YHVH's Word - Simply Truth

 A moment of frustration becomes a long blog post of explanation!

An update on following YHVH's biblical calendar according to it's simplicity rather than according to man's traditions and complex interpretations.

Deuteronomy 30:11-16 
“For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off.   It is not in the heavens, to say, ‘Who shall ascend into the heavens for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’  Nor is it beyond the sea, to say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’  For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.   See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, in that I am commanding you today to love יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His right-rulings. And you shall live and increase, and יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in the land which you go to possess."

I am writing this special note as an update specifically regarding my previously published blog posts about the first harvest/first fruits at the time of Unleavened Bread, and even more specifically regarding the counting of the days of omer.

When I first wrote those 2 posts ("Counting the Days", and "Shavuot - YHVH's Biblical Pentecost"), I was not clear on the scriptures surrounding the first harvest and the count of the days to Shavuot which happens during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  I was new in my journey of reading YHVH's Word to take it at face value (literally instead of spiritualizing everything), and putting it into practice in obedience.   
I was searching His Word and changing my lifestyle and habits according to His Word on many things, but there were (and still are) parts of His Word that I was not familiar with or did not know about.  (It is hard to admit that after a lifetime of claiming to follow YHVH and reading His Word, I know so little about what His Word actually says but know so much of what people say that His Word says!)

I was instead following the practices and traditions of many modern Messianic Jewish and Christian groups and many groups of Rabbinic Judaism regarding specific topics such as counting the days to Shavuot.  I was trusting that they were following the Bible’s teaching.

After studying many scriptures regarding this and other topics, I have come to realize that the Bible is more simply clear and plain in this teaching than what many groups will admit it to be. 

 Psalm 118:8,9
It is better to take refuge in יהוה than to trust in man. 
It is better to take refuge in יהוה than to trust in princes.

The more time I spend reading YHVH's Word, tuning out any preconceived interpretations that come from my many years being taught by different people in many denominations of Christianity (as much as I can), the more amazed I am at how much He has created this life of humanity on earth to be dependent on Him for everything!  All parts of life on earth are part of the picture He has created that mirrors or sheds light on His Kingdom and His plan for dwelling with humanity for eternity!

Two quick examples:  He has put in place a way for mankind to know when each new month begins...the sighting of the new moon (new moon and new month are the same word - chodesh).

Genesis 1:14,15
 And Elohim said, “Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and appointed times [moedim], and for days and years, and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.” And it came to be so.
(take note of the word moedim - it will be important a little further along)

He has also put in place the way to know when each new year begins (which new month begins the new year)...the sighting of ripening barley (aviv actually means a green ear of barley) in the land of Israel.  Once the barley is in aviv stage, then the next new moon is the first month of the year.

In both of these examples, He is in control of when the new moon is sighted and when the barley reaches the aviv stage.  If we are to follow His instructions to keep the commanded festivals on the dates He commanded, then we must DEPEND on Him to show us the proper counting of these dates, rather than trusting on man's calendar based on scientific calcution.

I don't know about you, but for me, this type of dependence on YHVH for even knowing when a new month begins and when a new year begins brings such a sense of safety and complete trust!

I could go into more detail...the command to keep the Shabbat on the seventh day (which is even named Shabbat).  Six days of work, and then one shabbat of rest in Him.  Six years of growing crops, and then one shabbat year of rest for the land.  Seven cycles of these seven years and then the year of Jubilee follows (seven times seven plus one is 50 years...just as seven days times seven weeks plus one day is 50 days, counted from waving the aviv barely until Shavuot/Pentecost).

(What does all this counting do?  It keeps our minds and hearts focused on YHVH daily and weekly and yearly!)

The weekly six days plus Shabbat is also mirrored in the time of mankind on earth (like the six days of creation and then Shabbat) - 6000 years of mankind on earth (2000 years of world desolation, turning away from God; the flood; Tower of Babel, etc  + 2000 years of instruction from God - Torah; nation of Israel  + 2000 years of the days of Messiah encompassing the world) and then 1000 years of Messiah's reign on earth (millennium) equals 7000 years.

Hosea 6:1-3  (spoken to the Israelites)
Come, and let us turn back to יהוה. For He has torn but He does heal us, He has stricken but He binds us up.  After two days He shall revive us, on the third day He shall raise us up, so that we live before Him.  So let us know, let us pursue to know יהוה.  His going forth is as certain as the morning. And He comes to us like the rain, like the latter rain watering the earth.

