We are frequently contacted by believers who ask us a variety of questions about the Commandments, including, and increasingly, about the validity of the “kashrut” laws found in the Old Testament.
Do the food prohibitions, especially those regarding meats as stated in the Torah, still apply to us today under the New Covenant? Do Yeshua and Paul truly release us from the old laws?
Regarding the prohibition of eating meat from dead or stoned animals, as well as the commandment to “not cook a kid in its mother’s milk,” several articles and videos have already been published on our site: Defense of the animals, Do not eat torn animal, Do not eat the meat of the stoned animal. Here, we will focus on the topic of meats that are prohibited regardless of how the animal was slaughtered. This includes non-ruminant animals without cloven hooves, fish without scales or fins, reptiles, insects, and other creatures considered unclean. We will also briefly touch on the reasons behind the prohibition of certain fats and their spiritual significance within the Body of the Messiah.
If these questions concern you, this teaching is designed to provide clarity.
But before diving into the laws and regulations, the central question—our first answer—is this:
What about your Covenant with Yeshua?
Is the Spirit of the Messiah actively dwelling and working within you? Are you living under the guidance of Ruach HaKodesh, and do the fruits of the Spirit manifest in your life?
The teaching and interpretation of the law are directed solely at those who are in covenant with the Messiah Yahushua through water immersion and who have also received the baptism of the Spirit. Only then can the law truly begin to unfold and operate within you, in alignment with the will of the Messiah. If these foundational conditions are not met, the focus of any dialogue or ministry must shift to much more fundamental issues than dietary laws or other decrees.
It is a serious error to teach the law—or anything else—to those who are unaware of the essence of the second baptism: the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit. At best, they may have a theoretical understanding, or perhaps they once experienced the Spirit’s guidance but, for some reason, no longer do. In such cases, they might turn to the written law as a substitute, hoping to find some form of guidance or to numb the pain of spiritual disconnection.
Our teachings on the Commandments are never about prescribing what one should or should not do in specific situations. Instead, they testify to how the Living Spirit of the Messiah has fulfilled these Commandments within us. They demonstrate how the Commandments remain valid in this era of Grace and how the Messiah, through His Spirit, brings them to life and makes them work in and through us.
We share how the Commandments have become living and active within our souls and spirits, forming an integral part of our renewed nature. We always stress that the Commandments can and must be understood solely through spiritual rebirth and the transformative work of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The law remains valid and essential, yet it is no longer the priority.
Observing and fulfilling the Law is not a prerequisite for receiving the Spirit of Yahushua; rather, it is a natural outcome of His presence in us. It is no longer we who obey the Law through our own efforts, but Ruach HaKodesh who fulfills it in and through us. As the Spirit works within us, the Commandments begin to manifest naturally, and we gradually become aware of their significance as they take root in our hearts.Only then does the knowledge of the Commandments become truly compelling and meaningful. Our curiosity about them should deepen as we grow in spiritual maturity, allowing them to unfold fully within us.
Discipleship is a journey with specific, unavoidable steps that must be taken in the proper order and not skipped or reversed. Paul himself urges the apostles not to overburden new disciples with teachings or practices beyond their capacity to bear. As older, more mature believers, we must exercise discernment in what we share and ensure that our teachings align with the spiritual maturity of our audience.
Just as a kindergarten child is not immediately taught to read, write, or solve arithmetic problems, a newly baptized believer does not need to dive into the deeper teachings of Moses. At least not immediately. For someone who has just come up from the waters of baptism, Noah’s example is sufficient as they navigate their own “post-flood” renewal.
In this early stage, the five basic post-flood laws—which Paul frequently references—are more than enough. These universal principles include abstaining from blood, avoiding meat from strangled animals, refraining from idolatry, resisting blasphemy, maintaining sexual purity, and avoiding murder. These foundational rules provide a clear and manageable starting point for new believers as they begin their walk of faith.
Moses is a heavier spiritual food, while the child requires milk!
In doing so, Paul did not cancel or withdraw the decrees of Moses, but rather put them back to their proper place. While he does not elaborate extensively, it is evident that he views the Mosaic laws as important and fully valid in Christ, to the extent that they are connected to the spiritual maturity of the disciple. It cannot be emphasized enough: no one came to abolish the Commandments, not even Paul, despite the attempts of many Christians to convince themselves and the whole world of the opposite.
We must clarify from the start that, as surprising as it may sound, our goal is not to lead you back to the original Commandments, Feasts, and the original Names – in other words, to the roots given to the Jews, from which most Jews themselves have long since deviated to a very significant extent!
NO! Our primary goal is to make you born again! And if you already are, then fill yourself with the Holy Spirit! And if that has already happened, then allow Ruach HaKodesh to work His fruits and gifts in and through you!
Our goal is to help each person move forward from where they’ve been stuck, often for years. And it is by working in this way that we, too, continue to progress on our own narrow path of discipleship.
Once the goal has been achieved, let Ruach HaKodesh work in you at its own pace and will, so that you receive all the spiritual gifts and weapons that have been promised to us. Only then can we say that everything I’ve just mentioned becomes an integral and inseparable part of the process of sanctification: the continuous and progressive restoration of the original Commandments, Feasts, and Names in our minds and hearts. When we reach the point of feeling an inner need to obey them—with joy and good humor, not out of fear, obligation, conformity, or tradition, and certainly not to earn any reward—then, having already earned the promise of the Crown of Life, EVERYTHING has already been given to us.
We must reject any discussions regarding the commandments or the Scriptures with those who clearly do not seek obedience or spiritual growth, but rather seek to justify themselves by their actions or by their knowledge of the laws and decrees. Furthermore, it is utterly pointless to engage with those who reject or attempt to explain away—using the Word of Elohim as support—why the Holy Spirit and His gifts do not work in them. (They often cite Paul’s words, where he says that the Spirit gives specific gifts to certain people and not to others, etc. However, in the book of Acts, we see that all disciples received certain basic gifts from the outset, without exception, such as the gift of tongues—let’s say personal tongues, since there are indeed several types of tongues, and Paul did assuredly not refer tho this specific and basic one).
Those who do not primarily aspire to the way of life lived by the first disciples in the Acts of the Apostles clearly demonstrate that they are not being guided by the Holy Spirit from within, but rather by the religious spirit of the Pharisees and scribes—the demon of theology, so to speak. We do not wish to teach or discuss the Law of the Torah with such individuals, as we do not want to contribute further to their spiritual downfall. Therefore, I invite anyone who listens to us or reads our teachings merely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge, rather than with the intent of sealing their Covenant with Yeshua, filling themselves with His Spirit, and seeking spiritual renewal, to immediately seek another ministry and burden them with their futile questions. For everything such individuals would learn from me would remain in their minds and never reach their hearts, only worsening their situation for the day of judgment. Just as King Saul valued sacrificial animals more than obedience to Yahuwah, those who today place more value on observing and studying the Law than on being Born Again and filled with the Holy Spirit will, sooner or later, lose their kingship—that is, their opportunity to receive the Crown of Life.
I am sorry to have to begin our study with such an unfriendly tone, but
when dealing with those who are fanatical about the dry letter of the law, we’d better speak in such a firm and crude manner.
Indeed, our ministry is primarily focused on two very different directions. We deliver two completely opposite messages to two distinct types of believers and Christians. This is why, just as Paul is often accused of being contradictory, we too face similar accusations. Like him, we must convey messages to people at very different spiritual stages. Both sides hear both types of messages, but not all of our messages are intended for everyone. Our warnings, while sometimes seeming quite different, do not contradict each other but rather complement one another. When we find ourselves in the middle ground between two extremes, it is natural that both sides may misinterpret our words and respond in a hostile manner.
Alors qui sont ces chrétiens antagonistes ?
On the one hand, we have the heirs of what is usually called: Pentecostal Revivals. To them, it is not necessary to explain or discuss the importance and nature of the work of the Holy Spirit. The born again brothers and sisters that we meet on our journey come mainly from their ranks. Here people can be born again, but those who despite the deficiencies in the teachings and the mode of operation, nevertheless reach a certain spiritual maturity in these environments are much rarer. In these circles, the main problems are the following: The human and spiritual constraint of the operation of the Holy Spirit, the version that turns into madness, in a word: THE FALSE CHARISMATIC (which discourages the other party – which I will mention shortly – from allowing Ruach HaKodesh to act in them, because they are afraid of the counterfeit that they have seen here and which they do not want and reject it). Among these Pentecostals, the rejection and abandonment of the law is an integral part of their teachings and constitutes the pillar of their faith.
The other camp is made up of the rest of the believing masses. There are the followers of the traditional churches, but also those who have returned to the Old Testament, to the law and sometimes even to the original names, but who refuse to accept the functioning of Ruach HaKodesh which is the same today as it was then in the time of the first disciples. As I just described the problem, the reject the Holy Spirit often out of fear of what they saw in the opposing camp (those mentioned above) and reject the original forms of its functioning by justifying themselves by the words of Paul, which they interpret as they please and to their own loss.
The core message directed at both the first and second groups can be encapsulated in a single sentence with two distinct parts:
The Holy Spirit can only operate effectively and sustainably in alignment with the Law, while the Law can only be fulfilled through the active work of Ruach HaKodesh.
Where I perceive a false or forced understanding of the Holy Spirit, it becomes essential to strip away human distortions and refocus on the restoration of the Law. It must be conveyed that Yeshua is the Word made flesh—the Law made flesh. Therefore, His Spirit can only operate in accordance with the Two Fundamental Laws of Love: love for Elohim and love for our neighbor. These are further expanded upon by the Ten Commandments, which in turn are detailed in the 613 to 700 mitzvot, offering practical guidance on how to express love toward Elohim and others. It is crucial to understand that as long as someone rejects the Law, the Holy Spirit cannot fully manifest or work within them. Over time, if such rejection persists, the Spirit may cease its work, wait, and eventually withdraw entirely as the individual’s rebellion becomes increasingly deliberate. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 When we practice this kind of ministry, we are often labeled legalists and Pharisees.
When Christians focus solely on applying the Law through human effort—seeking perfection through works or out of fear of the Eternal, much like the approach of Muslims—we must make them envious through the testimony of our lives. We should demonstrate how Ruach HaKodesh works in and through us, revealing His power through speaking in tongues, prophecy, healings, deliverances, and all the fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They, on their part, often label us as false charismatics who collaborate with demonic forces. They could also easily claim that we practice these things by the power of Beelzebub—just as our Master was accused by their spiritual forebears and leaders– the pharisees of those times.
In any case, everyone can decide for themselves what they are lacking and which side they are on!
Naturally, there is also a third group, a third audience that listens – and remains silent – and does not belong to any of the aforementioned camps. These are none other than the traditional Jews themselves.
After this brief reminder – this little introduction or warning – if you consider your Covenant to be firmly established and the Spirit of the Messiah to be the guiding force in your life, then let us now discuss how the laws of kashrut apply to us, born-again disciples, and how they should operate in the visible world within the Body of the Messiah.
Forbidden foods
Pork, ostrich, rabbit, fish without scales, shellfish, reptiles, and other creatures that are considered unclean are not outright forbidden, but I would say they are definitely worth avoiding. As we know, Yeshua did not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. Before diving into the study of specific commandments, it’s essential to understand that the dietary laws still hold relevance. We are called to honor them insofar as they do not harm our neighbor or ourselves.
What do I mean by this? I can harm others if, for example, I am invited into their home because they are thirsty for the Word of Elohim, seeking the Gospel, healing, or spiritual renewal, and they serve me a roast pig as the main course. They may have prepared this meal with love and hospitality, with the purest intentions of their heart. It might not have even crossed their mind that I avoid eating such meats. Since they do not yet have the Spirit of the Messiah within them—who would eventually address this matter in its proper time—this habit of eating such food is perfectly natural for them.
In such a case, if I refuse their hospitality, my hosts could see it as an insult, or at the very least feel saddened. Worse still, I might inadvertently create a sense of guilt in them, which could either turn them off from the entire gospel message or push them toward becoming mere religious legalists rather than born-again disciples. By doing so, I would destroy the potential effectiveness of my ministry, showing that food restrictions are more important than the Good News Yeshua came to proclaim. In a situation like this, I would temporarily set aside my good biblical habits. Even if I am not a fan of the food in question, I would make an effort to eat it—not for diplomatic reasons, but out of charity. Because indeed,
the Law of Life always prevails over all other commandments
In such extreme situations, preserving life takes precedence over any dietary restrictions. The Torah itself emphasizes the sanctity of life above all else, which is why Jewish rabbis during the Holocaust permitted people to eat anything necessary to survive—be it pork, mice, or rats. The priority was to ensure that individuals and their loved ones could sustain their lives, even if it meant setting aside dietary laws temporarily.
It is important to clarify that this discussion pertains to the laws of kashrut as they are presented in the Torah—the original Commandments given by Elohim through Moses. These laws are distinct from the additional regulations found in rabbinical texts such as the Talmuds, Mishnahs, or Shulchan Aruch. These later writings often impose human interpretations that distort or add to the original intent of the Commandments, lengthening them unnecessarily and thereby corrupting their essence.
For further exploration of these topics, I recommend referring to my teachings: Defense of the animals and Judaism: The Lifebuoyor a Deadly Poison? These delve deeper into the original laws versus their later human distortions, shedding light on how we can honor Elohim’s commandments without falling into the traps of man-made traditions.
However, regarding the harm that legalism can cause, there is another scenario, opposite to the earlier example, which is much less common but that I personally witnessed not long ago. In this case, servants who were clearly born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, but who had not yet accepted the validity of the Commandments, welcomed a woman seeking baptism. This woman had a religious history that included time spent in strongly legalistic pseudo-Christian and pseudo-messianic sects, where abstinence from certain foods was rigidly enforced under threat of exclusion.
