Chag sameach Rosh Chodesh kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah. I pray that this message will be an interesting and useful one for you as it is very much part of my own personal journey and comes in direct response to a request to Yahweh to tell me if there was anything He wanted me to share with you today, especially as I have been feeling a little bit better than I have been over the last few days and want to be productive for as long as I can be. I have to seize the windows of opportunity in which to minister because of my fight to find the energy to do so.

Rosh Chodesh is, as you know, traditionally the day for consulting the nevi'im (prophets) which has not always been an easy task for me to understand and fulfill especially in a New Covenant context. You can't 'manufacture' prophecy nor should you ever attempt to do so. I never really quite know what to expect on this day but I do absolutely believe, from plenty of experience, that Yahweh has set it apart for consultation with Him and that He opens up the windows of heaven on this day especially for it.

There were usually multiple persons serving as nevi'im (prophets) in the nation of Israel. Theirs was an institutional office and at Rosh Chodesh those seeking prophetic guidance from Yahweh would commonly seek them out. Occasionally a navi (prophet) would be married to a neviah (prophetess) and there is good reason to suppose that Isaiah's wife was one (Is.8:3, NRSV) though there are those who think in this case it was more a case of 'Mr. & Mrs. Prophet', 'Mrs. Isaiah' simply being the wife of a navi (prophet) rather than being both a navi's (prophet's) wife and a neviah (prophetess) in her own right. There is a spiritual linkage to be sure and if not specifically in the gift itself then at least in the rewards. Yah'shua (Jesus) taught, concerning those who operate in the office of a navi (prophet):

"Anyone who receives a navi (prophet) because he is a navi (prophet) will receive a navi's (prophet's) reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward" (Matt.10:41, NIV).

We are all, in the New Covenant, called to be nevi'im (prophets) and revelators up to a point, most importantly on the level of testfying about Yah'shua (Jesus) to others:

"For the testimony of Yah'shua (Jesus) is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev.19:10, NIV).

In other words, when a spiritually regenerated person testifies by the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) that Yah'shua (Jesus) is the Messiah, they are acting under the anointing and in the power of the spirit of prophecy. They are being prophetic for no one can authentically bear such a witness who is not, at that moment, acting as a navi (prophet) or neviah (prophetess). Such a testimony can, and does, move souls to conversion if the listener chooses to trust. So it would by no means be inappropriate if on this day - at Rosh Chodesh - members of a local congregation such as this bear witness prophetically of their knowledge and experience of the resurrected Messiah. I think this would be a good thing, actually, provided that everything is done in proper order, in the same way that Paul taught that tongues should be disciplined.

In the early Messianic Community (Church) it was common for there to be several nevi'im (prophets) present. Speaking to the Corinthians, Paul said (and I am quoting directly from the Aramaic here, not the Greek translation):

"...as to the nevi'im (prophets), let two or three speak, and let the rest judge. And if to another sitting by, there should be a revelation, let the first stop speaking. For you can all prophesy, one by one, so that everyone may learn, and everyone be comforted (encouraged). For the spirit of the nevi'im (prophets) is subject to the nevi'im (prophets). Because, Elohim (God) is not (the author) of tumult (chaos, disorder), but of shalom (peace), as in all the assemblies of the qodeshim (saints, set-apart believers)" (1 Cor.14:29-33, AENT).

This is an orderly, disciplined affair, with 'judgment' or assessment going on. In other words, Paul is acknowledging that Satan will attempt to slip in false prophecy if he can. Moreover, one thus anointed does not lose control - he can stop prophesying at will. We are not automatons. We have free agency and the Ruach (Spirit) compells no one to stop against their will. We can, and must, stop prophesying if it is needed. Notice that the gift of prophecy here has two functions:

• 1. Instruction, learning or understanding; and
• 2. Comfort or encouragement.

Now the potential for abuse of the gift is huge, as we know from the "tumult", "disorder" and "chaos" in the charismatic movement. Understand that the first kind of prophecy does not replace the apostle, the evangelist, the pastor, or the teacher of a local congregation, and that is why one or more of the Pastor, the Elders or maturer nevi'im (prophets) must always be in attendance to make sure the gift is not abused by those immature or undiscerning in spiritual matters. It is not an accident or a coincidence that the very next line of this passages is a davar (word) to the women (1 Cor.14:34-35). We know that the context of this is still prophecy because immediately afterwards Paul says:

"If anyone among you thinks that he is a navi (prophet), or that he is spiritual, let him recognise the things which I wrote to you as being the mitzvot (commandments) of our Master. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Therefore, my Brethren, be searching for prophesying; and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But let everything be done with decency and regularity" (1 Cor.14:37-40, AENT).

