Thief In The Night

There are so many suggestions and sermons and messages on this subject and even more opinions, however what did He really mean??

Is there something we may have missed;

an idiom, an expression or a metaphor?

כְּגַנָּב בַּלַּיְלָה

Transliteration: ke•ga•nav ba•lay•la

Ga•nav is a thief

and

lay•la is night.

The prefix ke means: as or like,

and ba means: in the.

Maybe we could gain a better understanding of the term when viewed from a Hebrew perspective and not our Greek thinking? Hebrew thought and Greek mindset are very different as we are beginning to realize from our studies. We see so many times in the many parables, Messiah is referring to things commonly understood in His day and time. This is especially true in their culture and in reference to the Jewish/Hebrew/Israelites, whose religious lifestyle was based on the Torah instructions, laws and commandments.

The following may give further insight into the term

thief in the night –

ke•ga•nav ba•lay•la

that Messiah Jesus/Yeshua used…

let the reader decide.

Two of several passages which use the words

“a thief in the night“:

Matthew 24:43, “Understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into,”

and

1 Thessalonians 5:2, “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

This now well known sentence…

Thief in the night,

is not really a new revelation of a so named ‘rapture-type’ event..

and many have the concept of a person breaking in to steal.

By looking at the origin of this Hebrew concept/ idiom/expression; which has been embellished by images of escaping out of all the bad end-of-the-age events; we may gain some interesting insights.

1Thess. 5:1-11 and especially verse 4 But you are not in the dark (we are children of light) we don’t belong to the night or the darkness so that the Day of The Lord should take you by surprise like a thief for we belong to the light who belong to the day. 

We often make reference to this term

thief in the night –

ke•ga•nav ba•lay•la

from the scriptures, but how many really know

what the metaphor of the thief in the night is all about? 

In order to understand this idiom/metaphor, we must know historically where this term came from.

We know the Levitical Priesthood had very specific and particular functions and roles.

When the 1st and 2nd Temple existed there was a procedure that Priests were assigned to their duties when they came to serve their two weeks of service.

The High Priest or

another person in charge of the temple,

e.g. the Captain of the guards;

would assign each priest to a particular task.

The High Priest/Kohen ha’Gadol

would make his rounds each night in the Temple,

to make sure that the other priests were doing their duty of

keeping the fire burning on the brazen altar.

The altar was the very heart of the Holy Temple, because all of the service to the Lord was centered around it: all of the daily and additional offerings, as well as the individual and congregational sacrifices.

Three Fires.

Three separate piles of wood burned on top of the altar. The largest of these arrangements was designated to receive all the sacrifices; the second provided the coals for the incense altar within the sanctuary, and the third was the perpetual fire which constantly burned on the altar, as Lev. 6:5 states:

And a fire shall burn there on the altar constantly;

it shall not be extinguished.”

 

A large pile of ashes formed in the center of the altar from the remnants of these fires. God commanded that the coals be removed from here, and brought to another location outside of the Holy Temple which was known as the place of ashes.

 

The ashes that amassed atop the altar were taken to the

Beit HaDeshen (the place of the ashes),

a pure place outside the Temple

Leviticus 6:4,

on the Mt. of Olives outside the city walls,

or to the large Beit HaDeshen in the north of Jerusalem.

 

The commandment in the Torah was to

never allow this fire on the altar to go out. Leviticus 6:13. 

The priest who was assigned to keep the fire on the altar burning all night understood that the fire could not go out for any reason; this meant that He could not sleep the whole night.
If he fell asleep, the fire would not stay stoked with wood, and it would go out, thereby bringing judgment on the entire nation of Israel/Yisra’el.

The priests were also commanded not to have wine or strong drink while serving in the temple (Leviticus 10:9). Alcohol in their blood stream would defile their worship and cause them to become drunk, lazy and sleepy.

The High Priest/Kohen ha’Gadol /or the Captain of the guards, would leave the temple but he would quietly return before daylight. He would first check the fire on the altar. If it was burning then all was well and as it should be; but if it was about to go out, then he would take a shovel of coals from the Altar and go and look for the priest who was assigned to keep the fire burning.

Because the

Kohen ha’Gadol/High Priest

came at an hour

when they were least expecting him to show up,

the priests began to refer to him as…

כְּגַנָּב בַּלַּיְלָה

ke•ga•nav ba•lay•la

If the priest on duty fell asleep and was not watching the fire on the brazen altar, the High Priest would find him sleeping on the job. So it became known as an idiom.

When he found him sleeping on the stone floor the High Priest would wake him up by taking some hot coals from the altar, and after scooping them up with a shovel he would put some on different parts of his Linen garments.

Linen is very flammable and the priest who had fallen asleep would be suddenly awakened by the smell of hot burning coals and his garment on fire. He would immediately strip off his clothes as fast as he could in order to prevent from being burned.

At the end of his turn, the other priests would see him naked, without his garment, and he would be ashamed; primarily because all the other priests would know that he had been caught falling asleep on watch. 

According to Hebrews 7:17-21

Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is our High Priest

after the order of Melchizedek and his true followers according to 1Peter 2:9 are His royal priesthood. We are cautioned not to be like those priests who fell asleep when they should have been alert, waiting and watching for the return of their High Priest.

The figure of speech or idiom:

was well known at the time of Messiah.

The High Priest was not a thief but

he came as a thief, meaning:

he came unexpectedly to those who were asleep!!

The priests who were awake doing their jobs

expected him to come before dawn.

This story about keeping the fire burning on the altar is a parable about those who will be doing the Father’s will when Messiah returns to take away His Bride.

The thief in the night

כְּגַנָּב בַּלַּיְלָה

ke•ga•nav ba•lay•la

was the ancient Hebrew reference (idiom) for the time the bridegroom would come for his bride. Luke 12:35-36,

Yeshua (Jesus) associated the same Hebraic idiom in Matt. 25:13  – no man knows the day or the hour – which referred to Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets on the first of Tishrei.

And, in Matt. 25:6, ” and in the middle of the night a cry was made, Lo, the bridegroom doth come; go ye forth to meet him.” (YLT)

The thief in the night

was also the ancient Hebrew reference (idiom), for the time the bridegroom would come for his bride/ kallah – כַּלָּה.

For more click link below Hebrew bride, wedding and 10 virgins (natzarim):

https://www.minimannamoments.com/the-hidden-mystery-of-the-kallah/

Luke 12:35-36, “ 35 `Let your loins be girded, and the lamps burning, 36 and ye like to men waiting for their lord, when he shall return out of the wedding feasts, that he having come and knocked, immediately they may open to him.”  (YLT) 

The allusion is to persons waiting at a wedding in the night, with torches and oil lamps in their hands.

Lamps are kept burning at night, during the dark hours.  The wedding feast was held when the bridegroom came for his bride during the night hours – as a thief in the night.

The Hebrews / Judeans knew the references of the wedding ceremony were also to Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets because of the association with the blast of the shofar / trumpet. 

The parable comparing the kingdom to a wedding feast in Matt. 22:1-14 lays out the sequence of events for the marriage of the Lamb and the time of Christ’s second coming… at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Those who are not keeping His Commandments will suffer loss and will be judged and punished by fire. We must be about our Heavenly Fathers’ business.

