JP,

I had sent you a rewrite of the intro to Shabat because I really didn't like what was there. The more I got into it, the more there was to correct. For example, the old version has the messengers without choice rather than freewill. And as you have pointed out, the difference is significant. So, here are the first 8 pages cleaned up...


Yada Yahweh

Book 1: Genesis

…Why Are We Here?

4

Shabat – The Seventh Day

The Plan is Unfurled…

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 within the dimension of time. They are also comprised of substantially more energy than we are, making them more effective tools. 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.

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.

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, these 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.

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 lead people from life to desolation, will join the demons in the Abyss because they are considered to be in league with them. Souls reborn in Yahuweh's Spirit are likewise immortal, but they spend their eternity with the Creator rather than with the Adversary. The preponderance of souls will make neither connection; and they will therefore remain mortal. For them there is 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 option not to love must be compelling. And that is the reason God created a division of beings capable of rebelling but not of creating. Rebellious, and thus fallen "angels," now demons, function in this role. They serve to make the choices to reject or ignore God credible. They do so using the only means they know: counterfeit and submission. 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 in fact the least free institution on earth. Outside of the military, submission is most clearly 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.

While religions provide compelling counterfeits, dogmas that distance man from God by hiding, corrupting, 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," the universe, and thus our existence (as well as choice), would have been eliminated. That is why all of 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). 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.

Yahuweh is depicted having seven Spirits, or manifestations, and He relies upon seven metaphors to describe His nature.

There are seven letters to the Renewed Covenant's ekklesia, or Called-Out assemblies, depicting seven eras of "church" history. Even the Tribulation, that horrible culmination of man's and Satan's influence on earth, is seven years long.

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.

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." 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 done the 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.