UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

 

Shalom everyone. I’ve not posted in almost two weeks now because I’ve been very busy with work recently. I hope to get back to posting this weekend.

I thought to do something a bit different with this post. Many of you do not know much about me; so I thought to do a post on some of my favorite YouTube videos. To some this may not that seem personal; however my choice of videos will give you some idea of my interests, tastes and passions. The videos will cover my tastes in  sacred music, classical music, Bible Prophecy speakers, NWO speakers, and even an old Sesame Street clip (which I loved as a boy growing up) {even though the clip is about a girls’ doll house} the innocence of the scene is what touches my heart. (and I also looooove cats). I also have a clip on nature which is par excellent.

So without further ado I share with you some of  my more personal things…O, and by the way; please leave a comment if you wish….and to my Messianic followers……Happy Chanukah!

 

 

I hope you enjoy them……Shalom in Yahshua Ha Mashiach  (Jesus The Messiah)

A QUIET PLACE IN NATURE

Have you ever taken a walk outside or cycled, jogged, hiked or simply looked at nature through a picture window and wondered how our Elohim made all theses things? Have you ever stopped and looked carefully at the flowers of the field or the green grass & trees with the sky blue canvass and simply marvel at the rich and beautiful colors and how they match. Have you wondered at the birds that take their flight in the sky's above and what it would be like to fly as a bird and what kind of vantage point you'd have. Have you ever taken in the sweet scent of the freshness of the morning; after the shower of rain and noticed how happy and refreshed everything looks.  Have you ever viewed these things and thought about How YHWH has adapted all nature to coexist in harmony? Yes I admit that we now see through a glass darkly and that sin has marred the wonderful creation; but for us to have such beauty surrounding us down here in the end of days is amazing. It kind of makes one wonder what it must have been like at the beginning.

This post is called A Quite Place In Nature because; set among the places of natural beauty we may find Elohim speaking to us through it. The heavens declare His glory and the creatures of His hand all wait upon Him. Isn't that a beautiful picture? We all wait upon Him and are dependent upon Him for all things.

Nature is full of lessons of YHWH'S love and kindness to us. I say this not because it is what is nice to say but because from a child I've always loved the outdoors and nature. At night I would sleep outside and awake at 3 or 4 in the morning and see the majesty of the night sky with the stars overhead. It speaks volumes of the infinite power of our Elohim.

It is in settings like these that I find most conducive to meditation and prayer. My thoughts seem to turn more from the artificial and stresses of life to the natural pace of nature itself as I watch a bird fly or the butterflies play happily in the fields or the fish swim in the sea.

YHWH has blessed me to be surround with lots of beautiful scenes of nature; and I try to take every advantage of them to commune with Him there.

Thank you Abba for all your wonderful creation....it truly speaks of your love and kindness to us. We are not worthy of such goodness and love; but we thank you for Yahshua who is worthy; and we accept your offer of acceptance in Him.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Col. 1:16,17) {Selah}

NATURE/ ANIMALS & YHWH

I absolutely love this video. It brings tears to my eyes every time I see it. Click here to view.

The Wilderness Conflict

In this post I thought it a good idea to write on the temptation of Yahshua. This I think, would give us a better perspective on the call He made to Simon Peter, Andrew, and the rest of the Talmidim (disciples) to follow Him; and His call to us today.

Have you ever considered what was at stake in this battle with Satan in the wilderness of temptation;and what would've happened if Yahshua did not gain the victory in the conflict? Have you ever considered the price our Messiah paid for us in the immense suffering He endured in the barren region of temptation? Have you ever considered what is the meaning of His victory in the wilderness of temptation for us today?

After His baptism we are told that Yahshua was ".... led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Matit'yah ha Levi 4:1. Here in the wilderness of temptation Yahshua was to wrestle with the powers of darkness.

The Cost And the Risk 

Was there a risk involved in Yahshua coming to this world to contest the supremacy of Satan? If so what risks were there?

In order to effectively answer this question let us turn to the testimony of the Scriptures. In B'resheet 3:15;22:18 &Devarim 18:15 we find "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;"  And in the Renewed Covenant (The New Testament) we find: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Rom. 8:3) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. Mashiakim Yehudim 2: 14,16.

