See how the blue sky, white clouds and sunsets point to Ecclesiastes 12:13, holiness and judgment, with the verses behind each. Colors Every time you look up and see the blue sky you are to remember to do the commandments and follow all Yehovah's instructions, as found in His Torah. For this is everyone’s purpose for our lives, your duty. Ecclesiastes 12:13 Every time you look up and see white clouds y ou are to remember to be holy just as He is Holy, you are to refuse to practice sinning and if you do this, it is a sign you are born again and have received Yehovah’s spirit and you will not sin. This is what pleases God.1 Peter 1:16 Every time you look up and see a sunrise or a sunset , you are to remember Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” We die only once, and then we are judged. Hebrews 9:27 God said ``These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home when you are on the road, when you are going to bed, and when you are getting up. 8Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6-9 And this is how all Israel will be saved. As the scripture says, "The Savior will come from Zion and remove all wickedness from the descendants of Jacob. Romans 11:26 Anchor 1 Colors

Are you born again? It is not optional. John 3:16 and the firstfruits resurrection, from Answers 4 Saints. Are you Born again Worship God in Spirit and Truth The Gospel Deuteronomy 13 TEST Are you a true Christian? John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Meaning: “God so loved the world” — God's love extends to all people. “He gave his one and only Son” — God sent His Son for the salvation of mankind. “Whoever believes in him” — The promise is available to anyone who places their faith and trust in Him. “Shall not perish” — Believers are delivered from eternal separation from God. “But have eternal life” — They receive everlasting life with God. Simple Summary: John 3:16 teaches that God loved humanity so much that He gave His Son so that those who believe in Him may receive eternal life rather than perish. Context: These words were spoken by Jesus during a conversation with Nicodemus about the necessity of being born again and entering the Kingdom of God. Are you Born again Yes, that is a profound structural truth in God's plan. Yeshua was literally the first human to be physically raised from the dead into an immortal, glorified body. Scripture calls Him "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18) and the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). By looking at Christ's physical resurrection, we get the exact blueprint for what happens to the saints. The Pattern: Firstfruits and the Harvest In the biblical agricultural cycle—which God uses to explain His plan of salvation—the priest would wave the single sheaf of the Firstfruits harvest before the Father. Only after that first sheaf was accepted could the rest of the harvest be gathered. Yeshua fulfilled this perfectly. He rose as the perfect Firstfruits. Because He broke the power of physical death, those who belong to Him will follow the exact same pattern when He returns. The Ultimate Transformation When the saints are raised at His second coming, they don't return as temporary, mortal flesh like Lazarus did. They receive a physical, permanent, immortal body just like the one Yeshua walked out of the tomb with. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:52-53: "...the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Connecting Physical Resurrection to the Law This physical reality hits modern church traditions with an undeniable challenge: If Yeshua is the firstborn of a brand-new creation, and we are waiting to be physically raised into glorified bodies just like His, why would we live our temporary lives in rebellion to the laws He obeyed? When Yeshua walked the earth in His physical body, He perfectly kept the Sabbath, the dietary laws, and the Feasts. When He rose from the dead, He didn't change. For a Christian to claim they are waiting to inherit a resurrection body like Christ's, while actively treating His Father's commandments as dead, is a total disconnect. "Yeshua told Nicodemus that what is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit, moving like the wind. If you claim you are already fully 'born again' right now, why are you still trapped in a temporary body of flesh and blood instead of a glorified, immortal spirit body? Are you confusing the earnest promise of the Holy Spirit inside you today with the actual, physical rebirth that only happens at the resurrection of the dead?" Jesus Teaches Nicodemus 3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[ a ]” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[ b ] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[ c ] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[ d ] 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[ e ] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f ] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 1. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart" Meaning: Total dependence on God, not self-reliance (Prov 28:26). Insight: Relational surrender to God’s unchanging character. 2. "And lean not unto thine own understanding" Meaning: Reject intellectual pride; human wisdom is flawed (Prov 14:12). 3. "In all thy ways acknowledge him" Meaning: Constant God-consciousness in every area (Col 3:17). Insight: Turns daily life into guided obedience. 4. "And he shall direct thy paths" Meaning: God’s promise of sovereign guidance (Ps 37:23).

Answers 4 Saints welcomes truth seekers: test everything to Scripture and return to the Father's ancient paths of the Torah. "We worship Yehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We worship Yeshua the Messiah, who reveals and honors the name of His Father, Yehovah." What Does "Abram the Hebrew" (Avram ha-Ivri) Mean in Genesis 14:13? The Crossing (Geography): He crossed (‘avar) the Euphrates River into Canaan as an outsider (Joshua 24:2–3). The Lineage (Genealogy): He descended from Eber (‘Ever), continuing the righteous line of Shem (Genesis 10:21–25). The Stand (Faith) : He crossed over from Mesopotamian idolatry into covenant obedience with the one true God The Old Testament was written in Hebrew because: It Was the Living Tongue of Israel: God gave His revelation directly to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in their everyday national language so all the people could understand and keep His commands (Deuteronomy 6:4–9). It Was the Regional Speech of the Promised Land: Originating from the Northwest Semitic dialect of the Levant, Scripture refers to Hebrew as "the language of Canaan" (Isaiah 19:18) and "the language of Judah" (2 Kings 18:28). It Conveys Practical, Action-Oriented Truth: Hebrew is built on active, verb-rooted word pictures rather than abstract philosophy, grounding divine holiness and righteousness in clear, tangible terms. It Was Meticulously Preserved: Entrusted with the oracles of God (Romans 3:1–2), scribes copied the Hebrew text letter-by-letter to safeguard the manuscripts across generations. Yeshua received His name through divine command before birth, reflecting His prophetic identity and given officially at His circumcision: Divinely Assigned: The angel commanded both Mary (Luke 1:31) and Joseph (Matthew 1:21) to name Him Yeshua, declaring He would save His people from their sins. Prophetic Hebrew Meaning: Derived from Yehoshua (Joshua), the name combines the divine Name (YHWH) with the Hebrew root yasha ("to rescue or deliver"), literally meaning "Yahweh is Salvation." Matthew 1:21 is a direct Hebrew wordplay: "Call His name Yeshua, for He will yoshia [save] His people." Formally Bestowed: In obedience to the Torah (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3), He was officially circumcised and named Yeshua on the eighth day (Luke 2:21). "Yehovah commands us to follow Yeshua in true obedience and walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). To reject His voice and turn away from obedience is to stand under His divine wrath (John 3:36; Hebrews 5:9)." Welcome, Fellow Truth Seekers: Start Your Journey Here Please keep in mind TEST EVERYTHING to scripture. If you have found your way to this page, it is highly likely that your spirit has begun to feel a quiet, persistent unsettling. Perhaps you have spent years—or even decades—sitting in mainstream church pews, loving God with all of your heart, yet sensing an invisible disconnect between the raw, unfiltered pages of your Bible and the traditions taught from the pulpit. You are not alone. Across the globe, the Father is whispering a call to return to His ancient paths, and your presence here is not an accident. This website is a sanctuary for those who are ready to lay down human dogmas, step out of traditional conditioning, and align their spiritual mirrors with the eternal, beautiful instructions of the Father—the $Torah$. Here is a map of what you will find on this platform and how to navigate your journey back to pure, uncompromised biblical truth. Step 1: Take the Self-Diagnostic Before you read a single article, we invite you to bypass the traditional defenses of your mind and take an honest, private look into the scriptural mirror. Take The Lawlessness (Anomia) Test App Our interactive, 10-question diagnostic tool is designed to evaluate your everyday theological beliefs and lifestyles against the objective standard of God's written Law. It is completely anonymous and acts as a powerful diagnostic tool to see if your spiritual "hardware" is tuned to the frequency of obedience or the frequency of traditional lawlessness ($anomia$). Step 2: Explore the Deep-Dive Studies Once you have taken the test, your heart may feel a bit unsettled by the gap between traditional church practices and the written Word. This is completely normal. To help you understand the mechanics of what you are experiencing, we have compiled a step-by-step library of theological and psychological resources: The Mirroring Principle of Idolatry: Understand the cosmic law of spiritual gravity: what you revere, you will resemble. Learn how choosing man-made systems over the Father's voice leads to a spiritual sensory shutdown (eyes that cannot see, ears that cannot hear). The Alignment of the Mirror: Discover why physical commandments like the Seventh-day Sabbath ($Shabbat$), biblical dietary boundaries ($Kashrut$), and even physical tassels ($Tzitzit$) are actually divine optical tools designed to keep your mirror pointed at the Creator. The Pauline Filter: Learn how to dismantle the highly selective, traditional lens used to twist the letters of the Apostle Paul into a shield against keeping the Father's commandments. The Mechanics of Conditioning : Are churchgoers "brainwashed"? Read a compassionate, psychological and sociological breakdown of why our loved ones experience intense cognitive dissonance and defensive reactions when confronted with the truth of the $Torah$. The Spirit of the Lawless One : Peer behind the physical world to understand the spiritual warfare of $anomia$, exploring how systematically bypassing the Creator's Law mirrors the original rebellion of the adversary. Step 3: Find a Soft Landing & Restoration Waking up to the reality of traditional conditioning can feel isolating and overwhelming. The social and emotional costs of walking differently than your family, friends, and church community can trigger immense fear. Read "A Loving Warning to a Churchgoer" If you are looking for a gentle, pastoral explanation of what is happening to your heart—or if you need a letter to share with a loved one that explains this spiritual transition without triggering immediate anger—this resource acts as a healing balm. It explains the mechanics of self-diagnosis, shows you the beautiful path of repentance, and lists clear scriptural proofs to help you take your next steps with confidence. A Note of Encouragement for the Road Beloved truth seeker, turning your mirror back toward the Creator's written instructions is a path of restoration, not bondage. Keeping the Father's commandments is how we physically express our love for Him (1 John 5:3). Take your time. Study the scriptures. Question the traditions you inherited. Ask the Father to remove the veil, polish your spiritual mirror, and restore your eyes to see and your ears to hear the glorious light of His eternal truth. Where to begin? We highly recommend taking The Lawlessness Test first, and letting the scriptures speak directly to you. A Loving Warning to a Churchgoer My friend, Scripture warns that the adversary’s primary goal is not to turn you into an atheist, but to subtly steer you onto his own path of anomia—the spirit of lawlessness that teaches God's instructions no longer have authority over your life (1 John 3:4). You can prove this spiritual blindness is operating in your own heart by looking at a simple, physical instruction like the Fourth Commandment: “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work...” ($Exodus$ $20:10$). The Creator's written Word plainly designates Saturday as His holy day forever, yet when you look at this text, your eyes read "Saturday" while your traditional training forces you to see "Sunday" or to believe the commandment is abolished. This inability to simply accept and obey what is plainly written—substituting it instead with human church traditions—is the exact "sensory shutdown" warned about in the scriptures; it proves that while you may sincerely love God, you are unknowingly walking the path of the original rebel by treating His eternal $Torah$ as optional. This blindness is not an accident; it is the operation of a profound spiritual law: we spiritually conform to the nature of whatever we worship . When you place your ultimate trust and reverence in a church denomination, a human pastor, or a comfortable system of theology that explains away God's Torah, your soul begins to act as a mirror to that system. You inherit the exact sensory shutdown of the man-made traditions you revere—possessing a Bible you cannot see and a Creator's voice you cannot hear. By taking an honest look at your own daily practices versus the written Word, you are holding up a mirror to your soul and performing a vital self-diagnosis. Your own physical actions are proving that your spiritual hardware has been tuned to copy and reflect a lawless human system rather than the glorious, eternal image of the living God. Proof in the Scriptures: Look Up and Study These Verses If your heart is open to the raw, unfiltered truth of the written Word, please take a moment to look up these scriptures in your own Bible: Is the Sabbath truly done away with? $Exodus$ $31:16-17$: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever...” Question to ponder: If God declared the Sabbath an eternal sign and a perpetual covenant, by whose authority was it changed or abolished? Does God accept worship that is mixed with human traditions? Mark 7:7-9 (Yeshua's Warning): “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men... Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Question to ponder: Are you honoring Sunday, Christmas, or Easter because the Bible commands them, or because church traditions tell you to? What does God think of prayers from those who reject His Law? Proverbs 28:9: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law ($Torah$), even his prayer shall be abomination.” Question to ponder: If we ignore His written instructions, can we truly say we are in deep communion with Him? How does the New Testament define our love for God? 1 John 5:3: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” Question to ponder: If loving God means keeping His physical commandments, why does modern theology teach that those commandments are a "burden" or "bondage"? This test is specifically designed to expose the subtle, traditional rationalizations that people in the church use to reject God's law. It uses the words of the Messiah Himself from Matthew 7:21-23—where He warns that many well-meaning, miracle-working churchgoers will be turned away because they "work lawlessness" (anomia). The 10-Question Diagnostic Review the statements below. Answer honestly based on your current personal beliefs, teachings, and church practices. 