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Sermons Series 3:34, 13 April 2006
Chag haMatzah 2006
The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Ruach haShanee
Main Themes:
Minor Themes:
Brethren and sisters, I welcome you in Yah'shua's Name this Sabbath day as we gather to reflect on the meaning of Chag haMatzah or the Feast of Unleavened Bread which we are observing for the next seven days. May I remind you that Pesach and Chag haMatzah do not start on the same day, as a false tradition of Judaism maintains, so this means that beginning at Pesach we have an eight day holy period and not a seven day one. Moreover, the Pesach or Passover meal is celebrated on the evening of the first day of Chag haMatazah and not at the beginning of the day we call 'Pesach' because that is a preparation day. Today - the first day of Chag haMatzah - is a Holy Convocation and therefore a Sabbath.
Last week I spoke to you about Pesach and the Ruach haRishon, the first of the Ruach haQodesh's or Heavenly Mothers. Today - the Feast of Unleavened Bread or Chag haMatzah brings us to discuss the second of the Ruach's known as Ruach haShanee. But before I do that let me first remind you of the special connection between Pesach and the Ruach haRishon.
Passover or Pesach is the first of the annual moedim or appointments given by Yahweh so that we can gather to receive a special anointing of the Ruach haQodesh - one of the seven Ruachs for each of the seven festivals. The Ruach haRishon, you will remember from last week, corresponds to the first day of creation when Yahweh moved upon the face of the waters of the primitive earth. I described a vision I had seen of this in which I saw Her touch the sea and bring life to the waters as they lit up and spread around the globe. Yahweh-Elohim said: "Let there be light" and there was light (Gen.1:3), and then proceeded to divide the light from the darkness. The same happens in every soul who receives Yah'shua as Messiah and submits to His Lordship in their lives. He sends the Ruach haRishon and suddenly they light up inside and can begin to discern between spiritual light and spiritual darkness. This is what most Christians call the "born again" moment. But it is not, however, the end of one's spiritual endowment, as most Christians and Messianics teach, but its beginning. It is the beginning of what one might call a "rainbow of rebirths" as each divine ray begins its illumination of your heart.
Now what I am trying to communicate to you today cannot be understood in mere words. You can memorise what I say today and then repeat it in your own words without ever really understanding. To understand the spiritual endowments of these set-apart days you have to connect to the Ruach behind them, and that means - for those of you gathered here today - connecting to the Ruach operating in me as I teach these truths. Only in this way will you comprehend. It's a bit like looking at a sunset - you can view it with your eyes and process the visual impulses from your eyes to your biocomputer or brain and draw some intellectual conclusions about it - perhaps even describe it. Or you can view it through your heart and sense a 'mood' or a feeling. Now I don't know how many of you like to watch sunsets, whether in the physical world or inside in the Garden, but I think a lot of people are overwhelmed by a deep sense of awe as the orangy-red colours shift and change as the sun sinks beneath the horizon. To understand Pesach or Chag haMatzah is not to just memorise or participate in some physical rituals but to make a vital, spiritual connection through the symbols of these rituals. Two nights ago we partook of the Seder which is rich in symbolism and hopefully many of you were able to make spiritual connections that moved your hearts. For a week we shall be eating only unleavened bread - Yahweh has asked us to do this for eight days. Why? Why not just one day? Why does Chag haMatzah last a whole week and why are the first and last days Holy Convocations in Messianic Israel? To answer that question we must once more understand the Menorah and what this sacred symbol represents.
Now when it comes to 'moods' we can either create them ourselves by means of the psyche or we can let the Ruach create them in us. Those we create ourselves are, with few exceptions, counterfeits. It is easy to 'cultivate' a mood - the romantics have been doing it for millennia - candle light, soft music, an open fire, wine - all of these have been used by both the righteous and the wicked to seduce women, for good and evil. These are, however, artificial things that start on the outside. The real 'mood' must begin from within. And to be set-apart or holy, Yahweh has to make it happen. And we, for our part, must "test the spirits to see whether they are from Yahweh, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1, NIV).
What is the 'mood' that makes spiritual connections for us at Pesach? Just picture yourself in ancient Egypt amongst the Israelites on that Passover night and you will understand. A sense of both hope and fear, knowing that there will be protection for those who love and obey Yahweh and for those who do not. A month ago when this place was attacked by Satanists we experienced just that. For several days they attacked us psychically and on two days they send hit squads of 7 and 30 men, respectively, to murder us. They announced their intention in advance to do so and Yahweh responded by saying to trust Him and make spiritual preparations. We waited in suspense for Him to act, and He did, burning the first seven to a cinder and reducing 20 of the second 30 to dust and scattering the surviving 10 in terror.
Now for us who went through this experience it was not at all unlike the Egyptian Passover. As the Israelites applied lamb's blood on their door posts, so the angel of death would pass them by; in the same way. so we applied the blood of Yah'shua to our land, homes, wives and children. When the destroyer came it bypassed us and consumed our enemies. Now that's a 'spiritual mood' not because we artificially cultivated it (such 'moods' don't have the power to go consuming people) but because there was a real contest in the invisible between the Ruach haElohim and demonic powers. It was intensely real with tangible, physical effects. For those who did not experience what we did, this is just an 'account' like the words in a book, just as many read the story of the Egyptian Passover, and for them it is merely a story. Millions around the world celebrate Pesach but never meet the Ruach haRishon. They make their own 'mood' but they have not connected to the source and meaning of the outer observance. For these people it is mere religious observance and of little significance.
