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By Nathan Leal – December 27, 2013

• Inner sanctification will never be accomplished by outer works, or by the outer abstaining of things which are benign.
• Inner sanctification will not be accomplished by the adorning of the outer garments of spirituality.

Janus was the pagan god with two faces. So does this mean that little Joey’s Mommy is committing an abomination because she’s celebrating a party with Thor and Janus? Is Joey’s mommy pagan?

Folks, can you see how absurd that this is?

Again, how many of the anti-Christmas well meaning purists continue to schedule their lives and use the names on the calendar? I suspect it is all of them!

Here’s another disclosure, some of the months on today’s Jewish calendar are named after Babylonian false gods!

Tammuz was a Babylonian God, he was theson of Baal

There’s another thing about Christmas; it’s the chance to make good memories with your family and your children. It’s the chance to imprint a setting where your children gather together and talk about the birth of our Lord.

I recently announced that I have in autoimmune disease that may someday – “do me in.” With this in mind, I want to make as many memories as I can with my wife and my children. Making beautiful holiday memories is not pagan nor is it evil.

Sitting at a Christmas table and eating a turkey with my family is not pagan, it is a gift! Making beautiful memories is what we are all supposed to be doing right now.

So this is why I have decided to celebrate Christmas. I do not do it to make the world angry. I do not do it to give some ammunition and rocks to be thrown at me.

I do not do it to anger my Hebraic Roots and Messianic brethren out there.

I do it simply for one reason, because I love Jesus and I love my family.

For those of you who may be wrestling with this whole Christmas thing, please know that celebrating it or not celebrating it will not change the condition of your heart.

And making beautiful memories with your family is a privilege that will not always be available.

So my friends make the best of it, whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah or something else.
                     end of article

our first response
Brother Nathan – We have read your message on ‘Legalism’ and it troubles us in our Spirit greatly. Not because you might have caused some offense but because you have missed the point of Scripture and ‘pigeon-holed’ a lot of people with many of your statements. We support some of the comments you made and adamantly disagree with other statements based on the Word of the Living God. We cannot address all of this article at this time – it will take a day or two to pray and respond properly under the leadership of His Spirit. Allow it to suffice for now that we do pray for you – for healing, strength, provision – and all the watchmen – a group of which we are a part – and do not condemn folks for not walking according to the Word.
But there is much you have missed and misapplied in your article concerning ‘legalism’. By the way, do you understand the true definition of ‘legalism’ or ‘legalist’ ? It is one who walks and conducts themselves according to the recognized standard of conduct for the group to which they belong. As ‘Believers’ what is our recognized standard ? The Word – the full counsel of God . . .
not our denominational interpretation thereof. We are in our 60’s with many years in ministry with a strong baptist background and God has corrected us in many of these areas. Paganism and idolatry are not the same thing but both are abhorrent to our Father.
We love you brother and will share much more in the days to come.   Remeber, Hebrews 4:9 states that even in light of all that Jesus has done, there still remains a ‘Sabbath-keeping’ for God’s people. Study in the words . . . for they do mean something . . .
Blessings to you and yours – Jerry & Rhonda

Matthew 5:18 Truly I tell you ( Jesus speaking ), heaven and earth will pass away, but not the slightest stroke of a pen will pass from the Law until all has been accomplished.

Matthew 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of the commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

The Sabbath is a portion of the commandments ( the 4th commandment ) that we are mandated to obey . . . willful submission to the ways of a loving Father . . .

To say that  ‘the Sabbath is not a day’ is to ignore much of Scripture and much of what we are called to, both now and in the Kingdom to come as a set-apart people because of the Blood of Messiah . . .
Salvation by grace through faith . . . Christ, and Him crucified . . . then obedience . . . but  to the Word from a saved people is our choice . . . we can choose to be obedient children or disobedient children . . . the choice is ours . . . but there are consequences to our choices.
In the next segment of our response we will talk about ‘faith’ and ‘works’ . . .
We love you in the Lord and pray for you and your family in these days.
shalom – J & R               end of our first response

Shalom brother – I guess the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that nowhere in our response to you was ‘teaching you hebrew roots’ mentioned. The ‘information’ we shared is not just info and is not ‘hebrew roots’ but Scripture straight out of the book and in context.

