5th of the 8th month 2017/2018
Shalom all,
Ḥazon/Revelation 22:11-12 “He who does wrong, let him do more wrong; he who is filthy, let him be more filthy; he who is righteous, let him be more righteous; he who is set-apart, let him be more set-apart. 12 “And see, I am coming 12 speedily, and My reward is with Me, to give to each according to his work.”
These words of our Master that were spoken to Yoḥanan, after seeing some very intense visions of what is to come, gripped me this week and as we take some time to consider this command, we who are set-apart in the Master need to make sure that set-apartness and righteousness be increased and guarded in our lives, through a proper loving obedience and observance of the Torah and commands of our Master and Elohim, יהושע Messiah!
These words are some of the final words that Yoḥanan would receive in his revelation of Messiah and that which is to come and therefore emphasise the sobering fact of how a clear separation of the righteous and the unrighteous will be made clearer and more evident as the day of the wrath of יהוה draws near. As His day draws near we recognise a time that is fast approaching where it is although there will be no more time for people to change their ways as the line in the sand of separation will have been drawn, so to speak!
There is a direct contrast being made here between good and evil and highlights a time where those who are evil will simply continue to be evil and those who are good are called to keep being good, echoing a similar language we find in:
Dani’ěl/Daniel 12:10 “Many shall be cleansed and made white, and refined. But the wrong shall do wrong – and none of the wrong shall understand, but those who have insight shall understand.”
Here in Ḥazon/Revelation 22:11 we are given a parallel of pairs in order to highlight the clear separation that is made between those who shall be declared wrong and those who shall be declared righteous; and what we must take note of here is that these words are not describing two different kinds of bad people (wrong and filthy) or two different kinds of good people (righteous and set-apart), but rather this is an emphatic way of contrasting the bad and good.
Our Master makes it abundantly clear that He is coming soon and when He does He will give each one according to his work, good or bad. Knowing this, we are able to see another clear choice that is being set forth for the hearers of His Word as He sets before us the clear choice of doing what is good and right or doing what is wrong and evil. In other words, the choice of life and death are being presented as a choice here in these very sobering words and the choice that one makes will have consequences, good or bad, life or death…. For the time to mix is over and the time to compromise is over… it is now time for people to choose whom they will serve; and the call that is being made abundantly clear here is that the righteous and set-apart ones of the Most-High must be more righteous and be more set-apart in the Truth that leads to life and let the wrong and filthy carry on in their path of depravity unto death!
These words of our Master need to be a sobering reminder of our call to set-apartness and anyone who is unwilling to turn away from falsehood and wickedness are being told that they then better carry on with their junk, for their reward (punishment) is coming. We are clearly called to come out and be separate so that the Master can receive us into His set-apart presence, while those who are not shall be consumed in His fiery wrath that is coming upon the disobedient!
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 6:17 “Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you.”
While these words may be very obvious and clear, we do take note that many are not paying proper attention to them, nor are they taking heed to the call for complete separation from that which is unclean and in a world, that is rapidly becoming more depraved and increasing in its open acceptance of wickedness being regarded as an acceptable standard, the need to come out and be separate needs to be proclaimed by the True remnant Bride that is empowered by the Spirit of Elohim, even louder, with the call for righteousness and set-apartness to be increased!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 52:11 “Turn aside! Turn aside! Come out from there, touch not the unclean. Come out of her midst, be clean, you who bear the vessels of יהוה.”
Ḥazon/Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And he who hears, let him say, “Come!” And he who thirsts, come! And he who desires it, take the water of life without paying!”
Many have clearly turned away their ear from hearing and as a result they lack the required sustenance of the living waters that our Master has provided for us through His life, death and resurrection. As I pondered on these words that many of us know very well, I began to question whether most understand what it means to be more righteous and set-apart, as opposed to being more wrong and filthy. How does one be more righteous? Are we know already righteous in Messiah? While many may want to claim that the have already been made righteous and that they do not need to do what the Torah instructs, this verse presents the sobering reality that righteousness and set-apartness must be increased, which highlights the clear fact that this can only be done through an active obedience to the set-apart commands of Elohim. Belief with works of righteousness must be the focus of any true set-apart believer!
