Leviticus 19-20; Amos 9; 1 Corinthians 6, Galatians 5
This is Parasha Kedoshim for 2022, where we ask ourselves the question: Are we setting ourselves apart like Yahweh says He wants us to set ourselves apart?
And the reason we ask is that in Vayiqra (or Leviticus) chapter 19 in verse 2, Yahweh told our forefathers to be set-apart (or holy, or kadosh), as He is Set-apart (or Holy). But what does that mean really and what is that supposed to look like in today’s times?
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:2
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be set-apart, for I Yahweh your Elohim am Set-apart.
The average Christian, or Messianic, or Ephraimite, says we all have the Set-apart Spirit, and we will see that later when we get to Parasha Korach, but if we all had His Spirit, then would we not discipline ourselves to keep Yeshua’s Torah the way Yeshua says to keep it?
So, what is it when Yeshua’s people think that they have His Spirit, but they do not want to do all the things that Yeshua said to do and all that implies? Join us to find out.
Kedoshim 2022
We should really cover a few important administrative announcements.
So, now, this year on the Torah (or aviv barley) Calendar, we are talking about using the true first fruits of barley. The first, FIRST fruits, not just some random sheaf the Karaites or the Messianics take from the middle of the crop; using the true first fruits of barley which we were commanded to use. We have all kinds of studies about that on the website.
Parasha Kedoshim for 2022 falls during Chag ha Sukkot (or the Pilgrimage Feast of Tabernacles) so, we are going to combine the two teachings in this video because really there is a lot in common; the messages are very similar.
But in the Torah Calendar study we explained that this year from the barley of 2022 until the first fruits of barley of 2023, for reasons we explain in that study, this is probably the Shemitah (or the Land Rest Year) which happens every seven years.
And you can read about that in our study on the Shemitah and the Jubilees in the Torah Calendar study, so happy studying.
But according to Devarim (or Deuteronomy) chapter 31 starting in verse 9, during the Shemitah (or the Land Rest Year) when we live in the land, Yahweh wants us to assemble and read this Torah aloud so that everyone can hear, and learn, and obey it.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 31:9-11
9 So Moses wrote this Torah and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel.
10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles,
11 when all Israel comes to appear before Yahweh your Elohim in the place which He chooses, you shall read this Torah before all Israel in their hearing.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 25:2
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to Yahweh.
Well, I know that when we are listening to the Torah in pieces, bit by bit, it is different, but it is really something when you listen to the whole thing together; it gives a much better overview.
But obviously we are not in the land right now, so the commandment does not apply to us as a commandment, but the principle (or the precept) is still valid, it is still worthwhile to hear all of the Torah (or at least all of Deuteronomy), read all together.
And Yahweh is getting ready to bring us back home. And we had to leave home because we were not doing His commandments. So, now that He is getting ready to bring us home, it is a really good idea to read the Torah over Sukkot, the whole Torah, and then we will do it again in seven years.
However, it takes about 14 to 15 hours just to read the Torah straight through (or to listen to the Torah on audio straight through) and that is with no discussion, no Rabbi trails, no deep dive studies, no detours, nothing like that.
But there is an age-old dispute about this passage. So, many believe that, while Yahweh is really saying, here in Deuteronomy, is that He wants us to read Devarim (or Deuteronomy) every seven years. And that takes a few hours, but it is definitely very doable. Depending, of course, on how many side-stops and detours and Rabbi trails you take. But it is generally doable for anyone who wants to do it.
So, if you at all can, we advise, please read or listen to the whole Torah over Sukkot this year. But if you cannot, if you honestly cannot – then there is an absolute bare-bones minimum – then please be sure to read or listen to Devarim (or Deuteronomy).
Now, let us dive into Parasha Kedoshim for 2022.
So, usually a Parasha gets its name from something in the first two sentences of the Parasha which describes the main theme of the Parasha. And so, in this case, ‘Parasha Kedoshim’ means, ‘Parasha set-apart ones,’ because the word ‘Kedoshim’ refers to Yahweh’s faithful people that separate themselves (or set themselves apart) from the world; they leave Egypt and follow Him so they can remain undefiled, so they can walk set-apart unto Him and not after the ways of the world. And of course, there is a lot to that; we are talking about that week by week.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:2
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be set-apart, for I Yahweh your Elohim am Set-apart.
