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Sermons Series 3:61, 21 October 2006
Wise Lips, Sealed Lips
The Fourth Foolish Virgin and the Law of Secrecy
Main Themes:
Minor Themes:
I welcome you back in Yah'shua's Name after a wonderful Sukkot season. I think most of us are missing the intensity of the special presence of the Ruachs. On the morning of Shemini Atseret last Saturday, before we came into the meeting, all seven Ruachs appeared to us or were felt by us. And ever since we have been struggling hard to describe what we actually saw and experienced, because it was unlike anything we had experienced before. The Seven Ruachs were seen in what can best be described as a 'dance' because they were moving in and out of each other in such a way as to convey both a sense of separateness as well as being indistinguishable, because they are so totally one or echad. It literally 'took our breath away'. So the Sukkot festival passed in great joy and we thank our Heavenly Father for the privilege of partaking in this gift of heavenly grace.
We were brought back into the 'real world' with a sudden jolt after sunset and the special anointing ebbed away and once again we turned towards Kingdom-building. It had been a lovely break after all the stress and tribulation of the past year. Our enemies have resumed their attacks, playing on the ignorance and gullibility of innocent bystanders. They will not, however, succeed. Indeed one prophecy made by Yahweh during the summer, concerning a person who would not choose Yahweh's gift of grace and who was told that she would become an enemy of Yahweh and the Kingdom, was fulfilled last Saturday evening just after Sukkot ended. So here we are once again, kitted up and ready for warfare. King David said: "I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war" (Ps.120:7, NIV). Those who reject wisdom and her "pleasant ways", whose "paths are peace", who is a "tree of life to those who embrace her" and who are "blessed" when they "lay hold of her" (Prov.3:17-18, NIV), must of necessity reap what they have sown. As for us, we follow the injunction of Hosea: "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love" (Hos.10:12, NIV).
For 60 weeks this Mishpachah has been birthed. We stand here now and are building upon the new foundation that Yahweh has laid. The old one has gone and the bricks of the old spiritual house that were sound will be used again to rebuild an earthly House of Yahweh along with all the new. And although the Third Wave ended just under three weeks ago, the full effects of it have not really become apparent until now. Here we are on a new spiritual shore, reduced slightly in numbers once more but stronger than ever and with many new people coming along. This has been an amazing two weeks. The Garden has become alive like never before. At night time I hear what those who live in it are saying to one another and know what is happening to them.
Actually, there have been some amusing incidents in this connection. My wife was thinking some thoughts and seconds afterwards I just repeated them verbatim - it shook her up a little! This has been happening again and again. And although it's new for me, her and for others, we are slowly getting acclimatised to this new 'way of being'. It has long been our desire to be able to communicate inside just like they do in heaven and we are beginning to enjoy that gift now. I have still to learn how to listen to more than one person at a time. What seems to be happening, though, is that Yahweh 'edits out' what He doesn't want me to hear and leaves the rest. In other words, we hear what we need to hear. Unlike Yahweh we are unable to multitask in the way He does. I do, however, expect this gift to be developed more in time.
I have chosen for my theme today the fourth foolish virgin from the parable of the Ten Virgins that Yah'shua taught (Mt.25:1-13) as this was the topic given to me by Yahweh six days ago. The account in the Gospel of Matthew doesn't say anything about the individual ten virgins and confines itself to dividing them into two groups - five wise ones, and five foolish ones. It's a story of the Kingdom - of those who are saved but who choose the psychic life that I spoke to you about last week at Shemini Atseret by neglecting the zoë life. We looked last week at chayim / zoë (life), mayim (water) and light. The story of the Ten Virgins is about oil which of course is a symbol of the Ruach haQodesh.
It's about ten women waiting to be called to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb - to the final consummation of the heavenly Sukkot and what preparation - or lack of preparation - they make. Most English bibles say they are carrying 'lamps' which conjures up a picture of a small oil lamp with wicks in them. However, these were blazing torches made of rags soaked in oil, the burned parts of which had to be trimmed every now and then. They were bright lights. And as such they needed refuelling often. Most Bible versions say the virgins took along 'jars' with them and I don't know about you but when I read that word my mind conjures up something the size of a small jam jar. Other versions use 'flasks' (NAS) or 'vessels' (KJV, ASV, NKJV). In actual fact, the Greek word aggeion simply means a portable clay pot and can be small or large, even as large as a wine flagon. Since a small lamp would have been wholly inadequate for lighting outdoors, we are forced to conclude that these were largish torches and that the ten ladies in question carried around largish clay vessels filled with oil too. Or at least five of them did. The five foolish virgins did not have enough oil and supposed they could borrow some from the five wise ones.
It is important to understand that you cannot borrow zoë life or oil from others. It must come from your own well in your own soul which Yah'shua has placed there through your own faith and your own obedience. No other person can save you and no other person can supply you with zoë oil except your husband after you have married him! That life, light, water and oil is applied to wives in the husbands' gardens. But until they are married, they must obtain enough at least to get them to the Marriage Feast - to Sukkot.