To be born again - and to be saved from destroying Malakim or angels - you need humility, repentance, trust, and a covenant to obey. Also you need to be prepared - don't delay! When the moment for salvation comes, grab it! Be ready like the Hebrews were. Preparations had to be made quickly so the leaven in their bread didn't have time to rise. That's why we celebrate Chag haMatzah. The seventh day - the day of crossing the Sea of Reeds ('Red Sea'), finally sets you free from all the terrors of Egypt in the world's spiritual system. Then comes the final slaughter of the pursuing Egyptians as 'our' Satanists were consumed - a total destruction of the pursuing forces. Pesach and Chag haMatzah are therefore linked and are a part of the same 'process'.
The faith that required the Sea of Reeds crossing is not the same type of faith that trusted and obeyed the instruction to cover Israelite homes with lamb's blood. It is not the 'born again' event but something different. It is Stage #2 in the faith journey. The Ruach haRishon takes you from death to life but the Ruach haShanee finally washes sins away completely just as the Egyptian army was 'washed away' and just as 'our' Satanists were roasted alive and reduced to ashes or dust. The Ruach haShanee is symbolised in the ordinance of baptism. First you must be born again - pass from death to life - and then you must be washed clean. These are two separate parts of regeneration. They are two different saving acts, the first two of seven.
Chag haMatzah lasts a 'week' - the salvation process doesn't happen instantaneously or even within a day even if the first one does. When you are born again it happens in a second but having Egypt washed out of you and destroying Egypt's demons out of your life takes time. After the initial exhilaration of the new birth believers are often shocked to discover that they still have major sin issues still, including demons inside. Indeed, some Christian theologies have redefined sin and salvation and teach the lie that once you're been born again sin has been forever dealt with. Chag haMatzah exposes that lie. Yes, the new birth is vital - it's the first day of the eight day sequence - and, yes, when you pass from death to life in the new birth you are jurisdictional covered by the blood of Yah'shua, so that when Yahweh looks on you, he sees Yah'shua, as evangelical Christian theology perfectly correctly teaches - you are 'safe' from the Accuser, which is why the eleventh book of Abraham calls her Shalah meaning 'safety': but if you quit after the first day, Pharaoh's army will get you and you will be taken captive back into Egypt and the world. So many Christians get deceived over this matter and wonder why their faith is swallowed up because they have been lulled into an exceedingly dangerous lie which proclaims, 'once saved, always saved'. The truth of the matter if that salvation has seven parts and you can't quit until you have been cleansed and owned by all 7 Heavenly Mothers. And if you bother to study all the scripture on salvation in the New Testament you will discover it is so, for Yah'shua and the apostles speak of salvation-past, salvation-present, and salvation-future. It's not over and finally settled until your life has been completed here.
The New Birth is your beginning - your Pesach. It is represented by the most extreme arm of the Menorah on the right hand side. And its colour is purple which is a combination of two colours - red which denotes passionate love, and blue which denotes faith. When the love of Yahweh first touches us through the Ruach haRishon, what is it that is born? Faith! And what is it that we are saved and justified by? Faith! Faith is the saving principle, but we cannot have faith until we have first been loved. As a result we in our turn are able to love through faith "because He (Yah'shua) first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NIV). It is this capacity to love in the Ruach haQodesh or Holy Spirit that is the first fruit of being born again by the Ruach haRishon. And it comes only by a determination to leave behind the dominion of sin - the world, Satan's system - and to move into Yahweh's Life. Millions of people have experienced this rebirth in the evangelical Protestant churches and because of this, those who have brought this message are highly blessed! Yahweh has used them mightily - but the problem is you can't live your whole life on this milky diet - the soul needs meat to grow or it will die, as Paul taught in Hebrews (Heb.5:12-6:3). Worse, the majority of churches today don't even teach this milky nourishment that comes from the Ruach haRishon - they have abandoned the foundation stone of the Gospel and are teaching doctrines of demons.
The ministry of the Ruach haRishon and of Pesach is one of gentle beginnings and stirrings. It is the awakening from a deep sleep of forgetfulness as to who we really are. The Israelites had been asleep for generations in Egypt, their faith gradually destroyed by paganism which reared it's ugly head briefly in the desert when they returned to golden calf worship. We too, who have come out of the world, have to be awakened to see how the enemy has made us believe in lies and imprisoned us in worldly servitude. Pesach is to remind us of these things and to be aware so as not fall back into old unsaved thinking patterns and behaviourism's because so long as we remain in the flesh, there will always be this seductive spiritual tree called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil luring us into thinking in old deathly ways. As the children of Pesach we have been called to eat only of the Tree of Life! That Tree of Death would have you return to the fleshpots of Egypt and eat forbidden fruit again, getting you re-demonised and putting you to sleep once more. So remember - at Pesach we leave the darkness of Satan for the resurrection Light of the Messiah! And at this time the Ruach haRishon kindles or rekindles (if we have gone back to sleep for any reason) the first light of truth in us - the truth that in Yah'shua, and in Him alone, is there Life, and that without Him we can never return to the Father. Build on any other foundation and you are lost. Thus at Pesach we must get back to basics and remind ourselves of the elementary truths of the Gospel. It is to remind us that the root of our faith is the childlike simplicity of trust. Without it, nothing else is possible. Yes, some race ahead thinking they have this foundation when they don't, and the result is a cold, sterile intellectual Gospel which soon reveals itself as having no spiritual content or depth. The fruits of missing this important turning are dead legalism. And there are plenty of Messianics living in this trap, boasting of Torah and of their national heritage but who are in truth still spiritually dead in Egypt. They're pagans with a Messianic gloss.
