Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah - and may the grace of Yah'shhua our Messiah (Jesus Christ) be upon everyone assembled here today, for as it is written, "from the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another" (John 1:16, NIV).

Today is the 99th anniversary of the signing of the infamous Treaty of Versailles which was responsible for propelling the planet into a second world war 20 years later which in turn will eventually propell us into a third world war. I'll have more to say about this in November, if we're all still here then. This is not an anniversary I ever miss because for some reason Yahweh chose that I be born into the world on this day too.

Last week we took a close look at Post-Modernism to get an idea of what to expect of the unsaved last generation. One of the observations we made was that the churches are already being corrupted by this false, existentialist narrative of reality. What we are witnessing is not only a systematic erosion of emet (truth) everywhere because it is no longer considered revelent, but the mindset is leading to its inevitable extinction amongst men.

None of this would have happened if men in places of power in our land had not used their high offices to seduce their subjects and lead them into sin. Like King Manasseh of old, who "did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, following the detestable practices of the nations Yahweh had driven out before the Israelites" (2 Chron.33:2, NIV), those in power today, whether Deep State, dictators or elected politicians, have been encouraging their citizens to embrace all that Yahweh has said is evil and are persecuting those who oppose them.

I don't know about you, but I find it increasingly hard to look at the news headlines these days. It is depressing because the writing is so clearly on the wall and it's only a matter of time before judgment hits the world. And as King Manasseh "did much evil in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to anger" (2 Chron.33:6, NIV), so too do our own leaders and with precisely the same result. The wicked always think they can get away with their wickedness, but there is a time of reckoning for them too. In the end, Yahweh led King Manasseh into captivity at the hands of the King of Assyria.

It must grieve our Heavenly Father when rebellious men and women force the hand of His judgment upon them. Yes, Yahweh was exceedingly angry with Manasseh. But Yahweh's anger, like that of His servants the nevi'im (prophets) who are likewise provoked to anger because of sin, is not like the destructive anger of the wicked. And whilst Yahweh's anger is most certainly punitive, it is never only punitive, because divine punishment is always redemptive in the end. Yahweh never punishes for punishment's sake, because punishment is not the end or goal, but is a means of bringing the lost back into right relationship with Him, no matter how long it takes, no matter how painful. And that is because behind punishment and redemption is something that the devil and his cohorts do not have, and that is the power of ahavah (love).

When wicked men and women who have wielded power in an ungodly way are brought down, there is a set of predictable responses:

• 1. They get angry with Elohim (God) and die in their sins, like the Soviet dictator Stalin shaking his fist at heaven in blind defiance, and are cast into hell;
• 2. They scheme and plot to recover their power or former position in order to continue in their wicked ways;
• 3. They lose all hope and resign themselves to destruction, as did the Nazi dictator Hitler by comitting suicide; or
• 4. They humble themselves, and keep on humbling themselves until they have made peace with the Creator and made things right with those they seduced into sin and oppressed.

My purpose today is to share with you a message I have received from Yahweh concerning the fourth and only way that sinners can take to make things right with both Heaven and earth when they have wandered off the Derech (Way). My message is not, moreover, just for those operating on the high end of the 'Evil Scale' like King Manasseh, Stalin, and Hitler, but is for everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, because no human being that draws breath is excepted from this rule.

This, then, is the message of tiqveh (hope) that I bring:

"Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So Yahweh brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favour of Yahweh his Elohim (God) and humbled himself greatly before the Elohim (God) of his fathers. And when he prayed to Him, Yahweh was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh is Elohim (God)" (2 Chron.33:10-13, NIV).

The lessons that humility teach, the lessons that have to be learned by all humanity if Adam's race is to ever know that Yahweh is Elohim (God) and be brought home, of which Jerusalem is a picture, are the same for everyone. Religious and irreligious people alike may pretend to a certain kind of humility, one which is only skin-deep and which gives the appearnce of the right course of action, but this neither fools Yahweh nor His servants, and nor does it achieve either what they most want or, if they really have no clue what it is they actually want, what they most need. Such a one, who makes a pretense at humility, is, as Habakkuk says, "puffed up; his desires are not upright" (Hab.2:4, NIV) because, though he is very religious, he is yet operating out of pride.

Humility is a very rare commodity in our world today, inevitably, because the more wickedness reigns in the hearts of men, the less humility is to be found. If men and women would humble themselves, wickedness would never find soil in which to grow. Wickedness grows in the soil of pride and self-sufficiency and is watered by self-love and self-glorification; humility grows in the soil of dependence on Yahweh and is watered by our desire to glorify only Him.

First of all, we need to know what we mean by various terms. If we are to understand, communicate and subsequently act in humility, we have to first of all understand what that word means. So let me ask you, the congregation, for some definitions of 'humility' - what is humility to you? ... Ok. You know, it's interesting, because as I looked for definitions of 'humility' in various Bible commentaries, I was surprised to see how corrupted by modern culture, and therefore inaccurate (from a biblical point-of-view), these definitions have become.

When we think of a 'humble person' certain images or perceptions of 'humility' present themselves to our minds. These perceptions may, or may not, be correct. People who buy Bibles with explanatory footnotes or with commentaries (like the Scofield Reference Bible, for example) may actually be served information that perverts what the Bible teaches, which is why you must be very careful. Bearing in mind that the core of the Besorah (Gospel) is all about dying to self (as pictured in the ordinance of baptism in which we are immersed into Messiah's death and are then raised to new resurrection life) so that we can obtain the Image of Messiah in us, let me read you a definition of humility as presented in a modern Bible, in this case the Touchpoint Bible produced by Tyndale House and incorporated into a paraphrase version, the New Living Translation (NLT). Listen to what this commentary says:

"Humility is not effacing oneself. It is not destroying one's sense of self-worth" [1].

