Light In Torah

Traditionally, we are between Yom Teruah and Yom HaKippurim—in the Ten Days of Awe.  Over the past couple of days, we have learned how to go back and peer into the perfection of our soul by traveling back in our minds to the Garden of Eden, before man's sin (Gen. 2:7; 3:1–8), and to Mount Sinai, before the sin of the golden calf (Ex. 19–20). Then we painfully compare that perfection to where we are now (Neh. 8:8–10) and commit to rebuilding the walls and gates of our lives to protect those things of incredible value in our lives. Before you build something—spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally, or financially—you have to finish the project first! Without going back to the "state of perfection," there is nothing to start building from. Once we honestly evaluate where we are and start the building process, it is easy for unforgiveness to creep in. We begin to recognize the pain inflicted—self-inflicted or otherwise—in our lives, which leads us to a major questi...

Yom Kippur, the sixth  Moedim , is upon us! It carries the Spirit of sacrificial love and knowledge— da'at . It is directly connected to the church of Philadelphia, the church of brotherly love (Rev. 1:20; 3:7). And it connects to the sixth day of creation, which is all about separating our animal, beastly appetites from a life of sacrificial love for our brothers and sisters. It was through the Spirit of knowledge— da'at —that the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. And it is the Spirit of brotherly love, which is  da'at , that allows us to dwell at ease in the Temple of the Lord (1 John 4:20). We are welcomed into His presence and firmly established in His Temple—and not only that, we receive a new name (Rev. 3:12). Distinguishing marks will be given on this day: those who live  da'at  and those who live like the beast. Cain could not return to the assembly because he hated his brother (Gen. 4:9, 12). He did not live the Spirit of Philadelphia...

There are seven Spirits burning before the throne of God (Rev. 4:5–6). They are revealed to us in Isaiah 11:1–2, and they are defined all throughout the pages of Scripture to enlighten us on how the "light of the world" is supposed to live, filled with the Spirit of God (Eph. 5:18–20; Col. 3:16–17)! The seven  Moedim , the seven days of creation, the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls reveal the depth of the seven Spirits that actively function within each of the aforementioned! The sixth Spirit,  Da'at , is identified with the Day of Atonement(s)/Coverings/Yom HaKippurim. It is a day of knowing intimately. It is more than sexual intimacy. It is really knowing an individual intimately. It is a loving knowledge so deep that it accompanies only the closest of relationships—those in unity—just as Adam declared concerning his bride, "She is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23; Eph. 5:30). This Spirit of Knowledge/ ...

We are currently in what is commonly known as the "10 Days of Awe." We use the word  awe  as a term of endearment when someone says something nice to us, and we also use it when we experience a "jaw-dropping" moment. These ten days are supposed to be a little bit of both. In hindsight, I hope your Yom Teruah was extra special. Ours here in Kansas City was jaw-droppingly awesome, fun, and filled with revelation about our Messiah's second coming and how to get our hearts in tune for Yom Kippur, when the books of heaven are closed for the next year. In other words, the Fall  Moedim  are in high gear! Like everything within Scripture, they are directly connected to the working of the Holy Spirit ( Ruach HaKodesh ). As we approach the sixth  Moedim  of the prophetic, biblical calendar, there is a stirring going on in the nations. This stirring is antithetical to the sixth Spirit of the Lampstand ( menorah ), which is known as the Spirit of  Da'at  (int...

There is a significant difference between Mount Sinai and Ezra's Nehemiah 8: everything is so much smaller in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. The crowd is smaller. The man speaking to the people—he is standing on something, but it is not a big, imposing mountain. It is just a little wooden platform. Everything is diminished. But that, I think, is the whole point of Nehemiah. It really did not look like much—what they were doing. And that was the people's point too—that is why they were crying. They looked at themselves and felt insignificant. Here they were at a ruined Jerusalem—sacked by Nebuchadnezzar—on a crazy, idealistic mission to come back and try to rebuild this land. There was no infrastructure, no great established state—just them, Ezra, and Nehemiah. They barely knew anything. They cried because they realized how far they were from the ideals the Torah was talking about. What were they really keeping of the Torah's  mitzvot , anyway? Half of them were intermarried...

We are just a few days away from the traditional date of Yom Teruah! People all over the world will be observing the day of rest, according to Scripture (Lev. 23:24), in anticipation of a future resurrection day—when the trumpet will blow (1 Thess. 4:16–17)—and with hindsight to the covenant they entered into with all their heart, soul, and might (Deut. 29:14–15). With just a few days left of Elul, let us go back to Nehemiah 8 and see what we might glean for our 21st-century observance of this prophetic day. It just so happens that this day is the first day of the seventh month, Tishrei 1. Unfortunately, the people of God had been in captivity so long that they did not even seem to be aware of it until Nehemiah told them. The people gathered together as one in the street in front of the Water Gate. Ezra began to read the Torah Scroll—and we are told again that he was reading right there in that street. As the people listened all day, they began to cry. And with good reason. Like us, it...