So what was the instruction to the women?

"Let your women be silent in the assembly; for it is not permitted them to speak, but to be in subjection, as also Torah says: for it is unbecoming for women to speak in the assembly. What was it from you that the Davar Elohim (Word of God) came forth? Or did it reach only to you?" (1 Cor.14:34-35, AENT).

What, then, of the prophetesses? When were they to minister, and to whom? The navi (prophet) Joel prophesied that "your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Joel 2:28, NRSV) and we know that that was fulfilled on the day of the first Messianic Shavu'ot or Day or Weeks, commonly called 'Pentecost' (Ac.2:17). There is only one reference to actual prophetesses in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament):

"We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied" (Acts 21:7-9, NIV).

Remembering, as we must, the importance of "decency and order", it's should be noted that these four prophetesses were unmarried and therefore under the direct authority of their father who was an evangelist. If they had been married, they would have been under the authority of their husbands. Regrettably, we're not told any more about them.

A few days later a navi (prophet) comes on the scene and prophesied to Paul - notice that though the four prophetesses were there earlier, and might have been used, Yahweh did not use them to prophecy to the apostle:

"After we had been there a number of days, a navi (prophet) named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, 'The Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) says, 'In this way the Judeans (Jews) of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles''" (Acts 21:10-11, NIV)

That tells you something of the limit of the ministry of the New Covenant prophetess. If they were to be silent in the messianic congregation in regard to tongues and prophecy, what then was their sphere of ministry? The Scriptures do not say but we may safely assume that it was within the home or in some other non-congregational setting as a general rule. Clearly we are going to need more revelation on this matter at some point.

What of the prophetesses of the Tanakh (Old Testament)? The only woman who functioned like a male navi (prophet) and a Judge was Deborah and then only because there were no male nevi'im (prophets) and judges to fill the breach in guiding the nation. Yahweh will use whomsoever He will in emergency situations, just as He uses single mothers to lead households where there are no husbands or fathers. That does not, however, mean being the head of a household is a woman's natural calling, for it is not.

Miriam, the sister of Moses, led a choral dance or dirge and prophesied in poetry (Ex.15:20) but she was not called to be a judge or to prophesy for the nation because the nation already had a Judge and a Navi (Prophet) in the person of her brother Moses. And when she attempted to overstep her authority, Yahweh struck her down with leprosy (Num.12:1ff.).

The only woman who ever revealed the divine will prophetically in the traditional rôle as a typical national navi (prophet) was Huldah, the last exception to the rule. Given that the nevi'im (prophets) Jeremiah and Zephaniah were prophesying at this time, why didn't Yahweh use one of them? Almost certainly because her husband (or perhaps his father and her father-in-law) was the keeper of the royal wardrobe and therefore known and trusted by the king, so she would have been immediately at hand. She would in any case have operated under the authority of her husband and not independently like Jeremiah and Zephaniah:

"Hilkiah the cohen (priest), Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

"She said to them, 'This is what Yahweh, the Elohim (God) of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 'This is what Yahweh says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods and provoked Me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, My anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.' Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, 'This is what Yahweh, the Elohim (God) of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before Yahweh when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in My presence, I have heard you, declares Yahweh. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in shalom (peace). Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.''

"So they took her answer back to the king" (2 Kings 22:14-20, NIV; also 2 Chr.34:22-28).

I hope you understand that I have shared all of this not to discourage those sisters who have the prophetic gift but to remind everyone that a divine order has been given for a very good purpose by Yahweh and that we are not to flout it. I do believe there will be lots of prophetesses in these last times, some of them even operating like Huldah. However, because this is an age of militant feminism and social anarchy, which must be ruthlessly extirpated from the Messianic Community (Church), it is one of my callings to remind all the sisters so endowed, to operate only under the authority, and with the permission of, their fathers (if they are single) or husbands (if they are married) because the male heads assume the responsibility for what their daughter- or wife-prophetesses may say in the Name of Yahweh! Both Shallum and Philip would have been cogniscent of this.

You may remember the story I shared with you last sabbath of the woman who presumed to be a prophetess for her husband and how in the end she went completely insane. The Prophetess Huldah was under the authority of her husband Shallum, whose name means 'recompenser', that is, one who pays or rewards for service, a word often used of and by Yahweh as the One who rewards the faithful but punishes the faithless, as One who is in authority.

