Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

How many of us will be accepted when Messiah returns?

When reading Luke 13: 23 – 27 (discussed later in the sermon)  together with Matthew 25: 1 -12[1] we  see that at most half of those of us called out of the religions of the world will not make it to rule as kings and priests in the coming kingdom of Elohim. After the fall of man, YHVH gave mankind 6,000 years to experiment with different forms of Satan inspired economical, religious and governmental systems, thereby allowing us to learn that without His interaction in our lives, we will fail every time. Therefore, when YHVH calls us to come out of the world and its systems, He expects us to start learning and living according to the covenant that He made with our forefathers at Horeb in exchange for Him providing and protecting us like a husband is supposed to do for his wife. Once we are immersed into Yahshua’s saving name, we accept Elohim’s conditions for our lives and should from then on do things His way.

By now we are all aware that YHVH divorced the house of Israel because of idolatry, but that He sent Yahshua specifically to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (as per Matthew 15: 24), to reconcile us back to both Brother Judah (our neighbor) and our heavenly Father as His congregation or the body of Messiah (as per Ephesians 2: 11 – 18). But, this is conditional upon the Fathers calling, as Yahshua explained to His disciples in John 6: 65, saying: “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.” So, we see that there is no way in which we can decide on our own to follow Yahshua the salvation of YHVH. The question therefore is: how does YHVH call us? We see the answer in James 1: 18, as follows: ‘In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth (the entire Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation), so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.’ Even though YHVH is able to raise up stones to do His work, He uses people to proclaim the good news about His coming Kingdom on earth as it is now in heaven. It is for this reason that He has called and chosen a remnant of the descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel (see Romans 11: 5), to make members of the house of Judah jealous as per Romans 11: 11), by keeping the same Set-apart Days and Kosher Laws that they do, with a Spiritual intent. But, herein lies a problem: YHVH calls us to do things the way He specifies in His word. Despite us having lost our faith, culture and language, YHVH allowed our Jewish Brothers to preserve His Oracles, including the Torah for us, ever since our captivity by the Assyrians approximately 2730 years ago, during 721 to 718 BCE. Similar to the Jews who prepared many years in advance to return to the Holy Land in 1948, YHVH has been preparing  a remnant of the lost ten tribes to return to the land within the next few years (from 2013[2] on). Now that we are returning to the way of Elohim, He wants us to follow the perfect example that He sent us, in Yahshua our Messiah. Yahshua came to show us to follow the way of Elohim, and there is therefore no reason for us to develop our own set of rules to follow Him. By strictly following the discipleship program introduced by Yahshua, we will once for all overcome the problems experienced by groups, when their human leaders die, as Messiah’s example will remain eternally, as He is the rock of our salvation.

The reason why not everyone is following Yahshua the Messiah at this time, is given in Isaiah 8: 5 – 18, in this way: ‘And again YHVH spoke to me further, saying, (6) “Inasmuch as these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, and rejoice in Rezin and the son of Remaliah; (7) Now therefore, behold, YHVH is about to bring on them the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks. (8) Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, it will reach even to the neck; and the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel. (9) Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered; and give ear all remote places of the earth. Gird yourselves, yet be shattered. Gird yourselves, yet be shattered. (10) Devise a plan but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not stand, for Elohim is with us. (11) For thus YHVH spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, (12) “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. (13) It is YHVH of hosts whom you should regard as set-apart. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. (14) Then He 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. (15) And many will stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; they will even be snared and caught. (16) Bind up the testimony (the testimony of Yahshua the rock of our Salvation), seal the law (Torah) among my disciples[3]. (17) And I will wait for YHVH who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. (18) Behold, I and the children whom YHVH has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from YHVH of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.’

