Chapter 1

Skia

Foreshadows

Relationship, Not Religion...

In Leviticus, the very heart of the Torah, Yahweh details seven called out assemblies called Miqra. These Festivals begin in the spring with Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. These are followed fifty days later by the celebratory Miqra of Seven Sevens, referred to as "Weeks."

The first four festivals were fulfilled, played out in human history by the Messiah. Yahushua’s enactment of Passover occurred on Nisan 14, 4000, which was Friday, April 1, 33 CE on our pagan calendar. He fulfilled the promises in Unleavened Bread the following day on Nisan 15, 4000, which we know as the Sabbath of April 2^nd, 33 CE. And Yahshua rose on FirstFruits. That was Nisan 16, 4000 on Yahuweh’s calendar and the first day of the week, April 3^rd, 33 CE on ours. Fifty days later, the Feast of Weeks, known to Christians as Pentecost was fulfilled right on schedule on Sivan 6, 4000, or May 22^nd, 33 CE, when the Spirit came upon the ekklesia/out-calling.

Taruwah, often called "Trumpets," is the first of three Miqra that have not yet been fulfilled. Yahweh’s fall festivals coincide with the fall of man. Taruwah, which means to "shout for joy" and "to signal an alarm," is prophetic of the harvest of souls known as the "rapture." This Miqra is followed by Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, which signifies Yahushua’s awesome return to earth in the waning and terrible days of the Tribulation. Five days later, on the Miqra of Tabernacles, God will establish paradise on earth, ushering in the Millennial Sabbath by camping out with His creation for one thousand years.

Since these Miqra are yet unfulfilled, before we examine any of them in the context of the Torah, let’s first look at what the Renewed Covenant has to say about their relevance. One of the more interesting discussions regarding Yahuweh’s Feasts occurs in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The passage, and the context in which it resides, is one of the most misunderstood in Scripture. It includes a verse which has been errantly rendered to suggest that all of God resided bodily in the Messiah - a logical and physical impossibility. All of God won’t fit anywhere. If Yahshua represented the undiminished totality of God, His physical presence would have instantly incinerated all life on earth and obliterated our planet, solar system, and galaxy.

The second misconception portends that the "law," and therefore the "Torah" was nailed to the "cross" and thus made obsolete. The implication here is that the "Gospels" abrogated the "Old Testament." Many of Christendom’s myths were fabricated on this absurd premise.

These corruptions were followed by a verse used by many to errantly suggest that the "Feasts of the Lord" are now passé. In religious minds, Christmas and Easter trump Tabernacles and Passover - Sunday has replaced the Sabbath. If it were true, then there would be no benefit to understanding what Yahweh had to say about His seven Called-Out Assemblies, or Miqrym.

But in actuality, the Renewed Covenant says that Yahuweh’s Festival Feasts actually predict and foreshadow that which is to come, as does the Sabbath. Therefore, by examining Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, Seven Sevens, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles we will find that just as the exact dates of the Messiah’s sacrifice on Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits were predictable in 33 CE, two thousand years before they occurred, we can now precisely date the beginning of the Tribulation (Kislev 4, 5993/Saturday, November 14, 2026), the moment Yahshua will return (Tishri 10, 6000/Monday October 3, 2033), and the beginning of the Millennial Sabbath (Tishri 15, 6000/Saturday October 8, 2033). Moreover, in the Spring of 2007, we can also narrow down the time of the harvest known as the rapture to one of twenty remaining days, with the Sabbath of Tishri 1, 2023 being the most likely. But even more than this, by understanding Yahweh’s prophetic picture and plan, we will get to know Him better.   

With all of these misconceptions swirling around the pundits of religion, let’s see what the author of relationships had to say. More than anyone on the planet at the time the divine writ was being completed, Paul, as a Tanach scholar, recognized that the Renewed Covenant was simply the affirmation and fulfillment of the Old. With that in mind, let’s dive into his letter to the set-apart assembly at Colossae to see if we can make sense of what has confused so many.

Paul began by articulating the message of Yahushua, which put him in the center of Yahweh’s will, making him useful and productive. He was engaged in the business of educating others about how to form a reciprocal familial relationship with God. He calls Timothy his brother, as well as those he was writing to in Colossae, because they all shared the same Heavenly Father and Spiritual Mother. They were family. "Paulos, one who is sent forth with the message of (apostolos) the Anointed Messiah (ΧΡΥ) Yahushua (ΙΗΥ) through (dia) the desire, choice, and pleasure (thelema - the will, mind, and purpose) of Yahuweh (ΘΥ), and our brother (adelphos) Timotheos (meaning one who values God), to the set-apart (hagios - revered and cleansed) in Colossae, to those trusting (pistos - convinced and reliant) brothers in the Anointed Messiah (ΧΡΩ). Grace (charis - favor and mercy, loving-kindness and joy) and a state of a unified and reciprocal relationship (eirene) to you from Yahuweh (ΘΥ), our Father (ΠΡΙ)." (Colossians 1:1-2)

As a reminder, the capitalized Greek letters within the parenthesis represent the placeholders used throughout all of the 70 extant first-, second-, and third-century Renewed Covenant manuscripts for the two names and five titles attributable to Yahuweh, Yahushua, and the Set Apart Spirit. The names were not transliterated and written out because there was no Y, H, or W sound attributable to the letters in the Greek alphabet, and the titles were represented by placeholders rather than translated words because the Hebrew terms were more accurate and descriptive than their closest Greek replacements. Furthermore, by using placeholders rather than transliterations and translations, we are required by design to examine Hebrew Scripture to understand Greek - viewing the Renewed Covenant through the perspective of the Old.

There is a considerable effort currently underway by well-meaning Yahuwdym to suggest that the Renewed Covenant was originally scribed in Aramaic and then translated into Greek. On the positive side, in the Aramaic Assakhta Peshitta, the names and titles attributed to God were accurately conveyed. But while the claim of linguistic authorship may be true, and at times even helpful in removing Roman Catholic corruptions, there is a problem with the language theory. The oldest extant Aramaic Renewed Covenant fragment dates to the sixth century and the oldest Peshitta manuscript dates to the eleventh century. Therefore, until much older texts are found, even as translations, the 70 pre-Constantine Greek manuscripts of the Renewed Covenant remain the most reliable witness of Yahushua’s testimony.

Paul, the Father’s and Son’s messenger, goes on to say: "We have heard of (akouo - are aware of and have paid attention to) your reliance on (pistis - trust and confidence in) the Anointed Messiah (ΧΡΥ - the Implement of Yah) Yahushua (ΙΗΥ - Yah Saves), and the love (agape - the choice to affectionately regard) you have (echo - possess) for all of those who are set apart (hagios - cleansed and purified, those souls brought into God’s presence and community, those separated for God’s purpose, those who revere and respect God, the upright One)." (Colossians 1:4) It is as simple as this: rely on Yahushua and you will be cleansed and brought into Yahweh’s presence, joining the family of those who are set apart.

Agape is "love resulting from a conscious evaluation and choice." As such, it is one of the most appropriate and telling of terms - literally defining the purpose of Yahweh’s Word and the intent of His plan. It is also revealing that agape is "love manifest in an attitude of appreciation." In the plural, Agapai was the word Messianic Yahuwdym (then known as the Followers of the Way, and today as the early Christian Church) used to describe the "love feasts of Yahuweh, the public assemblies they observed in connection with the celebration of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits."

Eternal life in heaven awaits those who rely on Yahushua. And the means to this optimal outcome is the Word. "As a consequence (dia - as a result of this, through this way, in a future time you will proceed from here to there because) you have the expectation (elpis - confidence and trust in the future prospect) reserved for and awaiting (apokeimai - established and existing for) you in heaven (ouranos - the abode of God), which (hos) you previously came to hear and understand (proakouo) in (en) the Word (logos) of Truth (aletheia - that which is objectively verifiable and is in accord with the facts) that of the good news of the healing Messenger (euaggelion) present with, inside, and among you (pareimi eis - having arrived, existing in your presence)." (Colossians 1:5-6)

The reason that it is important to start with Paul’s introduction, rather than just jump into his commentary on the prophetic nature of the Miqra, is to appreciate how the apostle operated. First, he named the author of the message he was sharing (Yahushua). Then he articulated the source of his authority (Yahuweh). Third, he said that the purpose of his message was to help others establish a familial and reciprocal relationship with the Father. The means to this grace-based and joyous condition - that experienced here on earth and awaiting us in heaven - was hearing and understanding the written Word and accepting Yahushua’s healing message. When this is done, Paul tells us that God comes to live within us, forming a loving relationship.

