Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

Respect for Elohim.

 

Those of us who have been around a little longer are able to recall how much respect some of our grandparents had for Elohim. I for onecannot 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 Elohim 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 early 1930’s. Even though that might seem a bit over the top to most of us, 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 number of Jews started doubting the existence of G-d.

 

Sad to say, things have been going from bad to worse since World War II; the ‘cocktail’ parents of the late 1940’s and early 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 Renewed Covenant, 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 those who read it believe it. They assert among other that Yahshua was married to Mary Magdalene. Since many in Churchianity 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 Churchianity 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 told the religious leaders of His day in John 5: 43 - 47, saying:“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?”It is clear therefore that those who say they believe in Messiah and claim thatHe abolished Torah for them, are simply deceiving themselves.

 

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 and Haftarah cycles indicated on the Jewish calendar) 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 Elohimis busy calling at this time, better make sure that we base our faith on His word, as Rav Shaul continued warning the idol worshipers in Athens in Acts 17: 31, 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, despite the fact that Job who lived around the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, already mentions the names of stars and planets in Job 9: 9.This resulted in the greatest credibility crises the Christian church had to face during the Middle Ages. Church leaders defended their position by their personal opinions which were eventually overturned by scientific observation and 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. In addition Yahshua commissioned those who teach the 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, we are supposed to publish material that come from Torah 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 Elohim does the calling as is confirmed in John 6: 44.

 

It reminds me of a saying of a man who taught me 80% of what I know, 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 Him as the one and only Elohim. As a result people are unsure of what truth is, or whether it even exists. This is why many move from one church to the next in an effort 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, smart phones 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. Those from the lost ten tribes of the house of Israel are specifically 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 Elohim of Israel in any way, as Yahshua warned in Mark 7: 7 & 8, saying:“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 heavenly Father 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. However, the prophet Isaiah wrote about it in Isaiah 45: 18, saying:‘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 recorded in 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, it reveals 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 Savior.’ 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, saying: ‘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 predicted 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 for a period of only 3 ½ years. Yahshua was impaled as our Passover Lamb during the spring of 31 C.E. as per 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, as confirmed in John 19: 31 in this way:‘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 found that Yahshua was already risen at the end of the weekly Sabbath (after sunset on Saturday evening - which according to the Hebrew calendar was already Sunday evening - as per Genesis 1: 5), just as He said. This was definitely not an Easter 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. In Genesis 1: 5, however, we read: ‘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.

 

The reason why people deny the authority of the Scriptures is because they do not want Elohim to have control over their lives, but as Nazarene Jewish/Israelite believers in YHVH[1]; the Scriptures being the main source of our doctrines, herewith a number of key versesshowingsome of the basic tenets of our faith:  

1. YHVH our Elohim is one and only one! We read from Deuteronomy 4: 35 & 39 “To you it was shown that you might know that YHVH, He is Elohim; there is no other besides Him. (39) Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that YHVH, He is Elohim in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.’  In addition YHVH tells us clearly in Isaiah 43: 10 & 11, “You are My witnesses,” declares YHVH, “And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no Elohim formed, and there will be none after Me. (11) I, even I, am YHVH; and there is no savior besides Me.” But what about Yahshua, who or what is He? Yahshua is indeed our Savior and as confirmed in the Scriptures, He is the word of Elohim made flesh (as per John 1: 1- 3 & 14) or the visible image of the invisible Elohim (as per Colossians 1: 15). Further proof of the Oneness of Elohim is found in: Isaiah 44: 6 & 8; Isaiah 63: 7 & 8; John 8: 58; and John 10: 30. Luke 10: 21 – 24 states that the Oneness of Elohim is revealed to us who are considered babes in worldly knowledge and Colossians 2: 9 states: ‘For in Him all the fullness of Deity (or Elohim) dwells in bodily form.’

