Monthly Archives: September 2018

SUKKOT 2018
‘THE DRESS REHEARSAL FOR . . .’

Based on our understanding of both Scripture, the seasons and the ‘lights in the heavens’, our tentative dates for Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles and The 8th Assembly are from the evening of October 22nd through the evening of October 30th, 2018.

AZAZEL – Devil or Deliverer?

In the not too distant past, we ran across statements concerning the word ‘Azazel’. The articles stated the word ‘Azazel’ refers to ‘the rebels of Israel’, ‘the prophets of Baal’ and even ‘Satan the devil’ himself.

Leviticus 16, part of the Torah portion entitled ‘Acharey Mot’ (After the death)sets the pattern for what would become Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement. In these passages is where we see, for the first time, the word ‘scapegoat’. In the Hebrew language, it is the word ‘azazel’. The Hebrew word ‘Azazel’ in Leviticus 16 comes from two Hebrew roots, one being a word for ‘goat’ and the other root meaning ‘to remove completely’ but strangely enough it is translated in many versions of Scripture as ‘scapegoat’.

‘Azazel’ is actually a Hebrew word meaning ‘total removal’ or’ the goat which causes or brings about total removal’. The scapegoat, or Azazel, is the live goat on whose head ALL the sins of Israel were pronounced and placed before it was sent into the wilderness, by the hand of a ‘fit man’. (Lev 16:21)

Mark 1 tells us, after Yeshua’s baptism, He was taken into the wilderness by The Spirit (the fit man) and tempted by satan for forty days. The writer of Hebrews (chapter 4) tells us Yeshua was tempted in all ways as we and yet sinned not.

At what point in history or Scripture were the ‘rebels of Israel’ or the ‘prophets of Baal’ or ‘Satan the devil’ the ones who took upon themselves ‘the sins of ALL Israel’ ?

BOTH goats in Leviticus 16, at the institution of what came to be Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) represent Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah, for He is the Only One Who was alive, the One who died, and the One Who lives again. ‘ . . . these things saith The First and The Last, which was dead and IS alive . . .’( Rev.2:8)

The one goat which was sacrificed (slaughtered) and whose blood was shed and placed on the mercy seat and the horns of the altar is a picture of the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua who went into the ‘holy place not made by hands’ and placed His blood once for all for all sin for them that will accept Him and look for His return. (Heb 9) ‘for without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin’.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it (the blood) to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it, The Blood, that makes atonement for your soul. (Lev 17:11)

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10)

And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring forth the live goat (Azazel): (Lev 16:20)

This second goat – The scapegoat – Azazel – the goat that removes entirely – received all the sins of all Israel and symbolically carried all the sins away from the people. “For He – Messiah Yeshua – became sin, He who knew NO sin, that we might become the righteousness of God through Him. (1 Cor 5:21)

As far as the east is from the west, so has HE – Messiah Yeshua – removed our sins from us . . . to be remembered no more. ( Psalm 103:12)

‘Azazel – total removal’ . . . Messiah Yeshua . . . Jesus the Christ

‘In the volume of the book it is written of Me . . .’

‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill’. (Mat 5:17)

For God so loved the world, he sent His Son . . .

Every aspect of Yom Kippur points us to Yeshua of Nazareth, the Promised Messiah of YHVH. .

Shalom

IS ‘JESUS’ WRONG?

Ok . . . here we go . . . case in point . . . On another social media site, we read the posting of a lady of catholic background who, six years earlier, had been witnessed to concerning Jesus and salvation by grace, became born-again and was baptized in water as a new believer. By the wording in her post, you could discern she was also new to the English language.  Now, 6 years into her walk of Salvation, she has been overwhelmed by those on social media telling her ‘the Name’ on which she called – the name ‘Jesus’ – is ‘pagan’ and counterfeit and now, by her own confession, she is more confused than ever.