Speaking of the message and Messenger having arrived and being present with the Colossians, the Scriptural letter says that: "In the same way (kathos - accordingly, and in the same manner, proportion and degree, just as) also it [the Word] and He [Yahushau] exists (eimi) within (en - in, near, and among) all others of similar status (panti - everyone belonging to the same class or group) in the world (kosmos - universe), bearing fruit (karpophoreo - being effective, productive, causing good results) and enabling growth (auxano - speaking of an outside power stimulating, nurturing, and increasing life, empowering it to reach its full potential and become greater), just as (kathos) also it and He is in and with you, setting you apart (apo) the day you listened and understood (akouso), came to fully know and receive (epiginosko - were acquainted with, becoming completely aware of, recognizing, acknowledging, comprehending, and accepting) Yahweh’s (ΘΥ - God’s/Elohym’s) grace (charis - favor, generous and helpful gift given out of kindness) by way of the divinely disclosed and verifiable truth (aletheias - the manifest essence and appearance of unveiled truthfulness and uprightness)." (Colossians 1:6)

Yahushua is the diminished, human manifestation of Yahuweh, who came into our world to expose the nature and purpose of God, to reveal the truth, and to execute Yahuweh’s plan to give humankind the most wonderful gift in the universe. To that end, charis is "grace." Charitoo is "to bestow a favor." Charisma is "a gift." Charizomai is "to give freely." Chairo is "to rejoice."

These things known, contemplate the power of what comes next: "The familial love (agape - affection resulting from a conscious evaluation and choice) in, by and with (en) the Ruach/Spirit (ΠΝΙ) is the reason (dia - and the way) we also are set apart (apo) and have not ceased (pauo) since the day we heard and understood the message (akouo). Our communicated advocacy (proseuchomai - prayer; from pros, to advantageously come near and euchomai, to express one’s desires conversationally with God) for you asks for (aiteo - calls for) you to be filled (pleroo - liberally supplied) with correct and precise knowledge (epignosis - to become thoroughly acquainted with and accurately know) His (autos) purpose and will (thelema) in (en) all (pas) insight and wisdom (sophia - intelligent understanding based upon experience and full and accurate knowledge, discretion and prudence) and the awareness that connects and relates things (synesis - promotes discernment by bringing together what is known) by way of the Spirit (ΠΝΙ)." (Colossians 1:8-9)

This passage includes a lesson in how to think and in how to understand the mind and purpose of God. It was the prayer of the apostles. Thinking which leads to understanding and wisdom combines knowledge with discernment - recognizing that one without the other is useless. It even defines discernment as the ability to make connections. Wisdom is the result of seeing the relationship between things. It is the essence of being judgmental and it results in accurate conclusions.

This passage begins by sharing that "familial love" is a direct benefit of understanding the Word, but more than that, it credits the Set Apart Spirit for this result. Then Paul explains something I’ve long wrestled with. From the moment he was exposed to the truth everything changed. He was consumed with a desire to share what he had discovered. Those who pretend to have a relationship with God, and yet are content to wave their arms in church, listen to a sermon, and drop a few shekels into the pot, aren’t acting as if they have been reborn into the most exciting family in the universe. I know; I used to be one of them, and I was living a lie. Our passion for God’s business is the barometer between faith on one hand versus trust on the other. Do you believe that God exists or do you know Him - yada Yahweh?

There are two things required to cross the divide between faith and trust, between belief and knowing. The first is "an abundance of correct and precise knowledge." The second is discernment: "an awareness which connects and relates things."

The crux of the Scriptural message has been surmised in these opening words. God wants us to have a loving familial relationship with Him. The only means to that state is for us to be given the choice to love Yahweh, hate Him, or ignore Him. Love cannot be compelled. This known, the central ingredient of choice is judgment, the ability to be discerning, the moral capacity to discriminate between right and wrong, good and evil, the things of God and the things of man.

Having freedom of choice has no value if either access to information is curtailed or judgment is incapacitated. For a thousand years the Catholic Church ruled over its victims by limiting the people’s access to God’s Word. Today, Communists and Muslims oppress their victims by outlawing free speech and freedom of the press. But things are no better in America and Europe even though Westerners are awash in information. There, Political Correctness, the moral code of Socialist Secular Humanism, has made being judgmental a sin.

These are man’s only two God-given rights: the right to know and the right to choose - thus being judgmental. The purpose of the neshama, or conscience, God’s unique gift to humankind, is to help us make the right choice. 

To be "prudent" is to "possess the discipline to use reason and to be circumspect - to carefully consider the choices and their possible consequences." We were given eyes and ears so that we might know, minds so that we might understand, and a conscience so that we might prudently discern the purpose of God and the way of the Spirit.

Introductions made and purpose stated, we turn now to the second chapter of Colossians. In context, the most prominent Hebrew scholar of the day revealed that men ruled and fleeced others with false and foolish, seductively deceitful human philosophies and traditions. "Be discerning and see to it (blepo -  come to understand by carefully evaluating the evidence so) that no one takes control of you, leading you away in submission (sulagogeo - robs you and misleads you, taking you captive, victimizing or brainwashing you with religious error or false teaching) by way of (dia - on account of) philosophy (philosophia - human wisdom and understanding, the love of science, theology, and humanistic thought) and meritless, empty, and vain (kenos - failed, false, and futile, foolish and worthless) deceit (apate - trickery and deception, seductive delusions leading to dissipation) according to (kata) the traditions and teachings (paradosis - the transmission of legends, customs, and doctrines which are often used to suppress and rule, [read the religions and political systems]) of man (anthropos) according to (kata) the rudimentary basic and natural elements of (stoicheion) the world (kosmos - universe) rather than according to the Anointed Messiah (ΧΡΥ - placeholder for the Implement of Yah).." (Colossians 2:8) We have been given a choice: man or God, deceit or truth, religion or relationship, death or life. This is a stunningly important passage for those who have acquiesced to the cultural norm, those who are political and/or religious. If you are, the antidote for these things is discernment - a judgmental review of evidence.

Sulagogeo speaks of those who become the prey of others - of those who allow others to control them. They are literally carried off and kidnapped as booty. Figuratively, they are robbed of their relationship with God by way of false religious teaching. In fact, the Latin word from which we derive "religion" means to "to bind" just as sulagogeo speaks of making people captives.

While the purpose of all religions is to bind the masses to cleric and king, there is one religion which is completely embodied by sulagogeo: Islam. Not only is Islam Arabic for "submission," the religion was initially funded by kidnapping and the slave trade - making booty of men. If you are unaware of this, read Prophet of Doom starting with the "Pedophile Pirate" chapter.

Kenos describes that which is "aimless and meaningless, senseless, devoid of morality and value." It is "a lifeless vacuum in which nothing good exists." It is not only "untrue," but "vain" in the sense of "failed, frivolous, and arrogant." Kenos even conveys the notion of "irrational, unjustifiable, foolish stupidity." As I study the philosophy of man, especially as it is manifest in Socialist Secular Humanism, with its moral code and its requisite account of the spontaneous generation of the universe leading to life, I cannot help but see kenos in every word. Believing ourselves wise, we have become fools.

Apate is best described as "a beguiling delusion which leads to dissipation - to foolishly and wastefully becoming so insignificant as to completely vanish, no longer existing." It describes the fate awaiting those victimized by religion and politics - their souls will cease to exist.

The world is full of such seductive schemes. Muhammad and Allah told Muslims that the "reward for killing atheists, Christians, and Jews was a paradise filled with perpetual virgins and rivers running with wine." Popes wove a beguiling religion around the myths of Mystery Babylon to lure Roman Catholics into believing that they held the keys to heaven, and thus that trusting in them, submitting to them, paying them, led to paradise. Jewish rabbis said that they were the arbitrators of a nameless g-d’s will, and that acknowledging them as such, and following their interpretations and rules, led to heaven. With Socialist Secular Humanists, they promise utopia on earth, and yet the more they are empowered, the more depraved and hellish earth becomes.