Again . . .Blessings to you and yours – J & R      end of our reply . . .

FROM THE INSIDE OUT . . .

As we approach this season dubbed the ‘birth of Jesus ( Yeshua ) ’ we want to take a few moments to look at Luke 1 and other passages from a little different perspective and as a segue into an understanding of a deeper truth.  Allow us to establish up front that these and other writings of the Apostles are not in an effort to set a birthdate or birth celebration of the Messiah, but rather to establish the unavoidable fact that He is the promised Messiah spoken of by the Prophets, the ‘Seed of the Woman’  of Gen. 3:15, the ‘Son of Man’ with ‘all dominion’ of Daniel 7:13-14.  

Have you ever been reading your Bible and then, all of sudden, BAM !!, you see something in the passage or a connection to another passage that you’ve never seen before ? Well, that’s what happened back in 2011. There is much more to this, but here is an overview and the ‘reader’s digest condensed version’ . There is more to come.

The Scriptures address the concept of that which is good coming from the ‘inside out’ rather than from the ‘outside in’.  

“. . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks . . .”

                                                                                                    Matt 12:34;

          “ . . . From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. . .” 

                                                                                                                John 7:38

          “ . . . unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”                                                                                                        John 3:3-ff

          When the Tabernacle was erected, the process began from the inside out. The first thing that was put into place was the heart of the Tabernacle – the ‘Tent of Meeting’ – and it’s heart is the Most Holy Place – the place of The Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat – the earthly throne of God Almighty. Afterward the rest of the Mishkan ( the Tabernacle – the place of the Shekinah ) was put into place from the inside outward. ( Exo. 40 )

There is also another concept we see in the Word – the requirement of the shedding of blood to seal a covenant. It was customary for the parents of the bride to obtain and keep the ‘wedding night bedding’ in case the virginity of the bride was ever called into question. The shedding of blood was recognized as validation of the consummation of even this most holy and intimate of covenants. ( Deut.22:13-19)

Even EVE came from the ‘inside out’ of Adam back in the beginning. So What does all this have in common with the account of the birthing of Messiah in Luke’s writings ?

          As I was reading the passage in Luke about the then upcoming birth of Yeshua ( Jesus ), I was suddenly struck with an understanding of this passage that we had not seen or understand before.  She, Mary, asks the Angel Gabriel how all this could come about – birthing a child – since she was a virgin and had never had intimate relations with any man. He begins to explain to her that this event would come about by a work of the Spirit of God from the ‘inside’ rather than from the ‘outside’ by the will of man  . . . John makes reference to this concept in his Gospel rendering.

          Without being to graphic, we understand that when a man and a virgin woman come together intimately, there is the ‘shedding of blood’ in the ‘ tearing of the veil of her flesh ( the hymen ) ’ . The ‘seed’ is from the ‘outside in’ by the ‘will of man’ and the covenant between the bride and bridegroom is sealed by the shedding of that blood.

          Not the case with Mary and the conception of Yeshua . . . ‘for The Holy Spirit will come upon you and EL ELYON shall envelope you and this offspring shall be Holy . . .’ ( Luke 1:30-35 )  ‘ . . . and The Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . the only begotten of the Father full of glory and grace’ . . . ( John 1:14 ff )  The ‘seed’ was planted from the ‘inside out’ by Abba. So where is the ‘blood’ that seals the covenant ? It was shed at Yeshua’s birth. When the ‘veil’ of His mother’s flesh was torn from the ‘inside out’ at His birth, it was the consummation of the promise that Abba made in the garden and it was sealed by the blood shed at the birthing. By the way, at any birth there is both blood and water present. Keep that in mind . . .

