Which Torah Laws Should Christians Obey?

SPECIFIC LAWS (Alphabetical)

Chapter 37, Part 3 Preview: The vast majority of the 2.1 billion professing Christians in the world—33% of the world’s population—believe that Yeshua’s (Jesus’) death nailed the Torah [Law] to the cross. They “stake” their destiny on that presumption! Yet the very first question that every Believer in Yeshua should ask concerning his status as a Believer is: Precisely what does Elohim (God) require of me? How is a person to know which Biblical laws are still in effect. Is most of the Bible “done away with”? Does it really matter? Is there a key to knowing which laws are permanent?

Decalog in Newark!

Circumcision: Within the context of the very detailed account about the coming third temple (Ezekiel 40-48), we see that Yehovah will not be allowing any uncircumcised men inside of it; whether “foreigners” or Israelites.

Ezekiel 44:6-9Tell the rebellious House of Israel, ‘The Sovereign Yehovah [“Yeshua”] says: House of Israel, “I’ve had enough of your many highly detestable things! 7 You’ve brought in foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh into My 'Cherished' Place, violating the honor of My very 'Temple' by your offering My bread, the fat and the blood. You’ve broken My covenant in addition to all your other highly detestable things. 8 You haven’t carried out your duty regarding My 'special' things, instead you’ve put foreigners in charge of My 'Cherished' Place. 9 The Sovereign Yehovah says: No foreigner with an uncircumcised heart or uncircumcised flesh will enter My 'Temple', including foreigners who live in Israel.—The Gabriel Bible

When “the Apostles AND Friends who were in Judea” determined that circumcision was not to be considered mandatory for non Israelite 'chosen ones' (saints) was that a change? Apparently the circumcision decision is based on the fact that Yehovah was working with non Israelites then and now. Circumcision is still a sign setting apart national Israelites!

Because the Ezekiel 40-48 prophecy is used so much in this segment, I want to provide the time line of the prophecy. This is clearly after the intervention of Yehovah into world affairs, when Yehovah comes down and lives “amid the children of Israel forever!”

Again notice Ezekiel 43 the sequence of events:

Ezekiel 43:7-9 He said, “Human son, this is the place for My throne and the place for the soles of My feet, where I’ll live among the Israelites forever. The House of Israel and their kings will never again defile My 'special' name by their prostitution or with the dead bodies of their kings in their high places of worship. 8 'They' set their idol threshold by My threshold, and their doorposts by My doorposts, with only a wall between Me and them. They’ve defiled My 'special' name by their highly detestable things, so I destroyed them in My anger. 9 They should 'stop' their prostitution and get the dead bodies of their kings far away from Me, and I’ll live among them forever.

Dietary Laws: These laws date back to the beginning when animals were ze’bakim (sacrificed) by Adam’s family. Clean and unclean animals were distinguished on Noah’s ark, with seven pairs of the clean animals being spared to hasten the recovery of livestock herds (Genesis 7:2). Indeed when the Master and His Messiah return (the Lord and His Christ), those “eating swine’s flesh, and abominable things, and mice” will be killed for that indiscretion (Isaiah 66:17). Yehovah has always hated the practice of eating of unclean flesh. The Apostle John’s inspired quote indicates that he knew Yehovah’s mind on this:

Revelation 18:2 He shouted with a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great. She has become a cavern of demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, a home of every 'unkosher' and highly detestable bird, and the home of every 'unkosher' and highly detestable predatory beast.

Feast Day Laws: A single verse should suffice to indicate that Feast/Festival Days are a part of the future. After Armageddon the entire world will be forced to get this right.

Zechariah 14:16 Then everyone who is left behind [survivors] from all the nations that come against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship Commander Yehovah and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Here is a single reference indicating that the Feast Days are “forever”.

Exodus 12:15-17 You must eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day [Preparation day] you must remove the leaven from your houses, because anyone who eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day will be ‘banished’ from Israel. 16 On the first day you must have a special assembly, and on the seventh day another special assembly. No work will be done on those days, other than making your meals. That’s all you can do.