Pesach connects us to Yah'shua on the cross because everything starts and returns here. It takes us to the terrible, and yet marvellous, point in history where time stood still and mankind was rescued by grace - the undeserved loving kindness of Yahweh. The Israelites no more earned their deliverance then as we have today! All they did was apply some blood on the door posts of their homes and stay indoors! Then they were safe - they had the safety of Shalah, the Ruach haRishon. We in our turn have nothing more to do than claim the blood of atonement of Yah'shua and apply them to the doors of our fleshy homes, our bodies, and claim protection and covering from both the wrath of Yahweh for sin and the claims of demons for entrance into our souls. That covering is an act of grace that buys us time to work out our continuing salvation with fear and trembling (Phil.2:12). Yahweh never meant us to stop at the legal covering! He wants us thereafter to deal with the sins of our lives and get them out! Otherwise He would have told the Israelites to stay in Egypt and keep applying lamb's blood to their homes every day. But he didn't! He told them to 'Get out!' and to get out fast! Sadly that's exactly what most Christians never do: they claim the blood of Messiah and stay exactly where they are - in the world. The goal is a distant place called Zion - the Promised Land - a state of total deliverance where we can have complete and total rest - a life of complete overcoming and victory in Messiah. The goal is not a blood-covered shack in Egypt.
So this, brethren and sisters, is the first arm of the Menorah, located at the extreme right-hand side, and the colour of it is purple. Now we move over to the extreme left-hand side to a mirror image of Ruach haRishon and Pesach which brings us to the Ruach haShanee and Chag haMatzah. The colour of this second arm of the candelabra is indigo. Whereas the Ruach haRishon brings about a new beginning through initial faith that leads to the first stirrings of love, the Ruach haShanee represents the growing of faith and asks us to start the process of cleansing actual sin out of our lives. And it is here that Lutheranism, for example, stops and fails. When Martin Luther said: "No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day" (1 August 1521), he lied and taught Christendom a satanic doctrine that denies the Ruach haShanee! What do you suppose was the effect of such a doctrine on the minds of those who heard him preach this? Be lawless, do what you like, it doesn't matter, for the blood of Christ will always cover you. And this wicked doctrine has kept believers in Egypt, constantly invoking the blood of Christ yet remaining in their sins because of disobedience and rebellion. Now in case you think this was a once-off saying of Martin Luther which he later repented of, I have to tell you that he made dozens of such wicked statements. You don't believe me? Well let me cite you one more of his sayings so that you may know exactly what spirit it was who drove this man: "Be a sinner and sin boldly," he declared, "but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here in this world we have to sin. This life is not a dwelling place of righteousness" (1 August 1521). What an admixture of profound truth and lies! Little wonder that until the advent of the nonconformists like the Wesleys that Protestant Europe was almost as dark as the Catholic part it had rebelled from. And no wonder Protestantism found support amongst so many German princes who must have relished the thought that they could carry on "sinning boldly" whilst claiming the blood of Christ to absolve them. Frankly I see little difference between the Lutheran doctrine and the Catholic. At least we must be thankful for the Holiness Movement that came later in Protestantism which was one step further along the road to the whole truth.
The festival we are celebrating today - Chag haMatzah or Unleavened Bread - was given to us by Yahweh to remind us that we must pursue purity. After that terrible Passover Night when all the firstborn of Egypt died the Hebrew people were finally freed ... not to pursue "sin boldly" but to pursue a life of holiness to Yahweh! They were told to 'pack your bags and leave and to leave quickly". The bread was made in haste - there was no time for it to rise. This type of bread was Israel's chief diet throughout the exodus and it represents the putting away of the 'old life of sin' to live as a separate and righteous people to Yahweh. I will tell you more about this in week's time on the last day of Chag haMatzah.
Now I am sure you will appreciate and accept that the spiritual 'mood' of the Passover while the Israelites sheltered in their blood-covered huts was a very different one to the march to the Sea of Reeds. That Passover night was a sober one, perhaps not without a little trepidation as the people waited to see if Yahweh would do as He promised He would through the mouth of Moses. This time we're on the march celebrating our freedom! No longer are we serfs in Egypt, the 10 plagues are over, we are not toiling as slaves making bricks for Pharaoh, we are tasting the air of liberty as we finally leave this deathly place of toil and misery and head out into the open! They must have felt jubilation and relief, thinking that their troubles were over and that they would head straight for the Promised Land overflowing with milk and honey. What they didn't know was that there was a whole false system of spiritual patterning in them that had to be burned out and that they wouldn't be in Canaan in a week's time.
And sadly ministers teaching false doctrine tell new converts that that's exactly will happen to them. They don't tell them about a life of discipleship. They don't tell them about the struggles ahead. They're virtually taught: "You're covered in the blood of the Lamb, so just get on with life and pretend everything is wonderful!" They don't tell them that there is a life of overcoming. They lie either because they are themselves deceived or they are wolves in sheep's clothing in the pay of Satan. Little wonder that so many new converts fall away. It's a bit like saying to a new born baby: "Ok, welcome to the world. You're on your own now!" The new believer needs constant nourishment by spiritual parents and community. He needs taking care of, guiding, and helping along the way.
The central symbol of Chag haMatzah is unleavened bread. Leaven here represents sin and the message is unapologetically: "No sin allowed!" - the total opposite of Luther's, "sin boldly!" It is when we start getting down to the nitty-gritty of sin - getting our hands dirty, as it were - that our faith begins to grow in a new way - the kind of faith that is needed for crossing a sea of water with no boats when you are unarmed, protecting women and children, and have a whole Egyptian army at your back bent on enslaving you again or killing you. And this faith comes from the Ruach haShanee.