It has been asked many times why Rhonda and I seem to ‘defend’ teachings of the church, or the use of certain words or names, and at times find fault within our HR camp of believers. We are not here to intentionally defend or find fault with anyone’s teachings or beliefs, but rather we are here to promote proper balance and to disseminate the Truth of The Word and ‘let the chips fall where they may’; not that we desire anyone to get hit by falling chips, but, ‘Iron sharpening Iron’ will always cause some sparks, hopefully creating more Light than heat.

We must always remember, not everything we taught and learned in ‘the church’ was wrong, and not everything we teach and promote in this HR/Messianic/Restoration Camp is correct, and vice versa.  And one of the things none of us ever want to be a part of is sowing seeds of doubt or confusion .

Most of us in this ‘Camp’ came out of ‘the church’ and called upon Jesus to save us from our sins and bring us into relationship with our heavenly Father. And now, in our newly acquired knowledge, we have come to the conclusion that that word – Jesus – is somehow false and pagan and leading people astray. But have we stopped to consider the logical conclusion to that line of thought.

Many years back (when we were much less seasoned in this new walk)  Rhonda and I were asked by a married couple if we would re-baptize them. They were born again, filled with the Spirit and baptized in Jesus’ Name. And now that they understood His ‘True Name’, that desired to be baptized in the Name of Yeshua.  We agreed, but later, after much thought, we regretted the action.

Matthew 28:19 records Yeshua’s Words this way – ‘ . . .baptizing them in the Name of The Father , and The Son and the Holy Spirit.’ We who came out of ‘the church’ understand the phrase ‘The Son’ to be a direct reference to Jesus or Yeshua our Messiah Himself.

Now here’s where it gets sticky. When we bring someone to the point of questioning the validity of their salvation or even believer’s baptism, because of the wrong spelling, pronunciation or language of a word or Name, we have started them down a very slippery and dangerous path. I mean, if my baptism in Jesus’ Name was not valid, well then what about my Salvation and my relationship to our Father? What about my eternity and my sinful past? Are my sins truly forgiven, or, if I die tonight, will I go to hell?

You see, it’s one thing to share with folks about the Hebrew and the Name our Messiah’s Momma potentially called Him and what that Name truly means. But it is another thing altogether to cause someone to doubt their relationship and salvation and potentially cause them to stumble and question or worse to doubt their salvation. Who wants to be responsible for that?

In Luke 17 Yeshua warns the disciples concerning causing ‘the little ones’ to stumble. Not only can that phrase refer to physical children but can it not also be used to refer to ‘babes’ or ‘little ones’ in the Faith? Yeshua said obstacles would come, but woe to those by which these obstacles come. We must be careful what words we speak and how we speak them and when and to whom. Who wants to be responsible for causing someone like this ‘6-year old in the faith’ that we mentioned above to stumble?

It is true that ‘Yeshua’ is an English transliteration of the Hebrew word for the moniker of the promised Messiah of Israel. And as best we can ascertain, it could very well be what His Momma called Him. But His ‘Name’ is much more than merely that word by which He is addressed. His Name is His Power, Majesty, Authority, Reputation, Sovereignty and Legacy.

There are and always will be errors in the teachings of man. The word ‘Jesus’ is not an error. If it is, then what does that say concerning the ‘coming to faith’, Salvation and baptism of the majority of believers?

In Acts 2, it says ‘they (from every nation, tongue and tribe under heaven) all heard in their own language . . .’ Where did the languages come from? They came from our Heavenly Father. (Gen 11:6-10) It is difficult for us to imagine that our Father would create languages without placing a set-apart name within each one of them by which to call on Him.

The Word doesn’t say we must speak Hebrew to call upon Him. It says if we cry out from a broken and contrite heart, He will hear and answer.

For if you confess with your mouth Jesus/Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God/YHVH raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (Rom 10:9-11)

Have you called upon His Name? Have you repented of your sins and accepted the fact that Jesus/Yeshua is the only way to our Father and life everlasting? Have you believed in your heart that our Father raised Him from the dead?  Then you shall be saved! HalleluYah & Shalom

you read, pray and decide . . .

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22697