17 “You must celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this commemorative day I brought you out of the land of Egypt like an army. So you’ll celebrate this day thruout your generations as a perpetual regulation.

For a complete explanation of the end time relevance of these days see Israel’s 7 Apocalyptic Days. Of course these Feast Days will be relevant for the entire world in the future, just as they are to anyone who understands the Bible today:

Zechariah 14:17-19 When that time comes, if any of the clans of the region won’t come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Commander Yehovah, they’ll get no rain. 18 If the people of Egypt don’t show up, they’ll get no rain. This is the plague that Yehovah will strike the nations with that don’t come up and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. [6] 19 That will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of any other nation that won’t come up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

Jubilee Laws: The law concerning the Jubilee is also meant only for the nation of Israel and only “When you come into the land” (the Promised Land). The term Jubilee is only found in Leviticus chapters 25 & 27, except for Numbers 36:4.

Leviticus 25:8-12 You must count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years, so that the seven Sabbaths of years amounts to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then you will sound the shofar alarm [Literally “shofar shofar”] [2] on the tenth day of the seventh moon, on the Day of Atonements you’ll sound the shofar alarm thruout your entire land. 10 You’ll dedicate the fiftieth year, and shout liberty thruout the land to all of its inhabitants. It will be a Jubilee for you, and each of you can return to your own property, and each of you will return to your own clan. 11 The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee year. During ‘that year’ you won’t plant, or preserve the “after crop”* from what grows by itself, or make wine* from any leftover* grapes. 12 It’s a Jubilee, it will be a ‘time of dedication’ [special] for you. You can eat the fresh voluntary produce from your fields.

[2] The KJV wrongly says “trumpet of the jubile[e]”, in agreement with the Jewish custom of beginning years in the seventh month—a practice begun in Babylonian captivity. But an upcoming Jubilee was meant to be announced on the Day of Atonements of the seventh Shemitah year (the 49th year) and then begin on New Year’s day (the 50th year) in the spring.

This special year is found in a greatly overlooked prophecy of Yeshua called by another name: “the acceptable year of the Lord”. While these years will not be celebrated again until Yehovah forces them on the world, their existence is a fascinating part of the countdown to the Everlasting Kingdom! Yeshua said that He proclaimed an “acceptable year”. Which year was it?

Luke 4:18-19 “The Sovereign Yehovah’s spirit overlooks Me, because Yehovah has anointed Me to bring Good News to the afflicted. He has sent Me to relieve the grief stricken, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight for the blind and to set the oppressed free; 19 to proclaim the Acceptable Year [1] of Yehovah...[Jubilee] [Directly from Isaiah 61:1-2]

Judgments: The Judgments were codified in Exodus 21-23. They were given right after the Ten Commandments were engraved in stone. They were part of the National law of ancient Israel. Unlike the Ten Commandments that can all be demonstrated to have been in effect since the beginning, these laws were reserved for the time when Israel was in possession of the 'Special' (holy) Land. History will repeat itself:

Deuteronomy 4:13-14 He proclaimed His covenant to you, the Ten Commandments, that He commanded you to obey, and He wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 It was at that time that Yehovah commanded me to teach you the unchanging tenets and regulations that you’re to follow in the land you’re about to cross over into and take possession of.

The Judgments were meant to be “forever”, and will be reinstated “come the revolution”, when Israel regains her land.

Psalm 119:160 All of Your words are true, and every one of Your righteous regulations will last forever.

Sabbatical Laws: Like the Jubilee Laws that are calculated on the same timetable, these laws will not be in effect until The Restoration of All Things, when the modern nations of Israel again “come into the land”.

Leviticus 25:2-4 Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘Whenever [1] you enter the land that I’m giving you, then the land must not be worked, it’s a Sabbath celebration [the shemitah] to honor Yehovah. (commentary) 3 You are to sow your fields for six years, and prune your vineyards for six years, and gather in fruit, 4 but during the seventh year there will be a Sabbath, a Sabbath rest for the land to honor Yehovah. You must not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.

