Chapter 4

Shabat

Seventh Day

Rest and Reflection...

A picture is beginning to form. By opening the second chapter of Yahuweh’s first book we discover an interwoven tapestry whose threads form the fabric of life: revelation, redemption, and relationship.

God begins by revealing that He is the cause of everything. He underscores the importance of light, associating it with His nature and purpose. As He telescopes down in time and space, He explains that mankind is the reason the universe exists. He says that He is the Architect of life, of consciousness and conscience. But why?

A thoughtful contemplation of our genesis yields a singular and undeniable conclusion: Yahweh created us in His image because He wants to enjoy a close and personal relationship with mankind. The model is based upon home and family, upon husband and wife becoming one, upon a father and a mother coming together to conceive and raise children.

Thus far we have seen a pattern established. The model is six plus one equals seven. Within this model we witness seven creative epics, seven thousand years of human history, and the seven part plan which serves as the basis for our salvation. In it, the seven essential dates which form the foundation of Yahweh’s redemptive and prophetic calendar—the Miqra’ey—are made manifest.

Central to this line of thought, the Sabbath, or Seventh Day, was set apart for rest and reflection. As we will discover, the shabat is the day of promise, the day upon which Yahweh will demonstrate His love for us, lowering Himself to become one of us, greeting us, and lifting us up. In this discussion, God will present the nature of choice and freewill, because they are the prerequisites of a loving relationship.

Let’s pick up the story of our genesis, and the reasons behind it, in the opening lines of Genesis 2: “Thus (wa - and now) the (ha) heavens (samayim - universe comprised of the sun, moon, planets, and stars, and the spiritual realm) and the earth (‘erets - material realm, land, ground, and matter) were determined complete (kalah - were prepared and concluded as intended, the grand total finished and accomplished), and all (kol - whole and entirety of) the divisions of spiritual beings (tsaba’ - the host of messengers and envoys established in a militaristic construct of command and control).” (Genesis 2:1)

Kalah, based on kol, meaning “the entirety or grand total,” provides a clue which prompts us to ponder something profound. Based upon what I know of science and Scripture, before time and space began, God calculated the precise amount of energy required to achieve the specific creative result He desired. The result of this multi-variable equation was a universe with seven dimensions, one capable of supporting a life form which would mirror Yah’s nature, one in which life could be temporal and eternal, one in which God’s timeline of six plus one creative days would play out over the course of seven millennia. It is a calculation so complex, and with so many variables, all of man’s computers combined couldn’t ascertain the formula, much less process the data.

The reasons for this are quite simple. The purpose of creation is reflected in its formula. Yahuweh introduced Himself as the lone creator on the first day because God is one. He created ‘Adam in His image on the sixth day, suggesting that this was the number of man. God alone, lived a life void of loving relationships, an existence deprived of the growth freewill associations provide. So He conceived and created a universe capable of supporting a creature designed to fulfill that need. Then He conveys the thought that by bringing man and God together, by adding six to one, we achieve perfection: seven. Further, it suggests that Yahuweh is as much plot smith as He is mathematician. Every element of revelation, redemption, and relationship relates to His perfect pattern of six plus one. No matter the question, if the answer is important, it is seven.

The next most misunderstood, albeit important, word in this passage is tsaba’, or simply, saba’. It is translated “hosts” eighty-five percent of the nearly five hundred times it is found in the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms. “War, army, and battle” comprise the residual renderings. I don’t think one person in a million knows why “host” was selected or what this choice implies. The word is defined by those who selected it to mean “a military congregation or a large fighting unit, a division of an army.” If we were to extrapolate superficially based upon this rather human line of thought, it would imply that Yahweh has competitors and that He either requires defending or He covets conquest. After all conquest, defense, and control are the sole purposes for militaries. But since the notion of multiple rival gods is in complete conflict with the Word and with reason, and since by definition, a Creator with sufficient energy to produce our universe isn’t short on power, there must be another reason for God selecting a militaristic term.

That is not to say that there isn’t a battle being waged. There is one to be sure. It is a spiritual battle for your soul. We will delve further into this in the next two chapters: “Eden-Joy,” and “Nesamah-Conscience.” I share this with you now because there is some merit to the “fighting” aspects of tsaba’, at least when seen through the lens which reveals the battle for your love, or submission.

Scripture seen as a whole fabric suggests that Yahuweh’s mal’ak, or messengers, the heavenly host in this context, exist in a command and control regime without freewill—just like America’s military, where a single refusal to obey a superior officer results in the subordinate being banished from the corps, being incarcerated, or losing their life, depending upon the severity of the rebellion.

The mal’ak, mistranslated “angels,” serve as Yah’s workforce. They are His messengers, envoys, and implements. And that is perhaps why the Hebrew word mala’kah means “work.” They aren’t compensated, so it would be inappropriate to consider them employees. They aren’t equals, so they are not partners. There is no indication of mutual affection, so they aren’t part of a loving relationship. They cannot procreate, so they are not family. I think it would be fair to consider them “tools.”  

If I am right, and Scripture seems to support this conclusion, the mal’ak who comprise the saba’ “host, and who are better known as “angels” (through an improper transliteration of the Greek word for messenger), are greater than we mortals in that they are eternal in time and to some extent, have a greater capacity to travel within the dimension of time. They are also comprised of substantially more energy than we are, making them more effective implements. That would make these spiritual beings more knowledgeable and powerful than humans. But without the capacity to choose freely, they would be incapable of love and severely diminished in creativity and causality, as these things are dependant upon freewill.

Please consider this example: short of breaking, which would be a singular act of rebellion, a shovel has no option but to dig when and where the user dictates. That does not mean that a shovel isn’t valued or useful, only that it has no freewill, and thus no ability to create on its own. The heavenly host, or messengers, even the fallen angels, or demons, are like this in a way.

Therefore, while mortal, comparatively powerless, and trapped in time, we are considerably superior to the heavenly host when it comes to those things which are born of choice: creativity, causality, communion, and compassion. These, not surprisingly, are the hallmarks of God, which is why He said that we were created in His image.

There are insights related to these conclusions I don’t want you to miss. The first deals with eternity. Immortal, the spiritual messengers or envoys whom we call “angels” cannot be killed, even by God. That is why Yahuweh created the Abyss as a prison for Halal ben Shachar, better known as Satan, and for the divisions who rebelled with him. The Abyss is the place of perpetual anguish where he, and all human souls who associate with and serve these demons, will be eternally incarcerated. Their emotional agony will be the result of enduring eternal consciousness cognizant of the reality that they rebelled against their Creator.

This cause and effect is described most eloquently in Matthew 23, a passage we’ll dissect in the “Krina-Damnation” chapter. There, we discover that religious, political, judicial, academic, and media leaders and their associates who promote damning deceptions, thereby leading people from life to desolation, will join the demons in the Abyss because they will be considered to be in league with them. Souls reborn in Yahuweh’s Spirit will likewise become immortal, but they will spend their eternity with their Creator rather than with the Adversary. The preponderance of souls will make neither connection; and they will therefore remain mortal. For them there will be nothing beyond death. These three choices and three destinations are further developed in the “Thanatos-Separation” and “Ruach-Spirit” chapters.

Second, choice is a stunningly important gift, one that we all too often devalue. Without freewill love is impossible. Love requires the option not to love. That is to say we have been given the authority to reject or to ignore God. Further, since love cannot be compelled, the choice not to love must be compelling—or at the very least somewhat credible and persuasive. That in turn is the reason God created a division of spiritual beings who were capable of rebelling, but yet possessed very limited creative capabilities. Rebellious, and thus fallen “angels,” now demons, function in this role. They serve to make the choices to reject or ignore God plausible. They do so using the only means they know: submission based upon concealment, corruption, and counterfeit. More on this in a moment.

Remember, the tsaba’ is a command and control construct, similar in nature to most militaries. It is thus a regimen predicated upon submit and obey. To put this into a more contemporary setting, consider the fact that the institution credited for preserving freedom, the United States military, is actually among the least free institutions on earth.

Outside of the military, submission is most commonly manifest in politicized religions. It is why Catholicism prior to the Reformation was submit or die. It is why “Islam” is the Arabic word for submission. It is why the religion of man, Socialist Secular Humanism manifests itself in dictatorial regimes devoid of freedom—places where the state (read the empowered) control everything inclusive of the lives of those within their sphere of influence. These represent humankind’s most adversarial dogmas with regard to knowing and loving God, and therefore, those most opposed to choice and the informed, judgmental, exercise of freewill.

While religions provide compelling counterfeits, dogmas that distance man from God by hiding, altering, and replacing the truth, it was essential from Yahweh’s perspective that they not be creative. Should Satan have been able to conceive anything beyond “not God,” beyond concealing aspects of God’s message, beyond corrupting God’s instructions, and/or beyond counterfeiting God’s symbols, Satan and his minions would have conceived schemes capable of completely hiding the Divine Writ, of convincing people that the Devil was God. And Satan would have become sufficiently oppressive to essentially constrain the exercise of freewill. That is why Satan’s schemes are all concealments, counterfeits, and corruptions, of Yahuweh’s creativity, nothing more. At their core, Rabbinical Judaism, Catholicism, Islam, and Socialist Secular Humanism (as conceived by Order of the Illuminists) are simply variations of the politicized religious scheme deployed in Babylon. Their common denominator is a mirror image reversal, or backwards portrayal, of Yahweh’s plan of redemption. Freedom to choose is replaced by submit and obey. Therefore, it should not be a surprise that religion is based upon the Latin word meaning “to bind.” We will find countless insights into this beast in our long walk through Yahuweh’s Word.