Oh yes it is! And it doesn't matter that the commentator then goes on to make a follow-up statement that is true in order to mask what he said in the line before:

"It is honest recognition of our own worth, our worth as God sees us" [1].

That part is true. Yes, our worth does indeed come from the way Yahweh sees us - this is absolutely true - but that 'seeing' or knowing is only possible if we first die to self! So coupling these two statements together creates a half-truth. The lie that we are being asked to embrace is not to attack the modern liberal doctrine of self-worth and so mix modern psychology with the Davar Elohim (Word of God).

If your self is still alive, and you believe that you are of infinite worth to Elohim (God), will that exercise bring you into right relationship with Him? How can you, the snotty brat, who believes he is is of worth in the natural man or flesh, then imply that Elohim (God) accepts that natural man without any dying on your part?

Before we examine that further, let me first show you what Scripture teaches. Bear in mind as we look at this word 'humility' what it's opposite it, namely, pride, because sometimes human definitions of humility fail to properly exclude the pride element and what you then end up with is a kind of lukewarm mixture of the two, as in that commentary I just quoted from. And you all know what Yah'shua (Jesus) thinks about lukewarmness (Rev.3:15-16).

The Tanakh (Old Testament) word for humility comes from a root word, 'anah, which means to be 'bowed down', 'afflicted', 'lowly'. Parallel words we use when we speak of 'humility' in our own English language are 'meekness', 'condesension' and 'lowliness' - and there are others, as some of you have already pointed out. Thus King David once sang:

"You save the humble, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low" (2 Sam.22:28, NIV).

Now the Greek word for 'humility' is a rather long one (tapernophrosyne) and literally means 'lowliness of mind', being drawn from two words (tapeino'o and phren) which together literally mean 'to make low the mind'. So humility is an attitude of mind.

Our own English word 'humility', like so many, is derived from the Latin word humus which those of you who are gardeners will immediately recognise, because 'humus' is a word we use to mean 'earth', 'soil', 'dirt' or 'ground', which, if you think about it, is rather appropriate, since we, like Adam, are made from the ground. The Latin for 'humility' literally means 'freedom from pride or arrogance'. Therefore a person who has true humility will be meek and lowly in spirit.

Defining the word is a lot easier than achieving the actual state of humility, which is rather important, because humility is not at all in the way described by the Touchpoint Bible I just read out to you. It is easy to talk about nouns like 'anah but the verb form - the action form - can be an entirely different word. Throughout Scripture Yahweh commands us to actively "humble" ourselves which requires some effort on our part.

Firstly, we have to reason with our minds concerning our relationship to Elohim (God) and to our fellow men, and particularly to those who are in divinely-appointed authority over us (like parents, husbands, pastors, and so on) and to then practice the principles learned. You have to first think it out and then carry it out by an act of will. Yahweh won't 'make' you do it - we are not 'predestined to humility' when we are born again or make a profession of faith - there's no 'once saved, always saved' notion about it: we have to actually choose to 'do' the 'humility thing'.

The Book of Proverbs and the Book of Daniel use the verb form - "humble yourselves" - a lot, and the apostles James and Peter quote it a lot in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament). Yahweh said to the navi (prophet) Daniel:

"Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind (were determined) to gain understanding and to humble ('anah) yourself ('chasten yourself', KJV) before your Elohim (God), your words were heard, and I have come in response to them" (Dan 10:12, NIV).

Thus, picking up on this, the two apostles, James and Peter, respectively, said:

"Humble yourselves before Yahweh, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10, NIV),

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under Elohim (God's) mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time" (1 Peter 5:6, NIV).

Please make a mental note of the words "in due time" because Yahweh's response to us is not always according to the timing that we would personally like. The reward for being humble is not necessarily instant - it's one of those 'slow' graces like learning patience or the smoothing of a stone by the constant erosion of water in a river or the sea over time.

What does it take to drive us from our pride into humility? In the case of King Manasseh, it was deep distress - the distress of having one's life destroyed and being taken into captivity and being lowered to the bottom rung of society like an ordinary slave.

It is an unfortunate truth that when we prosper and all is well, we tend to fall into pride and self-sufficiency, and we may come to unwisely conclude, like Nebuchadnezzar, that we have achieved it all ourselves. But when we are put down financially, in our relationships, in health, or in other ways, we suddenly find it necessary to seek Yahweh's help. My youngest son recently said to me that when he grows up he wants to neither have too much money nor too little, which I suspect was motivated by the very real fear of falling into pride.

So if the modern, liberal claim that humility is not effacing yourself and not destroying ones sense of self-worth, what is it? Before I answer that, I also want to make clear that I am absolutely not saying that we have no need of a sense of worth! Absolutely we do. It's vitally important. But obtaining true worth is not through self-love because that always leads to pride and idolatry. The huge problem of Post-Modernism, which we discussed last Sabbath, is that it takes the pursuit of self-worth to its logical conclusion, which is that our worth does not depend on Yahweh giving it to us but on our finding our own piece of 'safe space' in which we can affirm, exalt and glorify ourself and create our own 'truth'. There is no such thing as self-generated 'truth' and there is no such thing as many 'truths'. There is only One Way, One Truth, and One Life.

