74 What did Messiah mean when He said

What did Messiah mean when He said: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life?’

Even though many Bible scholars can quote the words Yahshua used in John 14: 6, few who confess faith in Him realize what He meant by these words. Let’s start reading from verses 1 - 4 of John 14 to understand the context or reason for Him saying what He did in verse 6, as follows: “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in Elohim, believe also in Me. (2) In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (4) And you know the way where I am going.”

Many in Christianity immediately assume that Yahshua meant that He went to heaven to prepare a place for them there, and when He returns He will come back to collect them and take them to the rooms in His Father’s house in heaven to let them dwell there for all eternity. However, to understand what Yahshua meant by saying the words in verses 2 & 3 of John 14, we need to be familiar with ancient Hebrew wedding practices to understand that when we were immersed into Yahshua’s saving name, accepting Him as our personal Passover, we were betrothed to Him as our future Bridegroom. When we partake of the annual Passover in remembrance of His death we drink the cup which seals the marriage contract, which corresponds to the cup Yahshua shared with His disciples during His last Passover before His impalement, when He washed His disciples feet, thereby transferring His inheritance to them with the sandal covenant. The marriage contract included the gift or price the bridegroom is prepared to pay His future bride’s parents as an expression of his love for her and for bringing her up. Since it was customary for the prospective husband not to drink wine until he returns to fetch his bride one day, Yahshua also said in Luke 22: 17 – 18, “Take this and share it among yourselves; (18) for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of Elohim comes.” After the couple had the third cup of wine (at Passover), the prospective groom paid the price for his future bride, namely thirty pieces of silver, as specified in Leviticus 27: 4. The price that Yahshua paid for us was to pay our death penalty for disobedience to Torah. The free gift He gives us at immersion is when He redeems us and we are saved. At this point the groom and His father left for their home where the Son had the responsibility to prepare a place or position under the control of His Father, who was the only one who could judge when the groom’s preparation for His bride was completed and sufficient. After this the bride-to-be has to wait for the groom to return and collect her.

For those who believe that this means the bride will one day go to heaven, they need to understand that Yahshua’s Fathers house simply means the temple of Elohim, which will also one day in the future be built by the remnant of the lost ten tribes who qualify to be in Elohim’s Kingdom, as witnessed in Zechariah 6: 12, 13 & 15, in this way: ‘”Then say to him, ‘Thus says YHVH of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch (Nazarene) for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of YHVH. (13) Yes, it is He who will build the temple of YHVH, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices. (15) And those who are far off will come and build the temple of YHVH.” Then you will know that YHVH of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place, if you completely obey YHVH your Elohim.’ We who are called at this time will become a royal priesthood to rule under Yahshua during the millennium and beyond. As priests we will be allocated positions (dwellings) in the priestly offices attached to the Temple of Elohim if we qualify for those positions at Messiah’s return. So, from this explanation it is clear, that we are not going to heaven when Messiah returns, but if we qualify we will take up positions in the Father’s Temple as kings and priests ruling under Yahshua. This is also what the parable of the ten virgins portray. The Temple will be where the wedding Feast pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles will be held at Messiah’s return. This is when Messiah will enter into a new covenant with the commonwealth of Israel consisting of a remnant from both the house of Israel and the House of Judah as witnessed in Jeremiah 31: 31 – 33, as follows: “Behold, days are coming,” declares YHVH, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, (32) not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares YHVH. (33) But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares YHVH, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.” Yahshua was talking to people who understood Jewish customs and the Feast Days of Elohim because they never neglected to obey Elohim’s commandments.