A paradosis is "a teaching or tradition which is handed down over time, generation to generation, to which people acquiesce and surrender." Such human designs become customs over time and are followed habitually by the masses without thinking. Examples of kenos apate traditions are: Sunday worship services, bowing down, partaking in the Eucharist or Communion apart from Passover, observing Lent, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, calling Yahweh "Lord," and the Messiah Yahshua "Jesus Christ," referring to the called-out assembly as "the Christian church," praying to Mary, acknowledging a Trinity, believing that the cross is a Scriptural symbol, and referring to Yahweh’s Word as "the Bible," replete with "Gospels, Old and New Testaments."

The notion that God died and went to hell is an example of a paradosis which is kenos apate. So is the teaching that all souls matriculate to either heaven or hell. Religions and political cultures are based almost exclusively on paradosis/traditions, most of which are derived from human philosophia kenos apate. They all, without exception, lead to the dissipation of one’s soul.

The next verse is actually a continuation of the previous sentence, the one in which God warned us not to submit to the false and lifeless philosophies and beguiling traditions of man. In it, at least according to most all English translations, clerics and kings have done their utmost to muddle Yahweh’s message. And that’s because if it were clear, they would be deprived of their power and authority. In that light, the notion that there is a "Godhead" is a human philosophia kenos apate. All of God could not possibly fit into a three dimensional human form - that is unless your god is very, very small - say about the size of a man.

 "..because (hoti - introducing you to content based upon which you can think and judge) within (en) Him [the Messiah Yahushua] resides (katoikeo - lives and dwells) all (pas - each and every significant aspect of, the totality of, the completeness of, the entirety of) the complete fulfillment of (pleroma - the full measure or complement of, that which is made complete and which makes complete, that which is abounding and liberally supplied from) the Deity (theotetos - the state and rank of being God, possessing a divine nature) bodily (somatikos - corporeally, in a tangible way, in human form)." (Colossians 2:9)

Pleroma can be "an overflowing abundance of influence, energy, or wealth" or "the complete fulfillment of that which was intended and which now has been accomplished." It is based upon pleroo which means "to supply liberally in abundance and to render complete," in addition to "completing promises, consummating predictions, and fulfilling prophecies." So, Paul could be saying that rather than be deceived and robbed by human philosophies and traditions, look to Yahshua as the complete fulfillment of all that Yahweh promised and predicted. Since He was God, if He observed the Sabbath, celebrated Passover, and relied upon Old Covenant Scripture, so should you. Paul could have been saying that Yahweh’s Sprit completely filled every pore of the Messiah’s existence, making Yahshua as complete a manifestation of God as human form allows. And Paul could also have been addressing his two most vociferous philosophia kenos apate foes, the Rabbinical Jews who claimed that God was incorporeal, and the Gnostic Christians who said that spirit and flesh could never coexist. And since he was inspired by Yahweh, I’m going to give him credit for communicating all three of these concepts in addition to one more we will discover in a moment. 

Theotetos has a singular appearance in Scripture. The other word errantly translated "Godhead" in Romans 1:20 is actually theiotetos. While they appear to be similar, theotetos is derived from the noun theos, meaning god, where theiotetos is nearly equivalent to the adjective theios, meaning "related to God by nature." In Romans, Paul uses theiotetos to declare that Yahweh is revealed through Yahshua. In Colossians, the message is that Yahshua is the corporeal manifestation of Yahweh and that He represents the complete fulfillment of God’s message and promises - the remedy for human traditions and deceptions. Simply stated: if you want to know what God is like, what He wants, and what He thinks is truthful and important, look to Yahshua, not man. The Messiah is the Word made flesh. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Since the "Godhead" translation of theotetos is used to confuse people as to the actual nature of Yahshua and to promote the notion of a Trinity, I checked the text of this verse on parchment P46, the late first-century, and thus earliest, manuscript containing this passage. There, unlike theos which is always represented by one of four placeholders (ΘΣ, ΘΥ, ΘΩ, or ΘΝ), theotetos was spelled out, strongly suggesting that it was being used as an informative term rather than as a title.

The Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament says that theotetos is "an abstract noun for god, divinity, and deity." In Strong’s, theotes is "deity, the state of being God." The Complete Word Study Dictionary says: theotetos is a "feminine noun from theos, meaning god or deity." The Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains claims theotes describes "a divine being." In the Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament we discover: "theotes, or deity, is an abstract noun derived from theos which only appears once in the NT. The noun is not found in the Septuagint or in the writings of Josephus, but is attested in other Hellenistic literature, including Plutarch, Lucian, and Proclus. There it means ‘deity, the rank of God.’" This scholarly tome went on to suggest that the passage could be saying that "in the Messiah the deity lives, fulfilling prophecies and redeeming creation."

And just in case you are want to ignore all of this evidence, clinging to the notion that there has to be a "Godhead" in that verse, or you still want all of God to fit within the form of a man, Yahuweh inspired Paul to use the Greek word for "head" in the next sentence. Moreover, He told us that we would also be pleroo in the same way Yahushua is. "Even also (kai) in and by (en) Him [the Messiah Yahushua] you have been (eimi - you exist) made totally complete, abounding and liberally supplied (pleroo - given an overflowing abundance of influence, energy, and wealth), for He exists as (esti) the head (kephale - the uppermost, supreme and most prominent, the cornerstone) of all creation (arche - the chief architect and builder from the beginning, the power from before the commencement of time, the authority over all that was caused to exist) and the one with unlimited authoritative power (exousia - the one in charge with unrestricted dominion)." (Colossians 2:10) The moral of the story is that if you want to be like man and die, rotting in the ground, trust human philosophers and observe man’s traditions. But if you want to be like Yahshua, who is God, trust His words and observe His nature and behavior.

Kephale and arche used in combination tell us that the Messiah Yahushua is the cornerstone of creation, the supreme architect and builder, the one who existed before time began, or in a word: the Creator. Exousia describes God’s status. As God, Yahushua has unlimited freedom, authority, power, and capability. This passage tells us that when it comes to "being complete, abounding and liberally supplied," we shall be just like Yahushua. Moreover, as adopted children of Yahweh, we inherit all that is His, meaning that we will be "given an overflowing abundance of influence, energy, and wealth." God’s gift to us is that we will become ever more like Him.

Paul was acknowledging that the Set-Apart Spirit was in Yahushua, and that because of Yahushua, the Set-Apart Spirit of Yahuweh can now be in us. The Spirit supplies us liberally, makes us complete, and most importantly, makes us like our Creator. There is no better news than this.

Moving on, we discover that circumcision, one of the key symbols of the Old Covenant, was not abandoned but instead symbolically fulfilled in the Messiah - just like the Miqra are symbolically fulfilled in Yahshua. "Also by and in (en) Him you are circumcised (peritemno - cut around and set apart). It is a circumcision not made with hands (acheiropoietos), but in the removal and laying aside (apekdusis - the stripping away and completely and advantageously separating from one’s self) the sin and error (hamartia - that which has accumulated as a result of wandering away, forsaking our inheritance for having violated the covenant and) of the physical mortal body (soma sarx) by the circumcision (peritome - by the cutting around, division and separation) of the (tov) ΧΡΫ (placeholder for Messiah, the Anointed Implement of Yah)." (Colossians 2:11)

The purpose of circumcision has now been explained. It isn’t a ritual, it’s a prophetic and redemptive message to man - one which the Messiah fulfilled. Circumcision is symbolic of Yahushua’s removal of sin from our mortal bodies.

It’s funny in a way. The thing that is "cut around and removed" is coterminous with the business end of the portion of man’s anatomy responsible for creating life. Our violation of the covenant, of which circumcision is the symbol, precludes us from the inheritance of eternal life God is offering. So by way of remedy, Yahshua removed "sin and error" from our mortal bodies - restoring us to the position of being Yahuweh’s covenant sons and daughters and thus being immortal.

The verbal metaphor continues with the symbolic burial of the sin which Yahshua has removed. This is followed by a rebirth which results from immersion in His Spirit, all leading to resurrection and eternal life. "Buried together with (sunthapto - from thapto, meaning to bury and sun, meaning with) Him by (en) immersion (baptisma - submersion [in the Spirit]), in (en) Him (hos) you are also risen together (sunegeiro - from egeiro, meaning aroused and awakened from sleep so as to rise up and appear, and to be born; and sun, a preposition denoting union) by way of (dia - through, by means of, on account of, and by reason of) trust in and reliance upon the truth and trustworthiness of (pistis  - recognition and acceptance of) the work of (energeia - active and effectual power, energy, and force of) Yahuweh (ΤΫ placeholder for ‘Elohiym, God) who raised Him (egeiro - restored Him to life, caused Him to stand, and caused Him to appear and rise) from (ek - out of) lifelessness (nekros - destitution and death)." (Colossians 2:12) Yahushua is the way. He is truth. He is life.