She was visibly in need of deliverance, as the spirit of religiosity held her firmly captive. Unfortunately, it never crossed the minds of these born-again—but clearly immature, if not outright foolish—servants that celebrating and sealing this woman’s baptism and Covenant with the Messiah by eating a good pork stew might not be the wisest or most sensitive choice. Yet, that was exactly what they had decided to prepare for her, having already purchased the ingredients for the occasion.
And unfortunately, what should not have happened, naturally did. When the woman politely declined their “delicious” meal—without leaving immediately—these so-called “servants,” instead of recognizing their mistake, had the audacity to tell her that there would be no other food available, whether she liked it or not. They even went as far as accusing her of being a Pharisee, a legalist, and demon-possessed. Unsurprisingly, the woman left shortly afterward. As a result, her Covenant with Yeshua was not sealed—at least, not at that time.
This woman was indeed under demonic influence (at least one), but instead of casting it out, these individuals chose to focus on their little barbecue. They roasted the pig, not the demon. By doing so, they employed the same tool of terror that her former legalistic pastors had used to keep her bound—but in its anti-legalistic form. They essentially exposed her to the opposite extreme of what she had been trying to escape. Who knows what became of her after that? Without her contact information, we were unable to follow up, continue the work, or guide her along the narrow path.
As for these so-called “servants,” we have no further knowledge of them, as we naturally cut ties with them after they rejected our ministry, dismissed our warnings, and refused to accept correction for their actions. Sadly, it appears they have continued in their misguided religious ways, spreading confusion and harm wherever they go. This excessive foolishness also raises the question of whether they were really born again people? I could not judge and I would not dare to do so, but what can be said is that such stubborn and obstinate “antifa” Christians (anti-Pharisees – anarchists – law-breakers) are – on the spiritual level – nothing less than vulgar murderers.
If we can speak of spiritual abortion, that’s precisely what happened here. Let’s hope the woman was eventually born again somewhere else, under better care.
I share this example to illustrate how ministries driven by human self-assumed wisdom, rather than complete submission to the Messiah and the guidance of His Spirit, can cause significant and often irreparable harm.
Now, returning to edible meats: According to the laws of the Torah, the animals permitted for consumption are:
Mammals: Four-legged, ruminant, and cloven-hoofed animals (e.g., cows, sheep, and goats). Prohibited: Pigs (which have cloven hooves but do not chew the cud) and rabbits (which chew the cud but lack cloven hooves).
Fish: Only fish with both fins and scales are permitted (e.g., carp, salmon). Prohibited: Sharks, eels, catfish, and similar species.
Birds: Permitted birds are those that are not predators or scavengers (e.g., chickens, pigeons, quails). Prohibited: Birds of prey or scavengers, such as eagles, hawks, and crows.
Insects: The only permitted insects are grasshoppers. Prohibited: All other insects, such as spiders and beetles.
Reptiles and amphibians: These are entirely prohibited without exception, including snakes, lizards, and frogs.
In summary, the selection of edible animals was primarily based on principles of purity, holiness, and separation, which shaped the daily life of the people of Israel and their relationship with Elohim. In addition to the biological problems that these animals represent, which we will develop a little further below, this regulation also aims to separate us, to sanctify us from the customs of the pagan peoples among whom we are dispersed. These ordinances are detailed especially in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
Verses That Have Been Seriously Misinterpreted
The New Testament includes at least five passages that can be somewhat confusing regarding dietary laws. However, their true meaning differs significantly from the commonly accepted Christian interpretation. One of these passages contains a deliberately mistranslated phrase, seemingly with the intent to distort, dilute, and reject the Word and will of Elohim. This troubling phrase appears in several translations in Mark 7, specifically in the well-known passage about impurity from within:
1. After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull? ”he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean).
The original text explains that it is the toilet itself that cleanses the body of unclean food. In other words, the digestive system and its processes, along with the act of elimination, cleanse the body—not Yeshua!
This means that if unclean food accidentally enters your stomach due to unforeseen circumstances, obligation, or constraint, it will not lead to spiritual death. The body’s organs, particularly those involved in digestion, are designed to cleanse us of toxins, serving as key components of both the digestive and immune systems.
The translator not only completely misrepresents Yeshua’s intention but also inserts Yeshua as the subject in a context where the original text clearly refers to the stomach, the digestive organs, and the toilet as performing the work of physical cleansing. This distortion shifts the focus away from the clear and practical teaching of the Savior’s words.
Cursed be such a translation!
The concept of “secret places” encompasses septic tanks as well as the most intimate and impure parts of the human body. What kind of cursed spirit could confuse such things with the Most Holy, if not Satan himself? Everyone would be wise to open their Bible right now and examine how this passage is translated. If it is rendered incorrectly, I urge you—exceptionally—to take a pen and cross out this shameful sentence entirely. Better yet, replace your Bible with an earlier, more accurately translated version. For once, I wholeheartedly authorize and even encourage you to mark up and remove this mistranslated passage from your Bible!
The next problematic passage is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 10:
2.Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is Yahuwah’s, and everything in it.” If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 1Corinthians 10:25-28
We must remember that we are in the Greek part of the Roman Empire, specifically in Corinth, at a Greek market, a butcher shop, or even a slaughterhouse. The focus here is clearly on the issue of meat offered to idols—therefore, to demons—rather than the animal it came from. The key point is not to worry about who did what with a particular food, as this poses no harm to us. If I am in Yahushua, I have nothing to fear! Serpents can bite me, I can be given poison to drink, fire can touch my hand—none of it can harm me as long as I am serving Him in His ministry.
The origin of a given food does not matter as long as those around you understand that you are unaware of where it came from. The rejection of such meat is not about potential harm but about making a statement of faith. By refusing to consume meat sacrificed to demons, we symbolically reject any visible manifestations of foreign spirituality. This act is a declaration of faith, not a health precaution.
It is also true that it is not what goes into the mouth that makes one impure. However, this verse in no way permits ignoring the Torah’s prohibitions regarding certain meats.
3. About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Yahuwah!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that Elohim has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.Acts 10:9-16
It’s important to clarify that we are discussing Greece, not, for example, modern-day China and its Wuhan market—where the virus was reportedly said to have originated according to official sources. In that market, people buy and sell animal meat so disgusting for consumption that the mere thought of eating it could make a typical person feel nauseous. While Peter’s vision might evoke images of that infamous Chinese market, that is not what this passage is about.
Like it or not, not all parts of the Bible are meant to be interpreted literally. While most biblical messages are presented literally, there are also parables that are clearly symbolic or figurative. This passage is undoubtedly one of those rare exceptions.
The context of this verse is not about what types of meat can or cannot be eaten but rather about the issue within Judaism at the time, which did not regard Gentiles in a particularly favorable way, to put it mildly. In modern terms, a form of racism had developed among the Jews due to centuries of nearly uninterrupted persecution and rejection by others. This was further exacerbated by a misunderstanding of the concept of Election (as referenced in my article titled Chosen People? Yes, but what for?).
Even the first disciples were not completely free from such attitudes, at least at first. Through this powerful and startling vision, Elohim reveals that anyone purified by the Blood of the Lamb should never again be regarded as impure.
I want to stress: it’s NOBODY, not “nothing.” We’re talking about human beings here, not food, concepts, or music, for example.
So don’t hesitate to sit at the table with them and eat what they have prepared, even if they serve you salami sandwiches.
This parable served to gain acceptance of the new Gentile disciples into the hearts of the early Jewish disciples, who were not yet completely free of their xenophobia. Furthermore, anyone who carries pagan spirits is indeed repugnant from a spiritual point of view. Thus, the analogy applies to any person or group of people infected by foreign idols, whether they are Greeks or even perverted Jews. It is up to us to pray and work so that these people will be purified in turn by the Blood of Yeshua.
4. The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything Elohim created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of Elohim and prayer.1Timothy 4:1-5
Who dares to extend the foods that Elohim created and mentioned here to include all edible things in the world, ignoring the law revealed in the Torah!? The foods that Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving refer solely to those He has permitted us to consume according to His revelation in the Torah!
How could anyone believe that Paul would say something that goes against the Torah?
Consider instead which sects, churches, or heretics forbid marriage—for example, their own priests or even their “followers.” And where does the idea of no longer eating meat and becoming vegetarian come from? They claim that since Yeshua’s sacrifice, we are no longer allowed to eat meat because it can only come from sacrifices offered to Elohim. And since we are forbidden to offer sacrifices after the Crucifixion, they conclude that we must abstain from eating even the meats that the Torah otherwise permits.
Here Paul was addressing such false teachings. In their misguidance, they go far beyond mere overeating; this is only the surface of their much deeper spiritual errors. The Torah plainly states that meat may be slaughtered outside of sacrificial ceremonies: Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing Yahuwah your Elohim gives you. Deuteronomy 12:15
The following misconception arises from this former verse in Timothy, again from the pen of Paul but in Colossians this time:
5. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in the Messiah.Colossians 2:16-17
This is the situation I mentioned at the start of the article. Don’t scold someone who is newly born again just because they do something differently from you or differently from what the Torah teaches! If it comes from the sincerity of their childlike heart, let them do it! Otherwise, you risk discouraging them from continuing their journey as a disciple in faith. You might end up raising a rigid, indoctrinated, legalistic Pharisee who will never allow Ruach HaKodesh to guide them from within, or worse, pushing them back into the world they just left, leaving their new condition even worse than before.
Paul also conveys this idea in the following verse: 6. Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for Elohim has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for Yahuwah is able to make them stand. One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to Yahuwah. Whoever eats meat does so to Yahuwah, for they give thanks to Elohim; and whoever abstains does so to Yahuwah and gives thanks to Elohim.Romans 14:1-6
Who are those who refrain from eating certain things? Those who are weak in faith—newborns! This is not about abolishing the Commandments but about teaching them at the right times and in the right contexts. For a deeper explanation, refer to my two teachings on Paul’s relationship with the law and its apparent contradictions. Paul and the Law 1, and Paul and the Law 2
Here are some examples of verses that are often deliberately misinterpreted, misused, and cause many to stumble—just as Peter warned us about the words of his fellow servant Paul, which are frequently difficult to understand and which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:16
“Koshering” Yourself
If there are certain forbidden foods you love and continue to eat, and you can’t imagine living without them, place the matter on Elohim’s altar in full faith. Ask Him to remove the desire from you according to His Will. This principle applies to every aspect of life, not just food, but also to all our habits. Each person must personally identify the things in their life that could pose a potential risk of idolatry.
Here also it is important to remember that it is strongly discouraged to try to force yourself to give up anything in a human way and out of a desire to satisfy the Commandments.
Don’t force yourself to do anything until Yeshua Himself sets you free from it
The goal isn’t endless abstinence but true freedom—freedom from sin and even from the undesirable thoughts themselves, as Yeshua promised in Matthew 5:28. Once you are free, you must stand firm and resist the temptations that may linger for a while, trying to pull you back.
It’s crucial to first recognize the differences, contradictions, and incompatibilities between your current lifestyle and the will of Elohim.
And this is where the Law comes in: “I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.”Romans 7:7
If something feels natural to you but is forbidden by the Torah, then there’s an issue that needs attention. In such cases, take it to prayer and ask what should become of it and whether the time has come to address it. Often, we focus on something within ourselves that doesn’t function as we would like, without realizing there may be a bigger, more immediate obstacle we need to identify and overcome first. The order of addressing these issues is crucial. Satan may whisper to you to focus on food issues when you may still have unresolved problems of hatred and lack of love in your heart, in order to distract your attention from them.
If the law convicts you on a specific point, repentance and deliverance work just as they did when you were first delivered from the world—from the chains that held you most captive—and became a new creation. Sanctification is a process. Over time, even the smaller, hidden details must rise to the surface to be purified by the Spirit of Yeshua, perfecting us for the Day when we are fully united with Him.
May Ruach HaKodesh give you the clarity to recognize these things and the desire to be freed from them. Then, ask that the blood of Yeshua cleanse you completely and permanently.
If you are born again, this is no longer about casting out a demon but about renewing your soul and your conscience.
May the High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, Yahushua, carry out His sacrificial ministry within our own temples—our hearts. Let us bring all our pigs, rabbits, movies, music, human relationships, and habits, and lay them on the Altar of the Heavenly Temple so that Yahushua may purge us of everything unclean or impure, removing it even from our thoughts. May everything we love that He despises become something we find repulsive as well.
Thus, we rid ourselves of the remaining impurities, becoming more and more sanctified.
This could have been the end of this article, but in what follows, I would like to talk a little more about the reasons known or supposed according to my vision of things concerning the prohibition of certain species of animals as well as their fats.
The Pork: Secrets Revealed
Many have wondered—especially when it comes to pigs—why this animal is included on the forbidden list. It’s immediately clear to most people that pigs are among the most neglected and filthy animals in the world, making it logical to avoid them.
However, in recent decades, modern science has provided even more specific insights into the dangers of consuming pork. Beyond their filthy habits and tendency to eat anything, pigs have a digestive system that is three times shorter than that of cattle. By contrast, oxen and cows are much more selective, consuming only grasses. Additionally, cattle ruminate, which means they chew their food twice before it undergoes final digestion—a process that, according to the Torah, is a key criterion for an animal to be considered pure.
Doctors and dieticians also strongly advise against consuming pork, not only because it is high in fat, which raises cholesterol levels and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, but also
because its toxin content is significantly higher than that of most animals
It’s that simple!
Well, if you are able to follow the advice of men: secular doctors and atheist coaches of all kinds, then how much more is it worth listening to and following the Word of our Creator, even if these may sometimes seem incomprehensible? There is no doubt that if they come from the Father, these directives serve our best well-being—even if for the moment we do not always understand their meaning. Besides, it is useless to always want to know everything about everything. Do we not have enough confidence in the fact that
the Creator is best placed in the world to decide what is beneficial or not for His own creature?