          Hopefully we understand that when a man and woman ‘come together’ in an intimate relationship they have literally become ‘one flesh’. Also, if that intimate encounter culminates in pregnancy, the two have literally become ‘one flesh’ in the body, birth and life of the child. The child is ‘one flesh’, made up of the two, 100% mother, 100% Father, yet unique, one of a kind.

          So it is with Yeshua. At His birth, he was 100% flesh ( His mother ) and 100% Spirit ( His Father ), unique and ‘one of a kind’.  At His death – the ‘tearing of His flesh’  – not only was His bride ‘birthed’ ( blood & water – John 19:34) but it culminated in the birthing of ‘many children’.  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name . . .” John 1:12

          So let’s look at a bigger picture. Adam was put into a deep sleep and while he slept his side was opened up and out of that wound was ‘birthed’ his bride . . . from the inside out . . .  When Yeshua (the second Adam) went to the cross, His side was opened up and out of that wound HIS bride was birthed . . . from the inside out with water and blood. . . . the tearing of the veil, which is HIS flesh . . . ( Heb 10:20 ) .

A ‘veil of flesh’ was torn at HIS birth and at HIS death . . . the first tearing was the consummation of the promise (in Gen. 3) The second tearing not only birthed the bride of the Second Adam ( Yeshua )  but also consummated that relationship.  And THEN the veil of the temple was rent by Abba to display for the Bride that access to HIM had been secured through the blood of HIS Son.  The ‘veil was torn coming in and torn again going out . . . all of this, ‘from the inside out’ .

          So when we read the writings of the Apostles, let us remember part of their purpose. The point of the writers was not to establish a birth date or a birth celebration. Rather their writings would and should establish to all the prophesied lineage of the One born, the prophesied type of birth, and establish the fact that Messiah has come.  HIS birth fulfills the promise and the prophecies and reminds us that anything our Father GOD does is always from the ‘Inside Out’ .

In Matt. 5:17 Yeshua declares that He has come to fulfill . . . ( Heb. 10:7, Psa 40:7 ) Remember, nowhere are we commanded to celebrate His birth, but we ARE commanded to remember His death until He comes again and we know the month, day and hour of His death . . . not so with His birth.               ( 1 Cor. 11:24-26 )

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10

“ . . . I was sent only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel . . .” Matt. 15:24

Shalom U’Vrachot – Peace & Blessings – Rhonda

We just concluded an evening of ‘online discussion’ and felt compelled to post this here. Online discussions are something we rarely get involved in, but a good friend was being misrepresented and we felt we needed to step in. ‘Tradition’ in and of itself is not a bad thing, until we begin to elevate it to or above the level of the Scriptures. That is when we cross a dangerous line. We are always concerned when we see Scripture being validated by tradition and commentary rather than the other way around, traditions being validated or dismissed based on the WORD. You want mystery ? You want depth ? You want hidden truth ? You want revelation ? You want understanding ? You do NOT need to go to the sages or the commentary writers, whether they be Judaic or ‘christian’. Just go to the Word under the tutelage of the Ruach and you will get more than you can imagine . . . here’s an example . . . Shalom – R & J

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

Meanwhile, Back at the Well . . .

But I’m sure that’s all just a coincidence . . .

More from the Woman at the Well . . .

A PROPER BIBLICAL STANCE CONCERING ISRAEL

In a recent meeting with the leader of the PA, Mahmoud Abbas, Secretary of State John Kerry stated the official position of the United States of America – ‘the Israeli settlements in the west back are illegitimate’ . . . Those words should cause every Bible-believing born-again saint to catch their breath and run and hide ( in Messiah ) expecting the wrath of The Almighty to rain down any minute. It should cause them to rise up with righteous indignation and outrage against a governing administration that stands contrary to Father God in virtually everything it does. It should cause them to stand up, united, with one voice and shout ‘NO !!, that is NOT our position !!’