There is an old saying: "In the city of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." It was no different in Yeshua's day. The people were blind—desperate for leadership, longing to be led out of their captivity. In this week's Torah portion,  Vayelech  ("he went"), we see God's upright people in a painful dilemma: Jeshurun—the upright ones—had grown fat and rejected the covenant of their God (Deut. 32:15–18). And as a result, they were forsaken (Deut. 32:20–43). Yeshua addressed this head-on in the parable of the two shepherds (John 10:1–21). What a contrast—and what a reality check, both for His generation and for ours! His parable laid bare the condition of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and how they ended up as sheep without a shepherd (1 Kings 22:17; Ezek. 34:5; Jer. 13:20; Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34). And if that was not bad enough, none of those shepherds went looking for the sheep they had scattered. So the flock became easy prey for predators. Withou...

It is coming! Yom Teruah is less than a week away. It is time to celebrate—with great anticipation—the resurrection day that is initiated with a shout and the blowing of the shofar (1 Thess. 4:16–17), and the day we remember the commitment we made when we entered into His covenant. Soon we will find ourselves in the space between Yom Teruah and Yom HaKippurim. These Ten Days of Awe are significant and incredibly practical for the year ahead, as we put into practice being doers of the Word (James 1:19–27). At the same time, we do not want to over-spiritualize these days by leaving out the actions that Yahweh truly wants us to live out for mankind to see (Matt. 5:14–16). These days are still about repentance—turning from faithless actions (Rom. 10:17) that are not pleasing in His sight (Heb. 11:6), and instead doing what is pleasing (Heb. 11:6; Rom. 10:17). So how do we know what actions are pleasing and what are not? Ah, that is the million-dollar question, is it not? The Ten Days of Aw...

There are a lot of visible, powerful acts of nature happening in America and around the world right now. Are they acts of judgment from the Creator? In less than one week, traditionally, we will enter the month of Tishri, the seventh month on God's prophetic calendar. It is the month that opens with the "Hidden Day," the Day of Shouting—also known as the Day of the Awakening Blast, or Yom Teruah. Ten days later comes the Day of Atonement(s), Yom HaKippurim, and five days after that, the Feast of Tabernacles,  Chag Sukkot . Right now, we are in the month of Elul, which is all about intimacy within the community (Psalm 133:1–3). It is about preparing our hearts so that we can shout together— teruah —and welcome the fall  Moedim  (Psalm 47:2; 66:1; 81:2; 100:1). Yom Teruah is also called  Zichron Teruah , the "remembering the shout of the shofar" (Leviticus 23:24). I know this might sound like a lot of technical jargon, but it is important to know where we are head...

We are now just one week away from Yom Teruah—the first day of the seventh month, Tishri. It is the day when the trumpet and shofar will sound, and the dead in Messiah will be raised and gathered together (1 Thess. 4:16–17; 5:1; 2 Thess. 2:1). It is a holy convocation, a set-apart rehearsal (Lev. 23:23), and a Sabbath day of rest from work (Lev. 23:24). It is the fifth of the yearly  moedim , the appointed times of assembly for the body of Messiah. It is also the day of resurrection, when the sons of God will be revealed (Rom. 8:23). This day closes out the month of Elul and ushers us into the Ten Days of Awe, culminating in the complete covering provided on Yom HaKippurim. In other words, these are exciting times to be living in! Regarding these appointed times of assembly, the writer of Hebrews reminds us in 10:25 not to forsake gathering together, as some have made a habit, but to do so all the more as we see the Day approaching. Why would the writer urge us to prioritize these ...

Life is all about choices. Every day, life-and-death decisions are set before our eyes, our minds, and our hearts (Deut. 30:15). The benefits and consequences of those choices have been clearly laid out, and we have said "amen" to both paths (Deut. 27:15–26; 28:1–68). Yet somehow, someway, I—and I am speaking for myself here—notoriously choose the wrong road to travel (Deut. 29:16–28). Why? Why? Why? There are several reasons, but this morning, I want to focus on just one—found in this week's Torah portion,  Nitzavim . The reason given for every wrong choice? Bitterness (Deut. 29:18; Heb. 12:15). Think about it: the Israelites had everything handed to them during their forty years in the wilderness. A cloud to shield them from the heat, scorpions, and snakes. Clothes that never wore out. Angelic food daily. The purest water. They had Moses, the visible presence of God, His very voice. Aaron and Miriam interceded for them. Their enemies were defeated—nothing but a distant ...

Since we are in Christ, we are officially Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:28–29) and part of God's engrafted people (Rom. 11); we are no longer strangers and foreigners to the covenants of Israel (Eph. 2:11–22). On this rainy, no-work day, I wanted to whet your appetite for something a little chunkier. I hope you will grab your Bible and notepad, take a nice swim in the living water, and enjoy resting against the Tree of Life as you start your weekend. When Jesus Christ (Messiah Yeshua) was on the earth, He would go to the synagogue each Sabbath, where a portion of Scripture was read from the Torah, the Prophets, and the general writings. This Shabbat, He would have been reading  Nitzavim  ("You are standing") and  Vayelekh  ("He went" or "He walked")—Deuteronomy 29:10–31:30. There is a powerful anticipation evoked by the name of the Torah portion,  Nitzavim : "You are standing!" These last Torah portions in the book of Deuteronomy ( Devarim ) are...