The contrast that is being highlighted is the clear difference between the wrong, that is the unrighteous, and the righteous. As we look closer at this emphatic command of our Master, given to all, we recognise the clear distinction that is being made, highlighting that the wrong and filthy are dirty, while the righteous and set-apart are clean!
Clean or dirty? If you are dirty then get dirtier! If you are clean then get cleaner!
In a world that is polluted by the dirt of sin and lawlessness, staying clean takes work! Think about this for a moment… To be more clean takes work, while to get dirtier one does need not do anything! Dirt accumulates if left unchecked and sin, which is lawlessness, makes man dirty! The proper guarding of righteousness keeps man clean and to do that properly and efficiently, one needs to be sober, alert and watchful, being continually dressed in the armour of Elohim and walk according to the Spirit, in order to ensure that their garments do not becomes defiled through sin and the filthy ways of the flesh!
At this point I would like to break down verse 11 of Ḥazon/Revelation 22, by looking at some of the Greek words that are used, in order to expand on the very clear and sobering call that is being presented by our Master to all!
Let us therefore look at this verse in its unique sections:
1 – He who does wrong, let him do more wrong
The Greek word that is translated here as ‘wrong’ comes from the root verb ἀδικέω adikeō – Strong’s G91 which means, ‘do wrong, be an offender, to act unjustly or wickedly, to sin, to have violated the laws in some way, to hurt, damage or harm’, which comes from the adjective, ἄδικος adikos – Strong’s G94 which means, ‘unjust, unrighteous, wicked’ and is constructed from: 1) α alpha – Strong’s G1 – which is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, used as a negative participle and 2) δίκη dike – Strong’s G1349 which means, ‘vengeance, judgement, punishment, penalty’.
The wrong are those who violate the laws of Elohim, bring harm or damage to others, with the assumption that they are above the law and are free from the judgement or penalty for their wrong deeds, and here the Master is saying to those who are violating His commands, thinking that they shall not be punished, to carrying on… for verse 12 makes it clear – He is coming to give each according to his work!
The Greek word that is translated as ‘do more’ comes from the word ἔτι eti – Strong’s G2089 which is a primary adverb that carries the meaning of, ‘still, yet, besides, further, continue in’, and implies a duration of that which is being done!
In other words – keep on doing what you’re doing! This same word is used for the call for the filthy to be more filthy, and for the set-apart to be more set-apart.
This Greek word ἀδικέω adikeō – Strong’s G91, which is translated as ‘wrong’ is used in the LXX (Septuagint) in the following verse:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 1:32 “For the turning away of the simple kills them, and the complacency of fools destroys them.”
The Hebrew word that is used here and translated as ‘turning away’ is מְשׁוּבָה meshuḇah – Strong’s H4878 which means, ‘turning back, apostasy, faithless, faithlessness, waywardness, backsliding’, and comes from the root word שׁוּב shuḇ – Strong’s H7725 which means, ‘to turn back, return, repent, recover’. And so, we see that while שׁוּב shuḇ speaks of a repentance and a turning back to Elohim, we see the opposite in the word מְשׁוּבָה meshuḇah which expresses a turning away from Elohim. The continual turning away or waywardness of the simple is what kills them, as they do not turn to the One who gives life! מְשׁוּבָה meshuḇah can also be understood as, ‘the state of rebellion against authority’, and as a result of this rebellion against authority there is a break in a previous relationship bond, which is a figurative extension of turning aside off of a correct path! We clearly see this in Yisra’ĕl’s backsliding that caused יהוה to issue a certificate of divorce, as we read in:
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 3:8 “And I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Yisra’ĕl had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Yehuḏah did not fear, but went and committed whoring too.”
