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THE CIRCUMCISION CIRCUMVENTION CIRCUMVISION
(An excerpt from CG WKBK 5 Vol. 2: Vaera)
Spiritual Circumcision is Clean Lips
Since fruit is metaphorical of the manifest gifts of the Ruach HaKodesh in a believer, the implication is that good fruit must grow from the inside, an infilling of the Ruach HaKodesh working in the ruach, nefesh, and flesh of the disciple. There can be unripe fruit and bad fruit, but good fruit is initiated in the ruach realm. Things like love, joy, patience, gentleness, peace, goodness, humility, faith...all these are fruit that eventually ripen in those who follow after Yeshua. The Ruach HaKodesh will not make war with those who bear these fruits!
Uncircumcision represents the terror of war and those slain by the Sword of the Spirit, the two-edged sword in Yeshua's mouth, which cuts with wisdom, understanding and counsel on one side and power, knowledge and reverence on the other. If a sojourner is circumcised, the Sword of the Ruach will not harm like kind and like mind, just as Egyptians who followed the instructions given to Israel were not harmed by the Death Angel. If the fruits are bad, then different manifestations will be noted, such as those seven abominations of the Wicked Lamp (see Workbook One pamphlet). Those trees with that fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire by the King of Kings:
And in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One...'
[1]
The sword in Yeshua's mouth is a reminder of the circumcision. Circumcision applies not merely to a man's reproductive organ, but to the mouth, lips, and heart. Circumcision is an ability to see with spiritual vision in order to accomplish the purposes of the Father by executing His commands. Yeshua is the picture-perfect ideal for which every believer aims in his or her growth in the Ruach. The description of Yeshua is glowing with the Ruach:
- He is in the "middle" of the menorah; in other words, he is executing His Father's instructions in the fullness of the Ruach Adonai, manifesting all seven Spirits
- His robe reaches all the way to his feet, suggesting a body completely clothed in the righteous commands of his Father, even to the "feet" or nefesh; the outward deeds are manifestations of the Ruach as is every appetite, emotion, and desire of Yeshua's nefesh
- The sash will be discussed in more detail in a later volume, but it represents the power of Binah, or the ability to divide "upper" from "lower." It is golden, and therefore this ability of discernment has reached its ultimate purification and gives Yeshua the authority to speak the commandments
- White hair[2] represents ancient age as well as the pure kvod (glory) of Adonai. Where there is obedience to the King's commands, there is kvod; where there is disobedience, there is Yikavod (Ichabod)
- The eyes are flames of fire; eyes are metaphors of the Ruach in water wells, and now Yeshua reveals them as both the fire and water of the shamayim, completing the picture
- Feet like hot, burnished bronze suggest the heat of the nefesh, but they are also not a mixture of clay and iron as with the kingdoms of the world. The bronze bow is symbolic of the strength to shoot arrows of the Torah at the enemy.[3] Scripture hints that the bronze prevails over the iron kingdoms of the wicked. The bronze feet of Yeshua is the zeal of the nefesh completely submitted to the commandments of the Ruach Adonai
- The voice like the sound of many waters represents the water of the Ruach, a place of rebirth and resurrection power of the womb
- The seven stars were the seven messengers to the moedim assemblies of Revelation; the Ruach speaks to the assemblies at the moedim. Stars are "witnesses" of the testimony of Yeshua, which is the Ruach of prophecy.
- The circumcised mouth of Yeshua speaks the words of the Ruach HaKodesh, which divide the holy from the profane so that the holy ones may gather to like kind and like mind and the unclean may gather to like kind and like mind in the grave
- The face of Yeshua was like the shining of the sun, representing the glow of the Ruach HaKodesh, for Yeshua's skin is the Light of the Torah. According to Jewish tradition, Adam and Eve also wore these skins of Light before the curse of sin and thorns.
Moses had this same facial glow when he spoke with Adonai and was instructed in the mitzvot. He had a different relationship to the mitzvot than the rest of Israel, for he could see Yeshua in them; the physical commandment radiated the spiritual. His was a relationship of circumcision in the commandments, not merely the outward sign and observance.
In order for any human being to see the Spirit of the Law, he must see beyond the mere letter. This vital understanding has been transmitted to the Gentiles throughout the last 2000 years, but it has been twisted in meaning so that the letter is stripped rather than allowed to perfect the understanding of the Ruach and put a seal on the deal.
Stephen was another man whose face shone with the circumcision of the Ruach:
And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.
[4]
Analyze Stephen's speech to the high priest, and you'll hear key themes: Abraham's circumcision, Moses' argument with his Hebrew brothers, and the Israelites' uncircumcised hearts in the wilderness.
