In-depth Study
Starters
Popular Topics
General
|
Sermons Series 3:60, 14 October 2006
Sukkot 2006
Shemini Atseret and the Zoë Life
Main Themes:
Minor Themes:
Shabbat Shalom and welcome back to this the last and eighth day of Sukkot known as Shemini Atseret or a 'holding back' or 'tarrying gathering'. Throughout the week we have been inviting each of the Ruach haQodesh's to come and tarry with us and today we have re-invited the Shegal haShabbat to do the same. Today all seven Ruachs are gathered in this additional last and triumphal day of the Feast of Tabernacles which is the Wedding Day of the Lamb. This is the day on which the relationship between the allegorical Bridegroom Yah'shua and the allegorical Bride, the Firstborn and First Resurrection Messianic Community, is consummated in an event which parallels the original creation. It is indeed the creation of something entirely new.
Today I want to introduce you to a new metaphorical person whose name in the Greek is Zoë. Some of you may know that this is a girl's name which literally translates as 'life'. When the Alexandrian Jews translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, they rendered the Hebrew word chavah, which we have changed into the name 'Eve', as Zoë. But it didn't become a popular name in our own language until 1855 when the daughter of the British consul general at Aleppo named Zoë Skene, married the future Anglican archbishop Thomson. This word chavah or havah is, not surprisingly, related to another Hebrew word, chayim which means life. Thus we read in the Gospel of John:
"For Yahweh so loved the olam hazeh (world) that He gave only brought forth (begotten) Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting chayim (Eng. Life, Gk. zoë)" (Jn.3:16, RSTNE).
This is probably the most famous verse in the New Testament because it summarises completely the Christian Gospel that we love and preach. It is the most commonly used verse in the Bible for bringing lost souls to salvation in connection with repentance and asking Yah'shua to come into your heart, the time that the Ruach haRishon enters and rebirths us as we thereafter prepare to leave metaphorical Egypt at Pesach or Passover and make our long journey eastwards to the promised land of Sukkot. Every year we go through this cycle, enacting the drama of salvation and deliverance - from trusting in Yah'shua like a small child and letting the Ruach haRishon pass us on to the Ruach haShanee and all the way through the anointings of the Seven Mothers.
Almost all evangelical Christians that have not succumbed to liberalism are preaching this verse and bringing lost souls to the Messiah and to the new birth. And a wonderful work it is that they do! Millions have been saved this way, and millions who have clung on to this will go, and have gone, to heaven already. However, evangelicals have fundamentally not understood what Yah'shua meant when He here spoke of 'everlasting life' or more accurately 'aeon-long' or 'age-long life'. This word zoë (Strongs 2222) doesn't just mean life but 'the abundant life' or 'the highest plateau of life'. There is no greater life to be found. It is the fullness of life and corresponds to the Hebrew word chai (Strongs 2416) meaning exactly the same. It is the highest form of life in existence in the whole of creation because it is the very life of Yahweh-Elohim Himself as Yah'shua said:
"I am come that they might have chayim (the highest form of life there is, zoë), and that they might have it more abundantly" (Jn.10:10, RSTNE).
The zoë or chayim life is the high calling of Yahweh-Elohim. It is the fullness of spiritual maturity. Notice how similar chayim (life) is to mayim (water). To the Samaritan woman at the well, Yah'shua said:
"If you knew the gift of Elohim, and who it is that said to you, Give Me a drink; you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living mayim (water). The woman said to Him, Master, You have no bucket, and the well is deep: from where then do You have this living mayim (water)? Are you greater than our abba (father) Yaakov (Jacob), who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his children, and his cattle? Yah'shua answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this [physical] mayim (water) shall thirst again. But whoever drinks of the [spiritual] mayim (water) that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the mayim (waters) that I shall give him shall be in him a well of mayim (water) springing up into everlasting chayim (life, zoë)" (Jn.4:10, RSTNE).
And all you have to do to receive it is to believe, repent, surrender and drink as much of it as you can.
