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We are a family worshiping YHWH the Creator through Yeshuʕ the soon-coming King. We want to love YHWH and love you too!

On Dead Souls

Peace [friend],

Thanks for contacting me, and for your question.

Your analysis [of the existence of the dead] is very similar to that found amongst Seventh Day Adventists.

You have asked if I agree, and it's my pleasure to show where I agree and disagree.

I agree:

That man was created mortal with the potential for immortality (the tree of life).
That by sin lost the potential for immortality, which is regained through faith in Messiah.
That the soul is the being of man, including all his aspects, and not merely his spiritual element.
That a dead man is a dead soul.
That the dead are 'asleep' awaiting resurrection.
That attempting to speak with the dead or consulting those who do so, is condemned.

I have these beliefs also:

A dead soul is in Sheol/Hades. "Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them" (Rev 20:13) Hades is the holding places for the dead until resurrection.
Death is the 'gates of Sheol/Hades'. As the Hezekiah which expected death said,
"I said, In the middle of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years. " (Is 38:10)
Death will not prevail over the Master Yeshuʕ's Called-Out community: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it." (Mt 16:18): the Called-Out community will not die out, and though its members die, yet they shall live, at the resurrection.
In Sheol/Hades, a dead soul can either be resting in peace (gathered to the righteous forefathers, Abraham and so on) or in torment, as the Master gave examples of both:
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—
28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
(Luke 16)
I note that Lazarus and the rich man are both dead, yet they have comfort or anguish depending on the lives they lived. Lazarus is also among the dead, for he would not be able to appear to the rich man's family except 'if [he] should rise from the dead'.

A dead soul is called a 'shade', and a dead soul is a shadow of what he/she was whilst living. 'Soul' still refers to the whole being. It is not a living being, but it is a being awaiting resurrection. Living and existing are not the same. A soul can exist and yet be dead. A shade knows nothing of this world on earth beneath the sun, but shades can be aware of each other:
[ESV] Isaiah 14:9
"Sheol beneath is stirred up
to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
all who were kings of the nations."
[ESV] Isaiah 26:14
"They are dead, they will not live;
they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited them with destruction
and wiped out all remembrance of them."
She'ol/Hades is for resting, sleeping, being dead to the world, until resurrection. It's not for the activities of this life, and it is apparently not 'more real than the world we now live in', as some preachers have threated: apparently it is a dark realm and just a shadow of this world: a bleak existence. It is not for the activities of the living. It is not even a place for the righteous to praise YHWH from: but rather to rest, to sleep. Nevertheless YHWH is there (as everywhere), and has dominion over it, as it is written:
"if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!" (Ps 139:8)
Hence my brother Apostle Paul can say,
"We know that while we are en-homed in the body we are out-homed from the Lord,
... we would rather become out-homed from the body and en-homed with the Lord." (2Cor 5:6,8)
And again,
" 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." (Phil 1)
YHWH never denies that communication with the shades is a possibility: He forbids it. Surely He knows the deception that can result from attempts to communicate with the shades, and also wants to protect us from evil spirits impersonating shades, and most importantly, He wants us to look to Him for guidance, not to the dead! Yet disobedient King Shaul communicated with Shmu'el after Shmu'el had become a shade. And Shmu'el condemned him:
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.”
13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”
16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since YHWH has turned from you and become your enemy?
17 YHWH has done to you as he spoke by me, for YHWH has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.
18 Because you did not obey the voice of YHWH and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore YHWH has done this thing to you this day.
19 Moreover, YHWH will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. YHWH will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”
(1Sam 28:7)

So then, my assessment of the situation is that the RCC has inherited the notion of a soul being released from the body and 'going to heaven', perhaps from Gnosticism, which likewise taught this. A reaction to this false teaching is to teach that when souls die they cease to exist (cf. SDA doctrine). A western reaction to the misdeeds of forbidden spiritualisms is to deny the possibility of communicating with the dead, and the notion of dead souls not existing helps in this denial.