Noah was like the watchful priest that was in charge of the fire on the altar. He kept the fire burning, meaning: he followed the commands, was a light to his generation and he received his reward. Salvation and deliverance out of judgement.

Lot was like the sleeping priest that was in charge of the fire on the altar. He did not keep the fire burning, meaning; he did not let his light shine before men and he suffered great loss.

We are given a command to watch, and keep our garments so that we will not be ashamed when our Messiah returns. Now we can better understand his warning to us in the book of Revelation: Chazown 16:15-19 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

In his letter to the Renewed Covenant believers in Messiah, the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) wrote to them: “You have no need that I write to you concerning the times and the seasons”
1 Thessalonians 5:1-5

The Day of the Lord 

5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.

What did he mean by this statement?

 In order to understand what Sha’ul/Paul was saying here, we must understand that the Hebrew word for 

times and seasons is

moedim

pronounced – mow-eh-deem.

The word moedim is plural for the

Hebrew word moed. 

Hebrew word mowed as seen in the Hebrew Concordance:

#4150 mow’ed mo-ade’ or moled {mo-ad’}; or (feminine) moweadah (2 Chronicles 8:13) {mo-aw-daw’}; from 3259; properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand):–appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn(-ity), synogogue, (set) time (appointed).

Why did Sha’ul/Paul have no need to write to them about these things?

1 Thessalonians 5:

1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of YHWH so comes as a thief in the night.

Because they were all keeping our Heavenly Fathers’ Sabbaths and Appointed Days!

Shaul/Paul, and the Thessalonians were well aware of this metaphor concerning the High Priest and the thief in the night. They practiced these things in the temple year after year and there was no need to explain it to them. If they continued to keep the Fathers’ appointed moedim as he had commanded them to do forever, they would not be taken by surprise.

1Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

In ancient Jerusalem, there would be two witnesses who would stand on the walls of Jerusalem and watch for the first sliver (crescent) of the new moon.

When the Father in heaven decided to allow the new moon to appear in the sky, then these two witnesses would sound the shofar/trumpet and all the people in the city would immediately drop what they were doing, and they would run towards the temple for the celebration of

The Day of Blowing or in Hebrew,Yom Teruah.

The Temple doors were only open for a short period of time, and if they failed to make it to the temple before the doors were shut, those who were slow in running to the temple were left out. Once the doors were shut, nobody could get in. Because this feast was to begin at sundown, they had to make sure that their oil lamps were filled so that they could find their way in the dark towards the temple. 

In those days, there were no street lights, so they had to carry their oil lamps to help them find their way once it got dark. In Matthew 25, our Messiah told the parable of the ten virgins. Only five of these virgins were wise and had their oil lamps filled when the bridegroom came, but the five foolish virgins had not prepared themselves by filling their lamps with oil. 

When The Day That No Man Knows had arrived, the two witnesses sounded the trumpet/shofar, and the five wise virgins were ready to go into the marriage. Much to their peril, the foolish virgins, had no oil in their lamps, and consequently, they could not see their way around in the dark. The foolish virgins were admonished to go and buy oil for their lamps, which caused them to be too late for the feast. When the temple doors were shut, the five foolish virgins were left out. 

Many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be

working in the fields or

grinding at the mill, Matthew 24:40-42,

and when they heard the sound of the shofar/trumpet

they knew that their work was finished. 

Our Messiah was speaking in the language of 

Feast of Trumpets typology

when He said that we must 

Work while it is yet day, for the night comes when no man can work  John 9:24.

Those who were working in the fields had to run towards the temple before the doors were shut. The person who was alert and listening for the trumpet would be taken by the alarm; this was his signal to run towards the temple.

However, those who were not alert and not watching, would not hear the sound of the trumpet, and they would be left in the field or grinding at the mill,

unaware that

the day had come.

Shaul/Paul, knew that these followers of Messiah were

not in darkness because they were keeping their

oil lamps filled and ready for the day when it arrived.

They would not be overtaken by

the day that no man knows 

without oil in their lamps.

Their High Priest, Jesus/Yeshua, would come not as

A

for them, because they would not be in darkness!

1Thessalonians 5:

4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5 You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

The Hebrew word for 

day is yom – יוֹם

which means the following:

#3117 yowm: yome from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset), continually, everlasting, season.

The Hebrew word for light

in the Strong’s Hebrew Concordance as

#216 owr אוֹר

which means the following: light, light of day, light of heavenly luminaries (moon, sun, stars); day-break, dawn, morning light; light of lamp; light of life; light of prosperity; light of instruction.

The illustration below of the seven-branch menorah,

each light on the lamp represents

a feast day or

an appointed yom.

Paul was saying that because they and we are 

children of the light and of the day,

we will be walking in our Master’s instructions,

and the light or revelation received when we understand and remember His appointed times!

As priests in the order of Melchizedek, we must not be like those priests who would be found

drinking alcohol while on watch and

getting drunk and falling asleep.

We are given clear warning here to

watch and be sober.

The Greek word here for

sober is nepho

which literally means: to abstain from wine.

1 Thessalonians 5:

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7 For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For Elohim has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Master Jesus/Yeshua Mashiach/Messiah.

The breastplate being spoken of here is an allusion to the

Choshen –

the priest’s breastplate,

that he wore for the twelve tribes of Israel/Yisra’el.

Those of us who are ready will be made kings and priests in the New Millennial Kingdom of our Mashiyach/Messiah as we can read in Revelation 1:6, 5:10. For

the bride who is walking in the light and the truth of scripture,

must go through tribulation

as part of the purifying process

to be made ready without spot or wrinkle

Daniel 12:10, Revelation 3:8; 7:14. 

The Hebrew word for

tribulation 

in the Strong’s  Concordance:

#6862 tsar tsar or tsar {tsawr}; from 6887; narrow; (as a noun) a tight place (usually figuratively, i.e. trouble); also a pebble (as in 6864); (transitive) an opponent (as crowding):–adversary, afflicted(-tion), anguish, close, distress, enemy, flint, foe, narrow, small, sorrow, strait, tribulation, trouble.

Messiah likened Himself to 

The thief in the night

who would

come at

an hour that no man knows.

For these people who were not watching with their oil lamps filled, sudden destruction will come upon them as a woman in travail

and it would be too late for them to escape the wrath of The Father. 1Thessalonians 5:3

The priest’s duty was to trim the wicks and

keep the lamp lit at all times.

The menorah represented God, Who is light. Jesus/Yeshua said that He was the Light of the World in John 9:5. When Jesus/Yeshua returns, He will be the Light /the menorah in the Tabernacle as it is said in Revelation, The Lamb will be its light.

For us today we are to be the Light of the World.

As previously noted fire was always burning in the Temple, because the Lord commanded His priests saying,

A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus 6:13.

The fire on the altar was a reflection of God ‘s moving power and His continual ministry on behalf of His children.

Why was the fire in the altar to burn continuously as repeated in Leviticus?

…12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.

God wanted a perpetual fire there. Recall that before the giving of the Torah/Law, God appeared to Moses “in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up”  Exodus 3:2 .

The Fathers Holy presence/His divinity and fire are often connected in the scriptures: Deuteronomy 5:4; Psalms 50:3; Malachi 3:2, and this is because of His power, glory, and the cleansing effects of fire. Just as a fire separates the metal from the dross, so our Father by His work, refines the righteous and also by His judgments, separates the good from the evil.

