Blessing for the Torah:
Bar’chu et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH
ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch ata YHVH
Eloheinu melech ha-olam
asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH,
the blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of
the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples,
and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you,
YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
The Torah is full of
wonderful practical instruction for YHVH’s Covenant Community – His Kehelah.
In the Greek Hellenistic
pattern of thinking, life and spirituality are seen in the light of concepts
and ideas (theology) that express themselves in real life as contrary to or in
place of the instruction of Torah.
In the Hebraic pattern of
thinking life and spirituality are expressed in practical day to day living in
obedience to YHVH’s Torah.
We are witnessing in our
day that everything that is built or expresses itself contrary to Torah is busy
disintegrating.
When Yahshua returns, the
Torah will be our day to day instruction manual taught to Israel and the
nations by Yahshua himself and all those appointed by YHVH according to His
Torah to uphold and establish Torah throughout all the earth.
If this is true for when
Yahshua returns, how much more is it true for us who are alive today?
Isa 2:2 And it shall be in the latter days that the
mountain of the House of יהוה is established
on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. And all
nations shall flow to it.
Isa 2:3 And many
peoples shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of יהוה, to the House of the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ, and
let Him teach1 us His ways1, and let us walk in His paths1,
for out of Tsiyon comes forth the Torah1, and the Word1
of יהוה from Yerushalayim.” Footnote: 1His
ways, His paths, the teaching and the Word of יהוה are used synonymously.
Isa 2:4 And He
shall judge between the nations, and shall reprove many peoples. And they shall
beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither teach battle any more.
Isa 2:5 O house of
Yaʽaqoḇ, come
and let us walk in the light of יהוה.
Isa 2:6 For You
have forsaken Your people, the house of Yaʽaqoḇ,
because they have been filled from the East, and practice magic like the
Philistines, and they are pleased with the children of foreigners.
Isa 2:7 And their
land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures.
And their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. (Israel
today has great military strength and is considered one of the most powerful
armies in the world)
Isa 2:8 And their
land is filled with idols; they bow themselves to the work of their own hands,
to what their own fingers have made. (Sadly this is the spiritual state of many
who consider themselves believers)
Our Torah Portion begins (the
last portion of Parashat Shoftim):
Deu 20:10 “When you draw near to a city to fight
against it, then you shall make a call for peace to it.
Deu 20:11 “And it shall be that if it accepts your call
for peace, and shall open to you, then all the people found in it are to be
your compulsory labour, and serve you.
Deu 20:12 “But if it does not make peace with you, and
shall fight against you, then you shall besiege it,
The Nazarene Talmud(New Testament) teaches us a similar principle.
Mat 10:13 “And if the house is worthy, let your peace
come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Mat 10:14 “And whoever does not receive you nor hear
your words, when you leave that house or city, shake off the dust from your
feet.
Mat 10:15 “Truly, I say to you, it shall be more
bearable for the land of Seḏom and Amorah in the
day of judgment than for that city!
Mat 10:16
“See, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise
as serpents and innocent as doves.
The principle is that
YHVH wants us to share the blessing of Torah, which is the gift of peace. Sadly
many people refuse His offer of peace and then they will face terrible
consequences.
Rom 12:18 If possible, on your part, be at peace with
all men.
Mat 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, because they
shall be called sons of Elohim.
This Torah principle
also applies to personal conflicts – see also Mt 5:23,24 - Midrash.
We see Israel in the
last war with Gaza first warned their enemies of impending bombings. Who does
this in our modern times?
Deu 20:13 and יהוה your Elohim
shall give it into your hands, and you shall smite every male in it with the
edge of the sword.
Deu 20:14 “Only
the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city,
all its spoil, you take as plunder for yourself. And you shall eat the enemies’
plunder which יהוה your Elohim
gives you.
Deu 20:15 “Do so
to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of
these nations.
Deu 20:16 “Only,
of the cities of these peoples which יהוה your Elohim
gives you as an inheritance, you do not keep alive any that breathe,
Deu 20:17 but you
shall certainly put them under the ban: the Ḥittite(Turkey)
and the Amorite(Syria) and the Kenaʽanite(Lebanon)
and the Perizzite(Descended from Ham and lived in villages in the land of
Yisrael) and the Ḥiwwite(descended from Lot dwelling in Yisrael) and the
Yeḇusite,(migrated from Yisrael to Africa) as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you,
See also Dev 7:1 and Mt 8:28 and Acts 16:6.
Sadly many of the descendants of these nations
assimilated amongst the Jews. This could still be the cause of unrighteous
influences among Jews to this day.
When the exiles return to Yisrael in the last days, no
group of people or individuals may be permitted to live, who will in any way
hinder Yisrael, reject the Torah or refuse to submit to Israel’s Elohim and His
Messiah.
Deu 20:18 lest
they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done
for their mighty ones, and you sin against יהוה your Elohim.
Deu 20:19 “When
you besiege a city for a long time by fighting against it to take it, you do
not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. If you do eat of them,
do not cut them down. For is the tree of
the field a man to be besieged by you? (consider the damage nuclear weapons
bring to nature )
Deu 20:20 “Only
the trees which you know are not trees for food you do destroy and cut down, to
build siege-works against the city that is fighting against you, until it
falls.
We need to understand that when Yahshua comes again there
will be 1000 years of peace on earth.
Isa 60:10 “And the sons of foreigners shall build your
walls, and their sovereigns serve you. For in My wrath I have smitten you, but
in My delight I shall have compassion on you.