The Ezekiel prophecy among other places, describes the reallocation of the land to the returning nations of Israel:

Ezekiel 47:13-14 The Sovereign Yehovah says: “These are the boundaries of the land that is to be divided as the inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will have two portions [Ephraim and Manasseh]. 14 You must divide the rest equally between the others, because I swore to give it to your ancestors. And this land will 'be' your inheritance.

There is a prophecy that explains why both ancient tribes of Israel and the modern Israelite nations were, and will be, made desolate. This prophecy explains that the breaking of the “Land Sabbaths”, that apparently must be observed on a national basis, were a part of the reason Yehovah will remove Israel from the land areas where they now reside. This land will be rested!

Leviticus 26:31-35 I’ll devastate your towns, and destroy your holy places, and I’ll refuse to smell the sweet fragrances 'of your burnt offerings' [Targum of Jonathan]. 32 I’ll devastate your land so much that your enemies will be shocked when they come to resettle it. 33 I’ll scatter you among the nations, and I’ll and unsheathe a sword against you as your country becomes desolate and your towns become ruins. 34 Then the land will make up for its Sabbath years as it lies deserted while you are in exile in your enemies’ land. Then the land will rest and make up for its missed Sabbaths. [2] 35 As long as it lies deserted it will celebrate the rest that it didn’t have during the Sabbaths and Shemitas when you lived there.

There is a large segment on what could be termed “Land Sabbaths” in the article Why the Land Sabbath? The blessings associated with the Land Sabbath did not require faith because Yehovah said that He would provide an incredible bumper crop in the 48th year that would last thru the 50th year. The time to obey Yehovah in this instance was after Yehovah did His part. Individuals attempting to give their gardens a rest (on arbitrary seven year cycles) never experience harvests that would have the newspapers coming out to take pictures of their corn stalks with four ears etc. Resting the land is a great idea. I have six gardens, three of them rest in cover crops every year.

Levitical / ze’bakim (sacrificial) Laws: As mentioned before, these laws will make a come back as explained in great detail in Ezekiel chapters 40-48.

Ezekiel 44:10-14 The Levites who strayed far from Me when Israel went astray, who strayed from Me preferring their idols will bear the consequences of their sins. 11 Yet they’ll be ministers in My 'Cherished' Place and have oversight at the gates of the 'Temple' and serve in the 'Temple'. They’ll slay the burnt offering and zebakim [sacrifices] for the people, and they’ll stand before them and serve them. 12 Because they served the people standing in front of their idols, and caused the House of Israel to 'falter', I’ve sworn that they’ll bear the consequences of their wickedness,’ declares the Sovereign Yehovah. 13 They are not to approach Me serving as My priests or get near any of My 'special' things or My very 'special' things. They must bear the shame of the highly detestable things they’ve committed. 14 Yet I’ll entrust them to perform the other duties of the 'Temple', all its maintenance work, and everything else that needs to be done there.

This is not in reference to the actual individuals who sinned when ancient Israel “went astray”. Rather, their actions altered history so that their distant offspring “will bear their [their ancestors] iniquity”. This is no different than the “ten lost tribes” bearing the burden of centuries of iniquity because their ancestors lost the identity of their Elohim, as well as their own ethnic identity.

Purity Laws: This part of Ezekiel’s prophecy practically covers it all: zebakim (sacrifices), clean and unclean, ordinances, statutes, Feasts, Sabbaths, purity and defilement.

Ezekiel 44:15-25 But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok who continued to perform the duties of My 'Cherished' Place when the Israelites strayed from Me will approach Me and serve Me, and stand in My presence and offer Me the fat and the blood,” declares the Sovereign Yehovah. 16 They alone can enter My 'Cherished' Place, approach My table to serve Me, and perform My requirements.

17 “When they enter the gates of the inner courtyard, they must be wearing linen clothing. They must not wear wool clothing while serving within the gates of the inner courtyard or inside the 'Temple'. 18 They must wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists, they must never wear anything that causes sweat. 19 When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothing that they served in, lay them in the 'special' chambers, and wear other clothing so they don’t transfer 'specialness' with their clothing.

