Aliens and Sojourners have always been a part of the Congregation

Genesis 35:22C-26

...Now there were twelve sons of Jacob— ²³ the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; ²⁴ the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; ²⁵ and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali; ²⁶ and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

A common mistake of Christians is to believe that the Torah was given to the Jews alone.  This is simply not true.  What is never taught in the church is that the Jews did not even exist until Judah, the fourth son Jacob.  Abraham was not a Jew and neither was Isaac or Jacob; they were Hebrews.  Also Jacob's name was later changed to Israel, not Judah.  So if Israel was formed from the loins of Jacob (not a Jew) then why does the church act like only Jews are Israel?  The Apostle Paul also disagrees with this view in Romans 11 claiming that the Olive Tree of Israel consists of natural branches and wild branches grafted in.

Jacob had twelve sons and Judah was only one of the twelve tribes:

Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Judah
Issachar
Zebulun
Joseph
Benjamin
Dan
Naphtali
Gad
Asher

The term "Jews" was derived from Yehudim which came from the name of the region Judah.  The Yehudim and the Levi Priests are considered the Southern Kingdom while the the Northern Kingdom (also known as the "House of Israel" or "House of Ephraim") that was scattered to the nations consisted of ten of the twelve tribes.  The Assyrians captured the House of Ephraim and they have yet to be gathered from the ends of the earth and return to the land by YHVH.  The Southern Kingdom are those who occupy the land during this day.


So the apostle Paul says in Galatians that those who have faith are children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7).  Since Abraham was not a Jew, then his children are not necessarily Jews.  In fact, the children of Abraham are both Jews and non-Jews who believe in the Messiah and this is what is Israel.  Believers in Messiah are the children of promise just like Isaac.

So if the Torah was not given to Jews only, then who was it given to?    If you will allow your beliefs to be formed from Scripture, you will see the truth and as Yeshua said, "...the truth will set you free."  The alien or the sojourner has always been among the congregation.  There has always been a mixture of native and non-native peoples in the congregtaion, wild branches and natural branches in the Olive tree of Israel whose root it Yeshua.   The two people that led Israel into the Promised Land were Joshua and Caleb.  Joshua was a native born and Caleb was an alien among them.  They were allowed to go in because they followed the Lord "Fully".

Numbers 32:11-12
¹¹ ‘None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, ¹² except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully.’

The following is an excerpt from one of the Yavoh writings of our congregation (www.lionlamb.net) and I think it does a great job of presenting some of the Scriptures that show who should observe Torah:

When it came to Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Messiah would offer Himself as the Lamb of God, God instructed us to keep the Passover this way:

Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.

Exodus 12:19

He also said that everyone, even the alien, is to be circumcised (in the heart) to eat the Passover.

And if an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.

Numbers 9:14

Gentile believers are commanded to observe Passover. The Law also specifies the observance of Yom Kippur:

And this shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls, and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you;

Leviticus 16:29

Here is what the Torah says for the general assembly, anyone who would want to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And if an alien sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so he shall do. As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the Lord. There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.

Numbers 15:14-16

Gentile believers are invited to make sacrifice and worship with Israel, but they must follow the Law of Moses to do it. God always intended for Gentiles to be welcome in His temple. Isaiah restates it this way:

Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant; even those I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.”

Isaiah 56:6-8

Yeshua quoted this verse from Isaiah when He threw the money changers out of the temple courtyard. The Torah and the Prophets do not exclude the Gentiles. They never did. It was the Pharisees and the Sadducees who did that. But today it is churchmen who say the Torah is not for everyone.

Just as James wrote in the letter to the Gentiles, the Torah addresses eating detestable things (unkosher) and sexual perversion.

Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, “No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.”

Leviticus 17:12

But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you.

Leviticus 18:26

The definition for blasphemy comes from the Torah. It is the same definition for Gentiles.

Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Leviticus 24:16

But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.

Numbers 15:30

The definition for clean and unclean is the same for Gentiles according to the Law.

And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.