Isa 60:11 “And your gates shall be open continually,
they are not shut day or night, to bring to you the wealth of the gentiles, and
their sovereigns in procession.
Isa 60:12 “For the nation and the reign that do not
serve you shall perish, and those gentiles shall be utterly laid waste.
YHVH will
destroy all the nations that go against Yerushalayim (Zechariah 12:9, Isaiah
60:12)
Rev 20:1 And I saw a messenger coming down from the
heaven, having the key to the pit of the deep and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he seized the dragon, the serpent of old,
who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 and he threw him into the pit of the deep,
and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should lead the nations no
more astray until the thousand years were ended. And after that he has to be
released for a little while.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones – and they sat on them, and
judgment was given to them – and the lives of those who had been beheaded
because of the witness they bore to יהושע and because of
the Word of Elohim, and who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did
not receive his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands. And they lived
and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years
Rev 20:5 (and the
rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended) –
this is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed
and set-apart is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second
death possesses no authority over these, but they shall be priests of Elohim
and of Messiah, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
The Torah seems to indicate clearly a pattern of the
complete destruction of all YHVH’s enemies before Yahshua returns to usher in
the 1000 years of peace.
This pattern of complete destruction will occur again
after the completion of the 1000 years of peace on earth when there will once again be a final rebellion
against YHVH.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years have ended, Satan
shall be released from his prison,
Rev 20:8 and he shall go out to lead the nations
astray which are in the four corners of the earth, Goḡ and Maḡoḡ, to gather them
together for battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And
they came up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the
set-apart ones and the beloved city. And fire came down from Elohim out of the
heaven and consumed them.
Rev 20:10
And the devil, who led them astray, was thrown into the lake of fire and
sulphur where the beast and the false prophet are. And they shall be tortured
day and night forever and ever.
Rev 20:11
And I saw a great white throne and Him who was sitting on it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
Rev 20:12
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and
books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of
Life. And the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to
their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it,
and death and the grave gave up the dead who were in them. And they were
judged, each one according to his works.
Rev 20:14 And the death and the grave were thrown into
the lake of fire. This is the second death.1 Footnote: 1See
2:11, 20:6, 21:8.
Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found written in the
Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
“At the end of the one
thousand year reign of Yahshua, Satan is released from his prison. Why is Satan turned loose upon the nations? To do the
same work that he has been doing since the dawn of man, to deceive the nations
of the world and to lead them in a final rebellion against YHVH. But why would
YHVH loose Satan to roam free on the earth again after He had him bound? Noted
author and speaker Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe gives this explanation:
Satan will be released
from the pit and permitted to lead one last revolt against YHVH. Why? As final
proof that the heart of man is desperately wicked and can be changed only by
YHVH’s favour(as manifested through His Son and revealed through His Set apart
Word the Torah). Imagine the tragedy of this revolt: People who have been
living in a perfect environment, under the perfect government of YHVH’s Son,
will finally admit the truth and
rebel against the King! Their obedience will be seen as mere feigned submission,
and not true faith in YHVH at all.”
Psa 19:7 The Torah of יהוה is perfect,
bringing back the being; The witness of יהוה is
trustworthy, making wise the simple;
Psa 19:8 The
orders of יהוה are straight,
rejoicing the heart; The command of יהוה is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
Psa 19:9 The fear
of יהוה is clean, standing forever; The
right-rulings of יהוה are true, They
are righteous altogether,
Psa 19:10 More
desirable than gold, Than much fine gold; And sweeter than honey and the
honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Also,
Your servant is warned by them, In guarding them there is great reward.
Unsolved Homicide.
Deu 21:1 “When
anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which יהוה your Elohim is
giving you to possess, and it is not known who smote him,
Deu 21:2 then your
elders and your judges shall go out, and they shall measure the distance from
the slain man to the cities round about.
Deu 21:3 “And it
shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man shall take a
heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke,
Deu 21:4 and the
elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a wadi with flowing water,
which is neither ploughed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck
there in the wadi.
Deu 21:5 “And the
priests, the sons of Lĕwi, shall come near, for יהוה your Elohim
has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the Name of יהוה, and by their mouth every strife and every
stroke is tried.
Deu 21:6 “And let
all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man wash their hands over the
heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi.
Deu 21:7 “And they
shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes
seen it.
Deu 21:8 ‘O יהוה, forgive Your people Yisra’ĕl, whom You
have redeemed, and do not allow innocent blood in the midst of Your people
Yisra’ĕl.’ And the blood-guilt shall be pardoned to them.
Deu 21:9 “Thus you
purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst when you do what is right in
the eyes of יהוה.
Finally:
Rabbi
Nachman Kahana, an orthodox rabbinic scholar, offers comfort to believers who
sense a connection between the Iranian nuclear deal and the End of Days. He
cites the Yalkut Shimoni, a 16th century rabbinic commentary on the Bible,
which describes the current situation prophetically.
“The
Yalkut states that Paras (Persia-Iran) will be the dread of humanity. The
world’s leaders will be frustrated in their futile efforts to save what they
can. The people of Yisrael will also be petrified by the impending danger,” he
wrote. “And HaShem will say to us, ‘Why are you afraid? All of this I have done
in order to bring you the awaited Redemption. And this Redemption will not be
like the Redemption from Egypt, which was followed by suffering. This Redemption
will be absolute, followed with peace.’”
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu,
Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting
life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn
Please
note these notes are under construction and are subject to correction and are
in no way a final authority on any subject