Sermons Series 3:47, 22 July 2006
The Third Wave
Part 1: Yahweh's New Order
Main Themes:
Minor Themes:
Brethren and sisters, may you have a blessed Shabbat Shalom as we gather here in preparation for the next phase of Yahweh's great changes that are taking place both within us and all around us. This last week I have heard many reports of the huge changes taking place within this community of One-House or Echad Messianic Israelite believers, and it really has been extraordinary. People are changing so fast that we are catching our breath! Some are being left behind who were never a part of us as the second wave removes them to the place where they belong, whether in other ministries or congregations, or out of the Commonwealth of Messianic Israel altogether, whilst others are aligned in their own places ready to be met when the third wave deposits us in our new setting.
If the second wave has been about shaking off the dead leaves and fruits of the branches - and in some cases removing whole branches that have withered away and died - then the third wave - which as you know is vastly bigger than the two which preceded it - will completely knock down the 'old house' as a whole: it means, in effect, the complete end of the Phase III preparatory spiritual order that was manifested in the New Covenant Church of God (NCCG). To use the words of Yahweh Himself, the Third Wave will usher in a completely new spiritual order that is even more in His will than the old one. Building on the original foundation, this work will be both larger and greater. Which of course means that our enemies who have sought to destroy us by slurring our reputation will have completely failed.
Many of you have asked me what the nature of these changes will be, and if I knew them all, I would be the first tell you. I can, however, I hope, point you in certain directions, as I tried to do last week as I expounded on the Second Wave. That Wave, you will remember, was essentially about extirpating every last vestige of Gnosticism from us - not the obvious Gnosticism of the Gnostics themselves, but the more subtle form that is sometimes barely recognisable as such. It's about finally removing the last traces of salvation by knowledge or by works. What, then, can we expect to come in this next wave?
I wonder if you have ever been swimming by the sea side and been totally swept off your feet by a wave. I can remember some pretty scary experiences when I was a boy in Malaysia. Like all adventurous lads, I headed for where there was the most surf - I guess there was something magically attractive about large waves crashing down and stirring up all this foam. Also, I was not as tall or large then as I am now and, not having much experience with large breakers, was completely taken by surprise when the first one swept me off my feet and turned my world into a thunderous churning of water. My eyes were closed, as I didn't want to get the salt water in my eyes, the sounds were unfamiliar, and I didn't know whether I was upside down or rightside up. I was also focussing on not breathing in any water. After a brief moment of panic, and daring to open my eyes for a few seconds to get orientated, at the risk of the salt water stinging them, I realised that I was at the mercy of the waves and just let myself be washed ashore as a gasped for air on the surface. There was no way I could have regained my balance in that water. After the initial fear there was a brief moment of elation and, yes, I headed back into the waves again - though rather less cockily this time.
I want to suggest to you that the Third Wave has to do with power and submission - the power of the Most High and our inevitable submission to it if we are serious about getting close to Him and operating in His perfect will. The atheist, along with the nominal Christian, does not, of course, have a clue what I am talking about, and must fumble in his dictionary of psycho-babble to try and make sense of such experiences. Having been in atheist territory myself, as a former unbeliever, I know well his dilemma. Because it is not within the range of his experience he must, if he is to preserve his world view, resort to either the sledgehammer or the surgical knife: he has to either knock the testimony down or slice it up to make it bleed to death. And yet, though he does not know it, he is subject to the same forces as the believer, only he can't explain them. All he is able to do is catalogue the experiences of people like myself, attempt to arrange them into some sort of psychological equation, and try to dismiss them as fantasy, delusion, neurosis, paranoia, or whatever. Inevitably, because he is a materialist, he must either view the believer with pity or with contempt. And yet -- and yet -- he is, if he is honest, at a loss for rational explanations.
Everything that we give importance to has power over us, irrespective of what you attribute that power to - whether to the supernatural or natural. If Satan manages to keep us worried, discouraged, sad and in defeat, he is doing so because we give him authority over us. In this way we give him the glory instead of Yahweh. Complaints are the sound of hell, praise the sound of the Kingdom of Yahweh. Destructive thoughts allow Satan to sow seeds of defeat in our hearts and to break into our house. "Above all else," said the writer of Proverbs, "guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Prov.4:23).
