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Educational Resources

No More Gentile

As many of my readers know I grew up in the Christian Church, even though I am Jewish. It was not until I was in my twenties that I returned to the roots of my faith. There was one underlying belief system running through the church though, that never really sit right with me. Opps did I say one, there where many, but for this article we are going to focus on the one that is bugging me today. That being the belief system that Christians are Gentiles, which have merely been saved by grace.
So while this article is about the gentile mentality we must take a look at the whole grace dichotomy first to really make since of it. Traditionally in the Christian church the word grace is thrown around as an escape phrase when someone’s sin has been exposed. Now don’t get we wrong without grace NO FLESH could be saved.

So while this article is about the gentile mentality we must take a look at the whole grace dichotomy first to really make since of it. Traditionally in the Christian church the word grace is thrown around as an escape phrase when someone’s sin has been exposed. Now don’t get we wrong without grace NO FLESH could be saved. But grace the way it is being used in the church is detrimental to ones salvation. Grace is not a license to sin. Grace is for those sins that we committed before coming to the knowledge of truth, or those sins that we commit unknowingly after we have come to the knowledge of truth.

The sad thing is.  In Many Christian churches around the world a popular catch phrase is being regurgitated from behind pulpits. The diatribe goes something like this. We all sin every day and without grace none of us would have a chance. Even though the entire message of the bible is to live without sin, pastors excuse it from behind the pulpit. They do this for a verity of reason but more then likely it boils down to one of these two. #1 they are excusing their own sin to keep their position or, #2 they are excusing the sin of their congregants so as to not affect their attendance numbers or revenue stream.

While some denominations are greater offenders than others, all are guilty of using this get out of hell free card, in some form or fashion. I am going to get to the scriptures that address this in this article but there is one more lie taught in the church that needs to be addressed first. The lie which states grace did not come until Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. They will more then likely miss quote a scripture saying, “through Moses came the “LAW” but through Yeshua we received “GRACE”. Let’s take a real look at that scripture and start tearing this heretical belief system apart.

John 1:17 for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Ok we see clearly that the LAW was given to the people buy Moses, but GRACE and TRUTH was given by Yeshua. While they mention both the law and grace in their, misquote of this scripture. They neglect to mention the truth part of this verse. I don’t know if it is intentional or just that with truth being subjective in the modern church, they just don’t know how to define it. So I will define it the way we are commanded in Scripture to, buy using the word. 

First of all you need to understand that the Hebrew word used when we see the word “LAW” is the word “TORAH”. The Torah is the first five books of the bible believed to be written by Moses. It is in these first five books that we find the Mitzvah (commandments) delivered to Moses by Yahweh (GOD). It is the compilation of these Mitzvahs that comprise the Torah. Now that we are all on the same page as to what the word “LAW” actually means let’s define what the word truth means when used in this context.

Psa_119:142  Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

Mal_2:6  The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. 

Here we see that both King David and the Prophet Malachi proclaim that the “LAW” is “TRUTH” or rather that the Torah is truth. So if we were to rewrite the verse that started this it would read like this…. ( for the Torah was given by Moses, but Grace and Torah came by Yeshua the Messiah) It was Messiah Yeshua who spoke with Moses on the Mountain. It was Yeshua who met with Abraham in the desert. It was Yeshua how walked with Adam in the cool of the morning in the Garden. But that is a whole other teaching that we will not go into in this article but maybe it will spark you to search it out for yourself.

Now there is just one more word that needs to be defined before we can move forward and that is the word Grace. What is grace according to Scripture? Does it mean what the modern church is defining it to mean. Is it really a get out of hell free card? Or is it something else? Let’s first prove that grace did not come at the cross, and then we will define it in its correct context. Maybe then we can answer all these questions and begin to bring some clarity the whole Christian gentile belief. So let’s go back to the Scriptures and see grace in its true form.

Gen_6:8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Exo_33:12-13  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

Now that was just two examples of Grace long before the Cross. There are literally hundreds. There are numerous times that Israel messed up and should have received death for breaking the Fathers Torah but he gave them grace and allowed them to remain. Sure he brought judgment to them for their sins. He even kicked the whole nation out of the land he promised them so that they would learn the error of their ways. But even in his Judgment he was showing them grace. The only way to be redeemed to the father is to be in right standing with him. No Sin (breaking the Torah 1John 3:4) will enter into the kingdom. So grace in many cases is in the Judgment that Yahweh brings. It is not a get out of hell free card. It is bringing you into right standing with the father.

It is only threw the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua that our sin’s can be removed from us to be remembered no more. Just as the shed blood of the Passover lamb staved off death from the children. The Torah says in my words that if we break his mitzvah that we hate Him, and that he will judge those that hate him to the third and the fourth generation. It is through the shed blood of the Messiah that our children can be released from that judgment the same way the first born of Egypt were released by the blood on the door post. This is grace. Grace is that we can be reconciled to the father after we have broken the “LAW” (torah).

The penalty for breaking the Mitzvah is death, whether that death is literal in this life or separation from the father after this life is over. Grace removes that penalty when we acknowledge that we have broken the fathers’ commands and do Teshuva (repentance). Teshuvah is much more then just saying you are sorry though. It is to have hatred for your sin, to confess your sin, and to purpose in your heart to never commit that sin again. This is not simply saying you are sorry to remove your guilty feeling. Grace makes it possible for you to be reconciled to the father even though you are guilty of sin it does not make it possible for you to live in sin. (Continue to break the torah) 

I could go on and on proving this point but I don’t want this to turn into a book about grace since this is an article on Christians referring to themselves as gentiles. I just wanted you, the reader, to have this information fresh in your mind as we talk about the whole gentile dichotomy.

It is not uncommon when speaking to a Christian who says they believe in the same God that you do to hear them say the aforementioned phrase “I am a gentile, Saved by grace”. Most of them maybe all of them do not even realize what they are proclaiming over themselves. When they profess that they are a Gentile they are in fact saying that they do not believe in Yahweh. They are really saying that they are part of the nations that reject the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And then Adding a lie to it saying they are saved by grace given by a Elohim that they do not really believe in nor live according to his commandments. 

Now I don’t want to be to harsh because they do believe in the same messiah and the same Elohim that we believe in they are just seeing him from the warped view of some denomination or church doctrine. Many of them really just do not know because they have for the most part been fallowing him from this warped perspective for their whole lives. This is how their parents, grandparents, great grandparents, spiritual leaders and friends have worshiped him. This is the accepted norm and any real outward thinking that challenges this belief is looked at as though it is questioning Elohim and not just someone who is questioning what they have been taught. 

So let’s first take a look at what the word Gentile really means. When used in its singular form “gentile” it is the Greek word Hellen. It is used to refer to those that believe in Hellenism. This is the period of time when Rome had control of the known world and worshiped a plethora of false gods. So by saying you are gentile you are in fact confessing that you worship false gods and not the Elohim of Israel from which our faith was given birth. Even when you use it in it Plural form both in Greek and Hebrew it means someone who is from other nations and who does not worship the same Elohim as Israel. In Greek it is the Greek word Ethnos and in Hebrew it is the Hebrew word goy just in case you want to look it up.

Now we can get to the meat of this article. And answer the questions posed as briefly as possible.  Are Christians who have accepted the Messiah as their redeemer gentiles? With what we have already discussed hopefully you are already beginning to see some truth in this matter, but lets get to some scripture so we can tie a knot in it and there will no longer be any question in your mind as to who you are as a believer.

Many believers that have just come to faith in the messiah don’t really know what they are. They only know that they are not the same as they were before they believed. Are they now Jews or do they remain gentiles or are they something different all together. As with many things where there is a point of contention the truth of the matter lays somewhere in the middle and the only way we can find that “TRUTH” is to go to the foundation (TORAH) and work our way forward. Just as a believer has been delivered and led out of being a slave to their sins lets go to where Israel was sent a deliverer in Moses and they were led out of their Slavery into the promises of Yahweh.