Now this is an all-embracing statement; the reference to Rezin in verse 6 comes from Isaiah 7: 8 telling us the head of Damascus is Rezin and within 65 years Ephraim will be shattered so that it will not be a people any longer. Verse 7 of Isaiah 8 informs us that the Assyrians were responsible to take the house of Israel captive, after which time they were scattered into the world. Verse 8 tells us that after the captivity and return of Judah, Immanuel will be born of Jewish ancestry and verse 9 tells us that by that time the house of Israel will have been shattered. Verse 10 again tells us that Elohim will not allow Israel to make their own plans, as it will not stand since Elohim is with Judah.  But, in a way verse 10 also tells us the meaning of the word Immanuel as being ‘Elohim with us.’ In verse 11 YHVH talks to us through His mighty power (Yahshua) telling us – the remnant of the lost ten tribes – not to walk in the way of this people (the nations into which we were scattered). In verse 12 YHVH warns us through Isaiah not to say everything is a conspiracy and not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. Most of the people who are called out of the world at some time in their search for truth stumbled across the so-called ‘Conspiracy Theory’ where the Illuminati or the Free Masons are supposed to control the world, its governments, its money, etc., but here we are warned not to worry about such frivolities (showing that our heavenly Father is all knowing and knows everything that concerns us), but to regard YHVH as holy and to fear only Him as per verse 13. After all He is the ONLY ONE who can give us Eternal life. So even if the Illuminati or any one should  kill us, YHVH will resurrect us one day and if we do what He requires from us, will give us eternal life in a world without any crime or violence. All of this is vital for us to understand, but what follows is even more so, since this is the major cause of all the problems experienced in Christianity, but also in Messianic/Nazarene Israelite communities at present. It is high time that we understand what is being said here. Verse 14, clearly states YHVH will become a sanctuary for true believers, but it also states a very important fact: ‘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.’ Verse 15 tells us that many will stumble over it and will fall and be broken; they will even be snared and caught.  But what can be the problem here? YHVH clearly tells us that He as Immanuel or Elohim with us, will make both houses stumble. As witnessed in John 12: 37 – 40, He is personally responsible for blinding the house of Judah to Yahshua the Messiah’s identity – from His first advent to today, in this way: ‘But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; (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? (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.’”

Continuing in verse 16 of Isaiah 8, YHVH tells Isaiah to bind up the testimony and to seal the Law among His disciples (meaning those who learn from Him including us).  This is essentially telling us that (YHVH)’s way of interpreting the Scriptures is already bound (up) and sealed for use by those who learn from Him, as specified by Immanuel – so we don’t have to change anything. Then in verse 17 YHVH tells us what very few believe today – that He is hiding His face from both houses, but we who know who Yahshua is and we are waiting for His return, as Isaiah also testifies in Isaiah 45: 15, as follows: ‘Truly, Thou art an Elohim who hides Himself, O Elohim of Israel, Savior!’  Finally in verse 18 we are told what our purpose as called out first fruits are at this time, in this way: ‘Behold, I (Yahshua/Elohim with us) and the children whom YHVH has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from YHVH of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.’ Yes, we who are the first fruits at this time, who will if we qualify at Messiah’s return be born-again as spiritual children of Elohim, will be used as examples to those during the Millennium rule of Messiah and beyond – showing that if we can make it, they too are able. In fact this is also what the prophet Daniel tells us, when YHVH revealed King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 to him. Daniel concludes this section by telling us about the stone that will at the end of human rulership over themselves, crush and put an end to all the human governments, but will itself endure forever. In fact we read from verse 45 of Daniel 2, Daniel telling king Nebuchadnezzar: “Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the Great Elohim has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”  Daniel identified the stone who will come and rule mankind, after the complete mess man made of world affairs, as the Son of Man (or Yahshua) in Daniel 7: 13 & 14, also adding in verse 18, ‘But the saints (set-apart ones) of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’ 

The dividing factor according to Isaiah 8 is those who stumble and those who do not stumble over the identity of Yahshua Messiah, the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense. In the case of our Jewish Brothers, it is what keeps them from accepting Yahshua as the Messiah, but we need to be aware that this is (YHVH)’s doing, as He has blinded them for the specific purpose given by Rav Shaul in 1 Corinthians 2: 4 – 8, as follows: ‘And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of Elohim. (6) Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; (7) but we speak Elohim’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which Elohim predestined before the ages to our glory; (8) the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Master of glory.’ To understand what the power and wisdom of Elohim is that Rav Shaul is referring to here, we need to turn to 1 Corinthians 1: 22 – 24, where Rav Shaul wrote: ‘For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; (23) but we preach Messiah crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, (24) but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Messiah the power of Elohim and the wisdom of Elohim.’ Because not all people believe what Rav Shaul has explained here, they also do not understand or know Elohim. Those who believe that there are two (YHVH)’s with Yahshua being the lesser YHVH, assert that the Set-apart (or Holy) Spirit is simply the power of Elohim. They use amongst other 1 Corinthians 2: 4 to ‘prove’ their assertion without reading from the beginning of the book.

