Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Yom Kippur is this Saturday

Fay Bangerter (Gleaner photo taken at a PROComm event)

 Message from Fay Bangerter - a Messianic Jew

The Day of Atonement this year will be observed on Friday, September 13th at sunset until Saturday, September 14th at sunset in accordance with the Creator's instructions found in His Torah.  See Leviticus 16:29-34 and Leviticus 23:26-32.
We are instructed that this is a statute forever, that we are to afflict our souls and do no work at all, and that it is for the people of that country as well as for the stranger amongst them.  

As believers in the Messiah of Israel (Yeshua), we are Abraham's seed (Galatians 3:29) and the Israel of Yahweh (Galatians 6:16) - the grafted in ones, so I would encourage us to join with the people of Israel on this holy day (in small home groups) in a time of introspection and repentance for any sins known or unknown in our lives.  In addition we must fast and pray for our family, friends and the inhabitants of our nation, asking Yahweh in the name of His Son, Yeshua, to lead us all back into his righteous paths so that we can all find rest for our souls (Jeremiah 6:16).

In case you are thinking that the law was done away with, please meditate on the following:

Christian Bibles consistently refer to "the Law," meaning the Law of Moses, as given in the first five books of the Bible. The Hebrew term for this is the Torah. However, the correct translation of "Torah," is not "law" (not in the western legal sense of the word). Rather, Torah is correctly translated as revelation or instruction from God.
When understood in its proper Hebrew context, here is some of what the "New Testament" says about Torah:

  • Faith does not abolish any part of the Torah as a whole (Matthew 5:17-20, James 2:10)
  • Keeping the Torah is part of the faith that gets you to heaven (Matthew 19:17; Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14)
  • You will abide in Yeshua's love, if you keep Torah (John 14:15-23) as He abided in the Father's love by keeping Torah (John 15:10; Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:15)
  • Faith in Yeshua does not cancel out what the Torah says, it establishes it (Romans 3:31)
  • Torah is itself "liberty" and the standard we are to judge ourselves by (James 1:22-25)
  • It is those of the flesh who are not subject to the Torah (Romans 8:5-8)
  • If you say you know Him, and ignore His Torah, you are a liar (1 John 2:3-7)
  • It does not matter if you are a Jew or a gentile, what matters is keeping God's Torah (1 Cor. 7:19)
  • The "law of love" is that we keep his Torah - which is by no means a "burden" (1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6; Matt. 11:29,30)
These "New Testament" references to Torah might at first confuse people, as they aren't used to thinking in these terms. However, when the Hebrew New Testament authors, and Yeshua Himself, spoke of law/commandments in their first century Jewish religious context, it must be interpreted as "Torah," unless there is a clear reason to do otherwise, as this was what it meant to them.

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