But the authentic teaching found in the Scripture is not that we are souls trapped in bodies which are released when we die; it is not that we go to heaven; it is also not that the dead cease to exist or that they have zero consciousness -though they be cut off from the world of the living; and it is not that it is impossible to communicate with the dead.

I seek to have a view which best fits all of the teaching in Scripture, and not just most of it.
That's why I reject both RCC and SDA assertions.

Love from Garth.

Tags: death, she'ol Thursday 2 April 2009 - 12:31AM (EST) Permanent Link | 0 Comments

Modesty and showing the beauty of the Spirit within.

Modesty is not optional for the believer in Yeshu`: it is a commandment to be obeyed:

"women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess piety—with good works." (1Timothy 2:9-10)

Modesty includes:
1. Proper covering/hiding of those parts of the body which are most attractive: trunk, breasts, thighs, legs, and the hair. Plain, loose-fitting clothes is appropriate, as they do not highlight, but rather obscure the natural beauty of the body. Show off to your husband, but not to others!
2. Not adding outward things for the purpose of improving appearance: such as hair styles, jewelry, make up, fancy clothes.

And as if the people of YHWH needed to be told twice, Peter also gives the same commandment:

"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in Elohim's sight is very precious." (1Peter 3:3-4)

Now what excuses will you bring up in order to hold tight to your supposed 'freedom' to doll yourself up in the public eye? Are you a prostitute that you want people to take notice of your appearance? Don't lie to yourself, you are not doing it for yourself! What you do for yourself you can do at home in private.

Sometimes the worldly are more honest with themselves than supposed believers, for they know what their dressing is for.

Hear what Cleo magazine says:
"Breasts are like having weapons of mass destruction at your disposal. For inexplicable reasons, even a small glimmer of cleavage can do strange things to grown men. So, if you want a guy to pay attention to what you’re saying, as opposed to what you’re showing, then it’s best to avoid flashing too much." (from http://www.cleo.com.au/boudoir_chic.htm)

And they took the words right out of my mouth: if you, O believing woman, want people to be impressed with the work of YHWH in you, "with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in Elohim's sight is very precious", then you've got to avoid showing them how good your beauty can look. "if you want a guy to pay attention to what you're saying, as opposed to what you're showing," be a serious disciple of Yeshu` (and not of Cleo), and stop dressing to impress or to fit in with this crooked generation.

If you say that "it is what's inside that counts", make sure that you make your inside count, by dressing with Biblical modesty.

Take the above Biblical, Apostolic commandments seriously and be an example to other believing women! Get real and practical and visible about the modesty your faith commands!

Tags: modesty Friday 12 December 2008 - 01:12AM (EST) Permanent Link | 0 Comments

The Knowledge of Good and Evil versus the Knowledge of YHWH Elohim.

The Knowledge of Good and Evil versus the Knowledge of YHWH Elohim.

The problem:
"Then YHWH Elohim said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
therefore YHWH Elohim sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." (Genesis 3:22-24)

Amazing things are revealed in this passage:

Contrary to the popular belief that one should know 'right' from 'wrong', YHWH Elohim commanded Adam NOT to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When Adam did eat from this tree, YHWH Elohim affirmed that Adam HAD become like the elohim regarding the knowledge of good and evil, and then banished him BECAUSE of it.

It was not YHWH's will His creation have (and operate under) the knowledge of good and evil.
And yet this is the very thing that many seem to think is the 'main thing' about religion.

Do not the people of the world say that, "All religions are the same," because the religions teach 'right' from 'wrong', and this is what is important to these people?

Isn't it amazing that YHWH, the Elohim of the Bible, our Creator, clearly indicates that 'right' and 'wrong', 'good' and 'evil' is not what is important to Him? So 'good and evil' cannot be the reason for YHWH Elohim's religion. YHWH Elohim did not teach us His ways so that mankind would become moral.

Then what is important to YHWH Elohim, our Creator?
What does HE call 'good'?
What can His creation do in order for Elohim to see it as 'good'?

Consider what creation did in the first chapter of Genesis, which Elohim saw as 'good'.
Many times in this chapter we read the words,
1."And Elohim said..."
2."And it was so."
3."And Elohim saw it as good."