Exo_12:48  And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

Exo_12:49  One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Lev_24:22  Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

Now I could have ended it with the first verse I posted and make the argument that Yeshua is our Passover lamb and if you partake of him then you become as one who was born in the land. Remember none of the people who are hearing this verse for the first time had ever been in the land. So he was saying clearly that the person that keeps the covenant and partook of the Passover was to be counted as part of Israel and no difference was to be made between them.  I posted the other two verses to make the point even if you do consider yourself a Stanger (Gentile) still it does not absolve you from keeping the torah if you want to be counted as part of his people. I however don’t want to stop there because this concept goes much further and much deeper.

The Torah teaches us that when the stranger that abides with us accepts the covenant that their children become as our children and one who is natural born or as one who is born in the land. Again remember it was at least forty years before anyone would actually go into the land when this commandment was given. This is even truer with the Messiah Yeshua.

Rom 11:13-21  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

At the beginning of this passage, Paul is talking to Gentiles and declares that he is an apostil to the gentiles. If you go back to the beginning of this chapter you will see that he qualifies himself as part of Israel saying that he is of the tribe of Benjamin. He says that he wants to by any means necessary provoke the gentiles to live as he lives. He lived as a Kosher Jew. He was not telling them you can just keep doing the things they were doing. He was also making the point that the Jews had not been forsaken by the father but that they were dispersed so the rest of the world would have opportunity to hear the truth about Yahweh and be reconciled to him. He was also making the point that even if they were cast away that they themselves would be reconciled to the father and be brought back to spiritual life.

He tells them that even though some Jews are not holy that because the first fruits were holly, then the rest will be made holly also. And that if the roots are holly then the branches are holly as well. He used the analogy of the olive tree stating that some of the natural branches (the Jews) had been broken off and that gentiles are now grafted into the fatness of the olive tree being wild olive braches. Just as a wild olive branch that has been grafted into the tame (tended and cared for) olive tree will begin to become tame as well. 

Understand though that the people he was talking to were farmers, vineyard tenders, and herdsmen so they fully understood the analogy he was using. A wild olive branch is still an olive branch it just had not been tended to and pruned. They were dying but now they can partake of the fatness of the good olive tree which will give them life. He puts them in check telling them you don’t give the root life but it is the root that gives you life. Meaning the root can and will live without you but you can not live without the root. Making them understand that the root does not conform to the branches but the branches conform to the root. If the branch does not conform to the root then it will wither and die and fall off. 

Then Paul makes this final statement trying to drive the point home to them. If you say the natural branches where broken off so you can be grafted in then you are right. But the reason they were broken off is because of their unbelief. He tells them this and then warns them that they should be fearful because if the natural branches are broken for unbelief by the master then don’t think highly of yourself because Yahweh will do the same to you.

The point is. Even though a person was a gentile at one point when they come to faith in the Elohim of Israel they have now started their journey in becoming part of Israel not to remain a gentile. They at that point start conforming to the will of Yahweh not continue to walk after their own ways and desires. They are a new creation in Messiah Yeshua no longer that thing they were before.

 

Eph_4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col_3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.

Just as it was with the sojourner who left Egypt with the children of Israel that embraced the commandments of Yahweh, it is the same with this new term Gentile. They eventually were absorbed into one of the tribes and counted as one who is natural born, the same is true with one who comes to faith in the messiah. They are no longer a Gentile worshiping false Gods. They are made new and are no more counted as strangers but as sons and daughters of Israel. Again they are NO LONGER strangers but the chosen people of Yahweh to be counted as part of Israel.

Now what happens to one of these Gentiles who come to faith in the messiah? Are they held to different standard, or are they exempted from keeping any of the commandments that where delivered to the children of Israel by Moses? I will try to make this as short as possible but you need to realize that if you are no longer a gentile but made part of Israel no matter what your pastor has told you there is a standard that the Father requires of you. 

Act 15:19-21  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

Now most of the time when a Christian hears this portion of scripture verse 21 is conveniently left out or not expounded on. The short of the back story here is this. Many of the Jewish believers in messiah were saying that the new converted gentiles should be made to keep the entirety of the torah before they could be accepted in as one of them. So the Apostils brought the matter to James and Peter in Jerusalem to decide. They prayed about it and sought the Father on it and this passage is the conclusion of that debate.

Now a traditional Christian pastor will tell you that gentiles are absolved from keeping the Law (Torah) and all that they have to do is the four things described in this passage, if they will even go that far. But this was never meant to be the end or the entirety of their walk. It was only the beginning. This was the requirements for them to be able to come into the temples and learn the torah. James makes this perfectly clear in verse 21. They only needed to do these four things then they could go to the synagogues and learn the Torah (Law delivered to Moses).

One final point that I hope will drive this home both for the Jew and those that use to be gentiles. We should not be walking in condemnation of those that are not fully walking in the torah we should be trying to teach them in love. If they reject it at first then maybe they are not ready yet. But when you try to force them they will dig their heels into what ever denominational doctrine they were raised in, and you make it harder for them to come to the truth of his word. And here is the final point to anyone who might have started reading this article under the impression that they are a gentile. Or maybe want to hang on to that identity of being a “Gentile saved by grace”

Rev 21:10-12  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

I have never met even one Christian that did not believe in the city of New Jerusalem descending from the heavens. So I ask you to read this passage with a clear and open mind. John is seeing this city in the spirit and describing it in great detail. The part I would like you to focus on is the gates that he describes on this city. He says there are twelve gates, and at each gate there is an angel posted. Now really focus for a minute because this is really important. On each one of the gates there is a name written of each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 

With the knowledge that each gate has name of one of the twelve tribes and an angel standing guard at that gate could you please tell me were the gate of the gentile is. Yeah it is hitting you hard right about now, it’s meant to. If you are not part of Israel you are not getting into the city of New Jerusalem. You will forever be separated from Yahweh; if this is the case then every promise given to Israel is meant for you. Likewise every commandment that was given to them is now commanded of you also and you will also inherit every curse for breaking them after you have knowledge of them.

I hope this helps you in understanding who that you truly are in Messiah Yeshua and also help those that are already walking in torah to be a little more understanding of where you are in your walk and help you rather then hinder you in your journey.

Shalom covenant keepers 

James Gillispie.

Yom Kippur

As I sit here this Shabbat contemplating my own short comings and seeking true Teshuva. I am thinking how when this Shabbat ends the holiest day of the biblical year begins. Yom Kippur, (The Day of Atonement). It is this day that we are restored completely to the father and all past wrongs done away with and remembered no more. The tradition for this day, is that we fast to afflict our souls, because the father says that he will cut off from among the people anyone who does not afflict his soul. But what does that truly mean. How does one afflict their soul? The only way I know how to figure these things out is to go to the scriptures and search.
Num 29:7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

Every year I have people contact me and ask what it really means to afflict your soul. They ask questions like “does it really mean to Fast” or is it something more. Some will say I have medication that requires me to eat, or some other physical ailment, should I fast as well. I normally give them some generic short answer which I believe to be correct but that is really not teaching them it is just answering them. The goal should always be to teach them so they are able to answer their own questions when they arise. So let us get started doing just that.

 Lev 16:29-31  And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

Lev 23:27-32  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

 Num 29:7  And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

 Three times in the torah this feast day is reiterated, and as if that would not be an important enough fact when we take a look at the context we find something that sets this feast apart, from the other feast. The Father said anyone who does not afflict their soul on that day will be cut off from their people (Put outside the camp so to speak). But then he goes further. He said that anyone that does any work on that day he will DESTROY from among his people. It is for this reason that I say this is the most serious feast day out of them all.

 From Sundown (erev) on the 9th day until after sunset on 10th day we are to afflict our souls and not do any work. This according to the three accounts in Torah. However There are unmoors accounts of the way we should approach this feast day, we call this evidence to account and establish Halicah. Halicah is the order or the way something is to be done. So before I go any further with this lets take at least two more looks at this feast day through the Prophets.