Do we not have enough faith, and especially wisdom, to recognize that if certain foods were not recommended for the Jews of antiquity, this likely still applies to us today? Or do we imagine ourselves to be healthier and more resilient than those “poor souls” of antiquity, just as we often—mistakenly—regard ourselves as intellectually and cerebrally superior to them, when the reality is quite the opposite? What image do we have of the Almighty? Would Elohim change His mind constantly, swayed by moods or weather? Who do we take Him for, once again? Yes indeed, we have the promise of being spared from snake bites and scorpion stings, but woe to those who dare to tempt Yahuwah or abuse the powers granted by the Father, just as Satan tried to tempt Yeshua in the desert.
Our earthly fathers and mothers would never have given us snakes or stones when we asked for bread, would they? If they, as humans, desired only what was good for us, how much more should we honor the Word of our Heavenly Father, ensuring that everything goes well for us while we are bound to our earthly bodies of flesh?
So, we do not always need to know everything about everything!
Have we not had enough time since then to reflect on the consequences of the sin committed by Eve and Adam? They, too, did not need to know what lay hidden behind the concept of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And yet today, while humanity should fully understand the deep meaning of this mystery—having fallen into this sin—almost no one, not even many disciples, truly grasps its significance. I delve into what this famous Tree of Knowledge truly represented in my article: The Gospel Decrypted: Discover the Deeper Message of Salvation and Redemption
Our duty today, as it should have been for them at the time, is not to ask too many unnecessary questions but to obey unconditionally, even when everything within us resists. Like a soldier in an army or a child before his father.
Personally, I even believe that a potential reason for the prohibition on eating pork could be the cognitive abilities of the animal itself. Many people may not realize this, but alongside monkeys, donkeys, dogs, dolphins, and rats, pigs are among the most intelligent animals in the world. Perhaps this sets them apart—this time in a positive way—from other animals, and as a mark of respect for their abilities, Elohim asks us to spare them.
Pigs have been used for various purposes, such as guarding homes, assisting with mushroom picking—particularly truffles in forests—and even acting as scouts to detect swamps when people needed to flee from enemies. Why would we eat such a remarkably useful animal? Just like we don’t eat our dogs, although there are exceptions, as I mentioned earlier.
As I mentioned at the beginning, if there is no other option—if you find yourself in a critical situation financially or otherwise—do not be foolish. Eat what is available or what is more affordable on the supermarket shelves, even if it contains pork! And of course, pray that your financial situation is restored so that you don’t have to knowingly break the law for too long.
The main thing is to act according to the teaching and guidance of your Master. First, ensure that He is present and active within you. Is the Holy Spirit expressing Himself visibly and audibly through you, for example, through speaking in tongues or prophecy? Only then should you ask Him—above all Him—what, when, and how to do or not to do.
We could also consider the reasons for banning ostrich meat—one of my favorite meats as a child. It’s completely free of fat or cholesterol and, in many ways, seems like one of the healthiest options. Its prohibition may seem unnecessary at first glance. However, perhaps the ostrich’s size, strength, and speed make it unsuitable for domestication and captivity. Could it be that it is harder to manage and coexist with compared to smaller animals?
Keeping ostriches confined on a farm with other animals could lead to unforeseen problems. They might attack smaller animals or even eat chicken eggs. Due to their physical characteristics, ostriches likely tolerate captivity far less well. Other animals, such as goats, sheep, and cows, benefit from human protection and the care of sheepdogs, which safeguard them against predators. For these animals, enclosures provide security and ensure consistent grazing without the need to fend for themselves or manage migration, tasks they lack the cognitive and physical abilities to handle.
In contrast, ostriches likely suffer much more under human captivity, as their size and agility make them unsuited for limited living spaces. For animals that are faster, more agile, or capable of flight, captivity can be a form of cruelty. Domestic life disrupts their biological and psychological balance because it denies them the freedom and space they require to thrive according to the purpose for which they were created.
Elohim, who loves all His creatures, also cares about ensuring that animals have the best possible living conditions.
This is undoubtedly also the reasoning behind the ban on eating rabbit. Rabbits, regardless of breed, are generally very agile creatures capable of running at incredible speeds. Depriving them of this ability through captivity simply makes them unhappy, and over time, the animal becomes sick and depressed. Even though humans have since developed heavier, less agile breeds specifically for convenience and profitability, the principle remains the same.
We must never forget that animals have a very limited capacity to communicate with us. Most lack facial expressions that the human eye and brain can perceive and interpret. When an animal suffers or is unhappy under the care of its master, who will speak up for it? Who will make its distress known?
Elohim Himself does this by warning us well in advance through His laws of prohibition!
Caging certain animals, especially those capable of flying or running long distances, is inherently an act of cruelty. Even modern humans, who increasingly find comfort in inertia—sitting in armchairs or lying in bed watching TV or browsing the Internet—struggle with the thought of imprisonment or forced confinement.
How much greater must the suffering be for a creature that has no inclination or desire for laziness and idleness? For an animal whose physical abilities and instinctive need for movement far surpass even the most active and athletic humans, confinement is a profound and unjust hardship.
Let’s not forget what I discuss in another article: when an animal suffers or senses impending death, it produces stress hormones filled with bitterness, which spread rapidly throughout its body via the bloodstream. This process affects not only its meat but even its milk.
It is therefore essential to slaughter edible animals in a way that they remain unaware of what is happening and experience minimal pain. Techniques such as using razor-sharp blades to reduce stress and approaching the animal from behind can help achieve this. By the time the animal becomes aware of its death, the stress hormones produced in the brain no longer reach the edible parts of its body, as they flow out with the blood through the severed arteries.
This approach benefits everyone: the animal avoids unnecessary suffering, and the human consumer receives high-quality meat. Today, this humane slaughtering method is practiced almost exclusively by Orthodox Jews and Muslims. In this regard, we could take inspiration from both.
However, the nature of the animal in question could also be a reason for its prohibition.
As the popular saying goes: “You are what you eat.” Elohim does not want mankind to take on the characteristics of pigs, rabbits, ostriches, invertebrates, or other creeping vermin. Humanity is already inclined toward such behavior, so there is no point in making the situation worse. This is precisely one of the main objectives of the Redemptive Work: to reshape the fallen and deformed man, led astray by the serpent, so that he may once again be reformed in the image of Elohim, as he was in the beginning.
In the case of reptiles and vermin, the reason is clear, and people instinctively understand that these creatures must be avoided. Most of us feel repulsed at the mere thought of chewing and swallowing such beings. Let us never forget that the fundamental laws are imprinted on the heart of every human being!
What is one of the main characteristics of the rabbit? It is among the animals with the highest libido and sexual activity of all living beings. It is no coincidence that the rabbit is one of the primary symbols of pagan Easter, which is essentially a celebration of fertility.
So, eating rabbit? Does anyone really need to add fuel to the fire, especially men? And take a look for yourselves: which countries are the largest consumers of rabbit meat? Italy and France. I think that says it all! 🙂
As for fish, it has been discovered that scales serve as a detoxification organ. This explains why eating fish without scales is inadvisable, as their toxicity levels are significantly higher than those of unscaled fish.
Concerning invertebrates, humans are wise to avoid them because their influence extends not only to the physical but also to the spiritual and psychological levels. Consuming invertebrates amplifies the phenomenon of a humanity increasingly lacking a backbone—in other words, devoid of moral principles and honesty. The animal that man consumes affects him profoundly, creating an inextricable bond, much like the impact of consuming blood (see also my article: Prohibition of Consuming Blood).
Edible animals, such as lambs, calves, sheep, and cows, exhibit behavior that is consistently peaceful and obedient to their masters. Eating these animals fosters in us the same instinct of submission to our Father.
In contrast, inedible animals are nocturnal, crawl, consume soil, hunt, and wallow in filth. In short, they embody the pagan behaviors and customs of rebellion, anarchy, and witchcraft.
All the Predators are strictly forbidden, and scavengers even more so! No one should consume meat from an animal killed by another or from rotting flesh. This principle is straightforward and easily understood. Hunting should not become a habit. Although the consumption of deer is not prohibited, it is only practiced in situations of absolute necessity, such as during temporary migrations in a nomadic state. Under normal circumstances, the Jewish people are rooted in the land, leading a sedentary life where they work, care for animals and plants, and avoid killing for sport or “pleasure.” Let us never benefit from what we have not worked for ourselves. Do not eat the carcass of an animal you find on the road, as it likely belongs to someone else from whom it escaped before dying where you discovered it. We should not take advantage of the misfortunes or losses of others. Additionally, rotting meat is inherently toxic—yet another reason to avoid it entirely.
The Question of Fat
The prohibitions regarding animal fats are also worth examining. The Torah forbids the consumption of fat from four-legged animals, with the exception of the fats of bipedal poultry, which are permitted. Fats contribute to excess cholesterol and, consequently, to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. In the warm climate of the Holy Land, the consumption of fats was especially unnecessary, as mild winters required little need for protection from the cold. Fat also serves as the final layer through which toxins are expelled during perspiration, meaning it contains a higher concentration of toxins. Furthermore, most toxins are fat-soluble rather than water-soluble, so an increased fat presence in the body raises the amount of poison within it.
Physical obesity often reflects a deeper emotional struggle, such as a lack of love or rejection experienced by the individual. People frequently turn to fattening foods (like chocolate) as a form of self-reward, leading to weight gain. The modern food industry bears significant responsibility for the rise in obesity, producing harmful products through chemical processes and flooding humanity’s diets with them. Tragically, even today’s disciples are not immune to this issue.
However, obesity often signals a state of spiritual illness in the affected person, particularly believers. Its root causes are frequently linked to inclinations toward the following sins:
Being overweight is, quite literally and proportionally, the consequence and visible manifestation of spiritual attachment to money and earthly pleasures. Let’s not attempt to sugarcoat it: this is a reality that is evident to most of us. Any secular doctor or psychologist would likely arrive at a similar diagnosis, even without reference to faith or the Bible. However, their version would be more diplomatic, flattering, and humanistic—focused on minimizing personal responsibility and avoiding conflict with the person suffering from it.
The natural and increasingly evident consequence within the body of the Messiah is the growing number of obese and pot-bellied Christian pastors and teachers. Their outward appearance often gives the impression that the buttons on their expensive shirts or jackets—sometimes costing hundreds of euros—are on the verge of bursting under the strain of their stretched fabric. This physical state reflects precisely what they are internally: gluttons, both in their stomachs and in their hearts, whose primary motivation is the pursuit of money and power.
It is no coincidence that they are referred to as “ministers,” a term that should signify servanthood. Tragically, this word—like many others—has long been corrupted by the enemy. These so-called ministers (or servants of God, as they are often called) bear a much closer resemblance to their worldly counterparts, who thrive on corruption at the expense of the people—frequently widows and orphans—than to true ministers who serve according to the Spirit of the Messiah and for the benefit of others.
It is entirely abnormal for disciples, and especially servants of Elohim, to literally resemble fattened pigs
Their counterfeit ministries, along with the small networks and other churches they lead—which are nothing more than vulgar imitations and mockeries of the true Church—resemble the societal structure depicted in George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, where the ruling class is symbolized by bloated pigs. This stands in stark contrast to the original model of the Body of the Messiah, which grew not in pride or kilograms, but in the number of new disciples each day. These disciples quickly matured and became teachers and ministers themselves.
The authentic model and its account are not found in Orwellian literature but in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Acts.
Anyone who imagines themselves to be an apostle should try to picture what Paul must have looked like after enduring constant persecution, living on the run, facing regular imprisonments, recurring stonings, repeated beatings with rods, and ongoing experiences of deprivation and famine.
Anyone considering themselves a prophet should pray for their spiritual eyes to finally open, truly and fully, so they might at least begin to imagine what John must have looked like in the depths of his prison cell on the island of Patmos. Or what the other John or Elijah might have looked like, each living in the wilderness, clothed in animal skins—kosher ones, of course—and subsisting almost exclusively on locusts and crickets.
And those who claim to be teachers should first quite literally take the form of our Master, who did not preach from the height of a pulpit dressed in designer clothes with expensive, gleaming watches strapped to His wrists. Instead, He traveled across the regions of the Holy Land and had nowhere to lay His head.
To summarize the question of the kashrut
Do not ask ME what YOU can or cannot eat!
On a human level, I should feel very honored that you consider me a credible spiritual authority by turning to me for advice. Unfortunately, more often than not, entirely different feelings arise in me when I am asked this type of question.
I am not anyone’s rabbi, just as no one else can be!
No man — and even less a woman — should be called such, as Yeshua commands us in Matthew 23:8. He is the only Rabbi, and at most, we can only be brothers among ourselves.
I can advise and teach you for a certain time, as I often repeat in my teachings, but like everyone else without exception, I have only one essential task as a disciple: to guide you to the Rabbi, Yahushua. The goal is for you to be born again, freed from evil spirits, and filled with the one good Spirit, the Spirit of Messiah Yahushua: Ruah HaKodesh—the Judge who, after a short time, is the only one with the authority to continue guiding and teaching you from within through the law He applies in us until He returns to take us.
Unfortunately, today, in most cases, we encounter only two types of servants who mislead the masses they claim to lead. The first type seizes the roles belonging to the Messiah, dictating the law externally like a master to his dog, deceiving themselves and others by pretending to be a rabbi, pastor, apostle, teacher, prophet, or any other grandiose title. These are the small sects and legalistic, Pharisaic communities that are springing up like mushrooms nowadays in reaction to… The second type hides behind similar titles but lies to you, claiming that the law is no longer valid and that you no longer need to concern yourself with it, saying it belongs only to the Old Testament and applies only to Jews. Meanwhile, this type of minister exerts spiritual control over their flock, imposing other laws—more, fewer, or partially derived from the Bible—based on the theology of the box, or so-called church, in question. This includes, among others, the Pentecostal and hyper-charismatic churches and communities I have often mentioned in my teachings.