Yesterday I was shocked reading an article by a female theologian working in some liberal university, so obviously a militant feminist, who accused John the Apostle of being maliciously jealous of Jezebel's gift of prophecy, accusing him of unjustly attacking her in the Book of Revelation! Yet the sin of Jezebel - sexual immorality and idolatry - that John strongly condemns is condemned by all the nevi'im (prophets):

"Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the congregations (churches) will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come" (Rev.2:20-25, NIV).

Prophecy, revelation and the like have nothing to do with the redistribution or usurpation of power but with submission and obedience to Elohim's (God's) order and mitzvot (commandments)! That is why not only the women, but the men also must be so careful, for there are so many false nevi'im (prophets) around these days too. Though I do not have the office of a navi (prophet), when I am called upon to exercise the gift, it frankly terrifies me at times because of the responsibility involved. You have no idea how much fear I have when called to prophesy, especially at Rosh Chodesh! If in doubt, I stay quiet! All too many Christians and Messianics are in a hurry to prophesy. No, it is better not to. It is better to be sure you are actually hearing from Yahweh and doing what He says so as not to be guilty of the sin of presumption.

Now I mentioned earlier that there were essentially two functions for prophecy in the local congregation, namely, instruction and comfort. The need for comforting or encouraging the qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones), especially in times of persecution, is not too difficult to understand. But what of "learning", "understanding" or "instruction" (1 Cor.14:31)? Is this doctrinal instruction or something else? I don't honestly know - I believe the emphasis is on unity in this 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians given the diverse background of that congregation's members but I am honestly sceptical that Yahweh calls 'lay' members to reveal new doctrine because teaching the Besorah (Gospel) is the purview of teachers, pastors, evangelists and apostles operating in a particular office accompanied by a particular anointing. However, I will not be dogmatic here until I know better. I am of the opinion that it is probably foretelling for local members that the apostle has in mind, like that of Agabus for Paul.

All of this has been to lead you into what I wanted to talk to you about today. My primary gifting is that of teaching but I have also been given the gift of pastoring and occasionally the gift of prophecy. I want to share an extraordinary experience (for me) of what it means to have a 'theological prophecy', a term you may never have heard of before because I just made it up to express something I don't now how to explain in any other way.

Most of the time, teachers and preachers have to dig deep into the Davar (Word) using a number of very earthly tools like linguistics, history, and the like. I don't often share the process I go through as this would normally be very boring though it's nice to know how ministers work. Writers and preachers like myself assume we are being led by the Ruach (Spirit), we like to think that we are, because for the most part we operate by emunah (faith) coupled to a knowledge base plus experience of things spiritual plus moments of undoubted revelation or inspiration all of which combine to produce a sermon or teaching. Normally we have a plan or structure that we follow so it is particularly exciting when Yahweh asks us to put all of this aside and simply embark on an adventure of discovery as we are led step-by-step by the Ruach (Spirit). I want to share one such experience with you today, as I have done once or twice before, both for the congregation generally but also for teachers, prospective teachers, preachers and prospective preachers. Consider this as part of training, especially as this has to be distance learning for most.

This is what happened. When I asked Yahweh what He wanted me to share with you today, He said quite explicity and audibly, "You". It is not at all uncommon, I have to say, for Yahweh to give me a baffling instruction like that. My fleshy self didn't think that was very helpful at the time but I have learned not to question Him even when He says things that don't at first make a lot of sense. What on earth, I thought to myself, is there to share about 'me' that would be of any value to anyone? After all, I preach a message of not focussing on self but of focussing on Yah'shua (Jesus). It was a silly rationale, as it turned out, as our rationales usually are, and I didn't fully understand until He had put me 'through the mill' - 'through the process' - that I want to share with you this morning. I think it is, in any case, good to 'demystify' preachers and other leaders, especially when they engage in the 'prophetic' which for most is something very distant and 'other-worldly' when in reality it isn't. It' surprising just how 'human' even this kind of activity is. We aren't 'out-of-this-world' people remotely. We're flesh-and-blood like you.

Three nights ago, armed with that, at first sight, 'vague' message, I sat down to prepare the last sabbath sermon and got my Rosh Chodesh message instead...or at least this part I am about to share with you now (the rest came yesterday). Yes, it's a lot like that, the Ruach (Spirit) does not conform to what we want or follow our plans always. Today's message actually had to come first because it was required to inform me of, and anoint me for, my sabbath message. How was I to know? Then the sabbath message flowed like a fountain whereas before I had been bone dry.

So there I am, seated at my desk, with a one word directive - 'You' - not having a clue what to do. I heard nothing more - no more concrete directions so I grabbed one of the many Bibles I have in my retreat with which to work from when I am away from my office. I asked to be guided to a text and once again I was taken to the Book of Romans, and to the 10th chaper. I silently groaned because over the last few months I have read this Epistle literally dozens of times using as many translations. I was sure that I had exhausted all this book could inform me of. But, no, He was most insistent.