Let’s now consider the rest of what Yahshua said in John 14 and continue in verse 5 – 7, in this way: ‘Thomas said to Him, “Master, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” (6) Yahshua said to him, “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.” To fully understand what Yahshua is telling us here, it is further important to understand that Yahshua was talking about the coming Kingdom of Elohim and those of us, who will if we qualify, inherit eternal life. In verse 6 quoted here Yahshua tells us that He is the way, meaning he came to show us how we will be resurrected or changed (as described in 1 Corinthians 15: 50 – 53) to inherit eternal life as Spiritual children of Elohim, similar to the way in which He became the Son of Elohim through the resurrection (as described in Romans 1: 1 – 4), because we obeyed Him and were immersed into His saving name to receive a pledge of our inheritance when YHVH gave us a portion of His Set-apart Spirit (which comes in Messiah’s name as he said in John 14: 26). Rav Shaul further tells us 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.’ Only YHVH our Elohim possesses immortality and only He can give it to us, if we from the lost ten tribes obey Yahshua and be immersed in His saving name for the forgiveness of our past sins which we committed in ignorance, before we returned in Torah obedience to YHVH through Messiah. We read accordingly from 1 Timothy 6: 12 – 16, as follows: ‘Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (13) I charge you in the presence of Elohim, who gives life to all things, and of Messiah Yahshua, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, (14) that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Master Yahshua Messiah, (15) which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Master of masters; (16) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amein.’

So, Yahshua was telling His disciples and by implication us His modern day disciples in John 14: 6, that He is the way (transliterated as ‘derek’ in Hebrew) to eternal life. But He also told us in verse 6 that He is the truth (transliterated as ‘emet’ in Hebrew). We also recall from John 17: 17, Yahshua said in His prayer recorded in chapter 17: ‘Sanctify them (meaning His disciples but also us His modern day disciples from the lost ten tribes who are returning to YHVH through Yahshua) in the truth; Thy word is truth.’ This agrees with what we read from Psalm 119: 151, in this way: ‘Thou art near, O YHVH, and all Thy commandments are truth.’ When Yahshua was on earth the word of Elohim consisted of the Tanach, which is in agreement with what we read from Psalm 119: 160, as follows: ‘The sum of Thy word is truth, and every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting.’ The word ‘emet’ in Hebrew contains the 3 letters Aleph (the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet), Mem (the middle letter of the Hebrew Alphabet), and Tav (the last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet) – meaning from A – Z (Aleph to Tav) or everything from the beginning, the middle and the end of the Hebrew Scriptures or the Tanach. Messiah also said He is the life (transliterated in Hebrew as ‘chaim’) meaning eternal life. Yes, He was in essence saying He is the way to the truth – contained in Torah that leads to eternal life. We read from Proverbs 3: 1, ‘My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart (belief system) keep my commandments.’ Continuing in verse 18, we read: ‘She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.’ The Hebrew word for Torah is feminine, meaning Torah is a She. She (Torah) is the Tree of life. The Jews access the Tree of Life by obeying Torah and we from the lost ten tribes access Torah through the living word of Elohim, namely Yahshua, who came to show us the way to eternal life, by bringing us back to the covenant we made with Elohim at Mount Sinai, which is Torah. It is for this reason that Yahshua also told His disciples in John 14: 15, saying: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” We also read from Revelation 22: 14 (KJV): ‘Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.’

We read further from Revelation 2: 7 where Yahshua tells the congregation of Elohim (at Ephesus) in a vision to Yochanan His disciple, saying: ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the congregations. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of Elohim.’ The name Israel given to Jacob our Father in the faith means ‘one who wrestles with Elohim and overcomes.’ An Israelite from one of the lost ten tribes who believes that Yahshua is Messiah and follow Torah are the overcomers who will be allowed to eat from the tree of life. Because Satan knows that we are busy qualifying for the position which he has as ruler of the world, lost when Messiah qualified to take over Elohim’s Kingdom on earth, he is angry with us, as recorded in Revelation 12: 17, as follows: ‘And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of Elohim and hold to the testimony (what He taught and how He lived whilst He was on earth) of Yahshua.’ Those of us who believe that Yahshua is Messiah and keep His commandments (follow Torah) are a remnant of the body of Messiah – overcomers like Jacob was! Yahshua the embodiment of Torah is also the way, as is confirmed in Exodus 18: 20 , in this way: ‘Then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk, and the work they are to do.’ It is by keeping Elohim’s commandments that we are walking in His way, as witnessed in Deuteronomy 5: 31 – 33, as follows: ‘But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess.’ (32) “So you shall observe to do just as YHVH your Elohim has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. (33) You shall walk is all the way which YHVH your Elohim has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.” So here we see clearly that keeping the commandments are likened unto walking in the way of Elohim.