The last weeks have not been pleasant but they have been invaluable learning and reorientating experiences. However, learning to wield the sword of Yahweh comes only after we have learned to see Him through the column of fire and the pillar of cloud that lead us away from our oppressing 'Pharaohs' and to our 'Promised Land'.
"For Yahweh our Elohim is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory" (Dt.20:4, ISRV).
"... that the Elohim of our Master Yah'shua the Messiah, the Father of glory, may give to you the ruach of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Messiah when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the Messianic Community, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph.1:17-23, NKJV).
As we look at the deficiencies in our lives, I am sure we could write a long list. To become the inheritors of the work started by Abraham, developed by Moses, and brought to completion by the Messiah and His Apostles, we have to stop leading defeated lives. Yahweh has given us power to heal the sick, create wealth, and deliver the captives but what we can never do - and have resisted this most stringently - is seek for shortcuts and risk getting landed with counterfeits. There are far too many charismatic quacks out there who are either faking miracles through suggestion and brainwashing or tapping demonic powers which just make the people into slaves. We have freely acknowledged our deficiencies and withstood those who have criticised us and gone off to the counterfeits in their impatience to see, as they suppose, the 'hand of God'. I'm glad we never yielded to that sort of pressure.
I do not believe we have even begun our ministry yet. I don't think we have even begun to claim the power that is available because I don't think we have, until now, been fully able to untangle ourselves from the cacophony of lies in Christendom.
After Yah'shua was baptised in water and the Ruach, He was immediately taken into the wilderness to be confronted by Satan. There His human side learned how to triumph over the devil. He established His position of victory before the enemy of men's souls. All He did was to decree - to declare - that the Eternal Yahweh is the One who has all power! The moment He did that, Satan had no power over Him. And once we decree that Yah'shua has been given all power, and it is in Him that we trust, we win victory over Satan too.
I believe one of the reasons that Christendom is either powerless or deceived by counterfeits is because believers have been waiting for Yahweh to act in their lives without going into the wilderness of affliction to confront the father of lies and of fear and claiming the victory that is Yah'shua's. There, like Yah'shua, we declare that the Word of Yahweh is the supreme authority in our lives. There we make the decision to defeat Satan out of spiritual resources instead of being defeated by the temptation to rely on fleshy sustenance. It means living by principles that that are totally contradictory to natural law - the laws of biology, the laws of prosperity (generating money), or the laws of 'deliverance' (going through complicated procedures). In short, we must declare, like Yah'shua, that our lives are absolutely sustained and protected by the Word of Yahweh. The devil has to know that before he will stand down and withdraw. This is not a mere intellectual decision: it has to be part and parcel of our hearts, in the very deepest parts if of our being. This can only be once we know that heaven and earth will pass away, but never Yahweh's Word.
The moment we believe that our sustenance (like income) depends on our own strength, or the government or on material resources of any kind, we are surely under a curse. That was Adam's curse (Gen.3:19) but Messiah has now become that curse (Gal.3:12), and that curse is taken away the moment we stop trusting our own abilities (something often deeply ingrained in us by parents, schools, and the media) and start trusting in Yahweh's. So long as we rely on our own strength the devil will continually steal from us - as he so obviously has. We must affirm, therefore, that we do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh (Mt.4:1-4).
The enemy's next attack on Yah'shua shows us how we do that, by resisting the appeal of human pride (Mt.4:5-7). Here Satan says: "Use your power in Messiah to be admired, to get rich, to manipulate people, to act independently. After all, you are holy. In fact, you are wonderful! Messiah will keep you, the malakim or angels are at your service. What are you worried about?"
This is a common trap that the 'health and wealth' merchants fall into - they use Yah'shua to exalt themselves. We have to serve Yahweh through Yah'shua in humility, in love, in self-denial, even unto death. We have to overcome the accuser "by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of [our] testimony" and not shrink from death (Rev.12:11). What this does not mean, as I know our enemies would love to accuse us of in this current climate of misrepresentation and slander, is that we should all go off and become martyrs or commit suicide. What it means is that we do not withhold a single particle of our life-force from this our spiritual endeavour, even if we are threatened with murder.
