Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

Do you respect Elohim?

 

Some of us who are in our late sixties and early seventies are able to recall how much respect some of our grandparents had for Elohim. I for example cannot recall my grandfather ever speaking about ‘God’ and even in prayer before and after meals, he used to speak about and thanked the “Giver” who gives us blessings in life. These old people truly had a great deal of respect for YHVH and made sure that neither they, nor their children and grandchildren blaspheme the name of our heavenly Father in any way. Yes, when I grew up people had respect for Elohim, for parents, teachers and the law of the land. I remember my mother telling us that as a child how she and her friends fell on their knees when a mounted policeman approached them on horseback in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Even though that was a bit over the top according to my mind, a lot has changed since World War II; a tremendous loss of faith occurred in Europe and the U.K. after the war, so much so that even a few Jews started doubting the existence of Elohim.

 

Sad to say, things have been going from bad to worse since World War II; the ‘cocktail’ parents of the 1940’s and 50’s raised the ‘ducktail’ children of the sixties, who tried to imitate their parents but became even worse, resulting in higher alcohol and drug abuse and even higher divorce rates, with our children and grandchildren suffering the consequences. Furthermore, the problem with the loss of faith was exacerbated in recent years because of the opinions of the authors of numerous books that have been disseminating deceitful fallacies about the life and times of Messiah, including the book entitled: ‘The Da Vinci Code’. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ as a novel has sold close to 70 million copies and the strange thing is that 86% of the 70 million people, who read it, believe it. They believe among other that Yahshua was only a man and that He was married to Mary Magdalene. Since many in Christianity are beginning to discover how the Roman Catholic Church and its daughters, the hundreds of Protestant denominations, who continued to ‘Christen’ babies, keep Sunday, Xmas and Easter and recite the same so-called ‘Apostles creed’ that the Catholic Church do, have deceived them and given them a false sense of salvation, they are leaving their churches in droves, whilst others are looking elsewhere for answers. Many in Christianity came to believe that the accounts given in the Torah are simply stories to help new believers develop their confidence – much like the stories some tell their children at Xmas and Easter times. It is clear that people deny the authority of the Scriptures because they do not want Elohim to tell them what they should do or not do. This is why Yahshua said in John 5: 43 - 47, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him. (44) How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only Elohim? (45) Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. (46) For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. (47) But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

 

In addition Rav Shaul warned Nazarene believers that the things that happened to our forefathers, the ancient Israelites in the wilderness, were recorded for our example and that we should study Torah regularly (preferably doing the annual Torah cycles that our Jewish Brothers are doing) in order not to make the same mistakes in 1 Corinthians 10: 6 – 11, saying: ‘Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved. (7) And do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY.” (8) Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. (9) Nor let us try YHVH, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. (10) Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. (11) Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Those of us whom YHVH has called at this time, better make sure that we base our faith on YHVH and His word, as Rav Shaul further warned in Acts 17: 31 talking to the idol worshipers in Athens, saying: ‘because He (Elohim) has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.’ We know that each and every person who ever lived will get his/her change for salvation as witnessed in 1 Corinthians 15: 22 - 24, as follows: ‘For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all shall be made alive. (23) But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruit(s), after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming (or return), (24) then comes the end (ones) when He (Yahshua) delivers up the kingdom to the Elohim and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.’ Even so, many people in the world and its churches believe false doctrines established by the Popes many years ago and are not prepared to search for answers to their many questions in the Word of Elohim, written specifically to serve as our daily user manual.

 

History repeats itself: When Copernicus discovered that the earth was round, the religious leaders of his time rejected it. This resulted in the greatest credibility crises the Christian church had to face during the Middle Ages. The church leaders defended their position by their personal opinions which were eventually overturned by scientific observation. Even when Galileo presented undeniable proof through the usage of telescopes, people would not believe it. As a result the Bible and ecclesiastical authority would never be the same again. Without understanding such things as gravity, people could not understand why they were not falling off the earth. Accepting this truth was too unsettling for most, and no one was prepared to admit that they were wrong – since it is much easier for people to simply ignore the facts. Torah recognizes that most people are subject to bias, as we read from Deuteronomy 16: 19, as follows: “You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.” The Torah addresses all of us; whenever we make a decision, we are in the position of being a judge, and need to be aware of the subtle and obvious bribes that could cloud our thinking.