 The first account we will take a look at is found in the book of Zechariah.  Zechariah 8:19 will be the focus though. Zec 8:18-19  And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

 This passage seems to support the traditional interpretation of how one afflicts their soul but it also mentions some other moths that we can not support with scripture. A fast in the fourth, fifth, and tenth month. To find these fast we have to look to Talmud. As many of you know it is very rear case in which I will use Talmud to make an argument. I only use it when an argument concerning Halicah or scripture can not be settled using scripture alone. However that is not the case in this instance so I will not use it in the article either. I think with the next passage we can lay this argument to rest.

 Before we go there though lets state what the argument is again. The argument is does the praise afflict your souls in the previous passage really mean to fast from food. To some people going with out food from one sundown to the next is really not afflicting their soul. To others though missing one meal is really afflicting their soul. Some people because of medical reasons can not fast at all, and are always looked at in a lesser light. I personally believe this is why Avinu stated it as AFLICT your souls and not as simply as just calling us to a fast and you will see why by the writing of the prophet Isaiah

 Isa 58:2-10 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

 Now here we see some very compelling things concerning Yom Kippur. First of all the father makes note that some people are delighting in afflicting their souls only so they can through it up in his face later. This is a spirit of Arrogance and manipulation as if they can control HaShim by their actions and their piety. Avinu then says you have taken pleasure in your fast and have exacted your labors. Meaning that, you have already received your reward for your labor.

 He said that we fast for strife and debate so we can smite with the fist of wickedness. This wickedness that he is referring to is Lashon hurrah the evil tongue. They are only doing this so they can brag about what they have done and their obedience to the father. It is the honor of a father and mother when their children are obedient. We do not reward them for what it already expected of them. Sure we may reward them when they are learning but when we know that they are fully aware of what is expected of them we do not reward them for that. And if they brag about just doing the minimum we certainly do not give them praise. The father is a good father and if we know how to care for our children how much more so does he care for us.

 He said do we think this is what he expected of us when he called us to this fast. Of course not, it’s not that he called us to bow are heads as a tree that has been bent under the pressure or like we are morning the death of our family sitting in Sackcloth and ashes, he goes on to tell us exactly how we should fast in this day that he has called us to fast on.

 We are to loose the bands of wickedness while we fast and to undo our heavy burdens. This is when we have participated in Lashon hurrah or if we have anything against our brother (sisters) in the faith. Go to them even if you know you will not be received and free your soul. That if you are oppressing anyone that you stop, if anyone is oppressing you that you break the yoke they have put upon you. Its not that you give your food for the day to the poor or to bring them into your home so you can show them how holy you are that you are fasting. But more so that you do not hide yourself from you own family both immediate and extended that you might have hard feelings with. 

Only when we are able to do this in our fast will Avinu (our father in heaven) allow our light to break forth as the morning, and our health will return to us steadily. Then we will cry out to HaShim and ask for his forgiveness and for him to break the yokes on us, we will draw out our soul or do those things that might be uncomfortable to us that someone else’s hungry soul will be released. Then our light will rise out obscurity and the darkness that was once hidden in our hearts will be able to be know as though it had been shown at noon day.

So when we say we are called to a fast buy HaShim on Yom Kippur we are exactly right but we are called to his fast for his glory in protecting us not so we can boast before men in how righteous we are, or how obedient we are. Nor to use it in manipulation of the father to try and get him to move on our behalf. His fast that he has called us to so he can atone for our sins is that we come to him in a true spirit of Teshuvah (repentance) with clean hearts and hands before him. It is more then just denying our flesh of food. It is denying our souls of the sin that has reigned in our beings. It is our opportunity to forgive every one who has wronged us justly or unjustly because it should not matter any longer who was right or wrong. By releasing those of their wrong doing you are actually releasing yourself. 

This Yom Kippur truly afflict your soul before the father, not just your flesh. Cheg samech Yom Kippur mishpokah. ( have a joyous day of atonement family

New Moon

Ok Recently I have been having people come and try to correct me for Sighting the first sliver of the new moon as the beginning of the biblical month and the establishing factor that marks the feast days. So after some of my typical SLIDE moves trying to avoid a debate with people that already had their minds made up to what it was that they believed, I finally broke down and let them have it. Then I got to thinking that people may need this information that are struggling to answer these questions concerning just when does a biblical month begin. So here you go I will try to provide you all the information you should need to stop the debate and maybe even teach someone some scripture at the same time.
The debate is this. Does the new moon begin at the conjunction, the full moon, or the first sliver? The fact is that if a person does not know the history of sighting then new moon it can be a daunting task going through the scripture to figure out which one it is

 The debate is this. Does the new moon begin at the conjunction, the full moon, or the first sliver? The fact is that if a person does not know the history of sighting then new moon it can be a daunting task going through the scripture to figure out which one it is. Honestly I could set here and make a convincing argument for any one of the three beliefs using scripture. The reason I say that is that I want you to realize that to someone that has not spent countless hours on this topic it can be quite confusing and with a intelligent dialogue they could be convinced of any one of them.

 So I will do something that I almost never do and that is use other sources then scripture to make my argument. I could do it  using scripture alone, but that would only lead them to post scriptures that they believe to be contradictory and we would just fall in to the Hebrew whipping game and no one befits from that. I will support my claim by using the Talmud, the Encyclopedia Judaica, and several other encyclopedias and language concordances, along with some historical references.  I know this is not what you typically expect from one of my articles but please bare with me, as I believe it necessary in this case.   

 Historically, the Sanhedrin would send several new moon spotters out on the hills of  Israel to watch for the thin crescent so they could establish the beginning of each month. Once these new moon spotters had seen the new moon they would then report their sighting to the Sanhedrin. “Originally, the New Moon was not fixed by astronomical calculation, but was solemnly proclaimed after witnesses had testified to the reappearance of the crescent of the moon,” Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 12, p. 1039.   

 The changing from watching for the first visible crescent to calculating conjunctions to determine the month’s beginning came with Hillel II’s calendar revisions in the 4th century C.E. “By the middle of the fourth century, the sages had established a permanent calendar and the public proclamation of the New Moon was discontinued”  (ABID) . It was not until the fourth century that anyone relied on a conjunction moon sighting. Well at least among those that claimed to be fallowing YHVH. If we go back to nimrod and the historical evidence there oh we will see so much more and maybe I will do that in this article but for now Just know Yeshua was on a seven day Sabbath cycle, and a sighted crescent new moon observance and he never rebuked anyone for doing it this way.   

 Those that would have you believe that the conjunction is the proper new moon observance will give you arguments from scripture to make their case but I have never seen one try to make the argument without sighting Jonathan and David’s conversation concerning David not going to diner until after the new moon. There is an easy answer to this and it is as valid as their argument. The answer is that David knew the new moon was going to be tomorrow because he had already been through two days of no moon. Now scripture does not say that but neither does it say that it was the conjunction on the next day.  

 Most of them will make grand gestures and say things like if you can show me even one scripture that says we must sight the new moon they will repent and return to watching for the crescent moon. Well I am about to give you that scripture and it is beyond contestation. It proves without a shadow of a doubt that we are commanded to sight at least the first new moon of the year even though I think it implies that we should physically sight everyone of them.

 Those that would go by the calculated lunar conjunction contradict the command in Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Now you should know that both the word for moon and month are the Hebrew word chodesh [new moon/month]. You should also know that the word for observe is the Hebrew word Shamar in the Hebrew, Shamar means “look narrowly for, search” (No. 8104 in Strong’s). The Holladay Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon defines it as watching in the sense of looking. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words includes the definitions “mark, watchman, wait, watch, look narrowly.” The command is to look for, wait for, watch and mark the new moon.

