Blow the trumpet at the New Moon!

by | Jan 19, 2015 | Blog

The first new moon of 2015 will be at 1313 UTC on January 20, 2015. So new moon day will start this evening at Sunset, and as the scriptures admonish us – “Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, At the covered moon, on our solemn feast day“. (NKJV) Whether you sound the shofar, observe this day as a Sabbath or simply remember this day to YHWH in prayer, be thankful that we are one month closer to the Biblical New Year which this year will start a Sabbatical year and also herald the year of...

STRM Newsletter 17 January – The Second Commandment

by | Jan 18, 2015 | Blog

Shalom brethren! I pray that you have had an enjoyable and blessed week! This message continues our study series on the Commandments and the Law, this week the Second Commandment. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, YHWH your Mighty One, am a jealous Mighty One, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments“. (Exodus 20:4-6 NKJV) There are two forms of idolatry, physical and spiritual. Physical idolatry is easy to identify and avoid. Visit any Catholic or Orthodox church and you will be overwhelmed by the idols they worship in the form of statues, icon, crucifixes and holy relics. Even the Jews have been carried away into idolatry with their veneration of the Star of Chemosh, the six pointed star. Spiritual idolatry is harder to detect. In the letter to the Colossians Paul clearly identifies what it is, which enables us to avoid falling into that sin. Many people have expressed concern that YHWH, the epitome and source of all Love, could express jealousy. When we study the root words in Hebrew and Greek, qana and zeloo respectively, we find that an acceptable translation would be “zealous”. It is more comforting to think that YHWH is zealous for His people and in return we...