 

We are commissioned by Yahshua our Messiah to teach those Israelites dispersed throughout the world about the coming Kingdom of Elohim, with Yahshua the Messiah as the King of kings and Master of masters (as per Matthew 24: 14 and 28: 18 – 20). It is not our duty to convert people and we do not send out teachings to convince unbelievers; nevertheless, the things that I write come from Torah and are to strengthen the faith of those who already believe. Faith is a personal matter and in trying to disprove the existence of a Creator or the truth contained in the Scriptures, many a un-believer came to believe in YHVH the Elohim of Israel. However, we must not forget that YHVH does the calling as is confirmed in John 6: 44. It reminds me of a saying of the leader of my previous affiliation, as follows: ‘If you convince a man against his will; he will be of the same opinion still.’ Sometimes people come into our faith (Nazarene Judaism) with their own pre-conceived ideas. They take their own agendas and try and force them into Torah, and then make it part of their own philosophy. They use the Scriptures for their own devices, without considering it in its entirety. We need to return to proper Torah study, in order to learn how to think like Hebrews (those who passed over) do. Our faith is like our father in the faith, Abraham’s about actions that are true, and we cannot get away from performing the commandments given by YHVH. We have to live out our faith if we want to call ourselves Nazarene Jews/Israelites. We need to practice Torah without distorting it with our own pre-conceived ideas. Whereas some insist on hard evidence before they will believe anything, other falls into an idealistic ditch. Instead of being interested in an Elohim who meets them through scriptural revelation, they desire a god who allows them to meet them at their level. When YHVH says we should not mix meat and milk derivative products together, we should take Him at His word, but instead most want to find reasons for not obeying YHVH the one and only Elohim. As a result people are unsure of what truth is, or whether it even exists. This is why many hop from church to church, to find a ‘spiritual home’ where they feel comfortable with the ‘god’ that they want to serve, which is nothing other than themselves. The problem is that most of what our parents learnt, they had to read. Those born during the last sixty years learnt most of what they know through information given them on movie, TV and computer screens. Whereas in a book or print environment, precedence is given to the rational use of the mind, thereby encouraging religious dialogue with logically ordered content, as opposed to the pictorial representation of the film environment, where the personal takes precedence over the impartial and pictures may be doctored to depict whatever we want people to believe. This is why modern church goers go to church to fellowship and are not so much concerned with what the Scriptures teach, or the doctrines of their church. Whole teachings are based on a single verse which is usually quoted out of context, to soothe the consciences of people who may do whatever they like, as long as they ‘believe’.

 

To such people the so-called ‘Old Testament’ stories are just stories and are not based on real people. To them it is like the Xmas story, which even though it cannot be proven from the Scriptures, they believe that it teaches children about giving and sharing. However, we know that just the opposite is true, since these same children are only out to get. Yes, it is true, Yahshua our Messiah was born in Bethlehem, but nowhere in the Scriptures are we given the birth date of Yahshua our Messiah. We also do not find any evidence that Yahshua, or His family and followers, ever kept His birthday. In addition most of the adults keeping Xmas do so as it is another reason to have a party. That has been the way of the world for many centuries and despite the fact that each year as the Xmas season approaches, newspapers are full of historical evidence showing how the customs surrounding this season all originated from paganism, most people continue with its revelry. We, specifically from the lost ten tribes of Israel, are warned about Xmas and its pagan traditions in Jeremiah 10: 1 – 5, as follows: ‘Hear the word which YHVH speaks to you, O house of Israel. (2) Thus says YHVH, “Do not learn the way of the nations (Gentiles), and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens although the nations are terrified by them; (3) for the customs of the peoples are delusion; because it is wood cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. (4) They decorate it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not totter. (5) Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.”’ Keeping Xmas or any other pagan festival does not honor YHVH our Elohim, as we are told in Mark 7: 7 & 8, in this way: “BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN. (8) Neglecting the commandment of Elohim, you hold to the tradition of men.”