You all know the story of the rich young ruler who asked for eternal chayim or life (Mt.19:16). This man was asking for this zoë, these living mayim or waters. He did not ask Yah'shua how to be saved. He was already living Torah and actually doing it pretty well. You will remember that Yah'shua interrogated him about his life:
"Now a man came up to Yah'shua and asked, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life (chayim)?' 'Why do you ask me about what is good? Yah'shua replied. 'There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life (chayim), obey the commandments.' 'Which ones?' the man inquired. Yah'shua replied, ''Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbour as yourself.'" 'All these I have kept,' the young man said. 'What do I still lack?'" (Mt.19:16-20, NIV).
Now here was a Torah-obedient man. He was already 'saved' under the Old Covenant! He believed in Yahweh and was a member of the commonwealth of Israel. 'What do I lack?' He asked the Master. So what did He lack?
"Yah'shua answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me'" (Mt.19:21-21, NIV).
First, said He, get rid of your idolatries - and in the rich man's case, his fondness for money and wealth. And then, when there are no more spiritual obstacles, 'come, follow Me'.
'If you want to be perfect ....' Now most people don't want to be perfect. Most people don't believe they can be perfect so they don't think it's even worthy trying. So they reject everything which they think is what is needed to make them perfect, and usually that is the commandments. They're called Antinomians - anti-Law or anti-Torah 'Christians'. They don't even get the first part of the road to perfection, which is to obey the Ten Commandments. Please notice that Yah'shua doesn't call this man to follow Him until He has: (1) Obeyed the commandments (which the rich young man did with flying colours); and (2) Get rid of all idols (in this case, his love of money). Only then does He say: "Come, follow Me".
'If you want to be perfect' - does that mean perfection is optional? Well, we always have free choice, but it's pretty clear that Yah'shua wouldn't suggest the path to perfection if it wasn't something good, desirable and in Yahweh's will, because He only ever said what His Father in Heaven told Him to say, didn't He? (Jn.14:31) And if you're in any doubt as to what Yahweh's will is, read what Yah'shua said on another occasion when He told people to love their enemies:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt.5:43-48, NIV).
Perfection is Yahweh's will, and perfection includes doing what no man can do, such as loving your enemy and praying for those who persecute you. So how can a man do this? By acquiring zoë or everlasting chayim - life everlasting. And how can you obtain that? You believe in Yah'shua. You repent of your sins. You obey the Torah. You destroy all the obstacles in your way to obtaining this everlasting life - these waters which spring up into everlasting life from that well which He places in the human soul when you truly believe - and you simply follow Him, every day of your life, one day at a time. To be perfect means to walk the cycle of the seven festivals and obtain the endowment of the seven Ruachs, one at a time. To be perfect means to have this abundant life flowing out of every pore of your being. And what does this word 'perfect' actually mean? What is a 'perfect' man or woman? A superman? A super-saint? No, the word which we translate from the Greek is telios (Strongs 5046) which means 'complete' or 'spiritually mature'. Yes, He wants you to be spiritually mature or fully human! And do you know what the Hebraic original of this passage says?
"If you will be whole-hearted, go sell all that you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have great store in heaven, and take up your gallows (cross) and follow Me" (Mt.19:21, HRV).
To be perfect in Yahweh's eyes means to be a complete human being, spiritually mature, and whole-hearted! In short have a single-minded, undivided soul, not going in muiltiple directions, not being dragged my multiple and conflicting loyalties, not tossed to and fro by contradictory and mutually exclusive doctrines and philosophies of life. How does one do this? One removes the obstacles that prevent us from acquiring that well of living mayim or water. What obstacles are there that prevent this? Well, I have mentioned idols, and idolatry is anything which we value more highly than Elohim Himself, including those things which are lawful but not necessarily expedient or in Yahweh's will for the current time. And when we do that, we believe the lie that we can get real life from our idol, life which is better than life from Yahweh. That's a lie, and when you believe a lie, you give a demon legal rights of access and residence in your heart to oppose you, afflict you, sow confusion and doubt, and generally make life unsatisfactory. Demons more than anything else block access to the living waters so that you cannot draw from the well of true living in Messiah. And when we have demons, we become dehumanised. Our nature combines with theirs so that we think and feel as they do, we are pushed in unnatural ways and in unnatural directions. Our priority must be to remove them so that we can become human again - then we can follow Yah'shua the more diligently and come to spiritual maturity. Then the prophecy will be fulfilled given through the prophet Isaiah:
"'Surely Elohim is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. Yahweh, Yahweh, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.' With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isa.12:2-3, NIV).