In the Old Testament, the Lord appeared to Moses in the wilderness in the form of a burning bush Exodus 3:2. And after the Exodus, He walked among His people in the form of a pillar of fire Exodus 13:21–22. The fire represented the presence of the Almighty

1 Corinthians 10:1-4, 9.

The temple fire was originally kindled by God Himself: 

and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Leviticus 9:24.

No other source of fire was acceptable to God.

When the sons of Aaron attempted to offer a foreign fire, they were killed. Numbers 3:4.

The Jewish historians affirm that this fire burned continuously through their sojourning years in the wilderness.

The fire of the Lord was again sent down during the dedication of the new temple by Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:1 and it would seem that it continued until the Babylonian captivity.

Some Hebrew traditions even claim that it continued for more than 1,400 years, never being allowed to be put out until the final destruction of the temple at Jerusalem in 70 AD.

John the Baptist prophesied that the Messiah was to baptize people with the Spirit and with fire Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16.

And after the Resurrection, His Holy Spirit at the Day of Pentecost came down and filled the people taking the form of

“tongues of fire” Acts 2:3.

Jesus/Yeshua said in John 16:1 I have told you these things so you wont be caught off guard or taken by surprise. And in verse 13-15 reminding us that Holy Spirit will announce to us the events of the future.

However in 1Thess. 5:1-3 we are told that only the Father knows the times and dates; Matthew 24:36, and believers have no need to know them. Acts 1:7 so all our date setting and calculations are to no avail because the

Day of the Lord will come

like a

כְּגַנָּב בַּלַּיְלָה

ke•ga•nav ba•lay•la

thief in the night.

Is. 2:9; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph 1:7,14; 2:2-3; 3:8.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

2Pet 3:10

No one knows when exactly Messiah will appear.

Matthew 24:27  When the Son of Man comes, it will be like lightning extremely fast, and everyone will see it, no one will miss it

Verse 30 Son of Man comes on the clouds.

1Thess 5:3 The destruction will come suddenly upon them. The picture of destruction coming suddenly in the midst of (apparent) peace, echoes throughout the Tenakh with the prophets like Isaiah 57:19-21 Jeremiah 6:14 and Ezek. 10:10. Here Paul refers to

Yom Adonai Day of the Lord and Messiahs return as:

the way labor pains come upon a pregnant woman.

The sages/rabbis have historically referred to these troubled times preceding the advent of the Messiah as

the chevlei Mashiach, the birth pains of Messiah.

The expression arises from the prophets who employed birthing imagery, often comparing times of distress and the trials of the day of the LORD to the travails suffered by a woman in labor.

Luke 17:26-30; Genesis 6:13 & Matt. 24:30. In the days of Noah they didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away and as for the one taken and one left in Matt 13:24; Messiah clearly says the tares are gathered first verse 30 from among the wheat…so maybe the one taken is not the believer?

Rev. 16:15-19 Of a certainty the Messiah will come as a

and whether the reader holds to

a pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation

so named rapture type event;

as the word rapture is nowhere in scripture;

it remains for each of us to

be prepared and ready for

His certain and imminent return.

Because the

Solomon principle

of Ecc. 1:9 solemly declares:

the thing that has been is the thing that shall be

so

..as in the days of Noah and Lot……

Rest assured family, He is coming for His Bride

let’s make certain we are awake!

There is forgiveness of sins and

a future to be gained

for the truly repentant heart…

…don’t wait one more minute,

let the Blood of His Son,

Messiah Yeshua – Jesus Christ

wash you clean and make you wholly ready

for eternity in His presence.

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

Why Does The Kingdom of Heaven Suffer Violence, & Who Or What Is The Breaker?

We begin this post with some questions.

Why Does the Kingdom of Heaven Suffer Violence,

Who Or What Is The Breaker?

&

How is Matthew 11:12 connected to Micah 2:12?

 

And from the days of John the Baptist until now

the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,

and the

violent take it by force.

Matthew 11:12.

I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.

Micah 2:12

The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at their head.” Micah 2:13.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the violent take heaven by force! Matthew 11.

Who are the violent?

Why does the New Testament seem to encourage

violence and being forceful?

What did Messiah mean?

Why was He seemingly advocating violence?

Wasn’t His mission here to bring shalom – peace?

Doesn’t it seem contrary to all He taught?

Here is another example of the need to comprehend, not only the Old Testament, but to give some attention to Hebrew/Jewish understanding in reference to their mindset/concepts, oral teaching and traditions. Another example below from Micah 4:1-2.

Why do we need to do that?

Because although the people in Messiahs’ day, did not all have access to scrolls, rabbis/teachers in synagogues, they understood references made to Torah, the Writings and the Prophets more than we do, as we sadly don’t read or study the Tanakh as we should.

The word for

violent

in this passage is:

biastes

which gives the idea of:

breaking forth.

The Aramaic word used is:

qetira

which has the meaning of:

breaking away from restraint.

The semitic origin has the idea of:

a circle

and later of:

being surrounded

or encircled like a fence or wall enclosure.

In some Jewish literature, the word is further taken to mean:

being fenced into the law

and

breaking away from the law.

In Micah 2:12,13 these two verses are full of Hebraic imagery.

There was a common teaching in the oral tradition, explaining that this is a picture of:

a shepherd calling his sheep for overnight hours.

As they were always on the move looking for pasture to feed the flock;

a shepherd would take whatever stones were right there at his location and construct a temporary rock fence/wall on the hillside.

Some pictures show the shepherd as the door, others show that the stones were all the way around.

The next morning, the shepherd would make a break in the wall, by removing some of the stones/rocks and he would then go through the gate/opening; followed closely by the sheep.

Because the sheep were ready to exit the pen/enclosure and the exit would have been small, narrow and restrictive, the sheep were often pressing and pushing one another in order to get through the narrow way/break/door.

As they continued to eagerly jostle one another to get to the food in the pasture beyond, they would cause the door to be widened as they pressed against the rocks, dislodging them..

The picture given is of the sheep finally breaking through into the open pasture hurrying after their shepherd.

In the passage in Micah:

 

the breaker

that is come before them

and

the king that shall pass before them.

Are these one and the same?

Interestingly the rabbis apparently teach that

the breaker is to be interpreted as Elijah

and the Messiah is the King.

This common teaching is that

Elijah comes first as the breaker:

the one who would make the initial hole/break in the rock wall.

He goes before the Messiah to prepare the way for Him. (Sounding familiar? In the spirit of Elijah …Matthew 11:14)

The Messiah is the King who follows, the One Who comes after Elijah and leads the sheep through the gate/door/dalet, in the Way to the Kingdom of God.

 

Those who are following Messiah, the sheep of His pasture, are so ready and excited to go through the gate/door that they will cause the gate to extend wider just as the sheep getting out of their pen did pushing to get into the pasture beyond.

Because this teaching was so well known to the listeners, it’s a great possibility that Messiah was pointing to this particular scripture in Micah when He said in Matthew 11:12

taking the kingdom by force or violence or

by breaking out or removing any restraints of the law!!

In translating the Greek word:

biastes,

and the Aramaic word:

qetira

as violent,

can be a little misleading.