What a promise, considering one day is like one thousand years!
This promise in Hosea could have several meanings or layers of fulfillment (as biblical prophecy many times does).  One of these very likely could be that YHVH, through Hosea, is pointing to the end of the 2000 years of Messiah (2 days), the time of the beginning His reign on earth as KING during the Millennium (3rd day).  At this time His chosen people will be drawn to Him.  They will know Him!  And they will live with Him.

2 Peter 3:5-9
For [mockers] choose to have this hidden from them: that the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by the Word of Elohim, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  And the present heavens and the earth are treasured up by the same Word, being kept for fire, to a day of judgment and destruction of wicked men.  But, beloved ones, let not this be hidden from you: that with יהוה one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.   יהוה is not slow in regard to the promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
(and the rest of the chapter continues the discussion of the end of days)

I don't know if I am making sense in trying to put some pieces together.  Do you see my excitement of how the Word of YHVH and plan of YHVH is so rich and meaningful and how every piece, large and small, fits in perfectly with all the others?  Every part of our lives with YHVH through His Messiah Yahshua is meant to turn us in dependence and obedience toward HIM...everything points to HIM!
I did not "see" these things before I began to be obedient to His Word.  When I was not keeping the Sabbath on the actual seventh day, I never thought about these things.  When I was not watching the moon to determine the times to keep God's commandments, I was not thinking about these things.  Now I see more and more every day how much I am and want to be totally dependent on God!  He is much more in my daily thoughts and actions than ever before!

These are just meant to be quick examples.  I don't intend to go into great detail regarding them.  I just wanted to give a glimpse of the intricacy of how everything in YHVH's Word is related and how dependent we are on HIM to guide us daily, weekly, yearly - throughout our lifetimes, throughout the time of mankind on earth!

Now, back to the specific topic of counting the days to Shavuot:

Since this blog is a telling of my journey in simple obedience to YHVH through Yahshua the Messiah, the Living Word, and since I am constantly learning more and discovering more as I journey with YHVH in His Word, I want to continue to post updates on these things that I discover.

This spring, at the beginning of the new year according to YHVH's instruction, I was reading through the biblical instructions for keeping Pesach (the evening meal), the week of Unleavened Bread, and the day of waving the first harvest of barley (which also begins the counting of days until Shavuot).

I wanted to be sure that I was clear on what Scripture says about observing and keeping these commanded appointed times.  And I was looking for how these things showed up in other parts of Scripture and in YHVH's overall plan.

I discovered that I was not clear.  I was assuming that I would keep the Pesach meal just as many others do - at the end of the 14th day ("between the evenings" is the Hebrew wording used to instruct the timing of the slaughter of Pesach lambs).

Leviticus 23:2-5
"Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘The appointed times [moedim] of יהוה, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times, are these: 
Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your dwellings. 
These are the appointed times [moedim] of יהוה, set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings [bein ha arbayim], is the Passover to יהוה."

Numbers 9:2-3
 “Now, let the children of Israel perform the Passover at its appointed time [moed].  On the fourteenth day of this month, between the evenings [bein ha arbayim], perform it at its appointed time [moed]."

Exodus 12:5,6
 "Let the lamb be a perfect one, a year old male. Take it from the sheep or from the goats.  And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it between the evenings [bein ha arbayim].

As I began to read some articles written by various people who keep YHVH's commanded feasts, I began to find some disagreements between people and groups (imagine that!).  Some said the evening of the 14th of the first month would be at the beginning of the 14th (since the day begins in the evening at sundown).  Others said that the Bible says to slaughter the lambs "between the evenings" (bein ha arbayim, as opposed to erev, which simply means evening), which would be late afternoon on the 14th....almost at the end of the 14th.  Then the time taken for preparation of the Pesach meal would mean that the meal would be eaten at night, on the beginning of the 15th.

Both groups had very convincing arguments.  And some groups had some not-so-nice things to say about the groups who did not interpret Scripture the same way they did (again, imagine that!).

Can you see why I began to get frustrated?

I have spent many frustrating hours in the past few months reading the teachings and thoughts of various groups who claim to follow the Bible in its instructions regarding….

1.  When to have the Pesach meal - at the beginning of the 14th in the evening or the end of the 14th in the evening?
NOTE: Just so you know, I ended this particular frustration by turning away from all the written interpretations of man and just reading the Scripture.  I compared all the places in the Word that use the phrase "between the evenings" and concluded that it was pointing to the end of the 14th to sacrifice the lamb, and then the meal would follow a few hours thereafter at the beginning of the 15th at night. Then I looked at the story of the LAMB of YHVH, the ultimate Pesach Lamb, and the time of HIS sacrificial death...in late afternoon on the 14th. And that is when I had my simple Pesach seder meal.  I began preparing it in the late afternoon on the 14th and ate it after dark on the 15.  It was wonderful!  And it was so meaningful to read the story of Yahshua's sacrifice and the connection to the original Pesach in Egypt!