But, for the most part, that won’t happen.

Here’s a quick little bible lesson. In Genesis 12, GOD makes a promise to Abraham that is to be handed down through Isaac to Jacob and to all Israel ( that includes you – Gal. 3:29, Eph. 2:11-13 ) . The English version reads something like this – ‘And I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you’. The Hebrew version reads just a little different, and that ‘little difference’ makes ALL the difference in the world. It reads something like this – ‘ And I will bless them that bless you and I will bring a curse on them that slight you, trifle with you and esteem you of little or no account.’ hmmmm . . .

In Exodus 23 God Almighty says to Israel – ‘I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries . . .’

To stand against Israel’s God-given right and deed to ‘ The Land’ is to become their adversary, which places us as a nation on the wrong side of the line with GOD. To be ‘part and parcel’ to the ‘dividing of The Land’ is to no less than thumb our national nose in the Almighty’s Face . . . not smart . . .

So what do we do ? We take our stand, a Biblical stance. We pray for mercy and grace for the ‘ten righteous in town ( days of Lot ) . We, like Nehemiah, must stand for truth as laid out in the WORD and raise our voices to heaven to the Almighty and shout ‘Remember us LORD, for have done as you commanded and stood as you directed, for YOU and YOU ALONE are our covering !! ‘ Shalom –

IF . . .for only two letters, this word can carry a lot . . . and we know thinking out loud can get you into all kinds of trouble . . . but IF . . . what IF . . .

The accompanying article is from Arutz Sheva News out of Israel. Please read the article to get the entire jest of this report.

There has been a lot of talk concerning ‘tetrads’ – both past and future – and what they might mean, if anything.

Well, the following are just some ‘out-loud thoughts’ . . . please take them in that way . . . no date setting . . . no prognostications . . . no ‘it has to be this way’ . . . just ‘out-loud thoughts’ and questions . . . your thoughts would be welcome . . .

IF the blood moon cycles ( tetrads ) projected in 2014 and 2015 actually occur on the dates projected, and IF they fall on the holy days as projected, then they are extremely significant prophetically. In what way ? Not sure, but here are some thoughts . . .

IF, according to the article, the US is determined to force the PA/Israeli ‘peace plan’ by mid 2014, that could ( IF ) put the icing on the cake of the division of the land of Israel. The prophet Joel tells us part of the reason for the return of Messiah is to execute judgement on the nations for ‘dividing HIS land’ . . .

So, are we saying the blood moons are telling us Jesus is coming back next year or so ? NO, we are asking the question , ‘could that be the reason for these upcoming signs in the heavens’ ? Abba declares the ‘end out of the beginning’ and not ‘the event after it occurs’. I can do that.

The book of Matthew tells us there will be great tribulation and then there will be a ‘sign of the coming of the Son of Man’ and then we will see HIM coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Could the tetrads be a sign that points to HIS imminent  return ? By the way, look up the definition for ‘imminent’. You might be surprised.

So we are saying Messiah is coming in 2014 or 2015 ? NO.

We are asking ‘could this be a pointer’ to what is on the horizon.

Whether Messiah returns in 7 years or 17 years or 117 years (imminent – determined, not necessarily instantaneous), there will be a sign of HIS coming. We know HIS return is imminent, closer than must of us realize. So, am I supposed to be watching the sun, the moon and the stars and the heavens ? Scripture tells us that GOD put the lights in the skies to mark the times and seasons, and that’s NOT just speaking of spring and summer. Luke 21 does say ‘when you see all these things happening, look up, for your REDEMPTION draws nearer. Just some thoughts . . . Blessings –

1. US ‘Will Force’ Israel-PA Deal
by Gil Ronen

The United States intends to try and force a peace agreement on Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), IDF Radio reported Monday.