We read further from Deuteronomy 8: 6 (KJV): ‘Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of YHVH thy Elohim, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.’ In addition Deuteronomy 10: 12 & 13 tells us that Elohim’s commandments are for our good, in this way: “And now, Israel, what does YHVH your Elohim require from you, but to fear YHVH your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, (13) and to keep (YHVH)’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” We also see that the gematria of the word to ‘turn aside’ transliterated in Hebrew as ‘tassur’ is equal to (Tav = 400, Samech = 60, Vav = 6, and Resh = 200) totaling 666, as used in Deuteronomy 28: 14 & 15, as follows: ‘And do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (15) But it shall come about, if you will not obey YHVH your Elohim, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.’ We see from Isaiah 42: 24 that these curses have in fact already occurred in the countries where the lost ten tribes of Israel (Jacob) reside, as follows: ‘Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers? Was it not YHVH, against whom we have sinned, and in whose ways they were not willing to walk, and whose law they did not obey?’ The Prophet Isaiah prophesied how the Kingdom of Elohim will be established in Jerusalem during the last days in Isaiah 2: 1 - 3, saying: ‘The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (2) Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain (Government) of the house of YHVH will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. (3) and many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of YHVH, to the house of the Elohim of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of YHVH from Jerusalem.”

When Yahshua first sent out His disciples after instructing them in Matthew 10: 5 – 7, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; (6) but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (7) And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The kingdom of Elohim on earth as it is now in heaven will come when Messiah returns to re-establish the tabernacle of David which has fallen, consisting of both houses of Israel making up the commonwealth of Israel. The house of Judah believes in a Messiah who will bring the lost sheep of the house of Israel back into the commonwealth of Israel to be ruled by Him the greater son of David. Those of us who are busy following the way of Elohim are warned by Rav Kepha about false prophets who will during the latter days introduce secret heresies, even contradicting the Master who redeemed them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. In 2 Peter 2: 17 – 21 Rav Kepha describes what will happen to these false prophets, saying: ‘These are springs without water, and mist driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. (This verse actually talks about the destiny awaiting Satan and his demons that are deceiving these false prophets to mislead true believers) (18) For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, (19) promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. (20) For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Master and Savior Yahshua Messiah, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. (21) For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them.’

The Prophet Malachi spoke about the false priests who follow calendars of their own design rather than the calendar proclaimed by Levi and ordained by YHVH in Malachi 2: 1 - 8, saying: ‘“And now, this commandment is for you, O priests. (2) If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says YHVH of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; and indeed I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. (3) Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. (4) Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says YHVH of hosts. (5) My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me, and stood in awe of My name. (6) True instruction was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. (7) For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of YHVH of hosts. (8) But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says YHVH of hosts.’ There are believers who pay more attention to using Elohim’s Set-apart Name than making sure they are honoring it. According to this prophesy by Malachi, those who keep Elohim’s Feast Days according to calendars of their own design or proclaimed by those who are not Levitical Priests are dishonoring Elohim’s Set-apart Name, and are turning aside from what He commands all Israel. Such people are part of the false priests spoken about by Rav Kepha, who contradicts the Master Yahshua Messiah, who confirmed that the modern day Pharisees or the Rabbinical Jews are Elohim’s lawgivers, until He comes to rule the world from Jerusalem.

