For We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood! (Part VII: YHVH – Yeshua-You)

A friend of mine unknowingly confirmed the necessity of this article in a totally unrelated email. Thanks Kathy!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I want to take this opportunity to thank the many new readers that have come to the site from all over the world. For at least 2 days there were more readers coming from India than even the U.S. Thank you. Also, I did notice a single reader from Vietnam and that gave me great joy. Thank you for taking the time to come to Codgerville!!! Raphael, as always, I want to thank you and you friends in Brazil for your continued interest. John, thank you very much for your interest. And, finally, I would like to explain that I started this article almost 2 weeks ago now but have been under the weather since I began the article and I am, only now, getting strong enough to continue it. I took 6 pages of notes, front and back and single-spaced and as I look at them my only thought is: “Huh?” So please bear with me.***

A few years ago there was a movement called WWJD((What Would Jesus Do?)). I thought the name was perplexing because most people do not understand what Yeshua did, so how could they presume to know what He would do in a particular situation. If you are still reading my articles after Part VI then I owe you this one. Even as I try to formulate the article in my head I feel as though it should be a book rather than an article. How do you boil the role and purpose and accomplishments of Yeshua down to a single article. It may be quite long, I do not know.

IN THE BEGINNING

First we have to understand what the purpose of creating the Earth, planting a garden and placing Adam and Eve in it. The sole purpose of the Garden of Eden was for YHVH to fellowship with man on Earth. The garden was perfect in all respects and free of sin, that is why YHVH could be there. It was man’s (Adam’s) responsibility to keep sin out. We find this in Genesis 2:15 : And יהוה Elohim took the man and put him in the garden of Ěḏen to work it and to guard it. But, as we all know Adam and Eve failed. YHVH told Adam that the day he ate of the fruit of the tree of good and evil he would die but here is the part Adam did not understand, I think: Psa 90:4 For a thousand years in Your eyes Are like yesterday that has past, Or like a watch in the night.
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved ones, let not this one matter be hidden from you: that with יהוה one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Adam and Eve (Havvah in Hebrew) did not live to be a thousand years old is true but the death that they suffered was separation from YHVH. Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of יהוה Elohim walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and Aḏam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of יהוה Elohim among the trees of the garden (ISR). No longer did Adam and Eve walk in the presence of Elohim and have YHVH teach them His Torah. Not only that, but because of their sin YHVH would not set foot again on the Earth until ALL of His Plan is accomplished. Instead He would use His sons, messenger/angels, to accomplish His work on Earth. YHVH wants to once again have a close personal relationship with man on Earth. So now His plan, which is embodied in the first verse of Genesis, Bereshith in Hebrew, if you know the paleo-Hebrew (Gen. 1:1) has to begin so that He can once again fellowship with mankind. It is important that you remember that Adam and Eve were husband and wife : Gen 2:23 And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one is called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of man.”
Gen 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Understanding this one verse of scripture is positively pivotal in understanding every scripture that follows from Genesis to Revelation. Put everything in context with this scripture.)

Just imagine, YHVH married Adam and Eve under the covering of His Esteem, which functioned as a CHUPPAH (canopy). Can you imagine that even the angels might have attended such an auspicious event. Regardless of who was on the guest list the Plan was set in place to restore mankind back to a close personal relationship to YHVH so He chose the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob (Israel) to be His bride so that He could once again fellowship with mankind. So, let’s begin.

It Really is this simple!

That is the title of my little Sukkot play that I used to not only reveal the meaning of Revelation but the entire scripture from Genesis to Revelation. What I would like to do is look at the components of a Hebrew wedding. For there to be a valid wedding it must have some necessary components.