And I guess, just to mention, some people (I guess) do not like camping, but really we all need to get used to it because in Hoshea 12 and verse 9, Yahweh tells us that we will again dwell in tents as it was when we left Egypt. And in the Revelation study, we explain what will take place after trumpet seven, which is coming right up courtesy of the Sabbatean Frankist sect.
Hoshea (Hosea) 12:9
9 “But I am Yahweh your Elohim, ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast.
Now, we are going to be dwelling in tents with Him, and according to the Ancient Hebrew Wedding Model, this time of dwelling in tents with Him is symbolic of the consummation and the wedding week. So, this is the consummation of the wedding, so we do not want that; we do not like that. Are we sure we do not like camping? Are we sure we do not want a honeymoon with Yeshua? That is what we are saying if we do not want to go camping with Yeshua, we are saying we do not want the honeymoon with Yeshua. Word to the wise is sufficient.
Well, we are to be set-apart people. We are not to follow the ways of Egypt; we are not to seek the pleasures of the flesh. That is not supposed to be us, we are supposed to value Yeshua so much. We do not want that; that is garbage to us. We do not want that, we want Him!
Luqa (Luke) 12:31
31 But seek the kingdom of Elohim, and all these things shall be added to you.
So, for Sukkot, we leave our comfortable houses and our nice comfortable beds for eight days, and we dwell in a flopsy, unstable shelter that really does not provide much shelter, or much protection from the elements, or from thieves or, from enemies, or even from wild animals. Sometimes the weather can be really hot or it can be really cold, depending on where we live. Sometimes it can rain and then all the children get sick.
It is not always a real fun vacation, but it is a critical time, because even though Sukkot is technically an open Feast (it is supposed to be open to all those of the nations), it sets us apart by just attending Sukkot. Because we are not really here to have fun, we are not really here to share stories about the world and to make basically worldly friendships under the cover of Sabbath and Feasts. What we are here to do is to serve our Husband Yeshua and His Father, Yahweh, whatever they want. And we know they are military people, we know that they have a very exacting regimen for us to follow if we want to become His bride.
So, we are also here to prepare to leave the world, or to leave Egypt, physically. The second Exodus is coming up, and we will again dwell in tents.
Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 2:17
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of Elohim abides forever.
So, now in Yochanan (or John) chapter 17 in verse 16 Yeshua tells us that His people would not be of the world, His people do not love Egypt, His people do not love mystery Babylon, okay?
Yochanan (John) 17:16
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
He is coming for a set-apart bride without spot, without wrinkle, without blemish. And we know Yeshua did not come to change His Father’s standards, He did not come to change His Father’s commands. Yeshua still wants us to be a set-apart people, He says so. We will see that in a moment.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 22:12
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Yochanan (John) 6:38
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
So, in Vayiqra 19 in verse 2, Yahweh tells us to be holy (or set-apart), what does that mean? What are we supposed to do?
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:2
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be set-apart, for I Yahweh your Elohim am Set-apart.
Okay, well, we like to look up Hebrew words with Strong’s Hebrew Concordance, so we look it up and we see its Strong’s Hebrew 6918 kadosh, and it comes from Hebrew 6942, and it means, set-apart or separated.
קָדוֹשׁ qâdôwsh, (kaw-doshe’); or קָדֹשׁ qâdôsh; from H6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) Elohim (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary:—set-apart (One), saint.
[Strongs Concordance]
Just like Israel was to separate from Egypt and be a people dedicated unto Him; we also are to separate ourselves from the world. We are lights in the world, but we are not of the world.
Yochanan (John) 17:16
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
So, what is it to be set-apart? To be set-apart means we are going to shun the world and the things of the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in Him. It means we are to set ourselves apart from seeking after our own desires so we can seek the fulfillment of His desires.
Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 2:15
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Romim (Romans) 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.
If we have an afternoon, what are we going to do with it? Are we going to go pleasure our flesh? Are we going to go riding in the Florida Keys on our bicycles? Or are we going to have fun for ourselves? Are we going to spend that time for Yeshua helping Him fulfill His desires?
Well, we are to set ourselves apart, just as Yeshua set Himself apart. He is our example after all; we are to walk as He walked, we are to do as He did.