So how to we get this 'worth' which is based on one way, one truth and one life? There is another Hebrew word which is used when someone wants to humble themselves and it is hithrappes' and trust me, it gives no quarter to 'self', for it literally means 'trample on yourself'. It well expresses the action described by the wise author of Proverbs who said:

"My son, if you have put up security for your neighbour, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbour's hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbour! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler" (Prov.6:1-5, NIV).

"My child, if you co-sign a loan for a friend or guarantee the debt of someone you hardly know - if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said - quick, get out it if you possibly can! You have placed yourself at your friend's mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. Don't put it off. Do it now! Don't rest until you do. Save yourself like a deer escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net" (Prov.6:1-5, NLT).

Both of these are good translations and each captures senses that the other misses, at least in emphasis, but both fall miserably short in communicating what 'humbling yourself' actually entails, though the second one, by saying "swallow your pride" using the word "beg", does better than the first. A far more literal translation, capturing the Hebraic mood, would read, "Go trample on yourself and storm your fellow man with importunities or beggings".

If this is the attitude of humility we are supposed to have toward a person we have become unwisely entangled with, then how much more humble should we be towards human rulers in our lives to whom we have obligations as a matter of course and daily interaction; and if that, how much more humble should we be towards Elohim (God), our Creator?

This notion does not, however, sit well with modernists who are too filled with pride in enforcing 'rights' and for whom, in the case of the example in Proverbs 6:1-5, rebellion and revolution is the preferred response! The Western world in particular has things upside down, for whom self-effacement or prostration is a blow to pride and self-worth, the same pride and self-worth that now sends post-modernists demanding 'safe-spaces' and screaming for the destruction of all who disagree with their individial version of 'truth' or their own personal 'metanarrative'.

We are foursquare back to the age-old problem of idolatry. Post-Modernism is so obviously a false philosophy of life to one acquainted with Scripture so it is child's play speaking about and dealing with because its language and concepts are so radically alien from the Bible world. They stick out like a sore thumb as we saw last week. For those with a solid biblical foundation, Post-Modernism is easy to detect and expose, even if ministering to those ensnared by this nihilistic ultra-idolatry may not necessarily be so simple. But it is not Post-Modernists that I want to talk about today - it's fellow believers...anyone and everyone who claims to be a Christian or a Messianic.

The hardest lies to expose are those that are couched in religious language and which appeal to the Scriptures for self-justification. Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, are thoroughly immersed in Scriptures but by listening to, and interacting with, them, it soon becomes obvious that they do not personally know Yah'shua (Jesus) and have very poor interpersonal or relationship skills with anyone not of their group. And as is so often the case, we tend to cover deficiencies in our life (like poor relationship skills) with things about which we feel more knowledgeable, as the Jehovah's Witnesses do with their focus on the Scriptures. Unfortunately both Evangelicals and Messianics can often do exactly the same thing as the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Unless you are tuned to your heart, and unless that heart is being, or has already been, imaged by Yah'shua (Jesus) through the death of self followed by a new birth or spiritual regeneration, you will not only fail to detect what is happening in other people when they put on their outward performances but will have little clue about what's going on in yourself.

Outwardly, the people caught up in deceptions can look like the 'real article'. They can be saying and doing all the right things. They can be very religious and speak continually about Elohim (God) and recite Scripture but inside they are disconnected both from Elohim (God) and people. There are those who imagine that just by reading out or stating scripture that Yahweh is alive in them and speaking through them, as though some magical process is at work, when the opposite can be true. There is a way, there is a truth but there is also a chayim or life - and Scripture can be read out, or 'God' spoken about, which knows nothing or little of Ruach-mediated chayim or zoë (life) because the heart is either as yet untouched or, because it is hurt and damaged, is stunted and immature. You can know something is wrong, in spite of a cascade of Scripture talking, if there is a lack of connectedness, or awareness of, or even an interest in, what is going on in the people around you.

Do not be deceived into thinking that religious people who are very energised, enthusiastic, or lively are necessarily energised by the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) because it is possible to be energised by what Watchman Nee called 'soul-life', what messianics call 'nefesh' or what evangelicals call 'the flesh'. The flesh has its own energy and 'life' too, but it is fallen, carnal and unspiritual. The difference between the Ruach (Spirit) and all the other types is that it connects the person to Yahweh and then to other people in emet (truth) and chayim (life), and the evidence that such are talmidim (disciples) is that their lives speak loudly - they are walking on the Derech (Way) of the Master.

You see, even those walking in an ungodly energy feel satisified and upbuilt, at least for a while, as the navi (prophet) Isaiah wrote about the apostate Israelites of his day:

"You found renewal of your strength" (Is.57:10, NIV).

What is so devilish about this false light and false life is that it can keep you going for years until finally you become aware of the emptiness of it all. One of its fruits is that it leads you to sin and in the process destroys human relationships, because like all flesh, it is pride-based. Not untypically, those thus blinded truly believe they are best pals with 'God'. They may have lots of supernatural experiences but if they are out of divine tavnith (pattern), they never yield godly fruits. They leave destruction in their wake, and all in the name of religion.