B'resheet (Gen.) tells us that the promised Seed would come through Eve who was just as human as you and I. B'resheet 22:18 tells us that the promised Seed (Yahshua) would come through the line of Abraham; who was just as human as you and I. Devarim 18:15 informs us that He (the Messiah) would come from the midst of the Hebrew people who are just as human as you and I. In the B'rit Hadashah (New Testament) we find that Yahshua came in the likeness (sameness) of sinful flesh [which agrees with the witness of the Torah] And if there was any lingering doubt on this subject the word of YHWH through Shaul (Paul) is that He partook of the same flesh and blood as any ohther son or daughter which enters into the world. And in verse 16 of Mashiakim Yehudim it plainly states that Mashiach took upon Him the seed of Abraham; which again agrees with the Word of Yahweh in the Torah.

The points made above are very important if we are to understand the risks involved in the Life of Yahshua.
For we know that the Scriptures plainly teach that Elohim cannot be tempted. But Yahshua; who knew no sin, no, not even in His thought life, (Mashiakim Yehudim 7: 26; Phil. 2:5) was, for the purposes of salvation; of the same humanity which you and I inherited at birth. And this must be so in order for Him to give to us His mind. In other words, the nature that Yahshua choose to inhabit was to be like our own so that the would be no incompatibility issues in transferring to us His communicable attributes of character. The order of being must be the same for a seamless transfer of divine knowledge,power, and love. And hence the word of YHWH in Mashiakim Yehudim 2: 16 For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. 


With every temptation there was mapped out; by our precious Redeemer a concomitant countermeasure of sheer perfection. A response in thought and deed which imprinted on His human mind, which is transported, by Divine Power; through His precious blood, to the, submitted, repenting, believing child of Elohim.

By His pure and perfect submission to His Father in all things throughout His entire life, Yahshua mapped out for mankind the perfect mind which He willingly offers to all who would come unto Him. At the DNA level a supernatural work goes on, moment by moment and day by day as we remain submitted to Him."And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Rom.12:2

And thus it was that Yahshua was able to be tempted by Satan through His human nature. And because He came with the same nature that you and I have, He could have sinned if He choose to.

The Plan of salvation involved a risk of failure; not because Elohim cannot keep Yahshua in harmony with Himself but because the risk is inherent in the very nature we posses.For this was the very nature that Satan conquered in Eden; and where the fall began, the uplifting of humanity must begin.

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: Mashiakim Yehudim 10: 5


He was beset by every temptation which man are tempted with; and if He was to become our example, He must endure, without fault or failure every temptation imaginable. If Satan could find in Him one fault, one murmur, one wrong action; the battle would be over, He would fail of being mans' perfect example and sacrifice, and Satan would win and reign as the prince of this world and man would be eternally lost.

All this and much more was involved in the issues at stake in the wilderness of temptation.

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. Mashiakim Yehudim 2:18

He is  our Elder Brother. He came very close to us; He is our Kinsman;and  if we continually look to Him and trust in Him, He will lift us up in Heavenly Places.

The Mystery of The Kingdom

In reference to the parable of The Sower Yahusha said "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God...." (Yochanan Makabi 4:11) [Mk]  These words were spoken to His (Talmidim)His disciples as He taught by the sea. The followers of Yahusha will know (will perceive, will have intimate knowledge and  understanding of His kingdom) (Strong's # G1097 genosko). This knowing conveys no shallow or surface understanding of His kingdom but a deep and personal relationship with Yahusha and His truth.

In the parable of the Sower; the one who sows the seed is Yahusha (Jesus); and the seed sown is the word of Truth.  From the time of our first parents until now, the Sower has been at work, scattering His pure seed far and wide. Satan has also been at work sowing his corrupt seed of iniquity; hoping to thwart the great plan of Salvation contained in the seed of truth, and bring about a harvest that bears his fruit according to his corrupt seed and then; in turn, accuse Yahweh (God) for the evil ruin of souls that he himself has instigated.