Victory only comes with self-denial for the love of the Gospel. What does that 'testimony' consist of? It consists of faith - trusting - and praise to Yahweh instead of a testimony of complaints and selfishness. We shall be anointed only when we understand that the power to overcome does not lie within or even in our own self-sacrifice, but in the sacrifice of Yah'shua ... in His blood, as we discussed last week.
We obviously can't resist the devil until we are submitted to Yah'shua (Jas.4:7). The authority that will flow and move through us comes from the substance which is in Yah'shua and therefore Yahweh on the basis of fellowship. Being with Yah'shua is what should satisfy our soul, which will in turn nourish our bones and fill us with Shalom - peace, by making ourselves nothing (Phil.2:6-7). And the surest way to lose that fellowship is by surrounding ourselves with people who do not share the same faith because they don't speak our 'language'. What happens is that we may, instead, learn to make theirs our mother tongue again. We want to be with people who speak the spiritual language of the Ruach haQodesh. Just go into an environment where there is no one speaking the tongue of the Ruach, where instead you hear the language of the enemy, and it will begin to rub off on you - both its words, its moods and its spirits.
Yahweh is reliable (Jn.8:26): Yah'shua said so. Yah'shua is reliable - we know what He did for us. And Yah'shua's true servants are reliable. By yielding to the will of Yahweh instead of a self-centred life, we prevent the enemy from touching us. Yah'shua could have tended to the thousands of needs around Him but instead He focussed on what Yahweh told Him to do. That is a discipline we are only just learning as a people, I think, as we learn from the egocentric lifestyles of those whom Yahweh brings us into contact with for that purpose (Jn.8:28). When Yah'shua healed the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, He healed only one among the many sick (Jn.5:1-8). Why? Because Yahweh said so. He did not need an explanation, did He? And it is the same with wives and husbands, if that is what the Ruach directs a husband to do (or not to do) from time to time. What Yah'shua delayed seeing the dying Lazarus, it was in response to Yahweh's will, not reason or passion. That delay, and Lazarus' death had, as we know, a reason.
But how do we know Yahweh's will? The cheating way is to ask a pastor, prophet, father or spiritual friend to find out for us, and we all do it. And certainly that is better than not finding out at all. But we can neither learn nor be empowered that way. We have to go to Yahweh face-to-face for His Word. It requires disciplining the flesh (which was why Yah'shua fasted in the wilderness) and being irrevocably committed to submitting to His will even when we cannot understand it. Victory lies in listening, and whatever it takes in righteousness to acquire that skill.
To be willing to go this far means to be utterly fed up with Satan and his demons to the point that you declare total, unrestricted warfare on him. It requires spiritual violence - not against people but against the unseen powers of evil - and a war to the death. You are determined to overcome no matter what the cost - and that cost is invariably, if not inevitably, a radical change in lifestyle.
"Yah'shua said, 'From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force'" (Mt.11:12). Don't we know that! The enemy has been relentless against us these last few months in particular. Does this mean, though, that the kingdom of Satan is to be taken by tickling him with a feather? What is the testimony of the spiritual warfare and deliverance we have done so far? It means that we ourselves must be filled with spiritual violence and anger against the demonic whilst being filled with gentleness, love and compassion for the people they exploit. We must draw a line in the sand and declare: "If Satan or his demons cross this line, 'all heaven will break loose'!" It is a determination to conquer hell. It is a declaration that if Satan gets involved with us that we are going to trample him down with all the power and strength of the Ruach Elohim! We will send him to the Divine Tribunal for judgement on the slightest thing he does to us. We will beat him with the Word of Yahweh and with the Blood of the Lamb and with all the angels put at our disposal to make war on him. We will refuse to spend disturbed nights by his opposition. We will sleep deeply, praise Yahweh and entrust ourselves to Him. From this day on, Satan is the one who is going to be in trouble if he comes anywhere near us or our loved ones.