Yochanan (John) 15:10
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 2:6
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 2:21
21 For to this you were called, because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
Well, okay, Vayiqra 20 in verse 7, Yahweh again tells us to set ourselves apart from the defilements of the world so that we can be kadosh, so we can be set-apart just like Yahweh is Kadosh, just like Yahweh is Set-apart.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 20:7
7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be set-apart, for I am Yahweh your Elohim.
And remembering that this Angel (or Messenger) of Yahweh who spoke with Moshe was Yeshua, because Yahweh the Father has never left the throne room in heaven.
Shemote (Exodus) 23:20-21
20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.
So, then where do Christians get this idea that Yeshua came to overthrow or overturn His Father’s Torah? What? Like Yeshua is Absalom or something like that. Yahweh forbid, Yeshua did not come to overthrow His Father’s Authority. It does not make any sense.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:17
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Now, if we have questions on the relationship between the Torah (or Law) on the one hand and favor (or grace) on the other, then I would encourage you to read the Nazarene Israel study, it is a primer. We answer all those kind of questions in there. And if you will read and understand what that study says, you will literally know more about your Bible than 99 percent of all Christians and Jews out there. That is not an exaggeration.
But notice, we can search the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, we are not going to find any passage where Yahweh tells us, “You no longer need to cleanse yourself from sin after the Messiah comes.” Or “you no longer need to be kadosh. You no longer need to be set-apart. You no longer need to leave Egypt.”
In fact, quite the opposite. As we are going to see, even Yeshua’s disciples are going to quote Yahweh, we are going to see that near the end of this presentation, they are going to tell us to be set-apart, for Yahweh Elohim is Set-apart; it is the same language.
Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 1:15-16
15 but as He who called you is set-apart, you also be set-apart in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be set-apart, for I am Set-apart.”
And Yahweh-Yeshua also is the one who gave us the statutes, commandments, judgments, and ordinances, so that we would learn to be kadosh for Him.
Yochanan (John) 14:15-16
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
It is kind of – again, what Yahweh originally wanted was for us to hear and obey His voice, including His written commandments.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 28:1
1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your Elohim, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that Yahweh your Elohim will set you high above all nations of the earth.
What Yahweh did then is He gave us a step-by-step kind of like a guard rail, or a road. If you do not go outside the guard rails, you will be okay. So, but a lot of people, I guess they learn to drive down the road by scraping the guard rails as they go (or something like that). Really, we need to bear in mind that, what Elohim wants is to restore the broken and lost relationship that was severed in the Garden of Eden, when we decided not to hear and obey His voice. All the rest is history, as they say. Except there is also a plan that we are to live for Him, together.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 18:11
11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
So, now, let us notice, in Vayiqra chapters 19 and 20, Yahweh is going to give us a lot, really, a lot of commandments, statutes, ordinances, judgments. And these are things to show us how He wants us to live, these are things for us to do for Him. And He also lists some other things that He counts as abominations, and these are things that we should never do.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:37
37 ‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am Yahweh.’”
Well, we will see, some of these prohibitions crop up again in the Renewed Covenant. Like, we are going to see the four prohibitions of Acts chapter 15. Those are extracts, or they are principles, those are precepts, those are things that are going to get us cut off from the nation of Israel. And most Christians have no idea that these four prohibitions are still binding on us today.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 20:22
22 ‘shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.
Because why? Because they all speak to Torah principles or precepts. So, these are things we have to do if we want to not be cut off from the nation. Plus, we need to remember this was a ruling of the Spirit, so it is binding on us today.
Yochanan (John) 4:23
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
So, now notice in verse 37, Yahweh tells us to keep (or to shomer) all of His statutes, and judgments. How many is all? Remember, this is Yeshua talking, okay?
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:37
37 ‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am Yahweh.’”
Then, in verse 26, Yahweh-Yeshua tells us again, “And you shall be set-apart to Me, for I, Yahweh, am Set-apart.” And notice He says, “I have separated you from the peoples that you should be mine, and not your father the devil.”
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 20:26
26 And you shall be set-apart to Me, for I Yahweh am Set-apart, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
But does this not imply that, in order to be His, do we not need to separate from the other peoples? Do we not need to not dangle our toes in the pool of the world? Do we not need to be separated from the world? Do we not need to come out of the world like our forefathers had to leave Egypt; that we need to leave Egypt in our hearts?