2. When to observe the first harvest, which included the waving of the sheaf of first fruits barley by the priest.   AND

3. When to begin the count of 50 days to Shavuot, which was commanded to begin the same time as the waving of the first barley harvest

Because of my realization that I should be relying much more on YHVH's Word and not on man's calendars to tell me when to obey YHVH's Word, I want to be as obedient as I can be in my simple understanding of YHVH's Word.  This is why I was reading articles written by people and groups who claim to follow God's Word (not always such a good idea!).

I had the same frustration when I took a closer look at the observance of the day of waving the first barley harvest and beginning the count of days to Shavuot.  In the past, this part of the feast of Unleavened Bread had been a bit unclear to me, and I had not really taken time to read and understand the Word regarding this command...until now.

What the Scripture says about the waving of the first harvest of barley may seem to be vague at first...

Deuteronomy 16:6-10
...but at the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell, there you slaughter the Passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time [moed] you came out of Egypt.   And you shall roast and eat it in the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.  Six days you eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is a closing festival to יהוה your Elohim – you do no work.   Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.  And you shall perform the Festival of Weeks to יהוה [Shavuot/Pentecost] your Elohim, according to the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as יהוה your Elohim blesses you.

Leviticus 23:8-11, 15-16
..."And you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה for seven days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work."
  And יהוה spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest.  And he shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it.....
And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה."

Many of the Messianic Jewish congregations and groups (and some Christian groups who actually keep God's moedim) follow the "traditional" calendar of Rabbinic Judaism, which interprets these Scriptures to mean that the waving of grain and beginning of the count of 50 days should begin on the day after the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which is on the 15th)...so that would mean that the count always starts on the 16th.

I was looking at several calendars and noticed they all said that the waving of grain and the counting were on the 16th, and I was confused because I had just read that the count should begin on the day after the Sabbath.

So I went looking online.  I read many online articles.  Again, I read many conflicting "proofs" and interpretations of Scripture.  Every time I read a new article or a new interpretation, my frustration level continued to grow and grow.

At the height of my frustration, when I really just wanted to be obedient to my YHVH and His Word and yet all I was reading was bickering arguments and complex analogies of Scripture, I came to a point of saying “if the Bible is so vague and unclear about such important commanded and appointed times, then what is the use of trying to obey?”

Immediately after this thought, I would remind myself that it is man’s traditions and analysis of Scripture that is deficient, not Scripture itself!  So I would stop reading the (at times vitriolic) teachings of various groups, each attacking the others’ interpretations and claiming to have the right way of following God’s commands, and I would go back to the Word itself, in the original Hebrew language, and read it again and again.

After reading these Scriptures several times, and after comparing the original Hebrew with other Scriptures (using tools like Strongs and E-Sword), I saw suddenly how simple, direct, and clear the Word is on this point!

There are 3 words in use in solving this question:  shabbat (singular), shabbatot (plural of shabbat), and shabbaton (a related word to shabbat but not the same usage and meaning).  I won't go into great detail here, because this is something you can also search for yourself!  I will just give an overview of what I saw as I searched the Word.

The issue of conflict between groups is that the first day of Unleavened Bread (the 15th day of the first month) and the seventh day of Unleavened Bread (the 21st day of the first month) are both days of rest and no work according to Scripture.  (See Leviticus 23)

Some groups call these two days of no work, shabbats.
But they are not called shabbats in the Scripture.  They are called holy rehearsals or holy assemblies (miqra kodesh).  In fact, the only days that the Scripture refers to as shabbats are the actual Shabbats (seventh day of the week).  The only other time the word shabbat is used to describe any other day is in Leviticus 16:31 about Yom Kippurim (Day of Atonement)...and here it is called a shabbat shabbaton (a shabbat of rest).  The word shabbat, when used alone, refers strictly to the seventh day of the week throughout Scripture. 

How wonderful to come to a point of such peace after being in a state of such frustration!

It was so simple to see that the Shabbat (weekly seventh day) that occurs during the week of Unleavened Bread is the Shabbat that Scripture refers to when commanding us to begin counting the 50 days to Shavuot/Pentecost.  

And that is when I started my counting!  

Let me ask again....what is the purpose of all this counting?

Well, I don't know all the answers.  And I am sure that at some point some deeper meanings and connections will be made plain to us who keep YHVH's commands.