Thirty-four years ago Yahweh called me into the ministry and during that time I have explored all kinds of different churches and seen all kinds of energy, enthusiasm, excitement, and even a real sense of purpose. I remember going into a Church of God of Prophecy meeting in Oxford, England, and finding myself confronted by this extraordinary energy and fervour. For those of you unfamiliar with this denomination, this is an Afro-American Church. It attracted lots of those of Carribean extraction in my home city of Oxford who made it their home. They were not only charismatic but when they prayed, everyone prayed out aloud all at once, a cacophany of noise that sounded a bit like the Stock Exchange as trading reaches a high pitch and people are shouting at one another, giving instructions on buying or selling stock. There was lots of energy and noise, and as is so often the case, we can often mistake activity for the Ruach (Spirit) of Yahweh.

On another occasion as I was attending a Mormon meeting somewhere in the south of England there was one missionary there who stood up to bear his testimony. He was so enthusiastic and animated that I was sure he would very soon explode if he did not calm down at once. Now I was, for all my sins, briefly a Mormon for three years when I was young, and was very much caught up in the false, occultic energy of that movement. But the Mormons aren't the only ones influenced by occultism. It's everywhere - in Orthdox Judaism, in liberal Protestant Churches, etc. - wherever counterfeit spirits are allowed in through the profession of lies.

The Mormons, without realising what they were doing, managed to sustain an emotional energy and 'life' largely based on their emotional attachment to the founder and organisation of their religion. Charismatic Christians are no different only the emphasis is on a different category and set of supernatural experience. Only the other day one of their ministers was posting 'prophecies' online such as '23 people are going to get rich today' based on a pretended 'revelation' coming out of this counterfeit energy masquerading at the Ruach (Spirit). People forget that Lucifer ministers his seathing energies to those who will open up their minds and hearts to his lies. The demonic realm is very energetic indeed. Prophecies, revelations, miracles, signs and wonders flow out of that realm every day, deceiving millions of both Christians and non-Christians alike.

That is why we, as Messianic Evangelicals, like Baptists and other Word-based denominations, are first and foremost kerygmatics. And whilst we believe in prophecy, visions, miracles, speaking foreign languages supernaturally, and revelation too, these very much take a back pew when it comes to the focus of our spiritual life. We are first and foremost committed to Bible-based Preaching and making sure that "the whole counsel of Elohim (God)" is given (Ac.20:27). If any prophecy, vision, miracle, speaking foreign languages supernaturally, or revelation contradicts it, we denounce it without apology. Just because something has an 'energy' and 'feels good' doesn't necessarily make it right. Satan can counterfeit these things, dress us up in Christian garb, and make us very religious and self-important in the process.

It is easy to work up an enthusiasm about something and indeed it is a well known mass psychological phenomenon - Wilhelm Reich pioneered research on this in the 1930's. The idolatrous apostates in Isaiah's day were enthusiastic too, and even doing what appeared on the surface to be good things, and yet Yahweh said of them:

"Now I will expose your so-called good deeds that you consider so righteous. None of them will benefit or save you" (Is.57;:12, NLT).

This is the thing: if we claim to be believers and if we actively minister but refuse to obey those mitzvot (commandments) our flesh doesn't approve of, we are in serious trouble. If we say we love Yahweh and His Besorah (Gospel) but treat people badly, we prove ourselves to be frauds. If we claim to love and obey Elohim (God) but refuse to pay our taxes, as one well-known and influential evangelical minister did in recent times, we negate our ministry.

That minister, a renowned creation evangelist, spent many years in prison for tax evasion. He never repented of his failure to be obedient to the Davar (Word) and while he was in prison something not good happened to him. He emerged with all sorts of kooky ideas. The fire has gone out of him and he has lost a substantial measure of credibility too. I don't even listen to him anymore because I came to sense another spirit in him whenever I listened to him. It's like he became a different person, and definitely not for the better.

I know of one woman - a charismatic - who claimed to be a prophetess. She was receiving all these false revelations and commanding her husband to do this and that. She claimed 'God told me to tell you' revelations and yet she dishonoured her husband, putting herself above him, castigating him when he would not obey her revelations. In the end she went completely insane and ended up in a mental assylum. I have heard many stories like that. She refused to humble herself and accept the order established by Yahweh.

Before the Remnant can arise, it must put its own house in order - each individual, each family and each fellowship and congregation assaying to be of Remnant quality. Every single soul must walk in the place Yahweh has assigned for him or her, in the proper order, before Yahweh will recognise and accept those coming up for the Sukkot (Tabernacles) Anointing. Either we choose to do it Yahweh's Way, in humility, or He will humble us by bringing us low. He will humble us by experience.

Yahweh had to humble Israel by making them walk 40 years in the wilderness in order to put them to the test so that they would know what was in their heart. What they came to discover in their heart was not good - it was soon very apparent that they were not aligned with His Davar (Word) which says:

"This entire mitzvah (commandment) that I command to you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live, and increase, and go in and occupy the land that Yahweh promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that Yahweh your Elohim (God) has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His mitzvot (commandments)" (Dt.8:1-2, NRSV).

Brothers and sisters, we are now going through another - the last - 40 year journey or Last Exodus and even as I speak the hearts of those drawn to this Body are being tested, and in some cases, severely so. Yahweh is showing people what is in their hearts, if they will listen to the DAVAR (WORD) and not to any personal revelation or ambition - however noble - that contradicts it, and to obey the Scriptures without question.