We need to do everything that He says, being thankful and grateful that He would even consider us for such a role as His Son’s bride, slave queen of the Universe. You are a slave, but you are a queen; show me a better deal than that one. I have not heard of anything like it.
Now, all throughout the Torah, we see it again, and again, and again, and again, Yahweh calls us to be kedoshim, as in Parasha kedoshim. He wants us to be set-apart unto Him, and that is what His commandments, and statutes, and ordinances are all about.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 19:2
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be set-apart, for I Yahweh your Elohim am Set-apart.
They are like, when you follow those little footsteps on the pavement, right? This is the way I want you to go. It is like having a guard rail on the road, okay? That is what we are supposed to do.
Yeshua did not come to change His Father’s rules, it does not make any sense. He is not going to take a disobedient bride back to His Father’s house, to thumb her nose at His Father. That is not going to work, okay?
We also cannot say, “Well, we have the Spirit,” and then continue in sin. If we have the Set-apart Spirit, are we walking according to it?
Romim (Romans) 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Meaning, are we doing the things that Yeshua would be doing if He would be here?
Yochanan (John) 15:10
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Because He is here, in Spirit, and we are supposed to be His body; His hands and His feet, doing the things He says for us to do. Doing the things that please His Father, Yahweh. Forsaking the things of the world and of Babylon that displease Yahweh. That is what we are supposed to be doing is it not?
Ephesim (Ephesians) 5:8
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Master. Walk as children of light
Okay, but, now brothers, sisters, let us be honest all right? Let us take a look at the prophecies. Is Yahweh pleased with Ephraim? Today we look at ourselves like, “Hey, we are resting on Sabbath and Feasts, we are reading the Torah, we understand our Israelite identity,” but is Yahweh pleased with us in Ephraim today?
Prior to Armageddon, prior to the great culling that is coming, what does Yahweh say is going to happen? What does Yahweh say we are like, right now?
So, this all brings us to our Haftara prophetic portion in Amos 9. Now, Amos was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Ephraim, he was a prophet to our forefathers. And they believe he was an older contemporary of Hoshea and Yeshayahu (or Isaiah). That means they all lived together about the same time. And he was a little older than Hoshea and Isaiah (or Yeshayahu) were.
But now Amos has some critical information for us today in Ephraim that we (basically) need to deal with; we need to sit down and count the cost. Now, there is nothing pleasant about this. Of course, with most of the prophets, there is nothing too pleasant. But brothers, sisters, if we want to survive, then do we not need to be realistic, that we need to think soberly and not think like the drunkards of Ephraim that Yahweh says are not going to make it home?
Okay, so Amos chapter 9, I speak as to wise disciples who love Yeshua, Amos speaks of Yahweh’s coming judgment and His judgment is coming upon us here in Ephraim (that is who this epistle is to). It is to us, okay? To our forefathers, but also to us. And these passages are for us, in verse 7.
If we are willing to take a sober look at things, we can see what Yahweh thinks about our present performance. We think we are great. We are resting on Sabbath, we are resting on the Feasts, we know to read the Torah, all these things. Let us take a look at what Yahweh thinks of most of Ephraim, us.
Spoiler Alert! He thinks our performance stinks. He says that Israel (or Ephraim, us) is unto Him like the nation of Ethiopia, that is how bad we are in His sight, at the present moment, before the refinement.
Amos 9:7
7 “Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says Yahweh. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
And as such, Yahweh promises to send His Son to bring us the Rapture-bus and He is going to save us all from the tribulation before it hits so that we do not have to go through any refinement, so we do not have to obey Yahweh’s statutes and judgments? That is why Yeshua came, right; to nail the Law to His cross? HalleluYah, right?
And then, oh, and then we are going to zoom straight to the throne room in Yeshua’s Cloud; Ray-Bans on, and theme music playing! That is going to be the coolest thing. Check us out! Listen! We are going to fly straight to heaven where we are going to sit to the left hand and the right hand of Yahweh the Father, but wait a moment…
What version was that?
Well, um, okay. Brothers, verse 8 says Yahweh promises to destroy the sinful kingdom, He is referring to us, He is referring to the House of Ephraim (House of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, Northern House, us), okay? We should sit with that a little bit.