But for now, I can tell you that YHVH's command to count 50 days until Shavuot keeps my mind and heart focused on Him daily!  It is a constant reminder, like the moon, and like the weekly Shabbat, and like many other other reminders He provides in daily life....a reminder that HE is the center of my life, of all life!

Thanks for hanging in there with me during this long explanation of a seemingly small realization!

As we count the days, may we continue to be focused on HIM, on our Passover Lamb, our KING in love and obedience!

Gina

 

New World Order...

              ...It is real.  It is YHVH's!  
                          (but not what you might think!)

The center of this stylized world map is JERUSALEM.

If you arrived at this blog post today by doing an internet word search for “new world order,” I should let you know that this blog post is most likely not what you were looking for.

Of course, I welcome you to continue reading!

I was just perusing an article in the most recent issue of the magazine Israel Today.  The title of the article is “Welcome to the ‘Zionist Games’ 2012.”  The article tells the story of authority figures in the Iranian government who have been claiming that Zionists clearly have control of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Apparently, if you use your imagination, the logo of this year’s London games, which is supposed to be a distorted rendition of “2012,” can instead be made to read “Zion.” 

 

The International Olympic Committee replied that the logo represents the year 2012 and nothing else.

And that should have been the end of that.

But after this accusation came out of Iran, the Internet went a-buzz with claims “that a Zionist controlled New World Order was using the London games as another step in its plan for world domination” (Israel Today, Aug/Sep 2012, p 3).

My purpose today is not to speak about this particular conspiracy theory regarding the New World Order, or any other conspiracy theory about the New World Order. 
Do I have my own opinions on these theories, one way or the other?  Yes, to some extent.

But my purpose is not to prove or disprove any of these theories.   
Some theories turn out to be just that - theories, and some theories turn out to be true.

I am only interested in dealing with the TRUTH in this blog post…and it may surprise you when I say that there is truth in the words of this claim about Zion and the New World Order!

Of course, I am not speaking about the particular Iranian claim about the Zionists planning for world domination!

I am speaking about a truth on a much grander scale…the Biblical truth that God’s order of things, God’s sovereign authority over all nations,  God’s eternal plan has everything to do with Zion and with His chosen people.

As always, I want to let YHVH’s Word speak for itself…so let’s first take a look at the truth of Zion according to a handful of Scriptures:

Psalm 14:7 
O that the deliverance of Israel would be given out of Zion!  When YHVH turns back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.  (the Messiah!)

Psalm 110:1,2 
YHVH said to my Master,  “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.  YHVH sends Your mighty scepter out of Zion.  Rule in the midst of Your enemies!  (the Messiah!)

Isaiah 52:5-10

“And now, what have I here,” declares YHVH, “that My people are taken away for naught?  Those who rule over them make them wail,” declares YHVH, “and My Name is despised all day continually.  Therefore My people shall know My Name, in that day, for I am the One who is speaking.  See, it is I.”  How pleasant upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings good news, who proclaims deliverance, who says to Zion, “Your Elohim reigns!”   
The voice of our watchmen!  They shall lift up their voices, together they shout for joy, because eye to eye they see the return of YHVH to Zion.  Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem!  For YHVH shall comfort His people, He shall redeem Jerusalem.  YHVH shall lay bare His set-apart arm in the eyes of all the nations.  And all the ends of the earth shall see the deliverance of our Elohim.   (the Messiah!)

Joel 3

For look, in those days and at that time, when I turn back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, then I shall gather all gentiles, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.  And I shall enter into judgment with them there for My people, My inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the gentiles, and they have divided up My land….Proclaim this among the gentiles, “Prepare for battle!  Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of battle draw near, let them come up….Hasten and come, all you gentiles, and gather together all around.   
O YHVH, let Your mighty men come down here.  Let the gentiles be aroused, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.  For there I shall sit to judge all the gentiles on every side.”… Sun and moon shall become dark, and stars shall withdraw their brightness.  And YHVH shall roar from Zion and give forth His voice from Jerusalem.  And the heavens and earth shall shake, but YHVH shall be a refuge for His people, and a stronghold  for the children of Israel.  “Then you shall know that I am YHVH your Elohim, dwelling in Zion, My set-apart mountain.  And Jerusalem shall be set-apart, and foreigners shall not pass through her again.”