The House of Yisra’ĕl, also referred to in Scripture metaphorically as Ephrayim, had turned aside from the correct path of complete obedience and set-apartness, by adulterating herself with the nations – and this brought about a break in the marriage bond with יהוה.
Hoshěa/Hosea 11:7 “My people are bent towards backsliding from Me. Though they call to the One above, none of them exalt Him.”
Another translation writes this verse as follows:
“Moreover, My people are sticking to their turning away from Me. Though they call out to the Elohim on high, all of them alike fail to lift Him up.”
In a time when there are many people claiming to call upon the Most-High Elohim, what we find is that most are actually failing to exalt Elohim as He should be exalted, and this is due to a continual backsliding that they cling on to so tightly, as the grip of false traditions has their hands firmly locked in to inherited lies and assimilated worship practices.
Those who do wrong, let them do more wrong! Those who have turned away and bent towards backsliding, let them backslide even more! These are some serious words, which highlights a time of clear separation between the righteous and the wicked, and here our Master is declaring that as His day draws near, let each one make his choice very clear!
2 – he who is filthy, let him be more filthy!
The Greek word that is translated as the first word for ‘filthy’ is the adjective ῥυπαρός rhuparos – Strong’s G4508 which means, ‘fail, filthy, morally impure, dirty’, and metaphorically it means, ‘to be defiled with iniquity’. The Greek word that is translated as the second word for ‘filthy’ is the verb ῥυπόω rhupoō – Strong’s G4510 which means, ‘make dirty, make filthy’ and both of these words come from the primitive word ῥύπος rhupos – Strong’s G4509 which means, ‘filth, dirt’.
When we recognise the clear association that is given here, we are able to see that the wrong are the filthy ones, whereas the righteous and set-apart are the clean.
Having the sure expectation of our Master’s return and the promise of His coming to dwell in our midst we recognise that we are to prefect set-apartness and cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the filth of the flesh!
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having, then, these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting set-apartness in the fear of Elohim.”
The word for “cleanse” is the word καθαρίζω katharizō – Strong’s G2511 from which we get “catharsis“–i.e., a cleaning-out. The Greek word used here for ‘defilement’ is μολυσμός molusmos – Strong’s G3436 meaning, ‘defilement, filthiness, an action by which anything is defiled and rendered unclean and unfit’ and comes from the word μολύνω molunō – Strong’s G3435 meaning, ‘to stain, defile, soiled’. We are to keep our garments from being stained or soiled by sin and compromise and cleanse ourselves in the Blood of Messiah and obey His Word!
Cleansing from defilement of the flesh entails a proper coming out of that which is not of us and separating ourselves from the things that can cause us to be filthy!
3 – he who is righteous, let him be more righteous!
The first Greek word that is translated as ‘righteous’ is the adjective δίκαιος dikaios – Strong’s G1342 which means, ‘righteous, innocent, just, upright, keeping the commands of Elohim’ and the second Greek word that is translated as ‘righteous’ is the noun δικαιοσύνη dikaiosunē – Strong’s G1343 which means, ‘righteousness, justice’ and this is the word that is used in the LXX (Septuagint – Greek translation of the Tanak), to describe Aḇraham:
Berěshith/Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in יהוה, and He reckoned it to him for righteousness.”
The Hebrew word used here for ‘righteousness’ is צְדָקָה tseḏaqah – Strong’s H6666 meaning, ‘righteousness, righteous acts, merits, righteous deeds’ and is the feminine form of צֶדֶק tseḏeq – Strong’s H6664 which means, ‘righteous, just, righteousness’.
Galatiyim/Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Aḇraham “did believe Elohim, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.” 7 Know, then, that those who are of belief are sons of Aḇraham. 8 And the Scripture, having foreseen that Elohim would declare right the nations by belief, announced the Good News to Aḇraham beforehand, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you,” 9 so that those who are of belief are blessed with Aḇraham, the believer.”
