Seem hot, Torah?

I have been very, very busy of late!  So I haven’t had much time to write!

We are in the latter part of the fall Mo’edim, working toward day 4 of Sukkot.

Yom Teru’ah was again a ‘blast,’ Yom Kippur was great, and the easiest fast I’ve had; and the first three nights of Sukkot, along with the day 1 assembly, have been unmatched in regard to the joy my wife and I have been given…

What is striking to me is that all the many ‘little’ things that the Creator has done on our behalf add up to so much ‘proof’ of His affection for us. Several times over the last few months different ones have asked me if I ever doubted our faith, the core of what we believe: That there is a Creator; that man was created in perfection, and sinned, losing the Divine Presence he had in Gan Eden; that the Creator chose Avraham, and his descendants, to bring the B’sorah [Good News/Body of the Lamb, His Son] into the world. That Yeshua Ben Yosef of Natzrat, a Jew, is the Son of G-d, our Messiah, who died on a tree as a final, atoning offering for all of mankind, particularly those who would receive trust in that Truth; and that G-d raised the MAN Yeshua from the dead, and He now stands at His right hand on the throne of Glory; and that He will come and gather the Khasidim [devout ones] to Himself, in our near future.  These are those who TRUST, and OBEY, and are given a deposit, a taste of what Adam had, the Divine Presence, with a promise of even greater than that at the resurrection of the dead, those who trust and are faithful.

I can honestly say that there is not one shred of doubt in me about any of that. But, I do sometimes ‘tremble’ that I might blow it, might wander, might falter and go too far; but EVERY time I ‘feel’ that way, I am reminded by His Word of HIS faithfulness, of His GREAT compassion [which is truly beyond our comprehension, and any measuring stick we use]. And each time that I am reminded of that, my ‘joy’ in Messiah is restored.

I have indeed no trust in mankind. Mankind has proven too often to betray.

But the brothers in Messiah have been redeemed out of mankind, OUT of “Adam”, and have been ‘recreated’ in the New Man, the Second Adam, Messiah Yeshua. I know that a brother, one redeemed by Messiah, who understands the price paid for himself AND for others, will ALWAYS remain ‘faithful’ to his brothers. No matter what. One who is recreated in the New Man is not weighed down by the products of this world, the sins of mankind.

The ‘theme’ that I am seeing in this Sukkot is that of the newness of life. We are at the time of year when life begins to ‘die’, in regard to plant life.  Animals begin to hide, for warmth and safety.  The world is harvesting its food, and creating new wine, and setting up stores for the cold season; the days are growing shorter, and colder, and darker. And it is at this time of abundant harvest that Elohim has us assemble together and CELEBRATE LIFE for EIGHT DAYS. Yeshua was born on the 1^st day of Sukkot; he was circumcised on the 8^th Day, the Great Day of Rejoicing in The Torah; he received His Name, Yeshua, SALVATION, on that day! And Salvation will be COMPLETE at the beginning of the 8^th Millennium, after Messiah has ruled for 1,000 years on earth, and a new heaven and earth are created, with the current ones being ‘rolled up like a scroll’. People who remain in the ‘first adam’ cannot wrap their heads around that; and they scoff. But, it is going to happen. And at the 7^th Millennium, just before it starts [likely within 50 years], the events that bring about His Wrath on earth will begin; and that will happen sooner than any of us want.

America is tumbling fast into the abyss of selfishness and sin. People of faith are going to have to decide soon with whom they will stand. Yeshua said He did not come to bring ‘shalom,’ but a sword, to DIVIDE even families! And that division will be over who HE is! And over what is Tzedaka! And that is happening fast in our country already. The issue is, there are so many false teachers out there who do not know they are false. And so their followers do not know they are false. And they will not be prepared for what is coming on mankind.

However long He leaves His Bride among the wicked, we must be prepared; because there will come a day when He will snatch her out and bring her to Safety in His Mountain. And so few are prepared and ready for the Groom; so few are dressed and ready for the wedding, actually having oil in their lamp. The ‘lamp’ is the Torah, and the oil is The Ru’akh, given by the Second Adam to those who truly trust. And those who do TRUST, will OBEY HIM, and NO other.  That is what ‘trimming the lamp’ is.  That is a simple message that so few ‘hear and understand,’ and it was Yeshua’s message from the beginning to the end of His ministry.

Our ‘appointed times’ with the Creator teach us these things, and remind us year after year, and refine our walk. And I have found that in each season, HE challenges ME, to ‘prove’ to ME that HE is changing me. And this causes me to ‘check myself’ and see IF I truly am in THE Emunah [Firm Faith/trust] as defined by His WORD; the evidence is whether I am changing, becoming more obedient to Him, more like Yeshua. “Blessed are those who do His Mitzvot [commandments of the Torah], that they may have the right to Etz HaKhayim [Tree of Life, a pseudonym for Torah, and for Messiah Yeshua], and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

The ‘gates’ are opened on Yom Teru’ah, the first day of the year. The gates of the New Universe will be opened on the first day of the Eighth millennium, and NEVER CLOSE. Simkhat Torah is a rehearsal of “eternity”/infinity, the eighth millennium that will never end…. And that is how we always feel on Simkhat Torah in our little Synagogue; not wanting it to end.  “Sukkot” is about Messiah being ALWAYS WITH US.

I so look forward to Simkhat Torah this year. I wish that everyone even remotely aware of me as a person and of us as a congregation would consider coming to share in the culmination of the Season of Our Joy. Yeshua entered into the covenant as a human being on this day 2,000 years ago. And we will enter into the PROMISE of that covenant with Him very, very soon; I wish everyone could be there; especially YOU.