Because indeed,
It is not the law that should primarily concern you but Ruah HaKodesh
Humbly allow Him to fill you a little more each day, at His own pace and according to His will, so that He Himself ensures the law is upheld within your mind, heart, and innermost being. Ruah HaKodesh is the Living Law itself, the very Oil with which the lamps of the wise virgins must be filled.
Instead of asking me—or even yourself—questions like: “Should I eat pork or not?” “How should I celebrate this or that holiday?” “Can I drink certain beverages, including alcoholic ones?” “How far can one go in the realm of eroticism?”
I believe most of us should instead ask: “What is still preventing the Holy Spirit from working fully within me?, Am I truly filled with Ruah HaKodesh, and if so, where do I stand in terms of further sanctification?”
Do you desire to receive true spiritual gifts—the ones that operate biblically? Are you finally disgusted by the fear instilled by the spirit of religiosity, which has discouraged you from seeking true charismatism because all you’ve seen are false manifestations in fake Pentecostal circuses cultivated by Satan to deprive you and others of what is real? Aren’t you tired of using the Bible to explain away your spiritual emptiness and incomplete state, clinging to so-called biblical reasons while continuing to fear what you should have long aspired to?
The day you overcome your fears and seek out authentic brothers and sisters in the faith—those who are born again—and begin to speak in true tongues rather than the endless childish mantras like “bah bah bah” or “kas kas kas,” when you genuinely desire to receive the spiritual gifts and weapons as described and demonstrated in the Book of Acts, then after some time, you will rightly ask your elder brothers and sisters how they approach questions of eating and drinking, celebrating festivals, or even the boundaries and ways of intimacy with our spouses within marriage.
At that point, you will no longer hear commandments from the outside, nor will you strive to obey them through human effort. Instead, you will hear the echo of Elohim’s Word already alive within you, confirming what Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of Yahushua, has already implanted in your heart.
We are not under the law. Of course not! Because if we are in Him who is above the law (Yahushuah), then we are above the Law with Him. However, the law serves as a pillar under our feet, as one of the pillars of support of the Temple that we are and not to trample it, as most Christians still do.
In Acts 21:18-26 it appears very clearly that at the advice of his fellow apostles, Paul submitted to bear witness before all the world that he too lived and obeyed the laws of Moses. When Jacob and the elders asked him to shave his head with the other 4 men as a sign of their respect for the Commandments, Paul did not resist them and did this in silence.
Concerning the “contradictions” of the apostle Paul
In the following article, I would like to discuss the writings of the Apostle Paul (Rav Saul) regarding the law from a Jewish perspective. We will get an overview of the role of the law in the times of Grace, after the sacrifice of Yahushua HaMashiah, concerning Jews and non-Jews, mainly through the epistle to the Romans. It is important to bring the matter back to the original thought, since the letter is addressed to the Hellenized Jewish and non-Jewish congregation living in Rome and written by a Jewish man who believed in Yahushua, but never denied his identity. All that Paul wrote was inspired by Ruach HaKodesh/the Holy Spirit of Elohim.
It is important to state that for Jews living in Rome at the time, the law differed from the Law initially disclosed by Moses and this, for two reasons:
On the one hand, the original Commandments were not yet completely separated and purified from the added human Pharisaical laws of Babylonia, and on the other hand, the original Laws contained in the Torah were also interpreted and applied according to the Pharisaical way of thinking they’ve learned from their birth. This pharisaic way of thinking happens at the intellectual level rather than coming from the heart.
In the epistle to the Romans, Paul does absolutely not go against the Commandments of Elohim, but:
he opposes the Pahrisaic laws that the Jews added to the original Law of Elohim
IN ADDITION
he is working on the restoration of the Commandments of Elhohim which the Roman spirit of Hellenism had already begun to twist and mix with paganism.
Keeping these additional laws according to the letter led to self-righteousness, which Yahushua fought against. This self-righteousness attributes an effect of self-salvation to the observance of the law in itself. This way of thinking pushes to the background the personal relationship with Elohim, the one which stems from faith and love coming from within. Being a Pharisee of course does not imply being faithful to all the commandments, but rather placing the observance of them before the need to directly listening to the voice of Yahuwah. Someone is a Pharisee because he does not keep the law by faith, to honor Elohim whom he loves, but because he expects rewards from him in a kind of spiritual business relationship.
Paul fought against these additional laws, which do not come from faith, which are not kept because we do it with joy, not under compulsion, but because we love Elohim. When experiencing a restored relationship with Yahuwah, man feels more free than ever, for the Law is there to protect his life and restore the order in his relationship with Elohim and with his neighbour. Paul struggles against the spirit of law-keeping through coercion, through fear of a rebuking god. Paul wants to restore the living Law that flows from our inner faith and love for Elohim.
Moreover, Paul was fighting so that the law would not be in the first place in people’s mind. From the Sacrifice on the cross, the order has changed and had been inverted. The law is no longer our pedagogue until the Messiah, but all the contrary: the Ruach of the Messiah teaches us the Law from the moment we are born again in Him. We first meet Yeshua, then He reveals who He is by showing how He fulfills the Commandments and the Prophecies that are the Word of Elohim, those that became Flesh in Him.
Thus history shifts and it is no longer the Law that teaches us the Messiah, but it is the Messiah who teaches us the Law after having obtained Grace and gone through the baptism of Water and of Fire.
Paul also struggles with older brothers who tried to teach decrees that are not yet concerning spiritually newborn disciples. He who has just come out of the water and been born again does not need Moses YET! The 7 Laws of Noah, the rudimentary and universal basic rules received after the Flood for all Humankind, are more than enough for them and for the moment. Moses is a heavier food and the children still need milk. With this, Paul did not nullify or destroy Moses neither the Commandments received through him, but Paul is putting everything at its right place. Although it is not expressed, it is still clear that he considers that the commandments of Moses are naturally still valid, but that everyone should deal with what is appropriate for their age.
Paul was working in order to restore these distortions, because the apostolic work is above all a work of Reformation.
This is how the essence of Yahushua HaMashiah can be understood. What does it mean that He fulfills the Law? When I place myself under the domination of the Messiah and I am reborn in Yahushua by immersion in water and then by the baptism of fire, then I no longer live, but He lives in me. At this moment, He does not exempt me from the Law, but on the contrary He applies it and puts it into force. From that moment on, I keep the law because it is no longer written on tablets of stone, but is engraved on the flesh of my heart through the baptism of fire and the dwelling in me of Ruach HaKodesh.
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their Elohim.
Ezekiel 11:19-20
It is exactly this prophecy that was fulfilled on Shavuot, at Pentecost. When the two tables of stone transformed into two tongues of fire which came to be engraved in the hearts of the disciples following which, they began to speak in tongues.
Do not forget that Jewry, until this day, is celebrating the gift of the 10 Commandments on this precise day of Shavuot/Pentecost.
But now, let’s look at the verses about the laws in Romans:
1.What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of Elohim. Romans 3:1-2
From this part, the word “Word” is immediately highlighted as the Word of Elohim which was entrusted to the people of Israel. When we talk about the 10 commandments, these are the 10 fundamental laws which have 613 or rather 700 further extensions and which can all be summed up in the 2 Great Commandments of Love (Love of Elohim and Neighbor). (The Mitzvoth actually number 650 to 700, the rabbis not having listed them all). The Word is one of the synonyms for the law, but as a whole it covers the entire Old Testament including all the Prophecies, but a very important and significant part of which are the Commandments. This is also how John begins the story of the coming of Yahushua HaMashiah:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1…14
John immediately begins by describing the very essence of Yahushua. He himself was the Word, in other words, he was the Law. What else could the Word have meant but the word of Elohim, which He gave to his people on Mount Sinai? What was this declared word if not the law and the prophets? The prophets who were precisely sent to pronounce judgments because of the transgression of the Law and whose main work was to restore the Commandments by announcing the wrath coming upon the People due to their transgression.
2. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in Elohim‘s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. Romans 3:20
How can we know what sin is except by the law? And how does grace work if we are unable to recognize sin? How does one know that he needs Grace if we do not recognize the state of sin in which we were born? The Law teaches this to us, so that we can recognize our need for the Messiah! Is Grace then possible without the Law? Not at all, because if we cancel the law, Grace becomes automatically useless as well!
Here, also, Paul’s word is addressed primarily to the Jews who were looking for their justification by the simple observance of the law, and not to people of other nations who did not care about the law, because they did not yet know it. The Law must be promulgated to the Nations in due time so that they will understand what the work of Redemption is. The Jews on their side must be freed from the additional laws and from the distortions that soiled the original laws through the assimilation.
3. It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of Elohim, in whom he believed—the Elohim who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:13-18
Where law is abolished, anarchy reigns. Is that why so many people reject the Commandments in order to wash their hands like Pilate and say we have nothing to do with them? Is that why Paul wrote these lines? I do not think so. Here, also, the emphasis is on the need to know the law, because from this flows the recognition of sin, which implies the need for and acceptance of the redemptive work of the Messiah. Without law there is no judgment, without judgment there would be no need for mercy! Without the law, the execution of my old man could not happen and I would never fully become a new creation. (See: Death penalty (where LIFE begins)
Those who are descendants of Abraham by the Spirit— the Body of Messiah—must demonstrate the same level of obedience and faith. Abraham was obedient, so he was also righteous. Why was he righteous? Because he observed the laws known until then. Why did he keep them? Not out of constraint, with no expectation of any good in return, but out of gratitude, with joy, because he loved Elohim with all his heart. The Messiah already largely lived in him, even before His coming into the visible world. A great part of the law was already alive in him when Yahuwah had not yet given them to Moses.
4. Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of the Messiah, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for Elohim. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was if it wouldn’t have been through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. Romans 7:1-13
In this passage, it appears clearly that the Law must be kept and known. But from Christ, it is not us anymore, but the Spirit of the Messiah living in us who manages its functioning. Elohim made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of Elohim. 2Corinthians 5:21
Again, we can read from Paul that in order to expose sin, the Law that became flesh, Yahushua became sin, so that Grace could take effect. Does this mean that Elohim declared His Son guilty? Certainly not, but his great grace is shown in this: that He placed upon the only one who has always been innocent all the consequences, the judgment we all deserve according to the Law.
Law/Sin/Judgment/Mercy are all inseparable concepts since the fall of Adam and Eve
5. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. Romans 7:15-21
Paul opposes here two kinds of laws. The laws of Elohim, and the anti-law (the laws of the antichrist), which comes from our carnal desires. Moreover, here Paul is not talking about his actual personal state of mind, but he speaks as an universal human beeing to make people not yet born again or still weak in their faith, to make them understand the porcess of sin in the world.The Law, the Messiah, the Ruach HaKodesh was living and ruling in Paul. He was free from sin and did not struggle with anything from the moment he was born again.
6. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Yahushua HaMashiah, because through Yahushua HaMashiah the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, Elohim did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to Elohim; it does not submit to Elohim’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please Elohim. Romans 8:1-8
Only the law of Elohim can protect us against the law of sin. But because of the flesh, Man is unable to keep them on his own. This is why it is necessary that they be engraved no longer on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, immediately in the hearts of men, so that they can act instinctively according to the law. This is what it means to be born again in the Messiah. Even if I commit a sin, I recognize it immediately without anyone telling me or looking for the exact article in the scriptures, because the Holy Spirit who lives in me immediately points it out to me, He holds me back and judges me so that I realize that I have still something to settle. This is how Sanctification works. Without an inner connection to the Messiah and without being born again, the Law itself leads to self-righteousness and remains vain. However, when I find myself under the reign of the Messiah, the Law comes to life within me and I begin to apply it instinctively and without any difficulty or feeling of constraint. My old man is no longer there to try to stop me, to make me love sin rather than holiness. This is what the following verses are about:
7. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Yahushua HaMashiah our Lord. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Yahushua HaMashiah were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as the Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 5:20-6:4
It is difficult to understand with human thought what happened through the sacrifice of the Lamb. In the Jewish congregation of the time, Paul often used the following formulas: “What shall we say then…” then he continues: “…far from it-by no means…“. From the moment of Messiah’s ascension to the throne, orders come into effect that can be easily misinterpreted even by Jews. “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law, etc.” This often repeated turn also leads to the conclusion that
there is certainly a change, but that there is still no essential change, but rather that something old and imperfect has become perfect and fulfilled.
The law does not save, but the law that became flesh does indeed save. It is difficult even for an initiated person to understand the highest thoughts and works of Elohim, and the enemy takes maximum advantage of this human weakness: “What is the Law for, look, even Paul speaks against it …“. Again Satan takes biblical verses out of context in order to distort the truth based on partial truths.
On the other hand, he cancels in a very sneaky way the order of the laws concerning the purity and the sacrifices of the Temple explaining that even the Jews of today no longer respect them since there is no more Temple, so what do you expected from Christians with these laws?
But let’s just take a little look to these laws and see how they are still valid in the Body of the Messiah.
8. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 2Thessalonians 2:3
Each law, in addition to its physical content, also has a spiritual meaning. The laws concerning sacrifices are just as valid as the others. However, the Lamb of Elohim after having shed his Blood once and for all, our sacrifices are carried out to another level and the animals are replaced by other goods which belong to us. Such is the dedication of our own lives, our families, our work, our own person and all that is ours. It is no longer the goats, lambs or other animals that we sacrifice, because this type of physical sacrifice has been made once and for all by Yahushua. But according to the pattern of this unique sacrifice, what kind of sacrifices are we able to make in spirit so that our visible lives should be in harmony with the Messiah who dwells in us?