 

We as Nazarene Jews/Israelites should do the things required of us by our Father YHVH in the Scriptures. In the worldly way adulthood is freedom to do whatever you please, but in the Jewish way of thinking, children become adults at their bar or bat mitzvah. That means they become children of the mitzvah; children who know and obey Torah. That means that when children reach adulthood, they become responsible to keep Torah. In other words they start respecting the body, soul (nefesh) and spirit (neshamah) that YHVH has given them. We as adults should know the Torah and therefore know the Feast Days of Elohim; what foods are kosher and good for us; and that all un-kosher foods and all drugs are harmful to the body and damage the soul (life) and spirit (minds) of our people. However, as Israelites, most of us have failed horribly in the way we rear children. Now that YHVH has called us to come out from the world and the ways we lived in the past, we need to pray asking for forgiveness of our past mistakes, as we read from Jeremiah 16: 19, as follows: ‘O YHVH, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress, to Thee the nations (those from the lost ten tribes who think that they are Gentiles) will come from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, futility and things of no profit.” People can be trained to adopt right habits. This is why keeping the Commandments are so practical; because they are cyclical (meaning we keep the Feast Days from one year to another and read the annual Torah portions on an ongoing basis), we can constantly review Elohim’s teachings and way of life, in accordance with His will for us.

 

We read from Genesis 1: 1 & 2, ‘In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. (2) And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of Elohim was moving over the surface of the waters.’ Comparing this passage with other Scriptures, we notice that something serious happened between verses 1 and 2, to leave the earth formless and void or empty. We see from Isaiah 45: 18, ‘For thus says YHVH, who created the heavens (He is the Elohim who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am YHVH, and there is none else.”’ From this it is clear that the initial creation was followed by destruction and chaos. Even though there is no indication when the initial creation took place, we are told that the original creation was eventually followed by widespread destruction caused by a catastrophe that resulted from Lucifer’s rebellion, when he decided to take over Elohim’s throne, as may be read from Isaiah 14: 12 – 15 and Ezekiel 28: 12 – 19. What happened in Genesis 1: 3 – 31 is a report of the re-creation of the earth, immediately before the creation of mankind, as recorded in Psalm 104: 30, as follows: ‘Thou dost send forth Thy Spirit, they are created; and Thou dost renew the face of the ground.’ According to the genealogies recorded in the Scriptures mankind was created about 6,000 years ago, even though the Scriptures do not give us the date when YHVH made Adam and Eve. However, the Scriptures reveal that right at the beginning there was nothing – no solar system, no galaxies; no earth, as we read from Titus 1: 1 – 3 (NIV), in this way: ‘Shaul, a servant of Elohim and an apostle of Yahshua Messiah for the faith of Elohim’s elect (those of us called by Elohim) and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – (2) a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which Elohim, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of Elohim our Saviour.’ So before the beginning of time YHVH created the Universe.

 

Even though science cannot tell us why the earth exist, the Scriptures tell us in Psalms 115: 15 & 16, ‘May you be blessed of YHVH, Maker of heaven and earth. (16) The heavens are the heavens of YHVH; but the earth He has given to the sons of men.’ Elohim created all things, but kept the earth aside as a dwelling place for mankind. We should not doubt the word of YHVH, or be double-minded, as Rav Yaa’cov admonished us in James 1: 5 – 8, in this way: ‘But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Elohim, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from YHVH, (8) being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.’ It is like we read from Isaiah 26: 3 & 4, “The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee. (4) Trust in YHVH forever, for in Elohim YHVH, we have an everlasting Rock.” Without going into too much detail, we only need to look at the prophecies of Daniel to establish the accuracy of the Scriptures. The prophecies of Daniel provide so many details about specific events that it is impossible to refute. Because of the fact that Daniel’s prophecies cannot be disproved, the skeptics claim that the book of Daniel was not written by him and that it is in fact a fraud. Daniel wrote the prophecy in Daniel 9, about the seventy weeks, during the first year of Darius’s reign about 539 B.C.E. Daniel predicts Messiah’s ministry to commence during the Spring of 27 C.E. and end three and a half years later in the middle of the week. Yahshua was almost 30 years of age when He was immersed. Most competent Bible scholars know that Messiah’s ministry was 3 ½ years in length. Yahshua was impaled as our Passover Lamb during the spring of 31 C. E. according to the Roman calendar. According to both the British and U.S. Naval Observatories that year was one of only a few erratic years which had a mid-week Passover. Yahshua was in the grave for three full days and three full nights, thereby proving that He was indeed our Savior, as He confirmed in Matthew 12: 38 – 40, as follows: ‘Then some of the scribes and the Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” (39) But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; (40) for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”’

