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Sermons Series 3:57, 30 September 2006
The Third Wave
Part 11: Shabbat Shuvah & the Rahab Choice
Main Themes:
Minor Themes:
Click here for Part 10
Brethren and sisters, I welcome you to this last Sabbath before Yom Kippur which by tradition is known as the 'Sabbath of Return' or Shabbat Shuvah. This is, very literally, the 'last stop' before the Judgement of Yahweh which we must face in two days' time. And what a shaking in Israel there has been this year! I have never seen anything like it. Every hiding place has been exposed, every rock turned over, and people have been forced to make stark choices: to follow Yahweh or their own demonically-led unredeemed passions. And though there are plenty of unbelievers who would like to say that this is all a hoax, a grand illusion or a tool of manipulation, yet the facts remain, and those who are in the middle of this - allies and enemies alike - know it. Two more of the enemy, on the other side of the world, lie in hospital who were perfectly well when the satanist attacks started this last spring - one is being eaten away by cancer and the other has been suffering one stroke after the other. Their doctors are baffled. Right now the word given by Yahweh through a 12 year-old girl called Mary is being fulfilled, and will continue to be fulfilled:
"'Your enemies will perish and those who love you will be like the sun when it rises in its strength', says Yahweh-Elohim".
Today my task is to prepare you for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and Day of Judgement at which time Yahweh judges our conduct for the past year. This is not something that we ourselves do or influence any way but is a one-to-one thing between each man or woman and his or her Elohim. It is also the time that husbands judge their wives, just as the Heavenly Bridegroom judges His allegorical Wife, the Messianic Community. It's not something you can escape, cheat your way though or hide from: whether you like it or not, this is one of Yahweh's obligatory moedim or 'appointments' and you can't choose to spiritually 'absent' yourself from it or offer excuses and ask for a postponement. Even if you attend no assembly of Israel, you'll be judged by Him. At the end of it, the Third Wave will deposit you on new spiritual land if you have made the right choices, or return you to where you were before since last Yom Kippur if you have not. And whoever you are, or wherever you are deposited by the hand of Yahweh, realise this: that there is a full and proper separation between the two places - they might as well be on opposite sides of the planet. Even at this late hour there is still the opportunity to choose right - not the main choice to follow Yahweh or not (because that was decided before the Third Wave even began) but all the other choices that follow from choosing Him, the choices of obedience which ensure your safe return. For recall that many of the Judahite captives of Babylon chose Yahweh but not all returned to Israel and decided to remain as Persians.
I am sure most of you will agree that the choices you have had to make during the Third Wave so far have not been light. I am sure most of you will agree that in order to be able too see the choices that had to be made, Yahweh had to stir up deep things and make you see the truth and reality as it really is. There have been those who thought themselves to be faithful servants of Yahweh who discovered, to their horror, that they were spiritual harlots and were only outwardly wearing the clothes of righteousness. There have been those who thought themselves ever so righteous and wearing the attire of royalty who discovered, to their horror, that they were only wearing filthy rags. There have been those who thought themselves as friends and benefactors who discovered, to their horror, that they were actually working against the Kingdom of Yahweh and not for it. Then there have been those who have been pleasantly surprised, who thought they were the scum of the earth, unworthy, faithless and rebellious, who turned out - to their delight - to have been walking in grace and faith, and who were pleasing to Yahweh. Truly it is written that there are those who think themselves to be first, who are last; and those who think of themselves as last, who are first (Mt.20:16). Human judgement is flawed, which is why we have this annual cycle of moedim or divine appointments so that Yahweh Himself can show His followers the difference between reality and fantasy, faithfulness and rebellion.
Today I want to talk to you about a very worldly lady who thought she had it 'made' in a very worldly profession, who thought of herself as highly secure in a strong fortress which no one could destroy, who lived in very wealthy circumstances in a city of great renown like modern-day New York, London, Berlin, Paris, Moscow or Tokyo. She had everything that worldly security could offer. Her name, in Hebrew, means 'pride' or 'arrogance' and comes from a pagan deity closely associated with Leviathan known as the 'female monster of chaos'. This monster was compared to the unruly waters of the sea and over the course of time came to be viewed by the Israelites as a poetic synonym for the land of Egypt, and her dragon-associate as a figure of Pharaoh. Here we have a woman and a demon-deity sharing the same name - a woman who might easily fit the description of any worldly woman today who was to have a destiny that neither the woman herself nor the demonic power who was her namesake could ever have dreamed of. You might say that this is an incredible story of utter deprivation and poverty to riches and plenty. I think you will be surprised.
I am going to hazard a guess and say that I doubt any of you have a clue who I am talking about so I am going to give the game away by first of all looking at what the Scriptures have to say about the pagan deity which went by this name. We are reading now from the book of Job:
"By [Yahweh's] power He churned up the sea; by His wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces" (Job 26:12, NIV).
"Elohim does not restrain His anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at His feet" (Job 9:13, NIV).
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?" (Job 38:4-11, NIV).
King David declared:
"You (Yahweh) rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies" (Ps.89:9-10, NIV).
Yahweh explains the meaning of this prophetic imagery through the prophet Isaiah:
"Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of Yahweh; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over? The ransomed of Yahweh will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away" (Isa.51:9-11, NIV).
The same demonic power is at work here - that power whose name means 'pride' and 'arrogance' - and in the case of the children of Israel on their exodus from Egypt, that demonic power was cut to pieces - a power respected and feared by the ancients, but which means nothing to the Most High One. "I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me" (Ps.87:4, NKJV), said Yahweh. What happened to the city of Babylon? In what condition is she today? Where is her 'tower of Babel'? She is a heap of ruins. Babylon and Rahab are compared as enemies of Yahweh. Today Babylon is represented in the New Covenant Scriptures as a system of temporal power, wealth and dark spiritual principalities. Today that system rules. Tomorrow it will be a heap of ruins just as its physical counterpart is today in the deserts of Iraq.
Today people are flocking to the Babylonian world system and worshipping it as both their deliverer, protector and source of happiness. It's not a new system. Indeed, it is as old as man himself. Nimrod, the first antichrist, developed it and it has been reinventing and propagating itself ever since. Nimrod build the first city-states - strongly fortified walled cities where he consolidated his power. In this crucible of human experimentation and rebellion against Yahweh, dictatorship, oppression and cruelty were greatly expanded and entrenched. The works of Nimrod were the early precursors of the New World Order which the Satanist-Illumanists are pushing for today, an Order which, like Nimrod's empire, will be destroyed and shall be even shorter-lived. Babylon - who is she? How is she described?
She is the great 'whore', 'harlot' or 'prostitute' "with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Rev.17:2, NKJV). The messenger added: "the waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (Rev.17:15, NKJV). This demonic whore-system persecutes the people of Yahweh but her fate is sealed: "For true and righteous are [Yahweh's] judgements, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her" (Rev.19:2, NKJV). Babylon represents all that is to be destroyed: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev.21:8, NKJV). They are, in fact, the children of the second resurrection - and specifically those who are unbelievers - for the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, isolators and those who lie - these are they who will perish. And they perish because of their namesake Rahab - it is their pride and arrogance which lead them down to destruction.
We are, of course, very familiar with the picture of 'Babylon' but few, if any, ever consider why Rahab is twinned with her. Rahab, like Babylon, is a female figure, and represents above all else the chaos and watery destruction that follows spiritual harlotry. If Babylon is the cold, calculating, numbed and demonised heart of the 'female warrior' - of the demoness Athena - then Rahab is the suppressed or denied emotional side of this female evilness which, when it surfaces, is a swirl of confusion like the raging sea in a storm, like the panic of the disciples as they found themselves in a fearsome storm on the Sea of Galilee while Yah'shua slept in the boat (Mk.4:35-41). And as we think of this Rahab we, of course, make connections to the other Rahab - the one we know much more about, the one who lived in the city of Jericho when it was surrounded by Joshua's army.
Rahab was a harlot who lived in a house on the town wall of late Bronze Age Jericho. Jericho was not only the mightiest fortification in the whole of pagan Canaan but probably one of the strongest in the whole Middle East. It was a city named after the Semitic moon goddess Yarih and was presumably located where it was, a mere 17 miles east of Jerusalem, because of the spring located there and the oasis that was watered by it, and because of which it was known as the 'city of palm trees' (Dt.34:3). To get some idea of the kind of obstacle that Jericho was, let's listen to Leon Wood's description of its fortifications:
"An approaching enemy first encountered a stone abutment, eleven feet high, back and up from which sloped a thirty-five degree plastered scarp reaching to the main wall some thirty-five vertical feet above. The steep smooth slope prohibited battering the wall by any effective device or building fires to break it. An army trying to storm the wall found difficulty in climbing the slope, and ladders to scale it could find no satisfactory footing. The normal tactic used by an enemy to take a city so protected was siege, but Israel did not have time for this, if she was to occupy all the land in any reasonable number of months" (A Survey of Israel's History - Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970 - p. 174).
This was an impenetrable city. You couldn't knock it down and you couldn't burn it down with the weapons that existed at the time. The wall, in addition to being partially sloped and high, was also 12-14 feet thick! This was what the children of Israel faced as their first obstacle in the Promised Land and you can imagine what this small, untrained army felt like! This was where the prostitute Rahab lived and this is the kind of spiritual structure that demons build in your heart when you are a spiritual harlot. This is what "the cowards and ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive; and ... the depraved and defiled with abominations; and ... murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the practisers of magic arts and the idolaters [those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than Yahweh] and all liars [those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed..]" (Rev.21:8, Amp.Ver) - this is what these people face when they finally turn themselves to Yahweh and come seeking for deliverance - for a way out from their captivity ... and it scares the living daylights out of them! It terrifies them just as Jericho probably made the Israelites quake. If you are one of those persons - and that's everyone who is outside of salvation, then you and I are, or were, a Rahab. And if that is the case, then we need to take a very close look at this woman who was locked into this city of evil and who, like her fellow citizens of Jericho, faced imminent destruction.
To begin with, let us remember what the attitude of the inhabitants the Canaanite cities west of the Jordan was to the approaching Israelites:
""Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how Yahweh had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites" (Josh.5:1, NIV).
They had, of course, not only heard how the Jordan had dried up for them when the priests crossed with the Ark of the Covenant, but also of the disaster that befell Egypt at the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea) forty or so years before. However, time has a way of making people forget so the enemy needed a fresh reminder in the second generation of Israelites. And yet the demonic has a way of turning fearful hearts to stone and creating a false sense of security. Look how Pharaoh, one miracle after the other, hardened his heart and refused to repent until being struck down ten times. Only when it hit close to home - his firstborn son and heir to his dynasty - did he finally wake up.
As we look at Rahab in Jericho and Joshua and his army of Israelites we are looking at ourselves. On the one hand, when we look at Joshua and Israel, we are looking at ourselves in faith. On the other hand, when we look at Rahab we are looking at the unbelieving part of ourselves that chooses to 'live' in a demonic fortification, our own carnal and demon-occupied 'Jericho'. We are, when we come to Yahweh, both Joshua the deliverer (for you will remember the name 'Joshua' and 'Yah'shua' are one and the same) as well as Rahab the prisoner of Satan. Or to be more accurate, 'Joshua' is our Messiah whom we desire to rescue us, and Israel is Yah'shua's people - the community of the delivered. Here we are, as Rahab, a prisoner of the demonic in a mighty walled city which no one has ever managed to knock down. The demonic stronghold is so powerful that people don't even bother to attack.
We have maybe tried to get free from satanic covens, or satanic vices, or whatever our ungodly vices may be - we have tried and tried, and failed and failed. So we have given up. We have, I suppose, 'accepted reality' and said to ourselves: "What's the point? I've tried and failed. Satan is too strong. I'd better make the best of a bad deal as best I can". Most people think that way. To them, and to us who were once unsaved, it looks hopeless. The odds seem stacked against us. We have 'heard' of the River Jordan drying up and the Israelites crossing over. We have 'heard' of the 10 plagues of Egypt and how an enslaved people were set free. We have 'heard' of the drowning of Pharaoh's Army, how a mighty Deity parted the sea and let millions cross. We have 'heard' of these things. But our faith is weak. This is not our experience, it is someone else's. And what if it isn't true? We ask ourselves. What if it's some 'urban legend', some story superstitious people have made up?
No matter how many witnesses we hear, we doubt. And we doubt because we see the huge 'impregnable' walls that separate us from these 'superman'-people 'out there'. But we're 'in here' - the walls surround us, there are soldiers everywhere - we can never get out. It all seems hopeless. Besides, we're a prostitute, and we've heard that Yahweh's Law mandates the execution of prostitutes, so we rationalise that we'd better stay put and 'live'. Besides, we don't have it so bad, do we? We have a good trade. We're alive. We have clients. We just numb our hearts when they fornicate with us - they then become just 'meat' to us. We survive. It's not so bad. And yet ... those stories. What if they are true? What if the Elohim really did do all these things? Everyone seems to think so. Our king, and the kings of the land, are terrified of them. Or were. The King of Jericho has changed his mind. He's telling us that this ragtag army doesn't stand a chance before these walls. He's grown confident and people are beginning to believe him, especially as the Israelites keep marching round the city day after day and nothing seems to be happening. What if our fort can withstand Yahweh after all? Our gods are telling us that we can win, and shall win. They're lying to us and saying: "Look! All they can do is march round and nothing happens. They're helpless. You're completely safe here."
Then one day two of these 'supermen' people - a couple of spies - enter the city. Suddenly there they are, flesh-and-blood. Here they are! We get to talk to them, hear 'their side' of the story and we are impressed by their confidence, faith and determination. They don't seem the least bit worried about our city walls! We listen, we start believing, sympathising - and yes - something deep in our hearts is moved and we come to perhaps even love them. Then we realise - oh my gosh, I'm putting myself in danger. The city police are everywhere. They've heard about these spies and if we're caught harbouring them, then it's death for both us and them. Then we become traitors. We start thinking of what might happen if Israel does lose this war. What if the trail comes back to us? What if the city police discover we entertained them, fed them, hid them? We start weighing things up. Part of us panics and wants to disown them, but the other part is irresistibly drawn. Part of us want to run to the police and betray them to save our own skin - then it's our word against the spies' if the spies say we hid them - the police will believe our word first simply because we betrayed them. So we toy with that idea too. But the other part wants to run to them and embrace them and their Elohim.
Now I am sure you can understand me when I share these thoughts and feelings. There are those who would and do turn in Yahweh's people, in order to save their own skins. Now you and I know what happened to Jericho. You and I know that Yahweh destroyed that city without the Israelites firing a single arrow or shedding a single drop of their own blood. We know that in retrospect. But when we're a Rahab, looking at it in the centre of the storm, not knowing the outcome, we can only act by faith. We can choose to trust or try to save our own life - our reputation, our livelihood, our position in the pagan community where we live, our job, our marriage, our relationship with our parents and friends - anything - because when you choose Yahweh for real YOU PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE.
The Rahab of the Bible made her choice. She decided to put everything on the line. Why? What was it that persuaded her that Yahweh was trustworthy? Israel's reputation! She believed the stories just as we, when we are presented with a Bible for the first time, can either believe it is fact or fiction, truth or myth. And we can look at the lives of Christians who follow the Bible - we can look at their lives, their personal qualities, the life they lead -- and we can decide by looking at these whether the promises of the Bible really do work. We can gather evidence together. At the point at which we must make a decision, there will always be sufficient evidence to persuade us even if it is not complete, because faith does not operate on the basis of total knowledge but on the basis of adequate knowledge. Yahweh presents His evidence and Satan his (usually the lives of bad Christians, and the deceptive critics of the Bible), and then we have to choose.
Rahab decided to hide the two spies from the city police by covering them with drying stalks of flax on the roof. She then set a false trail for the police and made terms with the spies. Now this is important - please note this - she made terms. The renown of Yahweh's might convinced her that Jericho, no matter how 'great', was going to fall - that is certain - just as, for instance, people who have heard how those who were hopelessly trapped in satanic covens have made it to freedom, and derive hope thereby - people who have heard how drug addicts with internal organs totally destroyed have been delivered from drug addiction and their internal organs supernaturally restored - people who have been delivered from alcoholism, pornography, abusive relationships, and so on, have also been restored. It is these true accounts of deliverance that give people hope and the courage to say "Yes!" to Yahweh! Rahab did this. She believed and requested protection for herself and her family. She did not only think of herself and that itself is a sign that salvation was already at work in her soul. It was agreed that a scarlet cord in her window would be the signal to mark her house and spare it from destruction. She helped the spies escape by letting them down through a window in the town wall, where it formed one wall of her house, and warned them which way to take (Josh.2). And when Jericho fell, she and her family alone of its entire population had their lives spared and they subsequently became naturalised Israelites (Josh.6:17,22-25).
This, as most of you know, is a picture of salvation. That scarlet cord represents the blood of Messiah that saves us. It marked her house for protection against the destruction of the city just as the blood of the Passover Lamb marked the door posts of the Israelite houses in Egypt and saved them from death as the angel of death went by. At no point in either story did the Israelites 'do' anything to be saved except to believe and follow some simple instructions. They didn't go around killing the firstborn of Egypt to persuade Pharaoh that they 'had' to be let go 'or else'. At no point was it ever acknowledged or claimed that the people had some mysterious 'power', as occultists do. The power and the glory is all Yahweh's. Do you remember what the Israelites did before they attacked Jericho? What was their 'blood covering'? Let me remind you:
"At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, 'Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.' So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt - all the men of military age - died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed Yahweh. For Yahweh had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed" (Josh.5:2-8, NIV).
The men of Israel - and just the men please note - were circumcised. They performed a ritual which signified separation from the world - 'rolling away the reproach of worldliness':
""Then Yahweh said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you'" (Josh.5:9, NIV).
To be delivered from your 'Jericho' you must not only believe but you must enter into covenants of obedience as well. In a word, you must become an Israelite. Today we do not circumcise because Yah'shua has become our circumcision. We do not paint blood over the doors of our homes either because Yah'shua is our Passover Lamb. The ceremonial Torah is all fulfilled in Him and abolished, along with its Levitical priesthood. Today we are under a higher priesthood, the Melchizedek Priesthood, with Yah'shua as our eternal Cohen Gadol or High Priest. Today, under the New Covenant of Yah'shua, you must trust in Him as your Messiah and covenant in the waters of baptism to enter into Messianic Israel and observe Yahweh's commandments (Rev.12:17; 14:12) - his moedim or appointments - the seventh day Sabbath, the monthly New Moons, and the seven annual festivals; His dietary laws and His moral laws - all His New Covenant Torah. If you covenant to do this, then you - like Rahab - are pinning a red cord on your house and claiming safety and deliverance. Just like one lady we know who, in the heart of the satanic covens pinned the scarlet thread of Yah'shua's redemption on her heart, and then had her bedroom converted into a Temple of Yahweh in the house of her satanist parents so that noone but her can enter it, and those who have tried have died, killed by Yahweh Himself. Yahweh protects His own!
In case you think you're one of those people who are 'unsavable' and that Yahweh will never have you because you're too 'dirty' or too 'evil', let me remind you that not only was Rahab mentioned in the New Testament as an outstanding example of true faith in Yahweh (Heb.11:31) but she married an Israelite called Salmon and became the mother of Boaz (who married Ruth), the ancestor of King David and the ancestor of Yah'shua our Messiah too (Mt.1:5). Yahweh does not care what your background is when you come to Him because when you come to Him, trusting in Yah'shua and are willing to follow and obey Him, your past is wiped out as though it had never happened. The moment you trust in Yah'shua by opening your heart to Him and get the new birth as the Ruach haRishon enters your heart - that moment you become a new person and it's your spiritual birthday. It's the most important birthday you'll ever have because it guarantees you a place amongst Yahweh's people in the Kingdom of Heaven. Thereafter it's up to you to pursue righteousness all the way as you seek for the First Resurrection.
There are too many people here who are looking at the walls of Jericho (their spiritual issues) and its police force (their demons) instead of the salvation of Yahweh. They think they can chip away the wall a little bit each day and by this means be delivered. That is not at all what Yahweh intends. It just isn't the way He works. He wants you to surrender the sovereignty of your lives to Him so that He can destroy the whole demonic monstrosity. It doesn't matter whether you have lived in it for 1 year or 50 years, it's still nothing to Him. It doesn't matter how strong you think Satan is because Satan is a speck of dust to the Most High. Will you assist Israel's spies and get a ticket to freedom or will you betray them and be destroyed along with the rest of Jericho? And remember, which ever way you choose, your family goes with you. Isn't that generous of Yahweh? He also gave Rahab a godly husband and they had a godly seed worthy to produce the Messiah who had so gracefully saved her in the first place. And what actually did Rahab do? What was it that saved her? Did she stop being a harlot on the spot? Well, maybe she did, we don't know, and that's not the point because we know she must have stopped it when she became an Israelite: but what actually saved her there and then was a change in LOYALTY! Moreover, it was consistent loyalty - she didn't change her mind - she was not double-minded or unstable. When she chose, she chose, and didn't turn back! It was her loyalty that delivered her - her loyalty to Yahweh and to Yahweh's people. She changed nationality! She changed families just as Ruth did.
It doesn't always go as smoothly as it did for Rahab. Sometimes people remain double-minded and so Yahweh has to use other methods to complete their deliverance. He has to put them through various fires. Some are stubborn and rebellious and retain some of the old Rahab traits of pride and arrogance. Some years ago Yahweh said this to us:
"Blessed are they who are filled with the zeal of Yahweh of Hosts, for there are some who labour tirelessly for the Kingdom. The slothful shall be locked outside the bridal chamber where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. Therefore let the rebellious and slothful speedily repent else I shall spit them out, says Yahweh, and they shall be scattered into the world. And even now begins the day when two shall be labouring and one shall be taken (Lk.17:36) when the sword of the mouth shall divide the loyalties of families and they shall be against one another (Mt.10:34ff). Did you suppose it would be any other way? You have read My words in the Scriptures [Bible] concerning the last days but you have not believed them, saying: 'It shall go well with us.' And some of the foolish sheep have departed from the flock supposing that it was My will that they should become shepherdless and laws unto themselves. Behold, these shall be devoured by the wolf, who seeks to destroy you. And he has already struck terror in some, and caused them to doubt" (OB 198:16-25).
To become faithful to Yahweh you must become a traitor to the world. You can't be loyal to both. Joshua knew this when He challenged Israel after they arrived in the Holy Land:
"Now fear Yahweh and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt [the world system], and serve Yahweh. But if serving Yahweh seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh" (Josh.24:14-15, NIV).
There are two things I want you to especially notice here. Firstly, you can't play a double game. It never works. You can't be friends with Yahweh and the world system - with Babylon and the old Rahab. Secondly, the heads of the household decide for the whole household so if you're a woman be sure you marry the right man! It was the men who were circumcised on the west bank of the Jordan - it is they who entered the national covenants. The women enter Israelite covenants through their husbands. So marry a man of Yahweh and marry the one He has ordained for you. You can be saved as Rahab was as a single woman but to enter Israel she had to either be adopted or married. We suppose that she soon married Salmon after her deliverance.
To be loyal means to give your allegiance - it means to belong and to be owned. For the woman is means being owned by her husband or her father; for the man it means being owned by Yahweh as a citizen of His allegorical Bride, the nation of Messianic Israel. To be loyal means to belong - not to yourself, but to your head. That goes for men and women. If we do not belong, we are not loyal; if we are not loyal, we have no covering; and if we have no covering, we are orphans and nationless.
In this modern world where there is not yet a theocratic nation of Messianic Israel we sometimes face conflicting loyalties and must make difficult choices. Rahab was a citizen of Jericho and owed loyalty to its king. No doubt, as was common in those days, she had sworn allegiance to him, just as people swear allegiance to false gods, satanic covens, and the like, sometimes signing their names in blood even and believing the lie that their loyalty is metaphorically 'set in cement' and cannot be broken as a result. Any loyalty that conflicts with our loyalty to Yahweh can, and must, be broken, If demonic powers are involved, they can be annulled. Fathers and husbands can de facto annul ungodly vows - it is a provision of Torah (Num.30; OB 272). In Rahab's case, she was released from her ungodly vows by the death of the king and the destruction of the city. However, in the majority of situations we may find ourselves in today, ungodly vows cannot be ended so easily. Either the blood of Yah'shua must be invoked or husbands and/or fathers must dissolve them. You will soon know that the vow is annulled when the demons associated with them are effortlessly expelled, assuming all their grounds have first been removed.
The rescue of Rahab is an example of how Yahweh gathers His people out of the world:
"'Return, O backsliding children,' says Yahweh; 'for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion'" (Jer.3:14, NKJV).
Notice that there are not vast numbers of Yahweh's elect in the cities of the world but "one from a city and two from a family". We aren't going to be building large congregations in the cities which already have their 'Pentecostal-type gatherings'. The Tabernacles gathering consists, on average, of one or two from each city. And bearing in mind the size of the average Israelite family, the "two from a family" is only a fraction from each family.
Today is called Shabbat Shuvah - the day of return. This is therefore the day of the returnees of Messianic Israel called to the Tabernacles Assembly of Yahweh. But first comes the judgement. On Sunday evening we shall gather for the first of our assemblies after we have started our fast at sunset. On Monday morning we meet for the main Yom Kippur Sabbath assembly and then finally in the evening, before we break our fast, for the Neilah service and receive the judgement of Yahweh. Then we will know who will be with us this year and who will not. We will know who was loyal to Yahweh and who was not - who is coming home and who has chosen to remain in exile.
Last Sunday morning when I awoke Yahweh spoke to me audibly and reminded me that our spiritual allegiance to all worldly authorities had to be fully transferred to Him. We are to be subject to governments for the payment of taxes and the other temporal obligations that legitimately devolve upon us, as Paul taught, so long as we do not live in theocratic Israel, but our hearts are to wholly belong to our Divine Husband and earthly husbands alone. There must be a complete spiritual severance from the world in order to enter into this new endowment (1 Jn.2:15). He also said that we must learn to respond to the Ruach in all things, no longer relying on 'experience' or fleshy impulses, because Yahweh's ways are not as man's and cannot be deduced, adduced or in anyway guessed at, or reasoned. Naturally, we are to use these things as we journey to the point of complete surrender, just as the wise men followed their star to Bethlehem. But once led to the fount of all revelation, it is to that which has been found that we must completely turn, and no longer go following stars of lesser glory. And, yes, there will always be people who think they are there when they aren't, who think they are hearing the Ruach whilst they still have demonic powers steering their hearts. And, yes, like Moses we too want everyone to be 'prophets' as He was, hearing Him directly and not having to father and mother them to bring them to that place of meeting with Him (Num.11:29). And, yes, we must learn like Moses not to hurry the process, but to give them the time to mature as spiritual sons and daughters - and maturing, as you know, involves correction and repentance - lots of it. And it involves rebellion and punishment, as Moses was only too painfully aware. We must, above all, not be naïve, and remember that every soul must go through this sevenfold unfolding as represented by the seven moedim. There are no short cuts, and those who insist there are must be corrected whether by spiritual teachers or directly by the disciplining hand of Yahweh through adversity.
Last Sunday Yahweh reminded me of these things. Remember that human nature is unchanging, the flesh is unchanging, the carnal man is unchanging, and we are fools to think otherwise. There can be absolutely no compromising with it, especially when it intimidates or threatens us with various punishments which the world might like to try and impose. The flesh must be opposed, uncompromisingly, in the face of accusation and threats, because though it is loud, its power is but dung before the power of El Elyon, the Most High Elohim. Therefore do not fear it. It puffs itself up and makes itself look bigger than it really is. It is mostly just air. And whatever worldly power it can muster to its aid, it too is nothing before Yahweh-Elohim. It too will pass away.
After I had listened to what Yahweh told me, I went back to sleep briefly, and I dreamed a dream. A man who I have not seen for many years, whom we knew as 'Amos', who was briefly a part of this work and went on his own way in pursuit of the gods of this world in business, and who took demons for his guide working many different signs and wonders to convince him that they were the true Ruach, was with me in my room as I was making my bed after I had dressed and was preparing for the day. He stood there in this very cheap pale-brown woollen suit looking like some beggarly businessman who was not doing too well. I knew that it was the weekend before Sukkot, in other words, this weekend. I knew what he wanted. He wanted the intimacy of fellowship again but I also knew that he was trying to get back in by the back door, without passing through the refining fire of Yahweh. I told him that. I told him that I could not assist him. He then began telephoning on his cell phone, speaking to another member of this fellowship who had been instrumental in bringing him to Yah'shua, trying to get back in through another back door, perhaps hoping to persuade this brother that he should be readmitted. He never spoke to me because I did not give him the answers he wanted. He had his agenda and would accept no other course of action.
When I awoke I was at once shown a vision of a yellow desert. It was a patchwork of small tufts of grass here and there and lots of small, dry prickly desert bushes. I was seeing this man's inner garden, his heart, and what it consisted of. These were the fruits of his own works - little bits of greenery here and there, but it was still unmistakably a desert landscape, devoid of the waters of life, save for the little that was underground. And then, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, the whole landscape turned a blood red colour - absolutely everything turned red.
As the vision closed I knew that this man's works were being brought to a Yom Kippur judgement of condemnation and a passage in Jeremiah came to me:
"Israel is not a slave; he was not born into slavery. Why then do his enemies hunt him down? They have roared at him like lions; they have made his land a desert ... Your own evil will punish you, and your turning from Me will condemn you. You will learn how bitter and wrong it is to abandon Me, Yahweh your Elohim. I, Sovereign Yahweh Almighty have spoken" (Jer.2:14-15, LB).
Many were called to be a part of this Tabernacles Work, but few have been chosen, because they pursued their own lusts and listened to seducing spirits. It grieves me that I should bear this message to 'Amos' and to all those who have sought to enter the Kingdom by strange paths. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags, our own efforts at salvation futile, our own will a false guide that leads to the pit of rejection, frustration and desperation. But it need not be so. No man or woman is driven by a fearsome fate, an irresistible destiny or a relentless karma - every one of us has the genuine power of free choice, and we can choose the right or the wrong, even as each will. No one is condemned before he is born even though Yahweh the Almighty knows our hearts in advance and what choices we will make. He has already grieved ahead of those who will say 'No' and rejoiced ahead of those who will say 'Yes' to Him. Likewise, those who are given the spirit of prophecy do the same. I thank Elohim that I do not have to judge because my judgement - my fleshy judgement - is nearly always wrong. But what I am shown by Him gives me great confidence and hope, for I often see those who think they are failures, who believe they won't make it, wearing the Overcomer's Crown and rejoicing in the Kingdom of our Elohim. And that is why I pursue people that the unspiritual judge as forever lost, and turn away from the people whom the unspiritual claim are great ones but who are, in truth, pursuing the father of lies and his empty promises. I go where the Ruach directs me and I pay no attention to the judgements of the world. And so must we all.
Judgement is coming. Yom Teruah has passed and the trumpet blast sounded calling the people to repentance. The faithful of Ruach haChamashee have had their reward. Yahweh's words through the prophet Jeremiah echo down to all of us today, especially those of the House of Israel - the House of Joseph - whom He is calling home:
"Yahweh-Elohim says, 'Israel, long, long ago you rejected My authority; you refused to obey Me and worship Me. On every high hill and under every green tree you worshipped the fertility gods [as people worship sex today]. I planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. But look what you have become! You are like a rotten, worthless vine. Even if you washed with the strongest soap, I would still see the stain of your guilt. How can you say you have not defiled yourself, that you have never worshipped Baal? Look how you have sinned in the valley; see what you have done. You are like a wild camel on heat, running about loose, rushing into the desert. When she is on heat, who can control her? No male that wants her has trouble himself; she is always available at mating time. Israel, don't wear your feet out, or let your throat become dry from chasing after other gods. But you say, 'No! I can't turn back. I have loved foreign gods and I will go after them'" (Jer.2:20-25, LB).
All those who are of this disposition - who pretend at being Yahweh-worshippers but who play the harlot - who claim to be the seed of Jacob but who have prostituted their inheritance and chased after the illusions of demons - these shall perish. People wonder why there is so much rebuke and woe in the Bible, and particularly in the Old Testament, and the answer is because Yahweh's people repeatedly turn to whoredom. However, amidst this gloom, there is always a ray of hope, and a promise to those who will go further than making mere token repentance and lay their heart bare before the Most High, willing to accept whatever judgement He makes. So we end with this passage from Jeremiah too:
"Yahweh says, 'Israel, I wanted to accept you as My son and give you a delightful land, the most beautiful land in all the world. I wanted you to call Me father, and never again turn from me. But like an unfaithful wife, you have not been faithful to Me. I, Yahweh, have spoken.' A noise is heard on the hilltops: it is the people of Israel crying and pleading, because they have lived their sinful lives and have forgotten Yahweh their Elohim. Return, all of you who have turned away from Yahweh; and He will heal you and make you faithful" (Jer.3:19-22, LB).
May He lead you home in grace and peace after You have passed through the day of contrition at Yom Kippur and placed your very souls into His hands, working out your salvation with fear and trembling, is my plea in Yah'shua's Name. Amen.
Click here for Part 12
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
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