Herein is the mystery of what pleases YHWH Elohim.
It is not doing 'right' or 'wrong' that pleases Elohim; doing *what YHWH Elohim says* pleases Him.
Obedience is what pleases YHWH Elohim; obedience to His Words: His commandments.

Hence He teaches us that the greatest commandment is to 'love YHWH Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' (Deuteronomy 6:4, see Matthew 22:36-37) and He Himself defines this love as OBEDIENCE to His commandments, His Word:

"you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love YHWH your Elohim, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul," (Deuteronomy 11:13)

Obedience to His commandments is how YHWH Elohim reckons our love for Him, even as the Lord Yeshu` taught:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." (John 15:10)

"For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." (I John 5:3)

"And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments." (II John 1:6)

So then, it pleases YHWH the Creator when we hear and obey the commandments that He has revealed to His people.
The Lord Yeshu` said,
"my brothers are those who hear the word of Elohim and do it.” (Luke 8:21)

...and again,
"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of Elohim and keep it!” (Luke 11:28)

This is what pleases YHWH, and this is 'love' and 'good' in His eyes: that we do what He has commanded.

So then, be liberated from the knowledge of good and evil, and be an example to the elohim (I mean the angels), by doing what is 'good' in YHWH's sight: obey His commandments.

After all, it is YHWH's will to teach His angelic watchers what is 'good' in His eyes, through His obedient people:

"so that through the church the manifold wisdom of Elohim might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 3:10)

This is the knowledge of YHWH:

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of Elohim is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
(1John 2:3-6)

Do not be fooled by the religions of the elohim (I mean the angels); rather, be an example to the elohim of the knowledge of YHWH Elohim.
This is the 'good' which YHWH the Creator created creation to live by: His Word.

Be among those who by the nature of the Spirit of Set-Apartness, "do what the law requires" (Romans 2:14)

"For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before Elohim, but the doers of the law who will be justified."
(Romans 2:13)

Be among the saints "who keep the commandments of Elohim and their faith in Yeshu`." (Rev 14:12)

O mankind, do not be fooled by the knowledge of the elohim (I mean the angels), the knowledge of good and evil: by following their teaching you may well please some of them, but you will not please your Creator if you will not keep His commandments. YHWH's ways are higher than yours.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."
(Isaiah 55:9)

Beware of false religion which would distract you from obeying YHWH's commandments, exalting whatever is good in their own eyes, rather than what is good in YHWH's eyes.

Do the love of YHWH Elohim by keeping His commandments. Then you will truly be living in the Knowledge of YHWH Elohim, and not merely the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Tags: lawfulfaith, love, angels, yhwh, commandments Thursday 27 November 2008 - 01:36PM (EST) Permanent Link | 0 Comments

Good News!

Good News!

No more reckless or noisy drivers...
No more poverty...
No more abortions...
No more crime...
No more slap-on-the-wrist punishments...
No more confusing religions and religious organisations distorting the Creator's truth...
No more wars...
No more religious persecution...
No more terrorism...
No more mortgages...
No more forced labour...
No more greed...
No more lawlessness...

YHWH the Creator has a perfect Law and it will be the Law of the Land...
...when YHWH's chosen King (Yeshu` the Messiah) rules.

"many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of YHWH,
to the house of the Mighty One[Elohim] of Jacob,
that he may teach us His ways
and that we may walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of YHWH from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore."
(Isaiah 2:3-4)

"There shall come forth a Shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a Branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon Him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of YHWH.
And His delight shall be in the fear of YHWH.
He shall not judge by what His eyes see,
or decide disputes by what His ears hear,
but with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
...
Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist,
and faithfulness the belt of His loins.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all the mountain of My Set-Apartness;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHWH
as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples — of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious."
(Isaiah 11:1-4a, 5-10)

But first Yeshu` the King must take out the garbage. He must cull mankind...

"He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of His lips He shall kill the wicked."
(Isaiah 11:4b)

YHWH the Creator Himself shall send a strong delusion to deceive all who have had pleasure in unrighteousness, all who've been practising ignorance of YHWH and His Law...