This is why Rav Shaul wrote in Romans 1: 18 – 21, saying: ‘For the wrath of Elohim is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (19) because that which is known about Elohim is evident within them[4] (human beings - as we were created in Elohim’s likeness); for Elohim made it evident to them. (20) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes[5], His eternal power[6] and divine nature[7] have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (21) For even though they knew Elohim, they did not honor Him as Elohim, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.’ Knowing that mankind is composed of body, soul and spirit, we should have no excuse to know that similar to us, Elohim who is only one YHVH (according to Deuteronomy 4: 6), has two arms operating on earth, as witnessed in Deuteronomy 33:  27, as follows: “The eternal Elohim is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms[8]; and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, “Destroy!!’”  In Matthew 11: 2 – 6 we find Yahshua talking to the disciples of Yochanan the Immerser when they came to Him to enquire on Yochanan’s behalf, if He is the Expected One prophesied about by Isaiah or not. Yahshua answered them in verses 4 - 6, saying: “Go and report to Yochanan what you hear and see: (5) the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. (Saying in effect to Yochanan – yes; all the things that Isaiah wrote about Him, He performed) (6) And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me.” Then about the same subject, Yahshua warns the chief priests and the elders in Matthew 21: 33 – 40, relating a parable about a landowner who plants a vineyard, and at ‘harvest time’ (at the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles) he sends his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. But the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, killed another and stoned a third. Again he sent another group of slaves, larger than the first, but they did the same to them. Then he sent his son, believing that the vine-growers will at least respect his son, but they also killed his son.

At this point Yahshua asks (in verse 40), saying:: “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” upon which these religious leaders answered in verse 41, saying to Him: “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 seasons.” Considering the two phrases used in this section, namely ‘harvest time’ and ‘at the proper seasons’ we understand that Yahshua is talking about the Feast Days of Elohim, which should be kept at the proper seasons, but it also has to do with the identity of Yahshua the Son and the fact that they did not recognize Him. Yahshua conclude accordingly saying in verse 42 – 44: “Did you never read 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’? (43) Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of Elohim will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it. (44) And he who falls (stumbles) on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” Yes, this has to do with both the Feast Days of Elohim and Yahshua. Even though Yahshua spoke to the religious leaders of His time and the fact that they did not recognize Him, it also speaks to the religious leaders of our time - those to whom YHVH is offering the kingdom of Elohim at this time. Because some again stumble over who the rock is upon which Elohim’s congregation is being built, they also do not always keep the harvest times in their proper season.

The problem therefore starts when people get confused about who the rock is upon which the congregation of Elohim is built. This is exactly what Yahshua warned about in Matthew 7: 13 – 27, saying: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. (14) For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. (Yahshua’s way of interpreting Torah is very narrow, but it is the only way that leads to life) (15) Beware of the false prophets (who devise their own way to follow Elohim), who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (16) You will know them by their fruits (the way they apply Torah in their lives). Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? (17) Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. (18) A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) So then, you will know them by their fruits. (21) Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me on that day ‘Master, Master,’ did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name cast out demons, and in Your Name perform many miracles? (23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPRART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (24) Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. (25) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. (26) And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. (27) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.’ The house spoken about here is Elohim’s temple we are busy building, by teaching and immersing new believers in the way of Elohim. We need to ask ourselves: Are we building the house on the Rock of our salvation, namely Yahshua, or are we building it on what the so-called leaders, who believe they are the rock upon whom Yahshua is building His congregation? This is the same mistake made by the Roman Catholic Church at their establishment, i.e. that they as the modern day disciples (or more specifically Peter) have been given the authority to decide how the congregation should follow Elohim. We need to realize that all our doctrines have been established by YHVH in the flesh Himself. Those who do not understand what Yahshua said in Matthew 16: 18 & 19 are indeed stumbling over Him, the rock of our salvation. He is the foundation stone upon which Yahshua is building His congregation (even now).

Both Rav Kepha the person whom Yahshua addressed in verses 18 & 19 of Matthew 16 and Rav Shaul, understood what Yahshua meant by saying ‘And I also say to you that you are Peter (a pebble or small stone), and upon this rock (meaning Himself) I will build My congregation; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. (19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ The key to the Kingdom of Elohim that Yahshua gave the disciples (including us, His modern day disciples), is immersion in His saving Name. Once we are immersed into Yahshua’s saving Name, Rav Kepha tells us that we will receive the Set-apart Spirit. To complete the picture Rav Shaul 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.’ So it is clear, the key to eternal life is immersion and the subsequent receipt of the Set-apart Spirit, thus constructing the temple of Elohim and not the establishment of our own way (halacha) to follow Elohim, as Yahshua has already shown us the way. We read from Acts 4: 11 & 12 Rav Kepha (to whom Yahshua addressed the message in Matthew 16: 18 & 19), saying about Yahshua: “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS (those supposed to administer the congregation), 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.” To confirm this we read Yahshua’s own words affirming Rav Kepha’s words here, saying in John 5: 43 – 44, in this way: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name (making up his own halacha), 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?” Rav Shaul also knew that we as Messiah’s disciples have absolutely no right to set-up rules for fellow believers to follow, as Yahshua already told us how to live, clearly said in 1 Corinthians 3: 11, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Yahshua Messiah.”  All those who qualified through the discipleship program that we are continuing today are to teach followers of Messiah as He commissioned in Matthew 28: 18 – 20, saying: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Set-apart Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