I don't care if you have had a revelation to go and feed the poor in Sudan, or preach the Besorah (Gospel) in Afghanistan, write books and tracts, start congregations, or to do anything else IF this revelation leads you to so much as disobey one of the mitzvot (commamdments). The flesh will make excuses, claiming this or that exception, so that you can claim to be a 'special case'. But to follow the flesh will lead to destruction, no matter how right or energised you may 'feel'.

Obedience has got nothing to do with feelings, which is why Yahweh caused His Davar (Word) to be written down leaving no ambiguity. You can't, like that Danish Lutheran woman priest I have sometimes mentioned to you, go and have sex with lonely men in order to 'minister' to them to make them feel 'loved'! You can't do that!

You cannot, as Saul did, offer a sacrifice to 'honour Yahweh' when Yahweh's navi (prophet) Samuel forbade him to do so! It was this act of supposedly 'honouring Yahweh' that cost him his throne and kingdom and led him to become the murderer that he was. You cannot play around with the Mitzvot (Commandments)! - there are consequences for those who do.

Humility does not lead you to sacrifice instead of obeying. Let these words once again burn into any who think they can:

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Davar (Word) of Yahweh, He also has rejected you" (1 Sam.15:22-23, NKJV)

There is no place on this last exodus march for stubborn, disobedient rebels like Saul, son of Kish, however charismatic (and he had a magnetic personality that drew people to him) or for jealous women who crave power and authority like Miriam; but only those like Moses who was meek, and only those like Joshua and Caleb who were obedient and loyal, can have anything to do with this end-time work. There are no exceptions.

And even though people from both my own ministry and family have tried to bend me to their wills in the past, and no doubt will try again in the future, I will not deviate to the right or to the left or off from the path Yahweh has set my feet on, not by a single degree. Not a chance! My life wouldn't be worth it if I did. And such an attitude of fierce loyalty and felicity must be the mind of all the Final Exoduseers. From the very first day I set foot in Scandinavia people have tried to prevail upon me to accept scriptures and revelations that have contradicted the Bible. Those of you who have been around since the beginning of this work may remember how one member tried to get me to accept a fraudulent New Age gospel called The Gospel of the Holy Twelve. If they had succeeded, Yahweh would have scuttled this work decades ago.

If only two Israelites - Joshua and Caleb - of all those hundreds of thousands of the original children of Israel who left Egypt, were counted worthy enough to enter into the Promised Land, what makes anyone think that it will be any easier for those on this Final End-Time Exodus? Stubborness, pride and ambition have to die; obedience and loyalty in emunah (faith) and ahavah (love) must prevail. And a word of advice - remember the old Chinese Proverb:

"Be like the bamboo. The higher you climb, the deeper you bow" (Chinese Proverb)

Now, we can choose how we learn humility - we can either 'trample on ourself' of our own free will or we can have Yahweh do it for us - or, if we're too cowardly for either of those, we can run away and abandon everything that is qadosh (holy, set-apart) and sacred. Yahweh forces no one, but His Discipleship Order is strict and does not change, for this is "the time of the new order" (Heb.9:10, NIV) spoken of by the writer of Hebrews - it is "the time of reformation" (NKJV), "the time of refreshing" (HRV), "the time of restoration" (AENT), "the moment when everything will be put into proper order" (KNT), "the time for Elohim (God) to reshape the whole structure" (JNT). That order - that structure - is the reign of this eon and the next, with Yah'shua (Jesus) as Head following the eternal tavnith (pattern) established from the beginning.

In this Post-Modern, existential age of wickedness, various idols are replacing the Davar Elohim (Word of God) in the churches and messianic assemblies, thanks to the satanic bargains that many leaders, who have abandoned their first love, have made - and are still making - with the Adversary and Enemy of our souls. Most of them are not aware they are doing it, and still speak of their following 'Yah'shua', 'Yeshua' or 'Jesus', but the exchange has been made. Isaiah rebuked the people of his day because of the self-same sins that are being repeated in ours:

"Behind the door and the doorport you have set up your idol symbol [as a substitute for the scripture text Elohim (God) ordered]; for, deserting Me, you have uncovered and ascended and enlarged your bed, and you have made a fresh bargain for yourself with the adulterers..." (Is.57:8a, Amp.V.).

What did Yahweh command the Israelites to inscribe on their doorposts?

"Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Elohim (God), Yahweh is echad (one)! You shall love Yahweh your Elohim (God) with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

"Now this is the mitzvah (commandment), and these are the statutes and judgments which Yahweh your Elohim (God) has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear Yahweh your Elohim (God), to keep all His statutes and His mitzvot (commandments) which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged...And these devarim (words) which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Dt.6:1.2,4-9, NKJV).

The Scriptures are so important - and specifically, here, the Torah - that Yahweh commands they be written on the doorposts and gates of your house, which is a picture of how they are supposed to be written on the doorposts of your heart too. What that means is that you must be supernaturally changed inside through trusting in Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus) that will give you a passion for Yahweh's mitzvot (commanmdments). This can only happen after we have 'trampled on self' by dying to self, which is what humility is all about, so that we can receive Heaven's image. This is to be our comportment, our way of being, verily our whole lifestyle, and is the sign of the redeemed in Messiah and the evidence of His divine resurrection empowering us. Anything less is spiritual adultery and anything less leads to demonic exchanges of power and authority.