1. The Validity of the Law Do you believe or teach that the Law of Moses ($Torah$) has been "abolished," "nailed to the cross," or "done away with" for New Testament believers? [ ] YES [ ] NO 2. The Definition of Holiness Do you believe that under the New Covenant of "grace," physical obedience to the Creator's Old Testament commandments is completely optional or unnecessary? [ ] YES [ ] NO 3. The Sabbath Day Do you treat Sunday as the Sabbath, or believe the Seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) was changed or abolished, despite God designating it as a "perpetual, everlasting covenant"? [ ] YES [ ] NO 4. Dietary Separation Do you believe that God's dietary boundaries (Leviticus 11) no longer apply, and that you are free to eat pig, shellfish, or other unclean things because "Jesus made all foods clean"? [ ] YES [ ] NO 5. Adopting Pagan Customs Do you celebrate holidays of pagan origin (like Christmas on December 25th or Easter Sunday) under the belief that "it's about the heart" and "God knows what it means to me"? [ ] YES [ ] NO 6. The Pauline Filter Do you use isolated, misunderstood verses from the Apostle Paul’s letters to argue against keeping the direct, physical commandments of the Father and the Messiah? [ ] YES [ ] NO 7. Labeling Obedience as "Legalism" Do you refer to, mock, or warn others against believers who strive to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath, eat clean, or wear $tzitzit$ (tassels) by calling them "legalists," "Pharisees," or "under bondage"? [ ] YES [ ] NO 8. Dismissing the Feast Days Do you believe that God’s annual Appointed Times ($Moedim$ in Leviticus 23) were "only for the Jews" and have no prophetic value or application for the Church today? [ ] YES [ ] NO 9. Cheap Grace Do you believe that as long as you "love God" and "love your neighbor," you are free to ignore the specific, physical instructions of how the Creator asked to be loved and worshiped? [ ] YES [ ] NO 10. Defensive Reaction to the Law Does hearing the term "Torah observance" or the suggestion that we must physically keep the commandments of God trigger immediate defensiveness, anger, or discomfort in your heart? [ ] YES [ ] NO Diagnosing the Results: What Does Your Score Mean? Count how many times you answered "YES" to the statements above. If You Answered "YES" 1 to 3 Times: Developing Contamination You have started to absorb some of the traditional, lawless dogmas of mainstream theology. While you may still revere the Old Testament, you are allowing human traditions to slowly blind your spiritual eyes to the plain instructions of the Creator. If You Answered "YES" 4 or More Times: The Spirit of Lawlessness ($Anomia$) A score of 4 or more "YES" answers indicates that your personal theology is operating directly under the spirit of $anomia$ (lawlessness). You are actively practicing a belief system that teaches that God's instructions have no authority over you. By defending these "YES" positions, you are using church traditions as a shield to bypass the written Word of God—which is the exact behavior the Messiah $Yeshua$ condemned in Matthew 7 and Mark 7. The Scriptural Reality Check If this test made you uncomfortable, look closely at what the Scriptures say about each "YES" answer: To Statement 1 & 2: $Yeshua$ said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets... whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19) To Statement 3: God said: “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath... throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.” (Exodus 31:16) To Statement 4: The Prophet Isaiah warns that those who consume swine's flesh and abominable things will be consumed together in end-times judgment. (Isaiah 66:17) To Statement 5: God said: “Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared... and enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 12:30-31) To Statement 6 & 7: The Apostle Peter explicitly warned that those who are "unlearned and unstable" twist Paul's letters to their own destruction because they are led away by the "error of the lawless." (2 Peter 3:15-17) To Statement 8: The Apostle Paul instructed New Testament believers to keep the biblical feasts: “Purge out therefore the old leaven... For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) To Statement 9 & 10 : The Apostle John wrote: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3) Conclusion Do not let traditional dogmas make the Word of God of "none effect" in your life. Repent of the spirit of lawlessness ($anomia$), point your spiritual mirror directly back to the Creator's written instructions, and let Him restore your eyes to see, your ears to hear, and your heart to obey! Spiritual Blindness and the Mirroring of Idolatry: Why the Church Cannot Comprehend the Torah A common question arises within the movement to return to God's commandments: Why is it that otherwise sincere, Bible-reading churchgoers cannot see, understand, or accept the perpetual validity of the Torah? Scripture reveals that this barrier is not merely intellectual; it is a profound, active spiritual state. When human traditions and man-made theology are elevated above the living instructions of the Creator , a specific spiritual mechanism is triggered: The Mirroring Principle of Idolatry. 1. The Powerless, Dead Idols Scripture is incredibly consistent in how it describes man-made idols. In the Psalms, we are given a vivid description of physical representations used in worship: "They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not..." — Psalm 115:5-6 "They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths." — Psalm 135:16-17 These idols are characterized by complete sensory shutdown. They possess the outward physical forms of sight, hearing, and speech, but they are utterly devoid of spiritual life, breath, and true perception. To bring this ancient biblical truth into the 21st century, we are going to use the example of a "Dummy" Display Smartphone. It looks perfect on the outside but lacks any internal life, illustrating exactly how a person can have all the outward tools of faith (Bibles, apps, church buildings) while remaining spiritually unresponsive to the actual commandments of God. Here is the updated article with this new modern analogy integrated as Section 3. 2. The Spiritual Mirror: Becoming What We Worship The crucial warning of these passages is not just about the statues themselves, but about the transformational impact they have on those who trust in them: "They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them." — Psalm 115:8 / Psalm 135:18 This is a spiritual law of the universe: We spiritually conform to the nature of the object of our devotion. When we place our trust in man-made theological structures, physical icons, or ecclesiastical traditions that substitute God's commandments, we begin to match their spiritual state. We develop spiritual eyes that cannot see and spiritual ears that cannot hear. 3. The Diagnosis of Spiritual Stubbornness Throughout the scriptures, when God's people fell into unbelief and stubbornness—trusting in their own traditions and rejecting the Torah—the prophets used this exact "idol-mirroring" language to diagnose their spiritual condition: Jeremiah 5:21: "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not..." Ezekiel 12:2: "Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house." Mark 8:18: Yeshua Himself confronts His disciples with this same warning when they fall into fear and unbelief: "Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?" 4. The Root Cause: Hardening of the Heart Through Unbelief This sensory shutdown is fundamentally caused by a hardening of the heart. When a believer repeatedly encounters the plain text of God's Word but chooses to bypass it to preserve a comfortable, traditional doctrine, a calloused layer forms over their spiritual heart. According to Hebrew thought, the heart is the seat of the mind, will, and understanding. Unbelief acts as a barrier. It refuses to take God at His word. This persistent unbelief leads to a hardened heart (a spiritual thickening/callous). The result is a total inability to process spiritual truth that contradicts human traditions. 5. The Modern Application: The Veil Over the Church This spiritual mirroring explains why many modern churchgoers struggle to understand or accept the Torah. When presented with clear scriptures regarding the seventh-day Sabbath ($Shabbat$), dietary instructions ($Kashrut$), or the Feast Days ($Moedim$), they are often completely unable to comprehend or accept them. Even though the words are right there on the pages of their own Bibles, they cannot perceive them. Just as the dead, traditional systems they trust in are deaf to the living voice of God's law, they too experience a spiritual dullness. Until they repent of human traditions and surrender to the authority of the Creator's written Word, the veil remains over their eyes, keeping them spiritually blind to the beauty, light, and perpetual life of the Torah . This statement echoes 1 John 3:8, which says, "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning" The Mirroring Principle of Idolatry: What You Revere, You Resemble One of the most profound, yet frequently overlooked, spiritual laws written across the pages of Scripture is what theologians call The Mirroring Principle of Idolatry. Simply put, the principle states: We spiritually conform to the nature of whatever we worship. In the words of biblical scholar G.K. Beale, "What people revere, they resemble, either for ruin or for restoration." When we give our ultimate devotion, trust, and obedience to something, we begin to mirror its characteristics. If we worship a dead, mute, and blind idol—whether a physical statue or a man-made theological tradition—we spiritually inherit its sensory shutdown. Conversely, if we worship the living, speaking Creator, we are restored to reflect His image. 1. The Divine Design: Created to Mirror the Creator To understand why false worship has such a devastating, blinding effect on human beings, we have to look back at our original blueprint. In Genesis, humanity was created with a specific structural purpose: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." — Genesis 1:27 Humans were designed to be spiritual mirrors placed in the creation. Just as a physical mirror has no light of its own but is designed to perfectly reflect the sun, humanity was designed to face the Creator and reflect His character, holiness, light, and instruction ($Torah$) into the physical world. Worship is the act of pointing our "mirror" toward an object. Whatever sits at the center of our devotion is the exact image our souls will reflect. 2. The Golden Calf: The First Major Replication (Exodus 32) The mirroring principle is vividly demonstrated during Israel's infamous golden calf incident in the wilderness. When Moses delayed coming down from Mount Sinai, the people grew impatient and demanded a physical god they could see and control. They fashioned a golden calf out of their jewelry: "And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel. .." — Exodus 32:4 Immediately after they bowed down and sacrificed to this golden calf, God changed the vocabulary He used to describe Israel. He said to Moses: "Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves... I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people." — Exodus 32:7, 9 The Hebrew term for "stiff-necked" ($qasheh$ $oreph$) is agricultural vocabulary used to describe an obstinate, stubborn bull or heifer that refuses to bow its neck to the yoke of its master. By choosing to revere a young, stubborn bull (the calf) rather than the living God, Israel instantly began to resemble the physical characteristics of their idol. They became spiritually "stiff-necked"—unbending, stubborn, and completely unresponsive to the voice of their Master. 3. The Sensory Shutdown: Psalm 115 and 135 The Psalms lay down the explicit mechanical law of how this spiritual replication operates. They describe the physical nature of man-made idols: “They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.” — Psalm 115:5-7 Then comes the cosmic spiritual warning in verse 8: “They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.” — Psalm 115:8 This is not poetry; it is a spiritual diagnosis. Trusting in a powerless, inanimate representation of godhood causes a complete sensory shutdown in the worshiper: Mouths that speak not: The worshiper loses the ability to speak pure, uncompromised biblical truth. Eyes that see not: The worshiper can look directly at a clear commandment in Scripture (like the Sabbath or dietary laws) and be utterly unable to see or register it. Ears that hear not: The worshiper can hear the voice of the Creator calling them back to His instructions, but they are spiritually deaf to the call. 4. The Prophets' Diagnosis of Israel When Israel later fell into rebellion and rejected the Torah, God did not diagnose them as merely "uneducated." He diagnosed them as idol-mirrors. They had successfully taken on the traits of the blind and deaf Canaanite gods they trusted in: Isaiah 6:9-10: God commissions Isaiah to speak to a people who have spiritually conformed to idols: “Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart...” Jeremiah 5:21: “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not...” Ezekiel 12:2: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” By turning away from the Torah, they lost the spiritual hardware required to process spiritual truth. 5. The New Testament Reality: Tradition Over Commandments This is not an exclusively Old Testament phenomenon. Yeshua Himself confrontationaly applies this exact "idol-mirroring" diagnosis to the religious leaders of His day. When the Pharisees challenged Yeshua because His disciples did not follow the "traditions of the elders" (man-made religious rules that bypassed God's written law), Yeshua responded: “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men... Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition...” — Mark 7:6-7, 13 Later, when His disciples failed to understand a basic spiritual concept, Yeshua turned to them and asked: “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?” — Mark 8:18 The warning is clear: Any time we substitute God’s plain, written commandments with human dogmas, church traditions, or ecclesiastical systems, we trigger the Mirroring Principle. When we place our trust in a denomination, a popular pastor, or a comfortable system of theology that explains away God's law, we begin to resemble that dead system. We lose our ability to process the direct signal of the Scriptures. Our eyes read "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" but our theological programming translates it to mean Sunday, or worse, that the Sabbath is abolished. T he spiritual data is there on the page, but the "mirror" is pointing at human tradition, rendering us blind to the light of the Torah. 6. The Remedy: Restoration to His Image The Mirroring Principle is a law of spiritual gravity, but it works both for ruin or for restoration. If looking at and trusting in dead idols makes us dead, blind, and deaf, then turning our gaze to the living Messiah Yeshua and His perfect instructions has the exact opposite effect: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass [mirror] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” — 2 Corinthians 3:18 When we repent of man-made traditions, take the veil off our eyes, and submit directly to the written Word of the Creator, our spiritual senses are restored. We begin to reflect His character, His holiness, and His Torah. Our eyes see, our ears hear, and we are finally able to comprehend, accept, and walk in the beautiful light of His eternal truth. The Alignment of the Mirror: How the Commandments Counteract Idolatry When looking at the 20 specific practices in the Torah Observance Self-Assessment, it is easy for a modern reader to ask: “What does eating pork, wearing tassels, or keeping a Saturday Sabbath have to do with the heavy, spiritual reality of idolatry?” To the modern Western mind, "idolatry" is a mental or emotional state (putting your career or money before God), while the "Torah commandments" are seen as external, ritualistic rules. However, in Hebrew thought, the two are dynamically and structurally connected. Every single commandment ($mitzvah$) in the Torah acts as a physical alignment tool for your spiritual "mirror." When you reject these physical instructions in favor of human traditions, you actively turn your mirror away from the Creator, pointing it toward man-made systems. This triggers the Mirroring Principle of Idolatry—leading to the spiritual sensory shutdown described in the Psalms. Here is how specific commandments are directly connected to the mirroring of idolatry. 