Numbers 19:10

When it comes to tort justice, the law of damages and restitution, the Torah is also used for Gentiles.

Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him.”

Deuteronomy 1:16

You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge.

Deuteronomy 24:17

What about the blessings of God? Does the Torah provide for blessings if a Gentile keeps the Torah?

And you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.

Deuteronomy 26:11

Does the Torah instruct Israel to teach the Torah to all people?

Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, in order that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 31:12

Is Sunday Worship Really Worship at All?

Mark 7:6-8
⁶ And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ⁷ ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’

⁸ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

I am afraid that too often these words of Yeshua are brushed aside as only applying to the Pharisees of the day.  This would not be a wise thing to do; to miss the overarching message because of times gone by.  How often is that excuse used to introduce something new to the faith.  The idea that what happened back then does not hold relevance to today's culture.  Bottom line:  YHVH is eternal.  What He says transcends time and space and applies throughout all ages.

So my question then becomes, how can we call worshipping on Sunday worship at all?  If it is not found in Scripture or sanctioned by Elohim in the Torah, then how can that not be merely the precepts of men buttressed by some vague hen-pecked Scripture to support a wicked, disobedient trespassing of God's Sabbath example and command to keep the Sabbath?

The keeping of the Sabbath is a command of God and yet millions of so called believers disobey it regularly and instead worship Elohim on a pagan day (Sun-day: the day of the Sun).  I give you God's take on this:

Exodus 34:13-16

¹³ But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim ¹⁴ —for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— ¹⁵ otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

Some at this point may be tempted to say that this is Old Testament and does not apply to me.  Do not fret because I figured as much and Yeshua speaks to this appropriately:

John 4:23-24
²³ But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

You see God is spirit and those who worship Him "MUST" worship in spirit and truth.  The Greek word for "MUST" is "dei" and it means it is necessary or it is right and proper.  So it is necessary for it to be worship of God that it be in spirit and truth.  So what does "spirit" and "truth" mean?

The Greek word used for "spirit" is "pneuma" and it is the soul of a person.  Worshipping in spirit originates from within the deepest recesses of a person.  Nothing superficial about this requirement.  True worship of Elohim always begins at the root of our being.  Now the Greek word used for "truth" is "aletheia" and it means what is objectively true or what is true in any matter under consideration.  Not subjectively depending on the precepts of men, but depending on the decree of the living God and His objective commands.

So again I ask if Sunday is not the truth of when we are to worship God, then is it really worship?  If we say that Sunday worship originated from within and I was led by the spirit's conviction, then we must question which spirit we have inside us.  How can trying to worship YHVH on a pagan day with a liturgy not found in Scripture, all the while disobeying His Torah be worshipping in Spirit and Truth?  It can't.  To use a modern term:  It's Elohim's way or the highway.  We do not dictate how He is worshipped, He does.  He is Lord over all.

I leave you with Yeshua's warning.  Be careful you are not just sitting under a false prophet doing things in the name of the Messiah only to find out you are actually practicing lawlessness.  You are lacking the Torah and having never kept it, are not recognized by the Messiah as His sheep and told to depart.

Matthew 7:15-23

¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will know them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’



A-mud Me-lahh: A Pillar of Salt

Genesis 19:15-26

¹⁵ When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” ¹⁶ But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. ¹⁷ When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” ¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! ¹⁹ Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; ²⁰ now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” ²¹ He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. ²² Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.

²³ The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴ Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, ²⁵ and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ²⁶ But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

My curiosity got the best of me on last week’s Torah portion and I became enthralled with wanting to know what it meant that Lot’s wife turned into a “pillar of salt” in verse 26.  Why a “pillar of salt”?  I did some quick Google research and found two possible explanations.

One was that there were salt deposits in that region and the Hebrew of the passage suggests that “looked back” could be translated “lagged behind”.  So when the destruction came, she could have been caught up in the storm and formed into a super-heated salt formation from the fire because she lagged behind.  The other was that she could have been buried in volcanic ash from the destruction and slowly formed into a pillar of salt via petrifaction as happened to the Pompeii inhabitants.