Amos 9:8
8 “Behold, the eyes of Yahweh Elohim are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says Yahweh.
Yahweh says He is not going to kill the faithful ones of us, He is going to preserve the faithful ones of us. We may have food and clothing and that is it, but when we have food and clothing, we shall be satisfied with these. But notice He is going to destroy the sinful kingdom. And who is He talking to? He is talking to us.
Well, in our study on Revelation and The End Times (or Revelation Simplified on YouTube), we explain that this may be referring to the United States of America. Look for the final chapter in the book study called, “America, Land of Babylon”.
So, Yahweh-Yeshua says that, as it was in the days of Noah, He will leave only a tiny remnant of the House of Ephraim (or Israel, us, the Northern Kingdom, House of Joseph), okay?
Luqa (Luke) 17:26-27
26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
And Yahweh says He will sift the whole House of Israel among all the Nations, wherever we have gone, and that the good ones who want to leave Egypt and are doing everything they can to glorify His Son’s name in the meantime, those are the ones He is going to bring back, okay?
Amos 9:9, 14
9 “For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.
14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
He is sifting like wheat to get rid of all the chaff, those are the ones He is going to bring back; the ones that want to live set-apart unto Him, the ones that want to be kedoshim and are walking that way; walking the way Yeshua walked in the first century.
However, in verse 10 it says that all – how many is all? – all of the sinners of Yahweh’s people will die.
Amos 9:10
10 All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword,
Who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’
So, now, sin is the transgression of the Torah.
Yochanan Aleph (1 John) 3:4
4 Whoever commits sin also commits Torah-lessness, and sin is Torah-lessness.
Does that not mean that everyone who breaks the Torah will die? Meaning that everyone who does not keep the whole Torah will die, even if they say they are keeping Torah but they are not really truly doing everything? Well, that would include the vast majority of those of us in Ephraim.
Ya’akov (James) 2:10
10 For whoever shall keep the whole Torah, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
We think we are good, right; everything is good here, everything is cool? No calamity shall not overtake us nor even confront us because we have Yeshua? We know to rest on Sabbath and Feasts, we know to read the Torah. Therefore, Amos is a liar? We do not need to keep Yahweh’s statutes and judgments? No, no, no, no, no, no, not us.
Reality Check! Brother, look at your Facebook page, I speak as to the wise, everyone you know who does not choose to do all of Yahweh’s Torah, what does Amos say happens to them?
Well, there is some good news in verse 11. Yahweh tells us that, after He has destroyed all of the people who do not keep the whole Torah, that is when He is going to raise the Tabernacle of David back up.
Amos 9:11
11 “On that day I will raise up the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;
And we know that the Tabernacle of David is a means of spiritual governance that we are supposed to rule and reign with His rod of iron. We explain that in the Revelation study and in many other places. And that, brothers and sisters, that is when Yahweh’s promises to bring back the captives of His people, Israel, after the sinners have been purged.
We are talking about how Israel left Egypt all of a sudden, and they had 40 years of attrition wandering in the wilderness. So, the sinners did not make it last time. And again, it is going to be 40 years of attrition and then a sudden Exodus. But once again, the sinners among His people are not going to make it. And the difference is that, this time the sinners of His people, if that includes your children, your children will not go home to the land because His land is going to be purged, His land is going to be refined by fire this time. We talked about that in the Revelation study.
Well, what does all this look like? Okay, what does it mean to us? Well, what it means to me is that, if we are not paying our tithes, and if we are not doing all of the Torah that we can do right now, we are not going to make it, we are not going to make it home.
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 20:38
38 I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.
And the problem is, that is a bad gamble, that is what we read in Scripture, I speak as to the wise, most of the drunkards of Ephraim are making this bad gamble at the moment and Amos says they will not make it, okay?
So, now, we can do the math, okay? Most of us are not going to make it, sad fact, how are we going to set ourselves apart from the rest of them; from those who are not wanting to do all the Torah, who do not truly want to go home? Serving Yeshua and helping Him build His kingdom is not truly their top priority in life, how do we separate ourselves from those people who do not want to obey and do not want to do what Elohim says?
Luqa (Luke) 9:62
62 But Yeshua said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of Elohim.”
Hmm… let us see.
Now, how can we set ourselves apart from the majority of Ephraim who are not keeping all the Torah? Hmm… Okay, well, let us pray on that one.