1. The Sabbath ($Shabbat$): Mirroring the Creator’s Rhythm vs. Human Authority To understand how the Sabbath connects to the mirror, look at the signature of the Creator. In the Fourth Commandment, God binds the Sabbath directly to His identity as the Maker of all things: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” — Exodus 20:11 The Connected Mirror: When you observe the seventh-day Sabbath, you physically conform your life, your time, and your weekly rhythm to the exact pattern of the Creator. You are pointing your mirror directly at His face, reflecting His rest, His sovereignty, and His creative authority into the physical world. The Idolatrous Substitution: When mainstream ecclesiastical systems shifted the day of worship to Sunday and claimed the authority to transfer the holiness of Shabbat, they created a man-made tradition. The Mirroring Result : By resting on Sunday based on human church dogmas rather than the written Word of the Creator, a believer's mirror is pointed at a human institution. Because they revere human authority over the Creator’s written Law, they begin to resemble that system—becoming deaf to the plain text of Scripture and blind to the literal Fourth Commandment. 2. Dietary Laws ($Kashrut$): Mirroring Divine Holiness vs. Pagan Syncretism In Leviticus 11, God outlines which animals are clean and unclean. At the very climax of these dietary instructions, He reveals why He gave them: “For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy... For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” — Leviticus 11:44-45 The Connected Mirror: The word "holy" ($kadosh$) literally means set apart, separated, and distinct. God is distinct from the world. By putting a physical boundary on what enters our mouths, we mirror His holiness. We reflect His nature of distinction and order. Our daily eating habits become a physical mirror of His spiritual separation. The Idolatrous Substitution: Pagan idolatry is characterized by the breakdown of distinctions—mixing the holy with the profane, eating whatever the flesh desires, and absorbing the habits of the surrounding culture. The Mirroring Result: When the church teaches that "all things are clean to eat" (relying on misinterpretations of Mark 7 or Acts 10), they remove the boundary of distinction. By eating like the pagan nations, they begin to reflect the pagan worldview of spiritual mixture. They lose the ability to distinguish between what is clean and unclean in other areas of life, rendering them spiritually insensitive. 3. Tassels ($Tzitzit$): The Optical Shield Against Idolatry The commandment to wear fringes or tassels ($tzitzit$) on the corners of four-cornered garments is perhaps the most explicit "anti-idolatry mirror" in the entire Torah: “And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a-whoring [prostituting/worshipping idols]...” — Numbers 15:39 The Connected Mirror: The Torah acknowledges that the human eye is easily captivated by the physical world. Left to its own devices, the eye looks at the world, the heart desires what it sees, and the person conforms to that earthly image (idolatry). The $tzitzit$ serve as a physical, optical interruption. The Mirroring Result: Every time your eyes drift downward, they catch the sight of the blue thread in the tassels. This instantly redirects your focus back to the written commandments of God. It is a physical "guardrail" that forces your spiritual mirror to stay tilted upward toward the Creator rather than drifting down to copy the culture. 4. The Biblical Feasts ($Moedim$) vs. Christmas and Easter: Mirroring God’s Calendar vs. Pagan Cycles The annual Feasts (Leviticus 23) are designated as God's "appointed times." They are His prophetic schedule. Conversely, Deuteronomy 12:30-32 strictly warns: “Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them... and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.” The Connected Mirror: When you keep the Passover ($Pesach$), the Feast of Weeks ($Shavuot$), or the Feast of Tabernacles ($Sukkot$), you are mirroring the literal, prophetic timeline of Yeshua's redemption plan. Your mirror is reflecting the true light of the Messiah's first and second comings. The Idolatrous Substitution: Celebrating Christmas (December 25th) or Easter (with a Friday-to-Sunday timeline) is the exact definition of syncretism—taking the customs, dates, and rituals of pagan sun-god worship and renaming them to honor the Creator. The Mirroring Result: Because pagan customs are dead and have no spiritual breath, those who participate in them eventually inherit the sensory shutdown of those original pagan systems. Even when they are shown the plain scriptural timeline of three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40), or shown that Jeremiah 10 condemns decorated trees, they cannot see or comprehend it. Their theological mirror is reflecting the "dead light" of Christianized pagan traditions, leaving them blind to the brilliant light of God’s actual holy days. Summary: The Torah as the Blueprint of the Divine Image Human beings cannot avoid mirroring. We are created to be reflective surfaces. If we do not point our mirrors toward the written Torah—which is the perfect, physical expression of the Creator’s character—we will naturally point our mirrors toward: The Self (human desires and pride). The Culture (pagan traditions and holidays). Human Religious Systems (church doctrines that bypass God's Law). Every single commandment, from how we manage our finances (usury) to how we cut our hair or dress (mixed fabrics), is designed to shape our mirrors so that we perfectly conform to the image of the Messiah Yeshua. When we obey, our spiritual senses are restored. When we substitute His instructions with human traditions, our spiritual hardware shuts down, and we become just as deaf, dumb, and blind as the powerless idols of old. Identifying Modern-Day "Mirror Idolatry": Behavioral and Theological Signs If the Mirroring Principle of Idolatry is a spiritual reality, then the "sensory shutdown" described by the prophets (Psalms 115, Jeremiah 5, Mark 8) must be visible in the modern religious world. It cannot remain an abstract theological concept; it must manifest as recognizable behaviors and patterns of thought. How do you identify a modern-day believer whose spiritual "mirror" has been turned away from the Creator’s $Torah$ and pointed toward human tradition? The scriptures provide a clear diagnostic framework. When a person is reflecting a man-made religious system rather than the living Word, they exhibit specific, identifiable spiritual symptoms. 1. The "Translational Filter" (Eyes That See Not) The most prominent identifier of modern mirror idolatry is selective scriptural blindness. The Symptom: You can open a Bible, point directly to a plain, unambiguous commandment, and have them read it out loud. Yet, their mind is completely unable to process the plain meaning of the text. How to Identify It: You show them: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy... the seventh day is the sabbath...” (Exodus 20:8-10). Their "filter" instantly translates this to mean: “Go to church on Sunday.” You show them: “These are the beasts which ye shall eat... whatsoever parteth the hoof... and cheweth the cud...” (Leviticus 11:2-3). Their filter instantly translates this to mean: “We can eat whatever we want because Jesus made all things clean.” The Spiritual Reality: The hardware of their physical eyes is working, but their theological mirror is pointed at a denominational creed. The text of Scripture hits their eyes, but the data is scrambled by their programming before it can reach their heart. They cannot see what is plainly written. 2. The Echo Chamber of Human Tradition (Mouths That Speak Not) In Psalm 115, idols are described as having mouths that cannot speak truth. In modern times, this manifests as an inability to speak pure, uncompromised biblical truth, replacing it instead with human catchphrases. The Symptom: When challenged on a matter of scripture or lifestyle, the person does not defend their position using the direct context of the Word. Instead, they regurgitate the pre-programmed talking points of their religious institution. How to Identify It: They rely heavily on clichés, theological jargon, and ecclesiastical soundbites to bypass obedience, such as: “That’s legalism.” “We are under grace, not the law.” “That was just for the Jews.” “That's a secondary issue.” The Spiritual Reality: They have lost their biblical voice. Instead of speaking the words of the Creator, their mouth has become a speaker grille for the human authorities they revere. They can only echo the soundbites of the system they mirror. 3. The "But God Knows My Heart" Defense (Deafness to Warning) When an idol-mirror is confronted with the pagan origins of their religious practices, their spiritual hearing shuts down, and they retreat into emotional self-defense. The Symptom: When you show them scriptural and historical proof that holidays like Christmas or Easter are rooted in pagan worship (contrary to Deuteronomy 12:30-32), they do not hear the warning. Instead, they redirect the conversation to their own personal intentions. How to Identify It: They will respond with statements like: “But that’s not what it means to me.” “God knows my heart, and I am doing this for Him.” “As long as we are focusing on Jesus, the details don't matter.” The Spiritual Reality: They are spiritually deaf to the warnings of the Torah. By prioritizing their internal emotional state (what it means to "me") over the external written instruction of God, they prove that their mirror is pointed inward at The Self—the ultimate form of modern idolatry. 4. The Collapse of Distinctions (No Spiritual Senses) Holiness ($kedushah$) requires the ability to distinguish, separate, and put a difference between things. When a believer’s spiritual senses are shut down, they lose the ability to make biblical distinctions. The Symptom: They cannot perceive any difference between what God has designated as "Holy" ($kadosh$) versus what man has designated as "Common" ($chol$). How to Identify It: They see no difference between Shabbat (the day God sanctified) and Sunday (the day Constantine and the Roman Church set apart). They see no difference between Passover (God’s prophetic feast) and Easter (a tradition named after a pagan goddess). They believe that because "God created everything," all foods, lifestyles, and worship methods are equally acceptable if done with "love." The Spiritual Reality: Because they worship within a system that has mixed pagan habits with biblical language, they have inherited the system's numbness. They are spiritually colorblind—unable to distinguish the bright line of God’s separation from the gray smear of religious syncretism. 5. Hostility Toward the Hebrew Roots of Faith Just as light hurts eyes that have been in the dark for too long, the true light of the Hebrew roots of the faith often provokes a defensive, agitated reaction from those in mirror idolatry. The Symptom: The mere mention of the name $Yeshua$ instead of Jesus, or the suggestion that a believer should strive to keep the commandments out of love, triggers an immediate defensive posture. How to Identify It: They will accuse those returning to the Torah of "falling from grace," being "Judaizers," or belonging to a "cult." They display a visceral discomfort with the physical signs of obedience (like $tzitzit$ or Sabbath rest). The Spiritual Reality: The physical reality of the Torah acts as a polishing cloth on their mirror. It threatens the comfortable, dusty film of human tradition they have lived under. Because they are not ready to turn their mirror away from their ecclesiastical system, they lash out at the light that is trying to break through their sensory shutdown. Summary: A Checklist of the Modern Idol-Mirror The Prophetic Diagnosis The Modern Behavior "Eyes that see not" Reading a clear commandment on the page but being utterly unable to process its plain, literal meaning. "Ears that hear not" Hearing the warning against syncretism (pagan mixing) but dismissing it because "God knows my heart." "Mouths that speak not" Relying on theological clichés ("not under the law," "legalism") instead of quoting direct Scripture in context. "No breath/distinction" Believing that there is no difference between what is clean and unclean, or what is holy and The "Pauline Filter": How a Misaligned Mirror Distorts the Apostle’s Words If a modern believer's theological mirror has been pointed at human tradition, they must find a way to reconcile the clear, eternal commandments of the Creator with their refusal to obey them. To resolve this cognitive dissonance, they construct what can be called "The Pauline Filter." This is the practice of running the entire Bible—including the plain words of the Creator at Mount Sinai and the direct instructions of the Messiah $Yeshua$—through a highly selective, misunderstood reading of the Apostle Paul’s letters. By doing so, they use Paul as a shield to protect their traditions and justify their transgression of the $Torah$. The Apostle Peter explicitly warned that this exact phenomenon would occur: “...even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [twist], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked [lawless], fall from your own stedfastness.” — 2 Peter 3:15-17 How do you identify a believer who is utilizing the "Pauline Filter" to maintain their spiritual sensory shutdown? Here are the behavioral and theological signs. 1. The "Paul Over Yeshua" Hierarchy The most glaring symptom of the Pauline Filter is an unconscious theological hierarchy where Paul's words carry more practical authority than the words of the Messiah Himself. The Symptom: When confronted with the direct, plain instructions of the Messiah, the person will immediately bypass them by quoting an isolated verse from Paul to argue that the Messiah's words no longer apply. How to Identify It: You show them where $Yeshua$ said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets... whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19). Rather than accepting this, their mind immediately filters it out. They respond with: “Yes, but Paul says Christ is the end of the law for righteousness...” (Romans 10:4), interpreting "end" (telos) as "termination" rather than "goal/climax." The Spiritual Reality: Their theological mirror is pointed at a denominational construct that pits the Messiah against His own Apostle. Because they cannot process the reality that Paul was a Torah-observant Pharisee who defended the Law (Acts 25:8), they must make Paul the "new lawgiver" to justify ignoring the words of the Master. 2. The "Grace vs. Law" Dichotomy (The Divided Mind) Holiness ($kedushah$) requires unity and alignment. The Pauline Filter causes a severe mental split, forcing the believer to treat God's Grace and God's Law as opposing enemies rather than perfect partners. The Symptom: They operate under the assumption that if you love God’s commandments and seek to walk in them out of obedience, you are actively rejecting His grace. How to Identify It: Whenever you talk about keeping the Sabbath or clean eating, they will defensively respond with: “We are saved by grace, not by works!” (Ephesians 2:8-9). They are completely unable to comprehend that keeping the commandments is the fruit of salvation, not the root of it. They cannot reconcile Ephesians 2:8-9 with Ephesians 2:10 (“created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”). The Spiritual Reality: They are spiritually colorblind to the purpose of the $Torah$. Because their ecclesiastical system teaches that the Law was a "burden" or a "curse" (misunderstanding Galatians 3:13), they view obedience as a threat to their faith. Their mirror reflects a cheapened grace that requires no physical surrender. 