The way of the tabernacle paints a picture of the path to salvation, which is to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Priests would enter through the gate, present the sacrifice on the brazen altar, and then purify themselves at the laver (baptism of John).

This is where the "church" typically stops in its teaching of salvation; but, like the Samaritans in Acts 8 had done before Peter and John came to them, the churchian model stops short of the most important aspect of this progression, which is entering the Holy of Holies.

The lighted menorah, altar of incense, and the bread of the presence in the Holy Place represent guidance and nourishment from the Holy Spirit as He leads the believer into the Holy of Holies, which is to receive the covenant of marriage as Messiah Yahoshua's bride.

YOU MIGHT BE A CHURCHIAN IF . . .

Click here for more information.

social media

Memes to Share

The thief on the cross manifestly understood the path to salvation better than the highly educated pharisees. He provided the example of what is necessary to be born again, and he received his confirmation of that salvation directly from the Messiah Himself.

Why Not Hebraic Roots?

The burden I feel regarding the Hebraic Roots Movement (HRM) comes from a very personal journey that my wife and I have traveled, and actually, are still navigating. Having grown up in the mainstream evangelical church, I was thoroughly indoctrinated in its most common teachings and traditions. My wife, being reared in Roman Catholicism, was taught from a different perspective; but while much of the “works-based” beliefs that had been instilled in her were diametrically opposed to the “works-less” teachings of evangelicalism, there were still several similarities in general understandings and traditions.

My door into recognizing the multitudes of error that are embraced by most of what calls itself the “church” came through the simple tradition of the “Christ-mass.” Obviously, like most of the rest of the civilized world, this seemingly harmless family-oriented holiday was always a special time of the year for me, until, several years ago, something led me to dig a little into its origins and meanings, and the eventual illumination of the truth actually startled me at first. If what I had been taught about this was not true, then what else did I believe that wasn't so? It turned out that there were many such things. But, it wasn't until several years later that my wife started realizing the same things, and walked through that door, joining me on this journey.

Once we were united in the understanding that we weren't being given the whole truth from the “church,” we started searching for other like-minded believers from whom we could learn and with whom we could fellowship. I did some initial internet searching, and found a movement that proclaimed, quite loudly, the pagan error of Christ-mass and Easter/Ishtar, and also taught the importance of Yah's Sabbaths (weekly and feast days), so we were immediately drawn to them. We also found some folks in our area who seemed to understand the same truths, so we all started meeting together. On the internet, we were drawn to the teachings of organizations like Passion for Truth Ministries and 119 Ministries (also known as testeverything.net).

Ultimately, after thoroughly examining the most-touted tenets of these HRM groups, we found them to be spreading gross error, and preaching a “different gospel.” I often find myself in conversations with some of their adherents on social media websites, and the brainwashing that has resulted from slick ad campaigns and catchy marketing slogans is not only immediately apparent with their followers, their false teachings appear to be spreading rampantly, and misleading many people.

During a particularly long online dialog, I began to feel an incredible burden for these folks, as there is obviously much confusion over the differences in their teachings and and the truths of scripture, and it has become apparent that at least some of these people have placed their eternal security in the wrong things—and are not even familiar with that which is the basis of salvation.

Changing the Very Words of Scripture

As we saw regarding the clean vs. unclean laws, and the dietary laws specifically, those in the Hebraic Roots Movement are notorious for misinterpreting or misapplying the words of scripture. But, also, they are often guilty of actually changing the very words of scripture. One of the most common marketing slogans of the HRM is the false teaching that the Messiah is the “Living Torah.” The reason this deception is effective is that, since the HRM seeks to keep people bound to the written law contained in what is known as the “Torah” (first five books of the Bible), equating that section of scripture with Christ essentially suggests that, if one rejects the notion that we are under that law, then he also rejects Christ to some degree. Instead of understanding that the Torah prophetically symbolized future real substances that would be revealed through Christ, they wrongly equate Him with performing the various laws that were given through Moses.