But the Christians are going to say, “Oh, no, no, we do not need to set ourselves apart. No, we have Yeshua. We have Yeshua in our hearts. We no longer need to set ourselves apart from the world because Paul says so, right?” No, he does not. We talk about that in the Nazarene Israel study.
Kepha Bet (2 Peter) 3:15-17
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Master is salvation—as also our beloved brother Shaul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
And we also explain in the Nazarene Israel study that, in Second Peter (or Kepha Bet) chapter 3, starting in verse 15, Kepha explains to us that the apostle Shaul can be very hard to understand, and he is basically very easy to misinterpret. And there were people in the first century who did twist and misinterpret what the apostle Shaul was saying. And in the Nazarene Israel study, we show that those people are the Christians.
So, now in Qorintim Aleph (or First Corinthians) chapter 6, starting in verse 9, the apostle Paul tells us that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 6:9
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
So, anyone who is saying that we can break the Torah, what they need to understand is that, in Hebraic thought, righteousness is defined as keeping Yahweh’s commandments. That is how we become righteous, is to keep Yahweh’s commandments. And here we have the apostle Shaul telling us that, those who are unrighteous, those who are not keeping all the commandments, will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim, okay? You can pull whatever other verses you want out of your hat, but let us not ignore this verse.
Now, since righteousness in Hebraic culture means keeping Yahweh’s Torah commandments, and Torot, the whole thing what it means is those who do not keep the Torah commandments are not going to inherit the kingdom. It is very clear right there on the page. What part about it do we not understand?
It tells us not to be deceived. If we are fornicating, if we have any kind of an idol (and we go into some detail on idolatry in the Nazarene Israel study, there are a lot of idols people do not realize are idols), anyone who is committing adultery or even adultery in your heart, anyone who is a homosexual or a sodomite, thieves, covetous, drinkers, revilers – how many revilers do we see in that room, how many extortioners? – we will talk about that in another place – they will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim, okay?
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 6:9-10
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of Elohim.
And the Christian says, well, why not? After all, they call on the name of Jesus do they not? And they prophesy in His name and do many mighty works in His name.
Okay, but the problem is, we are still breaking the Torah and that is not righteousness. We can claim that even the demons believe and they tremble, but the demons do not do the things Yahweh says to do. So, we do like the demons, right? And somehow we think we also will escape judgment, right? Just because we call in the name of Yeshua, but we are not obeying Yeshua.
Ya’akov (James) 2:19
19 You believe that there is one Elohim. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
So, do we still need to set ourselves apart? You can pull out verses from the apostle Shaul, but what about Romim (or Romans) chapter 12 and verse 2 which tells us not to be conformed to this world, not to be conformed to Egypt; not to merge, not to mix, not to mingle, we do not like the world. But to be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.
Romim (Romans) 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.
How are we going to serve the great Spirit if we do not have a spiritual transformation? And does this not say that, if we have Yeshua’s Spirit in truth that we will be transformed? If we surrender to Yeshua’s Spirit, will we not be transformed? And if we have not yet been transformed by Yeshua’s Spirit, if we have not yet surrendered to his Spirit, then do we truly have His Spirit? Or if we do have it, are we quenching it?
So, brothers and sisters, and any Christians that happen to be watching, do we still need to set ourselves apart from the world? Do we actually need to leave Egypt in our hearts?
Qorintim Aleph (or First Corinthians) chapter 6 in verse 15, Shaul asks us, do we not know that our bodies are members of Messiah? Shall we take the members of Messiah and join them with the members of a harlot? Certainly not. Yahweh forbid! Or do we not know that He is who is joined to a harlot becomes one body with her? For the two, he says, shall become one flesh. Except that he who is joined to the Master is one Spirit with Him.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 6:15-17
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
17 But he who is joined to the Master is one spirit with Him.
So, again, are we one Spirit with Him? Are we seeking to do with our time and our money, the same things Yeshua would be seeking to do with His time and His money? Are we taking Yeshua’s last name in the wedding (so to speak); and are we becoming one flesh with our Husband?
But then we want to bring other spirits into the mix, we do not want to set ourselves apart from the world, not really. We still like our vacations, we still like our fancy this and our fancy that. Do we not realize that Elohim’s Spirit cannot mix with things of the world; cannot let us pollute Him? I mean, it would be self-defense on His part, not to take us as His bride, if we think about that.