The description given in Yah'shua's parable reflects a typical Hebrew wedding. Following the betrothal the wife remains at home with her father or guardian until her husband has completed his preparations for the wedding night and has a house provided for her. A man must provide a spiritual covering for his bride too, getting right with Yahweh so that he can competently lead, protect and love as Yah'shua loves the Messianic Bride. He does not announce His arrival in advance - indeed, no man knows when Yah'shua returns except the Father in Heaven. There is, of course, some warning. The Bridegroom doesn't suddenly arrive at the door of the betrothed wife and give her a heart-attack. First the trumpets are blown at Yom Teruah announcing His arrival and then He comes. If you read the parable of the Ten Virgins the same thing happens. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'" (Matt.25:6, NIV). They had all become drowsy and fallen asleep and when the cry went out, they scrambled for their lights to relight or trim and add oil to them. But the foolish ones were out of oil. They did not have the Ruach haQodesh. Their zoë vessel was empty. They had relied on the psychic life.
Now Yah'shua, as I told you last week, is not coming to marry psuche or psychic Christians. He is coming for the zoë ones, those who have been living His life, not their own. And those who have His zoë life are those who live for their Husband, not for themselves. "'Sir! Sir!'", cried the five foolish virgins, "'Open the door for us!'" (v.11). And can you remember what Yah'shua said? "I tell you the truth, I don't know you" (v.12; cp. Mt.7:21-23).
"I don't know you". Yah'shua only knows those who possess the zoë life because there is no psychic life in Him. They are the doers and not just the talkers. If it is absent in you, how can He possibly recognise you, let alone want to intimately unite with you? And this is true of literal husbands and wives too. The husband must prepare himself under the authority of his father, who is his head, learning the ways of the Elohim so that he can become an elohim of his own wife and family-to-be. The wife-to-be must prepare herself for her husband. This is not about two people coming from different places and meeting in a third, new one where they will construct a new life out of the synthesis of the two. Not at all, even if the world romanticises this. It is about a wife coming home to her husband to dwell in and with Him, just as the Ruach dwells in and with us as we yield ourselves to Yah'shua. It's very natural, it's very good, it's wholesome and liberating, and the devil hates it. He will lie in whatever way he can to prevent it to be so.
In a revelation received in 1990, building on, expanding and purifying insights received by someone else, Yahweh explains the ten different characteristics of the ten virgins. They're all saved believers, as I said, but five choose the zoë life and five choose the psychic. I have discoursed on all ten of them before but today I want to focus on one in particular because I am finding that there are many such people in the Body of Messiah today who need help in seeing the truth about their spiritual state. So I am going to begin by quoting the section in question:
"The fourth foolish virgin is without reason. She acts without thought, and does not consider the results of her actions. She breaks her covenants continually and cannot be trusted. What others tell her in secret (confidence) she publishes to all, for she has no self-discipline. She brings disaster into the lives of others because she is thoughtless. Behold, she is not wicked, but because she is thoughtless, she cannot perform even one good thing. When she is happy, she displays it in a manner that repulses the righteous; and when she weeps, she does so on the housetops, that all might see and hear her. She has no discernment, and supposes that the stupid are wise, and the wise are stupid. She listens but does not hear. And behold, awful is her state" (Olive Branch 207:39-48).
Now I am sure you have met people like this. They are typically people who act on the impulse of their heart without having carefully thought their actions through. They usually mean no ill but their carelessness and thoughtlessness can cause much evil. Such people "give no thought to the way (halacha - conduct) of life (chayim)" (Prov.5:6a, NIV); "her halachot (ways) are unstable, that you cannot know them" (6b, RSTNE). Actions that are propelled by emotional impulse without intelligence lead to ways that are incomprehensible to people because either they are random, demon-driven and purposefully 'mystical'. Why would such people even want to be this way? What is it that makes people want to be 'mysterious' or 'incomprehensible'? It is basically the spirit of deception - a way of not letting people get close for fear that their real hearts are seen, hearts - for whatever reason - that don't want to change direction and conform themselves to the ways of Yahweh. Solomon said:
"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception" (Prov.14:8, NIV).
People accommodate sin by either turning off their minds or their hearts and demons are more than happy to accommodate the process. Indeed, they will start work on your brain circuits and feelings the moment you start believing lies. And the best way to avoid lies is through spiritual education through a knowledge of the Torah:
"A simple man believes anything," said Solomon, "but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. A wise man fears Yahweh and shuns evil, but a fool is hot-headed and reckless. A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge" (Prov.14:15-18, NIV).
And yet even intellectual people can fall into the category of the fourth foolish virgin. This category does not imply turning your brain off. Rather, it implies turning off that part of the brain which considers the welfare of others. Specifically, it concerns the realm of action - the things one does. I knew a man who thought a great deal but would suddenly get the impulse to go and visit another country and give his wife 5 minutes' notice. He would grab a few clothes, throw them in his car, and be gone for days. Once he went off on a trip for weeks running around the continent. My heart went out for his poor wife who suddenly had to rearrange all her schedules to fit in with his impulsive behaviour. Then you have the kind of person who feels that the only right thing is to be completely open, 'honest' and transparent about everything in their lives and in others. I knew a man - one who claimed to be a Messianic - who would openly talk about his and his wife's sexuality in front of strangers because he felt that was 'honesty'. He failed to realise that there is such a thing as privacy or secrecy, and that we are not obliged to tell people the most intimate details of our lives. The attitude presupposes some serious fallacies of thinking. It presupposes that everyone is equally worthy to know everything about everyone else. But that's a lie. The intimate matters of marriage are not for public consumption. Nor are a family's finances and spending habits so long as they aren't cheating the taxman, for instance. If this were not so, there would not be different heavens - the Bible speaks of three. Nor would there be different resurrections - the Bible speaks of three. Nor would there be family or state hierarchies - in fact, we would have a kind of communism that Red China tried in its early days which resulted in chaos. The fourth wise virgin - and that could be a woman or a man - has no concept of secrecy or confidentially. Indeed, she has absolutely nor respect for them at all.