Since patience is a fruit of the Ruach, Satan does not obviously have much patience. When he sees us determined to do battle with him instead of believing his lies, it damages his kingdom and he will flee with impatience - quickly.
Our power to overcome Satan is robbed from us when we fail to worship Yahweh, which is why Satan tempted Yah'shua in this area. It was his third and last attempt (Mt.4:8-11). When we worship Yahweh we stop wanting to be important ourselves, we stop wanting to be seen and admired by people - we stop seeking to be recognised. Obtaining identity and self-worth from the recognition given by others leaves us vulnerable to demonic humiliation and repeated defeat at the hands of the devil. The glory of the world is like a flower that is here today and gone tomorrow.
What, then, was the foundation of Yah'shua's strength and victory? "Worship Yahweh your Elohim, and serve Him only" (Mt.4:10):
"I will extol Yahweh at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in Yahweh; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify Yahweh with me; let us exalt His name together.
"I sought Yahweh, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and Yahweh heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.
"Taste and see that Yahweh is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear Yahweh, you His set-apart ones, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek Yahweh lack no good thing.
"Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek shalom (peace) and pursue it.
"The eyes of Yahweh are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry; the face of Yahweh is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and Yahweh hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. Yahweh is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
"A righteous man may have many troubles, but Yahweh delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
"Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. Yahweh redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him" (Ps.34, NIV)
This Mishpachah takes refuge in Yahweh. If King David could, in such adverse circumstances - all his wives had been kidnapped and he had no food - so can we who are distressed in health, poor of means, and on occasion defeated in deliverance. Why not? What is to stop us if we believe correctly? All it requires is the ability to worship Yahweh knowing that our security is in Him in Yah'shua, that He is mighty, hears us, keeps us safe from our enemy, provides all our needs, is our refuge, and shelters us in time of tribulation.
We must therefore stop looking at circumstances and instead lift up our spirits into Yahweh's presence through praise - every day, at any time, all the time. We are to praise Yahweh's greatness no matter how large our problems. He is "close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but Yahweh delivers him from them ALL" (Ps.34:18-19, ISRV). Do you believe that?
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered ... When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long ... Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you" (Ps.32:1,3,6-9, NIV).
Lifting our hands in worship is the same as lifting swords in battle. We have the power to injure the enemy. "He trains my hands for battle" (Ps.18:34). We must stop falling like victims oppressed by circumstances, lift up a new song of praise, praising Yahweh from the innermost parts of our being and exalting Him for His greatness, power and strength.
Yah'shua returned from the three temptations in the Judaean wilderness "in the power of the Ruach" (Lk.4:13-14). Our anointing will come when we have done three things, then:
(1) When we are submitted to Yahweh;
(2) When we resist the devil; and
(3) When we make a categorical determination of the position we want Him to have in our lives.
We can never have authority over a demon in someone else's life unless we have defeated the devil in our own. And that is why we have been so weak as a covenant people in the past. We must make the decision to grasp hold of Yahweh's power by overcoming the devil. Banks and hospitals will not solve our problems. We must take up our allocated positions seated with Messiah in the heavenly places and not give away our place of authority to the enemy of our souls.
Now as you all well know, in order to do all of this, we must first of all deal with the reality that is around us and within us. Fantasising, rôle-playing, play-acting, daydreaming, pretending, suppressing, denying and lying about reality and such destroy all hope of what I have been talking to you about today and leaves the soul utterly powerless.
When you watch something with your natural eyes in the natural world, you are compelled to acknowledge it as reality. It is part of truth. When you watch a play or a movie you are compelled to believe it in order to interact with it - at least to some degree. But is it real? No, it is fantasy. Yet as you watch this fantasy, what happens? You make invisible connections with various carnal appetites if the movie is unspiritual. Such a movie becomes a fuel, often unconscious, to the lust for power, to pride, to vanity - to many things - which you may be totally unaware of until you start having disturbingly unspiritual dreams the following night. The images we see on TV are imprinted on our mind and stored. We remember all we see at one level or another. There we are programmed to think and respond. It is, in fact, gradual and systematic brainwashing and you become the thinking and feeling processes of the man who produced the movie. You become programmed to see the world as he does because what you see is not reality, even if it's a documentary, because it is selective in what it shows and prepares the receptivity of your psyche with the music that underlies the images. In watching movies our attention is occupied, our focus altered.