 So with that information lets correctly insert those two truth into that verse and see what it says. Deuteronomy 16:1 Look for the moon of Abib, and keep the Passover unto YHVH your Eloheem. Because it was at the month of Abib that YVHV brought you forth out of the land of Mitzriem at night. Now you may say why did I change one to moon and leave the other as month. Those that understand Hebrew will get this right away it is called a Hebrew word pun or Hebraism. This is where the same word is used to describe two different things. This is also done at times by using two different Hebrew words to describe the same thing; this however was not the case here because of the syntax of the language being used.    

 The big problem with the conjunction folks is that you cannot see a moon that is completely black or dark, as it is during a conjunction. It would be lunacy (pun intended) to send out new moon watchers on the night of a conjunction to look for a moon they cannot see. As I will clearly show was what was being done when Yeshua was here. To visually confirm the new moon there must be something to identify. Obviously, the invisible conjunction is not that something.

 Now the conjunction people will play upon our hubris and say the Jews where not ignorant people they knew how to calculate the conjunction. And our pride wants to agree and say yeah that’s right we are smart people. The Fact is the father made his calendar so simple that even a little child could look at the sky and tell you when the new moon was. Remember every thing that is very important to YVHV for us to observe he has made so simple that we will have no excuse. He gave us ten fingers and ten toes so that if a catastrophe happened and we lost 13 of them we could still count to seven and know when his Sabbath was. And he gave us this big ole moon in the sky that when we saw the first sliver we would know that a new moon had occurred and we needed to celebrate and sound the Shofars.  

 Another predicament is created by the use of the conjunction because during the period surrounding the conjunction there are as many as two or even three nights when no moon is visible. This leads us to wonder which three invisible moons are we commanded to “look narrowly for”? On which of three invisible starting points does the month begin? Yahweh’s calendar is based on observation. Man’s calendars are based on calculation.

 There was no U.S. Naval Observatory existing in the time of the prophets or Apostles. The ancients had to have something tangible to go by that was visible on only one day each month. They needed to see the first thin crescent of a moon as it began its building or waxing phase. It was on this first glimpse of the moon they would declare throughout the land of Israel that a new moon had been sighted and that a new month had begun.

 Let’s go back to the point that Yeshua was observing the first sliver as well, and never rebuked anyone for doing it wrong. Philo was a prominent Jewish leader who lived in Alexandria from about 20 B.C.E. to about 50 C.E. and was a contemporary of both Yahshua the Messiah and Paul. He was aware of what the Savior and His followers, considered was the new moon. In his Treatise on the Special Laws, Book II, XI (41), Philo discusses the Biblical observances. Note below how he describes the new moon. But lets make this clear someone that was the contemporary of Yeshua living at the same time, and was aware of how the messiah and his followers observed the new moon made the claims that fallow. This is a first hand account but they would have us to believe a rabbi in the fourth century who was afraid of loosing the biblical calendar altogether because of their disobedience to YVHV should be trusted more then this first hand account.  

 “[It] is that which comes after the conjunction, which… [is] the day of the new moon in each month.” In his detailed discussion of the new moon, Philo describes what constitutes a new moon: “…at the time of the new moon, the sun begins to illuminate the moon with a light which is visible to the outward senses, and then she displays her own beauty to the beholders.” 

 As Philo noted, the new moon follows the conjunction but it is not the conjunction itself. His observation reveals to us what was considered the new moon in Yeshua’s day and what the Savior Himself also observed as the new moon. That is all we need to know to realize what still constitutes the Biblical new moon today. Now I can go on and on ripping this garbage to pieces but I have wasted enough time on it, and if this will not convince them of the truth I doubt me writing ten more pages of historical references and word studies would do it ether. But if you really want to drive the point home about the conjunction being false you should really look into the pagan origins of it.

This puts me in mind of two people in history the first being Constantine and the second being Marten Luther. Both of which said they would not be made to worship like a damnable Jew and that the Jews where a parasite that should be whipped off the face of the earth. These people that buy into this normally have such hatred in their heart for the Karaite’s and Muslims that they would rather celebrate the new moon on a false day then to observe it on the same day as they do. 90% of the time this is what I boils down to the other 10% is just miss teaching.

One Man Seven Wives

Right away, I know the title of my note here will spark controversy. Many will read it, and assume I am an advocate of polygamy. That is not what this article is about. However, I may touch on it, so I can reveal my heart on that topic, as well as the one I am writing about here.
Recently I read an article based on the premise of Isaiah chapter four verse one. Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. The writer interpreted this verse as saying that Yeshua was this man spoken of, and that the seven women where seven false churches. Now I am not writing this to condemn him for his writing. His thought process was a very correct one. The only problem is that the conclusion concerning this verse is inaccurate.

Now, you may ask “why I would waste time on a passage that almost seems insignificant in the scope of prophecy”? And,  if you look at the scripture in the realm of prophecy, you would be correct in that assumption.  However, this verse, and really this whole chapter ( when looking at the prophetic implications) is what one might refer to as a “complementary passage,” meaning- that it is more times than not used to complement another prophecy passage.

 The phrase “in that day” gives the reader the clue, that this will happen at some point in the future, therefore, placing it in the prophetic. Prophetic meaning- yet to be accomplished. However, “in that day”  also says something else.  In what day? Where can we find in what day or, what this day will look like when we can expect to see this accomplished? 

 The answer is in the previous chapters of Isaiah.  Basically,  it will be when we see our people ashamed to be called by the names of our ancestors, namely, the twelve tribes of Israel.  It will be when we see the land not able to sustain itself ; when we see our women adorned with all sorts of costly array; when we see our men die in war. When all these things happen, THEN there will not be enough men of Israel to cover all the women of the land. It is  in that statement where the heart of the lesson being taught in this very prophetic passage lies.

 That is why I say the writer of the article is not totally incorrect in his thought process because this passage is about covering. But, if we just look past what is being said here we miss a very important lesson about covering. A lesson that our ancestors understood clearly, but in the modern age, has lost its appeal. This is due to the illusion that has been created by the women’s liberation movement. 

 I know right away some women who read this will think “Oh, another one of these guys that wants to oppress women and control them”. I ask you to just keep reading because nothing could be further from the truth. If you and the man you are married to, or the man that you one day hope to be married to, truly understand covering, you will truly both be free.

 So lets take a look at that scripture again. Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

 Seven women shall take hold of one man. If we look at this statement in the context of what was stated in the previous chapters, then this statement is a matter of fact and not to be spiritualized away. There literally will be seven women taking hold of one man and asking to be called by his name. That statement “to be called by his name” implies to be brought into covenant with him in the bonds of marriage.  To  no longer be  under their  Fathers’ covering and being called by the mans’ name. This can be for a number of reasons but again, if we look at the previous chapters, we are given a clue as to why this might be.

 So let’s take a look at a few of the possible reasons that a women could not just remain in her Fathers house and under his covering. In the light of chapter 3 these reasons may be because her Father denies his covering or shirks his responsibility. He no longer wants to be the leader of his family or his household for the shame that has come upon them as a family or a people. The second reason could be, that Yah has destroyed all the men of war or the Father is dead. Any one of these reasons or any reason that you thought of while reading the previous chapters could apply, it really doesn’t matter.

 The point is that some sort of judgment has come upon the men of Yah that for what ever reason, there are so few men that are still abiding under the covering of Yah that seven women are drawn to him to be their covering. They are in such need of a covering that they are willing to make their own living. They only want the man to be their covering so they to do not remain a reproach to Abba Yah.

 Now, I know you are saying “well neither this scripture nor the previous chapter mentioned covering”. But isn’t that exactly what it is talking about? When ever we the Men of Yah step out from under his covering, we receive judgment. Also when we are judged, those that are under our covering receive judgment as well. Since I am making the statement about covering, I think it best that we read some scripture that deals with covering. This way we can clarify in our own minds exactly what covering is or is not.