It’s really rather an inappropriate rendering, as it is suggesting a negative, aggressive attitude, instead of an excited desire to leave the incorrect restraints of the law and follow the One who came to fulfill/complete the law.

This is what Messiah came to do, by teaching us how to follow Him and the commandments correctly by applying it to our lives; embracing all that He is, and fulfilling all that our Heavenly Father has planned, leaving behind the added doctrines, traditions and laws of men.

‘THEY WORSHIP ME IN VAIN [their worship is meaningless and worthless, a pretense], TEACHING THE PRECEPTS OF MEN AS DOCTRINES [giving their traditions equal weight with the Scriptures].’You disregard and neglect the commandment of God, and cling [faithfully] to the tradition of men.”He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside and nullifying the commandment of God in order to keep your [man-made] tradition and regulations. Mark 7:7-9.

For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ Matthew 11:10-15

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare and clear the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.

In the Old Testament/Tanakh, referred to here, Malachi 3:1 introduces a passage that clearly states that Eliyahu /Elijah the prophet will precede the coming of the Day of the Lord, that is, the Day of Judgment. Malachi 3:23. Judaism expects Eliyahu/Elijah, who never died but was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, to precede the Messiah. 2 kings 2:11.

We can see that:

the breaker was Yochanan, John the Baptist

who made the hole – breaking the rock wall of religious pharisaical resistance and went forth.

Here we have our answer to our question:

Who Or What was The Breaker?

He was the one who opened the way, made the straight path; and as Messiah confirmed in Matthew 11:14, was the Elijah of Micah whom the rabbis referred to, and who the prophets prophesied concerning.

And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is [the fulfillment of] Elijah [as the messenger] who was to come [before the kingdom]. Matthew 11:14.

If you are willing to accept it he is Eliyahu/Elijah.

This does not suggest that Yochanan/John, was Eliyahu/Elijah reincarnated; on the contrary Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed and destined for all men

to die once

and after this [comes certain] judgment;

specifically teaches that

reincarnation does not occur

and when asked Yochanan/John himself denies that he is Elijah. John 1:21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

Rather he comes: in the spirit of Elijah and

precedes the Messiahs first coming;

in the same way that another ‘Elijah-like’ figure,

is to precede His second coming,

Messiah Yeshua/Jesus affirms this understanding

in Matthew 17:10-13.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.

But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”

Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Elijah also appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moshe/Moses right before the Crucifixion and the beginning of the coming of the Kingdom of the heavens.

Matthew 17:2/3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.

Mark 9:2

So it begs the question –

Is Elijah still to come or be seen once more before Messiah returns? According to scripture he has still not died. 

It is given unto men once to die and after that …. Those like Lazarus were raised from physical death and would have later died as their bodies did not last forever. Resurrection to eternal life means, no more death either physical or spiritual. Only two men of the Tanakh/Old Testament, Elijah and Enoch, did not physically die, they were taken up alive into heaven. Many scholars believe they are the two witnesses mentioned in the book of Revelation 11:3-12 as they die in the streets of Jerusalem and are then resurrected and ascend to heaven.

When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified…. 11. Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

Time will show …..

and it may be sooner than we think!

Messiah Jesus/Yeshua as King leads His people, His sheep through the door/Dalet – Himself, and as they are so excited to go in to His Kingdom of true Shalom and the ‘green pastures of heaven’, like the sheep rushing forward, they break through the gate, leaving behind them the law that bound and restricted them.

They follow Messiah and the eternal life offered through Him, Who is the One Whom the whole of Torah, the Writings and the Prophets point towards.

Messiah Yeshua/Jesus didn’t here refer to Himself as The Shepherd, but, He did so later. John 11:10,14. However, any Israelite who was listening, would have understood to whom He was referring.

We should consider that if He was pointing to Old Testament teaching and oral tradition, He was not advocating or encouraging people to take the Kingdom of Heaven by violence; and certainly not the violence that we think of in our modern understanding and usage of the word.

He is referring to the Tanakh /Old Testament picture, known by all listening that the sheep, and here the people, will be so focused on breaking out of their old traditions to follow Messiah and enter His Kingdom of the Heavens, that they will

biastes or qetira /breakdown the rocks of the narrow gate

and widen it,

so that more and more sheep/people can quickly enter in together.

There is teaching that encourages believers to display an aggressive fighting attitude, which is appropriate in standing against the true enemy of our souls; but as we have seen, not literally against the Kingdom of Heaven.

As His talmidim/disciples, we are not to be violent as in modern terms, but zealous in our faith and on fire; as the disciples were following their Holy Spirit Baptism in the upper room, energizing them to preach the good news of the gospel.

…15 So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God. 16 The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.…

16.The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it. ASV.

Luke 16 :15-17

We are to be continually pushing/pressing forward

as Paul said:

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for … God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. I press on … reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize. Phil.3:14

Pressing toward the prize, as they pressing into Adonai, the Good Shepherd Himself and bringing many with us, following Him as He brings many sons into Glory.

We are in very serious times and we must be

sober and vigilant.

These are days of ‘getting right with the Lord’

and being authentic in our walk

and faithful in obedience

to all that He has asked us personally to do.

Lets be zealous

in being about our Fathers business…

not our own or other peoples!

There is forgiveness of sins and a future to be gained for the truly repentant heart

…don’t wait one more minute, let the Blood of His Son, Messiah Yeshua – Jesus Christ wash you clean and make you wholly ready for eternity in His presence.

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

It’s My Birthday…But Which One?

And …

which one will we celebrate?

Two of the most asked questions are:

how old are you

and when is your birthday?

we are usually very quick to tell everyone when… 

It’s My Birthday!!!

BUT which one are we referring to?

Every person on earth has some kind of record of birth,  a birth certificate – certificate of live birth. Documentation that they are legitimately, physically, a person alive and separate from their mother’s womb.

Taken literally we should add 9 months to the child’s life, as life begins at conception; and the baby is alive in the mother’s womb here on the earth. So in actual fact, an individual is not 0 years at birth but 9 months more or less, depending on the exact time of exiting the womb. Doesn’t it seem strange to count 0 at birth??

The certificate or documentation or record usually details the time in hours and minutes, recording the weight, the place/location, country; the day, month and year as well as the names of the parents. It’s very precise because the birth was precise and evident to any one present. The leaving of one environment – the womb, into another – the world, is undeniable. We celebrate the date of the birth and every year after on that same day.

The baby has no clue until told at an age they can understand, why the date is remembered and so it is for everyone else. Every year for the rest of our lives. Why do we do this? It’s a strange custom.

Did Messiah Jesus, His disciples and followers do this? Is it scriptural/biblical? Is there a reaction in heaven?

The only noted reaction in heaven is the angels rejoicing over one soul that is saved one sinner who repents.

I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10 & Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Not when they are born in the natural, but born again from above by the Holy Spirit. Messiah Jesus/Yeshua was born from above from heaven by the Fathers Holy Spirit – He was already born again so to speak.

