Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

The stone the builders rejected.

Whilst Yahshua was teaching in the temple, the chief priests and elders came to him questioning him, and as part of His answer, He related the parable of a landowner who rented out his vineyard to vine-growers, to them. Proceeding with the parable He told them that at harvest time the land owner sent his slaves to receive his produce, but the vine-growers took his slaves, beat the one, killed a second and stoned the third. After sending a second group of slaves the vine-growers did the same to them, at which time the owner decided to send his son to collect the produce. But the vine-growers took the son and threw him out of the vine-yard and killed him. So Yahshua asked these religious leaders what they think the owner will do to these vine-growers when he comes to collect his produce. They responded in Matthew 21: 41, saying: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper season.” We read part of Yahshua’s answer to them in verse 42, saying: “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM YHVH, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES?’ We know that this was a rhetorical question, since these Temple authorities had read this scripture many times before, but also sung it in the Temple whilst slaughtering their Passover lambs every year. In addition they sung it as part of the Passover Seder, annually. This was Psalm 118: 22 & 23 which is part of the festival liturgy called Hallel, meaning praise. The Festival Hallel includes Psalms 113 – 118 and beginning and ending with the word Halleluyah, meaning ‘Praise YHVH.’

Most of us know that Psalm 118 is a Messianic acclamation and was most probably used in first temple Judaism to celebrate a king’s triumphant return from battle. But, Psalm 118 is also according to Jewish tradition a psalm heralding the Messianic redemption. According to this tradition, the phrase ‘shall not die, but live’ in Psalm 118: 17, refers to the resurrection of the dead. The statement in verse 23, i.e. ‘This is (YHVH)’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes’, refers to the amazement of the nations when the commonwealth of Israel will one day be propelled to greatness during Messiah’s millennial rule. Verse 24 refers to the day upon which YHVH will sent Messiah and verse 25 is a plea ‘O YHVH, do save, we beseech Thee; O YHVH, we beseech Thee, do send prosperity!’ to send Messiah immediately. When Yahshua entered Jerusalem for His final Passover, the people met Him with shouts of acclaim directly from Psalm 118: 26, saying: ‘Hosanna! Save us now! Blessed is He who comes in the name of YHVH!’ According to this account discussed in Matthew 21, this welcoming of Yahshua into Jerusalem with acclamations from Psalm 118, happened just prior to Messiah making the statement about the stone of stumbling in Mark 12: 10 & 11. To understand the meaning of the metaphors or descriptions used in Psalm 118 and the reason it was important to Yahshua, it is important to know something about the ancient crafts of stonecutting and masonry. Buildings in ancient Israel were primarily constructed of stone. Yahshua’s stepfather Joseph was probably a stonemason and Yahshua and His brothers must have been his apprentices learning this trade from him. But we see in the imagery used to describe Messiah in Matthew 13: 53 – 55 where those whom He taught in the synagogue were amazed at His wisdom in the last part of verse 54 & 55, saying: “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? (55) Is not this the carpenter’s (or builders’) son (transliterated in Hebrew as Ben Banah which could also mean son of understanding.)? Is not His mother called Miriam, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” Rav Shaul also described Yahshua in the same way in Hebrews 3: 1 – 4, saying: “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Yahshua, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. (2) He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. (3) For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. (4) For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is Elohim.” This obviously refers to Messiah as the one through whom YHVH created the universes.

In Messiah’s day, stones for building homes and other buildings were cut to exact specification and carefully fitted together, so that no mortar was required. Special care would have been required when building an arch, since an arch was a load-bearing support that carried much of the weight of the structure above it. The fact that no mortar was used at that time required that the arch be fitted exactly to form the correct angle and exert consistent pressure on the adjacent stones. Psalm 118 therefore refers to this careful stonecutting imagery. When a stone is shaped incorrectly as part of an arch, it is thrown away with all the cracked and misfit stones. The final piece of stone to be placed on an arch is the capstone, the stone on which all the other stones will press to support the structure. Searching for a suitable stone to form the final capstone, the masons in Psalm 118, discovered that a stone they previously rejected as useless, happened to be the perfect capstone. Yes, the stone the builders rejected became the capstone – the most important one of all.