Although Yahweh does not owe mankind anything, in his chesed and ahavah - in his undeserved loving-kindness - He is ready to show mercy and favour to those humbling themselves before Him by submitting to His Davar (Word). Such persons demonstrate that they are not trusting or boasting in themselves, not listening to the seducing spirits of imposters pretending to be Yahweh or His Ruach (Spirit), but look to Him and want to do His will. And in so doing they will not ignore, explain away, seek to be excepted from, or discard any of his mitzvot (commandments). They will consistently submit to "the whole counsel of Elohim (God)" (Ac.20:27, NKJV), "the whole will of Elohim (God)" (NIV), "to Elohim's (God's) entire plan" (KNT). We have no right to change any part of that Plan by ignoring a single mitzvah (commandment), and to do so is to partake of the rebellion of Korah or of Miriam. And whatsoever we disavow or disobey is an opportunity for the Enemy to slip in and become your god.

Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), when on earth, set the greatest example of a humble servant of Yahweh by washing the feet of His talmidim (disciples), a task customarily performed by menials and slaves (Jn.13:2-5,12-17). He had previously told them:

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matt.23:12, NIV).

Perhaps even more outstandingly, and something I admit is hard to grasp, is that the glorified Messiah, posessing as He does, and will, such an exalted position, to whom "all authority in heaven and on earth has been given" (Matt.28:18, NIV) for now, will still have the same humility at the end of His one thousand year-long reign on earth, as when He did as a mortal man, and after that yield back to the Father everything He was given, for it is written:

"When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to to the One (Yahweh) who put all things in subjection under Him, so that Elohim (God) may be all in all" (1 Cor.15:28, NRSV).

This Bible passage is rarely discussed by either theologians or Sunday Schools for obvious reasons because it overturns two false teachings in the bulk of Christendom:

• 1. That Yah'shua (Jesus) returns to earth, not Heaven, to rule (something resurrection-endorsing Anglican Bishop and Pauline scholar N.T.Wright has come to conclude, causing great controversy); and
• 2. After the Millennium He ceases to rule but returns all power and authority to Yahweh.

This does not, of course, mean that after this hand-over ceremony, Yah'shua (Jesus) suddenly ceases to be Elohim (God). Nor does it mean that Yahweh merges with the universe making it pantheistic - that's not what "all in all" means - there are no brownie points in this for the Occultists and New Agers. You may relax on that score - Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), the Son of Elohim (God) and Elohim (God) the Son, isn't going to disappear or become a mere man. This is simply the end of a task appointed to Him by the Father, a task spanning two eons of time.

Now I can understand Trinitarians getting upset because it does undo a facet of their Roman Catholic-inspired Godhead doctrine; it's a lot worse for the modalistic monarchism of the 'Oneness Pentecostals' (United Pentecostal Church) who believe 'Jesus' is the Supreme Being - that He is 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost' but simply swaps rôles when it suits Him, a blasphemy I exposed a long time ago [2] - there's been a lot of false prophecy coming out of that body in recent times about an imminent world revival in Ohio. So don't panic! Yah'shua (Jesus) was, is, and always will be, Elohim (God)! We are not pushing the heretical Arian doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses!

To return such cosmic power and authority to His, and our, Heavenly Father, Yahweh, will take great, great humility on Yah'shua's (Jesus') part. This is not something that most orthodox Christians contemplate, let alone understand, because of the false Trinitarian teaching of the eternal co-equality of the members of the Elohimhead (Godhead).

How has this misunderstanding arisen? Because they do not understand the concept of eonian or age-long time and stewardship - thus when Yah'shua said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt.28:18, NIV), they have failed to understand the distinctiion between 'eons' and 'the eon of the eons' which are both usually translated as "forever" or "eternal" when they mean quite different things, the first meaning 'age-long' and the second 'for eternity'. There is a major distinction between them. They assume Yah'shua (Jesus) was given this authority permanently - 'for ever and ever'.

The reason Yah'shua (Jesus) hands back His authority and power, which He received for the two eons or ages between His incarnation and the eon or age which is the Millennium, is because His rôle as Yahweh's plenipotentiary was never intended to last more than two eons "so that Elohim (God) [Yahweh, the Father] may be all in all" because Yahweh is the Supreme Head, not the Son! (A plenipotentiary, by the way, is a person, especially a diplomatic agent, invested with full power or authority to transact business on behalf of another, usually the Prime Minister, President or King). Sons are always in subjection to their fathers, even when they are assigned powers to represent their fathers for shorter or longer periods of time. That's divine tavnith (pattern) and will never change.

It is exactly the same for us as the Messianic Community or Church. We, as born-again believers, are given authority over demonic powers (for example) while we are mortals on earth, and as the children of the first resurrectrion in the Millennium, we are given authority by Yah'shua (Jesus) who "has made us kings and cohenim (priests) to His Elohim (God) and Father" (Rev.1:6, NKJV) over the nations but, once these two eons or ages are over, what are we expected to do? Like the 24 elders, we are expected to remain humble and return our authority to the Lamb!

"Whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 'You are worthy, O Yahweh, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created'" (Rev.4:9-11, NKJV).

Do you see the divine tavnith or pattern here? Yah'shua (Jesus) was given executive power and authority by the Father, Yahweh, which He must return to the Father at the end of the two eons of time. Likewise, those men given power and authority by Yah'shua (Jesus) over the nations on the earth during the Millennium as kings and cohenim (priests) must also return that same power and authority back to Him as described poetically and symbolically in the imagery of their 'casting of their crowns before Him' which, of course, also go back to the Father, again "so that Elohim (God) [Yahweh, the Father] may be all in all". We don't get to retain this power and authority after the Millennium is over! What happens after that I have no idea but I am quite sure we will be given new assignments.