There is no one who has gone up to Heaven, except One who has come down from Heaven, the Son of Man whose home is in Heaven. No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. John 3:13

Jesus/Yeshuas’ natural birth was the only one celebrated by angels! Luke 2:8-20

This is a mystery revealed to Nicodemus and Messiah states clearly that in verse 3, unless you are born again from above you cannot see the Kingdom of God. So it is of critical importance and essential for being a citizen of Gods’ Kingdom; just as in whatever location we are born physically, it’s automatically determined that you are a citizen of that country, and have a legal right to all that entire nation offers.

The point is, if we are so certain of our physical birthdate and yet were obviously too young to remember it or know it, and yet we hold it so dear; and we not only know our own birthdate, (which is tied to everything we do in the worlds system); we also know those of our siblings, parents, spouse, families and friends.

The critical question is:

When exactly was your born again from above spiritual birth day? We should ask ourselves, isn’t that more important and significant than the one that entitles us to the worlds’ resources and benefits? The world and riches/benefits that Messiah refused when it was offered to Him? Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:7.

Isn’t the fact that being born again from above essential to seeing the kingdom of heaven; and knowing not only we are forgiven, but eligible for all the future privileges and gifts of the infinite, eternal Kingdom of the living God and His Messiah?

And furthermore, that our sins are removed and we have become His child, born into a new realm by His Spirit.

Which is the most important birthday?

And why don’t we celebrate this one – the one that promises eternal life with the Father who has provided this future for us.

We are written in His book of Life our names are recorded spiritually.

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb‘s book of life.” Revelation 3:5.

We don’t need a paper certificate because our life should spiritually reflect our new birth and new allegiance, new ownership – new parent as we emerge from the womb of the earth/world. The world which offers only eternal death. We are born into eternal life, not death, death is separation from our Heavenly Father.

The challenge is, if we can’t pinpoint our spiritual birthdate to the same accuracy as the information and details on our physical birth certificate, why cant we??

Wasn’t it as important and as wonderful, as the natural birth? The re-birth that we should not only be cognizant of, but consciously consenting to – repenting, understanding what we were doing and what was happening to us?

The writer remembers exactly, to the minute, when this spiritual, born from above by His Spirit of Holiness experience occurred, and thanks be to our Heavenly Father and His Son, life/chaim was changed for ever. The knowing of its’ significance and consequences are so important that it will never ever be forgotten or diminished. Family, friends, do you remember your born from above moment too? If you can’t, we must ask ourselves the critical question – why not? Why can’t we remember? It’s a more sure and eternal event than our natural birth.

Ask our Father to show you, to remind you and if there is any tiny shadow of doubt as to the date maybe we should take the opportunity to ensure we are truly born again by His Spirit. Today is the day of salvation seek Him while He may be found. There is still time and it’s not too late….what have you got to lose?… Everything if you are not born again from above!

Don’t just think you are saved – KNOW that you are for a certainty.

And if you are wavering, then recommit yourself right now…record the date, the moment for yourself, then you can remind the enemy when he challenges us.

If you know your earthly, worldly, physical birthday, shouldn’t we know our spiritual birthday even more, and shouldn’t we be celebrating our spiritual birthday every year too? The natural ones will end eventually; the spiritual ones will never cease.

Let’s help each other celebrate eternal life, counting every year on our spiritual birthdates as well. The natural ones focus on the person, the spiritual focuses on the person of Messiah – the One through Whom we are alive to our Heavenly Father.

Nakdimon – Nicodemus had some questions too.

Why was he seemingly ignorant?

In John 3:34 Yeshua says to him:

unless a man be born again from above

he cannot see the kingdom of God.

He cannot see the kingdom unless his spiritual eyes are opened. Nicodemus responds with

can a man be born when he is old?

He was speaking of himself. He had come to Yeshua/Jesus seeking understanding; he had questions like we all do. He seemed like he didn’t know anything, but is that really the case?

He seemed confused as to how a man could be born again when he had reached the age of a senior citizen and had already met the Pharisee requirements to be born again!

He wasn’t saying that it wasn’t possible

he simply wanted to know HOW!

Here we must look at the background to his position. Being born again was NOT a new concept in Yeshua/Jesus’ day! There were 6 ways that one could be born again in Pharisaic Judaism. Nicodemus was already qualified in 4 of these ways and the other 2 would have been impossible for him to fulfill. (the one was that a gentile was said to be born again if he converted to Judaism or was born again if he crowned as a king.

The 4 ways in which Nicodemus did meet the criteria were

One, when a Jewish/Israelite boy becomes bar mitzvah at age 13 he is said to be born again. He had obviously already experienced his bar mitzvah and was therefore born again in that manner.

A second way was by marriage. When a Jewish/Israelite man married he was said to be born again. A member of the Sanhedrin must be married, so Nicodemus could not be born again – again, in this way, since he was already a member of the Sanhedrin.

Thirdly, a Jew/Israelite could be born again when ordained as a Rabbi, (Rabbi means teacher), so Nicodemus could not be re-ordained.

The fourth way to be born again was to become the head of a Rabbinical school. In John 3:10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Yeshua/Jesus was commenting that Nicodemus held the office of Rabbi/Teacher of Israel, which meant he was already head of a Rabbinical school.

Nicodemus had gone through every process available in Judaism to being born again as he understood it.

The only other option that he could be born again at his age and qualifications, was in his mind to re-enter his mothers womb and start the process all over again; which was both absurd and confusing to Nicodemus, so was he asking the question in the form of a completely ridiculous suggestion? Or, was He asking if Jesus/Yeshua was indeed the Messiah and if so, then was there some way that this was a miraculous possibility??  Whatever his thinking was, the discussion gave Messiah the opportunity to explain some spiritual truths to this already born again teacher of Israel, primarily that he still needed to be spiritually born again.

John introduces Nicodemus as one of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, but one who recognizes power when he sees it and also one who comes to Yeshua/Jesus under cover of the night, so as not to be seen by his colleagues John 3:1.

As already noted, Nicodemus held the office of a teacher in Israel. He is called a ruler and is thus a rabbi, a member of the

Sanhedrin – סנהדרין

the Jewish religious court and he is mentioned in other Jewish literature e.g. Talmud.

Eventually Nicodemus was born again from above v. 3-8 coming to trust in Yeshua.

The Greek: gennethe anothen,

is sometimes rendered:

born again or born from above,

which reflects that both aspects are relevant. The concept itself is Jewish! Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish states: A proselyte is like a newborn infant. Likewise Rabbi Yosi reminds us that in born again the idea resembles that of a new creation as also seen in 2Corinthians 5:17 and Genesis 39:11.

2Corinthians 3:5. Born from water/natural and the spirit/supernatural. In Judaism, immersion in water is directly linked to ritual cleansing of the body; while the spirit enables people to repent/turn from sin and live a holy life/separated unto the Lord. Born from water in its grammatical construction refers to the Spirit of Holiness /Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit. Ezekiel 36:25-7. There is no necessary reference to the Mikveh (ritual cleansing bath) here. Rather the grammatical construction (hendiadys) indicates that water is a reference to the Spirit as in Ezekiel 36:25-7.

In John 3:10 you hold the office of teacher in Israel.

Literally you are The Teacher of Israel.

The definite article implies that Nicodemus’s position was uniquely important although it is difficult to reconstruct precisely what it was.

Strong’s Greek: 3530. Νικόδημος (Nikodémos) — Nicodemus…

Transliteration: Nikodémos Phonetic Spelling: (nik-od’-ay-mos) Definition: Nicodemus, an Israelite Usage: Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin.