Today’s Jews no longer sacrifice animals either! Why ? Because the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed. There is no sacrifice until the third is built. But I remind you that this third Temple has been rebuilt for a long time, and it is none other than the Body of Messiah, which was built in three days. This Temple is no longer made of stone, nor of any visible physical matter, but of Spirit. Therefore, the sacrifice must also take place at the level of the Spirit. These long written laws provide the answer to how everything should work. There is only one High Priest, Yahushua, not according to the order of Aaron, but according to that of Melchizedek, and all of us who are born again in Him are the Levites. So all the laws concerning the Cohens and the Levites are valid concerning Yahushua and us, his disciples.
The ‘do not touch the dead’ type of law, for example, doesn’t mean that I can’t even bury my parents if they die, because I can’t touch the dead, but it does mean that I have to stand away from these spirits and from the people who carry them. Let us not be in communion with them, lest they contaminate us. But let’s be close to them so that we can preach to them the One that can bring them Life. Let us also stay away from dead actions that do not move us forward.
Another question is which laws apply only to the Jewish people and which apply to all people. Here I would like to deal only with the validity of the Laws as a whole and in the context of the Time of Mercy. The rest could possibly be the subject of another lesson.
9. Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from Elohim. Romans 2:25-29
A recurring theme, who is to be considered as Jewish? Is there a spiritual Israel? And why keep our Jewish identity if we believe and are already in the Messiah? There is no difference between Greek and Jew? In short, let us not confuse the standard used in judging everyone, regardless of their origins and gender, with the earthly task and calling that Elohim has given to different peoples and different genders, and which naturally are very different from one another. In short, let us not confuse the standard used in the judgment of each person regardless of their origins with the earthly task and call that Elohim gave to the different peoples and which do indeed differ from each other. But a pagan who has become a member of the People of Elohim, who is reborn in the Messiah, can indeed be a great judgment for the Jew who has strayed from Elohim by the testimony of his life, as to how the relationship with Yahuwah must be lived.
Such a born-again non-Jew will thus be considered more circumcised than a rebellious Jew who is only circumcised under his underpants.
This purely physical form of circumcision is vain in itself.But this does not imply that anyone non-jewish suddently becomes a real and genuine Jew.
No one should deprive the Israelites of the promises, roles and tasks and the identity that Elohim has given us for a long time so that we accomplish it in the visible world. Because some tasks fall to us and no one else is capable of fulfilling them.
10. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Yahushua HaMashiah. Galatians 3:28
In this blind liberal-leftist world in which we live today, where people who dare to assert that there is even a noticeable difference between a man and a woman will soon be thrown into prison, it is more and more difficult for Christians, who are increasingly linked to the World, to make them understand that there is indeed a difference not only between men and women, but also between Jews and Greeks. Elohim loves us equally and no difference in His love and judgment will be made once we are in the Messiah. However, our callings remain different and distinct from each other, although we have to do it together just like a married couple: precisely as a man and a woman should do together. Our callings are completing and reinforcing each other.
And if anyone still misinterprets this sentence of Paul, I invite such a person, if he is a man, to get women’s clothes and a wig, to put them on, to apply rouge to lips, then to go to church next Sunday to attend worship dressed like that. Especially if it is the pastor or other minister. In this case let him also try to imitate a woman’s voice and preach to his disciples in this way. Then, when he returns home after his brothers stared at him in dismay, let him write his impressions and experience in the comments section at the bottom of this page because I would be very curious of how he had lived such an experience. And after that, let him especially go and think about when and how he will again take up and teach anything that comes from the pen of the apostle Paul?
I recommend this particularly to all those people who, out of hatred or even love of the Jews, identify themselves so much with us that they end up declaring themselves Jewish in mind, heart or whatsoever. The apostle Peter warns against the arbitrary use of his companion’s hardly understandable words, as this can have serious consequences. It is better to live such a humiliating experience of transvestite in the middle of the assembly, than to have one day to render an account before Yahuwah for the nonsense that one could have said while referring to Paul.
The Jewish people is not rejected. It continues to serve as an example to other peoples, even if it is not yet in the Messiah.
Before a prophecy happens to anyone, it will first be fulfilled in the visible world on the Jewish people, as a kind of prototype, as the main test, like a mannequin in a window. (The Shoa is an example of this). This is what it means to be a chosen or a prophetic people, chosen and set apart by Elohim for eternity for a different and a special task. This also applies to the messianic age, even when the great part of the people persists in not recognizing the Messiah in Yahushua.
The law of circumcision also applies only to Jews, including those who are in the Messiah, since one must continue to wear the physical and visible sign of the old Covenant while having circumcision of the heart in addition as a sign of Grace, of the same Covenant that had been revived by the Messiah.
However, our circumcision in Messiah can only be like that of Theophilus, so that we can serve our people. The sign of the perfect and final Covenant is through Water and Fire. Our physical circumcision only serves to open the doors to the traditional members of our people so that we can bring the Gospel back to them.
This task is ours alone and is eternal. But if we become unfaithful to Elohim, then a non-Jew circumcised in heart can humiliate a circumcised in flesh by being more righteous than him. At the final count, in our judgment, however, we will enjoy no advantage because of our Jewishness. In fact, we’ll be in a worse situation than the others having always been the eldest compared to them. The more we have been entrusted with, the more we will be held to account. This is why no one should be jealous! In spirit, one can be a descendant of Abraham by faith, like the people of Elohim by the Messiah, but spiritual Israel does not exist.
Israel and Judah, are the first wifes of Elohim and the eldest. They are not to be mixed up with its younger sister: Ephraim which is the next Bride of Elohim. As incredible as it may seem, in the prophecies, when Judah is mentioned, it applies that we are referring to Judah! And the same way, when we hear about Israel, well, it is quite simply question of Israel – all the members of the 10 lost tribes whose gathering is still in progress. In the prophecies, the other nations are referred to by the name: Ephraim. Let’s never mix the three and confuse them, because you will miss the point and be blinded in your prophetic vision.
11. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one Elohim. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed Elohim, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called Elohim’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:17-26
What kind of actions is James talking about here? Where can the works come from? Of our human will, of well-intentioned humanism, of our desire to please the others? When Abraham believed and acted accordingly, did he not obey the word of Elohim and his Commandments which he had known up to that time? (Since Abraham lived before Moses, he could not have known all of the revealed Law, yet there were laws he knew even in his uncircumcised state centuries before Moses.) Works are nothing but the observance of the Law, their acceptance and obedience. How could I act if I don’t know the law? Without the law, there are no possible good actions.
Faith without deeds is dead. That is to say that faith is dead without the law, and grace is meaningless without it!
Anyone who thinks it is possible to act well outside the Will, Word and Law of Elohim is mistaking!
In conclusion, I would like to end this teaching not with the words of Paul, but from our Lord Yahushua HaMashiah himself:
12. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:18-20
As I have written before in another teaching, Paul spoke in many ways, because he was speaking to very different people in terms of state and spiritual maturity. In Yahushua’s days no one had yet been born in the Spirit, for the Ruach HaKodesh had not yet been sent to fill the disciples at least not so widely.
And if we don’t understand Paul, let’s stick to Yahushua’s words. Let us always and mainly base ourselves on what Yahushua says, because Paul is not the messiah. However, through Paul, the Messiah spoke in a way that many do not/cannot/ or even do not want to understand since the are not willing to grow. Above all, Paul must not become a cornerstone over whom many stumble to their own ruin, as the apostle Peter said concerning his colleague who is many times indeed very hard to understand. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
Concerning the “contradictions” of the apostle Paul
When we analyze the apostle Paul’s relationship to the Commandments of Elohim, it is worth starting from the words spoken by another apostle who from the outset drew our attention to the problem of the erroneous interpretation that the people make from the statements of his colleague. Let us therefore read what Peter tells us concerning Paul in his second epistle in chapter 2 verses 15 to 16:
Bear in mind that our Yahuwah’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that Elohim gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 2Peter 3:15-16
Chaos reigns in the Church due to certain statements of Paul that are indeed very difficult to interpret. This is what we will try to remedy with these two following teachings.
If we really want to be honest, everyone may have noticed at least once in their life that Paul seems to be in total contradiction, both with the Old Testament, with Yahushua’s statements, and even with his own.
However, we must agree on one fundamental truth:
There is NO and CANNOT be any contradiction
in those writings which were inspired by the Holy Spirit of Elohim and preserved by the same Spirit during the processes which men commonly call canonization.
From now on, we must no longer run away from what seems difficult to us, even withdraw what is good then to sweep the rest under the carpet. We should rather ask persistently that Ruach HaKodesh enlighten us and give us the answers to these cardinal questions.
Jews and Christians agree on one essential thing concerning the character of Paul. According to both parties:
Paul is the one who “canceled” the Law.
This is considered sacrilege in the eyes of the Jews and an ultimate blessing for the Greeks.
On one side – the Jews – considers it a scandal that someone should claim that the law is no longer an aim to be achieved and that the main task of man is not to keep it. On the other side, the Nations which were originally outlaws when they did not yet know Yahushua HaMashiah, always seek to benefit only from the positive sides of the Alliances and neglect what seems to them to be difficult or unpleasant.
Paul stood between these two extremist and erroneous perceptions of what our relationship with Elohim should be. It is in this state of spiritual middle ground that we should all be like Paul. He warned that we refrain from following the spirit of the Pharisees who bet everything on the Law and the works that flow from it, so as not to trample the sacrifice of the Lamb of Elohim.
At the time when most of the first disciples were newly converted Jews straight out of traditional Judaism, the detachment and purification from Babylonian Judaism had not yet been fully accomplished. It was not yet entirely clear to them what the difference was between the laws added by the “Babylonian wises” and those disclosed to Moses by Yahuwah himself.
But the problem is far from being that simple. Because the original Commandments can also be approached in two different manners. The original Law can be interpreted Pharisaically and not spiritually. When we obey the Father’s Word in order to obtain retribution and avoid punishment, we do so only out of self-love. But we can also obey our Father’s will out of love for Him without expecting any reward from Him, but just “to please Him”. It is this form of obedience that comes from pure and unconditional love that is the right path. It is when his perfect Son lives in our hearts and directs us from within which is the sign that the Commandments have been engraved and fulfilled within us.
The first attitude is self-righteous, that is to say formal, on the basis of mutual concessions, as in a contract between two business partners. Not by faith and heart, but by reason, not by love of Yahuwah, but by fear of him, as we can mainly see it today in religions like Islam where believers are scared to death of their god who they are serving as slaves rather than sons.
We are all to be sons of Elohim through the Ruach HaKodesh, when the Spirit of the Son Yahushua fills up our hearts to rule from within.
Thus the Messiah applies the Law in us, without we having to make the effort to respect it. It simply starts to work by itself inside of us, as if by instinct.
Paul therefore attacks both false Judaism, which is fundamentally human, but he also goes against this kind fulfillment of the original Law which is based on the effort of man wanting to perfect himself. This human effort is futile and harmful. Both condition lead to death.
Why does Paul contradict Yahushua? “We are no longer under the law” vs. “Not a iota will pass from the law…”?
Let’s start from a fundamental principle that we must apply in all circumstances:
If there is a contradiction between the words of Yeshua and those of any other character in the Bible, the standard is ALWAYS what Yahushua says.
If we don’t understand, let’s not cling to what is most sympathetic to us or what theologians have put in our heads over the centuries. Until we are wise and spiritually mature enough to understand Paul’s words which are indeed often very difficult to understand, we must hold very firmly and exclusively to the word of Yahushua and act accordingly, for no evil can result from this.
Then, when we reach the level of maturity and sufficient obedience, we realize that ultimately
Paul never contradicted Yahushua
The big difference between them was that unlike Yahushua’s message, Paul’s message was primarily aimed to people who were already born again and were of very different spiritualages and states. Yahushua was in a “simpler” situation one might say, since everyone was on the same spiritual level and no one had yet been born again and received the Holy Spirit.
Law begets death
The law is a dangerous weapon like a knife. With it you can kill, mutilate and injure if it is considered as a simple letter, but it can also be used to feed, to cut tumors and gangrene, even to defend oneself, in a word to maintain and preserve Life, if it is lived in the Spirit.
The letter kills and the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6
And if you do not learn from the Father how to use it, you will harm yourself and others. And if you reject it out of fear or cowardness, the law itself is ultimately going to judge you.
The Law/Commandments is the Word, and the Word became flesh. He who does not die as an old man and does not rise again as a new creation in Yeshua, in the Word, in the Living Law, will be overtaken by the judgment of Yahushua at his return.
The question of the weak
The root of the all that seems contradictory in what Paul says, is the concept of weakness. He puts all laws and commandments of Elohim to the background for the weak, for those who are still children in spirit so that we do not burden them with things that do not yet concern them. The subjects which concern the elder ones must not be treated in the ears of the youngests so that no false custom, dogma and other tradition comes to veil the heart of the children. If they would forced themselves to do things instead of letting the Messiah shape them from within, it would only lead them away from the Spirit of the Messiah.
Because the law of LIFE and LOVE prevails over all others.
If a law has been re-established in us and which is not yet in our neighbour, let us avoid teaching them to obey it, because instead of leading them forward on the path of sanctification, we would put them again under the curse of the law again. Thus their relation to the law would be reduce to the letter, to formalities, to self-righteousness, in a word, to religiosity. We would make them Pharisees again and not disciples capable of discerning by themselves through the Spirit of what they should think and act in a given situation and a given moment in their journey. They would end up obeying the decrees in the hope of obtaining more rewards and blessings and would miss the conduct of the Ruach HaKodesh who in turn would end up momentarily withdrawing from them for lack of submission to Him.
The commandments have been fulfilled in me when I no longer obey them by constraint, but rather instinctively, without thinking about it and even by deeply desiring to fulfill them and not even being able to imagine doing otherwise.