Stephen's face shone as he spoke the Torah of Moses, and it was a spiritual, holy Torah, a two-edged Sword of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 states that the two-edged sword is the spiritual Word of Adonai. Vocalizing that Word is a sword of circumcision that conquers the deathly rule of the uncircumcision over our bodies. The Ruach in Yeshua's disciples is the antidote to the clay/iron mixture of uncleanness and uncircumcised hearts, lips, and bodies.
[2] Creation Gospel Workbook Five, Volume 1, "The Quick and the Bread" contains some information on the hair of the head as representing the glory of the Ruach HaKodesh, or "my mother, the Holy Spirit..."
[3] Job 20:24 He (the wicked) may flee from the iron weapon, but the bronze bow will pierce him.
2 Samuel 22:35 He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Psalm 18:34 He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Mah Chadash? (What's New?)
What's coming up at The Creation Gospel? A new BEKY Book is nearly finished:
The Seven Shepherds: Chanukkah in Prophecy. The Creation Gospel version of
Standing With Israel: a House of Prayer for All Nations is being formatted into Workbook Six with lots of extra material centered around the First Century customs in prayer, especially at Passover.
We have some open spaces in the Tuesday afternoon Torah class. Although the Monday night class is full, the Tuesday class serves as a waiting list as well as an opportunity to hear additional material on the Torah portion. Students who are enrolled receive the video recording links to BOTH classes, which is two hours of teaching. After-class discussion is not recorded. If you're interested, send an email to
[email protected].
Cost is $20 per month per computer login. There is no limit to the number of people who can sit in on each login.
Gather the Scattered is back, following up a very successful (thanks to attendees like you!) 2016 event. This year we will be focusing on the End Time Gathering that the Scriptures speak of. What will the return of our Savior look like? Can we know when this will be? We believe there are 'keys' in the Scriptures that we've lost, Keys, that once recovered, will bring clarity to the confusion of this subject and in the process will greatly encourage you in your walk with God.
We want to see everyone that comes leave refreshed, uplifted, encouraged, and blessed. Whether you may be struggling with one thing, or a myriad of things, we believe you will find that in the presence of a gathering of the Body of Messiah this is possible. Whether you have weekly fellowship, or believe you are all alone, Gather the Scattered 2017 is for you.
We've gone to great lengths to bring premier speakers to be a blessing to you. Like last year, we will have the opportunity to be a blessing to them and to others.
What is the Torah? in Spanish
The Kindle Spanish version of BEKY Book
What is the Torah? is now on
Amazon.
Now available on
Amazon, the newest BEKY Book,
Truth, Tradition, or Tare: Growing in the Word.
Readers of the Newer Testament can find its treatment of tradition confusing. Many of the customs in its pages are Jewish, and therefore foreign to non-Jewish believers. Yeshua (Jesus) sometimes corrected those observing religious customs, yet at other times he said they should have observed them. Paul does the same in his letters, and twice he instructs non-Jewish believers to keep the Jewish customs he passed on to them.
Among believers in Yeshua today, some enjoy incorporating tradition into their worship. Some dismiss all customs as "man-made," and therefore extraneous at best or the sin "adding to" the written Word at worst. There is a way to determine the relationship of the written Word to tradition, for the Word would not leave us without comfort on such an important question. Our Father wants His children to grow in wisdom, maturity, and favor before Him as well as their communities.
The methods used by the prophets of the Older Testament (TANAKH) as well as the writers of the Newer Testament (Brit HaChadasha) did leave readers guidelines to divide the Seed of truth from tradition, and then to separate a tradition grown from truth from a "taredition" grown from a different seed. Additionally, it is just as important to the disciple of Yeshua to test the goodness of the soil on which the practice of the Word grows. The most important consideration in the Older Testament's, Yeshua's, and the apostles' instructions is the sincere heart that holds justice, mercy, and faithfulness as the weightier matters of any religious custom.
By evaluating the traditions that one chooses to observe or not observe, the individual can avoid the lament:
"O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: 'Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.'"
By applying the instructions in the Word, every believer is encouraged in his or her growth. A careful examination of Yeshua's instructions lifts a nuance that is frequently lost in discussions of truth and tradition. The first step is to identify whether that tradition is a tare. By throwing all tradition into a mental trash bin labeled Man's Tradition, it is possible that one could throw good plants and fruit into the bin with the tares. This is a logical fallacy called oversimplification. Yeshua's parables encourage his disciples to learn critical thinking skills so that growth in the Word is abundant life.
When a disciple of Yeshua examines his or her walk in the Word, there may be times that he or she feels that there is not enough growth. The very fact that we question our growth is a sign of readiness to grow. The next step is to allow the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) to teach us how to bear good fruit. To do that, every disciple can identify beliefs and practices that either stimulate healthy growth in the Word, or they stunt it. Welcome to the living fields of the Father's Garden!
LaMalah Children's Centre
Thank you for your faithful donations! We hope to be able to take in two more youngsters on the waiting list soon.
http://www.thecreationgospel.com/donate/
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