Sunegeiro, meaning "to rise together," confirms that the harvests of souls depicted prophetically in Scripture are collective affairs. Yahshua is the reaper. He comes for us, gathering us together, snatching us up, and bringing us into His presence. This is the way the pre-Tribulation harvest known as the rapture will occur. The Yahuwdym who have died after the fulfillment of the FirstFruits harvest in 33CE, but before the Taruwah harvest on this side of November 2026, will be awakened from their sleep; they will rise up and appear before Yahushua, reborn unto Him. Then those Yahuwdym who are alive at the time will join them, gathered together and caught up in the air.

Most all Christians misunderstand what occurred during Yahshua’s sacrifice and resurrection and I don’t want you to come away with the idea that "God died on a cross." Leaving the errant "cross" symbolism aside for now, what happened on Passover was that Yahweh’s Spirit left Yahshua’s body and soul. Yahshua’s body died and was buried. On the Miqra and Sabbath of Unleavened Bread, Yahshua’s soul descended into the place of separation, paying the price to redeem us from our sin. Then on the Festival Feast of FirstFruits, Yahweh freed Yahshua’s soul, resurrected His physical body, and immersed both in the Set Apart Spirit. The Messiah then resurrected the bodies and souls of those who had died prior to His sacrifice and took them with Him to heaven. We will cover all of this in due time.

"And also you being lifeless (nekros - dead, futile, useless, of no value, and vain) in your fallen state (paraptoma - in your deviation from the truth and the way, sin and transgression, false beliefs, error) still retaining the foreskin of (akrobustia - being uncircumcised in) your flesh (sarx - mortal human nature) were made alive, restored together with (suzoopoieo - caused to live in union with; from sun, meaning together with, and zoopoieo, that which produces life and has the power to make alive again with) Him. You were pardoned as a favor (charizomai - graciously forgiven and restored, having your debt paid and then canceled) from all, individually and collectively each and every (pas) lapse in judgment, deviation from the way, sin and error (paraptoma - false step and transgression)." (Colossians 2:13)

His Passover solution is a gift. There is nothing we can do to add to it or pay for it. There are very few sins it doesn’t cover. And there is nothing new about it. We read these same words in the Old Covenant. We are all fallen, flawed mortals in need of the restoring and redemptive gift Yahweh has to offer. And speaking of that gift, charisamenos defines it as being "freely given, a favor which cancels a debt." It is "a pardon which graciously forgives." Salvation is redemption: a ransom was paid to free us from the consequence of sin.

Quoting the verse out of context, countless Christian theologians contend that this next sentence says that "the Torah or Law itself was nailed to the cross, crucifying its significance in the dispensation of grace." But that’s not what the words reveal. Paul is confirming that the Torah’s promises of redemption are true - they have been fulfilled. "Erasing, doing away with, and anointing so as to wash away (exaleipho - removing and wiping the record clean, eliminating, obliterating, and canceling) the ordinance and decree (dogma - the official verdict and requirement, the conclusion based upon the rules, the judgment) of the written certificate whereby the debt which must be paid at the appointed time is acknowledged (cheirographon - a written document which proves one’s indebtedness and confirms their obligation to pay) that was according to (kata - that which pertained to) us, which was opposed to and against (hupenantios - adversarial and hostile to, contrary to) us, He lifted it from us and took it upon Himself (airo autos - removed it and bore it Himself, carried it away and destroyed it) from (ek - out of and away from) our midst (mesos), advantageously nailing it to (proseloo autos - affixing it securely to, using spikes to fasten it to) the upright pole (σ τ ρ ω - placeholder for stauros - vertical stake or pillar which serves as a foundation; from the base of histemi -  to stand so as to enable others to stand and be established)." (Colossians 2:14) It was the record of our sins that was nailed to the upright pole. That was the purpose of Passover and Unleavened Bread.

Exalieipho is a compound word comprised of ek, meaning from, out of, or off, and aleipho, meaning to anoint, to smear or rub, to blot out, expunge, and apply an ointment." Collectively, the union of these terms tells us that the official record of our transgressions has been "eliminated, canceled, erased, blotted or smeared out, stricken from the roll, done away with, wiped clean, expunged, removed, abolished, obliterated, utterly destroyed, and caused to disappear. Simply stated, Yahshua’s gift anoints us in such a way that the record of our sins, past, present, and future, is obliterated. Even God has no access to it. The slate has been wiped clean and then destroyed.

In a way, I almost wish Yahushua had seen to it that a copy of the Torah was nailed to the "cross." That way more people would have understood why He was hanging there. The world would have seen the Word and the Word together and come to see them as one. The Word of God became flesh so that creation could nail the Creator to Golgotha’s upright pole in accordance with the Word. The truth of what happened there is lost without the Torah. We are left with little more than a ghoulish crucifix and a disjointed religion.

Those responsible for the Messiah’s murder and those who would be responsible for murdering the truth behind it (the Torah), were condemned and rebuked: "Having exposed (apekduomai - having stripped and laid bare, disarmed and discarded, separating Himself from) the authorities (arche - the magistrates and leaders, those who initiated the action [of murdering the Messiah]) and those officials wielding religious and political power and influence (exousia - those in positions of judicial, clerical, and governmental authority), He [the Messiah Yahushua] made an example out of them, disgracing them publicly (deigmatizo - exposing that which they wished to conceal, proving His point and putting them to shame) unambiguously, bluntly, and frankly (parrhesia - without reservation or ambiguity, in open, bold, plain and outspoken words, having the confidence and courage to converse with candor), triumphing over (triambeuo - being victorious over) them." (Colossians 2:15) The truth is disarming, making honest words the most effective weapon in the world. And there is no better way to wield them than "unambiguously, bluntly, and frankly without reservation." If we want to win the war of ideas, we need to stop using bullets and bombs and start using words to expose the lies and liars in politics and religion. This is the opposite of political correctness because PC is Secular Humanism’s replacement morality.

In context, Paul as Yahuweh’s messenger is focusing in on a theme. He is exposing, refuting, and condemning false teachers and teachings. He is warning people not to be seduced by human philosophies, human traditions, or human political and religious schemes. Truth has the power to make us like God while deception has the power to destroy us. The choice is simple: you can trust God or man. That is the message here.

Before we read on, the operative word in the next verse is krino. Stripping it of religiosity and examining it through the lens of etymology we discover that first century Greeks would have understood krino to mean: "to separate by breaking apart, to be disunited and severed from someone or something, or to be divided out." Krino also meant "to assess, to evaluate, to select, and to decide."

That understood, Paul began with oun, meaning "these things being so." These things in context are represented by the choice of either having our sins obliterated by Yahushua’s sacrifice or being led astray by the disgraceful and deceitful dealings of human authority figures. Yahweh wants to unite us with Himself through His Word so we are not separated from Him by the traditions of men.

"Accordingly therefore (oun - consequently, these things being so), let no (me) individual (tis - someone or anyone) separate you (krino - divide you out, break you apart, causing you to be disunited and severed [from God], question or evaluate you) by eating (brosis), or in drinking (posis), or in any part of (meros - any share of, any element of, or with regard to the purpose of) the celebratory feasts (heortes - the set apart days or festivals, holidays [specifically Passover, Unleavened Bread, or FirstFruits]), or start of the month (neomenia - the new moon, or lunar calendar, used by Yahweh as a measure of time to specify the exact date of each of His seven Miqra), or of the Sabbath (Sabbaton - seventh day when ordinary labor is to cease; Friday at sundown to Saturday at sunset) which (hos) exist as (estin - identically represent, corresponding exactly to without contingency, stand for) archetype foreshadows (skia - adumbration images which represent the real object, less illuminated sketches or outlines which are suggestive, partially disclosing the framework, a reflection) of that which is intended and will take place at a future point in time (mellonton - of things to come which must be, of subsequent and sequential predictions, of future events which are destined, inevitable, and certain, denoting the mindset and the intent [of God] regarding an intended, substantive and absolutely sure act in time) through (de - now developed continuously via closely related events by way of) the (to) body (soma - the physical and corporeal organized whole comprised of its parts and members) of the (tou) Messiah (ΧΡΥ - the Anointed Implement of Yah)." (Colossians 2:16-17)

There is a lifetime of learning contained in these words. And since they provide the keys to understanding, to being united with Yahweh, let’s give them the credit they deserve.