YHWH the Creator will gather all the kings and peoples of the earth to battle against Jerusalem, and there YHWH will execute His wrath against them through Yeshu` the coming King.

"...Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of His Set-Apart ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the impious of all their deeds of impiety that they have committed in such an impious way, and of all the harsh things that impious sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 14-15)

"On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. On that day, declares YHWH, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through YHWH of hosts, their Elohim.’" (Zechariah 12:3-5)

"I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of Elohim. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of Elohim the Almighty." (Revelation 19:11-15)
"And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia*" (Revelation 14:20 *approximately 300km. A circle of this radius has a greater area than the state of Victoria in Australia, or the average state of USA.)

"The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few of mankind remain." (Isaiah 24:5-6)

Before the final battle, King Yeshu` shall gather His saints (true, set-apart, lawful followers) whether dead or alive. His saints will be transformed into immortals and gathered in the air...

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of Elohim. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."
(1Thessalonians 4:16-17)

And after the battle, when the wicked rule of mankind has been shattered, Satan shall be imprisoned so that he can no longer deceive mankind from YHWH Elohim's ways...

"And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against Him who was sitting on the horse and against His army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of Him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended..."
(Revelation 20:1-3a)

Then King Yeshu` will set up YHWH Elohim's government(Kingdom of Elohim), and He and His saints will rule over the few of mankind that remain...

"Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Yeshu` and for the word of Elohim, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and set-apart is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of Elohim and of Messiah, and they will reign with Him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4-6)

After the thousand years, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire, and all mankind will be resurrected and judged. Unless their names are found written in the Book of Life, they will be cast into the lake of fire. (See Revelation 20:7-15)

'But how is this good news TO ME?' you may ask, 'seeing that I have surely broken YHWH Elohim's law and violated His everlasting covenant?! I will surely die a sinner's death, and have nothing to look forward to except the lake of fire! I am a sinner!'

Because you realise that you are a sinner, a transgressor of YHWH's law (see 1Jn 3:4), and are deserving of "wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3), there is this hope for you: that through believing in this true Gospel message you may receive a change of mind (repentance), a new heart and a new life. This is made possible because the Righteous One has died the death of the unrighteous: your death. Yeshu` has given His innocent blood on the cross to enable your forgiveness and transformation.

Now YHWH Elohim commands people everywhere to...
1. turn from breaking His Law (to repent),
2. believe the Gospel,
3. be baptized into the brotherhood of His saints.
Come! Wash your your rebellious nature away! YHWH Elohim will give you His Spirit of Set-Apartness and you will begin to understand and appreciate, love and do His ways!

"And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules." (Ezekiel 36:27)

"for it is Elohim who [will work] in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

YHWH Elohim will bring you up as His child in the family of His saints. He will empower you and teach you to keep His Law and will thereby set you free from the evil ways of this world...

"Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:40)

"and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

But beware of false teachers, false prophets and religious organisations who divert believers from the truth of YHWH Elohim's Law in order to conform them to their own peculiar standards of righteousness:

"Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of Elohim is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in Him."
(1John 2:4-5)

"understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will... [have] the appearance of piety, but [deny] its power. Avoid such people." (2Timothy 3:1-2,5)

"if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge." (James 4:11)

Set your heart on obeying YHWH Elohim who calls you to be His obedient child; love and learn His ways.

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:25)

"By your endurance you will gain your lives." (Luke 21:19)

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of Elohim you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the Coming One will come and will not delay; but My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." (Hebrews 10:36-39)

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only Elohim, our Savior, through Yeshu` the Messiah our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)

"Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Yeshu` the Messiah, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal Elohim, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the Only Wise Elohim be glory forevermore through Yeshu` the Messiah! Amen." (Romans 16:25-27)

If you believe that YHWH is calling you to Himself, to be united with His family, to experience the fellowship of the brotherhood of His saints, we can help you fulfill this calling to Set-Apartness. Please write to garthgrenache@hotmail.com

Tags: gospel, lawfulfaith, repentance, thetruechurch, messiah Saturday 25 October 2008 - 01:27PM (EST) Permanent Link | 0 Comments

Nakedness Should Be Covered

The Scriptures of YHWH teach that nakedness is private, and only to be enjoyed by one's valid spouse.