Now you may have heard believers say that Yah'shua set a new way because He did everything openly. They usually cite one scripture and assume it cancels out all the rest. This is their favourite:
"'I have spoken openly to the world,' Yah'shua replied. 'I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said'" (John 18:20-21, NIV).
Does this scripture mean that you and I are obliged to be totally open about every single detail of our lives? Of course not. You have to read it in context, and that context was the charge of sedition. The context is the accusation that he was plotting against the authorities in such a way as to undermine or destroy that authority. Yah'shua denied that He was doing that. Indeed, He told His disciples to recognise the de jure (outwardly legal) authorities but not to imitate their bad ways. This is what He meant when He said that He spoke openly - He said nothing in secret that contradicted His public statements in regard to the secular and religious authority. His teaching was not subversive. Listen to what He said:
"Then Yah'shua said to the crowds and to his disciples: 'The teachers of the law (Torah) and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach" (Matt.23:1-3, NIV).
In fact, Yah'shua told us to do lots of things in secret:
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt.6:3-4, NIV; cp. 6:16-18).
Did Yah'shua teach all His doctrines openly? Definitely not:
"The disciples came to Him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you (the disciples), but not to them (the unbelievers)" (Matt.13:10-12, NIV).
Now this may cause alarm to those on the 'outside' but then it's not for them, is it? After all, true Christians aren't seditious, just as Yah'shua wasn't. He respected the authorities legal rights but refused to imitate their hypocrisy. Yah'shua strictly warned the disciples:
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces" (Matt.7:6, NIV).
In our early days we did not teach that the Ruach haQodesh was female - it was not the time, and most Christians would have metaphorically 'torn us to pieces'. In those days we simply called Her 'it'. Today, with Christians hungering more and more after the meaty truths of scripture, we speak openly about Her. And whilst some do indeed want to 'tear to pieces' there are now enough who don't want to, that it is safe for them to know. In the old days we would teach these things to trusted members, and they rejoiced. Today we are open about it.
Now there are things that can be, and should be, legitimately feared when done in secret. Anything that is done in secret that contradicts plain Bible teaching should be exposed - obviously. Thus if a group says they believe in heterosexual monogamy in public but in secret practice 'free love', then this needs to be exposed. Yahweh's standards of morality are clearly stated. The Torah teaches plainly who can marry who and do what, when. There may be a few minor points that are debated, but by and large these matters are settled. There are no 'secret' forms of marriage that Yahweh has not revealed or hinted at.
Now Yah'shua explains very clearly why some things are to be kept secret:
"He told them, 'The secret of the kingdom of Elohim has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!''" (Mark 4:11-12, NIV).
Now why on earth would He say that? Is He saying that He doesn't want to forgive some people? What exactly is the "secret of the kingdom of Elohim"? Moshe Koniuchowsky suggests that this is the reason:
"Believing Israelites get the message directly while those on the outside of believing Israel must come through parables. So parables were given to reveal history and future revelation to regathered Israel, while blinding the eyes of those outside, in order to force them to inquire on their own" (Footnote #4, Mk.4:11, RSTNE, Updated Second Edition).
Yah'shua was in fact quoting the Book of Isaiah which reads:
"He said, 'Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed'" (Isa.6:9-10, NIV).
Now if this offends you - and I can think of many people who are offended by such concepts - that you don't know our Heavenly Father and have a disposition hostile to His heart. If that is the case, then it is you who have the problem, not Yahweh or the prophet Isaiah. But OK, I know you want a reason, so I am going to give it. Why did both Yahweh and Yah'shua say that some people should not hear the truth and so not be saved? The reason is that people wanted to be saved for different reasons. One of these reasons is righteous and the other is evil.
Now if you have never heard of this concept before, I am not surprised. But it's so important to our understanding of the difference between zoë Christians and carnal or psychic Christians that we absolutely need to know the answer. So let's ask ourselves some serious questions: What are the different reasons that people want to be saved?
Now I know a lot of people who have major demon problems. Their minds, hearts and bodies are wracked with pain, confusion and torment. They want the nightmare to end. They seek all kinds of solutions. They will turn to science and get a drug solution. Doesn't work, of course. The best that medicine can do is dope you down so much that you become a zombie. Some go to the occult, involving what they believe to be beneficent 'spirits' to throw out what they believe is another more evil form of 'spirit' They can use shamanism, voodoo, Wicca, or any other number of supposed New Age, occultic 'solution' But they don't work. Exchanging one set of demons for another (real or imagined) is not the solution. And then others turn to Christianity, lawless and lawful, and decide that Yah'shua or Jesus is the 'solution'. But to turn to Him, they soon discover, means a commitment - and not just for life, but for ever. Many balk at this but because when they see the results, they go for it as their 'last hope'. And what often then happens is that once they have got their deliverance, they go off and lead their own lives like those ungrateful lepers who did not thank Yah'shua for healing them (Lk.17:12-19). Only one of ten healed lepers came back to give glory to Yahweh, and that one was a Samaritan! The Jewish ones did not.