I realize that this is a lot to extrapolate from the Hebrew words tsaba’, mala’kah, and mal’ak, but I am confident that Yahweh used these terms because He wants you to understand the nature of spirits, the importance of freewill, and the consequence of concealing, corrupting, and counterfeiting His purpose and plan.

Returning to Genesis, Yahweh said: “And (wa) on the seventh (shabiy’iy - from shaba’, meaning solemn promise and oath, and the basis of shabath, or Sabbath, the reflection and rest) day (yowm) God (‘elohiym) ceased (kalah) His work (mala’kah - from mal’ak, the ministry and mission of the heavenly messenger of God, God’s representative, the Divine envoy and dispatch; the labor of God’s corporeal manifestation)...” (Genesis 2:2) While this sentence is not yet complete, we have moved through enough to reflect upon it.

There is no way to overestimate the importance of seven. That is especially true as it relates to six (the number of man) plus one (the number of God) combining to equal seven. When they are joined, perfection and paradise result. When one is subtracted from the other, both God and man are diminished.

Before we ponder the full import of Yah’s essential formula, let’s defuse the bombshell laden in the last sentence. The consistent message of Scripture is that man apart from God is diminished to nothingness. Death is the end of life. The soul of those who perish unknown to God, those who do not rely on Yahweh as He presented His seven-part redemptive plan, will be diminished to nothingness, meaning that they will cease to exist. According to the Word, such souls do not live forever in either heaven or hell. Therefore, it is precisely accurate, and in complete harmony with Scripture, to say that man apart from God is diminished.

It is also accurate to say that God apart from man is diminished. Unless God intended to grow through human relationships, there would be no reason to create mankind or the universe. In the same way that we become greater through the experiences and conversations we share with our spouses and children, God grows. Seven is greater than one. To be deprived of loving, familial relationships diminishes our Creator. There is no other viable explanation for why we exist. Growth is an essential element of life and relationships. And the Author of both is God.

While it may sound like an over simplification, the entirety of Yahuweh’s plan is based upon the six plus one equals seven formula. Some of the most obvious examples are: six days of creation with the seventh being a day of rest. There have been six millennia of human history since Adam separated himself from God and there will be one final Millennial Sabbath where all mankind lives in the presence of God.

There are seven Commandments which focus on man rather than God, the first of which proclaims that we are to work six days each week and rest and reflect as our Creator did on the seventh.

There are six annual celebratory Miqra’ey, or Called-Out Assemblies, which are feasts, and one day which is not—Yowm Kippurym. These seven days, set apart from all others, foretell and depict the means and timing of our restitution.

Every seventh year the land was to rest, or lay fallow, by divine decree. Then, every seven times seven years plus one, people and property were to be restored, as depicted in the Yowbel, or Year of Redemption.

There are six sidelights and one central light in the Menorah. It is one of the few objects in which Yahuweh not only personally ordained the design, but also placed in His Tabernacle.

There are seven advents of Yahushua, six for revelation and redemption (all in our past) and one for dominion (in our not too distant future). They include: One: “God walked in the Garden with ‘Adam—the first man with a nasamah/conscience. (Genesis 3:8) Two: “Yahuweh appeared to Abraham” in the form of a “‘ysh/man natsab/standing upright.” God talked, walked, and ate with Abram as the beriyth/covenant relationship was initiated. (Genesis 17 and 18) Three: In a meeting that included a wrestling match with Satan, Yahushua blessed Ya’acob making the trustworthy patriarch Yishra’el/one who strives with God. (Genesis 32) Four: God met with Moses during the forty day revelation of His Torah/Prescriptions. (Exodus 24) Five: God revealed Himself, speaking to Samuel near the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh five times. The passage reveals: “Yahuweh came, stood, and spoke to Samuel...appearing so as to be seen, revealing and disclosing Himself as the Word of Yahuweh.” (1 Samuel 3) Six: A “child was born unto us, a son was given,” when God came as a man to redeem us. The sixth advent of ‘Yshayah’el/God Existing as Man began with His incarnation in Bethlehem on the Miqra of Tabernacles in 2 BCE and ended with His ascension from the Mount of Olives in 33 CE. (Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) And Seven: Yahushua will return fulfilling the remaining Messianic prophecies on the Day of Atonement in 2033. (Genesis 1, Leviticus 23-25, Daniel 9, Hosea 6, Zechariah, Matthew 24, and Revelation)

Likewise, there are seven harvests of souls described in Scripture, with one of the seven being keyed to the Miqra of Taruw’ah, known as Trumpets. Briefly, the harvests are: One: Enoch—symbolizing the harvest of the primarily Gentile ekklesia/called-out assembly depicted in Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5. Two: Lot from Sodom—symbolizing the removal of God’s family prior to the towns’ destruction in Genesis 18 and 19 and 2 Peter 2. Three: Elijah—symbolizing Yisra’el’s return from Ba’al’s Babylon, their restoration and harvest in 2 Kings 2. Four: Yahushua’s resurrection day—fulfilling the Miqra of FirstFruits in Matthew 27:52 and Leviticus 23. Five: The pre-tribulation harvest, or paralambano harpazo, of the ekklesia. This is the fulfillment of the Miqra’ of Taruw’ah. Six: The harvest of tribulation martyrs—depicting those who have come to faith during the trial and have been killed for their belief. This event coincides with the transition between the Tribulation and Millennial Sabbath in Revelation 20:4. And Seven: The harvest of millennial mortals—something which is required as New Jerusalem begins in Revelation 21 and 22.

Yahuweh is depicted having seven spirits, or manifestations, and He relies upon seven metaphors to describe His nature. The seven spirits are listed in Isaiah 11:1-2: Yahuweh, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might/Power/Authority, Knowledge, and Reverence. In the same order, the seven metaphors are: 1) Yahuweh is Light, 2) Wisdom is nurtured by the Bread of Life, 3) Understanding comes from the Upright Pillar, 4) Counsel is provided by the Living Waters of the Set-Apart Spirit, 5) the Mighty One is the Rock of our Salvation, 6)  the Truth and the Word are equivalent, and 7) Life is derived from, is the result of, and is modeled after, the Set-Apart Family.

There are seven letters to the Renewed Covenant’s ekklesia, or Called-Out assemblies, depicting seven eras of “church” history. These are: Ephesus—representing the apostolic age, Smyrna—for the time of persecution, Pergamum—representing Satan’s role in establishing Catholicism, Thyatira—depicting the Church’s marriage to Lord/Ba’al, a.k.a., Satan, Sardis—representing the death of Christianity, Philadelphia—embodying Yahweh’s true family which was born during the Reformation, and Laodicea—the rich, lost, and arrogant Protestant churches in Western democracies.

Even the Tribulation, that horrible culmination of man’s and Satan’s influence on earth, is seven years long. And in it, there are seven seals, seven trumpets, seven woes, seven messengers with seven bowls and seven plagues.

So the bottom line is, if you want to understand Yahuweh’s timeline, you need to think in terms of six plus one—man plus God—equaling perfection, represented by seven. This formula encapsulates Yahuweh’s solemn oath and promise to His creation: Man with the addition of God is perfect.

Before we leave the Genesis 2:2 passage, there are two additional words deserving of closer scrutiny. In this light, it is interesting to note that kalah has two meanings, which apart from Scripture, would be unrelated. In Genesis 2:1, kalah conveyed “were determined complete, prepared and concluded as intended, the grand total finished and accomplished.” Here, in Genesis 2:2, it means “ceased.” It cannot be properly translated “finished and completed,” in this verse because Yahweh didn’t do any work on the seventh day. He rested. The implication, therefore of kalah, is that we can cease working for our salvation because God has prepared and accomplished the grand total of what is required. As Yahushua said on Mowriyah’s upright pole that fateful Passover: “It is finished.”

This brings us to one of the most misunderstood words in Scripture: mala’kah. It isn’t the ordinary Hebrew word for work, ma’aseh and ‘asah are. Every scholastic etymological tome acknowledges that mala’kah is a cognate of mal’ak, but none acknowledge any connection. Mal’ak is the Hebrew word we errantly translate “angel,” but which actually means: “messenger, representative, ambassador, envoy, or theophany—the visible and physical manifestation of God.”

While most mal’ak are servants, tools if you will, within the heavenly host, Scripture’s most acclaimed messenger, representative, and physical manifestation of God, is the Messiyah Yahushua. In fact, based upon a thorough investigation of the etymological roots of Messiyah, it is reasonable to conclude that the title actually means “Implement of Yah.” (Should you want to investigate the reasoning behind this, read the “Ma’sehyah-Implement of Yah” chapter.) An implement is a tool. The fact that this particular tool is part of God (Yahuweh’s diminished human manifestation set apart from Him to serve us) infers that the work performed by Yah’s Divine Implement is more important than any other. And so it is. The Messiyah’s work is the substance of our salvation. He did this work so that we wouldn’t have to. He did it because He loves us. He did it because we were incapable of it, and He, like a loving father, came to our rescue.

Understanding mal’ak’s connection to the Messiyah puts the entirety of Yahweh’s plan of redemption into focus. It explains the real significance of the Sabbath, of Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, Sevens, Trumpets, Reconciliations, and Tabernacles. This is God’s work, designed and satisfactorily completed. It is the ransom and redemption of man. So rest assured, we will deal with the consequence of mal’ak and its relationship to mala’kah many more times before we are done.