Now those of you who are particularly fond of products that use leaven often get quite a shock having to eat leaven-free products like unleavened bread for a whole week. I think we have all wondered what the point is. Well the point is that we have to get used to the contrast between the old life and the new one as we discard old habits and learn godly ones belonging to the Kingdom of Yahweh. The sin-free life is very 'different' from the old one and takes a little adjusting to. The progressive removal of the leaven of sin causes this new faith to grow within us which is entirely different from the kind of faith that we exercised in accepting Yah'shua as Messiah and making the changeover from death to life. The Light that comes from the Ruach haShanee carefully exposes and removes all the worldly darkness in us as we submit to Her and learn wisdom
After about a week of eating unleavened bread I admit I start lusting for the familiar leavened products. And yes, this is a time of relative deprivation - it's a kind of 'fast' to get the poisons out of our bodies - the poisons of wrong thinking and feeling. No one is pretending that this is a time of luxury and abundance - a time of milk and honey. That has to await the Promised Land. So, yes, there is a time of comparative deprivation but it is necessary, even if the withdrawal symptoms of being deprived of a mental and emotional diet of sin can sometimes be painful. Those of you who have been alcoholics or drug addicts know what it's like as you go through this period, which to put it bluntly can be hellish. Many crave for substitutes like Methadone. It is the same with us - we need deprivation to prepare us for the refined diet of the fullness of the Ruach haQodesh. To those experiencing the withdrawal symptoms of fear, restlessness, strong hankerings for the 'old life', and perhaps even some anger, I say: Hang on! Stay with it! Let Yahweh do His work, for it is infinitely worth it.
For years as they wandered in the wilderness, Yahweh gave the people of Israel bread - not earthly bread but manna (Ex.16:4-5). He gave the people exactly what they needed and no more. Yet as we know, a spirit of resentment arose as a result of this divinely-imposed 'low cuisine' diet and the people were not satisfied. They lusted after Egyptian bread and meat. What they perhaps didn't realise, because their spiritual senses had been so dulled by paganism, was that this supernaturally-provided heavenly bread energised, enlightened and encouraged the people. Little wonder that the spiritual discerning called it 'malak' or 'angel food' and even 'the bread of the mighty', what we call manna. This is the bread of the spiritually mighty yet Christians still believe demonic lies and prefer the poor nourishment of worldly bread. This manna is none other than Yah'shua Himself who declared that He was the bread of life which comes down from heaven (Jn.6:47-51). Yes, Yah'shua is the 'bread of deprivation' to the carnal who kicks and screams and resists, but He is the 'bread of life' to the spiritually-minded.
We observe Chag haMatzah every year even if we have overcome this carnal disposition to return to the leaven of Egypt and have the Ruach haShanee dwelling in us because it is a reminder to us to remain humble and to submit our lofty pride to the execution of the Ruach haRishon whom we have come to call the 'Pride-Slayer' because you can't be born again until pride has been hung, drawn and quartered. We have to learn to curb our carnal desires and put them into full subjection of the Ruach. The lesson we learn from this festival furthermore cautions us not to indulge in triumphalism, dogmatism or overconfidence.
So important is this Bread to Yahweh that He ordered it to be displayed symbolically in the Tabernacle at all times (Ex.25:30). It is no accident that this symbolism is continued in the living Messiah who was born where? In Bethlehem or Beit Lechem which means the 'House of Bread'! Throughout His teachings we find Him using the imagery of bread and growing grain so that we are reminded of the spiritual processes of deliverance. And as we have seen in the feeding of the 5,000, Yah'shua literally demonstrated that He is the "bread of life" and that whoever eats this bread will live eternally (Jn.6:47-51). And when He was sacrificed at Pesach and was laid to rest and buried under the earth in a tomb, on what day was it? It was today, the Day of Unleavened Bread. Finally, when He arose, He was brought forth out of the earth, also during Chag haMatzah. Paul's explicit instruction to the believers was: "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor.5:6-8, NIV). Do you hear that? It is confirmation from an apostle of Yah'shua to continue observing Yahweh's moedim but in a new way - with the bread of sincerity and truth. These festivals are not just for the 'Jews' but for all true believers.
Errol Müller whimsically says that "many people believe the sun shines through their bellybuttons. It's the centre-of-the-universe syndrome". The Apostle Paul was here admonishing the Corinthian believers to observe the festival of Unleavened Bread and to do some spiritual housecleaning. That means, in practice, that we must humble ourselves, purge out false teachings, and redirect our spiritual path in the footsteps of Yah'shua's living example (1 Pet.2:21). So what are we to "put off" in this spiritual housecleaning? Simply, "the works of the flesh", meaning the sinful nature in its entirety, and if you want a full list of them, read the fifth chapter of Galatians. I recommend you do that today sometime.
It is our responsibility to abstain from unleavened products not because unleavened products are sinful but because at this time of the year Yahweh has hallowed or set-apart Chag haMatzah so that if we obey, we may be sanctified by the Ruach haShanee in a special way. When we obey we engage in personal sanctification - we "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness" (1 Tim.6:11-12, NIV) as Paul elsewhere instructed because these things come from the Father through the Ruach! Moreover, we pursue this righteousness, not by works but by faith (Rom.9:20), the outward observance of Chag haMatzah being the sign or evidence that we are trusting in Yahweh our Elohim. The physical sign is products without leaven, and the spiritual sign is a life free of vanity, boasting, ego trips, and so forth, which are the diametric opposite of walking with our Elohim. The people anciently understood the analogy well - puffed-up leavened bread representing puffed-up pride in puffed-up people. This is a HUGELY important message from Yahweh and it cannot be minimised! First at Pesach He dazzles us with miracles whilst teaching us to fear spiritual death, and now He will spend seven additional days of our daily life in a spiritual "walk in newness of life" (Rom.6:4, NKJV), which newness comes at this time from the Ruach haShanee.