Ya’akov (James) 4:4
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with Elohim? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim.
And then in Qorintim Aleph (or First Corinthians) chapter 6 in verse 19, now Shaul asks us if we know that our body is the Temple of the Set-apart Spirit who is in us, or should be in us, unquenched, whom we have from Elohim as a precious gift.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 6:19
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Set-apart Spirit who is in you, whom you have from Elohim, and you are not your own?
We are no longer supposed to be our own, for we were bought with the price. This means we are Elohim’s property, it means we are Elohim’s slaves. Therefore, we should glorify Elohim in our bodies, and in our Spirits, which are supposed to be Elohim’s. We are not supposed to have a separate life apart from building our Master’s Kingdom.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 6:20
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are Elohim’s.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 7:22
22 For he who is called in the Master while a slave is the Master’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Messiah’s slave.
And then in Galatim (or Galatians) chapter 5 in verse 16, Shaul tells us that, if we will walk in the Spirit, then we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, but we have to walk in the Spirit.
Galatim (Galatians) 5:16
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Well, we need to remember that the Spirit is contrary to the things of the flesh. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit lusts against the flesh. And these two things, they are contrary to one another, because the Spirit and the flesh are polar opposites. So, we need to surrender to the Spirit to the extent that we no longer do the things that we wish.
Galatim (Galatians) 5:17
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
I remember one time we did an immersion, and we did the immersion and then the people just got up and they made plans to go off and go flying in their airplane (or whatever). They were not going to do anything for Elohim on the Sabbath, they were going to go flying in their airplane for their pleasure; speaking their own, words doing their own things. They thought they were great! They had an immersion on Sabbath, check. They thought they were done. It was difficult to explain it to them, like it is difficult to explain things to a lot of Ephraim.
But what we need to understand is, if we are truly His, like we say, we are that, we no longer want to do our own thing; all we want to do is to serve our Husband so that one day we can be with our Husband, so that we can help Him get His kingdom, which His Father sent Him to get. So, we need to do the things He wishes, not the things we wish.
Verse 18, only if we are led by the Spirit, that we are not under the Torah, which means we are not saved by works of Torah, which never was the case.
Galatim (Galatians) 5:18
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Torah.
But that was the mythology that our Rabbinical brethren still practice, today. They still do works of Torah in order to become qualified and saved. We are not saved by the works of our hands, we are saved by His Spirit, by His unmerited favor, by His grace. We did not do anything worthy of salvation, He gives us salvation.
So, now that we have that relationship with Him, now that we are abiding in Him, Him in us, Him in the Father and the Father in Him, now we want to do the things that please Him because we are letting His Spirit lead us. Our Spirit has to get out of the way, there is no room for our separate spirit. Or at least, the very least, it is like the old saying: If Yahweh is your co-pilot, switch seats, hand Him the steering wheel, let Him take control.
Shaul tells us that, if we will set ourselves apart unto Yahweh and walk in the Spirit, meaning let the Spirit move us, then we will witness the fruits of the Spirit and not the works of the flesh. But we must set our minds apart for this to work, we have to be renewed by the renewing of our minds. We cannot keep the Torah in our flesh.
Ephesim (Ephesians) 4:22-23
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
That is the thing our Rabbinical brethren do not understand. To do things to Elohim’s satisfaction, there has got to be a restoration of that relationship that was lost in the Garden of Eden.
There is no love of Yahweh our Father because it is that restoration of that relationship that was lost, that is what He wants. And He wants it to come through His Son, that is what He wants. But once we are in relationship with Him, and He is our Husband, and we are His helper, do we want to do nothing for Him? Who wants to do everything we can for Him like a good Proverbs 31 bride?
Verse 19 says, now the works of the flesh are evident: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, – we have rules against these in the Torah – idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions – any of that in the Messianic movement? – Heresies, – any of that in the Messianic movement? – envy, murders, drunkenness, – there are rules against these in the Torah – revelries, and the like, doing our own thing. Of which I tell you beforehand just as I also told you in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim, because they are doing their own will instead of doing and keeping His will.
Galatim (Galations) 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim.