Early Rabbis identified the stone that the builders rejected in Psalm 118 as King David. The Talmud holds that in a similar way that an odd-cut stone was initially rejected by the builders, so too David’s father and brothers did not consider him to be a suitable candidate for anointing as King over Israel. They did not even think of presenting him before the prophet Samuel, since they did not consider him to be ‘king-material’ at all. Therefore, according to the rabbinic interpretation of Psalm 118, the stone the builders rejected refers to David and his ascent to the capstone or throne of Israel. It is possible that Yahshua intended to invoke the early rejection of David when he admonished the Temple authorities and spoke about the stone that was rejected and understood to be David and it was as if He told them, ‘just as David was rejected at first, but later recognized as Elohim’s choice to be the anointed King, so too you are rejecting Me, at this time.’ The use of Psalm 118 becomes more meaningful when we understand that the term ‘builders’, as used by the sages applied to themselves as the builders of Israel. Yahshua was here referring to Himself as the stone the builders, meaning the scribes and Priests or more specifically Judah, rejected at that time – since He only came to bring a remnant of the lost ten tribes of Israel back, during His first advent whilst Judah is blinded to His identity, even at this time. This analogy provided the early Nazarene Apostolic community with a way to explain the rejection of Messiah, knowing that at His return, He will be accepted as witnessed in Zechariah 12: 10, in this way: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.”

Rav Kepha was confident about the identity of the stone rejected by the builders, when Yahshua spoke to him and the other disciples in Matthew 16: 15 – 19, saying: “But who do you say that I am?” (16) And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim.” (17) And Yahshua answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (18) And I also say to you that you are Peter (Greek Petros meaning a stone), and upon this rock (Greek Petra meaning Himself) I will build My congregation; and the gates of Hades (meaning the grave) shall not overpower it (before His return to earth one day.) (19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven1; and whatever you shall bind on earth (those you immerse on earth) shall be bound in heaven (recorded in heaven), and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Rav Kepha understood that Yahshua was the foundation stone upon which the congregation of YHVH is built, and that he (Kepha) like all Messiah’s disciples (including us His modern day disciples) are simply stones used in building up the Temple of Elohim, as we see from His explanations in Acts 4: 10 – 12 and 1 Peter 2: 1 -10 respectively below:

• Acts 4: 10 – 12: ‘Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Yahshua Messiah the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom Elohim raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.’ (11) “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone. (12) And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

• 1 Peter 2: 1 – 10: ‘Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, (2) like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, (3) if you have tasted the kindness of Adonai. (4) And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of Elohim, (5) you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Elohim through Yahshua Messiah. (6) For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD I LAY IN ZION (meaning Judah) A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (7) This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” (8) and “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.” (We know from Scriptures that this is not the only day of salvation and YHVH did not call those other than the Jews, who reject Yahshua as being the foundation stone at this time, yet2.) (9) But you are a CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ELOHIM’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (10) for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF ELOHIM; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

Most former Catholics are aware that the Catholic Church interpreted Matthew 16: 18, as if Yahshua told His disciple Peter that the ‘Church’ will be built of him (meaning Peter) and his followers, and that the Pope or Padre (father in Italian) will be the head of the church, and therefore have the authority to decide the timing of holy days and doctrines of the church, which is then bound in heaven. However, the Catholic Pope as well as those Assemblies of YHVH and other like-minded believers who usurp the authority of the Levites among the Jews, to determine the timing of the Feast Days they keep to YHVH as specified in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16, are also misinterpreting Messiah’s words to Rav Kepha in Matthew 16, in a similar way. What is noteworthy about those who misinterpret Matthew 16: 18, believing that Rav Kepha and the other disciples are the foundation stone on which the congregation is built, is that such groups believe in either a Trinity or two (YHVH)’s. The fact that those of us who like Rav Kepha understand that we are merely building blocks or stones, being built on the foundation stone, or Rock of our salvation, Yahshua, are already a chosen race and royal priesthood, and it is for this reason that we (men and ladies) like the Levitical priests in ancient Israel wear head coverings during prayer and worship services. Rav Shaul confirmed Messiah being the foundation stone of the congregation of Elohim in 1 Corinthians 3: 11, saying: ‘For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Yahshua Messiah.’ That is why he also wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2: 11 – 14, saying: ‘And for this reason Elohim will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, (12) in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (13) But we should always give thanks to Elohim for you, brethren beloved by the Master, because Elohim has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. (14) And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Master Yahshua Messiah.’