Now if you look in the 11th Book of Abraham you will discover that this Ruach goes by another name too, which in the Hebrew is Sekel meaning 'sensation' or 'touch'. This designation confused me initially until Yahweh revealed a key to me about three weeks ago. He told me and my wife to lie down on the ground opposite one another foot-to-foot so that the soles of my feet were on hers. This was on a Monday, the second day of the week, which is Ruach haShanee's day, who was present in my wife. Yahweh wished to show me something through Her. As I moved my toes and feet, as though I was walking, so my wife responded in kind and the sensation was just like that of walking. As I 'walked on' the Ruach haShanee as my 'ground' of reality so I began to experience some fascinating things. Firstly, I became aware that my 10 toes were representative of the 10 Commandments on a 'ground level', meaning that I was to 'walk' in them. The Scriptures speak of this walking many times: "this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands" (2 John 6, NIV); "you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love" (2 John 6, NIV); "walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you" (Jer.7:23, NIV); "walk in My ways and obey My statutes and commands" (1 Kings 3:14, NIV); "walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had" (Rom.4:12, NIV); "Teach me Your way, O Yahweh, and I will walk in Your truth" (Ps.86:11, NIV). And I am sure you can think of many more. Finally, as we spiritually kit up ourselves for spiritual warfare, Paul reminds us of one essential item of clothing: "Stand firm then ... with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (Eph.6:14-15, NIV).
Now you may wonder what feet have to do with Chag haMatzah. Unlike Pesach, where people were sitting around their tables waiting for the word from Moses to leave, Chag haMatzah is the beginning of a long walk. Before their feet had been used for slave labour, now they are going to be used to leave Egypt and the world and head out towards the Promised Land, the land overflowing with milk and honey, the land of the Israelites' inheritance. Not only did the Hebrews have a week-long march to the Sea of Reeds but as we know were to later wander around for 40 years because of rebellion. The Gospel of Yah'shua is not an idle one. It's not a sit-down one nor a drive-in one. It requires footwork. And a lot of it. Your feet, as Paul tells us, must be fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Shalom. We have to be ready to go wherever the Master wants us to go.
The Ten Commandments were not, of course, received until the receiving of Torah at Mt. Sinai which we commemorate at Shavu'ot, the Feast of Pentecost or Weeks. Nevertheless they were 'built in' to the human body from Creation - there have always been 10 Words and they were known to the Patriarchs and preserved orally. As I was lying with my feet on my wife's, I was made especially conscious of the two big toes and was reminded that these are essential for balance. People who lose their big toes have problems balancing while they walk. The Ruach haShanee told me that these two big toes represent the Two Great Commandments of Yah'shua - the Shema - to love Yahweh with body, might mind and strength, and to love your neighbour as you love yourself, which are summaries of all the other 10. They do not negate the 10 but together represent the balance of the whole body - the whole Messianic Community. They are the revelation of the heart of the Ten Commandments.
At Pesach we eat unleavened bread which is the first day of Chag haMatzah and we do so sitting in our own homes. But once the order is given to 'march' we not only leave the leaven of sin behind but also our homes in the world. We are 'not' to feel at home in the world and must leave it. We are to flee from it, and from the wrath to come (Lk.3:7). Remaining in Egypt is not an option! We have to depart for the Promised Land and to do that requires feet - it requires action.
Brethren and sisters, that is exactly what is happening here at Kadesh-biyqah. People are fleeing the world and coming to a place consecrated by Yahweh. It is like the Tabernacle in the Wilderness which by day had had a cloud over it and by night a pillar of light. We have that too. We have seen it - the pillar over us, the spiritual cupola of light, and we have seen concourses of angels around this place. In the last few months two have come here to live permanently and others are on there way here from America, Africa and Europe. The gathering is underway. And we have brethren here training up to build similar places of spiritual refuge around the world in preparation for the Great and Dreadful Day of Yahweh.
Chag haMatzah represents an important beginning for us this year. This is, as we know, a designated Year of Cleansing - Yahweh has said so. He is preparing us just as He prepared our forefathers by cleansing them in the Wilderness. The enemy knows it and hates it which is why he has tried to kill us. But what He does not know is the protection that His people have when they walk in His commandments.
I consider this the most exciting set of annual moedim that we have ever celebrated and I am aware that far greater things are yet to come. However, none of this comes ready-served - it comes with a price. And that price - the price that must be paid to enter fully into the Kingdom with the kinds of signs the ancients had - is everything you've got. The price is your soul, your possessions, everything, because you cannot enter into a state of spiritual endowment and rest until you have dedicated everything to Yahweh. That is the first and most important mind frame that everyone has got to get into if they even hope to get beyond the spiritual implications of Pesach. Every single true son and daughter of Abraham and of Israel must be fully dedicated, not just in word, but in very substance - from the Royal Melchizedek Priesthood of Yahweh who must have the words, Kadosh-le-Yahweh (Set-Apart to Yahweh) written on gold plates and fastened on their turbans (Ex.28:36; 39:30) to every single item in our homes, our homes themselves, our land, and even our very merchandise (Ex.23:18). Everything must be consecrated to Him so that we neither own our personal possessions nor ourselves - every husband and father must be owned by Yahweh, every wife by her husband, and every unmarried son and daughter - literal and adopted - by his or her father. And when I mean 'owned' I mean that literally - all must be fully submitted in perfect obedience to the truth. For if you want Zion - if you want the holiness of Yahweh, and the Presence and the glory, then this is the absolute and non-negotiable condition. Complete surrender and ownership. For no part of the world may come up to Zion; and if you try to retain any, then it must be burned out of you as it was the children of Israel in the 40-year long desert wandering.