Verse 22 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is different, it is not like the works of the flesh. But when we are letting the Spirit move through us, we feel love, we feel joy, we feel at Shalom. We are at one with Yahweh, we are at Shalom; there is peace in our world. We have long suffering with those who need long-suffering, and not with those who do not. But kindness, goodness, faithfulness, these are not things that come from us, these are fruits of a spiritual transformation. Gentleness, self-control, there is no law against these. The Torah never ever says you cannot be gentle; you cannot be self-controlled.
Galatim (Galations) 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no Torah.
It implies that we need to be gentle, we need to be self-controlled. Yahweh never prohibits the fruits of the Spirit, it is the works of the flesh that the Torah commandments prohibit. And that is why those who are truly Messiahs have already crucified the flesh with its passions and its desires. We reject those; our flesh wants something, we reject it, we get rid of it. That is what this means. We crucify the flesh, we die into Yeshua’s death, so we can be raised in newness of life with Him.
Galatim (Galations) 5:24
24 And those who are Messiah’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
That is why we crucify our flesh, put it to death, put our own will to death along with all its passions and all its desires.
Qolossim (Colossians) 3:5
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
And the reason we do that is because we are already surrendered to the Spirit. Now we seek to do the Spirit’s will, rather than our own will. We get some free time, we get some extra money, we ask Father, “What do you want us to do with your time, and your money? Because I belong to you, Father.”
Well, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Do not just name it and claim it, walk in it.
Galatim (Galatians) 5:25
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Verse 26, let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another like they do in the Messianic movement. They do not even know they are doing anything wrong. They wonder why there is so much division there, apart from TV shows.
Galatim (Galatians) 5:26
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
But someone will say, “No, no, no, you still did not prove to my satisfaction that we have to still walk in set-apartness after Yeshua’s sacrifice.”
First Thessalonians (or Thessaloniquim Aleph) Chapter 4 in verse 7 tells us, Elohim did not call us to uncleanness, He calls us in set-apartness, He calls us to be kadoshim. He says, Therefore, he who rejects the call to set-apartness that comes from Elohim and the need to walk and live set-apart, he is not rejecting man, he is rejecting Elohim who is calling us to be set-apart.
Thessaloniquim Aleph (1 Thessalonians) 4:7-8
7 For Elohim did not call us to uncleanness, but in set-apartness.
8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but Elohim, who has also given us His Set-apart Spirit.
And He is also the One who gave us His set-apart Spirit. So, we say we have the set-apart Spirit, are we still claiming that Shaul says we can ignore the Torah commandments? We are still claiming Shaul says you can do what you want?
Romim (Romans) 6:1-2
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Well, shaliach Kepha (or the apostle Peter) chimes in. He tells us how to interpret on this vital matter, we talk about this a lot in the Nazarene Israel study, we go into more detail on that there. But in Kepha Aleph (or First Peter) chapter 1 verse 13, Kepha tells us, therefore, to gird up the loins of our minds (so to speak) and be sober (do not be the drunkards of Ephraim but be sober) and to rest our hope fully upon the favor (or the grace) that is to be brought to us at the revelation of Yeshua Messiah.
Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 1:13
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua Messiah;
We are talking about Armageddon. Something big, something special will take place at Armageddon, okay? And in the meantime, even then, we need to be as obedient children, trusting Yahweh as our parent, trusting Him as our Father and doing what He says, like when we were children. Not conforming ourselves to our former lusts in the world, for the things of the world as in our earlier ignorance.
Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 1:14
14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
Because we are not supposed to seek the world and the things of the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. But as Yahweh who called us is Set-apart, so also must we be set-apart in all our conduct. Because it is written, and he quotes Yahweh-Yeshua, “Be set-apart, for I am Set-apart.”
Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 1:15-16
15 but as He who called you is Set-apart, you also be set-apart in all your conduct,
16 because it is written, “Be set-apart, for I am Set-apart.”
Be kedoshim! Be Yahweh’s set-apart ones.
So, is not Shaul repeating here, Yahweh-Yeshua’s command? Is not Kepha also repeating Yahweh-Yeshua’s command?
So, what about us, brothers, sisters, if we want to be part of Yeshua’s bride, what should we do? What steps should we take? How can we set ourselves apart from the disobedient so we will find favor in his sight in that day?
Sukkot Shalom.