And this is exactly the same with husbands and wives. Yahweh has given the husbands all authority and power over their wives in all the affairs of the home and the Kingdom, which is why we have been given this instruction:

"Now as the messianic community (church) submits to Messiah [in everything], so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything" (Eph.5:24, NIV).

And whatever executive authority husbands give to their wives must be returned to their husbands at some time in exactly the same way that the Messianic Community (Church) as a whole must one day return all power and authority back to Yah'shua (Jesus) in the same way that one day - at the end of the Millennium - Yah'shua (Jesus) must return all power and authority back to the Father "so that Elohim (God) [Yahweh, the Father] may be all in all". That is how He is glorified! We won't, for example, need authority over demons any more, because they will all be subdued. What happens in the eon after the Millennium I do not know - we have quite enough to contend with this one, and the one to come, to worry about that!

By this means those who are under authority and power are kept humble and Yahweh is glorified. Does that make sense? You see, Satan wanted to hang on to his original glory forever, and then that grew into the idea that He could invade Heaven and take Yahweh's too. Such is the nature of pride. And I don't doubt he had his own plan of salvation whereby all men would be saved, only his would have been by compulsion, denying all agency

Returning all authority and power to Yahweh is the ultimate humility; and as the Son will thus humble Himself, setting an example for us yet again, by returning all executive power and authorioty back to the Father, so must the men return the same back to Yah'shua (Jesus) and the wives back to their husbands. Obedience and humility therefore operate hand-in-hand. There is no co-headship here between the Father and the Son, no coheadship between the Son and the Messianic Community, and no coheadship between husbands and wives. Indeed, coheadship is an abominable doctrine because it is ultimately a claim for coequality with Elohim (God), which is moreorless what the Occultists, New Agers and Satanists claim, maintaing that everyone is god. It's what Mirian and Aaron wanted with Moses.

As the Son never did anything beyond what His Father told Him to do, and as the Messianic Community (Church), when walking in holiness, does nothing save what the Son tells it to do, so the wife walking in holiness does nothing beyond what her husband tells her to do...not in 'some things' but in "everything".

The Son does not have revelations independent of the Father (since the Father is the one who issues the revelation of His will), just as the properly sanctified Messianic Community (Church) does not have revelations independent of the Son (since the Son is the one who issues the revelation which He has obtained from His Father), just as the sanctified wife does not have revelations independent of her husband (since the husband is the one who issues the revelation for his wife and family which he has obtained from the Son).

This is the divine tavnith (pattern), and comes of humility, and any other pattern is of the devil, and comes of pride, even if the devil tells you to go and do something good and scriptural. That is why there is Order in the Kingdom, that is why the Kingdom is hierarchical, and that is why the world hates Elohim's (God's) hierarchy and order because the world is lawless and rebellious.

And that is why Yahweh rebuked and punished Miriam and Aaron for claiming an authority and power that had not been given to them but only to their brother Moses. You see, Aaron had done great miracles as Moses' executive and spokesman before Pharaoh, and Miriam had sung prophetically by the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) after the Red Sea Crossing and the drowning of Pharaoh's army. And because they were thus blessed, they were overcome by pride and thus complained to Moses:

"'Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses?' they asked. 'Hasn't He also spoken through us?'" (Num.12:1-2, NIV).

And before Yahweh gave His verdict on their presumption and lack of humility, what does the text next tell us?

"(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth)" (Num.12:3, NIV).

Yes, both had been blessed with supernatural gifts but they were not humble and presumed authority and power they had not been given. And so we read that "the anger of Yahweh burned against them" (Num.12:9, NIV) and what followed you know, for Miriam, who was the presumptive 'leader', was struck with leprosy, and Moses had to plead with Yahweh for her. She was exiled for seven days outside the camp of Israel, doubtless exposed to the dangers there of wild animals and raiders, a picture of not being spiritually covered, because her sin was grievous (vv.10-15), but also as a sign that our status in the Kingdom of Elohim (God) depends on sumbission and humility, not on giftedness. The fact that she was a neviah or prophetess was irrelevent because she failed to submit to Yahweh's appointed navi (prophet), Moses. You don't mess around with the divine tavnith (pattern) or the power and authority hierachies of Yah's Kingdom.

Humility is essential for unity in families, in congregations and in the Messianic Communuity (Church) as a whole. And humility is born of obedience and submission. True humility leads us to be content with the way Yahweh has set things up and to thus maintain simcha (joy) and balance. The interdependency of the messianic congregation, as illustrated in 1 Corinthians 12, that great revelation on the Body of Messiah, is based on obedience, humility and submissiveness to Yahweh's organisational arrangement, in the same was as it is in the patriarchal family.

Speaking of men, Paul tells Timothy that "if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task" (1 Tim.3:1, NIV), they are also instructed not to ambitiously seek a position of responsibility, for example, as teachers, for they "will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1, NIV). Likewise it is good to want to operate in the power and authority of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) but this is never granted out of divine tavnith (pattern), even if fallible human beings holding such authority do make mistakes. Thus James reminds us that "we all stumble in many ways" (James 3:2, NIV). Nevertheless, this does not give us the right to seize the authority and power not given to us but given to someone else, whether it be from pastors or husbands in the messianic community (church). If we try, we will end up like Miriam and Korah, and the Enemy will be given a golden opportunity to mimic the Ruach (Spirit), encouraging rebellion in the name of building the Kingdom. But if the Kingdom is not built in the right order, it will become corrupted and eventually collapse.