“20 “They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow too long, but they must trim the hair on their heads. 21 The priests must never drink wine before entering the inner courtyard. 22 They must not marry widows or women who have been divorced, they can only marry virgins descended from the House of Israel or a widow who is the widow of a priest. 23 They must teach My people the difference between 'special' things and what is common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. 24 “In a dispute the priests will serve as judges, and they’ll adjudicate according to My regulations. They must obey My Torah and My unchanging rulings regarding all My appointed Feasts, and keep My Sabbaths 'special'. 25 “They must not defile themselves by going near a dead person. However, for a father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister they can defile themselves.

Sabbath Laws:

Exodus 31:16-17 The Israelites must observe the Sabbath day, 'celebrating' the Sabbath thruout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It’s a sign between Me and the Israelites forever, because Yehovah made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day He stopped working and was refreshed.

The Book of Hebrews contains a wonderful analogy comparing what should have been the most joyous event in Israel’s history. The time setting for the analogy is when all of Israel should have entered the Promised Land, but due to “disobedience”, all of the adults except Joshua and two spies were excluded from the restful blessings of the Promised Land. Even Moses himself was not allowed to enter. The comparison being made below concerns Sabbath keepers who “hear His voice” and will enter a New Promised Land. This Promised Land will be there for them forever! There is a deliberate cover up in most Bibles concerning the phrase “Sabbath rest”. Most translators, not wanting to rock the boat, simply translate the inspired word “Sabbatismos” as “rest”. There is a place reserved for the cowardly!

Hebrews 4:1-11 Since the firm promise of entering His resting place is yet future, we should be afraid, because some of you could find yourselves left behind! 2 We have heard the Good News just as they did, but the message they heard didn’t benefit them because the people who heard it didn’t combine it with faith. 3 But those of us who have believed will enter the resting place. 'Even tho' He said, “As I have sworn in My anger, they won’t enter into My resting place” 'because' Yehovah’s workmanship has existed from the beginning of the world. 4 As he said about the s, “Aloha rested on the seventh day from all His works.” 5 Here again, He said, “They will never enter My resting place.” 6 So there was a certain place where everyone could have entered, but those who were the first to hear the Good News announcement didn’t enter because they couldn’t be persuaded. 7 So once again He appointed a specific day, after a long period of time. As was previously quoted from David, “Today, if you hear His voice don’t be 'hard headed'.” 8 Now if Yeshua [1], the son of Nun [Aramaic] had given them rest, He wouldn’t have later spoken of another day. 9 So it is established that the people of Yehovah are to celebrate the Sabbath [2]. 10 Anyone who entered His rest ceased from their own undertakings [works], as Yehovah did from His. 11 So let’s strive to enter that resting place, so that we don’t fall dead like the others who weren’t persuaded.

[1] Yeshua and the English “Joshua” are both derived from the Hebrew name “Yehoshua.” The Aramaic here is Yeshua, not Joshua. [2] The Aramaic says “Celebravit diem sabbathi”, and the Greek says “Apoleipo sabbatismos.” Check the honesty of your English translations here. Years ago, when people might have cared, the older versions tried to sweep this under the carpet and deleted the “rest”!

Statutes

Yehovah’s Statutes are primarily national laws, with national benefits and promises. They are directly associated with possessing “the land” of Israel, or losing it. Some of them can and should definitely be done on a personal basis as Abraham did centuries before Moses received them from Yehovah. The national nature of most of these laws is self explanatory. These national laws were meant to be forever. All we need is the Israelite nations truly under Elohim once again!

Genesis 26:5 because Abraham obeyed My voice, and obeyed My requirements, My Commandments, My unchanging tenets and My Torah instructions.

Exodus 15:26 He said, “If you’ll carefully obey the voice of Yehovah your Elohim, and do what is right in His view, and pay attention to His Commandments, and obey all His unchanging tenets, I’ll never bring on you any of the diseases I made the Egyptians suffer, because I, Yehovah, am your healer.”