The sentence presented in Genesis 2:2 continues to speak about creation beginning with Hebrew’s most oft used relational term: “...which by way of relationship (‘asher - by making a connection and being related) He produced (‘asah - prepared, fashioned, and accomplished by way of work). And on the seventh (shabiy’iy - seven; from shaba’, meaning solemn promise and oath, and shaber meaning to interpret and explain the meaning or significance of a communication) day He rested and reflected (shabat - ceased and contemplated) on account of (min) all (kol) the divine endeavors  (mala’kah - from mal’ak, the ministry and mission of the heavenly messenger and visible manifestation of God) which by way of relationship (‘asher) He prepared and produced (‘asah - fashioned, and accomplished).” (Genesis 2:2)

While the etymological tools don’t suggest a “reflect and contemplate” aspect of shabat, in addition to rest, at least at first glance, the context does. All we have to do to see this is read the next line. Moreover, we have God’s personal example: the Messiyah Yahushua, the Word made flesh, observed the Sabbath by reflecting upon the Word. Further, several related words share a similar meaning. Shabar is to hope, which is to contemplate favorably. Shib’ah is the satisfactory fulfillment of an oath or promise. And shaber means “to interpret and explain the meaning or significance of a communication.” Shabiy’iy as seven, is the key to unlocking the framework of Yahuweh’s promises.

Also, you’ll notice that Yahweh used both mala’kah and ‘asah twice in this passage. I believe He did this so that we might reflect upon the differences between them—especially in the context of the Sabbath. In the bigger picture, ‘asah will come to represent our ordinary work, while mal’akah will represent God’s. The Sabbath is set apart for us to cease our work so that we can reflect on His.

While virtually all Christians ignore the Sabbath, there is no denying that the seventh day means a great deal to our Creator. “God (‘elohiym) blessed and adored (barak - knelt down and lowered Himself to greet and extol) the seventh (shabiy’iy - seven; from shaba’, meaning solemn promise and oath, and shaber meaning to interpret and explain the meaning or significance of a communication) day, setting it apart (qodesh - separating and purifying it) because (kiy - surely and indeed) in that day He rested and reflected (shabat - ceased and contemplated) on account of (min) all (kol) the divine endeavors  (mala’kah) which by way of relationship (‘asher) He had created (bara’ - had caused to exist), prepared, and produced (‘asah - fashioned and accomplished).” (Genesis 2:3)

Genesis 2:3 is the third of 302 times barak is used in Scripture. The first occurrence was in Genesis 1:22, where after creating animals with nepesh/souls on the fifth day, God: “adored and blessed them by kneeling down to greet them and lift them up (barak), saying: “Be productive, flourish, conceive life in abundance and be multiplied.” Therefore, barak is tied to something God does by way of love that is instrumental to abundant life.

The second occurrence of barak is directly attributed to mankind. Five verses later, in Genesis 1:27-28, we find: “So God created (bara’) ‘Adam (‘adam ­- the man) in His image (tselem - resemblance, pattern, and model; from an unused root meaning shade), in the image (tselem) of God He created (bara’) him. Male and female He created them. And God knelt down next to them (barak - adoring and blessing them, greeting them in love and lifting them up), saying to them, ‘Be fruitful (parah - flourish, be productive, increase) and multiply (rabah - become exceedingly great and numerous, being enlarged, reaching a very high point).’” Since barak is the first thing Yahuweh does after creating man, it tells us that He adores us, and that His first priority is to get down on our level, to greet us lovingly, and to raise us up to Him, making us exceedingly great.

While we were made in the image of God, in the shade of God so to speak, barak provides the means to increase our dimensions and illumination sufficiently to be substantially more like God—to become exceedingly great. The source is Yahweh’s love, His willingness to diminish Himself to elevate us. This is precisely what the plan of salvation incorporated in the Messiyah and the Miqra’ey is all about. God became a man to save men. He allowed His soul to descend into Hell to redeem His children. No greater love has a man than this that He lay down His life for those He adores. The One who is Upright bent down so that we could stand with Him. (One of the central themes of the Salvation volume of Yada Yahweh is an explanation of what actually occurred on Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits in 33 CE, the purpose and fate of Yahuweh’s/Yahushua’s Spirit, soul, and body, and how it all came together to ransom us.)

While in context, the meaning of barak is as clear as it is profound, the truth is also resident in the term’s etymological roots. Synonyms include: “bless, kneel down, adore, provide favor, and extol.” A blessing is a communication which invokes a favor. A favor is an unearned gift. Adoration means that the gracious gift was provided by way of love. And that leaves us with “extol,” a word which is transliterated from the Latin extollere. Ex is “up” and tollere means “to lift.”

Therefore, in this context, the shabat, or seventh day, becomes rather important: “God blessed and adored (barak - knelt down and lowered Himself to greet and extol) the seventh day, setting it apart (qodesh - separating and purifying it)...” This being true, you can expect Yahweh to greet man, to display His love for man, and to lift man up, on this day. And so He does. All of Yahushua’s most important work occurred on the Sabbath. And that my friends is the moral of the story.

But there is another lesson to be learned here. Yahweh did not and does not adore, lift up, or bless Sundays, the first day of the week. That is a human religious tradition, a counterfeit and corruption based upon sun god worship. Its roots are Babylon, which is why God begins and ends His Covenant by telling His people come out of Babylon. If you are still there, worshiping on Sunday, this message is for you.

Barak isn’t the only important term in this passage. If one were to list the seven most essential words in the Word, the Hebrew word qodesh would be one of them. Everything that is important to God, from His Son to His Spirit, from His Tabernacle to His people, from the Sabbath to the Miqra’ey are qodesh—set apart. Even the seventh day of creation is set-apart to tell us that there will be a Millennial Sabbath, a time when God will lower Himself to adore and greet mankind, living with us in a perfect paradise for a thousand years. It is the fulfillment of six plus one.

“These are (‘eleh) the records of the birth and genealogy (towledowt - the written account of the conception) of the heavens and earth (samayim wa ha ‘erets - spiritual and material realms) when they (hem) were created (bara’ - given birth and caused to exist; brought to being) in (ba) the day (yowm) Yahuweh (YHWH) God (‘elohiym) prepared and produced (‘asah) the material world (‘erets - that which is firm, the earth, land) and the spiritual realm (shamayim - that which is lofty, the sky, atmosphere, stars, space and the heavens).” (Genesis 2:4) The birth of the universe was now history, but so were the preparations for man’s rebirth from mortality to immortality.

The Creator has introduced Himself by name for the first time. God’s name is Yahuweh. That means that His name isn’t God, Lord, Ba’al, Amen Ra, Osiris, Isis, Zeus, Jupiter, Jesus, Jehovah, Apollo, Allah, Shiva, Buddha, or Satan. God has a name, and now you know it. In fact, His name is so important, so relevant to knowing Him, so essential to our salvation, Yahuweh will inscribe it in His Word 6,999 additional times. It’s obvious He wants us to know it and use it.

Yahuweh called His written account of creation’s history a genealogical record. By inference then, this is the story of the birth of the cosmos; it is the future history of mankind’s generations, and it is the lineage of His redemptive plan. And it should be noted, most all of the human genealogies presented in Scripture, focus on families.

By reflecting on the genealogy of creation, we noticed that something specific occurred during each creative era which was prophetic of man’s future history as it would play out in one thousand year intervals. There was also an element to each day that represented a significant aspect of God’s plan of redemption.

It’s interesting that Genesis 5:5 tells us: “All the days which by relationship (‘asher) ‘Adam was restored to life (chayah - remained alive after being renewed, continued to live once revived, was spared, saved, and preserved) were (hayah - existed as) nine hundred years and thirty years, and he died.” Since ‘Adam represents the first thousand years of mankind’s history, as well as our restoration to life by way of a personal one on one relationship with God, this passage suggests that prior to being restored to life, ‘Adam lived 70 years with Yahuweh in the perfection of the Garden. God likes the number seven.

According to the cohobating genealogical testimony preserved in the Septuagint (prepared 300 to 200 BCE) and Samarian Pentateuch (prepared 400 to 600 BCE), ‘Adam’s fall from grace occurred in 3968 BCE, year 0001 on Yahuweh’s calendar.

Two is the number of choice. The second day in the creation account predicted that this era would be about separation and water. The flood separated the lone family who chose God from those who did not. The deluge occurred at the commencement of this era—2968 BCE—right when Yahuweh told us it would. Spiritually, living and cleansing waters prepare our souls to live with God.

Regarding this choice, the acclaimed historian Arnold Toynbee, in his twelve-volume Study of History, written between 1934 and 1961, described the rise, flowering, and decline of 26 cultures from Egypt, Greece and Rome to Polynesia and Peru. After stating that “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder,” the British historian queried: “So what does the universe look like?” He answered, “It looks as if everything were on the move either toward its Creator or away from Him.... The course of human history consists of a series of encounters...in which each man, woman, or child...is challenged by God to make the free choice between doing God’s will and refusing to do it. When Man refuses, he [accepts] the consequences.”

The third day represents the time life burst forth on planet earth—flourishing, reproducing, and growing. Not surprisingly, three is the number of family—father, mother, and child—the cradle of human life. Historically, during mankind’s third one-thousand-year era we humans multiplied prodigiously as did our civilizations. So, right on schedule, exactly one thousand yeas later, in 1968 BCE, after calling Abraham out of Babylon, the world’s religious center and lone super power, and into the Promised Land, the Covenant relationship which stands at the heart of Scripture was ratified on Mount Mowriyah. In the years which followed Abraham’s family sowed the seeds of salvation—giving birth to the Messiyah.

For the next forty Yowbel, or 2000 years, man’s history from Yahuweh’s perspective and His redemptive plan are one. They are embodied in the Yahuwdym, in the Covenant, in the Torah, in the Tabernacle, and in the Messiyah. As we shall discover in the next two chapters, Abraham acted out a dress rehearsal for the Son of God the year the third millennia of human history began. A thousand years later, at the dawn of the fourth millennia, on that same mountain, in 968 BCE, Solomon laid the cornerstone of the Temple. Exactly 1,000 years later, in 33 CE, also on Mowriyah, the Messiyah was hung on a pole to redeem mankind.