Now that was a physical healing. However, here we are talking about spiritual healing. When Isaiah recorded His account, and Mark Yah'shua's, who were they talking about? Who did they not want healed and saved, and why? It is very clear that those who will not have the secrets of the Kingdom of Yahweh revealed to them are those who wanted to be saved but not to serve.
If you go back to verse 8 in the Isaiah passage - the verse before the passage I cited - you will read Yahweh asking: "Who will go for us?" Yahweh can only use willing, loving service. Yahweh knew that Israel would reject His message, so their 'hearing' would be like not hearing at all. What would they want with their salvation anyway? To serve Yahweh? No! They would want it merely to get out of a sticky situation - a jam - an unpleasant set of circumstances - and then go their way and sin more. That's not true repentance. It's wanting salvation and deliverance to consume upon their lusts. It's not wanting salvation in order to give glory to Yahweh and to serve us. It's purpose is selfish and ultimately non-redemptive. And that isn't what the Kingdom of Heaven is for!
The result of these insincere people hearing the Gospel would result in the judicial blinding of their hearts - they would be even worse off than before! That is why indiscriminate revealing of Yahweh's deepest truths is not permitted, and those who reveal indiscriminately end up hurting people rather than blessing them. And I can assure you that Yahweh is not pleased with such behaviour. Because if such a person is blinded, he will be even less likely to search for the truth under righteous impulses which would give him a genuine salvation. Instead, he will walk away, in his blinded state, even more disillusioned than ever. Would it be his own fault? Yes, of course. But Yahweh is an Elohim of love and grace. He wants people to come at the right time and the right way. He does not want their agony of ignorance, wanton or not, prolonged more than a minute longer than necessary.
Yah'shua reserved His fiercest wrath for the religious leaders of His day because they were hypocrites and made their converts worse children of hell than they themselves were. Their false teachings made former pagans or atheists even worse than they were before they believed! A fanatical religious person, who believes he has a mandate from Deity to do evil, can often be a lot more dangerous and evil that one who believes in a false deity or none at all. I would rather keep company with a moderate atheist than a fanatical killer who believes his god has commanded him to go and kill innocent people. That religious maniac would be better off as a moderate atheist and so would all those who crossed his path.
So do we see now why Yahweh wants some people unconverted? It's better for them and better for their associates. Does that mean that Yahweh is not interested in the unconverted? By no means. It means simply that it's not their time and as ministers of the Gospel we have to be discerning of the Ruach and know when to preach, who to preach to, and what to preach. Conversion must lead to a spiritual purpose and not just be a spiritual means to a carnal end.
Do not think I am trying to put the cork on evangelism. By no means. People need stirring up. We need to preach the raw basics of spiritual truth to everyone. But Isaiah's audience and Yah'shua's audience were Israelites - they knew their Torah. Likewise today there are Christians who know their Bible but refuse to obey it. And I for one am certainly not going to reveal the deeper mysteries that Yahweh has given to me to the likes of them. These I will keep secretly locked away in my heart. Instead I will encourage them to be truthful and to go to Yahweh with repentant hearts and let Him teach them the plain truth of the Word.
Now another passage that those who have the spirit of the fourth foolish virgin sometimes like to use is this one:
"No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world" (John 7:3-4, NIV).
Does that sound reasonable? Is it true that public figures like ministers, for example, should never act in secret? Well, first read that passage carefully. We learn in the verse before that this was said by Yah'shua's brothers. And then afterwards, we read:
"For even his own brothers did not believe in Him" (John 7:5, NIV).
They didn't believe He was going to die. They had seen the miracles and they wanted Him to use His miraculous powers, just like Judas did, to 'demonstrate' who He was and take over the state (now that's called sedition). They wanted to jump the gun. This was Yah'shua's reply:
"'The right time for Me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for Me the right time has not yet come.' Having said this, He stayed in Galilee" (John 7:6-9, NIV).
He actually refused to attend a mandatory feast, Sukkot, because there was a higher purpose He had to address. It wasn't the right time. Just as the secret of the First Coming was purposefully hidden in the Old Testament so that only those who searched for it and could discern the Ruach could know it. In fact, this secret was so well hidden that the Scriptures could only be understood in retrospect - after the events - so that Satan would be kept in the dark. The enemy of our souls is constantly on the prowl looking for information about the future and if he can get it through a psychic Christian - a demonised Christian - then he gains a little advantage. That is another reason why Yahweh does not speak the deeper mysteries to carnal Christians! It's to deny Satan vital information for his war on the zoë believers. Well, Yah'shua did in the end attend the Feast, "but in secret" (Jn.7:10, NIV).
We must be very careful, however, not to use the doctrine of secrecy irresponsibly. There is a time, Paul says, "when Elohim will judge men's secrets through Yah'shua the Messiah" (Rom.2:16, NIV). Notice the very interesting context of this judgement:
"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law (Torah), do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them" (Rom.2:14-15, NIV).