The Greek word used here in verse 6 for ‘believed’ is πιστεύω pisteuō – Strong’s G4100 as already discussed and so reiterate that that ‘to believe’ involves action and a confident response to the one you put your trust in and follow. Aḇraham did exactly that – he trusted in and had total confidence in the Word of Elohim and obeyed it, even while it cost him his land, relatives and close family!
Aḇraham believed – and his belief had works of righteousness!!! The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘believed’ in Berěshith/Genesis 15:6 comes from the primitive root verb – אָמַן aman – Strong’s H539 which means, ‘confirm, support, establish, faithful, believe’; and so we clearly see that by Aḇraham’s obedience in guarding the commands of יהוה and trusting in His Word, he was established or ‘trustworthy’; and by his actions of obedience he showed his confident trust in יהוה! This was reckoned to him for righteousness!
What is worth taking note of is that a word that is derived from the root אָמַן aman – Strong’s H539, is the Hebrew word for ‘truth’, which is אֱמוּנָה emunah – Strong’s H530 which means, ‘firmness, steadfastness, faithfulness, stability, trust, truthful’. We serve a faithful and trustworthy Elohim – and in Him we find true stability, as we stand upon the Rock of Truth! His belief was reckoned to him as righteousness! Abram was a trustworthy and faithful man who guarded the commands of Elohim and walked in righteousness, remaining steadfast and firm in the Truth!
When looking at אֱמוּנָה emunah – Strong’s H530 in the ancient pictographic script we are able to learn the clear characteristic of trustworthiness, as it looks like this:
Aleph – אֱ:
The ancient script has this letter as and is pictured as ‘the head of an ox’, and represents ‘strength’, meaning ‘muscle’ as the ox is the strongest of the livestock animals. This also carries the meaning of ‘yoke’, as an ox is placed in a yoke in order to plough or pull a heavy load in the right direction. This can also picture for us the ‘red heifer’ sacrifice that יהושע Messiah fulfilled!
Mem – מֶ
The ancient script has this letter as and is pictured as ‘water’, and also carries the meaning of ‘chaos’ (from the storms of the sea) and can also picture that which is mighty or massive as well as the unknown. We are also able to understand this letter as representing the nations, for the nations are often likened to the seas in Scripture. This also carries for us the picture of washing, as we understand the function of water being that which cleanses us and sustains us, showing us how we are washed and sustained by the Living Waters of the Word!
Waw/Vav – וּ:
The ancient script has this letter pictured as , which is a ‘peg or tent peg’, which was used for securing or tying the tent or other items. The possibility of it having a Y-shape is to show that it prevents the rope from slipping off. The root meaning of this letter is ‘to add, secure or hook’.
Nun – נָ:
The ancient pictographic script has this letter pictured as , which pictures a ‘sprouting seed’ and gives the idea of continuation or an offspring or an heir, speaking of that which sprouts forth to be the heir of the promise of continuation, and represents one’s life expectancy.
Hey – ה:
The ancient script has this letter pictured as , which is a ‘man standing with his arms raised out’. This word can mean “ “behold, look, breath, sigh and reveal or revelation”; from the idea of revealing a great sight by pointing it out. It also carries for us the meaning of surrender, as we lift up our hands and submit to יהוה as we lift our hands in praise, declaring His authority under which we humbly submit!
In the understanding of this word אֱמוּנָה emunah – Strong’s H530 representing for us ‘trustworthiness’, we can clearly see from these pictures the following:
THE COMPLETE AND SURE STRENGTH OF OUR MASTER WHO WASHES US AND SECURES FOR US THE PROMISE OF EVERLASTING LIFE, AS WE SUBMIT TO HIM AND PRAISE HIM WITH OUR ALL.
Our ability and strength to remain trustworthy servants comes as we allow The Word of our Master to wash us and secure us in Him, as we walk in total submission to Him, with hands lifted high in continual praise of our Master and Elohim.
Our belief in our Master and Elohim must be seen in our works of righteousness as we guard to do all He has commanded us to, and one of my favourite verses says it so plainly:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 6:25 “And it is righteousness for us when we guard to do all this command before יהוה our Elohim, as He has commanded us.”