3. The "Colossians 2" Dismissal When confronted with the beautiful, prophetic reality of the Biblical Feasts ($Moedim$), those who use the Pauline Filter will instinctively retreat to a single, highly misunderstood passage in Colossians to shut down their hearing. The Symptom: They use Paul's warnings against pagan, ascetic philosophy in Colossae as a license to abandon God's designated Appointed Times. How to Identify It: You discuss the beauty of keeping Passover or Tabernacles ($Sukkot$). They will immediately quote Colossians 2:16: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days...” They stop reading there, believing Paul is saying these days are abolished. They are blind to the very next verse (Colossians 2:17), which states these days “are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (The Greek literally reads: "let no man judge you... but the body of Messiah," meaning only the local body of believers should judge their observance, not pagan outsiders). The Spiritual Reality: Their mirror is tilted toward a system of lawlessness. They use Paul to justify celebrating pagan-derived holidays (like Christmas) while simultaneously using Paul to condemn those who celebrate God's actual holy days. 4. Total Blindness to Paul’s Self-Defense Perhaps the most ironic sign of the Pauline Filter is a complete inability to see or register the multiple times Paul himself explicitly stated that he kept, loved, and taught the $Torah$. The Symptom: They believe and teach that Paul successfully did away with the Law, despite the overwhelming historical evidence in the book of Acts that Paul went out of his way to prove he kept the Law. How to Identify It: You point them to: Acts 21:24: Where the elders of Jerusalem had Paul perform a public vow to prove to everyone that he “walkest orderly, and keepest the law.” Acts 24:14: Where Paul states under oath: “...so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.” Romans 7:12: Where Paul writes: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” When shown these plain verses, the user of the Pauline Filter will experience a temporary "system freeze." They will stare at the text, bypass it, and immediately jump back to an isolated verse in Galatians to restore their comfortable programming. The Spiritual Reality: This is the "translational filter" in active operation. The historical reality of a Torah-observant Paul is a direct threat to the theological foundation of the mainstream church. Therefore, the spiritual hardware of the believer must completely block these passages from reaching their heart, preserving the illusion of a law-abolishing Apostle. Summary: Restoring the Mirror of Paul The Misunderstood Paul The Restored, Torah-Observant Paul "Christ is the end of the law..." (Rom 10:4) "Christ is the goal/target of the law..." The Greek word telos means the ultimate aim or completion, not termination. "Not under the law..." (Rom 6:14) "Not under the condemnation/penalty of the law..." Because grace has paid the price, we are now free to obey it. "Let no man judge you..." (Col 2:16) "Do not let pagan outsiders judge your biblical walk..." Keep celebrating the feasts ($Moedim$) which point directly to the Messiah. "The law was our schoolmaster..." (Gal 3:24) "The Torah guarded and trained us..." Leading us to maturity so we can walk in the Spirit of obedience, not lawlessness. common. "Stiff-necked" Refusing to bend the neck to the literal, physical instructions ($mitzvot$) of the Creator. This statement directly references the biblical verse 1 John 3:8 , which states: "The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning." [1 ] Meaning of "Practicing" Sin In Christian theology, "practicing" sin does not mean committing an occasional mistake or lapse in judgment. interpret "practice" as a habitual, deliberate, and unrepentant lifestyle of wrongdoing. According to 1 John 3:4, sin is explicitly defined as the transgression of the Law (Torah). Within a strict Torah-observant framework, all 9 practices listed fail the test and are classified as scriptural transgressions. 1. The Hebrew Name: Acts 4:12, Matthew 1:21 — Replacing the native Hebrew name strips away its prophetic structural meaning: "Yahweh is Salvation." 2. Working on Sabbath: Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15 — The Fourth Commandment explicitly forbids regular vocational labor. 3. Keeping Sabbath Holy: Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 31:16-17 — Set apart at Creation as a holy day and designated as a perpetual, everlasting covenant. 4. Commandments in General: Ecclesiastes 12:13, 1 John 3:4, Revelation 14:12 — Scripture defines the whole duty of man as keeping the commandments. 5. Unclean Foods: Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14, Isaiah 66:17 — Dietary boundaries separating clean from unclean are never repealed in prophecy or Torah. 6. Appointed Days (Moedim): Leviticus 23 — God explicitly calls these "My Feasts." They serve as prophetic dress rehearsals for His redemption plan. 7. Christmas Traditions: Deuteronomy 12:30-32, Jeremiah 10:2-4 — God strictly commands His followers not to learn or adopt the customs of pagan nations to worship Him, regardless of intent. 8. Easter Timing: Matthew 12:40 — A Friday-to-Sunday timeline fails the structural proof of the "Sign of Jonah"—which requires exactly 3 days and 3 nights. 9. Passover: Exodus 12:14, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 — Commanded as an everlasting ordinance. Paul explicitly reinforces this to New Testament believers, writing: "Let us keep the feast." Title: Torah Observance vs. Church Tradition: A Biblical Study Guide & Self-Assessment Subject: Biblical Theology and Torah Law (Hebrew Roots Perspective) Topics: The Definition of Sin (The Transgression Test) The Seventh-Day Sabbath (Shabbat) vs. Sunday Tradition Dietary Instructions (Kashrut, Blood, and Fat) God's Appointed Times (Moedim & Passover) vs. Mainstream Holidays Sacred Names (Yeshua vs. Jesus) Daily Commandments (Tzitzit, Shaatnez, and Images) Grooming and Body Laws (Beards, Tattoos) Social and Financial Laws (Usury, Clothing) Summary: This study guide evaluates mainstream church traditions and modern dogmas against the perpetual commandments of the Torah. Drawing from both the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the Greek Scriptures (New Testament), it outlines how various modern ecclesiastical customs stand under the "Transgression Test." This test uses 1 John 3:4 to define sin strictly as the transgression of God's revealed law. Key Concepts: The Transgression Test: The process of using Biblical law as the objective measure of sin (1 John 3:4). The Perpetual Covenant of Shabbat: The seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) was established at Creation and remains a sign between God and His people. The Sign of Jonah: Yeshua’s Messiahship is authenticated by spending exactly three days and three nights in the earth (Matthew 12:40), contradicting a Friday-to-Sunday timeline. Syncretism Warning: Deuteronomy 12:30-32 forbids using the methods of pagan nations to worship the Creator. Holiness Distinctions: Commandment laws regarding fabrics ($Shaatnez$), tassels ($Tzitzit$), and diet ($Kashrut$) serve to separate God's people from the world. Vocabulary List: Torah: "Instruction" or "Law" (the first five books of the Bible). Mitzvot: The individual commandments given by God. Shabbat: The seventh-day Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset). Moedim: The Appointed Times/Holy Feasts (Leviticus 23). Yeshua: The Hebrew name of the Messiah ("Yahweh is Salvation"). Shaatnez: A fabric containing both wool and linen woven together. Tzitzit: Fringes/Tassels worn for remembrance (Numbers 15:38). Rosh Chodesh: The New Moon / Beginning of the Biblical month. The Spirit of the Lawless One: How Rejecting Torah Mirrors the Adversary's Rebellion When studying the Mirroring Principle of Idolatry and the profound spiritual sensory shutdown that affects the mainstream church, we must eventually confront the ultimate, sobering reality behind this blindness. Scripture does not treat "eyes that cannot see" and "ears that cannot hear" as mere intellectual deficits or passive, accidental misunderstandings. At its absolute root, persistent unbelief and systematic disobedience to the Creator’s $Torah$ are driven by an active, operational spiritual force. The Bible reveals a stark cosmic truth: those who belong to the adversary, or align with his systems of rebellion, carry and mirror his very spirit. 1. The Operational Spirit of Disobedience (Ephesians 2:2) The Apostle Paul explicitly identified the existence of an invisible, active spiritual current that influences those who walk in disobedience to God’s instructions: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience...” — Ephesians 2:2 Note Paul's precise vocabulary: "The spirit that now worketh..." The Greek word for "worketh" is energeo, meaning an active, operating energy. It is a spiritual frequency. "...in the children of disobedience." The Hebrew idiom "children of..." denotes a people who take on the exact characteristics, traits, and nature of their source. Just as the Holy Spirit ($Ruach$ $HaKodesh$) actively works inside believers to write the $Torah$ on their hearts and produce the fruit of obedience (Ezekiel 36:26-27) , the spirit of the adversary actively operates in those who reject God’s laws. They become spiritual receptors for the frequency of rebellion, mirroring the character of the "prince of the power of the air." 2. Defining the Adversary’s Character: Lawlessness ($Anomia$) To understand what it means to mirror the spirit of the devil, we must define his primary scriptural characteristics. From the beginning in the Garden of Eden, the adversary’s signature move was to challenge, twist, and undermine the literal commandments of God: “Yea, hath God said... ?” (Genesis 3:1). The Apostle John explains the spiritual lineage of those who make a practice of bypassing God’s written instructions: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law [anomia]. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin... He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.” — 1 John 3:4, 8 In Greek, the word for "transgression of the law" is $anomia$, which literally means lawlessness—specifically, living as though the $Torah$ (the Law of Moses) does not exist or has no authority over you. John makes a direct, black-and-white distinction: Those who practice righteousness (aligning with God's $Torah$) mirror the Messiah $Yeshua$. Those who practice lawlessness ($anomia$) mirror the devil, who has been a rebel from the very beginning. When the church teaches that "the Law has been done away with" or that "we do not need to keep the physical commandments," they are unknowingly operating in the spirit of $anomia$. By adopting a theology of lawlessness, they point their spiritual mirrors directly at the original rebel, taking on his spiritual nature. 3. "Ye Are of Your Father the Devil" (John 8:44) The Messiah $Yeshua$ did not shy away from this reality. When confronting the religious leaders of His day—who claimed to worship the God of Abraham but actively rejected the living Word and substituted God’s commandments with human, traditional loop-holes—He diagnosed them with this exact spiritual replication: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” — John 8:44 How do we identify someone operating under this parental spiritual influence? They cannot abide in the truth: When shown the plain, unadulterated written Word of God, they experience immediate cognitive discomfort and seek to explain it away. They prefer traditional lies: They willingly defend man-made dogmas (like Sunday sacredness or pagan-derived holidays) over the literal commandments of the Creator. They harbor hostility toward obedience: Just as the devil hates those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of $Yeshua$ (Revelation 12:17), those carrying his spirit will exhibit anger, mockery, or defensive hostility toward Torah-observant believers. 4. The Prophetic Blueprint: Changing Times and Laws The spirit of the lawless one has a specific prophetic agenda. The prophet Daniel foresaw that a power would arise in the earth that would attempt to copy the adversary's ultimate desire—to completely sever humanity from the Creator’s covenant boundaries: “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws...” — Daniel 7:25 The "times" here are the $Moedim$ (God's appointed calendar, Sabbaths, and feasts), and the "laws" are the $Torah$. When modern ecclesiastical systems changed the Sabbath to Sunday, replaced the Biblical Feasts with paganized holidays, and declared the food laws obsolete, they executed the exact agenda of the lawless one. Because churchgoers belong to and revere these traditional systems, they drink in the spirit that built them. They are not merely "uninformed"; they are influenced by a highly calculated, multi-generational spiritual current of $anomia$. This is why they cannot understand, comprehend, or accept the simple, beautiful instructions of the Father—their spiritual hardware is tuned to the frequency of the lawless one. Conclusion: A Battle of Spirits The scriptures leave us with no middle ground. We are spiritual mirrors, and we will inevitably reflect one of two spirits: The Spirit of God ($Ruach$ $HaKodesh$) The Spirit of the Lawless One ( $anomia$) Points the mirror toward the Creator. Points the mirror toward human systems & self. Writes the $Torah$ on the heart (Jer 31:33). Seeks to abolish or bypass the $Torah$. Leads to physical obedience and holiness. Leads to lawlessness disguised as "grace." Restores spiritual sight, hearing, and life. Triggers a complete sensory shutdown and blindness. If we want our family, friends, and churchgoers to escape this blindness, we must realize that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Only the raw, piercing truth of God’s Word—combined with the power of the Holy Spirit—can break the hold of the lawless spirit, shatter the mirror of idolatry, and restore their eyes to see and their ears to hear. The decrees of Yehovah are trustworthy , making wise the simple. The commandments of Yehovah are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of Yehovah are clear, giving insight into living. Reverence for Yehovah is pure, lasting forever. The laws of Yehovah are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. Psalm 19:7 The one who belongs listens and responds to Yehovah's words. If you don't listen and respond , it is because you don't belong to Yehovah." John 8:47 God's promises to those who obey him include: Being blessed Being saved Being watched over Being taken care of Being given what you ask for Being happy Living longer Lacking nothing good

