed that faith alone, and not obedience to the Instructions of Elohim, was necessary for salvation. They could behave anyway they liked as long as they claimed to have 'faith in god'. This is a false teaching.  While Faith is the foundation for our salvation, it is by Faith we obey our Creator and have the testimony of His Son.

The Feast of Dedication = Another Tradition

This historical event has come to be known as Chanukkah and is not one of our Creator's set apart times so it is not necessary to partake of the modern day festivities associated with it.  Many see it today as the 'Jewish Christmas' because of the traditions added to it and it's proximity to Dec. 25th. The Feast of Dedication is only mentioned one time in Scriptures, noting the time of year and what was taking place while Y'shua was walking and teaching on the porch at the Temple in Jerusalem, as he was accustomed to do. Many like to say that Y'shua was celebrating this feast day but in one of my studies I have concluded this was not the case. (See link at the bottom of this page).

Quote from the Jewish Virtual Library:

A successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees. They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Selucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle.

Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that of Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot. Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of the Maccabees.

There are those who believe Chanukkah is important in another way. It has been proposed that Antiochus Epiphanes represents the people, you and me, and Judah Maccabee represents Y'shua.  Maybe someone came up with this connection and it seemed to fit their learning curve at the time, but really, take a closer look at Antiochus, who had a statue of Zeus and one of himself placed inside the Temple and commanded sacrifices be made to them. This is more inline with what will happen three and half years into the final seven years of life as we know it on this earth: Satan possesses the final world leader, enters the 'holy of holies' and declares himself 'god'.  The image of the beast is set up and all are commanded to worship it. This is part of what Y'shua tells us according to Daniel's prophecy about the 'abomination of desolation' that enters the set apart place. It is a warning for us to heed concerning the end times scenario. 

Judah Maccabee (the hammer) was behind the actions which purged the temple of Hellenistic cult paraphernalia including the statues of Zeus and Antiochus Ephiphanes; reconstructed the sanctuary according to Torah prescriptions and reconsecrated it to the worship of YHWH [Dec. 164 BC]. The festival of Channukah was later instituted to commemorate this triumph.

Someone is trying to make a good excuse for keeping the tradition of celebrating Chanukkah, ignoring the historical/prophetical events while at the same time thinking they are honoring YHWH. This idea comes from man's imagination and is not supported by Scriptures, which should always be the foundation in any research and study. Personally, I cannot see a connection between me and Antiochus Epiphanes nor would I desire to be grouped in with him. He was an abomination and I am not. I admit I once was a carnal Gentile before I came into covenant with YHWH Elohim, but now I am learning right from wrong as I abide by His Instructions. As for desecrating any temple and thinking I was a god-dess.... nope, not the case.  And I think it is a stretch comparing Judah the Hammer with Y'shua the Messiah who told his Apostles the temple they admired would be torn down and replaced spiritually. 

Many of us have gotten sidelined once or twice while in the study of Scriptures when we let our imaginations take the lead with those 'what if' scenarios, while searching for 'deeper meanings'.  

Click Here for my study on Tradition

Click Here for my study on Pagan Origins

then scroll down past 'Easter' for info about Chanukkah

Click Here for my study on Deeper Meanings