Some of those who propagate their own calendars among believers who do not know better are deceived and deceiving others, since they say Yahshua already came, and He has given them the right to proclaim their own calendars on which they honor YHVH. However, Yahshua has not come to rule the world yet, and according to the prophecy in Genesis 49: 10, rulership regarding Elohim’s Torah will only pass from the tribe of Judah to Messiah, when He comes again. Yahshua clearly showed His followers and others that the purpose of His first coming was to bring the lost sheep of the house of Israel back to the covenant relationship they had with YHVH, together with the house of Judah at Mount Sinai, as he also told the Canaanite woman who asked Him to heal her demon possessed daughter in Matthew 15: 24, saying to her: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Yahshua confirmed His primary purpose to the Jews when He authenticated their congregation (or synagogue) as the place to where He will ultimately bring the lost sheep of the house of Israel in John 10: 14 – 16, saying: ‘I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, (15) even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep (Yahshua paid the penalty for our past sins, but also as our kinsman redeemer, bought back our piece of the Promised Land, promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which we lost because of Idolatry.) (16) And I have other sheep (from the lost ten tribes), which are not of this fold (or synagogue at present); I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.’ Yes, Yahshua’s main purpose is to rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, but to be able to re-establish the Kingdom of Elohim over the commonwealth of Israel, He has to bring a remnant of the lost ten tribes, who are presently being called out of the churches of the world, to reconcile them back to the Father, as well as to the house of Judah.

That will entail that the house of Israel return to the house of David (which is basically the house of Judah), to be ruled by him and his greater son Yahshua, as prophesied by the Prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37: 21 – 25, in this way: “And say to them, ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; (22) and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. (23) And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things (which they eat as delicacies, such as pork, shrimps, snails, crayfish, ostrich, and even at times crocodile meat), or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their Elohim. (24) And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd (the good shepherd, Yahshua); and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them. (25) And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever.” The question is what caused YHVH to scatter the house of Israel into the nations of the world because of Idolatry? Surely, if we know what the problem was at that time, we who are being called out of the churches of the world by YHVH, will be able to rectify what our forefathers from the house of Israel did wrong, to become acceptable to YHVH our Elohim once again.

To be able to discover the reason why YHVH rejected Israel as His people, we need to go right back where things started going wrong. Most believers are aware that matters started going wrong prior to King Solomon’s death. Before King Solomon died, he appointed Jeroboam an Ephraimite over all forced labor in Israel as recorded in 1 Kings 11: 26 – 28: ‘Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. (27) Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo (or citadel), and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. (28) Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.’ Continuing with the account in 1 Kings: 11, we read from verses 29 – 39, ‘And it came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. (30) Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. (31) And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says YHVH, the Elohim of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes (32) (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), (33) because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. (34) Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; (35) but I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. (36) But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. (37) And I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. (38) Then it will be, that If you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. (39) Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.’’ Notice that Jeroboam was chosen by Elohim to rule the ten tribe nation of Israel, provided he obeys YHVH the Elohim of Israel, the way King David did before him.

King Solomon ruled the united nation of Israel (all twelve tribes) for forty years. During his rule, the nation lived very well, because he demanded heavy taxes from the citizens allowing Israel to dominate its neighbors both economically and militarily. But, this heavy tax burden caused significant resentment among the citizens of Israel. After Solomon’s death his son, Rehoboam reigned in his place. Because of Jeroboam’s effective administration over the forced labor in Israel, the nation called upon him to be their spokesman to try and lighten the tax burden under Rehoboam. We continue reading from 1 Kings 12: 4, where Jeroboam said to Rehoboam, “Your father made our yoke hard; therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” Rehoboam required some time to consider the nation’s request through Jeroboam and told them to return three days later. He then consulted with the elders who served under his father, who advised him in verse 7 of 1 Kings 12, saying: “If you will be a servant to this people today, will serve them, grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But, Rehoboam did not listen to the counsel of the elders and consulted with the young men who grew up with him. We read their advice to Rehoboam from verses 10 & 11, as follows: “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ But you shall speak to them. ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! (11) Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” When the house of Israel saw that Rehoboam did not listen to them they answered the king in verse 16 of 1 Kings 12, saying: ‘“What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel departed to their tents.’ We see further from verse 20 that the house of Israel rejected the house of David’s rulership over them and made Jeroboam king over them, but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