Leviticus 18:26-28 You must obey My unchanging tenets and My regulations, and not commit any of these highly detestable things, this applies to natives and the foreigners living among you. 27 The people of the land who were there before committed all these detestable activities, and the land has become defiled. 28 The land will vomit you out the way it vomited out the nations that were here before you if you defile it.

Leviticus 19:19 & 23 You must obey My unchanging tenets. ‘You must not crossbreed two different breeds of animals. ‘You must not sow your fields with hybrid crops or wear clothing made of linen and wool woven together... 23 “When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees for food, then you must consider their fruit as forbidden. You must not eat the fruit for the first three years.[2]

Leviticus 20:23-24 You must not practice the customs of the heathens that I am driving out before you. They did all of these things and I abhorred them. 24 I told you, “You will take possession of their land, and I will give it to you to occupy, a land that flows with milk and honey.” I am Yehovah your Elohim who separated you from the heathens.

Leviticus 25:18-22 You must preserve and obey My unchanging tenets and My regulations. When you obey them you will live securely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its crops, and you’ll have plenty of food, and live there in security. 20 If you ask, “What are we going to eat in the seventh year if we don’t sow or gather crops?” 21 I’ll send such a blessing to you in the sixth year that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. 22 When you are sowing the eighth year, you’ll still be eating some of the old harvest, and continue eating from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

Deuteronomy 4:1-8 Now Israel, listen to the unchanging tenets and to the regulations that I’m teaching you, and obey them, so that you can live to enter and take possession of the land that Yehovah, the Elohim of your ancestors is giving you. 2 You must not add to or subtract from the Words that I’m giving you, in order to obey the Commandments of Yehovah your Elohim that I give you.

3 You saw with your own eyes what what Yehovah did at Baal Peor. There Yehovah your Elohim destroyed from among you all of the men who followed the Baal of Peor. 4 But those of you who clung to Yehovah your Elohim are all alive today.

5 Look, I’ve taught you unchanging tenets and regulations, just as Yehovah my Elohim commanded me, so you could follow them in the land where you are entering to possess. 6 So obey them, because this is your source of wisdom and your understanding that the people see. When they hear about all these unchanging tenets, they will say, “Surely this is a great nation of wise and understanding people.” 7 What other great nation is there that has their gods as near to it as Yehovah our Elohim is to us whenever we call on Him? 8 And what great nation is there that has unchanging tenets and regulations as righteous as this whole Torah that I’m setting before you today?

Deuteronomy 4:40 You must keep His unchanging tenets and His Commandments that I’m 'giving' you today so 'things' will go well with you and your descendants, so you can live 'long' in the land that Yehovah your Elohim is giving you for all time.

Deuteronomy 6:23-24 He led us out of there so that He could bring us here and give us the land that He had sworn to give our ancestors. 24 Yehovah commanded us to obey all these unchanging tenets, and to fear Yehovah our Elohim, always in our best interest and for our survival, as it is today.

Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the unchanging tenets and the judgments that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yehovah, the Elohim of your ancestors has given you as your own, as long as you live on the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:11-17 Yehovah will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your livestock and in the produce of your ground, in the land that Yehovah swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 Yehovah will open for you His good treasury in the sky and give rain to your land at the right time, and bless all of your handiwork. You’ll lend to many nations but you won’t borrow. 13 Yehovah will make you the head and not the tail; you’ll only move upward and never downward, if you hear and obey the Commandments of Yehovah your Elohim that I’m giving you today. 14 You must not deviate from the instructions that I’m giving you today, to the right or to the left, to follow other gods and serve them.

If Israel Breaks the Commandments...

15 “But if you don’t obey Yehovah your Elohim and faithfully carry out all of His Commandments and unchanging tenets that I’m giving you today, then all of these curses will come about and overwhelm you [1]. 16 “You’ll be cursed in the towns and cursed in the fields. 17 Your grain basket and your kneading bowl will be cursed.