This is the clear definition of righteousness – the guarding of the commands of Elohim!
Our righteousness is not in our own working but that which is of Messiah, for He took our sin upon Himself in order that we may become the righteousness of Elohim:
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of Elohim.”
The righteousness of Elohim is through belief in יהושע Messiah, for we have all sinned and fallen short of His esteem and through His obedience many have been made righteous – those who believe in Him! Belief in Him entails a working belief – that is a belief/faith with works of obedience – obedience to His commands as I have already mentioned what righteousness is for us (Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 6:25)!
He who is righteous, let him be more righteous! The Greek word that is translated here as ‘be more’ is not the word ἔτι eti – Strong’s G2089 that is translated as ‘be more’ for wrong, filthy and set-apart, but is the word ποιέω poieō – Strong’s G4160 which means, ‘to make, do, accomplish, keep, work, acts’, and is translated as ‘does’ in:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does them, shall be like a wise man who built his house on the rock”
A derivative of this word is ποιητής poiētēs – Strong’s G4163 which means, ‘a doer, a maker’, which is translated three times as ‘doer’ in:
Ya’aqoḇ/James 1:22-25 “And become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, 24 for he looks at himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what he was like. 25 But he that looked into the perfect Torah, that of freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer that forgets, but a doer of work, this one shall be blessed in his doing of the Torah.”
We are to become doers of the Word and not just hearers only! So many may study much on the Appointed Times of Elohim while lack the proper obedience to do what is instructed; and we learn very quickly how greater the understanding of the Word comes in the proper doing of the Word, for without the proper doing or performing of the Word we can easily be deceived by falsehood, which highlights for us the urgency we are to have in being diligent in having our ears attentive to the Torah of Elohim, so that we can delight in guarding to do all that He commands us and express a true and proper love for Elohim in complete obedience to His Word.
To ‘be more’ righteous implies a continual obedience to the proper hearing, guarding and doing of His commands, and in doing so, being diligent in cleansing ourselves from all defilement of the flesh!
In our immersion in the Name of יהושע Messiah we are cleansed and our conscience before Elohim is made clear and clean, which we are to keep clean through being more righteous!
4 – He who is set-apart, let him be more set-apart.
The first Greek word that is translated here as ‘set-apart’ is ἅγιος hagios – Strong’s G40 and its fundamental idea is one of ‘separation, consecration, and devotion to the service of Elohim’, sharing in Elohim’s purity and abstaining from the defilement of the flesh, by being clothed in and walking in righteousness, that is from Elohim!
To ‘consecrate’ means ‘to make or declare to be set-apart and be devoted to a purpose with the deepest irrevocable dedication’. We as a chosen, set-apart and royal priesthood unto Elohim, declare and make our lives solely devoted to the purpose of serving and worshipping יהוה our Elohim, and as we have certainly learnt through the Torah portions of ‘drawing near’ to Elohim, that we can only do so by the Blood of Messiah as we are continually being set-apart in Him through an on-going process of being sanctified as a people for a possession.
The second Greek word that is translated as ‘set-apart’ is the verb ἁγιάζω hagiazō – Strong’s G37 which means, ‘make set-apart, be set-apart, to separate from profane things and dedicate to Elohim’, which comes from the adjective ἅγιος hagios – Strong’s G40. The word for Set-apartness in the Greek is ἁγιασμός hagiasmos – Strong’s G38 – ‘consecration, sanctifying, purification’ and we know that this is the desire of Elohim:
Tas’loniqim Aleph/1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 “For this is the desire of Elohim: your set-apartness! – that you should abstain from whoring, 4 that each one of you should know how to possess his own vessel in set-apartness and respect, 5 not in passion of lust, like the gentiles who do not know Elohim, 6 not to overstep and take advantage of his brother in this matter, because the Master is the revenger of all such, as we indeed said to you before and earnestly warned. 7 For Elohim did not call us to uncleanness, but in set-apartness.”