Flavius Josephus, a contemporary Jewish historian writes:

	ואשתו של לוט הייתה פונה תכופות בשעת הבריחה לצד העיר, תאבה לדעת, מה מתרחש מסביב לה, על אף האיסור שאסר אלוהים לעשות זאת, (ולפיכך) נהפכה לנציב מלח. Lot's wife was turned frequently during the flight along with the city, desire to know, what's going on around her, in spite of the prohibition forbidding God to do it, (and therefore) has become a pillar of salt. אני ראיתי את זה והוא קיים עוד כיום I saw it and it exists even today
– קדמוניות היהודים, א: 203 - Antiquities of the Jews, A: 203

Not sure on any of these, I decided to see what the paleo Hebrew tells us about the title “pillar of salt”.  If you click on the picture below it will enlarge.

Pillar in ancient Hebrew gives the idea that it is a door that is anchored in place so that those who happen upon it can know the chaos that happened in that place.  It is an eye followed by water followed by a tent or peg, and ends with a door.

Salt in ancient Hebrew gives the idea of teaching about the chaos as it divides the line between two events.  In this case, destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's salvation.  It is a water followed by a shepherd staff, and ends with a wall.

I am thinking that Lot’s wife became a reminder and a dividing wall between chaos and obedience.  She serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience or “lagging behind” when the Lord tells us to make haste.  She is a teaching about the chaos of Sodom and Gomorrah, the kindsness of the Lord, and the blessing of obedience brought about by faith in YHVH (Lot's salvation).

Salt preserves and seasons and Pillars mark important things, events, or places.  So maybe it is as simple as she serves as the preservation of the reminder of what happens when we put our hand to the plow and then look back. 

Luke 9:60-62

⁶⁰ But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” ⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

If anything in your life is preeminent to Elohim, you are not fit for the Kingdom. You would never be happy there and always be longing for places of old like Lot's wife possibly was. Similar to the Israelites always complaining and longing to go back to Egypt when Promised Land was before them.

 

What we can know about the events unfolding

Matthew 24:36-46

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

I cannot seem to leave this passage as I think of how many people use it to absolve themselves of digging deep into Elohim's word and finding what we can know.  If Yeshua had intended that, He would have not continued to give them signs to look for to know His return.  There is a verse in Deuteronomy that is very helpful:

Deuteronomy 29:29

²⁹ “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

Now I will agree that we cannot know the day or the hour.  This is quite plainly spelled out in the passage above.  What about the season or time?  Year or possible years from creation?  Still believe we cannot know anything?  The key is knowing the signs and following them.  Not the signs men make up, but the ones Scripture gives us in Daniel, Revelation, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, and the others.

Matthew 16:2-3
² But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ ³ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?

Yeshua calls the Pharisees to task for not knowing the "signs of times".  They were supposes to be the most proficient in the Torah of that day and yet they did not know who He was and that He was foretold to come in the Torah.  Doesn't Yeshua also say the key to knowing who He is comes from knowing Moses in the Torah?

John 5:46
⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.

How shall you believe Moses if you never read Moses?  How can one claim to believe Yeshua if they only know Him from Matthew to Revelation?  Much of the character of God is revealed in the Torah and the Prophets.  This is necessary information to understand the full scope of what YHVH has been doing and is doing through the ages.  For example, how many have read about the Greater Exodus?  It's in Jeremiah, yet I have never heard a sermon on it.

Jeremiah 16:14-15

God Will Restore Them

¹⁴ “Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ¹⁵ but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.

Look at the last part of that passage.  What is Jeremiah talking about?  God is going to bring the sons of Israel from all the the countries He had banished them and restore them to the land which He gave their fathers; the promised land.  This is a Greater Exodus (because of the reference to the previous exodus) from the countries that His people have been banished to.  This has not been fulfilled yet or made full.  The House of Judah (Jewish believers) has returned to the land, but the House of Ephraim (non-Jewish believers) has not fully returned.