Micah 4:1-7

And in the latter days it shall be that the mountain of the House of YHVH is established on top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills.  And people shall flow to it.  And many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of YHVH, to the House of the Elohim of Jacob, and let Him teach us His ways, and let us walk in His paths.  For out of Zion comes forth the Torah, and the Word of YHVH from Jerusalem.  And He shall judge among many peoples, and reprove strong nations afar off….   
For all the peoples walk, each one in the name of his mighty one, but we walk in the Name of YHVH our Elohim forevery and ever.  “In that day,” declares YHVH, “I gather the lame, and I bring together the outcast and those whom I have afflicted.  And I shall make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation.  And YHVH shall reign over them in Mount Zion, from now on and forever.”

(see also Isaiah 2:2-4)

Romans 11:25-27

For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this secret, brothers, lest you should be wise in your own estimation, that hardening in part has come over Israel, until the completeness of the gentiles has come in.  And so all Israel shall be saved, as it has been written, “The Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and He shall turn away wickedness from Jacob, and this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”   (the Messiah!)

(see Isaiah 59:20-21) 

1 Peter 2:6-8 
…it is contained in the Scripture, “See, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, precious, and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame. [Isaiah 28:16]”  This preciousness, then, is for you who believe; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, [Psalm 118:22]” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling, [Isaiah 8:14]” who stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed.  (the Messiah!)

And finally, a scripture that brings together the truth that YHVH is in control of this world, from beginning to end – He has a plan – it has everything to do with Zion and His people, and the nations, and the Redeemer – it will come to pass!

Isaiah 46:5-13

“To whom do you liken Me, and compare Me and make me similar, that we should be alike?....Remember this, and show yourselves men; turn it back, you transgressors.  Remember the former events of old, for I am El, and there is no one else – Elohim, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from of old that which has not yet been done, saying, ‘My counsel does stand, and all My delight I do,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a distant land.   
Indeed I have spoken it, I also bring it to pass.  I have planned it, I also do it.  Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness:  I shall bring My righteousness near, it is not far off,  and My deliverance, it is not delayed.  And I shall give deliverance in Zion, my glory to Israel.”   (the Messiah!)

And while we are in Isaiah…

(did you know that Isaiah is one of the books of the Tanakh most quoted by Yahshua?)

 Here is another place in Isaiah that demonstrates how YHVH feels about Zion and Jerusalem.

Isaiah 31:4-9

 (the beginning of the chapter speaks of YHVH’s actions against Egypt’s attacks, and the end speaks of Assyria).

For this is what YHVH has said to me, “As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey, though a band of shepherds is called out against him, he is not afraid of their voice nor disturbed by their noise, so YHVH of hosts shall come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.  Like hovering birds, so does YHVH protect Jerusalem – protecting and delivering, passing over and rescuing.”  Turn back to Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply fallen away. ...”and a sword not of mankind shall devour [Assyria]…and his strength pass away because of fear, and his commanders shall be afraid of the banner,” declares YHVH, whose light is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

I could go on quoting Scriptures that show how YHVH views Zion and Jerusalem, but I think these verses paint enough of a picture for us to continue on to the next point.

So what is the “new world” part of YHVH’s “new world order”?

It is a feat so awesome and terrifying and wonderful and mystifying.   

No human being, no human organization, no human nation, no human government, no human race can even begin to think they are capable of creating a “new world order”.  No one will ever be a match for the Creator of all, the King of the Universe, the Sovereign above all gods. 

His new world order is just that…everything new!   

New heavens and new earth…New Jerusalem for an eternal dwelling place with our Elohim!

I’m sure many of you are familiar with the scripture wherein YHVH speaks about creating new heavens and a new earth.

But do we pay close attention to the verses that come directly before it?

Let's take a look.  It is also found in Isaiah.

Isaiah 65

… "I have held out My hands all day long to a stubborn people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts; the people who provoke Me continually to My face, who slaughter in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick; who sit among the graves, and spend the night in secret places, who eat flesh of pigs, and the broth of unclean meat is in their pots, who say ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’  These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day.”….
“And I shall bring forth a seed from Jacob, and from Judah an heir of My mountains.  And My chosen ones shall inherit it, and My servants dwell there…for My people who have sought Me.”

“But you are those who forsake YHVH, who forget My set-apart mountain, who prepare a table for Gad [Babylonian god], and who fill a drink offering for Meni [Babylonian god].  And I shall allot you to the sword, and let you bow down to the slaughter, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear, and you did evil before My eyes and chose that in which I did not delight.” …”See, My servants eat, but you hunger;  see, My servants drink, but you thirst; see, My servants rejoice, but you are put to shame…for the Master YHVH shall put you to death, and call His servants by another name…the former distresses shall be forgotten…they shall be hidden from My eyes.”

[and now the oft-quoted part...]