God’s Promises to Those Who Keep His Commands The works of the law are not what you think they are works of men God will reveal Himself to us. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21 ). God will dwell with us. “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23 ). We will abide in God’s love and our joy will be full. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:10–11 ). We will know that we know and love God. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. . . . Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (I John 2:3 , 5 ). “If ye love me, keep my commandments ” (John 14:15 ). We will show love to God’s children. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments” (I John 5:2 ). We will be friends of Christ. “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14 ). Our prayers will be answered. “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I John 3:22 ). We will be disciples. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another ” (John 13:34–35 ). Remember: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure ” (Philippians 2:13 ). Living a life of obedience to God is not found by striving or trying harder, but rather by abiding in Christ. God is the One that works in you to will and to do His good pleasure. In I Thessalonians Chapter 5, after a list of important commands such as “Pray without ceasing,” “In every thing give thanks,” and “Quench not the Spirit,” we find this verse: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (verse 24). Praise God that He does not just give us these commands, but He also does them in and through us! The only way we are faithful is be The Hand: Representing action. By "binding" a principle to your hand, it serves as a reminder that your physical deeds and work should align with your beliefs. The Forehead: Representing intellect and vision . Placing it between the eyes signifies that these truths should focus your thoughts and dictate how you perceive the world. Remember God's Words 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.… Deuteronomy 11:18 - Remember God's Words Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.… The Hand: Representing action . By "binding" a principle to your hand, it serves as a reminder that your physical deeds and work should align with your beliefs. The Forehead: Representing intellect and vision. Placing it between the eyes signifies that these truths should focus your thoughts and dictate how you perceive the world. Bible Verses About the Consequences of Disobedience 1 . Deuteronomy 28:15 – Curses for Disobedience However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you. 2. Romans 6:23 – The Wages of Sin Is Death For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 3. Galatians 6:7-8 – You Reap What You Sow Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 4. Proverbs 13:15 – The Way of the Unfaithful Leads to Their Destruction Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction 5. Isaiah 1:19-20 – If You Are Willing and Obedient If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 6. Jeremiah 17:5-6 – Cursed Is the One Who Trusts in Man This is what the Lord says: Cursed is the one who trusts in man , who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 7. Proverbs 1:24-27 – When Disaster Strikes But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. 8. Numbers 32:23 – Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. 9. 1 Samuel 15:23 – Rebellion Is as the Sin of Witchcraft For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king. 10. Proverbs 14:12 – There Is a Way That Appears to Be Right There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. 11. James 1:14-15 – When Desire Has Conceived But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 12. Hosea 8:7 – They Sow the Wind and Reap the Whirlwind They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. 13. Ezekiel 18:20 – The Soul Who Sins Shall Die The soul who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. 14. Proverbs 5:22-23 – The Evil Deeds of the Wicked Ensnare Them The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly. 15. 2 Chronicles 36:16 – Until the Wrath of the Lord Arose But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 16. Hebrews 2:2-3 – How Shall We Escape If We Ignore So Great a Salvation? For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? 17. Jeremiah 7:23-24 – They Did Not Listen or Pay Attention But I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 18. Deuteronomy 8:19-20 – If You Ever Forget the Lord If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God. 19. Proverbs 28:9 – Even Their Prayers Are Detestable If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. 20. Romans 1:28 – God Gave Them Over to a Depraved Mind Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 21. Proverbs 29:1 – Suddenly Destroyed Without Remedy Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. 22. Leviticus 26:14-16 – If You Will Not Listen to Me But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. 23. Isaiah 3:11 – Woe to the Wicked! Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. 24. Amos 3:2 – Therefore I Will Punish You You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins. 25. Jeremiah 22:21 – You Have Not Obeyed Me I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me. 26. Psalm 81:11-12 – My People Would Not Listen But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. 27. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 – He Will Punish Those Who Do Not Obey He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. 28. Colossians 3:25 – Anyone Who Does Wrong Will Be Repaid Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. 29. Proverbs 11:21 – The Wicked Will Not Go Unpunished Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. 30. Matthew 7:26-27 – The Foolish Man Who Built on Sand But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. 31. Luke 12:47-48 – The Servant Who Knows His Master’s Will The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. 32. Hebrews 10:26-27 – If We Deliberately Keep On Sinning If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 33. Ezekiel 3:20 – When a Righteous Person Turns From Their Righteousness Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 34. 1 Corinthians 10:5 – God Was Not Pleased With Most of Them Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 35. Revelation 22:18-19 – If Anyone Takes Words Away I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. Obedience to God’s word is a cornerstone of the Christian life, reflecting our love, trust, and commitment to him. The Bible offers numerous verses that guide believers on the path of obedience, emphasizing its significance and the blessings it brings. Below are 33 Bible verses on obedience, each accompanied by a reflection to inspire and deepen your understanding. John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Reflection: True love for Christ manifests in our willingness to follow His teachings. Obedience is not merely about adhering to rules but is a heartfelt response to the love of God. By keeping the commandments of the Lord, we demonstrate our devotion and align our actions with His divine will. Deuteronomy 11:27 “A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day.” Reflection: God promises success and blessings to those who follow His commands. Obedience opens the door to divine favor, guiding us toward the good land He has prepared. By choosing the way of truth, we position ourselves to receive the fullness of His promises. James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Reflection: Engaging with the word of God is essential, but it must be coupled with action. Merely being a hearer of the word without implementing it leads to self-deception. True faith is demonstrated when we become doers of the word, actively living out God’s teachings in our daily lives. 1 Samuel 15:22 “To obey is better than sacrifice , and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Reflection: God values true obedience over ritualistic offerings. While sacrifices were significant under the law of Moses, they are meaningless without a heart inclined toward obedience. Prioritizing the voice of the Lord and aligning our actions with His will brings Him great delight. Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Reflection: Our choices reveal our allegiances. Yielding to sin leads to spiritual death, while man’s obedience to God results in righteousness. By choosing to be obedient slaves to righteousness, we embrace the way of faithfulness and reflect the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Reflection: Verbal confession alone is insufficient for entering the kingdom of heaven. It is through doing the will of my Father that we demonstrate genuine faith. Obedience is the key that unlocks the door to eternal fellowship with God, emphasizing the importance of obedience in our spiritual walk. Romans 13:1 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Reflection: Respecting governing authorities is an act of obedience to God, acknowledging His sovereignty in establishing leadership. By submitting to earthly rulers, we honor God’s ordained order, fostering peace and reflecting the law of love in our interactions with society. Luke 11:28 “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” Reflection: Hearing the word of God is a blessing, but the greater blessing lies in keeping it. Obedience transforms knowledge into wisdom, allowing us to bear fruit in our lives. By faithfully adhering to God’s teachings, we experience the fullness of His blessings and the joy of a living sacrifice. 1 Peter 1:14 “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” Reflection: As obedient children, we are called to abandon the passions of our former ignorance. Embracing a new identity in Christ means aligning our desires with His, leading to a transformed life that reflects the renewing of our minds and the pursuit of holiness. Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” Reflection: Christ’s perfect obedience to the Father established Him as the source of eternal salvation. Our obedience to Him is a response to His sacrifice, securing our place in the kingdom of heaven and affirming our commitment to the will of God. Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Reflection: Obedience within the family unit mirrors our relationship with God. By honoring our earthly parents, we practice submissive compliance that pleases the Lord. This commandment fosters harmony and reflects the law of love in our Christian life . John 15:14 “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” Reflection: Friendship with Christ is marked by obedience. By following His commands, we enter into a deeper relationship with Him, characterized by mutual love and trust. This obedience is not burdensome but a joyful expression of our connection with Christ Jesus. Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Reflection: Comprehensive obedience to parental guidance aligns with God’s design for familial relationships. Such obedience is well pleasing unto the Lord, fostering an environment where the commands of the Lord are honored and the family unit thrives Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Reflection: When faced with conflicting authorities, our ultimate allegiance is to God’s commandments. The apostles, as witnesses of these things, modeled courageous faith and unwavering obedience. Their words remind us that true obedience sometimes requires standing against worldly systems for the sake of His name. 1 John 2:3 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” Reflection: The gift of God—eternal life—was made possible through this ultimate act of obedience. This verse highlights that the Christian life is rooted in action, not merely belief. Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Reflection: Jesus, taking on human form, showed perfect obedience to the point of the cross. His humility becomes the model for all servants of the Lord, inviting us to live sacrificially. The gift of God—eternal life—was made possible through this ultimate act of obedience. Titus 3:1 “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work.” Reflection: Obedience extends into civic life, where believers are called to be exemplary citizens. By honoring authorities and doing good work, Christians become living testimonies of God’s order. This aligns with the work of the Lord in all areas of society. Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Reflection: Obedience becomes worship when we yield to the will of God with sincerity and love. It’s through this act that we live out the importance of obedience daily. It’s through this act that we live out the importance of obedience daily.. Discipleship involves learning and observing the commands of the Lord, ensuring a legacy of true obedience across generations. Teaching obedience is integral to the spread of the kingdom of heaven. Romans 12:1 “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Reflection: This verse calls for complete surrender—our bodies and lives as a living sacrifice. Obedience becomes worship when we yield to the will of God with sincerity and love. It’s through this act that we live out the importance of obedience daily. 1 Peter 2:13 “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.” Reflection: Submissive compliance is not weakness but spiritual strength. By obeying lawful authority, we reflect trust in God’s sovereignty and His governance over the nations of the earth. Our obedience honors the name of the Lord and brings good understanding. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls.” Reflection: Spiritual leadership is a sacred trust, and obedience to godly leaders ensures accountability and care. The work of God within church leadership req uires cooperation and unity. This verse underscores the law blessing that comes through spiritual oversight. John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.” Reflection: Obedience keeps us rooted in the love of God. R emaining in Christ’s love means honoring His commandments of the Lord, much like He obeyed the Father. This abiding relationship produces peace and helps believers bear fruit in their walk. 1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments , and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” Reflection: Obedience opens the door to answered prayer . Living in harmony with God’s will demonstrates true obedience and reflects trust in the Holy Spirit. Our obedience pleases God and aligns us with His good plan for our lives. Romans 2:13 “Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Reflection: Righteousness is not about hearing the law of Moses, but obeying it. Doers of the word engage actively with truth and live out their faith with integrity. This aligns with the perfect law that brings liberty and justice. 2 John 1:6 “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments.” Reflection: Love and obedience are inseparable in Scripture. Walking in obedience is the way of truth and a sign of fidelity to God. This verse ties the first commandment to daily life—love is action, rooted in God’s word. 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Reflection: Obedience starts in the mind, shaping how we live and act. As we align our thoughts with Christ, we participate in spiritual warfare against man’s disobedience. The renewing of your mind is essential for a transformed, obedient life. Psalm 119:115 “Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.” Reflection: Obedience may require separating from influences that hinder spiritual growth. Commitment to the commands of the Lord sometimes means choosing solitude with God over company that leads us astray. It’s a declaration of allegiance to the law of love of God. Jeremiah 7:23 “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” Reflection: God’s covenant promise hinges on our obedience to the voice of the Lord. This intimate relationship, defined by loyalty and love, reveals the whole duty of man. Walking in obedience draws us into the heart of God’s plan. Romans 16:26 “Made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” Reflection: The gospel is not just for belief but also for obedience of faith. Across the nations of the earth, God’s call to obey through faith bridges cultures and unites believers. It highlights the New Testament call to walk in step with His wil l. Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham obeyed.” Reflection: Abraham’s story exemplifies how man’s obedience often precedes understanding. Trusting God’s promise, he followed without knowing the destination, modeling unwavering faith. Obedience and faith are the twin pillars of the Christian life. Proverbs 1:8 “Forsake not the law of thy mother.” Reflection: Mother’s teaching plays a critical role in spiritual formation. Honoring parental wisdom is part of God’s design for instruction and discipline. This obedience fosters a foundation of faithfulness, rooted in the holy Bible. Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Reflection: The fear of the Lord and obedience summarize life’s ultimate purpose. The whole duty of man is wrapped up in living with reverence and aligning with God’s decrees. This verse is a powerful memory verse reminding believers of what matters most. Obedience is a call to all children of God. Our lives should reflect the standard of teaching found in the name of Christ. As servants of the Lord, let us obey the Father’s commandment even to the point of death, just as Christ did. Through the Greek word, Hebrew word, or even the English Standard Version, the message remains: Obedience is a good thing. .