May the Blessings of Ruach haShanee, whose week this is, and who supersedes all other Ruachs during this moed, be with you, and bless you and enlighten you to the truth. This is a Chag haMatzah unlike any other we have experienced. My prayer is that You will be fully open to Her and let Her lead you to the purification that is demanded of those who claim to belong to Yahweh. Amen.
Acknowledgements
- Errol Müller, The Mystical Rites of our Creator (1999), White Stone Publications, Lake Worth, FL
Author: Lev-Tsiyon
Glossary of MLT Hebraic, Greek and English Terms For other terms and full details please see the Micropedia
A
Adon(ai) = Master, a pagan fertility god, Adonis; used by many Messianics but not MLT
(a)eon(ian) = 7 dispensation- or age-long time periods, not forever (see le-olam-va-ed)
Alef-Tav = Alpha-Omega, A-Z, first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet = Yah'shua
Amen = truly, let it be so, written Amein by some Messianics
Apocrypha = Hebraic Scriptures not a part of the Protestant canon (e.g. Baruch)
Anti-Messiah = Hebraic term for the end-time Antichrist or anyone opposed to the Messiah
antinomian = lawless Christian who disregards all or part of Torah/commandments
Ashkenazi Jew = East European Jew descended from the Turkic-Japhethite Khazars
Assembly = church, congregation, ekklesia, community, fellowship, koinonia, gathering
Azazel = the Yom Kippur scapegoat
B
Baal, Ba'al = any other master than Yahweh, usually demonic in MLT terminology
Bachor(im) = firstborn son(s)
Bar/Bat Mitzvah = Son/Daughter of Commandment, covenant to obey Torah at age 12
being = soul, the whole person (spirit and body), e.g. "my whole being"
Beit, bet, beth = house, e.g. Beit Yisrael (House of Israel), Beth Lechem (House of Bread)
Beit haMikdash = Yahweh's Temple in Yerushalayim
B'rit Chadashah = the New Covenant; B'rit Chadashah Scriptures = New Testament
B'rit Milah = circumcision - abolished in the B'rit Chadashah, replaced by Mikvah
C
canon = authoritative Scripture (Heb. qaneh, Gk. kanôn = measuring instrument)
Catechumen = a serious, covenanted investigator seeking Mikvah or Baptism in MLT
Chag haMatzah = Feast of Unleavened Bread, second of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Chavurat Bekorot = MLT's Priesthood Order, Holy Order and Assembly of the Firstborn
Cohen = priest; Cohen Gadol = High Priest (also spelled Kohen)
Council of Yah's elohim = the heavenly Assembly of the Firstborn or Chavurat Bekorot
D
demon = fallen malek or angel in rebellion against Yahweh (Heb. shad; see Êl-Shaddai)
derech = the Way, Path or Road - Yah'shua and the Gospel are the Way
Drash = moral or homiletic interpretation of Scripture - see PaRDeS
E
Echad = One, Union of two or more in one (as opposed to Yachid) - see Elohim
Echad Godhead Doctrine = Father Yahweh, Son Yah'shua and Sevenfold Ruach (Mother)
Êl, Eloah, Elah = God the Father, Yahweh
Êl-Elyon = Most High God, Yahweh
Êl-Shaddai = Master/Lord over all shads or demons
Elohim = God, the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), lit. 'Mighty One(s)', 'Ruler(s)'
elohim = Israelite judges, rulers, angels or gods (false deities, idols, demons)
emunah = faith, actively trusting, clinging or adhering to (especially Yahweh or Yah'shua)
emet = truth, Yah'shua is the Emet
Ephraimite = descendant of the patriarch Ephraim and head of Messsianic Israel
F
Feasts of Yahweh = the 7 annual Moedim (Pesach, Chag haMatzah, Yom haBikkurim, Shavu'ot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot)
G
Gan-Eden = Garden of Eden, Paradise and state of the purified heart in Messiah
goy(im) = nation(s), Israelites or gentiles not born in or converted to the Covenant
H
hallelu-Yah = praise Yah(weh)!
Heylel = proper name of Satan or haSatan = the Adversary, the devil
Sabbath = Yom Shabbat (Friday to Saturday sunset, add 1 day in IDL Zone)
Hochmah = Wisdom, title of the 7-fold Ruach haQodesh
I
IDL = International Date Line, false man-made time division in Pacific Ocean
IDL Zone = Area between the true Divine Date Line (Lake Van/Eden) and the false one
Israeli = citizen of the modern Edomite-Khazar Republic of Israel (not Biblical Israel)
Israelite = citizen of biblical state of Israel or a modern follower of the Messiah
J
Jew = post-biblical term describing descendants of Edomite and Khazar converts to Judaism
Johannine = pertaining to the Apostle Yochanan (e.g. Gospel of John)
Josephite = descendant of the patriarch Joseph, the head of Messianic Israel
Judahite = a person in direct descent from the patriarch Judah, forefather of the Messiah
Judaism = a Talmudic-based religion rejecting Yah'shua the Messiah
Judean = a citizen of the Kingdom or Province of Judah until the 2nd Century diaspora
K
Kadosh la Yahweh = set-apart or dedicated to Yahweh, 'Holiness to the Lord', MLT motto
Karaites = Jews (from 700 AD) who reject the Talmud and accept only the Tanakh
kashrut = keeping kosher, food laws of Yahweh and correspinding lifestyle
Ketuvim = Writings or Hagiographa of the Tanakh
Khazar = a Turkic convert to Judaism ~700 AD forming the Ashkenazi Jewish community
kosher = clean foods authorised by Yahweh for human consumption
L
Lashon Hara = evil-speaking, gossip or slander
legalism = false route to salvation through works (self-salvation)
le-olam-va-ed = dispensation- or age-long, aeonian, not eternal, forever or for eternity
Lev = heart, as in Lev-Tsiyon = heart of Zion
Lev-Tsiyon = Heart of the Fortress [of Yahweh], Hebrew name of MLT's founder
M
Master = Lord, Sir, Adon(ai) - (one in authority, a ruler - a king, husband, prophet, judge)
Malak(im) = Angel(s), heavenly supernatural messenger(s)
manna = wafers of honey, bread from heaven (lit. 'what is this?')