But, by what method do they make the claim that Christ is the “Living Torah”? They literally change a word in scripture itself. John 1:14 states, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John is speaking here of Christ (see: Revelation 19:13). So, the Word being Christ, the HRM asserts that the Torah is the earliest section of the scriptures, and the scriptures are commonly (althought incorrectly) referred to as the “Word,” so we can simply substitute “Word” with “Torah.” The problem is, that completely changes the actual word that is used in the verse. If the verse were talking about written words in scripture, then “torah” could be an acceptable Hebrew word, and “rhema," in the Greek, applies to written words.

However, the word John uses doesn't focus on the written word, or the subject of words at all, but on the speaker of the words. In the Greek, the word used is “logos,” and its Hebrew equivalent is “dabar.” So, to make their claim, they actually change scripture itself to fit their false teaching. This will be discussed in more detail later, but one additional fact that debunks their claims about Christ being the “Living Torah,” is their accompanying claim that He never broke the written law contained in the Torah. That assertion is demonstrably false, and so is their teaching on this.

Additionally, while I do not own a copy of their “Hebraic Roots Bible (copyright 1998),” I have conversed with some who have tried to bolster their false claims by copying and pasting passages from that version on a few instances. In my recollection of the few passages that have been shared with me, I believe there was deception and error in every one of them.

Romans 6:14 states, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.” But, since not being under the law negates the whole “religion” of the HRM, their bible adds a parenthetical remark to muddle what is clearly said. It has, “. . . for you are not under the (penalty of breaking the) law.” They have to make sure that their adherents believe they are still under the law, even though that contradicts what Paul plainly teaches.

In Hebrews 10:16, we are told “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” In the Hebraic Roots Bible, “laws” is replaced by “Torah,” even though there is nothing in the text that refers to the first five books of the Bible. The verse is speaking of the Holy Spirit, and it tells how Yah will make His will known to His children. By using the Hebrew word “torah,” one could understand it as His “instructions,” which would certainly not be unfaithful to the original text. However, capitalizing the word makes it a clear deception, as Yah is not telling us that He will write the first five books of the Bible on our hearts and minds. This is a blatant perversion of Yah's Word, but one that is used to try to keep people bound to that from which Christ has freed them.

I can only assume, based on the mountains of propaganda I've seen on the internet, and these examples, that there are probably many instances where the scriptural texts have been changed by their deliberate misuse of “Torah,” deceptively inserting it in place of the actual words that were used.

Revelation 22:14-15 describes two groups of people—those who have access to the sanctuary in the New Jerusalem, which is the heavenly temple within the kingdom of heaven, and those who do not have access to it. What is described in these two verses occurs within the kingdom of heaven, and delineates those who have access to the sanctuary, and those who must remain outside the gates of the sanctuary—but the people described are all in heaven, as the devil, his demons, and the unbelievers have all been cast into the lake of fire by this point in Revelation.

Now, here's what we're told in those two verses: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

But, in the Hebraic Roots Bible, they have replaced the word “Outside” with “And not there.” So, they have completely changed what the verse states, and have taken those who scripture says will be in heaven, and have placed them elsewhere (or “not there”). Let me clarify it this way: if one speaks of those who are standing inside his house, and those who are standing outside his house, could those standing outside his house properly be defined as “not there”? This is just a deceptive little twisting that attempts to support their false teaching that one must “obey the Torah” to see heaven. That's not what scripture teaches.

Clinging to the Symbols and Rejecting the Real Substance

While most people easily recognize much of the symbolism in the Bible, the HRM misses a big one, and in so doing, they create a belief system that contradicts the message of the entirety of the scriptures. It is easy to understand the symbolism of something like the lamb that is part of the Passover Seder, and that our redemption is not in that, but in what it symbolized—the Perfect Lamb of Yah. The Apostle Paul teaches that earthly marriage is a symbol of the Messiah and His bride. In fact, the Ark of the Covenant, barley, the tabernacle, the temple, the priesthood, and even the ancient physical Jews, are all foreshadows, or symbols, of the bride. The HRM actually misses that last one, though, and they do not understand that the ancient physical Jews only symbolized the bride, and the law that was given to them at Mt. Sinai symbolized the giving of the Holy Spirit to the bride.