But the mighty argument of the Cross of Calvary silenced this accusation by making apparent the very heart of YHWH and at the same time the machinations of Satan. YHWH is love. He ever has been and ever will be. And Satan is the root of all evil and his children are the branches.(Malakhi 4:1) The Cross manifested in an infinite degree that YHWH is love and it at the same time it made known the murderous harvest seed of Satan in leading the religious leaders of that time to put to death Yahusha; the only begotten of the Father. Yahusha said that Satan is liar and murderer from the beginning. And thus in every life the battle for souls, for the implanting of seed is raging. It will culminate in two distinct crops; the Wheat and Tares. And although we are primarily dealing with the parable of the Sower we will also look at the parable of the Wheat and Tares.

In His life and ministry Yahusha sowed among all classes of people; none where beneath is notice or care. His great heart of infinite love was moved to compassion as He earnestly and patiently taught the people and prayed that they will receive the inestimable seed He so willingly offered.

But to most His teachings where not, and are not, priced for the simple but far reaching wisdom and power and depth of heart meaning and purpose . Most hear His teaching with the physical ear but do not really hear with the spiritual; (they do not hear with the purpose of bringing their lives into conformity, by grace through faith, with His truth). The choice of neglecting, or rejecting, true heart reform is popular with many. For many, the choice of idol worship{or self worship} (a primary principal of the Throne of Iniquity{See my blog spot called Arrested for Sedition}) is easy because it does not require the complete surrender of self to YHWH (God); and this is the reason why Yahusha says they see, and see not, they hear, and hear not. Not that they cannot see or cannot hear but that they simply choose not to surrender all of self to Him at every step. This very condition is shown in all accept the good ground hears of this parable.

What is interesting to note is that of the four ground conditions given; only one is worthy of our example. Of all the ground conditions given only 25% is "good ground" the 75% is either eaten up by the fowls (Satan and those who follow him) or they (the plant) do not make it to maturity and bear fruit. The great object in this life is to bear fruit to the glory of Elohim "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." (Yochanan 15:8) [Jn] "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.(Yochanan 15:2) [John] (See Gal. 5:22,23 and Eph. 5:9) 

All mankind bears fruit. For all mankind receives seed; the (wheat seed of Matit'yah ha Lev13 and the (tare seed)."Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. ". In this matter we have no choice. We will serve only one of two masters. " No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." (Matit'yah-ha Levi 6:24)[Matt]. The fruit upon the tree of our lives manifests which seed type we are of; or which seed we are choosing to sow in our lives.  And there are only two types of seed in all of Scripture; the seed of Satan (which come from the Throne of Iniquity) or the Seed of Truth from the Throne of Glory(YHWH'S). Listen as YHWH speaks to Satan in the garden of Eden..... "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed(the tare seed) and her seed(the wheat seed); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel"(B'resheet 3:15) [Gen.] Every motive, every thought, every word, every  tone of voice, every smile, every action is a manifestation of  evil fruit or good fruit....and every tree is known by it's fruit; which is turn was brought forth "after its kind"of seed.

In this last remnant of time, it is imperative that we; as followers of Messiah, first of all examine our own selves to see whether we are in the faith;(See 2Cor13:5) then, we must, (in the love of Messiah) try those who say they are of Messiah's seed so as not to bring a curse upon ourselves by being in accord with Belial. We as followers of Messiah should carefully consider the parable of the wheat and tares of Matit'yah-ha Levi 13; in connection with the parable of the sower.For the latter shows the results of the good seed sown and the former is the commencement of the work of good seed sowing with the final results of both seed types.

.Notice in the parable of the Wheat and Tares; there are two types of seed sown, namely wheat seed and the tare seed. The wheat seed is sown by Yahusha while the tare seed is sown by Satan. And we are told by Yahusha Himself that the good seed is the children of the kingdom but the tares are the children of the wicked one. Satan hopes that by sowing his seed among the wheat that reproach would be cast upon the people of YHWH; that they would bear the blame for the actions of the tares, then in turn the Devil seeks to turn away many who may have otherwise received the word of YHWH. He then says that no one can serve God; or God's plan of Redemption does not work. But in the end the wretchedness and ruin of untold millions will be shown for what it is; the harvest of what he himself has sown in the heart of the lost.

The Word of truth (the seed of Yochanan Makabi 4) that has been sown (upon good ground) is developed to the point of bearing fruit in the Sower Parable. And in the Wheat and Tares Parable we see it's final destination "...my barn...." or Yahusha's Kingdom. In the parable of the Sower we see in three out of four conditions shown, the beginning of spiritual life in the soul.