The name Nicodemus might mean Victory Of The People From (1) the noun νικα (nike), victory, and (2) the noun δημος (demos), [common] people.

Nicodemus was not an ignorant man and his question was very valid in light of his position. He was

seeking truth and he

found Messiah and the key to eternal life!

As we continue to seek truth let’s make certain once and for all, without any shadow of a doubt whatsoever, that we are born again by the Holy Spirit of the One True Living God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob; and that we know

both our birthdates!

This year let’s make a resolution to celebrate both of them,

rejoicing that we are our Fathers’ child forever.

So how old are you.. spiritually? And when was your spiritual birthday?

Have you been

????

With all our knowledge and understanding,

with all our studies ….

Nothing is more important than this message so,

please don’t leave here without that absolute knowledge and assurance…. 

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and came in the flesh, that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your Word is Truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again from above by Your Holy Spirit and I am believing by faith that I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into Your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.

Truth vs Traditions

Truth vs Traditions –

A Pharisaical Challenge!

If challenged, would we listen to scriptural truth or, would we defend our Christian culture and keep our traditions regardless? Messiah pointed out the same issue to the religious leaders of His day. The Pharisees and Scribes declared that their old ways were good enough.

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.

Mark 7:7 8

Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Matthew 15:10

Messiah called the crowd to Him and said,

“Listen and understand.” 

Matthew 15:9

Genuine faith is founded on the Scriptures; but Satan uses so many devices to twist the Word of God and introduce error.

If we are to know what they really do teach great care is needed as we study.

One of the great distractions for us is focusing too much on how we are feeling, and claiming our honesty while at the same time ignoring the simple truths of the Word of God because  it doesn’t agree with how we are feeling. It is a sad truth that many folks have no solid foundation for their faith, as it is only rooted in feelings and emotions. Their experiences are carnal/feeling/emotional, based in external elements that cause excitement; but when that is gone, so is their faith.

Feelings are like chaff, however the word of God is the wheat. And “what,” says the prophet, “is the chaff to the wheat?”

Thus saith the LORD, “I have heard what the prophets have said, that prophesy lies in My Name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed’. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yes, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; which think to cause My people to forget My Name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My Name for Baal.

The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully/truthfully.

What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD…

Behold, I am against the prophets that use their tongues, and say, ‘He saith’. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I have not sent them, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.”

Jeremiah 23:25-32

The deceivers are here – the chaff to the wheat. Chaff is separated from wheat/grain during threshing.

This expression became a metaphor in the Bible to represent separating wickedness or false doctrines from the truth. Chaff is figuratively used to stand for worthless matters.  Matthew 3:12

It is not hard to utter words of worship or assume the attitude of worship; but “what is the chaff to the wheat?” The Father’s eye is upon the worshipper’s heart. His ear listens to the language of the soul. Put off, spiritually, the shoes from off your feet. Gird up the loins of your minds.

There are those who love and follow their own tradition rather than the Word of God; and when they do, their worship and service is vain. Vain in both senses of the word… because it is both prideful and presumptuous; and because it is empty when they invent religions that have no substance.

Those who think they should replace God’s Word with their own traditions are in the grip of vanity and pride.

 1Corinthians 1:18-31.

Isaiah 29:13. “…these people draw near to me with their mouths, and honour me with their lips, yet have removed their hearts far from me. Moreover, their worship toward me is the doctrines of men.”

Paying lip-service means: saying YES, with our mouth but saying NO in our heart and by our actions. It’s honoring our Heavenly Father with our lips when our heart is far from Him.

The secret of true worship is that we “worship in spirit and in truth” John 4:24. Not only must the things we say and feel be true, but they must both come from and be the prime love of our spirits, our heart’s deepest desire. It’s a sad fact that many worship with ulterior motives, the desires of their hearts are far from our Heavenly Father. For example…

Matthew 6:2-7, 16-18

tells us  that some seek their own glory and praise and some seek wealth and earthly prosperity.

They seem to be serving God, but they do so because they think God will make them rich on earth. This is not the life of true discipleship. Matthew 6:19-24

Some love and follow traditions they have invented, rather than the Scriptures.This is what Messiah Jesus was referring to quoting Isaiah, “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” Matthew 15:7-9.

We worship in vain when our hearts are centered on things mentioned above, because our hearts are far from Him. 

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough ”” Luke 5:33–39.

“And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better” Luke 5:39.  

This passage is sometimes taught out of context; however it takes a new meaning when reading it in the context of what Messiah was saying.  We may have heard it said, that we need to become new wineskins to receive the new wine, but was this what Messiah Jesus was talking about? The situation at the time was that He was being confronted by some of the religious leaders who were demanding that His disciples/talmidim, should follow the traditions of the elders, and the times of fasting that were established by them.

The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’” (Mark 7:1–7)

The religious leaders were adding new practices and new fasts, in an attempt to bring about revival, but Jesus/Yeshua objective was to bring revival by leading the people back to the teaching of the Scriptures and by showing them how to apply it to their lives in order to live righteously before the Father. Was He comparing the Scriptures to the old wine, and the new practices along with the traditions of the elders to the new wine?

“And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? “But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. “But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough ”” Luke 5:33–39.

Is it true to say then, that Yeshua/Jesus was not trying to get people to accept the new wine? He said, And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new the old wine is good enough. Is the new wine people’s traditions and religious practices that have no foundation in the Scriptures?

He came to fulfill the Scriptures – not to replace them. He was trying to get them to return to only what was in Scripture and by expounding on them through His teaching, He was showing them how to live by His Fathers Word and this new wine.. together BOTH are preserved.

“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.” Ephesians 4:14, NLT

Are we also too comfortable with cultural doctrines and traditions and what we know and are used to, and reluctant to change?

It may be that we should never under-estimate the power of individuals saying, “but we’ve never done it that way,” and then observe them digging in their heels over a tradition, until the doors close in their assembly, church or school.

Would we be pharisaical in our objections to revealed truth of Gods Word as declared in Scripture?

Would we continue to repeat what we think scripture says rather than being certain what it actually does say? And isn’t that then an untruth – a lie?

How many of us could tell the so called Christmas/Nativity story in complete accuracy; or are we simply repeating what we have heard probably since childhood? Have our traditions, the traditions of men and doctrines of demons, made the Word of God of no effect literally changing the truth of God for a lie?

Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

That means if we misquote scripture and both believe and declare what we think is true… we are reprobate?

How many things do we choose to believe because someone told us, or we read it somewhere (here included), and just accept it without checking it out for ourselves to see if it indeed is the truth?

And this doesn’t mean google it! Google has seemingly replaced Fathers Spirit of Holiness as our Teacher. We are often so impatient we cant wait because we want instant gratification. Scripture says to study to show ourselves approved unto God. 2Tim.2:15. How many people truly study His Word? Is study such a undesirable concept that we recoil from it with some kind of allergic aversion? Yet we will spend time reading/listening/watching other material and much of it is from ungodly sources.

We are encouraged to search all the scriptures like the noted Bereans in Acts 17:10-11, who were commended for their actions. So many of the traditions of men have become doctrinal dogma, and it appears we will defend them with a vigorous aggression which is most un-Christ-like.

Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, charges the Pharisees, Scribes and leaders with false doctrines making Gods’ Word redundant in favor of their rules and regulations and by making laws that added to the perfect Law of God.

Paul told the people, I see perceive that you are very religious, superstitious and reverent to demons! So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus [Mars Hill meeting place], said: Men of Athens, I perceive in every way [on every hand and with every turn I make] that you are most religious or very reverent to demons. Acts 17:22.

There are so many obvious traditions of men that are prominent around the Christmas/New Year holiday time. Many have their roots in paganism, tales, fables and legends from cultures around the world.

Our tendency is to pick up on traditions because we like them and they are fun believing they are scriptural when there is absolutely no scriptural basis at all. We have a responsibility to search the scriptures for even our most cherished traditions and resist turning them into dogma if they are not in the Bible. 

Some examples that may shock us are contained in the carols, hymns and songs about the nativity we all hear at this time of year!

No where in the scripture does it say that angels sing! They are either saying, shouting, speaking, talking but never singing! We have absorbed the idea of angels singing from all those Christmas hymns, songs and the scenes of nativity plays!

Hark the herald angels sing?

O come all ye faithful, etc. etc.

In Luke 2:13

It says Maleak amar  = angels saying

mem lamed alef kap alef mem resh

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And suddenly, the great armies of Heaven appeared with the Angel, while shouting praises to God, and they were saying:

King James Bible
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

In the Greek saying is:
λεγόντων (legontōn)
Verb – Present Participle Active – Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong’s 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

Legonton means:

to speak, say, tell, or command.

And if we accept and believe Luke was written in Aramaic, the word used here is: ‘Amar, which is also speaking or saying. It does not use the word Zamar or Shir which is singing or a cry giving praise, like: Holy, Holy, Holy.

Angels are created supernatural beings so it maybe fair to say they are not physically the same as us. It is curious that commentators don’t point out that angels never sing; but that’s probably because it’s so entwined in our Christian cultural beliefs, that they are reluctant to challenge the popular traditions.

Whatever we choose to believe will not change the truth!

In heaven they cry Holy but they do not sing.

Those around the throne sing, but they are not angels they are the different than the messenger angels like Michael, Gabriel and the Heavenly Host.

Revelation 14:3 The 144,000 people stood before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders; they were singing a new song, which only they could learn. Of the whole human race they are the only ones who have been redeemed. 

They sang AS IT WERE a new SONG before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.

King James Bible – Revelation 5:11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

This may throw some of us for a loop and hopefully compels the reader to study in order to seek truth!

There is much evidence that music is not always necessary to worship and praise our Heavenly Father. This is not condemning music in any way however historically it wasn’t really used by the ancient Hebrews; David introduced it, yet worship was entered into without music. The Psalms are the place we read of instruments and they were few and not the musical beats and rhythms we hear today. Some genres stir emotions and the result is no different to a worldly performance, whipping up a false feeling of Gods presence. We must be mindful of not bringing the worlds ways into our sanctuaries. 

Historical facts show the early church would not even allow music until well into the 18th century and even then it was only singing the Psalms for this very reason. The closest the church came to music would be to chant and we see that in the Gregorian singing mostly in Latin. Angels don’t sing Let that be a lesson to us all, that many of our beloved traditions are just that, traditions and there is no Scriptural basis.

Worship comes from the heart and not a musical sound or beat.

What we choose to believe does not change truth and we should remain teachable and humble enough to allow our beliefs to be challenged. Because truth is unchangeable and if it withstands the scrutiny of study; the revealed word will confirm what the scriptures really tell us and not what misinterpretation, mistranslation, tradition, doctrine or dogma has told us. Only the truth will make us free. Why would we choose to hold onto a lie, a deception and something that’s not even real – just to protect our traditions?

Isn’t this adding to the Word that Messiah warns us of in Revelation 22:18,19? For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Ready for some more?

Surely we have lost count of the times we have heard the story but do we ever really stop to think…

Take another look at the story we are so familiar with:

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the City of David which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David)

5 to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child.

6 And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and SAYING,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”

15 And it came to pass, when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

18 And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Do we ever question the words in songs that are inconsistent with scriptures account? Maybe we can ascribe it to artistic license for the lyric writers; however over decades and centuries, these carols become gospel and not all of what we sing is truth. Do we want truth or tradition? Recalling Messiahs’ words to the religious leaders. So ask yourself these questions:

1 Why was the night watch so important that it was recorded in scripture?

2 When did the shepherds sleep if they stayed up all night watching their sheep?

3 Why did the angels appear to this specific group of shepherds?

4 Why to shepherds before anyone else?

5 Why was there a group of shepherds, didn’t they work alone?

Here are some facts from historical Jewish writings and Hebrew literature that helps to explain meanings and cultural content.

The Greek word for shepherd used in Luke 2:8 is:

Poimenes

which means:

to feed or to protect

It’s also a word for:

pasture,

as that is where the shepherd feeds his flock of sheep.

The Latin word for shepherd is pastor

as in pasture;

where we get the idea that: our pastor is our shepherd whose job it is to spiritually feed us. This is true as infants but we are all supposed to grow and learn to feed ourselves too.

Shepherds – RA’IA’  

ר,עיא

Resh ayin yod alef

Luke 2:8 “And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.”

In Luke these shepherds were good shepherd because they were keeping watch over their flocks by night. Some also say ‘on a cold winters night’ but they would not have been outside if it was so cold? This is indeed something shepherds do but they do it in the spring when the new lambs are born…so this is probably not an accurate view and gives us a wrong seasonal image; we agree with it because December 25 was chosen and is traditional.

December 25th in 336, is the first recorded celebration of Christmas. and is is largely attributed to the first Christian historian, Sextus Julius Africanus, around 221 A.D.

In one view of why December 25 was chosen as the official date for Christmas, historians believe the early church wanted to link the Son of God’s birth with the “rebirth of the sun,” which arrives after the winter equinox; which begs the question why some Christians started celebrating Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25. Ancient records indicate that a feast dedicated to Sol Invictus, a sun god, was held in the Roman…Most scholars would probably agree that this is unlikely to be earlier than AD 274, the year when [Emperor] Aurelian dedicated a new temple to Sol Invictus in Rome. The pagan festivities that revolved around December 25 were so rooted in popular tradition that the Church of Rome thought to give that date a Christian religious meaning. For this, the Sun god was replaced by the true Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ, choosing this day as the date of His birth.

Shepherds were not poor as the song goes:

as to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay…

Often like David, the shepherd was a young teen age boy usually the youngest of the family charged with keeping watch over the families livestock. Having sheep was not a poor occupation as we may imagine. Sheep and lambs were symbols of wealth and used as barter. They were a valuable commodity, worth much in financial terms instead of hard cash coins. If there was no son, the family would hire an outsider that was trustworthy. Hence the parable of the son/shepherd and a hired hand, who may not be a faithful as a son would be.

Studying ancient times/cultures reveals that a shepherd was a well respected profession in those days and every mother dreamed that her son would become a shepherd. So the idea of God announcing His sons birth to poor lowly scum of the earth, is not accurate according to historical Hebrew/Israelite life.

Why reveal to shepherds and these particular ones; and why were they grouped together?