It is widely understood amongst those who believe in Yeshu`(Jesus) that one should only have sex with one's rightful spouse.

It follows that one should resist any desire to have sex with anyone else, or else that would be to desire sin, and man ought to desire for himself what YHWH desires for man.

I have already understood these, and have made up my mind a long time ago that I will not to allow myself to harbour a desire for sex with any woman but my wife.

But suppose a believing husband keeps himself from desiring(lusting after) other women he sees, yet because he is interested in nakedness and sex, he doesn't resist seeing, watching, reading and hearing about such things, supposing that there is no problem with it, but rather he is enjoying and learning about the wonders of sex, which YHWH has created?

That was me! But now I believe YHWH has opened my eyes through His Spirit and His Commandments, to see that His standards for sexual purity are much higher than what I thought, and that I should generally turn my attention from anything sexual which concerns others than my wife.

I now realise that when YHWH condemns unlawful sexual intercourse, He condemns not only the physical act, but instead commands 'not to approach for uncovering the nakedness of' anyone with whom sexual intercourse is forbidden (Lev 18:6ff).

Outside the proper context of a valid marriage, even to expose nakedness is sexual immorality. Even to see nakedness (of someone with whom it is unlawful to have sex) is a disgrace -a thing that is repulsive to YHWH, a thing that should not be, as it is written:
"If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity." (Lev 20:17).

[Incidently, the above verse clarifies that 'uncovering nakedness' actually does mean what it says: allowing nakedness to be seen. It is not, as some people and translations say, merely a nice way of saying 'to have sex'.]

The Law, being spiritual, also forbids 'approaching' to uncover the nakedness of someone with whom sex is forbidden. 'Approaching' implies intent. We ought not to intend for anyone to be naked before our eyes or the eyes of anyone except their vald spouse.

So I now see that the Law of YHWH holds us to greater purity than the thoughts of men. Where the Law forbids the exposure of nakedness, it is evident that YHWH wants for us to see that a person's sexual component should be hidden from all except the one that they may lawfully have sex with.

Therefore it is an accusation that YHWH has declared, 'You have looked on nakedness' (Is 57:8). It is a shameful thing that YHWH accuses His people of.

And what is nakedness? It is the lack of appropriate covering. And what is appropriate covering? That which conceals the body and the legs, and in the case of the woman, the head (that which the hair covers) is also to be concealed. How can I say this? Well apart from the half chapter devoted to whether it was permissible for women to uncover their heads once they arrived at the assembly (1Co 11:1-16 -the answer is a clear 'no!', by the way), there iare these words in Isaiah 47:2-3 which YHWH used to humiliate 'the daughter of Babylon':

"put off your veil,
strip off your robe, uncover your legs,
...Your nakedness shall be uncovered.
and your disgrace shall be seen..." (Isaiah 47:2-3)

We see here that even Babylon knew how to cover herself and be not naked, for she wore a veil, and a robe and had her legs covered. She may have warn other things as well. Nevertheless, the things that were coverings of nakedness are listed, and includes her headcovering.

Therefore, all these parts need to be covered:
1. what the veil covers (i.e. a woman's hair)
2. what the robe covers, and
3. the legs,
Anything less than this is disgrace as it is an uncovering of nakedness. Such should only be uncovered to one's spouse.

Thus I now see it that I should not delight in seeing some part of a person which should be concealed from me, i.e. their nakedness, their sexual side, which is YHWH's gift to THEIR spouse and is not for anyone else.

YHWH's Spirit of Set-Apartness can be trusted to nurture this conviction in me and in those who walk by the Spirit, and to empower obedience to this conviction.

"Fill me with Your Spirit of Set-Apartness, YHWH, for the sake of the name of Yeshu` Mshiha, I ask You! Amen."

Tags: sex&nakedness Monday 20 October 2008 - 03:52PM (EST) Permanent Link | 0 Comments

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