2 Kings 17:19-23 Even Judah failed to obey the Commandments of Yehovah their Elohim. They 'adopted' the 'practices' that Israel had introduced. 20 Yehovah rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and handed them over to their attackers until He had banished them from His presence. 21 He tore Israel away brom the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat their king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yehovah, and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. 22 The people of Israel 'persisted' in all of the sins that Jeroboamhad committed, and never wavered from them. 23 Finally, Yehovah removed Israel from His sightjust as He warned He would do thru all His servants the prophets.

Plan A: Israel was to have stayed in the land and kept the Torah forever:

2 Chronicles 33:7-8 He even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in Elohim’s 'Temple', the very place where Elohim had told David and Solomon his son, “I have chosen this 'Temple' and Jerusalem from all the tribes of Israel, and My name will be in Jerusalem forever. 8 I will never again remove Israel’s foothold from the land that I gave to their ancestors, provided they carefully obey everything I commanded them—the entire Torah, the unchanging rulings and the regulations given thru Moses.

Plan B: Israel will return to the land as explained in The Time After Jacob’s Trouble, and obey the Torah (Law) forever.

The Ten Commandments:

If you ever wonder if keeping the Ten Commandments is essential, then I would recommend that you read every reference to “Commandments” in the Testimony of Yeshua (NT). I especially like the latter ones.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from Yehovah whose name was John.

Revelation 12:17The Dragon was furiously angry with the woman, and he went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, those who obey the Commandments of Yehovah [the so-called “OT”] AND have THE TESTIMONY OF YESHUA [the so-called “NT”. So few of these would be Jews!]

Revelation 14:12 'This calls for' patient endurance by the 'chosen ones', who preserve [obey, guard] the Commandments of Yehovah AND the faith of Yeshua.

Revelation 22:12-14 I’ll come suddenly! My compensation is with Me to pay everyone according to what they’ve done. 13 I’m the Aleph and the Tau, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

14 Blessed are those who obey His Commandments [2]. They’ll have access to the Tree of Life and be permitted to enter thru the gates into the city.

Tithing Laws:

A tithe is the inheritance of the tribe of Levi. They were/are not to be given a portion of “the land”. The Levites were/will be governmental and religious administrators. Short of writing a chapter on this topic now, suffice it to say that the Bible nowhere commands “tithes and offerings” for “the ministry”. Contributions when you are able are a different matter. (Assuming you can find a ministry worth supporting.)

Numbers 18:26 You must speak to the Levites and tell them: When you take from the Israelites the tithe that I’ve given you from them for your inheritance, then you must contribute an offering of it for Yehovah, a tithe of the tithe.

Budgeting another 10% of your personal income, only until enough funds accrue to celebrate the Feasts, is part of the plan that Yehovah instructed us to do. This has always been the way to fund these important memorial events.

Deuteronomy 12:17-19 “You are not allowed to eat the tithe of your grain, or your new wine, or your olive oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your offerings that you vow, including voluntary offerings or your ‘personal’ offerings within your towns. 18 You must eat them in the presence of Yehovah your Elohim at the place where Yehovah your Elohim chooses, you, and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites who are within your towns, and you’ll celebrate before Yehovah your Elohim in ‘everything that you do.” 19 Be careful never to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

There is a portion of Scripture that forms the backbone of virtually every “pro tithing to your Church” article. Check some out and see if this is not the first or only reference used. However the context has nothing whatsoever to do with a “church” and everything to do with the New Temple, a New Covenant, the return of the Messiah, the reestablishment of Israel’s statehood, Judgment Day, and purifying “the sons of Levi” so that they will begin to give “offerings in righteousness” “as in the days of old, and as in ancient years”. There will be fantastic national prosperity and “All nations will call you [the united nations of Israel] blessed”. Preachers have virtually destroyed the powerful message of Malachi, having to do with how the Levites of old wasted the tithes, and how this problem will be rectified when the Messiah “purifies the descendants of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver”!