The Hebrew word for ‘set-apart/set-apartness’, as most of you may know, comes from the noun קֹדֶשׁ qoḏesh – Strong’s H6944 – and it means ‘apartness/ consecrated/ dedicated/ that which is dedicated and separated unto יהוה’. The word is really self-explanatory and carries with it great weight in its identification of truly setting something or someone apart from another with a clear distinction of being marked as separate and apart from the rest.
How are you doing in possessing your own vessel, which is your body, in set-apartness? Have you truly separated yourself from the profane and common things or do you find the lines between the set-apart and profane being blurred by compromise and laziness!
Set-apartness certainly takes work, and when one is idle in duty then laziness leads to compromise and the inability to distinguish the difference between what is set-apart and what is common!
The true servants of Elohim know how to distinguish between that which is clean and that which is unclean as they meditate upon the Torah of Elohim day and night and guard to walk in His commands so that their feet do not become defiled by walking in common ways that profane one’s worship.
Titos/Titus 1:15-16 “Indeed, all matters are clean to the clean, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving no matter is clean, but both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know Elohim, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unfit for any good work.”
What Sha’ul was making very clear here is that to the unbelieving no matter is clean! In other words, they cannot distinguish between the clean and the unclean or between the set-apart and the profane, and as a result they are defiled!
Before we think that this speaks only of those in the world who do not know Elohim, look at what Sha’ul is saying here, as he tells us that those who are unable to distinguish the difference between clean and unclean are defiled, while they profess to know Elohim, yet their works deny Him! This is speaking of many who might claim to be believers, yet because of their inability to walk in set-apartness as they call no matter clean, highlights that they have no regard for proper set-apartness and obedience that the Word commands!
Their disobedient works of lawlessness and compromise deny the Master and are therefore rendered as unbelievers who are unfit to serve as a royal priesthood, just as Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu were and were killed!
At this point I want us to take a look at this Hebrew word for set-apartness as it was written in the ancient pictographic script.
The Hebrew word קֹדֶשׁ qoḏesh – Strong’s H6944 which means ‘apartness/ consecrated/ dedicated/ that which is dedicated and separated unto יהוה’, is rendered as follows in the ancient pictographic letter/symbols:
Quph – קֹ:
This is the letter ‘quph’, which is pictured as , and is a ‘horizon’ and depicts the elements of ‘time’, as it pictures the sun in its rising and setting. It therefore carries the meaning of ‘circle’ or ‘to go around’, representing for us both, appointed cycles or times as well as eternity and speaks of continual adherence to the Appointed Times.
Dalet – דֶ:
This is the letter ‘dalet’ which is pictured as , which is a ‘tent door’. It can also have the meaning of a back and forth movement, as one goes back and forth through a tent door and so speaks of an access point. It can also carry the meaning of ‘dangle’ or hanging as the tent door would hang from the roof pole of the tent. It speaks a great deal in terms of understanding the door of the tent of appointment as the only means of access. And we also know that Messiah is ‘The Door’, for we only are able to have access into the Kingdom through Him! The commands are also to be written on the doorposts teaching us to remember to guard the commands of Elohim as we go out and come in, so that our going out and coming is in peace!
Shin – שׁ:
This is the letter ‘shin’ which in the ancient script is pictured as, , which is ‘two front teeth’ and carries the meaning of ‘sharp or press, chew or devour’; which is what the teeth do, and also speaks of the sharpened word that comes forth from the mouth as the teeth ‘chew’ or ‘meditate’ on the Truth, making what comes forth pure and sharp! It also carries the understanding of consuming or destroying – as teeth do to food.
Looking at the rendering of this Hebrew word קֹדֶשׁ qoḏesh – Strong’s H6944 in the pictographic form that renders set-apartness or to be set-apart we, are able to see what this clearly implies as we take note that this word can render for us the following meaning:
CONTINUALLY COMING TO THE DOOR OF APPOINTMENT TO MEDITATE ON THE WORD!