The seed that falls upon the stony ground springs up quickly. The seed that falls among thorns grows up. The seed that falls upon good ground also germinates and grows.

However, the seed that is sown by the way side, never germinates. (Spiritual life never commences).

In the case of the stony ground hearers we are told that when the sun comes up the plant withers and dies. Also, with the thorny ground hearers we see that the plant is choked by the thorns and dies.
Only in the case of the good ground hearers do we see a steady growth to maturity and fruit bearing.

Lessons to be learned.

We are the ones who determine what type of hearer we would be by the way in which we respond to the seeds of truth sown in the soul. 


If we see that we are a way side hearer; we can take heed to the advice of Scripture which teaches that now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation, harden not your hearts (in unbelief) but obey YHWH while it is called today for you no not if this is your last opportunity for repentance or if this is your last day on earth.

To the stony ground hearer the advice of Scripture is------
"Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you." (Hoshea 10:12) [Hosea] and "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh" (Y'chizki'el 36:26)(Eze.)


To the thorny ground hearer the word of Truth is------ "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matit'yah ha Levi 6:25) [Matt] Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. (Yirmi'yah 4:3) [Jer.]


And to the good ground hearer the word of Yahusha is this "....and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.(Yochanan 15:2) [John] "....and that your fruit remain" (Yochanan 15:16)
 

The seeds of truth sown in good ground in  Yochanan Makabi 4 [Mark] grow up into maturity and bear fruit, then it is gathered in at the harvest time shown in Matit'yah ha Levi 13[Matt]. The wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest. And When is the harvest? At the end of the world. The question now is, are we at the end of the world? According to Yesha'yah 46:10 and  Kefa bet 3:8 and B'resheet 1 we are. YHWH has clearly stated that we are to know the end from the beginning. In B'resheet we are told of the six literal days of creation week. From the beginning we are informed that YHWH will give six thousand years for man to work (to sow seed)" While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease" (B'resheet 8:22)[Gen.].; but on the Millennium Shabbat all man will cease from his works(in one way or another) as YHWH did from His (at creation). The weekly Shabbat is a weekly reminder of our implicit trust in Yahusha for salvation; for salvation is of YHWH.(Yochanan 2:9) [Jn] and Yahusha said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. {Shabbat means rest}Rest from our own works of iniquity and rest in doing His works of righteousness(by faith)..... (the word of truth says: awake to righteousness and sin not) (See 1Cor 15:34)

We see this same theme of work and rest bought to view in Hagilu Natan Elohim 20(Rev). YHWH'S will is for us to cease from our own works and trust in the mighty works wrought out for us in the Life of Yahusha.

By living faith in Messiah we, day by day grow in holiness unto YHWH. For every plant must grow or die. As in the natural so in the spiritual world.Every day, as we look by faith to Yahusha in heart felt prayer, we receive water, sunshine and spiritual nourishment.

The heart (mind) where the seed of truth is sown must be continually cultivated. No farmer casts his seed into the garden before the ground is first tilled.And after the seed is sown in the tilled earth care must be taken, the garden must be weeded or else the precious crop is in danger of being strangled by the unwanted weeds.

Thus, each day, we must take time to watch (examine ourselves) and pray. We must look for the weeds of evil thoughts which fight for germination and  growth in actions. For it is thoughts which become actions which in turn become habits; and habits form  character. Elohim is coming for a people which are without spot or winkle. Character determines destiny. It is up to us to weed the garden of our minds. This is a daily work of faith. And Yahusha has promised to give us all the help we need. Ask, says Yahusha, and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. These and many other precious promises(seeds of truth)  have been given us to sow (commit to memory) in the soil of our hearts; that we may grow into the fulness of the statue of men and women in Messiah.

I have touch on several subjects; within the parameters of the parable of the Sower, which we cannot now go into with great depth, however please let me know if you have any questions regarding this study and we will try our best to answer each one.

I would also have you to know that I write, not as one that has arrived or attained. The teaching here given is for me. And one of the ways to be put in remembrance of these things is to share them with you.

Shalom in Messiah