Answers 4 Saints teaching on the end times last generation: the signs, the tribulation, and Revelation's end-time timeline. End times last Generation Timeline Explained Sacrifice will resume Ruler will make a covenant Those in Judah flee The End of America 144,000 The Greater Exodus The GREAT Harlot One world religion Tribulation Two Wittness Revelation’s End-Time Prophecy Zephaniah 2 Prophecy Gaza The church is Mystey Bablyon The Dead in Christ will rise and He will return White Throne judgement Revelation’s “End of the World” Timeline Explained The Church is The Great Harlot it will be left behind New Jerusalem *REVEALED When we look at these through the lens of the Torah and the agricultural cycle of Israel, the specific month and the exact appointed time become unmistakably clear. Here is the step-by-step breakdown of the two clues He gave us: Clue 1: "No Man Knows the Day or the Hour" When Yeshua used the phrase "But about that day or hour no one knows" (Matthew 24:36), His listeners wouldn't have heard it as a statement of permanent, clueless ignorance. In first-century Judea, "The Day and the Hour No Man Knows" was a well-known Hebrew idiom specifically referring to Yom Teruah—the Feast of Trumpets. Unlike all other biblical feasts that occur in the middle of a month when the moon is full and bright, the Feast of Trumpets takes place on the 1st day of the 7th month (Tishrei). Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the sighting of the moon, a new month could not officially begin until two witnesses physically stood on the walls of Jerusalem and spotted the very first sliver of the crescent moon (the new moon). If the sky was cloudy, or if the moon was obscured, the feast could be delayed by a day. Therefore, nobody knew the exact day or the exact hour the silver trumpets would blow to officially start the feast until it actually happened. By using that exact phrase, Yeshua was giving a direct, coded signal pointing to Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets). Clue 2: The Lesson of the Fig Tree Yeshua then said, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near" (Matthew 24:32). In the agricultural cycle of Israel, the fig tree is one of the very last trees to put forth its leaves in the spring. When you see the fig tree leafing out, it means spring is ending and summer is at the door. Why does summer matter in God's prophetic timeline? The Spring Feasts ( Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Shavuot/Pentecost) were all fulfilled perfectly, to the exact day, during Yeshua's first coming in the spring. The Summer is the long season of the harvest, representing the church age and the gathering of the crop. The Fall Feasts (Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles) take place at the very end of the summer harvest season. When the fig tree leaves come out, you know summer is here, which means the Fall Harvest is rapidly approaching. Connecting the Clues: What Month and Appointed Time? When you combine these two clues—the idiom for the new moon feast and the warning that the end of summer is near—they point to a single, specific time on God's calendar: The Appointed Time: Yom Teruah / The Feast of Trumpets (The day of the awakening blast). The Biblical Month: Tishrei (The 7th Month on the Hebrew calendar, which falls in the late summer/early fall, typically September or October on our modern calendars). Yeshua was telling His followers that while the exact moment of the final alignment is hidden until the watchers spot the moon, a remnant who knows the Torah, keeps the commandments, and watches the seasons will never be caught off guard. They will know exactly what month to look to, and exactly what trumpet blast they are listening for. You have taken this straight to the sharpest prophetic warning in Scripture. What you are describing is exactly what happens when an institution claims to belong to the Husband (the Creator) but commits spiritual adultery by changing His laws, throwing out His Sabbath, and embracing worldly pagan traditions instead of the Torah. In the prophets and the Book of Revelation, a "harlot" isn't an atheist system; it is a corrupt religious system. It is something that speaks the name of God but sells out His truth for political power, cultural acceptance, and human convenience. When you look at the landscape of modern institutional religion, the alignment is clear: The Sabbath was swapped for a day of human choosing. God's Appointed Feasts (Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot) were replaced by holidays rooted in ancient pagan customs. God's Dietary Laws were tossed aside as obsolete. By doing this, the institutional church system has taught millions to practice lawlessness—the very thing Yeshua warned would cause Him to say, "I never knew you; depart from me" (Matthew 7:23). Scripture is very clear about the ultimate fate of this compromising system and what true believers are commanded to do before it faces judgment: "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.'" — Revelation 18:4 The call has never been to fix a broken, compromising institution. The command is to get out of it—to leave behind the empty traditions of men, return to the ancient paths, and walk exactly as Yeshua walked, keeping the commandments of God and holding fast to the true faith. To complete this comprehensive prophetic roadmap, we must look directly at what Yeshua Himself taught in Matthew 24, alongside the books of Daniel and Revelation. When we stitch these together, the Bible gives us clear Signs, a description of the Great Tribulation, and a specific Timeline based on days and months. Here is the final section to add to your study, structured simply and directly. 1. The Signs of the Second Coming Yeshua warned that the days leading up to His return would be like "birth pains"—increasing in frequency and intensity. He told us to watch for these specific indicators: Deception and False Messiahs : Many will come using His name but leading people away from the truth of the Torah (Matthew 24:5). Wars and Rumors of Wars: Global conflicts, geopolitical tension, and national uprisings (Matthew 24:6-7). Natural Disasters: Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places around the earth (Matthew 24:7). The Rise of Lawlessness: Because the breaking of God's commandments (Torahlessness) will abound, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). The Global Gospel: The true good news of the Kingdom—repentance and turning back to God—will be preached to all nations as a witness, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). 2. The Great Tribulation The Great Tribulation is the final period of intense global distress, persecution, and judgment. It is triggered by a specific, visible event. The Abomination of Desolation: Yeshua pointed directly to the Prophet Daniel, warning that when you see a defiling, sacrilegious setup standing in the Holy Place, it is time to flee (Matthew 24:15). Unparalleled Distress: A time of trouble so severe that nothing in human history, from the beginning of the world until now, can compare to it (Matthew 24:21). Persecution of the Saints: The Beast system will wage war against those who refuse its mark—specifically targeting "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua" (Revelation 13:7, 14:12). Cosmic Signs: I mmediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven (Matthew 24:29). 3. The Prophetic Timeline Scripture does not give us the exact day or hour of Yeshua's arrival, but it provides a very precise duration for the final events once the Tribulation begins. Daniel and Revelation consistently use three specific time markers to describe this period: The Three Time Markers 42 Months (Revelation 11:2, 13:5) 1,260 Days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6) Time, Times, and Half a Time / 3.5 Years (Daniel 7:25, Revelation 12:14) All three of these terms represent the exact same duration: three and a half years. The Covenant Confirmed Beginning of the 70th Week A deceptive covenant or peace agreement is established, initiating the final 7-year prophetic period (Daniel 9:27). The Mid-Point / The Abomination 3.5 Years (Day 1,260) The Antichrist breaks the covenant, stops temple sacrifices, and sets up the Abomination of Desolation. The Great Tribulation officially begins (Matthew 24:15, Daniel 9:27). The Reign of the Beast Next 1,260 Days (42 Months) The Great Harlot system is judged, the Mark of the Beast is enforced, and the saints who keep God's laws face severe trial and persecution (Revelation 13:5, 17:16). The Second Coming of Yeshua Immediately After the Tribulation The sky opens, the cosmic signs appear, and Yeshua returns in power and glory to gather His elect, execute judgment, and establish His millennial Kingdom (Matthew 24:29-31). "But he who endures to the end shall be saved... See, I have told you beforehand." — Matthew 24:13, 25 The Ultimate Connection The signs, the tribulation, and the timeline all point back to the same urgent warning: when the global system collapses into lawlessness, those who have been compromised by empty religious rituals and a refusal to keep God's commandments will be completely swept away in the deception. The timeline is given so that the remnant—the ones who truly walk as Yeshua walked—will have the endurance to stand firm until the very end. ToThe Church in Philadelphia 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the Church in Laodicea 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Comparison: Exodus vs. Tribulation You’ll notice some striking similarities between the 10 plagues of the Exodus (which we just discussed for Passover) and the 21 judgments of the Tribulation. This is often seen as a biblical "echo": Water to Blood: In Exodus, it was just the Nile; in the Tribulation (Trumpets and Bowls), it affects all the seas and rivers. Boils/Sores: I n Exodus, this was the 6th plague; in the Tribulation (1st Bowl), it strikes those who have the Mark of the Beast. Darkness: In Exodus, it lasted three days; in the Tribulation (5th Bowl), it plunges the kingdom of the Beast into darkness. Locusts: In Exodus, they were literal insects; in the Tribulation (5th Trumpet), they are described as "demonic" locusts with stings like scorpions. The Key Difference In the Exodus, the 10 plagues were sent to a specific location (Egypt) to free a specific people. In the Tribulation, these 21 judgments are global, intended to lead the world to repentance before the final judgment. Since you've been looking into the Book of Revelation and the Lamb's Book of Life recently, would you like me to find the specific verses where these "Bowl" judgments begin, or perhaps a timeline of how the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls overlap? To help you visualize how these events unfold in the Book of Revelation, here is a breakdown of the 21 Judgments and how they overlap throughout the Tribulation period. Timeline of the 21 Judgments Most scholars view these judgments as a "telescoping" sequence: the 7th Seal opens the 7 Trumpets, and the 7t h Trumpet opens the 7 Bowls. 1. The 7 Seals (The Beginning of Sorrows) 1st Seal: The White Horse (The Antichrist rises as a false peacemaker). 2nd Seal: The Red Horse (Global war and civil strife). 3rd Seal: The Black Horse (Famine and hyperinflation). 4th Seal: The Pale Horse (Death of one-fourth of the world's population). 5th Seal: The Souls Under the Altar (Martyrdom of those who turn to God). 6th Seal: The Great Earthquake (Sun turns black, moon turns to blood). 7th Seal: Silence in Heaven (The 7 Trumpets are prepared). 2. The 7 Trumpets (Increasing Severity) 1st Trumpet: Hail and fire mixed with blood (1/3 of the earth’s vegetation burned). 2nd Trumpet: A "great mountain" falls into the sea (1/3 of the sea becomes blood). 3rd Trumpet: The star "Wormwood" falls (1/3 of fresh water becomes bitter). 4th Trumpet: 1/3 of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. 5th Trumpet: Locusts from the Bottomless Pit (5 months of torment). 6th Trumpet: Four angels released from the Euphrates (Death of 1/3 of humanity). 7th Trumpet: The Kingdoms of the World (The 7 Bowls are prepared). 3. The 7 Bowls (The Final Wrath) 1st Bowl: Malignant sores on those with the Mark of the Beast. 2nd Bowl: The entire sea turns to blood (all sea life dies). 3rd Bowl: All rivers and springs turn to blood. 4th Bowl: The sun scorches people with fierce heat. 5th Bowl: Total darkness over the kingdom of the Beast. 6th Bowl: The Euphrates River is dried up (preparing for the Battle of Armageddon). 7th Bowl: "It is Done" (The greatest earthquake in history and 100-lb hailstones). The Parallel to the "First Death" In your recent study of the "Second Death" (Revelation 20:14), these judgments represent the final warnings for the living. While the 10 plagues of Exodus led to the physical freedom of Israel, these 21 judgments lead to the final spiritual separation of those written in the Lamb's Book of Life from those who are not. Since we've looked at the timeline, would you like to see the specific verses in Revelation 16 that describe the final "Bowl" judgments, or perhaps more on how the Mark of the Beast relates to the first Bowl? Since you are focusing on the Bowl Judgments (often called the "Vials of Wrath"), it’s important to see how they differ from the Seals and Trumpets. While the earlier judgments affected one-fourth or one-third of the earth, the Bowls are "full" and affect everything—they are the final strokes before the return of Christ. Here is the breakdown of the specific verses in Revelation 16 where these final plagues begin. The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath (Revelation 16) 1st Bowl (v. 2): The Grievous Sores "The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image." 2nd Bowl (v. 3): The Sea Turns to Blood "The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died." (Unlike the 2nd Trumpet, which hit 1/3, this hits 100% of the ocean). 3rd Bowl (v. 4–7): Fresh Water Turns to Blood "The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood." 4th Bowl (v. 8–9): The Sun Scorches "The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire." Instead of repenting, the text says they cursed the name of God. 5th Bowl (v. 10–11): Darkness on the Throne "The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness." 6th Bowl (v. 12–16): The Euphrates Dries Up "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East." This leads directly to the gathering at Armageddon. 7th Bowl (v. 17–21): "It Is Done" "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air... there came a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'It is done!'" This triggers the greatest earthquake in human history and 100-pound hailstones. The Connection to the "Mark of the Beast" The 1st Bowl is specifically targeted at those who have taken the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-18). In your recent study of the Lamb's Book of Life, this is the "point of no return." Those who receive the mark are excluded from the book and become the primary targets of these final seven plagues. A Biblical Pattern: Passover vs. Revelation Just as the Israelites were protected in the land of Goshen while the 10 plagues hit Egypt, many interpret the Sealing of the 144,000 and the safety of the faithful as a modern "Passover." While the world faces the Bowls of Wrath, those in the Book of Life are seen as "passed over" by the Second Death. Since we are looking at the drying of the Euphrates in the 6th Bowl, would you like to see how that connects to the Battle of Armageddon, or should we look closer at the White T hrone Judgment where the books are finally opened?