Documented writings in Hebrew literature reveal that the sheep which were to be used for the daily sacrifice in the Temple were to be fed in the Bethlehem pastures!

These shepherds had charge of the most important sheep of all the sacrificial lambs!

These sheep were not entrusted to only one shepherd but to a team/group of shepherds; and most likely they were from the tribe of Levi.

The tribe from which the priests, the first born came.

They watched the sheep 24/7 and there were 4 distinct night shifts according the ancient clock called watches.

Evening watch

midnight watch

the cock crowing

and the morning watch.

The shepherds were not all laying on the ground fast asleep and only woke up when a great light shone on them. The Bible says clearly they were:

watching their sheep by night.

The Greek words here are: 

phulassontes phuloakas 

which literally means: 

guarding in the guardhouses of the night.  

The shepherds in Bethlehem who were guarding (not watching) these sacrificial lambs and did so 24/7 and slept in established guard houses when not working their shift/turn.

These pastures were specifically owned by the temple for the raising of the yearling ewe lambs. These were not nomadic ones who wandered all about looking for suitable grazing

A lamb raised for sacrifice had to be without blemish and without spot so they required extra special care and only the best of the best shepherds were chosen for this highly specialized task of guarding these little lambs. 

In the Peshitta the Aramaic word for shepherd is Ra’a.

It comes from a Semitic root which expresses the idea of:

a deep passion.

These are the good shepherds who feel such passion for their sheep and their duty to guard these sheep that they would lay down their lives for these sheep: as we recall David did in defending his flock from lions and bears.

Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, as the Good Shepherd was a Ra’a! Yehoveh Ra ah the Lord our shepherd.

Puts a new light on the statement: John 10:11

I am the Good Shepherd …Who has such passion that I will give my life for my sheep.

And of course Psalm. 23.

These angels appeared to the best of the best of those special Levite Priestly Shepherds.

Why were they so special?

Because they had the hardest most difficult watch which was the midnight to 3am watch.

There is an ancient belief for the Jewish people that their Messiah would come at 12midnight and if these shepherds were actually Levites they would have been anticipating the arrival of their Messiah at midnight.

Think about this…. for these special, faithful, dedicated – ra’a – shepherds, to up and leave their flock – the sacrificial lambs; and to abandon their responsibilities in the middle of the night. They had to have been convinced the angels were not only telling the truth, but that they were going to worship the true – ra’a – shepherd and sacrificial lamb; Who was probably delivered in the tower of the flock – the 

Migdal Eder –  מגדל עדר

Click link below for earlier post of the mysterious tower.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lambs-tale-and-a-mysterious-tower/

Did they realize that there was no longer any need for the sacrificial lambs because the true sacrificial lamb had arrived?

One final puzzle…

Tradition teaches that there was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary and they had to settle for a stable, a cave, or a house where they put the new born Yeshua/Jesus in a feeding trough, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and this was to show His humble birth. Let’s look at what Scripture says:

Luke 2:7-8: “ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (8)  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Micah 4: 8. And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 

Ezekiel 16:3-4, “And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity [is] of the land of Canaan; thy father [was] an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.  And [as for] thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple [thee]; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.”

Only Luke references Messiah being wrapped in

swaddling clothes.

It was a custom that eventually stopped in 26th century.

In Aramaic the term is

azrura which really means:

a bandage

used in Ezekiel 16; the Hebrew word for

bandage is: Chatal.

The practice of swaddling is very old and is believed to have originated around 4500 years ago in the bronze age circa 2600 B.C. Archeologists have found little sculptures of babies wrapped this way. After an infant was born the umbilical cord was cut and tied.

As there was no midwife as referred to in the days of Egypt the Hebrew midwives. Either Mary of Joseph would have had to do this. They would then sprinkle the baby with a powder made from dried myrtle leaves. Then they would gently rub the baby’s skin with a very small amount of salt that had been ground into a kid of mortar like paste. It was believed this would make the child’s flesh firm. For young Jewish parents, it represented a testimony that the parents would raise the child to be truthful and faithful.

The swaddling clothes was a yard of cloth, 1 meter approx., which had a narrow band attached at one corner.

The mother would wrap the child in this swaddle with its arms close to its body and its legs stretched out. She would then wind the narrow band around the body from the shoulders to the ankles until it looked like an Egyptian mummy. This would have been meant to assist the babys body grow firm and strong. To the Jewish parent it carried symbolic meaning, as most of Israelite customs do. This was a sign to the parents that they would teach the child to become honest, straightforward, and free from crookedness.

Why did Luke say it not once, but twice, again in verse 12, if every child is wrapped in swaddling clothes just how were the shepherds to know the difference?

Some say that Luke mentioned this because he was a physician and was concerned for details. Luke was not like a physician or Doctor of todays standards and this thinking comes from Col. 4:14 calling him, the beloved physician.

The Greek word is IATROS most lexicons say

physician,
ἰατρὸς (iatros)
Noun – Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong’s 2395: A physician. From iaomai; a physician.

Although the practice of medicine existed in 1s century, it was far from the skills, education and training of today. The Aramaic word used in Col 4:14 is Assai which is really a healer. An assia is not a surgeon nor a dispenser of medicine as was practiced among the romans and Greeks. An assia was more of a chiropractor who adjusted joints and dislocated bones and would have practiced a form of holistic healing. This knowledge was handed down through families with no formal medical training nor did they depend upon the practice for a living. Which supports the fact that there were so many multitudes sick and in need of healing. So he probably didn’t mention swaddling from a professional point of view.

Isn’t it more likely he mentioned it from the point of a spiritual value as he would have been familiar with Ezekiel 16:4 where the prophet refers to this custom in his prophecy? In Ezekiel 16 the prophet refers to this custom and is speaking out against the people of Jerusalem who were unfaithful to God and His commandments; and he uses the symbolic reference of washing salting and swaddling. The failure to perform this tradition was symbolic of disloyalty and unfaithfulness to God. The term swaddling clothes was to the semitic mind expressing the idea of loyalty and faithfulness to God; so maybe Luke was wanting to make sure that this child which was born, was not only the Son of the Most High, but a Son who would be loyal and faithful to His Heavenly Father. So loyal and faithful that He would lay down His life being as One with His Father – loyal unto death.

For the answer to how the shepherds knew where to look and why swaddling was a clue for them click link below

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lambs-tale-and-a-mysterious-tower/

Let the reader decide

..do we really want to know truth

or,

do we want to cling to our traditions,

are we comfortable in the old ways?

Choosing to ignore facts and instead keep our cultural Christian westernized ideals, that do not reflect the origins of our Jewish Hebrew, Israelite Messiah, whose Aramaic roots were chosen by our Heavenly Father. Or are we falling into the same thing He pointed out to the religious leaders, meaning we are content with the way we are and what we believe to be truth?

Truth or tradition – it’s our choice.

Truth is freedom – tradition is bondage.

As this Gregorian new year of 2023 begins, let us not have any idols before the Lord, nor any of mens’ traditions leading us and filling our calendars; but let’s wholeheartedly follow Him the true Good Shepherd and the Word made flesh and the whole of Scripture. 

The 31st of December 2022 in Hebrew is the

7th day of Tevet, the year 5783 …

and His return is closer now than when we first believed!

Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

It’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.