The verb estin, meaning, "exists identically as, exactly corresponding to,"  is rendered in the present tense, meaning that the Scriptural portrayal of food, drink, feasts, Yahweh’s calendar, and the Sabbath currently exist as foreshadows of what is to come. The voice is active, signifying that these specific subjects are those which exist as symbols of what will be. Moreover, the mood of the verb is indicative, meaning that this prophetic insight is real, and that it portrays something which can be relied upon.

Skia is a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional object, like a photograph of a landscape. It is "a perfect image prefiguring future events." Accurately translated "adumbrate," skia conveys the notion that the Scriptural depictions of food, drink, feasts, the calendar, and the Sabbath "disclose a plan, providing the outline of that which is to come" - in this case Yahweh’s prophetic plan.

Mello is a strengthened form of melo, indicating that which is "deeply cared about." By using mello, we know that the "impending fulfillments of these foreshadowings will be experienced by some and endured by others." It is not a passive verb and often suggests "suffering for some and eager anticipation for others" The verb is rendered in the present tense, meaning that God is currently about the business of fulfilling this promise exactly as rendered.

So rather than saying that we shouldn’t allow men to judge us by whether we follow Yahuweh’s guidance on what is good for us to eat and drink, on our willingness to celebrate Yahweh’s seven Miqra, or our compliance with Yahuweh’s Commandments, Paul is telling us not to be fooled by the traditions of men which are counterfeits of them so as to let them separate us from Yahweh. He is telling us not to trust the Church or observe their Sunday or holiday observances because these things will sever our relationship with God. Moreover, Yahweh doesn’t want people evaluating and judging His plan based upon errant human opinions and practices in this regard. Far too many souls are lost because they recognize that many of the unsanctioned beliefs and positions held by Christians are foolish.

Interesting in this regard, in addition to "eating," brosis defines that "which is corrosive, rotten, worm-eaten, and cast down" While the Torah has some insightful, accurate, and helpful things to say about foods that are good to eat and those which are not, the whole concept of the Jewish dietary laws is nothing more than misguided human tradition. As for drinking, Scripture says that wine is good but that being drunk is not.

But there is more to the foreshadowing provided by eating and drinking than this. Wine is the symbol of the Messiah’s blood shed for the atonement of sin. We are to drink it during the Passover celebration in remembrance of what Yahushua did. Likewise, unleavened bread represents our mortal bodies purged of their sin. That is why "eating" it during the Miqrym of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits was mandated by God.  

Rather than discount Yahuweh’s Commandments and Miqra, Paul was reinforcing their redemptive and prophetic significance. He was telling us what I have been shouting for the past 750 pages. Specifically regarding the Sabbath of the seventh day of creation and of the Fourth Commandment, he was confirming that they are predictive of salvation being a gift that man cannot work for. And they tell us that man’s seventh millennia will be lived in the restful company of our Creator and Savior. Yahuweh’s seven Feasts represent God’s plan of salvation. They foretell the means, the timing, and the order redemption and reconciliation will occur. And that is why the reference to the new moon, which is the means to calibrate Yahweh’s calendar, was added to this list of "impending fulfillments."

Speaking of food, drink, the calendar, Sabbath, and Feasts, Paul said that they were skia. Greek dictionaries define skia as an "archetype" an "adumbration," and as "foreshadowing." Webster says that an "archetype" is: "the original pattern or model from which all things of the same type are representations." They say an "adumbration" is "the act of foreshadowing, of partially disclosing by providing an outline and sketch of what is being predicted." Merriam Webster says "foreshadowing is used to represent, indicate, and typify beforehand what is going to occur."

There are some additional insights, albeit subtle. First, soma is a singular term describing "a body comprised of an organized whole of individual parts and members." Yahweh is one, and yet He manifests Himself to humankind in the Word, a corporeal physical body, and as the Set Apart Spirit. Second, the article before soma/body, and soma itself, are "gender neutral." This suggests that the fulfillment will occur through the Son, masculine, and Spirit, feminine. Third, there is an article before the "ΧΡΥ" placeholder for Messiah. It is ignored when English translations errantly replace the divine title with "Christ." The article is needed however for the title Messiah, the Anointed Implement of Yah.

When Paul wrote these words, the first four Feasts had been fulfilled: Passover (Nisan 14, 4000/Friday, April 1, 33 CE), Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15, 4000/the Sabbath, April 2, 33 CE), FirstFruits (Nisan 16, 4000/the First Day, April 3, 33 CE), and fifty days later, the Feast of Weeks, known to Christians as Pentecost (Sivan 6, 4000/May 22, 33 CE) when the Spirit came upon the ekklesia/out-calling. So by saying that the "lunar calendar, the feasts, and the Sabbath exist as archetype foreshadows of that which is intended in the future," he confirmed that Taruwah, Atonement, and Tabernacles are depictions of what must still be accomplished - even of when these things will occur. There are only three potential events which meet these criterion: the Messiah’s Harvest of Souls, His Return in Power and Glory, and the beginning of His Millennial Sabbath. According to this passage, they will be fulfilled the way they were depicted in Scripture and on the designated date specified on Yahweh’s calendar.

Therefore we know that there will be a significant harvest of souls on Taruwah, that Yahushua will return on the Day of Atonement, and that the Millennial Sabbath will begin on Tabernacles. But more than that, when we combine this recognition with the reference to Yahweh’s calendar and the Sabbath being prophetic, we now have the six plus one framework depicted in the Sabbath and the timeline needed to establish the exact dates.

Scripture tells us that man’s timeline began with the fall of Adam just shy of 6,000 years ago meaning that the Millennial Sabbath, and thus return of the Messiah which immediately precedes it, is near. Since we know that the first four Miqra were fulfilled in year 4000 of Yahweh’s calendar, 33 CE on ours, we know that the sixth millennia will end and the seventh will commence in 2033. And that means that Yahshua will return on Tishri 10, 6000 which is Monday, October 3rd, 2033 on our calendars. And the Millennial Sabbath will commence on Tishri 15, 6000 which is Saturday, October 8th, 2033 in pagan reckoning. Since we know that the Tribulation is seven lunar years long, it will begin on November 14^th, 2026 which is Kislev 4, 5993 to Yahweh. The Taruwah harvest known as the "rapture" must thus take place on the Miqra of Taruwah (Tishri 1) between now and then. My best guess is the Sabbath of September 16^th in 2023, or Tishri 1, 5990 to Yahweh.

We turned our attention to this passage because it is used by so many to refute the obvious connection between the Sabbath and God’s timeline, between the Miqra and our Redemption, between the Old Covenant and the Renewed. And yet, we found just the opposite. Self-serving and often anti-Semitic politicized clerics of Christendom in their ignorance and disdain for the Torah would have you believe that Lent, Good Friday, and Easter have replaced Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits. I don’t think so - nor does God.

Since Yahushua fulfilled the first three prophetic rehearsals, the very heart of the Torah, in the right order, on the right day, and in the same way, even without this passage any thinking person would recognize that the Messiah’s enactments were related to and predicted by the Miqra. And since the Festival of Weeks was fulfilled right on schedule fifty days later with Pentecost (Greek for fifty) wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that Yahuweh will be consistent with the rest of His redemptive plan? Might the harvest of the "rapture" occur on the next Miqra, that of Taruwah? After all, every reference to this harvest mentions trumpets and shouting. And shouldn’t we expect Yahushua to return to deal with man, who he created on the sixth day on the sixth Miqra, the Day of Atonement? Wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that the Millennial Sabbath, the time when Yahushua lives in our presence for a thousand years, might begin on the seventh Miqra, that of Tabernacles - the Festival where we dwell with God? And might this predicted thousand-year Sabbath occur during man’s seventh millennia? Are you making the connection?

The next verse continues along the same line, confirming that our rendering of the previous passage was accurate. God does not want us to be separated from Him based upon our ignorance of the prophetic and redemptive symbolism of wine, bread, His calendar, the Sabbath, and His Miqra. And He is especially concerned about people being beguiled by religion.