Now who do you think is going to be better off? An atheist who doesn't know Yahweh or Torah but who lives an honourable lifestyle that reflects Torah-like qualities, or someone who is a Messianic who knows the Torah but doesn't live it? Here the apostle serves us notice as to how both will be judged. It's what's written on the heart that ultimately counts. BUT this is not an excuse for refusing to hear and know about it and living the rest of Torah. In fact, the unbeliever who is acting out the requirements of Torah in his heart in the moral and ethical sphere will in any case be attracted to Yahweh and His commandments when He sees that they match up with the thoughts and intents of his heart. They will excite Him! I know I have felt over the moon when I have discovered that the things I believed in matched with the Scriptures! It is exhilarating.
Paul again makes it clear that those who occupy positions of responsibility are entrusted with heavenly secrets:
"So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Messiah and as those entrusted with the secret things of Elohim" (1 Cor.4:1-2, NIV).
This is to be seen in contrast to the abuse of the right of secrecy:
"Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of Elohim" (2 Cor.4:2, NIV).
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Master who bought them - bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping" (2 Peter 2:1-3, NIV).
"For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret" (Eph.5:12, NIV; cp. 2 Thes.2:7).
If it is shameful to mention what the disobedient do in secret, how much more shameful and abominable to mention what the obedient do in secret? How outrageous is it to break sacred confidences? Well, the fourth foolish virgin is outrageous. She is totally without shame.
Yahweh and Satan both have secrets. Yahweh's are withheld to protect, "Satan's so-called deep secret" (Rev.2:24, NIV) is withheld only to lure and trap you. There are two types of secrecy - righteous and unrighteous - and it is dangerous to lump them together, as some do.
A few weeks ago when I was teaching you about lying, I told you how a teacher exposed a family secret of a young pupil and how evil that was because that teacher shamed the boy's father in public and forced the boy to dishonour him. The father, you may remember, had a drinking problem. The teacher may have believed he was being 'honest' but then so is Satan if it serves an evil agenda. I don't go telling my client's problems to all and sundry, and neither would I do the same of my parents. For to dishonour a parent is a capital crime in Yahweh's eyes. That commandment is repeated 28 times in the Bible. Yah'shua said:
"'Honour your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death'" (Mark 7:10, NIV).
This is how Israelites children are to treat Israelite parents under the Covenant, whether Old or New. To 'curse' here means to 'speak evil of'. Under the New Covenant we do not execute children who do this but there is a law that cuts them off. Fear Yahweh and obey His commandments!
Carnal, psychic Christians who do not keep confidences or who expose the nakedness of their parents, as Ham did Noah, risk terrible spiritual consequences. Cursing Yahweh leads to even more evil consequences - I have seen powerful demons take over hearts that have spoken evil of Him - demons that fill the soul with an unquenchable rage and destroy a person's peace and well-being. We cannot afford to imitate the ways of the fourth foolish virgin because she brings disaster wherever she goes.
Is there hope for such? Of course - always. Genuine repentance, trusting in Yah'shua, and obeying the commandments, brings release and peace. Moreover, as Albert Einstein remarked, "only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile". If that is your goal - if you will abandon the selfish, self-centred life, then Yahweh will open the secret of His Kingdom to you and bring you home, and far sooner than you ever dreamed possible. It means, though, that you must abandon all thoughtlessness. It means you must "consider your ways" (Ps.119:15). It means that you must "remember your leaders, who spoke the word of Elohim to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith" (Heb.13:7, NIV). You "do not have many fathers", "even though you have ten thousand guardians in Messiah" (1 Cor.4:15, NIV). Consider what really has value in this life.
Yahweh wants to share everything with you - to withhold nothing - but there are conditions: trust, surrender and obedience. And if these things scare you, in reality they are nothing new but are everywhere around you in daily life. A wise person, for example, trusts when he feels physical pain that something is wrong. If he has broken his leg, a wise person surrenders to the treatment given at hospital, and obeys the instructions for recovery, like not putting too much weight on the injured limb.
The power of choice remains yours. May you choose wisely and be blessed. Amen.