Reality has two components - what we see with our natural eyes in the natural world, and what is actually happening in the spiritual world which is invisible to the natural but not to the spiritual eyes. Everything else is fantasy - untruth. Our ability to imagine and fantasise is being used in the wrong way - we are supposed to use it to be creative in the real world, not create an alternative 'reality'.
Yahweh converts my being (Ps.23:3) - He adjusts perception to reality by marrying the natural 'me' to the spiritual 'me' - my soul - and then He marries that to Himself. "The earth belongs to Yahweh, and all that fills it" (Ps.24:1, ISRV). To live in right relationship with Him I must seek the foundation of reality, which is His Name, for He does all things "for His Name's sake" (Ps.23:3c).
"If you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your Elohim and do what is right in His eyes, and shall listen to His commands and shall guard all His laws, I shall bring on you none of the diseases I brought on the Mitsrites (Egyptians), for I am Yahweh who heals you" (Ex.15:26, ISRV).
"You do not bring the name of Yahweh your Elohim to naught, for Yahweh does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught" (Ex.20:7, ISRV).
"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand" (Ps.40:2, ISRV).
About thirty years ago Yahweh gave me a new name, Lev-Tsiyon -) /wyx-bl, which in the Hebrew means 'heart of Zion' But it is more than a personal name - it is the name for the whole of this family of Messianic Israelites called to labour in this part of His vineyard.
I want to finish my address to you today by sharing with you what Yahweh revealed to me about this name very early one morning on 23 October 2003 while I was studying my scriptures on a visit to England. I had opened my Bible up to Psalm 119 which I am sure many of you know is an acrostic devotion to the Word of Yahweh. For those of you don't know what an 'acrostic' is, it is a number of lines of writing, certain letters of which form a word, proverb, and so on. A 'single acrostic' is formed by the initial letters of the lines, a 'double acrostic' by the initial and final letters, and a 'triple acrostic' by the initial, middle and final letters. Not all Bible translations unfortunately show these divisions - the KJV, NIV and HRV do but surprisingly not the ISRV and RSTNE. So I invite you to open your Bibles with me now and follow me if your version has the divisions.
As you can see there are 22 stanzas each one corresponding to one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is a 'single acrostic'. Now you may be wondering why Psalm 119 is structured in this way. Well there are many reasons. Firstly, it is to remind us that every letter of Scripture is of divine origin, as Yah'shua Himself affirmed of the Torah (Mt.5:18). Secondly, it is important to note that in this the longest chapter in the Bible, almost every one of the 176 verses uses one of eight different Hebrew words that refers to Scripture. These are Torah (law), edah or eduth (testimonies), piqqudim (precepts), chuqqah or choe (statutes), mitzvah (commandments), and mishpat (judgements). This whole Psalm, which we don't have time to read today, which I encourage you to read afterwards, begins with a promise of blessing to those who study, believe and obey the Word of Yahweh.
If you take each of the 6 letters (/wyx-bl) of our name, Lev-Tsiyon, and read the stanzas corresponding to each letter in the name, you will notice a very interesting pattern and a special message to all of us. Let's take a look at each letter one by one:
First, l or lamed, which corresponds to vv.89-96. Here we are told that Yahweh's sovereign and unchanging Word governs and maintains all creation. That is therefore our first rule of thumb. Second, b or beth, which corresponds to vv.9-16, tells us that our young men are to be free of all moral taint and that to be this way they must hide the Word of Yahweh in their hearts. These two letters, bl or lev, spell the Hebrew word for heart. The Torah for us is therefore both in Yahweh's cosmic heart as well as in the individual heart.