An entire book could be written on this verse. So, take a deep breath and bear with me as we journey into it. I’d suggest reading the bold portions first and then doubling back and picking up the nuances provided in the amplifications. "Let no one (medeis - let absolutely nothing whatsoever) beguile and disqualify you (katabrabeuo - rob you of the prize, depriving you of your spiritual reward through deception, judge you as unworthy, decide against and condemn you, cheat or defraud you), insisting on (thelon en - desiring) misdirected submission (tapeinophrosynei - obeisance, humiliation, self-abasement, effacement, or degradation born out of the arrogance and pride of man, mortification, degradation, and indignity) or (kai) the messenger’s (angelos - envoy’s or minister’s, the one sent forth to announce and proclaim) religion (threskeiai - religious worship services and observances). Those who (hos) claim to have seen and experienced supernatural visions and to have received messages (heoraken - acquired information and understanding) and speak as an authority about religious revelations, who have entered into the mysteries (embateuon - a technical term used with initiates to the Babylonian-based mystery sun god religions as the inductee entered the inner circle and the mysteries were unveiled, literally meaning to step in and participate in religious dogmas based on the authority of conceited messengers arrogantly claiming ecstatic nonrational visions) are thoughtlessly, rashly, and irrationally (eikei - vainly, groundlessly without consideration or cause and without beneficial result) puffed up with pride without reason or justification (physimoumenos - arrogant and conceited exaggerators focused on natural phenomenon and nature-based religious doctrines, leaders who are inflated with haughtiness and hubris, self-exalting and self-important souls engaged in the discussion of the universe’s and man’s origins and natural processes) by their own thinking, opinions, morality (noos - consciousness, own faculty of understanding, reason, awareness, way of thinking, orientation, and moral attitude and inclination) and fleshly desires (stakos - corporeal animal nature)." (Colossians 2:18)

Let’s begin our analysis of Yahweh’s message with katabrabeuo. It is a compound word with kata meaning "down from" and brabeuo meaning "those who direct, control and rule." This conveys the idea that those doing the "defrauding which robs us of our spiritual reward" are political and religious leaders - something which is confirmed as we move through the verse. Throughout the Colossian dissertation, they have been the enemy. The choice remains: trust man or trust God. It’s religion or relationship. Both isn’t a viable option.

Tapeinophrosynei (pronounced: tap-i-nof-ros-oo-nay) is "misdirected submission manifest in cultic, cultural, and religious behavior." It is a compound word with tapeinos, meaning "being brought low and not rising from the ground, being grief stricken and depressed, and having the poor sense to defer servilely to others." The second part of the compound term, phrosynei, is based upon the root phren/phrao. They mean "to be reined in and controlled by way of relinquishing one’s faculty of perceiving and judging." In context, this compound word serves as a confirmation of the most important spiritual realization I have come to understand this past year.

Those in religion and politics, in the media and academia, have beguiled the masses into submission, robbing them of their spiritual reward by suppressing their ability to be judgmental. Condemned by political correctness as prejudicial and intolerant, judgment is the cornerstone of liberty, choice, morality, justice, reason, understanding, wisdom, and civil society. Yahweh is judgmental and we must be too if we are to know Him and be like Him - even if we want to choose Him.

Those who "relinquish their faculty of perceiving and judging" are universally "reigned in and controlled" by others. They are robbed of their freedom and become incapable of evaluating evidence and rendering a moral or rational verdict. They are programmed, opinionated, destructive, and unproductive. More important, controlled by religious and political men, they are incapable of knowing God. I will speak more about this sorry condition in a moment. 

A direct translation of tapeinophrosynei could rightly be: "Islam," which is Arabic for "Submission." Every aspect of this admonition applies to Muhammad’s demonic dogma. In the Hellenistic world, the etymological derivation of tapeinophrosynei conveyed "submission to a mean-spirited and insignificant power," and that pretty much sums up Allah, the Islamic incarnation of Satan. One of the synonyms for "Islam" is "mortification," which is defined as the "subjection of the body to self-inflicted pain, the denial of passion, and abstinence of certain foods and behaviors." All of these are incorporated into Allah’s obsession.

But more than Islam, tapeinophrosynei is the stuff of religion - every religion. They play no role in the relationship Yahweh wants to form with us. In fact they are all counterproductive because they all "bring men down, causing them to defer to others in servitude." They "reign in and control" people, causing them to "relinquish their ability to perceive and judge" for themselves.  

While the impetus for the humiliation and submission of the masses is the arrogance of man, the Greek word tapeinophrosynei signifies a "lowliness of mind" and an "inappropriately low estimate of humankind" in relationship to God. The message here is that religion only fools fools - it is an opiate for the ignorant, feebleminded, and apathetic. Further, religions seek to convince the masses that they are so lowly in relation to God they are incapable of understanding His divine writ and unworthy of addressing Him on their own. The religious god needs to be feared; he dictates submission, he demands prostration, and he requires clerics to act as his intermediaries, performing as his authorized agents.

The real God created us in His image and thinks so highly of us, He wants to adopt us as His sons and daughters, bringing us into His family, developing a personal relationship with us. The real God hates it when we bow down to Him, when we fear Him, and when we submit to the will of intermediaries. The real God bowed down to us, reducing Himself to human form, sacrificing Himself so that we could stand with Him. Yahweh’s plan and purpose is thus the antithesis of religious worship, of man bowing down, humbled in the presence of cleric and king.

For those who believe God wants us to bow down in worship before Him, I’ve addressed this myth in the "Yasha’ - Salvation" chapter. For those who have been beguiled into believing that God approved of a Church hierarchy acting as intermediaries on His authority, please turn to the God Damn Religion volume  for clarification. For those who believe their English translation and think that God wants to be feared, understand that in Isaiah/Yasha’yahu 29:12-13, Yahuweh said that fearing Him was a manmade tradition. "Then Yahuweh said, ‘Forasmuch as these people approach Me with their mouths, and with their lip service (vainly seeking approval), yet they have removed their hearts (have wandered away spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually) from Me. Their fear (yir’ah) toward Me exists because it is taught (lamad - learned, studied, acquired through the instruction of, and is derived) from manmade traditions (iysh mitzvah - manmade commandments, human edicts and precepts) learned by rote." Fearing God makes religions tick. Fearing man causes political schemes to prevail. Fear makes cleric and king rich and powerful. Both use the image of a fearsome deity to compel submission.

There is a reason why Yahweh chose the metaphor of family to demonstrate His purpose and His love. A child adores his or her dad, respects him, but does not fear him. A father sacrifices for his children out of devotion, wanting nothing in return other than the pleasure of a relationship. The child inherits the father’s fortune, whatever it may be but does not deserve it and does not earn it.

While we are not to think so highly of ourselves that we replace Yahweh’s instructions and traditions with our own, or try to rule over people, we ought to value ourselves as much as Yahweh does. And that means we should care enough to invest the time to learn what Yahweh has to say. That is the best way to keep from being victimized by man’s religious and political schemes. Further, while we ought to rejoice in the notion that we were created in Yahweh’s image, and that we are invited into His family and given His power, we ought not see ourselves as deserving of any of these things. We are welcomed and accepted because of what He has done, not because of what we do. Yet because of what He has done, His Spirit lives within us, and there is nothing more beautiful or valuable.

Moving on, the next most revealing word is threskeiai, meaning "religion." Amplified, it is "religious worship manifest in services and observances." It is "belief in a supernatural power or service to idols demonstrated through ritual practices in the context of a zealous cult." Threskeiai is the "act of being religious through the expression of formalized cultic or cultural rites." Those who manifest threskeiai demonstrate a "great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, book, or dogma." As such, they can just as easily be Socialist Secular Humanists or Roman Catholics, Nazis or Muslims. These "religions" are the ultimate blight on the human condition - the bane of our mortal existence.

We find the same term used by Paul again when in Acts 26:5 he explains his migration "as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of the Jewish religion" to the "promises made by Yahweh to our fathers." In the ultimate choice between man and God, religion is firmly entrenched by Yahweh as being on the wrong side of the divide.

While threskeiai is a very commonly used term in Greek literature, defining the fanatic and superstitious religious worship of a wide array of sun gods, celestial and earthly deities, the term only appears in three Renewed Covenant passages. Those who think "the Bible" promotes "religion" are badly mistaken.