Author: Lev-Tsiyon
Glossary of MLT Hebraic, Greek and English Terms For other terms and full details please see the Micropedia
A
Adon(ai) = Master, a pagan fertility god, Adonis; used by many Messianics but not MLT
(a)eon(ian) = 7 dispensation- or age-long time periods, not forever (see le-olam-va-ed)
Alef-Tav = Alpha-Omega, A-Z, first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet = Yah'shua
Amen = truly, let it be so, written Amein by some Messianics
Apocrypha = Hebraic Scriptures not a part of the Protestant canon (e.g. Baruch)
Anti-Messiah = Hebraic term for the end-time Antichrist or anyone opposed to the Messiah
antinomian = lawless Christian who disregards all or part of Torah/commandments
Ashkenazi Jew = East European Jew descended from the Turkic-Japhethite Khazars
Assembly = church, congregation, ekklesia, community, fellowship, koinonia, gathering
Azazel = the Yom Kippur scapegoat
B
Baal, Ba'al = any other master than Yahweh, usually demonic in MLT terminology
Bachor(im) = firstborn son(s)
Bar/Bat Mitzvah = Son/Daughter of Commandment, covenant to obey Torah at age 12
being = soul, the whole person (spirit and body), e.g. "my whole being"
Beit, bet, beth = house, e.g. Beit Yisrael (House of Israel), Beth Lechem (House of Bread)
Beit haMikdash = Yahweh's Temple in Yerushalayim
B'rit Chadashah = the New Covenant; B'rit Chadashah Scriptures = New Testament
B'rit Milah = circumcision - abolished in the B'rit Chadashah, replaced by Mikvah
C
canon = authoritative Scripture (Heb. qaneh, Gk. kanôn = measuring instrument)
Catechumen = a serious, covenanted investigator seeking Mikvah or Baptism in MLT
Chag haMatzah = Feast of Unleavened Bread, second of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Chavurat Bekorot = MLT's Priesthood Order, Holy Order and Assembly of the Firstborn
Cohen = priest; Cohen Gadol = High Priest (also spelled Kohen)
Council of Yah's elohim = the heavenly Assembly of the Firstborn or Chavurat Bekorot
D
demon = fallen malek or angel in rebellion against Yahweh (Heb. shad; see Êl-Shaddai)
derech = the Way, Path or Road - Yah'shua and the Gospel are the Way
Drash = moral or homiletic interpretation of Scripture - see PaRDeS
E
Echad = One, Union of two or more in one (as opposed to Yachid) - see Elohim
Echad Godhead Doctrine = Father Yahweh, Son Yah'shua and Sevenfold Ruach (Mother)
Êl, Eloah, Elah = God the Father, Yahweh
Êl-Elyon = Most High God, Yahweh
Êl-Shaddai = Master/Lord over all shads or demons
Elohim = God, the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), lit. 'Mighty One(s)', 'Ruler(s)'
elohim = Israelite judges, rulers, angels or gods (false deities, idols, demons)
emunah = faith, actively trusting, clinging or adhering to (especially Yahweh or Yah'shua)
emet = truth, Yah'shua is the Emet
Ephraimite = descendant of the patriarch Ephraim and head of Messsianic Israel
F
Feasts of Yahweh = the 7 annual Moedim (Pesach, Chag haMatzah, Yom haBikkurim, Shavu'ot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot)
G
Gan-Eden = Garden of Eden, Paradise and state of the purified heart in Messiah
goy(im) = nation(s), Israelites or gentiles not born in or converted to the Covenant
H
hallelu-Yah = praise Yah(weh)!
Heylel = proper name of Satan or haSatan = the Adversary, the devil
Sabbath = Yom Shabbat (Friday to Saturday sunset, add 1 day in IDL Zone)
Hochmah = Wisdom, title of the 7-fold Ruach haQodesh
I
IDL = International Date Line, false man-made time division in Pacific Ocean
IDL Zone = Area between the true Divine Date Line (Lake Van/Eden) and the false one
Israeli = citizen of the modern Edomite-Khazar Republic of Israel (not Biblical Israel)
Israelite = citizen of biblical state of Israel or a modern follower of the Messiah
J
Jew = post-biblical term describing descendants of Edomite and Khazar converts to Judaism
Johannine = pertaining to the Apostle Yochanan (e.g. Gospel of John)
Josephite = descendant of the patriarch Joseph, the head of Messianic Israel
Judahite = a person in direct descent from the patriarch Judah, forefather of the Messiah
Judaism = a Talmudic-based religion rejecting Yah'shua the Messiah
Judean = a citizen of the Kingdom or Province of Judah until the 2nd Century diaspora
K
Kadosh la Yahweh = set-apart or dedicated to Yahweh, 'Holiness to the Lord', MLT motto
Karaites = Jews (from 700 AD) who reject the Talmud and accept only the Tanakh
kashrut = keeping kosher, food laws of Yahweh and correspinding lifestyle
Ketuvim = Writings or Hagiographa of the Tanakh
Khazar = a Turkic convert to Judaism ~700 AD forming the Ashkenazi Jewish community
kosher = clean foods authorised by Yahweh for human consumption
L
Lashon Hara = evil-speaking, gossip or slander
legalism = false route to salvation through works (self-salvation)
le-olam-va-ed = dispensation- or age-long, aeonian, not eternal, forever or for eternity
Lev = heart, as in Lev-Tsiyon = heart of Zion
Lev-Tsiyon = Heart of the Fortress [of Yahweh], Hebrew name of MLT's founder
M
Master = Lord, Sir, Adon(ai) - (one in authority, a ruler - a king, husband, prophet, judge)
Malak(im) = Angel(s), heavenly supernatural messenger(s)
manna = wafers of honey, bread from heaven (lit. 'what is this?')