The seminal events in human history from a redemptive perspective occur every forty Yowbel/Redemptive Years. These multiples of forty, fifty year segments of time, depicted as “seven times seven years plus one,” determine the years Yahweh engages to redeem His creation. Scripturally, forty is the number of completion, especially as it relates to a time of testing. And the Yowbel is symbolic of redemption, foreshadowing the restoration provided by the Passover Lamb.

The most monumental event in human history was the redemptive advent of the Messiyah. It is why every aspect of the fourth creative day speaks to salvation. While nothing was created on this day, it remains the longest narrative for this reason. It is the day that we were told that the greater light—Yahushua, God in the flesh—would become visible to us as a sign and as a symbol. And indeed, on Tabernacles, a Sabbath in 2 BCE, nearing the end of the fourth millennia of human history, the invisible God became corporeal. A child was born. A Son was given to us. By taking the form of a man to reveal Himself to us, and to point the way to Him, the great light of Yahuweh became visible as Yahushua.

Then, in the final year of man’s fourth millennia, in the Yowbel year of 33 CE, God fulfilled His mission as the Passover Lamb on the Called-Out Assembly of Passover, removing our sin during the Miqra’ of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath. Fulfilling FirstFruits, an offering of saved souls occurred right on schedule concurrent with His resurrection. The fourth annual Called-Out Assembly, the Feast of Seven Sevens, was fulfilled on the appointed day when the Set-Apart Spirit anointed the Called-Out assembly, or ekklesia, at Pentecost—Greek for “fifty.” The prophetic significance of the forth day of creation was thereby fulfilled, as were the first four of seven Miqra’ey.

In the fifth creative day, the first mortal nepesh/souls were conceived of water, helping us understand that our souls must be immersed in Yahuweh’s Spirit to become immortal. On this day Yahuweh told us that “great serpents” would “move about...producing after their kind.” From a historical perspective, the souls created on this day were surrounded by them—satanic deceptions of the worst kind: religions. That is why, from a redemptive perspective, God reminded us twice in the fifth day that living souls reproduce after their kind. A society drenched in religion will breed deception, destruction, death, and damnation.

Scripturally, six is the number of man, and so it was that on this day man was conceived. From the perspective of Yahuweh’s plan of redemption, we have reached the object of restoration. That is why we were told in the words which precede the formation of Adam that: “renewed and restored life exists upright and established.” It is why we learn that “‘Adam was fashioned in God’s image, after His likeness.” It is why Scripture reveals: And God knelt down next to them (adoring and blessing them, greeting them in love and lifting them up), saying to them, ‘Be fruitful (flourish, be productive, increase) and multiply (become exceedingly great and numerous, being enlarged, reaching a very high point).’” When we are restored to life, we become like our Creator. So spiritually, the sixth era is about transforming man into the image of God so that we can live upright in His presence on the seventh day.

Historically, the sixth millennia dawned deluged in the errant ways of humankind and will terminate with a seven year tribulation of our making. During this period, the religion of man was conceived. Adam Wieshaupt built the foundation of the enlightened Master/Slave Fascist/Socialist state known as the New World Order out of a caustic and corrosive mix of man’s best lies. Today, his Secular Humanist religion permeates the globe and has become the national religion of American politics, the media and academia. His political children have murdered over one-hundred million souls during the last century alone. Thinking ourselves wise we have worshiped the creation and become fools.

Soon the era of mortal man will be over. The seventh day begins on a Sabbath, the Miqra’ of Tabernacles in 2033. Those rescued from the Tribulation, and those who survive it, will enter the Millennial Kingdom and will get to camp out with God for one thousand years. Such is the genealogical history of mankind from conception to perfection. It is the story of six plus one.

Bringing it all together, one (3968-2968) is about God who is one creating a one on one relationship with the first man. Two (2968-1968) is about choice, choosing the Ark of the Covenant or the deluge brought on by the Devil’s delusion. Three (1968-968) is about family, and so Abraham established what would become the family of God in the third millennia of man. Four (968-33) completes the time of testing and the arrival of grace by way of the greater light at the twilight of the fourth millennial epoch. Five (33-1033) designates the time of the great serpent and consequently the era of religious confusion. Six (1033-2033) is the time of man, the time that gave rise to Socialist Secular Humanism, and its replacement moral code—Political Correctness—where being judgmental is a sin. This has led to injustice, immorality, irrational opinions, deceit, destruction, and death at an unparalleled scale. Seven (2033-3033) is shabat, the time man and God come together to form a perfect paradise.

In light of Yahuweh’s focus on seven and the Sabbath, if you are a Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Protestant, or Evangelical attending Sunday Worship services on behest of pastor or priest, believing that you are doing something good that is pleasing to God, sorry, but you are dead wrong. Yahuweh doesn’t want to be worshiped, as worship has no place in a familial relationship. Remember barak: God bowed down so He could lift us up. And Sunday is the Lord’s Day, Bel’s and Ba’al’s day, Satan’s day—the day all wannabe gods want to be worshiped. Sunday worship is why Yah called Abe out of Babylon.

Should you be wondering why the Christian religion is uniformly wrong on this day and its purpose (Sunday vs. the Sabbath and worship vs. rest and reflection), you will find that answer in Yahushua’s prophetic Revelation letters to the “church.” God calls General Constantine’s creation, better known as Roman Universalism or Catholicism, the “seat of Satan.” He says that they are “Jezebelian (exalting Bel/Ba’al),” and married to the Whore of Babylon. Yahushua proclaims  that they are “dead,” poisoned by the Devil’s deceptions.   

The Catholic Church was so anti-Semitic and anti-Scripture, so pro-sungod worship and pro-religion, they made it a crime punishable by death to observe the Sabbath, the seventh day, mandating that all things required on that day be transferred to the “Lord’s Day, Sunday.” While they were at it, they also made it a capital offense to gather on any of Yahuweh’s seven Miqra’ey Sabbaths in accordance with Scriptural instructions. The Called-Out Assemblies of Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, Seven Sevens, Trumpets, Reconciliations, and Tabernacles were replaced with Satanic substitutes, like Lent, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, the Assumption of Mary, Halloween, and Christmas. Even today, most all Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical congregations follow their demonic example. Ignoring the Miqra’ey (Called-Out Assemblies), the Ekklesia (Called-Out Assembly) has become a “Church” instead—a place that calls folks in, not out, and which borrows its name from Circe, a Germanic sun goddess.

The bottom line is Christians are lost because their Sunday religion is based upon sun god worship. As such, Christians remain in Babylon, and have not heeded Yahweh’s call to “Come out.” So to understand the Truth, to know the Word, to be part of Yahuweh’s family, one must first come out of the darkness, deceit, destruction, death, and damnation promoted throughout the millennium by the Whore of Babylon.

The Light, the Truth, the Life, and the Way are all made manifest by the Word. The seventh day, the Sabbath, the day to desist from our ordinary work and contemplate Yahuweh’s provision and plan, is the first of many lights Yahuweh placed on the path to paradise.

Sunday, is Satan’s false light placed on the broad avenue which leads to the Abyss. In Babylon there were four “evil days” each month. They were the 7^th, the 14^th, the 21^st, and the 28^th. Perhaps you noticed a pattern. Satan and his religious minions routinely condemn that which Yahuweh commends. Sunday, the first day of the week, wasn’t called sun-day for nothing.

You may think that one day is as good as any other. You may believe that God isn’t troubled by the details and doesn’t mind men exchanging His plan for one of their own. You may consider the Sunday substitute less significant than what is in your heart, your intent and purpose. You may justify Sunday by reasoning that since so many religious folks observe it, it can’t be contrary to God. But if you do, your god isn’t the Spirit who inspired these Scriptures.

Unaware of the redemptive significance of the special Sabbath of Unleavened Bread, you my think that Sunday worship is justified because the resurrection was more significant than our redemption. Unaware of what the Renewed Covenant actually reveals, or that it is nothing more than the fulfillment of the Old, you may errantly believe that the disciples themselves replaced the Sabbath with Sunday. Indoctrinated by religion, you might actually think that the “Church” has been given the authority to establish doctrine, even to change things as they see fit. You may be so lost as to suppose that there is no rhyme nor reason to Scripture, that it is no more rational than the religions spawned by it. For you, the notion that it contains a mathematical equation that defines God purpose, pace, and plan is unfathomable.

If so, Hosea 4:6 was written for you. “My people are destroyed (damah - are no loner engaged in the mission, are silenced, are ruined, wiped out, they will cease to be effective and will perish) for lack of knowledge (da’at - understanding, wisdom, awareness, and information about our relationship); because you have rejected (ma’as - avoided association, despised, spurned, disdained, and been adverse to) understanding (da’at - knowledge), I will also reject (ma’as - avoid association with, despise, spurn, disdain, and be adverse to) you, so you shall not be My ministers (min kahan - shall be moved away from serving as My officials and priests). Seeing that you have become oblivious of (kasach - become crippled and lame with regard to, mislaid and forgotten) the Torah (towrah - prescriptions of what should be done, the law, instructions, information, and written code of conduct) of your God, I will also forget (kasach - mislay and become oblivious to) your children.”

Ignorance isn’t bliss; it is the path to perishing. Those who justify aren’t justified. “I just didn’t know” isn’t an excuse. Nor is: “Everybody else was doing it.” The truth is available. All you have to do is shabat: stop what you are doing and reflect on what God had to say.