Every victory again sin and the enemy, every festival that touches us, makes us that little bit more human, that little bit maturer, that little bit more perfect.
Today at Shemini Atseret, at the conclusion of Sukkot, we have seven streams of living water with us if we will just open our hearts to them. All seven Ruachs are present in a great outpouring of divine grace that happens only on this single day each year. We can drink them, bathe in them no matter where we are in our spiritual journey; and equally importantly, we can share them by sharing the love that the Ruachs pour into us as living mayim or waters. For whatever we are given by Yahweh we are obliged to share as part of our thingsgiving to Him.
The rich young man did not walk away from salvation but from spiritual maturity and perfection. Now the disciples misunderstood what was going on here and thought that Yah'shua was talking about salvation. Let's take a look at their reaction which you'll find is very common when Torah-observant believers tell evangelicals and others that they need to go further into the meat- of solid food-gospel (1 Cor.3:2):
"When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Yah'shua looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with Elohim all things are possible.' Peter answered him, 'We have left everything to follow You! What then will there be for us?'" (Mt.19:25-27, NIV).
Now does anyone remember what Yah'shua's response was? Did He, for instance, say: 'Don't worry, Peter, you'll be saved!' No He didn't. Let's see what He did say:
"Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt.19:28, NKJV).
Two things here to note. Firstly, the 'regeneration' translated the Greek work paliggenesia which means both spiritual rebirth inside and the restoration of the Messianic Age to come outside, in other words, the Millennium. So during the Millennium, when Yah'shua sits on the throne of glory, the disciples will sit on twelve thrones as elohim or judges of Israel. These are again the rulers (what most English Bibles call 'gods'), these are the righteous, consecrated princes and kings who have a shem or good name (Is.4:1), the judges of Israel, the Royal Melchizedek Priesthood (1 Pet.2:6; Heb.5:6), the children of the First Resurrection (Rev.20:5-6). These are they who, not content with salvation, have pressed on to perfection, are seeking to a full overcoming (Rev.2:7,11,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7), and want to be pure and holy and spotless (Dan.10:35; 12:10; 2 Pet.3:14). These are the ones pressing on beyond Shavu'ot or any of the other stages in the journey to perfection and a full sanctification, who will not rest until they have entered the Sabbath rest of Sukkot (Heb.4:11), obtained the anointing, and entered into the fullness. These are the valiant ones of Messiah who will not be content with anything except all that Yahweh wants to offer.
Those, then, who obtain this zoë or chayim or eternal life are not only 'saved' but are they who have the highest rewards in heaven as elohim. The rich young man refused the calling, as so many Christians do, and left heavy-hearted. His stumbling block was the cares of the world which had priority over the Kingdom of Heaven in his life. He chose the wide road whereas the children of the First Resurrection choose the narrow one (Mt.7:13-14; Lk.13:24).
So you see, there aren't just two choices for the unbeliever - heaven or hell - but two additional choices for the believer too - the cares of this world or the desire to seek the higher calling of Yahweh-Elohim, which is the full will of Yahweh and the abundant life which He promises to those who will seek it. Those Christians who choose this better way - this higher road, this perfect will of Yahweh for their lives - will grow step by step into spiritual maturity, and become the Messianic Bride. Most Christians do not, sadly, choose this road. Most Christians do not become the Messianic Bride, but metaphorical concubines of a lesser order of salvation, who must pass through the fires of refinement during the Millennium and be raised at the Second Resurrection. As Yah'shua said: "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Mt.7:14, NIV). To be exact, 144,000 patriarchs and their wives (Rev.7:14; 14:1,3). The rest - the Great Multitude that no one could number, belong to the Second Resurrection (Rev.7:9; 19:1,6) .