“For look, I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to heart.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for look, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.  And I shall rejoice in Jerusalem, and shall joy in My people, and let the voice of weeping no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”

This leads directly into the final chapter of Isaiah which is a continuation of what will happen to those who rebel against YHVH and those who choose to follow Him.

I will let you read chapter 66 on your own.  For now I will just include a short section.

Isaiah 66:20-23

"And they shall bring all your brothers as an offering to YHVH out of all the gentiles...to My set-apart mountain Jerusalem," declares YHVH, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the House of YHVH....For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before Me," declares YHVH, "so your seed and your name shall stand.  And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," declares YHVH.

What does the B'rit Chadashah (New Covenant) say about this topic?

I am sure you recall...but let's take a look anyway!

2 Peter 3:10-18

(as always, it is vital to read the whole chapter)

But the day of YHVH shall come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are in it shall be burned up.  Seeing all these are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be in the set-apart behavior and reverence, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of Elohim, through which the heavens shall be destroyed, being set on fire, and the elements melt with intense heat! 

But according to His promise we wait for a renewed heavens and renewed earth in which righteousness dwells....You then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless, but grow in the favor and knowledge of our Master and Savior Yahshua Messiah.  To Him be the esteem both now and to a day that abides.  Amen.

Finally, what is the "order" part of YHVH's "New World Order"?

Ahhhh...this is the best part!  Rather, it's one of the many best parts!
This is the all-encompassing, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal power and glory of El Gibor, El Elyon, the I AM, the First and the Last, the Creator, the Redeemer, the only One True Living Elohim...YHVH!

Mankind thinks he/she is smart? 
Governments think they are in control? 
Nations think they can plan and rule and conquer? 
HA!  YHVH alone is in conrol!

Job 38:1-18
Then YHVH answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  Now gird up your loins like a man, and I ask you, and you answer Me.   Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.  Who set its measurements, if you know? Or who stretched the line upon it.  Upon what were its foundations sunk? Or who laid its corner-stone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy?  Or who enclosed the sea with doors, when it burst forth and came from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; and assigned for it My law, and set bars and doors; and said, ‘This far you have come, but no farther, and here your proud waves stop?’ 
Have you ever commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place, to take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wrong be shaken out of it?  It is changed like clay under a seal, and they stand out like a garment.  And their light is withheld from the wrong, and the arm lifted up is broken. Have you come to the sources of the sea? Or have you walked about in the recesses of the deep?  Were the gates of death revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?  Have you understood the breadth of the earth? Declare, if you know it all.

Awesome!  And reading from here to the end of Job is even more awesome! 

But wait...there's more...

Isaiah 40.  This is the first of the seven "Comfort" portions from Isaiah that are read each Shabbat between now and Yom Teruah (The Day of the Shofar Blast)...one portion each Shabbat for seven weeks.  (The first portion, Isaiah 40, was read last week on Shabbat.)

Isaiah 40:8-28
 “Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, but the Word of our Elohim stands forever.”  You who bring good news to Zion, get up into the high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, “See your Elohim!” See, the Master YHVH comes with a strong hand, and His arm rules for Him. See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He feeds His flock like a shepherd, He gathers the lambs with His arm....Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and measured the heavens with a span, and contained the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?  Who has meted out the Spirit of YHVH, or as His counselor taught Him?  With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of right-ruling? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding? 
See, nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are reckoned as dust on the balance. See, He lifts up isles as fine dust....All nations before Him are as a non-entity, and they are reckoned by Him as less than a speck, and emptiness.  And to whom would you liken El? And what likeness would you compare to Him? ....Did you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in, who brings princes to naught, shall make the rulers of the earth as emptiness.  Hardly have they been planted, hardly have they been sown, hardly has their stock taken root in the earth, when He shall blow on them and they wither, and a whirlwind take them away like stubble.  “And to whom then do you liken Me, or to whom am I compared?” says the Set-apart One.  
Lift up your eyes on high and see. Who has created these? He who is bringing out their host by number, He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power – not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from YHVH, and my rights are overlooked by my Elohim”?  Did you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, יהוה, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 

(Of course, the rest of this chapter is well-known and much-quoted.  Isn't it great to get the whole context and see what is inextricably attached to the well-known quote!?)


And this brings us full-circle back to Zion!
  YHVH's plan, which will culminate in His New World Order, has everything to do with His Chosen People and His Chosen Land....why?  Because of His love for all nations and His desire to dwell with those who love Him and choose to obey Him through the Redemption of His Messiah!