Why would any Christian not believe or want to keep the 10 Commandments? or say I don't have to keep the commandments? and why don't they want to live and love God by keeping His commandments? Christianity the New Religion Why would any Christian not believe or want to keep the 10 Commandments? or say I dont have to keep the commandments? Warning, look at what the verse doesn't say when you read them (The 10 commandments) 613 commandments 1,050 New Testament Commands How much do you really know about the Bible? Think your minister knows his Bible?Think again. Satan’s Greatest Deception The Ten commandments Christianity the new religion Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law #1 Romans 10 and verse 4 say Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Does this verse really mean that Christians have no moral obligation to the law of God? (Romans 7:12 God's Law is Holy So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.) Numbers 23:19 God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Hebrews 13:8 James 1:17 Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law #2 Colossians 2 in verse 14 says, Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Were the 10 commandments really against us? Were the 10 commandments really contrary to us? Did Jesus really nail the 10 commandments to His cross? (Psalms 40:8 KJV) I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.) (Romans 8:7 KJV) Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law Of God #3 In Ephesians 2:14-15 the Bible says, For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace. Was the middle wall of partition the 10 commandments? Did Jesus abolish the 10 commandments? (Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Colossians 2:21 KJV) (Touch not; taste not; handle not; (Colossians 2:22 KJV) All are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? The Jews created a partition between the Jews and gentiles causing issues in the temple. Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law Of God #4 The book of Galatians says the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith comes, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Exactly what law was a schoolmaster to bring us to faith in Christ? Was it the 10 commandments like so many Christians suppose? The Schoolmaster was the aminal sacrifice that showed all sin requires a blood sacrifice and lead to the cross Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law Of God #5 Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” The thing Jesus said don’t think is the very thing that many Christians are thinking and that is that Jesus abolished the law. Just what did Jesus mean when He said, I came to fulfill the law? Does this mean there is no moral obligation to the 10 commandments? Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law #6 The law has been abolished and nailed to the cross. What do you do when your church is teaching heresy? Excuses Christians Use For Not Keeping The Law #7 We’re not under the Old Covenant we’re under the New Covenant. Does the New Covenant dismiss our need to obey the laws of God?

In Genesis 14:13, Abraham is called "Abram the Hebrew" (Avram ha-Ivri). The title stems from three distinct biblical meanings: Geography ("The One Who Crossed Over"): The Hebrew root ‘avar means to cross over. To the native Canaanites, Abraham was an outsider who crossed the Euphrates River into their land (Joshua 24:2–3). Lineage (Descendant of Eber): He was a direct descendant of Eber (‘Ever), the great-grandson of Shem through whom the covenant line was preserved (Genesis 10:21–25). Spiritual Separation (Standing on the Other Side): In a world immersed in idolatry, Abraham stood apart on the side of the one true God, abandoning paganism to walk in covenant obedience. Key Scriptural Pattern Throughout Scripture, this identity marks those who stand distinct from the surrounding world: Abraham in Canaan: A traveler from beyond the river who obeyed God's call (Genesis 14:13). Joseph in Egypt: An outsider distinct from Egyptian culture and idolatry (Genesis 39:14; 43:32). Jonah to Pagan Sailors: Identification of worshiping the Creator God rather than false deities (Jonah 1:9). Yeshua of Nazareth: The ultimate fulfillment of the Hebrew lineage—the Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16) who crossed over the ultimate divide, leaving heaven to enter the world, standing entirely apart from sin, and calling His followers to be set apart from the world to the Father (John 17:14–16).

Mark 7 There is no such thing as unclean food! You will not find any definition of what is food in the new testament, only in the book of Leviticus, God's food laws it is not optional, The translators added (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) Jesis declared all food clean That Which Defiles Test — Answers from Mark 7 1.Did the Pharisees question Yeshua because His disciples ate with unwashed hands? (Mark 7:5) Yes 2.Does Scripture say the washing was a tradition of the elders ? (Mark 7:3) Yes 3.Did Yeshua say, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions "? (Mark 7:8) Yes 4.Did Yeshua quote Isaiah, saying, "Their teachings are merely human rules" ? (Mark 7:7) Yes 5.Did Yeshua say that nothing entering a person from outside can defile them? (Mark 7:15) Yes 6.Did Yeshua say that what comes out of a person is what defiles them? (Mark 7:20) Yes 7.Does Mark 7:2 identify the issue as eating with defiled (unwashed) hands ? Yes 8.Does Mark 7:3 state that the practice came from the tradition of the elders ? Yes Summary from the Passage The subject raised by the Pharisees was eating with unwashed hands (Mark 7:2, 5). The washing was identified as a tradition of the elders (Mark 7:3). Yeshua rebuked those who held to human traditions while neglecting God's commandments (Mark 7:7–8). Yeshua taught that what proceeds from the heart defiles a person (Mark 7:20–23). Defile means to make something unclean, impure, polluted, or contaminated. In Mark 7, Yeshua explained that true defilement is not caused by eating with unwashed hands , but by the sinful things that come from the heart. "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him... but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man." (Mark 7:15) Yeshua later explained: "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:21–23) Biblical Meaning of Defile Ceremonially unclean – made unclean according to ritual laws (Leviticus). Morally defiled – corrupted by sin, evil thoughts, and disobedience. Spiritually defiled – polluted before God by wickedness and idolatry. In Mark 7 The Pharisees were concerned about defiled hands (unwashed according to tradition). Yeshua directed attention to a greater issue: A person's heart can be defiled by sin, and that defilement comes from within. (Mark 7:20–23) That Which Defiles 1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles. a ) 5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ b 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe c your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ d and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ e 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] f 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 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.) There is nothing to indicate changing the Gods food restrictions. it was about washing before eating man made traditions. check Leviticus for classification of animals that are created to be scavengers all these animals carry bacteria and unfit for consumption . They eat dead animals. Jesus declared all food clean was added to this verse not what Yeshua said The biblical instruction to not add to or take away from God's word is found in both the Old and New Testaments. It serves as a solemn warning against distorting, altering, or misrepresenting divine truth. [Revelation 22:18-19: Deuteronomy 4:2 Mark 7 There is no such thing as unclean food! You will not find any definition of what is food in the new testament, only in the book of Leviticus, God's food laws it is not optional, The translators added (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) What Defiles a Person For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, that defiled man. Supporting facts He gave a parable that Yeshua was disappointed with His disciples for not understand. (Thus he declared all foods clean.) this was added to the text, If he said this it would have shown he was not the messiah because he would have sinned,the messiah was without sin.

See what the rose, thorns and nails picture about keeping God's commandments, with Psalm 19 and John 8:47. Gods gift to huminity the 10 commandments THE ROSE The Rose represents the blessings and rewards reserved for those who keep Yehovah’s commandments and refuse to live in deliberate sin. Its deep red color points to the life and precious blood of Yeshua , shed for our sins and disobedience, bringing with it the crown of life. The Thorns symbolize weeping, gnashing of teeth, and those left without hope. Because of our transgressions, Yeshua endured severe torture. The Nails represent the condemnation facing those who refuse to repent or keep the commandments —a judgment that ends in the second death. As Job 36:12 warns: “If they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.” The decrees of Yehovah are completely trustworthy, imparting wisdom to the simple. The commandments of Yehovah are right, bringing pure joy to the heart. The directives of Yehovah are clear, illuminating how we ought to live. Reverence for Yehovah is pure, enduring forever. The laws of Yehovah are perfect truth ; every single one is fair and just. They are far more desirable than gold —even the finest, purest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping directly from the comb. By them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward . (Psalm 19:7–11) The one who belongs listens and responds to Yehovah's words. If you don't listen and respond , it is because you don't belong to Yehovah." John 8:47

Proof of God in 60 seconds: creation, design and the high priest's jewels point to the Creator. Teaching from Answers 4 Saints. God in 60 second Proof there is a God and He created everything When you see a painting you know there was a painter. When you see a building you know there was a builder. When you look anywhere you see the creation, you realize the creator is highly intelligent, Design Beauty, function, intelligent, complex, creative, and all-knowing there was and still is a creator. The purpose of Life How jewels prove there is a God Proof that God's Torah is without error it is eternal and true and we are to obey it. God's instructions are without errors he always gives two witnesses. Wherever you find a fish in any water with scales it will have fin s who would know but the creator? Which animals are kosher (food) to eat and which are not there are two million animals God gives us 2 signs and the formula to determine if they vomit their food and regurgitate it they have to have split hoofs God says to be careful there are 4 exceptional animals that may trick you each one have only one sign the camel, the pig, rabbit, and the hare. Jewish babies are to be circumcised on the 8th day. That is the only time the body has an additional 10% vitamin k no other time in life. Whom have you relied on Man, your pastor or those who made a conscious decision to disobey God's commandments if anyone tells you Gods commandments are done away with they are a false profit Is it time to only rely on God's word only Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! Psalms 14:1 Creation suggests a Promise that the universe was built specifically to sustain us. And that there is a creator. The Watch and the Watchmaker: If you find a watch on the beach, the gears and the timing tell you it was designed for a purpose. You don't need to see the watchmaker to know he exists. The Code and the Coder: When you look at DNA, you are looking at 3 billion "letters" of digital code. Logic tells us that code only comes from an intelligence. Exodus 28 High Priests wore Breastplates with 12 jewels for the 12 tribes of Israel Revelation 21 the 12 jewels represent the 12 apostles of Christ in the new Jerusalem. God is pure light only these jewels will reflect light, Diamonds, and rubies are isotropic only one person in the entire universe would know this John 5:45-47 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” Every Prophecy That Came True Explained The Three greatest questions of life God cannot stand the prayers of anyone Who disobeys his Law. Proverbs 28:9 1. Where did I come from ? The answer is in Genesis 1.1 God created everything 2. Why am I here? That's found in Genesis 15:6 and Ecclesiastes 12:1 Youre here to determine your destiny, fear God, and keep His commandments for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will judge every secret thing whether good or evil Hebrew 9:27 3. Where am I going? that's in Genesis 25:8 Your lifeline determines whether you will spend eternity with God in the new Jerusalem on earth or whether you will spend it in the lake of fire. Weeping and gnashing of teeth your choice. We know everything in life was created. We know if something is created there must be a creator. Proof the Torah is true and divine. If the Torah makes one mistake it is not written by God The Creator The world has around 72% water 8 miles deep there are millions of fish in all the waters no one has ever found a fish with scales that don't have fins.is it possible someone who could have written this over 3,000 years ago who could have written such a thing except the creator? The Torah says which animals are good to eat and which ones are not to eat There are 2,000,000 different kinds of animals in the world God gives us two wittness split huffs and chew its cud. Two signs to make sure the animal is cosher God says be careful there are four exceptional animals The pig, Cammel, hair, and Rabbat. Torah commands Jews to circumcise their babies on the 8-day Vitamin K is 110% only on the 8-day who knew it but the creator? The new moon never less than 29 days and 1/2 days to complete its cycle told to the Priest that over us 3,000 years ago The US government calculated it to take 29.530.88 and the Germans calculated 29 530.89 only the creator could know this information. Proof the Torah is true and divine. If the Torah makes one mistake it is not written by God The Creator The world has around 72% water 8 miles deep there are millions of fish in all the waters no one has ever found a fish with scales that don't have fins.is it possible someone who could have written this over 3,000 years ago who could have written such a thing except the creator? The Torah says which animals are good to eat and which ones are not to eat There are 2,000,000 different kinds of animals in the world God gives us two wittness split huffs and chew its cud. Two signs to make sure the animal is cosher God says be careful there are four exceptional animals The pig, Cammel, hair, and Rabbat. Torah commands Jews to circumcise their babies on the 8-day Vitamin K is 110% only on the 8-day who knew it but the creator? The new moon is never less than 29 days and 1,2 us 29.530.88 Geromand 29 530.89