If the children of the second resurrection are not steered by zoë or chayim, what are they steered by? Well this brings us to another metaphorical woman whose name in the Greek you also know, namely Psuche, or as we render it in English, Psyche. Additionally, Psyche is a Greek goddess who was in mythology the wife of Eros and almost as beautiful as Aphrodite. As a demoness she is one of the seven dark mothers who counterfeit the Ruach haQodesh and represents the carnal, sensual and devilish life force which is of Satan's nature that our first parents, Adam and Eve, absorbed that resulted in the fallen nephesh nature that we inherit biologically - a life force that had corrupted our own natural psychic life.
Christians have a choice to live a zoë-life or a psychic life. And what do we mean by psuche or psyche? We mean the self-willed life, the carnal life, the worldly life, the soulish life, the fleshy life - a life that is a compromise with the Kingdom of Darkness. Sadly, most of these people have allowed themselves to be deluded by false preachers and demons into believing they are living the zoë life and they confidently go around telling everyone that they will be resurrected when Yah'shua returns and live with Him for a thousand years on earth (or in heaven if they believe that), that they will be great kings and queens, that they will have a glory like the sun in brightness. In short, they believe that they are the "King's Kids" and that their Heavenly Father is a sugar-daddy who is going to indulge them and spoil them silly, no matter how lawless or antinomian they are and have been. These are the impoverished kids of the 'Once Saved, Always Saved' gang who think that simply by confessing the Name of Jesus that they've made it. With scriptures I hand we need to boldly tell them that that's a lie and that if they don't repent they will suffer a thousand years of burning to purify them of their arrogance and pride.. They'll hate us for it and accuse us of all kinds of things. They'll call us names like 'heretic', 'apostate', 'cultist', 'legalist' - you name it, they'll find it, so that they don't have to face the truth of their awful state. And we have to do it not just for them but for the sake of unbelievers whom they mislead with their cheap grace and cheap salvation. We have a duty to tell the truth at all times in a loving but firm and uncompromising way.
Does scripture talk about these psychic Christians? Very definitely. They are called 'babes' in Messiah (1 Cor.3:1-3) - babes who refuse to grow up and mature, babes who want to be bottle fed on the milky Gospel of Rishon who don't want the meat of Revee, Chamashee and Sheshi, who want to be bound in swaddling clothes, just shouting 'Jesus!' and babbling in baby talk, and wheeled around in spiritual prams. Now there's nothing wrong in being a baby. Believe it or not, we all start as spiritual babes, but we are expected to grow up and mature. We can't just sit still and refuse to grow without serious spiritual repercussions.
Now I don't know if you have ever met an indulged or spoiled child. They can become quite obnoxious. Imagine an adult going around in a nappy or diaper guzzling a giant bottle of milk which never seems to satisfy his thirst or assuage his rumbling stomach, his bloated body spilling over a pram which it is too large for, and bellowing or screaching like a child having a tantrum but with an adult voice. These are the spiritual brats who want more, more, more, more, and something new and different all the time when they get bored with their old psychic toys. Not content with the babble of tongues, they go for turbo-tongues. Not content with the psychic high that this gives, they go for the gold-dust miracles of Pensecola or lust after the satanic counterfeits offered by Benny Hinn and the like, as they are bowled over onto the floor by giant psychic waves administered by demons, and bay like wolves or laugh uncontrollably as they writhe on the floor under the control of dark spirits. These are the fruits of the milk gospel turned bad, because milk, as you know, doesn't keep long. And once the Ruach haRishon, Shanee and Shleshi refuse to breast-feed believers any more, because they are ready to be weaned, they are forced to make a choice: to eat meat or find corrupted and nutrition-starved bottled milk readily supplied by the demonic. They run off to the charismatic churches seeking for the next psychic 'high' or experiment, as foolish King Solomon did, with the occult by dabbling in Yoga, the New Age, 'self-realisation', the 'christ within' - indeed anything that might give them something 'new'.