The third letter which begins the second word for Zion (/wyx), is x or tzaddi, and corresponds to vv.137-144, contains the verses: "My zeal wears me out" (v.139), "I am lowly and despised" (v.141), "Trouble and distress have come upon me" (v.143), and "Give me understanding that I may live" (v.144). Zion is not built in idleness and it is rarely attained peacefully. The Promised Land had to be conquered just as ours must be which inevitably means fierce opposition and resultant exhaustion.
The fourth letter which is the second letter of the second word for Zion, is y or yod, the first letter in the Tetragrammaton (hwhy), and corresponds to vv.73-80 and contains the verse: "May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your Word" (v.74). As Messianic Israelites we must be living examples of the hope that Yahweh gives His people to inspire those weaker or younger in the faith.
The fifth letter which is the third letter of the second word for Zion, is w or waw, the third letter in the Tetragrammaton (hwhy), which corresponds to vv.41-48, contains the verse: "May Your unfailing love come to me, O Yah, Your salvation according to your promise" (v.41), and is the outpouring of His undeserved loving kindness, the love which is given to us through deliverance and salvation.
The sixth and final letter which is the fourth and last letter of the second word for Zion, is / or final nun, which corresponds to vv.105-112. This passage I know many of you will recognise:
"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous laws (mishpatim - judgements, right-rulings). I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Yahweh, according to Your Word. Accept, O Yahweh, the willing praise of My mouth, and teach me of Your laws (mishpatim). Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget Your Torah. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts (piqqudim). Your statutes are my heritage for ever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping Your decrees (chuqqim - statutes) to the very end" (Ps.119:105-112).
Yahweh illuminates our path, and though He does not show the way very far ahead, it is illuminated enough for us to walk in safety and assurance. Take a look at the other verses in the stanzas corresponding to our name and I think you will find much inspiration.
Many ask us what 'Zion' is. To begin with, it is not modern-day 'Zionism' and has nothing to do with the modern Republic of Israel. What is it then? No one knows the etymology for the word though some say it means a 'height' because it was the name of the original hill that Jebus stood on, which was renamed Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) when David captured it. Since those days 'Zion' is used interchangeably with Jerusalem which means 'foundation or possession of peace (shalom)'. In Aramaic (tzion), which is the older of the two languages, it means 'pure' which is probably the more accurate rendition. Therefore Lev-Tsiyon literally means 'heart of the foundation and possession of shalom which comes through purity'. And of course, purity comes only through Yah'shua our Messiah. The Jerusalem that concerns us, moreover, is the Jerusalem above, not the one in the Middle East, but the New Jerusalem, the City of Elohim. This city we have seen many times on the borders of the Garden or high above it and is the place and condition we aspire to. Lev-Tsiyon is the state of the heart in its purified and sanctified condition that is our goal, the City of Peace.
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, KJV).
Yah'shua spoke these words to His disciples shortly before He was to be separated from them, to warn them of the difficult times ahead. He promised them inward shalom in a world of much tribulation.
The psalm immediately before Psalm 119 is a great messianic psalm about Yah'shua. Unless we are first declared righteous though faith in Him, we would have difficulty in saying: "O how I love Your teaching (Torah)" (Ps.119:97). With this faith - this active trusting - we are able to proclaim: "O give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good! Because His kindness is everlasting ... It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to trust in man" (Ps.118:1,8, ISRV).
Brethren and sisters, this is a time like no other time in our history. Our enemies have sought to destroy us but have only succeeded in making us even more resolved and determined to follow Yahweh to the end of time and into eternity. Through our shakings we have become stronger still. For the last 20 years we have been laying a foundation on which Yahweh has been building, just like ancient Jerusalem itself. Jerusalem started as a little Canaanite village on Mount Zion called Jebus, and then went through many buildings and destructions. Man builds and Yahweh tears down and allows man to build again until the final structure bears His Name on every single stone and brick. Back in 1997 when we were homeless and in search of our first little colony, Yahweh showed me a vision of a bridge bounded on either side by brick walls and on every other brick was written 'Noah X' (Olive Branch 445). This was before we were fully Torah-compliant, which began two years later. 'X' is the Roman numeral for 10 and represents (on the one hand) the Ten Commandments, only 9 of which we were living then, because we were still bound up in the error of Sunday-worship. We adhered to many false traditions back then still, so that every alternate brick was not of Yahweh but of man. We have come a long way since then. Nevertheless, the old vessel, as I announced last September, was at an end. And though we announced it, only Yahweh can demolish it spiritually and rebuild it the way He wants. For such things are not by the will of man but by the will of Elohim.
