Over the years, many people have taken me wrong. Yes, perhaps some of it is my delivery. I’d be silly not to listen to people who critique how I deliver the message that is bottled up inside me. But, sometimes, people take offense no matter how it is said. I do think part of it is my ‘resting jerk face’, but part of it is also the nature of truth itself. It is offensive, apart from me.
Once when I was a freshman in high school, in a new town, and riding the bus home, I was sitting at the window just looking out at my new environs on the way home. I ‘felt’ someone looking at me from the seat in front of me, and I looked up to see this kid staring at me. “What are you so mad about?” he said. It took me aback, because I was not in the least angry about anything. In fact, I was quite happy about living in a ‘big city’ for a change. Since then, that has been the story of many people who I have met; they think I’m a very silent, ‘angry’ person. Silent, perhaps, especially until I get to know someone. But angry? Not in the least. I would submit that I am simply very pensive when not engaged in a social setting. I’m just in deep thought.
Sometimes, I’m just existing, and people think I’m angry, as in the pic above, where I’ve just finished a workout and am thus full of endorphins, the ‘happy’ hormone.
The point of all of this is that sometimes God is going to speak not so nicely to us, even the righteous. And yes, sometimes I am a messenger that is sent to reprove and correct. I love the whole Body of Messiah, and want nothing but that we should all be RESCUED on the Day of Trial that is coming. And the purpose of the scriptures is to do just that:
16All scripture written by the inspiration of The Ru’akh HaKodesh [Holy Breath/Spirit of God] is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteous behavior; 17so that the people of God may become complete, thoroughly perfected for every good work.
Look what He said to Job, whom God Himself called a “Tzadik”, a Righteous Man. Remember, to God, a “Righteous Man” is one who TRUSTS in Salvation from יהוה , and then reflects that in his behavior:
“3Gird up now your loins like a man; for I will demand of you, and you, declare unto Me.
4Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have the understanding.
8Will you even make void My judgment? Will you condemn Me, that you may be justified?
9Or have you an arm like God? And can you thunder with a voice like Him?
He goes on speaking almost sarcastically to Job! “10Deck yourself now with majesty and excellency, and array yourself with splendor and beauty.”
Look at what Yeshua said to Kefa when He stood in the way of His dying for us:
“Get behind me, Satan, you are a stumbling-block to me;”
Sometimes God’s people are supposed to be reproved, rebuked, corrected, warned. And if we were ever living in a time when that is, it is now.
The congregations of God are right now doing all the things for which the seven congregations in the book of Revelation were rebuked, by Messiah Himself.
People who know me well, who take the time to get to know me, know that I am a deeply compassionate person, who cares very much about those to whom I minister. I do not go out of my way to offend Christians. But, christianity is off the rails, and has been for a very long time. I am speaking of the institutions. There are indeed individuals who are obedient, to the degree that they do what they have been taught is right. But, just like the Daniel of yore said, “Our fathers have inherited lies,” the same things Israel was doing that got them and Daniel driven into Babylon from the promised land are the same things congregations are doing now in America, and the world over.
They were ignoring God’s Sabbath. When they were worshipping, they were calling יהוה “Ba’al”, or “lord”, and not by His Name. They were forgetting that they were created by One Creator, in exchange for the pagan ideas of origin. They were killing babies at the base of evergreen trees, dying eggs in blood, having sex in the temples, and all manner of lewd behaviors right along with ‘worshipping god’. These are the very same things people started to do at the end of the first century, for which Yeshua warned them with very terrifying warnings, which they all ignored. There is not a believing congregation in any one of those places, as they gave themselves over to Islam 600 years later. But, they gave themselves over to the spirit of the false messiah short years after Yeshua’s warning. And Yeshua kept His words of warning, removing His Menorah, and other things He tried to warn them were coming.
If I have ever offended anyone’s sensibilities, please know that it is not my intent to hurt people personally, nor to imply that no one else is saved. There are a great deal of saved people in the churches in America, but they are asleep and in error, and unwilling to see the simple truth of Scripture. And I have a mandate to do what I can, as lovingly but as urgently as possible, to wake them up and help them get ready for what will come on this earth in a few years or a generation or two. I am just grateful we have a little time to wake up, and to trim our lamps.
Yeshua had those seven letters penned just before He gave the details of how ‘end things’ would play out. The book of Revelation is not independent of other scripture. I happen to know now how to interpret that book pretty clearly based on the Torah and the Prophets, and it is obvious that we are very close to a time when a small remnant will be awakened and taken from this earth. There is a misguided idea that anyone who ‘believes’ will be ‘raptured’. That is simply not true. It is those who trust and obey, who follow Messiah Yeshua and not the false Messiah, who will be royalty and inherit the Kingdom. It will be most difficult to go through the Great Tribulation and maintain faith. People are falling by the wayside right now, buying off into all manner of false doctrine, getting overly “spiritual” to the point of not hearing the Very Word of God on simple matters; do you think they will not fold in a heartbeat when they can’t feed their kids unless they believe in Jesus? Yes, that is how it will be played. The Son of Perdition will claim to be Jesus, and most people will follow him, thinking they are following ‘christ’. And God’s warning to believers is this:
7For the mystery of iniquity is already at work, until that which now hinders is taken out of the midst of them [The Bride]. 8Then shall the Wicked One be revealed, that one whom Adoneinu Yeshua shall consume with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the revelation of His coming, 9even he whose coming is due to the working of HaSatan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10and with all deceitfulness of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they received not the love of HaEmet [Truth/Torah], that they might be saved thereby. 11For this reason God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, 12that all who did not believe in HaEmet [Truth], but preferred unrighteousness, might be condemned.
This is why Peter said what he said when commenting on Paul’s difficult writings:
17You therefore, my beloved, seeing that you know these things [end time events] beforehand, beware, lest you follow the error of those without Torah, and fall from your own steadfastness.
Peter was talking about end things when he wrote these words. He was warning that at the end of the 1st century there were people abandoning Torah because of misinterpreting Paul’s words. Do you honestly think there are none doing so now, 1900 years later? Khalilah! Most people have, and Yeshua is warning the congregations to wake up and repent. I just happen to be one of those messengers, albeit much misunderstood and maligned for it.
Every week there is a verse we read in the psalms, and tomorrow will be that day, and my heart aches for God’s people every time I read it, much like Paul said His did for the Jews [Rom 11:1] :
לוּ עַמִּי שֹׁמֵעַ לִי; יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּדְרָכַי יְהַלֵּכוּ
“O, that my people would just hear my voice; that Israel would just walk in MY WAYS.” [Psalm 81]
If I am a mite zealous and very passionate, I just wanted someone to understand why it is. I do not take salvation lightly.
Join us for a study of Paul’s works on Thursday nights!