Threskeia, the Greek word for "religion," is based upon threskos, meaning "trembling in terror while fearing or worshipping God." As such, it is the antithesis of what Yahweh wants. Threskos is in turn based upon throeo, which takes the fear one step further, meaning "to cry aloud, troubling the mind and alarming the soul." In the midst of these terms, the Greek lexicons reveal thriambeuo, which is "a hymn sung in festal processions in honor of the god Bacchus" - the sungod counterfeit of the Messiah. And I suppose this is why most every lexicon I explored contained the phrases: "the etymology of threskeia is uncertain," "the etymology is disputed and may have no bearing on the actual sense of the word," or "being difficult to explain etymologically, the root is in significant conflict with the term used today." Religious scholars don’t like the notion that God hates religion.

Adding insult to injury, all English translations of this passage suggest that God’s prohibition is against "the worship of angels" as opposed to "the messenger’s religion." The primary meaning of threskeia is "religion," not "worship." The word for "of" does not exist in the text. And aggelos means "messenger, one who is sent to announce or proclaim" not "angel." Since aggelos isn’t a name, the word should have been translated and not transliterated. Amplified, an aggelos is "a teacher" and "an entity which performs acts on behalf of another." While the term is used to describe Yahweh’s spiritual messengers, demons are also aggelos - making the aggelos’ religion a very bad thing.

In this passage, the "messengers who proclaim" are the religious leaders who beguile men, robbing them of a life with God by having them cower in submission before a deity of their own making. It is the morally corrupt and irrational message inspired by Satan’s aggelos. 

This Colossian letter confirms the central thrust of the mission I have been called to pursue. Religion is of man. God doesn’t like it because it separates mankind from Him. Most societal traditions and human political and religious teachings are not only wrong, most are either misleading counterfeits or in direct conflict with Yahweh’s Word. For God’s truth to be known and understood, we must first clear 2,000 years of human corruptions from our minds and start again from the beginning. If time permits, when this mission is done, I will write God Damn Religion - Satan’s Curse from Babylon to Bush.

But here is the rub, the reason I’m so concerned with the vast preponderance of people understanding anything God or I reveal. Most people have relinquished their ability to be judgmental. No matter how convincing Yahweh is, no matter how compelling His Word, plan, and prophecies are, it doesn’t matter if the recipient of this information is unable to process it judgmentally, rendering a moral, rational, and reasoned conclusion.

Ultimately, Paul asks his audience, those we would today call "religious Christians," a very difficult question. "Since the Messiah binds us together (syndesmon) in one body, providing for us (epichoregoumenon) and uniting us so that we can rise up and stand together (symbibazomenon - be logically instructed, be known, and be certain, be enlightened, reconciled, and be held upright) and grow (auxei - increase in status, state, and respect) with Yahuweh (ΘΥ - placeholder for ‘Elohym), if together with the Anointed Messiah (ΧΡΩ) you died a natural death (apothnesko) separated from a series of elementary religious doctrines (apo ton stoicheion - set apart from the ranks of binding human teachings, taboos, ordinances, ceremonies and traditions in relationship to the natural world and supernatural powers) and the celestial creation (kosmou - meaning the sun, moon, planets, and stars), why do you submit to their authority, doctrines, and requirements (dogmatizesthe - subject yourself to their decisions and decrees and obey their set of fixed rules and imposed regulations)?"  (Colossians 2:19-20) That question is being asked today of every Catholic and Protestant Christian, every patriotic European and American.

Since I promised to revisit the judgment discussion, here is an excerpt from a future chapter for you to consider. In addition to tapeinophrosynei, every religious, political, and media leader today is actively engaged in pseudologos - inducing and inciting by argument, advice, or appeal, that which is untrue. The problem has become epidemic. "They speak lies (pseudologos - deceive with words, promoting, maintaining, affirming, and exhorting that which is false) by way of hypocrisy (hypokrisis - under false pretences, through concealment, insincerity and duplicity, by means of imitation, interpretation, and counterfeiting, pretending with flamboyant speech and practiced gestures). Their individual (idios - own, unique, separate, personal, and concealed) conscience (suneidesis - faculty for moral judgments, perceptions, and discernment, the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from lies) is functionally destroyed (kekausteriasmenon - their conscience is seared, consumed, scorched and scared, bearing the brand of a slave, deadening their perceptions)." (1 Timothy 4:2)

A hypokrisis is a public persona engaged in creating an impression which is at odds with their real motivation and agenda. They are in a phrase "hypocritical conniving conspirators." They are politicians, clerics, and media celebrities. Their holy grail is for you to believe their errant ideas and false perceptions are reality. Most every nationally and internationally known political, religious, and media personality falls under this condemnation. They are hypocrites, and are not what they pretend to be.

While I have always thought that most religious and political leaders know the truth, but have ignored and convoluted it out of convenience and out of a lust for power, sex, and money, God is suggesting that their conscience no longer functions. But that isn’t the biggest problem; it is the result. This malady is now ubiquitous in their victims. Mankind’s almost universal lack of judgment has bred confusion and immorality. It is a disease we have contracted from our leaders. It is why Yahweh warns us in the second commandment that the consequences of false religious and political teachings haunt future generations, spreading from one and infecting the other.

The common thread among these people and their victims is a dysfunctional suneidesis, best translated "conscience" from the Greek.  This is the part of humankind which facilitates the ability to be judgmental, to be moral, perceptive, and discerning. The Greek term is derived from suneido, a word which describes the ability to consider and to be privy to something, to see things clearly, to know and to comprehend. Sun in Greek means to be "with" and eido is "perception and discernment which facilitates discovery, understanding, and experiencing something and someone." The something is the Word and the someone is Yahweh.

Suneidesis is therefore foundational to choice, to combining the collection of information with the ability to process it in a way which leads to understanding and to knowing. It provides the ability to choose wisely and morally between options and paths. Suneidesis is thus the essence of being judgmental. And being judgmental provides the framework for morality, civil society, and justice.

The mass extinction of our collective conscience, of our ability to be judgmental, is the result of Political Correctness, the hypocritical replacement moral code of Socialist Secular Humanism that was conceived by Adam Wieshaupt. It has become the national code of conduct for countries like the United States, where tolerance is demanded at the expense of discernment and rational objectivity. Its proponents see no hypocrisy in being intolerant of intolerance, or in sacrificing justice, common sense, or personal accountability to advance the adaptation of their moral code - one which is in every way opposed to Yahweh’s teaching. Without a conscience, society no longer has a moral filter, and thus no ability to be judgmental. Such a society is no longer free.

Judgment is the marriage of information and discernment. It is the ability to connect related details within the context of the big picture. Without it, we obfuscate the benefits of freedom of choice. And that’s catastrophic, because choice provides the underpinning upon which relationships and love are based. So when we lose this ability, all the information in the world won’t do us any good. We can no longer process it wisely and thus choose appropriately. That is why judgment has become the battleground upon which Secular Humanists are warring with God.

In the opening lines of Genesis 2, Yahweh makes a special point of telling us that the one thing which makes mankind unique, the thing which makes humans like God, and separates us from all other animals, is a nesamah. It is the Hebrew equivalent of suneidesis. In Genesis 2:7 we read: "And Yahuweh God (‘elohiym) formed (yasar - fashioned, created, and conceived) ‘Adam of the dust (‘aphar - ground, earth, small particles of loose matter) and breathed (naphach - blew) into his nostrils (‘aph) the nesamah of living/existence (chayah/hayah); and ‘Adam existed as (hayah) a living (chay) soul (nepesh)." According to Scripture, all animals have a nepesh, or soul, a term analogous to consciousness. But only Adam was given a nesamah - conscience.

The nesamah represents the inherent ability to make an informed and wise choice - to be judgmental, to know right from wrong, to differentiate good from bad, to distinguish that which is true from that which is not. The nesamah endows us with the potential to know God and thus to receive His gifts of salvation and eternal life. The nesamah provides us with the ability to understand His Word and to know Him. Empowered with truth and judgment, we are able to form a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. The nesamah/conscience is what makes it possible for us to choose to be with Yahweh and to love Him. And that is why we are here.