 The fist scripture that comes to the minds of most Messianic believers comes from the writings of Saul. 1Co 11:1-3 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

 Now you need to understand what Saul is saying in this scripture. The word followers while correct is not completely accurate is should say “imitators”, or mimickers of him as he is a mimicker of Yeshua the messiah. And the word ordinances should be translated as the civil and religious law of Israel more accurately referred to the Torah. So I will rewrite that portion so we can have an accurate view of this passage before we continue.

 I’m telling you that you should mimic my actions because I am a mimicker of Yeshua the Messiah. I want to commend you that you have remembered me in all the things I taught you and that you are keeping the Torah as I instructed you to do. But I want you to know that you should not look to me but to the Messiah because the head of every man is Yeshua the Messiah and the head of every women is the man; and that the head of Yeshua is YHVH.

 Now the following verses go on to talk about covering or uncovering the head during prayer but it has both a physical and a spiritual meaning. And since I am not writing  about head coverings here, but spiritual coverings, we will focus on that for now. Yeshua is the covering of every man so it is a shame for him to pray concealing who he is praying to Yeshua. Hence the verse that says it is a shame for a man to pray with his head covered because Yeshua is his head. The scripture goes on to say that it is a shame for a woman to pray without her head covered. Meaning that she can not be rebellious and not  be submitted to her covering which is her father or her husband.

 This speaks directly to the verse that started this article that there would be seven women that would say to one man that they would take care of themselves financially if the man would only give them his name, meaning- become their covering. When a women really starts  to understand Torah she starts to understand that the order the Father has established has a purpose and without it, it is impossible for them to fulfill the Torah.

 This  principal  is taught throughout the Torah. A daughter or a wife can make a vow, but the father or the husband who ever their head may be can disallow their vow in the day  they hear it, and it is just as if they had never made a vow. Although our society teaches us that men and women are the same, the scriptures teach us something very different.

 We as men are commanded to love our wives as Yeshua loved the assembly. We need to really understand what that means. He accepted us as his bride and became our covering because we agreed to not walk after our rebellious flesh any longer, but to walk after his commands. He paid the price for that with HIS shed blood.

 I said before that I would not want to be a woman that had to fallow or submit to a man who will make mistakes. There is another side to that coin though concerning covering. If a woman is truly submitted to her husband it is not her that will be judged but the husband that she was submitted to. The only thing she will be judged for is when she steps outside that covering. So in this light I would love to be a woman so if I wasn’t getting it right it would be my husbands fault. You don’t have that luxury as a man because Yeshua is never wrong. Sorry that is not the correct term. We as men are commanded to study to show ourselves approved unto YHVH workmen that need not to be ashamed but one who rightly divides the word of truth.

 If a man is doing as he is commanded then he will not lead his family in error for very long. As soon as his error is made known to him he will explain it to his family and correct it. Yeshua has already reveled his truth to us it is now up to us to learn his ways. The same is true for our wives. We can not expect them to be or do things that we have not instructed them to do.

 It is time that men start being men again but be gentle in taking back the leadership of your family and don’t try to make it happen over night. You did not come to this understanding in a day and do not expect them to ether. If you will lead your wife into submission in love she will want to stay there. You are the leader and yes men you have to lead your wife into submission. Explain to her that you want your family to be blessed and those blessing can not come if you do not take your rightful place as the head, and she does not take her place as a submitted life. But men do not expect her to do what you are unwilling to do. You must first be submitted to Yeshua.

 I wrote about five more pages to this but my lap top came unplugged and I lost it, so I will take that as the father saying this is all I need to say at this time. And will try to write a summery to what it is exactly that I’m trying to say. if you have questions or comments please do not hesitate to send them to me I assure you I read every e-mail and message that is sent to me even if does take me a little time to do so.

 So in summation, the passage that provoked this article is declaring that at some point, and I think we are seeing the beginnings of that now, We will see women that are looking for a man that is a spiritual leader. This man will be exemplifying a man that loves and walks in the Torah. What he can give them or provide for them as far as material things will not matter. What he looks like will be the least of their worries. They will only want to be submitted to a man that is submitted to the messiah so they to can fulfill the whole of the law as well.

 Now one final not concerning polygamy, I am not an advocate of polygamy it was not the fathers plan. But because of the hardness of mans hearts he allowed it. We find that in the torah he established rules to govern it.  So we can not stand in condemnation of those that might choose that path. I know some will disagree on both sides of this but that is how I see it in the torah.

 I do have one more thing to say on the subject though. Most of us that will be reading this live in America and our law does not provide for one to have multiple wives.  Scripture is very clear that as much as it is possible that we live peaceably among all men. And that when we are in captivity which we are be obedient to the laws of that land as long as they do not violate Torah. since the torah does not command that we take multiple wives in my mind we would be in violation to do so. however that is my opinion with my understanding of scripture and I do not want to condemn anyone that see’s this in a diferant light as I am not your master, you have the same master I do and you will answer to him if you are wrong not to me.

 Shalom and I hope this helps you to at least begin to understand biblical covering. And why seven women would be happy to have one husband.

James Gillispie

Rt. 3 box 1512

Stilwell Ok 74960

Culling The Herd

Is it time to cull of the herd?Shalom and greetings in the blessed name of our messiah Yeshua. For the last few years I have been noticing something very alarming in the messianic movement. I have written a couple of articles addressing this problem over the last few years but I left it up to the reader’s interpretation who was causing this problem. I do believe the time has come to start naming names as this sickness is spreading and killing the flock.
I write articles all the time addressing fist one false teaching then another. I believe this to be only treating the symptoms and not the sickness. When I do address issues in the Messianic/Hebrew roots movement I am labeled a sewer of discord. For this reason I have tried to temper my words and the excoriation of the people that are bringing this sickness to the body. I never mention names for this reason. But fighting the teaching is not killing the disease, because the infection has already taken root

Is it time to cull of the herd?

 

Shalom and greetings in the blessed name of our messiah Yeshua.  For the last few years I have been noticing something very alarming in the messianic movement. I have written a couple of articles addressing this problem over the last few years but I left it up to the reader’s interpretation who was casing this problem. I do believe the time has come to start naming names as this sickness is spreading and killing the flock. It really does sadden my heart to be the one that is doing this as I know it does not come without some backlash to it, but the part that saddens me is that those that have listened to these men will be wounded. After much prayer and consideration I have decided that wounds will heal but a disease must be addressed or it will spread and kill all.

 

I write articles all the time addressing fist one false teaching then another. I believe this to be only treating the symptoms and not the sickness. When I do address issues in the Messianic/Hebrew roots movement I am labeled a sewer of discord. For this reason I have tried to temper my words and the excoriation of the people that are bringing this sickness to the body. I never mention names for this reason. But fighting the teaching is not killing the disease, because the infection has already taken root.

 

I personally walked away from the “church” in 1995, but for a few years I tried to have one foot in and one foot out. In fact for four years I kept it secret from friends and family only mentioning some Hebrew roots type stuff in very small doses. But in 1998 I completely left the Christian church to never return again. There is a whole other story as to this journey but that is not the topic to this article. The only reason I mention it at all is to show that in 2 years I will have been walking in torah for 20 years. So I have seen a lot take place in the faith. Truths that are now just accepted where then just being brought to light.

 

We where growing at rates that could only be attributed to the father. I saw some ministries rise and others fall. There where ministries that had great impact on myself and furthered me in my walk, and others that fell almost as fast as they came on the scene. There are some new ministries on the scene now however that are here for (in my opinion) no other reason then to subvert the faith of believers. Doctrines of demons have crept in and are being taught as truth. I am not only going to address some of these doctrines but the teachers that are teaching them as well.

 

I would like to say first though that the only reason these men are not exposed right away is not because they are so convincing with their rhetoric, but because we are sick. Yes we are Sick as a body and if it is not addressed I believe it will be terminal. We as a body have left our first love becoming seekers of knowledge, more then seekers of truth. Now some will say that knowledge and truth are one and the same. Hopefully by the end of this article we will know the difference between the two.