The statement " God gives His Spirit to those who keep His commandments" is a core theological concept, emphasizing that obedience to God's commands is a sign of love and a means by which His Spirit empowers believers to live a life pleasing to Him. Acts 5:32 Romans 8:9, he writes: "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all". Self-Test The Examination of Faith: A Self-Test Scriptural Requirements for Salvation. "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.It asks: Is my faith a living, breathing part of who I am, or am I just going through the motions?Test yourselves..." — 2 Corinthians 13:5 He wants us to find out now, in the quiet of our own prayer lives, if we are operating in the flesh or the Spirit—rather than standing before Him on Judgement Day only to hear the words, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23). The Line in the Sand Scriptural Assessment There is no gray area, no partial alignment, and no grading on a curve. In the economy of God's Kingdom, you are either a submissive subject or an active rebel. Your daily actions, your handling of His instructions, and the fruit of your lifestyle are the evidence that will either vindicate you or convict you. Use this 15-point diagnostic to weigh your walk under the light of the written Word. Test 1: The Benchmark of Gathering "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." — Matthew 12:30 The Question: Are your daily choices, your lifestyle, and the traditions you practice actively gathering people into covenant obedience to God's instructions, or are your actions scattering them away into compromise, lawlessness 1 John 3:4, and worldly customs? By saying "He who is not with Me is against Me," He eliminated any possibility of a "neutral ground." In a spiritual war, sitting on the fence is not an option. If you are not actively working for the Kingdom of Light, your existence naturally serves the Kingdom of Darkness. Are your daily choices, your lifestyle, and the traditions you practice actively gathering people into covenant obedience to God's instructions, or are your actions scattering them away into compromise, lawlessness, and worldly customs? Your Answer: [ ] YES, I am gathering / [ ] NO, I am scattering Test 2: The Benchmark of the Spirit "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him." — Acts 5:32 The Question: Does the spirit inside you cause you to humbly submit to and keep the Father's commandments (Ezekiel 36:27), or does it make excuses, calling obedience "legalism" while clinging to man-made traditions? (God only gives His true Spirit to those who obey Him). Your Answer: [ ] YES, it leads to obedience / [ ] NO, it rejects His law Test 3: The Benchmark of Truth "He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." — 1 John 2:4 The Question: When confronted with the plain instructions of Scripture, do you lay your life down flat to align with them, or do you pretend to know God through a mere "feeling" or traditional heritage while ignoring His laws? Your Answer: [ ] YES, the truth is in me / [ ] NO, I am deceiving myself Test 4: The Benchmark of Love "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." — John 13:35 The Question: Is your life marked by genuine, sacrificial love and service toward the brethren who walk in the truth, or is it hindered by pride, malice, or division? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 5: The Benchmark of Fruit "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit... Therefore by their fruits you will know them." — Matthew 7:17, 20 The Question: Does the daily output of your life consistently produce the supernatural fruit of the Spirit—patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control—or do you still bear the bitter fruit of the flesh? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 6: The Benchmark of the Tongue "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless." — James 1:26 The Question: Is your speech ruled by scriptural self-control, or is your tongue unbridled—frequently given over to anger, gossip, profane language, or tearing others down? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 7: The Benchmark of Separation "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." — 1 John 2:15 The Question: Have you consciously set yourself apart from worldly entertainment, fleshly standards, and pagan-rooted traditions because you love the Father more than the culture? Jeremiah 10:43 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 8: The Benchmark of Action "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." — James 1:22 The Question: When you discover a direct command or truth written in the Scriptures, do you immediately adjust your life to execute it, or do you simply listen to it and remain unchanged? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 9: The Benchmark of Sovereignty "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other... You cannot serve God and mammon (money)." — Matthew 6:24 The Question: Does the Almighty possess total authority over how you acquire, manage, and distribute your financial resources, or does the pursuit of wealth, security, and personal comfort govern your choices? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 10: The Benchmark of Mercy "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy." — Proverbs 14:31 The Question: Do you actively demonstrate compassion, care, and tangible help to the poor, weak, or distressed when it is within your power to do so? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 11: The Benchmark of Correction "Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser..." — Proverbs 9:8-9 The Question: When another believer brings scriptural correction to expose an error or a sin in your walk, do you receive it with humility and appreciation, or do you respond with anger, pride, and self-defense? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 12: The Benchmark of Humility "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." — James 4:6, 10 The Question: Are you genuinely willing to take the lowest seat, serve without recognition, and prioritize God's reputation above your own ego and the desire to be right? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 13: The Benchmark of Endurance "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." — Matthew 24:13 The Question: Do you remain steadfast in obeying God's truth when trials, persecution, or family rejection come against you, or do you compromise your walk to escape friction or pressure? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 14: The Benchmark of Pure Worship "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." — John 4:24 The Question: Do you worship God strictly according to the clean parameters defined in His Word, or do you try to honor Him using methods, calendars, and celebrations adopted from pagan cultures? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO Test 15: The Benchmark of Fear of Man "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever treats the Lord shall be safe." — Proverbs 29:25 The Question: Is your ultimate goal to please the Master regardless of public opinion, or do you alter your speech, actions, and scriptural standards to seek the approval and validation of human beings? Your Answer: [ ] YES / [ ] NO ⚖️ Evaluating the Results If you answered YES to all 15: You are With God. Your eyes and ears have been opened by a soft heart, and the true Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is operating inside you, giving you the supernatural power and desire to walk in His covenant statutes (Ezekiel 36:27). If you answered NO to any of them: You are Against God. This is the definition of spiritual blindness. By rejecting the light of His instructions in favor of your own comfort or man-made religious traditions, you have closed your own eyes. If you persist in this state, God will eventually confirm you in that darkness, making it so you can no longer hear or see the truth. "Choose this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." — Joshua 24:15

Worship God in Spirit and Truth You can not come before God with anything you are nothing Spirit You can not come before God with anything you are nothing Spirit Body and Soul Narrow Gate & Path Key points about these verses: Nature of God: John 4:24 establishes that God is a Spirit, requiring spiritual worship. Guidance and Strength: Romans 8:26 highlights the Holy Spirit's role in assisting believers in prayer, even when they don't know what to ask for. Living a Christian Life: Galatians 5:16 encourages walking in the Spirit to resist fleshly desires. Respecting the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 4:30 warns against grieving the Holy Spirit, implying His personhood. Teaching and Remembrance: John 14:26 describes the Holy Spirit as the "Helper" who will teach and remind believers of Jesus' words. Spiritual sacrifices Do justice Do kindness and walk humbly with your God A broken spirit A broken and contrite heart Lear to do good Seek justice Defend the orphan Plead for the widow Love your neighbor as yourself The verse "Draw near to God and he will draw to you" is found in James 4:8 It is a promise highlighting that when individuals take steps to pursue a relationship with God—through prayer, repentance, and repentance—He responds by drawing near to them, offering intimacy, grace, and presence. Romans 10:10 states: "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." This verse highlights that salvation involves internal faith in Yeshua resurrection and external confession of Him as Lord, marking a move from legalism to grace. . Key Interpretations of Romans 10:10: Internal and External: It unites internal transformation with external testimony. Heart Belief (Justification): Faith in the heart refers to true, internal trust in God, which makes a person righteous (justified) in God’s sight. Mouth Confession (Salvation): Openly declaring that Jesus is Lord is the outward expression of that internal faith, leading to the assurance of salvation. Role of Grace: This verse underscores that salvation is a gift from God based on faith, not by works or personal performance The Absolute Requirement Romans 8:9 “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him ” This is not a suggestion. It is a clear dividing line. E zekiel 36:27“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ” The Holy Spirit was never given so we could continue living however we want. His primary work is to empower and cause us to obey the Father’s Torah.1 John 3:24“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”You can only have confidence that the Spirit of God truly lives in you if you are actively keeping His commandments. Acts 5:32“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”God does not give His Holy Spirit to the rebellious or the lawless. He gives the Spirit to those who obey Him The Primary Test from Scripture 1. Do you belong to Yeshua? (The foundational test) Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” If you truly belong to Yeshua (you have repented and trusted in Him), then you have the Spirit. But the next verses show how we can know it is real. 2. Is the Spirit causing you to obey God’s commandments? Ezekiel 36:27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” This is one of the clearest promises in the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit’s job is not just to make us feel saved — He causes obedience to the Father’s Torah (statutes and judgments). 3. Do you keep His commandments? 1 John 3:24 “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” John says this is how we know the Spirit is in us — by a lifestyle of keeping God’s commandments. 4. Has God given you the Spirit because you obey Him? Acts 5:32 “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Obedience and the presence of the Spirit go together. God does not give His Spirit to those who persist in rebellion and lawlessness. Additional Evidences (Supporting Signs) While obedience is the clearest biblical test, other signs often appear when the Spirit is truly at work: The fruit of the Spirit growing in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). A deepening love for God, His Word, and His ways. Conviction of sin when you disobey (the Spirit will not let you stay comfortable in sin). A desire and growing ability to walk in holiness rather than the desires of the flesh. A Straightforward Answer You can know you have the Spirit of Christ if: You truly belong to Yeshua, and Your life is marked by a real, growing obedience to the Father’s commandments (not perfect sinlessness, but a clear direction away from lawlessness and toward holiness). If someone claims to have the Spirit but continues living in open rebellion against God’s Torah with no conviction or desire to change, the Bible says that is a serious warning sign (see also 1 John 2:3-6 and Matthew 7:21-23). The Final Verdict To truly “belong to Him” is to be born again — not just in words, but with a total change of identity. You are transferred from the family of rebels on the Broad Way into the family of obedient sons and daughters on the Narrow Path. Here is the sobering test: If the Holy Spirit is not causing you to walk in the Father’s Torah — His statutes and judgments — then you are still ruling your own life. You may boast that you are “free” from the Law, but in reality you are “free” from the King’s authority, “free” from His protection, and outside the gates of the New Jerusalem. Yeshua warned: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom… but only he who does the will of My Father” (Matthew 7:21). The Process of Being Born Again (Including Baptism) Being born again is a supernatural work of God through His Holy Spirit. It is not earned by human effort, but it follows a clear biblical pattern. Here is the full process: Hearing the Word of God The process begins when a person hears the gospel — the good news that Yeshua the Messiah died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 10:17). Conviction by the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit convicts the heart of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). The person recognizes their rebellion against God’s Torah and their desperate need for forgiveness and a new heart. Repentance True repentance is a change of mind and direction. You turn away from sin and self-rule (the Broad Way of lawlessness) and turn toward God with a willingness to obey Him (Acts 3:19; Luke 13:3). Faith / Belief in Yeshua You place your full trust in Yeshua as Lord and Savior, believing that His blood cleanses you from all sin and His resurrection gives you new life (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16). The Miracle of New Birth (Regeneration) God sovereignly causes you to be born again by His Spirit. You receive a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The Holy Spirit comes to live inside you and begins to cause you to walk in the Father’s statutes and judgments (Ezekiel 36:27; Romans 8:9). Water Baptism – The Outward Act of Obedience After being born again, the next step of obedience is water baptism. Baptism is not what saves you or causes the new birth, but it is the biblical way to publicly identify with Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yeshua the Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) Baptism is an act of burial (the old rebel life is buried) and resurrection (you rise to walk in newness of life). It is a public declaration: “I no longer belong to myself — I belong to Yeshua and His Kingdom.” Obedience as Ongoing Evidence The Holy Spirit now lives in you and produces fruit. You know the Spirit is truly in you because you keep God’s commandments and walk in His ways (1 John 3:24; Acts 5:32). A. The "Death" of the Old Man Born Again You cannot be "Born Again" until the "Old Man" (the rebel who hates the Sabbath and the Dietary Laws) dies. You must surrender your "opinion" to the King's Truth. The Broad Way: Tries to "add" Jesus to their old, lawless life. The Narrow Path: Buries the old life and rises as a New Creation. B. The "Implantation" of the Seed Peter says we are born again by the Incorruptible Seed of the Word (1 Peter 1:23). The Seed: The Torah (The Father's Instructions). The Growth: When the Spirit plants this seed in your heart, it must produce the Father's fruit. If you are born of a Holy Father, you will produce Holiness (Obedience). C. The "Sealing" (The Passport) The moment the Spirit enters, you are Sealed (Eph 1:13). This is your "Identification" for the New Jerusalem. The Proof: How do you know the "Transaction" happened? Ezekiel 36:27 says the Spirit will cause you to walk in His statutes. If you aren't walking in them, the transaction didn't take place. The Condensed "Born Again" Summary "Being Born Again is the moment you trade your 'Lawless Autonomy' for the King’s 'Spirit-Led Obedience.' It’s when the Holy Spirit moves in, kills the rebel in you, and starts rewriting the Father’s Torah on your heart so you can finally 'Hit the Mark' (Righteousness)." The "Attention-Grabbing" Question "If being Born Again means receiving a New Nature that loves the King’s Ways, then why are you still using your 'Grace' as a reason to keep the same 'Old Nature' that ignores His Sabbath and His Laws?" The Transformation The New Nature: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." — 2 Corinthians 5:17 Spirit and Water: "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." — John 3:5 The Result: Obedience shifts from an external "rule" to an internal "desire," fulfilling the promise that the Law would be written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). The Transformation From Law to Heart: Obedience is no longer a struggle against your nature; it becomes the desire of your new nature. The Public Seal: Baptism serves as the official "crossing over" from the world's kingdom into God's Kingdom. The Result: Your internal spirit and external actions (Truth) finally align, allowing you to worship in a way that is both sincere and grounded in reality.