For confirmation of this, we can turn to the book of Job. Written hundreds of years before the Torah, Job is foundational to our understanding. "Indeed (‘aken - truly and surely) the Spirit (ruach), She (huw’) in mortal man (‘enowsh - in the weak and frail, in humankind) and even the nesamah of the Almighty (shaday) provide understanding and wisdom (biyn - the ability to perceive and discern so as to apprehend information and make wise and moral judgments)." (Job 32:8)

Scripture defines nesamah as "the part of mortal man that can know and respond to Yahuweh." The nesamah makes the connection between facts and understanding, between the soul and the Spirit. While it does not make us immortal, it provides us with the ability to know, commune with, love, and trust the source of immortality. It is the thing that connects us to the source of life. Fittingly, nesamah is based upon nasham, meaning "the process of childbirth."

The nepesh provides all animals with a sense of consciousness while the nesamah makes us human, providing us with our conscience - and thus the ability to be judgmental. It is that unique human element that seeks to yada Yahweh. But when the suneidesis (conscience, ability to be judgmental, to be moral, perceptive, and discerning) is repressed, God can no longer be known. That makes these warnings in the letters to the Colossians and Timothy especially important. It is the crux of freedom of choice and a matter of life and death.

Before we leave this time with Paul, let’s review what he told us: . "Be discerning and see to it (come to understand by carefully evaluating the evidence so) that no one takes control of you, leading you away in submission (robs you and misleads you, taking you captive, victimizing or brainwashing you with religious error or false teaching) by way of philosophy (human wisdom and understanding, the love of science, theology, and humanistic thought) and meritless, empty, and vain (failed, false, and futile, foolish and worthless) deceit (trickery and deception, seductive delusions leading to dissipation) according to the traditions and teachings (the transmission of legends, customs, and doctrines) of man according to the rudimentary basic and natural elements of the world rather than according to the Anointed Messiah.." (Colossians 2:8)

"..because (introducing you to content upon which you can think and judge) within Him [the Messiah Yahushua] resides (lives and dwells) all (each and every significant aspect of, the totality of) the complete fulfillment of (the full measure or complement of that which is abounding and liberally supplied from) the Deity bodily (corporeally, in a tangible way, in human form)." (2:9)

"Even also in and by Him [the Messiah Yahushua] you have been made totally complete, abounding and liberally supplied (given an overflowing abundance of influence, energy, and wealth), for He exists as the head (the uppermost, supreme and most prominent, the cornerstone) of all creation (the chief architect and builder from the beginning, the power from before the commencement of time, the authority over of all that was caused) and the one with unlimited authoritative power (the one in charge with unrestricted dominion)." (2:10)

"Also by and in Him you are circumcised (cut around and set apart). It is a circumcision not made with hands, but in the removal and laying aside (the stripping away and completely and advantageously separating from one’s self) the sin and error (that which has accumulated as a result of wandering away, forsaking our inheritance for having violated the covenant and) of the physical mortal body by the circumcision (by the division and separation) of the Messiah, the Anointed Implement of Yah." (2:11)

"Buried together with Him by immersion (submersion [in the Spirit]), in Him you are also risen together (aroused and awakened from sleep so as to rise up and appear, and to be born) by way of (through, by means of, on account of, and by reason of) trust in and reliance upon the truth and trustworthiness of (recognition and acceptance of) the work of (effectual power, energy, and force of) Yahuweh who raised Him (restored Him to life, caused Him to stand, and caused Him to appear and rise) from (out of) lifelessness (destitution and death)." (2:12)

"And also you being lifeless (dead, futile, useless, of no value, and vain) in your fallen state (in your deviation from the truth and the way, sin and transgression, false beliefs and error) still retaining the foreskin of (being uncircumcised in) your flesh (mortal human nature) were made alive, restored together with (caused to live in union with) Him. You were pardoned as a favor (graciously forgiven and restored, having your debt paid and then canceled) from all, individually and collectively each and every lapse in judgment, deviation from the way, sin and error (false step and transgression)." (2:13)

"Erasing, doing away with, and anointing so as to wash away (removing and wiping the record clean, eliminating, obliterating, and canceling) the ordinance and decree (the official verdict and requirement, the conclusion based upon the rules, the judgment) of the written certificate whereby the debt which must be paid at the appointed time is acknowledged (a written document which proves one’s indebtedness and confirms their obligation to pay) that was according to (that which pertained to) us, which was opposed to and against (adversarial and hostile to, contrary to) us. He lifted it from us and took it upon Himself (removed it and bore it Himself, carried it away and destroyed it) from (out of and away from) our midst, advantageously nailing it to (affixing it securely to) the upright pole." (2:14)

"Having exposed (having stripped and laid bare, disarmed and discarded, separating Himself from) the authorities (the magistrates and leaders, those who initiated the action [of crucifying the Messiah]) and those officials wielding religious and political power and influence (those in positions of judicial, clerical, and governmental authority), He [the Messiah Yahushua] made an example out of them, disgracing them publicly (exposing that which they wished to conceal, proving His point and putting them to shame) unambiguously, bluntly, and frankly (without reservation or ambiguity, in open, bold, plain and outspoken words, having the confidence and courage to converse with candor), triumphing over (being victorious over) them." (2:15)

"Accordingly therefore (consequently, these things being so), let no individual separate you (divide you out, break you apart, causing you to be disunited and severed [from God], question or evaluate you) by eating, or in drinking, or in any part of (any share of, any element of, or with regard to the purpose of) the celebratory feasts (the set apart days or festivals, holidays [specifically Passover, Unleavened Bread, or FirstFruits]), or start of the month (lunar calendar used by Yahweh as a measure of time to specify the exact date of each of His seven Miqra), or of the Sabbath (seventh day when ordinary labor is to cease) which exist as (identically represent, corresponding exactly to without contingency, stand for) archetype foreshadows (adumbration images which represent the real object, sketches or outlines which are suggestive, partially disclosing the framework, a reflection) of that which is intended and will take place at a future point in time (of things to come which must be, of subsequent and sequential predictions, of future events which are destined, inevitable, and certain, denoting the mindset and the intent [of God] regarding an intended, substantive and absolutely sure act in time) through (now developed continuously via closely related events by way of) the body (the physical and corporeal organized whole comprised of its parts and members) of the Messiah." (2:16-17)

"Let no one beguile and disqualify you (rob you of the prize, depriving you of your spiritual reward through deception, judge you as unworthy, decide against and condemn you, cheat or defraud you), insisting on misdirected submission (obeisance, humiliation, self-abasement, effacement, or degradation born out of the arrogance and pride of man) or the messenger’s (envoy’s or minister’s, the one sent forth to announce and proclaim) religion (religious worship services and observances). Those who claim to have seen and experienced supernatural visions and to have received messages (acquired information and understanding) and speak as an authority about religious revelations, who have entered into the mysteries (a technical term used with initiates to the Babylonian-based mystery sun god religions as the inductee entered the inner circle and the mysteries were unveiled, literally meaning to step in and participate in religious dogmas based on the authority of conceited messengers arrogantly claiming ecstatic nonrational visions) are thoughtlessly, rashly, and irrationally (vainly, groundlessly without consideration or cause and without beneficial result) puffed up with pride without reason or justification (arrogant and conceited exaggerators focused on natural phenomenon and nature-based religious doctrines, self-exalting and self-important souls engaged in the discussion of the universe’s and man’s origins and natural processes) by their own thinking, opinions, morality (consciousness, own faculty of understanding, reason, awareness, way of thinking, orientation, and moral attitude and inclination) and fleshly desires (corporeal animal nature)." (2:18)

"Since the Messiah binds us together in one body, providing for us and uniting us so that we can rise up and stand together (be logically instructed, be known, and be certain, be enlightened, reconciled, and be held upright) and grow (increase in status, state, and respect) with Yahuweh, if together with the Anointed Messiah you died a natural death separated from a series of elementary religious doctrines (set apart from the ranks of binding human teachings, taboos, ordinances, ceremonies and traditions in relationship to the natural world and supernatural powers) and the celestial creation (the sun, moon, planets, and stars), why do you submit to their authority, doctrines, and requirements (subject yourself to their decisions and decrees and obey their set of fixed rules and imposed regulations)?"  (Colossians 2:19-20)

Yahweh could not have made it clearer. It is human traditions or the Word, religion or relationship, man or God. If we want to know, understand, and live with our Heavenly Father, we have to know, understand, and rely upon His Word - rejecting man’s authority, doctrines, and requirements. Central to this pursuit is seeing Yahweh’s calendar, His six plus one Sabbath plan, and His Miqra as the foundation and blueprint of our redemption.