It is good to be able to resist temptation. But if the problem is not solved at the level of the spirit and we obey the will of Elohim only at the cost of internal struggles, sooner or later big problems will arise in our spiritual life. What I still have to resist when I am already born again is a sin from which I am not free yet. It is therefore necessary to get rid of it, to clean it so that the power of the Messiah does not stop progressing in me. This mechanism is nothing more than the
PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION
Sin is the root of all disorder and all hindrances. Only the law can expose sin. And Yahushua can free us from sin by applying the Commandments. Because He is High Priest who executes judgment against sin in our hearts – on the level of our minds and spirit.
We are the Temples of His Spirit and He ministers in us as the High Priest according to the order of Melkishedek and according to all the Commandments concerning the High Priests which have long since been disclosed in the Torah. Instead of calves, heifers, goats and other animals, he burns our remaining sins through the execution of the Law at the spiritual level.
This process can manifest itself at the level of our relations with our environment in the visible world: relations die, others revive or arise; links are broken, others strengthened; hostile people suddenly change their attitude towards us; our living conditions stabilize or even improve; etc. But I am thinking here above all of the internal problems of our person which, like obstacles, prevent us from moving forward.
At the root of all sin is the breaking of a law. In the long run this involves death if we do not detach ourselves from sin, but can also beget life if the Spirit of Messiah frees us from it. It is by letting Yahushua apply the sentence against sin that is in me that he frees me from it at the same time. So it is He, Yahushua, who takes the place of sin in my heart so that His Law will henceforth be applied in and through me. I will thus obey the order given, because it is living inside of me and acts by itself, without effort, like breath that gives life.
As we have discussed in several other writings, the Law, as we read in the 10 Words, or Commandments, are promises, they were not written in the imperative mode in the original Hebrew, but in the future tense: ( if He lives in us and we live in Him), then we will not steal, kill, cheat, fornicate…, because we will no longer want to. This is when we start to understand what Yeshua said that even thinking about sin is sin in itself and that is the level where He wants to free us from it.
The weak need milk. He needs to experience and see Grace, to hear the Gospel, to experience deliverance, healing, so that his faith is strengthened. Then he will gradually begin to hunger for more and more solid food. In addition to the 5 fundamental laws that Paul lists for us in Acts 15:29 (drinking of blood, drowning animals, fornication, etc.) that everyone must apply from the start, sooner or later
you must have the curiosity to learn what the Word contains including the commandments found in the 5 books of Moses.
If we want to know the essence of the Messiah more and more in depth, then we must let this process begin.
And while masses of teachers preach the denial of the law, still greater masses of believers are deprived of this curiosity and the ability to go in search of solid food by themselves, not through teachers, but independently, as spiritual adults, through the direct guidance and teaching of the Ruach HaKodesh. When, according to the promise, we no longer teach one another (Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrew 8:11).
We all have to reach this level of spiritual maturity thus letting the Ruach HaKodesh fulfilling this promise in us and stop teaching our own sipirtual children when they also become adults like us. Just as in the case of a physical family. We are not the same parents for our adult children than we were when they were children. Once they grow up, we must at best standing before them as witnesses and examples.
Let us therefore not forbid anyone to eat rabbit or pig, to celebrate Sunday and Christmas, or to give foreign names to the Eternal, as long as these people do it with a pure heart and that they are still immature in spirit, for we would offend them. Because if they would listened to us and returned to the originals, to what is holy, but it is not Ruach HaKodesh who restores these questions in their hearts and at the appropriate time, but me and at the level of their intellect, then I would have worked in vain.
Because it is possible to be saved even by drowning in pork, if the Savior catches us in time and we say yes to him. No one should try to force or accuse anyone who, out of purity of heart, does not yet comply with a decree that has already become important and natural for us.
But if you are no longer part of the weaks, because you are already an adult or at least mature enough to move on to more serious things, then stop playing the child and pretending not to be concerned with all the Word of Elohim. Because if you keep shying away and refusing to know and obey the law, you’ll end up in big trouble.
From a certain age, we can also be beaten with sticks if we continue our childishness.
In our ministry, we are not to play little christs judging the weak, but to present the merciful Yahushua to them. Because the time for the return of the Messiah who judges has not yet arrived. The time of Grace is still going on, but although the Law remains eternal and valid. Anyone who preaches otherwise is preaching a foreign gospel. The fact is that the Law is applied by Ruach HaKodesh in the life of each individual, according to their spiritual age.
Returning to Torah is an act of suicide in itself. But not coming back to it is just as suicidal. Returning to the Old Testament by bypassing Shavuot/Pentecost leads to death. We have to understand that the Torah must be engraved in us in the mind and the heart through Ruach HaKodesh, and then we begin to realize with our consciousness how does works in practice, everything that had been written down in the Torah long ago.
We mustn’t teach the crude law to our younger brothers but rather show them the way to walk with the Ruach HaKodesh who can fix the living Commandments in their hearts.
Then when we are convinced that they are also being led by Ruach HaKodesh direclty from within, we can begin to witness how He has restored the Commandments within ourselves.
Along the Reformation process, several churches were founded as a result of recognizing Yahuwah’s original Holy day in the Sabbath as described in the Ten Commandments:
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Exodus 20:8
Indeed, we do not read anything like : “dear son, please take appart a day of your choice to worship Me…” but instead we can see that the Sabbath has been specifically chosen by Elohim for us to be a meeting point, a sign of our Covenant.
Yahushua himself did no different. However, he committed a kind of “civil” or rather “scribal disobedience” on certain Shabbats by healing the sick and delivering prisoners from their sins. This indeed scandalized the religious leaders of the time, since they forgot that
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath
Therefore, the blessing of Sabbat became a curse to them, as they endorsed a terrible psychological yoke by constantly having to be careful not to violate the law of the Sabbath.
Because the law of Life and Love is ahead of all other decrees
Later, Yahushua also declares that
The Son of Man is (also) Lord of the Sabbath.
Luke 6:5
That means that whoever is in the Messiah, he is above the Sabbath himself together with the Messiah.
But it does not follow that he has the right to exchange the days
Because in this case he becomes a prisoner of another day by the mere act of designating it. After all, Yahushua did not die on the cross to usher in a new day, but to fulfill the existing one!
And being above the law does not give us the right to break the law, but it stands under our feet as one of the foundations so that our own temple, the temple of Ruach HaKodesh, does not shake and stands on solid ground, on the foundations of the law and the prophets, on which the Church itself was built.
Paul himself did never stated anything else even when he was asking the elders not to burden the newly born again brethren with questions of days and dates, since they are still children and they may consider another day to be the holy one according to the purity of their hearts.
As long as it is done out of ignorance and with a pure heart, it is a sweet-smelling sacrifice in the eyes of Elohim. Let them do it as long as their worship is spotless. However, Paul does not add it, but it is clear that sooner or later, as a consequence of the process of sanctification and getting mature in spirit, Ruach HaKodesh is going to restore the original order in them as well. It is none of our business to know how long Elohim grants them his patience and when time will come for each one of them.
The original Will of Yahuwah, however, is to sanctify/separate the Sabbat which is Saturday.
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in the Messiah.
Colossians 2:16-17
As for the original Saturday as a shadow, let anyone refrain from creating another shadow instead of the former and original one. Moreover, in order to create a series of similar, alternative religious ceremonies: “Then we come together, in this particular place, this is allowed, this is not, we will sing this, for this amount of time, we must read this portion of the Scriptures, pray this and that, in that way, put your tithe in such a box and our offerings in such a basket… and most of all: This one is going to preach because he/she has the required knowledge according to our established theological requirements, like the scribes in the times of Yeshua, etc. Those places where they are training religious robots instead of making disciples by rebirth and leave them be led directly by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Tabernacle in the wilderness, which is our model, is mobile, flexible, going here and there under the guidance of Ruach. So the Law/the Commandments and the one of Shabbat within it, is equally mobile, flexible and has to work as a blessing and means of giving and strengthening life according to the place and the situation.
Saturday as a shadow vs. Saturday as the reality of the Messiah
For us, as Levites in the Heavenly Sanctuary, every day is a Sabbath and a Holy Day
As with all the other Feasts of Yahuwah, being Levite priests living and serving in the Messiah, we are experiencing all the Feasts and Sabbaths in a permanent way in the presence of Yahushua. For us and in spirit, every day is Saturday, Yom Kippur, Pessach and all the other holidays. What matters for us is no more the calendar, the times and the hours, but the continuity and the fulfillment of the Holy Moments in our hearts. See more about this: The Feasts of Yahuwah in Yahushua.
In the temporal dimension, the great events of Salvation History were all fulfilled on biblical holidays, so after Shavuot (Pentecost) the next big event waiting to be fulfilled will be Yom HaTrua (Day of Trumpets). So the holidays also have several dimensions, see the other article. But here, we are only going to analyze the holidays on a personal level rather than historic or universal).
However,
those who do not belong to the Messiah are still under the law,
and these laws apply to them according to their original order.Because unlike circumcision, the Sabbath is mentioned on the two stone tablets which means that it is part of the 10 Commandments. Thus it also applies to the entire Church and the people of Elohim, those born again in the Messiah. As we read several times with the Passover sacrifice, you should have one law for the sojourner and the stranger, etc. But as born again disciples the law is no more according to the mere letter but living and acting in us through the fire of the Holy Spirit. That’s the main point I strive to make you understand through practically all my teachings.
For Shabbat is a sign between the children of Israel and Elohim. This sign should also be respected and proclaimed as an eternal law by those who are not part of the children of Israel, who are already exempt from the strict observance of this sign, but by having become sons of Elohim through the Blood of the Lamb, they should know the essence of this eternal Sabbath, and as an even greater sign it should be visible on them, every single day of the week. (e.g. when you get aware that people notice how stable you are, how optimistic you are, even in situations when they are in panic. When everyone is afraid of something they can see that you literally walk on water and are not affected by the spiritual traumas that afflict secular people or even your religious peers. This is a type of constant Shabbat experienced internally).
And those who are not aliens, have not yet joined the people of Elohim through the Blood of the Lamb, they must also know these laws. After a week of work, it is natural that on the appointed days they will go towards us, the Levites, if they are looking for Elohim. For us, calendar holidays, times and hours are important and should be observed at this level, because we must know that our service to the outside world becomes particularly intense at these moments.
At such times, hearts are more opened, everyday running and rush stops and openness to the Word of Elohim increases. Because whether you like it or not, Saturday has a strong spiritual and world-wide influence on all the created creatures and they do feel it somewhere deep in their minds and hearts.
On these days, we have to be on the lookout and in this way we have the responsibility of inviting the outsiders to the respect of these appointed days according to the calendar. Moreover, even the fake holidays can also be used, in a wise manner instead of immediately destroying them in the eyes of those who still respect them. Since for them, these false days (sunday, Christmas, etc.) are holidays when their hearts are more open than usual the same way so that they can eventually better receive the Gospel.
What’s wrong with Sunday
Let us emphasize that Sunday, the first day of the week, Yom Echad, is a very special day and is almost as important as Saturday. Why? Because on this day the Almighty began his work of creation. On this day, Elohim brought the Light, that means Himself as the Messiah, into the already fallen world languishing in chaos and darkness (Tohu VeBehu). Presumably, it was on the first day of a certain week (Sunday), that the same Light of the World was born into the visible world in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth. Also at dawn on Sunday, at the moment when the Sabbath changed to the next day, our Lord Yahushua HaMashiah rose from the dead and it was mainly later that day that the reality of the resurrection was perceived by the external witnesses. In short, without the day of creation, without the first day of the week, neither Saturday nor any other day of the week could exist. Both the creation and the new creation and even the gift of Ruach HaKodesh to the first disciples at Shavuot (Pentecost) began on this precise day which is the symbol of every new beginning. None of these events could have happened on any other day!
Despite all of these, neither Yahuwah nor the Messiah nor the Holy Spirit ever revealed to anyone that we should switch from Saturday to Sunday.
Why do many still consider Sunday more important then?
Because the disciples gathered on the first day of the week, as we read in the Book of Acts?
Yes, as they gathered on all the other days of the week as well. Furthermore, we read that they appeared among their traditional Jewish brothers in the synagogueson Saturdays.
Or because we also read that Paul collected the donations on the first day of the week?
Well, fom a Jewish perspective, this is exactly the proof, that sundays were not considered as holy by the first disciples, since we do never deal with money or any other material things on a holy day. The collection of donations is the symbol of the beginning of the work. Capital is collected so that it can be distributed, so that it can be used for service, for ministry that is to say for work.
In my own native language for ex., which is Hungarian – although you might have noticed that my accent seems quite frenchy for a Hungarian guy, but let’s not get into my difficult past so we avoid complicating things even more – but in Hungarian Sunday is Vasárnap which is a derivation of two words: Vásár meaning market or marketplace and Nap that means day and sun. So here we can also figure out that the first day of the week is far from being sanctified but rather the day of the market, when we buy the food we need for the following week so that we can start our new journey equipped with all the energy we need.
After his resurrection, our Lord appeared to the disciples, symbolically on Sunday, because a new beginning was opened before us, and not to designate another day to be observed above the others according to a new Pharisaic order. This is what the traditional Jews do with the Sabbath to this day. They are perceiving the law of Shabbat from bellow being themselves still under the law. So they are constantly suffering in order to respect all the regulations (mainly since they have added all the Babylonian extra judaic stuff to it, but this is not the subject of this article).