matzah = unleavened bread, see Chag haMatzah
Menorah = 7-armed candlearbra = the 7 annual Moedim and 7-fold Ruach haQodesh
Messiah = Christ; Anti-Messiah = Antichrist
Messianic Community = Body of Christ, sum total of all true believers; all true fellowships
Messianic Israel = all who worship Yahweh, trust in Yah'shua, obey Torah and overcome
Messianic Jew = Messianic convert from Judaism still clinging to Talmudic traditions
Midrash = aggadic interpretation of scripture viâ Drash, a scriptural discussion
Mikvah = baptism by immersion of convert into Yah'shua or of wife into husband
Mishpachah = family: nuclear, congregational, tribal or the whole of Messianic Israel
MLT = Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon = family of the heart of the fortress [of Yahweh]
Mishpat = right-ruling or judgement
mitzvah/mitzvot = commandment(s)
moed(im) = appointment(s) of Yahweh, 7 Annual Feasts, Sabbath and Rosh Chodesh
N
Nefilim, Nephilim = giant offspring of materialised demons and human women
Nevi'im = prophetic writings of the Old Testament or Tanakh
New Birth = spiritual conversion in the Ruach haRishon, being 'born again' with new heart
Nidah = a woman's menstruation period during which no intercourse is permitted
O
Olive Branch = collection of revelations, prophecies and visions published by MLT
P
Paraclete = Comforter, Advocate (NEB), Counsellor, Ruach haQodesh (Gk. paraklêtos)
PaRDeS = method of textual interpretation (homiletics) - see P'shat, Remez, Drash, Sod
Patriarch = a father who is head of his family, clan or tribe (lit. 'father-ruler')
Pentateuch = first five books of the Tanakh (Genesis-Deuteronomy), also called Torah
peribolaion = headcovering worn by daughters/wives in submission to fathers/husbands
Pesach = Passover, first of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Peshitta = an Aramaic version of the Bible
Prototrinitarianism = early, simplified MLT formulation of the Echad Godhead Doctrine
Prush(im) = Pharisee(s)
Pseudepigrapha = Non-canonical Hebrew writings additional to the Apocrypha
P'shat = literal, contextual, philological, exoteric, outer meaning of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Q
Qadosh Qadoshim = Holy of Holies, most sacred set-apart room of the Beit haMikdash
Qodesh, Kodesh = set-apart, holy (see Ruach haQodesh)
R
Rabbi = Teacher, term used by Messianic Jews and some Messianic Israelites = Pastor
Refuge, the 12 Cities of = divinely protected MLT fortresses during the 7-year Tribulation
Remez = hint or allegorical level of Hebraic understanding of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Rosh Chodesh = monthly New Moon appointment of Yahweh
ruach = spirit of a person (lit.'breath')
Ruach Elohim = Spirit of God (the Spirit of the collective Godhead or Elohim)
Ruach haChamashee = 5th Ruach presides over Yom Teruah and Yom Chamashee
Ruach haQodesh = the Sevenfold Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost (lit. 'Set-Apart Breath')
Ruach haRevee = 4th Ruach presides over Shavu'ot, Yom Revee and Bar Mitzvah
Ruach haRishon = 1st Ruach presides over Pesach, Yom Rishon and the New Birth
Ruach haShanee = 2nd Ruach presides over Chag haMatzah and Yom Shanee
Ruach haSheshi = 6th Ruach presides over Yom Kippur and Yom Sheshi
Ruach haShleshi = 3rd Ruach presides over Yom haBikkurim, Yom Shleshi and Mikvah
S
Sabbath = Yom Shabbat (Friday to Saturday sunset, add 1 day in IDL Zone)
Satan = rebel archangel Heylel, father of lies, devil, chief demon (lit.'Adversary')
Sephardic Jew = West European Jew of mixed blood containing many Judahites
Septuagint = Greek translation of the Tanakh, LXX
Shegal haShabbat = 7th Ruach (Sabbath Queen) presides over Sukkot and Yom Shabbat
Shekinah = Divine Presence and Glory of Yahweh-Elohim
Set-apart = holy, sanctified, consecrated, dedicated, separated (to and by Yahweh)
Shabbat-Shabbaton = High Sabbath (e.g. Yom Kippur)
Shalom = heavenly peace, standard Hebraic greeting invoking Yahweh's peace
Shamash(im) = servant(s), deacon(s), attendant(s)
Shavu'ot = Pentecost or Weeks, fourth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Sheol = grave or pit, euphamism for Hades or hell - also see Tartarus
shofar = ram's horn, blown during Yahweh's Moedim
simcha = joy, keynote of Sukkot
Sod = mystical, anagogic, inner or esoteric understanding of Scripture - see PaRDeS
Sukkot = Tabernacles or Booths, seventh of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Synagogue = Greek word used by Jews and Messianics (but not MLT) for a meeting house
T
talmid(a) = male/female disciple or student
Talmud = scriptures, teachings and commentaries belonging to non-Messianic Judaism
Tanakh = acronym for Old Testament Scriptures - Torah, Nevi'im & Ketuvim
Tartarus = place of imprisonment under the earth for rebellious angels and Nephilim
teshuvah = repentance, remorse and contrition leading back to Torah obedience
Torah = Yahweh's teachings or Law; New Covenant Torah includes Yah'shua's teachings
Tribulation, the Great = the final 7 years of the present aeon when Anti-Messiah rules