 

So first let’s talk about three people that have crept in among the sheep. First is Nehemiah Gordon. Nehemiah was not even an afterthought until Michael Rood introduced him to the messianic movement. Now I understand Michaels reasoning for doing so but the fact remains that this was not a good idea, and for me is a pointer in the down fall of A Rood Awakening. Nehemiah is not a messianic; He has no faith or belief in Yeshua as the messiah of Israel. In fact since his arrival on the Messianic scene many believers have denied their faith in Yeshua and converted to the Karaite belief. This is a big one though. We willfully allowed this wolf into our midst for no other reason then to glean what little knowledge he could bring to the table.

 

Since Michael introduced him, his ministry has gone through two very major upheavals, and in my opinion was a decision that lacked wisdom. First was with his long time friend, ministry partner, and A Rood Awakening administrator Jamie Lewis. Now Nehemiah was not directly responsible for this, in fact his name can not be attacked to it anywhere and I’m not going to go into all the gory details. I am just going to say what fellowship does light have with darkness, and when the blind fallow the blind they both fall in the ditch. Scripture is clear that Blindness has come upon many Jews concerning Yeshua so that scripture might be fulfilled. It is not our job to convert Jews or remove the blinders. The father placed them there and he will remove them in his timing.

 

Nehemiah’s claim to fame is that he was supposedly a Translator/scholar that worked on the dead sea scrolls. He is one of the leaders in the Karaite faith. Not to over simplify but basically they reject Talmud and only fallow torah. They do not however embrace Yeshua as the messiah and speak openly against him. They are very anti-missionary in the sense that they try to prove that he was not the messiah but refuse to take a look at the over whelming proof that he was. Yet we see Messianic leaders inviting him to their assemblies to minister to the sheep the father has placed in their care, promoting his books and teaching.

 

This gives the body a false since of security. I mean if the shepherd doesn’t see any danger there, then there must not be any. Right!! (WRONG). By a shepherd doing this he is telling his sheep that this man is safe and that his teachings are safe. Nothing could be further from the truth. And babies in the faith are easily swept away because the shepherd brought him there because he knew something the shepherd did not, so he must be more learned then the shepherd. In a faith where the focus is placed on getting to the truth, why not just fallow this guy instead of the shepherd?

 

Now don’t think I’m saying that there are not some things that Nehemiah knows that you would not benefit from learning. His understanding of the new moon, and the pit falls of Talmud are a couple of them. But I know out right sinners that may know a few things that you might need to know. I don’t ask them into my synagogue to teach my people though. I learn what they have to offer then I take that back to my synagogue myself. I would even be carful as sighting him as a sight reference. That’s how dangerous I believe his core doctrine to be.

 

The next person we have to mention is Keith Johnson. Keith is a Methodist elder/pastor His claim to fame is that he was the Chaplin for the Minnesota Vikings. He has tried to embed himself in the messianic movement but for the most part still teaches and believes as a Methodist minister. Sure he has thrown some Hebrew roots stuff in there since coming into contact with people like Michael Rood and Nehemiah Gordon. He has his masters in divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School I believe in history.

 

He gives the appearance of someone who is intelligent and would be an asset to the messianic movement and he could be. So you say why even bring it up then. The reason is that he Has aligned himself with Nehemiah and has since collaborated on a couple of different things.  But the big one is they claim to have discovered the true name YHVH complete with vowel pointing’s. This is in the face of thousands of scholars who have spent their whole lives searching the scriptures. I mean just think about all the sages, rabbi’s and zealots that have dedicated every waking moment searching every document that had any real historical value to it looking for this one fact.

 

Their findings have been disputed by real Scholars and then rejected. They have unsuccessfully defended them so they could sale one more book. They are Hype men nothing more. I mean Keith is on his FB claiming he was band from Christian television because in his words he was trying to present the two most important Hebrew manuscripts in the world. This is nothing but sensationalism and lies. I can give you the details of why he is no longer on TV but I do not want to step over the line here and get into Lashon Hara. Up until now I am only exposing the falseness of what they are trying to teach and don’t want to get into their personal business.

 

The main grievance I have right now with Keith is that he is falling in lock step in with the black non torah observant community, the media, and the government’s agenda with this Trayvon Martin Vs. George Zimmerman thing. He is on his FB page wearing a hoodie and making inflammatory racial comments. He Justifies it by saying he gets strange looks when he is out in public, “even in his own neighborhood”. Well Keith I am a white Jewish man and I get strange looks when I go walking in my neighborhood. I don’t assume people are looking at me because I’m a white Jewish man. They probably just want to know who is in their neighborhood on foot around their children, and grandchildren. They see some guy with a big ol beard so they look a bit longer because it is out of the norm. Not because they are profiling me, or are raciest.

 

Keith Claims to be a Teacher of Torah yet when it comes to race he forgets everything the Torah says. Like if we are going to Judge someone it must be at the moth of two or three witnesses. Both eye witnesses in this case state that they saw Trayvon on top of George beating him. Yet Keith says this is a racial problem. The police and the FBI have both stated that they do not believe this was racially motivated. But Keith knows better. A jury of sympathetic black and white women found him not guilty and it is still a race issue in his mind. Anyone who can so easily be manipulated to discard the torah should not be in any position that would allow him access to the body of believers. He is just a skilled orator and manipulator trying to make a living off of the sheep. I talked to him about this and rather then repent or try to explain his actions, my comments where deleted.

 

I could set here for hours taking comments that he made on just the two threads he put up himself on this topic but if what I have said here has not compelled you to go look for yourself, or to receive what I have said, I doubt that would do any good ether. I would just say to research what these men claim for your self, and not take anything they say as truth no matter what their claims are. Defiantly do not support them financially until you have verified for yourself their wild claims.

 

I want to say something before I close this out though. After coming to the faith Michael rood was one of the only people out there that had anything of real truth in DVD format. I will say his teaching help me in my walk, and pointed me in the direction that I needed to be pointed to find out the stuff I needed to know, so for that I will always be grateful. I know he has done some things that are very questionable in the minds of many. He has lost more support then these men will probably ever see and bounced back. And the fact is they would in no way be in the public eye the way they are now had it not been for him.

 

The two times Michael has had major Issues was over money and the ministry that the father entrusted to Michael. I talked to Michael and Jamie on the first one, and Glen tried to get me on his side on the second one. I was at the table with Michael and Jamie when Jamie lost his family members in a tragic accident before the whole thing broke down on them. Both men had their points to their arguments and we are not here to hash that out agai, I only make mention of it because money can and will turn the best of friends into mortal enemies. Some have, and still are trying to use him, to further the kingdom they are trying to build for themselves.

 

Ok since we are talking about it. There are some major issues in the movement and hiding it and not talking about it only makes things worse. I have been in this movement going on 20 years and I have seen them come and I have seen them go. There are many Christians trying to co-opt the messianic movement. People like Jim Staley and Perry Stone are two just off the top of my head. They are teaching a straight Christian doctrine but with some cool Hebrew insights. They do not teach complete adherence to Torah and that all scripture and doctrines must line up to the torah first or they are false doctrines. And even when they do their lives do not line up to what they are teaching, they are just teaching it to make themselves look good and bring in more support.

 

We do have people in the messianic movement that should be listened to when they are teaching the message the father gave them. I call it their mountain top messages. Your walk should be between you and the father alone, but he has given these men and women messages that the sheep should listen to. Even though I am included in these people when the others are teaching their message you better believe I am going to be there with my ears open and my mouth shut because it was the father that revealed these things to them. And I don’t care what they have or have not done since the father gave them these messages; the messages themselves are from the father and will continue to be so, your not fallowing the person anyways.