Malachi 3:1-12 Watch out! I’m sending My messenger [Elijah in Ch 4:5], and He’ll prepare the way before Me, and the Sovereign who you’re looking for will suddenly come to His 'Temple', the Messenger of the [New] Covenant who you desire. He’s coming, says Commander Yehovah. 2 But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can 'survive' when He appears? He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap, 3 And He’ll sit like a refiner and purifier of silver. He’ll purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they’ll bring Yehovah offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to Yehovah as in the old days and as in previous years.

5 I’ll come to judge you. I’ll be quick to witness against sorcerers and adulterers, against perjurers and those who cheat wage earners out of their wages, and cheat widows and orphans, and those who deprive foreigners of their rights and don’t revere Me,” says Commander Yehovah. 6 Because I, Yehovah, don’t change. That’s why you descendants of Jacob haven’t been destroyed. 7 “From the days of your ancestors you’ve turned away from My regulations and haven’t obeyed them. Return to Me and I’ll return to you,” Commander Yehovah says. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’ 8 Can a person rob Elohim? Yet you are robbing Me!

But you ask, ‘How have we robbed You?’ With tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse because this entire nation is robbing Me. 10 Bring the entire tithe into the treasury so that there will be 'food' [for those who serve-Targum] in My 'Temple', and test Me now in this,” says Commander Yehovah.”See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing on you until there isn’t room enough for more! 11 I’ll restrain 'crop pests' for you so they won’t destroy the produce of your land, and your grapevines won’t drop their fruit prematurely in the fields,” says Commander Yehovah. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed because your land will be so delightful,” says Commander Yehovah.

CONCLUSION

Numerically speaking, most of the laws of the Bible were written for the benefit of the entire nation of Israel. Had Israel not forsaken Yehovah, this would have remained the case and all of the rest of the world would have witnessed the miraculous blessings that were to have been a direct result of keeping these laws. Most of the world’s nations, when given an opportunity to “share the wealth” that was Israel’s heritage will gladly do so. We are now in an interim period where there is no Temple. The First Covenant is in mothballs and the New Covenant is yet to be implemented. Yehovah is going to marry Israel again. Israel will be the Messiah’s Bride! Yehovah will destroy anyone who opposes His rule, and reinstate all of His eternal laws in OUR generation! Will the “body of Messiah” also be married to the Bride? See: Who is the Messiah’s Bride?

At this time, Yehovah is looking for a “few good men” and women who strongly desire to understand His righteous ways and are not content to simply live this life as tho there were no tomorrow. These people will not be surprised by the fact that Yehovah is going to intervene in world affairs by forcibly taking over the governments of the entire world, waking up humanity with a strong dose of reality. In fact the true 'cherished ones' will hold key positions in the coming Government of Elohim.

The laws that pertain to individuals, rather than to an entire nation or nations, can and should be kept. In fact this is our ticket into the Everlasting Kingdom! All of the everlasting national laws will be implemented soon enough.

All of the teachings of Yeshua the Messiah have to do with individual responsibilities. We must develop a personal relationship with our Creator. It is amazing that virtually all of the churches want to operate as tho they were national governments—making decisions for their “lay people” and teaching their followers not to rely directly on Yehovah for their inspiration, guidance and instruction. Many of the churches are literally run by little dictators! The ministers of this worlds’ religions all tell you to rely on their wisdom, understanding and council for these things. They make gods of themselves; maybe not in name as the Roman Emperors did, but for all other “practical purposes”.

Heed the council that Paul sent to the 'cherished ones' of Philippi:

Philipptians 2:12-14 So friends, as you have always listened to and obeyed Yehovah, not only when I was near you, but now that I am far from you—continue in the necessary work to make sure of your own eternal lives, with fear and trembling, 13 because Yehovah Himself is creating within you both the desire and the ability to bring about the good things you want to do. [2] 14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,

The End

Chapter 38 is The Book of Life 

Lonnie Martin’s work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

 

.

To locate any word on this site, if just typing onto the page doesn’t highlite it, then holding the shift key and the letter F down for a moment will enable whatever you enter to show up immediately, starting with your first letter.

only search Everlasting Kingdom