And that is why Yahuweh established the Sabbath as the preeminent Commandment among the seven focused on human behavior. One day wasn’t just as good as another. The model God established regarding time and redemption is emblazoned on every reference to the seventh day. 

When Yahuweh etched the Ten Commandments in stone with His own hand, He reiterated the formula: “Remember and recall (zakar - recognize, mark, memorialize, mention, proclaim, assert the truths inherent in, and be earnestly mindful of) that the Sabbath (shabat - the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest, and of ceasing and desisting from ordinary labor, the time to enter a state of repose to reflect, to be at  peace, a celebratory) day (yowm) is set apart (qodesh - separated unto God). Six days you shall work (‘abad - labor) and do (‘asah - prepare and produce, fashion and finish, advance, assign, and accomplish, institute and celebrate) all (kol - the entirety of) your service of representing the Messenger and proclaiming the message (mala’kah - your Godly duties and heavenly labor).” (Exodus 20:8-9)

In our quest to fully appreciate the Shabat, it is interesting to note that shaber means “to interpret and explain the meaning or significance of a communication.” And that communication is the shaba’, the “solemn promise and oath” of Yahuweh.

The reason that shabat is also based upon the notion of inaction is because our inaction regarding salvation determines rather or not our souls will cease to exist. Should one work for their salvation, their soul will be dissipated to nothingness upon their death. Those who desist from considering their eternal fate, will cease to exist. But should we rely exclusively upon the work done by Yahushua, by God’s redemptive hand, we will be saved.

The Commandment goes on to reconfirm that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, not the first. It is a day set apart from all others. On it we aren’t to do His work or our work. There are six days for man and one for God. “The seventh (shabiy’iy - seven; from shaba’, meaning solemn promise and oath, and shaber meaning to interpret and explain the meaning or significance of a communication) day, the Sabbath (shabat - the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest, and of ceasing and desisting from ordinary labor, the time to enter a state of repose and reflection) of Yahuweh (YHWH) your God (‘elohiym), you shall not do (‘asah - prepare or produce, fashion or finish, advance, assign, or accomplish) any part of the work of God’s Representative and Messenger (mala’kah - from mal’ak, the ministry and mission of the heavenly envoy and dispatch; the labor of God’s corporeal manifestation), not your son, not your daughter, not your servants and employees, not your means of production, nor those visitors in your home or property (sa’ar - enclosed area by way of a door or gate, a household, assembly, city, or nation).” (Exodus 20:10)

That was unambiguous and authoritative. So what do you suppose the motivation was for the imperial edict Constantine’s historian, Eusebius, recorded in 321 CE? “All things whatsoever that it was the duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord’s Day.” The founder of Roman Catholicism called Sunday “Sol Invictus Mithras”—“The day of the Unconquerable Sun, Mithras.” Under penalty of death he decreed that all within his empire must cease work on Sun-Day to honor the sun god.

Did Constantine, the founder of the Roman Catholic Church, do this because he and his clerics were illiterate and thus ignorant? Was this exchange just a colossal blunder, one born out of confusion rather than intent? Or did Constantine, the founder of the Christian religion, issue this order because he rejected Yahuweh’s revelation, revering the Devil’s drivel instead? Changing the day cannot be justified by Scripture. In fact it is specifically condemned by Scripture. So, I ask you, why was corrupting Yahuweh’s purpose and plan a life and death issue to General Constantine and the first Catholics? Or equally important, why does every priest and virtually every pastor replicate the demonic deed every Sunday morning? Why does anyone show up? Are we so lost, so ignorant and indoctrinated that we can no longer differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad, light and darkness, life and death, religion or relationship?

I’m sorry, you don’t deserve that. By virtue of the fact you are reading this, you are not part of the problem. You already know that the reason that we are encouraged not to do Yahuweh’s work on the Sabbath, the seventh day, is because it is set apart as the day God knelt down, lowering Himself out of love to lift us up. You know that salvation is a gift from God, and that it cannot be earned. You understand that this is why the seven Miqra’ey/Called-Out Assemblies are special Sabbaths as they represent the seven essential days in Yahuweh’s redemptive plan. You understand that they are prophetic of the work Yahushua, Yahuweh’s Messenger and His Message, God’s Representative and the Word, has and will do on our behalf.

The Commandment concludes by acknowledging the pattern of six plus one, of man with God: “Indeed in (kiy - surely and truly in) six days Yahuweh made (‘asah - prepared and produced, fashioned and finished, instituted and celebrated) the heavens (shamayim - the spiritual realm), the earth (‘erets - the material world), and the seas, and all that is in them, and rested (nuwach - was settled on the means to salvation) on the seventh day. Therefore (ken - consequently, this is true and correct) Yahuweh blessed and adored (barak - knelt down and lowered Himself to greet those He had created and lifted them up on) the Sabbath (shabat - the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest and reflection, of desisting from ordinary labor, the time to enter a state of repose and to be at peace, a celebratory) day (yowm), setting it apart (qodesh - separating it from others).” (Exodus 20:11)

According to the etymological tools at our disposal, nuwach wasn’t so much the absence of movement but instead it conveyed the notion that one’s mind was finally settled, having achieved victory in salvation. This is confirmed in Genesis 2:15. There, Yahuweh “nuwach/safely settles ‘Adam in the Garden.” Then in Genesis 8:4, we discover that Noah’s ark “nuwach/settled safely on mountains of Ararat” after the flood. Therefore, the Sabbath is being identified with the salvation and eternal safety of those who are set apart unto Yahuweh, and protected by Him.

We now know that the seventh day serves as a metaphor for the purpose, plan, and pace of our redemption in the Creation account and in the Commandments. But, some might say that we live under grace, that Yahuweh’s personal example and authorized instructions no longer apply. Could it be that Yahuweh was simply a Jewish god, a killjoy, and a has-been?    

Having read the Word, and having come to know God, I don’t think so. It’s clear that His Commandments serve many purposes and that they are as vital today as they were when He etched them in stone. He said that they are good for us in Deuteronomy 10:13. Observing them makes us happier and more productive, prolonging our days unto eternity in the promised land, according to Deuteronomy 4:40. They exist so that we might learn from them, suggesting that there is profound truth beneath the plain reading, says Moses in Deuteronomy 5:1. Observing them is one of the ways we demonstrate our respect and reverence for Yahuweh based upon the preamble in Deuteronomy 10:12.

And they serve as the answer to the most important question ever asked: “So then (‘attah - from this time forth) Yisra’el (those who live with and are empowered by God), what does Yahuweh your God ask of (sha’al - desire from, earnestly request of, want from) you? Surely (‘im kiy - verily and indeed, doubtless) that you revere and respect (yare’) Yahuweh your God, that you walk (halak - come and go, proceed, and travel) in all His ways (derek), and that you love (‘ahab - befriend Him, adore Him in a familial sense, and develop a close, affectionate relationship with) Him, serving (‘abad) Yahuweh, your God, with all your heart (lebab - inner being, thoughts and emotions, thinking and passion) and with all your soul (nepesh - consciousness), keeping (shamar - observing, treasuring, celebrating, being safe and secure in, and performing) the commandments (mitzvah - code of wisdom, precepts, authoritative directive, and instructions), the clearly communicated prescriptions (chuqah - statutes) of Yahuweh, which through relationship (‘asher) I [Moses] instruct and direct (tsawah) today for your own good (towb - to make you good, pleasant, agreeable, prosperous, and happy).” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

God wants man to love Him, or at the very least, respect and revere Him. This is the sole reason we were created. And He wants us to demonstrate this reverence and respect by revering and respecting His instructions. He even tells us that keeping His prescriptions is for our own good—and that would include observing the Sabbath.

So I don’t suppose Yahuweh is pleased with religious clerics and their congregations for having negated His Commandments, in effect showing that they don’t respect Him or His advice. While we have focused on the Fourth Commandment, because this has been God’s focus, religious types have routinely rejected the first three as well. And while secularists make a mockery of the last six, we’ll deal with them later. 

The first Commandment, or prescription for living, introduces God by name. Yet, there isn’t a single Christian or Jewish congregation of significance to be found anywhere in the world that consistently proclaims Yahuweh’s name. And most don’t even know it.

The Second Commandment bans carved images and false gods. Yet all Catholic Churches display carved statues of “Mary, Mother of God” in worshipful settings as well as graven images of “Jesus Christ” hanging on a pagan cross. Knowing they were in violation of the Second Commandment, for centuries the Church actually removed it from the list, dividing the tenth into two parts to keep the total unchanged.

And most every denomination has edited the Third Commandment so that it reinforces their abuse of the First. Yet in it, at least properly translated, Yahuweh actually condemned such deceitful revisions and justifications.

Listen to what Moses said in His sermon on the Commandments. “You shall revere and respect (yare’) Yahuweh your God; Him you shall serve [as opposed to men and their false gods], joining closely to and associating with (dabaq - clinging and cleaving to, being united with, pursuing and closely associating and staying with) Him [as opposed to joining religious organizations], swearing oaths (shaba’ - affirming the truth and making promises) by His personal and proper name (shem). He is your adoring source of light (tahilah - the source of love and thanksgiving, the renown source of positive words, and the manifestation of power; from halal, meaning that which radiates light). He is your God (‘elohiym) who relationally (‘asher) has prepared and produced (‘asah - worked, fashioned and accomplished, instituted, ordained, and done) great (gadowl - magnificent and distinguished; from gadal, empowering, magnifying, and growth promoting; praiseworthy), reverent and respectively awesome (yare’ - awe inspiring and astonishing) things for you.” (Deuteronomy 10:20-21)

Reverence and respect is a two way street. God reveres and respects us. It is thus reasonable and proper that we revere and respect Him.