Deuteronomy  7:6-8
"For you are a set-apart people to YHVH your Elohim.  YHVH your Elohim has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a treasured possession above all the peoples on the face of the earth.  YHVH did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more numerous than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples, but because of YHVH loving you, and because of Him guarding the oath which He swore to your fathers, YHVH has brought you out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the...hand of Pharaoh..."

Isaiah 42:5-8
Thus said the El, YHVH, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it:  “I, יהוה, have called You in righteousness, and I take hold of Your hand and guard You, and give You for a covenant to a people, for a light to the gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am יהוה, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols."

Isaiah 49:3, 6-7
 And He said to Me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I am adorned.’.... and He says, “Shall it be a small matter for You to be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved ones of Israel? And I shall give You as a light to the gentiles, to be My deliverance to the ends of the earth!”  Thus said יהוה, the Redeemer of Israel, their Set-apart One, to the despised , to the loathed One of the nation, to the Servant of rulers, “Sovereigns shall see and arise, rulers also shall bow themselves, because of יהוה who is steadfast, the Set-apart One of Israel. And He has chosen You!”

(This portion of Isaiah 49 shows in such a clear way that Israel and Yahshua are bound together.  Many places in the prophetic scriptures that are clearly "Messianic", as in referring to the promised Messiah, are also talking about Israel.  Israel is fallible...Messiah is infallible.  Both are part of YHVH's ultimate plan of redemption for the nations, the gentiles.  But this is a topic for another blog post!)

I know that this post is a long one...and yet I have only scratched the surface of this very important and very broad topic! 

A true understanding of YHVH's Word and YHVH's Truth and YHVH's Kingdom and YHVH's Redemption should bring us to our knees in humble repentance and desire to seek His ways in obedience and love through Yahshua! 

May those who are living in lawlessness (apart from YHVH's way of living) and those who are deceived by the ways and plans of the world's "wisdom" and those who are trusting in man and power and wealth turn and know the truth of the emptiness and hopelessness and utter destruction of such ways.

May even those whose hearts have been hardened like Pharaoh and whose necks are stiff against YHVH come to see and know His Truth and have their hearts turned from stone into flesh by the blood of Yahshua - the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Sacrificial Lamb of YHVH! 

Let us trust in the only true New World Order...YHVH's!

Until next time, I want to leave you with a quote from the very end of the Book.

Revelation 21:1-7
And I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.  And I, Yoḥanan, saw the set-apart city, renewed Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from Elohim, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying, “See, the Booth of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them and be their Elohim.  And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former matters have passed away."  
And He who was sitting on the throne said, “See, I make all matters new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and trustworthy.”  And He said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Tav’, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I shall give of the fountain of the water of life without payment.  The one who overcomes shall inherit all this, and I shall be his Elohim and he shall be My son."

In the faithfulness of our Aleph and Tav, Yahshua,
Gina

YHVH's TRUTH . . . Do We Really Want to Know?

Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose expectancy is in YHVH his Elohim, Maker of the heavens and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who is guarding truth forever... Psalm 146:5-6


Today I want to start off by taking you back to my teaching days.
I used to teach high school English. One of the common themes we studied in high school literature was the theme of "appearance versus reality," which is a common theme not only in classic literature but in all aspects of life (because it is true that art mimics life).


Today's blog topic was sparked by this past week's events in the Mediterranian Sea off the coast of Israel - the widely-publicized situation between the Israeli Defense Forces and the flotilla from Turkey trying to break through the blockade to Gaza.
I was sickened, but not surprised, to find that my own city's newspaper was reporting slanted "truth" about Israel regarding the events surrounding the flotilla of "aid" being shipped to Gaza.



What is truth? Isn't that the question Pilate asked when he had to pronounce a verdict upon Yeshua in John chapter 18?
Isn't that the question that we are all faced with...the question we are all confronted by...the question that will not go away?


Take a look at these three optical illusions.
The first two are illusory patterns using colors and shapes to trick our eyes and brains into thinking the shapes are actually in motion.
Are they in motion?
Look again.
In reality - in TRUTH - they are standing still.


The third one is a sidewalk-chalk art creation by the famous and talented artist of optical illusions - Julian Beever.
Is this really a photo of a rapid whitewater river flowing down the middle of an urban sidewalk?
I'm sure your brain knows the truth, but your eyes continue to try to convince your brain otherwise.

It looks so real, so convincing!


Who wants to know the truth?
Why even try to speak the truth and find the truth? It seems that people don't want to hear it. Too many times too many people are content to follow blindly the lies set before them, the appearances and perceptions of reality rather than looking deeper for the TRUTH.