matzah = unleavened bread, see Chag haMatzah
Menorah = 7-armed candlearbra = the 7 annual Moedim and 7-fold Ruach haQodesh
Messiah = Christ; Anti-Messiah = Antichrist
Messianic Community = Body of Christ, sum total of all true believers; all true fellowships
Messianic Israel = all who worship Yahweh, trust in Yah'shua, obey Torah and overcome
Messianic Jew = Messianic convert from Judaism still clinging to Talmudic traditions
Midrash = aggadic interpretation of scripture viâ Drash, a scriptural discussion
Mikvah = baptism by immersion of convert into Yah'shua or of wife into husband
Mishpachah = family: nuclear, congregational, tribal or the whole of Messianic Israel
MLT = Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon = family of the heart of the fortress [of Yahweh]
Mishpat = right-ruling or judgement
mitzvah/mitzvot = commandment(s)
moed(im) = appointment(s) of Yahweh, 7 Annual Feasts, Sabbath and Rosh Chodesh
N
Nefilim, Nephilim = giant offspring of materialised demons and human women
Nevi'im = prophetic writings of the Old Testament or Tanakh
New Birth = spiritual conversion in the Ruach haRishon, being 'born again' with new heart
Nidah = a woman's menstruation period during which no intercourse is permitted
O
Olive Branch = collection of revelations, prophecies and visions published by MLT
P
Paraclete = Comforter, Advocate (NEB), Counsellor, Ruach haQodesh (Gk. paraklêtos)
PaRDeS = method of textual interpretation (homiletics) - see P'shat, Remez, Drash, Sod
Patriarch = a father who is head of his family, clan or tribe (lit. 'father-ruler')
Pentateuch = first five books of the Tanakh (Genesis-Deuteronomy), also called Torah
peribolaion = headcovering worn by daughters/wives in submission to fathers/husbands
Pesach = Passover, first of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Peshitta = an Aramaic version of the Bible
Prototrinitarianism = early, simplified MLT formulation of the Echad Godhead Doctrine
Prush(im) = Pharisee(s)
Pseudepigrapha = Non-canonical Hebrew writings additional to the Apocrypha
P'shat = literal, contextual, philological, exoteric, outer meaning of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Q
Qadosh Qadoshim = Holy of Holies, most sacred set-apart room of the Beit haMikdash
Qodesh, Kodesh = set-apart, holy (see Ruach haQodesh)
R
Rabbi = Teacher, term used by Messianic Jews and some Messianic Israelites = Pastor
Refuge, the 12 Cities of = divinely protected MLT fortresses during the 7-year Tribulation
Remez = hint or allegorical level of Hebraic understanding of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Rosh Chodesh = monthly New Moon appointment of Yahweh
ruach = spirit of a person (lit.'breath')
Ruach Elohim = Spirit of God (the Spirit of the collective Godhead or Elohim)
Ruach haChamashee = 5th Ruach presides over Yom Teruah and Yom Chamashee
Ruach haQodesh = the Sevenfold Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost (lit. 'Set-Apart Breath')
Ruach haRevee = 4th Ruach presides over Shavu'ot, Yom Revee and Bar Mitzvah
Ruach haRishon = 1st Ruach presides over Pesach, Yom Rishon and the New Birth
Ruach haShanee = 2nd Ruach presides over Chag haMatzah and Yom Shanee
Ruach haSheshi = 6th Ruach presides over Yom Kippur and Yom Sheshi
Ruach haShleshi = 3rd Ruach presides over Yom haBikkurim, Yom Shleshi and Mikvah
S
Sabbath = Yom Shabbat (Friday to Saturday sunset, add 1 day in IDL Zone)
Satan = rebel archangel Heylel, father of lies, devil, chief demon (lit.'Adversary')
Sephardic Jew = West European Jew of mixed blood containing many Judahites
Septuagint = Greek translation of the Tanakh, LXX
Shegal haShabbat = 7th Ruach (Sabbath Queen) presides over Sukkot and Yom Shabbat
Shekinah = Divine Presence and Glory of Yahweh-Elohim
Set-apart = holy, sanctified, consecrated, dedicated, separated (to and by Yahweh)
Shabbat-Shabbaton = High Sabbath (e.g. Yom Kippur)
Shalom = heavenly peace, standard Hebraic greeting invoking Yahweh's peace
Shamash(im) = servant(s), deacon(s), attendant(s)
Shavu'ot = Pentecost or Weeks, fourth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Sheol = grave or pit, euphamism for Hades or hell - also see Tartarus
shofar = ram's horn, blown during Yahweh's Moedim
simcha = joy, keynote of Sukkot
Sod = mystical, anagogic, inner or esoteric understanding of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Sukkot = Tabernacles or Booths, seventh of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Synagogue = Greek word used by Jews and Messianics (but not MLT) for a meeting house
T
talmid(a) = male/female disciple or student
Talmud = scriptures, teachings and commentaries belonging to non-Messianic Judaism
Tanakh = acronym for Old Testament Scriptures - Torah, Nevi'im & Ketuvim
Tartarus = place of imprisonment under the earth for rebellious angels and Nephilim
teshuvah = repentance, remorse and contrition leading back to Torah obedience
Torah = Yahweh's teachings or Law; New Covenant Torah includes Yah'shua's teachings
Tribulation, the Great = the final 7 years of the present aeon when Anti-Messiah rules