At this time YHVH has blinded the minds of both houses of Israel. He has partially hardened the minds of Judah, until the fullness of the ‘Gentiles’ has come in, then all Israel will be saved, as witnessed in Romans 11; 25 – 27, in this way: ‘For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to (Jewish) Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles (those Israelites from the lost ten tribes of Israel, who came to believe that they are nothing but Gentiles, plus a number of real Gentiles) have come in; (26) and thus (only) all Israel will be saved (to be kings and priests at this time); just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER (Yahshua) WILL COME FROM ZION (meaning He was a Jew), HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB (all twelve tribes). (27) AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” Our Father has a plan for all Israel and ultimately, after the second resurrection for all mankind, but at this moment in time, according to Romans 11: 32, ‘(For) Elohim has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.’ Those of us who know that Yahshua is the Messiah and believe and do what He taught and did whilst He was on earth, are already the Israel of Elohim, and heirs of Abraham through our faith in Yahshua, as per Galatians 3: 26 - 29 and Galatians 6: 16, respectively, as follows:

• Galatians 3: 26 – 29: ‘For you are all sons of Elohim through faith in Messiah Yahshua. (27) For all of you who were immersed into Messiah have clothed yourselves with Messiah. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek (meaning Gentile), there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Messiah Yahshua. (29) And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.’ As heirs of Abraham we will inherit the Promised Land eternally – meaning we will live eternally as spiritual children of Elohim in the kingdom of Elohim.

• Galatians 6: 16, ‘And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of Elohim.’

But, let’s consider the rule spoken of in Galatians 6: 16. We find the explanation to this rule in Romans 9: 6 –7, as follows: “But it is not as though the word of Elohim has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; (17) neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” We continue with this same subject in Galatians 4: 22 – 28, in this way: “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. (23) But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. (24) This is allegorically speaking: for these women are two covenants, one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. (26) But the Jerusalem above is free: she is our mother. (27) For it is written, “REJOICE BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR MORE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.” (28) And you brethren, like Isaac are children of promise.”

In 1 Peter 2: 10 (quoted before) Rav Kepha actually reversed the curses YHVH pronounced on the house of Israel through Hosea in Hosea 1: 1 – 9, as Rav Shaul also wrote In Romans 9: 25 – 27, saying: ‘As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’” (26) “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING ELOHIM.” (27) And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED (at this time).’ Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 8: 14 that both houses will stumble over the stumbling stone, saying: “Then HE (YHVH) shall become a sanctuary; but to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” In his explanation about Yahshua being the Rock or foundation stone upon which the congregation of Elohim will be built, Rav Kepha used typical rabbinical methodologies to link together three normally unrelated passages. He combines the three passages in 1 Peter 2: 1 – 19 where he cited Isaiah 28: 163, Psalm 118: 22 – 23 and Isaiah 8: 14. He combines the passages on the basis of certain key words common in all three. The rabbis often employed this method of Scriptural cross-referencing where a scripture is used to define another scripture to further search out a passage. Each of the passages quoted by Rav Kepha contains the key word, transliterated in Hebrew as ‘even’ meaning stone. Psalm 118 and Isaiah 28: 16 both refer to the ‘even’ as a capstone. In rabbinic logic, the two messages may therefore be used together to uncover further meaning. This type of religious engineering is referred to as ‘midrash’ meaning searched out. By combining Psalm 118, Isaiah 8: 14 and 28: 16 on the basis of their common keywords, Rav Kepha has searched out a messianic meaning to explain Yahshua’s words to him in Matthew 16: 18. The common words stone transliterated as ‘even’ in Hebrew and capstone transliterated as ‘pinah’ in Hebrew and the proactive placement of the stone by Elohim links the three passages. The meaning that Rav Kepha has searched out is that the capstone will also be a stone of stumbling to some. That is to say that Yahshua will not be received or believed in by everyone. Jews are blinded to Him by YHVH at this time to allow us from the lost ten tribes whom YHVH is busy calling out of the churches of the world, to return to the covenant relationship with Him, that we made with the house of Judah at Mount Sinai and again at Horeb, at which time He will save a remnant of both the house of Judah and the house of Israel to establish the Kingdom of Elohim, at Messiah’s return.