Sadly, many clerics and most theologians hold a contrarian position. The Talmud, for example, serves to transfer authority from God to man. Rabbis, holding a manmade title derived from rabah, meaning “exceedingly great and enlarged, reaching a very high point,” claim that service to them, to a group of religious men without mention in the Tanach, is the highest calling—one which leads to redemption. The Talmud further claims that failure to serve the self-exalted ones leads to exile from the community of Yisra’el, to death, and to eternal punishment. Since this conflicts with the Word, either Yahuweh or the Jewish religious leaders, are lying.

It’s worth noting that shaba’, translated “swearing oaths” vocalized above as sheba’, is the Hebrew word for “seven.” And in this regard, shaber means “to interpret and explain the meaning or significance of a communication.” Along with shabat/the day or rest and reflection, we quickly discover that all these words and concepts are related, elucidating the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath.

And that brings us to a very important and usually misunderstood word. Yare’ can mean “fear” or it can mean “revere and respect.” Both definitions are equally valid. So each time the word appears it is incumbent upon the translator to choose the definition most in keeping with the intent of the passage and the whole of Scripture.

Yet, English translators universally render yare’ “fear,” even though that definition is most often in conflict with the context of the communication and with God’s nature and purpose. But that should not be surprising; these same religious clerics replaced Yahuweh’s name with Satan’s title, “Lord” in this passage, as well as in 6,999 others.

I have chosen to render yare’ “revere and respect” for three reasons. First, this passage, like the last one, is all about love and close personal relationships. Respect and reverence are not only completely compatible with love and relationship, they are baseline requirements. Second, since one can never draw close to or love someone they fear, rendering yare’ “fear” is clearly wrong.

And third, Yahuweh said that fearing Him was a manmade tradition. God inspired Isaiah/Yasha’yahu to write “Then Yahuweh (YHWH) said, ‘Forasmuch as these people approach Me with their mouths, and with their lip service (sapah yapa - language that is ironic, statements which depict a false sense of light in deep shadows and utter gloom, words which vainly seek approval), yet they removed their hearts (rachaq leb - wandered away spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually, allowing their hearts become distant) from Me. Their fear (yir’ah) toward Me exists (hayah) because it is taught (lamad - learned, studied, acquired through the instruction of, is derived) from manmade traditions (iysh mitzvah - manmade commandments, human edicts and precepts) learned by rote.” (Isaiah/Yasha’yahu 29:12-13) Fearing God makes religions tick. It makes them money and it makes them powerful. People want to be protected from a fearsome deity. And they will do most anything to avoid such a spirit’s wrath. It is why the Qur’an’s most telling verse says: “Those who fear obey.” Perhaps that is why Islam means “submission.”

The beriyth is a relationship, one that depends upon yare’/reverence and respect. Man was conceived for the purpose of love. And that is the reason we turned to this passage, as it unmasks a grotesque translation error. Since you cannot love what you fear, it is obvious that yare’ should always be translated “revere and/or respect” when used in reference to God.

To be absolutely certain we would understand this fundamental truth, Yahuweh inspired Isaiah/Yasha’yahu to use yir’ah in the verse which directly equates the doctrine of fear to human religious traditions. Yir’ah means fear, and that’s all it means. We must not fear God. In Deuteronomy, He taught us that He loves us and wants us to love Him in return. The fear of God is a manmade corruption, a human invention, a stifling and deadly abomination which leads to enriching men through religion.

This verse is instructive beyond its condemnation of the errant notion that God wants us to fear Him. It represents one of the 132 times the Masoretes actually removed Yahuweh’s name from His Scripture and replaced it with ‘adonay-a noun usually translated “Lord.” Fortunately, the Dead Sea Scrolls correctly preserve Yahuweh’s signature in the text. “Lord” is Ba’al’s title; it is what ba’al means, it is what Satan craves. Lord is neither God’s name nor His title. Although, Satan’s sungod manifestation, Adonis, seemed pleased with it.

The reason I bring the textual error to your attention during this discussion of seven and the shabat, is because when you add the number of times Yahuweh’s name has been retained in His Word (6,868) to the number of times we know it was later removed by religious rabbis (132), we get yet another confirmation of Yahuweh’s affinity for seven. Do you suppose that it’s just a coincidence that Yahuweh included His name in the Torah, Prophets, and Psalms exactly 7,000 times?

Make no mistake. The removal of God’s name from His Word is the result of religion, of man controlling men by recreating God in their own image. In fact, in 2008 Roman Catholicism went so far as to officially forbid the use of Yahuweh’s name in their churches. In this way, they became just like the religion of Babylonian Rabbinical Judaism they were so intent on discrediting.

When you get right down to it, most religion is nothing more than lip service, a worthless and ingenuous flicker of artificial light in an ocean of gloom—of half truths that have whitewashed and covered over the divine writ. They are based upon concealment (removing Yahuweh’s name), corruption (justifying Sunday over the Sabbath), and counterfeit (replacing Passover with Easter). Yahuweh is not buying it. He knows the difference between real and fake, the truth and a counterfeit, even if we don’t.

There are millions, most of whom are Catholics, who claim that it is wrong to rely exclusively on Scripture. They claim that their Church is authorized to establish doctrine as an ongoing part of revelation. And while there is no Scriptural justification for their position, and plenty of verses which condemn this view, the claim doesn’t legitimize Catholicism. If every Catholic edict were consistent with Yahweh’s Word, confirming and augmenting what God revealed, then Catholics would be on much more solid ground. But when their most important teachings conflict with Scripture, changing what God has said, like changing the Sabbath to Sunday and Passover to Easter, then their position falls like a house of cards in the slightest breeze. If the Word of God cannot be trusted, then God cannot be trusted. If the Word of God is not reliable, God is not reliable. If God’s teachings don’t stand the test of time, then they are incapable of extending our time. If God’s Word was for a different people in a different place, then it has no value to us today. More to the point, an organization which routinely contradicts the divine writ upon which it claims to be based, is irrefutably false—as are its teachings. Two things which contradict one another cannot both be true.

There are additional thoughts we should consider as it relates to the purpose of shabat, the Seventh Day. Since avoidance of the Sabbath, since ignorance of Yahuweh’s affinity for sevens, permeates Christianity, I’m convinced that this investigation warrants the investment of our time.

Turning to the fifth chapter of Deuteronomy, we find Yahuweh speaking through Moses. He is amplifying the meaning behind each of the Ten Commandments. He begins: “calling out (qara’) to Yisra’el (to those who live with and are empowered by God), saying and avowing (‘amar): listen to, hear, and heed (shama’) the statutes and prescriptions (hoq), the authorized proclamations and verdicts (misapat), and the Word (dabar). Learn from and teach (lamad) them, guard, observe, and treasure (shamar) them, and perform and profit from them (‘asah).” (Deuteronomy 5:1) This is consistent, if not additive, to what we read before. Yahuweh’s Commandments, like His Word, is for Yisra’el—those who live with and are empowered by God. We are to learn from them, revere and respect them, perform and profit from them. Whether you consider them to be laws or prescriptions, they are good for us. But no where in this text, or in any other place, is there the authorization to “change the Word.”

The Commandments are part of the formal covenant relationship established between God and man. “Yahuweh, our God established (karath - cut you in on) a covenant relationship (beriyth - alliance of friendship and marriage based on home) with us in Horeb (the place of desolation [the Arabian mountain also known as Sinai]).” There, “Yahuweh talked (dabar - spoke the Word) with you and beside (‘im - together as family with) you in your presence, face to face (paniym paniym) on the mountain out of the midst of the fire. I stood and was present (‘amad) between Yahuweh and you at that time (‘eth - the fortuitous occasion and experience), to make the Word (dabar) of Yahuweh conspicuous and known (nagad - to publish, declare, and proclaim the Word, to avow, acknowledge, and confess the Word of Yahuweh). For you were reverent and respectful (yare’ - or terrified and afraid) on account of (min) the presence or face (paniym) of the fire, and did not go up (‘alah - ascend) the mountain.”  (Deuteronomy 5:2-5) The purpose of the Word is to make Yahuweh conspicuous and known. Yahushua is the Word made flesh.

There is a growing community of people who have come to know that Christianity is wrong with its notion of the Trinity, of God existing in three persons. But they are unable to fathom the fact that one God can manifest Himself in different ways and still remain singular. These lost souls claim that Yahushua cannot be a diminished manifestation of Yahuweh, as He predicts and claims, because that would make Yahuweh two and not one. Yet these same folks have no problem with God manifesting Himself as fire, or as a pillar cloud, both of which are physical things. Surely all of God was not in the fire or the cloud. And surely there were not two Gods during these times.

Similarly, those who would restrict God from revealing Himself however He deems fit, don’t seem troubled by God appearing to Abraham in the form of a man, even eating, drinking, talking, walking, laughing and arguing with him. Yet because Yahushua spoke to God in addition to man, they say that He cannot be God. 

The simple truth is that a God big enough to create the universe cannot fit all of Himself into a tiny portion of that creation, the fire for example. But He can set a part of Himself apart from Himself, to do just that. And while that part is set apart from the whole, it is only reasonable that the part would communicate with the whole. This is why we see Yahushua conversing with Yahuweh. He also did it to set an example for us.

Further, a God powerful enough to create a universe with a billion trillion suns cannot expose Himself entirely in the presence of those He created without incinerating them—something that would be counterproductive. So a diminished manifestation, set apart from Him, is the only reasonable and workable solution.