And who is behind all of this? The Deceiver.
Yeshua said this of him in John 8:44...
"From the start [Satan] was a murderer, and he has never stood by the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is speaking in character; because he is a liar -- indeed, the inventor of the lie!"

It happens every day...in relationships, between people, in business, between nations, in the media...we see and hear what appears to be true, and we believe it without REALLY looking for the truth.

If truth was not absolute, living life according to what appears to be real would be okay. If we could make truth into whatever we wanted it to be or whatever was convenient, then it wouldn't matter if what appears to be real is not really real. (Confused yet? This is how so many people live their lives!)

But, inconveniently for many, TRUTH is TRUTH.
TRUTH is absolute.
TRUTH does not change.
It cannot be morphed into something else.

What is the truth about what happened on the Turkish aid ship?
Will the world really look at the truth and admit it is the truth?
Will it make a difference?
The mainstream media has taken this story, twisted the facts, and fed the world a bunch of lies. And many in the world have believed the lies (including, sadly, many in the church who call themselves believers and say they know the Word of God).

Actually, the reactions of so many around the world toward Israel this past week are not surprising and are in keeping with God's Word of Truth. God said that all nations will eventually come against Israel... Truth that is being played out increasingly as history marches on. And in the end, Israel will still be exactly what YHVH has declared her to be: His chosen people and His chosen land of inheritance, the place He has chosen as the dwelling place for His Name. Nothing will be able to stop YHVH's Word of TRUTH.


Yes, this situation that Israel was thrust into this past week and the lies that have been thrown around are the spark that brought this blog post into being. If you have only been hearing what the media has been feeding you, and you really are interested in knowing the TRUTH about the situation, then I encourage you to look at some truth-based websites.
Here are a couple of places to start:
www.israeltoday.co.il
www.israelprayercenter.org



Now, I want to go further than this one recent situation. I want to seek what it means to know YHVH's TRUTH, because so many who say they have a relationship with YHVH are not actually living according to His TRUTH, but instead are living accoring to what other people call "God's truth" but is really man's idea of what God says. There is a vast difference!

So...what is Truth?
TRUTH is WHAT YHVH SAYS...HIS WORD!

Exodus 34:4-6
Moses cut two stone tablets like the first. Then he got up early in the morning and, with the two stone tablets in his hands, ascended Mount Sinai, as YHVH had ordered him to do. YHVH descended in the cloud, stood with him there and pronounced the name of YHVH. YHVH passed before him and proclaimed: "YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth..."

Deuteronomy 32:3-4
For I proclaim the Name of YHVH, ascribe greatness to our Elohim. The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are right-ruling, a God of truth and without unrighteousness, Righteous and straight is He.

Psalm 25:10
All YHVH's paths are grace and truth to those who keep his covenant and instructions.

Psalm 33:4
For the word of YHVH is true, and all his work is trustworthy.

Psalm 43:3
Send out your light and your truth; let them be my guide; let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the places where you live.

Psalm 117:1-2
Praise YHVH, all you nations! Worship him, all you peoples! For his grace has overcome us, and YHVH's truth continues forever. Halleluyah!

Psalm 119:142
Your righteousness is eternal righteousness, and your Torah is truth.

Zechariah 8:3,7,8
YHVH says, 'I am returning to Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called Truth City, ADONAI-Tzva'ot's Mountain, the Mountain of the Holy One'.... ADONAI-Tzva'ot says, 'I will save my people from lands east and west; I will bring them back, and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people; and I will be their God, with truth and righteousness.'

John 8:31-32
So Yeshua said to those disciples who believed Him, “If you stay in My Word, you are truly My taught ones, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 14:6
Yeshua said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 17:17-19
[Yeshua, to YHVH] “Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for them I set Myself apart, so that they too might be set apart in truth."


So, if TRUTH is YHVH's Word, and YHVH's Word is TRUTH, do you think He might have something serious to say about twisting His truth and basing our lives on lies instead of His TRUTH?

YES, He does!

There are so many places in His Word where He warns us about going against His TRUTH. I will just list a few references, and you can look them up yourself.

Isaiah 48
Isaiah 59
Jeremiah 7
Jeremiah 9
Romans 1:16-2:29
2 Thessalonians 2
2 Timothy
1 John


YHVH's Truth...He takes it seriously...we must live in His TRUTH alone. There is no other truth. There is no other reality. Anything else is a lie that only appears to be true. No matter the cost, no matter what it takes, I want to live my life knowing and speaking the TRUTH - YHVH my God through Yeshua His Living Word of Truth.


Seeking YHVH's TRUTH above everything else,

Gina