So I started ploughing through over half-a-dozen translations, typing them out by hand as for me this is a far better way to take their substance in than by simply reading. That's something you learn as a professional educator. It was, in any case, late at night, around 11.30 pm, and I was tired. It was tedious work at first but then I began to see a pattern of operation. I started with Protestant Bibles, beginning with formal equivalent (literal) translations (Revised Standard Version/RSV, New Revised Standard Version/NRSV), then I moved over to dynamic equivalent ones (New International Version/NIV, New English Bible/NEB, Kingdom New Testament/KNT) and finally I ended up with some paraphrases (the New Living Translation/NLT, J.B.Phillips/JBP). You can read most of these at the end of the printed version of this teaching [1] as I am not going to read them to you today for fear of putting you to sleep.

I read each of them over and over again in order to get the overall 'drift' and 'direction' of Paul's thinking. It took me two hours by which time my mind was saturated and I was thinking like a good Evangelical Protestant. It all seemed to 'fit' - and you know, I'm sure, how nice that feels when you think you have finally understood something that is quite long and complex. But just because something seems to be right - to fit, harmonise, and flow - doen't necessarily mean it is right, does it? Obviously, otherwise we wouldn't have 35,000+ plus denominations with lots of dedicated and talented scholars representing many of them!

Anyway, here's the last of those translations. The Ruach (Spirit) specifically told me to leave this until the end and I can understand the reason for that now because it really is a good representation and summary of them all. Remember, it's a parapharse so it's more a commentary than an actual, literal translation. Let me read that to you now:

"Moses writes of righteousness-by-the-Torah (Law) when he says that the man who perfectly obeys the Torah (Law) shall find chayim (life) in it (Lev.18:5) - [which is theoretically right but impossible in practice]. But righteousness-by-faith says something like this: 'You need to say in your heart, 'Who could go up to Heaven to bring Messiah down to us, or who could descend into the depth to bring Him up from the dead?' For the secret is very near you, in your own heart, in your own mouth!' It is the secret of faith, which is the burden of our preaching, and it says in effect, 'If you openly admit by your own mouth that Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) is the Master, and if you believe in your own heart that Elohim (God) raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' For it is believing in the heart that makes a man righteous before Elohim (God), and it is stating his belief by his own mouth that confirms his salvation" (Rom.10:5-10, JBP).

'That's a great summary,' I thought to myself, and really began to enjoy myself in spite of the hard work and the lateness of the hour. I still didn't know what Yahweh wanted me to do with this passage, which is really a major key to Protestant thinking about salvation - I mean, I didn't have a sermon or a teaching as yet. And yes, this is a very important passage about salvation for evangelicals so understanding it properly is essential for any minister. It's quoted all the time from the pulpit. I read Phillips' version again, then compared it with the Kingdom New Testament (KNT) by N.T.Wright. Yes, I thought, this is a good summary of what Protestantism teaches - a really good summary. I could almost be persuaded to be a Protestant! Remember this is a paraphrase, so it's really the author's commentary and some of the phrases are not in the original but pretty much reflect the interpretation of the Protestant consensus.

Now I knew that the phrase "which is theoretically right but impossible in practice" was not in the original text but had been added by Phillips to 'explain' how Protestants resolve the apparent contradiction between Torah-based righteousness and faith-based righteousness. And in order to justify this explanation, Protestantism has heavily loaded certain words like 'justification' and 'salvation' with dense, heavy and voluminous theological cargo which has steadily built up over the 500 years since the start of the Reformation.

So when you use these theological terms a simple dictionary definition is never enough. You have 500 years of Protestant thinking jammed into them requiring the study of a Talmud-sized collection of biblical commentaries enough to drive all by the most die-hard academics to mental breakdown. I still shudder with horror as I recall the time years ago when I studied Robert L.Dabney's, Lectures in Systematic Theology considered one of the most masterful expositions of the Reformed faith but which I found a hopeless confusion of ideas. People don't usually realise what these churchy words actually now mean or their Latin mindset and so rest their faith in the inadequate summaries given by the various Protestant sects. It's as much an intellectual jumble as the Jews own so-called 'Oral Torah' with all its contrary teachings.

Why did Yahweh want me to read this particular text? I have read it so many times! Well, for the past few days I have been listening to 5-Point Calvinist, non-Calvinist 'Once saved, Always Saved' (OSAS), and Arminian anti-OSAS preachers who all interpret Paul so differently. And there are multiple shades of meaning inbetween these positions too, and some of them are gaping chasms, as between the Calvinists and Arminians. They like to pretend that these differences aren't important or matters of salvation but they are because otherwise amenable unbelievers find the confusion grounds enough for not taking the Besorah (Gospel) seriously. It is my firm conviction that Calvinism is a cult.