There are many Renewed Covenant passages which show the inter-connectiveness, or oneness, of Father, Spirit, and Son. This exchange was part of the FirstFruits celebration as recording in John/Yahuchanan: “Then Yahushua said to them anew (palin - as a repetition of renewal), ‘Be assured of salvation (eirene - of a state of peace and tranquility, of a harmonious relationship, of freedom and safety, of prosperity and great joy) according to and in the same proportion as is present in the Father who sent Me (apostello - set Me free and away to go to the place appointed to convey the message). I also send you out to carry a message.’ And when He had said this, He breathed (emphusao - blew His breath) on them and said: ‘Accept and carry (lambano - receive and acquire, take hold of and use productively, choose to associate with, experience and exploit courageously) the revered, cleansing, and set-apart (hagios) Spirit.” (John 20:21-22) The set-apart Spirit, another manifestation of Yahuweh designed to serve us, came from the risen Yahushua. They were one.

Apostello is used in the context of Yahushua’s relationship with Yahuweh. It explains what it means to be set apart. Specifically, apo designates “the separation of a part from the whole from which the part originated, whereby the part is separated from the source.” Stello means “in order to prepare and equip someone for use.” Thus, apostello communicates that Yahushua is a manifestation of Yahuweh, a part of Yahuweh, set-apart from God to prepare us to join with God.

The best way I know to covey the nature of the relationship between Yahuweh, Yahushua, and the Spirit is for you to picture yourself on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Dip two large buckets into the sea. Freeze one and carve it into the shape of a man. Place it in the light so that its form can be seen and felt by those in the presence of its brief physical existence. Then boil the seawater in the other barrel, allowing the steam to envelop those on your ship. Possessing more energy than the frozen form, the steam not only moves up, it can be put to work empowering things just like Yahuweh’s Spirit. One radiates light and is easy to see. The other possesses more power and thus enables greater work to be done. And yet they are the same thing—both are pure manifestations of the ocean, just set-apart from it.

Both buckets came from the same source and are identical in their composition. There is still only one ocean from which they both were derived. Each was set apart from the whole for the purpose of demonstration and revelation. One was corporeal in the form of a man reflecting light. The other was virtually invisible, representing the Spirit’s unseen yet real power to raise people up and empower them to do the work of God. Both return to the sea from which they were set apart. This metaphor, while not prefect, helps us understand that Yahuweh is one in nature, one in personality, one in power, and one in purpose, manifesting Himself in the modes most beneficial to man.

  Returning to Moses’ sermon describing the Yisra’elites’ meeting with God to receive the Torah and the Commandments, we find Yahuweh speaking in first person. God is equating the role He played in achieving their freedom from the crucible to the role He plays in the redemption of our souls from bondage—in this case from the penalty of sin—and on the Seventh Day we shall soon learn. The Yisra’elites served as a living metaphor, depicting the benefit of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and FirstFruits—Yahuweh’s plan of salvation. “I am Yahuweh (YHWH), your God (‘elohiym) who by way of relationship (‘asher) brought you out of the land of Egypt (Misrayim - the oppressive crucible), from the house (bayith - abode) of bondage (‘ebed - slavery). You shall have (hayah - shall cause to exist) no other (‘acher - different or additional) gods (‘elohiym) on account of or in proximity to (‘al) My presence (paniym).” (Deuteronomy 5:6-7) Yahuweh is the Savior. It is only through reliance upon His provision that we can be free. That is what Yahu-shua means.

Resident in this example is the message that the house of bondage is a product of our labor while salvation is a product of Yahuweh’s work. It is a point our Redeemer will make countless times. Grace began with Creation, not with the Renewed Covenant.

Also, while Misrayim isn’t the house anyone should want to reside in, the Hebrew word for “house,” bayith, is obviously related to beriyth, differing only in the addition of an “r.” From this we can reasonably deduce that the beriyth/Covenant relationship is based upon home and family, a place of protection, nurturing, sharing, growing, loving associations, and togetherness.

This Covenant relationship codified in these commandments is like a faithful marriage with protective parents giving birth to and raising a loving family. In God’s plan a person has just one Father, one Mother, and one Marriage Partner. While you don’t have to agree to His terms, and while He granted you the freedom to be tolerant and politically correct if you choose, such a choice will exclude you from salvation and from His family.

“You shall not prepare or produce (‘asah - acquire, attend to, ordain or institute) a carved image or idol (pesel) or have anything which represents or resembles a relationship or form (tamunah ‘asher) in heaven above, or on the surface of the earth, or beneath the waters. You shall not bow down to them (shachah - prostrate yourself in homage to them) nor serve them (‘abad - labor in their cause). For I, Yahuweh (YHWH) your God (‘elohiym), am a zealous and jealous God (qana’ ‘el - a God who is desirous of, even demanding of, exclusivity in a relationship, a God who is emotionally passionate and extremely protective), reckoning (paqad - recording, assigning and depositing) the consequence of infidelity and iniquity (‘avon - the guilt and punishment derived from perversity and depravity, the liability for unfaithfulness and wrongdoing) of the fathers upon the sons unto the third and fourth of those who hate and are hostile to Me (sane’ - abhor, detest, and loathe Me, striving maliciously against Me). And I will prepare, perform, and produce (‘asah - actively effect and appoint, offer and celebrate) unfailing mercy, unearned favor, and kindness (checed - steadfast and loyal love, an affectionate relationship,  faithfulness and goodness) to thousands (‘elep) who love (‘ahab - who form a close and affectionate familial relationship with) Me and keep (shamar - observe, revere, cling to, and are secure in, relying upon) My Commandments (mitzvah - authoritative directives and legally binding contract).” (Deuteronomy 5:10)

I’ll wager that much of this Commandment troubles you. First, a crucifix is a carved image, so is a cross. Statues of “Mary, Mother of God” are an absolute violation of this Commandment. So is the Black Stone representing Allah in Islam’s Ka’aba. Environmentalist Mother Earth devotion is in conflict with the spirit of this divine decree, too. National flags can be in violation, especially if they use stars or the moon and if they illicit feelings of loyalty or reverence. Yahuweh’s symbols are light and words. He is a God of enlightenment. And as the God who created man, He doesn’t want men creating gods.

Second, here Yahuweh says that He doesn’t want people serving or bowing down to any image, and that would include bowing before the Crucifix or the Madonna in Catholic churches, or serving those who installed them there. False gods, and those who serve them, love prostration and submission. The real God, like a real father, wants our respect and our love. Islam has built a religion upon its rebuke of the Second Commandment. Muslims are required to prostrate themselves five times a day toward the Black Stone in Mecca.

Third, Yahuweh is emotional. He can love which means He can hate. That’s good and bad depending upon where you stand with Him. The prospect of being despised by the Creator for being unfaithful isn’t something that should be taken lightly. And yet that is exactly what most Christian clerics are wont to do. God is now being presented as a jovial father figure, a jolly accepting spirit who loves all of his children regardless of their religion or behavior. That god is myth. That god is an idol.

Forth, tolerance isn’t a Scriptural value. Yahuweh is absolutely and irrevocably intolerant. This fact will be further reinforced in the next Commandment. It’s His way or the low way. As the Creator, it’s His prerogative. Life is His game and He sets the rules. Personally, I think He is intolerant because truth is absolute and because this life is nothing more than an exercise in choice. God wants to spend His eternity with those who want to be with Him, with those who respect and revere Him. And that means He doesn’t want to adopt or spend time with those who reject Him, insult Him, or ignore Him. It sounds reasonable to me.

Fifth, while religions all lead to the same place, that place isn’t to God. The victims of man’s religions and human institutions were all given the gift of life and choice. But when their lifespan is over, it’s over—there is nothing more, that is unless you consider oblivion a destination.  For them, the popular song with the catchy tune is right: “Imagine no heaven above, no hell below, it’s easy if you try.” The mortal souls of those who trusted in human schemes will simply vanish into nothingness. 

But that’s not the end of the story. There is a heaven and a hell, places most souls will not see. Those who hate the real God revealed in these words will be punished for leading many astray. They will join Satan and his fallen angels in the Abyss. And those who heed this Commandment, for those who choose to love God and respect His instructions, they will spend eternity in the presence of their Heavenly Father.

Simply stated, here are the rules of life: Yahweh demands exclusivity in His relationships with us. There is one way, one truth, and one source of life. You can choose to ignore Him and He will ignore you. You can choose to hate Him and He will hate you. Or, you can elect to love Him, as He presented Himself in these Scriptures, and He will love you in return.

Sixth, God is forgiving, and His mercy is limitless. But, and it’s a big one, He only forgives those who seek His forgiveness in accordance with His instructions. Seek mercy from the wrong spirit and you’ll find out just how worthless faith in the wrong object can be.

Today, our societal values are so upside down, so polluted by the moral code of Socialist Secular Humanism, called “Political Correctness,” most see the condemnation of false and lifeless doctrines as hateful. Catholics and Secular Humanists are particularly adept at hypocritically applying this label. And yet, exposing the faults inherent in schemes destined to damn billions is the most merciful thing a person can do.

Let me put this in a mundane setting. If your community believed that the sun was the source of long life and if they were told by their leaders to worship the sun by exposing their bodies to its rays all day long, would you keep quite and let them all shorten their lives based upon this destructive and deadly deception? Or would you attempt to save them by exposing the lie and sharing the truth?

Muslims take this intolerance thing to grandiose levels of hypocrisy. They claim that Islam is tolerant because the Qur’an says “There shall be no compulsion in religion.” But it also says: “Fight non-Muslims until the only religion is Islam.” Not to be outdone in contradiction, Allah’s book also says: “If a Muslim abrogates his religion, kill him.” The world over, Muslims have used blackmail, riots, assassinations, kidnapping and threats of terrorism to force governments in (what once was) the Free World, to pass laws banning any public criticism of Islam. Canada, Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy have passed such bans on free speech. All 50 Islamic nations already have such laws and the penalty is death. Lifeless lies die when exposed to light. They thrive in darkness.