 

If Michael rood is teaching the feast of YHVH I want to hear everything he has to say on that topic. If Batya Wooten is talking about Redeemed Israel and the restoration of Ephraim I am all ears. If Brad Scott is talking about mountain top meaning of Hebrew words yeah I’m there to hear what new truth he has gleaned from this process. And when I am talking about the order of Melchizedek most will say the same. Can we all teach other things and expound upon other truths, of course. But to barrow from Brad these are our mountain top messages. We all teach other things as well. We even teach each others messages as well, maybe not with the same clarity and passion, but we believe it to be truth sent from the father so we teach it.

 

Sure some have had some scandal attached to their name, but I assure you the Lashon Harrah is far worse then actual truth of it. What I’m trying to say is there are real men and women out there that do believe the Torah. They teach the messiah through the torah not a Messiah that is apposed to or against it in any way. They may be flawed but they are not teaching another gospel. We need to quit eating our own and allowing the counterfeits in. If one of these real ones teach something that you do not agree with I assure you they are open for your questions and input. They won’t reply oh you just don’t understand buy my DVD series or book then you will understand.

 

We have become so consumed with knowledge that we have forgotten about truth. We jump around from one teacher to another looking for the latest greatest insight. We have forgotten what brought us to this knowledge in the first place. It was our love for the truth our desire to walk in his truth. Not so we would have knowledge to stand over someone or condemn those that may not be as smart in the word. It was about sharing the truth with people to bring them out of religious bondage, so that they too could walk in unity with the father and his sent one Yeshua.

 

Because we are so consumed with knowledge we have allowed such false doctrines to creep into our midst. Teaching such as your not born again because you don’t say the name right or say it the right way. A reemergence of sun god worship stating a day begins and ends with the rising and setting of the sun. Conjunction Lunar people, full moon lunar people, Lunar Sabbath people. Yeshua is just a prophet teaching, like Muslims believe. Yeshua is just a man and there was no resurrection. The New Testament is irrelevant, Paul is a false apostil. I can go on and on with this stuff and it’s because we have allowed these people to usurp the faith that led us here in our quest for knowledge. If we continue on this path we will fail and just be discounted as some cult religion. The enemy has brought these people into the camp and the father is calling us to be the Phineas’s of our time. To grab our spears and run them through. proverbially of course.

 

There is a very real war being waged on the messianic faith. First the enemy got the church to call it a cult, then he had them embrace parts of it but not the parts that tare down their false religion, Then he got our friends and families to disown us even though we had never given them any reason to think we would fallow a false Elohim. And now he has planted false teachers in our midst, who are trying to commercialize the faith, and make merchandise out of the gospel.

 

Fifteen years ago a Torah Teacher did not have to show up with a suitcase of books, DVD’s, CD’s, shofars and Jewish trinkets to survive. He showed up with the unadulterated word. The people saw the value in what he had to say and gave to support his ministry for no other reason then the hopes that this message would continue to be spread throughout the body. Now you better show up with that stuff to sale or you probably will not be able to make it to you next destination. Where is the love of the truth? What is the value of a soul being pulled from the very fires of hell by this truth? Have we strayed so far away from the truth that we can not see a wolf. Have we gone so far that we too call good evil and evil good? Will we kill the messenger and allow the infiltrators to live?

 

We are at a defining moment in this movement ether we will return to our first love or we will fail. Not all of us because some of us will continue, if we continue alone. But the majority will fall by the wayside, or return to the church and believe what ever biscuit they are serving that night. If you agree then share this. If not then delete it. But what ever you do, do not become complacent.

 

Shalom

James Gillispie

You Can't Have It Both Ways

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Saw this scripture in a post from a friend here on FB and what she had to say was very good so I’m not trying to rain on her parade but every time I read this passage or the many others that speak to this mitzvoth I am taken somewhere else. Here is the scripture and my thoughts will fallow. Num 15:15 ‘One law is for you of the assembly and for the stranger who sojourns with you – a law forever throughout your generations. As you are, so is the stranger before יהוה. Num 15:16 ‘One Torah and one right-ruling is for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.’ ”

Recently Pssion for truth wrote an article concerning beards and can or should a man shave his beard after I recorded a “Torah Tidbit” dealing with this same topic. So I thought the best way to address this would be to write a rebuttal article using the points made in there article to show how they are twisting the Torah to fit their personal doctrinal stance and lifestyle choices.

 

In the Article written by PFT they use the two verses in Leviticus where the commandment is given to not mar the corners of our beards and make the statement that the first one is a commandment only to the Leviticus priest hood and that the second time it is commanded it is only saying don’t shave your beard in some pagan ritual. PFT states that if you look at the cursory view of the scriptures, it looks as if it is a black and white shut case that Yahweh is commanding us to not shave our faces. But then retract that end statement by saying we must look at the context to see clearly what is being said there. They then use instances where Yahweh told some to shave to conclude that the father did not actually command us to not shave our faces.

 

So in this article we will use their same methodology and see if their conclusion actually bares record with scripture or if it is truly a twisting of scripture as I have already stated. I know some might say why even address this issue when there are much weightier matters going on in the body that need to be addressed. The reason I have chosen to address this “Little Issue” is because this little issue has created some big conflict in the body and even worse in marriages. This should be a non issue really. All one should have to know is that Yahweh said “YOU SHALL NOT” and that should be the end of the issue, but with men who are supposed to be torah observant making excuses why they can break what seems to be a black and white commandment I feel there needs to be some clarity brought to it.

 

Before I get into the scripture proving their assertion to be false I want to make a statement though. It is understandable that a new believer who is just coming to torah may not have a beard. It is not understandable for Bill cloud, Rico Cortez, Brad Scot, Michael Rood, Jim Staley, Eddie Chumney, or James Gillispie and other public figures claiming to fallow torah to not have a beard. Out of everyone these people for what ever reason, the father has put them in a public position and we should be leading by example. If there is even a small chance that this is a “Mitzvah” (commandment) isn’t it safer to err on the side of caution then to be in rebellion to the Mitzvah.

 

Now that we have that out of the way, lets get to the scriptures used in PFT article and a few more and see if they are correct or if the position that a man who is torah observant should not shave their face. The first scripture used is Leviticus 19:27 (Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. ) PFT’s Stance on this verse is that the context if the chapter is that we should not worship as pagans or shave our beards as part of some pagan ritual or observance of the dead. They sight verse 28 to try and solidify this point as it says (Lev 19:28  Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. ) The question we must ask is does this verse establish context or is it a stand alone statement. If it does establish context then I would agree with PFT’s statement and there would be no need for this rebuttal.

 

To establish context we must look at the structure of the entire chapter, then look at the structure of the thought process being expressed. If you read the entire 19th chapter you will see that the father is making very short definitive statements of what the children of Israel are commanded to both do and not to do. This is the reason they did not include verse 26 or verse 29 as it would have clearly shown their conclusion on verse 27 to be wrong because neither verses have anything to do with paganism and are in fact the same as the rest of the chapter. Stand alone definitive statements.  Those that know me know that I am a big proponent of establishing context to relay intent and meaning to figure out exactly what a verse is trying to convey. This was clearly not what was done here in  PFT article. In fact the opposite occurred here. Even though the whole of chapter 19 is short definitive statements they have chose to take this one instance in this chapter talking about a pagan practice and qualify the previous verse with it. When in fact all four verse’s mentioned here are stand alone definitive statements, or mitzvah. Or we can make the case that it is alright to prostitute our daughters (verse 29) as long as we don’t do it as some part of a pagan ritual.

 

So Lets take a look at the other verse PFT uses where the mitzvah appears. (Lev 21:5  They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.) The writer states that not all commandments are for everyone, some are for priest, some are for women, some are for men, and extra. This assertion is accurate and the assertion that they make here about the context of this commandment is being directed at Aaron and his sons (the priesthood) is also correct. However using this to qualify that everyone else is free to shave is incorrect on many levels. First this passage says nothing about the children of Israel who are not part of the priesthood. The writer makes the assumption and then draws a conclusion that since the rest of the children of Israel are not mentioned here then no such commandment applies to them. We have already proven that to be incorrect as in chapter 19 they are clearly given the exact same commandment.