The radio station says the US has informed Israel and the Palestinian Authority that if negotiations between them do not advance, Washington will propose its own solution, that will include a US position on every point that is in contention. In effect, according to the report, this will be an attempt to force the sides to agree on a solution formulated by the US.

MK Zehava Galon (Meretz) was quoted as saying Monday that senior US officials told her the US offer would be presented in January of 2014. PA sources also said cited January as the month in which the US intends to propose, or impose, its plan.

The US moves comes after three months of talks between the sides which have reportedly made very little headway.

The US plan reportedly is similar to the Clinton outline, offered by President Bill Clinton in late 2000, which is based on an Israeli retreat to 1949 Armistice lines, and some swaps of territory.

The Obama Administration is reportedly determined to achieve “a dimplomatic breakthrough” by mid-2014, and believes that Israel under Binyamin Netanyahu and the PA under Mahmoud Abbas are capable of reaching agreement.

Until now, the talks were based on the idea that the two sides negotiate directly, with the US only acting as a mediator.

The American decision to present a proposed agreement was reportedly communicated by several senior officials, including the Special Representative to the talks, Martin Indyk. Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly briefed Netanyahu on the matter when they last met, in Italy.

IDF Radio is run by the Israeli military and partially staffed by soldiers but is considered to be a mainstream news outlet that is not substantially different from mainstream civilian outlets.

The following dream came on the heels of a time in which we were teaching, with the blessing of the pastor, in a main-stream denominational setting, and suddenly the door to that teaching opportunity closed. I asked the LORD ‘why ?’. Why are they no longer receiving ? I kept asking of the LORD and this is the dream HE gave me in response to my continued asking. Although I received this dream from Abba almost 10 years ago, Jerry & I feel compelled that now is the time to make it public. Shalom – Rhonda

2004

I was breast-feeding a baby and all seemed well and suddenly the infant began to choke. I sat the baby up and began to pat it on the back. As I was doing this, I noticed something in the infant’s mouth. I reached in the baby’s mouth to dislodge the object and began pulling a string out from the baby’s mouth. As I pulled, I realized the baby had swallowed the crib mobile. The baby had swallowed the mobile !! I was totally shocked and aghast !! The baby swallowed the mobile !!

After pulling the mobile out the baby was not moving and was non responsive, just staring forward with big eyes resembling a ‘cabbage patch’ doll. I sat the baby down. There was nothing more I could do for the baby. The dream ended.

INTERPRETATION

The ‘breast-feeding of the baby’ represents the teaching of the true milk of the WORD and the receiving of that WORD by the people. The baby represents the people.

The choking represents the inability of the ‘baby’ to take in any more of the much needed ‘milk’.

The ‘mobile’ represents all those things taken in by the ‘baby’ that prevents it from having any more room for the ‘true milk’.

The purpose of a ‘ baby’s crib mobile’ is to entertain, occupy, keep busy and eventually lull to sleep. Each of the objects on the mobile represent something the baby ( the people ) have swallowed hook, line and sinker preventing them from receiving anymore of the much needed true milk of the WORD.

Time is short. Many challenges lie ahead. May ABBA extend mercy and grace to all HIS  ‘babes’  today and in the days to come. Shalom – R & J

The Price of a Life

Each year, as we approach Yom Kippur, I am reminded of Noah and his family and the account of the great upheaval . . . the judgment and the deliverance that were dispensed by Abba’s ‘two-edged sword’ . . . and the ‘bringing together’ of the ‘beginning and the end’ of the Gospel picture within the pattern of the Feasts of the LORD.

In the account of the great flood we see most clearly in the hebrew the inseparable partnership ofPassover and Yom Kippur . . . the reconciliation and the covering.

I know it is old news for some, but this always intrigues me when I think on this passage – ‘Genesis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood;rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.’