The law remains the law, Yahushua himself did not change a single iota, that is, he did not even touch the smallest letter, so even less did he replace a whole word such as Shabbat to transcribe it into Yom Echad! But by entering into His body, we entered an eternal Sabbath-rest, where we live the holiness of this day in all moments and for ever. The traditional Christians made a “restless” Sunday out of the traditional Jewish “restless” Sabbath, that is, by declaring that a particular day is chosen above the others, and moreover, their choice did not fall on the original one. Moreover, they are doing all of this on the basis of what Paul declared that we should no longer worry about the designated calendar times and days. This phenomenon is nothing more than the preservation of Pharisaism mixed with the distortion of the law. Double mistake! …the secret power of lawlessness is already at work… 2Thessalonians 2:7
The Blood of the Lamb freed us from keeping the Sabbath according to the letter and time, so that we could live in continuous Sabbath and not to choose another day to continue celebrating the new one in the old, stone-engraved, pharisaical way.
Just like in the case of Yeshua’s birth, Elohim did never ask anyone to celebrate his resurrection or the sending of His Spirit on any particular day of the week in replacement of the Sabbath.
Are Sunday-keepers wrong?
Yes, of course! Why?
Because they do not understand and recognize what had just been explained above. But most of all
in most cases, their Sundays are just the remaining wild shoots of an unweeded catholic root.
And that’s basically the biggest problem of all! It is not a matter of some believers coming together on this day. But then, why did other groups and churches not choose Wednesday, Thursday or any other day? Not for youth-gatherings or other special occasions, but for their worships? If the day is not so important, then why this exclusivity around Sunday?
They do not even recognize that still not having reconsidered the question of the weekly resting day since the beginning of the reformation, they are still perpetuating the constantinian rebellion, which intended to “de-Judaize” the newly adopted state religion together with changing the times, dates and the Names.
The proof of what the cult of Sunday is really about and what its roots are can be found in the English and German languages themselves: Sunday – Zontag
The Latins having had enough intelligence, or rather cunning – since they were the initiators of the terrorist attack of Constantine the “great” – to create a new name for the first day of the week which is derived from the word Lord: Domenica/Domingo/Dimanche).
The roman empire of the time had to preserve many pagan traditions, gods and feasts so that the the pagan masses living among them would not rebel against the new order. It’s all about politics. This is how the holy day of the Sun God (Sunday – Zontag) had taken over Elohim’s original Sabbath. The same occurred in the case of Christmas, Easter and all the feasts of all kinds of saints.
Thus, it is important for us, disciples of a certain spiritual age in the Messiah, to remember that obedience does not consist in making Elohim accept a distortion of human or even demonic origin so as not to upset the spirits and keep the herd together, but on the contrary
it is up to Man to comply with the rules established by Yahuwah. Those Rules that became flesh in the Messiah and that are fulfilled in us by the Holy Spirit.
But again, no longer by letters from tablets of stone or texts printed in books, but by the engraving of the tongues of fire in our hearts, when we feel inside that the mere thought of accepting the Sabbath as a separate day brings peace in us and this without feeling obliged to crawl on the ground as a sign of submission or to bind my hands and feet in order to ensure total respect for the commandments. On the contrary, we feel and experience this kind of freedom when we know that we can and must also heal people like Yeshua did, or even get into a car and drive a few kilometers in order to pull a donkey out of the well, because that is the moment he needs it.
We can experience this feeling of freedom any day of the week.
If I am obedient to the laws that Ruach HaKodesh has placed on my heart and expects from me in accordance with my maturity, in accordance with my spiritual age, I do not have to think about what I should or should not do on this day – just like on the others. The law lives within me, and if I am obedient to it, whatever I may do, I will not break it, for I will not have the desire or thought of doing what is unholy.
From now on, no one should want to transfer anyone from the slavery of the original Saturday to the slavery of a false Sunday, because such a person would have understood nothing of the leading of the Holy Spirit and what it is all about to be a born-again or being an adult in the spirit. Don’t lie to yourself with theological ramblings and especially don’t defile the Holy events that happened on the first day of the week by imposing your new and counterfeit Pharisaism on yourself, on other people or even on the whole world.
Some thoughts about Shabbat-keeping churches
One shouldn’t think that returning to the Sabbath makes you an extra-Christian or ensures your Salvation in itself. Unfortunately, it is very sad that the majority of the Saturday-keeping churches do simply restore this Commandment in such a Pharisaic level of mind that the lack of spiritual content not only renders their efforts and reforms futile, but also makes them even greater enemies of the restoration of the true Sabbath than the Roman Church itself and the other supposedly reformed little Vaticans with all their false Sundays and feasts.
Very often, the sunday-keepers are literally condemning and it is made a question of salvation if someone insists on keeping Sunday, even by ignorance. I emphasize that ignorantly. In my opinion, having been enlightened and still rebelling against it can indeed lead to the loss of salvation (like any other conscious rebellion). But the majority of believers are merely misled and in the absence of spiritual vision – as their rebirth is either hindered or at least overshadowed by some kind of pastor or other person called a teacher – the misled does not even realize that he is acting against the will of Elohim. Condemning the ignorant is a more serious version of the crime of condemnation itself.
Meanwhile, instead of being filled with the Holy Spirit, these communities idolize their own church founders together with their own theologies, and the lack of the leading of the Holy Spirit has in some cases led them all the way back to openly Christless rabbinical Judaism. This is what happened in Transylvania in the last century, where some believers were finally executed in gas chambers along with the genuine Jewish people.
In several cases, however, their path does not lead to Judaism, but to a state of marginal sectarianism similar to Judaism, where the rank of the Messiah Yahushua is questioned and degraded, and he who is the Creator is belittled to the rank of simple creature. Furthermore, they fall into a certain type of replacement theology by starting many times to deny the Judaity of today’s Jews, that is, open anti-Semitism. The promotion of Khazarian theories, etc., which theory may be true anyway, but in this case the outcome of the matter will surprise many, as it would not mean at all that we, Ashkenazi Jews, are not the descendants of Jacob, even if we have actually made a little tour of a few hundred years in an area called Khazaria. But I explain this in more detail in my writings on The Gathering of the Tribes of Israel of Anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity.
So it is a basic phenomenon of today’s Sabbatist trends that they quickly move in the direction of Judaism, where the emphasis is on the appliance of the law to the letter, while the Messiah is lowered, and the Ruach HaKodesh can only be imagined in theory.
It also develops into a kind of Unitarianism when they begin to deny the reality of Elohim’s threefold appearance.
The falsity of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which seeks to multiply the person of the One Elohim, unfortunately leads many to the denial of the Triple Holiness of Elohim: the three main roles and forms of appearance as the Father, the Son and Ruach HaKodesh. Sooner or later, a very large number of Sabbatarian start to question the divinity of the Messiah. This is when they declare that Yeshua is a creature or even identify him with the archangel Michael. (More about this in my article/video Holy Trinity or Triple Holiness?). And concerning Michael, briefly: he also certainly appeared in human form and all signs point to the fact that he was none other than Moses himself – the other archangel Gabriel being presumably Eliyahu and John (the baptist), but you can learn more about this from my writings TERUMAH and B-Reshit / B-Beginning / B-Plan.
The point is that here, as in so many other cases, one false extreme drives those who realize that there is something wrong with the previous explanations or theories to another equally false extreme.
I mention these cases so that we can see that although it is very good and necessary to return to Jewish roots, a part of which is Shabbat, but
if all this is not done in the Messiah, through the guidance of Ruach HaKodesh and our rebirth,
then we go back under the law according to the letter, which sooner or later is going to kill us. In that case, I dare say, that it would have been better for such a person not even having come out of Egypt or Rome with all their false Sundays.
Both camps have serious issues to settle. The Saturday camp’s distorted testimony about Saturday is responsible for the fact that so many people still go on with their Sundays. However, the majority of people born again and filled with Ruach HaKodesh still refuse to settle this issue and give up their Sundays. Even among religious, non-born again and non-spiritually filled believers, many try harder to observe the laws that the Holy Spirit would like to operate in you too, if you would finally let him do his job! In the first camp, they gradually sink into their pharisaism, and in the second, sooner or later they end up grieving the Holy Spirit.
True and effective Reformation
We have to accept one fundamental truth
any reform can only come through the Holy Spirit.
Only things that have been burned into your heart are to be considered as real Reforms and not those good intellectual and theological ideas that can pop out of your mind or because you read it in the Bible ?
The question is whether we have the Holy Spirit or not?
If we do, did the Holy Spirit already express His will about this matter or any other matter in our personal life?
If so, do we obey Him?
If not, then let’s make the right decision and not rebel any longer.
If you don’t have the Holy Spirit yet, let’s ask Yahushua for the recognition of your sins, so that you can repent, get baptized with water and then with Fire. Otherwise you’ll go on wallowing in lukewarm and empty religiosity.
You can keep Saturdays this way, even study the Scriptures dressed in white kippahs and clothes, discovering many truths, but you are unable to live the Truth, because it never gets from your head into your heart. But if you already have the baptism of fire, then urgently give up all your infantile rebellion and finally grow up, because you are in great danger!
Once again, my own testimony: the discovery that Yahuwah is His name was not made by researching in the scriptures, but was revealed by Ruach HaKodesh through my own mouth, after I asked Elohim to reveal to me the way He would like me call Him in the future. Others come to this conclusion after long and convulsive studies of the Scriptures. In many cases, with the help of all kinds of non-biblical writings, such as apocryphal books. What’s the difference between the two? In the first case, the Living Messiah declares out loud, in tongues, what his will is. But in the other case Truth is discovered using scribe (and Pharisee) methods and arises from the dry letters which never become life in them.
First, we should always go to the Messiah and ask him personally what his will is, even by confirming the written Word. But first we should surrender our lives to Him. He also reminds us from within of what stands in the Writings. You often receive a word in your heart in this way, which you might only read later and realize that it had already been written in the Bible a long time ago. Many times, the Word confirms what you have already received in your heart.
So let us choose the Wholeness offered by the Messiah, since it is free and its reward is Eternal Life.
From there it is up to us how much we empower the Holy Spirit to do His sanctifying work in us according to His own will and schedule. Let’s not blame Satan and foreign spirits if we get stuck in a certain spiritual level, since we are the only ones responsible if we empower these to stop us.
Behind Sunday-keeping, the same demonic powers are hiding as behind superficial Saturdays lived in the traditional way.
These are the kinds of Saturdays that Yahuwah hates, and even more so in the case of Sundays
Will it be a watershed issue of the end times?
The Antichrist – not after his appearance, since he is already in the world and we can know who he is very precisely – but when he enters the scene and takes power over the world, will, among other things change the times. This had already been greatly fulfilled by the Roman Church and its leader, one of the main foreshadows of the antichrist, Constantine the “great”, precisely and among other things in the conversion from Shabbat to Sunday a few centuries ago. However, some Christians think this prophecy is going to be fulfilled in the last times by forcing the worship of Sunday, while others, from the other camp, actually think the opposite and that the Antichrist will impose everyone to come back to the Sabbath. Whether he will choose between the two at all, I cannot predict. As I mentioned, the antichrist spirit will have already made this modification two thousand years ago. If, however, and as a confirmation, the Antichrist were to make a particular day mandatory, it would not be the mark of the beast in itself, but at most a part of it. (so that our Adventist friends understand the matter). But here as well, the question will not be whether his choice will fall on Saturday or Sunday, but the problem will be to turn everything to the level of formality and superficiality, beyond the fact that he will exalt and set himself up in Elohim’s temple, proclaiming himself to be Elohim instead of Yahuwah, and the Messiah, instead of Yahushua.
But let’s not fool ourselves. It is not primarily the Antichrist that we need to fear.
Persecution will not mostly come from outside, but from those whom we may still consider our brothers today.
Those who, instead of the model of the original Church, follow and offer other alternatives. Those who either see their salvation in the Law, or by denying them while claiming to have Ruach HaKodesh, are simply trampling on the very order that is the essence of the Holy Spirit, and who thus essentially are blaspheming Him. These phenomena must be feared, because they kill on a spiritual level and from within.
Let us be brave enough to keep on with the work of Ruach HaKodesh, even if we cause division in our communities, even if the two camps just mentioned, the two extremes will curse you. Pharisees will accuse you of being libertine and the lawless ones will accuse you to be legalistic. This is natural and be happy as long as you hear these from both sides, because this is a sign that you are on the right track.
Anyway,
reformation must continue until we return to the model of the first and true Church described in the book of the Acts of the Apostles.
We do not carry out this reformation by ourselves, we are only its instruments. Above all, no one should declare that he brought the last reformation to the world, no matter how great his ministry really is and being and example to be followed, because the last one will only be carried out by the Messiah himself when he returns. From our side, we have to constantly work on the following question, we must always seek to fulfill the Next Reformation at our human level. We should be more careful when choosing the names of our ministries, since the spoken word has its weight in the spiritual realm and we can easily mislead ourselves by thinking that after what already happened, no further change or restoration is left to be carried out. We can curse ourselves and prevent the sanctification process to go on. This is not a game. We simply have to let Ruach HaKodesh do this work, primarily within ourselves. The only thing that Elohim expects from us is to accept it in obedience, when He prompts us to change from within and to courageously take every steps when He tells us that the time has come.
The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When Yahuwah your Elohim delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder Yahuwah your Elohim gives you from your enemies. Deuteronomy 20:10-14
Once again a law which scandalizes many people even among the elected, the christians. And most of them see in it the manifestation of what they are commonly calling the “cruel and vengeful God of the Old Testament.”
Today, for those of us who are under Grace in Christ, these words are really not about attacking and killing our enemies, not even by self-defense
However, fights are still going on today more than ever, but not against flesh and blood anymore
For us believers, spiritual battles are ongoing against external and internal attacks. Most often, the heavenly ones fight for us, our Lord and his angelic armies are protecting us, but there are situations where we must consciously confess the promises of Yahuwah and command foreign spirits to leave in the name of Yahushua since they have no right over us anymore.