 

Now let’s address the point they make concerning the meaning of the word “MAR” and then I will address their context on Yahweh commanding people to shave at different points in my conclusion. I would like to state first though that their article is a straight textbook Christian seminary trained 3 point and conclusion message, that is very Greek and linear in its presentation. When the Hebrew language is cyclical and fluid in it process. I make this point as they are trying to use the Hebrew text in a Greek thought process which does not hold true to the language. I make note of this as I find it a little humorous that in chapter 19 where this mitzviot is discussed that the father forbids the mixing of fabrics, cattle at such, yet that is what they are doing here by trying to mix church theology with Torah observance.

 

The writer correctly states that the Hebrew word for the word “Mar” is the word Shachath. They also correctly state the meaning of the word Shachath which is to Destroy, decay, ruin, or cast off. They error when they draw the conclusion that Avinue did not know what he meant to say, and that if it really meant to not shave the Hebrew word “galach” would have been used, which means to shave or make bald. Again this is not how a Hebrew mindset works. A Hebrew mindset says ok this is a stand alone statement telling us not to shave our beards why did the Abba use the word shachath here instead of the word galach. Maybe it was because the father wanted to make it clear that we are not to destroy in anyway, or cast off our beards or allow them to decay. Maybe he wanted to relay that we should not only, not shave our beards, but that we should also take care of them. On a separate note in PFT video teaching on the same subject they make the assumption because the word mar is used in a different context in a different passage it can not mean this in this passage. I think you can see clearly that they are trying to change the Torah to support their leader’s half shaved face rather then trying to help their leader see the truth and intent in this mitzvah.

 

Now lets conclude by addressing their assertion that because Yahweh allowed faces to be shaved in certain circumstances that it is alright to shave even when those circumstances do not exist. They conclude that it can not be a sin to shave if the father allowed some to shave for various reasons. This is like saying well I can kill anyone I want even if they have done no wrong because I can kill someone who is trying to kill me. Yes The father does allow and even command the beard to be shaved in certain circumstances like, in the instances of  leprosy, or other skin diseases, along with the Nazarite  vow and the cleansing of the priesthood. But as we clearly see in chapter 21 the priest are commanded to not mar their beards showing us that this was a commandment for a specific reason and not an every day occurrence. So unless you meet the requirements of a priest, or someone with a issue on their skin or you have taken a Nazarite vow then you are forbidden by the father to shave your beard. Plain and simple. This is not giving you the right to break his commandment to not mar the corners of your beard at will.

 

The problem here is people wanting to fit in with the world’s standards and not adhere to the fathers.  Their wives like them better shaven, or they think they look better in a goatee. Or what ever other reason one can come up with. So rather then just do what the father said they try to bend his Torah around their desires like a lawyer tries to find loop holds in the law to get a guilty individual out of trouble. It is time that we in leadership set the standard and come together on these simple issues rather then causing confusion in the body by trying to bend scripture around our own sins. Iron sharpens Iron and a wise man loves correction. Lets be the leaders the father has called us to be.

 

One more point. This is not even a point of discussion among Jews who are torah observant. Every one of them have a beard because it is commanded. Yet in the messianic movement we see this debate. Why? I state because there are still some grave cloths that we refuse to let go of so that we can truly be made new in Messiah Yeshua. And I don’t Just mean Beards only there are various other things as well. But it stands to reason that those that are not of the house of Judah from birth would look to those that have been their for generation after generation to see how they fill and observe these mitzvah that are points of contention in the faith. Shalom, Shalom

 

James Gillispie.

Rebuttal To Pft

Recently Pssion for truth wrote an article concerning beards and can or should a man shave his beard after I recorded a “Torah Tidbit” dealing with this same topic. So I thought the best way to address this would be to write a rebuttal article using the points made in there article to show how they are twisting the Torah to fit their personal doctrinal stance and lifestyle choices.
In the Article written by PFT they use the two verses in Leviticus where the commandment is given to not mar the corners of our beards and make the statement that the first one is a commandment only to the Leviticus priest hood and that the second time it is commanded it is only saying don’t shave your beard in some pagan ritual. PFT states that if you look at the cursory view of the scriptures,

PublicFriendsFriends except AcquaintancesOnly MeCustomClose FriendssingleSee all lists…My boss is a Jewish CarpenterMy boss is a Jewish CarpenterTRUST IN YAHWEH AND YESHUAMy boss is a Jewish CarpenterShofar CallStilwell, Oklahoma AreaFamilyAcquaintancesGo Back

 

Saw this scripture in a post from a friend here on FB and what she had to say was very good so I’m not trying to rain on her parade but every time I read this passage or the many others that speak to this mitzvoth I am taken somewhere else. Here is the scripture and my thoughts will fallow. Num 15:15  ‘One law is for you of the assembly and for the stranger who sojourns with you – a law forever throughout your generations. As you are, so is the stranger before יהוה. Num 15:16  ‘One Torah and one right-ruling is for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.’ ”

 

There is now, always have been, and always will be only one law for both the natural born children of Israel. Remember that Israel when this commandment was first given had never even seen the promise land. They had not set one foot in Jerusalem. They had been 430years in captivity. Serving false Elohim’s in a country that was not their own.

 

Yeshua made the statement that he had only come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Judah was not lost they where still living in the land when he was there under roman occupation yes. But none the less they where still in the land. The father chose this moment in time to send his Messiah to show the Jew that his Judgment is not to hard, but is to ensure that we his people would return to his torah. It is not his will that any should parish. And his judgment on us as a people has always been to bring us to his side.

 

Yeshua’s statement was to Israel though. Israel at this point was the stranger, and he came as the living torah to be our example of the love that the father has for us. Yes many Jews where also among the dispersed assembly of Israel. The reason Israel was dispersed and put once again in the hands of evil men in evil nations, was because they had chosen to fallow an un-righteous king Jeroboam who changed the feast days and locations. And because they wanted their own will over the will of the father. Their desires had become greater then their willingness to walk in his torah.

 

The door of the gentile is being closed if not already closed. The Judgment of YHVH on Israel has been fulfilled and his call is going out to this lost house who has been dispersed in every nation around the world. Yes they are hearing his call they are waking up and embracing his Torah in ways that as scripture foretold is provoking their brother Judah to jealousy. And they are taking the Jew by the tiztiot and asking them to teach them his torah also as prophecy has foretold.

 

Yet we have those among us that are still teaching a doctrine of separatism.  Making comments like the gentile does not have to fallow the Torah. Propagating a life of lawlessness among those that are hearing the call of Avinu. There is ONE LAW FOR ALL. How can you say you fallow and teach torah if you don’t even understand this basic principal of scripture. YESHUA (THE TORAH/LAW) made flesh did not do away with himself. He solidified himself and sits at the right hand of Avinu to this day.

 

Through Moses came the Law but through Yeshua came TRUTH and Grace Jn 1:14. The scripture defines exactly what truth is. Truth is not subjective it is concrete and unwavering. King David said that the fathers TORAH IS TRUTH. The Grace that he brought was not so you could transgress his Torah and force him to accept you in your sin. The Grace he brought was so that we who were once Law breakers (sinners) could be renewed to a place of right standing with Elohim. Not so we could continue in our transgressions.

 

There is ONE LAW FOR ALL, and no Man comes to Avinu except through HIM. Yeshua IS THE LAW MADE FLESH. Wake up Acclicia (assembly) of Israel the father is calling you home to walk in his truth and shun the pagan practices that you Like Israel of old have been brought up in. Return to his Sabbaths, embrace his Torah and celebrate his appointed times with your Family Israel United once again, at least in part. We Are one people embracing the faith of our patriarchs. A Faith that Says we serve the one true Elohim and we will not fallow after false gods and pagan practices any longer. Yes we have been in the desert but we have see the promise land that is walking in the father Torah embracing ONE LAW FOR ALL.

 

Shalom

James Gillispie

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