How did all this disagreement come about? Why can't Christians agree? Is it really that complex? Right now, as I speak, there is a heck of a fight going on between scholar Norman Geisler, who now opposes TULIP Calvinism, and James R. White who is an ultra-Calvinist. I selectively use the works of both these conservatives regularly so I know them well. White is a koiné Greek-speaking apologist and loves a good theological fight, and I think has the New Testament memorised. Geisler is both a systematic theologian, apologist and a philosopher (like Ravi Zacharias) - I find philosophers tend to have a better overview, they see the 'bigger picture' more clearly.

Scholars like White can be very mesmerising to the layman who assumes that because they are fluent in the original language of the Scriptures that they must be right! Yet you must remember that the first believers were mostly simple, uneducated illiterate folk and they 'got' it easily enough. The Pharisees, Saducees and Torah-Teachers (Scribes) were scholars too but most of them entirely missed the Besorah (Gospel) because they were filled with so much pride and egotism. Scholarship is good but don't let the scholars blind you when they are themselves often blind because their hearts aren't right. I admire the skills of good apologists but so often their debates descend into the flesh. The fact that someone wins a debate doesn't automaticallty mean they were right. It is absurd that two prominent witnesses for Christ should be going for each other like bucks in the mating season quarreling over a female - in this case, the gospel.

Anyway, it was late, I was exhausted, and I didn't want to sort through all that nonsense. Besides I was also feeling very ill and wanted to rest as much as I could before my operation. I was about to get up and go to bed when I felt the Ruach (Spirit) pressing me to now type out a combined Messianic version of this passage! I only had two messianic versions with me in my room and only one was a proper scholarly version (the Hebraic Roots Version/HRV). 'Write it out,' and when I did, my jaw dropped. I felt an inrushing of the Ruach (Spirit) and a mounting simcha (joy). Then the Ruach (Spirit) told me go to the next room, where there was a Messianic paraphrase (the Jewish New Testament/JNT) and to note and add the differences to the HRV text.

Well, I had an epiphany of sorts. It wasn't that I didn't know what was in the HRV and JNT because I know these versions well, but it was the sudden contrast between these and the Protestant amalgam, like a black rabbit standing out on a white snowy lawn, that bowled me over. I saw it all, crystal clear, what I call a 'theological vision' even though such did not involve a literal 'vision' - this was a 'seeing' in the spirit, a sudden dawning or realisation in which previously fuzzy edges became very sharp and clear.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I initially only wrote out some of the verses of Romans 10, and when I had finished, I was told to start adding verses on either side so that I could see the 'bigger picture'. So that meant more work! But I did it.

Let me now share the messianic composite, to which I added some variations from another scholarly messianic version (the Aramaic English New Testament/AENT) a couple of days later. If you have your New King James Version (NKJV) at hand (or whatever version you use), open it up now at Romans 10:1 and follow with me:

"My brothers, the desire of my heart and my request to ('intercession with' - AENT) Elohim for them (the Judahites) is that they are saved ('might have life' - AENT). For I testify concerning them that they have the zeal of Elohim, but not according to knowledge. For they (the Judahites) do not know the righteousness of Elohim, but they seek to establish righteousness of their own, and because of this they are not subject to the righteousness of Elohim. For Messiah is the goal (Aram. hks) of the Torah for righteousness to all who believe (['in Him'] - AENT). For Moses thus wrote of the righteousness that is by ('grounded in' - JNT) the Torah that he who does these will live by ('attain life through' - JNT) them (Lev.18:5). And the righteousness that is by trust [He] thus says: Do not say in your heart: who has ascended to heaven and brought down the Messiah? And who has descended to the depth of Sheol and brought up the Messiah from among the dead? But what does it say? The answer is near you, to your mouth and to your heart (Dt.30:11-14), which is the word of trust that we proclaim. And if you confess with your mouth our Master Yah'shua, and you believe in your heart that Elohim raised Him from the dead, you will have life. For the heart that believes in Him is made righteous, and the mouth the confesses Him has life. For the scripture has said that anyone who believes in Him will not be humiliated (Is.28:16). And in this it does not discriminate against either Judahites or against Arameans, for Yahweh of all of them is one who is rich with all who call on Him. For all who call on the name of Yahweh will have life (be delivered) (Joel 2:32) " (Rom.10:1-13, HRV).

