Devarim (Deuteronomy) 8:3

"And He humbled you, and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you did not know not, neither did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of YHWH does man live."

YHWH has given order and structure to His people, the people of Israel. He did not want them to be self-ruled, but rather, ruled by Him in all aspects of their lives. He did not want them to take advantage of one another, but rather, He wanted them to watch over each other and to take care of one another. It would mean that each person would have to overcome certain human characteristics, which asserted dominance in mankind when he stepped into rebellion against YHWH our Creator, namely, self.

The whole appeal to people with the concept of "public goods" consists of appealing to man's base nature, in that, he deserves certain things and that someone must give those things to him. Furthermore, when certain items are labeled as being "public," then it seems to soften the impact in a person's mind when those items are forcibly taken away from him and given to another. Call it what you want, but it is stealing, and it does not matter who does it, and regardless of how "altruistic" the motives seem on the surface, it is against Torah.

The whole idea of public goods, 1) order, 2) defense, 3) public health, 4) infrastructure, 5) education, and 6) social welfare, being doled out by some governmental benefactor is man's invention to control the masses. Its sole purpose is to enable the few to govern the many. This is the unseen truth about public goods-they are not for the good of the people, but for the control of the people and for the good of those who ration out that which they have taken from the people.

The society which YHWH wants His people to live in is not based upon such principles. His society is based upon justice, mercy, and faith, all of which are placed upon a foundation of His love and mutual respect for one another. The society which YHWH has given to His people operates upon a completely different foundation. That foundation is Mashiach Yeshua. It has always been so.

Shalom Zerubbabel,

I was fascinated by your teaching on the timing of Mashiach's return in "Where are We and Where are We Going"; I had never thought about it that way!  It seems so clear the way you explained the time of darkness as the beginning of the new day, and quite believable when you consider all that is happening in recent times.  All creation is truly groaning.  But to realize that it will grow darker and darker before the light returns is a formidable thought.  No wonder we all want to hasten the day.  Which brings me to another  new way of seeing things---that the way we think we are hastening the day may actually be delaying it!   

And yes, it raised more questions in my mind.......

So, upon His return, which will occur when we are yet in darkness, it will continue to be dark for a time, and in fact grow darker.  But the day will dawn, and He will rule (this agrees with the way you have explained the Messianic Age to me before), and yet the earth will then pass away in fire, at the end of that 1000-year 7th day?  Then the new heavens and the new earth will be created?  More than my brain can absorb; I guess I'm still confused.....

I totally see your point about not trying so hard to fix Babylon.  I've long ago concluded that it is not fixable.  But at the same time we are to diligently work at restoring Ephrayim as a nation by..... drawing the faithful out of the church?  I see many around me who eyes have been opened to the truths and blessings of Torah, but so many are still so blinded by a lifetime of false teachings that they do not want to accept what they are shown, even if they admit that they see it.  (It truly is a major paradigm shift; I suffered that experience not so long ago, and am still struggling with it.)  And will there truly be a time when all Ephrayim will literally and physically return to the land?  Surely YHWH will expand her borders by then so that we will all fit!  What an exciting thought!  Or is "returning to the land" symbolic for living a Torah-observant life?

I must take some more time to soak all of this in; I think I am sounding rather befuddled today.  But as always, I am grateful and blessed by your teachings and your friendship,

your sister in Mashiach,

B______

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