2. The Jews have the oracles of Elohim: In John 4: 22, Yahshua said: ‘You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’ This isconfirmed by Scriptural witnesses found inRomans 3: 1 - 4; Romans 9: 1 - 5; Psalms 60: 7 and 108: 8. Psalm 147: 19 & 20 mentions that Elohim revealed His Laws to the commonwealth of Israel that King David ruled.Even though both the houses of Israel and Judah were removed from the Land of Israel; Judah returned 70 years later, Israel never returned and lost their identity, language and culture as is also confirmed in Nehemiah 9: 14. Nahum 1: 15, shows that the Feast Days of Elohim are linked to the good news about the kingdom of Elohim and that He is pleased with the timing on which Judah keeps it. However, in Malachi 2: 1 – 8 Elohim shows that He is not pleased with the Feast Days kept by some of the house of Israel, since they are not in accordance with those ordained by the Levites among the Jews, proclaimed annually. Jeremiah 23: 32 – 36 & 39 predicts that people will pervert the Oracles of Elohim until eventually every man’s own words will become the oracles – I believe that this has already happened; Ezekiel 13: 2 - 4 & 9, shows that because of the lying prophesies of the Israelites, they will not be in the council of Elohim’s people (the Sanhedrin); Isaiah 47: 13 states that those who predict by the new moons should stand up and save their followers from what will come upon them;  and Zechariah 8: 23, shows that in the end those of the lost ten tribes will grab hold of the tzitzit of a Jew, saying: “Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you.” As Nazarene believers we hold the traditions taught us by Yahshua, as well as Rav Shaul as we read from 1 Corinthians 11: 1 & 2 & 2 Timothy 3: 14. YHVH told Moses in Exodus 19: 9, that we will believe in him (Moses) forever and Mathew 23: 1 & 2 Yahshua told His disciples and by implication also us His modern day disciples, that the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses and that we should do as they say, but not necessarily as they do, since they are only human. This is in line with Leviticus 23: 2 – 4 where YHVH told to Moses, saying: ‘(YHVH)’s appointed times which you (Moses) shall proclaim’.

3. Second Exodus: Jeremiah 16: 14 -16 & 19; In Isaiah 27: 13, we read: ‘It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship YHVH in the holy mountain (Elohim’s Government) at Jerusalem’. We need to understand that the second exodus will happen, as much as the first exodus did.

4. YHVH wants all men to be saved as confirmed in 1 Timothy 2: 3 & 4. However, He does not want to save all at this time. See Mark 4: 11 & 12; Also Matthew 13: 11, 12 & 19; John 12: 40; 2 Corinthians 4: 3 & 4; and 1 Corinthians 1: 26 – 31, where we are told that YHVH calls the weak of the world at this time, the base things and those who are despised, in order to nullify the things that are not, so that no man should boast before Him and that our boasting should be in Elohim.At this time YHVH is calling a remnant from the lost ten tribes, including some Gentiles, to become First Fruits (also referred to as the/Chosen/Called) together, with their Torah observant Jewish Brothers; Faithfull members of both houses will become Messiah’s bride at His return as per Jeremiah 31: 31 – 33; Hebrews 9: 15; Romans 8: 23, 29; James 1: 18, states: “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first-fruits among His creatures.’ Yahshua came specifically to save the lost ten tribes as He said in Matthew 15: 24, as follows: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” A second witness talking about Yahshua is found in Isaiah 49: 6, in this way: ‘He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the (lost) tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones (the notzrim) of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations.”’We the remnant of the lost ten tribes are at this time required to make Judah jealous by keeping the Feast Days, Kosher and other Torah commands as they do, as we read from Romans 11: 5, 11. Judah is presently blinded to the identity of Yahshua as read from Romans 11: 25 – 32, as follows: ‘For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation (not many of the lost ten tribes want to be joined to Judah), that the partial hardening has happened to Israel (in this case meaning the Jewish part of the United Nation of Israel) until the fullness of the Gentiles (those of the lost ten tribes who used to believe that they are Gentiles, plus a few genuine Gentiles) has come in; (26) and thus all Israel (both houses) will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. (27) AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” (28) From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of Elohim’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the father’s; (29) for the gifts and the calling of Elohim are irrevocable. (30) For just as you once were disobedient to Elohim, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, (31) so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. (32) For Elohim has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.’A second witness to the Jews being blinded at this time is found in John 12: 37 – 41, in this way: ‘But though He performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him (Yahshua); (38) that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “YHVH, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF YHVH BEEN REVEALED? (quoted from Isaiah 53: 1)(39) For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, (40) “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES, AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART; LEST THEY SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED, AND I HEAL THEM (Before the remnant of the lost ten tribes have come back to serving YHVH).” (41) These things Isaiah said, because he saw Hisglory, and he spoke of Him (see Isaiah 6: 1 – 3).’ The rest of the dead will be resurrected after the thousand years – see Revelation 20: 5, 11 & 12 and the books of the Bible will be opened to their understanding, similar to the way Yahshua opened His disciples’ mind after His death and resurrection as per Luke 24: 45; At that time many will accept Yahshua as their Passover and will be changed, as the second harvest of human souls, into the Kingdom of Elohim, as we read from Isaiah 25: 7 – 9, in this way: ‘And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. (8) He will swallow up death for all time, and YHVH Elohim will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for YHVH has spoken. (9) And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our Elohim for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is YHVH for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation (Yahshua).”’

 

These Scriptures help to strengthen our faith in YHVH our Elohim and His salvation, Yahshua. It is as we read from John 3: 36, “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.”, as well as from 1 John 2: 23, as follows: ‘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. 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.’Halleluyah!

 

[1]Those who praise YHVH are called Judah (or Jews) – as we read from Genesis 29: 35, ‘And she (Leah) conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise YHVH.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.’