It is true, we like Rav Kepha are all living stones as he wrote in 1 Peter 2: 5 – 10, explaining that Yahshua is the Rock of our salvation, as follows: ‘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 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 for 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. (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.’ The rebuilding of Israel and restoration of the exiles cannot be built by any man, or religion that omits the foundation and Chief Corner Stone, Yahshua the Messiah. Unlike some who teach otherwise, a building plan without a foundation results in the building leaning, or crumbling. Once we reject the stone or do not understand who or what it is, we go wrong! If we misunderstand the stone to be the apostles rather than Yahshua/YHVH Himself then we are on the wrong track. However, the fact that we know who Yahshua is, is not something that we know because of our own intelligence. In fact we read Yahshua’s own words in this regard, in Luke 10: 21 – 24, where He said: “I praise Thee, O Father, Master 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.”

So we see that the only way in which we will fully understand Messiah and the redemptive work of Elohim, is if Yahshua reveals Himself to us. Yahshua also gave us the conditions we need to fulfill, for Him to reveal Himself to us in John 14: 21, in this way: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.”’ Keeping the commandments that Yahshua gave us during His life on earth does not negate Torah, as He also said in John 5: 45 – 47: “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.”  So, obedience to Torah remains valid for a believer in Messiah, but so do all of Yahshua’s instructions, including what He said in Matthew 23: 1 – 3. The point is; if we truly believe that Yahshua is YHVH in the flesh, we will obey His every command, not contradict it. Think about it, as this might very well be the reason for Yahshua accepting us when He returns or not, as He said in Matthew 22: 14, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” If we refer to Yahshua as our Master and Savior, we need to obey him; we need to make sure that we keep the Feast Days of Elohim at the same time as He did during His life on earth. Yahshua is returning on Yom Teruah one day to save the tents of Judah first (as per Zechariah 12: 7), at which time according to Zechariah 12: 10 our Jewish Brothers will be keeping Rosh Hashanah in their synagogues and when they see His hands, they will accept Him as their Savior, which will cause the dead in Messiah to be resurrected (as per Romans 11: 15[9]).

 

Are we going to keep the Feast of Trumpets on that day, or are we going to keep it a day or two later when the crescent moon becomes visible. Even more importantly; if according to Leviticus 23: 17 the two loaves of bread baked with leaven, represent the two houses of Israel who are waived before YHVH on Pentecost for acceptance,  should we not make sure that we keep Pentecost at the same time as the house of Judah does?  We need to recall the parable of the 10 virgins which pictures the bride whom Messiah will marry at His return. We need to ensure that we obey Torah and keep Elohim’s Feast Days at their appointed times, else we will not be accepted, as per the example of the five foolish virgins in Matthew 25: 11 & 12, “And later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Master, master, open up for us.’ (12) But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’” Think carefully about it!

 

[1] Matthew 25: 1 – 12: “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil (symbolic for Torah) with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said to the prudent. ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, saying, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. And later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Master, master, open up for us.’ But he answered and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’”  

[2] 2012 being the year during which our exile came to an end, exactly 2730 years since 718 BCE - computed by comparing Ezekiel 4: 1 - 5 with Leviticus 26: 18, to arrive at the allotted period (of 390  times 7 or 2730  years) for our exile.

[3] The Law and the testimony spoken about here is also mentioned 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 of Yahshua.’ 

[4] Mankind is according to 1 Thessalonians 5: 23 composed of body, soul and spirit.

[5] YHVH is according to 1 Timothy 1: 17 & 6: 16: Invisible and immortal.

[6] Yahshua is according to 1 Corinthians 1: 24 as well as Jeremiah 32: 17 the great power and the outstretched arm of Elohim by which He made the heavens and the earth.

[7] The Set-apart Spirit is the divine nature of Elohim. We are given a portion of the Set-apart Spirit at immersion as a pledge to our inheritance (as per Ephesians 1: 13 & 14), giving us the ability to become partakers of the divine nature (as per 2 Peter 1: 4). It is the seed that Elohim implants in us, thereby begetting us again to one day like Yahshua be born again by being resurrected at Messiah’s return; it also empowers us to do Elohim’s will and work.

[8] These are Elohim’s arm with which He will judge the peoples as recorded in Isaiah 51: 5, in this way: “My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands will wait for Me, and for My arm they will wait expectantly.”

[9] Romans 11: 15, ‘For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?’