Seventh, the creation of, and devotion to, false gods isn’t a victimless crime. There is a consequence. When we create and tolerate religions which teach things that are not true, our children become the unwitting victims of our infidelity. A child born into the rabbinic culture of Judaism, will most likely die separated from Yahweh. So too a child born into cultures dominated by Secular Humanism, Catholicism, or Islam. Religious communities and the traditions of men are seductive, comforting, and beguiling things. They are habit-forming. But by bowing down to and serving their false gods and worthless idols families are corrupted. Evil begets evil. We humans reproduce after our kind. A Muslim mother manufactures suicide bombers not aeronautical engineers.  

Eighth, Yahuweh not only remembers the perverse words and depraved deeds those separated from Him commit, He records the unfaithful acts of our parents too. The only way to break the cycle is to break the idols—all of them, especially religious and cultural ones—and then return to an exclusive relationship with Yahuweh. Notice, too, that I said return to Yahuweh, not to God, because that is who He says He is. To yada’/know Yahuweh and to return to Him, we must know and regard His instructions, His commandments. Knowing that God exists, knowing that there is one God, is of marginal utility. To be saved, one must know, respect, and revere Yahweh, know, respect, and revere His Word, and trust Him.

Ninth, for those who think that they live under Grace, a time in which the Torah no longer applies, think again. Here Yah is equating love for Him with a reverence and respect for His Old Covenant decrees. If you disregard your father’s instructions, especially those which are good for you, you are disrespecting him. That is especially true of our Heavenly Father—and that is why it serves as the basis of the Fifth Commandment. 

Finally, “thousands” isn’t a very big number, especially compared to the tens of billions who have been born of Adam. Yahuweh’s “unfailing mercy, unearned favor, steadfast and loyal love, His affectionate relationship” is only for the “thousands who love Me, who form a close and affectionate familial relationship with Me and keep, observe, revere, respect, and are secure in, relying upon My Commandments, authoritative directives and legally binding contract.” Like Yahushua said, the Way to Him is narrow and few there are who find it. Heaven will not be a very crowed place. Ten thousand from ten billion is one in a million. It is however, a whole lot more than Adam, and God created all of this to enjoy a relationship with him.

Since loving Yahuweh is directly related to revering and relying upon His Word, corrupting it would be the antithesis of love. That is why this review of the Third Commandment says: “You shall not lift up, bear, or advance (nasa’ - support or desire, forgive or aid, respect or tolerate) in the name or reputation (shem) of Yahuweh your God that which is false, lifeless, or futile (shav’ - desolate, deceitful, or destructive), for Yahuweh will not forgive (raqah - exempt from punishment) those who relationally (‘asher) advance, support, respect or tolerate (nasa’ - lift up, bear, desire, or forgive) deceitful and destructive desolation (shav’ - that which is false, lifeless, or futile) in His name.” (Deuteronomy 5:11) So now you know what Yahuweh will not forgive. The God who is intolerant of false gods is also intolerant of those who lead people to them. Such political and religious sorts will learn that “God damn” is a sentence, not a slur.

That profound and uncommon teaching brings us to this perspective on the Sabbath Commandment, the very reason we turned to Deuteronomy in the first place. “You shall keep (shamar - observe, revere, cling to, and be secure in, relying upon) the Sabbath (shabat - the seventh day, the time of observance, of rest, and of ceasing and desisting from ordinary labor, the time to enter a state of repose and reflection, to be at peace, to be tranquil and to celebrate the) day set apart (qodesh - separating it) as Yahuweh your God commanded.” (Deuteronomy 5:12) The Seventh Day remains of paramount importance to God. Our Creator asked us to observe it, appreciating its significance.

The verse which follows is virtually identical to the Exodus 20 text, but in it we find two additional reasons the Sabbath is important. Previously, Yahuweh told us that it was the day He rested and reflected after six days of creation. We were told that it was the day He would bow down in adoration to greet and extol us—lifting us up. Now, further tying the Sabbath to our salvation, He adds: “Be mindful (zakar - remember and recall, being thoughtful) that you were a slave (‘ebed - were in bondage) in the land of the crucible of Egypt (misrayim) and Yahuweh your God led you out of there with a strong and mighty hand (chazaq yad - with firm and resolute power, prevailing against a loud and severe spirit [Satan]), and by an outstretched (natah - by an inclined extension from the Source a) Sacrificial Lamb (zarowa’). Therefore, this being so (ken), Yahuweh, your God blessed and adored (barak - knelt down and lowered Himself to greet you and lifted you up) laying the charge upon you (tsavah - instructing and directing you) to institute, advance, and celebrate (‘asah - profit from) the Sabbath (shabat - the seventh) day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15)

The “Zarowa’ - Sacrificial Lamb” chapter of Yada Yahweh emphatically demonstrates that Scripture defines zarowa’ as the “Sacrificial Lamb” of God. The Zarowa’ is the Lamb who is slaughtered in Isaiah 53 to bear the burden of our sins. According to Yahsha’yahu’s inspired prophetic testimony, He is the Messiyah Yahushua, our Savior, and ‘Yshayah’el, God Existing As Man. This Lamb is the outstretched hand of the Mighty One. He is the one who adored us enough to diminish Himself, extending and manifesting Himself as a man, bowing down to our level to greet us and lift us up by redeeming us.

By tying the Sabbath to the Sacrificial Lamb and to the Exodus, God has revealed many important things. All of these things are connected, they are related. The Sabbath, or Seventh Day, is the day of the Sacrificial Lamb of God, and therefore the day of our Redemption. It is the day we were emancipated, the day Yahuwdym (those who are related to Yah) were freed from the House of Bondage, from the Crucible. So, that means that Yahuweh purposely conceived and consecrated a plan in which He would set the ultimate example of what to do on the Seventh Day. He engraved the plan of six plus one, of man with God, in stone with His own finger. Then He demonstrated this principle tangibly during the Exodus.

But much more than that, natah tells us that Yahuweh, in the form of Yahushua, pitched His tent with us, camping out with humankind. This is not only the meaning of the Miqra’ of Tabernacles—the Seventh Called-Out Assembly—but also indicative of a Sabbath Day in the Fall of 2 BCE when Yahuweh became visible to mankind and tabernacled with us—the time a child was born to us, a son was given to us who was Almighty God. And it was on a Sabbath in 33 CE, Saturday April 2^nd, the Miqra’ of Unleavened Bread, that the Messiyah Yahushua fulfilled His promise by bowing His soul into the depths of Hell, personally paying the price on the Seventh Day to redeem us—lifting us up as FirstFruits. And so it will be on the Seventh Day, on the Seventh Miqra’, that the Seventh Millennia of mankind will commence, ushering in a Millennial Sabbath rest for one thousand years—a time of six plus one, of man living in the presence of God.

This tells us that God has planned everything out from the beginning and that He has revealed His plan to us. Everything of consequence happens on His schedule—one that is made manifest by and on the Seventh Day.

And this my friends is the reason Sunday Worship is so deceitful, destructive, deadly, and damning. Like lost sheep, religious Christians cast Yahuweh’s plan of salvation aside, trusting instead in the edicts of man. They are lost without a program, blind without a guide. Sunday leads to the sungod. The Sabbath leads to Yahweh.  

There are seven essential insights encased in the Sabbath. The primary spiritual message is that we cannot work for our salvation, the time of perfect rest. Yahweh alone provides the way and the means. If we want to be with Him, we must rely on Him.

Second, we are asked to set apart time for Yahweh, prioritizing our relationship with God, getting to know Him better. The Sabbath is designed to yada’ Yahweh. It is a time for reflection and relationship.

Third, in our fallen state we are mortal, frail and weak. Quite literally, we require rest. Yahweh’s Torah is an Owner’s Manual filled with prescriptions for better living. This advice falls under that designation. Yah has a solution already prepared for us, one we will enjoy when we camp out with Him.

Forth, man (who is represented by the number six, the day upon which he was created) apart from God (who is one) is incomplete, imperfect, frail, mortal, and destined to toil during a brief temporal existence. Man with the addition of God (6 + 1 = 7) is renewed and complete, perfect and immortal, empowered and enlightened, sheltered and saved. Creation like salvation is an equation.

Fifth, Yahweh’s plan of salvation is based on six plus one. It is depicted in the seven Miqra’ey. It begins with a sacrifice at Passover and concludes with a restful celebration during the seven days of Tabernacles.  

The sixth lesson imbedded in the Sabbath is prophetic. All human history as well as Yahweh’s plan of salvation, unfolds based upon the pattern of six plus one. It is the key which unlocks God’s timeline. (Adam’s choice to separate from God, disrupting the equation, occurred in 3968 BCE—year 1 on Yahweh’s Calendar. Noah’s Flood took place exactly a thousand years later in 2968 BCE (1000 YC). Abraham established the Covenant on Mount Mowriyah in 1968 BCE (2000 YC). Yahuweh’s Tabernacle was constructed by Solomon in 968 BCE (3000 YC). Exactly 1,000 years later (and forty Yowbel from the Covenant’s commencement), Yahushua enabled the Covenant on Mount Mowriyah, fulfilling the Miqra’ of Passover, Unleavened Bread and FirstFruits in the Yowbel of 33 CE (4000 YC). In 1033 (5000 YC), Mowriyah’s spring was poisoned, consistent with the Torah’s test for infidelity.

And seventh, there are multiple literal, spiritual, and prophetic teachings embedded in most everything Yahuweh communicates. The Word comes alive when we search for them.