The Ketubah

The ketubah functions very much like a contract but actually it is a covenant. Most ketubahs have 5 parts:

1. Combined lineage (bride and groom) family trees and anecdotes
2. Bride’s personal history (family tree & anecdotes)
3. Groom’s personal history (family tree & anecdotes)
4. Their meeting (How and when the bride and groom met & anecdotes)
5. Responsibilities A. Groom before; B Groom after; C. Bride before; D. Bride after)

Now let’s assign these parts of a ketubah names:

1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy

Now do you understand why you cannot do away with Torah or take out a part of it because it nullifies the covenant. Deu_4:2 “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you.

Deu_12:32 “All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it nor take away from it.

The ketubah can be very elaborate or very simple. In the case of Torah, which is our ketubah with YHVH, it is very detailed.

One more note on the ketubah: it is sealed with 7 seals:

1. Father of the Groom
2. Father of the Bride
3. Bridegroom
4. Bride
5. Witness Number One (Moses)
6. Witness Number Two (Elijah)
7. Scribe

Who is the only person allowed to break the seals? The Bridegroom (Rev. 5:5).

The courtship:

YHVH chose His bride from among all the nations of the Earth, the Children of Israel, the House of Jacob. (Sept) Deu 32:8 When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.
Deu 32:9 And his people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel was the line of his inheritance.

So, YHVH chose Israel as His bride and calls her out of Egypt (Mitsrayim) and led her through the Reed Sea (Red Sea) and proposed to her at Mt. Sinai.

Offer of Matrimony:

I read an article from a distinguished Bible scholar who said the Israel had no choice in the matter of being chosen, but that is false. YHVH made an offer of matrimony to Israel and Israel said Yes: Offer : Exo 19:3 And Mosheh went up to Elohim, and יהוה called to him from the mountain, saying, “This is what you are to say to the house of Yaʽaqoḇ, and declare to the children of Yisra’ĕl:
Exo 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Mitsrites, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Exo 19:5 ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine –
Exo 19:6 ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl.”

Acceptance: Exo 19:7 And Mosheh came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which יהוה commanded him.
Exo 19:8 And all the people answered together and said, “All that יהוה has spoken we shall do.” So Mosheh brought back the words of the people to יהוה.

The Friend of the Groom: The role of Moshe (Moses)

Moses is fulfilling a very important role and that is the role of Friend of the Groom who is also one of the two witnesses. It is the role of the Friend of the Groom to stand as a “second” as witness to the Ketubah and the offer and acceptance. Moses is the first of two witnesses that will be required. The second is Elijah: Mal_4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:   Luk 1:17 “And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Ěliyahu, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the insight of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for יהוה.”  What is the role of Elijah? He is also a witness and John was a witness in the “spirit” of Elijah.

Joh 3:27 Yoḥanan answered and said, “No man is able to receive any matter unless it is given to him from the heaven.
Joh 3:28 “You yourselves are witnesses for me that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but I am sent ahead of Him.’
Joh 3:29 “He that has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. So this joy of mine is complete.
Who is the Bridegroom that is being being pointed out? Yeshua. Mat 17:2 and He was transformed before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light.
Mat 17:3 And see, Mosheh and Ěliyahu appeared to them, talking with Him.
Mat 17:4 And Kĕpha answering, said to יהושע, “Master, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, let us make here three booths: one for You, one for Mosheh, and one for Ěliyahu.” Mar 9:2 And after six days יהושע took Kĕpha, and Yaʽaqoḇ, and Yoḥanan, and led them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transformed before them.
Mar 9:3 And His garments became glittering, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth is able to whiten.
Mar 9:4 And there appeared to them Ěliyahu with Mosheh, and they were talking with יהושע.

So, in the above scripture we see Yeshua conversing with His Witnesses/Friends of the Bridegroom. Rev 11:3 “And I shall give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clad in sackcloth.”

Ceremonial Washing (Sanctification):

Before a bride can be properly betrothed it is necessary for her to ceremonially wash her her bridal outfit. Was this done? Of course: Exo 19:10 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Go to the people and set them apart today and tomorrow. And they shall wash their garments,”

Did Yeshua wash His clothes? Yes! Mat 17:2 and He was transformed before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light. Mar 9:3 And His garments became glittering, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth is able to whiten. All of this was in preparation for what He had to accomplish.