This is, essentially, what Christ's Sermon on the Mount was about. The written law governed only the physical man in outward displays of relational living, regulated the system of animal sacrifice, and kept the Jews separated from the Gentiles. But, the point that Christ taught was that, through His work of redemption, the real substance of His commandments, or will, was the internal force of the Holy Spirit in the life of the bride. The real point of the law was not to govern the physical man (which is destined for death), but the spiritual man (which receives life from the Holy Spirit). Moreover, by removing the details, or perfection that was demanded by the written law (Colossians 2:14), the believer is free to live in the liberty of the Spirit without fear of not executing His will perfectly. Yah desires His children to identify with Him, and it is the Holy Spirit that will teach the believer how to do that—not as a matter of following a list of written rules, but from a heart that desires to please Him.

Furthermore, in not grasping the rich symbolism Yah utilized to teach the bride about His will for her, the HRM preaches the symbols while rejecting the real substance those symbols foreshadowed—often creating illogical defenses of their false teachings. When confronted with the inconsistency of claiming believers are under the written law of the old covenant, but are not required to obey the sacrificial laws, they claim that it is because there is no temple, and since those sacrifices were to be done there, then it is impossible to properly execute the requirements of those laws.

But, that ignores the real substance of what the animal sacrifices symbolize in the life of the bride, and completely misses what, or who, the temple actually is. Animal sacrifices were a “crucifixion” of flesh, and the temple was a picture of the bride. It's not that flesh sacrifices are no longer part of Yah's will for us, it is that those sacrifices were symbolic of the bride (temple) sacrificing her flesh to purify herself, or to make herself holy (1 Peter 1:16).

And, the ceremonial laws that regulated “clean vs. unclean” kept Jews separated from Gentiles, which symbolized the bride keeping herself separate from the world. In teaching that those physical laws remain, the HRM not only directly contradicts what we're taught in Ephesians 2 (as well as several other passages), it perverts the true meaning of what those laws symbolized—keeping its adherents bound to written physical rules, when the whole application was supposed to be a spiritual one. Yah's will for the bride has nothing to do with food or drink or clothing, for those were just pictures representing the true application, which is that He desires His children to be led by His Spirit, and to keep themselves from being defiled by the world.

Their vast error in this has actually produced teachings that fully misrepresent who the House of Y'isra-el and the House of Judah are, spiritually, and claim that prophecies concerning them refer to literal blood Jews, when they actually represent the bride and the rest of the wedding party (friends of the Bridegroom, friends of the bride). The HRM makes the preposterous claim that those who are a part of the bride have physical Jewish blood somewhere in their lineage, and that they are part of the lost tribes of ancient Y'isra-el. To make this wild stretch, they must completely reject scriptural teachings, such as “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Yahoshua the Messiah.” (Galatians 3:28)

It is a foolish embrace of shadows, rather than applying what those symbols actually represented. By doing that, they are not living in truth, they are not living in the life of the Spirit; they are living in a picture, and missing the life and peace that the real substance gives. They demand compliance to that from which Christ freed us, and condemn anyone who exposes their deception and misrepresentation.

Paul teaches in Galatians 2:19-21, “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for Yah. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of Yah, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of Yah, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

To embrace the false teachings of the HRM is to proclaim that Christ died for nothing. I desire to inform those who might be tempted to fall for their false teachings to flee from everything they promote and proclaim, for those who teach such heresies are to be rebuked, not embraced. And, for those who already find themselves bound to their false teachings, to turn away from them to the truth of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit will never remain quiet over a true believer's dabbling in these clear spiritual errors. The Holy Spirit gives life, but the false teachings of the HRM give nothing but death and condemnation in a deceptive package of false spirituality.

The Holy Spirit is the one who confirms that someone is Yah's child, and that is not based on the written law of the old covenant. Believing that one can be made pure through that written law doesn't promote holiness before Yah, it promotes self-righteousness and a spirit of condemnation toward others—which is why the main message they preach far and wide typically focuses on some aspect of the “Torah.” That sounds a whole lot like the Pharisees of Christ's time, doesn't it? Well, it is.

Excerpted from "From Christian to Believer."

Written by Dean Haskins for Way of the Tabernacle. Reproductions with proper attribution are allowed and encouraged.

Home | contact | © Way of the Tabernacle All Rights Reserved