The Christian life which is dominated by the psyche is called nephesh in Hebrew or the 'soulish life' that is flesh-centred. What a contrast with the zoë or chayim life which is yielded and surrendered to please only Yahweh and not the self. It fulfils the greatest commandment found in the Shema:
"Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim, Yahweh is Echad (one). Love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut.6:4-5, NIV).
The children of the First Resurrection - or perhaps I should call them the spiritual adults of the First Resurrection - love with all. And because they love with all, Yahweh gives them all - everything He has. They receive the sevenfold Ruach haQodesh - all seven Heavenly Mothers, just as we have done so this Sukkot one day at a time, which symbolically represents the seven annual festivals, the seven days in the week, and the seven millennia of earth's history.
And what a contrast there is between the zoë Christians and the carnal ones! The zoë believers have this abundant, everlasting, Ruach-led life which is yielded to each of the seven indwelling Ruach haQodesh's so that each festival becomes a time of deep personal communion with Yahweh and an opportunity for renewed spiritual growth. They love the Torah and commandments with all their heart as King David did (Ps.119:97,113,163,165) and just cannot stop living it - the commandments are sheer joy to them, not something to be resented or avoided.
What is the evidence of this Ruach-filled life? Fruitfulness! They bring forth abundant spiritual fruits, the characteristics of the seven Ruachs - these I have discussed with you many times (Mt.7:16,20). They're alive and flourishing in deep communion with Yahweh. Husbands and wives never get bored with one another or have humdrum lives but have deeply satisfying relationships which never plateau but just get deeper and deeper every year - relationships fully and squarely centred in Yahweh and with a passionate desire to serve Him and consecrate their lives to Him. In short, these zoë men show all the characteristics of a fully submitted Bride, being obedient in all things, joyfully calling Him 'Master' and meaning it with their hearts. And their wives are the same, treating their husbands in the same way, joyfully calling them 'master' too and behaving accordingly (1 Pet.3:6) - not by force or by compulsion, not because they are expected to do so or because it is demanded of them upon pain of punishment, but because they want to and love to, because the Ruach has witnessed to them and they love to do it, because it is good and liberating for their souls. And why shouldn't they? They see their husbands totally and worshipfully surrendered to Yahweh and want to imitate them, because they see and desire the luscious fruits that such brings. These are some of the signs, then, of zoë men and women.
What of the psuche or nephesh Christians? Well, they're not much unlike the unsaved. They have the same interests, musical and clothing tastes, entertainment likes, and so forth. They may give Yahweh one Sunday a week, perhaps a prayer evening, but otherwise they are committed to lives of sensual pleasure. They blend effortlessly in with the world, the world mostly likes and accepts them because they resemble each other, and does little to bother them. Their lives are soulish and are controlled and dominated by their own human, fleshy, unredeemed and demonised impulses. And they put these desires above the will of Yahweh in most if not all cases. Their religion consists of 'making a show' or attending church as they would a disco to get a psychic 'high'. They pursue all the latest fads and mix in the philosophies of men with the doctrines of Yahweh in an act of blatant religious syncretism. They invariably hate Torah and large parts of the Bible and try to 'interpret' what they don't like away. They're not interested in the truth and are out only to defend their preconceived doctrine which justifies their carnal lifestyles. They will malign and badmouth anyone who challenges their hypocrisy, just as the Pharisees (modern Rabbinical Jews), Saduccees (modern Karaites) and Torah-teachers (those who teach one is saved by obedience to Torah rather than faith in Yah'shua which leads to true heart-obedience to Torah) did in Yah'shua's day.
Yah'shua was quite specific about such believers and He did not mince His words. He is quite clear in saying that those who live after the precepts of the world will not grow to spiritual maturity or live the abundant zoë life. This is what He said:
"He who loves his life (psuche) will lose it, and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world will keep it for eternal life (zoë)" (John 12:25, NKJV).
Please notice that almost no English version makes any kind of distinction between the words psuche or psyche and zoë. Yah'shua is not telling us to hate ourselves when He says "he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" because he is telling us to hate the psuche life and exchange it for zoë life. He's saying that if you love soulish or psychic love you'll never get zoë or everlasting spiritual life. It isn't possible! The two can't coexist! So what do you suppose it was that Yah'shua 'laid down' when the Scripture said He laid down His life? Yes, you've guessed it, it was His psychic life force, the power that kept tempting Him which He had to overcome (Rev.3:21; Heb.2:18) - the life that stems from the Adamic nature which we inherit from our parents in our physical flesh - the disposition to be selfish and worldly-minded. It is not the physical body itself, which is the Holy Temple of the Ruach haQodesh (1 Cor.3:16; 6:19), but the nature inherent in it. It has to be purged. As Yah'shua laid down his psuche or nephesh to do the will of Yahweh, so must we (Jn.10:17). As Yah'shua laid down His life for us on the cross, so are we to lay down our own psychic desires and consecrate ourselves as servants of the Kingdom (Phil.2:25,29-30; 1 Jn.3:14,16). As Yah'shua took no thought for His psyche, so we are to take no thought for ours (Mt.6:25). And as Yah'shua overcame the Adamic nature through a guiltless life of Torah obedience (Phil.2:8), and offered Himself on the cross as an atonement for our sins as the Eternal Elohim, so must we overcome Satan by not loving our psyche life and instead drawing from the wellsprings of eternal zoë life that comes only from Yah'shua (Rev.12:11).
Yah'shua came so that those who are saved through the Elohim of Pesach and the Ruach haRishon will live according to the zoë life of Yahweh and not the fallen psychic life. See what the Scriptural record tells us:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have [zoë] life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10, NIV).
"I am the way and the truth and the [zoë] life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him" (John 14:6-7, NIV).
"And this is the testimony: Elohim has given us eternal [zoë] life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has [zoë] life; he who does not have the Son of Elohim does not have [zoë] life " (1 John 5:11-12, NIV).
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to [zoë] life, and only a few find it" (Mt.7:13-14, NIV)
"In him was [zoë] life, and that [zoë] life was the light of men" (John 1:4, NIV)
We acknowledge therefore that the only life that matters, the only life that counts in Yahweh's eyes, is the zoë life of the Ruach haQodesh, which life is here in abundance this Shemini Atseret, because there is a full anointing of the sevenfold Mothers. It is as though all seven festivals have come together in one for a great bridal celebration!
We have seen how the life and the heavenly waters are the same, and now we will see that the heavenly light and fire is the same too! "In him was [zoë] life, and that [zoë] life was the light of men" (John 1:4, NIV). This zoë life illuminates us and exposes all darkness. What, then, is the illumination state of those believers not walking in zoë light but in psychic light? Let's see what the Master says:
"When Yah'shua spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of [zoë] life" (John 8:12, NIV).
And again He says:
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness" (John 12:45-46, NIV).
Let us then be perfectly clear: those Christians and Messianics who do not walk in zoë light but in psychic light, are walking in counterfeit light - they are walking in darkness. Please note that Yah'shua is not here talking about salvation: He is talking about those who already believe in Him. He is saying that those who walk in zoë light are living a certain lifestyle. They believe in Him passively but don't follow Him actively. They believe from a distance but don't walk with Him intimately. When the Scriptures talk about walking in darkness they are talking about those who believe but who do not obey. Their spiritual feet are buried in the ground. You may be saved at stage #1 and have received the Ruach haRishon but if you continue to walk in the ways of the flesh and imitate the world, then you are not 'alive' in the spiritual sense - you are little more than a nominal believer, one who 'names the Name' but doesn't 'walk the Walk'. Walking in darkness means walking in spiritual ignorance of the ways of Yahweh. The result is that you are blinded in your understanding of the deeper truths in Yahweh's Word:
"And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:5, NKJV).
How, for instance, can Christians be so blind to Torah-truth when the Bible, when read honestly, is so plain? It is because they walk in the psyche, a world of self- and demon-generated fantasy and illusion, the happy hunting ground of dark spirits, which can make lies sound so reasonable and logical. Why is there such passionate rage against those who witness of these things? And what is the implication of such anger?
"But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded (Gk. tuphloo) him" (1 John 2:11, NIV).