Against these foreign powers, there is no mercy, no humanism, we must beat and destroy them with no mercy. Victory, however, always brings the spoil of war: primarily the blessing of freedom, but also many other blessings.
And in the case when we face these alien spirits through people, then the situation is different and the strategy changes.
We see that this law of the Messiah commands us to offer peace – Shalom first!
It is necessary to separate the person carrying sin and waiting for salvation from the sin itself.
When we are talking to someone, bringing him the Gospel. If the sinner, in his uncircumcision, listens to the basic rules that every man received in his heart when he was conceived, then there is a chance that he will recognize the sin and get rid of it by accepting our help and ministry our Shalom. And if you lead him to the Messiah, that’s a main victory that will have countless fruits also in your own life. As soldiers of Yahushua, we must help our Master killing the old men of our neighbours so that they become New Creations in the Messiah. However, in this case, the newly born brethren will no longer be your servant, as we read in the commandment above, but as you and me, he/she is also going to be the servant of the Messiah. But as we can read it, you are also going to enjoy the plunder coming from this victory. You’ll enjoy all the fruits of a victorious ministry by being blessed with new brothers and sisters in the Messiah who may become your companions in the ministry.
That’s how you are going to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
And if he doesn’t listen, shall we kill him? Of course not. Not the way we think. Here again, the judgment is entirely in the hands of the Messiah. If the person resists you, he rebels against Yahushua. And if the person consciously surrenders to the foreign spirits that keeps him captive and forces him to sin, sooner or later the judgment of the Messiah will catch up with that person and can lead him to everlasting death.
Yahushua also repeats this command when he sends his disciples out in Luke 9 and 10:
He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”Luke 9:3-5
We must adhere to this last commandment, we do not kill anyone physically, we only shake the dust off our feet. If they reject the peace we offer them, they declare themselves enemies of our Lord. At this moment we have to hand them over to the Supreme Court with this sign of cleaning the dust from our feet. Then, if they keep at resisting to the end, the Messiah himself will execute the judgment upon them according to the previous and original Commandment quoted above.
In conclusion, the original Old Testament commandment is in effect. But it’s not us and not now, but it is the Messiah who is the only Judge. But still being in the period of Grace, He himself is offering everyone the execution of our old men at the level of our spirits so that we may receive Eternal Life. But as soon as the Messiah returns, these death penalty laws will also be fulfilled at the physical level according to the original judgment required by the Old Testament in the case of all those who did not live and accept this Grace and thus will die twice and for ever.
Again, a Commandment, which had been raised to perfection by our Redeemer: when combined with Grace, it was fulfilled at the level of the Spirit.
Love Yahuwah your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself
These two commandments contain all the others. This means that the 10 Commandments, 5+5, are the explanation and development of these two Great Commandments explaining in more detail: HOW to love Yahuwah and our Neighbor.
And all the other commandments written in the Torah (Deuteronomy) are the extension and the more detailed explanations of these 2 and the 10 from which they result. Each development helps us to better foresee and react in specific cases.
If Yahushua is the Word who became flesh (John 1:14), and if Yahushuais Love himself, how can anyone say that the law is no longer valid today?
Nor did Paul make such a statement, although his words may often seem to contradict this (we are not under law, etc). But in what context did he utter this sentence and who is able to understand this in spirit?
The Spirit of the Messiah keeps the Law. If He is living in us, then the law can no longer judge us, and so we are truly not under it.
According to what other rules could the Holy Spirit guide us from within, if not exclusively through the Commandments of Love, which is the sum of all the other commandments of the Torah?
Yahushua took from the hands of men the right to execute the judgment resulting from the Law. He took back that right for Himself. Therefore, even the laws associated with death are valid today. But Yahushua alone has the right to put anyone to death. And since the time of Grace is still in effect, its judgment mainly applies at the level of the spirit for now, when our old man is executed so that we can become new creations.
“We’re not under the law” / “Not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law”?
Let’s start from a fundamental principle that we must apply in all circumstances:
If there is a contradiction between the words of Yahushuaand those of any other character in the Bible, the standard is ALWAYS what Yahushuasays.
If we don’t understand, let’s not cling to what’s most likable to us or what theologians have put in our heads for centuries. Until we are wise and spiritually mature enough to understand Paul’s words, which are indeed often very difficult to understand, we must hold very firmly and exclusively to the word of Yahushuaand act accordingly.
Then, when we reach the level of maturity and sufficient obedience, we realize that finally
Paul has never contradicted Yahushua
The big difference between them was that unlike Yahushua‘s message, Paul’s message was directed primarily to people who were already born again, and who were of very different spiritual ages andstates. I might say that Yahushua was “in an easier situation” than Paul was, since everyone was on the same spiritual level and no one had yet been born again and received the Holy Spirit. Yahushuawas able to deliver a homogeneous message that applied to everyone.
Therefore, Paul’s messages speak differently to people depending on their level of spiritual maturity and their seniority as disciples. We don’t speak the same way to a 3- and a 13-year-old child, and we don’t have the same demands of them. Less is asked of the little ones, and more rules apply in the case of the elders.
Paul wrote his letters according to a kind of differentiated teaching method, As when a teacher teaches students of different ages and levels in the same classroom and in parallel. Anyone who is a teacher, and has ever had the opportunity to work like this knows what I am talking about. Everyone hears everything that is said, but not everything is aimed at everyone, at least not yet or no longer. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify what the student should and should not, no more or not yet pay attention to, so as not to fall into confusion.
Furthermore, the systematic misrepresentation of Paul’s words, as in the case of many other passages in the Bible, is due to the fact that
believers often tend to take verses out of context in order to give them meanings that have nothing to do with their original senses
Did Yahushuaat least soften the Law?
The Law is not only valid, but it is more effective than ever.
Yahushuadid not abolish the Law, but on the contrary raised it to a higher spiritual level
In Old Testament times it was enough to refrain from doing things that were forbidden, but from Yahushuathe very thought of breaking a law is considered as a sin. It is not enough not to sleep with someone, we must even avoid imagining it! It is not enough to refrain us from killing someone, we must also avoid hating him in our hearts.
However, grace consists precisely of being freed from even the most hidden and profound thoughts that are trying to tempt us from within. Indeed, if we are born again, that is to say that we repent, then we receive the baptism of water and then that of fire when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have the promise of deliverance and cleansing from sinful thoughts.
However, it is impossible to reach repentance without receiving judgment by law since it is:
through the law we become conscious of our sin
Romans 3:20
In what are the Old and New Testaments different?
The difference between the two Alliances is the material on which the Commandments are written: Stone in the case of the first / Heart of flesh or Spirit in the second.
The big difference between the Old and the New Covenant is that the former was a covenant set in stone, therefore weak and essentially theoretical. Whereas the New Alliance is the fulfillment of the first, which was only a shadow of it. The second Covenant operates and acts through the Messiah with power and authority and is no longer led by the human being, but by the Holy Spirit from within the human being.
Moreover,
the New Covenant liberates men from the burden of keeping the Law by planting it directly in their hearts so that the Law works in a practical way by itself
The law has not changed one iota! And if I’m not mistaken, heaven and earth are still there. Matthew 5:18
Old wine in old wineskins and new wine in new wineskins: the old wine was none other than the letter engraved in stones, the one that kills. New wine, on the other hand, is the one that is spiritual and engraved in the heart and that is bringing life.
Furthermore
the Messiah is greater than the Law. So whoever is in him is above the Law as well
together with Him and its judgment does not reach us, so we are no longer under the law; indeed. Nevertheless, until the world has passed, everything continues to work according to the Law.
The old covenant was to the new what Hagar was to Sarah, what the slave is to the free woman, what Mount Sinai is to Zion, and what Moses is to the Messiah. Likewise,
the stone tablets were the prefiguration of these two tongues of fire
which appeared above the heads of the disciples at Shavuot (Pentecost) in order to penetrate and engrave themselves definitively in their hearts.
Also, it should be noted that the New Testament is much more characterized by the Law than the Old Testament. The “rabbis” counted 613 commandments in the Torah in addition to the 10 commandments and the 2 laws of love. In fact, I estimate that the Torah contains 650 to 700 decrees. Indeed many have not been taken into accoun. However,
in the New Testament we have more than 1000 Commandments
These “new commandments” are nothing more than the clarification and repetition of the old ones, their re-formulation, their refinement and their ultimate putting into practice on the level of the spirit. In fact, none of them are new, but are closely related to the old ones and are sealed by the priestly order of Melchizedek, when the letter comes to life.
Old Testament = Slavery / New Testament = Freedom
Slavery is when you try to obey the law in order to please someone, in this case Elohim or even yourself. But in the bottom of your heart, you would like to do something completely different, even the perfect opposite of it. What an incredible burden. What a life filled with remorses and problems of conscience. What an enormous and constant waste of energy in order to restrain yourself from acting according to your own instincts. This is the life of Sisyphus, of the slaves in the Roman galleys, or of our Jewish ancestors in Egypt, and anyone who thinks he can keep the Law on his own.
But when freedom comes, it is our hearts that are renewed by the Holy Spirit and according to the Law. When we are freed we comply with the decrees of Yahuwah, through the Son who dwells in us, with a good heart and with all our soul, without aspiring to anything else and all this without any special effort on our part.
Sacrificial decrees
What about the decrees governing the Sanctuary, the priesthood, and the sacrifices since there is no more Temple?
These decrees also work in the same way. Except today
we have only one High Priest, Yahushua, and we members of His Body are all Levites assigned to the ministry of this Heavenly Temple.
The earthly Sanctuary was the image of the Celestial, as Moses received it. Therefore, the law is the same, only its order and mode of application have changed. Yahushua took back the right to execute judgment from the hands of men. He alone is authorized to apply the penalties and this at the level of the spirit, as long as the time of Grace is in force. But when he returns to judge the world, the enforcement of punishments will also be done physically in and on the visible world. There, he will destroy definitively and on all levels the sinners who will not have delivered to death their old man to Him.
The sacrifice was made once and for all.
However, additional smaller sacrifices are necessary for the Body of the Messiahto function as a Sanctuary even today.
Sacrifice is when I go out to serve others, I sacrifice my time and my energy. Moreover, it is often me who is sowing, but someone else will reap. This is also a sacrifice. Sacrifice is also when I give up things, thus renouncing the fat of the animals that are offered as a burnt offering on the altar instead of consuming it myself. Sacrifice is also when I fast, when I retire to pray, when I raise my children in the name of Yahuwah, when I put my own will aside so that His would be done. I make sacrifices when I go to visit widows, orphans, prisoners, the sick and the poor.
The old decrees were only shadows and promises of these spiritual and perfect sacrifices from within the heart of people.
For indeed, then they were managed and executed by men. Today, however, it is directly the Messiah who makes them work.
But it also works the other way around. Because there are not only laws of prohibition, but also laws of “fun”. The Levite sometimes benefits from the fats of the sacrified animals which is to say from the good things, and has the right to eat them as he pleases. The worker deserves his wages and should never be ashamed to accept alms in any form and enjoy such blessings. We just have to avoid falling into excess and the love of money and material goods and above all not to accept anything from people who obviously wish to buy us.
The Veil: not only over the eyes of Jews
Just as in the case of traditional Jews whose false Talmud and other Babylonian infections prevented them from recognizing the Word which became flesh and appeared in Yahushua, the same veil comes to cloud the sight of much of Christianity. It is this veil that prevents them from recognizing the Commandments in Yahushua. Even if they accept him as the Messiah, they refuse to see in him the fulfillment of what the Jews received through Moses. In both cases, Satan ensured that the veil was placed between the Law and Yahushua so that
On the side of Jews, they would not recognize the Law in Yahushua. And on the side of Christians, they would keep on refusing to recognize the Law in Yahushua.
So let’s not be afraid of the Law, because it is our best friend. It is a tool that our Elohim uses in us so that we do not fall back into sin after having been freed from it. By denying the law, we obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit, and can go so far as to grieve Him.
The commandments are like signposts that help us stay on course and on the narrow path that is leading to Salvation. Road signs are not the goal or the destination. And whoever considers them as such, ends up crashing into them and eventually die. The Messiah is the goal and whoever goes to him will receive the Eternal Life.
The Law is our pedagogue so that we can know the Messiahmore and more and come closer to Him.
As we read the commandments of the Old Testament, we gradually realize what they mean to us under present conditions. What do the donkey, cow and other concepts related to agriculture symbolize. Even to a contemporary city dweller, it will be revealed to him what these concepts are meaning today in our modern situation. He will be able to realize that such and such a law has already been realized in his life in a given situation without having known it beforehand and without having had to think in order to act according to it. He will have respected it not out of fear, but instinctively and out of Love for Elohim or his neighbour, because the Commandments have been engraved in his heart.
Knowing the Law after being born again strengthens our faith that the Messiahreally lives in us and testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
The law truly becomes a curse when we take it into our own hands and obey it in order to gain some reward. It becomes a curse when we use it to judge others without Love and without the Holy Spirit. Such actions are signs that something is wrong with our Covenant in the Messiah. In such cases, tell yourself that you thought you were born again, but someone (even yourself) may have misled you. Examine yourself and see what have not been settled yet in your life. Is it the repentance, the baptism in water or the fulfillment with the Holy Spirit? What is missing? Because if you suffer from these symptoms, you are still at the level of religiosity and self-righteousness. It is in order not to fall into this error that others, on the other hand, choose the other extreme and begin to deny the Law. In such a case, you also make yourself a transgressor of the law, and you do not realize that you are rejecting the very essence of the Messiah.
Let only he who has engraved them in his heart speak of the Commandments and dare to teach them.
On our journey of discipleship, our sanctification is realized by the fact that the commandments are successively restored and reactivated in our minds.
So let us not stand in the way of the work that the Holy Spirit wishes to accomplish in us.