 

Yahshua our Messiah and Savior kept the Passover with His disciples just after sunset on the 13th Aviv, as the 14th Aviv began. He was imprisoned soon after He and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He was impaled at 9.00 the next morning. This is confirmed in John 19: 31 as follows: ‘The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.’ This was not the regular Sabbath, spoken about here but the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread. Our Savior was put to death on a Wednesday, the day of Passover. He was placed in the tomb just before sunset when Wednesday ended and Thursday started. The woman had no time to wrap His body with spices, due to the High Day Sabbath. They kept the 1st Day of Unleavened Bread which started on Wednesday after sunset (the 15th of Aviv). They bought spices on Friday after the Set-apart day for embalming Messiah’s body. They rested the next day on the weekly Sabbath, and prior to sun-set, came to see the tomb. This is when as described in Matthew 28; they find that Yahshua was already risen at the end of the weekly Sabbath, just as He said. This was definitely not a sunrise visit to the tomb. Titus the Roman General who besieged Jerusalem ordered his men not to burn the city of Jerusalem, but in the confusion that resulted after breaking into the city on September the 7th 70 C.E. his soldiers burned the Temple and as a result all the gold in the Temple melted onto the huge stones. It took another seven months for them to remove all the gold from the rubble, bringing us to the Spring of 71 C.E. Yahshua said in Matthew 24: 34, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Yahshua was absolutely correct when we learnt that from the Spring of 31 C.E. to spring of 71 C.E. is exactly 40 years. There are three references in the Scriptures mentioning that a generation is 40 years; i.e. Psalm 95: 10, Hebrews 3: 9 - 10, and Numbers 32: 13. Another prophecy of Daniel’s that played out exactly as he prophesied is in Daniel 8: 14, as follows: ‘And He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Set-apart place will be properly restored.”’ The ‘and’ between the evenings and mornings in this verse is written in italics in the New American Standard Bible, showing that it does not appear in the original Hebrew texts from which this is translated, and refers to 2,300 total units or days. However, we read from Genesis 1: 5, ‘And Elohim called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.’ The total period involved here is about 6½ years of sacrificing a lamb, twice a day, as per Exodus 29: 38 & 39. This prophecy accurately identifies the time of Antiochus’ persecution, between September 6, 171 B.C.E. and December 25, 164/5 B.C.E. After his death Jews celebrated the cleansing of the Temple in the Festival of Lights or Chanukah; in celebration of the restoration led by Judas Maccabeus.

 

It is because we are able to prove the accuracy of the Scriptures through the prophecies in the Tanach that we may be certain about Messiah’s return to come and rule the united nation of Israel in the very near future. We are looking forward in great anticipation toward that Yom Teruah when it will all occur as prophesied in the Tanach but also by Yahshua himself in the Renewed Covenant. Presently people in the world deny the authority of the Scriptures because they do not want Elohim to have control over their lives, but to us as Nazarene Israelite believers in YHVH, the Scriptures is the only source of the doctrines that we hold. These Scriptures help to strengthen our faith in YHVH our Elohim and His salvation, Yahshua. However, we need to be mindful of what was written about faith in Yahshua from John 3: 36, as follows: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of Elohim abides on him.”, but also from 1 John 2: 23, in this way: ‘Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.’ Let’s make sure that we rid ourselves of sin; false doctrines and hypocrisy (leaven) before Messiah returns to establish the Kingdom of Elohim on earth, as the angels promised His disciples about 2000 years ago in Acts 1: 10 & 11, saying: ‘And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; (11) and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Yahshua, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”’

 

I believe a major way to ensure that we retain our fear of Elohim, is to as per the custom of all Jews, say the Shema twice daily, as it reminds us, every time we say it, not to serve other Elohim, but YHVH! However, the best way to ensure that we fear YHVH always is to keep the Feast of Tabernacles annually, as witnessed in Deuteronomy 14: 22 & 23, as follows: ‘You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. (23) And you shall eat in the presence of YHVH your Elohim, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first-born of your herd and your flock, in order that you may learn to fear YHVH your Elohim always.’ Think about it!