Matthew 8:11
¹¹ I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;
 

Zechariah 8:7
⁷ Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west;
 

Hosea 11:9-11
⁹ I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,
And I will not come in wrath.
¹⁰ They will walk after the LORD,
He will roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar
And His sons will come trembling from the west.
¹¹ They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
And like doves from the land of Assyria;
And I will settle them in their houses, declares the LORD.



There is much that God has revealed as He said in the verse from Deuteronomy above.  You must seek Him like silver which is buried beneath the surface.  You must ask Him to grant you eyes to see and ears to hear.  Notice that verse in Deuteronomy says "revealed".  YHVH

The Gospel is First Preached in Genesis Chapter 12

Genesis 12:1-3

Ab¹ Now the LORD said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
² And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
³ And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The Gospel is first preached in Genesis 12.

 Galatians 3:7-9
⁷ Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. ⁸ The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

God takes Abram from his father and becomes his new father in a new land and blesses him.  He promises him a son and all the families of the earth will be blessed through this son.  This is a foreshadowing of the coming Son of God, Messiah.  And then YHVH establishes a seal with Abraham; the seal of circumcision.  This is a foreshadowing of the coming seal of the Holy Spirit.

YHVH had the plan of the Gospel in mind from the first time He spoke to our father Abraham.  It will be very difficult to understand the plans of God and your place in His family if you enter the story at Matthew instead of Genesis.

Here is another example in the NT of the Gospel being tied to the promises given to Abraham:

Acts 13:30-33
³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead; ³¹ and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. ³² And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, ³³ that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’

It says the disciples preached “…the good news of the promise made to the fathers…”  These promises started with our father Abraham.  It is paramount to your growth that you understand who your father really is.  Anyone who is married presents a living picture of what happens when we become believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  We leave our earthly parents and we join the family of God in the commonwealth of Israel just as a man or woman leaves their parents house and cleaves to their wife or husband.

Side note:  Elohim also shows the three parts of the One God in His promises to Abraham:

1.    God the Father of Abraham who becomes the father of nations

2.    God the promised Son to Abraham through Isaac

3.    God the Seal (Holy Spirit) through the sign of circumcision given to Abraham

The Gospel was first preached in Genesis 12 and He came and walked the earth starting in Matthew.  Our father is Abraham and the promises given to him are ours as well.  Without the promises given to Abraham, we have very shaky ground to walk out our faith on.

 

The Pharisees and Sadduccees of our Day

Matthew 23:14-16

¹⁴ [Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’

I have a feeling that if Yeshua were walking the earth today, there would be some pastors that would be told verse 2 above.  Why?  Because what is being taught looks like worship of God, but actually leads you on a path more dangerous than had you not believed Yeshua at all.

Remember what James says in chapter 3:

James 3:1

¹ Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

I have been to Seminary, a Southern Baptist, conservative one at that and I can tell you from my experience that what they are teaching for the most part will make people two fold sons of hell or at the very least lead them down a path that endangers their relationship with God.  There were many young men in there who have not felt the full weight of the verse above.

The Pharisees of Yeshua's day had created rules around the Torah that kept people from understanding the depth and beauty of the Torah.  They heralded the precepts of men and even taught their specific liturgy, practices, and customs.  Kind of sounds like today where we have so many denominations with so many different liturgies, practices, and customs (most of these coincide with pagan festivals I might add).

They had shut off the kingdom of heaven from the people and yet would not enter themselves:

Matthew 23:13

Eight Woes¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Why does John and Yeshua later call them a "Brood of Vipers"?

Matthew 3:4-10

⁴ Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; ⁶ and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; ⁹ and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰ The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Aramaic version of the New Testament translates it, "Generation of Vipers" in verse 7 (http://www.peshitta.org/). 