So here we stand at the conclusion of the Second Wave awaiting the Third. Apart from the clues that He has given us along the way, we can only guess what is going to happen. This is not going to be something completely new because it will build on the original foundation, but it will definitely have a different direction. We know many of the elements of which it consists. We know that it is built firmly on the revelation of the Menorah and the Order that obtains in Heaven, so different from the churches with their Babylonian-based systems. Almost nothing has been left untainted by the harlot because almost every church in the West is a Reformed break-off of the Roman Church. And as for Messianics, they are mostly reformed Talmudists with Messiah added on. Yes, many Messianics - especially Two-House Messianics - speak boldly of Restoration and yet they continue to add on the dead wood of Rabbinical Judaism. This work is not about 'Christians' and 'Messianic Jews' who are supposedly the 'two houses' that must be joined together. It's about something that both have missed which is both and yet neither. Judah in his blindness and arrogance thinks it is about adding Ephraim to himself, a bit like the 'reunification' of Germany which in reality was an annexation of East Germany by West. But One House Israel is of a totally different order to either the pretender or the pretended.
The great rallying cry of the Two-House Messianics is Ezekiel 37 in which the prophet is told to take two sticks and carve the words "Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him" and "Belonging Ephraim and the Israelites associated with him" (vv.15-16) on them, and then join them together as one. They have understood correctly about the eventual return of both Houses to the Holy Land that this prophecy foretells. But they are in error on two counts.
Firstly, they believe that the Republic of Israel is Israel and so believe this return of the two Houses will occur before Yah'shua returns and are already encouraging people to emigrate where possible. We teach, on the other hand, that the return will not be until Yah'shua returns and inaugurates the Millennium.
Secondly, they believe that everything is more or less restored and that spiritually they are ready. We teach that they are still prisoners of the false spirits of Judaism and that their attempts at fulfilling this will result in the same failure that met the children of Israel when they tried to storm Canaan at Kadesh-barnea. They cannot accomplish this in the spirit of Judaism. The Order of Tsiyon is completely different. We are modelled not on a Mosaic Covenant that has been renewed, or on Judaic culture, but on the totally New Covenant of Messiah. The foundation of Torah in Messiah is of the New but it is not the building. The building is founded upon the New Jerusalem. The Two-House Messianics and Messianic Jews shout only Torah! Torah! Torah! and present to believers in Yah'shua this naked, sun-blasted and blood-drenched rock carved out of Sinai which they are confusing with the Messiah. Was the rock with Israel in her journey out of Egypt? Most certainly! But it was not the rock of the Old Covenant hewn out of the mountainside which corresponds to Hagar and slavery (Gal.4:24-25) - the rock we are built on "accompanied [the Israelites]" - it went with them wherever they did! - and that rock was spiritual and "that rock was Messiah" (1 Cor.10:4).
The joining of Judah and Ephraim in the Holy Land will occur when the Messiah returns - it is not for now. What we are about to witness is the New Covenant Order of One-House or Echad Messianic Israel accomplished in the spiritual. The 'Renewed' Covenant Order of Two-House Messianic Israel is a dead-end - it's simply Messianic Judaism in disguise and belongs to the "Jerusalem below" (Gal.4:25). It's the spirit of Hagar not the spirit of Sarah. It's is the house of bondage dressed up in fancy Rabbinical culture.
"But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written:
'Be glad, O barren woman,
break forth and cry aloud,
you who have no labour pains;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband'"
(Gal.4:26-27, NIV - cp. Is.54:1)
Get ready for the New Echad Order! And may those who are of her have a happy and safe landing on the other side of the Third Wave. Amen.
Click here for Part 2
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 18 March 2007
Last updated on 18 March 2007
Copyright ©2006 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved