Tassels and Tzitzit –A Research Study Paper

12345 > Articles   > Tassels and Tzitzit –A Research Study Paper Tassels and Tzitzit –A Research Study Paper Resources on Scriptures This study paper is released due to the various areas of confusion that the children of Israel (children who live and follow the ways of Yehowah their Elohim) have on the topic of Tassels and Tzitzit. At all times when this paper was written, we kept reminding ourselves of one of the most important instructions of Yehowah, which is: “Do not add to the Word which I command you and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of Yehowah your Elohim which I am commanding you”. (Deuteronomy 4:2) First we need to investigate the number of times the words Tassels (Strong’s concordance word number 1434) and Tzitzit (Strong’s concordance word number 6734) appear in the scriptures   Word Number of times it appears in the scriptures Tassels 1 (One) Tzitzit 8 (Eight) Verses where the words Tassels and Tzitzit appear in the scriptures: Numbers 15: 38 to 40 Speak to the children of Yisrael and you shall say to them to make tzitzit on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue cord in the tzitzit of the corners. And it shall be to you for a tzitzit and you shall see it, and shall remember all the commands of YHWH  (Yehowah) and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes which you went whoring, so that you remember and shall do all My commands, and be set-apart unto your Elohim. Deuteronomy 22:12 Make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself. Matthew 9:20 to 21 And see a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the tzitzit of His garment. For she said to herself “If I only touch His garment, I shall be healed”. Matthew 14: 35 to 36 And when the men of that place recognised Him, they sent out into all that surrounding country, and brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him to let them only touch the tzitzit of His garment. And as many as touched it were completely healed. Mark 6:56 And wherever He went, into villages, or cities, or the country, they were laying the sick in the market-places, and begged Him to let them touch if only the tzitzit of His garment. And as many as touched Him were healed. Luke 8:43 to 44 And a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who, having spent all her livelihood on physicians, was unable to be healed by any, came from behind and touched the tzitzit of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. Matthew 23:5 And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their t’fillen wide and lengthen the tzitzit of their garments Tassels (Strong’s concordance word number 1434) Tassels comes from the Hebrew word ghed-eel’ – which means twisting thread. Tzitzit (Strong’s concordance word number 6734) Tzitzit (tsiytsith) in Hebrew means a floral or wing like projection or lock of hair (thread). From the scriptures it is evident that there are two related words mentioned. The first one is the word tzitzit which means lock of hair (thread) and the other one is tassels which means twisting thread. From the scriptures, it is evident that tassels or what we call Tzitzit is technically an interwoven or twisted thread as shown in Figure 1. Top Figure 1: Lock of thread that has been twisted together with blue threads. Colour of Tzitzit (Tassels): Tassels can be of different colours and the scripture does not mention the various colours in which the thread must be made except for one specific colour. But it does say that you MUST have a blue thread that would remind you of the commandments of YHWH. Almost all Tassels nowadays have multiple blue threads. But the scriptures specifically say “put a blue cord in the tzitzit”. As you can see the blue thread is singular not plural. Over the years, based on their own traditions, people added more blue threads into it. Blue Dye (tekeleth in Hebrew): In Hebrew the blue dye is called tekeleth (Strong’s concordance word number 8504) and generally represents sky blue (the colour of the sky).The question that many people ask is what type of blue colour is to be used. Over the years, traditions of men have argued over the colour blue mentioned in the scriptures. People have said that the tzitzit blue thread needs to be sky blue, navy blue, indigo blue, cobalt blue, cyan blue, or some other form of blue and the argument for this still continues today among Rabbinic Jews. That is why many Jewish people do not use a blue thread on their tzitzit because they do not know what blue colour is to be used. We recommend people to go to Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia on the internet and enter the key words “Shades of Blue”. There you will see a huge list of  variations of the colour blue including sky blue, indigo blue, royal blue and others. During the times of Patriarchs (Moses, Abraham etc) people used to identify the colour blue by two main things. First the colour of the clear sky and, second, the colour of the sea (the surface of the water reflects the colour of the sky). The problem that arises now is what is the exact colour of the sky? The colour of sky that is seen over Canada and the colour of sky seen in Israel and a sky seen over in Australia would be different due to various factors like clouds, weather temperature etc. Elohim expects us to use common sense in such matters. As Elohim considers the colour of the sky as blue, we need to ensure that the thread represents the colour blue. Elohim did not make us robots. He gave us the mind to think like Him as we are created in the image and glory of Elohim. If He had made us robots then He would have specifically said “I want you to use 23% cobalt blue mixed with 34% cyan blue with 43% Egyptian blue”. But He did not say this. So let us learn to live with what He has said and learn to obey what is written in the scriptures rather than using our own interpretations that are based on the traditions of men. The other question that now arises is, “Where can I get the blue colour from?”. Do I need to get it from animals, insects, plants, or from other sources? This is the million dollar question. Jewish Tradition (Traditions of Men and the Oral Law of Rabbinic Jews): Rabbinic (Jewish Rabbis) sources have stated that tekhelet (blue colour) comes from a snail called hilazon. But hilazon isn’t a biological species name, just a rabbinic name. The mystery lied in figuring out the species to which they were referring. The search for the answer began in the early 20th century, when Isaac Herzog, who went on to become the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel wrote a doctoral thesis in which he concluded that a snail called the Murex trunculus (the rabbinic name hilazon) was the “most likely candidate” for the source of tekhelet. While the Talmud (oral manmade law of Judaism) doesn’t give a full identification of the hilazon, it does provide important clues. It was found near Haifa; and the colour of its dye is “similar to the sky and the sea”. Key to Herzog’s conclusion was the fact that archaeological digs uncovered large ancient dyeing facilities close to Haifa, and mounds of Murex trunculus. But Herzog’s conclusion had some drawbacks. The snail’s dye was purplish blue, not the pure blue described in the Talmud. It took until the early 1980s for this riddle to be solved. In research unrelated to the search for the biblical dye, Otto Elsner, a professor at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, near Tel Aviv, noticed that on sunny days, Murex trunculus dye became more blue and less purple. It turned out that the missing link between Herzog’s experiments and biblical dyeing methods was ultraviolet light, which transforms the blue-purple colorant to unadulterated blue. Hexaplex trunculus or Murex trunculus (Hilazon): This species is a “sea snail” that does not have fins or scales and is classified as a rock snail. According to Wikipedia this sea snail secretes a purple blue indigo dye that ancient Canaanites and Phoenicians commonly used. Let’s take a step back and closely examine what traditions of men actually teach. People should not believe that Elohim would ask us to use an UNCLEAN species (sea snail) to extract blue colour for the tassels. This is an absolute abomination to say that the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt used sea snails to dye their tassels. What does the Holy Scriptures say about unclean water species? “These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that you may eat. All that don't have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you, and you detest them. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination to you”. (Leviticus 11: 9-12) What does the word abomination mean? Abomination is used exclusively to describe things that are disgusting, abhorrent and absolutely intolerable and unacceptable to Yehowah Elohim. You could say that the word “abomination” refers to something so horrendous in the eyes of Yehowah that you cannot even go near or touch it. The Jewish Rabbis want us to believe that Elohim would ask the children of Israel to use snails (Hilazon) to dye their tassels! These Jewish Rabbis who teach this are an abomination to Yehowah for desecrating His holy word and teaching the commandments of men as though they were part of His holy words. What they are actually doing is teaching the traditions of Canaanites to the children of Israel. Some Jewish Rabbis say that you can use the dye from an unclean snail because you are not eating it. If this logic was true then why don’t we wear clothing made of PIG as we are not eating it! What does Elohim tell about Canaanites in the book of Leviticus? “Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs” (Leviticus 18:3). So what was the blue colour used by the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt? No person at this point in time including the author of this research document can be 100 percent sure unless you ask Father Moses (spokesperson of Yehowah Elohim as Elohim spoke to the children of Israel through Moses). Based on historical information it could be inferred that it “may” have been the colour that is commonly known today as Egyptian blue (see Figure 2). This type of blue is known as calcium copper silicate which is a pigment used by Egyptians for thousands of years. It is considered by many people to be the first synthetic pigment. When Israel was in bondage in Egypt, Egyptians were the most advanced civilization that existed during that time. There was no civilization as advanced as the Egyptians. Moses being the leader of the children of Israel was highly educated. Where did he get this wisdom from? Moses was the adopted son of the Pharaoh’s daughter and a member of the royal family of the Pharaoh. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus wrote that Moses was heir to the throne of Egypt and while a young man he led the armies of Egypt in victorious battle against the Ethiopians. From the scriptures we can confirm that Moses the leader of the children of Israel was raised with both the science and learning of Egypt. The Holy Scriptures confirms this statement “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). Keep in mind that the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years (Genesis 15:13). In those 400 years they were learning the customs, skills and knowledge of the Egyptians. Over time Israelites studied all their advanced technical skills in building and metallurgy and we need to assume that they recognized how to extract blue colour from materials found in the earth. In conclusion, we can say confidently that we must NOT use blue colour that is derived from SEA SNAIL or from any unclean animal. As long as the blue colour is from a chemical/pigment dye or even from a plant it should be fine.   Top Figure 2: Egyptian blue (calcium copper silicate) Frequently Asked Questions about Tzitzit 1. Do men, women and children need to wear tzitzit? Yes it is applicable to all, men, women and children. In Israel we mostly see men wearing them and fewer women. Elohim made this ordinance for all as mentioned in Numbers 15:38 where it says “speak to the children of Israel”. It does not say speak only to men. The law is applicable to all. 2. My children are quite young. Do they also need to wear tzitzit? It would be good to train children at such a young age even though they don’t understand its meaning at this point in time. By the time they turn four years they will know that tzitzit represents the laws of our Heavenly Father in heaven provided we (the parents both mother and father) nourish and teach them about Elohim and His ways from a very young age. The best way to teach children about Elohim at a young age is to buy a children’s Bible and read to them from it as often as possible every day. By doing this they will learn to love and respect their Heavenly Father. This will instil good seeds in them as they grow in the knowledge of our Messiah. If you read the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise”. 3. Why is it expensive to buy a Tzitzit? There is no reason why someone who sells a Tzitzit needs to make it expensive (after all it is just a thread and is not made of gold or silver). We have seen some people selling tzitzit from as low as $4.00 to as high as $55.00. In our experience if you buy a tzitzit from online market places like AMAZON or EBAY you can get them for a low price. 4. Can I make my own tzitzit or should it be made only by certain people? Yes you can make your own tzitzit. There is no instruction in the scriptures saying that you cannot do this or it has to be made only by certain people. Just make sure that the thread (crochet cotton thread; yarn) you use is of pure material and is not mixed with any other textile material. The reason being Deuteronomy 22:11 instructs us “do not put on a garment of different kinds, of wool and linen together”. So ensure that the thread (yarn) you buy for instance is of pure cotton (100%) or of pure wool (100%) or of pure linen (100%). To make your own tzitzit you need:   a) A pack of thread (yarn). It can be of any colour. Most people would choose white colour as the blue colour would be more prominent when you use white tread. b) A pack (one thread mainly) of blue colour. c) Tie them together as twisted thread (see Figure 1) so that you can easily fasten it to your garment, jeans, belt buckles and trouser buckles. Remember there is no special way to tie them or make them twisted as there is no such instruction found in the scriptures on this. 5. How do I know the blue colour in the tzitzit I buy is not from the snail (unclean animal)? If you buy from shops that call them Kosher certified then you would have to be extra careful. Since they won’t write that the blue colour is from the snail there is no way for us to know. Almost all tzitzit that use the word Kosher on them “may” have the blue colour from the snail. Not necessarily all the time. For example, Karaite Jews would never use the blue colour from the snail. So it is better that you buy them from non-Kosher shops or ask them about it before buying. The easiest way to be 101% sure is to make them yourself as per the instructions of Elohim in Numbers 15:38-40. 6. I have purchased a tzitzit and for some reason it has many threads of blue colour. What do I do? You can either cut the other blue threads and leave only one blue thread or leave it just as it is. 7. Do you need to wear the tzitzit all the time even at home or is it only when you leave your home to go to work or for any outdoor activities like gardening, sports or recreation? You are supposed to wear it on the garments you wear. But common sense prevails. For example, you don’t wear them with your swimming apparel or sportswear where it can get easily impaired, when doing heavy work with machinery or when handling fire as it could get burnt. 8. At work due to our uniform regulations (police officer, fire fighters, military, hotel staff, hospital staff) I cannot wear a tzitzit? What do I do? We abide by our work/organisation policies. Many people tie tzitzit under their garments like on a singlet (a singlet is a sleeveless garment worn under a shirt). While you can do this, it “may not” help you as you are not able to see them when worn under your outer garment. As the Torah says, “when you see them it will remind you of My commandments”. But for many people something is better than nothing and they wear it under their uniform. 9. Does tzitzit have healing powers? Tzitzit “itself” does not have any healing powers. But it is the “power of faith/belief” that you have in the law of Elohim and in the true God of Israel that will heal you. When a person wears tzitzit he is a law keeper of Elohim. That is, he lives and walks by the law of Elohim. He or she is ruled by the laws of Elohim. There is a prophecy in the book of Malachi chapter 4: 2 “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. And you shall go out and leap for joy like calves from the stall”. This was a prophecy of the healing powers that Yehoshua the Messiah would have when He was born. Matthew 9:20 says “And see, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the tzitzit of His garment. For she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I shall be healed”. But Yehoshua turned, and when He saw her He said “Take courage, daughter, your belief has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that hour. In Mark 6:56 it says “And wherever He went, into villages, or cities, or the country, they were laying the sick in the market-places, and begged Him to let them touch if only the tzitzit of His garment. And as many as touched Him were healed”. When the Kingdom of Elohim gets established on earth it says “…in those days ten men from all languages of the nations take hold, yes, they shall take hold of the edge of the garment of a man, Yehudi (Jew), saying , “Let us go with you, for we have heard that Elohim is with you” (Zechariah 8:22). They will catch the edge of the garment (where the Tzitzit is tied) and people will ask the Jewish person, “Please take us to your Elohim for we know that He is with you”. It is evident from the above scriptures that following the footsteps of the laws of Elohim and doing what He says will heal you. 10. I am travelling overseas, for business or other reasons, to countries that do not recognise Israel as a nation (enemies of Israel) or a country that hates Jews. In such situations what do I do about wearing a tzitzit? You should not wear it. The scriptures tell us that we must not be foolish. Being foolish can get you arrested or killed. In Psalms 30:9 it says, “What gain is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Would dust praise You? Would it declare Your truth?” Our Master Yehoshua the Messiah said “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). 11. How long should a tzitzit be in length? The scriptures do not specify a length. As long as you can see it, that should be sufficient. If it is too long ensure you don’t trip over and fall. In such cases you can shorten its length. Some people will make their tzitzit very long just to show other people about their righteousness. Such traditions have no value in the view of God. 12. What do you mean by the term “corner of the garment” according to the scriptures? During the time of Patriarchs and Yeshua the messiah, a garment had four corners. If you live in the Middle East or when you watch news you can notice Arabs wear a long dress called thawb. It is a long sleeved one piece dress that covers the whole body. This garment (thawb) allows air to circulate which helps to cool the body during summer months. This is the same garment that today many Christian church priests wear. Because it is a one piece garment, that dress has four corners. It is to be noted that there was also another garment that people used to wear over this one piece garment during the times of Patriarchs and Yehoshua the messiah. This in Arabic is called bisht and in English is called a cloak or a coat. This was an outer cloak made of an expensive material such as silk or linen that also had four corners. So the tzitzit was tied on the corner of this garment. When Yehoshua was crucified the soldiers took His outer garments (plural) and His inner garment and cast lots to see who would take it (John 19:23-24). This clearly shows that during the times of Yehoshua there were outer garments and an inner garment that people used to wear. Today people wear them as a coat, shirt and a trouser. So a tzitzit is fastened on the corners of their trouser which are on the belt loops for visibility. 13. What do you mean by the term “set-apart” according to the scriptures? When Israel came out of bondage from Egypt the plan of God was to make Israel as reign (kingdom) of priests so that they could teach other nations about the laws of God and about the true Elohim. Exodus 19:6 “…and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation”. Set-apart means holy or sacred. It comes from the Hebrew word Qadowsh (strong concordance number 6918). When you live by every word of God you become a set-apart person that is holy to God. 14. What are the disadvantages of wearing a tzitzit? You are a set-apart (to Elohim) person when you walk in the community. This means that people may know that you are a Jew when you walk in your community (tassels are usually associated with Jews). In some cases, people may mock you or even hate you. They will hate you because you are a true follower of Yehoshua the Messiah. John 15:18 says “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you”. That is the price we pay for being a true servant of Yehoshua the Messiah. Matthew 7:14 says “how narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it”. So be of a good cheer children of Israel because great is your reward when our Messiah returns as Kings of Kings and Lords of Lords. This will be the reward of Messiah’s faithful people “Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25: 23). If we are faithful over little matters that Elohim gives us, great is our reward in the Kingdom of Elohim. 15. If the tzitzit is to remind us of Elohim’s laws, then isn’t that the same duty of the Holy Spirit as per John 14:26? While it is true that the Holy Spirit reminds us of the commandments of Yehowah it is also true that one of the laws is to wear tassels (tzitzit). God did not suddenly say since I am giving you the Holy Spirit you do not have to wear the tassels. Unfortunately, many people use John 14:26 as an excuse not to wear the tzitzit. A simple explanation is: Why does God need to wear tassels? God (Yehoshua) in flesh wore the tassels. He also had the Holy Spirit. But still He wore the tassels. When you read the bible in its “chronological order” you will see the following events: Before Yehoshua’s ministry started He received the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3: 21-22). During His ministry people touched His tzitzit to be healed because they believed that He was the Messiah and their faith healed them (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 6:56. Refer to the accurate Bible translation “The Scriptures” published by the Institute of Scripture Research).  So what we can see from the scriptures is that Yehoshua our Master had the Holy Spirit and also wore tzitzit because Yehoshua our Master cannot break His own law that He gave to His people which was to wear tzitzit. We need to walk and live as our Master Yehoshua the Messiah did. 16. I just purchased a tzitzit and I found that there is no blue thread on it? Many tzitzit purchased from Israel do not have a blue thread. This is due to the manmade traditions/rules that exist among the orthodox Jews. In such cases, all you have to do is tie a blue thread (100% cotton or 100% linen) on it. You can use crochet cotton thread (commonly known as yarn thread) that is widely available. Please make sure that the rest of the threads are also of the same material as of the blue thread. 17. What do you mean by the term “blue cord”? The blue cord comes from the Hebrew word "pathiyl" (Strong’s concordance number 6616). It means twine, thread, ribband or a lace. Top Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet

Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard – A Research Study Paper

12345 > Articles   > Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard – A Research Study Paper Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard – A Research Study Paper Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. What does the Scripture (Bible) narrate about this statement? Many people in Israel and around the world who live by the word of Yehowah and the scriptures do not cut their beards, nor do they cut hair at the sides of their head. Over many centuries, scholars have argued what this statement means exactly. The purpose of this research article is to inform the children of Israel (who live by the word of Yehowah) on what the scriptures say concerning beards and hair at the sides of our head, so that you can make an informed decision on what Elohim (God) actually means by the above statement. First, we need to check how many times the words “beard” and “hair” are found in the scriptures.   Word in English Number of times it appears in the scriptures Beard 16 Beards 4 Hair 64 Hairs 15 We can see that the word “beard(s)” is found 20 times and the word “hair(s)” is found 79 times in the scriptures. In order to understand what Elohim actually means by certain statements, we need to read the Bible from the beginning to understand the context. We cannot take one sentence from here and there and make a doctrine out of it. We need to go back in time and see what the intention of beard and hair was when Elohim created us. Reading the scriptures in the chronological order from the beginning of creation: “And Elohim created man in His image, in the image of Elohim He created him – male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). The word “image” used here comes from the Hebrew word “tselem” (Strong’s concordance number 6754). This word means replica (replicate) or resemble. So what did Elohim (God) actually do to man? He made a replica of Himself into a human being. In order to illustrate this point, we need to understand this next example: When a son or daughter is born to a parent (father and mother), most parents generally say, “Now we have a son/daughter who looks like us from our own flesh”. Why would a parent make this statement? Because that child resembles them, as that child was born from them. To replicate means to be the reproduced copy of the parent. Going back to the creation moment, when Elohim created man and woman, His statement was, “…in His image, in the image of Elohim He created him – male and female He created them”. This is indeed one of the greatest blessings that we human beings could inherit, that we are made in the image of the GOD MOST HIGH. This is indeed marvellous to know that we men/women are made in the image of God. While it takes some time for our mortal human minds to comprehend this beautiful statement, the truth cannot be hidden. Yes, we human beings are created in the image of the Creator of Heaven and Earth. This is the fundamental point that we need to understand and that is, when God created us, He made us resembling Him. The first mention of shaving in Genesis can be traced to Genesis 41:14: “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon. And he shaved and changed his garments, and came to Pharaoh”. From the above verse, it can be inferred that Joseph shaved the hair on his head and any facial hair or shaved his whole body. So it can be said that Joseph did have hair on his head and face/body. First, we need to know why Joseph shaved his hair. During the time of Joseph, when a person who knew how to interpret dreams was presented to the Pharaoh, the Pharaoh considered such a person as divine (one sent by God). Keep in mind that in the Egyptian culture during the time of Joseph, the Pharaoh considered himself to be god on earth. The titles of Pharaohs linked them with aspects of the likes of the hawk-god Horus, the vulture-goddess Nekhbet and the cobra-goddess Wadjet. During the time of Pharaohs, Egyptian priests had to shave their body hair every two days, so that they wouldn’t have any lice when serving their gods. The Egyptian priests had to wear only linen garments and they were not allowed to wear other clothing. That is why in Genesis 41:14 it says that they quickly brought him out, because the Pharaoh was very eager to see Joseph. Since Joseph knew the Egyptian traditions, he knew that he could not come before the Pharaoh unless he shaved and changed his garments with appropriate ones, and he had to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream. So unofficially, we could say he looked like an Egyptian priest in the Pharaoh’s eyes, even though he never worshipped any of their gods (with no hair and dressed in the appropriate garments).The Pharaoh knew that Joseph was sent by God. That is why in verse 38 the Pharaoh said, “Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the Spirit of Elohim?” In verse 45, we then read that the Pharaoh gave him a wife of their priests (Egyptian). What we can conclude from Genesis 41:14 is that Joseph did shave the hair on his body because necessity demanded, not because it was his norm. Moreover, you need to remember that Joseph was living in bondage (slavery) before the Pharaoh made him the top ranking official in his kingdom. Now the question to be asked is, how come starting from the book of Genesis (Bereshith in Hebrew) up to the book of Leviticus (Wayyiqra in Hebrew) there is nothing mentioned about cutting the hair at the sides of one's head or trimming off the edges of one's beard (except for Genesis 41:14, the case of Joseph)? The time gap between Genesis and Leviticus is indeed considerable, comprising hundreds of years. Can we assume that when God created us He did not expect us to cut the hair at the sides of our head or clip off the edges of our beard? Since it does not say anywhere before the book of Leviticus that we must cut them, we must assume that from the time man was created we were not supposed to cut/trim what God had created, as we were created in the image of God. After all, it was God who created our hair and beard. If it was meant to be shaven off, why bother creating it? It does not add up nor does it make any sense. Therefore, we need to assume, based on the scriptures (not based on human reasoning), that we are not supposed to cut/clip off what God created, which is the hair on the side of our head and beard. Chronology of the word “beard” in the scriptures The first time the word “beard” appears is in Leviticus chapter 13:29: “And when a man, or a woman, has an infection on the head or in the beard, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean, it is an eruption, a leprosy of the head or beard”. We can gather from this verse that for men it was the norm since the time of creation to have a beard. The verse does not say, “if you have a beard”, but it says, “in the beard”. The whole chapter 13 and the subsequent chapter of Leviticus are talking about leprosy, which is a highly infectious disease. When a person is in the recovery stage from leprosy, they must then shave off the hair on their body, including their head, beard, eyebrows and wherever hair is present (Leviticus 14:9). So when do you shave your beard/hair (the reason to shave)? The first instance as per the scriptures is when you are recovering from a highly infectious disease such as leprosy (a medical condition). When we come to Leviticus 19:27, the scripture says, “Do not round the corner of your head, nor destroy the corner of your beard” (Institute of scripture research Bible Translation). What do the words “round”, “corner”, and “destroy” mean as per Leviticus 19:27? The word “round” comes from the Hebrew word “naqaph”, which means not to destroy or round (Strong’s concordance number 5362). The word “corner” comes from the Hebrew word “peah”, which means extremity, corner or side (Strong’s concordance number 6285). In this particular context, corner means side. The word “destroy” comes from the Hebrew word “shachath”, which means ruin, spoil or mar (Strong’s concordance number 7843). The question that we need to ask now is, how can we destroy or ruin the corner of the head or the beard? In this particular context, the only way we can destroy the hair is by cutting it or shaving it off. When you do this, you technically have ruined/spoiled its natural beauty, which God created. The next question that pops up is, what do you mean by “corner of your head” and “corner of your beard”? Top Figure 1: Which is the corner of your head as per Leviticus 19:27? If we look at Figure 1, we can basically say both A and B are corners of the head (this is where you can see the hair). But we need to read everything in its context. For instance, Leviticus 19:27 says, “Do not round the corner of your head, nor destroy the corner of your beard”. In this context, if area B was the corner of our head, then we wouldn’t see a beard just after the corner of B. So we can say that God is not referring to this as the corner as shown in the above figure labelled as area B. When we look at area A, we notice that this area is very peculiar because it connects with the beard. In Leviticus 19:27, the verses are continuous and it perfectly fits with what the scriptures are referring to as the corner of the head. This area A is called sideburn. A sideburn is defined as “a strip of hair grown by a man down each side of the face in front of his ears”. So this area is what God is referring to as per Leviticus 19:27.   Figure 2: Which is the corner of your beard as per Leviticus 19:27? From Figure 2, you can say that all the areas where the red line originates in principle represent the corner of the beard. These are the areas of the beard that we should not disfigure (spoil, ruin or shave). The question that comes to mind is why would Elohim ask the children of Israel not to round the corner of their head, nor destroy the corner of their beard? When Elohim instructs us to do something, He does not give us a reason in many cases, because He expects us to do what He has told us to do. For example, when you instruct your four-year-old child to do something, you expect them to do it rather than reason on why they must listen to the instruction. The problem with human beings is that when God creates something that is beautiful in His eyes, we always have a tendency to destroy it. When God creates hair for us, we have a tendency to shave it off and the same holds true for beards. When God created trees and forests, we have a tendency to destroy them and cut them down under the pretext of creating jobs, industries, and for other purposes. We always want to find an excuse for not doing what God tells us to do. One of the most often asked questions is why Elohim created hair on the human body. The medical literature shows that:   1. Hair protects us against the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun. 2. Facial hair protects our face from flying debris that is commonly seen in the environment we live in. 3. For some reason, if our body gets toxic due to any chemicals, the hair on our body helps us to identify this toxicity. In fact, the concentration of these toxic substances found in the hair is higher than that found in urine or blood. 4. Hair helps us to keep cool in summer months. The hair on our scalp provides us shade and covers us from the sun. Hair insulates our body to prevent a drop in body temperature.  5. Hair helps us to maintain the equilibrium of our body. When our body spins or falls, sensory hair cells are provoked by a sequence of events within the ear to release transmitter chemicals, which in turn stimulate sensory neurons to give us our orientation.                  God created facial hair for men to protect us from the harmful ultraviolet radiation, because we as men get more exposed to sun light than women when we work outdoors (farming, labour, construction, vehicle driving and other outdoor occupations). For instance, a study published by the Journal of Radiation Protection Dosimetry found that people with long beard and moustache (facial hair) were more protected from ultraviolet radiation than people with little or no facial hair (beard/moustache). The full research study was published by Parisi, A.V., Turnbull, D.J., Downs, N. & Smith, D. 2012, “Dosimetric investigation of the solar erythemal UV protection provided by beards and moustaches,” Radiation Protection Dosimetry, vol.150, pp.278-282. Later in Leviticus 21:4-5, we read, “A leader does not defile himself among his people, to profane himself; they do not make any bald place on their heads, and they do not shave the corner of their beard, and they do not make a cutting in their flesh”. Leviticus 21:4-5 is talking about not shaving the corner of the beard when you mourn dead people. When Israel came out of Egypt and when Elohim took them into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites, these people were pagans worshiping pagan gods and used to have pagan rituals. One of these rituals was to cut their flesh (body) and shave their heads/beards when one of their people was dead. Since the children of Israel were a set-apart (holy) people, they were not supposed to follow the traditions and practices of other people in the land where they were living. Conclusion In the Torah (the first five books of law), the book of Leviticus is the only book that contains the law of beard and the law not to cut the hair at the sides of your head. It is evident from the above statements that we are not supposed to cut the beard or cut the hair at the sides, as it was meant for our own protection. Every part of the human body, including our hair, is created for a particular function. When we try to remove/destroy that hair from its original abode, then we invite all sorts of skin illnesses such as skin cancer. Hair (beard/sideburns) for men was intended/meant to do good. When God created men and women, He used beard in men to distinguish between a man and a woman. Since women don’t have beards, we men need to have beards as this is how we were created. In today’s generation, when we walk on the street, it is sometimes hard for us to distinguish men from women because of the lack of facial hair (beard) in men. Sometimes we need to think twice if they are actually a male or a female! At the end of the day, it is our choice whether we want to follow the way of God or follow the way of men (traditions or practices existing in today’s society). In today’s generation, we see that the prevailing practice is not to have a beard and to shave our hair. In life, we always have a choice, just like the choice we had in the garden of Eden when God said “…but do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in that day that you eat of it you shall certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). But our choice was to disobey God and follow our way. God does not enforce His laws on us at this point in time. That is the same choice we had in the Garden of Eden. We hope this article will lead you to the way of God and we pray that His truth and His way of life set you free. In closing, we would like to quote Psalms 133: 1-2 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe”. Frequently Asked Questions 1. I’d like to have a beard, but I am hardly able to grow one. What can I do? You technically can’t do anything. That is how you were created by Elohim and that is how it will be. 2. Due to some health reasons, I need to shave or cut off my beard and hair to get medical treatment. What do I do in such a situation? You would have to shave or cut your hair. Using the principle (spirit of Torah) of the scriptures as found in Leviticus chapter 13, you are doing this to get well. You are not doing it because it is the norm of today’s society. 3. I have a facial injury which does not allow me to grow a beard. In such a situation, what should I do? The answer to this question can be found in the answer to question two. 4. My work regulation does not allow me to have a moustache or beard, nor does it allow me to grow hair on the sides of my head. What do I do in such a situation? (Seen in military/police under the code of discipline.) There are a number of professions and work situations that make it hard for people to have a full beard. For example, people working in mines, army/police professionals, certain medical professions, or a profession that requires you to be very close to rotating machinery/equipment. If one wants to work in such professions, it is a matter of choice most of the time. It is important to have a clear conscience in such matters, and one must be convinced in their own mind that they have made their decision based on the scriptures, because the principle of having a clear conscience in such situations is very important. Therefore, we need to be absolutely convinced that the decision we have made is the right one based on the circumstances that we are living in. William Penn once said, “Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants”. This statement is very true. Either we are ruled by God or we are ruled by men. 5. I am quite young and my hair is getting grey (white hair) on my beard. Can I dye my hair? We don’t see any scriptures that say you shall not dye your hair. So there are no issues with this. The primary reason for dyeing hair is to look neat (fine-looking) provided that the colour you use matches your natural hair colour. 6. The beard style that I use from time to time is goatee, van dyke or French beard. Are these beard styles still acceptable? The scriptures tell us that you are not to mar or destroy your beard. Since all of the above styles include “substantial amount of shaving and trimming”, it is advisable not to have such beard styles. 7. I work in the mines and I have to wear a respirator mask all the time and my long beard is a hindrance when wearing the mask. In such a situation, what should I do? The answer to this question can be found in the answer to question four. 8. Is there any specific length that you need to have for the beard? No, you can grow it as much as it naturally grows. 9. My moustache is growing towards my lips and it is causing discomfort when I eat or talk. Can I trim it? You can trim the area that is causing the problem, so that it does not create any discomfort. 10. Is it shameful for men not to have a fully grown beard? In Biblical times, it used to be a shameful matter not to have a fully grown beard. People who live by the Torah, which is the Word of YHWH, believe it is shameful for them not to have a beard. For instance, in 2 Samuel 10:1-5 we see that a person called Hanun shaved off King David’s servants’ beards. We then read King David’s answer to this, “And they informed David, and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the sovereign said, ‘Wait at Yeriho until your beards have grown, and then return’” (2 Samuel 10:5). As you can see from the scriptures, it was a shameful matter even for King David to see men without beards. 11. I have started growing my beard and I have found after a few months that I am getting acne on the skin under my beard. Unfortunately, some skin types are prone to acne, especially when you have a long beard.  In such situations, you can shorten or trim your beard so that you can prevent/control the acne. If the acne gets worse and is causing much discomfort, then you will have to shave your beard off for health reasons. Top Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet

Holy Convocation – What does the Bible say about Convocation?

12345 > Articles   > Holy Convocation – What does the Bible say about Convocation? Holy Convocation – What does the Bible say about Convocation? Convocation (also referred to as “set-apart gathering”) is the most widely used word to bring people together, by churches, Christian religious institutions and synagogues in today’s generation. It is said that on the Sabbath or Festivals, we must gather/come together to worship. The aim of this study paper is to shed light on what the word “convocation” means in its “correct context” and its spiritual meaning for all true believers of Yehoshua HaMashiach who live by the Torah (laws of Elohim). Holy Convocation The word “convocation” appears in the scriptures as follows: Word Number of times it appears in the scriptures Convocation 15 Convocations 3 In Hebrew, the word “convocation” means “miqra”, spoken as “Mik-raw” (Strong’s concordance number 4744). In Hebrew, this word means “rehearsal”. What does the word rehearsal mean? Rehearsal is defined as “the act of practicing in preparation for an event”. The term “miqra” also means to “read and understand” the laws of Elohim (God in English). The word “holy” in Hebrew in this context means “qadash”, spoken as “Kaw-dash” (Strong’s concordance number 6942). In Hebrew, this word means to be set-apart or to be holy/sanctify for God. We can clearly understand that the word “convocation” is firstly to practise, secondly to read and understand the laws of Elohim. In a nutshell, we can say that the term “convocation” means to set apart an appointed time (Sabbath/Festivals) to Elohim and to read, understand His laws so that you can use His laws in your life (practise them). The word “convocation” as per the scriptures in its chronological order In order to understand the depth of what Elohim is telling us, we need to read and understand the word “convocation” in its “chronological order”. Exodus 12:16 — “And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you; no manner of work shall be done on them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you”. Leviticus 23:3 — “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work on it: it is the Sabbath to YHWH in all your dwellings”. Leviticus 23:7 — “In the first day you shall have a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work on it”. Leviticus 23:8 — “But you shall offer an offering made by fire to YHWH for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation: you shall do no regular work on it”. Leviticus 23:21 — “And you shall proclaim on the same day a holy convocation unto you: you shall do no regular work on it: it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations”. Leviticus 23:24 — “In the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a rest, a remembrance of Teruah, a set-apart gathering”. Leviticus 23:27 — “On the tenth day of this seventh new moon is Yom haKippurim. It shall be a set-apart gathering for you. And you shall afflict your beings, and shall bring an offering made by fire to YHWH”.  Leviticus 23:34-36 — “Speak to the children of Yisrael, saying, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh new moon is the festival of Sukkot for seven days to YHWH. On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. For seven days you bring an offering made by fire to YHWH. On the eight day there shall be a set-apart gathering for you, and you shall bring an offering made by fire to YHWH. It is a closing festival, you do no servile work’”. Numbers 28:17-18 — “and on the fifteenth day of this new moon is a festival. For seven days unleavened bread is eaten. On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work”. Numbers 28:25-26 — “and on the seventh day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. And on the day of the first-fruits, when you bring a new grain offering to YHWH at your festival of Weeks, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work”. Numbers 29:1 — “And in the seventh new moon, on the first day of the new moon, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work, it is Yom Teruah for you”. Numbers 29:7 — “And on the tenth day of this seventh new moon you have a set-apart gathering, and you shall afflict your beings, you do not work”. Leviticus 23:2 — “Speak to the children of Yisrael and say to them, ‘The appointed times of YHWH, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings. My appointed times, are these’”. Leviticus 23:4 — “These are the appointed times of YHWH, set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times”. Leviticus 23:37 — “These are the appointed times of YHWH which you proclaim as set-apart gatherings, to bring an offering made by fire to YHWH, an ascending offering and a grain offering, a slaughtering and drink offerings, as commanded for every day”. From all the above verses, we can understand one main theme, which is to assemble (to do a rehearsal) for all the festivals which are the Sabbaths of Elohim. The words “assemble” and “gathering” are used interchangeably on many occasions. Gathering is defined as “an assembly or meeting. It can be also called as a place where two or more people come, like a family gathering”. In order to understand the significance of the words “assemble” and “gathering”, we need to look at an example. Assume that you are an officer in the army. It is a well-known fact that every week and many times every year you have normal trainings and special advanced trainings. Even though you have never been to war, it is important that you train yourself as per the army training schedule every week and also on appointed days. This training goes on every year, even though you have never been to war. The whole purpose of the training is to equip you with all the skills necessary so that you can use them when that day (war) comes. The important thing is to train and prepare yourself whether war comes in your life time or not.  When we apply the above army principle, that same principle applies in the convocation. The weekly training that you have in the army is compared to the Sabbath training that you do to learn the laws (Torah) of God. The appointed advanced trainings that you have in the army are compared to the training (rehearsal) that we do during the Feasts/Festivals of God. We all know that we are all waiting for the Kingdom of God to reign on earth. But we do not know when exactly that will happen (precise day/month), even though we can decipher the times which we live in. The important thing is to prepare our self for that day, so that when God’s kingdom finally arrives, we can use our skills that we learned in His kingdom. Now we need to examine what is the purpose of this assembling and what is the main rehearsal that is being done.  When Israel came out of Egypt, “the covenant” that YHWH our Elohim made with His people on Mount Sinai was “you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation” (Exodus 19:6). What do we mean by the term “priest”? The word “priest” comes from the Hebrew word “kohen”, spoken as “ko-hane” (Strong’s concordance number 3548). “A priest is a person who represents the people before God (Elohim)”. When the covenant was made by YHWH our Elohim, we were to be a reign of holy priests so that our Elohim could use us to teach other nations. In a layman’s language, you could say that a priest is similar to an ambassador. In today’s world, an ambassador is sent by a country to another so that the people of that country can learn about the other’s people and culture (the food they eat, the God they worship, the clothes they wear, their family structure and the laws that govern their society). The next question to be asked is how do you become a priest? In a gentile world (the present society in which we live), people go to a seminary or to a university to undergo training to become a priest. For example, they first enrol in a Bachelor’s in Theology or in a Divinity degree. From there, some may undertake further studies, such as a Master’s in Divinity or a PhD in Theology. So we have approximately 4 to 10 years of training to become a priest in a gentile world. For us to become a priest in the Kingdom of YHWH our God, the rules are quite different from those in a gentile world. These rules include: Understanding what the Feasts of Elohim are all about and learning the Sabbaths of Elohim. Keeping or celebrating the Feasts of Elohim every year. Today we can only celebrate the feasts. We cannot keep the feasts, as the Temple of YHWH is no longer there in Jerusalem. Previously, where ever the Ark of the Covenant was, the children of Israel would keep the feasts in that location. Since we no longer have the Ark of the Covenant or the Temple of YHWH in Jerusalem, we only celebrate the feasts as these are a shadow of good things (feasts/festivals) to come in the future. Understanding and learning the laws of Elohim (the first five books of Torah). You cannot become a priest unless you understand and learn the first five books of Torah. The first five books of Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) contain all the laws and regulations on how a priest must conduct himself in God’s temple. What he must do and not do. How he must conduct himself in the community he lives in. While we cannot practise some of the priestly laws today as there is no Temple, it is important that we learn these laws. Many people would try to tell you that since we no longer have a Temple in Jerusalem there is no need to read and learn the laws of the temple. It is almost like saying, I want to become the Prime Minister in the future, but I don’t want to learn the laws on how to rule and govern the country. As foolish as it sounds, the same principle applies over here.  There are others who say that when God’s kingdom comes He will teach us (retrain) on how to become a priest. If this statement is true, then there is no need to do anything. When God comes, He will teach us everything and at that time we will learn. If we cannot learn God’s way of life and His instructions today, do you think that God will teach you when He comes? Others will try to counter-argue this by saying that there is a time of restoration of all things and during the restoration we will learn. Yes, there is a time of restoration, but we have to do our part now in this life before we even have a chance in the next (during the reign of the Kingdom of Heaven). Yehoshua HaMashiach knew that in the future people would come with arguments that would twist His words so that God’s people would not learn the Torah. That is why when Yehoshua HaMashiach came He told everything in parables. One of the parables that Yehoshua told about the Kingdom of Heaven was the parable of talents. Matthew 25:14-30 talks about how the Master gave talents to his servants according to their ability to develop until the Master came back. In this parable, the Master is Yehoshua HaMashiach who gave talents to His servants, meaning us. In this context, the talents are His knowledge to understand the scriptures and the tools for us to learn (Bible or the Scriptures, learning the Torah, the feasts/festivals of Elohim, helping others). Throughout the parable, we find that the servants who had used the talents to do the right thing were rewarded when the Master returned. The servant who did not do anything (he was under the delusion that many church going people have today, which is, when God comes He will teach us everything) was thrown out where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Many people would then say that the Scriptures do not say anywhere that we need to learn the Torah to become a priest in God’s kingdom. But Hosea 4:6 says, “My people have perished for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest for Me.  Since you have forgotten the Torah of your Elohim, I also forget your children” (The Scriptures translation). Because we have rejected the Torah of Elohim and since we have said in our heart that we do not want to learn His ways (the Torah), He has rejected us in becoming a priest. There are people who have faithfully attended churches over many years in order to learn the way of God. Some have attended churches for 10 years, others for more than 40 years. One would assume that if you attended the church for 30 years plus, you would definitely read and understand the Torah. But when you talk to these people, they would tell you that in the past 30 years, their church has never taught them the Torah. They have taught them the New Testament and some verses of Genesis and Exodus (Garden of Eden, Noah’s flood, Mount Sinai, Red Sea Crossing and other easy topics). The reason the church ministers don’t teach the Torah is that: They don’t understand the Torah themselves. They consider the Torah as burdensome and say it is the Old Testament. They classify it as Jewish. They do not want anything to do with the Jews (because they don’t like Jews/Israel), even though Yehoshua HaMashiach was a Jew and He was also the King of the Jews. Since the temple is no longer there, we no longer need to read or learn these primitive laws and we need to look at the big picture (convert as many people as possible and just love Jesus Christ). God is love and we are saved by His grace. The Torah is not important at this point in time. God will teach us when He comes. The question you have to ask yourself is: I have attended the church for the past 20 years. Have I learnt anything about the Torah? Why is the Torah never read in the church? Why isn’t anyone teaching the Torah? There is no point in attending churches or any religious institutions under the banner of convocation if they don’t teach you the Torah. You can assemble in a church for 80 years till you die and say that all your life you have faithfully assembled under the banner of convocation; but in God’s eyes, this is absolutely useless. Why is it useless? The time that God gave you to learn His ways, you just wasted it by learning nothing. So don’t expect, when His Kingdom comes, that suddenly Yehoshua is going to tell you, “Tom, well done, faithful servant. For the past 80 years, you attended church under the banner of convocation. Now I will teach you my Torah”. If you think God is going to tell you the prior statement, it is time that you wake up from your worldly pagan church delusion. Yehoshua HaMashiach clearly said, “Do not think I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to complete. For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one yod or one title shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done. Whoever, then, breaks one of these least commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens” (Matthew 5:17-20; The Scriptures translation). If a church minister teaches you not to bother about the Torah, then be very cautious! What did Yehoshua HaMashiach say about such a person? “He shall be called least in the Kingdom of God or during the reign of the heavens”. But if you teach them to follow the Torah and help them to learn, then such a person shall be called “great” in the Kingdom of God. Understanding Holy Convocation When Israel came out of Egypt, they had forgotten God’s name and His laws. The only way for them to learn His ways and laws was to come together on the Sabbath and on His festivals to learn on how to become a priest in the future (Kingdom of God). That is why they had to assemble to learn them from Moses and from the Aaronic priesthood. Moses was the mediator between God and His people at that point in time. So Moses had all the laws with him, as God communicated with the people through Moses. Keep in mind that in those days there was no bible, no scriptures, nothing. They only had the laws of God that were told to Moses by God. No one had access to the stone tablets that were kept in the Ark of the Covenant. On every Sabbath and on God’s festivals, people during the time of Moses used to rehearse (practise) the laws of Elohim so that a day would come in the future when they could use these laws to teach others. That is why in Hebrew the word “convocation” means rehearsal. In order to rehearse something, we need to learn, then practise and wait for that day when God will fulfil His covenant that He made with us. What was the covenant that God made with us? “And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). This covenant is going to be fulfilled in the reign of Yehoshua on earth. The Book of Revelation states, “…and made us kings and priests to our Elohim, and we shall reign upon the earth” (Revelation 5:10). As you can see, the final fulfilment of the covenant will be when our King Yehoshua returns to the earth. During the time of Yehoshua HaMashiach, faithful people wrote these laws (Torah) on goat skin and were passed from one generation to another, so that people would not forget the laws of God that were given to Moses. Keep in mind that during the time of Yehoshua, no one had a copy of the Torah, except the King, in the temple, and a few synagogues. So on the Sabbath/Festivals, God’s people used to go to the temple or a synagogue to read the Torah or the books of Prophets. That is the only way they could have access to the laws of God, so that they could learn the laws of God. That is why it says in the scriptures, “…He (Yehoshua) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read” (Luke 4:16). So what did Yehoshua do on the Sabbath day? He read the Torah. This is the same custom that many people still do in synagogues in the land of Israel. They go to the synagogue and take a scroll from the Tanakh (Old Testament) and read it. The word synagogue means “gathering of people” (Strong’s concordance number 4864). If they have any questions, they discuss among each other. This is the same thing even Paul did, “And he was reasoning in the congregation every Sabbath, and won over both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4). But in today’s churches, we cannot do that. We have to shut up and listen, and the moment we ask questions they will... try not to answer; ask us where we got that information from (they want to know the source so that they can discredit it);  tell us they need to get the information from their supreme leader who is their evangelist or bishop (a man who claims that he is appointed by God); say not to worry about the question as it is not important since we are the chosen people and we are already saved; if you pester them too much, they will kick you (disfellowship) out of the church under the banner “you are making divisions/strife among the brethren”. So now you have to again ask the question “I am gathering (convocation) to learn, but how odd that I cannot ask anything or share about what I learnt with others”. Each time I tell them, they reply, “We are the teachers and hence we will teach you, not vice versa”. They will go further and tell you, “God works in a hierarchy and we have to follow the human leader just like how it was during the time of Moses. Do not rebel against God’s appointed leaders, otherwise you will lose your salvation”. There are thousands of people who fall for these statements as they (today’s religious leaders) take God’s words out of context from the scriptures to convince you that they are some sort of supreme beings on planet earth. Some say that on every Sabbath Yehoshua went into the Synagogue to teach and hence we must also go to a religious institution like a church to fellowship and learn. While it is correct that our redeemer Yehoshua did go to the Synagogue/Temple on every Sabbath to teach the people, you also need to understand that He was teaching and reading the Torah to them and was explaining what would come to pass as per the Torah and the Book of Prophets. You can attend a church for 40 years and still not learn anything. You can attend and still not read one book from the Torah and put it into practice. This is not the convocation that the children of Israel and Yehoshua set as an example for us to follow. There are many people who attend churches just for the sake of convocation and fellowship. They themselves admit that they know that the church/minister is not teaching anything. But they say they cannot forsake themselves from the appointed assembly. Indirectly, they are saying, “It is alright that if we don’t read or learn the Torah, but it is more important to assemble together for fellowship”. The above-mentioned way of assembly (it is fine to attend and not learn the Torah) was prophesied by Isaiah the prophet, that the children of Israel would do evil and not learn the ways of God and would assemble, and this would be an abomination to God. Isaiah 1:10 to 17 (The Scriptures translation) “Hear the word of YHWH, you rulers of Sedom (Sodom); give ear to the Torah of our Elohim, you people of Amorah (Gomorrah)! Of what use to Me are your many slaughtering’s? declares YHWH. I have had enough ascending offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courtyards? Stop bringing futile offerings, incense, it is an abomination to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, the calling of gatherings – I am unable to bear unrighteousness and assembly. My being hates your New Moons and your appointed times, they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. And when you spread out your hands, I hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I do not hear. Your hands have become filled with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Stop doing evil! Learn to do good! Seek right-ruling, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:10 starts with hearing the word of Torah and then live by it. Even though they were having convocation on Sabbaths and Festivals, God was not listening to their prayer. Why? Because they forsook His laws and Torah, and they were practicing unrighteousness. This is the exact thing that is happening in today’s churches and religious institutions. Ministers in almost all churches/religious institutions: Don’t want to read or teach the Torah. They oppress and rule over people who don’t have money, who don’t have a job and who do not come to their status quo. They don’t do anything good for people in the church and those outside the church. They don’t help people who are orphans or widows who do not have food to eat. As long as the ministers have a house and have food to eat, that is all that matters. What did God say about this sort of convocation? This is an abomination to me! Is this the type convocation that God requires from His people? The answer is NO. When the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem from their captivity from the Persian Empire, on the Sabbaths and on the Festivals, Nehemiah restored God’s laws to them. Nehemiah chapter 8 is the best example of what we must do when we assemble/gather (convocation) on the Sabbaths and on the Festivals of Elohim. Nehemiah chapter 8, 1-10 (Translation shown below is from The Scriptures): “And when the seventh new moon came, the children of Israel were in their cities. And all the people gathered together as one man in the open space that was in front of the Water Gate. And they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Torah of Moses, which YHWH had commanded Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly of both men and woman and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh new moon (this was the day of Trumpets. Italics added for understanding). And he read from it in the open spaces in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people listened to the Book of the Torah. And Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose. And beside him on this right stood Mattithyah, and Shema, and Anayah, and Uriyah, and Hilqiyah, and Maaseyah. And on his left stood Pedayah, and Mishael, and Malkiyah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zekaryah, Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed YHWH, the great Elohim. Then all the people answered. Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshipped YHWH with faces to the ground. And Yeshua, and Bani, and Sherebyah, Yamin, Aqqub, Shabbethai, Hodiyah, Maaseyah, Qelita, Azaryah, Yozabad, Hanan, Pelayah, and the Lewites, caused the people to understand the Torah while the people were in their place. And they read in the Book of the Torah of Elohim, translating to give the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemyah, who was the governor and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Lewites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is set-apart to YHWH your Elohim. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah. Then he said to them, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom none is prepared. For this day is set-apart to our YHWH”. Do not be sad, for the joy of YHWH is your strength.’” Nehemiah chapter 8 (read the whole chapter) is the best example of what the children of Israel did whenever they assembled (convocation) together during the Sabbath and the Festivals. They heard the word of Torah and they learnt and did what the Torah (laws of Elohim) said. What we must do on convocation (assemble)? Firstly, we need to understand that it is not a sin if we do not assemble with regular church goers. Many churches will teach you that it is a sin if you do not assemble. If you do not assemble, then they (the ministers in the church) lose your 10 percent that you give them as tithe/donation. Isaiah 1:10-17 clearly shows that you can assemble all that you want for the next 40 years, but it is absolutely useless in God’s eyes if you don’t understand or practise the Torah. The main points we need to do is: Read and understand the Torah (The first five books). Practise these laws in our life that our Master YHWH Yehoshua the Messiah gave us. Some laws (laws of sacrifices, laws of burnt offerings, temple worship laws and a few others) cannot be practised during this generation, because we do not have a Temple any more in Jerusalem. But we have to learn them as we will be doing them in the millennium when God’s kingdom is established. Convocation is your time that you spend with God, not in manmade churches. This is very important to understand. It is your appointed time with your creator, so that you can learn His ways, not the ways of churches or of the so called ministers who rule over people under the banner of “shepherds”. You can assemble with people who want to obey and learn God’s laws and with people who diligently seek God and want to learn and keep His Torah. If you do gather together, keep in mind that everyone is equal in status and there is no hierarchy. The head of every man is Yehoshua HaMashiach and we are His servants. Therefore, our role when we come together is to serve one another, not to rule over the other person.   If you do find a church that teaches and practises the Torah on the Sabbath and on God’s festivals, by all means ensure that you take time to assemble. An example of convocation, if you do not assemble with others for the Sabbaths, includes: Friday sunset – open your home for the needy and share the food that you have with them and share the word of God with them. Have a Sabbath dinner with them, share bread and wine with them, just like how Melchizedek (King of Righteousness & King of Peace) shared bread and wine with Abraham. Saturday morning – have a good rest, freshen up and spend time reading and understanding the Torah and learn to practise (rehearse) the laws of the Torah in your life and that of your family. Saturday afternoon – have lunch with your family and discuss what you have learnt and rest. Saturday sunset – once the Sabbath finishes, many people spend time reading the book of prophets or the messianic writings (New Testament). Others would take time to watch sermons on DVDs or on the You Tube. You can also invite people to your home, have dinner and discuss about God. Convocation is a shadow picture of good things to come during the reign of Yehoshua the Messiah on earth. Colossians chapter 2:16-17 says, “Let no one (man/churches/ministers) therefore judge you in eating or in drinking or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths which are a shadow of what is to come – but the body of the Messiah”. The word “body” refers to “soma” in Greek (Strong’s concordance number 4983). It means the instrument of life. What this means is that we should let the laws (the instrument of life) of the Messiah judge you. We should not allow men/ministers judge us in these matters, as there is only one righteous judge and that is Yehoshua HaMashiach. In conclusion, we need to learn the Torah and prepare our self, so that when our Master and King Yehoshua returns as King of Kings we can practise the rehearsal (what we have been doing for many years) during His reign on the earth. AMEN. AMEN. 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Church — Did Jesus Christ build a church and, if so, where is it?

12345 > Articles   > Church — Did Jesus Christ build a church and, if so, where is it? Church — Did Jesus Christ build a church and, if so, where is it? The whole concept of church came into effect after the death of Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ). At present, there are about 67,000 Christian denominations and about 3.7 million churches in the world all claiming to be the church that Yehoshua HaMashiach built. With so many churches existing in today’s society, it is impossible for a person to understand the meaning of the word “church” in its “correct context” and how it applies in today’s generation. The aim of this study paper is to answer five key questions: 1. Why is the word “church” never mentioned in the Tanakh (Old Testament)? 2. Did Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) build a church? 3. What is the true meaning of the word “church”? 4. Why do people go to church? 5. The church Jesus Christ built – How do we uncover its true meaning? Number of times the word “church(es)” is mentioned in the scriptures/Bible Word Number of times it appears in the scriptures (New Testament) Church 80 Churches 37 We can see from the scriptures that the word “church(es)” appears 117 times in the Messianic writings (New Testament) and not even once in the Tanakh (Old Testament). It comes from the Greek word “ekklesia”, pronounced as “ek-klay-see-ah” (Strong’s concordance number 1577). The word “church” means a group of people called out for a special purpose. In a nutshell, the word means “to be called out of”. For instance, from the scriptures we know that Jesus had twelve disciples. Whenever He called them, they used to assemble at a certain place to follow Him. This is what we mean by the Greek word “ekklesia”, people called out by God. When two or more people come to a certain place, that then becomes an assembly. The word “assembly” means “people who are gathered together”. Almost all Bible scholars will agree that the word “church” does not mean a physical building and has nothing to do with anything that we see in today’s modern-day Christianity. It strictly means a person who has been called out (by Yehoshua HaMashiach) for a special purpose in his or her life. History of the origin of the word “church” (How it made its way into the Bible) When we study the scriptures, it is very important to understand the history of how things have come into existence. Here are a few historical facts. All of the Bible translations since its beginning were set (how it should to be translated) by the Church of England. The Church of England was established in AD 597. The first Bible in English came into being between 1539 and 1540. This Bible was called “The Great Bible”. It was authorized by King Henry VIII of England to be read in the Church of England. It was translated by Myles Coverdale who was from the Church of England. The second Bible in English came into being in 1568 and was called “The Bishop’s Bible”. This Bible was published under the authority of the Church of England. It was translated by Matthew Parker who was the Archbishop of Canterbury. The third Bible in English came into being in 1611 and was called the Authorized King James Version. This Bible was published under the authority of the Church of England. The Authorised King James Version of the Bible laid the foundations for many other Bible translations until the late 20th century. One thing that can be understood from the above historical facts is that the word “church” already existed even before a Bible translation came into being. When Bible translators interpreted the Greek word “ekklesia” as the first three Bibles came into existence, they were so biased in their translation that they replaced the word “called out” with “church”. From that time on, almost all Bible translations till the late 20th century did not bother to correct the word “ekklesia” to its rightful meaning, that is, a group of people called out for a special purpose. One would have to ask the question, why didn’t Bible translators correct this mistake in the following Bible translations? The reason is quite simple. If they changed that translation, then most people would stop going to churches (this could lead to the collapse of the religious man-made church system). This would then lead to no money (tithes/donations) coming into the church system and many churches would close down (no people coming into the religious system). So why bother correcting this translation error that could destroy the whole church/religious system (from a translator’s perspective)? Why is the word “church” never mentioned in the Tanakh (Old Testament)? The word “church” is never mentioned in the Old Testament. God never started a church or a religion during the times of the patriarchs. God created a way of life for us to follow. If we walk in His way, it will lead us to everlasting life. That is why Genesis 3:24 says, “and He drove the man out. And He placed Kerubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Isaiah 30:21 says, “and your ears hear a word behind you, saying ‘This is the Way, walk in it’, whenever you turn to the right, or whenever you turn to the left”.  This will happen during the reign of Yehoshua HaMashiach on earth. God says to us to follow His Way that will lead to everlasting life. That is why in the Old Testament (Tanakh) you will never see the word “church” in the scriptures. During the period of the Old Testament, God used to call his people out from paganism or the corrupt worldly system, just like He called Abraham, Moses and many other people for a special purpose. He never told them to go and build churches. They were all “called out” to fulfil a purpose (destiny) that He had for them. The Greek word “ekklesia” is similar to the Hebrew word “qahal” (spoken as “kaw-hawl”) found in the Old Testament. Concordance number for “qahal” is 6951. In Hebrew, this means assembly (people called out for a purpose). The word “assembly” is used 49 times in the Old Testament. Let’s look at some examples of the word “qahal” (assembly) in its chronological order: Genesis 49:6 — “Let my being not enter their council, let my esteem not be united to their assembly; because they killed a man in their displeasure, and they lamed an ox in pleasure.” Exodus 12:6 — “And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same new moon. Then all the assembly of the congregation of Yisrael shall slay it between the evenings.” Exodus 16:3 — “…If only we had died by the hand of YHWH in the land of Mitsrayim, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to satisfaction! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to put all this assembly to death with hunger.” Did Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) build a church? The premises for starting a church by today’s Christians and other religious people stem from a statement that Yehoshua (Jesus) made to Peter. This statement has laid foundation to tens of thousands of churches today. Let us now examine the statement that Jesus made in Matthew 16:18-19. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (King James Version translation). A casual church goer needs no other proof other than the above-mentioned statement, which says that Jesus will build a church and hell will not prevail against it. Then it further elaborates that whatever you bind (do) on earth shall be done in heaven, which technically means, even if you do sin in the name of God, it does not matter what sin you do (molesting children, homosexuality, killing people, doing drugs, fornication, adultery and other sins) as nothing is going to happen to you in heaven. This is the belief that many churches such as the Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, Evangelical churches and many others share. These churches provide you with a “license to sin”. Since God has provided Peter with all authority, the church leaders can do whatever they want and still be saved by the grace of God. The laws of God are not binding to these churches. They have the power to supersede the laws of God, as Peter is the head/leader of the church. The Encyclopaedia Britannica in their documented evidence said the following about the Catholic Church during the 12th Century: “From the 12th century onward the process of salvation was therefore increasingly bound up with money” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, topic of “Indulgence”). When the Catholic Church was growing, they needed money to build their extravagant churches and domes that comprised gold and exaggerated artwork. The best way to raise money was to sell indulgences (forgiveness). The Catholics said that if you paid them money in the form of a donation, it would be ensured that you would have immediate entry into heaven without time in hell. Hence, this was a licence to sin (get out of jail card) without the need to repent. For example, I want to kill or rape someone in the future and I pay the Catholic Church money in the form of a donation and they would give me a licence to sin for a future event that has not yet taken place. This would ensure that I would still enter the kingdom of heaven (one-way ticket to heaven) without spending any time in hell and there is no need for me to repent of this sin as I have procured my way to heaven via the Catholic Church. Time magazine in the United States published an article in February 2009 titled “Why Catholic Indulgences Are Making a Comeback”. The article said that indulgences are coming back to the Catholic Church in a new form. The articles states, “It sounds too good to be true. Now for a limited time  the year of St. Paul, to be specific, which ends in June, say a prayer, pop by a designated church and qualify for an indulgence that deducts time from your scorching (severe) sojourn (temporary stay) in the cleansing fires of purgatory (a place where people are tormented to correct their sins).” (Words in brackets are added for understanding.) The question we need to ask is, is this the kind of church that Jesus Christ made? Churches that allow people to rape, commit fornication/adultery, squeeze money out from people under the banner of donations, rule over people and their affairs, and teach people not to follow the laws of God? Let’s now find out the truth of what Yehoshua HaMashiach actually did say in Matthew 16:18-19. Decoding Matthew 16:18-19 Greek words Peter (concordance number 4074: meaning rock or stone) Rock (concordance number 4073: meaning large stone) Build (concordance number 3618: meaning establish or grow in wisdom) Church (concordance number 1577: called out or assembly of people) Gates (concordance number 4439: meaning gate or entrance) Hell (concordance number 0086: meaning grave or death) Prevail (concordance number 2729: meaning overcome or have strength) Keys (concordance number 2807: meaning key or authority) Kingdom (concordance number 0932: meaning royal power or rule) Heaven (concordance number 3772: meaning the world or universe) Bind/Bound (concordance number 1210: meaning bind/bound by the law) Earth (concordance number 1093: meaning land or earth) Loose/loosed (concordance number 3089: meaning to set a person free from bondage, from being tied up) Matthew 16:18-19 Corrected Translation After decoding Matthew 16, verses 18 to 19, we can now provide the corrected translation of Matthew 16:18-19. Verse 18: And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I shall grow My called out people and the gates of grave1 shall not overcome them2. Verse 19: And I shall give you the authority of royal power and whatever you bind by law3 on earth shall be having been bound in eternity and whatever you set free on earth shall be having been set free in eternity.  Footnotes for Matthew 16:18-19 1The chosen people of God will always prevail against evil. A remnant of their seed will always remain throughout the ages. 2The called out people. 3Law refers here to the Torah, the first five books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Numbers). Keep in mind that the New Testament (Messianic Writings) did not even exist when Yehoshua said this to Peter. Understanding Matthew 16:18-19 the Corrected Translation By accurately translating Matthew 16:18-19, we can come to a clearer picture of what Yehoshua HaMashiach was articulating to Peter. Because of the faith that Peter had in Yehoshua, He said to Peter, just like you, I will call out many people whose foundations (in the laws of Torah) are as strong as a rock. I (Yehoshua) will grow these people in knowledge and in wisdom of the Torah and also teach them what will happen in the future (things to come) and death (evil) can never overcome them. They will always prevail against adversity. We need to ask why would Yehoshua make such a statement to Peter. For this, we need to read what happened in the previous verses of Matthew 16, 18-19. Yehoshua was asking His disciples about what people said that He was. Some of them said, “you are John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets”. Then Peter, from all of His disciples, said that “You are the Messiah the Son of the Living Elohim”. And Yehoshua answering said to him, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Yonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father in the heavens” (Matthew 16: 16-17).     Since Peter confessed through divine revelation from the Father that Yehoshua was indeed the Messiah as foreseen by the prophets, Yehoshua blessed Peter and gave him a “prophetic revelation” of the future in verses 18 and 19 of Matthew 16.  When we come to verse 19, the revelation gets deeper. Here Yehoshua is saying to Peter that in the future He will give him royal power just like the power that is given to a king.  Based on the laws of Elohim (God), that are set from eternity (heaven), what you (Peter) do on earth will be as it is set in eternity. What we can understand from verses 18 and 19 is that both are future events. Verse 18 is an event that will be continuous in nature, where people will be called out from the world for a special purpose, just like Peter was called out to follow the Messiah in everything. When we come to verse 19, this is the reward of Peter that Yehoshua HaMashiach will give to him when the Kingdom of God is established on earth. When we read the scriptures in their chronological order, we understand in Matthew 19:28 that Yehoshua HaMashiach makes a proclamation to His disciples. “And Yehoshua said to them: Truly I say to you, when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His majesty, you who have followed Me, in the reign shall also sit on twelve thrones judging (concordance number 2919, the correct translation of the word “judging” should be “determining right and wrong”) the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).” This is why Yehoshua said to Peter that whatever he binds by law (laws of Torah) on earth will be as it is set in eternity. To judge (determining right and wrong) and proclaim decisions based on law, you would have to know the laws of Elohim (Torah). These laws are set from eternity by the Almighty God. When we read Matthew 6:10 before we come to Matthew 16, it says, “let your Reign come, let your desire (concordance number 2307, the correct translation word should be “decree”, which means an official order) be done on earth as it is in heaven”. The accurate translation of Matthew 6:10 should read as “let your decree be done on earth as it is in heaven”. During the reign of the Messiah on earth, when Peter becomes a king, he will use the laws of Elohim to judge (determining right and wrong). These laws are not made by Peter, but are already given in the Torah (decree issued by God). We must also understand that in the New Testament, when the word “law” is mentioned by Yehoshua HaMashiach, it means the “laws of Torah”. Why is it the laws of Torah? The reason is the New Testament did not even exist during the time of Yehoshua HaMashiach. Whenever Yehoshua HaMashiach was using the word “law”, He was referring to the Torah. What is the true meaning of the word “church”? We have seen from the above accounts that the word “church” means people called out for a special purpose. So then the next question that comes to our mind is, why does the word “church” appear in the rest of the scriptures starting from the book of Matthew and going all the way to the book of Revelation? The answer is quite simple; the correct translation should be people or an assembly of people who are gathered for a purpose. Let’s look at some verses with the corrected translation: Matthew 18:17 — “And if he refuses to hear them, say it to the assembly. And if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you like the nations and a tax collector”. Acts 2:47 — “…praising Elohim and having favour with all the people. And the Master added to the assembly those who were being saved, day by day”. Acts 5:11 — “And great fear came upon all the assembly and upon all who heard of this”. Acts 7:38 — “This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the Messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living Words to give to us”. Acts 15:41 — “And he went through Suria and Kilikia, strengthening the assemblies”.  1 Timothy 3:15 — “but if I delay, that you might know how you should behave in the House of Elohim, which is the assembly of the living Elohim, a strong support and foundation of the truth”. Revelation 2:1 — “To the messenger of the assembly of Ephesos write”. Revelation 2:12 — “To the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write”. We know that the word “church” appears 117 times in the Messianic writings (New Testament) as a wrong translation. All the places where you see the word “church” it must be translated either as assembly or people, as shown in the above examples. The Church Made by Men or the Way of Life of God (YHWH) — You Choose Your Destiny! Churches Made by Men (Characteristics of False Prophets Who Come as Ravenous Wolves) Headed by their supreme leader (man/woman) or run by a council/group of people (Pope, Bishops, Rabbis, Evangelists, Apostles, Prophets and Ministers). They say they are appointed by God or they are the remnant of the actual church of the living God started by the apostles. Teaches that you must follow all the traditions and laws of the churches (doctrines made by men under the banner of God). For example, you cannot come to church unless you attire in the nicest clothes you have. Teaches you not to follow all the scriptures, especially the Tanakh and Torah because it is the Old Testament. They pick and choose what they like. For example, only follow the Feasts of God, Prophecies in the Old Testament like prophecy of Daniel and the Ten Commandments. They only follow the New Testament and do not follow the Old Testament. As God is love, they give you licence to sin, which is “God understands, we are already saved”. They rule over you and your affairs. You must pay tithes or donations to the church. If you do not, then your days are counted in the church. They run on the ideology “Need to start as many churches so that we can grow (basically their own finances) and proclaim the good news of God’s coming Kingdom”. They sell God’s word to make money based on their own ideologies. They want more people to join their group, because they say this is the group through which God is working. “God works primarily through our church as we are the chosen flock.” They commonly call themselves the little flock. The reason they give to other people for joining them is, “if you join us, we will be saved just before the tribulation (pre-tribulation rapture) or we will all go to the place of safety”. Some examples are shown below: If you join an Evangelical, Baptist Church, they teach you “if you join us, just before the tribulation we will be raptured into heaven in a blink of an eye”. If you join the Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox Church, they teach you “if you join us, we will give you the ticket to heaven”. If you join Jehovah’s witnesses, they teach you if you join us, "you will not be destroyed during Armageddon as we are the elite ones”. If you join the Mormons, they teach you, we will be god one day and we will have our own planet to rule. If you join the Worldwide Church of God and all of its splinter groups that go under the name Church of God (for example, Living Church of God, United Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God, Restored Church of God and others), they teach you, if you join us, we will go to the place of safety called Petra in Jordan just before the tribulation. If you go against their man-made, out-of-context teachings, they disfellowship you (kick you out). The Way of Life of YHWH (Characteristics of the Bride of Yehoshua HaMashiach) Headed by Our Elohim Yehowah Yehoshua HaMashiach. The righteous Shepherd, Rabbi, King and Judge. People are servants and are ready to serve. They follow their Master Yehoshua. People do not rule over other people and they do not follow men. People are faithful and live by His WORD — The Tanakh and the Messianic Writings (The whole scriptures/Bible). They are undefiled virgins spiritually. They guard, teach and follow the Torah (the first five books of the law). Here people are not part of any manmade churches or manmade synagogues. They live a simple life, are not infected by manmade churches/religion and they wait patiently for their Master Yehoshua HaMashiach to return as King of Kings. Why do people go to church? This is a question that keeps coming up, why do people go to church? These days, people don’t go to church to learn the Torah as ministers hardly teach anything. Some of the reasons why people attend a church include: It has become a social club where you need to give your weekly attendance. If you do not go, you will get a phone call from the minister. There is a general belief today that you have to be part of a church to get saved. In a nutshell, salvation comes through the church. For gossiping and to find out the latest trends in fashion. To find a life partner to get married or to eventually have a boyfriend/girlfriend. It has become a place where people show off their latest apparel (Armani silk ties, suits) and their cars. It is a great place to rule (dominate) and tell people what to do. For singing, dancing and to have tea/coffee that comes after the service. Some people say that “we are a small group of people meeting in a rented hall. Therefore, we are an assembly of people or a congregation of people”. They say, “we love God and that is why we meet every week”. While the attitude to meet and fellowship is correct, the desire to learn the Torah is absent. This is what Yehoshua HaMashiach said to such a group of people who gathered in His name and did not have the Torah in them: “And then I shall declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:23). We need to ask the question, what did Yehoshua HaMashiach mean by the word “lawlessness”? The word comes from the Greek word “anomia” (Concordance number 0458). It means a person without law or a person who violates the law (Torah). So what law is Yehoshua HaMashiach talking about over here? Keep in mind that the New Testament wasn’t even written when this was said. He was talking about the Torah (the first five books of the scriptures). Torah means teaching/instruction of law. Matthew 7:23 is a prophetic revelation that Yehoshua gave to today’s church goers. “They come together for fellowship because they say they love me and they say they believe me. But for me, they are a group of people without law (the Torah).” It is equally important to understand Matthew 7:22 the previous verse. Here Yehoshua is saying that these churches, ministers and church goers have great power to evangelise (preaching the message of God’s Kingdom, warning the house of Israel to repent), to cast demons out (power to heal) and to do good things for people (helping people). Let’s read Matthew 7:22-23. “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name? And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:22-23). It is very important to take some time to understand Matthew 7:22-23, as this is the fate of tens of thousands of church goers in today’s generation. These days, most people get attracted to go to a church by some of the following factors: The size of the church (how big they are in its numbers). Do they preach the Gospel of the Kingdom (evangelising through mass media like TV, Radio, Newspaper, and Internet)? Do they prophesise and tell about the future of nations (what is the destiny of USA, UK, Israel and other nations)? Can they do any miracles or healing? This is the church where all my friends and family members attend (the herd mentality). Yehoshua HaMashiach as per Matthew 7:22-23 told them to leave, because these people are without law (Torah) even though they preached in His name and did mighty works. Is it wrong to assemble or go to a church? You need to understand that it is not wrong to assemble or even go to a church. But you need to ask yourself if you are learning the Torah and the laws of Elohim and whether the fruits of the law are seen in you. If this is not happening, you are just wasting your time by going to a church. In today’s generation, there are only a few people and less than a few churches that do what God tells them to do. You can identify these people by their fruits. That is why Yehoshua said, “But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16). The term “false prophets” comes from the Greek word “pseudoprophetes” (Concordance number 5578). This means “a person who acts as if they are divinely inspired but utters false information (one who twists the word of Elohim) under the name of divine (inspired by God) prophecies”. The term “wolves” comes from the Greek word “lukos” (Concordance number 3074). This means they are cruel, greedy and destructive. Destructive means they do no good to others; as long as they get fed, nothing else matters. The term “ravenous” comes from the Greek word “harpax” (Concordance number 0727). This means an extortioner or a robber. These false ministers (prophets) rob you of your money (that comes under the banner of tithes/donations) and they feed you false ideologies/out-of-context teachings (be a part of us and you will be saved). When you attend churches that rule over you, eventually you start to decay (rot) spiritually within yourself over the years, until you come to a point in time where you either give up your faith or don’t want to be a part of any religious system. This is a characteristic of a ravenous wolf. They technically rape you spiritually. By the time they have raped you spiritually over the years, you are left with nothing. This is the same thing that happened during the time of Yehoshua HaMashiach. Our Master told the religious self-righteous leaders the same thing, which is: “Woe to you, scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites. Because you go about the land and the sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him a son of Gehenna twofold than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). Gehenna (also called Hell in English) means the final place of punishment for the ungodly. We can understand from Matthew 23:15 that these so-called evangelists, ministers, would be preaching the word of God (coming Kingdom of God) through television and internet all over the world. When they find one person who joins their church, over time they spiritually rape that person. By the time they finish, that person has lost their faith in God. This religious system was well established even during the time of Yehoshua HaMashiach and still continues to this day. You need to understand that these wolves come out from the religious system. There are many churches who say, “we are the seed of Father Abraham, we are from the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh, and we are the anointed ones”. The key to understand this is given in Matthew 10: verse 6 and 16. “…but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). “See I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16). The wolves are coming from within the house of Israel. These wolves have already directed the sheep into their religious system. We, the children of God, are to set the sheep free from these wolves. This is the job of God’s true children. We need to tell them to come out of the religious system and manmade churches before it leads them to their destruction. The sheep have only one Shepherd to learn from and that is our Master Yehoshua HaMashiach. This is why Yehoshua said, “My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me” (John 10:27). The term “sheep’s clothing” comes from the Greek words “probaton” (concordance number 4263) and “enduma” (concordance number 1742). The key to understanding this verse is in what they wear. In today’s generation, these false ministers wear suits. In general, what is a suit made of? A suit is made of wool. It is common knowledge that sheep gives out wool. So they come to you well dressed in a suit that is pleasing to your eyes, but technically they are there to deceive you. What do we mean by the term “fruits”? It comes from the Greek word “karpos” (concordance number 2590). In this context, it means by their works and deeds you will know whether they are a true disciple of Yehoshua. Previously, we have explained the characteristics of a false prophet who comes forth as a ravenous wolf and the characteristics of the bride of Yehoshua. Based on these characteristics, you can determine yourself whether the church you go to falls into any of the categories. So, how do we find out who are the actual people who keep all of God’s laws? The answer is quite simple. It is very hard. God knows who they are, but we don’t.  For example, a good friend of mine said to me some time back, “It is not possible that we are the only people in Australia that keep all of the laws of Elohim; there have to be other people”. I said to him, “There are others, but how do we know who they are and how can we find them?” One fine day, I was talking to my wife about this same question, and when she was reading the scriptures, she fell upon a verse in the Messianic writings. I believe that the spirit of Elohim guided my wife to these verses. “YHWH, they have killed Your prophets and overthrown Your slaughter-places, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”. But what does the answer of Elohim say to him? “I have left for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (Romans 11:3-4). When I read Romans 11:3-4, it made sense. This is a prophetic shadow picture of what will happen in every generation. In the above verses, Elijah, the mighty prophet of God, is talking to YHWH. He is telling him in his frustration that “There is not one person that I know who has not forsaken your Torah and who has gone after other gods (false religious system)”. But what did YHWH tell Elijah? He said, “Don’t worry, Elijah, there are men just like you who are undefiled and there are seven thousand of them living in this land who will not compromise in false worship or bow down to false prophets (ravenous wolves)”. Imagine this, Elijah being a powerful prophet did not know that there were seven thousand people living in the land of Israel who did exactly what he was doing, which was only to worship the true God of Heaven and Earth and who kept the Torah. But God did not reveal to Elijah what their names were or where they lived and from which tribe they came from. This is what we call the “Bride of Yehoshua”. Only God knows who His chosen people are. As these people keep themselves undefiled and do not play religion or church, no one knows where they live or know anything about them except for YHWH. When we asked God, “Are we the only ones in Australia that keep your laws and Torah?”, the answer given by God was “No” and it came from the scriptures. I have kept thousands of people just like you, who do not compromise nor bow down to any manmade churches or religion. So if you think you live an isolated life, you don’t have any friends that you want to share the Torah with, do not be disheartened. There are thousands like you out there, who patiently wait to be the bride of Yehoshua. This is a revelation of Yehoshua to His followers in the future. I know there will be perilous times coming just like in the days of Elijah; hold strong to your faith and I (Yehoshua) will be with you till the end of this age. If you would like to know more about what do we do when we assemble together to learn the way of God, read our article titled “Holy Convocation – What does the Bible say about Convocation?” The church Jesus Christ built – How do we uncover its true meaning?  In summary, if you think your religion, church, evangelist, prophet, pope, bishop, rabbi can save you, then you will be disappointed. From Genesis to Revelation, you will not find anywhere written by God that if you are part of a group (religion/church), you will be saved. Many false prophets and teachers/ministers will try to deceive you saying that you have to be part of a group of people in order to get saved. Do not believe them. The only person you need in your life is your Master Yehoshua HaMashiach. That is why our Master said, “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). The church that Yehoshua HaMashiach built is nothing more than His chosen, elect people who are scattered all over the world. These people are undefiled by religion or church and they do not compromise. Their foundation in the Torah and the Messianic writings is as strong as a rock. They are “spiritual virgins” waiting for their Master to take them. They live a life of obedience to their Master Yehoshua HaMashiach by keeping the Torah and the Prophets. That is why our Master Yehoshua HaMashiach said, “Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter in through it. Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The road of religion and church is so wide that millions of people travel through that broad gate. The gate of life is so narrow that only a few find it. The key to understanding is that you have to take the initiative in your life to find that narrow gate. By playing religion or church, you can never find that narrow gate. For illustration, I have good friends of mine who love to play church. They wear two masks. When they are in the church, they show the ministers they are obedient to their word. As soon as they leave church, they tell me, “I did not learn anything or the minister does not teach anything and it is a waste of time going to church”. The problem with these friends of mine is that they are so infected with religion and church that they are not able to come out from it even though they know the church is totally wrong. So technically, they have one leg in the church and the other leg out of the church. You have to understand that you can never be a part of the bride of Yehoshua HaMashiach when you play both sides. Our Master is looking for a bride that is a “spiritual virgin”. He is not looking for the one who compromises. He is looking for the one who is “undefiled”. That is why in the future there will be millions of people who will walk through the broad gate of destruction or lawlessness. This is why Yehoshua HaMashiach said, “And if the blind leads the blind, both shall fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:14). If you follow this religious manmade church system and these religious ministers, they will take you with them to the ditch in which they will eventually fall. If you follow the whole scriptures, the Tanakh and the Messianic Writings, rest assured that your reward will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven and, on that day, our Master Yehoshua HaMashiach will tell you, “Well done, Good and Faithful Servant. Come; inherit my kingdom that I have prepared for you”.     Links Our Beliefs Resources on Scriptures Articles on Scriptures   Experts on Scriptures (Bible/Torah) Contact Us © 2018, Messianic Jews Natsarenes. All Rights Reserved.Designed By BitraNet