Those of you who are reading this online or a printed copy will see that quotations from the Tanakh (Old Testament) have been emboldened. They are key. The next thing I did was to write out the Tanakh (Old Testament) passages from the original Hebrew so as to be in no doubt what the apostle was saying. Paul is giving a midrash of Deuteronomy 30:11-14 which, unless you understand this mode of Hebrew operation, you are going to go into all those confusing Protestant theological backwaters which end up radically redefining what Paul actually said.

What's a midrash? A midrash is an interpretive act that seeks answers to religious questions, both practical and theological, by plumbing the meaning of the words of the Torah. What a midrash does, and did anciently, is to respond to contemporary problems and then crafts new stories, making connections between new realities (in this case, the First Coming of Messiah) and the unchanging biblical text.

There are two kinds of midrash:

• 1. Midrash halacha when the subject is law and religious practice; and
• 2. Midrash aggadah which is the interpretation of biblical narrative that explores questions of ethics or theology.

Let's take look at this midrash in Romans 10:1-13:

"For this Torah which I am laying down for you today is neither obscure for you nor beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, 'Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we can hear and practice it?' Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, 'Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we can hear and do it?' No, the word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to put into practice" [2]

In other words, what Paul is saying that it is NOT COMPLICATED - it doesn't need volumes of commentary of centuries of scholarlty debate to explain it! It's so simple. Very simple! You don't need an expedition to heaven or a trans-oceanic trip or a sub-terranean journey to the centre of the earth to grasp the emet (truth) he is explaining. So why have all these theologians missed it? And what exactly have they missed?

You see, the topic that Paul is examining would have been very familiar to his readers because the rabbis had discussed these Tanakh (Old Testament) passages so many times already. Gabriel Roth comments on this midrash and says:

"A common traditional saying among the rabbis is derived from this verse, haTorah lo baShamayim hi (the Torah is not in heaven) which is used as their justification to twist the written Torah into subjugation under their oral tradition. Instead, Rav Shaul (Paul) teaches, "who will ascend to heaven and bring Mashiyach (Messiah) down?" and "who will go down and raise Mashiyach (Messiah) from the dead?" Paul is elegantly expressing Y'shua (Yah'shua/Jesus) as the Living Torah through the very power of Torah itself. He purposefully and literally interchanges Y'shua (Yah'shua/Jesus) with Torah in this quote and on very good authority. Y'shua (Yah'shua/Jesus) said: "I am the Living Bread who has descended from Heaven" (Yochanan/John 6:51)" [3]

So what is Paul actually saying? Picture an illiterate, simple-minded audience with an education vastly inferior to our own. These are not theologians Paul is writing to. Robert L. Dabney would have been gibberish to them (and probably to the apostles too). So what is the message? They have been fed on a diet of Torah all their lives and their ancestors had been doing it centuries. All they knew was Torah. Then Paul makes this midrash on Leviticus 18:5, Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and Joel 2:32. He says:

• 1. You get or attain to a certain kind of chayim (life) - one at least that will last for this lifespan - through obeying this written Torah (the Tanakh/Old Testament);
• 2. Yah'shua (Jesus) is the GOAL of this written Torah, He's what the Torah leads to - its 'end' or 'consummation', taking it into the eternal dimension;
• 3. You don't have to do complicated theological gymnastics to reach the goal - you don't need to go on a journey to heaven or hell and find some sage or seminary scholar there to teach you some fantastically deep mystery;
• 4. No, the answer is right in front of your face - all it requires is that you trust Him in your heart and publically confess your trust with your mouth and if you do that, YOU WILL HAVE CHAYIM (LIFE) only now it will be full, complete, and eternal;
• 5. Whenever you call on the Name of Yah'shua (Jesus) - and by 'Name' is meant who He is, His character as revealed in His life by the four evangelists, you will have this living substance in you - this CHAYIM (LIFE); and finally - and this is the crucial point,
• 6. To have attained this chayim (life) is to 'be saved' or 'to be delivered'. THE CHAYIM (LIFE) IS WHAT HAS SAVED YOU because it is the very Chayim or Life of the Messiah!

Whatever you do today, please don't miss this! To be 'saved' is not to repeat a formula in your head and with your tongue and then to go away because you have performed a mental exercise and a recitation like the 'sinner's prayer'. When you are saved you BECOME ALIVE - you LIVE in a new way, the Torah Way in Messiah - because you have this glorious POWER which in Hebrew we call CHAYIM (LIFE). It bubbles up inside of you and overflows like an inexhaustible river, which is why it is described that way in the Book of Revelation.

The Torah which you have been living up to the time of your conversion to Yah'shua (Jesus), says Paul, is but the run-up to the fullness. It's good for this life, just like the animal sacrifices of the Mosaic Law were enough for this life (provided they were continuously repeated). Yes, even now, you get a blessing of chayim (life) through living the Torah lifestyle but it's incomplete, a pale shadow of the complete thing, and only lasts for this mortal span assuming you keep up the performance of the sacrifices. You exercised emunah (faith) in Yahweh - you trusted Him - in obeying the Torah and like David, when you were faithful, you could cry out:

"I delight in your Torah (Law)" (Ps.119:70, NIV).

Yes, you experienced chayim (life), simcha (joy) and shalom (peace), just as King David did, but it was only a foreshadowing of the complete thing. But now, by trusting in Messiah, you have everything and forever if you keep trusting. You now have chayim le-olam-va-ed - eternal life, everlasting life, from one aeon to the next ad infinitum, you have everything, and it is all by emunah - by faith, by trusting. This will enable you to live Torah to the fullest extent, as the Master commanded (Mt.5:17-20) because Yah'shua (Jesus) IS the Living Torah.

So let me now, in light of this midrash, ask you this question: Is Paul claiming, as J.B.Philps and all the other Protestants are saying, that righteousness through the Torah is only 'theortically possible but not actually possible in practice?' No, because the Israelites never trusted the Torah as an independent, life-giving entity of itself, but rather they trusted in the One who gave the Torah as an expression of what He is like by nature. They obtained chayim (life) through trusting Him but could only obtain forgiveness through the blood of animals. The trusting was the same, the experience of chayim (life) was the same - the same simcha (joy), the same shalom (peace) - but it could only be held together by temporary animal sacrifice. Those who trusted back then are just as saved as we are today since the blood of Messiah has now passed to them retroactively.

Do we get 'righteousness' or 'credit' from observing the Torah as they did back then? Absolutely! Though we are not saved from sin and hell by our Torah-obedience there are pleasant and wonderful consequences for those trusting Yah'shua (Jesus) who live their lives in the Torah way that pleases Elohim (God). What are those consequences? Rewards in this life and in the next. Our good deeds are sown into present and future glory as a 'bonus' to our salvation (which is by trusting), and that salvation is known by us and seen by others by the chayim (life) that rises up in us through that trusting, even as it is written:

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of mayim chayim (living water)" (John 7:38, NKJV).

There's nothing secret about that, nothing theoretical! I experienced that when I was born again in 1977. That's how you know. When I was born again it felt like a waterfall cascading into my chest. And every time I testify, like I am now, it feels like a river of living water flowing out of me. That's how I am able to do what I do and never get tired doing it! Now I don't know how exactly Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David and all the other faithful qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) experienced chayim or life from Elohim (God) in their day but I can't imagine it was radically different from our own experience in the New Covenant. Did they love Yahweh any less than us? Was their simcha (joy) less than ours sinply because they belonged to a lesser covenant? I don't think so, but that's just my opinion. One thing I do absolutely know is that the chayim (life) they are enjoying now across the veil is just the same as ours because I have experienced it with them! It was one of the most wonderful and happy experiences of my life (see Authority and the Council of Yah's Elohim).

Only by understanding the Hebrew and Aramaic is it possible to see that 'salvation' is not some abstract theological idea that you 'get' through reciting some made-up cocktail of scriptures called the 'sinner's prayer' but is HEAVENLY LIFE ITSELF infused into the living redeemed. If you go away exactly the same person that you were before you recited the prayer, then you have almost certainly not been born again, you have not been spiritually regenereted because the 'life' you had is the same old life of the flesh that you lived by before. When Paul said his desire was that his fellow Judahites (Jews) might be 'saved', in Hebrew he was praying that they "might have CHAYIM or LIFE". It's all about life and living - a supernaturally bequeathed live given to those who trust, a life that fills you with ahavah/agapé (love), that fills you with delight in obeying the mitzvot (commandments). Is there a judicial, legal or forensic salvation? Absolutely. But that's not all there is. There is also a deposit of the living Presence of Elohim (God) that becomes more and more tangible as you serve (Eph.1:13-14).