Rehoboam immediately assembled the house of Judah including the tribe of Benjamin to fight against the house of Israel. However, we read from 1 Kings 12: 22 – 24, ‘But the word of Elohim came to Shemaiah the man of Elohim, saying, (23) “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, (24) ‘Thus says YHVH, “You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.”’” So they listened to the word of YHVH, and returned and went their way according to the word of YHVH.’ We see that even though YHVH informed Jeroboam that He has chosen him to rule over the ten tribes of Israel (provided he does what is right in (YHVH)’s sight), Jeroboam feared that if the house of Israel returned to Jerusalem to keep Elohim’s Feast days, they will want Rehoboam to be their king once again, and came up with an idea to prevent this from happening as recorded in 1 Kings 12: 28 - 33, as follows: ‘So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them (the house of Israel), “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (29) And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. (30) Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. (31) And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. (32) And Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah[1], and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. (33) Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn incense.’ King Jeroboam’s personal agenda led to spiritual mistakes that brought untold misery to the house of Israel and their descendants.

Jeroboam led the house of Israel consisting of ten tribes away from worshipping YHVH the Elohim of Israel, in the way that He prescribed in the Scriptures. His counterfeit worship, with its own festival a month later than the Feast of Tabernacles kept by Judah and a priesthood who were not from the tribe of Levi, was the primary reason for the house of Israel’s downfall. Jeroboam, like us, was specifically chosen by Elohim to rule His people, but he failed to use the opportunity given him by YHVH. Similarly today, there are some leaders in Israel whom YHVH specifically called to lead His people, by teaching them to keep His Sabbaths (weekly and annual) as specified in the Scriptures, but because of their personal agendas, motivated by fear and jealousy of the house of Judah, or because of anti-Semitism, contradict what the word of Elohim teaches. YHVH pronounced a sobering judgment against Jeroboam, through Ahijah the prophet because of his sin, saying in 1 Kings 14: 7 – 10: “Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim of Israel, “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, (8) and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; (9) you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— (10) therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.” Because Jeroboam led Israel to sin, YHVH also rejected them as witnessed in 1 Kings 14: 14 – 16, as follows: “Moreover, YHVH will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on. (15) For YHVH will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim (wooden symbols of a female deity), provoking YHVH to anger. (16) And He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”

Yahshua the way, the truth and the life came to bring us from the lost sheep of Israel back to the covenant relationship we had with YHVH together with our Jewish Brothers, when we were all part of the kingdom of Elohim over Israel ruled by King David, by showing us the way to become the first-born from the dead of many brethren. Are you and I prepared to foul up His plan by turning against Elohim’s current Lawgiver, by rejecting the Feast Days kept by the house of Judah, because of sheer anti-Semitism? Think carefully about it!

[1] The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles kept by Judah is as given in Leviticus 23: 33 – 36, as follows: ‘Again YHVH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to YHVH. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to YHVH. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to YHVH; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.”’ Moses and the Levites who remained with Judah were responsible to proclaim the Feast Days of Elohim, at the times (or seasons) appointed for them, as testified in the blessings that Moses gave the tribes in Deuteronomy 33 and specifically in verses 8 – 11, in this way: ‘And of Levi he said, “Let Thy Thummim and Thy Urim belong to Thy godly man, whom Thou didst prove at Massah, with whom thou didst contend at the waters of Meribah; who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not consider them’; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons, for they observed Thy word, and kept Thy covenant. “They shall teach Thine ordinances to Jacob, and Thy law to Israel. They shall put incense before Thee, and whole burnt offerings on Thine altar. O YHVH, bless his substance, and accept the work of his hands; shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, and those who hate him, so that they may not rise again.”’