Isn't it curious that here the darkness 'blinds'? The reason for this is that psychic light does blind - it is a light and yet it is darkness. It's 'dark light', light that confuses and misleads. And that counterfeit light can shine so brightly as to literally blind. The darkness here is false light which looks like the real thing but isn't. Satan uses this psychic light to masquerade as Yahweh or one of His angels (2 Cor.11:14). Did you know that Yahweh has no psychic life in Himself at all?
"Elohim is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5, NIV).
It's all zoë light. There is no psyche in the Godhead. None at all!
"If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth" (1 John 1:6, NIV).
The millions of believers who walk in the flesh and counterfeit light, which is spiritual darkness, who say they know Yahweh and have fellowship with Him, are liars and don't live by the truth. They are deceived. They are demonised, following the doctrines of demons which prohibit meat and marriage - the meaty Gospel and intimate echad union (1 Tim.4:1-3). They need help! They need bold witness! And if they refuse to hear, then you have done your duty and they must live by their choices and accept the lower path they have chosen, the refining fire of the millennium, and the second resurrection. And they must live with His righteous judgment and become a servant class in the eternities. What if they never had the opportunity to hear the whole truth? If they are genuinely ignorant, then Yahweh will judge their hearts - knowing them instimately as He does - on the basis of what He knows that will have chosen had they been given the opportunity.
Those who walk in the zoë light and life do good works for Yahweh. These good works don't save us because we are saved by grace - Yahweh's undeserved loving kindness when we accept His free gift of atonement for our sins (Eph.2:8-9). However, after we are saved in the House of Rishon, what are we required to do? He commands us to walk in the zoë light, just as Israel followed the cloud and pillar of fire in the wilderness (Ex.13:21-22,24; Num.14:14; Neh.9:12,19), by choosing it and responding to it as evidence that we are saved. Not that we have to prove anything to Him or to others, because He knows all things. If we have surrendered to Him, then we are His servants to do His bidding as loyal subjects of the King and His Kingdom of Messianic Israel. Our good works are our service to Him:
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of Elohim - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are Elohim's workmanship, created in Messiah Yah'shua to do good works, which Elohim prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph 2:8-10, NIV).
We were given missions to do before we were born. He has called every one of us do good works, our appointed tasks and callings. Every man has a calling and every woman is called to support her husband in that calling as his helpmeet and assistant (Gen.2:18,20), working as a team, in divine service as one echad unit, sharing the same blessings and rewards. Just as anyone who receives a prophet gets a prophet's reward (Mt.10:41), so a wife receives her husband's reward. Such are the mutual blessings of ruling and being ruled. It's all shared, it's all one.
Just as Yah'shua did the good works commanded by His Father (Jn.10:32; Ac.10:38), so must we who were created before the foundation of the world to do good works (Eph.2:10), do them, out of love and gratitude for our salvation. By walking in the light of zoë life, the world will be able to see our good works and give glory to Yahweh-Elohim (Mt.5:16), which is the purpose for which we were made. By imitating the good works of our Messiah Yah'shua (Jn.14:12; 1 Tim.6:17-18; 2 Tim.3:17; Tit.1:16; 2:14; 1 Pet.2:12) we fulfil the reason for which we were made, come to echad union with the Heavenly Bridegroom, and partake of the Grand Consummation which is the fullness of heavenly love in us and manifesting through us for the blessing of all around us. This we celebrate, remember and desire on this Day of Shemini Atseret. This is what we want. This is why we have gathered together in this Mishpachah. We desire that the glory of Elohim should be manifest through us to give hope to a dying world and light a torch for those who desire to escape out of it and be set free. It is therefore our prayer to our Heavenly Father that He grant us these things, especially today, as we request a fuller endowment, for we know of no greater service and pleasure than to serve Him. Amen.
Acknowledgements
Eddie Chumney, Who is the Bride of Christ? (Serenity Books, Hagerstown, MD: 2001)
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
|
This page was first created on 19 March 2007
Last updated on 19 March 2007
Copyright ©2006 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
|
|