We learn humility by not stepping beyond the bounds set by Yahweh and in so doing avoid the humiliation imposed on Miriam for her presumptuousness or on Korah for his defiance of Moses and Aaron. Therefore be careful what church you join or which husband you marry because once you are covenanted in, you are bound to follow the Kingdom order or suffer the consequences. Authority once spurned leads to haughtiness that can lead him or her to think that he is righteous in his own merit, or he may believe that he is accomplishing his ends, not realising that he cannot deceive Yahweh. If haughtiness develops, such a one will in due course be humbled in a way that he will not enjoy. He will be brought low and, if he continues not to relent or yield, he may be brought to his own destruction, even as it is written:

"Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honour"
(Prov.18:12, NIV; see also 29:23).

Over the years as a minister and husband I have seen many Miriam's and Korah's brought low. It has been painful to witness. The scariest thing is that they think they are operating in Yahweh's will at first but in the end they lose Him altogether because His favour is withdrawn. Truly it is written:

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry" (1 Sam.15:23, NKJV).

Why would the sin of rebellion be linked to witchcraft? Magic and sorcery have always been condemned in Scripture because they are a rival to true religion. True religion centres in the personal experience of the one Elohim (God), with an attempt to live a life that is conformable to His will. The believer walks humbly with his Elohim (God), prays to Him, and is prepared to accept the circumstances of his life as the sphere in which to glorify Him. Witchcraft, on the other hand, deals with lower supernatural beings, or attempts to force issues by using psychic forces, irrespective of whether the issues are for the glory of Elohim (God).

Rebellion is the conscious decision to sin. Now it's true we can be honestly tricked by the Enemy to make a mistake - it was never our intention to obey the Enemy but to follow Yahweh. If at this stage we realise our mistake and repent, turning away from that sin, then we will not fall into the greater sin of rebellion. The differentiating factor here is whether that disobedience was intentional or unintentional. If Yahweh has made Himself clear to you and you willingly choose to disobey, then you are in rebellion. If the Scriptures contradict our course of action and we choose to ignore it because we are sure Yahweh has revealed something to us anyway, then pride has seized us by the throat and we are in rebellion. Rebellion is willful disobedience. The apostle James said:

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17, NIV).

So why is rebellion compared to witchcraft? Because it is willfully choosing to be led by another spirit. Rebellion is choosing to do the will and the work of the Enemy in direct opposition to that of Yahweh's will. Samuel went on to say that stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. What is stubbornness, but refusing correction and repentance? What is iniquity, but sin and wickedness? And what is idolatry, but choosing to give your service, obedience, and allegiance to another god? That is why Samuel's closing words to Saul are truly heart-breaking:

"Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, He also has rejected you from being king" (1 Sam.15:23, NKJV).

This is a terrible thing because the flesh does not like to see a well-intentioned action as witchcraft, stubbornness or idolatry. Samuel told Saul to wait until he arrived to make sacrifices to Yahweh. Saul usurped authority from the navi (prophet), just as Miriam wanted to usurp Moses' authority as a navi (prophet), but Saul would not wait. Was wanting to offer a sacrifice to Yahweh wrong? By no means, but it was not his business to overturn the divinely established order. Then what was well-intentioned became an act of witchcraft and idolatry, an act of worshipping another god. The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

Just like Samson, this act of disobedience to the Davar (Word) cost Saul everything - his blessings, his calling, his anointing, and eventually his very life. Yahweh can only use those whom He can trust to obey His Davar (Word) and if any revelation contradicts that Davar (God), it is not Yahweh speaking. Ever. We must listen and obey those whom Yahweh has commanded us to listen to and obey, humbling ourselves before Him in true repentance. Only then can we walk in total obedience to His will, rather then find ourselves serving another spirit and through pride choosing to continue doing so. Stubbornness will cause you to lose more than you ever could have hoped to gain. If you have been a Miriam, at least repent quickly, so that your exile outside the camp is not long.

The learning of humility is hard but absolutely necessary. Many are destroyed for refusing to learn its lessons. As Paul told the Colossians, since, as professing believers, we

"have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator ... therefore, as Elohim's (God's) chosen people, qadosh (holy, set-apart) and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Master forgave you. And over all these virtues put on ahavah (love), which binds them all together in perfect echad (unity)" (Col.3:10, 12-14, NIV).

Humility is a constant theme in Scripture. In the Greco-Roman world many regarded it as a sign of weakness or even a character flaw. But for us, humility is a virtue, and indeed Paul says it lies at the heart of Messiah's character (Phil.2:3-8). It was an attitude of Paul himself (2 Cor.10:1), an attitude of the Messianic Community (Church) (Eph.4:2; Col.3:12) and is described as a fruit of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) (Gal.5:23) which finds its source in ahavah- or agapé-love (1 Cor.4:21; cp. 13:4-5). And finally, humility is the appropriate attitude to Yahweh (Is.4:10) and to each other (1 Pet.3:8; 5:5) in emet (truth) and divine tavnith (pattern).

C.S.Lewis said that "humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less". Humility is absolute obedience and dependence on Yahweh. It is concerned with what is right rather than with who is right.

"If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself" (Gal.6:3, NIV).

Endnotes