But similar to what Judah is blinded to the identity of Yahshua, is Churchianity blinded to the true Messiah who came to bring the lost sheep of the house of Israel back to Torah observance, by redeeming the property we lost in the Promised Land due to idolatry and by paying the punishment due to us for breaking Elohim’s commandments. In addition Satan and his agents are very active to ensure that most people remain deceived, if not blinded to the real Yahshua, to believe that they now have the Oracles of Elohim, and were given the right to decide for themselves, when and how to serve YHVH, without getting information such as the timing of the Feast Days of Elohim and the koshering of food from Levi, who is presently with Judah, as YHVH warned through Malachi in Malachi 2: 1 – 8. We know that according to Deuteronomy 32: 4 & 15 that YHVH is THE ROCK! His work is perfect and that Jeshurun (a pet name for Israel) has scorned the Rock of his salvation. In Psalm 118: 21 & 22 we read: “I shall give thanks to Thee, for Thou hast answered me; And Thou hast become my salvation (Yeshua). (22) The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” This is a reference to Yahshua the salvation of Yah, which we read about in Acts 4: 11 & 12, but it is also saying that YHVH is our salvation or savior. This is in agreement with Isaiah 63: 8 where we read: ‘For He said, “Surely, they are My People, sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior.’ The fact that YHVH has become our Salvation is revealed to us by Yahshua and cannot be seen otherwise - as we read from verses 21 - 24 of Luke 10, as follows: ‘At that very time He (Yahshua) rejoiced greatly in the Set-apart Spirit, and said, “I praise Thee, O Father, Adonai of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. (22) All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (23) And turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, (24) for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.” The Rock that we read about in Deuteronomy 32 is YHVH/Yahshua and this is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 10: 4 as follows: ‘and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them: and the rock was Messiah.’

Let’s for a moment reflect on the word stone (אבן), transliterated as ‘even’ in Hebrew. The two words Father or ‘Avinu’ (אב) and Son or ‘Ben’ (בן) overlap in the word stone. We can literally say that the Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son as is confirmed by Yahshua in John 10: 37 – 38, saying: “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; (38) but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father” We are further reminded of Yahshua’s words in John 14: 6 – 9, as follows: ‘Yahshua said to him (Thomas), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. (7) If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” (8) ‘Philip said to Him, “Master, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” (9) ‘Yahshua said to Him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father?”’ We who believe in the Oneness of Elohim believe that Yahshua is YHVH in the flesh as is also confirmed in John 1: 1 – 3 and 14, in this way: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. (2) He was in the beginning with Elohim. (3) All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (14) And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ Since we do not stumble over Yahshua the corner stone of the congregation of Elohim and YHVH in the flesh, we are already a royal priesthood as confirmed in 1 Peter 2: 8 & 9. As witnessed in the Scriptures both kings and priests wear head coverings - either crowns or caps (turbans) and this conforms to the rulings made in 1 Corinthians 11: 4 translated from the Greek, which reads as follows: “Every man who has something (Strong’s 2619 Katakolupto in Greek) hanging down on his head (like the veils that our ladies wear), whilst praying or prophesying, disgraces his head.” We wear head coverings like the one king David wore in 2 Samuel 15: 30 & 31, as follows: ‘And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and his head was covered and he walked barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. (31) Now someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said: “O YHVH, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.” King David went up to the summit where YHVH was worshipped and covered His head and so did the people with him. He was praying to YHVH about his son Absalom who planned to take over his father’s throne, wearing a head covering.

There are those in our Messianic/Nazarene Israelite community, who insists, that the custom of wearing a cap/turban, comes from Babylon. In the paragraph above we saw that King David wore a head covering whilst praying, and we know for a fact that he was never in captivity in Babylon. So are these people correct in their assumption? I don’t think so. In addition, we know that Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were some of the Jewish people who were definitely in captivity in Babylon. Did they perhaps get the custom of wearing head coverings form Babylon? Again I do not think so. In fact Daniel’s three friends were thrown into a furnace of fire, because they were defying king Nebuchadnezzar, by not worshipping the golden image that he set up – See Daniel 3: 21. They were thrown into the fire with all their customary clothing on, which included their caps. So do not tell me that these Jews who were in defiance of king Nebuchadnezzar learnt to wear head coverings in Babylon. The wearing of caps came from Israel, before these men were taken to Babylon. In fact we see that Yahshua joined the three men in the fire because in verse 25 the high official answered the king, saying that he saw four men walking about in the midst of the fire without harm and the appearance of the fourth man was like a son of the gods. Even though it does not say so in Daniel, I believe that Yahshua also had some sort of head covering on in the fire, similar to the ones worn by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Ridiculous you say? I do not think so. In Zechariah 3 the prophet see a vision of Joshua the high priest. In verse 3 he sees that Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the Angel. This is a reference to Yahshua, who according to Galatians 3: 13 redeemed us from the curse of the law: having become a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Yahshua became dirty with our sin and was cursed on our behalf. We see from verse 5 of Zechariah 3, that a clean turban is put on His head. In verse 8 we read a reference about ‘the Branch’ who we know refers to Yahshua. In Zechariah 6: 11 we see it again talks about Joshua and in verses 12 – 13 we read about the Branch who will build the Temple of YHVH and who will have two offices, namely, that of both King and Priest. We know that kings wear crowns and according to Exodus 29: 9 a High Priest wear a cap. So yes our KING and High Priest Yahshua will certainly wear some sort of a head covering in the millennium kingdom. Yahshua has qualified to be our High Priest as may be read about in Hebrews 7: 24 –28 (not quoted here). We also see from Revelation 19: 12 that Yahshua as the King of kings and Master of masters will have many diadems or crowns on His head.