This is not complicated, though it may seem alien to some swimming in a thick Protestant intellectual, theological soup. It's as simple as:

• 1. Do you have this 'aliveness' - this chayim (life) which brings forth this incredible ahavah (love) and chesed (mercy) and all the other things we associate with 'salvation'? Or is your 'salvation' still something 'abstract' in your head, just an idea you have given mental assent to?; and

• 2. Are you now spontaneously and joyfully living the Torah lifestyle - either for the first time, or now in an incredible enhanced way if you were an Old Testament believer before - or are you repulsed by Torah? Do you view living Yahweh's lifestyle as something unattractive - His ethics, morality, code of behaviour - or is that Torah now written supernaturally in your heart? Because the B'rit Chadashah or New Covenant is the Torah supernaturally written on your heart which the nevi'im (prophets) of old looked forward to with great longing:

  "'The time is coming,' declares Yahweh,
  'when I will make a new covenant
  with the house of Israel
  and with the house of Judah.
  It will not be like the covenant
  I made with their forefathers
  when I took them by the hand
  to lead them out of Egypt,
  because they broke My covenant,
  though I was a husband to them,"
  declares Yahwehs.
  'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
  after that time,' declares Yahweh.
  'I will put My Torah (Law) in their minds
  and write it on their hearts.
  I will be their Elohim (God),
  and they will be My people.
  No longer will a man teach his neighbour,
  or a man his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh,'
  because they will all know Me,
  from the least of them to the greatest,'
  declares Yahweh.
  'For I will forgive their wickedness
  and will remember their sins no more'" (Jer 31:31-34, NIV).

Look at the promises attaching to this New Covenant that Yahweh gives:

• 1. You won't need to be taught because you will have direct, living knowledge of My presence through revelation through the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) through your trusting in My Son Yah'shua (Jesus);

• 2. Your sins will be forgiven and no longer remembered through your trusting in My Son Yah'shua's (Jesus') atonement on the cross; and

• 3. You will continue living the Torah but in a new way because My Son Yah'shua (Jesus) is the new focus out of which your Torah-obedience must now flow, and not the other way round - He is the Living Torah - you will come to see the Torah as the complete expression of His and My character and heart.

Forgive me for rambling for so long. This was a transformative experience for me, a renewal and a time of enhanced confidence and shalom (peace). Though this initially seemed to be an intellectual, theological exercise, it repidly transformed into an anointing which is burning fresh in me even now as I speak. I desire you pattake of it and find the simplicity that is in Messiah if you don't already know it. It's all about LIFE. Until next time, Yah willing. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] "Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the Torah (Law): 'The man who does these things will live by them' (Lev.18:5). But the righteousness that is by faith says: 'Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'' (that is, to bring Messiah down) 'or 'Who will descend into the deep?'' (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart' (Dt.30:12-14), that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Yah'shua (Jesus) is Master (Lord)', and believe in your heart that Elohim (God) raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Rom.10:5-10, NIV).

"Of legal righteousness Moses writes, 'The man who does this shall gain chayim (life) by it' (Lev.18:5). But the righteousness that comes by faith says, 'Do not say to yourself, 'Who can go up to heaven?'' (that is to bring Messiah down), or, 'Who can go down to abyss?'' (to bring Messiah up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you: it is upon your lips and in your heart' (Dt.30:12-14). This means the word of faith which we proclaim. If on your lips is the confession, 'Yah'shua (Jesus) is Master', and in your heart the faith that Elohim (God) raised Him from the dead, then you will find salvation. For the faith that leads to righteousness is in the heart, and the confession that leads to salvation is upon the lips" (Rom.10:5-10, NEB).

"Moses writes, you see, about the covenant membership defined by the law, that 'the person who perform's the law's commands shall live in them. But the faith-based covenant membership puts it like this: 'Don't say in your heart, Who shall go up to heaven?' (in other words, to bring the Messiah down), or, Who shall go down to the depths?' (in other words. to bring the Messiah up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we proclaim); because if you profess with your mouth that Yah'shua (Jesus) is Master (Lord), and believe in your heart that Elohim (God) raised Him frim the dead, you will be saved. Why? Because the way to covenant membership is by believing with the heart, and the way to salvation is by professing with the mouth" (Rom.10:5-10, KNT).

"For Moses wrote that the Torah's (Law's) way of making a person right with Elohim (God) requires obedience to to all of its commands (Lev.18:5). But the way of getting right with Elohim (God) through faith says, 'You don't need to go to heaven' (to find Messiah and bring Him down to help you). And it says, 'You don't need to go to the place of the dead' (to bring Messiah back to life again). 'Salvation that comes from trusting Messiag - which is the message we preach - is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, 'The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart' (Dt.30:12-14). For if you confess with your mouth that Yah'shua (Jesus) is Master and believe in your heart that Elohim (God) raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are amde right with Elohim (God), and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved" (Rom.10:5-10, NLT, paraphrase).

[2] Gabriel Roth, Aramaic English New Testament (Netzari Press LLC, USA: 2012), p.482 (footnote #58)

[3] Ibid.