So, how do we sanctify ourselves: Joh 17:17 “Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth. or, as it says in the KJV: Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth. Psa 119:142 Your righteousness is righteousness forever, And Your Torah is truth.  And how do we “sanctify” ourselves? Rev 7:14 And I said to him, “Master, you know.” And he said to me, “These are those coming out of the great distress, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Chuppah:

The chuppah is a very important part of the ceremony. The Jews believe it hearkens back to the tent of Abraham and Sarah, and that is a nice thought but it is not accurate in every respect. It goes all the way back to the very first wedding, Adam and Eve. Remember, after they ate of the “fruit” : Gen 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of יהוה Elohim walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and Aḏam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of יהוה Elohim among the trees of the garden.

It says that Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and they realized that they had lost their “covering” the glory of YHVH and so they had to make coverings for themselves.  So did Israel have a covering at Mt. SInai? Yes, they did: Exo 19:18 And Mount Sinai was in smoke, all of it, because יהוה descended upon it in fire. And its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain trembled exceedingly.  The smoke and the fire was the Glory of Elohim, the same covering or chuppah, that Adam and Eve had.

The final Chuppah for the final wedding is also overlooked or forgotten. It is called The Holy of Holies. This is where the Marriage of the Lamb takes place. It is that 15’L x 15’W x 15’H enclosure where, once a year YHVH would descend to Earth and dwell with His chosen Bride, Israel, for one day a year and that was on the Day of Atonement.

The most misunderstood clause in the contract/covenant:

In the Hebrew psyche the following were 10 Words but in our Greek indoctrinated psyche they are called Commandments: Exo 20:1 And Elohim spoke all these Words, saying,
Exo 20:2 “I am יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of slavery.
Exo 20:3 “You have no other mighty ones against My face.
Exo 20:4 “You do not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,
Exo 20:5 you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה your Elohim am a jealous Ěl (please read jealous husband), visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Exo 20:6 but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.
Exo 20:7 “You do not bring the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave the one unpunished who brings His Name to naught.
Exo 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart.
Exo 20:9 “Six days you labour, and shall do all your work,
Exo 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of יהוה your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
Exo 20:11 “For in six days יהוה made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore יהוה blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart.
Exo 20:12 “Respect your father and your mother, so that your days are prolonged upon the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.
Exo 20:13 “You do not murder.
Exo 20:14 “You do not commit adultery. ((Adultery = Strong’s H5003 = apostastize (fall away. *See note below))
Exo 20:15 “You do not steal.
Exo 20:16 “You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.
Exo 20:17 “You do not covet your neighbour’s house, you do not covet your neighbour’s wife ((This equals adultery: Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.(KJV)), nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.”
*Author’s note: I think verse 14 is the most misunderstood of the 10. H5003 in the Strong’s Concordance is “na’aph”. It can mean physical adultery but it literally means to apostasize. This is talking about spiritual adultery as well as physical adultery. To spiritually fall away from serving YHVH as your Father, Creator and Most High God is adultery in YHVH’s eyes.

Writ of Divorce:

A writ or bill of divorce is given by the husband to the unfaiful wife. If the wife then goes and marries another man and that man later dies, the first husband is not allowed to remarry his former wife. This is considered an abomination to YHVH and is not allowed.

Deu 24:1 “When a man takes a wife and shall marry her, then it shall be, if she finds no favour in his eyes because he has found a matter of uncoveredness in her, and he shall write her a certificate of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house,
Deu 24:2 and if she left his house and went and became another man’s wife,
Deu 24:3 and the latter husband shall hate her and write her a certificate of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house, or when the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,
Deu 24:4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that would be an abomination before יהוה. And do not bring sin on the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.