Trinity = Catholic Godhead formula - see Echad Godhead Doctrine and Prototrinitarianism
Tsiyon = Zion, a fortress, a name of Jerusalem and a prominent hill
Tzitzit/Tizitziyot = tassel(s) worn by men in remembrance of Torah
U
Universalism = salvation of all at the cosmic Yovel, with different rewards and punishments
Y
Yachid = one, single person or item, as opposed to Echad (many in one, unity)
Yah'shua the Messiah = Jesus Christ (the Son)
Yahudah = Judah - see Judahite
Yahweh, Yah, YHWH = the true Name of our Heavenly Father, also carried by Yah'shua
Yahweh-Elohim = LORD God (the Father, Yahweh as Head of the Godhead or Elohim)
Yahweh haQatan = the sent Yahweh = Yah(weh)'shua, Malak of Yahweh's Presence
Yam Suf = Sea of Reeds, the true Israelite Exodus water crossing, not the Red Sea
Yarden = Jordan River (lit. 'meanderer')
Yerushalayim = Jerusalem
Yisrael = Israel (lit. 'ruling with Êl') = true believers under the New Covenant
Yom Chamashee = 5th day of the week (Thursday, Friday in IDL Zone)
Yom Din, Yom haDin = (the) Day of Judgement
Yom haBikkurim = Feast of Firstfruits, third of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yom Revee = 4th day of the week (Wednesday, Thursday in IDL Zone)
Yom Rishon = 1st day of the week (Sunday, Monday in IDL Zone)
Yom Kippur = Day of Atonement, sixth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yom Shabbat = 7th day of the week and Sabbath Rest (Saturday, Sunday in IDL Zone)
Yom Shanee = 2nd day of the week (Monday, Tuesday in IDL Zone)
Yom Sheshi = 6th day of the week (Friday, Saturday in IDL Zone)
Yom Shleshi = 3rd day of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday in IDL Zone)
Yom Teruah = Day of Trumpets, fifth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yosef = Joseph - see Josephite
Yovel = Jubilee or Year of Jubilee
Z
Zaqen(im) = elder(s) of an assembly or congregation, or senior members of a community
Zoë Life = Greek term for spiritual life in the Messiah
Commonly Used MLT Abbreviations
For additional abbreviations and explanations, please see the Micropedia
A
Amp.V(er). = Amplified Version of the Bible
Aram. = Aramaic
AV = Authorised Version of the Bible - see KJV
B
BCAY = B'rit Chadashah Assembly of Yahweh - see NCCG
BoA = Books of Abraham (e.g. 1Abr., 2Abr., etc.)
C
cp, cf = compare with
CB(Q) = Chavurat Bekorot
CEV = Contemporary English Version of the Bible
ch. = chapter
CJB = Complete Jewish Bible
CLNT = Concordant Literal New Testament
CYe = Council of Yah's elohim
E
Eng. = English
F
ff. = and onwards/forwards
fn = footnote
G
Gk. = Greek
GNB = Good News Bible - see TEV
H
Heb. = Hebrew, Hebraic
HEM = Holy Echad Marriage, eternal marriage
HO = Holy Order - see Chavurat Bekorot
HOC = Holy Order Collection of revelations - see OB
HRV = Hebraic-Roots Version of the Bible
I
ibid. = ibidem (lit. 'in the same place'), referring to a book previously cited
ICJC = Independent Church of Jesus Christ, earlier name of NCCF
ISRV = Institute for Scripture Research Version of the Bible
J
JB = Jerusalem Bible
JBP/Phillips = J.B.Phillips translation of the New Testament
JNT = Jewish New Testament
K
KJV = King James Version of the Bible - see AV
L
LB = Living Bible
lit. = literally or literature
LXX = Septuagint, Greek translation of the OT
M
MLT = Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon
Moff. = Moffatt translation of the Bible
MRC = Messianic Renewed Covenant Version of the NT
MS(S) = Manuscript(s)
N
NASB, NASV = New American Standard Bible/Version
NC&C = New Covenants & Commandments - see OB
NCCF = New Covenant Christian Fellowship, earlier name of NCCG
NCCG = New Covenant Church of God, earlier name of MLT - see BCAY
NCP = New Covenant Press, publishing arm of MLT
NCW = New Covenant Witness, MLT magazine
NEB = New English Bible
NIV = New International Version of the Bible
NKJV = New King James Version of the Bible
Nor. = Norwegian
NT = New Testament, B'rit Chadashah
NWT = New World Translation of the Bible, unreliable Jehovah's Witness version
O
OB = Olive Branch - see NC&C
op.cit. = opere citato (lit. in the work cited)
OT = Old Testament, Tanakh
P
p(p). = page(s)
pl. = plural - see s.
PWNC = Prophetic Words of the New Covenant, revelation cataloging system - see OB
Q
QED = quod erat demonstrandum (lit. which was shown to be proved)
R
RCF = Restoration Christian Fellowship, earlier name of ICJC
RhQ = Ruach haQodesh, Holy Spirit
RSTNE = Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition of the Bible
RSV = Revised Standard Version of the Bible
RV = Revised Version of the Bible
S
s. = singular - see pl.
S&G = Smith & Goodspeed Version of the Bible
T
TEV = Today's English Version of the Bible - see GNB
V
Vulg. = Biblia Vulgata, Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible
W
WEB = World English Bible
Glossary Copyright ©2007 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
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This page was first created on 7 March 2007
Last updated on 7 March 2007
Copyright ©2006 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
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