In the english it reads “ pitch it within and without with pitch” . . . The first use of the word ‘pitch’ is the hebrew word ‘kaphar’ ( kippur ) which means to cover or atone . . . the second time the word ‘pitch’ is used in the verse is the word ‘kopher’ which means ‘ransom’ or ‘the price of a life’ . . . the word translated ‘within’ is actually the word ‘bayt’ – ‘house’ .

So this passage can be translated –

‘ cover the house, and outside – the price of a life . . . ‘

( Exodus 12 tells us of the ‘covering of the house with the Blood of the Lamb, the door being shut, those inside are safe, but outside – the price of a life’ . . . )

The word for ‘rooms’ in Gen. 16:14 is the Hebrew word for ‘nests’ . . . sounds a little more personal and intimate than just ‘rooms’ , doesn’t it . . . but it is more than that. Birds have nests, don’t they ?

Hosea 11:10 They will walk after the LORD, He will roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar, And HIS children will come trembling from the west.

11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the LORD.

Psalm 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, ( fowler – the one who hunts the birds ) . . .

And what is ‘gopher wood’ ? . . . don’t know . . . but I do find this interesting . . . the word for ‘wood’ ( ets ) is the also the hebrew word for tree or stake . . . the word ‘gopher’ is spelled gimel peh resh ( or GPR ) . . . the word ‘ kaphar’ or ‘kippur’ is caf peh resh ( or KPR ) . . .

See any similarities in the words ? The hebrew letters gimel and kaf are extremely similar in their appearance. Hummm . . . I wonder ?

Is it ‘gopher wood’ or is it a picture of the  ‘wood that is involved in the covering’   because of what ultimately takes place on that tree ?

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: ( Deut 21:23 )

I find it interesting that since a ‘tree’ was involved in the original problem, it follows suit that a ‘tree’ would be involved in the cure . . .

Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam GOD said, “Because . . . you have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground . . . “

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.

In the Gospels, John the Immerser declares – “ behold the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” ( john 1:29 ) . . . I believe that to be a ‘two-part’ statement.

Where does it say that a lamb takes away sin ? The goat was for Yom Kippur, not a lamb. The ‘lamb’ is the ‘shelem’ – the peace offering – that which reconciles two that are separated or at odds with one another. The two goats were the offerings for the Day of Atonement and the lamb is the reconciliation. Yeshua is both the two goats and the lamb . . .

And remember, GOD only covers ( kippur ) those that are His . . . and we become HIS by being reconciled back to Him by and through the blood of His Son.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by is life.

Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

As we approach Yom Kippur, is there anything in our lives that has separated us or ‘put us at odds’ with Abba or one another ? If ‘no’, you are a rare individual in a rare position. Most of us would have to answer ‘yes’ to that question.

Now would be a really good time to clear things up.

Do you want more of the Father and His Holy Spirit in your life and the life of your family ? Ask HIM what needs to change so there is more room for Him . . .

Sukkot is coming up. But you can’t get to Sukkot until you first pass Yom Kippur. Sukkot is the ‘family reunion of all times’. How do we get to be part of the family ? We enter at Passover. We come in through the Door. But once we’re in, the ‘sin’ has to go. We can’t come into the presence of Abba at the homecoming with sin. He cannot abide sin, and sinful flesh cannot stand in His presence. So we accept His Kippur – His covering – the blood and body of Yeshua.

Now we can enter His presence unafraid . . . for He sees us through the Blood of His Lamb . . . the One Who was born to die, and live again . . . for me and for you.

Chag Sameach – Blessings and Peace to you and yours . . .

The other afternoon Rhonda and I were walking around the yard with the youngest of our six grandkids while two of the others played in the distance. As we guarded his steps, listening and trying to understand his words and making sure he didn’t falter while keeping an eye on the others, I suddenly realized that, if time permits and the LORD tarries, they will have opportunity to return the favor . . . so as the days grow more challenging, may we be driven closer together in Abba . . . Shalom U’Vrachot – Peace & Blessings –