Trinity = Catholic Godhead formula - see Echad Godhead Doctrine and Prototrinitarianism
Tsiyon = Zion, a fortress, a name of Jerusalem and a prominent hill
Tzitzit/Tizitziyot = tassel(s) worn by men in remembrance of Torah
U
Universalism = salvation of all at the cosmic Yovel, with different rewards and punishments
Y
Yachid = one, single person or item, as opposed to Echad (many in one, unity)
Yah'shua the Messiah = Jesus Christ (the Son)
Yahudah = Judah - see Judahite
Yahweh, Yah, YHWH = the true Name of our Heavenly Father, also carried by Yah'shua
Yahweh-Elohim = LORD God (the Father, Yahweh as Head of the Godhead or Elohim)
Yahweh haQatan = the sent Yahweh = Yah(weh)'shua, Malak of Yahweh's Presence
Yam Suf = Sea of Reeds, the true Israelite Exodus water crossing, not the Red Sea
Yarden = Jordan River (lit. 'meanderer')
Yerushalayim = Jerusalem
Yisrael = Israel (lit. 'ruling with Êl') = true believers under the New Covenant
Yom Chamashee = 5th day of the week (Thursday, Friday in IDL Zone)
Yom Din, Yom haDin = (the) Day of Judgement
Yom haBikkurim = Feast of Firstfruits, third of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yom Revee = 4th day of the week (Wednesday, Thursday in IDL Zone)
Yom Rishon = 1st day of the week (Sunday, Monday in IDL Zone)
Yom Kippur = Day of Atonement, sixth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yom Shabbat = 7th day of the week and Sabbath Rest (Saturday, Sunday in IDL Zone)
Yom Shanee = 2nd day of the week (Monday, Tuesday in IDL Zone)
Yom Sheshi = 6th day of the week (Friday, Saturday in IDL Zone)
Yom Shleshi = 3rd day of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday in IDL Zone)
Yom Teruah = Day of Trumpets, fifth of the annual feasts of Yahweh
Yosef = Joseph - see Josephite
Yovel = Jubilee or Year of Jubilee
Z
Zaqen(im) = elder(s) of an assembly or congregation, or senior members of a community
Zoë Life = Greek term for spiritual life in the Messiah
Commonly Used MLT Abbreviations
For additional abbreviations and explanations, please see the Micropedia
A
Amp.V(er). = Amplified Version of the Bible
Aram. = Aramaic
AV = Authorised Version of the Bible - see KJV
B
BCAY = B'rit Chadashah Assembly of Yahweh - see NCCG
BoA = Books of Abraham (e.g. 1Abr., 2Abr., etc.)
C
cp, cf = compare with
CB(Q) = Chavurat Bekorot
CEV = Contemporary English Version of the Bible
ch. = chapter
CJB = Complete Jewish Bible
CLNT = Concordant Literal New Testament
CYe = Council of Yah's elohim
E
Eng. = English
F
ff. = and onwards/forwards
fn = footnote
G
Gk. = Greek
GNB = Good News Bible - see TEV
H
Heb. = Hebrew, Hebraic
HEM = Holy Echad Marriage, eternal marriage
HO = Holy Order - see Chavurat Bekorot
HOC = Holy Order Collection of revelations - see OB
HRV = Hebraic-Roots Version of the Bible
I
ibid. = ibidem (lit. 'in the same place'), referring to a book previously cited
ICJC = Independent Church of Jesus Christ, earlier name of NCCF
ISRV = Institute for Scripture Research Version of the Bible
J
JB = Jerusalem Bible
JBP/Phillips = J.B.Phillips translation of the New Testament
JNT = Jewish New Testament
K
KJV = King James Version of the Bible - see AV
L
LB = Living Bible
lit. = literally or literature
LXX = Septuagint, Greek translation of the OT
M
MLT = Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon
Moff. = Moffatt translation of the Bible
MRC = Messianic Renewed Covenant Version of the NT
MS(S) = Manuscript(s)
N
NASB, NASV = New American Standard Bible/Version
NC&C = New Covenants & Commandments - see OB
NCCF = New Covenant Christian Fellowship, earlier name of NCCG
NCCG = New Covenant Church of God, earlier name of MLT - see BCAY
NCP = New Covenant Press, publishing arm of MLT
NCW = New Covenant Witness, MLT magazine
NEB = New English Bible
NIV = New International Version of the Bible
NKJV = New King James Version of the Bible
Nor. = Norwegian
NT = New Testament, B'rit Chadashah
NWT = New World Translation of the Bible, unreliable Jehovah's Witness version
O
OB = Olive Branch - see NC&C
op.cit. = opere citato (lit. in the work cited)
OT = Old Testament, Tanakh
P
p(p). = page(s)
pl. = plural - see s.
PWNC = Prophetic Words of the New Covenant, revelation cataloging system - see OB
Q
QED = quod erat demonstrandum (lit. which was shown to be proved)
R
RCF = Restoration Christian Fellowship, earlier name of ICJC
RhQ = Ruach haQodesh, Holy Spirit
RSTNE = Restoration Scriptures True Name Edition of the Bible
RSV = Revised Standard Version of the Bible
RV = Revised Version of the Bible
S
s. = singular - see pl.
S&G = Smith & Goodspeed Version of the Bible
T
TEV = Today's English Version of the Bible - see GNB
V
Vulg. = Biblia Vulgata, Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible
W
WEB = World English Bible
Glossary Copyright ©2007 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
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This page was first created on 19 March 2007
Last updated on 19 March 2007
Copyright ©2006 Mishpachah Lev-Tsiyon (MLT) - All Rights Reserved
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