Here is a breakdown of the Hebrew:

Here is the breakdown in Paleo (Ancient) Hebrew  It shows the Hebrew name transliterated followed by the letters and their meanings.  This was fascinating:

It shows the translation to mean that Generations of Vipers is the entrance to add to the beginning and continue to divide sharply.  Wow.  The Pharisees had introduced something new to the Torah originating from the beginning which would continue to divide sharply.  Now that should resonate with some Pastors and this was back in Yeshua's day before the proliferation of Facebook, Blogs, and social media where your message can reach millions.

 

Father Abraham: The Pattern of a True Believer

Geneis 12:1-4 1. And the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.		א. וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ:
2. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing.		ב. וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה:
3. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."		ג. וַאֲבָרֲכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה:
4. And Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran.		ד. וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְ־הֹוָ־ה וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן:

In the Torah portion for this week (Lech Lecha) we begin the story of our father Abraham.

Sidenote: Abram's and Sarai's name was changed after God promised the birth of Isaac. Abram in Hebrew means "High Father" and Sarai in Hebrew means "Noble woman". After the change Abraham in Hebrew means "Father of a multitude" and Sarah in Hebrew means "Princess". I give you this information to reiterate the importance of studying the Hebrew of the Torah. Elohim is conveying His thoughts not only in sentences and books, but in words and even letters to be more specific.

Abraham is the father of all who believe (Romans 4:9-12). What fascinates me is the level of faith He displays. Mind you Abraham does a lot of crummy things later as do most of the featured men of the Scriptures. In verse 1 above God tells Abraham to leave all he has ever known, family, friends, surroundings, and go to a land that Elohim will show him later. How many of us would hesitate? Not Abram, he goes. Why?

He believed YHVH was, is , and ever shall be who He says He is. The Scripture does not give us an account of prior conversations that Abram had with God. It starts their interaction out with "And the Lord said to Abram...". And yet Abram picks up and leaves based on who He believes God is. That is why Paul rights this in Romans 4:

Romans 4:1-5

Justification by Faith Evidenced in Old Testament

¹ What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. ⁵ But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6:

Genesis 15:6

⁶ Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him (Abram) as righteousness.

This is how we know we have true faith; that we believe that YHVH is who He says He is in His word. This belief is the wellspring of all other acts of faith. From this primal belief springs forth the willingness to follow the Lord and call upon Him and be saved. You cannot work it the other way. You cannot call on the Lord and then believe He is who He says He is in His word. You will just manufacture faith in YHVH that way and eventually it will fail.

Another sidenote: The same holds true for worship and praise. Praise (eg. shouting out until the Lord, singing, playing music unto the Lord) stems from worship of Elohim. When you truly worship Elohim, praise will naturally follow and spring forth from the new life you have in Yeshua. If you try to reach worship through praise, you will fall in love with praise and eventually run the risk of worshipping emotional moments and praise music.

The ancient sages of Judaism speak of the ten tests of Abraham. I have listed them below. I imagine after passing the very first test, these should have been a piece of cake.

According to Rambam:

1) Abraham’s exile from his family and homeland.

2) The hunger in Canaan after God assured him that he would become a great nation there.

3) The corruption in Egypt that resulted in the abduction of Sarah.

4) The war with the four kings.

5) His marriage to Hagar after having despaired that Sarah would ever give birth.

6) The commandment of circumcision.

7) Abimelech’s abduction of Sarah.

8) Driving away Hagar after she had given birth.

9) The very distasteful command to drive away Ishmael.

10) The binding of Isaac on the altar.

Do you believe YHVH is how He says He is? Do you believe at the core of your being that Yeshua is who He says He is an did what Scriptures said He did? Paul says to test and examine yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) so do it and see. The days are short for figuring out if you can make it through the Tribulation or time of testing. What is coming is unlike anything the world has seen. Ask the Messiah:

READ THIS PASSAGE CAREFULLY IF YOU BELIEVE THE RAPTURE COMES BEFORE THE TRIBULATION:

Matthew 24:15-34

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. ¹⁸ Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be a great tribulation (first thing to happen), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Glorious Retur²⁹ “But immediately after the tribulation of those days (rapture) THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Parable of the Fig Tree³² “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (those who persevere will see it all) ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.