Ezekiel 44 talks about the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east and was shut. Ezekiel 40 – 48 is a prophecy about the millennial rule of Messiah. In verse 3 of Ezekiel 44 it mentions the prince Yahshua who shall enter by way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the same way. This is a scene of the future when Yahshua will have returned already. In verses 7 and 9 we read that only those who are among the sons of Israel, who are circumcised in the heart and in the flesh, will enter YHVH’s sanctuary. The priests entering the sanctuary will also, like in the days of Aaron wear linen turbans on their heads – as may be seen from Ezekiel 44: 18. Those who insists that the kippah or head covering that our Jewish brothers wear come from the Catholic Church, need to know that priests were commanded to wear caps in Exodus 28 and 29 and will also be wearing head coverings during the millennium as seen in Ezekiel 44. The pope and priests in the Catholic Church wear a type of kippah like the Jews, because they maintain that they are in the Aaronic priesthood, but members of the Catholic Church are forbidden to wear head coverings like their priests. We are not part of the Christian Church and do not come under the authority of the Catholic Church or the pope. The Catholic Church is like Satan the great deceiver, a very good counterfeiter. They know that priests are supposed to wear head coverings; however, you will notice that they wear scarlet kippahs – the color of the attire worn by the whore, discussed in Revelation 17. It is a known fact that scarlet or red is commonly associated with woman of ill repute. We as Israelites do therefore not wear scarlet caps; our head coverings (for men) should be the color associated with royalty, i.e. blue.

The question raised at the beginning of this paper still needs answering. Do we still stumble over the stone, which the builders rejected? We know that YHVH has become our Salvation, Yahshua and believe that He is the foundation and capstone of the congregation of Elohim. Since we are already a chosen race and royal priesthood through our belief in Messiah, we should already wear our priestly headgear, and our men should also be circumcised if we are going to serve in (YHVH)’s sanctuary during Yahshua’s millennium rule from Jerusalem. We also need to start acting like kings and priests in the way we live and repent and return to the way of Elohim and obey His Torah teachings fully. Think carefully about it!

1 The Keys to the Kingdom are, firstly immersion into the saving name of Yahshua the Messiah and the gift of the Set-apart Spirit given at the laying on of the hands of a preaching elder as shown in Acts 2: 38 and Acts 8: 12 – 17, but also secondly and more importantly what Rav Shaul taught in Romans 8: 11,saying: ‘But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yahshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Messiah Yahshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.’

2 In Mark 4: 11 & 12 and Matt 13:11, 12 & 19 we see that YHVH is not calling everybody during this age. There will be two harvest periods - like in Israel today. First the first fruits during the First Resurrection and then the rest during the Second Resurrection. In James 1: 18, you will see that those of us called now are going to be the first fruits, who will, if we make it, become kings and priests ruling under Messiah during the millennium and beyond (as per Revelation 5:10). We who are called during this age are being judged at this time. Most of those who are resurrected during the second resurrection never really had a chance and will be given a chance to repent. The people who died without the knowledge that we have today, never had a chance - remember, there is no such thing as a second chance. But if you never heard the name of Yahshua in your life time, or never heard about (YHVH)’s plan of Salvation, how can you be considered to have had your chance?

3 Isaiah 28: 16, ‘Therefore thus says YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”’