Our ability to be properly set-apart involves our ability to properly meditate on the Word on a daily basis as well as making sure that we do not neglect the set-apart Appointed Times that are clearly commanded as ‘set-apart gatherings’, which are All the Appointed Times of יהוה, as outlined and instructed in Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23, which includes the weekly Sabbath!
Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:2-4 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘The appointed times of יהוה, which you are to proclaim as set-apart gatherings, My appointed times, are these: 3 ‘Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a set-apart gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to יהוה in all your dwellings. 4 ‘These are the appointed times of יהוה, set-apart gatherings which you are to proclaim at their appointed times.”
The Sabbaths and Appointed Times of יהוה are the set-apart gatherings that are to be proclaimed and kept! The noun קֹדֶשׁ qoḏesh – Strong’s H6944 is used here 3 times along with the word ‘gatherings’, which in Hebrew is the word מִקְרָא miqra – Strong’s H4744, meaning: assembly/ group/ convocation/ a collective of people gathered for a purpose/a calling together. Without going into further detail here, I think that the Scriptures are very clear about the set-apart gatherings of יהוה, as they are exactly that – SET-APART GATHERINGS! Simply put: we are commanded to gather!
At this point let me ask how you are doing in being more set-apart? Many believers tend to begin to neglect the need to gather as commanded, as they find that a drifting away from the required set-apart gatherings, creeps into their lives due to various circumstances, yet here we need to be reminded that we are to be more set-apart and not less!
Holding fast to the perfect Way of Elohim and perfecting our set-apartness by casting off all that hinders causes us to becomes stringer and stronger:
Iyoḇ/Job 17:9 “And the righteous holds to his way, and he who has clean hands becomes stronger and stronger.”
As we know, ‘hands’ in the Hebraic mind-set speak of one’s actions and works – in other words, what one does; and so, we take note that the righteous one who guards to do all that Elohim has commanded, through obedient works of belief in the Master, has clean hands and gets stronger! The Hebrew phrase that is translated here as ‘stronger and stronger’ is written as follows: יֹסִיף אֹמֶץ – yosiyph omets which comes from the two root words: 1) יָסַף yasaph – Strong’s H3254 which means, ‘add, increase, continue, do again, do more’ and 2) אֹמֶץ omets – Strong’s H555 which is a noun that means, ‘strength, stronger’, which comes from the root word that is often translated as ‘courageous’, which is אָמֵץ amats H553 which means ‘to be alert both physically and mentally, be fully alert – awake and not asleep, be steadfast’.
The righteous one who becomes more set-apart is one who grows in his courage to stand firm in the belief, amidst a perverse and wicked generation, and is not tossed by the corruption of the lawless and filthy but rather keeps himself clean through diligent obedience of the Word, growing continually in righteousness and set-apartness!
It is time for the True Remnant Bride of Messiah to stand up and be string and courageous by being more righteous and more set-apart, for His day draws near!
How will you be rewarded? Are you being more righteous and more set-apart or has compromise and sin caused you to drift away and see your garments being defiled instead of being kept clean. How has your speech and actions been before our Master, as you look intently into the mirror of His Word? The time has come and the call has been made clear – he who has ears to hear, hear and respond as you should:
BE MORE RIGHTEOUS – BE MORE SET-APART!
Do not be like those who are becoming more wrong and more filthy, but rather be one who is being more righteous and more set-apart! And if you are asking how you can do this, then the answer is clear – dig into the Word, look intently into the mirror of the Word and meditate day and night on the Torah of Elohim, holding fast to the true and narrow way, clinging to Elohim with both hands, so that you become stronger and stronger, perfecting your set-apartness before the face of Elohim! Hid day draws near, for He is speedily coming with His reward, to give each according to his work! How will you be found by Him?
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”
How is your path shining? Is your path shining brighter and brighter or has it become dull due to a decline in being diligent in hearing, guarding and doing the word of Elohim? Hear the clear call of our Master and respond in true belief!
It is time to:
BE MORE RIGHTEOUS – BE MORE SET-APART!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face to and give you shalom!