Now, here is the conundrum according to Torah: YHVH loves Israel (Deut. 32:10) but Israel was unfaithful and served other gods so, YHVH had to divorce the unfaithful Bride (Israel) (Isaiah 50:1; Jeremiah 3:8) but YHVH still loves Israel so He Himself must pay the price of the sin as outligned below.

 

The Wife (Israel) Who Commits Adultery:

1. Write curses in a book: Number 5:23 (Exodus 32:19-20)
2.  Must drink bitter water: Numbers 5:24 (Exodus 32:19-20)
3. Slain with a sword (blade): Ezekiel 16:38-40; 23:47; (Exodus 32:26-28)
4. Forsaken by husband: Deuteronomy 31:16-17
5. Husband hides his face from wife: Deu. 31:18; Isa. 8:17; 54:8
6. Stripped naked: Hosea 2:2-3; Ezekiel 23:22,26
7. Slain with thirst: Hosea 2:2-3
8. Laughed to scorn: Ezekiel 23:32
9. Mocked: 2 Kings 19:21; Isaiah 37:22
10. Cast lots: Joel 3:3; Obadiah 1:11

Yeshua Taking On the Sin of the Unfaithful Wife:

1. Blotting out curses: Col. 2:14; Gal.3:13
2. Drink the bitter cup: Matt. 26:42; 27:48
3. Pierced with a blade (spear) John 19:34
4. Forsaken: Matt. 27:46
5. Hid His Face: Matt. 27:45 (Darkness representing YHVH turning His Face)
6. Stripped naked: Matt. 27:28
7. Thirst: John 19:28
8. Laughed to scorn: Matt. 9:24; Mark 5:40; Luke 8:53
9. Mocked: Matt. 27:31; Luke 23:36
10. Cast lots: Matt. 27:35; Luke 23:34: John 19:24

So, why did Yeshua do these things willingly? This is what Sha’ul (Paul) calls a mystery (secret in some versions) Ephesians 5:32. Look where you find this secret, in Ephesians 5 just after Paul explains that Yeshua gave Himself for assembly and commands the men of Ephesus to love their wives as Yeshua loves us. Yeshua died, carrying all the sin of adultery of Israel, on Himself so that the sin can be put away. But how does Yeshua get around Torah Deut. 24:1-4? Once again Paul explains this better than anyone else ever could: Romans 7:1 Or do you not know, brothers – for I speak to those knowing the Torah – that the Torah rules over a man as long as he lives?
Rom 7:2 For the married woman has been bound by Torah to the living husband, but if the husband dies, she is released from the Torah concerning her husband.
Rom 7:3 So then, while her husband lives, she shall be called an adulteress if she becomes another man’s. But if her husband dies, she is free from that part of the Torah, so that she is not an adulteress, having become another man’s.
Rom 7:4 So my brothers, you also were put to death to the Torah through the body of Messiah, for you to become another’s, the One who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to Elohim.

I underlined and accented it with bold type but I also want to add bells and whistles so that you can see the beauty of what Yeshua accomplished for US. He died and cancelled out the Writ or Bill of Divorce and He arose a New Man, now able to marry His Bride once again. We are the bride and we are now free of That Part of the Torah. We are no longer an adulteress. (Gal. 3:13) This is what makes Revelation 19:7-9 possible. Go back and look at Revelation 5:5 one more time. What did Yeshua overcome in order to be worthy to open the seals? He overcame death so that He could marry His Bride, Israel (I Cor. 15:55).

So, when someone says “What Would Jesus Do?” you can now show them what Yeshua did.

In the interest of time I have shortened the article. In the list of judgements for the adulterous wife in Number 3 should also be stoning. Yeshua was stoned while on the cross but it is only alluded to rather than mentioned directly so, for brevity’s sake I did not include the evidence of stoning. I hope that you still see how and why our Messiah died in the manner that He did. It was because of our unfaithfulness.

Num 6:22 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 6:23 “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:
Num 6:24 “יהוה bless you and guard you;
Num 6:25 יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;
Num 6:26 יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.”
Num 6:27 “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Shalom,

CC